Chapter 67 - A Student's Heart IV - Shiroko
...
I step outside onto the balcony attached to my room in Schale, cup of coffee in hand as the cool, morning air flows through my hair. That onsen was certainly nice, but this right here? This is enough to relax me.
I sit on a chair, turning one of my legs so that the side of my ankle is resting on my other knee. I sit my cup of coffee to the side while I open my phone to check the news.
Tensions are high and ever-growing around the Eden Treaty. Gehenna's still 'hesitating' to sign it. I still haven't met their Student Council President, have I? Even with Trinity, I've only met Mika and that was a while ago. Though Suzumi mentioned something happened to Seia, another one of the Trinity presidents, a while back. I do hope she's alright.
Come to think of it, aside from Mika and Hoshino, I haven't met any of the Council Presidents in Kivotos at all.
Haven't met Nagisa and Seia of Trinity, Himari's very outspoken about how much Rio annoys her and she did that whole cloak-and-dagger bullshit when I helped the gamer girls so I'm a bit wary of meeting her, no idea who runs Hyakkiyako or Shanhaijing, same with Gehenna.
Not to mention that I CERTAINLY haven't met the General Student Council President, but that's a whole 'nother can of worms.
...Huh. A bank got robbed this morning around here in the Shiratori Ward of the DU District. Students of the Valkyrie Police Academy are after them currently. Who the hell robs a bank at 7 a.m.? Too early for this shit.
As I take a sip of my coffee, my phone dings and a notification pops up. Another text via Momo Talk?
Speaking of Momo Talk, I finally got around to messing with the app and saw something interesting. This whole time, I thought it was just a chat app, but it's also kinda like social media with having followers and stuff.
On Momo Talk, I have the most followers of anyone in Kivotos.
ANYONE.
What the hell?
Shrugging that aside, I check the text from... Shiroko?
Sensei, do you own a bicycle?
Yeah, I bought one a while back when I had some free time. It certainly isn't as nice as yours, but it's nice.
I haven't had the chance to ride it, though.
Good.
I mean...
I was going to ask if you wanted to ride with me this afternoon. I was going to let you use my old one, but...
I'd like that.
I've got some work to catch up on, but I'll come meet ya at Abydos this afternoon. That okay with you?
Yes.
I'll see you then.
Well, I've got plans. But before that...
"Ugh, work..." I groan.
Unfortunately, I found myself out of eggs for breakfast and had to run to the store before getting to work.
Upon coming back, I found my route now blocked off by police, or rather students dressed as police. Valkyrie students? Just about all of them have silver hair done in low pigtails, their bangs covering their eyes. They also wear black, blue and white uniforms with skirts, and carry black and white shotguns, which seems similar to Hoshino's. Some also carry round, see-through shields with 'K.S.P.D' on them.
"What's going on?" I ask one of the girls, referring to the cordoned-off area.
"Huh?" One of the girls asks, turning to me. She appears a tad surprised to have to look up at me. "Well, the Kaitengers robbed another bank."
"The what and the who?" I ask.
"The Kaitengers." A new voice says, sounding vaguely feminine to the point that it could easily be mistaken for that of a man's, or at least a teenage boy's.
Turning around, I see a girl with long, blonde hair with her bangs hiding one of her pale blue eyes and pretty much the rest of that half of her face. Atop her head are two ears... fox ears? Perhaps some kind of dog? Not sure what kind of ears they are exactly.
As she takes a sip from her white mug with a black paw-print on it, I notice her teeth are sharp and spiky.
She wears a light blue shirt with a dark blue tie and skirt. Over the shirt, she wears a dark blue policeman's jacket with a badge and various medals. Her legs are covered with black leggings and grey high-heeled shoes. She has a pistol holstered under her jacket and has a clipboard in her other hand. Her halo is light blue and appears to be a single shape, twisted to form an intricate diamond of sorts, but actually splits apart some.
"They're a bunch of idiots who think they're heroes, but they need funding for their escapades." The blonde girl explains.
"And their solution is to rob banks?" I deadpan.
"Evidently." She groans. "Ah right, I should probably introduce myself. Ogata Kanna, Captain of the Public Security Bureau."
"Joshua, Sensei of Schale." I greet back, causing her visible eye to widen a bit. "Nice to meetcha."
"Huh, wasn't expecting to run into you." Kanna says.
"Say, y'all need any help?" I offer.
"Normally, I would say no, confident in my men's abilities, but..." Kanna begins, pausing as her face scrunches up. "Those idiots are slippery."
"Then tell me how I can help." I say, seriously.
The blonde officer cracks a smile, her pointed teeth on display. "You really are a helpful guy, just like they say, huh, Sensei?"
A few minutes later, Kanna and I are positioned on the opposite side of barricades, in the cordoned off area. Her officers are behind us, ready to cover, along with cars set up at various locations, ready to assist.
"So, your guys are leading 'em here?" I ask.
"Yes. They should be coming around the corner soon." Kanna explains. "I also got us a bit more backup." She says, jutting her thumb backward.
Sure enough, more officers show up, these ones clearly less-equipped and wearing white uniforms, as opposed to blue and black. "These ones usually patrol, huh?"
"Got it in one." Kanna confirms. "These girls are from the Public Safety Bureau. We of the Public Security Bureau actively go after bad guys, while they're the ones that handle... less-important tasks."
"Ah." I add, as two girls run up to us, one looking far more enthusiastic than the other.
The excited girl has long, white hair done in two braids, the ends turning a pale blue, a similar color to her eyes. On her head is a grey cap, allowing an ahoge to stick up from under. She wears a white and grey uniform with purple accents, along with various things strapped to it. Next to her chest is a pistol, on her waist are canisters, likely smoke grenades, a purple megaphone and a small fanny pack on her back. She wears black leggings and has on tall, white boots and similarly colored boots. Her halo is interesting, it's blue on the outside and fades to pink in the center. It's a rather intricate design as well, almost unable to describe.
All in all, she looks like a proper, Japanese policewoman, as opposed to Kanna's more American look.
The other girl, looking almost bored, has dark blue hair with grey-blue accents done into pigtails, held with white ribbons. She wears a cap similar to the other girl's and she has bright, magenta eyes which have slitted pupils. She wears a white and pale blue uniform with a white hoodie worn over, complete with accessories. Her hoodie has a badge and a hot pink police microphone strapped to it. She also has on black leggings, but wears red and pink tennis shoes. She carries a pink sniper rifle in one hand, slung over her shoulder with a hot pink strap and in the other is... a donut? Or at least a little bit of one. Her halo is also hot pink, forming four hearts, interestingly enough.
"We're here, Captain Kanna!" The white haired girl says proudly, even saluting the blonde girl.
"Geez, can you calm down Kirino?" The bored girl asks, taking a bite of what's left of her donut.
"Ugh." Kanna groans. "Have you two been briefed?"
"Yes. We, the Public Safety Bureau are to assist the Public Security Bureau in arresting the Kaitengers." The white haired girl says dutifully.
"Yup." The blonde confirms. "But you two are to personally assist me and Sensei."
"Sensei?" The blue haired girl asks, Kanna answering my jutting her thumb at me.
"Eh? Sensei? Like the Sensei of Schale?" The white haired girl asks, stars in her eyes.
"That's me. Joshua, Sensei of Schale." I greet.
"Oh, wow! I wasn't expecting to meet someone like you today!" The excited girl chirps. "My name is Nakatsukasa Kirino, it's nice to meet you."
"And my name's Nemugaki Fubuki. Nice to meetcha." The blue haired girl says in a tired tone. Doesn't 'Nemu' mean tranquil? And 'Gaki' means brat, so...
Ha. Sleepy brat.
"Nice to meet the both of ya." I greet back.
"Yeah, yeah, we've all met one another." Kanna groans, smiling a bit. "Now focus, those idiots are incoming."
The four of us tense up, as do the police students behind us.
"So, what can we expect from these Kaitengers?" I ask the blonde Captain.
"Aside from the fact that they're idiots? They're very synchronized with each other. As much as I hate to admit, they work well together, despite being five of them." Kanna explains.
I blink, understanding the threat incoming. "Well, that's good to-"
"Round and round the conveyor belt carries us... to JUSTICE!" A theatrical-sounding female voice declares.
From around the corner, come five girls, each posing for some reason. They wear identical bodysuits, each colored different; all of them very tight and not hiding their near-identical assets. They each have simple halos which, while identical in shape, have a tint to them corresponding to the color of their outfit. The yellow one has a while halo tinged yellow and the red one's is tinged red, for example.
They also have sushi atop their heads.
The pink one to the far left has what looks like a piece of shrimp sushi atop her head and is holding a pink and white rocket launcher. The green one to the inner left has an avocado roll and carries a green gatling gun. The yellow one to the far right has an egg yolk on her head and carries a yellow sniper rifle. The black one to the inner right has a piece of eel on her head and carries a black and white pistol. The red one in the center, likely the leader, has on a piece of tuna and carries a red assault rifle.
"The Infinite Sushi Squad, Kaitengers, have arrived! Prepare to be served!" The red one declares.
"You dastardly villains who stand in our way must be stopped!" The yellow shouts.
"We must roll these villains up before they can do the same to us!" The pink one adds.
"Those who stand in the way of Justice are the greatest fools!" The black one exclaims.
"Hey, this is going into overtime, so..." The green one, rather unenthusiastically, says to Red.
"We'll comp the session, don't worry Green." Red says to Green in a whisper. "The conveyor belt of life has endlessly rotated to a brighter tomorrow! Kaitengers!" The red one continues, raising her volume again.
"ROLL UP!" The shout as one.
Kanna groans, head in her hand.
Fubuki looks at them for a moment, before shrugging.
Kirino just stares at them wide-eyed.
I'm the first to speak up.
"Okay, what the FUCK is this fever dream?!" I shout, confused, unsettled and completely fed up with this nonsense.
"I told you they were idiots, Sensei." Kanna groans.
"Okay, yeah, fine." I groan. "Fuck it, just... just, let's beat 'em up, yeah?"
The three girls next to me tense as do the Kaitengers. Fubuki tosses the last bit of her donut into her mouth.
Kanna and I are the first to move, both of us shooting our pistols at the Sushi Squad, who scatter.
Both sides take cover and begin to fire at one another. Kanna fires with perfect accuracy. Fubuki, despite her boredom, takes things seriously as she dips out from cover to snipe the Rangers. As for Kirino...
"Awwww..." Kirino whines, firing her pistol quickly, each shot perfectly lined up, but...
"Are you still not hitting anything, Kirino?" Fubuki asks, deadpan.
"I can't help it, Fubuki!" The white haired officer whines. "You know I can never hit anything I aim at! This time is nothing different."
"Then don't aim for them!" I shout, popping one of the Kaitengers in the hand, causing her to shake it back and forth quickly to soothe the pain.
"That's a stupid idea!" Kanna shouts.
"This whole situation is stupid!" I retort.
"Okay, I-I'll try, Sensei." Kirino says, hesitant. She aims to the right, away from our opponents, and fires.
bang
"Ouch!" One of the rangers shouts as Kirino's bullet hits her square in the head, despite the officer's pistol being pointed nowhere near the one who was impacted.
"Eh?" Kirino asks, dumbly.
"Holy crap... That worked?" The blue haired officer says, dumbfounded, her eyes wide.
And so, it continues again, this time with all of our shots hitting. The other officers behind us keep suppressive fire, though they're not as accurate as the four of us.
I watch the Kaitengers closely as they stop and... pose? Afterwards, I notice something about them change.
They start firing bullets that glow sometimes, whereas before all of them were just normal projectiles.
Kaiten Red's bullets seem to have some sort of tracking, but only ones glowing red. Kirino moves yet the glowing bullets from the red AR still impact her. They seem to change course in mid-air.
Kaiten Black sometimes fires a bullet with a black glow. After getting hit by one, the next shots seemed to hurt Kanna more, judging by how her face began to scrunch up after getting hit, but this effect only lasted a short while.
Kaiten Green sometimes fires a barrage of bullets that are glowing green, but can only seem to fire them in a straight line. These bullets have far more stopping power than the usual as they dig into the asphalt.
Kaiten Yellow can fire a single bullet that glows yellow, which she can ricochet with great ease. Fubuki got popped by one in the shoulder after it bounced off a brick wall.
Kaiten Pink's rocket that glows pink generates a larger explosion upon impact, roughly two or three times the size of the usual ones.
These five are definitely tough, but together they seem to work off of the other's weaknesses. Pink and Yellow fire slowly, Black fires a bit faster but acts as a debuffer, Red and Green keep the pressure up. The ones with the slower rate of fire seem to be more dangerous, strangely enough.
A thought occurs. "Kirino, got any smoke bombs?" I ask the white haired girl.
"Huh?" Kirino's blue eyes blink. "Oh yes, here." She says, unclipping two from her belt and handing it to me.
"Thanks. I'm gonna use it on Red and Green which are stuck together, this oughta be a good opening for us to take out the other three, but focus on Black first." I order.
"Not a bad idea." Kanna praises, a small smile on her face.
"Best idea I've heard today." Fubuki idly comments.
"Good. Get ready then." I say before popping up from cover and tossing a grenade. The Red and Green ones see it coming and move to the side, but when they weren't looking, I quickly threw the second in their path. One bomb explodes, creating a smokescreen before the other explodes right on Red and Green, blinding them. The two smokescreens combine together to make an even bigger cloud.
"Now!" I shout.
Fubuki pops Black in the head, knocking her down.
"Black!" Pink shouts, looking down at her fallen comrade as I shoot her in the foot. "Ow!" She shouts, hopping to the side. Kanna gets the same idea as she shoots Pink's other foot, knocking her down. Kirino shoots into the air, the bullets somehow slamming into Yellow's sizeable chest, followed by a more powerful shot from Fubuki, knocking the opposing sniper down.
At this time, the smokescreen begins to die down. Green has moved closer to the other three, but has stopped, seeing the downed. Kanna fires a single, golden shot at Green, before shouting, "Focus on Green!"
And we do exactly that, all four of us hitting the green one with our bullets before some golden energy builds up before exploding, Green at the epicenter.
"Neat trick." I praise, seeing Red all alone, looking around in the smokescreen, the battlefield likely starting to come into view for her.
"Easy shot." Fubuki grins as she fires a stronger shot than I expected from her rifle, slamming right into Red's head, knocking her down and out.
After a long silence, the officers behind us begin to cheer, likely fed up with those five as we are.
"Well..." I comment, blinking. "That was easy."
"Easier than it usually is." The blonde officer comments. "Usually they either act like sponges and soak up all of our shots or run away at the last moment."
"Incredible! With Sensei leading us, we were unstoppable!" The white haired officer cheers.
"He certainly made a difference." The blue haired office idly comments, before pulling a donut out from her jacket and beginning to munch on it. How many of those does she have...?
Kanna turns back to her men. "Well? What are y'all waiting for, a medal? Arrest those five idiots!" She barks, pun intended, as they get to work.
"Welp." I say, popping the p. "I oughta get going. I still haven't had any breakfast."
"Go ahead, we've got this." Kanna says, flashing me a spikey-toothed grin. "And thanks for helping out, Sensei."
"Yeah, thanks for the help, Sensei." Fubuki adds, grinning.
"Stay safe on your way home, Sensei!" Kirino says, excitedly.
I just wave as I leave, stopping to grab my bag of eggs, before heading home. That certainly worked up an appetite.
The rest of the day progressed as normal, I got some work done while Arona went to hang out with the Game Development girls over in Millennium.
Afternoon soon came, prompting me to get up and go get my new, red bike. I slowly rode over to Abydos, making sure I didn't push myself too hard before Shiroko and I had a chance to ride.
As the school's borders come into vision, I see Shiroko waiting for me, resting next to her bike as she idly swipes through her phone. She still is wearing the same school outfit as usual. Her wolf ears twitch, prompting her to look up and see me.
I pull up to her and come to a stop. "Yo." I greet with a smile.
"Hi, Sensei." Shiroko greets, a small but bright smile on her face as she pockets her phone. "You're wearing something different?" She asks, motioning to my casual t-shirt and jogging pants.
"Yeah, this is kinda like what I usually wear when working out." I say, shrugging. "You're still wearing the same stuff as usual."
"Nn." She lets out her usual sound while nodding. "I have a riding outfit, but I forgot it was time to wash it."
"Eh, you can wear it next time." I say, waving her worries off. "You ready?"
She nods, her smile not growing at all despite becoming brighter, before hopping on her blue bike.
And so, we take off, no real destination in mind.
The sky begins to cloud up as the afternoon progresses, rather ominously at that. The weather said there was a twenty percent chance of rain, but those clouds say otherwise.
Shiroko either doesn't notice or doesn't mind as we ride through the DU District. We rode through Abydos, hot and arid as usual. Of course the clouds appeared AFTER we entered a more temperate area of the city.
Shiroko and I ride alongside one another, neither speaking, for hours, her long, blue scarf billowing in the wind.
plop
Something wet hits my shoulder, causing me to look down and see the drop of rain that's impacted it. The wolf girl seems to flinch as well. Before either of us can speak, rain begins to fall, sparse drops quickly becoming abundant.
Looking around, I spot a convenience store. "Shiroko! Let's dip in there!" I shout to the wolf girl, who nods. The two of us park our bikes under the eaves of the building's roof. We take a step inside to escape from the rain, which would be nipping at our heels under the thin dry area out front.
"Geez, it's really starting to come down out there." The cat man behind the counter observes.
"Twenty percent chance, huh?" I sarcastically ask, smiling. My joke causes the cashier to crack a smile as well.
"Mn." Shiroko lets out a sound. I turn to see her face scrunched up as she looks at her phone.
"What is it?" I ask, prompting her to merely flip her phone around to show me. It's the weather radar, and... "And now it's gonna rain until the morning?" I deadpan. "Great."
"It's fine. If I ride fast enough, I should be able to get home without getting soaked." Shiroko says, pocketing her phone.
"Look how hard it's pouring out there." I say, pointing outside. "You'd be soaked by the time you got to Schale, let alone Abydos." I open my mouth to continue, but pause as a thought occurs. "Matter of fact, why don't you stay at Schale tonight? It IS closer, and I'd hate to have ya ride all the way back home. There's plenty of spare rooms."
Really, there are. My 'apartment' at the top has multiple bedrooms. Not to mention there's the Recreational area below.
The wolf girl's expression turns thoughtful, before turning determined. "All right, Sensei." She nods with a small smile.
"Nice." I smile. "Come to think of it, I've been meaning to get others to taste my food. Arona loves the stuff I make, but I feel like she's a bit biased."
"Arona eats your food?" Shiroko asks with a slight tilt of the head. "I thought she was in your tablet?"
"Ah, right. You haven't seen it yet." I remember. "I got the Engineering Club over at Millennium to make her a body, so Arona's been doing this and that ever since then, trying to experience anything and everything."
"Which includes your food." Shiroko comments, her face bearing a small smile.
"Especially the food." I add, letting out a soft chuckle. "Still, if it ain't gonna let up, we might as well bite the bullet and rush over to Schale."
Shiroko nods, determined.
A moment later, we're on our bikes, pressed against the wall as we remain under the only dry spot we'll have for a while.
"Ready?" I ask.
"Ready."
And so, the two of us dash through the torrential rain, legs turning into blurs as we pedal like our lives depend on it.
This is when I really notice how quick Shiroko is. I'm pedaling rather quickly, not enough to wear me out, but still quite fast...
...and yet Shiroko is keeping up with me.
Easily.
It doesn't even seem like she's trying.
Good lord.
The both of us park our bikes in Schale's garage before we take the elevator up, directly to my personal residence above my office.
"You wanna take a shower first?" I ask the wolf girl as we ride up. We're both covered in sweat and rain and stuff, our clothes completely drenched.
But Shiroko shakes her head negative. "You can go first."
"You sure?" I ask, receiving a nod from her. "All right." I shrug.
I take a shower, quick as possible, getting dressed in some casual clothes before stepping out.
"Your turn." I say, seeing the sopping wet wolf girl sitting next to the bathroom. Fortunately the area right outside the bathroom doesn't have carpet. "I'll sit ya out some clothes before I get started on dinner. Come down whenever."
Shiroko nods appreciatively before going inside.
"Oh and sit your clothes in a pile, I oughta wash 'em while you're here." I add.
"Okay." Shiroko loudly says from within the bathroom. With this as a cue, I go downstairs and start thinking on what to make for dinner.
Hmm... She's a wolf, so maybe she likes meat? I do hope that isn't racist.
I sit the plates at the table, hamburgers cooking in the kitchen, when I hear footsteps coming down the stairs. It takes me aback seeing Shiroko wearing one of my white t-shirts and my spare sweatpants.
"You hungry?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
Shiroko smiles and nods. "What are you making?"
"Burgers." I say, simply, causing her smile to widen. "Anything you want on 'em?"
That was the wrong question to ask.
I look on in awe as Shiroko devours the biggest hamburger I've ever made.
When I asked what she wanted on it, I meant toppings, but she asked for a whole 'nother patty on it. Of course, she also asked for some toppings, but still...
She's eating- no, devouring a burger with two-thirds of a pound of meat on it, plus a toppings.
"Did you just... not eat today?" I ask, cautiously.
The wolf girl blushes and looks away from me. "I had a light lunch and... bicycling works up an appetite for me."
"Well... is it good?" I ask.
Shiroko nods, a big smile on her face, at least compared to her usual subdued smile. "It's the best burger I've ever eaten."
"High praise." I say, raising an eyebrow.
"It's really good." She reiterates, happily taking another big bite.
I can't help but chuckle and shake my head at her antics.
After eating, I went upstairs with Shiroko to grab our clothes to throw in the washer. "So, anything I need to know? Any of that stuff need to be washed in cold instead of hot?" I ask.
"No, they all use warm water." She says.
As we reach the bathroom, Shiroko dashes in, grabbing something from the pile and hiding it behind her back. "I, uh... I can wash this myself."
I groan. "Shiroko, I've washed women's underwear before. You don't hafta be so embarrassed."
"This isn't my underwear." She says with a blush, causing my face to scrunch up in confusion.
"Then what is it?" I ask.
She hesitantly pulls her arms from behind her back, revealing her scarf in her hands.
"Your scarf?" I ask.
"It's very... precious to me." She admits, her face red.
"Ah." I realize. "I noticed you always wear that thing, despite living in the desert." I muse. "I hesitate to ask, but why?"
The wolf girl remains silent for a long while, before sighing. "...Hoshino gave this to me when she found me."
"Found?" I ask, a bit concerned.
"Nn." She lets out a sound while nodding. "Last winter, Hoshino and Nonomi found me near the school. I... didn't have any memory. The only thing I knew was my name..." She averts her gaze from me as she reminisces. "I attacked them for some reason, my kinda was really hazy and confused during that time, but Hoshino was way too tough and she beat me easily. Despite that, neither of them really wanted to hurt me." She grips the blue scarf tighter. "It was snowing in Abydos and all I had on were some black rags, so Hoshino pulled off the scarf she was wearing and wrapped it around my neck. This scarf..." She pauses, pulling the scarf closer to her face, looking at it with a wistful expression. "...It means a lot to me. It's my most precious possession."
I stay silent, unable to find words. It's certainly surprising to hear Shiroko speak this much, since she's usually very quiet... It really does mean a lot to her.
Eventually, I do manage to form words.
"...I guess we're similar in that regard."
"Huh?" She asks, her blue eyes staring into mine.
"I... I don't actually know how I ended up in Kivotos." I admit. "This place certainly does NOT exist anywhere on my planet, neither do superpowered girls with halos or robot people or anthropomorphic animal people... and yet here I am... somehow. I guess I'm just missing those memories." I pause, before smiling. "But hey, I'm sure we'll remember that stuff we've forgotten eventually. And if we don't, we can just keep makin' new ones."
Shiroko lets out a soft gasp at my words. "Nonomi said the same thing after we met." The wolf girl's face contorts into a beautiful smile. "But... thanks, Sensei."
I do nothing but smile in response.
After all that, I put our clothes in the wash. Arona also texted me right after, saying she was going to have a sleepover at Millennium, and something about Neru showing up and playing games with them? I just told the android girl to stay safe and dry. She should be able to handle the rain like anyone else, but we all know how much wet clothes suck.
Shiroko and I ended up watching a movie in the living room. Never been big on movies, but she picked a good one. Afterwards, I tossed our clothes in the dryer, to have them dry while we sleep.
After telling the silver haired girl that she can grab her clothes in the morning, I bid her goodnight, letting her sleep in one of the extra bedrooms up here.
I slip into bed, clad in just a t-shirt and boxers, closing my eyes as the rain outside lulls me to sleep, when-
crack BOOM
-thunder and lightning ring out, causing me to jolt and my eyes to snap open. The weather did say it was gonna be worse during the night.
Oh well...
BOOM
Thunder sounds out again, this time followed by different sounds. Rapid footsteps approach my bedroom before the door swings open.
"Sh-Shiroko?!" I shout, seeing the wolf girl clad in only my shirt and nothing else, as far as I can see. Thankfully the shirt is a little big for her, so I can't see anything south of the equator.
"Sensei..." She says, a pitiful expression on her face. "Can I-"
BOOM
Shiroko's words are interrupted by thunder, causing the wolf girl to tense up and go rigid like those fainting goats.
I sigh, knowing what she wants. "You wanna sleep in here?" I ask.
She nods fast. "Yes please." She says, quickly.
I wordlessly flip up the side of the covers. She moves over to my bed, her face red as can be while she begins to slip under the covers. Once she's in the bed, laid down a few inches away from me, getting comfortable...
BOOM
She dashes forward, holding onto my left side for dear life. Her arms are clenched around my torso and her amazingly soft legs are wrapped around mine.
I thought she was a wolf, not a snake.
I just let out a soft chuckle as I pat her head with my right hand, ruffling her soft hair and wolf ears. "It'll be alright." I say, softly. Thankfully, this seems to help as her grip on me lessens after a long moment. "You okay?"
"Yes." She says, shyly. "I'm just not good with thunder..."
"That's fine, everyone's scared of something." I say.
"Even you?" She asks, her blue eyes looking at me with surprise.
"Even me." I say seriously. "Though I used to be scared of a lot of stuff."
"What happened?"
"I faced my fears." I say, wistful. "Of course, a lot of times it was either that or die, so I took the plunge, so to speak. After that, I kept doing the same thing. Now... I'd say only one thing scares me anymore."
"...What's that?" She asks.
"Losing people I care about." I say, causing her beautiful eyes to widen.
"Am..." She begins, shyly. "Am I someone you care about?"
"You kidding? How are you not?" I ask, causing her to still.
"Well... you're someone I care about." She replies. "Someone I care about a lot." As she says that, she sits up, a determined look on her face. "Sensei... I... I'm afraid of losing you as well, so... I... I want you to know that I-I love you."
My mind freezes. Again? Why can't my mind handle this shit?
"Do you... really?" I ask, slowly.
"Nn." She nods, a serious look on her face.
"What brought this on so suddenly?" I ask.
"I know you and Hoshino are together, along with that girl from Millennium she mentioned, and... I don't want to miss my chance." She admits. "After we saw each other last time, Serika and I saw you and Hoshino asleep together... When I saw that, I had a strange feeling well up in me. I couldn't figure out what it was or what caused it, but... I eventually realized that i was jealous. And that only meant one thing... that I lo-love you, Sensei."
"Shiroko..." I say softly as I reach my left hand up and cup her cheek, my hand first running through her silky smooth, silver hair. I make a decision and pull her face closer, causing our lips to meet.
As per usual, it's amazing. She tastes like my toothpaste, I did let her use it, after all.
After a long while, we part.
"I love you too." I say, looking her dead in her mismatched pupils as they dilate.
Shiroko smiles the biggest, most radiant smile I've seen from her yet as she lays back down next to me, wrapping her limbs around my body, though nowhere near as tightly as before.
"I suppose I don't need to get interrogated by Hoshino, do I?" My new girlfriend asks.
"Probably not." I say. "Maybe."
We fall back into a silence, one that's very comfortable, strangely enough.
"Sensei?"
"Josh." I correct. "You're my girlfriend, so... call me Josh."
"...Then, Josh?" She reiterates.
"Yeah?"
"What did you mean before?"
"Before?" I ask.
"You said you had to either face your fears or die." She points out.
I let out a long sigh. "You remember my story about my ex?"
"Nn." She hums in affirmation, her eyebrows furrowing in anger just remembering her.
"Long story short, my friend's dad, who was the head of the biggest company on the planet, died right after that. It was probably Rick who did it, honestly." I explain. "He shows up to this press conference in multiple casts and bandages to the point he looked like a damn mummy. He started going on about how 'my friend did this to me after I tried to get back at him for putting his girlfriend in a coma'-" Shiroko's eyes widen. ", and how 'it pains me to do this, but I'm putting a bounty on my dear friend'."
"A bounty?" My wolf girlfriend asks, almost afraid to do so.
"Yup. A dead or alive bounty of ten billion U.S. dollars." Shiroko's eyes widen at that statistic. "Or about one-point-four trillion yen." And that causes her eyes to nearly pop out of her head.
"That..."
"Makes the amount Kaiser's been squeezing from y'all look like chump change, huh?" I ask, rhetorically. "Before I came here, I spent the past five years running all over the globe, never stopping for long, seldom ever having anyone near me that wasn't either openly trying to kill me or were buttering me up to try and get that sweet, sweet money. And to make matters worse, those that did help me, all died in one horrible way or another. I was always alone, always hunted..."
Shiroko looks down, a somber expression in her face.
"But..." I begin, prompting her to look back up at me. "Even though there were times where I wanted to end it all, and times where I nearly did, I always ended up living... I always continued marching forth. And... I'm damn glad I did." I say, looking down at her with a smile. " 'Cause I know I ain't ever gonna be alone again."
Shiroko returns my smile as she holds onto me.
"I love you, Josh." She says, snuggling against me while holding me tighter.
"I love you too, Shiroko." I say back, holding onto her tighter.
We embrace one another, both of us being lulled to sleep.
BOOM
Thunder roars once more, the storm all but forgotten by us. Shiroko, surprisingly doesn't even slightly tense up at the sound, her only response being to snuggle against me even further. It seems it was an unconscious action as her breathing has slowed and become soft.
I didn't know she could fall asleep so quick.
I can't help but to smile as I see her face sporting a beautiful smile, part of it hidden as she nuzzles lovingly into the crook of my neck.
"Sweet dreams, Shiroko." I say softly to the sleeping girl, one of her wolf ears twitching at the sound.
I shut my eyes slowly and fall asleep.
But before I do, I swear I could hear someone say,
"Sweet dreams, Josh."
"Morning." The wolf girl greets her friends as she enters the Foreclosure Task Force's club room.
"Shiroko? You're not usually so late." Ayane observes.
"I stayed at Schale last night." Shiroko says, bluntly.
""Huh?!"" Ayane and Serika shout as one.
"Why would you stay the night there?" Nonomi asks.
"Sensei and I rode bikes together, then it rained, so let let me stay over." The wolf girl explains quickly and simply.
"Oho!" Hoshino exclaims, a devious expression on her face. "Did the two of you do anything together?"
"Nn." Shiroko nods. "We watched a movie."
"W-Well, that's not so bad." The elf girl says, relieved.
"Then we slept together." The wolf girl adds.
"Huh?!" Ayane shouts, her face becoming as red as her glasses, which askew on her face.
"Oh my." Nonomi gasps, sporting a blush.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Serika shouts, losing all composure. "Shiroko you can't just sleep with a guy like that!"
"Why not?" The wolf girl asks, tilting her head innocently.
"Be-Because!" The cat girl retorts, intelligently.
"Did it feel good?" The pink haired girl asks, deviously.
"Very good. Sensei's really strong, but I didn't know he could be that gentle." Shiroko says, shamelessly.
Ayane's face is so red, one could expect steam to start billowing out. Nonomi is in a trance, her head in the clouds and her face red.
"Ah! Enough! I don't wanna hear anymore!" Serika shouts, her face burning crimson. "Stop talking!"
"Why?" The wolf girl asks.
"Because you shouldn't describe having sex with Sensei to your friends!" The cat girl shouts.
"S-Sensei and I didn't have sex." Shiroko says, her face turning red and her wolf ears flattening against her head as she lifts her scarf up a bit to hide her face.
"Huh?" Serika asks.
"Eh?" Ayane asks.
"Oh?" Nonomi asks.
"Ueeh?" Hoshino asks, letting out her sound.
"I slept in his bed with him." Shiroko explains, shyly. "You all know how bad I am with thunder."
"O-Oh..." The cat girl says, deflating.
"You sound disappointed, Serika~" Hoshino teases.
"I AM NOT!" The black haired girl snaps. "I'm just glad nothing indecent happened between those two."
"Does a confession count as indecent?" Shiroko innocently asks.
"Eh?" Serika shouts.
"Oh? So you're dating Sensei too?" The third-year asks.
"Eh?!" Serika shouts, again.
"Nn." The silver haired girl nods.
"Well, that's a load off my shoulders." The pink haired girl comments, a smile on her face. "I already know you pretty well, which means I don't have to interrogate ya. So, uh, congrats! You're number four."
"Four?" Shiroko asks, blinking.
"Sensei got a new one a few days ago. A really cute girl from Gehenna." Hoshino explains.
"Can you two PLEASE stop talking about this stuff?" Serika pleads.
"Ueeh~ You're the one who seems to be the most interested in this stuff." Hoshino teases the first-year.
"Stop saying that! I am not interested!" Serika shouts.
"She's totally interested." Shiroko adds.
"Shiroko!"
As the three continue to argue, Ayane and Nonomi seem to finally snap out of their trance.
"Sensei's really popular, huh?" Nonomi asks.
"I guess so." Ayane says, surprised, her face still red. "I just hope he can handle so many girls."
"I think he's fine in that regard."
"Hm?" The elf girl asks, looking at the second-year in confusion.
"Hoshino's been a lot happier since she and Sensei started dating, and Shiroko..." The blonde pauses, looking at her bickering friends, wistfully. "I don't think I've ever seen her this happy."
Ayane looks at the wolf girl in shock to see a bright smile on her face as she watches Hoshino continue to tease Serika, much to the cat girl's frustration.
The girls continue to bicker amongst themselves for a while, their emotions slowly cooling off as their argument turns into a simple conversation between friends.
As for Shiroko?
To the shock of her friends, she had a bright smile on her face all day long.
AN
Best wolf girl gets her spot.
Also, I don't know if Shiroko is afraid of thunder or not.
As for the fight scene with the Kaitengers at the start, I just needed to brush up on writing those, so I figured I'd add one here. I also needed to have Josh meet Kirino to set up the Mini-Shun event, which will be after Volume 3.
I definitely need the practice at writing these scenes, after all The Eden Treaty is approaching...
Despite that, there'll still be a few more chapters since I won't get to write these type of chapters for a long time. Once I start Volume 3, I'll be stuck writing it until I finish Volume 3 Chapter 2. So let's all enjoy this break, before things get hectic.
Also, after V3C2, there'll be a fairly big break, with at least 2 events, before we move onto V3C3, where things'll get crazy.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next!