Chapter 7 - Catgirl Rescue Mission
...
"Welcome back, everyone. Great work today." Ayane greets us as we return to the classroom in Abydos.
"We're back!" Hoshino says, as she and I plop down on the couch.
"Thanks, Ayane. You too." Serika says back.
"We finally took down the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang. It should be smooth sailing from here." Nonomi says, sitting down her gatling gun.
"More like we can finally get back to more important matters." Shiroko adds, quietly as usual. What could be more important than those goons attacking their school? I almost don't wanna ask.
"Haha!" Serika laughs happily. "All we have to focus on now is paying back the debt."
"So ya'll are in a worse situation than I expected, huh?" I say.
"Wait... crap." Serika says, realizing what she said.
"What debt?" I ask with narrowed eyes, a bit upset at the prospect of students owing a debt.
"W-Well, the thing is-" Ayane says hesitantly.
"Stop right there! Not another word, Ayane!" Serika cuts her off, shocking the poor elf girl.
"Why not, Serika? It's not like it's a secret." The pink haired girl next to me says.
"That doesn't mean we should go telling everyone!" Serika snaps back.
"Serika." I begin, drawing her attention. "I might be new to being a teacher, but I know a teacher's supposed to help their students. You guys were running low on ammo, though I thought that was just 'cause of that gang constantly attacking you, but ammo's cheap and plenty here in Kivotos. I dunno what this debt is exactly, but you guys needed external help to be able to solve one problem due to the debt causing another." I look the cat girl in the eyes. "It's fine to do everything by yourself, but sometimes it's not enough. There's nothin' wrong with getting help from others."
The room remains quiet after my speech.
"Sensei's right, we can't always do everything by ourselves. And it's not like we're guilty of anything." Hoshino chirps in. "Besides, he's one of us now." She says, playfully shaking my arm around.
"Hoshino is right, Serika." Shiroko adds. "Sensei is responsible, trustworthy, even."
"I know, but he's still an outsider." Serika says, likely trying to find an excuse.
"I'm not saying Sensei can solve this problem on our behalf, but he's the only adult we have to turn to." Hoshino says seriously, suddenly seeming much more mature than I've seen of her. "Maybe we can come up with a solution of we discuss it with Sensei, even. Or do you have any better ideas, Serika?"
Caught on the spot, Serika fumbles her words. "W-Well..." She stutters. "But Sensei just showed up out of nowhere! Why would an adult care about our problems, anyway? We've always taken care of ourselves! Why do we suddenly need to be supervised...?"
I sigh, catching her attention. "You don't trust me. I get that, we just met, after all. And you're right, most adults wouldn't want to help you just to be helpful. People can be real mean nowadays. But I'm a teacher now, it's literally my job to help students." I lean forward, placing my arms on my legs. "So at the very least, give me a chance."
Serika and I stare at one another for a long while, until she comes to a decision. "F-Fine. I'll give you a chance, Sensei. Only one!"
I smile. "That's enough for me."
"...Back to the matter at hand." Hoshino draws our attention. "Our school owes quite a bit of money to a loan company. It's a challenge, but not exactly an uncommon problem either." She explains, causing my concerns to grow. "The real issue is..." She begins, hesitantly. "That it's over nine hundred-million yen."
I can practically feel my eyes bulge out of my skull. "And they expect fucking students to pay that much back?!" I shout in outrage. "Most businesses couldn't pay that much back!" That's gotta be near seven million dollars, if I remember the conversion!
"It's nine hundred and sixty two million, three hundred and fifty thousand, to be exact." Ayane says. "That's the amount that Abydos-no. That's the amount that the Foreclosure Task Force has taken upon itself to pay back. The loan company will foreclose the school and shutter it permanently if we don't pay them."
I sit back in realization at their situation. "Fuck." I say with an exhale. "Which company is it?"
"Hm? Oh it's Kaiser Loans. Why?" Ayane says.
"Info to shelve for later." I shut her down. "And this is why the other students left?" I guess.
"Yes, the odds of paying back the debt are practically zero, after all. That's why they left." The elf girl explains.
"All except us, that is." Shiroko adds. To the side, I see Nonomi looking down and Serika clenching her fists.
"The debt is the source of everything that's wrong. It's why the school is on the brink of closure, why the students left, and why the town is so desolate..." Ayane says.
"And why ya'll simply couldn't go out and buy more ammo to deal with those goons." I conclude, to which Ayane nods. "Still, how could the school rack up such a debt?"
"Several years ago, there was a sandstorm in the desert around the school. Sandstorms are common in the Abydos region, but that particular storm was devastating." She stresses the last word. "Some areas were completely buried in sand, and it just kept piling up. The school had to raise a lot of funds for disaster relief, but there wasn't a single bank that would give such a large loan."
"The GSC couldn't help?" I ask.
Ayane shakes her head. "Unless it affects all of Kivotos, or multiple districts, individual schools have to deal with their own problems themselves."
"So you guys had to go to loan sharks?" I summarize.
"Exactly. They were looking to take the easy way out and pay the money back quickly, but the sandstorms only worsened as the years went on. Despite the school's best intentions, the situation just kept getting worse. Today, more than half of Abydos is under sand, and the debt keeps increasing."
Everyone remains silent. Looking to the side, I notice Hoshino seems to be more upset than others. She's a third year, maybe she was there...
"We're barely able to pay back the interest every month, and now we're all out of ammunition and supplies." Ayane says.
"I can sympathize with Serika's frustrations." Shiroko adds. "No one has ever cared enough to ask about our situation before, let alone reach out to help."
"That's the long and short of it." Hoshino says.
"Yeah, it's a real mess." Serika says quietly.
"Now that you've helped us scare the Helmet Gang away, we can return our focus to paying off the debt." The pink haired girl says. "Even if we appoint you as our club's advisor, you don't have to trouble yourself with our debt. Just the fact that you've heard our story is enough."
"We're not trying to pressure you. You've already helped us enough." Shiroko says.
"...And what if I still want to help?" I ask.
"Huh?" Hoshino asks, her heterochromatic eyes wide.
"Students shouldn't have to deal with shit like debt, that's for adults to have to suffer through." I begin. "Ya'll should be worrying about schoolwork and the like, not this crap. So, I'm gonna do my due diligence as a teacher and help ya'll out, even if it's just a little bit. A teacher can't abandon his students, right?"
"You don't have to say all that..." Ayane says, eyes wide. "But, thank you for doing so anyway, Sensei."
"Listen to you being so noble. You're really going to insist on helping, huh?" Hoshino says.
"I feel so relieved. There's some hope if we have Schale's support." Ayane says.
"True, things are looking up, at least." Shiroko adds.
"You're such a nice guy, Sensei!" Nonomi says.
"Seriously...?" Serika asks, most likely more to herself. "This guy...?"
The six of us talk to one another for a while, but it had already begun to get late, so I bid them goodbye and returned to Schale.
"Welcome back, Sensei!" Arona greets me. "How did it go in Abydos?"
"Shit's bad there, Arona. Real bad." I say sitting down. "Essentially, their school owes nine hundred million yen to loan sharks."
"T-That much?!" She shouts from her screen.
"Yeah... Could you do me a favor and look up everything you can on Kaiser Loans?"
"Er, sure I can!" Arona says, before getting to work.
A few minutes later, I find that Kaiser's a rather big group. Aside from the Loans group, they also have a Construction branch and... even a PMC? Pretty sketchy...
I poor over the info Arona found for me for a while, until she eventually makes me go to bed. I'll worry about at that tomorrow.
The next day, as I return to the Abydos District, I spot a familiar cat girl walking. "Yo, Serika!" I call out to her.
"Huh? What the heck?! Sensei?" She shouts a bit.
"Mornin'." I greet.
"Good morni- Wait no! Don't act like we're friends!" She corrects herself and sighs. "Don't you have anything better to do than loiter around so early in the morning? And you call yourself an adult..."
"Well ya don't have to be so mean about it." I deadpan. "I was just saying morning."
She looks away, a bit ashamed. "Sorry, Sensei. It's just... with everything going on..."
"I know. What are you up to anyways?" I ask.
"I'm going to a... Er..." She stops herself.
"You don't have to worry, I'm not someone who judges people." I reassure her.
"Okay fine! I'm going to a part time job! Happy?!" She snaps.
I hold my hands out to placate her. "Kinda? Sorry for butting in, I guess." I begin to walk away. "Good luck at work, Serika!" I hope she doesn't feel too bad about this, but she needs to not be so rude to new people, even if she's stressed. Bad first impressions can kill relationships, after all.
I continued on my way to Abydos, and talked with the other four girls for a while. We eventually decided to go for lunch, the girls recommended a ramen place that was getting kinda popular recently, so I agreed.
Soon, I found myself walking into a small restaurant with the girls. Walking inside I see... Serika? This is where she works? She has on the same tennis shoes and socks, but now has on a short, black shirt with a small teal bowtie, and a blue skirt. Tied on her waist is a pistol... why? Her nametag is clipped to her shirt, and she carries a small clipbook. She also has a bandana tied on her head, covering that back of her head.
"Welcome to Shiba Seki..." She greets with a smile, before recognizing us. "What the...?!"
"Hello! Table for five!" Nonomi says, happily as usual.
"Haha." Ayane lets out an awkward laugh. "Hello, Serika..."
"Hey." Shiroko says simply.
"What are you guys doing here?" Serika asks, a blush across her face.
"Heh! We knew you'd be here!" Hoshino says, proud.
"We did?" I ask, surprised.
"Sensei is with you too...? Were you stalking me?" The cat girl accuses.
"I ain't a damn stalker!" I shout, upset at that.
"Don't blame Sensei." Hoshino interrupts. "We figured this was the only place you might work, so we just came by."
"So the good ramen was a lie?" I ask.
"No, this place does have good ramen." The wolf girl says.
"So it was you, Hoshino? Ugh..." Serika complains.
As she does, a bipedal dog wearing a headband comes out. I idly notice that he's a Shiba. Guess that's where the place's name comes from. "Are these your Abydos classmates, Serika? Stop with the chit-chat and take their order."
"Y-Yes, sir. Follow me, I'll take you to your table." Serika says.
We all begin to sit down. "Over here, Sensei! Sit next to me!" Nonomi says.
"Umm... or you can sit here if you want." Shiroko says. I shrug and decide to sit next to the wolf girl. "Um." She says, shyly.
"It's too narrow!" Serika all but shouts. "Sitting that close can't possibly be comfortable for Sensei. Move a little this way."
"No, it should be fine. Right, Sensei?" Shiroko asks. I nod, causing her to smile.
"But there are plenty of seats! Can't you all just sit like normal people?" The cat girl asks.
"Hmm..." Shiroko hums.
"Your uniform is adorable, Serika!" Nonomi says.
"I didn't know you were into this kinda stuff. Chose to work here solely based on the uniform, did ya?" Hoshino teases the younger girl.
"Wh-What are you talking about?! It had nothing to do with that!" She shouts with a blush. "I just used to be a regular here, that's all..."
"I bet I could fetch a pretty yen if I sold pictures of you in that uniform, Serika. What do you say, Sensei? Wanna be my first customer?" The pink haired girl jokes.
"Knock it off, Hoshino." Ayane says.
"Yeah, let the poor girl do her job in peace..." I try to shut her down, causing Serika to breathe a sigh of relief.
"So, how long have you been working here?" Shiroko asks.
"Maybe about a week."
"Now I get why you were running off from time to time. I guess it was because you were working." Nonomi says.
"WOULD YOU ALL SHUT UP ALREADY AND PLACE AN ORDER?!" Serika roars.
"Good lord..." I say under my breath, having recoiled at her suddenly shouting like that.
"I think what you mean was 'May I take your order?', right Serika? We're your guests, after all." Hoshino teases again.
"Ugh..." Serika grumbles. "May I take your order?"
"I'll have the chashu ramen, please!" Nonomi orders. Chashu? Isn't that pork?
"One shio ramen." Shiroko orders.
"Hmm... I'd like the miso ramen." Ayane orders, after choosing.
"I want the special miso!" Hoshino says happily. "With extra grilled chashu!" She turns to me. "Order whatever you want, Sensei. Shiba Seki Ramen is one of the best remaining restaurants in Abydos!"
"Did you all bring your own money? You're not just going to make Nonomi pay again, are you?" Serika asks, hesitantly.
"It's not like I mind. I'm still way under my card's credit limit." The blonde girl says.
"Nah, we can't make you do that. Sensei is going to pick up the tab today! Right?" Hoshino decides for me. "You've got credit to burn, right? This is your chance to make use of it."
"You can't force Sensei to pay. We only came because you said it was your treat, Hoshino." Ayane reminds her.
"This is a perfect chance for Sensei to treat his students. Wallet-flexing opportunities like this don't come around every day." Hoshino says.
"I was planning on paying anyways. Every little bit saved helps, right?" I say, causing the girls to become thoughtful.
"Really? Thanks for that, Sensei!" Hoshino says.
Serika and Ayane chastised her for forcing me to pay, not that I minded, the food was damn good.
"That was delicious, Sensei!" Hoshino says, happily, with a belly full of ramen, as we all walk through the doors of Shiba Seki.
"Thank you for treating us!" Nonomi thanks as well.
"Thanks." As does Shiroko.
"No problem." I shrug them off.
"Would you all get out of here already?!" Serika shoos us off. "And never come back! You're nothing but a bunch of busybodies!"
"Haha, see you tomorrow, Serika." Ayane says awkwardly.
"I hate you! I won't forget this!" She shouts. Very tsundere-like, Serika.
"Hahaha! She's got a lot of spunk, eh?" Hoshino jokes.
Serika looks as though she's about to snap again, the poor girl. "Okay, okay. Enough teasing." I say, grabbing Hoshino and pulling her along. "Later, Serika!"
"Hey, Sensei! I wasn't done!" Hoshino whines, as the others follow us.
A that evening, after having returned to Schale, I received an urgent call from Ayane saying Serika never returned from work.
I very quickly got Arona to hack into everything she could in the Abydos area to try to find her while I run back to Abydos.
As near there, I hear Arona call out. "Done!" Looking down at the Shittim Chest, while running, I see Arona happy, yet serious. "I've got full access to everything outside of Abydos."
"Good." I asked Rin to let Arona use the GSC's Central Communication Network, but it took some time to get access to everything. I guess I owe Rin one, huh?
Soon, as I approach the school, I see Hoshino waiting for me. "Wow! You got here fast, Sensei!" She says with wide eyes.
"Used to run track, come on." I say as we practically fly through the darkened halls of Abydos.
Soon we reach the clubroom. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Hoshino says as we enter.
"Hoshino! Sensei!" Ayane greets.
"You're really sweaty, Sensei." Nonomi points out.
"Ran all the way here." I say simply.
"Did you find out what happened?" Shiroko asks.
"Used the GSC's Central Communication Network, so we'll know in a sec." I say, allowing Arona to sync with Ayane's laptop to send over data.
"Wow, Sensei's the real deal..." Ayane says, surprised.
"It's a secret though. We're in big trouble if they catch us." Hoshino says, or rather, jokes.
"Wait! Does that mean you didn't ask for permission?!" Ayane shouts.
"Of course I did, I owe Rin one now. Hoshino's just messing with ya." I say, stopping her worry. "Not that I mind, we could use a tension breaker."
"Hoshino..." Ayane seems annoyed.
"Here." I say, sending the info to her laptop. "This is the last known location of Serika's phone."
The girls look over at the location. "That's one of the neighborhoods that's become more desolate, isn't it?" Nonomi asks.
"It's more like an abandoned wasteland. There's no one there to enforce public safety, so there are a lot of outlaws skulking about." Shiroko explains.
"Like our helmet wearing friends?" I ask.
"Most likely." Ayane says. "We found that the Helmet Gang members lived in those areas while researching risk factors surrounding the school." Her eyes then shoot open in realization. "So it was them!"
"They must have kidnapped Serika while she was on her way home and taken her to their hideout." The pink haired concludes.
"Likely still bitter over our last battle. Maybe they took Serika hostage as a way to retaliate." The wolf girl concludes.
"Probably! We have to go save her!" The blonde haired girl chirps in. Shiroko nods in agreement.
"Any idea where their hideout could be?" I ask.
"Most likely in the desert somehere." The elf girl says. "But there's too much area to sift through..."
"Arona, look for any traffic going out of the area where Serika was kidnapped in the last few hours." I say, looking at the Shittim Chest.
A moment later, Arona speaks. "I found a few trucks leaving that area a few hours ago! They stopped here, at an old train station." She says, sending the info to Ayane.
"Alright then girls, gear up." I say, met with nods from them all. I pocket the mystical tablet and leave the room with the girls, sans Ayane, who'll stay back.
Not long after, we arrive. Fortunately, the sun's only just begun to rise so it's still quite dark.
"So what's the plan, Sensei?" Hoshino asks as we hide behind cover, watching the goons move to and fro.
"Surprise attack. Hoshino, you'll flank the right of the group there." I say, pointing to the girls hanging around a traincar after having rolled up my sleeves. I'm not wearing my suit blazer, just an undershirt. "Shiroko'll flank the left. Nonomi and I will rush in while they're dealing with you both."
All three nod. "Serika's probably in that traincar there, so try not to damage it."
"Good plan." Shiroko says, simply.
I nod in thanks. "Ayane, keep an eye out for reinforcements." I speak into the comms.
"Will do, Sensei." The elf girl says.
"Ready?" I ask. They nod once again as the begin to move. Hoshino moves toward the right, Shiroko the left. A moment later, two bangs ring out, as two of the goons fall.
"What the hell?!" "We're under attack!" They shout.
I motion my head towards the girls, as Nonomi and I rush forward. The pink haired girl has taken out a few. The wolf girl is cornered. "Nonomi, help Serika!" I shout.
"Will do!" She shouts as her chain gun revs up, unleashing a spray of bullets at the goons.
"It's those fucking Abydos girls again!" One shouts. "Shoot 'em!"
Looking down, I see a dropped assault rifle. Picking it up, I see a few girls between me and the train car.
"Well, well, well." One says, looking at me. "Decided to attack us, huh?"
"Of course. You took one of my students." I say, checking the ammo in the rifle. Full clip, good. "What, did you think I wouldn't care?"
"Big talk from someone who'll go down in a single bullet." One taunts, the others laughing alongside her.
I narrow my eyes on response and rush forward at the six goons. I quickly shoot two in the forehead, stunning them. They shoot at me, but I manage to dodge a few bullets. "Khh!" I let out a sound of pain as one hits my arm. Uncaring of that, I continue forward. The goons' eyes widen at me, shocked at my carelessness of the pain. I take advantage of this, as I get to them, I smack one in the forehead with the rifle's butt, knocking her down. I dodge another's bullets, as I rush her, ducking down and sweeping her leg. As she falls onto her back, I punch her in the face, causing her to hit the ground with much more force.
Another fires at me, but I quickly rush her. Noticing two others about to fire, I hold her in front of me, using her as a shield.
"Ow!" My shield shouts. Uncaring of this, I hold her in front of me and rush the two girls. Picking her off the ground, grasping her clothes, I toss her at the other two, causing all three to fall. Before I can reach them, another goon to the side shoots at me. I jump back and run, dodging her spray if bullets. I notice a barrel with a hazard symbol on it, along with the word 'FLAMMABLE'. I viciously grin, and aim at the barrel, causing it to explode, knocking her out and causing the other three, who are beginning to stand, to stumble.
To my side, I see another barrel. I rush to it and throw it at the remaining three conscious goons. Just before it reaches them, I shoot it, exploding it right in their faces.
Looking around, I see no other goons conscious, just the three Abydos girls, staring at me in awe. "Wow! I didn't know you were that strong, Sensei!" Nonomi says.
I merely shrug and look at the traincar they were guarding most heavily. Inspecting the door, I find a simple lock. I raise my stolen rifle up and slam the butt of it down on the lock, breaking it.
"Serika!" Nonomi shouts, seeing the missing cat girl as I open the traincar's door.
"Wha?! Nonomi?" She shouts in shock.
"I see her! Repeat: visual on Serika! She's been crying." Shiroko says to Ayane. Kinda mean there, Shiroko.
Her words cause Serika to recoil a bit in embarrassment as I notice she has been crying.
"What? Our little Serika is crying?" Hoshino asks, rhetorically. "Aww, she must have missed us. I had no idea she cared so much!"
"Ugh! You guys are so annoying! I wasn't crying!" She shouts, her face and eyes red.
"False!" Shiroko shouts, like a certain video game attorney. "I can confirm there were tears in your eyes moments ago!"
"Don't cry, Serika!" Nonomi chimes in. "We're here now, and we promise to dry those tear soaked cheeks of yours!" Are they trying to comfort her or make her angry?
"Damn it! Could you guys be anymore grating?!" The cat girl snaps. "I said I wasn't crying, so shut up already!"
"Alright, enough teasing her, girls." I say, making them settle down. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Serika." I say honestly. She stills for a moment, stunned as I say that. Is it really that shocking I was worried about her?
"Sensei? You too?" She asks quietly.
I nod. "I couldn't let one of my student get hurt, could I? I would be a shit teacher if I let that happen." She looks anywhere but at me, her face red.
"Heh. Our damsel on distress has been rescued. She's gonna be fine." The pink haired girl says.
"Thank goodness, I was so worried about you, Serika." The elf girl says over the comms.
"Ayane..." Serika trails off.
"It's still too soon to let our guard down." Shiroko points out. "We may have rescued Serika, but we're still in enemy territory."
"You're right. Reinforcements are likely on the way now, what with all this commotion." Hoshino agrees.
"Multiple hostiles from the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang confirmed ahead!" Ayane says. "I also see more than just a few of them! They're steadily forming a dragnet!"
"Me and my big mouth. Ugh!" Hoshino shouts, annoyed. "What do you say we push our way through these losers?"
"I've got a better idea." I say, looking to the side. I notice a spare truck, undamaged. Opening the door, I see they left the keys inside. "Let's go straight for 'em! Get in." I say, sitting behind the wheel. The girls nod and get in the back.
I crank up the truck and hit the gas towards the goons, steadily approaching. I notice something alongside them. "That a tank?"
"It's a refurbished Flak 41." Shiroko points out.
"Shit." Is all I say as I see the tank swivel towards us. I spin the wheel, causing the tank to narrowly miss the truck. Stepping in the gas even harder, I ram straight into a few goons. "Anything good back there?!" I shout.
"Ooh!" Hoshino says. "Sensei there's a rocket launcher back here!"
Hell yes! "Anyone a good shot with that?"
"I'll take it." Shiroko says as the truck shakes again, result of me dodging another shot. The goons' bullets bounce off the truck's armor fortunately.
"Hold me up." The wolf girl says.
"I've got you!" Nonomi says, holding Shiroko up, allowing her to see out of the top of the back of the truck.
"Let me behind it!" I say, swerving the truck around another tank round. I see an opportunity as the tank's barrel rams into a piece of metal sticking out of the ground, causing them to rotate the barrel the other way.
"Shiroko!" I shout. A second later, I hear the RPG fire and see an explosion hit the back of the tank's cannon. As the smoke clears, there's a hole in the back of it. The goons, noticing their best unit is down, run away in fear, soon leaving us to ourselves.
Stopping the truck, I look in the back. "Nice shot."
"Thanks, Sensei." The wolf girl says while being let down from Nonomi's shoulders, her face red.
"Wow, that really got this old timer's heart beating!" The sleepy girl says.
"That was some crazy driving, Sensei!" The blonde girl praises me.
I let out a bark of laughter. "You should've seen that time I ended up running away in a super car. Now THAT was crazy."
"A super car? One of those really expensive ones?" Serika asks. I nod. "How the heck did that happen?"
"Long story." I say, dropping the subject. "Ayane, we good?" I ask.
"Yes, all of their remaining forces are either unconscious or retreating. You're good to leave." The elf girl confirms.
I let out a sigh of relief. "Ya'll ready?" The girls nod. "Good. With this truck, we oughta be back in an hour or so." I say, turning around the truck, towards Abydos.
As we begin to drive, I make a decision. "I'm keeping the truck, by the way." I say, causing the five girls to laugh.
"I'm serious. This is mine now." I say, deadpan. This causes them to laugh even harder.
Honestly, what a crazy night. I'm just glad they're all safe.
A few minutes later, having ripped my sleeve off to make a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding on my arm, I look back at the four girls to see them leaning against one another, sound asleep.
I smile to myself, happy with this development. I'm gonna need some coffee after this, though.
Though this wasn't a wasted trip, I've got a free truck now. Hopefully I can fix it up to make it even more armored.
Though, I'll worry about that later.
I smile contently with the rising sun shining against my face as I drive back towards the deserted district, the four girls safe and sound in the back, smiling while asleep.
AN
A few more chapters of V1C1 done!
I decided to add a bit more the the rescuing Serika bit. I hope it was a good action scene. I'm still not good at writing them, but I'm steadily getting better the more I do so.
Next time, we'll meet some new enemies. One of which is best girl, Aru.
Edit: September 6, 2022: Changed some dialogue.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!