Volume 2, Level 1 – CHARACTER SELECT

The rifle jerked into my shoulder in rhythm with every opening and closing of the bolt on my rifle. One android collapsed as a shot tore through a leg and severed it. Another stumbled back as the bullet cratered its armoured chest, before a second punched through. A fourth stray shot ripped off a third android's arm. It promptly became a non-threat as several shots from Suzumi's rifle punched through it. A fourth android dropped when the interior of its head became the exterior thanks to a lucky fifth shot.

I ducked back into cover just in time for a rocket to streak overhead and slam into a building above us. Suzumi responded with more rifle fire, and I heard something exploding. Fishing for another stripper clip from my webbing, I glanced back to where the twins were next to a pair of heavy metal doors and rapidly working at a console.

"How go the doors, Ms. Momoi, Ms. Midori?" I asked, raising my voice to carry it above the din of battle. "There are an awful lot of these androids, and they are getting rather close."

"Give us another minute! Midori, try unplugging it and plugging it back in!" Momoi shouted back as Midori opened a panel on the side to locate the wiring.

I glanced over at Suzumi just in time to see her duck back under the concrete barrier she was using for cover. Moments later, a hail of machine gun fire tore through the air above her. Our eyes met, and she flashed a quick series of hand signs. Machine gunner, window, two shotgunners, approaching. Then, she reached into her uniform jacket and pulled out a stun grenade. The question was clear. I nodded and flashed an OK.

I could just hear the sound of metal feet rapidly hitting the pavement as Suzumi tossed the stun grenade over her cover. A loud pop and flash of light filled the plaza ahead of us, and we both broke cover as it faded. I saw the two shotgunners shuddering while their systems rebooted from the sensory overload. I ignored them as Suzumi opened fire and tore them apart. I focused on finding my own target and found it in the back: an android with a Gatling gun in a second-floor position.

I slammed the bolt close on my rifle and took aim before emptying all five rounds into its position. The first two shots punched through the cover but failed to do damage. The third ripped into its Gatling gun, destroying it. The fourth hit it in the arm, and the fifth hit the head. It slumped out of the windowsill and fell out onto the ground somewhere.

The loud clatter of its frame striking the ground was the closing note of the current wave. The plaza in front of the large, sturdy factory was a wasteland of scrapped androids, destroyed rubble, and ruined structures. I quickly reached for another clip of ammunition as Suzumi slapped a new magazine into her rifle. I could already hear more metal feet in the distance.

But fortunately, it wasn't a problem for us to deal with. Momoi's sudden shout of "Got it!" and the loud hiss of hydraulics activating made clear what to do next. I was already turning as Midori cried out, "Come on, let's go!" I could hear Suzumi behind me, her footsteps broken up by short bursts of automatic suppressing fire.

The two of us passed through the gap in the door, Momoi slapping a panel as we entered. The doors began to slide shut with a horrid grinding noise, but not quite fast enough. I could already see three androids had made it to where Suzumi and I had been just moments ago. Behind them were at least two dozen more.

The rifle dropped from my hand, the clatter of wood ignored as I drew both my pistol and submachine gun.

"Everyone!" I shouted, even as I flicked both safeties off, "We are almost safe! Throw them back before they enter!"

There was no further need for instruction. The headier roars of Momoi's heavy automatic rifle joined the rapid cracks of Suzumi's fire pouring into the oncoming crowd. Midori brought up her scoped rifle, the slow, steady snapping of her fire preceding the destruction of more heavily armed androids. My own fire covered the middle, the spray of submachine gun fire slowing down androids while the heavier rounds from my pistol knocked down any particularly dangerous-looking ones.

The firefight couldn't have lasted more than a minute, but it felt much longer. However, not a single mechanical infantryman got close to the doors. The metal barriers sealed shut, leaving the sound of fists, bullets, and explosions splashing against the thick metal portal as the only reminder of what was outside.

All four of us stood there, breaths held and weapons ready as we waited for the next surprise. We all breathed out in relief when it became clear nothing else was forthcoming.

"Excellent work, everyone," I said, even as the rest of the Students started looking around the room. "Now, Ms. Momoi, are we in the right place?"

"Not yet," Momoi replied as she checked her phone. "The coordinates are further ahead, but it should be a part of this factory. We just need to go a bit deeper!"

Midori groaned, slumping against a wall before crying out, "No! I've had enough! I don't want to run away from robots in this stupid place anymore! I want to go back!"

"Calm down, Midori," Momoi said as she hopped over to where her twin was sitting, "This is just a temporary setback! Once we get out of here, things will be better!"

"We're here because of you!" Midori snapped back.

"Now there," I interjected, resting a hand on Momoi's shoulder and atop Midori's head, "We need not fight amongst ourselves at the moment. If anything, I would be at fault as well. I am the one with access to the Council's files on this location. I should have checked for any such threats."

I had checked. The Council reports were primarily concerned with a rarely sighted large-scale android that patrolled the northwest corner of the region. None of them mentioned the androids we were facing right now. Their presence along with this strange factory was a concerning combination, and I felt beholden to investigate. We might as well legitimize those permits we were using.

Momoi nodded along with a chipper "That's right!". Midori seemed to simmer on it for a moment before sighing. "You're right, Sensei. Sorry, Momoi."

I stepped away as the two apologized to each other and made my way over to Suzumi. The one-winged Student was inspecting some of the electronics next to one of the doors in the room. I spoke as I got within earshot, "Have you found something interesting, Morizuki?"

Suzumi stilled, her wing stiffening slightly in surprise, before she relaxed and murmured, "This terminal is really old. I don't recognize the design at all. But this amount of dust means it must have been here for years."

Now that she had pointed it out, the terminal seemed oddly advanced. It fit perfectly with the new models I had seen in the stores of Millenium. However, the thick layer of dust spoke of it having been abandoned for years.

The patter of two pairs of feet echoed behind us, followed in a moment by Momoi's low whistle of appreciation.

"This terminal looks a lot newer than the one outside," the pink-clad twin remarked as she slid in front of Suzumi and me. "It doesn't match anything I've ever seen before!"

Midori nodded silently in agreement, her nerves having clearly calmed.

But despite their descriptions, something about it struck me as familiar. The layout of the keys, the use of a touchpad…

It was similar to the terminal that controlled the Crafting Station.

But I didn't have a chance to muse on it further as Momoi leaned in to take a closer look. Suddenly the screen lit up. A line of light scanned over her face before she could react.

"APPROACH CONFIRMED." A synthesized voice echoed out from around us, along with several surprised cries. "CONFIRMING IDENTITY: SAIBA, MOMOI. UNQUALIFIED."

"E-eh? Why does the factory know who I am?" Momoi cried out in shock.

We didn't get an answer. Seconds later, the light moved from Momoi over to Midori. "CONFIRMING IDENTITY: SAIBA, MIDORI. UNQUALIFIED."

Midori backed off, the worry on her face increasing slightly. "It knows me too… What is going on…?"

"CONFIRMING IDENTITY: MORIZUKI, SUZUMI. UNQUALIFIED."

"Even me…?" Suzumi muttered as the light made its way towards me. I reacted, sticking out my arm to block my face. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to do much.

"CONFIRMING IDENTITY: SENSEI, ALIAS: "NELSON". QUALIFICATION CONFIRMED. ACCESS GRANTED."

Momoi blinked for a moment before crying out in confusion, "Eh, what's going on?! When did Sensei befriend this factory?"

"Nelson-Sensei looks like she's confused too…" Midori muttered.

"Sensei, you didn't… happen to do anything, right?" Suzumi asked, an honest glint of curiosity in her eyes, "You know, what with you being…" She trailed off, her hand waving at me vaguely.

Still, I understood the point. "I assure you, Morizuki, I do not know of any sentient factory, nor did I animate it."

"CLASSIFICATION UPDATED. SAIBA, MOMOI; SAIBA, MIDORI; MORIZUKI, SUZUMI SET AS "STUDENTS" OF "NELSON". ACCESS GRANTED."

"Ah!" Momoi cried out happily. "Does this mean you can tell us where the is?"

"QUERY RECEIVED: . FILE INDEX LOCATED."

"…the is real?" "Himari-senpai was telling the truth after all…" "Well, that was quite a bit simpler than I expected." Suzumi, Midori, and I all remarked at once, with varying levels of surprise. Momoi puffed her chest, a proud smile firmly shining on her face.

"I knew she wouldn't lie to me! Factory-san, could you please help us find it?!"

"QUERY RECEIVED: ACCESSING. WARNING, FILE INDEX ENCRYPTED. LOCATING INDEX ADMINISTRATOR. LOCATED." The voice droned before the hiss of hydraulics and hum of electricity filled the room. "REQUEST COMPLETED: OPENING BOTTOM DOOR."

Midori blinked and looked at the door next to the terminal. "Bottom door? Not this one?"

"Bottom door?" Suzumi muttered, confusion clear in her tone as she looked down at the floor.

Momoi followed the Trinity Student's gaze, a frown slowly making its way onto the excitable girl's face. "You don't think it means…"

I felt it before anything else. The floor dropped just a few millimetres. Then it nearly instantly retracted into the walls, leaving us all hanging in the air. I had a brief moment to sum up our situation.

"Ach, damn it."

Then, we fell.

In a better world or story, I would have a daring narrative about how I was able to recover from the surprise and engage in heroics to catch the other three. Possibly something to do with launching myself at one of the walls. Or perhaps forcing myself into a dive to land ahead of them.

Unfortunately, I was a battleship. And I was very much used to having a solid surface, no matter how flexible, under me at all times. My brief stints with helicopters had proven that I should never be airborne.

So, rather than a daring and dashing recovery, I fell straight down the roughly two- or three-story pit. I fell right past the twins; their flowy and wide jackets flared open as an impromptu air brake. Suzumi tumbled through the air at the edge of my rapidly approaching floor, however, was also visible in the other edge.

There wasn't much I could do at this point. I just had to make sure not to land on my back to avoid damaging the Shittim Chest.

I crashed into the floor with a three-point landing. The force of my landing cratered the metal of the floor slightly. Suzumi landed on her toes at the same time as my impact. Rather than damaging the infrastructure, she tumbled into a roll before stopping a few meters away.

Screaming drew our attention before we could do anything else. We looked up to see the twins rapidly approaching. Suzumi met my eyes. I jerked my head left, and she nodded. I launched myself ahead to catch Momoi as Suzumi dashed back to catch Midori. I twisted and slid across the metal just in time to have Momoi crash into my torso instead of the metal floor. The girl was light, but the momentum of the fall still jarred my chest from the impact. Meanwhile, Suzumi managed to catch Midori in a princess carry before twisting into a spin to bleed off the momentum of the fall.

For a second, Momoi and I laid on the floor in a pained heap, Suzumi was breathing heavily from the strenuous exercise, and Midori was stuck in shock.

"Ow." Momoi finally groaned.

I slowly sat up, the pink-clad girl sliding off of me, and looked about. We were deeper in the factory now, but it felt… different. Where the area we had just left felt more like an assembly line, this had a distinct laboratory feel to it. Tall, partially broken glass tubes, dusty white panelling, and vaguely medical-looking implements dotted the area.

I grunted in pain as I stood up, the effort causing several bones to creak. "Sound off, everyone. Conditions?"

Suzumi was the first to recover, carefully setting Midori onto her feet before she patted herself down. After a few seconds, she looked back up at me and flashed me a slight smile. "I'm alright, Nelson-sensei. Nothing more than some scuffs." She paused, and her smile slowly dipped into a minuscule frown. "Are you fine? You landed fairly hard, and then Momoi fell onto you."

"I really thought we were dead there," Momoi groaned before she pushed herself off me and onto her feet.

I rolled my shoulders and stretched experimentally as I stood up, flinching where I felt some strange new pains and sores. There was also a mild creaking in my arms, likely from the strain of breaking the fall. It was nothing serious but present nonetheless.

"I think I should visit the Bath, but nothing serious."

Midori finally seemed to restart as she quickly patted herself down. She sighed in relief before looking at Suzumi with a grateful smile. "I think I'm ok. Thanks for catching me, Morizuki-senpai."

Still, it seemed like even the fall did nothing but temporarily inconvenience Momoi. Even as the rest of us were dusting ourselves off and gathering our wits, the pink-clad twin was busy looking about. She whistled slowly, amazement clear in her voice, "This factory is huge! I wonder why the G. Bible was in here, though—ehhh!?"

Momoi's sudden cry snapped the three of us back to attention, everyone turning to see Momoi frozen in shock. One hand was covering her mouth, while the other pointed through an open doorway. Midori immediately ran over, even as Suzumi and I took the time to shoulder and prepare our weapons.

"What's wrong, One—" The green-clad twin reached her sister with worry clear in her voice, only to pause as she glanced through the doorway as well. Whatever it was on the other side caused her eyes to shoot wide open, and even she let out an involuntary gasp.

That caused Suzumi and me to pick up the pace, the two of us coming up behind the twins.

"Is everything OK—" "Is something the mat—" Suzumi and I both started to ask, only to pause as we too glanced through the open doorway.

The room beyond was almost surprisingly empty. Every room we had passed through thus far was filled with the machinery and equipment of whatever industry this factory once served. But this room had nothing in it besides a chair and a computer. It was so old that grass had begun to reclaim portions of the room. A hole must have opened in the roof at some point, as natural sunlight peered through to light up the chair.

The chair and its occupant.

Because, impossibly, there was a girl sitting in the chair.

The four of us entered the room slowly and with weapons drawn. I led our line, my sword drawn along with a submachine gun in one hand. But it was dead silent with not a single noise or movement until we got right up to the chair.

The girl was naked. There wasn't any kinder way to put it. But it didn't seem like she had disrobed at some point. Rather, there were no signs that she had any clothes to begin with. There wasn't any sign of a uniform anywhere near her chair. Her long, glossy black hair sprawled over her and the metal throne-like chair. It was so long that I could see it spill over the edges and onto the floor.

I couldn't see Halo, but that wasn't abnormal for a Student who was asleep.

"What's a girl doing here?" Momoi mused as she slung her rifle to step closer.

Midori joined her sister, muttering quietly, "It looks like she's… sleeping."

"She's not moving at all," Momoi said with a worried frown, a hand raised to the girl's face, "and I don't feel any breathing."

The air in the room took a sudden turn up in anxiety and worry. It was such a rare occurrence for residents of Kivotos that I had nearly forgotten that it was possible. This might be the first corpse any of the girls had seen. While it wasn't my first time, the corpse of a child as young as this still sat unwell in my heart.

"I don't think so, Momoi-san. Look at this," Suzumi whispered, pointing to a patch of skin. "Look at how much dust is on her. If she was a corpse, she wouldn't have gotten this dusty while also staying this intact."

I took a step closer and took a closer look at the girl. Suzumi was right. The dust on the girl was almost as thick as it was everywhere else. A human body would have decomposed to bones long before it got dusty.

"If she is not asleep or dead, then what is she?" I asked softly.

Midori shook her head as she felt the back of the girl's hand. "I don't think she's human." Midori and Momoi missed how Suzumi and I both tensed at that. "If you feel her hands, there's some sort of hydraulic system in there. I think she's some kind of super advanced Robot. I don't think she's on."

"You think so?" Momoi muttered as she grabbed the girl's other hand, "Now that you mention it, her skin's a little too smooth like plastic… but it's still soft and moist."

Suzumi had slowly turned to stare at me, curiosity and worry clear in her eyes and the slight frown. I shook my head at the unasked question. This girl wasn't related to me. I might be somewhat mechanical in nature, but it was more of a conceptual intermixing of Human and Battleship.

"Wait, there's something written here."

Momoi's announcement dragged all our attention back to the girl and her throne. The pink-clad girl was busy wiping away the dust that was on one of the arms of the chair, eventually revealing some faded text.

"…A, L, I, S?" Momoi muttered as all of us crowded around her to stare at the faded text. "I don't know how to read it, but I guess it's her name?"

Midori shook her head, her finger pointing to the third faded character. "I don't think so. It's not all written in letters. This should be a 1. So it's AL-1S."

"Midori is correct. This appears to be a model number."

The girls seemed to at least accept the answer, all three of them nodding their heads in understanding.

"Still, who in the world could she be…" Midori muttered, before glancing at the still empty room, "And what is this place anyways?"

"And how did she end up down here?" Suzumi added, rubbing her chin in thought.

Momoi glanced between the two before pointing at the still inactive girl. "Wouldn't it be faster just to ask her?"

"We don't even know if she'll wake up…" Midori pointed out, before sighing, "But we can't ask anyone else."

The green-clad girl set down her rifle before taking her backpack and rummaging through it. All three of us watched her curiously before she pulled out a shirt.

"We should put some clothes on her first," Midori explained as she pulled out several more articles from her bag. "I feel sorry for her if we just left her naked."

"Why'd you bring all these clothes anyways?"

"I didn't know how dirty we'd get exploring."

"That was some good foresight, Midori-san."

"Wait, is that my underwear?!"

"No! These are mine! The pattern's different! Why would I bring your clothes with me?!"

"She will need a tie. Did you bring a spare?"

"Hm… no, I didn't."

"We can use one of my cravats then. Here, allow me."

"Ah! We should probably tie some of her hair out of the way too!"

"Here, Momoi-san. We can use my ribbon for now."

"… How did you fit a spare jacket in your backpack, Ms. Midori?"

"… Sensei, I think the more important question is how you folded a rose into that necktie."

We all stepped back to look at our handiwork. The girl was now properly dressed with the clothes we had on hand. She wore the Millennium standard button-up white dress shirt, a black pleated skirt, and a large oversized Millennium jacket. Momoi had used one of Suzumi's red ribbons to tie up the girl's hair. I provided one of my cravats for a necktie. I had to fold it a bit and use a slightly less elaborate rose, but it otherwise had the right proportions.

Still…

"She's not waking up," Momoi helpfully observed.

It was true. Despite all our fussing about with the girl while dressing her, she laid firmly not awake. Still, there was one last person I could ask.

'Arona, I know this is not your specialty, but do you have any idea how to wake her?'

The sound of a plate and fork being set down echoed through my connection, followed by Arona humming thoughtfully.

'Aha! Got it!Is she connected to anything?'

I looked around and spotted a wire that connected the base of the chair to a nearby computer. It took me a few steps to cross the platform to the terminal. It was nearly identical to the one that dropped the door on us.

"Sensei?" I heard Suzumi, with a curious tone in her voice, say, "What are you doing?"

"Following a hunch," I answered before brushing my hand against the screen.

The screen lit up momentarily. Then, a series of beeping echoed through the room for a brief few seconds. The girls' rifles came up instantly as everyone scanned the surrounding area for androids. However, not a single android showed its face.

"I don't think that was the androids," Momoi said slowly. "I think it's coming from her."

"Eh? Could it be…" Midori trailed off before turning to look at the girl.

"(Status: Contact with Approved Subject Confirmed.)"

Even though the digital synthetic voice was clearly coming from the girl, there was no sign of speech. Her eyes were shut and lips still.

"(Update: Releasing Sleep State.)"

A series of illuminated teal rectangles sprang into life above the girl's head, eliciting gasps from everyone. A Halo. The symbol of a Student's divinity, according to Black Suit's beliefs. Something inherent to every Student. Yet here it was, marking this Robot girl as something much more than just a Robot.

Her eyes snapped open, sapphire blue eyes looking over us slowly. Smaller rings floated in her irises, and I could see them shift and move slightly. They were almost like camera lenses.

"She woke up?" Midori whispered to Momoi, who could only answer with a stunned nod.

The girl turned to us, her face perfectly neutral. "Circumstance: Unknown. Attempting Conversation: Please Explain."

Her voice was odd. There was a bit of a strange flange to it, just ever so slightly distorted on the tailing ends of her words. Her speech's pacing was also slightly off. Although her pronunciation was correct, each enunciation was too even to be normal.

"Explain? Explain what?" Momoi asked, eyes wide in confusion.

Midori followed up immediately after her sister, "We're the ones that want an explanation! Who are you? What is this place?!"

Confused panic slowly seeped into Midori's expression with each demand as she grabbed the girl by the shoulders. At least until a pair of white and grey sleeves fell onto the twin's shoulders.

"Sorry," Suzumi interjected, as she pulled the twins back and drew the Robot girl's attention, "We just found you here. We were hoping you knew how you got here."

The girl didn't frown, but she did glance at the ground for a moment. "Accessing Database. Warning: Ego, Memory, and Purpose Not Found. No Data Available."

That sounded… bad. I stepped away from the console, the movement drawing the black-haired Robot's attention. "Do you mean to say that you have amnesia?"

"Accessing Database. Searching Term." The girl tilted her head slightly after a moment, "Amnesia, Noun. Definition: A Loss of Memories Including Facts, Information, and Experiences." The girl paused again before tilting her head upright once more. "Conclusion: Update Status. Answer: Unit Is Suffering from Amnesia."

That seemed to soften the twins' reactions to her. Midori stepped up to the seated girl, looking at her with a concerned frown. "Are you going to attack us?"

The girl tilted her head for a moment before righting it. "Answer: Negative. Target is an Approved Subject. Offensive Systems Cannot Target Approved Subjects."

"Uwa~" Momoi intoned wordlessly, skipping around the girl, "There's a bunch of Robots in Kivotos, but this is the first time I've seen one that looks like us! She even has a Halo!"

Suzumi was trying really, really, really hard to not look at me when Momoi said that. She managed to keep her eyes straight on the girl, but her sole wing was shifting and moving with a restless energy. I don't know if anyone else noticed it.

"You mentioned we are "Approved Subjects"," I asked, the girl's head swivelling towards me. "What does that mean?"

"Accessing Databases. Warning: No Data Available."

"Do you remember why you were here?"

"Accessing Databases. Warning: No Data Available."

Midori, Momoi, and Suzumi were all frowning along with me now. Despite how advanced she was, this girl had no answers or memories of anything.

We stood there, silently staring at the girl, when Momoi snapped her fingers with a proud smile.

"I got it! Check your firmware logs!" The pink-clad girl shouted, "When do they start?"

The girl tilted her head. "Accessing Logs. Sorting by Date. First Log Recorded 7 Minutes, 32 Seconds Ago." The girl paused and I swear I saw the faintest flickers of a frown. "Conclusion: This is the First Time This Unit's Core Consciousness Was Activated."

I didn't really understand this computer stuff, but I could make a guess at it. Whoever this Robot girl was, she had been asleep since she was first completed. Whoever her creators were, they never woke her up. So, she had just been here the entire time.

"Sensei," Suzumi said as she cleared the distance between us, "What should we do?"

I glanced past her. I could see Midori and Momoi talking to each other animatedly, while the Robot girl looked from one to the other. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. Yet I could see the recognition and understanding increasing in her eyes.

I wasn't sure if I could bring myself to leave her behind.

"Sensei," Suzumi said slowly as she watched the scene before us play out, "Should we do something?"

I looked at the scene, checked against what I should be seeing, and nodded confidently. "I fear it is too late for us to do anything at all."

In the middle of the GDD clubroom, Midori was busy throttling Momoi. Meanwhile, the Girl was sitting on the sofa and looking around with the mildest hint of curiosity. We had left the factory, dragging the girl with us, and ran all the way back to the trains to get here.

"You don't understand!" Momoi cried out piteously, "There was no other choice! We couldn't just leave her there with all those scary androids!"

"Then why did we bring her here?!" Midori shouted.

Suzumi and I watched in silence as the Girl reached for one of the boxes of discs that littered the place. She slowly brought it up to her face and then—

[Munch]

"Ah, no!" Midori spun around at the noise, dropping her sister, "Spit that out!"

"See! We couldn't leave her there alone! She wouldn't last a day!" Momoi said, puffing her chest out even as her sister wrestled the plastic case out of the Girl's mouth.

"I know that," Midori finally grumbled, "But shouldn't we contact the General Student Council or Valkyrie?"

Momoi stared at her sister. Then slowly, she brought up a finger and pointed it across the room. Midori followed the line to see Suzumi and me standing next to the door.

"Hello there," I said with a cheerful wave, my badge with the words "Federal Investigation Club S.C.H.A.L.E." bouncing with the motion.

"OK, yes, so we technically did report it, but why aren't we letting Sensei take care of her then?"

Momoi's confident smile seemed to brighten even further. "That's because we still have some stuff that we need to finish!"

"What do you mean?" Midori asked, her voice carrying the exhaustion from the insanity of the day.

Momoi hummed in thought before nodding confidently. "Well, for starters, she needs a name! How does Arisu sound?"

"While I think Alice is a fine name, I believe it would be more appropriate to check with the one who is to receive the name," I pointed out, before turning my attention to the Robot girl in question. She was watching us closely, but her expressions were still rather flat. "Well, Miss? How does it sound?"

She tilted her head for a moment in thought before answering, "Update Pending. Confirm: Designate Unit Name as Aris?"

"W-wait," Midori interjected, sputtering as she quickly glanced at Momoi, Alice, and me, "Are you all saying the same name?"

I blinked, Momoi blinked, and, to my surprise, so did Alice. The three of us exchanged confused looks at each other. To be exact, Momoi and I exchanged confused looks. Alice just stared at us with an inscrutable, flat expression.

"I believe we are saying the same name?" I started, "Alice is a fairly common name after all."

Momoi nodded in agreement, a confident smile shining. "Yeah, Midori, Nelson-Sensei's right. Arisu isn't so rare that I'd mispronounce it."

"Input Received. Confirming Status Update. Unit Designation: 'Aris.'" Alice finished. Then, the edges of her lips twitched upward in an imitation of a smile. It wasn't quite there yet. But it was definitely an attempt.

"So why are you so desperate to keep Arisu around?" Midori asked.

"Well, do you remember why we went into the ruins? Why we risked life and limb to find the ?" Momoi paused, glancing between her sister and me. The two of us met her gaze and stared at her flatly.

"Momoi… You didn't even know for sure that the was in the Ruins until the factory told you," Midori pointed out, expression flat and unamused. Momoi flinched as if struck before turning her gaze to look at me for support.

"I agree with your sister, Ms. Momoi. I understand your desperation in saving what you love," I answered, one hand idly playing with my hair as I carefully selected my words. "But you launched this expedition with incomplete intelligence. We were fortunate that it was accurate, but I would advise more caution in the future."

"We didn't even find the ," Midori groused.

"That's because we don't need it!" Momoi answered cheerfully. "Don't you remember? Making the game's just one of our two conditions to saving the club!"

Midori and I both side-eyed each other. The two of us both seemed to have come to the same conclusion at the same time. Midori frowned before slowly responding, "Hold on. Onee-chan, don't tell me you're thinking—"

"That's right!" Momoi interrupted, cheerful smile back in force, "We're going to pretend Arisu is a Millennium Student and have her join our club!"

The mention of her name drew Alice's attention towards us and away from the electronic device that Suzumi was trying to keep away from the Robot girl. She let go of the device, sending Suzumi tumbling away, before taking a seat at the coffee table with us.

"Request Detected: Update Affiliation. Confirm Update to Millennium Game Development Department?"

I don't know if any of the girls had noticed it, but Alice's speech was improving at a notable pace. She still had a strange metronomic rhythm to her emphases, but her tonality was slowly shifting. It sounded less like pre-programmed lines and closer to Arona.

"That's right!" Momoi answered amidst my musing, "You're one of us now!"

"Confirmed: Affiliation Updated to Millenium Game Development Department."

That might be simple for Alice to say, but there was just one problem. "Ms. Momoi, your plan may have merits, but how exactly do you intend to enroll Ms. Alice into Millennium?"

Momoi opened her mouth, a confident smile ready to explain her plan, before she paused. Her eyes slowly tracked down to where my lanyard and my Schale Advisor card sat. Then her eyes slowly tracked back up. I smiled encouragingly as our eyes met. After a moment, the gears spinning behind her frozen expression, she answered, "I'm gonna ask some friends to take care of it."

"Excellent answer."

"I don't think this is a good idea, Onee-chan," Midori muttered before pointing at Alice, "Alice might look like a Student, but it's going to fall apart the second she says something!"

"It's not that bad," Momoi replied glibly as she waved off her sister's concerns.

Midori and I both stared at Momoi, then at each other, and finally at Alice. After a moment, Midori groaned and asked the Robot girl, "Arisu, what do you think about video games?"

"Request Detected," Alice intoned, tilting her head slightly before straightening and continuing, "Video Games. Checking Database. An Electronic Game That Involves Interaction With a User Interface or Input Dev-"

Midori's head met the surface of the coffee table with a resoundingthud. "She's going to blow her cover the second the Demon Queen asks her anything! We can't hope to pull this off!"

Silence filled the room. Even Alice looked mildly concerned, slowly glancing from person to person.

"We have to," Momoi muttered finally, a frown on her face as she spoke seriously, "I'll do whatever it takes if it means saving the Game Development Department. Yuzu can't go back to the dorms. She'll have nowhere to go if we don't do this."

Midori was silent before the green-clad girl sighed and answered, "I know…"

I wonder if there was something about me that drew underdogs to me. Or, in this case, made me ideal to have underdogs passed to me. Was there something about my air or appearance? Still, I didn't need Suzumi's sympathetic look or Yuuka's request to influence my choice.

I just saved a district, and now a club needed saving. What's the difference, at the end of the day? No matter the size of the dream, It was my duty and responsibility to see it through.

"You will not do so alone," I finally declared, drawing the attention of the twins and Alice. "I may not understand the object of your passions, but I understand well the desire to fight for the people closest to you. I know what it is like to fear the loss of those you held dear. The need to do whatever you can to save who you can."

I paused to look upon them with a confident smile. "So, if you will have me, I will be happy to provide whatever aid I can."

Suzumi shook her head with a slight smile at my declaration and sighed, "I don't know much about programming or game design, but I'm happy to help you and Sensei when I can."

Midori looked at me with awe, while Alice had what seemed to be glints of curiosity behind her eyes. Momoi, however, had fallen back and was pointing at me with a wavering finger.

"It's true," The pink-clad twin muttered, barely holding back a laugh, "You really do like to give speeches! The forums were right!"

Her barely restrained giggles lasted until Midori slowly reached over, awe still clear in her shining eyes, and gave her sister a slap upside the head.

My speech did seem to have its intended effect on rallying the twins. After a brief break for snacks and brainstorming, everyone had reconvened around the coffee table. Momoi spoke as soon as everyone had taken their seats. "Alright, Arisu has the looks down, so we just need a few more things. I'll take care of getting her registered and having a student ID made."

"Nelson-Sensei, Midori, Morizuki-Senpai," Momoi said as her finger slowly panned across the three of us, "I want you to teach Aris how to hold a conversation. We want her to be able to convince Yuuka that she's a Millennium student!"

"Of course." "Sure…" "I'll see what I can do." I answered along with Midori and Suzumi. Momoi nodded happily before standing up with a cheerful smile.

"Good! I'm counting on you three!" And with that cheerful encouragement, the pink-clad girl skipped out of the room. The three of us stared at the door, hearing the sound of Momoi's footsteps slowly fade into the distance, and then slowly turned to look at each other. Alice watched all of us curiously as an unsteady silence filled the room.

"Sensei," Midori finally said, a frown on her face as she turned to look at me with worry clear in her eyes, "You're a Teacher. You should know how to teach someone how to hold a conversation, right?"

Suzumi joined the green-clad girl, the two of them looking at me for leadership. After a moment, I relented and admitted, "I could attempt to use some of my own memories of etiquette school, but… well," I paused to motion about myself vaguely, "she may end up sounding like myself."

Suzumi and Midori both frowned at that answer. They both, at once, glanced at Alice. The black-haired girl stared back before tilting her head curiously. The two looked back at each other before nodding in agreement.

"I… that might not be a good idea." Midori admitted. There was pain clear in her expression as she imagined the result.

"Nelson-Sensei's speech is too distinct," Suzumi agreed with a nod, "Hayase-san will know Alice learned from Nelson instantly."

I frowned at the admissions. This wasn't the first time someone told me that I had a distinct speech pattern. "Is it really so noticeable?"

"Sensei, don't take it the wrong way, but… You sound like someone from a historical play." Midori nodded as she stammered, smiling an uneasy, nervous smile.

I turned to Suzumi, and the one-winged girl actively avoided meeting my eyes. I stared, and as she turned slightly pink, she finally answered, "It's not that bad if you were in Trinity..."

I kept staring. After a moment, she continued her answer, "It's not that bad if you were in Trinity's rich upper class."

"Is that truly the case? I could not possibly sound that out of place, could I?" I groused as I rubbed the bridge of my nose in bemusement.

"Request Detected," All three of us froze at the metronomic declaration and instantly turned to Alice. The Robot girl tilted her head slightly in thought before she righted herself with a slight smile. "Database Entry Located: Old-Fashioned. Definition: In Accordance with Styles No Longer Current." She nodded, her smile growing slightly wider, "Example Sentence: Nelson-Sensei Uses Old-Fashioned Language."

Everyone was still staring at Alice, even as the pride rolled off her. Finally, Midori whispered, her voice quivering as she barely held back her laughter, "I guess we don't have to teach Arisu how to diss someone."

Suzumi giggled, even as Alice maintained her proud smile. I did not groan. That would be a negative reaction. Everything I knew and all my Crew's Memories told me that I should not display a negative reaction to a child improving their skills. So, I kept a stiff upper lip and tried to shake off the emotional pain of having three different Students call me old-fashioned.

It didn't really work.

In the end, trying to teach Alice how to hold a conversation was both harder and easier than planned. The bulk of the work had to fall onto Suzumi and Midori, given that my apparently old-fashioned language was out. The problem was that Suzumi only had classical literature books in her school bag. Meanwhile, Midori was resorting to suspicious BlueTube videos.

Then Alice picked up a magazine with a review for the GDD's game, and that was the spark that Midori needed.

"Sensei, is it a good idea to learn from a video game?" Suzumi said slowly with a frown. The two of us watched Midori as she set up the console, while Alice followed the green-clad girl with an even expression and shining eyes.

I didn't exactly disagree. I might not quite understand video games, but they were a form of entertainment. Most of my memories eschewed using entertainment as an example for education. That being said, the concern was more around efficiency. And, well, my Crew's Memories had more than enough examples of learning to understand entertainment.

Finally, I answered with a shrug, "I doubt I would allow it were this a regular lesson. Be that as it may, there is no harm to it. It is no worse than learning from radio shows or penny dreadfuls."

Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at me. The seconds ticked by before I sighed and slumped, my hand coming up to rub the bridge of my nose. "My choice of examples is just cementing Alice's joke, is it?"

"It's not that bad, Sensei," Suzumi said as she patted my back placatingly, "At least you know how to use a cellphone."

"Maybe it's a good thing that we aren't having Nelson-Sensei teach Arisu after all," Midori added, as she went back to setting up the video game console.

GAME OVER

Everyone sat around the television and stared at the bright red text printed in bold. Alice stared in confusion. Midori was staring in embarrassment. Suzumi was watching with a passive, unamused look. I stared at the screen, trying to make sense of the text I had seen of the setting.

Momoi, however, was just busy laughing at the sudden death that came from following the tutorial. "It's not fun if you know what will happen! The trick is you should have pressed the A button there!"

"What are you doing here, Momoi?" Midori asked, seemingly grateful for the distraction, "I thought you were getting the Student ID."

Momoi paused in her mirth to look back at her sister. She blinked before answering, "Oh, I think I got there too late since no one was there. I'll go back tomorrow."

"Anyways, on second thought," Momoi continued as she turned back to the television. "I think the way we designed this scene is a little unfair."

Suzumi turned to look at the two twins, one eye cocked up in curiosity, "When was the last time a player trap in the tutorial was considered fun?"

"That's because it's a roguelike!" Momoi answered unhelpfully.

"All the narrative provided thus far paints the setting as science fiction set in the distant future," I pointed out before raising the box the game had been put in, "Yet the box describes it as a fantasy adventure. How can it be fantasy while still occurring in the future?"

"It was supposed to be a space opera, but… we got a little carried away." Midori at least looked embarrassed as she admitted that.

"A-again…" Alice suddenly said, cutting through the conversation, "Proposed Action: Resuming Game. Reasoning: Error. An Unexplainable Feeling Has Occurred."

"Oh! That's right! You must be feeling 'interest' or curiosity!" Momoi said excitedly.

Midori was less optimistic. "I'm going to guess it's "rage"…"

"Perhaps confusion?" I supplied.

Suzumi tutted in thought before adding, "I'd probably be upset if this happened."

Alice shook her head. "Undefined Error. Initiating Proposed Action. Reasoning: Replication of Previous Emotion. Restarting the Game."

GAME OVER

Everyone sat around the television as the sun began to set outside, staring at the bright red text printed in bold. Finally, after moments of silence, Momoi frowned and rubbed her chin in thought.

"Do you think the 'Hmph!' at the end is a little too much?" She asked aloud, still looking at the screen. "Now that I'm watching someone play it, it's a bit too cocky for a scrub, isn't it?"

Midori slowly turned to stare at her sister, disbelief clear on her face. She spoke slowly, emotions uncertain in her tone, "I don't think that's the biggest issue here, Momoi."

"The bigger issue would be how there's an enemy that can one-shot the player in the tutorial area," Suzumi pointed out, her hands clasped together in front of her face as she watched the gameplay with undisguised horror.

"I know the design is unfair, but could we please focus on the other issue?" I asked as I scanned through the manual's descriptions of the games enemies. "Why does the puny slime talk and fire a gun when the guide says they are unintelligent creatures?"

"Well, you see, the setting guide is a diegetic work that was—"

"It has lies in it." Suzumi cut Momoi off as her face sunk into her hands. "Because this is a roguelike."

"Operational Error. Restarting Systems." Alice intoned with a frown clear on her face. She seemed to dissociate for a split second, much to Midori's fright, before snapping back into reality. "Resuming Functionality. Systems Imitated. Database Updated: Puny Jelly is Equipped with Lethal Weaponry. Caution Required While in Range. Directive Added: Navigate and Exterminate Puny Jelly."

"See!" Momoi said, pointing to the Robot girl as Alice picked up the controller once more, "She's starting to get it! Learning things little by little until you learn it all! That's the allure of retro games!"

GAME OVER

Everyone sat around the television as the evening sun peeked through the blinds, staring at the bright red text printed in bold.

Then, as if time resumed, Alice suddenly fell backwards onto the floor. She hit the floor and cried out, "Warning: A Critical Processing and Comprehension Error Has Occurred!"

Momoi was sitting next to Alice, patting the girl on the shoulder. "Come on, Arisu! If you can get past here, it'll be the long-awaited climax!"

"The Final Demon King Infinite Type's Grand Slicer Edge of End does too much damage for you to survive," Suzumi warned, sitting on the other side as she stared at the text with narrowed eyes. "I think you need to stop defending early on and just blitz him before he hits his enrage turn."

"We really messed up on this part too... We should have made the hint to debuff the boss more clear," Midori muttered, staring at the text.

"Query: Why Is the Protagonist's Mother a Love Interest and Why Was She My Wife in a Previous Life?" Alice asked, concern clear on her face, "Additional Query: Why Did the Protagonist's Half-Friend Time-Travel to Court the Mother? Error: Term Half-Friend Not Defined."

"And why did the dragon army from the sixth chapter just vanish? I would imagine this would be the moment for them to return."

Alice didn't seem to take my observation that well, as she cried out, "E-error! Initiating Reboot!" and shut her eyes, deep in thought. She paused, taking a deep breath, before opening them again with fresh determination.

"System Restore Complete. Observation: This is... Your Game." She nodded to herself, a smile on her face, "Restarting Play."

TRUE END

Everyone sat around the television as the light of streetlights bled through the blinds, staring at the sparkling gold text printed in bold.

Then Alice flopped onto her back, exhaustion etched in her face. "Prithee… slay… me…"

Suzumi rubbed the Robot girl's shoulder placatingly even as Momoi clapped her hands in delight.

"That was incredible, Arisu!" The pink-clad girl yelled, excitement bleeding into the volume of her voice, "Sure you had two devs with you, but you still managed to get the true ending in three hours!"

"Say, everyone…" Midori's response was a bit more subdued, as she stared at Alice with a concerned frown, "Is it just me… Or has Aris's way of talking become even weirder after playing our game?"

We all turned to look at the girl in question. Alice blinked at the sudden attention, tilted her head in thought, and nodded. "If Thou Desire Mine Opinion, Hero, Then I Say Truly."

Silence filled the room at that answer.

"Perhaps we should have elected for something with a more contemporary setting, but it seems that the methodology is effective," I finally concluded, with everyone nodding in agreement.

"It's definitely awkward, but at least she's speaking in normal sentences." Midori added, before pausing and glancing with a light flush. "It's a little awkward to ask this, but I need to know."

"How was our game?" Midori finally asked. The twins slid up to Alice as Midori asked, their faces filled with cheerful smiles and curiosity sparkling in their eyes.

"Did you have fun?!" They asked in unison.

Alice pushed herself up, blinking in curiosity as she tilted her head in thought. "Request Received. Term 'Fun' Not Found."

"Eh?" "But why?!" Midori and Momoi cried out in shock, even as Alice closed her eyes.

"Initiating Search. Loading Response…"

Everyone waited with bated breath as Alice remained silent for several quiet seconds. Then her eyes fluttered open. "Fun… Confirm'd."

Momoi clapped happily at the answer, while Midori sat down with a sigh of relief.

"The More I Did Play," Alice continued, eyes closed in thought, "The More I Did Feel as I Wast Conveyed to a New World. Verily, 'twas As If a Dream.

"I… Crave More…"

Alice fell silent before slowly looking at the floor. The room fell silent, waiting for what was to follow. Then a single tear fell from the corner of her eye. Followed by another tear, and then a stream.

Suzumi, Momoi, and Midori immediately began to fuss over the crying Robot girl even as I stood by awkwardly. There was something fascinating about watching how quickly she was growing beyond the computer-like entity we found in the Ruins. But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a bit strange about it. There was something unfortunately familiar about the idea of someone trying to become human.

I'm not sure if I was still doing a convincing job of it myself.

"Thank you, Arisu! Your tears mean more to me than all the negative reviews." Momoi's cry broke through my thoughts, the pink-clad girl grasping Alice's hand. "I just wished Yuzu was here to see this!"

Everyone paused as a rattling noise echoed from the cleaning supply locker, turning to stare at the metal container.

"I—I was watching all along…" A voice muttered. The locker next to me shook, and the door slowly creaked open. A small girl with hip-length salmon-pink hair peeked out. She had zipped up her oversized white jacket to the top. It was almost like a mini-dress. I might not be quite as technologically savvy as anyone in the room, but even I recognized the power button motif that formed her orange halo.

Yuzu Hanaoka, the head of the Game Development Department. The last member I had yet to meet.

"Yuzu!" Momoi greeted the club head, waving with cheer aplomb.

"We couldn't find you anywhere!" Midori added, "How long have you been hiding in the locker?"

"S-since you guys got back from the Ruins," Yuzu answered, her voice unsteady and light. She sounded like she was going to vanish if anyone paid attention to her.

"Ah!" Midori exclaimed, palm meeting her face, "Were you scared of all the new people? You should have said something! I could've gotten them to wait outside if you needed the space!"

"I apologize for imposing." "Sorry!" I apologized alongside Suzumi, my one-winged aide bowing earnestly.

"Anyways, I think an introduction is in order!" Momoi said, "Arisu, meet Yuzu, the head of the Game Development Department!"

Yuzu slowly paced out of the cleaning supply locker, looking between Suzumi and I with wary eyes. Still, the timid girl slowly made her way to Alice, the room watching her curiously. The Robot girl tilted her head curiously as Yuzu came to a stop in front of her. She reached out and softly grabbed one of Alice's hands.

"Um… so… I mean…" Yuzu mumbled quietly, "Th…th… Thank you."

Alice tilted her head curiously even as Yuzu continued to speak. "Thank you for saying… The game was fun. And thank you… for crying over our game. It really means a lot.

"I've always wanted to hear someone call our game fun... and to say they wanted to play again."

Alice blinked before grasping Yuzu's solitary hand with both her own. She locked eyes with the timid club head and smiled blindingly before speaking with a soft but firm voice, "Thou Hast Done Well to Forge an Experience. I Ask Thee, Mayst I Join Thee in Thy Endeavours?"

"O-of course!" Yuzu answered with a teary smile.

AN: Alice has joined the party! Although much of her may appear the same, she's already got a slightly different appearance to canon thanks to Suzumi and Nelson's contributions.

The relatively shorter length of Volume 2 Chapter 1 means I might not be able to get as much as I want done with her relating to Nelson, but I'm going to try. There's a lot for me to consider.

Thanks again for my friend for beta reading! Please let me know if any misspelled Millenniums snuck through.