(Hey, hey! Welcome to chapter four! Today’s recommendation is an anime, which you should be able to find on YouTube! It’s called “Otome wa boku ni Koishiteru: Futari no Elder”, and it’s one of my favourites. It’s only three episodes long, but it’s a really beautiful and heartwarming show! Anyway, on with THIS show!)

  I breathe deeply as Chihaya walks me back to the girls’- no- MY dorm. My Pandora, and my new teacher. She agreed so happily to teach me how to fit in as a girl, how kind her heart is…

  “So, one of the first things you should be aware of is how you walk. Keep your legs together, and make sure your feet toe a straight line with each step. That way you shouldn’t trip. Also, be careful when going upstairs, these skirts are kind of short. Guys will take the chance to peek. That’s why you should stay close to the wall and be swift, but elegant. Make it LOOK like you aren’t rushing!”

  “Second! Sit with your knees together! If it helps, hook one foot behind your ankle! Don’t spread your legs, even if it’s really warm, or you’ll get in trouble.”

  She grins and hands me my student ID. I take it, and the little screen lights up, showing me my new identity. Shimizu Akari, age 18. There’s no picture, where there used to be a picture of my head, short spiky bck hair. That might need to be rectified at some point.

  I clear my throat, then speak. “Um… Chihaya?” I can’t get used to my voice yet. It’s not the old, deep- somewhat rumbly sound I’d pretty much ignored. I sound… well, like a girl. My voice is gentler, softer, with a more lilting tone.

  “Yes, Akari?” the older Pandora smiles at me. “What is it?”

  I blush slightly. For some reason, I really like how my new name sounds when she says it. “Do… do you know where our new room is? I… I can’t use the boys’ dorm anymore, and I… well, I may have… um… destroyed your room. I don’t even know what my volt weapon IS, but I’m sorry!”

  She giggles. “Rex; you didn’t damage my stuffed shark, cutie. We’re in… Room 318. We can go and make ourselves at home, or we can go to the Simution Centre, let you py with your new volt weapon. Which do you want to do? We have a couple days off thanks to you, so let’s rex and enjoy it!”

  I giggle and nod. “Okay, to the Simution Centre! I want to see my weapon!” I squeak as Chihaya pokes me in the cheek with a finger.

  “You’re too damn cute! Such a precious cinnamon roll!”

  I splutter, following the senior Pandora towards a huge grey sheet-metal building, some distance away, her shoulders shaking as she giggles. The walk to the Centre doesn’t take long, and we pass several Pandoras, some with their Limiters in tow, others solo or in groups with other Pandoras.

  We enter the cool, brightly-lit reception for the Simution Centre, with a couple of girls manning the counter. Chihaya approaches, fshing a radiant smile.

  “Hello there, I’d like to request an hour or two in one of the training rooms? I’m helping my friend here work on something new.”

  One of the receptionists, a blonde, buxom Westerner, smiles back. “Of course! Can you both insert your ID tablets into the terminal, please?”

  Chihaya does, and the terminal chimes, a green light blinking on. Then it’s my turn. I step up and slide my ID tablet into the terminal’s card-port. The light flickers, turning red, and the blonde receptionist leans up, opening her mouth, before it switches to green with a cheerful ‘ping!’

  “Great, it looks like that went through. Your card had a minor hiccup with our system, but it’s all cleared. You’ve got two hours in Training Room 14! Have a good workout!”

  Sighing, I retrieve my tablet and bow politely, following Chihaya as she leads the way. Training Room 14 is quite spacious, and, with a thrill, I turn to Chihaya. “Can I do it now? Can I can I can I?!”

  She giggles and nods, “go for it! I want to see your face when you try your new abilities!”

  I bound into the middle of the room, and then hold my hand out. “Volt weapon, deploy!” Something appears in my grasp. A sheathed katana?? Weird, it looks almost exactly like my… my grandfather’s sword. Drawing it, I note the deep grey of the metal, with the slightly eerie feeling that I’m holding something that’s a part of me. It’s perfectly banced, the weight distributed right where it’s needed. I check my waist, finding that my skirt has a loop that fits the sheathe nicely, supporting the weight just so.

  I sheathe it, and then take a stance my grandpa taught me. “Shimizu-style sword arts, Waterfall. HAI!” I draw, ssh, swinging my bde like an arc of water crashing onto rocks, and sheathe my bde in one rapid, fluid motion.

  Chihaya gasps, loud enough for me to hear, “whoa! What was that?! I could barely see you move! Are you some kind of ninja??”

  I blush again, and run a hand up and down my upper arm. “N-not exactly. My grandfather runs a dojo where he trains people in kenjutsu, the art of swordsmanship. I’ve been a pupil of his for years, but he’s much better than I am. When he attacks, you can’t even see him move. It’s like he didn’t do anything, and his opponent falls.”

  Chihaya’s eyes are wide and sparkling. “Sooooo cool! I bet you’d be an awesome Finisher, like me! My job is to deliver the final blow against a Nova, and, judging by your skill, I think you could easily fill that role, too. So, what’s your weapon called? All volt weapons have a name!”

  I pause, running my hand along the grip. A name, hmm? A weapon like this needs a strong name…

  “Odin. I’m calling this bde Odin.”

  Chihaya’s mouth curls in a warm grin. “That sounds perfect! Now, since you’ve changed, you should probably go back to basics. Start from the beginning, get used to moving all over again.”

  I look at her sideways. “That sounds just like something he’d say. But you’re both right about it. I can tell my bance is a little off. My reach is shorter, too. I’m going to need to practice a LOT.”

  For the next forty-five minutes, I run through a basic kata, letting my memories of training take the forefront, correcting myself constantly as I reset what I’ve learned, adapting it to my new figure. It takes work, and there’s still a lot to work on, but, by the end of the first hour, I’ve re-accustomed myself to wielding my bde with something approaching confidence.

  While I’m performing my basics, Chihaya’s started her own training routine. As I wipe my face with one of the towels from a basket, I watch her. She’s fast, and, with her volt weapon, a long-bded naginata, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Just then, the door slides open, and a tall girl enters. It’s a Pandora, her Limiter in her wake with a look of concern in his eyes.

  “Hey, you! The one with the sword! You’re Akari, right? Miss Yu-Mi told me to tell you that you’re enrolled in the first-year Pandora csses… but, that sounds funny, right? Y’see, there was a file on her computer that I caught a good look at. I think you used to be that male student, the one who showed up a week ago, alongside that dork who keeps hassling the Untouchable Queen. Akira, I think it said?”

  Her Limiter gently chimes in, “Arnett, please don’t get yourself in trouble…”

  She dips one shoulder. “Ah, quit your bitching, Morrison. I’m not gonna kill ‘em, just get the measure of this little girl-boy!”

  I flinch, and the Pandora rounds on me again. “So. I’ve got a little… challenge… for ya. You and me, one on one. Five minutes. If you can nd ONE clean hit on me, I’ll consider you a Pandora. If you can’t even do that much, you have to give up and stay a Limiter. Deal?”

  I stare, and Chihaya, rushing over, butts in, “that’s not fair, Arnett! She’s only just gotten her first Stigmata! She doesn’t know how to do anything more than summon her volt weapon yet! Please, be reasonable!”

  Arnett pauses, huffing. “You make a good point… Okay; I’ll give ya a week. Come up with something, and then we’ll have a sparring match! Don’t disappoint me TOO badly, okay?”

  She turns and leaves, her Limiter looking back at me apologetically. Chihaya swallows. “Okay, we’re gonna need to work hard. I’ll teach you the most basic move a Pandora has, the Acceleration Turn. Any more than that and you’ll get confused.”

  I nod, before copying Chihaya’s instructions. There’s no time for rest or getting this wrong. I must succeed in this, or I’m finished before I even begin…

  Day after day for the next week, I spend hours in the Simution Centre’s training rooms, practicing what Chihaya’s teaching me, in-between the ‘girl lessons’ she throws in as we train. She even spars with me, allowing me to get a feel for what a battle between Pandoras is like. In the evenings, I almost fall asleep in the baths, and often have to be woken in order to not end up a giant prune by accident.

  Waking early each day, Chihaya drags me to the cafeteria for breakfast, then to the training rooms yet again until lunch time. As I continue pushing my training, she goes and gets lunch for us, then coaches me through the Acceleration Turn again, letting me catch my breath. In this manner, five days pass, until I can perform the Accel Turn on-demand. It’s taken a toll on me, but I can’t rest now. For the next two nights, I sneak out to one of the parks on-campus to practice even more. With a little luck, I may be able to do this.

  The day of the ‘duel’ between Arnett and I comes, and I sleep through most of it, thanks to being exhausted from my constant training. When Chihaya wakes me, it takes me a few minutes to realize that I’ve been unconscious for several hours. She grins at me and gestures to the table, where sandwiches, juice, fruit, and assorted snacks are waiting. My stomach growls, and I blush, slipping out of bed and sitting at the table, picking up a sandwich and biting into it.

  As I scarf down the food, Chihaya hovers around me, giving me some advice about Arnett McMiln. “She’s really fast. I’ve watched her Carnival footage from st year, so we can assume she’s gotten faster. However, she doesn’t seem to have any long-ranged moves or attacks. Her volt weapon’s a scythe, so she’ll have some significant reach over your Odin… the only thing I can suggest is that you don’t let her get a solid hit on you if you can help it.”

  I nod, swallowing the st bite of another sandwich, washing it down with some juice. “Let’s hope I can at least keep her guessing. I haven’t got a chance in a straight fight against a third-year…”

  Finishing my meal, I stand and shrug off my pajamas, immediately equipping my volt texture. The burgundy uniform and my underwear forms around my body. “I’m ready. No sense putting it off.”

  Chihaya and I push through the doors into the Simution Centre, Arnett waiting for me by the counter.

  “Oh shit, you actually showed up! Well, colour me surprised, I didn’t think you’d have the balls to face me.” The redhead smirks, a wicked look on her face, as I flush slightly.

  “I’m not a coward, sorry to disappoint you on that front!” I straighten my back and approach, taking a final look back and giving a thumbs-up to my Pandora.