Nothing much to say here, other than the fact that part three of the Abydos is now here!
Enjoy!
Watching her juniors get into position, Yume placed her hands together and said. "Please let them get through this…"
Kagami watched the first year students get into combat stances, before turning to the robot army provided to him.
"Attack." He ordered simply.
On command, the sword-wielding robots proceeded to charge straight towards the students, while the gun-wielding ones stood from behind and aimed on sight.
"Victory is at hand." Kagami thought, smirking confidently.
After a few seconds, however, he frowned and then narrowed his eyes, noticing that the students hadn't moved from their spot in the slightest, simply standing there as if they were frozen in place as the robots were getting closer and closer.
"Why aren't those children doing anything?" He thought, clenching his fists.
A group of three robots reached the students and slashed their swords at them…
SHATTER!
… Only to end up hitting nothing as the students seemed to shatter like glass, much to Kagami's shock.
"Wait…"
The man looked up at the sky and widened his eyes at what he saw.
"It was a distraction!"
By the time he had realized it, it was too late as Kaito grinned down at the robots in mid-air, before he launched himself towards the ground.
"Explosive Punch!" He yelled.
KABOOM!
He punched the ground and caused a massive explosion that immediately destroyed the group of robots.
"What!?" Kagami growled.
Ryota and Yume looked unsurprised by this, both sporting smiles of pride.
"Go get them!" Yume cheered.
Kaito rose from the crater he created from his explosion, with parts from the robots' remains scattered throughout, and then raised his arms in the air, letting out a whoop.
"Yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about!" He cheered.
Kagami clicked his tongue in annoyance and ordered. "Don't just stand there, attack!"
Several more robots charged at the boy in response.
"Yamaguchi-kun!"
Kaito smirked and said. "Let's go!"
He reached out his arm as Nagato suddenly appeared beside him. She held her gun in her right hand, with her left hand grabbing onto Kaito's.
Kaito then spun around and threw her forward at the incoming robots, the latter of which had their swords at the ready.
Nagato narrowed her eyes and swung her arm, before she pulled the trigger and began spraying bullets at the robots.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
She managed to take down several of them, but one was able to slip past and raised its weapon as soon as it closed the distance.
"Oh no you don't!"
Hearing this, Nagato ducked from the robot's sword swing, as Kaito leaped forward and punched the robot's head off of its body.
SWING! CRACK!
Several gun-wielding robots ran up to the two students and proceeded to open fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Nagato dodged the bullets left and right, before aiming her submachine gun and directly shooting off the robots' weapons from their arms.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Despite their lack of guns, the robots still pushed forward and attempted to attack, only for Kaito to quickly appear in front of them.
He pulled back a glowing red fist from his gauntlet and then punched all of them at once, causing them to explode.
CRASH! KABOOM!
Nagato caught a few more sword robots approaching them, and then swiftly responded and took them out one by one before they could get close.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Kaito whistled at this and said. "You got good range with that little gun."
"Thank you." Nagato replied, giving a small smile.
As if on cue, a sword robot several times larger than the others approached them, dragging their blade on the ground, followed by several other robots.
"Bring it on!" Kaito challenged, cracking his knuckles.
Nagato remained silent and aimed her weapon, preparing to open fire.
SLASH!
However, they didn't need to do anything, as the larger robot and its minions were suddenly sliced in half, followed by a strong gust of wind that nearly knocked Nagato off her feet.
Their remains fell down as Usui walked up to his fellow students, firmly holding his wind-covered sword.
"Whew, that was awesome!" Kaito said, grinning.
Before Usui would reply, one gun robot attempted to shoot him from behind…
BANG!
… Only to get its head blown into pieces.
"Thought you could hit him like that, huh?" Hoshino drawled, holding her shotgun over her shoulder like it was a club.
Her blue and yellow eyes looked around and saw more robots approaching them from every direction.
"There's still a lot of them." Hoshino said, and then turned to Kaito and Nagato. "You two, deal with the robots on the left, while Yuzuru and I deal with them on the right."
"Got it!" Kaito and Nagato said, before they proceeded to move to attack.
In an instant, one sword robot attempted to strike at Hoshino with her back turned, only for the girl to quickly spin around and use the butt of her shotgun to knock the robot's torso off its body.
SWING! CLANK! CLANK! CRASH!
Hoshino smoothly turned her shotgun around and began shooting at several more robots.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
One robot desperately tried to swing its sword after slipping past the bullets, only to get its leg shot off.
BANG! CRASH!
In one swift motion, Hoshino grabbed the robot's shoulder and proceeded to use it as a shield, just in time as several gun robots were opening fire.
SLASH!
A sudden gust of wind immediately sliced the robots in half, as Usui approached Hoshino and then turned his back to her.
"It has been a while since we fought side-by-side." Usui casually remarked.
"Heh, it sure won't be the last." Hoshino snorted, letting go of the bullet-filled robot.
With their backs facing each other, Hoshino and Usui stared down the robots that were quickly approaching them.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Hoshino wasted no time shooting down three gun robots, before twirling her shotgun around and using its behind to parry several sword robots attacking her at once.
SWING! SWING! CLANK! CLANK!
Usui deflected several sword swings, as well as dodging gunfire from a few meters away. One robot attempted a heavier swing, but the young man quickly jumped on top of it, and then leaped high into the air.
"Aerial Slash!" He said, his eyes glowing ominously.
Usui launched himself downwards with a huge twirl, before slicing all the robots surrounding him upon landing.
SLASH!
The ensuing circular slash created a small whirlwind that immediately destroyed more robots that attempted to flee.
CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
Hoshino continued to parry the sword robots with the butt of her shotgun, before narrowing her eyes as they turned bright blue with roman numeral symbols on her pupils.
"Horus Vision!"
As a result, the sword robots slowed down significantly, as well as her surroundings and even her fellow students.
"I have ten seconds." She mentally told herself.
Seizing the opportunity, Hoshino twirled her shotgun around and began to rapidly gun down every robot soldier on sight while they were practically frozen.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Realizing she was out of ammunition, she then twirled it again to use it as a makeshift club, with a yellow aura surrounding her body as she was hitting robots left and right at breakneck speed.
SWING! CLANK! SWING! CLANK! SWING! SWING! CLANK! CLANK!
"Three…"
Hoshino dashed towards a group of gun robots and swung down her shotgun hard enough to knock off their legs.
SWING! CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!
"Two…"
She came across a robot wielding a sniper rifle that was aiming for Usui, in which she reached out for something underneath her skirt.
"One…!"
She pulled out a Desert Eagle pistol and aimed it at the sniper robot's head.
BANG!
Time suddenly returned to normal, with Hoshino quickly pulling the trigger of her sidearm as she blew a hole straight through the robot's head.
All the other robots that she had destroyed within the small timeframe suddenly fell to pieces on the ground, much to the surprise of her fellow students, who were greeted with the sight of robots falling apart in front of them.
Hoshino looked around at the metallic remains on the sandy ground of the Abydos Desert, before spotting a nearly destroyed robot attempting to crawl away.
With a small shake of her head, she aimed her pistol at the robot's head…
BANG!
… and quickly ended its existence.
Meanwhile, Ryota and Yume witnessed all of it from a farther distance, both looking more and more impressed.
"Hoshino-chan is really showing her training." Yume said, smiling with pride.
"It looks like she has proven me wrong."
Before Ryota could reply, a new voice suddenly spoke from behind, quickly putting both students on alert as they turned around.
"Who are…?" Ryota was about to speak, but then trailed off at the sight of who had spoken.
The person standing before them was a tall and well-built man with slicked-back black hair, piercing yellow eyes underneath black sunglasses, and a visible stubble. He was wearing a dark brown trench coat over a black and gray suit and tie, complete with black gloves and an earpiece. He was carrying what looked like a black steel suitcase, with a white triangle on one side and the words "Iron Horus" in white text.
"Takanashi Kenji…" Ryota muttered.
"What is Hoshino-chan's father doing here…?" Yume asked herself.
"I am here because of my duty as a member of the Kivotos Grand Council." Kenji said, putting down the suitcase to adjust his gloves.
"I assume that it's Kagami Soichiro?" Ryota rhetorically asked.
"Correct." Kenji nodded, but then added. "However, I am also here to see if my daughter truly has what it takes to undergo this path she chose for herself."
"You do?" Yume questioned, looking skeptical.
"Indeed, and from what I've seen so far, she has the strength and skill for it." Kenji answered honestly.
"So you've been quietly watching the whole ordeal without lifting a hand the entire time, just for this reason?" Ryota asked, crossing his arms.
"Admittedly, I know that it goes against my duties," Kenji said, closing his eyes. "However, I just wanted to see how much my daughter has grown in this amount of time."
Ryota and Yume looked at each other, unsure of whether to take the man's words at face value or not.
"Whether you believe me or not is up to you." Kenji said, as if he had read the two student's minds. "I believe that Hoshino has earned the right to wield Iron Horus."
The man proceeded to walk through the students, and made sure he was a fair distance away from the battle to prevent sudden distractions to the first year students.
"Hoshino!" He called out.
In the midst of blocking a sword with her empty shotgun, Hoshino found herself frozen at the sound of a familiar voice. She slowly turned her head around and widened her eyes in shock.
"Father…?" She said quietly.
SLASH!
The robot she had been blocking was sliced in half by Usui, who then noticed his friend's expression and followed her eyes to the source.
"Her father is here, of all places?" He thought, glancing at his friend in concern.
Realizing that her enemy had been defeated, Hoshino turned her entire body to fully face her father, despite the distance between them.
"What is he doing here…?" She thought, gulping slightly. "Is he here to take me away…?"
Kenji stood there and watched his daughter with what looked like a neutral gaze, but if one were to look closely, his eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth forming a thin line.
"Hoshino." He spoke. "You have gained the right to inherit the Takanashi family heirloom."
To follow up his words, Kenji took a few steps forward and threw the black steel suitcase towards his daughter.
Fortunately, Hoshino snapped out of her thoughts in time to notice what was happening, and jumped forward to catch the suitcase in her arms.
She felt her breath tightening as she realized the object given to her by her father.
"Iron… Horus…?" She muttered in shock.
The pink-haired girl then looked up from the heirloom, and stared straight into Kenji's eyes, as if she didn't believe what was happening.
"Why…?" She choked out her words.
Noticing his daughter's expression, Kenji closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them with a stern gaze.
"Because you have proven me wrong."
"I… proved him… wrong…?"
The fact that she somehow convinced her father of her decision to enroll at Abydos High School was the most shocking thing out of all the reasons for his presence.
It almost felt like a dream, and she didn't want to wake up anytime soon.
"Hoshino, you wish to help save this school, correct?" Kenji spoke through the megaphone, which had been given to him by Ryota. "Then use Iron Horus to finish off your remaining obstacles."
Upon hearing his words, something within Hoshino had been triggered, as she gripped the steel suitcase tightly, with her bangs covering her eyes.
The girl slowly stood up and turned to face the last of the sword robots, which were rushing at her in a last bid attempt to inflict some damage.
"Hoshino?" Usui asked, frowning at her sudden quietness.
Without a word, Hoshino pressed a button on the suitcase, which then transformed into a rectangular black tactical shield that was slightly larger than her.
"Whoa!" Kaito said, as he and Nagato approached Usui after defeating the last of the gun robots.
Hoshino reached out underneath her skirt and pulled out a grenade, before she pulled the pin and threw it at the remaining robot soldiers.
However, what no one expected next was that Hoshino narrowed her eyes, raised the tactical shield, and then suddenly dashed towards the robots, wasting no time closing the distance between them.
"Horus Vision!" She growled, her eyes glowing blue.
Time had slowed down in her perspective once more, with everything around her practically frozen to a standstill as well.
THUMP-BUMP. THUMP-BUMP. THUMB-BUMP.
Unlike previous instances where she used her ability for training and the last usage in the current battle, Hoshino could hear her own heartbeats, which were growing louder by the second.
Gritting her teeth, she caught sight of the grenade just as it was about to reach the robots.
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!"
She let out a ferocious scream as she moved the shield to push the grenade closer to the robots.
KABOOM!
Time suddenly returned to normal, as the collision between the shield, grenade, and the robots had caused a massive explosion that slightly shook the ground.
From behind Iron Horus, Hoshino felt vibrations all over her body as she reeled from the explosion caused by herself with the clan heirloom.
She breathed heavily as her arms trembled against the shield, struggling to even keep herself on her feet.
"Hoshino."
Kenji had placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder and crouched next to her, with his sunglasses lowered as he looked at her.
"You have done well." He said.
Hoshino slowly glanced at her father and asked. "How…?"
"Members of the Takanashi clan have a natural immunity to abilities related to time," Kenji explained. "You and I are no exception."
The pink-haired girl sighed and seemed to accept the answer, before deciding to let go of the shield, allowing it to hit the ground.
"Deep breaths." Kenji advised, patting his daughter in the back when he saw that she was breathing heavily again.
"Excuse me,"
The man turned his head and saw Ryota approaching him, as the latter looked around his surroundings cautiously.
"What is it?" He asked politely.
Ryota turned to face him and said. "As much as I hate to interrupt this touching moment, Kagami Soichiro is nowhere to be seen."
This had put the council member on high alert, in which he immediately stood straight up and narrowed his eyes.
"Hoshino-chan!" Yume called out, rushing towards her junior and taking Kenji's place in comforting her.
Kenji reached out and activated the earpiece, and then reported. "Grand Master, the deserter from Millennium has slipped away."
"I see now, and I assume that you were focusing more on your precious daughter than the deserter himself, were you not?" An old voice spoke on the other side of the earpiece with a tone of amusement.
"Grand Master, I-" Kenji cut himself off as his eyes widened for a brief second, before narrowing dangerously.
He reached into his trench coat and swiftly pulled out a knife, and then turned around to throw it towards what looked like thin air.
"Hey, why did he-" Kaito was about to ask.
CLANG!
However, the young man was silenced when the knife seemed to collide with what sounded like deep metal, before it fell to the ground.
"Tch, Kaiser will pay for providing such a weak army." Kagami suddenly spoke out in a sneering tone.
Out of nowhere, neon green eyes suddenly lit up, followed by steam coming out from the spot where Kagami used to stand.
"What… is that…?" Nagato covered her mouth in shock.
What came next was that a twenty-foot tall metallic grey mecha, with cannons attached to the shoulders and knees, shields attached to the elbows, blades attached to the wrists, rocket boosters at the back, laser guns as eyes, and a fairly transparent torso that looked like it contained…
"So this is where the missing prototype ended up." Kenji said, narrowing his eyes.
"A giant robot!" Kaito yelled.
"I believe the correct term is "mobile suit", as I heard from a few passing mechanics." Usui corrected.
"You are nearly correct on that, boy." Kagami remarked. "But this is a prototype Ammi-Ditana, from a project proposed by Tsukatsuki Rio."
The giant mecha's transparent torso was a window that contained a cockpit of sorts, with Kagami Soichiro inside and operating its controls.
"The President of Seminar is in charge of this?" Yume said, looking surprised by this.
"She's a foolish little girl blinded by her own paranoia, which is another reason why I chose to abandon Millennium, even my own daughter, Chihiro." Kagami said, as he closed his eyes and looked solemn for a brief moment. "Kaiser has provided me something that my former home did not, so I must acquire Abydos High School at all costs."
"Abandoning your daughter…" Kenji muttered, clenching his fists.
Hoshino winced slightly at the words from the man inside the robot's cockpit, while Yume finally helped her back into her feet as she held Iron Horus.
Kagami opened his eyes and glared at the group. "Since you have all forced my hand on this, I have no choice but to use brute force."
"Not if I have anything to say about-" Kenji was about to advance, only to feel something tug at his arm.
The man turned around and saw Hoshino looking at him with a mix of determination and frustration.
"Hoshino?" Kenji asked, loosening his body when he saw that it was his daughter.
"Father, I know that you thought my decision was stupid, but…" Hoshino's tone started off reserved, but then rose in volume. "… I still want to prove to you that my choice is the right one for me."
Kenji's brows furrowed in confusion and said. "I already decided to approve of your choice to enroll in that school after seeing you in battle, so why?"
"It's not enough." Hoshino shook her head and continued. "I want to show you that I can really handle myself and don't need your teachings anymore!"
The man lowered his sunglasses and stared at his daughter for more than a few seconds without a word, much to the latter's discomfort.
"Hoshino-chan, you didn't need to say that." Yume said, placing a hand on her junior's shoulder. "The fact that he gave you Iron Horus should be more than enough, no?"
" … " Kenji was still silent.
"Come on, say something." Hoshino thought, biting her lip.
Seeing his daughter's expression, he continued to look her in the eye for a few more seconds, until he let out a sigh and nodded.
"Very well, consider this your last test." Kenji stated, before taking a few steps back.
"Really?" Yume asked in surprise.
"You're going to let me…?" Even Hoshino was taken back by her father choosing to honor her request.
"You said it yourself, you want to prove to me that you no longer require my lessons." Kenji answered, crossing his arms. "Then show me your overall growth and your pride as the sole heir to the Takanashi clan."
Hoshino looked at her father for a brief moment, and then shook her head.
"Okay, I'll show you!" Her expression turned fierce.
"Are you done with your father-daughter moment?" Kagami asked impatiently. "Because I've wasted enough of my time as is."
To add to his words, the giant mecha began to aim its cannons straight at the students.
"Scatter!" Ryota ordered.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The cannons themselves began to rapidly fire heavy shells, which left larger craters on the desert ground.
"Shit! Come on!" Kaito wasted no time grabbing Nagato and pulling her into a bridal carry.
"Y-Yamaguchi-kun!" Nagato herself was flustered by this.
"Less talking, more dodging!" Kaito yelled, as he frantically dodged the cannon shells while carrying Nagato.
Usui narrowed his eyes and raised his arm in defiance towards the giant robot.
"Aerial Shield!" He chanted.
FWOOSH!
In an instant, strong gusts of winds began to surround him, before they formed into a mini sandstorm that blocked the cannon shots.
Ryota was effortlessly dodging left and right, all while keeping his eyes straight on the giant robot through his mask.
"Stand back, senpai." Hoshino stepped forward, gripping Iron Horus tightly. "I'll deal with it."
"Hoshino-chan…" Yume thought with a frown, before taking a look around her.
Her fellow senior was still dodging the cannons, with a few close calls. Kaito and Nagato were struggling to stay out of the robot's sights. Usui had pulled out his khopesh sword and was readying himself as his sandstorm barrier grew weaker.
"They're all doing their best." She thought, and then turned her eyes toward her junior.
Hoshino had finished reloading her shotgun and sidearm, and already positioned herself with Iron Horus in front of her.
"I can't hide this any longer."
"Hoshino-chan." Yume called out, looking straight at her junior.
"Yume-senpai?" Hoshino briefly turned her head around.
In response, Yume closed her eyes and a holy white aura began to surround her body, much to her junior's surprise.
"S-Senpai…?" Hoshino asked.
"Hoshino-chan," Yume opened her eyes and flashed her usual gentle smile, which was more radiant than usual. "Allow me to show you what I've been hiding the entire time."
As she said this, a pair of pure white wings appeared behind her back, with her halo glowing brighter and her eyes radiating with power.
Ryota briefly stopped in his tracks as soon as he took notice of his fellow third year student's sudden spike in power.
"So you're finally stepping into the fight yourself?" He said under his breath.
He wasn't the only one, as the other students also stopped what they were doing to gaze upon their senpai's holy aura.
"Kanzaki-senpai…?" Nagato said in awe.
"Am I looking at an angel…?" Kaito said, his eyes widened significantly.
Usui dispelled his sandstorm barrier and jumped back to avoid the cannon shots, before taking notice of the aura himself.
"What…?" His usually composed expression broke as he left his mouth slightly agape.
However, none were more taken back than Hoshino herself, as she was looking at her senpai like she was really looking at her for the first time.
"Senpai, you had this all along…?" Hoshino asked, her mind trying to recall the times she actually fought in battle.
As if in response to her words, Yume suddenly took off from the ground and was flying in mid-air, before she proceeded to stare down the giant robot attacking her juniors.
From a fair distance away, Kenji had also witnessed the holy aura and cupped his chin thoughtfully.
"So the "Angel of Abydos" has finally shown her wings." He said to himself.
"Tch, you think a pair of wings will be enough to stop me!" Kagami growled, aiming the cannons at the flying student.
Seeing that her senpai was being targeted, Hoshino snapped out of her trance and let out a gasp.
"Try me." Yume said simply.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The mecha turned its entire body towards Yume's direction and raised one of its arms. The blade on its wrist extended on command, before it began to charge at her, shooting its cannons at the same time in the process.
"Yume-senpai!" Hoshino yelled.
"Aerial Slash!" Usui suddenly chanted and swung down his sword, which had turned the gust of wind into a sharp blade.
SLASH! CLANG!
The giant mecha was quick to sense this and swiftly turned its large body to block the attack with one of its shields.
Hoshino gritted her teeth and wasted no time dashing straight towards the mecha, with Iron Horus at hand.
"Hmph." Kagami scoffed and turned his attention to the pink-haired girl.
The mecha raised its blade and moved to strike down the girl then and there.
CLANG!
Much to his surprise, Hoshino had managed to block the blade, with Iron Horus even remaining completely intact.
"Holy…!" Hoshino herself was surprised by the durability of her family's heirloom.
The mecha pulled back its arm, before one cannon from its right knee aimed itself towards the girl and her shield.
"!" Hoshino narrowed her eyes and quickly had Iron Horus directly in front of her.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The knee cannon rapidly fired at the shielded girl, which then completely covered her in smoke and dust as the shells had hit their target.
"Takanashi-san!" Nagato cried out in worry.
However, as soon as the dust had settled, Hoshino firmly remained where she was standing, completely unharmed and with Iron Horus intact without any dents or even scratches.
"Damn! What's that shield even made of?" Kaito couldn't help but wonder.
"Horus Vision!"
Time had come to a screeching halt, as Hoshino lowered her shield and pulled out another grenade from her skirt.
"Take this!" She yelled and threw the grenade at the mecha's knee.
Not wanting to waste the small window of time, Hoshino crouched down and then quickly dashed towards the direction of the grenade.
The pink-haired girl narrowed her eyes and used Iron Horus to slam the grenade onto the large mecha's knee cannon.
KABOOM!
Time returned to normal once again as the collision between the shield, grenade, and the mecha's knee caused a large explosion that sent the mecha itself staggering slightly in its steps, with one of the knee cannons destroyed entirely as a result.
"You insolent brat!" Kagami growled and raised the mecha's foot with the intention to stomp on the student.
STOMP!
Hoshino jumped back immediately and avoided getting stomped on.
"I need a new tactic." She thought, landing far back enough.
Her eyes turned to Usui, who was preoccupied with parrying the cannon fire using a mix of wind blades and barriers that kept him from getting hit.
"I shouldn't distract Yuzuru, so I'm going to need the help of…" The girl's eyes turned towards Kaito.
"Yamaguchi!" She called out, getting the boy's attention.
"Huh?" Kaito said.
"Come over here, I need you to help me with something." Hoshino explained with a small smirk.
Her action didn't go unnoticed by the giant mecha, as the pilot inside was seething over the destruction of one of the cannons.
Kagami growled and aimed the left shoulder's cannon at the two students. "Those brats, I better-"
BANG!
The man was cut off when the left shoulder cannon was suddenly destroyed by a particularly strong gunshot, prompting him to turn the robot towards the source.
From his point of view was Yume holding a white-colored Barrett .50-Caliber M107 sniper rifle, which was glowing brightly with power.
"Isn't it rude to interrupt others while they're talking~?" Yume said with a mockingly sweet tone.
BANG!
As a follow up, she pulled the trigger of her sniper rifle again and took off chunks of the mecha's left shoulder from where the cannon used to be.
Sparks of electricity began to appear from the hole left behind by the strong sniper shot from the student.
"You think this will deter me!" Kagami roared, pointing the right shoulder cannon at the flying girl.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The shoulder cannon fired as many times as it could at Yume, only for her wings to expand and wrap themselves around her, acting as a shield.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The cannon's shots ended up bouncing off the surprisingly sturdy wings that fully protected Yume.
"Fiery Explosive Punch!"
KABOOM!
The giant mecha suddenly staggered again, much to the pilot's shock.
Kagami sharply glanced at the HUD of the cockpit and discovered that Kaito had delivered a strong punch from his gauntlet that ended up destroying the left knee cannon.
"Error! Error!" A female robotic voice came from inside the cockpit. "Seventy five percent of the main cannons are missing."
BANG!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice sounded more urgent, complete with an alarm sounding off. "All main cannons are missing. I repeat, all main cannons are missing."
Realizing that the right shoulder cannon had been destroyed by Yume, Kagami punched the side of the cockpit in anger.
"Damn it!" He mentally cursed. "I cannot allow myself to be bested by a bunch of children!"
The man turned his eyes to one of the red buttons among the controls of the cockpit. He didn't need to think twice before pressing it.
Meanwhile, Kaito was laughing boisterously and clapped Hoshino on the shoulder, with the latter stumbling slightly from the rough touch but otherwise maintaining her balance.
"Your plan worked again!" Kaito said with a grin. "If this keeps up, I might just call ya "fearless leader"!"
"Let's not." Hoshino replied, shaking her head.
She had transformed Iron Horus back into its suitcase form and attached it to the back of her tactical vest.
"Grrr, don't think that I have just cannons!" Kagami yelled from the cockpit.
SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT! SHOOT!
As if on cue, the top part of the large mecha's chest opened and missiles began to shoot out from it, with all of them directly heading for every student on the field.
Kaito turned to Hoshino eagerly and said. "Let's do it again!"
The pink-haired girl nodded and replied. "Alright."
She grabbed onto the boy's arm and closed her eyes in concentration.
XXX (A couple of minutes ago) XXX
"You can do what!?" Kaito's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah, I've been trying to train it for a long while after achieving Horus Vision." Hoshino explained.
"That sounds awesome!" Kaito said with a grin.
"Now, just know that I haven't tested it on other people before," Hoshino warned with a stern glare. "So you better brace yourself."
"Heh, bring it on!" Kaito responded with a smirk. "I can handle anything thrown at me!"
Hoshino sighed and then pressed a button on Iron Horus, which then folded back into a suitcase, much to Kaito's surprise.
"You're not gonna use that shield of yours?" He asked.
"No," She replied, shaking her head. "This technique requires both hands to work properly."
XXX (Back to current time) XXX
After a few seconds, Hoshino opened them, in which they became yellow with arrow-shaped pupils. "Horus Acceleration!"
Both students were surrounded with a yellow aura, as they felt a surge of power coursing through them.
"Let's do this!" Kaito grinned wildly.
He crouched down like he was about to do a track race, before he began to dash towards the missiles with inhuman levels of speed.
Nagato screamed as she desperately tried to run for her life, only to find one missile heading straight in her direction.
"Eeeek!" She squeaked, realizing that she had no way to dodge a missile, as it was larger and much harder to avoid than cannon shells.
BOOM!
In a heartbeat, the missile suddenly exploded in mid-air, causing Nagato to be knocked off her feet by the shockwave.
However, she felt toned arms wrap around her body before she could hit the ground, in which she looked up and saw Kaito smiling down at her.
"You okay, girlie?" He asked.
Nagato took notice of the yellow aura surrounding his body, but shook her head and replied. "I'm fine, thank you."
FWOOSH!
Both students turned and saw Usui levitate towards them, followed by a gust of wind that was seemingly responsible for carrying him.
"Where is Hoshino?" He asked, still gripping his sword.
BANG! BANG! BANG! KABOOM!
The three students looked up and saw another missile explode midair, with what looked like a yellow blur shooting straight to the next one.
"Is that…?" Nagato trailed off, narrowing her eyes to get a closer look.
"AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
Hoshino roared as she threw a red colored grenade directly at the missile, before she pulled out her shotgun and took aim, all while still in the sky.
BANG! BOOM!
She pulled the trigger and caused both the grenade and the missile to explode, with a bigger shockwave nearly knocking the students below off their feet.
With another missile on sight, Hoshino performed a somersault and reached out for Iron Horus, which then transformed into its shield form.
Pulling back her arm with the tactical shield, as soon as she saw the missile getting closer…
BASH! CLANG!
Hoshino slammed Iron Horus directly onto the missile with all the strength she could muster, causing the missile itself to go off course and miss its targets entirely.
BOOM! SHAKE!
The missile ended up hitting one area of the desert, causing a small earthquake that stunned the first year students witnessing it.
"This is…" Nagato covered her mouth.
Still in midair, Hoshino turned her head to see yet another missile, but this time, it was dangerously close before she could have time to react.
"Oh crap!" Hoshino widened her eyes.
BANG! BOOM!
The missile in front of her suddenly exploded, sending her flying towards the desert ground.
The yellow aura on Kaito's body suddenly disappeared, leaving him immediately worried.
"Shit! I think that explosion just knocked her out!" Kaito called out, pointing at the falling girl.
Yume, who had been the one to shoot the missile close to her junior, frowned and was seeing everything through her sniper scope.
"Please be okay, Hoshino-chan…" She muttered.
Seeing his friend rapidly descending upon him and the others, Usui turned to Nagato and said. "Sasaki! Your ability!"
"We even have one last missile on us!" Kaito said, gritting his teeth.
True to his word, there was only one missile remaining and it was heading towards them along with the unconscious falling Hoshino.
Away from the battlefield, Kenji had kept a close eye on his daughter's actions, and cupped his chin thoughtfully.
"Horus Acceleration, my father's self-made technique that allowed him to increase his own perception of time, thus giving the illusion of "super speed", as some people would call it." The man thought, observing every movement. "However, for Hoshino to be able to use it on other people besides herself."
He turned his gaze to the other first year students, who seemed to be devising an emergency plan.
"Will they be able to catch her before disaster strikes?" Kenji mentally questioned. "If they do, then Hoshino will be in safe hands at the very least."
However, in the midst of his thoughts, his eyes caught the red-haired student of the group suddenly launching himself at the giant mecha directly at great winds.
"What is that boy planning?" Kenji's eyes narrowed at what looked like a reckless action.
He wasn't the only one that believed the action was reckless, as Kagami moved the mecha to see Usui charging straight for the window to the cockpit.
"Is that boy out of his mind?" Kagami scoffed, before raising the mecha's wrist blade. "Well, at the very least, one student will be out of the way."
The giant mecha wasted no time moving its bladed arm in the student's direction…
SHATTER!
… Only for Usui to shatter into pieces, as if he was never there to begin with.
"What…?" Kagami's eyes widened from the cockpit.
"I got her guys!"
The pilot turned his eyes to the cockpit's HUD and saw Kaito holding an unconscious Hoshino in his arms.
BOOM! SHATTER! SHAKE!
The last missile ended up hitting yet another distraction, as it looked like it had finally reached a target in "Nagato", also revealed to be fake as "she" shattered into pieces, causing another explosion that shook the desert ground.
XXX (Before the battle) XXX
"Sasaki, right?" Hoshino asked. "What can you do?"
In response, Nagato looked thoughtful for a few seconds, but then gained a determined expression and said. "Well…"
The other two students stared at her, waiting for her answer.
"… I can have an ability that I call "Mirror's Fake", which allows me to create lifelike fake versions of ourselves, while it leaves us invisible to the people seeing said fakes, so to speak." Nagato explained in detail.
"Holy shit… that sounds nuts!" Kaito exclaimed.
"It does sound like a very useful power to have." Usui agreed with a nod.
"Especially in a time like this." Hoshino added. "Alright, I think I know what to do."
"We're listening." Kaito gave a thumbs up.
"Sasaki, you create our fakes and make them look like they're about to make a stand," Hoshino started. "Once the army is fooled into thinking it, Yuzuru will use his wind to launch Yamaguchi in the air so he can smash his way into them once they fully take the bait."
"That could work," Usui said, cupping his chin. "However, there is one error in that plan, and I am sure you know this as well."
"Yeah," Hoshino nodded and asked. "Sasaki, can that power also affect non-humans? We're going up against robots after all."
"It can, actually." Nagato said, her expression becoming eager. "I trained myself to be able to use it on the likes of familiars, golems, dolls, and anything artificial."
"Good." Hoshino said. "Once the army is caught off guard, we start attacking and smash them all."
"Sounds like a great plan to me!" Kaito grinned, smashing his gauntlets together.
"As you wish." Usui said with a small nod.
"I'll do my best!" Nagato said, as a transparent white aura surrounded her body.
She closed her eyes and raised her hands in the air, muttering under her breath.
Nagato opened them and they were pure white, before she said. "Mirror's Fake!"
XXX (A few minutes ago) XXX
"Sasaki! Your ability!"
"We even have one last missile on us!"
"Usui-kun, do you have a plan for that?" Nagato asked, looking around worriedly.
"Make it seem like I am charging recklessly at the enemy." Usui answered. "Yamaguchi will be the one to catch Hoshino with a small boost from my wind."
"You got it!" Kaito said, nodding.
"Then what about us?" Nagato asked. "What do we do after Yamaguchi-kun catches Takanashi-san?"
"We simply move out of the way and allow the fakes to take the missiles." Usui said, looking around. "We also need to regroup with Kanzaki-senpai and especially Kougami-senpai."
"Hmmm, now that you mention it, I haven't seen Kougami-senpai at all when that robot began to attack." Nagato said, cupping her chin.
"Hey, can we just save Hoshi first?" Kaito said, placing his hands on his hips.
"Hoshi?" Usui said, raising an eyebrow.
"An easier way to call her, duh." Kaito said, staring at him as if it was the most obvious thing in Kivotos.
"… Sasaki, do it now." Usui closed his eyes and sighed.
"Of course!" Nagato said, closing her own eyes once more.
Not long afterwards, she opened them and chanted. "Mirror's Fake!"
XXX (Back to current time) XXX
"Hey!" A voice yelled out to him, getting his attention.
Yume was flying in front of him with a deathly gaze that was almost out of place with her gentle appearance, all while gripping her sniper rifle tightly.
"Come at me!" Yume challenged.
Kagami narrowed his eyes, and operated another red button.
BZZZT! BZZZT!
Laser beams were shot out of the mecha's eyes, which Yume avoided almost immediately.
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The giant mecha shot more lasers at the flying girl, with the latter dodging each one, much to the pilot's annoyance.
BZZZZZZTTT!
The mecha shot out a much larger beam, which the girl barely dodged as it slightly singed one of her wings.
SWING!
FWOOSH!
Kagami attempted to surprise her by having the mecha swing one of its wrist blades directly at her, which she dodged on time.
FLASH!
A sudden burst of light caught the pilot off guard and had to shield his eyes to keep them from going blind.
BANG! BANG!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice spoke. "Eye lasers have been disabled. Eye lasers have been disabled."
"Huh…?" Kagami slowly opened his eyes.
Yume held a silver-colored Desert Eagle pistol that was glowing white, with smoke coming out of the tip. She still retained her fierce expression, before she smirked at him, as if daring him to try and attack again.
"This little…" Kagami narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Unbeknownst to both combatants, two students had slipped past their ongoing battle and proceeded to hide behind the jeep.
"Yamaguchi-kun should be here any second now." Nagato said, peeking from her cover.
She and Usui had decided to run for the armored jeep, as it was the closest thing they had to an actual hiding spot and proper cover.
"Sasaki, you stay here and continue to monitor the area." Usui ordered, preparing to leave the jeep. "I will go and find-"
"No need for that."
"Eek!"
Ryota had suddenly appeared behind Nagato, startling the poor girl and causing her to jump into Usui's arms.
BANG!
SWING!
"Yume is keeping the man busy, it seems." Ryota remarked, looking at the current turn of events.
Yume was currently flying around the giant mecha and avoiding all of its attempts to attack her with its wrist blades, all while using its elbow shields to occasionally block her sniper shots.
"Senpai, where were you the entire time?" Usui questioned, casually setting Nagato down as he did.
"I was closely watching the battle and the robot's movements." Ryota answered. "I have gathered enough information to know its weak points."
BANG!
SWING!
"Huh? From just watching?" Nagato said in awe.
"Kougami-senpai has a passive ability that allows him to scan the weak points and general weaknesses of anything he comes across." Usui explained. "I assume that was how you effortlessly took us down the other day, correct?"
"That's right." Ryota nodded. "Where's Yamguchi and Takanashi?"
BANG!
SWING!
As if on cue, Kaito ran towards the group and quickly hid behind the jeep with them, while Hoshino groaned and was slowly opening her eyes.
"She's waking up!" Nagato pointed out.
"Ugh, what just happened…?" Hoshino groaned. "Where am I…?"
BANG!
SWING!
"You were knocked unconscious in midair." Usui answered. "I threw Yamaguchi into the air and he caught you."
Hoshino blinked at this and looked up at Kaito, who was grinning at her with a nod.
"… Thanks…" The pink-haired girl muttered. "Can you put me down now?"
"Sure!" Kaito said, placing her down.
BANG!
SWING!
Hoshino coughed into her fist and asked. "Kougami-senpai, do you have any idea how to beat that thing?"
"Yes." Ryota nodded. "Its weak spots are very obvious because it's a prototype, which is why it got damaged easily, even by a mere grenade."
"So we got lucky, is what you're saying?" Hoshino grumbled.
"Not necessarily, you have all shown your strengths in a combat situation like this." Ryota said, before turning to the giant robot. "The weak spots are located in the joints, as well as the chest. Attacking those will easily bring it down."
BANG!
SWING!
"Alright then, let's do this!" Kaito said with a grin.
"Do not." Usui grabbed the other boy's shoulder before the latter could rush out of the jeep.
"Thank you, Usui." Ryota deadpanned and continued. "Now, Sasaki…"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
SWING! SWING! SWING!
"What's wrong? Too slow to hit me!" Yume said, taunting the giant mecha.
"I will get you, insufferable brat!" Kagami growled from inside the cockpit.
SWING! SWING! SWING!
Kagami gritted his teeth as he operated the mecha to swing its arm blade again, only for Yume to effortlessly dodge it.
Yume herself was flying around the mecha, often using her sniper to graze more and more of the mecha's body.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Error! Error!" The computer voice of the cockpit robotically spoke. "Twenty-five percent of the prototype has been damaged."
"Dammit…" Kagami cursed under his breath.
FWOOSH!
The mecha was suddenly pushed forward, prompting it to turn around and saw Usui glaring defiantly, before he unleashed another wind slash.
FWOOSH!
"Tch." Kagami clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He operated the mecha and raised its foot onto the student, ready to stomp on him.
BOOM!
The mecha staggered slightly, and then looked down to see Kaito running around the feet while flailing his arms around.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
The mecha proceeded to try and stomp on the two male students, but to no avail as they were too fast for it.
"Stand still!" Kagami roared.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
BOOM! BOOM!
The only response he got was more wind thrown at the mecha, along with small explosions at its legs. In addition, Yume flew in front of it and blew a raspberry.
SWING! SWING!
Kagami tried to swing the arm blade at her yet again, but the student had already flown away and escaped his sight.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
BOOM! BOOM!
"Those brats!"
"I said…" Kagami muttered, raising the mecha's foot once more. "STAND STI-"
SLASH! SLICE!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice sounded. "Right arm critically damaged. Right arm critically damaged."
"Huh…?"
Kagami slowly turned to the HUD and saw that the right arm of the prototype mecha had been sliced off and fell to the ground.
SHATTER! SHATTER!
XXX (Before the fight) XXX
"Alright then, let's do this!" Kaito said with a grin.
"Do not." Usui grabbed the other boy's shoulder before the latter could rush out of the jeep.
"Thank you, Usui." Ryota deadpanned and continued. "Now, Sasaki, create mirror images of ourselves attacking the giant mech at once to distract it, while the rest of us get into position to attack all its joints at once."
"Got it, senpai!" Nagato nodded.
"Usui, Yamaguchi, when I give the signal, both of you get into position." Ryota ordered.
"Roger!" Usui and Kaito said at once.
"Wait, what about Kanzaki-senpai?" Nagato asked, raising her hand. "Shouldn't she know about the plan as well?"
"That's what Takanashi is for." Ryota answered. "Takanashi, you and Yume will do a Linked Skill once the mech's joints have been taken out."
"Huh, really?" Hoshino asked, blinking.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
SWING! SWING! SWING!
"What's wrong? Too slow to hit me!" Yume's voice spoke out, taunting the giant mecha.
"I will get you, insufferable brat!" Kagami growled from inside the mecha.
"That's something you will have to ask Yume herself, Hoshino." Ryota said, calling his junior by her first name again.
Hoshino said nothing and turned to Yume, who was flying circles around the mecha.
XXX (Back to the present) XXX
"I… fell for the same trick three times…" Kagami thought numbly.
SLASH! SLICE!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice sounded. "Left arm critically damaged. Left arm critically damaged."
"What's the point…?"
The man fell backwards to the seat of the cockpit, staring blankly at the ceiling as he paid no heed to the mecha's weak spots being destroyed one by one.
BOOM! SPARK!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice sounded. "Right leg critically damaged. Right leg critically damaged."
"Did I really accomplish anything from betraying Millennium…?"
BOOM! SPARK!
"Error! Error!" The robotic voice sounded. "Left leg critically damaged. Left leg critically damaged."
"Did I… abandon my own daughter for nothing…?"
Meanwhile, Yume and Hoshino watched from fifty feet away as the giant mecha was slowly breaking down from having its weak points exploited.
"Good work, you two." Ryota praised.
"Yeah!" Kaito said, wrapping an arm around Usui with a grin.
Usui simply nodded and looked over to his friend and her senpai.
"Hoshino-chan, a Linked Skill is a type of attack where two people combine their abilities into one shared move." Yume explained.
"I see…" Hoshino said, looking over towards Iron Horus.
"Let's finish this man off, shall we?" Yume asked.
Hoshino smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."
Yume closed her eyes and activated her wings, before shooting herself up into the air with her glowing sniper rifle in hand.
She opened her eyes and looked through the sniper's scope, aiming directly at the mecha's chest, all while Hoshino was dashing forward with Iron Horus.
"Yuzuru!" Hoshino called out. "A boost!"
FWOOSH!
Usui nodded and moved his arm around in a circle to manipulate the winds surrounding him.
FWOOOOOOOOSSSSHHH!
The resulting movement from his arm caused the winds to grow stronger, before he pushed it towards the running Hoshino.
FWOOSH!
Hoshino kept a straight face as the winds shot her into the air and straight for the mecha's chest.
"Linked Skill…" Yume chanted, as solar energy was charging up her sniper rifle.
As the mecha's chest was getting close in sight, Hoshino raised Iron Horus and followed. "… Iron…"
"Blast!" Both Yume and Hoshino yelled at once.
BAAAAANG!
Yume shot a large beam of solar energy… at Hoshino, who then turned around midair to absorb the blast with Iron Horus.
"I feel even stronger!"
She closed her eyes briefly to process the sudden surge of power, before slowly opening them to reveal that they had turned blue, with the numbers having a more elaborate design as they glowed.
"Horus Vision… V2!" She yelled out.
As time once again slowed down in her point of view, she found herself practically face to face with the mecha.
"AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
With a loud roar, Hoshino raised the charged Iron Horus as she got closer and closer to the last weak point.
From inside the cockpit, Kagami watched as the pink-haired girl became a white blur of light that was about to collide with the mecha.
"Chihiro, I'm sorry…" He thought, closing his eyes to accept his fate.
KABOOOOOOOOM!
Hoshino had slammed the supercharged Iron Horus at the mecha's chest, causing it to be enveloped in a fiery explosion, which then sent the girl flying backwards as a result.
"I did it…"
She felt her entire world going blurry as she was losing consciousness.
"I finally proved myself… to him…"
Her world had gone dark.
"Hoshino-chan?"
"Ugh…"
"Hoshino-chan, are you okay?"
"Yume-senpai…?"
Hoshino slowly opened her eyes and found herself staring directly at a white ceiling, before she turned her head and saw Yume smiling gently at her.
"Hello, sleepyhead." Yume greeted, giggling.
Realizing that she was lying down on a bed, Hoshino carefully sat up and scratched the back of her head, trying to process everything that had happened.
"If you're wondering where we are, we're back inside the school." Yume informed her junior. "In the infirmary to be specific."
Hoshino frowned and said. "Then… what about…?"
"Kagami ended up surviving the explosion, although barely." Yume grimaced slightly at her own words. "Your father took it upon himself to arrest him, all while he told us to go back and allow him to take care of the rest."
"I see…" Hoshino said, staring down at her hands.
Seeing her junior's change of mood, Yume reached into her skirt and pulled out an envelope.
"Your father actually visited the school thirty minutes ago and told me to hand this letter to you." Yume said, reaching out her arm to give her junior the envelope.
Hoshino wordlessly accepted the envelope and proceeded to open it to read the letter inside and its contents.
[My daughter, if you are reading this, then this means you have awoken.
I know that you do not hold me in the highest regard and I do not blame you for it. I trained you to the point where you had no breaks, had high expectations of your abilities as a member of the Takanashi clan, and most importantly, making it so that you were not allowed to make your own individual choices.]
"He even put money inside of it." Yume added.
Hoshino checked the envelope and widened her eyes in shock at the wad of cash inside of it, before turning her eyes back to the letter.
[I decided to donate one hundred thousand yen to help provide a head start for your school in repaying its debt. It is the least I can do to show my support for this cause you have decided to join.
Just know that I am proud of how far you have grown in such a short amount of time, even upgrading Horus Vision to V2 that took your predecessors years to achieve. I have complete confidence in you becoming the new head of the Takanashi clan.
Sincerely, Takanashi Kenji, your father.]
" … "
Hoshino was at a loss for words, as slowly lowered the letter and looked at Yume, who was looking back at her with a smile and nodded.
She was conflicted. She didn't know what to think of this amount of generosity shown by her father, especially after she had believed he grew more and more distant towards her.
On one hand, she felt relieved and possibly even happy that her father decided to show this much support for her decision, but on the other hand, she felt disappointed that it took him this long to say something about her progress and show open investment in her, not to mention how he decided to say it through a letter instead of in person.
"… Adults are weird." Hoshino said with a sigh, shaking her head.
Yume giggled at that and said. "The others are worried about you, especially Usui-kun, so I believe that going to them would make them feel better."
"Right." Hoshino nodded, setting down the letter as she stepped off the bed.
However, she stopped in her tracks before she could reach out for the door, as if realizing something in her mind.
"Yume-senpai."
"Yes, Hoshino-chan?"
Hoshino turned around and looked her senpai in the eye with a serious and determined gaze, clenching her fists as she did.
"I've decided…" She started.
Yume widened her eyes at what she was hearing. That meant…
"I've decided to help Abydos High School, one-hundred percent!" Hoshino declared, placing a hand on her chest to emphasize her words.
…
" … " Yume stared at her junior, much to the latter's concern.
"Uh, Yume-senpai, did I say anything-"
GLOMP! SQUEEZE!
"Thank you so much, Hoshino-chan!" Yume squealed, pushing Hoshino into her large bosom as she hugged her tightly.
"Senpai…!" Hoshino wheezed. "Can't… breathe…!"
"Oh!" Yume quickly released her and flushed brightly.
Hoshino raised her hand to stop her from saying anything and said. "It's fine, let's just go meet the others."
Yume merely smiled at her junior's attempt to shift the topic and replied. "Of course, lead the way."
It only took five minutes for both girls to make their way to one of the classrooms, where they stepped inside and saw the other students.
"Takanashi-san, you're okay!" Nagato said, smiling in relief.
Kaito walked up to Hoshino and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yo, Hoshi, you okay?"
"Hoshi?" Hoshino asked, raising an eyebrow.
Usui moved past Kaito before the latter could reply, and then said. "You gave us quite the scare when you did not wake up after an hour or so."
"Sorry…" Hoshino mumbled, scratching her cheek.
"Everyone!" Yume called out, clapping her hands to grab everyone's attention. "Hoshino-chan has finally decided to join us!"
"Alright!" Kaito grinned and clapped Hoshino on the back, causing her to stagger slightly.
"That's good." Nagato said in agreement. "I know we're all still strangers to each other, but I like all of you so far."
Hoshino stared at Kaito and Nagato for a brief moment, and then said. "Well, you guys aren't so bad, I guess…"
"That is as close as you can get to her admitting that she is getting comfortable." Usui remarked, sporting a miniscule smirk.
"Yuzuru…" Hoshino muttered, her cheeks flushed slightly.
"That reminds me, where's Ryota?" Yume asked.
"He's right by the windows, senpai." Nagato answered.
True to her word, Ryota stood next to one of the windows of the classroom and was looking outside of it, with his eyes closed as if he was in deep thought.
"Ryota." Yume approached her fellow senior. "Hoshino-chan accepted, so we're now complete!"
Ryota opened his eyes and replied. "I believe another name for this group is in order."
"Huh?" Yume blinked at that. "Is the "Countermeasures Committee" not enough?"
"Abydos High School has a long way to go before it will return to its former glory." Ryota answered, turning to face all of the students in the room. "Until then, another name would suffice until this place can be called a proper school again."
"I see then…" Yume said, giving a slow nod. "I can understand why you'd think that."
"Uh, Desert Team!" Kaito said, raising his hand.
"Abydos Squad?" Nagato suggested.
"Last Line of School Defense?" Usui added.
Hoshino didn't say anything as she looked down and cupped her chin thoughtfully.
"Hoshino-chan, do you have a suggestion?" Yume asked, noticing her junior's silence.
"What about…" Hoshino looked up at Yume and Ryota with confidence. "The Foreclosure Task Force?"
"Hmmm…" Ryota cupped his own chin in response. "Interesting…"
"Well, it does sound cool." Kaito admitted.
"I like it," Nagato agreed, nodding. "It does give off the feeling that we're doing great things."
"I have no issues with it." Usui said with a shrug.
SQUEEZE!
"Awww, Hoshino-chan, everyone is liking your idea!" Yume said, pulling her junior into a hug once more.
"Again with the hugs…" Hoshino sighed, but didn't resist.
"Very well then." Ryota said, looking over at every student. "As of today, we will be known as the "Foreclosure Task Force"!"
To further demonstrate his point, Ryota reached out his hand and made a silent gesture for the others to do the same.
One by one, each student came forward and stacked their hands on top of each other, until all six stood next to each other in a circle.
Hoshino couldn't help but feel a sense of unity, as she felt her hand against the other students'. She felt her lips curl upwards until…
"Hoshino-chan, you're even smiling!" Yume cheered. "I'm so proud of you!"
The smile itself only lasted a second, until she awkwardly looked away from their gazes, much to their amusement as they shared a brief laugh.
"Okay everyone, get into place!" Yume called out, placing a camera on top of a cabinet at the back of the classroom.
She made sure to press the timer, before she ran over the assembled group of students.
"It's not a traditional class picture, but it should suffice." Ryota said, as he and Yume stood next to each other.
Standing in front of Ryota, Kaito grinned and wrapped his arms around Nagato and Usui, much to their embarrassment and exasperation respectively.
Yume held Hoshino close, unintentionally laying her large breasts on top of the smaller girl's pink hair.
Hoshino herself blushed at this, but tried her best not to show it.
"Everyone, say cheese!" Yume said.
"Cheese!" The other students said in unison.
FLASH!
The newly formed Foreclosure Task Force would have their very picture taken together.
This marks the end of part three! This one took me the longest to write, and I feel like I did my best with writing a comprehensive fight scene, haha.
Part four will be much, much shorter than this, so stay tuned.
Happy reading!