Hello SP friends.
As promised, I bring to you a new chapter of Blood Archive. I also would like to apologise for the amount of time it took me to get this chapter done, unfortunately towards the end of September, I ended up becoming really busy with personal stuff, meaning that I didn't have as much time to write as I would have liked.
But thankfully that's behind me now, however considering that it's going to be the Christmas season soon, production of chapters might slow down even more. Although I would like to get at least one or two chapters done before Christmas itself, so here is hoping.
Also when it comes to the length of this chapter it is quite a mammoth, although certainly not as long as chapter 2 ended up turning out, seriously that thing was an absolute giant of a chapter.
Additionally, when it comes to what is actually depicted in this chapter, I will admit that it is a little bit on the boring side considering there's no action or anything like that. It also doesn't help that I was originally planning to cover the entirety of 'A Day in the life of Serika' however considering how long this chapter was getting, I decided it would be best to split the episode up into two segments, otherwise this chapter may have turned out to be 25,000 or more words. Which I highly doubt most readers would be able to tolerate.
Anyway, that's enough rambling from me for now.
So without any further ado, I present to you chapter 5 of Blood Archive.
"Sensei, it's another dead end I'm afraid"
A voice reach the hunter's ears as he continued to stare out of the large windows of his office, his gaze which was trained on the horizon holding nothing but frustration and also a bit of concern.
"I see, how troublesome" The hunter quietly said to himself, his eyes narrowing considerably as he felt his frustration continue to build. So far his search for Ume's missing sister had been completely fruitless, in fact, despite going into this knowing that finding the girl wouldn't be easy, he hadn't expected it to be this hard.
"I'm sorry for letting you down sensei" Arona's holographic and semi-transparent body quickly materialised next to the Hunter, a look of shame on her face as she looked up the Hunter. His look of frustration and anger made her feel like she had failed him, which only serve to make her feel even more useless.
After a moment however the hunter quickly turned his gaze away from the window, looking down at his little AI companion as his stern and hard features noticeably softened, the frustration which wasn't directed at her to begin with dissipated somewhat.
"There is nothing you should be apologising for Arona, you have tried everything in your Arsenal to locate Tomo, so the fault is not with you" The hunter reached his hand out, only managing to stop himself at the last moment, reminding himself that the AI girls current form was a non-physical one meaning that his hand would pass right through her.
Still, Arona's noticeably downtrodden and sad look quickly dissipated, both his words and gesture lifting her spirits somewhat, although it didn't change the fact that she still did feel bad for not being able to help the hunter with what she thought would have been a simple request.
Turning his gaze back to the large windows in front of him, the hunter's expression noticeably hardened once again, his eyes narrowing considerably as a disturbing thought entered his mind, one that he verbalised without even thinking.
"I'm beginning to think that something more unsavory has happened to Tomo" Arona looked up at The Hunter surprised by his words, the look on his face was hard to read, but in His eyes, she could see a noticeable amount of concern and maybe even just a small amount of dread.
"I'm S-sure she's fine, delinquents aren't exactly known for staying on an academies radar or being easy to find after their expulsion" Arona said quickly, while she didn't want to think that something bad had happened to the delinquent. The look in sensei's eyes combined with the fact that Tomo had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth were definitely beginning to sway her over to that line of thinking.
The hunter didn't respond to his AI companion, continuing to look towards the horizon, his eyes narrowing further. While trying to locate Tomo was something that he was putting a lot of his effort and time into, there was also another much larger problem that he had to tackle.
Remembering back to the previous day, the hunter felt his frustration beginning to spike, as he focused on what exactly was related to him involving abydos and its problems, more precisely that revolved around the absolutely colossal amount of debt that was hanging over the school, like a guillotine threatening to plunge down at any second.
At first, he hadn't been all too concerned by the fact that the school was in debt, seeing it as a minor problem that could easily be dealt with. Yet when he was told exactly how much the school currently owed to the debt collectors, he for the first time in quite a long time found himself genuinely astonished, because the number was just truly astronomical.
In fact, even though he considered himself a well-educated person even before his ascension to something more than a human being, numbers of that size truly overwhelmed his mind to the point where he didn't even think that numbers like that could even be a thing.
"962,350,000... How does a school accumulate such a tremendous amount of debt" The hunter said aloud to himself, a frustrated huff escaping his lips, as he crossed his arms over his chest. The number was truly ridiculous, to the point where at the time he had thought that the students were playing a trick on him, but remembering the serious looks on their faces convinced him otherwise.
"It sure is a big number sensei... it makes me think what was the previous school administration doing to rack up such a debt like that" Arona said with a thoughtful expression on her face, while she had looked into the financial reports of the school going back for the last couple of years. They ultimately didn't reveal much as to why the school had accumulated such a debt so quickly.
"That is indeed a good question, Arona… But considering the amount of money owed, I suppose a question like that will have to wait until some kind of solution is found" The hunter quickly brought a hand up to his chin, rubbing it intently as he thought about how exactly to remedy a situation like this.
While he had his own salary given to him by the general student council, which in theory would be more than enough to pay off the debt. He already had a feeling that the students, especially Hoshino and Serika would reject such a proposal.
However, as the hunter continued to stare out of the window, he suddenly heard Arona let out a small giggle next to him, causing him to look down at her, raising a questioning eyebrow as she quickly spoke between her giggles.
"Ha Ha, maybe we could rob a bank or something sensei, that would surely get us enough money to pay off the abydos's debt" the small AI girl continued to laugh while the hunter simply looked at her with a blank gaze.
He knew that she was joking, but personally he didn't find the suggestion very funny, but still eventually after a moment of watching her continue to laugh at her own suggestion, the hunter couldn't help but smile just a little bit.
"While it would most certainly get us enough money, Arona... I very much do not want to become a criminal in these lands" The hunter said after a moment, his words seemingly making the young girl laugh even harder, which in turn made his own smile grow considerably.
But ultimately, his smile quickly faltered when he was reminded that this was a serious matter. Which certainly wasn't helped by the fact that his other mission, which was finding the missing delinquent Tomo hadn't exactly progressed.
However, as the Hunter continues to ponder the mystery laid out before him, with Arona occasionally giving her two cents. His mind quickly wandered back to his meeting with the abydos foreclosure task force the other day, specifically remembering how Hoshino didn't seem quite like herself during the meeting.
Narrowing his eyes the hunter recalled her overall behaviour, at the time he hadn't paid it too much attention, simply because his focus was taken up by the reveal of the school's tremendous amount of debt. Yet, thinking back on it now, the hunter felt a chill shoot down his spine.
Hoshino hid it well, managing to completely fool her friends, and making them none the wiser. Yet even though at the time he had brushed off her behaviour as nothing out of the ordinary, remembering the slight subtle changes in her body language and more importantly the look in her eyes made the hunter feel incredibly off put.
Her eyes held a deep sense of Fear and dread, he could recall them darting around every now and again looking between the windows and the doors of the clubroom, as if she was expecting something to jump out and snatch her up.
That was also the fact that even though it was hidden Beneath Her shirt, the hunter could just about make out what looked to be some kind of very thick bandage wrapped around her arm with what he thought was a very slight red stain on it.
Quickly bringing himself back to the present, the hunter shook his head, while Hoshino and her strange attitude certainly concerned him, it wasn't the time to think about such things. Especially considering that the issue of that the issue of Tomo still remaining elusive, and the severe debt of the abydos High School were more important.
"Sensei... Are you alright?" The hunter quickly looked for the source of the voice, finding Arona looking up at him with a clearly concerned expression on her holographic face.
Looking into her eyes the hunter eventually let out a quiet sigh, the tension which had been present in his shoulders disappearing as his chest deflated, while he couldn't relax entirely, he did at least let himself loosen up just a small amount. After all, he had learnt very quickly in his youth that being stressed while trying to solve problems would often set yourself up for failure.
"I'm fine Arona... it's just that there are quite a few things that needs to be taken care of" The hunter said as he turned his gaze back towards the cityscape below, his eyes narrowing slightly as he centred his thoughts back on the subject of Tomo and her disappearance.
While the abydos school was a pressing concern, the currently missing delinquent was something that was immediately more concerning, considering that the debt wasn't immediately threatening to the continue to operations of the abydos High School and it's students.
Arona didn't immediately respond to the hunter, continuing to look up at him with clear concern and her face. Despite having not known him for that long, she had already figured out how to read the subtle emotions he displayed on his face, which meant that she could see the discrete hints on his face that conveyed frustration but also concern in equal measure
However, before she could open her mouth to say anything, the hunter quickly spoke, taking her by surprise as he also turned his gaze to look at her.
"Arona, I would like you to search the public databases again, but this time try searching for past instances Tomo instead of current ones" His wording was a bit odd but Arona immediately understood what he was asking. Instead of trying to search for the girl in the present, he was asking her to look through all the public database history for instances of the missing delinquent.
With her eyes practically lighting up, Arona let out a smile as she quickly complied with the hunter's request. "Of course, Sensei, I'm on it!" The AI girl said, her eyes closing as a concentrating look made its way onto her features.
She had a lot of data to sift through, to the point where if she was a normal computer, it could have possibly taken her weeks if not months to fully scan for all of it. But fortunately for her and her extremely advanced architecture it took only moments, and after searching she found exactly what she was looking for.
Her eyes opened up with surprise as she looked up at The Hunter, who was looking at her with an expecting gaze, clearly waiting for her to relay whatever information she had just discovered.
"Sensei, I found something!" Arona said excitedly as she quickly transmitted the data to the tablet which was resting inside sensei's overcoat pocket, the device vibrating which was more than enough for the hunter to immediately retrieve it from his pocket, looking at the screen intently as the information on the screen flash passed his eyes.
Despite being missing for some time, Arona had managed to find several instances of Tomo being caught on several security cameras in the abydos district, mostly around some of the very few populated areas that was still present within the mostly abandoned district. And despite not being overly familiar with the district entirely just yet, thankfully the recordings from the security cameras gave the hunter enough information to get a rough idea of where the footage was taken and by extension Tomo had last been seen.
However, as he continued to watch the recordings, he noticed one in particular that caught his eye. It was of Tomo clad in her delinquent gear except for her helmet, which she was holding in one hand. However, the part that caught his eye in particular was the individual that she was seemingly conversing with, due to the security camera location, most of the mysterious individual was obscured from the frame.
They seem to be an individual of roughly similar statue to himself, although maybe a little bit shorter, they were wearing what looked to be some kind of suit, judging from the little that the hunter could see.
Unfortunately, even though it was obvious that this mysterious individual and Tomo we're having some kind of conversation, the security camera unfortunately seemingly didn't have the capacity to capture audio, meaning that the recording was silent and therefore the nature of their conversation was unknown to The Hunter.
Yet, judging by the delinquent girl's body language and overall expression, whatever was being discussed between them was clearly something that had wild her up. But just before the recording ended, the hunter observed the mysterious person stretching out an arm, offering something to the delinquent that looked to be some kind of small red object. However, regrettably, the hunter could not make out the object's exact nature due to the quality of the recording being not exactly being stellar.
With the recordings now finished, the hunter quickly shut the tablet off, placing it back into his overcoat for safe keeping as he began to ponder what exactly here just seen. While he wasn't one to jump to conclusions, considering that often lead one to make incorrect assumptions. He couldn't help but think that maybe the mysterious person he had seen in the recording with Tomo had something to do with her disappearance.
"Sensei... do you think that person in the video had something to do with Tomo's disappearance" the hunter was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Arona's voice, causing him to look down at his little AI companion who had an equally thoughtful expression on her face. In fact, somewhat comically, she was even mimicking his exact posture with one hand rubbing her chin gently.
The hunter didn't immediately respond to her words, instead choosing to look back out to the cityscape outside as he continued to think, while it was a big assumption to definitively conclude that the mysterious individual in the recording was responsible for the delinquent girl's disappearance. He was at least somewhat certain on the fact that the unknown individual was involved in some shape or form, even if they weren't directly culpable.
"I'm honestly not sure Arona, but it is somewhat suspicious that the mysterious person in the recording, was seemingly the last person that Tomo interacted with before she disappeared" The hunter did not turn his gaze away from the windows, his eyes narrowing deeply as a somewhat disconcerting feeling overtook him.
However, before Arona could say anything in reply, a gentle chime suddenly filled the air, causing both her and the hunter to immediately look over their shoulders and towards the officer's double doors.
Without a word, Arona's holographic body quickly fizzled out of existence, leaving nothing behind to show that she was even there. The hunter also quickly turned on the spot, somewhat hastily pulling at the white collar of his shirt to straighten it out as the office doors abruptly opened. Revealing none other than Rin Nanagami, the general student vice Council president, who was carrying a small cardboard box under one of her arms with her other hand occupied by a phone which was held up to one of her ears.
"Aoi! For the last time I told you I won't be long" The hunter observed silently, watching Rin's one-sided conversation with whoever she was talking to on the other end of the line.
And even though he couldn't hear what was being said to the vice president, he could tell by the way that her face contorted into an expression of barely contained frustration, that it clearly didn't improve her mood in the slightest.
Rin quickly let out a notice be frustrated grunt, her gaze quickly falling onto the Hunter who she sent him an apologetic look, before returning to the conversation she was having on the phone.
The hunter for his part simply nodded his head, allowing the vice president's to continue her conversation, as he sighed while watching from where he was standing.
"Aoi, I told you I won't be long and that is final! Now don't call me back unless it's something serious!" Rin accompanied her sharp tone of voice by quickly ending the call, cutting off whatever the individual on the other end of the line was about to say, as she quickly returned the phone to her jacket pocket, a noticeably tired and frustrated sounding sigh escape her lips.
"I'm sorry you had to hear that, sensei, it's been a... Stressful morning" Rin said with a noticeably tired tone, as she quickly made her way over to one of the many desks that littered the office, placing a small box that she had under her arm onto it as the Hunter wandered over to her and the mysterious box.
"There is no need to apologise Rin, I can certainly understand your frustration considering the amount of work you and the other student council members have on your hands" the hunter followed up his words by giving Rin an understanding and sympathetic smile, which she seemed to appreciate as she somewhat tiredly smiled back.
"Although perhaps maybe you owe an apology to whoever was on the other end of the telephone" the hunter's words caught Rin completely off guard, making hair look at him as if he had somehow grown a second head.
The hunter didn't reply to her clearly questioning look, simply gesturing with a slight nod of the head that she should think about what he had said, after all, despite understanding just how stressful her job could be. It wasn't becoming of her to treat her subordinates in such a disrespectful way, even if it was born out of nothing but stress instead of malice.
Rin continue to look at the hunter with both the clearly unimpressed and questioning look, before eventually she let out another frustrated and tired sounding groan. Her face taking on a look of defeat as she acquiesced to the hunter's request.
"I suppose I do owe Aoi an apology, despite how insistent and annoying she can be sometimes, she only wants the best for the general student council and the rest of kivotos" Rin said with a slightly embarrassed expression.
While she didn't mind the idea of apologizing, what was actually embarrassing for her was the fact that the hunter was almost treating her as if she was just another student, even though she technically outranked him in terms of authority and hierarchy.
The Hunter let a smile form on his lips, his overall expression turning quite jovial as he let out a quiet chuckle, which only served to make Rin look of embarrassment grow with each passing second, a noticeably red hue making its way onto her cheeks, however after a moment of enjoying her embarrassment the hunter cleared his throat.
"Well now that is sorted, what exactly has brought you here today Rin" the hunter asked politely, casting his gaze momentarily to the box which was now resting on his desk before looking back at Rin, who looked momentarily surprised by his question.
However, after a second of surprise, realisation crossed her face as she quickly cleared her throat and began to speak. "Well I wanted to give you some documents that I thought you would find useful, specifically it's information regarding the biggest academies in kivotos..." Rin quickly trailed off, the hunter immediately noticing that she clearly had more to say, as he raised the questioning eyebrow while motioning for her to continue.
"However... That's not the main reason why I'm here" Rin paused once again, reaching into her jacket as she rummaged around trying to find something. The hunter however for a brief moment felt a small twinge of nervousness shoot through him, because for just a split second he thought that maybe Arona's forceful excess of the public databases may have been noticed by the general student council.
Yet when Rin finally retrieve what she was looking for, quickly pulling it out of her pocket and presenting it to The Hunter, he felt himself noticeably calm only for confusion to replace his momentary nervousness, as he looked at the strange small object clutched in Rin's hands.
It was a strange thing, one that the hunter had no frame of reference to compare anything to. it was rectangular in form with its corners rounded off a little to not be sharp, it was also incredibly thin, to the point where it made a piece of paper or parchment to look thick by comparison. The object's colour was a strange golden hue with a single black stripe running down one side of it, which was accompanied by a small black square that was seemingly made of a different material than the rest of the item itself.
Continuing to stare at the object in Rin's hand, the hunter felt a strange feeling come over him, one that was hard to place at first yet felt eerily familiar. in fact, the longer he looked at the strange object, the more the strange foreboding feeling became more apparent. This object whatever it was held some kind of power, a power that everyone was completely unaware to accept him.
Yet, somebody calling his name quickly made him shake his head, bringing himself back to the present.
"Sensei!... Were you listening to what I just said?" Rin said with a frustrated tone, her eyebrows wrinkled up in both anger and frustration at the fact that it seemed that sensei had been off in his own little world and not listening to what she was trying to tell him.
Still, as the Hunter quickly let out a cough to clear his throat, the general student council vice president couldn't help but feel just a little bit put off by what she had just witnessed.
While she had only known the hunter for a short amount of time, in that time she was able to get a basic sense of who he was and how he acted. So the fact that he was seemingly caught in his own little world just now instead of listening to her was extremely out of character for him.
"Please excuse me Rin, but I'm afraid you'll have to run that by me once more, I was... off in my own little world there for a moment" The hunter answered with an apologetic tone, waving one of his hands dismissively as if to brush aside the subject quickly.
Rin found this very odd but decided to oblige to his request as she let out a sigh, motioning to the card clutched in her fingers as she began to speak once again.
"As I said, the main reason I'm here today is to give you this" Rin pause for a moment gesturing to the card clutched in her fingers, as she then continued speaking.
"This is a special card, that, like the Shittim Chest, was left for you specifically by the general student council president. She specified in the instructions that it cannot be used carelessly and should only be used when necessary. However, it also apparently can be used as a bank card should the need arise" Rin finished her explanation by holding out the card at arm's length.
Even though the credit card much like the Shittim Chest was a complete mystery considering it's unknown origin and manufacturer, Rin at least trusted in the president, that the card was destined for the hunter then it was only right that he had it.
With a hint of apprehension flickering in his eyes, the hunter glanced at the vice president. As he reached out to take the small card, his fingers paused just before touching it. A strange sensation washed over him, accompanied by a memory. The circumstances surrounding this object being presented to him bore an uncanny resemblance to...
"The cord of the eyes..."
The words that came out of the hunter's mouth were so quiet that they almost couldn't be heard, yet Rin did manage to hear him, although the exact nature of what he had uttered was unknown to her.
"Did you say something, Sensei?" Rin felt a shiver rundown her spine as she asked that question, for some reason the air temperature in the room seemed to drop by a noticeable degree, making a goosebumps-like feeling appear on her arms. Though as quickly as it came, it disappeared as the hunter abruptly shaking his head, the look of apprehension in his eyes quickly fading away as he put on a slightly forced smile.
"No… I didn't Rin" The hunter paused for a second as he hastily but cautiously took the card into his own gloved hands, sparing a single glance at it before placing it into a breast pocket that was on his overcoat.
"Thank you for this, I will be sure to look after it and put it to use when appropriate" The hunter added with a smile this time looking much less forced as he extended a thankful hand out to Rin.
The raven-haired vice president of the student council observed the hunter with a sceptical gaze. Although his smile no longer appeared forced, something about his demeanour and the way he smiled made her uneasy. Despite her concerns, she decided to let it go, attributing it to his eccentric personality.
"You're welcome sensei, anyway I'll leave you to work, I have to get back to the general student council before Aoi blows up my phone again" Rin said with a slight chuckle which the hunter reciprocated, while he didn't quite understand the euphemism he could at least catch it's general meaning.
"Well in that case, have a safe journey Rin, hopefully, we will meet again soon" The hunter said as he swept one of his arms to the side while giving a large bow. Rin was a bit caught off guard by this but ultimately reciprocated, giving a small wave as she quickly turned on her heels and made her way towards the office exit, yet before she stepped through the threshold she turned back to the Hunter.
"Sensei... Are you sure you're OK?" Rin asks with genuine concern in her voice, catching the Hunter by surprise as he turned on his heels to look at her. She couldn't read his emotions exactly, she simply hadn't known him long enough to be able to do that, but for just a brief moment he saw in his eyes what looked to be concerned, yet as quickly as it came it was gone as he put on another smile.
"I can assure you I'm... fine" The brief pause in his words didn't convince her otherwise, but ultimately Rin decided not to push the subject any further, simply sending him an understanding look before she quickly exited the office.
The sound of the glass doors shutting behind Rin was the only sound that filled the room as the hunter was left completely alone once again, he stood there for a moment before turning on his heels and making his way over to the large windows that looked down on the cityscape below, his eyes narrowing considerably as he pulled the mysterious car from his breast pocket.
Flipping it over in his fingers, he inspected it meticulously, even though he didn't have much of an idea of what exactly a credit card was, it didn't change the fact that in this world it was an incredibly ordinary item even if it's texture and material were completely alien to him.
Yet there was something more to this strange little card, something that desperately tugged at the back of his mind and yet was just out of reach, the feeling it gave him was familiar, painfully familiar to the point where it almost made him consider throwing the card into the deepest blackest pit so that it could never be found.
"This thing… Has a stench of the arcane" The hunter murmured quietly to himself as he continued to stare at the card, a familiar noise filling the air as his little AI companion's holographic body suddenly materialised next to him.
"Sensei... what did you mean by arcane?" Arona spoke inquisitively, looking at the bank card cautiously as the hunter didn't immediately answer her question, instead of choosing to turn his gaze away from her and look out to the city below.
While he couldn't be certain considering that it was only circumstantial evidence that led him to think this way, it was becoming obvious to him that something more... esoteric was a foot in kivotos, which was something that filled him with a deep sense of foreboding.
However, turning his gaze to his AI companion, the hunter let out a sigh as he quickly put the card back into his breast pocket, giving it a reassuring path to make sure it was in place and that it wouldn't go flying out at the moment's notice.
Turning to Arona, who looked a little bit disappointed at the fact that he had put the card away before she had finished inspecting it, the hunter opened his mouth to speak.
"Arona, I think it's time to make a move" was all that the hunter said as he quickly began to make his way towards the office exit, Arona was momentarily surprised by his words as her holographic body began to move so she could keep up with him.
"W-what do you mean sensei?" The little AI said as the hunter came to a stop just in front of the office door, turning to look at her, his gaze conveying determination but also perhaps even just a little bit of frustration, which wasn't directed at her thankfully as the hunter opened his mouth in response.
"What I mean Arona, is that I think it's time we both looking for Tomo ourselves" the hunter said as a runner's face lit up with understanding her mouth bring into the shape of an o, as she now understood exactly what the hunter meant, and without moments hesitation her holographic body quickly dematerialised.
The tablet which was resting inside the hunters' overcoat quickly lighting up as The Familiar classroom and Arona's face became visible on it.
Taking out the tablet and giving Arona a small smile, before placing the tablet back in his overcoat, the hunter quickly exited his office being sure to close the door behind him as he began making his way towards the buildings exit, yet as he did so, he couldn't help but feel that strange sense of uneasiness return as he considered the card that was resting in his breast pocket, but shaking his head, he decided to worry about that later as for right now he had a delinquent girl to find.
…..
"Arona, Are you positive this is the right area?"
A voice filled the air, as a familiar silhouette came into view.
The Hunter came to a stop, he wasn't all too surprised to see sand everywhere and covering a majority of the sidewalk in the street, even though this particular district was far more populated than the others he had visited in abydos up until this point. It certainly still looked deserted and run down, really putting into perspective just how much of a sorry state the entire Abydos district was in.
"Yes, sensei, according to the camera's data it should be just around... There!" Even though the tablet housing Arona was tucked safely inside his overcoat, the hunter was somehow able to follow where she was gesturing to with her voice. His eyes scanning the environment before immediately coming to rest on a grey box up on the corner of one of the buildings.
Walking over to it, the hunter glanced at the object critically for a moment, even though much like the rest of the technology in this strange world, he wasn't too familiar with the object called a security camera, it didn't mean that he wasn't able to identify it was the one that had taken the recording of Tomo and her mysterious companion.
"I see, if this is where the camera is... then the alleyway should be... this way" The hunter said idly to himself as he began to trace the line of sight of the camera, his feet carrying him down the pavement as he quickly came to an abrupt stop, his eyes narrowing considerably as the alleyway from the recording was presented before him.
Without a moments' hesitation, the hunter walked into the alleyway, his eyes scanning all over for any clues as to where Tomo could have possibly gone. Yet the more he looked, the more he felt his frustration beginning to build, there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in this alleyway, not a single piece of litter or stray speck of sand looked suspicious.
"A student doesn't just vanish into thin air..." The hunter mumbled under his breath, a noticeable amount of aggravation creeping into his voice as he quickly got down to one knee and placed his hand against the warm concrete below.
"Sensei... I don't think anything's here, maybe we should try looking somewhere else for clues" Arona's voice echoed out from the tablet which was snugly secured in his overcoat. Yet her voice didn't seem to reach the hunter as he continued to hold his pose, his hand flat against the concrete as his eyes suddenly closed, a look of deep concentration making itself apparent on his face.
Focusing, the hunter began to channel some of his arcane power, not enough to be noticeable but just enough to maybe shed some light or possibly reveal some clues as to where Tomo could have disappeared to.
As the hunter continued to focus, he began to hear the echoes of the past, they were faint and almost inaudible at first yet the longer he listened and focused the more he was able to understand them.
"Why the hell should I trust you?"
The hunter's face scrunched up, while the recording itself he had seen earlier that day was completely dead silent, he was already able to identify the distorted and distant voice as Tomo's.
"I'm not saying that you should trust me, all I'm saying that you should consider what I have offered"
The hunter wasn't sure who this voice belongs to, but he suspected it was most likely the voice of the mysterious individual that was partially obscured from the recording, Yet, there was an enigmatic quality to the stranger's voice that unsettled him deeply. This person's cadence and way of speaking almost had a... playful tone to it, as if they took immense enjoyment in what they were offering.
"Yeah right, do you really expect me to believe that it can actually do that"
Furrowing his brow further, The Hunter wasn't entirely sure what Tomo could have been referring to, but he suspected it was most likely related to the strange object that the mysterious individual had handed Tomo just before the recording had ended.
Yet unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he was unable to make out anything else from the echoes of the past. With his eyes open, the echoes gradually faded, leaving the alleyway deserted and silent, occasionally punctuated only by the mournful wail of the wind as it blew through. However, it was only then he became aware of somebody calling his name, somebody who sounded very concerned, in a swift motion, he retrieved the tablet from the concealed pocket of his overcoat.
"Sensei, are you alright?" With apprehension evident in her voice, Arona's gaze fixed upon the hunter through the screen. Her facial expression and, most notably, her halo, which had assumed a distinctly droopy appearance, conveyed a palpable sense of concern.
With a swift movement, the hunter redirected his gaze from his diminutive AI companion to the alleyway. His eyes narrowed as he carefully scrutinized the area for a moment. Then, standing to his full height, he turned to Arona, his gaze steady as he parted his lips to speak.
"Yes Arona I am more than well" the hunter said with a reassuring smile, holding the tablet out at arm's length, as he began to walk further into the alleyway, his eyes occasionally breaking contact from Arona's as he looked around trying to spot any more clues.
"That's a relief. But seriously! Why did you go completely silent like that? You were starting to scare me" Arona's words of concern made the hunter look directly at her. He could see the trepidation but also fear for his safety in her big blue orbs, in fact he couldn't help but feel just a little bit bad for making her worry so, as such, after a moment of hesitation he decided to explain himself.
"I'm sorry that I made you fear for me Arona, I can assure you that I am more than fine" The hunter paused for a second trying to think of the right way to say what he wanted to say next before eventually continuing.
"What I was doing was gathering clues in regard to Tomo's disappearance" The hunter was already aware before he said them that his words failed to explain actions, but ultimately he couldn't reveal the true nature of what he was doing both because Arona wouldn't be able to understand and because he didn't feel like it was the right time to reveal to her, his inhuman nature in full just yet.
Arona didn't immediately respond to his answer, a look of confusion making itself known on her face as she tilted her head to the side in an inquisitive manner, that reminded the hunter of a small puppy looking up at its master, clearly not understanding the command that has been given. However, after a moment of this, Arona finally managed to find her voice.
"How exactly were you able to find clues by just... putting your hand against the ground, sensei?" The hunter looked at his little AI companion, the confusion on her face quickly giving way to excitement and also curiosity at how exactly he was able to find clues in the way he had just done.
Deliberating for a moment, the hunter wasn't entirely sure what to tell her that wouldn't reveal his Arcane nature in full, but ultimately after a few seconds he decided what to say as a grin made its way onto his face.
"Well, my dear Arona, let's just say that I have a special... An ability, you could say, That allows me to hear things that most people can't" The hunter watched the little AI's face practically light up as he spoke, the confusion and inquisitiveness on her face giving way to a look of Wonder and excitement as she quickly opened her mouth to respond.
"A special ability! Do you mean like a superpower!" Arona shouted energetically, her halo taking on a noticeable pink hue as it became or spiky with her excitement. Despite his reservations, the hunter couldn't help but feel relieved, a small smile making its way onto his face because while he would tell Arona his true Nature in time, he had to do it carefully considering that she seemingly had the mindset and mentality of a child.
And even though he was not a parent, he knew from experience that tackling serious or even foreign subjects for children could be hard for them to understand, especially when they were too young to fully grasp it was a challenge and was something that needed to be done with care.
"I can't believe it! I really can't believe it, Sensei has a superpower" Arona's excitement could barely be contained as she began jumping around absolutely overjoyed, her feet making loud splashing sounds as water went everywhere in the half-submerged and destroyed virtual classroom that was her home.
The hunter observing this through the tablet screen couldn't help but chuckle profusely, finding her excitement almost infectious, he also felt a small weight lifted from his shoulders, because if this is how she reacted to him revealing that he had abilities that normal humans did not share, then it was possible that she would take to the idea of him being something of the arcane rather than human.
However, suddenly Arona stopped jumping around, the exuberant look never leaving her face as she quickly turned to The Hunter, her eyes full of wonder and glee as she asked her question.
"How does your superpower work? Sensei... A-and do you have any more!?" Her words momentarily caught the hunter off guard, his smile faltering for just a moment as he considered her words carefully.
He did briefly consider for a moment telling her more about his inhuman nature, but ultimately decided against it, feeling that even though she had accepted the idea of him having powers that normal humans didn't, she simply wasn't ready to know the full truth.
After all, he had learnt the hard way during his early time as a hunter, just how dangerous acquiring a vast amount of knowledge of the arcane and the cosmic could truly be, before one was ready to do so.
"Unfortunately Arona, other than the power to hear things that normal people can't, I'm afraid that I am quite ordinary" The hunter couldn't stop himself from laughing loudly as he saw his AI companion body practically evaporate at his words, the energy leaving her eyes as her entire body seemed to noticeably slump down as if she was made of some kind of overexpress liquid.
"Regarding my capability to perceive sounds that are usually inaudible to the majority of people, let's just say that my hearing is incredibly precise, in fact, you could think of it as... super hearing if you will" The hunter observed that the look of the excitement in an Arona's eyes returned, while it was noticeably subdued from before, it didn't change the fact that his little AI assistant seemed to warm to the notion of him having what she believed was a superpower.
Of course, the true reality of how he was able to hear things that other people couldn't, was a bit more… Arcane in nature, in fact, even though the ability came naturally to him along with other abilities that even the most physics defying students could only dream of.
He truthfully wasn't even sure himself of how exactly these powers of his work, because even though he had ascended to become something more than human granting him abilities, it didn't change the fact that it didn't mean that he was all knowing and in truth he was still exploring the exact nature of his cosmic powers himself, considering that from his point of view his ascension had not been that long ago.
Arona who wasn't privy to the hunter's internal thoughts, simply looked on with absolute awe on her face, the fact that her sensei had a genuine real life superpower was absolutely amazing, and even though it sounded way too good to be true, she knew that the hunter wouldn't lie to her. After all, from her perspective the hunter seemed like a very genuine and trustworthy person, unlike most other adults that she had records of.
"Man, this is so cool! I wonder what the rest of the students will think when we tell them" Arona said excitedly and extremely loudly which made the hunter who was now beginning to make his way back to the entrance of the alleyway, quickly stumble, with him only just managing to catch his footing as he looked at his little AI companion and surprise.
Arona despite her excitement noticed the hunter stumble as well as the strange look he was sending her, which made her tilt her head to the side, a little bit confused that why the hunter was looking at her with a strange look.
"What's the matter, Sensei... D-did I say something wrong!?" the little AI asked with a growing sense of worry in her voice, she had already come to the conclusion that she had said something that offend sensei.
The hunter, however, simply looked at her, his face conveying confusion and surprised, but also what seemed to be a growing amount of contemplation. While he had already decided that he would eventually tell Arona about his inhuman nature when he believed she was ready, sharing that information with anyone other than herself and especially the students, was something that he would most likely never do willingly.
Simply because he didn't want the students to be scared of him or fear him, after all he was more than aware of just how... madness inducing his true Nature could be to those who were not prepared or equipped to handle it.
"Arona... While I appreciate your enthusiasm, about wishing to share my power with everyone, I would prefer it to be kept a secret, just between the two of us" The hunter picked his words carefully, he didn't want it to come off like he was scolding her. Because after all, she couldn't have known his true reasons for wanting to keep his powers and by extension his true nature a secret.
Arona looked at the hunter confused, her halo taking on a green and spiky appearance conveying how confusion visually as she opened her mouth to speak after a moment of awkward silence.
"OK sensei, But... why does it need to be a secret? Don't you want everyone to know about your superpower, so they know how cool and awesome you are?" Arona furrowed her brow, her halo changing from green to a light pink as it visually conveyed her not understanding why the hunter would want to keep power a secret from everyone. Using her logic, if she had a superpower she would want everyone in the world to know about it, so that they could know how awesome and cool she was.
The hunter didn't immediately respond to her question, the look of frustrated confusion on her face making it hard for him to find the right words. Ultimately, he knew what he wanted to say, but he simply just couldn't find the right way to articulate so that Arona would understand and that more of his true inner nature wouldn't be revealed by mistake.
Yet after much deliberation he finally found the right words to say as he took a deep breath before continuing. "Arona... the reason I want to keep it a secret is… Because while you have accepted that I have powers that most don't. I fear that the students will look negatively upon me or quite possibly even be scared of me if they knew that I could do things that they couldn't" The hunter pause for a moment, allowing his words to sink in as he observed Arona's reaction.
At first, she seems to be completely dumbfound by what he was saying, however after several moments the little AI girl's eyes widen considerably as a look of understanding crossed her features.
"Oh... OK, I think I understand Sensei" Was that Arona said in response, the hunter giving her an appreciated look as he quickly nodded his head. However, Arona suddenly continued cutting him off and preventing him from speaking.
"It's just like in a superhero movie, if everyone knew your true identity and your powers then it could put those you care about at risk, I'm sorry that I didn't think of that before, Sensei" Arona accompanied her apology by bowing, the hunter being momentarily caught off guard by her words.
In fact, he wasn't quite sure exactly what she was referring to by a superhero movie or the trope that was related to it. But in the end, he decided that he wouldn't correct her on her misunderstandings of his reasoning for keeping his power and true form hidden.
"Your apology is accepted Arona, and please don't fret, I'm not angry with you in the slightest" the hunter said as he resumed walking, quickly exiting the alleyway and coming back under assault from the scorching rays of the sun high above.
Arona who was still looking at the hunter from the tablet simply smiled as she let out a giggle, happy to hear that the hunter wasn't angry with her after all.
However, as the Hunter was about to put the tablet containing his AI assistant back inside his overcoat for safe keeping, something suddenly caught his attention, something that was incredibly unremarkable and utterly ordinary looking. Yet something about it drew him to it as the hunter quickly crouched down, retrieving the item from the hot pavement below as he held it gingerly in his free hand.
It was a small piece of... Paper, ordinary looking paper with writing on it.
The hunter scrutinise the piece of paper, his eyes narrowing considerably as he turned it over in his hand, it was incredibly damaged both by the elements, and also by what looked to be a dark brown stain that obscured a majority of the black printed text from view.
However, as he examined the unfamiliar script and it's characters, one part stood out to him, one that made a shiver run down his spine as he finally found what he was looking for.
"Sensei... Seeeensei? The hunter abruptly shook his head, becoming aware of somebody familiar calling his name, as he quickly held the tablet up so he could see Arona's face.
She had a look of visible concern, but also a face of intense curiosity that was mainly directed at the piece of paper that seemingly had the hunter captivated, and after a moment of silence between them, the hunter quickly brought himself up to his full height as he spoke.
"Arona, I believe we have just found our first clue in regard to Tomo's disappearance" the hunter stated with what perhaps could have been a small amount of excitement, as he held up the piece of damaged paper in front of the tablet so Arona could see it, her face quickly went from one of curiosity and concern to pure shock.
"Really Sensei! W-what is it! What does it say!? Arona asked excitedly, practically pushing her face against the tablet screen, which the hunter wasn't quite sure how it was possible but disregarded it nonetheless as he held the paper closer to his face.
While he is quite easy to speak the spoken language of kivotos because of its similarity to a particular oriental language that he had some past experience with. The same couldn't be said for his ability to read the written version of the language, embarrassingly he still had been unable to quite figure out the complexity of how the language was arranged and structured. Yet the part that had caught his eye and that he was able to make out was a single name printed at the very top of the piece of paper.
"Unfortunately, the only part of it I can read is at the very top, which says... Tomo" The hunter paused for a moment allowing what he had said to sink in, as Arona looked at him through the tablet screen, the look of excitement and shock quickly giving way to confusion as she opened her mouth to respond.
"Can't you read the rest of it… Sensei?" Arona replied carefully, not wanting to make it sound like she was insulting his intelligence, it was only now that she realised that since sensei was not from kivotos, then it only made sense that he most likely still didn't know how to read the language, considering how short of a time he had been here.
The hunter turned his eyes away from the paper, looking at his AI companion with a look that didn't convey insult or aggravation at her words, but one that was perhaps a look of embarrassment. Fortunately, after a moment of this somewhat awkward silence, he finally spoke.
"I'm afraid my dear Arona, you are correct in your assessment, while part of the paper is damaged beyond recognition, the part that isn't damaged I am unable to read because of my lack of familiarity with the written language of kivotos" Arona couldn't stop her jaw from falling open when she saw the look of subdued embarrassment on the hunters face.
While admitting his faults was something that he had learnt to do, especially during his time as a hunter, it certainly didn't make it any easier when admitting them to somebody he was close to.
Nonetheless, after a moment of being slack jawed, Arona quickly closed her mouth as she imitated something that the hunter did quite regularly, placing a fist over her closed mouth she let out a series of forced and fake coughs.
"Sensei, Why don't you let me read it" Arona put on a serious expression, the hunter looking at her momentarily surprised before suddenly nodding much to the little AI girl's satisfaction.
However, the hunter then did something that perplexed her, he held the tablet up in front of him while also holding the piece of paper in front of the tablet.
"Sensei... What are you doing?" Arona spoke after a moment of awkward silence, her face taking on a slightly confused visage, as the Hunter blink several times, a slightly puzzled expression on his face as he didn't understand what she was referring to.
"I am holding up the paper so you can read it, Arona" The hunter stated matter-of-factly, the perplexed expression on his face giving way to a completely blank look as both him and Arona stared at each other for a long and awkwardly silent several moments.
Yet eventually the little AI girl couldn't contain herself any more as she suddenly and abruptly burst out laughing, her knees quickly giving out from under her as she began to roll around on the floor uncontrollably laughing like somebody gone mad, much to the hunter's puzzlement and somewhat dismay.
"Ha Ha Ha, S-Sensei! Ha Ha, You're so funny" Arona managed to blurt out between her bursts of laughter, all the while continuing to roll around on the partially flooded floor as the Hunter watched on through the tablet screen, completely and utterly confused about why she was laughing at him.
"Arona... Why are you laughing? What did I do, exactly, that was so humorous?" the hunter asked with a completely dumbfounded expression, watching his little AI companion continue to laugh her guts out. Even so, eventually Arona managed to get control of herself just enough, so she could get back to her feet.
"Sensei, you're funny because you take things too literally sometimes, you silly head" Arona quickly broke out into more giggles, the hunter continuing to look at her, even more confused by what she had said, before the AI girl got control of herself again and continued speaking.
"When I said you should let m read it ... I didn't mean literally show me the paper, Sensei. You could have just used the tablet to take a picture therefore the data would have been transferred directly into my memory" Arona watched the hunter simply stare at her with a completely and utterly dumbfounded expression, which only caused her to start to giggle once more as it was the first time she had seen the hunter look truly confused by something.
Yet eventually the little AI girl managed to get control of her laughter as she took a calming breath to try and relieve her now aching chest. "Sensei, I'll show you how the camera works. First press the large button on the front of the tablet" Arona waited patiently for the Hunter to do when she said, which after a moment of puzzlement he eventually did.
As soon as he pressed the large button on the front of the tablet, Arona and the classroom disappeared, being replaced by the default home screen of the tablet, which only seemed to confuse the hunter further.
However, before the hunter could verbalise his confusion, something unexpected happened that almost made him drop the tablet. A smaller and less realistically proportioned version of Arona quickly appeared on the tablet home screen, with the now chibi AI quickly shaking her head and limbs while trying to get used to her now compressed and smaller body, before she turned to the hunter and spoke.
"Sensei, you want to tap the camera icon which is over here" Arona accompanied her words by quickly climbing and jumping between the various app icons as if they were physical platforms before quickly landing and climbing on top of the one she was referring to.
The hunter, who was still completely stupefied by the entire situation, simply did as Arona instructed, his finger hovering over the app icon, seemingly afraid that touching it would hurt her in the process yet after a moment he pressed it regardless. The home screen much like the virtual classroom quickly disappeared, being momentarily replaced by a blank screen with several icons at the bottom, before something miraculous happened that made the hunter's eyes widen considerably.
The screen quickly was replaced by what looked, to him, to be a perfect replica of the tablet it was facing, which in this case was a decrepit and cracked concrete wall.
Staring at the screen in wonder and amazement, the hunter began to slowly pan the tablet around the environment, watching with absolute fascination as no matter what he pointed it at, a perfect replication of it was displayed on the tablet screen.
"If I didn't know any better, I would consider this to be of the arcane or some other kind of sorcery" The hunter murmured quietly to himself, astonishment dripping from his voice, as he continued to view various objects and scenes through the tablet.
Arona who was watching from inside the tablet couldn't help but find the sheer look of amazement on the hunter's face absolutely captivating. While she had seen him interested in the various pieces of technology that surrounded him, this was the first time she had seen him utterly and completely fascinated by anything.
However, eventually Arona quickly let out a force sounding coughs, which managed to get the hunters' attention as he turned to look at her despite her not having her digital body on display.
"Sensei, point the tablet at the piece of paper" The hunter looked momentarily perplexed before a look of understanding appeared on his face as he did exactly that, holding both the piece of paper and the tablet at just the right distance so that the piece of paper was in view of the camera.
"Yeah! You've got it sensei, now make sure that the piece of paper is in frame completely and then press the big red button at the bottom of the screen" Arona stated making sure to not overcomplicate it, so the hunter could follow along, she did feel like she was insulting his intelligence somewhat, by teaching him this way.
But if a hunter cared, he didn't seem to verbalize it as he did exactly what she told him to do, adjusting the angle of the tablet and the paper so they were almost exactly lined up with each other. And once he was satisfied with the alignment, he quickly pressed the big red button at the bottom of the tablet's screen, which took a picture of the piece of paper.
The hunter watched with fascination as an identical version of what he had just seen on the screen was quickly generated, before shrinking in size and flying into the corner of the tablet screen, quickly occupying a small blank box which was now inhabited by a smaller version of the picture.
"There you go, sensei! Now just let me have a look at it and see what it says" Arona said with a happy tone, as she quickly changes the tablet screen from the camera app back to the classroom that she inhabited. The hunter watching with fascination as she quickly popped up from the bottom of the screen with a piece of very familiar looking paper in her hands.
"Now let's have a little look shall we" Arona held the paper clothes in front of her face, squinting her eyes considerably as she began to read the little text that was legible. However, as she did, her face took on a visage of mild confusion, which made the hunter look slightly concerned as he opened his mouth to say something.
"What is it, Arona?" The hunter questioned with visible trepidation on his face, Arona didn't immediately respond, simply looking at the piece of paper for several long moments before eventually she turned her eyes up to look at the hunter.
"Sensei... it's a restaurant receipt..." The Hunter didn't immediately reply, his face taking on an as confused expression as his AI assistant, both of them staring at each other dumbfounded by this revelation. Of all places the hunter had expected Tomo to have visited before her disappearance, the last place that he would even consider was a restaurant with any kind.
In fact, even though he didn't know Tomo personally, from the little scraps of information he had, it didn't seem like it was in her character to visit a restaurant, especially when combined with her delinquent status, which the hunter had learnt through research. This basically made a student a pariah in civilised society.
"I see... If it's a receipt, then does it say which restaurant it's from?" the hunter asked cautiously, he didn't want to get his hopes up just in case this potential clue panned out to be another dead end.
Arona looked at the hunter for a moment before an expression of recognition crossed her face. "Y-yes sensei, It does say which restaurant it's from" She accompanied her words by quickly looking at the piece of paper again.
Yet before the little AI girl could open her mouth to speak, the hunter suddenly became aware of somebody approaching him from behind, his deeply honed hunter Instincts kicking in as he abruptly put the tablet into his overcoat for protection, while at the same time reaching into his overcoat to retrieve a weapon. But when he finally turned around and saw who was approaching him, he quickly reconsidered that line of approach, while also calming himself.
Serika continued to idly tap away at her phone, typing out a message to Shiroko about something at the school that needed repairing, while not paying attention to the pavement in front of her.
She knew the route off by heart by this point, so she wasn't worried about walking into anything, and considering how deserted this particular district was. Serika was certain that she wouldn't run into anyone either, which was just the way she liked it.
Yet as she finally finished typing out her message and sent it, her black ears twitched as she became aware of something in her path, looking up only for her to come to a stop at the very last second before colliding into a certain adult who she would have rather not seen today.
Both teacher and student looked at each other for a long series of moments, Neva one of them willing to break the awkward silence that hung in the air between them. However eventually the hunter was the first to speak, pulling his hand out of his overcoat as he gave a slight bow to the black haired student.
"Ah. Serika how good to see you. Who would have guessed that we would run into each other like this" The hunter said with a polite tone but slightly awkward tone, while he was confident in his ability to speak to people. The same couldn't be said when it came to Serika and her overly prickly and confrontational attitude.
Said cat girl simply looked at the hunter with an unimpressed expression, before she eventually let out a frustrated sigh, slipping her phone into her jacket pocket before crossing her arms over her chest in a clearly unimpressed and frustrated display.
"What the heck, I thought today was going to be a good day" Serika said loudly, not even trying to hide the disdain from her voice as she looked at the hunter with what could only be described as a gaze of someone who was looking at a piece of disgusting trash or excrement lying on the ground.
Despite how much it hurt him emotionally, the hunter didn't respond to her clear distinct for him, choosing to simply let out a series of forced coughs as he decided to change the subject.
"Well then, Serika how has your morning been so far" The Hunter couldn't help but feel just a bit awkward, small talk was never something he never particularly excelled at, even though he considered himself a well-spoken individual.
Serika simply let out a slightly dejected sigh, she was partially hoping that sensei being here was simply just an illusion brought on by heatstroke, however it seemed that he was here to stay.
"My morning was fine until I saw you" Serika said somewhat idly, yet quickly caught herself as a momentary flush of anger quickly spread across her face.
"Wait! Seriously! Why are you asking me stupid questions like we're friends or something!" The black haired accompanied her raised voice and aggressive words by pointing a finger at The Hunter.
The Hunter didn't immediately respond to her fiery words, yet despite him not saying anything to her, Serika after taking a breath to calm herself, notice the expression on his face change considerably. His face taking on a noticeably saddened but also slightly disapproving look.
Serika felt herself beginning to feel even more uncomfortable the longer he stared at her, yet it wasn't the usual kind of discomfort that one would get with somebody staring at them unprovoked. No, this discomfort was deeper and far more primal, to the point where for just a split second she considered turning on the spot and sprinting in the opposite direction. However before she could act on that animalistic impulse, the hunter let out a noticeably frustrated sigh as he finally spoke.
"Serika... I know that you dislike me, and even if I don't know the exact reason why... it doesn't change the fact that I want to help... You, as well as the rest of the abydos foreclosure task force, in any way I can... It's my duty as a teacher after all" The hunter finished his impromptu speech by extending a hand out to the black haired cat girl in a proverbial peace offering.
Serika didn't immediately respond, the strange almost animalistic feeling to turn and run was now gone, yet it didn't change the fact that she's still felt uneasy, specifically because of what the hunter had just said. She didn't trust him, she couldn't trust him, after all he was an adult, and the one thing she had learned growing up, it was that most adults couldn't be trusted, especially when it seemed like they wanted nothing in return.
Yet, despite her rational mind telling her that she should simply smack his hand away, thereby disregarding his offer of peace and friendship. Serika quickly found one of her hands inching towards the hunter's own, but as soon as she saw this, she quickly stopped herself, her face taking on a look of anger once again as she quickly swatted the hunter's hand away from her.
"Yeah right, do you really think I'm so gullible I believe crap like that! Seriously! Leave me and my friends alone and just never come back!" Serika shouted loudly, spinning on the spot, which made her twin tails whip around wildly as she began to fast walk in the other direction. All the while letting out frustrated groans as well as curses words that the hunter found quite surprising that somebody of her age knew.
However, that was the least of his concerns as a noticeably downtrodden expression made its way onto his face as he watched the cat girl beginning to move into the distance, despite his hope that she would eventually come around, it was now clear as day that she seemingly would never accept him and his help willingly.
It also made him question even more exactly why students were seemingly so distrusting of adults, clearly that was some kind of history of adults taking advantage of students, that much was obvious. But of course the exact nature of what could have happened to tarnish the image of adults in the students minds was still a mystery to him.
Yet after watching Serika eventually disappear around a distance street corner, the hunter just let out a dejected sigh, yet despite feeling disheartened about another failed attempt at connecting with the prickly cat girl. He wouldn't let it dampen his spirits to help the abydos girls, after all he had made a promise and if there was one thing that he always kept, it was his promises.
"I suppose we should be on our way Arona" The hunter said with a somewhat monotone voice, as he looked up to the sky for a brief moment, his eyes squinting as he looked at the burning fireball in the sky that was the sun, before he began to walk, his feet taking him in an unknown direction as Arona finally replied.
"Yes, sensei... I'm sorry that Serika didn't come around this time" Arona's voice emanated from inside his overcoat, slightly muffled but still clear to the hunter as he proceeded to move forward.
"There is no need for you to apologise Arona, It is not your fault and neither is it hers either" The hunter expressed as he continued to move, idling noting to himself that he was walking in the same direction that Serika had stormed off in.
Arona didn't immediately respond, inside the virtual classroom she couldn't help but feel incredibly sad for Sensei. Yet, as she sat in one of the many vacant desks, she felt a small amount of frustration beginning to build up within her. It wasn't fair! Sensei was only trying to help, and yet he had it tossed back in his face by a student who from Arona's perspective appeared to just be an ungrateful brat.
Unfortunately, before she could verbalize her frustration, the hunters somehow managed to pick up on it, speaking to her as he quickly turned a street corner.
"I understand your anger, Arona... But... Please do not direct it at Serika, she simply can't bring herself to trust an adult like me, because of her biases" The hunter could feel Arona's disbelief at his words as he continued to move forward.
Arona wanted to argue, the somewhat agitated expression on her face growing deeper and deeper by the second as she opened her mouth to do so.
"B-but! Sen-" Arona didn't get a chance to finish her words as the hunter came to an abrupt stop, she couldn't see his face due to the tablet being inside his overcoat. But the feeling she got from his presence sent a tingling sensation down her spine, because of how unlike sensei it felt to her.
"No buts, Arona, I will not hold Serika's behaviour against her, and neither should you... Do I make myself clear" The hunter did not raise his voice or make himself sound overly aggressive, yet the sheer intensity and power his voice conveyed was enough to make Arona immediately shake her head in acknowledgment.
This was perhaps the closest she'd ever seen the hunter to being angry, and quite truthfully, if this is what he was like when he was only giving her a stern talking to, then she definitely didn't want to see him or be the target when he fully lost his temper.
Satisfied with Arona's compliance, the hunter took a deep calming breath, holding it in for a couple seconds before letting it go. He would have to apologise to Arona later for his harsh treatment, but that could wait for the moment, as he resumed walking.
"Arona, you said that the paper had the name of the restaurant on it, correct?" The hunter asked as he quickly rounded another street corner, and was greeted with the sight of something that he had seen very little of in the abydos district up until this point.
Actual genuine citizens going about their day, although as he passed a dog man who gave a polite nod, which the hunter reciprocated in kind. He couldn't help but feel uneasy being around these animal human hybrids, simply because they brought back many unpleasant memories about similar although far more beastly creatures he had encountered during his time as a hunter.
Arona momentarily surprised by what he had asked, quickly fumbled around in one of her skirt pockets, slightly worried that she had misplaced the digitised piece of paper before she suddenly found it, a relieved expression making its way onto her face as she quickly pulled it from her pocket.
"Y-yes sensei!" Arona stammered, quickly looking through the lines of text from the crumpled piece of paper before finally finding the string of characters she was looking for.
"The receipt says it's from... Shiba Seki Ramen" Arona fell silent, her eyes taking on a slightly unfazed look as her mind began subconsciously referencing the name of the restaurant through every available entry on the restaurant registry of kivotos, after a second of this she found the exact address.
The hunter didn't immediately react to his companion's words, coming to a stop for a moment as he began to ponder the name of the restaurant. It was a strange name, especially considering that the first part of it was the name of a dog native to the orient, if he remembered correctly. However, any more pondering on the name could wait as Hunter asked one more question to Arona.
"Arona, do you know the location of this... Shiba Seki Ramen restaurant" The hunter commented as he waited for his AI companion to reply, which she did after a short pause.
"Yes sensei I do, I can give you directions as you walk!" Arona said somewhat excitedly, wanting to make up for what she saw as her transgressions earlier by being incredibly useful to the hunter once again.
"Very good, thank you Arona" the hunter concluded his words by beginning to walk again, casting his gaze up to the sky once more as he noticed that the sun was a lot lower in the sky than he remembered.
"Your welcome Sensei. Now, take a right turn at the next intersection coming up" Arona said with a giggle, she couldn't help it considering the way she said the directions reminded her very much of a GPS travel device that would be found in a common car.
The hunter, despite not knowing what she was laughing about, couldn't help but chuckle himself as he followed her directions, both Hunter and AI continuing along their journey towards their destination, unknowing that they would once again meet a few familiar faces.
…
"Are you positive this is the correct place, Arona?" the hunter asked as he came to a stop outside the destination that Arona had directed him towards, the Sun by now was very low to the horizon, casting the entire district division in an eerie darkness, that he instinctively felt more at home in then the bright daylight.
"Yes sensei, this is the correct address for Shiba Seki Ramen, it even said it above the door, look" The hunter followed Arona's voice, his gaze coming to rest on a sign hanging above a set of oriental style sliding doors, with big black characters carved Into the wooden signs surface that the hunter could most likely presume said the name of the restaurant even though he couldn't exactly read it.
"Well then, I suppose we should head inside and ask about-" The hunter didn't get a chance to finish his words or even move, making him stop and turn to its source.
"Uheee, Fancy seeing you here Sensei"
The Hunter found himself quite surprised to see Hoshino, Shiroko, Ayane and Nonomi approaching him as a group, he also silently noted that all of them were wearing stuff other than their school uniforms, with Hoshino wearing a simple white shirt and knee-length blue skirt, however the hunter couldn't help but note, the presence of a large bandage wrapped around her upper right arm.
Shiroko was dressed in a simple hoodie jacket which was unzipped revealing a blue T-shirt underneath, along with a set of blue jeans to match. However, the hunter did notice that wrapped around her neck was the same scarf he had seen her wearing before. Which suggests that it must have had some kind of sentimental significance to her, considering that no normal person would wear a scarf in the middle of a desert.
Ayane much like Hoshino wore a simple white shirt, although instead of a button up design like Hoshino's. Ayane's was a simple white T-shirt, which combined with a pair of black coloured shorts and sneakers made her look quite ordinary. Although the hunter did take note that she was still wearing her red frame glasses, indicating to him that her need for them was indeed real, instead of it being a fashion statement like he had initially assumed.
And finally, Nonomi wore a simple white sun dress with an almost comically large brimmed sun hat perched topper head, which the hunter initially assumed was to protect her head from the sun. However, then he reconsidered that notion, considering that from the little time he had known Nonomi, she seemed like she was the most fashion conscious member of the foreclosure task force.
The hunter opened his mouth to greet the students however before he could do so, Shiroko suddenly separated from her classmates, covering the small distance between her and him and suddenly came to a stop in front of him, her face remaining blank and emotionless, yet in her eyes the hunter could see almost overwhelming happiness.
"Nn. It's good to see you again Sensei" Shiroko said in a mostly monotone voice, although the hunter could easily detect a small amount of eagerness creeping into her words. Which was also followed by her looking at him expectantly, her ears twitching rapidly.
And it didn't take him long to figure out what she wanted as with a chuckle, the hunter quickly reached out his hand, and began to pat her head gently. Which the wolf girl clearly seemed to enjoy immensely as the emotionless expression on her face, was replaced with a subdued happy and pleasurable expression.
"It's an unexpected but pleasant surprised to see you too Shiroko" The hunter laughed some more as he continued to gently pat Shiroko's head. Yet as he did so, he turned his gaze to the other students who were watching the interaction with various reactions, ranging from indifference to amusement.
"I could say the same for the rest of you, it's an unexpected surprise to see all of you here, especially at this time of day no less" The hunter said, a genuine amount of surprise and his voice.
While the idea of running into the other abydos students didn't shock him all that much, considering that this was the district that their school was located in. It was still very surprising to run into them at the exact place he needed to be, in fact if he was a religious man, he may have considered it some kind of prophecy or divine providence.
The three students looks between each other for a moment, they found it just a surprising to see Sensei here of all places and more so at this hour, even so after an awkward moment of silence that hung in the air like a bad smell. Hoshino was the one to finally put an end to the silence.
"Uhe, we could say the same thing about you sensei, it's a bit strange that we would run into you at this time, and especially on a weekend" Hoshino said with a mostly relaxed tone, yet the hunter couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly, because even though the rest of the students couldn't. He was able to pick up on the subtle accusatory tone in her voice, which was also accompanied by a slight amount of suspicion in her gaze.
Fortunately, instead of drawing attention to Hoshino's suspicion of him, the hunter simply disregarded it, as after a few seconds he finally finished patting Shiroko's head before answering.
"Indeed... it is a coincidence, Hoshino, but still not an unpleasant one" The hunter put on a Jovial smile, giving a short and curt bow which elicited a slightly embarrassed smile and a series of giggles from both Ayane and Nonomi.
Hoshino despite her clear misgivings of why the hunter was here at this time of day also managed to force a smile. Although the hunter could tell that it was much more Force than usual.
Which made him feel that the pink haired girl didn't quite act like herself recently, and even though there was no justification for it, he couldn't help but think that maybe the bandage wrapped tightly around her exposed upper arm had something to do with it.
"It's good to see you sensei, but... if I may ask... why are you here exactly, didn't have any classes today..." Ayane expressed with a polite smile, although the smile quickly vanished as a somewhat panic look unexpectedly crossed her face. "Y-you didn't go to the school, did you!?" The glasses wearing girls said with a significant amount of panic in her voice.
Ayane immediately feared the worst. That sensei had gone to the school only to find it completely locked up with no one there, therefore wasting his very precious time. In fact, in her mind's eye, she couldn't help but conjure up a very uncharacteristically frustrated sensei vowing to never help the ungrateful students again.
The hunter, despite not knowing Ayane's internal panic, quickly waved one of his hands in a disarming manner. He knew that it was the weekend and therefore the school would not be open, so even though he was in the district, he wouldn't have gone to the school unless there was a distinct reason to.
"There is no need to threat Ayane. I was more than aware that the school would not be open today" The hunter answered, his words having the desired effect as the glasses-wearing pointy-eared girl noticeably relaxed, the absolutely petrified expression on her face quickly vanishing as she let out a relieved sigh.
"If you didn't come to the district to see us, why are you here on a weekend, Sensei?" Nonomi asked casually, momentarily adjusting her massive brimmed sun hat as she looked at Sensei with a questioning gaze.
The hunter didn't immediately react to her words, although looking into her eyes he could see that her question was born out of genuine inquisitiveness and a bit of confusion at his presence, instead of distrust and suspicion like Hoshino. As such, after thinking for a moment, he finally responded.
"Well, the reason I am here in the District... Is because I am on official Schale matters, unrelated to your school's predicament" The hunter decided that he wouldn't reveal the exact nature of what he was doing. Although this wasn't for any nefarious reasons, instead it was simply so that the students could focus on their own problems instead of having to worry about the ones that he had to solve himself.
Because even though every single abydos student had made the disdain for delinquents extremely clear. The hunter had a sneaking feeling that if they found out the exact nature of why he was here, then they would most likely try to help him. Which while admirable wouldn't be the best for them considering that they had to focus on their own financial situation first instead of helping other people.
"Ohhhhhh" Nonomi expressed with a kind of understanding expression making itself apparent on her face, as the rest of the other students followed her lead.
Yet, Hoshino didn't, a very critical and distrusting look making itself evident on her face, in fact, the hunter could see that she wasn't even trying to hide her clear mistrust for him as she quickly began to speak.
"Annnd what exactly are your official matters, then?" Hoshino asked, her eyes sharpened as she didn't even try to hide the disdain in her voice, which caught all of her friends off guard as they turned to look at her in disbelief.
The hunter didn't immediately respond to her words, both adult and smaller girl's gazes locking onto each other as they both stared deep into one another souls. While he couldn't be entirely sure, the hunter was inclined to believe that Hoshino's trepidation for him most likely revolved around the fact that he was an adult, much like a certain cat girl with a prickly attitude.
And even though he tried his best to get through to her and show her that he was trustworthy, it was clear that she still didn't accept him or his word, which did sadden him somewhat. But unlike Serika, who completely and categorically rejected the hunter's help in any form, Hoshino seemed like she was a more of a pragmatist, willing to take help even from people she distrusted if it could further her own goals.
Letting out a sigh, the hunter quickly straightened his back, pulling at the ruffled collar of his shirt and adjusting it before speaking.
"Unfortunately the nature of my business is not something I can share, due to the nature Schale and it's activities" The hunter was already fully aware of what kind of affect his words would have on Hoshino.
And it seemed he was justified in his assertion as Hoshino's face took on a noticeably hardened edge, the suspicion and mistrust in her eyes growing considerably as he noticed one of her hands twitch, as if she was reaching for a weapon that she only just now remembered wasn't currently in her possession.
The rest of the students, however, despite somewhat being disheartened by his words, kind of understood why he couldn't tell them about his activities. After all, from their perspective Schale, was still something that was only talked about through gossip on the internet, to the point where almost no one apart from the general student council presumably, knew anything about the exact dealings of the club and by in turn Sensei.
Ayane quickly stepped forward, missing completely Hoshino's hardened and serious facial expression as she quickly extended a hand to the hunter, a small smile plastered across her face which replaced any form of disappointment she had a moment to go.
"Sensei. Would you... like to join us?" Ayane pause for a moment, a look of contemplation adorning her face as she tried to think of the right words to say, before she eventually found them and continued speaking. "We all came here, because we wanted to visit Shiba Seki Ramen, for a... very special reason" She said, her words catching the attention of the hunter as he raised an eyebrow.
Yet, before the hunter could respond to the request, somebody quickly interrupted him. With that somebody being none of them Nonomi, who had a mock surprised look on her face.
"Wow, Ayane is so bold~" Nonomi exclaimed with a clearly fake stunned tone, holding a hand over her mouth as if she was shocked by what had just happened. The hunter was straight away able to pick up on what she was implying, causing him to chuckle somewhat, however Ayane reaction was different.
She abruptly turned to look at her friend, a completely blank expression on her face, yet that expression didn't last very long as it was quickly replaced by a look of absolute shock and deep embarrassment. As the pointy eared girl's face went as red as a ripe tomato, steam practically flying out of her ears, as she began to stumble over her words repeatedly before eventually managing to find her voice.
"N-N-Nonomi! I D-didn't mean it like T-that!" Ayane's red face somehow grew even brighter in shade and colour, as her embarrassment only continue to grow with each passing second.
The hunter watching the scene couldn't help but chuckle loudly, finding the entire scene quite humorous. Yet despite that, Ayane didn't seem to pay attention to his amusement as she continued to stutter with her words, only to hear Nonomi speak up again.
"Oooooohhhh wow! Our little Ayane looks so embarrassed, maybe we should leave her and Sensei alone" Nonomi could barely contain her giggles as she said those words, which only continued to make Ayane even more embarrassed, failed answers continuing to exit her mouth as if her brain had momentarily short-circuited from the sheer embarrassment.
However, before the glasses wearing girl could finally articulate some kind of explanation, so that her friends wouldn't get the wrong idea about wanting Sensei to spend time with them. The hunter felt that it was time to step in, considering that the poor girl appeared like she was about to self combust, judging from how red-hot her cheeks looked.
"Now, now Nonomi that's enough teasing" The hunter commented with a jovial tone, yet there was something else in his voice, a reserved power that compelled the Nonomi to oblige with his request, in fact it was almost like a father gently but firmly telling a child to behave themselves.
Reaching out a hand, the hunter quickly places it on Ayane's shoulder, the unexpected contact causing the girl to jump suddenly as she turned to glare at him, a fearsome blush still lingering on her cheeks, with an expression of embarrassment also still visible on her face.
"I would be more than happy to spend time with you AND everyone else Ayane, I think it would be a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better" The hunter put on a genuine and calming smile which had the desired effect as Ayane noticeably calmed.
The blush receding but not completely vanishing from her cheeks as she quickly took a relaxed breath, a small and sweet smile returning to her lips as the hunter smiled at her before tilting his head and turning to the other girls.
"Now then, why don't we all head inside, it is starting to get awfully dark out here, and I would hate for all of you to be stuck out of the cold" The hunter said politely as he gestured for the girls to follow him, as he quickly released his hand from Ayane's shoulder and headed towards the door of the restaurant.
One by one be students quickly followed him, the very last one being Hoshino who, throughout the entire Nonomi and Ayane teasing event, had simply continued to look at the Hunter, clear distrust and suspicion in her gaze.
Even so, as the rest of her friends quickly followed the hunter, eventually she let out a frustrated and dejected sounding sigh, one that she was positive he was able to hear yet pretended not to.
Although as she quickly followed after her friends and rejoined into the group, and they waited for the hunters to open the door like a gentleman, she couldn't help but still a glance at him as he did so, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she still couldn't quite figure out exactly what his motivation was.
"You might have everyone else duped sensei. But you can't fool me... No matter how hard you try"
There we go, chapter 5 is done and dusted, anyone who knows the story of blue archive can probably see what is going to happen next.
But like I said above though, I'm sorry that this chapter was relatively light on anything overly exciting, unfortunately not every chapter can be super exciting and bombastic as much as I wish it could be.
One thing I did try to focus on in this chapter was the interaction between the hunter and Arona, considering that I like the idea of Arona being analogous to the plain doll in the fact that she is a character that is there to support the Hunter.
Also before anyone asks, yes the plain doll will make an appearance at some point, don't think I haven't forgotten about her.
Anyway that's enough of me rambling, if you enjoyed the Chapter then leave a favourite, follow and possibly even a review if you feel inclined. But until next time, have a good day / night everyone.