A Night Excursion, a blue archive fanfic

The exemplary display of dining etiquette was a blend of familiarity and contradictory. A pandemonium without disorder, without madness, without chaos. The restful air of luxurious clinks and fancy talks were stiffening to many but the dark drops and warm lights made them home. Drowning mocktails, pleasing starters, inviting entrees, fulfilling main courses and delectable desserts, such dining was exemplary fine and wonders of many who came across such meals. A rare chance, a luxurious meal, a deceptive meeting.

That is the hall for the riches that dwelt in the contradictory pleasure of mayhem and order.

Looking upon such atmosphere and polite entrance, she still held wonders about their culture. Is it to relish in chaos or please with fanciness? Such atmosphere was certainly odd to many, but not to many either. If it is not for the oddly Gothic feels and the dimness of the interior, she would have thought she visited the other side instead, the nemesis of her school. Even the fine manner of the attendant was so stunning that one could doubt her allegiance.

"Welcome to the Hall, Miss. May I know if you have a reservation?"

Straight posture and a solid salute, she asked with respect and composure. It startled the person in question, however, for it had been some time since she got a salute. The white-haired girl felt a little stiff from the response. Natural for her uniform yet pins and needles for her conscience.

"Yes, I do, a table for one under my name."

"Very well. May I confirm your identity, please?"

She returned the salute properly before handing the attendant her handbook. The attendant flipped it open to the section she wanted to confirm before referencing her clipboard for the reservation. Finding it, she nodded with a smile.

"I have confirmed that you certainly have the privilege to enter the hall."

"Glad to hear that."

"Just a piece of advice before I return the handbook to you."

The white-haired girl tilted her head in question.

"Today we have special guests having a rather delicate dinner on the second floor, so security is tight. I'm afraid you have a rather… interesting reputation in many fine-dining restaurants. Therefore, there will be additional eyes keeping track of you once you enter the hall."

The attendant kept her words mild. The girl in question just smiled.

"I will keep that in mind."

The attendant just nodded without much change in her politeness.

"We like to have your words that you won't trouble the staff and disrupt the dinner, please. If not, I will have to turn away or if you did while in the Hall, we will have to ban you from the Hall too."

A serious warning, but expected.

"I guess I will have to be lenient for today… If there are any complaints, can I just relay them to you?"

"You can. We are ready to accept any acceptable complaints in order to improve the quality of the Hall."

"That sounds good enough for me… you have my word, of course."

"Thank you very much."

Her handbook was duly returned into the girl's pocket.

"Now, Miss Kurodate, welcome to the Hall and I bid thy a wonderful dinner. Please, follow me."

Haruna tipped her hat upward as she looked around. The Hall did not change much, with the same layout and same manners, yet the feeling was different. It no longer felt like she belonged here despite the understanding respect. Her steps followed the attendant through the throngs of tables and people dining in friendliness, flirtatious or seriousness. All were dressed finely and authoritatively, in either the uniforms of the Prefect Team or Pandemonium Society. Those without either were only dressed finely but clearly with status that befitting their seats here. None batted an eye on her as she blended in by the wicked black and red uniform of Pandemonium Society and walked in a manner of belonging, despite no longer.

That is the hall for the riches that dwelt in the contradictory pleasure of mayhem and order.

"Welcome to the Hall, Miss. May I know if you have a reservation?"

"Yes, I do, a table for one under my name."

"Very well. May I confirm your identity, please?"

"I have confirmed that you certainly have the privilege to enter the hall."

"Glad to hear that."

"Just a piece of advice before I return the handbook to you."

The white-haired girl tilted her head in question.

The attendant kept her words mild. The girl in question just smiled.

"I will keep that in mind."

The attendant just nodded without much change in her politeness.

A serious warning, but expected.

"I guess I will have to be lenient for today… If there are any complaints, can I just relay them to you?"

"You can. We are ready to accept any acceptable complaints in order to improve the quality of the Hall."

"That sounds good enough for me… you have my word, of course."

"Thank you very much."

Her handbook was duly returned into the girl's pocket.

"Now, Miss Kurodate, welcome to the Hall and I bid thy a wonderful dinner. Please, follow me."

Once she was led to her table by a large window, she made herself comfortable at her seat before being inquired about her meal for today. Haruna, with her usual epicure curiosity, asked for the chef's recommendation for the day—drink, starter, entrée, main course and dessert. An exchange of words and preferences before the attendant accepted with a polite gesture of bowing and confirming her intention. Haruna was satisfied with the service and nodded in pleasure. Once her red eyes watched the attendant wander away, she relaxed her posture upon the back of her seat. Her finger pulled the tight knot of her necktie for more comfort away from the stiffness.

Her eyes wandered aimlessly around the hall. It was still the same as how she remembered it to be, a strange blend of revelry, serenity and class. One year, two years, the Hall barely changed. The checker marble floor remained dazzlingly clean as a year ago, the music played remained the same classical music at the same volume as a year ago, the frilled white tablecloth felt smooth as a year ago. Three years changed nothing, yet she felt different. A sense of estrangement. Even with the uniform, manner and paper, the lonely feeling crept deep into her heart the moment she saw her surroundings.

… Maybe next time I should invite someone here with me….

She drew a long, silent sigh.

"Excuse me, Miss. A little bit of your moment."

Haruna looked up in surprise at the sudden appearance of the attendant.

"There's a sudden request from a rather esteemed guest to share the table with you. I hope you don't mind that."

Haruna's eyebrows furrowed.

"Who is it?"

Haruna noticed the attendant averted her eyes.

"It's me, your beloved friend~!"

Haruna turned her curious gaze to an uninvited guest. A fellow Gehenna student, wearing a broad cheerful smile, so wide that it itched Haruna in suspicion. Not much different from the rest in this hall, she dressed neatly in the authoritative black and red uniform of Pandemonium Society and posture that blended well in such a luxurious environment. Her tall slender build, her long lustrous midnight purple hair, her deceptive purple eyes, her charming smile, they were familiar to Haruna and it was not particularly a good news.

"Good evening, I bid, Haruna-chan~"

She greeted with a hint of tease and friendliness.

"… Good evening indeed. How can I help you?"

A thin smile etched across her face, mixed with suspicion, detachment, familiarity and friendliness.

"Just catching up for dinner with a fellow friend, if I may?" the uninvited guest asked.

"Miss Kurodate?" the attendant asked.

Haruna just stared at the still smiling girl. A second, two, three, and a nod.

"… Just let her have the seat."

"Thank you so much~"

Without hesitation, the girl just slipped into the unoccupied seat opposite of Haruna. Certainly, Haruna appreciated that she is not going to have a lonely dinner but on the other hand, she did not like the sudden appearance of this fellow. If anything, she only learnt of a playful affair or a troublesome request from such an encounter.

"May I have your order?"

"The same as Haruna, please."

"Chef's recommendation?"

The girl was puzzled at the reply and turned her eyes to Haruna. She just nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, that will do though please replace our drinks with a very special bottle of mine."

"A special bottle?"

"Just ask your chief about that. It is listed under my name for special occasions."

"Duly noted. I will relay your changes to the kitchen."

The attendant offered a quick bow before leaving the two officers on their own. Haruna watched the girl set off her coat on the rack's hanger. Her exquisite Walther rifle was housed in the rack, just beside where Haruna's classic Heckler & Koch rifle was housed.

"It's been some time, isn't it, Haruna-chan?"

"Indeed, it has been some time, Cer—"

"Roze, please."

She corrected Haruna immediately.

"I prefer if we talk without the formalities. For all I'm aware of, I'm just having dinner with a friend now."

"Uninvited if I have to add."

"Aren't you lonely?" Roze asked, knowing she had a point. "Having such a fine dinner all alone."

"You know how my journey as an epicure goes."

"It's much better if you find a partner to go along with."

"I would have come with Akari but you know her."

"… How is she doing?"

"Still being the gluttonous monster she is."

"I guess you are having fun in that little club of yours."

Roze broke a smile out. A genuine warm smile that she only offered to a fellow friend.

All Haruna felt, however, was detached acceptance.

"What do you want?"

"Before that…"

A waitress came upon them with a glass bottle. A very decorated, expensive bottle befitting to the Hall. The waitress offered to pour it for them to which they accepted. As Haruna watched the waitress pour the drink into her glass, she felt a peculiar smell. A very pleasing, exquisite aroma. Once the waitress was done with the service, she set the bottle down and left with politeness. Haruna could not help but suspect something amiss.

Roze just raised her filled glass upon Haruna's gaze.

"Come on, let's have a toast to our friendship and today's dinner."

Haruna compiled, raising her glass in unison in cheers before taking a big sip of it.

It was certainly exquisite, a well and fine wine.

"How is it? It is a good drink for such a rare occasion, isn't it?" Roze said.

Haruna just gently turned the bottle around for inspection.

"I didn't know our friendship came down to such a metaphor. Appearances can be quite deceiving indeed."

"Eh?! Hey, I didn't mean that for real!"

Roze began to fluster. The composure she had early on was no longer there though her voice was low to a whisper.

"You think it is easy to smuggle this bottle in here? Come on, a bottle of good wine is a serving of good treats, isn't it?"

Haruna chuckled. "Bringing something like this to a sanctioned environment, your boldness still knows no limit."

"The pot calling the kettle black~"

"As much as I love to be bold with this, will you be fine?" Haruna asked. "Imagine one of the most respected officers is found drinking in the public."

She did not pay attention to any of that, but Haruna knew for certain that three prefects were keeping an eye on her from various corners. Even those that guarded the staircase leading to the second floor occasionally turned their gazes on her. They aren't just any prefects either. The armbands, the hidden Kelvar armour, the postures, they were part of the Grenzschutzgruppe.

"If we treat this as a normal mocktail, we should be fine."

Roze winked, well aware of her and Haruna's expertise.

"I really can't complain about the pleasure of fine drinking…"

Both of them took another swipe of their glasses, downing it bits by bits, slowly, gently, until they were done with it. Glasses were set and the talk came.

"I assume we have more than just small talk and a dinner."

"You know me well, isn't it?"

"What is the chance of an uninvited guest over my reservation?"

"It is a coincidence."

"A creeping coincidence."

"An excellent script."

"A troublesome play."

"Do you know what exactly is happening on the second floor?"

"Why a sudden change of topic?"

"It's related."

"If so, a delicate dinner is all I heard."

"Certainly, it is a delicate dinner. What could be more delicate than a dinner between officials from Gehenna and those from Trinity?"

Haruna's smile casually directed to the arrival of the amuse-bouche—a simple collection of bite-size delicacies gathered in spoons much to Haruna's delight.

"Heh, it's still the same style of amuse-bouche, everything on one big plate to be shared between two people." Haruna smiled.

Roze lifted one of the many spoons and pointed it close upon Haruna's face. It was met with a puzzled look.

"Don't you think the situation is a bit difficult for me?" Roze said.

"I think the starters are just right though."

"The starter is already the pain and the main course will be death for sure."

"Is the chef still bad at serving proper meals for fine dining?"

"The current one is pretty good. The previous one got kicked out after a certain former Kampfgruppe commander lodged a complaint."

"That's good news. I really love to see their main course now."

The hand was still there somehow.

"Come on, my hand is going to be tired." Roze mused.

"Why are you feeding me?" Haruna asked, weirded out by the proximity of the spoon.

"Why not? Imagine a handsome girl feeding you on her own accord. Aren't you happy with this?"

"Do you want me to drill table manners into your head?"

Roze let out a playful giggle before throwing the small chunk of tuna into her mouth.

"Mhm… It is still delicious as always." Roze mused. "If the starter is this delicious already, won't the main course be something else?"

"If we are talking about Gehenna's style, it will be on the filling side, isn't it?"

"Deceptive I must say, which is worrying me a little bit."

Haruna frowned upon how Roze played with the shrimp salad.

"We're in an interesting time, Haruna-chan, on the edge of making history. For the first time, we have the ever austere Trinity and the ever anarchic Gehenna sat down at the same table and discuss, of all things, a peace treaty on their own accords."

Three spoonfuls of bite-sized starters were gone.

"Do you want the remaining one?" Haruna asked.

"You can have it~" Roze replied before continuing. "Don't you think this is strange?"

"I didn't think much of it, Roze."

"We're speaking of an unlikely and hasty talk, started by an exemplary lady from the snobbish school and pushed by our ever favourite Q-Tip."

Roze mimicked the idea that her brain blew at the mentions.

"What a magnificent development! Trinity! Gehenna! A blooming friendship! Such a wonderful occasion!"

The maniacal laugh echoed throughout the hall. Eyes fell upon the sudden laughter before a karate chop was promptly delivered onto her head.

"Owie!"

"Please keep quiet in the dining hall, Roze."

The waitress was disappointed that she lost her bet, for it was another person that caused a minor ruckus, not the infamous epicure of Gehenna. She quietly served the entrée plate, one for Haruna and one for Roze. She did not see Haruna's surprised eyes.

"Parisian Gnocchi, eh?"

"I assume these are… meatballs?"

"It's more akin to dumplings being your pasta."

Roze looked at Haruna dumbfoundedly.

"This is pasta?"

"No, but you can think of it as one." Haruna said as she took a bite of the ball. "It's surprisingly good though. Not too much, just right before the main item."

Roze still looked uncertain at the dish before deciding to land her fork into the pile.

"For such an interesting opening, the chefs are pretty hasty with the execution. A guileful chef and a herculean chef…" Roze mused. "Such forceful acceptance, hastened preparation…"

Roze's smile turned into a feverish pant.

"I'm wondering if this is a prelude to a wonderful drama."

Haruna fixed herself with the entrée in silence and paid no attention to the oddly enthusiastic panting.

"Are you interested in a metaphor, Haruna?"

The panting was no longer heard. In return, Haruna found herself looking at a rather big grin.

"Is it interesting?"

"I just thought of it just now." Roze hummed. "If you see water gushing out of a tap into an overflowing sink and there is no one around, what would you do?"

"Naturally, I will have Akari drink all the water."

Roze stared at Haruna's grin with disapproval.

"I'm joking. One would naturally close the tap to prevent further overflow."

"Naturally indeed. Water spilling everywhere is a mess to clean up after all. Actions are needed to close the tap and one would need to see it for it not to leak." Roze nodded. "So, I thought of how I can catch someone's attention to the sink and close the tap naturally?"

Roze held her palms together before spacing them out. "The answer is a golden tuna in an aquarium."

"Now, you have my interest for a bit there."

"It was recently found in a nearby ocean. A very rare tuna that one rarely sees. They're putting it on a display and it's open for visitors. Now, here's the interesting part, it is in an aquarium in the middle of Trinity."

"Anywhere is not a problem for me. There is nothing that can stop the will of an epicure in search of wonders."

"For me, it's wonderful, that it's just right where a good play can be."

The waitress announced the arrival of the main course politely followed by a warm smile. The main course was a filling serving of carpetbag steak, finished with a small serving of chips and sautéed vegetables. Its arrival was the main concern of Haruna. As an epicure, this will be the determiner of how she is going to give her response to the Hall later.

"Very much thanks to that, I have a remarkable script, written specifically to stroke egos."

"Roze, eat or die, that remains my sole way of living. I will do whatever I want with the golden tuna."

"Haruna, we're in the middle of a crossroad that demands a well-crafted script, not your usual impromptu slapstick drama."

"Roze, a question from me."

Roze watched Haruna's hands gracefully slide the knife deep into the meat.

"Our uniforms are the same, still are, but they are not the same. You know what it is?"

Haruna did not wait for Roze's reply.

"One dressed for the present and one dressed for the past," Haruna answered. "That grand table housed proper uniforms, they are proper officers with genuine concerns for the Treaty. This table, however, housed only a suspicious writer and a disgraced lady. Look here and you see the Knight's Cross. A wonderful medal bestowed only to those who achieved greatness. Yours are still glinting with life, mine is just a faded silver that lost its glitter."

—Therefore, the Treaty of Eden does not concern me one bit.

Haruna's warmness was no longer there. Her red eyes gazed down upon Roze's purple eyes. A deep, determined, tired look but the smile persisted there.

"Isn't friendship about helping each other in times of trouble?" Roze said. "It's time for you to repay the debt, Haruna-chan."

"I prefer a hell of my own choosing."

"Who exactly sees you out of that hell, eh?"

"Both ways and I end up seeing Hina."

"The ever daring lady fear of Q-Tip?"

"To be dangled up for her, I need a better reason."

"Friends bust each other out of trouble, and I still do that." Roze pushed further. "Haruna, you can't run away from this, not you, not me, not her."

"I'm no longer an officer nor her. Politics is none of my concern. For all I care, I'm just a regular epicure now."

"The responsibility, the obligation, you still have them."

"My responsibility and obligation long ago died in the desert."

"We are speaking of a potential grand coup d'état right now!"

Silence fell upon the Hall. The clattering plates and glasses came to a slowing halt. The classical music played uncomfortably in the background. Eyes looked awkwardly, murmurs exchanged in questions. Haruna averted her eyes from the purple eyes. She understood the meaning without looking. A bitter, frustrated look.

"… Excuse me." Roze coughed audibly.

The calmness returned to the tables but the awkward silence still lingered around the meals.

"The situation in the Pandemonium Society isn't looking good. People are suspecting Q-Tip is planning to get Trinity's support to oust the entire Society. That, or we are being lead into a trap."

"Hina is the last person to do it though. The Prefect Team only interested in keeping order around Gehenna as far as I'm aware of. The Treaty of Eden is just a means for that, isn't it?" Haruna sighed. "Plus, I doubt anyone would let the treaty's balance of power skew that easily, especially if it's based on the one drafted by the General Student Council's president.

"It still didn't stop three officers from being gunned down at daylight within three hours after they supported Q-Tip and five armed riots blowing up elsewhere. One nearly burnt down a Prefect Team's checkpoint after they brought in a Tiger."

The fork clinked against the plate.

"There is also the issue with Schale." Roze said.

The knife stopped.

"The Independent Federal Investigation Club?" Haruna asked.

"The advisor is currently in Trinity, advising a special club formed specifically using their extrajudicial authority."

"A special operation unit formed right under your nose, pretty rare."

"No, it's a normal club that focuses on supplementary classes. The four members in the club are all failures and on the verge of expulsion."

"How are they related then?"

"The timing is rather odd and some words just came out that are related to the Treaty. Not sure in what way but there is no reason to doubt the validity." Roze sighed. "One is rumoured to be the leader of a mysterious criminal group and directly appointed as the president of the club by the one who proposed this treaty, another is a promising candidate with ties to the Sisterhood, another is a Justice Task Force member with a close relationship with one of the top brass and the last one is a newly transferred student with unknown origin yet able to elude our surveillance whenever she's alone."

"That's a rather colourful collection."

"Anyway, the most important thing is Sensei." Roze stated. "Not everyone likes the fact that he is in Trinity right now.

"In fear of skewing the treaty in favour of Trinity, is it?"

"Naturally, people would think of that but if the profile we have is still applicable, Sensei was only involved with the club because of his responsibility and nothing else. The current acting president of the General Student Council is still picky about intervening in autonomous districts' politics anyway. Even if Sensei did throw himself into the game, there will be reactions from the Council for sure."

"That will definitely add another layer of trouble."

"That, and we will have something to negotiate with GSC for our benefits." Roze said. "That, of course, speaks sanely here. We are Gehenna, not Trinity nor Millennium."

"Rationality and insanity don't blend well."

"Yet we blended them in an odd mix of tea and coffee."

Roze stared down at her plate for two good full seconds before slumping onto the comfortable seat with a sigh. She gazed outside of the window, looking over the compound of students enjoying the nightlife of Gehenna with an apologetic smile.

"I really liked this blend, Haruna, I really do. Looking at us enjoying what we desire without the fear of repercussions nor unguided till seeing the day of judgments… I rather not see this changed…"

Sweetening the table were cakes cut in squares and washed with a fountain of chocolate. The plates signalled the arrival of dessert and the ending of the entire course.

"A crossroad, an overflowing sink, and a tipping balance… The script I have right here, will ensure our pandemonium fest for as long as we are here."

The deceptive smile Haruna knew her for was there, finally, in proper.

"Therefore, I require your participation in this script, Haruna." Roze pressed. "Appear on the stage, and I will keep this little arrangement of ours."

The black-haired girl happily forked bits by bits of the cake for enjoyment. Of everything, this was the only thing that she can smile at with all her heart. The opposite did the opposite of staring down with disinterest.

"… Have you told Cheshire about this?"

"The stage isn't for them. Not yet, at least."

Roze sighed with a fulfilled expression.

"Call me when you are ready. I will make the arrangement."

"I trust that you won't cut us off."

"I would cut you off long ago if that was the case."

The purple eyes caught the troubled look of an old friend. She was not convinced. She no longer has the desire. The hatchet was buried deep in the desert, but she remembered it.

All of them remembered it, the very thing long buried under the piercing clouds of sandstorms.

Roze shook herself away from the past and waved for the check. It came soon afterwards, presented by the attendant on a clipboard in the ever polite manner.

"Here's the check, miss."

"Thank you. Today's course is wonderful. My compliment to the chef."

"Thank you."

Roze hummed to the tone before her relaxed eyes widened upon the small piece of paper.

"… Haruna?"

The fork froze. Her red eyes looked up in question, thinking whether to offer up this cake or to fight for it.

"The check..." Cold sweat ran down Roze's temple. "I'm broke for real today, so… pretty please~!"

[A/N]: A long drawn-out idea I have had for months, and finally written out in a messy dialogue. Though, I loved the first few paragraphs and enjoyed writing those. Anyway, this is just a "what if" moment involving a specific original character, just like in "Mysterious Report On Make-Up Work Club", and Kurodate Haruna, my favourite Gehenna student.

This takes place before the event of Volume 3 Chapter 2 where Haruna and the gang raided Trinity just for that golden tuna. So, in a way, this is supposed to expand upon the lore but of course, this is just mere fanfiction but who knows? My lore schizo brain told me to write this, so here it is.

Image cover source: Pixiv Image ID 101287674