Chapter 14 - Desert Excursion
...
The girls, minus Ayane, and I went to the desert of Abydos. Thankfully, it wasn't just a walk, as we were able to ride a still functioning train a good distance. The train tracks only reached to the more abandoned parts of the desert, sadly.
"You've been able to ride the train this far, but you'll have to walk from here." Ayane explains over the comms as we step out of the train. "Past this area is the Abydos Desert. It has always been desert, even before everything fell to ruin. There are usually broken drones, security robots, and automata prowling around, so it's a pretty dangerous place..."
Hmm? Are students the only things I've fought in Kivotos so far? Guess I can't really use my fists too much anymore.
"We're out of options, so everyone, please get your weapons ready. If we want to confirm whether the Head Prefect's intel was correct or not, we have no choice but to go out there ourselves." Ayane explains.
"By the way, Ayane." Serika says. "Isn't it weird that the Gehenna Head Prefect is the one that gave us the info? How does a student from another academy know so much about what's going on in our district?"
"Gehenna must have one hell of an info-gathering group, I suppose." I say.
"I agree. The Prefect Team is known for being very good at gathering info." Ayane reasons. "It's natural that they'd know a lot more than a small academy like ours."
"Hmm? Is that all there is to it?" Hoshino asks, more to herself.
"Perhaps they don't trust Kaiser just like those at Trinity." I theorize.
"Well, we can figure it out when we get there." Hoshino accepts. "We'll just have to see for ourselves. Let's keep going."
And so, we walked...
Half an hour of walking later, the desert sun blazes down on us. Glad we brought ice water with us. The train is no longer visible. Matter of fact, nothing but desert, rocks and sky are visible now.
"How are you holding up, Sensei?" Nonomi asks. "It's pretty hot out here."
"Just fine. Reminds me of when I lived in the desert for a while. Though I can't say I miss the heat." I say, adjusting my hat. A nice white hat, with a flap to cover my neck rests on my head.
"Still, I've been to the sandy streets, but never out this far before." Nonomi says.
"Yeah. It's been a while since I was last here." The pink haired girl says.
"You've been here before?" Shiroko asks.
"I came out here a few times as part of my work for the Student Council." Hoshino explains. "If you go a little farther from here, you'll find the oasis where the Abydos Desert Festival was held!"
"What? There's an oasis here?" Serika shouts.
"That'd definitely be one hell of an attraction." I say.
"Well. it's all dried up now." Hoshino says sadly. "They say that it was once bigger than most lakes and deep enough for boating. I've never seen it myself, though."
"The Desert Festival... I've heard of it." Shiroko adds. "It was the greatest festival in Abydos, and would attract tons of people."
"That's right." Hoshino confirms, with a smile. "People from other schools also came to the festival. But, that was decades before the desert moved in."
"Festivals... and crowds... in a desert like this?" The cat girl says, disbelieving.
"Well, I heard it used to be a nice place to live." The pink haired girl explains. "There wasn't so much sand or dust back then."
"We still have a little ways to go before we reach the first sector." Ayane announces over the comms. "But, I don't know what to expect from this place... For now, stay alert as you move forward."
We all nod and ready our weapons as we trudge onward.
Minutes later, I spot something white on the ground, even though this area of the desert is particularly dusty.
"Hmm... Broken drones and automata..." Hoshino says, inspecting the white robots. "Strange that these things are here..."
"We're definitely on the right path." I say.
"...Wait! I'm picking up something straight ahead!" Ayane alerts us. "I can't see well through this dust, though. A huge town... No, a factory? A garrison?" She guesses. "Whatever it is, it's massive and fully manned."
"Wh-What?! Ayane, are you sure?" Hoshino asks, eyes wide in alarm. "There's nothing her but a dried up oasis."
"You're just not close enough to see it!" Ayane says.
"Come on girls. Weapons up." I order, as we move forward.
As we push through the dust, we soon see it. A base of some sort, complete with tents, large stone walls and electricity poles sending power to equipment.
"Wh-What is this?" Serika asks.
"Barbed wire and facilities that look like they go on for miles..." Shiroko says, in awe.
"A factory? I don't think it's an oil rig. What the heck is it?" Nonomi asks.
"This definitely wasn't here before..." Hoshino says, lowly.
"Look there." I say, pointing to the logo emblazoned on the walls and trucks. "Looks like we found Kaiser."
"Kaiser... PMC?!" Serika shouts. "They really have a-" She gets cut off by gunfire near us. "Whoa! What?!"
Looking to the side, there are a plethora of automatons, wielding rifles.
"Intruders!" One shouts.
"Capture them! Don't let them get away!" Another yells.
"Unidentified troops dead ahead!" The elf girl says, as we huddle behind cover.
"They aren't marked? Even though they're protecting Kaiser's stuff?" I ask.
"Well, if they're here to welcome us, we ought to respond in kind!" Hoshino says, cocking her shotgun.
"Let's go!" I shout. "Hoshino, Serika, take the left. Nonomi, Shiroko, take the right. I'll stick to the middle."
They nod and begin to move. I fire at the robots, drawing their attention as the girls sneak up on them.
Hoshino jumps out from the side as she blasts one's head off from mid-air. She soon goes wild, grabbing a robot, using it as a shield to block the bullets from the others. She runs forward, throwing it into two more. As it collides with the other two, Hoshino rushes them and blasts their chests open with her shotgun. One goes to shoot her from behind, but is decapitated by Serika's bullets. They continue this pattern, of Hoshino rushing them and Serika shooting from a distance.
To the other side, Shiroko has placed down a drone. As it lifts off, it fires a deluge of rockets into the group of robots, as Nonomi's gatling gun mows them down. The wolf girl then picks off the rest.
I don't watch their amazing teamwork much more, as I notice a few robots being indecisive of which side to attack, then remembering me. The fire at me immediately. I rush them, caving ones head in with the butt of my rifle. Turning quickly, my rifle's barrel is planted into another's head and the clip is unloaded. Noticing my rifle's stuck, I turn to use the impaled robot as a shield, like Hoshino did before. I run with the robot in front of me, firing the rifle through its skull, at the other robots, which are soon deactivated easily. Noticing the quietness, I drop my 'shield' and begin to pull my rifle from its head. Hearing a metallic step behind me, I quickly draw my pistol and turn 180 degrees around, firing a single shot into a sneak robot's head, downing it for good. "Rude." I say, holstering my pistol. I then pull my rifle free from the automaton's head.
Hoshino and Serika walk up too me, as do Shiroko and Nonomi from the other side. "Ugh, these guys are annoying!" The pink haired girl grumbles.
"They're not that strong, but they're a pain to deal with... more than anything I've faced before." Serika agrees. "Ugh. I'm so sick of these guys!" The cat girl yells. "Everywhere I go, all I see is Kaiser, Kaiser, Kaiser?! What is their deal?!"
A whirring sound comes from me feet, or rather, from the robot I shot with my pistol. I lazily point my rifle at its' head and fire. Sighing, I say "And this is why we double tap.", earing chuckles from the girls. "Still, why would they have mercs stationed way out here?"
"They aren't like those thugs in the Helmet Gang." Ayane says. "They're super organized, like an actual army!"
"Army?!" Serika shouts. "You mean they're not students?!"
"There were rumors about a company recruiting dropouts, expelled students, and troublemakers into a private army. Could this be...?" Nonomi asks.
"It's to early to-" I begin, but am cut off by a blaring siren.
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
"A-An alarm?!" Nonomi shouts, as we all jump at the blaring sound.
"Multiple." I correct. "The alarms are sounding everywhere."
"This isn't good..." Serika says, scared.
"Do you hear... helicopters?" Nonomi asks.
Stretching my hearing out... I begin to head chopper blades.
"And that rumbling must be tanks." Shiroko adds.
Tanks too?!
"There's a huge army approaching!" Ayane alerts us from the comms. "They're trying to surround you! Tanks, armored vehicles, and even helicopters confirmed. They're pulling out all the stops! Everyone, this is dangerous! Retreat before you're surrounded! You need to break through the siege and escape!"
I look around quickly and see an armored truck, one with a full covered bed and a hatch on top. "Fuck it." I say, smashing the window open. "All aboard!" I shout, as they hop in.
Bursting out of the complex, I see a helicopter on our tail. "What the hell are they trying to hide?" I ask. "They're bringing out all of this for just a few intruders? Why all this?"
"Something big, clearly!" The cat girl yells back.
"Any guns back there?!" I shout.
"There's a long-range rifle back here.' Shiroko adds.
I look over to the passenger seat, where Hoshino is. "Drive for me." I order, moving to the back of the truck. Grabbing the rifle, I poke my body through the hatch on top and rest the rifle on the roof. "Keep 'er steady, Hoshino!" I yell, aiming at the helicopter. It's being piloted by more automata. Squinting, I focus my aim and fire. The heli's window is smashed as it begins to spin around and lose height, uncontrollably. Looking down are a few more trucks after us. I aim at the robots driving them, then decide not to, and aim at the tires. They each get a popped tire from a single bullet, causing them to spin out.
Not seeing anymore, I get back down into the truck. "Wow! I didn't know you were that good of a shot, Sensei!" Nonomi cheers.
"You try shooting a rabid fox, running around like a madman, from a couple hundred meters with a shitty rifle and you'll get pretty good pretty quick." I say, placing down the rifle.
"Rabid fox?" Serika asks.
"It had a four-hundred dollar bounty on it." I explain. "That's like... fifty thousand yen or so."
"Fifty thousand?!" The cat girl yells.
"It fluctuates." I say. "It might've been forty thousand at one point, or even sixty."
My ramblings are cut off by Hoshino. "Uh, guys?"
"What is it?" I ask.
"We're out of gas." She says sheepishly, with an awkward chuckle. Sure enough, the truck begins to slow down.
"Well, shit." I say. "Just go ahead and park 'er." She hits the brakes, stopping the truck. "Guess we're going the rest of the way on foot."
We all get out of the truck, and I make sure to take the sniper rifle and its ammo. Slinging it over my shoulder, I get out with the girls.
Suddenly, a crackle sound comes from the comms. "Sensei, can you hear me? They broke through the siege... but they're..." It crackles again. "Communications are unstable... Hurry...! Someone... coming..."
Sadly, her warning comes too late, as a few tucks show up from nowhere and surround us.
"...We're screwed." The wolf girl says.
"They've got us surrounded..." The third year says.
"Eh, not the worst odds I've ever had." I shrug, as another, bigger truck arrives. Out of it steps a large robot man, clad in a black suit with orange accents. He has not readable features of his agave, but his posture is proud, yet condescending.
I recognize him, he's the CEO of Kaiser. I saw pictures of him during my investigation.
"I was wondering who the intruders could be." He spoke with a deep, robotic voice. "It was Abydos."
"L-Looks like someone important just showed up..." Serika stammers.
"I didn't think you would come here..." He continues. "Well, it doesn't matter either way. You've damaged a business by illegally breaking into its private property. I could leverage this transgression to double the debt your school owes-"
My gaze narrows.
"-but honestly, that wouldn't change anything." He says.
"You're... the one from..." Hoshino says. She recognizes him...?
"Hmm?" He turns to the short girl. "Are you the Student Council president that Gematria was after? Oh right, you're the vice president. I see..."
Gematria? Isn't that an alphanumerical cipher? Like the one used in Hebrew?
"Yes, yes. I have an interesting idea. It'll be much better than using Problem Solver or the Helmet Gang." He continues.
"What are you talking about? Problem Solver?" Serika asks.
"He hired them, and the Helmet Gang for that matter." I say, standing up. "Isn't that right, Mr. CEO of the Kaiser Corporation?"
The girls collectively gasp in shock.
He lets out a hum. "You've done your homework. Indeed, I am the chief executive officer of the Kaiser Corporation, Kaiser Loans and Kaiser Construction. Nowadays, I am also the CEO of Kaiser PMC. I am also the one to whom the Abydos school owes it debt. In other words, I'm your creditor."
Huh, does he not recognize me?
"C-Creditor?!" The cat girl yells once more.
"Now then, let us discuss your old debt." He says.
"You've said enough." Shiroko says, quietly as usual. "You're the one who extorted our school."
"...Oh?" He says.
"That's right!" Serika yells. "You're the culprit who hired the Helmet Gang and Problem Solver to come after us! Aren't you?!"
"Hmm?" He lets out another sound.
"You're the reason the Abydos... that Abydos is..." The cat girl trails off.
"My, my... such spurious accusations." He says with a chuckle. "You break into someone else's property, attack innocent Kaiser PMC employees, destroy facilities and vehicles, and claim that its all because of me?" He asks rhetorically, chuckling afterwards. "That's a good one." He clears his throat. "Let me make this clear. This is the legal place of operations of Kaiser PMC, and you are trespassing on private property.
Regarding the Abydos district. It's true, we did purchase it. Every step of that transaction was legitimate. We have the ledgers and records to prove it. I find it highly distasteful that you're acting as through we're committing a crime." He says.
This guy... reminds me of what I hate most about society.
People who abuse loopholes and legality.
...the new CEO of Galveston Enterprises has placed a ten-billion dollar bounty on the...
Fucking... goddamn...!
"Are you curious as to what we're doing here? Do you want to know why we bought your land?" He asks, continuing with his grand villainous explanation. "Then I'll tell you. We're looking for a treasure that's supposed to be buried under Abydos."
"Ha. Haha. Ahahahahaha!" I begin to chuckle uncontrollably.
"...Sensei?" Serika asks, worried.
"That's why you did this?" I ask deadpan, after calming myself. "Buying all the land in Abydos, letting the old Student Council take out a massive debt, all of it to follow a rumor of some fucking treasure?!" I growl out. In the corner of my eye, my students recoil.
"Haah." He sighs.
"S-Still, how do explain all of these PMC soldiers?" Shiroko asks, collecting herself. "How are they not her to claim our district by force?"
"Leap of logic there, Shiroko." I say.
"Hundreds of tanks, hundreds of elite soldiers. Untold tons of black powder and ammo." He lazily lists off. "Do you truly believe that we prepared all of this for a school with only five students remaining? Surely you jest. This-" He holds out his arm to the fortress behind us. "-is but a defensive measure against those that would interfere in our treasure hunt. It isn't meant for you. All it would take to deal with you is... Yes, something like this."
He pulls a phone from he pocket and speed -dials a number. "...It's me. Yes. Proceed." The phone returns to his pocket.
"Wh-What? Who did you just call? Proceed?" Serika asks, trying to be brave, yet clearly failing.
"I regret to inform you that your school's credit rating has taken another hit." He says, condescendingly.
"A-A phone call? Now?" Ayane asks to herself over the comms.
"Answer it, put it on speaker." I order.
"This is Kaiser Loans. From this point forward, Abydos' credit score will be set to the minimum rating." A voice speaks. "This has raised the veritable interest rate by three thousand percent, and so the amount you will be responsible for starting next month will be ninety-one point three million yen. Please be sure to make your next payment by the end of the month."
My blood boils, but I hold it back.
"E-Excuse me?!" The elf girl yells. "Hold on... W-Wait! So suddenly? By next month?"
"Did you say ninety million yen?!" Serika asks, loudly. "Wh-What are you talking about?!"
The robotics CEO merely chuckles. "It is what it is. Now do you finally understand who holds the rope around your neck?"
...Do you get it now? I hold the rope around your neck. You're my dog, Joshy boy. Mine!
Motherfucker...
"Ah, w-wait... This is..." The cat girl struggles to form a sentence.
"Do you find that too harsh?" He asks, cruelly. "But wait, there's more. We never received a deposit for the nine-hundred million yen you originally borrowed. Please deposit three-hundred million to Kaiser Loans by the end of the week. You'll have to prove that you can pay off the debt even at this interest rate. Assuming that even IS possible."
"Th-There's no way we can get that kind of money." The elf girl says somberly over the comms. "We're barely keeping up with the interest as it is. How..."
"In that case, you'll just have to give up your academy and leave." He says, with a non-existent smirk. "Drop out and transfer. Isn't that the right thing to do? The debt was never yours to begin with. It's the school's debt to pay, it isn't your responsibility."
"Th-That may be true, but..." Nonomi says. "There's no way we can do that."
"It's OUR school now! We can't just abandon it!" Serika yells.
"Abydos is our home." Shiroko adds.
"Such foolishness. What do you plan to do? Continue to stand her arguing with us?" He asks.
"...Let's go back, everyone." Hoshino says quietly, speaking up for the first time in a while.
"Hoshino?!" Serika yells.
"We can't fight then here, it's what they want." The pink haired girl explains.
"Wise decision, vice president." He says. "Now I remember, your president wasn't as bright as you, was she?" He says with a chuckle.
Hoshino's fists clench so hard they turn white as his sentence finished. Clearly that got under her skin.
"I'll be looking forward to next month's payment." He says with a boisterous laugh. "Feels good to laugh like that." He says, as his men get back in their vehicles.
We begin to walk home. One robot gets in our truck, but I yell "Have fun moving that! It's outta gas!"
Pieces of shit...
We all made it back to the Foreclosure Task Force club room, and collectively flopped down on various seats. All of us exhausted, physically and mentally.
"Seriously?! What the hell are we gonna do?!" The cat girl yells.
"Just what are they up to out there?" The wolf girl asks.
"They might be excavating something." The blonde girl adds. "But what...?"
"That can't be right, there's nothing but desert out there." The elf girl corrects. "No oil, no underground recourses, nothing. There was a survey done years ago."
"Then why go through the trouble of seizing the land?" Nonomi asks.
"It doesn't matter!" Serika shouts. "What are we supposed to do about this debt?! How are we supposed to pay the rest of it off in under a month?!"
"Kaiser Loans has already sent a reminder and requested a deposit." Ayane explains. "We have to come up with three-hundred million yen next week."
"I'm going." Shiroko says, standing up. "I need to find out what they're doing out there"
"Shiroko, no." I shut her down. "They're only gonna end up doing something else to make shit worse. Just calm down and don't do anything rash." I say. She pouts, but sits back down.
"Yeah, Shiroko. We should be focusing on this debt." Serika says.
"...That debt isn't going to be paid off by what we've been doing. Now's the time for drastic measures." The wolf girl says.
"No! If you go off again..." Nonomi trails off.
"...Fine." Serika says. "If our backs are against the wall and the school really is doomed, then we have nothing to lose. I'm in!"
"H-Huh?! Not you too..." Nonomi says.
"Are you really going against Hoshino and Sensei's wishes, Serika?!" Ayane asks, disbelieving of the cat girl.
"It's not like I want to. All I'm saying is..." Serika says a bit ashamed.
"This isn't the way, Serika! Not to mention it's illegal!" The elf girl yells.
"I-I..." Serika's eyes well up.
"All right, all right. Enough." I say, shutting everyone up.
"Seriously, you girls are going to go red in the face running around in circles like this." Hoshino says.
"U-Um..." Shiroko mumbles.
"You're right, I'm sorry." Ayane says.
"I didn't mean to get so desperate. My bad." Shiroko apologizes.
"Don't worry about it, I couldn't stay mad at you Shiroko." Hoshino says with a smile. "Come on guys, let's call it a day. Let's cool our heads and meet up again tomorrow. Consider that president's orders."
I exhale. "Good call. Let's come back tomorrow clear-headed."
The sun sets as the girls leaving one by one and I stick around with Shiroko and Hoshino.
"What's up, Shiroko?" Hoshino asks. "Not going home?"
"Do you have a moment?" The wolf girl asks.
"Sure. Is there something you wanted to say to me?" The pink haired girl asks.
"I'm still here, dummy." I say.
"Oh. You too, Sensei?" The short girl asks. "But I'm so~ beat from today. A lot happened." She whines. "Can it wait until tomorrow? I think I already know what this is about."
"O-Oh, okay." Shiroko agrees. "Sensei?" I merely nod. "In that case, good night." She says, leaving.
"Night." And then, there were two...
"Well, well, Sensei." Hoshino says with a smug grin. "When did you and sweet little Shiroko become close enough to understand each other just through eye contact? An old timer like me should have known better than to underestimate you."
Why does she keep calling herself old? Is it because she's a third year? Dashing those thoughts away, I sigh. "Hoshino. Be honest with me."
"Hmm? About what?" She asks, nervous.
I simply pull out the resignation letter, and show it to her.
"Oh. Isn't this...?" She hesitates. "When did you...? This is Shiroko's doing isn't it? I can't believe you'd betray me, Shiroko. You can't go digging through your president's bag! And you, Sensei!" She points a finger at me. "Shiroko's sure to become a supervillain when she's your age if you keep advocating the cool crime of stealing!"
"Don't throw the word betray around like that." I say venomously, surprising her. Her finger, once pointed at me, wilts. "Besides, Shiroko's already been punished for that."
She lets out a long sigh. "So that's how it's going to be."
"Hoshino, tell me what's really goin' on. Please." I stress the last word, looking the short girl right in her heterochromatic eyes.
"You've really got me by the short ones, huh?" She says, before sighing again. "Fine. Mind going on a walk with me, Sensei?"
"Not at all." I smile.
And so, the two of us stroll through the moonlit hallways of Abydos High School, completely devoid of life.
We pass by a section of the school near sand, causing the short girl to cough a bit. "The sand's piling up here too."
"Where the hell does it all come from...?" I ask, more to myself.
"There aren't enough of us to keep a building this big clean." She says, shaking her head. "If only the sandstorms would calm down... Pretty messed up, huh? All these school years under my belt, but each of them was buried in sand."
I let out a hum. "You really care 'bout this school, don't you?"
She looks up at me. "What makes you think that?"
"The fact you're looking so nostalgic is a pretty big giveaway." I say., causing the pink haired girl to chuckle.
"I heard this was a big, prestigious school before desertification, but my memory isn't what it used to be." She says, somewhat sadly. "All I can ever remember is the school being a mess where nothing ever worked out." She looks out of a window, up at the moonlight. "The school I first walked into all those years ago is now buried in sand, and all of the upperclassmen I looked up to are long gone." She looks back at me. "This isn't even the school's main building. It's just an annex that we ran to after every other building was lost to desertification. Then again,-" A small smile appears on her face. "I wouldn't have met Shiroko, Nonomi, Ayane and Serika had I not come here. Not to mention..."
An emotion appears in her eyes, one most people wouldn't be able to identify...
Grief.
"You lost someone too, huh...?" I mutter, not knowing whether or not she heard it.
She lets out a dry, self-deprecating chuckle. "I guess I am somewhat attached." She looks me in the eye. "Can I be honest with you, Sensei?"
"Of course."
"I've been receiving offers from some weird people for two years now." She explains, earning my confusion.
"Offers...? Lemme guess, it's how that asshole CEO knew you."
"Got it in one, Sensei." She affirms. "I guess you could call it headhunting. They've contacted me multiple times since I came to Abydos. Recently too..." She looks down at the floor. "Their offer was too good to be true, but I kept refusing. I knew that if I left, Abydos would fall for good. I think they're recruiting people for their PMC."
"You mean that 'Gematria' the CEO mentioned?" I ask, receiving a nod. "Who was the guy?"
"I don't know either, I just call him Black Suit. Something about that guy gives me the creeps. I've never seen anyone who looks like that in Kivotos." She says, serious as can be. "But as suspicious as he looked, he didn't actually cause any trouble. One thing's for sure, even the Kaiser director is afraid of him."
"Which means this Gematria is much bigger than Kaiser..." I summarize. "So, where does this come in?" I ask, holding up the resignation letter.
"...Oh, right." She looks at it a bit nervous. "It's not like I haven't had my doubts all this time. You could say that letter is proof of that. Let me see that, I'll throw it out." She takes the paper from my hands and tosses it in a nearby trash can. "See? Now it's in the trash."
"So you kept all this bottled up?" I ask. "Even though those four trust you more than most anyone, you kept it from 'em?"
"I get that you all had your suspicions. I didn't want to drag up ancient history, as if that would do us any good." She says with yet another sigh. "But... they are my underclassmen, and I do owe it to them. I'll tell them the whole thing tomorrow. It's not exactly a happy story, but I know I shouldn't be keeping secrets from them." She crosses her arms. "I have no idea how to go about this..."
"It'll be fine." She turns back to me, eyes a bit wide. "Like I said, they trust you and care for you, a whole lot. Just tell them what you need to, don't rush it, don't push it, and don't worry about it. It'll be fine."
Hoshino then breaks out a wide smile. "Maybe. Anything can happen... even miracles."
"Miracles?" I scoff. "There ain't anything like that. We make our own miracles, all of us."
Hoshino's smile drops as she stares at me wide-eyed. "You've had it hard too, Sensei?"
"...Yeah."
"...All right. We've talked about this heavy stuff for long enough. I'll see you tomorrow, Sensei." She says, beginning to walk away.
"See ya. Just remember-" She stops for a moment. "Whatever bad stuff's happening, tomorrow is always a new day."
She turns around and smiles. "Thanks, Sensei." She keeps on walking away then.
As she disappears around the corner, I leave too.
"Tomorrow's a new day." I say to myself.
Sometimes, it's hard to believe those words.
AN
DOUBLE UPLOAD, BABY!
Long story short, I wrote a chapter, forgot to upload it, then uploaded it alongside this one.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!