After a long journey, it was night. But there was one problem.
“Wait, two triple rooms?”
They’d reserved three doubles, but there must have been some kind of booking error. There were five of them. And one was a boy. Normally they’d just cram in and deal with it, but this was anything but a normal situation for the four girls.
“Hmm. I’m in charge. So the Orimuras will take one, and you three can have the other.” Chifuyu’s argument was less than convincing.
“Wait, wait, wait.”
“That’s not right!”
Well, less than convincing for three girls in love. But Chifuyu wasn’t willing to let it, or them, go.
“You brats will complain about anything, won’t you,” Chifuyu taunted. “Fine, then! Laura! You come with us too. Any complaint about that?”
Divide and conquer.
For Laura, it was the heaven of sharing a room with both Orimuras, but the hell of betraying her friends.
“Ughhhhh...” Her teeth ground.
From one shoulder, she heard the voice of an angel, “No, Laura! You can’t abandon your friend Charlotte and take it all for yourself!”
“I... I know...”
And from the other, a devil, “Bwahaha. That’s the law of the jungle! Take what belongs to you! Vwee-hee-hee.”
“You’re right, I may never get a chance like this again!”
What do you do, Laura? What do you do?!
“No, you mustn’t!” cried the angel.
“You know you want to,” sneered the devil.
The world spun around Laura, and she collapsed to the floor with a massive nosebleed.
“Yikes! Laura, are you okay?!” Charlotte yelped, dashing to her where she lay on the ground.
“Charlotte... I... I can’t go on any longer...”
“You’re bloodied, but you’re still in the fight!” Charlotte pulled out a drink and handed it to Laura. ...Blood orange juice.
“A bit on the nose there...” For once, Kanzashi jumped in with the delayed second punchline.
“Why don’t you do rock-paper-scissors instead?” That was an interesting suggestion from Ichika. “The one who loses gets stuck sharing a room with me.”
He definitely wasn’t looking at the situation the same way as the others, but no one else minded. A consolation prize. Those were common enough.
“All right, on the count of three. One, two...” Chifuyu joining in, though, was a bit unexpected. “Three!”
With their hands revealed, Charlotte had ‘lost’ to everyone.
“I did it! I did it, Ichika!” She hopped gleefully from foot to foot, to the consternated glares of Laura and Kanzashi. Chifuyu, meanwhile, sighed in exasperation.
“Good night, everyone!” Charlotte was beaming. With a quick ‘let’s go’ to Ichika, she skipped into the room.
“Oh, wow!”
The room was spacious and well-appointed, mostly the kind of place someone might stay on a business trip. A triple-layer bunk bed wasn’t quite what one would expect to see, but for Charl, so much the better.
“Are you sure you want to share a room?” Ichika asked. “You can always tell Chifuyu to trade.”
“No, I’m fine!” Charlotte snapped. “Wait, would you rather not?”
“It’s fine, just... Ah, just, whatever!”
Not knowing whatever that ‘whatever’ was was a nervous thrill to Charlotte.
“Anyway, I’m going to change into my pajamas.”
“All right, I’ll step out then. Tell me when you’re done.” Ichika nearly fled from the room, too quickly to hear Charlotte’s whispered ‘you could have stayed if you wanted...’
She changed quickly, into a striped set, and then called out to him, “Okay, I’m ready.”
“Mm? Oh, okay.” Ichika looked at her curiously. “What happened to the kitty pajamas?”
“Oh, those? There was no way I could bring them with me. Those are kind of for just at home.”
“Ahh, that makes sense.” Charlotte had serious enough things to deal with back home that playfulness must have been the furthest thing from her mind while packing. Even Ichika could realize that. “Okay, let’s get some sleep.”
“Er, ah...” Charlotte slumped a little. She hadn’t expected to go straight to bed.
“So, Charl. Would you rather be on top or underneath?”
Her face lit up bright red. On top or underneath? I-I can’t decide...
“If you don’t make up your mind, I’m going to have to make it up for you.”
“Eh? Ah, um... You decide...”
As she continued to redden, Ichika dove into bed. “I’ll take the bottom bunk, then. You can have either of the other ones.”
While Ichika enjoyed getting first pick, Charlotte was deflating.
“Oh... That’s what you meant...” All she could feel was resentful embarrassment at where her mind had gone. “I guess I’ll take the middle one...”
She climbed up the ladder, and Ichika spoke again, “Hey, Charl.”
“Yeah? What?”
✦ ✦ ✦
“We’re in France now.”
“Yeah.” Realizing how complicated Charl’s feeling about it must have been, Ichika fell silent. “And?”
“Oh, nothing. Goodnight.” Ichika pulled his blanket up over himself and fell asleep.
Even in the swirl of feelings about everything that was going on, Charl was grateful that he did.
“Mm. Goodnight, Ichika...”
An uneventful night passed.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So this is Paris. ...It’s cold!” Ichika shivered as he stepped off the train in his IS Academy winter uniform. The weak December sun did little to warm him.
“You’re not dressed for it at all!” Charl reached into her bag and pulled out a scarf before wrapping it around Ichika’s neck.
“Ahh, that’s nice and warm.”
Charl giggled, “Amb plaisir, Ichika.”
Charlotte’s smile shone brighter than that dim winter sun—and meanwhile, Laura and Kanzashi, left out the night before, were all icicles. It didn’t help that they were both too nervous being trapped in there with Chifuyu to sleep well.
“Ichika. Bienvenue en France! Bienvenue à Paris!” Charlotte’s coat flowed around her as she gave a polite curtsy.
From behind her, an older man cleared his throat and spoke, “Pardon, ma Dame. If we do not leave soon, we will be late.” It was Charlotte’s butler James, a man of perhaps 55 or 60, with an obvious tender respect for her.
“Of course. Let’s go!” Nimbly taking Ichika’s hand, Charlotte led him down the steps of the station to a waiting limousine.
Well, it seems like she’s doing fine so far. Just seeing the smile on her face was a relief to him.
As he relaxed, Charlotte cupped a hand over his and said, “I’m able to relax because you’re here, Ichika.”
“Mm? Really? I don’t really think I did anything...”
“It’s not that.” She giggled. Just him being by her side. That was enough for Charlotte.
✦ ✦ ✦
Paris, France. A man stood before the gates of the Dunois company’s IS arena. Company president and Charlotte’s father, Albert Dunois. An expensive suit, a beard, and harsh words.
“Any time now.” He stared down at his watch, and the limousine bearing Charlotte and Ichika arrived. As they slowly got out, his anger reached a peak. “You’re late.”
His first words to Charlotte at their reunion. That alone was enough to set Ichika off, but Charlotte spoke before he could, “My apologies, President. There was traffic.”
“Did I ask for an excuse?”
“...Pardon me.” Charlotte hung her head, to a derisory ‘hmph’ from Albert.
“Where the hell do you get—”
“Orimura!” Ichika was appalled that he’d treat his own daughter like that, but Chifuyu held him back. “I’m sorry that my pupil is so rude.”
“I’ve heard worse.”
“Thank you for your forbearance.” Chifuyu continued to hold his head down as she spoke. Ichika had had more than enough of this, but she brusquely whispered in his ear, “Don’t you realize that it’ll only be worse if you do that?!”
“Ugh...” Ichika winced.
“Get yourself together. I didn’t bring you here to pick a fight.”
“Understood, Chifuyu...”
“Call me Ms. Orimura.” She pinched his ear with enough force that he let out a wordless yelp.
“Oww...” Enough force that he could barely speak. Ichika’s face flushed red as he fought the pain.
“Anyway, let’s get to the point,” Albert Dunois began to speak intently. “We’ll be moving Charlotte Dunois to a third-generation IS. The preparations are already complete.”
As the words echoed, he strode into the arena.
“But wait,” Charlotte began to object. “I can’t just change... I can’t just leave Revive like that!”
Her eyes blazed in refusal, but Albert brooked no argument.
“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”
“Ugh! You’re always like this!” Charlotte shouted, clenching her fists. “You don’t understand anything! Not about Revive! Not about my mother!”
“No parent should just force their child to do something they don’t want to!” Ichika butted in.
“It’s a newly-formatted core. It has none of Charlotte’s combat data. It will fail,” Laura followed suit.
Slipping by Chifuyu’s guard, they stood between Charlotte and her father like human shields.
“...Very well,” Albert spoke, irritation clear in his voice. “Shall we gather some of that data with a mock battle? If the Revive wins, perhaps I’ll choose to forgive this little indiscretion.”
‘Forgive’ was the last word on Laura and Ichika’s minds, but Charlotte stood to accept the challenge, “I accept. We won’t lose. Not me, and not the Revive.”
With a ‘perhaps,’ Albert resumed his stride toward the center of the arena.
“Then see if you can overcome the Dunois third-generation IS ‘Cosmos.’” His words awakened the Cosmos, and its petal-like thruster wings spread.
At the same time, they awakened a faraway memory in Charlotte.
“Maman, what’s your favorite flower?”
“Why, Charlotte?”
“It’s almost your birthday.”
“Well... It’s one I have a lot of memories of.”
“Memories?”
“The flower my love gave to me. The—”
Her mother’s smile, her gentleness, her warmth, all came rushing back. Along with the scent of cosmos...