?, Morning
When he woke up, he was greeted by a ceiling.
He blinked, then blinked, then blinked again.
After a few more blinks, he realized he was in a room, lying on a bed.
Where was he?
He tried to get up, only to find out that he was barely strong enough to lift his head and arms, with only his fingers twitching as the result of the attempt.
He gave up after another attempt to move his body and opted to lie down on the bed for some time. Hopefully the strength would regain back on its own and he could try again later.
For now, though, he tried to remember how he found himself in this situation.
…
Minutes passed, and to his disappointment, he could only remember tidbits of it. His head was still in disorder, but there was one memory he managed to recall.
The last memory of a certain attendant talking to him before everything went blank.
Before he could continue further, the sound of a door opening snapped him back to reality.
Head tilting a bit, his bluish-gray eyes landed on who opened the door.
"Oh? It seems you've awoken." A gruff voice came from the person near the door, looking at the blue-haired boy.
However, said blue-haired boy didn't acknowledge his word the moment he stared at the… animal-looking being.
He blinked, then blinked, then blinked again.
He was often joked by the people he was close to that he was unfazed by pretty much everything, even with what he'd seen in his life, but this… this was probably one of the rare moments that he became dumbstruck.
"Don't you know it's considered rude to stare at people for too long?"
…Oh, the bipedal animal—who looked like a mature Shiba Inu, he realized—was now standing beside the bed. His right eye had a vertical scar and didn't open, so only his left eye was boring into him.
He tried to speak, but all he could let out was a croaked voice. His throat was parched up.
The Inu realized this. "Wait here, I'll grab some water."
He left the room to get water, and the boy didn't have to wait for long as the Inu returned with a tray of a glass of water and a bowl.
"Here, water and porridge for your stomach. Something tells me you haven't eaten for a long time." He said. "Can you rise?"
The blue-haired boy shook his head since his body was still weak, so the Inu had to set aside the tray and help him sit upright.
The Inu placed the tray on the boy's lap before handing the glass of water to the boy.
The boy gladly took the glass. Though his arms were a little shaky, he didn't spill it and slowly drank the water.
He put the glass down before looking at the Inu. "Thank you…" His voice was still hoarse, but at least he could talk now.
The Inu only gave him a nod of his head. "I believe you don't need me to spoonfeed you?" He got a no from the boy. "You should rest more after you're done eating, lad. I can see you haven't recovered your strength yet. We can talk afterward."
Turning around, the Inu left the room, leaving the boy to his solitude.
Once he was done eating his meal, he spent the next few hours resting and doing a little exercise in hopes of eliminating the weariness in his body faster. He also found his MP3 player in his pocket when he was checking himself, so he wouldn't have to worry about getting bored, although he might need to reserve it since the power battery was currently lower than half. He also found his white belt that held his Evoker just beside the feet of the upper bed, which was odd because he briefly remembered he dropped his gun behind.
…Eh, whatever.
He didn't know how long he's in the room, but judging from the light peeking through the room's window, he guessed it was probably around nine in the morning.
Maybe it's time to find the Shiba Inu now that he could finally stand up from the bed.
After picking up his belt and strapping it to his waist, he walked out from the room he'd been resting and navigated his way around the home which he presumed belonged to the dog.
He soon found the dining room, where he saw the dog having his breakfast at the dining table. It wasn't long before the dog noticed him.
"Oh, you're here? I thought you were sleeping again in your room." The Inu spoke to him. "How do you feel now?"
"Not one hundred percent perfect, but I feel fine." The blue-haired boy answered. "The porridge was delicious, thank you. I don't think I've had anything like that."
The Inu laughed, "Of course! I may be a noodle-dish cooker, but that doesn't mean I can't up the standard of other foods. I'm a proud chef who tries his utmost to make my patrons happy with my cooking."
He's a chef? No wonder the porridge tasted great; it was full of flavor than the typical one he ate in the past and he honestly enjoyed every bit of it.
"Anyway, come sit. I'm sure you're wondering why you're here right now, and I have my own questions as well."
The boy took his offer and sat across from him. Though as he sat, he noticed the dog's gaze momentarily went above his head before he resumed eating his breakfast.
…Actually, didn't he also do the same thing when he first appeared in the room he was resting? There's nothing wrong with his hair, right?
"Alright," the Inu had finished eating, bringing the boy back to look at him. "I think I shall let you pose what's on your mind first. So, what do you want to ask?"
A question… he should start with the obvious one.
"Where am I?"
The Inu crossed his arms. "A simple yet important question. Well, you're in my home if you haven't figured that out yet, but I believe that's not what you're referring to." He straightened his posture from his chair. "Tell me, have you heard of the name 'Kivotos'?"
"Kivotos…?" The boy asked, puzzled. "I don't know much about it, but I had a self-history study to learn that it was a village located in Greece." However, considering the host was not a human, and he was very certain there were no anthropomorphic animals back where he was from, he doubted they were talking about the same place.
True enough, the Inu shook his head. "To think there'd be a moment where I hear there are two different Kivotos… but no, I'm talking about the Academy City."
Academy… City…?
He watched the dog stand up. "Follow me. Showing you while explaining may help clear things up."
The boy stood up as well before following the dog toward a nearby window. Ah, right, he hadn't looked outside the window when he was still in the bedroom he was recovering.
Upon arriving, the dog motioned him to look through the window, which he complied by peering through it.
And he blinked, then blinked, then blinked again.
Sands.
There were sands everywhere.
No matter where he looked, the outside was all sand.
…Well, not all, he could see some house buildings, so he's probably in some residential place.
He would assume he was somewhere in the Middle East or Africa if not for the earlier assumptions and the dog's words, but there was something else that further deepened his current location.
His eyes went to the sky. Last he was alive, there were no lines of circular ring existing in his world. It's like Saturn's ring but much thinner and loosen and light blue.
…So he really was in another world…
…
Considering what he was told by her before waking up in this house, it shouldn't be a surprise for him.
"When I first saw you," The Inu spoke from beside him, "I immediately knew you were not a native of this city. Although Kivotos is home to thousands of academies and you wear a uniform that looks similar to that science school's uniform, some… irrefutable reasons explain why you don't originate from here."
The blue-haired boy turned towards the dog. "How do you know?" And what were this reasons he was speaking of?
"Like I said, there is more than one reason; you can even say it's more of facts than reasons, actually. But to outline them, were you an inhabitant of this city, you would become an eye-catch to all people and be put in the media more quickly than an average Kivotos citizen."
That made the boy both surprised and confused. "Why?"
The Inu was quiet for a moment before facing him. "Because you have… traits that the people of this city don't have."
…Traits? That honestly made him confused more with the Inu being vague with his explanation.
The Inu somehow sensed his confusion before saying, "I'm sorry, that's all I can say right now without adding more confusion to you, though you'll understand later."
"...I see." He guessed he could drop that for later.
The boy turned his head and watched through the window again. Now that he looked again, some of the residential houses around the house they were in were not in the best state. And even though the day was just starting, the surrounding area felt… hollow. Like not many people lived here.
"Is Kivotos a desert city?" He asked. The Inu said that Kivotos was home to a thousand schools, so it was strange for him if all schools were located in a vast barren place.
"No," the Inu shook his head. "The desert is just a small part of the city. What you're seeing beyond this window…" His voice became subdued all of a sudden. "...is nothing more than a dying district still clinging to a chance of restoration. And you're unfortunate to be found in this to-be-a-forsaken land."
This place… is dying?
The Inu gestured his paw toward the window, like he was showing him the entirety of the world.
"I humbly welcome you to Abydos."
Abydos Foreclosure Task Force, Late Morning
"Um, Shiroko-senpai, what are you doing?" A bespectacled elf asked a wolf girl who was busy sewing something.
"I'm making ski masks." Answered the wolf girl—Shiroko—whose attention was on her sewing.
"I can see that, but… why make one, let alone more than one?"
"Maybe she's making more as replacements!" Another voice spoke, this time from a pale blond long-haired girl.
Shiroko shook her head. "No, I'm making them for you all."
"Oh, you're making them for us? How kind of you, Shiroko-chan!"
"Erm, normally I wouldn't say no to a gift, especially when it's handmade by my friend who put her dedication to it, but I think I'm gonna refuse this one…"
"Huh, why?"
"Because not only I don't wear a mask, but those ski masks you're making look like something you'd wear when attempting robberies!"
"But Ayane, you don't need to wear it if you don't feel comfortable, simply keeping it will be enough for me."
"You're not even denying the robbery part?!"
"Calm down, Ayane-chan," A fourth voice, belonging to a pink long-haired short girl, spoke to the elf. "No need to get agitated over Shiroko-chan's kind of gift. What matters is…" She yawned before continuing, "...she's making us gifts. It's the thought that counts, right~?"
"I-I guess so…" Ayane slowly agreed, retreating back to her laptop. "Yeah, you're right, Hoshino-senpai."
"Right~?" said Hoshino before she slumped her head on the table.
"Hoshino-senpai, don't go back to sleep. The meeting's about to start very soon." The blonde shook Hoshino's body, disrupting the third year back to napping.
"Uhee…" Hoshino rose up. "Nonomi-chan, the meeting started five minutes ago. We haven't begun our session of discussion because our fiery girl hasn't arrived yet. And isn't that the unusualness of the day?"
"Nn," Shiroko grunted in agreement, putting away the almost-done masks for later. "Serika is always the earliest of us to arrive at school. The fact that she hasn't shown up until now is worrying."
"True, I hope Serika-chan is okay…" Nonomi voiced her concern.
Hoshino stretched her arms up to get rid of the sleepiness. "Probably sleeping at her home; she's been working too hard lately that she doesn't realize how much it will tire her until it hits her."
"Wait, she is? I didn't notice that." Ayane asked, looking up from her laptop.
"She tried to hide it, which's too bad for her, I know signs of lacking sleep when I see one," Hoshino explained, discreetly referring to her own sleeping problem. What kind of sleeping problem, she wouldn't tell her underclassmen. "Honestly, ever since we told you and her the objective of the club, she has become busier in her after-school activities, to get as much money as she can for our school. I know she said she likes doing part-time jobs and is somewhat obsessive with it, but she needs to draw a line between work and overwork."
"Like you're one to talk about obsessive, senpai. You sleep a lot even during the daytime."
"Well, I can't help myself, Nonomi-chan. At least sleep energizes, not drains."
"Still, maybe we should call her in case anything happens. It could be that she's on the way but something distracts her." Shiroko suggested.
"I think we should. Let me try calling her real quick."
Just as Ayane was about to get her tablet, the door to the clubroom slid open. Rather harshly, if they might add.
And lo and behold, the subject of their worries was standing there, panting heavily.
"Hey… everyone… I hope… I'm not… too late…" Serika wheezed, each word was said in between breaths.
"Serika-chan!" Ayane exclaimed while Nonomi stood up to help the treasurer. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm… just tired…" A bottle filled with water was presented in front of her face before she graciously took it and gulped it. She made a content sound before handing the bottle back. "Thanks, Nonomi-senpai."
"You're welcome!" Nonomi happily said. "Were you running, Serika-chan?"
"There were no buses around, so I had to." Serika answered, walking to take a seat, followed by Nonomi. She put down her bag and faced her fellow clubmates. "Sorry I'm late, I didn't miss the meeting, did I?"
"No, we were waiting for you." Ayane told her. "What happened? You don't usually arrive this late."
"Oh, I– uh…" Serika felt embarrassed all of a sudden. "I forgot to put on the alarm, so I overslept." Her voice was barely a whisper when she said the last part.
"Really? Are you sure it's not because you're so tired that you slept blissfully for long hours?" Shiroko asked.
To everyone's astonishment, Serika did not refute and was fidgeting from her seat. "That too, partially…"
"Oho? So I was right, you were late because the fatigue got you for good~!" Hoshino smirked at the catgirl. "About time you realize the importance of slowing down at work."
"Eh, you knew all along, senpai?"
"Yep, it should've been obvious you were wearing yourself down since the last days. As the oldest senpai here, it's my duty to look all over my kawaii juniors; it would be bad for me if I failed to notice that."
"Huh… for a slacker, you're actually observant."
"Oi, oi, don't talk to your uncle like that, you're gonna break my heart~"
"You're not my uncle! And you're practically the same age as us!"
"Anyway!" Nonomi interjected. "Now that we are all here, why don't we begin the meeting?"
All the girls didn't object, and soon, the discussion on how to save their school started.
As Ayane was speaking of the topic, Hoshino caught Serika very oddly not paying attention from the corner of her eyes. She might've only known Serika not very long compared to Nonomi and Shiroko, but she already knew her as someone serious and earnest in every meeting they conducted, so seeing the catgirl lost in thought was… weird.
Ayane just finished covering the topic, and Serika was still in her own world.
And the third year decided it was better to call her out now.
"All right," Hoshino yelled not loudly, but enough to bring everyone's attention—including Serika who had gotten out of her stupor—to her. She then turned toward the oddity in question. "Spill it, Serika, what makes you so unfocused today?"
"H-Huh? What do you mean?"
"You were not listening." Surprisingly it was Shiroko who spoke before Hoshino could. Guess the wolf girl noticed it too. "You look like a depressed kitten who just heard she won't get her favorite fish forever."
"Wh-What did you compare me as?! And I was listening, you know!"
"Then what was Ayane speaking about?"
"That's– Um–" Serika was fumbling hard. "She was… talking about finding more jobs to get money…?" She ended the sentence with a question rather than a statement. Yup, she was not listening.
Shiroko shook her head. "No, she was talking about why a bank heist is a fast way to reduce the school's debt."
"Wha–?! I said no such thing!" The elf slammed her hands on the table, irritated.
"The point is," Hoshino quickly took over. "I'm asking what's wrong with you. Was Shiroko-chan perhaps right about losing your favorite fish?" She grinned.
Serika wanted to retort back but held herself. Looking at each of her friends, guilt took her heart. It was already bad for Master Shiba to worry about her, but it became worse for her friends to worry too.
…She supposed she could tell them about what she discovered that night.
"So… do you know why I finally took a well-deserved sleep until I was late to school?" Everyone shook their heads. "Well… yesterday, one of my bosses saw right through my defense of hiding the weariness and told me to get some time off for three days."
"You were scolded? No wonder our Serika took a little more time on her bed~!" Nonomi clapped her hands.
"I was not scolded! Well, maybe a little bit…" Serika muttered.
"So you are unhappy about giving you holidays? Why, if I were you, I'd be happy instead!" Hoshino said before a yawn escaped her mouth.
"Of course you'd be happy, you not-geezer." Serika deadpanned at the pink-haired girl. "But no, it's not the holidays I was musing over, it's after I left for home."
"After you left for home…?" Ayane voiced out to her fellow first-year student, confusion behind her red glasses.
Serika sighed while all her friends' eyes were on her. How should she even begin to explain it…
"Last night, I found…"
Shiba Seki Ramen, Afternoon
"Sorry, lad, I need to open my restaurant in an hour. We'll converse later."
That was the last thing the Inu—who he introduced as Shiba—said before going somewhere else, leaving the blue-haired young man to his thoughts and organize what he had learned so far.
…He didn't know what to make of naming yourself the same as your species, but he didn't want to disrespect the person who took him while he was unconscious, so he tried not to think much of it.
When the Inu returned, the boy, feeling indebted for the hospitality, asked if he could join him. He was expecting some kind of rejection, but surprisingly the dog acknowledged his request with, "Alright, but don't push yourself, I don't want to see another youngling disregarding their health."
He didn't know what the last part meant, but he nodded nevertheless, as he knew he was far from full strength yet.
Putting his shoes which he found near the entrance door, both of them stepped out into the desert.
And it was hot. Unbearably so.
"First time in the desert, eh? You definitely look like someone who lives in urban areas. Don't worry, you will get used to the heat once you're orienting yourself here."
That had been what Shiba said to him. Well, he could always treat this like the hot summer back in Japan.
…It took around fifteen minutes to reach Shiba's ramen shop, and he was half-tempted to cast a Bufu spell for self-cooling.
Anyway, he had told Shiba that he had experience working as a waiter, and the dog merely said, "I'll be the one to judge that." Soon, he was led to a back room and given a black shirt and a Shibaseki waist apron. Changing only the upper clothes and putting on the apron while still wearing Gekkoukan dark pants, he became an (unofficial) Shibaseki waiter.
"Well now, you look actually good in that." A compliment from Shiba.
He had some minutes before Shiba opened the restaurant, so he did a little practice since he was a bit rusty and engraved what to do as a waiter in Shiba Seki Ramen told by the owner into his brain.
Like remembering the menu… and calling Shiba 'Master', as that's what the Inu's famously called.
And when it opened, he immediately went to work.
According to Shiba, yesterday was the busiest day for the restaurant due to sudden overflowing customers, but luckily for the blue-haired boy, there would be not many customers coming today, so he wouldn't have to worry about tiring quickly.
For the next hours, he moved around serving those who came to eat, writing down orders, and cleaning tables after use.
"Not bad, guess you're not lying about having experience, but that stoic face of yours needs some fixing; you're going to unnerve our customers if you won't smile."
…Not the first time he was told that, but he tried his best.
Right now, he was relieved from taking orders and washing the dishes behind the counter with Shiba.
"Shiba, can I get sake?" A bulldog, who was sitting on the counter chair and had just finished eating his ramen, asked.
"Sure." Shiba went to where he stored sake bottles before taking one. Picking up a glass, he poured the bottle into it before giving it to the bulldog.
The bulldog gulped the drink in one go before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Aah! That hits the spot!"
Shiba chuckled, "Try not to get drunk by just drinking one cup of it. It's already bad you're late for work, it'll be worse if you arrive at your office hopelessly sluggish and reeking of alcohol."
"Ha ha, funny, sake doesn't make someone go drunk if they only took one shot." The bulldog grinned. "That's assuming you don't give me a very high alcohol rate sake?"
"Nah, I don't provide that here. I want my menus—both foods and drinks—to be enjoyable and comforting, not like something you'd see at the party bar." Shiba grinned back. "If you want to get drunk here, you'll have to order a lot of sake from me."
"Yeah no, my budget is not unlimited." Then the bulldog sighed. "But seriously, I'm late because the only active station in Abydos is hoarded again by unsuspecting sands and the rails need another cleanup for the train to travel untroubled, which's going to take some time."
Shiba frowned, "That isn't uncommon, but isn't the last cleanup not that long ago?"
"Yeah, what usually takes at least two months becomes no more than twenty days. It sucks." The bulldog furrowed his brows. "I'm conflicted, you know? If this keeps up, I may have to move away like the previous residents and find a new home somewhere in D.U. Shiratori City where my work is. Abydos is getting worse and worse each time even when it's already at its worst."
Shiba shook his head. "Nobody would fault you for thinking that. It's naturally logical."
"Thanks." The bulldog said, then he had a glint in his eyes, mouth smirking. "Enough about that, won't you introduce your newly hired staff to me? I don't think I've ever seen someone like that guy around."
"He's not someone I hire, merely here to 'repay' me for taking care of him."
On cue, the blue-haired boy turned his head behind while his hands remained on washing the dishes. "Good day."
The bulldog replied back, and after a little more chat with the owner, he paid and left the premises.
"Master, I am done." The boy wiped his hands with a towel before putting it back. "Anything else I should do?" Since there were currently only two customers still enjoying their meal.
"Hmm," Shiba hummed for a bit. "Go sit at the counter, you deserve a break."
The boy did as asked, walking out the counter and sitting at the same spot the bulldog used.
He closed his eyes, breathing rhythmically. A nap sounded about good right now, but Shiba would likely smack him in the head if he did that in the middle of working hours.
A thud sound pulled him back from his little rest, and he saw a bowl of ramen waiting on the table.
He looked up at the chef, confusion etched on his face.
"Your lunch. Consider it a reward for your performance so far, and I want you to be my first non-Kivotos person to try my specialty."
"I see…" He looked back down at the steaming ramen. He wouldn't lie, it looked very appealing and the smell was fantastic.
Grabbing a pair of chopsticks and the provided spoon, he thanked for the meal before he dug in.
The first spoonful unveiled a broth with a perfect balance of richness and subtlety, each sip resembling a comforting embrace. Shiba's creation distinguished itself with a nuanced depth and a symphony of flavors that unfolded with each mouthful. Expertly cooked noodles offered a delightful chewiness, harmonizing seamlessly with the extraordinary broth. Tender pork slices were added to the savory symphony, and a perfectly boiled egg, its golden yolk oozing gently, provided a velvety richness. Vibrant green onions offered a fresh, crisp contrast, while intact square nori contributed a delightful umami crunch.
It was… a combination of familiar and new, yet also…
"Nostalgic."
"Nostalgic?" Shiba inquired.
Ah, he didn't mean to say that out loud.
Facing the chef, he said, "It's been a while since I last ate ramen, I missed it."
"...That so? I suppose that can be as good as any compliment, so I'll take that. Well, savor it till you no longer miss it, lad."
He did just that, savoring the food and enjoying every single moment of it.
As he bit down the last of the boiled egg, another presence walked into the restaurant and was looking around.
"Welcome." Shiba greeted, only to blink upon realizing who just entered. "Oh? You are one of Serika's friends, correct?"
The blue-haired temporary waiter stopped eating to look up at the person whom the owner addressed.
…This was probably the third time he blinked out of surprise since he woke up in this world. Only, the source of his surprise this time was completely different from the bipedal creatures he had seen or the place he was in.
Standing near the entrance was a gray-haired girl possibly a year younger than him, wearing what he assumed was a school uniform; a neat ensemble of a white dress shirt, a cyan necktie, and a dark gray plaid skirt. Completing the look was a navy blue blazer adorned with silver buttons and a badge of what he guessed was her school logo hanging off the left side of the blazer. She also sported a cyan-striped scarf around her neck. Her attire included knee-high socks and black running shoes with white and lime green accents.
She was the first human he'd seen in this world… or so he thought. Sticking on her head was a pair of canine ears—or was it feline ears?—which was strange since he could see human ears hidden behind her hair. The surprise did not end there, because hovering above her head was a… unique-shaped cyan halo. He didn't know what better way to describe it other than that it resembled a gun crosshair. And that's not even mentioning why she was carrying an actual rifle around, slinging it on her back.
He returned to his almost-finished ramen. Unlike the last time when he first saw Shiba, he managed to regain his composure much quicker this time. He had enough surprise for today, so at this point, he just simply accepted whatever bizarre things he would see in the long run; his life was pretty much bizarre already even before he woke up here.
Still, his mind went to something else. From what Shiba had told him before, wasn't the person who found him and brought him to the chef a part-time waitress at this restaurant named Serika?
"Yes, I am," the schoolgirl softly spoke to Shiba.
The chef nodded. "Go take a seat then, I will take your order shortly."
"Actually, sorry," the girl apologized, "I'm not here to eat. I'm here for something else. Serika told me you're taking care of a man she found on the road, and everyone in the club assigned me to bring him to the school."
The blue-haired boy perked at that, and Shiba couldn't help but chuckle, "I should've expected this to happen." He glanced at the boy. "You heard her, looks like your time as a waiter is over."
The haloed girl finally took notice of him. Her face showed little emotion—identical to his—but when she laid her eyes on him, her face slightly changed, her eyes now held intense curiosity as she stared at him up and down. He also didn't miss when her eyes went above his head for a bit.
He looked down at his food, then at the girl. "I'm almost done with my lunch. Can you wait until then?"
She was brought out of her staring when she realized he was talking to her. "Oh. Sure. I'll be waiting."
Without any words, she left the restaurant through where she came from.
"...Master," The boy turned to the chef. "The reason why you were staring above my head before…"
"Ah, I thought I was being subtle." Shiba said. "Yeah, that's one of the traits I mentioned back at my house. You told me you were a student and graduated as a second-year, yet you have no halo, telling me you're not from Kivotos. Then again, the halo seems to be a born-girl-only thing, as I don't think I've seen a guy with a halo in my entire life."
He did say that, although the graduation part was a conjecture on his part. He would never know if he was officially promoted to the next grade or not after he slept, but he's strongly confident he was promoted since his grades weren't below average.
"I see." He simply said. "Will you be alright on your own here?"
"Boy, I've been doing this alone for years without any help from part-timers. I'll be fine on my own." Shiba laughed. "Now hurry up with your ramen and go change. Best you don't keep her waiting."
Moments later, he wore back his Gekkoukan clothes and, after bidding Shiba a 'see you later', he exited the restaurant and found the haloed girl standing beside a mountain bike, playing with her… phone? He'd never seen a rectangular device like the one she's holding.
"Sorry for the wait." He called up to the girl, who looked up from the device upon hearing his voice.
She tucked her device away. "Nn, It's okay, you didn't take too long."
He watched as her interestingly mismatched black-and-white pupils once again were into him, but her focus was on his uniform instead. Then she put her hands on the bike's handlebars.
"I'm sorry, do you mind if we walk on foot? I came here using my bicycle, but I forgot it has no additional seat to carry you to my school." She became a bit embarrassed when admitting her forgetfulness.
He shook his head, and she sighed in relief.
"Shall we go then?"
Abydos Foreclosure Task Force, Afternoon
"Shiroko-senpai just messaged us in the group chat. She has arrived at the ramen shop and is waiting for him to be brought here." Ayane informed the rest of the club.
"That's good, that's good," Hoshino said as she rested her head on the table but not napping. "Gosh, I still can't believe this. I was expecting many things when Serika-chan was telling us about last night, but finding a man lying on the road was not among them."
"And what were you expecting?" Serika asked, eying her short senpai.
"Hmm…" Hoshino hummed as if thinking. "Like getting scammed or kidnapped."
"That's what you were expecting?! You think I'm both easy to fool and incautious?!"
"Yes." There was no hesitation.
"Urk!"
"Should I bring in some snacks?" Nonomi joined in, pondering. "If we're inviting a guest here, then having them on the table is a thoughtful gesture of goodwill, right?"
"Not necessary, but that would be nice." Ayane nodded before turning to the pink-haired girl. "Hoshino-senpai, you haven't told us why we have to bring him here. I can understand if it's about his… foreignness; we're curious too, but is there another reason why?"
Hoshino dragged her head up when she's asked that. There was some sleepiness on her face, but there was also a hint of seriousness, something that was rarely seen on her.
"Well, it's quite simple; it is something you'd know why by now." Despite her expression, her tone still carried the same one she always uses. "Us in this club is to save the school however we can, but I need to remind you that we are also the student council by technicality, as we're the only students here and Foreclosure Task Force is the only club here. It pains to admit it, but the burdens left by the former student council are shifting to this club, and it's up to us to uphold them."
The mood turned to a somber one as she explained. When the first years applied to the school, the Abydos Student Council as an organization was already long gone, whereas Nonomi managed to glimpse its broken last straw through her lone senpai when she was a first-year. It was now nothing but a ghost haunting the lives by dumping its responsibility to them.
It was much sadder for Hoshino. Even though she's the president of the Foreclosure Task Force, she's also the last former student council member who's still staying in this declining school. She was the only student who knew of it most in the current school year, so despite never fully admitting to them, it must have affected her a lot to personally witness its complete demise.
"In addition, our task is not just about saving and preserving the school, but also enforcing the safety of our territory. Since we don't have a disciplinary committee like Gehenna's Prefect Team or Trinity's Justice Task Force, all matters of safeguarding the territory against unsavory people fall on us." She let out a sigh before shrugging. "Unfair, I know, but that's reality."
Nobody spoke after she was done talking.
"And… do you think the person Serika-chan found is a bad guy?" Ayane broke the silence.
"That's precisely why we're bringing him to our school. By having him here, we can judge him ourselves if he's malicious to our home or really just a stranded foreigner and has no clue of where he is." Hoshino responded.
"An interrogation, then?" Nonomi slumped a bit. "Aww, I thought we were gonna have a nice chat with him."
"I never said that. Just think of this as a normal invitation to get to know more about each other." Hoshino then cracked a smile. "I won't be a good Oji-san if I suspect everybody I see and paint them as evil~"
"Pfft, yeah," Serika snorted. "But if you asked me, he does not look like an evil person. I really can't paint him as one."
"Oh? What makes you say that, Serika-chan?" Ayane questioned.
"Like I said, he's not someone I've ever seen before, meaning he's not from Kivotos. And he was unconscious when I found him." Serika clarified. "Why would someone like him have the intention of doing something bad to Abydos? It just doesn't make sense."
"That's the thing, you found him in our district. Why was he in Abydos to begin with?" Hoshino argued. "First appearance deceives many. We don't know yet what kind of person he is."
This was not the first time Hoshino had to deal with a foreign guy. Despite Serika saying he's too young to be an adult, if he's anything like that freak suit guy…
"T-That's true, we don't. But that's why we're inviting him to 'get to know more about each other', right?" Serika quoted. "And Hoshino-senpai, if what you said is true, then the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang who attacked the school last time are the real unsavory people. All we did was chase them away from the school, but not from the district. I hate to say it, but there's a chance of them returning here and attacking the school again. That was six days ago, and I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to attack the school today."
A boom was heard from their clubroom, then followed by gunshots hitting their school.
"...I jinxed it, didn't I?"
"""Yes, you did.""" Hoshino, Nonomi, and Ayane answered simultaneously.
"Are you a student?"
"I was."
"Was? You're not a student anymore?"
"Since the end of my 11th grade."
"Why?"
"...I had to do something important."
"Oh…"
"..."
"..."
"...Why bring me to your school?"
"To determine you."
"Determine me?"
"Yes."
"I see."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Is the school far from here?"
"No, it's not that far, around 35 minutes if we keep our speed."
"Okay…"
"..."
"..."
"...You're drenched in sweat."
"Sorry, I'm not used to the desert heat."
"Ah, I understand. I should've brought my bag where I kept my bottle."
"I appreciate the sentiment…"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Sunaookami Shiroko, a second-year student in my school."
"Nice to meet you, Sunaookami. My na–"
A catchy ringtone was ringing from the path they were taking, interrupting the boy.
Shiroko picked up her ringing phone and swiped the accept icon before bringing it to her ear.
"Ayane? What's wro–?"
"Shiroko-senpai!" The girl winced at the scream. "The Helmet Gang is attacking the school again! We need you here now!"
"What?!" Surprise was on Shiroko's face before it hardened. "Understood, I'll be there as fast as possible."
She ended the call and turned to the boy, who was watching her with an eyebrow raised.
"I'm sorry for this, can you head back to Shiba Seki Ramen?" She asked, feeling both bad and frustrated over the situation.
That only made his eyebrow raise further. "What is happening?"
"The school's under attack. It's not safe right now." Before the boy could process the implication of her words, she wasted no time mounting her bike. "I promise I will get you again, but please return back."
Feet on the pedals, she sped towards the location of Abydos High School, leaving him in the dust.
"..."
He stared at the distance where Shiroko was slowly disappearing, face frowning.
What should he do now? Should he do as she told him? If there was really an attack going on at the school she was attending—he didn't know what kind of attack, but judging from her rifle, firearms might be involved—then it would be better if he waited and let the conflict resolve itself. He only had the Evoker with him, which fired no bullets since it was never designed as a weapon, so following her as he was might invite himself into danger.
However, just the thought of it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Going back to Shiba meant he was ignoring the plea of the school to be helped. When he heard the distress coming from Shiroko's phone and saw her troubled emotion, he knew whatever was happening, the school and everybody in there was struggling against the aggressors and likely losing, and should that happen, he would never forgive himself.
So the options were: return back or follow her?
…
It didn't take long for him to decide.
Sounds of gunfire were raging outside the walls of Abydos High School. Pops and rattles were sent to opposing forces and the area now bore the marks of the skirmish, like cracked walls and a marred street as the remnants of this conflict.
It was thanks to these sounds that he hadn't lost his way and then hid away when he's almost close to the school.
After he panted for running fast, he peeked from his hide spot. He could clearly see the school building in the distance and it might have taken him perhaps half a kilometer to reach there. He would've gone there if not for the blaring guns scattered everywhere.
He observed everything he could from the conflict going on and took notes of three things.
One, the combatants were teenage girls with halos like Shiroko. They all wore sailor uniforms and helmets that gave the image of being intimidating, like a motor gang of sorts. And like Shiroko, they all were equipped with types of guns; some used assault rifles, some used sniper rifles, and a few used either shotguns or miniguns. The guns also looked heavy—especially the miniguns—but they all carried them like it was nothing.
Two, he saw some flying bullets hit their marks, but rather than piercing their bodies, the bullets somehow didn't do fatal damage. He had narrowed his eyes for greater detail, and it looked like as soon as the bullets touched their bodies, the bullets were shrugged off to somewhere else as if their bodies had some kind of protection. But that didn't mean the bullets weren't effective, as the worst they could do was make the girls unconscious which resulted in their halos disappearing, to his mild curiosity.
Three, Shiroko was in the midst of the conflict and engaging the helmeted girls alone. When he watched her, she was dexterous in her actions and managed to take out some of the helmeted girls single-handedly with her white assault rifle. It was like watching a veteran soldier fighting against an army of armed goons.
…These observations would have shocked any regular person—especially the first two—and in a way, he was, but he had enough shockness for today and simply just accepted them like before. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the potential deaths of these girls; bad people or not, he would rather not see any more people dying right in front of his eyes.
That still didn't change the fact that the helmeted girls were committing chaos and destroying the school's front area. And as he watched back to where Shiroko was, she was slowly being pushed back. It didn't matter how skilled she was, she's still outnumbered and it wouldn't be long before they managed to defeat her.
Watching all of this made him feel useless. He wanted to help her, but charging in weaponless would be suicidal. They would not hesitate pointing their weapons at him when they realized he was on her side, and unlike their durability, his body's as fragile as a normal human; just one bullet could severely injure him, or worse.
His hand unintentionally brushed the holster where the Evoker was resting, which stopped the turmoil brewing inside him as he looked down at it.
That's right. He might have no weapon, but he had something else to aid her; something that required his Evoker to play in part.
He was about to unstrap the lock holding the Evoker until one crucial fact entered his mind.
This is not Dark Hour. I can't use my power in the real world.
He gritted his teeth. His power only worked within a time that existed between midnight and the next day, and it was without a doubt that Kivotos had no Dark Hour. In other words, he was back to square one, knowing that his power couldn't work outside of Dark Hour.
Or could it?
He specifically recalled what his senpais told him long ago. Although he never saw a proper summoning performed in the real world, theoretically it was possible to summon your power outside of Dark Hour, only it was more tiring in both physical and mental as well as difficult to achieve. Proof of it was possible was when a user's power went berserk and appeared in the real world, either thrashing violently or attacking the user. Agonizing proof, sadly, but it's the only one that signified the possibility of summoning the power in the real world.
So maybe, his power might work here…
An explosion snapped him from his thoughts. He peeked again to see what happened.
To his horror, Shiroko was lying haplessly on the ground, and one of the helmeted gang pinned her down with her foot. Four more helmeted girls were standing behind them, their weapons still trained on the gray-haired girl in case she fought back.
He had no other choices, it's either taking action now or no action at all.
With precise motion, he unstrapped the lock and grabbed the Evoker before putting it to the side of his head.
For a moment, his breath was labored in slight trembling before he managed to calm down.
He felt it. Despite the current world, he could feel the Sea of Souls within him stirring, and a certain Master of Strings was ready to be called upon.
Then he uttered a word that had a huge impact on his whole life.
"Persona."
Amidst the ensuing chaos, a sound of shattering glass was heard.
Shiroko wanted to curse so badly in her situation.
Of all the times, the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang had decided to attack the school for a second time right when she was escorting the peculiar older boy.
She felt bad for abandoning him, but it was for the best. Though she had seen the pistol on his waist, he had no halo like her and other students. Bringing him to her school where the battle was currently happening would be no different than bringing an innocent civilian who might become a casualty of the battle. She would not risk that.
When she was a few hundred meters away from the school, the Helmet Gang took notice of her arrival and immediately intercepted her path. She got off her bike and took cover when bullets were fired at her, her rifle in hand. With hit-and-run tactics, she moved forward, shot the enemies within her range, and maneuvered around to different covers.
Strategically, the Helmet Gang was trapped from both sides; the rest of the Foreclosure Task Force from the school side and Shiroko from behind the gang's formation. It would have been a good trap if not for the fact that there were only five of them facing dozens of gangsters. Because Shiroko was on her own, the rear gangsters weren't deterred and retaliated with force.
Not like Shiroko was planning to eliminate all the gangsters on her own. Her only objective was to rendezvous with her clubmates, and only after that would they drive out these pests together.
Tch, I really should've brought my bag where I kept my grenades and my drone.
At least she had a few grenades in her pockets, and she was going to use one of them as a distraction to move forward again.
As she pulled out a grenade and emerged from her cover, she failed to realize an enemy grenade rolling to her feet until it was too late.
Boom!
"Gaah!" Shiroko was flung away and landed on the ground, groaning in pain.
Before she could even lift herself up, a foot stomped her stomach hard, adding to her pain and letting out a pained choke.
"Finally, we got you." The helmeted gangster who pinned her down remarked, four other gangsters standing behind her. "I don't know why you appeared from this side, but I don't care. You just made things easier for engaging us alone, and soon your friends will fall down like you. You may have been victorious last time, but at the end of the day, we'll always outnumber you."
"Grr…" Shiroko growled, "Do you really think we will give up so easily? You punks invade our scho–"
Another stomp silenced her, increasing the pain.
"Persistent, ain'tcha?" The gangster mocked before pointing her weapon to Shiroko's face. "Let's see if your friends have that same persistence when we use you as a hostage."
Shiroko did nothing but glare harder. The gangster only grinned widely under her helmet as her finger was about to push the trigger…
…Only for her to suddenly get bashed far away and collapse to the ground roughly, not waking up.
Shiroko was dumbfounded. One moment she was pinned down, and next she was no longer pinned and free. The only reason she hadn't gotten up was because she's still comprehending what just happened.
That's when she noticed a shadow bigger than her enveloping her.
She tilted her head back… and widened her eyes.
Behind her was a big imposing figure. Its appearance was surreal, with a humanoid form that looked mechanical in its body. It had seemingly glowing red eyes and white hair with a style that reminded her of the blue-haired boy. Its arms and no-foot legs were also white, opposite to its opal torso. Wrapping around its neck was a red scarf. Lastly, a big mechanical lyre was in its hands, and its arms were in an end-swing motion.
She only got a few moments to stare at it before it disappeared in a shower of blue glasses, further baffling her.
What… was that?
"Are you alright?"
A familiar voice that shouldn't be here spoke to her, at the exact spot where the mechanical being had disappeared.
Turning her upper body, a hand was extended to her.
She grabbed it and was pulled up by the boy. Then she looked at him, who was gripping his silver pistol in his right hand.
"You're not supposed to be here." Confusion and disbelief were mixed onto her face, clearly not understanding why he's here.
"I know." He said as if he knew the danger yet still came here.
"Then why?"
"Because you need help."
That shut her down. He came here to help her?
"W-Wh-Who are you?!"
A yell was aimed at them, or the boy to be more precise. She had forgotten about the other four.
They turned to find four weapons pointing at them, but the four helmeted gangsters were looking at the boy. Though they were a bit shaken, likely from the big figure's appearance before.
Shiroko took a step forward to shield the boy, but to her surprise, a hand reached for her shoulder, and the boy took two steps forward, taking the front position instead of her. What was he thinking?!
"I apologize," he spoke, "but would you kindly leave the school and its students alone?"
They turned toward each other, then they laughed.
One of them said, "Sorry, man, but that won't do. We were paid for this assault, so we must fulfill our task no matter how nice you wish us to leave."
"Not to mention it's our leader who makes the decision, not us, so you'll have to beg for her personally. That's if you can get through us to reach her; she's busy wrecking the school as we speak." Another added, proving her point by the sound of the still raging conflict near the school's gate.
The blue-haired boy was silent for a few seconds, then he said, "I see."
He raised his gun, which prompted them to do the same at him, but had not shot yet. Shiroko knew why. The Kata-Kata Helmet Gang might be a bad group of delinquents, but they weren't so evil they would shoot a halo-less person.
Much to Shiroko's and the others' shock, the gun wasn't aimed at them. Rather, it was aimed at his own head.
"Wait! What are you–?!"
Shiroko's words died in her throat when he pulled the trigger, but instead of killing him as she expected, a sound of glass shattering reverberated in the air, and shards of glass flowed out from the side of his head.
And appearing from behind him was the same mechanical figure, adorned in an otherworldly blue aura momentarily as he came into sight.
"Orpheus."
With a command, the eyes of the figure—Orpheus—glowed brightly.
Out of nowhere, fires erupted from where the gangsters were standing, the unexpected attacks knocking them out completely.
Shiroko's mouth agape, staring at the now unmoving gangsters, their clothes scorched in black.
"Do not worry, I tried not to hurt them too much."
…No, that's not her concern. The gang deserved the worst for creating a mess for her school. Just watching them lay motionless brought satisfaction to her.
What she cared about was the cause, and what he had just done. She wasn't unfamiliar with characteristic abilities and powers some students had, but what he did was completely unknown to her, and she would forever not know unless she asked.
Before she could open her mouth though, he suddenly grabbed her wrist and quickly moved to a nearby hiding spot. His reason to do that came from the rain of bullets landing to where they were previously.
"I know you have questions for me—I have my own as well—but I think there are more important things to do right now." He spoke to her.
Shiroko tightened her grip on her rifle. Right, defeating the Helmet Gang and meeting up with her friends took priority first. She could ask about his ability later.
"I will provide support from the back while you take the front as you did before. Is that okay?"
"Nn, no objections."
Together as one, they entered the battlefield and struck back.
Abydos High School, Front Gate
"Everyone, I detect Shiroko-senpai on her way towards us, but she is intercepted by the gang behind!" Ayane spoke through the comm the club members were sharing.
The Foreclosure Task Force sans their navigator were holding their stance at the school's front gate and shooting any enemies coming at them. Nonomi was at the back sweeping the gang with her minigun, Serika was hiding in the makeshift sacks that acted as a cover and firing with her rifle, and Hoshino was taking the brunt at the front with the Iron Horus shield as she suppressed the enemies with her semi-automatic shotgun.
"Damn it!" Serika hissed. "We can't do anything to help her, not when these scumbags keep occupying us like this!"
"Shiroko-chan is quite agile and can avoid full confrontation whenever she can, but I doubt she can successfully reach us without taking out some of the gang." Nonomi added, worried about the other second year. "The gang's numbers were not this many the last time they invaded."
Hoshino, for her part, lost any of her laziness and looked absolutely serious. After taking out three gangsters, she reloaded swiftly before saying, "I'll go and assist her. You two stay here and protect the school."
"Are you crazy?! Do you wanna bust through them alone?!" Serika protested.
"Don't worry, I'm the tank here, the most they can do to me is as strong as feeble pellets." Hoshino reassured her, which didn't do much. "I'll be fine, really."
Before the pink-haired girl could commence her plan, Ayane interrupted them.
"Wait! I detect something else near Shiroko-senpai! This signature… it's another person! They are moving towards us together!"
"Another person? Wait, could it be…?" Serika murmured.
"And…"
"And?" Nonomi noticed the confusion in Ayane's tone.
"I… I don't know how to explain it. Sometimes it's just two of them, but then it becomes three, then back to two."
"Three? Are you sure the reading's not wrong?" Nonomi asked.
"I'm not sure…"
"Hm… Ayane, send one of your monitoring drones and, just in case, your med kit drone to Shiroko without the gang noticing. And try connecting her again to our comms while you do that." Hoshino ordered.
"On it!"
Ayane sent two drones to Shiroko's location and tried reaching out to her.
"Ayane?"
"Shiroko-senpai! Thank goodness!" Ayane was relieved. "You didn't pick up when I tried contacting you."
"Ah, I was hurried and busy dealing with the gang I forgot to put on the ear-comm. Sorry."
The drones had arrived some distance above Shiroko and captured the scene happening. Ayane saw her in action while her companion—the blue-haired boy who matched Serika's description of him—stood behind.
"I'm about to reach you guys soon. Wait for me." Shiroko was oddly confident as she took down more of the Helmet Gang.
"Wait, let me gui–" Ayane stopped in shock when the boy shot himself in the head and a humanoid being appeared beside him. Then, explosives of fire arose underneath the enemies, taking most of them out and some in a stunned state which Shiroko immediately swept in and got the job done.
For a moment, the elf wasn't saying anything.
"Uh, Ayane-chan, are you okay?" Serika asked from the comm.
"Wha– That was–" Ayane couldn't get the word out.
"Ah, you saw that. Good, all I can say is it'll be a breeze securing another victory." Shiroko confidently stated to all of them.
The Kata-Kata Helmet Gang soon realized how fast their numbers were reduced thanks to the boy's interference. The gang's leader in red immediately ordered them to stop him, but they couldn't reach him due to Shiroko and the humanoid being not allowing them. They fired everything at their disposal at the latter, but it didn't even flinch and continued bashing them with its lyre and occasionally threw fire attacks at them.
The gang's morale was gradually decreasing, and the Abydos students capitalized on it. Serika, Nonomi, and Hoshino wiped their asses with much ease, while Shiroko and the boy did the same to the remaining gangsters. Now the trap finally bit them from both sides effectively.
Finally, only the leader remained, shaking uncontrollably with fear.
"How?! How did we lose to you the second time?! It's just the five of you; even adding one to your group shouldn't have changed the scale!" The leader shrieked.
All she got was a barrel pointed directly at her face.
"Here's advice from Oji-san: there are times when quality is better than quantity."
A single shot was all it took to bring her down.
And thus, the Foreclosure Task Force won.
"Woohoo, we won!" Nonomi cheered happily.
"Hah! That's what you get for messing with our school!" Serika was in a happy mood too.
As the two celebrated, Hoshino walked to where Shiroko was. The boy was with her, and the third year briefly saw the humanoid being disappearing in a display of blue motes.
Then, the boy staggered to his feet before collapsing on the ground without warning. Shiroko took notice of this first and called out to him in an alarmed voice.
Well, so much of a first impression.
Abydos High School, Infirmary Room
When he woke up, he was greeted by a ceiling. Only this time, it was colored orange.
…Wait, no, that was the sunset illuminating the room.
"You're up!"
His head turned to a girl who wore red glasses and had pointed ears, sitting on a chair near his side. An elf?
"I was worried." She told him. "My friend told me you suddenly collapsed, but I can't find anything that you were hurt, so I guess it must be something of an exhaustion."
…Right, that happened. Summoning a Persona in the real world took a lot of toll on him. Coupled with the fact he hadn't used his power in a very long time, his psyche couldn't hold up for long.
So he's in bed again, huh?
"Where am I?"
"The school's infirmary. You were out for almost five hours."
…It would have been a perfect déjà vu if it was a week.
"And the others?"
"They are currently cleaning up the aftermath of the battle earlier and collecting the remainder of the gang's supplies. Though looting would be a better word…"
"Supplies…?"
"Yes, we're almost out of ammunition, so they're taking everything we will need for the next few days. Hopefully we don't need to spend them very early though."
Is collecting ammo from the enemies common for them? More importantly, are students carrying firearms out in the open and shooting at each other common?
…For this world's standard, probably yes.
"They should've been done by now. I imagine they're heading to this room as we speak."
Just as the elf said that, the infirmary's room opened and the others entered.
"Ahh, hauling those trashes to somewhere far from here, I thought my old bones were gonna crack~"
"Now, now, Hoshino-senpai, I think we did a great job putting them way farther from the school than we did before. And look at the bright side, we've gotten more supplies to last for days!"
"Nonomi-senpai's right, but I still think we should call the Valkyrie police to apprehend those guys so they won't come here anymore."
"Serika-chan, you know as well as we do that the police never care about this district, so it's useless calling them. We don't have anyone else but us to handle the safety of the district and the school."
"I-I know that, Hoshino-senpai, but–"
"He's awake." Shiroko interrupted them, her eyes looking at him and the elf who waved at them.
They approached the bed; the long twin-tail girl with animal ears like Shiroko stood beside the elf, the blond girl and the pink-haired girl stood on the other side, and Shiroko herself stood in front of the bed.
"How do you feel?" Shiroko asked him.
"Weak, but fine." He replied.
"That's a relief. You had me worried back then."
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
"..."
"..."
"Oh my," the pink-haired girl commented, "looks like my adorable underclassman has struck a relationship with our dear ally. Your uncle's feeling so proud~!"
"Yup, yup! It seems Shiroko-chan has made a friend in just one day. I'm so happy for you!" The blonde said happily.
"Stop teasing her, you two!" The twin-tail girl pointed to the gray-haired girl, whose cheeks were heated up. "There's no way she considers him as a friend that quickly when she knows him for not even a day."
"U-Umm… actually, Serika…"
"Wait, you do?!" The twin-tail girl shot her an incredulous look.
"W-Well, I haven't known him for long, true. It's just…" Shiroko admitted, "...I don't know why, but when I interacted with him, we just… kind of hit it off. Maybe it's because we both have the same personality?"
He understood what she was saying. He could immediately tell she was someone who spoke with little words after the first few sentences with her and was outwardly calm under normal circumstances. She must've also reached the same conclusion regarding him.
Basically, two peas in a pod.
"Hooh, another quiet type of person like her, huh?" The pink-haired girl said, looking at him. "It was already quite obvious the way you talked to each other, and you definitely have that impassive face; you're even wearing it right now."
Yes, he's wearing it right now because it's his default face.
"She also told us about how you supported her during the battle, and I must say, I'm intrigued by you more!" The blonde said with obvious curiosity in her voice.
…Something told him the blonde always oozed positivity and depicted herself with a happy expression.
And if Shiroko had told her friends about their teamwork, then it wouldn't be wrong to assume she might've told them about his Persona.
"Ano," The elf spoke to them. "I think we should get to the introduction first."
"Oh! You're right, we haven't introduced ourselves, have we?" The blonde poked her head in a silly manner.
Turning back to him, the elf bowed to him from her seat.
"First, I'd like to thank you for your assistance. While we potentially could win against the Helmet Gang on our own, it would have been an uphill battle and the school might take more harm than we would've liked. The situation could be much worse if it weren't for you."
He would have given her a small nod if he wasn't on the bed. "Don't mention it."
The elf sat straight. "I'm Okusora Ayane, a first-year student at this school." She gestured to the twin-tail girl beside her. "This is Kuromi Serika, she's in the same year as me."
He looked at the twin-tail girl. This was the one who found him?
"Hey." Serika offered no more as she regarded him. There was something in her eyes, but he couldn't figure out what.
"I believe you already knew Shiroko-senpai." Ayane continued as Shiroko nodded. "Alongside her, Izayoi Nonomi is a second-year student."
"Hello!" The blonde greeted cheerfully.
"And lastly is Takanashi Hoshino, the sole third-year student."
…Sole? What did she mean by that?
"Yo! Nice to meet you…" The pink-haired girl said, sniffling a yawn.
"All of us here," Ayane gestured to herself and the others, "are the entirety of Abydos High School students, and the members of a club called Foreclosure Task Force."
These five girls… were the only students in this school…?
"Now then, may we know the name of the person who helped us?" Ayane asked, all of them looking at him expectantly.
He took a good look at each of them, then he set his face into a peaceful one.
"Yuki Makoto. A pleasure to meet you all."
To Be Continued…
I'm sorry, Minato Arisato fans.
And I'm sorry to those who were expecting him to have a halo. Until some reviews pointed that out, there was never an idea to give him a halo, kind of like how Hatsune Miku and Toaru Railgun characters were given halos when they entered BA world. But Master Shiba had a point, there is no single male in Kivotos who has a halo, so I used that excuse. And no, last I checked, Hieronymus and Decagrammaton's prophets are referred to as it, not he.
P3RE is coming soon and I've preordered it, so the third chapter won't be anytime soon. For a full detail, it's in my Discord server (link in my profile).
Edited on Feb 1
"You bear a non-existent halo" sounds stupid now that I think about it, since I intend to point out clearly that Yuki has no halo. So I changed it to "You have no halo". Thanks, EmperorCeph!