Scrambling behind cover, hearing a hail of fire hit the car I'm hiding behind. I hear shouts and barks from the people ahead of me. Peaking around the car, I see Haruka first; that weird corruption is still on her halo and spreading on it. I feel the Shittim chest vibrate in my coat and take it out.
"Um, S. Sensei, there might be a problem." I see Arona trying to contain a lot of the weird data corruption. She keeps whacking it with a hammer which seems to keep it at bay.
"Oh, you too, Little Star?" I hear something land to my left and quickly move while shielding the chest as I sprint out of cover. As I run, I hear an explosion and feel shrapnel lodge into my back. Sprinting to a brick wall, I feel two impacts on my right side. Once bullet fire stops impacting the wall I'm hiding behind, I peak out. The Abydos girls were outnumbered by Haruka's group by twenty-five bodies. I watch one of the construction worker girls get hit by rockets from a drone in the air.
Twenty-four.
"Yeah, the weird glitch in the chest was completely under control earlier, but now it's gone berserk for some reason." I break my gaze from the battle in front of me. I see that corruption has taken over most of the selectable icons. One icon was worse than the others, being formation. Against my better judgment, I click on it. First, it showed the Abydos girls. Each one at level eleven, and then the chest spasmed in my hand, showing Haruka alone. First, her level was five, then suddenly changed to the level I raised her to, thirty-five. The special slots were suddenly filled with Saya and Hanae.
I quickly peek back out from behind the cover and see that familiar pink aura quickly encircling Haruka as she takes point of all the construction workers who were being torn apart. The motley group she was with seemed all surprised by her sudden advance forward. I can't say I blame them.
Sadly, I don't think the Abydos girls will last against her; Haruka has a decent-level advantage. Add her damage reduction skill and Hanae's, and she'll be unstoppable. I don't want to imagine Kitty Cat or her friends getting nicked by Saya's poisons or gases. After all, Hanae could buff Haruka; who's to say Saya can't attack targets. But first, the rest of the attackers have to be dealt with.
"Arona, keep dealing with the corruption, but start from the formation tab." I watched her appear on the formation screen and give me a salute.
"Ok! I'll fix this with ease!" I pocket the chest after nodding at her. I quickly prepare to use the Gatling gun on my back. Okay, Haruka, get ready because once I deal with your friends I'm coming for you.
(Haruka POV)
Everything feels numb. Where are Suzumi, Hasumi, and Junko? This is a Schale operation, isn't it? Wait, it can't be I was with Aru-sama? Before I think any further, I'm hit with more bullets from the things I have to exterminate, that I know for sure.
"Uhe~ she's a tough youngin." The smallest girl speaks, but I can't make out anything.She covered by a strange smog. I know she's short, wielding a shotgun with a shield. I fire away at her shield, causing her to give ground. Before I can finally blast her shield out of her hand, I'm hit by assault rifle rounds.
"Nn she'll fall too!" I see someone with ears raise her rifle. She's interrupted by Saya throwing a vial at her face. "Ahhhhh!" Just like any other thug, she can't take the pain.
"Shiroko, are you okay!" I hear another voice and turn towards it—another eared girl with a rifle very close to me and the shielded girl. If Junko or Mitsuki was here, she would've been dealt with.
I was eating ramen with Problem Solver sixty-eight, if I remember. No, I was in the Schale Cafe with Team Magpie. I feel my brain melt, I was with both at the same time that's what my memory is saying. I couldn't have been, but I'm certain I was.
Was I?
Minigun fire slams into me as I try to figure out what I was doing last.
"Wowie, she sure is something, huh?" I hear nervous laughter come from the back past the small girl. In the back was a girl using a minigun; she was too far out of my reach. I wish Hasumi or Aru-Sama were here to get her.
"She seems out of it too." The small girl spoke again. Having regained her footing, she aims her shotgun, but I begin to slamfire, stopping whatever advance she would've done. She backs up more as I keep up. I get shot in the face with multiple rounds from one of the rifle girls. I need to aim for them.
"Oh crap, she's coming over here! Shiroko, help me focus fire!" I advance as they fire away. Both the eared girls are good shots, unlike me, who needs a shotgun. Maybe one day I'll be just as good as them. Right as I go to begin returning fire, I'm pelted in the back by a shotgun.
"Uhe~ you didn't forget about this old man, did you?" The short girl kept blasting me in the back. I would've turned if it wasn't for the minigun hitting my temple and side.
"Shiroko Now!" Turning back towards the girls with rifles, I see a drone unleashing a bunch of rockets. Each one hit me. Everything hurts, Hanae; please heal me. Saya, please help me too. "Did we get her? Is she down?" After one of those girls speaks, I feel the warmth Hanae usually gives us when she heals us. My ripped-up clothing mends itself, and my cuts and gnashes heal, too. Such warmth is wasted on me, but Hanae always tells me it's not. When the smoke clears they can see me.
"Holy crap, she's still standing!"
"It doesn't even look like we hurt her."
"She's strong."
"To think I missed someone like this in my patrols."
My body feels so warm and light. I can only look toward the girls wielding rifles. "Saya, please exterminate them." The second those words left my mouth, the small girl seemed on edge.
"Shiroko, Serika move!" Her warning came too late, as a green cloud from a vial engulfed them both. All that could be heard from the cloud was a lot of coughing and gagging. I turned towards the short girl and prepared my shotgun. Her expression, which was lazy before, was much more serious now. She rushed me, using her shield to absorb all my shots.
I block a kick from her and tank a round from her shotgun. Using my shotgun as a bat, I swatted her, sending her skidding away from me. Before I can start pelting her, I'm shot in the back with a barrage of bullets. I ignore it and continue to exterminate the biggest threat. Rushing forward, I slam fire my shotgun and watch the short girl dodge or block some of my pellets.
I continue firing, and once I get close enough to her, I begin to swing my gun at her shield. I watch her knees buckle from my attacks and quickly swap to shooting her shield point blank. I'm sure I'm about to break through it, only to again be interrupted by minigun fire hitting my back. I wish Mutsuki or Junko were here to exterminate that one. I'm bashed in the face with the shield. Saya hit her with a small flask, which caused her to sputter and cough from the fumes. I quickly turn around and rush for the girl with the minigun in the back.
Once she saw me rushing her, she fired her minigun with more accuracy than before at my legs and face. Charging through the pain, I make it to her position, hitting her with the last remaining shells. She staggers some, giving me time to reload and continue my attack. I shoot three more times, hitting her face, chest, and stomach; right as I'm about to finish her off, I'm struck in the side. I'm suddenly tumbling left of the playing field, slamming against the school building's wall. My head hurts pretty bad; the pain goes away fast, thankfully. Getting up, I see what hit me. The short girl had recovered and now stood between me and her ally. I watch a drone appear next to her.
"Ayane, Nonomi, make sure Serika and Shiroko are okay. I'll handle this one." I see the minigunner look hesitant at first before dashing past us. When I tried to intercept, I was stopped by the shotgunner blasting me and kicking me. "Your fight with me isn't done yet." I quickly recovered from being knocked back.
Firing back, she quickly evades and blocks shots while closing distance. Once she was close enough, she started pelting me with shots. Thankfully, Hanae's healing hasn't worn off, letting me take the hits. She quickly bashes me with her shield when she's within melee range, following it up with a blast directly in my face. I swing my shotgun against her shield with all my strength, causing her to slide back away from me. I fire at her only to watch her dodge with ease; right as she's about to return fire, a green vial hits her shield, engulfing her in green smoke. I hear little to no coughing; suddenly, I'm attacked by rapid shots. She burst from the smoke, striking me with another kick. This time, I didn't move when struck, instead shooting her point-blank with my shotgun.
She blocked half of my follow-up shot. I continued my aggression to make sure she couldn't get her bearings. Getting back on top of her, I empty the rest of my shotgun into her, forcing her to block the barrage. Once I finish, I wack her shield to force space between us and reload while sprinting toward her. She was able to recover quicker than I thought. She bashed me with her shield, then jabbed her shotgun's barrel into my stomach, pulling the trigger. I cough up some spit, only to get knocked aside by her shield. Staying on my feet, I meet her shield head-on when she rushes forward.
Using my shotgun to stop her shield bash, we struggled to overpower each other. I began to lower her shield past her head. She let go, causing my shotgun and her shield to hit the ground. I headbutted her right as she raised her own, causing her to stagger. Going to fire at her, she kicks my shotgun into the air, causing me to fire into the sky. She quickly punched me in the gut. Shrugging it off, I immediately brought my shotgun down and bashed her in the face with the butt. She pushed past her pain and punched me in the throat. As I coughed, she blasted me backward with her shotgun.
I could feel my mind fading again, only to feel Hanae's warmth envelop me for a second. I see the short girl grimace while bandaging herself up and quickly reloading her shotgun. Taking this time to think, I wonder where everyone else is. Where's Aru-sama, Mitsuki and Kayoko? Where's Hasumi, Suzumi, and Junko? They wouldn't leave me; they just wouldn't...I'm hit with a shotgun slug.
She quickly closed in faster than before. I fired multiple shells, and she easily dodged them this time. Not even bothering to block them in the slightest. She quickly batted my weapon to the side when she closed the distance. Driving her shotgun in my gut and fired, quickly following up that attack with another shot to the face, finishing it by jabbing me in the throat with her shield and sending me tumbling with a kick to the temple. As I try to get up quickly, I notice her right on top of me and her shotgun's barrel in my face. Before she can pull the trigger, a small vial of yellow liquid interrupts her. She quickly shoots it in the air. I take that moment to tackle her to the ground. She uses the momentum of my tackle when she lands on her back to roll us both, then kicks me off her. I managed to scramble back to my feet.
I picked up a rifle from a downed girl. I've never used one; I hope I can hit her. She stands across from me and bends her legs, ready to launch herself, but right before she does, I watch her dodge something blitzing right for me!
(Vagues POV)
I punch Haruka, sending her into the pool a good bit away. I used a bit too much strength. I intended just to knock her out. 'What were you expecting? You hit her while going at one hundred and forty-seven kilometers per hour.' Please just say kph from now on, okay? 'Noted, you also don't need to worry; the young lady Haruka is still alive.' I let out a sigh of relief.
I look towards Pinky.
"I'm putting a stop to this scuffle. So make sure your underclassmen are okay. At least do that properly." I turn away from her, walking towards the pool. Reaching the pool, I scan around for Haruka. I hear faint movement to my right and dodge. Watching Haruka's bullets zip past my face. I quickly turn, seeing Haruka fiddle with the rifle. I quickly close the gap towards her and deliver a quick jab to her stomach.
[Please, be gentle with her!] I grimace at the box while deftly avoiding Haruka, swinging the assault rifle at me. I punch her side next, watching her wobble after the blow.
"Yeah, I'm trying to be gentle. Get in my way again. I'll just kill her and call it a day." I move forward, jabbing Haruka a couple more times in the chest and stomach. I finish the combination with a right hook to the jaw. I watch her go down but notice Hanea's pink aura surrounding her. As I move toward her, a vial comes flying at me. Striking me, I feel glass scraping my face; the gas from within surrounds me, and while it does nothing, I can't see anything. I hear movement to my left and dodge right, barely avoiding more rifle rounds. I take my phone out of my pocket and chuck it in the direction the rounds came from.
"Uwaaaah!??" After hearing the noise from Haruka, I lunged, grabbing her face. Lifting her, I slam her repeatedly into the ground before letting go and jumping back when she fires her rifle. I'd thought she would've gone limp by now, but that hasn't been the case. I knew she was tanky, but this was ridiculous.
It doesn't help that I'm pulling punches right now.
I avoid more rifle rounds from Haruka. Closing the gap, I quickly disarm her and lay into her with jabs again. Finally, I aim for a throat jab, then a left hook to her temple. I watch her stumble then collapse; she has to be finished now. After all, I'm willing to bet Pinky at least put her through the wringer first before me. I quickly pick my phone up, dusting it off. Looking toward Haruka, I see her halo is off.
Shit, did I accidentally kill her? Please don't be dead; I like you chickpea. Walking over, I check her pulse and feel a weak yet steady beat. Oh, thank goodness. I picked her up, cradling her in one arm as best I could. Walking across the track on Abydos, I noticed her shotgun nabbing it too, while heading toward the entrance of Abydos. I pass by a couple of the workers I beat down. I would've gotten through them faster if it weren't for that damnable text box. The three girls Haruka was with earlier got away, though. I pass through the main building and go upstairs to the room where I saw Nonomi stick her minigun out.
I knocked on the door a couple of times until someone answered.
"Morning Miss Okusora. I hope I got your name right." I walk past while entering the room.
"You did. I also wish I could say good morning, but this morning has been anything but good." I set Haruka down on a chair.
"Yeah, I've noticed." I place her shotgun on the main table. I look over to Nonomi, who has an ice pack near her right eye and a bandage patch on her left cheek; Pinky is cleaning a gash near her midsection. I also noticed her right sleeve was torn up and arm bandaged up. Between them both sat a knocked-out Little Jackal and Kitty Cat. "So...is Little Jackal and Kitty Cat okay."
"As okay as one choked out can be," Nonomi spoke up from her spot. "Though I have to ask why you brought her here?" Nonomi looked at Haruka.
"We can ask her about the group that attacked the school." I turn and look at Haruka's unconscious form. She had a decent couple of bruises from my love taps, but that's about it. I whip out the chest to check on Arona. And instead of an S symbol greeting me, I'm greeted by a message left by Arona.
(The Shittim Chest is currently under maintenance. The maintenance will last approximately three hours. Sorry S.Sensei.)
Huh, it's time to wait. At least she gave me an approximate time. I shove the chest back in my coat and see Ayane checking over Little Jackal and Kitty Cat. Welp, I'll follow her lead, I suppose.
"Holding up well, Miss Izayoi." Nonomi smiles at me.
"As well as I can. I've been hit with worse than a shotgun before." I walk over to her as she speaks. I could see her more clearly now past the table in the room. She had cuts on her midsection and left upper torso right under her breast. "Oh, these? They'll heal up soon enough, so no need to stare intently ok." She noticed my stare.
"I'm staring because they're not properly covered." Walking closer to her, I look at her midsection closely. The damage isn't that deep, so no prominent scarring will be evident on her body. Scanning upwards, I noticed the small gash was deeper than the one on her midsection. I bet I could worm my pinky in there.
"Well, we don't have a lot of bandages to share right now. We were about to go shopping today for more essentials." I take out some spare bandages from my coat, along with a rag, antibiotic ointment, and some rubbing alcohol. "You carry medical supplies around?" I raise a brow at Nonomi's question.
"No halo, I kinda have to." She accepts my answer easily; it's not hard to believe. "Pardon me for a second." I lift her shirt, which earns a yelp from her. I feel two other sets of eyes staring at me as I clean her wounds; she lets out a pained gasp. I bet the alcohol I'm using with the rag stings; I unfurl the bandage, cutting it to the length I need to wrap her midsection up tightly so dirt doesn't have a chance of entering, putting a little bit of ointment on the bandage, I began wrapping it on her. Starting to wish I had smaller commercial bandaids right about now. Finishing, I went to lift her shirt higher so I could do the gash under her breast; she pulled her shirt down hard.
I look her in the eyes, seeing discomfort in them. I sigh and push forward anyway. I ignore her squawks as I continue treating her gash. The alcohol from the rag caused her to squirm a good bit, making it hard. Once I finished cleaning the wound, I backed off to get some bandage. Nonomi held her shirt up for me as I wrapped it under her breast. Once done, she let her shirt fall; the bandages were the same shade of white as her shirt, so they blended in nicely.
I turn away from Nonomi and look directly at Pinky and her midsection wound. Pinky just stared at me as I approached. When I reached her, I had to take a knee to get started properly. She didn't say anything or even let out a pained noise when I began to clean her wound. As I got the bandage ready, she pulled her shirt up, allowing me to wrap it. I'm just happy she was working with me. Once I backed off from her, she touched her midsection. She studied it for a bit before looking back at me.
"Do you know that girl?" Keen eye Pinky.
"Yeah, her name is Haruka. She does some operations for Schale as a strike team leader." I take my phone out and text Giggit to ready a combat report I'll need to fill out when I get back.
"If she's the leader of a Schale strike team, why was she attacking us?" Despite her tone and body language, Pinky's eyes had an accusing glint in them.
"I don't know. Any activities they do outside of Schale is none of my business." I notice Pinky scanning my face, but she stops after she doesn't find whatever she is looking for.
"Substitute...your..." I hear Ayane try to get words out of her mouth. Looking at her, I feel Piny's gaze on my back. Raising a brow at her concerned expression, I notice Nonomi's until I feel Pinky touch my back.
"Mind telling me why you touched my back?" I turn to see her finger having blood on it. Oh, right, the shrapnel in my back. "I thought it was something serious." Pinky looks at me like I'm insane.
"You have twenty pieces of shrapnel in your back." I nod my head at Pinky's words. "That doesn't bother you." I look right in her eyes.
"No, it's an annoyance." I can't believe I said that. She seemed horrified by the statement.
"Why's your coat zipped up?" I'm silent after Ayana's question.
"I'm cold." Ayana didn't believe my lie for a second. Neither did Nonomi, Pinky, or myself.
"It's a hundred degrees outside. That's not even counting humidity. How can you be cold?" Nonomi said with curiosity.
"I'm perpetually cold," I answered. 'Not untrue with how your biology works.' Thanks, Pandora.
"I'm sure even you doubt that Substitute." Ayane looked at me with a stern face.
We're all silent for a moment before Nonomi breaks the silence first.
"Unzip your coat, substitute." When I don't budge I notice Nonomi getting up and Ayane also getting a bit closer. I feel a sudden grip on the back of my coat. Sighing, I raise my hands in surrender.
"Fine, you win, I yield." I watch Nonomi sit back down, Ayane back off, and the grip on my coat disappears. Unzipping it, a bunch of bullets fall out, making little tink sounds as they hit the ground. My poor white shirt is vibrant red but lacks holes. Huh, that's weird; at least I won't need to fix it up again. "As you can see, I'm fine. My coat was able to stop the bullets from causing real damage."
"Please remove your jacket so we can treat your back wounds. If they're not treated, you could get serious infections." Ayane was making her way over with some medical ointments. I realized there was no fighting it and took my coat off. A loud, wet thump echoed in the room. I could feel the air on my scarred arms, causing agitation. "They're worse looking than I thought." I heard Ayane mumble something and look towards her.
"You wanna talk a bit louder over there?" She stammers a little, causing me to laugh. "I'm joking; you staring with disgust is par for the course. So you gonna patch me up or what?" I pulled a chair out and sat, keeping my back from touching the chair. Don't wanna get my blood on it. I watch Ayane walk over to me along with Nonomi. Both circling to my back.
"Nonomi, can you apply pressure? Hoshino, can you apply medical ointment?"
"Uhe~ of course I will."
"At least they're not too deep."
It feels like I'm at one of those massage parlors that uses needles. There is no pain; instead, my back muscles relax upon the shrapnel being removed. I rest my head on the table and just enjoy the relief. I can only catch little snippets of the three talking.
"The hole the shrapnel came from sealed itself instantly!"
"This piece seems like it was being eaten?"
These are the two bits that stuck out to me. I feel my body get jostled a little every so often. I see Ayane's hand put two pieces of shrapnel on the table. A scent fills my nose; they smell like...hibiscus. I look across the way and see bloodshot aqua eyes staring at me.
"Morning, Little Jackal. Sleep well?" Her ears flick like crazy, and her nose wrinkles a little. Soon, she shoots right up.
"The enemy-
"Is defeated, and we captured one." I raise a hand and point toward Haruka. I don't bother to speak or listen anymore and just relax. Nonomi walks over to check over Little Jackal now that she's awake. Soon, I saw Kitty Cat's eyes also flicker open. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on Haruka.
"Why is she here!" Kitty Cat is as noisy as ever.
"Captured for questioning," Ayane spoke up. I watch Kitty's head whip towards us. Her eyes settled on my familiar, uncoated form and the shrapnel on the table.
"What happened to him!" I grimace at her as she comes over to me. She went to my back with Ayane and Pinky to help them out with my wounds. I feel another piece of shrapnel exit my body. Along with a knitting sensation from where it came from. "I told you guys he heals fast." I barely register Kitty Cat's mumbling.
I should go to a doctor and find out what my body is. There is one on Parker Street right by Schale.
Soon, the table is littered with shrapnel from my back, all twenty pieces lying in front of me. Once I feel no one digging in my back or bandaging it, I stand to stretch. I feel some eyes looking at my arms specifically. That's my cue to pick up my coat and slide it back on. I look towards my coat, and before I can move toward it, Nonomi picks it up, or rather, she tried. She struggled pretty hard to get it off the ground, and it was only when Kitty Cat went to help her that they managed to lift it. Kitty Cat handed my coat to me.
"I'm surprised how heavy your coat is." Kitty Cat and I look toward Nonomi quizzically. I decided just to get lost in my mind as Kitty Cat began to chat away with Nonomi about the weight of my coat. After the girls all got their barrings together, I watched Ayane walk over to a whiteboard. She began to write before getting everyone's attention. Soon, all eyes were on her and the whiteboard.
"Since we're all fixed up, let's discuss our attackers and how to find them from our prisoner." I raise my hand. "No, we won't let you torture the girl you brought into our school!" I lower my hand, not what I was going to suggest.
"How about we tell her that her friends aren't coming back? Then say we'll let her go if she answers our questions." Pinky suggested
"Something tells me they'll be back." Ayane threw out.
I raised my hand, but Ayane ignored it.
"We could ransom her back to them." A glare from Ayane met little Jackal.
"We won't stoop to such a level!" I raised my hand a bit higher after Ayane finished her sentence.
"How about we make her join our school as punishment for attacking it?" Kitty Cat received a sigh.
"She's part of Geheena Academy, but I'm more than certain she participated in the attack because of the company she works for," I said, and Ayane seemed to absorb that information.
"Then we'd have to get her school to accept the transfer request." Ayane liked that idea a bit more than ransoming her off. Ayane spared me a glance for a second, then looked toward Nonomi. I gave valuable information, and you still won't hear my idea.
"How about we have her be our backstage prop girl for our idol group?" I turned my head toward Nonomi. Did I miss something the last time I was here?
"Substitute, what's your idea?" The anger coming from Ayane was intense.
"Well, I could talk to her myself. Think about it: she works for me. This means she works for a government organization. So anything she does reflects poorly on the government and me." Ayane seems to be thinking it over. "Also, I can threaten to remove her government privileges offered by Schale. Such as free movement through any district without needing to get the okay from her school, specialized ammunition, prototype weaponry, emergency pickup via helicopter, and access to other schools' files." They all stare at me, flabbergasted at the government privileges she has.
"That's everything she gets?" Nonomi seemed concerned.
"Oh no, I haven't gone over her pay as a strike team leader or her benefits. If I remember correctly, Haruka gets fifty thousand credits per operation and full healthcare benefits." I watch every girl in this room look at Pinky and then back at me.
"Say Substitute, how much would someone who isn't a strike team leader make?" I look at Kitty Cat.
"Thirty thousand credits; why?" I saw Kitty Cat try to lunge at Pinky. She was only stopped by Ayane grabbing her.
"Alright then, it may be best for you to talk with her. So we'll leave you to it since she seems to be waking up." I watched Ayane drag Kitty Cat out, followed by the other three. I looked toward Haruka, whose eyes began to flicker open. Halo turned back on like a light switch was flipped. She rubbed her face and looked at me, eyes at first looking at me like a stranger, then replaced by familiarity.
"Substitute, where are we?" Haruka's genuine confusion throws me for a loop.
"We're at Abydos Haruka. Specifically the abandoned High School. You were knocked unconscious and brought here." I watch her expression suddenly turn to panic.
"D-d-did I mess up?! I did, didn't I! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I knew I wasn't fit to be a leader for the team!" I put my hand on her shoulder, causing her to be quiet at the sudden contact.
"No, Haruka, you were apprehended while attacking Abydos High School." She stares at me like a confused puppy.
"Attacking Abydos...I thought we were retrieving items during a Schale operation?" I stared at her, confused now. I look toward her halo, noticing most of the corruption is gone. Little specks are still there, though fading off.
"What's the last thing you recall?" She seems to maul around in her own thoughts for a while before speaking.
"The mission to attack that strange jack-in-a-box creature. Then going back to Schale as a group together. After that, I went back to Problem Solver 68's office." I frown a little after hearing her response.
"Haruka, that was three days ago. I meant, what were you doing earlier today." She seemed slightly panicked while thinking hard again.
"It's a blur. All I recall is eating ramen with Problem Solver 68. Other than that, I can't recall much." I cross my arms and think a little. It could be possible the corruption messed with her memories.
"Did you fight anyone from Abydos?"
"N-no I did't."
I allow us to sit in silence for a moment. I can only really think about what she's told me. It's obvious whatever affected her tampered with her brain. I noticed she was starting to get finicky in her seat.
"Did you recall anything after eating the ramen?"
"I-I-I was with the rest of team Magpie. We were in the Schale cafe." Before I can speak, she begins muttering. "N-n-no I was eating ramen during that time?" I watch the specks on her halo begin to grow. "Y-y-yes, no I wasn't was I..." Watching her eyes glaze over, I put a hand on her shoulder, which snapped her out of her thoughts.
"How about we sort it out a different way? I don't want to punish you if you're not feeling well." She was stunned for some reason by my statement. "So instead, maybe you can get me a meeting with your boss at Problem Solver. Hopefully, this whole thing will clear up." I could feel the air around us getting heavy. Obviously, she doesn't want to do it, yet she doesn't want to upset me either.
"W-w-what would you do if Aru-Sama did have us attack Abydos?" I looked her dead in the eyes.
"I'll have to deal out punishment to her and the School she's affiliated with. Unless, of course, she was strong-armed into attacking Abydos." Desperate people tend to do desperate things after all. "She'll get a slap on the wrist, that's all. But if you tell me what you think of her, I'll be more lenient. You're a Schale strike team leader, so I'm more than willing to listen to your opinion on the matter." She seemed to smile weakly at my words, good.
"Yes! I'd be more than willing to tell you!" I wave a hand at her to simmer down.
"Good; how about we let our friends hear it since they want to eavesdrop," I whispered while getting up and quickly opened the door, causing a couple of bodies to hit the floor. "You know I should whack you all for eavesdropping." I saw them all look at me as if I was the rude one. Walking back towards Haruka, I smiled at her. "Well, let's hear about Aru. Could do some good to know about her." She nodded her head and took a big gasp of air.
(Black Market District 1:37 pm)
I don't think any of us were ready for the mountain of words Haruka used to describe Aru. Thankfully, we got some helpful information during the line of questions, like where they were based, how many members there were, and the hierarchy, but that's it. I knew Haruka was near the bottom of the totem pole, but I didn't think she was the only entry-level employee. With the way she spoke about Aru, it made it sound like she was the boss of a rather big organization of freelancers. Then again, I blanked out mid-way through Haruka's chatter.
"So why are you guys set up in the black market? Surely there are better places than here?" Ayane asked from my left.
"Well, it's a place where contracts would be more abundant. That was one of the reasons Aru-sama gave." Haruka spoke quietly from my right.
Our walking arrangement left something to be desired. Haruka stood to my right, using me as a wall against the Abydos girls to my left. I'm unsure if she's suspicious of them, afraid, or still hostile. Maybe it's all three. I just hope they don't start problems with each other when they all enter the building to have their discussion. The only upside so far is that their building seems to be on the outskirts of the black market. So, the walk has been relatively peaceful.
"This is it." Haruka had us stop in front of a small yet respectable building. It didn't stick out like a sore thumb, though it was quaint enough to be unique. Haruka knocked on the door as the rest of us took in the building. She was too far away to hear, yet whoever was on the other side hadn't wasted a moment opening the door. It flew open as a girl as short as Pinky smiled at Haruka. I walked over as she began talking to Haruka.
"Who's the guy you brought with you?" The little lady pointed at me as I approached.
"This is Substitute Vagues from Schale; he came to speak with Aru-Sama." After Haruka's words, the little lady cocked her head.
"You look familiar; I swear I've seen you before." I nodded my head at her.
"We passed each other on the street at one point." She looked me up and down before giving a devious smirk.
"Small world then huh? Well, nice to meet you Vagues. I'm Mutsuki Asagi." I nod my head at her chirping. Then, watch her point towards the Abydos girls.
"They're here to talk after my conversation with you girls," I say before she can ask further questions.
"That's funny that the girls we attacked came with you for just a 'talk'." I shrug at her words.
"They're the forgiving type." She laughed at my words before extending a hand. I grasp it, not thinking much. Only to feel a tingle in my hand. I didn't even realize my hand had fallen asleep. "So, about meeting your boss?" She is surprised for a moment, then quickly smirks. Probably glanced at my hands after feeling them.
"Hold on for one moment." She slams the door shut. After about three minutes someone new opens the door. The girl with the skull hoodie.
"My name is Onikata Kayoko. I was ordered to let Haruka into the main office but keep you inside the waiting area until called." It seems fair enough; this place is a freelancer office. She moves, letting Haruka and me enter. "Those girls outside won't cause problems, right? " she says while shutting the door behind us.
"As long as I exit the building, they won't." Kayoko accepted my response. We arrived outside a door, which Haruka entered, leaving Kayoko and me alone. Looking around, I noticed two more doors down the way, both in German and English writing. The paintings were mostly, well, bombastic, I would say. A window was at the far end, away from us, but that's it. I heard a buzz from my company, who ushered me to the door.
Entering the room, I noticed two sofas, a table, and a large desk with a chair in front of two hanging rifles. There were some cabinets in the room, along with two windows with the blinds closed. Haruka and Mutsuki were standing next to the desk. A girl with horns was sitting behind the desk, staring at a laptop. A mug with steam coming off of it was next to said laptop.
"Welcome to Problem 68 Substitute Vagues." The horned girl got my attention. She clasped her hands together. "My name is Aru Rikuhachima; I'm the president of this office." I walk over to a couch and sit down, kicking my feet on the table.
"Nice to meet you." After getting comfy, I looked her in the eyes. "I'm sure Haruka told you why I'm here, correct?" She leaned in her chair, smiling.
"Of course, she did. I didn't think Abydos had such connections." I snort a little at that remark.
"They don't; however, since they asked for my assistance, any attack on them will draw my attention." I watch her face take a quick look of shock before going back to her smile.
"So you're not allied with them; you're just simply assisting them for the time being." She seemed a bit relieved at the revelation.
"Depends on how long the issues they're having go on for." I breathe deeply. "And if people complicate the issues, I'll stay longer." I make sure all four are accounted for. "If those same people escalate the issue, I'll have no choice but to step in."
"That sounds like a threat."
"It's a promise."
We're both silent for a moment before Aru picks up a piece of paper off her desk—most likely a contract if I had to assume. After looking it over for a bit, she sets it back down.
"I assume you want us not to attack Abydos."
"Of course." She sighs at my reply.
"You can't expect us to break a contract just because you want us to. It's bad for our business's image." I nod at her sound reasoning.
"Then how about a deal to loosen your obligation to this shadow employer." She seemed intrigued by my offer. "I'll pay you five million credits up front if you back off." It was at that moment that I saw her facade shatter.
"F-f-five million." She sputtered for a moment before recovering some of her comeposer. "W-well, our current employer is paying us twenty million yen for our services." I raised a brow. I know for a fact the employer wouldn't cough up that much after hiring that other mercenary group that seemed more well-armed and experienced.
"Aru-chan~" Mitsuki suddenly spoke up.
"Mitsuki, please don't call me that in front of someone important!" Mitsuki snickered at Aru's horrified expression.
"Ok,ok but you do realize five million credits is the equivalent to fifty million yen right?" I watched Aru's eyes show so many emotions eventually stopping in pure panic mode.
"Excuse me, Vagues, could you step out for a moment?" I nod my head and walk out of the room. Waiting outside for a bit, I hear bits of a conversation. It's so quiet I can't tell what is being said. It sounded like they spoke German, meaning I wouldn't understand if I could hear. Whatever they were talking about sounded like Aru was trying to grapple with herself, and the others were giving their two cents. Kayoko opened the door to let me back in. Entering, the first thing I looked at was Aru. Her face seemed fine, but her eyes held specks of inner turmoil. Sitting back down, I wonder what she's thinking.
"I've given your proposal some thought." She lets the words hang in the air for some reason. "However, if we were to break our contract with our current client, our reputation might plummet. Especially because our employer is quite a prominent player." I can only roll my eyes.
"Oh please let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. Your establishment is a freelancer organization correct?" She nods her head.
"We're fixers, not freelancers." I chuckle at her correction.
"Fixers, freelancers, and mercenaries are all the same thing. Just because you give it a new coat of paint doesn't change anything." If there is a difference, I don't know. "At the end of the day, no matter who hires you, they'll see you only as a tool. Something to only to be discarded later."' Judging by Aru's reaction, that wasn't a thing she considered. "It doesn't matter if your current employer is a prominent player. They won't go and talk about you to anyone else."
"H-h-how can you be so sure?" I give her a pointed stare.
"Because I know I wouldn't. Gotta make sure tools stay your tools only after all. If someone else wants them, make sure to charge them double. Then take most of the cut of the hired tool." The air is quiet and still for a bit. Based on Aru's eyes, she wasn't expecting me to be honest. Well, it's time for part two of the reality check. "Thankfully, you're a freelancer group. You hold loyalty to only three things—your wallet, weapons, and self. A contract should mean nothing to you if you aren't properly compensated." I watch the look in her eyes change to curiosity. "Who's to say you can't strong-arm your current employer to pay you more since a more enticing offer came along." She looked at me with surprise.
"W-wait, why are you telling me not to accept your deal? Shouldn't you try to persuade me to accept it?!"I smirk at her
"I should, but I don't wanna stifle your freedom." I shrug; she has a point I should be persuading her. But I can't be bothered. "I'll even give you some information about your current employer free of charge." She nods her head eagerly at my offer. "Let's just say you're not the first group to go after that school, and you won't be the last. Bring up the herd and helmet gangasters with your employer next time you talk with them." She raised a brow at what I said.
"Why would I bring groups like those two up?" I smirk.
"Just bring them up like I said. Tell them you know about their sudden disappearances." I take my phone out to check the time. "With that, our business is concluded; give my offer some thought or use it as leverage. It doesn't matter to me. I'll be sending the Abydos girls in once I exit. So happy trails until we meet again." I leave the office, greeting the Abydos girls outside. Kitty Cat noticed me first, causing all the other girls to stare at me.
"Anything we should consider when talking to this Aru girl?" I looked at Pinky.
"She's a dweeb that's trying too hard but don't tell her I said that." They look at me confused; I simply point to the door. They walked past me after that; once they were all in the building, I leaned against a wall. Scanning the immediate area, I noticed all sorts of vendors; thankfully, no one was nearby.
Thank goodness I finally have a moment to myself. Looking toward the sky, I see occasional helicopters whiz by, but there is not a single plane in the sky. A city this big would surely have an airport; it be bizarre if it didn't. Well, I had better cross my t's and dot my i's quickly.
"Parasite, let's go over things we know."
'Very well.'
[I wanna be included!] I sigh
"Fine, you hallucinate; you can participate."
[Yes!]
"Firstly, we're all in agreement Kaiser is sending these mercs, right?"
'It's the most plausible suspect. Since they own most of the territory, it's 87.9% likely that they are trying to capture it.'
[Honsetly, they're the only ones with this kind of money to throw around. Well, besides crime lords and other companies.]
"Secondly, we need a list of all concurrent mercs on the black market. Solo freelancers and groups like the herd. Any ideas that won't need me to rub shoulders with the dregs."
'A network of agents would be best. Ensuring loyalty would require immense pay or fear. Most likely both.'
[It might be best to ask someone else for help. Especially since you don't know any other languages.]
"Thirdly, we must figure out what that massive serpent in the desert is. Anyone wanna take a shot in the dark? Cause so far, it looks like we'll have to go out there for more info."
'It's make is that of a machine of war with intermediate intelligence; sadly, that's all I could gain from a quick scan. Due to it being a machine, there's probably a bunker from which it came.'
[I'm willing to wager it's the cause of the desertification of Abydos. If you're going to go back out there, I recommend bringing someone and a fast vehicle]
"Finally, the punishment for Problem Solver 68 bar Haruka. Give me your own options."
'A swift death'
[Have them write a ten-page essay on why attacking a struggling group of students is terrible.]
"Both options are terrible, so I'll be alerting their school. Hopefully, they have a disciplinary committee." I can't believe mine is the best one.
'Fair.'
[Fair]
As I type on my phone, a girl with a haunting backpack crosses my path. It was that horrid bird or chicken again. Besides the backpack, the girl seemed too pleasant to be here. I watched her walk toward the vendor, asking about limited-edition merchandise. After a bit of back-and-forth, the vendor shooed her away. It was then she turned to face me. I was staring a bit. What is scaring me is she is coming over to me.
"Excuse me, sir, can I have a moment of your time?" Oh no.
"Look, if you're going to ask me about Peroro merchandise, just know I don't have a clue." Her face told me I had just made a terrible mistake.
"You know about Peroro-sama!" Her eyes practically had stars in them, fuck.
(Kaiser PMC Headquarters.)
This hasn't been going as expected as of recently. Although I'm more than sure those fixers I hired would be more than enough. Those Abydos brats should be more than weary after the last two attacks.
Who am I kidding, I haven't heard back from them in a week. First those worthless helmet gangsters dropped the contract and booked it into the desert. When I sent a force out there it seems they were attacked. The attacker seemed to even take the tank we gave them as payment.
Next was the herd. They were roughnecks and loudmouths but professional in their 'disposal' of unwanted elements. Then right as they reported actual progress they simply stopped reporting. When I sent a team to check it out they wouldn't tell me what they saw. They didn't want to tell me what they saw, they only gave me a singular photo of a combat mech. It's cockpit had been ripped open and only blood was within it. We covered it up as best as we could, but I know it won't stay hidden forever.
Now it's those girls Problem Solver 68. They had a list of completed jobs, and their previous clients were happy for the most part. Based on their previous work it seems this type of job was right up their alley. So here's hoping they actually can complete the job. The phone began to ring with their number. Well, speak of the devil.
"Hello Miss Rikuhachima, do you have something to report?"
"Yes, we've skirmished with the students of Abydos to gauge their strength. They were more skilled than anticipated."
"I see anything else?"
"Yes, after our light skirmish a person came to make a deal about Abydos."
"Really and what would that be?"
"They offered five million in credits if we stopped our assault on Abydos."
I can only stand in silence. Five million credits?! There's no way the GSC would know about our plans. If they did they could've sent someone to crack down on us years ago. It can't be those Abydos brats since they struggle just to make payments. It has to be a third party, but if it is there's no way they have legitimate credits. It's impossible to counterfeit them.
"Director Haived are you still with me?"
"Of course Miss Rikuhachima. I must advise against this person. I highly doubt they have such a currency to give you."
"Oh they do. One of my subordinates has received payments from this person before. The currency is legitimate."
I can feel my heart drop. I refuse to believe it, yet in her own words she's had dealings with this shadow figure before. Don't tell me a new power player has emerged.
"So Miss Rikuhachima, are you telling me you're going back on our deal?"
"No, instead I'm here to make an offer to you. You pay me sixty million yen and I'll consider continuing the agreement we had."
"You're trying to extort me!"
"No Director Haived, I am simply giving you a new opportunity. Especially since you didn't want to tell me about the herd or helmet gangsters." Dammit, of course she knew about that. Probably waited to see if she could get more money from my pockets or someone else's. I should've known.
"I can't just hand it over to you Miss Rikuhachima. I'll need time to think it over."
"Of course, I'll give you a week. If I don't see the payment I'll cancel our original agreement."
"Goodbye Miss Rikuhachima."
"Goodbye Director Haived."
I slam the phone down. Nothing has been going right this month. I'm nearing my breaking point, I would've sent our own pmc's if I could! Calm down, calm down this entire month can salvaged. I just need to think it through carefully. Surely the day can't get any worse than this.