...
Soon, our army of sorts arrives at the secretariat building. As we get close, however, the State Guards come out from the building. There's at least a few dozen of them.
Feels like I'm in the Avengers or somethin'.
"All right then, people!" I shout through Minori's bright orange megaphone, turning to our army. "You all have, for one reason or another, come here to help us take back this place. Our only obstacle are the State Guards. Nothing more, nothing less. Once we get past them, all that will remain is Marina. We have the numbers advantage. So without further hesitation, LET'S RAID 'EMMMM!" I finish with a shout, as the complete group cheers and rushes forward.
Smiling, I hand the megaphone back to Minori, who smiles back.
The Labor Party, Spec Ops and Knowledge Liberation Front girls rush the guards, easily plowing them down, and without guns at that.
Cherino, Tomoe and I follow the massive group and enter the building. The State Guards are left knocked out at the front steps.
"That was it...? That's all it took to defeat the State Guards? A group of people?" Cherino asks, in disbelief.
"Respect the power of the group, Cherino." I advise, before entering the building.
As we reach the office, we see an unconscious Marina, being held by multiple people, her guards also knocked out.
"Lock her in her room and bring her here when she wakes up." The short girl orders the remaining awake State Guards to the side.
"...Yes... Madam President." They say, reluctantly, before grabbing Marina and trotting off with her.
"That's it...?" I ask, stupified. "That's all it took to beat her...?"
"It seems that way, yes." Tomoe says.
Seriously, all that build-up for a big, climactic battle... and they just knocked her out in a minute...?
...
...
I feel like I'm not the only one being blue-balled here...
—————
The next day, everything in Red Winter returned to a sense of normalcy.
I stepped inside the office to find the white haired military loli and the busty purple haired secretary there waiting for me. "There you are, Comrade!" The shorter girl says.
"Well, ya called me here after all." I say, spreading my arms with a sort of shrug. "Marina awake yet?"
"Yes, she awoke not long ago. The Labor Party gave her a rather thorough beating." Tomoe explains. "She should be on her way here now."
"Well, at least she's unhurt enough to speak." I say.
"Yes, yes, that's great." Cherino waves our conversation off. "But did the two of you see how brilliantly I led everyone to victory?" She says, proud as usual.
"Of course. You performed exceptionally, President Cherino!" The taller girl praises. "I'm sure tales of you rallying students of different walks of life to defeat the vile usurpers will live on in the hearts of Red Winter students for years to come. How about we hire a painter to capture this moment of valor so the next generation can experience it for themselves?"
"Hmm, an excellent idea, Chief Secretary Tomoe! Go ahead and get on that!" Cherino says.
"But didn't I lead them...? All you did was kick a few State Guards who were knocked out while shouting as we walked to the office..." I say.
"That was merely your impression, Comrade!" Cherino denies with wide eyes and a nervous face and voice. "Those were valiant battle cries to swell the students' morale!"
"You mean the ones that were so far ahead of us, we couldn't see any of them...?" I ask, with a knowing grin.
"W-Well, if all you heard was a little girl screaming, you should get your ears checked!" The short girl snaps back.
"I thought you were screaming, not a little girl." I tease, causing the short girl to growl at me like an animal. "Okay, fine. I'll stop the teasing."
Cherino sighs and slumps into her chair. "Still, it's nice to be back at the secretariat. The cupboard is packed with snacks and the chair is nice and comfy. I'm exactly where I belong, the top office!"
"Sometimes, you don't know what you have 'till you lose it." I say, ignoring the memories that brought up.
"Sound wisdom, Comrade." The white haired girl praises. "I'm going to spend the rest of the day sitting in this chair and eating potato chips, not moving a muscle!"
As she says that, Marina walks in, escorted by State Guards, who stay outside and close the door behind her.
"But before that... let's hear your excuse 'Chairman' Marina." Cherino says with a sarcastic tone, sitting forward.
The blonde girl gulps nervously.
"You were a trusted comrade, Marina. How dare you take advantage of my nap to stage a coup?!" Cherino shouts in rage.
Can't blame her, she WAS betrayed, after all. And by a friend at that.
"You've committed an unforgivable crime!" The short girl continues.
"I'm so ashamed, President Cherino..." Marina says, falling to the ground in a dogeza.
"Hmph." Cherino makes a noise, annoyed at the prostrating girl.
"Out with it." I snap. "Why did you betray her?"
"Were you mad because I stole your pudding?" The white haired girl asks, slowly. "Or maybe because I drooled on your favorite teddy bear?"
"I told you, it's not likely." I say, sighing.
"Pudding? Drool? What are you talking about...?" Marina asks, raising her head, looking confused.
"P-Purely hypothetical possibilities, th-that's all!" Cherino shouts a bit quickly, before clearing her throat. "So if it wasn't one of those... hypotheticals, then why did you overthrow me?"
"Well, it's just... I accidentally broke your statue and-"
"Statue? What statue?" Cherino asks, cutting the bowing girl's explanation off.
"Th-The bust of you in the new building's hallway." Marina continues. "The statue was made to commemorate the building's opening last month. I accidentally bumped into the statue and its mustache broke off..." She says, lowering her head again. "Your authority was tarnished because of my negligence. Even though it wasn't on purpose, I knew there was no chance of forgiveness, so I-"
"Hang on a sec." I say, interrupting her. "Was the only reason you staged a literal coup, because you broke a statue's mustache off...?" I ask, slowly.
"Huh?" Marina asks, raising her head again. "W-Well..."
"Marina, you've been my right hand as the security chairman for such a long time. No matter how talented I am, I never would have made it to where I am today without you." Cherino says compassionately. "Losing a stone mustache is nothing compared to you. I'm far to merciful to punish you for something like that."
"P-President!" Marina says, surpised, her eyes glimmering with awe and hope as she rests solely on her knees now.
"...is what you were hoping I would say, RIGHT?!" Cherino shouts, suddenly.
Marina falls onto her back in fright. "Wh-What the?!"
"Do you have ANY idea how much I suffered because of you?" The white haired loli shouts. "No nap! No snacks! The students all made fun of me and called me a little brat! I couldn't care less about some measly mustache, but I'm never going to let you live down inciting this coup!"
"P-President Cherino! Please forgive me, just this once!" The blonde pleads.
"Denied! Never forgive! Never forget!" Cherino shouts. I'm with her all the way, no mercy for betrayers.
"Tomoe!" Cherino says to the secetary. "Take Marina and her followers and make them clean the bathrooms!"
"For how long?" Tomoe asks.
"A month at least!" The short girl shouts. "Let the punishment rain down like hellfire!"
"Goodness..." I breathe, as Marina is dragged away, pleading and screaming.
Not long after, I bid Cherino farewell and returned to Schale.
—————
About a month later, I returned to Red Winter on the solstice.
Between my last visit and this one, I helped some 'gamer girls' over at Millennium, not to mention that mess with the whale, but that's a story for another time.
For now, I trod toward the large building, where I find Tomoe waiting for me. "Welcome, Sensei." She greets, smiling.
"Hiya, Tomoe." I greet back.
"President Cherino is waiting inside." She says.
"Lead the way." I say with a smile.
—————
As I enter the office, Cherino laughs boisterously. "Happy Ivan Kupala, Comrade!"
"Happy Ivan Kupala, Cherino." I say back with a chuckle.
"Getting to spend Red Winter Academy's festival with you makes me really happy, Comrade." The short girl says with a smile. "Normally, outsiders wouldn't be allowed in during the festival. However, in light of your immaculate service last time, I've granted you a special invite. You should feel quite honored, Comrade!"
"I already do." I say with a shrug. "Thanks for the invite."
"Tell me, does anything about the school seem different than it was a month ago?" She asks.
"The place looks a bit cleaner." I say, having observed the reflective surfaces on my way here. "I take it Marina's been workin' hard?"
"Indeed. Her and her goons have been cleaning every day." She explains. "I'd planned on having them just do the bathrooms, but as it turns out, they're a really good cleaning crew! At this rate, my title of Chief of Sanitation may be in jeopardy."
I chuckle at that last bit. "It just might be." I say, causing her to giggle in return.
"But enough about that! I wasn't talking about the school! I meant have you noticed anything different about me?" She asks.
Oh fuck, this is a trap.
"Did you... get taller?" I guess, not seeing ANYTHING different with her.
"Wait, r-really? Are you serious right now, Comrade?" She asks, hopeful.
"Maybe. You're sitting down, so it's kinda hard to tell." I say.
"Where's my measuring tape? I need to check immediately!" She says, rummaging through her desk, before grabbing a roll of measuring tape and quickly measuring herself. "What's the meaning of this? I didn't grow at all! Are you making fun of me, Comrade?!" She shouts, pointing at me.
"I said MAYBE." I defend, arms raised in surrender.
"I don't care if you're from Schale, teasing me will not be tolerated!" She declares, sitting back down and clearing her throat. "Though, a height gain would be nice. But I was talking about an inner change."
"Inner?" I ask.
"Since the coup, I've made it a point to listen to my students' concerns." She says. "Chief Secretary Tomoe said that when I listened to the students, empathized with them, and promised to find a solution, I reminded her of you..."
"That's... awful nice of her." I say, eyes wide. Did she really say that?
"Think about it! You're a grown-up, so you can do stuff us students can only hope to do someday! If I remind Tomoe of you, that means I've ascended to a new level of greatness! So what do you think, Comrade? Are you taken aback at my newfound maturity?" She asks, proudly.
"Yeah, I am." I say, playing along. "But pride cometh before the fall... And have you kept all your promises?"
"Uh, what...? Which promises are we talking about?" She asks.
"Letting the Spec Ops girls back, getting the Knowledge Liberation Front to see that book at Trinity, I could list more probably." I say, causing the girl to avert her gaze nervously.
"Oh, those promises..." She says, nervous as she looks. "Um... Well, we can't really launch an offensive on Gehenna or Trinity Academies right now, what with that Treaty of theirs coming up..."
"Then broker a deal with them." I supplement.
"Besides, those Spec Ops students keep calling me a little brat! I can't let them get away with that!" She shouts.
"But you promised them they could come back. Also, adults don't let petty insults upset them." I advise, causing the girl to somehow look more nervous.
"Th-Those promises are on hold until further notice!" She proclaims. "Things will stay exactly as they are for now!" She then sighs. "But enough of that. You and I have plenty of time to enjoy the festival today, Comrade. Why don't we-"
Unfortunately, she's cut off by Tomoe rushing in, worried. "Ch-Cherino! We have an emergency!"
"What is it now, Chief Secretary Tomoe?" The short girl asks. "I told you to not interrupt me and Comrade here!"
"Th-The students from Spec Ops Number Two-two-seven are storming the secretariat, demanding that you uphold your promise!" Tomoe explains. "But it's not just them. The Knowledge Liberation Front and Labor Party are also with them..."
"HUH?! They're so impatient!" Cherino shouts, standing up. "The festival isn't even over, and we have another coup to deal with already?! Deploy Security Chairman Marina and the State Guard to handle them!"
"But Chairman Marina is exhausted form cleaning the bathrooms all night. She's in no condition to fight." The secretary says, apologetically. "And most of the State Guard were either dismissed or put on probation following the last coup."
"N-No way!" Cherino shouts. "Are you saying I have to run away again?!"
"No. You're aren't gonna run away." I say, drawing their attention. "If you wanna be mature, start by delivering your promises." I begin to walk out of the door.
"Wh-Where are you going, Comrade?!" The short girl shouts.
"To go enjoy the festival. Do what you promised them, then we'll hang out and see the festivities." I say.
"B-But..." Cherino blubbers.
"Good luck, Comrade!" I say leaving with a wave, but before I do, I hear Cherino yell.
"I AM SICK AND TIRED OF COUPS!!!"
—————
A REVOLUTIONARY IVAN KUPALA: END
—————
AN
DOUBLE UPLOAD!!!
An army of bulletproof girls storming a building wouldn't be very easy to stop, come to think of it.
For anyone confused: Next time is a Down Time chapter set after he leaves Red Winter, then will be Volume 2. After that is when he returns to Red Winter for the Ivan Kupala, which is the last part of this chapter.
Edit: November 21, 2022: Added mention of chapters soon to come.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!