Infinite Stratos - Volume 11 - Chapter 0

Chapter N: Yule Be Here In No Time! Christmas, Coming Soon 

“Yay!” 
The room filled with the cracks of party poppers. It was the IS Academy student council room, and Tatenashi popped open a fan while seated in her imposing chair. 
“Um, why are we doing this, anyway?” Ichika was the only one there who looked a bit confused at what was going on. 
“Well, it’s one day until December, so I figured we’d pregame or something.” 
“Uh, okay...” Did Christmas really need pre-gaming? Especially when there was already Christmas Eve for that? “I guess it has gotten pretty chilly lately.” 
It hadn’t snowed yet, but the temperatures were definitely dropping. The sun was setting earlier and earlier, too. Winter was coming. 
“Orimu, have you started getting ready for Christmas? You know it’s the student council’s job to decorate the dorms and stuff, right?” Miss Casual asked. She was still definitely her airheaded self, but lately she’d been showing flashes of seriousness, to the surprise of the rest of the student council. “You haven’t, have you? I could tell. Why don’t we go shopping together, then? That’d be nice.” 
Ever since Kyoto, Ichika and Miss Casual had been getting closer and closer, even outside of their student council duties. A fact which was beginning to concern both Kanzashi and Tatenashi. 
“Honne... I’ll come along too.” 
“Why don’t I come along as well? Wouldn’t that be fun? Wouldn’t it?” 
Ichika, though, completely failed to notice. “That’d be kind of a mess to set up. Why don’t just me and Miss Casual go?” he said without a second thought. 
The Sarashikis couldn’t exactly argue with him about it straight-up, but— 
“There were a lot of things I wanted to look at, actually...” 
“Oh, definitely! There was something heavy I was looking at, it’d be wonderful if I had a nice strong man along to carry it.” 
They were some weak excuses, but they were enough for Ichika. 
“Good points. Guess it’s the four of us then!” Miss Casual was grinning, the Sarashikis were self-satisfied, and Ichika was blissfully oblivious. 
“Really, though, wow. Is it already December?” A lot had happened this year that he needed to unpack. 
“Anyway, let’s go shopping tomorrow, then!” Tatenashi snapped open a fan, revealing the word ‘Sunday.’ 
 
“It’s been a long time since the student council’s gone out as a group, hasn’t it.” Ichika thought to himself aloud as he waited at the station. As usual, he had just thrown on his IS Academy uniform. They’d changed over to winter uniforms, but it was still a bit chilly. 
“There you are, Orimu!” Miss Casual was wearing a squirrel hoodie. She’d worried a bit about what to wear today—not that anyone else could tell. “You’re wearing your uniform? Don’t you have anything else?” 
“Huh? Oh, sure, but my uniform’s comfy too.” 
“You stand out too much. Remember, you’re pretty much a pop star.” She was right. He’d already gotten a few requests for an autograph, and a few dozen for a selfie with him.” 
“Am I really that famous?” 
“Of course you are! You’re the only boy at IS Academy!” 
It was beginning to sink in for him. 
“So I should probably change into something else, then. I’d have to go back to the dorms, though.” 
“Why don’t we just go buy you something else? Doesn’t that sound good?” 
“Huh? Don’t we have to wait for Tatenashi and Kanzashi?” 
“I’ll just text them. C’mon, let’s go!” 
Ichika followed along without much protest. But from the shadows nearby, the Sarashikis watched with a sense of impending doom. 
“This is bad. Isn’t it, Kanzashi?” 
“Yeah... Real bad...” 
Having arrived a little bit later, they hurried to catch up with Ichika and Miss Casual. It wasn’t hard, as she had mentioned which shop they were going to in her text. 
“Oh, hey, Kanzashi, Tatenashi! Orimu’s changing right now.” They weren’t quite sure just how naturally they’d played it off, but at least the potential for the day turning into a date between Ichika and Miss Casual had been averted. 
As relief washed over them, Ichika returned in a new outfit and carrying a small box. 
“Here, Miss Casual. As thanks for the clothes... Wait, when did Tatenashi and Kanzashi get here?!” The guilt over buying a present for just Miss Casual, not Tatenashi or Kanzashi, was visible on his face. “Er, uh, it wasn’t supposed to be special or anything...” 
Tatenashi, true to form, took pleasure in needling him over it saying, “Well, if it’s not something special, I’d imagine you’re getting something for us too, right?” 
“Yeah... I’d like something...” Kanzashi joining in left him even more on the back foot. 
“Well, um...” 
“I mean, Christmas presents are a thing.” 
“Ichika, I’d like the Blu-ray boxset of Iron Guy...” Kanzashi was, in essence, begging for 49,000 yen (plus tax). It must have been very awkward for her. 
“Orimu, can I open this now?” Miss Casual’s eyes gleamed as she looked at her present. Ichika glanced nervously at the Sarashikis, but then nodded to Miss Casual. 
“Yeah, go ahead. It’s nothing big.” 
“Wow, a bracelet! Thanks so much, Orimu! I love it!” She pulled a silver bracelet from the box and threaded it around her wrist. Its silver glimmer offset her natural... Well, casualness, nicely. 
“Ugh, this is just too much, Kanzashi!” 
“Y-Yeah... This is gonna be trouble.” 
As the Sarashikis stewed, Miss Casual took Ichika’s hand and skipped off. 
“All right, let’s go shopping!” 
“Okay.” 
It was the start of a very busy day. 
 
After they’d done the shopping for the student council, the four decided to get a quick lunch before getting their personal shopping out of the way. They were at a place known as the ‘best burger joint in town,’ a place they’d all been before. And this being a weekend, it was packed. After a four or five minute wait, they brought their trays over to an empty table. 
“Hey, Tatenashi. Remember when you used to just sit here, thinking there was table service?” 
Tatenashi’s face went red as Miss Casual’s first strike hit, just as she’d taken a bite and was unable to reply. 
“Wh-Why are you talking about that now? That was forever ago!” she protested. 
“Ahahah. Weren’t you a prim little princess.” 
Ichika’s words earned him a flick to the forehead. 
“Don’t tease your elders!” 
Kanzashi, on the other hand, had—at least by Miss Casual’s description—learned by watching that she had to order at the counter. 
“And then you tried to eat your burger with a knife and fork!” Miss Casual giggled. 
“Come on! Stop bringing up things from when I was a little kid!” Tatenashi was mortally embarrassed, but Ichika was reading it as playfulness, and wasn’t about to jump in and change the subject. 
“...You want in her pants that badly?” 
“Huh?” 

“Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!” Tatenashi took another bite of her cheeseburger, resigned now to letting the conversation go where it would. It was rare, and intriguing, for Ichika to see her like that. 
“You’re blushing...” 
“Oh my. Kanzashi, do you want to go there? Do you really want to go there?” 
“...This is what I get for sticking my nose in.” 
Smirking, Tatenashi struck straight for her sister’s weak points, she was a master at sinking her fangs in, and said, “Did Kanzashi ever tell you, Ichika? She can’t stand pickles.” 
“Oh, really?” 
As Ichika’s attention turned, it was Kanzashi’s turn to make a flustered denial. 
“That was just when I was a little kid!” she cried out as she slid her burger out of sight. 
“When you were a little kid? Didn’t you order that one without pickles, too?” 
“C’mon, Kanzashi!” 
Once the gloves were off, they were off, and Tatenashi had the upper hand. 
“I guess you still have a lot of growing up to do.” Tatenashi winked, while Kanzashi puffed out her cheeks in frustration. 
“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Let’s finish eating and get back to shopping.” 
“Yeah, good idea. People are starting to notice you, Orimu.” 
“Huh, they are.” Ichika finally realized that the crowd around them was beginning to take pictures. The four finished their burgers and quickly made their way out. They hadn’t expected to be followed out, but—Alas! Such naïveté!—the crowd moved as one behind them. 
“That was Orimura Ichika!” 
“He looks even better in person!” 
“I wonder if I can get an autograph?” 
As the excited shouting grew louder, they attempted to make their escape. Easier said than done, when even the girls were minor celebrities in their own right. 
“There they are!” Ichika and the Sarashikis tensed up at the sudden shout, only to relax when they realized it was Miss Casual. “They went that way!” 
“Really? Where to?!” 
“The lingerie shop.” 
“Omigawd, we’ve gotta catch up!” A crowd of middle school girls roared past. 
As Ichika and the girls let out a sigh of relief, they heard an announcement for the mall’s weekend hero show come over the PA: “The Iron Guy hero show is about to start in the courtyard!” 
A chime sounded as the announcement faded away. Immediately, Kanzashi’s eyes brightened. 
“Let’s go, Ichika!” Her eyes gleamed as she dragged him off. 
“Wait, Kanzashi, was this why you wanted to come?” 
“Yeah.” 
“Okay.” 
She was so insistent that not just Ichika, but Tatenashi and Miss Casual, felt compelled to come along. And that’s how, five minutes later, they found themselves in a packed courtyard as the show began. 
“Is everyone having fun?” 
“Yeah!” Kanzashi’s voice rang out in unison with the children in the crowd. 
“Then let’s give our hero a warm welcome! Iron Guy!” 
“Iron Guy!” 
The lady MCing craned her head, as if the calls weren’t quite loud enough. 
“Ichika! You do it too!” 
“Uh, okay.” Ichika nodded at Kanzashi’s insistent prodding. 
“Let’s hear it again! Iron Guy!” 
“Iron Guy!!” 
As Ichika reluctantly added his voice to the chorus, the hero, Iron Guy, made his appearance. 
“Hey, kids! It’s me, Iron Guy! Looks like some of you brought your dads today!” Ichika cringed into his seat at the idea that he was a dad. Meanwhile, Kanzashi was really getting into it. 
“Today I’ll get to touch him!” She was really looking forward to the standard high-five with the hero at the end of the show. 
Next to her, Tatenashi was feeling a mix of awkward confusion and amused enthusiasm. 
“Ugh! Enemies already? Looks like a hero doesn’t get weekends off!” From nowhere, a villain and his henchmen appeared. 
“Gahaha, Iron Guy! Today I’ll finally finish you off!” 
“No chance, Master X! You’ll never win!” 
The henchmen leapt around on stage before dispersing into the crowd. As they reached Ichika’s group, they knew they’d found their mark—but set aback by the intensity of Kanzashi’s raw emotion, they chose Miss Casual instead. 
“Come with us...! Please.” 
“’Kaaay!” Following their whispered instructions, Miss Casual was led away to join a group of children on stage. 
“Bwahaha! You can’t fight me now, Iron Guy!” 
“Curse you, Master X! That’s no fair!” 
Boos erupted from the crowd. 
“Silence! What else is a villain supposed to do?” He leveled a sword at his hostages as the high-pitched murmurs of the crowd of children rose. Miss Casual stood out like a sore thumb. 
“Everyone! Give the hero your strength! Call out his name!” The MC wasn’t quite sure how to deal with a (more, at least) grown-up participant, but was trying her hardest to keep things on script. “Get ready...” 
“Orimu, save me!” Miss Casual shouted while waving her hand, utter bliss on her face. 
“Uh, Orimu?” The MC was visibly taken off guard. Tatenashi and Kanzashi weren’t saying ‘goddammit’ in a crowd of children, but they sure looked like they wanted to. Meanwhile, Ichika covered his face with both hands. 
“Orimu is Orimura Ichika! Everyone’s hero!” 
At least that was a name the MC recognized. Her eyes lighting up, she jumped right back into gear. “Orimura Ichika? That’s even better!” 
“Huh? Wait, isn’t Iron Guy everyone’s hero?” Iron Guy and Master X alike were at a loss. 
But the MC’s voice arose. “All right, everyone! Call out his name! Orimura Ichika!” 
“Orimura Ichika!” the children answered. 
With nowhere to run, Ichika chose to act. 
“Hi-yaaaaaah!” Shouting, he leapt at Master X with a jump kick. 
The day ended as tumultuously as it had begun.