A/N: And here's the second I.S. chapter. I don't really have anything to say here. I'm writing the next I.S. chapter right now. Once it's finished, I'll write the second XCOM chapter. I plan on making the chapters slightly different. This chapter and the first I.S. chapter are, more or less, taken exactly from the episodes. For the chapter that includes the drone, enough of it is going to be completely different that I won't be able to follow the episode as well. The Charlotte episodes might be followed more accurately, though. After them, I will have to go off of memory as I only have the first six episodes and they don't introduce Laura.

Sorry about the wait. While this isn't a new chapter, I have changed a few things. The chapter itself didn't change much, but the I.S. did. I've done a lot of thinking and decided to change what the Blaze Luminous looks like since I didn't really like what it looked like before. I also have XCOM reinstalled after it stopped working, so the XCOM chapters will be following the missions.

So I've lost my notebook with my next chapter in it. I'm trying to find it but no luck so far. If I find it, I'll finish the chapters up and post them. And yes, I lost a lot of motivation to write this story. I blame Touhou. The games can be addictive.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Infinite Stratos in anyway, nor do I own XCOM. XCOM belongs to Fireaxis and Infinite Stratos belongs to Izuru Yumizuru. I am not making any profits by writing this story. It is purely for fun.

The Duel

The I.S. I saw inside was amazing. It was a gunmetal gray, common for units in default format. The arms sharp angles with clawed fingers, with the legs that were also sharp angles and corners. On the back was a single longsword. I was amazed that this was going to be my personal I.S.. The wing modules each had a single "blade" where the thrusters were located.

"Steach, go back there and change into your training suit." Orimura-sensei tells me, pointing to a small closed off cubicle.

After quickly changing I walked back to the I.S.. I also notice that Mom, Houki and Yamada-sensei are waiting beside Orimura-sensei.

"It seems Tabane has taken an interest in you, Steach. This is your personal I.S. she built for you. It's called the Blaze Luminous. Suit up, we don't have time to go over the basics, so you will have to learn how to pilot it during the match." Orimura-sensei explains.

"My personal I.S.? Hey, Houki, tell your sister thank you for me next time you talk to her." I ask excitedly.

I would wonder why Tabane Shinonono built me a personal I.S., but I get the feeling that I don't want to know why.

Once I enter the suit, I hear a voice in my head, like when I first activated an I.S.. As soon as the Blaze Luminous activated, my senses were heightened. My vision got clearer and sharper, and my hearing got better. I could even see almost to the back of my head, though that was using peripheral vision.

[Pilot Recognition … Complete.]

[Registration Complete. Pilot Lock Activated.]

[Initial Activation Started. Hello, I am Omega, the AI for the Blaze Luminous.]

So the voice has a name this time. I think.

[Yes. I do have a name.] Omega responds.

"Gah! How did you read my thoughts!" I exclaim in surprise.

[Because the I.S. is controlled through a nuero-link, I am able to access your surface thoughts.] Omega explains.

[Subsequently, only you can hear me.] Omega continues.

"Great! Now everyone will think I'm crazy." I mutter.

That statement seems to be true already, as the other four occupants of the room are giving me strange looks.

So, if I just think what I want to say, you'll here me Omega? I think.

[Yes.]

Okay, then. Are you a girl or a boy? I ask stupidly.

[I am a girl.] Omega responds.

Wait. I know what I just asked, but how can an AI have a gender?

[It is because of the I.S. core. It allows me to have a sense of self.] she tells me.

If you say so.

"If you're done standing around, I suggest you head out to the arena. The match begins in thirty seconds and if you're not out there, you automatically forfeit." Mom informs me.

Needless to say, I quickly stepped onto the catapult which launched me into the arena. Cecilia was already hovering there, waiting for me. I was finally able to get a look at the Blue Tears. It was, as its name suggests, blue. The legs went up to her thighs and the arms ended at her elbows. Two thrusters were attached to her waist. She also had three wing moduless on either side of her.

"Just so you know, this is your last chance!" Cecilia tells me as soon as I stabilize.

"Last chance for what?" I ask.

"It's obvious to everyone that I'm going to defeat you overwhelmingly. So why not simply apologize to me right now and I just might be able to forgive you." she explains.

" How about … NO!" I yell to her.

"Too bad for you. Now then," Cecilia says as she starts to move.

At the same time, a message popped up saying -Warning- Enemy is Entering a Firing Position.

"Time to say goodbye!" Cecilia finishes saying as she fires her beam rifle at me.

Unluckily, I'm unable to react in time and get hit. After falling several dozen feet, I stabilize and start dodging shots. Several shots still connect, though, and I can see my shield energy trickling down. It quickly becomes apparent that I would need to get in close to Cecilia if I want to win.

As I dodge, I begin to lose focus on what's around me when alarms start suddenly blaring from the Blaze Luminous. I look up and notice a beam heading right for my face. Desperately, I reach for the sword on my sheer, dumb luck, I deflect the beam as I drew the sword.

Emboldened by the lucky save, I begin flying towards Cecilia while continuing to dodge her shots. The closer I get, the more worried Cecilia looks. Suddenly, when I was fifteen meters away she smirks and four of the spikes on her wing modules detach and start flying around and shooting at me. Surprised, I take several hits before I start dodging again. This time though, I'm not able to dodge most of the shots fired.

After dodging several more times, one of the drones comes close enough to slash at, so I do so, cutting it in half which caused it to explode.

Realizing what I needed to do, I flew towards another drone and cut it apart. After the drones destruction, Cecilia recalls the remaining two drones and begins shooting at me again.

Huh. It doesn't look like she's moved since deploying her drones. I think as I wildly dodge the shots fired at me.

After failing to hit me several times in a row, Cecilia stops and launches the remaining two drones. This time, I am able to dodge most of the shots. While I dodge, I also continuously glance at Cecilia.

It seems that she can't move while her drones are deployed.

With this thought in mind, I proceed to cut down the last two drones. I then fly straight at Cecilia before she can start firing at me again. As soon as I close within five meters of her, Cecilia smiles triumphantly.

"Did you really think those were the only ones I had?" she asks rhetorically as the two "thrusters" on her waist lift up, revealing two barrels. A missile was then fired from each one.

Thinking quickly, and getting incredibly lucky, I fly straight at the missiles, narrowly avoiding them. I continued to fly towards Cecilia, dodging around her at the last moment.

I have the satisfaction of hearing the missiles explode upon slamming into Cecilia. I turn around and smirk at her. She looks very annoyed.

"Hahahaha! I can't believe that worked!" I laugh. Cecilia just looks even more annoyed.

[I know, but that was incredibly risky, Justin.] Omega berates me.

It worked, though, didn't it?

[Look Out!] Omega yells.

"Wha-?!" was all I could get out before I was shot.

Now it was my turn to be annoyed.

I quickly rush Cecilia and start slashing at her. She brings her Starlight Mk. III up to block and I promptly cut through it. In response, she brings out an Interceptor, a blade used for self-defense. Cecilia is able to block most of my strikes, but enough get through her guard that her shield points start to steadily drop.

When it looks like I'm going to be victorious, Cecilia manages to kick me away and fire two more missiles. The missiles ram into me before I can respond and explode.

As the smoke clears, I hear the horn go off.

"Winner: Cecilia Alcott!" I distantly hear the announcer say.

My attention, though, has been grabbed by a pop-up message saying 'Format Setting Complete'. There was a burst of light and I found myself encased in armor, helmet included.

The helmet was had sharp angles and looked rather futuristic. There was black glass in a "V" where the eyes would have been located. Inside the helmet was a full HUD. It showed my shield energy, my opponents shield energy, a motion tracker, and equipped weapons.

The armor on my arms and legs remained full of sharp angles. The gauntlets didn't change form, though they did change color. The hands were black with crimson on the knuckles. The entire I.S., with the exception of the hands and feet (which were black with red outlines), was pure white with gold outlines. Even the sword hilt changed to white while the hand guard was gold.

The wing modules were also upgraded. Instead of one blade-like wing on each side, there were now four such wings on each side.

There were also several new weapons. There were two protrusions on either shoulder that the Blaze Luminous called beam sabers. Located in the armor were two vibro-knives. A beam rifle similar to the Starlight Mk. III was in quantum storage.

"What?! You fought the entire battle in the default setting?!" Cecilia screamed.

"Yes." was my succinct reply.

"B-bu-b-bu-but … " it seems Cecilia can't wrap her head around that. It makes sense, though. I nearly defeated her with a default I.S..

As soon as I landed, the Blaze Luminous entered its closed state. The form it took was a necklace with a silver pendant. The pendant was a long-sword with wings on either side.

As I walk farther into the hangar, Houki runs up to me and hugs me.

"Are you okay?" she asks worriedly.

"He's fine. The I.S. saved him." Orimura-sensei responds before I can. I wonder if its okay to call her Chifuyu-sensei, instead.

Mom doesn't look to worried. She must have been expecting me to be okay.

"Umm, are you upset?" Houki asks me.

"No. Why would I be upset?"

"Well, you DID lose to Cecilia." Houki tells me.

"Nah! I had a lot of fun during the fight. Besides, I didn't want to be class representative to begin with." I explain.

"Oh, okay." Houki sounds relieved about that.

Xxxxx

The next day, Chifuyu-sensei gathered the entire class in one of the arenas. While she and Yamada-sensei, I suppose I can call her Maya-sensei also, wore track suits, us students wore the training suits.

"Today, we will be learning the basics of how to pilot an I.S.. Steach, Alcott, your up." Chifuyu-sensei commands.

She probably chose us because we have personal I.S.'s. Cecilia quickly deployed Blue Tears, but I was having problems deploying Blaze Luminous. I quickly became fed up with its stubbornness.

"Blaze Luminous, Activate!" I yell. That seems to be the trick because it deploys as soon as I call its name.

" Now fly." Chifuyu-sensei orders.

Cecilia once again shows me up by taking off into the air smoothly, while I took a second to do so. Once I was airborne, I quickly flew out of control before figuring out how to fly.

"What's the problem, Steach? Your unit is faster than Alcott's." Chifuyu-sensei asks as I lag behind Cecilia.

"Easy for you to say. I'm still learning how to pilot this thing." I mutter.

Flying is not as easy as it looks. During my duel with Cecilia yesterday, Omega took care of the flying. Now, she refuses to, saying that I need to learn how to fly without her help.

[Well, you do. What if I'm not available one day? How would you fly then?] Omega asks.

Omega, if you're unavailable, that means the Blaze Luminous is also unavailable.

[Not necessarily. If I'm regulating your power consumption, then I will be unable to help you fly.]

Why would you need to regulate my power consumption?

"Justin!" I hear Cecilia yell from beside me. When did she get there?

"Yes!" I respond.

"As I was saying, Justin, an image is nothing more than an image. It will be far more productive to figure out the method easiest for you." she advises.

"How does that help? I'm still learning how to fly." I reply.

"Well, uh, if your interested, I'd be happy to give you lessons every day after school." Cecilia offers.

"Hm." I say, thinking over her offer.

"And when I do, it'll be just the two of us." Cecilia says, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Alcott, Steach, perform a power dive." Chifuyu-sensei tells us over our comms.

"Very well." Cecilia says as she suddenly stops and shoots downwards.

Moments before she hits the ground, thrusters on her feet activate, slowing her descent down until she is able to land softly.

"That doesn't look very hard." I tell myself as I prepare to dive.

Seconds after I dive, I have a terrifying thought.

I don't know how to stop!

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I yell.

Unable to stop or slow down, I slam into the ground. Hard.

Houki runs up to the small crater I made and helps me out of it.

You're probably wondering how she could pull me, I.S. and all, out of the crater. Worry not! Even though Houki is really strong, she didn't have to pull the Blaze Luminous out of the crater.

Right after impact, Blaze Luminous closed. That's why Houki was able to help me out of the crater.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt anywhere are you?" Houki worries, checking me over for any injuries.

"I'm fine, Houki. Just a little sore." I assure her.

Cecilia ran up to me and pushed Houki away as I stood up.

"Justin, dear, are you alright? Perhaps I should take you to the infirmary." Cecilia says as she grabs my arm.

"Don't be stupid. You know as well as I do that you can't get hurt while in an I.S.." Houki tells Cecilia at the same time I Say, "Thanks, but I'm fine, really."

"OW!" "Idiot. Why didn't you stop?" Chifuyu-sensei asks me as she whacks me on the head with her clip board. I can already feel a bump forming.

"I would have if I knew how." I tell her as I rub my head where it was hit.

Class went back to normal after my mishap.

Xxxxx

That evening, during dinner, we held the class representative party.

"Congratulations on become class representative, Justin Steach!" my classmates yell as they popped confetti cannons, those little things they shoot confetti when you pull a string on the back.

"Someone, please explain to me how I became class rep.? I lost the duel, remember." I ask despondently.

"Why, because, out of the kindness of my heart, of course. I didn't think that it was fair for you, having never REALLY piloted an I.S. before. I decided to give the position to you." Cecilia explains.

"Yeah, right." I scoff.

"I bet you realized how difficult the job would be and decided to hand it off before you got stuck with it."

The look on Cecilia's face told me that I was right.

"Well, aren't you popular." Houki mutters darkly after several more classmates congratulate me.

As she was sitting close to my left side, I heard her clearly.

"It's not like I asked for this, ya know." I tell her.

She turns her face away from me in response.

How'd I make her angry THIS time.

A sudden flash startled Houki and I. When my vision cleared, I saw a girl holding a camera standing in front of our table. That must be where the flash came from.

"Hello! I'm from the Newspaper Club. I was hoping I could get a photo of you. Oh! You too, Alcott-san." the student asks.

"Sure./ I don't see why not." Cecilia and I agree.

We were positioned in front of a window and asked to shake hands. While I went to shake hands, Cecilia had another idea and grabbed my outstretched hand in both of hers.

Right before our picture was taken, Houki and the rest of our classmates photo-bombed it. Houki slipped between Cecilia and I, and our other classmates crowded in behind and beside us.

"What are you all doing in my picture!" Cecilia screams as soon as the picture is taken.

Our classmates don't even look the least bit apologetic. After another hour, the party begins to wind down, so Houki and I head back to our room.

I'm surprised nobody has tried to break in yet. I think during the trek back to our room. Knowing Murphy's Law, though, someone probably will try to do so now.

Xxxxx

"I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you?" Houki asks as she gets ready for bed.

"Not really. I don't like being around a lot of people or getting a lot of attention. Would you have rather been in my place?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I would." Houki says as she throws her pillow at my face.

"What was that for?"

"I'm changing so don't look." she commands.

Despite telling me not to look, she still pulls out the divider between our beds.

"Why didn't you change while I was in the bathroom?" I ask. There was no reply.

After several agonizingly long minutes, during which I fought down the temptation to take a peek, Houki closes the divider.

"I'm done changing now." she informs me.

She's wearing her customary pink yukata that she sleeps in, but she has a red obi on this time.

That looks comfortable. I wonder where I can get one? It will need to be black, though, with a crimson obi. Maybe I should ask Houki where I can buy a yukata.

"Are you wearing a new obi?" I ask even though I already know the answer.

" Huh? Oh, yeah, I am. I can't believe you noticed." Houki says, blushing lightly.

"Of course I noticed. It looks very good on you." I compliment.

"Thank you." Houki says meekly, blushing even more at my compliment.

"Well, it's time to go to sleep!" Houki rushes, turning off the lights and climbing in bed.

"Um, Justin?" Houki asks quietly, several minutes later.

"Yes?"

"I'm, uh, I'm sorry. For earlier." she apologizes.

"It's fine, no need to apologize.

Houki doesn't respond, so she likely fell asleep.

Xxxxx

Before class started the next morning, several of my classmates were talking about the class tournament.

"The class tournament is next week, isn't it?" Honne Nohotoke asks. She has light brown her that reaches her shoulder and sleepy yellow eyes.

"Yeah, it is." I confirm. I'm excited for it because I'll get to fight again.

"There's nothing to worry about. Our class and class 1-4 are the only first-year classes with class reps who have personal I.S.'s." one of Honne's friends comments.

"Did you hear that class 1-2 got a new transfer student. I even heard their class representative changed." another classmate tells us.

"Your information is outdated!" a new voice says.

That voice sounds familiar. It couldn't be, could it?

"I am Huang Lingyin, China's Representative Contender and class 1-2's new class rep." the voice says.

"Rin! It IS you!" I exclaim, surprised. Rin was the nickname my sisters and I gave her when we were little.

I hadn't seen Rin since her family moved back to China a year ago.

"The one and only! And don't expect me to go easy on you during the tournament!" Rin states proudly.

Bam!

"Ow! What was that for?" Rin asks angrily after Orimura-sensei hits her on top of the head.

"Consider that your class bell." Orimura-sensei tells Rin.

"Okay!" Rin says as she runs off to her class.

Xxxxx

As I head to lunch, Rin finds me and tells me she is going to eat lunch with me.

"How've you been doing, Rin? Has China been treating you well?" I ask while we wait in line for our food.

"I'm fine, just lonely. China's okay, but it's not home. So, how have YOU been?"

"Pretty good. Dad and I moved recently, so I was getting lonely until I was sent here." I respond.

"You moved? Why?" Rin asks.

"Yeah. Dad got orders to Oklahoma. He also got promoted. He's a Colonel now." I explain.

"Cool! Tell him congrats when you next talk to him." Rin says as she gets her ramen from the cook.

"Moving sucked since I left the rest of our friends behind; but, since it ultimately let me see you again, it isn't all bad." I tell her with a smile.

"Yeah, well, now you know how I feel." Rin says as she blushes prettily.

It seems she still has tsundere-ish tendencies. I think as we sit at an empty booth.

"Have you heard about the recent skirmishes between unknown forces across the planet recently?" I ask.

"I've seen it mentioned on the news, but that's it. Why? Do you think it could be the start of something big?" Rin replies.

"Just curious. And I hope it isn't. If something does start, its probably gonna be World War 3."

"So, how are your parents?" I ask to change the subject.

"Mom's doing well, and I think Dad's okay." Rin responds sullenly.

"You don't know how your father's doing? You two were pretty close before you moved." I ask in confusion.

"My parents got divorced soon after we moved." Rin answers.

"Oh! I'm sorry." I apologize.

"It's okay. You didn't know." Rin assures me with a smile.

This time, it's my turn to blush. Hey! I can't help it. I like girls like Rin.

"What is the meaning of this?!/ Who is she?!" Cecilia and Houki yell at me as they slam their hands on our table. Both of them look very upset.

"Don't tell me you're dating the transfer student!" Cecilia accuses.

"What?! No! It's nothing like that!" Rin exclaims in embarrassment.

"She's right. She's my childhood friend that I haven't seen in a while. I just want to catch up." I explain, trying to remain calm.

"Yeah! He used to eat at my house ALL the time." Rin adds.

"And WHY were you eating at her house?" Houki asks angrily.

"Yes, DO explain yourself." Cecilia demands.

"I refuse." I tell them, having lost my patience at hearing their demands.

"What?" Houki and Cecilia ask simultaneously.

"I refuse. Neither of you have any right to demand information about my private life." I start my rant.

"Cecilia, while we are not enemies, we are not friends either. So kindly leave me alone." I tell Cecilia coldly.

"Houki, since I consider us friends, I'll tell you about Rin. But do NOT demand information about my private life again if you want to remain my friend." I tell Houki, only a little less coldly.

"Okay." Houki replies softly, looking a little scared.

Cecilia hesitates from leaving for a few moments, so I give her a cold glare. This causes her to quickly retreat to another table looking quite hurt at my reaction.

"Wow! When did you get a backbone? You would have never done that before I left." Rin asks, sounding impressed.

"I suppose I've always had it. I just never had a reason to get so upset before. And you didn't have to egg them on, ya know." I tell her.

"Sorry. I just wanted to see their reactions." Rin explains, looking apologetic.

"Now, I said I would explain things, so I will." I begin to tell Houki.

"Rin and I grew up together. Her parents moved next door to my parents several months before we were born. The two of us, along with our little sisters, used to play in the woods behind our houses." I explain.

"Since we're best friends, it's natural that I would eat over at her house occasionally and she would eat over at mine." I finish right before the end of lunch bell rings.

Xxxxx

After class, I was in an empty arena with Houki preparing for my I.S. training when Cecilia walks up to us.

"What is the meaning of this?! And how did you get a training I.S. Shinonono-san?" she exclaims once she stops near us.

"I am helping Justin train for the class tournament." Houki explains like it was obvious what she was doing, which it was.

"You have to fill out paperwork to get a training I.S.." I answer for Houki.

"Nonsense! It is my job to train him. After all, I Have a personal I.S." Cecilia replies arrogantly.

"And he asked ME to train him!" Houki replies.

"Shut Up!" I yell, my patience running thin.

"Cecilia, you offered to train me but I never agreed to it. Thank you for your consideration but your help is not required. Houki will be able to train me better since the Blaze Luminous is more of a close combat I.S." I calmly explain.

"Oh. Okay. Goodnight, then." Cecilia replies sadly.

"Do you think I've been to harsh on her, today?" I ask Houki once Cecilia is gone.

"Yes. Now let's begin your training." Houki answeres curtly.

Xxxxx

"I can't believe you lasted that long. Still, you need to get stronger if you want to win the tournament. C'mon, let's head back to our room." Houki compliments me after several hours of torture- I mean training!

"Well, are you coming?" Houki asks as I remain lying on the ground.

"You go on ahead. I'll head up there when I can feel my body again." I joke.

"Okay. I'll be using the shower first, then." Houki says as she walks away.

Several minutes later, I finally get up and walk to the locker rooms.

"Good job today! If you keep this up, you might actually stand a chance against me." Rin compliments as I sit at a bench.

"Thank you." I reply.

"Would you like a sports drink?" Rin asks, holding a bottle and a towel out to me.

"Yeah, thanks." I say as I grab the bottle and take a big drink of it.

"Um, Justin, can I ask you something?" Rins asks hesitantly.

"You just did, but yeah, ask away."

"Um, did you miss me? After I moved." Rin asks nervously.

"Of course I did, your my best friend! Why would you think I wouldn't miss you?" I respond, surprised at Rin's question.

"Oh, um, I was just worried, that's all." Rin says, sounding relieved.

"I should probably head to my room so I can shower and go to sleep. I'm exhausted. Hopefully Houki's finished showering." I say as I stand up.

"Why would you worry about whether Shinonono-san is finished showering?" Rin asks suspiciously.

"Hm? Because she's my roommate." I answer absentmindedly.

"Why is she your roommate?" Rin asks with even more suspicion.

"Haah … Because the higher-ups, bastards that they are, thought it would be okay to put a teenage boy in a room with a teenage girl." I sigh.

"Hmph! Fine!" Rin says.

I forgot that she can get jealous at times.

"Well, goodnight Rin." I tell her as I leave to my room.

"Goodnight Justin." Rin responds.

Xxxxx

" … And that's why we need to switch rooms." I hear Rin say as I walk out of the bathroom.

Why is Rin here?

Once I can see her, I notice a pink dufflebag on the floor near her.

"I will not!" Houki responds hotly.

"But it must be so difficult to room with a boy, though." Rin says sweetly, trying to persuade Houki.

"I never said that! And besides, this matter is between me and Justin!" Houki stands firm in her conviction.

"He's MY childhood friend." Rin whines.

"No! I will not switch rooms!" Houki exclaims as she grabs her shinai and swings at Rin.

There's a flash and Houki's shinai is blocked by an I.S. arm.

"Impressive! A full partial deployment." I whistle.

"You know, if I was a normal person, that would have really hurt." Rin taunts Houki.

Houki puts her shinai down, looking apologetic.

"Hey, Justin? Do you remember the promise you made me right before I moved?" Rin asks cheerfully.

Hm. Promise. What promise? Oh, yeah! THAT promise!

"Yep. I promised I would eat your sweet and sour pork if you became a better cook. Your treat, right?" I answer.

"Huh?! You didn't get the meaning?!" Rin exclaims as she gets is my face.

"Whoa! Hey! I'm joking, joking!" I reply, trying to deflect Rin's fury.

"I know what you meant when you made me promise that. You wanted me to be your boyfriend." I tell her.

"Good! So you did understand it." Rin says happily.

"Hey, Rin? I know I made that promise and all, but I'm not sure I can keep it the way you want me to." I tell her.

"Huh? Why not?" Rins asks.

"I would really like to go out with you, but I'm afraid that if I do and it doesn't work out, I'll lose my best friend. So for now, can we put a hold on the promise?"

"Oh. Um, okay. You'll still eat my cooking, right?" Rin asks sadly.

"Yeah. And we're still best friends." I tell her, trying to make her feel better.

"Yep! I'll see you at the tournament, Justin." Rins says, smiling.

As she turns to leave, though, I can see the tears in her eyes. My heart hurts when I see that I made her cry.

"Hey, Houki?" I ask after we climb into bed.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry for snapping at you during lunch." I apologize.

"Apology accepted." she responds.

As I climb into my bed, I already begin to feel depressed about making Rin sad.

A/N: So I am still working on the next several chapters. As I said in the authors notes at the top, XCOM:Enemy Unkown and Enemy Within stopped working so I wasn't able to play it and write the chapter off of it. I also lost some motivation to write for a couple of weeks but I'm back now. Hopefully I'll be done with the next chapter soon, so I can post them when I get internet again.