Late at night, the underbelly of Kivotos lurked on, writhing and squirming to life. In the wake of Sanctum Tower's paralysis, crime rates skyrocketed and various seedy trades accelerated behind closed doors. Things would have gone to the dogs if not for the belated arrival of Schale, but even then, the city had only managed to stand back up.

Things had yet to change for the better. As proof of it, four people were currently being surrounded by angry part-time workers.

"A-Aru-sama…! Aru-sama! What do we do!? What do we do…!?"

Yes, what to do, indeed? Rikuhachima Aru, a criminal mastermind of elite rank, wondered the same even to this moment. Unfortunately, her mind was like a hamster trying to run on a broken down wheel. In other words, only blank papers fluttered through her flower-filled mind. It was pathetic, yet she'd never be caught dead in admitting that… and just as she was about to make a sound, the mob drew ever closer.

Pa-chi, a sound rose up. A row of part-timers flew to the air from three landmines, crashing down with squeals of pain and loud grunts as they fainted. This, however, further enraged the surviving mob as more figures walked over their comrades' bodies to reach maximum firing range to dish out most damages. There were still a dozen of them left standing!

Oh no, we need to hurry… huh!? Aru shakily looked to her right side. She caught the pointy-eared partner-in-crime of hers groaning to the air with a displeased frown marring her usually cheerful face. D-don't tell me...

"Aww, looks like our adventure ends here." Mutsuki scratched the back of her head, her LMG click-clacking without bullets. Glancing down to her duffel bag, the size of it looked reduced, its content having been used up. "Yep, I've got none left. What do, Aru-chan?"

A little further to the side and away from her, Kayoko placed a hand on her own face, hiding away a frustrated expression. "I knew that this day would come, but it's certainly arriving way ahead of the schedule."

Her other two subordinates muttered out their feelings a bit too crassly! It hurt Aru's ego to know that not just Mutsuki, but Kayoko too were on the verge of giving up. And yet, she couldn't find it in her to reprimand them. A good boss was one who could trust her subordinates, and faulting them for her incompetence would just run counter to her idea for hard-boiled criminal syndicate life.

Besides… on reflection, that cat-eared girl's words rang true. They weren't staying true to their professional conduct on this one occasion.

The kind of hard-boiled crime boss I've always dreamed to be… is not something so pathetic like this! Even the small and timid voice in the corner of her mind had to agree with that thought. That Abydos girl's remark, derisive and cruel it might have been, still flew straight as an arrow that it hit the bulls-eye. They needed to get a grip. I need to get a grip, seriously!

"Eep! A-Aru-sama! There's no more room to run!"

Actually, never mind, I wanna go home! Aru's feeble mind fled from reality, just as quick as reality departed from the white of her eyes. What bad luck…!

"Oh, found you!"

And then, everything froze solid again. A sense of de' javu washed over her, while all attentions moved to a certain direction… and that was atop the roof of a house. At one knee he sat, his orange sunglasses seemingly reflecting ethereal light. While his coat danced in the winds, his hair which stood on ends were lit by the moon hanging above his shoulders.

Aru felt a slight tingle running down her spine. Haruka squeaked a trembling reaction, Kayoko stared back silently, and she could hear a gasp dropped by Mutsuki.

Ignorant to their situation, an easy smile crossed the adult's face. "Hey, you kids! I'm not late for the party, right!?"

O-oh no… it's that teacher of Schale! In other words, the authority figure. Said to equal the General Student Council, the adult male then hopped off from the house's roof. How he managed to draw an arc in the air so gracefully like that was unknown to her, but his slender but long legs must have had something to do with it. The tail ends to his white coat chased after him with flapping sounds, and he smoothly landed this time unlike back in the Abydos school grounds. W-what a cool descent…!

"...are you here to deal the finishing blow?" Kayoko made a frightening inquiry. What was that all of a sudden!?

"Who? Me? Psshaw. Perish the thought." The adult turned around, his hands at his waist as he stood before the money-guzzling mob. "I'm just here to finish unresolved business transaction. You girls, wanna listen to a fairer deal?"

The part-timer mob almost unilaterally halted their steps. Wariness painted their faces, and some of them exchanged glances. After a not-so-long silence, one of them stepped up for the task, though her lips pursed in dissatisfaction.

"What is it, Schale's sensei? Don't you know we're just doing what we must do?"

"Uhh… lemme ask beforehand," the adult said. "If these four can't afford to pay, what are you going to do to them?"

"Unpaid wage is repaid with blood!"

"Blood! Blood!"

"Make an example out of them all!"

"Give us our due wage or there's blood to pay!"

A chilling goosebump rushed down Aru's arms. She didn't like the sound of that! It was almost as if she was going to be put on a cross and torched alive, with pitchforks and hoes and scythes! The setting didn't feel right for that kind of public execution, but her brain had long been going haywire to worry about the teensy details! In any case, she and her subordinates were still doomed to a world of hurt!

"Alright, alright. Order in the court, please. Let's not get hasty, mmkay?" Pushing his hands forward, he signaled the mob to deescalate, and upon receiving dubious looks… the man took out his wallet. "Sheesh, you girls are so uncute. That's 800 yen per person, right…? Oh, I've only got papers, damn…"

H-hueh? Could he be…? No, that couldn't be. But he was handing out money to the part-timers without a care. Even though he was showing his back to her and her group, he went on with his business; discussing over changes and counting the numbers. In a few minutes, the mob then dispersed away, but not without waving back cheerily. N-no way, he actually gave them all of his money…

"...that's, not good."

"H-huweh? What do you mean, errm… Kayoko...san?"

Kayoko sighed upon Haruka's question. A glance was all it took for the rest of them to recognize the resignation painted over her gaze. "He hijacked our role by paying their wage in our stead… twice are we indebted to him, now."

...ah, so that's it. They were screwed. Definitely screwed. It was all over. Gone with the winds, seriously. Not only were they losing out on their hired muscles, the Problem Solver 68 was also losing their autonomous rights! M-my hard-boiled syndicate life is…!

"It's tumbling down~ kyaha!"

Stop being merry, Mutsuki!


The death throes of his wallet felt like an afterthought in comparison to seeing the illustrious leader of the gangster group prostrating repeatedly before him. Vash almost recoiled from how fast she threw herself at his feet, whatever that meant when she said "I'll do anything but please spare our business!" like a naughty child whose toy was being taken away by her parents due to getting caught red-handed.

Does she think I'm here to shutdown her merry club? Vash scratched the back of his head, suddenly wondering if he was the bad guy here. He stared long, then he sighed a quiet sigh. Pulling out a handkerchief, the adult squatted down in front of the redhead.

"Come on, let's not dirty your pretty face. You're supposed to be responsible for your subordinates' honors, right?"

He wiped the snots and beads of tears, also cleaning the lightly ruined makeup. The redhead's cheeks were soft and squishy. Contrary to the sharp gaze she had showcased earlier, the girl was likely to be a second-year highschool student too when gazed from up close like this. Even though she claimed to be a syndicate boss running an illegal business, at the end of it, she was still a kid.

"Well, I guess this meeting is also fate's hand at work." Vash softly smiled. "How about you girls introduce yourself properly? No deception and secrets, of course."

"Augh… ghh, fine…"

He helped her get back up. As if having been waiting for it, a white-haired short girl pounced at the much taller girl by hugging her waist.

"Heh he he~…! Hello there, sensei~! Nice to meet'cha again!" The smile she wore radiated smugness above all else. "Thanks for the save, by the way! Can't believe you handed out your money just like that. Don't you fear the chances of us backstabbing you in that moment~?"

"M-Mutsuki!?" The redhead squealed in embarrassed fright.

"Aww, come one, Aru-chan. I mean it this time." The so-called Mutsuki pouted before she rolled her gaze back to him. "Sensei, you're dealing with a bunch of misfits here. In fact, we've got a long record of delinquency, resisting disciplinary actions, refusal to follow the laws, and lotsa other bad things. I think you'll only regret helping us out."

Well, I guess that more or less confirmed it, then… Hoshino's words from earlier weighed on his mind, not to mention his devilish hunch pointing to a certain direction, but hearing the actual truth from the source still hurt. All he could do was putting on a bittersweet smile as he watched the four girls banter together. An organized crime group led by children, huh…

"Are the rest of you in on this together, then?" There was no need to address each of them, since his question was pointed enough as it was. None of them denied it, so he let out an exasperated sigh. "Alright, fine… guess you're not going to tattle about who ordered your group to attack my kids' school, huh?"

"W-well…!" Aru paused, suddenly looking like she had received a second wind. "Don't, don't get me wrong! We certainly appreciated your timely intervention—"

"Two times," The girl with white hair and black bangs chimed in. Her half-lidded stare caused the boss lady's smile to sour down.

"Mrrrgh… ugh…! Y-yes, twice you've helped us out, but!" The girl with a luxurious coat complete with synthetic fur for cuffs crossed her arms together. "But still! Still, a business contract is a contract…! A done deal! Protecting our client's privacy is only a matter of course!"

This time, it was Vash's turn to deliver a dry gaze. "Hah… but you're also not going stop doing bad things, aren't you?"

"Naturally! We're Problem Solver 68," the redhead stated with a flourish of her arm and puffed up chest. Her smile, all too proud about her chosen profession, looked entirely ignorant to the breaths he threw at his right fist. She even prattled on even as he started rotating his whole arm as warm-up exercise. "If you think that you can blackmail this Rikuhachima Aru to leak top-secret intel, you may as well say your prayer!"

"A-Aru-sama…!"

The shriek of the most timid and quietest of her gang came in far too late, as Vash's knuckle smacked down at the unrepentant criminal's head. A loud but solid sound resounded through the night sky. As four different agonized squeals followed, the hoarse howling of a stray dog could be heard from somewhere faraway.

"Right. That should be enough." Vash flicked his wrist, rolling his hand around and flexing his fingers to confirm that he still had yet to lose his touch. "Now let's get to business."

If there was a time for an eye-catch to flash in, that'd be now, but reality sadly did not work like television show. Well, Vash still made the four students from Gehenna to sit down in formal position while lifting their arms out to the heavens. He felt rather perturbed by the wide smile plastered on the face of the girl with a very long ponytail, but that didn't matter. Probably. He simply had this bad feeling that messing with her would just indirectly destroy him somehow.

"Let's see… from left to right," Vash counted. "Onikata Kayoko, Asagi Mutsuki, Rikuhachima Aru, and Igusa Haruka. That's all your real names, right?"

"Uguuh… bwah…"

This is hopeless. "Come on, now. I need to register the correct student ID into Schale's database, so please cooperate."

"Eeeh? Are we in a blacklist, now?" Mutsuki tilted her head to the side.

"No. Who knows what trouble you kids are gonna land in." I have a strong feeling that this isn't going to be our last meeting either. "Just work with me, here. Better than getting bad deals and falling into poverty at the regular, right?"

"...well, that's completely fair." Kayoko was the one who voiced out a response, "At the rate things go, we'll be kicked out from our current rent, and then we'll have to camp out at some empty park."

"Herrgh!" Aru looked like she was about to vomit blood.

"Aru-chan, you've been making weird noise for a whole five minutes, now. You sure you're doing okay? Need a stomachache medicine?" Mutsuki craned her head to the side, but her sneaky attempt in distracting him as she was about to lower her arms for a bit easily failed. "Aww, you're so strict, sensei~!"

"Hawawa… so we've become Schale's pet dog…?"

The hell is that overactive imagination? Vash snorted at the eccentricity of the girl who kept on refusing to meet him in the eyes. Well… whatever. Let's see here…

As he operated the Shittim Chest, Arona turned to have been already fast asleep, so he had to manually navigate through the system to find the right forms. Good thing he practiced… and he also needed to consult a few more things. Whether it be about helping out the debt situation of Abydos, teaching classes, that topic with Hoshino earlier, a semi-serious chat with his digital assistant, and also shooting up an update for the folks at Sanctum Tower.

My schedule is looking to be a hellish mess, but let's just keep going on since we're not at rock bottom just yet… oh, it's done. "Okay, ID matches confirmed, saved, and registered in the system. Thanks for your cooperation. Go ahead and drop that posture, girls."

The Problem Solver 68 respectively sighed in relief. They really were kids who marched at their own pace. If only they could just leave behind this life of crimes, but…

"Just to be sure," Vash said, his tone growing solemn. "None of you have ever been taking missions like kidnapping, imprisonment, torture, or anything like that, right?"

Aru was the first to react, and it was with a ghastly look. "Wh-who do you take us for, terrible brutes without morals?! Only bad guys would do that!"

Didn't you call yourself a criminal elite earlier? What was with that double-standard?

"Hmph! Don't look down on Problem Solver 68! This is the organization I have carefully nurtured with all of my soul!" Aru picked up her sniper rifle and propped the barrel to point towards the starry sky. "Dancing on the vague line between life and death, our hard-boiled way of life is one that walks down a thorny path to glory! Watch us, as we're going to shine on even the darkest corner of the underworld, sensei of Schale!"

...oh, so that's how it is. Vash finally understood. With a soft smile on his face, he dropped his wariness a little bit more. A criminal with strict principles, huh?

He needed to have an understanding heart, then. Well, he worried if these four even attended school study properly, too. It would be bad to know their truancy had led to them wasting their youths entirely, and he had to double-check on their past activity so that he wouldn't miss anything that could not be taken back. Meaning he must directly supervise them when he found the time for it.

Yes, that could work nicely. Surely no other problems would crop up in the meantime.

"...sensei, I think you're on the same level as our boss."

Aww, hush there. He was having a moment, alright? Since his debut as a teacher wasn't going well, he needed moments like this! His dignity was at stake!

"Sigh… is this city really going to be alright…?" Kayoko twisted her lips in irritation. "Off the hook in all sense, too. I really don't get why would you let us go."

"Well," the man paused. "Just don't do anything that crosses the line, and I'll help you girls out as much as I could. Plus, it wouldn't be cool if you do something like before again, right? If you girls still want to be what you stand for, that is."

"...he actually got it? Adults like you are frightening." With a troubled look, the white-and-black haired girl put her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. "Hmph… fine, then. We are going this way, so…"

"Bye-bye! Sensei, let's play together next time!" Mutsuki jumped as she waved her hand energetically. "Best regards to that cutie with glasses, too! Oh, also that sunglasses!"

"Uh… uhm, b-bye…?" Haruka followed.

"Hmph! Next time we meet, things will not be the same." The boss lady combed her long side bang to the side as she turned around. Being the last to follow, her gesture seemed well-practiced, but imagining her practicing both the theatrical action and corny line felt… no, it was likely for the best not to address that. "Also… well. Sensei."

"Uh-huh…?" He blinked twice.

Aru cleared her throat, her voice soon dropping by a notch. "...should you ever wish to visit the black market, do be careful."

Oho, black market, you say…? "Is that concern from the fair, hard-boiled crime lady?"

"H-hmph! Take that as you will! We're going, ladies!"

And so they went, disappearing into the night like the firecrackers they were.

Watching them go like that, it was almost as if they were parting ways in a good term and everything that happened today was simply a bunches of lie. Well, it did feel like a rush of fever dreams, but that was beside the point. Since he got a good enough comprehension of more people native to this strange city, he counted this as a win in his secret notebook.

"Yeah, I guess let's wrap it up here for today."

Vash warmly smiled, turning around into the direction where he last camped out. His newest hideout was about thirty minutes away from Abydos school, so he supposed he could have a bit of detour. Gathering his thoughts together, his footsteps served as his sole companion for the evening.

"Oh, right. Can't forget one last thing."

Better prepare some lectures for tomorrow. Reading up textbooks, poring over teaching primers, composing quizzes and assignments… Vash groaned out, wondering how did his life manage to spin out on such a massive turn from the norm. Well, it didn't look like he was going to have restful sleep, but it was the life of an educator he had decided to shoulder on his back. He didn't have much reasons to back down, and he was still finding his bearing in this strange new world.

Above all else, it was still infinitely better than dealing with overpowered homicidal maniacs intent on spreading senseless misery and nothing else.


"Hmph. Looks like there's still no contact," a gravely voice filled the silence. Within the entirely insulated office, metallic sheen reflected the lights of the nightlife cast from beyond the windows. "So this is how far you can trust in the abilities of mere students, even from so-called professional fixers."

Worthless. Utterly worthless. As expected, there was never a need or reason in taking these kids seriously, their only worth being gullible enough to be sources of money.

"What shall we do, Director?" One of his bodyguards asked.

"Hmph. Nothing goes easy in life." The so-called Director breathed out, the tip of the cigar pinned between his fingers sizzling red. As he tapped the roll of nicotine above the ashtray, black soot sprinkled down. "Freeze their account until results come up. What matters is how to proceed from hereafter."

"...shall we request a session with the special consultant?"

That… wouldn't be a bad idea. Not truly the best choice, however. He still had yet to hear anything about the previous batches requested by the strange man. Something to do with a distant outpost base located outside of the city, and not for the sake of treasure hunting or anything. Considering how the suited consultant had purchased their company's top-of-the-line armored vehicles and Goliaths, he must have had a particularly slippery target to crush… or an army to shatter. Either way, any casualty would have popped up in the internal observatory data log, so at least they weren't being used and disposed of haphazardly.

Even for mechanoids, practical experiences could only be earned in the fields. The soldiers he nurtured were his investment, so any losses equalled fiscal losses for him.

Setting that aside, it was about time for the next negotiation meeting. The enigmatic man he knew was, by nature, quite attached to whatever counted for subjects of "scholarly" interests. Greasing hands at this stage would make that suited collaborator to owe them more favors down the line… yes, he could endure this classless charade completely beneath his station. Not for long, but it was enough for the time being.

"Do that, then." The Director puffed, smoky breath filling the stuffy office's air. This was an expensive cigarette, an extremely rare commodity treated like some cancerous hazard in this city ran by impertinent children. Soon, laughter crawled past his vocal outputs, the electrical circuits inside his mind visualizing the utter look of disdain naked in her listless gaze. Always, the stupid imbecile acted as if she could do whatever she wanted, but not this time. "Let's see what face that cocky brat will show."

The prey was struggling desperately, but the tentacle which had grabbed hold of it would never easily let it go. His personal preference also played part in this boardgame.

"Misery is best savored as the ignorant prey ekes out a dying breath."


When dawn broke out, it wasn't without a little bit of tardiness. Though there could hardly be heard roosters crowing, the city waking up with growing hustle and bustle was wake-up noise enough for the count. Unfortunately for the Abydos Foreclosure Taskforce, they kind of had problems with waking up in time today.

"I'm late…!?" Ayane screamed out, nearly jumping off the bed if not for her sudden remembrance to being wrapped under weighted bed cover. It was all to make her quickly fall asleep a bit easier, but the ringing alarms and the absence of notifications from the Momotalk meant nobody had woken her up… or possibly vice versa, too. "Oh no, oh no!"

When she pulled the curtains, the sun was shining bright. The clear blue sky questioned why was she looking at the world when she still had yet to leave home. After a short round of chaos, the first-year flew out of the front door, a piece of jam-covered toast violently devoured solely by the work of her mouth.

"Oh geez, why is everyone—they're still sleeping!?" Ayane instantly pinged everyone in the group chat five times in rapid succession before throwing her phone into the bag.

And just like that, she fumbled into the clubroom, hair messy and glistening wet while misaligned glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. She roughly inhaled, exhaled, and gasped for airs after sprinting to school with all of her might. However, what greeted her in the clubroom was the scent of freshly roasted coffee beans. As her mind wandered away, her gaze naturally landed on the coffee pot at the joined up table, a white papercup letting out white steams beneath the warm morning sunshine.

"Oh, Ayane? Hey." And sitting near the windows, a dark-haired man whose hairs stood on ends waved. The same white coat denoting his allegiance to the supreme authority ruling the city was put aside, hanging onto the back of the folding chair. The adult man crossed his legs with a thick book held in his hand. "Go ahead and put down your luggage."

"Eh… ah, y-yes…" Why was Vash here first? Did she even tell him about where they kept the spare key? Oh, but they had already shown him where to find the spares last night on top of the breaker and... No, wait, more importantly… "Umm. Vash, sensei…?"

"Don't worry about homeroom." The teacher of Schale smiled. "Yesterday turned hectic and everyone stayed up till it got so late, so classes will begin later than the usual. I'll wait for… another thirty minutes?"

"O-oh… that's, well… thank you very much?"

"No biggie." Vash shrugged. He would have felt like true teacher if not for his following words. "Also, let's hold back on the strategy meeting, if that's alright with you?"

But that's really important… Ayane couldn't help but to frown. Their school had been receiving harassment almost constantly for the past few months. It even escalated and now fixers were being set on them. No ordinary criminal group could funnel the money, subvert the resources, and arm their hired muscles in this manner. The more she thought about it, the more she dreaded over the fact that her friends were being dragged by the flow into a giant whirlpool, and she couldn't have that. After all… if that is truly the case, then…

How? How were they supposed to be able to resolve—

"Don't forget about your school life." Vash's soft smile was all too sincere. "You need to feel at home in the place you strongly wish to protect."

How could he be so convincing? "...that's unfair. You're an unfair adult, sensei."

"What can I say? Adults need to have some tricks up their sleeves, after all." And now his smile crooked into frivolousness. As he rubbed the space between his nose and lips with an index finger, he closed the book he was reading and put it away. "Now, let's get ready for homeroom. The others are arriving soon, right? Can you help me out, Ayane?"

Ayane chewed on the inside of her cheek. She really, really wanted to say something about this, to reason that it'd be much better if they could hold an emergency meeting in response to the sudden downpour of incidents. However, she couldn't miss the fact that the adult was right. She and her seniors were students. They had a school life to live, study to catch up, assignments to pore over, and a future to reflect on.

If they forgot even that, then were they any better than selfish outlaws? Being placed in the same group as drop-outs personally didn't sit well with her, too…

"Sensei," the glasses-wearing first-year called out. Reluctant as she was, an ordinary schoolday might truly be what the club needed for now. "Just in case. What will you be teaching us, today…?"

The teacher hummed in thought. He looked back to her and grinned. "Well, math's all the same no matter where you go, right?"

Colors rapidly drained away from Ayane's face and fled into the floor sink. Forget about the disturbing nonchalance accompanying those words. Out of all things, why did it have to be arithmetic class right in the morning? The girl puffed her cheeks, pouting as she glared with impotent anger at the teacher.

"You're a mean adult, sensei!"

"Oh, come on! Math is universally useful!"

Well, that was true. Be that as it may, that didn't mean Ayane like the idea of studying math for the first period!


A/N: When you think about it, BA events and main volume story barely have anything to do with actual school subjects, don't they?

edit: fixed broken formatting that somehow happened while importing file into the doc manage