Chapter 10 - Foul Conspiracy
...
"Okay, so." I say, catching that attention of the six girls in the Foreclosure Task Force room. "You all figured the illegal parts used by the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang, still a stupid name by the way, were acquired the in black market, so you five went there."
"Correct, Sensei." The elf girl Ayane says.
"And you all ran into Hifumi here." I gesture to the nervous Trinity student. "Who was currently being chased by goons wanting to kidnap her, and she was there to buy limited merch?"
"Not just any limited merch, Sensei!" Hifumi shouts with a passion that shocked me. She's been really quiet this whole time. "This is a limited edition plush from the Peroro and Ice Cream franchise collaboration!" She says holding a plush in my face, one that she pulled out of her bag. "Only a hundred of them were ever made! What do you think, it's cute, right?"
The plush looks like her backpack, only the bird, who I can only assume is Peroro, has an ice cream cone stuffed in it's mouth. Its' beak is wide open, split apart by the ice cream and its' tongue is sticking out from under the ice cream. "It looks like the poor thing is gagging to death on that ice cream, in all honesty." I say bluntly, causing Hifumi to deflate and the Abydos girls to chuckle. "But, I suppose it is kind of cute." Hifumi perks back up at this.
"Back to the topic at hand." I continue. "You all found out the black market has its' own bank and police force after escaping the goons?"
"Yup!" Nonomi, the ever cheerful blonde says.
"It was very organized." Shiroko, the wolf girl explains.
"Then you saw the guy that collects your monthly payments on the debt show up and give all of your money to the Stygian Bank, one that's basically its own criminal organization. And they they insist your money be paid in cash, as if that wasn't already sketchy enough." I summarize.
"That's right." Serika, the cat girl says.
"Then you girls realized Kaiser Loans is a part of the Kaiser Corporation, thanks to Hifumi." I say.
"That's right, Sensei." Hoshino, the ever sleepy pink-haired girl confirms.
"And Hifumi made sure to say that they're shady?" I stress.
"Very." Hifumi confirms. "They've been attempting to extend Qi their reach into Trinity, but our student council, the Tea Party, has been watching them like a hawk."
"I knew something was off about them, seeing as how they also have two other subsidiaries that stuck out to me: Kaiser Construction and Kaiser PMC." I explain.
"They have a PMC?!" Serika shouts.
"I remembered what Ayane said in her letter to Schale, about how she thought the Helmet Gang was after the school itself. Considering someone gave them that gear, and most likely also sicced Problem Solver on us, she might've been right on the money." I theorize. "They do have a construction company, after all. Question now is, why?"
Everyone remains silent for a long moment, pondering my theory.
"But for right now, it's just a theory." I say, settling everyone down. "Anyway, next, you girls stole the bank's papers, while inadvertently stealing their money as well. Then you just left the money in the street."
"Y-Yeah..." Serika says.
"Well, I'm glad you girls didn't keep it, at least. That, and I'm glad Shiroko's hobby was of good use." I point out, causing the wolf girl to beam. Or at least I think so, her smile isn't really that big, but it is big compared to her usual smile. "And finally, you girls returned here with the bag, and as you went to open it, I showed up."
"Right again, Sensei!" Nonomi chirps.
"Hoh? You managed to summarize it pretty well." Hoshino congratulates.
"Well, at least you girls had an interesting morning." I groaned.
"What happened with your business this morning, anyway, Sensei?" Ayane asks.
"Long story short, Problem Solver and Schale have a sort-of partnership now. I also stopped by Gehenna to tell the Prefects they won't have to worry about 'em being a thorn in their sides anymore." I explain. "Then I stopped by Shiba Seki, ate, and came here."
"Well, I think it was interesting, Sensei!" Nonomi says.
I chuckle. "Thanks, Nonomi." I lean forward in my seat. "So, what's the take?" I joke, once again causing the wolf girl to smile.
The girls and I begin looking through the documents. All I got were unimportant ones, but Serika-
"What in the heck is this?!" The cat girl shouts, slamming her hands on the table. We all move over to look at what's pissed her off.
"Look at the truck's transport log. 'Abydos - 7,800,000 yen collected'." Shiroko reads off. "But right after that, it says 'Kata-Kata Helmet Gang - 5,000,000 yen delivered in mission funds."
"So that means..." Nonomi trails off, almost afraid to finish her sentence.
"Looks like ya'll were right." I say solemnly. "As much as I wish you weren't."
"Right after they took our cash, they delivered it straight to the Helmet Gang's base to fund their mission?!" Serika shouts in outrage, her bangs shadowing her face and her, now glowing, red eyes.
"By mission, do you mean...?" Ayane asks.
"Yes. Kaiser funded the Helmet Gang to harass you girls. Seems my theory was sound, after all. Goddammit." I say, smacking my palm on the table.
If there's one thing I really hate in this world is betrayal. Problem Solver betraying us was given a pass, since they're just students, but this? Fuck no.
We remained in tense silence as I went through the papers. I even found proof of their agreement with Problem Solver.
"I know a lot happened today, but I still had fun." Hifumi says with a smile as we all stand at the Abydos School's gates, all of us having calmed down.
"Same here. Sorry for bringing you into this mess, Hifumi." The green-eyed blonde apologizes.
"That's okay." The honey eyed girl says with an awkward laugh.
"Don't be a stranger, you hear me?" Hoshino jokes.
"I won't." Hifumi says resolutely. "We don't have all the details, but I'm sure the Kaiser Corporation must have direct ties to violent criminal organizations. I'll pass along what happened here today to the Tea Party, as well as Abydos High School's circumstances."
Hoshino eyes the Trinity girl for a moment. "Fair warning: I bet that's gonna be old news to the Tea Party."
"I-It will be?!" Hifumi says, surprised.
"I doubt the hot shots at all the other academies haven't figured it out by now." Hoshino points out. "It's not like they don't have the manpower to dedicate to intelligence gathering."
"B-But that means they knew about you and still didn't..." Hifumi trails off.
"People often place themselves above others." I say, drawing everyone's attention. "Those in charge place their people before other people. It's not surprising no other school's helped Abydos yet, especially with such a large debt."
"But still..." Hifumi tries to deny it.
"You're so innocent, Hifumi." Hoshino says with a smile. "The world isn't all sunshine and rainbows, you know." This causes the honey eyed girl to be quiet. "I appreciate the gesture, but I don't know what good it'll do to tell them. In fact, it might just make things more complicated for us."
"Y-You think so...?" Hifumi hesitantly asks.
"Our school is on the verge of collapse." Hoshino says seriously. "It doesn't matter if it's a super-academy like Trinity or Gehenna. There isn't much anyone can do to change things. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"If someone were to take advantage of the situation under the guise of helping... you'd be powerless to stop it." Hifumi concludes. "N-Now I get it. That's definitely a possibility. Ugh, I hate politics..."
I let out a bark of laughter. "Only crazy people like politics, Hifumi."
"Still, aren't you being to cynical about this, Hoshino?" Nonomi asks. "What if they really just wanted to help?"
"Give me a break. I'm old, cranky, and my back hurts too much to trust anyone at this age." Hoshino jokes, before turning deadly serious. "That's how this school ended up in this mess: by ignoring all of the 'what-ifs'."
"Once bitten, twice shy, huh?" I ask.
"That's right, Sensei." Hoshino agrees.
"So..." Hifumi begins. "Um..." She struggles to formulate a sentence. "How should I put this? We've been through a lot together in such a short time..."
"We have been. It was a lot of fun." Shiroko agrees with a small smile.
"Fun? Speak for yourself, Shiroko." Serika argues.
"I dunno, I kinda had fun too..." Hifumi says, smiling.
"Glad to hear it. Thanks for all your help, Faust." Hoshino says.
"Y-You don't have to keep calling me that!" The Trinity girl chastises.
"Faust?" I ask, eyebrow raised.
"It's her codename!" Nonomi cheerfully president president explains.
"Ah." I say, understanding. "Wait, did she have a mask? I thought Shiroko made a mask for just you five."
"She used this!" She says, pulling out a paper bag, two eye holes cut in it with a number 5 on it.
"Huh." I say. Wait. Faust? Paper bag on head? Is this Guilty Gear now?
"But if you don't want to balled Faust, how does 'fearless leader of the Masked Mizuki Gang' sound?" Nonomi asks Hifumi happily.
"Come on guys, stop giving Hifumi a hard time." Ayane lightly chastises.
"Um, anyway..." Hifumi draws everyone's attention. "I know you have some tough times ahead, but I'll be cheering you all on. Good luck." She then smiles a very sweet smile. "I'll see you around, everyone." She says, beginning to walk away.
"Bye." Shiroko says.
"Later~" Hoshino says, drawling out the word.
"See you later!" Nonomi chirps.
"Bye-bye!" Serika says.
"Feel free to stop by anytime!" Ayane says.
"Same goes for Schale!" I shout at the Trinity girl.
Ayane sighs as Hifumi's form disappears. "It's been a really long day."
"It's been a really long week." I point out.
"Agreed." Shiroko says.
"Why don't we all go home and get some rest?" Nonomi suggests.
"That sounds like a good idea..." Hoshino says with a yawn.
"You girls don't have school for the next two days, right?" I ask.
"Well yeah, it's the weekend." Serika points out.
"Well, considering all the crazy stuff that's happened this week, why don't we all take the weekend off?" I suggest. "We can all worry about Kaiser come Monday."
"Now that's an idea I can get behind!" Hoshino says, happily. "Great minds think alike, right, Sensei?" She says, nudging me with her elbow. I just chuckle and nod.
The pink haired girl stops, before addressing the other girls. "Well then, everyone. Dismissed!"
That evening, the Problem Solver girls decide to stop by Schale.
"Sensei? Are you here?" Mutsuki calls out, entering the Schale office.
"Looks like he isn't." Kayoko points out.
"W-Where could he be?" Haruka asks, carrying a basket.
"Hmm." Aru tries to think as the four girls look around.
"Sensei isn't here right now." A voice calls out, causing the four girls to jump in fright, especially Haruka.
"I'm sorry for intruding!" The shy girl shouts.
"It's okay, Sensei said you could come here, so I don't mind." The voice says again.
"W-Where are you?" Aru asks, a bit scared.
"Over here." The voice calls out. The four girls turn and see Arona on the screen.
"Who're you?" The imp girl asks.
"I'm Arona, Sensei's assistant! It's nice to meet you four!" She says with a smile.
"Sensei's... assistant?" Haruka asks.
"That's right!" Arona confirms.
"Where are you calling from anyways?" Kayoko asks.
"Hmm? Right here." Arona says.
"I think she means why aren't you here in person." Mutsuki clears up.
"Oh! Well I'm right here, I'm actually an AI" The small AI girls explains.
"A real AI?" Aru asks, surprised.
"Yup!" Arona confirms with a smile.
"Wow! Schale has all the best toys!" Mutsuki says, looking closer at Arona. "Millennium's stuff doesn't hold a candle you, cutie!"
"Well, uh... thank you?" Arona says, hesitant.
"Where is Sensei anyway?" Aru asks. "We were going to give him a gift, but..." She trails off.
"He's in Schale's gym right now." The Ai girl says. "I'll show you to where he is."
"Thanks a bunch!" Mutsuki chirps.
The four girls, guided by Arona walk through the building. "T-This place is way bigger than I thought." Haruka points out.
"Indeed." Arona agrees, popping up on Kayoko's phone. "Even Sensei took a few days to get used to the layout of just a few floors!"
Not long after, they arrive at a set of double doors. "Here it is: the Schale gym! Sensei should be inside."
"Thank you, Arona." The pink haired boss says politely.
"But uh... be careful. Sensei plays music really loud when he works out." The Ai girl warns.
"Oh come on, I'm sure it's not that bad." Mutsuki waves her off. Arona just shrugs and disappears from the punk girl's phone. As the imp girl opens the door, they group's eardrums are assaulted by loud rock music. The imp girl quickly closes the doors, and turns to the other three, equally wide-eyed as her.
"W-Well." Aru begins hesitantly. "Let's go in and him."
"A-Alright then..." Mutsuki opens the door as a loud guitar solo plays. They move closer to the room, through the gym's entrance, as the lyrics of the song begin again.
Dive the deep blue sea, it is hard to breathe. The light goes out again. Never-ending road, a place without color. That's the world we can dye!
The girls finally see their teacher, as the pre-chorus begins.
That's right, Go! Don't look back! I can believe in that path I'm on. Faith! Pride! So what do I have to fear?!
Despite the volume, the four girls stand still, their faces crimson with blushes. Their teacher is there, doing pull-ups on a simple machine.
Under the lonely moon. In an influx of words. The road shines with my colors.
They focus on the man's physique. All they've ever seen him in is a suit, but now, he's wearing a tank-top and sweatpants. It doesn't help that his muscular frame is covered in sweat.
Bearing the pale fire! I'm going as far as I can to keep the glow alive!
'He's got a good taste in music.' Kayoko idly notes, as she looks closer at him, repeatedly pulling himself up and down. 'Wait a sec...' She thinks, widening her eyes.
"Wow! I didn't know Sensei was this... fit." Mutsuki says, drooling a bit.
"H-He's got a lot of muscles." Haruka stammers out.
Aru just remains silent.
Under the sacred briars! Never stop, just go. I don't care how many more scars I get!
"Hey girls?" Kayoko asks, hesitant.
"Y-Yes, Kayoko." Aru says, not breaking eye contact with their sensei.
"Doesn't he have a lot of scars?" The punk girl asks, causing the other three's eyes to widen even further.
They all realize that yes, their teacher's arms are littered with various scars and burns of various shapes and sizes.
Bearing the pale fire! I'm going as far as I can!
Their blushes, caused by his physique, fade. Their faces now express an emotion of shock, as they watch their sensei continue his pull-ups.
It will be endless! And it's not an... easy journey~
At least half of his arms are covered in them.
Hoping to fill the world with all kinds of LI-I-IGHT!
The music then fades out as he lets go of the bar, landing on his feet. Turning to small table, he presses a button on his phone and grabs a towel, using it to wipe his forehead. He turns around, and his eyes widen. "What are you girls doing here?"
The Problem Solver girls clear their minds, as Aru speaks. "Well, you gave us a new office, s-so I thought, as business partners, I should bring you a housewarming gift."
"Shouldn't I be giving you one?" He jokes, walking over to the girls. "Lemme guess, Arona let out girls in?"
"I'm sorry for bothering you!" The purple haired girl shouts.
"It's fine, Haruka." He says with a serene smile. Noticing the basket, he asks them, "Is that for me?"
"I-Indeed!" Aru stammers, still a little shaken.
"Well, thank ya'll." He says, taking the basket from the shy girl. It's filled with small knick-knacks and snacks. "Never thought I'd get something like this..."
"We wanted to get you something special!" The imp girl says. "After we got some guys to help us move, Aru went out and got that for you. Be grateful Sensei, she spent a lot on it!"
"Mutsuki!" Aru chastises, her face red.
Their teacher just chuckles. "Thanks, Aru." He says, causing Aru's face to go full crimson, before he realizes something. "Hang on, where'd you get the money to buy this, and the movers for that matter, anyways?"
"We found some money." Mutsuki says with an innocent smile.
"Found... some money?" He asks slowly. "How?"
"We saw these girls rob a bank, and Aru wanted to meet them." Kayoko explains. "They left behind one of their bags, though."
"Robbed a bank? Who were they?" He asks.
"They called themselves the Masked Mizuki Gang!" Aru says proudly, as their teacher's eyes widen. "Still, I can't believe they just forgot one-hundred million yen."
Their teacher just bursts out on hearty laughter. "Holy shit! She was right! They WERE able to take a hundred-million in five minutes!" He shouts in between laughs, as he holds his stomach with one hand. "No fucking way! HAHAHAHA!"
"You know them?!" Aru asks, giddily.
"You fought 'em yesterday." He points out, trying to halt his laughter.
"...We didn't fight them, we fought those..." Aru's eyes widen as the pieces clicked. "NO!" Her face is one of pure shock.
"She finally figured it out!" The imp girl laughs.
As everyone calms down, he speaks again. "Thanks for this, though."
"You're welcome, Sensei." The boss says, proud.
"Sensei." Kayoko says, drawing his attention. "Are you okay?"
He looks confused. "Fine. Why do you ask?"
"Your arms." She points out, causing the other girls to remember. He looks down at his hand with an expression of melancholy.
"Yesterday wasn't the first scrap I've been in." He says, a bit sad. "Hell, it's probably not even one of the first thousand I've been in."
'I'm surprised none of the Abydos girls noticed when I rolled up my sleeves when we saved Serika. Well, Ayane did see it when she was patching me up...' He thinks to himself. His face is thankfully devoid of scars, as are his hands, at least on every part beside the palms.
"Just think of everyone of them as proof that I won a fight." He shrugs, feeling a bit awkward having them see this. 'Though, they're not seeing my chest. No way, no how.'
"I suppose, if anything, it makes you look kinda rugged, Sensei." Mutsuki says with an impish grin.
"Y-Yeah." Haruka shyly says. "That make you look cool."
Their teacher's eyes widen, before he closes them and chuckles. "You girls are too much. How's about I take a shower and you girls can show me your new office?"
"That's a great idea, Sensei." Aru says.
"We've still gotta rearrange things." Kayoko points out.
"Then I can help." He says.
"Sensei, you don't have to-" Aru begins, but is cut off.
"Abubup!" He shushes her. "None of that. Now come on." He says, leading them out.
'Well, this day certainly has been interesting! I wonder what tomorrow'll bring...?' The teacher thinks to himself.
Just another day in Kivotos.
AN
A rather short chapter, but tomorrow (and the next day) Sensei gets some Down Time.
This also serves as an intermission of sorts. Volume 1 was split in two anyways, so I decided to do the same.
Also, the Prefect Team won't attack Sensei or Problem Solver, so forget about that part.
Edit: October 25, 2022: Fixed a mistake.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!