Ch 169: Returning to High School.

"I am still not sure if I prefer this uniform over my old one." grumbled Rin as she looked at herself in the mirror.

She was dressed in a one-piece, sleeveless, white gown that stopped under her knees. The gown had a collar tied by a black tie stopping at her stomach. Over it, she wore a green bolero-style coat with long sleeves. On each shoulder was a gray octagonal badge.

One nice thing about this school uniform was a translucent veil that connected to the coat, reaching down to their ankles, that could be personalized using many different patterns. Akeno had chosen a blue gradient with white four-pointed stars, evocating a night's sky, while Rin had chosen a cherry blossom pattern.

"I find it cute and elegant, even if a little stuffy." agreed Akeno. "But I don't like the gown."

"That's my problem, yes. That gown is too tight around the knees. What if we have to fight wearing those? Damn this puritan world!"

During World War Three, and with the sharp reduction of the population, all the governments had grown a lot more intolerant with the LGBT+ communities, as lesbian and gay couples were guilty of not producing babies to replace the losses. A wave of extreme conservatism had swept over the world, to the point that nowadays, an exposed shoulder was considered improper in public spaces. They even nicknamed the era before the start of WW3 as the 'Age of Immorality'.

"Hopefully, we won't have to deal with it for too long. What we will also have to deal with will be the discrimination." said Akeno as she taped Rin's shoulder badge with a finger. The empty gray octagon.

"Please don't fly off the handle too much. You don't want to get us expelled."

"You don’t need to remind me." sighed Rin.

After their problematic emergence in this world just barely three weeks ago, and them spending a few hours in an, admittedly, rather comfy jail cell, Akeno and Rin had been allowed to speak to a representative of the government.

Akeno and Rin had both claimed to come from another parallel world, landing here after a teleportation experiment had gone wrong, and proposed to exchange knowledge about Magecraft in exchange for an opportunity to learn magic as it was practiced on this world, until they found a way to return home. In other words, some kind of exchange student program.

The diplomat demanded proofs of them being Magus, not Magicians, before he would agree with anything. Mere hours later, Rin and Akeno were performing in front of a half-dozen Magicians from the army, demonstrating various defensive and offensive types of magecraft wearing only clothing provided by them and without any accessories, for proof that they weren't wearing a CAD. Akeno had to pretend to be clueless while they were explained why the vast majority of magicians needed those to cast spells.

She also pretended to be clueless when one of the examinators was wearing a silver helmet hiding his face, and introduced himself as Special Lieutenant Ryuuya Ooguro, his voice deformed by the helmet. Noah had mentioned that name, too.

But they didn't show any of Noah's shared abilities, or push their magecraft to the point of making their magic circuits visible. They were certain that they would demand a sample of the magic circuits if they knew about them, and Akeno was unwilling to unveil them at this point. Similarly, she firmly refused to give them any blood or DNA sample, having heard enough from Noah about clones and artificial magicians, and Rin followed her lead.

After creating a few enhanced body armors to letting the examiners go through them, the representative finally agreed to the exchange program. Rin and Akeno were provided access to entry-level information about Magic, as well as standard Casting Assistant Devices looking like large silver bangles with nine buttons on it.

No doubt with spyware included.

For that reason, Rin and Akeno only spoke of matters related to Noah or Chaldea inside the Sanctuary, and the CADs remained outside.

Akeno and Rin spent most of their time in the apartment (not bugged, they had carefully checked) provided by the government, studying how magic was performed on this world. And at night, they quietly entered the Sanctuary to gain more studying time. With Rin's natural talent and Akeno's MAG attribute, they once again progressed at a pace outsiders wouldn't believe could be possible.

And yet, that had been just barely enough to catch up with Magicians who had trained for years, and they passed the admission test for First High by scoring 155th and 167th on the ranking for the two hundred spots available.

In all magic high-schools, the students were divided into two categories. Course 1 students were those ranked 1st to 100th, and had a symbol of their school on the gray octagon on their coats' shoulders. Course 2 students were those ranked 101st to 200th, and would not have the symbols. They also would only have access to about three quarters of the resources Course 1 students had access to.

A visual differentiation between the students' uniforms had, predictably, caused a lot of Course 1 students to become conceited. They called themselves 'blooms', as the school's symbol was a geometric design representing a flower, and called Course 2 students 'weeds'.

Akeno and Rin cared little about such nonsense, as they had more pressing concerns than petty school drama. Which didn't mean they would just take it if someone insisted on belittling them.

"Are you ready, Rin?"

"Yes. Let's go and make some friends." nodded Rin.

They left the apartment and walked a few minutes toward the train station.

"I may not like how conservative Japanese society has become, but I must admit that their cities are nice. We should use them as a model for future development." said Akeno, taking her smartphone from her inventory and snapping a few pictures of the streets.

"Yes. I appreciate most the relative quiet. There's no constant noise pollution from car engines. And there is plenty of space for pedestrians and greenery."

"What have you chosen as your activation sequences in the end?"

Rin looked down at the silvery bangle on her left wrist.

"Only two sequences for now. Blast and Invisible Bullet. I'm working on a weight-type magic to create an improved version of Leap, one that would activate faster. What about you, Akeno?"

"Only Air Armor for now, I'm working on an Acceleration-type magic that would allow for faster movements. Once I get a nice one functional, I'll share it with you."

"Yes, thanks."

Modern magic in this world was classified into what was called the Four Great Systems, and Eight Major Types.

Acceleration and Weight.

Movement and Oscillation.

Convergence and Dispersion.

Absorption and Release.

The vast majority of the activation sequences used by magicians to convert their psions (an energy source similar to mana, yet separate) into tangible effects used one or more of those Types. The sequences were similar to software code, and whoever created them first got to assign them a name.

Air Armor, as an example, was an activation sequence using both Movement-type and Convergence-type magic to create around its user a layer of compressed air. Bullets impacting that layer would deviate, although the effect wouldn't be strong enough to stop shots fired center-mass. At least for a normal magician. Rin and Akeno had a lot of psions to spare, and they could supercharge their spells if they wished to.

Rin and Akeno reached the bus station, and only had to wait a few minutes for one to arrive. The bus, electric and entirely automated, looked like a train or metro section with the seat arrangement to the sides and a large space between them. A few passengers were already there, mostly young people wearing the same first high uniforms.

Akeno and Rin sat in silence, observing the city. Today was the day of the opening ceremony. They were supposed to come to the campus, listen to a speech from the student council president, then another from the freshman's representative, the person having scored highest in the admission test, then leave, and school would start the next day.

They could safely assume that every student in the bus was a freshman like them, and that the bus would be more crowded starting from tomorrow.

It only took about ten minutes for them to reach the campus. Surrounded on three sides by woods, the campus included large green expanses, fields dedicated to various athletic events, a few dojos for various martial disciplines, and even a stable for those who like horse riding. The main building was a massive white building, four stories high and almost three hundred meters wide. The road leading to the entrance, paved with light red stones, was surrounded by two rows of cherry blossoms.

Akeno and Rin slowly walked among the other students, appreciating the picturesque view, when a young woman wearing the uniform of a Course 1 student walked to them, smiling. She had been standing near the building's entrance.

"Greetings. The Address will happen in the gymnasium over there."

"Oh. Thank you for informing us." nodded Rin. More people, who she suspected were sophomore or senior students, were sending the other students to the gymnasium.

"Are you perhaps Himejima-kun and Tohsaka-kun?" continued the girl.

"We are." smiled Akeno. "And you must not be an ordinary student, to already know about us."

She paid a closer attention to the girl. She was about 155cm tall, with long black wavy hair and red eyes. A black and white ribbon adorned her hair, and she was beautiful. There was something about the way she looked at them that spoke of a mischievous temperament.

"I am Mayumi Saegusa, the Student Council President. I have been informed about your circumstances. I must say that I am very impressed that you managed to pass the admission test with only a few weeks of study."

"Well, what can I day? We're good at studies." boasted Rin, and Akeno chuckled.

"We didn't quite start from scratch, as there are similitudes between your modern magic and Magecraft. Besides, we first focused on what was necessary to pass the test. We won't pretend to be comparable to most other students on magic theory or other aspects that weren't part of the test."

"Not yet, at least. Boasting aside, we really are fast learners." nodded Rin with a confident smile.

"I do not doubt it. I wished to welcome you personally to First High. I hope our cooperation will be fruitful, and that you will quickly be able to reunite with your families."

"Thank you, President. But is it really okay to speak about this in the open?" asked Akeno.

Mayumi leaned forward and winked.

"No one is close enough to hear, and the government has been very careful not to let information about you leak. Only a few members of the Ten families present in First High have been informed. Who knows what the other nations might attempt to get their hands on you. I should let you go, as the address will soon start. We are compiling a list of the students according to your agreement, and you will be able to pick and choose your future disciples. They will have a right to decline, but I doubt many will, when given the opportunity to learn a different system that doesn't require a CAD. And they will not be aware of your origins. I will deliver the list to you in a few days."

"Thank you, President." smiled Akeno.

"Please call me Mayumi. I feel like we will interact often during your stay."

"Very well, Mayumi. Please call me Akeno, too."

"It goes for me too, right?" asked Rin.

"Of course." Mayumi spotted a tall young man entering the campus. "Please excuse me, there's someone else I want to meet in person. Have a good day."

"Yes, see you later, Mayumi." smiled Akeno.

Rin looked at her with a small smile.

"Another one to join the family?"

"Far too early to tell. The energy required to return is ultimately limited, and…" Akeno stopped as a thought stuck her.

"I've got an idea, but let's speak about it later."

"…Sure."

Akeno noticed almost immediately when they entered that the Course 1 students were occupying the front seat, while the course 2 students all took seats behind them. She frowned at the blatant discrimination.

She wasn't going to make a scene right before the address, but there were other ways to express her opinion. She glanced at Rin, who was also looking disappointed.

"Rin, about what the President mentioned. We'll prioritize Course 2 students."

"…Yes, that's a good way to send a message." smiled Rin.

A few students had heard and looked curiously, but Akeno didn't intend to explain, and they turned away.

She took a seat in the last rank and Rin sat on her left.

"Please excuse me, is this seat taken?" asked a female student with a bob of black hair and golden eyes. She was the first person they had seen since coming to this world to wear glasses. Akeno and Rin had noticed in the bus and assumed laser eye surgery had gotten very cheap. Behind her stood another girl with short red hair.

"The seat is free." smiled Akeno.

"Thank you very much. My name is Shibata Mizuki. it is nice to meet you." said the brunette as she sat.

"I am Akeno Himejima. And this is Rin Tohsaka. It is nice to meet you too."

"Yes, nice to meet you." nodded Rin with a smile.

"And I'm Chiba Erika." grinned the redhead as she sat on Miyuki's opposite side.

"This is our first meeting, but you already met one of my cousins. I just recognized your names." said Erika.

"We did?" asked Rin.

"Yes." chuckled Erika. "There are a lot of police officers in my family, and you taught my inept cousin a lesson he isn't going to forget anytime soon."

"Oh. That guy." winced Rin.

"Yes. Don't worry, he may harbor some resentment, but the rest of our family don't. Each defeat is a lesson learned to grow stronger."

"I'm not really worried about that. More about your cousin having a loose tongue. This whole thing has more leaks than a strainer." said Akeno with a low voice.

"Yeah, sorry about that. But in his defense, the gag order came hours later, and he has clamped up since then. So did everyone else."

"You still decided to mention it to us." sighed Akeno.

"Eheh, notice how I am still carefully watching my words."

"Excuse me, do you mind if I take this seat?" asked a tall young man behind Erika.

"Not at all. I'm Erika Chiba, nice to meet you."

"I am Tatsuya Shiba. It is nice to meet you too."

Akeno, who had facepalmed at the revelation of the incident being leaked to too many people already, had not really paid attention. When she hard the name, she froze and looked up at this world's most dangerous magician. Tatsuya Shiba was tall, handsome, with short black hair and piercing blue eyes. When their gaze met, Akeno smiled and nodded to him.

"I am Akeno Himejima. Nice to meet you, Shiba-kun."

"Likewise. I'm Rin Tohsaka. Please just call me Rin, everyone. I'm not fond of formal speech."

Miyuki also introduced herself

"Yes, nice to meet you all." nodded Tatsuya with a small smile.

He sat down beside Erika.

"Hum, this is a funny coincidence. Shiba, Chiba and Shibata. Is it perhaps fate?" chuckled Erika.

"Now that you mention it, this is a funny happenstance." smiled Shibata.

"Is something troubling you, Himejima-kun? You seem a little depressed." suddenly asked Tatsuya, staring at her.

"…Just a little thing that I'd have preferred to keep under wraps, and too many people know already."

"Hum, I can understand why sometimes, being discrete about some things would be for the best." said Tatsuya.

Akeno's intuition perked up. The remark was innocent enough. And yet, she thought she could hear the smidge of a warning in his words. Or maybe a threat.

'You look better without your silver mask.' was tempted to retort Akeno, but that really wouldn't be a good idea.

"Yes." she replied instead. "We wish to live our student lives as quietly as possible, given the circumstances."

"We share that ambition." nodded Tatsuya, apparently satisfied.

Again, this could be an innocent comment, but Akeno's suspicion was strengthened. He knew that she knew something about him, and he wanted her to keep her mouth shut.

"We will now begin the Magic High School's entrance ceremony." announced someone using the speakers in the ceiling.

The students grew quiet as Mayumi Saegusa climbed the elevated platform and stood behind the podium. She bowed deeply, then started a fairly standard speech.

Akeno noted that Mayumi made a point not to differentiate between Course 1 and Course 2 students as she spoke. When she was done, it was the turn of another young woman, who introduced herself as Miyuki Shiba.

She bowed in front of the students and started her own speech.

Akeno listened while observing the faces of the students from the corner of her eyes. She could see that this girl was going to have a fan club before the day was over. Miyuki was beautiful, in a classic Japanese beauty sort of way, but she knew enough about Noah's tastes to confidently say that she wasn't really his type. Erika would be closer to the type of girls he would go for.

After the speech was over, they left the gymnasium.

"Shiba-kun." started Akeno. "No, the other Shiba-kun." she smiled as Erika was the first to turn to her.

"Hehe." grinned Erika. "Just call me Erika."

"And I do not mind if you call me Tatsuya, too, to avoid future confusion."

"Thank you. I wanted to ask, Tatsuya-kun. Is it your sister who delivered the second speech? I can see some likeness in your faces."

"This is correct." nodded Tatsuya.

"Oh… I should have noticed as well. Now that Akeno mentioned it, I can see it too." said Erika.

"Yes, your auras seem familiar." confirmed Mizuki.

"Onii-sama, I am sorry for making you wait!" came a voice from behind Akeno, and she turned, recognizing the voice instantly.

Miyuki joined them.

"Miyuki. That was a good speech." nodded Tatsuya with a small smile.

"Thank you, Onii-sama." beamed Miyuki.

Akeno understood why Noah didn't want to separate those two. She could almost feel the atmosphere turning sweet around them.

When Miyuki turned to them, a new round of introductions began. Miyuki was polite to Akeno and Rin, but she didn't smile, and Akeno felt a slight chill in the air. Knowing what it meant, she decided to limit her interactions with Tatsuya if possible. Maybe Miyuki thought she was aiming at him, or more likely, she, too, wanted Akeno and Rin to keep their mouths shut about her Onii-sama.

After the introductions, the conversation quickly turned to another subject.

"That's right!" said Erika. "Starting next week, the recruitment week for clubs will start. It is already intense for the average student, because the more members a club has, the more budget they receive for activities. And since a lot of us are beauties, they will all want us to join their clubs."

"That's an issue." frowned Rin. "They will want us not only to try to get closer to us, but because our presence might lure more male students to join as well."

"Exactly! And they might get very pushy about it. I heard that last year, there were some students who were coerced into joining clubs. The public morals committee will have its hands full. Have you guys decided which club you intend to join?"

"Can we change half-way?" asked Akeno.

"You can." said Mayumi, joining the conversation. Akeno hadn't noticed her coming closer. "It doesn't happen often, but there is no rule forbidding students from switching clubs. They do have to be part of one, though. Next week will be rough for both the student council and the public morals committee. Club members will be allowed to use their CADs to perform demonstrations. There will inevitably be some incidents. And we will pu-nish the people responsible."

The way Mayumi smiled as she said the word 'punish' reminded Akeno of herself when she unleashed her sadistic side against her enemies.

"Thank you. I think I'll join the kendo club, then. And maybe later, give the kenjutsu club a try." said Akeno.

She had a specific reason for wanting to join the kendo club, despite kendo students not using magic at all during their matches. Noah had briefly mentioned something about them and a terrorist group before speaking about the Nine Schools Competition. The kenjutsu club, on the other hand, was all about using practical magic to enhance their prowess in 'real' fights. In that club, she would learn things like movement techniques, or how to enhance their wooden swords with spells. This club had a lot more potential to be useful down the line. And maybe she would get a chance to land a strike on Scathach for once!

Although she already had landed many strikes on her, but spanks didn't count.

"I am not sure yet." shrugged Rin.

Mizuki, Erika and Tatsuya also said they hadn't decided yet, and Miyuki, being the freshman's representative, would join the student council, where she would be groomed to become the president in her third year.

After chatting some more about their future plans, they separated. Rin and Akeno returned home, and quickly entered the Sanctuary without first loading it with mana.

"What was that idea you got earlier?"

"It is something so obvious that I wonder why I didn't think about it before we departed. Let me make a call."

Akeno took from her inventory the modified smartphone Type: Moon had given her, initiated the call and put in on speaker.

"Akeno. Are you asking for a Servant to be summoned?" tersely asked Type: Moon.

"Not at all. The situation over there seems fine for now, and there are no signs of immediate danger. I am only calling to ask about the Rayshift process. Are you aware that I possess a Mystic Code generating a permanent reality marble?"

"I am aware of its existence."

"I was wondering if having people or Heroic Spirits inside during the Rayshift would endanger them, and if it would increase the energy requirement to go back and forth between the timelines."

Rin inhaled sharply as she understood Akeno's idea.

"As long as the artifact is placed in your personal dimensional space beforehand, there is no reason for the people inside to be affected, or for it to interfere with the Rayshift."

"Thank you. How are the others doing?"

"They are no issues at this time."

Akeno waited for more details, but none came.

"…Ok, I'll report later if anything significant happens." said Akeno, ending the call.

"Not much of a great conversationalist, it is."

"Type: Moon is more a system than a person." shrugged Rin. "So we're going to take a few Servants with us next time, right?"

"Yes. Although, if we grow strong enough, maybe I'll think about entrusting the Sanctuary to the weakest team. But it's unlikely we'll meet the others anytime soon, as we'll jump from one timeline to another with very little rest time in Chaldea. Although I'm going to wait until Gudako, Mash and Bell return. Mash has a lifespan issue that needs to be fixed soon."

"I see."

"I'll go out to charge the Sanctuary, then I'll come back. After all the studying we've done recently, I feel the need for some fun time with my pet." smiled Akeno before she disappeared.

Rin groaned as she felt desire ignite in her womb.

Akeno calling her a pet always had that effect on her now. It was like a switch was being flipped. Ever since Sakura had trained her, with Akeno's occasional assistance, her body grew horny whenever one of them decided it was time for some "fun".

Knowing what was expected of her, Rin left the living room and entered the basement. She removed the white and green school uniform, folding it carefully and placing it on a shelf, then removed her black silk underwear.

For a moment, she stared at the crest under her navel. It had grown, since the first time it appeared. She could tell, compared to the one on Sakura's back, that she was two evolutions away from it being complete. Rin knew, as Sakura had explained in exquisite details, that with the next evolution, she would start experiencning recurrent dreams of being dominated whenever she slept, further accelerating her downfall.

And the last one would permanently mark her as a slave.

Rin opened a cabinet, taking from it a pair of black latex stockings and a pair of black opera gloves. She put them on quickly, then selected four red leather cuffs and a red leather collar. She quickly put them on as well, ensuring a snug fit, then fastened the collar around her neck.

She took the last item she needed, a red leash, and fastened it to the font D-ring of the collar, closed the cabinet, walked to the bed and knelt on the ground beside it.

All she had to do now was to wait. Akeno would soon come, and Rin would lower her head while lifting her hands, offering her the handle of the leash.

As a good pet would.

As she had been trained to do.

The embers in her womb were now turning into a fire, and she really wanted to masturbate, but she resisted the temptation.

A part of her still wondered how far she had already fallen, to accept their ownership over her. But she didn't really care anymore. The pleasure she received as a pet was just too much, and she was already addicted to it.

And Akeno had been right. Rin didn't feel guilt anymore when she looked at her sister. Because she was compensating her by being their slave.

…

Akeno had already changed into a black pvc minidress and thigh-high boots when she entered the basement, and found Rin kneeling beside the bed.

"Good girl." praised Akeno, and she saw Rin smile, even though her head was lowered.

Akeno and Sakura had tried to train Rin to experience a spike of pleasure whenever she heard those words from their mouth, and the conditioning was working to at least some extent.

Akeno sauntered closer, took the leash offered by her pet, and pulled slightly as she entered the bed, leading Rin to lay on her back in the center.

Akeno lifted the bottom of her minidress, revealing her bare folds, and positioned herself with Rin's head between her knees, then leaned forward until her mouth was just above Rin's sex, creating the famous 69 position.

"Do you want a pillow to help, pet?"

"Yes, please, Mistress."

Akeno positioned a pillow under Rin's head to reduce the strain on her neck muscles, then started exploring Rin's folds with her tongue. Rin wasted no time returning the favor, using her hands to hold onto Akeno's butt.

Before long, they were both moaning and panting, enjoying each other's ministrations to the fullest.

Akeno came first, and Rin eagerly licked the love juices escaping from her pussy.

"Good girl." praised again Akeno, and Rin moaned.

"I'm going to cum!"

"I'll allow it. Cum for me, Rin." Said Akeno just before she increased her efforts, pushing her tongue deep, and seconds later, Rin convulsed as she came.

…

"Thanks. I needed this." sighed Rin as they hugged each other. It had been over ten days since the last time.

"It had been a while, didn't it? I needed this, too." muttered Akeno.

"Rin, before I came to the basement, I had a little chat with Noah. He told me a few things about this world."

"He did? How could he know about this?"

"The same way he knew about you and Sakura and your mom, when we first met." said Akeno, careful not to tell a lie or half-truth. Rin could detect lies just as well as she did.

"I see. That's convenient. What did he say?"

"We need to be very careful around Miyuki and Tatsuya. The two of them are a complete siscon and brocon couple."

"Yeah, that wasn't hard to notice." smiled Rin.

"Tatsuya is a secret member of the military, and a strategic-class magician. He is an OTH sniper. OTH standing for Over The Horizon. Meaning that is if wants us dead, and knows our position, he can attack us without being physically present."

"That's seriously worrying." frowned Rin. Officially, only thirteen magicians worldwide deserved to be called 'strategic-class magicians', also nicknamed the 'Thirteen Apostles'.

Japan had one such apostle, Istuwa "The Abyss" Mio. Her personal magic, a movement-type she called 'Abyss', could create in the ocean a spherical depression up to several kilometers wide and one kilometer deep, potentially swallowing whole fleets under immense waves and water pressure when the magic would be canceled. But according to Noah, the real number of Strategic-class magician was closer to fifty, as their nations' hidden trump cards.

"He possesses multiple overpowered abilities. He can restore himself, or others, to a previous version of himself, essentially nullifying any injury. And he has set up this ability to trigger automatically if he receives one. So if, Satan forbid, we have to fight him, aim for the brain."

"He can scramble any magic sequence by bombarding it with a directed psion discharge. A spell called Gram Demolition."

"His bread-and-butter anti-personal spell will attack the target's sub-atomic bonds, turning it into a mass of quickly dissipating ionized particles."

"And the spell that got him classified as a strategic Magician, Material Burst, let him convert the target's mass into energy with a hundred percent conversion rate. That's a whole lot of energy. He is, quite literally, a walking nuke. And he could hit you from thousands of kilometers away thanks to his last overpowered ability, that sort of allows him to see through matter regardless of distance."

"…What a monster." breathed Rin.

"Those abilities came at a cost, though. They were implanted into his brain by his family using some kind of magic surgery, and to make place for it, they removed Tatsuya's ability to feel any strong emotion, except where his sister is concerned."

"He can still value friendship and has a sense of humor, but he can never fall in love with someone other than Miyuki, and his anger and hatred are muted. Unless someone threaten his sister. Some of his more general abilities as a magician have also been reduced, the only reason this genius is not a course 1 student."

"If you wanted to scare me, you've succeeded. It makes me wonder if we should transfer to another high school… And wait, the things he told you during the ceremony, does he suspect you know about him?"

"I got that impression. We need to be careful about him. We either stay on friendly terms with him and Miyuki, or we try to keep a healthy distance."

"How could they know that you know about them, though?"

"…I'm not sure. I can't rule out the possibility of some magician being able to read minds, but aside from that, the only time I mentioned anything about him was… oh crap." Akeno paled.

With a worried voice, Akeno related the content of her calls to Noah and Romani.

"So, if you somehow missed a surveillance device, we're completely exposed. I hope you don't get us killed. We definitely need to communicate from inside the Sanctuary moving forward."

"Agreed. Well, not completely exposed. I left the whole BDSM training part out of the conversation, and didn't even imply it, if I remember correctly. I only mentionned searching for pretty girls to join the family. But yeah, our situation isn't great."

"On the bright side of things, they'll think twice about killing us if you spoke about being able to take on strategic magicians or summoning reinforcements, and about the incoming world fragment."

"Assuming they believe it. I wouldn't, in their position."

"Yes. We need to be careful. What else did Noah tell you? You spoke to him again, right?"

"Yes. I am going to join the kendo club for a reason. There is a political movement called Egalite, that will exploit the feelings of resentment among the course 2 students over the ongoing discrimination. They are going to ask, then demand, equal treatment for all magicians, and protest about them being forced to join the military."

"Aside from the exploiting part, I don't think these are bad ideas."

"I told the same to Noah. The issue is that Egalite is a deeply linked with Blanche, an organization that doesn't shy away from terrorist attacks to push their views. And the mastermind behind it is a Chinese citizen, Jeido Heigu. His goal is to weaken Japan's military by diverting Japanese magicians into civilian careers."

"To prepare for an invasion." concluded Rin.

"Got it in one. And the branch of Egalite who operates in First High is led by the big brother of the kendo club's captain. A man who has some kind of hypnosis magic related to his eyes and use it to convince more students and civilians to join his side."

"I see. What is your plan, then?"

"I'll play the valuable recruit in the kendo club, expressing displeasure over the discrimination. They will try to recruit me, bring me to their leader, I'll give you a signal to follow us, or maybe you'll be sitting inside the Sanctuary, and then we'll incapacitate them all, then give a call to the government for them to deal with the clean-up."

"Or I could also join the kendo club, and it would make your plan simpler."

"Yes, but I'm not going to order you to."

"It's fine. I need to learn how to use a weapon anyway. Unarmed martial arts only goes so far."

"Thank you, Rin. I appreciate it. And I will demonstrate it right now. Is my pet ready for round two?" smiled Akeno.

"…Huh. It's unfair, you're training me to go into heat on command! And it works, damn it!" protested Rin, but her face didn't seem all that displeased by the prospect.

"Unfair, but so fun!" grinned Akeno as she took Corruption from her inventory.