"So you lived in a desert too?"
"Yup. Place was practically a wasteland. Never a dull moment, though."
"I see. I suppose I can relate."
"That so?"
"Mm. My classmates may bicker a lot, but we all work toward a common goal."
Shiroko and I chatted as we strode in the direction of the academy. Shiroko wasn't much for small talk, a quality which I respected. For the most part she seemed content to just ask questions and listen to me ramble on. Apparently, she had some underlying curiosity about the place I was from, if the questions she posed were any indication.
The student didn't have much to say about herself, but she was a good listener. Reminded me a bit of Boone.
Though I was unsure of the exact moment the conversation shifted from living in a desert to something as specific as lockpicking.
"A screwdriver and a bobby pin?" Shiroko asked incredulously.
"That's right. It depends on how complex the lock is, how old it is… Sometimes, if the lock is degraded enough, you could force the lock open without damaging the door."
"Why not force the lock all the time, then?"
"Good question. If you do it incorrectly, you run the risk of damaging the mechanism, rendering the door inoperable. You'll need to bust open the door at that point. And some doors are fortified, which means you'd need a considerable amount of force to even try busting it open. Finding another way around is your next best bet."
Shiroko nodded, listening with rapt attention. "And what were you saying about a sweet spot?"
"You gotta fish for the correct angle with your bobby pin. Probe the lock firmly, but not with too much force, or your bobby pin will snap, and you'll have to start over again. Once you've found the sweet spot, rotate the screwdriver like so." I clumsily mimed the movement, and Shiroko raised her hands trying to imitate me. "Hmm…it really would be easier if I could just demonstrate it."
"We can use one of those houses," Shiroko offered.
Putting aside the fact that she casually proposed committing burglary on her home turf, I shook my head. "Maybe another time. We've got more important things to worry about right now."
Shiroko pouted at that but accepted. "Okay."
Clearing my throat, I continued. "Anyway, lockpicking saved my skin more times than I could count, but hacking electronics was equally useful."
"You mean like hacking doors?"
Does everything have to be about breaking and entering with this girl?
"Sure. But see, the beauty of computer science is that it can be applied in many different ways. For instance, there was this one time I helped out a robot who'd been hacked, in order to track down a thief," I said, bringing up one of the more wholesome examples I had in mind.
"A thief? What did they steal?" Shiroko tilted her head.
"An antique gun from an exhibit in the Vikki and Vance Casino and Museum," I explained, reminiscing. Primm felt so long ago. "Turns out, somebody hacked into a robot responsible for managing the exhibit so they could steal the gun, then they erased the robot's recollection of it. All I had to do was access the robot's data registry to figure out somebody had tampered with it."
"Did you catch the thief?"
"You bet I did. That was much later, though. They were quite far away by the time I found out about the theft."
Shiroko hummed. "It's surprising to think that you did those kinds of things before coming to Kivotos," she commented.
"Oh, I did an odd job here and there," I said casually. "You just kinda pick up skills along the way, you know?"
"Huh," Shiroko mused. Her ears perked up, as if she just remembered something. "By the way, who are Vikki and Vance?"
"Only two of my nation's most infamous celebrity outlaws, that's who they was!" I drawled with an amused smile as I quoted Primm Slim.
"Oh?" Shiroko's full attention was suddenly on me. "What did they do?"
"They carved a swath of crime across the central U.S. Theft, fraud, the works. They spent their lifetimes on the run…but were never caught," I continued theatrically.
I could have mentioned that the reason they were never caught was because they died horrifically in a shootout with police, but the starry-eyed expression on Shiroko's normally stoic face kept me from doing so.
"Today, most famous criminals of that time are forgotten, but Vikki and Vance's deeds still live on, immortalized in a casino and museum in a barren desert," I finished.
"Mm…"
Shiroko fell into thoughtful silence, pondering my words.
This student was slightly concerning. The mask, the sack, the fact that our conversation segued into various means of breaking and entry, as well as her interest in a criminal duo's exploits…
Did I have a burgeoning criminal on my hands?
Still, as someone who crafts explosives for fun, I suppose I'm not one to talk about the ethical merits of one's hobbies.
We proceeded in comfortable silence for some time, our steps occasionally kicking up sand.
Ten minutes in, and I decided that we were going too slow. Walking was fine when sightseeing and such, but upon hearing that Abydos had been beset by constant attacks, I couldn't help but be on edge. The sooner we reached the academy, the sooner my mind could be at ease.
"Hey, wanna jog?" I asked. Jogging was my primary method of getting around in the mostly empty deserts of the Mojave, after all.
One of her wolf ears twitched. "Oh?"
"You bike, so do you jog too?"
"Yeah. I'm pretty good," she stated as if it were an undeniable fact.
"Let's jog, then. We can even make it into a friendly competition, if you want," I offered, presenting a way that'd get us to the academy quicker.
Steely determination crept up on her features. "I'd win."
"Would you now?" I shot back, smirking. I felt my own sense of competitive spirit flare up to match Shiroko's.
We stared at each other for one long moment…before Shiroko sped off in a run toward the academy.
"That's not jogging!" I yelled after her. Shaking my head, I took off after Shiroko. No way in hell would I let myself be outdone by some wolf-angel-burglar-schoolgirl.
The double-doors to the club room abruptly swung open. I leapt forward, my hand slamming down on the large table at the same time Shiroko's gloved hand did. The force from both of our hands pushing down on the table was enough to tip the table like a seesaw, scaring the pants off the two students who were seated and spilling their coffee onto some papers.
"I win!" Shiroko and I both declared loudly, out of breath. We glared at each other.
"You… leapt toward the table, Sensei. Grounds for disqualification… so I win," Shiroko proclaimed breathlessly, wiping sweat from her brow.
"No way, José…" I refuted, taking in heavy lungfuls of air. "You're the one who turned it into a sprinting match the moment the academy was in sight."
"You tried to distract me by shooting your gun into the air."
"There were no rules against guns. And I was just evening the odds. You know this place, so I basically had to follow you the whole time."
Shiroko opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by a very angry elf girl with glasses, black hair, and a red crosshaired halo. Ayane, I recognized from the intel.
"What on earth are you doing?!" she shouted before looking at me. "Wait… Sensei?!"
A black-haired girl with cat ears and crosshaired halo similar to Ayane's stood up, looking quite livid. "Shiroko! What the hell? Look at what you did to my homework!" she exclaimed, pointing to the papers that got coffee spilled on them.
"…It's fine, the answers were probably all wrong anyway," Shiroko muttered.
"What did you just say?! Just because my grades aren't the best doesn't mean you can sabotage my work!" the cat-eared student loudly complained. She spun to face me, pointing an accusatory finger. "And you! Who do you think you are, barging in here like you own the place?! Are you some kind of manchild?!"
"Ara, you should cut them some slack, Serika-chan. Don't you think it's wonderful that our quiet little Shiroko is making new friends?" a brown-haired girl with green eyes and a green halo said.
"Not at the cost of my homework!"
Nonomi continued amidst Serika's complaints. "That being said, you should remember that there's no running in the halls." She turned to Shiroko with closed eyes and a sweet smile. "Or you'll be punished~"
Shiroko shuddered. "Uh…sorry."
"What were you two doing, anyway?" Ayane asked, arching an eyebrow. "Racing?"
"Yes-"
"No-"
Shiroko and I simultaneously answered. We exchanged another look.
A door to the side of the room slid open, and Takanashi Hoshino meandered in, rubbing her eyes drowsily, her posture hunched over like an old man.
"Good grief, what's with all the ruckus? Don't you know that your poor old Oji-san needs her sleep?" Hoshino took one look at me and lazily extended a hand. "Ah, you must be Sensei. Didn't expect you to follow up on Ayane's letter so quickly, if at all."
"Right…" I shook her outstretched hand, raising an eyebrow at her disposition. Upon first glance, she seemed to act like another Fubuki, but something was amiss… "And you must be Takanashi Hoshino, vice president of Abydos' student council."
That drew looks of surprise from around the room. The vice president arched an eyebrow.
"Uheh… You've done some research, haven't you?" Hoshino asked with a lopsided smile.
So that's what I found strange about her. Her demeanor suggested someone that was lazy, happy-go-lucky, but her eyes… They followed my every movement.
Hoshino didn't trust me, though she hid it extremely well.
I found it…refreshing. A healthy dose of skepticism in all things is key to a long life. Though Hoshino may be taking the "long life" bit too literally…
"Just enough to understand your situation better," I answered vaguely. "Five students against an entire organized gang, in a ghost town of a district. I miss anything?"
"You got the gist of it," Ayane said, sighing. "The Kata-Kata Helmet Gang has been harassing us for the past several days in a row. We would have driven them off by now, but we had to conserve what ammo we have. And we can't exactly leave the district or order more supplies due to our…financial situation."
"And that's why you contacted Schale," I said, nodding. "But what's this about a financial situation?"
Before anyone could reply, a series of gunfire rang out from the streets below. Shiroko looked out of the window then back to the group.
"It's them."
"How many?" I asked.
"Estimating more than twenty. Mostly assault rifles, a few heavy weapons, some sniper rifles," Ayane answered as she consulted her computer.
I unstrapped my pack and zipped it open, then emptied its contents onto the table. Copious amounts of different types of ammunition clips clattered onto the table along with a hearty number of frag grenades, courtesy of Wakamo. The last students of Abydos crowded around the table.
"School supplies!" Nonomi cheered. The notion of ammunition being grouped with school supplies in Kivotos was something I found both hilarious and disconcerting.
".357, 5.56, 12 Gauge, 7.62…" Shiroko listed off, then looked up at me. "You brought ammo for each of our weapons."
"This is the best I could do on such short notice. Should be good for at least two days." I turned to Nonomi, who cradled a minigun like she would a child. "Except for yours. Sorry, but even with what I brought, you'll still have to choose your shots wisely." I knew from experience that miniguns ate up ammo at a truly prodigious rate.
"That's sweet of you, Sensei. Don't worry, I'm used to it!" Nonomi replied optimistically.
"Kinda creepy that you even looked up the guns that we use, but I won't say no to a resupply," Serika commented with a small smile.
"There goes one of our immediate problems. Thanks, Sensei," Hoshino said.
"No problem. Now go make 'em pay."
The vice president yawned and gave a look that was anything but menacing. "They'll never know what hit them." She glanced over at her underclassmen. "Alright, younglings! Lock and load."
The sounds of gunshots inched closer to the school. Why these gangsters chose to announce their presence so foolishly was beyond me, but the students of Abydos weren't going to waste the opportunity. They prepared their magazines and lined their belts and pockets with spares in preparation for a protracted fight. Once that was finished, they nodded to each other and rushed out of the club room to confront the gangsters.
Shiroko stopped just as she was leaving. "What will you do, Sensei?"
"Me? I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines, don't worry," I responded chipperly with my hands on my hips.
"…Okay." Shiroko looked somewhat disappointed but nevertheless followed her classmates out the room, leaving only me and Ayane.
Ayane pulled up a rolling chair and pressed something on her terminal, the screen giving her a bird's eye view of the soon-to-be battlefield. Before she pulled on her headset, I asked, "By the way, which way to the third floor?"
"Huh?" Ayane was surprised by the sudden question. "Oh, the staircase is down the hall to the right. Why?"
"Oh, no reason in particular."
I turned on my heel and walked out of the room, humming "Blue Moon" to myself, leaving a puzzled Ayane in the club room.
The Foreclosure Task Force took up defensive positions inside the campus walls, with Hoshino taking the vanguard. The school was walled in, so there was only one chokepoint to cover, which was the main gate. The main issue was that the bulk of the enemy force would attempt to funnel through that single point, but now that Abydos was resupplied, Hoshino reckoned they could repel the gangsters easily enough.
"Are we going with the usual plan?" Serika asked.
"Defend the school and shoot trespassers? Yeah, basically," Hoshino replied, squinting her sleep-deprived eyes in the harsh desert sun. "But since we have ammo now, maybe we can break through and force them to retreat."
"Hey, Shiroko?" Nonomi said, looking around. "Sensei isn't coming with us?"
"No. He said he'll be cheering us on from the sidelines."
The heavy gunner deflated a bit. "I guess that's for the best, since he doesn't have a halo and all…"
Hoshino chose not to comment. She hadn't expected much from an adult, anyway. Though at least their ammo problem was resolved for the time being.
A more cynical part of her wondered when Sensei would begin to make unreasonable demands of Abydos in exchange for his help. Just like the neighboring academies they petitioned for aid in the past. And Kaiser…
The first of the gangsters made their appearance, a trio of hoodlums who wore motorcycle helmets. The rest of their forces trailed behind and spread out evenly in front of the school gate. Their weapons were drawn but they made no indication they were going to attack. Yet.
The trio slowly approached Hoshino. A parley? That was rare. The vice president decided to humor them, holding her hand out to signify to the rest of the team to hold their fire. The trio stopped just a few meters from Hoshino. A red-helmeted gangster stepped forward, presumably the leader.
"You're the vice president of this dump, right?" the foremost gangster said.
"That's me," Hoshino replied, selectively ignoring the part about Abydos being a dump, lest her trigger finger be tempted.
"Got a proposal for ya."
"Oji-san's flattered, but you're a bit too young for her."
One of the thugs in the back snickered, and an adjacent thug punched her on the shoulder to shut her up.
"Get your asses outta this building, and we won't beat ya to a pulp. Sound fair?" the gangster threatened.
"…"
"Well?!"
"…I'm sorry, can you repeat that? Oji-san's hearing just isn't what it used to be, you know? Old age and all that jazz."
The two thugs behind the boss looked at each other. "Isn't she, like, our age?" one of them whispered to the other.
The foremost thug took one aggressive step forward. "I said that ya twerps better leave this place or we'll open up a can of whoop-ass on ya!"
Hoshino brought up a hand to the side of her head and pretended to clear her ear with a pinky finger. "Come again? Probably got sand in my ears. Must be from living in this dump for too long, eh?"
"I said-"
"She means that you freaks should go to hell and leave us alone!" Serika shouted angrily.
That drew the ire of the trio of thugs, who brandished their weapons at the freshman, who widened her eyes in panic. Hoshino moved to deploy Iron Horus to defend Serika.
"Ya little shit, I'll-"
The gangster never got to finish, as she was engulfed in a sizable explosion that knocked back the other two flanking her. The explosion kicked up a dust cloud that obscured the main gate, the only thing visible being the rapidly blinking halo of the red-helmeted boss. Shouts from the gangsters' side suggested that they were just as confused as the Abydos students.
"What was that?" Nonomi asked.
Hoshino turned around and strained her vision to look at the distant school building. She scanned the building until she spotted an open window on the third floor. A very long rifle wielded by a person in black. Upon meeting eyes, or at least where she assumed his eyes were, he gave Hoshino a thumbs up.
"It's Sensei!" Ayane's voice crackled on the comms.
"I knew he'd help us," Shiroko said, looking smugger than she had any business being.
A bullet bouncing off her head brought Hoshino back to the fight in front of her. The dust cloud lifted and revealed the bulk of the enemy forces. The gang commenced firing on the Foreclosure Task Force, and they responded in kind. Serika and Shiroko took cover, while Nonomi remained in the open, firing her minigun in short, controlled bursts.
Hoshino advanced toward the front, drawing fire away from her squad while she unloaded shotgun shells into the enemy's frontline. Only four shots in, and an enemy collapsed.
Strange. Normal 12 Gauge rounds didn't pack this much of a punch. Just what kind of ammo did Sensei give them?
Explosions rang out one after another, each direct hit incapacitating an enemy, until one of the gangsters with a scoped weapon took notice of where the explosions were coming from.
"Sniper! Third floor!" the gangster called out. The announcement caused those who were not in cover to seek it, and enemy snipers trained their sights to the building's third floor.
"Oh no you don't!" Serika said as she focused fire with her assault rifle on enemy snipers, putting pressure on them and giving Sensei enough time to pick them off. Explosions soon rocked the enemy's backlines. "Jeez, what the heck is he using, anyway? A sniper rifle that fires frag grenades?!" Serika asked.
".50 cal with high explosive rounds, if I had to guess," Shiroko mused, before downing an enemy attempting to flank Hoshino.
Those who were not knocked out by the blasts were forced to retreat, though Nonomi's hail of bullets prevented them from successfully doing so.
The enemy's forces were thinning out, so now was the time to press the advantage and flush out the enemies who were entrenched in cover. "Move up, Abydos. Let's teach these whippersnappers a lesson in staying off our lawn!"
Upon hearing shouts of affirmation from her teammates, the vice president acted.
Hoshino unfolded Iron Horus and held it with one arm before pressing further into enemy lines. Rounds harmlessly deflected off the shield as Hoshino engaged in close combat. Once she was in the face of a group of gangsters, she bashed one of the gangsters with Iron Horus, knocking her down, before unloading her shotgun into the gangster's helmeted face. The hoodlum's halo winked out, and Hoshino moved on to the next enemies. Some of the enemies were taken out before Hoshino could reach them, most likely sniped by Sensei. No explosive rounds though – Hoshino supposed it was considerate of him to swap ammunition types while she was danger close.
The rest of Abydos moved up to support Hoshino, finishing off any gangsters that the vice president missed.
"Cluster of enemies at your nine o' clock," Ayane informed.
"Shiroko~" Hoshino called out lazily.
"Roger." Shiroko pulled the pin on a frag grenade, cooking the grenade a bit before lobbing it into the fray. By the time the enemies registered the incoming explosive, it was too late, and the weakened enemies scattered, just in time for Abydos' sniper and heavy gunner to finish them off.
As the last of the Kata-Kata gang routed, the members of the Foreclosure Task Force rejoiced in their victory. Hoshino stretched languidly and smiled with her orange eye open, content to watch the youngsters celebrate.
To protect her underclassmen and Abydos, no cost would be too great. Hoshino just hoped that it wouldn't come to that.
Their unexpected sniper approached from the school building, slinging an anti-materiel rifle over his back. Country music in another language played audibly from the strange device on his wrist. The song mentioned something about a sin and a lie?
As her juniors moved to meet their benefactor, Hoshino decided that it wouldn't be too bad to give him a chance. Shiroko had taken a liking to him, after all. The girl, while impulsive to a fault, was a surprisingly good judge of character.
Hoshino would keep an eye open, though. Abydos had gotten in its current situation precisely due to blind trust.
Good to know that the good ol' AMR kicks as much ass here as in the Wasteland, I thought. Though a few of the enemies took more than one headshot to down - a testament to the sheer bullshit that were haloes.
"…Good shooting." Shiroko was the first to greet me as I entered the courtyard, stoic as ever, but her tone suggested approval.
I switched off my radio, to Arona's dissatisfaction. Seemed she enjoyed whenever I played music from the Wasteland.
"Thanks. You're no slouch yourself."
Shiroko smiled slightly and turned to her classmates as they caught up with her, Hoshino being the last to arrive. Ayane also emerged from the academy building.
"That went a lot more smoothly with your help, Sensei!" Nonomi said, hugging her minigun. Wasn't that thing hot after just using it?
"You were alright, I guess," Serika said, crossing her arms and holding back a smile.
"I noticed that you all were missing a sniper in your team. Just filling in a role, since it looks like you have most of your bases covered, combat medic included."
"You have training in first aid as well, Sensei?" Ayane asked, surprised.
"I know a thing or two," I said. Saying that I served as an informal doctor for the NCR, Followers, and the Boomers was more than they needed to know.
Ayane had some proficiency in first aid, but it didn't even look like it was needed in this scenario. Hoshino was the one who took almost all the enemy's concentrated fire, and she had not a scratch on her.
And here I thought that Yuuka was insanely tough. Hoshino was a monster in terms of durability. She could probably take an entire magazine of .50MG, doubly so if she used that shield of hers.
"By the way, did anyone notice something different about our bullets?" Nonomi asked, to which she received several nods.
"More stopping power, greater impact," Shiroko affirmed.
"What kind of ammunition did you give us, Sensei?" Ayane curiously inquired.
"Custom made, hand load."
"Wait, you made this ammunition?" Serika incredulously asked.
"From the casings up, yes. On that note, try to save used casings when you can. I should be able to recycle them. I can even teach you to do it yourselves if you want. Should be cheaper than buying ammo," I informed, receiving some looks of astonishment.
It was efficient moneywise, but not so much timewise. Making enough for everyone here, especially Nonomi, took up a great deal of last night. I got some hours of shuteye in, but Arona was already on my case about getting enough sleep.
"So Schale's Sensei is a jack-of-all-trades, then," Hoshino sleepily remarked. "Uheh… maybe Oji-san can delegate some of her duties to you so she can get some more napping in?"
"Don't even think about it," Serika flatly refuted.
"I tried," Hoshino conceded, not looking too perturbed. "In any case, good work, Sensei, everyone. That should make them think twice about attacking us again."
I nodded, resuming my walk. "That's the idea."
"Um…Sensei?" Ayane asked. "Where are you going?"
"Intel gathering," I casually answered as I headed in the direction of the unconscious gangsters. Shiroko tagged along at my side. The more the merrier.
Stopping once I reached the red-helmeted leader of the gang, I squatted down and stripped the leader of ammunition. Shiroko followed my lead, squatting down on the opposite side of the gangster and patting her down, retrieving the gangster's wallet. She opened the wallet and took out several yen bills.
I raised an eyebrow. "Shiroko."
She stopped what she was doing. "Hm?"
"Are you mugging her?"
"…Reimbursement for damages to the school." Shiroko claimed, averting her eyes, as if expecting a rebuke.
I recognized the excuse for what it was, but it was no lie to say that the battle had caused damage to Abydos' courtyard and main gate. If what Ayane said about financial difficulties was true, then Abydos was in no shape to cover maintenance costs from the constant attacks.
"…Make sure you get their ammo, too. Should help your school's shortage problems."
Shiroko's eyes sparkled as she nodded, slipping on her ski mask. She put the leader's now-light wallet back, then moved to the other downed gangsters.
Besides, I was pissed.
No matter where I went, I came across the same situation – a large group trying to strongarm a smaller one into submission. Even a place such as Kivotos, blessed to be untouched by nuclear bombs, nightmarish abominations, and murder, was not exempt.
Even in relative paradise, people just couldn't leave other people the hell alone. And it made me angry beyond belief.
What Shiroko was doing? I saw it as righteous comeuppance.
What I was about to do? Give these thugs a glimpse, merely a taste - of Wasteland justice.
I took out my riot shotgun and prodded the prone gangster leader with the barrel. I wasn't gentle.
Groaning, the leader came to, her halo gradually flickering back into existence.
"…Huh? Where…" she groggily mumbled out.
"Wakey wakey," I cheerily said, poking the side of her helmet with the gun.
Upon seeing me, she flinched, and attempted to reach for her gun. Unfortunately for her, that was the first thing I confiscated from her. I waved the weapon in front of her with my other hand.
"Looking for this?"
"You…you…" she stuttered out.
"Me."
"You're that Sensei from Schale," she managed.
I hummed. "If you say so." The thug attempted to wiggle away. I pressed the barrel of the gun into her back. "Nuh-uh-uh. Leave before you're dismissed, and I empty the magazine."
She went stock still as she looked at the drum mag on my shotgun, then began trembling. "You…you wouldn't!"
I flipped the safety on the gun off. "You sure?"
"…Wh-whaddya want from me?"
To the point, then. "I understand you're the leader of these gangsters. Don't try to lie."
"What about it?"
"What do you want from Abydos? Is it the school building?" I demanded as menacingly as I could manage. The Abydos students slowly caught up, cautiously watching the spectacle. Even Shiroko slowed what she was doing to watch.
"I…" the thug fearfully began, before appearing to muster up her courage. "I ain't tellin' ya nothin'!"
I pondered what to do next. With Abydos and Arona present, any kind of interrogation technique I used would have to be incredibly sanitized for their sake. Plus, when you get down to it, these thugs were still just students. Inconsiderate and deviant, yes, but still students. I didn't want to inflict any permanent harm on them if I didn't have to.
Fortunately, they didn't know that. All that the students knew was that I was the boogeyman from Schale.
An idea came to me. I tossed the thug's weapon aside and reached into my pack, retrieving MF Hyperbreeder Alpha.
"What the hell is that?" the thug leader nervously asked.
I didn't answer, opting to instead flip the switch on the gun, causing the tubes on the top of the weapon to light up a sickly greenish-yellow as the energy weapon powered up. For extra scariness, I activated the low-light vision of my helmet, causing my visor to glow a bright red.
To me, the MF Hyperbreeder Alpha was an extremely reliable energy weapon that produced its own ammunition via a complicated microfusion process. Its burst power output was not as high as a result of this process, so it was unlikely to do any permanent damage to any haloed student.
To the gangster, the faceless punisher of delinquents everywhere just pulled out some sinister-looking alien gun with tubes and scary lights.
I brought the gun closer to the gangster, and the energy weapon began to produce an ominous low hum as energy crackled off it.
The thug's bravado gave way to pants-shitting terror as she desperately tried to wriggle away, held in place by the shotgun pressing into her back.
A gasp from behind me told me that even the Abydos students fell for my bluff. I ignored them.
"Tell me what I want to know, and I'll let you go."
The energy weapon inched closer to the gangster, and she nodded frantically. "Okay! Okay! I give! I'll tell ya!"
"Go on."
"We were hired to take over your school building! We weren't told why."
Oh? Now this was news to me. Despite her reservations, Ayane walked closer to us so she could better hear.
"Who hired you?" I demanded.
"I-I dunno!"
"Oh, really."
"I swear I'm tellin' the truth! They sent some robot to do the negotiating but they never said who they were!"
A robot… Interesting.
"Where is your base?" Ayane asked.
"Who the heck are you?" the gangster asked, turning to the newcomer.
"Answer her," I ordered, and the gangster fearfully obliged.
"It's thirty kilometers north from here on the main road! Can't miss it, got big walls and warehouses and everything!"
I looked to Ayane, and she shook her head. Ayane didn't have much else to ask, either. After all, it seemed this gangster leader truly didn't know anything. Their "employer" kept them in the dark.
Smart move on their part, but an overall pain in the ass for us.
"Here's what's gonna happen," I started. "You're gonna go back to your base and tell all your other buddies exactly what happened here. How you got your asses handed to you, and that you ended up paying for the damages you caused to Abydos. And then?" I brought my visor closer to hers. "You tell them that anybody who screws with Abydos, screws with Schale. Capisce?"
"Yeah, yeah! Whatever ya say, boss!"
I gave the trembling gangster leader one last nudge with my gun. "Then scram, kid. Next time I see you causing trouble, I won't be so forgiving. If you need money, go get a real job rather than harassing people."
I removed my weapons, and the gangster leader scrambled to her feet, scooped up her empty gun off the ground, and bolted off as if her life depended on it.
After watching her go, I stood up and stowed my weapons.
"Wow, Sensei. That was…" Nonomi uneasily trailed off.
"Scary?" I offered.
"Well, yeah…"
"It's the only way to keep them from attacking again. Were you planning on imprisoning them?"
"Abydos no longer has a functional penitentiary or even detention center, I'm afraid," Ayane informed.
"Then simply defeating them won't be enough. The only way to ensure they won't come back is to demoralize them. Show them the futility of attacking and scare them a bit." I glanced at Shiroko, who was busy emptying thugs' pockets. "Plus, they were hired, so their main motivation must be monetary gain. Letting them leave with lighter pockets will serve as even greater a deterrent to attacking you, especially now that they know you have the support of Schale," I explained.
As if on cue, Shiroko rejoined the group, hoisting a sack that was filled to the brim with what I assumed were ammunition and capital. "All done."
"Welp, looks like our Shiroko has graduated to being a full-blown thief. Ah, they grow up so fast," Hoshino lamented, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye.
"Not stealing. Reimbursement for damages. I even left them with enough money for essentials," Shiroko insisted.
"I mean, they attacked us, so technically it's looting and not stealing, right?" Serika wondered aloud.
I nodded sagely. "It's looting. And as the victors, we have the right to the spoils. We'll put the resources to better use than the gang, anyway."
"Mm." Shiroko clung to every word I said, taking them to heart.
"Please don't teach Shiroko strange things, Sensei…" Ayane sighed in disapproval.
Abydos' gate shut behind us as we headed back to the school building.
"Now that that business is settled, allow us to formally introduce ourselves," Ayane announced in front of the whiteboard in the club room. I sat at one end of the rectangular table, while Hoshino sat on the opposite end. To my left was Serika and to my right were Shiroko and Nonomi.
"Is there a point to this when he already read through our records like some creep?" Serika scoffed.
"Yes. There is much you cannot glean just from a dossier," Ayane replied, giving Serika a sharp look. "Please do not interrupt. I realize we're past the point of making good first impressions, but formalities are formalities."
"…Even if our club doesn't formally exist to begin with?" Serika pointed out before withering under Ayane's glare. "Okay, I get it…"
Ayane cleared her throat and moved on. "In any event, welcome to Abydos High School, Sensei. We are the Foreclosure Task Force. As Serika mentioned, we are an unofficial club whose purpose is to restore Abydos to its former glory." She inclined her head. "I am Okusora Ayane, a first-year. I serve as the club's tech specialist and medical expert."
As the only other freshman, Serika went next. "Hey. I'm Kuromi Serika, also a first-year. I'm the treasurer of the Foreclosure Task Force."
Nonomi practically bounced in her seat as her turn arrived. "And I'm Izayoi Nonomi! Second-year resident heavy gunner of Abydos!"
"Mm. Sunaookami Shiroko. Second-year and field captain of the Task Force."
"…"
Everyone turned to the pink-haired vice president of Abydos, only to find her dozed off, her head resting on the table. Strangely, her halo was still visible, similar to Arona's when she slept.
"…Seriously, Hoshino-senpai?" Shiroko said.
"So much for formalities," Serika grumbled.
Ayane looked like she was barely containing the urge to throw something at Hoshino.
"Don't worry, leave it to me~" Nonomi sang. She grabbed one of the cold plastic water bottles from the table and grazed Hoshino's nape with it.
"Kyah!" Hoshino jolted in her seat, abruptly woken. "Are you trying to give these old bones a heart attack, Nonomi?" she complained, rubbing the back of her neck.
"President," Ayane said through grit teeth, a vein appearing on her forehead. "We are doing introductions. It's your turn."
"Ehh? We're still doing that stuff?" Hoshino quickly changed her tune when she saw the murderous look on the freshman's face. "Uh, hey, Sensei. Takanashi Hoshino. I'm the vice president of Abydos' student council and president of the Foreclosure Task Force. Welcome to Abydos, please enjoy your stay, mind the venomous scorpions, et cetera et cetera."
Serika facepalmed from the other side of the table, and Nonomi smiled sheepishly. Ayane still looked rather bloodthirsty.
"Pleased to meet you all," I interjected before things got physical. I decided to get straight to the point. "What were you saying earlier about restoring Abydos? Does it have anything to do with the financial difficulties you mentioned?"
With that, the mood in the room instantly turned somber.
"Well…" Ayane began hesitantly.
"Wait, we're actually going to tell him about THAT?" Serika asked.
"Why not?" Nonomi replied.
"Because all this time it's been our problem to deal with, not anyone else's! Nobody's bothered to help us before – not the GSC, not the other, bigger academies. Why should we count on the help of an outsider to fix our problems?" the prickly girl bitterly remarked.
"Maybe what you need is a solution out of the box. I've found that all it takes sometimes is a fresh perspective," I suggested.
Serika gave a frustrated look. "I don't think a 'fresh perspective' is enough to-"
"Alright, Serika. Let's dial things back a bit," Hoshino calmly interrupted, her mien unusually serious. "Sensei helped us out when we were in a pickle, so the least we can do is let him know what the Foreclosure Task Force has been working toward this whole time."
Serika huffed and crossed her arms. Ayane took the vice president's words as an indication to continue.
"The truth is… Abydos has accrued quite a bit of debt. Approximately 900 million yen," she said with a tired smile.
I scratched my head. The only metric of their currency I had was a bag of chips, which was 280 yen.
Abydos' debt was around three million times the price of a bag of chips. Predictably, this didn't help me put their crisis into perspective.
"…Is that a lot?"
Serika groaned and let her forehead impact the table. The others mostly looked confused.
"Um…" Ayane began, taken aback at my ignorance. "Yes, putting it lightly. It's enough money to buy a small district."
Ah. That made more sense.
"How did Abydos accrue such a large debt, then?" I asked.
"A few years ago, the district was accosted by increasingly destructive sandstorms. Coupled with the worst droughts in its history, this was enough to drive out the majority of Abydos' population," Ayane explained with a deep frown. "Right now, Abydos is still a very large district. But it's only a fraction of what the district used to be before desert overtook much of it."
"The residential district you saw was among the least afflicted areas," Shiroko chipped in.
Ayane nodded at Shiroko in thanks, then turned back to me. "The costs of the ensuing relief efforts skyrocketed beyond what taxpayer funds and Abydos' reserves could cover. The former student council was forced to turn to loan sharks, as no bank was willing to lend that much money and nobody else was willing to aid the failing district."
Loan sharks. I didn't like where this was going.
Serika mentioned the GSC and the other large academies being unwilling to help. If this was true, I had a lot of questions for the GSC president if she was ever found.
No matter the world, politics is a bitch.
"And so, as the last remaining students of Abydos, it falls to us to shoulder this debt. Several of us have even taken up part-time jobs to help pay off the debt, but we're barely keeping up with interest as it is. We don't even have enough money for school supplies. That's the situation we were in before the Kata-Kata gang attacked. The debt is likely even larger now…" Ayane glanced at the bag of Shiroko's ill-gotten gains. "…or maybe not."
"Should cover the damages and at least put a dent in the debt," Shiroko added with an unusually proud face as she patted the loot. Ayane and Serika gave her a dry look.
I twiddled my thumbs, lost in thought. "Hypothetically, if a student were to take on as many jobs as they can while doing the bare minimum in required schoolwork, how much would they make in one year?"
Ayane tilted her head as she ran the numbers in her head. "Around 150,000 yen, give or take a few tens of thousands, not taking into account living expenses and supplies."
"...What are the names of the loan companies?" I asked after a pause.
Ayane looked baffled by the sudden shift in line of questioning. "Predominantly Kaiser Loans, why?"
"…Want me to take care of the loan company?"
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head before it dawned on her. "Wait…"
"Are you a teacher or a hitman?!" Serika asked, mortified.
"Yes."
Varying degrees of horror appeared on the students' faces, minus Hoshino and Shiroko.
"Sensei…" Nonomi began worriedly.
"I'm kidding," I lied as naturally as I breathed.
There goes the easy way out of this mess.
"I was just throwing things out there," I continued, "and let me preface this next part by saying that I will only speak objectively, as an advisor to Schale. I am in no way attempting to disparage your efforts." I met eyes with each member of the club before settling on Ayane's. "You will not be able to repay Abydos' debt at the rate you are going."
The entire group froze at my words.
"Please, go on." Ayane's face became grim, as if she knew exactly what I was going to say, but nonetheless wanted to hear it from someone else.
"The math doesn't add up. Even in the ideal scenario in which every one of you got a job and tirelessly worked toward paying it off, it just isn't possible for you to repay it. At least, not in your lifetimes." Of course, this assumed that students had human lifespans. Not to mention the loan interest.
Judging from the reactions around me, this was unfortunate but old news to the Foreclosure Task Force.
Serika appeared to be taking it the worst, if her trembling fists and barely suppressed anger were any indication. Though her anger looked like it was directed at my words, rather than myself.
Ayane sighed. "We know. That's why we do all we can to at least hold back the interest while we figure out a solution. We've been holding weekly meetings to determine a course of action, but we haven't been making much headway…"
"I see. I'll attend your next meeting, then."
"Eh?"
"You will?" Nonomi asked, delighted.
I nodded. "The fact that nobody has bothered to help Abydos so far is a disgrace. I refuse to let this situation go on any further." I gave a small shrug. "Plus, I like deserts."
The Foreclosure Task Force generally found the statement agreeable, and Shiroko gave a knowing look at my innocuous last statement. Serika was still skeptical, and Hoshino's expression was drowsy but otherwise unreadable.
Ayane was mollified as she smiled. "Well then, the Foreclosure Task Force would be glad to have you as an advisor." She turned to Hoshino. "President?"
"No complaints here. Might be useful to have another old timer on board."
Now that I took offense to.
"Who are you calling old?"
"Uheheh~" Hoshino smirked. "Touched a nerve, huh?" Nonomi giggled at the banter.
"Welcome to the team, Sensei," Ayane cordially said, then addressed the room, clapping her hands once. "Good work today, everyone. It's been an eventful day, so please get some rest. We have tomorrow off, so please brainstorm ideas for our meeting the day after that. Dismissed."
With that, the room filled with the idle chatter of Nonomi and Hoshino. Ayane powered up her computer and began typing away at some interface. I watched with some interest and a smidge of suspicion as Serika picked up her bag and left without a word.
Shiroko wordlessly pulled up a seat next to me and sat, forgoing small talk and electing to clean her weapon instead. She was quite skilled at it, as if it were second nature to her. I pulled out my anti-materiel rifle and performed regular maintenance, taking care to ensure the gun was not loaded as I did so.
We proceeded for some time in silence, until my thoughts strayed to the gang from earlier.
"Ayane."
"Hm?"
"The gang we faced earlier. Were there any others, aside from the ones back at their base?"
"Hmm…" She tilted her head in thought. "To my knowledge, no. There may be a splinter group or two, since the gang's leadership isn't the most unified."
"Do you think you can keep an eye on their base?"
"Already on it. It looks like there hasn't been much activity since the group we defeated returned." True to her word, her computer screen displayed security camera footage around their base. "You must've really given them something to think about."
"Good."
"I may not completely agree with how you handled it, but… I think I can speak for all of us when I say thank you for your help."
"It's nothing."
"Though if you don't mind me saying…" Ayane continued pensively.
"Yes?"
"It's almost as if you were…angry back there, with the gangster leader."
At this point, Nonomi and Hoshino quieted down to listen to the conversation. Shiroko looked up from her weapon, interested.
"I guess I was a bit bothered," I admitted. "I've several lifetimes' worth of watching people take advantage of others. You tend to get tired of the same old song and dance, you know?"
After taking a moment to process my words, Ayane opened her mouth to respond. She was interrupted by a persistent, loud tapping from the window.
"Eh?"
Hovering in the air outside was a small mechanical drone that was painted black. No weapons from the looks of it, just carrying a parcel on its underside. A mail drone?
"One of yours?" I asked Ayane. The drone looked like the one Ayane used to survey the battlefield earlier, with some minute differences. The drone tapped its "nose" against the glass, as if asking to be let in.
She shook her head as she approached the window, looking at the robot from a better angle. "It says on the side… property of Millennium?" I shrugged when the student looked to me.
"Go ahead and let it in. Looks like it's only carrying mail, anyway," Hoshino said.
Ayane unlatched the window and slid it open. The drone lazily drifted in, held aloft by advanced propellers. The drone emitted a blue light that scanned the room, making me jump a bit, before hovering to me and gently depositing the hand-sized white parcel on the table in front of me. Its business concluded, the mail drone slowly flew back out of the building. Ayane shut the window behind it.
Nonomi excitedly sat next to me, opposite to Shiroko. "What is it, Sensei?!" She gasped and grinned conspiratorially. "Could it be…a love letter?"
"Definitely not."
Shiroko inspected the package closer. "That's the emblem of Seminar."
That didn't leave much ambiguity as to whom this was from.
"Seminar? Millennium's student council?" Hoshino remarked. "Making friends in high places, eh, Sensei?"
Ah, that's right. Due to her demeanor, it was easy to forget that Yuuka was essentially the equivalent of a high-ranking politician.
I picked up the package and undid the seals on the side. Lifting the cover, I retrieved a note that was placed inside. As Nonomi and Shiroko curiously watched from over my shoulders, I unfolded the note and read the neat, meticulous handwriting.
"To Sensei of Schale,
I trust you are well? I visited Schale earlier today but the staff informed me that you were in Abydos district. I came to inform you that the General Student Council approved our request to issue you a stipend. It took some haggling with the acting president, but Fuuka can be surprisingly persuasive. You should be receiving some funds for essential supplies sometime within the coming days.
In the meantime, however, please use this cell phone for correspondence. After all, what kind of civilized society would rely on only couriers for long-distance communication?"
To my present company's confusion, I lowered the letter for a moment. I was only the slightest bit indignant at Yuuka's insinuation that couriers were employed only by savages. I continued reading.
"The phone's an older model, but it should support basic functions such as MomoTalk easily enough. And rest assured - even an outdated phone of Millennium design should blow any other district's model out of the water in terms of functionality."
I could practically feel the smugness oozing out of the last sentence, and judging from Shiroko's expression, she thought the same.
"Lately, Seminar has been swamped with administrative work, but I should have the time to visit Schale in a few days' time to help with whatever you may need me to. Please take care during your business in Abydos – I hear the district has been in a tight spot as of late.
Best,
Hayase Yuuka
P.S. Remember, the stipend is for essential supplies only!"
I tilted my head at the addendum. Of course guns, ammo, and explosives were essential supplies.
Some part of me felt that Yuuka got the wrong idea about my situation. I wasn't starving to death or anything. Even if I didn't take into account supplies I brought with me from the Wastes, I was resourceful enough to live off the land if I had to. I couldn't see myself using a phone all that much, either.
Still, the stipend and loaning me a phone were kind gestures. I'd have to thank her sometime.
"Sensei, this Yuuka person…" Shiroko started. "Is she good at fighting?"
"Huh?" The odd question took me by surprise.
"Please don't plan on fighting somebody you've never met." Ayane sighed, as if reading her mind.
"…Fine."
Tentatively retrieving the device from the box, I flipped it around in my hands. Sure enough, the back bore Millennium's logo. What looked like a miniature camera was embedded in the top left. Interesting.
"Do you need the Hi-Fi password? Since reception isn't the greatest near the school building…" Nonomi asked.
"What's a Hi-Fi?"
Nonomi seemed confused at the idea of having to explain the concept. "It's…you know, for internet connection."
"…What's an internet? Is it like social media?"
Nonomi was stunned speechless. Thankfully, Ayane came to her rescue. "How do you know what social media is but not internet? Anyway, it's the series of interconnected networks that allows for communication between computers on a global scale. Surely you've used it before?"
"Nope."
"They…don't have internet where you're from?" Ayane asked in disbelief.
I shook my head. "We had intranet, but they were networks that were restricted to very large corporations and government." Pre-war, that is. The terminals of companies like Nuka-Cola and RobCo made up the lion's share of the terminals I had hacked in the past.
"If Serika-chan were here, she'd say something along the lines of, 'we finally found somebody who acts older than Hoshino!'" Nonomi imitated, tittering at the idea.
"Hey, even Oji-san uses cell phones and internet."
Abydos' heavy gunner suddenly stood up, looking determined. "This looks like a job for Nonomi!"
"…?"
"It's time for the teacher to learn from the student!" Nonomi declared before sidling up next to me, a little too close for comfort. Shiroko shot her a glare, but it didn't look like Nonomi even noticed. "Since you're new to cell phones too, I can show you the ropes. Like how to charge it, add a lock screen, set a cute wallpaper… Ooooh, I can add everyone's numbers on your MomoTalk! Then we can search the web, look at pictures of cats… and my personal favorite – online shopping!"
As I only understood a portion of what she said, I could only nod numbly. The others looked on in amusement, except Shiroko, who had the look of a predator defending its territory.
Nonomi spared no effort in instructing me on the usage of the compact, fragile device. She was especially amused by the fact that the phone's MomoTalk app already had a certain Seminar treasurer's phone number registered in its contacts. Personally, I couldn't see why Nonomi found that so funny.
Before we knew it, the frigid desert night descended on the Abydos district, and its misfortunate students' day came to an end.