Chapter 2 is now FULLY posted. This is the complete Chapter 2 as of 28/2/2016.

Apologies for the delay.

Chapter 2.

(Caelum)

#

When lunchtime came around, I excused myself politely to Caprice, but didn’t wait for a reply.

Instead, I walked with determined strides out of the classroom.

I didn’t care how suspicious that made me look to anyone bothering to keep tabs on me, and that included Haruka and her friends.

Exiting the high school building, I made tracks to the cluster of buildings that contained the clubrooms for the multitude of clubs supported by Galatea Academy.

I was surprised I’d made such a clean getaway. I was half expecting to be accosted by the Countess, Simone Alucard Raynar, with some half-baked reason to drag me away from a peaceful lunch.

Nonetheless, I chose not to tempt fate, and hurried to the clubroom buildings that stood to the west of the sports field that lay due south of the high school building.

I spared a long glance for the girls of the Track-and-Field club already going through their warm up exercises.

To think they would sacrifice their lunch break for the sake of getting some laps down on the track. Such remarkable dedication to the sport.

Arriving at the club building indicated on the map I’d memorized before morning homeroom, I entered the building. Inside the rather spacious lobby or foyer, I stepped up to the directory board and read the names of the various clubs listed there. The directory also displayed their allocated room numbers.

I quickly found the entry I wanted by using the room number given to me in the message before it had self-deleted.

“The Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals,” I read aloud. “What the Hell is that supposed to be?”

I noticed a couple of girls enter the building, chatting amicably to each other.

They gave me quiet looks from head to toes.

I bowed to them politely, which elicited mysterious smiles before they turned and walked to the north end of the lobby where polished wood stairs led up to the next floor.

I waited for them to disappear from sight, then made the decision to climb the stairs too.

The clubroom was on the third floor. That meant climbing two flights of stairs, then walking down a wide corridor with polished floorboards, windows on one side, and clubrooms on the other.

I stopped in front of a door with the number Three Four on it, and rapped on it with my knuckles.

There was a soft click, and the door opened slightly.

I pushed it open and looked into the dimly lit interior.

Since recovering from my injuries suffered at the hands of my psychotic sister, which included a broken arm and being stabbed through the chest, the Kaiser’s Blessing had unlocked not only the Schneider form, which consisted of two gauntlet-blades, but also the Awareness-field.

Put into a few words, the Awareness-field was a like my own personal sensor suite that allowed me to perceive my surroundings well beyond what my five senses could offer me.

The field was active around me at all times, but most of the time it was limited to a foot or so beyond my body. However, shortly after leaving the hospital, I discovered that I could extend its range to about ten feet. In other words, I stood within a sphere with a ten-foot radius, able sense what I couldn’t see or hear. Needless to say, I put the field to invaluable use, such as scanning any girl who wandered into its range and recording her three sizes down to the nanometer.

However, there was one girl I refrained from scanning with my Awareness-field, and that was Caprice.

The Kaiser’s Blessing had warned me that it had sensed the presence of a field surrounding her.

Judging by today, a feeling of cold dread crept upon me as I thought of the consequences of running my Awareness-field over Caprice’s body.

If Haruka and company ever found out – which I’m certain they would – I wholeheartedly believed they would turn my Academy life into a lonely icy existence.

I sighed inwardly, and concentrated on extending my Awareness-field into the room.

It was empty of human life, and the Kaiser’s Blessing detected no hidden compartments or passageways in immediate proximity to the room. No traps, either. Nothing that remotely indicated my life would be in peril if I stepped into the room.

Taking a deep breath, I looked down both directions of the corridor, then walked into the room.

The door closed automatically behind me, but that wasn’t surprising since the Kaiser’s Blessing had noticed the door mechanism.

The walls were lined with shelves, and these were in turn packed with a plethora of items that ranged from figurines to physical books and magazines. I thought that odd since most people preferred reading material on data-slates or palm-slates. It produced less waste, which was an important consideration within the asteroid Island colony of Pharos.

A large window occupied much of the back wall, with a view to the west of the Academy. It was bordered by open curtains rather than blinds.

Inhabiting the middle of the spacious, rectangular clubroom was a long table with several chairs tucked in on all sides.

I walked up to the table, and regarded the black discus sitting on the table, recognizing it for a rather expensive holo-field projector.

I crossed my arms, looked about the room, then turned my attention on the projector.

“Alright, I’m here. Now what?”

The room automatically darkened as the overhead strip lights turned off, and the curtains shut over the back window, catching me a little off guard.

I see. They’re watching me.

A high-resolution holo-field flashed into existence above the table.

I saw three hooded figures wearing dark robes resembling those of a clandestine religious order from many millennia ago. Just by looking at them, I was able to determine they were men, and not women. However, I couldn’t tell if they were young or old.

Pursing my lips for a moment, I asked bluntly, “Who are you?”

A mechanical voice replied, and I suspected I’d fallen into a really bad holo-vid spy drama.

“We are chosen emissaries of the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals.”

I stared blankly at the three hooded men for a moment. “Huh?”

“Caelum Desanto, in honor and recognition of your talents and interests, the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals extends an offer for you to join us.”

I frowned faintly and cocked my head slightly. “What talents and interests?”

“However, before you can join, you will need to be tested.”

“Wait a minute, what talents and interests?” I jerked my head back as a thought speared through my mind. “Are you talking about my obsession with women’s lingerie?”

“Tell us, what do you think of the female body?”

I frowned a little deeper. “Well, that depends. For the most part, I believe it should be worshipped.”

“How rightly so. However, do you agree that in order to spread that doctrine, we must make others aware of the beauty of the female body?”

I nodded without hesitation. “Oh, absolutely.”

“Then, what do you think of the Girls of Galatea?”

“Eh?”

“The billboard known as the Girls of Galatea.”

I straightened my neck and blinked slowly. “You mean that site dedicated to the girls of this Academy? Well, I’ve perused it.”

“And?”

“Well, it seems a bit unprofessional. I mean, it needs a makeover.”

“Indeed. Soon a new Girls of Galatea will be unveiled. One that shall rise from the ashes of the old like the mythological phoenix, and soar in challenge above its rivals.”

My eyebrows rose quickly. “Really?”

“We would like you to become a part of it.”

I realized my heart was racing. “Really? Why?”

“Because we believe a man of your passions and talent has much to offer our organization.” The hooded individual in the middle spread his arms wide. “We wish to spread the word with your help. We believe that word can go quite far.”

I swallowed quietly. “You guys are serious, aren’t you?”

“Most assuredly.” The individual folded his arms again, his hands disappearing into the folds of his robe. “But first you must be tested.”

“I see.” I waved a hand about. “What does this have to do with the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals?”

“The club is a front for the Girls of Galatea.”

I folded my arms again. “Oh, that’s simple enough.” After a moment, I asked, “Are you going to tell me who that backside belongs too?”

“Pass the test, and all shall be revealed.”

I nodded slowly, and gave the figurines on the shelves a more than cursory glance. “By the way, who took that photo of Caprice?”

The hooded figures stiffened. “We cannot reveal our source. There are matters of confidentiality to consider.”

“Is that so?”

With a simple thought, I summoned my right Gauntlet-Blade. In the process, the room filled with the black mist that billowed forth from Pocket Space, as the Sarcophagus containing the Kaiser’s Blessing poked its head into this reality or realm.

The mist swallowed the holo-vid image of the three hooded men as the Gauntlet-Blade sheathed my right forearm.

However, one of them cried out, “Oh no—it’s true.”

“He’s a Familiar with a Fragment!”

When the Sarcophagus retreated and the breach to Pocket Space sealed, the black mist faded quickly, though it left behind a bone-chilling cold in the air. It wasn’t until then that I realized my shirt sleeve was still intact under the armor sheathing my right forearm.

Keeping that happy realization to myself, I gave the blade a nice swing within the interior of the room, narrowly missing the figurines standing on a shelf. A trio of buxom figures in tight revealing dresses were spared decapitation by mere millimeters.

Cries of dismay bellowed forth from the holo-vid image.

“No—not our collection of Lucky Luna idols!”

I aimed the blade at the figurines. “I’m going to ask you again, who took that photo of Caprice.”

The hooded figures vacillated on their feet. “Please, you must understand. If we don’t honor the client-contractor confidentiality, then the enterprise will collapse. Confidentiality is the key to ensuring a healthy, trusting working relationship between all parties.”

I edged the blade closer to the figurines. “Who took that image of Caprice?”

“Please, you have no need to be concerned.”

“Caprice is special to me.”

“Please, have mercy.”

I nodded and declared flatly, “Right, the chick in the middle loses her head.”

The hooded figures raised their hands toward me. “Wait—we give. We give!”

“Well?”

They lowered their hands unsteadily. “We received that photo in our submission box. We don’t know who took it.”

“What submission box?”

“We maintain a submission box – an email box – for anonymously posters who supply us with information regarding the girls of Galatea Academy. The photo of Caprice Steiner afil Lanfear was dropped into that box.”

“And you have no idea who sent it?”

Though they were hooded, they all shook their heads. “I swear, we have no idea who supplied that photo.”

I cocked my head at them. “How did you know she wears Girlz Pride underwear?”

The hooded man in the middle appeared to shake his head. “We didn’t. We were ready to accept any answer.”

I narrowed my eyes at the shady trio. “And the up-skirt picture of that gorgeous ass?”

“No idea.” The modulated mechanical voice sounded abruptly flat. “That image was sent to us from the same source who supplied the photo of Caprice Steiner.”

I twisted my lips into the equivalent of a frown. “Was it part of the same message?”

“Yes, it was. It included specific instructions and demand that we should invite you to join the Girls of Galatea committee. They said to use the photo to lure you in.” The hooded individual nervously fidgeted. “They said you would make an excellent addition to the core ranks of devoted members because of your abilities to identify women’s lingerie at a glance. They also said you have another special talent.”

“Oh? What would that be?”

“That you can tell a girl’s three sizes just by looking at her, even if she’s wearing clothes.”

I felt a chill run through me.

The only people that knew that were Caprice…and the Countess.

I lowered the Gauntlet-Blade and asked in a dark tone, “Are you being honest with me?”

“Entirely honest. We were surprised when we received the mail message two days ago.”

Two days ago? On a Sunday?

I stopped glaring at them through narrowed eyes. “Enough with the cloak and dagger treatment. If you want to test me, then we do it in person.”

The hooded figures shared looks amongst themselves, before the man in the middle faced me, his face still in darkness. “Very well. We had anticipated this eventuality.”

“Oh?”

“Come to the west sports field. We will await you on the rise overlooking the track.”

In silence, all three bowed in unison, and the holo-vid image broke apart, falling like snowflakes of light to the table. The room’s interior lighting brightened, and the curtains covering the back window smoothly parted aside, casting more illumination into the clubroom.

I summoned the Kaiser’s Blessing’s Sarcophagus, and returned the right Gauntlet-Blade to its inventory.

Feeling less than satisfied with the encounter, I turned around and walked to the door, finding it to be unlocked. Exiting the clubroom, I closed the door behind me, and my Awareness-field told me that this time the door was locked.

I walked down the corridor to the stairs leading down.

A short while later, I left the club building behind, and strode quickly to the west sports field.

In the distance, I saw three young male students of differing height, and I quickened my pace toward them.

#

(Haruka)

#

Siobhan, Alistair, and I walked with Caprice out of the west wing lobby, and then east toward one of the gardens that occupied the grounds south of the donut shaped cafeteria building.

Caprice led the way, but upon sight of the garden, she came to a stop, turned and looked at the three of us expectantly.

Siobhan exhaled loudly. “Well, get it over with.”

Caprice looked down at the pink rose she carried in her hands. The rose was contained in a clear plastic sheath shaped like a cone. It had been left in her shoe locker along with a hand written letter. Caelum had stumbled upon the scene of Caprice reading the letter with us surrounding her, so I’d had no choice but to scare him off with some brusque words.

Looking up again, she gave us nod. “I will return shortly.”

Unable to hold my silence, or my misgivings, I stepped forward. “Wait.”

She stopped and looked back at me.

I took a deep breath, aware of the puzzled looks I was getting from Siobhan and Alistair, and focused on Caprice. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Huh?” Siobhan and Alistair both blurted simultaneously.

Caprice’s expression changed faintly, her eyes slightly narrower. “What do you mean?”

“I’m asking, if you’re sure you want to walk in there and turn him down.”

“Haruka, what are you doing?” Alistair asked.

Feeling the stirrings of exasperation, I spoke firmly. “Look, whoever he is, this guy has taken a lot of effort to express his sentiments in that letter. And he’s gone so far as to include a rose. It might sound cliché or tacky, but I think you should at least hear him out.”

Siobhan rolled her eyes. “A love letter and a rose in the shoe locker—in this day and age? Seriously. Anyone who does that deserves to be turned down.”

Alistair waved Siobhan quiet. “Haruka, what are you really trying to say to her?”

As usual, Alistair was more insightful than Siobhan who let her mouth lead the way rather than her brain.

I took a moment to gather my feelings until I felt I could express them with words. “What I’m saying, is that she walk in there with an open mind and hear him out.”

Alistair asked, “Why? She’s already decided who occupies her heart.”

Caprice stated flatly, “You said you would support me.”

“And I am supporting you.” I sighed heavily. “Caprice, you’re my friend. Caelum is my friend, but I can’t help but feel that you’re making a mistake.”

She narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. “Why are you saying this now?”

“Because—because it’s how I feel. It’s what my gut is telling me.” I palmed my forehead. “It’s my woman’s intuition yelling at me.”

Siobhan looked puzzled. “Yelling at you? Well what’s it yelling?”

Alistair waved her quiet. “Haruka, just be honest. This wouldn’t have anything to do with your feelings for him.”

My eyes widened in alarm. “Of course it does.”

Alistair jerked back. “Huh?”

I held my hands up in barely restrained frustration. “Alistair, I know what Caelum is like. Yes, I care about him—a lot. But even so, I’ve come to accept that regardless of my feelings for him, I know that he and I would never make a happy couple.”

“Okay, that’s you. What does that have to do with Caprice?”

My shoulders slumped. “Caelum won’t make her happy.”

Siobhan muttered, “That’s kind of harsh.”

“I agree,” Alistair added. “I don’t know him that well, and he can be kind of crude, but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of person that would deliberately hurt a girl.”

I growled under my breath. “I didn’t say he would hurt her. I said he wouldn’t make her happy.”

“And you’re basing this on what?” Alistair questioned bluntly.

“On my long years of experience as Caelum Desanto’s childhood friend—long before he became a Familiar.” I sighed as I folded my arms under my breasts. “Caelum is obtuse, insensitive, forgetful, and childish. He’s not the caring kind. He’s not attentive to a girl, or mindful of her feelings. He can’t read the mood, or the situation. He just doesn’t know what to say, and he turns every right moment into a wrong moment. He doesn’t remembers important dates. He’s not a cruel person, but he’s just downright indifferent. He hurts people without intending to, and then claims he doesn’t understand why they’re hurt.”

I shook my head with heavy feelings.

“Caelum is just hopeless. It hurts to say this, but it’s the truth.”

Caprice was definitely listening to me. Her eyes widened just a tad, and I caught her subtle nod. “I know…I know all this…however….”

I shook my head again. “You’re going to get hurt, and knowing that hurts me.” I took a quick breath. “Caelum hurt me too, and I don’t want you being hurt the same way.” I felt like I was pleading with her. “Please, Caprice. I know he’s deep in your heart, and I’m not saying give up on him. I’m just saying don’t shoot this guy down before at least hearing him out.”

Alistair was nodding gently to herself. “You mean…play it by ear?”

I gave her a nod in reply. “Yeah. Play it by ear. And listen to your intuition. What have you got to lose?”

After standing still for a long, long while during which she quietly regarded the pink rose in her hands, Caprice gave me a solemn nod. “I understand.”

Turning on her heels, she walked into the little garden enclosed by trees.

Siobhan, Alistair, and I followed her at a distance.

Though we entered the garden, we didn’t exit the path bordered by trees. Instead, we watched from the shadows as Caprice continue along the paved path, looking about for any sign of her secret admirer.

He found her before she found him.

The three of us watched a young man, a second year senior, walk up to Caprice and introduce himself. We couldn’t hear what they were saying, but perhaps Caprice had taken my advice to heart. That both troubled and relieved me, making me feel like devil’s advocate. She listened to him for a long while, and when he gestured they should sit at a nearby bench, she did so.

I narrowed my eyes, not recognizing the high school senior though I did feel he looked familiar. “Who is that?”

“Crais Shepherd,” Alistair replied with a hint of worry. “He’s a second year like us. Class Two-Dee, I think.”

Siobhan muttered, “I have to admit he’s easy on the eyes.”

I felt a twinge of guilt. “Yeah, a little too easy.”

Alistair then dropped a bombshell. “And he’s a Familiar.”

Siobhan and I stared at her aghast.

Alistair gently waved a hand over her left breast. “That pin on his jacket…that says he’s affiliated with the Raynar Pride.”

I was starting to regret my words, especially when all three of us looked at Caprice, and noticed the faint smile on her lips as she listened attentively to one Crais Shepherd afil Raynar from Class Two-Dee.”

#

(Caelum)

#

The three members of the Society for the Promotion of Cultural Ideals – a front for the Girls of Galatea site – bowed to me, and offered their sincere apologies.

“We’re sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused you.”

I quickly held up a hand. “Ah—it’s fine. It’s fine. Apology accepted.”

I felt a bit embarrassed. In hindsight I believed I’d taken things too far when I threatened their property with the Kaiser’s Blessing’s Gauntlet-Blade.

Clearing my throat quickly, I asked, “You know who I am, but I don’t know who you are?”

They quickly introduced themselves, but their manner of talking made feel like I was interviewing them for a job.

The student to my left was Tamworth “Tam” Conti Lorian. Brown hair, brown eyes, average build – for an Aventis. Despite that, I guessed the girls would rank him an eight out of ten. I wouldn’t know for sure since I hadn’t asked any girls, however I decided to trust my instincts.

Standing in the middle, was Milo Hassan Fenrir. He was taller than I was, sporting a good build that would have made him a regular starter on any sporting team where muscle and brawn were an advantage – and that was without the improvements made by the Symbiote. He had black hair that he kept short and neat. I’d say the only downside to his features would be his severe look which belied his calm and friendly nature.

Last, but not least, was Shotaru “Sho” Bradley Irulan. Tall, slender – I wouldn’t call him thin – he wore glasses for show since his eyesight was on par with those of an Aventis. He paid particular attention to his appearance without being overly fussy. You could describe him as neat but not obsessive. Like the other two, he was quite intellectually gifted.

This much I gathered from their introductions, and the conversation that followed.

I realized very quickly we were like minded individuals, and after a few minutes I noticed I was at ease around them. If someone had described this scene to me eight months ago, I would have called them crazy. Yet here I was, eight months since becoming a Familiar, having a conversation with three Aventis second year students, and I actually felt pretty good about it.

That more than anything stunned me, and I had trouble listening to them. I had to clear my jumbled thoughts quickly, and pay attention to the three students.

However, the more we talked, the more I realized what I’d been missing these last few weeks.

Male companionship. In other words, I missing male friendship, like I used to enjoy when I attended my school for Regular students. I’d been surrounded by women for so long, I was actually relieved to be talking guys instead, and even though they were Aventis, the kind of people I’d irresolutely stated that I hated, I had dropped my guard around them.

Not for the first time, I wondered if my so-called hatred was misplaced.

I said I despised the Aventis, but time and again I found it hard to hold onto that loathing.

Perhaps something would happen in the future, something that would reaffirm those feelings, but for now I wasn’t able to summon the same hatred I once held for them.

I concentrated on what Milo Hassan was telling me.

Milo explained the contents of the message that accompanied the photo of the unknown girl’s derriere, and the headshot of Caprice Steiner taken from a distance.

“Quite frankly we were all surprised. But they claimed they knew all about the underground organization that ran the Girls of Galatea. To prove the point, they went into some detail and even listed a few of the names of our core members. They stated that unless we invited you, they would shut down the site. So we had no choice but to follow the given instructions.”

I folded my arms. “Have you received any more messages?”

Milo shook his head. “Nope. None.”

I took a deep breath. While I’d grown relaxed around the three male students, I was wary of the circumstances that brought us together.

Eventually, I tossed out a heavy sigh, took a couple of deep breaths, and gave the three students a hearty grin.

“Well, whatever their intentions are, we can worry about that later.”

The three of them shrugged while sharing looks.

Milo grinned weakly. “I guess so.”

Tam took a half step forward and asked, “About the Girls of Galatea—”

I made a zipping motion across my lips. “Not to fear. My lips are sealed.”

The three students released a collective sigh.

I clapped my hands lightly. “So, what’s this about a test I’m supposed to pass?”

Their eyes widened and once more they traded looks before facing me.

Milo continued to grin weakly. “Well, we’d like to see your talent in action.”

“My talent? Which one?”

Tam pointed at the girls of the Academy’s Track-and-Field club doing laps on the sports field. “Five girls. Five sets of sizes. If you gauge them against official records—well, less than official records—then we’ll reveal the owner of those buttocks.”

Milo added, “And Vee Eye Pee membership to the Girls of Galatea.”

I drew my lips back into a wide grin, and stood arms akimbo.

“Gentlemen, I accept your challenge.”