Gehenna Prefect Headquarters
The night sky twinkled through the window as the lavender haired girl stared at her locker. Spinning the lock, she spun the small dial with practiced precision before the small lock clicked upon.
Removing the lock, she opened up the large door to reveal an aged but well maintained set of combat gear. The girl unbuttoned her top and pulled a form fitting black top over her torso, wincing as the tight fabric pressed against her rather large form. Then she took out a dark blue combat skirt and pulled it over her legs
Next up was the dark blue bullet vest that she strapped around her chest, double checking that the pockets were empty and easy to reach. Taking out a small brown case from the locker, she unlatched the lid and opened the case. Inside the case were several preloaded magazines full of pistol ammo. The girl carefully checked each magazine before sliding it into the pockets in her vest. Finally, she pulled out a small matte black cylinder and screwed it onto her Luger P08 pistol.
Amau Ako slid a magazine into her now silenced pistol. Kayoko hadn't responded back to her in over a week. Ako was very worried about her former teammate and friend. Which was why now she had to take matters into her own hands.
Hina wouldn't be happy to hear that her personal assistant had gone AWOL, but Ako knew that rescuing her friends was a top priority. After all, she had dragged Kayoko into this mess, and now it was up to her to rescue her. "Please forgive me Hina, but this is something I must do."
That was when the door to the locker room slid open and the lights turned on. "Ahh, there you are, Ako. I was looking for you."
The lavender haired girl spun around in disbelief…to find a certain white haired Head Prefect standing in the doorway. "H-h-Head Prefect!?"
"Yes, that's me." Hina looked her assistant over, dressed in a dark outfit with a blue bullet vest. "Perfect, I see you're dressed for the occasion. Let's."
Ako's brain slowly rebooted as she tried to grasp the situation. "Huh?"
Hina beckoned to her. "We've got a situation. Come with me, I'll explain on the way."
The lavender haired girl stared listlessly as she listlessly followed her boss out of the locker room. "Huh?"
Gehenna Trinity border
"Kayoko!"
"Ako!"
Ako gasped at the four Gehenna students being led over the bridge. Without hesitation, she vaulted over the barrier and rushed over to her friend. Before the white haired girl could protest, she found herself caught in a tight hug.
"H-hey Ako…sorry about the trouble." Kayoko managed amidst the hug.
"No, this is my fault. I made you go on that mission."
From the Trinity side of the border, Sensei gave the group a knowing nod of approval. Hina smiled back before gesturing to the side of the bridge.
The teacher turned to his escort. "We'll be chatting over there. I trust you can wrap things up here?"
Ichika nodded. "Of course, Sensei. I'll clean up here and make my report."
"Thanks."
A minute later, the teacher found himself on the edge of the bridge, a white haired Prefect Head sitting beside him. "Thanks for responding so quickly. I know it's quite late."
"It's three in the morning, Sensei. It's the definition of late." Hina responded, "But I was awake and am glad that you called." She shot a mild glare at her assistant walking up to her with Kayoko. "Apparently, my chief assistant failed to mention that she had put together this mission."
Ako winced. "Head Prefect, I-I can explain…"
"However, in spite of some mild frustration at being left out, I am far more interested in what would lead to the capture of a quite capable group such as the Problem Solvers."
Sensei looked over at the white haired Problem Solver. He had gotten the full story as to their situation and mission before arriving and he was not excited to break the news. "Well…basically what happened was–"
"Teacher Ao…I mean Sensei," Kayoko interrupted. "I think it's best if I break the news."
Noticing the intense expression in her eyes, the teacher nodded and backed away. Taking a deep breath, Kayoko turned to her close friend and broke the news. "Ako…Teacher Ao wasn't the one who caught us. We were ambushed and taken down by a much more dangerous group, one who attempted to start a coup in Trinity.
"We ran into Arius."
Seventeen years before
A purple haired woman down at the small bundle in her arms. The man beside her gave the infant a nudge with his finger, causing the bundle to gurgle. "She has your eyes."
The woman smiled. "And your nose."
"Bet she has your brain though. After all, she's got some big shoes to fill."
The father smiled as he pulled a small box from his pocket. "I…I made this for her."
The mother's eyes widened, "So this is what you've been hiding from me."
Chuckling as he opened the box, he pulled out a small home knitted cap. Adored on the cap was a dark skull bordered by a blue pyramid. "Stand proud, for you are descended from the greatest line of attendants, those who will serve unceasingly to their very last breath. You shall serve the greatest and most powerful leaders and they shall rely on your intelligence and insight. For you are Arius, Amau Ako, and you shall make us proud."
Fifteen years before
A three year old Amau Ako danced around as she showed off her blue jacket, adorned with the skull and pyramid design. "Don't you think it's pretty?"
The three year old Kayoko nodded in approval. "Mhm, it's very pretty. What does the thing on the back mean?"
The lavender haired girl beamed with pride. "It means that I'm an Arwius girl!"
"Okay. Do you wanna go to the park?"
"Sure!"
As the two girls ran off, a pair of parents watched the two run around the playground equipment. The father frowned, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"What? Letting Ako play with the Okinatas? They're a great family, I served with Mrs. Okinata in the Disciplinary team."
The husband shook his head. "Not that. I mean…about the both of us joining the expedition."
"What's wrong with it?" The wife cocked her head, "It's a joint expedition between the Expeditionary Forces and the Refugee committee to find the Arius district. Yui and Hinata are personally leading the team. What's not there to like?"
"I don't like the idea of leaving Ako all alone for so long."
His wife smiled, "We're not leaving her alone. The Okinatas have already agreed to look after her. She'll have someone her age to play with all the time and we'll be back in no time."
The husband looked away. "I…I don't know. Maybe only one of us needs to go. I'm the supply officer. You can stay behind while I make sure everyone in the expedition eats well."
"What? Excuse me, I'm part of Yui's personal commando unit. I can't abandon my role."
"I just…I don't know…it doesn't bode well with me."
The wife pulled her husband into a kiss. "Hey…I want you to imagine Ako's huge grin when we return. Once we find Arius, Ako can live out her heritage. We'll move to Arius and raise her there, just like we always dreamed of. The more of us who go with the expedition, the faster we'll make it through and find our ancestral lands."
The husband sighed. "I…I guess when you put it like that…"
"Bye Mommy! Bye Daddy!"
"Bye Ako's mom! Bye Ako's dad!"
The two girls waved goodbye to the two parents as they joined the large gathering of grown ups gearing up in full combat gear. As they did, a tear rolled down Ako's cheek, "You better find Arius and tell me all about it!"
"We will Ako. We promise."
Two months later
Ako woke up to hear the sounds of helicopters roaring overhead. She looked over at her roommate. "Kayako, wake up! Mommy and daddy are back!"
The white haired girl groaned, "Don't wanna. You said that last time and it was just some strangers."
Ako ignored her friend and hopped out of bed. Running down the stairs, she noticed Kayoko's parents anxiously throwing on coats and running out the door. Curious, she ran out to join them.
Somehow, even if she didn't understand it, she knew something was wrong. She heard the loud ring of sirens overhead as dozens of individuals were running towards the landing helicopters.
She heard screaming and wailing as the grown ups around her were murmuring things she didn't understand. "Mommy? Daddy?"
She wiggled her way through the grown ups until she reached the front to find a grotesque sight. Stretchers were being taken out of helicopters. Girls in medical crew uniforms rushed to and fro. A tall blue haired man limped out of the helicopter followed by a woman with short pink hair. Both looked battered and covered in blood and dirt.
Kayoko's mother ran up to the two. "Hinata, Iwasawa, what happened out there?"
The blue haired man winced as he looked away. "We…we…"
"I'll tell you what happened," The pink haired woman screamed, "This coward of a fool let my sister die! He let all of us die out there!"
The crowd let out a gasp as Ako titled her head. What did that mean? As people rushed towards the stretchers, Ako looked around. "Mommy, daddy?"
She ran through the grown ups, desperately looking for any sign of her parents. "Mommy, Daddy?"
That's when she caught the gaze of the blue haired man. She recognized him. "You're Mr. Ao right? Where's my mommy? Where's my daddy?"
The man winced. "Kiddo…you're Amau's kid aren't cha? I…I…your mommy and daddy…aren't coming back."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ako cried out, tears welling up in her eyes, "Where's mommy and daddy? Give me my mommy!"
She ran at the man, only to be scooped up by the arms of Mrs. Okinata. The woman winced, "I'll take care of her."
As the two parents left the carnage, the lavender toddler continued to scream and cry…for parents who would never return her call.
Present Day
"Ako!"
The lavender haired secretary shuddered violently as she dropped to her knees. Her eyes glazed over as she gripped the railing of the bridge desperately trying to hold herself up.
Hina stared at her assistant, unsure of what to do, however Kayoko was beside her friend in an instant, putting her arms around Ako. She gave a glare to Hina and Sensei, a "let me handle it" kind of look.
Hina noticed it and gestured to the teacher, "Shall we continue this conversation over there?"
Sensei nodded, "Lead the way."
As they did, Hina looked at the water below the bridge. "Sensei…what really happened out there?"
And so the teacher recounted the tale of the past week, the revelation of about Arius, how they infiltrated the school and had masterminded a plot to seize control of the academy, how they had been foiled by their own lies falling apart, and how the JTF had found the Problem Solvers.
At the end of the tale, Hina frowned. "To think that the corruption of Arius had gone so deep as to control one of the Tea Party leaders. If they're so deeply entrenched into Trinity…it makes one wonder…"
"If Gehenna is also compromised." The teacher concluded. "What's your take on that?"
Hina's eyes darkened. "If we are indeed compromised, I wouldn't be surprised. I always wondered why I've found so much resistance to the Eden Treaty within our own ranks. I'll be doing a very thorough sweep through our people." She grimaced, "I hate to think of one of my own subordinates being an Arius plant, but perhaps I have been too blind to reality."
She glanced back at the pair of sobbing students. "Even now, I realize how little I truly know about my own comrades and compatriots. What would you do, Sensei?"
Sensei frowned, "It's not the first time I've been betrayed before. It's not the first time I've had someone close to me turn their backs on me either. It hurts the first time and it hurts the second time, and the third, but you learn to look beyond their betrayal, to see what they're really fighting for. Then you know what type of choice you have to make."
"I see…" Hina muttered, "You're a father, Sensei. How do you handle someone who is hurting?
She turned her gaze back to the city skyline. "I admit, I…my mom never taught me how to comfort someone. She told me to look out for those who are weak and suffering, to put others before myself, to work harder than everyone else, but…she never taught me what to do when someone I care about is hurting."
"Your mom sounds like an excellent person." Sensei complimented her. "Perhaps she may have some insight for you on that as well."
Hina raised her brow. "You're not going to give me your ever so wise fatherly advice?"
"Some things I believe come best from your own parents." The father chuckled, "There's your little bit of wise fatherly advice."
"Very well then, Sensei. I shall seek out her counsel in this matter." The Head Prefect groaned, "What are you going to do next?"
The teacher stretched his arms as he stifled a yawn. "I'm going to get a much needed nap. Then I'll start putting together my reports."
Hina raised her brow. "Correct me if I am wrong, but weren't you going to administer tests or something?"
"Already took care of that. Got the girls another one day extension for an 'emergency situation'. I figured the girls need a day to recuperate before they take the test."
"And what happens to the rest of the students involved?"
"JTF is handling all the prisoners currently. Nagisa has been quite cooperative with Hasumi. I fully expect her to clean house tomorrow…" He glanced at his watch, "Actually, today. Anyways, I trust you will handle things on the Gehenna side?"
"Yes, naturally. We have received Problem Solver 68, so we have no other business here."
Sensei smiled, "Make sure to give yourself some rest though. Spread out your deadlines so that you can take reasonable breaks, or else you may make a mistake somewhere."
Hina rolled her eyes. "I will dad…" She paused. "Huh…I guess this is your effect, Sensei."
"Wouldn't be the first time I've been called that by my students." The father nodded in approval. "I'll probably be by some time in the next week or so to check in on Ako."
"Thanks Sensei."
As the final trucks left the bridge, Sensei held up the Schitem Chest. "Arona, I'm going to bed. Wake me up if I get any notifications, alright?"
"Will do Sensei!"
BREAKING NEWS!
COUP AT TRINITY!
INSURGENTS ARRESTED!
TEA PARTY SPLINTERING!
"Is this on?" The buxom reporter checked her camera. "We're live? Alright, we are indeed live at Trinity in this most scandalous moment in its history!
"I am Shinon with the Kronos school of Journalism and behind me are the remains of the battleground in which Tea Party member Misono Mika attempted to seize power from Tea Party Host Kirifuji Nagisa! To think that behind the scenes of the Tea Party, the school is not as united as we once thought! Reports indicate that she had the assistance from multiple rivaling factions and saboteurs, oh my!"
She ran over to a trio of JTF guards. "Excuse me, I'm Shinon with Kronos broadcasting. What can you tell me about what's going on back there? Is it true that Misono Mika is being detained for betraying Kirifuji Nagisa?"
The JTF students stared at the reporter in suspicion. "I don't recall allowing members of the press here. Can I ask you to step aside?"
"Please, the public has to know, what is the reason behind her betrayal?" Shinon pressed.
"I'm going to have to report this in." One of the JTF members raised her radio as the other two stepped forward.
"Why would you try to hide this from the public?" The reporter continued to spam her questions, "There is no reason you would be this secretive about the truth…unless…unless…"
"Ma'am," The JTF officer returned, "I just checked in with command. The entire campus is currently under lockdown. I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to report in the vicinity. If you could please move your equipment to the outskirts of campus. We will assist you if needed."
"Unless Misona Mika was actually trying to defend her love! Misona Mika wasn't betraying Kirifuji Nagisa, but rather was trying to protect Kirifuji's true target, Yurizono Seia!"
The trio of JTF members stared at the reporter in utter disbelief and shock. "What?"
Shinon nodded her head. "Everything now makes sense! Mika and Nagisa were said to be long time friends. Why would they ever fight if not for love? Mika must be harboring deep and romantic feelings for their fellow Tea Party member, Seia. But it's been ages since we last saw Seia, which implies that Nagisa has kidnapped and hidden her away. Mika never intended on betraying Nagisa, she was trying to save the one she l-hey, stop it! Take your hands off me!"
The JTF officers began to drag the reporter away. "Turn off the cameras!"
"The Press will not be silenced! The truth will come out and you'll be sorry when you find out I was right all along!"
Millennium Science School
The computer live feed shut off as Hibiki turned to Utaha. "Didn't you say that Sensei was helping out at Trinity?"
"Technically, you said he was helping out some students with failing grades." Kotori added.
Utaha frowned as she stared at the screen in disbelief. "Something like that…maybe I should check on him…"
That's when the door slammed open and a certain Hayase Yuuka stormed into the Engineering club room. She set her eyes on her girlfriend and grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming with me."
The violet haired engineer knew better than to resist and followed along. "Where to?"
"Schale. Your moronic uncle is not responding to any of my messages and I'm going to get to the bottom of this."
"I don't think he's at Schale at the moment."
"Then I'm going to make him regret it." The treasurer retorted, "I recall him being explicitly told to avoid getting into trouble and now he does this?"
"To be fair, Uncle does have a tendency to get into these kinds of things…"
"That's not an excuse and you know it." Yuuka snorted. "Now then, if you don't want to sleep on the couch for the rest of the week, I suggest you back me up here."
"...yes ma'am."
SRT Special Academy
Ever since middle school, Tsukiyuki Miyako had admired SRT and the values that it stood for. Fighting for justice by preserving the Truth and nothing but the Truth. It sounded like something she could believe and dedicate her life towards. Throughout middle school, she had worked and trained hard so that one day, she too could join the ranks of the prestigious special forces.
Initially she had been downtrodden. The year before, SRT Special Academy had not accepted a single applicant into their program, causing many to lose hope. However, she still believed in the Justice of SRT and thus sent in her application regardless.
The many painful weeks of waiting for a response had nearly driven her to despair. What if she wasn't accepted? What if she wasn't good enough? Perhaps she should reconsider her chances and hope Trinity or Millennium were still accepting applicants.
Thankfully, on the last possible day, she received a blue and white envelope with an odd looking sun inside a triangle emblem on it. When she reverse image searched the logo, she found it was from a school far away known as Abydos General High School. That was odd. She had never sent an application to such an academy, yet this letter was clearly sent to her with the words "Your future in Abydos" on it.
Opening the envelope, she found a plain white parchment with a very different logo, one that she was very familiar with. The ram's head stood before her with the simple words:
To Tsukiyuki Miyako:
The SRT Special Academy would be honored to have your presence this spring. Please see the below for necessary equipment.
Sincerely,
General Student Council President Ao Haru
The girl had been overjoyed. Not only had she been accepted into the school of her dreams, but she had been personally accepted…by the General Student Council President herself! She foresaw the days filled with rapid deployments, harsh but rewarding training, and protecting the citizens of Kivotos. She was going to be just like the celebrated Fox Squad, who she idolized.
Three months later, she officially hated Fox Squad.
Who thought it was a good idea to drag her squad out of bed at two in the morning for a pointless march through the desert? Apparently Yukino did.
Apparently Niko saw it fit to leave her squad trapped in an elevator shaft with no electronics working. Moe nearly blew up the entire shaft out of sheer frustration..
Her body ached from all the bruises that Kurumi inflicted during their CQC training, because "apparently Teacher Ao hits harder".
And the worst one was when her squad had to push through an abandoned warehouse while Otogi was watching them. Miyu nearly developed claustrophobia when Otogi told them that she wasn't trapped in there with them, they were trapped in there with her.
Yet, in spite of all of that, she could confidently say she got stronger, took better shots, and felt ready to take on the world, as did the rest of her squad as they stood at attention before their senpai.
"Rabbit squad, when I first lay eyes on you, I thought you were the most motley and worthless excuses for animals I had ever seen. Three months later, and now I can officially call you sisters in arms under SRT." Yukino barked as she paced back and forth.
"Stop stealing Teacher Ao's speeches." Kurumi snarked from the side. "You can't pull them off."
Yukino's cheeks flushed a bright red that Miyako had never seen before as she struggled to keep her composure. "Private Kurumi, I do not recall giving you permission to speak."
"Because I don't need it." The blonde fox girl rolled her eyes. "Just tell 'em they passed your expectations and that you think they're ready for their assignment."
The black haired fox girl sent a glare at the blonde who smirked back in response. "The point is, you have finished your assigned basic training and are now authorized to carry out SRT objectives in the name of the Student Council President. Your first assignment is to assist the Millennium Security forces in clearing out the Millennium Ruins of an underground drone threat. It will not be an easy assignment, but you have been chosen because I have utmost faith in your abilities to carry out and represent SRT in this matter."
She was about to continue when the side door slammed open and a trio of students in SRT garments ran over to the Fox Squad.
"Big news Yukino! Teacher Ao got into-"
The trio were stopped by a very loud throat clearing from the pink haired fox standing in the shadows behind the door. Slowly, they twisted their heads to see a very pissed off Niko with clear marks of the door that was slammed in her face.
"Please remember to maintain decorum around your juniors."
The girls winced as they visibly calmed down. The leader of the girls hastily walked over to the SRT commander and whispered some words into her ear. Yukino nodded slowly before she jerked up in surprise. "You're sure?"
The girls nodded, "It's on television."
Yukino glanced around awkwardly before remembering she was standing before her juniors. "Ahh right. Umm…your chopper is waiting for you at the landing pad. You'll find further instructions waiting for you on the landing platform. You are dismissed."
With that, she gestured to the rest of her squad and the combined Fox Squad dashed for the exit, leaving a very confused Rabbit Squad alone.
"What…just happened?" Saki muttered aloud.
"Did we just get…ditched?" Moe frowned.
"Oh no, now they've forgotten me too?" Miyu added, her body quivering in worry.
Miyako sighed, "That's beside the point. Our orders are clear. Rabbit Squad, move out!"
Make Up Work Club building, Sensei's office
Sensei groggily awoke to the sounds of blaring alarm. "Arona, this isn't my alarm."
"Well that's because it's the only alarm that you responded to!" Arona shot back from his tablet. "I've been trying to wake you up for the last hour."
"Oh, did I get any calls?" The teacher yawned as he reached for his tablet.
"Did you get any calls, Sensei?" Arona rolled her eyes mockingly, "Sensei, half of Kivotos is trying to get a hold of you! And they just keep calling!"
"Oh, that's nice." Replied the still half asleep teacher, picking up his tablet. "Ahh, looks like Yuuka is calling me…and so is Yukino. I'll answer both at the same time."
He tapped the receive button. "Hello?"
"SENSEI/TEACHER AO, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OVER THERE!?"
Decades of soldiering and teaching prevented the teacher from jerking up from the shouting as he instead yawned. "Oh, about last night? Right, it was a small fiasco, but nothing I couldn't handle in the end. Everything's being sorted out right now. Now if that's all, then I'm going to get some more sleep. Night."
With that, he hung up the call and rolled up in his blanket as he pressed his head back, a soft yawning resounding through the room.
Arona groaned and lay on the back of one of the desks, completely exasperated.