Story name changed to Blue Record as of 02/05/2023 (05/02/2023 for Americans and others)

Blue Record

Preface:

To begin, I am fairly new to Blue Archive at the time of publishing, but the world and characters have me hooked and have got the creative juices flowing. Be warned that for some aspects of this fic, details will be added to fill the blanks on certain parts of the world-building. There will also technical firearms jargon. As of the publishing of this story, I am still uncertain of the finer details of the world within Kivotos, and so chapters will be subject to retroactive editing if needed.

This story will feature a different Sensei, one whose past makes him remarkably unfit for his role. The details will become clearer as time goes on. The purpose of this fic is to take a character who is a barely functional husk and throw him into a scenario to see him grow into a proper human being with the help of our favourite girls.

There will absolutely be gacha game logic here. This Sensei hails from a time of apocalyptic war, where he, as part of a series of cloned soldiers, has never known warmth, love, comfort, or anything we would take for granted in our daily lives. How did he get to Kivotos? Who knows? Why was he chosen? Again, who knows? Is Kivotos a simulation or an afterlife? I'll leave that up to you. In short, I'm adding this preface to suggest that you don't dwell too much on Sensei's origin. It is merely the catalyst to get this ''what if'' scenario going and to serve as flavour text. Isn't the convenient Isekai trope great?

To sum up the Sensei of this fic very briefly: He is not the Sensei we know. Due to the nature of his origin, he is pure military with next to no common sense outside of combat and weaponry, and is also incredibly socially and emotionally inept. All he knows is duty, hierarchy, and that he was chosen for the task of guiding the girls of Kivotos, despite having all the emotional and social awareness of a brick. I intend for this to be for comedic moments, but also for growth as he interacts with the other characters. If this kind of premise or character is not to your liking, then feel free to pass over this story. If you want to give it a chance, then I am grateful.

As an added note, this Sensei has two consistent weapons: A Sig Sauer P320 X5 Legion pistol and an H&K MP45 SMG. Plenty of images available for reference.

Entry 1

Rin gave me this journal. Apparently, I'm not very organised and prone to forgetting things. She keeps saying that I shouldn't refer to people by nicknames that I make up on the spot. I thought 'Angry Eyes' was appropriate, but she disagreed with that. So, she gave me this journal to not only record my thoughts, but to remind myself what people's names are and keep track of what I'm supposed to be doing.

Maybe she has a point. I have a hard time remembering my own. I've spent so much of my life without the need to remember names that it doesn't come naturally to me.

Adam. That name was given to me by someone. I don't know who or why. 071-AC-837-A-07 is much easier to remember. It's even tattooed on my right forearm.

I think I should do as Rin instructed and record my thoughts now.

Whenever I dream, I dream of fire. They don't come often, and I'm grateful for that, but the dreams are always the same. There's always the smell of sulphur and the chattering of gunfire. I see faces that are the mirror of each other, only made different by the amount of blood or dirt on them. I advance with them, all armoured and armed, heading towards some collapsing battle line.

Bullets fall on us like rain and blood quickly follows. The identical men and women around me hit the dirt one by one, some dead, some close enough to it. I ignore them as I always do. I don't feel fear. I don't think any of us do. This is normal. The way things have always been for us.

I return fire, my battered but tested rifle lighting up the enemy across the muddy expanse ahead of us. The enemy combatants are all blurred and I can never make out any details. Tracked vehicles and hulking walkers lumber towards us, their weapons discharging their payloads. There's a flash and sudden heat. I die.

Then I'm fighting again, this time somewhere else. A different battle amongst what were once pristine halls. The sulphur smell is gone. It feels familiar. I'm peaking from cover, firing down a corridor at girls in strange uniforms who return their own gunfire. I see their halos. My enemy seems familiar. For some reason, I know them.

No... I don't. It just feels like I do. It feels wrong to fight them, like I'd rather turn the gun on myself than them. Odd. I've never hesitated against an enemy before. I retreat, bullets whistling past me. The scene shifts.

I've been shot. Not for the first time, but it's never pleasant. Seems one of the girls finally got me. I look off to my side and see a tablet. I recognise it somehow. Three bullet holes have rendered it broken and useless.

It doesn't last long, and a new scene replaces it. A girl is speaking to me.

She looks as bloody as I do, but I can't see her face. Her once immaculate white uniform, much like an officer's, is stained red. Since having this dream, I've tried to figure out who she is, but nothing I can come up with makes any sense. It's not like I know many people as it is. We speak briefly. But when I speak, it's the sound of a man forcing out his last words.

'Forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help,' she says. Normally, I'd nod silently. Unfortunately, I can't move. But the words that I speak don't seem like something I'd say.

'Anything,' I rasp. That sounded like a promise. Why? I've never made promises. There was never any point. In the war, you'd never live long enough to keep them. All of us knew that.

'Adam-sensei...'

After that, she speaks about things I don't really understand. Not in the way she expects, I think.

Responsibility, I understand, in a sense. I know how to look after my equipment and follow orders. I can lead a team with a fifty percent survival rate. But I don't think that's what she means.

Adulthood? Am I an adult? From what I was allowed to know, the person I'm cloned from was twenty in both biological and chronological age at the time of their death. I was released from the bio-forges two years ago if memory serves. Not the first time I'd been released, as I'm the seventh in the first series cloned from the same template. But I am the longest surviving of my line. That could make me an adult by those standards. The answer is inconclusive.

Obligation. I understand that perfectly. Duty is to be fulfilled and orders followed. Disobedience was met with death. It's why I'm even writing in this journal. Rin is my senior, and I'd already ceded power to her and the General Student Council, so technically, she's my superior, even if she denies it. At least, I think that's how it works. Either way, she knows more than I do, so I'll listen to her. I also don't want her giving me the angry eyes again.

The girl keeps speaking. It seems I'm fading, bleeding out.

''You're the only one I can trust. Only you can free us from this distorted fate..' she pauses. Black vignettes the edges of my vision. Her words are growing distant. Yet for some reason, I'm determined not to die just yet. ''...Find the choices that will lead us to a new reality. So, Sensei... please. This isn't an order, but a request. Can you do it, Sensei?''

I swallow thickly. It's hard to talk and harder to breathe, but my sense of duty to this girl keeps me going for just a few seconds longer. With whatever scraps of life I have left, I recruit the strength to answer. ''Consider it done... President...'' Before I die for the last time, those words sounded the strongest.

''Sensei. Adam-sensei, wake up.''

Angry-Eyes wakes me up, giving me the angry eyes that led to her nickname. As I've already stated, I'm terrible with names, but I'm much better at remembering appearances. She and everyone else I met today look so distinct from what I'm used to. Not a hard bar to clear when everyone I'd met before waking up here were clones.

I take brief stock of my surroundings. I'm in an office and it's well lit. With actual sunlight. Normally, daytime consisted of a murky, yellow-brown haze, with night time being the same, only darker. But here, it was bright and vibrant. The air smelled very neutral, with only a hint of perfume that had followed Angry-Eyes in. I was used to everything smelling of munitions smoke and sulphur. What's more, the air here was actually breathable without any kind of aid. That's fine with me. Breathing air without your throat and lungs burning with every breath was a treat.

Angry-Eyes has long, black hair and (angry) blue eyes overlaid with a pair of glasses. Her ears are pointed. Odd, but I'm not too bothered about that. I've seen strange mutations before. She wears a crisp white uniform, looking like a fairly high-ranking officer. Her figure is rather different than what I'm used to. The women I fought with weren't quite so developed in the chest and hips. A result of cloning and genetic tampering in the Bio-forges for tactical reasons. Such a big chest would just get in the way and make armour difficult to fit.

The most striking thing about her is her halo. I can only name it because I asked her about it. Beforehand, I just called it a 'thing'. It's a simple blue ring of light, with three upward protrusions of differing lengths on the left side.

Normally, I'd have drawn a weapon on her and demanded she identify herself. There are two problems with this. I don't have a weapon, though I'm sure some of the writing implements on the desk could be used as such. The other problem. I don't want to. I feel no threat here. For some reason, I feel like I should trust her. It's a bizarre feeling. I was conditioned to treat unfamiliar people with extreme prejudice. This was just a matter of course back in the war.

''You'd ought to get proper rest, Sensei. You fell asleep, and I haven't been gone long,'' she says.

I shrug. When you're a soldier, learning to sleep anywhere is a good thing. However, if you're too comfortable, you tend to sleep like a rock, such is my case.

''Well, you're awake now and that's what matters. Focus up, Sensei,'' she pushes her glasses a little further up the bridge of her nose. In the couple of days following this initial meeting, I've noticed that this is a habit of hers. ''I don't suppose you remember anything I told you?''

She's looking at me funny. It's a look that makes me uneasy. The not-quite-but-almost angry eyes. I muster the best response I can.

I shrug.

She pinches her nose and sighs loudly. ''We'll start over, then. I am Nanagami Rin, a General Student Council Officer within the academy city, Kivotos.''

I'm in a city. A functional one. I've never seen one of those before. To me, cities were nothing but ruins and battle zones that stretched on for miles. It makes me wary. Cities meant buildings, and buildings meant snipers. But for now, it doesn't seem like there's an active war zone here.

I say nothing and let her continue.

''You, Sensei, are the one we summoned here to be a teacher for the students of the various schools that dot the city,'' she explains.

''I see,'' no I don't, but I think that's what she'd prefer to hear, ''what do you mean by 'summoned'?''

''Honestly, it's the best way of describing your arrival. We're still not totally sure how you got here, but the fact remains that you're here now,'' her tone softens, and she's now Sympathy-Eyes, ''I know it must seem strange, but that's just the current situation.''

''Understood,'' I say. As I'm writing this entry, I need to remind myself that her name is Rin. It seems that even in text I struggle with names. She tries to smile. I wonder what it's like to do that. I've never tried it. It briefly crosses my mind to mirror her expression, but I decide not to. Just doesn't feel right.

''I'll cut right to it, Sensei. There's something I need your help with,'' she turns and gestures for me to follow, and I do. We enter a lift, but rather than the metal grates and hazard stripes I'm familiar with, this is polished steel and glass, giving me an unimpeded view of the city.

I think this is the first time in my life that I'm speechless. Not that I talk much anyway, but that's not the point. The city, Kivotos, (I remember that name) stretches on for miles with gleaming buildings that stretch high into the sky. Streets are filled with people going about their lives, walking the streets and going by car on the roads. It's orderly and clean. Images on screens scroll across the sides of some buildings, with random things and words on them. The sky is blue and endless, with thin white bands of immense size seemingly floating above. There are air vehicles hanging in place by means unknown to me.

This city is alive. No burnt out or crumbling buildings. No makeshift defenses. No wrecked vehicles or craters littering the streets. Acid rain and toxic fog are completely absent. The enemy and their walkers and mechanical monsters aren't prowling the streets. No piles of bones or the unclaimed dead of battles passed. Nothing like that.

I'm sure if I was capable of a wider range of expression, my jaw would be hanging open with eyes wide. Instead, I look as I always do. Unmoved and focused. I'm amazed, really, but I just don't know how to express that. It never occurred to me to think about my lack of emotive range, but I'm definitely thinking about it now.

Rin holds out a hand as she gestures to the view. There's a small smile on her face, as if she's feeling the same way I am.

''Sensei, welcome to Kivotos, the city of a thousand academies. Here is where your work begins.''

I nod, unsure of what to say.

''I imagine it's quite the departure from what you're used to, but I hope you'll come to see this as your new home,'' she says. I look at her. She could never imagine just how much of a departure from my home this is.

''It's... nice,'' is the barest description of what I think of all this. Rin nods in agreement. I think she's happy. Prior to this entry, I've only known her for a couple of minutes, but she's a lot nicer to be around like this. I get the feeling her duties are stressful for her. Many of the officers I dealt with were the same, except any one of them would probably have shot me by now. Life is cheaper than ammo back home, and ammo is cheap as dirt.

''I understand that you may need some time to adjust, but I have the distinct impression that you'll adapt in no time. You are the President's chosen, after all.''

That's the first mention of this President that I've heard. There was my dream, too. Are they the same person? Maybe. The President from my dream wanted me to fulfil some sort of task, and I agreed. It's been a dream I've had a lot, and I'm starting to think it might mean something. For some reason, I had no hesitation in accepting her request. Is she my direct superior? If so, then it's no wonder I complied. Orders are to be followed. But it wasn't an order. She specified that it was a request. Did I agree out of respect? Possibly. There are too many questions to ponder, and more arise as I write.

The lift stops and the doors open, leading into a wide open lobby. White pillars hold up the ceiling and the floor is made of polished grey tiles. I can see my reflection in them. I'm wearing some kind of formal wear, made of materials not fit for combat. The sooner I ditch them, the better. They limit my movement, and the warmth of the building makes it stuffy. I'm definitely finding some fatigues and a plate carrier as soon as I can.

We're met by three individuals, all armed. Like Rin, they each have halos. I guess this is a common feature here. Once again, my initial instinct is to reach for a weapon, but the same feeling that prevented any aggression towards Rin quickly followed. Whatever sentiment I hold towards these people is really warring with my conditioning.

The first is a girl with purple hair done up in twin tails, with the rest running down her back. She wears a white coat over a black blouse, with a white shirt under that and a blue tie. She has a short skirt and bare legs, with black boots on her feet. Her halo is dark grey with small blue lights, looking like piece of machinery, unlike Rin and the other two. She carries an SMG, a Sig Sauer MPX, by the look of it. Highly personalised. An old weapon by my standards, but hey, if the Maxim machine gun was still seeing action, I suppose anything could. Still, there are weapons I recognise here. That's a whole can of worms all on its own. That aside, I respect her choice of weapon. Sigs are a favourite of mine.

The second girl has glasses and pointed ears. Huh, so there's more mutants here. Her eyes are amber, and she wears glasses. Her hair is blonde and tied into pigtails that rest over each shoulder with a black head band just above her forehead. Her uniform consists of a white, pleated shirt, a black skirt, red stockings and black knee-high boots. Curiously, there's some kind of red armband on her left arm. Her halo is circular, with four diamond-like shapes, resembling a crosshair. She carries a large brown satchel bag that clinks with her movements. What catches my attention is her weapon. Though it's holstered, I'd recognise that grip anywhere. It's an M712 Shnellfeuer pistol, or some variant of it at least. How the hell is that relic here? Even before the war, that weapon had been out of active service for at least three centuries. Firearms tech was stagnant for a good while even before hell broke loose, but that is ridiculous. Still, it's not totally unreasonable. I did mention that the Maxim was still used.

The third girl is... a spectacle. Another mutant. She's almost as tall as I am with her flat-heeled shoes, but she's certainly striking for other reasons. She has very long, black hair, and the reddest eyes I've ever seen. On her lower back are two black wings. I've only seen birds in books and old photos, since all bird species were rendered extinct rather soon into the war though a mixture of chemical and radiological warfare. Her wings, glossy and somewhat disturbing to me, look to have a span of, at most, twelve feet. She wears a black uniform with a long parted skirt and black stockings. Just like Rin, she seems quite developed. How can she fight like that? Does she just let her chest flop around? I don't get it. Her halo is also red. It's a circle, with four dagger-like protrusions in each direction, with something like a star in the centre of the circle. Her gun is... even more antiquated than the blonde girl's. It's a bolt action sniper rifle, black and gold in it's decoration. From what I remember from one of the old magazines I'd found on a patrol one time, it's a Pattern 1914 Enfield Bolt Action. I'd comment further on its age, but again, I must refer to the Maxim.

The purple-haired girl spots Rin and calls out to her.

''Acting President, there you are!''

Uh-oh, the angry eyes are back.

''Hayase-san. You needed to speak to me?'' Rin is suddenly back to her business-like self. A shame. She seemed pretty happy a minute ago. Rin looks at the other two, expecting them to address her.

''I also require your attention, Chief Officer,'' the winged girl says.

''I've come as a representative of the Prefect Team, Chief Officer. We have issues that need to be discussed with the General Student Council President, if she's available,'' the blonde girl say.

Rin seems a little off balance here. I'm utterly clueless as to anything going on, but it seems serious.

Why is Rin looking at me? I'm relieved as she stops looking at me a moment later.

''I'm afraid you'll have to wait. Things at the General Student Council are unsettled right now,'' Rin says.

At the time of writing this entry, I'm aware of the three girls' names. They're scribbled at the back of the journal so I could memorise them, but before I learned them, I gave them nicknames.

Yuuka Hayase was named 'Purple-Rage' since her frustration was the first thing I'd encountered from her.

Hasumi Hanekawa was named 'Soot-Pigeon' for obvious reasons. I don't really know bird species, but the some of the other soldiers used to talk about pigeons for some reason, and thus it's the only one I know. Plus her wings are black like soot. Makes perfect sense to me.

And finally, Chinatsu Hinomiya was named 'Big-Bag' because of her, well, big bag.

I later learned that none of them liked these nicknames. Oh well. The nicknames people got in the army were much worse than that.

Purple-Rage gave a look that rivalled Angry-Eyes' angriest eyes, before turning her attention back to Rin.

''You've been saying that for ages now! Every time Millennium or any school, for that matter, has an issue, you brush us off with platitudes!'' Purple-Rage almost yells.

''We've tried being patient, Chief Officer, but the situation in Kivotos is deteriorating. Decisions need to be made,'' Soot-Pigeon says calmly, but I can hear her frustration.

Big-Bag chimes in, sounding much more mild-mannered than the other two, ''I'm sorry that we're bothering you, Chief Officer, but I must agree with Hanekawa-san. Things are getting dire between PMCs and the gangs terrorising districts across Kivotos.''

I am so lost. I haven't a clue what any of them are talking about. Is there some kind of civil conflict going on? I know what PMCs are, with them being the manufacturing and business juggernauts of my home. They eventually came to replace governments by having the monopoly over military and security matters across whole nations. They started fighting... and the rest is history.

Rin is trying her best to remain composed, but those angry eyes are getting a little intense. Before she can speak, however, Purple-Rage notices me. Took a minute. I've been here the whole time.

''Huh? Who are you? You look human, but-''

''This is Adam-sensei,'' Rin cuts in, ''and from today onward, he's our teacher and head of Schale. More than that, with him here, we can begin solving some of these problems we're having,'' she turns the angry eyes to me, ''right, Sensei?''

''An actual teacher? And he's... male?'' Big-Bag gasps. Soot-Pigeon says nothing, but her eyes widen and focus in on me. Do men not exist here?

I weigh up my response. I don't know what being a teacher involves, nor do I know anything about who I'm supposed to be teaching. I need a cigarette...

''And how's he supposed to help, exactly?'' Purple-Rage asks, ''setting the detail of him being a male human aside, and trust me, we'll get to that later, '' she eyes me for a moment, then looks away again, ''how is a teacher meant to make all our problems disappear?''

''I can shoot them,'' there's silence after I say this, ''if that helps.''

Angry eyes are engaged in full force.

''Sensei, now is not the time for jokes,'' Rin says. Her tone sounds sweet, but the twitching in one of her eyebrows says otherwise. Either that or she's having some kind of involuntary muscle spasm caused by stress. I'm not a medic.

''Who said I was joking?''

''Adam-sensei,'' Soot-Pigeon says politely, ''your offer of direct aid is appreciated, but it's best to leave the shooting to us. If you could handle the bureaucratic side of things with the GSC, that would be much more helpful to us.''

''You're not a student, Sensei,'' Big-Bag adds, ''we can handle whatever fights come our way, but a stray bullet might kill you outright.''

What does she mean by that? Are they bulletproof or something? Maybe I'm in some kind of super soldier training facility. Upon reflection and after a particularly vicious scolding by Rin, shooting one of my would-be students to verify their claim may not have been the best idea.

I walk towards Purple-Rage and hold out my hand. She looks at it curiously, then up at me.

''Your gun,'' I said. She hesitates, but hands it over. I check the chamber, then the magazine. Thirty-six rounds of 9mm Luger. Standard ammunition for this weapon. Satisfied, I flip the safety off and switch it to selective fire. I keep my finger off the trigger until I was ready to fire. Gun safety, no matter what, is important.

Gasps from Big-Bag and Soot-Pigeon and a shocked yell from Rin are drowned out by the single shot I fire at Yuuka's thigh. To my amazement, the round deforms against her flesh, which wobbles like ballistic gel, before deflecting and hitting the floor a few meters away. There's no blood. Not even a scrape. Just a little red mark as though she'd been poked.

Well, would you look at that.

''Ouch!'' she cries out, more in surprise than pain, ''what the hell, Sensei!?''

I shoot her again to confirm what I'd seen.

''Stop that!''

''You're right. I'd be badly wounded by that,'' I say as I clear the chamber and engage the safety. Offering the gun, it's snatched from me.

Oh. Angry-Eyes is glaring daggers at me, and Purple-Rage is doing the same. Ah, right, I forgot. Manners.

''Thanks,'' I say. Nailed it.

''Sensei, I think we need to have a lengthy discussion about proper conduct between yourself and your students,'' Rin says through gritted teeth.

''Look, Sensei,'' Purple-Rage stresses my title, ''getting shot is commonplace in Kivotos, but it still hurts. Why'd you even to that?''

''Because Big-Bag implied that you're resistant to bullets, so I tested it,'' I reply, nodding towards Chinatsu. It's only in hindsight that I realise that what I did was bad. Apparently, I could have just asked for clarification.

''Big-Bag?'' Chinatsu asks. I nod.

''And what if you were incorrect? After all, your 'test' was based on an implication,'' Soot-Pigeon inquires. A fair question, I suppose.

''Is anyone here a medic?'' I wrote earlier in this entry that I'm not a medic. This is true. But basic first-aid and wound treatment is preprogrammed into us in the Bio-forges through intense psychotherapy and hypnotic suggestion. Only dedicated medics, of which there are relatively few, are given advanced training. My specialisations lie in squad leadership and skirmish tactics.

It's occurred to me that I'm writing as if somebody besides myself is reading my journal. Am I doing this correctly?

''I am,'' Chinatsu said shakily (I'm getting better at this whole name thing).

''She'd have patched you up,'' I say to Yuuka. Though at this point in time, she's still Purple-Rage. She rubs her forehead with her eyes closed.

''Just so I understand. You wanted to verify if we are bullet resistant based on an implication. So instead of just asking, you take my gun and shoot me in the leg TWICE (she shouted that word for some reason), not knowing what would happen. Is that correct?''

''Yes,'' I confirm.

''Are you an idiot or something!?''

''No. I'm a teacher,'' that is the role Rin said I have now. However, she later on said that I was idiot as well. I'm not sure what the problem is. I got my answer and nobody got injured. That's a good thing, right? Wrong, apparently.

''If we can move on...'' Rin says, ''we're aware of the issues the various schools and districts face, but right now, there's very little we can do.''

''Why? These problems are just going to pile up until the entire city falls apart! I demand to speak to the General Student Council President right this minute!'' Purple-Rage shouts and points at Rin with one hand on her hip.

''Well I wish you good luck with that,'' Rin's words seem to make Yuuka angrier, ''she's missing.'' The anger seems to leave her pretty quickly after that.

''Missing?'' Soot-Pigeon asks. Rin nods solemnly.

''We've sent out search teams to scour Kivotos from top to bottom. They've found neither hide nor hair of her anywhere.''

Big-Bag looks at the others, then at me, then Rin. ''I'd heard rumours that she hasn't been making appearances recently. I just thought she was busy.''

I see. The head of the organisation has gone missing, with no second to assume command in her absence. The chain of command is broken, and without a leader, the whole thing is paralysed.

''Even so, surely you, as the Chief Officer, can take over until she's back, right?'' Purple-Rage asks. While not worded quite how I would have done, she asks what was going to be my question. If a Squad Captain (me) is killed in action, command would fall to the next in rank. In my squad's case, it would have been the First Lieutenant. So why couldn't Rin take command here?

''It's not that simple,'' she sighs, ''besides, the person to fill her role is already here,'' she points at me.

''So you were being serious,'' Soot-Pigeon says.

''This guy?'' again, hindsight kicks in. At first, I didn't know why she sounded disappointed, but I do now. Shooting new acquaintances leaves a terrible first impression. ''You're the Sensei responsible for teaching us?''

''As of a few minutes ago, yes,'' I say, ''I'll teach you... once I figure out what I'm supposed to do.''

''Oh, good lord...'' Yuuka palms her face. Chinatsu and Hasumi look unconvinced. Rin's eyebrow is twitching again. Maybe Big-Bag should examine her.

''Adam-sensei will act as a problem solver and guide. Whatever your issues are, I'm positive that he'll be happy to help,'' Rin only says this after taking a deep, calming breath.

''This is my duty. And duty comes above all. If can shoot it, I will,'' I say and give a sharp salute. They're staring at me without saying anything. This is what the President wanted me to do, right?

It's Chinatsu that speaks. ''Well then, Adam-sensei, I would ask that you refrain from shooting any of us if you can help it. As a medic and member of the Prefect Team, you would be helping me a great deal,'' she says gently.

''I agree,'' Hasumi says, ''you may be our teacher now, but the Trinity Justice Task Force will still act if you disturb the peace, Sensei.''

Yuuka looks me up and down before crossing her arms. ''I'm willing to forget your little stunt if you promise never to do that again. Deal?''

''Sure,'' I say. If it means she'll stop being angry with me, then I'll just tell her what she wants to hear.

''Good. We should introduce ourselves. I'm Hayase Yuuka, of the Millennium Science School. Make sure you remember that, Sensei.'' I nod. She doesn't realise what a difficult task she asks of me. Names are hard, especially names like hers and the others.

''Hanekawa Hasumi. Trinity School and tactical commander for the Trinity Justice Task Force. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Adam-sensei.'' Hasumi bows her head slightly with a polite smile.

''My name is Hinomiya Chinatsu. I am a medic and a part of the Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sensei.''

''I see.''

Rin looks at me insistently. ''Is there anything else you'd like to add, Sensei? Anything at all?'' I could be wrong, but it seems as though she's silently telling me to say more. I find myself stumped for a few seconds. Ah, right, I should give them my name.

''My name is Adam. And from today onward, I am your teacher and your commanding officer,'' I look at Rin, who at this point just looks exhausted. She sucks in a breath through her nose.

''Thank you, Sensei. You already know who I am, but in case you've somehow forgotten, I am Nanagami Rin, Head Officer of the General Student Council.'' It was a good thing she reintroduced herself, because by this point, I'd already forgotten her name and defaulted to calling her Angry-Eyes. Hell, I was grateful my name had been said a few times already, otherwise I'd have given them my serial number instead of 'Adam'.

''Now, you may be curious as to the nature of your duties, Sensei,'' Rin says and I nod, ''the President formed a special club shortly before her disappearance. You will be the advisor for Schale, an extrajudicial club with federal authority within Kivotos. This means that any student from any academy you deem fit for admission within the club can join at your discretion. You'll aid in their learning by guiding them through extracurricular battles across various districts within the city.''

And like that, it clicks. So I'm a military instructor. My role is to sharpen their skills, deepen their knowledge and discipline them. They are my responsibility. This must be the mission the President gave me in my dream.

''I see. My role hear makes a lot more sense now. Thank you, Angry-Eyes,'' I say gratefully, but Rin does a double-take. This is the first instance in which I call her by her designated nickname.

''Excuse me?'' she says, her voice almost a whisper.

''I said 'thank you, Angry-''

''I heard you, Sensei,'' the eyebrow is twitching up a storm, ''but I believe I just told you my name. Please use it.''

''I would, but I've forgotten it,'' I say flatly. The other three have a mixture of expressions on their faces, none of them good. Confusion is the most prominent I can determine.

''What-but-huh-what... how? It hasn't even been a minute?'' Rin splutters incredulously, shifting from Angry-Eyes to Looking-at-a-brain-dead-brick-Eyes. I don't know how a brick can be brain dead, as they lack any sort of biological components, but it's the best I can come up with to describe how she's looking at me.

''I'm bad at memorising names, so I thought it best to form nicknames from immediate visual or behavioural cues. Communication is important out in the field, so I'd prefer that we don't waste time guessing who I'm talking to,'' I explain.

''Dare I ask what ours are, Sensei?'' Yuuka asks.

I point at her, ''you are Purple-Rage,'' then at Hasumi, ''Soot-Pigeon,'' she looks taken aback, but I continue to Chinatsu, ''and you're-''

''Big-Bag...'' she looks at her bag sullenly. I blink in surprise.

''You're good at this.'' I'm genuinely impressed. I ignore Yuuka glaring at me and Hasumi's self-conscious inspection of her wings. ''I'll have your names memorised soon. It'll just take me some time.''

Rin clears her throat. ''Returning to the discussion at hand, how the President managed to create a club with such over-reaching power is beyond me. But for now, we should go to the Schale club building. It'll take a while since it's so far from here. The building sits empty right now, but the President ordered us to move something into the basement for your inspection, Sensei.''

My memory of the following conversation is a little hazy, as I found myself in a firefight not long after. I'll briefly go over what happened preceding the fight. Rin called another student, Monkey... or Montgomery, I think, for a helicopter to Schale. However, it turned out that the area around the district was under attack by a student who'd escaped the custody of the Corrections Bureau. A girl named Wisconsin or something, and a gang of delinquents had amassed there with tanks. So Rin, myself, and the other three got to the district as quickly as we could. I've tried to recall this conversation since, but I was already psyching myself up for battle midway through.

My memory of the battle is clear. I always find myself the most focused and alert in combat, and I think the others noticed.

I would continue this entry, but Arona is insisting I rest. Being wounded has never stopped me from performing my duty before, so why should it now? Now she's pouting at me. I feel bad about that. She's continuing to scold me even as I write. I think I should listen.

Edit: I learned after the fact that Monkey and Wisconsin are the wrong names. I was referring to Momoka and Wakamo. Names are hard.

This concludes the report of Squad Captain Alpha-7

Callsign: Adam

Serial Number: 071-AC-837-A-07

Signing off.

Hopefully this chapter turned out okay. This is the first time I'm writing in a journal type format, but I think it allows met to be a bit freer with my writing. For If you enjoyed this, feel free to follow, fav and review to let me know what you think or let me know if I've made a mistake somewhere. Until next time.