Chapter Text
Sensei
Are you en route?
HakariAtsuko sent you an emoji.
Is this the right one?
nearly there
BigBadAub02 sent you an emoji.
this ones better
Arius Squad's life hasn't changed much.
They're constantly on the move, traveling around the black market and borders of different academies.
One thing that did change, however, is that Trinity forces aren't tailing them all day long and trying to apprehend them anymore.
Officially, Arius Squad is still a wanted felony group in Trinity.
Realistically, Trinity is at this point, leaving them alone, as long as they don't ever come back to their campus.
Thanks to the care packages and the humanitarian program for Arius Satellite School, founded and pushed by Kirifuji Nagisa.
And an autobiography from a group of Arius students, edited and published by Schale in collaboration with the Library Committee.
The seed of understanding and empathy has been sowed, thanks to their effort. Now, it needs some time to take root.
So before that, Arius Squad will remain on the run.
They'd remain almost completely radio-silence; wi-fi and GPS aren't always available in places they stay.
Plus, they never stay in one location for more than a few days, unless it's prepared by a certain adult that cares too much.
A certain adult who despite all that, can somehow manage to find them whenever they're in a pinch.
"......"
Daytime is when the Squad members can spend their personal moments.
And of course, they (mostly Misaki) had their protocols against accidents sorted out beforehand.
Comms windows in every hour, multiple rally points, and finally: if all else fails, go to Schale ASAP.
Atsuko turns off her phone after texting, as usual.
She has been fake-shopping in this convenience store for a good ten minutes now, time to leave before the staff makes her.
Her steps are lilt and her expression soft, carrying herself to the direction where her heart is tugged toward.
Hopping on a folding kick scooter (that she robbed from delinquents bulling Hiyori), the Princess of Arius continues her little suburban journey.
Everything is so similar, yet so different.
Cracked pavements, shattered shop signs, and stray cats darting away from her presence.
Her wine-red eyes are taking it all in, full of curiosity.
And oh, traffic lights!
Atsuko recollects the lessons from the adult; the one that she likes: red for stop and green for go.
...But it's blinking in yellow now? A frown emerges from her pretty yet confused face.
After a second of hesitation, she decides to clutch on the brakes and observe the sudden predicament.
"!..." Inertia almost sends the entire scooter pivoting forward as the traffic begins to flow at the now-green light.
She makes herself mental notes as she lets out a sigh of relief. Yellow for dangerous.
Atsuko gathers herself as she adjusts the scooter. ...And no more sudden brakes.
"I see you adopted yourself a noble steed." The passing traffic speaks in a distant voice.
Or at least, that's what she thought at first before recognizing the person.
Through the bustling vehicles, there he stands right across the road.
He looks the same in her recent memory: a black polo shirt, wolf gray combat pants, tan boots, and a dark green pack.
Even down to the accessories as well: an analog watch, shades, and most importantly: a transparent locket with a blue pedal inside.
"Sensei." The Princess mutters under her breath.
There's an urge to ride straight through the traffic rising in her heart, but no, he will scold her for that.
"Good morning-!" She raises her voice along with her arms for a greeting.
The traffic finally comes to a stop as the light for the vehicles turns red.
Atsuko immediately rides her way across the street, stops by him with a (slow!) brake, and dives into his embrace.
"Woah there," Sensei returns the greeting at last, right into her dome. "Morning, Atsuko."
He wraps his one arm around her while holding the abandoned steed with another.
She's mushing her lilac-purple head into his chest, feeling every inch of the fabric and the vibrant life pulsing beneath.
If only- No. She quickly discards the idea that's barely an idea.
The silent hum of the locket right at her face reminds her of the business.
"Let's go, Sensei," Atsuko languidly pries herself off of his chest. "I found a place."
"Whatever you say," Sensei offers a hand, letting his Princess lead the way.
He sounds relaxed and more dulcet than usual; even when compared to his off-duty mode in Schale.
My flower. Atsuko muses as she takes back her wheeled steed from her tutor.
She's happy that he's happy. That's what matters.
The two walk side-by-side down the tattered road in serenity, hands holding firmly.
"Got any ideas in mind?" Auburn prods at his prodigy.
"Hmm..." Ruby eyes wander around the street scenery, searching for answers that aren't even there.
The torn buildings remain quiet, the grayish-blue sky says nothing, and the adult beside her patiently awaits.
Atsuko replies regardless; the answer lies within already.
"Yes."
At the border of the Gehenna and the untamed nature, there's an area so remote that the Prefect Team can't reach.
For good reasons; there's not much out there other than shabby sheds, mortar craters, and a line of trees taking over the horizon.
What they don't know is that in those sheds, dwells a small community away from the campus.
Some are here for the peace and quiet; a rarity in Gehenna, some are wanted felonies who are "not going back" in their words.
Some are here to try out new explosives and ordnance, some are here for the beauties hidden in the forest nearby... and hunting them down.
It doesn't have a real name, not officially; slum, haven, bivouac... People call it many things, and it can be any if not all of them.
In here, regular Gehenna students live right next to criminals of the region, and even outsiders from other academies.
This is where Arius Squad is settling in for the time being.
They have a relatively well-built shed made of 2x4s, steel rebars, tarps, ripcords, and sheet metals.
The locals gave them that place; the previous owner ventured into the forest and never returned, other residents believed it was cursed.
Next to the building, there's also a small square of (mostly) grass and flowers, fenced by wooden stakes and black-and-yellow hazard tape.
"Here," Atsuko leads the adult into their humble abode.
Inside are several sleeping bags laid on top of cots, and a couple of backpacks, sizes ranging from big to BIG.
Other than that, not much else; laying baggage out makes leaving urgently difficult.
She goes straight for one of the backpacks; it's easily a 30-liter plus pack, but it's the smallest among the bunch.
On the side of the pack, there's a big flower chain sheltered by a layer of greenhouse net with a metal wire as the skeleton of it.
Unlike what he used to see, it mainly consists of roses in different colors, decorated with vines, leaves, and Hydrangeas.
It takes him another few seconds to realize that those are the flowers he gave her a while ago.
Guess that's better than dry flowers. He muses at the paranormal artifact of positivity.
Atsuko digs out a small, wrinkly zipper bag containing some seeds. "These are the same as the ones outside."
"Do you know what kind of flower these are?" Sensei prods as he takes a brief look at them.
The flowers outside vary in colors of yellow, purple, and magenta, with elegant, six-pedaled blooms.
A faint fragrance carried through the air as he walked by; fresh, crisp, and slightly fruity.
"I do," Her usual fleeting smile deepens. "Freesias; a symbol of friendship and trust. It's written in the book."
"Fitting," He offers a pampering headpat. "You did your homework."
"I did," The Princess hums at his gentle touch and his dulcet voice. "More than just reading the book."
She clears out a vacant spot at the center of the floor, continuing her demonstration.
Auburn simply steps aside and keeps his eyes open and vigilant as his little disciple does her things.
Atsuko grabs a metal lid of her lunch box, pours the seeds in there, and places it on the ground.
"Spare no effort; anything to keep you focused and in the zone, I won't judge."
"And remember," He reminds her of a crucial detail. "Externalize the backlash, try to guide it onto something insignificant around you."
"......" Around the lid, she draws a circle with three arrows pointing at the center from 4, 8, and 12 o'clock positions.
"!..." Auburn almost jumps from his spot when she does that.
Coincidence. It's gotta be. He talks to himself in denial. There's no way.
Atsuko doesn't realize her tutor's internal turmoil, her focus is solely on what's before her.
She pulls out two more paranormal artifacts: her mask, and her flower-like hover drone.
Based on his previous observation; these are all powered and controlled by Atsuko's EVE (or Mystic in Kivotos' terms).
Their functions are simple: reduction or mitigation of external traumas and pain they inflicted.
Firearms will lose their momentum significantly once entering their effective range.
And interestingly enough, they seem to perform exceptionally well against paranormal attacks.
General mid to low-intensity spells and psychic manipulations are ineffective against her as long as she has these items activated.
The only thing that may stand a chance is compound attacks; weapons combining firearms with magic.
"......" Such as halo-destroying ordnances. Another unwelcomed flashback resurfaces his mind.
"Please." A muffled call from Atsuko interrupts his mind-wandering.
She takes both knees as her mask comes to life in a blue-ish cyan sheen, and the drone deploys, radiating the same light.
The drone hovers just above her and casts a rim of blue light circling her and the lid containing the seeds.
Auburn funnels his focus down on her as well; if anything goes wrong, he has to intervene for the sake of her safety.
He can sense the wild EVE in the air dance and course around her; a windless draft, then a silent parade within her hands.
In his silver eyes, it's an odd sight; nothing is happening, but it's demanding his attention.
It feels like seeing someone point a gun at someone else in the crowd; the look of the gunner, the victim, the gun, none escaped him.
"......" Atsuko interlocks her fingers. His lesson echoes in her head again.
The key to thaumatology, is willpower, creativity, and most importantly, perspective. Her perspective.
What do I think of you? See of you? Wishes you to be?
The wild EVE probing around her settles down as she weaves her thoughts and will into reality.
Flowing smoothly into and around her opened palm, the paranormal energy obeys the Princess' wordless order.
Like soldiers under the flag; the particles unify, organize, and chant the same tune in harmony.
"......" One final touch.
Atsuko gestures at the subject before her.
I've always wanted to apologize.
For the damage Arius done, back when the sky of Trinity was tainted by fire and smoke.
The damage carried out by our, by my hands.
I was but a lost pawn, letting the tide of fate take me to wherever I was destined to be.
I bear the name of the Princess, yet among all involved, I was the powerless one.
I was powerless to change Arius, to change my dearest family, to change myself.
You were different.
You fought with all you have, all you can, shouldering all the pain at the top of the pyramid.
Even at the nadir of your life, you remained elegant, facing the impending doom with grace.
And in the end, find salvation from a certain someone.
I'm happy for you.
......
I heard you like flowers.
So here I offer you the seeds of our friendship and trust.
May one day, they will bloom, vast and beautiful, and ever-lasting.
May one day, the students of Trinity and Arius can witness them together.
Facing the bright future of no more tears, conflicts, and pain between us.
And know that nothing was, is, and will never be in vain.
"------" A muffled exhale escapes from the caster.
The mask's cyan glow has disappeared, and the shut-down drone has landed on her hand, fulfilling its duty.
The lid before them has lost its metallic glow and is pitted with rusty spots.
What's inside, however, is a completely different story.
"Looks good," Auburn takes a knee beside his exhausted student and offers a supporting hand.
The now thaumatically-enhanced seeds sit idly within their container, which became the victim of the directed backlash.
"I'd say that's an A+." He praises her as Atsuko pries her mask off with a deep breath.
She gazes at her handiwork; the intangible power emanating from them is a good sign.
Like a song strumming through the stereo, she can feel its hum even from here.
"Mhm." Another tune of happiness is playing in her heart. A+ means extra rewards. "Thanks, Sensei."
He checks his watch: 4:47 p.m. "We still got some time." He quickly adds.
"Pack that up," Sensei stands up and dusts his knee. "And let's go."
Atsuko follows suit as she pours her craft back into the wrinkly packet. "Go? To where?"
"Shopping," Sensei addresses his ulterior motive with a smile. "New lunch box, a gift wrapping, and your reward."
"We can spend the rest of the afternoon in a mall, then we grab dinner the Misaki and Hiyori, how's that?"
Wine-red eyes widen and brighten upon hearing the plan. "......"
"Sure," And a responding smile blooms from her face, prettier than ever. "It's a date."
"Whatever you say," Sensei makes a dramatic pose and offers his hand, like a gentleman (that he barely is) inviting her for a dance.
The Princess takes it with equal grace and elegance. The title forced upon her may not be all bad after all.
"Might have to leave your noble steed behind though, I don't think it's rated for a big man like me."
"Then we should hurry," Atsuko replies as she hooks her arms over his. "Mr. Big Knight."
In the story, it is always said that someone with a title like hers should act for the greater good.
They should think bigger, see farther, and if necessary, put themselves before those who are beneath them.
"......" She's in no such story.
She has a little world with everyone and everything she loves and is loved by.
And among them, there's him.
Atsuko tugs his arms closer as they leave the shed and away from the community.
Today, she gets to let a small part of her desire run free.
And she's certain she'll enjoy every single second of it.