I'm contemplating derailing the plot of "A Revolutionary Ivan Kupala" into a fiasco where Jasper gets drunk and somehow becomes Red Winter's new president. Cherino wouldn't be happy about that, to put it mildly.
"You know, for an immature convict chosen at the last second, you didn't do half bad. Sink or swim, right? I really should apologize for throwing you straight into the deep end."
"And you somehow stayed afloat, even though you were about as graceful as a paraplegic platypus. You took a ragtag group of students with little in common and molded them into an unbeatable fighting force, same as your predecessor."
"Heehee. Get used to it, because that's going to happen a lot."
"Oh, no, I'd never judge someone for being afraid for their life. How's that old saying go? 'Only a fool fears nothing.' Were it me in your shoes, I would've been scared too."
"But again, you persevered. You overcame those fears, those doubts, and kept moving forward. I'd call that a sign of maturity."
"..."
"Maybe… Maybe there's still hope for Kivotos after all. For once, I might've just made the right choice…"
"Mm. Sorry. Just thinking out loud."
"And quit being so dramatic. You're not dead. In fact, it's about time you got up. You have a very busy road ahead, Finch-sensei, and I wouldn't want to keep you from your new duties."
"Don't worry about me – I'll be fine. In fact, when you awaken, you won't remember any of this."
"It'll all seem like a fleeting dream…"
Jasper knew he was in a bed before he opened his eyes. Also that he'd been stripped to his tighty-whities, but that was less important.
This wasn't one of the typical prison cots he'd grown accustomed to either; this was a bed bed, where getting a good night's sleep wasn't just possible, it was fully expected. It came with a soft, warm blanket instead of the itchy sheets Hixenbaugh's inmates were given during the winter months.
So if he wasn't back in prison, where the hell was he? His groggy mind didn't have an answer, and frankly, he wasn't in a rush to find out – he hadn't been this cozy in a long, long time. Whoever plopped his ass into this bed intended for him to rest, so that was exactly what he'd do.
He snuggled deeper under the covers, making himself comfortable. His head ached and he was pretty sure there was an IV in his arm but he managed to ignore it.
The sound of muffled conversation from an adjacent room, however? That was harder to drown out. Faint enough that he couldn't make out what was being said, though loud enough to keep him from dozing off. The chit-chat didn't last too long, maybe a minute at most, and Jasper stirred when dainty footsteps descended downstairs to approach him.
An unknown female voice hummed cheerfully as a cold piece of plastic pressed against his forehead. Someone was taking his temperature, he realized when the device beeped. A nurse, most likely.
Was he in a hospital? Nah. It was far too quiet and it didn't reek of antiseptic.
Jasper wanted to say he fought the urge to mess with the nurse, but that would've been a bold-faced lie.
"Boss…?" he rasped. His throat was dry and scratchy as sandpaper. "…I buried the body out back like you wanted."
He hid a smirk when the other person gasped. "Made sure to get rid of the evidence, too… I removed the teeth and burned off the fingerprints. Nobody's gonna be able to trace it back to- Ow!"
"Not funny! Bad Sensei!" scolded the girl who'd pinched his cheek. Now that he'd opened his eyes, he saw his caretaker was a teenager (he was noticing a trend here) with short pink hair, matching eyes, and a bright halo. She wore a white varsity jacket over a dress/skirt combo; the sole hint she dabbled in medicine was a small nurse's headdress.
Pinkie sighed. "Vice President Nanagami warned me about your mannerisms… I guess she was right." Her stern expression abruptly flipped to a bright smile. "I'm glad to see you're awake though, Finch-sensei! My name is Sumi Serina, Trinity second-year and member of the Remedial Knights. It's so nice to meet you!"
She proceeded to ask him a few questions: his name, date of birth, what city he was in – basic stuff to see if slamming his face on a hard tiled floor knocked anything loose. Jasper cooperated to the best of his ability, even though some of her inquiries came off as more than a little random.
What did his relationship status have to do with his health, he wondered as Serina shone a flashlight in his eye.
"Well I can safely say you don't have a concussion," she eventually concluded.
Jasper swallowed. "Nice. So, like… what happened?"
"You passed out from fatigue and dehydration," Serina filled him in as she put her flashlight back in her medical bag. She took out a water bottle. "I'll bet you're really thirsty!"
Hell yeah he was. Serina helped him drink, repeatedly pouring water into the cap and handing it to him so he wouldn't chug the entire bottle in one go. Jasper was too damn parched to make a fuss about it.
She made small talk while he sipped his water. "I was surprised when the Justice Task Force and the GSC put in a joint request for a full-time caregiver. Even more so when I learned my patient was a grown-up – and a new teacher at that!"
He gave her a confused look, wondering why him being older mattered. Were Kivotos' other teachers not adults yet?
Then he reminded himself that the ruling body of this city was composed of angel-themed high schoolers. With guns. The normal rules of logic didn't really apply here.
"You've been out for almost eighteen hours," Serina continued, putting the bottle away once he'd drunk his fill. "I pulled an all-nighter ensuring you were properly taken care of. Not that I minded, of course!" she assured him. "Enduring long shifts is part of a Remedial Knight's training. I made sure to watch over you, feed you… clean you…"
Well that was very sweet of her to-
Pause. Rewind. What was that last thing?
Serina's smile grew wider. "I really like your tattoos…!"
"Um. Thank you?"
The way she said that was… kind of unsettling. He'd been wondering who stripped him down to his underwear and why he didn't smell BO. Now that he had the answer, he almost wished he didn't.
Jasper broke eye contact and looked around the room, searching for a way to change the subject to something less awkward.
The cream-colored bedroom was fairly spacious. Two wooden nightstands flanked the bed on either side. Floor-to-ceiling windows stretched across the left wall, and while dark curtains blocked his view of the outside world, the rays of sunlight seeping through the cracks at least told him it was daytime. To the right was a dresser, a lamp, an empty walk-in closet, and a plush chair where Serina left her weapon: a pink abomination of a bullpup with a comically oversized syringe in place of a bayonet.
"Where am I?" he asked her.
The young nurse opened her mouth, but was cut off when the bedroom door suddenly opened.
"You're in Schale's residential hall," supplied the prudish form of Rin as she approached his bedside. She fixed her glasses, staring down at Jasper. "It appears I chose a fortunate time to check in on you and Miss Sumi. I'm pleased to see you awake, Finch-sensei. How are you feeling?"
"Mmm…" He shifted under the covers. "Still a bit sore, but… I can move."
Rin looked at Serina. The smaller girl got the message and offered her own medical input.
"He's cognizant enough, and his physical injuries are minimal, so I'd say he's cleared for light duty." She clapped her hands together, smiling brightly. "Just don't put him through any strenuous activities, make sure he eats properly, and in a couple of days he'll be right as rain!"
"Excellent. Let's get straight to business, then." Rin turned her attention back to Jasper as Serina worked to remove the IV needle. "Through the door to your right is a bathroom with a change of clothes. Shower, get dressed, then meet me afterward. I'll be in the living room."
Jasper yawned and snuggled deeper into his blanket. "Meh. Don't wanna."
"That wasn't a request, Sensei."
"But I'm comfy."
"Sensei."
"Ugh, fine…"
He was halfway out of bed when he suddenly froze, noticing Serina eyeing him up like a juicy steak, her pale face flushing with color. Rin followed his gaze and sighed. "We should give him some privacy."
"Wha…?" The pink-haired girl snapped back to reality. "Oh! Um, yes, of course! C-Call me if you need anything!"
Rin kept talking as she ushered them out of the room. "You're free to return to Trinity for today, Miss Sumi. Regarding your make-up work, I'll talk to the Tea Party and see if we can come to an arrangement…"
He locked the bathroom door. Just in case.
It was amazing what wonders a long, hot shower did for the body and soul. The tension, the worry, the stress – all the negative feelings were washed away, along with the dried sweat on his balls. At least Serina had enough self-control not to touch his junk while tending to his hygiene. Or she was barred from doing so. Probably best not to dwell on it.
The warm water was heavenly against his skin, and for what felt like the first time since he came to Kivotos, Jasper Finch emptied his mind and just let himself relax.
He stepped out of the shower squeaky clean and in a much better mood. He spied the new pair of clothes Rin mentioned draped over a towel rack, snorting in light amusement at the tags still attached to them. She'd probably bought them as an afterthought on her way to Schale.
The outfit was nothing to write home about: plain white T-shirt, tan sweatpants with white stripes on the sides. And that was it. Jasper also noticed the dingy white slip-on shoes placed under the rack; the sole remainder of his prison getup.
Really? Vice President of the General Student Council and she couldn't fucking afford a pair of sneakers? That was some bullshit.
He took a few minutes to style his hair into his signature undercut once he'd gotten dressed. Mark often snubbed him for it, claiming that it only added to his delinquent image, but there was never any heat in his brother's complaints. Plus, Jasper thought it made him look schmexy.
He knew a handful of ladies back home who would readily agree.
"You've still got it, J-Dog," he mumbled as he combed his hair. His reflection in the bathroom mirror grinned back at him. "Look at you. You're a fucking beast. Took out a maniac and a tank and looked good doing it. Hell yeah."
A little self-confidence boost never hurts. The part of yesterday's events where he broke down crying? Didn't happen.
Spirits raised, Jasper soon exited the bathroom, then swung open the bedroom door-
"Whoagoddammit!"
-where he tripped on a small step not five feet ahead, barely catching his fall before he faceplanted yet again. Stinging pain lanced through his still-healing hand up one of his outstretched arms.
"I should've warned you about that. My apologies."
While he couldn't actually see Rin, she didn't sound all that sorry. Jasper heard a coffee maker buzzing slowly in the background.
When he got up and took a look around, he couldn't help opening his mouth slightly in sheer awe.
The bespectacled Vice President was standing behind the counter of a tiny kitchenette nestled in the corner of the most luxurious apartment he'd ever seen. A tall bookshelf stretching ten feet long separated the main living area from the inclined hallway leading to the bedroom. The living room itself was fully furnished: a glass coffee table, surrounded by two chairs and an L-shaped couch, overlooked a 60" flat screen TV with a modern stereo system.
Two bar stools lined the marble counter, and a small dining table sat between the couch and kitchenette, a zebra-patterned rug beneath it and four bowl-shaped lights hanging above. Several abstract paintings livened up the light gray walls.
Jasper's mouth went slack as Rin approached him, high heels clacking on the hardwood floor. She placed a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Fit for a king, wouldn't you say?" She sighed, nursing her own mug. "The President had a knack for making her guests feel welcomed."
"I'll definitely say. This place is kickass!" Jasper took a sip, holding back a grimace. He hated coffee. As long as it helped him stay energized though, he'd put up with the taste. "Is it yours?"
Rin's lips curled into a rare smile. "As of now, it belongs to no one. I have high hopes that'll be rectified soon." She wandered to the couch and sat down, patting an empty spot next to her. "Come. Sit with me."
He joined her, and they sat together in comfortable silence, content to sip their drinks.
Well, mostly content. Jasper's gaze flickered to the halo above Rin's head. He reached over to touch it, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Knock it off," his dark-haired associate flatly reprimanded as his hand phased through the thin blue ring. "They're intangible. Various day-to-day activities would be a nightmare otherwise."
"Like putting on a dinosaur costume?"
"What idiot does that on a daily basis?" She sighed again at his trollish smirk, going back to her coffee.
Jasper turned his attention to the windows on either side of the TV. Craters and blasted remnants of vehicles still littered the street, though unlike yesterday, there were people out and about. Not gang members, either – road crews tearing up the asphalt, electricians fixing damaged power lines, and other everyday folk just doing their jobs.
He watched their tiny forms move to and fro from his shelter above. A lot of them seemed to be wearing pink, he noted.
"I truly am sorry for putting you in harm's way, Finch-sensei." Rin apologized suddenly. "However, the GSC's manpower and resources are stretched to breaking. There was no other option than to make do with what little I had."
She set her mug down, folding her hands on her lap. "All that mattered was getting the Sanctum Tower back in our control… I hope you can forgive my actions."
Jesper was ready to tell her where she could shove her apologies until he recalled what Suzumi said yesterday – how the anarchy would've spread unchecked without the Schale tower and the Shittim Chest within its basement.
Where was the tablet and its pipsqueak custodian, anyway?
Jasper finished his coffee and chose his words carefully. "I don't know about forgiveness, but… I mean, you bailed me out of jail the other day, even when you had plenty of reasons not to, and I got your tower back. I guess that makes us even, at least."
"Fair enough." Rin said diplomatically.
A new thought came to him. "And the other teachers out there? What were they up to while I was busy busting my ass?" he inquired.
It just now occurred to Jasper that throughout his (admittedly brief) time in Kivotos, he still hadn't heard anything from anyone about his fellow teachers. Senseis. Whatever. In any case, he found it pretty damn odd.
He half expected Rin to drop a bombshell and reveal that all his peers were dead; killed off in suicide missions similar to the one he just went through.
"There are no other teachers in Kivotos, Finch-sensei."
She somehow missed him freezing up in sheer horror as she continued, "You're the first we've had in…" Her hand went under her chin, stroking it while she contemplated. "Actually, I'm not sure how long it's been."
"But you said… thousands of academies…" Jasper's fragmented sentence trailed off. His grip on his coffee cup tightened, a thin bead of sweat running down his forehead. He tried to breathe. Tried to replicate the exercises that one brunette girl taught him. What was her name? He was too drunk on panic to remember.
Rin's stoic exterior melted somewhat, showing concern. "Finch-sensei? What's the matter?"
"What's the matter? I'll tell you what the goddamn matter is!" Jasper slammed the empty mug down and stood up. "You're insane if you think one person can handle that many schools! Hell, I'm not even a real teacher! You know that!"
She started, "Education in Kivotos is-"
"I'm not done yet!" he shouted over her. "I did everything you wanted me to, Rin. I put my life on the line to get that stupid tower back in your hands! And now you're asking me to teach an entire city's worth of students?!"
Jasper paced back and forth like a caged animal, clenching his fists. "No way. No goddamn way! That's– It's fucking ridiculous!"
He suddenly stopped near the TV. "You can send me back home, right?"
Rin tried again. "Finch-sensei, I-"
"You're the stand-in for the President, right? That means you should have all her powers!"
"It's not that easy…"
"I did what you asked! Now SEND ME HOME!"
The dark-haired girl closed her eyes and shook her head sadly. "I can't, Finch-sensei."
"You can't, or you won't?!"
"I can't," she repeated, more forcefully this time. She let out a tired sigh. "I still don't understand how the President brought you here in the first place. I'm just as much in the dark as you are."
Her mug joined his on the table. "If I knew how to send you back, I would gladly do so. Believe me."
Implying she'd then kidnap someone else to teach math to hyper-lethal adolescents. Better them than him, Jasper figured.
He was still deflated by the news. He realized, in a twist of irony, that he'd essentially traded one prison for another. Until he found his missing parole officer, he'd be serving a life sentence in Kivotos.
"You're still crazy for expecting me to teach all these students," he muttered.
"Technically speaking, you won't have to." Rin said evenly. "As I was trying to say before, education in Kivotos is primarily done online. Just because you're a teacher doesn't mean you'll be responsible for making every student's lesson plans." The GSC's Vice President rose to her feet and walked over to the window, silently observing the hustle and bustle down below. "Most academy districts remain in good shape, thankfully. A majority of the outliers happen to be more influential ones."
So if the General Student Council mostly had things under control again, and the schools themselves had no need for teachers… then why was he still here? What else did the pale-haired whackjob currently playing hooky need from him? Jasper was pretty confident Rin wouldn't put up a huge fight if he suddenly decided to quit.
"You're still asking for a lot," he sighed.
Rin's blue eyes met his. She seemed thoughtful. "Perhaps we can reach a deal. You said the General Student Council President brought you to Kivotos, correct?"
"She did, yeah."
"So it stands to reason she can return you home. At the same time, the GSC is too backlogged with aid requests to conduct a proper search into her disappearance. Our goals are aligned, Finch-sensei."
Jasper arched his brow. "...I'm listening."
"My proposition is simple: help us help you." She crossed her arms behind her back, turning to face him fully. "Make yourself available to students in need, and do everything in your power to keep the status quo going. That, in turn, should free up enough GSC resources to conduct a more thorough investigation. What do you say?"
Helping students in need…
His mind flashed to the one-on-one with Wakamo the other day. He hadn't had much time to think about it then, but that encounter finally made him realize why the GSC's president selected him for this whole teaching gig.
Jasper was painfully aware of his shortcomings. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He had no clue how to grade papers. He wasn't a professional gunslinger or hard-bitten action hero; he was a frightened civilian who couldn't fight his way out of a bar brawl. The list went on.
But if there was one positive trait he had in spades, it was empathy. Jasper used to be a dumb high school kid who did idiotic things. He'd been there, same as Kivotos' student body. He knew what it was like to languish under a flawed system. He'd been there too.
"You need to get your shit together, Finch."
"You need to learn to stand on your own two feet."
These past two weeks convinced Jasper that things would never improve for him unless he pulled himself together and started acting responsibly. Helping teenagers with their life problems would be a good way to do that, right? Teachers had to be responsible for their students.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized this was exactly the type of lifestyle change Mark had pushed him towards.
There was one sticky wicket stopping him from accepting, however: the fact that the average Kivotos student carried an assault rifle in addition to a book bag. If he flunked a kid on a quiz, and they got upset over it, there wasn't much he could do to avoid getting shot.
"Am I gonna die?" he blurted out.
"Only if you're not careful," was Rin's neutral reply.
Welp. She wasn't totally nihilistic about his chances, so that was good.
"Can I keep the apartment?" he asked next.
"If you accept the request, then yes," she confirmed with a nod. "Furnishings and all."
Jasper nodded back, still thinking the offer over. There was one more thing to consider. "Last question. What if I told you and your government to go fuck yourselves?"
"I'd call the KSPD and have you arrested for trespassing on government property. Whatever happens to you from then on would be none of my concern."
Damn, she really wasn't pulling any punches. Jasper returned to the couch and sat down, folding his hands under his chin as he weighed his options. Although it irked him to admit it, he couldn't think of a better alternative, and he didn't think Rin had an easier way either.
He sighed deeply. "I know I'm gonna fucking regret this, but… okay, fine. I'll help keep the city from falling apart or whatever. Last thing either of us need is more Wakamos running around." He looked at Rin and tacked on, "Just don't expect any miracles."
The GSC's Vice President seemed pleased by his answer. She nodded once and said, "All I ask is that you try your hardest. This is excellent to hear, Finch-sensei."
"Yeah, well, sitting around moping ain't gonna get me home any quicker." Jasper stood, collected the empty mugs and brought them to the sink. "And who knows? Maybe I'll end up being the best damn teacher Kivotos ever had!"
"You're the only teacher in Kivotos, yet I still somehow doubt that."
"Wow, okay, there was like, literally zero reason to be that harsh. I was only joking before, but now I'm actually motivated to be the best, just to prove you wrong."
Rin's smug expression made him wonder if he'd fallen into a trap. "I'm eager to see you deliver. Since we're all nice and caffeinated now, could you follow me? I'd like to properly introduce you to the Federal Investigation Club: Schale."
The duo exited the apartment into a clean white hallway lined with massive windows and a plethora of numbered doors. Rin explained that the current floor was set up similar to a boarding school dormitory, and how the doors led to spare bedrooms where visiting students could spend the night.
She didn't seem to grasp the issue when he pointed out how creepy it was for students to stay overnight in their teacher's home. But then he remembered: no other teachers. He had a feeling he'd never fully understand how this city worked.
They took the elevator to the ground floor, and Jasper looked around at some of Schale's facilities as they walked to the lobby. He glimpsed a cafeteria, a lounge area, and a small library, but what caught his eye the most was a gym. Although he only got a brief look inside, it definitely wasn't skimping on weights and exercise equipment.
He made a mental note to find a personal trainer in his spare time. He'd spent half his waking hours in Kivotos running from danger; if he wanted to keep on living, getting back into shape had to be a priority.
His mind drifted back to his time at Hixenbaugh Penitentiary, then yesterday.
"Yo, Rin." When she hummed to acknowledge him, Jasper asked her, "Where's my old jumpsuit? I didn't see it in the apartment."
She didn't even glance back. "It's been disposed of. It wouldn't sit well with the student body to learn their new sensei was once incarcerated, would it?"
After the prior incidents with the kiddy cops and the girls from the Sanctum Tower's lobby?
"Probably not," he reluctantly agreed.
They passed through the building's boring-ass main lobby and down another hallway where they soon reached a second elevator. They stepped inside, Rin sealing the doors shut with a button press, and he was again trapped in a tiny metal box with an armed and dangerous elf woman.
"Continuing on the subject of your background…" Said armed and dangerous elf woman spoke up. "While I can't dictate what you say or do around your students, I strongly advise against dumping your life's story to everyone you meet."
"Why? Paranoid they'll follow in my footsteps or something?" Jasper scoffed and rolled his eyes. Her blunt response caught him by surprise, however.
"Precisely. If the student body discovers their teacher has a criminal history, they might be less inclined to listen to you." She cast a sideways glance in his direction. "It would also be a major embarrassment to the General Student Council, myself especially, if word got out that our new peacekeeper is a fraud."
The elevator lurched to a halt, and the doors separated with a cheery ding!
Rin kept talking as he followed her down another whitewashed corridor. "I'm not saying you should keep an emotional distance – quite the opposite, actually. Just be careful what you tell them, and don't bring up how you got to Kivotos. We need you to appear capable. Understood?"
"Fake it till I make it. Gotcha."
His companion sighed but said nothing else until they stopped next to a sliding glass door. 'MAIN OFFICE' was printed on a small plaque beside it.
"This is where you'll be doing the bulk of your work, Finch-sensei. It's been empty for a long time, but it finally has an owner now." Rin slid the door open and stepped inside with Jasper in tow.
Empty? A long time? The office looked plenty lived-in already in his opinion. Two desks were mashed together in the center space; on top were four high-tech monitors and one of those bendy lamp things from old Pixar films. He spied the Shittim Chest placed beside the leftmost monitor, although it appeared to be inert.
Left of the desks were three white filing cabinets-slash-display cases, and next to those were metal shelves packed with cardboard boxes overflowing with documents. The back of the office contained a display board, more cabinets, and what he guessed was an empty gun rack. A plush couch and a coffee maker rounded out the room's right side.
And finally, most likely for the sake of keeping the office space from looking too normal, the Schale building's architect decided to put a small catwalk right above the desks.
Jasper wasn't a violent person, but he resolved to punch the psycho if they met face-to-face. He couldn't even see a way to reach the catwalk.
He overheard Rin say something about a club room as he walked between the desk and shelves to the window. The view outside left him awestruck. Downtown Kivotos and its Sanctum Tower were easy to pick out despite their long distance from Schale, and further beyond, he saw the faint outlines of skyscrapers in neighboring districts.
A suspension bridge spanned a vast river cutting the district into two separate land masses; rising from the water's depths around the bridge were several white turbines. A blimp with a halo (and no, he wasn't making that up) hung lazily in the sky above; it seemed to be broadcasting a news report from a side-mounted screen, though it was too far away to read the specific details.
"Wow…" Jasper breathed.
Rin came over to join him, admiring the scenery with unconcealed pride. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked rhetorically.
"It is. Cool city, bro." He turned from the window to look at her. "So, like… what do I do now?"
She gave a light shrug. "Schale may have authority, but it has no particular goals at the moment. But even though you don't have a specific job to do…"
Leaving her sentence hanging, she took a lanyard from her coat pocket and handed it to him. He analyzed the image of his face on the plastic ID card – there was some photoshopping done, but he recognized the mugshot from his brief stint in Kivotos' jail. The card also included his name, affiliation to Schale, his blood type… Wait a moment.
"I ordered Miss Sumi to collect a blood sample while you were unconscious," Rin answered his unspoken question.
"What?! I never consented to that!"
She ignored him. "As I was saying: Even though you don't have a specific job to do, that ID will let you freely enter any of the academy districts in Kivotos. From there, you can register any of the students you find as club members, among other things."
"And that's important because…?" Jasper probed.
"Honestly, I don't know why the president gave you that ability," Rin admitted, shrugging again. "I'd take it as a case of 'better to have it and not need it' and leave it at that."
She turned back to the window. "Fascinating though, isn't it? It may be called an investigation club, but she never specified what it would be investigating or what its purpose is."
Her eyes closed. "In that sense… you have quite a lot of freedom, don't you?"
Whether that was a dig at him personally, Jasper didn't know. She was right, though – he had his freedom back, and this time, he was determined to make the most of it. He had the freedom to go anywhere and do anything he wanted. He had the freedom to bypass political games and run this show his own way.
But most importantly, he had the freedom to tackle future conflicts however he liked.
Jasper would never forget the near-death experiences he'd endured the day before. The panic, the confusion, the terror and the gunfire – it terrified him like nothing before ever had. And even though he desperately wanted to never go through that hell again, intuition told him there would be more unavoidable fights on the road ahead. A lot more.
Kivotos wasn't a formal warzone, however, so the rules of warfare – from his world, anyway – didn't apply. Jasper was more than willing to utilize every dirty trick in the book if it meant surviving; nothing was off the table.
He needed to survive, no matter what.
Rin interrupted his internal musing. "As much as I wish I could ask the president for further details, the fact of the matter is she remains missing. The flood of civil complaints isn't making matters easier." She paced around the office and began listing some off: "Requests for support materials, environmental aid, make-up work for failing students, requests to save clubs, and so on…"
"I already agreed to help out with that stuff," Jasper reminded her. He moved away from the window to lean against his frankendesk. "I wanna get started ASAP, too, especially since I haven't done jack shit these past few years. If you've got a specific idea in that big brain of yours, lay it on me."
Rin's response was to smile and gesture with a side nod to the boxes upon boxes of paperwork.
"We'll be counting on you," she said teasingly.
…You know what, I'm okay with this. Better to be safe in here working as a pencil-pusher than outside with the crazies.
The dark-haired Vice President took the time he spent thinking to exit the office, though she paused by the doorway to look at him. "And best of luck with your new position, Sensei. Let me know if you need anything."
She was gone before he could ask how they'd keep in touch. Or how to do paperwork. He glanced at the overstuffed shelves.
…He'd deal with it later. There was something he needed to take care of first.
Jasper put the lanyard loop around his neck before grabbing the Shittim Chest. "Arona? You can come out now," he said to the blank screen.
The tablet booted up on its own, and when it finished loading, the first thing he saw was Arona's ecstatic grin.
"Finch-sensei! You're alive!" the little AI cheered.
"It'd be fucking stupid if I died of fatigue in a city where you can buy a grenade launcher as easily as a bag of chips," he pointed out.
She nodded happily. "I'll say! Your vital signs are all green, too! Which is actually kind of impressive; your head made a big wham sound when it hit the floor. I'm glad there's no brain damage!"
"Heh. My brother always said I had a thick skull."
He noticed something unusual about Arona's halo. In her bout of excitement, it suddenly morphed from a simple blue circle to an orangey-pink heart surrounded by smaller hearts. Was that unique to her? He didn't recall seeing anyone else's halo changing shape, ally or enemy, and while he vaguely remembered her doing it yesterday as well, he'd been too preoccupied to really think about it at the time.
"That thing you do with your halo. How's that work?" he asked.
"Hm? Oh!" Arona blinked a few times, her smile fading for a moment, though it came back as quickly as it left. "It changes based on my emotions! Pretty cool, huh? In this case, it's a heart because I'm happy to see you!"
Her positivity was infectious enough that he couldn't help smiling back. "Glad to see you too, squirt."
He set her down in a spot where she could overlook most of the office, and they made small talk for the next few minutes as Jasper combed through his new workplace like a thief in the night. Arona saw the Leaning Tower of Paperwork, and while they both shared concerns about Rin becoming a slave driver, she was still overjoyed to learn he'd keep working as Schale's sensei.
Jasper didn't find much of interest until he opened the top desk drawer. Inside were a pair of credit cards; one normal, the other a solid gold color. Sweet.
Arona saw him pick them up. She peered closer, gasping when she got a better look. "Sensei! That gold card, it's… it's an Adult Card!"
Things were so close to making sense again, too. He raised an eyebrow. "Adult Card? What's that? Is it like a VIP pass to every gentlemen's club in the city?"
His digital assistant's halo reflected her shock, morphing into a glitchy mass of blue particles.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" she shrieked.
Jasper wagged a finger at her. "Indoor voice, young lady," he scolded. "Alright, so if I can't use it to buy strippers, what makes it special?"
"The Adult Card is… um…" Arona visibly struggled to think of an answer. She stared at her feet, biting her lip, before sighing and raising her head to meet his eyes.
"The Adult Card is… power," she began slowly. "But the cost for that power is tremendous. The President must've left it for you in case of an emergency, though if you ask me, that still wouldn't justify using it."
Okay, that made– Oh who was he kidding? He didn't understand a fucking thing she said.
She shrank into herself when he bluntly told her how ridiculous that sounded. "Sorry, Sensei… I really don't know how to explain the Adult Card. Just promise to never, ever use it, okay?"
He closely inspected the card. It looked like an ordinary piece of plastic instead of a tactical nuclear weapon or whatever Arona seemed to think it was. He'd been acquainted with the AI for a grand total of about fifteen minutes, but she didn't strike him as a liar or prankster – he would know, being a bit of a scoundrel himself.
He decided to trust her on this.
"Don't use the gold card. Got it." Jasper slipped both cards in his pocket. He followed up with, "What about the other one? Will it explode if I try to buy groceries?"
Arona giggled. "Nah, that just looks like a normal credit card. Oh!" She suddenly perked up. "We should access Schale's bank account and check your finances! A job this big probably comes with a huge sign-on bonus, wouldn't you think?"
He put on a big grin as he retrieved the Shittim Chest. "I like the way you think, squirt!"
"My name's not 'squirt'!" she huffed. Still pouting at the nickname, the AI swept her arm to the side, bringing up a toolbar full of unfamiliar icons. She worked quickly, faster than Jasper's tiny organic chimp brain could keep up with, and soon they were looking at his savings account.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Jasper broke the silence first, eyes still glued to the screen. "...That's a lot of zeros."
"It's more yen than most people make in a month," Arona added in agreement.
Yen? Yen… Yen! That was a Japanese currency. He learned that from a Jay-Z song.
He also assumed that Arona misspoke, because there was more money in there than most Americans made in a year. Two years! Half a lifetime!
"Hold down the fort, Arona! Sensei's going shopping!" Jasper announced. He haphazardly threw the tablet on his desk and waltzed over to the sliding door with a peppy spring in his step.
He heard the AI squawk, "Wait, what?! How long will you be out? What are you even going to buy?!"
"A new outfit, duh," he replied, pausing with his hand on the door handle to glance back at her. "Rin said I need to look capable. When's the last time you saw a teacher wearing a T-shirt and sweatpants on the clock, hmm? Gotta dress for success."
"But what about your job?"
"What about it?" Jasper retorted dismissively as he slid the door open. "Being a teacher's more than just paperwork, squirt. Hell, I'll probably be running around fucktons of different academies in the near future, and I live here too now, so I gotta- Hold up a moment."
He stopped with one foot out the exit. Something like dread crept through his veins, freezing him still.
"Finch-sensei? What's wrong?" Arona sounded worried.
Besides the fact he'd carelessly almost left Schale to wander around a city with worse gun regulation than Texas?
He looked over at the Shittim Chest again. It took another few seconds to get his mouth working. "Arona, how likely am I to get attacked by some random yahoo if I step outside?"
"Eh?
"C'mon, spit it out."
He didn't like how long it took for her to answer. "Um, well… Kivotos was never a crime-free city, and the GSC only got the Sanctum Tower's access codes back yesterday…" She hesitated again, though she didn't need to say anything else. Jasper got the message.
"Okay, any tips on spending a day in town without staring down a mugger's gun barrel? 'Cause I ain't about that hermit lifestyle." He walked back to his desk and picked up the tablet housing his digital assistant. Arona hummed thoughtfully, brainstorming ideas, until her expression lit up in a eureka moment.
"You could hire a bodyguard!"
A bodyguard? Not a bad idea, but… "How would I do that?"
"I dunno." She shrugged. "Send out a request on MomoTalk, maybe?"
Momo-what…?
He must've been wearing his confused face again, because Arona clarified, "MomoTalk is Kivotos' most popular messenger app! Let's go there and I'll show you how it works!"
With a flourish of her parasol she swept away the active tab, then tapped the MomoTalk icon to open it. She grew agitated when he commented on the app's logo, insisting it was an upside-down peach, though Jasper didn't see it; in his opinion it resembled a pair of butt cheeks with feet.
Setting up an account wasn't hard. After agreeing to the terms of service no one ever read, he made a username and a barebones bio (Sensei of Schale. New in town. Show me a good time?), then took a selfie with the Shittim Chest's camera function when asked to select a photo.
Not to brag or anything, but he looked good in that profile picture. His hair, still damp from the shower, glistened in the afternoon sunlight while his smile conveyed an aura of charm and mystery. The Sanctum Tower also made an excellent background set piece.
The photo had just finished uploading when the tablet chimed, notifying the duo that he'd received a message. Arona did Jasper a favor and immediately identified the sender. "You got a new DM from Hayase Yuuka, Finch-sensei! That was quick," she remarked.
Setting aside how the purple-haired student somehow found his account when it didn't even exist a few moments ago, was Arona familiar with her?
He felt compelled to ask. "You know Yuuka?"
"C'mon Sensei, you think I did nothing while you were in recovery?" she teased lightly. "I learned alllll about what happened yesterday from the online news. I don't know Yuuka personally, but I know she was with you during the operation."
She linked her hands behind her back, smiled, and chirped, "You should see what she wants. It's impolite to keep a girl waiting after all!"
He shrugged in response and tapped the message request.
Yuuka: Finch-sensei? It's Yuuka. Is that really you?
Senseitional: The one and only babyyyyyy
Senseitional: Also wtf I made this like two minutes ago how did you find it already
Yuuka: Yep, definitely you.
Yuuka: You just popped up on my recommended list and I was curious.
Yuuka: How have you been? Are you doing okay? We never said goodbye to one another yesterday…
Senseitional: I'm ballin like a mf
Yuuka: That's good. I think.
Yuuka: Moving on, there's something important we need to discuss. Schale still hasn't been reimbursed for the mission to reclaim the club room. When will the invoice be sent out?
Senseitional: Girl what are you on about idk what any of that shit means
Yuuka: …
Yuuka: In retrospect, I should've seen that coming.
Senseitional: Seen what coming
Yuuka: Nothing. Forget about it. Tell you what, I'll come visit Schale later this week. It's beyond obvious that you need a hand adjusting to office life.
Yuuka: I'll also bring a copy of the standardized form we use at Millennium to make invoices. Sound good?
Senseitional: I have no idea what I'm doing lol so yeah I guess so
Yuuka: Okay, great! I look forward to working with you again, Sensei. It'll be refreshing trading sandbags for a desk and guns for pens. Have a good day.
Senseitional: Aight you too take care
She was offering to be his secretary? Sweetness. Jasper had no friggin' idea what any of those big-brain terms meant, so having someone knowledgeable about paperwork around to help explain was a gift he couldn't refuse.
…Shit, he'd forgotten to ask if she could accompany him today.
Closer thought, however, made him figure Yuuka wouldn't have been his top pick anyway. She was a decent gunfighter and soaked up damage like a human ShamWow, but her skill as a bodyguard was… somewhat lacking, as yesterday proved. She was probably also busy doing treasurer stuff.
He remembered the other students he'd fought alongside and decided to recruit one of them instead. Chinatsu was an automatic no, unfortunately. Hasumi?
Ha. Haha.
No.
That left Suzumi. Diligent, laser-focused, and only slightly less scary than Rin, she was the sole member of the strike team who never fought recklessly. If Jasper had to rely on one person to have his back in a fight, it would be her.
"You said you know the students who were on that mission, right? Find Suzumi," he ordered Arona.
"Right away, Sensei!" the AI happily replied.
A couple swipes here, a little techno-magic there, and a moment later he was texting the white-haired girl from Trinity.
Senseitional: Yo Suzumi its your teacher
Suzumi: Finch-sensei?
Suzumi: Your username omg
Senseitional: Yeah its pretty fire isn't it
Senseitional: So listen I need a favor
Suzumi: What's up?
Senseitional: I'm looking for a bodyguard and I was wondering if your free rn
Suzumi: Please don't tell me you got in trouble with the wrong crowd. Or the police.
Senseitional: Nah I just have some stuff to do around the city and I don't wanna get mugged
Suzumi: I see. In that case, I'd be glad to escort you wherever you need to go! Are you at Schale?
Senseitional: Yeah
Suzumi: Give me 45 minutes. I'll text you when I'm out front.
Senseitional: U da man Suzumi
Senseitional: Woman
Senseitional: Srry
She didn't respond, so he closed the app and turned his attention to Arona. "Okay, problem solved. Next up's the shopping list." He grabbed a pen and some sticky notes. "Got any ideas?"
She did, as a matter of fact, and he pretended to write down every one related to food or sweets – in other words, all of them.
The former inmate-turned-teacher and his virtual helper killed the next half hour compiling a list of things to get that the Schale building didn't have already. Just as they were finishing it, he got a notification that Suzumi was waiting outside.
"Are you sure you don't want to take me with you?" Arona asked as he leaned the Shittim Chest against a monitor facing the door.
"Relax," Jasper tried to soothe her worries. "Suzumi's, like, the Brock Samson of Kivotos. I'll be fine as long as I stick with her. Catch you later, squirt!"
"I still hate that nickname!" she yelled at his back.
Which was precisely why he kept doing it, he thought with a grin.
Jasper found himself feeling invigorated as he left the office and moved towards the elevator. He'd had a rough start, but now that he finally had his footing, he was ready to answer the call to adventure.
I lied. This'll be a two-parter. I don't know how this keeps happening; I envision a short scene or two in my head, but then I actually write them and they somehow manage to span 20 pages. I dunno, maybe I just enjoy worldbuilding?
Next chapter will be my take on how relationship stories will work in this fic. The goal is to make them feel like a part of the main story rather than side material that's shoehorned in. Not only would it disrupt the overall flow, I also feel it would be kinda lazy.
Furthermore, don't expect some of them to play out exactly like they do in canon. A few (especially Hina's) will even be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up.
Let me know what students you want Finch-sensei to chill with and what sorts of shenanigans they'd get up to. I have a page in my notes full of ideas for Jasper's tomfoolery, and I'm eager to add to it.