Been later than expected from the last chapter, huh? Sorry about that one. Sort of went big, and then I divided those chapters in two. Don't worry though, I'll update them soon enough.
And so to begin, we won't start with Cain in Abydos, but have a look at a little angel back in a convenience store. Enjoy!
*A Convenient Interlude*
"Ah, yes, a pack of ALReady AA batteries? Of course, right over there in the middle!"
"A bento box? I'll heat it up and give you some chopsticks!"
"A pack of Malboroughs? Please give me proper certification of your age!"
"Thank you for your patronage! Please come again to Angel24!"
After sending another line of buyers along their way with a smile and a wave, she could finally take some time to rest in between groups.
It's been a few days, but she's somehow gotten the hang of this. Scanning items, telling people where everything is, calculating change and having to deal with the little idiosyncrasies of every purchase… It was hard work, but it felt good.
"Goodness me, what a hardworking child you are. It's good to see the youth working so hard."
A middle tabby cat walked up to her, her fair still bright with color, a small basket of various groceries in hand. Nothing out of the ordinary other than the bento box she heated up, so she could just scan things at her leisure as she talked.
"Oh, thank you very much!" She said happily. "I'm just doing my best."
"I can see that!" She said with a chuckle. "Still, aren't you a bit young for this job?"
"Yes. Yes I am," she said with a straight face, earning a confused glance from the old cat before a chuckle erupted from both of them. "Well, I really need the money, and nobody else would take me up on my offers, so I went here to Angel24. My shifts aren't too long, and I get enough time to study using Blu-Rays and online classes during breaks, so everything's fine for me."
"At least it isn't cutting into your study time," she said firmly, watching as she deftly scanned a toothbrush, a bag of medicine and several other items through their conversation with ease. "I must say, you handle these customers rather well for someone so young. Did anyone teach you?"
And here was the crux of it all. One of the most important parts of her time here, however little it meant.
"Actually… It was Cain Sensei."
The mention of a name that had spread around the city faster than anyone had ever expected, seemed to drive all noise from the store. Shortly after he left SCHALE and started working in Abydos, victory after victory had been chronicled on the internet. Fights against gangers, taking down armies of delinquents, repeating his landmark feat of cutting through tanks and other vehicles and dazzling the public with incredible displays of his one-of-a-kind, incredibly brutal weapon, Cain-Sensei had definitely made the rounds throughout Kivotos.
"Really now? That Sensei?" the old lady said in surprise. "How so?"
"Well, believe it or not, my first day here was the day after he arrived," she told her, relishing in the surprise of the moment, which wasn't hard because that coincidence was just as hard to believe for her. "I was almost late for work when he reminded me to punch in. After that, he asked me about the convenience store, and while he was here, he always made a point to buy something."
"Really now?" She said curiously. "Fascinating. And he… Taught you, every time he came?"
"Yup. He never ran a store before, but he practiced talking with me and gave me a lot of advice on how to run things while he was here."
He was apparently a military commander back where he was from, and he used his experience there to give suggestions on how to improve her service. Memorizing where everything was to speed up her service. Think up what people would want or need when they get certain things, like giving utensils or heating up food. And of course, talking to him, and anything else that could possibly happen as part of her job.
His presence there was a blessing in so many ways. Because people weren't sure of what to think of him, people were reluctant to enter the SCHALE building until he was gone, which meant she spent those first few days going around the store, memorizing where things were and, when he passed by, talking to him.
"I see!" the old cat said, irises narrowing in fascination. "He sounds quite helpful!"
"Well… He was to me at least. And it looks like he's like that with other students too. So he can't be too bad, can't he?"
This was the best way she could thank him for now. People only knew him from the news and MomoTalk, and most of it was about him commanding students and taking down criminals as part of his job, and if all you knew about him was about shooting lasers and swinging a chainsword, of course he'd sound scary. So even if it was just a little bit, she could tell others how he treated her, and maybe they could open up to him a little more.
"I suppose not. He sounds nice enough. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to meet him."
It wasn't for her. Hopefully, it wouldn't be for anyone else here either.
Having heated up the bento in the process of scanning everything, she was finished soon enough. "Will that be cash or card, ma'am?"
"Oh, I'll do a card for now." She said, "I must say, these bentos are an absolute lifesaver on the way to work. Shame about Pate Patisserie on the side. Used to go there every now and then."
Right, the cafe. It was closed the whole time Sensei was here, and they're still taking stock of employees and inventory, which allowed her to sell a lot more food than she usually did. Might as well take advantage of it now. "I hope it gets better too. I've never been there, but it's a shame if it'll go down."
"Ah, how nice of you to feel for your competition," the woman chuckled as she finished her payment and got her receipt. "Thank you very much. What's your name?"
"Just call me Sora, ma'am," the girl said with a smile. "Please come again!"
"Oh, I don't doubt it," the woman replied, equally satisfied. "See you again, Sora!"
As she left, she tried not to focus on the fact that so many people had listened to their conversation, embarrassing as it was to think about. When she accidentally met one of the customers' eyes, she quickly hid her panic. "Um, is there anything I can get you, sir?"
The dog flinched, doing a far worse job at hiding his own at being found out. "Oh, n-no! I was just getting ready to pay!"
As many others lined up to join him, Sora wanted to say she didn't expect this, but once again, Sensei told her to. He warned her that her very nature as an incredibly young clerk would draw interest, which would mean a lot of shoppers coming just to see if she was the real deal, and if that wasn't enough, he allowed her to talk about her meetings with him. Between her casual mention of meeting with Sensei and telling her first few customers about him going to Abydos before he even officially announced it, she definitely made an impression on the buyers around here.
Well, after the absolute dearth of customers on her first few days here, Angel24 needed all the sales they could get.
Eventually though, she reached the end of her morning shift, and she could finally wipe the sweat off her forehead and relax. She headed to the back of the store and sat down on one of the chairs as another, much older clerk walked up to her.
"Another good day for you, Sora!" Her replacement congratulated her. "Gotta say, you're really drawing a lot of people in here! I don't get nearly as many customers as you do!"
"It's all thanks to Sensei," she said, panting. "I wouldn't be as good as I am without his help."
"Bit of a mixed bag, that," the girl mused. "Lots of people are interested in talking about him, but things might be a ghost town again if he comes back. This place wasn't too popular before he came, who knows how it'll be once he really settles in here?"
"Well…" It's true he might make things worse, but that wouldn't really be his fault, would it? He was just living here and doing his job. "Whatever happens, happens,"
"Fair enough." Her eyes lit up. "Oh, speaking of your Sensei, he did something else today too!"
"Really?!" She started following him on Momotalk, and so far, it was the very definition of quality over quantity. She could count the number of posts he made on one hand so far, but each and every one of them is incredibly important. From powerful announcements to scenes of battle, his account was definitely worth spending a minute or two to glance at.
Booting up her phone, she opened up Momotalk and went to his page, and there he was, casually announcing that he settled a misunderstanding between a criminal group and Gehenna's Prefect Team after a restaurant in Abydos was bombed. Man, he really had an open mind and a lot of bravery to deal with people like them!
"Well, it's no chainsaw ballet, but it's still pretty impressive! He's still the talk of the town with it!"
True enough, it didn't quite have as many likes and views as everything else he's done, but lots of people were still talking about it. Even some big wigs from some clubs she heard about were giving their comments!
"How disappointing, we never had a chance to sample the delicacies of a forlorn district like that before it was destroyed."
"Yeah, that's something that usually happens after we try it out! What a shame."
"I'd ask you to think of the owner and the rest of the people there for losing the place, but considering how little you all think of me and the other restaurants you bomb, why do I even bother?"
"Sensei, this should demonstrate to you that Gehenna and its students are usually far more trouble than they're worth. Avoid them as much as possible. If you ever need any help, just ask us."
"Hey come on, Chinatsu was a big help to us while we were saving the city, remember? They aren't the worst!"
People from the Justice Task Force in Trinity, Seminar in Millenium and a lot of students from Gehenna were talking about the crisis. Odd enough that the Prefect Team themselves weren't too keen on talking about it, but maybe they didn't want to talk about the misunderstanding.
"Well, he's had enough excitement for a while," she said happily. Compared to taking on armies of fixers and Helmet Gangers, this was probably a walk in the park for him. "At least he managed to have a break!"
*Chapter 19: A Peek Behind the Curtain*
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
The outburst and the collapsing seat accompanying it was not pleasant for anyone to hear. It was nothing compared to the usual "hustle and bustle" of their district, but it certainly did no favors for the Head Prefect, who slowly turned to face her with a face full of displeasure.
"Do you have a problem with the conditions, Ako?"
She flinched at her glowering expression (almost literally, Hina's eyes tended to glow when she felt particularly displeased) and the tone which dared her to say yes. Unpleasant as it was, she forced herself to do exactly that. "Of course I do. The other reparations were understandable, but the final one…"
Delivering a few parcels of the very artillery shells which helped corral her troops into an abominable trap? She'd need to devote a little time to logistics and organization, but that was manageable. Making "helpful donations to a troubled district" due to the destruction supposedly caused by them, instead of being victim of an explosive deception, pending some accounting on their end? A little frustrating and hell on the budget if it went through, but given what they know about the district, it probably won't even go through anyway.
A blanket promise for a favor from their Head Prefect, with the threat of revealing the truth of today's events?!
Seeing that her concern was understandable, the luster and sharpness of her eyes abated as she sighed and sat herself down at her desk. "It is a little risky, perhaps," she admitted, "but after all of us lost today, I can't completely blame him."
"What… all of us lost, ma'am?" she said with a tilt of her head. "I don't quite understand how that affected him…"
Hina sighed deeply and motioned to the outside. "I'm not so blind to my reputation Ako. I know the effect I have on people. I've projected an image of power to dissuade unsavory parties from making moves on our district, and it's managed to keep Trinity in line. It doesn't completely work on our chaotic schoolmates, but many are discouraged from trying for fear of reprisal from me."
There was little doubt about that. Hina was a walking deterrent, the cornerstone of peace and order in Gehenna. Things were abominably chaotic here before she rose to power, but she shuddered having to deal with a time after she left.
"If he had been honest about today," she continued solemnly, "Sensei could've taken a major step in having a similar boon."
It took a moment for her to get it, but the startling realization came soon enough.
So far the Sensei had taken on nothing but delinquents and gangers. His victories were undoubtedly impressive, but even as heavily outnumbered as he was, he was taking above average students against common criminals. That was about normal for any law enforcement in the city.
But taking on the Prefect Team while monstrously outnumbered and winning? That would be a very large feather on his visored cap. A feather that he would have to leave off for another day, clearly. Though, to be fair, it wouldn't be as large since Hina wasn't part of that fight.
"Think about how much clout he could have on any negotiation with an image like that, Ako," Hina continued. She didn't have to think very hard. She already had a very good example in front of her. "All of it, of course, would come at our expense." And it was here that she shot her a monstrous glare, one far angrier than the one she had before, a glare that froze her in place. "And what an expense it would be for us."
"The Prefect Team trespassed on a dilapidated academy's territory, tried to throw its weight around to capture the Sensei and FAILED." The thundering emphasis on that last reminder of her failure made her wince. "Outnumbered more than fifteen-to-one, with a justified conscription of a criminal squad because his enemies were breaking the law, he could have completely annihilated the entire force if not for me begging for clemency. Tell me, how would that look for the Prefect Team?"
She could feel her stomach sink as the severity of her mistake began to dawn on her. The Prefect Team was already being looked down on for supposedly being weak without Hina's help. That would only make the rumors even worse. But Hina wasn't finished, far from it. "The general populace isn't the only problem. Trinity, particularly the Tea Party, would make every excuse to get an edge over us in the Eden Treaty, or even call it off entirely if they found us untrustworthy. I only brought up the latter to him as a hypothetical, but it isn't an impossibility either. Worst of all, the Pandemonium Society would dangle that little failure over our heads till the end of time. They'll sanction us for wasting resources and manpower, and for once they'd be right." The Head Prefect's stare practically drilled into her. "You'd be proving Makoto right, Ako. Would you WANT that?"
The very idea made her cringe. More than anything, that made her realize just how colossally she screwed up. "I get I-"
"Do you? Do you understand?" Hina continued harshly, her horns crackling and her voice becoming even more thunderous. "Tell me, Ako, what would happen if you succeeded? Did you think I would like that? Did you think I would support that for a second? I would REFUSE to keep him here, and then he would have every right to tell the entire city what you've pulled off. Even if I got on my hands and knees, I don't even know if he would be so merciful. And to be frank, I'm not even sure if I would even try to ask for mercy. And then everything I just said would happen anyway. Having our troops stomped into the street was the BETTER outcome." Her eyes were glowing now, and she didn't even bother to hide just how angry she was. The harshness of it all was suffocating, and she could barely breathe from how mad her Head Prefect was. "So tell me again, Ako. Do you understand what you nearly did?"
She slowly lowered her head and raised it, the very act of moving incredibly difficult. At least until Hina leaned back on her chair, finally signaling that the lecture was over. The pressure abated at least, and she could finally feel alive again.
"If that's the case, then pick up your seat and keep working on your apology letters. I still have more paperwork to catch up on since my business trip." She nodded and quickly picked up her chair, about to take a seat until she was interrupted by the Head Prefect's phone beeping. Hina looked at it and clucked her tongue. "Scratch that, the remaining squads are held up on one side of the district, so I have to take the other. Perhaps it's because we lost some manpower from a sudden deployment today. But I might just be spitballing."
Yeah, she was still incredibly frustrated, and after hearing everything, she couldn't say she was surprised. Chinatsu refused to allow everyone who was injured in today's deployment back on the field, even Iori, which was why it was only the two of them in the Prefect Team's main office. Still, she couldn't help but say one more thing. "Head Prefect-" how it pained her to act so distant from her, but it was what she deserved, "I understand my mistakes, but do you believe he won't take advantage of the hold he has over us?"
Thankfully, Hina wasn't angered by her questioning, showing that she did consider the possibility. "At the very least, he's kept up his end of the bargain. Check up on his MomoTalk."
"His… MomoTalk…?" She would've questioned that more, but decided to do as Hina asked first before she frustrated her even more. She fished out her cellphone, opened up the app and searched for the new SCHALE account. There it was, his new post about today's battle, which instead made the entire conflict look like a misunderstanding caused by the overenthusiastic pursuit of their duties that led to little more than a minor scuffle and an apology from the Head Prefect. The clarification that emphasized Hina's choice to apologize rather than being forced by his hand did make her begrudgingly appreciate his compliance, though that little throwaway line about subordinates needing reflection did make her groan. The fact that a few members of Trinity, like the Justice Task Force, were getting big heads over their screw up, was only a small taste of how much worse things could have been. Clearly, he was more than a little frustrated, she could feel his annoyance even when some other hapless student made the terrible mistake of asking him about unsavory rumors now of all times.
"He's kept that part of his word," Hina pointed out, "so now we need to keep up ours. And if he indeed ends up asking for something… untoward," her eyes bored into her once more, "remember that he could only do it because you allowed it to happen."
That was… true enough, she painfully admitted. If she was actually right about his questionable character, then the Head Prefect was trapped in a very unsavory deal. His wrongdoings could come about because of her mistakes, validating both his words and the Head Prefect's. How annoying that they could think so similarly without even intending to. But honestly, that wasn't what caught her attention.
"You're… not really one for MomoTalk, Head Prefect," she pointed out warily. That post was barely made twenty minutes ago. Quite a long time for the internet, but not for someone who generally didn't bother like Hina. She wasn't really the kind to follow individual people and react to them so quickly. She often got her news from other sources such as her own research, official sites, or even being part of the news all her own.
That little point made the Head Prefect still for a single, infinitesimal moment, far too fast for most people, but for someone who made an effort of watching her, that was practically an eternity. Quickly regaining her composure, Hina shrugged as though it didn't happen. "I figured that since he was someone to keep an eye on, I'd do something different and follow him instead."
"… Right," she pretended she understood, even though she never even bothered following the personal account of the now absent General Student Council President. She also wasn't the kind to broadcast what she liked, so liking Sensei's post might as well have been a paranormal occurrence in her book. "I suppose we ought to get back to our duties then. Good hunting, Head Prefect."
"I expect to see at least a hundred apologies on paper and an inventory of the shells we'll deliver by the time I get back. Bring them to him by tomorrow." Hina reminded her before she set out. "I'll be back soon with a few other things to add."
As the Head Prefect left, she sighed as she took a seat, not realizing just how terrified she was until she collapsed onto it.
Goodness, she had a lot of work to do to get back into Hina's good graces again…
After having risked my life several times over in these city streets, one would think that I'd had enough of Abydos and would hightail it out of there and spend the rest of my time back in my bed in SCHALE. True enough, but unfortunately, I had other duties I couldn't ignore.
Fortunately, I wasn't running through the city streets again. I was driving through them with Hoshino in tow.
Shortly after my brief discussion with the Head Prefect, I came back to the other girls to find that they couldn't get anything from their leader about what she was doing that morning. Much as I dearly wanted to press the issue and find out what in the hell was going on, I decided to go a different route.
Our first order of business was taking the Master to a proper medical facility, which was done in solemn silence. He wasn't in any danger of passing on, but the tragedy of his lost restaurant was a blow to the spirits that robbed everyone of a talkative mood.
After returning to the school, I took Hina's suggestion and had Ayane research the current status of the buildings in the district. More pertinently, I decided on Hoshino's 'punishment', to be supervised by me alone. I asked the other girls to take a rest for the day before we convened once again for dinner. And with the two of us on our own, I decided to see if prying out the truth away from the ears of her juniors would bear any fruit.
"So how hard did they lay into you while I was busy talking?"
"Ugh, it was hell…" she groaned with her usual sluggishness. "They really reamed me a new one for not being there while you had to face down an army. Can't exactly blame 'em. I'd do the same."
As would I. But I didn't want to hit her with a scathing lecture just yet. I need to soften her a bit. "And yet they couldn't get anything out of you. Why?"
I didn't expect her to practically curl into herself at the answer. "I told them that… That I had important things to do. They didn't really like it, but they figured out I was telling the truth that time." The shame coming from the answer was palpable as she sighed. "I have pretty good juniors don't I? They put up with this old thing more than they need to."
My eyes narrowed into slits at her reaction. Her guilt was practically banging alarms nonstop in my head as a single idea came to the fore, a horrid guess that I threw out of the ether before the battle, an idea that was coming dangerously close to being true.
I wondered if this was going to be easier than I thought when I had to take a pause in our rather tiring endeavors. "Are you sure you want to help me, Sensei?" Hoshino asked, breathing slightly heavier than usual. "I can do this on my own…"
"Best to supervise and expedite the process," I grunted as I aided her in carrying our load. I most certainly did want to leave it to her, but you can never be too sure of someone watching, and the faster we were out of the desert heat, the better. Eventually, we managed to find a good out of the way spot and lowered it to the floor, the weight scattering tiny flecks of sand in the process. "Like so."
We made our way back to our vehicle, and I looked in the back of the trunk. We'd made quite a bit of progress. "About halfway done. Just a few more batches and we're good."
"Alright," she murmured forlornly. "Are we setting out?"
I was about to voice my agreement when a lighthearted voice interrupted our conversation. "Excuse me, what's happening here?"
As I expected.
We turned towards the speakers to find a canine couple looking apprehensively at us. Their expressions lightened up upon seeing who I was. "Oh, it's Sensei and one of the Abydos students! What exactly are you doing around here?"
I haven't seen the man… The male before, but the woman looked and sounded familiar, and I realized that it was the mother I'd encountered while I was helping Serika do part-time in the market. "Ah, it's you. How is…" I paused as I tried to recall the son's name, and fortunately didn't need long. "Yuuta?"
"He's at school," she answered me happily, quite heartened by the fact that I remembered her son's name. "In another district, of course. Thank goodness all that chaos erupted while he wasn't here. For that matter, thank you so much for resolving it quickly."
"That's twice you've helped our family now," the husband, of a similar breed but with a far darker shade, added with a smile. "Thanks for taking care of our boy, and us."
"No need for thanks," I replied as modestly as I usually did. "It's part of our job."
"If only anyone else with a big name in this city thought the same way," the man sighed. "Though I do have to ask, what exactly ARE you doing?"
This wasn't exactly the first time this has happened, and I found little point in hiding it anyway, so I didn't. "Preparing for future conflicts," I enlightened them. "In case we need emergency supplies in any engagement."
We were lucky during our last battle. Even if we did run low on supplies during the confrontation, the girls could easily scavenge from their enemies. A grenade was a grenade, and most of the girls used the same types of ammunition as our enemies. Only Aru would have had a problem, because exposing herself to get ammo from a fellow sniper a road or two away defeated the whole point of her remaining hidden in order to counter-snipe them.
But we can't always rely on being that lucky. Thus, as my excuse for taking her away from the academy, I decided to take Hoshino on one of the classic guardsmen punishments, aiding in boring logistical work by hauling emergency weapons and ammunition to select spots in the district, all stored in boxes which were code-locked, and by some technosorcery I didn't even try to begin to comprehend, every single one was "slaved" to both the Shittm Chest and Ayane's tablet for even quicker unlocking should the need arise. The stashes had a curated assortment of ammunition, explosives and, for a select few, a rocket launcher, because the FTF didn't have a dedicated anti-armor specialist. The fact that the closest one they had at this point was me had much to do with my decision, because I wouldn't always be around, and far more importantly, my "anti-armor" consisted of "approaching said armored target that could fill me with bullets or blast a hole in me and hope I could slash through it with a chainsword". That was the opposite of what I wanted to do when facing armor or, really, anything that had a chance of killing me (That being, find the nearest shelter and pray it never found me).
Despite that, a small part of me was already seeing the drawbacks. Shiroko and Serika could technically act in this role, but in their tiny squad, their maneuverability and athleticism were great tactical assets they would be deprived of with a heavy weapon. Shiroko also had her new warp-enhanced grenade, but I wasn't sure how effective it would be against armor. Sadly, lacking a way to deal with tanks and vehicles was a bigger problem, but what other ways were there? Such were the endless duties of a teacher…
"Ah. Good foresight," the husband said. "Always pays to be prepared. And it's good that you're helping your students out." Precisely why I was helping at all, so nobody would think I was forcing them to slave away while I lazed around.
"We're sorry for the inconvenience," Hoshino said regretfully. After all, that would mean we could potentially pass by their residences and get them involved.
"Don't apologize," the mother assured us, "you're all fighting for us. We can't complain too much for making sure you're at your best."
As Hoshino tried not to wince at the unintended slight, the husband chuckled. "We won't be very good at it after all. We know how to shoot - it's Kivotos, that's basically culture around here - but I'd rather somebody else do the shooting for us." A pause. "Or no shooting at all, obviously."
"In that regard, we wholeheartedly agree." An already dim possibility back in the Imperium, how much more in a city that seemed to worship guns as much as any god?
"On that note, we better not keep you." With the mother's words, the happy couple started to bid us farewell. "We'll see you and your students around, Sensei! Pass by every now and then, I'm sure my son would love to see you!"
"I'll try to make some time," I told her, knowing that I wouldn't have any to spare, but of course, I was supposed to show I cared. As their canine forms disappeared, Hoshino sighed and spoke up beside me.
"It really sucks disappointing people," she mumbled.
I haven't done that one quite yet, but I intimately understood the consequences of doing so, and so I simply nodded. "Then let's just make sure it doesn't come to that." More than you already have, but she didn't have to hear that.
"So you aren't getting into the firearms business? Because those are better than anything we have here…"
"I assure you we aren't, ma'am," I told the clerk, a familiar white beagle whom I met and perused the services of during Serika's kidnapping in order to get a few grenades for myself. Once again, someone else caught us in our efforts to prepare our supplies, but considering who it was and the distance to the store, Hoshino offered to finish dropping off the cache while I paid for food, which I obliged. That should be a suitable explanation for anyone who asked. "Those are for our use. We won't be selling them to anyone else."
"Fair enough, I suppose." The tone of her voice indicated she wasn't exactly satisfied. "Still, those girls did occasionally buy ammo from us when we had stock… We just got ourselves a shipment right after you arrived and fixed the place up."
I did feel somewhat guilty for that little inconvenience, but considering that the school needed to open up to the rest of the city if it wanted to survive, there was nothing else for it. "I'm sorry for that. It was a necessity." It was a rote apology I gave when I've had to apologize to citizens, and thankfully, she was accommodating.
"Oh, it's no problem," she quickly replied, not wanting to complain about such a boon to the girls. "What you're doing is good for everyone here. I just hope this won't affect our bottom line too badly."
"I'm sure you'll be able to make up for it somehow, considering you've stayed here."
She sighed wistfully as she looked over the sandblasted remains of the district. "Too many memories here to leave for us. We'll stay as long as we can."
I wasn't confident that that would be very long, but I didn't say anything as we arrived at the store and she left to look over her stock. I hid my surprise when I saw another customer there, unexpected as it would be due to how desolate the place was, and failed when I saw exactly who was looking.
"Aru?" I don't understand it. Was I magnetized to this girl?! Why did I keep seeing her everywhere I went?!
Soft as my voice was, I might as well have kicked the door in and screamed like an Arbites for how much she stilled at my question, snapping her head towards me. "S-sensei?! What are you doing here?!"
"Buying lunch," I said casually, trying not to look just as gobsmacked as she was that we met yet again. "I assume you're doing the same?"
"I am," she said, widening her eyes and smiling at the thought. "Truly, it must be fate that we keep crossing paths!"
She was trying to put on airs for her usual hardboiled outlaw spiel, but with how much I was seeing her, I was starting to believe it in earnest. And considering that every time we met her penchant for misfortune crossed with my infallible tendency to stumble onto disaster, I wondered what madness would come for me this time. "You know, it just might be," I responded, trying to sound like it wasn't an omen.
For all her bluster she was completely floored at my agreement, blinking and even flushing at my response. "R-really? You actually think so?"
"I'm just throwing it out there," I quickly continued, trying very hard to ignore any possible implications of her reaction. "So what are you thinking for lunch? What's your budget?"
"My budget?" Somehow, the utter obliviousness that accompanied that statement didn't surprise me at all, and I could feel her fingers slacking at the realization that she forgot to check how much money she still had before going shopping. "AH!" She quickly fished around for her wallet and opened it up to count her cash.
Unless the fly that lazily wafted out from within counted as legal tender around here (Or perhaps barter, because who knows, there might be frog people around here too), I'm going to assume she didn't have any.
"I'll… get back to you on that one," she said with an ashen voice. "I'm sure we can… put off a meal for a while…
Of course, since it seemed the universe liked to stomp on her as much as it did me, a deafening whine came from her empty stomach.
"When was your last meal?" I questioned her out of mild concern.
"It was two days ago," she said absentmindedly, moaning over her (rather predictable) lack of dignity. "It was at…"
She suddenly went quiet, and I went through the events of the past two days and inferred that her last meal was indeed during that fateful meeting with Serika at -where else- the now destroyed Shiba Seki Ramen, right before we had our first confrontation. The memories of that day, having imposed on basically every connection she made here in Abydos, burdened Aru as she looked away from me.
"Don't you have enough money for that not to be necessary?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow, because we both knew perfectly well how much she had and, more importantly, who gave it to her.
"W-we do," she forged onward, trying to sound confident once more. "But we have other plans for it." Her response had me raising my eyebrow even more, because that certainly did not assure me in the least. Suddenly realizing how ominous that sounded, she quickly raised her hands in her defense. "Oh, it's not for anything bad, Sensei, I swear! We really don't have any quarrel with you!"
Emperor above, I actually believed her when she said it, even though she was trying to blow me up on the very day we met. It helped that that was entirely due to my own efforts to hide my vulnerabilities, because I had little doubt that the girl would be counted among those who would hesitate to actually end me. "So what's so important that you have to forgo your evening meal and save all your money?"
"... It's a secret," she said with some hesitation. "It won't hurt you, but you might stop me if I told you."
So in other words, she was doing something very reckless with the money we provided for her. A shame. Still, she had a greatly exaggerated view of my own concern for her. If she wanted to waste it, so long as it wouldn't be connected to us in any way, I could deal with it. Perhaps it was better if I didn't know. Plausible deniability, and all that. "If you believe this to be the best course of action, I'll just have to have faith in you."
"Thank you, Sensei," she said, apparently quite happy with the supposed faith I had in her. "I guess I won't hold you up any longer." she held her empty belly. "I'll just… Look somewhere else…" Or perhaps go back to her office a failure, as her friends were used to.
"... Could you wait outside for a moment before you set off?" I asked her, an idea forming in my mind. "I'd like to talk to you for a bit after I buy my food."
"Really?" She hesitated in confusion, but between her debt to me and the lack of any real options, she relented. "Alright… I'll be outside."
As she left the store, the cashier sighed sadly. "What a time… She seems like a nice girl. And to think she managed to get one last meal from the Master before everything ended." He looked at his own stock. "I'd love to give her a free meal, but we simply can't afford that."
"But I can."
I could practically hear the couple's canine heads snapping towards me at my simple answer, but then the husband at the counter chuckled and gave a rather strange yet appreciably warm smile. "You're a really good teacher, aren't you?"
"I try to be," I said magnanimously, because I had to make an effort to look good.
After purchasing the boxes (along with completing another errand) and exiting the store, I found Aru turning to me, initially curious about what I wanted from her, before widening her eyes at my bounty, two plastic bags of bento boxes. "Wow Sensei, that's a lot of food. Celebrating your victory with your students?" She tried to keep her hunger from showing in her voice, but with the way her eyes were transfixed on simple boxed meals like Jurgen on the prowl for his next devouring, she wasn't hiding it enough.
"Quite so." I walked up to her and placed the much bigger bag (because I was only buying for me and Hoshino, with the others free to partake of whatever food we still had) in her hand before she could react. "That's enough for lunch and dinner. Tomorrow's another matter, but for today, I can give you this much."
"B-but Sensei-!" She began, utterly flabbergasted by my generosity. "This is so much!"
"Not really," I said offhandedly. "I have more than enough to get by. This is the least I could do for all of you at Problem Solver."
"But you said that this was for your students…" she protested, weak as it was.
"And you're one of them." My firm declaration was enough to silence her, leaving her lost for words. "Every student here is my own. It's my job to take care of them the best way I see fit, and after everything you and Problem Solver did for us, this was the least I could do." It was true, but I didn't have to actually teach every damned juvie in this city, thank the Emperor. I just had to care for enough of the lot to make things easier for everyone, and getting myself into the good graces of a few talented students (however many caveats they came with) was one way to do it. Besides, feeding people who were actually willing to take bullets was an easy way to get more cover, especially since they were more durable than most actual walls I could hide behind, so I might as well encourage them to do it more.
Thankfully, Aru was blind to most of my deceptions, and took my treat for the gift that it appeared to be, eyes shining with gratitude and warmth. "I-I see… I suppose you are right, aren't you?"
"You would've tried to stop me if I bought it while you were inside," I mused, giving her a tiny smirk as I threw her words back at her. "And since you aren't going to tell me your plans, I might as well do the same here."
That was enough to get a hearty laugh out of her, her protests giving way to mirth and gratefulness. "Hah! True enough." As she gripped the bag tightly, she flashed me a genuine smile. "Thank you for taking care of us once again, Sensei. Really."
"It's why I'm here," I echoed my supposed purpose once again.
"Still, you've gone above and beyond for us at Problem Solver. If there's anything we can do, please, just tell us!"
"I do have something actually," I told her, easing her into the request. Naturally, she immediately agreed without hearing it.
"Name it, and we'll do it!" she said fervently, putting far too much trust and admiration in someone she tried to shoot just two days ago than was practical. It was so painful to hear that despite the fact that I could probably fool her more easily than most toddlers, I couldn't help but caution her.
"Make sure you hear things out before you agree to them," I told her, suddenly feeling like I was teaching my cadets back at the Schola. "You never know what people might ask of you in your jobs, and backpedaling will undermine your credibility."
"O-oh. Of course, of course!" She seemed a little embarrassed at my tutelage, but seemingly took it to heart. "I'll be sure to exercise my discretion in the future."
"Capital," I said, somewhat mollified that she was going to at least attempt to take my advice for reasons I couldn't quite fathom, and thinking that with her luck it probably wasn't going to make much difference anyway. With that strange interlude out of the way, I decided to ease her into making my request by enlightening myself on her circumstances. "So what are your plans for the foreseeable future?"
"My plans…?" The way her shoulders deflated at the question made it clear that this wasn't the first time this was asked. "None so far. We'll have to do some jobs to build up a budget again. Find a way to start over." She sighed. "I'm not sure how. Still, we'll be out of your hair as soon as we can. You don't need the Prefect Team coming back for us."
So nothing definite at all. Perfect. "You won't have to be," I assured her. "The Prefect Team isn't allowed to come here unless we let them. Hina promised that to us, and she seems trustworthy enough."
"An oath from the Head Prefect herself…!" Aru looked utterly amazed. "Looks like Kayoko was right after all. You DID cut a deal with them…" That girl was ridiculously canny. She wasn't just smart by the standards of her peers, she wouldn't be out of place at any command post or even Zyvan's staff. Well, aside from the horns and the wing, which would have everyone calling for her to be filled with bolt rounds and exorcised back to the warp, if that was even possible. "As expected of Sensei, your prowess is incredible!"
"Please, there's no need to discount your own role," I dissembled, as I always did. " It was thanks to you and your team that we were even able to get that far."
"But it was thanks to you that we were inspired to even try," she replied, her admiration of me uncomfortably palpable.
"We'll consider ourselves even then," I responded quickly, trying to keep it to a minimum. "Just keep that to yourself. Nobody needs to know what truly happened. With that, you're welcome to stay so long as you don't cause trouble."
She accepted my conditions with a nod, pausing to ask her own concerned question. "How's the Master? Is he doing fine?"
"He's at Oasis Cross Hospital if you want to visit him. Visitors aren't allowed till tomorrow though."
"We'll make sure to stop by," she said quietly. "But after that, I don't know how to deal with our cash problem."
"We can start on that tomorrow as well," I encouraged her. "I'd like to meet over lunch to discuss some ideas we have for our investigation, as we agreed before. Would that be OK?"
Her reaction to my offer was peculiar, her jaw gradually lowering like a bungee cord on the verge of snapping. It was incredibly ominous to think about. "Did I say something wrong?"
"You… Want us to meet over lunch?" She asked once more, and I could see her face starting to color itself like her hair. "I don't think I'm ready for that!"
Emperor help me, alarm bells, like the ones that battered my ears when the voidships I rode in were on the verge of breaking, started blaring through my head. I had to disabuse her of any possible misunderstandings, and quickly. "Why not? The FTF and Problem Solver have fought together. I don't see why that would be off the table. Our teams can have a face-to-face meeting over some food to ease the tensions, and then we can discuss what you'll be doing in the future." Because that was clearly the problem, and it couldn't possibly be anything else.
Surely that was it, and the extended, excruciating delay that Aru had in processing my request was due to her considering the pros and cons of a meeting between our squads, and had NOTHING to do with any other possible relationship. "Oh. OH! You're inviting all of us!" She tried to laugh off whatever definitely nonexistent misunderstanding she had in her head. "Right, of course… That's what you meant," she mumbled, trying not to sound so disappointed, for reasons that would definitely elude me till the end of my days. "Of course, we'll be sure to be there."
"Very good," I said, putting on an air of satisfied acceptance and trying desperately not to think of whatever misunderstanding she had. "I look forward to our cooperation, Aru."
"Likewise, Sensei." Unexpectedly, she fished out her wallet, and knowing how empty it was I had no idea what exactly she planned to get from it. "In recognition of our future endeavors together, I shall present this to you!" She retrieved a card from the wallet and presented it to me with both hands. "A business card from Problem Solver 68! Now you can call us and find us whenever you need to!"
A fine idea, but the ceremony of the event was ruined, and not just because I already had one of those from Mutsuki.
Chiefly, it was because, in classic Aru fashion, she did not, in fact, present me with a Problem Solver 68 business card, though what she did give was very eye-openingly informative all the same.
She presented me with her Gehenna Academy student ID card. An old one, considering the short-haired, bespectacled specimen presented a significantly different image from the one she had now. If anything, this homely appearance matched her actual personality more. Which was perhaps the reason she preferred to not stay that way, and (outwardly) transformed into what she was now.
"You might want to check your card again," I said after a moment of looking it over, pretending I wasn't so heavily affected by what I saw. "Look for errors, see if anything's lacking."
"Huh?" She tilted her head in confusion, looked at it again, and then stilled as she realized she presented me with her student ID card. I looked at her in pity as she looked just about ready to find the nearest patch of sand and bury herself there until she could breathe no more, every bit of confidence she had absolutely annihilated in the face of this mortifying error. "Ahahahaha… Haha… Y-yes… I'll do that…"
I hid my own sympathetic cringe in secondhand embarrassment as she desperately rummaged through her wallet with the frantic alarm of a guardsman desperately rummaging through his kit while lasbolts were sailing by his head despite resigning himself to being frakked, knowing full well that she didn't have a business card at all.
"It's over…" she groaned. "My pathetic past is revealed… Things can't ever go right for me here." She chuckled mirthlessly as she looked at me. "Well… You know how I used to look now. That's why I wanted to change. So I wouldn't keep being like… That. You probably think it looks awful."
For some reason, seeing her beat herself up over this just wasn't right. At that moment, I didn't care who she was. Something about her utter distress about her past being found out moved me to act.
"I don't think any less of you," I said to her, surprising her and even myself with how sincere I was. "I've seen your courage, your determination to change and work for the betterment of your team. A picture won't take any of that away."
Nothing like me. The smallest glimpse of the truth behind my charade would've ended me before, and would do the same now. For all the benefits that came with my sterling reputation, it was agonizingly difficult to keep up. I wouldn't put anyone else through any of it.
My own reaction had her standing up straighter, and her mournful gaze transformed into a warm smile. "... Thank you, Sensei." Unable to do anything else, she simply held out a hand to me. "I look forward to working with you, Cain-Sensei."
"Likewise, Aru." And just like that, I shook hands with a girl who hopefully wasn't a daemon. She tried to act professional, but there was no hiding how excited she was to shake hands with me, which was overall only slightly uncomfortable.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she promised me, her bag at her side. "And I'll be sure to give you a business card then!"
"Don't force yourself," I said to her, because I have absolutely no illusions that Mutsuki would ever let this brilliant piece of comedy go.
As she walked away, I shook my head as, just as I thought, I had much to think about from meeting her. When I saw Aru's student ID, it displayed a rather significant piece of information omitted from that arrangement right below her student ID number. A rather telling category of race.
Demon. Not daemon. Just one letter.
Were they any different? So far, they were. They weren't after my soul, and I was more likely to run circles around them and corrupt them than the other way around. Either that, or they were the purest daemons I'd ever met, because they were more innocent (if no less deadly) than a million other humans I knew of across the galaxy.
"Arona, why didn't I see race among the student profiles you showed me before?" I asked her, trying to keep my mind off the revelation by passing the buck to my digital assistant.
"Well, Sensei, you really only asked for information relevant to combat," she said in confusion and perhaps a little bit of shame.
I tried to not look or sound incredulous. "And you don't think race is really relevant to that?"
"Not… Really?" she said, even more lost. "Aside from a few extra appendages, race doesn't really affect your strength, your psychic potential, your intelligence or your durability. Some people might get lucky with how they develop, but combat-wise a student's race doesn't really matter."
It didn't matter. I was absolutely floored by that. Millenia of humanity meeting an unimaginable variety of xeno threats and being able to come up with general combat theories, battle doctrines and strategies based on their race, and it just didn't matter here.
I calmed myself. Clearly, this was different. The students were less different races and more subsets of the same race. Hell, my original assumption was that they were related to old humanity in one way or another for how similar they were, warp powers, durability, wings, horns and tails notwithstanding.
Demon. Not daemon. Just one letter. Probably not a big difference in the grand scheme of things. But I could pretend it was, and I was very good at pretending. In that regard, one letter made all the difference.
"... You did good with her," a familiar voice spoke up from the corner, interrupting my swirling thoughts with her presence.
"You really must stop doing that," I joked, trying to hide just how much Hoshino spooked me. To be fair, I really needed to keep my thoughts in order while she was nearby. She wasn't necessarily good at sneaking, I just had a rather bad track record of having important conversations while she was around.
"I didn't do anything, I just stayed quiet," she said cheekily, which I suppose was good. She was edging closer to her usual good mood. "Looks like you got an admirer there! Isn't that nice for you? Still, that's going to cause trouble… You might get distracted from helping us! And considering how some of my dear juniors feel…"
"I'm sure I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," I told her (and myself) with a grin. My impromptu discussion with Aru was as off-putting as I expected, with her placing me on a pedestal the size of a hive spire.
Working with someone who admired me this much was a tiring experience. I don't think I had anything like it even in my long campaigns throughout the galaxy, and I thanked the Emperor for it.
"I'm sure you don't," she chuckled. "Well, she's not the only one who's eager for a bite."
"That one I can agree with." I didn't even have time for a proper breakfast this morning. With the rest of the squad free to have lunch on their own back at the academy, this is what we'd have as we did our jobs. "I'll have a look at where you hid that cache. Then we can eat up."
It was already evening by the time we finished, the heat of the desert starting to wind down into a refreshing cold. The entire drive was unpleasantly rote as I drove to an area, had Hoshino drop off a cache in a suitably hidden location, join her in rattling off an explanation to the occasional passerby and then went on to the next. The only divergence we had was picking up dinner from the convenience store once again, but mechanically consuming the food to get our jobs over with as quickly as possible did little to stimulate the mind. The boredom of such endeavors could easily be mitigated with some light discussion, but there was very little of that to be had.
I didn't do much to ask Hoshino about her whereabouts this morning, but that was because I was saving everything for this. Once we finished with the last cache and drove off, Hoshino raised her eyes when she noted that I wasn't going back to the academy.
"Where are you going, Sensei? This isn't the right way back to the academy."
"True enough, but we're not heading there." She tilted her head and already I could see the question coming, but she immediately stopped herself dead when she realized the answer.
"You didn't get to spend much time looking over the place, did you?" I asked her nonchalantly as we drove down the path back to the scene of the crime, so to speak. Her head whipped towards me, the look on her face ashen. "We can stop by before heading back."
"Are you-"
"Yes. I am very sure," I cut her off solemnly. "We're not exactly in a rush."
Hoshino didn't like my answer, but she had little room to complain, so she didn't say a word as I parked the car near another empty building and got out, and she joined me a moment later. My original plan was to have a private talk with her in the ruins of the restaurant, but we were beaten to the punch.
A small gathering of animals was standing in front of the burnt remains of Shiba Seki Ramen, finally having the time to see the remains of the restaurant after a long day's work. I recognized a few from my first time eating there, and Hoshino was clearly familiar with many of them.
I could practically hear her body freeze up when she saw them. Some members of the group ignored the whining of our engines, focused instead on the ashes of the restaurant, while the more curious among them looked back at our car. By complete coincidence, among those present was the pug I met two nights ago, the one Hoshino saved from a robbery. His expression brightened ever slightly at his savior's appearance. "Oh, it's you again, miss Hoshino. And the Sensei as well. How are you doing?"
With our presence open, more of the crowd turned away from the disaster and towards us instead as we approached. "Well… We're doing fine, I guess," came the uneasy answer from the little pinkette.
"As fine as can be after today's catastrophe," I picked up for her. "I'm new to this place, and even I felt the pain of losing Shiba Seki Ramen. I can only imagine how much all of you feel about losing it."
"It is," the office worker agreed sadly. "I've eaten here for many years, and it's a blessing to partake of it on long days. He's kept up his marvelous quality all this time."
"Pfft," a derisive snort came from the back of the crowd. "Please. The old bastard's been slipping. It's not nearly as good as it was before."
Now that was an inflammatory statement if I heard one, but surprisingly nobody erupted in outrage. They instead parted as the offender came to the front, an aged bulldog whose withered folds threatened to blind his face. Now that I think about it, he was one of the old-timers I saw on my first day here. "I've been going there longer than most of you have been alive, and lemme tell ya, it just ain't the same as it was ten years ago. Besides, I don't get why you crybabies are moaning. They said he's still alive, isn't he? I ain't worried about his health at all."
"He says that," the unfortunate pug saved by Hoshino interrupted with as much of a grin as a dog like him could flash, which was honestly incredibly surreal to look at, "but notice that he was here first, right in front before anyone else could come."
"Tch." Annoyed at being called out, the bulldog slapped away his companion's hand. "Lay off, I just needed to see what all the hubbub was about." So he said, but his feigned disinterest became supremely unconvincing with his next words. "So where is he now?"
So he was the type that hurled abuse to mask the affection he held beneath, and those experienced with him took it as endearment. Well enough. "Oasis Cross Hospital," I answered. "Still unconscious and not permitting visits. He'll probably wake up tomorrow."
"Hmph." He became somberly silent for a moment, gazing off in the distance. If it lined up with the direction of the hospital, it must have been a coincidence. After a moment holding his gaze, he turned back to me. "I live around here. I heard gunfire and explosions rage around far more than your average 'disagreement' here in this city, and even in this district. So tell me straight, Sensei." I could feel him glare at me. "How big of a fight broke out here?"
Canny old dog wasn't he? Made sense that he'd sniff out a rat. "A rather big fight. It was why we had to clear the air."
"Clearing the air, huh?" Despite himself, he shot me a grin of his own. "So how much ass did you kick to make that happen?"
Yeah, he didn't buy it at all. Seeing that he'd rustled the crowd, I found little point in hiding it and shrugged. "Enough to clear the air."
"Hah!" He barked out a laugh, which was rather appropriate from my point of view. "You took an army and won, didn't you? Just like with the Helmet Gang and all those delinquents on your first day here."
"Wait really?!"
"You and the other students really got into a fight like that?!"
"Unbelievable…!"
As the crowd began asking questions, I immediately settled them down by raising my hand. So long as I kept it contained here, nothing would come of this. "Look, I made an agreement to keep the truth behind that conflict under wraps. It's for the sake of my future peacekeeping duties, so I would request all of you to keep it a secret as well."
"Figured," he muttered. "You made a big deal of your last few wins. Pretty strange that you didn't raise a fuss about it now."
Yes, it would've been quite a boon to build up a reputation of facing odds like that and winning. Maybe it might make people reconsider sending them after me at all if I did.
"Maybe," came a regretful voice from beside me, the voice of Abydos' last senior. "But… We couldn't stop it from happening."
"Bah, there's no need to beat yourself up over that," he growled, swatting the air in contempt, affronted by the suggestion. "You all fought your damned hardest to make sure it wouldn't get worse, and that's enough."
Naturally, Hoshino's face fell at the very obvious point that she wasn't included in that qualifier, which was picked up immediately. The pug looked at her apprehension. "What's wrong, Miss Hoshino? Did something happen?"
I better not let it get out that she wasn't there. "Given her position, she does feel responsible for being unable to prevent the catastrophe from happening." I put a hand on her shoulder in support. "She can't help herself from feeling that way. It's just the way she is."
I looked at her once again, and for some reason found a strange sense of determination coming from her. She went forward, separating from my grasp and bowed.
"I'm… We're sorry for letting all of this happen. As the Vice President of the Student Council of Abydos, I promise, we're going to make sure this won't happen to you again."
I could hear murmurs of acceptance and assurance from most of the crowd, but the only reaction that mattered was from the old-timers. They would set the mood. Everyone would follow them. The bulldog looked neutrally upon the Vice President and snorted.
"So long as you can keep that promise, we won't mind," he said quietly. "The only one who needs to apologize – and get a swift kick in the behind while he's here –" he then inclined his neck to the ruins behind him, "is the one responsible for this mess."
And then the worst happened.
A flinch.
It was a minor one, the kind that you needed to really look for if you wanted to see it. But unfortunately for her, I was keeping a hawk eye on everything Hoshino was doing throughout this entire conversation.
"Well, we won't keep you anymore," I followed as I motioned for Hoshino to raise her head. "We're taking measures to ensure we can better respond to these incursions if they ever do happen. We'll see you later."
I could feel the bulldog's gaze on us among the many faces of the slowly dispersing crowd, and it didn't seem to leave until we got into the car and drove away.
"That certainly gave all of us something to think about." Me, her, and everyone there, I'm sure. "That apology seemed a little ingratiating for you. Did you really feel that bad about what happened this morning?"
"Well… Yeah," she murmured sadly. "Something so messed up happened and while everybody was dealing with the fallout, I couldn't help out."
"Fair enough," I admitted, though I obviously wasn't done. "But everything ended up relatively well even without your presence. I didn't get captured, the FTF can fight another day, and I'm sure those buildings will end up reimbursed for in good time." I paused, then casually added another point as though I'd forgotten it. "Oh, and Problem Solver 68 is willing to help us in our investigation. Wins all around on our front."
I pretended not to feel another flinch on her end as I finished my overview of the situation. "Unless, of course, you have something else you're guilty of?"
It was a long, painful silence that followed. I was getting closer to her admitting the awful truth, and I just needed a little more before I could really lay into her. "Hoshino. Answer me."
"… I can't say."
I couldn't understand what could possibly stop her from admitting it in an environment as safe as this. "Hoshino, you NEED to tell us or else something worse will happen."
"And I'm telling you that I really, really can't say," she begged me desperately.
Alright, I was a nice commissar for a while, but that was the limit of my patience. I was about to give her a taste of unpleasant commissarial authority when Arona interrupted me with an appalling warning. "Sensei… Listen to her. I can feel something wrong."
I wondered what exactly Arona was talking about when I really focused on the atmosphere of the car.
Or rather, the lack of it.
It wasn't hot. It wasn't cold either. It felt like the place was devoid of any sort of describable temperature, like we could breathe without air. And if the wrong words came out of my mouth, I wouldn't be able to breathe either.
"… So you can't," I finally acquiesced, trying to stop my palms from shaking and leading us into crashing. "I suppose there's nothing more to ask about this morning then."
The relief that came upon us once I dropped the subject was palpable, like a hand gripping my neck had disappeared. I came close to mimicking the exhale coming from her mouth, though the questions that came as a result continued to drive me insane.
So I was wrong once more. She really, really, really did want to tell everyone about the absolute travesty that occurred this morning. But unfortunately, something, or somebody, very, very wrong took measures to discourage that idea.
The headaches never stopped around here, did they? Emperor above. What the hell did Hoshino get into?
He was sitting in his office, looking over the events of the city and the activities of his comrades. The snake seemed to be quiet for now, though he could only guess how long that would remain before he rampaged once more. The factory continued to construct and station robots around Millenium's old ruins, and might expand his scope of activity very soon. His inseparable friends were still scouring the city for subjects of their own experiment, while his wooden compatriot was reluctantly working with their newest member as she ran her little kingdom underground, providing him with the resources to progress their research. Truly a wonderful time to be a researcher in this fantastic city.
And what was this now? Was someone getting a little talkative?
That little bit of insurance he attached to the girl acted up, informing him that she was getting closer to revealing the details of their association. He leaned forward, smiling as he prepared for her to open her lips, before he personally attended to whoever she told.
And then it stopped, just as suddenly as it began. Oh, so close.
How could he be disappointed? He could practically taste the sorrow in her as she agonized over keeping the secret.
"Goodness me, Takanashi Hoshino, that's twice you've nearly revealed the truth in one day." He leaned back in his seat once more as he continued poring over the events of the city. "What a shame. No matter how much you struggle, secrets like that tend to come out."
He chuckled as he steepled his fingers and crossed his legs. "And when they do, you will break. You, and everyone there. And if by some miracle you all don't? Well, I have other methods."
He swiped his tablet as he observed the bright new star in the city, putting out whatever fires he could as he shined as a beacon of hope for his wayward students. But the darkest shadows are cast from the brightest lights, and he was very good at coaxing them out.
"After all, the worst betrayals come from those you trust the most."
We spent the rest of the trip back to the academy in silence, with no reason for either of us to talk. The easygoing, eye-opening conversations we had over the past few days might as well have been a desert mirage for how farfetched they seemed now. The silence was no longer as reflective or comfortable as it was on that night when I talked about Jurgen, feeling heavy and unsettling the more it dragged on.
This was about as bad as my cynical imaginings thought it would be. I had a feeling Hoshino was behind this morning's catastrophe, but I never expected her to have acted at the behest of something or someone with far more dangerous powers than her. An extremely specific ability that was, seemingly only activating if Hoshino dared to try and reveal anything about the user or anything about them, but that meant searching for whoever was doing this was suicidal. At the very best (which was already very bad), this mysterious psyker now knows that we're trying to sniff them out. At worst, if Hoshino had gone any further, then we'd meet them, and not on our own terms. And I didn't want to find out what else they could do.
It was only once we finally arrived at the academy that I could find any reason to talk. "Your punishment is finished now Hoshino. So long as you promise not to be absent again, we can consider the matter settled. You're free to pick up your things and go home after our meeting." I had no idea what I could do with what I just learned. For now, we could only continue our search elsewhere, and hope we won't be greeted by whatever was shadowing her.
"… I think I'll stay here for another night," she mumbled. "Don't feel right about relaxing at home right now."
"… If you feel it appropriate." The idea of going back to SCHALE and having a FAR more relaxing night there crossed my mind, but today's events showed exactly how prudent staying here would be for rapid response. If nothing else, I could afford to stay here a bit longer to bolster their morale until we made a bigger headway in our investigation. Which, given the information I learned a while ago, could come quite soon. With little else left to do, I inclined my head towards the entrance. "Shall we meet up with everyone else?"
Against my expectations, I received a hesitant yet determined "Not yet."
I raised an eye at the answer and certainly didn't expect the smile that followed. "Listen, Sensei, you were awesome today. Even while I wasn't there, you managed to stand up to an entire army for the sake of my precious juniors, even while I wasn't there. You brought them together, fought alongside some new girls… You've really done so much for all of us."
"So thank you, really. For everything."
Guilt and gratitude mixed together in Hoshino's thank you, her sincerity, just like Serika's making me all the more unsure for how I should take it. After everything I suspected of today's battle and the gathering storm behind it, what could I possibly think of her now?
"… It's why I'm here."
I merely accepted it, and her, as well the only possible reason I could be here. Because what else could I do? Things would be far harder if she wasn't here. More to the point, Hoshino's excessive ingratiation and the sudden resolve that steeled her eyes before her apology clued me in to the fact that there was something terribly wrong at all.
She was being blackmailed or manipulated, which wasn't what I expected. I could only find a very cold and minor comfort in the fact that this (somehow) wasn't the worst scenario I'd thought of.
The worst one was that she was actively going against Abydos, wanting to destroy this district with her own hands, for whatever dark reason she had in her mind. For now, perhaps she wasn't, and was trying to break out of that deal however she could..
"I guess you're right," she mused contemplatively. "You're the kind of guy who'd face an army for us. That's just who we need right now."
"So long as you don't make a habit of it." I tried to make it sound like a joke, but the past few days had me praying to the Emperor to take that particular burden away from me. Which, considering how my last two centuries went and the disconcerting pattern of the last few days, seemed like woefully fruitless endeavor, but hope sprang eternal.
We then entered Abydos, the sandy academy feeling much less welcoming and comforting in my mind than it had for the past few nights.
*Chapter 19: A Peek Behind the Curtain, END*
Yup. So now you know WHO SET US UP THE BOMB.
In the original story, PS68 joining up with Sensei was a complete coincidence. Haruka accidentally blew up Shiba Seki Ramen at JUST the time when the Prefect Team invaded, so they help Sensei fend them off.
Here, Black Suit knew about Gehenna coming in and specifically had Hoshino set up and bomb the place when PS68 passed by, which they would reasonably do because they're poor and the Master is a little too helpful.
To add to this, yes, he has a very specific power over Hoshino, kind of like a Geass where she literally cannot tell anyone about Black Suit lest he immediately come over and deal with them personally. As you can imagine, she is NOT having fun with this. It's another facet of Black Suit's endeavor to absolutely break this girl, to show he's very much NOT a nice character, and to emphasize him as, if not the biggest, then certainly the most insidious threat to Abydos right now.
And of course, Hoshino. Life is a roller coaster right now because Cain is here, but so is Black Suit. She keeps a happy face but has no real idea of how to secure Abydos' future. For now, all she's doing is helping out her precious juniors for as long as she can.
Cain also finally finds out about "Races" in Blue Archive. From my point of view, it seems that so far there are no real general differences on the ability scale between student races. SOME appendages will have an effect (Hina's for example), but will otherwise be little more than cosmetic, which will be noted later. Him really looking into this will take a backseat to other more pressing matters.
The next chapter will show the next steps the crew will take on their investigation, which will come in a day or two. We'll see each other soon!