Hello everyone! Welcome to the final part of the Abydos prelude, which will take place a bit further in time than where the previous parts took place.
Be warned though, the nature of this being an Alternate Universe fic will lead to changes in the canon characters themselves, as well as in future chapters.
On the plus side, Hoshino will no longer be the only canon character at the time of writing this, haha.
Without further ado, happy reading!
April 8th, 2160
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Hoshino-sama, your friends are here to pick you up!" A maid called out from the other side of the door.
…
After receiving no response for a few seconds, the door was opened and two students walked inside.
Both students found Takanashi Hoshino sleeping on her bed, with the pillows thrown everywhere and the sheets messy and all over the place, all while sporting visible dark bags under her closed eyes.
"Sleeping in again, but I can hardly blame her." A red-haired boy remarked, shaking his head.
Akaza Matsukaze had grown eight centimeters taller compared to how he was in first year, along with his red hair reaching his shoulders and tied into a small ponytail, and mostly kept his uniform the same, but swapped out the brown shoes with black combat boots. His halo was still the same, albeit slightly bigger than last time.
"Hoshino-chan works hard, but she shouldn't push herself too hard." A blonde-haired girl said, smiling sadly.
Izayoi Nonomi was a second-year student with pale blonde hair, brighter green eyes, and a mature figure for her age. She was also wearing the Abydos High School uniform, but ignored the necktie and blazer, wearing a white shirt under a beige cardigan with black piping loosely off her shoulders instead. Her halo was neon green with another circle inside and has two earlaps.
"Izayoi, I believe you should be the one to wake her, it is a rare occurrence that Sasamori would be here in person with us instead of a clone." Akaza said.
Nonomi nodded and approached the sleeping Hoshino, before reaching out and poking her check.
"Hoshino-chan, it's time to wake up~." She whispered into the pink-haired girl's ear.
"Huh…?"
Hoshino slowly opened her blue and yellow eyes and saw Nonomi and Akaza staring down at her, before it took her a few seconds to realize why they were here.
"Sorry about that…" Hoshino apologized softly. "I spent too much time patrolling the streets and making sure it's safe for the new students."
"No need to apologize." Nonomi said, placing a hand on her upperclassman's shoulder. "I know that you care so much, but please tone it down for not just their sakes, but for your own."
"We will wait for you outside the house." Akaza said, crossing his arms. "Sasamori drove us here and the new students cannot be kept waiting for too long."
"Of course, of course." Hoshino said, letting out a yawn. "Just give me a couple of minutes, yeah?"
"If you say so." Nonomi said, nodding.
Both students left the bedroom, leaving Hoshino to stew in her thoughts.
The pink-haired girl sighed, turning her eyes towards a picture frame on top of her nightstand.
She reached out and gently picked it up, before looking at the picture itself with a sense of nostalgia and melancholy.
The picture was that of the first one with herself, Yume, Ryota, Akaza, Kaito, and Nagato, all of them looking content and happy to varying degrees.
"The original Foreclosure Task Force…" She muttered, wiping away a stray tear.
It had been two years since the original Foreclosure Task Force was formed, and she could never bring herself to forget the memories as time went on.
Her hair had grown much longer compared to her time as a first-year student, as it reached her legs, with her cowlick slightly smaller and light calluses could be seen on the palms of her hands.
Although, she was a tad devastated that her height almost never changed in the slightest, only growing a few centimeters tall, while Akaza grew even taller than her.
"Ryota, Kaito, Nagato…"
Her heart ached at the three past faces in the picture, before turning her eyes towards the one hugging her younger self.
"Yume-neechan…"
Drip.
Another tear fell down her face and dropped onto Yume's face in the picture frame, as she gripped it tighter.
"Onee-chan, if you were here now, what would you tell me?" The girl said to herself.
She knew that today would be the day she would be in Yume and Ryota's shoes in meeting the new first year students of Abydos High School, as a new third-year student herself, alongside Akaza.
"I'll make sure to be even better, I promise." Hoshino closed her eyes and kissed the picture frame, before placing it back on the nightstand.
It was time to further expand the current Foreclosure Task Force.
XXX (Twenty Minutes Later) XXX
"Sorry for the hold up, guys." Hoshino announced, stepping out the door as she saw Akaza and Nonomi, along with another student, conversing.
The student saw Hoshino and then approached her, giving a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Takanashi-senpai, it's nice to see you in person after a while." He said, bowing in apology. "Sorry for being too busy…"
"So it really is the real Yuuki, eh?" Hoshino said, chuckling at the boy's action.
Sasamori Yuuki was a second-year student, like Nonomi, with messy purple hair, yellow eyes, and an average build for his age. Similar to Nonomi, he wore the Abydos High School uniform loosely, opting to wear an unzipped blue windbreaker jacket instead of the blazer. His halo was light purple and shaped like a crescent with a star in the center.
"Hehe, I just didn't want to miss out on meeting the new students, that's all." Yuuki said, adjusting his jacket.
"Just be sure not to work yourself too much." Nonomi said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"I believe it is now time to leave, we have already wasted one and a half hours." Akaza spoke up. "Otherwise, Sunaookami would sneak off to attempt her bank robbery suggestion for the sixth time."
"You're so serious sometimes, Akaza-senpai, I'm sure Shiroko-chan will behave herself with Take-kun watching her." Nonomi said, shaking her head.
"Alright then, let's go and meet the new faces!" Hoshino said, pumping her fist in the air.
"Ahaha, eager to meet them, aren't you?" Nonomi said, smiling in amusement.
The four students walked towards the front gate, casually greeting the guards as they did before they walked past and caught sight of a large vehicle.
The vehicle itself was a courier truck that was considerably larger than the four students combined, with a long trailer at the back, which had the Abydos symbol and the words "Abydos Delivery Service" in black letters.
"I still find it surprising that the company was willing to hire you." Nonomi stated. "Especially since we're all still students."
"Someone has to work extra to pay off that debt." Yuuki said with a sigh.
"That does not mean you should be pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion." Akaza chided, shaking his head.
"Let's just get in." Yuuki said, opening the door and stepping into the driver's seat.
Nonomi and Akaza followed suit, but the latter briefly stopped and turned to see Hoshino still staring at the truck.
"Hoshino." He called out.
This got the pink-haired girl to blink and realize she was still standing, before she let out a short laugh as she scratched her cheek.
"Sorry about that!" Hoshino said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm just thinking about how great it'd be to meet more students."
"You and I both know that is not the reason why." Akaza thought, but kept them to himself.
Judging from the subtle grimace on her face, it seemed like she knew it as well.
Hoshino gave one last look at the truck and thought. "Our juniors shouldn't be the ones to work this hard, that responsibility should fall on us."
Letting out a sigh, she was the last one to enter the truck.
Squish!
"Are you okay, Hoshino-chan?" Nonomi asked.
"… Fine…" Hoshino replied, her voice muffled as the side of her face was squished against her junior's chest.
"Alright everyone, let's go before Sunaookami-san does anything crazy." Yuuki said, as he stepped on the gas.
Vroom! Vroom!
The engine of the delivery truck could be heard by everyone inside, before it proceeded to drive away from the gates of Hoshino's house.
It was an important day for the current Foreclosure Task Force.
XXX (Thirty Minutes Later) XXX
The front gates of Abydos High School were within sight, as the four students had finally arrived.
Yuuki made sure to drive safely while ensuring that the drive itself didn't take too long, despite his age and current occupation.
As the four students stepped out of the truck, they were approached by two students.
"Everyone, you're finally here." A silver-haired girl with wolf ears said in a reserved tone.
Sunaookami Shiroko was another second-year student like Nonomi and Yuuki, with silver hair and wolf ears, cyan eyes, and a body typical for her age. She also wore the Abydos High School uniform, with the addition of a scarf around her neck and her blazer unbuttoned. Her halo was cyan ring-shaped with four lines marked on its cardinal directions, with a blue circle inside, resembling a simple gun crosshair.
"Sunaookami, Toranosuke, are the new students adjusting fine to the building?" Akaza asked.
"They're all settling in pretty good so far." A tall and muscular boy with tiger ears answered with a thumbs up.
"Nn, one student even became friends with Takeshi." Shiroko added.
Toranosuke Takeshi was the last of the second-year students, with dark orange hair and tiger ears, grey eyes, and was much taller than every other student. Similar to Nonomi and Yuuki, he wore the Abydos High School uniform loosely, with the blazer tied around his waist, the sleeves of the dress shirt ripped off, and the necktie used as a headband. His halo was light gray and shaped like a gear inside of a circle with six pointed edges.
"Awww, I knew that you'd be a hit with them, Take-kun~." Nonomi giggled, as she walked up to Takeshi.
Knowing what she was going to give him, Takeshi leaned down and allowed Nonomi to kiss him on the cheek.
"You two lovebirds." Hoshino said with a chuckle. "I still wanna know how you two got together in the first place."
"Wouldn't that be a bit nosy?" Yuuki asked in confusion.
Nonomi giggled as she laid her body against Takeshi's, with the latter's cheeks turning pink at the physical contact.
"Details, details~." Hoshino waved off his words. "Now then, let's meet our new kouhai~!"
The pink-haired girl skipped her way into the school building first, with the others looking at each other before following suit.
The new students were inside the gym room, patiently waiting for their senpais.
"Your ears are so pretty, Sericchi!" A young boy with dog ears said in awe.
"T-They're not that cute…" A twin-tailed girl with cat ears mumbled, taking a few backs because of the boy's ears and tail.
"Fushimi-kun, I know that meeting more of our senpais will be nerve-wracking, but please don't hide yourself!" A glasses-wearing girl with pointed ears called out, looking like she was talking to thin air.
In response, a gloomy sounding voice spoke. "Okusora-san, I nearly had a panic attack meeting Sunaookami-senpai and Toranosuke-senpai, I'm better off not being seen at all by the others…"
The twin-tailed girl turned her attention to the voice and said. "Hey, I know you're nervous, but can you at least not hide away from us!"
"I don't think Fushicchi is listening, Ayacchi, Sericchi." The boy said, taking a few steps forward before he called out. "Fushicchi! It won't be that bad, I promise! I can even hold your hand if you want!"
…
After a few seconds of silence, a short boy wearing a black cloak emerged from a shadow in the corner of the room and appeared before the three students, with his hood covering his face.
"… Koizumi-kun, I don't know how you keep doing it…" The cloaked boy said with a sigh.
"What?" The boy asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"Don't mind him, Koizumi-kun." The glasses girl said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "At the very least, he's finally revealed himself."
"I expected this place to be a little dustier when I first heard of it." The twin-tailed girl admitted, looking around the gym room.
"I'm sure that's because our senpais work hard to maintain it." The glasses girl pointed out. "I still remember the dedication in Sunaookami-senpai and Toranosuke-senpai's eyes when they told us."
XXX (Two Hours Ago) XXX
The glasses girl looked over the large school building as she stepped through the front gates, her eyes taking in every detail with each step.
"So this is Abydos High School…" She said to herself.
She placed a hand on her skirt, where she carried her weapon of choice.
Before she could take another step, a voice called to her from behind.
"Hi there, onee-chan~!" The voice was high-pitched and full of cheer. "Are you attending this school too?"
"O-Onee-chan!?" The glasses girl stammered, her face bright red as she turned around to face the source, which belonged to that of a young boy with dog ears, with a large case behind his back. "You don't have to call me that…"
"Then what should I call you?" The boy asked, tilting his head.
The glasses girl calmed herself down and introduced herself. "My name is Okusora Ayane, a new first-year student for Abydos High School, and you are?"
"Koizumi Koichi, at your service!" The boy introduced himself in return, giving a playful salute. "I'm also gonna be a first-year student here, Ayacchi."
"Ayacchi?" Ayane said in confusion.
"It's cuter that way~." Koichi replied with a giggle.
"Oh, I see then." Ayane nodded, before she leaned close to observe the younger boy, prompting him to tilt his head again.
"What is it, Ayacchi?" Koichi asked.
"You look quite young to be attending high school, how old are you?" Ayane questioned, before adding. "If you don't mind me asking, of course!"
"Oh!" Koichi perked up at this and answered. "I turned twelve-years old last month! The application had no age limit, so I signed up right away!"
"To attend high school this young…" The glasses girl muttered, and then shook her head. "Well, I believe we should be entering now, Koizumi-kun."
"Lead the way!" The boy said with a grin.
Both students made their way towards the front doors to the school building, and then reached out to open them…
"Hey! Wait for me!"
A new voice stopped them in their tracks, in which they turned around and saw a twin-tailed girl with cat ears and an assault rifle behind her back running up to them.
"Another student?" Ayane asked herself.
"Yay! A new friend~!" Koichi cheered.
Trip! Bump!
Before the girl fully caught up to them, she seemed to trip on nothing and fell backwards, causing her to fall back and land on her rear.
"Ugh…" A new voice spoke out of nowhere.
This startled the three students in the area, with Ayane being brave enough to step forward in response.
"Hello, who said that?
" … "
In response, a cloaked boy much shorter than the three students emerged from underneath the fallen girl's shadow, with his hands clutching the hood as he hid his face.
"H-Hello…" The boy whimpered.
"So you're the one responsible for this!" The twin-tailed girl stood up and pointed accusingly.
The boy flinched at that and replied. "I'm so sorry…"
"Now, now, let's not start any fights before we even start our first year here, agreed?" Ayane was quick to step in and intervene.
The twin-tailed girl huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to look at anyone as she muttered. "Fine…"
"Thank you…" The cloaked boy quietly said.
"Wow! I like your cloak!" Koichi ran up to the boy and held his hands.
"H-Huh!?" The boy was caught off guard, to the point where his hood came close, revealing his face.
"What's your name?" Koichi asked.
" … " The boy was silent for a few seconds, and then replied. "… Fushimi Takumi, but please just call me Fushimi…"
"Why is that?" Ayane asked, curious.
"M-My first name just brings some bad memories, okay…?" Fushimi stammered, averting his gaze.
"Nice to meet you, Fushicchi!" Koichi said, smiling brightly.
"What about you?" Ayane asked the twin-tailed girl.
"… Kuromi Serika…" She mumbled, glancing at her fellow students slightly. "Nice to meet you all, I guess…"
"Nn, it looks like all of you have met up already."
"You guys look like you'll fit in with our little group."
The two new voices surprised the new students, before they all around to see the source.
"Are you our senpais?" Ayane asked, being quick to bow in respect.
"Nn, that's right." The first student nodded and introduced herself. "My name is Sunaookami Shiroko."
"Toranosuke Takeshi." The second one followed. "Nice to meet ya all."
"Wow! You look so big!" Koichi said in awe of Takeshi's large height. "Would I be able to grow that big?"
Takeshi chuckled at that and answered. "When you work hard, anything is possible, little man."
"Yay!" Koichi cheered, even throwing his arms in the air.
"This kid." Serika shook her head.
"Excuse me," Ayane raised her hand to speak. "Are you two perhaps our senpais here?"
"That's right!" Takeshi nodded.
"Second-year students, to be exact." Shiroko added.
"I will say, this school looks like it's been fairly well-maintained for quite some time." Ayane said, looking over the state of the school building.
True to her words, the school building itself looked significantly less deteriorated, with the paint over the walls partially restored, the cracks mostly sealed up, and the windows less dirty.
Takeshi sighed and nodded at that. "We've been trying our damndest to keep this place kicking."
"Nn, it took us months to even clean out most of the storage rooms." Shiroko added.
"Is that why you need our help?" Koichi asked curiously.
"More than anything." Takeshi replied with a nod.
Serika looked at the building, and then at the upperclassmen before her, as a sense of respect swelled within her.
"Well… I wouldn't mind helping out with the clean up…" The catgirl mumbled, which didn't go unheard by Ayane.
The elf girl pushed up her glasses and said. "Even though we're not officially students yet, I'll also do my best to help you two and the rest of our senpais!"
"Ooh, ooh, me too!" Koichi raised his hand eagerly.
Takeshi and Shiroko looked at each other for a brief moment, before both smiled and turned their gazes back towards their underclassmen with matching glints in their eyes.
"Heh, Hoshino-senpai's gonna love you guys!" Takeshi said with a toothy grin.
"Nn, thank you all for this." Shiroko said, smiling softly.
"… Gggrrkh…!"
Heavy breathing suddenly came from behind Ayane, Serika, and Koichi, prompting both them and two upperclassmen to turn around and saw Fushimi seemingly having a panic attack.
"Too many people…" Fushimi mumbled, taking a few steps back. "I need to-"
"Hey."
Takeshi was quick to approach the diminutive boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder to stop him from running away.
"I know meeting new people like this is tough, but trust me, we can work through this." Takeshi said in an encouraging tone.
"Nn, you came here of your own volition, right?" Shiroko questioned.
"… Yes…" Fushimi replied, composing himself. "My grandfather used to attend this school, and he's devastated by its current state, which is why…"
He looked up at his two upperclassmen and continued. "I intend to help save this school and make him proud!"
"That's the spirit!" Takeshi grinned, clapping his junior's back.
"Urk!"
Startled by the sudden contact, Fushimi suddenly sank into his upperclassman's shadow, as if he were never there.
"Nn, so this must be his ability." Shiroko said, cupping her chin thoughtfully. "He would be great help in the bank-"
"No." Takeshi was quick to cut her off with a flat stare. "What did I say about that?"
"Uh, what did she mean by 'bank'?" Serika asked, furrowing her brows.
"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about." Takeshi answered, walking up to the twin-tailed girl and then placed his hand on her head.
"H-Hey!" Serika exclaimed with a blush. "D-Don't touch me like that!"
"Fushicchi!" Koichi called out. "Can you come out of there? Please don't be scared of us!"
"Nn, Koizumi-kun, do you know anything about banks?" Shiroko asked, approaching the boy with a dead serious expression.
"Huh?" Koichi was confused by this.
Ayane could only place her face into her hands, with a sense of dread creeping down her spine.
She felt like her first year at Abydos High School will be a very long one.
XXX (Back to the Present) XXX
Ayane sighed at the memory, shaking her head as she took another look at her fellow first year students.
"We're going to be the bestest friends~!" Koichi said with a grin, hugging Fushimi close to him.
"Please let me go…" He whimpered, squirming in the young boy's surprisingly strong grip.
"I still have no idea why a kid is accepted…" Serika remarked, shaking her head.
Letting go of Fushimi, Koichi turned his attention to the twin-tailed catgirl and said. "You look lonely there, Sericchi. Do you want a hug?"
"Thank goodness…" The cloaked boy sighed.
He spread out his arms and wasted no time running towards her, much to her surprise.
"W-Wait!" She didn't have time to react, as the boy quickly had her in his grasp.
"Everyone needs a hug~!" Koichi said with a giggle.
"H-Hey!" Serika exclaimed, trying to escape with a red face. "I don't need a hug! Please stop!"
Despite the antics before her, Ayane couldn't help but smile and let out a giggle of her own.
"Ayacchi, do you also want a hug?" Koichi asked, finally letting go of Serika.
"Finally…" The twin-tailed catgirl let out a sigh of relief.
Knowing that the young boy would hug her anyway, Ayane spread out her arms and said. "Of course, Koichi-kun."
"You even used my first name!" Koichi cheered. "Hug time~!"
Hoshino suddenly came to a stop in the hallway, with the other students from behind stopping as well to stare at her.
"You guys go on ahead." She said, turning around. "I need a few minutes to prepare myself for the new students."
"Are you sure, Takanashi-senpai?" Yuuki asked.
"Positive." Hoshino nodded. "Now go on ahead and greet the new faces, gotcha~?"
Shiroko, Takeshi, and Yuuki decided to make their way to the gym, with Nonomi taking a few more minutes before leaving as well.
Akaza watched as the second-year students were out of sight, before turning to Hoshino.
"You are nervous, are you not?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"Got me there." Hoshino sighed. "Putting up an act to boost morale is a lot tougher than it looks, especially once the new students join us…"
"After what happened back then, Kaiser will not consider attacking for at least a few months." Akaza said, looking at the direction of the gym room. "I know that being in Yume-senpai and Ryota-senpai's positions will bring about nervousness."
"You're nervous too?" Hoshino asked.
"I am, but I try to keep it in for the sake of the new ones." Akaza answered, glancing at his friend. "I will only advise that bottling your emotions like this would compromise our promise to the others, especially in battle."
"I just don't want to forget about them…" Hoshino whispered to herself.
Akaza looked at the pink-haired girl and then allowed his own shoulders to slump slightly, releasing a short sigh.
"I miss them as well." He admitted. "Which is why we must do what it takes to save the school, for their sakes and for the ones with us."
"Yeah." Hoshino said, before putting on a deep breath as she turned towards the ceiling with closed eyes.
" … "
After a few seconds, she let out a huge exhale and her face was set into her most determined one.
"Let's meet the new students." Hoshino said, walking past Usui. "You coming?"
"Of course." Akaza replied with a ghost of a smile.
Dwelling on the past wouldn't do them any good, and they knew that they had to move forward in the present.
"Hi everyone, sorry for being late~!"
Hoshino entered the gym with her most cheerful smile, while Akaza followed her from behind with his usual impassive expression.
"Took you guys long enough." Takeshi remarked.
"So this must be the third-year students…" Ayane muttered.
"Hello, onee-chan, onii-san!" Koichi grinned and was quick to wave at the two.
"You may take the stage, Hoshino-chan, Akaza-senpai." Nonomi said, smiling as she gestured to the stage of the gym.
Akaza went ahead towards the stage, while Hoshino suddenly felt Nonomi gently grab onto her shoulder and pulled her towards her.
"Are you really ready, Hoshino?" The mature blonde girl asked, her usual suffix for her gone.
"Honestly…" The pink-haired girl trailed off, looking off towards the first-year students. "I'll just have to wing it and hope for the best."
"Just know that all of us will have your back in case anything happens." Nonomi said with a gentle smile. "You and Akaza for that matter."
"Thanks." Hoshino smiled back.
With her resolve stronger, Hoshino marched towards the stage where Usui was waiting for her.
"Nn, I still wonder what the original third years were like." Shiroko mused to herself. "Hoshino-senpai and Akaza-senpai never really said anything about them."
"Same here." Yuuki agreed. "Takanashi-senpai is especially secretive about them for some apparent reason."
"We can talk about them later." Nonomi said, focusing on the two upperclassmen on stage. "For now, we'll be introduced to our kouhai."
"You're gonna love them, especially that Koichi kid." Takeshi remarked, placing an arm around his girlfriend.
Nonomi giggled at her boyfriend and said. "I look forward to that."
Meanwhile, the first-year students watched as their soon-to-be upperclassmen were looking at each of them.
"So those two are the third-year students of this school." Ayane said, adjusting her glasses.
"They look nice!" Koichi chirped.
"Something about the girl scares me…" Fushimi muttered, shivering to himself.
"Is that really our senpais?" Serika asked quietly. "I expected one of them to look a little taller than this…"
"Oi, didn't your parents teach you not to judge people by their appearance?" Hoshino drawled, fixing the catgirl with a smile that was too calm for her liking.
"U-Uhhh…" Serika was at a loss at what to say.
"Pfffffft!" Hoshino covered her mouth to smother her laugh. "Relax, I'm just joshin' ya, lighten up kiddo~."
"Kiddo?" Serika furrowed her brows.
"Pay her no heed." Akaza spoke up. "That is just the way she is."
"Anyways!" Hoshino said, clapping her hands together. "Now that all of us are here, what are the names of our adorable kouhai~?"
"Well, I'll start us off." Ayane took a step forward and respectfully bowed. "My name is Okusora Ayane, it's nice to meet you all."
Okusora Ayane was a first-year student, with black hair in a bob cut and a braided headband, amber eyes, elven ears, and an average physique for her age. She was wearing the standard Abydos school uniform, with her blazer unbuttoned, revealing the beige sweater she wore underneath. Her halo was red and shaped like a crosshair inside on another circle with holes on the oval part on the crosshair.
"Koizumi Koichi!" Koichi followed after her as he raised his hand. "I hope we'll all be friends!"
Koizumi Koichi was also a first-year student, with messy light brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a healthy build for his young age. He wore the Abydos school uniform differently, wearing light blue overalls instead of the gray pants and brown boots instead of the shoes. His halo was light orange and shaped as two circles, with two lines crossing each other.
"Kuromi Serika." Serika crossed her arms and said nothing else.
Like Ayane and Koichi before her, Kuromi Serika was another first-year student, with navy blue hair tied into twintails and cat ears. She was also wearing the standard Abydos school uniform, with the addition of gloves and black shorts under her skirt. Her halo was red, shaped like a crosshair floating on top of her head with arrows on the outer ring.
"F-Fushimi Takumi, but please call me Fushimi…" Takumi mumbled, looking like he didn't want to be here.
Fushimi Takumi was the last of the first-year students, with dark turquoise messy hair, dull gray eyes, and was the smallest out of the four students. Like Koichi, he wore the Abydos school uniform differently, wearing shorts and boots instead of the pants and shoes, complete with a black cloak over his shoulders. His halo was dark gray and shaped like a diamond, with a small circle in the center and two lines shaped like a crosshair.
Usui nodded at all the introductions and then proceeded to introduce himself.
"My name is Akaza Matsukaze, but I ask that you refer to me by my surname." He started, and then gestured over to his friend. "This is Takanashi Hoshino, a close friend of mine since middle school."
"Yo." Hoshino did a peace sign with a grin. "You all can call me 'Senpai' while you're at it, hehe~."
"Okay then, Hoshicchi-senpai!" Koichi replied, tilting his head as he smiled.
In response, Ayane let out a small chuckle, Serika let out a sigh but a small smile could be seen on her features, and Fushimi merely smiled at the younger boy's innocence.
The pink-haired girl shook her head in amusement at this, before gesturing her arm towards the second-year students.
"These guys will also be your wonderful senpai." Hoshino said, smiling. "If you all don't mind saying your names."
"Hello everyone!" Nonomi happily waved at her juniors. "My name is Izayoi Nonomi, I hope that we'll get along~."
"Sasamori Yuuki, it's a pleasure to meet you all." Yuuki introduced himself with a polite bow.
"Heh, I think you kids already know who we are." Takeshi remarked with a chuckle.
"Nn, it's still a pleasure to be working with you all soon." Shiroko said, nodding her head.
Satisfied with the rest of the introductions, Hoshino turned her attention back towards the first-year students, looking at each of them with a sense of pride and anticipation.
"Yume-neechan, Ryota, wherever you two are up there," She thought to herself. "I'll make both of you proud!"
Hoshino grinned and spread her arms wide, and then said. "Welcome to Abydos High School, I hope you all enjoy your stay!"
She had no intention of letting down the original Foreclosure Task Force, and was confident that the current one would save the school the founders held dear to them.
"Kaiser Corporation, I don't care how much control you have over Abydos, you're going down!"
"How old are you two exactly?" Akaza asked, noting the two first-year boys being much younger.
"Twelve-years old!" Koichi answered with a small jump. "I used to be eleven last month!"
"T-Thirteen, b-but I'll turn fourteen on Saturday…" Fushimi answered as well, but trailed off as soon as he saw the excited faces of Nonomi and Takeshi.
"Oh my goodness~!" Nonomi chirped, clapping her hands. "We're not even a full month in and our junior's birthday is coming soon~!"
"Hey little man, what do ya want on your B-day?" Takeshi asked with a grin, walking towards his much shorter underclassman.
"U-Uhhhh…" Fushimi gulped, stepping back in response.
"Fushicchi~!" Koichi was quick to give him a hug. "Are we invited to your birthday?"
"I-I… well…"
"Should I start the planning?" Ayane offered with a smile.
"I know a place where it can happen…" Serika muttered, but then yelled. "U-Unless you don't ask me, okay!?"
"Perhaps I should finally ask for a day off." Yuuki mused to himself.
"Nn, I already have the perfect gift." Shiroko said, a glint forming in her eyes.
"I advise against overwhelming him." Akaza stated, suddenly appearing next to Fushimi and placed a hand on his hooded head.
"T-Thank you, senpai…" Fushimi whispered.
"Pffft! Hahahaha!"
Hoshino couldn't help but laugh at the sudden change in atmosphere, but smiled to herself all the while.
"Yeah, I think this year will be a good one." She thought to herself.
She watched as Akaza stood in front of Fushimi to protect him from being approached by an eager Nonomi and Takeshi, Koichi, Ayane, and a shy Serika discussing birthday plans, and Shiroko and Yuuki attempting to pull back their fellow second-year students.
"Yume-neechan, are you seeing all of this?"
"You're so adorable~!" Nonomi gushed, somehow managing to have Fushimi in her grasp.
"Help…" The small boy whimpered.
"I apologize for her actions." Akaza said with a shake of his head.
"Ryota, please give me your strength to help them."
"Okay, everyone!" Hoshino called out, getting everyone's attention. "As fun as it is to watch, I need to test the new students first!"
"O-Oh!" Ayane widened her eyes at that.
"What does she…?" Fushimi was about to ask, but saw Nonomi backing away from him and stood next to Takeshi, Yuuki, and Shiroko.
"Nn, Takanashi-senpai will initiate you all." Shiroko stated.
"I would ask you all not to hold back against her." Akaza advised, joining the second-year students.
"H-Huh!?" Serika was taken back by this. "W-Wait!"
"Hoshicchi-senpai?" Koichi was more confused than anything.
"Uhee, here I go~!" Hoshino grinned and quickly dashed forward at the surprised first-year students.
With that, the Abydos prelude is finally complete! I had a lot of fun writing this one because of having more canon characters to work with, especially in writing their interactions with the OCs for this AU.
Feel free to tell me what you all think of the Abydos prelude as a whole, yeah?
EDIT (02/07/2024): Last rewrites, complete with changing Usui Yuzuru to Akaza Matsukaze because the name fits him more, and Takumi being referred to as Fushimi for backstory reasons that I'll eventually dive into after fully realizing it.
Next Chapter - Prelude: Gehenna (Hina - I)
