A/N: Feels like two weeks was so long ago when it comes to updating this fic, but it feels like just days when it comes to writing it. Which, technically, it was since I only finished writing it yesterday.

That aside, hope you enjoy~

Halo

Chapter 11: Incursion

Several days had passed since the Gehenna base raid.

Since then things had returned to normal – or their new normal at least. Exploring the other autonomous territories for signs of a base there, meeting back up at Schale to discuss what they missed and if needed let the girls catch up on some of their studies before all of them headed to bed, and the cycle repeated. It wasn't a necessarily nice routine, as it involved early mornings and frequently-late nights, but it was what it was and nobody seriously complained.

Today had been only slightly different for Sensei himself. Though he went through the usual morning routine and saw the girls off, this time he stayed at the office. Mainly to do the paperwork that had accumulated – while finding out more about Elysium was a top-priority, that didn't mean the rest of Kivotos came to a standstill nor did their problems; especially when very few people were even aware of Elysium's existence and the threat they posed.

Sensei sighed, reclining in his chair. The room around him was dark; only his desk lamp on to illuminate the paperwork he'd been filing through since morning, the stacks having accumulated heavily since he undertook his newest, and most challenging assignment. Everything from reports of bullying, to funding requests, to territorial disputes, thefts and even grand heists; there was a lot. And this was only a fraction of what the General Student Council had to deal with.

How they managed, he didn't know.

Rising from his chair Sensei stretched his legs for a moment, his gaze drawn to the wide window behind his desk. He drew close to it almost on instinct, his gaze wandering over the city below – not for the first time reminded of how the world didn't stop just because of tragedy. He'd had the bodies from the Gehenna base identified and had their relatives informed of their demise, though for better or worse their specific cause of death was obscured with more common, understandable causes. Getting lost and dying of starvation or thirst, falling from a great height due to youthful overeagerness, drowning because of a storm...

Tragic deaths. But far less tragic than the families knowing they died via experimentation from a mysterious group.

'Elysium...' Sensei tilted slightly, his face's reflecting in the glass along with the distant city lights below.

It was an odd name. He'd taken to doing a bit of research to see if he could narrow it down to anything, though unfortunately hadn't come up with much. The name itself had ties to the old mythologies of Kivotos, specifically the Elysian Fields in Millennium's old mythos before the modern era mostly wiped it off of the map. Said to be a mythical place where worthy souls went after death, where nothing but bliss and contentment existed.

It shared similarities to the 'Heaven' in Trinity's standing religion. Whereas Trinity's 'Heaven' was a place said to be beyond the clouds where devout followers of Trinity – the three-faced god that the territory was supposedly named after – lived, the Elysian Fields were a place removed from the world, their actual location never really specified in myth. Additionally, while Trinity's Heaven was a place for the devout to rest and enjoy their afterlife, the Elysian Fields were always a place for contentment – but not peace. Rather, somewhat paradoxically, it was a place said to be of progress.

Or to frame it another way, Trinity's Heaven was the end-game; the reward at the end of the journey.

In contrast, the Elysian Fields were just the start of a new beginning.

The actual details were understandably somewhat vague and, as time passed, muddled by modernistic tweaks. The original tales and lore implied that those that were granted entry to the Elysian Fields were to improve themselves further, to refine themselves in mind, body and soul until they could transcend into something greater. As time past though external touches were added to the story. Some said that it was another world like Kivotos, with their own districts and such. Others suggested that there was multiple Elysian Fields, layered atop one another, and that those that were granted entry had to climb to the pinnacle one way or another, be it travelling the Rivers of Nyx or the ten-million-steps or whatever other requirement modern authors insisted upon.

Of course, no proof of the Elysian Fields were ever discovered – mainly because the only way one could presumably reach them was through death, by which point even if someone was successful they couldn't come back to confirm it. As such, when Millennium shifted its focus towards the future and turned itself into a technological giant, modernism washed away much of the older cultures that made up the territory in the decades and centuries prior until they faded into the myths they were today. While the religions in Trinity and Gehenna were still alive and active today, the spiritual beliefs in Millennium were much more subdued and tended to veer away from the supernatural in most cases, only getting involved when there was clear evidence and proof.

All that said, however, it didn't explain Elysium's name. Were they somehow connected to the old myth? Did they intend to reach the mythical Elysian Fields themselves, using the Mystic energy in halos as some sort of medium? Or was the naming connection a total coincidence or, worse yet, just based on a whim? He couldn't rule out the prospect that whoever was leading the organisation just named it after the old myth purely based on the fact they liked the sound of it.

Sensei sighed, running a hand down his face and glancing at his reflection. 'I'll have to run with the idea that there's a meaning behind the name. I can't put it past whoever is behind this to have just chosen it on a whim, but I somewhat doubt that.'

Shelving his thoughts on Elysium's naming convention, his thoughts turned more towards the documents on his desk – and the information Rin had included within it. He'd read through it twice today already just to try and make some connections she hadn't, but unfortunately the information was as troublesome as it was enlightening. For one, she'd managed to wrangle enough answers out of the detained scientists and guards to know that Elysium was, in fact, using their technology to drain halos of Mystic energy. That in and of itself was a massive boon of information, helping narrow down Elysium's motive somewhat... but, frustratingly, even the scientists didn't know what the energy was being used for.

Instead it was sucked out of the student's halo like a mystical fluid – 'not dissimilar to brain fluid', one scientist had apparently remarked – then put into specially-sealed fluid tanks, packed, picked up by airborne drones and then ferried off to its destination. A destination that all the scientists were unaware of. Smart on Elysium's part, keeping them on a need-to-know basis, but not helpful to him or Rin.

It also begged the question of why they were using students instead of regular civilians that had halos too. A question that none of the scientists nor guards seemed to be able to answer. The two kidnappers that had been picked up, as well, knew little more than what the rest knew either.

''Haah...'' Exhaling a heavy breath Sensei turned away from the door, running his fingers through his raven hair to keep it out of his eyes – only to pause mid-motion when he heard something.

It was faint, inaudible even, but it sounded almost like something clattering; a distant echo of something hitting polished tile.

His eyes narrowed. The three-man teams he'd sent out to Trinity, Abydos and Millennium were on their way back, he knew that much – but they shouldn't be back yet. From the last text from each team leader they were still minutes away, probably as much as twenty for Hoshino's group.

He glanced at his desk and silently walked over, snatching his phone up and firing off a text in the group chat. [Where are you all right now?]

It took seconds before Shiroko responded. [Just coming off the train now. At station.]

Hoshino responded next. [Walking down Noble Road.]

[We just passed Noble Road and are coming upon the main square, about two minutes from Schale.] Aru answered not a second later. [Why?]

Again, he heard a noise. A faint echo, as if someone was climbing the stairwell instead of taking the elevator... and was being deliberately sneaky about it.

[Someone is in the building with me. Unknown.] He texted back hurriedly, glancing repeatedly up to gaze at the opaque windows fronting his office space. No movement there yet. [Hurry back.]

Not waiting to see a response Sensei set his phone to mute and closed his phone to minimise the light, making an effort to be quiet as he marched up to the door. His heartbeat sounded so loud in his ears and it took him a moment to realise it was fear; a subtle, climbing sort of fear that made him swallow tightly, his muscles taut even as he pushed himself up against the wall next to the closed wooden door. He knew better than most that he was comparatively mortal to his students. If this person was here to hurt, or worse kill him, they wouldn't need to try hard.

So he stood in the corner of the room, breathing as slowly as possible to minimise the noise, straining his hearing to its limits. The silence was oppressive, almost audible in how thick it was – until it was broken by a squeak. A hinge, he noted; most probably coming from the stairwell door since it was the only door on this floor with that problem. He filed that information away but didn't react, didn't try to run.

For all he knew, the building was already full of intruders.

'Just my luck to stay back at Schale on today of all days.' Sensei thought – only to pause, then narrow his eyes at the thought. 'Unless... they were waiting for me to be alone?'

Any such thoughts ceased as he noticed movement through the opaque windows. Slow, methodical; the warped silhouette of a person ghosted down the hallway outside without so much as a sound-

BANG!

-and then the door slammed inwards, nearly hitting his face had the springy door-stopper not halted it a mere inch from his nose.

Quietude returned, but not silence – soft breathing on the other side of the door, a touch heavier from exertion. He focused on the sounds; a soft rattle, skin shifting across something plastic-like – the grip of a gun? What must've been a hand touched the opposite side of the door-frame judging by by the brief hiss of fabric against wood. Gloved hands? Likely, if they wore a similar outfit to Looker. Though unlike Looker, they seemed to be armed.

Not here for a kidnapping, then.

The individual began to shift further into the room, their footfalls padding forth and in the back of his mind he realised if they entered too far into the room they'd noticed him. Escape was not an option, and hiding was rapidly not becoming one either. That left only one option. Fight.

In a heartbeat Sensei shoved the door forth with all his might, slamming the thick wood into the invader's back and sending them stumbling forth with a shout. Sensei was already moving, absorbing everything; dark clothes, tall stature, masculine musculature, and a semi-automatic pistol in his right hand. It took less than a second to soak in the details and form an attack plan, his footing adjusting briefly before he leapt – allowing him to throw his full weight on top of the masculine figure.

Even though the man was taller, unbalanced and off-guard as he was he went down with ease – a synchronised grunt escaping the two men. Sensei reached for the gun but the man was faster, whipping it in his direction and firing off two shots; the loud bangs deafening from close range and illuminating the office in a twin flashes – missing his cheek by mere inches. He managed to catch the man's wrist though and jerked it down, raising his other hand in the same moment and bringing it down in a punch.

The man jerked his head to the side. His fist connected with the floor.

''Ghk-!'' Sensei gritted his teeth, pain spasming up his forearm.

The masked man under him exploited his momentary weakness, a knee driving itself into his stomach and knocking the air from Sensei's lungs. A hand reached for his throat and he nearly leaned away – but if he wouldn't be able to put his weight on the arm holding the gun. Thinking fast Sensei instead brought his head down, smashing his head against the man's own.

He may as well have hit the floor for all the good it did; spots blotching his vision and refusing to dissipate even when he blinked rapidly, a momentary lapse filling his mind. One that lasted long enough for the masked man to recover and throw his weight to one side, tossing Sensei onto the floor with a harsh grunt. The man tried to stumble to his feet, raising his gun to fire, but Sensei stubbornly held onto his wrist and pulled the man back down on top of him – another gunshot let loose and pinging off of the polished floor, ricocheting and shattering a window pane.

''Get... off...!'' The man grunted, trying to pull Sensei's hand off of his arm.

Taking a note from his attacker's play-book he responded by thrusting a knee up, hitting him in the crotch. The man spasmed momentarily from the pain and Sensei acted, a shout of exertion preluding the sudden punch he threw – striking the man in the forehead with enough force to knock him backwards, his suddenly-limp body collapsing as his knees gave out under him; knocked out cold.

The clatter of the gun made Sensei flinch, glancing at it before hurriedly picking it up – aiming it at the man for a moment. When he didn't get up enough, breathing but unconscious, he dared to lower his gun, but not his guard. Now that he could spend a second to actually look at the man he noted all the relevant details down, from the dark baggy clothing to the complete lack of helpful insignia on him. At best was the two eye-holes, but he wouldn't put it past his intruder to be wearing contacts to hide his eye colour.

''Damn...'' Sensei puffed out a breath and looked around for his phone – finding it tossed over near the corner of the room. He didn't remember letting it go, but then again it had all been one big blur.

Hurrying over he bent down and picked it up, multiple messages already there, some more anxious than the next. He flicked through his contacts, his thumb twitching and misclicking the buttons several times – adrenaline coursing through him. Gritting his teeth he forced himself to take a deep breath-

-and then gasped it out as an arm wrapped around his neck from behind, yanking him back. He fell backwards but the man behind him – the man he thought he'd knocked unconscious – yanked harder, choking him out. Dropping his phone he pointed the gun behind himself, pulling the trigger and lighting up the office with flashes of bright light. At least one bullet hit judging by the man's grunt but it wasn't enough to make him let go.

So he reached up with his free hand, grasping at the man's face – and then jammed his fingers into his eyes. That got a reaction, a harsh swear as the man recoiled, and with haste Sensei wrestled himself out of the man's grip, turning mid-tumble and pointing the gun at the man, shooting him in the face. The bullet pinged off of his skin but made him jerk back, wincing... but didn't knock him down, let alone wound him significantly.

'Shit.' Stumbling to his feet Sensei grasped his borrowed gun with both hands, aiming at the man as he stood. 'How the hell do the girls down someone this durable?'

Overwhelming, or sustained firepower.

Neither of which he had – and he doubted attrition would work in his favour when up against a Kivotos resident.

There was no more time to think though as the man marched at him, a cold look in his eyes. Swearing in his mind Sensei raised the gun and fired; two shots aimed for the head to knock him out that both missed, even from such a close distance, forcing him to aim for body shots until the gun clicked empty – but though they made the man grunt, they simply weren't enough to down him. He may as well have been throwing tennis balls for all it mattered.

And then the man lunged, closing the remaining distance faster than Sensei anticipated – and faster than he could evade. A hand grasped him by the collar and yanked him close – only to slam his head back against the glass, shattering the window pane into a thousand pieces, the shards seeming almost iridescent as the neon lights below reflected off of them. He had only a split-second to admire that detail before the masked man began to push him, and it struck Sensei then what he was trying to do.

A great fall would kill him as easily as any bullet.

Grasping onto the edge of window Sensei resisted, exerting himself with a grunt even as the man grabbed him by the throat, trying to shove his torso out the window. He was almost tempted to raise his leg in a kick to the man's groin but didn't dare let his foot leave the ground lest it spell his end, but even then air was becoming sparse; his lungs burning and eyes watering as the strain forced him to gasp in little, strained breaths, his grip involuntarily weakening.

Was this the end-

''Sensei!''

The shout, feminine and alarmed, startled him just as much as it did his attacker – and Sensei wheezed in a fresh lungful as the aforementioned man threw him to the floor, turning to face the speaker – Aru, he noted dimly, her red hair bright in the darkness; stood in the corridor just outside his office and staring through the shattered opaque window.

No, not just staring he realised; time seeming to lag for him as Aru raised her sniper rifle, holding it out with only one hand – and with unmistakable anger, with fury, fired. A high-pitched whine carried a blazing flare across the office, striking the attacker in the collarbone and sticking to his clothes. The force of it knocked the man back, sending him tumbling over the lip of the window even as his hands flailed, grasping, clawing-

-and then with an almighty boom the flare detonated, exploding into a plume of red smoke – and knocking the attacker far out of reach of the building.

Sensei stumbled to his feet, coughing, but when he peered outside he couldn't see any trace of the man. Even when he strained his hearing past the sound of his own blood pumping he couldn't hear anything distinct, any gruesome splatter or crunch, the whine of a zip-line or puff of a secret parachute. The sounds of Kivotos, even this late at night, muted all such sounds.

Not that it banished the reality of what happened to the man.

Kivotos residents were durable. Impossibly so.

But not immortal. A fall from this height, even to them, was fatal. Even their halos could not triumph over the absolute hold that was gravity.

Rubbing his neck Sensei turned away from the window, casting only a brief glance at the shards of glass on the floor before moving around them – hearing the others arriving. Kayoko was by his side and had an arm around him, guiding him over to the desk for him to lean against whilst Mutsuki stood with gun cocked and ready to fire if another intruder dared showed their face. If he focused he could hear three pairs of footsteps hurriedly ascending the stairs too; Shiroko's team, judging by the sound of their footwear.

''Sensei, are you alright?'' Kayoko asked, her brow dipped in concern.

''Yes. I... yes.'' He paused to draw in a breath, forcing himself to calm down. While hardly his first taste of battle – he'd commanded his girls from the frontline for months now – being in one-one-one combat with someone was an altogether new feeling. Not helped by the fact his opponent was vastly more durable than him and practically immune to bullets.

However his gaze was not on Kayoko, but on Aru – who still stood in the corridor, shocked. Kayoko followed his gaze and frowned in confusion at Aru's state, but with a grunt Sensei just pushed himself off of the desk; waving off Kayoko's troubled look and instead going out into the hallway to meet Aru.

His approach stirred her from her shocked state, eyes focusing on him. ''S-Sensei...''

The moment he was close enough he pulled the red-haired student into a hug. ''Thank you.''

''A-Ah, um...'' Some warmth coloured her cheeks before Aru meekly hugged him back. ''Y-You're welcome...''

Smiling faintly Sensei guided Aru into his office, the three students on high-alert as they awaited the return of the other two teams – and whey did he regaled them on the events that had just transpired before contacting Rin.

Safe to say whoever was behind this was now taking them seriously – even if that meant an attempted assassination on the head of Schale.

X-x-X

Morning came fast.

In light of the new threat to himself it was decided that he must have a guard at all times, not unlike how none of the students under his direct command weren't allowed to be alone at any given moment. Rin had been deeply troubled when she'd heard of what happened and, besides getting someone to fix the windows and update the security of the building, she'd reallocated more funding his way to help with his mission.

Understandable really. What started a mysterious string of disappearances was rapidly becoming a conspiracy bigger than any of them could've expected.

Still, the funding would go a ways to help with back-up if they ever needed it. Nothing mobilised the various student councils like offering a heaping sum of money.

Banishing the thought Sensei cast his gaze around the street as he walked. Considering his newfound need for a guard it was decided that he'd continue to journey with Aru's team considering their more versatile skill-set – Aru was a hard-hitter with a good tactical sense, Kayoko could effectively act as a bodyguard and keep him safe or extract him from a situation if necessary, whilst Mutsuki was good at causing chaos and distraction to assist in that endeavour. While the three-woman team didn't have the defensive abilities of Haruka or Hoshino, nor the healing abilities of Ayane, they were the best of the three teams for him to work with.

That was how he found himself walking down the streets of Millennium at eleven in the morning, the sunlight warm and the air a touch crisp against his skin. Dressed in his usual suit he was flanked by Kayoko and Mutsuki, with Aru following just a step ahead. The four of them had gotten a few looks from the residents nearby but none shot them anything approaching animosity, if only because Gehenna didn't have as bad a reputation here as it did in Trinity.

Despite that, however, Aru still seemed a bit... off. Down, almost, but for reasons that presently eluded him.

Humming to himself he glanced down at Mutsuki and Kayoko for a moment before nodding ahead. They took the hint; Mutsuki cheerfully bobbing her head whilst Kayoko did so with a bit more reluctance, the two of them walking faster to put a bit of distance between them and him; not enough to be out of range, but enough that they wouldn't hear any whispering – aided by the cars that regularly drove down the busy Millennium streets and the chatter that came from crowded cafés and shops.

Once the two Problem Solver 68 girls were ahead, Sensei shifted up to Aru's side. ''Hey. You alright?''

''Huh? Oh, yes... I'm fine, Sensei.'' Aru managed a smile for him that seemed far more subdued than her normal ones. ''Sorry for worrying you.''

''It's alright. It's my job to worry about you girls.'' He answered lightly.

Aru hummed at that but didn't answer, simply gazing at the shops as they passed. Unseen by her his brow dipped, pondering what could be bothering her – cycling back through the past few days for any hint. She'd been despondent about not finding any hint of a base in the other districts after Gehenna, sure, but more put-off than depressed by it. The attack on his person had probably come as a shock, sure, but he was relatively unharmed aside from a few bruises, and she'd saved him so she shouldn't feel-

Ah.

So that was why.

Sensei's expression softened even as he wrapped an arm around Aru. She glanced at him, her cheeks warming from the sudden closeness, but he just gave her a reassuring smile. Even though he said nothing she seemed to cotton onto the meaning, her own lips twitching up into a small, hesitant sort of smile that faded quickly, her gaze drawn elsewhere – whether out of embarrassment or uncertainty, he didn't know, but he made an effort to make sure she knew he was there. That she could talk to him.

Murder wasn't an unheard of thing in Kivotos. When you had girls running around shooting each other practically for fun, with citizens durable enough to take artillery shells and only be rendered unconscious, it was a given that sometimes people would take things too far or someone with a deep-seated lust for vengeance took revenge to an extreme. As such, for a place that treated gunfights as little worse than petty squabbling, most students – heck, most citizens – rarely had to deal with actual murder. The dichotomy of treating shooting one another as nothing special, but treating the possible consequences of such a thing as grave, was equal parts amusing and worrisome.

Aru had shot her fair share of people. Blown them up too. By the end of the day, they'd end up in an infirmary somewhere and go back to living life.

This, however, was the first time she's shot – and as a result, killed someone.

Sure, it had been accidental, but she'd still shot with intent – still gone through with it. Legally she was in the clear, even without his intervention since it was to protect another, but personally? It must've shaken her quite hard, taking another person's life for the first time.

The fact the man had died a rather grisly death – falling from a great height and ending as a splatter on the ground – probably didn't help matters. Small mercies she and the other students enter via the other side of the building and, as such, avoided seeing such a mess.

Sensei made to speak – but was halted as Millennium's campus finally came into sight.

It was a grand, sprawling thing isolated from the surrounding city by a moat connected via several bridges. The Millennium Tower lived up to its reputation; a masterwork of steel and concrete channelled into a spire that seemed to reach into the sky, nearing the clouds almost if looked at from the right angle. The surrounding buildings were no less impressive but the Millennium Tower stood out for its sheer height, overlooking the entire campus like the watchful eye of the heavens.

Which it was, in a sense. Seminar – the club acting as the de-facto student council – watched over the campus keenly, not wanting any chaos to spread from some mishandled experiment or thieving other school.

Banishing the thought Sensei unwound his arm from Aru and nudged her, the two of them catching up with Kayoko and Mutsuki just as they reached the main gates – monitored by volunteer students. A quick show of his credentials was all that was needed for them to be allowed in, the four of them exiting the bridge in just a minute's walk and finally touching down on the the campus grounds. Compared to Trinity's sprawling territory or Gehenna's cramped one, Millennium felt like a balance of the two. It had neither a large nor small territory, but used every metre of space with efficiency in mind. Houses were less frequent than apartments, stores sold additionally commodities alongside their main product such as butchers also selling bread and vegetables, and parks often also doubled as nature preserves.

The philosophy of efficiency extended to the campus itself. Everything was arranged neatly, balancing itself between appealing décor while also making use of its available space – great open spaces of grass were used for field exercises or training, hedge mazes were used both for recreation and for tests of the mind, the internal spaces within the various buildings could often be rearranged to suit the needs of the user; it maximised the space whilst minimised the loss of use.

Millennium. A place of science and the dedication towards furthering Kivotos's knowledge in all fields, obtained through efficient use of materials and the refinement of others.

''Sensei.'' Kayoko's voice drew his gaze. ''Why are we here?''

''To talk to a friend.'' He answered lightly, glancing around – before finding the target of their visit waiting not far away, idly admiring one of the statues. ''Yuuka!''

''Hm? Ah, Sensei. Welcome to Millennium.''

The purple-haired student greeted him with a slight smile, one touched both by warmth and a fond sort of exasperation, as if knowing his presence would bring her a headache but unable to find it in her to complain. The tight-fitting black jacket she wore over her white button-up was as familiar as ever, her skirt short for ease of mobility and a pair of submachine guns mounted on her metallic white belt alongside other item like spare magazines and her phone.

Hayase Yuuka. Treasurer of Seminar.

''It's a pleasure to be back.'' Sensei smiled warmly, approaching until he was within comfortable speaking distance. ''Last time I was here I was helping the Game Development Department with one of their games.''

''Which involved you putting on a headset and run around collecting coins, making a fool of yourself.'' Yuuka dryly added.

''To be fair, it was meant to take place in Millennium's plaza. And it was at night, so there wasn't many people to see me anyway.''

''Except for the monitoring division who saw the entire thing on camera.''

''...I forgot you had a monitoring division, to be honest.''

''You forget a lot of things, Sensei.'' Yuuka deadpanned. ''Speaking of which, you're not here to make me do your taxes again are you? You haven't gone and purchased more of those figurines and mechas, have you?''

''Ack-'' He winced. ''Quiet down Yuuka, those are, ahem, secret purchases.''

''You have them on your desk.'' Yuuka said in a tone so dry it could give Abydos a run for its money. ''If nobody knew you were into them, I'd be shocked.''

Sensei just chuckled sheepishly, not missing the fond exasperation in Yuuka's eyes as she leaned back upright, arms crossed. Out of all his students Yuuka had been with him since day one of his stay in Kivotos, and had been his first 'secretary' for lack of a better word. How she managed not just her duty as a treasurer but also made the trip to his office and helped get him acclimated he never found out. She was, on the whole, a genius who had way too much put on her plate.

A shame he was about to put more on said plate, even if it couldn't be helped.

''I'm not here for any of that, thankfully.'' Sensei then answered before gesturing behind himself at the three Gehenna girls. ''We're on-duty at the moment. Is Noa available?''

That got Yuuka frowning. ''She's quite busy today... though then again she'd always make time for you if you asked. What for?''

''Top-secret stuff.'' Sensei added, mindfully lowering his voice.

Yuuka took note and complied, her own voice quietening. ''And how does it involves us? Involve Millennium?''

''Any students gone missing lately? In the last two months or so, maybe longer?''

''...there have, yes. So you're looking into who's behind this?'' Yuuka murmured, frown lightening with realisation but not dimming the severity in her eyes. ''I suppose if it's about that... yes, we can't talk about that sort of thing in public.''

Straightening back up Yuuka coughed into her hand. ''I see. Well, with that in mind I suppose it can't be helped. Follow me please.''

''Aye aye.'' Sensei said with a smile, whistling as he looked back at the three Gehenna girls. ''Come on now. Best behaviour.''

''Yes, Sensei~'' Mutsuki chirped, feigning innocence even as she adjusted her bag of explosives.

Ready to react at the slightest sign of an assassination attempt.

He appreciated the thought, if not her eagerness to shoot first and ask questions later.

Nevertheless the five of them began to walk towards the Millennium Tower, the late morning sun rising high above them.

[END]

A/N: What connection could Elysium have to the old Millennium myths, if any? Will Sensei come under further threat? Who knows~

See you next time in Chapter 12: Chase~