Vol 1. Chapter 18 – Paying Osiris's Due

Well, I was hoping for the assault on the Kaiser bases to be the end of the mess in Abydos. In truth, cleaning up after Operation Sandstorm took even longer. First of all, Kaiser Corporation did as I predicted. They labeled the Director as a rogue element. According to them, he had hidden his criminal activity from the greater conglomerate. They condemned his actions along with the actions of the branches he directed. There was a whole speech from the President of the Corporation and some insignificant sum was made out to a charity.

More importantly, they did nothing about the Abydos business. No letters threatening legal action, no suspicious Robots slinking throughout the district, nothing. Black Suit was true to his word. With Abydos's success, he pulled the strings he had access to to keep the larger Kaiser Corporation from immediately surging in. They hadn't even attempted to ignore Black Suit's agreement with me and send deniable assets into Abydos. So, there was a surprising lack of problems from Kaiser.

No, the biggest headache was the prisoner processing. There were almost eight hundred prisoners taken throughout the operation. And Abydos simply did not have the legal system to process it thanks to the state it was in. Which meant that it fell on Schale to process them. Which meant me.

So, I spent the entire duration of the remaining warrant period processing prisoners. The Director was surprisingly the least complicated. He was able to post bail despite the 300 million yen figure. He managed it even despite the fact that his long sheet of financial crimes likely had him blacklisted by all the legal bond companies in Kivotos.

As far as I could tell, he did it by liquidating as much of his assets as he could. It left the Director almost destitute, but he was able to leave Abydos. Not without punishment, of course. His assets within Abydos were frozen, he had a suspended sentence that barred him from entering Abydos and its neighbouring districts, and he received a Federal criminal record.

He was never going to reach the heights he had aimed for, not with a criminal record and an active smear campaign against him.

The real problem was with the mass of Thugs and lesser Adult Robots that we had arrested. There were just simply so many of them. Bail and suspended sentences were given to those who could afford them. Community service and house arrest within Abydos for those that could not. Some were simply deemed low-risk and allowed to leave without anything more than a slap on the wrist and a mark on their permanent record.

As the one who created the Task Force, sorting out all that was my responsibility. Determining sentences, bail amounts, where to house prisoners, and many other details were my duty.

Finally, after a week of non-stop paperwork, I was finished.

I rolled my shoulders, feeling an unfamiliar kink in the muscles, before muttering, "Perhaps I should have researched the paperwork needed before forging ahead with this plan."

Yuuka glared at me and promptly placed a new stack of paperwork on my desk. "Maybe you should have, Sensei."

I wonder if I did survive Operation Sandstorm. Maybe I had passed and this was my afterlife. An eternity of paperwork. I sighed and picked up the first document.

"Thank you for your help, Rikuhachima. You were of great help for this entire situation."

Aru laughed, a smug smile on her face as Nelson praised her, "Of course, Sensei. After all, there's no greater fixer group than us!"

Nelson gave her a look that was most definitely not pity. This was a happy moment. All her friends and Nelson-Sensei were waiting for the train to take them out of Abydos and somewhere else. Operation Sandstorm was finally over and the Task Force was disbanded. Everyone was going home. She'd helped overthrow and destroy a corporation. That was rather villainous, right?

"Ar-are we really free to go?" Haruka asked as she kicked the sand coating the floor nervously, "It's not a trick or anything?"

Nelson nodded, a smile on her face. "I submitted the paperwork to Head Prefect Sorasaki this morning. You have completed your punishment and your prior crimes are discharged. You need not worry about the Prefect Team chasing you."

"Even if we commit more crimes, Sensei?" Mutsuki asked, a teasing smile on her face.

Nelson sighed a tired noise that spoke of all the times she'd answered a similar question. "No, Ms. Asagi. Any new crimes you commit will be applied to your new record."

"Aw, you sure you can't do anything about that?"

"Positive."

The five of them stood around in silence for a few moments, waiting for the train to arrive. Finally, Aru sighed. She hated being serious. But she had to. She reached into her jacket, pulled out the rolled-up Commission, and presented it to Nelson. "Thanks for covering for us, Sensei, but I guess this is it. We won't need this anymore."

"Are you certain?"

Aru blinked at the answer, looking at the Adult. Nelson, for her part, just looked back with an amused smile before explaining, "After all, I do not believe there is a regional limit nor expiry date printed."

"Sensei, you already paid us back by clearing our records," Aru protested, the letter still in her hand.

Nelson shook her head, pushing the letter back to Aru. "My patronage is not so easily lost that a single instance would cause me to rescind it." She paused and smiled, a bright sunny smile, "Besides, I may never know when I need the service of professionals again."

Aru froze as she tried to process everything that was happening. Finally, she settled on a simple "Ok, Sensei" before stuffing the letter back into her jacket.

"But to the point," Nelson said, "I would like to thank you personally for your assistance. It is not much, but I believe you will enjoy it."

There was a quiet pop of displaced air and several items appeared in the Adult's hand.

"Pirate hats, Sensei?" Kayoko asked with the slightest hints of a grin visible. In the Adult's hands were four black felt tricorne hats, each with a different colour accent trim and the logo for Problem Solver emblazoned on one side.

"You seemed rather excited at the notion of being privateers," Nelson explained even as she passed them each a hat, "So I had several hats made. They are nothing fancy, but I feel you would appreciate them."

Aru took the hat slowly, inspecting it. They weren't particularly fancy, just simple black felt and a thick accent band trim on the edges. Wine red and gold for her, dark grey and white for Kayoko, carmine and dark grey for Mutsuki, and purple and silver for Haruka. Even though they weren't fancy, they were well made.

Aru looked up at Nelson's beaming smile, trying to think of the best way to say thanks. Something to show her sincerity and appreciation. What she did, instead, was smirk and puff her chest out. "They'll do for now. But you should watch us closely. You never know when Problem Solver 68 will get our next accolades!"

Nelson laughed, a bright airy sound that seemed to vanish on the wind. "Of course. I will be watching, if only so I can be prepared to write clemency letters."

Aru prepared to retort, only for the train to pull into the station. The rattling of wheels over rails drowned out anything she could say as Nelson glanced up at the schedule, humming in thought.

"This appears to be your train, Problem Solver. Have a safe trip home."

The Adult turned around to walk away. She made it a few steps before pausing and turning to look at them over her shoulder. "Oh, and keep an eye on your phone. I will be in touch."

With that, Nelson turned back around and continued walking away. She idly swept her hand through her hair as she did, sending it into the air. Before it could float back down, the wind from the still-moving train immediately caused it to cascade behind her like a cape; cutting a distinctly heroic silhouette.

Mutsuki whistled as the Adult walked out of the station. "I don't know how she doesn't realize what she looks like. You should ask her for tips, Aru!"

"Call me Boss," Aru answered absently even as she dedicated as many brain cells as she could to memorizing the walk, the casual flip, and the confidence. It was uncanny. Human hair just did not work that way! She'd tried already!

Still, there wasn't much else left to do but to board their express train. They took their seats, squaring away their bags and luggage. Still, as Aru looked at the hat in her hands, one thing came to mind.

"How much is a boat anyway?"

Kayoko immediately looked worried. But before she could say anything, Mutsuki slid in between the two of them. Her impish friend was all smiles as she pointed out, "Well, it can't be more expensive than our rent! Maybe we should finally take our business to the high seas!"

"Oh!" Haruka perked up, nervous energy dropping a bit, "Do you want me to steal you a boat, Lady Aru? I'm sure even a worm like myself can find a boat…"

"Well, maybe we should stop by a port on our way back home then. After All, we can't possibly be privateers if we don't have a boat," Aru answered, as the beginnings of an idea started to come together in her mind. Off to the side, she could see Kayoko glance around. She looked like she wanted to say something, before choosing to give up and look out the window instead.

Well, if Kayoko didn't disagree then they had a new goal!

After all, how expensive could it be to own and run a boat?

The front doors to Schale slid open with a quiet hiss, a noise oft-heard any the lobby. However, this was the first time she had visited. Staff and volunteers that looked her way froze before making their presence scarce. By the time she got to the emerald-haired receptionist, the entire lobby had seemed to empty itself of people.

The receptionist looked at her with one cocked eyebrow, before asking "Head Prefect Hina Sorasaki?"

"Yes. I'm here to check on how my subordinates are doing," Hina replied.

"Of course. I'll let Sensei know you're here." The receptionist broke eye contact to type a message on her computer. Hina could hear the quiet electronic pinging of a message being sent and received. The receptionist nodded to herself before turning her attention back to Hina.

"Sensei will be here in a few minutes. You're welcome to wait here or take a seat on the lobby sofas."

"I'll wait here." The girl nodded at her decision, before returning to her previous task of sorting mail. The receptionist continued diligently for a few moments, leaving Hina to point out, "You're the most at ease student I've met. Most are typically nervous when they meet me."

The receptionist shrugged with a perfectly bored expression. Her hands didn't stop filing even as she answered, "Honestly, I was gonna meet you eventually. Sensei attracts attention from powerful people so I've braced myself for it. I gotta do my job and all. Besides, why worry about it? Not like I can stop you if you decide to blow up the front lobby anyway."

Hina nodded in agreement. That was an accurate assessment. The 'cross-district training exercise' was on the radar of the intelligence and enforcement services of all the schools she was aware of. Especially its outcomes. It made sense that Nelson would select a particularly unflappable individual to serve as the reci-

"Besides, I just fought off a ninja invasion a few days ago. I won't have to worry about them trying it again while you're here."

Hina blinked and turned to stare at the receptionist. The receptionist didn't flinch or answer, just continuing to quietly sort through the mail. For a moment, she considered asking for details on this ninja force. As far as she was aware, there were no longer any active ninja forces within Kivotos. At the same time, she was certain that there was nobody so bold as to lie about an attack from a hostile force. That was something anybody could verify just by reviewing security cameras.

But a question cut through the room before she could consider any further.

"How are you today, Head Prefect Sorasaki?"

'I'm well," Hina answered, turning to face Nelson, "Thank you for asking Nelson-Sensei."

"That is quite good to hear. I imagine you would like to know how your subordinates are doing." The Teacher said with a bright smile, even as she began guiding them toward one of the elevators.

Hina nodded as the doors closed behind the two of them, leaving them alone in the Elevator. "I know they've upset you, but I trust you're not unreasonable in your methods."

"I find it hard to be truly upset at any of the Students."

"Even those that have resorted to being thugs and mercenaries?"

"If you are unwilling to help those that are at their lowest, are you willing to help at all?"

The edges of Hina's lips quirked up ever so slightly. "I understand why Chinatsu holds a high opinion of you, Nelson-Sensei."

Nelson hummed in response. Not quite in agreement, but not quite denying either. A rejection of the praise, nonetheless. The chime of the elevator's arrival and the doors opening kept her from pressing the point. The Teacher stepped out, motioning for her to follow. Hina nodded as she fell into step beside Nelson. Their two footsteps, one of heavy metal and the other soft and sharp, somehow echoed with the same gravity in the empty hall.

Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a classroom. Nelson stepped aside, out of the way of the clear glass doors. "Ms. Shiromi is in there. I would advise against disturbing her, as she has a practice essay to complete."

Hina leaned slightly to glance through the glass door, discovering a classroom on the other side. Sitting in the center was Iori, stacks of books and piles of paper beside her. The twin-tailed girl was in the middle of furiously massaging her forehead, face scrunched up in thought.

"I performed several aptitude tests in accordance with Kivotos's educational standard," Nelson explained, her voice whisper quiet as she leaned over Hina to look through as well, "Ms. Shimori is by no means unintelligent. However, her problem-solving and analytical ability is severely lacking."

Hina nodded in agreement. Nobody would describe any of the Prefect Team executives as dropouts. But maybe Iori was a bit too focused on the easy classes where you could just memorize facts and dates to get by. "And how did you decide to remedy this?"

"Literature and philosophy courses."

Hina paused and looked up at the Adult. The Adult looked down, an amused smile still present. Hina looked back at the struggling Iori, who was now busy tearing one of the papers she was writing on. "She hasn't realized that it's her explanation that matters and not the answer itself, has she."

"She has not."

Hina sighed. Iori will learn, one way or the other. She stepped back, letting her Field Captain stew for a bit longer. "And Ako?"

Nelson continued walking down the hall. She spoke softly as she guided Hina to another point on the floor, "I must admit, Ms. Amau is both a simpler and more complicated task. She is doing poorly in her physical education courses and does the bare minimum to pass. The solution seemed easy on the surface, but turned out to be more difficult in execution."

"How so?"

"Because I am not Human, nor a Student. My frames of reference for physical fitness and capability are on two extremes. They are either insufficient to challenge even the weakest Student, or far beyond what we can reasonably expect Ms. Amau to do."

That made sense. Nelson's home lacked Halos. The average citizen was likely far less capable of physical ability than any given Student. The memories that guided the Adult would be from that perspective. But Nelson herself was a deviation in every manner possible. She was far stronger than any information she had on Adult humans, to the point she regularly threatened Students. Ako simply could not hope to match what the Adult likely considered physical training.

"So how did you resolve this divide?" Hina asked, curiosity bleeding into her voice.

The two came to a stop in front of another glass door. Nelson motioned for her to look through. Taking a peek, Hina could see Ako in her PE uniform struggling on one of the treadmills. Standing right next to her was a student in workout clothing that Hina didn't recognize immediately. Fortunately, the shotgun right next to them had a Millennium label stuck to it.

"I reached out to the Students under me. Hayase was able to get me in touch with Ms. Otohana."

The sound of someone falling to the ground interrupted them. They took a peek past the glass to see Ako heaped into a pile on the floor. Otohana said something excitedly before dragging the beleaguered administrator to several yoga mats.

"She is a bit zealous in her efforts," Nelson admitted as the athletic student dropped Ako onto one of the mats, "But I did have her training plan reduced in intensity before having Hinomiya confirm it was fit for Ms. Amau."

Hina nodded in understanding, even as she watched Otohana try to get the completely exhausted Ako to do a cool-down stretch. She was certain Chinatsu wouldn't approve of a training plan that could harm Ako. The medic wasn't that type of person, even if she was still fuming about Ako's decision to ignore actionable intelligence. However, approving a plan that was just slightly above Ako's actual ability was possible.

The two of them stepped away from the gym, back towards the center of the large corridor that dominated the majority of this floor. They came to a stop in the middle, away from the entrances to the classroom and the gym. Nelson turned to her, a curious light in the Teacher's eyes, "Do you have any concerns, Head Prefect?"

"No, it appears you've put thought into making this a proper remedial program," Hina said as she shook her head. "I'll look forward to their thoughts when they return next week. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to return to Gehenna."

Hina began to walk back to the elevator. She made it about five steps before Nelson called out, "Are you certain?"

Hina glanced back, looking at the Adult out of the corner of her eye. It was a familiar feeling. Nelson seemed to have realized too, as the Teacher's smile fell from bright to sheepish. She continued, clarifying, "What I mean to say is that you have come a long way. I would be remiss to not offer you any refreshments before you leave. It is getting rather close to lunch."

Hina considered it. She had a lot of work to do at Gehenna today. But it was also just before lunch and the train ride back would take a few hours. Another likely cold train station bento in an uncomfortable seat with not enough elbow room. Then the rest of the day would just be her and Chinatsu dealing with paperwork, troublemakers, and whatever inane garbage Makoto came up with.

Another exhausting day.

She looked back at Nelson, who was patiently waiting for her answer. No trading of favours, political intrigue, or work this time. Just an offer for a meal.

Hina decided. She was already here on business anyway. A brief meal wouldn't negatively impact her workload. She turned around, meeting Nelson's gaze. "Maybe something quick. I'd rather not have Chinatsu work by herself for too long."

"Of course, Head Prefect," Nelson said with a smile, "I believe the Café should have someone on kitchen duty at the moment. Please, follow me."

It would be nice to have a warm meal for once. She fell in pace next to Nelson, sparing a glance at the Teacher. She knew the Adult was as busy as she was, if not more so. Yet she managed to find time to handle Ako and Iori, meet with her, and still do everything. She had to wonder how exactly Nelson balanced it all.

She wondered if Nelson felt that same exhaustion she did.

Hoshino yawned as Nelson finally took her seat. There was a bit of melancholy present in the air, as this was the last time the Adult would be a fixture of their regular meetings. But other schools needed Nelson's help as well. Even if it was sad, Abydos could find their own way without the Teacher being a regular presence in their halls now.

Ayane clapped her hand, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Alright, everyone's here so let's get this regular meeting underway! Let's begin with a roll call. President of the Foreclosure Task Force and Vice-President of Abydos Student Council, Takanashi Hoshino?"

Hoshino stuck her arm up from where she was napping, waving it lazily. She spoke, drawling lazily, "Present."

"Excellent," Ayane checked off the tiny pinkette's name on her list, "Treasurer, Kuromi Serika?"

"Yeah, yeah," Serika called out from her seat, playing with her phone.

"Thank you. Field captain Sunaōkami Shiroko?"

Shiroko nodded in response, a cookie in her mouth, "Nn."

"And with myself, that is all the named roles present. Now for our regular members. Izayoi Nonomi?"

"Here!" Nonomi said with a cheerful wave.

Ayane looked up at the last occupant of the room. "Adviser for the Foreclosure Task Force, Nelson-Sensei?"

"A pleasure to be here," Nelson asked, even as she glanced around the room curiously, "but may I ask a question before we begin?"

"Of course," Ayane answered with a nod.

The Adult looked around the room, a complicated series of emotions crossing her face. "I understand you wished to make this last regular meeting with my attendance special. But was it necessary to host it in my lounge?"

They were, in fact, all meeting in Nelson's living room. Not just the office or café, but the actual living room in Nelson's apartment in the Schale building. Hoshino had taken over the Adult's sofa. Serika was in one of the chairs. Ayane was standing next to the TV, using it in place of her whiteboard. Nonomi and Serika were just sitting around the coffee table, a box of snacks opened for everyone to share.

"Sorry Sensei, it wasn't my call," Ayane said with an apologetic smile.

Hoshino laughed sleepily, turning over to her side so the rest of the room could see her smirking at them "It was my idea, Sensei. Since you're always coming out to Abydos for our meetings, I thought we could come to Schale for this meeting!"

And, well, Hoshino was curious. How exactly did Nelson live? Serika had told them about the Café, but that was something Nelson put together for the students. It said nothing about Nelson's tastes. The room Nelson used for her stay in Abydos was basically undecorated. The only thing that had even shown it was a room in use were a few mats thrown together into a makeshift bed. The most anyone knew about her was that she had a ridiculously fancy bath.

"Still," Hoshino said as she looked around the room, "I didn't think your living room would be so… eccentric."

"It's gaudy." Shiroko agreed with a nod.

There was no unifying design, aesthetic, or taste in the living room. The sofa Hoshino was resting on had an old-timey elaborate carved wood frame with gold-stitched white fabric seats, straight out of Trinity. Serika's chair was a blocky modern bronze skeleton frame with grey cushions. The other chair was a massive black leather chaise lounge. The coffee table was a plain glass and steel rectangle. The rug under the table had the word "Magpies" over a white and black striped pattern.

Oh, and the two big flags on the wall above the Sofa. Hoshino was pretty sure one was for Nelson's home, and the other was related somehow. There wasn't any other reason to have the same flag take up a quarter of the second flag. The two flags took up the entire wall opposite the TV and hung up proudly for anyone who walked through the door of the living room to see.

The TV itself was a rather large modern widescreen unit. But the shelves that surrounded it were brutalist steel lattice designs. Most of them were also empty, with only a few knickknacks sitting in some of them. All of them seemed to be from the schools she'd visited thus far.

... Wait, that was a flyer from the Hyakkiyako Cherry Blossom Festival. That was last week. When did Nelson find the time to visit them? And why did she have a throwing star with it of all things?

Nelson huffed, a playful put-upon sound, "I will have you know that my taste is beyond that of your understanding."

"They were on sale," Serika added without looking up from her phone. "I recognized all of these from the sales flyers I was handing out last month. Sensei bought whatever was on sale that fit her. She must have been too late to the sale to get any sets."

Everyone turned to stare at Nelson at once. The Adult looked back, expression perfectly even and inscrutable, before turning to Ayane. "Shall we begin the meeting, Secretary?"

Everybody could read that topic deflection for what it was. Nobody seemed to want to call her out on it. Well, they've delayed it for as long as they could. Hoshino sighed and waved at Ayane. "Well, let's get this started then."

"Our debt to Kaiser was cut significantly thanks to the money earned from selling off illegal goods and scrap, bail paid, and refinancing. We now owe just a bit over 123 million yen." Serika finished her report, drawing quiet clapping from everyone else. "That's not counting the money we'll save on maintenance by having prisoners help do repairs around the city or taxes from people moving into the residential areas."

It wasn't a bad outcome by Shiroko's reckoning. Kaiser Loans was frozen thanks to the investigations, but the newly established Kaiser Financial Services was more than happy to buy off the debt. But the public scrutiny generated from the public arrests, the threat of further investigation from the Kivotos Revenues Agency, and Nelson-Sensei's presence forced them to offer a fair deal.

There was also a mild spike of interest in Abydos following this entire event. Abydos was further out than the other Schools, but there were talks of the other Schools possibly using the deserts for training in the future as well. That wasn't counting the students in other Schools interested in just living in the district to avoid the crowds. It also didn't consider that some of the thugs might just stick around and settle down after their term of community service.

The debt was still large and the interest in Abydos wasn't large enough to pay it all off. They still had a lot of hard work ahead of it before they could be completely free of it. But they didn't have any hope of paying it off before, and now they did.

"Thanks for your report, Treasurer," Ayane said, before turning to Shiroko, "Field Captain, how's the investigation going?"

"Nn," Shiroko answered, crunching down on the cookie in her mouth. "We're not getting anywhere. The ice isn't melting so we still don't know what the Kaiser base was hiding."

Everyone shuffled uncomfortably at the reminder. A significant amount of salvageable resources, evidence, and information on Kaiser's dealings in Abydos had likely been in the base near the buried main school building. The problem was that almost 4 square kilometers of land centered around the base was coated in at least half a meter of solid ice. Nobody had the equipment to clear that amount of ice in the middle of a desert, so everyone decided to let it melt in the desert sun.

That was almost two weeks ago.

The ice was still there.

Nobody Shiroko had talked to could figure it out. Nobody was even sure if the ice was melting at all. The snow on top of it had melted, and the mass of ice constantly drew in moisture at night which then melted off during the day. But that ice created by the storm during Nelson's rampage stubbornly refused to melt. Even the samples taken back to Millenium by Yuuka were still solid after all this time.

Maybe they could get some of the community service bandits to work at clearing it with picks and axes. But that was a lot of ice to clear, and hard labour was a bit beyond what could be expected from community service.

She didn't even want to think about how that region seemed to just permanently have a higher moisture level now but stubbornly refused to form clouds or rain. The Millenium science students were all scratching their heads at trying to figure out how any of that worked.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out eventually," Hoshino muttered, her expression up in thought. Everyone else looked similar, except for Nelson's embarrassed flush.

"But there is one thing," Shiroko added, drawing everyone's attention, "The meltwater from the new ice is flowing down the riverbed and into the Great Oasis. It's filling up again pretty fast. It might be full again in a few months if the ice doesn't go away."

In fact, the area around the base had already begun showing signs of revitalizing. Small greens and mosses, but that section of the desert was likely to slowly turn green again if the ice didn't melt.

"Oh!" Nonomi said, clapping her hands happily, "Then we might be able to host the Sand Festival again!"

"Sand Festival?" Nelson muttered, a confused look on her face. Ayane and Serika seemed likewise confused, while Hoshino smiled nostalgically.

"It was a big festival that Abydos used to hold once a year. We haven't had a place or the time to do it for a while now. But if the oasis fills up again…"

She yawned, closing her eyes for a nap again as she spoke, "Well, even if we can't do it this year, it would be nice for a beach day."

"Hey!" Serika shouted as she tossed a wrapper at the sleepy pinkette, "Don't take a nap! We're still not done with the meeting!"

The tension amongst Abydos instantly dropped down a few notches as Serika tried to, unsuccessfully, keep Hoshino from falling asleep. Even as everyone relaxed though, Shiroko could see Nelson out of the corner of her eye. She could see how the Adult's smile faded slightly when she thought nobody was looking.

Shiroko hoped it wasn't serious.

She already knew it was.

We had finished the meeting shortly after and Abydos took a few moments to clean up my lounge. I had filed away their applications to Schale for processing at a future date. With the meeting done, it was almost time for everyone to leave. Abydos was putting on their shoes in the landing when I cleared my throat, drawing their attention.

"There is one thing left before you leave," I announced, "Just a small token of my recognition of your efforts."

Several small navy-blue velvet boxes fell into my hand as I twisted them from storage. I spoke as I walked up to each of them individually, giving each one a box, "Throughout my time with you, you all have demonstrated strength of character and sound judgment. You have surmounted every challenge we encountered and overcame every foe. You all kept your vision on the goals at hand, even when I lost sight of them. I could not be prouder of the work we have accomplished together."

I paused my speech as I handed the last one to Hoshino. I took a step back and, as they all looked at me, I motioned for them to open the boxes. Shiroko was the first one to do so, and her surprised "Nn!" spurred the others to follow suit.

"You have done well and exceeded my expectations," I continued my speech as cries of surprise and gasps of shock filled the small landing, "I hope that these medals will remind you of our work together, and spur you to continue exceeding my expectations."

In each velvet box was the same medal with ribbon, and ribbon bar. I based the design on the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal of the Royal Navy, which was about the highest award I could consider providing. The ribbon was Abydos's sky blue with narrow dark blue edges. The silver medal featured Abydos's logo on one side, and the phrase 'FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE' in three lines encircled by a laurel wreath on the other. I wasn't quite comfortable with having the Imperial Crown atop the wreath when it was my invention, so I had the Schale logo instead.

"You didn't have to do this! We're the ones who asked for your help!" Ayane cried out, an embarrassed blush filling her cheeks as she glanced between the medal and myself.

I laughed, waving off her embarrassed cries, "It has become a tradition at this point. Those who helped me reclaim the Sanctum Tower received gold-plated buttons. Now that I can produce proper rewards, I hardly see a reason to withhold proper acknowledgment."

"Wait," Serika said as she lifted her medal out of the box, staring at it closely, "Is this a solid silver medal? How did you convince Hayase-san to OK these?"

"I have my ways." Which is to say that I spent no money on these medals. The Crafting Chamber under the Sanctum Tower was proving to be highly useful. The test run with Problem Solver 68's hats in preparation for these medals proved to be highly effective. I was just limited by my imagination and drafting skills.

"I can't believe it," Hoshino groaned with a tired sigh, barely hiding her smile, "We were so close to getting out of here without one last speech."

Shiroko nodded in agreement as she snapped her medal case shut, the faintest trace of a smile visible, "Nn. Nelson-Sensei can't help herself."

"She really can't! But it's OK if she's a little dramatic. That's our Sensei, after all." Nonomi said with a cheerful laugh, not even bothering to hide her smile.

"Really, what are you going to do without us," Serika muttered, the harsh bite softened by her smile, "Don't let yourself get hurt while we're not watching you."

Time finally caught up to Ayane and the bespectacled secretary bowed, trying to hide the tears that were beginning to well at the corners of her eyes. "Thank you for everything, Nelson-Sensei!"

The doors to the elevator slid close, as our final goodbyes and waves were exchanged. I counted mentally, watching the floor lights as they changed. Once the elevator was heading down, I let go of the breath I was holding on. The smile slowly faded from my face as the familiar tension of anxiety and worry crept in.

'Sensei, is everything OK?' Arona asked, a concerned note clear in her tone, 'Do you miss them already?'

I don't know if Arona did it on purpose. The computer girl always wanted to give me an out, a way to deflect away whatever was worrying me. I considered taking it, to pass off my feelings as just loneliness. To avoid the subject.

But at the same time, it ate at me. I left her behind during the raid, tossing her to Hoshino to keep both of them safe. Arona never brought it up, but I imagined it would have been at least just as worrying for her if not more so. She didn't have anyone else to talk to besides me, and she relied on her connection with me to experience the world outside of the Shittim Chest.

So, if I couldn't trust her, who could I trust?

I sighed as I sat down on the landing steps, stretching my legs, as I finally admitted aloud, "No Arona. I think something is wrong."

I could feel the tension bleeding through the connection even as she asked, 'What's wrong, Sensei?'

"It might be easier to show you," I answered as I picked up the Chest. I focused on the device, twisted my will—

And just like before, I hit the water-flooded classroom floor with a quiet *splash*. Arona looked up at my arrival, relief and worry warring across her face and halo before she settled on a simple concern.

"It's been a while since you've come in here, isn't it Sensei?"

"It really has been," I answered as I looked around. The classroom remained much the same, but there was a radio set haphazardly placed on several desks in the back corner. Next to it was a computer, fitted with all the accessories I'd come to expect.

I still wasn't sure how she was finding them.

"So, Sensei? What's wrong?" Arona asked, having closed the distance. Her eyes were wide open, even as she visibly struggled to remain calm.

I pushed down the need to keep it private, to deflect again. Quietly, wordlessly, I rolled up my right sleeve and presented my arm to her.

"Your arm? Did it heal wro-" Arona suddenly paused as she looked closely at the limb. She reached out and grabbed me, pulling my forearm down so she could bring it to her face. After a moment she looked back up at me, the worry in her eyes having jumped up significantly.

"What does this mean, Sensei?"

I looked at my arm, at the source of my anxiety and worry. I still didn't know what this place contained within the Shittim Chest was. But I knew it wasn't a reflection of my physical condition as I entered. My clothing and appearance always seemed to stay the same, no matter what I was like before entering. It was a reflection of who I should be, my identity of who I was.

So, what did it mean when my right forearm was now covered in thin, almost imperceptible alabaster cracks? Not scars but lines where the pigmentation of my skin simply ceased and left nothing but truly white flesh.

A phenomenon I noticed over the last week, and seemed to have slowly been growing since. As real out there in the waking as it was in here.

I shook my head in response and answered honestly, "I have no idea, Arona."

AN: And thus, Abydos comes to a close. While I did try to adjust some things to account for Nelson's presence, other things I couldn't think of ways to change that I liked or would fit the narrative I had in mind. And the length of the arc ended up much longer than I planned. Nevertheless, I hope everyone enjoyed the ride through Volume 1.

There will be a bit of a break after this chapter, as I aim to take things a bit slower in December. All the interludes for Volume 1 are effectively done, but I would like to start building the buffer for Volume 2 as well. The next chapter, the first of the Volume 1 Interludes, will be posted after the New Year.

I wish everyone a Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! Thanks to my friend for beta reading this story throughout this much longer endeavor than I expected!