Several hundred rounds of ammunition. Plentiful used casings. And more bottle caps than you can shake a mildly irradiated stick at.
There was no doubt about it – this was the best haul I'd had in a long time.
So why did it have to be in a place where bottle caps weren't considered currency?!
Grumbling in mild irritation, I continued sifting through the cylindrical garbage can, my hands expertly differentiating salvage from actual trash. Occasionally I came across some treasures, such as broken-down technology. I dismantled the tech into its constituent parts, paying heed to the fragility of the encased microchips, then stowed the salvage away accordingly.
The invention of microchips came to Old America long after its technology base became established. As a result, microchips never caught on with the general population or even the military. Microchips saw limited use in only the most advanced of experimental robot and computer models.
Conversely, most of Kivotos technology utilized microchips to some degree, which, along with transistors, likely contributed to the miniaturized size of their tech compared to back home. Adding in the fact that people commonly threw away advanced tech here made it clear that Kivotos was a land of excess, one that I was all too happy to reap the benefits of.
I shuddered to think of what would have happened if the resource-hungry Old World discovered this land and its abundance. Probably another Great War. Granted, students were far more resilient than normal humans, but I questioned their odds of surviving nukes.
Nevertheless, I looked forward to seeing what I could build with such a surplus of scrap electronics. The potential for robotics development, at least, was promising.
As for my other findings? Used bullet casings in the trash made a lot of sense, considering the rate of gun ownership here. But unused, perfectly good ammunition? That baffled me. Though, in a similar vein, finding pre-war money in Wasteland trash bins wasn't a phenomenon I completely understood either.
Finished with the current trash can, I moved to the next. The first hints of daylight just barely peeked out from the horizon, so I still had some time before people inevitably showed up to the public park I found myself in. The park was merely a stone's throw away from Abydos district, so I made a pit stop here to indulge in what was a necessity-turned-hobby.
Prospecting. More widely known as scavenging.
Back in the Mojave, I had little need for sifting through trash cans for supplies once I accumulated a sizable nest egg of wealth. But I found that I enjoyed the practice enough to keep doing it.
In Kivotos, however, such an act would likely be deeply frowned upon. In addition, thanks to the efforts of Millennium's treasurer and Gehenna's head cook, I now had something in the way of disposable funds, further decreasing the need for prospecting.
But as it turns out, habits are hard to kick. I couldn't even bring myself to ignore the various bottle caps I found in the trash despite them being largely worthless here.
"Tsk." I carefully discarded some sticky substance, likely some manner of spoiled food, separating it from some scrap electronics. My gloves would need some thorough dousing in water and Abraxo cleaner once I was finished. I thanked the stars that Arona was still asleep during the wee hours of the morning, as she would probably be the first to express her disgust with what I was doing.
Once I was finished, I stood up, satisfied with my handiwork. That made more than twenty trash cans. The park was circular, so now that I made one full circle, my work here was done.
Wait a minute… I squinted at an object in the distance.
There was a boxlike blue trash can surrounded by a pile of autumn leaves. The difference in its appearance was in stark contrast to the drab cylindrical trash bins scattered throughout the park. But my biggest concern was I could've sworn that the trash can wasn't there before.
Shrugging, I made my way over to the bin, keen on earning some new scrap. I eagerly flipped the lid over, tensing when the trash bin made an unexpected noise.
"Hyuuu…" a pitiful voice mewled from within the trash bin.
A pair of red eyes stared up at me. Curled up in the interior was a girl with straight black hair with leaves stuck in various portions, fake rabbit ears, and an unusual gray halo that looked like it had raindrops falling from it. She wore a blue school uniform, outfitted with the closest thing to proper tactical gear I'd seen so far in this city. Leaning against the corner of the bin was a white sniper rifle with a white cloth wrapped around it. Embroidered on one of her arm pads was the word "RABBIT".
Her eyes were wide with surprise at my presence. Upon closer inspection, she had bags under her eyes, and her cheeks were wet with tears. She'd been crying.
"Uh, hey," I awkwardly started, feeling a tad out of my element. "Are you alright?"
She stared at me, unblinking. After a few more moments of silence, she sniffed and hesitantly replied, as if she were coming to grips with the fact that I spoke to her. "A-are…you talking to me?"
Suppressing the urge to offer a snarky reply, I responded, "Yes."
"Y-you can s-see me?"
"Of course I can see you. You're right in front of me," I stated, perplexed at the redundant question.
"Oh…" Her despondent features lit up with a hint of curiosity and…hope?
"Why are you in a trash can?" I tilted my head.
"W-well, it's a good place to hide…" she answered, avoiding meeting my gaze.
"Hide from what?" I asked curiously.
Upon hearing the question, she cringed and attempted to make herself as small as possible as she trembled. She offered no response.
Sequestering herself away from the world in a trash can, reacting negatively when the issues plaguing her were broached… Perhaps a form of escapism? Or some manner of avoidant personality disorder? Our interactions thus far were too limited to enable me to say with certainty.
"So…" I said, changing the subject. "Find anything in there?"
"Huh?" She looked up confusedly, her troubles momentarily forgotten. Success.
"In the trash can. Find anything good?"
"L-like what?"
"Money, ammo, bottle caps. You know, the good stuff."
"A-are you mugging me?" she asked, her fearful voice cracking.
"What? No," I quickly said, before she could jump to any more wrong conclusions. "I just finished looking through all the other cans, so I was just wondering if you had any luck finding anything."
Bemusement shone on her face, which was admittedly much better than the despair earlier. "Why were you rooting around in trash cans?" asked the girl currently sitting in a trash can.
"You'd be surprised at the kinda stuff people throw away."
Her face became thoughtful. "Okay… L-let me check."
The girl's small frame knelt down as she scrounged around in the trash, making rustling sounds. She was quite adept with her hands, as merely seconds later she finished her prospecting and sat up again, showing me her haul.
"T-this is all I could find…" she meekly said, holding out three bottle caps.
"Hey, not bad. Sure beats nothing, right?" I said optimistically.
"Um…right…" she replied unsurely, confused as to why I valued bottle caps so much. "Do…do you want them?"
"You sure? It's your bounty."
"I don't have any use for them, so…"
"Well, in that case, I'll take them," I responded eagerly, and she handed them to me, gloved hand to gloved hand. The comforting clinking of bottle caps punctuated the exchange. "What would you like in return?"
She scrunched up her face. "In return? Why would I…"
"Trading bottle caps for random stuff is tradition where I'm from."
"It…it is?" she said nervously. "Well…in that case…do you have any pebbles?"
"Pebbles?"
She nodded.
What an odd thing to ask for. Though this must've been how she felt when I asked her for bottle caps. Luckily for her, collecting random junk was another hobby of mine.
"I have just the thing." I reached into one of my coat pockets and pulled out a small stone. I held it out for her, and she gingerly accepted it.
She gently held up the orange tinted pebble with both hands and inspected it like one would a gem. "This pebble…isn't from Kivotos," she observed.
"You have a good eye," I complimented, impressed by her geological knowledge. "It's from a place called Zion."
"Zion…" she repeated as she turned the rock around in her hands. "It's very pretty, but…I don't think it's ordinary enough…"
Not being ordinary is a good thing, isn't it? Not for her, apparently, I mused.
"Actually," I started, getting her attention. "These rocks are commonplace in Zion. Scattered as far as the eye could see. So, perfectly ordinary."
"R-really?" she replied, looking at the pebble in a new light. "Zion must really be something…"
"You bet. Place was beautiful." Not to mention untainted by the bombs, for the most part. Kind of like Kivotos. It was easy to see why Graham valued the place so much.
As if sensing the nostalgia in my voice, she hesitated. "A-are you sure it's alright for me to have this?"
I waved my hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I have a few more 'ordinary' ones."
"You do?"
"Yeah. From other places, too. I could show you, if you want."
Her worries seemed to momentarily dissipate as she gave a small but genuine smile. "I-"
At that moment, her earpiece buzzed, causing both of us to jump.
"RABBIT 4, do you read?" a voice on the other side asked. "RABBIT 4, come in, over."
The girl shot me a nervous glance. "A-ah, um…could you…"
I wordlessly nodded and shut the lid to the trash can, taking a step back to give her some privacy. Unbeknownst to her, I could still hear her comms.
I heard some fumbling noises and a press of a button as she fiddled with her headset. "U-um…this is RABBIT 4, over…" she murmured.
"RABBIT 4, Operation CAGE is a bust. Report to rally point Charlie for further instruction, over."
"A…bust…?" RABBIT 4 whimpered as she teared up. "C-copy that, RABBIT 1. I'm en route, out."
A click, and the RABBIT poked her head out of the trash can, lifting the lid. She nimbly climbed out of the can and took out her sniper rifle, hugging it close to her chest. "U-um…Sorry, I need to go…" She bowed as she avoided my gaze. Before I could reply, she scurried off in the direction opposite of Abydos district. I curiously watched her go, briefly entertaining the idea of following her, but she was running fast enough that staying undetected would be all but impossible.
The RABBIT tripped on an inconspicuous tree root and fell on her face. She picked herself up off the ground and scampered away in a manner befitting her namesake.
RABBIT, huh… I thought, humming.
"Are you sure about this, Sensei?"
"You'll be fiiiiine," he flippantly remarked, though quietly enough that they wouldn't be discovered. "Here, I'll even give you a demonstration."
Shiroko nodded.
With that, Sensei left their position in the school hallway and crept into the nearly empty classroom. He turned his head from side to side, surveying his surroundings and making sure the coast was clear. He then set his sights on his target: the lone student in the classroom, Serika. The cat-eared student sat alone at a desk, working on some homework. Which, according to Sensei, made her easy pickings.
Sensei snuck toward the student, making absolutely no noise despite all his gear, and stopped once he was behind Serika. With a deft hand, he smoothly and effortlessly reached into her left blazer pocket. He slowly pulled out her wallet, the student none the wiser. With his task completed, he retreated back to the hallway Shiroko watched from.
"See? Easy as pie. Your target being distracted makes it a hundred times easier," Sensei said as he waved the wallet around in front of Shiroko.
"Mm. Amazing. As expected of Sensei." Shiroko was astounded by the ease at which he did it. To think that such an easy method of earning funds for Abydos existed and they never thought to try it. It was no bank robbery, but this was much more low profile, which had its own merits. Plus, it may prove useful for heist-related things such as taking keys from guards.
"Please, please. Hold your applause till the end," Sensei smugly responded.
Shiroko tilted her head. "The end? What else did you have in mind?"
"Observe."
Sensei re-entered the classroom and approached Serika again. As easily as he took it, he planted Serika's wallet into her right blazer pocket. Once again, the student showed no signs she caught on.
"And that's how you do it," he finished, dusting off his hands once he returned to Shiroko.
"I see. That's what you did to that Problem Solver student yesterday, right?" Shiroko recalled. Though he was invisible the whole time, which came as a surprise to the Task Force, Shiroko was able to put two and two together.
"Yup. Surprised you caught that. Good work." Shiroko's left ear flicked at the praise. "Reverse pickpocketing is also a useful skill, but to even try it, you must first master pickpocketing itself. In a way, planting items is harder than just taking them," Sensei sagely explained. "Now give it a whirl."
Shiroko nodded determinedly. Sensei had perfected his craft down to a form of art. And he deigned to teach her, even though she was but a mere novice. Thus, the only acceptable way to repay him was success.
"I won't let you down."
Sensei gave her an encouraging pat on the back, making her wolf ears perk up.
Shiroko set out, somewhat unsteadily mimicking Sensei's crouch walking. On her way to Serika, Shiroko winced as she accidentally bumped against a stray chair.
"Grrr…" the seated student growled frustratedly. Luckily, Serika was much too engrossed in a difficult problem to notice Shiroko's blunder. As Serika stuck her tongue out the side of her mouth and tapped her pencil against her head, Shiroko silently sighed in relief.
Now behind her classmate, Shiroko reached around Serika's side into her blazer pocket…only to feel nothing.
Her eyes widened. That's right. Serika usually kept her wallet in her left pocket, but Sensei had planted it in her right pocket. Was he already testing Shiroko? Her teacher sure had high standards for success. But she resolved to meet, no, exceed his expectations.
Shiroko tentatively reached into Serika's right pocket and began to withdraw the wallet.
"Huh? HEY!" Serika abruptly yelled and stood up, glaring at her upperclassman. "What do you think you're doing?!"
She'd been caught.
Shiroko rose to full height and lowered her head in shame as she reported back to her teacher. "Sensei, I failed."
"I can see that," he dryly commented.
"Failed? As in, failed at being a functional member of society?" Serika scathingly berated, crossing her arms. "What, planning robberies isn't good enough so now you're resorting to petty crime? On your fellow classmates, no less!"
"It's just practicing," Shiroko assured.
"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Serika rolled her eyes irritably.
"Alright, so there's several things you need to improve on," Sensei addressed Shiroko.
"I'm listening."
"Hey, don't just ignore me!" Serika groused.
"First of all," Sensei began, holding up his index finger, "your pace while sneaking. It's too fast, and you made far too much noise because of it."
Shiroko tilted her head. "But I was just copying how you did it."
"I know. But I've got years of experience of being stealthy. You need to start out slower. If Serika weren't so distracted, you would've been discovered halfway through."
"You fake teacher, what kind of nonsense are you telling Shiroko?" Serika accused.
"Mm. I see." Shiroko's ear twitched as she ignored her classmate. "What else?"
"Identify the area you will strike beforehand. I moved her wallet to the other pocket to make sure you were paying attention, and you missed it. Do better."
"What the-" Serika patted herself down and withdrew her wallet from her right pocket. She went bright red. "Hey!"
"Third," Sensei continued, "you're too forceful. You grow accustomed to stuff in your pocket the same way you would the clothes on your back. You have to be more gradual. Act natural, if that makes sense."
"Hmm…" Shiroko reassessed her strategy, mapping potential scenarios in her head. Simulating pickpocketing strategies in her head was nowhere near on the scale of planning a heist, but there were just as many variables to take into account. Partway through, she became vaguely aware of the seething Serika. "Sensei, Sensei. I think Serika is angry."
"Nah, her anger is just an act. You see, she really just wants you to succeed, Shiroko."
"LIKE HELL I DO!" the livid student vehemently refuted.
Sensei patted Serika on the head, causing her to indignantly glare at him. "How about this? I'll help you with your homework later, and you forget you saw anything here."
"Are you seriously trying to bribe me with homework help, you fake teacher?" she flatly said as she pretended like she wasn't leaning into his hand.
"Yes," Sensei said without a hint of hesitation.
Serika blinked, not expecting such a brusque response. "W-well, you better be ready, 'cuz it's all science! I'm really gonna pick your egghead brain," she warned, looking away as she hid her reddened face.
"Science? Pfft," the teacher replied amusedly. "And my brain's used to being picked, don't worry."
The situation with Serika defused, Shiroko departed with Sensei for their next target. They stopped in front of the Foreclosure Task Force club room, and Sensei slowly creaked open the door so they could have a look inside. Ayane sat at her usual spot in front of the computer, her fingers rapidly clacking away at the keyboard.
"Alright. Same deal. Go for it," Sensei simply said.
Shiroko arched an eyebrow. "No demonstration?"
"You've already seen me do it twice, haven't you? Don't expect me to be there to hold your hand all the time."
Shiroko supposed that was fair, if not a bit strict. She had already committed his every movement during his demonstration to memory, but she was a bit sad that there wouldn't be a second one, if only because she wanted to see more of him in action. She found his movements and techniques enrapturing - they were clearly honed with years of experience, and there was a certain roguish quality to them that she couldn't help but admire. Those traits, combined with an athleticism that easily competed with hers, truly made for the ideal accomplice. If only she could get him to accompany her on a heist…
"Shiroko." Sensei snapped her out of her daydream.
"Sorry," she said, eyes refocusing. "What's my target? Wallet?"
"Nah, let's mix things up a bit. Go for her spare glasses case. Retrieve them, wave them a bit to show me you got 'em, then put 'em back."
Spare glasses case? Interesting choice. Sensei must have seen Ayane cleaning her glasses the other day. It may prove challenging, since Ayane kept her spare glasses as close to her as she did her wallet, but Shiroko wasn't one to back down from a challenge.
Nodding to her teacher, the student snuck toward her bespeckled classmate, this time paying mind to her movement speed. Sensei had explained beforehand that even little things such as what someone wore factored into a successful sneak attempt. Abydos uniforms, optimized to dissipate heat by design, had little in the way of anything that could prove obstructive, which, incidentally, made the clothing fairly quiet to move around in.
Shiroko tensed and hid behind an adjacent cabinet as Ayane wearily sighed, got up, and walked to the opposite side of the room, filling a mug with coffee from the coffee machine Sensei jury rigged to working condition the other day. She sat back down, resuming her work. From what Shiroko could tell, she was cross-referencing tank component designs with the ones Sensei had salvaged. Ayane claimed she was on the verge of a breakthrough, and, as such, stayed up nearly all night trying to get a promising lead on the supplier of the Helmet Gang's tech.
Shiroko felt a pang of guilt at what she was doing with Sensei, but it quickly passed. Like Sensei insisted earlier, it was relatively harmless practice - practice that didn't involve the risk of being caught and facing legal repercussions. Well, not like Valkyrie or the GSC had much pull in Abydos, anyway.
And Shiroko would never actually steal from her friends. Moral quandaries aside, it made no logical sense for her to do so. All their funds were being funneled into one purpose - the debt - so stealing from her friends would be tantamount to stealing from herself.
With Ayane distracted, Shiroko finally reached around her classmate from behind and, in one clean motion, swiped the dark brown glasses case from her pocket. Shiroko wordlessly turned to Sensei and waved the case at him, to which he gave a thumbs up. Nodding, she returned the case to Ayane, who was much too engrossed in her work to notice anything had happened.
Reporting back to Sensei, Shiroko plainly said, "I'm back."
"Hmm…" Sensei pondered as he analyzed her. She found herself wishing she could see his facial expression right now.
"Yes, Sensei?" Shiroko asked in trepidation. Had she done something wrong?
Sensei was silent for another minute before he nodded to himself, as if affirming something. "You know…" he started. "I have never seen anybody pick this up as quickly as you have."
"Really?"
"Yeah. You've got a real knack for sneak, methinks," Sensei said, though there was something strange about the way he said the word 'sneak'.
"I-I see." Shiroko felt no small amount of pride well up in her, along with another feeling she couldn't describe.
"You did good, but don't get a big head now," Sensei remarked, crossing his arms. "Still plenty of things you can improve on. Situational awareness being one of them."
"What do you mean?"
"You gotta anticipate your target's movements. People who are focused on rote tasks tend to fall into a pattern, one which you can exploit once you learn them."
"Like learning a patrol guard's schedule?" Shiroko suggested.
"Kinda. In some cases, depending on whose pockets you're picking, that is exactly the case," Sensei replied. "But I'm thinking less formal, more along the lines of habits. Mannerisms. Back there, you got lucky that Ayane didn't get up and go for coffee when your hands were in her pockets."
"…I'll do better next time," Shiroko said after taking a moment to internalize his words.
"Then I'll look forward to it. We should call it quits for now, we have a meeting soon."
Shiroko wilted a bit. "Already? There's still some time."
"Well… I was gonna suggest one more target, but this one's probably too much for you."
"I'll do it," Shiroko said instantly.
"Really? You haven't even heard what it is," Sensei flatly responded.
"I can handle it," she insisted.
Sensei stared at her before one long moment before he sighed. "Confidence is grand and all, but…"
"…But?"
"There's one more lesson for you to learn: Never accept a job unless you know exactly what you're in for," Sensei said ominously.
Shiroko quelled the onset of nerves as she followed Sensei to their third target. He opened the door to the student lounge to find Nonomi seated at one of the tables, her back to the entrance. Save for some bandages, all signs of her injuries from yesterday were all but gone, thanks to Sensei and Ayane's timely intervention. In her hands was her phone, through which she scrolled vertically through several short videos. She laughed to herself as she found a particularly cute and funny one.
"…Nonomi?" Shiroko asked Sensei in a hushed tone.
"Uh-huh."
"Wallet?"
"No."
"…Then what's my target?"
"Her golden credit card."
Shiroko's stomach dropped.
Observing her expression, Sensei merely said, "See? Told you so."
"I'll…do it," Shiroko insisted, hesitating only slightly.
"You sure?"
"Yes." She doubted that Sensei's road to his current level was an easy one. Thus, the only way she could ever hope to reach Sensei's level was to challenge herself.
Sensei lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged, watching Shiroko. "Good luck, then. I'll be right here."
Shiroko gulped and got into position.
Nonomi would be…quite difficult. She didn't look it, but she was easily one of the most perceptive in their class, second to only Senpai and maybe Shiroko herself. Not to mention that she could get quite scary when incensed.
But Shiroko couldn't go back on her word. Not with Sensei watching. He had high expectations of her.
Shiroko crouched and made her way to Nonomi, with what scant noise she made being drowned out by the videos Nonomi was watching. Shiroko reached into Nonomi's sweater pocket and retrieved Nonomi's expensive-looking wallet. She opened the wallet and slowly withdrew the golden credit card.
Shiroko's eyes widened as the credit card glistened brilliantly in the room's light. Quickly, she covered it with her hands, but it was too late. The room flashed briefly, and Shiroko's ears flattened against her head, dreading what was to come.
"Shi~ro~ko~chan?" Nonomi, without even turning around, stressed each syllable, like how one would sing a lullaby.
"Y-yes?" Shiroko put the card back in the wallet and set it down on the ground. Every one of her instincts screamed at her to flee.
Nonomi finally turned around, sporting the most serene, motherly smile Shiroko had ever seen while propping up her heavy weapon, sending chills running down Shiroko's spine.
"This isn't what it looks like," Shiroko quickly began, raising her hands placatingly. "Sensei-" she looked in Sensei's direction for support… Only to find an empty doorway, with the man nowhere to be found.
He had escaped, sensing the imminent danger.
Mm. So this is what betrayal feels like… Shiroko realized.
Nonomi's precious Mini No. 5 began to spin up, and Shiroko turned tail and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
The sound of minigun fire echoed throughout the school.
Turning around the green canister in my hand, I noted the biohazard symbol printed on the front. Quick scans from my Pip-Boy detailed to me its contents' composition, which consisted of several types of corrosive chemical substances.
The grenade was a bit crude, as far as biological agents go. It also paled in every way compared to the Sierra Madre's Cloud. But the fact that a lone student in Shanghaijing managed to manufacture this weapon from what I deduced were common classroom chemicals was marginally impressive.
It made me consider whether such a weapon would even work on a student. This weapon was apparently illegal, which suggested, to some extent, yes.
It also called into question how such an item even ended up on the black market.
"Uheh… My back is killing me… Can we get a move on already?"
But with my present company, further investigation was all but impossible.
Putting the grenade back in its place in the shady merchant's stall, I turned my cranky companion. "You don't have to follow me, you know."
"You looked pretty sad all on your lonesome, Sensei. Figured Oji-san could give you some company," Hoshino replied, slouching as she walked.
I sighed. The entire reason I suggested the group should split up was so that I could peruse what the black market had to offer in peace. So when Hoshino elected to follow me, I was more than a little skeptical.
I was prepared for her to start prying about what I suspected she saw yesterday, but she did nothing of the sort. Instead, she simply followed, oftentimes butting in to complain about this or that, but for the most part she minded her own business.
It occurred to me that this was the first time I was ever alone with Hoshino. Normally she hung around the other students or found some little corner of the school to nap in, so we never had much opportunity to speak. Perhaps she also realized this.
We left the stall and strolled through the black market, walking around the numerous people, animals, and robots in our way. We passed makeshift stalls, which were shaded from the sun by tarps, while merchants called out cryptically to passersby to check out their wares. The wares in question ranged from the innocuous knickknack to literal biological agents, as I found earlier. Most shared one thing in common – they were either in a legal gray area or flat out illegal. It turns out that in a population in which everyone's allowed to own military-grade firearms, you had to get very creative when looking for illegal things to sell.
To my relief and slight disappointment, I had not seen any sign of uranium-235 being sold anywhere here. Relief, because I didn't have to worry about enemies wielding nuclear weapons. And disappointment, because using weapons like the Fat Man was simply the most sublime feeling in the world.
An exhibit caught my attention, and I strode towards it.
"Sensei, you're going too fast. Oji-san can't keep up…" Hoshino griped as she was forced to maneuver around market traffic to keep up with me.
"Weren't you just telling me to hurry up?" I replied, slightly irritated.
"Age is a fickle mistress, as I'm sure you know."
Rolling my eyes, I stopped at the market stall. The merchant here apparently sold pharmaceutical and medical supplies that were smuggled out of Trinity's Remedial Knights' and Gehenna's Medical Emergency Club's inventories. Subtly, so as to not draw unwanted attention, I inspected the various medications and first aid equipment using my Pip-Boy, registering the data to review in detail later. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity as I found what looked like blood bags, presumably for transfusion purposes. It seemed that people here carried the same ABO Rh blood phenotypes as normal humans back home. The prospect of obtaining a blood sample from a student for research greatly interested me, but it'd have to wait. I marked the location for another time and went on my way.
"You're into some weird stuff, Sensei," Hoshino commented. "You some kind of mad scientist?"
"Not really. I just find science interesting."
"So, your hobbies are guns, science, and repairing random stuff."
"Don't forget punching things."
Hoshino snorted. "Ah, yes. The punching. I almost feel bad for those whippersnappers yesterday."
"Not my fault they were so punchable."
Hoshino gave a wry smile. "Heh. Where'd this punching thing even come from, anyway?"
"A friend of mine showed me the ropes." I paused. "She was…very enthusiastic about it."
"It rubbed off on you, then." She laughed like she knew the feeling.
"What can I say? I saw the light," I replied with a fond smile, before my thoughts took a more sobering turn.
Last I saw her, Veronica had become…quieter. More reserved. She made it a habit of secluding herself in crumbling Old World libraries, estranged from her family. She hid her melancholy well behind her sense of humor, but it was plain as day that she was still frustrated with the Brotherhood of Steel's unyielding stance on technology.
We had saved each other's skin more times than I could count, so even though I couldn't fully empathize with her situation, it still hurt to see.
Though it was but a pittance, I decided that I would be on the lookout for a nice dress while I was in Kivotos. The gift wouldn't solve Veronica's problems, but at least she'd have something to smile about for once.
"You know, Sensei…" Hoshino casually said, bringing me back to earth.
"Yes?"
"I never got to thank you."
"What for?"
"For helping out Serika," Hoshino clarified, her expression nonchalant but her tone speaking volumes.
"I just did what anyone would do."
Hoshino flashed a knowing grin. "Ehh? 'What anyone would do', you say? I may be old and sentimental, but you and I both know that's just wishful thinking."
"Perhaps. Wishing for things to be better never hurt anybody."
Hoshino shrugged. "Dunno, you've seen where that kind of thinking has taken this district, haven't you?"
"True enough. In that case, you're welcome."
Hoshino merely grinned and clasped her hands around the back of her neck as she walked. A few moments later, she turned to me again. "So, what do you think of Abydos?"
"It's hot."
"You don't say," she said sarcastically. "No, I mean, its class. The Foreclosure Task Force."
I considered her question a bit before I answered. "You're good people."
Hoshino stared expectantly, as if waiting for a follow-up. "…That's it?"
"Yup," I replied with all the eloquence of Easy Pete.
"You were prepared to give Serika an essay as to why her germanium bracelets are scientifically proven to suck, but that's all you have to say about us?" she said flatly, looking unsure as to whether she should be offended or not.
Sighing, I scratched the back of my helmet. "Okay, fine. You're good people, with ambitions, aspirations, and interests. Moreover, you just want to live in peace. So when some asshole comes along and tries to take what little you have, it pushes my buttons."
Hoshino blinked at the sudden profanity before she considered my words. "Wait, that's your reason for helping us? The sole reason?"
"Did you think there was some other reason?"
"Well, yeah. There's gotta be a reason why you dote on Shiroko so much." Hoshino smirked.
I squinted at her. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you don't," she said teasingly. "Why else would you go out of your way to teach her all your bizarre techniques?"
"It's literally my job."
"Even the lockpicking and sneaky stuff?" Hoshino pressed. "And yes, I know about that. Oji-san may not look it, but she's still the acting president, you know? Not much goes on behind the academy's walls that I don't know about."
I knew Hoshino was keeping tabs on me, but to that extent? I needed to reevaluate my perception of her. "If Shiroko wants to learn, I'll teach her. Simple as that."
"Oh? And that involves joining her on her morning jogs, like you've been doing the past few days?"
I crossed my arms. "What's your point?"
"No point. Just rambling, like a crotchety old fart is wont to do," Hoshino claimed as she smiled lopsidedly. "I'm not exactly complaining, either. You didn't hear it from me, but these few days you've been here have been the happiest I've ever seen Shiroko since we found her."
Her odd choice of words toward the end made me raise an eyebrow. "'Found' her?"
"A story for another time." Hoshino waved a hand. "Anyhow, you're doing a good job. Just keep in mind that there's people looking up to you now, yeah?"
People looking up to me… It was a strange prospect, indeed. I was well used to being watched, my every move being subject to scrutiny by all factions in the Mojave Wasteland.
But I was not a soldier, nor a student or teacher. I was a survivor, first and foremost - a package courier who, by sheer grit, talent, and dumb luck, managed to surpass unimaginable odds and usurp control of a preserved pre-war city from the factions vying for control of it.
Every skill I had honed so far was the product of experience and sometimes painful trial-and-error. I had no formal training whatsoever; I learned these skills because it was that or die.
So the mere notion that these students would try and emulate someone like me out of choice gave me mixed feelings. But if Shiroko wanted to learn from me, I'd help her. My Wasteland skills may be at odds with Kivotos' sensibilities, but Abydos needed every edge it could get if it wanted to survive.
"Ah! Look, look, Sensei!" Hoshino suddenly exclaimed, excited.
"Hm?" I looked at where she was pointing. A medium-sized aquarium housed several fish of varying sizes and colors. I didn't recognize any of the species, but then again, my knowledge of fish was confined to just a few pictures from pre-war books. "They're selling fish."
"Red handfish, bluefin tuna, coelacanth…" Hoshino recognized. "Not just any fish, those are critically endangered!"
"Endangered? As in, about to go extinct?"
She nodded. "What are they doing all the way here-" Hoshino stopped mid-sentence, as if coming to a realization.
I could roughly guess what she was thinking. Nearly extinct species of fish, all the way in Abydos' black market? Likely illegally acquired and put up for sale for collectors or the discerning gourmand.
Hoshino pursed her lips and her hand twitched in the direction of her weapon. I knew she was partial to aquatic creatures, if her whale plushie was any indication, but for her to even consider burglary like Shiroko? She must have been quite the enthusiast.
Hell, I might've even helped her steal them, but as it so happened, we were on a mission.
"Hoshino," I said in a neutral tone.
She held in a breath before she gave a dejected sigh. "I know, it's silly. We're in the middle of the city, far away from their natural habitats. Even if I could pay for them, we don't have the luxury to take them with us right now."
"Maybe if we get enough money in the near future?" I tried to reassure her.
"That'll be the day…" Hoshino murmured as we walked away.
"Feel free to come back anytime! It's been forever since I've had any customers who really knew their stuff," the shady feline weapons merchant in a trench coat waved at me.
"Thanks! And good luck on your marriage!" I waved back, slipping my purchase into a coat pocket as I left with a perplexed Hoshino.
"You sure you've never met that guy before?" she asked me.
"Never in my life. Why?"
"You were talking to him like you were old chums."
I shrugged. "Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of flattery, maybe buying a thing or two, to loosen a trader's tongue."
"That simple, huh?"
"Pretty much. I find traders to be the easiest to deal with. Because, at the end of the day, it all comes down to caps."
"Caps?" Hoshino raised an eyebrow.
"Money," I clarified.
"Ah."
"More importantly," I held out my arm and showed her my Pip-Boy, "thanks to him, we now have a list of suppliers connected to Kaiser that were involved in arming the Helmet Gang."
"Ohh." Hoshino skimmed the list, before glancing sideways at me. "You think it's enough for what we need?"
"Maybe, but I doubt it." Once Ayane verified its contents, this list would be useful in proving Kaiser's involvement on the attacks on Abydos. But it probably wasn't enough on its own to give such a huge corporation pause. We needed more.
I picked up the sound of multiple footsteps heading in our direction. Not a moment later, a student with light brown hair and white uniform rounded the corner. Turning her head to look behind her as she sprinted towards us, she didn't see Hoshino in the way until it was too late.
"Oof!" The student crashed into Hoshino and rebounded backward, landing on her hindquarters.
Amusingly, Hoshino, despite being almost half a foot shorter, didn't budge an inch from the impact. She leaned over and addressed the fallen student. "Heya, kiddo. How's it hanging?"
"I, um…" the student stuttered, her pupils constricted due to adrenaline. "I need to-" As she caught sight of me, her breath hitched in her throat.
The student's pursuers caught up. The four wore battered school uniforms and face masks with X's embroidered on them, brandishing SMGs and rifles. "There you are, Trinity brat. There ain't no Justice Task Force around here to save you now!" one of them sneered.
"Hold up, that's Sensei," another harshly whispered, glancing at me. The others affixed their gazes on me, fear reflecting in their eyes.
A third one spoke, "Uh, hey, Sensei. Thanks for finding our friend there. We were just playing a nice, friendly game of tag, weren't we?" she said unconvincingly.
The Trinity student scrambled to her feet, and, before the thugs could intervene, hid behind Hoshino, who boredly watched the situation unfold. "No! We weren't! They've been following me for the past half hour! They kept saying stuff about ransom!" she cried, causing the thugs to focus their baleful looks on the Trinity student.
Without skipping a beat, I unholstered a laser pistol, the Compliance Regulator. I queued up V.A.T.S., taking aim at three of the thugs' legs, then confirmed my selection. The boxlike weapon shot out six consecutive blue laser beams, successfully striking the legs of the three. Almost immediately, the paralysis effect took hold on two of the thugs, freezing them in their tracks. Once I exited V.A.T.S., I shot the third thug twice more in the chest, paralyzing her as well.
I turned to the fourth thug, intent on doing the same, but Hoshino had already dashed forward, slamming the butt of her shotgun into the thug's gut, causing her to double over in pain. Hoshino then fired two shotgun shells into the side of her head, knocking the thug out like a light. Not bad.
The paralyzed thugs, who were still standing in the same aggressive pose they were in when I shot them, tilted over and fell to the ground like unbalanced statues. "W-what the hell?! I can't move!" one of them said in panic.
The Trinity student watched in amazement as the group harrowing her was incapacitated in less than a second.
Extremely satisfied that my experiment was a success, I holstered the Compliance Regulator. The gun was an energy weapon that bore little to no lethality, but it boasted a neat little caveat: if its beam hit any of a target's vital nerve centers, it caused the target to become completely immobilized for about ten seconds. Deathclaws, Yao Guai, Tunnelers… As long as the target had a nervous system, one well-placed shot would bypass the target's natural defenses, freeze them, and leave them vulnerable to a follow-up. Even certain types of robots were not immune to the effect. Now that I had confirmation that the effect worked on haloed enemies, that expanded my options for combat here.
I crouched down next to the paralyzed thugs, looking them in the eyes. "Now apologize."
"W-we're sorry!" they quickly wailed.
"Not to me. To her." I jabbed a thumb in the Trinity student's direction.
"We're so sorry!"
"We'll never do it again!"
"We swear!"
"Good enough." I rose to full height and smiled evilly. "If you don't want the paralysis to last for the rest of your lives, then I suggest you run."
The thugs squealed in fright at the [Terrifying Presence] and, as if on cue, the paralysis wore off. They immediately got up and fled, tripping over each other to get away, leaving their unconscious friend behind.
I heard footsteps behind me as I was joined by the two students.
"Geez, Sensei." Hoshino rubbed the back of her head. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."
"U-um…" the Trinity girl piped up nervously. "Sensei? That part you said, about them being paralyzed for life… It wasn't true, was it?"
"Nope, it was a lie."
Probably.
"Thank goodness…" The Trinity student sighed in relief. "Oh, my name is Ajitani Hifumi, by the way. Thank you so much for helping me back there!" Hifumi smiled brightly.
Now that I got a closer look, her affiliation with Trinity was readily apparent in her uniform. She had a golden halo with little wings on both sides. She also carried a white backpack that was modeled after some kind of winged creature.
"Yo, Hifumi-chan," Hoshino greeted while stifling a yawn. "This old timer's name is Takanashi Hoshino, and the other old timer's Sensei." Hearing this, I shot an irked glance at Hoshino.
Hifumi blinked. "Old timer? Aren't we around the same age, though…?"
When Hifumi turned to Hoshino, I got a good look at her backpack. The backpack had googly eyes and a long tongue which lolled out of its beak. My first thought?
That is one mutated-ass bird…
"So, what brings a Trinity student like you to the black market?" Hoshino asked, ignoring Hifumi's prior question.
"Well…" Hifumi scratched a cheek with her index finger. "I'm here to look for a piece of merchandise that can only be found here…"
She was here for something illegal, huh? Guess even Trinity students got their hands dirty…
"What about you guys? I never thought I'd see Schale's Sensei in a place like this," Hifumi said curiously.
Hoshino and I shared a look, then turned back to Hifumi. It was possible that she was a spy for Trinity, but the incident back there looked genuine enough. Plus, she looked innocuous enough. What were the odds of a normal student like her being in close contact with the bigwigs of the Tea Party?
"You could say that we're also here for merchandise," Hoshino vaguely replied, evidently on the same train of thought as me.
"Really? Then, do you want to go looking for merch together?" Hifumi happily offered. "I thought I was gonna be safe coming here alone, but as it turns out, you can't really trust the black market police…"
"Police?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's said that the black market has their own police force, who have largely outcompeted Valkyrie's presence in the area. But the police here are really only looking out for the businesses here, and not tourists like us…" Hifumi looked down.
"In that case, the more, the merrier, right, Sensei?" Hoshino said.
"Sure," I replied. Hifumi looked like she knew a thing or two about the black market that may prove useful. "We're just gonna meet up with some friends first, if that's alright."
"I don't mind!" Hifumi beamed innocently.
"You're late," Serika said, eyeing the newcomer. "We were supposed to rendezvous here fifteen minutes ago."
"About that," Hoshino addressed the rest of the Foreclosure Task Force, who were seated at some benches away from the bustling market. "Sensei and I got sidetracked a bit dealing with some merchant, then we ran into Hifumi-chan here."
"Hi, my name is Ajitani Hifumi…" she introduced herself somewhat awkwardly.
Shiroko analyzed Hifumi for a moment, then nodded approvingly at Hoshino and me. "Mm. Good work. You went forward with the plan after all."
"Plan? What plan?" Hifumi tilted her head.
"The one where we kidnap a student from Trinity," Shiroko informed.
Hifumi went chalk white. "E-excuse me?"
"She's joking," Ayane hastily interrupted, as a holographic image of her suddenly appeared, making me flinch. I'd never get used to holograms… "Isn't that right, Shiroko-senpai?" she insisted as she glared daggers at her friend.
"Uh…right," Shiroko said reluctantly.
"Ahaha…" Hifumi laughed nervously. "Good one…"
"Hey, but you can't deny that it's a good plan," Hoshino said. She got in Hifumi's face, smirking. "How about it, kiddo? Wanna enroll in Abydos? We got lots of cool stuff for youngsters like you."
"Like sand?" Serika blandly offered.
"Cacti," Shiroko added.
"And yummy ramen!" Nonomi chirped.
"A-ah… No thanks…" Hifumi refused uncomfortably.
"Can we please get back on track?" Ayane said, causing Hifumi to sigh in relief. "Has anyone found anything?"
Our original purpose in coming to the black market was for us to investigate promising leads that Ayane had unveiled. Several possible culprits existed, so we split up to check them out.
"I did." I held out my Pip-Boy in front of Ayane. "Got a list of suppliers from one of the merchants."
She leaned over to look at the list. "Hmm… Several of these are probably shell corporations and subsidiaries also owned by Kaiser."
"Will it help us?" I asked.
"If we can trace the transactions back to Kaiser, then doubtlessly." She nodded. "We'll have to look at the data in greater detail later."
"Okay. I'll upload the file once we get back."
"Please do. And excellent work, Sensei!" Ayane smiled. "Is there anyone else who found anything?
"I did." Shiroko raised her hand. She reached into her pocket and brought out a small, flat device.
"A USB drive?" Nonomi cocked her head.
Shiroko nodded. "It's from one of the weapons dealers around here."
"What's on it?" Serika asked.
Shiroko shrugged.
"Okay…how did you get it?" Ayane slowly asked.
"It was in his pocket."
Everybody stared at Shiroko.
Well I'll be damned. A smirk crept onto my face. That was an incredibly risky move when she was still new to picking pockets, especially since we're in unfamiliar territory. But she managed. Maybe the Legion was onto something, with skirts being stealthy and all…
"So…you just took it right out of his pocket," Ayane stated.
"Mm."
Upon hearing her confirmation, everyone except Hifumi slowly turned from Shiroko to stare at me. I shoved my hands into my coat pockets and turned away, whistling nonchalantly.
"Sensei," Ayane called, rubbing her temple.
"Howdy."
"Just…why?"
"Hey, I'm not the one who stole it."
She looked like she wanted to say something but elected not to, out of consideration for Hifumi's presence. "We'll…discuss this another time," she said. "Let's take this opportunity to have a break, then we'll see if we can't find any more leads afterward."
After some brief introductions, the Foreclosure Task Force sat down and took out their boxed lunches, sharing some with Hifumi. While they ate, they chatted, seeming to hit it off with the Trinity student. I sat on the curb and listened in, while keeping watch of the surroundings.
"Oh, that reminds me," Nonomi took out a brown paper bag. "Do you want some fresh taiyaki, Hifumi-chan? Sensei?"
"I'll take one, please!" Hifumi reached in and pulled out a fish-shaped bread-looking food item.
Nonomi gestured to me, to which I refused with a gentle shake of my head. Fuuka made sure that I wouldn't leave Schale today without a full stomach.
"Why were you in the black market anyway, Hifumi?" Serika asked curiously.
"Believe it or not, she's here for some dangerous contraband," Hoshino answered for her.
"Dangerous?" Hifumi repeated confusedly. "I wouldn't say that…"
"Really? When someone says something shady like 'merchandise', they usually mean contraband."
Hifumi shook her head. "Well, it's not necessarily illegal, more like it's hard to find." She took out her cell phone, which had a case resembling the Radchicken on her backpack. She showed the group a picture of the same Radchicken, except this one had an ice cream in its mouth. "See? It's a limited-edition plushie of Peroro-sama!"
What the hell is a Peroro supposed to be?
Nonomi gasped. "From Momo Friends, right? I love that show! The plot twist in season three made me wish for more!"
"I know, right?!" Hifumi gushed, truly within her element. "I especially love how it tied in with the rest of the Momo Friends Cinematic Universe! Have you been keeping up with the latest of the comics, Nonomi-san?"
Nonomi smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, but I'm a more casual sort of fan…"
"Oh…" Some of Hifumi's enthusiasm escaped her.
"Lemme get this straight. You came to the black market for a plushie?" Serika asked incredulously.
"Only one hundred of them were ever made, after all. It's a must-have collector's item!" Hifumi explained. "But I haven't had that much luck even here… Most of the remaining ones I've seen in the black market are being sold by scalpers at really high prices…"
"How high are we talking?" Hoshino asked.
"Like, my student fees for a year, high."
"Yeesh. Guess even you Trinity gals can have it rough, too," Serika commented.
"Ahaha…" Hifumi scratched the back of her head. "It's really not so bad…"
A moving object in my peripheral vision caught my attention. A black truck with "Kaiser Loans" printed on the side drove past on the street nearby. Bingo.
"Ayane," I abruptly said as I stood up, interrupting the conversation.
"What's wrong, Sensei?"
"Can you get a bead on that truck that just passed by?"
"Huh? Uh, okay." Rapid sounds of typing ensued, followed by the clicking of a tongue. "No luck. I think the truck's systems are operating on a closed system."
"Just hack it," I suggested.
"It's not that simple, Sensei." Ayane sighed. "Attempting that would take too long. I'm going to try and follow it physically via drone."
"Do that. It may just be what we need."
"It's Kaiser?"
"Yeah."
Once the members of the Foreclosure Task Force heard that, they rapidly put away their lunches and began to mobilize, while Hifumi confusedly looked around. I set off to follow the drone, with Shiroko being the first to follow.
"That truck…" Ayane said, once we had caught up with the truck parked in front of a large building. We were crouched from a distance where I was positive we wouldn't be easily discovered.
"What about it?" I asked.
"It perfectly matches the debt collector's vehicle from earlier today, right down to the license plate…" she noted. I wasn't present at Abydos when the collector arrived, so I had to take her word for it. But what was it doing here?
"The Stygian Bank…" Hifumi murmured.
"You know about this place?" Hoshino asked.
Hifumi nodded. "The black market isn't connected to any of the centralized banks in Kivotos, but they have their own. A large percentage of money obtained illicitly is usually funneled through here. Then they use the money to fund more illicit activities."
"They have that much power here?" I wondered.
"Yes. And there's not much that the GSC can do about it, since the black market has enough influence to rival that of a small district," Hifumi informed, frowning.
"Hmm…"
If that's really the best the GSC has to offer, then maybe I should retake control over the city after all, I pondered. Then dealing with these Kaiser scumbags wouldn't be that much of an issue.
"If it's okay for me to ask," Hifumi tentatively started, "why are you guys so focused on Kaiser Loans? Do you owe them or something?"
"Something like that," Hoshino replied cryptically.
"We found out they're a suspect behind several attacks on the school," I informed her, frowning. I didn't think Hifumi would follow us this far. If we didn't want to risk legal repercussions due to the admittedly low possibility of Hifumi tipping off the authorities, then it was best to let her in on our motives and play to her sense of justice.
"Really?" Hifumi fell into deep thought. "I can see why that would be bad. It would be hard to retaliate, legally and physically, against a corporation that large and influential."
"…Right." I scrutinized Hifumi's words. Her knowledge went far beyond simple 'research'. Could it be that the girl actually did have connections in the Tea Party or the Justice Task Force?
"Something's happening," Shiroko observed through her weapon's scope.
The back of the truck opened up, and the bank guards began unloading copious stacks of yen bills onto a trolley, then wheeled them into the bank. The robotic collector, whom Ayane seemed to recognize, signed off on a paper log, then handed it to a helmeted bank guard. Their transaction concluded, the collector got in the truck and promptly drove off.
"That can't be, can it…" Nonomi trailed off.
"No way, is that our payment from today that they just took in?!" Serika seethed.
Ayane initially didn't respond, as she processed the shock from the finding. "…Most likely."
"You're telling me that every time we pay Kaiser, they just use the money to fund more of their damn attacks on us?!" Serika nearly shouted.
"That's probably why they're so insistent on cash-only payments," Ayane replied, her tone indicating distress.
Shiroko and Hoshino looked on in grim silence.
Hifumi noticed how tightly I was clenching my fist, and she concernedly said, "Sensei? Are you okay?"
I didn't answer, because I was fucking pissed.
I got up, retrieving my riot shotgun, beginning my march to the Stygian Bank.
"Sensei? What are you doing?!" Ayane called out to me.
"I'm going in."
"To do what?"
"Simple. Get your money back, and nuke the place with everyone in it." I didn't have to turn around to know that the way I said that sent chills down their spines.
They may have thought that I was merely exaggerating when I said that I would nuke the place. But I wasn't. I may not have a stable supply of uranium, but what self-respecting courier didn't carry a spare nuclear armament with them at all times? One nuke was a small price to pay to take out a bunch of shitbags who deserved it.
"Sensei. Sensei!" Shiroko's voice beckoned from behind me. She placed her gloved hand on my shoulder, and I stopped.
I turned my head, facing the nervous-looking Foreclosure Task Force and Hifumi. Shiroko looked into my visor, as if searching for my eyes.
"…I agree about the money," Shiroko carefully said. "But there's a better way to go about this."
Raising an eyebrow, I waited for her to continue.
Instead, she reached into her pack and retrieved the gangster helmet from yesterday. The number 6 was hastily scribbled on the forehead in my handwriting.
I met Shiroko's insistent gaze and, upon looking into her bizarrely mismatched eyes, felt some of my anger dissipate. Turning around fully, I tenderly accepted the proffered helmet, and she gave a small smile.
With that, the Foreclosure Task Force let out a breath they likely hadn't realized they'd been holding.
"Well, guess it can't be helped," Hoshino lazily said as she slipped on her ski mask, a big strand of her pink hair poking out from the top. "We're hitting the bank!"
"We're really doing this, aren't we?" Serika looked like she was questioning her life choices up to this point, before her expression turned into steel. She slipped on her red mask. "Count me in."
"To think we'd be able to put 'bank robbing' in our résumés," Nonomi giggled as she equipped her green mask, then hefted her minigun. "I'm all set!"
"Mm." Shiroko equipped hers. "I've waited my whole life for this moment."
"I can't exactly say the same…" Ayane's holographic visage appeared, except this time she wore her yellow mask. She looked embarrassed, as if she were aware of the redundancy of having a technical operator wear a disguise. "…but they've left us with no choice. I have your backs."
Everyone turned to Hifumi, who wilted under their expectant stares. "I…um…"
"We can't just let Hifumi-chan feel left out, now can we?" Hoshino amusedly remarked.
"It's okay, don't mind me…" Hifumi fruitlessly told the Foreclosure Task Force, who surrounded her.
Staring down at my own disguise, I came to the realization that it probably wouldn't be enough. If I were to just replace my helmet, everyone in this city would recognize the rest of my usual attire. Not to mention I still lacked a halo.
A devious idea came to mind, and I slipped away from the preoccupied group momentarily to change.
Less than five minutes later, I emerged from the alley I was in. The Foreclosure Task Force had outfitted a hapless Hifumi, who looked like she was resigned to her fate, with the same brown paper bag the taiyaki came in. The number 5 was scribbled on top. Beggars couldn't be choosers, I suppose.
Apparently, the students were wondering about my sudden disappearance, when they caught sight of me, their eyes widening.
Their collective eyes took in my new appearance, which consisted of a Jailhouse Rocker, complete with the fashionable black coat and black and white striped shirt, courtesy of the King's School of Impersonation. I wore gloves to conceal my hands, and I wrapped both my wrists with cloth to conceal both my Pip-Boy and Two-Step Goodbye on my other arm. My face was hidden behind the gangster helmet Shiroko provided me.
However, what utterly stupefied the students was the object floating above my head.
Because from their point of view, I suddenly had a light blue halo.
"Sensei…? Is that you?" Hifumi perplexedly started.
I nodded, smirking.
"You have a halo!" Serika said in disbelief.
"How do you have a halo?!" Ayane exclaimed.
"It can't be Sensei, can it?" Nonomi wondered in awe.
"Maybe that's how he does all those weird things. Have you been holding out on us, hiding your halo from us this whole time?" Serika accused, though there was a hint of relief that she wouldn't have to worry about me getting shot.
It took some tinkering, but I managed to modify a Valence Radii-Accentuator to float above my head like a student's halo would. And judging from their sheer disbelief, merely adding a "halo" and changing my clothes was enough to make them not recognize me. Thus, this made for an exceptionally good disguise in this city.
Everyone knew the halo-less adult male, but the haloed adult male? Nonexistent. Until now.
"Nope. Because as you can see," I tapped the Valence Radii-Accentuator for emphasis, causing the hardlight construct to slightly wobble in the air, "this one's just a piece of technology."
The group visibly deflated, a reaction I found hilarious. I likened them to a group of ghouls discovering that they couldn't take their unmutated human friend to hang out in ground zero of a nuclear blast.
"Are you sure you'll be fine without your normal armor, Sensei?" Ayane inquired, concerned.
"Don't worry." For the disguise to be effective, it had to be something I wouldn't normally wear. And I wore a ballistic vest underneath, anyway. Going anywhere in Kivotos without body armor or a halo was basically asking to be turned into Swiss cheese. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."
We went forward with weapon checks, and I distributed ammunition. Once that was finished, we strode to the bank, with Hifumi hesitantly being the last to follow.
"We should probably think of names we'll use so we don't give our identities away, right?" Nonomi suggested.
"You have a point…" Ayane's voice crackled over the comms.
"Good thing I had everything prepared beforehand!" Nonomi happily claimed. "I'll be Christina, Serika-chan can be Karyl…"
"Ew, Karyl?" Serika gagged. "Why do I have to be the Karyl?!"
Nonomi continued, unperturbed. "Shiroko-chan, you can be-"
"Sensei and I already have names to use." Shiroko cut her off.
"We do?" I confusedly asked, to which she nodded.
"Isn't that right," Shiroko extended her arm, offering me her gloved hand. "Vance?"