After receiving rudimentary first aid at the resistance hideout, I returned to the Clubhouse with thick layers of bandages swathed around my head.
The moment I pushed the front door open, Sayoko-san met me with eyes wide in alarm. Immediately after, I heard the frantic, rhythmic whirring of wheelchair tires against the floor.
"Brother...?"
It was Nunnally. Even without sight, she seemed to have deduced that something was wrong based solely on the cadence of my footsteps and the faint, metallic scent of blood lingering on me.
"Nunnally, I'm home."
I attempted to project my usual cheerful tone, but I couldn't entirely mask the fine thread of fatigue woven into my voice.
As Nunnally reached out, I knelt to meet her, gently taking her hand and guiding it to my cheek.
"Brother... you smell of blood. And..."
Her fingertips brushed against the coarse texture of the bandages wrapped around my forehead. She trembled instantly.
"What is this? You're hurt? Your head?"
Nunnally's voice turned brittle, threatening to break into tears. I squeezed her hand tight, desperate to anchor her.
"It's nothing, Nunnally. Not a serious wound. You know how my anemia can be. I grew dizzy while walking and had a bit of a fall. Unfortunately, I caught the corner of a ledge. They only wrapped it because there was a little blood. Truly, it's nothing to worry about."
"Liar..."
With tears shimmering in her eyes, Nunnally gripped my hand with surprising strength.
"Your phone was off... Kallen-san answered it and told me not to worry, but... do you have any idea how terrified I was? When I heard you had collapsed, I thought my heart would stop."
"I'm sorry. I am truly sorry for causing you such distress."
I pulled Nunnally into a careful embrace. Her small, fragile shoulders shook within my arms.
"You promised me. You promised you wouldn't get hurt. You said you'd never leave me alone..."
"I did. And I meant it. I will never leave you, Nunnally. I was merely careless this time. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
I whispered softly, patting her back as if soothing a frightened child. After a long moment of stifled sobbing against my chest, Nunnally finally spoke through a heavy sigh.
"...Don't ever let this happen again. And you must rest properly. I'm going to tell Sayoko-san to prepare a mountain of nutritious food for you."
"Haha, understood. I would never dream of defying Nunnally's imperial decree."
Only then did I allow myself a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, thanks to Kallen answering the phone, an alibi had already been established. It seemed I could avoid further scrutiny regarding the nature of my 'accident.'
The next morning, at Ashford Academy.
The moment I slid open the classroom door, sporting a pristine white bandage across my head, the habitual roar of student chatter died instantly.
"..."
I felt the collective gaze of the room snap toward my forehead. I ignored them, walking toward my seat with practiced nonchalance.
"GYAAAAAAAAH! LULU!!"
Shirley charged toward me with a scream that hit a dolphin's frequency.
"Your head! What happened to your head?! Was it an accident?! A mugging?!"
Her face was a mask of sheer panic as she grabbed my face, tilting it left and right to inspect the damage.
"Ow, ow... Shirley, gently, please..."
"Whoa, Vice President! Look at you! Did you get into a street fight or something?"
Rivalz joined in, his eyes wide with morbid curiosity.
In the blink of an eye, my desk had transformed into an interrogation chamber. I deployed the alibi I had rehearsed.
"Everyone, calm down. It's nothing grand. I was at the shopping district over the weekend... my anemia flared up, and I lost consciousness for a moment. I merely struck my head on the corner of a flower bed when I fell."
"Anemia again! This is why I tell you to exercise! Honestly, Lulu, you're hopeless!"
Shirley swiped at my back in frustration. It smarted, but knowing her blow was born of genuine concern made it bearable.
"It was actually quite lucky. Kallen happened to be passing by and found me. She helped me to the clinic. If not for her, I might have expired on the cold pavement."
I casually inserted Kallen's name, synchronizing our alibis to ensure no discrepancies would arise later.
"Kallen did?"
Shirley's ears practically perked up.
"Y-Yes..."
Kallen, who had been sitting behind me pretending to read a book, jerked her head up in feigned surprise.
"I just... happened to see Lelouch-kun collapse. There was so much blood... I was quite startled... *cough."
She shielded her mouth, mimicking a delicate cough, and refused to meet my eye. It was a flawless performance of her sickly persona, though I could clearly see the tips of her ears turning crimson.
"Hmm..."
Shirley's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Wait a second, Lulu. Why were you at the shopping district?"
"Hm? Oh, I... I needed a few reference books..."
"And Kallen? Kallen, you're so frail. What were you doing there over the weekend?"
"Wh-at?! I was... a stroll! Yes, I was out for a brisk walk for my health..."
As Kallen stammered, Shirley crossed her arms, her gaze darting between us like a predatory bird.
"Suspicious. Highly suspicious. You two... did you arrange to meet there?"
"What?! No!"
"A-Absolutely not!"
Kallen and I waved our hands in synchronized denial.
Our timing was so perfect that it achieved the exact opposite of its intended effect, making the scene look staged.
"Rivalz! What do you think? Lulu faints from anemia, and Kallen just happens to be there? What are the odds?"
"I dunno? Statistically speaking? Probably the same as winning the lottery?"
Rivalz chuckled, delighting in fanning the flames.
"Lelouch! Out with it! It was a date, wasn't it?! You got so excited for your date that your blood pressure spiked and you fainted!"
"What kind of insane logic is that?! It was purely a coincidence!"
I broke into a cold sweat while making excuses. I feared I might actually soak through my bandages.
"Kallen! Back me up here!"
I turned to Kallen, desperate for a lifeline. But Kallen...
"..."
She had turned her head away entirely, staring intently out the window as if the courtyard held the secrets of the universe.
'Hey! Don't leave me out to dry now!'
Kallen's silence and sudden avoidance of the topic were interpreted by Shirley as a devastating admission.
"See! Kallen isn't even denying it! Lulu, you philanderer!"
"I told you, it's not like that! Shirley, calm down! Gwah!"
Shirley's whining, Rivalz's snickering, and Kallen's tactical desertion.
Academy life was proving to be several magnitudes more exhausting than a literal gunfight on the front lines.
I clutched my throbbing head with both hands, muttering inwardly.
'At this rate, piloting a Knightmare Frame might actually be less taxing...'
During the lunch break, I found an opening to slip away and made my way to the supply warehouse in the old school building.
As I opened the door, the air was thick with dust. And there, leaning against the window frame—a sight that was becoming strangely familiar—stood the red-haired girl.
"You're here?"
Kallen turned her head and gave a terse greeting.
By now, this place had become our sanctum. Within these four walls, we were no longer student and secretary, but confederates who didn't need to mask our true natures.
I hoisted myself onto an old desk and asked, "What's the situation? Is Ohgi-san's group safe?"
Kallen let out a small sigh and shook her head.
"We have to keep our heads down for a while. The military is sweeping the Shinjuku Ghetto like they're looking for lice. What you... no, what we* did... it caused quite a massive stir."
A bitter smile touched her lips.
It stood to reason. A ragtag band of resistance members had highjacked a military Knightmare and decimated a Sutherland squad. The Britannian Army would be scouring the earth for the culprits.
"So, Ohgi and the others decided to move the hideout. They're going underground to let things cool off. We've agreed to minimize contact until the heat dies down."
"And you?"
"Me? Well..."
Kallen shrugged, looking out at the sports field where students played peacefully. The contrast was jarring.
"For now, I have to play the part of the quiet, refined Kallen Stadtfeld and focus on school. I don't exactly have anywhere else to go at the moment."
"Oh, well, that's a relief. At least you won't have to worry about being held back a year due to poor attendance."
Kallen let out a scoffing laugh at my joke, throwing a sharp glance my way.
"Shut it. Whose fault do you think that is?"
Silence fell for a moment before Kallen's expression turned solemn once more. Her eyes regained that fierce intensity.
"And... thank you. Truly."
"Why so formal all of a sudden?"
"No, it's more than just you saving me. Because of you, our combat strength has increased exponentially."
"Combat strength?"
"Yes. The Sutherland you wrecked, and the Glasgow you arrived in. We recovered them both."
"What?"
My eyes widened involuntarily.
"They're damaged, but Ohgi-san says that with repairs, they can be fully deployed in combat. For the Kozuki Group, this is a monumental acquisition."
Kallen clenched her fist, unable to hide her excitement.
"This will elevate our status. The smaller armed groups will have to take us seriously now. We finally have... the power to actually deal a blow to Britannia."
Unlike her, who sparkled with newfound hope, a cold bead of sweat traced a path down my spine.
'Wait... they have a Sutherland?'
A tactical calculator began spinning at frantic speeds in my mind.
In the early stages of the original story, the Ohgi Group was nothing more than a disorganized mob that couldn't even properly maintain the single, ancient Glasgow they happened to stumble upon.
Until Zero arrived to lead them, they were just another generic terrorist cell.
But now, at this incredibly early juncture, they already possessed a Sutherland.
'This... this is dangerous.'
The Butterfly Effect.
Due to my intervention, the flow of the original narrative was beginning to twist—slightly at first, but now with undeniable momentum.
A stronger resistance meant they would attempt more daring, reckless operations. That, in turn, would invite even more brutal retaliation from the Britannian military.
"Lelouch? What is it? You look pale."
Noticing my darkening expression, Kallen asked with concern. I forced my features back into a calm mask and shook my head.
"N-No. Just a lingering headache."
"Tsk, such a weakling. Don't push yourself."
Despite her sharp tongue, Kallen placed a hand on my forehead to check for a fever.
As I felt her warmth, I sank back into my thoughts.
'The story is changing.'
Perhaps my knowledge of the future would no longer serve as a perfect blueprint.
The pace of events was accelerating far beyond my expectations, and unforeseen variables were cropping up at every turn.
'When is C.C. going to appear? Can I handle this accelerated timeline without Geass?'
Anxiety constricted my chest, but I swallowed it down as I looked at Kallen, who was talking with a rare, bright smile.
The die had been cast, and it was rolling in an entirely unpredictable direction.
Now, I had to find a way to survive on this turbulent current that I myself had set in motion.