Disclaimer: I do not own I.S. and no copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Notes

#1: For the most part these notes will just be here to clarify some things that may not have been so obvious while reading. Please favorite and follow if you liked this story. Also send reviews of things you liked or disliked so that I can try to improve the work. Send questions and I will probably respond to some of them in the next chapter.

#2: Decided to take a small break from the fighting to develop characters more and how characters relate to one another. I might decide to just skip the second part of the golem fight scene.

#3: For people who don't like OC characters, the next chapter is probably going to be the last chapter involving Charles to a significant extent for quite some time.

"Speaking/Reading"

Ichika's Perspective

"Shit," I muttered as I awoke to find myself in the infirmary. The reason as to why I had awakened was due to the side splitting pain I was experiencing. Why I was even in the infirmary was beyond me. The last thing I could remember was the rogue I.S. that was… rampaging…

"Shit! Cecilia, Kanzashi, Rin!" I yelled and leapt frantically as my mind finally started imagining the worst case scenario. I didn't even give a damn that my sides flared in agony over my sudden movements, and I didn't even pay attention that I was now crawling on the floor. Gravity and pain be damned, I had to ensure that everyone was okay.

"Quite energetic for someone who survived a core explosion," an amused and worried voice chuckled wryly.

Looking up from the floor, my eyes were met with a familiar set of blue eyes.

All I managed to do was gasp out Charles name before he picked me up and laid me upon my bed. After making sure I was resting as comfortably as I could, he withdrew a couple of pills.

"Take these. It'll dull the pain. The nurse said that you'll be completely fine tomorrow," Charles stated as he pushed the pills into my hand.

But before he could dump the small tablets into my palm, I quickly grabbed onto his wrist because I had to have my question answered.

"Is everyone okay?! Did Cecilia, Kanzashi and Rin make it to safety?!"

"You mean the British, Japanese and Chinese Cadet Representatives?"

"Yes… We were all stuck in the arena with that thing…" I said wearily.

"You can ask them yourselves. They should be right outside the door," the man said with a smirk before he directed his gaze to the door and said, "Ladies?"

No sooner had he said that, the door came bursting down as four of my classmates came rushing to my bedside. All of them were babbling as they tried to make their voice heard over each other, but I didn't care what they had to say. The only thing that really mattered to me was that their energetic behavior proved that they were healthy.

"Why am I in the infirmary?" I asked groggily.

"Take the pills first and then we'll explain what happened," Charles said in a brotherly manner before presenting me a cup of water to accommodate the pills in my hand, which I gladly took.

"So let's start from the beginning. Ms. Alcott and Ms. Sarashiki, would you kindly give us your account of the attack? Preferably on how Ichika landed himself in the infirmary for three days_"

"I've been what?!"

The word startled didn't even begin to describe what I was feeling at the moment. Given what I knew about the I.S. and its safety mechanisms, being injured to the point that I was out of commission for three days was not something to be taken lightly. The only possible way for the pilot to incur enough injuries for the need to be treated for three days was if the suit was destroyed or if the PIC was disabled by the pilot. Given the nature of the event, it was quite obvious which of the two happened.

Almost immediately after my outburst, Cecilia piped in.

"Relax. Even though you may be healthy enough to be able to come back to school tomorrow, you still need to rest. You should count yourself extremely lucky. When the rogue I.S. self-destructed, we all thought you were a goner."

My startled state became dumbfounded as I just babbled, "The I.S. exploded? That can't be right. The energy should have obliterated a majority of the sch_"

"That's where you came in. Why in the hell did you think it was a good idea to drag that ticking time bomb with you into the stratosphere?" my first childhood friend yelled angrily over what I had to assume to be over my total disregard of my own safety.

"Probably to ensure that no one else in school would be caught in the blast? I'm not too sure on the details myself. I'm still trying to get over the fact that I've been recovering for three days. Hell… After hearing about how I got here in the first place, I have to question how I'm not dead."

Soon after that, the conversation devolved from being a simple info session to just silly banter. Not for the group really. Only two people were bantering. Cecilia was the only one of the group making an honest effort to describe the event, but she would always be interrupted by my second childhood friend, who would make casual jokes or remarks. This had generally led the group to laugh as Cecilia took some offense to Rin's rudeness.

Kanzashi, on the other hand, placed more focus in talking to Charles. Given how I've seen her working so desperately in the lab to prep her machine, it was expected. It wasn't everyday that one could meet the president of an I.S. Research and Development corporation. She was bound to find some breakthrough just by talking with Charles.

Houki was the only one really paying attention to me. She didn't distract herself with the silly banter of the two Cadet Representatives or involve herself with the technical talk between Kanzashi and Charles. My childhood friend only paid attention to me.

And it made my stomach curl.

I knew what Houki wanted. I knew what she wanted more than anything else. I knew that she was waiting patiently. I knew how happy should would be if I could just accept her feelings, and how disappointed she would be for any other answer.

I knew.

But I couldn't give her the answer she was waiting for. I couldn't even think about romance at the moment. The attack on the Academy was a clear reminder of what I had to do first. The injuries were a reminder of why I needed to get stronger. It was all just a reminder that I couldn't relax.

I can't relax until the phantoms disappear.

Charles's Perspective

Looking at my watch, I noticed that I had approximately an hour left before I had to head back to the company. While I would have hated to spoil the fairly festive atmosphere of the group, I had to finish my business.

"I hate to be rude, but I need to talk to Ichika in private. Would you ladies kindly give me an hour to_"

"Why?" asked the raven haired girl.

"Houki…" the boy mumbled tiredly which earned him an endearing look from his classmate.

"Whatever you want to talk can wait. Ichika needs his rest, and I don't want him to be making any deals when he might be too tired to make an appropriate choice," the girl continued strongly while gripping his hand more tightly than she had been before.

Much to my chagrin, the British girl decided to add her two cents as well.

"I must agree with my classmate on this matter. Our school was just attacked by a rogue I.S. piloted by an A.I., and when Ichika gets injured, the head of the Dunois Corporation pops in for visit. Sorry if I come off as rude, but something seems suspicious about the timing. It's not like you are affiliated with the Orimura siblings…" the British woman said with a wicked smile.

Despite the fact that I have seen my share of cutthroat people, Ms. Alcott definitely ranked quite high. Just from her smile alone, I could already feel the fact that she had found her prey (me) and was directly taunting me to take the bait. Why such a young girl has found the need to develop such a personality is beyond me; but then again, the same could have been said about me a when I was her age.

Regardless, I was curious as to what Ms. Alcott wished to know.

"No need to apologize, Ms. Alcott. It wouldn't be sensible to leave Ichika with a stranger given the circumstances. However, you seem to have the impression that I am no stranger," I poked in English to pry more information from my predator.

Without so much as batting an eye over the fact that I was speaking in English, she simply responded in kind.

"Of course not. I mean he did attend a tour at your company. It wouldn't be too farfetched that he would get close to the Dunois family after such an experience. The only thing I seem to have difficulty recalling is when exactly the tour took place. I wonder, was it during some major event?"

It was at this point that Ichika gave an alarmed look at Ms. Alcott that just yelled, "How?" It also confirmed that Ichika had not spilled the beans. Unfortunately, Ichika's ability to hold a secret was not what concerned me. After all, a secret spilled is easy to clean up.

From my experience in the business world, I knew that Ms. Alcott was going to get what she wanted. The only question was what.

"I'm afraid that I can't tell you at the moment since the Dunois Corporation does offer many tours throughout the year. If you truly want more information, you can ask either Ichika or me at a later time. For now I do have business that I must attend to," I said with a smile so as to sweep this conversation away.

My attempt at a peaceful resolution was met with an arrogant smirk.

Ms. Alcott simply stated in Japanese, "I must apologize, but as fellow classmates, we just want to make sure that Ichika will be fine. Perhaps you could just state your business with all of us present. It would put our minds at ease and you can carry on with your business."

"You're a smart girl. Shouldn't it be quite obvious as to why I am here?" I retorted calmly and in Japanese despite my thinning patience.

Much to my relief, Ichika decided to step in before things could escalate.

"As much as I enjoy a multilingual debate, I am going to have to stop this for Charles's sake. He is a busy man and I would hate to waste his time. I really do appreciate the concern, but if he really feels that I should be the only one to hear what he has to say then so be it," the boy said with an extremely tired expression.

"But_"

"Houki… Charles is a good man. If you can't accept that right away, then just have some faith in that I won't do something stupid," Ichika said with a wry chuckle.

"I do trust you, but… I'm just wor_"

"Just let Ichika decide what he wants to do. He's an adult. He can make his own decisions," the twin-tailed girl half-yelled at the one-tailed girl.

This simply earned the Chinese girl an angry glare, but the open hostility didn't seem to faze her. Instead, the pilot just gave a confident sneer at her opponent. It said that she won, but for what was the question. Whatever it was, the girl named Houki seemed to lose ground rather quickly and just walked out of the room before declaring, "One hour tops. After that, I'm coming right back in."

The other girls just followed suit to my relief.

It was only after they shut the door did I let out a sigh and said, "Quite the harem you got there."

"I'd make a snarky comment, but we have more pressing matters to attend to. So can we discuss what exactly you wished to talk in private? I can assume that this isn't just some business formality in handing out the core," the bedridden student stated in German.

"Initially that was the plan. But a… mutual acquaintances dropped by the office."

"So you've met her…"

"And you're her apprentice," I stated rather than asked before getting to the heart of the matter.

"Ichika, the Professor is giving me the blueprints of the I.S. that her student designs. As someone who runs a business, I do have to give some direction over a project of this scale. While I would hate to curb your creativity, I only ask that you base your third generation frame around some of the Raphael Revive's frame."

The boy gave me a look and asked, "Is that all?"

"I also wish to alter a prior agreement over how we would proceed with you piloting data. Don't worry. I think it my proposition is a better deal for you," I said with a nervous heart.

My words were greeted with a hesitant look. It was understandable given the circumstances. A businessman sweetening a deal was never a good thing. It was either a lie to cover something else, or an indication that business had gone south… way south.

"Instead of the data, all I need is some form of participation in the development process. I will to offer you support in designing your third generation frame. You can ask for anything really: money, parts, research material, assistants. You name it."

"Charles… Is Taba-nee threatening you? Is she holding you at gunpoint to give me support?" Ichika asked with a slightly pained look. The only question was what that look stemmed from. Was it because he felt a bit guilty in being the reason as to why I may be in a bit of trouble, or was it because he felt that the professor saw him as incompetent to the extent that he needed so much help?

In order to put him at ease, I simply stated the truth.

"Are you kidding me? The Professor basically did everything in her power to make sure that you have nothing that can lead to false assumptions about your allegiance. Hell, I am dancing along a very thin line with this new deal," I said with a wry chuckle.

"Then why take the risk for nothing? If she really did do everything she could you would know that there is nothing worth her wrath. She can literally cripple countries in a matter of seconds."

Tell me about it. I already saw what she could do firsthand. The fact that my business was left standing was also a testament to how I was basically a puppet dancing in the palm of her hand.

"Because this is in the best interest for all of us… everything from the data to the funding."

It was at this Ichika formed a quizzical look on his face. The curiosity was burning in his eye.

"Let's start with the data. I cannot use your data to further my company along without you being directly associated with the company. You are the only male pilot as of the moment. If the Dunois Corporation, which has been pushing all of its resources to improving our frame and France's pilots, were suddenly able to produce male pilots… You get the picture. The inability to use the data makes it useless, and as a businessman, I can't afford to waste resources on a profitless endeavor," I said with a pause to take in Ichika's nod before continuing on my second point with, "As for you third generation design… Let's face it; the Dunois Corporation hasn't progressed nearly far enough to suddenly produce a third generation frame. If we were suddenly able to produce your work with our track record, people get suspicious. When people get suspicious, they stick they noses in. If your friend Ms. Alcott was of any indication, people connect facts quickly."

"Guess I dropped the ball on that," Ichika stated with a slightly pained look.

"Don't worry about it too much. She is much like a hunting hound in that she is relentless. Back to the topic on hand_"

"That's right. If we are trying to keep my allegiance neutral by hiding the source of the third generation frame, why tell the public upfront?"

"Damage control."

"…"

"We can determine how the world sees the event so long as we set the conditions correctly. If we were to allow others to dig up the truth, they would be in control of the situation. As such, I believe it would be in our best interest to discuss on what we should present to the public."

"How exactly are you going to do that? I'm a bit out of it so I'm finding it difficult to think of a way at the moment," the boy said both warily and wearily.

"My scenario is fairly simple. After offering you Core-Zero-Zero-One, I took some time to get to know about the only male pilot. In my conversation with you, I discovered that you had a profound interest in researching and developing I.S. models when you stated that you took a tour at the company. After giving you a small quiz out of curiosity, I offer you an opportunity to experience the work necessary to develop an I.S.. At first you were hesitant because you wanted to take the opportunity, but you also realized that it could be a plot to draw you towards the French. In order to put you at ease, I made it so that you would have no obligations to France with the sole exception that your name would be associated with your frame and that we would have exclusive rights to sell the model. We would not pay you any money for any sales so that people wouldn't develop the assumption that you would side with us over monetary reasons.

As for the repercussions of the scenario, it will probably make you look slightly naïve since you would be agreeing to work for free. It will also tarnish my reputation a bit for taking advantage of an injured and slightly drugged student. People would also see me as trying to sway you over using a sweet façade of goodwill. While this scenario paints me as a rather underhanded businessman, it is an acceptable compromise for me."

After saying what I had to say, there was a moment of silence. It was quite a bit of information after all.

"Is there no other way? I much rather that you didn't have to suffer for simply watching out for me," the boy said innocently which made me laugh lightheartedly.

"You're a good kid, you know? I'm fine with shouldering such small inconveniences," I responded in Japanese since I had finished talking about all of the classified details.

"I see," the pilot sighed.

"Since my main reward is the frame that you will be providing my company, just do your best in designing it."

My attempt to put Ichika's mind at rest proved to be counterproductive as he let out another sigh. It was one that I was quite familiar with myself given how lackluster and fruitless my time in control has proven.

"Experiencing troubles in designing the frame?"

"Yeah…"

"It's not easy is it," I said with an understanding sigh.

"It's just that every time I think that I made a breakthrough something aspect of the I.S. always falls short."

"Care to elaborate? As someone who has gone down this road, I might be able to give you some insight as to what you need."

"Elaborate? I can show you," Ichika stated before presenting me several prototypes that he had conjured from a holoscreen, the likes of which I had never seen before.

I was both amazed and put to shame by what I saw. All of the designs, while only reaching early third generation model standards, were all intricate and superior to what my company was able to produce. He made several models by himself while my company and I couldn't make one. Regardless of the government's influence and goals, I found it disappointing that I had no progress in my endeavors.

"Ichika… These are all worthy of being third generation models. If you were just trying to make a good frame, you have already succeed_"

"There not good enough. Everything you see there has the same flaw that I see in all of the suits. The one flaw I can't accept," the boy said miserably.

"The same flaw? I can't see it. They all have different specs and specializations."

"That's exactly it though. They are all specialized meaning that there are going to be situations in which the pilot will be poorly equipped. I'm trying to design an I.S. that can handle all situations."

"Ichika... No one can design an I.S. like that. We can come close, but in the end an I.S. has its limitations. The best solution we've got for that issue is the packet system."

"I guess. I mean, I just want to make a suit that doesn't fall short in any aspect, and I know that the packet system is there to… supplement… That's it! I got it now!" the boy yelped in excitement as a light bulb turned on in his head.

"Got what exactly?" I asked with a confused expression since I couldn't figure out his plan.

To my chagrin, Ichika just said, "It's a surprise."

"I see… In any case, Charlotte will give you your I.S. when she comes to school. While nothing I could offer would ever compete with whatever you have planned, I added a surprise for you. Is there anything you would like to ask before I go?"

"Just one… Where's Chifuyu-nee? I was half-expecting her to have come by now…"

I could only smile at this. Ichika had such a heartwarming relationship with his sister.

"She is currently fending off the reporters that are desperate to hear about your heroics with just an I.S. blade. Gotta admit, the women in your life are quite amazing. I never would have imagined that someone could swing such a large blade so easily," I said with a smirk before letting myself out into the face of several expectant looking faces.

"He's all yours, but I would suggest that you would save the questions for tomorrow," I said with a wave before quickly leaving so as not to be caught up in whatever the harem might have cooked up in order to protect him from the corrupt businessman. Just thinking about Ms. Alcott's perceptiveness made me cringe ever so slightly.

Chifuyu's Perspective

What is it with these reporters and their damn stories? I know it's their job to get the scoop, but it has already been three days! The official report on the attack has already made it to the papers despite our best efforts to keep the officials quiet.

Not that it would've mattered if the papers hadn't got a hold on such information. Regardless of the fact that Ichika had fought off the intruder, he had taken down a Cadet Representative who was sporting one of the latest third generation models. My little brother was going to hit the news just for that.

I just wished that these reporters weren't coming in like moths to a flame.

It didn't help one bit when Charles decided to show up at such a time. For someone who owns such a prestigious business, he has a surprisingly lacking understanding of how gossip works. His appearance just made my situation more difficult given how he was just fanning the flames at this point.

"Mr. Dunois!"

Speak of the devil.

"Are you going to take care of this mess or are you just leaving," I said with an irritated look.

"Depends, go out with me for a drink if I do the cleaning?" the man asked with a cocky smile.

"Only if you're buying," I joked knowing how much I could spend in one night.

"A date with the Brunhilde… Definitely worth it," the man said with a laugh before diving straight into the reporters.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on Ichika," I coolly said to Charles before heading in.

Much to my chagrin, I heard many cameras snapping photos over god knows what. I didn't even want to imagine what tomorrow's headliner was going to be. It was not my main concern though since I had more important matters to attend to: one being quite innocent and the other more dubious in nature.