Another deviation from our regularly scheduled programming to see how the rest of the city is adapting to our teacher at work. This time though, we'll be going to more luxurious grounds and have a look from the eyes of a perfectly ordinary student.

Say hello to OUR LIGHT once more!

*A (Tough) Spot of Tea*

Just like any ordinary student, the end of the day was something she looked forward to. Though her grades occasionally suffered, despite her best efforts her mind sometimes drifted through the final subjects as she eagerly awaited dismissal. That went double for days like this, when she had something special waiting for her afterwards.

Today though, she was paying far more attention to every lesson and lecture, and not just because of missing a day due to getting caught up in her own passions. For the first time in a long while, she was not looking forward to today's meeting.

"TIME OUT! GUNS DOWN!"

She let out a deep sigh as the firing drill ended. She honestly felt a little nervous despite herself. After that little trip, seeing just how amazing the people accompanying her were, she felt like she was making a million different mistakes in her shooting and couldn't hope to compete. Still, she tried her best, and hoped it would be enough.

The coach, a square-headed robot that had a habit of wearing a helmet of bulletproof glass (weird in her book, but she supposed it was better than a dog mask) emerged from behind the glass walls to give out results, and she gulped when he went up to her.

"Well, Ms. Ajitani, I wasn't sure what to expect after you missed our last class, but the accuracy and consistency of your shooting improved by a lot! Congratulations!"

"Really…?" After how nervous she was all day, she couldn't believe how that could have happened.

"Sure! Take a look!"

She glanced at the teacher's tablet and was flabbergasted at seeing the absolute spike in her accuracy. Her speed still left a bit to be desired, but it was faster than before.

"Looks like you've gotten more stable, at any rate," the bot beeped out cheerfully. "You sometimes look a little jumpy when you fire, but you kept your cool today! Keep it up and you might get another grade above average!"

"S-sure! Thanks for the encouragement coach!"

As the bot went on to advise her classmates, she looked at the results with a sense of accomplishment. If she was a little "jumpy" before, she supposed she wasn't as nervous hearing the sounds of gunfire anymore.

Compared to being in the middle of a real fight, a firing drill in class was nothing.

"Good job, Hifumi. You did pretty well!"

Hifumi looked to see one of her friends walk up to her, her assault rifle strapped to her side. Her hair was the same shade as Hifumi's own, but it was untied as it flowed down to her neck, and was adorned with fox ears. "Your shooting is miles better than usual! What did you do to get this good?!"

"O-oh, Shiina-san! Well…" Rack your brain, think of an excuse. "I, uh, did some practice on my own to try and get better since I missed the last class."

Fortunately, despite her stuttering, she bought the excuse. "Well, it seems to have worked! You were on a roll for the rest of the day too. Studied up for the other classes?"

At least she didn't have to lie about this. "Yeah. I'm just glad it worked." She did ask for the homework and the other lessons she missed, though she suspected her laser focus on her lessons and not the time was a bit more impactful than her studying. After all, she was trying not to think about what was coming next.

But alas, it came anyway. The clock tower bells sounded out through the school grounds, signaling the end of class, and the coming of her weekly engagement.

"Well, that's the end of that," her friend said. "Are you busy today? We're thinking of going to a cafe. Hopefully one of the cheaper ones, before the After School Sweets girls buy out the goodies…"

Tempting, but for all her nervousness, she knew that playing hooky today would only make things worse. "Sorry, meeting my friend again today."

"Oh yeah. The one you've been seeing for the past few months?" Shiina sighed. "Eh, shame. Sure she can't meet you any other time?"

"She's usually busy," Hifumi said as she made sure her rifle's safety was turned while she picked up her bag and strapped it to her back. "She doesn't have any other time to meet me."

"Is it really important for you to meet her? Sure, you don't always meet her, but you practically drop everything every time she asks."

"Well, she's been doing a lot for me for the past few months." A lot for all of Trinity, really. "I feel like I owe her."

"Ahhh… One of those things, huh?" A grin came from her foxy friend as she got her own school bag. "Ah, conscientious as always Hifumi. You ought to think of yourself every now and again too, you know? Then again, you DID skip class the other day just to get another Peroro, so what do I know?"

"Hahaha…" Her friends did put her on the spot after her little session of playing hooky, but thankfully, they didn't pry too much after she just said it was for Peroro.

It was good that they accepted it easily enough, but even if it was for her benefit, she tried not to feel so depressed that they bought it just because it was Peroro. She wasn't THAT obsessed, right?!

"Well, whatever the case, you have fun with your friend, got it?"

"Sure! See you later, Shiina!"

After another casual goodbye, she started walking the streets of Trinity, the beautiful fountain still a centerpiece of the plaza. The sights were the same as ever, the white roads and buildings, the grassy fields of plants and flowers that flanked them, animals and robots handling maintenance and shopkeeping and students heading for libraries for study, clubs that she never took an interest in, or the various shops and cafes to hang out and relax.

Usually she'd be skipping about, wondering what she'd be learning or saying when she finally sat down for tea later, but with everything she learned over the past few days, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive. She felt like she was paying more attention to everything around her, wondering if a stray conversation could be important to her, like the slightest detail had to matter to her.

"Wow, today was much harder for us, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, Kaiser was way more frustrating to handle today…"

She didn't spy on people as a matter of principle, especially the Justice Task Force, but hearing their black-clothed peacekeepers talk about a rather pertinent matter pricked at her curiosity.

One of them had her hair flow freely, her bangs seeming to cover her eyes. "No surprise… Did you see those rumors on the net? Apparently one of their banks got robbed in broad daylight?"

The other instead had a ponytail going down the right side of her head, swaying as she walked. "I didn't know that! So that's why they were prickly when we came by! They're hunkering down. Probably hiding something."

"I wish… A few businesses around here have been complaining about them taking over for a while, but maybe this will make them think twice about that…"

This was a nerve-wracking conversation to listen to, but it did feel good to know that she did something good for her academy and her district, not that anyone could know about that.

"Uh… Can we help you?"

She wondered what they were talking about when she finally realized they were looking at her, staring at them. She had to try very hard not to freak out, and instead stayed as cool as a cucumber. "U-uh no need! I was… Just taking a rest! Had a bit of a long day today!"

"O-oh… OK?" The long-haired one wasn't sure what to think, but instead pointed towards the direction opposite from her. "You can get some refreshments from the cafes over there. Either sit down and have some water instead of coffee, or get a bottle if you need to rush. No point in hurrying if you fall down!"

"S-sure! Thanks, Justice Task Force!"

"It's no problem. Have a good day." The girl turned back to her partner. "Honestly? The weirder thing is about the robbers themselves."

"I… Think I heard about that? The Masked Swimsuit Gang? Ugh, I hope they aren't real, we have enough crazies around Kivotos already, I do NOT want to go up against a pervert strutting about in her swimsuit!"

"Yeah, thank goodness I haven't met anyone that crazy around here!"

Annnd this was a dangerous topic to stick around for. Time to go.

As she quickly escaped from that conversational minefield, nerve-wracking as it was, they were right about one thing. Trinity was a good place to be. Between the lower crime rate, the Justice Task Force and the Vigilante Crew, things were about as peaceful as could be in Kivotos. Plus, Sensei would probably start working together in the future. He already worked with members of both groups before, and considering how amazing she saw he was, things could only get better while he was around.

She was lucky to be here in Trinity. Her worries aside, things were peaceful here, she thought as she passed by the Remedial Knights' HQ. They still had their duties, but with President Mine on break for some personal lessons, it was up to the others to pick up the slack. And considering how few people had to make an extended stay there, and with little complaint afterwards, she knew they were doing a good job.

"Come on, Serina… Think about it! We've SEEN how good chainsaws are now! We ought to be using them more!"

"I don't think Sensei is using them for remedial purposes, Hanae…"

"But don't you know? Chainsaws were invented to be used on people!"

"They were used to help mothers give birth, not for… well, anything else medical really…"

"But surely they'll be great for quick, clean and effective healing!"

"Healing's not the word I'd use for that!"

Then again, maybe there were more scary people here than she expected.

Much as she was nervous about today's meeting, being late or absent would cause even more problems, so she still went there as fast as she could. She made her way past the hustle and bustle of the end of the day until she finally neared her destination.

The Tea Party house, where the representatives of the three factions of Trinity, Pater, Filius and Sanctus, gathered to discuss the future of the academy. It's been closed for quite a while now and apparently no new meetings have been called.

She was curious about that before, but was never tempted to ask. That temptation rose to the fore now, but she wondered if it would even be good to ask.

Whatever the case, this wasn't where she needed to go. She instead made her way around the building until she found herself at a leafy hedge. She originally had difficulty getting past this, but with months of practice she easily found the secret knob and twisted it to open the way.

This secret garden secluded from the rest of the school. It was a simple place, with only the grass, a few trees and scant flower beds dotting the area, but it was cozy enough. The wind somehow always blew just right here, never too cold, never too warm. In the middle was a table already set with cups, saucers, a teapot and a tray full of snacks.

She wasn't alone here. There, seated by the table, was the girl who summoned her. Clothed in a cream-colored skirt dress tied with a black bow, her long flowing ash blond hair adorned with a flowery headband and crowned with a thorned circle halo, and with pure white angelic wings sprouting from her back, she was the very picture of elegance.

"Ah. Hello there, Hifumi. You're just in time."

"Hello there, Lady Nagisa!"

This was who she was meeting for the past few months: Kirifuji Nagisa, the head of the Filius Faction, and the lady considered to be the head of Trinity General School. She stumbled upon this place by complete accident, and she could only be thankful Lady Nagisa was graceful enough to not throw her out, and she even called her over for a cup of tea every now and then.

"Do take a seat. It would be improper to have you stand while we converse." Hifumi closed the gate and cheerfully made her way to the table, wrapping her bag behind the backrest before she took her seat. "It's been a while hasn't it? Things have been busy on my front, so I haven't been able to talk as much."

"It's fine, you're probably busy with a lot of things dealing with the Eden Treaty and Kaiser."

She let out a sigh. "Very much. The Pandemonium Society is never not difficult on the best of days, and the headache Kaiser brought over the past few months was most unwelcome. Still, after that bank robbery, they'll hesitate before doing anything drastic."

"Oh. Well, that's good." If that terrifying heist was helping out already, at least she could say it wasn't for nothing!

Lady Nagisa became silent at her response, wordlessly staring at her and making her sweat. Did she do something wrong? "You don't sound surprised. Have you heard of it?"

Should she not ha-RIGHT, just like Sensei's replies said, only shady forums had the scoop on that robbery, especially after only two days! "W-well…" Think, think, how to convince the head of the school not to throw you out on the street… OH! "I heard it from some Justice Task Force members talking about it."

"Really?" She wasn't sure if Lady Nagisa bought it, but she seemed to let it go. "Well, I won't fault the JTF for looking out for potential threats, though they ought to think twice before they talk…"

To her credit, Lady Nagisa suddenly realized that her words were making her nervous. "But where are my manners? I just finished a bit of work and you just finished your firearm class. It's best to recharge before we talk." She motioned towards the teapot. "We have Earl Grey to drink for our meal. I'm sure you won't mind."

"That means we have shortbread too, right?! This'll be delicious!"

The head of the Filius party chuckled. "Quite right we do. You seem to have picked things up quite well."

With all the grace she was known for, Lady Nagisa deftly poured a bit of tea into her cup, before doing so for herself. Both of them then picked up their saucers in one hand, picked the cup up with another and raised it in acknowledgement as they drank.

It was actually incredible to think she was having her tea poured by the head of her school. Just like the name implied, having the skills to prepare and host a session of afternoon tea was paramount to being a member of the Tea Party, and she demonstrated those skills well: The tea was warm and fresh off the pot, and the citrusy flavor was refreshing after a long day. The assortment of snacks she picked to match them, particularly the shortbread biscuits that were already on the saucer, accented the flavors well.

"The tea was excellent, Lady Nagisa," she said with a nod as she set down her cup.

"Thank you for the compliments, Hifumi. These parties do keep my skills sharp without the meetings with the rest of the student council. Do indulge as much as you find comfortable."

She was no member of high-class society, but by virtue of a little private tutoring, she picked up on the basics of etiquette here well enough. For just a little while, she could pretend she was more than just an ordinary girl.

Then again, she never quite felt ordinary after the heist. In fact, for all her nervousness, this felt more normal than anything else.

"So how are things going after your absence? You're adjusting well, I hope?"

OK, she didn't really want to talk about this, but this was light conversation. "Yeah, things are going fine."

"More than fine, it seems. Your grades have been improving, I heard?"

Wait, she knew that? Well, she supposed she was just keeping an eye out for her because it wouldn't be too much trouble. "Yeah. I had to make up for my absence, you know?" Finding out that you had two tests in the coming days was monstrously stressful, but she put her nose to the grindstone and she managed to get results.

"A worthwhile endeavor. It seems to have paid off in other ways as well. You did well on your firing drills today."

"Oh, thank you." Hold on, didn't she finish those? Wow, she was really keeping an eye on her, huh?

Her concern was nice to think about, but a little worrying considering her other activities.

"Did you do anything special for that?"

This was strange. She ought to be used to Lady Nagisa by now. The atmosphere never felt this tense before. Why did she feel so uneasy? She didn't even look mad. She was smiling just as she usually was.

"Nothing really," she said honestly. "I guess something just clicked for me. I didn't really do anything in particular."

Because she honestly really didn't. She didn't really want to get into more firefights after the last one. Then again, things just seemed so different now that she wondered if she should practice more anyway.

Lady Nagisa stared at her once more, and she got the distinct feeling she was being analyzed, judged, like every bit of dirt on her was a mark against her innocence.

Eventually though, the pressure receded, and once more, things felt relaxed. Or, well, as relaxed as they could be after that heart-stopping ordeal. "Well, that's good then. I'm just about average at those drills, so I can reasonably take a few good potshots, but not much else otherwise."

"That's alright, you get high enough marks in artillery classes anyway!" She was often in charge of handling the Tea Party's signature L118 Light Guns. She mostly directed them for ceremonial purposes nowadays, but she had excellent records from when she used them in serious engagements as a student years ago.

Lady Nagisa giggled in amusement at her compliment. "You aren't so bad yourself, Hifumi. Your own grades there are quite good, both for handling the gun and spotting for it."

"Hehehe…" Artillery was a core part of Trinity's combat doctrine, such that the Light Guns themselves became a symbol of the academy itself throughout Kivotos. Where some academies might consider them part of an elective or a club activity, it was a mandatory class for them. She was happy that she was at least passable in that regard. "Well, I guess it's because it's just firing or spotting for them from far away. I'm not really in the middle of a fight unless something's wrong."

"A common sentiment for most who try them. Easier to fight a battle when you aren't at risk of getting hurt." She sighed as she poured herself another cup. "Such safety is a bit of a myth really. You might be safe from armor and infantry, but there's nothing stopping the enemy from firing their own artillery at you or using subterfuge and misdirection to get you from the shadows. The latter is especially dangerous because now your guns are under their control."

"Ah. I see…" She took the warning to heart. You never knew when somebody came for you at the worst place and time. She experienced that herself in the Black Market, when she was accosted by criminals she really should have paid more attention to, and saw it from the other end when she saw Sensei and the FTF systematically dismantle both that group and the most infamous black market bank in Kivotos.

"Is there something wrong, Hifumi? What are you thinking about?"

"O-Oh! Sorry, I was just…" She racked her brain for an answer and, just like before, her savior came in at an unexpected time. "I was thinking about Sensei, I guess."

A questioning eyebrow raised in response. "Sensei? What about him?"

"Well…" She was in deep now. Still, it was strangely easy to come up with an explanation. "I guess after he saved the city it made me see just how dangerous and fragile our everyday lives could be."

When the disappearance of just one person could lead to a downward spiral that could engulf an entire city in chaos. One the appearance of another one could save it. When an expedition to buy a little Peroro doll had her stumble upon that person, the people he fought with, and the conspiracies they fought against. When you realized that, behind the bright lights and beautiful buildings, there were shady characters scheming, plotting and planning how they would rise up in the Academy City, even if they had to hurt other people to do it.

She'd heard that all before. In fact, she was more privy to that fact than most in Trinity, given who she talked to. But she never really understood it.

"Maybe this might be a bit presumptuous…" she rubbed the back of her head in hesitation. "But I think I understand you a bit more, Lady Nagisa."

Because she had to think about this everyday. Her decisions affected all of Trinity, and because it was one of the Big Three, it affected the rest of Kivotos too. And she had to do her best to look after all of her fellow students. She wasn't sure how she could handle the pressure.

The silence fell once again afterwards. This time, she wasn't sure what to think of Lady Nagisa's face.

Was she melancholy? Was she happy?

Did she even know what she was felt herself?

"Well, that IS a bit how things are like," she said quietly. "You never know how quickly and terribly things can change."

She wanted to know more. She really did. She really wanted to ask her.

But was she allowed to?

"Well now!" Suddenly, all the sadness was gone from her face, and Lady Nagisa was all smiles again. "You told me that you were absent to get yourself a Peroro plushie. I hope you weren't joking that time?"

"O-oh! Right!" She made sure to bring it because she was sure she would want to see it. She quickly dug through her bag. "It'll be just a minute."

Afterwards, their little tea party went on as it usually did. All smiles and cheers, like nothing wrong ever happened.

For now, she hoped things would remain as relaxed as it was here.

"Goodbye, Lady Nagisa! See you next time!"

"Farewell, Hifumi. Thank you for coming once again."

As she bid farewell to her companion, she sat down once again, reflecting on the afternoon tea she just shared. These were some of the rare times in the past few months where she felt things were just fine.

It was just as well that she was completely alone. That way nobody could see just how she cupped her eyes in her hands.

How quickly and easily things could change indeed. Just like when everything went wrong months before, and how things were going now.

"Goodness. I can't even completely trust you now?" She wasn't completely lying, but she knew very well that she wasn't giving the whole story. She was hesitating, trying to find other ways to answer without completely misleading her.

And yet the best option now was to continue with this farce. Pretending that everything was alright and she wasn't wondering that this perfectly normal girl wouldn't stab her in the back.

After all, she was used to pretending, no matter how much it hurt when she did.

*A (Tough) Spot of Tea*

So this is a tiny look at life in Trinity, as well as how Hifumi is holding up after the Black Market Heist. The friend she met is a reference to one of the unnamed students seen in a PV.

Also significant here is the relationship with Nagisa. I've made vague references to how the whole thing started, but I'm not elaborating on that until later. Canonically, how close they actually are isn't too elaborated on (whatever happened in Volume 3, they seemed to have made up later), but here? Well, we can say that, on Nagisa's end, this relationship isn't entirely genuine, but it still means something to her.

In a Ciaphas Cain story.

So we'll be seeing more of this later. Thanks for reading, and see you next time!