Shifting in the helicopter passenger seat, I clumsily navigated the cell phone's touch screen interface until I came across my destination – MomoTalk. Upon pressing the app, the peach logo flashed repeatedly as the software loaded. The app then presented a list of its registered contacts, five of them being the students from Abydos, and the last being the lone Millennium student. I selected the latter, pondering what to do now that I was presented with a text box with numerous buttons on the top right.
Let's see… How did Nonomi say this works, again?
Shrugging, I pressed one of the buttons on the top right of the screen. The screen blackened as it displayed a message that stated the word "CONNECTING". Interestingly, a small box in the bottom left corner displayed real-time footage of my helmeted visage. Upon testing, I deduced that the feed was being captured from the phone's inward camera. A video message?
My question was answered when the screen suddenly lit up, and one purple-haired treasurer came into view. Her surroundings consisted of a well-lit office, and on the desk she sat at, documents were arranged in meticulously arranged stacks. She held a piping-hot white mug bearing Millennium's logo with one hand, and presumably her phone in the other.
Real-time video communication. Intriguing.
"Sensei? Why are you video calling me?" Yuuka asked, a baffled eyebrow raised.
"Am I not supposed to?" I asked back, concealing the fact that I really just pressed whatever button I thought would work.
"I mean, it's fine, it's just…" Yuuka averted her eyes. "Video calls are usually reserved for…"
"…For?"
"…Never mind." She shook her head, dismissing the line of conversation. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"I wanted to thank you for the phone, and for negotiating with Rin. You really didn't need to, but you did it anyway, so thanks."
"Ah, that," Yuuka said in realization. "It was nothing. And the stipend really should have been issued to you from day one, so it would have been remiss of me not to correct such an error."
"How much do I owe you?"
"Pardon?" Yuuka was taken aback at the suddenness of the question.
"Remuneration. For the phone," I enunciated clearly. Surely someone as smart as Yuuka understood the value of quid pro quo.
"Sensei, if you're concerned about remuneration, don't be. It was of virtually no cost to myself or Seminar."
"What do you mean?"
"The phone used to be mine, but I purchased a newer model because it supports the most recent edition of a companion app for my scientific calculator," she said with a self-satisfied look on her face. "The old one was just collecting dust, so best help out someone who needs it, right?"
I see. This one's just a hand-me-down.
Even so, I disliked the idea of owing someone, even the person themselves insisted otherwise. My usual method of repayment, which tended to consist of killing someone, was likely off the table, unless I grossly misjudged Yuuka's moral integrity.
Maybe there was a sink or washing machine that needed fixing at Millennium?
I almost snorted at the idea. If the academy could utilize energy shielding on par with the Enclave or Think Tank, then it was unlikely they would have such mundane problems. Thus, I let the issue of repayment go for now.
"If you say so."
"I do say so. If you're that concerned with paying me back, then just keep doing a good job at Schale, and we're even," Yuuka insisted.
"Fine."
"While we're on the topic of Schale, what have you been up to in Abydos as of late?"
"Debt and attempted kidnappings."
Yuuka blinked. "I…see?"
"Yup."
"…Care to elaborate?" she asked with a modicum of concern.
"Nope."
Obvious irritation lined her features. "Alright. Do you have any other riveting findings from Abydos to unveil?" she asked sarcastically.
"Yes. I have made a pertinent discovery."
"Oh?" Yuuka regarded me in slight interest as she took a sip of coffee. "Do share."
"You are a tsundere."
The helicopter's passenger area was filled with the sounds of sputtering as Yuuka choked on her coffee. Some of the beverage spilled onto some important-looking documents. She hastily shifted away the paperwork as she set the mug down, coughing.
"Wh-what in the world are you talking about? How is that, in any way, pertinent?" she managed to say once she wasn't dying. Her face was fiercely red, but I wasn't sure if it was from the coughing or my discovery.
"So you don't deny it," I concluded, smugly confident in my findings. From a psychoanalytical perspective, her reaction was quite interesting.
"Of course I deny it! Do you even know what that word means?"
Nodding sagely, I nearly quoted Nonomi verbatim. "It means that you can act really mean, but deep down you care a lot."
"That definition's not strictly wrong, but…"
"Do you not care deep down?" I tilted my head.
She avoided the question as she blushed. "A-anyway! That's not something you just tell someone!"
"Why not?"
"Because…" Yuuka trailed off, at a loss for words. She looked like she'd rather talk about literally anything else. I, of course, disregarded this. For science.
"Is it societally or culturally unacceptable?"
"Not necessarily…"
"Is it widely seen as a negative trait?"
She shifted uncomfortably. "Depends on who you ask…"
"…Is it of a sexual nature?" I hadn't considered the possibility that Nonomi either lied to me or that she actually was some manner of deviant.
Yuuka somehow managed to choke on nothing as she turned an even more impressive shade of red. "Wha?! No! Absolutely not!"
I scratched the side of my head. "Then I don't see why you can't just tell someone."
"W-well…"
"Yuuka-chan, who are you talking to?" a female voice from behind Yuuka interrupted.
Yuuka's eyes went wide as she turned to face someone behind her. I caught a glimpse of a Millennium uniform and straight white hair. "Noa?!" The screen turned black as Yuuka laid the phone face-down. "Sorry, I have to go!" she hastily said right before the call spontaneously ended.
Just who was this Noa person? Anyone who could make Yuuka flustered enough to instantly hang up a phone call sounded fun to talk to.
The chopper pilot notified me of our arrival in Abydos district. I put away the cell phone as I prepared for our landing.
"Now that we've finished with roll call," Ayane announced, "let us begin the Foreclosure Task Force weekly meeting. However, this meeting is a little bit different than the previous ones, in that Abydos now has its own advisor that will be attending. Please give a warm welcome to Schale's Sensei!"
Nonomi, Shiroko, and Ayane heartily clapped while Serika simply crossed her arms and Hoshino yawned languidly. I gave a somewhat awkward wave to the group; Ayane sure did enjoy her redundant formalities.
"Now then, let us turn to the prominent issue at hand, namely, Abydos' debt. As this is an open discussion, anyone who wishes to go first may raise their hand."
A moment of silence passed, and no one raised their hands. Instead, everyone in the room turned to face me.
"What?" I asked.
"Well… I suppose we were under the impression that you might have an idea for us, 'out of the box', as you put it last time," Ayane replied sheepishly.
"I have some ideas, yeah."
"What are you waiting for? Spit them out, then," Serika rudely said, receiving a sharp glance from her fellow freshman.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to hear all your unbiased answers first," I said.
"That makes sense." Ayane nodded. "Sensei may go last. Now, does anyone have a proposition they wish to share?"
This time, three hands shot up. The first to go up was Serika's.
"Kuromi Serika has the floor."
The student in question stood up. "Alright! Now, you're all familiar with how Abydos has been getting the short end of the stick. The sandstorms, the climate change, losing nearly all its residents… And nothing we do seems to change anything. What we need is to shift gears a bit. What we need…is a change in luck."
Upon hearing Serika's last sentence, several students groaned. Well acquainted with the elusive power of [Luck], I leaned forward, intrigued.
Unperturbed by her classmates' lackluster response, Serika withdrew a flyer from her bag and plastered it onto the table for all to see.
"Germanium Granite…Bracelet Network?" Shiroko read incredulously.
"That's right!" Serika proclaimed as she rolled up her sleeve, displaying a silverish bracelet on her wrist. "They've been scientifically proven to benefit your mood, bolster your combat capabilities, and increase your luck tenfold! And they're cheap enough for all of us to get two each, one for each wrist!"
Unable to stop myself, I started audibly snickering.
"Wh-what's so funny?!" Serika asked as she became red in the face.
"Serika-chan's so gullible, and we love her for it!" Nonomi started giggling alongside me.
Indignant, Serika pointed to the flyer. "No, see here? It says that the health benefits have been accredited by a team of scientists!"
"More like a team of charlatans," I remarked between laughs.
"But…but the studies are peer-reviewed!"
"Any idiot can fork over enough dough to get a publication passed and peer-reviewed." At least, that was how some pre-war institutions operated. "Plus, how is germanium supposed to do all that? It's a non-essential metalloid compound with dubious significance in organic processes."
A moment in which the students present tried to digest what I just said.
"Didn't expect you to go full-on egghead there, Sensei," Hoshino remarked, blinking in surprise.
"Well, he is a teacher," Nonomi commented, also surprised.
"In other words, you've been duped, Serika," Shiroko stated.
"Ugh…" Serika sat back down, on the verge of tears. "I sacrificed my lunch money for one of these things…and it's a scam?"
Nonomi reached over the table and patted her on the head. "I'll treat you to lunch later, don't worry."
Ayane retook her place at the podium, quite unsettled. "Alright then…Who wants to go next?"
Defying my expectations, Hoshino's hand shot into the air.
"President Hoshino has the floor."
The diminutive student shakily stood from her seat, as if it were a huge hassle. "Okay. So, here's the deal," she began, her face unusually serious. Her tone commanded the full attention of her underclassmen. "A large part of the issue of our debt is that we don't have enough manpower to dedicate to solving it. We have Trinity and Gehenna over here with five digit enrollment, while we at Abydos have literally five enrollment. See where I'm going with this?"
Murmurs of agreement and mild shock that their vice president was actually saying something sensible for once spread out across the students.
"Here's my proposition," Hoshino said, while her audience waited with bated breath. "We hijack another academy's school bus. That'll get our enrollment numbers up for sure, and that means we'll have more people to tackle the debt issue with."
"…Hah?" Serika was the first to respond, dumbfounded.
"Excuse me?!" Ayane replied in disbelief.
Shiroko nodded. "I see. Who's our target, then?"
"Hold it, both of you," I said, holding up a hand. Ayane looked at me in hopes that I would stamp out Hoshino's nonsense. "You're forgetting something important."
"And what is that?" Shiroko asked.
"Every student in the city is armed. They're bound to put up resistance when you try to hijack their bus."
"Then we shoot them until they agree to enroll with us," Hoshino suggested as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
I gave the idea some thought, then nodded. "I see. Solid plan, then. I would suggest avoiding Millennium for now, since their tech may pose a problem."
"Sensei?!" Ayane looked as if I betrayed her.
"Then that leaves Gehenna and Trinity," Shiroko pondered.
"Gehenna is known for its students being rowdy and hard to control, no?" I recalled.
"Mm, you're right. Trinity it is, then. Senpai?"
"It's decided! We're targeting Trinity!" Hoshino scooped up her folded shield and gun. Shiroko also stood up.
"We're going right now?!" Serika exclaimed.
"No time like the present, my dear kouhai."
"Wait!" Ayane shrieked.
"What's wrong?" Shiroko asked.
"What's wrong? What's wrong?! Can you imagine what would happen if the Tea Party caught wind of our actions?"
"Then we shoot them too," Hoshino said with a smile that was probably meant to be reassuring.
"Pretty sound logic, I gotta say," I added.
Ayane pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to suppress the urge to commit mutiny.
"Don't worry, Ayane. They'll never find out it's us. After all, we have these." Shiroko reached into her bag and pulled out a smaller pouch, tossing it onto the table. Inside the pouch were ski masks of varying colors. Shiroko slipped hers on.
"Whoa! You made these yourself, Shiroko-chan?!" Hoshino also grabbed and slipped the pink ski mask on, the number 1 sewn on the top.
"Mm. Originally I had prepared these for my suggestion, which was to hit the Central Bank, but they're good for this too."
And so Shiroko shows her true colors, I thought in amusement.
"Hit the bank?!" Serika and Ayane cried in tandem. The latter shot me an icy glare.
"Hey, don't look at me, I didn't teach her that." I raised my hands defensively.
Nonomi giggled as she equipped her green one, marked as number 3. "Check it out! Don't I look like a luchador?" She grabbed the red one and tried to pass it to Serika, who vehemently refused it.
Shiroko turned to me. "I didn't have enough time to make you one, Sensei. So I got this instead." The student reached into her pack and brought out a motorcycle helmet that looked suspiciously like the ones the Helmet Gang used. She pulled out a permanent marker and began to draw a 5 on the top of the stolen helmet.
"Let me see that," I told Shiroko, who stopped and handed me the helmet and the marker. On a whim, I drew a number 6 on the forehead of the helmet where the 5 would have been.
"Six?" Shiroko asked confusedly. "But there's only five in our group, with Ayane being number 0."
"Six is my lucky number."
I doubted that I'd have to use this helmet as a disguise, anyway. There was no way Ayane would allow something as ludicrous as hijacking a bus or robbing a bank.
It must be a heavy burden, being the only sensible person in the entire district.
I observed as the person who was normally the most patient finally reached a breaking point, and, in a slightly surprising display of strength, flipped the large table the Foreclosure Task Force convened at. The upended table hit the floor with a thud as everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared wide-eyed at Ayane.
"Pyramid schemes? Kidnappings? Bank robbery?! Are none of you taking this seriously?!" Ayane shrieked.
Serika looked ashamed of her suggestion being lumped with the obviously illegal ones.
"But we were being serious-" Shiroko started.
"I don't want to hear it! Just what kind of outrageous suggestion will you all think of next?!"
"I was actually thinking we could become idols…" Nonomi offered sheepishly.
"Denied," Hoshino instantly responded.
"What? Why?" Nonomi asked, hurt that her proposal was shot down even quicker than Hoshino's.
"We're already endlessly harassed by hired thugs. The last thing Abydos needs is a bunch of creepy fans following our every move!" Serika exclaimed.
"But I've already thought of idol names for us and everything… And we even have a producer!" Nonomi pointed at me.
"What are idols and producers, and do I even want to know?" I flatly replied.
"No," Serika bluntly answered for me.
"Oh, Sensei, you sweet summer child…" Hoshino laughed.
Ayane, who looked just about done with life, cleared her throat loudly. "Anyway! Since it looks like we're all done with suggestions on our end…" She paused briefly in case anyone else offered, and no one spoke up. "…then go ahead with yours, Sensei. I do hope your ideas are more reasonable." She gave a furtive glance to Hoshino, Shiroko, and Nonomi, who still wore their ski masks.
"Sure." I rummaged around in my pack and retrieved a paper notice I had retrieved from my foray into the outskirts of the district yesterday. "I noticed these posted all around town, thought they might be useful for making a quick buck."
"A bounty notice?" Hoshino said as she glanced at the paper. "Not a bad idea, but…"
"Senpai and I already turn those in," Shiroko informed.
"Wait, really?" I asked. "These are all around town."
"Likely because nobody bothers replacing them," Ayane regretfully said. "Since much of the district is abandoned, the area has become something of a hot spot for wanted criminals and the like. Enforcement groups from other districts tend to come by and post bounty notices in the hopes that someone will take care of it, since the ability of other districts to act militarily in Abydos is severely limited. But as a result, the bounty notices tend to pile up quicker than we can remove them."
"Good money, but never enough," Shiroko said as she looked down.
"Hmm…" So fulfilling bounties was out. That was an easy way to make money back home.
Welp. On to my next idea, then. It was how I got filthy rich in New Vegas, and I saw no reason why it shouldn't work here.
"…Are there any casinos in Kivotos?"
"Oh, no…" Ayane cringed, as if she saw where I was going with this.
"There are a handful, just not in Abydos," Nonomi answered, puzzled at the question. "Why?"
"We go to gamble."
Expressions of shock ran predominant throughout the group.
"We win. Repeatedly."
Serika's mouth hung open. Hoshino raised an eyebrow. Ayane didn't even look like she was breathing.
"Then, once the casino kicks us out because we're running them out of business, we hop to the next one. Rinse and repeat until the debt is completely paid off. Hell, we'd probably have enough left over for presidential suites, maybe some nice guns while we're at it!" I leaned back into my seat, satisfied. "How about it?"
"Sensei…" Nonomi began.
"That is…" Shiroko continued.
"In all likelihood…" Ayane cringed at a level I never thought possible.
"The stupidest plan ever!" Serika shouted. "Seriously! How did you even become a teacher?! If it weren't for that sciencey mumbo jumbo earlier then I'd have thought you were braindead!"
"Welp, Oji-san is off for her morning nap. Wake me when the debt is paid," Hoshino said as she got up and tiredly shuffled off, only to be grabbed by the back of the collar by Ayane and forcefully sat back down. "Aw, man…"
"But it works!" I protested. "I've done it in the past!"
"Yeah, and I'm the GSC president," Serika replied sarcastically.
"It's the truth!" I looked for some support in the group, but none seemed to believe it was possible. I turned to the one I had known the longest. "Shiroko! You believe me, right?"
Shiroko winced as she was put on the spot. "Sensei…that's a little…" she trailed off as she avoided meeting my gaze.
So this is what betrayal feels like…
"Sensei, if you're finished with your jokes, then we're waiting for your actual suggestion as our advisor," Ayane sternly rebuked.
Grunting in irritation, I crossed my arms. "Fine. If you don't want the easy way out…"
"This oughta be good," Serika remarked.
"…then my last suggestion for now is for Abydos to play the long game."
"Long game?" Shiroko asked.
"We dig up dirt on Kaiser. An organization that large has to have their share of dirty laundry. Once we find something solid, we can use it as a bargaining chip."
"Sensei?" Ayane began tentatively. "Are you suggesting we try to blackmail Kaiser Corporation, one of the largest and most powerful corporations in the city?"
"If you want to call it that, sure. But fact is, you all need a leg to stand on. Especially if my theory is correct."
"Theory? What theory?"
I sighed. "That Kaiser is the true culprit behind the attacks."
"Wait, what?!" Serika exclaimed.
"Paying off that large of a debt is ludicrous. Kaiser must know that Abydos can't pay that much money out of pocket, so why pressure you into it? With Abydos' decreasing size, that'll just result in diminishing returns for Kaiser," I remarked. "And with how aggressively they've been pushing Abydos to sell off its own land, they must be aiming for you to eventually sell off your school."
"…Wait. What was that last part?" Shiroko said.
"Selling off your land?" I tilted my head.
"Yes."
"…Do you guys not know?"
"The previous student council sold off some of its properties to its creditors two years ago to help pay off its debts. Is that what you're talking about?" Ayane recalled.
"Only 'some'?" I repeated confusedly. Upon receiving blank stares, I brought up my Pip-Boy, turning some knobs as I formatted map templates. When I finished, I held out my arm to show the group the screen. "The blinking parts indicate which parts of the district are owned by Kaiser."
"Sensei? Almost the entire map is red…" Nonomi said nervously.
"I know."
"But this would mean they own basically everything except the school building! Are you certain this is correct?" Ayane fretted.
"GSC intel. See, I did a bit of homework on Kaiser. Multiple branches, with Kaiser Construction being the one that owns most of your land now." I frowned. "Frankly, I'm more surprised that you all didn't know about this."
"Without the president we're just not privy to confidential business transactions of that nature," Ayane said worriedly.
"The theory adds up with the fact that the Helmet Gang was after the school building," Shiroko contributed.
"But that's the thing. Why the school building? Is there anything especially of monetary worth here?" I asked.
Hoshino spoke up next, her features grim. "If there were, the previous student council would likely have sold it already."
"What was the previous student council thinking?!" Serika frustratedly exclaimed.
"I can't speak for them, seeing as they had already resigned by the time I joined, but I suspect they were desperate. And desperate people will do anything to alleviate their suffering." Hoshino ruminated.
"Senpai…?" Shiroko raised her eyebrows at Hoshino's sudden shift.
"Hm? Ah, just quoting something, is all."
I know that look in her eye, I noted as I watched her go back to her usual self. She's definitely got baggage.
Clearing my throat to help break up the morose atmosphere, I brought us back to the original purpose of the meeting. "Anyway, that's what I got for now. It's still just a suggestion – we don't need to decide on a course of action just yet. Take time to think on it."
Everyone's moods transitioned, as if they were all too happy to postpone the soul-crushing realization that their hopeless situation was actually worse than they thought.
"So basically nothing changes for now." Serika groaned. "Why can't things ever be simple?"
"You know what? I have never agreed with you more than I do now!" I reached over and ruffled her hair, much to her consternation.
"H-hey! Watch the ears!"
Smiling slightly at our interactions, Ayane chose to end the meeting on that note, and the Foreclosure Task Force dispersed for their daily routines. Myriad thoughts weighed heavily on their minds, the most prominent of which was probably the revelation that Kaiser had been screwing them from the start.
I missed the Wasteland's simplicity. Over there it would have just been a matter of killing those responsible for the debt. Hunting down Kaiser's executives was indeed one of my go-to options, until I researched how debt works here. Here in Kivotos, as long as the company formally existed, Abydos' debt would persist. Words could not express my dissatisfaction at the discovery. Loathe as I was to admit it, this was a problem that could not simply be solved with excess violence.
Not yet, anyway.
Looking over the menu, I realized just how out of the loop I was culturally. Chashu, shio, miso… I had no idea there were so many types of ramen. The only ramen I ever knew were pre-war instant noodles.
"Here are your drinks," Serika said grouchily, clad in her waitress uniform. She passed around various beverages from a round tray. "Hurry up and order, so you can get out already."
"Oho? That's no way to treat your esteemed customers, Serika-chan," Hoshino replied with a teasing smile.
"You're the weirdoes who followed me here!"
"Are you embarrassed of us? Don't you want us to meet your boss?" Nonomi cheerily asked.
"Absolutely not!"
I unconsciously tuned out their banter and gave the ice water in front of me a quick inspection. A brief scan from my Pip-Boy revealed that the drink had no rads, just like every other food item in this city so far. As I felt slightly parched, I removed my helmet and took a long drink, relishing the cool sensation, before screwing open my Vault 13 canteen and refilling it with the remainder of the glass. I just finished screwing the cap back on when I realized that their conversation had died down, and everybody was staring at me.
"…What? Didn't anybody teach you lot it's rude to stare?"
Ayane was the first to avert her eyes, going red from embarrassment from being caught staring. "Oh, it's just…"
"So there is a human under there after all," Serika remarked, smiling.
"Yeah, and he has feelings," I shot back, my amused smirk betraying my words.
Shiroko, who sat next to me, stared into my eyes for a time, before simply uttering, "Mm." She returned to her energy drink, though I could have sworn she inched closer to me.
Nonomi gave a wordless smile after studying my face briefly, and the table gradually returned to their conversation.
Except Hoshino. The vice president of Abydos levelled a constant gaze on me, or, more specifically, my upper forehead.
Right where I had been shot by Benny.
I felt some nervous sweat form on my face. It wasn't that I was necessarily embarrassed to show the scar to anyone. But rather, I felt that was a conversation that none of these students were ready to have. Thinking back to how Serika reacted to the mere sight of my blood, I didn't want to imagine the hysteria that would ensue were I to tell them that I was shot in the head, twice, then buried alive and left for dead.
Playing ignorance was an option, sure. But in a place like Kivotos, chances were they knew what a bullet scar looked like. Not everybody here had haloes, after all.
What also concerned me is how exactly she saw it. Normally it was obscured by my hair, and the fact that not even Shiroko's sharp eyes caught it meant that there was something else at play here. There had to be.
Hoshino's piercing orange and blue stare persisted. The student furrowed her brow and frowned deeply.
"Senpai," Shiroko said, receiving no response. "Senpai!" The wolf-eared student shook Hoshino on the shoulder.
Hoshino's eyes snapped back to reality, and she turned to her underclassman, her visage seamlessly swapping to her 'old man' act. "Ah, you saw that, did you? Sorry, Oji-san must be getting a bit of dementia, heheh…"
Shiroko arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
With that, Hoshino returned to mingling with her classmates, as if nothing happened.
When the time came to place our orders, I paused at one particular entry.
"What's an oni?" I asked aloud.
"An oni is a type of youkai. A demon." Ayane clarified further once she saw the face I made.
Youkai, I thought humoredly. Do they really need a separate name for a demon? Folklore is weird.
"I'll get the oni ramen, then."
"You sure?" Serika asked. "Master Shiba put that on the menu as a joke because he said there's no way there's anyone that'll eat something so spicy in a desert."
"Sounds like a challenge to me."
The waitress rolled her eyes as she jotted down the order. "Whatever you say."
"…Can I change my shio ramen to oni ramen?" Shiroko asked.
"You're that eager to one-up Sensei?" Serika asked flatly.
"Um…"
"Nope!" Nonomi interjected. "It's just that Shiroko-chan really looks up to Sensei and wants to emulate him! Right? Right~?"
The normally stoic Shiroko went red in the face and didn't respond. Nonomi smiled amusedly at her response.
I passed the next ten minutes or so absently flicking through my Pip-Boy's inventory when I heard a noise.
"Psst. Sensei," Arona whispered from my pack. The students were too engrossed in a conversation about schoolwork to hear it.
"Hm?"
"Check your Pip-Boy's status screen."
Somewhat intrigued, I flipped over to the status tab, not sure what to expect. When I saw the status screen, I froze.
"Sensei? What's wrong?" Nonomi noticed the absolute confusion on my face.
"…I'll be right back," I said as I excused myself from the table, walking outside.
Once I was away from prying ears, I held up my Pip-Boy again.
Nope. It's still there.
"Arona."
"Yes, Sensei?" The AI could barely contain her excitement.
"What did you do to Vault Boy?" I asked in a carefully measured tone.
Arona let loose a giggle. "Do you like it? I drew it myself!"
"Okay… But what is it supposed to be?"
"It's you, silly!"
I took a closer look. The screen that normally depicted Vault-Boy's cartoony self along with various health information was unchanged…except for Vault Boy's face. Instead of Vault Boy's characteristic devil-may-care grin, he sported a face that I could only describe as poorly drawn. The eyes and smile consisted of simple curved lines, and he sported a dot nose, rudimentary ears, and scribbled-on hair. To say that a five-year-old drew it would be an insult to the five-year-old.
"…"
"Well? What do you think? Pretty spot-on, huh?"
"…"
"Don't underestimate the art capabilities of an AI!" Arona proudly declared.
"…Can you change it back?"
"Um, I think I can, but…does that mean you don't like it?"
Though the AI was not in view, the mere mental image of Arona's puppy-dog eyes made me feel like a monster for even considering saying 'no'.
"It's…cute."
"Really?! I'm so glad! I put a lot of effort into that one!"
Maybe Arona's actually a master of sarcasm, and I just haven't caught on…
"I can tell."
"Does that mean we can keep him like that?" she asked.
I swapped tabs on my Pip-Boy to view the S.P.E.C.I.A.L. screen and found Vault Boy thankfully intact. It looked like she only altered the status screen, so if I ever missed the little guy, I could always swap tabs.
"…Sure," I replied. She blocks explosions, and in return I let her doodle on Vault Boy? Pretty fair trade.
"Yay! Thanks, Sensei!"
As I re-entered the restaurant and retook my seat with the group, Serika arrived with our orders.
"Sorry about the wait. Steamer's been on the fritz lately, so we had to use a backup," she informed, before handing out various bowls and utensils.
Inspecting my food, I noted that the bowl's contents were redder than the others, barring Shiroko's. The noodles were soaked in a broth containing several ingredients that were alien to me. The smell was novel but otherwise delectable.
I was ready to dig in before a problem came to my attention, and I scowled.
The only utensils provided were two wooden sticks and a weirdly shaped spoon. Did people really eat like this?
"Thanks for the food!" everyone else declared while clasping their hands together, as if in prayer. Then they began to eat, though Shiroko noticed something was amiss.
"Sensei?" she asked as I glowered at the utensils.
"Could it be…you don't know how to use chopsticks?" Nonomi gasped across the table.
"Nope."
Nonomi picked up her chopsticks. "It can't be helped, this is an emergency. Sensei is in need of proper guidance and correction!" she announced in a chipper manner. "Now, try holding them like this…"
I clumsily mimicked the way she held the utensils. "Like this?"
She laughed heartily. "No, no! You have to put your index finger and thumb on the other one! Here, I'll show you~" Nonomi reached over the table and gingerly grasped my fingers with her own, fixing their position. "And then you pick up things like this…"
The others watched the "teaching" session in various degrees of amusement. Though the glare that Shiroko levelled at Nonomi the whole time was cold enough to cause a nuclear winter.
Following Nonomi's lead, I was eventually able to use the utensils with enough dexterity to eat with.
The noodles were a perfect blend of salty and spicy, though personally I thought that it could have used some jalapeño peppers. The meat bore a familiar taste that reminded me of that one time I tried Radhog on my way to California.
This was pork, then. Unmutated pigs, along with cows, were, as far as I knew, extinct in the Wasteland. And while I'd had pork in various 200-year-old MREs and processed foods, I found the prospect of having it fresh somewhat surreal.
Shiroko, meanwhile, gulped down a glass of water and beckoned Serika for a refill, to which the latter rolled her eyes and obliged. Shiroko's wolf ears were a bright red, and I could have sworn I saw steam come from them. Guess she wasn't used to spicy food.
Around ten minutes later, Hoshino leaned back into the seat and patted her stomach. "Ah, that hit the spot."
"Serika, you have good taste in ramen restaurants," Ayane commented.
"Mm." Shiroko, who had gone through two pitchers of water, agreed.
"W-well, it's not like I had a choice. This is the only remaining ramen joint in the district," Serika said as she crossed her arms and looked away.
I finished off my portion and nodded. "Pretty darn good."
"Right? It tastes even better, knowing that Sensei's treating us." Hoshino smirked.
I froze as all eyes landed on me.
"It's nice, being able to see Sensei's facial expressions," Nonomi remarked with a titter.
"He's totally flat broke." Serika snickered.
"I guess this one's on me, then!" Nonomi reached into her pocket and pulled out what I initially thought was a flashbang.
The entire room briefly lit up in a flash of light, and most of the group was forced to cover their eyes.
"Nonomi! Give us a heads up before you pull that thing out, will you?" Hoshino complained as she rubbed her eyes.
"Ah, sorry…"
Blinking away the spots in my eyes, I registered what seemed to be a rectangular card made of what looked like solid gold, judging by the lustrous sheen of the item. The item bore an uncanny resemblance to the item I saw in my inventory when I first arrived – the Adult Card.
"What's that?" I asked, trying to appear nonchalant.
"It's a credit card! You use it to pay for stuff!" she answered before handing it to Serika.
Interesting. A form of electronic payment. If this technology existed pre-war, then it was never widely adopted by the public.
What I wanted to know was its connection to the card I apparently received on day one. Could it be possible that the GSC president didn't actually leave me without any form of recompense?
As Nonomi got her card back, the students stood up to leave. As I recalled, they had classes for the rest of the day, though Serika finished her schoolwork ahead of time so she could get some hours in at the ramen shop today.
"You're not going with them, Sensei?" Serika asked as she cleaned up after our table.
"I will soon enough," I said, donning my helmet. "But you mentioned something about a broken steamer?"
"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry…" Haruka profusely apologized. "It's my fault isn't it? I really should just disappear forever…maybe that'll make up for my mistakes…no, for my mere existence…"
"Haruka. Aru already told you it's not your fault, okay?" Kayoko sighed.
"Yeah. You couldn't have known that this district would be such a pain to navigate," Mutsuki offered as she walked, swinging her bag back and forth rhythmically.
Even with Haruka handling the GPS, navigating this district proved to be an absolute pain. One could walk for miles and see not a hint of habitation. It was a situation that was ideal for those who dealt in the criminal realm, but not for those who had never visited the district before. The latter of which was, unfortunately, the group that Problem Solver 68 found themselves in.
Their meandering around the district took up the lion's share of the previous night. Though they had been instructed to "relieve" the Helmet Gang of their duties, the group came across only an abandoned complex where the gang was supposed to be hiding. Mutsuki said that it was fine as long as Problem Solver got the credit for relieving them, but Kayoko couldn't help but wonder.
Abydos, being mostly abandoned, was truly a haven for criminal organizations and gangs. Kayoko knew that the Helmet Gang had multiple strongholds scattered throughout the city, but for them to abandon what was basically their most secure one? Something must have happened to make the gang suddenly pack up and leave.
"We're here," Aru announced grandly as they came to a stop. "This is hardly an establishment up to the refined tastes of the best fixers in all of Kivotos, but I suppose we'll have to make do."
"In other words, we're hoping that they have anything below 600 yen, or we're boned?" Mutsuki helpfully offered.
"W-well, business expenditures come first!" Aru hastily replied. "And once we're done with this job, we'll be infamous city-wide! People will be begging us to accept their contracts! We'll be practically bathing in yen!"
"I dunno, Aru-chan, bathing in yen doesn't sound very sanitary to me…"
"Bathing in yen…" Haruka dreamily looked to the skies. "Maybe we'll even be able to afford luxuries like full course meals…or lobster… But does trash like me even deserve to appreciate such fine delicacies...?"
"All that and more, my dear associate. All that and more," Aru assured with the utmost confidence. "But for now, let us take a moment to rest up before our big operation. A boss wouldn't do very well to let her employees starve on the job, now would she?"
"Technically, we're off the clock right now…" Mutsuki interjected as she relished Aru's briefly flustered reaction.
Problem Solver 68 entered the building and was immediately beset by the wonderful aroma of tonkotsu broth.
"Welcome to Shiba Seki Ramen! Table for four?" a cat-eared waitress asked.
"Depends," Mutsuki said. "What's the cheapest thing you got on the menu?"
"That'll be the regular Shiba Seki Ramen bowl for 580 yen."
"Perfect! We'll take one."
"…Just one? But there's four of you…" she trailed off as she eyed the group.
"I'm so sorry we're poor, please forgive us." Haruka bowed as she apologized.
The waitress' demeanor immediately changed as she became more sympathetic. "Hey, that's nothing to be ashamed of. We're all students scraping by here, right?"
"Uh, right…" Kayoko said somewhat awkwardly.
"Sit tight. It'll be out soon. Feel free to sit wherever you want," the waitress replied before she wrote down the order and walked off to behind the kitchen.
Aru led the group to the most inconspicuous corner of the restaurant and they each had a seat, with Mutsuki sharing a booth with Kayoko.
"580 yen, huh? That's not too bad," Aru said.
"It was right on our budget, Boss," Kayoko blandly replied.
"Good thing too, since who knows how many more miles we'd have to walk until we found another restaurant," Mutsuki complained, propping up her cheek with a palm.
"This district really is huge, isn't it?" Haruka wondered. "It's almost as big as Gehenna."
"Sure it's big, but don't you think that Abydos is a bit boring? I mean, there's no good places to prank people or blow up stuff. Everyone's all scattered…" Mutsuki responded.
"We're here strictly on business, Chief of Staff Mutsuki. Wreaking havoc is fine, but our contract comes first."
Mutsuki stuck out her tongue at her. "Whatever you say, Aru-chan."
"I-I told you to call me Boss!"
While Aru went on a rant about business ventures and employer-employee decorum, Kayoko spotted something out of the corner of her eye. She nudged Mutsuki.
"Hm?"
"Over there, behind the kitchen counter," Kayoko whispered surreptitiously.
Behind the counter, a dog, presumably the owner of the restaurant, occasionally engaged a man in conversation as the dog prepared their food. The man, who wore a black coat and helmet, was on one knee as he serviced a kitchen appliance. Various tools were scattered around him.
"Wait, isn't that…"
Kayoko nodded. "That's Schale's Sensei."
"What's he doing here? Think he found a job as a repairman?"
Kayoko doubted it. She figured it best to let Aru know. "Boss," she interrupted.
"What is it, Department Head Kayoko? Do you have anything to suggest for our upcoming operation?" Aru tilted her head.
"Look behind the counter."
Aru turned her head to look. She turned back to Kayoko and Mutsuki, confusion evident on her features. "What do you mean? It's just the owner and a repairman."
Kayoko smacked her forehead while Mutsuki went into a fit of giggles.
Seriously? This man was on every piece of media in Kivotos. Any little thing Sensei did was bound to make headlines in the Kronos School of Journalism's newspaper and television segments. Not to mention how popular he had become on Kivotube. And Aru couldn't recognize him at a glance? Even Haruka looked like she wanted to say something.
Aru was her friend, but Kayoko couldn't help but wonder if she lived in a cave.
"No, that's-"
"Shhh! Don't you think it's funnier this way?" Mutsuki whispered with a grin, interrupting Kayoko.
Kayoko merely gave Mutsuki an incredulous stare before she sighed. "Never mind."
Aru cleared her throat and continued, clueless as always. "Anyway. We'll need to conclude the operation by five, since our hired helps' shifts end around that time."
"Did we really need to hire that many? Abydos doesn't have that many students, right?" Mutsuki pointed out.
"Heh. And that's where you could learn a thing or two, my dear chief of staff," Aru chuckled.
"Oh? Please teach me, Aru-chan." Mutsuki smiled mischievously.
"Boss," Aru corrected. "Every outlaw worth her salt knows that you should never pick fights you can't win. The mercs we hired? A necessary precaution, and the result of careful calculation on my part."
"So careful that you forget to factor in our living expenses?" Mutsuki teased.
Aru was briefly aghast but recovered quickly. "Hmph. Merely an afterthought compared to getting the job done. Remember, if money was our sole bottom line, then we would've asked for payment upfront, right?" The boss smiled devilishly. "Even outlaws must have standards."
"Hmm. You don't say," Mutsuki replied, her grin never faltering.
"Do you really think we should be talking about stuff like this right now?" Kayoko murmured to Mutsuki.
"Relax," the white-haired girl assured. "We're keeping our voices down, so there's no way anyone will hear us all the way from this corner."
Kayoko supposed that was fair, but something about the whole situation was fishy to her.
"Well I'll be!" the owner loudly exclaimed, getting the students' attention. "You actually got it working again! Thought that old thing was done for sure!"
"Nah. She's still got some years left in her. Let me know if it acts up again," Sensei replied as he stood to his full height.
"Will do! Just wish I could pay you better, profits have been pretty narrow as of late."
"Don't worry about it."
"You sure? Hmm, how about I cook you something in return?"
"Sounds good. Then I'll take the chicken rice bowl. To-go, please."
The owner laughed. "You got it, pal!"
As the owner went about on his business, the waitress turned to Sensei. "Not bad. You ever consider being a handyman?"
"Many times, actually." Kayoko couldn't see his face, but she was sure the man was smirking. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." He got up and began to walk out the building.
"Ah, sure," the waitress replied right before Sensei exited, the door closing behind him. The door reopened, and two cat customers walked in. "Hello, welcome to Shiba Seki Ramen!"
The waitress got to work, and the members of Problem Solver 68 returned to their own business.
"Interesting attire for a repairman," Aru commented.
Kayoko merely shook her head while Mutsuki suppressed her chortles.
"R-right!" Haruka piped up. "And he's using his skills to get free meals too… I could never hope to do something like that."
Aru nodded. "As we were saying-"
"Pardon me," a voice from next to the table abruptly spoke up, making the students jump. Sensei casually stood next to the group, looking down at the students.
Kayoko stared with wide eyes. She hadn't even seen him re-enter the restaurant. Or approach, for that matter. How did he just appear in front of them without being seen or making noise?
"Oh, um…" Aru was caught off guard. "Can we help you?"
"Nope. But you dropped something. Reckon you probably want it back." He held out his hand to reveal a school ID from Gehenna.
One depicting the bespeckled, short-haired first-year Rikuhachima Aru.
Aru's composure broke as her jaw went slack and her face flushed a brilliant shade of red. "H-h-h-how…where did you get that?!"
"Just outside. You probably dropped it."
"G-give it back!" she implored as she blinked back tears.
"Uh, sure. Here you go." Sensei unceremoniously handed back the card, and Aru just about snatched it out of his hand. She withdrew her wallet and hastily pushed the card back in.
Kayoko found it very curious how Aru managed to drop her ID without also dropping her wallet, but she supposed she could just chalk it up to Aru being Aru.
Aru breathed heavily as she took several moments to calm down. She gradually regained her composure and returned to her normal 'crime boss' persona. "Ahem. Thank you kindly for returning this to me. Such a favor will not go unreturned, I assure you."
"It's really nothing…"
"Nonsense. Untold catastrophe would surely have ensued were this to fall into the wrong hands." By wrong hands, Aru probably meant any Gehenna student who knew her. "You see, sometimes we can only look back on our past selves in scorn."
"I understand completely. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say."
"Exactly! You get what I'm saying!" Aru replied excitedly.
He nodded. "By the way, I couldn't help but notice from the card that you're from Gehenna Academy. If you don't mind me asking, what brings you all the way out here, to the middle of nowhere?" he asked in a tone that was reminiscent of small talk.
Oh, no. Big red flag. Kayoko repeatedly made hand gestures to Aru signaling that she should cut off the conversation, but she didn't seem to notice.
"Very astute. While I can't elaborate on the nature of our visit, I can say that our work has us constantly moving, never staying in one place," Aru proudly shared. Mutsuki snickered to herself. While it wasn't a complete lie, it was certainly stretching the truth to meet Aru's vision of the ideal outlaw.
"I see…" Sensei began, his voice low. "Being on the run constantly…I can definitely relate."
Aru blinked. "You…you can?"
"Darn tootin'. You see, I'm not who you think I am, Aru."
"…You're…not a repairman?" Aru meekly asked. Kayoko pinched the bridge of her nose while Mutsuki was barely holding back full-blown laughter. Haruka looked as confused as Aru.
"Nope. You see, people in Kivotos like to label me as a repairman, or even a teacher… A meticulously crafted ploy of my own design. But as for who I really am?"
Aru waited for his answer with bated breath.
Sensei looked around the restaurant, as if checking to see if anyone was listening in, before he pulled up a seat from a nearby table and slid it to theirs. He sat, and slowly reached behind his back to retrieve something. Kayoko tensed, only to relax as Sensei pulled out what appeared to be…a black cowboy hat? Where the hell did that come from?
Placing the cowboy hat on his helmeted head, he dramatically narrated. "My infamy back home stretches far and wide. I'm as feared and respected as they come. People have many names for me, but only one really stuck." He tilted his hat. "I am an outlaw loose and running. And they call me Texas Red."
"Texas…" Aru repeated.
"Red…?" Haruka finished.
"…Ehhh?" This time Kayoko couldn't stop herself from voicing her skepticism, only to be elbowed by Mutsuki, who was finding this to be prime entertainment.
Texas Red… Kayoko didn't know what a Texas was, but the name was corny enough to sound like it belonged in a storybook or a song or something. Surely Aru wouldn't believe…
"That's…so…cool!" Aru gushed, her inner dork coming to light. "An outlaw? As in, a real, tried-and-true outlaw?!"
…on second thought, of course she would.
"You betcha."
Aru's enthused expression faltered just a tiny bit, confusion leaking out. "Wait…so why are you telling us this? Isn't this your big secret?"
"It's not really a secret, per se. I just don't talk about it – after all, an outlaw's work should speak for itself," he replied, receiving excited nods of agreement from Aru in response. "Plus, I'm letting you in on it because I sense a kindred spirit in you – the spirit of a true outlaw."
Aru's mind seemingly shut down for a second as she tried to process his words. "M-m-m-m-me?"
He nodded. "The spirit of someone who never gives up on their dreams, no matter what."
Aru's bravado returned. "W-well, naturally! Problem Solver 68 may still be getting on its feet, but we'll be the most renowned outlaw group in Kivotos, just you watch!"
"Oh, I have no doubt. You remind me of myself, starting out."
"R-really?"
"Yup. Twenty men had tried to take me, and twenty men had made a slip."
Kayoko could've sworn she heard a groan coming from the device on Sensei's wrist.
"Twenty?! All by yourself?! What happened?" Aru asked in fascination.
"See, I was stopping by a town in the middle of nowhere on a job. I got hurt on the way there – nothing much, just a little kick in the head. A doc there patched me up. But then we got word that a bunch of gangers- I mean, gangsters were gonna attack the town."
"What did you do?" Mutsuki asked curiously.
"Defended the town, of course. Had a good ghost town gunfight, we did. Normally, such a little town wouldn't have been none of my business. But the good doc who helped me lived there. And as I'm sure you know…"
"A true hard-boiled outlaw always repays their debts!" Aru happily agreed. "I would've done the exact same thing, Mr. Texas!"
"Always…repays…debts…" Haruka had taken out a notepad and pencil and began to take notes.
"Is that really what a 'true hard-boiled outlaw' would do?" Mutsuki whispered to Kayoko. The latter shrugged.
"You get it. And please, just Texas or Red will do," Sensei replied to Aru good-naturedly. "Since then, no task was too much, be it intimidation, theft, or even raids."
"Raids?" Aru and Haruka both asked, enraptured.
Sensei let loose a chuckle.
For the next few minutes, Sensei regaled them with what Kayoko could only call a tall tale. According to Sensei, he braved and plundered an ancient underground vault guarded by a poisonous fog, ghosts, holograms that shot lasers, and radios that somehow made you explode. With his only help being a dog, a mute, and some old guy in a suit.
Needless to say, Kayoko didn't believe one second of this BS. Not even someone with a halo could survive all that. Even Mutsuki found the story so outlandish that she couldn't even find it in her to laugh at its absurdity.
Meanwhile, Aru thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
"And so I made it out in the nick of time, just before the elevator shut down permanently."
"Wow! So cool! Just like in the movies!" Aru unabashedly fangirled. "And what about the gold?"
"Took every single last gold bar with me," Sensei proudly replied. Aru's eyes glimmered.
"How did you carry all of them, Texas Red-sama?" Haruka meekly asked, her eyes alight in wonder.
"Simple. A big bag, and a helluva lotta tenacity."
"Tenacity…" Aru repeated, suddenly deep in thought.
"Something on your mind?" Sensei asked.
"I…I just got to thinking about our own mission, and…"
"And?"
"I…" Aru hesitated.
"Hey, no shame here. From one outlaw to another, right?" Sensei comfortingly said.
"R-right…" Aru smiled, some of her doubt dissipating. "I got to thinking about our mission and the many things that could go wrong, but hearing what you said about tenacity… I think we'll be okay. What counts is that we keep at it, right?"
Sensei briefly paused, as if he were surprised by Aru's confiding in him. "That's absolutely right. And for what it's worth, I believe in you. All of you."
"Texas…" Aru said, touched by the fact that someone out there believed in Problem Solver 68 and their ideals. "We'll make you proud!"
"See to it that you do," Sensei said. He leaned back in his chair. "Need any help with your mission?"
"Help? Are you sure it would be fine if someone like you were to be seen helping people like us…?" Haruka asked, a pitiful expression on her face.
"I don't mind at all. Outlaws gotta stick together, right?" Sensei replied, not skipping a beat. "Just depends on what time you all wanna head out. Got places to be, you know?"
"We were planning to head out around four, so if you'd be willing, Problem Solver would be happy to have…" Aru began.
Kayoko was about to interrupt Aru to keep her from revealing any more crucial information, but Aru stopped herself. Did she finally come to her senses?
"On second thought…" Aru redonned the demeanor of a dignified crime boss. "I appreciate the offer, but Problem Solver 68 must carve out its own future without outside help. Surely someone of your stature can relate?"
"Understandable." Sensei's tone betrayed nothing, but Kayoko felt he was disappointed. "Then I must be off. I have business elsewhere," he said.
"O-of course," Aru acknowledged, slightly surprised by his abrupt departure. "Look for us on the news a day from now!"
"Oh, I will. I have high hopes for all of you." With those last words, Sensei got up to leave.
"Hey," the waitress called to Sensei from across the room.
"Yes?"
"You look dumb," she said as she pointed at the hat atop his helmeted head. It did look a bit silly, Kayoko had to admit. Not to mention redundant.
Aru was flabbergasted by the waitress' sudden rudeness.
"…Duly noted," he dryly replied before he left.
"Heheheh…" Aru chuckled, as if she alone were made privy to some universal truth of the world. "As expected of a true hard-boiled outlaw. Not even paying any mind to petty insults!"
"Boss, you know that was Schale's Sensei, right?"
"Hm? No, didn't you hear him? He said he's Texas Red," Aru confidently uttered. At this point, Kayoko didn't bother correcting her.
As their food finally arrived, they were greeted by a mountain of noodles all packed into one bowl. The waitress and the owner evidently had taken pity on them.
And apparently, Sensei told the waitress to give the free food he got to the group instead. Problem Solver wouldn't have to worry about dinner, at the very least. That, along with the knowledge that Texas Red was rooting for them, put Aru in an exceptionally good mood.
Maybe this operation wouldn't go so badly after all.
This operation was a disaster.
Not only had they gotten lost again, delaying the operation by thirty minutes, but they encountered quite a few obstacles in their march toward Abydos High School.
Namely, an absurd number of land mines.
They weren't haphazardly placed, either. According to Mutsuki, these were expertly hidden and positioned at exactly the correct spots one would use if they wanted to deter a large force en route to the school. Around corners, in crevices, buried under sand, under traffic cones (that one particularly impressed Mutsuki, to the point that she said she was going to steal the idea)…
By the time the school's walls were in sight, around a fifth of the mercs Aru hired were in no condition to fight. With only twenty minutes to accomplish their mission, as they only paid the mercs to help until five o' clock, Aru ordered a full-on charge, Problem Solver bringing up the rear. They'd have to trust in their superior numbers for victory.
A blue drone suddenly appeared from atop one of the adjacent buildings and fired a salvo of rockets at a group of mercenaries, knocking out several and scattering the rest. Aru brought up her sniper rifle and, with one accurate shot, disabled the drone and sent it teetering to the ground. Sadly, the damage was already done.
"Hey, what gives? How come we're the ones being ambushed?!" Mutsuki loudly complained.
"They must have gotten word we're coming," Kayoko replied, bringing out her pistol, ready to face any threat. She suspected it was Sensei who informed Abydos. His little spiel back at the restaurant was likely him probing for information. But then that brought up the question – where was Sensei? Or the students of Abydos, for that matter?
As if to answer her question, the door of a building to their side burst open, and out marched a student with a pink halo. Most of her body was obscured by a large shield which read "IRON HORUS" on the front. Everyone focused fire on the new arrival, the shield deflecting the majority of incoming rounds. The pink-haired student behind the shield returned shotgun fire at the mercenaries closest to her.
"Just one student…Where are the rest?" Aru wondered, before something fast whizzed by her. A wolf-eared student on a bicycle cycled past with impressive speed. Aru heard something clatter at her feet, and she looked down.
A frag grenade lay at her feet.
"Eh?"
The grenade detonated, knocking Aru to the ground and dazing her.
"Aru-sama!" Haruka frightfully said as she ran over to assist her friend.
Kayoko clicked her tongue and shot at the retreating cyclist, before she became aware of a new threat. Now blocking the street they approached from was a blonde student with a minigun, who smiled widely as she began mowing down mercenaries. Less than half of their hired help remained.
"The shielded one is a distraction!" Kayoko realized. Though the pink one was strong, she didn't bring much to the table, offensively speaking. Abydos' plan must have been to encircle them from all sides. A solid plan, but with so few students on Abydos' side, it wouldn't work forever.
Aru, who recovered enough to stand, also realized this. "Haruka! Keep her occupied!" she ordered as she pointed at the shielded one.
"Anything for you, Aru-sama!" Haruka moved to engage the shielded student, and they exchanged shotgun fire, neither doing significant damage to the other.
"Everyone else, focus on the others!" Aru ordered, and they concentrated their gunfire on the heavy gunner and cyclist. The cat-eared waitress from earlier, now clad in school uniform, joined the battle, supporting the cyclist, who had dismounted and taken cover.
"Hey… I recognize you! You ungrateful pests! This is what I get for feeding you?!" the waitress angrily shouted.
"O-of course! It's to be expected of hard-boiled outlaws like us!"
"But didn't you say something about true outlaws always repaying their debts or something like that?" Mutsuki pointed out as she took potshots with her machine gun at the newcomer.
"Not when they're our targets!" Aru protested.
"Haha! Well, I don't mind either way," Mutsuki replied cheekily. "Besides, I've been waiting to use these since forever!" Mutsuki held up her black bag, which had the words 'LOVE & VIOLENCE' printed on the side. She twirled around as she swung the bag, gaining momentum, before tossing the bag at Abydos' heavy gunner. Before the bag hit the ground in front of the gunner, Mutsuki aimed her machine gun at the bag and fired, causing it to detonate in a massive chain explosion. The heavy gunner cried out in pain as she was thrown backward several meters.
"Nonomi!" the shielded one called out in concern. Haruka kept her from going to assist the fallen student with suppressive fire. "Tch!"
"Ahahaha! This is so fun!" Mutsuki giggled, shifting targets to the waitress and cyclist.
"You'll pay for that, you little runt!" the cat-eared student threatened.
"Oooh, scary…" Mutsuki feigned a fearful tone. "Guess I better bring out the big guns!" she said as she reached into her pocket and fished for the explosive she bought the other day. Eventually, she grasped…a block of C4?
Mutsuki blinked. She didn't remember packing C4-
Problem Solver's chief of staff spontaneously exploded, startling Aru and Kayoko.
"Mutsuki?!" Aru exclaimed. When the dust settled, it became clear from her barely lit halo that Mutsuki was in no condition to keep fighting.
Unusual, Kayoko thought. Mutsuki had the dangerous hobby of collecting explosives, but never once had she ever set one off by accident.
Kayoko reloaded her pistol and resumed fire at the cat-eared student before she witnessed yet another unusual sight.
One mercenary that was isolated from the others suddenly flew backward, as if she were hit by something. Strangely, there was nothing that hinted at what she was hit by. No bullet, no shrapnel… Just the sound of blunt metal hitting flesh.
Merely a few seconds later, it happened again. Another mercenary got knocked out by some unseen force. This time others saw it, and they became spooked as they ceased fire on the other students to search for what was hitting them. The Abydos students began pressing the advance, adding to the confusion.
Two more were knocked out, and what few mercenaries were left (and Aru) started panicking, frantically looking around for the mystery assailant. Kayoko put her back to a wall and kept her eyes peeled, watching their remaining forces for any sudden changes.
Kayoko widened her eyes. Almost imperceptibly, the light near Aru shifted, as if it were being distorted by something. Kayoko was certain that if she hadn't been paying very close attention, she wouldn't have caught it.
"Boss!" she yelled. "Get down!"
"Wha?" Aru eloquently replied.
Kayoko brought up her pistol and emptied the magazine at the empty air next to Aru, seeming as if she weren't hitting anything. But the deformed bullets hitting the floor near Aru suggested otherwise.
"They're invisible!" Kayoko loudly informed as she grabbed Aru's sleeve and pulled her away from whatever she just shot.
"Invisible?!" Aru fearfully said.
"We're not paid enough to fight invisible enemies!" one of mercenaries wailed, before she was taken out by gunfire from the cyclist. This sent the remaining mercs into disarray as they abandoned formation and tried to flee.
"We need to get out of here, Boss!" Kayoko urged.
"But…but…" Aru looked downcast. "How will I ever look Texas Red in the eye again…"
Kayoko groaned. "You can't prove yourself to him from an Abydos or Prefect Team jail cell, Aru. Now come on, I'll cover our escape!"
Aru took a moment to gather her composure before she nodded. "Right!" Aru grabbed Mutsuki off the floor and supported her with an arm. "Haruka! We're leaving!"
"O-okay!"
Sighing, Kayoko's expression hardened as she put one hand into her sweater pocket, and the other held her handgun into the air.
She fired.
Problem Solver 68 was a strange bunch, that was for sure.
Their leader, Aru, was a walking contradiction. She wanted to be an outlaw, yet she just didn't seem to have an ounce of bad blood in her. She seemed more keen on following the ideal of an anti-authority figure than an actual kill-you-and-your-family type of criminal. And she was far too trusting for her own good.
Why, the Courier didn't even have to lie to her beyond giving her a false name and telling her that she "dropped" her ID card. Everything else had some degree of diluted truth to them – for instance, it was no lie to say that he was an outlaw that was infamous far and wide. He was certain he was still considered persona non grata in Arizona, at the very least.
Though he didn't glean as much from their conversation as he had hoped to, he gathered enough information to give Abydos a fair chance at retaliation. He even had enough spare time to booby trap the roads to take out more of their mercenaries while he was at it.
The fight itself proceeded without a hitch, save for Nonomi's incapacitation. Sowing chaos with a Stealth Boy and a Power Fist behind enemy lines never got old. Giving Mutsuki a taste of her own medicine as he slipped armed C4 into her pocket also proved entertaining.
As the Courier moved to Aru to plant a mine in her pocket, he was beset by pistol fire by Kayoko. Though he wasn't hurt, he retreated slightly, curiously watching the student. She had quite the [Perception], being able to notice his presence through a stealth field.
Problem Solver 68 began to retreat, leaving their hired guns behind. Kayoko raised her pistol to the air. The Courier was just about to question the act of using a silenced weapon in such a manner, before she fired.
What the Courier could only describe as a shockwave spread out across the battlefield. As the wave washed over him, the cold emotion of fear gripped him for the first time in years.
However, it felt…off. Unnatural. Kind of like how the Think Tank's pacification field felt back at Big Mountain, only on a much smaller scale. The Courier was distracted for but a split second before he shook it off. After all, there were much scarier things out there. Like beeping bomb collars. And the Legendary Bloatfly. And Lily when she was pissed off.
The Courier shuddered.
Looking over at his teammates, he could tell they did not feel the same. Serika shook in place. Shiroko's pupils constricted as she broke into a cold sweat. Hoshino grit her teeth as she clutched Iron Horus for support. The last mercenaries attempted to use the opportunity to escape the petrified students, but some solid punches from Greased Lightning rendered them out for the count in short order.
It lasted for a few seconds until Abydos was able to recover. By then, Problem Solver 68 had made their getaway.
The Courier hummed as he deactivated the Stealth Boy. Unless they got hold of Millennium tech, which he doubted, then Serika and Kayoko's uncanny abilities confirmed that there was much more to halos than just durability.
Kayoko's uncanny attack having worn off, the students of Abydos began sweeping the area, making sure no hostiles remained.
"Sensei?" Shiroko beckoned as she crouched next to an unconscious mercenary.
"Hm?"
"They aren't going to loot themselves."
The Courier chuckled as he knelt down to help Shiroko relieve the mercenaries of their valuables.
"Big iron on his hiiiiip~" Arona sang absentmindedly as she sat on the desk, swinging her dangling legs back and forth. Her high-pitched tone failed to match the deepness of the singer's voice, but that didn't stop her from trying.
The gentle sound of footsteps in water alerted her to a presence to the side, and Arona turned to face her guest, smiling happily. "Sensei! You made it!"
"It was a bit less jarring getting in here than last time." The man in question, clad in his blue jumpsuit, took in his surroundings before regarding Arona, smirking slightly. "Someone's been listening to Marty Robbins."
So that was the singer's name.
Sensei was secretive about many things, but music was decidedly not one of them. He was all too happy to share music from his homeland whenever he was asked. The music was not of a genre that Arona may have initially preferred, but there was something about it that really grew on her. It felt…comfortable. Homey. And at the same time, it made her homesick for a place that she had never even visited.
She nodded animatedly. "His song's really catchy!"
"Makes you feel like a cowboy, doesn't it?"
"Exactly! You should lend me your hat, Sensei. I bet I'd look real good in black."
"Even if I had my hat right now, you don't have a big iron to complete the look," Sensei commented amusedly.
"Aw…" Arona hadn't tried it, but she was reasonably certain she could replicate Sensei's items in virtual space. Perhaps she'd experiment with it later. "Oh, that reminds me…"
"What?"
Arona gave him an unimpressed look, complete with half-lidded eyes. "Texas Red? Really, Sensei?"
He raised an eyebrow. "And what would you have said?"
"I dunno, couldn't you have introduced yourself as the ranger?"
"Call me crazy, Arona, but I think introducing yourself as a ranger to someone who aspires to be an outlaw is a bit of a bad idea," Sensei responded sarcastically.
"Calling yourself Texas Red doesn't feel right, though. Something bad happens to him in the end of the song, after all." Arona frowned.
"Ah. You understand the song, then?" Sensei asked, surprise written on his features.
"I know enough English to understand that it doesn't end well for Texas Red…" Arona said as she pouted.
"Oh. Sorry, I guess."
"You're not sorry at all, are you?" Arona deadpanned.
"Not in the slightest."
The AI sighed. "Good grief. It doesn't help that you fight so recklessly. You'll really end up like Texas Red if you keep on going like that, you know?"
"But I won't end up like that, because I have a trusty secretary who offers words of encouragement, moral support, and absurdly powerful energy barriers, right?" Sensei said with a smarmy expression that made Arona feel like kicking him.
"Don't abuse the Shittim Chest's power to do reckless things, Sensei!" Arona angrily chided.
"I'm kidding. Mostly."
"Grrr…" Arona seethed. "The Shittim Chest's power isn't infinite, Sensei. Sooner or later, we're gonna run into something really nasty. And when we do…"
"We shoot it until it dies?" Sensei helpfully offered.
"Now you're starting to sound like Hoshino, Sensei."
"Please. I'm not nearly that old."
Arona couldn't help but giggle at that despite her anger, and Sensei walked closer and hopped up onto an adjacent desk, sitting like Arona.
"While we're on the topic of the Shittim Chest… I've been meaning to ask you about it."
"What did you want to know?" Arona cocked her head.
"Why didn't you tell me you have energy barriers?"
Arona blinked. "You never asked."
A flurry of emotions appeared on Sensei's face, two of which were amusement and frustration. Arona found that she agreed with Nonomi – being able to see Sensei's facial expressions was indeed quite nice.
He liked messing with people, but he probably didn't anticipate Arona to do it to him in turn.
Sensei sighed. "Alright. So, how long does it take this ability to recharge?"
"Hmm… Assuming it's completely depleted? Several hours, minimum."
Sensei appeared contemplative, then nodded. "I see. Then I want you to save it for explosions and high caliber rounds in the future."
"Why would you want me to do that?" Arona looked at the man, confused.
"You said it yourself. There are things out there a lot more dangerous than artillery, right?"
"Yes, but… What about normal bullets?"
"That's what the armor's for."
Arona was stricken at the thought of standing by and letting Sensei get hit by bullets. And yet, she understood his reasoning. If she exhausted the Shittim Chest's power reserves shielding him from small arms, and they came across something scary, then they'd be in heaps of trouble.
Part of her agreed with Serika – she'd rather he stay out of fighting directly and instead command his students from the backline. But she couldn't, for the life of her, imagine the self-proclaimed hardheaded Sensei ever agreeing to that.
"I still don't like this, but alright," she reluctantly conceded.
"Thanks."
"I'm still stepping in if things get too rough, though!" she insisted. Sensei merely smiled and patted her on the head.
Sensei was strong. Reliable. Competent. He was also paranoid to a fault. But Arona got the feeling that wasn't always the case.
He had no halo. And barring the exception that halos granted, people weren't born strong. They just weren't. Something or some things must have happened to Sensei to make him the way he was. Add in all the guns, armor, strange technology, and chems that he carried…
Just what kind of a place did he come from that he needed all those?
Sensei leaned down and clasped his hands together, deep in thought. Arona studied his features intently.
This Mojave… This New Vegas.
Arona could tell that he went through great effort to avoid mentioning much about the place he was from. Sensei was extremely good at keeping things of that nature close to himself. Likely for her sake, a sentiment that made her feel equal parts indignant and grateful.
But it wasn't like Kivotos was the most peaceful place, either. Gunfights were extremely commonplace, after all. Just how bad was it where he was from, that he'd actively shelter Arona and the students from it?
Sensei began absently turning a few knobs on his Pip-Boy, frowning when it didn't work, just like last time.
"It's just a virtual representation of your Pip-Boy, Sensei," Arona said.
"So I gathered," he replied, unsatisfied.
"What did you want to do?"
"Well, since I had some free time, I wanted to check out some music."
"Check out? Why, haven't you heard them before?" Arona asked curiously.
"Nope. Imported them just before I came to Kivotos."
"Imported? They're not from the Mojave?"
Sensei perked up at the mere mention of the place. "Nah. Some other places. DC, the Commonwealth, and Appalachia."
Arona tilted her head at the unfamiliar names. More places from where Sensei was from, but the names meant nothing without context. Context that he was probably not willing to divulge.
"I think I can access your Pip-Boy remotely from here," Arona offered.
"Really? Try it out."
Arona phased out of existence in a flash of blue light, making Sensei flinch, before returning only a moment later. "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" suddenly started playing in the interior of the Shittim Chest.
"Oops. I think I got the wrong one…"
"It's fine, I like this one. Change it after it ends."
The slow, steady sound of music washed over them. The lyrics were slightly corny, but then again, most songs were.
"That reminds me… You should take this song's advice, Sensei."
"What do you mean?"
Arona crossed her arms and shot him a flat look. "I mean, really? An underground vault filled with poisonous gas and radio bombs, guarded by ghosts? If you're gonna lie, at least make it believable."
Bemusement crossed his face before he smirked. He said nothing.
When the song ended, Arona got up and disappeared again. When she reappeared and sat back down, a song called "Way Back Home" played. Arona's thoughts inevitably shifted back to Sensei's home before she pushed those thoughts aside, choosing instead to enjoy a few rare moments of relative peace with the teacher who just never seemed to take it easy.
For now, Arona wouldn't sweat the details.