Which is when his phone rang. He recognised the number immediately, because of course he did. He switched off the external comms, cutting himself off from the outside world. A simple shadow message to Shirley told her what she’d need to know. If it were anyone else, he could divide his attention between talking with them and giving instructions through Painted Black. But this person required his utmost attention.

“Hello big brother!”

“Hello, Nunnally!” he replied, shifting into the tone he used at school. The mask of an innocent lazy genius. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ll be home for dinner tonight. Shirley’s uncle… Well, it’s supposed to be a surprise. I’ll have to tell you more about it later on.”

“That’s alright,” Nunnally said, but did he sense a slight waver in her tone? Concern? Well. He had been spending less time with her recently. That much was understandable, but somehow he suspected meeting Joseph would help make up for his lack of attention, though the only thing that could make up fully was his own presence. “I noticed Kallen was sick again as well. Do you think she’s alright?”

“I’m not sure it’s her this time,” Lelouch said. He couldn’t ever quite bring himself to lie to his sister, unless one counted lies of omission. “I heard that her mother’s sick - Hello? Nunnally?”

“Ah! So sorry! I dropped the phone. I- I was practising Ripple techniques, and my hands are still a little wet.”

“I suspect they are,” he said, and his tone slipped just slightly. “Is something wrong?”

“It’s nothing… Really, big brother!” Nunnally said, but if you listened carefully enough you could hear the resignation in her voice. A good thing too. He’d never had the need to bring out the “disappointed elder brother” tone before. So far as he was concerned it was better sealed away in a concrete safe and hurled to the depths of the ocean. “It’s something C.C. mentioned the other day, and it made me a little worried.”

“Hm? Worried? What did she tell you?”

“That Stand users attract each other.” she sniffed. “I’m - I’m worried you might run into another one out there. Please be careful!”

Ah. Is that what it was? Yes, C.C. had mentioned something similar to him before. Well then. After he’d finished wiping out the Japan Liberation Front for scaring his little sister, he would just have to see about finding some way to torment a certain immortal witch. It might be the most difficult thing he’d ever do, but even an immortal must have levers to pull in their minds.

“Nunnally… Did you forget who your big brother is? There’s nothing to worry about at all! Even if a hostile Stand user did appear, I’ll stay away from danger.”

“You will? Then… What if you can’t?”

“Then I’ll defeat the enemy with my own two hands! They shall rue the day that they dared to cross paths with… Painted Black! Or something to that effect, at the very least. Please, try not to worry. I’m sure it’s just your imagination playing tricks on you.”

“Alright. I… I understand. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Well. If anything could brighten his spirits more than that he couldn’t think of it. His full attention could now return to the battle in progress. The monitor in front of him came to life, illustrating an overlay of the mountain range they were fast approaching: The image obtained not from his own Burai’s factsphere, but an image transmitted from the Japan Liberation Front’s own base.

-Lulu's Bizarre Rebellion Chapter 25