Hello FF friends
I must say that I didn't think I would be saying this as soon, but I have another chapter for all of you.
Honestly I'm actually quite surprised how quickly I managed to get this chapter turned around, considering that I only uploaded the previous one on the 29th of October which was only about a week and a bit ago.
Anyway, I don't have too much to say simply because I'm both exhausted and because there simply isn't anything else to say other than I hope you enjoy.
So without any further ado, I present to you Chapter 6 of Blood Archive.
"Welcome to Shiba Seki Ramen!"
The hunter heard an unfamiliar voice call out as he entered the establishment. However, his attention was momentarily taken up by the interior design of the restaurant.
While he was somewhat familiar with oriental architecture, he still found himself momentarily taken aback by the sheer simplistic of the interior design. It was elegant and refined yet also had a homely-like ambiance to it, one that evoked a calming and pleasant feeling that was extremely refreshing.
"Wow, this place is so pretty," Nonomi said with a bright, beaming smile as she examined the restaurant.
The rest of her classmates also followed along, as they were also somewhat taken aback by how nice the interior of the restaurant looked, when compared to its rather unremarkable exterior.
"Indeed Nonomi, This place does indeed look like a very pleasant dining establishment" The hunter replied, his eyes continuing to trace around the restaurant before they suddenly came to rest on somebody who had their back to him.
An individual who had two long black twin tails, poking out of the white apron wrapped around her head, with also a pair of just as black cat ears perch to top her head.
"Is that-" The hunter didn't get a chance to finish his words, as the owner of the twin tales and cat ears quickly turned around, a slightly forced happy expression on her face as she held a blue clipboard in one hand as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Welcome to Shiba Seki... Wait! W-what the...?!" The mysterious waiter now revealed to be Serika quickly stumbled over her words, her slightly forced happy and welcoming act completely evaporating when she saw who exactly had just walked into her workplace.
However, before she could metaphorically pick her jaw up off the floor, Nonomi quickly stepped forward, an unnaturally happy expression on her face as she spoke.
"Hello! Table for five!" Nonomi said with delight, flashing a bright and almost overpowering smile at the completely and utterly stupefied Serika who simply looked on, her jaw almost on the floor.
"Haha... hello, Serika" Ayane step forward to say hello, a somewhat apologetic and awkward smile on her face as she couldn't help her feel incredibly awkward at this point.
Serika continue to look at her friends, still unable to speak as she honestly couldn't believe that they had come here, because as far as she was aware, though they knew that she had a part-time job they didn't know exactly where she had worked. So the fact that they had all turned up out-of-the-blue like this through her for a loop somewhat.
Shiroko quickly stepped forward, holding a hand up in the air and giving a simple wave as she said one word.
"Hey"
With a violent blush beginning to spread across her face, Serika managed to pick her jaw up off the floor, a clearly embarrassed but also frustrated look crossing her face as she quickly began to speak.
"W-what are you D-doing here?" Serika stumbled over her words, the blue clipboard which was in her hand, slipping from her grip only for her to capture the last second before it could hit the floor. Needless to say, this only served to make the black haired cat girl feel even more embarrassed.
Hoshino quickly stepped forward, making herself look much happier than she actually was, as she decided to completely forget about the hunter for a moment.
"Heh! We knew you'd be here!" Hoshino spoke as if it was a definitive fact, which only made Serika feel somewhat uncomfortable, subconsciously putting the blue clipboard in front of her as if it could function as some kind of full body shield.
However, before Serika could think of something to say to her friends, the hunter quickly step forward to introduce himself. He already had a sneaking suspicion of what her reaction was going to be upon seeing him, but he still decided to be polite anyway.
"Hello my dear, Serika I must say that it is an extraordinary coincidence that we would run into each other again" The hunter said with a polite tone giving a slight bow. Which didn't seem to have the desired effect, as Serika quickly took on a displeased look, as if she was gazing at a piece of walking and talking trash that had the gall to introduce itself to her.
"Ugh you again!? Seriously, are you stalking me or something?" Serika said with a thoroughly annoyed growl, accompanying her words by tapping her foot vigorously against the hardwood floor while putting her balled fists on her hips.
Which was also accompanied by her sending a vicious glare towards the hunter who, despite internally disappointed by the reaction, didn't outwardly portray any reaction to her negative words.
Still, as he straightened his back, Hoshino decided to step in, surprising the hunter as she seemingly came to his defence, although the hunter suspected it was most likely to keep up the somewhat flimsy facade of her barely tolerating his existence.
"Now now Serika. Don't blame Sensei. We figured out together this might be the only place you work, so we just came by to visit" Hoshino didn't even spare a second glance at the hunter as she spoke. Yet the hunter was able to easily pick up on the obvious disgust she put into the overemphasized "sensei" in her words, but ultimately he made the decision to pay no mind to it.
Serika continue to look past Hoshino for a moment, her disgusted gaze remaining locked onto the hunter, after which she turned to look at her pink head friend, her eyes becoming more affectionate, yet the frustrated look remained as she let out an irritated sounding sigh.
"Of course it would be you, Hoshino" Serika said with an almost tired sounding tone, she was positive that this day couldn't get any worse. However, that's when lady luck decided to remind her that it could. As a familiar voice quickly called out to her from behind the food bar centre of the restaurant.
"Are those your Abydos classmates, Serika? Stop with the chit-chat and take their order" Serika along with her friends and the hunter all turned to the source of the voice, seeing that it belonged to a rather diminutive Shiba dog man.
A small old looking wooden tobacco pipe perched between the lips of his muzzle, however the part that the hunter in particular found the most intriguing was the scars that adorned his face, which were easily visible beneath his light sandy coloured fur.
Serika didn't immediately respond to the small Shiba, a surprised expression making its way onto her face, thus she turned back to look at her friends who simply waived or stood idly by.
However, her surprised eyes quickly hardened into a look of disgust as she gave the hunter a harsh glare before turning back to the restaurant owner and giving an apologetic bow.
"Y-Yes, sir. Follow me. I'll take you to your table" Serika turned to her friends and the Hunter, offering the most forced looking smile she could manage as she gestured to a table not far away.
Hoshino, Shiroko, Ayane and Nonomi all looked at each other for a moment before following Serika's lead, all of them laughing and talking amongst each other as they quickly made it to their table and all sat down.
The hunter wasn't far behind as he came to stand at the side of the table. Looking at the scene of all of them enjoying each other's company and acting like teenagers should genuinely warm his heart, yet both Nonomi and Shiroko suddenly turned to him, both students having expecting looks on their face as they gestured to him while raising their hands.
"Over here, sensei! Sit next to me!" Nonomi set with her usual bubbliness, gently patting the empty seat next to her, as she waited patiently for the hunter to sit down.
However before the hunter could open his mouth in regard to her request, Shiroko suddenly chose that moment to speak, her face remaining emotionless and unchanging, yet in her eyes the hunter could see an eagerness as she gently patted the seat next to her as well.
"Um… Or you can sit next to me if you want" Despite her face remaining mostly unchanged, the hunter could see a subtle amount of embarrassment beginning to creep into her features, as she squirmed in her seat a bit uncomfortably.
Yet, after a small amount of deliberation, the hunter gently held up his hand, both girls looking at him with the confused expression as he spoke.
"While I appreciate the offer girls, I'm afraid that I have to decline your request for the moment... there is something that I need to... attend to" The hunter flashed an apologetic smile as he quickly turned and retreated from the table much to the confusion and slight sadness of both Shiroko and Nonomi, and the collective Confusion of Hoshino and Ayane.
"However... After I have finished what I need to do, I promise I will come sit with you" the hunter quickly added, turning his head slightly so that the students could see the genuineness in his eyes, which Shiroko, Nonomi and Ayane seem to appreciate as their saddened and confused expressions quickly gave way to happy ones, as they began to converse amongst each other.
Satisfied, the hunter continued to move, quickly navigate the restaurant until he came to the central food bar area, where the small Sheba, who the hunter could resume was either the owner or somebody of importance, was busy preparing various noodle bowls at a speed that the hunter found quite surprising for somebody of his size and stature.
Coming to a stop in front of the counter, the hunter took in a breath and quickly spoke. "Excuse me sir" His words immediately caught the attention of the diminutive dog man, who momentarily stopped what he was doing to look up at the hunter, a look of surprise flashing through his singular open eye.
"You wouldn't happen to be the owner of the establishment, would you?" The hunter asked cautiously, while it was obvious that the dog man was some kind of high ranking employee of the establishment, he did not want unnecessarily jump to conclusions that the Sheba was the owner.
However, has the dog man and Hunter gazed at each other for a moment, the little Sheba suddenly nodded his head, his hands beginning to move on their own as he continued to prepare noodle bowls. Which the hunter found most remarkable considering that only somebody with the most well-developed hand eye coordination could do something like that while looking at somebody else.
"Yeah I am, what can I do for you, stranger?" The small Sheba said with a quite casual sounding tone, yet before the Hunter could open his mouth to offer anything in response, a look of surprise and realisation suddenly flashed across the small dog man's face as he quickly spoke once again.
"Say. You wouldn't happen to be that sensei, I've heard some students gossiping about, would you?" The Sheba asked with inquisitiveness in his voice, as he quickly finished preparing two noodle bowls. Before sliding them on a conveyor towards the end of the food bar, which were quickly picked up by Serika, who hurriedly delivered them to an awaiting table consisting of a bird person and what the hunter could presume was their child.
"Yes I am indeed, although I'm surprised you would know of me" the hunter said with a noticeable amount of puzzlement in his voice.
While students from every school's learning of his existence was to be expected, he hadn't expected anyone from non-student populations of kivotos to identify him, let alone know of his existence.
The diminutive dog man didn't immediately respond, looking at the hunter with what looked to be a slightly confused gaze, before he unexpectedly shifted his eyes downwards, momentarily looking at an order slip as he began to prepare more bowls of ramen. Yet, after that was done and his hands were working by themselves, he returned his gaze upward to answer the hunter's question.
"I've heard some students gossip as all, heard a lot of them say stuff about a brand-new sensei, who doesn't have a halo and dresses in a particular manner" The Sheba shop owner pause for a moment, quickly sending two more fully made bowls of ramen on their way, before speaking again.
"And considering that you match both of those descriptions, I'd say it's pretty obvious that you must be this new Sensei" The shop owner said in a matter of fact tone, making the hunter pause for a moment before simply nodding his head.
He could already tell that this shop owner seemed like a decent enough fellow, considering the spoke in a very straightforward and easy to understand manner, while also coming across as a relatively decent person.
"Well in that case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr..." the hunter paused for a moment realising that he didn't actually know the diminutive dog man's name, but that didn't seem to matter as the diminutive Shiba reciprocated to the greeting in kind.
"It's nice to meet you too sensei, and just call me boss if you like" The Sheba now identified as Boss, quickly extended a paw in between making noodle bowls, which after a moment of hesitation the hunter quickly accepted, both adults shaking hands firmly before buses hand quickly return to making noodle bowls at a Pace that the hunter found genuinely impressive.
"So what can I do for you then, Sensei? You sure don't look like you're here for noodles, I can tell that much" Boss said as he turned his gaze upwards, despite not knowing exactly what the hunter wanted, he could tell by the look in the halo lacking adult's eyes he was here for something clearly other than noodles.
"Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about a certain delinquent who goes by the name Tomo" The hunter said with a slow and even tone, while this was perhaps the only direct clue he had in regard to Tomo, he didn't want to get his hopes up just in case it turned out to be a dead end.
However, as soon as Tomo's name left his mouth, the hunter observed a sudden change in Boss's eyes. At first, it was a look of confusion before it changed into a look of contemplation and then finally one of recognition.
"Tomo, huh... Hmmmmmmm. The name certainly rings a bell, all right. Let me guess, a delinquent with a biker helmet, with blonde hair and blue eyes?" Boss said abruptly, catching the hunter off guard, as he had almost perfectly described Tomo's appearance. Butt before the hunter could speak, the small Sheba clearly noticed his shock as he continued speaking.
"I remember all my customers, even the ones who only come once, besides, despite her appearance and attitude, she wasn't all that bad" Boss said with a shrug of the shoulders.
While he could certainly understand why delinquents of all stripes had the reputation they did amongst the students. He also knew that it wasn't right to judge someone based purely on the perceived reputation they had.
Despite being surprised by this, the hunter couldn't help but smile, while he certainly understood why delinquents had the reputation they did, considering what he had seen first hand. It was quite refreshing to find another individual like himself who did not judge a book by its cover.
"I see... that's very good to hear, I suppose confirmation about this being a receipt from your restaurant is not needed it then" the hunter quickly retrieved the item in question from his Overcoat. Which made Boss's single eye opened up wider in surprise for a moment before he squinted, staring at the piece of paper that was in the Hunter's hand incredibly intensely to the point where he momentarily stopped making noodle bowls.
"You mind handing that to me?" Boss said with a slightly curious tone.
The hunter looked at Boss before looking at the piece of paper for a moment clearly surprised and then complying and passing the piece of paper to the Sheba, who immediately scooped it up and began examining it with his good eye, his facial expression turning from inquisitiveness to intense confusion as he quickly looked up at the Hunter.
"I'm going to guess that something's happened to her, hasn't it... considering that you have this and... Well your demeanour, Sensei" The small Sheba said with what could almost be described as grim understanding in his voice.
The Hunter didn't say anything in response, simply shaking his head to indicate that the dog man was indeed correct in his assertion. This immediately made Boss's expression turn slightly gloomy as he let out of breath before handing the piece of paper back to the hunter as he returned to making noodle bowls.
"In that case I don't know how much help I can be, the poor thing only came in here once, and it was very obvious that she wasn't from around here" Boss accompanied his words by quickly preparing two more noodle bowls and sliding them down the conveyor.
However, the hunter could see that there was a noticeable amount of sloppiness in his work, most likely in regard to what he had just learned about Tomo's disappearance.
"Indeed, I've not had much luck finding anything about her whereabouts, however any information you have would be valuable to me... I made a promise that I would find her and I intend to keep that promise" The hunter said with conviction in his voice.
Even though, he began to feel more and more concerned about Tomo as the days passed. He still had a promise to uphold, and he would not stop searching until he found her and upheld that promise.
Boss didn't immediately say anything in response, pulsing his noodle making for just a moment as he put a paw to his chin, an expression of deep contemplation quickly replacing his look of concern.
"Hmmmmm... Well, she came in about two weeks ago... She did look a little bit scruffy and dirty, although I suppose that was probably just a result of her delinquent ways" Boss said, rubbing his porch chin as he continued to think. The hunter meanwhile simply listened, storing all the information in his brain, and even though it wasn't much, it was still much more information than he and Arona had managed to accumulate on their own.
"She tried to seem like she was big and tough, but I could tell the little thing was just hungry and needed some food, so I gave her a large bowl of ramen... Poor thing nearly ate the bowl along with the noodles she was so hungry" Boss accompanied the last part of his sentence by chuckling to himself.
Remembering the mental image of a relatively scrawny and dishevelled looking delinquent girl almost inhaling her food as if it was the last meal she would ever have in her life.
the hunter, despite not knowing what exactly boss was thinking about, he still couldn't help but smile himself seeing the Shiba's momentarily lifted spirits. However, as quickly as it came, Boss's face suddenly fell as he began to speak again.
"Although... just before she left, she did seem... I don't really know how to describe it... but maybe scared or worried about something" Any positive atmosphere that was hanging in the air between the two adults quickly evaporated and was sucked from the room as the words left Boss's muzzle. In fact, despite not really being affected by temperature all that much any more after his ascension, the hunter couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine.
Because the dog man's words reminded him of what he had seen on security camera recording, particularly Tomo's seemingly one-sided argument with whoever the mysterious individual was that she was talking to.
"I see... did you ask her why she was perturbed at all" The hunter asked cautiously, he didn't want to seem like he was overstepping his boundaries considering he had only known the diminutive Sheba for a handful of minutes.
However, Boss didn't seem to care if the Hunter came across as prying as he put his paw back to his chin. A thoughtful look popped out of his face once again.
"Well just before she left I did ask if everything was all right... she didn't say anything... but... I don't know how to describe it, something about her eyes didn't seem right, as if she was fighting with herself..." Boss pause for a moment, the forceful look on his face growing deeper momentarily before he suddenly let out a sigh. "Sorry if it sounds a bit weird Sensei, but that's the only way I can really explain it" The Sheba said after sighing.
The hunter didn't immediately respond, a thoughtful look appearing on his face as he mirrored the Sheba's posture, bringing his own hand up to his chin and gently rubbing it as he began to think.
While it was a hypothetical conclusion, and one that was based on very little evidence, the hunter had a feeling, that whatever had happened to unnerve Tomo, and make her act in such a manner was most likely as a result or directly caused by the mysterious individual she had been seen speaking with, before she came to this restaurant.
"Is there anything else you can tell me" The hunter said after a moment of silence between the two adults. Boss's face momentarily took on a confused look before it morphed into an expression of deep thought.
"I can't say there is, like I said she didn't speak much, and she left pretty much as soon as she ate her ramen" Boss said matter-of-factly as he went back to his noodle making, quickly preparing four bowls of noodles in rapid succession before sliding them down the conveyor to a waiting Serika, who was watching their conversation with curiosity before she quickly scooped up the bowls and walked off to deliver them.
"I see... Well thank you I suppose, Boss, even though it's not much, this information will be helpful to me in locating her" The hunter said with an appreciative expression on his face, extending a hand out to the dog man who after preparing a bowl of ramen quickly reciprocated the action both adults once again shaking hands.
However, before the hunter could turn and walk away from the food bar, Boss suddenly spoke. "So now all that's been dealt with why don't you make an order, Sensei" the diminutive Sheba said with an expecting look in his eye and a small smile on his muzzle.
The hunter was momentarily taken aback by this, because in all truth he hadn't actually planned on ordering any food from the establishment, he had simply come here to find information.
Yet, after turning his head to look at the Abydos students who were still at the table, conversing amongst themselves happily as they waited for their meals to be delivered. The hunter decided to reconsider not eating at the establishment, especially considering that Nonomi and Shiroko had both requested for him to sit with them.
"I wasn't planning on eating... but I suppose a small meal from this fine establishment of yours, Boss, wouldn't hurt" the hunter said, a light smile making its way onto his face as he continued to look at his students enjoying themselves.
Unbeknownst to him, however, Boss looked up from his noodle preparation and at the Hunter, his gaze remaining locked onto the enigmatic teacher's face, before he traced the hunter's line of sight. A smile managed to find its way onto Boss's muzzle when he saw what exactly the hunter was looking at.
"They certainly are something, aren't they, Sensei" Boss said with a warm tone, his words causing the hunter to turn his head to look at the small dog man in surprise before his expression softened once again, the smile quickly returning to his face.
"Indeed they are, Boss... despite the hardships they're going through, they can still find the energy within them to smile and laugh... I suppose only such a thing can come with youth..." The hunter said with a chuckle, which was reciprocated by the diminutive Sheba Behind the Counter in front of him. "Although I must say that even despite that, they can still be quite the handful sometimes"
Boss didn't immediately respond, however the smile never left his muzzle as he turned his single-eyed gaze towards a certain blackhead cat girl who in between delivering bowls of ramen to tables was conversing with her friends. Normally he would have scolded her idle chit-chat during work hours, but considering that they were her friends and the slightly repressed smile on Serika face, the Sheba decided that he would let it slide this one time.
"I understand you completely Sensei, but like you said I suppose it just comes with youth" Boss replied with a quiet smile as both adults continued to watch the group of young girls talk amongst each other for several minutes.
However, eventually, the hunter decided it was finally time for him to go sit with his students. Boss, meanwhile, decided that Serika had enough time chit-chatting with her friends, as he called over to her in a calm but authoritative tone.
"Serika. That's enough chit-chatting on the job, customers need serving" Serika immediately turned to the diminutive Shiba, a look of utter surprise abruptly showing up on her face before it was replaced by a slightly embarrassed facial expression as she quickly bowed and return to her duties, offering her friends a goodbye as she began to deliver food once again.
Happy that Serika was doing her work once again, Boss chuckled quietly some more as he casually addressed the hunter, who had also turned to look at the small dog man.
"Now then, Sensei, what can I get for you" Boss sad with an almost jovial sounding tone, eagerly awaiting whatever the hunter would order.
However, instead of instantly responding, the hunter's face quickly took on a slightly confused look, as his gaze traced upwards to the large menu that hung above the food bar. Much like the other characters he had encountered so far, he couldn't read any of it, save for a few individual words.
Yet eventually the hunter found his voice, as he didn't want to keep the Sheba waiting too long, both to save his time and because he didn't want to make a fool of himself.
"I am at a bit of a loss to choose... I am unfamiliar with the cuisine of kivotos..." the hunter found himself trailing off, turning, his gaze drifting back down to the diminutive dog man who had paused his noodle making and was looking at the hunter with a perplexed look, his head tilted to the side slightly in a very canine like manner.
"I see... well, if you don't know what to order, then how about... Ah! I know just the thing!" Boss said with enthusiasm, accompanying his words with a jolly laugh as he quickly began preparing what looked to the hunter, to be an extraordinary large noodle bowl. However, that's when the hunter suddenly remembered something very important.
"Excuse me, Boss. But I'm afraid that I do not have any acceptable currency in my position, so I must decli-" The hunter didn't get a chance to finish as the Sheba quickly held up a paw, silencing the hunter from being able to speak any further as he spoke instead.
"It's alright Sensei, this one's on the house" Boss answered with a big smile on his muzzle. The hunter was completely caught off guard by this, his face taking on a completely bewildered look as he struggled to find the words to say, while he knew that not everyone was as stingy and greedy as the inhabitants of yharnam, the idea of such generosity still utterly boggled him.
"A-are you sure about that, Boss? I don't want to disadvantage you or your restaurant, or make it seem like I'm taking advantage of your generosity" The hunter quickly said, uncharacteristically stuttering for a moment.
Because the idea of somebody being so unselfish as to offer food completely free of charge was something that he found almost unthinkable, especially considering, that for all intents and purposes he was a complete stranger to the diminutive Sheba.
Boss, however, simply chuckled as he continued to prepare the extraordinary large bowl of ramen. "It's fine, sensei. Think of it as me paying you back for looking after Serika and keeping her scrawny little butt out of trouble" The Shiba stated with a smile.
The hunter despite wanting to argue with Boss, about being overly generous, he came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth the trouble. Simply because it seemed like the diminutive Shiba was the kind of person who could not have his mind changed when he was set on doing a good deed, regardless of how it inconvenienced him.
As such, after giving the dogman a grateful nod and bow, the hunter quickly turned on his heels, intent on making his way back to the abydos students. Who were still patiently waiting for their food and were also now looking at him intently, clearly being curious about what he was talking about with the restaurant owner.
Yet, before the hunter could make it no more than 10 steps, he suddenly heard Boss call out from behind him. Causing him to stop and turn, and just in time for him to catch something that was thrown at him.
"Oh sensei, I forgot. She also threw that in the trash before she left. The only reason I kept it was because it just looked kind of odd" The hunter shot a confused look towards Boss, before turning his attention to the small object he had caught in his gloved hand.
It was a simple glass vial approximately the length of a pen, the inside of it was coated in a dark brown residue that had long since dried, Nevertheless a glance at the residue was enough for the hunter to confirm that this vile once held a liquid of some description
Still, the longer he looked at the tube, the more he felt a strange feeling beginning to creep down his spine. It triggered something within him, something that made the inside of his brain tremble with recognition and an almost animalistic type reaction.
"This vial ... requires further scrutinisation, later" the hunter whispered quietly under his breath as he quickly placed the small vial in his pocket for safe keeping. All the while, he continued to feel the strange feeling in his mind. It was like something was tugging and clawing at the very core of his being, desperately trying to get out...
In fact, the longer he stood there absorbed in his own thoughts, the more it began to remind him of something that made a chill run down his spine.
'Surely not...'
The words bounced around inside the hunter's mind as he quickly became aware of somebody calling his name. Suddenly blinking and giving a shake of the head, to clear the momentary fog from his mind, he saw that it was Boss looking at him with slight puzzlement and maybe even just a tiny bit of nervousness.
"You ok over there... Sensei?"
The hunter didn't immediately respond to boss's words, looking at the small Sheba with a look that was almost unable to be read. However eventually the hunter quickly let out a breath managing to quell the racing thoughts in his head as he put on a facade of calm.
"Yes, I'm... fine, Boss" the hunter said as he abruptly turned on his heels and began to make his way back to his students.
"Thank you for holding onto this Vile and giving it to me, I'm sure it will prove very useful in helping me locate Tomo" The hunter turned his head slightly, so his words would clearly reach Boss, as he continued towards his students.
"Sensei, what were you and the manager talking about?" Shiroko asked inquisitively, her voice remaining monotone and her expression blank. Yet as the hunter came to a stop in front of the girl's table, he could see unyielding curiosity in the wolf girl's eyes.
"Yeah, what were you two talking about, Sensei? Do you know the manager of this place or something?" Nonomi ask with a just as curious expression as Shiroko. Both girls staring intently at the hunter as they awaited his response, which after a moment of silent contemplation he gave.
"Never you mind, my dears, it was... Simply just some business-related matters I had to attend to" the hunter said with a perfect veneer of calmness on his face, which managed to fool all the girls except for one. That being Shiroko, who tilted her head to the side slightly as a glint of mild concern made itself visible in her eyes.
"Are you alright, Sensei?" Shiroko asked with concern dripping from her voice, replacing her usual monotone way of speaking, as her question caught the hunter off guard for a second. His facade slipping momentarily before he recovered. He to admit that the wolf girl was incredibly perceptive, because she was able to see the momentary crack in his mask when the others couldn't.
"I am fine Shiroko, don't you worry your little head about anything" The hunter accompanied his words by quickly reaching out and patting the wolf girl on the head, which she seemed to enjoy. However, the hunter could see in her eyes that she wasn't entirely convinced by his words, but ultimately decided not to pry into his business.
"Now then. I believe it's time we all sit down and enjoy a nice meal together" The hunter said as he retracted his hand from Shiroko much to her disappointment. Fortunately, when he mentioned sitting down with them, her face, along with everyone else's except from Hoshino, noticeably brightened. In fact, Nonomi and Shiroko looked positively excited at the prospect of a hunter sitting next to them.
Yet before they could say anything, the hunter suddenly did something not expected, as he quickly retrieved a chair from a vacant table close by and deposited it at the end of the girl's table. Making it so that he could see every single one of them from his vantage point, as he quickly sat down in a manner that all of them found quite intriguing.
Because of how elegant and refined he looked sitting in the rather ordinary looking chair. In fact Ayane and Nonomi in particular, couldn't help but be reminded of some of the mangas that they liked to read in their spare time. In particular, the ones that often featured refined, and elegant young Princes belong to royal families of far off fantasy Kingdoms.
"Now then, girls, have you all ordered?" the hunter said after a few moments of silence as he sat calmly in his chair. His gaze lingering on all the students, who looked back at him curiously for a moment before they suddenly looked amongst themselves. With eventually Hoshino being the one that spoke first.
"Actually sensei we were waiting for you to come back before we ordered" The pink headed girl said. A subtle amount of contempt creeping into her voice as she regarded the hunter with a clearly critical gaze. Which the hunter did find somewhat strange, but chose to ignore as a perplexed look made its way onto his features.
"I see... Then excuse me for keeping you waiting" The hunter accompanied his apologetic words by bowing his head slightly, making the students feel somewhat uncomfortable considering how overly formal his tone was.
"It's ok sensei, you don't need to apologise" Ayane said with a slightly uneasy chuckle, whenever sensei apologised for something. She couldn't help but feeling incredibly awkward. Considering that, the idea of adults apologising to a student like herself was still a relatively foreign concept.
"So you'll finally back then, huh…? Took you long enough you good for nothing adult" The hunter heard a harsh voice from behind, that made him turn his head. His eyes grow wide slightly when he saw that it was none other than Serika, who was shooting daggers at him with her eyes, with the look on her face being one of complete and utter contempt.
Even so, the hunter wasn't going to rise to her insults, because even though he had now realised, it was very unlikely she would ever accept him as a teacher, let alone a friend.
He would still reply to her harsh and mean words with kindness and support, because after all, it would be unbecoming of an adult like him to lose his patience with a student.
"Ah Serika, I must say you are perfect timing, Ayane, Hoshino, Nonomi and Shiroko are all ready to place their orders" the hunter responded in a very jovial and almost bubbly sounding tone.
Which had the desired effect as it caught the cat girl completely off guard. The irritated look on her face giving way to complete and utter confusion, because in her mind she had expected the hunter to react to her insults in any other way, except the way he had just done.
However, after a moment, eventually the cat girl just let out a frustrated sigh. Because even though she wanted to respond with more insults, she had a strong impression that she would most likely get chewed up by Boss if she did. Considering that, unfortunately for her, it seemed like Sensei and Boss had already somehow managed to become close acquaintances even though they had only just met each other.
"Alright whatever, so what do you guys wa-" Serika didn't get the opportunity to finish her words as Nonomi suddenly interrupted her, a bright smile appearing on the Sandy haired girl's face as she began to speak.
"Wow, I never noticed until now but, your uniform is absolutely adorable, Serika!" Nonomi said with her usual bubbly voice. Catching the dark-haired cat girl entirely by surprise as a violent blush suddenly burst out on her face, the clipboard and food tray in her hands, almost falling to the floor from the sheer humiliation she felt.
And unfortunately, before Serika could recover, Hoshino suddenly chimed in, a beaming grin appearing on her face, as she saw the perfect opportunity to go on the attack and tease her junior classmate.
"I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff. Chose to work here solely based on the uniform, did ya?" Hoshino said with her usual sleepy demeanor, a snicker escaping her lips, as she saw Serika's face turn even more red than should have been humanly possible.
"Wh-What are you talking about? It had nothing to do with that! I just used to be a regular here, that's all..." Serika managed to blurt out, steam practically flying out of her ears as she quickly brought the silver dish that she was holding, up in front of her face to try and hide her embarrassment.
However, it couldn't protect her from Hoshino as the sleepy pink-haired girl went on the attack once again, laughing gleefully the entire time as she spoke.
"I bet I could fetch a pretty yen if I sold pictures of you in that uniform, Serika" Hoshino said in a manner that almost reminded everyone at the table, of a dirty old man who was creeping on a much younger girl.
In fact, if Hoshino was doing it intentionally, then they had to admit that it was a rather good impression of what a creeper would act like. However, seeing that the teasing had gone too far, Ayane quickly stepped in,
"Hoshino, knock it off already..." Ayane said with a slightly forceful voice, which was sort of unlike her.
Hoshino quickly turned to look at the glasses wearing elf girl, a somewhat disappointed expression making its way on her face, as she opened her mouth to respond. But any words that she wanted to say suddenly died in her throat when she saw the ominous glint behind Ayane's red framed glasses. Which immediately made her reconsider.
After all, Hoshino had learnt very early on, that despite Ayane's calm and somewhat shy demeanor. The elf girl had a surprisingly fiery and explosive temper when pushed too far. As such, Hoshino decided that she had teased Serika enough for one day, simply choosing to giggle to herself as the table fell into a slightly awkward silence.
Fortunately, however, thankfully the awkward silence didn't last very long as Shiroko decided to try and steer the conversation to a somewhat normal topic.
"So, how long have you been working here?" Shiroko asked with a nonchalant tone.
Serika being surprised by the sudden question, took a few moments to realise that this was the perfect opportunity to try and forget about the teasing that she had just endure. As such, quickly clearing her throat, she turned to her wolf eared friend and spoke.
"Maybe about a week... Give or take a couple days" Serika said abruptly, managing to finally get rid of the raucous blush that have been on her cheeks.
However, before she could say anything else, Nonomi suddenly cut her off, a look of realisation and surprised quickly popping up on her face.
"Oooohhhhhh! Now I get why you were running off from time to time. I guess it was because you were working" Nonomi said with an overly excited and happy sounding tone of voice. She found it actually quite cute that her junior classmate and friend was such a devoted and hard worker.
Serika however, had finally lost her patience, her face going a bright red from anger as she quickly and unexpectedly raised her voice. "Would you all shut up already and just place an order?!"
The entire restaurant fell eerily quiet after the words left her mouth, everyone including the customers and even Boss all turning to look at the cat girl who was now panting heavily as if she had just run a full marathon.
Yet before boss or the Hunter could open their mouths to either resolve the situation or scold Serika for her outburst. Hoshino managed to beat all of them to it as she spoke with a joking tone.
"I think what you meant was, "May I please take your order?" Right Serika? We're your guests here after all" Hoshino couldn't contain her quiet laughter, as she saw the furious look on Serika's face increases exponentially to the point where she looked like she was about to burst into flames.
Fortunately, however, before she could do that and further embarrass herself in front of everyone in the restaurant, the hunter suddenly stepped in, catching Serika's attention by waving a hand in the air, and when she was looking at him, the hunter began to speak.
"Serika calm down and take a deep breath" The hunter's words were simple and to the point. Yet as a tense silence fell over the abydos students, they couldn't help but wonder what exactly Serika reaction would actually be, considering her very evident dislike of sensei.
However, much to their collective surprise, Serika didn't react with insults or a dismissal of the hunter's words, instead she simply let out a frustrated sounding sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose with a free hand. Before turning back to her friends.
"Ugh... Whatever. May I take your order?" Serika set with an angry and fed up tone, yet it was obvious that she had actually taken the advice of the hunter, as she didn't sound like she was about to rip someone's head off.
And as such, after several moments of Silence, Nonomi was the first to order.
"I'll have the chashu ramen, Please!" Nonomi said with her usual bubbliness. Serika quickly wrote down the order with a slight frustrated huff, before turning to the next of her friends, which in this case was Shiroko who quickly ordered.
"One shio ramen, please" Shiroko spoke in her usual monotone voice, Serika quickly added her order to the list before moving onto the next of her friends.
"Hmm... I'd like the miso ramen, please" Ayane said politely as she sent an apologetic smile towards Serika, who despite not changing her slightly frustrated facial expression, did internally appreciate the gesture as she moved on to the last of her friends. The irritated look growing on her face, considering that Hoshino was the one who had initiated the teasing and put her in his foul mood.
"I want the special miso! With extra grilled chashu!" Hoshino said with her usual sleepy voice.
Serika didn't say anything back, however, simply adding the order to the left before letting out a frustrated sounding puff of air from between her lips. Of course, Hoshino had to order the biggest thing on the menu, with extras on the side.
'Seriously! How does she eat so much and yet never get fat?' Serika thought to herself, as she turned to the last occupant of the table and the one that she hated the most.
However, before she could open her mouth to ask what he wanted, sensei did something unexpected as he quickly held up a hand, and followed it with a gentle bow of the head which caught her and the rest of her friends who were watching off guard as after a moment he spoke.
"I have already ordered something Serika, so you don't need to worry about me" The hunter stated with a quiet laugh, however instead of receiving a rebuttal or some other kind of insult like he expected. Serika didn't say anything to him, simply continuing to look at him with an unreadable expression, before she eventually sighed and turned away from the table.
"Thank you for ordering, your meals will be a few minutes" Serika said with a noticeably forced polite tone as she walked away from the table. However, just before she was out of earshot, everyone could hear her mother something under her breath.
"What an absolute headache all of you are" At those words, the table was left in an awkward silence for several moments, yet even so, eventually Hoshino was the one to break the silence, as she turned her sleepy but critical eyes towards the Hunter, suspicion bubbling up within her orange and blue eyes.
"So sensei, why exactly did you come to the abydos district today, after all it IS the weekend" The way that Hoshino emphasised her words, left no illusion in the hunter's mind that she thought he was up to no good.
Yet, despite not wanting to tell the students about his true purpose, he wasn't going to give the pink haired girl the satisfaction of having her suspicions even falsely vindicated.
"Well, even though I said I can't reveal the exact reason why, I suppose I do owe some kind of explanation" the hunter could see the suspicion in Hoshino eyes growing considerably at his words.
He also observed that the other students were all looking at him intently, clearly curious about the exact reason why he was here in the district on the weekend.
as such, after letting the silence hang in the air for a couple moments to long, the hunter finally revealed his reasoning, although unbeknownst to the students it wasn't the entire truth.
"You see… The reason why I was here in the District today... was because I was making sure that the delinquents were truly gone. And thankfully it seems that they are, considering that their hideout was completely empty, and I did not find any stragglers left behind" The hunter paused for a moment. Observing the reactions from the girls gathered at the table, in particular Shiroko, Ayane and Nonomi had looks of realisation and understanding across their faces.
However, Hoshino despite her look of sudden surprise, didn't seem convinced in the slightest by his words. In fact, as the second ticked by, the hunter could see the lack of trust in the pink haired girl's eyes increase considerably as she opened her mouth to respond.
"Hmmmmm are you sure that's the only reason you're here, Sensei... It seems a bit pointless to come all the way to abydos just to check that a bunch of delinquents had left" Hoshino didn't even try to hide the suspicion and lack of confidence in her voice, which caught all of her friend's attention, as they turned to look at her with confusion on their faces.
But, she couldn't have cared less, as she and the hunter continued to observe each other. She was positive…
No!
She was certain, that there was something he was not telling her, and even though there was no evidence for it, some small piece of her mind, keep telling her that whatever the hell that thing was that attacked her the other night had something to do with sensei.
The Hunter didn't immediately respond, yet as he looked into Hoshino eyes, he saw a flicker of something that was utterly different from the suspicion and distrust. In fact, he couldn't place it at first, but then it suddenly clicked for him as he realised what it was.
It was fear...
Deep and unyielding terror, the likes of which could only be born from an encounter with something that shook her world to its core.
'What happened to you, Hoshino?'
The non-verbal question did not leave the hunter's mouth as he continued to look at the girl, noticing that she quickly brought a hand up to the bandage on her upper arm and began to gently caress it. Whatever had happened to her, it was clearly related to the wound she had sustained, but he couldn't figure out exactly what.
However, before he had a chance to respond, Ayane suddenly stepped in, a very agitated look on her face as she spoke in defence of the Hunter.
"Hoshino! For crying out loud, what's gotten into you? Sensei's business is his own, so stop trying to pray into it!" Ayane accompanied her words by quickly getting up from her seat and placing her hands hard on the table. Causing the cutlery and condiment bottles to rattle noticeably, as everyone including the hunter and Hoshino to look at her in bewilderment.
It wasn't very often that the glasses wearing girl lost her temper, but when she did everyone, everyone knew, including Hoshino that it was to try and calm her down as quickly as possible, considering that her anger could be quite explosive and fiery as well as very hard to extinguish.
Hoshino didn't respond immediately, the surprise in her eyes giving way to an uncharacteristically angry expression, as she wanted to rebuke Ayane assertion that sensei didn't need to tell them his business.
After all, from her perspective, she couldn't understand why her friends with the exclusion of Serika were so trusting of the Hunter, considering that he was an adult whose motives were unknown.
Although she didn't get a chance to verbalise any of this, because just as she opened her mouth, a voice suddenly interrupted her. It prompted everyone to turn away from the argument and look to its source, only to see a certain black-haired cat girl who was carrying a large dish in both hands with five ramen bowls occupying it.
"Seriously you guys are too noisy, just take your food and be quiet, you're disturbing the other customers" Serika wasn't sure exactly what all the racket was about and quite frankly she didn't care, as she deposited the tray with the ramen bowls onto the table, before turning on her heels and walking away.
Nobody said anything for several long moments, the awkward atmosphere hanging in the air seemingly being too powerful to be overcome by mere words alone. However, eventually Nonomi was the one to finally break the silence, although the awkward atmosphere remained, not being able to be fully banished.
"W-why don't we dig in everyone? Before our food gets cold" Nonomi said with a noticeably awkward and nervous sounding chuckle. Which was very much unlike her. But thankfully, everyone seemingly did as she said as they all took their individual bowls of food and began to dig in.
Yet, as the hunter looked at his own bowl of food he was a bit at a loss, considering that he was completely unfamiliar with Oriental cuisine and in particular the utensils, that were needed to properly eat it with, which in this case was a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks.
Picking them up off the table gently, the hunter examined the pieces of nondescript looking wood carefully. However, somebody quickly came to his aid as a certain wolf eared girl, pause eating her own meal.
"Are you ok sensei? Do you need help with your chopsticks?" Shiroko asked with a raised eyebrow.
She didn't want her question to come across as if she was insulting sensei's intelligence, but she could see that he was completely lost on how to use the chopsticks.
Turning to look at his student, the hunter didn't immediately respond, he had to admit that it was a bit of a comical situation for him to be in, considering he was the adult here, and yet she was asking if he needed help with his utensils as if he was a child himself.
But eventually, the hunter let out a chuckle as he answered Shiroko's question.
"You would be correct Shiroko, as unbelievable as it seems, I am completely unfamiliar with how to use these... utensils" the hunter held the chopsticks up at arm's length as he emphasised the word utensil.
By now everyone, including even Hoshino were all looking at him, their expressions ranging from amusement to complete bewilderment.
"Ok... look at mine, sensei, see how I'm holding them? Copy what I do, and you should figure it out relatively quickly" Shiroko said as she took her chopsticks in hand once again and began to slowly and somewhat exaggeratedly use them, while the hunter watched intently.
And after manoeuvring some noodles into her mouth, which she slurped down, the hunter made a stunned face as he quickly and almost effortlessly mimicked the way she was holding her chopsticks and the exact movements that she had just done. Quickly bringing a small amount of noodles to his lips before blowing on them lightly and then eating them.
Everyone waited for his reaction as he chewed on the noodles before swallowing them, at first his expression was unreadable, before it suddenly changed into a surprise and almost pleasurable looking one. A smile quickly worming its way onto his lips, as he reached for a napkin to rub way some of the excess noodle juices, that had escaped from between his lips.
"I must say, this food is... rather remarkable, actually. In fact, I would go as far to say that it is incredibly delicious" The hunter finished wiping away some of the juices from around his mouth as he put on a big bright smile.
Even though food of any kind was now no longer necessary for him, considering his ascension to something more than human, that didn't change the fact that he still liked to eat food on occasion, simply because it made him feel more human, and because he enjoyed the taste. And this food in particular, or ramen as he had learnt it was called, was quite possibly one of his new favourite food.
Considering that it had tastes that he had never experienced before which left him only wanting there. In fact, for the first time in a long time, the hunter could have sworn he felt his stomach grumble slightly, because it desired more of the succulent noodles.
Shiroko, Ayane and Nonomi all watched with surprise but quickly growing smiles as the hunter began to dig into his noodles. He still ate in a dignified and elegant manner that was somewhat perplexing, but at the speed he was eating it was very clear that he was enjoying himself, which made all of them feel wonderful.
As such they all began to eat their own noodles, you should be pausing so they could chat amongst each other and with the hunter as students and teacher enjoy their meal together.
However, there was one who didn't share in this, that being Hoshino who simply ate in silence, uncharacteristically keeping to herself and only occasionally speaking when somebody referred to her. All the while, she couldn't help but continue to look at the hunter, the distrust and suspicion in her eyes now graduating to what was most definitely full-blown anger.
…...
"Goodbye, have a good night!" Serika stated with as much enthusiasm as she could manage, which admittedly wasn't much, as the final customer finally left the restaurant. It was almost 11:00 at night and if she was completely honest, she was completely exhausted to the point where she almost considered not going to school tomorrow.
However, letting out a tired sounding sigh, Serika hurriedly got to work with the preparations for closing the restaurant, which for her mainly involved cleaning tables as well as any odd pieces of dishware that hadn't already been cleaned by Boss.
Yet as she was wiping down one of the tables, she heard the familiar sound of cutlery clanking behind her as Boss came up beside her, holding a tray of assorted restaurant items including condiments and utensils.
"Serika, it's getting late, why don't you run home, I'll finish up the rest" Boss said with a smile as he quickly retrieved the condiments from the table that Serika was in the process of cleaning.
"Are you sure that's ok, Boss. I don't mind staying late and helping!" Serika immediately believed that the reason why Boss was sending her home, was because he was displeased with her behaviour and service today. In fact, the most negative part of her mind couldn't help but imagine Boss firing her the next day.
But thankfully those delusions were shattered when Boss simply wave a hand, as well as a smile making its way onto his muzzle, putting the tray of condiments and utensils down for a moment so he could speak to the black haired cat girl more directly.
"It's fine Serika, you've worked extra hard today, so I want you to go home and get some good rest. After all you do have school tomorrow" Boss said as he crossed his arms, keeping the gentle smile on his face, while also making it clear that he wouldn't have any arguments on this matter.
Serika didn't immediately respond, a surprised look making it's way on to her face before eventually she let out a sigh. Even though she had only worked with the Sheba for a short amount of time, she had already known Boss for a couple years now, so she was aware that arguing against him when he had already decided on something was pointless.
"Ok Boss" Serika quickly removed the apron from around her waist along with the head apron knotted around her head, as she began to make her way towards the back of the restaurant.
However, before she could make it to the back area of the restaurant completely, she heard Boss call out to her, his words immediately making her stop in her tracks.
"Serika... Sensei is a really nice guy who cares about his students... I think you should give him a chance" Boss said with a completely earnest tone of voice, his face showing that he believed in his words wholeheartedly.
Serika however didn't immediately respond, an uncertain expression making itself at home on her face as she and the diminutive Sheba locked eyes for several long moments. She didn't want to consider his words, in fact she wholeheartedly desired to reject them, but some small part of her perhaps, the part that desperately wanted the older elder figure in her life, that had been lacking up until now, tried to persuade her.
But as quickly as that thought came to her mind. Serika quickly shook her head, the uncertainty in her eyes and face quickly replaced by an irritated expression as she opened her mouth to respond.
"I'm leaving... I'll see you tomorrow Boss" Serika quickly turned on the spot to continue to making her way to the back of the restaurant. All the while, she could feel Bosses slightly disappointed and disapproving gaze resting upon her back, yet despite how it made her feel, she didn't waiver under his gaze as she finally left his line of sight.
The small Shiba continued to look at where she disappeared, before he eventually let out a slightly disappointed sounding sigh, as he returned to his duties, to prepare the restaurant for closure.
Even though he knew that she could be incredibly stubborn at times, he honestly didn't expect her to be this stubborn in regard to trusting sensei, after all from what he had seen of the teacher, he seemed like he was a very trustworthy and honest individual.
"She'll come around..." Boss murmured to himself as he went about his cleaning duties, however as he did, Boss couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine and to the very tip of his tail as if he had initiated some kind of jinx.
In the back of the restaurant, Serika had finished changing out of her uniform, still as she made sure that it was stored neatly in her locker.
The blackhead cat girl couldn't help but feel incredibly conflicted, because while she didn't want to consider Boss's words in the slightest, the part of herself that wanted to accept sensei continued to gain strength to the point where she wasn't entirely sure any more if being so mean and confrontational to him was the best way to go.
"Maybe boss is right... N-no! I hate sensei, I don't want to be his friend... he should just leave and never come back" Serika muttered to herself as she picked up her bag and rifle and began to make her way towards the employee only exit.
However, as she was about to exit into the cold night air she stopped mid-stride, the uncertainty of whether she could trust sensei weighing on her mind to the point where she felt like she was about to tear her hair out.
"I hate this... I-I HATE THIS!" Serika abruptly shouted and punched the wall next to her, thankfully however no damage was present, though her fist definitely hurt from the sudden blow.
Yet she couldn't have cared less, as she quickly exited the restaurant and found herself in the small service alley that connected the back of the restaurant to the main street
In spite of her frustration and anger, she couldn't help but tremble slightly as she quickly made her way through the alleyway, even though it was a relatively short walk, the alleyway always gave her the creeps, because it always reminded her of the kinds of places that you would encounter monsters in horror movies and video games.
However, thankfully she quickly emerged onto the main street which, despite abydos being in a sorry state, was still mostly lit with street lights considering that this area of the district was still fairly populated.
As such, after making sure that she had everything in her bag and that her rifle was fully loaded, because it was never a good idea to walk around without some kind of weaponry on you, especially at night. Serika began to make her way home, taking the usual route that she did, which did take her through some of the dark and decrepit areas of the city, but thankfully she wasn't all too worried...
At least that's what she wanted to tell herself.
However, as she turned a corner she saw somebody standing at a pair of vending machines not too far down the street, and as she drew closer she recognised a pair of familiar looking grey wolf ears quickly swivelling in her direction, alerting their owner to her presence.
Shiroko turn to look at the sudden noise, seeing that it was none other than Serika approaching her, as such the wolf girl quickly pushed herself off the guard bars that she was leaning against, and unexpectedly threw something at Serika.
Who despite her bewilderment managed to catch the object before it could tumble to the floor, and after recovering from the sudden action, she saw that it was none other than a bottle of freshly chilled water from the vending machine directly in front of Shiroko.
The two girls looked at each other for a moment before quickly Serika came alongside, both girls standing next to each other as they consumed their respective chilled beverages. However, the silence that linked between them didn't last long, as Shiroko suddenly spoke.
"You've had a long day. Are you heading home now? Serika didn't instantly respond to Shiroko's question, not being able to find her words.
Yet Shiroko didn't need her friend to speak to know the answer to the obvious question, as she quickly took a long swig of her own chilled water bottle before wiping away the excess from her lips with the sleeve of her jacket.
"The ramen was very delicious Serika" Shiroko paused for a moment as she leaned against the guardrail next to Serika before she continued to speak. "Boss seems like a very nice person... he also seems very reliable as well"
Serika didn't say anything at all, simply looking at her gray-haired friend before somewhat awkwardly taking another sip from her bottle. However, before she could think of anything to say, Shiroko, suddenly spoke once again as she pushed herself off the guardrail, drinking the last of her bottle before crumpling it up and throwing it into the nearby recycling bin.
"Well Serika... I think, sensei is also a reliable and trustworthy adult" Shiroko accompanied her words by quickly turning and retrieving her bicycle which was on a wall nearby and mounting it. Yet before she peddled off, Shiroko turned to look at her friend's once more, an almost pleading look plastered across her usually emotionless face as she said one final thing before departing.
"Serika... Not all adults are bad, so please... just give sensei a chance"
Shiroko and Serika looked at each other for several long moments, before Shiroko finally put her bike in gear and began to pedal away. The sound of the rubber tyres against the tarmac as well as the image of Shiroko, quickly receiving into the distance as Serika was left alone once again, a bottle of half drunk water in her hands as she quietly continued to look into the distance where her friend had disappeared moments ago.
Serika eventually stared down at her feet, the uncertainty in her face returning as she continued to mentally argue with herself. Both Boss and Shiroko had now told her pretty much the exact same things which was that sensei could be trusted, and even though she wanted to believe that words she still couldn't fully bring herself to.
"Both Shiroko and Boss said the same thing..." Serika didn't stop looking at her feet, the bottle in her hands beginning to creak, under the increasing pressure of her grip answer she continued to inwardly argue with herself, one half of her now wanting to trust sensei and the other choosing to reject him.
"Sensei... Should I really try and trust him...?"
As the words left her mouth, the plastic bottle that was in Serika's hand was suddenly crushed, spraying water all over her hands, causing them to shiver from the sudden coldness.
However, Serika didn't care as she continued to argue with herself, her face taking on a completely and utterly frustrated look as she didn't notice somebody beginning to walk up from behind her,
"No I can't trust him... we were just fine before he came here! We don't need his help! After all, Abydos High School is..." Serika didn't get a chance to finish her words, as something metallic suddenly bounced on the ground in front of her. At first, she wasn't sure exactly what it was, looking at the object with a mixture of curiosity and confusion before it suddenly dawned on her.
"What the-"
It was about all that Serika managed to get out, before the object began to suddenly and unexpectedly spray out copious amounts of absolutely terrible smelling smoke. Which immediately made Serika begin to cough profusely as she felt her head beginning to spin.
Looking around she tried to reach for her rifle, which was resting up against the guard railings nearby yet, her hand-eye coordination was completely destroyed by the lightheadedness she was feeling, as she missed it entirely. Only managing to knock it on the ground and further out of her reach as she felt her legs give way from beneath her.
Serika quickly found herself on the floor, hitting the ground with a thud that sent a shock through her body as she felt her eyes beginning to close, she tried to fight it, trying to keep them open for as long as possible.
Yet she simply couldn't, as she felt the cold dark embrace of unconsciousness reaching out for her, and finally just as she managed to catch a glimpse of her attackers, it finally overtook her as she was plunged Into darkness as a state of unconsciousness finally claimed her.
Her attackers quickly stepped out of the Shadows, revealing themselves to be a gathering of about 5 or 6 delinquents, all of them being some of the same delinquents that Serika, her friends and the Sensei had completely decimated only a few days prior.
Quickly, the delinquents pulled the unconscious girl from the pavement, not even bothering to search for the contents of her bag or even take her rifle as a war prize. Considering that, they were here for only one thing, and that was cold-blooded revenge. As such, they quickly picked up the unconscious cat girl and begun to whisk her away to somewhere unknown.
Yet unbeknownst to them, a certain somebody who had only just left the district suddenly stopped the dead in his tracks as he turned to look up to the sky, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he felt the familiar call of the moon.
It told him one very important thing.
Something that completely surpasses everything in his mind
"One of my students... is in danger!"
Well another chapter comes to an end, again like I said with the previous chapter I apologise if there isn't a lot of action in the Chapter.
However thankfully that will be changing with the chapters going forward considering that the hunter and the rest of the abydos students have to go save a particular cat girl.
Anyway that's all I have to say for today, until next time have a good day / night everyone.