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

Edited into past tense 26/10/2023. Chapters following this will be edited accordingly.

Blue Record

Preface:

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

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

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

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

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

Entry 1

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

Maybe she has a point. I have a hard time remembering my own. I've spent so much of my life without the need to remember names that it doesn't come naturally to me. I always thought that was a little strange. I - like all other cloned soldiers - have memory that's almost perfect. Its mainly for tactical reasons. It's not quite hyperthymesia, but close enough. So why I forget small things like names almost as soon as I hear them is... odd. Could be I've been defective the whole time, I don't know.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Adam-sensei...'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I shrugged.

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

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

I said nothing and let her continue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rin held out a hand as she gestured to the view. There was a small smile on her face, as if she felt the same way I did.

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

I nodded, unsure of what to say.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The purple-haired girl spotted Rin and called out to her.

''Acting President, there you are!''

The angry eyes made a swift return.

''Hayase-san. You needed to speak to me?'' Rin was suddenly back to her business-like self. That was quick. She seemed pretty happy up to that point. Rin looked at the other two, expecting them to address her.

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

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

Rin seemd a little off balance here. I was utterly clueless as to anything going on, but it seemed serious.

Rin looked at me. Why was Rin looking at me? Was I meant to say something? I'm left confused when she stopped looking at me a moment later.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I was so lost. I hadn't a clue what any of them were talking about. While I later learned that there was some kind of conflict going on, I'm still not really clear on the nature of it or how it started. I know what PMCs are, with them being the manufacturing and business juggernauts of my home. They eventually came to replace governments by having the monopoly over military and security matters across whole nations. They started fighting... and the rest is history.

Rin was trying her best to remain composed, but those angry eyes were getting a little intense. Before she could speak, however, Purple-Rage notices me. Took a minute. I'd been there the whole time. I wonder if she needs glasses like Rin.

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

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

''An actual teacher? And he's... male?'' Big-Bag gasped. Soot-Pigeon said nothing, but her eyes widened and focused in on me. Do men not exist here? At the time of writing, I haven't encountered any other male humans. This raises some questions, but they're not relevant to this entry.

I weighed up my response. I didn't, and still don't know what being a teacher involves, nor do I know anything about who I'm supposed to be teaching. I needed a cigarette...

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

''I can shoot them,'' there was silence after I said this, ''if that helps.''

Angry eyes were engaged in full force.

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

''Who said I was joking?'' I said, genuinely curious. Even now, I'm not sure if what I said could be seen as funny.

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

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

At first, I wasn't sure what she meant by that. To my understanding, a bullet could kill just about anything. If one bullet didn't do it, then there were plenty more. After that conversation, I'm still undecided if I may be in some kind of super soldier training facility. Upon reflection and after a particularly vicious scolding by Rin, shooting one of my would-be students to verify their claim may not have been the best idea.

I walked towards Purple-Rage and held out my hand. She looked at it curiously, then up at me.

''Your gun,'' I said. She hesitated, but handed it over. I checked the chamber, then the magazine. Thirty-six rounds of 9mm Luger. Standard ammunition for this weapon. Satisfied, I flipped the safety off and switched it to selective fire. I kept my finger off the trigger until I was ready to fire. Gun safety, no matter what, is important.

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

I've seen some shit, but I can't say I expected that.

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

I shot her again to confirm what I'd seen. Once again, her thigh wobbled but was otherwise fine.

''Stop that!''

''You're right. I'd be badly wounded by that,'' I said as I cleared the chamber and engaged the safety. Offering the gun, it was snatched from me.

Like clockwork, Angry-Eyes was glaring daggers at me, and Purple-Rage wass doing the same. It wasn't the best timing, but I remembered my manners.

''Thanks,'' I said. Nailed it.

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

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

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

''Big-Bag?'' Chinatsu asked. I nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

''Yes,'' I confirmed.

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

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

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

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

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

''Missing?'' Soot-Pigeon asked. Rin nodded solemnly.

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

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

So that was it. The head of the organisation had gone missing, with no second to assume command in her absence. The chain of command was broken, and without a leader, the whole thing was paralysed.

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

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

''So you were being serious,'' Soot-Pigeon said, her red eyes boring into me like she was looking for something.

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

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

''Oh, good lord...'' Yuuka palmed her face. Chinatsu and Hasumi looked unconvinced. Rin's eyebrow was twitching again. Maybe Big-Bag should examine her some time.

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

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

It was Chinatsu that spoke. ''Well then, Adam-sensei, I would ask that you refrain from shooting any of us if you can help it. As a medic and member of the Prefect Team, you would be helping me a great deal,'' she said gently. Now that I think about it, Chinatsu is very different from any medic I've met. Medics were both a symbol of hope and terror for us, as willing and able to take life as well as save it. When it came to injuries, most of us would rather try and treat ourselves, myself included.

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

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

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

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

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

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

''I see,'' I replied, not sure what else to say.

Rin looked at me insistently. ''Is there anything else you'd like to add, Sensei? Anything at all?'' I could be wrong, but it seemed as though she was silently telling me to say more. I found myself stumped for a few seconds. I need to remember to give my name when prompted. I really wish I could just kill things instead, because all of this talking was difficult for me and still is.

''My name is Adam. And from today onward, I am your teacher and your commanding officer,'' I looked at Rin, who at this point just looked exhausted. I still don't know if I did it right because she never said. She sucked in a breath through her nose.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

''I would, but I've forgotten it,'' I said flatly. The other three had a mixture of expressions on their faces, none of them good. Confusion was the most prominent I could determine.

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

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

''Dare I ask what ours are, Sensei?'' Yuuka asked, looking like she'd just eaten bad rations.

I pointed at her, ''you are Purple-Rage,'' then at Hasumi, ''Soot-Pigeon,'' she looked taken aback, but I continued to Chinatsu, ''and you're-''

''Big-Bag...'' she looked at her bag sullenly. I blinked in surprise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

This concludes the report of Squad Captain Alpha-7

Callsign: Adam

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

Signing off.

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