I stopped as I reached my destination: Schale's indoor shooting range.

It came as a pleasant surprise that the request for supplemental instruction also requested that the location be the shooting range. Perhaps there was something that I could teach after all.

I opened the door and was immediately greeted by the hapless duo from yesterday.

"Sensei! Thank you for accepting my request on such short notice!" Kirino diligently saluted, standing at attention. She was, remarkably, free of injuries.

Her compatriot, meanwhile, stood slouched and carried a colorful box under one of her arms. The box was labeled with "Master Donuts", presumably a store brand.

"Yoooo, Sensei. Glad you could make it. I was wondering how long I was gonna have to listen to Ms. Good Cop over here bellyache about yesterday," Fubuki remarked in her usual lackadaisical tone.

"Grrr… How could I not? I got taken out so easily. By the time I recovered, the fighting was over!" Kirino shot back.

"Just be grateful you had a Remedial Knight there to treat you. Otherwise, you'd be in a hospital right now."

I cleared my throat and entered the conversation. "On that note, good to see you're up and about, Kirino."

"Thank you, Sensei! I just wish that I was of more help…"

"But you were helpful."

As a diversion, but that would be rude to say.

She shook her head insistently. "Not just that, but before you arrived too. I was helpless to do anything to even dent their numbers…"

"Not surprising, they had you outnumbered thirty-to-two," I reasoned. Fubuki took out a donut and munched on it as she watched us, enjoying the spectacle.

"Not an excuse! Students of Valkyrie should aspire to a higher degree of excellence than is expected of them," Kirino stated. Fubuki rolled her eyes.

I crossed my arms. What a stubborn girl. Her heart was in the right place, but being realistic was just as important a virtue. "So what do you propose?"

Kirino paused for a moment, then took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for something difficult. "…Please teach me how to shoot like you!" she implored as she bowed respectfully.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow.

Kirino sniffled, her expression one of embarrassment. "The truth is… My marks on our biweekly marksmanship exams have always been abysmal. At first, I suspected that it was just my gun. Maybe the sights are aligned wrong, but now I'm not so sure."

"I see. Bad marksmanship would be especially debilitating for a police officer." I nodded.

"I've always dreamed of being able to transfer to the Security Bureau, but at this rate I'll never make it. But I've seen you in action on Kivotube, so I thought that maybe if I confided in you…" Kirino trailed off hopefully.

"Say no more. I'll help you."

"Really? So I'll be able to dispatch scores of villains without breaking a sweat, like you?!" Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Maybe, but don't expect improvement in one day. You should probably come back to Schale in the future to practice if you still need help."

"Yes, Shishou!"

"Don't call me that," I said, wrinkling my nose at the new title. Sensei was weird enough. "Though there was only one request for supplementary instruction." I turned to the donut-loving student. "Why are you here, Fubuki?"

The blue haired girl finished off her donut then spoke. "Ah, I'm here as part of my patrol. After all, the Schale building was a warzone not too long ago. What kind of friend and comrade would I be if I didn't come along to watch Kirino's back?"

Kirino and I gave her a flat look. "In other words, you're here to skip work," I said.

"Patrol," Fubuki corrected. "There is a fine line of a difference."

I gave her one last look before I shook my head, sighing. "Alright, Kirino. Firing lane number one. Show me what you got."

"Yes, Sensei!"

Kirino took up position at her designated lane, brandishing her weapon at a paper target depicting a humanoid outline twenty-five feet away. I put a hand to my chin as I observed her from a safe distance to her side.

Good posture, correct stance. Her police pistol was in excellent condition and painstakingly maintained. I doubted that the issue was with the firearm.

Kirino unloaded all five rounds at the paper target, and my eyes never left her form. She had excellent recoil control and grip, and she was obviously used to the weapon. She seemed to be in the correct mindset as well, a variable that oft tended to be overlooked. Satisfied with what I'd seen thus far, I looked to the paper dummy to see how well she performed.

To my utter bafflement, none of her shots hit their mark.

"Ugh…this is usually how it goes…" Kirino lamented with tears in her eyes.

Usually? It had to be a fluke. Kirino not only had the look of someone who was trained, but also someone that stuck to their training.

"Again," I ordered.

Kirino reloaded and began firing again. This time, I watched closely as her bullets whiffed the target.

"Again."

Kirino whimpered, now on the verge of tears. Once more, reloaded, aimed, then emptied the revolver at the paper target, the result still being a pristine paper target.

This made absolutely no sense. Her weapon's trajectory was on point, and her line of sight matched as well. She should have at least hit the target's periphery.

Just what was going on here?

"Lend me that for a second," I said, holding out my hand. Kirino tentatively handed me the weapon and stepped out of the firing

I inspected the weapon closer. No obvious defects, the sights seemed to be calibrated correctly. For some reason, holding the student's weapon gave me a sense of unease, but I suppressed it. Time to test it out.

I reloaded the weapon and stepped into the booth, aiming down the sights and expending all five rounds at the paper target – the last two shots using V.A.T.S. The first four were headshots, while the last round hit the shoulder.

"Tch." Damned five percent chance to miss. Can't be lucky all the time.

Regardless, my present company seemed impressed. Kirino clapped animatedly while Fubuki whistled. I handed Kirino's weapon back to her.

"Not a gun issue. Sights are good and you take very good care of it. Your form is fine, so training is not the issue either."

"Thank you, but…what do I do now?" Kirino bit her lip, looking down.

"I wanna test something else. Humor me, okay?"

"Um…okay?" the student said, wondering where I was going with this.

I stepped to the side of the shooting booths and opened the gate that led into the lanes. I walked over to Kirino's paper target and stood adjacent to it.

"Shoot me."

Kirino looked mortified at the mere concept on drawing her weapon on a teacher, and a halo-less one at that. "Eh? Sensei?! There's no way I could-"

"The armor's not for show, Kirino. Do it," I ordered firmly.

Tears filled Kirino's eyes as she shakily brandished her police pistol. I felt the slightest bit nervous being down the barrel of a gun again, but given Kirino's track record I had the feeling that everything will be okay.

"Don't close your eyes," I reminded her when she started to do so.

She gulped and let loose all five shots, her fear gradually giving way to astonishment as each round perforated the chest and head areas of the paper target instead of me.

"How did…what?" Kirino managed to say.

Truthfully, I had no idea either. She was very clearly aiming for me the whole time. I didn't understand how exactly Kirino was missing her shots, but I was certain I would go insane if I dwelled on every single improbability in Kivotos.

Thus, I learned a very important lesson for preserving my sanity in this damned city:

Just roll with it.

Releasing a breath I didn't realize I was holding, I nodded approvingly. "Good work."

Kirino had a look of childlike glee on her features, which quickly turned back to fear once she saw me. "Sensei? …What are you doing?"

"Upping the ante," I responded as I stepped right in front of the paper target, obscuring most of the target from her sight. "Now, shoot me again."

"But...but…" Kirino weakly protested.

"You wanna be in the Security Bureau?" I asked, to which she fearfully nodded. "Then take the crappy hand you've been dealt and turn it into a winning hand. I believe in you."

"You…believe in me…" Kirino blinked back her tears and steeled herself. She brandished her pistol, and, with much less hesitation than last time, fired.

I was fascinated, but unsurprised, when her shots missed me entirely, instead hitting the parts of the paper target that my body did not cover.

It's like she's doomed to hit whatever she does not aim for. But how can she use this to her advantage?

I exited the firing lane and approached Kirino, who was still dumbstruck.

"From now on, I want you to practice whiffing your targets."

"Whiffing?" Kirino cocked her head.

"Don't shoot with the intent to hit, but with the intent to miss," I explained, well aware of the insanity of this plan.

Kirino was skeptical but was eager to find a method that works for her. She nodded determinedly. "Right!"

As Kirino went to practicing, Fubuki called out to me from the bench in the back of the room, where she laid down comfortably. "It's good to see Kirino actually hit things for once. Not too shabby, Sensei," she commented, taking out another donut from the box.

"Thanks. But don't get too comfy – after all, you're joining her," I said with a wicked grin.

Fubuki paused mid-bite. "Huh?"

"Yep. Lane number two. Hop to it."

"But I'm just here on patrol!" Fubuki whined.

"Valkyrie has no jurisdiction inside the Schale building," I pointed out. "Plus, I'm already handling security around here, so go and get some practice in."

"But…ugh. Fine…" Fubuki groaned as she slowly set the box of donuts down. She picked up her rifle and hesitantly trudged toward her lane.

I watched intently as she took up position and began firing upon her respective paper target in three-round bursts. Her accuracy was middling, as she scored only two headshots, a few body shots, and the remaining hit the periphery of the target or missed altogether. Her weapon clicked as she expended all the ammunition.

"There, that should be enough, right?" Fubuki asked.

I shook my head. "Go a few more rounds."

The student feigned dismay as she checked her belt. "Ah, silly me. I must have forgotten all my spare ammunition back at HQ. Guess I gotta stop here…"

I smiled evilly. "5.56mm, right? I gotcha covered." I reached into my bag and pulled out several clips of rifle ammo.

Genuine dismay crossed Fubuki's face, which gave way to resignation as she begrudgingly loaded the rounds into the magazine. Once her weapon was ready, she resumed target practice.

Checking on Kirino, I noted that while her accuracy still wasn't the greatest, at least most of her rounds were now hitting somewhere on the target. She needed more time to get accustomed to the new method, though I could tell she was happy at her signs of improvement. I offered her some words of encouragement and left her to continue practicing.

Fubuki, however, performed consistently terribly. She was trained just as well as Kirino, so I suspected the issue was one of motivation.

"Fubuki."

"What's up?" She stopped firing and turned to me.

"Are you intentionally performing badly?"

Fubuki averted her eyes. "Dunno what you mean."

I sighed. "I saw you fight yesterday outside of Schale. You're a decent shot, so why isn't that the case now?"

Her eyes widened. "You saw that?"

"You bet I did."

"Well, uh…" Fubuki fumbled, looking for an excuse. "I just got lucky with my shots, that's all."

I didn't buy it. I'd seen lucky shots before, and her marksmanship wasn't that. Luck was sporadic; what I saw yesterday was the precision of a talented riflewoman. Just what reason did she have to sabotage her own practice like this? It's as if she didn't want to be seen as anything beyond a low-ranking police officer.

Something clicked.

Perhaps that was it. A lack of ambition – a complete foil to the unyielding diligence of Kirino. A desire to be seen as mediocre so as to not move up in the ranks.

Fubuki seemed like someone more motivated by short-term goals, which, incidentally, made the act of motivating her simpler.

"Tell you what. You give me your all during training, and I'll let you 'patrol' Schale for two hours afterward," I offered.

Her face lit up in interest. "Weren't you just saying that you've got security covered around here?"

"Yeah, but I hear the lounge has been awfully dangerous as of late. I could always use someone trustworthy to help keep it secure, you know what I mean?"

Fubuki hummed. "You sure drive a hard bargain, Sensei."

"I try."

"Make it three hours and throw in a box of Master Donuts and you've got yourself a deal," Fubuki said, an avaricious gleam in her eye.

I chuckled. "And your bargaining skills need work. Two hours, but you can help yourself to whatever snacks there are in the lounge." I couldn't even afford a box of Master Donuts, anyway.

"Worth a shot," Fubuki lamented. "Welp, guess I have no choice."

She adjusted the paper target to maximum distance and took her stance, her posture noticeably less slouched than before. She opened fire, every shot in her thirty-round magazine landing. For some reason the last three rounds of the magazine seemed to have more impact. Overall, there was an even distribution of body shots and headshots – a marked improvement from earlier.

It wasn't the greatest, but I felt that she had great potential, if she were motivated to keep training.

A few paper targets later, however, she ran into a problem.

"Huh?" Fubuki fiddled with the rifle as she attempted to reload. "Something's wrong with this thing."

I stepped closer. "Is it jamming?"

"I think so."

"Let me have a look."

Fubuki obliged as she handed me the weapon. Immediately upon inspecting it, I could tell something was amiss. The weapon, like all Kivotos weapons I had seen so far, was of high-quality design. However, the weapon was not well-maintained at all. I even spotted what I sincerely hoped were not pieces of donut stuck in various parts of the weapon. Cringing, I investigated the cause of the jam. I suspected the issue was a failure to extract due to a dirty chamber.

"When was the last time you cleaned your gun?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"Uh…" Fubuki cupped her chin in thought. "I dunno."

I cringed again. "Alright, change of lesson plan."

The student blanched in fear. "Don't tell me…"

"We're gonna go over weapon maintenance." I nodded gravely.

"But we don't even have the necessary parts!" Fubuki protested.

I reached into my pack and pulled out a weapon repair kit.

Fubuki wailed as I dragged her to a nearby table and laid out the tools. I would not rest until such an affront to guns everywhere was corrected.

Stepping back into the basement, I quickly disarmed the frag mine, then descended into the main room after locking the door and rearming the mine behind me. The events of the day, compounded by a lack of sleep, took their toll on me, and I yawned loudly.

"How'd you like your first day on the job?" Arona asked from my Pip-Boy, her cartoony visage focused on me.

"It's… different," I said. In truth, I was still coming to terms with the reality that I ended up becoming a teacher for a bunch of not-angels.

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of things quickly," Arona assured. "Would you like to hear your itinerary for tomorrow? I've also received a few letters and a special request if you want to look over those first."

"What's this about a special request?" I asked interestedly.

"Let me format it to your Pip-Boy's data type," the AI said before she walked offscreen. Vault Boy reappeared in his usual spot in the status screen.

Throughout the day, Arona experimented transferring data files from the Shittim Chest to the Pip-Boy with my permission. She was making headway, as she eventually succeeded in transferring simple text documents. The process involved converting the files to types that were compatible with RobCo operating systems, which took up some time.

I was curious as to why Arona herself could access the Pip-Boy but had difficulty in transferring complex files, but it seemed as if she didn't know either.

"Done! It should be in your notes!" the AI informed from the Shittim Chest.

"Thanks."

I navigated to the notes section, my brows furrowing as I read through the letter.

"To the advisor of the Federal Investigation Club,

Hello. My name is Okusora Ayane, and I'm a first-year student at Abydos High School.

I'm writing this letter because I want to ask for your help.

Our academy is being harassed by one of the local gangs.

It's a long story, but we think the gang is after the school building itself.

The students are doing their best to stop them, but it's only a matter of time until we run out of ammunition and supplies.

At this rate, we'll lose Abydos.

Any kind of aid Schale can render would mean a world of difference.

Could you please help us, Sensei?"

I lowered my Pip-Boy, my expression neutral. "Arona, do we intel on Abydos?"

"We should. Let me pull it up from the GSC database."

Electronic dossiers popped up on the Shittim Chest's screen, obscuring the classroom. It took some time to get used to manipulating documents via touch screen, but I managed to pore over the documents well enough.

Wait, this can't be right…

"Only five students?" I asked aloud.

"It appears so. Students and civilians transferred en masse from Abydos following large scale desertification of the district, among other factors. It seems those five are all that remain," Arona remarked with a sad frown.

Desertification? So Abydos must be the sandy district I saw aboard the helicopter.

Still, just five? Considering other academies had attendance in the tens of thousands, the notion of a handful of students defending and maintaining an entire academy was absurd. Why these five would insist on clinging to a failing district was beyond me. But I supposed I could ask them when I arrived.

After all, I always did have a soft spot for people facing impossible odds. The situation was somewhat reminiscent of Goodsprings being threatened by the Powder Gangers.

"Amend the schedule. We're headed to Abydos tomorrow morning."

"So soon?"

"Their situation is going to get worse if we leave it be. We don't have any GSC work to submit tomorrow, right?"

She shook her head, suppressing a yawn. "The GSC doesn't convene again until three days from now."

"Perfect."

I began reviewing the notes in more detail, slowing when I arrived at the section containing student information. Various details ranging from birthdays to registered firearms were present in the margins. I stopped once I came across the current vice president of Abydos' student council.

Takanashi Hoshino. An unassuming girl sporting bright pink hair and heterochromatic blue and orange eyes. She wore a dopey grin that suggested she had not a care in the world.

Curiously, she was the last student in Abydos' registry. Where was their president, then? Was she part of the mass exodus of students?

Infuriatingly, I could find no information in the records regarding Abydos' previous years. Clicking my tongue at the inconclusive data, I closed the documents.

The classroom now back in view, I searched for Arona, only to find her asleep atop a desk. I snorted in amusement.

So much for not sleeping until I do…

I felt quite tuckered out myself, so I'd follow suit soon enough. Before that, though…

I headed to my crafting room to make some preparations for tomorrow.

Stepping off the helicopter, I surveyed the surroundings. I was in some sort of residential area, but it looked abandoned, for the most part. Sand piled up in every crevice of the various buildings. The road, while well-paved, was cracked from lack of maintenance. All things considered, these were still perfectly good houses forsaken by their owners. I shook my head at the wastefulness.

People in the Mojave have killed for much worse shelters than these.

The aircraft, marked as property of Schale, ascended and took off. I gave the pilot a brief wave for her services.

I didn't have the finances to utilize the public transportation Yuuka mentioned, so I had to make use of helicopters normally meant for Schale operations. It came out of the club's budget, but there was quite literally no other choice for me other than walking. Which was out of the question; intel stressed the fact that Abydos is a very large district, so walking would've resulted in a trip that took several days.

Therefore, I made arrangements for Schale transport to drop me off near the school building, but not too close, just in case the area was an active warzone.

"Arona."

"Yes, Sensei?"

"Is the map ready?" I inquired.

"I've already begun transferring it. It's a bit rudimentary, though, so you'll have to record major landmarks yourself," Arona informed apologetically.

"Not a problem."

During the helicopter trip, I asked Arona if she could prepare a map of Abydos district and upload it to my Pip-Boy. Due to differences in format, the interactive map she originally wanted to transfer lost its functionality, leaving only an unlabeled skeleton of a map. Fine by me, as I was no stranger to discovering new landmarks and editing the map myself.

Looking over the map, I could see why they say one could become lost in Abydos for days. The layout of the district was labyrinthian in nature. Hell, I'd gotten lost in Vaults that were less structurally complex than Abydos in the past.

Fortunately, I now had a trusty secretary to help me navigate.

Arona appeared on the Pip-Boy map and pointed at a structure that was much larger than the others. "I've set a waypoint that should lead you to the school building. I've also labelled dead ends and obstructed areas. You shouldn't become lost as long as you avoid those areas and follow the waypoint," she added.

"Very helpful. Well done," I said.

"Don't mention it!"

Setting off in the direction indicated my compass, I saw that the area became less of a ghost town the closer to the outskirts I got, with sparse signs of habitation here and there.

The wind picked up, blowing dust every which way. The sun bore down mercilessly upon the cracked earth. While these arid, inhospitable conditions were partly responsible for the population evacuating the district, I personally found the conditions comforting. Dust storms and extreme temperatures were simply a fact of life in the Mojave Wasteland, so I adjusted easily to Abydos' climate.

My hearing picked up a sound fast approaching from behind me, and I turned around to face it. Widening my eyes, I sidestepped out of the way of the object before it could collide with me. The bicycle and its rider whizzed past, before slowing down and circling back to me. The rider came to a stop in front of me.

"Sorry about that. I didn't think anyone would be walking around in this area," the cyclist said in a quiet voice. "Are you lost?"

The cyclist wore a school uniform, a blue scarf, and peculiarly, a blue ski mask embroidered with the number two on the forehead. Gray, wolf-like ears poked out of the mask at the top, which, in my opinion, defeated the purpose of the mask. She had piercing blue eyes with differing white and black pupils. Over one shoulder she slung an empty sack.

Despite the eccentric disguise, I recognized her immediately. Sunaookami Shiroko, a second-year.

"Nah, I've got a map on me," I replied.

She looked me up and down. "You're Sensei, aren't you?"

So even students out in the sticks know who I am, huh? Social media truly is powerful…

"I suppose I am. And you're from Abydos High School, right?"

Surprise reflected in her eyes as they widened. "Yes. How did you know?"

Between the uniform, the Abydos ID badge, the gun, or the fact that only one out of the five students at Abydos has wolf ears? Gee, I wonder, I thought sarcastically.

"I guess you can say it's intuition," I said, shrugging.

Shiroko looked contemplative at that. Did she really not know how I could see through her disguise?

"By the way, what's with the mask?" I asked.

She froze. I saw the proverbial gears turning in her head as she thought of a response.

"I…like to wear it on long rides. It helps me think," the student claimed, averting her eyes.

I crossed my arms. "And the sack? What's that for?"

She looked at the empty sack over her shoulder as if it betrayed her, then crumpled it up into a ball. She hid the item in her scarf. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh," I said, unconvinced.

"If you're here," the masked girl began, eager to change the subject, "then you must've gotten Ayane's letter?"

"That's right. I hear you guys have been having issues with Gangers- I mean, gangsters lately," I said, hastily covering the slip-up. "Mind filling me in on that?"

"Hmm…" the student pondered. "I don't mind, but I think you should wait to get the full story until everyone's present."

I nodded. "Are you heading that way?"

"I am now. Want to go together?"

"It beats having to check the map every two minutes, yeah."

She took off her ski mask, letting her short silver hair fall to the sides of her face. She dismounted her bicycle and tethered it to a nearby pole. "I'm Shiroko." She faced me as she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Shiroko," I said.

"Mm." She nodded. "By the way, Sensei. The academy is still a ways off. Will you be okay with walking that far?"

"I don't see an alternative." I looked at the bicycle with a single seat. "…Unless you'd be willing to give me a piggyback ride all the way there," I joked.

Shiroko raised an eyebrow. "…Is that a challenge?"

I laughed, while Shiroko's lips curled upward in amusement. I didn't know why, but I got the feeling I'd get along with Shiroko just fine.

"…And that concludes my report, President."

"Good work, Chinatsu. Your report was most helpful."

Chinatsu gave a brief bow before stepping back, remaining on standby along with Iori.

Sorasaki Hina sat at her desk, clasping her hands together in thought.

The situation was a perplexing one. At first it seemed that the GSC's plan was doomed to fail, as the teacher they were depending on was nowhere to be seen. As a result, she was prepared to cut off support for the GSC and triage all remaining Prefect Team forces to Gehenna district.

Hina reasoned that if they couldn't save the city, might as well try to at least save Gehenna.

When she heard that it had been a halo-less individual who personally spearheaded the reclamation of the Tower, Hina was skeptical. Regardless, she wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. She sent Iori and a squad to assist with securing Schale's perimeter, and the situation stabilized. Gehenna would live to see another day.

However, there remained the issue of how to approach the political minefield that was Schale. The extent of the organization's reach was muddy, even to the GSC themselves.

Schale was, for all intents and purposes, a wild card. An unknown variable. And it ultimately fell to Hina to assess whether the organization would be a boon or bane to Gehenna's interests.

"President, what do you make of Schale's advisor?" the senior administrator, Ako, asked from her position at Hina's side.

Hina returned from her thoughts and took a sip of coffee. "Not enough information to make a clear judgement, I'm afraid. Intel leads me to believe he is a shrewd individual. Our informants in the GSC suggested that he struck some sort of bargain with them."

"Perhaps he is of the ambitious type. Controlling the entire city would be child's play for one appointed by the GSC's president," Ako suggested.

"Perhaps. But if that's the case, why is the GSC still standing? If he suppressed the Fox of Calamity like the rumors say, then he'd have no trouble razing their headquarters to the ground, especially with the state that the city's forces were in. Instead, he chose to barter."

Schale's Sensei. An apparently fearless individual who possesses invisibility and some sort of energy weapon that rivals Millennium's experimental designs. Additionally, his skill with a rifle possibly exceeds even Iori's, though there was no need for her to know that.

What took Kivotos by storm, however, was the fact that the man needed no halo to wreak havoc - a startling shakeup to the status quo. The rumors of Kivotos' new teacher alone were enough to suppress petty crime in Gehenna by fifteen percent.

"What is our next action then? Suppress and attempt to capture?"

Hina threw a sidelong glance at the senior administrator. "Rein yourself in, Ako. We shouldn't be so quick to vilify a potential ally. Not to mention our forces are still stretched thin. We frankly don't have enough of a fighting force to assault Schale at the moment."

"Even if you were to take to the field yourself, President?"

"…Don't be foolish, Ako."

"Of course. My apologies, President."

Hina slid her chair back and rose to full height, which was admittedly not much. Though her terrifying presence more than compensated, in her subordinates' eyes.

"Chinatsu."

"Yes, President."

"You submitted an application to Schale, correct?"

"Yes, I submitted it as soon as the applications opened up. It's still pending approval, though."

"Good. Once it's approved, attend at Schale whenever you can. Try to get a sense of Sensei's disposition and motives. Be discreet. It's only a matter of time until the Pandemonium Society and the Tea Party try to sink their claws into Schale, so capitalize on the opportunity."

"Understood."

"Iori."

"Yes, President!"

"Problem Solver has gone dark for quite some time. That means they're likely planning something. Be prepared to mobilize at any time."

"Those idiots again? Got it."

"Ako."

"Yes, President?"

"I need more coffee."

"Your wish is my command!"

Hina gave each of her subordinates a cursory glance before retaking her seat. "Dismissed."

The Prefect Team members filed out of the office one-by-one. Once Hina was alone, she slumped over as she sighed and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. Her gaze drifted to her computer screen, where the footage from Kivotube's viral video played on repeat.

A person with the firepower to contend with the most troublesome of Kivotos, coupled with the charisma to sway the General Student Council. Recent sightings of a helicopter bearing Schale's insignia entering Abydos airspace all but confirmed that Sensei would be taking an active role in resolving conflicts. To what end, Hina could only guess.

Amidst the uncertainty for the future, however, one thing was clear:

This person would change the course of the city, for good or ill.