The next day, Alex and Katsuo are walking side by side along the hallway for homeroom.
Since Katsuo’s team won the only match that took place, they get to take home the grand prize. As consolation, the other contestants who were not able to compete gets to have their grades adjusted so that all they have to do is a weekend’s worth of homework to pass the term.
Inverter is locked away again, this time under better living conditions and constant monitoring, much to the military’s dismay. Unfortunately they were not able to track down whoever it was who has tried to attack Inverter. The military gave it a codename…
“What kind of name is Blood Blade?!” Katsuo remarks while Alex is giving his version of what has transpired after the attack.
“Hey, I don’t make up these things. I’m just letting you know what happened just as you asked.” He remarks as he shrugs off the disgusted look Katsuo is aiming at him.
“Good grief. That deranged childish hag sure has a way of getting on my nerves.” Katsuo comments with a sigh.
Alex chuckles a bit in reaction to his remark. And then, a thought enters Katsuo’s mind.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you know that I was attacked a few days back? I don’t remember telling anyone that.”
Alex replies with a smile.
“That’s on a need-to-know basis.” He adds as he slides open the door to his classroom.
Alex waves a hand towards Katsuo while he nods his head slightly in response.
After which, Alex enters the Class 1-A classroom then Katsuo continues down the hall still abuzz with random chatter with the morning sunlight warming his cheek.
As he approaches a corner, he sees Henrietta leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
“Mister Kiyabu, I think there’s something I think that you need to know.” She casually tells him without making eye contact.
He stops on his tracks and gets glances towards her with his hands in his pockets.
“What is it?”
“Remember the evidence Arsenal tried to escape with? Someone stole it among the confusion brought by the siege.”
A troublesome look shows itself on Katsuo’s face.
“Why are they going through so much trouble to steal that thing? If they want to be hidden, they won’t stage an all-out attack like that.”
“If only we could have accessed its contents in time. But they beat us to it.” Henrietta shakes her head in dismay.
(“Just what are they after? They want me dead and then they steal a piece of communication technology?”)
“And another thing. I’ve been asking around since the incident ended. As it turns out, Alex Kenningway was never part of the event organizers. You know what this means?”
A sudden realization enters Katsuo.
“You mean…?”
“Yeah…” Henrietta pushes up the rim of her glasses.
Katsuo gulps in a mouthful of air as he puts the pieces together in his head.
“…that liar could have helped us!”
(“Huh?”) Katsuo thinks to himself as he stares blankly in amazement as to how she got that conclusion.
“He could have helped us by being the last member of our team, but had to weasel his way out of it. I know that getting the registration fee would have been difficult and all, but we can still do Miss Lenhoff’s mission for it. Besides it’s not like four people is the limit. The rules say at least 4 members, so we can have more.” Henrietta rants at a speed Katsuo could barely keep up with.
He chuckles a bit which he hides by loosely covering is lips.
This breaks her train of thought so she just coughs a bit and adjusts her armband.
“My apologies. It seems I’ve been rambling too much. Classes are about to begin. I suggest heading to your room now.” And with that, Henrietta walks down the hall with a wave of a hand without looking at him.
Although, a question remains…
(“If Alex was never part of the event organizers, what was he up to?”)
Later inside Class 1-C, after the bell rings, the teacher walks into the classroom with a happy smile on her face.
“Good morning class! Today I have wonderful news! We have a new transfer student who will be starting her first day today in our class.”
Random chatter fills the classroom upon hearing the news.
“Transfer student?” Katsuo asks offhandedly to Kanade.
She responds with a half-hearted shrug as she stares out at the window.
“I don’t know. Transfer students come here all the time. Not to say that yours was a surprise as well to begin with.”
The teacher then calls to the person outside of the classroom.
“Okay, you can come in now.”
Without a doubt, a student wearing the AEGIS uniform walks casually into the classroom.
Her thin and delicate body frame partnered with an unhealthily pale skin. Her jade green hair is tied in a low ponytail, and on her cheeks are distinct red marks.
Katsuo and Kanade stare in surprise and confusion upon seeing the face of the new transfer student. They have seen this person before.
The transfer student picks up a piece of chalk and writes her name on the black board.
After finishing, she faces the whole class.
To a greater surprise, the name this person gave is fairly normal.
“Kagami…Tsuukou. I look forward to working with you all.” The girl introduces herself with an emotionless voice and a weak growl.
Deafening silence falls on the entire class. The transfer student who has introduced herself as Kagami Tsuukou, but Katsuo and Kanade know as Inverter, looks left and right slowly as though she’s scanning and surveying the area for something. And like a bird of prey spotting its next meal, she glares at Katsuo with narrowed eyes.
“And you…”
She walks between seats to reach the desk on the back row, second one from the window.
A look of sheer terror appears on her face as every drop of color leaves him.
(“Don’t tell me. Is she really going to kill me after all?”)
He has no time to react. Before he knows it, the girl calling herself Kagami grabs his necktie and hoists him to stand up.
The students scream and gasp as they can’t do anything to intervene.
“Hey! What are you doing—mmph!!” Katsuo tries to ask her, but is suddenly interrupted.
Kanade stands up to try and stop her, but she is too late.
She pulls down on Katsuo’s necktie once more, which results on their lips pressing together for a kiss.
An even louder gasp fills the room. Some of them stare flabbergasted at the sudden display of affection. Some are covering their eyes from complete embarrassment. Others are only pretending to do so and are actually peeking through the cracks between their fingers with wide grins on their faces.
Katsuo’s eyes are widened with complete and total surprise. Kagami has hers closed in passionate bliss.
She lets go of Katsuo’s necktie which prompts him to stagger back and away with her back leaning against the wall.
“Wh-what’d you do that for?!?!” Katsuo asks demandingly.
“I have decided that from today onward, you belong to me.” Kagami nonchalantly answers as though nothing out of the ordinary has happened.
Crackles and pops and sparks emanate by the back desk by the window. Kanade grits her teeth as small electric sparks flow back and forth across her body.
“You…get away from him!” Kanade shouts as she sends Circuitbreaker from behind her to charge right towards Kagami.
She responds by placing her hands in her pockets then sends her own Alter, Razorback, to block the straight jab aimed right towards her with its mantis-like arms on a cross.
The familiar sadistic grin that shows her dilated pupils and sharp fangs faces off against her angry scowl.
“Ghehahahaha!! Good try! But nowhere near a match for me.”
The teacher places her fingertips on her forehead and shakes her head.
“Oh my. Looks like things will get livelier from now on.”
Kanade grumbles angrily as the sparks running across her body move more violently.
“Grrrrrrrr…YOU DAMN IDIOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!”
