Vol 1. Chapter 12 – Astarte's Folly

The sound of Serika slamming her hand into the tabletop echoed throughout the main clubroom, even as everyone stared at the paperwork in stunned silence.

"What in the heck is this?!"

Shiroko shook her head, dismayed. She flipped through the account book, trying to see if there was any other way to explain what she was reading. No matter what she did, as much as she wished it to be otherwise, the words on the pages weren't changing.

"Nn. It's exactly what it says it is." Shiroko answered, her voice barely a whisper. "This truck transport log is from last month. It says 'Abydos – 7,880,000 yen collected'. Then, 'Helmet Gang – 5,000,000 yen delivered. Transaction note: Mission Funds'. The dates line up."

"You don't mean…" Nonomi said, lacking her usual cheer.

Serika slammed the table again, eyes glowing with fury. "Right after they took our cash, they delivered it straight to the Helmet Gang's base to fund their mission?!"

"I can't believe it," Ayane muttered; shell shocked as she fell back into a chair. "The Helmet Gang was acting under the orders of Kaiser Loans?!"

Nonomi sat as well, face screwed up in thought. "But why would they do that? They won't be paid if the school goes bankrupt. It doesn't make any sense…"

"But it does."

Everyone's attention shifted to where Nelson-Sensei was sitting and paused. Shiroko even saw Hifumi flinch in the background. The air that surrounded Nelson was heavy, like a thunderstorm on the horizon. There was no cheer or amusement in her expression, with her lips pulled deep into a frown and eyes narrowed. She could swear that the Teacher's eyes flickered slightly in the light of the room.

She felt a chill settle in the room as the Adult reached over and picked up the log. Nelson flipped through it page by page. With every page that passed, her expression stayed the same. But the tension palatable in the air grew thicker with every movement. Finally, she softly placed the log back between them. Everyone watched, breath held for the Adult's reaction.

"I understand their motives clearly." Nelson finally said, her voice soft and even. She stood up, pushing her chair out of the way, and slowly walked up to the window. She stared out through it into the evening sun-lit city. They could not see her face as the Adult continued to speak. "You say they will not be paid if the school goes bankrupt, Izayoi. But the fact is, as it stands, they will not be paid regardless. Abydos cannot hope to pay off the loan in any reasonable time frame. You know this. I know this. They know this."

"You don't mean…" Hoshino shot up, her chair slamming into the wall behind the tiny president.

Nelson nodded. "If they cannot be repaid with liquid assets, then they will take what illiquid assets they can claim."

Shiroko frowned at the answer. It made sense. Too much sense. "This has to go beyond just a simple bank scheme. There's no way that Kaiser Loans could do this without the Kaiser Corporation Head Office knowing…"

"But what else is there to take from Abydos?" Hifumi asked, staring down at the table. Then she noticed the looks everyone had shifted towards her. "Ah! Sorry, it's just Abydos is the size of a small district now. There's nothing left besides the school building, the city core, and the desert."

"Yes…" Nelson muttered. "Nothing but the school, the city, and the desert…"

Shiroko saw Hoshino freeze at the repetition even as the Adult stood there, quietly staring out into the city. After a few moments, Nelson clicked her tongue in annoyance. The noise was sharp, like a bullet in the silence of the clubroom. She turned around and, running a hand through her hair, started walking to the exit. "Okusora. I will be sending you a copy of the evidence I have acquired from the bank. I must consult with Schale and other resources."

With that, Nelson walked out of the clubroom. Almost instantly the nearly oppressive edge in the room dropped, and Hifumi breathed out a sigh of relief before speaking. "I'm glad Nelson-Sensei is much more reasonable than what I've been told. I thought she'd be angrier than that!"

Everyone stared at Hifumi and Shiroko saw confusion seep into her expression. Shiroko knew the Trinity girl had only been with them, so she couldn't fault her for not knowing. But still. She deserved to know.

"Hifumi," Shiroko began, the confused blonde turning to look at her. "I don't think I've ever seen Nelson-Sensei angrier than this."

Hifumi rode the train back to Trinity, idly staring out the window at the passing terrain. She started this day with a pretty simple task. Find her Peroro merch. Just a quick trip into the Black-Market district to visit a less-than-legal store, and then take a train back home. Simple, barely an inconvenience.

Instead, she almost got kidnapped by thugs, ran into the Adult Nagisa was talking about, got press-ganged into robbing a bank, became the leader of a gang of robbers, and was now a witness to a situation she couldn't forgive.

Except, the words that Hoshino sent her off with kept echoing throughout her mind.

"Our school is on the verge of collapse. It doesn't matter if it's a super-academy like Trinity or Gehenna. If they didn't want to help before, they won't want to help now even if Nelson-Sensei is involved. Do you get what I'm saying?"

She hated that. She hated knowing that maybe Trinity knew that these girls were suffering, and chose to do nothing. But she knew that Hoshino was right as well. If Trinity wasn't willing to help before, then why would they help now? One Adult, no matter how skilled at fighting or politics, could reverse the course of Abydos.

But maybe it was because nobody tried before. And Nagisa was going to want to hear about how her trip went anyway, so why not bring it up?

She owed it to them to at least try.

Her phone rang.

Hoshino didn't need to look to know who was calling. He always seemed to have a knack for knowing when she was most off-balance. So, she ignored it again, as she laid on the bed in her nap room.

She hated thinking about it and hated considering how Nelson-Sensei might be right. But it made sense. They could never repay the debt, so Kaiser must have shifted focus onto the land of Abydos itself. That still had value, more value than whatever money they could scrounge up in their lifetimes to pay off. If they could take control of the school and force the last students of Abydos out of the district, then they would be able to do whatever they wanted with the land.

And she had just let it happen. So much for being the last Student Council member of Abydos. She was so blinded by the problems before them, that she didn't bother looking beyond today. Kaiser had outplayed her and let her craft the noose that they were going to hang Abydos with, all the while pretending to be uncaring.

She hated them. She hated how they lied and cheated to get them to this spot, where Abydos's ruin was only held back by their need to drag it out. The work of everyone that came before her, no matter how badly thought out, would be for nothing. Yume's dreams would never see reality, no matter how naïve they were.

And no matter how she looked at it, there was no way He didn't know. If He could do what He kept promising her, then He had to have known what Kaiser's goals were all along. Nobody could promise to help wipe out that much debt without some level of power within Kaiser. Even if He didn't directly lie to her, it was still a lie of omission. He was still another liar, added to the pyre that burned at her feet.

But knowing that, and being able to do something were two different things. He never lied to her directly, and she didn't doubt that He could do what He promised. But what else was He hiding from her? What exactly was His interest in her being 'The Strongest Mystic in Kivotos'? What was He planning, and how much of that plan would see Him betray her again? She didn't know.

The phone rang again.

Hoshino picked it up and stared at the screen. The numbers confirmed what she needed to know. Her finger hovered over the answer button for countless heartbeats as she tried to think of what to do. She knew what she wanted to do. But when she thought about going through with it, to simply slide that button and answer, she hesitated. She kept hesitating.

She knew why. It wasn't hard when she was lying on a monument to the reason why. There was a bitterness to all this. Hoshino didn't know what to think of Nelson when the Adult arrived in Kivotos. She was an Adult, like the people in Kaiser, like Him, and like the teachers that abandoned Abydos to its fate. She was ready to hate her, waiting for the shoe to drop and for Nelson to show her true colours.

But the shoe never dropped. Nelson-Sensei fought with them from the start, always putting herself in the most exposed position. Always the anchor of the line, the anvil to Abydos's hammer. The Teacher never hesitated to put herself in the most dangerous spot, even when she didn't have to. But that doubt remained, even when it seemed like Nelson-Sensei was what she claimed to be.

Hoshino hated that she doubted the Adult right up to the moment that the Helmet Gang tried to kidnap Serika. Right up to the second Serika told them that the Adult she still had tagged as a potential enemy had asked to be left behind, confident that they would come back for her. That hate didn't settle in until she had to help drag the supremely heavy Adult onto the helicopter, and had the chance to see the wounds up close.

That anger that she had against Nelson for lying about who she was paled in comparison to the anger she felt towards herself. Because she knew that, on some level, the Council and Nelson were right in their assessment. If the Adult had introduced herself as a supernatural ghostlike entity who used to be a ship, Hoshino would have doubted the Adult even more. She wouldn't have even considered accepting Nelson's help.

The phone rang a third time.

Hoshino stared at the phone. Was there no other way out of this? She knew Nelson was still in Abydos, even if she hadn't seen her the entire day. The Adult was busy trying to come up with something. But Hoshino didn't know if she would find an answer. She didn't want to doubt the Adult, but she couldn't help it. Even now, she found it hard to put faith in an Adult.

But at the same time, she remembered.

Of a conversation held in this room under moonlight.

Of an understanding that Nelson would never stop because she had nothing left to lose.

Of a revelation that Nelson valued those around her deeply because she saw no value in herself.

Of an awareness that Nelson did not fear death because she saw herself as dead already.

Of a realization that Nelson and her were more alike than different.

After all, wasn't she also lying to her friends to keep them safe? Wasn't she also prepared to sacrifice herself, to risk death, simply so the others could live happily?

The phone rang a fourth time.

What was it that she told Nelson that night? That Nelson should trust them too? That Nelson didn't have to take it all alone? Was she prepared to do the same for the Adult?

Only one way to find out.

"I'd like to talk."

"Here's your order," Shiba Seki's Master's gruff voice broke the conversation at the table, several bowls sliding onto the table between them.

I watched as the various girls of Problem Solver 68 gave their thanks, along with Shiroko's nod. She had been less than amused to find out who we were meeting, but we were running out of options. The situation was escalating quickly and I needed more hands on deck.

"I wasn't expecting you to call us so soon," Aru said between bites of ramen, a happy smile on her face. "It's a good thing you didn't call us these last two days. We've been a bit busy."

"Oh? Do tell." I said with an even voice as my fingers drummed against my bicep. I could see Shiroko freeze in the corner of my vision as well.

Aru seemed to notice something was off, pausing her meal as she glanced between Shiroko and I with a frown. After a moment, the frown transitioned into a smug grin. "Oh, nothing that you should be concerned about. We just had to move our office after our previous employer attacked us."

Her previous employer had to be Kaiser as well. It was too much of a coincidence for it to be anything else. The Helmet Gang collapsed, so Kaiser hired Problem Solver 68 to escalate. The only stroke of luck was that Problem Solver, tactically talented as they may be, were not all too strategically competent.

"I still can't believe they're your sources," Shiroko grumbled from her seat next to me, faintly pouting as she ate. "You should hire someone better, Sensei."

Aru's focus snapped away from me and onto the wolfgirl, who just greeted the attention with a stare of her own. Neither said anything for a second before Aru's grin shifted into a sneer.

"Oh?" She asked, voice tauntingly singsong, "Are you jealous Nelson-Sensei's choosing to work with some real professionals instead?"

"Professional clowns, maybe." Aru sputtered at Shiroko's retort before pointing an accusatory finger at the Abydos girl.

"At least I'm running a successful business!"

"Then why is Sensei paying today?"

"She offered! It's part of the negotiations!"

I sighed as the two continued their back and forth, while Haruka nervously glanced between the two. Kayoko didn't seem particularly worried. Mutsuki, however, was eating up the scene with glee before she turned to me. "You should have hired us sooner, Sensei! I'll never get bored again at this rate!"

"Thank you, Ms. Asagi. I strive to be Kivotos's premier entertainer," I replied, voice dry. The little imp shot back with a smirk and returned to watching the arguing duo. I followed her gaze and sighed as I saw Aru standing, puffing out her chest to appear larger than she was. Meanwhile, Shiroko stared back unbowed and unamused.

"Enough," I said, breaking their staredown as I stuck my arm between the two. "Sunaōkami, do not antagonize Problem Solver 68. I brought you along because I trust you to be discreet with what I will be telling them; while still respecting Kuromi's desire for me to have an escort. Ms. Rikuhachima, while I may respect the professional aspect of your attack; it was still an attack against Abydos. It is their right to still be upset at you for your actions."

"OK." "Very well, Sensei."

The two settled back down and fortunately, the meal was completed without any further fights. As soon as the table was cleared, Aru leaned forward on the table. A familiar smirk settled on her face as her eyes glowed faintly in the light of the restaurant.

"Well, Sensei," Aru said, voice even and cool as she schooled her expression into a dispassionate stare. "Let's hear about this job."

I twisted a file folder out of my storage. Aru managed to keep her cool at the casual display of my power, although Haruka and Kayoko were both watching; mystified. "The stakes are quite a bit higher than I would like for a first task, but I need more sailors on hand."

I placed the file folder onto the table and slid it over into the middle of the table. Aru nodded and Kayoko picked it up. She kept her eyes on me even as Kayoko began reading the contents of the file. After a few moments, the serious Section Chief looked up at the two of us. "Sensei wants us to investigate the activities of Kaiser Corporation in Abydos's territory."

"Really? That does sound like quite a dangerous job. How much are you willing to pay, Sensei?" Aru asked as she made a show of checking her nails.

"Half again your usual rates. You will be allowed to take any cash or easily liquidated items you discover under the prize law clauses. I only need information."

"Kaiser is a dangerous group to make into an enemy. I'm going to need double."

I raised an eyebrow, staring at Aru. For her part, she managed to keep eye contact, even if the smug grin became a lot less confident. "Surely, a criminal boss as seasoned as you would realize that you have already crossed that bridge? Why do you think I would ask you to investigate Kaiser on Abydos' behalf, after you were hired by a mysterious group to attack Abydos?

Half again, and you get to keep any grey-market goods on top."

Aru seemed ready to make another offer when Shiroko tilted her head, a small frown on her face. "Wait. Why are they getting paid to take stuff?"

"Is this really the time?" I asked the wolfgirl, who returned my question with a defiant stare. Aru looked between the two of us and seemed to realize something. She produced the Letter I provided her from her jacket, smiling the smuggest grin she seemed able to.

"Oh? Didn't Nelson-Sensei tell you?" She said, voice lilting in amusement as she stared down Shiroko. "She graciously signed us a contract that lets us steal from her enemies at her command."

I could see the gears turning in Shiroko's mind before she slowly turned me, expression inscrutable. "You made a real privateer contract?"

I ignored Aru's muttered "Privateer? That sounds cool," as I rubbed the brow of my nose. I was hoping Aru wouldn't mention that, but I had vastly overestimated the hopeful delinquent. "Please do not say a word to Okusora. I had the letter made after the meeting; in case she ever changed her mind. Circumstances just dictated that Ms. Rikuhachima received it."

Shiroko continued to stare at me. Kayoko was once again looking oddly uncomfortable, while Haruka seemed increasingly anxious. Aru's smugness was likely through the roof. And Mutsuki?

Well, now she had a can of soda to go with her show.

After a moment, Shiroko turned away with a grunt. "Fine." She declared. "I won't tell Ayane this time."

That was as good as it's going to get from her for now. I turned back to Aru, who still managed to carry that smug grin on her face. "And do you have anything else you wish to negotiate?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I've got everything I wanted!"

Aru was feeling pretty great. She and her friends managed to get away from their previous employer, and now they got their first commission from Nelson. Things were going better than expected.

It's just that...

"Doesn't it feel like we're losing our edge?"

All her friends stopped and turned to stare at her. Fortunately, that Abydos Girl and Nelson-Sensei were still inside. They wouldn't be able to listen in on this conversation.

"What do you mean?" asked Kayoko, frowning as she tried to puzzle out what Aru meant.

Aru waved at Shiba Seki Ramen. "I mean, think about it! We're trying to be outlaws! Fixers! But right now, we're acting as private eyes. We're basically cops at this point!"

"I mean, Sensei is paying us to steal from her enemies. That seems pretty outlaw-like to me."

"It's not the same," Aru answered with a frown. "I signed her contract to get us a fresh start. But here we are stuck listening to somebody else's orders again."

"I don't think it's that bad," Kayoko said after a few moments of silence, ignoring the betrayed look Aru sent her. "Sensei doesn't seem like the type to send mercenaries after us if we mess up like the last guy."

"Probably because she'd do it herself," muttered Mutsuki, just quietly enough for them to hear.

Kayoko ignored the interruption and continued, "And after all the problems we've had, her promise to give us backup if we ask for it is worth more than the money she might give us."

Aru sighed as she leaned against the streetside barrier. "I guess. It just doesn't sound very outlaw-like."

"U-um, Lady Aru?" Haruka finally said, glancing nervously between her and Kayoko. "Maybe it's not outlaw-like, but privateer-like?"

"It does sound cool, but what is a privateer anyway?"

Kayoko's phone was already up, typing in the question. After a moment, she answered, "Kiwipedia says 'A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war.' It seems it's a pretty old term for ships that were hired by the government to rob other ships."

Wait a minute. Ships that robbed other ships? That sounded like… "A pirate?"

Kayoko's lips pursed at Aru's question, eyes narrowing as she scanned the Kiwipedia article on her phone. Slowly, she turned back to Aru. "Well… it does say it's pretty hard to tell the difference between the two but –"

"Pirates it is!" Mutsuki shouted, a smirk on her face. "Basically, Nelson-Sensei is paying us to be pirates!"

"That's not right at all," Kayoko muttered but Aru didn't quite process that. The idea of being a pirate… that didn't sound half bad. A pirate was just another outlaw, after all. They ranked pretty high up there on the scale of cool villains. But there was just one problem.

"We don't have a ship," Aru pointed out.

Mutsuki shrugged, her smirk still bright and center. "We'll find one later. For now, it sounds like Nelson-Sensei is paying us to be pirates and that's pretty cool if you ask me!"

That was true. They could always find a boat later. There weren't that many sailing schools in Kivotos, but surely, they could find a boat they could buy or rent for cheap later.

Maybe it'd be cheaper than renting their office.

The door chime of the restaurant ringing stopped any further thought on that, and the Wolfgirl strode out into the street. Nelson-Sensei followed a second later, ducking under the door frame to join them on the street.

"My apologies for the delay, I had to resolve an issue with my payment card," Nelson said as she joined the group, bowing her head apologetically.

"It's not a problem," Aru said casually, slipping into her normal mask of smug superiority. "It's the least we could do after you so graciously offered to pay for our meals. Were there any other details about the job for us to know?"

"Yes, just a few more. I need you to locate any weapon caches that were supplied to the Helmet Gang. Any documents showing the transfer of property are a priority target."

"Oh? You think Kaiser was supplying weapons to the Helmet Gang?"

"I do not think they were. I know it. I just need the evidence to prove it."

"It sounds like you have a plan."

"Something of the s-" Nelson began, before cutting off abruptly. Her head instantly snapped to a position over the horizon as she tensed, hand reaching for a sword that wasn't there.

"What's wrong?" asked Aru as she unslung her rifle. She hadn't known the Adult long, but even she knew something must be happening for her to react like that.

Nelson frowned, even as she scanned the horizon. "I swore I heard… short-range indirect fire weapons? Mortars?"

That was strange. As annoying as they were, the students of Abydos were the only significant armed force in the district. Valkyrie didn't operate this far and there weren't enough residents to justify a heavily armed police force. So why on Kivotos were there mortars? And who could they possibly be shooting at?

Aru got her answer when the street in front and around them exploded.

The Prefect Team member looked up from her radio, giving them a thumbs up. "Direct hit on the targets!"

Iori nodded, pushing up two trackers on the map down the streets where the delinquents had been found. "Good. Mortars, deploy smoke. Squads one and two, move in."

"I don't like this," muttered Chinatsu as she watched smoke fill the street, and two squads advance into it. This entire operation was right on top of Nelson-Sensei's current mission. "We're stepping on Abydos's toes here."

"Huh?" snapped Iori, looking away from the advancing front of their troops. "What about those losers?"

"It's not Abydos I'm worried about. Nelson-Sensei is supposed to be in Abydos right now. I don't want her to get involved in this."

"It's just one Adult. Why should we care?"

The question sent Chinatsu's thoughts to a screeching halt. Chinatsu turned to stare at her fellow Prefect Executive, hoping that she heard wrong. "I sent out the dossier. Didn't you read it?"

"Didn't see a reason to read it, so I just skimmed it," Iori admitted with a shrug. "I mean, it's just one Adult. What could they possibly do to stop us?"

Oh no. That wasn't good. Iori had launched this attack with incomplete information. "Abydos was informed of this operation, right? We sent a notice stating our intentions and informing them of our plans, right?"

"What for? We don't want these loser delinquents catching wind of this plan. Why waste the time or effort when we can just blow away anyone who opposes our official duties?"

Chinatsu stared at Iori, looking deep into the other girl's eyes, hoping desperately for any sign that this was a joke. That she would tell her 'sike' and joke about how she didn't just admit to overstepping jurisdictions.

Iori just looked back, confused.

"So, they don't know we're here?" asked Chinatsu.

"Nope."

"And you fired the mortars without letting Abydos know?"

"Once again, I don't see a problem."

An attack during daytime in a civilian district, without prompting or warning, and with overwhelming force. The perfect example of a Prefect Team assault, that left little for the opposing force to respond to. Students from within and without Gehenna feared the lockstep march of the Prefect Team, just from the sound echoing down the streets.

This same setup was also, as Chinatsu knew, all things that would serve to upset Nelson-Sensei. Incredibly so.

"We need to stop this operation. I need to talk to Ako bef-"

Whatever Chinatsu had to say was immediately interrupted as a scream tore through the streets. A second later, a member of Squad One flew out of the smoke, slammed into the ground, bounced, and rolled to a stop in front of Iori and Chinatsu. The girl groaned in pain before she passed out, Halo blinking out.

"WHO DARES?!" bellowed a familiar voice from within the smoke. Windows rattled in their frame from the volume, and Chinatsu felt the shout rattle in her bones. It was a volume that she had only heard once before, at the lobby of the Council building.

Everyone paused in their advance, looking up at the smoke. After a second, the sound of gunfire roared out. Then, screaming. More screaming. And then silence. Painful, uncomfortable silence.

A silence that was broken by the sound of a single heavy footstep. Then another. The ground seemed to shake with every footfall, and Chinatsu could feel her heart racing even as she knew what was coming.

A familiar figure breached through the smoke. Still taller than anyone Chinatsu had ever met. Prim white uniform marred by mild burn marks and shrapnel cuts. Strange metal-heeled boots. A sword in one hand, and an unconscious Prefect Team Member clutched by the head in the other. Burning blue eyes that darted from person to person, even as her lips struggled to hold back a snarling scowl.

Chinatsu swallowed, throat suddenly dry in the face of the pure anger and malevolence that radiated from the Adult before them. She turned to Iori, who suddenly seemed a lot less confident, and pointed at Nelson-Sensei.

"This," she said, voice wavering lightly, "is why we follow procedures."

I thought I was plenty used to anger since my summoning in Kivotos. I had been involved in quite a few, frankly, ridiculous situations. Some of it was rather silly. Some of it was rather stressful. And some of it was fairly upsetting.

This was the last category.

"What do you think you are doing?" I demanded. I struggled to keep my voice even, the sound of alarms faintly present behind me.

The unfamiliar tanned Prefect Team executive stepped forward, scowling and chest puffed confidently. She wore a white button-up shirt and black tie, along with a black mini-skirt. The same Prefect Team armband as Chinatsu was on her left arm, and she wore a pair of black shooting gloves. Her long white hair was bundled up into twintails by black ribbons, while a long black harpoon-like tail hung behind her. Her halo, a dark grey three-pronged crosshair intersecting two circles, hung behind her head.

She shouted, voice confident as ruby red eyes stared me down, "We are engaging in official Prefect Team duties! Get out of the way or you will be treated…" Her voice immediately hitched as I locked eyes with her, daring her to continue. Still, she finished her sentence, "as an… enemy…"

The sheer idiocy of what the girl just said sent my ears ringing as a wave of anger washed over me, like waves over the bow. There was a clarity in the anger. I could sense Problem Solver trying to run in the opposite direction of the smoke. I could sense where Shiroko was trying to evacuate Master out of the damaged Shiba Seki Ramen. I could sense a Scanhawk drone above, which meant the rest of the Task Force must be nearing.

I took a deep breath, held it, and exhaled. I imagined the anger leaving into the ground as I tossed the Prefect Team member in my hand to the side. I was only the Adviser for Abydos at this time. I wasn't a part of the politics and I couldn't demand they leave.

Fortunately, someone who could speak for Abydos quickly dashed through the smoke; blue flames licking off Serika's form. She scanned the sight with a scowl, before turning and pointing an accusatory finger at me. "I knew it! We shouldn't have let you meet with Problem Solver 68!"

"Is now really the time?" I asked with a sigh.

"Yes!" She shouted, waving at the craters in the street, the damage to the building, and to where Shiroko was helping a scraped-up Master out of the restaurant. "I let you out of our sight for one afternoon and this happens!"

"Perhaps we should question the people responsible for it, then?"

My response snapped Serika back to reality, and she spun around with a growl to where the Prefect Team was still waiting. It took a second, but I could see the recognition slip into her expression. She turned to me; confusion clear in her face as she spoke, "Wait, why is the Prefect Team here?"

"Because I was meeting with Problem Solver 68," I answered. "I suspect the Prefect Team may be here to make good of their warrants on them."

Serika stared at me for a little longer, before turning around with a huff. "I knew letting you meet with them was going to be a problem! Now we have to take care of these idiots," she said as Nonomi and Shiroko joined us on the street.

"Master is fine," said Shiroko as she made it within earshot. "The mortars broke his windows and started a small fire, but we put it out. I asked…" She paused as she looked down the street at the rest of the Prefect Team, who were still frozen in shock from my entrance. "I asked some strangers to help take him to the hospital."

I was going to add to the conversation when I noticed something. A certain tiny president who would be extremely helpful in navigating the political quagmire we were currently in "Ayane, where is Takanashi?"

"I don't know, Sensei," Ayane's voice crackled in my headset, a worried tone in her voice. "I can't reach her. She's never been out of contact for this long before…"

"So then the executive decision falls to those present."

Abydos seemed to flinch at my declaration, the three Students present glancing at each other. After a second, Shiroko nodded and stepped forward. "Nn. We must all agree on this. We have to resist the Prefect Team."

"What!" "What?" "Oh?" Serika, Ayane, and Nonomi's reaction cut through the circle.

"They attacked Abydos. We have to respond. We have to defend our home."

Serika and Ayane both seemed shocked by the wolfgirl's aggressiveness. Nonomi, however, was rubbing her chin in contemplation. "She's not wrong. The Prefect Team is the official academy armed forces of Gehenna. Them being in Abydos and shelling our district's neighborhood without warning can be seen as an act of sanctioned political violence by Gehenna against us."

"… you're right, Nonomi," Ayane's agreement came after a moment of silence. "They didn't follow procedure and inform us of their presence. They escalated this into a political conflict the second they entered our district. Problem Solver might be wanted in Gehenna, but that doesn't give the Prefect Team carte blanche to project force in our jurisdiction without our say-so."

"Yeah, you're right! How dare they?! They're basically splitting in our faces!" shouted Serika as she unslung her rifle, racking the charging handle. "I'm gonna make them pay for what they did to Shiba Seki and Master!"

"Oh yeah?!" The white-haired Executive shouted back, stepping forward. "Don't make me laugh! We're Gehenna's Prefect Team. You're outnumbered 60 to 1. Punks like you stand no chance! Step aside and let us do our jobs or we'll blow you away."

"You attacked us first. We won't let you do whatever you want." Shiroko declared firmly, rifle in her hand.

I watched Chinatsu grab her fellow Executive by the sleeve, tugging her as if to tell her to stop. The effort seems to have failed though, as the girl shook her off and stepped forward. "Fine, you want to do this the hard way then?"

The girl raised her hand as if to order the Prefect Team members to advance. Abydos tensed, ready for the incoming fight. There was still one last chance for me to defuse this situation.

Everyone halted when the sound of my sword slamming into the ground echoed throughout the empty street, the asphalt cracking from the force of the impact. All eyes turned to me as I stepped forward, in front of Abydos.

"I will give this one offer," My voice echoed throughout the still street, as I looked up at Chinatsu. "Ms. Hinomiya has assisted me previously. Out of respect to her, I would ask that Abydos give the Prefect Team one chance to explain themselves before you treat this as the act of war it is."

"I can answer that," answered an unfamiliar voice, crackling in over our comms.

"Somebody's hacked into the comms!" Ayane called out. Shiroko's ears twitched, but her eyes never left the tense form of Nelson's back or the enemies beyond them. A hologram of an unfamiliar blue-haired girl sprung up between Hinomiya and the other executive.

"Ako?" "Administrator Ako…" Another Prefect Team executive? Shiroko was sure of it, going by the reactions of the two in front of them.

"Greetings, Abydos students and Nelson-Sensei. My name is Ako, and I'm the senior administrator of the Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team," Ako said, voice polite and even. "I'd like to take a moment to explain what's going on if you don't mind?"

Nelson-Sensei looked to the side, seeming in thought. An eyebrow cocked up before she looked back towards Shiroko and the rest of Abydos. "Well, Abydos, do you accept their parley?"

"Yes, we do," Ayane cut in, her voice serious and terse. "If you're the Senior Administrator, wouldn't that make you the Prefect Team's second-in-command?"

Ako giggled, her hologram waving off the question. "Gosh no! Nothing as glamorous as that. Really, I'm just more of a support for the Head Prefect."

"So, you speak for the Head Prefect then? There's no other reason why the Prefect Team would look so nervous," asked Shiroko, eyeing the worried looks of the Prefect Team members and Executives. Well, Executive. Chinatsu didn't really look nervous, but rather upset.

"A very astute observation!" congratulated Ako, as she swiped through the tablet in her hand "You must be Sunaōkami Shiroko, then. I hear that all that was left of Abydos's district was its Student Council. Am I correct in guessing it must be those present?" A hum, filled with curiosity. "But my information says there's supposed to be five members. It looks like you're missing someone?"

"The president is unavailable at the moment," answered Ayane. "We're not the Student Council. We're the Foreclosure Task Force."

"Okusora, right? Are there no Student Council members present, then? I'd like to speak with them if you please."

"The Abydos Student Council is long gone! We're the acting Student Council for all intents and purposes. So if you've got something to say, you can say it to us!" Serika ground out, stamping her feet angrily. Everyone was distracted, so Shiroko was pretty sure nobody noticed Nelson twitching slightly at the mention of the Abydos Student Council.

How curious.

"Well if that's the case, Kuromi," Ako continued, "allow me to apologize for my field commander's reckless misuse of force."

"What the hell!" The white-haired executive shouted. "I was just following orders, Ako!"

"Were your orders to blindly engage using indiscriminate bombardment from the start?"

"W-well, no, but supporting firepower is a mainstay of tactical deployments for infantry."

"And did you operate with necessary precautions to ensure operational security while within the district of another academy?"

"I mean…"

Ako cut off the white-haired girl with a hand, before turning back to them. "Again. My sincere apologies. The Gehenna Prefect Team was rapidly mobilized to take specific wanted individuals into custody. This was an unfortunate incident, but since nothing illegal has happened, I hope we can count on your understanding due to the urgent nature of the situation, and that you will cooperate with the execution of our duties."

Ayane's response was instant, "No! That's not gonna happen! An academy like Gehenna should know to ask for permission rather than forgiveness. Abusing your massive forces to wantonly conduct tactical operations at a tiny school like ours? That's a crystal-clear breach of jurisdictional authority!"

The sound of a hand slamming into a table echoed throughout the radio as Ayane shouted, the Secretary's voice echoing through their comm, "It's disgraceful that an academy of Gehenna's size and caliber would abuse their power to launch this kind of assault!"

"Nn," Shiroko grunted as she nodded in agreement. "Problem Solver 68 may have caused us some problems, but what you've done is much worse."

"They might be idiots that spat in Sensei's generosity, but they're criminals! You're official! You should know better!" Serika added, scowling at the Prefect Team.

Nonomi chuckled, readying her minigun. "That's right. They broke Abydos's laws, but what you've done is break Federal law and started a political incident."

"In conclusion," Ayane finally picked up. "Screw you and your negotiations! We demand that the Gehenna Prefect Team removes its forces immediately!"

Nelson-Sensei nodded, crossing her arms across her chest. "Well Miss, It seems Abydos has spoken. As the Adviser of the Federal Investigation Club Schale, it would be extremely problematic if you were to continue in your current operation. I would advise you to withdraw."

Ako was silent before sighing. "Well, this is quite the pickle. If that's how it has to be… Truly, it brings me no joy to do this, but… I guess we have no choice but to use force."

Shiroko paused, frowning in confusion. Serika and Nonomi did the same. She heard Ayane cry out "What?!" while Nelson seemed to stumble a single step forward in surprise. Chinatsu shouted "Seriously?!" loud enough for it to echo throughout the street.

But before anyone could react further, a large plastic explosive brick landed in the middle of the Prefect Team formation. Those closest to it only had the time to stare at it and look at each other in shock, before it detonated.

AN: Sometimes you can rely on political difficulties and barriers to keep people from doing stupid things. And then you have Ako, who strives to demonstrate how mere things like 'acts of war' and 'federal crimes' are merely a speedbump on the road to success.

Or you know, just a wall. It's sometimes just a wall. And sometimes that wall is a tall angry blonde British battleship. Whoops.

Well I'm sure that said battleship wouldn't have any problems or qualms about a greater military power suddenly attacking and invading a smaller power.

Wait.

Thanks again to my friend for beta-reading!