2 weeks have passed since Kazuya’s arrival at West Genetics.
Within the first week, he had made the acquaintance of sixteen lovely young women, all of them beautiful, powerful, high-ranking within their classes, and having intriguing and interesting characters. And not only that, but all of these women were effectively pledged to be partnered up with him as his respective Pandoras - ALL SIXTEEN OF THEM!
One way of looking at this, from a military perspective, was that a veritable powerhouse of a platoon was being formed out of the ‘cream of the crop’ among several of the world’s most renowned Pandoras. After all, among the group of women were the top six 3rd-year Pandoras globally (technically seven, since two of them were tied for 6th place). Such a collection of amazonian supermodels/supersoldiers was practically unheard of in all of Genetics’s history. Perhaps an elite unit was being formed, most assuredly with Gengo Aoi’s blessing (if not at his outright behest).
Another way of looking at things was that Kazuya Aoi was pretty much being paired up with sixteen girlfriends at the same damn time. Of course, knowing how much of a puppet master his grandfather could be, Kazuya was inclined to think that it was more accurately an outright engagement process, with sixteen fiance’es being paired up with him in such a short time.
‘Old man,’ thought Kazuya at this notion, ‘I swear, if you’re behind this - which I’m pretty damn sure you are - then you and I need to have a little chat in the very near future.’
After all, it was rare enough for a freshman Limiter to find himself in the company of SO many women in a rather short time period. To Kazuya’s understanding, most freshman Limiters usually got partnered up with around five Pandoras after spending a few months at a Genetics academy, sometimes more, sometimes less. Perhaps the luckier ones got as many as ten Pandoras by the time they were transitioning into their sophomore year, and by that point, accumulating more Pandoras was a bit of a rarity.
Of course, there were the switch-outs within the group dynamic between a Limiter and his Pandoras, usually on the grounds of failing chemistry between the ‘little brothers’ and their ‘big sisters.’ Whether it was the Limiter who engaged in it or the specific Pandora who did so, there would be the typical break-ups where a Pandora would leave the Limiter to find one she was more compatible with. Usually, these tended to end with a positive outcome (minus whatever tears or melancholy behavior that inevitably came as a result). So long as fists didn’t fly, Volt Weapons weren’t deployed, or Acceleration wasn’t used in the heat of the moment, then those break-ups were generally considered successful in the end.
After all, how many men want to risk upsetting a woman whom they would stand at roughly crotch-level in comparison, given that most Pandoras averaged around eleven feet in height (with exceptions, of course)?
Though in Kazuya’s case, none of the women who had partnered up with him had shown any disinterest in the young man up to this point. Admittedly, it was perhaps a bit too early to assume that such a rosy scenario was going to stay permanent, yet for the time being, NONE of the sixteen beauties who had become Kazuya’s classmates/housemates/lovers-to-be(?) had shown any kind of disgust, disinterest, or disdain for the Limiter. Perhaps some had shown more ‘head-over-heels’ displays of affection compared to others - Satellizer was the first to come to mind - but even the more relaxed, laid-back, or reserved Pandoras within the group all showed genuine interest and signs of chemistry that were certainly friendly at a bare minimum and quite possibly teetering in the realm of affectionate if not downright romantic. The looks on their faces (especially in their eyes) said enough.
Maybe a small part of it had to do with that…what do they call it? Ereinbar Pair? No, Ereinbar Match? Ereinbar something or other…whatever the second word was, it was on the tip of Kazuya’s tongue and for some odd reason he couldn’t quite recall the second half of the term at that very moment. Whatever the exact terminology, it was the phenomenon itself that left an impression on Kazuya, as it had most assuredly done for the Pandoras in his group (though quite a different impression in their case).
When he released that Freezing field, he could vaguely recall the sight of all sixteen Pandoras either on their hands and knees, rolled over on their sides, or seated on their rear ends - and all of them in a mix of blushing, panting, sweating, and moaning all the while as they were trapped in his Freezing field. From what he could recall, they didn’t appear to be in pain (not with the kind of sounds they were making), so if it wasn’t moans derived from pain, then - logically speaking - it had to be derived from…from…
Even just thinking about the word “pleasure” made Kazuya blush slightly in embarrassment. He never really considered himself a playboy or a “ladies man,” and frankly, he didn’t really want to become one or be perceived as one. Sure, some guys are okay with pumping their chests out and acting particularly dashing or super-manly to impress the opposite sex, but Kazuya didn’t see himself as one of those kinds of guys. He was too modest to try and pull off that kind of showmanship and uber-masculine style of flair and machismo; he also considered it a little silly for guys to try and act like “Mr. Big and Strong” in the presence of women who were bigger than them and FAR more powerful in terms of raw physical ability to boot (and that’s NOT including their Volt Weapons or Acceleration-related abilities).
So with all of the self-reflection that Kazuya had bouncing around in his head over the past few days, he had come to what he believed was a fairly accurate conclusion for the state of things: All roads lead to Gengo.
‘It’s gotta be the old man,’ thought Kazuya. “It HAS to be him, doing things behind the scenes and all that. Nobody else can pull THAT many strings to get THAT many women to pair up with a freshman Limiter in so short a time. The fact that we share the same last name was probably all that needed to be said to anybody who inquired, and the discussion is pretty much over by that point.’
Given that Gengo was pretty much the epitome of clout - not just within Genetics/Chevalier, but on the global scene - that wasn’t too heavy an accusation to make. If ever there was a man who held the title of “Kingmaker” or “Universal Power Broker”, Gengo Aoi was almost assuredly the man who held that title, certainly within the present-day world anyway. Few other groups or individuals through history could even hold a candle to the amount of behind-the-scenes influence as Gengo Aoi held - the Praetorian Guard of the Roman Empire, the Germanic chieftain Ricimer during the late Roman Empire, Chinese Empress of the Tang Dynasty Wu Zetian, Empress Theodora of the Byzantine Empire, the Janissary Corps of the Ottoman Empire, numerous Roman popes throughout medieval Europe, Catherine de Medici in 16th-century France, the Rothschild and Rockefeller Families, Otto von Bismarck of Germany, Grigori Rasputin of tsarist Russia, Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence movement, U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger - compared to Gengo Aoi in the age of the Nova threat, they were minnows in the presence of a great blue whale when it came to de facto political power.
[*I know this list is probably a bit extensive and super-long for some to have to read through. I’m a bit of a history nerd, so I just couldn’t resist getting geeky for a moment.]
So with all that being beared in mind, it wouldn’t be too difficult for Gengo Aoi - as the man who sits the proverbial throne of both Genetics and Chevalier (and the de facto throne of power and influence on the global stage) to be able to arrange multiple Pandoras to partner up with his grandson, including Pandoras all the way from Europe and North America.
‘Knowing him, I can’t help but wonder if he’d consider sending a HUNDRED Pandoras to pair up with me, given the size of the house and all.’ thought Kazuya. ‘It’s like he’s playing matchmaker and setting me up for one big arranged marriage with the way things are developing.’
These were Kazuya’s thoughts as he sat in class while the instructor went along with the day’s lesson, alongside the sixteen women in class who were listening in as well.
At the moment, it was Instructor Schmitz going over review material regarding the sharing of stigmata between Pandoras and Limiters, with her going through a modernized slideshow as she lectured.
“So as you can see,” said Elize as she scanned over the class while speaking, “in this still-frame snapshot photo here, you can see the stigmata once it is removed from the Pandora and surgically implanted into the Limiter whom she has chosen to partner up with.” The photo was shot so as to not show any distinct traits of the Limiter and thus endanger his privacy.
“It usually takes a few days for scarring from the incision to heal over, sometimes a week or more, which is quite remarkable in a way, given that normal healing from surgery can take months for most people, depending on how invasive it ends up being. Once the stigmata successfully latches onto a Limiter’s nervous system, that’s ‘when the magic begins’ as some like to say. Though I realize that this part of the material is quite familiar to the majority of you here, I feel that reviewing the basics never hurts. And of course, there are some lower classmates among this group, so this material should be new for some of you here.” stated Elize.
Kazuya looked at the screen intently and scanned over some of the words shown on the display over the photo. Upon the title of the screen, he saw the words “STIGMATIC SURGERY” along with tidbits of minor data points off on the margins of the photo.
“Any questions before I continue with the next slide?” asked Elize. Silence followed with no raised arms, so she took that as her cue to proceed. Hitting a button at her laptop, she switched over to the next slide, which showed an outline of a female body standing apart from an outline of a male body, roughly half the female body’s height. Between the two outlines were a set of dotted lines (five in total) connecting the two bodies. Next to each of the dotted lines was a label, with each one reading thusly: “Sight”, “Smell”, “Hearing”, “Taste”, and “Touch”.
“Now here,” continued Elize, “is how the connection should perform at peak functionality once the baptism is successfully performed. Once a Pandora’s stigmata successfully grafts on and imprints into a Limiter’s central nervous system, the two of them become far more synchronized than before. Under battlefield scenarios, both Pandora and Limiter can share all five of their senses so long as they are within close proximity of one another.”
“How close a proximity are we talking, Miss Schmitz?” asked Ganessa.
“There’s no concrete answer to that question, Miss Roland,” answered Elize. “Honestly, it varies from case to case between Pandoras and Limiters. From what data that Genetics has collected over the years, at the low end, the connection is effective at around one hundred yards, but some who become highly compatible with one another have been known to maintain a strong link up to more than three hundred yards. If I remember correctly, there have been some who have maintained this kind of link at upwards of five hundred yards, but those few cases are the exception to the rule, and they don’t always work out that way. Five hundred yards in one battle might end up being four hundred the next time round or three hundred fifty. All in all, it depends on both the level of synchronization and overall combat capability and readiness among both Pandora and Limiter. Any other questions?”
Kazuya raised his hand in response.
“Yes, Kazuya?” asked Elize with a smile.
“There’s some kind of name for this phenomenon, right?” asked Kazuya. “Ereinbar something or other?”
“Good guess,” replied Elize. “It’s referred to as an Ereinbar Set, which is the term we use to describe the maximum synchronization of all five senses between Pandora and Limiter.”
“Ereinbar Set,” whispered Kazuya as he scribbled that term down in his notes.
“Out of curiosity, ma’am?” inquired Kaho as she raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Hiiragi?” replied the green-haired instructor.
“This Ereinbar Set…the shared senses…is it a two-way road, so to speak? Does the Limiter see what the Pandora sees and vice-versa? And the same for all other senses?”
“Yes indeed, Miss Hiiragi,” answered Elize. “As odd and far-fetched as it may sound, the main senses between both members become shared among one another. The Pandora sees the world through her Limiter’s eyes and the Limiter sees things through the Pandora’s eyes in turn. The same can be said for what they hear, what they smell, what they feel, et cetera.”
“That sounds rather surreal,” said a genuinely surprised Kaho. “What does that kind of sensation even feel like? It sounds a little scary, if I’m being honest.”
“That’s quite alright, Miss Hiiragi,” replied Elize with a chuckle. “If you would like some perspective on what initiating an Ereinbar Set feels like, you’ll be happy to know that you have a plethora of senior Pandoras all around you who I’m sure will be happy to fill you in on what that feels like. I’m sure that at least some of you would be willing to inform your junior classmate on the finer points of the Ereinbar Set, right ladies?”
“Of course, Miss Schmitz,” answered Chiffon with her usual bubbly and upbeat demeanor.
“Now then, any other questions before I resume? Anyone?” asked Elize. Silence and no raised hands were the answer.
“Very well then, let’s continue. There’ll be a short review quiz at the end of this session, to make sure that you all have been paying attention. Given that the vast majority of you here are 3rd-year students, I like to think that this’ll be rather elementary material overall.”
The rest of the class period went smooth enough overall. Up to this point, with regards to Elize Schmitz’s classes anyway, the seventeen students had learned a mix of both basic human anatomy as well as the finer points of anatomy specifically regarding both Pandoras and Limiters, with the obvious central focal point being on both the stigmata and the Ereinbar Set. After all, without the stigmata, a woman couldn’t become a Pandora and a man couldn’t become a Limiter, plain and simple.
“Miss Schmitz?” asked Roxanne.
“Yes, Miss Elipton?” replied the teacher.
“You’re the head doctor here at West Genetics, right?”
“That’s correct. Why the interest?”
“Well,” said Roxanne, pausing as she thought over her next choice of words, “given that you have a medical degree and seem to know a bunch about human anatomy and the stigmata, I was wondering…”
“Yes?” inquired Elize, implying for Roxanne to continue.
“Where exactly do stigmata come from anyway?” asked Roxanne. The question was certainly one that got the attention of everyone else in the classroom.
“Well,” began Elize, “I don’t want to bore you with too much of a history lesson on stigmata. After all, I’m a medical professional, not a historian.” Elize chuckled with a smirk at her own semi-corny joke on the matter before getting serious once more. “The short answer I can give is that stigmatas are created in highly secure laboratories within Genetics facilities all over the world. And the security at those labs is no joke, given how vital stigmata are in the fight against the Nova. We’re talking only the highest ranking staff among Genetics and Chevalier are allowed within those laboratories. Even someone like me has rather limited access to those labs without express consent from the headmistress of West Genetics, the High Council of Chevalier, or Chairman Aoi himself.”
“Makes sense,” replied Charles. “After all, other nations would kill - literally - to get their hands on that kind of material for their own military use and application. It’s probably the one thing that governments all over the world covet from Genetics facilities more than anything else.”
After all, so long as Chevalier had the exclusive means of creating Pandoras and Limiters - with no other nation or corporate entity having the means to replicate such soldiers - then nobody else could hope to match up against Chevalier, Genetics, and (of course) Gengo Aoi. Even with the amount of intel-sharing and mutual cooperation between Chevalier and the nations of the world, the creation and storage of stigmata was a closely guarded secret which Chevalier would share with NO country whatsoever under any circumstances. It was only Chevalier personnel who were allowed access to stigmatic material and them alone. Nobody else - Americans, Russians, Chinese, British, French, German, even Japanese (given Gengo’s ethnic heritage) was allowed full-on access to stigmatic material and all top-secret research materials related to it.
‘Why the secrecy and lack of trust?’ one might ask. The answer was as simple as it was cold and calculating: Gengo simply didn’t trust the rest of the world, at least not with such a vital material as the stigmata. As far as he was concerned, the stigmata fell under the dominion of Chevalier and no other organization, whether that was countries, corporations, or multi-national or global entities.
But how does Chevalier manage to bring in individuals who are deemed trustworthy to access and handle stigmata? Obviously, they have to come from somewhere on the planet.
The short answer is a particularly intense vetting process, to determine where a person’s loyalties lie. Basically put, the main question could be summarized as such when vetting new recruits to bring within Chevalier’s fold: Do you swear fealty to Chevalier alone or not? If a candidate for induction within Chevalier (whether as a scientist, soldier, administrator, or other notable position within the group) had questionable loyalty or perhaps a dual loyalty to Chevalier and someone else (most likely their home country), then they were deemed unfit to become a formally recognized member.
In the eyes of Gengo Aoi and his innermost circle, to join Chevalier was to sever whatever ties a person had with their country or any other group prior to joining. Gengo himself served as a lead example when he entertained the notion of having his Japanese citizenship revoked, proving that he was willing to “walk his talk” as some might say. While he was Japanese by birth, Gengo saw himself more so as a “citizen of the world” who could not afford to be tied down by national loyalties any longer, especially in the era of the Nova threat.
But things got a bit off topic now, haven’t they? Back to the classroom with Kazuya and the others…
“I mean, I get that stigmata are developed and cultivated in Genetics labs under lock-and-key and all that,” said Roxanne, “but ‘where do they originally come from?’ is what I’m getting at. Sorry if my way of putting things is a little odd.”
“Well then, right to the point then, huh?” replied Elized with a smirk. “Well, given that I’m the instructor here, I have no problem with answering that particular question, but would any of you lovely ladies like to fill in Miss Elipton on that particular question?” Elize asked the assembled class.
“The first stigmatas come from Maria Lancelot, the very FIRST Pandora in recorded history,” stated Ticy. “In fact, she carries the title as the “Mother of all Pandora,” given her place in human history. Before her arrival, mankind had no hope of being able to fight off the Nova threat. Even with the military technology available at the time - including biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons - the human race was simply incapable of defeating the Nova in combat.”
“Aptly put, Miss Phenyl,” added Elizabeth. “As long as the Nova had the ability to freeze anything within their immediate area into place - including nuclear warheads - the mightiest military forces on Earth had no real hope of destroying them on the battlefield. It wasn’t until the arrival of Maria Lancelot and the harvesting of her stigmata that the human race had a fighting chance against this existential threat we face.”
“So then,” resumed Roxanne, “if the very first stigmata came from Maria Lancelot, then what exactly does that make her?”
“What do you mean?” asked Ingrid for clarification.
“I’m guessing that what Roxanne is getting at,” answered Charles on Roxanne’s behalf, “is as to what exactly Maria Lancelot is - or maybe was - in terms of her biology. To put it another way: Was Maria Lancelot even human? If she was able to clash against the Nova on equal footing, given that she arrived on Earth with stigmata in her body, then was Maria Lancelot even human?”
There was an awkward pause of silence within the classroom, given the line of questioning which both Roxanne and Charles had just introduced into the discussion. After thirty seconds or so, it was broken by Chiffon Fairchild.
“What makes you think that Maria Lancelot is dead?” asked the West Genetics student council president.
“That’s just it,” replied Charles. “Nobody has seen Maria Lancelot in years. The last sighting of her in the public eye was more than two decades ago. And anytime somebody would inquire as to whether or not she is still alive, the discussion would be shut down outright. I’m not trying to come off as bleak or as a downer, Miss Fairchild, but we don’t definitively know whether or not she’s still alive or not. And of course, there’s also the question as to just what exactly she is - or was - in terms of biology. I like to think, in my opinion, that Maria Lancelot wasn’t your typical human female. She might have LOOKED like a ravishing beauty of a woman, but with her abilities, she simply MUST have been something far more in comparison to the human species…perhaps something akin to the Nova at that.”
“It’s a fair point of speculation, I suppose,” stated Julia in semi-agreement.
“Well now, ladies,” said Elize, “as much as this conversation has taken quite the interesting turn, I’m afraid that the period is coming to an end. We’ll simply have to bookmark and shelve this discussion for another time, as there are only a few minutes left at this point. Please refer to your tablets as I am sending you the link for a brief quiz now. It’s a short series of multiple choice questions. Once you’ve made your selections, just hit the link to send your answers back to me. You’ll get your results first thing come next session. Good luck and I hope you were all paying attention.” On that last part, Elize shot a playful look towards Arnett and Julia, given that they tended to zone in and out of lectures at times, and became mildly embarrassed by the subtle look sent their way prior to taking their quiz.
Once the quiz was taken and the class period ended, the group took their leave. Kazuya had just hopped out of his seat when suddenly he was cast in shadow. Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of firm female pillars in white leggings. Looking upwards he was greeted by the sight of green hair, ruby eyes, and outstretched arms.
“May I?” asked Cassie Lockheart, implying that she would like a turn to carry Kazuya to their next destination.
‘That’s surprising,’ thought Kazuya. ‘Cassie’s usually not this forward when it comes to…holding me. Normally, somebody else would ask her beforehand and she would get somewhat flustered in response before replying. It looks like she’s trying to take the initiative more often, which was as surprising as it was endearingly adorable.
“Umm…yeah, sure.” replied Kazuya with a calming tone of voice, raising his arms up so that he was ‘T-shaped,’ signifying that Cassie had permission to pick him up. She did so a moment later, cradling Kazuya’s body against her frame, with his head slightly pressed against her right breast. Whether this was done intentionally or mistakenly, Kazuya wasn’t quite sure, but at least it wasn’t as downright flirty compared to Roxanne, who took every chance she could to bury Kazuya’s face into her cleavage as much as possible whenever it was her turn to carry him around.
A moment later, the troop made their way down the halls, deciding to grab a quick bite before their next class. As Kazuya gently bounced on Cassie’s hip, he occasionally turned his head ever so slightly to see if she was looking at him as she walked. Sure enough, he could tell that she would sneak a peek at him whenever she was certain he wasn’t looking, and then immediately turn her vision elsewhere and blush somewhat as she did so. It was rather adorable in its own way, and somewhat reminiscent of Satellizer by comparison. After all, here was a beautiful young woman who was top of her class back at East Genetics and among the top five 3rd-year Pandoras on the global scene, yet at that very moment, she was a bashful schoolgirl who was eyeing the Limiter who she was currently hip-carrying on her side and obviously showing signs of a crush like her fellow Pandoras.
In the words of an anthropomorphic talking cartoon hen from a 1970s Disney version of an old English folk hero, “Ah me, young love.”
That would have been the response at such a sight of a young man being surrounded by more than a dozen lovely young ladies, all of whom had ever-so-slightly growing levels of affection for the Limiter whom they had become paired to. While some like Ingrid, Creo, Holly, and Julia might be reluctant to outwardly show such affection towards the Limiter, even THEY made sure to get their share of ‘Kazuya Time’ when the opportunity presented itself, given the amount of competition there was now for the young man’s touch and attention.
Kazuya’s clique had grabbed a quick bite soon enough from the vending area of the food court before proceeding onto their next class with Miss Violet.
As they took their seats (Kazuya taking his own independent seat, with Cassie having a slightly crestfallen reaction at her share of ‘Kazuya Time’ coming to its end), Violet L. Bridget entered the classroom to resume with the day’s lesson plan. Given that her field of teaching was one of the few courses that wasn’t exclusively focused on either the Nova or the finer points of becoming Pandoras and Limiters, the coursework for today was an overview on world history. As she was going through a brief lecture on the transition of human history from the Copper Age to the Bronze Age, she took a pause to elaborate on another change-up in the class scheduling.
“Oh, I know that this is rather sudden and all,” said Violet, “but in the spirit of fairness, the other instructors will be diversifying their instruction in order to give you all a more rounded learning experience. After all, while becoming the best Pandoras and Limiters is obviously a major goal during your time as students here, broadening your horizons is also something to aspire towards as well, and it will certainly take a load off of my shoulders so that I don’t have to teach you literally ALL subjects not related to things like the Nova, stigmata, and all else related to those topics.” Violet finished with a chuckle.
“So what exactly do you mean by that, Miss L. Bridget?” inquired Attia.
“To help clarify,” resumed Violet, “I have a short diagram to help elaborate on your newly adjusted schedule regarding your coursework here at West Genetics. Take a minute or two to soak it in and prepare yourselves for your modified coursework. I’ll be sure to upload it all to your tablets if you need a reminder.”
Up on the display screen for the class to see was the modified schedule, showing the instructors and the specific coursework for each one listed:
Yu-Mi Kim: Physical Education (Gym Class) & Nova Related Information
Elize Schmitz: Chemistry/Biology & Stigmata Related Information
Violet L. Bridget: Collective Social Studies/Humanities (History, Politics, Business, etc.)
Kazuha Aoi: Practical Pandora Applications (Theory & Hands-on Practice) & Literature
Amelia Evans: Mathematics & Physics
“After all,” said Violet, “it would certainly put me through my paces if I had to teach all of those topics by my lonesome. This way, the burden is somewhat lifted on my part and the others fill in on your other coursework. I mean, I imagine that hearing lectures about the Nova or stigmata would get boring from time to time.” Violet finished on that note with a mild chuckle.
“I suppose you have a point there, Miss L. Bridget,” stated Holly. “We are technically high-school students as well as soldiers-in-training, so a more rounded and enriching academic experience couldn’t hurt.”
“Exactly,” replied Elizabeth in total agreement, with Chiffon, Ticy, and Rana nodding alongside her statement.
“Well then,” resumed Violet, “if you will all return to your tablets, let’s resume our lesson of transition from Copper Age to Bronze Age in human history. By this point, mankind is starting to form more sophisticated city-states as was the case in places like Ancient Greece and the early Romans afterwards, and therefore…”
The lesson (while somewhat boring for some of the Pandoras gathered) went off smooth enough. The most embarrassing parts of it all was whenever Violet called out a student who was either nodding off or had her attention directed elsewhere during the lecture. Of course, given Violet’s softer “Big Sister” temperament compared to some of the other instructors (especially Yu-Mi in comparison), being called out in class was perhaps a bit embarrassing but not outright humiliating or degrading. Those like Yu-Mi were rather quick to instill a more firm recourse for slacking off or not paying attention during class time, usually in the form of doing fifty push-ups in front of the class (which Roxanne learned soon enough when she was caught nodding off more than once during one of Yu-Mi’s lectures).
All-in-all, the rest of the day went swimmingly enough for what one might expect at a Genetics facility, given that it catered to high school-aged students and all of the minor cases of drama and day-to-day humdrum one might expect from men and women going through their pubescent years. After all, the human condition being what it is, such quirks were expected among students going through their formative years, even at a place like West Genetics. They weren’t gods and goddesses after all, even if they had abilities far beyond those of unaugmented people.
As for the rest of the day, with regards to the last two instructors, Kazuha notified her students that within the next few days, they should start preparing themselves physically for her coursework, given that her class involved equal parts theory and practical application.
“Make sure your Volt Textures are in good working order,” stated Kazuha during her class. The implication was clear enough to literally ALL of the Pandoras gathered, including Kaho. What could be inferred was that there would be a good amount of clothing being torn or shredded here and there during the practical application parts of her course, effectively with the same level of clothing-related destruction as could be found during a Carnival.
As for Amelia, there was a sudden notification on the group’s tablets that her class would be closed for the day. Apparently, there was a last-minute notification in which Amelia was summoned to report to Sister Margaret’s office for an undisclosed reason. So in place of that, there was a brief exam sent to the students’ tablets, with a time window for completion. Effectively, they were given a somewhat lengthy homework assignment as a tradeoff for having no formal class for the day.
“I hope she’s not in trouble of some kind,” stated Rana upon learning of Amelia’s surprise absence.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” replied Chiffon, trying to calm whatever concerns or worries the others might have had over Amelia’s situation. “It’s probably just something regarding paperwork or an in-person interview required of her. After all, instructors here DO have to tend to other duties rather than just their students after all.”
“Chiffon’s right,” added Ticy. “It’s most likely something minor that just required her attention. I’m sure we’ll see Miss Evans tomorrow. And if we don’t, there’ll probably be a substitute to fill in for her by that point, and we can ask as to why she hasn’t returned if it comes to that. So let’s not worry about that for the time being.”
“Exactly,” piped in Roxanne. “So now that class is done for the day, what do you guys want to do now?”
Before anybody could speak up regarding plans for the rest of the day, suddenly a cacophony of cell phones among the group went off with various rings. The ones whose phones didn’t go off were Satellizer, Rana, Roxanne, Kaho, Holly, Cassie, Charles, Julia, and Kazuya. As for everyone else, they immediately proceeded to turn on their phones to see what all the hubbub was about. Seconds later, some of the Pandoras eyes widened in surprise at the notification they received.
“Well…what is it girls?” asked a very curious Roxanne at the reactions she was seeing.
At that moment, Chiffon spoke up on behalf of all the Pandoras whose phones went off at that moment.
“It appears that our former partners have been told to head towards our current residence. They should be arriving within the hour, according to the message posting we all received. I guess that Sister Margaret made the necessary arrangements and told them to all meet up together at one location.” explained Chiffon.
“Admittedly, it’s a bit surprising how sudden things have proceeded,” added Elizabeth. “I figured we would have to wait a few more days, but no matter, I suppose. The sooner we get this resolved, the better off we’ll all be.”
“Got that right,” chimed in Arnett with her usual party girl grin and playful demeanor.
“Well then, ready for this, Kazuya?” asked Ticy as she looked down at the Limiter (who at this point was currently being held in Creo’s arms at the moment.
“I hope so,” said the Limiter, who was both yearning for and slightly dreading this moment, oxymoronic as that combination might have sounded.
“It’ll be fine, Kazuya,” said Creo with a firm but also calming tone in her voice, before proceeding to kiss Kazuya on his cheek with an endearing smooch, while slightly tightening her grip on the man and pressing his chest against her bosom as she did so (most likely on purpose, as seemed to be the case more and more with ALL of these women by now).
“Alright then,” stated Kazuya. “No time like the present and all that. Let’s head home.”
And with that, the group made their collective way back home, readying themselves for the coming pow-wow between Kazuya and the Limiters who were formally partnered with several of the Pandoras among Kazuya’s harem.