To Bt200: Thanks, and I'm happy to see someone else who enjoys Princess Evangile so much. The story before he gets thrust into Vincennes is so open that I couldn't help but think of a ton of crossovers for it.

Two days later, the Gardiane officers on duty for midday were surprised when the headmistress and chairwoman of the school appeared at the gates without prior warning and simply stood there, as if waiting for something.

"Excuse me, Madame Headmistress, Madame Chairwoman," the head Gardiane officer spoke up uncertainly. "Is something the matter?"

The headmistress didn't answer, and now that she took a good look at her, the head Gardiane officer could see that her jaw was clenched and her fingernails were digging into her arms, which she had crossed. The chairwoman was the one to turn to her and answer.

"We're waiting for a guest."

That was all she said, and the confused look on the Gardiane's faces lasted only for a few more moments before a sound cut through the air, bringing all attention to the hill road that led to Vincennes.

It sounded like a powerful motor, and one that was approaching fast. A dark figure became visible soon after.

As the figure gained definition, one of the Gardiane suddenly gasped and, shortly after, squealed in glee, bringing confused stares her way. "Oh my God, that's a Yamaha Vmax 1200!" she gushed, then promptly blushed in embarrassment when she realized what she had done. "My apologies… I'm a bit of a motorcycle fanatic."

By the time that short conversation was over, the figure had already reached them, stopping just in front of the gate with the sound of squealing tires. As the motor of the bike shut off, the person reached up and took off the helmet he was wearing in a sweeping motion, making some of the Gardiane on duty go wide eyed.

Because this person was the same young man that they had fought just two nights ago.

The young man shook his head, getting his somewhat messy locks of hair back in order, then got off the bike, put down the side-stand, and hung his helmet from the handlebar.

The young man was dressed in the same black suit and tie he wore last time, and the long coat that they had seen on him was now merely hanging on his shoulders. And just as that night, his eyes were still dull and entirely void of emotion.

"So you are the bodyguard hired by Kamiyagi-sama?" the headmistress spoke up, finally, addressing the young man.

His eyes moved over to meet hers, and the headmistress was shocked at the utter dullness in that sight. "Yes, I am," he responded, his voice just as dead as his sight. "My name is Okonogi Masaya."

"Very well. Salutations, Okonogi Masaya. Come with us, we need to get your paperwork done," the headmistress spoke, turning around and heading inside without a backwards glance.

Masaya's only reaction to her bluntness and slight hostility was a raised eyebrow. His sight shifted over to the chairwoman, who had yet to say anything. "I believe you are the chairwoman of Vincennes, correct?"

"Yes, I am, Masaya-kun."

"The headmistress doesn't seem to be very happy about this plan. Is there a reason for such?"

Looking at the headmistress' back as they followed her, the chairwoman could only sigh. "I suppose it's her nature at his point. She is not very fond of changing Vincennes rules, which of course include there being a male student here."

"I see," was all that Masaya responded with.

Some minutes later, the paperwork to place Masaya in the system of Vincennes was complete. At the moment, however, there was cold feeling in the air as the headmistress glared at Masaya, who stared back emotionlessly. The chairwoman could only look between them, wondering who would crack first.

"Let us get one thing straight, Masaya-kun," Misako spoke up in a frosty tone. "You are here primarily as a bodyguard for Ruriko. Being a student here is nothing more than a cover story. You will be attending classes as per your disguise, but you are not to get overtly friendly with the rest of the students in this school. I highly doubt they would give you the time of day regardless, but this is the only warning I am giving you. If I hear that you have done something untoward towards my charges, you shall be kicked out immediately."

Masaya remained silent for a few moments, staring back at the glaring headmistress, then sighed and shook his head. "I think you entirely misunderstand your part in this, Misako-san."

"That's Madame Headmistress to you-."

"Shut up and let me finish," Masaya cut her off, making her splutter in outrage. "No matter what you may think of yourself, Misako-san, you are not my superior. You are not the one who hired me, and you have no command over me. If I wanted to, I could ignore the order I was given to protect the rest of the students from any threats, as my primary objective is Ruriko-san. However, I will not do that. Those girls are innocent of any crime that I am aware of, so to let them die or suffer at the hands of the scum that inhabit Japan would be something I can't stand for. But, and I repeat, you do not have any say over my actions. I know exactly what I must do, so if your try once again to exert control over me, you can happily kiss this contract goodbye."

As the headmistress glared at him, outraged at his disobedience, the chairwoman stared at Masaya with a critical gaze. "Do you typically threaten people, Masaya-kun? I could not help but notice that was quite easy for you to say."

"Let's just say that this isn't the first time I've dealt with someone like Misako-san. The difference here is that I typically put a bullet in between those people's eyes." Both woman jerked back at that information, making Masaya sigh. "If you weren't aware of the fact, no, my hands aren't clean. I have tortured, maimed, and killed under orders. And that is exactly what I am going to do to make sure that those girls out there remain safe. Now, I'll be going. I need to talk to your Gardiane and give them the same warning so that they're not surprised about it. Excuse me."

With that, Masaya turned and walked out, his jacket flourishing in the slight wind. As the door closed behind him, the women inside could hardly think of what to say.

That is, until the anger in Misako's head reached a boiling point.

"Why, that ungrateful, little brat! How dare he speak to me in such a tone?!" Misako raged.

"I doubt it was difficult, Misako," the chairwoman sighed, leaning back on her seat. "It seems that he is quite sure of himself. And he was correct, as much as you wish to deny it. He is being paid to do us a favor in keeping the girls of this school safe, so you do not have the right to demand anything from him."

Misako deflated in her seat, looking back at the computer. "That reminds me, the girls are supposed to start arriving today, correct?"

"Yes, the ones that went back home for vacation should be arriving soon. I believe Ruriko herself will be arriving today, so you may want to call the Gardiane and tell the commander to tell him to wait for her."

Grudgingly, she did just that.

As Masaya walked through the campus, he came to notice that there were already a few students around, likely ones that hadn't gone home for the short vacation allowed to them. He steadfastly ignored them, but the same couldn't be said about them. He could hear the whispers they had between themselves about him, which weren't good, but he cared little about what they thought. They weren't part of his objective yet.

Arriving at the Gardiane station, he was greeted by the same commander that he had fought two days ago, who looked at him warily.

"I assume you've been briefed on the situation?" Masaya spoke as he stopped in front of her.

"Yes, I was told," the officer responded. "I was also told to inform you that your main charge, Ruriko, will likely be arriving soon, so if you wish, you can wait for her here."

"That sounds fine. There's something I need to talk to you about, though. All of you."

The commander raised an eyebrow, but noticing the seriousness that exuded from the young man, she called the rest of the Gardiane on duty via her radio and waited with him until the arrived.

They came in small groups, each one being set to patrol a specific area of the school. While the administration had increased security somewhat before they had realized they'd need more help than they had, the changes in their schedules had still been maintained with the image of the school in mind, which secretly frustrated most of them.

Once the Gardiane on duty were all arranged around him, Masaya cleared his throat and spoke up. "Listen up. I want to warn you all right now about how I work so that I may receive no complaints later. As you can probably guess, I'm a mercenary working for a private security and military company. My assignment here is due to Kamiyagi Ruriko's father asking to have a bodyguard for his daughter, but my duties also extend somewhat to the rest of the girls in the school. The one thing I want to stress to you all is this: my methods are subtle… but they're lethal." The Gardiane women around him jerked in surprise. "I know perfectly well what manner of people are after Ruriko and the rest of the girls here, and they're not nice. They've tried capturing them before, and some have succeeded. But now, they've been hired to kill. And so, I will respond in kind." Masaya turned and pointed towards the top of one of the buildings, the bell tower at the very center of the campus. "Each night, I will be set up on the top of that building. I brought with me my sniper rifle, and as such, I will be scouting the grounds for potential threats… and eliminating them."

The Gardiane officers had no idea what to say. To be told that someone was going to kill others so casually was not something they were prepared to hear today.

"And I tell you this not only because I want you to not be surprised, but because I want you to work with me on this," Masaya continued, turning back to them. "During your patrols, if you see anything suspicions, call me or contact me in some way, and let me handle it. I'd rather none of you get hurt trying to combat something I'm sure you aren't prepared for. If you want to get directly involved, that's your prerogative, but I'd suggest otherwise."

The officers looked between themselves, unsure of what to say. Having said his piece, Masaya turned and walked away, headed to the front gates. Halfway there, though, he stopped and turned back, noticing that at least half of the Gardiane had already moved on. "Also, could you point me towards your parking lot? I'd like to leave my motorcycle there."

After receiving directions to where it was, Masaya continued on his way, reaching his parked bike. He moved it to the side of the gate and leaned against it, pulling out a book from the bag on the back of the bike and opening it up to the page he had last been on.

It took an hour for his charge to arrive.

During that time, several other girls had already arrived to the school. Not many caught his attention, and amongst those, only two particularly interested him.

The first was a blue-haired girl that, upon noticing him, had given him a rather suggestive look instead of the dubious and scornful ones he had received before. He wasn't sure why she had been different from the rest in terms of response to his presence, but he decided to simply ignore it.

The second had been a brown-haired, twin-tailed girl that had arrived not too much later. She had hardly given him a second look, but in that short time, a memory surfaced in his mind, and he had to stop himself from calling out to her. He couldn't be sure that she was who he thought it was, but if it was, then this city truly was smaller than he thought.

Finally, he spotted a black limousine approach and stop in front of the school, from which came out Kamiyagi Ruriko. The blonde girl bowed appreciatively to her driver and insisted that she would be fine the rest of the walk inside, then watched as he departed. When she turned and began to walk towards the gate, Masaya closed his book with a snap and turned to her.

"Kamiyagi Ruriko-san?" he called her name, making her stop in her tracks.

"Yes?" the girl responded, turning to him. He could see her eyes narrow slightly and her pose became somewhat defensive, which he wasn't surprised about. She probably saw him as a threat.

"My name is Okonogi Masaya," the young man continued, approaching her. "I was hired by your father to be your bodyguard for this year."

"Oh! Yes, my father spoke to me about you," Ruriko said, her eyes lighting up in understanding. A moment later, after looking him over, Ruriko's eyes narrowed slightly again. "But… you look to be my age. Should you not be in school, like me?"

"About that… if you would accompany me to the parking lot so that I may park my motorcycle, I can explain it on the way," Masaya responded, pulling up the side stand of the bike. Ruriko nodded, walking alongside him as they headed for the parking lot. "The thing is, Ruriko-san, I'm not attending any school. Since Primary Course, I haven't been able to or needed to."

"Why is that?"

"Circumstances prevented me from doing so," Masaya responded stoically. "And now that I'm hired under a private company, I have no need to attend a school. Do keep in mind, however, that going to school is exactly the cover story I am going with, as I cannot simply declare that I am going to stay with you as a bodyguard here. I'm undercover. So instead, if anyone asks, I'm a temporary male transfer student that is here to test whether the school can become co-educational."

"Is that so? I believe Rise-san will be pleased by that," Ruriko commented as Masaya put the motorcycle on a parking spot.

That comment made Masaya stop just as he was about to put down the side stand of the motorbike. "I'm sorry, did you say Rise-san?"

"Yes. Do you know her?"

"I know her, in a way, but I don't think she remembers me," Masaya muttered. "I should've guessed she went here." Shaking his head to get rid of those thoughts, he turned to Ruriko and put out his hand. "Regardless, Ruriko-san, I am to be your guard for the next year. Let us try and get along, shall we?"

Ruriko nodded and grabbed his hand, shaking it lightly. "I agree." As their hands disconnected, Ruriko raised hers and looked at it curiously.

"What is it?" Masaya asked.

"This… is the first time I've touched a man…"

Masaya raised an eyebrow. "Have you never been touched or carried by your father?"

"Well, a man not part of my family, at least," Ruriko specified. "And… father has always been a busy man, so the times he and I have together are few and far."

"I see… Well, Ruriko-san, I believe we should get going. I still have to unpack my belongings."

"Will you be staying at the dormitory?"

"Yes. I believe I was given the room next to yours for convenience's sake."

As they walked together to the dormitory, the pair received a fair share of odd looks. The looks Masaya received had become dampened somewhat, likely due to Ruriko's presence, but that just gave way to more confusion from them.

"Ah, Ruriko-san!" a voice spoke up from behind them suddenly. Turning together, the pair watched as a girl approached them at a jogging stride.

Masaya was inwardly surprised that this girl was the same twin-tailed girl he'd seen while he was outside.

The girl's stride stopped when she realized her friend had company.

"Oh… uh…" The girl stopped in front of them both, not sure of what to say about Masaya's presence. In the end, all she could say was, "I'm sorry, but who are you? I thought guys weren't allowed in here."

Masaya raised an eyebrow. "I hear that it's impolite to ask someone's name without introducing yourself first."

"Oh! Uh… I'm Sagisawa Chiho," the now-named girl stated, bowing slightly.

Masaya's eyes widened slightly as his suspicions were confirmed. This girl was indeed the one he had thought of.

Schooling his facial expression, he reached out his hand, offering a handshake that Chiho accepted. "A pleasure to meet you, Chiho-san. I am Okonogi Masaya."

As they shook hands, Masaya saw Chiho's facial expression change to minimal shock, leading him to believe two things: one, this girl was oddly adept at keeping her expressions hidden; and two, she most definitely knew who he was. Perhaps she remembered him after all.

"M-Masaya, you say? But…"

Masaya raised a hand, stopping her short. "Whatever you wish to say about me or my name can wait until we're behind closed doors, can it not? Besides, I believe you've ignored your friend long enough."

That made her yelp in embarrassment and turn to Ruriko, who was watching their conversation with a look of curiosity. "Ah, sorry, Ruriko-san! I completely forgot you were there!"

"That seems odd. Do you two know each other?" Ruriko asked, tilting her head to the side.

Chiho looked back at Masaya, who merely stared back, then turned back to Ruriko and chuckled awkwardly. "Erm, I guess so… I'll explain later."

Following after them as they began to catch up on their vacations, Masaya could only ponder the amount of oddities that had already happened to him in his first day here.

When they arrived at Ruriko's room, she insisted that both of them stay for a while to chat. Neither could really turn down the offer; Chiho because she hadn't seen Ruriko in a while, and Masaya because he was going to live right next door anyways.

Hearing Ruriko hum as she made tea in the kitchenette of the room, Masaya and Chiho said nothing to each other, staring at the other as if they hadn't seen them in a long time.

Because that was exactly the case.

"Are you really… Okonogi Masaya?" Chiho was the one to break the ice, giving Masaya a narrowed-eye glare.

"The only one I know of, yes."

"But how can that be? The Masaya I knew, who lived and played with me around the neighborhood as kids… he was happy and full of life. I knew that he had a tough life because of his parents, his dad specifically, but-!"

Masaya raised a hand, once again cutting her off with the gesture. "It's simpler than you think, Chiho-san. The Okonogi Masaya you knew is no more."

"W-What do you mean?" Chiho asked, a cold feeling in her gut.

"I didn't just disappear for no reason back then, Chiho-san. Like I said to Ruriko-san, there were circumstances, which I don't want to talk about. But because of those circumstances… I changed. Irreparably. I remember next to nothing of my old life."

Chiho knelt stock-still across from him, unsure of what to say. Now that she had a good look at him, she could admit that he resembled the boy that had been her friend as a child, whom she wished she had helped. She had a rough idea of his family problems, even as a child, and she wanted to help him, but her stupid, childish pride prevented her from asking right away, and she had no idea how to make it seem like it wasn't charity.

And before she had the chance, one day… he just disappeared.

She had asked her parents if they knew where he had gone, as she had gone to check their apartment and found it bare, but they couldn't tell her either.

He had just vanished, without a trace.

And then, suddenly, she finds him again, here in an all-girls school of all places, and he looks entirely different from before. As a child, he wore casual clothing that was a little worn out. Now, he wore a full suit that fit him remarkably well, and seemed to be made with great materials. As a child, he was energetic, happy, and friendly. Now, he was cold, distant, and very formal.

It was almost impossible for her to connect this young man to the same boy she had liked in her childhood.

Suddenly, a cup was placed in front of her, courtesy of Ruriko coming back with the tea. She placed another in front of Masaya, who thanked her, then went back and retrieved one for herself.

Once she sat down, she asked, "So, how do you two know each other?"

As Chiho was still a little shell shocked, Masaya decided to answer, his tone still as stoic as ever. "Chiho-san and I lived in the same neighborhood as kids, and attended the same school. After I had to leave due to my circumstances, we never saw each other again until now."

"Masaya-san, you keep mentioning these 'circumstances'," Ruriko said, giving him a look of curiosity. "What are they?"

Masaya looked down at his cup of tea, where his reflection stared back at him. Ruriko and Chiho could, just barely, see his eyes contract for a moment, as if he were in pain, before they returned to their stoic, empty look, leaving them to wonder if they had imagined it. "I'm sorry, but… I'm not comfortable talking about that, especially to two people I just met."

"What do you mean, just met? You knew me before," Chiho said.

"For a short time," Masaya responded, taking a sip of his tea. "Nowhere near enough for me to tell you that."

Ruriko and Chiho continued to stare at him, which irked him a little. However, he refused to budge.

"Fine, we can leave that topic be for now," Ruriko decided, sipping her tea. "But I do want to ask you one very important question, Masaya-san."

"What is it?"

"My father hired you to be my bodyguard, and by extension, a guard for the school itself. Can you explain to me just who is it that is after me?"

Masaya looked down, pondering how to answer, as Chiho looked between them, not being aware of that little gem. After a few moments to collect his answer, he said, "Well, two types of people, really. On one side, you have competitors to your industry. Unfortunately, it seems they have grown tired of trying to grow larger than you and simply want your father's company to crumble to the ground, even if it happens by killing him or you, his heir. On the other side, you have several mafia groups. Your father has prided himself in being a man that is unshakeable, and while sometimes, he isn't the best judge of character, he is a man that is steadfast in his work, leading him to easily turn down bribery and any other influencing venues." Masaya looked out through the glass door of the room that led towards the veranda. "Tsurugigaoka, as peaceful as it may seem, is filled with gang activity and crime. And these groups want someone in power that answers to them in order to have more power." He turned back to the girls, who were now staring at him with wide eyes. "Funnily enough, some of your competitors are in their pockets. So, to that end, sometimes they work together to try and bring your father's company down, in order to install someone on the highest seat that they can control. It's sickening, but they have no sense of morality. They only care about their wealth and power." Both girls noticed that Masaya's fist clenched slightly as he continued. "They're ruthless, willing to go to any end and sacrifice anyone in order to be on the top of the food chain. Those are the kind of people I fight against, Ruriko-san. Those monsters are what I'm protecting you from."

The girls remained silent, unable to muster up anything to say to his words. After a few moments, however, there was a different interruption as what sounded like a drawn out 'kuu' came from Ruriko's bed.

"Oh, Panterbell's awoken," Ruriko seemed to snap out of her funk quickly at that, as she stood and skipped over to her bed, where her pet, a white stoat with a top hat and red bow named Panterbell, was laying. "Good afternoon, Panterbell. Did you have a good nap?"

"Kuu," the little guy said, as if replying to her, as Masaya and Chiho watched the exchange.

"Did the bellman treat you well?"

"Kuu, kuu!"

"Oh, good!"

Masaya turned back to his tea and finished it, catching the look of fondness on Chiho's face as she watched the exchange. He stood, grabbing their attention, and said, "I'm going to head back to my room and unpack. Ruriko-san, we'll talk more in the morning. I need to do some rounds this evening to set up a perimeter, so I doubt we'll see much of each other."

Ruriko nodded in understanding.

"Chiho-san, I suppose I'll see you in class."

"Y-Yeah. See you."

"Kuu!"

"Yes, I'll see you later too, Panterbell," Masaya responded, still just as stoically as always.

That evening, Masaya traversed the entire school alongside one of the Gardiane, memorizing the paths that led all around it and looking for entrances and weak spots in each of the buildings. He had already decided to use the bell tower a few meters in front of the cathedral as his sniping point, as it was the highest building around and allowed him a perfect view all around the area. The dormitories were to the west of the gate, while the recreational areas like the gym, field, and courts were to the east. The tower was surrounded by the classroom buildings, which made a rough square around it. And farther northwest of the gates was Maria Hall, considered the student government building.

After checking out the buildings and making sure they were sound, he received access to the cameras from the Gardiane and decided to use them to his advantage. An hour or so later, as he was returning to the Gardiane post near the gate, he pulled out several small cameras and placed them in key points around the three paths into the school, as well as on the trees in the surrounding area.

"What are those?" the Gardiane officer accompanying him asked.

"My own, personal security cameras. They connect directly to my laptop and phone so that I can keep an eye out, and have night, infrared, and thermal lenses for dark or foggy nights. I'll need these to be able to see any threats coming in this way."

"I see. You are certainly well prepared, Masaya-san."

"I try to be. It's what's kept me alive all this time."

Once the preparations were done, Masaya headed back to his room, bidding goodnight to Ruriko on the way into it. As he took off his coat, he booted up his personal laptop and finished activating the security cameras, making sure everything was working properly. After finalizing the preparations for tonight, he picked up a long bag he had placed under his bed and headed out, walking to the bell tower.

As Masaya's approached the bell tower, he had to contain a sigh of annoyance at the amount of looks he was receiving from the students. Most of the students had arrived already, so the amount hanging around outside had pretty much tripled in size.

The sun was about to set, so it likely wouldn't last long.

He entered the tower and walked up the stairs to the top. Opening the doors, he was first greeted with a blast of cool air to the face, then the view of the entire front area of the school. Ignoring that, he looked around and was a little surprised there was no guardrail or any kind of barrier around the edges of the tower. This, however, gave him an advantage, as he could shoot lying down without worrying about any blocks in his vision or movement. He reached into his bag and pulled out a somewhat thick briefcase, opening it and pulling out three separate pieces of his weapon of choice, a VSS Vintorez. A special type of sniper rifle, it used suppressed, armour piercing rounds, though if the need arose, he could detach the suppressive muzzle, change the fire mode to fully automatic, and use special AS rifle ammunition.

It was also easy to take apart and put together, making it ideal for his modus operandi.

Laying down on his stomach, he booted up his laptop and rechecked the camera feed system he'd gotten from the Gardiane. Next, he pulled out his phone and opened the application that showed him the feed of his own cameras. And finally, after scanning all around the area he had available, he contacted the Gardiane via the earpiece he had been given by the commander and explained to her the places that were out of his range our vision, such as the Intermediary Course dorm, advising her to focus her troops to those areas. The dormitories were lined one in front of the other, which meant that while he could see the Final Course dorm just fine, the Intermediary Course dorm was blocked by it. This also included the cathedral, which was behind him, and some of the softball field west of his position.

And then, he waited.

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