I'm not sure when I'll get back to my other stories tbh. I've always worked on whatever I felt like, and right now I feel like writing a story where the protagonist doesn't have a military background.
I'm flattered that people missed me, though. Thank you all so much for your kind words– they mean the world to me.
Anyway, here's Chapter 2.
Running a city was a challenging affair even for the most capable bureaucrats. It was a never-ending laundry list of paperwork, meetings, attending opening ceremonies for businesses that would probably go under in a few years anyway, paperwork, and smiling while politely shaking hands with the contractor you privately suspected was siphoning government funds.
Oh, and paperwork. Can't forget the paperwork.
The pressure only increased when it came to the academy megacity of Kivotos. Keeping public order was difficult when each district acted as its own autonomous mini-state, not helped by the friction or outright antagonism some of them harbored toward one another– Trinity and Gehenna being the prime examples. SRT was deployed more than once to prevent all-out war after some wily Gehenna students took potshots at their classier neighbors across the border.
That particular issue, at least, was expected to sort itself out within the next year. Although at the rate things were spiraling out of control, there wouldn't be a city left by the time the rival academies signed their peace agreement.
So for Nanagami Rin to leave the Sanctum Tower while crisis report after crisis report piled up on her desk – without an armed escort, no less – a priority one emergency must've developed.
"And you're sure he didn't just steal it?" the dark-haired woman asked, moving with a mixture of refined grace and purpose past rows of jail cells. She pointedly ignored the wolf-whistles from some of their occupants.
The blonde, dog-eared woman next to her grunted in affirmation. "Positive. His alibi matches eyewitness accounts, and he passed the polygraph test with flying colors. I believe him when he says he doesn't know where the note came from or what its contents mean."
Ogata Kanna wasn't someone Rin would necessarily call a 'friend'– both of them were too busy for trivial matters like friendship. Nonetheless, they enjoyed a solid work relationship.
Kanna was a natural born professional. She was focused, serious, and incredibly competent in the field, which was sadly more than could be said about the majority of students in the Public Safety Bureau. Her tendency to get results was only outmatched by the fearsome reputation she'd garnered among cadets and criminals alike. Wherever she went, justice was dolled out swiftly and brutally.
It was little wonder she'd earned the nickname 'Feral Hound of Valkyrie'.
"To tell you the truth, I don't understand what it means either," Kanna admitted sourly. She took a sip of instant coffee, bristling at the taste. "Valkyrie's Language Arts courses are geared toward learning how criminals communicate. I've been at this job since I picked up my first gun, and I've never heard of a gang incorporating mythology into their slang terms."
"Did you secure the note from the evidence room like I requested?"
"Sure did." She reached into her jacket pocket and handed Rin a small scrap of crumpled paper. "Here, have a look. Apologies for the smell. He had it stashed in his shoe."
The bespectacled woman was too absorbed reading the note to listen. The moment she laid eyes on the message scrawled inside, she knew immediately who the sender was. It was the first trace of her frie- friendly acquaintance she'd found so far, which begged the question: How did it come into a strange adult's possession?
Rin suspected she had an answer for that, too. The implication unsettled her.
Kanna guided them to a set of reinforced double doors that led to an adjoining cell block. Jails and prisons in Kivotos were labyrinthian in scale; an unfortunate necessity given the city's massive population. As the blonde searched for her keycard, she said, "Gotta admit Vice President, when I sent you the after-action report, I didn't anticipate you'd reply with a surprise visit. What's so special about this adult that made you drop everything and come running?"
"Besides the fact that outsiders in Kivotos are an extraordinarily rare occurrence? Nothing." Rin watched Kanna type a code into the keypad and swipe her access card through. With a small beep, the red light changed to green. "It's his connection to the GSC President that brought me here. She's the one who made the note."
The revelation gave the Valkyrie captain pause. "The president? You mean the same girl we've been combing the whole city district by district trying to locate? The one who pulled the vanishing act while Kivotos crumbles around us, leaving you in charge of picking up the pieces? That president?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "Huh… I guess that'd be a good reason."
She pushed through the doors, beckoning for Rin to follow. The VP wordlessly obeyed, and as her blue-eyed gaze roamed around the three-storey interior, she idly wondered how many delinquents the jail could house before reaching capacity. Far too few, judging by the looks of it.
"Speaking of picking up pieces, I'm sorry for getting the GSC involved in routine Valkyrie affairs while you're busy trying to hold things together. I just figured this case was unusual enough to warrant an alert." Kanna continued.
Rin shook her head. "No need to apologize. I'm glad you brought it to my attention, Miss Ogata. This could be a potential breakthrough, one we can't afford to overlook."
"Hmph. If you say so." The dog morph sounded doubtful, sending Rin a sideways glance. "Though I can't imagine what the president would want with a foreign criminal."
Rin had a pretty solid theory based on circumstantial evidence, although she wasn't sure she liked it. How Kanna replied to her next questions would prove decisive.
She adjusted her glasses and asked, "Tell me more about him. Has he been cooperative?"
"For the most part. He's a jittery son of a bitch, though. Nearly lost his marbles when we gave him a fully-body shakedown." Kanna took another sip of coffee. "Can't say I blame him, honestly. Only reason he's still breathing is because Nakatsukasa can't hit a beached whale at point blank."
Ah yes, one of the cadets who'd been at the scene of the arrest. Part of Rin wanted to ask what happened to the first-year duo after the altercation, but she stuffed her curiosity aside. There was already plenty enough to worry about without prying into other schools' business. "And what have we learned of his background?"
"With all due respect, Vice President Nanagami, I'm a cop, not a detective."
"Are you telling me no one at the Valkyrie Police Academy looked into it?"
Kanna averted her eyes, letting out a frustrated sigh. "...The Intelligence Bureau gave it their best shot. We checked every public database for an ID or fingerprint. We combed through social media, searched countless schools' enrollment records… Hell, we even tried scrounging up a birth certificate."
"And…?" Rin pressed.
"Nothing. The guy's a ghost."
Not unexpected, but not ideal either. Despite the close bond they shared, Rin was never fully able to grasp how the president's mind worked; quite a few of the girl's decisions came off to her as random, shortsighted, and oftentimes irresponsible.
For instance, bringing a confused, squishy outsider into Kivotos when the rule of law hung on by a thread.
She almost felt sorry for the poor bastard even though she hadn't met him yet. Regardless of how their first meeting went, life would be difficult for him going forward.
"We're almost there. Second floor, third cell on the left. Watch your footing." Kanna led her up a short flight of metal stairs. She stopped them in front of the prisoner's cell; Rin peered through the bars, finally getting her first in-person look at the man the GSC president roped into her shenanigans.
Her initial impression of him when she viewed his mugshot was… not the greatest, and seeing him in the flesh didn't change her mind. Between the tattoos, punkish haircut, and orange jumpsuit, he fit the description of a stereotypical prison thug. He was seated on the edge of his bed, hunched over with his elbows resting on his knees.
He was busy muttering to himself, seemingly too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice he had visitors. She strained her pointed ears to hear him:
"...some kind of fucked-up urban fantasy bullshit. Oh god, was everything I believed in a lie? Forget about acid; what if someone on that train fed me the red pill? What if it's like The Matrix and this is the true reality? I ain't ready to fight the robot overlords, man. Nuh-uh, not me…"
To say Rin was brimming with confidence would be a gross falsehood. This was who her president chose to lead the Federal Investigation Club? Seriously? She would've had more faith in some average citizen plucked from the streets!
Rin exhaled an inaudible sigh, mentally preparing for whatever happened next. Despite the doubts she privately harbored – and there were plenty – she needed his cooperation. He was a key figure in the plan, whether they both liked it or not.
She felt Kanna's presence hovering beside her. If the veteran officer had an opinion, she wasn't sharing it.
The Vice President announced her presence by clearing her throat. "Jasper Finch?"
The prisoner's head snapped in her direction, and the first words he blurted out were, "Are you my Morpheus?"
Am I… what? For a fraction of a second, the dark-haired girl's stoic expression gave way to total confusion. She recomposed herself just as quickly however, meeting the prisoner's brown ones with her own blue ones. "My name is Nanagami Rin, Vice President of the GSC, and I'll be the one doing the questioning here. I'll ask again: Are you Jasper Finch?"
"That's what it says on my underpants."
What on earth did you leave me with, President?! Rin's mind wailed.
"Wait, are you a lawyer?!" The man called Jasper was on his feet in a flash, and Rin took a startled step back when he practically threw himself against the bars. "Please, you've gotta help me!" he begged. "These police, they're batshit insane! All I did was… was…"
He paused. "Okay, I might've refused a direct order or two, but I didn't know they were cops! A-And then they tried to fucking smoke me!"
"Which was a major violation of protocol and is being addressed," Kanna interjected.
Rin nodded in her direction before turning back to the prisoner. "I'm more than just a simple lawyer, Mr. Finch. Much more. And while I understand the last twenty-four hours' events must have you feeling overwhelmed, there are urgent matters that I require your help with." She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "To summarize, I can arrange for this little incident to be expunged from the public record if you choose to work with us."
"Freedom in exchange for a job, huh?" Jasper snorted. "Gee, where have I heard that before…"
He meandered back to his cot, sat down, and crossed his arms, looking very much like a three-year-old in time out. He looked at Rin and scoffed. "Sorry lady, but the answer's no. Last time I agreed to that offer, some teenage bitch pulled me here all the way from frickin' Arizona."
Arizona…? Again, not worth dwelling on. Rin suddenly had a much clearer picture of the president's activities following her disappearance; it didn't solve the whole mystery, not by a long shot, but it was more progress than the entirety of the GSC had been able to make.
It also proved beyond any reasonable doubt that she'd recently communicated with this man. In more ways than one…
Belatedly, Rin remembered she still held the note Kanna said was on his person during his arrest. Perhaps she could use it to her advantage. Maybe it wasn't too late to put the plan into motion.
Even though she held numerous concerns regarding this Jasper Finch individual, she admitted that a slim chance of restoring peace to Kivotos was still better than no chance.
"What if I said I know who wrote this?" she baited him, smoothing the creases on the paper and holding it up for him to see.
That did the trick. He straightened, blinking in recognition. "No shit? Then spit it out!"
"You need to agree to my proposition first."
"Hold on, is… is this a bribe? What the hell do you want from me, Origami?"
It was Rin's turn to blink at how utterly wrong he'd gotten her name. Her eye twitched imperceptibly as she replied, "It's Nanagami, first off. Second, all I want is the same level of cooperation you've given Miss Ogata here. I'll explain everything to you in return– you have my word."
Jasper let out an exasperated groan, though he did rise to his feet. "Okay, fine, whatever! I'll do your fucking dirty work. Can I get that explanation now?" he demanded impatiently.
Rin looked at Kanna. The blonde officer nodded, unclipping the keyring from her belt and unlocking his cell.
She was already on the move before he'd stepped out.
"I'll give you the rundown: That skyscraper in the middle of the city? We call it the Sanctum Tower, and it has the power to grant an individual or organization the authority needed to govern Kivotos." Jasper's new (boss? Partner?) main bitch lectured while they walked. "I'm not sure how it works myself, despite rumors of the contrary."
Whoever this Nama… Nemogomi… Macaroni- Ah fuck it, he was calling her Rin.
Whoever this Rin chick was, she was scary. Also kinda hot. But mostly scary, because she'd persuaded him with incredible ease into doing… uhh, something-or-other.
She continued, "Two weeks ago we were suddenly locked out of its systems, and without the tower's administrative privileges, the General Student Council is a government in name only. As a result, delinquent gangs and criminal activities have been spreading like wildfire. Your first assignment will be to help us take back control."
Okay, he could wrap his head around that. Sort of.
Not really.
Wait, back the fuck up: Did she just say-
"Student… Council?" Jasper echoed, half convinced he'd heard her wrong. "You mean like the ones in high school no one gives a shit about?"
He swore the temperature in the hallway dropped thirty degrees just then. Rin came to an abrupt halt, and Jasper barely managed to hit the brakes before bumping into her. The pointy-eared woman whirled around, fixing him with a terrifying look that promised unspeakable agony if he opened his mouth.
"Probably not a smart thing to say to their VP," the dog girl next to him quipped, raising her mug to her lips without a care in the world.
The disdain in Rin's voice was palpable. "Allow me to educate you on the first rule of Kivotos, Mr. Finch," she said with barely restrained fury. "Unlike whatever backwater hamlet you're from, we take school politics extremely seriously in this city. You'd best remember that…"
She opened the side of her white coat, revealing the unmistakable shape of a Desert Eagle holstered on her hip.
"Otherwise you'll find yourself very short on allies," she finished.
Jasper was torn between peeing his pants or throwing himself at her feet and groveling for mercy. In the end, the best he could muster was a simple nod.
He didn't dare utter another peep until they stepped beyond the jail's exit into the lively city outside. Rin made a beeline toward an all-black armored car parked on the side of the street, and Jasper really felt the need to speak up about it.
"Uh, Rin?"
She sighed. "What is it?"
He pointed at the car. "There's a thingamabob on the roof that says 'Student Driver'."
"Yes, and? Is that a problem?"
Jasper shivered at the trace of venom in her tone. He looked around for the blonde cop, hoping she'd have something to say about unlicensed drivers carting VIPs around; he spotted her walking away in a different direction, deep in conversation with her radio.
He reluctantly shook his head and climbed into the back seat next to Rin. The interior was cramped, and dimly lit; the windows were tiny and heavily tinted. Obviously not built for a relaxing Sunday drive, much like the prison train to Elm Ridge. At least the seats were cushioned. Also, what was that rank smell?
Oh right, it was him. Between his hours-long proximity within kissing distance of several other men, exposure to the desert sun, and the desperate flight for his life, he'd worked up quite the sweat yesterday. And judging by how Rin wrinkled her nose and glared at him, she must've caught a whiff of Odeur de Jasper too.
Their driver started up the ignition as soon as the doors were shut. Jasper felt the hum of the engine beneath his feet, and seconds later they were on the road.
He broke the silence first. "Let me see if I'm getting this straight: You're still in high school?"
"Correct." Rin nodded.
Well. That purged any impure thoughts. "And you're the Vice President of this 'General Student Council' that runs things around here?"
"Correct. The GSC's membership is uniquely composed of students hailing from all the major school districts. It's mostly a symbolic gesture, designed to demonstrate how even students from rival academies can put their differences aside for the greater good." Her frigid expression briefly melted into a nostalgic smile. "I have my roots here in DU, myself."
"...So basically, this city is governed by teenagers."
"More or less."
And the whole place ended up going to shit? Gee, who could've seen THAT coming? Jasper thought sarcastically. Student politics might've been a big deal here, but allowing emotionally charged children to run an actual city? That was just fucking ridiculous.
He bit his tongue, reminding himself that Rin was on his side (for the time being, anyway) and that sharing his gripes about the system would further sour her already low opinion of him. Better to switch topics. "Okay, next question: Where the hell are we?"
"We're in Kivotos, the academy city," she supplied. "Kivotos is a massive sovereign city-state divided into numerous autonomous districts, each governed by the student council of its most influential school. However, as I mentioned before, every district nominally falls under the umbrella of the General Student Council. The city contains a plethora of diverse biomes as well, ranging from arid to arctic and everything in between."
Jasper gave her a vacant stare.
Rin sighed. "It's a big city with a lot of schools."
"Oh, okay." Why she didn't just say that earlier was beyond him. "How many schools are we talking about?"
"Too many to properly count. Thousands, at least."
He nearly choked on his saliva. Thousands-?!
"Kivotos is bound to be very different from the place you call home, Mr. Finch," Rin mused as Jasper's brain cells scrambled to extinguish the fires. "It's not a city one wanders into by accident. You might find it difficult to fit in at first."
In other words, he wasn't on Earth anymore – or at least the Earth he was familiar with. Somehow he'd crossed dimensions into a world where sentient machines lived in harmony with their organic counterparts. A world where angels carried assault weapons and your next-door neighbor could have fleas. A world he had no criminal history in, come to think of it.
Something in his head clicked into place.
…That damn bitch tricked me!
The girl in white, the one in his dream – the one who sent him here – she knew he yearned to get out of prison and erase his past misdeeds. And she'd turned those desires into reality, by yeeting his ass into an alternate reality.
Technically speaking, she'd kept her side of the bargain. Just not in a way he'd ever anticipated.
A horn blared, and the car swerved, taking a sharp right turn; Rin cursed, suddenly sandwiched between Jasper and the car door. His mind was elsewhere, however.
It was oddly funny – he'd been stranded in a different reality, yet he was more upset at getting taken advantage of by a teenage gender-flipped Dr. Strange than anything. He didn't feel panicked or overwhelmed, just… slightly irritated. All the revelations and fearing for his survival must've burnt him out.
Staying on the subject of his enigmatic friend, he really needed to ask Rin about her before she sidetracked him with more nonsensical information, like Kivotos' official animal being the dodo.
"You said you know who made that note," he reminded her. "Was it someone from the GSC?"
She not-so-gently shoved him out of her personal space, wiping the blemishes off her coat before replying. "The president, yes. I'd recognize her handwriting anywhere." Her piercing blue gaze wandered over him. "I strongly suspect she summoned you here to be a teacher, though I lack concrete evidence."
Summoned? Teacher…?
Actually, now that she mentioned it, a part of Jasper's mind did recall something about him becoming a teacher. It just slipped from his head after Kirino nearly blew it off.
Rin must've noticed his thinking face. "Tell me everything you remember about how you came to Kivotos, Mr. Finch," she ordered. "Leave nothing out, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem."
So he did. He gave the strange pointy-eared girl he'd met half an hour ago a short self-introduction, explaining to her where he was from and why he was originally in prison. He told her all about the transfer (including his anal probe. Hey, she said not to skimp on the details). He told her about the train ride, and how he fell asleep as it passed his hometown.
He told her about the dream.
Rin pressed for more details about the GSC president – what was said, what she sounded like, what she looked like – and as much as Jasper tried his damndest to answer, there were holes he couldn't fill in no matter how hard he strained his memory. He had a general idea of what went down, but when he tried to recount the specifics, his mind turned up blank.
The only crystal clear memory was the blood. That, and the deal for his freedom.
"...and the next thing I know, I'm on a subway with my cuffs unlocked and a note in hand. A few minutes after that, I'm chatting up a pug." He smirked and shook his head, snickering at the absurdity of it all. The guards at prison would've wrapped him in a straightjacket and tossed him in the loony bin. "I honestly thought I was tripping balls at first."
For the longest time, Rin said nothing. Jasper couldn't understand why.
Did she not believe him? He wouldn't hold it against her if that were the case. Hell, he was the one who'd endured this crapfest and he still couldn't believe it himself. Or was she choosing her words carefully? Was she hiding something from him? Did he make a mistake by sharing all this with her?
In hindsight, where were they even going?
Jasper anxiously tapped his foot. It felt like every time he got an answer, five more questions popped up in its place.
Rin closed her eyes, her frown deepening. She stayed quiet for several moments. Then, just as the tension was getting awkward, she gave a neutral, "I see."
…Seriously? He'd given her the whole story as requested, and that was all she had to say?
He decided to fill the void in their conversation himself. "So, umm… your president wants me to help you retake control of Kivotos, yeah? Don't know what that has to do with teaching, but-"
"It has everything to do with teaching."
Jasper blinked at the interruption. Rude. "O-kaaayyyy… and, uh, she'll send me home after we're done, right? How long's this gonna take?"
This new world was cool and all, but there were too many weapons and not enough trigger discipline for his liking. Plus, well, he had unfinished business with his brother.
Rin sighed. "I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than that."
"How so?"
"The GSC president is currently-" It was Rin's turn to be cut off when her phone rang. She checked the screen, another sigh passing her lips. "Excuse me, I need to take this." She raised it to her knife-shaped ear. "What is it, Ayumu? …Yes, he's with me. We're on our way back… What? Now?!"
She went ramrod straight, suddenly on high alert, and Jasper swore he saw her ears twitch. She lowered the phone, covering the speaker with her hand as she called out to their driver. "How much further to the tower?"
"Just under a mile, ma'am!" came the cheerful reply.
Rin returned the phone to her ear, not even bothering to say thanks. "Tell them I'll be there within ten minutes… I don't know, have them wait in the lobby. And make it clear they'll pay for any damages if a fight breaks out!"
She ended the call looking as happy as a cat caught in the rain.
Jasper couldn't contain his curiosity. "What was that about?"
"You'll find out very soon." Rin grumbled.
"Oh. Word."
Another long silence descended, permeated by the hustle and bustle of city life outside.
He scratched his cheek. "So, circling back to this whole 'teacher' business… Why me? Why didn't your president go with, y'know, an actual teacher instead of some dumbass inmate?"
She sighed for the umpteenth time that day. "That's what I want to know, too. Civil order in Kivotos is on the verge of collapse. We needed someone capable to drag us back from the edge of the abyss…"
Jasper was no stranger to receiving cold looks from others, usually from Mark or the local police. He'd gotten used to it ages ago.
The one Rin was giving him now, however… it chilled him to the core.
"Instead, we were left with an unqualified, clueless criminal."
The Sanctum Tower was a lot bigger up close. Like, way bigger. So big that even when he craned his neck as far back as physically possible, he still couldn't see the top of the colossal structure.
He wondered how many flips a person could do between the time it took to jump from the roof to before they went splat. Easily sixty.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Rin said from his side. The two of them were walking down a marble path toward the building's entrance; a small garden flanked the pathway on both sides, taken up mostly by ferns and other low-maintenance plants. "Nobody knows who built this tower, or why. There are theories it may even predate Kivotos itself."
Cool. No one asked.
"And you need me to fix whatever's blocking the GSC's admin privileges, right?" He doubted it was something simple like a hacked computer, otherwise their president wouldn't have gone to great lengths to bring him here when she could've hired a computer repairman. "Point me to it, then grab me a hammer and some whiskey. I'll figure something out."
Rin removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "...It worries me that I can't tell if you're serious or not."
"Oh, I'm dead serious. Folks back home would call me to kill the scorpions on their property when they didn't feel like wasting bullets."
Her reply was thick with sarcasm. "Glad to hear you're not entirely useless. That particular skill set won't be required, however. Now, look at me."
She stopped them about twenty feet away from the tower, resting a firm hand on Jasper's shoulder.
"Waiting behind those doors are representatives from the city's three largest academies," she informed him. "Let me handle the talking. They're here for me, not you. I'd ask you to make yourself look presentable, but…" She gestured to his jumpsuit. "For now, just try not to draw any attention."
"Can I look around?"
"No."
Damn, she wasn't making it easy. Alright, whatever. She'd bailed him out of jail and answered his questions, so if had to swallow his pride and stay at her side like a good little lapdog, so be it.
Anything to avoid being on the wrong end of that fucking hand cannon.
"One last question," Jasper spoke up as they neared the front doors. He pointed to his ears when she looked his way. "Are you an elf?"
Rin's deadpan expression told him enough. She pushed ahead of him, the doors to the Sanctum Tower opening with a click and a whoosh…
…straight into a scene of pure chaos.
"I'm surprised that a 'student' from a lawless hellhole like Gehenna would travel all the way here to complain! Don't you heathens thrive on anarchy?!"
The young lady blowing her fuse was the textbook definition of the phrase "I thought she was eighteen". She was incredibly tall for a woman – only an inch or two shorter than him. A black sailor uniform hung loosely over her voluptuous body, complemented by her long black hair and creamy skin. She held an ornate long rifle, although Jasper's gaze was glued on the enormous, feathery black wings extending from her lower back.
Her piercing red eyes seethed with anger, and he didn't envy the second girl they were zeroed in on. While the fallen angel was tall and beautiful, this one was short and cute. She had elven ears, large glasses, and carried a pistol on her hip – not dissimilar to Rin, he noted.
She also must've been hiding a massive pair of balls under her skirt, because she didn't seem the least bit intimidated.
"Have all those sweets rotted your brain? In case you didn't see the armband, I'm a member of the Prefect Team. We're basically the only ones keeping a semblance of law and order in our district." She hid a smirk behind a gloved hand. "Or perhaps you never had a brain in the first place, and all the fat went into your chest instead?"
"WHY YOU LITTLE-!" the dark angel screeched.
She raised her rifle, and Jasper's eyes widened. Oh hell no. He was not about to witness a murder!
A third girl intervened before the metaphorical shots became literal ones, inserting herself between the pair with a flash grenade in hand. "Calm down, Hasumi. We may go to the same school, but don't think I won't hesitate if you get violent," she warned.
She was sort of plain-looking compared to her peers; the most notable thing about her was the miniature wing (what the fuck?) tied to the left of her silver hair. She had red eyes like her classmate, though her gray uniform was more utilitarian in design and leagues more conservative. A tactical assault rifle was slung over her back.
"Out of the way, Suzumi!" Hasumi barked. "She… She called me fat!"
"I did no such thing. I merely insinuated that you were ignorant."
"That's almost as insulting!"
Sweet merciful heaven and Mark thought he was a troublemaker. A small part of Jasper really wanted to join in on the fun, except A: Rin gave him explicit instructions to keep his mouth shut; and B: there were guns involved.
Kivotos is the NRA's wet dream come true.
"There you are, Acting President!" A purple-haired fourth student approached Rin with her hands on her hips – hands that carried not one, but two submachine guns. She wore a white hoodie over a black and white blazer, and her pleated skirt was so goddamn short it should've been illegal. "Where were you? We've been waiting! Get the real president in here already!" she demanded.
Then she noticed him, probably because prison jumpsuits made piss poor camouflage. "Huh? Who's this adult with you? And why's he in prison clothes?"
"'This adult' is the reason for my absence. I'll explain more momentarily." Rin's gaze drifted to the standoff a few feet away. "...What did I miss?"
The purple-haired girl's shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. "Oh, nothing much… besides what happens every single time you put students from Gehenna and Trinity in the same room together!"
Her outburst drew the other three girls' attention. They abandoned their squabbling at the drop of a hat, crowding around Rin and peppering her with requests.
"I'm here to see you as well, Chief Officer!"
"I'm here to meet with the General Student Council president. The head prefect has terms she would like to discuss."
"No, seriously, who's the adult? He looks… sketchy."
Rin's eyes darkened. "Well… This timing is rather inconvenient," he heard her mutter. She fixed them with a plastic smile. "Hello, guests that represent neighboring academies' student councils, disciplinary boards, and those who otherwise have too much time on their hands."
Jasper choked down a giggle.
"I am well aware why you irksome– I mean, important representatives have come here today."
The giggles returned with a vengeance. Rin glanced at him, eyes flashing behind her glasses. He looked away and whistled innocently.
She turned back to the assembled students. "You're here to blame us for the fuss happening in the academy city. Isn't that right?"
"If you're well aware, then do something! You represent the General Student Council after all!" Purple Rain complained. "Thousands of academy districts are in panic! Our academy's wind generator shut down just a few days ago!"
"There are also rumors that seven students under the Federal Corrections Bureau's custody have escaped," added the girl who could've passed as Rin's little sister.
"There's been a sharp increase in the number of thugs attacking our students on their way to school." One-Winged Angel chimed in. "Public safety is not being properly enforced!"
Jasper reckoned public safety wasn't being enforced even when there weren't any criminals around, as yesterday's run-in with Kirino attested. Again, what idiot thought it was smart to give teenagers guns and power?
His mind malfunctioned for a second when Hasumi threw in her two cents: "Illegal distribution of tanks, choppers, and other unknown weapons have increased by over 2000 percent. At this rate, ordinary school life in Kivotos will be a thing of the past."
Please mean gas tanks, he begged. Please mean motorcycle choppers!
Purple Rain wasn't finished. "And what is the General Student Council president doing during such a sorry state of affairs? I demand to see her right this instant!"
Rin stayed quiet through the verbal onslaught. She shot Jasper another sideways glance, and he was taken back by the hesitance on her face. It was like she had an answer but feared that sharing it would be equivalent to opening Pandora's Box.
She was definitely hiding something. He didn't know what, but it didn't bode well for him.
"...The president is not here at the moment," Rin confessed. "To be frank, she's gone missing."
"What do you mean, she's gone missing?!" Jasper's shout drowned out the students' sudden outcries. Rin glared daggers at him, but right now, invoking her wrath was the least of his worries.
The General Student Council president… the girl who summoned him to this insane, violent world… she was missing? What happened to her? He remembered blood… Was she kidnapped? Did Rin and her associates expect him to do something about it? What if she was found dead, or never found at all?
…How would he go home?
He felt dizzy. His guts were churning, and his vision swam. His legs threatened to buckle beneath him. No. He couldn't be trapped in Kivotos. He refused to believe it.
He refused to believe he'd never see Mark again. Refused to believe he'd never get to make amends.
"Allow me to cut to the chase. The General Student Council has no authority because the top administrator of Sanctum Tower has gone missing." Rin was oblivious to the silent mental breakdown consuming him. "We had been searching for a way to bypass the need for verification…"
Jasper felt a small tug on his sleeve, and a concerned voice asked, "Hey, are you alright?"
Blinking, he looked to his side, straight into the worried eyes of the elf girl Hasumi nearly shot just a few minutes earlier.
She offered him a kind, bashful smile. "Try to relax. Take some deep breaths. It's shocking to hear the president's gone missing, I know, but we need to clear our heads before we start planning our next course of action." She took his hand in hers and gave it a comforting squeeze.
Jasper nodded stiffly in return. He then closed his eyes and focused on breathing.
He tried to block out the ambient background chatter, the tingling under his skin, his own thoughts – everything but the rhythmic inhale, exhale and the gentle voice of the girl guiding him.
"In… and out. In… and out. Good. You're doing great," she encouraged.
For a student from a so-called 'lawless hellhole', she sure was nice. Something about her presence made him feel more at ease, although he couldn't pinpoint why.
He eventually opened his eyes, pulling together a shaky smile. "Thanks. I just… I really needed that. So, um, yeah. Thanks."
The girl released his hand and smiled back. "No need to thank me. My specialty lies in medicine, though I'm aware not all injuries are physical. Ah!" She stood up straight, then gave him a small bow. "I should introduce myself. I'm Hinomiya Chinatsu, top medical officer of the Gehenna Prefect Team. And who might you be?"
"Oh, my name is-"
"Finch-sensei!"
They turned as one and found an annoyed Rin glowering at them. The other three girls were staring, too; their expressions ranging from indifferent to suspicious.
"While I applaud your proactiveness in getting to know your students, you also can't allow them to distract you," the Vice President admonished him.
She returned to addressing the others. "Everyone, this is Finch-sensei. Not only is he going to be teaching in Kivotos, he's also been personally selected by the General Student Council president… though I can't imagine why," she added under her breath.
He flashed the girls a charming smile and a thumbs-up. "'Sup? Name's Jasper. I used to be the class clown when I was in high school."
He hoped that a friendly, casual vibe would win them over. It didn't work. If anything, they seemed even more hostile.
The hate train had left the station, with Hasumi as its conductor.
"Is this some sort of joke, Chief Officer?!" the fallen angel bellowed. "That man looks like he's never made one good decision in his life, and you claim he's a teacher? Outrageous!"
Purple Rain spoke up next. "I have to agree with Hasumi on this one. I mean, this guy? Seriously? Does he even have any prior teaching experience?"
"I taught my neighbor's kid how to snort Pixie Stix. Does that count?"
Rin elbowed him in the ribs. "Stop. Talking," she hissed through clenched teeth.
"While I'll believe he was chosen by the president, anyone wearing a prison jumpsuit can't be good news." Suzumi folded her arms and cocked her head, warily regarding Jasper with those bright red eyes. "I don't trust you. Try anything funny and you'll regret it."
"Should we trust him? The president has garnered a reputation for making controversial decisions during her tenure. Would it be wise to place our faith in someone she selected?" the purple-haired girl wondered.
"Precisely! Honestly, how did she even-"
"ENOUGH!" Rin exploded. "All of you, shut up!"
The lobby went dead quiet.
The GSC representative sucked in several deep breaths. She cleared her throat after a minute, gradually reforming her composed exterior. "The president herself chose Finch-sensei to be the advisor of a special club she founded days before her disappearance. The Federal Investigation Club: Schale."
She started pacing around the room. "This isn't your average club – more like a type of extrajudicial organization. Since it's a federal club, he'll be allowed to register students from any of the academies in Kivotos. Each academy region can perform battle activities without restriction." She paused. "How the president was able to create an organization with this much power, I have no idea."
Jasper raised his hand. "Question."
"Yes, Sensei?"
"Since when did I become 'Finch-sensei'? You've been calling me Mr. Finch up till now."
One of the students sighed, though he couldn't tell who it was.
"Ever since I amassed enough evidence to conclude that you were, indeed, summoned by the president." Rin explained. "Are there any other questions? Preferably related to the current topic?"
"Yeah, one more." He motioned with his head to the only student whose name he didn't know. "Who's that?"
"Wait, wh-wh-what?!" said purple-haired student sputtered. "I-I don't have to tell you anything!"
Rin smiled pleasantly. "Don't worry about that annoying girl, Sensei. Let's just move on…"
"Who are you calling annoying?!" The girl turned to meet his eyes, huffing. "I'm Millennium Science School's Hayase Yuuka! You should remember that name, Sensei!"
Tall order when every name he'd heard so far was, like, Japanese or something. Jasper shrugged. "No promises. I can't even pronounce Rin's first name."
"Rin is my first name," the Vice President deadpanned.
"...Wait, really?"
"Yes. Here in Kivotos, we introduce ourselves with our family names first, then our given ones."
He couldn't help it – he burst out laughing. "Holy shit, then I've been getting it backwards this whole time? HA! Oh man, that's funny! That's too fucking funny." He shook his head, still chuckling. Ironic that he was supposed to be the teacher here.
Not everyone found it amusing, however.
"He's the Sensei of Schale, yet he doesn't even know our most basic customs," Hasumi pointed out incredulously. "Where did the General Student Council president find this man? Under a rock?"
Surprisingly, it was Chinatsu who came to his defense. "Again, how ignorant can you be, Miss Hanekawa? If you stopped harassing him for five seconds and actually looked, you'd notice that he lacks a halo." She raised her arm and gestured to the empty space above Jasper's head. "Finch-sensei doesn't know anything about Kivotos because he's not from Kivotos."
"That may be true, but it still doesn't excuse the prison getup." Suzumi countered.
Hasumi, meanwhile, was quivering from head to toe. Clearly she didn't appreciate being corrected by someone she considered an adversary.
"Leave it to a Gehenna student to take the criminal's side," she spat.
"Ahem."
All eyes congregated on Rin. The Vice President resumed her pacing as she continued, "The Schale club room is about thirty kilometers from here. The building is currently empty, but we had to put something in the basement at the president's request. It's my job to take you there."
Jasper wanted to ask what this mystery item was and if it rhymed with 'ziant zildo', but again: angry Rin, loaded gun.
She approached the front desk and tapped a flat, circular, metallic surface adjacent to the computer monitor. "Momoka. I need a helicopter to take us to the Schale club room."
He gasped when an honest-to-god full-motion hologram sprung up from what he'd mistaken for a high-tech coffee coaster. It depicted a small girl with fluffy pink hair, an outfit similar to Rin's, and a bulky, reptilian tail lazily swaying behind her. She was presently munching on a bag of chips.
"The Schale club room? That's over in the outskirts," the girl noted. Another GSC member? "Things are kind of crazy over there right now…"
"What do you mean 'crazy'?" Rin demanded.
"Remember those seven suspended students who escaped from the Corrections Bureau yesterday? One of them's wreaking havoc around that area. It's a battlefield over there right now!"
The logical consequence of giving teenagers access to deadly weapons. The vindication brought Jasper no joy; only a bitter taste in his mouth. The thought of high school kids fighting, killing one another…
It took the term 'school shooting' to a horrifying new extreme.
Momoka noisily swallowed her chips. "They rallied all the thugs in the area and are destroying everything in their path to get revenge on the General Student Council. I hear they've even got a Crusader tank!"
…He needed a fucking cigarette.
"They must be trying to occupy the Schale building because they know the General Student Council controls it. Maybe they think there's something valuable inside." The demon morph gave a carefree shrug. "Oh, well. The city's already a dump, so I don't think that'll make much of a difference."
A faint ding was heard in the background, and Momoka's face lit up in childish glee. "Oh, great! The food I ordered is here. I'll talk to you later!"
The hologram flickered and faded.
Rin suddenly went still. Still, and very, very quiet. Her breathing grew louder and less steady; she kept her ice blue eyes locked firmly on the holoprojector, her hand inching towards her pistol.
Chinatsu worked quickly to diffuse the bomb in the lobby. "Deep breaths, Vice President Nanagami. Deep breaths. Just try and relax…"
"Yeah! Imagine you're smoking a blunt."
The medic looked at him. "You're not helping, Sensei."
It took a full nerve-wracking minute, though they gradually succeeded in steering Rin away from the dark side. The elf-eared woman fixed her tie and cleared her throat – once more the picture perfect image of composure. "It's fine…" she said slowly, more to herself than any of them. "It's just a minor setback. No problem at all."
Her gaze wandered to Jasper's anti-fan club.
"...What? Why are you looking at us like that?" Yuuka asked nervously.
Rin's smile had a dangerous edge to it. "It's so reassuring to have you trustworthy academy representatives here with us," she said sweetly.
Jasper furrowed his brows. Huh?
"Huh?" Yuuka echoed his thoughts.
"We're going to need your help to bring peace back to Kivotos. Let's go." Without another word, Rin ventured down a hallway behind the front desk, leaving a confused Yuuka chasing after her spouting rapid-fire strings of questions.
Hasumi and Suzumi begrudgingly followed, both girls eyeing Jasper with open distaste.
"Remember: No funny business," the latter warned before marching off.
That left him alone with Chinatsu, the only student who didn't treat him like garbage because he'd made a few poor choices in his life. He turned to her and asked, "What just happened?"
"I'm… not really sure," she replied, staring after her peers. "Though I'd guess Vice President Nanagami plans to take back the Schale building by force."
Ohhhhh no no no no he did not like that idea, not one fucking bit.
Ignoring the fact that he'd be fighting alongside what were essentially child soldiers, he didn't know how to fight! He was an idiotic inmate-turned-teacher, not a badass military hardman! He didn't even have a damn gun!
The General Student Council president hadn't just tricked him – he'd been totally, utterly bamboozled.
Jasper held a hand to his forehead. That sinking feeling in his gut, the dread, it was resurfacing, and it was making him nauseous.
"I don't think I can do this," he admitted.
Chinatsu took his other hand in her own, gently circling her thumb over the back of his palm in a small effort to soothe him. "It'll be okay, Finch-sensei. At the very least, I don't believe you'll be expected to do any actual fighting. We'll both make it through this in one piece – I promise."
She chuckled and added, "Though if you do get injured, I'd be more than happy to patch you up."
"...Thanks, Chinatsu." He'd known this girl for, oh, ten minutes or something and she was already his favorite person in Kivotos. Hell, she was becoming one of his favorite people period – he didn't have many friends back in Red Pass. "Y'know, Hasumi might have a halo and wings, but you're the real angel here."
"S-Sensei!" Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, golden eyes bulging from their sockets. She swiftly averted her gaze and released his hand, fidgeting in place.
"What? Don't hate on me for telling the truth." A different thought popped into his head. "Hold on. Did Rin say we'd be taking a helicopter?"
"Y-Yes, she did." Chinatsu nodded, shaking off her embarrassment. "Why?"
"Would this be a bad time to tell you I have a huge fear of flying?"
I always found it weird how Hasumi never gave Chinatsu shit during the prologue. The Justice Task Force's side story makes her hatred of everyone and everything from Gehenna very clear, yet when they actually meet… nothing. Not one threat or snide remark.
Feels like the writers missed out on a spicy side conflict that would've made the buildup to the Eden Treaty arc more worthwhile.
P.S. I'm using the JP version of Rin's surname, simply because I like it more.
P.P.S. Happy b-day to C&C's explosives specialist