Blood-Archive

by mgman

Kivotos is ravaged, the student council stripped of its power and unable to intervene, Students left without any kind of guidance or direction, truly it is hopeless. But soon everything will change, a hunter, somebody who knows only bloodshed and carnage will be tasked with leading those who lack direction.

9. Leave it to Problem Solver 68!

Hello friends.

I will keep this introduction short because I am not feeling well currently, unfortunately it seems that I've come down with a bit of a seasonal flu.

But I suppose the timing itself is convenient, considering that I managed to get this chapter done before I started to feel sick.

Also, I've managed to release three chapters this month which means that out of all of my current fanfiction stories that are not abandoned, this one is the only one that has a somewhat consistent upload schedule, which I consider an absolutely phenomenal achievement for me personally. Considering that my usual update schedule for stories is on the order of months to years, lol

Anyway, I don't have much more to say other than that, mostly because I haven't got the energy to write any more, so without further ado I hope you enjoy chapter 8 of blood archive.

---

'Why did it have to come to this...?'

A quiet voice spoke to no one, as its owner continued to sit quietly. Surrounded by Darkness on all sides both physically and metaphorically as they tried to fathom why the previous night's tragedy had to come to pass.

"I made a promise... but it's another promise that I broke" The voice had a noticeable amount of anger in it. As, it's owner suddenly put their head in their hands.

The anger wasn't directed at anyone but himself, after all, despite there being no alternative happened last night. It didn't change the fact that the hunter knew that he had failed once again.

He had made a promise to Ume, that he would find her sister and bring her back safe and sound, yet it had all come to absolutely nothing. Because Tomo had long since succumbed to a beastly transformation, meaning that the hunter was left with no choice but to end her suffering.

"What use is a hunter, if he can't even protect one girl and her sister" The hunter's anger fled noticeably, as he clenched his hair between his fingers. The pain of his hair being pulled from his scalp was completely unknown to him as he continued to fume.

However, his words held a deeper meaning, because he was not just referring to Ume and Tomo, but also two of the young girls that he had failed to protect after making a promise to do so.

"Father Gascoigne daughters…" The hunter's voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke.

To this very day, the death of Gascoigne's daughter's was something that weighed heavily on his mind, because as far as he was concerned. They are blood was on his hands as he had promised to protect them, which ultimately only lead them to their deaths.

"I made a vow that I would never fail like that again... and yet it happened again! Exactly the same as before" The hunter quickly slumped back in his chair, taking his head out of his hands as his arms dropped to his sides loosely. Now looking up at the dark ceiling of his personal bedroom inside the main Schale building.

He never thought that he would actually use this space, considering that sleep was a commodity that he no longer needed after his ascension. However, after last night's events, he had retreated to this space, wanting to simply be alone with his thoughts, as he tried to process them.

Yet, it wasn't just the fact, that he had broken his promise that had him so troubled. It was also the simple fact that he couldn't fathom how or why exactly Tomo could have transformed into a beast.

As far as he was able to tell, the beastly scourge was something that could only be brought about through tampering with the old blood and by extension the great ones.

"I don't understand! It just doesn't make any sense how Tomo got infected with the old blood!" the hunter didn't even try to hide the rage in his voice, as he suddenly stood up from his seat, beginning to pace like an animal in a cage as he started to think of how exactly this was even possible in the first place.

The hunter's first line of enquiry, was to presume that maybe he was the cause of it somehow, considering his non-human nature and the fact that the great ones and their emissaries, were responsible for the beastly scourge that had taken hold in both Loran and Yharnam.

Yet, that possibility was quickly discounted as the hunter frustratedly smashed his fist into the wall, hard enough to leave a dent in the plasterboard but not so as you put his fist for it entirely.

"If I am not the cause of the scourge spreading here... then what is!?" The hunter groaned angrily as he resumed his pacing.

Even if his cosmic nature was the reason that the scourge was unmistakably present in kivotos. It didn't make any sense, that Tomo would be the one too affected by it, considering that he had never met her up until last night.

If he was the cause of it. It should have been one of the students he interacted with personally that was the first to succumb to the scourge. Yet thankfully none of them seemingly had any sign of the scourge infecting them, meaning that the hunter could at least breathe easy in that regard.

But nevertheless, as the hunter came to a stop once again, the look of frustration never leaving his face, he couldn't help but consider some other scenario. One that disturbed him greatly because of the potential implications that it had.

"If I'm not the one, responsible for bringing the scourge to this world... Then the most likely means that that somebody or something else is responsible" As left his mouth. The hunter immediately remembered back to the security recording of Tomo before her seeming transformation into a beast and the Mysterious individual she interacted with.

This compelled him to quickly reach into his breast pocket, bringing out the small vial that boss had given him the other day, which he held close to his face.

"I don't believe it... H-how could I have been so blind!" The hunter stammered as he almost dropped the vial to the ground. It was only now with what had happened last night and seeing the enigmatic individual in the recording that it all finally clicked in his mind.

This little glass vial that he was holding, was the cause for Tomo ghastly transformation, and more importantly whoever the individual was in the recording. They had been the to give it to her. Meaning, they were the ones responsible for damming Tomo to her terrible fate.

The hunter felt his anger beginning to boil over as the glass vial that was between his fingers suddenly shattered!

The small glass container being turned into powder from the sheer force that his fingers exerted, as he clenched his hand so hard that blood began to see from between his clenched fingers.

In his anger, the hunter was completely unaware of the world around him beginning to distort, his cosmic power unknowingly leaking out into the real world and threatening to destabilize it.

Yet before that could happen, the hunter suddenly took in a deep but unsteady breath, his anger coming under control as the world began to settle around him, his cosmic power fading and dissipating.

Letting the breath out, the Hunter quickly retrieved a small handkerchief from his pocket, and got to work and wiping away the blood on his palm and fingertips, as he made himself look more presentable before turning on the spot and walking towards the door.

He wasn't sure exactly who the person in the recording was, and what their motivations were. But that to him right now did not matter as an angry and steely look made its way onto of his features.

"Whoever you are... I will find you, and make you pay!" the Hunter's voice held a dangerous edge to it, the likes of which could put just about any blade to shame as he finally exited his room.

The hunter would find whoever was responsible for Tomo's death...

And he would make them wish that…

They had never angered him!

…...

*Ring Ring*

...

*Ring Ring*

...

"Hello, this is Problem Solver 68. I am Rikuhachima" ...

...

"Right, of course. Whether investigating personal backgrounds, or fighting off armed groups, we can take on any kind of commission you desire"

...

...

"I see, please rest assured, that everything will be done to your exact specifications. And most importantly, leave everything to us, Problem Solver 68"

…...

"Sensei... Are you right?"

The hunter came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the pavement, the few pedestrians out at this time, quickly manoeuvring around him as they continued on their journey to whatever they were going.

He didn't immediate offer a response to the question, as after a moment he looked up to the sky, his eyes narrowing considerably as anger flooded into him. Of course the hunter wasn't angry at Arona for asking, far from it in reality. His anger was directed at no one but the mysterious individual who dared and ultimately succeeded in hurting one of his students.

At this point he didn't know who they were, but that wouldn't stop him from finding them, and making them wish that they had never crossed him or even been born for that matter.

"Sensei?" The hunter snapped out of his anger filled internal monologue, rapidly sucking in a breath of air to try and calm himself because while he felt this anger, he didn't want it to affect his actions, and more importantly let it show in front of the students.

"I am... alright Arona, just feeling somewhat... tired as all" The hunter quickly resumed his pace, intent on making it to the abydos school grounds in a timely manner.

However, as he continued to walk he couldn't help but feel Arona scrutinise him, clearly not convinced by his words.

Which ultimately he should have expected, considering that the little AI was a lot sharper and more perceptive than her behaviour and mannerisms would suggest.

"Sensei... if you need to talk about anything I'm always here you know?" Arona said from inside the tablet, her face a look of genuine concern, considering that she could tell that something was bothering the Hunter. Because while he wasn't the most talkative person usually, he had been uncharacteristically silent since leaving this morning.

The hunter didn't stop, yet he did slow his pace somewhat, as he looked into a nearby shopfront that he was passing. Yet, he wasn't looking inside particularly, but more at his reflection in the glass. He could see his own face, more importantly the expression it held.

Anger.

Rage

And... Sadness.

Coming to a stop for the second time, the hunter continued to gaze at his own face and more importantly the expressions that were written across it. And after a moment of standing there, he gently reached out a hand, placing it against the reflection of his face, and making it look as if he was coping his own cheek.

"Despite how I feel... I MUST control myself... I need to be there for my students" The hunter said softly, his voice barely above a whisper as he continued to look at his own reflection.

However, this did not last long as he abruptly shook his head, taking in a deep sharp breath before vanquishing the negative emotions he felt. And locking them away deep within his psyche so that they would not come to the surface again.

Swiftly glancing one last time at his reflection, the hunter quickly began to walk again, however, as he did. He decided that it was time for Arona to know the truth about what had happened last night.

"Arona... I have not been entirely truthful with you" The hunter said as he quickly turned a street corner. The abydos school building, finally coming into view as he continued to advance towards it.

"What do you mean, sensei?" Arona asked with an inquisitive but confused tone in her voice.

While she understood that everyone had their secrets, she couldn't understand exactly what the hunter was referring to when he said he had been truthful with her.

"It's about last night... I have not been truthful with you, when it comes to what transpired the previous night" The Hunter couldn't help but feel incredibly guilty.

After all, Arona was his closest companion, and therefore he should have felt comfortable enough to tell her everything. Yet he hadn't and instead had chosen to lie directly to her face.

Arona didn't answer right away, in confusion, she quickly stood up from the desk she was sitting at inside the virtual classroom. She couldn't see his face, yet she could feel the Deep sense of regret that was exuding from him.

"What happened last night... sensei?" Arona asked somewhat hesitantly. She had no idea that anything out of the ordinary transpired last night, because she had fallen asleep before they had returned to Schale.

The hunter continued to walk in silence, not immediately responded to her question because he quite frankly couldn't think of how to word what he wanted to say. Yet eventually, as the school gates can closer and closer, he decided that he would just tell his little AI companion the truth, with no embellishment or alterations.

"Arona... Last night I... found Tomo" the hunter said with a subdued tone. He couldn't see Arona's face, yet he could feel her surprised, which was quickly followed by an almost overjoyed expression as she quickly spoke.

"S-sensei! That's great! Why didn't you tell-"

"Arona... The Tomo I found last night… Was not the same one we set out to find..." the hunter quickly stopped his movement. Coming to a dead stop in front of the abydos school gates as he waited for his little AI companion to respond.

Arona inside the tablet looked incredibly confused by the statement, her Halo changing in shape and colour to reflect this oh she tilted her head to one side.

While the hunter had a bit of a pension to be somewhat cryptic and none straight-forward with his wording, she honestly couldn't for the life of her figure out exactly what he meant by Tomo that he found last night wasn't the one that they were looking for.

"Sensei... What do you mean exactly?" Arona asked with trepidation, ever since meeting him she had always trusted the hunter unconditionally.

There was just something about him that made her do that. Yet now, for perhaps the first time in her existence, she couldn't help but feel momentarily suspicious of him.

The hunter didn't immediately say anything, simply continuing to stand in front of the abydos school gates, staring ahead somewhat aimlessly.

He still wasn't entirely sure what to tell his companion, despite the fact that he was set on telling her the truth. After all the exact mechanisms of how the scourge worked, and more importantly it's exact origins other than it being related to the great ones was something that not even he knew.

"Arona... You know that my original title is the good Hunter, correct?" the hunter said after a moment, his voice deadly quiet and somewhat serious as he waited for his companion to respond.

Arona however didn't immediately say anything, a look of confusion making its way onto her face because while she had never called him by that title, she did know of it. Considering that was what he was called before becoming sensei.

"Y-yes sensei..." It was all that Arona said as her reply, she couldn't help but feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if she was about to learn something that would shatter her world-view.

Yet she also felt incredibly curious considering that she would learn something new about Sensei that she didn't know before.

"That title... the good Hunter as I was called, was a far more literal title" the hunter slowly traced his gaze upwards, his eyes squinting slightly as he looked at the burning ball in the sky that was the sun. Most people would have not been able to stand doing this, yet to him, it was a minor inconvenience, as after a moment he continued speaking.

"You see, Arona... before I became a teacher in these lands, I, much like my old title suggests, was a... hunter" he stopped for a moment, the hunter continuing to look at the sun and the sky in general as he waited for his companion to respond to his words.

Arona after a moment of contemplation finally responded a slightly concerned and confused look on her face "Sensei... if you were a hunter... Then what exactly did you hunt?" The little AI girl asked.

The hunter finally closed his eyes as he heard the words leave her mouth, it was the question he was waiting for her to ask, but also the one that he was dreading the most.

However, he had come this far, and he would no longer deceive his companion as he finally opened his eyes a stern and determined look on his face, as it was finally time for her to learn the full truth about him and his deeds.

"Arona... Before I continue, what I'm about to say must stay between us and us alone... can you do that for me?" The hunter asked with an almost pleading tone in his voice.

While he was determined to reveal his secrets to his Arona, he didn't want the same thing to be said for the rest of the wider world. After all, some truths, especially the unsavoury ones, deserved to stay buried.

A look of surprise quickly appeared on Arona's face, despite her momentary hesitation earlier about trusting sensei's word, she quickly shook that from her mind as she responded.

"Of course sensei, whatever secrets you tell me, I will never tell anyone for as long as I live!" Arona said with a determined look on her face, despite how guilty she felt earlier from momentarily doubting how truthful the hunter was with her.

She would never betray him like that, not even if he turned out to be the biggest and baddest person on the planet.

The hunter couldn't help but laugh, although his tone was quite noticeably despondent considering that despite the momentarily uplifting feeling from Arona, he knew that wouldn't last as he revealed what was about to come.

"In that case, Arona... I said I was a hunter before I became a teacher, I was not a hunter of... traditional prey, if you will" the hunter momentarily pause his words. Waiting for his companion to ask any questions, which eventually she did as a confused to look made its way onto her face.

"Sensei... if you didn't Hunt things like animals, then what did you hunt?" Arona asked with a slightly nervous twinge in her voice.

While, she had actually assumed that the term Hunter was simply referring to animals that he hunted as an occupation. The way that he said "traditional prey" made her feel incredibly worried, in fact for just the briefest of moments.

Her overactive imagination couldn't help but consider that sensei was some kind of slasher villain, the kinds of which you only saw in movies and books.

"S-sensei! The things that you hunted... T-they want people were they!?" Arona suddenly asked out loud, a look of almost paralyzing horror on her face at the prospect that her sensei was some kind of slasher movie murderer.

The Hunter was surprised by this as didn't respond immediately, a blank look making its way onto his face as after a moment he suddenly began to laugh quite loudly. Catching Arona completely off guard as the horrified look on her face faded away, and was replaced by a confused facial expression.

After managing to get a hold of himself and suppress his laughter, the hunter finally responded to her words.

"Heaven forbid no Arona! The things that I hunted we're not people, I am not some kind of knife welding vigilante" the hunter couldn't help but chuckle some more, feeling Arona's expression change from confusion to an utterly relieved one as he heard an audible sigh of relief exit from the tablet in his overcoat pocket.

However, the hunter's laughter slowly began to peter off, as a serious look came over his face, he once again turned his head upwards slightly, looking into the sky as he spoke once again.

"Although..." the hunter spoke, his voice having an almost chill to it, that somehow made Arona feel cold despite the fact that she was a digital construct without a body. "They were no longer human by the time I got to them"

Arona couldn't help but shiver some more, instinctually bringing her arms around herself as the horrified look returned to her face. This didn't fill her with any positive emotions, in fact, despite being momentarily relieved that her sensei was not some blood creased monster. What he just said quickly brought that notion back into her mind as she asked a question that she would later come to regret.

"S-s-sensei... What do you mean by... T-t-they want human?" Arona immediately kicked herself for asking, yet she couldn't help it whatsoever as her lips seemingly moved by themselves.

The hunter didn't say anything for a moment, the entire world around him seemingly going dead silent as he continued to look into the sky. Arona inside the tablet couldn't help but shiver, the silence practically feeling oppressive before eventually the hunter finally responded.

"Arona... the things I hunted... they were... Beasts... deadly and grisly man-eating monstrosities that were once human like you and me" The hunter couldn't help but find the little bit of irony in that considering that he was now the furthest thing from human.

Yet it's still got his point across as Arona simply remained silent, not quite believing what the hunter had just said.

After all it sounded too ridiculous, in fact it seemed like something straight out of a victorian era horror novel. However, despite wanting to find any kind of lie in his words or his feelings, Arona found none, leading her to the horrifying realisation that what the hunter just hold her was the truth.

That really were Monsters... supernatural entities that walked the very Earth...

And if the hunter was telling the truth, which she didn't want him to be, but he definitely was...

Then that meant they were very real.

Arona didn't say anything for several long minutes, the fact that what the hunter had just told her was true despite wanting to find any lie in it was completely and utterly shocking. However an even more disturbing fact entered her mind, one that nearly made her drop to her knees in horror as the words exited her lips.

"Sensei... when you said... Tomo wasn't the time we were looking for... D-d-do you mean-"

Arona couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence, her keens nearly giving up from under her, yet thankfully she managed to catch herself by leaning up against the desk next to her.

"I'm afraid so Arona... the thing that I met last night... was not Tomo... not any more" The hunter said with a mournful sounding sigh escaping from between his lips. One that Arona managed to catch as she quickly tried to put on a brave face as she asked something else.

"If she transformed into... an M-monster, then what did you do to her- I mean it" Arona said, managing to keep her voice somewhat level as she quickly corrected herself at the end of her sentence.

The hunter didn't say anything for a moment, tilting his gaze down to the floor as his eyes narrowed considerably. An angry expression making itself evident on his face which Arona could feel through her connection to him, which made her initially think that he was angry at her for asking the question.

However, sensing this, the hunter decided to quickly assure her that he wasn't angry at her. Making the little AI breathe relief as he eventually spoke.

"I did what my old title suggests, Arona... I hunted the Beast... and I freed Tomo from her suffering" The hunter decided that, giving her exactly details on how he had dispatched the beastly Transformed Tomo. Wouldn't be for the best, considering that despite being a artificial creation, Arona still have the mentality of a child.

Despite managing to keep a brave face, Arona couldn't help but feel incredibly horrified by what the hunter had just told her. After all, he had essentially just said that he committed... murder.

"Sensei, are you sure there wasn't some-" Arona quickly found herself silenced by The Hunter.

"Arona... once somebody undergoes a transformation into a beast... I'm afraid there is no turning back, the only thing that can be done for them at that point is to end their existence quickly and swiftly, so that there's and anyone else's suffering brought about by their hands can be ended" The hunter said in a matter of fact tone, quickly realising that he had just spoken to Arona in quite a sharp and aggressive tone.

"I'm sorry Arona... forgive me for talking to you like that... it's just that... I took no pleasure in what I had to do last night... if there was another way, then I would have..." The hunter found himself trailing off, the angry expression returning to his face, instead of it being momentarily directed at his companion by accident, it was instead aimed at no one but himself.

The events of last night represented something more to him than simply a beast that had been slain, it represented another broken promise. Another promise to a young girl that he couldn't keep.

"Dammit!"

The hunter suddenly shouted, his anger finally boiling over in a momentary outburst as he quickly smashed his fist into the nearby school gate pillar. Leaving a considerable cracked and broken dent in the brickwork of the Pillar, as well as completely destroying his white glove.

Arona inside the tablet couldn't help but feel taken aback by what had just happened. She could feel the Hunter's rage and anger as if he was standing right next to her.

Although it wasn't all she felt, she was able to also feel his self-hatred and self disgust. Arona didn't even need to hear his words, to know what he did last night was something that he regretted, she could sense it through his anger and frustration and more importantly see it in his momentary outburst of rage.

"Sensei... what are you- I mean, we going to tell Ume?" Arona asked, despite the information that had just been revealed to her. She was determined to stand by sensei's side no matter what.

The hunter couldn't help but feel slightly uplifted by her words, the fact that she was still willing to stand by him even after he revealed such a terrible thing was commendable.

"I'm not quite sure Arona" The hunter said as he once again looked up to the sky, his eyes narrowing considerably. He honestly wasn't quite sure what he could tell Ume, considering that she probably wouldn't understand.

"Ah! Sensei!"

The hunter was quickly jolted from his thoughts by a sudden voice, rapidly turned his head to the source to see that it was none other than Ayane, who was carrying a large bag under her arm.

"Arona... We will speak more about this later, alright?" The hunter quickly whispered as he turned his entire body to greet the abydos student.

"Of course sensei" Arona whispered back to the hunter. Despite what had been explained to her, she was willing to stand by the hunters side no matter what. After all, he was her sensei and nothing would change that.

"Ayane, I would say it's quite the coincidence meeting you here, but considering where we are..." The hunter tried to make himself sound Jovial and cheerful, which he managed to succeed, although he wasn't entirely sure if Ayane would be able to detect his false tone.

Thankfully, it seemed that Ayane didn't manage to detect his slightly forced tone as she quickly came to a stop in front of the Hunter. The bag under her arm being noticeably quite heavy and bulky looking as she adjusted it to stop it from falling to the ground.

"It's good to see you sensei... But there's something I need to tell you... And everyone else" Ayane replied with a slightly nervous tone to her voice, adjusting the bag on the arm once again as she almost dropped it.

However, before this could happen, the hunter quickly offered to hold it for her.

"Allow me Ayane" The hunter offered a hand to the struggling Girl Who after looking at him confused for a moment quickly smiled as she handed the bag over to The Hunter.

Taking it into his hands, he was able to feel that it was indeed quite heavy, with whatever was inside weighing a considerable amount as well as being very awkward and bulbous shaped.

"Thank you sensei" Ayane let out a sigh of relief, the objects were incredibly heavy to the point where she struggled every step of the way. But now with sensei holding it for her, she could finally flex her arm, which had long ago started to ache from holding the object.

"You're more than welcome Ayane, although I must ask what exactly is this?" The hunter asked as he held the object in the bag out of arm's length. Looking at it somewhat inquisitively, even though it was currently hidden inside a bag, it was incredibly heavy, suggesting to him that it was made of some kind of metallic material.

Ayane didn't immediately reply, a jittery look making its way onto her features as she tried to think of what to say before eventually finding her words.

"It' a piece of one of the armoured cars from yesterday sensei, I found... something rather disconcerting when I examine the part closely" Ayane didn't fully elaborate on what she had found.

Simply because she wanted everyone to be present before she revealed the absolute bombshell that she had discovered.

The hunter didn't respond to her words, looking at her for a moment before turning his gaze back to the bag which contains the object. He wasn't sure exactly what Ayane could have possibly found that unnerved her so much.

"I see, in that case, we should head inside, hopefully everyone is already present inside the school so we can discuss this revelation that you have found Ayane" The hunter quickly turned on the spot, motioning for the glasses wearing girl to follow him which she quickly did as she fell into lockstep beside him.

Both of them passing through the school gate and making their way inside the school grounds.

…...

"Ayane, what is this?"

Shiroko asked with a flat tone, her along with everyone else were all gathered around the main meeting table, looking at the strange object that the hunter had deposited in the centre of the table.

Ayane say anything right away, looking around at all of her friends to make sure they were listening intently, before she let out a slightly exasperated sigh as she spoke.

"This is a piece from one of the armoured cars that the helmet gang used against us yesterday" Ayane quickly stepped forward, placing both hands on the object and with some amount of effort managing to move it so it was now laying on the table instead of sitting straight up.

This action revealed a serial number on the piece of metal, despite how burnt and charred it was, the Numbers were engraved into it making them still easily visible as everyone looked at them intently.

"I did a bit of investigating last night, and cross-reference the serial number... It turns out that this part along with the armoured cars themselves are illegal items, that are prohibited within Kivotos" Ayane quickly traced her finger across the serial number, before hurriedly retrieving her tablet and showing her friends and the hunter what she had managed to find through her searching.

Sure enough, the serial number and the part it was assigned to, corresponded to a vehicle that had been seized some months ago as contraband from a now-defunct Academy that had broken several laws.

"How did a bunch of no-good delinquents get their hands on something like this?" Serika asked with a frustrated expression on her face. She more than anyone wanted to know how, exactly, a bunch of lowlife delinquents, managed to get their hands on such serious pieces of military grade equipment.

"That would be the question of the day, Serika. The fact that delinquents were able to procure weaponry like this, suggests that they are either well-funded or simply got fortunate" The hunter quickly brought a hand up to his chin, rubbing it as he fought of how exactly a bunch of delinquents who could barely feed themselves, were able to get their hands on such powerful pieces of weaponry.

"Maybe they got them from the black market?" Nonomi interjected, while don't she wasn't an expert on such things. She did know that the black market was a place where students of all stripes could get their hands on items that we're not usually available to the wider public.

Everyone considered her words for a moment, it would make sense for the delinquents to be able to get this kind of stuff on the black market. But even then the fact that they had several armoured cars, all of which were in tip-top condition, made that idea somewhat unlikely.

"It's a possibility, but even so. It would be incredibly difficult to get that many armoured cars" Ayane said with a slightly frustrated look in her eyes.

How the helmet gang was able to get their hands on something like this was deeply frustrating but also concerning, considering that if they could get their hands on armoured cars like this, then what exactly else did they have up their sleeves just waiting to be used.

"The Kata-Kata helmet gang is indeed a troublesome little bunch" Hoshino said with her usual tired tone, letting out a yawn to accompany her words as everyone continued to stare at the piece of charred and burnt metal on the table.

However, before anyone else could say anything, the hunter quickly interjected giving his own suggestion.

"Ayane, you said that you were able to cross-reference this part and find out information about it, correct?" the hunter asked, turning his gaze to the glasses wearing student who looked back at him clearly surprised by what he had just said.

"Yes sensei" Ayane finally said, she wasn't sure exactly where the hunter was going with his question, but she waited patiently for him to respond, which he did after a moment.

"Do you think it would be possible to find information about who could have potentially supplied these vehicles to the helmet gang?" The hunter asked with a slightly expecting tone in his voice.

He initially considered asking Arona to do it considering that she could track down almost anything and break into any database, however ultimately decided against it.

Ayane didn't say anything straight away, a confused the look on her face before realisation suddenly replaced it.

"I think it would be possible, sensei, but it won't be easy. These armoured cars after being taken as contraband simply disappeared from every public database, and they only reappeared when we fought them yesterday" Ayane shade with a slightly uncertain look on her face.

While her computer abilities were incredibly adept. She still couldn't help but feel like it wouldn't be enough to locate where exactly the armoured cars had originated from.

"If anyone can find out where those hoodlums got their hands on those things, it would be our precious little Ayane~" Nonomi quickly said with a cherry tone, which have the desired effect as the uncertainty on Ayane's quickly vanished. Being replaced by a look of reserved confidence as she nodded her head.

"I can't make any promises, but I will try, everyone!" Ayane quickly said with a determined look on her face. Even if it came to nothing, she would still try her best.

"All we can ask of you, Ayane is that you try your best" the hunter quickly placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, the action being a reassuring one as she looked up at The Hunter with a slightly reserved but happy look.

"So, everyone. Now that that's been discussed" Ayane quickly got everyone's attention making all of them turn to look at her, and once happy that they were all doing so she quickly continued.

"Let's start the regular meeting for today"

Everyone's reactions varied. Nonomi simply began to sway from side to side in her seat, a happy look on her face, as she waited for the meeting to begin.

Shiroko simply sat in her seat, entirely still and completely emotionless, like was her usual mode of operation.

Serika let out a quiet huff, she always hated these meetings because they always took up precious time and almost always results in nothing ever actually happening.

And finally Hoshino simply put her head onto the table, her pink eye shaped Halo quickly disappearing from above her head as she fell asleep, occasionally buttering intelligible words in her sleep.

Ayane found herself momentarily aggravated by this. But quickly calmed herself by letting out a deep breath, because after all Hoshino never took these meetings seriously, so expecting her to do so now was a fool's game.

"Sensei will also participate in today's meeting... if that's OK with all of you?" Ayane didn't think that it would be an issue, but she's still wanted to ask just to be sure. Because after all, before Sensei had arrived nobody else from the outside had ever been part of one of these meetings.

Shiroko, Serika and Nonomi all glance back and forth between each other for a moment, before simply nodding in agreement. None of them had a problem with sensei being a part of this meeting, after all he had given them so much help up until this point that it would be rude of them to not let him be a part of it.

"I'm ok with sensei joining"

"Me too!"

"Sensei is now part of the club~!"

All three students said in unison. Making Ayane quickly shake her head as, after looking down at her tablet for a moment, she finally commenced the meeting.

"Then let's begin. Do you have any suggestions on the future of the foreclosure task force? Raise your hand" Ayane waited patiently for any responses, looking around at Everyone gathered on the table before eventually, Serika was the first to raise her hand.

"Me, me!" Serika said energetically as she thrust her open hand into the air, desperately wanting for her suggestion to be heard.

"Kuromi Serika of the first grade, please tell us your suggestion" Ayane couldn't help but feel a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She's already having a significant feeling that whatever the cat girl was about to suggest, it would most likely be something not exactly helpful to the current situation.

But still, Ayane simply prayed that Serika had finally learnt her lesson and would suggest something sensible.

"As the accountant of the foreclosure task force, I want to say that our school's current financial situation is absolutely horrible!" Serika quickly jumped up from her seat, everyone watching her closely as she placed her hands on the table somewhat aggressively while continuing to speak.

"So far we've arrested, and done all kinds of part-time work. But this is not enough! We need to make a lot of money all at once if we ever hope to pay off this debt!" Serika finished her words somewhat excitedly, as she waited patiently for them to ask what she wanted them to ask.

Which the hunter eventually did, much to her happiness, as her ears twitched excitedly hearing his words.

"I must ask Serika, how exactly do you expect us to make so much money in one go?" the hunter watched with amusement as the cat girl's face practically lit up. An excited look making itself at home as she quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out something.

"Ha ha, like this!" The cat girl said excitedly as she revealed the piece of paper from her jacket, it was a poster given to her by somebody on the pavement on her way home from work one day.

"Rejected"

"Huh?"

Serika couldn't quite believe her ears as everyone looked at her with unimpressed looks in their eyes. She couldn't fathom why they had rejected this perfect opportunity to make a load of money for free.

"Serika... I'm afraid that what you have in your hand there is a fraudulent scheme" the hunter said with a slight chuckle, gently shaking his head and disapproval.

Because while Serika was indeed an intelligent girl for her age, she was seemingly still quite gullible considering that she had fallen for such an obvious scam.

"It's not possible to make money with that" Shiroko stated matter-of-factly, her face remaining mostly unchanged, yet in her eyes was a look of disappointment, because she didn't think that her friend could be so gullible like that.

Serika quickly fell back into her seat, the piece of paper in her hands falling to the floor as a completely defeated look made itself at home on her face.

She had already bought into the obvious pyramid scheme, so she couldn't believe that it was all the scam just intended to milk money from hopeless people like herself.

"H-how is this possible? I even bought two for myself" The cat girl quickly placed her head on the table, looking absolutely defeated as everyone looked at her with concern but also amusement at her dysfunction.

"Serika, it looks like you've been duped. So cute~" Nonomi couldn't help but tease her junior classmate somewhat. Finding it both incredibly adorable and somewhat tragic that the cat girl had been so easily taken in by an obvious scam.

"Well then, would anyone else like to suggest something?" Ayane could feel her frustration beginning to build.

Yet, she quickly got control of herself as she waited for the next response, which quickly came from none other than Hoshino as her Halo abruptly re-materialized as her head rose from the table.

"Me, Ayane!" Hoshino said somewhat excitedly as Ayane turn to look at her. On the one hand she was actually surprised that Hoshino had something to suggest, but on the other she couldn't help but already feel like it was going to be something crazy or ridiculous, but still she decided to hear what Hoshino had to say.

"Takanashi Hoshino of the third grade, please share your suggestion" Ayane already had a bad feeling that whatever Hoshino was about to say wouldn't be helpful.

"I have a bad feeling about this"

"The biggest problem that our school faces is the fact that there are only a few of us here" Hoshino paused, allowing everyone to follow on with her words as they all knowledge and agreement with her assertion.

The school's population over the last couple of years had only gone down and down to the point where all five students that were still enrolled were all currently accounted for.

"The number of students equals the strength of the school. So first, we need to increase the number of students" Everyone except for the hunter and Ayane nodded in agreement with what Hoshino was saying.

Because it was ultimately true, a school's overall standing was often dictated by the sheer number of students it had and the lower amount of students or school had the less relevant it was.

"You do have a good point, Hoshino... but how exactly do we do this?" Ayane felt a shiver run down her spine and a pit forming in her stomach when she saw the mischievous look form in Hoshino bi coloured eyes.

"Simple. We abduct another academy's school bus" Hoshino said with a proud and energetic tone that was very unlike her.

However, the room was plunged into an awkward silence as everyone simply looked at her like she was completely insane. However, the silence didn't last long as Ayane suddenly shouted loudly, making everyone jump because of the shrillness of her voice.

"H-Hoshino! You can't be serious!?" Ayane's anger became unmistakable as an enraged glint flashed across her glasses. Hoshino however wasn't intimidated, simply continuing to smile like she had just suggested the best thing ever as she explained what exactly her plan entailed.

"All we have to do is hijack a bus for students on their way to school, and then hold them hostage until they agree to transfer their enrolment over to our school! As far as I see it. It's an absolute win for us" Hoshino finished by quickly retrieving her shotgun, a goofy smile on her face.

Yet, the action of retrieving her weapon showed that she was entirely serious with her plan. However, before the hunter or Ayane could try and talk sense into the girl about how ridiculous let alone reckless the plan was.

Shiroko chose that moment to get up from her seat, an eagle look in her usually emotionless eyes as she responded favourably to Hoshino's idea.

"This sounds like a great idea! So who's our target? Trinity, Gehenna? Or is it millennium?" Shiroko couldn't hide the excitement in her voice, quickly grabbing her rifle and racking the charging handle in anticipation for the event. Much to the delight of Hoshino who looked eager to go as well.

"Whoever they are. We'll have to evolve our strategy to fit the target" Shiroko was already thinking up an action plan in her mind. Trying to remember which Academy's bus routes ran near the outskirts of Abydos.

"Oh yeah? Well, what about Trinity? I don't think they'll miss a couple of hundred students, considering how big they are. Wait! No, let's hit gehenna, they are closer!" Hoshino and Shiroko both looked at each other intently.

Before nodding in agreement as they eagerly prepared for what they were about to do. But Unfortunately, before they could act on their plan, Ayane suddenly interjected, her anger finally boiling over.

"Idea rejected! Completely and utterly so!" Ayane quickly slammed her hand onto the table, making both Hoshino and Shiroko shudder in fear as they turned to look at the angry elf.

If there was one thing that you never ever did, it was make Ayane, which they had only just done as she continued to stare at them angrily before quickly taking a shaky breath to try and calm her rage.

"Not only is that idea reckless, because it would get us some trouble with the other academies! But it's also ridiculous because even if we did Force students to join our school. Who's to say they wouldn't just run at the first opportunity they got? Seriously, you two need to stop and think before hatching any more hair brain schemes!" Ayane finished her rent.

Breathing hard as she felt somebody lay a hand on her shoulder, who was revealed to be the hunter looking at her with worried eyes, which she appreciated as she tried to get her anger and breathing under control.

However, despite Shiroko looking somewhat regretful and quickly sitting back in her seat, not wanting to make the glasses wearing girl any more angry than she already was. Hoshino didn't back down, a somewhat cocky look making itself apparent on her face, as she rested her shotgun over one shoulder.

"Heh, heh, so what if the other Academy representatives got angry with us. I could take them" Hoshino said somewhat jokingly, although the hunter couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Because in her voice he could detect just a small amount of confidence.

Suggesting that she really did think she could take on the other Academy representatives and win.

Ayane attempts to calm herself were completely in vain, as she felt her rage come back, not appreciating what Hoshino had just said, as she quickly slammed her hand onto the table once again. Making everyone except Hoshino and the hunter jump in the process again.

"Hoshino! For crying out loud! Can you take this meeting seriously?" Ayane felt herself dangerously close to grabbing the table in front of her and flipping it out of sheer rage.

However, before Hoshino could say anything to make the situation worse, Shiroko decided it was time to share her idea, as she quickly raised her hand.

"I have a better idea than Hoshino's suggestion, Ayane" Shiroko said with a slightly tentative tone, not wanting to make the glasses wearing girl even more angry than she already was.

Ayane simply stared at the grey-haired wolf girl for several long moments, before she eventually pulled in a deep, hard breath before somewhat shakely letting it out.

"... Find. Go ahead second-year student, Sunaookami Shiroko" Ayane quickly stepped back from the table, allowing Shiroko to have the metaphorical floor as she waited for whatever she was about to suggest.

She wasn't sure exactly what the second year student would suggest, but at this point she couldn't be surprised or made even more infuriated by whatever the suggestion was...

At least, she hoped.

Shiroko quickly nodded her head she stood up from her chair once again, however this time she retrieved her school bag instead of her rifle, placing it on the table in front of her, so everyone can see it.

Once she was sure everyone was looking at her, Shiroko finally said what has suggestion was.

"We rob a bank"

The entire classroom was plunged into dead silence with everyone looking at her in complete and utter surprise.

Shiroko however wasn't phased by this as an almost excited look made itself at home on her usually blank features.

"Shiroko... Please tell me you're joking?" Ayane said with a completely worn out tone, the the anger she felt before was now completely gone, and had been replaced by absolute disbelief at the fact that her friend would suggest something like that.

Shiroko, however, simply shook her head indicating that she wasn't joking in the slightest as she quickly retrieved her rifle, holding it eagerly in her hands as she continued speaking, much to Ayane's growing dismay.

"It's a surefire plan. And I already have the perfect target. Let's hit the first Central Bank downtown" Shiroko said eagerly as she went on to detail exactly what her plan for robbing the bank entails.

"I've already mapped out everything, from the location of the Vault to the positions of the security guards. Blind spots for the security cameras and even the armoured cars transport routes which we could hit either before or after the bank itself" Shiroko finished explaining her plan, an eager and expecting looking in her eyes as she waited for a response.

Despite the severity and criminality of what his student was suggesting. The hunter couldn't help but rub his chin in thought. He had to admit that Shiroko had certainly done her research when it came to robbing the bank.

However, he also had to somewhat grudgingly admit that she did seemingly have quite the natural talent for planning everything out in advance so that it would go smoothly.

Even so, despite this, the hunter decided he had to shutter the wolf girl's dreams of a bank heist as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Shiroko, while it's certainly would get us a lot of money. Unfortunately I think it's for the best that we don't go through with your suggestion, considering it's questionable legality... amongst other things" the hunter said somewhat awkwardly.

Watching the excited and eager look on Shiroko's face quickly vanish, being replaced by a completely destroyed look, which was also accompanied by her wolf ears drooping down as she looked at the floor completely down trodden

"I even brought masks... for it" Shiroko said somewhat sadly as she produced a set of 5 masks from a bag. All of them being made of a different coloured material with a number from 1 to 5 stitched into the front.

Ayane's whose patience was beginning to wear very thin couldn't help but pinch the bridge of her nose and frustration. "Where did you find the time to prepare all this?" the girl said, completely frustrated.

Shiroko didn't respond, still looking completely depressed after sensei's rejection of her suggestion. Hoshino however, quickly came over to look at the masks, her multicoloured eyes lighting up in delight when she saw one of the masks was a similar colour to her hair, with a big number one stitched onto the front.

"Whoa! Did you sew these yourself, Shiroko?" Hoshino giggled excitedly as she quickly picked up the pink mask.

Looking at it curiously for a moment, before she immediately put it on her head, wrestling around with it for a moment before she finally got it into place.

Her entire face and head was covered, with the only parts of visible being her eyes and mouth, along with a stray tuft of pink hair that popped up the top from between a gap that had been sewn into the mask.

However, she wasn't the only one, as Nonomi quickly came over and found a mask for herself. This one being green with a number 3 stitched onto it.

And without hesitation, she quickly put it on, and much Hoshino, the only thing that was still visible were her big green eyes and mouth along with the small hair bun on the side of her head, which have a convenient hole stitched in place just for it.

"Wowie! Check it out" don't I look like a luchador?" Nonomi said excitedly as she spun around on the spot, so that everyone could see the entirety of her mask from all angles.

Seeing all of this, Shiroko couldn't help but feel her spirits lift somewhat, appreciating the fact that her friends clearly did like the masks that she had spent hours painstakingly making for them.

"Dang... it's so obvious! You gotta risk big to win big! isn't that what life's all about, Serika?" Hoshino said, turning to the blackhead cat girl, who was watching the entire scene with complete and utter frustration on her face.

Serika however didn't appreciate this at all as she quickly shot up from her seat.

"Heck no, it isn't! Absolutely not! DENIED!" Serika said aggressively, finding the fact that Hoshino would even suggest something like that completely ridiculous.

Ayane seeing this as her chance, decided it was time to step in. Wordlessly thanking the blackhead cat girl for finally talking some sense as she addressed Hoshino and Nonomi.

"She's right! We can't possibly stoop to being criminals!" Ayane said with a displeased sigh. Watching the already depressed look on Shiroko's face grow even more intense. Which was also followed by Hoshino and Nonomi quickly removing their respective masks, although not returning them to Shiroko.

"I must concur with Ayane and Serika. While your ability to plan out something like this is commendable, Shiroko. I'm afraid that doing something so brash and brazen would not be in the best interests of you and your school" The hunter said in a matter of fact tone.

Leaving no room for argument as any hope that remained inside Shiroko was quickly shattered and eviscerated by his words as she began to pout noticeably.

"Pout all you want, Shiroko, But there are some lines that should not be crossed!" Ayane could feel her will to live draining, as she let out another dismayed and frustrated huff. "Seriously, if no one comes up with a real idea soon..."

"Hey, excuse me! Me next!" Nonomi said excitedly, she held her hand in the air, wanting for her suggestion to be heard next.

Ayane looked at Nonomi for a long tense moment before letting out another groan as she responded.

"Very well second year Izayoi Nonomi... As long as it doesn't involve scams or breaking the law, you have the floor" Ayane wasn't sure what to expect.

At this point she had heard all kinds of hair brains suggestions, so at this point, she simply just decided to sit back and hear exactly what Nonomi was going to say.

Nonomi with an almost unfathomable amount of excitement, quickly came to the head of the table. The look of joy on her face being so sweet and sugary that it was almost painful to look at as she finally gave her suggestion.

"Two words: Pop idols! Schoolgirl Pop Idols, to be exact!" Nonomi said excitedly as she threw her arms into the air, as if she had just made some grand revelation about the nature of the universe and time itself.

Everyone simply looked at her, completely and utterly dumbfounded by the suggestion, because while it wasn't as terrible of a suggestion as the previous two. It's certainly was perhaps the most strange and bizarre one to be put forward that morning.

"Pop idols...?!" Ayane asked after several long moments of eerie silence, her voice was flat and even as if she was asking for clarification that what she just heard, was actually Nonomi's suggestion for helping their school.

"You heard me! It happens all the time in anime. Nothing helps revitalise a school like becoming a pop Superstar! If we all break into the industry together as pop idols..." Nonomi accompanied her words by excitedly jumping on the spot, causing her ample bosom to bounce up and down wildly as the excitement she was feeling was practically overloading her system.

She had always wanted to be an idol, and now it was quite possibly her time to become one!

"Denied"

The word caused Nonomi to stop jumping on the spot, her attention quickly turning to Hoshino who had her arms crossed over her chest with a slightly disapproving look on her face.

"What...? You don't like the idea either?" Nonomi asked with a confused facial expression, while she had expected someone like Ayane or Serika to say no to her proposal. Hoshino was the last person she had expected to reject it.

"Why not? You'd definitely have some fans, Hoshino" Serika said in a forced sounding cheerful tone, clearly using the opportunity to get back at Hoshino for what she had said earlier.

"Yeah, more like I'd have a bunch of creeps taking pictures of me everywhere, so no, thanks" Hoshino said with a matter of fact tone, leaving no room for interpretation in her voice that she wholeheartedly rejected the idea outright.

She may have been willing to rob a bank or steal a bus full of students, but becoming an idol was simply too far for her.

"But I even came up with a pose and everything..." Nonomi accompanied her words by quickly striking a very generic looking idle pose, one that made Hoshino and Serika stare at each other in disbelief. Because it was very clear to them that Nonomi wasn't exactly the most creative when it came to coming up with new things.

"Excuse me, but I'm confused. What exactly is a… pop idol?" The hunter suddenly interjected his words, making everyone look at him as if he had just grown a second head.

Not a single one of the girls present could believe what he had just said because how could he have not heard or seen an idol before?.

"Sensei... a pop idol is usually a group of girls who perform and make music" Shiroko said after a moment of silence.

Answering the hunter's question with a matter of fact tone, because she could clearly see from the look in his eyes that he was genuinely confused that what an idol was before she explained it.

The hunter had a look of realisation cross his face, because while the idea of a pop idol was foreign to him, Shiroko's explanation made him think of travelling performers or actors in a play which he was most definitely familiar with.

"I see, thank you for the explanation, Shiroko" The hunter said after a moment, the wolf girl letting out a gentle smile at his words.

As Nonomi who was still making poses, quickly took on a particular one while saying at the same time. "Christina of the Mizugi girl gang!"

"Are you... KIDDING ME?! The Mizugi WHAT?! For fuck sakes, Nonomi! Get real!" Serika suddenly erupted, her anger being reflected in her shouting and the fact that she used profanity, which caught all of them off guard, considering that profanity was something she never normally used.

"Aww. But I worked on it all night..." Nonomi wasn't all that affected by Serika shouting and swearing at her, in fact she looked more disappointed at the fact that her suggestion had been thoroughly and entirely disregarded more than the fact that one of her friends had shouted at her.

However, before the hunter could step in and try and relieve the situation like a responsible adult would, something unexpected happened.

"Y-you guys!"

Everyone, including even the hunter himself, felt a chill run down their spine just they all slowly turn to look at Ayane. She was hunched over the table her hands gripping its edge so tightly that it looked as if the table was about to splinter, her face was hidden by her hair which hung low over it.

However, that did not last long as she suddenly threw her head up, anger and rage flashing through her eyes as with a tremendous show of force. The table which she had been holding on to was suddenly flipped! spinning in the air several times as everything that was on it was sent crashing to the floor in a colossal crash.

Despite how sudden it was, Hoshino was the first to speak, a genuinely shocked look on her face.

"She did it Ayane flipped the table!" The pink haired girl said, as she managed to dodge a pen which nearly hit her on the head, as the rest of the objects which had been hanging in the air for a moment came crashing to the floor.

Serika and Shiroko did not say anything, choosing to remain silent in fear of being the next target of Ayane's out of control anger.

However, Nonomi wasn't as afraid, choosing to make light of the situation as she moved a bit further away from the absolutely livid glasses wearing girl.

"Ahhh! Ayane is in berserk mode! Everyone take cover" Nonomi sad with a slightly joking tone as she moved further away from Ayane, who was continuing to fume as well as breathe a very hard after the physical exertion she had just put herself through.

In fact the hunter quickly came up next to her, yet before he could actually ask or do anything to help the girl, she quickly resumed her anger fuelled tirade, not directing it at anyone in particular but simply just everyone except for sensei considering he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Can't any of you take this seriously for one damn second? I swear, it's like I'm your mother or something!" Ayane allowed herself a chance to breathe.

Feeling a hand gently rub her back which she knew was sensei, which she appreciated, yet she was still in the midst of her anger fuelled rant as after a momentary pause she continued.

"All you four ever do is fool around! Robbing banks, pyramid schemes... becoming Idols for crying out loud! Is this supposed to be some kind of joke! Ayane did not stop looking at all of her friends with a venomous glare that made every single one of them flinch.

Yet she did not stop, continuing to chew all of her friends out viciously until she finally ran out of steam nearly an entire hour later.

…...

The sounds of seabirds filled the air, as they flew high in the sky over the ocean. However, the Peaceful sound of the seabirds and the gentle waves was suddenly interrupted by a colossal explosion. Which sent all the sacred animals flying in all directions as they tried to get away from the source of the sudden noise.

However, as the sound of the explosion continue to reverberate through the air, a new sound suddenly replaced it, that being the sound of a boat engine. As a small speed boat carrying 4 individuals quickly accelerated away from the now burning and listing container ship.

"You got the target, right?"

A girl wearing a dark purple military style uniform asked. Her hair was noticeably short and dishevelled, with its colour being a very dark purple bordering on almost black.

The Halo that floated above her head was a strange one, looking almost like the thorns of a rose, with its colour being purple much like her hair and uniform.

The individual, sitting across from the purple head girl, simply nodded her head, her usually well-kept black and white hair blowing wildly in the wind, much to her annoyance. Her uniform consisted of a symbol red checkered skirt and a large dark-coloured hoodie with a symbol that resembled a skull on the front and the text beneath it saying "Born to kill"

Her Halo was a dark grey, almost ash colour, with the shape being that of a pentagon with three points arranged around it with another smaller pentagon offset inside the large one.

"Hey Aru~ Now that we have the target, all we have to do is go back to the client right" another individual asked.

She was the girl who was currently driving the speed boat, a pleasant and somewhat cheeky smile on her face as she kept the boat steady.

Her outfit consisted of a large ruffled red skirt with black ruffles at the bottom, and a small almost crop top jacket that was black and red with short sleeves. Her Hair was long and flowing with it being tied into a side ponytail with a large flower like bow, with the colour being an off-white or almost cream colour.

Furthermore, her halo was a target-shaped one, consisting of two concentric circles with the outer one having four points arranged evenly around the axis and a small flower shaped symbol in the middle of her halo.

The leader of the group sat calmly in her seat, her arms crossed under her chest and her legs crossed, as she exuded an air of calm and refined coolness.

Her hair was a bubblegum pink colour, with it being just longer than her shoulders, coming out the side of her head were two strange horned like shapes, the colour being a dark brown with gold accents.

Her outfit consisted of a simple white button up shirt with a ribbon keeping her collar together, and a ravishingly short but defined and elegant looking black pencil skirt.

And the final piece of her outfit, and the part that made her stand out the most, was a large dark red and gold fur lined jacket. Which gave the mysterious Girl the look of a mafia boss.

Her halo was perhaps the most interesting out of the four, with it resembling the petals of a rose, with a long protrusion sticking out of the sides, with its colour much like her hair was a bright vibrant pink.

"Please call me president during work, Captain Mutsuki" the girl now identified as Aru, said with a calm and professional tone letting out a victorious chuckle, because as far as she was concerned, this job had been an absolute piece of cake and was going to pay very well.

"In order to fulfil the commission, all we have to do is bring back the target in one piece and undamaged, the rest of the details don't need to be worried about" Aru said with a calm and confident demeanour.

Like she had said, all they needed to do was to get their target back to land and to the client unscathed, and they would be in for a massive payday.

The driver of the boat now identified as Mutsuki, mischievously chuckled to herself, finding it extremely amusing that Aru was acting like some kind of gangster again.

However, before she could open her mouth to tease Aru some more, somebody else suddenly interjected, that being the white and black haired girl in the hoodie who turned to Aru with a slightly perturbed gaze.

"President" The white and black haired girl said with a low and quiet voice.

"W-what's the matter, Chief Kayoko? Aru asked, managing to keep up her calm and suave demeanour, yet something about the way that Kayoko looked at her set her on edge.

"Making sure the target was unharmed and in one piece was the least that the client asked for, right?" Kayoko replied with a slightly concerned tone, as she directed her eyes momentarily back to the blue and white animal carrier, that was resting in the middle of the motorboat.

Aru managing to maintain her calm demeanour, simply smiled as she answered Kayoko. "Of course. It's the least that the client asked for" She said with a chuckle.

Kayoko didn't say anything, simply continuing to look at the animal carrier before abruptly picking it up and turning it so that Aru could see inside.

However, as Aru did exactly that, looking into the animal carrier with curiosity, she suddenly found her calm and composed demeanour completely evaporate when she saw what awaited her inside.

"W-what!" Aru quickly jumped back from the animal carrier. Instead of a perfectly healthy and happy cat like she was expecting, inside was in fact a rather scorched but still alive cat that look like it had seen much.

The girl sitting across from Kayoko, who was none other than Haruka, quickly jumped up as well in surprise and fear, ready and waiting to come to the aid of Aru if she wanted it.

"Heehee! Looks like we did this job for nothing then" Mutsuki said from the driver's seat of the speedboat, letting out her signature chuckle as she found the entire situation completely hilarious.

Aru however didn't find the situation funnier at all, the fact that they had completely botched this job, just like the last one, crashing down onto her like a loaded container ship.

"W-W-what? What did you say!?" Aru shouted into the sky, her voice carrying far and wide, as the entirety of the ocean now knew just how much of a colossal failure this mission was.

…...

"Everything's going to be alright, Ayane. We're sorry okay. I'll treat you to some ramen to make it up to you"

"I'm... not angry..." Ayane said in response to Hoshino as she continued to sit quietly at the table and eat her noodles. A look of slight frustration on her face, which was enough to tell everyone that she was indeed still angry.

Yet, as she gulped up a particularly large amount of noodles, some of the juices spilled from between her lips and ran down her chin. And before she could reach for a napkin to clean it off, somebody did it for her, gently patting away the stray noodle juices.

"Hush Now, that's a good girl" Nonomi said in an almost motherly tone as she finished wiping away the Noodle juices from around Ayane lips and chin.

However, this only made Ayane, feel even more frustrated as she quickly but respectfully pushed the napkin and Nonomi's hand away from her face. Not appreciating the fact that she was being belittled.

"Will you stop patronising me like I'm a child?!" Ayane said somewhat aggressively, not appreciating the fact that Nonomi was treating her like a literal baby who couldn't eat for herself.

Nonomi looked momentarily saddened by this reaction, she only wanted to help and hopefully get back into Ayane's good graces. However, before she could open her mouth to say anything, somebody quickly interjected with a stern but gentle voice.

"Nonomi, I think you should refrain from antagonising Ayane any further. Especially after your behaviour this morning" the hunter commented in a matter-of-factly as he quickly and somewhat elegantly scooped up some of his own noodles and devoured them.

While he understood that Nonomi was simply trying to be helpful in her own way, he also understood that it would only serve to make Ayane even more frustrated.

Nonomi was taken aback by what sensei had just said, in fact she wanted to argue against his point considering that she was just trying to help. But she quickly thought against it, when she saw the stern look in his eyes, that told her there would be no room for arguing with him.

"Ok sensei~" Nonomi pouted as she said her words, returning to her own bowl of noodles and beginning to eat them in silence, much to the amusement of those gathered around the table.

"Seriously, why did you guys have to come back here again?" Serika said with a displeased voice, as she used the momentary lapse between customers and orders to come and check up on her friends. Mostly to make sure that they were not getting up to any trouble like they did last time.

The hunter quickly paused eating his noodles, looking up at Serika as he gave a reassuring look before quickly saying "There is no need to worry Serika, I will be sure to keep them all in line as to not cause any disturbances... like last time"

Serika didn't look entirely convinced by sensei's words, because even though she no longer hated him and was beginning to trust him.

That didn't change the fact that her friends were experts of getting themselves into mischief, especially at her expense, so she wasn't entirely sure if even the hunter could control them.

"Ayane, want some more chashu?" Shiroko said in her usual monotone voice, offering some of the sliced pork from her own bowl as a peace offering to Ayane, who after chewing on her noodles for a moment quickly accepted. Even despite how angry she was with her grey-haired friend, she would never pass down some free chashu pork.

*nom* "Yesh" *nom* Ayane said between mouthfuls of noodles, she normally wouldn't have done considering how rude it was, but currently she didn't care as she took the delectable pork slices from Shiroko's chopsticks and quickly deposited them into her own bowl.

"Shiroko... You are forgiven" Ayane said after several moments of Silence, quickly digging into her extra helping of pork slices as Shiroko's usually blank and emotionless face took on a relieved expression.

Hoshino merely looked at the entire exchange with an almost offended expression as she quickly opened her mouth to protest. "Hey, what about me! Aren't I forgiven for buying you ramen?" The pink haired girl said with a baffled expression on her face.

Ayane stopped eating for a moment as she turned to look at Hoshino, an unimpressed look on her face as she quickly swallowed her mouth full of food before speaking.

"It's a start, but you still haven't made it up to me yet Hoshino" Ayane said with a slightly mischievous tone as a smile made its way onto her lips. Which made Hoshino feel uncomfortable, considering that Ayane looked at someone like that, when she was going to metaphorically milk them for all they were worth.

Hoshino quickly turned away from Ayane, tears beginning to well in her eyes because her wallet was going to suffer this night.

Serika watch the scene with a displeased look in her eye, yet it quickly vanished as a small smile made its way across her face after she let out a sigh. Despite how much they annoyed her sometimes, her friends were something that she cherished.

Ring. Ring

Quickly turning to the source of the sudden noise, Serika immediately put on her best customer service voice and facial expression, as she addressed the prospective customer that had just entered.

"Welcome! How many in your party?" Serika wasn't expecting to see a rather nervous looking girl with purple hair poking their head around from the half-open door, looking around somewhat sacredly as if she was afraid to enter.

However, when the purple haired girl noticed that Serika was staring at her, she opened the door fully allowing herself to step into the restaurant, and she shyly clasped her hands in front of her.

"Oh... U-Um... Um... E-excuse me. How much is the cheapest thing on your menu" The clearly shy and awkward girl said, stuttering with her words to the point where Serika almost barely understand her.

"Our lowest priced dish?" Serika said somewhat confused, the girl stuttered so much and spoke so quietly that she wasn't entirely sure she heard her words right, which is why she wanted clarification just in case.

The mysterious purple hat girl quickly nodded, a slightly paranoid look making its way onto her face, as if what Serika had just said was some kind of threat against her life.

"Oh, in that case, that would be the regular Shiba Seki ramen bowl for 580 yen! It's our signature dish and super tasty too" Serika tried to make herself sound as friendly as possible, only just now realising that the girl in front of her was incredibly shy and socially awkward.

However, it seemed to not work as the purple haired girl quickly nodded her head, fear flashing across her face as she stuttered out some words in return.

"Oh, uh, T-thank you!" The purple haired girl managed to stutter, as she quickly shut the door, Serika utterly confused at what had just happened as she heard voices coming from the other side of the door.

"Aru. The signature ramen only costs 580 yen"

"Wow! We've finally found food for under 600 yen!"

"A yen saved is a yen earned, I knew we'd find something eventually"

"You were right... I guess you really do know everything, Boss...

*Sigh,* "Let's just get inside and eat, I'm starving"

Serika continue to listen, a slightly confused to look on her face as the voices suddenly stopped talking. However, she wasn't the only one as Hoshino, Ayane, Shiroko and Nonomi were also now paying attention, as the restaurant door suddenly opened.

"Ah! Four in your party? Please allow me to show you to your tables" Serika said in her friendliest voice, as the four girls walked in. She could tell from how they looked that they clearly weren't from around here.

Which was a bit unusual considering that the district didn't get many visitors, but she's supposed they were simply just passing through.

A short girl with off-white coloured hair and a red and black dress quickly stepped forward, she had a mischievous and sly look on her face as she snickered to herself about something that was unknown to anyone but her.

"No, no, You don't need to do that, we're only planning on ordering one bowl, and we're not staying, so there's no need for that" Mutsuki snickered some more as she politely turned down the cat girl waiter in front of her.

She already knew exactly who the black headed cat girl was, but she decided that she would play dumb for the moment, considering that her and her friends we're only here for some food.

Serika was somewhat taken aback by this, not understanding in the slightest why they as a group would only order one measly bowl of noodles and not even sit down to eat it.

"Just one bowl...? Even if you're just ordering one, please the least make yourself comfortable, we're really not busy at the moment" Serika gestured around with her free hand, showing that the restaurant was indeed practically empty with only a few regular customers as well as her friends and sensei being the restaurant occupants.

Mutsuki didn't immediately respond, yet the sly and almost mischievous smile on her face grew even wider as after a moment she quickly spoke.

"Well, isn't that nice of you? Don't mind if we do then?" Mutsuki quickly motion for the rest of her friends to follow her as she already had chosen out a table, however just before she wandered off, she quickly turned back to Serika.

"Oh, and can you get us four pairs of chopsticks while you're at it? Thanks in advance little missy" Mutsuki finished her words by letting out another mischievous sounding giggle as her and friends quickly began to make the way towards their seats.

Serika was momentarily dumbfounded by this, looking completely and utterly confused why they would need four pairs of Chopsticks if they were only ordering one bowl of noodles. However, that's when it finally clicked for her as a shocked look appeared on her face.

"F-four pairs!? Y-you're not thinking of splitting a small bowl of noodles between four of you, are you?" Serika words made the group stop in their tracks.

All four girls turned to look at her with confusion on their faces, as if what she had just said was completely in utterly bizarre.

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that we're broke and completely poor!" The purple haired girl suddenly blurted out, a look of pure and her face as she began to repeatedly bow in front of Serika who looked absolutely and utterly confused by the action, not understanding why the purple head girl was apologising.

Shiroko, Ayane, Hoshino, Nonomi had all momentarily paused eating their noodles, all of them watching the scene unfold with reactions that range from amusement to slight confusion.

"Sensei~"

The hunter didn't react physically to the sound of his name being whispered, but his eyes widened ever so slightly as he continued to look at the form of mysterious students, and after a moment responded.

"What is it, Arona?" the hunter whispered, being thankful that nobody around him heard his whispering as they all continue to watch the interaction between Serika and the mysterious students.

"Keep an eye on those four students sensei... something about them looks... shifty"

The hunter heard Arona whisper to him, her words making his eyes narrow considerably as he focused his entire attention on the mysterious students. He wasn't exactly sure how Arona was able to tell that the students looked somewhat duplicitous.

But the exact how and why didn't matter because he agreed wholeheartedly with her assertion, considering that the longer he looked at them the more he felt an uneasy forming in the pit of his stomach.

Whoever these four students were, they were clearly up to something nefarious, as such, the hunter kept his attention squarely trained on them as he went back to eating his noodles.

After being in a prolonged silence for several moments from the purple headed girl's frantic apologies, Serika finally recovered enough to speak as the confused expression on her face remained.

"What the...?! You don't need to apologise to ME over something like that..." Despite her confusion, Serika tried to sound someone friendly. After all, it was now blindingly obvious that the purple haired girl was extremely socially awkward.

Yet Serika was not prepared for what happened next as the purple haired girl's face took on an almost manic expression as she began to speak so fast that Serika barely managed to catch most of it.

"N-no, really! What's the point of living like this? We're just waste of air! Lower than dirt! We should have never come here. Sorry, sorry, sorry..." The purple haired girl eventually devolved into mumbling incoherently to herself, her face now taking on a look of absolute fear and terror.

However, before Serika could do anything in response to whatever the hell that was. One of the other girls from the group quickly stepped forward, this being a girl with black and white hair and wearing a large hoodie.

*sigh* For crying out loud... knock it off, Haruka, you're making a scene" Kayoko said with an absolutely exhausted expression on her face. While she loved her friends deeply, that didn't change the fact that dealing with their... eccentricities. Wasn't something she would have wished on anyone, even her worst enemy.

Serika after recovering from the shock of what it just happened, quickly step forward, angry expression on her face because she believed that the reason that the purple head girl had had a near panic attack.

It was because she was afraid that she would be judged for being poor, which was something that Serika could certainly empathise with, considering her and her friends as well as the school's financial situation.

"Being poor isn't a crime or anything you should be ashamed of! You shouldn't be so hard on yourself" Serika pause for a moment, mostly to collect her thoughts and catch her breath, before continuing much to the confusion of Haruka and Kayoko.

"Your students nobody expects you to be loaded with cash... still, you and your friends scrape enough to share a bowl of ramen together. That's saying something, isn't it?" Serika finished her impromptu pep talk by quickly turning on the spot and making her way towards the central food bar.

Yet, before she disappeared out of a site, she did turn her head to say one more thing.

"Hang tight. I'll be glad to bring it out to you" Serika quickly disappeared, leaving all four mysterious students completely dumbfounded at what had just happened.

However, eventually Kayoko was the one to break The silence. "I think she got the wrong idea" the girl said with a tired sounding sigh. At this point, she would have rather been anywhere else but here.

"Yeah! It's not like we're beggars. It's just because Aru blew throughout our cash~" Mutsuki said with a mischievous chuckle. She didn't feel embarrassed by the situation in the slightest, in fact, she found the entire thing just completely comical.

"That's "Boss" to you. You should know better than to not refer to me by my title, Staff Chief Mutsuki" Aru said with a displeased tone, not appreciating the fact that Mutsuki was deliberately calling her by her actual name instead of her title.

"Kufufu~ Really? You still want us to call you Boss when we're off the clock? And what kind of boss can't afford to treat her employees to more than one measly bowl of ramen" Mutsuki said with her trademark giggle, taking immense pleasure in the slightly frustrated and embarrassed look that appeared on Aru's face as her words washed over her.

Aru didn't say anything in response, a slightly perturbed and frustrated look on her face because despite the fact that Mutsuki was teasing her. The white haired girl was ultimately right, she could admit that she could have been a bit more responsible, when it came to their finances.

"Maybe you should have thought about that, before blowing all of our money on hired goons" Kayoko suddenly interjected, a completely bummed and annoyed expression on her face.

Managing to recover some of her now crumbling mature girl facade, Aru quickly put on a smile and flicked her hair to one side in a manner that she thought was stylish. "Heh. Would you have expected me to do anything else? Be grateful that there's enough left over for a bowl of ramen" She said, trying to make it sound as if she had everything under control.

Kayoko however, simply sighed as she responded, a completely over it expression on her face. "You could have negotiated to make sure there was enough left over for four bowls, you know..."

Aru's cool girl facade momentarily crumbled when she heard those words. And yet, before she could get a chance to defend herself and her actions, Mutsuki suddenly butted in.

"Just admit that you forgot to account for dinner in today's expenses, Aru" Mutsuki said with her trademark mischievous smile.

However, Aru instead of replying, chose to say nothing, managing to reinforce her graceful girl persona by putting on a confident smile.

"I get why you want to reduce the risk factor of this operation. You're right, not underestimating the target. They aren't jobbers like the helmet gang..." Kayoko spoke somewhat quietly, not wanting to draw any attention from the few customers within the restaurant. Yet she paused for a moment, lowering her voice even more before speaking.

"But really, Boss? Are these Abydos students really worth blowing our entire budget on extra muscle?" Kayoko said all of this in a near whisper, her eyes scanning around at the few people in the restaurant, specifically, a group of four students sitting on a table enjoying their food with a mysterious adult present amongst them.

However, as her eyes fell onto sensei, she momentarily felt a chill run down her spine, the likes of which she had never felt before in her life. For just a solitary instant, she could have sworn that he looked right at her, his gaze holding nothing but cold malevolence.

Nonetheless, as quickly as it came, it disappeared as the mysterious adult quickly continued to eat his noodles, making Kayoko think that it was just her imagination.

Yet as she turned her attention back to her friends, that couldn't have been further from the truth, as the Hunter cautiously stole another glance at the girl and her friends. His eyes narrowed considerably, because while no one had heard what Kayoko said...

He certainly did.

"Aru probably doesn't even know. That's why she hired those goons-because she's chicken" Mutsuki said with a giggle and a laugh.

Aru didn't appreciate the comment and the slightest, a slightly offended look making its way onto her features as she quickly responded. "W-who are you calling a chicken!? I'm just being careful and covering our bases" The leader of the ragtag group of girls said.

"Failure is not an option. You all know Problem Solver 68's motto: Expect the unexpected" Aru said with a confident sounding laugh, to her, she sounded like a true leader inspiring her followers.

"This is the first time hearing about a motto, Aru" Kayoko said with a very tired-sounding sigh, quickly motioning for all of her friends to finally come and sit at the table which they did as they continued their conversation.

"Pretty sure she just made it up on the spot. Kufufu~ " Mutsuki sang as she energetically swung her feet beneath the table, taking immense delight in how flustered Aru was getting.

"S-shut up! I'll take you all out for sukiyaki once we finish this job and get paid. So you better go all out!" Aru managed to splatter out, any remnants of her cool and suave demeanour completely crumbling away. At the hands of Mutsuki's relentless teasing.

However, before Mutsuki or Kayoko say anything in response. Haruka butted in, a reserved and shy smile on her face as she spoke to Aru.

"S-Sukiyaki...? W-what's that Aru?" Haruka said somewhat with a somewhat shy tone. She had heard of sukiyaki, but she wasn't familiar with exactly what kind of dish it actually was.

Aru quickly seeing the chance to reclaim her calm face, quickly coughed, managing to put back on a calm and refined expression. Yet before she could respond, Kayoko quickly beat her to it.

"It's a dish that adults like... And is really expensive" Kayoko said frankly, Aru had a bit of a habit of trying to go after the most expensive things, no matter what they were. Which was one of the reasons why they were currently in the situation they were.

Although... Kayoko would be lying to herself if she said, that she didn't at least want to try sukiyaki, considering that it was a dish that was completely out of reach of her and most other students due to its absorption price.

"W-Wow. I don't know if dirt like me could appreciate something like that. Would I have to sacrifice my life afterwards for over indulging?" Haruka smiled warmly, even though have words were completely deranged sounding.

Her friends had long become used to her harsh words of self-deprecation, so to them, it was pretty normal.

Aru quickly chuckled, using the opportunity to reassert her calm and suave persona completely.

"Heh, heh. Problem Solver 68 as an industrial titan at this point. We only deserve the best, wouldn't you agree?" She gestured to her companions, all of them looking at home with varying reactions from indifference to mischief and absolute awe.

"Kufufu~ You're so ambitious, Aru" Mutsuki said in her usual mischievous tone. Her words making Aru's newly constructed facade crack some more as she responded.

"I told you to call me Boss!" Aru said with a frustrated tone, which simply made Mutsuki giggle some more.

However, before anyone else at the table could say any more, Serika suddenly reappeared, carrying a large bowl that was filled to the absolute brim with noodles as well as all the accessories.

"Order up! The bowl's very hot, so please be careful!" Serika quickly deposited the ball down on the table with a resounding thump.

Mutsuki, Kayoko, Aru and Haruka all looked at the bowl in absolute shock, not quite believing their eyes because of the sheer amount of food that was practically overflowing from the bowl.

It was completely an utterly ridiculous to the point where all four of them momentarily thought that somebody was playing a practical joke on them.

Yet eventually Mutsuki was the one to break the silence. "What the...? This bowl is huge" She said, her voice lacking any of her usual mischievousness, because for the first time in a while she was genuinely shocked by something.

"It looks like it could feed ten people..." Kayoko spoke to no one in particular, quickly managing to catch herself because her hands were unconsciously moving towards the bowl.

Which did somewhat embarrass her, because it was only now she realised how hungry she actually was.

"Uh, are you sure this is the right order? We don't have the money to pay for something like this..." Haruka said nervously, she was beginning to fidget in her seat. Her worst tendencies beginning to flare up as she momentarily considered blowing up the entire restaurant to get out of this situation.

Serika didn't immediately respond, a somewhat proud smile appearing on her lips as she quickly pulled out the order slip and read it back to them. "Yep, this is exactly what you ordered. A plain old 580 yen Shiba Seki ramen bowl... isn't that right, boss?" Serika quickly turned her head, seeing Boss quickly waddling up behind her, a proud smile adorning his muzzle as he took his smoking pipe out from between his lips.

"Well, I may have overfilled it a smidgen, but don't worry about that, considerate it, first time customer extras" The diminutive Sheba said with a proud smile on his muzzle.

If there was one thing he always took joy in, it was being able to help and feed those in need.

"Master says it's all good, so don't worry! Enjoy your meal!" Serika said proudly as she and Boss quickly moved away from the table, although staying nearby so they could watch.

The clearly excited girls look between themselves for a moment before turning their attention back to the colossal noodle bowl in front of them.

"W-Wow..." Haruka quickly reached for a pair of chopsticks, the prospect of being able to eat something, so delicious looking, completely overpowering any nervousness she felt about the situation.

"I say we eat first and ask questions later. Chopsticks ready!" Mutsuki said excitedly, as she grabbed her chopsticks ready to dig in.

Aru and Kayoko quickly joined her, grabbing the remaining chopsticks as they both smiled. Aru was a giant dopey expression the likes of which warmed Boss's heart as he watched from nearby, while Kayoko's was a more reserved yet still happy smile.

"I didn't see this coming, but it would be rude of us to send it back, so..." Aru looked at the bowl excitedly, nearly jumping over herself to dig into the mountains of noodles in front of her.

"Let's dig in!" Mutsuki shouted excitedly as all four girls descended on the helpless bowl of noodles like vultures descending on a fresh corpse.

Yet despite how ravenous their hunger was, they still ate with manners as well as being sure to share between them.

However, as they eat the noodles, each one of them had a similar reaction. Their Eyes opening wide in shock as each one of the nearly dropped their chopsticks.

"I-It's so yummy!" Haruka was the first to say anything, her words almost intelligible due to the fact that her mouth was currently full of noodles, which she immediately proceeded to swallow and go back for more.

"Not bad at all! Who knew that such a good noodle joint was out here in the boonies?" Mutsuki said with a smile on her face as she quickly went in for more noodles. Yet, unlike most of her smiles, which were often mischievous. This smile on her face was a genuine, happy and content one, that was quite rare to see on the usually mischievous girl.

"I know right! isn't it the best?"

All four members of problem solver 68, were pulled from their content feast by the sound of an unfamiliar voice. All Turning, their eyes to see a girl with an ample bosom and sandy-coloured hair, gazing happily at them from the next table over.

"The Ramen here is the best around! People come from all over to get a taste of it" Nonomi giggled excitedly as she continued to praise the ramen, much to the agreement of her friends and the pleasure of boss and Serika who were watching on.

Aru quickly turned in her seat so she could look at the Mysterious Girl, a big happy smile on her face as she quickly responded.

"I can see why. "I've been to my fair share of ramen shops, and ramen this good is hard to find" Aru said happily, not having realized who she was talking to.

"We're regulars here. Sorry to interrupt your meal, but we just wanted to say that it's good to see students from other schools come here and see the light" Ayane quickly chimed in, Hoshino and Shiroko both nodding and agreement with her words.

"I must agree with Ayane, the dishes at the shop are truly remarkable, especially to someone like me who is not familiar with the cuisine of these lands" The hunter quickly interjected, his face holding a content and approachable expression.

However, his eyes, unbeknownst to the members of problem solver 68, were critically scrutinising them trying to figure out what exactly their objectives were, considering that from their words they were clearly here for some nefarious purpose involving his cherished students.

"That uniform you're wearing is Gehenna's, right? That's a long trip" Shiroko idly noted, easily noticing that the girls uniforms were of Gehenna origin judging from the overall colour scheme and designs.

"Girls sharing a bowl of ramen like this. it's a little bit nostalgic, isn't it? Nonomi turn to her friends as she spoke, making them all look between each other for a moment, before eventually Hoshino responded.

"Wasn't that a bowl of udon?" Hoshino said somewhat jokingly as the rest of her friends quickly joined in with her laughter.

All of them remembering the good times when they had to share a single bowl between them. Because they often had very little money to spare.

Yet as the Abydos girls continue to laugh together, Kayoko suddenly noticed something. A detail that made her do a double take as she quickly stopped eating, her red eyes narrowing noticeably.

"That uniform they're wearing..." She whispered quietly, gently poking her elbow into Mutsuki's pension and make a look over at the students, which she quickly did. Her lavender coloured eyes become wider in surprise.

"Hey, you're right" Mutsuki whispered quietly between mouthfuls of noodles continuing to eat as she and Kayoko looked at the Abydos students.

"Haha! I never expected to run into fellow connoisseurs here, of all places! isn't life wonderfully unpredictable sometimes?" Aru said excitedly, as she and the Abydos students continued to peacefully converse amongst each other.

"Something tells me that Aru hasn't put two and two together yet" Mutsuki said quietly with a slightly embarrassed expression on her face.

While she knew that Aru wasn't the sharpest tool in the box, she didn't think that her friend and boss could be so blindingly oblivious.

"Should I tell her?" Kayoko made a move to pat Aru on the shoulder to get her attention and tell her, the people she was talking to were the students they were supposed to target.

Yet before she could do so, Mutsuki quickly stopped her, a sly and smug look appearing on her face as she rapidly devoured some more noodles before speaking.

"Nah, this is more interesting. Let's see what happens next!" Mutsuki said, the mischievous look on her face growing even larger by the second as Kayoko turn to look at Aru and by extension the Abydos students.

'Great, this is going to complicate things'

Kayoko let out an audible sigh as she quickly went back to eating the noodles. Whatever would happen next, she had a feeling that it wasn't going to be pretty regardless.

…...

The sun had finally dipped below the horizon, signalling the oncoming embrace of night, as the hunter looked out of the large double-glazed windows of the Schale office. His attention wasn't focused on anything in particular, simply staring off into the expansive, of the almost endless cityscape that was laid out before him.

He had to admit that even though he was more used to and preferred the architectural style of yharnam. Kivotos was truly a sight to behold, especially at night, when the buildings began to light up like twinkling lighthouses in the darkness.

However admiring the cityscape was quickly forgotten as he felt a presence come up beside him, however he did not turn his gaze to look, knowing who it already was as he spoke.

"Arona... I promised I would tell you more once we were alone... and I think now it is the time" The hunter said in a quiet tone as he narrowed his eyes.

Arona looked up at The Hunter, not responding with words, but simply just nodding her head in agreement.

"Arona... do you remember when I said that I have an ability that no one else does?" The hunter turned his gaze to look at his companion, he didn't know if he was entirely ready to reveal his true nature to her. But he ultimately decided that whether he was ready or not, now was the right time to do so.

"Yes sensei I do, you said it was like a superpower... but why do you ask?" Arona tilted her holographic head to the side slightly, not quite understanding what the hunter is getting at.

However, her eyes suddenly widened when it finally clicked in her mind.

"S-sensei! Do you have more than one superpower!?" Arona asked with confusion but also excitement in her voice.

Just when she thought that sensei couldn't get any cool in her mind, the prospect of him having multiple superpowers was almost too good to be a reality.

The hunter didn't say anything, choosing to look out to the Horizon once more as a sigh escaped his lips. His breath somehow, despite all logic, could be seen in the air as if it was incredibly cold, yet that simply wasn't possible considering that the building was kept at an even temperature by the central heating.

"Arona... I possess more than one ability... in fact I possess multiple that some would consider to be... unnatural" The hunter said in a stern but gentle voice.

He didn't want to scare Arona, but he also wanted to make it clear that he was not joking around in any way with his words.

The little AI looked at the hunter confused for a moment, the excitement in her eyes dissipating when she noticed the way the hunter was speaking.

"What kind of abilities, sensei?" Arona asked with curiosity but also a small amount of apprehension and her voice.

She would be lying if she said, that she wasn't feeling a little bit off by the entire situation, but she tried to suppress it, considering that she trusted sensei.

The hunter reflected for a moment, he wasn't exactly sure how to tackle the subject of his true nature. Considering that it was so incomprehensible, that most would not be able to handle him telling them about it, without them being driven mad by the information.

'Such as the nature of the arcane, I suppose'

The hunter thought to himself as a sigh escaped his lips. However, that's when an idea suddenly occurred to him, one that would give him the ability to show Arona his true nature, while also giving him a definitive reason to return to somewhere he had not been to for quite a while.

However...

As the Hunter considered that possibility, he quickly noted that he had no way of accessing the place he needed to go, considering that he did not have a lamp currently on hand, and using his powers to fashion one from scratch would be counterproductive.

"Oh, wait!" The hunter suddenly said to himself out loud as he remembered something.

"Sensei, what's the matter?" Arona asked with confusion, the hunter had been silent for several minutes now, a look of deep thought on his face, that she had not wanted to disturb.

However, his sudden words caught her off guard as she noticed a look of realisation appear on his face. But instead of answering her words directly, the hunter quickly turned on the spot and began to make his way towards the exit of The Office.

Yet, before Arona could make a move to walk after him, the hunter suddenly held up a hand as he opened the office door, beckoning her to stop.

"Wait here, Arona, I will be back momentarily. There is something I need to... retrieve from the basement" The hunter said abruptly as he didn't give Arona a chance to respond, before he quickly disappeared through the open doorway.

Leaving the little AI completely alone in the dimly lit office, somewhat confused about what had just happened.

However, she wasn't left alone to her devices for very long, as after a minute the hunter quickly re-emerged. This surprises her considering that he had to go down several flights of stairs to get to the basement, yet he managed to do so in just over a minute.

But Arona quickly realised that considering how fast sensei could move in combat, she figured that wasn't that surprising for him to be able to move that fast all the time.

Yet, her attention was quickly taken up by something that was being held in sensei's arms. Something that made her extremely curious as the hunter came over to her and quickly knelt down in front of her.

The object was extremely strange, looking like some kind of antique ornamental light fixture. It consisted of a simple stem that looked to be repurposed from an old leaf spring. Attached to the top of it was an old cast iron looking lamp, with a set of small rusted bells hanging from around the collar of the lamp.

The hunter looked at the lamp somewhat affectionately, being next to it, let alone holding it in his hands, brought him a sense of nostalgia that was almost overpowering. It reminded him of his early time as a hunter, back when everything was far simpler.

"Sensei, what is this?" Arona asked curiously as she began to inspect the lamp all over, despite how old and decrepit it looked, she couldn't help but find it oddly captivating in a way as if it was some kind of strange work of art.

"This Arona... is a Hunter's lamp" the hunter said matter-of-factly, his works making Arona look up at him in confusion in her eyes as he continued speaking.

"Hunters lamps were tools used by me and fellow Hunters long ago. they acted much like lighthouses in a dark endless ocean, telling us where safety was and where are prey could be found" The hunter accompanied his words by quickly and abruptly jamming the lamp into the ground.

The rusty stem effortlessly breaking through the tiled floor and embedding itself into the concrete below.

Arona was completely caught off guard by this action, watching as sensei took his hands off the lamp once he was sure it would not tumble to the ground.

"They helped the hunter find... Beasts, sensei?" Arona asked curiously, her eyes continuing to go back and forth between sensei and the mysterious Hunter lamp.

The hunter simply nodded his head, getting back to his feet and taking several steps back from the lamp has he responded.

"Indeed Arona, you are correct and your assertion... However," the hunter accompanied his sudden pause, buy quickly assuming a familiar pose the likes of which was unknown to Arona yet deeply familiar to him.

His fingers were classed tight ready to click, he knew that such an action was not necessary to light the hunter's lamp. Especially considering his now ascended status, but it simply wouldn't have felt right to not do it this way after so long of not having lit a lamp.

"These lamps were guiding lights for all hunters... But to certain hunters, these lamps fulfilled in entirely different purpose" The hunter quickly clicked his fingers.

Arona was confused by the sudden action, not understanding why he had clicked his fingers, however after several moments she noticed something. The lamp which had been dead and silent all this time suddenly and slowly began to come to life.

The hunters smiled as the familiar sound of the lamp being lit reached his ears, he could tell by the brightness of the light emanating from within the wrought iron cage. That this lamp was in dire need of repair, but it would ultimately serve his purposes for now.

"Sensei... what did the lamps do for those specific Hunters?" Arona asked this as she came to stand next to the hunter, both of them looking at the lamp with different reactions.

The hunter looked down at his AI companion, with her looking up at him. Both of them staring into each other's eyes before eventually the hunter responded.

"For some Hunters, Arona. These lamps served as much more than just waypoints. They could be used to travel vast distances, allowing certain Hunters to be complete the unshackled from time itself" The hunter's words were ended by a familiar groaning sound which brought a smile to his face as he looked at the base of the lamp.

Arona did the same, her eyes nearly falling out of her head when she saw what was making the strange, almost pained noises.

"S-sensei! What is that!?" Arona said impulsively, taking a single step backwards in surprise as she saw the tiny white emerge from the floor at the base of the lamp.

Its face was quite frankly hideous looking, with its body and face looking like a desiccated corpse.

However, the hunter wasn't scared or put off by the creature as he quickly got down on one knee, a friendly smile making its way across his face as he held out a hand to the little creature.

"Arona, this is a Messenger, or the little ones as I call them. They were invaluable aids to me and other hunters in the past" the hunter said with an affectionate voice, as the tiny messenger wrapped it's small bony fingers around one of his much larger gloved fingers.

Despite their unsettling appearance, the hunter knew that messengers were kind and sweet creatures.

Arona looked at what was happening with confusion but also a bit of apprehension, yet the hunter quickly ushered her over.

"Come closer Arona, there is nothing you need to fear from the messenger. They are kind and soulful little things" The hunter said with a warm happy tone in his voice.

Which after a moment of hesitation made Arona approach cautiously, quickly getting onto her knees as she scooted up next to the hunter, but still keeping her distance from the messenger.

"Arona, hold out your hand" The hunter said quietly, his words making Arona look at him strangely because why would she need to hold her hand out.

After all, her body was simply a holographic projection, and even if she was physical. She didn't exactly want to put her hand anywhere near the little creature, just in case it tried to bite at her, with it's disturbingly misshapen teeth.

Nevertheless, looking into the hunter's eyes, eventually made Arona reconsider her hesitancy as she quickly nervously gulped down some air, before tentatively reaching her hand out. She wasn't exactly sure what she was expecting, considering that her body wasn't a physical one that could be interacted with.

However, as the creature turned its attention to her instead of the Hunter, she noticed it tilt its head to the side, clearly confused by her presence, which she had to admit was kind of cute.

But that thought was completely forgotten when the creature reached out, grabbed a hold of her holographic hand, shock racing through her system because she actually felt the creature touch her with its cold but soft feeling skin.

The hunter watched the messenger take a liking to Arona immediately, and couldn't help but chuckle. "See Arona, there is nothing to be afraid of" The hunter said, however his chuckling was quickly ended when he noticed the confused look on Arona's face.

"Sensei... how is this possible?" Arona asked after a moment of silence between the two, not pushing the messenger away as it continued to rub it distorted face into her palm as if it was some kind of small puppy.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, not knowing she was referring to, but then he suddenly realised exactly what it was. The messenger was interacting with her as if she was a physical entity, even though her current form was a completely holographic one with no physical presence.

"The messengers are much like me Arona... they are able to do things that are considered of the supernatural" The hunter accompanied his words by quickly placing a hand onto Arona's holographic shoulder.

Making the little AI girl jump in surprise because she actually felt this, and making she suddenly turned to look at him, confusion and perhaps a small amount of discomfort flashing across her face.

"S-sensei?" Arona managed to stutter out, not understanding how it was possible that the sensei, let alone the messenger, were actually interacting with a holographic body as if it was something completely physical.

"I believe it's now time Arona... now shut your eyes, concentrate with me" The hunter said in a calm and gentle tone which did soothe Arona's worries.

But Nonetheless, she still couldn't understand how this was possible. Yet ultimately she did as the hunter told her, hesitantly closing her eyes, and beginning to concentrate. S

She heard the hunter speak once again, although his voice sounded noticeably unnatural and... wrong.

"Arona, where I'm taking you is a special place for me... it is my domain, my own personal Kingdom. My... dream if you will" Arona did as instructed, continuing to concentrate on the hunter's voice as he spoke. However, she felt her body beginning to feel strange, as if it was being pulled along by something with great power.

Yet despite the momentary fear that welled up within her, she did not stop doing as the hunter told her, continuing to concentrate as the feeling of her body being pulled along continue to intensify. To the point where she felt like her concentration would break.

But just when she feared she would break concentration, it all abruptly stopped, the strange feeling of having her body tugged along quickly fading. As she heard the hunter speak once again, his voice sounding more normal yet still having a strange otherworldly quality to it.

"You have done well Arona, I am very proud of you. Now... open your eyes" The hunter said in a happy tone as Arona did exactly that.

Tentatively opening her eyes only to have them assaulted by a blinding white light, which thankfully quickly dissipated as she closed her eyes for a second before opening them again.

Arona wasn't sure exactly where she was, but as soon as her eyes adjusted, they widened to the point where they were almost as big as dinner plates. The surrounding environment was completely... alien to her.

It was a large field completely filled with beautiful white flowers, with strange Cross like structures somewhat reminder of a scarecrow without any of the coverings. There were also strange grave looking stones scattered amongst the white flowers, giving the entire seem an eerie yet still elegant feel.

Not too far away and on top of a small hill, stood a massive and mighty tree, it's branches reaching out into the heavens above her as if they were trying to touch the very stars themselves.

There was also a building of some kind, partially obscured behind the tree and a large unkempt hedge, meaning that she couldn't make much of it out due to how much of the building was obscured from view.

The entire scene was incredibly bizarre yet somehow tranquil and beautiful at the same time

However, she suddenly heard the hunter utter words, making her turn her attention to him, he looked the same as he did before. Yet something about him seemed... different.

"̶W̷e̶l̸c̵o̸m̵e̸ ̴A̵r̸o̸n̷a̸.̶ ̷W̶e̸l̵c̴o̶m̶e̸ ̶t̸o̷ ̷m̸y̴ ̶H̸u̸n̶t̷e̵r̷'̴s̵ ̶d̶r̴e̵a̴m̵"̶ ̴ ̷

---

Well that was an interesting chapter I suppose, not any action like the previous chapter, but the plot is certainly beginning to move along considering that problem solver 68 has decided to show up.

I will say that in terms of all characters so far, I think that writing the girls from problem solver 68 is probably my favourite, considering that the banter between them is just so good.

Also, I suppose that ending needs a bit of explanation.

I will be the first to admit that in terms of the quality of writing of the ending sequence it's not my greatest work, and that's mostly because I wasn't originally planning on including it in this chapter, making it a last minute edition.

However, despite not being overly happy with the quality of the writing I do feel that moving up the introduction of the hunter's dream, as well as Arona finally learning about the hunter's true Great one nature, was the right decision. Considering that, I was originally planning for it to be at the very end of the abydos story arc.

Anyway that's all I have to say on the matter, if you liked the chapter be sure to give it a like, and if you feel like you want to maybe even tell me what you thought about it below. and until next time have a good day / night and Christmas season wherever you are in the world everyone.