*Note from the author:

This story is rated as Mature.

Expect:

Mild-moderate offensive language and swearing.

Mild-possible moderate suggestive content and theme.

Detailed dark themes, may include psychological distress.

Viewer's discretion is advised.

It was another usual day within Gehenna Academy for Sorasaki Hina. The school's culture centers around the concept of freedom and chaos, which is… rather unique, with some complications. Being the most prominent school with the largest frequency of delinquent happenings, within Gehenna or even other schools, it would be stupid to underestimate how far such naughty students would go to use freedom for their convenience, especially for stupid reasons. Kasumi of the Hot Springs Department comes to mind, and now Hina realized they DID blow the highway at sector E5-27 just this morning.

"This is so troublesome. Why those Hot Springs cronies can't just sit down and study in class for once?"

She also can't ignore the fact that within freedom, there are also very good students who are pretty cordial with the Prefect Team. Hina had wished that the delinquents would stop all this, pardon her language, bullshit, and be nice to people and stop causing a ruckus all over the place. Well, then again, this is a school that promotes freedom, too much freedom, in fact, that Gehenna might not be as unique without her usual troublemakers. Maybe Hina being overworked so much for this 'uniqueness' is a sacrifice she has to make. She could crave for a coffee right now.

"Head Prefect, I do hope you have gotten yourself some sleep last night," Sena, president of the Medical Emergency Club, began as she drove Hina to their destination with the club's antique ambulance.

"I have, Sena," Hina answered nonchalantly. "I didn't think you would have time to drive me to my office."

"We have a pretty few corpses- I mean, injured students to treat this morning, so we're not exactly busy," the horned white-haired medic replied. "It's a rather good thing. Your latest joint operation with Justice Task Force should keep the delinquents on the down low for a while, so we're not receiving corp- I mean, patients quite as much on these last few days."

"Good to know. If it weren't for the Eden Treaty, I would have to deal with four times the workload I have to do," Hina rested against the chair, looking out the window. "Let's hope nothing else rears its ugly head today."

"Be careful, Hina," Sena warned neutrally. "Usually, saying something like that right now would bring the opposite."

"Ah… right," Hina turned to her, rubbing one of her own horns slightly. "My apologies."

"No need to, Head Prefect. How long did you sleep last night?"

"…. Why you asked?"

"Aside from those bags under your eyes, your body still looks lethargic."

"Sena, I have gotten enough rest last-"

"Head Prefect, your body doesn't lie. How long did you sleep last night?"

"…." Hina sighed. "Three hours."

"When?"

"12 AM."

Sena shakes her head. "You need at least eight hours of sleep to keep your head straight."

"I've been trying, Sena. But with the workload I have to deal with, even if lessened with Trinity's help, my time for a break is ultimately short to begin with."

"Do you think Sensei would be happy to hear that?"

Hina stares for a moment before falling against her seat again. "Are you going to lecture me about treating myself well again, Sena?"

"That was the plan, but not today."

"Oh?" Hina gave a curious look

"I have a meeting in Hyakkiyako for this morning's itinerary. I will be giving those students a discourse regarding practicing medicine per agreement with the Yin-Yang Club."

"I see. Do you need my assistance on that?"

"No need. We're practicing medicine, not shooting delinquents."

"The last prefect member you shot in the face begs to differ."

Sena gives a curt smile. "Different circumstance. Emergency is the number one priority, and your people tried to interfere."

"Whatever you say then."

Sena soon stops the car. "We're here."

"Okay. Thanks for the ride, Sena."

"Wait a moment," Sena rummaged through her stuff as Hina paused to open the door. "Here."

Hina takes the bottle from her. "Sleeping pills?"

"Herbal tea didn't help much, did it?"

"Yes, it didn't."

"Then take this alternative. Do keep in mind to drink this as instructed on the bottle and consume them moderately. Also, let me know if the vitamins you've been taking have run out, and I'll give you another prescription for it."

Hina nods. "Thank you, Sena. I'll be sure to let you know about it."

"Good. Have a safe working day, Head Prefect."

"You too, President Sena."

Hina exits the car and watches the ambulance leave the premises. Giving another glance at the bottle, she pockets it and heads inside the Prefect Building.

The all-familiar Gehenna banners and purple-themed decorations and walls meet her grace. Other Prefect members are already present within the halls. However, some are causing a minor commotion near one of the stairs. Hina curiously walks over to them and when they turn round, they give a relieved smile.

"Head Prefect! Thank God you're here!" one of them exclaims.

"What's the matter? Did something happen?" Hina asked in concern.

"Well, you see, Head Prefect. It's about Administrator Ako," another short student with the bob hair replied. "We think she has gone looney again."

Normally, she would scold them for referring a colleague and a close friend of hers like that. HOWEVER, remembering the length of shenanigans that blue-haired administrator is willing to pull (that one time during summer exercise being the extreme example) in order to not disappoint Hina to the point of obsession…. Hina is a little perturbed to think about it now, but the students were correct, and she was all too happy to let it slide.

"Oh dear, what did the administrator have done now?" Hina asked.

"W-well, nothing yet, but I think she's already scheming something in the office," the Prefect member replied. "She was rambling pretty loud on it."

"Actually," another Prefect member interrupted. "Some members from the Pandemonium Society came by to your office."

Hina holds back any frown that appears on her face. "Do you know who came by within that group?"

"Ibuki came by as usual, and there's that vulgar red-haired woman."

Hina blinks. "I'm sorry, vulgar?"

"I-I mean Satsuki, one of Makoto's right-hand, she was dressed very inappropriately, like… her boobs were too big if you get what I mean."

Hina processes that information for a moment, and then blushes for three seconds, and then shakes her head to get rid of that information. "I-I see. Why did they come over?"

"Well…." The bobbed-hair Prefect member gulped. "They did a sudden audit on us. Again."

….

One of these days, Hina is more than willing to hire Hot Springs Department for once, just to send them a message to mind their own damn business. Fortunately, her apparent anger is not showing up on her face.

"I see…. I'll go ahead to check on Ako. Have a good day, everyone."

"Y-yes, Head Prefect."

The group soon dismissed themselves, and Hina continued to her office. Entering the office, she can see multiple stacks of papers on her table, which are not higher than usual, thankfully. The dark-skinned silver-ponytailed student, Iori, is already at her table taking care of her share of paperwork while the blonde elf, Chinatsu, is trying to calm down the mental blue-haired busty administrator from rambling herself to death.

Hina fakes a cough to get their attention. Iori and Chinatsu look relieved, but Ako….

"Head Prefect! You're here!"

"Yes, Ako. I heard from the other clubmates that the Pandemonium raccoons visited us."

"Then you must have heard about their audit of our club!"

"That is correct. Though, I do have to ask. When did they do the audit?" Hina crossed her arms. "It's still early in the morning."

"They audited us from six AM," Iori answered. "There weren't a lot of us present. Hell, Ako was already here at that time, and they came over here with whatever crap Makoto told them to do!"

"That's right! Don't they have anything else to do but to sulk and complain up there?!" Ako agreed aggressively.

"Calm down, Ako. This makes it… how many audits have we received in the past months?" Hina asked, though subtly dejected.

"Four times, including today," Chinatsu sighed. "This one's much worse than last time."

Hina had realized she had, by her own fault, shot herself in the foot for saying that particular sentence when she was with Sena.

"Do you still have the receipt of that financial audit?"

"Yes, I left it on your table."

Hina nods and moves to her table, sitting down as she reads the receipt. Merely reading the name 'Makoto' on the report was enough to spark her ire before reading the resulting audit. All budget to cover various Prefect training for the next month is totally null. Not a single cent is spared by the crapnuggets that is the Pandemonium Society.

"Hm…. I admit, it's bad, but we had this in the previous audit before."

"We had thi-? Oh! That's not the complete receipt."

Hina blinks twice, then looks up. "There's more?"

"Yes, hold on," Chinatsu checked her desk for a moment before she brought over another paper on the clipboard. "Here's another receipt for today's… monthly training."

She reads the last receipt. Starting from next week, for this whole month, the Prefect Team can only receive zero yen to cover the costs of their tactical training.

Zero.

C-CRACK*

Never had she ever held a piece of clipboard that hard before in her life.

"Oh dear, I think I can hear Sena's ambulance ready to go." – Chinatsu

"Do you think she'll hit straight at their office like she did last time?" – Iori

"P-President Hina!" – Ako

Hina gradually calms down and puts away the clipboard.

"We have zero budget for this month and the next month forward, and they still expect us to submit our reports on the details of our training plans, as well as their results, daily?"

Chinatsu sighs again. "That is correct, President Hina."

By this point, Hina would prefer finding out what kind of antics Aru of Problem Solver 68 is up to than this nonsense. She leans against her armchair and rubs her forehead. She is already considering throwing a professional tantrum against Pandemonium's office. Unfortunately, knowing Makoto….

"What should we do, Head Prefect?" Iori asked. "Even if we use our own money, including our club members, I doubt that would be enough to cover our training for this month."

"You Scheiße, not just not enough, that's practically next to impossible!" Ako protested. "We all be practically bankrupt to even feed ourselves at home!"

"We will still be able to attend our drill practice for today, but beyond that," Chinatsu shook her head. "There's nothing else we can use for practice at school other than our weapons and miscellaneous equipment not provided by Gehenna."

Hina considers her options as she rubs her temple. She had considered requesting Schale's help to even out this situation, but even that was too much to ask for. Considering the budget, which totaled up to 50,000,000 yen to cover two months, she doesn't even think Sensei could give her that much budget even if he wanted to, despite his position. Appealing to the General Student Council is another option, but considering its reputation for being incredibly bureaucratic, it was also not a good solution either.

Offering to surrender her own authority to Makoto…. Nah, that's too stupid. Makoto was pretty dictatorial, arrogant, and most of all, stupid to even listen to her own words as far as she was concerned. She's doing nothing but hell-bent on making Hina admit defeat to her face to satisfy her selfish desires. Other than that….

It wasn't unusual for her to not have a plan, but this she felt even impossible to reach.

"I will think of something about it," Hina answered. "For now, I need all of you to attend to our daily Prefect chores, understood?"

They seem dejected, yet they nod. "Of course, Head Prefect. We'll get to it," Chinatsu responded.

"Good, and Ako?"

"Yes, President?" Ako straightened herself.

"Please inform all Prefect members that all training, including today, is canceled until further announcement."

Her colleagues widen their eyes. "Wait, seriously? For real?!" Iori couldn't hide her excitement.

"Considering the position that the Pandemonium Society has put us in, I feel obligated that I do not meet their demands for the time being until they rescind their decision," Hina explained. "And since we have partaken in a few intensive trainings the week before, I believe our underclassmen deserve their own break to do whatever they wish. Don't you agree, Ako?"

"I… I guess so?" Ako hesitantly replied. "Does that mean we don't need to submit our training report?"

"Yes, for the time being," Hina assured her. "If they have any problems with that, you can direct them to me so I can have a 'chat' with them."

Ako gulps, whereas Chinatsu shrugs as she speaks. "Understood, Head Prefect. I shall return to my duties right away. Ako will tell you about your itinerary for today."

"Please do so," Hina nodded.

"Ah! Okay!" Ako's mood improved. "Here's your list for today."

Iori and Chinatsu seem to work a bit faster than usual, thanks to Hina's announcement. In the next hour, Ako listed a few things Hina needs to attend. A discourse regarding fire safety in Gehenna, a meeting with Trinity's representative, security detail for highway reconstruction, authorization of criminal bounty hunts, and… a meeting with Sensei.

"And there are at least five more things on the list you need to attend by the afternoon. Afterwards, we can finally rest."

"Good," that helped Hina organize the schedule. "Let's get all this done before lunch break."

"Yes, Head Prefect! I will assist you with the paperwork!"

Checking the time on her phone, around 2:37 PM, she's currently meeting with Sensei over business lunch at a café at the border of the Gehenna-Trinity district. The discussion is mostly about future cooperation between the Prefect Team and Schale, as well as jurisdictional proposals regarding criminal apprehension in Trinity districts. Although Sensei did tease Hina a little by calling her Hiniature, his presence is most welcoming and heartwarming from the usual annoyances of Gehenna's own chaos.

Yet, that doesn't seem enough to dissuade him from feeling concerned. "Are you okay, Hina? You look a little upset today."

"Ah, it's nothing, Sensei," Hina bowed slightly. "I only had a rough morning today."

Sensei curves his eyebrows down slightly. "Let me guess. Pandemonium is at it again?"

Hina sips her coffee. "It seems I made it look obvious enough."

"I observed well how you carry yourself as the Head Prefect. Can you really blame me for noticing things that well?"

"It seems nothing has passed over your head ever since that commotion with Trinity General School."

"Actually, I still do. It's just that you keep popping into my head from time to time, missing your adorable presence so much."

"A-adorable?!" Hina shook off her flushed face. "Sensei, please don't say such things so freely. I don't think I'm cut out to be adorable."

"But you are, though," Sensei replied. "I'm willing to give a lot of cuddles for you as much as you like after your duties are over."

"Don't say that so openly! We're in public!" Hina flustered, eventually calming down. "B-but thank you for the offer. I appreciate the thought."

Sensei nods with a smile. "So what is this about the Pandemonium? They decide to throw a wrench at your plans again?"

"It's worse. They decided to cut up our budget so strictly that we were left with nothing for our training."

"And that budget would have covered for how long?"

"At least two months, including this month. And they still expect us to submit our daily training reports."

"That sounds like them, alright," he chuckled a bit. "It might not be bad. How much do you need to cover all of that? Maybe I can help with that."

"I'm not certain if it's okay to ask you to help me in that regard."

"Hey, I promised to help all students in every way possible. So, can you tell me?"

"Well…. It costs about 50,000,000 yen for the whole two months."

Sensei immediately chokes on the pretzel he is eating.

"S-Sensei! Are you alright?!" Hina quickly stood up.

Sensei holds an open palm at her while clearing his throat. "I-I'm fine…. I do have the money to help you cover that much, but I'm on a tight leash right now."

"Why is that?" Hina inquired.

"Our funds are currently used for Schale's daily maintenance and future investments for different businesses. While I can technically send you that budget, Yuuka will be hounding for me if she figures out where the money has gone, even for a good cause."

"I see," Hina frowned but expected as much. "That is a shame."

"However…."

"Hmm?" Hina eyed him curiously.

"Probably, you could try to pick a few odd jobs on the side. There are possible high-paying ones, but it could be illegal or it could be a scam. You can usually check it out in the slums or on the public board around DU. Your best bet would be doing bounty hunts for Valkyrie or GSC through Schale to get a monetary reward, but that would depend on the target's notoriety, so it's not a guarantee you will get paid well. Then there's this cafe at Schale you can help me with, but I doubt that could cover that much cost. Other than that, I got nothing else. I'm sorry, but I wish I could help you more."

Hina considers her new options for a moment before returning a smile. "That's alright, Sensei. That's more than enough to help me get back on track. I'm glad I asked you about this, Sensei."

"No problem, Hina. Just promise me you don't work too hard, okay?"

"I can't really promise that, Sensei. But I'll do my best."

Entering Saturday, she finally gets the weekend she's looking for, assuming Pandemonium doesn't decide to throw unnecessary paperwork again her way.

It was one of those rare days that Hina finally got all the time for herself. Yet, feeling free to do anything she wanted was alien to her. It was no secret that she was a workaholic, but she never realized how taxing it was to have all the time in the world for herself today. Thankfully, she was no stranger to fun ever since Ako's arrangement for summer training on that beach, but even finding a semblance of that is hard within this city.

But for today, as she is walking down the sidewalk near one of DU's parks, she has another objective in mind: find a way to get 50 million yen.

Illegal jobs are a no-go since potentially everyone has heard of her feats, and she doesn't see herself as a bad guy. Other jobs she found at the nearby public board seem like a good possibility, but once she reads each of them, she determines that at least half of the board contains scams and the other half contains jobs that are considered underqualified for her to begin with. There are a couple of promising job prospects to take a look at involving a position as the head of administration for a company so that she will take notes of them for later consideration. She wouldn't mind taking this job, assuming that the company is pretty flexible with the hefty schedule Hina has in Gehenna and that the pay is good enough to make daily installments to the Prefect Team.

The journey around the city was so delightful that she hadn't realized it was already early in the evening. But she would like to make a last trek into the less-visited slums in the north-western part of the town. She had heard some rumors about a job posting board located there from decidedly polite delinquents (they tried to mug her and backfired) but can't confirm if it's still there as almost no one ever passes through that area, even Valkyrie seems to steer clear of that area for no reason. With her Custom MG42 lazily hanging by her shoulder, she entered the dark slums without any expectation.

After what felt like 30 minutes of walking, she happened to stumble into a job board hidden underneath a building corridor, much to her surprise. There were a lot of papers pinned there, but unfortunately, most of them were either tainted or shredded, making it hard to comprehend what the information entails. Other papers that survived the elements are nothing more than posters and ads.

"Hm? What's this?"

There was a pristine white paper pinned on the board. It must be recently added after seeing no evidence of exposure to the elements. She grabs the paper for a closer look. It reads:

NEED HELP TO DO A SIMPLE JOB.

I ACCEPT ANYONE WHO TAKES THIS JOB, REGARDLESS OF SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS.

I'M WILLING TO PAY

50.000.000 YEN

FOR ONE SIMPLE JOB IN ONE DAY.

PLEASE CALL ME AT 8112-3345-9999

…

Is this a joke?

That's… exactly the total budget she had been looking for right now.

But still….

"This… looks like a scam. Yet…. Why does it feel like this one is completely genuine?"

The only problem this paper has is failing to state what kind of job that person wishes her to do. As much as she wanted to turn this one down… she couldn't keep her eyes off the paper. She suspects that she might be staring at a possibly illegal job. But the fact that they left her a DU phone number, to begin with….

She can't believe she will make this bad decision for once. But if it's something to help the Prefect Team, she might as well take it and expect what kind of complications she has to face whether she likes it or not. She pockets the paper and heads back home via taxi.

Arriving at her safe haven, she leaves the MG42 by the door, takes a bath, and gets changed into her pajamas after a long day of walking. Looking out the window once more, the day had almost turned to night, and she yawned when she looked at the moon. She still has a free day tomorrow, but first….

Settling onto her nest by the window, she looks at the paper she had pocketed and draws out her phone. She inputs the numbers exactly as stated on the paper before hitting the call button. Taking a quick breath, she holds it by her ear and waits.

TRRRRRT*

No response.

TRRRRT*

Nothing yet.

TRRRRRT*

Still nothing…. Perhaps this is-

CLACK*

Someone actually answered.

"Hello?" greeted a man's voice on the other side.

"Oh, uh, hi, sir. Apologies for calling you this late in the evening, but…. I'm calling you because of a job you posted on the board in the DU."

"Oh? Oh!" the man immediately remembered. "I remember now. The one posted at that slums no one bothers to visit?"

"Precisely, sir. I was wondering if anyone has taken this job."

"You are the first person to ever contact me about that job. May I ask for your name?"

"Sorasaki Hina. A student from Gehenna."

"…."

The silence on the other side was concerning, but-

"You're the Head Prefect?"

"That is correct, sir."

"I'll be damned. It must sound urgent if even you have to seek that much money."

"We have… some complications with the Pandemonium Society, and they decided not to give us any budget to cover two months' worth of Prefect training. Of course, they still demand the Prefect Team to submit our training evaluation for them to review."

"Ah, I always heard that Gehenna is usually chaotic," the man paused. "Now I'm beginning to understand what state of affairs Gehenna has in store there. I'm sorry to hear that you have to deal with such music from that school."

"It is nothing new for me, but I appreciate the thought, sir. If I may ask, what does the job entail?"

"Ah, the job. You won't have to do much, that I can assure you. I will ask you to do some simple requests for me as you keep me in company for a while."

…. That particular sentence…. "Sir, is this what I think it is..?"

"Apologies, I do not mean it in that way. It's nothing inappropriate. I just need someone to… to talk with. Someone who doesn't mind to listen to the frustration of a man living his life."

That sounds surprisingly genuine from who she perceives as a shady adult. She relents and plays along. "I see."

"Will you still take this job? I understand if you wish to decline since it sounds too simple to be true. I will doubt it myself if I hear that kind of offer for a job."

No, is what she wanted to say to him, considering how vague the job was. But something about his voice made it feel sincere and mean well, yet somehow sounded foreboding and uncomfortable to listen to. She had heard of students doing… not necessarily illegal but questionable things to earn money, though she isn't aware of what questionable things those students have partaken in. This job Hina is prospecting for is in that questionable category. Even then, she really needs that money if she wants the Prefect Team to remain as a force to be reckoned with.

Wishing that she makes the correct decision, she bites on that chance. "I will take it, sir. I don't want to pass up this opportunity."

"…."

Hina almost felt nervous with the long silence.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ms. Sorasaki. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

"That's okay, mister…," Hina blinked once. "I haven't gotten your name, sir."

"My name…. No…. No, that won't matter."

"Sir?" Hina creased her eyebrows.

"Sorry, it's… nothing. I live at Jiramiagi Apartment Complex in the DU, down at Firefly and Bronx Court Avenue in Lane Hamakagi."

"Hang on, sir."

Hina quickly wrote down his address, occasionally asking him to confirm if she wrote the address correctly.

"I'm in an apartment numbered 414. Meet me tomorrow evening at 8:30 PM. I'll be waiting."

"Okay, sir. Thank you for giving me such an opportunity."

"Not a problem, Ms. Sorasaki. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes, you too."

And with that, he hangs up the call. She lets out an audible sigh before resting her back against the frame. She looks out towards the peaceful dark sky. There was an intrinsic beauty amidst the shade of night, with dots of light coloring the invisible parts of the neighborhood afar. She looks up to watch the million stars blinking so merrily among the haloes of the skies. She looks back to her bedroom again and realizes the current mess her room is in now.

"Right… Let's clean up my room a bit before I sleep. I'm not looking forward to having Sena assessing my health again."

Chinatsu can't believe that it is already Monday today. Weekends do fly faster than she likes. She has woken up from her slumber only to find that the alarm bell hasn't rung. Checking the time on the alarm clock, she immediately realizes that it is 4 o'clock in the morning. It was something she found rare to happen, considering she usually wakes up at six. Still, perhaps she can say that sleeping too early yesterday, at 8 PM to be specific, contributed to her early awakening. She decides to return to sleep as it is too early to do anything worthwhile, but before that, she heads out to the kitchen and drinks a glass of milk. She soon settles herself back to bed and gradually closes her eyes.

TUNG-NUNG-NUNG*

Her eyes jolt open, obviously irritated that someone has coincidentally called her this early at dawn. She grabs the phone and her glasses from the night table and sees who even has to bother calling her this early.

Her eyes quickly widen to find Hina is the one who calls her. Concern creeps up her mind if something terrible happens to Hina. She answers the call.

"H-hello? Head Prefect?"

"Hi, Chinatsu. I'm sorry, am I bothering you? I know it's too early than I like, but-"

"I-it's fine, Head Prefect," Chinatsu rubbed her eyes. "I happen to wake up earlier than expected. Are you in need of emergency?"

"I see. That's good. That's good…."

Chinatsu creases her eyebrows at her odd wording. "Head Prefect, is there something wrong?"

"Erm, I'm going to need your help. Can you head out to school?"

"Like, right now?"

"Yes. I'm sorry if it is a bit sudden, but-"

"Head Prefect, what is going on?" Chinatsu sat up on her bed. "Why do you sound… a little fidgety?"

"It's-" Hina paused. "I got the money."

"…. What?"

"I got the money, Chinatsu. Just- can you head out to school now?"

"I- sure, but how did you even-?"

"We can talk about that later, Chinatsu. I'm heading out now. I'll meet you at the office."

"O-okay, Head Prefect. I'll meet you there."

Hina quickly hangs up the call, and Chinatsu soon gets changed. As she dons her usual school shirt, she feels something very off just from how she speaks. Dodging to answer a question was not so Hina-like, and it was the first red flag. She hastens to grab her medicine bag and her Luger before setting off on foot towards the academy.

She can't help but think what makes Hina sound so nervous this early morning, let alone how Hina got the money. She can't imagine that Hina would be so desperate to stoop so low to finally engage in illegal trade. She didn't bother to speculate by this point. She walks, even jogs at times, to enter the academy grounds and then towards the Prefect office.

The Prefect hallway is empty, as expected, with the lights within are off. But the door to Hina's office remains ajar, with an orange illumination spilling out from its crack. She enters and shuts the door, finding Hina a little startled but calms down when she lays eyes on Chinatsu. The Prefect Medic walks over to Hina and straight up asks her.

"Head Prefect, what the heck is going on?" She stopped in front of her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm…. I would be lying if I said I am," came Hina's defeated reply. "I really had a rough night yesterday."

She takes a cursory examination of her well-being. It is hard to notice, but the way Hina stretches her fingers and closes them at a forceful yet calm pace is abnormal. Then, the manner in Hina's eyes moved, or rather idled; it was… the best Chinatsu could describe was that Hina had witnessed something bad, real bad. She had also noticed how the petite Head Prefect's body swayed slightly. It was easy for her to see that she wasn't standing as straight as she was.

"Hina…, have you gotten any sleep last night?"

The white-haired demon shakes her head. "I couldn't even sleep last night."

"Hina!" Chinatsu held her shoulder. "You should-!"

"Chinatsu, not now!" in return, Hina held her arm. "Just…."

Hina gently releases herself from her hold and moves to her desk, where the briefcase lays. Chinatsu comes closer as Hina opens it up and reveals… a lot of stacks of banknotes, all in the ten thousand. Chinatsu drops her jaw as wide as she can before grabbing a stack and examining the papers herself.

The smell, the touch, the material. She can't believe her eyes. All this money is genuine.

"Is this… is this all 50 million yen?"

Hina nods slightly. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"And this would be enough to cover all our training in those two months," she turned slowly at Hina.

"Yes."

Chinatsu regards her look for a moment. "How did you get this much money?"

"…." Hina looked away. "It was a simple job."

Being vague. Second red flag.

"What kind of job was that?"

"It's…. Even if I tell you, you won't be able to believe it. Let's just leave it at that."

"Leave it at that? Don't tell me you did something illegal?" Chinatsu barely held her tone from going higher.

"No! It wasn't illegal, it's just…," Hina bowed her head. "It was just a bizarre job, all right?"

Not fully answering her question. Third red flag. Three strikes. The only thing Hina does is to make Chinatsu more scared than she needs to.

"Head Prefect, what did you do?"

Hina looks back at her again, exhaling a long breath before leaning against the desk. "Honestly? That's what I'm trying to understand as well…."

"What? Hina, you're not making any sense."

"Chinatsu, look," Hina held her hand. "I will explain what has happened to me, but first, help me deposit this money into Prefect Team's finance and use it to buy various equipment for our Prefect Training. Discreetly, please."

Chinatsu stares into her eyes, and it is the first time for her to see that her eyes seem to plead for her help. "Why me? You could've asked Ako to do this for you."

"Because you're the only one of all in the Prefect Team who can take discretion properly, especially in regard to administrative matters. That's not something even Ako could even replicate. And right now, I do not wish for Pandemonium to catch wind about this lest they suspect something and give them another reason to make our life worse. Can I trust you with this?"

It was wrong. Everything about all this felt so wrong the longer she looked at Hina's sickly face. However, for the well-being and integrity of the Prefect Team, she takes a deep breath and nods slightly.

"Leave it all to me, Head Prefect. I promise that it will be done by the early afternoon."

Hina's body finally relaxed. Like she had finally dropped a 300 kg barbell off her shoulders. Hina nods a couple of times and pats the medic's shoulder before making her way for the door.

"I… I'm going out to catch some air. I'll talk to you again soon."

"Of course, Head Prefect," she replied before the petite leader vanished from view.

She looks back at the briefcase full of money again, at a loss on what to make of the situation. She sighs once again with her eyes closed. A long, eventful day is waiting for her ahead.

The clock on the Prefect's office wall reads 3:17 in the afternoon. There is still yet more paperwork to be done. However, things are more relaxed in the office as the priority of the papers that need to be signed or reviewed is on level 4 or miscellaneous priority, meaning the office can work on that or delay it whenever they want. Iori has just finished her part of the paperwork and takes this time to polish her rifle. Ako is looking over her itinerary once again to make sure they did not miss any important tasks to deal with. Chinatsu is doing a final check over the financial reports regarding property damages as well as the medical inventory the office currently has.

Hina has recently returned from her scuffle with some delinquents thrashing the school cafeteria again (Due to Juri being in charge of cooking), that she finally falls asleep the moment she sits on her chair. This little scene of Hina was enough to send Ako into her exaggerated paranoia again that Iori threatened to whack her head if she couldn't keep it down. For Chinatsu, Ako's 'concern' was really on the point. However, Hina was awoken once again due to the ruckus Ako caused.

"A-ah! Head Prefect! My apologies if I had woken you up!" Ako bowed at a more than 90-degree angle than usual. "I'll be ready to write apology letters as my-!"

"Calm down, Ako," Hina ordered lethargically. "It's a good thing that you wake me up. I almost forget something."

"Huh? Forget about what?" Iori asked.

Hina turns to Chinatsu instead. "Have you done what I asked, Chinatsu?"

"Yes, Head Prefect," the blonde elf nodded. "The money has been deposited quietly as you asked, and I have done the liberty to purchase various equipment as listed for our upcoming Prefect training."

"EH?" Iori and Ako responded, then Ako continued. "Deposited quietly?"

"Yes, President Hina has gotten us money last night. 50 million exactly."

"…. Since last night?" Iori stared with dread. "Does that mean..?"

"Yes, we can now announce that all Prefect Members will participate in our weekly training."

"I… I see…," her body slumped forward a bit. "Understood, Head Prefect."

"Hang on a moment, President Hina. Why didn't you ask me to deposit them for you?" Ako asked. "Actually, how and when did you get the money?"

"Exactly," Chinatsu interjected. "You promised to tell me what happened to you last night."

"Huh? Chinatsu, what are you talking about?" Iori inquired, perplexed.

"I know, Chinatsu," Hina barely raised her palm. "As for your questions, Ako. I asked Chinatsu because she is able to deposit the money to the Prefect Team's budget discreetly without getting Pandemonium's attention. To your second question, I used my weekend to find a job to at least earn some money little by little, but I found this one job that… asked me to do a simple job instead."

Iori and Ako were stupefied for a moment, but Ako soon hyperventilated. "What..? President Hina, did-! Have you done some-!? No, wait, no, no, no, no, you wouldn't have gone off to do something illegal. You wouldn't even dare to do something like that, even if you're desperate. That goes against any principle you have as the Head Prefect."

Ako immediately gasps with horror. "President! Don't tell me you have participated in those debauched-!"'

"Ako, shut it."

Her order was enough to stop whatever she was spouting and get in line like a bad dog who had realized she had just done something wrong. "I'm not sure what you were going with that, and I do not want to hear the rest of them. It was legal, it did not involve hurting anyone, delivering something, or finding some dirt on someone. Nothing like that. But…."

They may not noticed it yet, but Chinatsu was taken aback at the change of gaze Hina had in her eyes. It was….

A thousand-yard stare.

She is not well-experienced in human psychology, but she had recognized that kind of look. Hers is way worse than the Trinity students traumatized by Justice Task Force's President, Tsurugi. That being mentioned, Hina's purple glow on the halo seems… a bit paler than usual?

Hina stares at Ako with an upset and subtle, devastating look. None says a word, but it was too deafening to endure.

Ako opens her mouth. "U-um, President-?"

"Ako…. Please announce to all Prefect members that starting today, our weekly drills will be continued as usual. I want you to be in charge of handling the schedule as well as overseeing the entirety of the training without me."

"Huh? Without you?" Iori took a step forward. "President, what the hell's going on?"

"Hina, please make it any sense!" Chinatsu stood next to Iori. "What happened last night? What was it that got you so nervous for this whole day? You promised me!"

Hina takes a silent, ragged breath as she glances between the three of them. She opens her mouth to answer.

"Head Prefect!"

When an unnamed Prefect student barges into the office with a face filled with distress. The three Prefect leaders turn to the unwelcomed visitor, and all but Chinatsu scorned her interruption. Hina leans against the chair as she turns to the Prefect student.

"Head Prefect! We have a problem!" reported the student.

"Settle down. What such problem has caused you quite an alarm to come to me?" Hina inquired.

"It's…. It's-"

"Well, spit it out already!" Iori pressured. "Don't waste our time!"

"Ah, um, i-it's Valkyrie! The KSPD is here!"

The Prefect leaders immediately change their scorn expression to one of shock. Ako, on the one hand, could almost jolt her eyes out.

Iori steps closer to the student, holding her rifle with her one right hand. "The police are here?! What did we do?!"

"What reason could possibly be for Valkyrie to be present at our academy to cause this kind of alarm?!" Ako questioned the student with dissatisfaction.

"…. They're here for me, aren't they?"

Hina's sudden question shocked all even the student that barged in.

"H-how did you know, President?" the student asked.

Chinatsu narrows her eyes and approaches Hina, placing her hand as to caress the desk. "Hina. What the hell did you do?"

Hina curls her hand into a fist and takes a deep, quick breath. She is finally able to look back into her eyes and say:

"The person I met with for that job… was dead."

The pen that Ako had dropped was the only loudest noise inside that room. Iori nearly stumbles back at what she had uttered whereas Ako is about to enter a stage of crisis. Chinatsu instinctively backs away, shocked and devastated by the thought that Hina has seen death before her eyes. The distressed student trembled and nearly let her gun slip from her hands.

"Wait…. You're telling me," Chinatsu gulped, looking back at the finance form at her desk before turning back to Hina. "That money. 50 million yen. That was from him?"

"…. Yes."

Chinatsu's face pales, turning to the others who are as pale as her.

"Hina. What have you done?" Iori uttered, showing an expression that is akin to betrayal.

But that wasn't all; the Prefect student also had to add. "Oh my God… the police have written a warrant exactly for that reason."

That didn't really help to calm Iori and Ako; the former wanted to deny that fact, and the latter tried to form a plan to help Hina get out of this mess.

Chinatsu turns at Hina and is about to ask again when a commotion marched straight into the Prefect Hallway and made an approach to the office. More Prefect Team members begin to fill into the office, with the sole student who brought the news and Iori joining their ranks and aiming for the door. Valkyrie students wearing blue vests, police uniforms, and caps flood the door, forming a line with their shields with guns behind them. The middle line is opened to give way to five individuals.

The director of the Public Peace Bureau, also nicknamed the Feral Hound, Kanna Ogata, has arrived on the scene. Her gritting sharp teeth of disdain and determination, paired with her dog ears above her straight and long blonde hair, induce an aura of intimidation accompanied by a gaze that describes her ruthlessness. Four students behind her, the Prefect leaders recognize as those belonging to SRT (Special Response Team) due to their dominant blue and white sailor uniforms with the latest combat gadgets they have. They were the self-described Rabbit Platoon.

"This is the Kivotos Police Department," Kanna announced. "Is the president of the Prefect Team here?"

Chinatsu observes Hina sigh quietly before standing up and putting her formal Prefect coat on the chair. As graceful and gradual as she can, Hina finally stands before her. A look on her face made Kanna realize that Hina seemed extremely tired and didn't get enough sleep to even move.

"I am here, Director Kanna."

"Hina," Kanna leveled her gaze. "Do you know why we're here?"

"You have an arrest warrant for me, Director."

"Sorasaki Hina," a white-haired SRT student, stepped forward with her Suomi SMG aimed, the leader known as Tsukiyuki Miyako. "You are under arrest for your suspected involvement surrounding the mysterious circumstances of a man's death at Jiramiagi Apartment Complex."

"Oh yeah? And you think you have the right to stomp straight into our office with such an accusation?!" Iori spat, to all Prefect members' dismay.

"It is no longer an accusation since we have proof of her presence in that apartment!" the helmeted SRT student, Sorai Saki, argued with her gun raised. "Hand your president over, or we will open fire!"

"Like hell, you can! I don't know what Hina did, but I refuse that she would-"

"Iori," Hina calmly called. "Be quiet."

"Huh?! But Head Prefect-!"

Hina glares at her captain. Her eyes glowed fiercely at the audacity of her big mouth. "I want to see five thousand apology letters on my desk by the time I return from KSPD's custody."

Silence looms once again. Ako and, surprisingly, Kanna and Saki are a little unnerved that Hina has ordered something akin to an office clerk's nightmare. In her befuddled shame, Iori gazes back forward with her eyes downcast.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm shutting up."

"Good," Hina returned to Kanna again. "I can tell you have a lot of questions about what happened last night."

"Oh, a lot is an understatement, Hina," Kanna responded. "A person dying like that…. It shouldn't happen. No, Kivotos has never seen a single mortal death in its lifetime, and to have that happening in our city, with a gun no less…. This is an innocent world we're living in, and you know as well as I do how troubling it is to see that kind of death in Kivotos."

"Yes…"

"So," Kanna aimed her pistol at Hina. "I'm going to take you into custody. You either drop your gun and surrender or… we take it the hard way and put you in cuffs through force."

"…. Good. That makes things easier."

All on both sides tensed and prepped their armaments to open fire. Kanna re-firmed her pistol again to aim straight at her head.

"I was planning to turn myself in anyway."

Hina tosses her MG42 to the SRT students carelessly, and it is enough for both sides to stand down. For once, Kanna expressed her surprise at her response.

Hina takes a few steps forward, turns around, and presents her hands on her back. "I surrender, Director Kanna."

Ako has never felt so much embarrassment for Hina to surrender so humbly. Each side save for Chinatsu is too stunned to speak, but eventually, Miyako had Miyu, the petite sniper SRT student (Kanna just realized Miyu was with them all along but kept quiet), put cuffs on Hina. Moe, obviously the most busty and naughty student of all SRT, guarded Miyu's flank with apprehension. Kanna holsters her pistol and recites Hina's rights.

"Sorasaki Hina. You have the right to remain silent. Every word that you state can and will be used against you during trial."

"Yes…." Hina almost whispered. "I know…."

As Kanna is about to take her away, Chinatsu steps forward. "Wait, Hina, you don't look well."

"I'm fine, Chinatsu," Hina assured her. "I'm just a little tired. I can get some rest at the department, and…. And…."

Hina trails off. As she is about to walk towards the door, she suddenly faints right there and then.

"HINA!"

Had it not been for Kanna holding her fall, she would have hit the ground with a thud. Both sides gasped at what happened, prompting Chinatsu and SRT students to assess Hina in her sickly condition. Kanna and Miyako assist in laying her down straight as Chinatsu executes her duty as the medic for the Prefect Team.

"Severe stress accompanied by her extreme lack of sleep and overexertion," Chinatsu concluded. "She would've been infected with fever by this point."

"Is there an infirmary at the police department?" Saki inquired.

"We have a few beds in the department," Kanna answered.

"Get her into the truck," Chinatsu ordered. "I will watch over her health."

"And why would we bring you along for this?" Kanna asked.

"I was formerly a member of the Medical Emergency Club," Chinatsu answered. "And I personally oversee the well-being of my Head Prefect as a medic. With her condition as it is, you won't be able to interrogate her until I'm sure she's recovered. Besides, it saves you time to question me later."

"Heh, be my guest then," Kanna nodded. "Saves me a lot of trouble from calling the hospital."

"Saki, Miyu," Miyako called. "Give her a hand in carrying her."

"Right!" Saki acknowledged.

Once Chinatsu and the group carrying Hina left, Kanna directed her officers to leave the office in an orderly fashion. Ako and Iori level their gaze with Kanna, being the last person in the office to leave.

"Thank you for your cooperation," Kanna nodded. "Due to the nature of the case, I will need the two of you to give us your statements as soon as possible. However, with Hina being under the weather, you can come by tomorrow, or at least until Hina has recovered."

The Prefect members are incredibly nervous more and more. Ako and Iori stare at each other, at a loss for what to do next.

"I understand this is a lot to take in," Kanna continued, crossing her arms. "A girl like her could be involved with something like that. I'm not saying she might've murdered someone, but we're doing our best to find as much evidence as we can, and I hope she won't be found guilty for it."

"I-I understand," Ako answered, finally coming back to reality. "We'll come by tomorrow morning as early as we can. Is that fine with you?"

"Please do. This case requires immediate urgency as I'm personally reviewing this case under the request of the GSC themselves."

"Does…," Iori stepped forward once and stopped. "Does Sensei know about this?"

"Kirino is letting him know about this situation as we speak. He'll also come by to the station tomorrow at his earliest convenience."

"Okay…," Ako let out a long sigh. "Thank you. We of the Prefect Team will cooperate as best as we can."

"Good, now if you excuse me, I must attend to my duties. Take care, Administrator Ako."

Kanna finally leaves. All the Prefect members present soon holster their weapons and turn at the remaining Prefect leaders. Of course, it didn't dissuade them from murmuring what they had heard.

"Someone died…?"

"What are we going to do?"

"If the president's gone, then the delinquents will…."

"Did Head Prefect kill... someone?"

"What's going to happen to the Prefect Team?"

Ako stomps her foot to get everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone, listen up. Head Prefect will be gone for a while, but we've got some stuff to do. Under the order of the Head Prefect, starting from today, we are to continue on our usual drill, and I will personally oversee our training schedule as well as our drill practice, at least until she returns from custody."

"Wha-? But, the Pandemonium slashed our Prefect budget!" said one of the members.

"Well, about that, President Hina managed to deposit us some money to help us continue our drill, quietly," Iori answered, scratching her cheek as the Prefect members returned some awe and disbelieve.

"Look, guys, I'm suck at this. We don't know what the President did, nor even know how did she get us money in the first place," Iori, continued. "What I can tell you right now is that she has given us a chance to continue to do what we do, to uphold our part to ensure that Gehenna's disciplinary force remains at our peak to maintain order for everyone. Hina has done a lot for us, and now, I want all of us to show her that we can do this without depending on her help! To show her that we can take care of ourselves without her! That is the least we can do until she returns back to the academy!

You all don't want to disappoint the Head Prefect, do you?"

The Prefect members at first became quiet and then mulled over the question, then murmured a yes.

"What was that?!" Iori shouted, putting an open palm behind the ears. "I can't hear yoouuu!"

"YES, CAPTAIN!" answered all of the Prefect members.

"Now that's the spirit!" Iori complimented.

"Now that everyone's mood is up," Ako said. "We will take a look over our itinerary, and we will inform you all when the training will start. For now, you are all dismissed. Please attend to your duties."

"Yes, Administrator!"

As the Prefect members and Iori leave for their duties, Ako stands alone in the room. She sighed and hoped that nothing worse would happen to Hina, regardless of what she had been accused of.

Makoto, the head of the Pandemonium Society, sits on her throne with a glass of completely-legal wine in her hand. Her paperwork lay neatly on the edge of the desk, and she looked over the reports of the people she 'convinced' to join her side (Who were a bunch of delinquents and terrorists who had nothing else to do but cause chaos) and peddled into her scheming mind to find a way to secure her title and recognition as the most powerful leader of all Gehenna. She also wishes for a conquest over other schools, which will definitely happen… one day. But for now, her main focus is the Prefect Team, her natural rival within Gehenna, especially that brazen Head Prefect who looks virtually untouchable.

She practically revels at the thought of watching Hina falling to her knees, begging for the budget Makoto had slashed to be rescinded and admitting to submission under her will. She devilishly smiled at such thought as she was about to ask someone to assess whether or not the Prefect Club was suffering. Before she could do that, though, the bushy-haired redhead, Iroha, with her usual nonchalance and laziness at what Makoto does, entered their office.

"Kihehehehe," came Makoto's wicked laugh (Iroha looked on with inward embarrassment). "Iroha, it is good that you are here. It is about time."

"Ooowh, what now?" Iroha asked in annoyance. "For you to step on Ibuki's Lego set again?"

"Aach, no!" Makoto responded with slight shock. "That was just one time, and it was by accident!"

"Yeah, sure," Iroha responded indifferently. "Maybe had you used your eyes better, Ibuki wouldn't have been upset with you. Honestly, I think sending you to the hospital after stepping on a Lego is a much better alternative than that."

"Hah! How could a piece of Lego could harm someone as powerful as me?!"

"Actually, you're right about that. The metal jacks you stepped on a while back were much more painful than a Lego."

"EEK!" Makoto squealed at the memory. "Wait, why are we talking about this?! I want all of us to gaze upon the woe I inflicted upon the Prefect Team."

"Oooh, that one…. How boring," Iroha commented in her usual typicalness. "You sure you don't have anything else better to do?"

"The only thing I have to do is to make the Prefect Team respect my authority, and today, I intend to make sure that they suffer for their defiance against me, the head of the Pandemonium Society! Kihehehehe~!"

Iroha stares on with a frown, then sighs. "So, you didn't hear the news today?"

"Hah! Did the news of the Prefect Team's humiliation for defying our authority finally spread?" Makoto asked enthusiastically. "That will be a perfect lesson for their brazen actions!"

Iroha sighs again, one with annoyance, but then changes into concern. "The Head Prefect was arrested today."

"PFFT!" Makoto choked on her grape juice. "Did- So our people finally found something so incriminating that the Head Prefect tried to cover up? Kihehe, that's the greatest news I've heard to-"

"It wasn't us. The KSPD came over to arrest her."

"…. Eh?"

Iroha shakes her head. "You heard me. Valkyrie has arrested Hina."

"Oh? It seems I don't have to get my hands dirty after all," Makoto smirked. "What kind of crime has our brazen Head Prefect to warrant her arrest by a third party?"

"She was…," Iroha seemed about to regret her decision. "She was involved in a suspicious death of an adult."

Makoto widens her eyes, and her usual cheeky smile transforms into incredulity. "She… what? It's not Sensei, is it?"

"No, not him. I heard it's a guy she met for a weekend job, but can't confirm much about it," Iroha replied. "The Prefect Team officers will be coming over to KSPD station early tomorrow."

"I see," Makoto stood up. "Perhaps, it is best for us to come to the station as well to assess the situation."

Iroha raises her right eyebrow. "This is the first time I heard you saying something rather sensible."

"Then, when we get there, we can finally marvel ourselves upon torment Hina is about-"

"I pull back what I said; you just want to go there to condescend to her," Iroha glared at Makoto. "This is a serious matter, Makoto. I don't care if she's our rival, she's still a Gehennian. At the very least, can you be cordial with her up until her case is over?"

"Me? Cordial with that insufferable woman?" Makoto viewed it as something ridiculous. "How do you expect me to-?"

"Ibuki is very worried about Hina. Do you think she'd appreciate it having to hear that you just go there to ridicule her, knowing that she might never see Hina again?"

"Eek!" Makoto recoiled in horror. To imagine Ibuki present there to watch Makoto metaphorically kick Hina while she's on the ground…. If anything, the last thing she needs is for Ibuki to hate Makoto for an eternity. "I-I guess you're right. It is still our duty as the Pandemonium Society, after all, to look after one of our own. Is our schedule clear for tomorrow morning?"

"Hmm," Iroha looked over her roster. "Should be clear, but we need to be back by the afternoon to oversee a construction development at the academy's east wing."

"Hmm…," Makoto pondered for a moment. "Who did I assign to take my place momentarily in the event that we still haven't returned by the afternoon? I'd rather deal with Hina's case right now until… I'm sure it's concluded for the time being."

"That would be Satsuki."

"Very well, it's all set then. Now, please, leave me alone, Iroha. I need to gather my thoughts alone."

"Well, whatever, Makoto. I'll be resting in the break room if you need me."

Iroha leaves the office. Makoto stands up and looks out the window to gaze upon the late afternoon sun. She grits her teeth, quelling her selfish hatred against Hina, for now at least, for Ibuki's sake.

Satisfied that all tasks for today have been completed, the strict yet elegant and four-eyed elf, the GSC's Vice-President, made her way towards the Schale's office in the late evening to discuss an important matter. Standing before the door, she straightens out her straight black hair, along with the bluish hue on the bottom, before entering the office with a greeting. It seems that she has come at the right time, as Sensei has just finished the last three papers he needs to sign before he can drink his warm tea. Sensei brushes his hair upwards and straightens his shirt before he returns her greeting.

"Evening, Rinny. How are you holding up?"

Rin sighs. "What did I tell you about calling me by that nickname?"

"Ahahaha, I couldn't help it," Sensei sheepishly chuckled. "Anyway, what brings you here? You're done with your tasks?"

"Thankfully, yes," Rin nodded. "As to why I'm here, I wish to discuss a matter regarding the case… for tomorrow."

Sensei's usual optimism changes to a frown, an incredibly upsetting one at that. "It's about Hina, isn't it? Kirino from Valkyrie has already informed me about the situation. It's… rather jarring, honestly."

"I understand if you don't feel well about this whole circumstance," Rin added with her eyes closed. "It is incredibly hard to absorb the fact that Ms. Sorasaki is involved in such a dire situation. I believe the KSPD has also given you an immediate report regarding the situation?"

"Yeah, Kanna and Miyako already compiled the reports for me to read," Sensei shifted the mentioned report. "It gave me a surprise that there's also another adult like me. Well, not exactly like me, I think, but close enough. The way he died via suicide…."

"It is rather troubling, isn't it?" Rin concurred. "As of now, Valkyrie is keeping a tight lid on any information about this case since we're still missing a lot of elements pertaining to the timeline of the incident. The last thing we need right now is for the Kronos Journalism School to cause panic in the populace on things that all of us don't understand yet. Or worse, demonize Ms. Sorasaki entirely."

"It seems you got a lot of work cut out for you on this one," Sensei remarked.

"That's putting it mildly," Rin corrected her glasses. "The whole of GSC is on a massive wildfire. I think this is also the first I have seen Aoi being that nervous about this case."

"Oh dear," Sensei placed his chin on his hand. "I can't blame her. Death is a completely taboo topic in Kivotos. It's not something you can just… shrug off…."

Rin senses an odd aura from him. "Have you ever seen death, Sensei?"

"I… had a fair share long before I came here," Sensei shifted his chair around partially to look out the windows behind him. "I wasn't there, but… I've lost a friend before. A robbery gone awry. He was shot and left to bleed until emergencies came. By the time they got him to the hospital, he… he…."

"Please, there's no need to continue," Rin frowned, bowing her head. "I'm sorry about your loss."

"It's okay," Sensei nods slowly, then turns to face her. "It was a long time ago, anyway."

"Right…." Rin wasn't sure what to say next.

"You don't have to tell me that they asked my help to personally oversee this case," Sensei assured her. "I'll do everything I can for my students, no matter what their mistakes are. You know that, right?"

"Perhaps I shouldn't have worried too much. You would always find a way, after all," Rin replied. "When are you coming to the station?"

"Tomorrow morning," Sensei patted the papers into a tidy stack. "I won't be able to deal with other paperwork until this case is over."

"You don't have to worry in that regard," Rin answered. "Aoi and Haine have volunteered to cover for your work. If you do not mind, I wish to come as well to see how the case is progressing."

"I'll be happy if you do," Sensei agreed. "I'm going to need someone with a logical mind to help me clear up the complexities of this case."

"Very well. That will be all. Get some rest, Sensei. It will be a hectic day for tomorrow."

"I'm sure it will."

Rin makes her way back to the door. She opens it but stops for a moment.

"Sensei," Rin turned her head. "It may be unlikely, but… do you think Ms. Sorasaki could have a hand in causing the victim to die like that?"

Sensei stands up from his chair, pocketing his hands whilst staring at her. "If you ask me, she is too good for herself to even think about causing someone to die like that."

Rin stares for a moment before glancing down. "I hope you are not wrong about that. Have a good night, Sensei."

Sensei nods as she leaves. He looks back at the case on his desk, to which Plana, the opposite of Arona wearing a black sailor school uniform, shows up in his Shittim Chest.

"A death in Kivotos," Plana commented. "It is tragic, yet… nostalgic."

"Oh, Plana?" Sensei noticed. "You're still awake?"

"Yes, Sensei. Arona is still sleeping as we speak," Plana answered. "I couldn't help but listen to what you both discussed. My apologies about that."

"I-it's fine," Sensei smiles tiredly. "It seems like I have a student who needs my help."

"Are you certain that Sorasaki Hina is guiltless?" Plana asked. "From what I gather from the report, she might have taken something from the victim's apartment, but they can't ascertain what the item is."

"She might have made a mistake, but I don't think she's responsible for his death."

"Do you really trust her that much?"

"With all my life, Plana. Like I have for you. Just trust me on this, okay?"

Plana pauses for a while, then sighs, holding her umbrella vertically with both hands. "Very well, Sensei. I'll be off to sleep now. Have a good night, Sensei."

"You too, Plana."

The Shittim Chest shuts down by itself. Sensei stretches one last time before he turns off the lights in his office and heads out for the bedroom. His mind finally empties itself before he falls asleep soundly.