The rowdiness did not settle down. Well an hour into the meeting and topics moved on from the immediate threats to the school's long-standing problem.
"We need a way to get ourselves out of debt." With the solemness of a wizened town mayor, thus spoke the secretary of the Abydos Foreclosure Taskforce.
It was money. A very big money problem. Nearly a billion yen of debt, and up to 300 years of hard labors needed to pay it all back. Setting aside the seemingly endless problems the academy city had, money issue was like a bomb timer ticking down for the students of Abydos. Why was this such a common, relatable topic, and how could Vash felt such a resigned familiarity to the subject in question?
Ah, the woes of living in the confine of human civilization…
It was an incredibly familiar thing, indeed. He almost sniffled as brief recollections to those harsh, bittersweet days blurred his eyes. No, he wasn't crying. He was just shedding manly sweat for having overcome the countless tests of the ages. Needless to say, he was a man with a "you break it, you fix it" mindset. He could handle this—or so he thought until he had to plant both of his hands on his face, letting out a miserable sigh as chaotic antics unfolded before him.
"Bank robbery is the way to go." The instance of glimmers in Shiroko's heterochromatic pupils, the energetic puff to her huffs, and her curved eyebrows denoted perfect confidence contrasting the villainous scheme she had cooked up. "There's no faster, more surefire way for us to earn cash. We're running out of bounties to hunt."
"We're not doing crimes, Shiroko-senpai!" Ayane cried out in protest. The tiny Vash in his heart agreed with repeated head nods to such a pristine bastion of righteous moral as well as ethical codes. "And just how long have you been on a stake out with all these bank schematics, escape routes, all the way to security rotation schedule!?"
"That's right, that's right~ Ayane-chan here's got the right ideas." The pink-haired third year chimed in. "What we need isn't a shortcut. It's numbers. In other words, labor force of our own to lessen the burdens on everyone and increase our efficiency~!"
"No abduction! No Bus-jacking! No blackmailing or threatening either…!" The poor secretary of the Foreclosure Taskforce spun around to yell at Hoshino. There was an uncharacteristic anger in her voice, but well… considering the bus-jacking plan her senior had proposed, of course she'd go ballistic. "Don't just rub the back of your head and whistle away, senpai! Your proposal isn't any different, either!"
"Aww, but it's a good idea~…"
"It's still a crime from step one! Take this seriously, geez…!" When a green-eyed second year with the best and fittest body among them raised a hand, Ayane hissed. "Idol debut is out, too! Forget about concert, there's not even a dime in our pantry!"
Nonomi courageously raised a black card and winked. "We can just start with borrowed private funds, and once we reach the national roadshow—"
"That's the blind logic of an overly ambitious first-time business starter with none of the quality assurances or long-term plan in mind…!"
That probably cut a bit too deep. As three heads hung down and sulked, the only remaining person who had yet to push forward an agenda spun her head around, her face overflowing anxiety in the face of an increasingly wrathful Okusora Ayane. Seemingly with no way out, and probably realizing that she didn't have anything in mind after she was forced to reflect on her tendency to get scammed by snake oil merchants, the cat-eyed Serika finally decided…
"S-sensei! What about you, sensei!? Don't you have a plan in mind?! Which one do you think is the best?!"
Dear me now, she sure has come a long way after yesterday's display. Vash felt happy that he was being relied on. He was also glad that he was being treated as a member of the group already. Nothing could beat the sensation of being acknowledged and welcomed into a community. That being said…
"Since this is already the third time we've gone around in circles," the teacher said. A little bit of firmness was injected in his voice, allowing for his voice to grab the attentions of everyone in the clubroom. The less things said about the condition of the joined tables which had been flipped around twice over due to Ayane's admittedly justified fits of anger, the better. Vash could update the young secretary's similarity to Meryl, but that could come up be for some other day rather than today. "Let's take a break away from theories. Anybody up for some exercises before lunch?"
Deflection and changing the topic was an adult's specialty. It didn't feel right, but he just didn't have the heart to tell these girls that their passions were all misplaced.
If there came an occasion where she had to give labels on people, Sunaookami Shiroko would judge herself as a physical-type. That was why she didn't have problems with this.
The sports field suggestion, however, got rejected. It seemed Vash already knew to some extent that physical exercises under the afternoon sun in Abydos region would just make it sweltering, stuffy, and worst of all, sweaty from top to bottom. It wasn't recommended to do sports when the sun was at its zenith around here, so she didn't have particular feelings about the rejection. That did make her wonder why he still changed to turtleneck sweater and the white coat, though.
Also… "I heard that you could deflect a tank shell with your bare hands, sensei. Should I bring out the pitching machine from the storeroom?"
"No, no. I am super awesome, but that's not something I can regularly pull off. Also, how did the truth get twisted that far?"
"Ah, well. You know… kids and gossips. They are prone to spread and sensationalize rumors if it could impress their peers." Hoshino's laidback response came after a few beats. As an aside, everyone else had ended up following along, and there were probably varied thoughts working behind each of them. Group exercise would be fun, though. It was a rare thing, so Shiroko couldn't help but feel joy sprouting in her heart at the thought of it. "So, the shooting range it is~. Sensei, you sure are raring to go even though you kept on saying violence is bad."
"Well… I do understand the need for power in the face of great dangers." Vash chuckled, his orange shade giving a brief gleam as they passed through the path of a reflected light cast from the school buildings. Shiroko noted what seemed to be haplessness in his voice and filed in that addition to the back of her mind. "In an ideal world, there's never a need for violence. No need to steal what others have. No reason to bully and threaten others who are just working earnestly."
"Hmm~… but people come in different strokes." Nonomi thoughtfully put on an argument, her eyes vaguely gazing up at the thin ceiling of the open corridor. "Feels like a string of contradictions conflicting with each other, the more thought you put in them, huh~?"
"Maybe, like a koan?" Ayane wondered aloud.
"Eugh. Those mysterious great questions? Think I've heard of them before…" Serika huffed and shrugged, already rolling her shoulders in an effort to warm up for the coming exercise. "The General Student Council President had the habits of saying that, but why make everything have that kind of depth to it? Work hard, play hard, and then sleep tight with a full stomach. I think that's more than enough to satisfy most people."
Nn, I agree. Shiroko knew that life had its ups and downs. She was familiar to the pangs of hungers, and the deep longing for warmth. Sometimes, she just had to throw punches when things refused to work out, too. Be that as it may, she didn't think she had ever put further thoughts on those terrible feelings. Sometimes, you just want to eat so badly you don't care even if it's an expired bento set.
"Hah ha. Then that's fine, too." The teacher slowed his steps. "Oh, is that it?"
The shooting range was a simple thing. Piled up boards in the shape of a person silhouette stood in front of a crusted, bullet-riddled wall. Behind the multi-purpose auditorium hall was an empty area set aside for practice shooting. Hoshino had said it'd be way too much of a waste if the building got damaged, so only this open range could allow the usage of live ammunition. Of course, bullets were a cheap thing and they could be found sold at the nearest convenience store, so it also felt like a waste to spend club budget for gun replicas.
Not only would it take a different approach for maintenance, the upkeep will also eventually drill a hole to our wallets.
"Hmmm… about six-hundred meters, huh?"
Ohh…? That was a surprisingly good estimation. Enough that Shiroko had to glance back at the teacher to see his profile. Vash had set his sight on the target dummies, and he rubbed his chin with a thoughtful hum, seemingly absorbing newfound information at a rate faster than the blink of an eye. To be precise, the range is around 599.93 meters, but this is the best we can get since otherwise the wind would impact shooting accuracy.
The climate of Abydos was a harsh thing. Sand would get everywhere, and the winds could affect grenade throwing as well as bullet trajectory. The goal of the shooting range was to train up stability and shooting form, so Shiroko was of the thought that it was best to not have to deal with a list of external factors which could influence them.
Anything more complex is best learned in advanced combat class or outdoor survival lessons… oh right, come to think of it… "Nn. Speaking of which, does sensei own a gun?"
"Hmm? Oh, I left it in the Schale office." At the casual drop of his extremely lacking self-defense measure, everyone let out a surprised noise. It was quite stunning to see his nonchalant attitude. Nevertheless, while refreshing in its own way, that sounded rather irresponsible considering the past few days. Seemingly deliberately ignorant to that all, the teacher continued on with his answer. "In what world is there a school teacher who walks around with a firearm?"
Well, you could name some civilians and non-school affiliates for that…
"You've got guts." Though said with a scowl, there was no heat in Serika's voice. As she shook her head, the twin ponytails fluttered like dancing curtains. "But this is Kivotos. I think it'd do you good to be a bit more aware of your own safety, sensei."
"Aww… Don't you think you're being a bit harsh, Serika-chan~…"
"Don't refer to me with "-chan!" you dummy! Why, a person like you… urgh, forget it." As she looked utterly done, the cat-eared first-year student sighed. "Anyway, do you need a gun, or are you just going to watch from the sideline as we practice shooting?"
"Oh, can I borrow Hoshino's handgun, then?"
...hmm? Shiroko didn't expect that answer. Actually, it was more like she didn't anticipate the teacher to request something from Hoshino of all people. Not that the older girl didn't have a handgun, but why her? Even though we all have a handgun, too?
"Eeeh~…? How did you know uncle have a handgun, sensei?" The pink-haired girl asked.
"I saw it when you unfolded that iron shield. Quite a nifty mechanic," Vash eloquently handed out an explanation, a carefree smile on his face and relaxed mirth in the green-blue eyes behind his orange shades. "Besides, it'd leave Ayane playing with her drone all by herself if I were to borrow it from her."
"Uugh… guess I shouldn't have showed off, huh…?" With great reluctance, the older girl picked at her trusty riot shield full of scratches, folded it out, and then pulled the handgun holstered to the back of the shield. "Here you go. And here's the ammo. Is a clip enough, sensei?"
"Mhmm. I'll compensate you later, don't worry." The teacher smiled brightly. "Well, it'd be a shame if there's no pointer familiar with this particular model. Could you do the job for me while at it, Hoshino?"
Hoshino now looked like she had sucked up a terribly sour lemon. "Ergh… this is tyranny!"
Serika chuckled, clearly enjoying the situation. "Looks like he figured out your habit of slacking off, senpai."
"Heh he he~. Sounds like this is going to be a fun exercise."
"Ahh… I suppose I have to practice too, then?" Ayane wryly smiled, though she then blinked and looked to her. Confusion was clearly written on her face. "Shiroko-senpai, is there something wrong?"
"Hmm? Hmm. Nnn…" Shiroko tilted her head. She patted her chest once, twice, and then returned Ayane's gaze with her own. "Not sure."
"H-haa…? Is that so…?"
Yeah, it was so. Probably nothing much. I'll get to this later.
Vash could feel the cool and solid feeling in his grips. The alloy used to compose the gun, the comfortable grip weathered by repeated uses yet carefully maintained, and the sleek design which belied its lethality. Although it wasn't a pleasant sensation, it was also not overly distasteful either. At the end of the day, he was still Vash the Gunman. It made him smile a bitter smile, but this wasn't the time or place for sentimentality.
After hearing about the internal mechanisms from Hoshino, he judged that the handgun was of similar make to the ones wielded by Wolfwood. That fake priest always walked around lugging a giant cross, so he had the religious vibe down to pat. And then, like a stuff from nightmares, the so-called Punisher turned him into a one-man army, and he then swung it around so stylishly… Well, that was the testament to the resources and ingenuity of the Eye of Michael, but man…
"It's amazingly light," he murmured. "And so small, too. It really is a scary thing, huh?"
So many things had happened, yet only recently did he realize just how cruel of a burden he had pushed onto his former partner. By the time the moment of reckoning dawned upon him, it was already too late. No matter how he thought about it, he really didn't deserve a buddy like Nicholas Wolfwood. However, now he had to shoulder on and keep on walking. Living. Struggling. This was his cross to bear, after all.
"...huh. Would you look at that…"
As thoughts swirled over his every step, Vash adopted a ready stance. He narrowed his eyes, felt the winds caressing his hair, the dry air with his skin, and the sunshine over the flat shooting range. Using only his right hand, he lifted the handgun and observed through the sights. Switching to manual mode, the tight springs resisted his index finger, a good thing to have lest you ended up shooting your foot when drunk. With his will set, he tightly depressed the trigger and fired, reddish orange curtains sparking to life followed by white smokes adorned with the terrible scent of gunpowder.
Bang, a clear sound struck out. The distant target made from recycled materials vaguely shaped like a person and plastered with a crudely painted target circle on a white sheet shook upon repeated impacts. Sand particles scattered while a hole revealed itself among the target circles. Vash took a deep breath. The world shrunk as he became one with the tiny executor in his hand—and he fired again.
Again. Again, and again. The air vibrated with the distinct sounds of gunshots. When the last bullet flew true to his aim, the personal exercise came to an end. He looked on at the practice dummy and squinted his eyes, his brows furrowing from deep concerns.
"Right on the marks, I guess?" Hoshino's voice slowly flowed from nearby. "A super clean non-lethal takedown…. Both shoulders, side of arms, and thighs. The kids from Valkyrie will throw a fit with that dead-on accuracy for every single shot… uh, sensei?"
Vash shook his head. "Nope, I misjudged the distance."
"Pardon?"
About seven centimeters off… yeah, that looks about right. "Sorry, can I request a second clip, Hoshino? Keep that on my tab."
His left arm got busted a bit, so he had to rely only on his right arm. He doubted there would be another time where he must pick up a gun again, but the future was a fickle mistress and forever uncertain. At the very least, he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't get rid of this rustiness which had somehow plagued his form.
Look at how much time had passed. As the shadows lengthened, the sky dyed an orange hue, it was time to close the school gates and say goodbyes. Not without one last meeting involving afterschool subject… such as a get-together meal.
Ayane secretly laughed. Even though their money situation still did not improve, they ended up dining out like this. Well, it wasn't like any of them intended to be sloppy even when things tumbled down, and they certainly had no intention to do that by now. Not her, nor the rest of the taskforce. It was also becoming much more lively now that they had a teaching advisor accompanying them.
"Cup ramen in the morning, and ramen for dinner… Can't you guys be a bit more considerate to your diet?"
Though Serika said that with an annoyed puff, she still carried out her orders and handed down a couple of ramen bowls to the dining table. Dressed in her part-time worker getup, she was truly the epitome of an established restaurant's server. She even had the silver tray on her, and tied her long black hair so that not a single strand would fall on the dishes. One could say her earnest customer service spirit was touching, but since the only customers present at Shibaseki were her friends and the teacher, she ended up letting her lips loose.
Ayane personally preferred that, but she understood that work ethics existed for a reason, and it was Serika's work hours. There was no need to force her dear friend's hands no matter the reason.
"Hahemf? Hmh pfh mhaw—"
"Eat or talk! Don't do both!" The cat-eared girl hissed. Looking a little faint, she placed a hand on her temple as she stared down at an adult scarfing down a third tonkatsu ramen like a man possessed. "Why are you like this, sensei…?"
The adult who inhaled food rather than eating gulped. Licking his lips, he paused from realizing his fogged up shades and decidedly put them away. "Well, it's not everyday I get to eat till I'm full. Gotta savor every opportunity."
Across the table and facing him, Shiroko counted with two fingers. "Nn. The total calory intake for a bowl of tonkatsu ramen, broth included, is about nine hundred calories. Plus, there were the miso, soyu, Sapporo variant, and—"
"T-that's enough, Shiroko-senpai!" With a sudden yell, Ayane's interruption dragged the attentions to her. The glasses-wearing girl blushed as she felt extremely self-conscious from having accidentally entered the spotlight, and she shyly returned to her seat; mumbling all the way. "I mean, uhh… it's just… I don't wanna know how much grams will I gain next morning..."
"Heh he~…. We also have sweets and snacks on top of all that, you know~…" Hoshino showed a dopey smile at the writhing figure of her junior. "Don't worry too much about sugary goods, Ayane-chan~. You can just burn the fat with adolescent spirits."
"That doesn't make a shred of sense, geez…!" Ayane cried out, "And you just had to say it out loud, senpai…!"
Next to the bawling first-year, Nonomi tilted her head. "I wonder if there's even diet snacks around… specialty products like that are kind of hard to find locally."
"The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Vash shoveled another mouthful of ramen noodles into his mouth. In spite of the wholesale food demolition, he somehow managed to use chopsticks with certain finesse to it. Of course, that was when a handkerchief patted his oil-stained cheek, and he blinked at his seatmate's kind gesture. "Oh, thanks a bunch, Nonomi. But you better start eating. Soggy ramen tastes terrible."
"Hah ha ha…! Our store prides ourselves with high-quality home-made noodles. No need to concern yourself over trivial matters such as that, dear customer…!"
The whip of head Serika did in that very instance was lightning fast. It was almost worrying since she could have snapped her neck. "Ah! Come on, chief…! Don't tell me you splurged again with the ingredients…!? We're not even a michelin star restaurant…!"
The bipedal shiba inu huffed with a grin. "Only the best for my best-paying customers."
"That's favoritism! What happened to 'all customers are kings' motto…!?"
Vash chuckled at the thumb up delivered from beyond the counter. He was about to resume eating when he noticed the strong gaze coming from directly across of him. He raised an eyebrow. Shiroko lowered her gaze and returned to finishing her ramen bowl, though her cheeks puffed up like chipmunks.
"Arara~… now that's a first." Beside him, Nonomi giggled.
"Heh he… This is the kind of moment only the innocent brimming with youthful vigor could share together with, how precious~…"
Serika popped by with another serving on the silver tray. "Hoshino-senpai, you're not even three years older than us."
"Hush, Serika-chan. This old man needs only the sight of teenage spirits when it comes to sating her appetite." Hoshino lazily waved—which somehow caused the ashen-haired girl to respond with a bright blade-like glint in her eyes.
"Nn. If you say so, I'll have your katsu curry ramen, senpai." Sploch, the amazingly improper sound echoed out over the table.
"Doweh!? Shiroko-chan, that's not the signal for stealing my portion!"
Shiroko pushed her chest forward without a shred of shame. "I heard you've got your fill already, so it'd be a waste if we leave the bowl unfinished."
"Aha~! I'll have the kakiage, then!"
"Et tu, Nonomi-chan!? Not you too…!"
It was a rowdy scene, but pleasant and delightful. However, there had been more than enough time passing by. Ayane scooted over after letting Nonomi leave to put away her emptied out ramen bowl. Sitting next to Vash, she marveled at his profile from the side; only now feeling the enormity of differences between their respective heights. Even while sitting down and bending his back, he still stood out with those spikey dark hairs and the pair of turquoise eyes. Though carefree and easy with smiles, his sharp jawline and the bump to his adam's apple gave off a strong impression fitting for an adult.
Oh, I can't just keep on looking. Chiding herself for getting distracted, Ayane firmly resolved herself for her next move. She scooted an inch closer, naturally drawing the attention of the Schale's teacher. He-here goes nothing…!
"Umm, sensei…? A-about that previous talk, may I ask some questions…?"
At the confusion clear in his eyes, the girl gulped. It took a lot of effort… or rather, courage to bring back that topic.
She didn't want to jump on shadows if she could help it, but evidences had continuously raked up in an unsettling way. She couldn't forget Vash's words which were slipped with certainty, and neither did she miss Hoshino's instant deflection as if it was a topic that ought not to be broached. It was odd how all people older than her seemed to have differing opinions on the same subject matter while covertly trading intents… but well, this was about her beloved school. Abydos. Whatever information, whatever kernels of truth and crumbs of clues there were… everything was for the sake of the place she and her friends belonged to; was learning more so wrong, then?
If it could get their school avoid premature closure before they finished struggling against the impossible odds… wasn't it truly for the better?
"Hmm. Well, kind of admit I was in a bit of a hurry." Vash placed an elbow on the table, his chopsticks left gripping empty air. "It's more or less a matter of intuition and experience, however."
"Huh?" That was unexpected. "Sensei… you are a teacher, right?"
"Not always. I mean, my real trade is a journeyman. Was, I guess," Vash said with a wry chuckle. "See, businesses aren't always straightforward. Quality, convenience, price, the divine triangle, yadda yadda. There are some who take shortcuts for successes, but when you keep on cutting corners without a single thought or consideration…? Well, that's where problems start to crop up."
"And you've… seen enough of this kind of thing, that it becomes a pattern?"
"I don't want them to be true, though. Never once do I wish for any of it to be true, and I'll probably die on this hill." The light in his blue-green eyes dimmed. Slightly and very briefly, an unfamiliar emotion seemed to have passed through the windows to the teacher's soul. "The kind of thing that can happen when a land is held hostage… it's, well, a lot can happen. Negotiation, threats, legal battles… then at some point, the means and ends get switched around too many times…"
"It eventually degenerates into a terrible mess…"
I see, so that sort of thing can happen. That would certainly be a heavy topic to bring up, never mind to discuss with the others. Serika was straightforward as an arrow, so Ayane could easily imagine her outrage, plain as day if she heard of this. She also couldn't imagine what her seniors would do if it turned to be true that somebody wanted Abydos' land regardless of the measures taken. And even if it's just hypothetical, it'd still be left hanging somewhere in our minds…
However… conversely speaking, didn't that mean her teacher completely understood the gravity of the situation, but decided not to directly act on it…? "Huh? This is not a laughing matter, right…? Why do we have to beat around the bush and act so secretive?"
Ayane felt a big lump landing on her head. When she realized it was the adult's hand, he had already ruffled and ruined her hairdo. Her vision was spinning around, too.
"That's for me to worry about," Vash said with a smile. "Just keep doing your best like usual, Ayane. Nothing wrong with living an upright and honest life."
Around that time, the front door slid open. With a rattle, one timid-looking girl dressed in black walked into the store.
For one, she was incredibly petite. A small cap nestled on her short and shaggy dark hair, while a pair of round eyes shivered as they darted here to there. It was kind of random, and the anxiety painted on her face heavily contrasted the neat and tidy uniform adopting similar color scheme, formal in every occasion with the dark purple, deep black, stripes of white and a tiny tint of red. There was even a pump-action shotgun which she cradled dearly like a lifeline, and she looked past the countertop.
"Umm, excuse me…" The girl called out, her voice no less shy and nerve-wracked. "Is this, well… err, what's the cheapest, most fulfilling menu you have, here…?"
"Hmm? Oh, welcome to Shibaseki! If it's the most affordable menu, may I recommend you this one dish of ours?" Opting to skip away to greet the new customer, Serika eased her business smile to a level comfortable for shy customers. The way the short-haired girl flinched made her want to coo, but she would rather not break her character. Her shift still had a few hours left, and she doubted the gluttonous adult would wrap up his mealtime any sooner. "It's our trademark menu. Absolutely guaranteed to save your pennies while filling your stomach to the brim!"
Well, it wasn't the first time that she had encountered a customer tight on wallet. Even she herself had to be a penny-pincher at times, frugal to the extreme.
All students received monthly allowances. Those who participated in school events, board organizations, and extracurricular activities naturally received a bonus since they'd contribute in giving their school prestige. However, teenage girls were a fickle race and schoolgirls were wondrous creatures when it came to needs and wants. It wasn't a rare thing for whims to take their feet down the station and off to the beaten paths, far away into the outskirts. Sometimes they'd go to absurd length for a limited-time plushie, and sometimes the world conspired to hide their favorite brand's newest product behind a fiendish roulette with infinitesimal odds.
Although, our club isn't really an official thing, so not even the General Student Council would be able to provide us money.
Not that it mattered. In any case, this shy girl must have had a hard time sailing through the cutthroat industry consisting of lousy part-timers who loved to quit early…
"Errm, how much is it…?" The shy girl murmured.
Glancing at the menu pamphlet in her hand, she confirmed the price. "It's only 580 yen!"
There and then. the shorter girl's complexion brightened. Serika patted herself on the back for luring in another customer, but before she could suggest a seating location, the girl closed the door on her—and was that a group of people chatting right outside of the storefront? What the heck? What was going… oh, she was back—and she had company of three with her.
"Wow, we actually managed to land on a good spot! I'm super starved, kyaha~!" A white-haired girl with a heavy-weight duffle bag hanging off her shoulder pranced into the store, a wide smile on her face. The girl wore checkered red skirts full of flairs and frills, while her top consisted of a simplistic dark canvas with a short coat warming her shoulders up. Pointed ears and slitted eyes pointed to her imp nature, though it didn't look like she had the wings and spaded tail to complete the image. "It's even right below 600 yen, right on point! Come on, Aru-chan! Kayoko-chan, you too!"
"...finally. I'm already feeling faint…" Another white… no, wait. A white-black haired girl stepped in, wearing a black hoodie which had the words "Born to Kill" written on it. Plaid and pleated red skirt, a ponytail tied to horns, and a glaring pair of red eyes denoted a rather gothic delinquent style to her person. She even had ear piercings and an amazingly pale skin complexion, plus that wing peeked out from under her skirts… huh, did she tuck that out through the wrong place? "It only took… almost the entire day. I'm surprised none of us have keeled over yet."
A new voice chimed in, "heh…! That's the girth I could expect from my subordinates!"
The sharp-eyed girl groaned, "where did that confidence even come from…?"
"Aru-chan, it's more because we got turned down by every single restaurant we've encountered." The white imp tutted. "That's what you get for blowing up our budget just to hire a whole bunches of goons."
"A-hem! E-hem! Ehem!" The last one… a daring girl with bright golden eyes and long reddish hair coughed repeatedly. She wore white shirts draped with a fur mantle overcoat that fluttered in her wake. Sharply dressed was the only way for Serika to describe the last of the group of eccentrics, but it seemed all four of them hailed from the same school. Their uniforms wildly differed between each other, but the color coordination and styles to them… hum, that looked familiar. "Ah, dear waitress! We'd like to order, already. That menu you recommended with sterling stars… yes, we want that!"
"A-aah… alright, please have a seat…" Serika would rather not show her true thoughts out, so she decided to move things along. "Would you like an appetizer? Four bowls of—"
"No, no. Only one bowl is enough. Skip on the appetizer and dessert. We can have a free refill for drink too, yes?"
Ah, this is hitting a bit too close to home, now… Kuromi Serika was an earnest hard worker, but even she had her struggles. No matter which place she went to work at, there would always come a day where profit had to go away in favor of doing good. In fact, she and her friends also happened to be allied with poverty head-to-shoulders, but she supposed not all students turned to life of crimes. Also, could you all please stop bickering around like nobody's business behind me…!
"Wow, sharing a ramen bowl! That's very nostalgic~!" Nonomi chirped.
"Wasn't it about udon…?" Hoshino remarked.
Much to her eternal dismay, her schoolmates chatted around as if entirely immune to her deathly glare. Why, even the teacher looked like he was having the time of his life…!
I swear I'm gonna wring him out after today's shift…!
A/N: So little time and opportunity to write much, these days...
