There was no greater kindness, than to grant the sweet release of death.

The thunderous cacophony that lay beyond Schale's glass windows was all that Shua could really process, considering the day that just passed. The rain struck the ground nigh-randomly, akin to a mess of an orchestra without a conductor. He appreciated it, nonetheless, and couldn't hold back a grin. Despite the cold that came with the rain, it filled him with an indescribable warmth.

It was his favorite weather. The sounds, the darkness cut through by the lights that shone from the skylines ahead of Schale was a beautiful thing to behold. It made the incessant droning within him bearable.

But then again, it did put a damper on some of his plans. He wanted to go shopping with Arisu, who seemed rather downtrodden after the excursion they had to Abydos, in order to cheer her up. Besides that, he needed to get her some things considering her situation, and acquire accommodations and decorations for her own room, but she vehemently refused, tearing up.

"Please don't throw me away…"

His heart stung. He couldn't refuse that, even if he didn't quite know why she was acting in such a way. Why would he throw her away? She was his responsibility. For now, she would be staying in his room for the foreseeable future. She would take the bed whenever she wanted to sleep, and he would settle for a futon on the floor. She was back in his room at the moment, awaiting his call.

He was merely passing the time as Arona was setting up the firing range. It was his error that led to such destruction, and while he was certain that she knew how to use his pistol, it was best to gauge what she could do with it. Understanding his charge and what she could do was important, and he couldn't believe he overlooked it.

While there was so much that had happened recently that it basically overtook his mind, it was no excuse. Arona had even stared at him in disapproval, that he felt that he deserved for having overlooked it, but he couldn't help but feel there was more to that disapproval in totality.

With that in mind, it would be remiss to prevent her from using the coins as well. Despite the destruction she could cause with them, she showed a proficiency with them that would be a folly to put down as a liability. As long as she moderated her strength with it, she could most likely use it as a backup weapon. They could work on that today. Arona had already made a coin dispenser at his behest, and he was going to give it to her later.

It was basically something like a sweets dispenser that pushed out a coin when you pressed a button, and the coins were pressed firmly into it so that there would be no jingle as you walked. It solved the issue Arona and Shiroko brought up.

Speaking of Shiroko, though… He hadn't been able to get a peep out of her with regards to what ticked her off about Arisu. He was left completely in the dark with regards to it, but he had seen a glint of fear in her eyes that she hadn't been able to hide. Her only words she had on the matter were:

"I only hope you know what you're doing, Sensei."

Was she fearful of the destruction that Arisu was able to cause, and had instinctively known of the danger that she posed to things around her? She did have stunningly good instincts, but that didn't explain what Hoshino said, and their signals to each other that things were somewhat okay with regards to Arisu.

'Bad memories', was it? He narrowed his eyes, staring out into the bright lights that paved the skyline. He hadn't delved into the pasts of his students much, thinking to let them have their privacy.

Just 'fear' wouldn't have led to such a visceral reaction from Hoshino. It damn well wouldn't have made Shiroko back down. Those two were simply not like that. If Hoshino and Shiroko deemed something a threat, it was highly likely they were right. But, attributing that to Arisu was… not quite possible to him, considering what he saw of her so far.

This was the first time he seemed to be diametrically opposed to the two. It was a strange feeling, considering that they had been comrades during the stint against Kaiser Corporation, and had even saved Hoshino from it. It did remind him of times long before, though. Backstabbing happened every other day. It was a simple fact of life back then.

He shook his head to rid himself of unneeded remembrance. Back on track. Serika, Ayane and Nonomi didn't seem to be in the know either, considering they treated Arisu with only friendliness, from what he could tell. They didn't seem to show much fear, only amazement at what she did at the scrap yard. Their standards were a bit strange, he had to admit, but that was just most likely his otherworld-instincts coming into play here. He was different from them all, when it came right down to it.

Maybe he was overthinking things, but he couldn't help but worry for Hoshino and Shiroko. They seemed very winded and aggravated at Arisu's presence, even if the latter didn't show it much. But considering the lack of fear from the other three, there had to be more to this. If all of them were terrified, it would've made more sense. At that point, he could attribute it to Arisu's robotic origins being some form of an abnormality for the normal students, and perhaps he could bridge a gap for them to make up.

No, there was something underlying here, he would bet on it. Was it time to overstep his boundaries to find out? He'd be betraying his students if he did, though. He quickly weighed the pros and cons of doing so.

No, he shook his head. That wasn't an option. It was best to just wait it out, and hope it worked out. Doing any more than that would be exceedingly problematic, and would only put their opinions of him into the dumpster. He needed them to view him as at least somewhat reliable, otherwise they wouldn't listen to his advice.

However… If he were to look into happenings in Abydos within the past few years, out of the 'concern for his students', and if it just happened to coincide with Hoshino's tenure, there wasn't much she could say, could she?

It was a horrifying manipulative way of going and thinking about things, he noted, but that was the only way he knew how to go about it. Years, upon years of doing things like this couldn't be shaken off so easily. He had the best intentions in mind, but that wouldn't stop him from going onto the road to hell, if he wasn't already there.

"Sensei!" Arona called from his earpiece, surprising him from his thoughts, "I'm done. I've also called for Arisu to go down too."

"Thanks, Arona." Shua nodded.

Well, it was time to get back to work. Arisu would be waiting for him at the firing range, and they could work something out then and there.

He grimaced. He only hoped he wouldn't mess up again.

Surprisingly, Shua arrived first. Arisu seemed to be taking her time and walking slowly to the firing range, despite the directions Arona gave. He gazed upon Arona's handiwork.

A singular firing line had been set up, and the room was surrounded by several layers of reinforced plating that would apparently be able to handle a tank round easily, according to the description that Arona had given. The notion reminded him of spaced armor, but considering the increased technology at the disposal of Kivotos, he would reckon that it was more than that. He wasn't too worried about damage this time, since she was only using his pistol chambered in 9mm.

At the end of the line that they would be using today, was a paper target with the standard markings upon it, akin to one used for archery. The middle was obviously the best place to go for if you wanted maximum scores, and this was just to see whether Arisu could prioritize and hit her mark.

He had high expectations, considering her circumstances. But he would nevertheless try to guide her if she needed assistance.

"Creak…"

The door opened softly with that mild sound, but he was attuned to hearing that noise, even if it wasn't that prominent. Keeping track of people as they came and went was part of his job back in the day.

Standing at the now open door was Arisu, dressed up in her assigned clothes and a fixed jacket. She looked to be embarrassed and distraught at the same time, and he couldn't really figure out why.

"Ah, Arisu." He nodded at her and smiled warmly. "So, we're here to see how your aim is with the pistol I gave you, and we're going to work on your coin punching while we're at it." He made a punching motion with his hands, trying to mimic just what Arisu did earlier that day.

"A-Ah, I…" She raised her hand, clearly wanting to say something, but she held herself back, looking down, "I see…"

"Anything wrong?" Shua raised his eyebrows as he stopped his lackadaisical motions, trying to elicit a response with regards to just what was bothering her so much.

"Nothing…" She shook her head slowly. She seemed to be incredibly disappointed at something.

"Alright then," He shook his head, mildly concerned that he couldn't get a straight answer. "Let's get to work, shall we?" He pulled some ear protectors from the wall, passing them along to Arisu. He took a pair for himself as well, and wore it.

"Mmm…" Arisu nodded slowly, taking the ear protectors and putting it over her head. She drew his pistol from her holster, walking over to the firing line. He had to raise his eyebrow at the indents on the pistol's grip. He knew why they were there, but it was still incredible to see memoirs of the strength she held.

Her pupils seemed to shift in shape as she quickly took aim, Shua noted. It was a relatively interesting effect that only added to her curious nature. She flipped the safety off. She had great form, and there was nothing that he could really criticize. Fantastic, she knew what to do.

Arisu seemed to wilt under his steady gaze for reasons he couldn't really fathom. Was he staring too hard? She then shook her head, took a breath, and her gaze hardened, her eyes flashing red for a brief second.

"BANG-BANG—!"

Despite the ear protection, you could definitely still hear the ringing from a shot fired in an enclosed space. It was absolutely painful if you shot without it, and you could even get hearing damage from it if done too often. It was best to tread carefully, especially since he valued his hearing quite a bit.

But in that quick instant, in the span of two blinks, he had realized several shots had been fired and cycled. They had nearly all melded into a singular sound to him, considering how fast she had fired.

He couldn't help but think that she had perhaps bump fired the pistol, but he immediately shook the thought off. They didn't have a bump stock around to aid in that, nor did she place any part of her other hand in the trigger guard. No, she merely fired as quickly as she possibly could. When the pistol had finished chambering the next round, she had immediately fired. There was basically no gap in between.

She immediately dropped the magazine out of the pistol onto the firing line's desk, and reloaded it with another magazine that had been fastened onto her skirt in a brisk motion. She pulled back her hearing protection and looked back at him, seemingly waiting for him to say something with determination in her eyes.

15 rounds had gone down the range in such a quick, fleeting moment. That was incredible, to say the least. But how was her accuracy?

He clicked the button to pull the paper back from the firing line. What came to his sight when it finally came back with that droning sound made him widen his eyes.

There was only a single hole, in the middle.

The bullseye. Did she…

He placed the paper on the desk, and jumped over the line, to Arisu's confused gaze.

He quickly ran over to the back of the range. A singular dent stood there to his unbelieving gaze, and below it was a malformed mess of brass, crushed into each other.

Dear God.

In that brisk moment, she had shot 15 rounds, and all of them went on the same spot.

Just what the hell was this girl? He pulled out his black leather glove from his coat pocket, and slipped it on his right hand. He had made the mistake of picking up a freshly shot round back in the day, and the lesson really stuck. Those things got really hot, and he didn't feel like burning himself on this fine day. He picked up the brass amalgamate with his gloved hand, and walked back to Arisu who looked at him expectedly.

He held it up, showing Arisu just what she had done with a disbelieving look.

"You just…" Shua didn't really have the words for it. He knew what happened, but his mouth didn't quite want to cooperate in his shock.

Somehow, Arisu looked terrified. She looked away from his gaze, seemingly unable to look at him. She closed her eyes, awaiting something. Why was she so afraid of him? Whatever the case, Shua had to give her his genuine regards.

"That was incredible." Shua said, vaulting over the table and placing the abomination of brass upon it. "I guess I didn't need to worry at all."

That didn't seem to be the response she was expecting, because she looked back at Shua with widened eyes, shocked.

"R-Really?" Arisu said, putting the gun upon the table. She seemed rejuvenated by his words, her gait finally straightening.

"Yeah," Shua nodded. This was a wonder he'd never ever seen before. "I was mildly worried since you'd never held a gun before, but this is beyond my expectations. Great work, Arisu."

She took to his words with happiness. She jumped for joy where she stood with a grand smile on her face, and he couldn't help but smile at the sight. The soft ruffling of her jacket could be heard with her jumping, but then, he realized, what stood out to him was that there were no sounds of jingling coins. Did she put them away? That did remind him…

"Anyway," He pulled the coin dispenser from his inner jacket pocket. It was a black, cylindrical block that one could slot coins into from the top, and pressing a button would release one from the bottom. He held it out to Arisu. "This is for you to put coins into."

She stopped abruptly in her celebration, before looking at him in puzzlement. "H-Huh? You're still letting me use coins?"

He raised his eyebrows, not understanding her hesitation. "Yeah, since you seemed to take to them so well. The only thing I ask is for you to minimize the damage next time. I don't see why they couldn't be a weapon."

A smile slowly formed onto Arisu's face. She seemed relieved at the situation, as if a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Was she worried about that all along? He was glad that he could remove that worry from her mind, then.

She took it from his hands, and fastened it onto her skirt belt. It was already pre-filled with legal tender. She clicked the button, and out came a coin into her ready hand.

"I…" Arisu paused, flipping the coin in her hand with unnatural finesse. "Are you sure, Sensei?"

"Yeah," He nodded. "This time and onwards, just keep it to the strength of a bullet."

Even though that would kill him in one hit, it most certainly wouldn't destroy things so crazily like earlier. That would definitely keep things in check, and hopefully not put too keen of eyes onto them.

Schale was in an interesting position, and any form of possibility for seditious notions to be set for what was supposed to be a peacekeeping problem-solver organization had to be minimized. Otherwise, his capability to help students would be weakened considerably. It would be a severe detriment if that was the case, and Arisu would be scrutinized heavily, her freedom forfeit. That had to be avoided.

Arisu flipped the coin in her left hand, a snap popping from her fingers as it flew upwards. He walked further from her, staring at her back as he did. The coin fell down into her left hand, and she caught it with a fist.

She nodded her head, seeming to be gauging the strength required. A snap popped once more, as it flew up again. Immediately, her posture adjusted. Her back quickly bent backwards, her right arm following.

Her right hand closed into a fist, and as the coin dropped into her reach, her body thrust forward, and her fist made quick contact with the coin. A hearty metal smack was heard, and the coin flew forward with swift speed. There was no shockwave this time, but the coin nevertheless sped through the air and into the reinforced wall.

"CLANG!"

The coin had indented itself into where the original dent from the bullets struck, and was now jutting out from the metal. Shua smiled at the impressive sight. That would certainly hurt if it struck a student.

"Yeah, that's fantastic. Great work, Arisu."

He walked over and patted her head with his left hand, ruffling her hair wildly. She seemed to tense up for a brief moment, but she soon softened up and leaned into his arm.

Yup, despite the mess-ups he had earlier, he thought as he messed up her silky hair and felt her warmth in his hand, this would be alright. He was hoping that he alleviated her worries, considering her behavior earlier, and he seemed to have done so well enough.

He didn't quite know what he was doing, but he'd figure it out as he went. Arona most likely had more details on the matter, and he could take advice from her if needed. She was quite reliable when he needed her most.

He stared into Arisu's smiling face. Somehow, the same warmth that he felt from the rain was filling his heart then and there.

Yeah, he thought, he'd try his best.

Even if he didn't quite know what he was doing.

It had been a long day, but it wasn't over for him yet. Arisu was snoozing on the bed behind him, silently. She took his advice to sleep every two days, it seemed. He looked behind him, glancing at the mess of hair and the indent she made onto the soft, cozy bed. She sure looked comfortable, sleeping like that.

But that wasn't why he was awake. Back in his room, he made it a point to not do any form of work, but this could be considered extra-curricular, since it was out of his own curiosity. He was browsing through the GSC's records of Abydos and the happenings surrounding it, upon the laptop that Arisu had commandeered to play her games on.

There were plenty of interesting things that came to his attention. The rampant desertification had started just prior to Hoshino's enrollment, and there were only two people in the Student Council, right when Hoshino had become an Abydos High School student.

A girl named Yume was the student council president, and Hoshino was the vice-president. A quick browsing of the student records stated that this girl he'd never seen was dead, due to unknown reasons.

Was this what Hoshino had meant by 'bad memories'? There had to be a link here. There were plenty of records regarding something known as 'Binah', a snake-like construct that trampled across the Abydos desert as if it ruled it. It apparently also had a halo, which was a shocker, but it did lead him to believe that perhaps Arisu was of the same origins as this thing.

"Binah, huh…" He murmured, narrowing his eyes. That name only brought back bad memories.

Perhaps Hoshino could sense that same unnatural feeling from Arisu. She most likely had fought it, considering Abydos was her domain. Considering the fact that this thing was apparently still slithering around… was it the reason behind Yume's death?

He sipped his lukewarm, machine-made coffee. This was a mystery that he most likely had to do some digging around to figure out, and the girl who was at the middle of it all was most likely going to be highly uncooperative with any questions he posed, so he would have to figure this out himself. Shiroko didn't seem to be connected, from what he could tell, but Hoshino could've filled her in, considering how close they were.

Shiroko seemed like a prime candidate to pass a student council position to, he noted mentally. Despite her seeming indifferent, her passion for the school was quite palpable, and having her lead the school after Hoshino inevitably graduated would make sense. Hoshino, despite her laziness, was always preparing for whatever that could happen with regards to her juniors.

Nonomi was a close second for such a position, but he doubted she would take that mantle, considering how she preferred to stay on the side, supporting them. Hoshino most likely had the same idea.

From what he understood of the hierarchy system for the schools, a student council had to exist, otherwise the school's authority was rendered null and void. When Hoshino graduated, the student council, now losing its one and only member, would collapse, and thus Abydos High School would fall with her. This was the basis of Black Suit's and Kaiser Corporation's ploy to dismantle the school for their own gain.

Graduation was a weird notion, thinking about these girls. He had to wonder. Just what did it entail? Where did they go afterwards? There were no adults in sight beyond him and the 'people' at Gematria, so he didn't think that graduation meant that they would become adults. It was another mystery regarding this world he'd have to look into.

Maybe Rin would tell him, considering despite how old she seemed, she was nevertheless a student, one under the General Student Council.

Actually… he placed his cup down onto the coffee table, a thought coming to his mind. Did the concepts of 'adult' and 'student' mean something different here? Whenever the concepts came to mind, there were only two denotations for living, human-like beings. 'Adult', and 'Student'.

He had seen the plethora of people with animal features and robots, but they were always just referred to as 'people', from what he could tell.

However, when it came to his students, Gematria and him, they were referred to as 'Students', and 'Adults'. He overlapped his fingers in thought. He'd wager that the folks at Gematria too, didn't have the protections that the halo provided the students.

The distinctive factor that separated them and his students was their halo.

Did that make 'Tendou Arisu', a halo-clad construct made to seem like a human, a 'student'?

Did that technically make 'Binah', a halo-clad snake-like construct not made by natural means, a 'student'?

This world was a strange one indeed, he had to think to himself.

He picked up his cup again, downing the rest of the coffee in one quick motion. That was enough research and privacy-breaching for one day. Since it was the end of the day, he might as well check what commissions and work he had tomorrow.

He poked the menu on the computer stating "Commissions'', and out came a fountain of information pooling upon the screen. Touch screen functionality was certainly convenient. He sighed at the sight. Momoka, the GSC's Administrative Officer, seemed to have dumped everything on him again. That could be ignored to an extent, since she would eventually come around to do some of it herself, and he'd just finish up whatever she'd left.

What came to his attention was a singular commission that held the logo of a certain school he had planned to visit recently, considering he had been in the area just recently. A stylized 'M', of Millennium Science School.

He poked the screen again to figure out just what it was. The commission quickly expanded upon his touch.

He read the title briskly. 'Requiring assistance regarding a newly established club'? It was from Seminar, the student council of Millennium. The sender denoted it was written by Yuuka, a girl he was quite acquainted with.

She did his taxes from time to time, and was a relatively easy tease. What a blessing, he smiled as he thought.

But that's besides the point. Time to read the details.

"Due to certain recent events, Seminar has, under the table, decided to set up a club known as the 'Super Phenomenon Task Force'. The members have requested your assistance, saying that your status as Schale's Sensei makes it much easier for them to get started."

What a weird name for a secret club, he had to think. There was a footnote.

"Rest assured, you will be compensated accordingly. Don't spend it on strange transforming figures again, you hear? - Yuuka."

He shook his head. Yuuka really never got over his reckless spending. It was twice… or several. He couldn't remember just how many, but damn, those figures were fantastic. So much detail, so much love and passion poured into every piece, so much so it was not just a personal expense, it was an emotional one. Who couldn't hold back a tear at such beauty? His wallet had opened by itself.

Well, his interest was piqued, especially due to that strange name. Just what on earth was a 'Super Phenomenon'? He quickly accepted the commission, and placed his cup down.

He'd learn of the details tomorrow. He looked behind him, where Arisu slept soundly. She'd come along with him, and since this time it didn't seem to be dangerous at all, he wasn't worried about the plausible damages.

Well, that was his hope. No time like now to get some sleep. He stood up and quickly unfolded his futon to catch a wink. He'd forgo brushing his teeth today, disgusting as it was, since he'd awaken in just a quick few hours. That was the benefit of drinking coffee before sleeping, though he'd certainly not do this all the time… probably.

Mmm. Tomorrow will be fine. It had been a rough start for him and Arisu, but it couldn't be all that bad from here on out.

He laid down, and closed his eyes.