her early interest in kendo. Houki even competes in kendo competitions at a national level, and was the winner of the national tournament that was hosted one year before the story of Infinite Stratos began. She is part of the kendo club at the IS academy. Her older sister, Tabane Shinonono, is the creator of the IS, though their relationship is strained. Six years ago, Ichika agreed to become her boyfriend if she could win the national kendo tournament of their grade. However, the day of the tournament was also the day the IS was introduced to the world. Due to the familial links to Tabane, Houki's family was placed under government protection and Houki was forced to withdraw from the kendo tournament. Since that incident, Houki resented her sister for moving her away from Ichika and abandoning their family. Despite not seeing him for a long time, Houki still harbors strong feelings of love for Ichika, as her continuing practice of kendo was her only link to him. She was his initial roommate before the arrivals of Charlotte Dunois and Tatenashi Sarashiki, and tends to get jealous when other girls are around him. Originally not possessing a personal IS, in Volume 3 she receives and pilots the IS from Tabane, one of only two developed 4th generation IS and a short-range melee-class IS, armed with twin katana named and . The Akatsubaki has a One-Off ability called , which allows Houki to replenish both her own and other IS's energy when she comes in contact with them. However, because she is still unskilled as a pilot and her compatibility with the IS is only at grade C, she is still considered to be on the same level of the other girls. As of Volume 7, her compatibility has risen to grade S. Cecilia is a first year student at the IS Academy and is an IS Cadet Representative of the United Kingdom. Her family is part of the British aristocracy. Her father, a spoiled and timid man who had little influence both inside and outside the Alcott family, made her swear to never marry a weak man (which is difficult due to the shift in social status). Upon losing her parents in a deadly train accident when she was 12 years old, Cecilia was forced to protect her family fortune from those who wished to claim a stake of