Infinite Stratos: Uncle Sam

Chapter 8

"So we have a deal?" Ichika prompted, stuffing a glock 17 into the nightstand drawer adjacent to his bed.

"If you put in a good word for me to your sister then yes, I will fail to notice your blatant smuggling of contraband," Laura stated, eyeing her roommate's open dufflebag cautiously.

The boy nodded in satisfaction before unlatching the hinges to a rifle case and taking the weapon out to look for deficiencies. He doubted Monika would have let any slide but he could never be too careful.

Laura looked over his shoulder curiously. "An HK model, you have good taste in rifles."

Ichika shouldered the HK416 and peered down it's sight. He pursed his lips before lowering the carbine. Fishing through the gun's case, he retrieved a reflex sight and latched it on the top rail. Shouldering it once more, Ichika felt much more satisfied.

"May I?" Laura asked, gesturing towards the rifle cradled in his arms.

Ichika shrugged, handing the gun over to his roommate who similarly brought it up to her shoulder and stared down the sight with her one eye. He narrowed his eyes as he closely watched the girl cycle through a few shooting stances. There were the small details in her posture that he recognized. They had been taught the same.

"It has been some time since I have used this particular model. The Bundeswehr provides me with plenty of knives, but they aren't allowed to send me firearms whilst I attend the academy," Laura informed the boy, handing the rifle back.

Ichika tucked the rifle back into its case before sliding it under his bed. He'd hidden the body armor in the depths of his closet. The rifle and side arms would be safest under his bed except a lone glock in the nightstand for emergencies. And everything else stayed in the duffle bags which would also go under the bed. He supposed he wouldn't have to stash the combat knives if Laura was literally allowed to get new knives in the mail.

"Where did you even get all these weapons?" Laura probed offhandedly.

"In the mountains," Ichika replied vaguely.

Laura shot him a flat glance. "I see."

The girl soon brushed off the cryptic answer however, it wasn't like she was expecting a serious response anway. "By the way Ichika."

"Yes?"

"I encountered Cecillia Alcott again today. She wanted me to relay to you that she challenges you to a duel. Something about wanting to prove that she outmatches you. Perhaps she is upset that you denied her so quikly, she is a stupid and prideful girl after all."

Ichika frowned. "Tell her that I'm not interested."

"Ichika, she will never back down now that you have hurt her pride," Laura affirmed, crossing her arms.

"The last thing I want is to start getting into fights with the student body. You seem to have experience with her, what would you do?" Ichika asked.

"Do as I have already done, crush anybody that challenges your power. They won't bother you if they fear you. You have seen it for yourself, those schoolgirls are too afraid to even stand in my presence," Laura stated with a nod.

Would that really work? Control through fear was manipulation 101. If he couldn't just kill his problems, maybe something more psychologica would work. Kill his problems, he was begining to sound like Monika.

"What's her IS like?" Ichika questioned.

"How about you figure that out yourself, It will be interesting to see how you fight for real. You only managed to catch me off guard back at that warehouse," Laura huffed.