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Life goes on	By : walkerofdarkness Category: +G to L > IS: Infinite Stratos Views: 4169 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos or the characters from it. I do not make any profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Chapter 8
I get by with a little
help from my friends.
-Ringo Starr
It wasn't the situation that made Houki Shinonono uncomfortable. The big crowds of people, the flow of foot traffic, the occasional passing car weren't that unusual for her. While living in Kyoto might not be Tokyo, the kendoka had taken enough trips to the bigger city to be at least familiar with the concept of moving through a crowd.
No, what fueled Houki's discomfort was her outfit. Not that it was a bad outfit: a magenta skirt topped by a cream-colored blouse with a black jacket to cover it all. The problem is it doesn't feel like the kind of clothes I would wear, she whined mentally. And in truth, it wasn't. The skirt barely fell to mid-thigh while the shirt was cut low enough to emphasize her bust. The kendoka felt the presence of every passerby's eyes on her as she moved towards the next store.
“I must zhank you again Houki,” Charlotte Dunois muttered as she walked alongside the taller girl. The French teen had chosen an ensemble that gave Houki pause on first inspection: jeans, a black t-shirt and a green hooded sweatshirt. After tying up her hair into a shorter tail, Charlotte had almost been unrecognizable to her classmate.
Sighing, the kendoka turned towards her companion. “I told you it would be fine, didn't I? You don't have to go so overboard on things.” And it's not like I had much choice in the matter, given you looked so pathetic that way, Houki added in a wry thought.
<—*—>
“Please Houki, I need your help.”
Looking up from her breakfast, the kendoka found Charlotte standing before her. The French girl had her head bowed over and hands clasped before her. Holding her chopsticks level, Houki considered her words with care. “Help with what?”
“I need to get something for Kirika's birthday,” Charlotte explained, looking directly at her classmate. “But I can't read Japanese, so I need a guide to help me.”
The mention of her roommate's upcoming birthday earned a mental gasp from Houki. Swallowing her discomfort at the thought of not having a present as well, the kendoka let her mind race for options. “Okay, I have something to do and then I'll meet you at the Academy gates at ten.”
Charlotte broke into a smile that made the taller girl relax. “Zhank you, ma ami!”
<—*—>
“So did you have any ideas what you wanted to get Kirika?” Houki asked as she glanced at various store signs.
Charlotte bit her lip in thought. “Actually, non. I don't know what she might like. Maybe you can recommend something?”
“Well...” Houki drawled, buying some time to think. “I'll tell you what I know about her. She's got more fashion sense than me, she's a decent but not outstanding student, and she'd be the first to tell you how lucky she is.”
Amethyst eyes blinked as they focused on the raven-haired teen. “You mean zhat you have lived with Kirika for two months and don't know much about her?”
Houki stopped in mid-stride to think harder. “Well, maybe I don't know the right things about her,” she admitted. “I haven't had much experience with friends, so I'm not sure what might be important.”
“Ah,” Charlotte muttered as they walked into a department store. Stopping at the directory, Houki scanned the signs for a likely option. Finding one, she lead the French teen to a set of escalators heading deeper into the store. “Well, zhere isn't much to be done about zhat,” she commented as they stopped at their level.
As they neared the woman's department, the Japanese girl caught sight of a clerk walking towards them. Giving the employee a minor shake of her head, Houki turned her attention to her classmate. “Aside from learning how to be a friend now I guess.”
Charlotte flashed a grin as she walked around one rack of tops. Eyeing one design, she pulled it off to admire it more closely. “How is zhis?”
“I'm not sure if that's her style,” admitted the kendoka as she moved to a different rack, this one containing jackets.
Sighing, Charlotte returned the item and moved to join her classmate. “What does Kirika wear when she's in your room?”
Sapphire eyes closed in thought. “Mostly she's pretty relaxed about it. She likes a t-shirt and some athletic shorts. A lot of her wardrobe is...I guess the word I'm looking for is casual. Nothing too tight. I know she's not ashamed of her body, but Kirika doesn't feel a need to show it off either.”
The French girl gave an encouraging smile. “See? You know more about her zhan you zhought.”
Oh?” Houki asked as she looked at the size of the jacket. I think this will fit her, she judged. Draping the apparel over her arm, she glanced back at Charlotte. “Well, I think I'll go with this. Did you see something you like?”
“Non.” Looking around the salesfloor, Charlotte pondered other options. “Does Kirika wear jewelry?”
Houki blinked at the question. “Well, she doesn't wear a watch. Most times she uses her cell phone to check the time. Kirika does have a necklace with a medallion on it, though. She added a second medallion to the chain as her IS transponder.”
“Oh? Do you recall what is on her medallion?” Charlotte asked, a tinge of hope in her voice.
Frowning, the Japanese girl shook her head. “I've never thought to pay much attention to it, and Kirika never offered to show me.”
Crestfallen, the blond's face reflected her voice. “I was zhinking I might get something zhat went in zhe same zheme.”
The kendoka eyed her classmate with a neutral expression as she walked towards the jewelry counter. “Is that normal for friends, to give them jewelry?”
“It's not unheard of,” Charlotte acknowledged. “I've seen it done a few times. But of late, I have not had many friends that I would consider doing it for.”
Sapphire eyes glanced over at the shorter girl for a moment, taking in Charlotte's expression. “”Is there something else?”
Blond hair bobbed once as the French teen nodded. “I still feel bad at getting Kirika hurt during zhe match,” Charlotte admitted.
“It's like you've got a Japanese sense of honor, Charlotte,” the kendoka said as they approached the counter.
The comment earned a blink from the shorter girl. “Zhank you, I zhink.”
As the students approached the counter, a salesgirl walked up to meet them with a wary expression. Houki watched her classmate stumble through Japanese behind a collected mask. When the French girl made her third mistake in two sentences, a smile creased her lips as she stepped in to help. “The salesgirl wants to know what you're looking for,” Houki translated.
“Ah.” Charlotte flashed a thankful smile at the taller girl. With Houki's assistance, the blond girl quickly got her intentions across. The salesgirl gave the teens a skeptical look, but pulled a tray out with some options. After a couple of false starts, the salesgirl showed them a small golden charm. Designed to be worn on a necklace, it was rectangular and had some very fine writing on one side. “Oh, I love it. What does zhe writing say?”
Houki squinted to make out the kanji. “I think it reads 'courage',” she said as she looked to the salesgirl for confirmation and earning a nod in return. “It really is lovely.”
The French teen glanced up at her classmate. “How much is it?”
Houki conferred with the salesgirl in Japanese. “She says it's eighteen thousand yen and wants to know how you intend to pay for it.” The kendoka leaned in close to Charlotte for a moment. “A couple of her words seem to suggest you can't afford it and should move on.”
Amethyst eyes twinkled at the assertion. “Will they take dollars or euros?”
Houki's eyes blinked once at the question before translating to the salesgirl. “She says they'll take dollars.”
The kendoka watched in surprise as the jacket was removed from her possession and placed on the counter. The blond girl flashed a knowing smirk as she looked at the two Japanese women and reached into her jeans for a small wallet. Houki blinked hard as a silver credit card came out and was passed to the employee. “For both items, please,” Charlotte stated simply.
The salesgirl took the card warily and turned away to attend to the register. After a long pause, the employee pointed at the attached pen pad, which Charlotte signed with a flourish. Bagging up both items, the salesgirl handed the purchase to the French teen. Accepting the bag with a smile and a nod, Charlotte looked at her classmate. “Shall we go?”
Mouth agape, Houki nodded once and turned to leave. The kendoka stopped as the salegirl commented to her back. Turning towards the now-cheerful employee, Houki gave a quick response of her own. Charlotte looked inquisitively at her classmate, but kept her peace. “Are you hungry? I'll treat.”
<—*—>
The waitress motioned towards a specific table and set down some menus before the students. Settling the bag on the floor near her, Charlotte leaned back in her chair. “I have not heard of zhis place, is zhe food good?”
“It's better than you might expect,” Houki admitted as she eyed the menu. “Especially for a place that looks like a real dive.”
Nodding in comprehension, Charlotte picked up her own menu. Looking at her menu, the French girl frowned at the list of items. “Uh...Houki...will you order for me?”
Her grin hidden by the menu, the kendoka tried to keep her amusement from her voice. “Sure.”
Their orders placed, the waitress hurried off to an adjacent table. Charlotte looked around the room casually, amethyst eyes drifting from place to place. Finally coming back to her classmate, she appraised the taller girl with thought. “Do you come here often Houki?”
“Not as often as I'd like to. I was living in a temple on the other side of Kyoto with an aunt,” Houki said, eyes growing distant. “And this is one of the bigger shopping complexes shy of Tokyo. I think I'd get out here once a season on average.”
Blond eyebrows twitched at the statement. “A temple? You were raised as a...nun?”
The kendoka's response was cut off by the return of the waitress. Efficiently setting down a pot of tea and some cups between the two, Houki used the interruption to compose her response. “Not a nun,” she admitted as the waitress moved away. “My aunt is a shrine priestess, and I lived with her. I kind of had to, after my parents died and Tabane disappeared. I helped out a lot growing up.”
The apology on the French teen's tongue died unspoken at the sight on her classmate's face. “What is she like?”
Sapphire eyes looked up from the teacup to lock on her companion. “Who, Tabane?” Houki asked, earning a nod in reply. “Well...she's a different kind of older sister. I mean, sure she's smart on a level that can be scary, but she's also goofy, funny and prone to wildly inappropriate comments at the drop of a hat. You're never quite sure where you stand with Tabane. Isn't it like that with your family?”
Charlotte wrapped both hands around the teacup to keep it from shaking. “Non, actually,” she said as she blew on the tea a moment. Taking a sip, she looked at her classmate. “I am an only child, and illegitimate at zhat. I did not know who my father was until after my mother's death, when I went to live with him.”
Houki blushed in embarrassment at her mistake. “My apologies Charlotte, I seemed to have misspoke.”
The French girl waved the sentiment away. “Zhere is little zhat can be misspoken between friends.”
The waitress' return interrupted the conversation a second time. Placing the girls' orders down with practiced motions, the waitress paused for a moment before moving away to a different table. Eating in companionable silence, the two students made muffled groans of excitement over their food. Swallowing, Charlotte looked over the table at her classmate. “May I ask you a question, Houki?”
Stopping mid-chew to stare at Charlotte, the kendoka kept her face rigidly composed. Dark eyebrows narrowed marginally as Houki nodded once. Emboldened, the French teen flashed an embarrassed smile. “I was wondering if you could tell me what it was like to have an older sister.”
Choking on her current bite of food, Houki managed to not spit it out in her classmate's face. A fast grab at the teacup gave enough moisture to ease a newly dry mouth. “Well...” she gasped out, trying to find a way past her embarrassment. “I suppose it depended on the day,” Houki began. “When we were growing up, before she introduced the IS to the world, she seemed...I guess normal is the best way to describe it.”
Sapphire eyes grew distant as the Japanese girl walked in her memories. “Tabane could go from a serious discussion of algebra to make a joke about anything in the middle of sentence. But she never failed to keep herself close to me, despite our age difference. She's eight years older than me,” Houki explained upon seeing the confusion on the French teen's face.
Taking a measured sip of tea, the kendoka felt a wave of nostalgia on crash down on her. “One of the times I really remember is when I had to do some...I want to say it was something math related. Multiplication and division, if I remember right. Anyway, I was having a lot of difficulty with the work I had, my parents weren't around and I went to ask Tabane for help in her room.
“I do remember that I had to work up my courage a bit. Tabane was always friendly to me, but I didn't have as much confidence in my academic skills compared to her. I mean, Tabane was smart enough to pretty much skip all of high school. She was taking classes at Tokyo University before she could get her driver's license.” Charlotte nodded at the sentiment but kept her silence.
“So I go up to her room, and knock on the door. Tabane opened it almost immediately and says 'What's going on Houki? Something wrong?'.” Charlotte flashed a faint smile as her friend's voice pitched itself higher in impersonation. “So I showed her my work and complained about how I didn't understand it. Tabane then helped me out for over an hour until I really did get the process, and she did it in a way that my teachers couldn't. I don't know if it was just the personalized attention, or she really did have a better way. All I know is I still use those same tricks now.”
Amethyst eyes focused in on Houki's face. “And after she debuted zhe IS?”
The kendoka frowned at the memory, but found herself unable to remain silent. “Well, originally the IS wasn't seen as that great a thing. Sure, it had a lot of space exploration usages, but it wasn't as high a priority for folks as I think Tabane wanted. It wasn't until after the Shirokishi incident that nearly destroyed Japan that everyone took notice of what she had developed.”
Charlotte nodded as she recalled what she had learned of the famous act. The Shirokishi, or White Knight, incident. Over two thousand nuclear missiles were launched at Japan and a single IS destroyed them all. Then it was seen engaging, and defeating, naval forces from every sea-faring country with no loss of life. “Well, if you were looking for a way to demonstrate what a system could do, zhen you could not do much better zhan saving a country.”
Houki blinked at the statement, letting her thoughts drift along the idea proposed by the French teen. Opening her mouth to dismiss the concept, she was interrupted by the return of the waitress. Taking away the plates, the server looked hopefully at her customers. “She's wondering if we want any desert,” Houki explained.
The French girl's amethyst eyes twinkled as she grinned. “Do zhey do something particularly well?”
Nodding, the kendoka rattled off a string of rapid-fire Japanese. The waitress beamed once before running off to comply. “It'll be a few minutes, but it's worth the wait.”
Charlotte smirked as she picked up her teacup. “Zhe best things usually require some time,” she muttered into her cup as she took a sip.
Houki fought to keep a frown off her face as she copied the motion. Savoring the flavor of the tea, the Japanese teen struggled to find a topic that would be safe. “So, what did you think of Kirika's last match?”
“Against Lingyin?” Charlotte asked, earning a nod from her companion. “Well, she was outclassed in almost every regard. Lingyin is a very sharp pilot, and her machine is capably built. I zhink my own chances against her would be fair, but my Revive is heavily modified and almost equal to zhe current generation of IS. Knowing what I know now, I could probably take Cecilia without much effort, but Lingyin would be a very difficult challenge. And it would be impossible for anyone in an Uchigane or standardized Revive, regardless of zheir skills.”
The kendoka grunted at the concept as the waitress returned. Efficient movements set two pieces of cake in front of the teens, then placed a folder between them. Charlotte was ready for the move, producing the same silver card and handing it over. The waitress blinked once before moving off.
Eyeing the speed of the worker, Houki appraised her classmate. “You know, I have to ask, but what is that? You used it at the store too.”
Amethyst eyes never left the cake as Charlotte poked it with her fork. “My platinum card. I was given it to use while I was at zhe ISA. I was told it has a very high limit.” Breaking off a small section of cake, the French girl brought it to her mouth with a delicate motion. Charlotte's eyes widened at the taste on her tongue. “My mouth zhanks you for zhis, Houki,” she said around her cake, “but my waist and hips will probably not.”
Houki smirked as she started to eat her own cake. Topped with white chocolate sauce, it bore a passing resemblance to Mount Fuji. “Don't worry, I'll help you lose the weight later.”
The waitress placed the bill close to Charlotte, then rattled off a string of Japanese and left. The raven-haired teen blushed for a moment, earning a concerned look from her classmate. “What did she say? I zhink I heard zhe same zhings at zhe store.”
Distracted sapphire eyes clicked back on the French girl. “She said I was lucky to have a cute, rich foreign boyfriend.”
Charlotte just chuckled and resumed eating her desert.
<—*—>
“Okay Ceci-chan, I'll see you later!” Honne Nohotoke said as she left the room with a flap of her sleeve-covered hand.
It wasn't until the door slid shut that Cecilia Alcott let herself sigh. “I suppose I should be honored that I have a nickname, but did it have to be that one?”
Turning her attention back to the table before her, the Briton sighed a second time. Piles of papers were strewn across the surface in a haphazard manner, denying Cecilia any any chance at relaxing. “If I had known this was part of the job of 'class representative', I would have not wanted it. Well, as mother said, 'no job worth doing is ever easy'.”
Grabbing up the leftmost pile, Cecilia shuffled the papers and placed them into a neat stack. The rest of the piles were each stacked in turn until the table only had three stacks on it. Returning to the leftmost pile, Cecilia took the top sheet and skimmed the document. “A requisition of funds from the judo club...let's put that there.”
The process continued through the pile, and then to the other piles. In the end, Cecilia had four categories: fund requisitions, budget approvals, event approvals and miscellaneous items. Picking up the smallest collection, the Briton scanned the first item. “Hmm....”
Cecilia's musings were interrupted by the sudden presence of a hand on her shoulder. Papers scattered everywhere as the blond girl jumped in her seat. Turning her head, Cecilia saw a second student in the room, one hand raised by way of apology as the second held a stack of folders against her chest. “What exactly are you doing here?”
It wasn't until after the words left her mouth that Cecilia assessed the person behind her. Amber eyes hid behind a pair of wide glasses, while her hair was pulled back from her face with a band. Pink-brown tones in the new girl's hair nagged at Cecilia even as her eyes drifted along in their assessment. The newcomer was almost as tall as the Briton, and her body seemed a bit larger. It's not that she's fat, Cecilia decided, but she's used to work. “Well?”
“I am part of the student council,” the newcomer began, moving closer to the table. Taking hold of the stack of folders in her arm, she placed them down with care. “My name is Utsuho.”
Blue eyes locked onto Utsuho's now-exposed necktie. A slender crimson thread was tied into a neat bow. Cecilia's heart jumped into her chest as her brain clicked into overdrive. “My apologies, ma'am! I didn't mean to be rude with you.”
Utsuho's eyes blinked at the sudden change of attitude from the blond girl. “Oh!” she exclaimed as comprehension dawned. “It's okay, first year. We're pretty lax here in the student council. But I have to admit, I don't recognize you.”
“So sorry, ma'am,” the Briton muttered as she sat upright in her chair. “My name is Cecilia Alcott, first year, class one. I'm here as a replacement for Kirika Nakano while she's recovering in the infirmary.”
“You don't have to be so formal around me,” the senior admonished lightly. One hand came up to tuck away a loose strand of hair as Utsuho moved around the table. Grabbing up some of the scattered papers, the older girl quickly restored the mess to it's corrected state. “There, that's better. Now you said you were to replace Kirika?”
Cecilia chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “I'm a temporary replacement. Kirika will be in the infirmary until the end of the week, and then on restricted activities for a while longer. I'm told her injuries were serious, but not life threatening. I volunteered to cover for her.”
Amber eyes considered the other girl for a grave moment. “I saw the match where she got injured. It's good to know Kirika will be back on her feet soon. She tries hard around here, even if she isn't very good at most of it.”
The Briton chuckled at the comment. “To hear Kirika talk about it, she's always good at everything. It's...amusing to find out otherwise.”
“Well, no one can be good at everything. But I know someone who's close enough,” the older teen noted, a hint of a smile crossing her lips. Looking around the room, Utsuho realized they were alone. “I thought I'd find my sister here.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes, I have a sister in the Academy. Her name is Honne and she's in your class,“ Utsuho stated, picking up a paper and starting to skim it. “She usually comes to the student council as well.”
Navy eyes blinked at the revelation. “Your sister was here,” Cecilia admitted, “but she left to get some snacks.”
“Typical,” the older girl muttered with a sigh. Utsuho rose to her feet with a weary expression on her face. “I told her I had to bring these papers first then I would get some tea and snacks. She's probably making a mess of my room looking for a treat. I'll bring you back some tea when I drag her back to help with this work.”
Cecilia nodded at the gesture as the senior left the room. I wonder if it would have been like that if I had a sibling. Dismissing the line of thought, the blond returned her focus to the paperwork. Signing off on two requests like she had been taught to, Cecilia almost missed the sound of the door opening again. “Oh, that was quick,” she said without looking up from her work. “You must have caught your sister before she got to the dorms.”
The hand on that dropped onto her shoulder broke the blond girl's focus and got her immediate attention. But before she could begin to react, the hand tightened it's grip and spun her around. Blond tresses whirled by the motion, throwing themselves into the air and blinding Cecilia. One hand rose to a defensive posture out an instinctive reaction. It never finished the motion, as a second hand snatched it and held tight.
“Who are you?” Cecilia snarled at her unseen tormentor. Rolling her head to clear the hair from her eyes, the Briton fixed on her attacker. But it wasn't the expected amber eyes and pink hair she saw. Instead, navy orbs noted black hair pulled into twin pigtails and emerald eyes that burned with their own intensity. “Lingyin! What are you doing?” Cecilia squealed.
“I told you to call me 'Rin',” the Chinese girl said with a touch of scorn.
“Very well, Rin, what are you doing?” Cecilia asked indignantly.
“I wanted to talk to you,” she replied. The Briton found herself impressed with Rin's calm demeanor; during her time at the academy the candidate representative had shown off many qualities, but 'calm” was not one of them. “Your maid informed that you would be here.”
A momentary surge of panic flashed through Cecilia's brain. “Chelsea? You've been talking to Chelsea?”
Narrow shoulders rose once in a halfhearted shrug. “If that's the name of the girl I found in your room, then yes, I talked to her.” Emerald eyes flicked over the taller girl's body. “I went there, didn't find you and came here on her advice.”
“I see,” the Briton replied, trying not to shudder under the gaze of the shorter girl. “So what did you want to talk about?” Rin leaned in close enough to make the taller girl uncomfortable. Recalling the speed the Chinese pilot had displayed, Cecilia felt a trickle of sweat on her spine as she mentally prepared herself for a fight.
“I wanted to talk to you about my last match. The one with that redhead.”
The words, stated so simply, broke some of the tension the blond girl felt. Blinking once, Cecilia let her shoulders droop in relief. “What about that match, Rin?”
Emerald eyes blazed as they met the Briton's eyes. “Why did you interrupt it?”
Heart pounding from the proximity of the Chinese teen, blue eyes blinked once at the question. “I'm sorry, but I didn't quite catch that.”
“Why. Did. You. Interrupt. My. Fight?” Rin asked slowly as she leaned in closer, almost nose to nose with the taller girl.
I've got to be very careful here. Taking a loud swallow, Cecilia focused on the next words with the intensity of an award winning actress. “Well, Rin, it's like this. I had permission from Ms. Orimura. She declared it an emergency and said I could assist.”
The Chinese girl's eyes narrowed at the statement. “And that gave you enough of a reason to get involved?”
“Well yes,” the Briton conceded as a bead of sweat ran down her neck to her spine. Focusing past the discomfort, Cecilia fought to keep her tone even. “But you know I wasn't the only one. Charlotte helped out too.”
“That French girl? All she did was remove trash from the field,” Rin scoffed. “YOU were the one who stole my kill.”
Cecilia felt the shorter girl's hot breath on her face. A trace of mint hung between the two. I never would have suspected that for Rin. “I was told to engage the enemy, and I did. I have been trained as a sniper, and that means I had to choose the best time to take my shot. If that means that it was after you had weakened the target,” Rin's eyes blazed dangerously at the comment, “then so be it. If you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it up with Ms. Orimura.”
Rin leaned away at the suggestion, standing almost upright in a moment. The blond girl let a shallow sigh out as she tried to compose herself in the brief respite. The Chinese girl raised one hand to cup her chin thoughtfully as her eyes unfocused. “You might be right,” she conceded.
The Briton's pulse slowed as the words reached her. Cecilia felt a twinge of pain in her shoulders, causing her to let them slump. The motion was noticed by Rin, who refocused her attention back on the blond girl. “Of course, there still is the problem of what to do about you.”
“What do you mean?” Cecilia asked, her voice laden with concern. “Why would you do something?”
The Chinese girl smirked, letting one tooth poke out. “Regardless of why you acted, you did interrupt my fight and steal my kill. So you've embarrassed me and in front of the entire Academy no less. So I need to do something to settle that score.”
Fighting to keep her expression neutral even as a new chill ran down her spine, Cecilia looked up at the skinny girl. “I already told you, if you have a problem you need to take it up with Ms. Orimura. I acted on her orders.”
“Oh I intend to,” Rin confirmed with a nod, “but I also need to get something back from you. It's a matter of pride. You embarrassed me, so I have to do something to you.”
Blue eyes widened at the concept. “And just what do you intend to do?”
A frown crossed the Chinese girl's face as she thought. “Well, I'm not sure. The last person who embarrassed me with just an implication about my skills, I laid open her face. Literally.” One hand came up in a reenactment of the movement. “Gave her a scar from ear to chin.”
Cecilia's breath caught in her throat as she watched the demonstration. “You—you wouldn't dare do that to me!”
“Why not?” Rin asked, eyes narrowing at the panicked tone. “It'd be a nice way to remind you of your place. Every time you caught your reflection, you'd be reminded of what happens if you mess with your betters.”
Blue eyes flared in equal parts outrage and fear. “It would also cause an international incident, get you kicked out of the Academy, and very likely start a war between our countries.”
“And which of those consequences do you think really bothers me?” Rin countered with a smirk. “Although I suppose I could accept something else....”
“Like what?” Cecilia asked, hopeful.
A predatory expression crossed the Chinese girl's face. “Well, I'll let you choose. You can either make an apology, a proper apology, for interfering with my fight. Or....”
“Or...?”
“Or I can cut your hair off,” Rin concluded, pulling a set of scissors from a pocket. Working the blades open, the skinny teen ran a finger along the edge to test the sharpness. “That way we both win, right?”
“You want to cut off my hair?” Cecilia echoed, her eyes distant. One hand crossed her chest to wrap a curl around her finger. “Just how much of it?”
Emerald eyes flashed victorious. “Oh, it'll be shorter, but not very much. It should grow back out in a month.”
Cecilia glanced from the petite girl's face to the scissors in her hand. The light reflecting off the edge sealed her decision. “Very well, I've made my choice.” Rin grinned at the words as she leaned in to grab the first blond lock. “Lingyen Huang, I apologize for interrupting your match with that intruder. It was not my intention to embarrass you, but to help end the threat to the academy as quickly as possible.”
The Chinese teen's hand kept moving forward, seemingly of it's own accord. Cecilia tensed up as skinny fingers moved up to her face. “Now wait just a minute, Rin, I apologized like you asked for!”
Cecilia's protests died as the hand came to rest on her head. Patting the top of the Briton's head twice like an affectionate owner, Rin smirked once. “I'll be seeing you later,” she taunted as she turned to leave the room.
Watching the closing door provide a measure of privacy, Cecilia winced as her shoulders dropped. Well, that was intense, she thought, unsure if the other girl had really left. The moment of calm was broken as the door opened a second time. But instead of Rin, it revealed the Notohoke sisters: Honne looking sheepish as her older sister shepherded her into the room.
Carefully balancing a tray in one hand, the older teen turned and nudged the door shut with a foot. “We're back Cecilia,” Utsuho said with a smile. “Who was that other girl just now?”
Blinking to clear her stupor, the Briton focused on the question. “That was Lingyen Huang, from class two. She had some questions for me.”
Amber eyes narrowed behind their glasses for a moment, giving Cecilia a shiver from their scrutiny. Then the instant passed, and the older girl's smile widened. “Well, that's life in the student council. There's always someone who wants our time.” Setting the tray down in the middle of the table, the elder Notohoke set up the tea service with economical movements. “Now who wants some tea?”
A sleeve-covered hand snapped up in response to her sister's question. “I just wonder if Lingyen left any snacks behind?” Honne asked eagerly.
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