Prologue: getting ready for the day!
"Sensei… Sensei! Wake up."
With a groan, Ritsuka Fujimaru managed to will himself into raising his head from his pillow and look at who was calling for him. For a second, Ritsuka saw a purple haired girl with one of her purple eyes covered by her hair wearing a black uniform and white jacket standing besides his bed.
When he blinked, that image was gone and in the girl's place was a much younger girl with a similar haircut with one side braided, only with sky blue hair and a white ribbon. The girl's body was transparent since she was a hologram, but she was wearing a blue sailor uniform with a white tie. In her hands was a mixture of an umbrella and a gun.
Peeking from the girl's shoulder was a similar girl only with different colors. The girl's hair was pale white. Her uniform was black with a white tie, and her umbrella-gun was black.
"Good morning, Arona, Plana," Ritsuka greeted as he shook off his drowsiness.
"Good morning, Ritsuka Sensei!" Both girls replied.
"What time is it?" He asked, getting out of bed and making it.
"It's 7:30 AM, Sensei!" Arona replied.
"I told her to wake you at 7 sharp like usual," Plana added, still watching over Arona's shoulder. "But she insisted on letting you sleep a bit more since you worked late last night."
"Thank you. I really was tired last night," Ritsuka flashed them a grateful smile, causing Arona to giggle and Plana to give a small smile before their holograms vanished into the tablet on his nightstand. "Alright, let me get ready and we'll head to Schale's main building."
With that, Ritsuka went to the bathroom to freshen up. After coming out, he put on his uniform which was a green shirt with white pants and a doctor's coat. When he finished dressing up, he tied his hair into a low ponytail and picked up the Shittim Chest.
Before leaving, Ritsuka took a quick glance at the mirror to make sure of how he looked. For a single second, he saw a different person in the mirror. A man wearing a medical uniform with the sleeves rolled up halfway through and white gloves. The man had the same ponytail that Ritsuka had, only his hair was strawberry blond. The image was gone as soon as it came, and Ritsuka sighed with a nostalgic smile at his reflection before leaving.
Episode 1: Ninjas never give up!
Ritsuka yawned as he entered the office in Schale's building. As he walked to his desk, he held up his tablet and asked, "Arona, is there anything on my schedule today?"
The Shittim Chest's AI appeared on the screen. "Well, you don't have any meetings today. But, there's paperwork to do. Some reports about students and supplies alongside some requests from Gehenna and Millennium."
"Probably the Gourmet Research Society causing trouble and Yuuka making sure I'm not wasting money," The teacher chuckled as he sat down behind his desk and looked at the paperwork.
"Don't worry, Sensei! We'll be here to help you whenever you need!" Arona cheered, her halo changing to match her excitement as she pulled Plana from the side of the screen to show her.
Ritsuka chuckled, "I'm sure you will."
With that, Ritsuka went to do his paperwork. Today was one of the easier days of work. No mountains of paperwork or scheduled meetings with any of the academies or students.
Just as he thought the day would be without troubles, he heard his phone ring, receiving a message on Momotalk. Ritsuka checked the message and saw it was from Izuna, requesting a meeting.
Ritsuka smiled as he saw the overly excited way Izuna would write her texts. The young and upcoming Ninja was definitely a ray of sunshine he would enjoy on a day like this, so he replied with his confirmation.
After finishing the important work, Ritsuka got up from his desk, pocketed his phone and the Shittim Chest within his coat, and left the building.
Getting to Hyakkiyako wasn't that hard. One quick train trip was all it took to get to the Academy city. After reaching the place that Izuna told him to wait in, he found it to be the road in front of a packed cinema.
Glancing around, it wasn't hard for Ritsuka to spot Izuna, not for lack of trying to hide on her part. His student was standing while holding up a sheet that matched the wall behind her to hide herself with.
The sheet perfectly matched the background. The problem, however, was that it wasn't big enough to hide either her ears or tail.
"Izuna, I know you're there," Ritsuka called out before turning to look at one of the stands with a suspiciously familiar raccoon tail sticking out from behind it. "You, too, Michiru."
Both his students flinched before jumping out of their hiding spots. "As expected of Sensei-dono!" Michiru praised, crossing her arms and nodding in approval. "You saw right through our hiding techniques."
"My lord! How did you do it? Did you perhaps use a technique yourself?!" Izuna jumped around Ritsuka, stars in her eyes, not seeming the least bit disappointed that her disguise failed.
"More so experience than anything like a technique," Ritsuka chuckled before looking around. "If you two are here, then where's…"
"U-Uhmm… over here, Sensei."
Ritsuka managed to stop himself from jumping or screaming as he turned around and saw one of the trees on the sidewalk move slightly. With a puff of smoke, the tree transformed to the final member of the Ninjetsu Research Club.
"O-Oh, there you are, Tsukuyo," Ritsuka regained his bearings and smiled at the tall girl. "Your disguise is as impressive as ever."
Tsukuyo seemed to glow at the praise while Izuna immediately jumped at her side. "Tsukuyo, please teach me how to be better at disguise!"
"She was always great in that aspect, so you have to work hard to catch up to her," Michiru added her own thoughts to Izuna's request.
While Ritsuka enjoyed seeing his students get along, he was still wondering about something. "So, girls, why did you call me here?" He asked, glancing at the packed theatre. "Is it about the theatre?"
"Oh, right!" Izuna seemed to recall their reason for being here. She reached into her pocket and pulled four tickets. "Today is the premier of the new Ninja movie 'Fuuma Kotaro and the revenge of Shadows!' And we wanted to watch it with you! We even bought you a ticket, my lord!"
Ritsuka blinked in surprise before looking regretful. "You girls didn't have to do that. I would have been glad to buy my own ticket."
"We wanted to repay you for everything you've done for us until now," Tsukuyo said before looking away and beginning to mumble. "To be honest, we didn't actually know what to give you and we were completely stomped until we remembered this movie was coming out."
"But the important thing is that we're inviting you as a token of appreciation!" Michiru cut in, feeling embarrassed that her club-mate admitted this was the best they had. "Please, accept it, Sensei-Dono!"
Ritsuka sighed and smiled. "Fine, but I'll only accept it if you agree to let me buy the food and drinks for the movie, alright?" His three students looked at each other before nodding at him.
With that, the teacher and his students went to watch the movie. Said movie was about a young Ninja named Fuuma Kotaro seeking revenge against a shogun who wrongfully executed his master, Danzo. The story went on with Fuuma falling in love with the shogun's daughter, who helps him reveal evidence of the shogun's corruption to the people, causing them to turn on him. In the end, Fuuma won and the shogun was defeated. Fuuma and the shogun's daughter got married and decided to lead the people to a better future.
"That was so amazing!" Izuna cheered after they left the theatre, stars shinning in her eyes.
"The way Fuuma Kotaro kept his code of honor and left the shogun for the people to judge instead of killing the shogun himself was inspiring!" Michiru seemed to enjoy the movie just as much.
"I think his love with the shogun's daughter was really cute, too," Tsukuyo seemed impressed with the romantic aspect of the movie as much as she was with the Ninja side.
Ritsuka chuckled, enjoying seeing his students so happy and excited. "You know, that story wasn't so far off from real history." He said, gaining his students' attention.
"My lord, are you saying… this movie was based on a real story!?" Izuna exclaimed, her face a mixture of shock and excitement.
"Not exactly, no. I meant the part with Fuuma Kotaro being Danzo's student," Ritsuka clarified. Izuna, while a bit disappointed, still listened carefully. "The Fuuma clan is an actual Ninja clan that existed in the far past."
"Oh, I heard about that!" Michiru stated as she placed a finger on her chin. "If I remember correctly… every leader of that clan is called Fuuma Kotaro, right?"
"That's right," Ritsuka nodded. "Though, arguably, the most famous is Fuuma Kotaro the Fourth, which was also known as 'Evil Wind'. Just like the movie, that Fuuma had a master named Danzo, who was a famous shinobi."
"Wow, I didn't know that," Tsukuyo commented, looking quite interested in the explanation.
"(I didn't know either,)" Michiru was rather surprised. "(The name Danzo is thrown around so much in the Shinobi world I never bothered looking for a specific source.)"
"Danzo and Fuuma Kotaro were so close that they were basically like parent and child. Some stories say that Danzo even raised Fuuma," Ritsuka finished his explanation.
"Wow, you know so much about the world of Ninja, my lord!" Izuna praised, looking at Ritsuka with admiration.
Ritsuka chuckled and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Not really. All I just told you is something I know from a friend. I do know for a fact they can be trusted on their information, so I assure you it's not false," he stated before glancing at the sky with a nostalgic smile. "(Can't really tell them I heard the story from Fuuma and Danzo themselves now, can I?)" He mused for a moment before shaking his head. "Now, let's go to the gift shop. I'm sure they'll be selling some merchandise for the movie."
"Yes!" His three Ninja enthusiastic students cheered.
Episode 2: Problem Solver's Problems.
"So…," Ritsuka looked at the group of students. "You're tight on money, again, rent for your office is coming up, and you'd like me to come with you on your next job to make sure it actually goes well?"
His four students all looked at him in various reactions. Kayoko looked somewhat annoyed and exasperated, as if she knew they would end up here in Schale's office. Mutsuki looked amused, like usual. Haruka looked torn between wanting her teacher's help and apologizing for being here. Aru, the leader of Problem Solver 68, was struggling to keep up her confident boss image.
"Make no mistake, Sensei! I'm positive we'd do well! This job is just… delicate, in nature, a-and obviously, like any good leader, I'd like to have insurance that everything works out!" Aru stated, her cheeks turning pink, her thoughts obvious through her expression. "(With how close rent is, we really don't have enough time for any other job! I can't risk it! And I refuse to make the others camp outside again!)"
Ritsuka took a quick look at his calendar and saw that nothing major was marked for today. "Sure, no problem," he agreed, much to Aru's joy. "So, what's the job, exactly?"
"Technically, it's a bodyguard job," Kayoko replied, recalling the meeting with their client. "We have to accompany the client while they're at an auction. It's nothing illegal, but the area the auction is being held in is pretty close to the Black Market territory and the client wanted to be extra cautious."
"I-I'm sorry for disturbing you, Sensei!" Haruka cried out, shaking like a leaf. "You have to waste your precious time because I'm not good enough to do this job for Aru-sama on my own!"
"T-That definitely isn't why I'm asking for Sensei's help!" Aru tried to deny Haruka's negative beliefs. While Haruka's destructive habits tend to be a setback sometimes, they were definitely not one of her major concerns.
"Man, you must have a lot of free time if you agreed so easily, Sensei!" Mutsuki giggled, holding her mysterious bag behind her while jumping from one leg to another. "If I had known you're so free, I would have come to play with you more often."
Ritsuka nervously chuckled. Truth to be told, he didn't put it past Mutsuki to show up to play whether he was free or not. "Alright, let's get going then," Ritsuka said, standing up from behind his desk and leaving with his students.
Of course, nothing is normal in Kivotos, and what was a simple bodyguard mission turned into quite the mess.
The client apparently had no interest in the auction itself and was looking for a specific item that was a family heirloom that was supposedly 'stolen'. When the item was brought up, the client made a fuss and started saying it was his, while the auction holder denied it.
Aru then stood up and, in an attempt to look cool, which succeeded in Ritsuka's eyes, suggested that both show proof of the item's ownership. Her client produced a picture of himself as a child with his father and the item in question in the background of their home.
The auction holder, in a fit of rage, stated that there's no way this is the same item because, in his own words, he 'made this fake himself', which caused him to freeze in shock and the other auctioneers to start questioning if the other items are fake.
The whole thing ended with a big fight against the auction host and his bodyguards. After their defeat, Sensei called in Valkyrie, while simultaneously making sure Haruka doesn't plant any bombs to destroy the auction building, and they left after the auction host and his accomplices were arrested.
"I am terribly sorry for all this," the client, a rather chubby, corgi dog-looking person handed Aru an envelope. "While I didn't find my family's heirloom, you did your job and protected me while helping me discover the artifacts were fake. As such, here is your payment."
"Thank you for doing business with us!" Aru, barely containing her excitement, grasped the envelope and held it tightly as the client left. "Yes! We got paid!" she cheered before catching herself and crossing her arms. "I-I mean, of course we did! We outlaws always complete our jobs without a problem."
Ritsuka chuckled while Mutsuki giggled. Kayoko turned to their teacher and asked. "Hey, Sensei… did you know the stuff in the auction was fake?"
Ritsuka blinked a couple of times before replying with his own question. "What makes you think that?"
"Well…," Kayoko began remembering the events of the auction. "You looked like you were suspecting something since the first item was brought up, and that look kept getting stronger with every other item."
"O-Oh, yes! I also noticed that but I decided that you would speak if it was something important," Aru confessed as she calmed down from her excitement. "If you knew the items were fake, why didn't you say anything, Sensei?"
Ritsuka awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Well… I didn't actually know if they were fake, but I had some suspicions. I… studied history a lot and I developed an eye for telling which was genuine and which was a fraud, but I still would have needed to check to actually make sure. I didn't want to alarm you girls on just a hunch," he confessed.
Ritsuka hated lying to his students but he believed that, technically, he wasn't lying. He did develop an eye for genuine historical artifacts, but that was after spending time with icons of history and mythology. He got even better at it after Voyager arrived in Chaldea and asked Ritsuka to accompany him as they asked around for stories and information.
"Hmm, I guess you have a point. Acting without making sure would have been a bad move," Kayoko nodded, seeing the logic behind their teacher's explanation. Frankly, she believed that the auction host confessing was the best scenario where they could act without getting into trouble.
"So, now that we have enough money for rent, what are we gonna do about dinner?" Mutsuki asked.
Aru completely froze, realizing that the payment from the job will cover for either dinner or rent, but not both. Kayoko shook her head, mumbling "I knew it," under her breath.
"D-Don't worry, Aru-sama!" Haruka cried out. "I'll get the money for dinner! I can sell a kidney! Or maybe one of my eyes? Or maybe-"
"You know what?" Ritsuka cut off Haruka before her thoughts got more dangerous. "You girls did great today. Dinner's on me. Let's go to Master Shiba's place."
"Really?!" Aru nearly jumped to hug her teacher.
"B-But, Sensei! We don't have anything to repay-" Haruka's rambling came to a halt when Ritsuka placed a hand on top of her head, carefully avoiding her little hat.
"Haruka, do you want to pay me back?" The student nodded at her teacher's question. "Then make sure to eat well, okay? I'd really like to see you well-fed and healthy."
Haruka's eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. "Y-Yes, Sensei! I promise to eat enough to feed a whole house!"
"I really don't think that's what he meant," Kayoko sighed with a shake of her head while Mutsuki was chuckling.
Episode 3: The Prefect Team's Perfect Secretary.
With her finger almost tapping the send button for the message she just wrote, Ako couldn't help but second guess her decision.
The administrative officer didn't enjoy asking for help, more so when the one she's requesting help from is not from Gehenna, and especially since the subject is related to Head Prefect, Chairman Hina.
However, upon further consideration, Ako realized she truly doesn't have other options when it comes to this particular subject. So, with a defeated sigh, Ako pressed the 'send' button, asking her teacher if they were free.
Like usual, it only took a minute or two for her teacher to reply, saying they were free this afternoon, which was perfect for her. After sending a request for a meeting and a location, Ako focused back on her duties, not even bothering to check for her teacher's reply, knowing that he would say yes.
Later that day in the afternoon, Ritsuka met up with Ako in one of the larger malls of Gehenna. "Hey, Ako. A bit unusual for you to call so suddenly," Ritsuka greeted his student.
Leveling him with a deadpan glare, Ako replied. "I obviously wouldn't call you out of nowhere if it's not important."
Ritsuka knew of one thing that Ako would consider important. Or, to be specific, one person. "Is this about Hina?"
Judging by the fact Ako's deadpan glare strengthened, he believed he was correct. "This has been a very rewarding week for us in the Prefect team. It's all thanks to president Hina's effort and hard work. I wanted to offer her a gift, a reward if you will, for everything she's done. However, I was worried whatever I pick wouldn't appeal to her, so I decided it's better to be safe than sorry and have an outside opinion while picking the gift."
"What about your club's other members?" Ritsuka asked, knowing that the administrative officer didn't particularly have a high tolerance for him.
"They are busy covering for me as I buy the gift. I obviously wouldn't leave my work unattended," Ako replied, her expression turning serious as she crossed her arms. "Which is why I would rather we don't waste anymore time. Let us start the search," she began walking with Ritsuka following close by.
As they walked in the mall, passing by various shops, Ritsuka asked, "So, do you have something in mind for the gift?"
"Frankly, if I can afford it, I would get President Hina a statue of herself as a monument to her greatness," Ako's response earned a sweat-drop from Ritsuka. He didn't doubt Hina was worthy of a statue, but knowing the Head Prefect, she would believe it's too much of a gift, and cause her more problems than solve them. "Sadly, we'll have to settle for the next best thing. A large painting depicting the President sitting on a throne!"
While Ako looked proud at her idea, Ritsuka understood why she needed an outside opinion for her gift. "Uhm… Wouldn't Hina be a bit… bothered with a painting?"
"Oh, and how would a painting of President Hina be a bother to anyone?" Ako was obviously offended by her tone.
Ritsuka tried to think of a way to explain it without making it sound like he knows Hina more than Ako, because he knew that subject would open a different can of worms. "It's just… you know Hina, right? Would she want something so… flashy?"
Ako blinked a couple of times before placing a hand on her chin. "... I suppose… You're right. President Hina wouldn't be interested in something so flashy," confessing he was right made her seem like she was sucking a lemon. "Alright, what do you suggest?"
Ritsuka froze for being put on the spot. "Well… How about we go for something simple? Like some new parts for her gun?"
"President Hina performs regular maintenance on her firearm. It's almost as new as when it first came from the factory," Ako shot down that idea.
They kept juggling ideas back and forth while always coming up with a reason why each won't work. Ako's ideas were too much, while Ritsuka's ideas were too mundane. After half an hour, they both sat down at one of the benches and slumped down.
"This is far more difficult than anticipated," Ako sighed, hanging her head. "Perhaps I should simply buy new coffee beans and call it a day."
Ritsuka perked up at the mention of coffee, a certain memory coming back to him. "Hey, I have an idea," standing up, he looked at Ako's curious expression. "Can you wait here for a moment? I'll be right back!"
Before Ako can say anything, her teacher practically sprinted away. Considering she had nothing to do and no ideas to explore on the gift, Ako decided to simply do as the teacher said and wait.
She ended up waiting for nearly half an hour, making the time they spent in the mall almost a whole hour now. Far longer than she originally planned, when she was about to call for her teacher or leave, Ritsuka came back holding something.
In Ritsuka's hands was a simple white box with a red bow at the top. "Here! I got the perfect gift!" He said, rather proud of himself.
"What is it?" Ako asked.
"Sorry, it's a surprise," Ritsuka replied with a teasing smile.
Ako sent him a suspicious glare. "Do you expect me to give an unknown gift that you picked to President Hina? What kind of fool do you take me for!" Her voice gave away how she felt offended.
Ritsuka looked troubled before gaining a new idea. "How about a deal? You leave this at Hina's office without a sign who's it from. If she doesn't like it, you can say it's from me and I won't talk to Hina again without your permission. If she likes it, you can take full credit without any drawbacks."
Ako's suspicious glare didn't falter, but she was in fact considering her options. The box didn't have anything on it that gave away the identity of the sender, and should it be anything bad, she can use her teacher as a scapegoat.
"Very well," reluctantly, Ako accepted the box and took it off her teacher's hands. "You do know that, should this gift be in any way unsatisfying, I will make sure you never see President Hina again."
"Trust me, she'll love it," Ritsuka smiled at his student, which seemed to cause her suspicious glare to intensify.
Later that day, Head Prefect Hina was coming back to her office. She passed by a few Prefect team troops that greeted her as she opened the doors and went to her desk. As soon as she sat down, she saw a gift box that was neatly placed on the top of her desk.
"Did someone forget this?" Hina asked but dismissed that thought when she saw a card on top of the box.
The card said "For Hina" and appeared to be printed, as such there was no handwriting for her to recognise.
Cautiously, Hina undid the red bow over the box and slowly opened it. When nothing happened, she deemed it safe enough to pull the content outside and see what it was.
When she saw what was inside, Hina blinked.
Meanwhile, Ako was leaning on the door, her ear pressed on the wood, trying to listen in to Hina's reaction to the gift. She couldn't make out much of the sounds, but she did pick up that Hina was walking towards the door.
Jumping back, Ako pulled out her tablet and opened a random work file, making sure to appear busy. When the door was opened, she looked at Hina with a smile. "President Hina, is something wrong?"
"Ako, this gift is from you, right?" Ako's eyes widened at Hina's question, wondering how she was discovered.
That was until she saw what was in Hina's hands.
Hina was holding a new glass coffee mug. The mug was mostly white except for a few drawings. The drawings were chibi versions of Ako, Iori, Chinatsu and some other Prefect team members, with the first three holding up signs.
The signs, in order, said 'We Appreciate You', each word in each sign.
"A-Ah, well… Y-You see…," Ako's mind was running at full speed, torn between berating herself for not checking inside the box for anything that would give out her identity, making up an excuse for such a childish gift, and thinking of ways to get back at her teacher.
"It's lovely," Ako's brain failed to register what Hina said, and for a moment dismissed what she heard as panic induced hallucinations. "Thank you, I think I'll be having my coffee from this mug from now on," Hina added with a smile.
Ako was completely frozen, torn between opening and closing her mouth. She didn't know if she should be happy, relieved, mad at her teacher, or all three. It took Hina calling her name a few more times for her to respond again.
An hour later, Ritsuka was looking at his phone in Schale's office, asking Ako how the gift went and how Hina reacted. While he did receive threats because of the somewhat childish gift, he was still told that it was at least liked by the Head Prefect.
He also received a very reluctant 'thank you'.
Ritsuka chuckled. He himself had received a similar gift from the child Servants back at Chaldea. It was a very simple and practical gift, but it had so much meaning to him.
Drinking from a cup filled with childish drawings and the words 'Thank You Master', Ritsuka noticed a new message on his phone, this one being from Head Prefect Hina herself.
The message was 'Thank you for the gift.'
Ritsuka chuckled. He doubted Ako would give him any credit, and he didn't put it past Hina to have figured out he had a hand in picking the gift.
He was happy to have such smart students.
Episode 4: Gaming with Friends!
"And next time, don't spend too much on childish toys!" The voice of Millennium's Treasurer, Yuuka, could be heard across several hallways as she yelled at Ritsuka.
"They're action figures, not toys," Ritsuka weakly mumbled in defence as he walked out of the office where he was meeting up with Seminar's representatives, his shoulders dropping in defeat after another chew out from Yuuka.
"See you later, Sensei," Noa called out as he left. "And please do come visit. Yuuka and I feel lonely without you, sometimes. In fact, Yuuka opened Momotalk to text you but always got cold feet a total of seventeen times today."
"NOA!" Yuuka's embarrassed yells was the last thing Ritsuka heard before the door closed and muffled arguing filled the hallway.
Ritsuka chuckled as he continued walking down the hallway. Checking the time on his phone, Ritsuka saw that he still had plenty of time before his next assignment. Thinking on what to do here in Millennium since he was already there, he remembered that there's one particular club he'd like to check up on.
"Well, I guess I should visit the Game Development Department," Ritsuka mumbled as he began heading towards the clubroom.
Once he reached the door for the club room, he knocked on it to check if there was anyone. After hearing some shuffling from the inside, the door was finally opened by one of the club's members.
"Ah, it's Sensei!" Aris cried out, her expression beaming with joy.
"Sensei, save me!" As soon as Aris announced who it was, a pink figure dashed outside and grabbed hold of Ritsuka's waist. Looking down, he saw Momoi looking at him with faux tears. "I can't do it! I can't do it anymore! Work is too much."
"We've been working for thirty minutes, tops," Midori chastened her sister as she looked out from inside the room.
"That's still too much! I'm already out of inspiration!" Momoi said back as she and her teacher entered the room. "Besides, we still have time before we have to submit the next game, don't we? Let's relax a little! Plus, we have a guest!"
"Don't use Sensei as an excuse to slack off," Midori lectured her twin, giving Momoi a disapproving glare.
"Alright, alright, calm down," Ritsuka raised his hands to defuse the situation, before placing one hand on each twin's head. "I'm just here for a quick visit. So there's no harm in a short break. You can get back to work as soon as I leave, okay?"
Midori sighed in defeat, seeing there's no way to convince her teacher and sister otherwise. "Alright, fine."
"Great!" Momoi ran to one of the cabins and began rummaging through the pile of stuff in it. "I've been saving a special game for this!"
"Oooh! Special Event: Break Time With Sensei has been unlocked! Event is on a limited time!" Aris cheered.
Looking at the closet in one of the room's corners, Ritsuka asked, "Yuzu, would you like to join us?"
The door of the closet opened from the inside and out poked the head of the President of the club. "I-If you're joining, Sensei, then sure," she smiled weakly.
"Here!" Momoi held up a new game-disk package. "Alien Invaders 2! I've been saving this game for a special occasion! It has a two players function so we can all take turns to play in teams of two!"
"So that's what you spent on your salary? Why didn't you tell me? I would have paid for half while you pay for the other half," Midori commented, remembering that her twin didn't reveal why she was low on money.
"Well, duh! It wouldn't have been a special occasion surprise, then!" Momoi reasoned and Midori, reluctantly, saw the logic in that. Turning the console on and placing the disk inside after taking it out of the package, Midori looked at the others in the room. "Alright! First off, we're gonna play against each other to decide which one gets to play with Sensei! The highest score gets to play with Sensei first!"
Ritsuka sat at the side with some chips that the girls offered him as they took turns to play for a high score. After each had a quick game, the score was compared between the club members.
Yuzu had the highest score. Midori had the second highest. Aris had the third with a score pretty close to Midori. And, the last, was Momoi, who suggested the game in the first place.
"Waaaaah!" The pink themed gamer flailed on the ground. "I should have drawn straws instead! Why did Yuzu have to be so good!"
"She IS our club president for a reason," Midori reasoned with her twin, hiding her own irritation that she lost.
"That's UzQueen for you. A true final level adversary," Aris, despite the defeat, seemed as upbeat as always and was instead praising Yuzu for her victory.
"I guess this means I g-get to play with Sensei?" Yuzu asked rhetorically, both embarrassed and happy.
"You can play in my place, Momoi. It's your game, after all," Ritsuka offered, knowing how much his student wanted to play.
Surprisingly, Momoi shook her head as she sat up. "No, I'm okay. I made these rules, so you go on ahead and start with Yuzu."
Truthfully, Momoi wanted to say 'yes' very much, but she can tell that Yuzu was looking forward to this as much as she is. And, unlike Momoi herself, Yuzu was not so open and might not be able to ask Sensei to play later.
"Alright, if you insist," Ritsuka agreed before wiping his hands clean to take hold of the controller.
Once they began, Yuzu and Ritsuka began playing through the game with the other members of the club standing close by, throwing the occasional comment and gamer version of backseat driving.
They lost track of time while playing and Sensei's short visit became a long one. None of them seemed to care, though, as they continued to play the game together. Soon enough, they reached the end.
"This is it, Sensei, Yuzu. The final battle!" Momoi stated, on the edge of her seat from excitement.
"You can do it!" Aris cheered from her own seat.
"Alright, let's start!" Yuzu pressed the 'start' button and the screen showed an 8-bit field with two space-ships that acted as Yuzu and Sensei's avatars.
The level started off with dozens of enemies and asteroids. After clearing most of the level, they reached the boss which was a giant, green spider alien with blue metallic parts.
"Alright, Sensei, I'll take out the armor and you deplete it's health!" Yuzu instructed as the enemy began shooting and she dodged the attacks. She noticed then that Ritsuka's ship wasn't moving. "S-Sensei, if you don't move you'll-"
Ritsuka's ship exploded after being pelted with attacks from the boss. Yuzu paused the game and was about to ask her teacher what was wrong only for her to freeze and, alongside the other club members, look at their teacher in worry.
Ritsuka's expression, which was fun and playful just a second ago, had turned into a haunted frown. He was staring at the final boss of the game. The similarities, to Ritsuka, were general at best, but they were there, and that was enough to trigger memories.
Memories of the spider.
Memories of a field of crystals.
Memories of friends being devoured in an instant.
Memories of an Ultimate One.
All those memories were suddenly shaken out of his mind when he was suddenly tackled on his chest and sent on his back. For a single second, Ritsuka thought Melusine showed up. Looking down, he saw Aris looking up at him with a determined expression.
"Sensei has been affiliated with the debuff 'sadness'! A powerful hug is the only way to clear this debuff!" Aris stated as she tightened her hold on her teacher.
Before Ritsuka can say anything, he felt two more bodies tackle him, and one more reluctantly joining the hug. Looking around, he found himself buried and hugged by the entirety of the Game Development Department.
Ritsuka sighed in defeat, smiling and returning the hug to his students. They just remained in that position for a few moments before the teacher noticed there was no light coming from the windows.
"Wait, what time is it?" Ritsuka asked.
Yuzu blinked as she got up and pulled out her phone to quickly check the time. "Oh, it's almost 7PM. We should pack up for the day."
"Wait!" Midori jumped to her feet realising somethings. "Don't we… have homework we were supposed to do?"
Her twin went stiff and paled as she realised her sister was right. They had originally planned to do some work on their next game before doing their homework, but now the day is mostly over and they had done neither.
"Waaah! Please help us, Sensei!" Momoi's supportive hug turned to a pleading one in an instant.
Ritsuka spent the rest of his time in Millennium helping the Game Development Department with their homework.
Episode 5: Late Homework.
Ritsuka entered the classroom reserved for the Make-Up Work Club and saw it's usual members standing around. "Good morning, girls. How are you?"
"Oh, morning, Sensei!" The first to return the greeting was Hifumi, who was in a conversation with Azusa.
"Oh my. Entering without knocking, Sensei?" Hanako teased, placing a hand on her cheek. "Were you perhaps hoping to catch us as we change? How scandalous of you."
"No way! I-Is that true, Sensei!? If you try to peek you will get the death penalty for perversion!" Koharu's face turned red, jumping to conclusions.
"People change in classrooms?" Azusa asked, looking at Hanako curiously.
"No, they don't!" Hifumi immediately shot down the idea before Hanako gave Azusa any weird impressions.
"Good to see you girls are as lively as usual," Ritsuka simply shrugged off their normal antics and decided to see why he was called here. "So, what's the problem this time? Are there any upcoming tests?"
Hifumi shook her head. "No, it's not about tests. We're… a bit behind on our homework. The instructors said they'll give us another chance and that we have until the weekend."
Ritsuka smiled, believing that should be simple to solve. "Alright, let's see what we got."
With that, each of the girls took out a book and placed it on the table. Ritsuka stared at the books for a second before looking back at his students. "Uhm… Aren't you going to open the page with the work you need to do?"
"Ehehe… uh… This is the work we need to do," Hifumi reluctantly admitted, shame filling her voice.
Ritsuka noticed that what the girl's took out were not books, but binders with a lot of papers inside them. "This is more than 'a bit'!" He cried out.
"I knoooow!" Hifumi hung her head in shame, comical tears going down her cheeks. "I'm sorry! There was a Peroro Convention and… We lost track of time!"
"We did get most of what we're looking for, though," Azusa didn't seem half as ashamed as Hifumi, and held up her back to show off the new accessories on it.
"I was busy with work for the Justice Task Force," Koharu said in her own defence. "Because of the Pere… Pero… Poro… Urgh! That drooling duck convention! We needed a lot of volunteers for patrol!" She said, unable to remember the name of the franchise for not being as interested in it as the previous two. "But… maybe I shouldn't have signed up on too many… Even Hasumi told me it might be too much."
Turning his gaze to the last member of the Make-Up Work Club, Hanako smiled without an ounce of shame or regret. "When I learned these girls were skipping homework, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving them alone. So, I purposely ignored mine to join them."
Sighing at the very 'Hanako-like' response, Ritsuka looked at the homework the girls had to do. "We have some time before the weekend… But we'll need a lot of study material, and somewhere quiet without any distractions for you girls to work," Ritsuka began thinking on where they can find such a place in Trinity. Their current classroom would work, but it lacks the amount of materials they need. The local library would also work, but it can be crowded with noises, especially if Shimiko notices someone mistreating books. Snapping his fingers, Ritsuka stated, "I know just the place!"
Fifteen minutes later, the teacher and his four students found themselves standing in front of an old library that was a bit further than the other Trinity buildings, looking almost isolated. Raising his hand, Ritsuka knocked, knowing the owner is never away.
"Urgh, Who in the…" A groan was barely heard from the inside. Footsteps echoed from behind the door until whoever was inside stood directly behind it. "What do you want?" Their irritation was obvious even through their soft voice.
"It's me, Ui," Ritsuka called back.
"Oh, Sensei," the door was opened to reveal the President of the Library Committee. "You should have sent something on Momotalk," Ui said before seeing the group before Ritsuka and tensing. "And… you… brought guests."
"Sorry about that, Ui!" Ritsuka immediately apologized. "But, this is an emergency! I didn't know who else to turn to, so please help!"
Ui stared at her teacher for a second before sighing. "Tell me what's the problem, first," Ui instructed and Ritsuka explained why they came. After he was done, Ui leveled him with a deadpan glare. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sensei, but how is it my problem that these girls can't do their homework on time?" While the Make-Up Work Club felt somewhat down by what Ui said, they didn't believe she was unjustified.
"Please, please, please!" Ritsuka clapped his hands and began pleading. "Ui, I know you're the perfect person to help and the old library is the best place to do it! I really can't ask this of anyone else!"
"Have you tried the normal library? It should have what you need," Ui said back, trying to avoid looking at her pleading teacher to avoid caving in.
Ritsuka chuckled nervously. "Well, you see," he took out his phone, opened Momotalk, and showed his latest chat to Ui. "Shimiko also agreed this was a better option."
Ui could have sworn she felt her eye twitching as she saw her underclassman respond to Sensei's question on which library would be better with, in her opinion, seriously exaggerated praise and recommendations for the old library.
"Argh… Why did I end up with such troublesome Kouhais that see me as their helpful Senpai," Ui groaned before eventually sighing in defeat. "Fine, fine," she reluctantly -very reluctantly- moved out of the way and allowed her teacher and the Make-Up Work Club to walk in. "But! Here's a few rules! Number one: don't mention the smell. Number two: don't damage or disrespect the books. And number three: don't make any noises or try anything weird!" She moved her gaze toward Hanako after she said the last one. "I'm looking at you, Hanako."
"Awee, you don't have to be this way, Ui," Hanako placed a finger on her lip and looked like she was reminiscing. "We had such a fun summer together, didn't we?"
"It's because we spent summer together that I know you'll try something," Ui replied, her suspicious gaze not faltering.
"Thank you so much, Ui. I owe you one," Ritsuka stated. Truthfully, the President of the Library Committee reminded him a lot of a certain shut-in, otaku bat who also did not like meeting people. "(I guess at the end, both Okkie and Ui can't bring themselves to turn away someone in need despite not liking company.)"
"It's fine. Find a corner to start your little study group in, and remember the rules," Ui replied before turning away and heading towards her desk. "Not like you can cause as many problems as Hinata when she tries to clean," she sighed.
With the group picking a place and taking a book on each subject their homework was in, they began doing their homework together with Ritsuka helping each student whenever they ran into a problem.
Well, except for Hanako, who seemed to help Ritsuka instruct her club-mates.
"It's simple, you do this… that… and you get the result," Hanako instructed Koharu, showing her how to solve an equation on her math homework.
Ritsuka smiled from his own place at helping Azusa and Hifumi. Right now, the library felt homey with him and the students helping each other with homework. Even Ui looked more at peace with each passing moment despite the many strangers in her library.
It reminded him of the study groups at Chaldea back at the 'Great and Terrible Lady Murasaki Library', as Ivan dubbed it.
The study group kept up their work until sundown when Ui told them it's time to close the library. When they left, the sky was starting to turn purple and so Ritsuka decided to walk them back to their dorm.
After reaching their dorm, Koharu, Azusa, and Himari went inside after bidding their teacher goodnight, but when the last member was about to join them, Ritsuka asked, "Hey, Hanako. Can we talk?" Hanako stopped for a second before smiling and giving a nod. After walking a bit away from the room in a secluded hallway, Ritsuka turned to his student. "So, about-... What are you doing?!"
Hanako had just unzipped her skirt and was about to drop it when Ritsuka called her out, making her look at him curiously. "Why, I'm taking my clothes off to prepare for whatever debauchery you want us to commit," her tone and smile were those of someone talking about the weather.
"That's not what I called you here for!" Ritsuka cleared up, careful not to raise his voice and alarm anyone around.
"Are you suuuuuure?" Hanako teased, her grip on her skirt loosening.
"Hanako… please…," Ritsuka pleaded. Thankfully, Hanako simply giggled before zipping back her skirt and securing it in place. "Anyway… I wanted to ask about your reason for falling behind on homework."
"Oh, I told you it was to join the others," Hanako replied.
"I know, but I can't help but feel like that's just a half-truth," Ritsuka titled his head. "Is it possible that… you also wanted to help your club-mates with their own homework?" He asked.
Hanako, instead of denying it, simply chuckled and placed a finger on her chin. "Maybe I did? Maybe I didn't? Who can say?"
Ritsuka stared at his student for a few seconds after her mysterious reply before slowly raising his hand and placing it on her head, petting her. Hanako's body froze over as Ritsuka smiled at her.
"I'm glad to have a reliable student that looks out for their club-mates," tilting his head, Ritsuka rubbed Hanako's pink locks. "Keep up the good work."
With that, Ritsuka turned around and left, leaving Hanako on her own, unmoving with her cheeks turning the same shade as her hair. Slowly, she raised her hands and placed them on top of her head, where Ritsuka's hand was.
"Sensei, you're such a tease," Hanako mumbled, trying -and failing- to hide her smile.
One week later.
"... You have to be kidding me," Ritsuka groaned.
He was, again, in the classroom meant for the Make-Up Work Club members. Said members, again, were each presenting him with a pile of unfinished homework. Not the same size of the last one, but still quite noticeable.
"Hehe… because of how successful the Peroro Convention was, they decided to pull a last minute encore… and we got caught up in it," Hifumi confessed, her head hanging in shame.
"I'm glad they did. It was an amazing finish to their show," Azusa, unlike her best friend, didn't appear ashamed.
"I m-may have gotten a bit cocky and… asked for too many volunteer patrols again…" Koharu confessed, looking she wished to be anywhere but here.
"As soon as I heard about that encore, I knew this would happen, so I just ignored mine to not miss out on the fun," Hanako shamelessly admitted.
Ritsuka's forehead met the table.
"Sensei!"
Episode 6: A Familiar Scene.
"I'm so sorry, Sensei," Saori apologized as she and Ritsuka hid behind a large dumpster that they used as a shield from the bullets.
"Don't worry about it," Ritsuka replied, ducking further from the hail of bullets.
Saori had contacted him for a shady deal that the place she took part-time in was involved in, when Ritsuka came in to investigate, they discovered an arms dealer using the part time job as a cover, which ended with Saori and Ritsuka being chased into the alleyway after being outnumbered and surrounded.
"I called for backup. They should be here any second," Ritsuka stated, looking at his tablet.
Saori looked at her teacher in confusion, wondering who would come to her rescue. "From who?"
Meanwhile, the gangsters shooting at them finished reloading and were about to start shooting again when they heard a sudden 'clank' sound. Looking down, they saw a tube-like object slowly roll between their feet.
Before any of them can even get a good look at what the object is, it exploded into a large cloud of smoke, covering the part of the alleyway the gangsters were in.
The gangsters looked around in confusion. One of them caught a flash of purple before he was staring down the barrel of a gun. The trigger was pulled and the others heard the gunfire before they heard their friend drop to the ground.
"E-Enemy reinforcements!" One of the gangsters yelled out as a pink streak moved in the smoke and took down their group one by one.
"We need to get out of the smoke!" As one of the gangsters tried to leave the smoke, he was shot down as soon as he took a step outside.
"Sniper! They have a sniper!" Another gangsters cried out. "Just huddle together and wait for the smoke to go away!"
Heeding the words of their ally, the gangsters all stood together in a circle and waited for the smoke to clear out. When it did, they began spotting their assailant, only for a rain of tiny missiles to come in and take them all out in one swoop.
When all the noises stopped, Ritsuka looked over the dumpster and Saori followed his example. Looking at their saviors, Saori couldn't help but look surprised as she saw the rest of Squad standing over the defeated gangsters.
"Thanks for coming, girls," Ritsuka said in gratitude.
"Don't worry about it, Sensei," Misaki replied as she and Hiyori came out from their hiding place.
Atsuko, who just finished tying up the gangsters, turned to the teacher and leader of Squad before taking off her mask and smiling at them. "It's good to see you two again."
Saori, while grateful, looked somewhat ashamed. "Sorry you had to come to my rescue, girls," she apologized.
"It's okay! We were already in the area switching to a new hideout!" Hiyori stated, adjusting her large backpack.
"Like I told Sensei, Leader, don't worry about it," Misaki added before motioning to Saori's body. "Looks like your self discovery isn't on a safe path."
Looking at herself, Saori saw her body covered in bruises and cuts, having taken shots for her teacher. Suddenly, Ritsuka grabbed her hand and pulled her aside. Before she could question him, he sat her down on an old box and looked her over.
"Hiyori, do you have some first aid equipment?" Ritsuka asked.
"Huh? O-Oh, sure!" Hiyori placed down her large backpack and began rummaging through the content. Soon enough, she pulled out a small first aid kit and handed it to her teacher.
Ritsuka opened the kit and got to work. He disinfected the wounds, placed some lotion, and began wrapping bandages around them. As he was doing all that, Saori just looked down, appearing both ashamed and embarrassed.
"I'm sorry you have to do this, Sensei," Saori apologized.
Ritsuka finished wrapping up the bandages before smiling at Saori. "Saori, believe it or not, I was in your place before." While his students looked confused, Ritsuka's smile turned nostalgic.
"Seriously, you really out to be more careful," Dr. Roman scolded Ritsuka as he finished up treating his wounds.
The last Master of Humanity, who was covered in bandages, simply chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry about that."
"Don't apologise for me just doing my job," Roman sighed, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "I'm your doctor. Taking care of you is a given. What I hate, however, is seeing you be so reckless and getting hurt. I understand you need to stand on the front lines with the Servants, but promise me to be more careful."
The memory stopped and Ritsuka saw himself in Saori's place for a moment. Placing a hand on her head, the teacher began petting his student. "Taking care of you is my job, and you don't have to worry about me doing my job. I just want you to be more careful about your health, alright?"
Saori simply looked down, though not with shame, but just embarrassment. "A-Alright… I'll be more careful."
"Thank you," Ritsuka handed the kit back to Hiyori and looked at his students. "Hey, why don't you girls come and spend the night at Schale?"
The offer seem to catch all his students off guard. "Are you serious right now?" Misaki asked.
"I am. I know you girls need to move around a lot, but just one night can't hurt, right?" Ritsuka placed his hands on his waist and tried to make the offer more tempting. "We have warm showers and meals."
"Those sound good about now," Atsuko stated, smiling at her friends. "I'm interested. What do the rest of you think?"
"We really haven't had a warm shower in a while," Hiyori added, obviously finding the idea appealing.
Misaki just sighed and shook her head. "Knowing you, you won't take no for an answer. I'll just save myself the headache and say yes."
"Are you sure, Sensei?" Saori questioned, standing up from the box. "What if someone saw us go in? We're not exactly well-liked."
"Don't worry. There's no one at Schale at this hour and I'm sure you girls will be safe," Ritsuka assured his students as he began walking out.
Truthfully, Ritsuka didn't believe the Arius Squad had anything to worry about. He has regular visits from Wakamo and hardly anyone points that out.