Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Gehenn…?”

She glanced out towards the train station, blinking in disbelief - before silently chewing her cheek with a furrowed brow to match.

“Did that announcer just say… Gehenna?”

Oh no.

“Got to run, sorry!”

Nakamasa Ichika glanced back and quickly sprinted off, leaving the other occupant of the tent in the dust. A few frantic minutes of running later, she finally entered the train with seconds to spare, bundling herself into the quickly closing train doors - much to the silent displeasure of the occupants.

Alright… I made it! Now, what did Hasumi say… go to the luggage car, get the bag… and I’ll swap for a Trinity-bound line at the next station… I just have to make it back by tonigh-

Several thoroughly unimpressed railroad workers peeked over the bar - much to Ichika’s nervousness as she stepped through the somewhat crowded carriage.

“You’ve got this, Ichika. Deep breaths. Things don’t always go according to plan… Some days, nothing goes your way. And that’s okay… hahaha!”

A pair of wicked-looking eyes caught her attention as Ichika glanced back - but not before hearing a shout, and bullets flying.

We-he-he! A Justice Task Force member - on a Gehenna train? This will be fun.

“Why're you all the way out here in the sticks, Trinity girl? Well - seeing as we’ve already jumped into boiling water together… we might as well work with each other to get out! Follow me!”

Kinugawa Kasumi returned fire on the train workers, and flashed a grin as she strolled over towards Ichika - who sprinted into the cargo carriage, causing the Gehenna student to raise a curious eyebrow before following. Ichika glanced around the area with a somewhat strained smile - hearing ruffling in the crates, as well as a quiet thumping.

I don’t think this is the luggage car… where’s the bag?

“What’s that noise?”

THUMP

“Um…?”

THUMP

“Doesn’t matter. Go check-”

Ichika was playfully shoved over towards the ruffling boxes - with the Trinity student gently peeking inside - and slapping Kasumi’s face with a suddenly extended wing as she scrambled back, pointing to the crate.

“OW!”

”There’s someone in the crate!”

THUMP

“Heh. Sure.”

Ichika nodded, getting to her feet and carefully reaching for the lid - with Kasumi folding her arms and leaning forward. As she opened the box, she saw two blue-red eyes peeking out at her from the gloom - and nervously slid the lid off. The eyes blinked, before a pair of jet-black hands rose from the packing material and rubbed them, with a quiet groan emanating from the vocal chords. Ichika nervously gulped, noticing the somewhat unimpressed glare that the “box-being” was now giving her.

”Get. Me. Out.”

As if to pronounce her simmering mood, she spat a packing peanut towards Kasumi.

“HEY!”

Kasumi promptly retaliated by drawing her pistol - before Ichika raised her wing in front of the pistol’s barrel and shook her head, using her other hand to point towards the creature’s hair. Kasumi peeked over - and blinked in disbelief as Ichika lowered her wing.

”Wait… see?”

Kasumi’s eyes widened as she slowly holstered her pistol, her eyebrows raising in suspicion, then surprise. The eyes glared towards Kasumi, who stepped forward - and froze as it spoke.

”Who the hell are you, and why am I in this box.”

THUMP-THUMP-THUMP

“Um… that’s another sound.”

”Mhm. Should I…”

The blue eyes of the box-being glanced towards the crate - and watched as a fist punched through the solid wood, while Kasumi and Ichika heard a gasp for air. Ichika carefully stepped over, slowly aiming her gun - and watched as the hand carefully tapped the wooden top.

As Kasumi glanced at the arm, she noticed that it was the same colour as the one belonging to the pair of eyes. Ichika leant forward, tapping the lid - and slowly blinked in disbelief as the hand thumped back. A few packing peanuts were spat out of the hole in the top of the box, narrowly missing Ichika’s ever-present smile.

”Okay. So that’s not oxygen deprivation, there really is someone in this room. Mind helping me out?”

”Of course… Just give me one second…”

Ichika pulled the lid off, unceremoniously discarding it on the floor before she proceeded to walk back over and grab the hand, beginning to tug quite hard - before the box tipped over, and out came a large amount of packing peanuts… alongside a rather large woman, who tumbled out and groaned loudly. She slowly stretched her legs and arms as Ichika glanced down and noticed the absence of feet, glancing back at Kasumi - who raised an eyebrow of both amusement and interest, before hearing the box closest to her grumble.

“A-hem.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll let you out… heh heh…”

Kasumi offered a hand towards the box - which was promptly taken, as she began to pull back with a loud grunt of effort. Another rather large woman came from the wooden crate closer to Ichika, with a somewhat unfriendly expression on her face as she emerged.

Ichika watched as they both shook the packing peanuts from their hair, before they got to their…

Nubs?

Feetpads?

Right now, she wasn’t sure what to call them.

Kasumi gulped as she watched the pair stand up and ascend to their full height - their heads scraping the top of the carriage. Ichika slowly craned her head upwards, offering a hand… which the taller one grabbed and slowly shook. The smaller of the two peeked over towards Ichika, noticing the similar colouring they shared - as the taller folded her arms towards Kasumi.

“Ah…”

“Who are you…?”

“We-he! Where’s the fun if I just tell you?!”

Ichika gently exhaled from her nose, offering her hand towards the shorter one, who was still far taller than either of them - a fact that made Ichika somewhat worried as the shorter of the two grasped her hand and shook it tightly.

”Nakamasa Ichika. Are you with the Justice Task Force?”

What the hell is the Justice Task Force?

“We’re from the… Nation of Eusan.”

The taller one immediately glared over towards her compatriot, who ignored her superior’s withering look and smiled warmly as Ichika watched the facemask retract underneath her cheeks.

“Star, we’re in hostile territory, and you-”

“They’re children, Storch.”

Kasumi furrowed her brows as she regarded the Star with anger - whereas Ichika scratched her head as she came to a realisation.

“Hey! We’re not-”

“Wait… Eusan? That doesn’t… sound like anywhere in Kivotos…”

What’s Kivotos?

Ichika glanced up with worry as her smile dropped - and Kasumi glanced over the pair, sizing them up with a quiet hmm . Suddenly, her eyes lit up - and she grinned, pointing to the carriage in front.

“We-he-he… doesn’t matter! We could always use the help to charge through! They seem tough.”

”What about-”

Kasumi merely waved Ichika’s concern away with a laugh, before beginning to rummage through the boxes and chew her cheek.

“Wahaha… Got to be something here somewhere…!”

Opening a box, Kasumi’s eyes lit up - and she grinned, pulling out and tossing a heavy helmet over towards the Storch, who studied it with slight suspicion and gently knocked it, checking the thickness.

“We-he… I think Rabu won’t mind these missing helmets, will she…”

“Who’s-”

“Doesn’t matter, just put them on!”

Kasumi grinned as she watched Ichika grab a helmet and throw it towards the Star - who wore it quickly, connecting the chinstrap - and squatting down to Ichika’s eye level.

“Wait, erm… are these bulletproof?”

“They are.”

The Star nodded, hearing a quick tik-tik-tik - and glanced down at Ichika, who was using her phone to type a quick message. Kasumi smiled as the Storch looked down with slight concern towards the coat-clad girl, noticing her lack of armour or battle dress uniform.

“Don’t you need helm-”

“We’ll be fine! Come on, grab a gun and use it!”

The synthetics checked their holsters with steel-covered frowns, coming to the realisation that they were both unarmed. Ichika noticed and looked behind upon hearing footsteps - quietly sighing in relief as she saw two pink-clad figures run over, messing their hair back down to reveal fringes that covered their eyes. They quickly shed their hard hats, revealing berets and long draping hair - as well as their boiler suits, which gave way to a black skirt and blouse.

“Good thing I brought friends in disguise. Here, take these!”

The two girls handed the spare rifles over, the Star noticing that they were jet black - whereas the Storch glanced at the girls' regular rifles, which were coloured the same as Ichika’s.

“Got guns? Good - I hope you can keep up!”

Kasumi grinned, before charging forward, leading the pair of Justice Task Force members - and leaving Ichika in the dust with the Star and Storch, with the trip glancing nervously towards the ensuing chaos erupting in the carriage.

“It’s best to follow her…! We have the same goal… kind of!”

“Alright… fine. Don’t have to tell me twice.”

The Storch raced forward, following in Kasumi’s tracks.

“Wait, where are you go-”

The Star fell silent with a quiet sigh, watching Ichika follow suit as she walked through the remnants of the carriage - and past several unconscious students.

“Are they dead?”

“No, they’re just unconscious… no need to worry! Alright… let’s just follow them-”

“Come on, Storch! Let’s show them how it’s done!”

Ichika nervously laughed as she leant around the Replika’s waist, pointing towards the medium machine gun in front with a sweat-slicked brow - and pushing the synthetic hard enough to topple her to the floor.

“Hey-AH!”

“Watch out…!”

Ichika caught a burst of machine gun fire - and the Star watched as the girl merely grit her teeth and took it like a prizefighter, with the bullets scraping and bouncing off of her as she expertly returned fire.

How…

“THE HELL?!”

The Star peeked out from the aisle, aiming for the machine gunner’s feet - and squeezing out a three-round burst that caused the girl to trip and fall - with Ichika’s follow-up round to the face knocking her unconscious.

“Wahaha! This is the life! Who knew a Trinity kid could move like that?”

Kasumi merely smirked in response, elbowing Ichika in the side before strolling forward - and leading the small mob of teenage gangsters into the next car.

“Move along, move along! Let bygones be bygones, or something, Ichika - don’t give me that look, let’s get your bag! Should be happy, you know - my original plan was to derail the train with a bomb, then exploit the distraction by reaching out to other members of Gehenna!”

The Star blinked in disbelief before she stopped in her tracks, gripping her firearm tightly as she watched  Ichika being grabbed by the shoulder and pulled along.

”Wait - a BOMB?!”

“Don’t worry! As long as I’m still here, I won’t let them do it! You’ll be fine!”

The Storch shot a brief glare towards Kasumi as she gently dragged Ichika - whose forehead began to wrinkle slightly as the Gehenna student pointed forward.

“Don’t worry, hm? I can treat you to whatever you want after this…”

Not sure that’s going to work, considering we just arrived here…!

Should keep her calm… right?

“No more stalling! Come on, Ichika! If you don’t make it to the front, all of this will be for nothing!”

The ensuing charge through the carriages left the Storch and Star in the dust, with the pair lagging behind far enough to converse quietly. The Storch seemed somewhat displeased as she raised her visor and jerked her thumb towards the carnage in front - with the Star reading her faceplates, and responding with a slight hint of venom.

“The more time I spend around Kasumi, the less I think of her.”

“Only realising that now, are we?”

As the pair of Replika entered, they saw Ichika mumbling loudly to herself - stepping behind the girl as she slowly balled her hand into a fist with a heavily clenched jaw.

“Kasumi’s certainly no common criminal, and if I didn’t lose that bag, I wouldn’t be here right now…!”

“Come on - let’s go find your bag.”

Ichika blinked in surprise as she watched the Storch slam her visor down and storm off - before the Star crouched down to Ichika’s eye level and smiled warmly, patting her on the shoulder.

“You don’t have to shoulder everything alone, Ichika…”

The Star jerked her head forward, indicating for the girl to move into the next carriage - which she promptly did. As they both entered, they noticed that Kasumi had stopped - with her hands on her hips as she stared down a giant cannon.

“Wow. Now… that’s what I call prepared! Although, even I think a cannon’s a little dramatic! WELL - NO MATTER! GO FORTH, MY MINIONS! LEAVE NOTHING IN YOUR PATH! LET LOOSE YOUR WRATH ON THAT… FUNKY CANNON THING!”

A loud explosion and rattles of gunfire ripped through the carriage as the Storch charged with Kasumi - along with the rest of the mob, who turned and glanced outside towards the windows upon hearing a loud shout.

“EVERYONE STOP WHERE YOU ARE! DON’T MOVE A MUSCLE- OH, FORGET IT. BOARD!”

Ah, Shiromi Iori! Didn't think you’d be here!

Iori and her Prefect Team burst through the windows of the carriage with fields of fire and frowns, freezing the mob within seconds as they nervously brought their muzzles to the direction of the floor.

“This train is now under the authority of Gehenna’s Prefect team! All personnel and orders in this train will be under my… command…?”

Iori glanced up at the tall figures - who looked back down at her with a slight nervousness, before the Storch tried to break the ice.

The Star, meanwhile, glanced between an incensed Shiromi Iori… and the cannon right behind her. 

“Uh… hi?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to discuss this later?”

“No! I’d like to-”

The Star snapped her fingers and pointed to the cannon barrel with a somewhat amused tone.

“There’s something behind you.”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing behind… me…”

Iori raised an eyebrow of both suspicion and surprise, whereas the Storch slammed her facial visor back down and chuckled to herself - with both Replika scrambling behind the seats on either side of the aisle, Kasumi and Ichika stepping aside in tandem.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be taking cover…!”

“Why is there a giant cannon-”

BOOM!!!

The Storch groaned loudly as she watched Iori take the blast - and widened her eyes as the girl merely dropped to the floor, getting to her feet with bared teeth and a loud growl.

“Oh - I felt that one…!”

“She took a direct hit…!”

Iori stared over towards the three, not noticing Kasumi standing behind her with a slight smile.

“First of all, why is this train a warzone? Second of all, what’s a riot suppression artillery device doing here?!”

“Uh…”

“We didn’t do it.”

“You pair - I don’t know what you are or where you’re from, but you aren’t in the clear! You’re coming with me to the Prefect Team’s office, and you’re going to explain EVERYTHING.”

Iori swiftly turned at a quiet giggle from behind, snapping her fingers and scowling towards Kasumi.

“And as for you, Kasumi - you and every single criminal here are coming with me!”

A pin promptly dropped - as Kasumi silently lost her bravado and leant close, beginning to converse in nervous whispering towards Iori and the Gehenna prefects beside her. Ichika looked up towards the Star - who cocked her head as the girl began to talk with her, watching the synthetic lean on the chair.

”It’s actually pretty satisfying to watch her scramble for words. It seems the Gehenna Head President lives up to her reputation.”

“It is very satisfying, I agree… who’s the Gehenna Head President?”

“Ah, it’s-”

Kasumi glared over towards the three, and clicked her tongue with an indignant stare.

“Hey! This affects you three too, you know! You still think you’ll make it back to Trinity in time?”

Ichika folded her arms and gave the delinquent a smug smile, with the pair of synthetics changing their tune in an instant.

“Oh, no, no. I have nothing to do with you…”

“Huh, me neither… fun fight, though, Kasumi.”

“Mhm, same.”

Iori firmly shook her head, pointing towards the three with a noted frown as she holstered her rifle. The Star and Storch eased off slightly, whereas Ichika leant against the nearest upright chair.

“You’re all guilty by association. You’re required to come with me to Gehenna.”

Kasumi laughed, watching Iori reach for a pair of handcuffs and making mischievous eye contact with the Gehenna prefects flanking her.

“Heh! But… Iori dearest? Are you sure you don’t want to rethink what you just said? There’s not really any takebacks once you’ve said it out loud, you know…”

”What gibberish is coming out of your mouth right now?”

Kasumi’s expression changed into an unmistakable look of superiority as Iori furrowed her brow.

“Oh dear, oh dear. Maybe my wisdom is too difficult for you to understand. Take stock of the situation here, my friend… you went on to make such a bold claim! What was it again - me and “every single criminal here” are coming with you?”

The Storch glanced over towards the Star, and grinned - with the Star looking towards the Storch as they both smirked underneath their steel face visors, watching the ragtag groups of armed teenagers begin to bristle.

“Heh heh… The demographic here…”

“Heh. I think that might have upset every single person on this train…”

After another particularly quiet yet tense conversation between Kasumi and Iori, Ichika’s eyes shot wide as she realised just what was in Kasumi’s hand.

“Wait. Why is my bag in your hands right now?”

“Wahaha! The big reveal! Did you really think I would just sit here and wait around? While you were playing war with the cannon, I took a quick tour of the luggage car! But, unfortunately for you, miss Trinity… this is your insurance to make sure you still help me.”

Iori glared towards the trio with an unfriendly grumble as she sized the impromptu Justice Task Force members up.

“You two and the Trinity girl aren’t considering negotiating with this criminal, right?”

A thoroughly aggravated Ichika watched as Kasumi began to carelessly juggle the Trinity-stamped suitcase.

“Ichika…?”

Ichika sighed loudly as Iori folded her arms, pointing towards the bag with a scowl as Kasumi caught it in her hand.

“Is it over this? Who cares about this stupid bag-”

BANG!

Kasumi grinned as she watched Iori slump to the floor, before beginning to cackle.

“WAHAHAHA! I tried to warn you! I tried to warn you, and you didn’t believe me! Oh, Iori! My dear, foolish Iori! You know I’ll always emerge victorious, but that’ll never stop you from challenging me! Not like my adorable, obedient Cutie Pie over here.”

Kasumi grinned shamelessly as she ignored Ichika’s bubbling anger.

“Because until I hand over this bag, there’s nothing she can-”

Without warning, Kasumi fell to the floor like a ton of bricks.

Thump… CRASH!

The Storch and Star shared a glance, before watching Ichika step over to them and scratch her head.

“Ah. I shot her. Haha… I’ve really gone and done it now. My temper gets the best of me sometimes. I really am sorry.”

“Ichika…?”

“Yep! My bag really just fell right to the ground! Hahaha! No point in crying over spilled milk! Right now, that’s a future-me problem.”

Ichika’s fingers began to tremble as the gangsters around her watched in stunned silence.

“This whole thing is probably doomed. The relic definitely is. Probably. Who knows!”

The Star listened as Ichika’s tone turned into one of unmistakable aggrievement, with the Storch cautiously and quietly loading her rifle as she watched Ichika continue.

“Well, I really couldn’t tell you how we ended up here. I just feel as though it’s a bit unfair that I’m the only one who’s had to suffer. All. Day. Long.”

The tension could be cut with a knife as the ragtag groups paused for a brief thought, nervously glancing between each other and the Justice Task Force member…

“So why don’t every single one of you join me in hell?”

And just as the Storch gulped - and the Starling ducked behind the chair…

“Uh oh.”

All Hell broke loose - with the heavy din of Ichika’s gunfire being met by a whine of electric motors - and roaring miniguns.

Not that the opponents would bother Ichika, of course.

“She’s unstoppable…!”

Several explosions were heard, as well as a constant roar of gunfire - and Ichika championed through it all.

A few minutes of ear-ringing pierced by gunshots later, and the Star gently peeked up through half an inch of bulletproof glass towards Ichika - with the girl stumbling slightly as she turned towards the worried Replika.

“I can’t remember the last time I was this exhausted. I guess I’m not surprised, after all that fighting.”

”Ichika? Are you okay?”

“Haha, yeah… relic.”

The Storch glared down at the contents of the now-open box in disbelief - as did the Star, whose eyes bulged.

All this… for a TEACUP SET?

“You know… who cares? Who cares if it’s a teacup or a chamber pot, if I get in trouble or get fired? It’s all out of my hands. In my defence, they just said to bring it. They didn’t say it had to be intact. So… maybe I’ll get off with a warning! Hahaha!”

Ichika sighed loudly as she sat on one of the remaining chairs nearby, slamming her gun onto her lap and leaning back with a stress-filled groan.

“I’m sorry, you two… today didn’t go to plan at all. I really put my foot in it this time. I mean, things are a total disaster…! I accidentally showed you my absolute worst without even realising.”

The Storch quietly raised her visor, revealing a somewhat compassionate look on her faceplates as she relaxed by lazing on the chair.

“Why am I like this, what’s wrong with me? I’m pathetic…”

The Star leant forward slightly onto the table, relaxing with a smile on her face as the wood creaked quietly underneath her.

“I don’t think you’re pathetic.”

“But I made a pretty bad mistake earlier… it doesn’t add up… Didn’t I mess up pretty bad?”

“Technically, yes.”

“Storch agrees with me! Then why are you being so supportive, Star?”

The Storch sat on the chair and stretched, with Ichika watching as the Star turned her focus over towards her fellow Protektor unit with a notably unpleasant look.

“Well… that Kasumi really put us through the wringer. But I’ll be honest, Ichika - it was just as satisfying for me as it was for you… so I’m complicit!”

Ichika sat stunned for a few seconds, before she began to laugh quietly - and felt a ton of weight come off her shoulders.

“No way! You felt the same way too? So, I’m not crazy! You both get it! How is anyone expected to put up with that - and I did! For so long! You’re right! She did put us through it! I’ve endured enough! Hahaha!”

“Wahahaha!”

“I don’t like the way you’re laughing, Storch…”

The Star shot the Storch a glare as Ichika took a deep breath, as well as a loud sigh of relief as her wings spread outward.

“I feel better. Well, it is what it is. I’ll worry about the consequences when I have to face them. Don’t worry about anything, you two. I’ll include in my report that you both had no choice but to help me.” 

“Hold on, where are you going? I want to come with you.”

“Me too!”

Ichika let out a quiet hmm? of confusion as the robots got to their feet... nubs... whatever they were, she still didn't know.

“What do you mean? You want to tag along to… the Tea Party?”

“ I’ll go with you. We’ll apologise together.”

“Why would you say something like that? This was my fault, you have nothing to apologise for. If I hadn’t loaded the bag into the wrong cargo in the first place, none of this would have happened. It was me and my terrible personality that caused this. Why would you feel the need to apologise?”

“Well, at this point, we’re tagging along with you, for all it’s worth. I can’t deny, even though Kasumi might have been a cu-”

“STORCH, LANGUAGE.”

The Storch’s lips quickly sealed as she gave Ichika a thin smile, carefully reconsidering her choice of words as the Star shot a murderous look towards her.

“Even after what’s happened today, trial by fire though it may be… it’s a heck of an impression.”

“Mhm. Think of it this way - if you didn’t get on this train, you never would have met us. Besides, Ichika… your personality is great.”

“You’re being ridiculous. You should always speak with sincerity, you know. I’m aware I have a bad temper and an even worse personality - so I’m responsible for not making it other peoples’ burden. But, you both experienced it firsthand.”

Ichika blew air from her nose as she continued on, with the pair listening intently to her every word.

“I always lose my cool in the end. That’s who I am as a person. I just work really hard to give off a bubbly exterior that hides how volatile I am on the inside.”

The Star shrugged, seeming thoroughly unconvinced at Ichika’s self-critique.

“I’ll be honest - that’s fine. Ichika, today you put up your best effort to be good. That’s what matters.”

“Were you a teacher in a past life, Star? You have a way with words.”

The Storch quietly snickered, glancing towards Ichika with a smirk as she pointed a thumb towards the Star.

“While I personally don’t think so… you’ve got a point - she does indeed.”

The Star flashed a grin, before turning her head and looking over with an embarrassed smile towards the Storch.

“Stop it, Storch…”

“Hah… I’m glad I took this job today. I mean… the job itself didn’t go all that well… but, um, you both said you would come with me, right? To help tell Nagisa? I know I’m pushing your trust and asking for a lot… but… erm… you’re also the only ones who have seen the bad-tempered side of me. If you could keep this a secret from everyone back at Trinity…”

“Your secret’s safe with me.”

Ichika blinked a few times in sheer disbelief as to what she had just heard - as the pair grinned back.

“Aha… wow. Seems like you know me better than I thought, even though we just met… it’s a little bit annoying, being read like a book. But… I feel as though I can relax somewhat around you both. It’s nice.”

Ichika’s attention briefly wavered as she saw a hint of red in the distance.

“Hm? Wait, what’s that? There, by the bridge on the river. Do you see it?”

“Erm… is that a pile of explosives…?”

As she laid eyes on the pile, Ichika remembered what Kasumi had mentioned earlier.

As long as I’m still here, I won’t let them do it!

“Derail… the train…”

It won’t happen!

As long as I’m here!

Ichika gulped, before her brow began to sweat profusely.

“Aha. That’s what she meant. You never know with her. She goes too far with everything. With my whole heart and soul, I hate this.”

“We… may want to find some cover.”

“Agreed…!”

Aw, he-

BOOM!!!

A few hours later… and after several liberal applications of Repair Spray…

“I’m sorry!”

Kirifuji Nagisa watched as the Justice Task Force member bowed in front of her - and raised her brows mid-sip, somewhat confused at the sudden apology.

“What do you mean? Just what is it you’re trying to apologise for right now?”

“You haven’t seen the relic yet?”

“We… may have shattered the teacup set into a million pieces.”

Nagisa regarded the pair of synthetics with surprise and suspicion, before blinking and focusing on the shards.

“Ah, that’s not…”

Ichika gripped the handguard of her rifle tightly as Nagisa gently tilted her head - and smiled, exhaling quietly as she came to the realisation.

“Ah… I believe I understand the situation now. You see…”

Nagisa took a gentle sip of her cup, before placing it down daintily on the saucer and beginning to explain to the trio in front of her.

“I must apologise. It seems I may have put undue pressure on the three of you. To make things simple, it’s quite alright if it’s broken.”

The pair of Replika blinked in disbelief as they registered Nagisa’s answer with bemusement.

Huh?

“Come again?”

“What if it’s completely shattered?”

“My concern was the implications of the relic being lost. Its current state has no bearing.”

Ichika’s hold of her rifle loosened slightly as she heard Nagisa’s relaxed tone - with the Storch and Star easing in their posture as they listened to the winged woman speak.

“It’s a rather simple solution. As long as we’re in possession of it, any breakage can be restored. With the right craftsman, you can even restore a pulverised ancient tome to its original state. Something like this is actually easy.”

“Oh, and… Ichika, was it?”

”Yes? That’s me!”

Ichika beamed as Nagisa smiled warmly.

“Thank you for your help.”

Later that night…

”That was actually a little anticlimactic. Here I was, preparing a dramatic speech on why I deserved to keep my job at the Justice Task Force. An ending like this makes me feel a bit silly… I was so worried during that train ride, and for what?”

The Star smiled as she wiped the last pieces of soot from her face, gently coughing along with the Storch - who quietly chuckled to herself.

“Heh. I found that getting to know you was enough, Ichika.”

“What did I say about your way with words? You can’t go around disarming people like that, Star. It’s funny how I can feel like a little kid around you.”

Ichika peeked over the edge of the railing, noticing the Star’s height and wiping her brow.

“Although, compared to you…”

“You pretty much are.”

Ichika giggled as she relaxed slightly, being at eye level with the now-standing synthetics.

“Well, fine! I give in. Things have spiralled out of control, and I just don’t know anymore either…  I’m not holding back anymore! When I’m being a spoiled brat, you better remember that you’re the one who said it was okay!”

The Star nodded, folding her arms before leaning forward onto the railing - with a smirk directed towards Ichika.

“Heh, really now?”

“I said I wasn’t going to be a bother and contact you at random - but things are different now! Consider this my declaration of war - because I’m going to contact you whenever I feel like it! Remember - you brought this upon yourself! I’m going to become your most cumbersome friend!”

A brief pause came over Ichika as she smiled, looking up towards the Storch with a slight nervousness in her voice.

“T-that is okay, right?”

The Storch laughed, leaning back against the metal rail - her forearm draping over to the other side of the concrete wall as the Star quietly chuckled.

“Heh… neither of us have phones, so there’s no point. Just… one question. On the train - why did you push me over? I took out that stationary machine gunner easily.”

Ichika folded her arms and smirked, pulling out a golden card with a grin. The Storch raised her eyebrows in surprise, studying the card with interest.

“Well, I’m going to change that! As for pushing you over, it’s simple - you’re fragile!”

“Wait, huh? I have a bullet-resistant che-”

Ichika pointed to the top of the Star’s head, before pointing back to her own and smiling.

“No, it’s not that! You don’t have a halo!”

“Wait, I only noticed that big red thing now…”

The Storch now felt incredibly stupid, having not bothered to take account of the large red crosshair shape floating in place above the girl’s head.

“In Kivotos, everyone has one! Apart from you, but that’s because you’re not from around here!”

“Really, what gave that away, Ichika?”

Ichika smiled, turning and indicating for the pair of synthetic humanoids to follow her as she led them to the nearest convenience store.

“So… Now where are we going?”

“Considering what you are-”

“Heh…”

Ignoring the Storch’s amused grin as she saw the light of Schale’s Residence Hall in the distance, Ichika continued on with a smile.

“-you’re best off going to the General Student Council. Kivotos hasn’t heard of an “Eusan Nation” before, so they’ll see you both as ambassadors. Of course, they’ve got enough on their plate now, so… they might not be available for a good while.”

“Why’s that?”

“The General Student Council President has been missing for a while. No-one knows where she is. Rin was the vice president, she’s running Kivotos in her stead now.”

That doesn’t sound good.

“So… what’s the plan if the council won’t see us?”

“My plan B - which does not involve blowing things up, so you don’t need to worry - is to take you both to Millenium. It’s a long walk, so remember - you’ll want to see Shiraishi Utaha tomorrow morning. You can’t miss her, she’s got purple hair. She’s the leader of Millenium’s Engineering Club, and can check your bodies for any defects.”

The Storch looked over towards the Star as they strolled casually behind Ichika, trying to match her pace as they kept their weapons slung on their backs and their visors raised.

“Reckon she has Repair Sprays?”

“Probably not… but it’s been a while since I’ve had a service. Need to get the dirt out after today. I can’t make this file up, even for AEON documents.”

Ichika glanced back, smiling warmly up towards the pair of synthetic humanoids as they followed her around.

“Mind if I take you there?”

“Of course not, I’d be happy to.”

“Hey, you better count me in. My arm’s a bit stiff, and I’ve just realised it’s been… ten hours without food. Lead on, kid.”

“I’m sixteen, I’m not a kid…!”

“Relax. No harm intended.”

The Star glanced up, noticing they had transitioned into a rather urban area - and an expensive-looking one, at that.

“Repair Sprays can do a lot of magic, but they can’t heal an empty stomach.”

Ichika led the pair through the quiet streets of Kivotos - avoiding the glares of nearby Sukeban long enough to arrive at a tall, white-clad tower. Stepping into the tower’s lobby that was dominated by a hexagonal shape, she heard a loud sigh behind her from the synthetics.

“Are there any ration dispensaries nearby?”

“Huh? We don’t ration food in Kivotos.”

The Storch gave a somewhat confused look towards her fellow Protektor - who gave a noncommittal shrug as she turned the corner and slipped into the Schale residence hall.

“Uh… anywhere sells combat rations?”

“You sound like a soldier. Come on, try something different. We’re at a convenience store.”

As the trio strolled into the atrium, the Star glanced around at the pristine white walls - before Ichika tugged her by the hand to her left.

What’s a convenience store?

“Welcome… to Angel 24/7!”

The Star and Storch slowly crouch-walked forwards in order to enter through the doorway - frightening the owner severely as she ducked underneath the counter. The synthetics picked through the various bags on display, silently marvelling at just how much stuff there was on show - before glancing with confusion at the firearm magazines and hand grenades on the shelves.

“Heh. Star, look.”

“No way. Reckon they take Rationmarks?”

The Storch thumped the nearby glass cabinet with some effort, trying to force a Rationmark in with a quiet growl as the Star waited, stepping back and giving her some space.

“Well, there’s one way to find out- ah, damn… I think I broke it.”

“Hah… uh, Ichika? We might need your help.”

Ichika chuckled and stepped over, folding her arms with a smile on her face as she heard the dull thump of the hexagonal metal impact the cabinet.

“Careful… This may come as a surprise, but we don’t take… those.”

“So what do you take?”

“Yen, or credits.”

The synthetics shared a confused glance, before Ichika dismissively waved her hand and opened the sliding door. Several packaged snacks and drinks were now ready to grab, with the Star cocking her head quizzically at the event.

“Now what…?”

“You go over and pick it up. Have you never seen a fridge before?”

The Storch and Star answered at exactly the same time.

“No.”

“No.”

Ichika raised her eyebrows and giggled, sighing with mock exasperation from her nose as she pointed towards the visible handle on the edge of the glass - before shutting it on them and smiling.

“You have to slide the door open, and grab the stuff inside. It might close by itself, but that’s just how they’re made sometimes. Go on, you try!”

The Storch watched as the Star slid the door open and reached in for the goods, taking them into her arms with a curious glance towards the tables and chairs at the back of the store.

“Seeing as you don’t have any legal money… I’ll pay. It’s no problem at all, it’s the least I can do after what we’ve been through today.”

“If you’re sure-”

“Of course I am! Tomorrow, after you’ve gone to the General Student Council or Millenium, we’ll go to Shiratori City, take a trip through Corgi Town. It’s the electronics district - I need to get you those phones so we can stay in touch, remember?”

“Heh… fine. Where’s the nearest bed?”

“Just next door… why?”

The Storch blinked in surprise, walking over to the counter and placing the items onto it - before nonchalantly strolling out to the atrium and peeking into the room next door to the shop. A few benches and couches were set up, as well as a smattering of tables and chairs. She turned to her left, casually stepping beside the couches - and noticing a golden glow on the wall in front of her.

“Hm…?”

Sleeping on one of the beds was a nun with a golden halo. As the Storch focused on her, she noticed a pair of ears on top of the nun’s head - which twitched as she pulled the duvet closer to herself, her orange hair draped messily over her shoulder as she gently shuffled.

Is that… a cat?

The Storch carefully stepped over to one of the opposite beds, sitting on it with a quiet grunt. The nun opened her eyes from the noise, watching the figure slowly open a box of ramen before it laid down and quietly sighed to itself, totally unaware of her presence.

Is that… a robot?

Meanwhile, in the store, the Star smiled and nodded, sliding the items onto the counter - before watching a forehead peep up, as well as an all-too-familiar - yet undeniably nervous - “I-I… Irasshaimase!”

Chapter Text

The next morning

Iochi Mari quietly yawned as she slowly opened her eyes, stretching her legs underneath the covers. As she rolled out of bed and got to her feet, her ears flicked - and her eyes settled on the other occupants of the room, her gaze slowly turning to the end of the beds.

She glanced towards their calves, and watched as the other occupants shifted in their beds, waking up with grunts as they clumsily shifted - before falling out of bed and groaning loudly. The closer one had unceremoniously face-planted on the floor - with the one further away emitting a loud huff as she stood to her full height, dusting herself off with a grunt of pain.

Not that Mari had noticed this, as she was more focused on helping the woman closer to her, noticing a scowl on her face when the woman turned her head upwards - her brows furrowed in irritation as she regarded the girl with slight annoyance.

“I’m fine.”

Mari offered a hand - which was gently taken, with a quiet groan emanating from her throat as she got to her knees. Mari promptly heard a soft whir from below, and watched as the seemingly synthetic woman stood on her own two feet.

Or lack thereof.

“Um…”

“What…”

“…”

The woman stared down - and Mari stared up, noticing just how tall she was. The other occupant didn’t seem too bothered by the conversation, watching them with interest as she sat on the couch - before a half-hearted yawn emanated from her mouth.

“Mmf… morning, Storch.”

“Star. Slept well?”

The Star nodded, cracking her neck with a quiet groan as she rose from the couch that she was currently resting on. Mari smiled towards her, offering a hand - which the Star promptly took - and pulled her up, much to the synthetic’s surprise.

“Ah-hah! Okay, you’re stronger than you look…”

Mari nodded, smiling before turning towards the Storch - who now sat on the bed with a somewhat curious expression on her faceplates as she regarded the ears on top of Mari’s head with unmasked interest.

“Are they…”

“Ears? Yes!”

The Star heard the gentle pit-pat of footsteps along with the ruffling of wings, and looked over to notice Ichika standing in the doorway, her rifle resting on her hip with a smile on her face. The Star smiled back - and Mari’s ears twitched slightly, grabbing the Storch’s attention for a brief moment.

“Ah… Ichika! I’m not… bothering you, am I?”

“No, no… it’s fine. I’m just here to pick this pair up.”

Mari smiled towards Ichika - who smiled back, before indicating for the pair of synthetics to follow her. The Star glanced behind - frowning underneath her mask towards the lonely girl, and tapping Ichika’s shoulder.

“Hey. What about Mari?”

“It’s fine-”

“Hm? Ah! Come on, Mari.”

Mari quickly followed behind the Star - with the Storch packing up her gear as the group stepped into the hallway. After they crossed the threshold, Mari glanced back - and wandered over towards the white-clad synthetic with a smile.

“One second…!”

Mari gently helped the Storch pack - noticing the wrappings and packaging on the floor with a slight side glance towards her as she promptly pointed towards the detritus.

“Is that your rubbish?”

“Mhm.”

The Storch slowly zipped up the bag - having found it underneath the bed, surmising that someone had forgotten about it. She reached down for the various wrappers, grabbing them in her synthetic hand before disposing of them in the nearby rubbish bin. Mari glanced towards the bag - and her smile faded ever so slightly as she regarded the writing on the side.

蒼森 ミネ

Ah.

Catching up to Ichika and the Star was easier than expected - with the pair falling in behind just as Ichika was about to cross the door outside. The Star raised her eyebrows in slight amusement as she heard the thump of the Storch’s feetpads - before glancing outside and wincing, quickly covering her eyes with a grunt of discomfort as Ichika stepped beside her.

“Ah - here!”

A cap was promptly fished from Ichika’s pocket, with the Justice Task force member trying to reach the Star’s head via an admirable effort at a jump. The Star smiled warmly, taking the hat from Ichika’s hand and placing it on her own head - before the Replikas were led forwards in the general direction of the Sanctum Tower.

“So… what is this place?”

“Kivotos!”

The Starling promptly tapped her knuckle against the side of her own head with a noted hmm .

“Right, so this is real, I’m not dreaming.”

“You talk funny.”

Ichika passed across the road - feeling several sets of eyes upon her as the pair of Replika followed her lead. Mari led the Storch, whereas the Star was led across by Ichika - much to the taller Protektor’s embarrassment, as her mask slammed shut over her face.

“So… what are you… orange, cat ear girl?”

A quiet huff of amusement came from Ichika as she passed through the Millenium district, avoiding the glares and shouts of nearby sukeban as she slipped into an alley. Mari’s eyes flitted ever so briefly towards them, gently resting her hand on her pistol with a barely changed smile as the Storch glanced over.

“I’m Mari. I’m presuming you already know of the Justice Task Force, correct?”

“Yeah. Black and red, firearms with the magazines behind the triggers?”

Mari smiled and nodded - pointing towards Ichika’s firearm as the winged girl led them around.

“Yes… well, that’s only for the applicants. Everyone has a different firearm, it depends on how you customise it. Scopes, stocks, barrels, triggers, paints…”

“I see. So… you’re not in the Justice Task Force, are you?”

Mari beamed, shaking her head with a warm expression.

“Nope! I work in the Sisterhood! We’re a sect of nuns…”

“What’s a nun?”

Mari blinked in disbelief - and the Storch noticed her ears wiggling as they followed Ichika and the Star. The Protektor suspected she’d said something out of turn, and glanced towards the nun with worry as the group entered the grounds of the Sanctum Tower.

Ichika stopped, and raised an unimpressed eyebrow as she heard the quickly fading sound of munching. Mari waited behind - and could sense Ichika’s irritation as a tail disappeared around the corner.

Great. Momoka’s out again. Rin’s probably busy with paperwork, and-

Mari watched as the Star opened the door and peeped inside, the Replika stooping down and sticking her head in with a curious gaze - before she made eye contact with an uneven stack of paper.

Ah - Ayumu.

The Star quietly ducked into the doorway, catching the blonde girl by surprise as she peeked up from her stack of papers - and promptly screamed, dropping them in fright and falling to the floor. The Storch furrowed her brows with concern - glancing inside towards the source of the scream and barking an order.

“What’s going on in there - Star, report!”

Ah. What are you…? Those wings are similar to Ichika’s, there must be genetic mutations here of some kind… perhaps the halos are a different evolutionary path…? Abgestalts of some kind… that’s what the Storch read once.

“Abgestalt… are you alright?”

Iwabitsu Ayumu blinked - hearing the somewhat concerned tone of voice, and noticing the rather unmissable shadow she was now cast in. She stared up at the woman - who stared back down at her with a look of slight worry. Ayumu heard a quiet whir emanating from the woman’s neck as she turned her head - noticing that she was being inspected.

“Wha…?”

“Any injuries…? How many fingers am I holding up?”

“No…  I’m fine, you just scared me. Three fingers.”

The familiar whir returned as Ayumu watched the woman offer her a black synthetic hand. She noticed that it was made of some kind of plastic or rubber - one of the Engineering Department’s works, at a guess…

“Are you from the Engineering Department?”

“No.”

The Starling glanced towards the light scowl on the Storch’s thoroughly unimpressed faceplates, and decided to play diplomat.

Again.

“No. Are you?”

Ayumu’s eyes darted over towards the white-clad woman - who folded her arms and scowled more, seeming somewhat impatient as she stooped down to fit- and stepped in. This one was a good bit taller than the red-and-black one, and it unnerved Ayumu somewhat.

“Uh… no, I’m with the General Student Council-”

“Ah, that’s where Ichika said to go.”

Ichika silently grit her teeth and ran in - her entrance distracting Ayumu somewhat as she was pulled up by the arm. The Star grunted as she helped the blonde girl to her feet - receiving a slightly flustered smile in response, before the synthetics heard the sharp clack-clack of high heels against floor tiles. Ichika and Mari glanced towards the trio with a worried set of smiles, noticing Ayumu’s wings flap from slight embarrassment.

Nanagami Rin glanced down from the top of the stairs, barely concealing the curiosity on her face as she adjusted her glasses to get a better look at the two.

“If you’ll both come with me, please. Ichika, you as well.”

Mari, meanwhile, waited patiently in the lobby.

Five minutes later…

The Star raised an eyebrow towards the official-looking sheets of paper that were seemingly stamped with the logo of Schale - and furrowed her brows towards the exhaustive list of rules.

“So… let me get this straight, writing in Japanese or English, with Arabic and Chinese numerals…?”

“Hm? Yes. It’s either or, they’re both official languages. ”

The Storch was not terribly impressed - with Ichika noticing rather easily as she heard the Replika’s fist slamming against the table. Rin glanced over her thin glasses - shooting an unimpressed glare towards the synthetic - who furrowed her brow in confusion.

“What the hell is Ichika talking about?”

Ichika promptly blinked in disbelief - as did the rest of the General Student Council, who awkwardly adjusted their collars in silence as the Storch made eye contact. The barely hidden scowl on her faceplates was rather plain to see, even from across the classroom.

“What. Why are you all looking at me like that?”

“There’s no… Japan where you’re from? No China, England, Arabia…?”

The pair of Replika slowly shook their heads, causing slight concern amongst the General Student Council - and worrying Ichika.

“No… there’s the Eusan Nation, and the Eusan Empire. That’s it.”

“Right. So. About this… “Nation” of yours.”

The Storch raised an eyebrow of slight suspicion as Ichika’s wings slowly ruffled from embarrassment. The Star paid no notice - seeming more focused on trying to decipher the official-looking text on the paper.

“What.”

“Storch…”

The Star’s eyes briefly flicked towards the Storch’s - the shorter Replika sensing the bubbling anger in an instant as she gently placed the pen on the table and turned the page over with a cautious tone in her voice. Ichika glanced between them nervously - and watched as the Star slowly got to her feetpads and leant on the table, towering over the General Student Council with little trouble.

“Ignore her. She’s the brawn, I’m the brains. If you want to talk about diplomacy or relations, talk to ME.”

The Star’s somewhat relaxed tone put Rin at ease - and the synthetic watched as she readjusted her glasses.

“Well… tell us about it.”

“One condition.”

Rin imperceptibly narrowed her eyes, and slowly nodded towards the Starling.

“Name it.”

“If anyone from the Nation comes - you keep quiet about us.”

Alarm bells went off in Rin’s head as she heard the synthetic speak - and slowly stepped towards the taller woman with a raised eyebrow.

“I beg your pardon? Eusan clearly isn’t an academy in Kivotos, so legally we have no power over it. Are you being followed by them?”

The Storch and Star glanced between each other with slight nervousness - causing the taller Protektor to glance at the table and silently swallow before cursing under her breath.

“I really fuckin’ hope not.”

“Lan-”

As she heard the argument brewing, Rin slightly lost her cool - just for the briefest of moments, causing her to snap towards the pair.

“ Enough . Are you wanted, and are they armed?”

“We don’t know whether we’re wanted, but they’re definitely armed.”

“I see. And you didn’t think of telling Ichika-”

The Storch grumbled - balling her hand into a fist as the bespectacled girl’s tone began to remind her of a particularly irritating Replika unit. Rin raised a thoroughly unamused eyebrow upon noticing the fist.

“We were in enemy territory. No radio, just the clothing on our backs. Sorry you didn’t roll out the red carpet…”

“Alright, that’s it-”

Rin didn’t seem impressed by the undeniably gravelly tone, causing the Storch to finally snap - and the General Student Council watched with shock as the synthetic gripped the girl by the shoulder with a menacing growl. 

“STORCH-”

“NO, WAIT!”

Ichika’s calm visage melted into one of unfettered horror as she watched the Storch quickly pin Rin down onto the table with a murderous snarl on her faceplates. Rin made an admirable effort to reach for her gun - which the Replika noticed, quickly stealing it from her holster with a scowl as she turned the barrel towards her.

“Oh no you don’t - you listen here, and you listen good, you little fuck . I haven’t had any contact with my homeland for over thirty-six hours. To them, I am either missing in action or dead . Do you know what happens when a Replika like me goes missing?”

Ichika quickly leapt on the desk, spreading her wings wide in order to protect the Storch from any bullets - with Rin noticing the lack of halos above their synthetic heads. 

“Wait, WAIT! Don’t shoot them! No halos!”

The other members of the General Student Council were not terribly convinced by Rin’s plea - before narrowing their eyes and listening. The Star tried to pull her fellow synthetic away - with the Storch shrugging the smaller Replika off with little trouble, before delivering a scowl towards her.

“When we go missing, we’re ordered to be decommissioned by a Protektor.”

“Meaning?”

The Star’s brows furrowed - and the sudden silence from the Storch grew unnerving as it continued. Ichika gripped the handguard of her rifle, wisely keeping her finger off of the trigger as she heard pistols sliding back into their holsters behind her.

“We’re killed by our own friends.”

A pin could be heard dropping - and Rin promptly blinked in disbelief. Quiet gasps could be heard coming from the rest of the General Student Council, with Ichika shaking slightly on the desk as the Storch finished.

“W-what?!”

The Storch’s grumbling tone stayed in her voice as she slowly grit her teeth, with flecks of spittle slowly dripping on Rin’s face as she tried to avoid the droplets.

“Now, I don’t know if people die over here…”

“They do. It’s very rare, but they do.”

Kuchinashi Yume…

The Storch slowly nodded - closing her lips and loosening her hold on Rin’s collar slightly, before stepping away with a scowl on her faceplates. The Star’s nails could be seen digging into the nearby desk - and Ichika felt the tension dissipate very slowly.

“Noted. I think you understand our problem now.”

“Yes. Now, are you going to let me go?”

“So long as we can stay. Can you make that happen?”

“Alright… we can try that.”

The grip on Rin’s shoulder was gently released - and the Storch forced the slide back on Rin’s large-calibre pistol, catching the ejected bullet in the air before handing it back to her with a discontented look. The Star scowled heavily towards her superior, looking ready to rip into the Storch at any moment as she slowly sat down. Rin dusted herself off with a sigh of irritation, thumbed the slide forward on her pistol, and pocketed the loose round - before slowly sitting on the chair in front of the Storch and resting her arms on the back of the chair with a frown.

“Thank you. Relax, everyone… Now - you said they were armed. What with?”

“Missile frigates, interplanetary artillery… I can't remember much else.”

Rin’s brow furrowed ever so slightly as she listened on, hearing Ichika’s boots gently impact the floor as the Justice Task Force member jumped off of the desk with a light sigh of relief.

“I'm assuming your nation has soldiers to man them, then.”

“Of course it does, any good nation needs an army. We use Gestalts - like you.”

“Like us? What do you mean by that?”

The Star nodded, leant towards Rin, and began to explain… very carefully.

“Regular people. And Replika.”

Rin’s brow quickly arched with tempered curiosity.

“That’s the second time I’ve heard that word. What does it mean?”

“It’s a noun - from the archaic term Replica, which itself originated from “Copy.” It basically means a biomechanical person.”

The Engineering Club were working on combat droids. Are these some kind of prank?

Rin nodded, hearing Ichika’s wings rustle before they flapped loudly - causing the Star’s head to tilt with concern as she briefly raised her index finger towards Rin.

“One second. Ichika… are you alright?”

“I…uh… i-it’s… outside?”

The Storch silently swallowed towards the Star as she received a withering glare - before the shorter Protektor slowly nodded, and the General Student Council watched as she walked out of the office with a protective arm around the girl.

“Take your time, Ichika - there’s no need to worry, she’ll be fine.”

The Storch’s gaze slowly followed the Star’s back, before returning to Rin’s glasses with a scowl on her faceplates. Rin noted a particular look of unamused-ness - which was promptly matched with little effort.

“And, a biomechanical person is?”

“A synthetic reproduction of a Gestalt - your people. It’s a biological culture that is grafted onto an artificial endoskeleton, and enclosed in a protective exoskeleton.”

Rin nodded - mentally noting down the combat droids of the Engineering Club, before checking the Replika in front of her with a frown. To Rin, this tall figure resembled Tsuyuko’s stature at first glance - yet as she noticed this visitor’s temper first-hand, she was certain that this was someone - or some thing else entirely.

“I see. So… you’re clearly different from your colleague.”

“Yeah. She's the riot control, and I'm the riot control’s control.”

“An administrative position?”

I swear if there’s an Adler unit here.

Rin noticed the brief twitch on the Storch’s faceplates - gently clearing her throat with a hand over her mouth. The Storch was not terribly impressed for the briefest of moments - before composing herself and returning eye contact.

“Ahem.”

“No. I oversee the riot control. I’m their boss, but I still answer to a facility administrator.”

Ah. Right. So you’ll both fit in at Valkyrie, won’t you…

“Who isn’t here. You’ll be fine.”

Rin saw a smile begin to form on the Storch’s face.

“Good.”

Outside…

“I… didn’t think that you…”

Ichika watched as the Starling shrugged in response, gently exhaling through her mask with a concealed frown on her faceplates. The Replika lifted a tissue from the girl’s pocket - handing it over to her as she felt the gentle impact of Ichika’s wings against her back.

“It’s… nothing to worry about.”

“But wait - here, you don’t have a halo… a stray bullet could kill you.”

The Starling quietly sighed - before she relented and nodded, noticing that Ichika’s brow furrowed significantly. She promptly felt a nail gently tap against her plastic shoulder, hearing the girl’s voice come out in an unexpectedly harsh tone.

“So don’t get into any dangerous situations. Please.”

The Starling noticed that the tone turned to worry halfway through, feeling Ichika’s feathers slowly brushing against her waist - and Ichika herself felt a firm pat on her shoulder in response, being embraced in one swift motion as the Starling wrapped her arms around the girl.

“Well… I can’t promise anything - but I’ll try my best, okay?”

Ichika let out a little sigh of annoyance and reluctantly nodded. She slowly let go - noticing the warm smile on the Starling’s face as she got to her feet - and heard the Replika follow suit as she slung her rifle into her back, with the soft whir of servo motors gracing her ears as she re-entered the room.

“Ah, Ichika… Welcome back. So… Storch, do you have any… ports?”

“Mhm. Here.”

The Storch raised a curious eyebrow before she exposed her wrist - with Rin noticing a push-out 3.5mm jack in her forearm, and silently sending a message to Hare underneath the table. A few minutes of delaying tactics later, Rin glanced over the pair of files on the data disk connected to her phone - having noticed that neither the Star or Storch could access them internally.

「Replika Overview: STCR」

Sicherheitstechniker-Controller-Replika

- 'Storch' -

(Security Technician Controller Replika 'Stork')

Type: Generation 5 Combat Lead Unit

Frame: Biomechanical with Polyethylene Shell and Bullet-Resistant Armor Plating

Height: 240 cm

Each Cadre of Protektor Security Technicians is overseen by a Controller Unit, the most common of which is the STCR "Stork" Type. One of the tallest Replika models thanks to their extended legs, Storks figuratively and literally keep a constant birds-eye view of any situation, ready to direct and coordinate their assigned Security Technicians. Their tough, no-nonsense demeanour, though sometimes described as brutal and even cruel, makes them the perfect fit as unwavering sentinels of order.

「Replika Overview: STAR」

Sicherheitstechniker-Aufseher-Replika

- 'Star' -

(Security Technician Guard Replika 'Starling')

Type: Generation 4 Low-Cost Combat Unit

Frame: Biomechanical with Polyethylene Shell and Bullet-Resistant Armor Plating

Height: 220cm

The standard model of Protektor Security Technician.

Fitted with extended legs, STAR units gracefully tower over most Gestalts. Despite their heavy armour, they can move swiftly with their long stride.

Their cool and detached demeanour allows them to analyse situations with objectivity and deploy force as required. Trained in close combat and riot control techniques, they operate best in small squads led by an officer STAR unit equipped with a ballistic shield.

Rin promptly tapped on the second file, and quietly thumped her heel against the floor as she heard Ichika do the same. Several minutes passed as she read the text onscreen - and heard the other members of the General Student Council shift awkwardly between their feet.

「Replika Known Issues, Part II」

- CLASSIFIED INFORMATION - Commander Eyes Only -

Previous experience with these Replika models has given us insight into irregularities in their behaviour that stem from the original neural patterns used for these units. Due to the sensitive nature of this information, this document should be destroyed after reading.

STAR

Despite their normally laid-back demeanour, Stars have a strong internal hierarchy, which is important to take into consideration when promoting units to officers. Not promoting a respected unit or promoting a unit low in status can lead to friction within dorms. Stars will occasionally develop in-group rules involving physical punishments. It is recommended to allow some Officers to own military weapons as Fetish objects to stabilise their Persona.

STCR

Storch units initially have a short temper. Training them in patience early after deployment is key, as their neural patterns are less stable than other models. Failing to do so may yield an extremely volatile personality prone to cruelty and violence. A common strategy is pairing them closely with an older STAR unit. Storch's Persona stabilises by showering or bathing. Books on history or mythology work well as Fetish objects.

As Rin scrolled through the document, the Star turned her head ever so slightly towards the Storch and began to whisper.

Storch.

Mhm.

What the fuck was that for? You caused a diplomatic incident in front of an armed political cabinet - you would have been killed if it wasn’t for Ichika jumping on the desk!

Ichika waited patiently on the seat near the Starling, barely hearing the pair arguing with each other in near-silent fury - while Rin could hear them with ease, and adjusted her glasses with a light scowl in response.

I had to get my message across to Rin someh-

Oh, so the end justifies the means now, does it?! Are you really that stupid?!

“A-hem.”

Rin raised a single eyebrow as she cleared her throat, and regarded the pair of Replika with slight irritation. Said pair fell silent - watching as the girl’s eyebrow lowered back down into its natural position. The Star gently scratched at her own neck, and Rin could only guess as to whether that was a natural reaction.

“Yes?”

“I can hear you. If we’re done here, I’ll hand you some credits - should be enough for about a week, let yourself get settled in before getting a job or joining an academy.”

The Replikas frowned, noticing Rin’s face falling in tandem - before the girl folded her arms and scowled. An exasperated tone came out of Rin’s mouth as Ichika glanced between the three - briefly raising her eyebrows, and smiling as she remembered what she’d said a few minutes ago.

“What is it now?”

“A-hem. One shot, and they’re down - no halo, Rin, remember?”

Ichika could have sworn she saw steam coming from Rin’s very pointed ears, and watched as the leader of the General Student Council slowly and carefully readjusted her glasses, before closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

Very deeply, with a hint of barely-concealed impatience in her voice - betraying a single note of anger.

“I… see. We’ll contact an academy, and see if they can provide you accommodation. For now, go to Millenium’s Engineering Club, and see Shiraishi Utaha. Hopefully she can provide you with whatever your frames require for maintenance.”

“Alright then, let’s get going…”

To Rin’s surprise, the Storch offered an open hand - which she carefully took, wrapping her fingers around the black synthetic material before shaking vigorously. The shorter Replika beside her merely watched and waited, seeming somewhat unamused at the turn of events.

“Hey. Just wanted to… apologise, for the, erm…”

“The?”

“Unorthodox… method of persuasion.”

Rin blew air out of her nose in a vague approximation of laughter, before trying - and failing - to suppress a smile.

“It’s alright. You can leave - as can the rest of the Council.”

Ichika nodded and got to her feet - motioning for the pair of Replika to do the same as Rin waited - and cocked her head with slight curiosity. Ayumu and the other members of the General Student Council returned to their duties - leaving just her and Rin in the room, in complete silence. Rin silently swallowed, clearing her throat and furrowing her brow.

“Ichika? Could you please wait for a second?”

The Star and Storch quietly walked out, taking the creaking escalator down to the lobby - where Mari had waited patiently, meeting them with a warm smile and a wave.

“Yes?”

Rin silently readjusted her tie and fixed her collar.

“You’re supposed to be in class, not taking random strays under your wings. You’ll end up like Koharu if you keep it up. Just leave it to the Sisterhood.”

As Ichika blinked with slight surprise, Rin silently swallowed, clearing her throat and furrowing her brow.

“I’m not quite sure what you’re helping them for, Ichika.”

Ichika leant back against the table and flashed a smile.

“I’m helping them because it’s the right thing to do, Rin.”

Chapter Text

“I know. What I don’t know is why you’re taking risks. I noticed the bag - that belongs to one of the Remedial Knights, right?”

Ichika’s brows raised as she watched Rin glance outside towards the lobby - with the General Student Council member readjusting her glasses and gloves absent-mindedly, checking her tie and pulling her trench coat close to herself.

“Um…”

“I think it does. I advise you to be very careful.”

Ichika blinked and nodded, gently stepping towards the door - before she felt Rin’s hand gripping her shoulder tightly. She turned her head upon feeling the harsh grip - and noticed the severe expression on the taller woman’s face as they locked eyes for the briefest of moments, before the Justice Task Force member returned her gaze outdoors.

“For their sakes.”

Rin heard a loud shout coming from outside - before sighing through her nose and snapping her fingers with a slight scowl on her face. Ichika’s brow began to drip with sweat, and she watched with barely concealed horror as Aohori Mine stormed into the lobby.

“Well… never mind.”

The Storch and Star gently stepped into the lobby - the taller of the Protektor units doing so with a slight sigh, the Star glancing down as Mari got to her feet and beamed towards the pair.

“Right, so, where were we-”

“HEY!”

The Storch’s attention immediately snapped towards the shout from the doorway - and noticed a scowling young woman enter the building, making a beeline for the bag on the Storch’s shoulder. Mari glanced towards the doorway, and her eyes widened.

“Hm?”

“That’s my bag. Hand it over!”

Is it?

The Storch checked the bag - shrugging it off of her shoulder, and furrowing her brow as she inspected it closely. Mari quickly walked over in an attempt to help calm the leader of the Remedial Knights down - but Mine had had enough.

“If you’re not going to give it to me, then I’ll take it back myself!”

The Starling wisely stepped back as she watched the woman brandish a clear shield, leaving the dispute between them - and them alone. Mari watched the unfolding situation, and her brow began to perspire - with the nun gently placing her hands together in a prayer.

“聖なる力よ...”

A blue barrier formed around the Storch - who regarded the woman with a scowl as she pointed a shotgun at the far taller synthetic, pulled the trigger - and said synthetic stared in disbelief as the buckshot bounced off uselessly. She shook herself before immediately launching into an assault, closing the distance and catching the shotgun’s muzzle flash again in the corner of her eye - feeling the buckshot impact the barrier again.

The impact transferred into the air around her, and the Storch felt her hair move slightly before she steeled herself with a loud, short exhale - promptly stepping aside, dodging the third shotgun blast, and grabbing the offending firearm by the cocking handle.

“Got you, you little SHIT!”

Mine watched as the assailant closed the distance in a blur, and wrapped her hand around the cocking handle, before tearing it off of the shotgun with what seemed like little more than a firm tug.

The Storch then effortlessly wrested the firearm from the woman’s grasp, and proceeded to snap it over her knee before throwing the two parts away with a heavy scowl on her faceplates. Ichika’s jaw hung wide open, before she blinked several times in an attempt to process what had just happened.

“Oh, no.”

In a split second, a full-force haymaker was promptly delivered to Mine’s face, causing her to slam against the floor with a loud thud. The Storch grit her teeth, and took no time in checking the girl for other firearms - only finding a holstered pistol on her thigh along with the clear shield that had dropped to the floor.

Both of them were quickly handed to the Starling, who took them with a smile on her faceplates, and gave a nod towards the Storch. Mari, however, seemed somewhat unhappy with the sudden acquisition - and tapped the Starling on the hip.

“Hm? What’s up?”

“You should probably give them back to her-”

Inside the classroom…

Rin sighed loudly, and opened the door - motioning for Ichika to leave with a stiff smile.

“I should go and… erm…”

“Can't cause any more trouble, right, Ichika? Just keep them safe…”

Rin allowed herself to scowl as she watched the Justice Task Force member quickly walk off, shutting the door behind Ichika and sighing loudly in the empty classroom.

Unbelievable.

Outside, the Starling glanced up - and waved towards Ichika with a smile.

“Ah! You, erm… fought her off! Good work!”

Mari glanced towards Ichika, then pointed towards the shield and pistol that the Starling was holding - with Ichika noticing a slightly worried frown on the nun’s face. The Starling noticed Ichika walking over, and was confused as to why the girl was scratching the back of her head.

“But… you should give those back to her.”

“Huh?”

The Starling frowned underneath her mask before diverting her attention to the unconscious woman on the floor and cocking her head. Ichika’s wings fluttered slightly in response - and Mari silently swallowed.

“She doesn’t forgive easily… it’s more for your safety. If you like the riot shield and pistol, I can get an armourer to make one for you.”

The Storch turned her head towards the broken shotgun laying on the floor at the same time as Ichika. The Justice Task Force member clenched her teeth together in silence, before whipping her phone out and thumbing in a number.

“And I’m going to have to pay for that shotgun… thanks. One moment, you two just wait here. Hello? Serina? We, erm… need you to clean up.”

Ichika closed the call, and waited awkwardly for Serina - with the pink-haired girl arriving a few minutes later, jogging beside the Justice Task Force member before slowing her pace, walking over to her knocked-out superior in the Remedial Knights. The Star glanced down - noticing the girl’s medical pouch overflowing with first-aid kits and bandages.

“Right… you two follow me.”

“Is she going to be alright?”

“She’ll be fine…!”

The Storch began to glance around as Ichika began to lead them out - quickly following the girl outside… and they all watched as a half-track barrelled down the road.

“Uh…”

“What’s that doing here?”

“Ah… haha. Ermmmmm… they’re… uhhhh…”

The Storch’s gaze followed the armoured vehicle down the road, and the trio watched as it turned a corner before disappearing out of sight.

“Panzer?”

“Would seem so.”

“Y-yeah!”

The Star heard a becoming-familiar ruffle from her left - turning her head just as the Storch made an understandable , if somewhat snide, observation.

“Heavily-armed teenagers and children seem to run this town.”

“A-hem.”

“Hah, hey… it’s not… that bad!”

The Storch simply raised an eyebrow in response, receiving an irritated glare from the Star beside her while Ichika gently motioned for the three to cross the road. Mari took up the rear, keeping an eye on the synthetics’ back plating as she looked both ways and hurriedly followed suit.

“Not always! The Public Safety Bureau tries their hardest!”

Oh, I’m sure…

Glancing towards a Kladdkaka branded keyboard in a shop window caused the Storch to stand still for a brief second - attracting Ichika’s attention as well, which ended up stopping the group in their tracks as the taller of the two Protektors wondered to herself.

“What’s that?”

“A keyboard!”

The pair of Protektors glanced down at Mari, before sharing a puzzled gaze between themselves. The Starling cocked her head - silently running her index finger across the window, before she asked a question to no-one in particular.

“Yeah! We really should be go-”

“What’s a keyboard?”

Ichika - who was about to finally lead the trio behind her to Corgi Town - stopped in her tracks, looked behind, did a double take, and blinked in disbelief, her wings ruffling loudly as she did so. The Storch suspected it was… a fight or flight reaction, mentally chiding herself for the pun as she watched Ichika begin to scratch the back of her own head.

“I’ll… tell you later, okay? We still have to go to Corgi Town…”

“It’ll still be here tomorrow, right?”

“Of course!”

Mari beamed as she began to shepherd the Storch and Star along - noticing Sanctum Tower growing more and more distant as the group walked along the numerous pavements of Kivotos, dodging the worried glances of several sukebans as they entered the outskirts of Shiratori City.

“So… here we are!”

D.U. Shiratori City

Ichika casually led the group across the bridge, trying her best to ignore the gazes now attached to her quarry. A large square tank rolled along the bridge, and stopped right next to Ichika - with the Storch folding her arms, brow raising in suspicion as she noticed the commander’s hatch open to…

“Ah! Iroha.”

“What are they? The Engineering Department’s works?”

Iroha leant on the turret’s roof, staring at the synthetics with curiosity while Ichika placed her hand on her hip and nervously laughed. The pair of Protektors folded their arms, seemingly offended at the rather innocent comment.

“I… think so?”

“They?”

Ichika glanced up towards the Storch’s hip, swallowing as she watched a black hand slowly begin to form into a fist. The Star’s eyes flitted between Iroha and the Storch - before she stepped back, and leant against the railing with a quiet laugh - thoroughly intent on watching the result.

“Uh oh. Iroha-”

“Don’t hit the tank too hard, Storch… be nice to the poor girl.”

Iroha heard the grumble emanating from the taller synthetic’s throat, and her eyes shot wide - with the threat of actual reprisal causing Fraulein to wisely duck back into the turret and slam the hatch shut.

“I didn’t mean it like thaaaaaat!”

Iroha and a slightly dented Toramaru were on their way back to Gehenna Academy before Ichika could apologise.

“Yeah, sure you didn’t.”

“Well… aha. Don’t make a first impression like that again… please? Welcome… to Corgi Town!”

Corgi Town

Strolling into Corgi Town, something was immediately made apparent:

The noise.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard crowds as loud as these…

Me neither, it’s insane…

As they continued into the streets, the bleeping of various electronics continued, yet the shouting died down slowly - with the pair only noticing it as they arrived at a shop that Ichika had been beelining to.

Why are they all quiet now?

Oh, it’s because they were looking at us .

Mari tagged along and glanced behind at the quiet crowds, following the trio before hearing a beep from her phone. She quickly checked it and raced towards Ichika, her face somewhat apologetic as she tapped the dark-haired girl on the shoulder.

“Ah! Mari, what’s up?”

“It’s nearly time for midday Mass… I should go!”

“Don’t let me keep you, okay?”

Ichika gently poked the Storch in the thigh - and the Protektor turned her head, noticing the nun with a slight smile. 

“Hm? You’re going? Thanks for, uh… saving my life.”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry!”

Mari beamed again, waving goodbye to the pair before melting into the crowds.

Overall, their trip into D.U. Shiratori was quick. Two touch phones, two sim cards, and four sets of wired earbuds later, they were seated on a park bench with their new phones in their hands. Tapping the screen showed a blank blue screensaver, displaying a clock, a cloud… along with other widgets that they didn’t recognise.

“What’s that peach one?”

“Momotalk.”

The Storch cocked her head quizzically.

“Momowhat?”

“It’s a messaging service.”

The Storch nodded, checked the writing pad icon, and slowly placed her thumb on it - watching with interest as the icon opened to a blank page, readying her fingers and carefully tapping something down on the touch keyboard.

The population here are seemingly school students. Of note is a large number of wayward children who hang around the “wrong crowd”, performing various petty crimes. Irrespective of employment or social standing, the population are - also unsurprisingly - indulging in teenage tantrums.

“Charming. If we ever get home, are you keeping that in the after-action report?”

The taller of the two Replika glanced to her side, and upturned her lips ever so slightly towards her fellow Protektor, who was leaning back, looking towards the skyline, and smirking.

“Maybe.”

“Aha… heeeey! We’re not… all bad!”

Ichika glanced towards the Storch’s note and brushed the unflattering description of Kivotos off with a laugh - promptly getting to her feet and beckoning for them to follow her.

“Didn’t exactly give us a nice welcome…”

“Well… good point. Let’s get you to Hasumi!”

“Who?”

“My boss, in a way. Come on! She won’t bite!”

Basis Scholar, Trinity District

Placing down the square-ish magazines on the table, the Star carefully dropped the rifle onto the surface - one that she had been given earlier at the Justice Task Force HQ. It looked exactly like Ichika’s, she noted to herself.

It was a somewhat ergonomic firearm in a black and red paint job, with the magazine behind the trigger and a low-power scope above the carry handle. One grip of the grooved handguard later, and she turned it to the other side - noticing that it was labelled with a 7.62x51 engraving above the firing port.

There was a distinct lack of actual choice with her pick.

Truth be told, she’d just grabbed the nearest weapon - and had stuck with it after being convinced by Hasumi. Shooting targets with a selection of firearms brought back memories… complete with the sound of gunshots ringing in her ears from forgetting to use ear protection. The gentle recoil was merely a bonus, she noted - and shouldered the weapon via a simple leather sling, letting it hang off of her shoulder. The Storch smiled to herself as she held a Trinity-marked black and red shotgun in her hands - then holstered it on her back.

“Did you think we scared her?”

“Hopefully not...!”

“I don’t think so. I look a bit like her, right?”

Ichika glanced towards the Star’s chestplate, and silently exhaled through her nose with a smile on her face as she led the trio out onto the street.

“A bit, yeah. Bit…”

“Bit what?”

“Bit thinner. Don’t tell her that, though… we’ve got more important things to do!”

Just at that moment, a tank rolled around the corner - much to Ichika’s confusion, as the Starling and Storch wisely stepped back onto the pavement. Just behind the plume of smoke emanating from the tank, Ichika could have sworn that she heard small-calibre revolver fire - and the pair of Protektors took cover as they felt a few bullets bouncing off of their chest plating. The Storch felt a tap on her shoulder - looking over towards the Star, who was showing a note on her phone screen.

These halos seem to be the main reason why students are normally seen with firearms (self defence, youth pioniers?) and other military-related objects (hand grenades (commonly purchasable), timed explosives (too expensive)), as they seem to provide outstanding offensive and defensive capabilities, giving students physical strength (? unconfirmed) as well as allowing them to withstand bullets (confirmed).

An explosion impacted Ichika - and she was sent careening into the concrete with a barely audible curse, her hand splayed onto the concrete as she caught herself. The Star peeked over the crash barrier, her eyes widening before she returned to typing on her phone.

“Sh-”

And - seemingly - even tank shells!

Ichika grit her teeth, and dusted herself off with a quiet grumble - then broke into a sprint, bobbing and weaving through the hail of bullets spewed out by the tank’s hull-mounted machine gun. The Storch peeked over the concrete crash barrier - watching with a smile as the girl jumped onto the commander’s hatch and slammed her heel against it.

“OPEN UP.”

SLAM-SLAM!

“NOW-”

A short and sharp whistle caught Ichika’s attention, and she noticed a somewhat small figure running towards her with worry.

“Ichika!”

“Ah… Kirino! I was just…”

“Stop talking and open the hatch, would you?”

“Happily.”

Kirino watched as the hatch was swiftly torn off - to a pair of very nervous Helmet Gang members peeking out.

“Right, you two! You’re both under arrest for multiple traffic violations, and don’t even get me started on the-”

Ichika simply tuned it out as she stepped off of the tank and walked away - the pair of Protektors shadowing her as they glanced back towards Kirino, who was currently focused on chewing out the apologetic girls loudly enough to scare away the local street vendors.

“Well, now… we were going to Millenium, right?”

“Yep.”

“Mhm.”

“So - let’s get going! I’ll wait outside once you’re in the Engineering Club - I let Utaha know you were coming.”

Millennium Engineering Club

The Storch sniffed the air - and glanced down at the wagging tail thumping loudly against the bench with a noted scowl of disgust. The Starling silently admonished her - much to her chagrin as she reluctantly dropped the scowl.

Is that a dog?

Nekozuka Hibiki heard the loud clang of a wrench hitting the floor, and promptly turned her head towards an awestruck Shiraishi Utaha.

“Utaha?”

“Woah…”

“So… that’s Utaha, isn’t it. And that’s a… dog thing.”

“Storch.”

The Storch did not seem bothered in the slightest as she regarded Hibiki with barely disguised confusion - with Utaha raising a judgemental brow towards the 7 foot 10 inch tall humanoid.

“What? Oh, hello.”

“H-hello… I’m Nekozuka Hibiki…”

“And I-”

Hibiki glanced towards Utaha, who tossed a wrench straight up in the air - and promptly caught it with little effort, putting on a smile.

“Am Shiraishi Utaha. I presume Ichika took the slightest look at you and decided to ferry you to me?”

The pair of Protektors nodded somewhat sheepishly as Utaha began to tie her hair back.

“Yeah.”

“Mhm.”

The Storch shared a glance with the Starling, and they both nodded - causing Utaha to turn and walk off with Hibiki in tow.

“Good! Now, if you’ll just follow me…”

Fifteen minutes later…

After several minutes of convincing and promising, the pair of Protektors now laid in standby on separate workbenches - much to Utaha’s relief as she plugged the smaller synthetic into a monitor.

“This OS is ancient…”

“Mhm… but is it stable?”

Hibiki glanced over towards the smaller synthetic with a worried look as she checked the vitals, which matched a normal human - much to her puzzlement, while she tied a set of straps to keep them both down.

“Yes. Just need a quick call to Chihiro or Hare…”

“We might be able to crack this ourselves-”

Utaha immediately shook her head, shooting the idea down in an instant - to Hibiki’s slight confusion as her tail fell limp, drooping off of the bench.

“I wouldn’t. They might be mechanical in nature, but they probably run on a CPU… we’re engineers, not hackers. Imagine if we trip a firewall and set them to self-destruct…”

Hibiki’s eyes settled on the smaller of the two synthetics as she began to reach for a steel crowbar on one of the nearby workbenches. Utaha nodded, smiled, and watched Hibiki grab her phone - furiously tapping in a number onto her touchscreen.

“And if Veritas messes up?”

“ They won’t. Hopefully.”

“Ah, Chihiro… yes, one second, I just need your help with something…”

The surprisingly lengthy phone call passed without incident - much to Utaha’s surprise, as she watched Hibiki finally close the call before stuffing her phone back in her pocket.

“Alright, they’re in!”

“Crowbar, please… now, let’s see if we can get this plating off.”

“Okay!”

The crowbar was then eagerly handed to the purple-haired meister, who began to look for any seams in the plating to pry open.

Three firm tugs later, and…

“Hmm, hmhm… come on, work with me… there. I’m - CLANG! - IN.”

A large and heavy piece of white plating fell onto the floor, and Utaha couldn’t help but peek inside - noticing the hydraulics and internals of the humanoid with an interested hmm .

“Flashlight.”

“Coming up-”

The flashlight unceremoniously impacted the back of Utaha’s head - to Hibiki’s embarrassment as her eyes widened, an expression of pain clear to see on the meister's face.

“OW!”

“Sorry!”

Hibiki peeked in alongside Utaha - shining a flashlight, and uncovering black plastic clad around a flexible clear pipe, along with a long and thick rod of blue metal in what they presumed was the center of the limb.

“Blued metal.”

“Steel?”

Utaha narrowed her eyes, and checked for any pitting or corrosion on the metal - finding it completely clean. Hibiki, meanwhile, rapped her knuckle against the black material, narrowing her brow ever so slightly before scraping a small amount off.

“I’d say titanium… seems quite durable.”

“Along with some kind of plastic. Seems to be… polyurethane, I would guess?”

Utaha took the sample from inside the smaller humanoid, placed it in an analyser, and nodded upon seeing the screen light up with a confirmation.

“You’re right…”

“So. Robots?”

Utaha shrugged and pointed her finger towards the taller humanoid - whose chest was rising and falling gently.

“Androids. Good, so that means we can fix some of their bodies.”

“But not their minds. I think they’ll get homesick after a while.”

Utaha quietly sealed the plate back onto the smaller humanoid’s leg, and waited for the anaesthetic to wear off. A quiet conversation ensued between them as Hibiki stole a glance towards the pair with worry.

“They’re clearly not from here, I've never seen them before. Their bodies are low-tech, but their minds… that’s something you can’t make in a workshop or on a computer… Maybe the Paranormal Affairs Department could help with that matter…?”

“Judging by Veritas’ reaction…”

Hibiki watched her friend’s head cock slightly as she leaned her arms on the table - turning her head back towards the pair before returning her attention to her friend. Hibiki seemed to have an expression regarding… something, but Utaha wasn’t sure what.

“What did they say?”

“When I brought up the possibility of those two meeting Himari, they didn’t sound pleased.”

Utaha’s brow arched with curiosity.

“Why?”

“Well… you know you can’t hide anything from Veritas. Chihiro was curious, she must have gone digging as I was talking to her. She found out that there was a meeting with the General Student Council this morning - with them in attendance...”

“Veritas found out that quick?”

“She must have dug further than we anticipated. A lot further.”

Hibiki slapped a few sheets of paper onto the table and spread them out for Utaha to read - watching her brows raise, and her purple eyes slowly widen.

“Because apparently, she printed a transcript of the meeting.”

The meister slowly read the documents to herself - and Hibiki yipped as the crowbar and flashlight clattered loudly against the floor, causing the pair of synthetics to mumble in their sleep.

“So she thinks that Himari would send these two home?”

“No, I think she’s just being overly cautious.”

Utaha pursed her lips, before nodding to herself and folding her arms, then jerking her thumb towards the sleeping pair.

“Right. Let’s wake them up…”

Several minutes passed as Utaha and Hibiki typed commands onto the nearby terminals, watching with concern as the Starling and Storch slowly opened their eyes - feeling understandably groggy as Ichika could be heard walking in.

“Well? How are they?”

“Compatible. They’ve got a charging port. Veritas probably ended up giving them access to most of Kivotos by accident… but that’s not our problem…”

Utaha couldn’t help but smile as she began to unhook the synthetics from the wiring that was connecting them to the beds, watching them slowly and carefully get to their feet… or lack thereof. As Ichika listened to the meister, her eyes lit up - and she flashed a grin towards her quarry.

“Good! Come on, you pair, let’s go!”

“Where to?”

“Just follow me!”

Millennium Outskirts - 6 hours later

“She’s been dragging us around all day.”

“Well, the food at Black Tortoise Promenade wasn’t bad…”

“The crowd was.”

The Storch simply closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, allowing a smile to appear on her faceplates as she stooped through the front doors of a high-rise school building with Ichika. The Star smirked - noticing the lift at the far end of the lobby, before glancing down and poking the girl on the shoulder, clearing her throat firmly.

“Wait, are we allowed in here?”

Ichika stopped in her tracks, and sweat began to form on her brow.

“Erm… I, uh…”

The Star glanced at Ichika, then towards the Storch, and winked - motioning for the taller Protektor to ease up slightly as she crossed the lobby.

“I don’t see why not. What was it that Utaha said to you before we left?”

“Ah! I think she was just-”

Ichika glanced towards the lift, and gingerly stepped inside - moving into the corner as the two androids tried to enter quietly, crouching with nervous gazes towards the ceiling of the lift cabin.

“Uh…"

The Storch pressed her thumb on the touchpad, and the screen flashed a green confirmation light for a split second before showing a set of buttons. Ichika promptly gripped the handrail on the inside of the lift cabin, and laughed nervously as the taller Protektor pointed towards the screen.

“Oh, Utaha wasn’t joking, was she…? Veritas really…”

“Well? Where are we going?”

Ichika stepped over to the lift panel, and pressed the button that corresponded to the top - barely feeling the floor move underneath her feet as the lift ascended quickly and quietly. The Storch let out a quiet hm - clearly surprised at something, which Ichika picked up on in a flash.

“What’s up?”

“Is it working?”

She quickly blinked in disbelief, and suppressed a laugh - responding in an ever so slightly exasperated tone.

“Yes, of course!”

Bing!

Letting out an amused sigh, the Storch stared up at the night sky as she slipped out of the lift - her jaw dropping as she took the view in. The haze of light pollution had coloured the horizon a dim blue, and as she looked up, she noticed gossamer-thin rings in the sky - alongside a large amount of twinkling stars.

It was an ethereal sight.

“Woah.”

“Wow…”

“Like what you see?”

The pair nodded while walking towards a bench, then slowly sat down, leaning back with quiet whistles of appreciation. Ichika sat in the middle, and watched the Star place her rifle against the floor stock-first, whereas the Storch let hers relax on her lap.

“So. Now what. You reckon passports exist here?”

“Nope. Don’t see why they would. They’re kids, they probably run the show here… they don’t bother with travel documents.”

Ichika smiled, and turned her head towards the Star - who was lounging on the bench with her head against the wire fence.

“What are you going to do now?”

“Well, if they come for us…”

“Big if. Reckon they’ve forgotten about us already.”

Ichika pursed her lips together, then cocked her head while glancing up towards the Storch with slight concern.

“What if they do come?”

“I’ve seen how you fight.”

“Meaning?”

“You’ll beat the sh-”

The Storch wisely caught her tongue as she watched Ichika’s puzzled expression… along with the Star’s brow furrowing in the corner of her eye.

“Slip of the tongue, apologies. What I meant to say is that you’ll win.”

“Good.”

That was oddly firm…

“Well, one way or another, we’re stuck here for the time being.”

Ichika frowned as the Storch sighed loudly, drumming her black fingers against her shotgun with an irritated grumble.

She doesn’t sound… happy.

“You know, if you want to go home…I don’t feel… bad, ughhhhh…”

The Star placed her hands on her calves, huddling herself close to the bench while glancing up towards the thin halos that hung in the night sky. Ichika stretched her arms and yawned loudly while snuggling into the Star’s side, with the Replika protectively wrapping an arm around her in response.

“Hmm.”

The Storch turned her head towards her compatriot with a curiously raised eyebrow.

“What’s that hm for?”

“How about we stay here?”

The Storch weighed it up - leaning back against the fence before nodding with a slight smile on her faceplates… one that was directed towards a slowly sleeping Ichika and the Star.

“Been an interesting couple of days, but…”

“But?”

“Yeah. I think I’d like that.”

Chapter Text

The next morning

The Storch was awoken to the sound of a groan - opening her eyes to Ichika, who was standing over them with an unmistakably aggrieved smile. The Starling blinked - shaking herself briefly, and feeling thoroughly slick with water as she grumbled to herself.

“Ugh… morning.”

“Morning! Let’s get going!”

A sopping Ichika jerked her thumb towards the door to the inside of the building - clearly having had enough of the rain for one morning, judging by her loudly flapping wings that were now spraying rainwater onto the Protektors’ faceplates.

“Heeeey, watch the wings! Alright, alright, we’ll come inside…”

The Star got to her feet - or lack thereof - first, waiting patiently for the Storch to follow suit. After a quiet, yet understandable grumble, the taller Protektor got up - leaning against the wall in order not to slip.

“So… once we’ve got everything dry, I was wondering - would you be getting jobs?”

“Uh… Jobs?”

“Jobs?”

“You… are adults, right?”

Ichika glanced over towards the pair of Replikas with an undeniably quizzical expression - watching the synthetics share a look with each other, presumably sending something between themselves before returning their attention to her.

“Right?”

The Storch’s eyebrows raised ever so slightly - and a barely perceptible smirk flashed across her faceplates as she slowly stretched. The Starling did the same - glancing towards the rather busy skyline before smiling to herself.

“It’s complicated.”

“Very complicated…”

“Okay! Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Let’s just get dry… the nearest cleaners shouldn’t be far.”

Ichika flapped her wings dry, and began to walk back into the building - waiting patiently for the pair to enter the lift.

And yet… they didn’t.

She watched as the synthetics quietly conversed between themselves - tapping her feet to herself with an undeniably forced smile on her face.

Not that the Protektors could tell, of course…

Job? Who wants that?

Got to make money somehow. So what, it’s not cracking skulls open or dispersing strikes. We’ll live.

The taller Protektor shrugged to herself - jerking a thumb behind her with a slight smile on her faceplating. The Starling silently blew air from her nose with an unappreciative frown, folding her arms before furrowing her brow - noticing Ichika tapping on her phone idly, probably sending a Momotalk to someone.

Well… look around - see yesterday?

Are you going to say something trite?

You don’t get to relive your childhood every day.

The Star promptly rolled her eyes, and entered the lift - scowling towards her now-smirking compatriot. Ichika glanced up towards the pair with a smile, having already thumped the button to the ground floor - and now leant against the corner of the cabin, trying to listen in.

I can not believe that you have naturalised here in about three days.

Roll with the punches. You’ll live longer!

Ichika couldn’t help but agree.

Fifteen minutes later…

The rumble of washing machines filled the laundromat, and as they stood there, the Replika pair felt undeniably out of place . Watching tumbling fabrics for a few minutes could only provide so much entertainment, so out of boredom, the Star casually strolled over to the attached changing room - innocently looking over the shower cubicle wall due to her height, laying eyes on a nude Ichika.

“Oh, there you are…”

“Hey, don’t peek!”

“Sorry…”

Ichika’s brow furrowed, and the Star could have sworn she saw a mark form on the girl’s temple - before she ducked her head down and returned her attention towards the cubicle wall. She then turned back towards the laundromat, and strolled towards her fellow Protektor - who was leaning against the wall and quietly clicking her tongue.

“How long does it take?”

“For Ichika’s clothes to be done? I don’t know. I don’t work here.”

The Storch glanced around while leaning against the wall - noticing a small furry thing swaddled in a robe, which inevitably caught her eye enough for the Star to join in with staring.

“What’s that?”

“Animal.”

The Star promptly cocked her head, and glanced quizzically towards the animal - with a confused look being clear to see on her faceplates as she leant forward.

“On two feet?”

“I have not seen a single thing that walks on four legs in the entire time that we have been here.”

The pair quietly mused it over - watching as the animal retrieved its laundry, strolling casually towards the counter before it withdrew a wallet - paying with a few notes before walking to the exit.

“Mhm. Maybe it’s intelligent. Go on, get that thing’s attention.”

“Hey. Uh… what noise does an animal make?”

A towel-clad Ichika peeked around the corner, quietly tutting to herself as she waited for the tumble dryer to stop spinning. The “furry thing” promptly leant against the counter - clearly finding the tall figures just as perplexing.

“Ah… there’s a cat over there. It goes meow.”

“MEOW!”

The laundromat fell silent, and the Storch scanned the interior - watching a pair of what seemed to be cat ears flick up over a nearby washer. The Protektor noted that they were pink on the inside - causing her to then raise her brows in curiosity upon noticing the also-pink halo that was idly floating above the pair of ears.

“Ah…! Kazusa, why are you hiding…?”

“Guess. Starts with U, ends in A.”

“Ah… I see…”

Ichika watched the tumble dryer beep quietly, indicating that the cycle was finished - with the pair of Protektors glancing between her and the machine, before the taller of the two put two and two together and opened the door - tossing the clothes over with a smile.

“Right… thanks! Give me a few minutes to get changed…”

Sanctum Tower

Rin smarted slightly as she began to lean back in the chair, gently placing her hands on the table with a sigh of irritation. The pain - where was it, her chest, no, her head, no… ah, there in her lower back, from when the taller visitor - the Storch, if she remembered correctly - had slammed her against the table.

“So long as we can stay”, huh? You’ll be staying, alright, you’ll be staying in a cell when I’m done with you.

Storch units initially have a short temper and are prone to cruelty and violence, well I’m very glad that I found out first hand. Those two come here from out of nowhere, show me up in front of the General Student Council, and beat the seven shades out of Mine over a misunderstanding?

Well… okay, that third one was bound to happen one day.

Ayumu absent-mindedly strolled in - having finished the day’s tasks early, thanks to Momoka being forced to stay in at someone’s gunpoint. She stepped into the office with a quickly disappearing smile - noticing Rin’s eye focused on her, which caused the secretary to quake slightly in her heels.

“Ah, Ayumu - do you mind doing me a favour?”

“Of course, what do you need?”

“Call SRT Academy, see if FOX Squad is available.”

Ayumu quickly tapped out a message on her phone - waiting patiently for an answer. Five minutes of awkward silence passed before a buzz was heard, and Ayumu raised her phone to read a message from Yukino - causing Rin’s brows to raise with interest as she waited for an answer.

“They said “We’re free.” That’s it.”

“Good. Tell them to bring our visitors back.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Ayumu promptly deposited the chest-conforming stack of paper onto Rin’s desk, then turned around and walked off.

Millennium Science School District - twenty minutes later

The trio walked along the riverside casually, receiving looks of both curiosity and fear while checking their surroundings. Most noticeable was a guard railing to their right - clearly to keep either clumsy or inebriated students from falling into the river. Ichika stretched and frowned as she leant against a nearby tree, catching her breath while sighing to herself.

“You know… I’ve been thinking, I can’t call you Star and Storch forever… heh. Any… better names?”

The Star looked up towards the large pink trees that were adorning the park, and cocked her head - oblivious to the slightly quick tone that Ichika was addressing her with.

“Hmh.”

“What, you’ve never seen a cherry tree before?”

“No.”

The Storch raised an eyebrow, and nodded in agreement - with the pair of Replika watching as the Justice Task Force member exhaled from her nose, and slowly pushed herself off of the tree. 

“Just Sakura, huh? Alright, fine, whatever…”

“You’ve got to be joking. It’s like being called Pine Tree.”

The Starling’s brows furrowed, and she shot a somewhat sullen glare towards the taller Protektor, defending her choice of name with a snippy tone - which caused the Storch to just roll her shoulders and smile.

“Well, I think it sounds nice.”

“Heh. Fair enough… I was only teasing.”

Sakura nodded, smiled, and checked her phone - opening the weather application on her screen with a quiet hm. Fifteen degrees Celsius, low humidity, and sunny to boot… very comfortable to live in. She hoped that the weather would be this good all year round.

The Storch didn’t seem to agree.

“So - where now?”

“Probably just walk back to SCHALE, maybe go to Trinity and see if we can get enrolled in classes. Sounds good?” 

“Not complaining.”

Sakura forced a mask-covered smile towards the Storch - silently exhaling through her nose as she noticed a group of four walking nearby.

A rudimentary second glance confirmed that the group was walking towards them - but why?

Fifteen minutes earlier

“I see. Two targets? No halos?”

“Yes… so, bring them in alive please.”

SRT Academy’s latest job had taken them by surprise. Guests here - in Kivotos - and with no halos, to boot. Yukino chamber-checked her firearm, then watched her squad mates load theirs - hearing the loud clunk of a sniper rifle magazine being rocked in behind her.

Yukino’s ears were promptly graced with a heavy KA-CHUNK - ostensibly the sound of Otogi racking the bolt of her fifty-caliber rifle.

That’s our last resort. These visitors don’t have halos, so they should NOT be able to win against anyone in the FOX Squad.

“Alright, let’s move out. Niko?”

“Yeah?”

“Rock salt rounds?”

Niko chamber checked her shotgun, nodded, then slung the firearm over her shoulder - falling in behind Yukino with a firm Yep!, then motioning for the other two to follow suit with a snap of her fingers.

“Good. Let’s move out.”

The four quickly sprinted to the nearest staircase, fanning out as they entered the garage - naturally checking corners, before piling into the unmarked car waiting for them. Yukino took the driver’s seat, and heard Kurumi behind her - with Otogi to her left. Process of elimination meant that Niko was next to her - peeking through the outside window, with her shotgun sitting on her lap. 

“So, we extract the gold, move the gold, set the smokescreen, set the trap, and escape-OW!”

Yukino accidentally drove over a speedbump, watching Kurumi grit her teeth in the rear view mirror with a successfully repressed smile.

“No, that was the job we did for Kaiser PMC… off the books, remember? Regardless… we’re here, fall in. Hopefully two visitors won’t be too much trouble for us.”

The drive around Millennium was largely uneventful - with the silence of the interior occasionally being broken by a chamber check every few minutes, the car finally screeching to a halt as Niko pointed outside with haste.

“Ah - there they are!”

“Alright, good eye - wait, what the hell is Nakamasa Ichika doing with them?”

The squad quickly stopped around the corner and exited the car, keeping their weapons in low ready as they strolled over - with Yukino naturally taking point as she whistled to grab Ichika’s attention..

“Hm? Ah, hello…”

“Hi, Ichika. You mind handing them over?”

“Says who…?”

Yukino’s ears promptly twitched.

“Important people.”

“Who?”

“Important people who you don’t need to know the names of, Ichika. Go. Home .”

Ichika’s wings spread out ever so briefly - before she wisely relented, slinging her rifle over her back and turning heel. 

“Now - you’re coming with me - both of you.”

“That’s not happening.”

Sakura watched a gun barrel being raised towards the taller Protektor - silently stepping back, deciding to stay out of the confrontation - with Ichika wisely doing the same. The Storch glowered towards the pair behind her, then returned her attention to the SRT member, scowling towards Yukino - while rolling her shoulders and clenching her jaw.

“Just on my own, huh? Alright… I surrender…”

Yukino shouldered her weapon, and watched as the Storch stepped closer with a concerned look on her face as she brought out the handcuffs. She was too casual for someone being detained, and as Yukino let the thought distract her for the briefest of seconds…

“C’MERE!”

Yukino felt a cold plastic hand grip her by the wrist, then felt herself becoming weightless as she was swung-

CRASH!

Promptly flying through the pane of bus stop glass as if it was nothing, with the grip having been loosened. The fox-eared girl then tumbled against the pavement, careening into a parked car… and quickly getting to her feet, looking no worse for wear as she brushed herself off with an angered scowl. Otogi promptly shouldered her rifle, aimed down the scope, and pulled the trigger - with the Storch feeling a rush of air against her cheek as the .50 calibre bullet whizzed past, embedding itself in a pane of glass across the street.

Ichika’s jaw dropped.

How the hell did she just do that-

“Now - are you planning on giving up?”

The SRT member shook her head and redoubled her efforts, springing to her feet and charging forward… before hearing a shotgun blast from behind her. Niko whistled loudly in order to grab the Storch’s attention - with the distraction working too well as she racked the pump, her round hitting the synthetic dead centre.

The Replika was unaffected by the shotgun shell filled with rock salt, and promptly grabbed Yukino by the shoulder before tossing her aside with a scowl on her faceplates - nonchalantly strolling over, with Ichika watching, her jaw agape as shell after shell simply bounced off. Niko suddenly found herself aiming upwards - the Storch having grabbed the barrel, now pointing it away from both of them.

“I think I’ll be taking this shotgun now.”

A firm right hook was delivered to Niko’s jaw - knocking the pink-haired girl out as soon as she impacted the concrete, with Otogi racking the bolt of her sniper rifle in response.

She wasn't trying to miss this time.

Kurumi quickly readied her shield, then pressed down on the button in the grip - sending a flash of light into the tall assailant’s eyes. Said tall assailant promptly shook her head, blinking feverishly with a loud groan.

“STOP-”

Ichika gently raised her rifle towards Otogi - with the notably smaller SRT member curling her finger around the trigger as the Storch tore the shield from Kurumi’s hands. Yukino grit her teeth as she eyeballed Otogi, who was currently squinting through the sniper scope atop her rifle. Niko, meanwhile, groaned quietly, and Sakura watched the large halo on the top of her head flicker back… on.

“RIGHT NOW, OTOGI!”

Yukino’s voice tore through the two like a searing knife, the Storch’s eye twitching as she slowly turned to face her. Otogi quickly removed her hand from the rifle’s grip, and she slowly stepped away - watching the Storch’s hand tremble.

“Look at the fucking state of you. You’re not even human in there, are you? You’re nothing more than a weapon.”

Yukino’s face grew an expression of disgust as she stared up towards the Storch, pulling herself to her feet before grabbing her rifle. Ichika watched on - focusing on keeping the Starling at bay via a tight hold on her wrist.

“Weapons don’t decide what's right or wrong, that’s precisely why they have value.”

The Storch then flicked her eyes downward towards Yukino as she steadied herself against the lamp-post, quickly aiming the barrel towards the synthetic with gritted teeth.

Then, she flicked the safety off - and found herself being lifted by the neck a few moments later. She quickly thrashed against the Storch’s death grip with punches and kicks - then flicked a button on the laser pointer that was attached to the top rail of her rifle. The Protektor immediately recoiled - gripping the SRT member's neck tighter.

"YA LITTLE SHIT-"

Yukino took advantage of the situation, hammering the buttstock into the now-blind Storch's face with all her strength... merely leaving a few bruises. The Storch promptly grit her teeth, and blindly reached for the gun, finding purchase and tossing the rifle away in an instant - with Yukino now stewing against the chokehold on her windpipe as she kicked and punched, making admirable attempts to actually hurt the seemingly unstoppable synthetic.

Ichika shakily let go of the Starling, and readied her rifle - but not before hearing a kufufu in the distance.

"They're over there."

"Haha, just as I suspected… the newcomers are real! Allow me, girls…"

Rikuhachima Aru turned the corner, and swaggered over towards the unfolding situation with a smug smile.

Ah, that’s… FOX Squad…?!

Aru blanched for the briefest of moments, before composing herself once more with a smile on her lips - whistling loudly as the rest of Problem Solver 68 fell in behind her. Mutsuki watched with an impish smirk, and couldn’t help but interject into the ensuing situation.

“Yukino - from FOX Squad, SRT Academy? How have you gotten yourself into this situation, kufufu…”

One of Yukino’s eyes promptly twitched.

“Say what you will about Miyako, but I don’t think she ever gave us that look, did she, Aru?”

“Yeah, that’s… right?”

Aru cocked her head with interest - noticing the SRT leader’s murderous glare…

“Uh… Mutsuki?”

“Yessss?”

“Why is she looking at us like that?”

Kayoko’s eyes briefly swivelled towards Yukino, before returning her attention towards her fellow club member with a dry smile. Haruka slowly raised her shotgun - pointing the barrel towards Yukino with an expression of unbridled rage.

“You dare look at Aru in such a FOUL way?! UNFORGIVABLE!!!”

“HARUKA, NO. Wait. Let me take control of this situation…”

Haruka surprisingly saw sense, and reluctantly returned to cradling her shotgun.

“Boss?”

“Yeah, Kayoko?”

“Just shoot her.”

Aru nodded, lined up her reticule to Yukino’s forehead, and whistled - watching the tall humanoid loosen her grip on the target. Aru’s eyes promptly shot wide, her brow raising...

“H-hey! Keep her still, don’t drop her!”

A loud whistle distracted both Yukino and the towering Replika - causing the pair to turn their heads… then notice a scope glint in the distance. Yukino’s good eye shot wide - as did the Storch’s, with the synthetic humanoid slowly releasing her chokehold.

“H-hey! Keep her still, don’t drop her!”

BANG!

The 7.62 round flew out of the barrel, and took barely a split second to impact Yukino’s temple - knocking her out cold. The Storch promptly glanced over towards the source of the sound, and raised her eyebrows. A confidently swaggering girl strolled over - slinging her rifle over her shoulder with a smirk on her lips. The Starling had noticed three others behind the sniper - one dressed in purple, another in red, and the third one in black.

Merely looking at the third one sent shivers down the Starling’s spine.

“There we go! You’re rather hard to find, you pair…”

Niko’s ears promptly swivelled to the source of the voice - and upon turning her head, noticing exactly who had swaggered over… furrowed her brows, then glared sullenly towards the four with an almost aggravated grin.

“Problem-Solver-Sixty-Eight, that’s just who I wanted to see…! FOX Squad, send them pa...”

As Niko spoke, her eyes flitted towards Kayoko - and her noticeably unsilenced pistol.

“Aha, on second thought, let’s just get out of here…!”

“Good idea. Please do.”

An awkward silence ensued as a now-shieldless Kurumi helped Yukino to her feet, with Otogi racking the bolt backwards - ejecting the .50 caliber round, then nodding towards Ichika… before she slowly turned and followed Niko’s lead, returning to the car.

A loud screech of wheels met Ichika's ears… and her jaw promptly hung open.

“You just brushed off one of the strongest students here… and then you went and beat her in hand-to-hand combat.”

“What, you reckon she’ll want my number?”

Ichika blinked in disbelief - then noticed the anger mark on Sakura’s forehead, which caused her to wisely spread her fingers out, and shake her head… to no avail. The Starling promptly stormed over with a heavy scowl - one not too dissimilar from the Storch, Ichika noted - before blowing up in her face.

“With all due respect… please, shut the FUCK up, we are three for three now on “bad stuff happening”. Day one, we were roped into some harebrained scheme, shot at, and almost blown up. Day two, you almost caused a diplomatic incident before we ran around a good chunk of Kivotos. AND NOW - THIS.”

“What’s wrong with this ?”

“OH, I DON’T KNOW-”

As she watched the ensuing argument, Aru slung her rifle onto her back - her smile quickly fading from her lips. One quick cross of her arms later, and Aru’s eyebrow was thoroughly arched - with a hint of irritation plain to see on her face.

“A-HEM.”

“AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?!”

“Us? We were just passing by… don’t shout, it’s rude . Kayoko thinks that Schale probably wants you for something.”

Sakura’s sentence died in her throat as she turned her head towards Aru - who was looking up at her with crossed arms and a wry smile. One of the trio behind her - the purple one, she noted - was nervously cradling a shotgun, maniacally glaring towards her until Aru patted her on the shoulder.

“If I had to guess, it’s probably Rin. She’s too busy with paperwork, so she sends hired goons to bring you back to her. Whatever happened to asking for a phone number?”

Sakura blinked in disbelief - her palm promptly impacting her faceplates with a loud sigh. Ichika gently scratched the nape of her own neck, holstering her firearm with an awkward laugh... while watching the Gehenna students with caution.

"Just give us two minutes, okay?"

“Me and my gang of hard-boiled, er, workers for hire - we might think you’re weird, but we’ll at least have the dignity to say it to your face. Sounds good?”

Mutsuki couldn’t help but interject.

“Aru, you were complaining about Hina’s wings three days ago.”

“H-HEY! She’s part of the Prefect Team, she beats my ass ! I’m allowed to complain about her! So, ignoring that ! How would you like to join my crew of hardened career criuhmmmm…”

The Storch raised her brow sceptically upon watching Aru begin to stumble over her words.

“Crime fighters!”

“Right. What’s in it for me?”

The hard boiled criminal’s face lit up, and she snapped her fingers in a smooth movement, pointing directly at the Storch with both index fingers in a split second.

“A uniform. Good work, you’ve already got the gun and gear! We’re like… mercenaries-”

“But… I already have a uniform.”

Kayoko stepped forward with a relaxed smile, and carefully interjected into the conversation - trusting Mutsuki and Haruka to stay quiet for the briefest of moments.

“What Aru means is a real uniform. Most people in general don’t go around on their day to day business wearing body armour or plate carriers…”

“Correct. You’ll need it, but I can pay for it! There’s a lot of gunfights in Kivotos, so it’s a good idea to keep our newest member safe…”

“Mhm.”

Sakura watched as the Storch began to think it over… and frowned beneath her mask. Surely she wasn’t going already? Ichika, meanwhile, waited, watched - then nudged the Starling in the back to get her attention.

“Hey.”

“What.”

“You look upset. What’s wrong?”

“Guess.”

Ichika gently wrapped her hand around the Starling’s wrist, tapping her thumb against the black plastic with a smile on her face - rolling her shoulders in an attempt to relieve tension. She motioned for Sakura to do the same - which the Starling reluctantly did.

“You’re going to miss her, aren’t you? You can talk on Momotalk, remember?”

Sakura blinked, clearing her head, then glanced down towards Ichika - her eyes inevitably wandering towards the rather distracting crosshair that was floating lazily above the girl’s head.

“You… do remember, right?”

“Um… I do now…?”

The JTF member flashed a grin towards Sakura, gently poking the Replika on the waist with an almost chastising tone in her voice. Sakura now felt rather stupid as she watched the Storch converse with the far shorter group.

“She’ll be fi-ne . She’ll probably miss you, too!”

The next few minutes passed in an awkward silence to Ichika and the Starling, who both folded their arms - now watching the group with less intensity than before. The Storch nodded, and excused herself before quickly breaking off from the four - strolling towards Sakura with a smile on her faceplates.

“Good news!”

“Yeah… just, where are you going?”

Aru grinned from horn to horn, promptly injecting herself into the conversation with an arm around the Storch’s wrist.

“Gehenna! Come on, let’s get the nearest bus! It’s not far!”

“Hold up just a second. Uh… contact methods. Phone number?”

“Sure, here…”

A flurry of clicking ensued as Aru watched the pair exchange contact details - waiting patiently with a smile on her lips. She quietly checked her own phone - watching a message flash up, much to her surprise…

“Right. Name… Sa-ku-ra. What’s yours?”

“Hm… how about Meiko? Sounds… native enough.”

Sakura beamed, and tapped the name in - giving Meiko a nod, and watching the Storch turn around.

“Fine by me! So, what are we doing now?”

“Well, you, Sakura, are coming with me. We’re getting you a Justice Task Force uniform.”

Ichika gently tugged Sakura by the wrist - her eyes wandering over towards Aru, who was leading Meiko towards the nearby bus stop… with Problem Solver 68 naturally in tow.

“Come on. Just because Trinity and Gehenna don’t get along, that doesn’t mean that you have to lose your friendship with her…”

Two days later

Sakura felt undeniably stupid as she read through the manual of arms for her rifle - having cleaned it to a sparkling finish after receiving the weekly payment from her lessons. She’d spent the rest of her cheque on onigiri, bullets, and spare clothing. 

Then, her phone buzzed, and she checked the notification. She'd finally received the cash injection from Millennium's Engineering Club. All they’d wanted in return was to add an internal shielding generator, along with some kinetic displacer plating and artificial proteinic skin. Where the Engineering Club had retrieved the skin from, Sakura didn't know - but she wasn't complaining.

It was all for the pursuit of science, of course.

Amidst Chihiro’s conspiratory whispering a few days ago, she’d received confirmation that both her and Meiko were effectively bulletproof. Hayase Yuuka’s suddenly missing calculator had had no connection to such a breakthrough in technological development.

At least, that’s what she’d heard when Chihiro had been confronted by Noa.

Integrating Momotalk into their systems, however, had been Hibiki’s idea. Sakura remembered upon the sounding of a small buzz inside her ear, and she promptly picked up the call with a blink of her eye.

“Hello? Meiko?”

“Heh… ah, THERE you are! “Dear esteemed guests, you are hereby invited to the Red Winter Federal Academy, by order of esteemed President Cherino…” You’ve got to be kidding… clearly, Aru must have waited a while before telling me.”

Red Winter Federal Academy had arguably the strangest reputation of Kivotos’ schools, and Sakura suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Meiko didn’t , and Sakura could practically hear the Storch grumbling down the line.

“So, I was wondering - would you like to come? I’m going to be bored out of my mind, so I thought I’d call you. If you’re not busy, of course.”

Sakura glanced towards Hasumi, with her ample…

Wings.

Being very hard to miss.

Hasumi felt herself being watched, her eyes promptly wandering around before they met Sakura’s. The Starling watched as Hasumi’s wings slowly closed - with the undeniably large girl trying to make an attempt to not take up too much space.

“Ah, Sakura, there you are - do you need something?”

“Uh… I was wondering. Could I go with Meiko to the Red Winter Academy?”

Hasumi silently mulled it over, tapping her heel against the ground with a quiet hmm. The thought of a joint visit - with a Gehenna club - to a different academy… 

“It’s with Problem Solver 68…”

With Problem Solver 68, who was a rather prominent thorn in the side of Gehenna’s Prefect Team... 

“Okay.”

“Yeah, I’m free.”

Sakura heard a distant cheer from inside her head - presuming that it was Problem Solver 68 celebrating in the background.

“This is going to be a riot . I’ll ask Aru… see if we can’t get a train with them…”

Ichika glanced up towards the Starling in between texting on her phone.

One minute, Sakura was there.

And the next, she wasn’t.

All Ichika heard was the heavy and loud thumping of footpads - along with a loud cheer.

The next evening…

“Finally…”

Sakura squatted in front of a square mirror,  relaxing in the bathroom of her undeniably minuscule quarters. A bed just barely big enough for her, a couch, and a bathroom with a cabinet. To be shared with Meiko. For the next week .

With the lack of hot water, she didn’t exactly fancy her own chances.

“How pokey.”

THUMP!

Meiko promptly kicked the door open - raising her brow towards Sakura’s presumably forced fashion choice. The Starling had been dressed in a jauntily angled beret to cover her head, a somewhat loose black sailor shirt adorned with a red stripe on the sleeves, a red armband as decoration on her left bicep… finishing off with a pleated skirt covering her hips that could charitably be described as short.

“Certainly not the word I’d use… I'm calling the couch, by the way...”

Sakura’s brow arched with curiosity while she shrugged her purple bag off of her shoulders - hearing it drop onto the bed with a tempered smile.

“So what would you use, then, Meiko?”

“Shi-”

Meiko’s curse was cut short by Sakura clearing her throat.

“You may be right… but, a little word of advice. Don’t say stupid things, in stupid places, at stupid times, around stupid people. And I think we are in a stupid place, around some *VERY* stupid people.”

“You’re probably correct.”

Sakura’s eyes settled on Meiko’s less forced uniform. The Storch was wearing a standard black school shirt, with the Gehenna symbol visible on the breast of the garment. Upon further inspection, Meiko’s shirt was unbuttoned at the neck, and had rolled her sleeves up to her biceps. Most noticeable was the large black trench coat slung over Meiko’s shoulder, as well as the pair of shotguns dangling against her hips - both of them having taken several more scratches and dents.

“Noted. Thanks!”

Whether it was battle damage, or a crude attempt at personalisation after having relinquished one of them from Niko, Sakura didn’t know - and a loud knock interrupted the Starling’s sigh.

“Yoo-hoo! Meiko, I know you’re here somewhere, because I can hear you before I see you!”

Meiko quietly chuckled to herself, shaking the shotguns from her shoulders with a smile on her faceplates. Sakura heard the firearms drop onto the duvet with a quiet thump - and watched the Storch walk over towards the door.

“Yeah, I’m here… you caught me.”

“Where’s your friend?”

“She’s in here. Door’s open.”

Aru slipped in with a hidden smile. Her mouth was covered by large and puffy black fur trimming - the girl wearing a red kimono adorned with a multitude of patterns. Or, at least, what the Replikas thought was red - as on a second glance, the kimono changed to a thick dark green stripe below her hips bearing a floral pattern. A few sakura patterns adorned her kimono, and she quickly stepped in with a smile on her face.

“How do I look?”

Meiko smiled, and gave her boss a thumbs up - then noticed Aru’s lack of gloves and proper boots, which caused her to cock her head.

“Great! But… where’s your gloves and boots? It’s freezing outside.”

Aru blinked, her eyes darting around quickly with a nervous smile.

“I brought them. They’re just, uh… in a different suitcase!”

Outskirts of Red Winter Federal Academy, One VERY long week later…

Sakura and Meiko sighed loudly as they rested on the train - wincing from the bruises underneath their clothing.

"Yeah. I'll admit it, you were right. They were some very stupid people."

“I feel bad for Aru having to stake it home with just the others. She paid for our train tickets, but it doesn’t feel right that we get to take the easy way out. The rest of Problem Solver 68 has to sneak around.”

“Yeah. I’m not happy about it either, but it’s her order…”

“I think it was the last of her money, I had to haggle with the conductor.”

Sakura watched as Meiko lazily dropped her shotguns onto the seat to her left - with the other seat holding her white rucksack. It was supposedly a knockoff of the Peroro brand - which Meiko denied with a murderous grumble.

The large peach coloured lettering said otherwise.

“Well, good thing I charmed that security guard to let us in, hm? Judging by your sluggishness, you were woken up by the gunshots last night - just like me…”

Sakura nodded in response, setting her purple satchel on the floor with a stretch and a yawn. Her rifle was lazily placed against the lip of the seat, and her head thumped quietly against the window behind her, turning to her right - lazily keeping an eye on the passenger in the next cabin.

“Just another Tuesday over here… still can’t believe you managed to buy a Triple Step bag with your allowance. Well, bad sleep and mild jealousy aside, the Red Winter tour was… interesting.”

“I wouldn't be that charitable… hic. We ended up running all night.”

“Well, Shigure had the last laugh, didn’t she…”

Sakura drunkenly shook her head, attempting to keep herself steady while sitting. Much to Meiko’s annoyance, she’d insisted on trying the kompot last night.

Meiko had also tried the kompot.

As had Aru. And Kayoko. And Mutsuki.

Haruka had, after the rest of her group staggered to their rooms, “accidentally” caused a diplomatic incident. Meiko smirked - playing the muffled audio log of “UNFORGIVABLE!!!” in her head - one that was punctuated by a loud RRRRRRIP! roughly half a second later.

“Nuh uh! Not my fault she threw half a bottle of vodka in…!”

“Mhm… well I distinctly remember Nodoka showing me a picture of-”

Sakura promptly flipped Meiko off, then smiled, picked up her bag and gun, then staggered to her feetpads - listening to the taller Protektor chuckle loudly as she pushed herself up and off of the seat, glancing outside towards the Sanctum Tower with a smile on her faceplates.

“Right, you’re not even walking straight… hold on…”

“Blame Haruka for tearing off Cherino’s moustache in revenge, that’s why we had to run… haven’t slept in a cycle thanks to her, cut me some slack…”

Meiko then promptly wrapped her arm around the Starling, helping her fellow Protektor to the next carriage with an amused smile. Haruka had indeed torn Cherino’s Great Moustache off, and the visitors had been purged back to their schools in response.

“That’s my girl. Well, come on! Next stop, Trinity.”

As the train began to pull in, Sakura blinked as she was helped to the next carriage. She then rubbed her eyes, and stopped in her tracks - pointing towards an empty stained seat.

Not even five minutes ago, someone was sitting there.

She could have sworn .

“Huh. Where’d that woman go?”

“What woman?”

Meiko pointed towards the empty seat again - expecting the girl to reappear at any moment.

“A girl. About… Rin’s height? Blue hair… pink on the inside.”

“Blue hair on the outside and pink on the inside? You really have had too much to drink, your eyes must be going… come on, the train's stopping. I’m not walking you to Trinity directly from SCHALE. Okay?”

"Alright, I'm coming! Just let me get a Frenzy MAX really quick... should be somewhere in my bag..."

Sanctum Tower

Rin checked her glasses, then stared towards her phone screen with a quiet grumble of frustration - reading the message to herself with a scowl on her face.

“Target acquisition un successful, the Starling joined Trinity’s Justice Task Force, and the Storch joined- Gehenna? PROBLEM SOLVER 68?!”

The phone slipped from her hand, and she groaned loudly - reaching down to pick it up with a sigh. It buzzed uselessly against the floor - with Rin having only enabled notifications for a select few students. She blinked in disbelief upon noticing the message from Utaha that had popped onto her screen.

Hi Rin - the two visitors are safe and sound. Installed an upgrade package to make them bulletproof, kept them away from Seminar and Himari. You don’t have to worry about them getting hurt! 

Great news - Ichika told me they want to stay here too! :D

Ah. So I only complicated things by sending SRT to keep them safe, that’s…

The pair of Protektors would be out of her hair - but most importantly, they would be safe . As she breathed a sigh of relief, the quick sound of clicking heels could be heard coming down the hall - with Rin silently hoping that it was Ayumu.

Much to her silent relief, it was - and she watched the girl slip in with a frown on her face.

“Ayumu, there you are.”

Ayumu blinked, and swallowed back a sob as she set the missing persons report down for one Kuromi Serika .

“Rin… I… I'm sorry for being late, but something’s happened to Sensei.”