A/N: Welcome back~

One thing I want to clear up before this chapter starts is something regarding Blue Archive lore and it with the story. Specifically, I only watched the lore up until Chapter 1, Episode 20 or something around that range, and as such that's mostly where my knowledge of lore ends (outside of the snippets from events). As such, things that happened or were revealed in Chapter 2/3 or later episodes of Chapter 1 are not likely to be included in this fic, such as the Treaty of Eden, etc.

This doesn't affected the route of this story that much, as I wasn't intending on covering much of it, however Trinity and Gehenna will both play a role in this story, so I wanted to mention that the Treaty of Eden and such won't take place here, nor be in effect - in essence, implied to take place sometime after the story ends. Partially because I don't know enough about it, but also partially because it simply isn't the direction I want to take the story in.

Regardless, explanation aside, do enjoy~

Halo

Chapter 6: Miscommunications

The trip to Trinity was a long one; one that took multiple bus rides, a half-hour of trying to find the bathroom, and nearly perishing from lack of sustenance because Haruka usually carried all of their snacks.

Still, they'd managed, and thus Aru found herself walking down the streets of Trinity... albeit with Kayoko and Mutsuki closely flanking her on each side. Mainly because, due to the weight of the task settled on them, all of them had overlooked a very crucial fact when it came to Trinity.

Trinity and Gehenna did not get along. And that extended to the residents.

Just walking down the white-bricked streets earned them more than a few sidelong glances and suspicious glares. Nothing overt, and when they nearly bumped into someone they apologised and didn't bat an eye to their horns and halos, but it was clear a segment of the population saw them as troublemakers even though they hadn't done anything yet. It wasn't fear, but more annoyance mixed with disdain. It... wasn't pleasant.

''Hey. Think Sensei will come pick us up if we get in a fight?'' Mutsuki casually asked, tapping away on her phone – either entirely unaware of the stares or unbothered by them. Aru was betting on the latter.

''S-Sure he will! Not that we need him to, though!'' Aru tried to psyche herself up. ''We're Problem Solver 68 after all, what good would we be if Sensei had to come to our rescue every time?''

Kayoko just sighed. ''Aru, don't shout. People are looking at us again.''

Aru flushed at that and muttered an apology, pointedly not looking at the table of young women they passed – all of them students clearly and glaring at them, one even shifting her handgun from one hand to the other, as if debating drawing it on them. Thankfully she didn't, allowing the trio to continue wandering down the streets – making their way for the forests at the far end of the city.

Considering the last outpost was in the forests of Shanhaijing, it stood to reason that the one in Trinity would also be located in a forest. Doubly so since the trees in Trinity were often larger and the bushes thicker; shorter but stockier in many senses. Perfect for hiding a secret base. However, the forests were also much larger and without Looker to walk them up to the front door, they'd have to scour much of the land... which was undoubtedly going to take days.

''Ugh...'' Aru groaned to herself. ''Alright, alright... we should probably stop in and grab some food for the trip.''

Mutsuki hummed at that. ''What 'bout that store over there? Looks decent enough.''

Following Mutsuki's pointing finger Aru took notice of a small, decently-respectable convenience store, the grey stone brick exterior holding a wide window that revealed the warm wooden interior, some people meandering about inside. Perking up at the sight Aru uttered an agreement and swiftly led her two compatriots inside, pushing the door open – mindful not to overdo it – and strode inside.

The interior was nice, there wasn't many people, and though the store was somewhat small there was a decent selection. Without needing to be told the three of them went about getting some stuff – some pre-made sandwiches, energy bars, sodas, water bottles, all the usual stuff they'd buy when they expected to be out in the field. However even as she inspected the sandwiches Aru couldn't help but glance across the small room to the cashier.

'A student.' Aru noted in the back of her mind. Silver hair, a grey dress with a black corset, a strangely-familiar badge on her left arm, a pale lilac halo with four pointed arrows in each cardinal direction... she looked familiar. 'I don't know anyone from Trinity though... so why do I have this nagging sense of familiarity?'

The student in question was squinting at her, openly suspicious, but whether due to politeness or because she was on the job she didn't say anything – busying herself by wiping down the rear of the checkout area. Thus Aru pretended not to notice and finished gathering up the sandwiches – six in total – and took them to the cash register. Mutsuki and Kayoko were just a step behind; the former with over a dozen energy and snack bars in her arms whilst Kayoko was balancing a dozen sodas in hers.

Aru shook her head at that but made room for them all the same, watching the Trinity girl from out of the corner of her eye, the repetitive beep of the cash register scanning each item audible in the quiet – just a few others meandering at the other end where the meat products were. After a moment the front door chimed as well as new shoppers came in but Aru didn't really focus on them, busy devising a route through the city in her mind.

When the student spoke. ''That'll be forty credit points, ma'am.''

Smugly Aru handed over her card, the golden plastic slipped through the reader-

BRRT

''Your card was declined. Do you have another method of paying?''

'D-DECLINED?!' Aru squawked internally, going red in the same even as she accepted her card back. 'That's impossible! With Sensei's funding we should've easily been able to pay for some snacks!'

As if reading her mind though Mutsuki leaned in. ''Hey, Aru, you did remember that we had outstanding debt 'cause of the damages we dealt during the last job, right?''

''Ah...'' No, she hadn't. And clearly the bank had funnelled the newfound money into paying off that outstanding debt. ''...did you bring your card?''

''Nope!'' The explosives experiment chirped.

Kayoko sighed, going through the motions of pulling out her own card as per usual – when suddenly there was a commotion behind them. On instinct Aru whirred around, and immediately noticed three things.

One, the shoppers behind her were all students.

Two, they were all from Gehenna, judging by their uniforms and horns.

And three, they were currently stealing an armful of sandwiches and snacks.

''Run for it!'' One of them yelled, bolting for the door.

''Hey!'' The student behind the desk yelled and suddenly pulled out a neatly-polished rifle from behind the desk. ''No shoplifting!''

Then with an almighty rattle of gunfire the student opened fire on the fleeing Gehenna girls; bullets spewing out and hitting them in the back, but not doing much more than making one fall and drop her stuff. The girl hurriedly snacked several sandwiches up though and ran after her companions out of sight, cackling the whole while.

Suddenly, Aru found the smoking barrel turned and pointed right at her face. ''You! You're with them aren't you, as a distraction?!''

''E-Eh?! No, we're not with them!'' Aru stammered out.

''So six Gehenna girls walk into a store out of pure chance?'' The student narrowed her eyes.

''Eh, that sounds like the punchline of a joke...'' Mutsuki deadpanned.

Aru clung to that. ''S-Speaking of a punchline... t-there's one of those robbers right behind you!''

''Hm?!'' Spinning around the student – Suzumi – raised her gun, only to find nothing but a closed staff room door behind her. One still locked from the key in her pocket. ''There's not-''

However by the time Suzumi turned around, Aru and the others had already fled, taking several sandwiches and sodas with them.

Suzumi pulled her radio out in a heartbeat. ''Attention all Justice Task Force members, thieves on the move in Sector 13! Move in and apprehend!''

Then like a lightning bolt she was off, leaping over the counter and giving chase... and leaving behind a couple befuddled customers, who suddenly found themselves without a cashier.

X-x-X

''Y'know, I don't think running away after a crime has been committed is a good idea.''

''S-She had a gun pointed at my face! I panicked!''

''Not to interrupt, but that girl's gaining on us.'' Kayoko cut through their back-and-forth.

As if to confirm Kayoko's words a burst of assault rifle fire peppered across the stone wall to their right, A trash can deflected a bullet and a bag of rubbish was burst open from the ensuing ricochet; earning a yelp from Aru as she leapt over the spill of waste. She didn't slow though; hurriedly rushing down the narrow alleyway ahead of her and breaking out into the street beyond, Mutsuki and Kayoko running alongside her.

Thinking fast Aru glanced about, spotting another alleyway ahead of them and running towards it, trusting her compatriots to follow her. People in the street made way for them with startled shouts and the occasional curse but Aru paid them no mind – eyes scanning for the littlest of details as they entered the alleyway. Grey walls on both sides and some bins but little else. She grimaced at that, wincing when a bullet cracked off the wall just to her left.

'She'll know the terrain better than we will.' Aru thought to herself. 'We can't expect to outrun her, especially not if that damn Justice Task Force shows up... think Aru, think... we need a way to gain distance...'

Just then sunlight glinted off of something higher up, drawing her gaze up to the mouth of the alleyway; an archway of stone over it and hiding various wires and cables from the public view, crossing between the two tall buildings on either side of her. Aru allowed herself a grin, hurriedly reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out a slightly longer bullet than her sniper rifle normally took and with a bright red tip. She twisted it around in her fingers and smoothly slid the bullet into the chamber, cocking the handle back with growing glee.

Once her gun was loaded Aru aimed up at the arch – a challenge when she was busy running – and fired. The kick of her weapon made her stumble but she didn't dare stop, her eyes tracing the brightly-glowing flare that shrieked across the alleyway and embedded itself into the archway just as they passed over it; the three of them running out into the street-

-before with a loud boom it exploded. Shrieks came from the crowds but Aru could only grin, watching as the stone masonry, live wires and metalworks came crashing down on the mouth of the alleyway – her self-confidence rising as she caught a glimpse of the Trinity girl sharply skidding to a halt lest she run into the dangerous mass of rubble and wire. However even then it'd take her only a minute or two to run back and go around the block; it bought them time, but only a little of it.

''Go!'' She shouted to her companions, and they didn't need telling twice.

Mercifully the crowds of people parted for them, whether out of fear or just alarm. Regardless of the reason Aru didn't look a gift horse in the mouth and ran into the next alleyway, cutting through the commercial district as fast as possible.

Three streets passed, followed by a right turn into the next street and down a longer alleyway between two enterprises before the group of three dared to slow down. Their fast run slowed to a jog, heads turning and glancing back the way they came repeatedly, and it was only when they reached the mouth of the alley that they finally came to a stop.

Heavy breaths escaped Mutsuki as leaned forwards, hands on her thighs. ''Ugh, my knees hurt now...''

''Tell me about it.'' Aru whined, leaning up against the wall. ''You alright, Kayoko...?''

''Yeah.'' The gothic girl grunted back, wiping her brow of sweat. ''I think we lost her.''

Aru puffed out an agreement, gazing out at the street. It was wider; probably one of the main streets and stretching out into the distance, shops flanking either side. At the far end was a department store with a big sign on the front reading the store's name.

'Though...' Aru's brow scrunched up. 'Is that a... glint?'

Not a second later Aru heard a sharp crack as a bullet pinged off the concrete just next to her head, making her yelp and duck back into the alleyway. Two more quick shots followed the first, blowing dust and small fragments of concrete out of the wall where she'd previously been stood; the bullets only ceasing when she was out-of-sight of the glint.

''Seriously?!'' Aru cried out, clutching her sniper rifle to her chest. ''How did they get a sharpshooter up so fast?! That girl only started chasing us a few minutes ago!''

''Doesn't matter.'' Kayoko grunted back, daring to peek out – and then jerked back right as a bullet blew a chunk out concrete where her face previously was. ''They're at the far end of the street. I don't think we can cross it without getting shot... or, without injuring innocents.''

Aru glanced out at the street at that. In her momentary panic she'd overlooked the fact that the crowd had, in fact, noticed shots ringing out. Though they hadn't fled the area there was a very wide berth between the mouth of the alleyway and the crowds; making sure nobody would get caught in the crossfire. She was slightly surprised by the uniformity of it; in Gehenna most would just continue going about their business without paying the participants much mind, just staying out of the way and no more than that.

However like this, they couldn't even try and blend in with the crowds. Aru grimaced, briefly considering just giving themselves up and explaining the misunderstanding... but the chances they'd be believed was low, and the last thing she wanted was to drag Sensei into their mess. He'd given them a job, not a licence to cause trouble in another territory.

'Then again, I'm pretty sure anyone kidnapping students will be aware of our presence by now...' Aru sweat-dropped to herself.

Movement from the corner of her eye though drew her gaze over to the left, and Aru very nearly swore as she saw Justice Task Force members gathering at the opposite end of the alley – stacking up on each other and preparing to attack. They were pinned. Unconsciously the three formed a circle; Aru in the middle with her two comrades on either side, all of them subtly loading their weapons with ammunition.

''Aru...'' Kayoko cautiously began to raise her pistol.

She looked around then, hoping for another archway she could blow up, but no such luck. The enterprise building before her though had a metal door, giving her an idea. ''Follow me!''

Without giving Kayoko or Mutsuki the chance to answer Aru dashed across the alley, her sniper rifle raised and firing off a single round; punching through the door just to the left of the handle, breaking the lock within. Not missing a beat Aru shoulder-charged her way into what looked like a storage facility, and not a second too soon either as rifle fire spat across the alleyway behind the trio; the door left swinging on its hinges.

''Plan?'' Kayoko asked, gun trained on the doorway even as they hurried deeper into the concrete room – shelving units neatly arranged around the room. A filing room of sorts.

''Break out into the street, try and cross over into the next street.'' Aru answered hastily. ''Run through groups of pedestrians. Those Trinity girls won't dare shoot into a crowd!''

Twin affirmative grunts came her way, and without a word Aru shoulder-charged through the wooden door at the end of the room, bursting out into a corridor. Some office lady got a fright, shrieking and falling back, but Aru didn't spare more than a second to utter an apology before running down the corridor. Every second weighed on her mind, her own heavy breathing and thump of her heels against polished marble floor ringing in her ears.

The corridor broke out into a wider main area, office people walking about with purpose, standing around in groups talking or off to one side on their phones, looking about idly. Some glanced their way, alarmed, but Aru didn't waste any time with a dramatic proclamation or gunshots to the air – that'd take too much time, plus she didn't really want to cause more chaos than needed. Thus without more than a look back at her comrades she kept moving, side-stepping a cart of paperwork boxes and leaping over a marble bench, bolting for the exit.

''Hey!'' The two security bots at the front though –humanoid with a T-shaped head, their visage blue holographs on a black background – noticed their approach and stepped out into the open.

''Kayoko!'' Aru barked.

Without a word said Kayoko raised her silenced pistol, two quick pops downing both the men – knocking them out with headshots. With them out of the way Aru ran out into the daylight once more, briefly squinting as it bit into her eyes, but after a few moments she adjusted and swept her gaze through the crowds – some looking about in concern but most still walking about. Either they hadn't noticed the prior sniper fire, or were under the assumption it was handled.

Aru allowed herself a small smile at that, running out into the crowds. Keeping her head low she deliberately kept close to pedestrians, glancing warily up at the department store at the far end of the street. On occasion she could see the sun glinting off something small next to one of the letters, but no bullets came whistling her way. Unconsciously her smile widened at that, allowing their unknown assailant to see it. Daring them to take a shot.

They did not.

And with little further difficulty, Aru and her team dashed into the next alleyway over, disappearing just as the Justice Task Force members broke out into the street behind them, looking for targets no longer there.

X-x-X

High up on the top of a department store, Mashiro grimaced as she watched the three Gehenna girls run off into an alleyway.

Tilting her head she pressed her ear to her radio piece, putting one thumb on the button. ''Mashiro here. Target out of sight.''

''Understood.'' Hasumi's voice came through. ''Where exactly?''

''Through one of the alleyways across from the exchange building. Heading to my right.'' Slowly Mashiro tilted her sniper rifle on its bipod, peering through the scope as she swept the nearby rooftops. ''Permission to change locations?''

''Granted. I'll alert the Justice Task Force members in the area.''

Mashiro nodded at that and rose from her prone position, spending a moment to hook her radio up to her top and sling her sniper over one shoulder, before swiftly making a beeline for the far right end of the rooftop. The building curved and had a slight ledge to stop anyone from simply rolling off, about two feet tall, but her interest was at the far end of the sign. There, firmly attached to the metal bars holding up the sign, was a thick wire. One that stretched from the rooftop, to the neighbouring one across the street. A zip-line.

Wordlessly Mashiro grabbed the belt she'd left by it, wrapping it and the attached harness firmly around herself before throwing the other end of the belt over the wire and latching it tight – tugging it several times to make sure it could take her weight. That assured and with no time to waste she moved as far back as the belt could go... before finally running, and jumping off the edge.

Momentary weightlessness. A strong tug on her waist. Then with a metallic hiss she was sailing through the air across the wide street, momentum picking up as she went down towards the rapidly-approaching stairwell entrance, the off-yellow concrete nearing-

-and then she raised her feet up, wincing as she hit the wall – her momentum sharply coming to a stop, leaving her dangling there. With haste the black-haired girl unlatched herself, falling the short two-feet onto the dirty rooftop, but with little more than a grunt of complaint she hopped to her feet and hurriedly started to run.

'Hm... where would you go, where would you go...' Mashiro's mind whirred, the general layout of the district coming to her mind. 'They seem to be going from alleyway to alleyway. This one breaks off into another street, then another after that before it reaches the residential areas... if I were them I'd go that way. Much more cover, and easier to lose people there.'

Nodding to herself Mashiro kept up the pace, hopping between narrow alleyways between rooftops – the buildings forming one long line and needing no zip-lines to cross; part of the reason why she had set up the zip-line in such a way. Taking only a moment to pat herself on the back Mashiro single-mindedly kept moving, glancing over the edge into the alley or street below – until soon she spotted a head of red hair dashing through the crowd.

'There you are.' Skidding to a stop she fell into a practised crouch, her sniper resting over one arm as she aimed...

...but to her frustration she couldn't get a shot. Not without risking the bullet bouncing and hitting a civilian. Though it wouldn't do much more damage than a bad bruise or, at worse, knock them out, she didn't want to deal with the paperwork that would follow.

Thus she sharply stood and continued running. With the rooftops clear aside from some plant pots and old mattresses she traversed them much faster than the three Gehenna girls did the alleyway, and the moment she reached the next street Mashiro fell into a crouch, resting her gun over one arm and waiting.

She wasn't disappointed as mere moments later the red-haired girl burst out into the street, running for the next alley. Mashiro watched her through the scope, carefully adjusting it so her field of view was more open, and then exhaled. The red-haired girl looked panicked, she noticed. Strange for what Suzumi called a troublemaker; usually they looked pretty cocky and smug. She hoped she had the right target.

However as the air in her lungs ran out and her body went still, Mashiro purged all thought from her mind – and then pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The bullet closed the distance in a second, and struck the red-haired woman in the leg.

Predictably she stumbled and fell, but the two girls with her snatched one arm each and all but yanked her back to her feet, half-pulling and half-dragging her. Mashiro frowned and adjusted her aim, prepared to fire a second snap-fire shot, but they were already out of sight – a hint of a shin disappearing around the corner. Had she a second more she might've got a second hit to the chest, which probably would've been better.

'I still got her in the leg, though.' Mashiro told herself. 'That'll slow them down a lot. Or at least make them leave behind the red-haired one. The others could probably catch her and interrogate her for information.'

Nodding to herself Mashiro stood and called it in. ''Shots fired. Red-haired one hit in the leg. Moving to next position.''

''Understood, Mashiro. Justice Task Force members are in hot pursuit.''

''CAN I GO NOW?!'' Another voice shrieked; somewhat quietened by distance. Mashiro knew that voice well; the Club President Tsurugi. ''I'll catch them REALLY easily, kehehe...''

''I'm afraid not. You're needed here in case we have another break-in attempt, Tsurugi, and there's a chance these Gehenna girls aren't responsible for such a thing. Mashiro and the others can attend to the task at hand on their own.''

''Keh, fine...''

Silently as she ran Mashiro shook her head. These Gehenna girls didn't know how lucky they were. Had Tsurugi been the one to give chase...

...well, they wouldn't be going back to Gehenna anytime soon, that's for sure.

X-x-X

''Are you alright, Aru?''

Though Mutsuki's tone retained its lightness there was no mistaking the undercurrent of worry that laced it, and had she not been grimacing Aru would've smiled. As it stood the red-haired sniper hobbled further down the alleyway with the help of Kayoko, the two of them soon coming to a stop in a little alcove with Mutsuki taking up guard duties, sweeping both ends of the alleyway with her finger on the trigger, reading to send a burst of bullets at anyone foolish enough to attack them.

''Yes.'' Aru grunted as she propped herself up against the wall, wincing as Kayoko squatted down and prodded the rapidly-forming bruise on her shin, just below her knee. ''It hurts, but it'll probably heal alright. It doesn't feel like anything's broken.''

''Can you still run?'' Kayoko pointedly asked. When she got nothing but a grimace in return, she sighed. ''We have to think of another strategy. Running clearly isn't working anymore. Not with that sniper chasing us.''

Mutsuki perked up at that. ''What if we take her out then?''

Aru however shook her head, expression tight. ''I doubt we can. She's got every advantage on us at the moment. If I had a chance to line up a shot, I could maybe take her out with an explosive round, but I doubt she'll give me long enough to aim.''

Just then they heard shouting from the next street over; their identity made obvious by the chorus of footfalls that marched in unison. Aru grimaced and looked at her two teammates, her two friends.

''We're not leaving you.'' Kayoko made a point to say it, looking around instead for an alternative option.

Aru hurriedly did the same, putting her wit and cunning to good use. The building behind them was apartment complex, but there was no alley access that she could see. There was windows, but they were up on the second storey and higher, and the wall opposite them was made of concrete. For a brief moment it looked like they very well might be trapped... had she not had the thought to look a little higher, and spot black metal.

''The fire escape!'' Aru hissed out. ''Mutsuki, Kayoko!''

''Got it.'' Kayoko understood like she always did, brow setting in a determined frown as she put her back to the wall and cupped her hands.

Laying her gun by the wall Mutsuki backed up a bit, getting a running start, before with a grunt she closed the distance and used Kayoko's folded hands like a springboard – leaping up and grasping onto the lowest rung of the ladder. She dangled precariously for a second before she got a second hand on it. Her weight was enough to make the whole apparatus buckle and jolt down, earning a yelp-

-and then a squeal from Mutsuki as the ladder came down, ending just a foot off the ground and ending with her sprawled across the concrete.

''Ow.'' Mutsuki winced as she stumbled back up to her feet. ''...Aru, you first.''

Nodding her thanks Aru hurriedly ascended the ladder, Mutsuki just behind her with Kayoko bringing up the rear; carrying Mutsuki's weapon for her. The moment they reached the lowest platform Kayoko pulled the ladder back up and all three of them pressed themselves into the brick wall; making themselves as small and motionless as possible.

A mere few seconds later the first Justice Task Force member entered the alleyway, their eyes obscured by the black cap they wore, though there was little to hide the rifles they held in their hands as they meticulously scanned the alleyway – sweeping the bins, the alcoves, everything. They muttered between themselves but otherwise stayed quiet, progressing to the other end of the alleyway, none of them so much as glancing up once; sideways glances not allowing them to spot the motionless trio blending in with the brick wall behind them.

Until soon, one of the Task Force members spoke. ''Targets aren't in the alleyway. They must've got past us sooner than expected.''

Someone on the other side of the radio must've said something, as the Task Force member soon nodded. ''Copy. We'll move over to the next street and sweep the alleyways there. Alright, everyone, let's move!''

With a chorus of affirmatives the nine girls clad in black uniforms ran off. Only when they were out of sight did Aru allow herself to release the pent-up breath she'd been holding in. ''Thank goodness. Alright, let's ascend up to the walkways.''

Twin affirmatives came from her friends, and as one the three ran up the metal fire escape to the topmost floor. Aru did the honours of bashing the window in, wincing at the loud crash it made, but with naught but a quiet apology to the thankfully-absent resident the red-haired sniper crept inside the apartment. Neither she nor her allies paid the yellow walls any mind and rushed through it to the front door; a single shot from her sniper through the lock shattering it and allowing them to step out onto the concrete walkway beyond; stretching out off to the left where the stairs was, only a few intermittent pillars between the walkway wall and the ceiling overhead.

''Kayoko you take the lead, Mutsuki you bring up the- kya!'' Aru's words escalated to a yelp as a high-velocity bullet cracked over her head, blowing a chunk of concrete out of the wall behind her. ''G-Get down!''

All three did so and not a second too soon, as two more rapid-fire shots blew small holes into the apartment wall behind them. Aru swore. ''That damn sniper's back again! Did either of you see where she was?''

''Nope.'' Mutsuki popped the 'p'.

''Nada.'' Kayoko added dryly.

Aru groaned. ''Ugh... well um... Kayoko! You take a look!''

Kayoko sighed and glanced at Mutsuki, deadpan. ''If I get knocked out, convince Aru just to surrender. You can't carry me and drag her.''

''Gotcha.'' Mutsuki agreed without missing a beat.

''W-Will you just peek already?!'' Aru cried back.

Kayoko obeyed; slowly shifting up into a crouch – and then swiftly stood up, taking cover behind one of the stone pillars. A round blew out the concrete next to the pillar, and after a second another bullet tore a chunk out of the side, but thankfully wasn't powerful enough to blow straight through the pillar. Say what you will about modern Kivotos's architecture, but it was practically designed to resist bullet damage, what with how frequent gunfights were.

''It's from the apartment building across from us.'' Kayoko spoke up, daring to peek again – only to jerk back just in time to avoid another round. ''Not sure where.''

Aru nodded and slowly rose to a crouch too; wincing as another round flew over her head when a hint of her hair showed, prompting her to crouch lower. ''Mutsuki, you peek just after Kayoko does. Figure out where they're hiding.''

''Got it.'' With a rare serious expression Mutsuki slowly took cover behind one of the other pillars just to Kayoko's right. A second later Kayoko peeked out, jerking back into cover as another round cracked past her – allowing Mutsuki to peek out and get a solid look. ''I see 'em! Fifth floor walkway, to the right of some wind chimes!''

Aru whispered a thanks and dared try to peek, but had to duck a split-second later as she saw the glint of a scope – ducking under the bullet that went her way. ''Dammit... if she knows we're here then so do those Justice Task Force members. We can't stay here!''

''Yeah I noticed. Got a plan?'' Mutsuki glanced over at her.

Aru bit her lip, the gears in her mind whirring even as another two shots cracked over her head, keeping her pinned. It was that, ironically, that gave her an idea. ''Hehe... I do now~''

Mutsuki and Kayoko both quirked a brow, listening.

Aru didn't waste a second. ''Kayoko, you poke out and draw her fire – the moment she does, Mutsuki, mount your gun and open fire – keep her head down! Don't worry about conserving ammo, I just need a few seconds to aim!''

''Hehe~ I can work with that.''' Mutsuki grinned approvingly. ''Just say when.''

Aru nodded, withdrawing another explosive round from her jacket and sliding it into her sniper rifle, feeling a rising sense of eagerness as she cocked the bolt back. 'Time for some payback.'

They waited, the silence beginning to stretch as their opponent didn't try and take another shot – giving the illusion they thought they were gone, but Aru knew sniping. It was just a trick to get them to peek again.

They'd play right into it.

''Kayoko, now!'' Aru shouted.

Immediately Kayoko peeked out, showing a good portion of her torso before ducking back in cover – a loud crack ringing out as it missed. Mutsuki was already moving, her heavy machine gun smacking down onto the parapet masonry, the bolt cocked back.

And then she let it loose.

RATATATATATAT-!

High-calibre ammunition roared across the space between the two apartment buildings, spitting across the fifth floor of the balcony in a hailstorm of lead and forcing the enemy sniper to duck down beneath the solid parapet lest they get struck five times over. Kayoko poked out of cover and started popping rounds off as well, aiming hers more accurately and giving Aru time to rise up into a low stance, her sniper rifle braced against her forearm as she aimed, exhaling her breath – and then finally pulled the trigger.

The flare-like bullet left the barrel of her gun with a shriek, closing the distance in the span of a second and embedding itself into the opposing balcony – before with a deafening eruption it exploded into a plume of reddish smoke, utterly engulfing not just the balcony but the entire side of the apartment building. Glass windows were blown out, concrete and masonry gave way and sent a good portion of the fifth floor walkway crashing down into the fourth, splinters and chunks of rubble tumbling down into the side-street below.

Gradually the smoke began to clear and the rubble settled, the air filled with the sounds of blaring car alarms and hissing, disconnected wires – and there, laid amidst the rubble with eyes barely half-open, laid their sniper. Mashiro from the Justice Task Force.

''Ahaha~!'' Aru laughed delightedly, adrenaline still pumping through her veins. ''That was fantastic! Our teamwork was impeccable – n-not that I ever expected otherwise, of course, but still!''

''Yeah, as great as it was Aru.'' Mutsuki hefted her gun back off the balcony, grinning at her friend. ''Everyone in Trinity probably heard that. So we better move before we get surrounded.''

''A-Ah, right!'' The red-haired sniper hurriedly agreed, making a break for the stairwell.

Kayoko and Mutsuki followed their limping leader, descending down the staircase all the way to the bottom and rushing out into the open street...

...only to come face-to-face with easily fifty Justice Task Force members, headed by Ichika.

''My my, if this isn't a surprise.'' Ichika smiled, eyes seemingly perpetually closed – only a hint of her dark eyes peeking out between her lashes.

At that, Mutsuki slowly leaned over towards Aru, and spoke.

''...well, I mean, I wasn't wrong.''

Aru could only make a sound akin to a strangled whine in response.

X-x-X

At the same time Sensei found himself exiting the cathedral within Trinity Academy's main grounds; a frown on his face.

He'd asked about regarding anything suspicious, fully expecting, pessimistically, that nobody had heard a word. To his surprise the nuns he'd questioned had exchanged wary glances before admitting that yes, they had. Of course they were bound to secrecy and any attempt to ask about it was met with apologies and denials, and with remarks to take it up with the Justice Task Force, who were the ones to put a gag-order on talk of the matter.

Whatever had happened though wasn't related to people, as one of the nuns had confirmed that nobody they knew was missing. Whatever had happened though was enough to mobilise most of the Justice Task Force and, arguably, most of Trinity. To say they were preparing for war was an overstatement, but to say they were not would be an understatement. It was more of a... standing army situation. Ready to fight, but not drawing their blades quite yet.

Sensei frowned at that, walking across Trinity campus as he pondered over the oddity. 'Something big must've happened for Trinity to put a gag-order on things. Since the sisterhood is involved, and it's not related to people... then it must be related to the holy Relics they store here.'

It had never really occurred to him prior to that. Trinity, being a place of faith and above all preaching kindness and goodness of the heart, had historically served as the storage site for many artifacts imbued with the faith of its residents – manifesting as a, plainly put, 'holy' energy. Whether it truly held some divine affinity or not was unknown to him, but from what research he'd done, he knew the titles weren't just for show.

The Cross of Protection, a golden cross-necklace said to protect its owner from any harm, provided their faith in its ability remain stalwart. It was one of the most commonly seen Relics, as it was used during two of the sieges in the past, protecting whoever was leading the Trinity forces and allowing them to command without fear of being knocked out by sniper fire.

The Vial of Life, a glass view made of clear crystal and filled with a rich red liquid said to be the blood of the very god many in Trinity believed in – and said to heal any injury or wound if consumed, no matter how fatal.

The Crown of Thorns, said to imbue the owner with a wisdom and insight far beyond human means. It was arguably the rarest-seen Relic, and even during his research he could scarcely find solid info on it being used, but presumably it gave the owner superhuman intelligence or something of that nature. The one picture that was confirmed to be legitimate though was a bit unusual, as the crown was made of literal thorns and vines, and looked rather ominous for such a holy Relic.

Nevertheless all items that were highly coveted and, as such, kept in secure storage – leaving only for certain celebrations and usually only for a short time, and under heavy guard, until they were returned. Not least because of the fact Gehenna was after them.

How and why were beyond him. Maybe it was political, maybe based on faiths or other esoteric reasoning, but in the end Gehenna had made multiple attempts in the past to seize them by force. It was part of the reason Trinity even had such a formidable standing army despite how much they preached kindness and care; to protect the holy Relics hidden behind locked doors. It spoke to their value that very few students even knew they existed, such was the secrecy around them.

Interestingly, Gehenna had their own share of Relics – seven at that. One for each 'Sin' in their own theology, coming in the form of a jewel-encrusted ring, each said to have rested upon the seven-fingered deity that once ruled the land Gehenna now stood upon.

The Ring of Wrath, that was said to grant superhuman strength at the cost of making the wearer fall into a frenzy.

The Ring of Lust, said to grant an allure unmatched, at the cost of making their own inhibitions impossible to resist, no matter how scandalous nor how horrific they may be.

The Ring of Envy, granting the wielder the ability to mimic the appearance of anyone they want, but at the cost of inescapable, mind-rending envy.

The Ring of Gluttony, granting them the power to create items from naught but their will, but creating an unfillable void in their heart that could never be closed again, soon driving them mad.

The Ring of Greed, giving the owner the ability to impress their will upon others and subjugate them, be they person or object – but with the heavy cost that, should they ever lose themselves to greed, they themselves would be subjugated by the ring they so carelessly wielded.

The Ring of Sloth, which gave its wielder impenetrable defence far beyond even Kivotan standards, at the cost of sapping their energy until they're left a languid shell of their former self, apathetic to even their own life and eventually causing them to die from starvation as they don't bother to eat or drink.

Then there was the Ring of Pride. Said to give the person wielding it a presence unlike any other, warping and weighing gravity itself down on all those that opposed them – crushing the will of others beneath their own, at the cost of inflated arrogance. The latter had been the downfall for many of its wielders in times long passed.

Of course, in this day and age such Relics weren't really used. Putting aside the very severe side-effects, there just wasn't much use when guns were not just more efficient in most cases, but also far less deadly. Nothing said 'we're the bad guys' than having a berserker charge in and start physically beating people up, and while the Gehenna girls were often troublemakers and mischief-makers, they weren't evil. A minority, perhaps, but far from the majority. They would object to such usage of a Relic that many of them consider a sacred artifact of worship, rather than of war.

'Thankfully so.' Sensei thought privately, gazing at the pathway ahead of himself. 'The last thing I'd want to see is some Gehenna girl going on a rampage because of some unholy Relic.'

As he entertained the thought, his mind turned to less heavier thoughts. 'I wonder how Aru and the others are getting on...'

Then, as if summoned by the mere thought, he heard Aru's voice. ''W-Wait! I told you we're innocent! I-Innocent, I tell you!''

''Mmhm. You know, you've been saying that for the last hour, but I don't think that's become any more true?''

''I-It's the truth, I swear it is!''

Puzzled Sensei turned; his confusion giving way to exasperation as he laid eyes on Aru, Mutsuki and Kayoko marching in a line, their hands and ankles cuffed as they were led towards Trinity's detainment centre not far from the main campus judging by the direction they were going in. Over a dozen Justice Task Force members surrounded them to make sure they couldn't escape, and off to the side keeping an eye on all three was Ichika, smiling like always.

'Perhaps sending a bunch of Gehenna girls to Trinity wasn't the greatest of ideas...' Sensei sighed to himself. 'Gods, Rin's going to kill me over the bill, isn't she...'

Knowing what the answer to that particular question would be Sensei huffed out a breath and made his way over towards the line of Justice Task Force members. They noticed him easily, some of the masked students looking between themselves or breaking out into murmurs – the sudden action drawing the attention of Ichika who followed their gazes, slowly turning until she laid eyes on him – said eyes opening, revealing deep grey irises.

''Ah, Sensei.'' The only indication of her surprise was a slight change in lilt; her voice raising in pitch subtly. ''I didn't know you were in Trinity today.''

''Mm. On official business though.'' He smiled lightly. ''Caught some Gehenna students misbehaving?''

''W-We weren't misbehaving, Sensei!'' Aru cried out.

''Well I mean, we did kinda blow up some wall, shot up an apartment building and broke into an apartment. That's, what, at least two counts of property damage and one count of breaking and entering? Oh! And we broke the door on that office building, so make that three counts of property damage, heehee~''

''Lower than our usual damages, at least...''

''Y-You two! Hush! You're only making us look worse!''

The entire exchange between the three Problem Solver girls was completely ignored.

''Mm.'' Ichika nodded in answer to his question. ''They were involved in a robbery and ended up causing considerable property damage before they were apprehended, alongside knocking Mashiro unconscious.''

''Any civilian injuries?''

''None reported thus far, no.''

''I see.'' Sensei nodded towards Aru and the others. ''Mind if I take them off your hands? They're technically here on a mission at the moment. Though, property destruction wasn't a part of that.''

Ichika frowned at him, prompting him to quickly add; ''Schale will pay for the damages, of course. Even if this wasn't what they were ordered to do, they still did it on-duty.''

At that Ichika looked back at the three Gehenna girls – Aru hopefully looking up whilst Kayoko looked like she'd rather be anywhere else – before sighing. ''Well, I guess if they're with you, it's alright. You'll have to tell Hasumi that in person though; I was supposed to take them to the detainment centre, you know?''

''I'll do just that. I've been meaning to speak with Hasumi anyway.'' Sensei remarked with a smile.

Ichika returned it albeit a bit wryly, fond exasperation on her face as she turned her attention onto her fellow Justice Task Force members. ''Alright, uncuff them.''

With little more than some hums and grunts of acknowledgement the black-clad angels obeyed. The moment they were free Mutsuki let out a satisfied sigh, complaining about her sore wrists and rubbing them, whilst Kayoko just sent a pointed look to one of the Trinity girls until they uncertainly handed her pistol back. Moments later Aru and Mutsuki were returned their weapons – Mutsuki herself also regaining her black bag full of explosives. Where she got the replacement bombs after using them to knock out Looker, Sensei didn't even want to ask.

''Sensei...'' Aru's voice drew his eyes to the red-haired sniper. ''I... my apologies for getting into trouble and causing you problems.''

Sensei hummed, examining her expression in detail – the downturn to her brow, the pursing of her lips, the awkward shame; she was being totally sincere. Not that he had any reason to doubt her. Aru might be grandiose and with aspirations for being revered as a badass, but she was a good person at heart. Someone who idolised criminals but didn't want to trample upon those that real criminals wouldn't hesitate to.

''It's alright.'' With a smile the raven-haired man responded, brushing his fingers through his aforementioned locks to get them out of his eyes. ''I'm betting you've not found anything yet?''

Mutsuki snickered. ''We didn't even make it to the forest. We got caught up in some robbery and the Trinity girl behind the counter thought we were involved.''

Ichika looked most intrigued. ''Oh? So is that how you were pursued?''

''Yes!'' Aru crossed her arms, glaring. ''I told you that three times!''

''Mm, you did. I just thought you were babbling to try and get out of an arrest.''

''I-I wasn't babbling!''

''Hm, I don't know about that~''

Aru simultaneously looked like she wanted to strangle the smiling Ichika and slumping over in shame, but settled for a groan of frustration instead.

''I'm assuming Mashiro is alright, though?'' Sensei asked, directing his inquiry more to Ichika than the Gehenna girls.

The black-haired angel nodded. ''Mm. She'll be bedridden for a day or two, but she's a stubborn one. She'll be fine.''

''Good. When she wakes give her my best wishes.''

''Will do, Sensei~'' Ichika merrily said. ''I'll be off now then. Please keep the three troublemakers in line~''

''Haha, I will, I will.''

Ichika smiled his way and gave him a wave as she walked off, leading her squad-mates away towards one of the many buildings present. Sensei hummed and turned his gaze onto Aru and the others, gesturing for them to follow him as he led them towards the main building, where Hasumi's office was.

As they walked, he had one question. ''By the way, did you catch the cashier's name? At the place that was robbed?''

''Mm.'' Kayoko confirmed. ''Her name tag said 'Suzumi'.''

''Ah... that makes a lot of sense.''

Perhaps he should take Suzumi aside to work on her habit of jumping to conclusions...

[END]

A/N: Slightly more of a humorous chapter this time. Hope it wasn't too much of a clash against the last one - I do want to keep this story, on the whole, a bit more light-hearted... outside of the really dark moments, heh.

Also, not sure if next week's chapter will be delayed, as I'm fiddling about with another story fic at the same time so my time is somewhat divided. If next week there's another fic uploaded in Chapter 7's place, then it's just because it wasn't uploaded in time and will be uploaded a week after that.

See you all next time in Chapter 7: Arrangements~

(No sneak peek this time around either; not sure if I'll keep doing these with this story, due to its structure).