Rin clasped her hands together. The crisp sound reverberated through the barren reception lobby and brought all attentions to her. Her smile was sweet, albeit not at all reaching up to her eyes. Vash shuddered at the silent, roiling wrath masked by a calm facade likened to a sagely hermit if he didn't squint his gaze at it.
"It seems everyone is now on the same page." The girl with black and deep blue dual-toned hair pushed her glasses up. "No better time to deal with all the hassle. Sensei, I'd like you to take these loons—I mean kind neighbors—out for a mission, as we needed a few things first before we could put the city back in order."
...I doubt arguing is on the table. "Right… so, what do you need me for?"
"You are to lead an extracurricular club designed by the missing president herself." Rin's words apparently possessed quite a gravitas to them. The ripple of reactions were not what he could call subtle, but he decided that paying attention to Rin's explanation was much more important for now. "The letter left behind in the wake of her disappearance dictated us, the General Student Council, to recruit your aid as a teacher-advisor for a freshly created federal club. To be frank, it is an extrajudicial organization created with the goal of managing, investigating, as well as solving cases sent up to the General Student Council. As its conception had been personally approved by the president, your words and authority stand equal to our organization. Thus…"
"Who, wait. Slow down, please!" Vash raised both hands. "I'm not good with all the complicated things. Basically, I have my own office and my job is to deal with the chaos plaguing the city… right?"
At Rin's slow and deliberate nod, the only man in the room scratched the back of his head as he threw up an apologetic smile. Okay, he could work with this… As long as he could articulate his words properly and go straight to the point, then—
"So… what I mean is…" He glanced sideways to the stunned onlookers. "I can just, drag these girls off to deal with said troubles?"
"Simply put, yes. Your command means law. Regardless of the time and place, it is within the rights of your organization—Schale—in recruiting helpers from all schools across Kivotos. It is no different to the power wielded by the president."
Yikes, yeah, that's totally dreadful. Absolutely scary stuff, one could say. Day one of his work and already he obtained absolute power with nary but words from somebody he had never once met throughout his life. Who on earth was this President, and why was she entrusting him with so much trust as if he could do infinitely better than her? He might be great, awesome, super ultimate marksman there was to ever exist, but he was still a lone individual. I'm just a layabout with a price on his head, you know…?
Ah, well. There was no other way around it. He just had to roll with the punch.
"And the mission is…?" Vash suppressed the desire to groan upon catching Rin's droll look, already sensing things having gone way to the sides.
"As of just now, a nefarious terrorist who commands a bunch of delinquent underlings armed with tactical-grade black market goods has… occupied Schale's club room."
...pardon moi?
"The first step for Schale to establish itself is to own a base. So to speak, a club room as befit a school club. That place which lies in the city's outskirts is where most of the tools useful for Schale's functions are stored in, and the last phase in finalizing your club's creation is for me to directly participate in the handover."
"...that sounds incredibly dubious. Actually, having the missing president employing an adult from the outside, mysterious handover, and then this strong-arming—"
"Dear representative of Millennium, I have no problems with reordering your school's emergency to be set in the bottom of the priority list, if that is what you'd like."
"Agh! This is tyranny!"
Oh, that poor girl… Vash wished he could coax Rin to settle down a little bit, but she really looked to be high-strung as could be.. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she wanted things to go right just for once, and so she was willing to do anything to achieve that goal. Well, her threat was fairly cute compared to the barbarian savages in his homeland, so he could tolerate this much. Plus, the show needs to hit the road, preferably sooner than later.
"So, if the… teacher of Schale? Managed to reclaim the club room, everything will go back to normal?" One of the Trinity girls chimed in. "I feel quite skeptical, but this mission is an VIP escort-type mission, then."
"At the very least, there are no efforts that will be unrewarded." Rin shrugged. "From our side, a chopper has been prepared to drop you all on-site. As well, there are medical supply and ammo you can liberally use throughout the duration of this mission."
"I see… if the Chief Commander said so, that is good enough as any reason, then." The tallest among the four curved her lips into a small smile. Her eyes were rich red, almost deep crimson, yet the slight coloration to her cheeks made her out to look graceful instead of cold and uncaring. "We shall follow your lead, Vash-sensei."
"...I suppose there's no other choice." The girl with dirty blonde hair and red-rimmed glasses exasperated, though she looked up to him all the same with rapt seriousness. "As I am a licensed medic, please leave support to me. Sensei, do be sure not to leave my side because there are limits to my range of protection."
"Whoa, oh… right. Right." As expected, he couldn't get used to this atmosphere. These children were definitely teenagers, but each and every one of them had the bearings of trained and learned gunmen. It was actually worrying him a heck lot, but the way they all behaved reminded him of… of… Huh, I didn't think I'd remember the energetic reporter and camerawoman duo… am I getting homesick already? "Pleasure to meet you. I didn't catch your name earlier, but you are…"
"Oh, my apologies." Pink dusted the blonde girl's cheeks. Clearing her throat with a few coughs, she then steadied herself. "My name is Hinomiya Chinatsu. I am affiliated with the Gehenna School's Prefect Team. As the Disciplinary Board's members have all scattered all over the autonomous districts to lay down the laws, the responsibility of representing our school ended up on an unimportant logistic officer like me."
Whoa, now, that's just uncalled for. "No need to put yourself down like that, Chinatsu. I may not be the person to look for when it comes to really complex stuff, but I know enough that soldiers alone will not keep a country afloat."
"Uhm… that is, fair enough." Chinatsu stuttered. "Still, as I am a medic, I won't be able to contribute much in battles."
Vash grinned. "Saving lives is also a battle in its own right. I respect your choice to help people instead of injuring them. Honest."
Somehow, that cranked up the blush by a notch. He wondered if this girl was the same type as Rin; unused to hearing compliments because nobody appreciated their work—
"...I see that sensei is the type to easily throw around praises."
"Errhmm…? Feels like somebody's gaze is boring a hole on my back…" What, what did I do wrong this time… wait, scratch that, the girl with pigtails is now glaring at me too?
Hayase Yuuka decided that her skepticism had twisted into a mild prejudice. It was not often for her temper to be tested like this, but the goings-on really made her grind her teeth in utter vexation. She just couldn't accept the way things developed.
And this all because of… what, a letter with dubious content?
Honestly, her rational side had been jabbing here and there for a lot of times. Not only did her opinion of the General Student Council dropping to an all-time low, she also couldn't believe herself for having gotten roped into cleaning after their mess. She wished she didn't take up this job, but the absences of half of Seminar members hammered in the cruel tragedy of her fate.
Maybe she ought to take a break after this side-job, provided it somehow managed to work out which didn't feel like the case at all.
"Touching down~" The helicopter pilot announced. Her voice was full of merriment which befitted the diminutive stature of the Chief of Transportation Committee. However, the chopper landed a bit away from the Schale club room. "Sorry about that, but with ole Crusader-chan out there, the transportation service can only get this far."
Crusader… a heavy-armor battle tank!? Yuuka's blank amazement could hardly be hidden at this point. How did a bunch of ragtag delinquents manage to acquire a tank!?
"...hrm. If it's the Type-1, then it must have the same spec as the one we have at school's museum… which means this one is an antique or a replica of it." The member of Trinity's Vigilante Corps opened the door and hopped out of the chopper. Immediately taking a point, she lifted her assault rifle as she swept the surrounding streets a once-over to scan possible enemy threats. "Clear. Time for deployment, ladies."
"Thank you, Suzumi." The largest member of the impromptu task force was the second to leave the transport heli, her wings flexing before spreading out and wide. Amid the scattering black feathers, the Justice Committee member flipped her sniper rifle around in a circular ring, catching it and quickly loading up a bullet. "Would you mind doing the honor of working as our point-woman, Yuuka-san?"
Ugh, sounds like Trinity's got their own information network.
The Seminar member certainly did not anticipate this development, though perhaps she shouldn't have gotten so riled up in the first place. It was already bad enough that they were escorting a VIP through battle zones. It seemed one of the notorious fugitives was also taking up residence in a heavily fortified building which promised an ugly melee.
Right, game face, Hayase Yuuka!
"I get it. I get it! Make sure to follow close by!" Yuuka all but leaped out of the chopper and swiftly turned around. "As for you, sensei! Don't you dare get into the lines of fire, got it!? I take no responsibility for any foolishness!"
The tall, black-haired man in a red coat simply smiled. Broadly. How was it that his mood did not change for the slightest even after entering a battle zone? No, wait. He pushed his sunglasses all the way up that his eyes were now obscured by them. That didn't look right for Yuuka, as gunfights generally turned into a chaotic mess. Could he even see things properly when they entered Schale's base?
"I shall keep a close watch behind us," the member of Gehenna's Prefect Team announced, a handgun in her hand and a medical box slung over her shoulder. "It is also quite reassuring to have the Acting President at our back, though I must confess worries over our winning prospect."
Well, now that's the one-million-credit question. Yuuka shared the sentiment, though she didn't dare to voice it out. Sure, sweeping thugs off from the streets and crushing a stolen Crusader tank would be a simple, albeit exhausting matter, but the real threat in this operation was a fugitive who had broken out of the Federal Correction Bureau's confinement. We have no idea which one of them managed to escape, so either we ended up with the Phantom Thief, or…
"Hm. I noticed a lot of helmeted students holding explosives." The adult suddenly notified with a pointed finger at the barricaded and damaged roads bridging their position and the Schale club room. "Seventeen normally equipped grunts. Six grenade holders judging by the bandoleer. Three snipers. And that sleek tank in the far back."
...what?
"You managed to survey the battlefields even through the ride, sensei…?" Hasumi's eyes widened, seemingly at a loss for words. "I… I only managed to count half the numbers you've said."
Suzumi looked back, gun barrel lowered to face the grounds with her index finger away from the trigger. "Sensei, you must have the eyes of a hawk. Hasumi-san's range is second only to Mashiro-san, the ace sniper of Trinity…"
"I am ashamed to admit that I can't put myself in a proper sniping posture…" Hasumi looked embarrassed for once, but that wording… really could be interpreted wrongly.
Nevertheless, all four students turned their attention to the chopper. The pink-haired, horned girl threw out her head from the cockpit, while in the passenger cabin the vice-president chewed in her cheek as she stopped typing on a laptop.
"Yeah. He got it right, amazingly enough." The Chief of Transportation Committee glanced sideways. "Rin-chan-senpai just did a double-check, even."
"…please drop that combination of honorifics, specifically the middle one. But yes, Vash-sensei got the numbers right, down to the exact digit." Rin breathed out, unknown emotions stirring in her throat. "I think we can surmise, by his words, that the fugitive assaulting the Schale club room as Kousaka Wakamo."
"Ah, because of the explosives?"
To his inquiry, all Rin could do was to nod. "That bomb-addict have the penchant for flairs in the form of multi-layered explosions. Only she would choose thugs who can produce terrible havoc, which also happens to narrow down these bunches' goal as district-wide arson and pure, unbridled wanton desire for massive collateral damage."
"…how on earth did you manage to contain someone like her in the first place?"
"We have our own way. Well, had." Rin said simply and thusly. "In any case. I might be repeating myself, but you must prioritize your own safety first, sensei. Students won't easily go down, but adults such as you are much too frail…"
"Alright, stop right there, Rinny."
Yuuka wondered if she heard it right. There was a strange sound squeaking out of the Acting President's lips, but the adult took the center of her attention as he extended a hand like a stop sign.
"It'll be okay," he said. With a soft, confident smile on his face, the teacher who called himself Vash the Stampede formed a thumbs-up. "Running away when it's inconvenient is my specialty, after all! My infamy as Humanoid Typhoon is not just for show!"
…
...ah, this city's done for.
"Rin-senpai, wanna have a bet on how many tries will the team take to recapture Schale club room?" The pink-haired girl snickered. "I'm betting on five."
"Momoka, I'm confiscating your snacks if you say any more word."
"So cruel!?"
The 4-man team plus one pushed through the ruined streets. Barricades had been moved to obstruct civilian vehicles, while stores lining up the roadside had signs of trespassing and looting, as well as in utterly deplorable state. It was a nightmare and a half to imagine the effort needed to restore public order here. It led her to ponder if her favorite cake shop was still doing alright as of this moment…
"Stop there, Hasumi." And then, the adult's voice carried through the air. "See the glint at two-o'clock, seventy-five meters ahead? Aim there."
Hasumi did not visibly nod as much as she stepped up to a half-damaged road barrier, rested the barrel of her bolt-action rifle battle rifle on it and took aim. In the same breadth it took for her to lower her eyesight into the crosshairs, she glimpsed the shine of reflected sunlight from a gun barrel peeking out next to a bent sign post. Target locked—fire!
"Gweh!?" The distant shriek of the delinquent confirmed the hit. Hasumi could hardly believe her aim being so accurate that the bullet disarmed the enemy sniper, but the command given by the teacher of Schale surpassed her expectations. "Hii—stop! Stop! I surrender, ouch ouch ouch!"
After the coming barrage from the frontline members, Hasumi went around the road barrier and joined back in. However, she didn't miss the glances thrown behind by the representative of Millennium. The dark-haired Seminar member twisted her lips in utter distaste, but her gaze was full of grudging respect. It took no time at all even for the skeptic to recognize that the adult invited by the General Student Council's president was extremely competent.
Heck, they even hardly needed any further assistance from the Commanding Chief. The guidance of Vash the Stampede turned the table against the deluge of assailants pouring out from the Schale office.
"Eyes on the road, Yuuka." The teacher smiled. "Do you need some healing?"
"Ugh…! Please don't treat me like a doll! I'm not that fragile, okay!?" The girl with pigtails huffed, even as she brushed away the soot sticking on her cheek with her sleeve.
"That so… didn't you vehemently protest over JHP round leaving marks?"
That she did… even though hollow-point rounds aren't considered illegal. Hasumi suppressed a giggle from forming at that recent memory. The initial phase of this battle operation was eventful from start to end. Especially among them all was the many faces the adult had worn. Sensei's reaction when he saw Yuuka getting shot on the forehead was quite a… hmm, should I say comical?
"S-shut up!" Yuuka turned back around, resuming her advance as the point-man. "We're almost there, everyone! Be on guard!"
Right. The Schale club room was right up ahead. The last bulk of the enemy's force resided in an open plaza littered with barricades and makeshift walls. Of course, they were all strewn about haphazardly, causing the single greatest combat force they had unable to do much except to face forward. The Crusader Type-1 was a heavily-armored tank with outdated armaments and engines to it. Even if it was a remodeled unit, or one pawned off to the Kaiser PMC, the tank didn't have much beside firepower to it.
...perhaps it's time to leave the rest to us.
Suzumi's flashbang was their ace in the sleeve. It was all about timing, and voice command would be redundant for an all-out brawl. Hasumi would say that… wait, why was the tank rumbling like that even though it was hardly moving—?
"Oops. Sorry about that, Chinatsu."
Hasumi widened her eyes. She whipped her head to the back and saw the teacher having rolled into the blindspot provided by a road barrier. Under him was Chinatsu, who had been sticking close to the teacher in an effort to protect the team from behind alongside escorting him. A few meters away from them was a pothole on the road which sizzled with smoke and… that angle came from the tower's upper floor!
We have to make haste!
Hasumi suddenly realized the timer had turned into a countdown. The initiative had been stolen away from them. They couldn't afford to take cover, as the tank would just blow them away along with the barriers. However, ignoring the sniper would also ruin their battle rhythm. The only option was rapid suppressive fire, but they lacked the brutal firepower to match and push back, so the only real option was—
"Suzumi! Flashbang!" Hasumi yelled out.
"On one…!" The main member of the Trinity's Vigilante Corps committed herself into a practiced throwing motion. The gray can sailing through the air crossed over the multitude of barriers and landed atop the Crusader Tank. "Look down and charge!"
"Hey! I'm supposed to be the point-man here…!"
In the blinding light that followed a reverberating keening noise, all three vanguards moved into action. Hasumi leaped over the barricade, her wingspan knocking over a delinquent as she turned to fire on another helmeted mob. The snipers on the ground were the first to be downed, while the grenade holders were meticulously taken down by the dual-wielding Yuuka. There were still several mob left, but the tank remained the greatest threat, with the mysterious sniper from above the second.
I have to take care of the sniper then!
Hasumi went down on one knee. As she righted her gun barrel upward, she heard a rumbling sound approaching. At once, her blood froze over.
The Crusader is… oh no!
Hasumi felt her heart thundering. The tank locked on to her, likely because of her large figure and her specialization in dishing out precise shots. The Crusader must have deemed her a bigger threat from a tactical standpoint… a blessing in disguise. Yuuka was the actual team leader.
I can take it… if it's just one!
It would hurt. She'd get blown away. Then there was the sniper. She must accomplish her duty even if it meant incapacitation. Could she make it? No, she had to make it…!
"Found you…!" The thin shadow behind the slightly opened window on the fourth floor of the Schale club room. There was no mistaking the sniper rifle, the rich red halo, and the triangular ears of the Fox of Calamity. As Hasumi's Mystique invoked itself, energy drained away from the top of her body and flowed into her rifle. "Shoot through—!"
Hasumi pressed the trigger. Her body shuddered as the bullet left its chamber, singing a melodious tune as it soared towards her target. Through the orange sparks and smells of gunpowder, the smokes obscured her vision for a split second while the roar of the tank's cannon overwhelmed her hearing.
In that moment, three things happened.
A bullet flew from above and struck her in the shoulder. Hasumi felt the immense pressure grinding against her body, but honed reflex and wits allowed her to jump back, letting the momentum bringing her away from direct hit by the tank's shell. Flapping her wings, she might as well reduce the incoming damage to tolerable level instead of a serious battering that'd leave her inches away from fainting.
Her bullet, on the other hand, shattered the windows and ricocheted. Amid the falling shards of glass, the masked fugitive dressed in a daring red and dark kimono pulled herself into the building, retreating deeper into that which had become her nest.
And the third thing to happen was a man in red soaring through the air, arriving right in front of the flying tank shell with a raised foot. The plated boot struck the enormous shell and sent it upwards. With just enough force, just enough momentum, and just enough calculation… he deflected a cannon shell in such a way that he ended up spinning in mid air; the tail ends of his worn-out coat fluttering.
"Wha—!?"
As he somersaulted for one last time, Hasumi witnessed a curtain of orange spark. The burning hue of a full-metal jacket launched from the adult's side and flew into the tank through its cannon barrel. Not even a second had passed as her mind started to catch up with reality, but what happened next was truly simple.
The outdated tank, its drivers, and the turret blasted off to the blue sky. As smokes and cinders rained down, flame consumed the tank's skeleton. What remaining ammunition it had carried popped and exploded successively, leaving a rather smoldering spectacle in the center of the plaza. Finally, heated winds violently spread throughout the whole area—and the blasts of airs sent the adult careening right into a thick green bush lining up the roadside.
"S-Sensei…!?"
"Sensei! Are you alright!?"
Hasumi got up with a slight limp. However, faster than even her who was the closest to the bushes lining up the roadside, the Millennium representative leaped past her, splitting the hedges apart. Her swiftness rendered Hasumi speechless, even as the reckless adult's face came into view with a few sticks and leaves stuck in his hairs. Yuuka remained panicking however, her gaze going all over the place as if to check for injuries visible and whatnot.
"Okay, calm down! I'm okay, really…!"
"Stop acting tough! Chinatsu, help me out here!"
"A-ah, yes! Please hang on!"
Hasumi let out a sigh. Well, now. It didn't look like they'd be going into Schale club room for now, not that it was such a bad thing.
"Looks like the first phase is done," Suzumi's voice chimed in. She glanced to the side, but Hasumi's shake of head made the member of Vigilante Corps to shrug. "Understood. How shall we spend our small respite?"
Hmmm, that's a good point. "How about the teacher's ability. Would you be able to accomplish a similar feat, Suzumi?"
"I am not competent, nor blessed enough to achieve that." Suzumi did not sound at all offended by the inquiry. The two of them looked over the hectic scene between the adult and students before them. "It's a matter of timing for us, however."
I see… In other words, what Vash the Stampede had done was not only reckless, but exceeding past the boundary of normalcy. There should have been a sting to her pride, knowing full well that it was her job to fight and get wounded all in order to escort him, but after that close-call, Hasumi felt… how could she put it? Like a gallant knight rescuing a damsel in distress…
She wasn't a kid anymore. She knew that she wasn't in such a trouble that she'd need saving, though that tank's shell would have roughed her up to an extent that she'd need to avoid intense battles or receive medical treatment. Still, Vash's flashy stunt did make her heartbeat flutter. Just a bit.
"So that's an adult…"
Suzumi glanced her way, a short giggle leaving her lips. Was something on her cheek or something? "A very peculiar, enigmatic existence, indeed."
A/N: Had to manually copy and paste the document because cloudflare is being annoying to me. Anyway, we're gonna catch up by the next update. Have a nice start of the weekdays, everyone!
