Infinite Stratos: The White Unicorn of Hope

CHAPTER 3

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A/N:

I keep trying to write Rip and Tear, but I just can't help it. I need to write more of this! I already written Chapter 4 halfway as well!

:crying while eating Kotomine's Mapo Tofu gif:

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Midway through the second period, his head started to hurt at the new knowledge that was being introduced in such a short period of time.

Ms. Yamada stood at the front, textbook in hand, reciting lines at a brisk pace.

Bakura's pen moved furiously, scribbling down everything she said that wasn't in the textbook.

He briefly looked to his side... The girl next to him was nodding, as if this was just a refresher.

He had to admit it now; his knowledge of IS theory was shallow. Pathetically so. He knew the bare basics, so he could at least follow what was being explained at face value. But what if anyone asked him to go deeper than that? He’d be absolutely lost.

He glanced straight at Orimura to see if he's struggling as well... Sigh, it looks like they had something in common; the guy looked lost.

Eventually, Ms. Yamada noticed Orimura and asked.

"Orimura, is there anything you don’t understand?"

He looked down at his textbook before sighing. Oh, he was completely lost.

"Please ask if there’s anything you don’t understand. I’m your teacher, after all!"

"Hey, Teach!"

"Yes, Orimura!"

She replied excitedly, ready to help. Poor lady.

"I don’t understand a single thing."

Bakura nodded with sympathy. He decided to be upfront with it, huh? Yeah, he would have done so too down the line if he was stuck.

"Um... E-Everything? ... Is anybody else having problems understanding it besides Orimura?"

Silence.

Then Bakura raised his hand.

"A little. I don't really understand it when you go more in-depth, Miss."

What? Since the topic was brought up, he might as well ask for a simpler explanation for his understanding.

"Orimura, did you read the textbooks I gave you before you entered here?"

Ms. Orimura, who was standing in the corner of the classroom, asked.

"I thought they were old phone directories, so I chucked them."

"I wrote to you saying they were required reading!"

(BAM!)

Ah, this guy was an idiot.

"I’ll send you new ones. Learn what’s in there in a week’s time. As for Uchiyama, use the school's computer in the library. They will have the classified information you need. Got it?"

So they were confidential?

"Thank you, Miss."

"E-Erm, those were thick as hell. I can’t learn all that in a week..."

Orimura tried to explain and fight back, but a single glare from his sister made him obedient.

"You will."

"Okay... I will."

Poor guy, maybe he'll study with him in their shared dormitory together later; that'd kill two birds with one stone.

"U-Um... You two. I’ll teach you the things you don’t understand after school, okay? All right?"

And they had a teacher to help? That'll speed things up.

"Thanks, Miss. Can I come over and visit you later? I have some questions regarding the IS internal structure, specifically Presets."

Bakura thanked her and asked since she was offering. But he didn't expect her to turn red.

"I-I’ll be alone with a student after school... Oh, no! Th-This is bad, Uchiyama. I go along with everything when I’m pressured... And I’ve never been with a man before..."

... What?

"Huh?"

"Ms. Yamada, please continue the lesson."

"O-Okay!"

Hold on, were they not going to discuss what she just blurted out?!

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His head was spinning, but he did his best to stay focused. He began organizing his scribbled notes into a cleaner format, an old habit from childhood, as soon as the next 10 minute break started.

But another habit of his was how easily he could get absorbed in something once it caught his interest. When that happened, his focus would tunnel so deep that the outside world just faded from his mind.

So, from what Orimura would explain later down the line, he was so absorbed in his notetaking that he didn't notice a certain British girl at the side of his desk. A few seconds of silence later, the girl started clearing her throat to get his attention.

"Ahem!"

Honestly, he didn't hear it at all. It was after the third attempt of her trying to get his attention when the British girl lost her patience.

"AHEM! EXCUSE ME!"

Bakura jolted upright in his seat, his pen skidding across the page and ruining a whole paragraph of neatly rewritten notes. Blinking in confusion, he groaned at the ruined notes before he looked up.

Standing beside his desk, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, was a blonde girl with blue eyes and a scowl tugging at her lips. Her long hair curled into drills at the ends, held up neatly by a royal blue headband.

His first impression of her was 'a proud and noble vibe,' something that he usually saw in European movies. Like a princess, of sorts.

"I have been standing here for a full minute. Do all men like you not have any manners on how to treat a lady?"

"Oh, sorry. I was deep in my notes, and—"

He got interrupted as a finger got pointed towards him, almost poking his eye out.

"What sort of response is that? Don’t you believe you should address me in a way that reflects the honor I bestow upon talking to you?"

He paused at that, clearly confused. So this person had that kind of attitude, huh?

"Uh, I'm sorry?"

Due to the IS, women received much better treatment than men in the world, to the point that men were simply afterthoughts.

Women just had all the power, and men were brought to be slaves and for manual labor.

It wasn’t rare to see men in town being made to do things by random women they ran into. Hell, even he had to help these kinds of people every so often, or else he'd be humiliated on the spot.

"Hmph, unbelievable. But it is to be expected from the east, truly a land of savages."

She flipped her hair as Bakura started to get a bit annoyed at this lady. What was her problem, anyway? He didn't do anything to her, and yet here she was trying to berate him.

"... Did you want something else, or are you just here to insult me?"

This was rather normal in this age, so he built quite a bit of resistance to such insults to the face.

The girl blinked, not expecting him to push back, but instead of backing off, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"I came here to evaluate the so-called boys who could pilot an IS."

She said as her eyes drifted to Orimura, who tilted his head in confusion. Oh right, they were speaking in English; that's why he probably didn't understand what they were talking about.

"And so far, you both are failing to impress."

Bakura gave her a look.

"OK... Is that all, then? I'd like to carry on with more important matters than entertaining such a person."

With his piece said, he went back to his notes, carefully fixing the mistake caused by the sudden jolt earlier.

A few seconds passed.

Then, she exploded.

"Excuse me?!"

He could tell that she was barely holding onto her dignity, or else she'd have grabbed him by the collar.

"How dare you dismiss me so rudely! Do you even realize who you're speaking to?! I am Cecilia Alcott! The IS National Cadet of the United Kingdom!"

(Ding-Dong!)

The beginning of third period interrupted their "discussion," causing Bakura to mentally sigh in relief.

"I shall return! Don’t run away from me! Got it?"

Ugh...

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"I'll explain the different aspects of the equipment you all will be using in training now... But first, we need to select a representative for the Class League match the week after next."

Unlike the first and second periods, Ms. Orimura led the class instead of Ms. Yamada, but the petite teacher was still around carrying a notebook.

Representative? Class League match?

"The class representative is just that. They won’t just participate in the league match but also on the student council, as well as in committee meetings. They’re the class president. Meanwhile, the Class League match determines the various levels of competence between the different classes. Right now there won’t be much difference, but competition engenders improvement. It takes place every three months, so the rankings of a class can shift over time."

That's interesting. Sure, he definitely wouldn't want to be the person who ends up with this chore, but what if the class representative is someone whose ability is average or lower than the skill of the class? Would there be a vote to replace said person?

"Well then, I suggest Orimura."

Oof, poor guy. He's shocked at the proposal—

"I recommend Uchiyama instead!"

'... Wha?!'

This time it was Bakura who was taken aback with the sudden nomination.

"Alright then, since there are two nominations, there will be a vote. Orimura first—who will vote for him?"

"H-Hold on a second! I'm not going to do—"

"No self-recommendation. If they recommend you, you can’t refuse it. Get ready to do your job."

Ms. Orimura shot it down as more than half of the class raised their hands. He mentally counted the number before sighing loudly, hand on his chest.

"Majority votes, Orimura will be our class representative then."

Ms. Orimura made the final decision as Orimura himself slumped to his seat, defeated. More than half the class, phew. Thankfully it wasn't him.

"And since we need a vice-representative as well, Uchiyama will be the second-in-charge."

(WHAM!)

He slammed his face onto his desk, groaning at the decision when suddenly...

"Please wait! I cannot agree to this!"

Cecilia had slammed her table and stood up.

"What is this farce of an election? Do you want to disgrace this class by having a male representative, or two males who will be in charge? I, Cecilia Alcott, will not abide this humiliation for an entire year!"

... Y-Yes! Preach! He doesn't want to spend his free time doing this!

"If ability is what counts for class representative, then I should be the natural choice. I will not accept these Far Eastern monkeys as my representatives just because they're a dime a dozen! I came to this island nation to study the IS and train, not to participate in a circus sham!"

Harsh and very racist, but preach, sister! Preach!

"The most able fighter should be the class representative, and that is clearly me! If we need proof..."

She then points at Bakura with a pissed-off expression.

"Then I challenge them both to a duel! One after another! And when I win, I shall assume the role of class representative and restore dignity to this class!"

Preach—Wait, what? He blinked like a deer in headlights.

"Looks like we have a conclusion then. The battle with Uchiyama will be next Monday, third arena after school. If Alcott wins, then Orimura will face off on the next day. All three of you: make your preparations until then. We will begin the lesson now."

Ms. Orimura clapped her hands once to end the discussion. As everyone opened their textbooks as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Bakura couldn't help but sweat at the circumstances.

I-Isn't this moving a bit too fast?!