The big delivery is set to arrive today. It being Saturday, reduces the disturbance to the students and academy life as a whole.

Kate and I worked it out with our respective seniors, allowing us to take over the delivery handling.

There are several lorries entering through the back gates and I'm ready to receive them.

With paperwork in hand, I step up to the first driver.

"Mari: Good day. Can I check your name and ID number?"

Finding the corresponding inventory, I pass the information to my helpers and ask them to guide the driver to the designated area for unloading.

"Mari: Lead this one to space number two, make sure that the first one is still accessable for the next one to park."

The last one is my main focus. The cargo is mostly electrical equipment and the transport will be left behind as a means of safe storage.

I guide the driver to a place a bit further away from sight, closer to the forest. Once it is parked, I'm passed several duplicates of the keys to open the cargo hold.

'Marked boxes on the left, four crates, two rows… All in order.' I double checked that our boxes were present and all in one place before signing off. 'Now we deal with the mundane and await dark to deal with the extra.'

There's plenty to unpack: disassembled tents, food counters, cold storage goods, even some new equipment for different clubs that will be left behind. 'Plenty of spendings for a small event, though I assume the special equipment must have cost the most.'

The little storage shed behind the main building is neatly organised and filled up. I check in with Kate, going over the delivery, before signing off here and reporting to the student councils.

"Kate: So? Are the special boxes ready for pickup?"

"Mari: Mm. We can get everything moved in two trips. I have a spare set of keys and the lorry is close to the woods, there should be no complications if we move at night."

"Kate: Yeahh, can't be helped. Fortunately tomorrow is a day off, I enjoy my 8 hours of sleep. Haaa, right, Risa will probably drag me out to test her new weapon. Does he have coffee? I never caught a whiff of it so far."

"Mari: Oh... Probably not. I'm not sure he has any tea leaves left either. It was mostly Meiko bringing my favourite tea for us."

"Kate: I may as well bring some of mine too for variety."

'He newer asked for anything but the phone, so it slipped my mind. `Sigh. Meiko and Hana might be excited to try out the dangerous toys too. It will be a long day.'

There is barely any actively at night, especially by a remote corner. The eight of us met up after 11 p.m. and hauled the wooden boxes behind some trees nearby.

I've made sure to swap the inventory sheets and lock everything up before we start moving things deeper into the forest.

"Valentine: Early Christmas? Usually, one wraps the presents…Anyway, I've cleaned up an area by the gate. I'll stack them up there and you can unpack tomorrow. Good work. Go get some sleep. I imagine that making mistakes due to a lack of sleep will not be a sight anyone wants to see tomorrow."

"Mari: I agree. If we start looking through anything, it will drag on for a few hours. We have a whole day tomorrow."

Just past midnight, we finally make it to bed.

-- -- 

The Natural Heart by Miracle Of Sound (Electronic) (Deus Ex)

"The answer is yes. It is in human nature to seek out paths that lead to a better future for ourselves. Often disregarding the consequences and the effects it will have on others, and sometimes on ourselves."

Sometimes I wonder if I should give the tablet back to Mr Valentine. 'The accursed thing knows when I plan to wake up and starts playing music by itself! Is it an advanced AI or is it being monitored by someone?' The thing gives me paranoia sometimes.

We have a late breakfast in the canteen to show our faces around, before heading to check our delivery.

"Valentine: I've had to unpack some of it to get it down here. …I don't have any strength buffs."

I look around: full combat suits, black and white variant, gear for most terrain, support gear for harsh environments and difficult to traverse places, medical sets and weapons.

'The gear is definitely top notch military grade, better not think where it came from. Especially the contents of the safe.'

"Mari: American made firearms. What have we written here? In case of emergency… DESERT EAGLE 50 AE… Full metal jacket bullets... Be careful with recoil."

"Kate: You do know that we would usually need a permit for anything like that? I'll take one. Don't worry, I had training handling firearms. Not exactly this type but the principles are the same. Just need a bit of practice to make sure I won't fumble in an emergency."

No one else seems to have experience with firearms. I agree to let Kate take one and leave one for myself. One extra is left for now.

"Meiko: Lady Mari? How do we distribute the weapons? I'm mostly trained in hand to hand combat, I'm not sure what to pick from all this."

"Mari: We have a nice training ground for that, don't we? Best we give everything a go and decide then."

"Risa: I'll try the katanas. I'll be best with one of those anyway. Just need to pick the right weight and length."

We break into groups and start trying out different things and combinations.

I feel that taking the bow and keeping an eye on the situation at large fits me better. I can keep my friends from rushing in, or being rushed if I get good enough with the bow. 'Got to put in some practice with the wakizashi as a backup weapon.'

Hana, relying on her incredible speed has chosen to take a pair of short swords. Going for debilitating cuts instead of engaging in direct contest of strength.

"Meiko: I think I can handle this! Ha! RAH!"

Meiko is pulling off the brute strength approach, while looking valiantly with a long halberd.

'Can't argue that her swings pack a lot of punch and it can be used both as a spear and an axe.'

I insisted that she would take a riot shield as part of her equipment. It can be carried on her back while she swings the halberd around and taken in hand when a defensive stance is required. 'This needs a bit of fiddling around, to make everything comfortable.'

Kate takes a combination of a buckler for protection and a double edged sword for offence. It makes her well balanced and adds better maneuverability if she needs to help anyone out of trouble.

Anna continued to wield a long spear. While Tai went all out on the ninja trope with a lot of throwing weapons, kunai and a short sword. Yumi is the only one that went for a blunt weapon, a warhammer.

'By the Gods, this all looks and feels soo surreal. What are we even doing? Risking our lives? We have all seen the price of a single mistake. Tch. If only there wasn't a promise of a reward in exchange for the danger.'

We have spent the whole day trying out our things. Practicing: swings, stabs, rolls, teamwork and leadership.

The only exception would be Mr Valentine, as he returned to the kitchen, to his role of being the chef. 'Hm… I guess he has more free time during the day, when we are attending classes. He should practice teamwork regardless of that... Another day. Everyone is unused to wielding weapons for an extended period of time and sore all over right now.'

We enjoyed a delicious lunch and dinner before heading back for the night. This week will be busy with the sports day and weapons training.

-- --

The days leading up to the sports event were mostly uneventful, checking supplies, making lists of the participants for the events, choosing people for support roles, making sure that no one decided or had to make last minute changes to their participation... And rehearsing for the group dance.

On the day itself, we returned the official duties to the old student councils so that we could freely participate ourselves.

Hana gave it a stellar performance during the races, taking the most points for our class.

I have taken to participate in the obstacle race. The worst part came into play with the item I needed to search for. 'A stuffed animal. Where would I find a stuffed toy here?'

I look at the spectators stands, searching for children. That is my best bet, that someone's younger sibling came with a toy.

The roaring crowd doesn't help my focus as I approach, searching the area more closely.

"Mari: Hello there little one. Can you let me borrow your cute friend for a moment? I need some help with the race, we will be back before you know it."

I get a shot "Ok" as a reply from a little girl. I carefully take the offered toy elephant and rush for the goal. I'm pretty sure Chiyo was somewhere amongst the cheering crowd, but I was in a hurry.

"Mari: Thank you both for the help. I'll tell you a secret for lending me a hand. The stall with the best sweets is the last one on that side. Tell the man that you are a friend of Mari and he will treat you like a princess."

"Thank you big sis! We will go!"

I give a few parting words to the parents too before heading back, only to be intercepted.

"Chiyo: Can I use that special service too, big sis? I'll be sad for a week if I'm not treated like a princess!"

"Mari: Ah, Chiyo, father, there you all are."

"A.K: It's quite the turnout. You can get lost in the crowd. Well done on the race Mari."

"Chiyo: So? Who is manning the best stall? You talked like you knew the person."

I exchange glances with father, confirming that he hasn't told her anything, before I answer.

"Mari: A skilled chef. He is a foreigner but his skills in Japanese and cooking are top notch. I believe that father has him already as an employee for the Kurihara conglomerate."

"A.K: Yes, indeed. We can go and have something to eat when you feel like it Chiyo. I believe there will be a break soon enough."

"Mari: There will. I still have more events to attend, please excuse me."

The next event that we participate in, is the traditional tug of war against the second year. It ended almost anticlimactic as the rope was one-sidedly pulled to our side.

The cavalry battle is the one me and Kate focused on.

"Mari: Meiko! Half left, 10 m, hard right!" Kate signals me to take the left while she charges forward. While cooperating, we take down most teams with little trouble. As expected the three last teams standing are Anna's and the two of us.

'We have already achieved our goal, now we can have some fun.'

"Mari: Girls, full frontal assault, max speed for a change. We go in headstrong!"

'I doubt we can win fairly against Tai's sticky fingers, so we will charge, trying to disrupt their balance.'

I brace for impact and try to pin Tai down, while Kate follows closely behind, using our distraction to launch her own assault.

"Anna: Turn! Brace! Push!"

Using Tai's flexibility to their advantage, they changed positions, now having two front players barreling towards Meiko.

The impact of three bodies colliding isn't small, and I have trouble stabilizing myself.

"Tai: Put those hips to work! Yahoo!!!"

They have us. Anna and Yumi are pressing Meiko back and Tai is too agile to pin down.

"Mari: Tumble!! Back!!"

I give the signal while grabbing onto Tai however I can. We break the stalemate by removing our support and performing Meko's wrestling move of throwing our opponents over us.

"Meiko: Fall to Earth!"

Meiko practically lifted two people ower herself and I made sure that Tai doesn't snatch our points.

"Kate: Well done girls!" Kate comes down to help untangle the mess of bodies. 'Heh, she made it.' While we were pulling Anna's team down, Kate stayed back and struck at the last moment, snatching the points from Tai.

'A good display of teamwork and the spectators love it.' We all give a bow to each other and the spectators before the three captains go to the goal for a commemorative photo.

'Even standing at the top, Kate isn't much higher than us. Well, second place isn't bad as the first year takes first and second overall.'

We separate again, heading to participate in different events or to sit down and wait for some events to pass. 'Haa, all the group dance performances will haunt me for a few days. I prefer ballroom dances to this chaotic flailing around.'

The audience demands to see their children perform silly dances and we have to deliver a show. 'Next year I'll be in charge of the USC and won't have to participate in everything here. Yes. Only this year.'

I tell myself that next year will be easier as I await the next performance to start.

POV Chiyo

'Has Mari become, hmmm, softer? Maybe? Or warmer?'

She never had many friends around her. Now, though? There are plenty of people around, helping and being a part of a close group.

'I think that she looks happier now and less confrontational with dad.'

I decided to take a look around. 'Soon it will be my first year here. Too bad sis will be graduating the year after that.'

I check out the different club stands and events. I try my hand at playing chess but get taken down mercilessly after 15 lightning fast turns. Soon I feel a bit peckish and decide to look for the food stall that Mari recommended.

It is at the very corner and staffed by a single person wearing a white chef's uniform. I try to approach with a joke, remembering Mari's advice to the little girl.

"Chiyo: Hello there! Can I get the princess service?" 'Whoops, I think I startled him.'

"Valentine: Ah… Miss Chiyo. Certainly. Would you like to take a seat? I have the table behind me empty and cleaned."

"Chiyo: You know me?"

"Valentine: … Yes, pardon for the late introduction. …Where is my dog tag… …Chef Valentine, at your service."

After getting a badge out he greeted me, politely bowing. 'That doesn't exactly answer my questions. So… Oh, one of our family's employees badges.'

"Chiyo: So, are you friends with Mari?" The reaction is immediate. Widened and shifting eyes.

"Valentine: I… am… employed by Mr Kurihara? Acquaintances. Mm… Yes, I do… some work for Miss Mari… as a chef."

'Wow, he is totally making this up. And he is afraid of Mari, meaning he is quite familiar with her.' This place is too public. I act a bit cheeky to lighten up the mood.

"Chiyo: What do you have for your best customers?"

"Valentine: All the best snacks. Everything homemade and free ranged. For salty and oily things, we have: crisps, chips, onion rings and chicken all deep-fried. For a more natural taste, I've made assorted fruit salads and kissels with berries. Sweet things would be the pastry and cakes. The ones you see are all the types that are left. There are more people here than I thought it would be… Yes, madam I have boxes to pack everything if you wish to take anything to your family. While you choose miss Chiyo, I'll get the madam's order ready."

'He does move with confidence when dealing with customers and food. I wonder what's the deal with Mari and this foreigner?'

After enjoying a slice of cake, some pastry and a bowl of ice cream, I ask an important question.

"Chiyo: Chef! Where do you work? Did you make everything yourself?" 'Best dessert ever! Mmmmmm the ice-cream was grand!'

"Valentine: I'm glad you have enjoyed it. Yes, everything here was made by me during the last few days. And as for my workplace… Hmmm… Here?"

I give him the stare. Silently saying to cut the bullshit.

"… I'm Lady Mari's personal… chef. I do as I'm told to do."

He gives me his own stare, saying he will stand by this story no matter what. 'Did Mari hire a? male servant? Dad seemed to be in the know too. When did that happen?'

"A.K: Daughter, no need to push it. The young man is indeed under Mari's wing… as a chef. Good to see you again… young man."

Dad comes up behind me and starts the greeting with a handshake.

'Really? Under Mari's wing? How did that come to be? I feel left out.'

"Valentine: Mr Kurihara. Yes, the pleasure is all mine."

"A.K: Seeing as you are busy, we will talk more... later. Can I get a bag of those mixed crisps to go? Here is the phone Mari asked me to… pass. It's all prepaid, no need to… worry. Now, let us get going daughter. Mari will be participating in the dances soon, your father wouldn't miss this for… anything! Ha, ha, ha."

I am dragged away before I can ask more questions.

'No. Really. What is going on here? Is everyone keeping secrets from me? As the younger sister I have a right to know!'