Part 1
A boy’s eyes spring open as he pants slowly with every hoarse breath he takes as he wakes up in his dormitory room.
“What’s the matter, Katsuo dear?” A female voice asks her as slender fingers comb his black spiky hair.
“I had a nightmare. It’s about Inverter; something about her transferring into the school. Not only that, but she’s in my class.”
“Did she grab you by the necktie, kiss you in front of everyone, then told you that you belong to her?”
“Uh-huh…” He affirms as he rests his head back on his soft, smooth, warm pillow.
He closes his eyes again to go back to his sound slumber.
(“Warm?”)
Katsuo opens his eyes again. He sees that his head is resting on a purple pleated cloth. His eyes slam open again as her recognizes this particular material. It’s the same kind cloth the skirts of the female students use for their uniform.
With his heart sunken into fear, he slowly turns his vision up to see whose lap he’s been using as a pillow. And to his terror, his fears have been confirmed.
A girl with unhealthy pale skin, jade green hair, a hairclip holding a part of her bangs which used to cover her eye, and distinct red marks on her cheeks…
“It’s alright. You can rest easy.” She smiles at him with her eyes closed.
“WHA!! It’s you!!” Katsuo flails and rolls off of her and falls off the couch he’s lying on.
The fall causes his head to slam violently to the hard wood floor. He clutches his head as he writhes in pain from the impact.
“Oh no, Katsuo, are you hurt?” The girl whose lap Katsuo was using as a pillow asks him.
She goes on her knees and cradles his head in one hand. She uses her other to gently wipe a tear from the corner of his eye with the back of the joint of her index finger. And in the same motion, rests it under his chin to prop his head up.
Their eyes meet as though flowers bloom around them. Their sparkling eyes like the dewdrops on the rose petals. The aura of tender affection emanates as the girl passionately stares at the young man.
Katsuo quickly crawls out of the girl’s clutches and scurries to the farthest wall away from her. All of the color on his body leaves him as he shakes in complete and utter terror.
“I-it’s you! Inverter!!” Katsuo points out in a trembling voice.
“Oh come on. I thought you said that I should trust you. The least you could do is do the same. “
“No, it’s not that you tried to kill me. It’s just that…” Bashfully, he bends his legs together to the side and places his fingertips by his lips while looking away “…that was…my first kiss.”
Katsuo’s face blushes from being reminded of the time a kiss has been stolen. He slowly runs his fingertips across his lips. Kagami, in turn, widens her eyes in shock. She covers her mouth and nose while turning her head away from the sight of the flustered Katsuo.
She coughs to get the discussion on track.
“Anyway, it’s not Inverter anymore. I told you, it’s ‘Kagami Tsuukou’ now. Say it with me: Ka-Ga-Mi.” She punctuates each syllable of her name with a sway of a finger.
Katsuo remembers the memory that he thought was a nightmare.
(“Kagami…Tsuukou. I look forward to working with you all.”)
“Hey…is that your real name, Miss Tsuukou?”
“You can drop the ‘Miss’. Although, since you belong to me, you could call me ‘Madame Tsuukou’…”
(“Not happening.”) He snaps back in his mind.
“Anyway, to answer your question—“
“It’s not.” Someone finishes Kagami’s statement for her.
“Miss Lenhoff?” Katsuo greets the girl with silver hair tied in a ponytail that has just entered the room.
“I apologize for the trouble my new roommate suddenly barging in on you. It is part of the agreement she made with the headmistress. She’ll be registered as a student for AEGIS…” The girl with the ponytail glares at Kagami like a queen that takes command of the armies of hell. “…and that includes being required to comply with the school rules, which means, no illicit relationships!”
“Oh lighten up, will ya? Natalia Lenhoff, the Demon Queen of the Night. Cheesy name for the Academy’s Strongest. Oops, I meant former Strongest.” Kagami snaps back at her.
“Not in paper. Officially, you’re registered as a Category 3 with an Alter Ability of Inversion. It’s what you call your direction alteration ability, right?” Natalia picks up a small piece of rubble, possibly left behind when the wall between the rooms have been torn down.
She flicks this small pebble towards Kagami with the speed of a bullet.
She then deflects it without even moving a finger. The moment it touches her skin, it bounces back like light reflecting off a mirror.
It flies towards Natalia in the same breakneck speed.
She leans slightly to the side and the pebble grazes her silver hair.
It pierces through the window behind her and hits a tree branch which scares off some birds resting on it.
“As for your rampage the other day, they wrote it off as some sort of impromptu entrance exam. As much as I protest against the idea of deception, she sure knows how to lie through her teeth.” She comments as she scratches her head.
During the annual Battle Tournament, Kagami, when she is still known as Inverter, has interrupted the festivities by staging an attack on Katsuo.
Fortunately it has been kept at bay not only by him, but by his teammates. Natalia is one of them.
“Oh would you knock it off? It’s annoying how much you people suck up to that old hag.” Kagami says as she stands herself up.
“Uhhmmm…I don’t think calling Miss Violet and old hag might be a good idea.” Katsuo tries to calm her down.
“Oh come on, what’s so wrong with calling her an old hag?”
Meanwhile, in a particular dimly lit office…
“Hmm…I don’t know why, but I have this sudden feeling of unbridled rage. I wonder where is it coming from?”
Back at the dorms…
“Anyway, the only reason I accepted is because she told me she’ll track down the dogs who did this to me.” She runs her fingertips across the red marks on her cheeks. “I’ll make them pay for not only taking away everything I have, but also for lying to my face.”
Katsuo lets out a small breath and stands himself up. “Someone told me this once. If you are to become stronger you must forget what hurt you. Drowning in the past will only do more harm than good. I won’t go about justifying if it’s a worthy cause or not, but I’ll tell you now, if you let the past consume you, there’s nothing to help you out of it.”
Katsuo says this, but there’s still one particular set of words that haunt him to this day.
(“…you’re no hero…”)
Katsuo shakes his head to get rid of the voice of the person who perished by his own hands. To this day, this guilt still haunts him.
“Sounds charming.” Another person comments as they enter the dorm room.
“What can I do for you, Miss Thompson?” Natalia greets her.
“There’s no need to worry yourself over it. And I told you Miss Natalia, just calling me Henrietta’s alright.” The girl with the utility belt full of pouches on her waist and an armband on her left arm turns her attention towards Kagami. “And as for Miss Kagami, being a student of AEGIS means that you answer to the disciplinary committee’s rules of conduct. Meaning…cause trouble, and you have to deal with me.”
“Ghehahaha…you seem to forget. I’m the World’s Strongest. Or do you want to be reminded of the time I broke your ‘Absolute’ defense?”
The two of them stare at each other with a menacingly rumbling aura. Neither has shown a face deterred by the other. And behind them, their respective Alters stand by them just as menacingly.
“Uhmm, if it’s alright me asking, how did I end up back at the dorms?” Katsuo tries to divert both of their rage.
“You passed out when Miss Kagami here picked a fight with Miss Kanade. The infirmary advised to get you some rest so they carried you over to the dorms.” Henrietta answers while pushing up her glasses.
(“I fainted at the crossfire?! Talk about pathetic.”)
Suddenly, a uniform beeping sound comes from one of the pockets on Henrietta’s belt. She takes out the source of the sound which is her cellphone. She flips it open and places it by her ear.
“It’s me…Trouble? …Where?”
Later, with everyone in tow, Henrietta runs towards the site of the disturbance.
“Hey I thought running in the halls is forbidden!” Katsuo asks he runs alongside her.
“It’s an emergency, so I’ll let it slide for now.”
After approaching a corner, she turns her body and slides her feet to burn off the excess momentum. Katsuo, Natalia, and Kagami all screech to a halt as well. Henrietta stretches her armband inward to flash the logo on it.
“Disciplinary committee, nobody move!” She shouts among the chaotic scene of shouts and chanting.
“Smooth is justice! Smooth is justice!”
“For the carved! For the carved!”
Two groups of students, each with their own respective signs and banners, are protesting their own stances. Much to Katsuo’s dismay…it’s for a cause that will more than likely not bode well for him.
“How can you not see the sheer majesty of a muscular male body? Each valley, each crevice…they have been carved by a woman’s hopes and dreams! Truly, this is how the gods have intended!!”
All of the students in the camp of “carved” go wild.
“Ha! Your pitiful views are to be expected. Such narrowmindedness is simply unforgivable! How can you not appreciate the youthful charm of a smooth body?! The sleek and delicate form is only unique to such type of physique. For the glory of the smooth body! Smooth is justice!!”
The opposing group shouts and cheers even louder.
Henrietta places both her hands on her hips and breathes a deep sigh. “Good grief, this is just troublesome.”
“Ja. I never thought the masses would even engage in such a topic of discussion.” Natalia adds.
“You girls seem to be oddly calm about this matter!” Katsuo barks at them.
“That does it. This has gone out of hand. I’m contacting reinforcements.” Henrietta takes out her phone and is about to dial a set of numbers.
However, a tugging from behind her interrupts her.
“I don’t think that would be necessary.” Kagami points at the far distance pass the two camps waging protests against each other.
A small group of only four has their own banners and signs. They recognize who those people are. They are the same people Katsuo’s team faced off during the Battle Tournament, and subsequently, members of the Disciplinary Committee.
“Down with the straight and narrow!”
“The way of the lily is the master!!”
“Long live the lily!!”
Their shouts and cheers are easily drowned out by the two bigger crowds. However, Henrietta is still able to take notice.
“Their antics have gone too far this time!”
(“Does she seriously not notice?”) The rest snap back at Henrietta in their minds.
But then, Katsuo notices something among the crowd. He sees among the crowd a girl with short red hair. She catches him taking a gaze at her, then immediately runs off.
“Kanade!” He calls for her attention as he runs after her.
“Hey wai—“ Henrietta attempts to follow as well, but is caught up by the crowd of protesters.
“It’s alright, we’ll handle this.”
And with those words, Natalia and Kagami run after Katsuo.
Part 2
Kanade Ishihara runs down a hall devoid of people. The morning sunlight passes through the windows forming patches of light on the shadowed corridor.
“Kanade! Wait!!”
The girl turns a corner to the right without Katsuo seeing her and he is left lost in a branched path. He takes the path to the left towards the school courtyard.
He searches the bushes in the garden to see if she’s hiding among them, but after a minute or so of searching, nothing has turned up.
Suddenly, movement from the corner of his eye catches his attention. A butterfly with pink and black wings flies pass him and towards a moss covered boulder in the middle of the garden, pass a small grove of trees.
What he sees next engulfs him in fear; paralyzing him on the spot.
“You know, they say that butterflies are the souls of the deceased making their way to the afterlife. Funny how humans romanticize something as tragic as death, don’t you agree?”
On the boulder, a girl with flowing pink hair rests on top. The butterfly he chased before has landed on her finger that she has held up. A mask covers the upper half of her face which hides her identity.
Katsuo clicks his tongue and scowls at the girl.
“Deathwish!” He takes a stance as though drawing a sword.
He is about to use his ability, however…
“Calm down there, your friend isn’t here. I haven’t done anything to her either.” Deathwish then crosses her heart with a thin smile; the same gesture she has done before.
To his annoyance, Katsuo stands down.
“Did you come to finish the job for Inverter?”
The butterfly flies off as she covers her mouth to hide her giggle.
“Oh little Katsuo, I told you already. An assassination doesn’t shout the same message it whispers. Unlike an execution…” Deathwish’s face contorts into a malicious grin.
“So what do you want now?”
Deathwish leaps off the boulder, flips in the air, and lands on her feet. She brushes the long sleeves of her uniform and straightens her tie.
“I’m sure you’re well aware of the Codec Transmitter.”
“Never heard of it.”
“Oh but you have. It’s what this institution keeps hidden within its inner halls. I believe it’s what that girl who calls herself Arsenal attempted to steal.”
Katsuo remembers that a certain communication device that is supposed to be the definitive proof for an attack that took place five years ago has been stolen. It has been taken during the attack on the Battle Tournament amidst the confusion and right under the military’s noses.
“It’s just a communication tool, right? Like an overglorified radio.”
“Heavens no. I believe what you were told is only half a truth. It’s actually linked to the Military’s Alter research files which, as so you know, used to belong to the now gone Lance Corporations. It contains the general global locations of every notable Alter development across the globe. Of course, for a multi-billion company, it has a poor way of disposing its trash.”
“So why are you telling me this? It’s already been taken, right? What more do you want?”
Deathswish laughs in response.
“Oh my. Just what have they been feeding you? They’ve been lying to you, Katsuo dear.”
“Well, why does it matter if it’s been stolen or not?”
“The person you’re working for is chasing ghosts. She’ll drive herself to the ground at this rate. You know what needs to be done.” Deathwish slowly slides a finger across her neck. “Surrender your life to us and this whole trouble will come to an end.”
“Why are you so obsessed of having me dead?”
Deathwish gives the usual thin smile.
“It’s not necessarily you. We just need to make sure that the strongest Alter never awakens.”
“That doesn’t exactly answer my question.”
Deathwish places a finger by her cheek.
“Humor me here for a bit. Let’s say that one person is tied down to a set of railroad tracks, let’s say that it’s your friend. A train speeds towards a junction and towards her with no time for either her or someone else to get her out of there. However you are still given a chance to save that person. You find yourself beside a switch that can control the junction away from her, but at the expense of the lives of five complete strangers. Would you sacrifice your friend for the good of the many, or would you be willing to kill five people who each have people that care for them?”
Katsuo stares at her confused. Deathwish can’t help but chuckle at his pitiful sight.
“Oh who am I kidding; you already had trouble killing one person. There’s no way you can do five.”
“Where exactly are you driving at?”
“Simple, really: I’m different from those who have interests in you. One wants you killed, and the other wants you controlled. I’m sure you can figure out who’s who. All I want is to know you a bit more. I want to know what makes you special; what makes you tick. And most of all, why you do the things you do.”
The faint echo of the school bells interrupts their discussion.
“That’s your cue. Better hurry along. Be a good little boy and get to class on time.”
Deathwish leaps backwards and into the darkness of the grove surrounding them.
However, without either of them knowing, Natalia and Kagami have been staying in the shadows listening to the entire discussion.
Part 3
Classes resume as normal. No difference has been felt from the rest of the students of the class. Two people are the only ones troubled by the sudden absence: Katsuo and Kagami.
Katsuo turns his eye to the desk on his left. The usual seat at the back row by the window is vacant.
(“She’s been gone since I saw her this morning. I wonder where she ran off to.”)
Meanwhile at the school roof, clear blue skies gaze down upon the school.
One student is lying on the hard concrete surrounded by tall metal chain-link fences. Her head rests on both of her hands as she looks up at the clouds that roll by.
She raises one hand up to the heavens and holds her palm open, as though trying to grab the fleeting clouds.
“Tsubaki…sis…” Kanade whispers to her lonesomeness.
She remembers a time during her childhood. She’s crying alone. No one would approach her; no one would talk to her. It’s around this time where her abilities start to show itself. Every time she’d get close to someone, she would give off a little shock.
All alone, she bawls and sobs uncontrollably. The little girl presses on her eyes with the back of her hands to try and stop the tears.
And then, someone bends her knees so that the can see eye to eye nudges on her forehead gently using their middle and forefinger.
This gets her attention. She looks at the person with wet eyes. She sulks a bit and looks at the person with a sad face.
“Tsubaki sis…”
“What’s wrong, Kanade?” Tsubaki asks her little sister.
The young child doesn’t give her an answer. Tsubaki just gives a kind-hearted smile.
“You can’t keep your feelings bottle up forever. Count on your big sister a little more.”
The little girl wipes the tears from her eyes and some running down her cheeks.
“Really, Tsubaki sis?”
“Yes Kanade, you can always tell me anything that’s bothering you.”
The rattling of the chain-link fences startles her out of her memory. She turns her head to the source of the sound and sees a boy with short blonde hair and emerald eyes. He is also wearing the same uniform as Katsuo with a tote bag on his back.
“I never see you as the breaking and entering type, Alex.” Kanade greets the young boy.
Alex brushes his uniform and adjusts his necktie straight.
“Ah, a pleasant surprise running into you here, Miss Ishihara. Well let’s just say that today’s a rather special case.”
Suddenly a booming voice echoes through the surroundings.
“KENNINGWAY!!!!!!!!”
All of the birds fly away from the branches they are perched on and away from the forest surrounding the school that stretches far into the horizon.
“You know Miss Rin’s gonna kill you when she sees you eventually, right?”
“I’ll take that chance.” Alex sits on the floor beside Kanade and sets the small knapsack on the ground.
He takes a deep breath and turns his head up towards the blue sky.
“You know, you used to always hangout here at the rooftop. I think this was where we first met.” He says with a thin smile on his face.
“Would you drop the friendly act already? I know you’ve been faking it since the beginning. You’re just pretending to be nice.”
Alex closes his eyes and chuckles a bit.
“I’m rather not surprised that you noticed.”
“I suppose the headmistress put you up to it, huh.”
“That’s on a need to know basis.”
“Of course it is.” Kanade rolls her eyes in annoyance.
Alex bends his body backwards with both of his arms supporting him from the back.
The cool gentle breeze envelops them and softly whisper on their ears. The songs of the forest birds resonate the serene air.
Both of them take deep breaths of the fresh air and continue watching the clouds as the roll by.
“You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Alex turns towards Kanade.
“You can tell?”
“You used to go on about how you want to surpass Miss Tsubaki, right?”
“I don’t want to surpass Tsubaki sis, I just want to at least be like her. Enough to maybe see her eye to eye.”
“She’s still your older sister. She’ll accept you all the same.”
Kanade stands herself up and rests a forearm on a knee bent upward.
“But she’s too good. I can’t return that kind of kindness to her.”
“Come on, luv. We’ve been together since the year started. I would really hope you’d stop playing the pity card already.”
“Oh shut up.” Kanade says with a click of the tongue.
Alex can’t help but laugh weakly. He stands himself up and brushes his pants of any dust.
“By the way, I saw the incident in the arena the other day. It’s odd how Call Sign Blood Blade knows who you are.” Alex brings up.
(“Kanade? No…why are you here?!”)
“It’d help us a lot if you can tell us what you know about that person.” Alex points out.
Kanade chuckles at the sheer thought.
“No. No way would I know anyone who would dress up like that. And what kind of dumb name is Blood Blade anyway?”
“I don’t make up these things, you know. Well, if you don’t know anything, then I’ll be off then.” Alex picks up the bag and leaves through the door that leads to a plight of stairs downwards.
He makes his way down the stairs but then…
“Hey! I forgot to ask. What’s in the bag?” Kanade asks peeking from the side of the doorframe.
Alex stops for a moment and then looks over his shoulder.
“That’s in a need to know basis.”
And with those words, he continues to walk down the stairs. As he goes deeper down the stairs back to the school hallways, he has a little bit of time to himself.
“You should consider yourself lucky. You still have someone to call your family…” Alex whispers to the solitary solace.
“…unlike me…”
Part 4
In a hospital in the middle of the city, a patient wakes up to a hazy sight. She slowly opens as her vision starts to clear up.
Regular sequential beeps from the nearby medical equipment enter her ears.
She slowly turns her head trying to take in the surroundings without disturbing the plastic tube running across her nostrils.
From what she can tell, she’s in a hospital room and lying down on a soft bed with plastic railings on either side.
The sterile scent of rubbing alcohol fills the air. No sensation can be felt from the waist down.
She turns her head to the window on her right and sees a long piece of red cloth fluttering with the wind. It is the cape of someone who is perched on its frame.
“I see you’re taking your defeat rather well, Toshiko Sakawa.” An electronically distorted voice calls to her.
“Is this the part where you kill me for my failure?” She asks in a weak chuckle.
“I already have enough blood on my hands. I’ve had so much people killed already. But I can’t stop, for the sake of those who are still alive.”
“Haha…it’s really twisted when you put it that way.”
“I know. Nevertheless, I need to finish what I started. Being the strongest comes with expectations - and with that, responsibilities.”
“And that includes killing the boy?”
The figure glares at her through its repaired helmet which has been destroyed during its previous encounter.
“I’ve been doing some thinking.” Toshiko states. “The only reason I agreed was to bring back the people who can cure my condition. So far all they’ve done is pump out the nasty stuff I’ve been taking.”
She looks at the nearly empty pill canister on the small tray beside her bed. This container holds the last dose of an experimental drug that changes her brain’s cellular configuration to help manifest her Alter more. So far, all it’s done is more harm than good.
“There’s no need for you to worry. You can rest easy.” The figure in red assures her. “Your hard work will not be in vain.”
Toshiko scoffs in disbelief.
“Tch, what are you even talking about—“
The moment she turns her head at the window, the figure in red has vanished.
“My hard work will not be in vain, huh? I guess that maniac is really going to pull it off.”
Toshiko rests her head back and listens to the regular beat of the medical equipment surrounding her.
“I’ve been through a whole lot of mess already. Times like these is what I would ask for most of all.” She gazes at the orange tablet container once more.
Scornful eyes gaze at the one thing that has caused her nothing but misery.
She takes the pill bottle and tosses it towards the nearest wall, bounces off of it, and rolls under the bed. Suddenly, the medical equipment beeps at a faster rate.
“For the greater good? Don’t give me that crap…”
Part 5
In a dimly lit office, one of the heavy wooden doors pries open.
“Pardon the intrusion.” Henrietta excuses herself as she enters the office.
“I’m glad you could make it, Miss Thompson.” A mature well-endowed woman with long golden hair greets her with hands clasped together and supporting her chin.
“The pleasure is mine, madam.”
Henrietta quickly notices that Miss Violet has company. Alex stands facing her and turns around to turn his attention to Henrietta.
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise.” Alex greets her.
Henrietta promptly ignores him and places the disc cases that she’s been carrying on top of Miss Violet’s desk. The front of the cases has dates scribbled in with marker.
“These are all of the surveillance footage during the attack on the Battle Tournament.”
“Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Thompson. I apologize for the trouble.”
Henrietta promptly crosses her arms.
“I never thought of you as the humble type, headmistress.”
Miss Violet responds with a chuckle. “I get that a lot…more than you think.”
Henrietta breathes a deep sigh and pushes up the bridge of her glasses.
“If you don’t mind me saying, I just find it unusual that you had me collect all these leads, but why leave us out of this case?”
“There’s no need to worry. The military is already on it.”
Henrietta slams her hands on Miss Violet’s desk.
“With all due respect madam, all matters within academy grounds are under the jurisdiction of the Disciplinary Committee. Do you actually trust them?”
Miss Violet bows her head in dismay.
“I made a deal with them. We can keep Inverter if it means we will help them apprehend Blood Blade.”
“And where does the person you call Deathwish fit in to all of this?”
Miss Violet responds with a shrug.
“I’m not the kind to always have a master plan. I don’t know everything, to be honest.”
“For some reason I find that hard to believe” Henrietta says as she folds her arms.
“I see you’ve picked up Katsuo’s distrust. Rest assured—“
“I’m sorry headmistress…but that’s not the concern. This goes beyond the mission. Something is wrong and you’re sitting by doing nothing.” Henrietta interrupts her while pushing on her glasses.
“That’s because there’s nothing to do.”
“Then let me take care of it. Let me take over the Deathwish case!”
These words, for some reason, caused a shock towards Alex. He’s about to say something, but Miss Violet holds out a hand to stop him.
“That won’t be necessary. We have professionals that are already on board with that matter.” Miss Violet advises her.
“But…headmistress…!”
“I don’t want to hear another word about it, Miss Thompson! I appreciate your actions during the Arsenal case, but this is far bigger than that. I can’t burden a student to deal with such a matter.”
Henrietta bow’s her head in defeat.
“I understand. Very well, I will comply.”
Miss Violet gives a thin smile.
“Good. I’m glad we have reached an understanding. Now then, if you don’t have any further objections, you’re dismissed.”
Henrietta stomps a foot down and stands in attention. Afterwards, she sharply turns around and leaves through the door of the office.
Once Henrietta has left…
“You’re not going to tell her?” Alex turns the question to the headmistress.
Miss Violet leans back on her huge chair and brings her fingertips together.
“I will, but not up front. She won’t believe me anyway. Besides, it’s more fun this way. After all, a little reverse psychology goes a long way.”
Her lips then curl to a malicious grin.
Outside the office, Henrietta does some scheming of her own.
She takes out her phone and dials a number on it. After a brief wait, someone answers.
“Erica, it’s me. Tell the others to meet me at the Committee Office after school. There’s something I want to discuss with everyone.”
Part 6
Noon arrives in Class 1-C and the classroom is filled with various murmurs. Katsuo stows his notebooks in his book bag and takes out a boxed lunch. He is about to open it, when…
Tap…tap…
The glass of the window on his left is being tapped repeatedly. He walks towards it and opens the window. An arm reaches into the frame which causes Katsuo to fall over.
“Hey…can you help me up!” A familiar voice calls out as the arm waves towards him.
Katsuo frantically stands up and grab a hold of the hand.
“Hey! Not so rough!” The girl tells him.
After a strenuous pull, Katsuo helps the girl through the window who is revealed to be Kanade.
“Are you alright?” Katsuo asks as Kanade climbs over the windowsill.
“Yeah…I’m fine.” She says as she drops to the floor.
“Where’ve you been all day?”
“I called in sick; had to do some thinking for a while.”
She looks around the classroom and notices that nearly everyone is out for lunch but he’s staying.
“Hey, are you gonna eat anything or what?”
“I actually have packed lunch today.” Katsuo sits down and undoes the cloth wrapping of his box lunch.
“You made it?”
“No, Miss Natalia did. I didn’t want to trouble her, but she insisted.”
Earlier that day before they ran off to take care of the disturbance Henrietta received…
“Wait! Here, I made you this lunch.” Natalia hands Katsuo the same box lunch. “If you want to be big and strong, you need to eat healthy. I packed extra just in case you want to share.”
At the present, Katsuo opens his packed lunch as it glows a marvelous gold like a treasure trove being opened.
Moist tender sausages with the savory aroma of spices, golden yellow egg rolls that look so soft and fluffy. Milky white rice with seaweed flakes that give off the scent of the sea, and shiny pickled plums on the side that give a vibrant color.
Kanade’s eyes sparkle in amazement.
“Want some?” Katsuo offers.
However, as fast as lightning, Kanade quickly swipes one of the sausages and takes a bite at it. Pure bliss reflects on her face.
“Wow! The meat is so delectably moist with all of its oils. The spices aren’t too much, rather it makes enough heat on the mouth!”
Kanade grabs the entire boxed lunch and continues to guzzle down more of the food that was meant for Katsuo.
“Hey! I still haven’t eaten yet, you know.” Katsuo calls on her to stop.
She does so in response.
“Oh, by sha way, I jush though to shay tha…” Kanade tries to say something with her mouth full.
“Swallow. You’ll choke yourself if you talk like that.”
She takes in a big gulp and clears her throat.
“I just wanna say sorry about this morning. You know…giving you the cold shoulder like that.” Kanade looks away in dismay.
“Yeah what was that about? Thought I did something to upset you this time or something.”
“It’s not your fault.” Kanade assures him. “I had a lot on my mind that time and the crowd was just getting on my nerves.” She proceeds to hand Katsuo his lunch back.
A shadow of gloom suddenly fills Kanade’s face.
“I’ve been thinking about what happened the other day. You know, about that guy in red.”
“What about it?”
“The way that person fights; the way it moves. It’s like that person’s dancing or something. I know that particular fighting technique. It’s something that only she has come up with.” Kanade says with full confidence.
“She? You mean…” Katsuo asks curiously.
“Yeah. But…how did that person even pick up on Tsubaki sis’ fighting style? She never taught it to anyone, even me.”
“Well…there’s also another possibility. They never found her body in that fire, right? Just being hypothetical here, but…what if—”
Katsuo’s thought is interrupted by a small spark sipping inches from his face.
The crackling sound snaps across his right ear as it quickly hits the hall behind him.
He looks at Kanade startled and the same blue electric sparks flow across her body.
She glares at her with a shadow covering half of her face.
“I know what you’re gonna say. But she’s not that kind of person who would go out of her way to thy and kill someone. She’s a good person and I won’t let you talk to her like that.”
With a huff, she storms out of the classroom and walks among the crowd.
Katsuo sets his lunch on his desk and runs after Kanade. However, as soon as he leaves the classroom, she has already blended in with the crowd so much that he has lost her again.
Katsuo gives a sigh of regret as he leans on the doorframe.
“Looks like someone made a poor dialogue choice.” Alex arrives and comments on the entire situation.
“You seem to know an awful lot about her. You two got a history before? Did you try to hit on her or something?”
Alex responds with a weak chuckle.
“No, nothing of that sort. See it’s something much simpler. You’re not exactly the first one to try and get close to Miss Ishihara. That job fell to me.”
“What do you mean?” Katsuo asks for more information.
“See…The Ishihara family is one of the biggest shareholders of Lance Corporations. They practically own the company. But as for everyone’s knowledge, Lance Corp. has gone bankrupt, and along with it, their entire household. They lost their money and their status as nobility. Her parents went abroad and only her sister is left to care for her.”
“Tsubaki Ishihara…”
Alex continues his story.
“Of course as I’m sure she already told you, that didn’t last. I know you’re well aware of the fire that supposedly killed Miss Tsubaki, and how they never found her body so she was presumed dead.”
“I just wish that she’d open up about these things a bit more.” Katsuo crosses her arms and looks at the distance on the direction where he last saw her run off to.
Alex can’t help but chuckle a bit.
“Really? You’re asking me for advice? You got farther than I did. If anything, you should be the one helping me.”
Alex places his hands in his pockets and leans on the wall beside Katsuo.
“Look, Miss Ishihara is more comfortable with you," Alex continues. "She only acts aloof because the only person she’s ever shown true affection is her sister. If you still insist on an advice, here’s what I can give you.”
Alex takes out a hand from his pocket.
“You’re on the right track. Don’t do anything brash and play along once in a while.”
Katsuo nods in agreement.
“Also, lay off anything that could concern her sister. You should know by now that’s a sensitive issue.”
“I see…” All of a sudden, Katsuo grabs a hold of Alex’s hand and shakes it. “That’s so much for the help!”
Alex’s mouth stutters open in shock. She tries to say something as his face turns beet red.
“Is something wrong?”
“Uhmm…this is…kinda embarrassing.” Alex turns his head away to hide his face.
“What’s to be embarrassed about? We’re both guys, right?”
“Uhh…ummm…I…” Alex tries to think of a response. “I gotta go!”
Alex pulls his hand away from Katsuo’s grasp and runs off. Katsuo stands at the doorframe bewildered by what just happened.
“Huh…wonder what’s wrong with him.” Katsuo rests a finger on his chin to ponder for a moment.
For some reason, he can’t help but shake the vision of Alex’s flustered face.
Katsuo shakes his head to try and get it off his mind.
“Well, I guess anyone would be taken aback if someone would just grab their hands out of nowhere.” He gives a sigh while scratching the back of his head. “Great, I must have upset him. I better apologize to him as soon as possible.”
And without another thought, Katsuo rushes to make amends.
Meanwhile, Alex dashes into an emergency exit and slams the door shut behind him. He leans on the heavy door panting and breathing rapidly.
“What…what am I feeling?!” He says as he clutches at his heart.
His pulse racing faster and faster with every deep breath he takes in the damp air.
“No…it’s impossible. After all, she’s already dead.”
Part 7
In one of the re-purposed classrooms which is now being used as the Disciplinary Committee’s office, Henrietta is examining the footage she has been forwarding to Miss Violet.
“Something feels off here…” Henritta mutters to herself.
On the footage Henrietta is reviewing, a girl with pink hair wearing a mask is shown to evade fire from the patrolling soldiers swiftly; knocking them out cold.
She turns to the camera and does the same eerie gesture of crossing her heart before running off frame.
Henrietta fast forwards the footage to a few minutes later. up to when rescue has finally arrives after Blood Blade has escaped.
The soldiers wake up fine with no evidences of any lasting injuries or wounds for that matter.
(“Anyone who would be charging in to steal it would eliminate any opposition, not knocking them out. What is she really after?”) Henrietta continues to think about any other possibility.
All of a sudden, a knock on the open door snaps her out of it.
“I brought everyone like you asked. Am I interrupting anything?” A girl with long wavy hair asks her.
“Hey Erica, just looking some footage for the headmistress.”
Behind Erica are Shakaku, Amaya, and Satsuki; all of whom enter the room after her.
“Anything we can do to help?” Amaya asks.
Henrietta remembers the words that Miss Violet has told her earlier.
(“I appreciate your actions during the Arsenal case, but this is far bigger than that. I can’t burden a student to deal with such a matter.”)
The stakes are now on an all-time high, and there’s no telling if she’ll be willing to risk them or not. But from what she can tell, she’ll need more help than before, evident by the troubled smile she gives her subordinates.
Henrietta has made her decision.
She turns off her monitor and turns to everyone in the room.
“As you know that as the chairperson of the Disciplinary Committee, I’m tasked with giving the tough calls. Right now, I’ll be asking you to do something, but we’ll be outside the rule books on this one. It’s bigger than the school; bigger than any of us. If you can’t handle something like that, then I’ll need you to step out of this room. What I’m about to tell you is totally classified.” Henrietta warns everyone.
Silence envelopes the room as everyone thinks of their decision. Shakaku gulps in some air as she is overwhelmed by the pressure that’s presented to her. Surprisingly enough…
“I’ll…I’ll do it, Big Sister Henrietta.” Satsuki is the first to voice out.
Amaya bows her head and shows her sharp canine fangs.
“Well then, it’d be a shame to be outdone by Satsuki. I’m in as well.”
“You don’t have to ask, my darling Henrietta. I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth and back” Shakaku adds.
“We’ve been together since the beginning. There’s no way we’ll back down now.” Erica concludes everyone’s stands.
Henrietta sees smiles all around, so much that she can’t help but smile herself.
“Very well.” Henrietta turns the monitor around and shows the footage of Deathwish’s attack. “This is who the military designates as Call Sign Deathwish. During the attack on the Battle Tournament more than a week ago, this person stole military property. I don’t have the specifics, but all I can say is that this isn’t the first time they tried doing so. She was also involved during the Arsenal incident a couple of weeks prior.”
“Any concrete proof linking her and Arsenal?” Erica Crosse asks.
“None as of yet. But one thing is for sure, they are after the same thing.”
“What’s the mission?” Amaya punches on her open palm on the level of her chest.
Henrietta crosses her arms and pushes up her glasses. White light reflects off of one of her lenses.
“Track down Deathwish. Find out what she knows and what are they after.”
The look of determination snaps on everyone’s faces.
“I’ve ran a partial facial scan using the security’s face recognition software. No matches have been found, but the uniform is unmistakable. Find where she’s hiding. I want to know how she runs and where she goes to.”
Henrietta pauses the video to show a clear view of Deathwish.
“Soldiers from the military have increased patrol activity since the attack. Can we keep it under wraps that long?” Erica asks with concern.
“Which is why, as much as possible, make sure you don’t cross paths with them. Satsuki!” Henrietta calls for her attention.
“Y-yes!” She answers with a startled yelp.
“I need you to monitor their communications. Listen in if they find anything. They’re using a channel from the school’s network. Their facilities have sustained some damage during the attack, which is why they’re using a part of our communication layout. Since our network came straight from the military, our encryption method works the same. I’ll bring you in through a back door. Got that?”
Satsuki meekly nods in agreement.
“If the military gets their hands on her first, let it go. If you get in a bind, don’t ask the military for help. The headmistress is hiding something and I have a feeling what it could be. Capturing Deathwish and uncovering her identity will tell us what exactly that is.”
Part 8
“I’m home…” Katsuo greets as he enters the dorm room.
A delectable aroma wafts through the air. The savory scent of meat and spices fills the room.
“Welcome back!” Natalia greets back.
Katsuo follows the scent and sees a bountiful spread of steaks and salads. Breads of different shapes are neatly arranged in a basket set at the middle of the table.
“Wow you sure cooked a lot.”
“This is nothing. After all, you need to keep your strength up to be combat ready.” Natalia brings up.
“I…see…”
A small bell rings from the kitchen counter which alerts Natalia.
“Ah! Dessert’s ready!” She says as she rushes to the oven.
She opens the door and takes out the tray using her bare hands. Surprisingly, she is unfazed by the sheer heat of the piping hot metal tray.
“I made tarts! You can pick from strawberry, blueberry, or peach. Pick what you like.” Natalia offers him some of the freshly baked pastries.
Katsuo stares at the tray for a while, particularly at Natalia’s hands. She’s still keeping a solid grip at it despite just taking it out straight of the oven.
“Is something wrong?” Natalia tilts her head and asks.
“It’s just that…doesn’t it kinda burn holding a tray that you just took out of the oven like that?”
Natalia is confused at first, but she proceeds to chuckle a bit.
“Oh, there’s nothing to worry about. Magnitude Manipulation, remember?”
“Right…forgot.”
Katsuo reaches for a peach tart, but the moment he touches it, the freshly baked pastry burns his fingertips. He reflexively gives a small startled shout and draws his hand back.
“Mein gött!” Natalia shouts as she quickly tosses the hot tray to the table.
She grabs his wrist and places one of his fingers on her lips. Katsuo’s face turns into a bright scarlet in embarrassment. Natalia’s eyes gently close as she continues to softly press Katsuo’s index finger on her tender lips. Slowly, the sting of the heat starts to go away.
Natalia slowly lifts her head and looks Katsuo in the eye.
“Does it still hurt?”
Katsuo quickly turns his head away and covers his mouth with his free hand.
“N-no…I’m good.”
“Thank goodness.” Natalia breathes a sigh of relief as she lets go of Katsuo’s wrist.
Natalia proceeds to take the tarts from the tray and place them on a porcelain plate.
“Hey Katsuo…” She asks as she continues moving the tarts one by one. “…there are still some things you’re not telling us, right?”
Katsuo closes his eyes with a smile. Knowing who he’s up against, there’s no use keeping it. Even if he puts up a fight, he knows he is still up against the Academy’s Strongest; the Demon Queen of the Night.
“So you know, huh?” Katsuo says as he takes a seat at the dining table. “I guess there’s no helping it. Besides, there’s no reason to keep it a secret anyway.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I can tell just from your conversation earlier today.” Natalia finishes up setting the pastries and places the metal tray to the sink which hisses upon making contact with the water collecting in it.
She takes a deep breath and leans on the sink’s rim.
“Listen. I know how convenient it is to know someone working on both sides. But the difficulty is making sure they’re on your side.”
Natalia walks towards the table and sits on a chair beside Katsuo.
“Just promise me one thing: be careful around her. Also…don’t run off without telling us. Promise?” Natalia looks at Katsuo with gentle eyes.
“Promise.”
“Pinky promise?” Natalia holds out her little finger to him.
Katsuo grasps at Natalia’s little finger with his.
“Break your promise and I’ll break your pinky.” She chants as they shake each other’s hands.
Immediately after, Natalia ruffles Katsuo’s hair.
“H-hey…that tickles!” He says with a ticklish chuckle.
(“So cute!”) Natalia thinks with a blissful sparkling smile.
A different chuckling gets their attention. They both look to the source and sees Kanade clutching at her sides.
“Oh man… Honestly, have you seen gotten a look at yourself?” Kanade continues to laugh while pointing at her. “You look like an idiot smiling crazy like that!”
Natalia stands in outrage and hugs Katsuo’s head while pressing it against her chest.
“Excuse me?! I’ll have you know that he and I share a very special bond!”
(“First off, I think we're having different impressions of that bond. Second, why am I feeling nothing but bone?”) Katsuo keeps that thought to himself.
“You’re as delusional as the disciplinary chair! Let go of him!!” Kanade tugs him by the elbow which accidentally presses on her bountiful chest.
Squish~
“Why are you even here? This isn’t your room. And what’s that on your back?” Natalia points at the huge backpack on Kanade.
“Oh, didn’t you hear?” Kanade lets go of Katsuo, takes off the backpack, and slams it to the floor with a thud. “I’ll be moving in from now on.”
“Oh nein…there is no way you’ll be moving in here!” Natalia protests.
“Nobody asked you for your opinion, Washboard of the Night.” Kanade stares at her perfectly flat chest.
“WASHBOARD?!?!” Still clutching on Katsuo’s head, she squeezes tighter in anger.
“Ow ow ow owwowowowowoww!!!!” Katsuo screams in pain.
“H-hey!! Stop that! You’re hurting him!” Kanade tries to pull Katsuo free by yanking him from the waist.
Katsuo’s screams of pain go even louder as the two girls growl and scowl at each other. Natalia’s eyes glow a bright red and their respective Alters manifest themselves behind them in a rumbling aura.
However, a wall of light appearing between them snaps the two out of their frenzy. Out of reflex, Natalia let’s go of Katsuo before the glowing of her eyes subsides.
This causes Kanade to fall backwards while still holding on to Katsuo’s waist.
Her foot catches the leg of the table which turns her around on the way down.
By the time she falls on the ground, she finds herself pinning to the ground.
Her face is nuzzled on Katsuo’s broad chest as she tries to push herself up.
“Lights out. Both of you!” Henrietta glares at both of them.
And even more menacing aura emanates from the Disciplinary Committee chairperson.
She tilts her head upward which causes one lens of her glasses reflect pure white light while shading the same half of her face.
Everyone lines up on a neat row and kneels on the floor.
“And you!” Natalia stares at Kanade with disgust.
“!!” Kanade gulps in fear.
“I know you’ll be moving here, but I’d appreciate it if you would NOT do anything perverted during your stay. ARE WE CLEAR?!”
Kanade frantically nods in agreement.
“I SAID ARE WE CLEAR!?!”
Both Kanade and Natalia frantically nod in agreement with sweat drops flying off their heads.
Katsuo, who is scared stiff, is picked up by Henrietta and props him under her arm like a doll.
“Good. Now, if there aren’t any more objections, I’ll be taking Katsuo and leaving now.”
Henrietta nonchalantly walks away to her half of the room and leaves the two kneeling on the ground.
“Mein gött…she’s scary…” Natalia remarks off handedly.
Kanade slowly nods in agreement.
“I’m home. Oh man, what happened here?” Kagami enters her half of the room and notices what remains of the chaos.
“…are those peach tarts?” She adds.
Part 9
That following morning, Katsuo yawns while lugging his book bag over his shoulder. Henrietta, who has left earlier, is keeping tabs of any latecomers that will be coming through the campus gate.
“Good morning, Miss Thompson.” He greets the Disciplinary Committee chairperson who is tending to a clip board.
“You’re lucky. You only got fifteen minutes left before class starts.”
“Sorry…Miss Lenhoff insists on packing me another lunch again, so we left a bit later than we thought.”
“Honestly…for someone of her stature, she sure acts way too close. But I suppose her intent isn’t to cause trouble, so I won’t mind.”
“Geez, what’s with the racket this early in the morning?” Kanade asks while rubbing her eyes.
“Well, this is a surprise. Miss Ishihara showing up early? The world must be coming to an end.” Henrietta sarcastically remarks while pushing her glasses.
“Hey I can get up any time I want!!” She retorts back.
“Ghehahaha!! Oh what a lively bunch you two make.” Kagami remarks as she places an arm over Katsuo’s shoulder.
“Now then, what’s my little plaything doing all this way without me?” She places her forefinger under his chin to prop his head down.
“That would be enough from you, Miss Tsuukou. I believe we have already discussed about that kind of behavior; especially in public.” Henrietta crosses her arms and closes her eyes.
“Hmph, you’re no fun.” Kagami promptly lets go of Katsuo.
“Güten morgen. What a beautiful day we have today.” Natalia greets everyone.
Henrietta places her fingertips on her forehead and shakes her head slowly.
“Just get to class; you’re getting in the way of the other students.”
All of a sudden, a thought enters Katsuo’s mind.
“By the way, have you guys seen Alex? I’ve been looking for him all afternoon. He acted kinda weird yesterday.”
“Come to think of it…no. In fact, no one has seen him since lunch yesterday.” Henrietta ponders for an answer.
Suddenly, Henrietta’s phone starts to ring.
“Excuse me for a moment.” She promptly leaves the group and answers her cellphone.
“It’s me.”
“Hyaa!!” Satsuki, on the other line shouted startled. “I…I just got word from Shakaku. We got a visual on Deathwish.”
In the treetops of the dense forest surrounding the school, Deathwish is hopping from branch to branch. Behind her, a girl engulfed in flames speeds towards her.
“Halt!! I just want to talk to you!!” Shakaku calls out to the girl with pink hair.
With black mist flowing out of her hand, Deathwish touches a branch that she lands on. This causes the wood to rot and become brittle. The moment Shakaku steps on it…
“Dammit!” She curses as the branch gives in and she plummets down towards the ground
Branch after branch catches her, but all they do is slow her down and snuff out her flames before they snap before finally landing on a thick bush.
Shakaku takes out a radio from her pocket and holds the button on the side.
“Firebird to Oversight…I’ve lost visual of the target.” She reports in.
“Don’t worry, Firebird. Rook is on it.” Satsuki replies on the other line.
In another part of the forest, Henrietta is running the between trees to try and track down the elusive Deathwish.
“You don’t have to come with, you know.” She tells the people she is running alongside with.
Katsuo, Kanade, Natalia, and Kagami are all dashing the dense jungle behind her.
“This forest is a big place. You need a lot of people to cover more ground.” Katsuo replies.
“I suppose you’re right.” Henrietta closes her eyes with a smile.
Henrietta pushes the rim of her glasses and points forward.
“Miss Natalia, Miss Kagami, go high. Use the branches to get a better vantage point. The rest of us will stay on the ground. Miss Kanade, you go right. Mister Katsuo, you go left. I’ll keep moving forward. She was last spotted 150 meters from our current location. Start the search from there. Let’s split up!!”
With those words, everyone goes on their separate ways. Natalia uses her magnitude alteration to jump high on the branches while Kagami reverses the gravitational pull on her to reach the canopy of the forest.
Kanade wades through the bushes to try and look for Deathwish, but no sign of her could be found. However, that is when she sees a pink blur whiz overhead.
“Got ya!” She quickly dashes towards the direction she’s heading.
As she chases her, it has seemed that Deathwish is too high up to notice her. Kanade uses this to her advantage to try and sneak towards her and see where she’s heading. However, to her surprise…
“The Boy’s Dormitory?” She wonders to herself.
Following Deathwish’s movements leads her to the rundown cabin which is being served as the temporary Boy’s Dormitory while it is still being reconstructed.
Katsuo used to reside here, but had to move out due to the Arsenal incident.
No sign of Deathwish could be found anywhere within the cabin. No sign of forced entry either. It almost seemed deserted; however, she hears cloth rustling from inside.
“Bad move! Now I’ve got ya!!” Kanade quickly dashes towards the front door.
Kanade reaches for the door knob, but it won’t budge.
“Locked, huh?” Kanade takes a deep breath. “Let’s go, Circuitbreaker!”
While pointing towards the door, she sends out her Alter, Circuitbreaker, to punch at the wooden door.
With a mighty jab, the door is blast off of its hinges.
“The jig is up! I got you now, Deathw—!!”
What Kanade sees fills her with shock. Who is inside is girl, alright; naked, in fact. She only has a buttoned shirt that she is pressing against her petite body, covering everything.
But it is not the same girl that she is tracking.
She has short blonde hair and emerald eyes. Said eyes are drenched in overflowing tears and on the verge of crying. The features seem familiar to Kanade, but the sudden surprise prevents her from recognizing her.
“Uhmmm…are you…by any chance…” She asks the bare girl, who is the only other person in the cabin.
The girl’s face turns a bright red from sheer and total embarrassment.
In another part of the forest…
“GET OUT!!!!!!!!!” a distant feminine scream alerts the rest of the search party.
Everyone converges in one area and dashed to the source of the scream.
“That sounds like it came from where Kanade went.” Katsuo calls out.
“You think she might be in danger?” Henrietta asks in concern.
“I don’t know. But we better hurry just to be sure.” Natalia answers.
They reach the part of the school where the Boy’s Dormitory is and see utter chaos upon arriving.
Kanade, whose body is still twitching, has ended up skidding about a meter from the porch with her face planted on the ground with a comically large bump on her head.
Just nearby, a large trunk full of female AEGIS uniforms lies on the dirt.
“Kanade are you okay?” Katsuo asks as she yanks her body out of the dirt.
Henrietta examines the uniforms in the trunk and turns her head to the culprit. Who she sees is…
“No…”
“Well I’ll be damned…” Kagami says in amazement.
“Mein gött…who would have thought…” Natalia adds.
A girl inside pants heavily after, presumably, chucking the large trunk at Kanade’s head. Before them is unmistakably Alex. However, the body belongs to, without a doubt, that of a petite girl. Broad hips, a narrow waist, a slender figure, definitely the person they are seeing is that of a female gender.
However, that is not the most damning thing they see. Among the clutter is a pink wig and a silver mask; similar to what Deathwish uses.
After noticing the effects of her outburst, the girl who they now is a boy named Alex Kenningway sees the surprised faces of everyone she knows.
She gulps in air tensely, knowing that her cover has been blown.
“I guess I can’t hide it any longer, huh?” The girl asks bitterly. “I’m sure you got a lot of questions.”
“Well yeah. For starters…” Kagami is about to ask when she is interrupted.
“Uhmmm…is it alright if I change into something a bit more decent first?”
“Sure, but I’ll be guarding you. I don’t want you running off without telling us everything.” Henrietta glares at the mysterious girl.
Later, the girl is wearing a buttoned shirt and a pair of pants. She starts to resemble the Alex they know a bit more, however they all now know that he is actually a girl.
She fiddles with the silver mask that she wears when she puts on the guise of Deathwish as she sits on one of the beds. Kanade sits beside her with a makeshift ice pack on the bump of her head. Katsuo, Natalia, and Kagami sit on the adjacent bed while Henrieta paces around.
“So Alex Kenningway, if that is even you real name, you are who the military calls callsign Deathwish, correct?” Henrietta interrogates her.
“Yes, although that isn’t my real name. It’s just an alias whenever I disguise myself as a boy.”
The girl takes a deep breath. Months of work has been tossed out the window. She’s not sure how the people she works for would react. But nevertheless, these people are her friends. And they deserve to know the full truth now that they’ve seen her like this.
“My real name…is Alexia Kingsley.”
