“Your tea, Tabane.” Aboard Tabane’s mobile lab, Chloe poured black tea into a cup. The sound of the tea glugging from its pot brought Tabane to her feet.
“Awesome, I love your tea! Can I have some konpeito too?”
“As you please.” Chloe spread out some of Kyoto’s famous confectionery on a small saucer. Their rattle piqued Tabane’s appetite even further.
“Ahh, it’s so relaxing to have a nice cup of tea. Oh, hey, what happened to the chocolate yatsuhashi Squally brought?”
“It was poisoned, so I disposed of it.”
“Aww, that’s too bad.”
Chloe giggled at Tabane’s visible lack of disappointment and said, “You certainly seem like you’re in a good mood.”
“Mm. I can’t help but be a bit upset that I still can’t wrap my mind around Byakushiki. That one definitely didn’t turn out like I planned.”
“You don’t look upset.” Tabane was visibly pleased with herself, and Chloe grinned to match. “Anyway, whatever made you decide to create the IS in the first place?”
Tabane took a sip of tea, and then spoke quietly, “To give girls wings.”
Strength for those without strength. Wings for those without wings. A voice for those without a voice. Created almost as if by providence.
“So, what’s the plan?”
“It’s time to move on to the next phase. Next on the list...” Tabane swallowed the last of her tea, and spoke again. “America.”
She smiled cheerfully.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Orimu! Welcome backsies, no take-backsies!” No one really had any clue what Miss Casual was going on about.
“We’re back, Miss Casual.”
The members of the student council who’d stayed behind were waiting at IS Academy’s main gate.
“Er, Orimura. Did you really meet Dan in Kyoto?” Utsuho’s normal dispassionate shell had cracked a little.
“Yeah, he said something about a present.”
“He must have meant my birthday present. Ugh, I told him the thought was what mattered!” Utsuho’s frustration was met with jealous whispers from the cadets. “Ah— Ahem. Anyway, Orimura! The class trip is next week, so make sure you don’t wear yourself out before then!”
“Of course!”
“And also, we’ve come to a conclusion while you were gone.”
“Yes?”
“Bananas are not snacks!”
“Y-Yeah...” Ichika couldn’t quite figure out why her expression was so serious.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Wait, shopping again?” It was the weekend, and as usual, Ichika was out shopping with the girls.
“Problem with that?!”
“Nah, I wasn’t complaining. I need to stock back up on massage oil anyway.”
Houki and the others blushed.
“Wait, so I can get another oil massage then?” Ling’s heart started to pound.
“Eh? Nah, I just promised Chifuyu and Ms. Yamada one to make up for the trouble I caused.”
“Well, you caused us trouble too!”
Realizing they meant the battle with the berserk Byakushiki, Ichika lowered his head apologetically and replied, “Listen, I’m really sorry about that.”
“Ah, er. Really, it’s nothing to be quite so apologetic about.” The smile came back to Ichika’s face as Cecilia hastily smoothed things over.
“Okay. Thanks, Cecilia.”
“Ohohoho, it’s nothing.”
Charlotte glared suspiciously at Cecilia as she said, “Well, you definitely know how to make yourself look good, Cecilia.”
“Ohohoho! I wasn’t even trying to do that.”
“Oh, did you want a massage too, Charl? You should just say so.”
“Eh?! Really, can I?”
“I don’t see why not. How about an aromatherapy oil? I could use an essential oil, too, but...”
“Ehe. I think lavender would be nice.”
Now it was Laura’s turn to glare at Charlotte’s smile. “‘Friends today, enemies tomorrow.’ I see, I see. So that’s who you really are, Charlotte,” Kanzashi chimed in.
“Ehh? No way! I wasn’t trying to...”
“Really?”
When even Kanzashi had something to say about it, Charlotte knew she’d gone too far.
“Make mine rosehip~” Tatenashi giggled as she wrapped an arm around Ichika.
“What are you doing?!” Angry objections in 5.1 surround sound.
“Anyway, uh, I’m gonna go check out the oils.”
He ran away. That was something they could all agree on.
“Phew, I made it out of there.”
Even Ichika agreed, to himself. But it was out of the frying pan and into the fire as he saw just who else was at the massage oil counter.
“Oh my. If it isn’t Orimura Ichika.”
“Squall! Er, Ms. Meusel!” Even in this kind of situation, Ichika wasn’t the sort to be impolite to his elders. As he watched guardedly, Squall browsed through the oil selection, an absentminded smile on her face. “What are you doing here?!”
“Well, well. Aren’t you the cautious one. Don’t worry. I’m just here to shop.”
“I can’t beli—”
“What’s so surprising about it? After all, I am a woman.” Squall crossed her arms under her breasts, jerking her shoulders up to emphasize them, and Ichika awkwardly looked away. “Aren’t you the most adorable little thing.”
“Ahh...”
While he was still looking away, Squall pressed up close to him and whispered, “Be careful around Orimura Chifuyu. And especially of Kuramochi Engineering’s plans.”
“What do...” Before he could even finish the sentence, she danced away to the register. Unwilling to follow, Ichika watched her leave. “What was that supposed to mean?”
Now that the question had been raised, suspicions about Chifuyu and about Kuramochi Engineering were beginning to well up in his mind.
✦ ✦ ✦
“All right, let’s play Old Maid to decide who gets to sit next to Ichika on the train!”
The day before the class trip to Kyoto, Miss Casual had gathered the first years in the cafeteria. Not just the cadets, but the entire class. They were spread out across the entire cafeteria.
“No matter what happens, I—”
Houki was left holding the Old Maid.
“Ohoho. I was born for this!”
Cecilia was left holding the Old Maid.
“Hmph. Is that all you have?”
Ling was left holding the Old Maid.
“C’mon, we shouldn’t be taking this that seriously.”
Surprisingly, Charlotte was left holding the Old Maid.
“I’ll trust my instincts!”
Laura was left holding the Old Maid.
“What matters is data and proper analysis.”
Neither of which stopped Kanzashi from being left holding the Old Maid.
As that one cursed card made its way around the circle, Miss Casual suddenly spoke up, “Oh, wow! I’m out!”
After the winners of each table gathered for a playoff, the final winner was Miss Casual.
✦ ✦ ✦
Meanwhile, Ichika was in his room, going through the prints he’d gotten back from the developer.
“These two, I’m going to need enough of for everyone.” One for each of the girls, one for himself, and one to archive. As he took his notes, one print slipped from his stack and fluttered down to the floor. “Oh, whoops.” Bending down to pick it up, Ichika saw that it was the photo of them all at the station. Alongside them were Daryl Casey and Forte Sapphire. Just seeing their carefree smiles made his heart ache.
“Why...” He knew, now. But knowing was different from understanding. “Just why...”
The only person who heard Ichika’s throaty whisper was himself.