Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

'This is bad, this is bad, this is bad—'

I muttered repeatedly before bullets hit the wall in front of me as I turned the corner. My spine crawled each time a round nearly grazed my head.

"She went this way!"

"Did you guys seriously fall for that?!"

"You fell for it too, idiot!"

Delinquents clad in biking helmets were on my tail, only to stop for a quick moment to spew lead before moving on.

Their faces were hidden behind their visors, but anyone could tell they were absolutely consumed by anger. That anger, of course, was all directed towards me.

How did I get myself into this mess?

Oh right, I remember now.

I was coming back from the black market after selling some scrap as per usual, but today I decided to splurge a bit more. Really, what I got besides the usual rations of stale protein bars was a large bottle of water that was nice and cool—quite literally heaven in this blazing hot sand—and a whole loaf of bread.

A whole loaf of bread.

Plain white bread.

Basically a full three course meal since forever, well at least to me.

I was so excited to chow down on it that I stumbled into members of some random helmet gang wearing yellow helmets with numbers one to three branded on each of them.

And like any thug on the street, they tried to shake me down for some change.

Besides the stuff I just bought that was in my duffel bag, I didn't really have much to offer. I had basically nothing, but they were very keen on not leaving empty-handed.

Having nothing else to do, my very bright mind of mine sparked a very bright idea—and what it came to was...

"Look, a bird."

"Huh?"

As their heads turned, I frantically bolted in the other direction as fast as I could.

But my stubby short legs didn't take me that far, and it was only a few moments they caught up with me, guns blazing and clearly enraged by my vain efforts.

That's all I remember.

Slipping into an alleyway, I stopped before the perilous obstacle yet: A fence. I already heard footsteps closing in, so with no other choice, I scrambled to climb it.

That being said, quickly getting over a fence with a bag this large wasn't easy. Neither did it help that my cloak also got snagged at the top.

Of course it did. It always gets caught on something. I still don't understand how people don't get their clothes covered with sand without one.

After panicking and then wrangling it out from the fence, I dropped to the other side with a loud, miserable thud.

Still safe, but not far enough. As soon as I saw them turn the corner, two of them saw the fence and decided to find another way, leaving the shotgunner with a red two on her helmet following my trail.

I wasn't going to let her waltz right up to me so I made a mad dash out of the alley right into an abandoned street.

"Hey, there she is!"

Behind me at the intersection, I spotted the other two helmet gangers turn the corner who joined with the shotgunner. I was then greeted with a hail of bullets upon eye contact.

(Ratatatat! Ratatatat!)

(Twaang! Thun! Tang!)

(Rip!)

"Gah!"

A wave of pain dug into my ankle, which made me trip behind a cement barrier. Clenching my teeth while holding my leg, I figured a stray bullet hit my leg and left a nasty red sore.

It felt like I was running for hours already and that fatigue was starting to hit hard. I was gasping for air and it was evident I wouldn't last any longer in this cat and mouse chase, especially with all this weight on me.

I definitely had to cut it short now.

Still under cover, I unzipped my bag for my gun, an old-timey looking revolver. Fiddling around with it, I probably had 4 rounds to use. I really didn't want to use it, but it'll do.

Once I heard the gunfire stop, I took a breath and stood up.

I pointed the barrel at them, the silver metal and the neon blue paint gleaming in the blazing sun. Hot sand blew lightly in their direction.

"She's got a gun!"

Of course I have a gun, you dolt. Everyone has a gun in Kivotos.

I took aim at the shotgunner in the front and pulled the trigger.

(Click!)

Huh?

(Click! Click! Click!)

I tried to pull it a few more times but the trigger wouldn't budge. The helmet gangers looked at themselves like I was an idiot.

And then they continued firing.

I ducked and fumbled around with the thing to figure out what was wrong.

And then I realized.

It was a single action revolver. God, am I stupid.

In my defense, I can't remember ever using a firearm. But once I pulled the hammer hearing four clicks, I got out of cover to shoot.

(Bang!)

(Tink!)

Being a total newbie with guns, I flinched wildly at the sound and fell on my bottom like a dumbass. That sound meant I hit absolutely nothing, but it did pause the ongoing gunfire for a moment, giving me a chance to take my bag and flee.

They still caught up however.

(Ratatatat!)

(Thun! Thunk!)

Behind me, the two in the back had rifles on them giving supporting fire for the shotgunner, who was slowly closing in while firing at the same time.

(Step. Thun! Step. Thun!)

She alternated between advancing and firing her gun. With the other two, the combined gunfire meant I was totally pinned down. The sound was completely deafening.

I was behind a wall for cover holding my revolver ready, sometimes peeking when the gunfire stopped only to hide when bullets hit the corner again. Really, how much ammo are they burning through?

Once the gunfire paused again, I would have peeked out to finally shoot... only just to panic and pull the trigger as soon as I saw that plastered red two on a helmet.

(Bang!)

(Clack! Thud!)

Her shotgun fell to the ground as she collapsed just moments after I almost tripped myself in surprise.

"Crap, she got Number Two!"

"You'll pay, you little twerp!"

I apparently domed her with a headshot—which honestly, really amazed I hit anything that time with my shoddy aim. I was literally aiming anywhere in her direction.

Footsteps became louder as soon as the gunfire stopped. Each step meant ever growing fury and revenge for their friend.

Yeah, definitely time to run.

My legs were already jelly from all this action, and the bruise made it a lot worse. Walking to the black market and back would be considered enough exercise for its long distance at least for me, but apparently it wasn't enough for a gunfight.

Lucky for them, I wasn't out of the alley when they entered. I could pretty much hear them scheming to corner me and pairs of footsteps going in opposite directions.

Definitely couldn't go further. I went up and sat behind a trash can to try and catch my breath, but at this point, I'm willing to give up. My legs were basically the equivalent of melted butter and the sweat just added to it.

The one marked with a one on her helmet clearly saw my attempt at respite and her footsteps slowed down considerably.

And then she started monologuing like some generic movie villain.

"Finally caught you. After what you did to Number Two, I'll take my proper revenge."

Is she serious?

"After I take your money, I'll probably go with the gang to buy some Momo Friends merch. Or maybe buy a new phone or something—-"

I am not listening to this.

"I don't have money, you know."

"W-What?"

I peeked out to witness her standing still as a statue.

"I literally have water and a loaf of bread."

"But what about your gun—"

"I only have two rounds left in this thing and nothing else."

"..."

Complete silence. I mean I would be too if I chased someone all for nothing.

"You three chased me all for a loaf of bread. A. Loaf. Of. Bread."

"..."

"Where do you even think you are?"

"A-Abydos?"

"Right, and basically no one lives here."

"Then why are you still here?"

"..."

That sentence made me unreasonably angry for some reason. I don't know why exactly but I just was.

"I'm kicking this thing and shooting you."

"Huh?"

(Punt! Clang!)

"Oof!"

She tumbled gracefully moments after the trash can slammed into her, her rifle dropped with a clack as it fell out of her hands.

"Agh..."

(Click, click, click, click!)

"Wait, wait, wait!"

(Bang!)

(Slump!)

Shooting her point blank in the forehead knocked her out instantly. I did say I was going to do all that after all.

And I may have—lightly, to put it kindly—kicked her a few times after that. Not because I'm mad about what she said, yeah.

Now I just had to deal with one more, but I had like one single round left.

And that's when I spotted a slightly open door leading to the inside of some building.

'Hmm.'

* * *

Definitely heard a gunshot in the alleyway, Number One's fighting alright.

Honestly, I should've ran along with. Probably would have got this done faster and poor Number Two wouldn't have been hurt.

That said, I didn't see the two anywhere in the alley when I came from the other end. I think going around was a waste of time.

Walking deeper, I saw a door completely wide open. They're probably inside on the upper floors I think.

Peeking in, the interior was some kind of abandoned supermarket with everything dark and all with empty—well mostly empty—shelves.

I might see if there's some Momo Friends merch in there. She'll be probably done with that shortie in a second. That girl only has a revolver after all—

* * *

(Kwooong!)

(Clack! Thud!)

As soon as the last one came in, I swung the head end of a broom towards right where her head should be.

She fell unconscious almost on top of the idiot I dragged in beforehand.

Completely exhausted, I fell on my knees sighing. Thank god this is done.

Today must be both a really lucky and unlucky day. There were way too many close calls in this stupid chase.

Well whatever, it's time to go home. I'm hot, sweaty and tired—not to mention that this place gives me the creeps.

...On second thought, maybe I'll check for Momo Friends merch before I go.

Chapter Text

"Have you seen XXXXXX?"

"Her desk was empty during first period."

"You guys think she left?"

I awake to students whispering, gently chattering about in the classroom. Each group was huddled around a set of desks arranged without care for a proper class.

Glancing at the clock with my head still nestled in my arms, it had been 30 minutes since class started, yet none of us were actually studying.

Considering the current state of the times, this was completely normal. Abydos was still suffering from the ever-growing desertification for who knows how long.

It wouldn't be absurd to see a fellow classmate up and leave entirely.

In fact, from what I recall, only around 13 students, including me, remained in this class. Going further, maybe about 70 still attended class.

Even further, there were maybe a few students left in the student council, and all of them were first years.

There wasn't much else you could do besides sleep and chat, not that I wanted to do the latter anyway.

Friend groups had already formed at the start of the year, and I couldn't stir up anything to join them. In the end, I was a part of the Go-Home Club nobodies who never stayed after.

I was always hiding behind her after all.

Well, whatever, it seems like today won't have anything unusual. I'll go back to sleep.

Or so I thought.

(Ding, Ding, Dzzzzzzrt!)

The loudspeaker came to life for a moment with a few chimes before buzzing at the last one. A voice crackled harshly through the old box. Everyone's heads were all gazing at what it entailed.

[ATTENTION, THIS IS THE STUDENT COUNCIL SPEAKING. ALL STUDENTS SHOULD COME TO THE AUDITORIUM FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.]

(Clak!)

After that brief announcement, the others asked each other a few questions before heading out of the room.

Of course, I went as well, wiping the drool off my face and walking out.

Little did I know this was the last day I would set foot in school ever again.

* * *

Every student was sitting in chairs. As most of the student population was gone, there was a bunch of space in between each person.

Students clustered together in small groups, talking as usual but with a little more worry in their words. They asked questions and wondered what the reason was for coming to the auditorium.

Deep down, I think everyone knew.

Standing on the podium were two students, likely a part of the student council—one with bright red hair that was all over the place and the other with black, mostly neat hair with multiple strands that flared out. Both of them had a pretty hopeless look.

And then, a white-haired girl with glasses peeked out from the curtain, looking at the almost empty audience and her fellow classmates with clearly way too much anxiety for one child to hold.

She walked to the mic as if she didn't want to and, with a defeated expression, opened her mouth.

[H-Hello?]

The mic peaked, and the entire floor was clutching their ears groaning in pain. As soon as she got it back in control, she continued.

[S-Sorry for that. Hah... I'll make this brief.]

She took a breath, hesitated, and spoke again.

[My name is XXXXXX XXXXXX of the Student Council, and as of now, we have no way of continuing to operate.]

The crowd murmured loudly at her words.

[As such, we in the Student Council have decided...]

She paused. Her lips quivered at her next words.

[...to shut down the school entirely.]

Silence. Silence permeated the entire room. Only the sound of her shivering breath from the mic could be heard.

[S-Sorry...]

She bowed. She bowed at a deep angle, the kind only reserved for the deepest of apologies. She did it rapidly multiple times until the black-haired girl touched her shoulder and moved her away from the mic, taking over.

The white-haired girl retreated next to the red-haired girl, both of them trying to hold back tears.

[I, XXXXX XXXXX of the Student Council will be taking over for questions.]

As soon as she said that, the whole audience was in an uproar asking questions for who, what, when, where, why, and how this all happened. The girl calmly tried to answer each one the best she could, but many of the questions were given an anxious "I don't know".

* * *

I was home. Tired, exhausted. They allowed us to pack all of our stuff and leave.

The lights were off, but the sunlight still peered through the windows. She wasn't home yet. It was in the middle of the day, and other schools were still running.

What a terrible day.

Dropping my bag at the door, I took my shoes and trudged to my bedroom.

I turned on the air conditioner, closed the curtains and took off my uniform.

I didn't even wash up. I headed straight to my bed and fell down face first with a slump.

Rolling around, all I could see in my vision was the white ceiling with only the vivid teal of my bangs bordering the top.

Refreshing, cool air hit my body as I shut my eyes to sleep.

* * *

I open my eyes to a crusty gray ceiling with muted blue hair all over my face.

A dream. No, memories? I couldn't recall it quite well, but it felt like a familiar scene I've witnessed personally. All of it was vague and I definitely know some of it was muffled with this stinging static noise.

Well, whatever. It was morning. I wouldn't be able to sleep again with the sun in my face.

I leaned upright in my bed—well more accurately, a dusty mattress with no bed frame. Don't know where that went. As I got up, long hair from my head fell down on my legs. As I held it up, the color was blue if you could say that. It was really more closer to a gray or a yellow, chock full of random sand and gunk I couldn't get off before bed. It felt really dry and kinda disgusting to touch.

I would have loved to wash it in the shower, but the water was shut off. No matter how much I turned the handles of the sink and shower, water never leaked a drop.

Except for the toilet for some reason. Completely still flushed with a turn. I don't ask how, it's really the only blessing in this place.

I'm not washing with toilet water though. I still have a sense of civility, but I'm not wasting drinking water either.

...I would have liked for the ceramic to be less rough and more comfy however.

Standing up, it was incredibly hot today. The air just burned me just by existing. The electricity too was completely down so no air conditioner. I usually just stripped down to my underwear to stay cool.

Looking around, my bag and other junk piled in areas of the floor. From there, I picked up the least dustiest shirt I could find, which was the oversized yellow shirt I wore yesterday with the Momo Friends logo on it. I dusted off the excess sand from the floor and put it on.

There were other clothes sprawled around the room as well, but this one looked cleaner than the others and less of that cheap fabric feel too.

And almost forgot. Two rifles, a shotgun, along with exactly four shells and 3 magazines were neatly organized on the floor. I think I took them from the helmet gang yesterday before I came home, though I don't think I can handle them considering how yesterday happened.

Speaking of, I've seen more and more students with helmets appear throughout Abydos when I go to the Black Market and back. It's actually getting harder to avoid anyone on my routes.

Those guys were different from the others however. They had bright yellow helmets instead of the usual black and red ones. Different gang maybe?

I don't know, and I'm not going to use the guns anyway. Probably going to sell them in the Market later.

(Groooowwwl.)

A frankly embarrassing sound emanated from my stomach. No one heard, so that's okay. I admit my face was a little flushed though.

In one of the corners was a pile of bottles, opened wrappers and food. I dug into the pile and grabbed the loaf of bread I brought yesterday, all squished from the commotion.

(Rip! Tear!)

(Munch... Chew...)

Still edible though.

I was maybe going to eat around two slices, but before I knew it, the entire loaf was gone and only crumbs were left in the plastic bag.

Well. Not going to waste that too.

* * *

"Ahh..."

Lukewarm water soaked my lips as I downed around half of the absolutely-not-cold-at-all bottle, screwing the cap back on and tossing it into the pile. Nothing but warm water to start your day, huh.

I slumped down on my bed like a dead fish, completely unmoving. Besides going outside, there wasn't much to really do in this house.

"Hah... everything sucks."

I was hot, sweaty and itchy, as usual. Mornings are always rough.

After rolling around for minutes, I got up to find something to do. I didn't want to go scavenging yet, it's way too early for that.

Seeing the depressing state of my room was... a big downer if I was going to be honest. I could feel my energy just get lower by looking at it. Maybe I should go clean up.

I opened the door to the rest of the house only to see the immediate contrast from my surroundings. The main area was bland and almost empty besides for like a couch and a broken table, while my room basically had everything I needed all thrown everywhere with random furniture tucked away in various orientations.

Ignoring the collapsed table in the living room with a huge crack all the way across the long side, I grabbed the broom in the corner and headed back to brush out the sand, moving obstacles along the way.

Preparing for another trip to the Black Market, I dumped the guns, ammunition and other necessities like water into my bag. I left my revolver out for a quick inspection and looked at the cylinder.

Four rounds, one unfired. Just like I thought.

Sighing, I ejected the used casings and tossed them into the bag, putting the gun away on the nightstand next to my 'bed'. I'll just be extra careful this time around, I don't find bullets often nor do I know what caliber the gun uses.

I did try to zip up my bag, but the barrels of the guns inside jut out of the opening. Giving up on continuing to close it after trying for minutes, I sluggishly lifted out the stupidly heavy bag out of my room.

I still can't remember how I dragged myself with all this junk back home.

After that, I struggled but eventually did push the creaky wooden closet that was on its side back upright and threw all of my extra clothes into it. I left the cleanest pair of shorts and my cloak out, those were tossed onto my bed for later.

I dragged certain stuff like unopened food to corners of the room and tossed anything I considered unusable or garbage, not like there was any other place to store it anyway.

I did notice a multiple photo frames lying around on the cabinet where it looked like a TV was supposed to be there, but they were pretty weathered or damaged. Many of them had one or two people, with a moderate height difference, both with the same hair color.

What was interesting was the faces were seemingly all intentionally scratched or even completely torn off. The taller one got the brunt of the damage for some odd reason.

...I had a feeling that I couldn't bring myself to throw it away, so I put them in a drawer somewhere. I'm not that heartless to throw away someone's memories, even if it meant something bad to them.

In the end, my room was in less of a depressing state than it once was, but it still was a downer.

It's not like I could get new paint to fix the tarnished gray walls or fix the cracks in the roof anyway.

...

Well I could, I just don't have the energy for that. Well, at least I did something to pass the time, that made me happy for like a minute before I realized how I still had nothing to do.

I flopped onto my bed face first again, already kind of tired.

I groaned loudly into the pillow, the fabric muffling the sound of my pure boredom.

I kicked around like any other flustered girl on her bed, trying to entertain myself by doing something.

Maybe I should just go. It's a bit earlier than my usual Market trips by looking at the window, but not too much.

...Yeah, there's really nothing here. My bag is already at the door anyway.

Putting on my shorts and cloak, I headed into the living room, where the contrast was noticeably less this time around. Cleaning was worth it I guess. Now both rooms looked a bit more emptier.

I was turning towards the door when I glanced at that.

Truth is, a few rooms connect to the living room like my room, the bathroom and a few others. But the room across from mine... That room scares me every time I approach it, like a monster is right behind the door or something.

Instead of heading out immediately, I placed myself in front of it. The door to it was the exact same as the doors of the rest of the house, but it just feels wrong in a way.

I hovered my hand over the doorknob. Nothing.

I placed my hand completely on it. Nothing.

But when I started turning it halfway...

"You shouldn't."

"Eep!"

My hand instantly retracted upon hearing that. I looked around to see where the voice came from.

Nothing.

Sweat emerged from my forehead and palms. Something told me I shouldn't bother further.

I don't know why but I just can't bring myself to enter it every time I try.

Well, no use in diving deeper. Probably best just to leave now.

In my shoes and bag in tow, I took one final look at that room before shutting the door.

- - - - -

Character art by me, really don't expect good ones in the future.

Chapter Text

(Crunch, crunch, crunch…)

Sand.

(Crunch, crunch, crunch…)

There was more sand.

(Crunch, crunch, crunch…)

There was so much freaking sand! Like seriously, could Abydos get any more stupid sand?

The short answer? Unfortunately, yes.

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t believe I got used to trekking to the Black Market and back, but it still sucks!

I saw nothing but this idiotic yellow dust for an hour or two, maybe even three! No buildings, no road markers, no people, nothing. Just me, my bag that was killing my shoulder, and more sand for days.

Not to mention that the sun was just as fierce as it was when I was inside, maybe even worse than before. The heat beat down on me and I swore I could slightly feel the rubber of my soles melting off into the sand.

Thankfully, they weren’t. I’ve checked multiple times. I might just be hallucinating things.

“Water… I need water…”

My tongue was already pleading for moisture at this point and overall, I felt like I was a dried-up mummy.

(Zip!)

(Ruffle, ruffle…)

I unzipped my bag for a water bottle. I was sure I packed at least three of them.

Found one—oh wait… it’s… empty…

(Toss!)

(Plunk!)

I’m sure someone out there would like to save the world right now, but that wasn’t me right now. I had to save myself first.

(Ruffle, ruffle…)

(Toss! Plunk!)

Yeah, that one was empty too. I should have only sipped maybe half of a whole bottle, I was sure I had a lot.

Ah, wait, no. I remembered chugging an entire bottle sometime after leaving.

Hell, why was it hotter than usual today? I didn't think it was this bad as it was before, was it a heat wave or something?

(Ruffle.)

Ah, thank god. I found it.

I took an almost empty water bottle out of my bag and hugged it like it was some kind of holy relic, before draining it of all the liquid like I was some sort of dish sponge.

“Ahh… I’m going to miss you for the next stretch, water.”

(Toss! Plunk!)

Crisis averted, now I could get back to my trudge in the sand.

Yeah. Right…

* * *

“Here… I’m… here…”

My entire body was shaking, and my lungs were gasping and wheezing for air as my feet finally touched something besides sand for once.

I looked up at the gates of heaven, a roughed-up, heavy-duty metal gate with towering stone walls on both sides of it. On each side of the gate stood one of the market guards holding a firearm.

A metal sign was sloppily attached to one of the doors. If I was right, it read:

[WELCOME TO THE MARKET! GENERAL STUDENT COUNCIL NOT WELCOME!]

Yep. This was heaven alright. The rest of the journey felt longer than it should’ve been, but at least I was here.

Now if you’ll excuse me…

(Thud!)

I fell headfirst into the ground when my knees buckled in exhaustion. I could tell that both of the guards were equally confused when they looked at each other.

(Step. Step.)

(Poke. Poke.)

“You good?”

“Just… give me five minutes…”

“…”

“Hey, don’t leave her there, idiot. Drag her in.”

“Right…”

“And get some water for her too.”

* * *

After a bit of recovery and some questioning from the Market Guards, I was let out without any trouble.

At least they were kind enough to give me some water.

I had already been here multiple times before, but it was wild to see the difference in the bustling and chatty Market against the dead quiet of Abydos.

Despite how ominous the Black Market name sounds, it was quite a lively urban area with a lot of accommodations—if you ignored all the delinquents and other thugs causing trouble.

Though, I heard that, compared to Gehenna Academy, delinquency was a lot better here than there.

Stalls blanketed the streets and stores of all kinds lined each building, each place almost bursting with people. If only Abydos were like that, loud and crammed with commotion, it would have been great.

…That wasn't the case however.

Whatever, my goal at the moment wasn't to take a nice stroll, it was to find them.

Moving deeper into the market, I waded through the assortment of shopkeepers, customers, thugs, and guards. It wasn’t until I took another right into an alleyway that the chatter started to die down.

That was the main area of the Market… the real stuff happened here.

The front of the market had a lot of common and sometimes limited goods you could buy outside at a much better price or in the complete opposite direction if the shopkeep felt like it.

But a loud area where lots of people could see wasn't good for dirty business.

I knew personally that goods considered illegal and sanctioned by the General Student Council often made their way into the darker alleys of the Market, but I wasn't the kind of person who dipped their toes into that.

Instead, I made a living doing… this.

I stopped in front of a cheap metal door in a darkly lit street. Above it, a worn, scratched sign hung from a pole on the wall. It read:

[DEUX SCRAP UNION]

I took a breath as I held up my hand to the door.

(Knock. Pause. Knock. Knock. Knock.)

(Knock. Knock. Pause. Knock. Knock.)

(Knock. Knock. Knock. Pause.)

(Knock.)

“It’s me.”

I vaguely heard a bit of commotion behind the metal door before it quieted down. A hearty voice behind the door spoke.

“Come in!”

(Whurr!)

(Ring! Ring!)

When I opened the door, the little bell inside jingled a few chimes. I saw a large, decently lit room that was a bit messy with random metal parts and papers scattered around. There was another door that was open, leading out to somewhere further inside.

A desk was situated in the center with a stout, dusty-orange foxperson behind it. His eyes were squinted and turned upwards, with a large scar on the right one. His closed lips revealed his joy upon seeing me arrive.

“Hello, Mister Scar-Eye.”

“Hiya Blue-chan~ And it’s Mister Deux, not Mister Scar-Eye.”

“…”

His brows furrowed when I called him that, but they relaxed moments after when he leaned forward.

“You’ve come back so soon… got a little somethin’ for little ol’ me?”

“I ran into a helmet gang yesterday,” I replied, dropping my duffel bag on his desk. “Took their stuff.”

He looked concerned as he leaned back, holding his chin while I took out the firearms, ammunition, and other scrap metal I brought with me.

“Are you okay?” He asked, pointing his fingers at the wrapping on my wrist.

“Old one. They got me here,” I answered, pointing at my ankle.

“I see. Be more careful will ya Blue-chan? I’d hate to lose someone who consistently brings me stuff… unlike some others.”

“Can’t promise it,” I said when I finished emptying my bag.

He was a bit startled when he glanced at all the guns on his desk. Sighing, he gently picked up one of the rifles with both hands.

“Well, I’ll take a look at what ya got ‘ere.”

For a few minutes, he inspected the rifle. I couldn’t see it, but anyone could tell his sharp eyes under that squinty grin of his carefully examined each and every detail on the weapon.

He kept muttering to himself when he was done, looking towards the other rifle. I could hear some words like ‘same model’ or something out of his mouth before he placed the gun down with some care, only to take a good look at the shotgun for around the same amount of time.

Of course, I just stood there. Luckily, the under-appreciated air conditioning unit on the wall was still working from last time, so I didn’t have much of a problem doing nothing.

“The rifle is a SIG SG550,” he announced after placing the shotgun down. “The other one is of the same model.”

“…”

“This one ‘ere,” he tapped the shotgun, “is a Beretta 1301. All of them are clean from what little ol’ me can see. No attachments or modifications, nada.”

He pulled his hand up to cover his mouth when he coughed.

“Excuse me, Blue-chan. These look pretty fresh off the market aside from a few scratches, think you dealt with some rookies yesterday.”

“…”

“The truth is, little Blue-chan… we don’t deal with whole guns… mostly salvaged gun parts, but…”

He took one good look at me before continuing on.

“…you won’t take no for an answer aren’t you?”

“It’s either here or nowhere.” I firmly asserted.

“Right… trust issues was it?”

I nodded.

“Fair assessment, can’t trust every adult off the block after all. But my, am I sure brimming with joy that such a cute girl trusts me so much~”

The silence after he said that was deafening. Quite literally the only sound we heard was the hum of the air conditioner. And I could’ve sworn my eyebrow twitched.

“Ahem. Right. I’ll stop teasing you.”

“…”

“I haven’t looked at everything yet, but I’ll give you a rough estimate for the guns. Don’t judge me if the exchange is terrible, I don’t deal with this stuff after all.”

* * *

(Thun!)

Wads of cash slammed onto the desk.

“187 thousand Yen. I tacked on an extra 25 thousand because I wasn’t so sure if I was lowballing it or not. I’m not heartless to try and do that to a little kid, even if I am doing that to little Blue-chan ‘ere~.”

I was… kinda shocked at the amount.

“That’s… a lot. Also, don’t call me a kid.”

“Well, compared to what you usually bring, it’s a load more alright. I mean, we are talking about firearms, in good condition too.”

“Are you sure?”

“Look Blue-chan, we’ve been here for ages. We’ll be fine. Now head off and go buy some taiyaki for yourself in the main street.”

He pointed his hand at me and flicked it repeatedly as if to shoo me away. I nodded, collected my bag with the money, and headed out the door.

(Slam!)

…

“Morse code? Really?”

A tall wolfperson with light gray fur appeared beside the fox.

“Aww Un. Can’t this ol’ fox have a little fun?”

The wolf held his face with one hand, disappointed. He moved his arm only to ask something of the fox.

“The kid came around today? That’s quicker than usual.”

“Ran into some trouble, she says. I feel bad for her, she’s just a little kid after all.”

“What’s her name again?”

“Don’t know. Never asked and she didn’t tell. Don’t need to anyway, laws of the land you know~”

“…You made that up didn’t you?”

“Who knows?” The fox giggled.

* * *

The wad of cash was in my hands. My eyes… still pretty wide open.

Around 200 thousand yen sat there, held tightly.

I could buy a full-course dinner at a gourmet restaurant with this. With dessert too.

I could tell I started drooling at the thought of expensive food, but I quickly reined myself in, wiping my mouth. Money was a double-edged sword after all, and having this much out in the open already made me a big target.

In fact, I could feel eyes gazing upon me as I stood idiotically in front of the shop door.

Yeah, I’ll just buy double the rations for the week today, that would probably be enough for now.

I placed the cash in my duffel bag as I walked, which was much lighter now that I had sold everything.

Maybe I could rent a place outside Abydos with actual working utilities, but the thought of leaving the region for good made me shiver for some reason, even though it was a great idea.

Getting back into the main street of the Market, I went to the usual store where I bought my protein bars and water. The clerk was the same robot as last time, but it was clearly surprised that I was back so early.

“Welcome! The usual again?”

“Double it, I got more money this time.”

“Alright! Will that be all?”

“Actually…”

I took a few bags of chips and added them to the counter.

“I’ll take this too.”

“Sure!”

(Beep!)

“The total will be…”

* * *

With all my groceries in my bag, I did get a piece of taiyaki from a nearby stall on Mister Scar-Eye’s suggestion. It smelled really crisp and nice.

(Nom.)

And the anko filling tasted really good as well.

The clamor of the Market never seemed to pause. A lot of smells came from everywhere too. I felt somewhat happy—if you ignored the thugs everywhere.

I still felt someone was watching me, but I’m sure it’ll go away.

It didn’t.

In fact, I was nearing the exit through a shortcut I took a lot on my trips when I met them again.

In an alleyway, I bumped into three familiar helmet-wearing delinquents blocking my path.

“You guys again…” I muttered.

“Number Two! Number Three!” The helmet ganger in the middle marked with a red one commanded. “Do it!”

“Yes!” The one with a red three on the left answered, holding a huge sack in her hands.

Before I could even do or say anything, the sack got forced on my head down to my toes. I could feel myself being picked up by two of the girls and carried horizontally.

“Hey, put me down! Hey!”

“She’s moving too much!”

“Don’t worry, I got the perfect solution!”

I thrashed and struggled in the sack as much as I could before—

(Kwooong!)

…I passed out.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Chapter Text

“Hey, Boss! —in time!”

Ugh… my head hurts like hell…

“Yeah, yeah… I got your—“

My butt felt… cold… something… metal? I couldn’t move my arms either…

“—snacks?”

“I didn’t get any, you—“

I could hear people talking… I only caught some of it…

“—she’s waking up.”

“Then get ready—“

After a bit, I slowly opened my eyelids and was immediately blinded by white light. I found myself in a metal folding chair, in some shabby concrete room, with a rope tied around my arms. My bag was set aside on top of a plastic folding table.

And when I looked in front of me, it was then that I realized I was better off closing my eyes the entire time.

Three girls wearing yellow helmets with numbers on them stood in front of me, only this time there was a fourth girl in between them.

Unlike them, she wore a black helmet with a half visor attached. Red lightning strikes adorned the sides of it, along with scribbled on demon horns on the top. Blonde hair dyed red on the ends peeked out of the back of her helmet and reached down to her neck.

I never noticed it, but all four wore some jacket over their black uniforms, though the only difference was that the girls with the yellow helmets wore a red tracksuit while the new girl wore a black leather one with red accents.

In her mouth was a smoking… cigarette? Wait, no. It was a toothpick burnt on the end, and that scar on her left cheek looked pretty fake, probably some temporary tattoo.

She was trying really hard to look tough, wasn't she?

“Whatcha starin’ at, you punk?” She took out the ‘cigarette’ with her left hand and pretended to puff smoke as she turned to me.

“I’m looking at a couple of idiots.”

A vein on her cheek twitched as soon as I uttered those words. In the next second, I saw myself looking down the barrel of a black revolver with red thunderbolts patterned on the grip. She pulled it out almost instantly.

(Click!)

“Hah?” She exclaimed. “The idiot here is you! Do you know how much trouble you caused me?”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“For starters, you stole my friends’ guns and gave ‘em away to some shady adult!”

She yanked the gun away from my head only to launch into her problems, flailing around and doing all kinds of gestures with her hands. Oh boy, this was going to be like last time, wasn’t it?

“Thankfully, we got them back… but that sly fox marked up the price! That came out of my freakin’ wallet, ya know!”

The other three nodded behind her and agreed with everything she said as she ranted on, until she turned around towards them.

“And you guys!”

The three flinched as her gaze was pointed at them. The sudden shift made me kinda wish I had popcorn with me right now, though if I did, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy it with my arms like this.

“Are you stupid? You guys burned a crap ton of ammo chasing her! Do you know how much 5.56 and 12-gauge buckshot costs?! I’m the only one who works part-time here!”

She then whipped her head to the ceiling with both of her arms thrown down.

“Start wiping your own buttcrack!”

Her yells echoed through the entire room, even shaking the single bulb that was hanging from the ceiling. The two marked with a one and a three hugged each other like their lives were in danger, while the one marked with a two was crouched down the other way with her hands covering the back of her head.

It was silent. Only the heavy breaths of the girl wearing the black helmet could be heard.

And to break the silence, she moved to take another ‘puff’ of her toothpick, which the smoke from the burnt end had completely disappeared by this point.

The girl took a long sigh before perking up like she forgot something.

“Oh, right! This isn’t what gangsters like us do!”

Her friends slowly turned their heads to her like she wasn’t scary anymore.

“Come on, gang! Let’s introduce ourselves!”

In the blink of an eye, they were lined up in front of me again, now gleaming with confidence. Honestly, it was kinda funny how pathetic their attempt to be scary was.

“We’re the Thunder Helmet Gang!” The girl wearing the black helmet announced. “I’m the Crimson Thunder, and my gang will strike fear into Kivotos!”

She proudly stood there, arms on her hips with the revolver still in her hand.

I shouldn’t say it out loud, but the ‘Thunder Helmet Gang’ was such a lame name. Who even came up with that?

“By the way,” she pointed her gun casually at the one marked with a three on the furthest left of me, scaring the poor girl. “That’s Three-chan who has big boobs, that’s Two-chan who thinks she’s smart, and that’s One-chan who’s always angry. My dearest friends!”

She pointed her revolver at each of her friends without any regard for safety as she introduced them. Each of them flinched as it was guided towards them.

“Hey, Boss?” Idiot One whimpered in fear, the barrel still pointed at her. “Could… you not? Also never introduce us like that ever again.”

“Oops, my bad.”

She quickly withdrew her weapon and placed it into her leg holster. Her friends all sighed in relief.

“Boss.” Idiot Two raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“Why are we all named after numbers?”

“...”

Wow. I never would have thought my own question would have been brought up.

“...because you’re all my sidekicks?”

“Hey!” Idiot One barked angrily. “Why the hell are you the leader?!”

“I’m older than the rest of you! I’m literally the only third-year in this gang!”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be the leader, though?” Idiot Three added.

“Well…”

She was totally stumped for a moment, only to yell back at her.

“I’m the only one with a job! And none of you can aim for crap!”

While they argued like toddlers, I tried to see if I could escape somehow. The bindings were a bit loose, but it wasn’t enough to set me free at the moment. I secretly rubbed the rope back and forth on the chair in hopes it would wear down quickly.

“Guys, shut up. We’re forgetting something important.” Idiot Two announced.

I had to stop as soon as she said that. Every one of them looked at her, confused.

“We put a lot of effort into catching this girl, but…”

She paused for a moment.

“What do we actually do with her now?”

“…”

“…”

“...”

A long pause echoed through the entire room as the seemingly only logical person out of them brought it up.

“Good… question Two-chan,” their boss admitted. “I… uh…”

She hesitated for a single second.

“…Never thought we would come this far. We only kidnapped her for revenge—”

“Then we should torture her!”

“That’s mean, One-chan,” commented Idiot Three.

“Yeah… we’re gangsters… not psychopaths…” lamented their boss.

I was kinda getting tired of watching them get more depressing while I sat there. My arms were going to cramp up at this rate.

“If you aren’t going to do anything, let me go already.”

They turned around towards me and then each other.

“Yeah, no.”

“Definitely not!”

“It would be a waste of effort.”

“I feel kinda bad though.”

Eyes stared at Idiot Three as soon as she said that.

“What?” She tilted her head to the side. “We just kidnapped a little girl who has nothing to give us.”

“We should’ve just robbed a Trinity student instead, Boss.”

“Yeah! Why the hell are we even in Abydos?”

Oh. So I got taken to Abydos from the ambush at the Market, huh. That made going home a lot easier then, if I could just get myself out of these binds that is.

Hearing her lackey say that though, the third-year put her hand on her head in frustration.

“I can’t believe you guys forgot we took a contract.”

“Ohhh. Is that why we made our hideout here? Not at school?”

“Oh yeah! Weren’t we supposed to attack the High School a week ago?”

Hearing the words ‘High School’ piqued my interest. I couldn’t believe that there were still students studying in this wasteland. I didn’t recall seeing any students around besides delinquents that passed by.

Not that I wanted to meet them anyway.

“We were, but Boss chickened out.”

“Hey! I did not! I had to work that day! That’s totally different!”

Flustered, Miss Thunder Idiot scrambled to explain herself to her subordinates, the toothpick in her mouth dropping to the floor as she did. She didn’t pay any mind to it as she whined away.

“Hah…” She sighed. “Either way, we’re not ready to attack them, because someone here—”

She looked at me with a hand over her holster. By this point, I could feel the ropes being close enough to be undone.

“...made you guys burn through a week’s worth of ammo.”

“Wow,” I said. “I’m so sorry for leading those idiots on a chase for nothing.”

“You—!” She stopped herself. “You almost made me want to blow your head off, you stupid short twerp.”

“You’ll have to pay for an extra bullet then.”

We both stared each other down. Her eyes weren’t visible through the visor, but I could tell she was pointing knives back at me.

The air was tense, and everyone else was silent. But then…

“Oh, hey!” Idiot Three broke the tension. “Is that a Momo Friends T-shirt?”

“Huh?”

Hate to say it, but Thunder Idiot and I turned our heads to her at the exact same time as soon as she opened her mouth.

“Momo Friends?” The other two Idiots turned to her as well.

She began skipping up to me with a slight smile and leaned forward to inspect the dusty, yellow shirt I had on.

“It is!” She gleamed with surprise as she leaned back and clapped her hands together. “Who’s your favorite? Mine is Peroro!”

“...”

I had a lot of Momo Friends clothes in my closet, but to be honest, I barely had a clue about the brand’s characters unless you involve the Market. The fabric they were made out of just felt better than the other clothes I had really.

“Uh—”

“Wavecat is better.”

I was going to say something, but Idiot One butted in with her own opinion.

“What?”

“Wavecat is better!” She said louder.

“I personally disagree,” Idiot Two followed. “Nikolai is a much better character than those two.”

“You guys are so wrong.”

Everyone’s heads turned to Miss Thunder Idiot here.

“Clearly, the best character is Skullman.”

Ah. I got it now. I wasn’t only surrounded by idiots who were delusional enough to think they were gang members.

I was surrounded by idiots who were delusional enough to think they were gang members and were hardcore fanatics of a brand I didn’t really care much about.

“So,” she declared. “It’s happening, huh?”

“You’re damn right it is happening,” barked Idiot One.

It was like a four-way standoff in front of me. Each dumbass readied their hand close to their weapons.

It… honestly looked like it was going to be a shootout. A shootout with me as a bystander…

Silence filled the room, and none of them moved a muscle. It was like that for minutes.

…And then they pulled out their phones and started typing.

“Look!” Idiot Three held out her phone screen in front of everyone else. “Peroro’s derpiness adds so much cute factor!”

“Wrong!” Idiot Two showed an image of a brown plush toy. “This plushie of Nikolai is just the right size for hugging!”

“Are you stupid?!” Idiot One glared. “The long length of this Wavecat pillow is way better for hugging than that thing, and it’s way cuter!”

“Idiots, all of you!” Thunder Idiot was the last to fangirl about Momo Friends. “Skullman’s cuteness beats everything about those three!”

During all this… nonsense, I took my time trying to wear down the binds by continuing to rub them on the chair. I could feel it nearly snap before the knot undid itself without my help. That was… anticlimactic to say the least.

Oh well. With my hands free, I stood up and tiptoed as slowly as possible to my bag to prevent them from noticing my escape.

Luckily, the idiots were so preoccupied with fangirling over Momo Friends that I left with it as soon as I could take it.

I found myself in a dimly lit, old concrete hallway. Cracks could be faintly seen in the edges and corners of it, along with some pipes leaking water one drop at a time. Their voices still could be heard from the room.

Since I was safe, I checked my bag for any signs that they had gone through my stuff. Opening the zipper revealed my protein bars, bottles of water, bags of chips, and a few wads of paper money. I counted the cash.

187 thousand yen, completely untouched. I wonder if they were that stupid to even look in my bag. Probably yes.

Zipping my bag back up, I saw a large amount of light glimmering at one end of the hall, so I followed it like my guiding star and came across a stairwell that led up.

The light got stronger and stronger as I climbed each step, revealing an already open door out of the stairs. I came to what seemed to be the lobby of an office building lit by a setting sun, with the floors and furniture being all covered by familiar yellow sand that flew in through the broken glass and open entrance.

“Hah… It’s just more sand again.”

* * *

“Hey, wait a minute… She’s gone!”

“Ah… that might be… partly my fault. I didn’t tie the rope that tight because I was afraid her arms were going to hurt.”

“Three-chan… really?”

- - - - -

For reference, here is Trash-chan's halo!

And the halos of the Thunder Helmet Gang from left to right, top to bottom: Crimson Thunder, One-chan, Two-chan, and Three-chan!

Chapter Text

(Crunch, crunch, crunch…)

Deserts. A sandy biome with barely any rainfall and extreme temperature swings.

In other words, my worst nightmare.

If the sand was my biggest enemy already, then the stupid temperature was right below that.

The sun set quickly right after I walked out of the abandoned office building I was taken to, and with the total absence of any natural light, the hot temperature swiftly became freezing cold. Not to mention that the constant wind made it much worse. So much worse.

I always kept complaining about the blazing heat of the angry sun that shines above, but maybe it wasn’t as bad as the frigid cold of the night.

…

No, they were equally bad. I just don’t stay out long enough to experience the night.

After escaping a fanatic Momo Friends meetup full of bumbling idiots, I was going to go home. The problem is, I didn’t know where the hell they had kidnapped me to, and I found myself completely lost.

If I remembered correctly, my home was somewhere in Central Abydos, and I knew I had to cross the Northern Abydos Subregion to get to the Black Market at the very least.

Why didn’t I move to some random abandoned place in the north to make it easier when I go to the Market? Well first off, all my essentials like clothes and food and other stuff definitely did not all fit in my bag, even if the length was roughly or more than half my size. Plus, it would’ve been a total drag to haul it all the way only to spend maybe hours upon hours finding a good place to settle in.

Second, the toilet. Despite the lack of electricity and water, that one blessing still worked. I didn’t know if I could find a better place with working utilities to stay in, despite everything else being kinda terrible at home. Also, I kinda didn’t want my place to smell like a dump, even though it somewhat already did.

Lastly and this was the main reason: I was… just too lazy. More accurately, I had this feeling that I shouldn’t leave that place for some reason, but my lack of motivation to anything life-changing probably contributed to, like, maybe eighty percent of my refusal to move out if I was being honest. What was with these random, unnerving feelings that I got from literally everything anyway?

And I already had a place so… why even bother? It’s got walls, a bed, and at least a working toilet after all. Don’t think Abydos could spare anything better without having to pay for it.

Either way, I could guess I was either in the north or in the central area by looking at the buildings that popped up from time to time, but I wasn’t too familiar with my current surroundings.

…

Actually… never mind. There was that one tower I always passed by on my way to the Market and back. I was in Northern Abydos then, good to know.

Getting back home, the abandoned tower was maybe an hour away from Central Abydos, and then maybe another hour or so to my home if the night was quiet.

It was still cold to the point of making me shiver and rub my arms for heat, but if I ran quickly, I would probably be fine.

Well, better late going home than never right?

Right?

* * *

Wrong. Definitely wrong. Always go home on time.

I had forgotten to account that I was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, all short-sleeved clothing, and while I did have longer clothes in my closet, I prioritized the heat of the desert during the day first, instead of the cold of the desert nights.

…Which was an incredible mistake, because I never truly realized how bad the night could get. And it was bad, bad.

My cloak, which I always had, didn’t really help because the wind was quite strong today. My body shivered more each time a breeze blew the fabric further away from my body.

So basically…

My teeth? Clattering against each other like the vibrations of a huge bell that was just recently slammed into.

My arms? Glued to each other, hands rustling back and forth for any vain attempt to produce heat. Even just a small bit would help.

My legs? So numb to the point I couldn’t feel the grains of sand on the ground or the asphalt of the road as I trudged on. Chop them off with an axe or something, and I wouldn’t even feel the extreme pain that it would cause me.

Every step deluded my head into thinking I was going to fall. I stumbled all the time as I walked forward. It was a total chore. The dizziness that plagued my head sure as hell did not help either.

I just wanted to go home… my home, where nothing could get worse than being outside.

…

But then…

There it was.

A door leading into the interior of a worn, one-story house came into sight. The plants in the pots were already past their expiration date and crumbled into dust. Only a few of the windows were left unscathed. Most of them already had one or more cracks like before. And of course, the stupid, idiotic sand covered the ground and everything else.

Like my prayers were answered or something, home was just there.

My shivering hand barely reached out, touching—or at least it believed it did—the metal doorknob of the wooden door. There was nothing to be felt at all, and I thought my hand wasn’t even in contact for a few seconds before I looked closer to confirm.

It was, in fact, gripping the doorknob.

(Chuk!)

(Creak…)

(Shun.)

Coming in, the dim atmosphere of the living room greeted me with no welcome. That door too, didn’t even dare to look at the terrible, miserable state I was in.

The fallen table, unchanged. Still had the same old crack just like before I left. The furniture was the same as well, unmoved.

Everything in this house seemed to mock my despair.

Cold… so, so cold…

(Creak…)

Before I knew it, I found myself in my own bedroom, like my mind had forgotten it had passed through my bedroom door in the first place.

I took off my cloak and spread it flat on my so-called bed. The ends of the patchwork cloth were in various conditions, either somewhat frayed or completely torn off.

Crawling under it like it was my blanket, I slid every part of my freezing body under the fabric, only this time, I slid my own head in too, hoping the frigid air could never touch my whole body for the rest of the night.

I was a baby. A worthless kid with her knees all the up to her chin, hugging her own legs in a fetal position like she herself was all that she had.

A lone soul crying with her head under her blanket. Pitiful. Worthless.

On the dusty mattress, I could feel myself falling down.

And down.

And down…

As the cruel, cold world around me consumed me whole.

I shut my eyes and went to sleep.

* * *

I couldn’t sleep. Minutes probably had passed, yet I couldn’t sleep.

So cold…

I needed warmth.

Where was it.

I needed it.

I needed it now.

Suddenly, I found myself searching for something again. My body moved itself with the cloak over my head and shoulders, walking to a familiar corner of the room while shivering. I was somewhat groggy and my head ached a bit more than last time.

My trembling hand reached out into the pile of stuff for a while with my other hand gripping the cloak tightly, and I fetched something no bigger than my hand as I took it out of the pile.

Turning my hand around, palm towards me, I unfolded my fingers.

A lighter. One of those stick lighters anyone could easily buy from any store you visited.

It had enough fuel to ignite… I think.

Soon, my body moved once more, now to the closet. I began throwing most of my dusty and dirty clothes out of my closet before moving them to some random spot on the floor. Fabrics of various colors and sizes were kept in that one spot.

(Flick, flick, flum!)

A dim flame at the top of a lighter lit the pile into a bright, warm fire.

Like moths to a flame, my hands crept close to the fire. My body was already on the ground with my arms reaching out.

Smoke began to rise, hitting the ceiling and spreading outwards like an ever-growing spider web, only to trail out through a few large openings in the glass window next to my bed.

Warm…

So warm…

My mind was obsessed with the feeling of the flame. It was the only thing it wanted right now. Not food, not safety. Only warmth.

The fire, even if it was small, soothed my lonely heart. A lively, dancing friend, all to myself.

The numbness in my hands slowly faded away, reviving the feeling of a hot flame nearing singeing my fingers.

I hastily retracted my hands as if my danger instincts began to wake up.

The small flame still raged on in the confines of the fabric. The shirts, pants, underwear, and everything else, all with colors from vibrant red to a dull grey, slowly blazed away into an ashen black.

I sat next to it, legs together, arms crossed, head in my knees, and cloak over my head. My body embraced the little, pitiful fire I had built.

“Koff… Hack!”

A few strained coughs sounded out of my mouth. Not only that, my eyes started to sting a bit and tear up.

Ah… It was the smoke wasn’t it…

Standing up and still gripping the patchwork cloak over my body, I slogged all the way to both the bedroom door and the exit door to leave a trail for the smoke to billow out of the house.

(Creak…)

And billow out it did, as the black mist branched a hand out through the two doors and into the night above, where the stars twinkled aimlessly in the grand heights.

The night was still dark, but no clouds were to hide away the yearning of the celestial skies to shine. The outside air was… still cold. Freezing cold actually, but at least not everything was totally numb anymore.

“Hah… I hate this stupid desert.”

Now that the house had some ventilation and wasn’t going to totally choke me to death anymore, I was going to turn back before I realized:

I made a fire, just any random fire.

I could accidentally burn the house down.

Guess the warmth woke up my mind a little as I looked around the street for anything I could possibly use as a fire pit. There were a few, decently large stones here and there that had fallen from nearby rubble, but I figured the amount would be enough to prevent turning my house into a molten black.

One by one, a stone found itself next to the soft flickering flame in my room as I hauled each one in. Eventually, the fire was boxed in by a stone, makeshift fire pit, guarding it from spreading out.

It had been a bit since I started it and the flame was slowly whispering away. Smoke wafted out of the holes in the window, but now more so out the open doors leading to the outside.

I threw some more clothes that I didn’t want from my closet into the dying embers, hoping to keep it alight for just a bit more, even only a little bit. The few pieces of white panties and torn socks burned away into the same black as the rest.

I sat back down near the fire again in the same manner as before, hugging my legs with my chin on my knees and gripping the cloak over my head.

It smelled like absolute crap, but at least the fire was still a bit warm. So, so warm…

“Hehe… You’re so warm… Koff!”

It wooshed and flickered and danced around with no care in the world, ignoring my hopeless ramblings and sounds.

Everything was quiet aside from the crackles of the performer in the stone pit and the wailing of the night breeze.

It was like that for minutes…

Until my eyes shut and my body went to sleep.

Chapter Text

Known Character Profiles

??? ???

Aliases: “Blue-chan”

Age: ??, ??? Year ??

Height: ??? cm, ~?’ ??”

Halo: Pale purple with an unfilled circle that has four long spikes at 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees. Inside is a four-pointed star with a diamond cutout.

A short, sickly-looking, blue-haired girl with a sharp tongue and an irritable attitude who has seemingly lost her memories. Her daily routine consists of waking up, complaining, going outside to scavenge or go to the Black Market, come home, and sleep. She absolutely refuses to let her bag out of sight and has a habit of calling everyone by nicknames.

“Crimson Thunder”

Aliases: “Thunder Idiot”

Age: 17, Third Year HS

Height: 158 cm, ~5’ 2”

Halo: Red with an open square with lightning strikes sprouting from each corner reaching outside.

A delusional girl who thought being a gangster was the coolest thing ever and formed a helmet gang with her like-minded school friends. Basically never at their meetings because of her part-time job. Since no one else in the gang has a job, she ends up paying for everything. She really likes Skullman from Momo Friends.

“Number One”

Aliases: “One-chan”, “Idiot One”

Age: 15, First Year HS

Height: 155 cm, ~5’ 1”

Halo: Orange with an unfilled, three-quarters circle that looks like flames are spewing out. A three-pointed star fills in the missing space.

An even more delusional girl than her boss, who also thought being a gangster was the coolest thing ever. Way too dramatic, loud, and short-tempered only because she thought all gangsters were like that. She really likes Wavecat from Momo Friends.

“Number Two”

Aliases: “Two-chan”, “Idiot Two”

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 157 cm, ~5’ 2”

Halo: White with four lines assembled in an X formation with a circle passing through the midpoint of each line. A dot is situated in the center of that X, along with four other dots on the outside.

A girl who prides herself on being practical and smart, only joining the gang because everyone else was a Momo Friends fanatic. Her favorite subject is mathematics. She really likes Nikolai from Momo Friends.

“Number Three”

Aliases: “Three-chan”, “Idiot Three”

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 161 cm, ~5’ 3”

Halo: Yellow with a heart inside a circle, which has an upside-down heart cutout.

A big-chested girl with a big heart who joined the gang to look after her short-tempered little sister and her friends. A little of a klutz and a bit airheaded at times, but she brightens each meeting with a bag of snacks that always appears out of nowhere. She really likes Peroro from Momo Friends.

Deux

Aliases: “Mister Scar-Eye”

A stout foxperson with a dusty orange coat. Handles most of the financial and paperwork stuff of the business and is fond of the short, blue-haired girl. Has a habit of talking in a teasing and weird way.

Un

Aliases: “Mister Big-Snout”

A tall and strong wolfperson with a light gray coat. Handles most of the hard labor in the business. Very self-conscious of his nose because of the little, short girl calling him a weird nickname.

- - - - -

Other Notes

Thunder Helmet Gang Attire

The normal Thunder Helmet Gang Attire consists of a black schoolgirl uniform under a red tracksuit jacket. Each one of them wears a bright yellow biker helmet with a full black visor, with a number ranging from one to three etched with red marker just above the visor itself. Often, they have red slings to carry their weapons around.

Each member has a few differences in their gang wear:

The most notable of them is the Crimson Thunder’s, which replaces the red tracksuit jacket with a black leather jacket with red accents all zipped up. The yellow helmet is swapped out for a black one with a half-visor only covering the eyes and scribbled on are red demon horns at the top and red lightning strikes on the sides. Her cheek has a temporary scar tattoo that she always reapplies when wearing the outfit and she is usually seen with a toothpick in her mouth, pretending it's a cigarette. Instead of a sling, she wears a red leg revolver holster to complement her weapon.

The visor of Number One’s Helmet is scribbled with a red angry face and demon horns.

Number Two wears a pair of red tracksuit pants under her skirt.

Number Three wears a small fanny pack slung from her shoulder and three red hearts line the side of her helmet’s chin.

Names

In Chapter 4, you might have noticed the Thunder Helmet Gang being called “One-chan” or “Idiot Three”. However, in Chapter 1, they are referred to as “Number Two” and so on. (Un)officially, they are called Crimson Thunder, Number One, Number Two, and Number Three, but Crimson Thunder and Number Three have a habit of calling each of the Numbers as something like “One-chan” and such. These two will refer to each other as [Number] then with the honorific, with the exception of the leader, who is just referred to as “Boss” by her lackeys.

Trash-chan just has a habit of calling everyone she meets by a rude nickname. Hence, the “Thunder Idiot” and “Mister Scar-Eye” nicknames. She’ll call any adult “Mister” or “Miss” as well, though she might use that occasionally with students.

Deux Scrap Union

An office in the deeper areas of the Black Market, which actually operates a small scrapyard. The Fox and the Wolf have been there for a while now, and they get a decent supply of clients. Is Un and Deux really their names? No one knows. Don’t ask.

- - - - -

Art Corner

Conceptual Halo Designs  (Left to right, top to bottom: Trash-chan, Crimson Thunder, One-chan, Two-chan, and Three-chan)

Trash-chan Three-Quarters View

Azusa (ᓀ‸ᓂ) But Trash-chan (I love the Azoos so much)

Chapter Text

“Koff! Koff! Hack!”

“Mghh…”

My head… really hurt… Everything was so dizzy and weird… I still had to get up to make breakfast…

I tried to raise myself up from the comforts of my warm and comfy bed and the even comfier blanket, but I just couldn’t and fell back down with a huge slump. The wet towel on my forehead was completely shaken off as my head was cushioned back into the soft pillow.

What did it measure again? It was like—ah, forget it. My head hurt too much to think.

I was pretty sure I had a bad case of a cold though.

“Urghh…”

I groaned in bed for a while, closing my eyes. I didn’t want to open them at all, it was just too much for me right now.

(Chuk!)

(Creak…)

“XXXXXX-chan?”

The bedroom door creaked open slowly and along with it, a soft, kind voice emanated from the outside room. I opened my eyes to see a silhouette of a tall figure with flowing, long hair down to her… I don’t know… standing in the bright light shining from the living room, holding what seemed to be a bowl of… something.

Of course, I recognized her. I caught it from her after all.

“Koff! XXXXXX-nee?”

“I made you breakfast! It’s not much compared to your cooking, but…”

“You made breakfast?! How’s the kitchen?!”

I tried to get up once more as soon as I heard that impossible statement, but I again just… couldn’t right now, slumping back down on the bed with my hand on my forehead.

“Ehehe~ I’m not that clumsy…”

“You definitely are.”

She strolled up to the side of my bed, setting the bowl down on the nightstand to go pull a chair from somewhere else.

(Scurrrr!)

The sound of a chair scraping the wooden floor could be heard, puncturing my poor eardrums. It scooched right next to the bed before she sat down on the cushion with a bright smile on her face.

“Wakey wakey~”

“Urghhh… don’t you have to go to school?”

“It’s a weekend, and I can’t let my little sister stay like this!”

That smile of hers shone even more as she said that. It kinda purified the dreary husk of gloomy old me.

“Now, sit up, would you?” She placed her hands, helping me to sit up on the comfy mattress. “It’s time for breakfast!”

“What did you even—”

“Porridge!” She quickly shoved a spoonful of the gruel into my mouth.

“Kak! Koff! Bleh! It’s so bland!”

The rice wasn’t very flavorful… In fact, I could only taste rice and nothing else.

“Eh? Looks like I forgot the salt…”

“Of course you did,” I said as I accepted another spoonful from her hand. “How did you not burn the house down?”

“I looked it up online!”

Well, at least she could do that for a high school student her age. Honest to god, she was totally hopeless sometimes.

“Hahhh…”

Once I was finished being spoon-fed the entire bowl like I was some little kid, I made myself comfortable, leaning behind the wooden headboard and cushioning my bottom on the pillow. XXXXXX-nee had already left to get a glass of water and cough medicine. I doubt she would be quick about it. She was pretty much a complete airhead.

In fact, I think I could hear things crashing around and tumbling down. Classic Sis.

“Hack! Koff!”

As predicted, she came back holding a glass of clear water and a small bottle of that disgusting syrup after only minutes of waiting. Setting the glass down, she carefully—at least I hoped she did—poured a dose of the sludge. Putting the bottle aside, she thrust forward a small plastic cup filled with the purple liquid in front of my face.

“Here, drink up!”

I reluctantly accepted my violet demise, chugging down the poison given to me.

…

EW EW EW

GROSS GROSS GROSS

My face definitely contorted in five different directions before my hand struck out to grab the glass, probably spilling some of its contents along the way, and moved the cup towards my lips. The DISGUSTING grape flavor that tasted like nothing but chemicals was partially washed down by the pure and refreshing taste of clean water.

“Kak! Blehhh…”

XXXXXX-nee clearly hid her laughter as she took back the two cups and held a wet towel in their place.

“Ehehe~ Now I’m going to wipe you down so—”

Uh oh.

“Take off your clothes.”

I screamed.

“NO, NO, NO! GET THE HELL OUT! I CAN DO IT MYSELF!”

That stupid idiot of a sister collected all her things except the towel and quickly scampered away, slamming the door at the end. One disaster after another, wasn’t it?

“Hahhh…”

I sighed for a moment, only to start undressing myself out of my pyjamas. With the top off, I leaned over for the towel and started wiping myself down, from the top of my shoulders to the edges of my arms to the annoying area on my back.

The towel was nice and cool, and it got some of that sweat off my body that had accumulated when I was resting.

Though when I went to the front, I became… kinda jealous of XXXXXX-nee. She was a lot bigger there, while I hadn’t grown at all.

…

Whatever. I was sure I would get bigger in the future. I just needed to drink more milk or something.

Folding it back up and buttoning up my top, I snuggled back into the warm blanket and slapped the towel on my forehead.

Surrounding me were a few plush toys here and there. She would bring one from time to time, and I would just place it on my bed. I didn’t exactly know where they came from, but I took them from her anyway.

She might be stupid, but she was my sister. And I could never dream of being apart.

Drowsiness was kicking in, and eventually I shut my eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

“Koff! Koff! Hack!”

“Mghh…”

I woke to myself choking on my own breath like a total idiot. The room smelled awful and the sun broke through the already cracked window. With the sun out, I could estimate it was around… noon or so.

This was… not the usual time I woke up. In fact, I should’ve woken up much earlier, but what happens happens, I guess.

I was still sitting down from last night, but my head throbbed like hell, and I felt all weird and groggy and dizzy. In front of me were the black ashes and gray embers of what was once my entire wardrobe, I think.

“Koff!”

It was daylight out, so the temperature should’ve been burning as usual, but I just felt cold and colder. Also, my throat both sounded and felt miserable, like something was stuck inside.

Wait a minute.

I touched my forehead with the back of my hand. It was blazing hot like touching a kettle that had been boiling for a while.

Oh, what the hell. I had a cold, didn’t I?

(Achoo! Sniffle…)

A sneeze had confirmed my suspicions. I was sick.

Whatever, I just needed medicine and rest, right? Yeah, that should be enough.

…

Did I have cold medicine? It had been a while since I last got sick, so I wasn’t totally sure if I stocked up on it. I would just look for it then.

But immediately as I propelled my legs upward from the floor, I stumbled back like a fool. My legs, arms, and the rest of my body felt extremely heavy and it was exhausting just to even move a tiny bit forward. The dizziness and headache didn’t help either.

“Crap… Koff! Koff!”

Even so, I forced myself to crawl to the wall behind me and used it to get me standing on my feet.

“Hah… hah…”

I trudged unsteadily to each corner of my room where piles of stuff lay, kneeling down every time to rustle through for that medicine. It felt like a total chore walking back and forth in literally this short distance in my room.

In the end, there was nothing. Not even in my bag, though the water bottles could still be put to good use. No option but to find some outside, I guess. Maybe if somebody passed by, I’d just beg for their help.

Slinging the bag on my shoulder and tying the cloak back on, I forced myself again to the bedroom door, which really felt like the entire length to the Black Market at the moment. But right before I could pass through, I lost my footing and tumbled down next to the living room table. My right arm stung, and it hurt a lot.

Luckily, the half of the broken table that was next to me lost one of its two legs, which offered itself as a crutch. Using it as support, I was able to somewhat steadily hold my ground, though I bet I looked like a dying old woman with her last breath on her cane or something.

I mean, I felt like I was.

Creeping out of home and into the street, I moved on to look for any abandoned pharmacies or any other place that could have any medicine.

There was a convenience store nearby, but after going inside to see the shelves, nothing really screamed medicine to me.

It was mostly empty with the shelves being all bent and knocked out anyway, so I didn’t bother.

“Kak! Hack!”

The headache was still there—maybe even worse than before I left the house—and every step was a slog. Felt like five minutes passed each one I took. I really didn’t have any energy for this, and I prayed that it would just pop up randomly in the next minute or so.

Unlike yesterday, my prayers were left unanswered.

It felt like hours upon hours, but the sun wasn’t even close to setting yet. It was just hot and cold and back, and I was already tired of it. In fact, I nearly collapsed on the road a few times if it wasn’t for nearby walls holding me back.

“Achoo!”

(Sniffle.)

(Wipe.)

“Achoo!”

Oh yeah, the sneezing too. It happened a lot, and I would have to wipe the gunk out with my dirty cloak, which wasn’t a great idea as it threw me into a sneezing fit again.

I had looked inside far too many buildings to count—though I wasn’t really in the right mindset for numbers right now—and yet nothing I needed seemed to appear. It was like the medicine was a rat hiding itself and running for its life from a cat that was dying of hunger.

That cat was me, if it wasn’t obvious. And the hunger was this stupid cold.

One of the more notable structures I came across was a small hospital, which I searched through minutes ago. Truth be told, I thought this nightmare would end when I found it… But no, it was full of papers and computers and other definitely not medicine stuff. There was a stairwell, but considering everything, I might just have broken my neck if I had walked up to look upstairs.

I mean, there was a pill bottle, but it wasn’t anything related to coughs or colds from what I could tell just by skimming the label and all that.

Another was an actual drug store, but this time, the shelves looked totally raided by a few people. There was absolutely nothing at all. Zero. Nil. Nada.

Who would even come to Abydos these days? I knew everything was mostly abandoned, but the more buildings I looked into, the more signs of scavenging and raiding I came across—which was oddly scary enough for me.

I found bullet holes littered throughout the walls and floor occasionally as I trudged on with my stick of a cane like an old woman. I think I saw empty magazines and spent casings, which definitely meant a gunfight happened around here.

More of those “Thunder” idiots running about? Nah, they looked… too amateur to raid shops. They were more like an idiotic friend group of sorts and I heavily doubted their ability to even sustain a gunfight.

My guess would probably be either those high school students or the ones with black and red helmets that kept appearing nonstop. I was still surprised there was still a high school to begin with, but I wouldn’t think it would be operating decently. They were probably in the same situation… maybe only somewhat better.

…

My life sucked, didn’t it?

“Hah… Koff! T-Time to keep m-moving…”

* * *

I couldn’t. I really couldn’t.

I was so going to die.

It wasn’t even dark yet, though the sun had moved a sizable amount. Maybe two or three hours passed?

Yeah, no. I couldn’t keep going. The throbbing in my head was at its peak and I felt like I was going to both throw up and collapse any second.

“Koff! Kak! Hack!”

(Sniff. Sniffle.)

Everything was so heavy and hot and cold and miserable and terrible and awful.

But then…

So many lights emerged from an old-style building, the kind with paper lanterns and traditional sliding doors and crap. There was a smell to it too, I think. Also sounds of clinking and clacking.

People.

(Slam!)

I threw myself towards the door, dropping my wooden table leg support in the process and scrambling to slide open the door.

I didn’t care anymore. Someone, just help me.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

As I stood there, my hearing became muffled, my eyes blurry, and my heartbeat? Pounded for dear life.

The last thing I could see before my eyes shut and my body hit the ground was the black fur of a cat and the yellow coat of a dog.

(Thud!)

Chapter Text

The local diner was never busy. Sure, people were plentiful and always came by to enjoy a nice bowl of freshly cooked noodles straight out of the kitchen, but they never poured in and filled the place to the brim.

Sadly, this was likely due to the dwindling population of the Central Abydos Subregion. The desertification set in a long time ago and was gradually consuming every block in the entire district. Sand replaced the previously verdant landscape, which had bloomed with tall trees and beautiful flowers. The temperature, too, rose higher and higher than ever before, turning Abydos into a desert nightmare.

Of course, any sane person would think to move out of a dying region that no longer had much to offer to its residents. Only a few people still resided. The powerful academy that stood there began to fall apart, and its lower schools had already collapsed over time.

The Central Middle School, the most well-known in this area besides the main academy, shut down only a few years ago, and no longer did students flourish into the diner for a warm meal. They all but disappeared entirely, leaving the diner mostly empty aside from a few adult regulars and newcomers.

Today was no different. Despite it being just a few hours after noon, there was exactly one patron in the restaurant. Thankfully, she was a long-time regular at the noodle shop, slowly appreciating the place’s specialty, which was priced at a cheap 580 yen.

Lunchtime would surely pass with no trouble or commotion, and maybe another person or two would come by to sit down and order a few plates.

Shockingly to the yellow-furred canine owner and the black-furred feline regular, this wouldn’t be the case.

(Slam!)

Something heavy appeared to throw itself into the entrance, startling the shopkeep. The patron, upon hearing the sound, dropped her chopsticks and nearly choked on a bite of noodle soup.

Luckily, she didn’t, but the mysterious object—no, a person—breathed heavily behind the sliding door. Sounds of hands scrambling on the door’s surface were heard, and the feline stood up and backed away in fear, while the canine came out of the kitchen to see the intruder.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

The door slid open to reveal a short, sickly pale girl with blue hair past her hips that was dirtied by sand and dust, turning it into more of a bluish-gray. A large bag nearly her entire height or so was slung across her shoulder, and a torn, patchwork cloak made out of a variety of colored fabrics covered her upper body.

A yellow T-shirt, way too large for her small stature, hung past the ends of her black shorts. It, like the rest of her clothes, was all frayed and torn in various places.

Large black spots could be seen under her dull eyes, which were almost representative of the eyes of a dead fish. No light could ever gleam in those dead eyes, and it was clear that she either hadn’t slept in ages or was sleeping terribly.

The white soles and laces of her navy blue shoes were dirtied to the point where anyone could see more yellow from the sand than the white they should’ve had. Bandages and gauze wrappings were scattered at points of her body as well.

“Hah… Hah… Help…”

She stood there for only a couple of seconds before completely collapsing face down on the wooden floor.

And then, silence. Nobody and nothing, except maybe the paper lanterns swinging lightly from the commotion, moved a single muscle. Everything—well, mostly everything—was a complete stone statue.

Both the owner and the customer looked at each other, then at the helpless girl, then back at each other again.

Finally, the dogperson sighed and shook his head while he placed his hand on his forehead.

“I’ll get a futon for her. Could you help me lift her up once I’m back, Miss?”

* * *

“Hurghh… Nee-chan…”

…

(Gasp!)

I woke up gasping and throwing myself upright. A cool, wet towel on my head fell off as soon as my body bent ninety degrees.

Under me was a clean, white futon, and my cloak lay on top of me like a blanket. My bag sat on the side of the bedding, like it was always with me. But an unfamiliar scene greeted my arrival.

Clean tables with cushioned leather seats lined the walls of the room. There were wooden walls in a traditional style, and most surprising to me: the lights. Unlike anything I had experienced in Abydos, the lights were artificial. Not natural from the damn sun, artificial lights in paper lanterns and on the ceiling, all powered by electricity.

Behind the sliding door, the outside seemed vaguely dim from the somewhat see-through surface.

“Koff! Where am I…?”

“Ah, you’re awake.”

“!”

A voice behind me shook me to my core, and I scrambled forward and turned around to see my supposed kidnapper, only to hit my head under one of the tables like a dumbass.

(Thud!)

“Ow…”

I held the top of my head with two hands. It really stung hard.

“Hmm, for a kid that looked awful hours ago, you sure got a lot of spunk.”

I lifted my head to see where the voice was coming from. In front of me was a dogperson with a bright yellow coat in a blue traditional attire and a white half-apron tied around his waist. A genuine, smoking pipe was in his mouth, and he held a glass of water and a small box.

Two scars—real this time, not like that stupid Thunder Idiot—decorated his face: one on his eye and another on his cheek. He held the eye with the scar closed tight, and a small smile could be seen on his face.

“W-Who the hell are you?!” I yelled at the adult while scratching my head. “Where d-did you take me?!”

“Whoa, kid,” he backed away a small bit. “You collapsed in front of my store, remember?”

“Huh?”

I took a moment to recall anything that happened before I woke up in this place. …Ah, I remember now.

I was dying because of that stupid, idiotic, and moronic cold I had, and then I stumbled upon some lights, and then I opened a door and saw two blurry figures before I collapsed. This dog was probably one of the two people.

And of course, just by remembering the cold, a throbbing headache and intense dizziness hit me again. Though it was definitely less severe than last time.

“Urgh!”

I held my head, only to see that adult came close and knelt down on one knee. He held out his paws again, one holding the glass of water and the other palm open upwards with a tiny, pink tablet on it.

“I took you in, and it seems like you’re sick,” the dog said. “Take this pill for the cold and drink up.”

Glaring at that snout, I snatched the glass of water and the pill from him. Rude, but the rule is to never trust adults or anyone, for that matter, except I really needed that medicine right now.

(Glug.)

“Kak! Koff!”

An idiot I was, I choked on the tablet as soon as it entered my throat. It should’ve been easy, but it really took me a few tries to swallow the damn pill. I had to spit it out, and tried again and again just to force it down. Truly, how pathetic could I get?

“Hah…”

(Wipe.)

Finally, after taking the medicine, I could sigh in relief for a bit.

“So, koff!” I asked. “Where am I?”

“My restaurant,” He slowly stood back up. “Shibaseki Ramen. We’re right in the middle of Central Abydos.”

With that answer, he must have taken me as a stranger to this terrible, yellow desert of absolute misery and nothingness.

“Huh, koff!” I looked around, seeing the blue traditional signs that hung everywhere on the walls and the decor that appeared every so often. “For a restaurant I hadn’t seen before, it sure is quiet.”

“It’s around evening,” he answered. “I closed up hours ago to look after you. You can call me Master Shiba.”

“Mister Chef.”

“Master Shiba.”

“Mister Chef,” I repeated firmly.

“Alright,” he chuckled. “You can call me ‘Mister Chef,’ kid.”

“Koff! Don’t call me a kid,” I glared again.

Despite my hostility, the adult—Mister Chef—always had a warm smile on his face, almost like someone else I met.

…

Ah, like that stupid shady fox, Mister Scar-Eye. I was wondering who it reminded me of, and it, of course, went to that sly idiot.

“So,” he continued. “What’s your name—”

(Growl!)

Oh, please, would someone get me out of this situation already?

I could feel my cheeks growing hotter and hotter, caused by the noise of my angry stomach. It rumbled and rumbled, probably because I hadn’t eaten anything for a whole day. The only thing that entered my belly was my spit, or not even that actually.

“Oh?” Mister Chef grinned. “Seems I can’t leave a customer waiting. I’ll go cook a bowl for ya.”

“Wait—”

But before I knew it, he had already turned back and walked into the kitchen, leaving me just sitting on the floor and under the table.

For someone who didn’t leave me to die on the road like complete trash, I guess it would be rude to refuse a fresh meal.

Totally not because I wanted to eat right now.

I struggled, but I climbed up from the floor and into the soft seat, patiently waiting for whatever Mister Chef was making.

It wasn’t even five minutes or so before he came back with a tray lined with a bowl and a glass of water in his paws.

(Click, clack!)

(Slide.)

A scent whirled into the air, expanding up and up, straight into my nose. The rich broth smelled meaty and fishy. Golden hairs spun around and entangled each other both tightly and loosely while green herbs and veggies dotted the bowl. On the side was a helping of a few slices of pork that covered an entire half of the noodles, and next to that was half of a boiled egg.

I could tell my own drool was currently leaking out of my mouth, and my body patiently waited for my brain to give the signal to devour the entire tray, noodles and all.

“One Shiba Seki Ramen Bowl,” Mister Chef said. “On the house.”

I froze, turning toward his smiling face.

“O-On… the house?” I weakly asked.

“I’m not that heartless,” he said while scratching the back of his head. “It looks like you’ve been through a lot.”

I turned back to the gleaming bowl of noodle soup. Slowly, my shaky hand reached for the chopsticks, only to start fumbling with them like a fool when I tried to pick up the yellow strands. I hadn’t used them in a while, and it took me minutes before I gave up and asked for a fork.

With a fork in hand, I spun the noodles around and around it. Soft steam rose from the end of the fork. I blew on it to cool it down and took my first bite.

…

It… was good. Great, even. Probably… the best thing I’ve ever had in a long time. The noodles were really soft, and the taste of the broth that lingered on made it even better.

I dipped my spoon into the soup and sipped it up. A warm feeling flew into my mouth with such indescribable flavor, and it was probably more nutritious than my previous diet, which consisted solely of protein bars. They were the cheapest thing that I could hoard after all in that store at the Market.

I plunged the prongs of the fork into a slice of pork and bit off on it. It was nicely cooked, and I finally had the taste of really good meat in ages.

The noodles were just too good, like really too good. This shop really shouldn’t be in a poor, dying district such as Abydos. It should be somewhere like—

(Plip!)

Huh?

Something wet dripped on my hand, and it wasn’t from the soup.

(Plip!)

It couldn’t be…

Again, it happened another time. My free hand slowly raised to touch my cheek, feeling a line coming from my eye that was wetter and cooler than the rest of my skin.

(Plip!)

…Tears, could it?

My other hand dropped the fork and went up to do the same as the first hand.

I was crying.

And on realizing this, the dam broke and the tears flowed like a thundering waterfall down my face.

“Hic! Koff! Waaah!”

I bawled like a baby, coughs and hiccups and wails alternated from second to second. I lost control. It was the first time I had a homemade meal after days and months of nonstop protein bar after protein bar.

I just… couldn’t accept this kindness.

It was a long time before I was back in control of my feelings and back to devouring the now soggy and cold bowl.

…

I ran out of the store to throw up, though. My stomach couldn’t handle a decent meal after being near-empty for a long time.

* * *

“Please let me—koff—work at Shibaseki Ramen!” I prostrated on the floor before Mister Chef. “I don’t care—koff—if you don’t pay me, I just want to—koff—do anything!”

The adult was surprised, almost stumbling down onto the floor after this sudden request. I couldn’t leave this huge debt to go unpaid.

Not that I wanted to dedicate my life and loyalty to the shop totally.

“N-Now, now, kid,” He was a little worried about my shift in demeanor. “I haven’t got your name and age yet.”

“Name? Koff!” I raised my head up. “I don’t remember my—”

I felt something in my pocket. It was rectangular and had solid, sharp edges.

“?”

Pulling it out of my shorts, I found a roughed-up, plastic ID card. There were so many scratches and small dents on it. Much of the information on it, including the photo, was completely unreadable.

I didn’t remember this being in my pocket, but I figured I took it when the whole fire and clothes thing happened. It was probably the only reasonable explanation.

Either way, the only thing legible on the card was the school, grade year, age, issuing date, and the given part of the name.

“Central Abydos Middle School… First-year… Year of Issue 20XX…”

…

“Shion.”

Shion. That was my name. It felt familiar every time I ran it through my head, and this weird feeling bloomed inside of me.

“So,” Mister Chef spoke up. “Your name is Shion. Alright then, how old are you?”

“What’s the year?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow when he said that, but answered anyway.

“20XX.”

Doing a bit of math, my age would be…

My face turned red. Yeah, I would be 17 by now… definitely 17… totally 17.

“I’m… 17… I think.” I embarrassingly replied.

“Hmm.” He huffed. “You’re short for your age, but it can’t be helped.”

I sighed. I didn’t think he knew yet.

“Well… If you really insist on it.”

Mister Chef cleared his throat.

“Welcome to the Shibaseki Ramen family, Shion.”

Chapter Text

"So this is a mirror…”

I stared into my reflection in the bathroom. The girl who looked back was buck naked aside from her underwear, and her gray-blue hair that stretched all the way to her back had strands all over the place.

Her skin was pale and somewhat sickly, and I could see slight bony bumps that should be her ribcage through her skin.

Her eyes were a dull yellow, with a small gleam in them. A faint one, but it was there alright. It didn’t help much to make her look less dead inside, though, especially with those dark circles.

I looked awful. Though the cold was gone after a few days of rest in the break room, I still looked terrible compared to anyone else.

In my hand was a towel, damp and slightly dripping into the sink, and my dirty clothes were on the floor. Figuring I stared at my homeless complexion for too long already, I began wiping myself down from my shoulders to my toes. The cloth slowly turned from pure white to a few splotches of a light tan.

Disgusting.

I washed the towel in the sink, scrubbing it with my hand for minutes as I tried to get rid of the stains. They didn’t come off as much as I liked them to, but it was clean enough.

On the toilet was a stack of neatly folded clothes, which was handed to me by Mister Chef as my work uniform. I grabbed the black polo shirt and slipped it on.

It was… a bit oversized, hanging down below my hips, but I decided to ignore it. It was my first shift after all, I could probably get another one later.

A black skirt went over that, and then a navy blue apron emblazoned with the white logo was next. It had been a while since my legs felt so fluttery. My last one was torn apart, getting stuck on some sharp edge I can’t remember, and I just had to wear whatever I had in my closet.

The last part of the uniform was a bright blue ribbon on the collar, but no matter how I tried, I just couldn’t get it tied right.

(Knock! Knock!)

“Shion! The store opens in fifteen minutes!”

Mister Chef knocked on the door, reminding me to quicken up the pace.

(Knock!)

“Uhm…” I opened the door slightly, poking out my head to ask while holding my dirty clothes. “Could you help me tie the ribbon?”

Without hesitating, Mister Chef motioned to come out, which I did. He took the long piece of fabric, and in only a minute, it became a proper ribbon.

“There we go,” he mused. “And don’t forget to tie your hair.”

He extended his paw towards me, holding a black hairband. I exchanged my clothes for it and tied my hair up into a ponytail.

“There are cleaning supplies in the back room,” he pointed behind him. “Go sweep and mop the floors quickly.”

And with that, my first task at work.

* * *

“...Remember to bring water to customers when they first arrive, remember to collect their finished plates…”

It was almost time for the restaurant to open, and Mister Chef was listing out what I should remember and do at the very last minute.

“And lastly…”

He looked at me with a grin.

“Always greet everyone with a smile.”

His paw seemed to gesture for me to try it out, and I did, trying to smile as best I could.

His own smile appeared to turn into a downward frown as he saw me.

“On second thought…” He looked away. “You can scratch that last part off.”

“?”

I was confused. Did I not smile?

Well, either way, it was opening time, and the door slid open immediately as soon as the clock hit our opening hours.

(Whurr! Thun!)

“Oi, Master!” A scuffy-looking brown dogperson appeared in the doorway. “I’m back for—”

He took a step back as soon as he saw me.

“Master!” The dog yelled to the back. “You hired a new one?”

“I did, Sir,” Mister Chef came from behind and appeared at my side. “The place is too big for one person, after all.”

The dog laughed a bit, slapping his stomach.

“Well then, cheer up, kid,” he told me. “Turn that mopey frown upside down!”

I smiled. Again, the dog had the same reaction as Mister Chef.

“Uhm…” He paused. “Never mind, kid.”

Okay, what was going on? Was there something wrong with my smile?

He just awkwardly took his seat after that.

“The usual, please,” the customer ordered. “One bowl of miso ramen.”

“One bowl of miso ramen, coming right up!” Mister Chef turned to the kitchen. “Shion, the water.”

“Right.”

Next to the counter, there was a table with stacks and stacks of plastic cups, along with a large pitcher of iced water. I poured water into a cup nearly to the brim and headed to my first customer.

I said the cold was gone, but maybe some of the symptoms hadn’t subsided. For some reason, my hold on the glass became wobbly and unsteady, then suddenly…

(Slip!)

(Sploosh!)

I lost my grip like an idiot, and the contents spilled out as the cup clattered around the floor. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment as the dog gave out a hearty laugh.

“Ha! Don’t worry about it, kid,” he grinned. “We all had a bad first day at work before.”

Quickly, I headed into the back to grab the mop, frantically dealt with the water on the floor, and returned with a fresh cup before bowing intensely back and forth to convey my apologies.

(Click! Clack!)

(Slide.)

Mister Chef suddenly appeared with the bowl and put it down in front of the customer.

“One miso ramen–” he paused, glancing at the wet spot on the floor. “Shion, why is the floor wet?”

“She spilled a bit of water,” the dog interrupted. “Bad first day, ha!”

He began to laugh again.

“Ah, so that was why I heard a loud noise,” Mister Chef remarked. “Reminds me of my former staff on their first day!”

He joined in laughing as well. They wheezed and hollered like old geezers who haven’t seen each other in a long time, while I sat there, standing all red and totally embarrassed.

I would soon call that annoying customer “Mister Laughing-Dog.”

* * *

Not too many people came after Mister Laughing-Dog, and it was the same on the day after that, and the day after that one as well. It got somewhat crowded, but each table had no more than a single person or two.

When I had a break, I looked outside a few times to get some fresh air and was amazed. Unlike the area near home, the area near Shibaseki was much more crowded and full of life. It wasn’t on the same scale as the Black Market, more or less around a quarter of the size, but there were a few shops and other places that were open here and there.

The place where the restaurant was hadn’t been completely abandoned yet and hadn’t been affected much by the desertification, according to Mister Chef. Though he was shocked when I estimated the location of my home on the map, which was completely abandoned. It was also one or two hours away from the diner.

He kinda forced me to sleep in the break room as a temporary solution, not that I cared much, though. The restaurant had working air conditioning, a stable water supply, a clean futon, and a working toilet with 2-ply toilet paper. No shower, though, but it was a diner, not a house. I could just wipe myself down if I needed to.

Either way, the first few days went by pretty smoothly and I slowly got the gist of working as a waitress. Customers mainly came at lunch and dinnertime, and it was usually busiest then. Morningtime was quieter because no one aside from a few regulars like Mister Laughing-Dog came to eat.

Today wasn’t quite the same, however.

(Whurr! Thun!)

“Ugh… I barely have any money to buy more than one bowl.”

“That’s because you spent everything on Skullman merch.”

“Shut up.”

It was around the middle of the week, and four students in identical black uniforms with both black face masks and sunglasses came through the doorway. Two of them—a big-chested, tall girl with flowy, long, brown hair and a shorter girl with messy, black hair and twintails—had sharp horns protruding from their heads. The blonde had dyed red ends and a tuft covered her left eye, while the quiet one had white hair in a neat bob.

I felt like they were somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why. Whatever, it was weirder that there were still students coming around. Maybe they came from the High School?

“Welcome to Shibaseki Ramen,” I greeted as usual. “Table of four?”

They stopped right at the door as soon as they saw me, faces in shock and probably horror for some idiotic reason.

“Is that the blue-haired shortie we—”

The shortest of them all yelled before being interrupted by the blond one, who covered her mouth. She struggled to get her mouth free.

“Hah, uhm, y-yeah,” the blonde awkwardly stammered, still restraining her friend. “A t-table of four.”

Ignoring their weird behavior, I led them to a table and went to get water for them after they took their seats.

“Senpai,” the taller horned girl whispered. “Isn’t that the girl who escaped from us? I didn’t know she worked under Master.”

“Yeah, boss! Wasn’t that her—”

“I really think it's best we shut up about it,” the blonde one interrupted.

“...She didn’t seem to recognize us,” the quiet girl remarked.

“And I think it’s best we keep it that way.”

The four of them seemed to be whispering away about something I couldn’t hear as I came back with four cups of water and the menus. They immediately shut up when I placed the first cup down, as if they were hiding something.

“So…” I awkwardly asked, holding a notepad and a pen. “Do you know what you would like to order, or do you need some time?”

All of them stared back and forth at each other like morons in silence. No one said anything at all for a minute, and I was slowly getting pissed off and almost ready to strangle this group of idiots.

“Ahem!” The blonde cleared her throat as she began to skim the menu. “C-Could we have one bowl of Shibaseki Ramen?”

“One?” I tilted my head.

“You see,” the quiet one spoke up. “Senpai over here spent her entire wallet on a limited edition Skullman collectible, and now she’s broke.”

“Hey!” The blonde yelled, flailing her arms. “They sell out quickly, I couldn’t do anything! Besides, why do I have to pay for you idiots?! Get a job already!”

Something sounded vaguely familiar from that sentence. Something from a stupid dumbass with a helmet. Probably my imagination. Besides, I had a bigger question.

“By the way,” I pointed to the tall girl’s head. “Are those real?”

“These?” She pointed to her horns. “Yeah, waiter-chan! We’re students from Gehenna Academy, and a lot of people have horns, wings, and tails there!”

She really sparkled as she explained where she was from.

“I’m Sachi! Senpai over there is Rika-chan, the quiet one is Nao-chan, and my sister here is Matsuri-chan!”

Upon hearing their names spoken out of her mouth, both the blond girl and the quiet one were in shock and slumped into despair.

“I hate you all sometimes,” the blonde said as she groaned into her hands.

…

“...So one bowl, right?”

* * *

After a bit, a towering bowl of noodles found itself in the middle of four hungry idiots.

“That is sure a tall bowl of ramen.”

“Wow! I’ve never seen that amount of noodles in one bowl before!”

“Let me have the first bite!”

“...I-I don’t think I can pay for extra noodles, Master.”

Various expressions appeared on each of their faces. The blonde was depressed into thinking she would have to pay more, both the tall and quiet girl were in differing states of shock, and the short girl was going to devour the whole thing if her sister didn’t hold her back.

“It’s fine,” Mister Chef said. “I only overfilled a smidge, after all.”

He winked at the party of four. Honestly, I was concerned whether he was actually able to tell the difference between overfilling a “smidge” and a whole tower.

“Well, gang,” their senior announced. “You know what they say…”

“Thanks for the meal!” The rest of them followed.

(Nom, nom… Munch… Slurp! Nom…)

(Burp!)

A bowl was left totally empty by the ravenous devils as they finished and went to leave. Not even a single sip of the broth or a speck of the contents was spared from their wrath.

(Whurr!)

“We’ll come back again, Master!”

“Yeah! We’ll come back soon!”

“Goodbye, Master.”

All but one of them left the building. The blond girl stood in the doorway, glancing at me.

“So…” She awkwardly said. “We didn’t get your name.”

“Shion,” I answered.

“Shion, huh… Well, sorry for the trouble.”

She did a slight bow before leaving the building and closing the door.

(Thunk!)

“They’re good kids, you know?” Mister Chef said as he appeared behind me. “Don’t think too badly of them. They come around often, after all.”

“I wasn’t.” I lied out of my mouth as I turned back to the kitchen.

Seriously, though, my gut feeling was telling me that those idiots were somehow familiar, but I literally couldn't figure it out.

But anyway, time to get back to work.

* * *

(Tick, tock, tick, tock…)

1:58…

(Tick, tock…)

1:59…

(Tick, tock…)

2:00…

(Chuck! Cuckoo! Cuckoo! Cuckoo!)

The hands on the annoying clock with the pop-up bird struck 2 in the afternoon, yet no one showed up for lunch. In fact, the diner was just dead. Zero people, none, nil, nada.

Besides the chirping of the damned plastic bird, we heard nothing but far-off, thundering explosions in the next area over, and maybe the faint screams of a person or two.

(Flap, flap!)

“So it seems like the General Student Council President is missing.”

Mister Chef took a puff of his pipe while sitting down in one of the tables, reading the newspaper. The headline was something like:

[Kivotos in Chaos! GSC President Declared Missing!]

That kind of thing. It had pictures of what appeared to be members of some random Student Council fighting off masked and helmet-wearing thugs, along with a long-eared woman with glasses and long blue hair, trying desperately to avoid the mob of news-hungry reporters and angry students.

“Shion,” he said without turning away from the paper. “Go take a nap in the break room. I’ll man the front.”

“No way, I’m not keeping my eyes off the door during opening hours.”

“Suit yourself.”

It was only the second week so far, and the previous one was totally normal—if you ignored that party of weird Gehenna students. Yet, unlike the first week, no one came at all in the past three days. Not Sunday, not Monday, not even Tuesday.

Mister Chef, with nothing to do, sat on a chair and read the newspaper the entire time we were open. I was sure he was bored out of his mind like I was.

…

Fine, I could go and take a nap. There weren’t any dishes to clean, and the floor was already mopped anyway.

I was almost in the break room before I heard the door outside slide open.

(Whurr!)

“Oh dearie me, it's quiet here.”

“Ah, good to see you again, Miss. Table of three this time?”

I vaguely heard the chatter of Mister Chef and a couple of women on the main floor. Peeking out, there was a single table of three catpeople with black, calico, and orange fur, respectively. They all wore fancy casualwear with hats and jewelry of all kinds.

“Management decided it was unsafe to work,” the black cat said. “So we’re all free until the situation calms down.”

“I see, it has been hectic lately,” Mister Chef replied.

“Goodness,” the orange cat joined. “Did you know there was a bank robbery near here?”

“Everything’s all over the place,” the calico cat sighed. “Too much for us these days. I heard the famous candy store was blown up on Monday.”

“Hmm, is that the girl from the other day?”

The black cat looked at me, who was hiding behind the wall.

“Ah, Shion,” Mister Chef barked. “Come out and introduce yourself.”

I stumbled forward right beside him in front of the table and politely bowed to them like I usually did.

“This is my new hire, Shion. She’s only been working for a couple of weeks, so treat her nicely.”

…

“So cute!”

(Thumpf!)

Only a moment after he said that, I was hit by an orange furball that hurled straight into me for an uncomfortable bear hug.

“Wah?!”

A mountain of petting and cuddles fell before me, and she wasn’t showing any sign of stopping. I tried and tried again, wrestling my arms and legs out of her grip, but she just kept squeezing harder and harder.

“She’s a bit messy,” she remarked. “But with a few touch-ups, she’ll look like a doll!”

“Ah, there goes her habit again,” the black cat said before sipping her glass.

“She’s obsessed with dressing up people on the side,” the calico said. “We’ve all been victims already.”

She shook her head while a hand was on her forehead, sighing once more in disappointment.

“Ah… hmm.”

“Let… me… go!”

I kept flailing around like a fish out of water, resisting her hold. The smell of perfume was strong and totally suffocating, and I felt my brain get lighter as I breathed it in more. She kept talking about something I didn’t know about.

It was really dizzying, and I could feel my vision getting darker and darker as my face felt redder and redder.

Their faces became really blurry, and the noises became quieter.

I couldn’t. I seriously couldn’t. Any more cat fur and roses, and I was going to—

“Uh, Miss, I think she’s had enough—”

(Poof!)

…black out, right in her arms.

I was never going to trust anyone new again.

- - - - -

Chibi doodle of the Gehenners.

Chapter Text

“Does grocery shopping have to take this long…”

We ran out of a few things, so Mister Chef handed me a list and told me to come back as fast as I could because we were still open for the day. Truth be told, I wasn’t exactly new to this. I had already done it a few times already, and the last time I did it was days ago.

I just underestimated the distance from Shibaseki to the store. With how more active the area here was than my dump of a home, I half expected shopping to be a trivial walk the first time around. Being Abydos, I should have thought otherwise.

Well, I was at the diner now with the bags in both my hands anyway, so I should get back to work.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Huh?”

“Welcome to Shibaseki Ramen—eh?”

A taller, black-haired girl with red eyes and twintails towered before me at the door, greeting me as if I were a customer. She had cat ears that flicked about on top of her head, and we both had the same uniform, the only big difference being that she had a pistol holster strapped around her waist.

“Who the hell are you?”

* * *

“So! Ahem!”

Mister Chef cleared his throat and pointed at the mysterious girl. We were all sitting down on stools in the break room when I demanded an explanation of who this nobody is. It wasn’t that busy, so it was the perfect time to do it.

“Shion, this is Serika. She’s going to be working with us from now on.”

He pointed away from her and to me.

“Serika, this is Shion. She’s your senior at work.”

Was it just me, or did I keep seeing more and more students pop up lately in my life? So far, it was the dorks with helmets, those delinquent-looking kids, and now her.

“Anyway, you two get to know each other properly, I’ll have to check the front for a moment.”

He wobbled away and shut the door on us.

And as expected, the room was completely silent. Not a chirp flew through the window. The girl and I just looked at each other like total dumbasses, glaring to no end. It took my own mouth to break the silence.

“Just so you know,” I spoke up. “I still don’t trust you.”

Her mouth fell open as I said that.

“Haa?” She exclaimed. “I don’t trust you either!”

“Good to know it’s mutual then.”

I stood up and headed to a corner where there was a rolled-up futon between the lockers and the wall. I slid it out and unrolled it flat on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” I responded as I grabbed a pillow and my cloak. “I’m tired from getting groceries.”

“Are you seriously sleeping in the middle of the day?”

“I live here, newbie. Give me a break.”

I was getting comfortable as I crawled under my cloak until I was ripped out of comfyland and back upright again.

“Hah… You’re just like Hoshino-senpai… Don’t you have an actual place to sleep in?”

“I live here, though? Well, for now at least.”

“Eh? You actually live here?”

She looked at me, dumbfounded, like I was lying or something. I wasn’t.

“Did you think I was lying? My place is a dump currently, and nothing but the toilet works. Commute’s far too.”

“B-But then why do you work here?”

“I have my reasons. Why do you work here? Are you broke or something?”

“I-I–”

She turned red like a ripe tomato and snapped her head away from me. It looked like I hit the jackpot.

“Well then, my fellow compatriot,” I put my hand on her shoulder. “If you want me to work, then let’s work.”

“?!”

I dragged her out of the break room and into the front end. Tables of one or two people dotted in front of us, and it wasn’t quite busy yet. The door was open and Mister Chef was talking to some customers—

Oh.

Oh no.

Not them again.

A familiar trio of cats stood at the doorway, and the one I dreaded most was scanning the room like a hawk that was looking for prey, despite being a cat. My head was thankfully behind the wall, and it seemed like she hadn’t seen me yet.

“Oh, is Shion-chan here today? I haven’t seen her in a while…”

…

“Change of plans.”

“Wah?! Hey!”

I tugged her back in the opposite direction and back into the break room. I barricaded the door with the few stools and chairs that were there for assurance.

“Hey! What’s going on now?!”

“Miss Demon Catlady is here.”

“...Who?”

“You’ll know when you see her,” I said, now completely encased in my futon cocoon burrito thing.

“...You’re hopeless.”

The girl sighed and removed my haphazard defenses to head out the door. Suit yourself, I guess.

Thirty minutes later, she stumbled back in smelling like a flower shop and covered in orange cat fur. She slouched hard, and she looked totally dead inside with the light vanishing from her eyes.

“I told you so.”

* * *

As the day continued along, it was clear that Serika's work experience was incredibly lacking compared to her senior, who had worked longer than she had—around three weeks in fact. But despite this reasonable explanation, the skill gap was much wider than she had anticipated.

Customers shifted in and out throughout the day, and then dish upon dish would pile up after each one. Someone among the three of them would have to deal with washing all those plates and bowls when the bucket got full. Master Shiba was in charge of cooking, leaving only her and her senior at work to do the job.

They had decided on a rotating shift where one of them would be in the back while the other handled the front end. But when it was Serika’s turn to manage the tables, she found no shortage of dishware. In fact, when she filled a bucket to the brim with plates stained with the sludge of uneaten food, she would come back minutes later to find it empty, along with seeing freshly cleaned and dried dishes all lined up on the counter. Not a speck of water could be found on them.

It was like the job was natural to her, as even when her senior got moved to the front, she would politely greet customers, efficiently take orders, and quickly take care of dirty tables. It seemed she had a great memory too, as while Serika struggled to remember all the items for a table, her senior barely touched the notepad and only scribbled a few marks from time to time.

In the little cat-eared girl’s eyes, her short senior was admirable to the point where she considered her to be a role model for work, if it wasn’t for her terrible personality.

Unless it was for the restaurant, she clearly hated interacting with people, and if a table had no more than three people sitting down, she would outright refuse to approach them unless Master Shiba told her so. Even to Serika, she exuded a modicum of distrust towards everyone but the Master, as if her first encounter with her didn’t already make that clear.

And if she was polite in the front, she was the total opposite in the back, hurling complaint after complaint on how incompetent Serika was, whether it was her slowness in cleaning the dishes or some other nasty remark.

“You do realize that table ordered chashu, right? Not miso?”

“E-Eh? I thought it was miso, though?”

“I could hear the order from back here clear as day, do you think I’m deaf?”

She sighed, only to walk away and take the overfilled dish bucket while mumbling about something. The black cat shed a tear, slightly red from embarrassment.

A soft paw landed on Serika’s shoulder as soon as her senior came out of sight.

“Don’t take her words to heart,” Master Shiba assured her. “It’s only your first day, she was the same as well.”

Right, like her boss said, she would get better at the job in time. Soon enough, maybe, she would get onto her senior’s level.

“By the way…” Serika asked. “What’s up with her?”

“It’s… complicated,” Master Shiba said, scratching his head. “I haven’t asked about her private life much, but let’s say you two are in a similar situation to put it simply.”

The cat turned to her boss, tilting her head in curiosity at that answer.

“What does that mean?”

“Well, just look at her. Doesn’t it look like she’s been through a lot?”

Recalling her senior’s appearance, she looked empty. Despite Abydos being a depressing wasteland of what seemed to be infinitely reaching yellow sand as far as the eye could see, everyone who stayed behind—including her four classmates at Abydos High School—had at least some sort of liveliness and light in them.

That wasn’t the case for her senior, as she always looked irritable throughout the entire shift so far. Her eyes looked dead, and there were dark circles under them. Her hair was clearly a mess with unwashed sand and other gunk, and her skin was almost an unhealthy white color. It was like she had been wandering around for a long time.

But most notably, she didn’t smile. Not even once during the entire day, and it was like her facial muscles refused to perk up and say hello. Being angry was her default mood.

And then the little black kitten realized—

Her senior was the mirror image of her.

Well, she at least saw herself in her.

They were both irritable and shared the same distrustful attitude, especially towards adults. Basically the same boat, but in likely very different situations. In Serika’s case, she and her friends were left to toil just to keep their school afloat and alive. In her senior’s case… well, she knew nothing about that because after all, she would likely never get a word from the blue-haired shortie.

In a way, Serika felt a twinge of sympathy, but not much.

* * *

(Slurp. Sip.)

The restaurant got quiet enough for a break, so I decided to have the specialty for lunch at the counter. All the dishes Mister Chef cooked were great, but the namesake Shibaseki Ramen was clearly the best one of them all.

I was enjoying my meal until a certain cat interrupted my peace.

(Step. Step.)

The newbie appeared from the kitchen, holding her own bowl of steaming hot noodles. She took a look at me as she turned the corner and glared at me. Of course, I glared back as well.

She strolled all the way to the farthest seat on the counter and sat there. Getting comfortable, she held a small portion of the golden hairs with her chopsticks, blew on them, and took a bite. Her eyes gleamed in joy as she chewed, and the black cat brightened even more when she took a sip of the broth.

Despite it all, I couldn’t help but be proud of Mister Chef’s cooking as I saw her face.

“It’s good, huh, newbie?”

“Yeah! The soup tastes really—Eh?!”

She suddenly froze in the midst of her sentence when she realized who those words came from. Her face darkened as a frown replaced her earlier smile.

It was just silent as we went back to our meals. Really, only the sound of chewing food could be heard.

“For the record,” she broke the silence this time around. “It’s Serika, not newbie.”

She turned her head towards me, still with the same angry eyes.

“Okay then, Frowny-Face,” I said before taking a bite of pork.

“Hah?! What did you say?!”

She shouted, slamming the counter.

“That’s your name now, Frowny-Face. You’re always glaring at me, so it's perfect for you.”

“The same could be said for you!”

“I’m not the one that's named Frowny-Face.”

“That’s not my name!”

(Clap! Clap!)

“Alright, break it up, you two!”

Mister Chef appeared out of the kitchen, clapping his hands twice. He was a bit irritated at the sight of us not getting along.

“Shion,” he turned to me. “Please be nicer to Serika.”

“Fine,” I grumbled.

Frowny-Face was easier to remember than whatever her name was, but I guess I would have to use something else.

“Serika,” he then turned to the cat. “Please calm down.”

“Alright…”

Mister Chef took a big sigh before going back into the kitchen.

Again, silence permeated the room, just only for a moment. The sounds of paper uncrumbling and unraveling from her side could be heard, and glancing over, I saw her reading what appeared to be a flyer as she sipped the soup.

The flyer had these sorts of bright colors and varying sizes of text, and I think there were a few pictures.

…Hmm, wait a minute.

(Scrrrr…)

(Step. Step.)

“Let me see that.”

“W-What—Hey?!”

From behind her, I snatched the flyer from her hands and skimmed it.

I could definitely feel my face scrunching up as I read it and quickly realized—

(Rip! Rip! Rip!)

…It was a scam. Like, it was super blatantly obvious that it was.

“What the hell?!” She yelled. “Why did you rip it up?”

“Do you not know what a scam is?”

“I know what a scam is—wait a second…”

It looked like she connected the dots as her eyes widened in realization.

“Are you an idiot? It literally asks you to pay a 10 thousand yen processing fee before you do anything else.”

“B-but…”

“If that’s not a scam, I’ll go ahead and die in a ditch.”

“!”

“Just… be grateful or something. I don’t know.”

I walked back to my seat with her still gaping at me. Later, when people started coming back, she acted more weirdly whenever we passed by, like flustered or something.

I kinda didn’t care really, but I hoped she would stop screwing up in the future.

* * *

(Knock! Knock!)

“Shion! Get your bag and come outside!”

Mister Chef pounded on the door, yelling behind it. The sound of soft footsteps slowly faded out as he left.

It was past closing time, and we had completely cleaned everything. I was wearing my old clothes—which he had already washed—and snuggled in my futon. What could he possibly want me for right now? Not to mention that he asked for my bag, which I haven’t touched since I came here.

But I complied, as I was curious what his request was. I got up and went to my bag on the table, right beside my folded-up work uniform.

(Zip!)

(Ruffle, ruffle…)

Ah, the money was still there, untouched. I should probably use it somewhat… probably for cold medicine. Guess I’d have to plan a trip back to the Market.

Actually, was there a pharmacy around Shibaseki? I could have sworn I saw one on my grocery runs.

Well, everything inside my bag was still there. I’d have to thank him for that. I just needed some water and snacks now, in case something happens. Couldn’t be too prepared after everything that happened.

(Shuffle, shuffle…)

(Zip!)

Looks like everything is settled. I shouldn’t leave him waiting too long.

I put my shoes on, grabbed my cloak, and headed out of the break room. He wasn’t there in the dining area, so I went outside to look for him.

And there he was.

It was dark now, and it looked like he held up the cat for a bit. Actually, I didn’t realize she was there for a second because her hair blended in the night sky. Unlike Mister Chef, though, she was shocked to see me come out for some reason.

She was out of her uniform this time around and was wearing a navy blue blazer on top of a blue tie and a white dress shirt. A black plaid skirt went under the blazer, and one of her legs had a black knee brace on it. On one shoulder was her school bag, and a long black and white rifle was slung on the other. Notably, a white badge with a black triangular symbol was attached to her chest.

She was one of those High School students still around, huh.

“Shion,” Mister Chef spoke. “Go accompany Serika home. It’s late out, and I don’t want her to be alone at night.”

“Master,” she followed. “I’m perfectly fine walking back alone.”

“No, Serika. She lives in the same direction anyway, so she might as well come with you.”

Wait a minute.

“Hold on, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, I stopped you from going back home, but you seem healthy now. Besides, you likely have stuff still there.”

He wasn’t wrong. My revolver was probably still on the nightstand, and I had to check if anyone had broken in.

“Here’s a map, just in case. I’ll go lock up the shop now, sorry for holding you two up.”

Mister Chef handed me a folded paper map before waving goodbye and shutting the door.

…

“Hmpf! I don’t need you following me.”

She started walking away from the restaurant, but despite her words, I followed her. Only because he asked to, though.

…

(Step, step. Step, step.)

The cat led the way as I trailed behind her, looking annoyed as she realized I was tailing her, but did nothing anyway. She didn’t say a word, but I didn’t really care. The silence of the night fell between us for a long time, maybe around like five minutes already.

I didn’t notice it at first, but the catgirl apparently slowed her pace for a bit, and I gradually overtook her. With her behind me, I looked back to see what was wrong.

Her head was looking to the ground, and her cheeks were a bit red.

Soon we came to a stop, and I just had to say something.

“You don’t want to go home?”

“T–”

She kept stuttering like she wanted to say something, but she had to choke it out.

“T-Thank you!” She shouted into the floor. “T-Thank you for stopping me from getting scammed!”

She was all red, and her eyes kept alternating between closed and looking away from me.

“Huh?”

“I wanted to say it earlier, but couldn’t!”

“A-Ah… O-Okay?”

Honestly, I was taken aback by her gratitude. I did say to be grateful, but I didn’t expect this.

“Well… L-Let’s just keep walking…”

We were walking in silence again, but this time at the same pace. We kinda both didn’t look at each other out of embarrassment.

“Do… you not have any other clothes?” She pointed at my yellow shirt. “They look pretty worn out.”

“Y-Yeah… Long story short, I… burned them all.”

“You what?! Did you burn down your house?!”

“No, but… I don’t want to talk about it. It’s embarrassing in hindsight.”

…

“Geez… And you said you live in a dump…”

“Yeah… Apparently, Mister Chef says it’s located in an abandoned district.”

“Mister who—Oh… Master,” she paused for a moment. “Do you call everyone by a nickname?”

“Sorry. Mister Chef told me to be nicer,” I looked away. “It’s just easier to remember.”

“It’s… fine. It was lame and mean, but… maybe I’ll allow it if you come up with a better one.”

Something other than Frowny-Face? Maybe Black Cat? No, that was even lamer. Didn’t black cats mean something unlucky, though? She looked like she kept falling for the most obvious of scams… but didn’t I stop her from one? Then, maybe—

“Lucky?” I suggested. “I saved you from being scammed this time, not that I’m praising myself.”

…

“...I’ll take it. It’s better than the other one, but I’d prefer it if you just called me Serika, though.”

I swore I saw a soft smile on her face right as she said that, but it quickly faded as she noticed I was glancing at her.

“So the High School really still exists, huh?” I said. “I thought it would be long gone by now, but people still being here says otherwise.”

“We’re still holding up… even if it’s just the five of us. We just repelled a helmet gang raid days ago.”

Ah, so that explained the increasing number of people with helmets during my trips.

“Speaking of helmet gangs, have you seen any of them with red thunderbolts on their helmets?”

The cat held a hand to her chin for a moment as if trying to fetch something from her memory.

“No, not that I recall,” she answered. “I saw skulls and other symbols, but not thunderbolts. Why do you ask?”

“I was caught up with them. Twice, actually.”

“Huh. Well, I’ll look out for them, I guess.”

We talked like this until we turned the corner and arrived at her doorstep just moments later. With a key, Lucky opened the door before turning towards me.

“Stay right there!” She pointed. “I’ll be back in a second!”

(Thump, thump, thump!)

(Wrrrr… Bang!)

She rushed inside, closing the door behind her. I didn’t mind waiting a bit, so I plopped myself on the ground. The house was like any other house on the block, two stories, with a slanted roof and windows covered in sand.

(Wrrrr…)

Minutes passed, and Lucky came back holding a few sets of clothes before shoving them into my hands, startling me.

“J-Just take them! You need clothes, right?!”

“Ah! Er… yeah?”

“T-Then just take them and go!” She shouted. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Senpai!”

Then, like she was in a hurry, Lucky slammed the door shut, and a distinct click locked the door.

Thanks for the clothes?

Whatever. I stuffed them in my bag and went back into the street again.

The lights of the moon shone upon the neighborhood, blending with the gleam of the streetlamps spaced out between each block. The disgusting yellow dust rolled along the ground, following the breeze like a duckling and its mother.

The stars glimmered across the sky, each one glowing in the black silence of the night.

Now, only for the long trek home, right?

* * *

(Chuk!)

(Whrrrr…)

(Slam!)

Well, that took longer than expected. I was sure I had memorized the entire way multiple times, even before Mister Chef let me go back home, but I guess it was harder to put my pathfinding into practice. At least I didn’t get lost this time.

Anyways.

(Shwoop, shwoop…)

(Step, step, step…)

I took off my shoes and started peeking through every corner of the house.

When I entered my bedroom, the first notable thing I saw was the burnt embers that stained the floor. All the furniture in the house looked untouched anyway, so I assumed nothing had happened when I was gone.

Home, sweet home, huh?

Dropping my bag and taking off the cloak, I spread the fabric across my mattress and sat down to take the revolver sitting on the nightstand.

The blue and white paint gleamed in the moonlight shining through the cracked window.

(Click!)

(Chuk!)

Pulling the hammer slightly back and opening the loading gate, I spun the cylinder freely until I saw a round. The singular bullet still sat there, waiting to be fired.

Well, it wouldn’t go anywhere anytime soon.

(Shak!)

(Click…)

With everything settled, I stood up and stuffed the gun into my bag, only to flop back on the bed and snuggle under my cloak.

…

A lot has happened, huh.

From meeting Mister Scar-Eye and Mister Long-Snout for the first time, to getting lost in the city for the first time, then getting chased by idiots for the first time, then getting kidnapped for the first time by the same idiots…

…There were a lot of first times, wasn’t there?

And then stumbling into Shibaseki, only to get a new job after resting…

And then getting an annoying kouhai… Well, she wasn’t that bad.

…

It really was a lot… but it feels like something is missing.

I should really find out what caliber the gun uses… and I should get some medicine later.

(Yawn…)

Yeah… that was probably it.

(Snore…)

* * *

…

…

…

"Stop it."

"Don’t get closer."

"It will happen again."

"It’s for your own good."

…

"Well… Whatever you do…"

"Please don’t meet them."

Chapter Text

“Ew, what a creep.”

“I know, right? He wouldn’t stop following me everywhere until I got here.”

Sensei. According to Mister Chef, Lucky, and the newspapers, he was an adult summoned by the GSC President after she went missing weeks ago. Everyone in public was talking about the “Hero of Kivotos” after he led some students in clearing the chaos caused by delinquents under a girl named Kosaka Wakamo.

Since then, he was assigned to take control of a group named SCHALE, a federal body under the GSC with powers that extended throughout the entire city. And recently, he came to Abydos and dealt with the High School’s helmet gang problem.

Every customer so far has only been talking about the good deeds he’s done for the district.

But in reality, he was some disgusting creature from who knows where.

From Lucky, I was told… some very concerning things.

Honestly, if I were told that a random person who appeared out of nowhere said that they would save Abydos, I would just punch them in the face.

And I was sure Lucky had the same idea.

What was even worse was that today, he just kept tailing her like some kind of curse until she got to Shibaseki for work.

“Disgusting, degenerate, perverted stalker,” we both said in unison.

Yeah. What a disgusting, degenerate, perverted stalker.

“Shion, I need you to clear table eight,” Mister Chef peeked from the kitchen. “Serika, come over here for table four’s order. They ordered miso.”

In sync, we stood up from the counter at the same time and headed to do our job.

Wait… Was she copying me?

Well, either way, she went inside for the order while I collected the dirty plates.

And the scene they left was…

“Goddamn it,” I muttered. “Half-eaten again.”

Seriously, whoever that didn’t finish a bowl of Mister Chef’s delicious ramen, I was going to strangle them to death. No one should disrespect his name like that.

I sighed, looking at what that vermin had left me with, and took them inside. I passed by Lucky, who was holding a tray with a bowl of steaming hot miso ramen. I could hear her voice in the front as she shouted greetings and excuses.

(Whurr! Thunk! Whurr…)

“Welcome to Shibaseki Ramen! How many are in your party? I'll show you to your seats.”

“Just a minute! Extra noodles for table three!”

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Welcome to Shibaseki—What the?!”

Lucky’s loud voice suddenly shifted into shock as I heard the door open for the second time. Thinking something was wrong or that she screwed up horribly like yesterday, I took a peek out of the kitchen right after dumping the vermin’s scraps into the trash.

“Hello! Table for five!”

“Haha… Hello, Serika.”

Two unfamiliar voices sounded from the front. The first had a cheery demeanor, while the other felt like she was trying not to be awkward.

In my vision, there were people, obviously, and Lucky was before them. The first voice seemed to belong to a blonde girl with a bun on the side and a big chest, and the second was probably the black-haired girl with red glasses and long ears.

Beside those two was a short, pink-haired girl who appeared to conk out at any second, a gray-haired girl with wolf ears and a blue scarf, and then a tall man.

Wait a second…

“One, two, three, four, five.”

Five people.

…

Hell no. Absolutely not. I was not going to deal with another possible Miss Demon Catlady incident again.

I quickly scrambled out of view and just sat on a stool that was in the kitchen. Mister Chef was stirring a pot of soup and noticed me come inside.

“Shion, why aren’t you outside?”

“Table of five,” I answered.

…

Upon my answer, he stopped stirring the pot and went outside for a few minutes before coming back. I heard his voice mixing with the chatter out the door.

“They’re Serika’s friends, there’s nothing to worry about,” he continued. “In fact, you should go introduce yourself.”

“B-But–”

“If you’re still shy, take one of the masks on the wall and wear it.”

A wave of embarrassment washed over my face as I stood up. I really didn’t want to go, but I had to on his urging.

Trying to hide my face as I inched towards the front, I quickly took a random mask from the wall and fitted it on my face just like Mister Chef said.

After a few—and when I meant a few, I mean like fifteen of them—breaths, I gradually headed towards the table of students with brightly colored hair and a man who was standing there, looking for a space to sit in. Lucky, who was in front and yelling at them, was all red as a tomato, just like I first met her on that day.

“Over here, Sensei! Sit next to me!” Big-Chest encouraged cheerfully.

“Um... Or you can sit here if you want, Sensei…” Scarfy mumbled at a volume where almost no one could hear her.

Wait… Sensei? The same Sensei who was summoned by the GSC President and dealt with the High School’s helmet gang problem?

Ah. I should have connected the dots when Mister Chef mentioned that they were Lucky’s friends and that Lucky was a part of the High School. I was stupid.

Disgusting pervert.

Mister Pervert-Stalker was a somewhat tall man with neatly-combed black—no, brown… or maybe it was black after all?—hair and dark blue, square-frame glasses. Bangs covered his forehead, leaving a space on one side in which his hair was parted. He was in a light-gray suit, and a sparkly, bright blue tie was under it. Hanging from his neck was a lanyard with the same SCHALE emblem I kept seeing on the papers.

He still stood there, hand to his chin and eyes closed as if this was the biggest decision he would ever make. His face looked young, but not enough that he would be mistaken for a person who was still in school. His chin had some small stubble to it, and overall, he appeared to be a person who had been working in a job for a while.

So… this… “person” needs a seat right…

I took a chair from an empty table, carried it to where the group was, and placed it at the end of the tables.

Big-Chest and Scarfy went silent when the screech of a chair inched closer to them, and the rest followed. Mister Pervert-Stalker, who had his eyes closed before, opened his eyes and flinched at the sight of me.

With everyone staring at me, I didn’t hesitate to take Lucky’s hand and drag her into the back for some answers.

“Hey! Wait!”

“Isn’t this the pervert you were talking about?”

“Well, yes…” She replied. “But…”

“Why is he here?”

“...They found out where I worked somehow, and they all came to eat…”

“Ew,” I said. “Well, just go have a reunion then, I got what I wanted.”

I gently pushed her back to their table and started walking away.

* * *

Hoshino told us all the location of Serika’s part-time job, which was a ramen shop just a bit from the annex. Since it was nearing lunchtime, I decided to bring the kids for a meal. A well-deserved one to be sure, as they fought off another raid on the school and, under my command, cleared out one of the so-called Katakata Helmet Gang’s hideouts. It was only natural to reward them for their efforts.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Welcome to Shibaseki—What the?!”

We saw our familiar, hot-headed black cat in a uniform similar to the ones I remembered in my world that were typical of this kind of establishment. It was… kind of cute.

“Hello! Table for five!” Nonomi chimed.

“Haha… Hello, Serika.” Ayane awkwardly said.

Serika complained and hollered at us, especially at me, after the rest of us greeted her. Then, moments later, a dogperson in a traditional blue uniform—who introduced himself as Master Shiba—walked out of the kitchen to tell Serika to guide us to our table.

She grumbled adorably, but led us to our seats anyway.

Ayane and Hoshino took the seats at the far end of the table, while Shiroko and Nonomi took the seats closer to where I was standing.

As they did, the kids noticed I didn’t have any space to sit, and both Nonomi and Shiroko offered to scoot over for me. I was willing to take their offer, but I felt bad if I refused to sit with the other. So I was thinking of a solution all of them would be happy with until—

(Thunk!)

(Scrrr!)

A masked girl, who looked even shorter than Hoshino, scooted a chair right at the end of the table right before she took Serika’s hand and dragged her into the kitchen. Serika was pushed back to us moments later, before the masked girl took her leave again.

My heart raced for a moment before I realized I wasn’t in danger after all. That mask she was wearing resembled a fox. I remembered Kosaka Wakamo, who wore a similar mask and beat Yuuka, Suzumi, and Hasumi badly before fleeing at the SCHALE offices.

Everyone, including Serika, was silent. Their previous chatter only continued when I sat down, taking the masked girl’s offer.

“...Serika,” Nonomi spoke up. “Who was that?”

“Shion-senpai…” Serika answered. “She has been working longer than I have, but I’ve never seen her wear a mask at work.”

“Shion, huh?” I joined the conversation. “Does she have a last name? What about age?”

“...I don’t know,” Serika replied. “She never tells me anything…”

“Uhe~” Hoshino sounded her typical uncle act, stretching out her arms across the table. “She likes to keep her secrets, huh?”

“All I really know is that she doesn’t attend a school and lives in an abandoned district…”

Silence filled the table again as Serika mentioned the word “abandoned.”

“A-Anyway!” Serika exclaimed, taking out her notepad. “J-Just order something already!”

Turning the atmosphere upside-down, our dear cat urged us to order something and get out.

“Chashu, please!” Nonomi answered in a tone just as cheerful as before.

“One shio ramen,” Shiroko replied.

“Hmm…” Ayane contemplated a bit before speaking up. “I’ll take the miso.”

“Hehe~” Hoshino giggled. The special miso, with extra chashu!”

“Hmm…” I skimmed the menu placed on the counter, but all the dishes offered looked delicious. “I’ll take whatever you recommend, Serika.”

“Well… I recommend the signature Shibaseki Ramen bowl!” She proudly yelled. “It’s delicious and cheap at a small 580 yen!”

“Heh, then I’ll take that.”

“But… You all aren’t going to let Nonomi pay again, are you?”

“Don’t worry! I’m still way under my card’s limit—”

“No can do, Nonomi! We got Sensei—”

“I’ll pay,” I said before giving them all a smile. “You all worked hard to defend the school before I came here. It’s only natural that you deserve something for that.”

“...Wow~ Not putting up a fight, huh, Sensei?” Hoshino teased. “How generous~”

“I admit, I did intend to pay for all of you before we came in,” I chuckled.

…

(Shift, shift…)

“Psst. Sensei, you can just pay with this card.”

Nonomi scooted over to me and handed her gold card under the table, expecting me to take it.

“It’s fine. I don’t mind Yuuka scolding me for this.”

She made a pouty expression, but scooted back anyway without complaint.

Serika headed back into the kitchen, and the rest of the kids chatted away before the food arrived moments later.

(Step, step, step…)

Out came Serika, who was holding a tray with a bowl of steaming hot ramen.

But what was more surprising was the aforementioned Shion, who was juggling four separate trays in her hands and on her forearms. Her mask was off, and she was clearly annoyed with Master Shiba nudging her from behind.

“Shion… I told you to greet them properly,” Master Shiba said to her.

(Clatter, clatter!)

Without a drop spilling, Shion masterfully placed the kids’ bowls in front of them, while Serika handed me my own dish, blushing red.

“S-She took everyone else’s, o-okay?!”

The table chuckled at her words, but Master Shiba seemed to have a different plan.

“Hah…” He sighed. “Everyone, this is Shion. She’s a bit difficult sometimes, but she is a good worker.”

“Nn,” Shiroko nodded. “She handled those trays like a pro.”

Everyone did agree on that, nodding away like her.

“I’ve been working full-time for a month,” the blue-haired girl said. “Don’t expect less of me.”

She crossed her arms, but her face stayed unchanged.

“So, Shion was it?” Nonomi smiled. “Tell us about yourself!”

“Absolutely not.”

She tried to walk away, but Master Shiba pulled her by the collar.

“Sh—ion,” he sternly said.

“Fineee.”

She walked back, glaring at each one of us at the table.

“My name is Shion. I work here, and I don’t like people. Especially adults who tail girls for minutes.”

Her grey-yellow eyes shifted towards me, like I was someone she despised most.

“I don’t like sand. I was chased and kidnapped by a helmet gang once, but escaped. That’s about all you’re getting.”

She turned to the Master, expecting something.

“Fine,” he told her. “You can go now.”

We watched her creep away and disappear into the kitchen right afterwards.

“Sorry,” Master Shiba said. “She isn’t always like that.”

He sighed, exhausted like he had dealt with this before.

“I’ll go talk with her. Serika, you can stay and chat if you like.”

“No way! I’m coming with!”

The Master chuckled at her answer as they entered through the kitchen door.

…

“Well, I’m digging in!”

“Nn, me too.”

Hoshino started chowing down, and Shiroko followed. Of course, we were starving too, and there was no way the rest of us were letting those two finish before we even touched our bowls.

* * *

“That was delicious!”

“Thanks for treating us, Sensei!”

“That was a good meal.”

“Haha, no problem.”

In my honest opinion, this was a shop I could definitely return to in the future. The namesake Shibaseki Ramen was a perfect ten out of ten, with the tender pork and just delicious broth making me want another bowl. Serika wasn’t wrong in her choice.

“Just get out already! Never ever come back!”

But just like usual, she yelled at us to leave as soon as possible.

“Haha,” Ayane laughed. “See you at school, Serika!”

“Go already! I hate you all!”

(Slam!)

Serika slammed the door shut on us, right as we got out of the diner. All five of us started heading in the direction of the school. Nonomi cheerfully chatted with Shiroko and Ayane, while Hoshino and I led the group.

“Wahh~” Hoshino stretched. “These old bones need a break.”

“Heh, lucky. I still have massive amounts of paperwork to do sent from the GSC.”

“Ehh? How unfortunate for you, Sensei.”

…

“What do you think of that girl?”

The small, pink-haired Hoshino became silent for a moment, and I could have sworn I saw her eyes narrow for a second before shifting back into her usual laid-back self.

“She sure is a feisty one, kinda like Serika!”

She smiled at her observation. I could hear the screams of a certain cat far, far away.

“But, she does seem familiar somehow, yet I don’t recall seeing her.”

…

“Bah! Maybe this old man is hallucinating things.”

“Hmm. I’ll look into it later. But…”

I stared at an unfamiliar fork right in front of us… I didn’t remember taking this path when we got here.

“Did we pass by here when we came?”

“Sensei, are you really losing your touch before ol’ me?” Hoshino giggled. “We should’ve taken a left on that intersection, not a right!”

“...I did tell Shiroko that I was never good at directions.”

* * *

“I’m closing up shop,” Mister Chef hollered. “See you two tomorrow!”

(Thunk!)

“Hah… It’s finally over.” Lucky sighed.

“Today was the busiest I’ve seen yet,” I said.

It was another dark night again, and we started heading home like always.

(Step, step, step…)

“I can’t believe they all showed up all of a sudden. They were all shouting his name here and there. It makes me pissed.”

“I don’t really like him either. He feels suspicious.”

“Right?! But seriously, damn you, Hoshino!”

She shouted into the air in all of her anger.

“She probably planned all of this beforehand and dragged him in…”

“Well, just hope we don’t have to see him again at work tomorrow.”

…

(Shiff, shiff…)

A sound, and then whispering. Only a block or so behind us, like someone was stalking. And at this late too?

Despite having those cat ears, Lucky didn’t seem to pick up on those noises. I really wondered if she was actually deaf.

(Tap, tap.)

“Lucky, don’t you have a pistol somewhere?”

“Eh? I do… but don’t you have your own gun?”

“One bullet isn’t enough for whoever is behind us.”

“Whoever is—What?!”

I hit Lucky in the back to keep her shut.

“Just give me it, you have your rifle.”

(Shuffle, shuffle.)

“And get ready to run.”

She handed me her black pistol, just before—

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“Which one of you is Kuromi Serika?”

A girl in all red stood in front of us wearing a helmet with many different markings on it.

“The Katakata Helmet Gang? You guys have some nerve to show up again!”

Lucky yelled at the girl and started to chamber her rifle.

“Actually, it’s perfect that you guys came here. I’m in a bad mood, and I’ll make you regret ever appearing here again!”

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

(Ratatatat!)

“H-Huh?!”

A few more girls in similar attire cornered us from behind and started spewing lead on the floor as a warning. Even more girls with helmets started showing up behind the first one as well.

“Get them!”

The helmets started to charge from the front and behind, but I saw an alleyway on the side that could help us.

“Lucky, follow me if you want to live!”

“H-Hey! Wait up!”

I started running towards the alley, and she followed as well, bringing our enemies and their lead too.

(Ratatatat!)

(Thundundundundundun!)

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

Bullets started dotting the walls behind us as we ran, but Lucky wasn’t going to let us only be shot at when she periodically fired back.

I would have too, but the trigger was hard and I couldn’t pull it back no matter how hard I tried.

“Lucky, how the hell do you fire this thing?!”

“Did you not flick the safety off?! It’s the switch on the side!”

Oh. Right, I was a dumbass. Of course I forgot that.

(Flick!)

(Klack, klack!)

(Bang! Bang!)

“Hurrk!”

Two rounds hit a girl wearing a black helmet right in the stomach before she dropped her gun and fell down. But that didn’t stop the incoming wrath of the horde behind us.

(Ratatatat, ratatatat!)

We came out of the alley and into an open street where everything seemed to be closed. Despite being the one to run into it first, I started to slog behind Lucky as she passed me.

Damn my short legs.

“Crap! Why are you slowing down?!”

“My legs are short! I can’t help it!”

She stopped shooting back and slung it to grab my arm.

“That’s not a good excuse! Just keep firing!”

(Bang! Bang!)

(Click. Click. Click.)

Oh hell no.

“I’m out!”

“Then just run!”

And then, despite all the gunfire and chaos, one noise stood out from them all.

(Wheeee…)

I looked behind me, and my horror was unparalleled by what I saw than anything else I had encountered in the past.

An artillery shell was heading straight for us, and we weren’t going to escape its blast radius.

“Lucky, take cover!”

With all my might, I jumped into her and we both fell onto the ground.

(BOOM!)

…

…

…

“Koff! Koff!”

I found myself on top of a black cat, surrounded by debris and other stuff.

My vision was really blurry, and everything from my head to my toes hurt like hell.

“Ugh…”

Lucky was groaning, but she was alive.

“L-Lucky! C-Can you get up?”

“Urgh… Huh?! Shion-senpai?!”

She somewhat got up and was incredibly concerned. But it looked like she was fine, and that I suffered the brunt of the blast.

That was good, right?

“Are you okay?!”

“J-Just run! Koff! It’s y-you they want, not me!”

“I can’t just do that! Come on, I’ll pick you up—”

(Wheeee…)

Aw shit.

(BOOM!)

“Ah…”

(Thud!)

My efforts were in vain as another shell hit us both. She flopped down with a thud, completely unconscious.

The last thing I saw was girls in red and black.

“Hey, should I thrash them some more?”

“No need, just take the target to the car.”

“What about the other one?”

“Throw her in too.”

“Hah… but really damn those four. They didn’t come today either.”

“And they call themselves the Thunder Helmet Gang. Pathetic.”

“No matter, we’re cutting ties with them now. Let’s just bring them back to the client.”

Chapter Text

Known Character Profiles

??? Shion

Aliases: “Blue-chan”

School: Abydos Central Middle School

Affiliation: Shibaseki Ramen

Age: 17?, First? Year MS?

Height: 140 cm, ~4’ 7”

Weapon: Colt Single Action Army “???”

Halo: Pale purple with an unfilled circle that has four long spikes at 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees. Inside is a four-pointed star with a diamond cutout.

A tiny, blue-haired girl with the same sharp tongue and irritable personality, now a full-time waitress at Shibaseki Ramen. She’s eternally grateful and loyal to Master Shiba, even though her face doesn’t seem to show it. It seems she’s beginning to soften that hardy exterior ever since meeting the Master and Serika. Currently traumatized by an orange feline auntie.

Akabane Rika

Aliases: “Crimson Thunder”, “Thunder Idiot”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Go-Home Club, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 17, Third Year HS

Height: 158 cm, ~5’ 2”

Weapon: Colt Python “A Boss’s Red Right Hand”

Halo: Red with an open square with lightning strikes sprouting from each corner reaching outside.

A blond Gehenna student who dreams of being the “top dog” in the gangster world. Unfortunately, wanting to be the coolest criminal ever doesn’t excuse her from not working at her part-time job. How sad. Despite her friends’ complaints of wanting to leave the yellow sands of the Abydos, it seems like she wants to stay longer for some reason. Has some tacky tastes.

Tanaka Matsuri

Aliases: “Number One”, “One-chan”, “Idiot One”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Go-Home Club, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 15, First Year HS

Height: 155 cm, ~5’ 1”

Weapon: SIG SG550

Halo: Orange with an unfilled, three-quarters circle that looks like flames are spewing out. A three-pointed star fills in the missing space.

The energetic one of Crimson Thunder’s lackeys, and a big loudmouth who her sister constantly spoils. Shares the same dream as her boss, if only a bit more intensely. Fangirls way too much about the latest gangster or mafia movie, and other things related. Her favorite snack at the moment is some Momo Friends chocolate.

Hoshisaki Nao

Aliases: “Number Two”, “Two-chan”, “Idiot Two”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Go-Home Club, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 157 cm, ~5’ 2”

Weapon: Beretta 1301 Tactical Gewehr 43 "What Could Have Been of a Genius”

Halo: White with four lines assembled in an X formation with a circle passing through the midpoint of each line. A dot is situated in the center of that X, along with four other dots on the outside.

The reasonable and levelheaded one of the group. It’s truly a shame she’s grouped with idiots like them, but at least she can brag about being the smartest of the four. Recently obtained a new weapon and broke her boss’s record of downed cans in a minute. Still quite upset that she was one right question away from going to Millennium. Might have a secret background.

Tanaka Sachi

Aliases: “Number Three”, “Three-chan”, “Idiot Three”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Go-Home Club, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 161 cm, ~5’ 3”

Weapon: SIG SG550

Halo: Yellow with a heart inside a circle, which has an upside-down heart cutout.

Number Three of the Thunder Helmet Gang! A klutz that you can count on to never be without snacks and drinks. Still doesn’t get why her friend group is themed around gangsters, but follows the flow because of her sister. Recently got into gardening and met a purple-haired girl who grows weeds. Her friends still wonder where she gets all that pocket money from.

- - - - -

Shion’s Weird Nicknames

Rika - “Thunder Idiot”

Matsuri - “Idiot One”

Nao - “Idiot Two”

Sachi - “Idiot Three”

Deux - “Mister Scar-Face”

Un - “Mister Long-Snout”

Master Shiba - “Mister Chef”

Orange Catlady - “Miss Demon Catlady”

Serika - “Frowny-Face” “Lucky”

Sensei - “Mister Pervert-Stalker”

Hoshino - “Uncle Pinky”

Nonomi - “Big-Chest”

Shiroko - “Scarfy”

Ayane - “Glasses-Lady”

- - - - -

Reference Corner (C1-EX1)

Chapter 1 - None

Chapter 2 - “Home, Sweet Home” saying (title)

Chapter 3 - Blue Archive V1C1E11-12 (title), Uma Musume anime (kidnapping scene)

Chapter 4 - “In the Hall of the Mountain King” song (title)

Chapter 5 - “The Little Match Girl” fairy tale (title)

- - - - -

Other Notes

Nothing to clarify!

- - - - -

I swear I will draw Shion (and maybe Serika) in her work uniform. I legitimately don't have time :sob:

Chapter Text

Helmets. Motorcycle helmets everywhere.

Helmet gangsters surrounded us. Though our faces and theirs were obscured, I could tell the vibe that drifted throughout this dingy hideout.

Sachi was clearly scared and nervous, looking around every five seconds. She kept twiddling her fingers in order to calm herself.

Nao was definitely exasperated. She crossed her arms, and despite not directly looking at me, I could tell her eyes were glaring at me through her visor with an "I told you so" type of look.

Hey, it wasn't my fault that things have been busy these days.

Matsuri was... Matsuri. Unlike the rest of us, she was gleaming in joy, looking at the "gangster vibe" our partners had.

And then there was me, sitting on a cardboard box, right in front of their representative officer or something.

How did I get myself into this mess?

* * *

"Boss, you got a message from the Katakata," Nao said as she entered our hideout.

"Eh? What does it say?"

It had been a while since we discovered the Katakata Helmet Gang was on a contract in Abydos, and we set up a hideout at an abandoned office building in the Northern region to join up with them.

Thankfully, they accepted us for more manpower as they had been raiding the High School for weeks on end with barely any improvement. But now, they did say the High School was low on supplies since the GSC President disappeared and caused Kivotos to go into chaos.

"Hah..." Nao sighed. "They want us to meet in some warehouse a couple kilos from here in Central Abydos. I think they're angry that we haven't joined up in the raids."

"Look, they gotta realize other people have actual jobs."

"Did you forget that most helmets are either dropouts or delinquents?"

"Well... yes, but—"

"Boss—no, Rika-senpai—I don't even know why we are in Abydos to begin with."

"The contract! We're here because of their contract that we joined up on! Also, don't call me Rika outside of Gehenna!"

"Does it even matter?"

"Of course it does!" I stood up triumphantly. "The entirety of Kivotos should know the name of the Crimson Thunder!"

...

"Sometimes I don't get why I even joined you in this idea."

"Now, now!" Sachi spoke up after feeding her sister a piece of chocolate. "Let's not fight! The Katakata might not necessarily be mad, maybe they just wanna talk about other things."

"Fat chance," said Nao.

"Nom... Nom... Hey Nao-senpai! What's in that bag?"

Matsuri pointed at the long, thin bag that Nao slung across her shoulder.

"Oh, this?"

Nao dropped it on the floor and knelt down to zip it open. Now in her hands was a long rifle, with a small, white magazine right under the bolt. It was painted entirely black despite the gun having obvious wooden furnishings, and there was a white drawing of Nikolai near the buttstock.

"It's a Gewehr 43," Nao explained. "I wasn't going to tank bullets for you, and I felt being a sniper on the backline suited me better. Boss, I left the shotgun at school."

"Nao... where did you get the money for that? I'm the only one with a job, right?"

"I have my ways," she smirked.

"Ohhh, is this where Nao-chan's secret background comes in?" Sachi said. "Like how you only went to Gehenna because you missed one question on the Millennium entrance exam and failed?"

"H-hey!" Nao blushed. "You promised not to bring it up again!"

"Ohh, oops. Sorry, Nao-chan."

"Urgh... I really wanted to go to Millennium... Everyone else went there."

"Now, now," Sachi hugged her. "Don't cry."

"I'm not," Nao pouted.

"Sis!" Matsuri shouted. "Give me more snacks!"

"Yes, Ma-chan!"

And just like that, Sachi jumped off Nao and threw way too many bags of snacks to her sister. Matsuri was jumping in joy at the amount of chocolate, crackers, and other goodies.

"It's only a few kilos, right, Nao?"

"Yeah," she answered. "It'll take around less than an hour or so on foot."

"Well, then!"

I headed to the nearby table, which displayed all our headgear in all its great glory, and took mine, fitting it tightly on my head. My vision was met with a black-tinted filter, and the others looked at me in anticipation.

"Alright Thunder Helmet Gang! Let's hop to it!"

* * *

...Well, this sucked.

"Number Three, you got any water?"

"At your service, Senpai!" Sachi magically pulled out a cold bottle of water out of nowhere right as I asked.

"Thanks."

I took the bottle from her and snapped the cap open, plunging the bottle into my lips. It was a real, refreshing break from the heat of the desert.

"Here, have it back."

Sachi took it back as soon as I extended the half-full bottle, stuffing it in her pocket.

I looked towards my white-haired—well, her hair was currently covered by her helmet—underclassman, who looked dead as she slogged through the sand like the rest of us.

"I thought you said it was going to be less than an hour."

"Well, I didn't account for the building that almost fell on us, and that we had to find Matsuri—no, Number One—after she got lost in the rubble."

"...Fair."

Maybe Nao was right in that we should have left Abydos, but we have a contract to do, so no matter. The strong Crimson Thunder could surely overcome any obstacle in the criminal world after all!

Wait a second.

"Hold on, wasn't the last meeting place not at this warehouse? The last one was closer."

"Boss, how should I know that?"

"...Ugh."

"Hey! Look! Over there!"

Matsuri, dirty from before when she got lost, pointed in front of us. A metal warehouse-looking building appeared over the horizon, and it was probably the place, assuming all the spray paint graffiti that I could see belonged to the Katakata.

When we arrived, there were a few girls in red and black helmets loitering at the entrance. Most of them were just chatting around, but some took their patrol job seriously.

"Halt!" A tall girl wearing a black helmet with a red visor blocked our path. "You're in the territory of the Katakata! State your business or scram!"

"We're the Thunder Helmet Gang," Nao answered for me. "We heard that you guys wanted to meet with our boss here."

"That's right!" I declared. "I heard the Katakata wanted to meet with me, the Crimson Thunder!"

"Hold on, lemme get someone."

The tall girl left and entered the building, and a few moments later, she popped out with someone else wearing a red helmet.

"Oh, not these idiots again."

I could hear her whisper something when they approached us, but I didn't catch it.

"Alright, the Thunder Helmet Gang, right?" The red helmet said. "One of our officers wants to meet with y'all inside."

"Lead the way!" I shouted.

She turned away and walked towards the building, and we followed as well. The first girl we met seemed to go back to her guard duties.

Inside was eerily dark, with only the light from the sun shining through the gaps in the rusted roof and the empty windows. Shipping containers blocked the walls, and the floor was covered in sand.

In front of us was a wall of girls in clothing similar to the ones outside, but there was one girl in all red who sat down in the middle on a cardboard box, and there was another box in front of her. She and the empty box were the only ones in the light, while the rest of the girls stood still as statues in the dark.

"Whoever's the boss should sit," she said.

"Heh, that's me."

I took my seat as she offered, and my ever-loyal underclassmen stood behind me.

The air was tense, like something totally serious was going on.

"Well, to whom do I owe the pleasure?" I chuckled.

"Hah..." She sighed. "That would be me, the officer in charge of this Katakata hideout. We, as the whole gang, signed the client's contract about a few months ago, but we haven't had any progress."

She took a short pause, breathing in to calm herself down like she was silently furious for some reason.

"That's why when you offered to help, we accepted it on the terms that we went 20-80 in favor of us. But..."

Nao tensed up behind me, like she knew what the Katakata Officer was going to say.

"You idiots haven't done jackshit!" She stood up and yelled. "Where was that help you guys promised us?!"

"Umm... Err."

I didn't expect to get yelled at today, and I lost all my composure. My body flinched at the sight of her anger, and I think I saw Sachi do the same.

"We... ran into..."

"Into what?!"

"Some complications..."

"..."

In my peripheral vision, I saw Sachi anxiously playing with her fingers as she looked down at the floor. Nao crossed her arms, and she had a look through her visor like she expected this to happen. Matsuri... was Matsuri.

(Kick!)

(Plonk!)

The Officer kicked the box she was sitting on hard enough that it went scurrying across the warehouse.

"What complications?! Actually, do you realize the last time we raided the High School and failed, they counter-raided us instead and blew up the nearest base to them?"

"Err... no?"

"...You guys are truly clueless idiots."

"Boss! I kinda need to go to the bathroom!"

Matsuri interrupted the conversation, making everything just worse. Why couldn't she just shut up sometimes...

"I've been holding it in as well," Nao said. "I'll take her outside and find it."

Matsuri skipped away to the outside, but instead of following her, Nao leaned in to my ear to say something.

"Check your messages."

"Huh?"

And without an answer, she chased after Matsuri. Now, it was me, Sachi, and a horde of angry Katakatas. The silence lasted for minutes before the Officer grabbed another box to sit down on.

"Hah... those are your friends?" The Officer said. "You guys aren't even worth calling yourself a helmet gangster."

"..."

"But despite how angry I am, I'll cut to the chase."

"..."

"We're dropping you from the contract."

"...W-What?"

"You heard me right. The Katakata has no space for dead weights like your so-called 'Thunder Helmet Gang.' You guys don't even qualify as one."

"H-Hey! That's not—"

"Also, the Thunder Helmet Gang is a terrible name."

Well, it wasn't like Katakata was any better...

"W-Well, Thunder is scary! At least our name makes sense than the sound of helmets!"

"Hah? You punks really wanna say that in front of me right now?"

(Step, step, step...)

"We really could bag you all easily, you know? So you better stay compliant—"

"I'm back!"

Matsuri came in once again to interrupt, but Nao was... nowhere to be seen.

"Ma-chan—I mean, Number Two!" Sachi stuttered. "Where's Number Three?!"

"She said she's going to take a dump."

Too much information, maybe?

"O-Oh... Well, at least you're back..."

"Is your reunion all done now?" The Officer spoke once more. "Like I said, we're not paying you anymore once we complete the contract. We got plans today too, and you're not in it."

"C-Could... we have more t-time?" I begged.

"No way! You already wasted enough—"

"Hey, we have them cornered!" One of her lackeys shouted from behind her. "Why don't we just rob them of their stuff as payback?"

"...Good idea!"

Uh oh.

The sound of rifles chambering and shotguns racking echoed throughout the entire room. I thought we were going to be doomed until...

(Ba-ding!)

The sound of a MomoTalk notification pinged from my phone with its familiar chirp. Apparently, all three of us got it, so I unlocked my phone and opened the app to see a message from Nao in the group chat.

[Get down. And cover your eyes.]

Huh?

(Tink! Dink, dink...)

I saw three small objects fall from above and into the crowd of now-hostile Katakata gangsters, who I thought were our allies.

"What's that... Oh shit, it's a grenade!"

"Everyone, take cover!"

Hoping the two behind me understood the situation. I turned to run out of the building with my eyes closed, but not without grabbing their arms.

(Boom! Boom! Boom!)

"Agh!"

"My eyes!"

From what I could hear, a flash grenade blew up first, blinding the horde of girls before two explosive ones followed to incite some chaos. The Katakata behind us screamed and yelled in pain from the blast.

After they blew up, I opened my eyes to look behind me. I had Sachi and Matsuri on my arms, but above on the railings, I saw a distinct figure shooting a long rifle.

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

"Gah!"

"Ow!"

"There's a sniper up there, shoot her!"

The voice of the Officer echoed throughout the building as her subordinates dropped like flies from rifle fire. The figure dashed away from the incoming wall of lead shot at her and was nowhere to be seen.

"Hah, hah... Number One and Three!" I commanded. "Just keep running!"

I let go of their arms, unhooked the flap on my holster, and took my revolver out. The black sheen of the paint job and the red thunderbolts on the grip gleamed in the sun as we got out of the warehouse.

"Hey, stop running—ack!"

We got stopped by the first girl we met when we came here, but she was instantly domed by a shot from behind us.

"Needed help?"

We looked towards the voice behind us. Nao stood there with her still-smoking rifle resting on her shoulder. Honestly, at that moment, she looked like the coolest gangster around.

"Nao—Number Two! Where were you?"

"I figured the whole situation wouldn't turn out so well," she started. "So I snuck out after Number One left the toilet."

"So you weren't taking a dump!" Matsuri proudly said.

"Y-Yeah... Anyway, I'll explain everything later—"

(Ratatatatatat!)

"You're not getting away!"

Katakatas started blocking off the perimeter and started firing at us. I dragged Matsuri out of the way, while Nao took Sachi to cover.

We hid behind shipping crates, alternating fire back at them. However, we really needed a plan right now, or we would waste all the little ammo we had spared to bring.

"Two! What are we doing?!"

"The only exit is blocked off!" She threw a grenade after she said that, and some of the helmets blew up. "We'll have to go to the garage and drive something out of here!"

"Then let's go already! We'll follow!"

(Ratatatatatat! Ratatatatatat!)

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

Nao rushed out to the side, and the rest of us ran as fast as we could after her, trading fire with our enemies.

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

"Holy crap," I yelled. "That's a lot of tanks!"

"Yeah, surprised me too when I sneaked out."

We came across the lot, and there were a buttload of tanks just sitting there right in front of us. I counted seven, Nao counted nine. Whatever the number was, someone was supplying the Katakata. And this was only one base of theirs. They could have had way more of these tanks at other places.

"We'll take this one," Nao pointed out to the near tank in front of us. "It's the only one that isn't rigged to blow."

"Rigged?" Sachi spoke up. "What do you mean rigged?"

"Let's say... I had a bit of fun while I was gone."

"So cool!" Matsuri gleamed. "I call shotgun!"

"Take the gunner's seat then," Nao said as she started climbing to the hatch. "I'll drive."

I was going to question if she really could operate a tank as I climbed to the top, but then I heard the furious yells of the Katakata behind us and decided it was best not to.

We hopped in, and the three of them got into any seat they could.

"Boss, stay up in the hatch and spot. Three, start loading shells."

I really don't know how, but in a few minutes, the tank revved up and started moving.

"They got a tank!"

"Then get in one and chase after them!"

We heard the Officer shouting once again, but this time, Nao chuckled as she started counting down from three.

"Three, two, one, bingo."

(BOOM!)

What I saw was amazing. The unmanned tanks all blew up in unison, and the fires that burned produced harsh, black smoke.

"Boss, start spotting for enemies!"

"Nao!" Matsuri yelled as she pulled levers, which started to turn the turret. "How do I fire this thing?!"

"Big red button."

"Oh, got it!"

(Smack!)

(THUN!)

(BOOM!)

"Agh!"

"The tank's shooting!"

"HAHAHA!" Matsuri cackled in joy. "Awesome!"

"Loading!" Sachi shouted as she opened up the breech and seated a round in.

We were in a synchronized symphony of firing, driving, yelling, and loading. Matsuri, Sachi, and I alternated our actions in order as the escape rolled on. The screams of our foes who were flying away from being blown up were deafening.

It. Was. Beautiful.

(Wrrrrrrr!)

"They're getting away!"

The warehouse was now just a distant memory as our tank rolled back to base.

"Haha! Woo!"

"That was perfect!"

Everyone but Nao—who was focusing on driving—threw high-fives in celebration.

"Haaa... So, senpai, what now?" Sachi said.

"Huh?"

"I mean, didn't they say they cut us out?"

"Right," Nao confirmed, not looking away from the controls. "Which means with no contract, we don't have to stay in Abydos."

"..."

"We should get out while we can, boss."

"..."

"Boss?"

My heart sank as I realized what I had gotten myself into. Like they said, we have no more obligation to stay in Abydos... but the contract wasn't really my reason to stay...

"Rika-senpai?" Sachi tapped me, now without her helmet. "Earth to Senpai?"

"Ah! Sorry," I apologized. "Just... spacing out."

"Senpai," Nao said as she threw her helmet off. "I don't know why, but whenever we mention leaving Abydos, you always space out for some reason. Is there a deeper meaning to keep staying here?"

As Matsuri just took off hers, I went ahead and unbuckled my helmet from my head.

"Err..."

I took a large breath before continuing.

"Y-yeah... I can't tell you right now why I want to stay, but if you all want to leave without me, that's—"

"Hell no."

"Huh?"

"Look," Nao said. "I know I call you all dumb and wish I were in Millennium instead, but... It's been fun being with you guys this year."

"Yeah!" Matsuri shouted. "I don't wanna leave Rika-senpai behind!"

"We're friends," Sachi joined. "And that's what friends are for, right? Sticking together?"

"We'll stay together even if you don't want to tell us."

"Y-You guys!" I wept a tear.

I went and hugged the sisters before trying to give a hug to Nao, who pushed me away.

"Whoa, hold on. I'm still driving."

"Nao, you'd better explain everything back at base. And hug me."

"And that I will, heh."

We all laughed away as the tank drove into the sunset.

But...

I hope...

I hope she's doing alright there.

And I hope...

...They forgive me.

Chapter Text

Everyone in the Foreclosure Task Force, besides Serika, said their goodbyes as the day closed off for the High School. Sensei would sleep in the building as usual, taking that nice couch as a bed in the club room.

(Ba-ding!)

Ayane’s phone buzzed with the chirp of MomoTalk notifications. The group chat was lively as ever today, with Nonomi talking about their recent exploits with Sensei, Shiroko spamming stickers every once in a while, and Hoshino posting random fish facts.

However, despite the usual lively chatter, there was one person who seemed to be absent today. Around this time, she would have gotten home already and started yelling at the rest of them through text. But there was nothing but silence on her end.

Seeing this, Ayane opened her private messages with her fellow first-year and sent a quick text.

[Serika, did you get home safe?]

Ayane waited a minute, but the little ‘read’ marker never appeared.

She sent another text again, yet no answer.

Worry started to creep over Ayane. As Serika’s house was near her own residence, she figured she would check and see if she was home.

She took a small detour, and after a few turns left and right, she arrived at her classmate’s home.

(Knock, knock!)

“Serika, are you there?”

The long-eared girl knocked on the door and still had no answer. She pressed the doorbell, hoping the loud sound would get her attention this time. Nothing.

She pressed it again. Nothing.

And again. Nothing.

Again…

…Nothing

“Hah… where did she put those spare keys…”

Giving up on the doorbell, Ayane decided to manually brute force her way in with a key. She knew for a fact that Serika always kept one somewhere, and this time, she found it under a pot on the porch that had nothing in it.

(Click, clack!)

(Chuk!)

(Whrrrrr…)

Annoyed that she had to produce this much effort for an answer, Ayane stormed into the black cat’s bedroom, expecting her to be there, but—

…She wasn’t.

Her bedsheets were still untouched and still neatly spread out, and the room just seemed like no one had been here the entire day.

“Serika?”

Realizing she was nowhere to be found, she frantically contacted everyone she knew…

…Including Sensei.

* * *

In his vision, he saw a typical classroom littered with desks all arranged in such a disorganized fashion. But this wasn’t your ordinary classroom. A section of the white wall was completely torn apart, revealing the grand blue expanse of water and sky that belonged to the Shittim Chest. The floor was slightly flooded, only just past his sole, and there was a little girl, maybe middle-school age, sleeping on one of the desks.

[Mmm… I want… strawberry milk…]

Her hair was a pale shade of blue, becoming a little pink at the ends. Her bangs covered one side of her eyes, and she wore a white headband with a big bow on her head. She was dressed in a blue and white sailor uniform, and there was this watery texture that spread throughout her top.

(Poke, poke.)

Sensei poked her cheek gently, and she slowly rose from her slumber before jolting completely awake.

He backed a few steps away, and then in an instant, the girl poofed out of existence and back, now standing right in front of him.

[Good morning, Sensei—Gah! It’s 10:00 PM?! Why are you still awake?!]

The girl pouted upon realizing it wasn’t even the next day yet, her blue halo turning into an assortment of light-blue spikes. It was the time for all good girls to be tucked in to bed, not awake at this late hour.

“Sorry, Arona,” Sensei apologized. “But this is an emergency.”

“Oh? What happened, Sensei?”

“The kids couldn’t get in contact with Serika,” he explained. “I need you to locate where she was last seen.”

The girl, Arona, was even more shocked by what she heard than the fact that it was still bedtime hour.

[W-Well, got it!] Her halo turned green as if she finally got something to do. [Arona, Super AI of the Shittim Chest, at your service! I’ll begin by… S-Sensei…]

“Hmm? What’s wrong?”

[This requires accessing the GSC’s communications network…]

“A-Ah… W-Well… It’s for a student! I’m sure Rin would… No, she wouldn’t…”

Sensei took a breath, realizing what he was getting himself into.

“Gah! Just do it discreetly, okay?”

[Alright… I’ll send you the data in a moment then, Sensei! You can head out of the Shittim Chest now!]

“Thanks, Arona.”

[No problem! Arona is always here to help!]

Sensei waved goodbye to the blue girl before a flash of bright light overwhelmed him.

And then all of a sudden, he was standing in the dimly lit corridor next to the entrance of the club room, holding the Shittim Chest in his hands. A ping sound from the tablet indicated that Arona was finished accessing the data.

“How fast.”

“Sensei, do you know where she is?”

Hoshino stood right next to him the entire time he was zoned out in the Chest’s mental space.

“Yeah. I had to do some things in order to find her.”

“You mean something like accessing the GSC’s network?”

“Can’t hide that from you, can I?” He chuckled.

“Ehe~ You’re giving this old timer too much credit. It was only a guess.”

“Well, let’s go inside now, shall we?”

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Hoshino! Sensei!”

As the only third-year stepped into the club room, Ayane—the one who brought everyone together at this hour—spotted them first.

“We’re back.”

“Did you find out what happened?” Shiroko asked.

“Sensei was able to get into the GSC’s communications network.”

“Wow… really?”

“It’ll be our big secret, though!” Hoshino smiled. “Sensei would be in big trouble if someone found out.”

“Wait,” Ayane turned to me. “Did you not get permission?!”

“It’s alright,” Sensei assured her. “Just let me worry about that. You have a classmate to save.”

(Clunk! Clack!)

Sensei put down and slid the Shittim Chest along the table for everyone to see. On the screen was a map of their current location and where their black cat seemed to be.

“This is us here,” he pointed at the school on the screen before sliding the screen to a different location. “And this is where she was last spotted.”

“Isn’t that one of the neighborhoods currently under desertification?” Nonomi asked.

“It’s more of an abandoned wasteland,” Shiroko answered. “No one’s enforcing public safety, so there’s just outlaws everywhere.”

“Last time I checked, I found instances of Katakata activity in that area… So it really was them!”

“They must have taken her on their way home to their hideout.”

Hoshino’s eyes narrowed, and her fist tightened a bit.

“Nn. Seems like revenge.”

“Probably, we have to save her!” Nonomi declared.

“There’s no time to waste!” Hoshino followed.

Sensei collected the Shittim Chest from the table as the kids rushed out the door.

“Wait at the gate!” He shouted. “I’ll take you there!”

* * *

(Vrrrrr…)

“Wow!” Nonomi exclaimed. “Sensei, when did you get this?”

A white military jeep was idling at the school gate. It looked like it had just been dirtied from driving in the desert, but otherwise, it was completely brand new. There were two seats in the front, and the back could comfortably seat three, maybe four. Notably, the emblem of the GSC was emblazoned on both sides of the vehicle.

Sensei was in the driver’s seat, waiting for the kids to jump in.

“A bit ago,” he answered. “The GSC took my request and delivered it.”

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Hoshino said. “Hop in!”

The pink old-timer was already throwing herself in the front passenger seat, so the rest of the task force scooted into the back.

“Hold on, girls!”

(Vroom!)

The jeep drove away from the school, picking up speed until Sensei left it at a nice pace. Out of the district, the road became bumpier and bumpier.

Road quality was debatable at this point on. Sensei and the girls noted cracks in the asphalt, the emptiness of the neighborhoods, and the annoying constant that was the desert sand.

It was depressing to see the state of Abydos like this, to say the least.

(Ka-chuk! Ka-chuk!)

The vehicle wobbled intensely at each bump, pothole, and crack. They finally exited the neighborhood and entered the wide expanse of desert. Worry seemed to grow the longer their precious black cat was separated from them, and the environment only made that feeling worse.

“Sensei…” Ayane spoke up. “How much longer until we get there?”

“In a bit now,” he replied. “We’re closing in soon—”

“I see a truck.”

From the backseat, Shiroko pointed in front of them. As they crept more along the dusty road, a truck was lit up by the jeep’s headlights.

“That’s definitely the Katakata,” Hoshino confirmed.

“Shiroko, do you have your drones?” Sensei asked.

“Nn,” she confirmed. “I have them with me.”

“Good, go ahead and fire at will!”

* * *

(Vrrrr…)

“Agh… My head…”

I woke up to the sound of this irritating, buzzing noise and found myself in what seemed to be the back of a truck, all dark and dusty. A bad headache hit my head, and the last thing I remember was Shion-senpai lying down on the ground, telling me to run before another shell hit us both.

“Ah! What?”

I tried to move my arms, but it seemed like they were completely bound. My legs were in the same situation.

“Where are the Katakata taking me?”

With a bit of effort, I rolled on my back and scooted myself up towards a wall. There was a crack of light from the flaps of the trunk, so I trudged the metal surface on my knees to peek my head out.

“Sand… and a railroad?!”

(Flop!)

I fell down on my back, realizing the truck was on the outskirts of maybe Central Abydos at night. I was hoping we weren’t in the North. Even if I escaped, there wouldn’t be any signal, and I wouldn’t be able to contact the rest of the task force.

But while I thought about this, I didn’t expect to fall on a soft surface… almost like…

Wait a minute.

I launched myself as hard as I could to sit upright, and with the aid of the moonlight, I looked behind me and saw her, lying unconscious.

Shion-senpai was in the truck with me, an outsider to the school, dragged into our problems.

Nudging her with my shoe, I couldn’t get her to wake up. It seemed like she was out cold.

…

So this was how it was going to be, huh. There was no way to contact anyone, and they had to be worried somewhat.

Was I going to be buried in the desert with Shion-senpai?

Was the team going to think I betrayed them, like the other students who dropped out and left?

Was this how I was going to die, only to be remembered as a traitor?

“Ugh…”

“Hic! Sniffle.”

My eyes started to water after thinking about what would become of me. Terrible, terrible scenarios played out in my head right until—

(BOOM!)

(WHURRR! CHUNK! CHUNK! THUNK!)

“Wah?!”

The truck was hit by an explosion, and it flipped over frantically on its side, throwing the sleeping Shion-senpai and me everywhere around the truck. Thankfully, none of us got thrown out of the back, but my head really hurts now! And the rest of my body!

(Thunk! Thunk!)

“I got eyes on the target! I’ve located Serika, she’s crying—”

Shiroko appeared out of nowhere and barged into the flaps. She spoke into an earpiece, but suddenly stopped when she looked behind me.

“...and that girl is there too.”

“What?! Our little Serika is crying?” Hoshino said as she appeared as well. “Aw~ She must have missed us—wait, that waiter girl is there too?”

“Yeah, looks like she got taken away along with a crying Serika.”

“Hey, I’m not crying! Shut up already!”

“I heard something happened?”

Sensei came next to Hoshino and Shiroko, holding the flap open to see me and Shion-senpai lying all twisted and still in binds.

“Huh? Sensei?! What are you doing here?!”

“Well, I’m a stalker, remember?” He smiled.

“W-What…”

I could feel my cheeks heating up so fast at this outrageous comment.

“What the hell are you talking about! You’re such a damn perv!”

“Heh~ Our damsel in distress is safe and sound,” Hoshino said. “...And her too, I guess.”

Hoshino came inside holding a pocket knife and started cutting my binds until—

(Click!)

[Serika! You’re okay!]

“Ayane?”

From everyone’s earpiece, the voice of Ayane sounded out from crispy radio chatter.

[Yes, this is Ayane speaking! Thank goodness, I was so worried.]

“It’s too soon to celebrate,” said Shiroko. “The truck may be stopped, but we’re still in hostile territory.”

“Shiroko’s right,” Hoshino said before finally setting me free. “Reinforcements are likely on their way, and they’re not going to be happy.”

Another click sounded before Ayane’s voice chirped once again.

[Hold on! I’m detecting multiple hostile signals closing in!]

“Bah! Me and my big mouth. Let’s go teach them a lesson!”

“Be careful,” I warned as I wobbled up. “They got a Flak 41 in their hands.”

“We know. Nonomi! Did you find it?”

“I did Hoshino-senpai! I got Serika’s gun and their bags!”

“Great! Sensei, take the waiter girl to the jeep with Ayane! We’ll handle the cleanup.”

“Got it, see you in a minute.”

Sensei entered and lifted Shion-senpai onto his shoulder after Hoshino freed her arms and legs. He ran out as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, Shiroko and Hoshino lent their shoulders and helped me out of the truck. As soon as we met Nonomi, I got my rifle back.

“Serika, you alright?” Shiroko asked.

“Yeah, a bit wobbly, but I’ll be alright.”

“Good!” shouted Hoshino. “Well then…”

(Chuk! Chick!)

(Klick! Klack!)

“Shall we have our own revenge?”

* * *

“Sensei! You’re back!”

Ayane was sitting there in the jeep with her laptop on her lap, viewing the situation from her drones.

(Flop!)

I gently laid the sleeping Shion next to her before pulling out the Shittim Chest. Her clothes were in awful condition, nearly torn up, and almost looked like rags. On the other hand, her purple halo wasn’t there.

“How’s everything?” I asked.

“Not great,” she answered. “Hoshino-senpai and the others have taken out a few squads already, but there’s a Crusader tank on the way.”

“Send me the data, I’ll handle everything from here.”

The Shittim Chest’s screen brightened and asked for the password. I quickly typed out that unfamiliar yet familiar set of phrases that I seemed to have remembered upon arriving here.

[We thirst for the seven wailings.]

[We bear the koan of Jericho.]

Upon unlocking it, I was brought to the home screen, and a notification sent by Ayane led me to the current battlemap.

Hoshino was at the front, out of cover, but with her trusty steel shield with the words “Iron Horus” marked on it. She was currently gathering the Katakata’s attention away from Nonomi’s wall of lead with her inhuman speed and fighting prowess.

Shiroko aided her in the mid-line, throwing grenades every so often and deploying more drones towards the girls attempting to flank either Hoshino or Nonomi.

Serika was at Shiroko’s side, and while battered and not much of help towards the battle, she prioritized spotting enemies and directing Shiroko’s drones at weak points.

Nonomi was mostly always behind cover in the back, avoiding potshots from the Katakata’s gunfire. But when she wasn’t, all of the enemies in her direction froze and scrambled away to escape her hail of bullets from her minigun, only to be met with buckshot from Hoshino.

Ayane acted as surveillance support, reporting on the number of enemies in their way, tracking hostile reinforcements, and sending her own drones to drop ammunition and emergency medical supplies.

It seems like they were learning from my meager military experience in the other world, which I had vague memories of. I had used that back at the raid when I first arrived at the school. I wept a small tear, proud of their growth.

“Sensei, the Crusader has arrived!”

“Alright,” I turned on my earpiece. “You heard Ayane! This is their last advance!”

[Roger that!] They all said in unison.

“Hoshino, gain their attention away from Nonomi by flanking them from the side! Shiroko and Serika, advance and use the drones to batter the tank up! Nonomi, you’re our ace in the hole! Light it up when it’s disabled!”

[Uhe~ Making this old man do the tough things, huh, Sensei? You sure are cruel.]

[Nn. Order received.]

[I’ll handle these punks! Don’t you worry!]

[Wow! I can’t believe I’m an ace!]

In the blink of an eye, Hoshino’s marker on the map was instantly at the left side of the swarm, with the markers that symbolized the Katakata Helmet Gang flickering out in a flash.

Serika and Shiroko’s markers gradually headed to the right side before stopping. From live footage of Ayane’s drone, the tank was hit by rockets, its treads completely halting.

Nonomi’s marker, upon seeing the signal, came out of cover and unloaded a flurry of bullets, pelting the Crusader until it blew up into smithereens.

The Katakata, seeing their tank explode into ashes, panicked and fled the scene, dragging their fallen friends with them. Not even one helmet was left on the battlefield.

[Woohoo!] Crackled Hoshino from the radio.

“Nice work, gang. Head back to the jeep, we’re going home.”

[Gah! I’m so dirty!]

[We all deserve a break.]

[Let’s go home!]

“Hehe, good work, everyone,” Ayane giggled.

* * *

The jeep could comfortably seat five, sure. Six was a stretch, but seven was nearly impossible.

Again, I took the helm, and Hoshino was in the front. The rest of the task force girls were in the back, heads on each other’s shoulders, all completely exhausted from getting barely any sleep. It was now early morning, still dark, but light would bloom on the horizon shortly.

Although there was one unexpected addition to the girls, which was the short, blue-haired waiter from Master Shiba’s place. Even after the battle had ended, she wasn’t showing any signs of waking up.

Currently, she was placed on Nonomi’s lap because it was impossible to fit five teenage girls in the back. She rested peacefully, like nothing ever happened.

The dry, desert wind embraced the vehicle as it raced through the sands, and the smell of gunpowder still wouldn’t leave my nose.

“Still awake, Hoshino?”

“Mmm.” She responded with a grunt.

“Maybe this is why you’re always so sleepy.”

“What? Going on late-night adventures like these? You expect too much out of this old man~”

“Heh.”

…

“We’ll… need new clothes,” I said.

“Right. For her, I assume?”

Gazing into the rearview mirror, I still saw the blue-haired Shion sleeping, her chest slowly rising and dropping as she dozed off.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d beat someone in height at this age,” Hoshino spoke. “Was really surprising the first time I saw her.”

“I honestly had the same reaction the moment I heard you were 17.”

“How rude,” she giggled. “That’s not something you should say to a young lady.”

“Oh, so you’re a young lady now? Not an old man?”

“Boo hoo.”

…

We talked like this right until we reached the school gate. Banging on the car door, I tried to stir everyone awake, but the two at the center of the incident wouldn’t come to.

Nonomi carried Serika on her back, while I took Shion. We headed to the school infirmary and plopped the two exhausted girls into bed. We came back out, and I said goodbye to the rest of the task force, who were all equally tired and desperate to go back home.

The sun was just a silver in the sky, but soon it would shine upon a new day.

Not for me, though, as I headed into the club room, took off my glasses, said good night—or, well, good morning—to Arona, and knocked out on the couch.

Chapter Text

(Knock! Knock!)

(Whurr!)

“Huh?! Sensei?”

Knocking on the door to the infirmary and then opening it, I found Serika wide awake, sitting on a bed, staring at the window outside before turning in my direction.

“Good morning, Serika,” I greeted. “I came to see how you were doing after yesterday.”

“Oh, that. I’m fine. Ayane patched up anything major after the battle. I shouldn’t really stay here for too long.”

“No, you need rest.”

“But I really don’t want to worry Ayane and the others. Really, I’m fine!”

“...Hah,” I sighed. “If you really think so, you can leave after a few hours and join the meeting in the club room.”

Silence filled the room for a moment. Since she was fine, I was going to turn and head out the door, but Serika started to speak.

“W-Well… b-by the way…”

A big gulp came from her before she continued on.

“The thing is… I haven’t really thanked you for everything you’ve done so far in hindsight…”

Her cheeks started to glow red the more she kept talking. Her hands started to twiddle around each other as if it were something in order to calm her down.

“S-So… thanks for all the help… and stuff.”

A pause, and then she blew up like she usually did.

“But still! We’re going to settle that debt ourselves! Don’t think you’ve done anything yet!”

She was red as a tomato now, and I started to smile when I saw the usual Serika again. Maybe she really was fine after all.

“W-What’s with that smug look?! Wipe it off your face!”

“Nothing,” I chuckled. “I’m just glad to see you healthy again.”

“Hah?! Pervert! Just get out already!”

“Oh, right. There’s another person I need to check on.”

“Huh?”

I walked further inside, passing Serika’s bed and stopping at the one next to her.

Sleeping on it was the other girl we rescued, Shion, a waitress from Shibaseki Ramen.

Unlike Serika, who seemed completely fine now, she was in much worse shape yesterday. From Serika, I heard Shion suffered the brunt of two artillery shells trying to shield her from the explosions. Her clothes were no good at this point, and Nonomi had to dress her in a hospital gown she found in the storage closet.

The girl was currently sleeping in a fetal position. Her knees instinctively went up to touch her chin, and her arms hugged her legs under the blanket.

“Was she sleeping like this last night?”

“When I woke up, yeah,” Serika confirmed. “She kept saying things in her sleep, too.”

“Hmm. Do you know anything else about her?”

“Like I said yesterday, she doesn’t really like talking about herself.”

“Uh huh… Well, tell me if something happens. Rest well, Serika.”

“W-Whatever… See you in a few hours…”

I left the room and shut the door behind me.

…

“Arona.”

[Yawn… Good morning, Sensei!]

Her voice echoed throughout my head as I called her. She just sounded like she had just woken up.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

[I did, Sensei! The Shittim Chest is fully charged, so I can help with whatever you need today!]

“Good, then could you search for a student named Shion in any file that relates to Abydos? Specifically, any student who’s short and has blue hair?”

[I can, but it’ll take a bit of time!]

“That’s fine, I still feel a bit tired after last night, so I figured I’ll take a brief nap before the meeting starts.”

[Okie-dokie! I’ll get started now!]

“Thanks, Arona.”

I really needed that nap, actually. I got a headache the moment I woke up and went to check on Serika, and it was getting really unbearable at this point. I thought I got enough sleep, but apparently not.

Well… off to the couch.

* * *

(Click, clack, click…)

The sound of Ayane’s keyboard filled the club room. Besides me, she was really the only one who was wide awake.

Pink-haired Hoshino was completely conked out on the table as per usual, her head resting on a decently sized whale plush toy.

Shiroko was awake minutes ago, but it seemed like she wasn’t used to staying up late like yesterday, so she was peacefully sleeping on the other side of the couch.

Nonomi was awake, but her eyes were drooping, and her head was constantly leaning forward before suddenly jolting backward to stay awake. She put on noisy cat videos on her phone to avoid dozing off like the other two.

Today, it seemed like Ayane was going to postpone the meeting in order for everyone to get some rest. Was completely fine with that. My students’ sleep should be prioritized after all.

So, it seemed like nothing was going to happen on this fine day. I did ask Arona about the current progress on what I had given her a bit after I woke up from Ayane coming into the room. She said it would take a bit longer due to multiple student files with the same name, while not having any surname to go off of.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Huh? Everyone’s sleeping?”

The club room’s sliding door slid open, and in came Serika, seemingly fully rested and healthy.

“Serika!” Ayane shouted. “You’re back!”

At her voice, the halos of the other three girls blinked back into existence, with Nonomi jolting back up for the last time in surprise, and Shiroko slowly coming back to consciousness and beginning to rub her eyes. Hoshino seemed to be out cold still, however.

“Good morning,” Shiroko stretched out. “Oh, it's afternoon now.”

“Good afternoon…” Nonomi tiredly muttered.

“Hey, Hoshino-senpai,” Serika said as she was shaking her pink-haired senior awake. “Wake up! Don’t we have a meeting?”

“Uwah… I’m awake. I’m awake.” Hoshino said before yawning again.

“Haha… I thought to postpone it for a bit later since you weren’t here.” Ayane clarified.

Shiroko and I stood up from the couch and moved to the table, while Serika pulled a chair and sat down.

“Really, I just wanted to say a couple of observations I had yesterday,” Ayane said.

She turned her laptop towards us and pulled up a few windows that displayed the photos she had taken during the battle.

“I looked up at the tank parts and other stuff we collected after the battle, and it turns out that all of them were from an illegal model banned by the GSC.”

She scrolled up for more images of the stuff we encountered that day on the laptop.

“It seems like the Katakata Helmet Gang, a relatively minor criminal organization, gained access to hardware far beyond their reach.”

“I bet if we can trace where they got them from, we can find whoever these hooligans answer to!” Nonomi exclaimed.

“Bingo,” Ayane affirmed. “That and the reason why such a small gang has been obsessed with attacking us lately.”

“We should be on the lookout then,” Hoshino advised.

(Shhk!)

“That’s all I have to say,” Ayane said as she closed her laptop. “How are you doing, Serika?”

“Better than yesterday. I can’t believe I got ambushed by those punks, though.”

“I would be surprised if you were still standing after surviving two artillery shells,” Hoshino joked.

“Say,” I spoke up. “How is Shion doing?”

“Still sleeping. I thought Shion-senpai would be awake by now, but no.”

“Maybe she’s a big sleeper like Hoshino-senpai,” Shiroko commented.

“Ehe~ Maybe—”

(Crash! Thum! Thunk!)

A loud crashing sound was heard from outside the room. Everyone looked frantically for the source of the information before Ayane spoke.

“That sounded like it came from directly upstairs, where the infirmary is!”

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s check it out.”

All six of us rushed out of the club room and climbed up the stairs to the second floor. I slammed the door open, only to see an awake, blue-haired girl in a hospital gown.

She was rifling through her bag on the side table, searching for something. Medicine and medical equipment lay fallen on the floor near her bed, and the curtain was ripped from the railing.

Upon seeing us, she quickly backed away from us towards the window with her bag, and took out a silvery-white and blue revolver before pointing it towards us. Specifically, to me, I think, as I was currently staring straight down the barrel.

“Sensei!”

(Bang!)

(Klack, klack!)

Despite pointing a gun straight towards me, her revolver wasn’t the one to be fired. Actually, she dropped her weapon before clutching her hand in pain. Looking behind me, I saw Shiroko with her rifle smoking.

“Damn it. I get kidnapped again, of all things…”

Shion muttered under her breath, glaring right at us.

Hoshino and the others had their guns at the ready and surrounded me like I had bodyguards, but Serika was completely in shock from what had just happened.

Trying to defuse the situation before it got any worse, I spoke up.

“L-Let’s calm down, s-shall we? C-Could we lower our guns, please?”

But before anyone else could try anything, she turned around and bolted into the window, shattering the glass and landing outside on the ground from the second floor.

Everyone at the moment was completely dumbstruck at what she did and dashed to the broken window to look out. She lay on the sand, clearly hurt, but got up to stumble away past the school gate.

…

“We need to go find her, now.”

* * *

[She shouldn’t have gotten far, right?]

Ayane’s voice came through our earpieces. She was manning her drones at school, looking into nearby buildings, but no trace of her was found yet. Even if Hoshino went off on her own while the two second-years split off from me and Serika, it had been around ten or fifteen minutes after Shion jumped out of the window, and still nothing.

[Nn. Abydos is a big place, but she’s hurt.]

[Who knows? She could’ve gotten further than we thought.]

“...”

Serika, who was with me, was completely silent since we began the search.

“Serika,” I spoke up. “Are you alright?”

“A-Ah! I’m… fine…”

She jolted from my words as soon as the silence was broken.

“You don’t sound like it.”

“I just…didn’t expect her to do that. She’s always grumbling and stuff, but I’ve never seen her with such eyes of hatred…”

Serika glanced away in worry.

“I’ve noticed at work that her hair is somewhat messy, she has bags under her eyes, and she’s slightly sluggish at work, even if she hides it.”

…

“Just what happened to her?”

I couldn’t answer that. I still needed Arona to get her file, but she has been taking ages. Was it really that hard to pull something like that?

“Wait here for a second.”

I made Serika stop walking for now and headed into an alleyway before taking out the Shittim Chest.

“Arona.”

[Hic… Sorry, Sensei…]

From the screen, she was sobbing a bit, trying to hold back her tears. Her halo was dark blue, dripping with teardrops.

“Arona?! What happened?!”

[I can’t find it… Hic! There are multiple student files with the name Shion—sniffle—but the images don’t match her appearance.”

“That’s… odd. Did you check the middle school files?”

[That’s the weirdest part—sniffle! I checked every middle school in Abydos, but uniquely, the files from the Central Abydos Middle School, which shut down years ago, are all missing—hic!]

I was shocked. Deleted? I was sure that the GSC at least kept files from every school on record, including the minor ones.

“Well… thanks for searching anyway… I’ll buy you some strawberry milk later.”

[Hic! Thank you…]

She poofed away as the screen went black. I was going to have to investigate myself then.

I came out of the alley and waved to Serika.

“Did anything happen, Sensei?”

“Weird things. Apparently, all the student files belonging to the Central Abydos Middle School have been erased. I can only assume her most recent file comes from there.”

“Huh? No information at all?!”

“Yeah… Really… what even happened to the middle school?”

“No clue… Ayane and I came from a different one…”

…

“Well, we should get back on the search—”

[Sensei! Everyone!]

Hoshino’s voice erupted from our earpieces.

“Hoshino? What’s wrong?”

[I found her! She just tried to ambush me with a metal pipe, haha!]

[Let me go already!]

A different voice sounded from her communicator. There were audible sounds of struggle coming from Hoshino.

[No can do! You just tried to shoot Sensei, after all!]

…Huh?

* * *

We regrouped back in the club room, and the source of our troubles sat there on a chair at the other end of the table, only with Hoshino cornering her from behind with her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

A long strand of hair went past her face like Hasumi from the day I arrived at Kivotos. Her cheek had a visible bruise, covered by a bandage, and her new hospital gown was already stained with dense sand and dust, just like her hair.

Her halo was a thin, purple circle with four perpendicular spikes. A four-pointed star aligned itself in the center of it, with a square cut out in the middle of the star.

The rest of us were somewhat dirtied too, but the nice breeze from the air conditioner was refreshing to say the least.

“So… do you want to talk, little girl?”

That question ironically came from Hoshino, of all people—the shortest of the task force kids. Her hand gripped tighter on Shion’s shoulder.

“No. Get your hand off my shoulder.”

Hoshino’s face darkened, and her grip was even tighter. Shion winced in pain, but her mouth didn’t budge.

“Hah… lay it off, Hoshino,” Serika said. “She’s never going to talk at this rate. I know from experience.”

She gave a heavy sigh and released the girl from her grasp. Hoshino moved to the chair next to her and sat down.

“Shion… from the Central Middle School, right?”

“Yeah, apparently. What do my kidnappers want with me?”

“Correction,” Ayane spoke up. “We aren’t your kidnappers. We rescued you and Serika.”

“...”

Upon Ayane’s words, she started to relax and leaned back on her chair.

“I guess my logic has a few holes… My head hurts a bit.”

“I would assume so from falling off the second floor,” Hoshino commented, slowly relaxing as well, realizing everything had happened from a misunderstanding.

…

The room was… tense to put it simply. Clearly, the girl wasn’t close enough to trusting us.

“So…” She continued. “Where’s my bag?”

“Your bag?” Ayane inquired.

“Yes, my bag. The one you took from me. I never leave without it.”

Shiroko stood up and placed the torn bag and the revolver she had picked up a bit ago in front of her on the table. It had a decently large tear on the side.

“Here you go.”

Literally just moments after she placed it down, Shion snatched it away before starting to nuzzle and hug it tightly until—

(Thunk! Flop! Thump!)

All of its contents fell out of the gaping hole, and she released the bag in surprise.

…

“Where am I going to get a new bag…”

“We can buy you a new one later!” Nonomi, who had been silent for most of it, chimed in. “I can pay!”

She pulled out a gold card, and Hoshino winced, covering her eyes from it.

“Gah! Too bright! Put it away!”

Nonomi withdrew the card, and Hoshino sighed in relief.

“Here, let me help.”

Shiroko started collecting the items on the floor and shoved them in the bag. She put Shion’s things in, like a stack of bills—which she apparently had—and bottles of water, before picking up a plastic card and lifting it up to read the text.

“Hey! Wait! Don’t read—”

“Central Abydos Middle School… First-year… Year of Issue 20XX… Shion… Age… Huh?”

Wait a second. Isn’t the current year—

“Wait? Doesn’t that mean you’re 14?! I thought you said you were 17 at work?!”

Serika—our lovely club treasurer, who was probably alright with math—shouted across the room. Everyone was shocked again, and Shion became really red before dashing out of the door.

“Wait! Hold on!”

Serika ran out as well to chase after her, bringing the girl back with her arm around the girl’s waist a minute later. Shion was still completely red and kept hitting Serika to let go.

“I hate you!” She wailed. “I hate you all! Go die!”

“Ehe~ She really did lie to Serika about her age.”

“Haha…”

Everyone but Serika nervously giggled, but the tension was considerably lower now. She really was like Serika, wasn’t she?

“You guys…” Serika sighed. “She’s still dirty, you know? And I want to take a shower too.”

Everyone but Ayane had sand and dust on their clothes, but the whimpering girl was worse off.

“A shower? You guys have a shower?”

“Yeah? It’s in the locker room?”

“...”

The blue-haired girl covered in dust sniffed herself with no expression, right before her brows furrowed.

“Could I use it first? I haven’t taken a bath in a while.”

“...How long is this while?” I spoke up.

“Uh.”

Shion took a bit to backtrack her memory before saying something outrageous.

“Maybe like… a year? I’ve just used wipes on the rare chance I had enough to get them.”

…

“I-Is… I-Is that why I see a ton of wipes in the trash like every day?”

“Y-Yeah?”

…

“EW! EW! EW!”

(Thud!)

“Augh… Ow…”

Serika dropped the girl from her grasp, and she fell onto the floor stomach-first with a hard thud. Shion groaned in pain as Serika quickly stepped away from her.

“...Someone take her to the showers,” I sighed.

“I’ll do it!” Nonomi exclaimed. “I just bought a really nice brand of shampoo I’ve been waiting to try out!”

Before anyone could say anything else, a blur of yellow picked up the blue-haired girl before rushing out the door.

“I can walk by myself! Let me go—”

From the hallway, Shion’s yells slowly faded away as they got further away from the club room.

“Hehe~ looks like the place is going to get even more lively,” Hoshino commented on the atmosphere. “Not that it matters, though. This oji-san is going back to sleep.”

She leaned behind to take the whale plush from the couch to put it in front of her before her head went face-first into the soft marine animal.

* * *

(Brush, brush…)

I sat there on the stool in the shower. Behind me was Big-Chest—well, more accurately, Rich-Girl, I guess—brushing away at my hair with a sparkly comb she had in her bag. She said my hair was full of dust and sand, if that wasn’t obvious enough. I’ve tried combing my hair with my fingers before work, but it was still tangly and stained with gunk. Mister Chef, however nice he was, did not want me to dunk my head into the sink to wash my hair.

I could feel the clumps of dirt falling down my shoulders as minutes went by. She did complain that it was really dirty. Well, not like I could’ve done anything.

After brushing, she placed the comb back into her bag on the bench, which apparently could hold her weapon of choice: a freaking minigun.

Absurd, much? Who even would make a bag for that?

“I got the shampoo and conditioner!” She chimed. “Do you need help undressing?”

“No. I’m fine. I can do it on my own.”

The gown was tied at the front, so I just had to unravel it, and poof—the gown came off from the back.

I threw the dirty gown to the floor and began taking off my underwear, before realizing—

This wasn’t mine.

Excuse me, was I wearing someone else’s panties? Actually, I wasn’t going to think about it. Nope, nope, nope.

Anyways… after that realization, I was fully naked… in front of another person. Well, she was undressed too, and I’m basically in my underwear at home when I didn’t want to go to the market, so it was the same thing… probably.

Still embarrassing, though.

(Shhhhh…)

“Is it too hot?”

“No.”

Again on the stool, my hair was drenched by lukewarm water. I still sat there, unmoving, unless water got into my eyes. The water was murky, a mix of brown and yellow. Honestly, I can’t believe I got used to this.

After a few minutes, Rich-Girl turned off the tap and started squeezing out some pink thing from a similarly colored bottle before spreading it on parts of my hair. It started to foam a little as she rubbed it in gently, but not much.

“Mmm-mm-hmmmm-hmmmm~”

She began humming a tune during everything, even when she turned the tap back on to rinse it out. The same murky water poured down my head again, albeit with some bubbles. It flowed down the drain the same.

“I’m going to put shampoo again, alright?”

“Okay.”

Again, she squeezed out some shampoo from the pink bottle, rubbing it between her hands into white foam before applying it again, but everywhere this time.

“So you come from the Central Middle School?”

“Yeah. I don’t remember much about it, though.”

“Hmm.”

(Shhhhh…)

The tap was on again, and water flowed down my head. The water that left my head was a lot bubblier now, and after a while, it turned completely clear.

“Just some conditioner now…”

(Scrub, scrub…)

After Rich-Girl was done scrubbing, she said to leave it for a bit before she started to wash herself beside me. Bored, I glanced over to her before looking at myself.

(Pat, pat.)

“Huh? Are you okay, Shion?” She asked. “You’re turning red.”

“I-I’m fine! It’s nothing!”

I became kinda jealous of her.

“Hmm. Say, you like anything?”

“I like money.”

“Haha…” Rich-Girl laughed. “Anything else?”

“I like… Mister Chef’s ramen.”

“Mister—Oh! Master Shiba! We should go and see you and Serika sometime again!”

“Okay.”

She stopped washing and began rinsing away the stuff on my hair. After that, she picked up a washcloth and what seemed like a bottle of soap.

“I’m done with the shower, but do you need any help with washing?”

“No.”

She handed them to me and left the shower room in a towel. Without her, I started washing myself off.

* * *

“F-Fluffy…”

We were walking back to the club room, but I was endlessly groping my hair at how soft and light it was, even if it was a bit damp from only being air dried and patted down with a towel. The shade of blue was no longer a disgusting gray color, but a vibrant teal.

“Haha~ Surprised?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Do you still want the blazer back, or?”

“No. I want my cloak.”

“Uhm… It’s probably in the desert now… reduced to rags.”

“O-Oh.”

I stopped touching my hair and became depressed. It was my blanket at night, so not having that was… kind of bad. I was put in a dress shirt, a blue tie, and a black skirt, though.

“I-It’s okay!” Rich-Girl panicked. “We can buy a new one!”

She looked forward and sighed.

“Interesting that you decided to dress like Hoshino, though.”

“You'd better keep that promise about the cloak.”

“Haha…”

We stopped at a door after a bit.

“We’re going in!”

(Whurr! Thunk!)

Everyone in the room looked towards the door.

“Nonomi! Shion!” Glasses-Lady shouted.

“Ah, so that’s where my clothes went to—”

Uncle-Pinky paused for a second before nervously continuing on uncharacteristically.

“I-It looks good on her…”

“Right?” Rich-Girl chimed. “She looks like a proper Abydos student!”

Silence came after the phrase “Abydos student” was spoken out of her mouth. Everyone but me and Rich-Girl looked at each other in surprise before looking at me.

“You girls are thinking the same thing? Mister Pervert-Stalker said.

“Nn. Definitely.” Scarfy affirmed.

“We’re finally getting another student?!” Lucky yelled across the room.

“Well,” Glasses-Lady spoke up. “She is unenrolled for all we know.”

What.

* * *

“So let me get this straight,” I said. “You’re planning to enroll me in a dying school that might not exist in the next three years.”

Their expressions darkened the moment I said that.

“I’m sorry, but that is not happening. I’m sure there’s some catch if I do. Besides, I could just enroll in a better school.”

“...About that,” Mister Pervert-Stalker said. “You don’t exist in Kivotos as far as documentation goes.”

…

“…What?”

“Long story short, I couldn’t find any files on you, not even in the Central Middle School registry. The only form of identification you have is that card, which is pretty roughed up.”

“You need a student ID to even apply for a subway pass, right?” Rich-Girl asked.

“Yeah, and it needs to be up to date, too,” Glasses-Lady clarified. “They won’t accept such an old card.”

“So basically, you can’t even get out of Abydos without an ID unless you have some other mode of transport than the subway,” the adult continued.

I flopped into my seat, arms hanging down to the ground. So it was either enroll in a dying school or never get out of here. What great choices. The border to Trinity or Gehenna wasn’t walkable at all, and even then, going to the Black Market on foot was already a stretch in and of itself.

I could just straight up drop out if it all goes wrong, right? Then perhaps it would be best to expand my options a little.

“Fine,” I leaned forward, groaning into the table. “I’m going to enroll.”

The moment I lifted my head up, I saw everyone looking at each other in disbelief. And then—

(Glomp!)

“Hooray!”

I was suddenly hugged by a yellow blob in my vision from behind my chair.

“I really can’t believe it, Serika! We’re getting a new classmate!”

“Weeuhhh! Stop shaking me—”

“Nn. This calls for celebration.”

“Uhe~ What a nice scene.”

Maybe this was a mistake.

Chapter Text

While everyone else but me, Ayane, Shion, and Nonomi, were in the shower room, we wrapped up Shion’s first-year enrollment process. Unfortunately, this is where we discovered she had some kind of amnesia, as she couldn’t remember anything well past the one-year mark, much less the two-year mark.

When we explained the debt situation—which Serika was still against telling it to any outsiders—Shion could not have been any less surprised. Like she said, she figured there was a catch, and was disappointed to find it was something she already knew because of Serika being “overly obvious at work,” according to her. Serika instantly became red after she said that.

All we really got from her was her name, age, and former school. She refused to say where she lived, but according to Serika, she mentioned that Shion lived in a dump of sorts. So, it was decided she would sleep at the school until we could do something about her housing situation.

Though I guess what bugged everyone the most was that she called everyone by a nickname. Serika seemed to be the least concerned, like she had already given up on trying to stop her.

My nickname was… Mister Pervert-Stalker…

That day really left a bad impression on her, huh?

She did have a gun, which was evident in the incident that happened earlier today. However, the model was… a relic to say the least. A single-action revolver wasn’t going to be any good against anyone with an assault rifle, and besides, it had exactly one round which Shion had no idea what caliber it was.

So… here we were, in the jeep again, heading to downtown. Going to a place like D.U. would take too much time for a simple shopping trip, something which Nonomi suggested to settle our new student in.

Like before, Hoshino and I were in the front, with me behind the wheel. The others sat in the back a bit squished together, and notably, Shion was sleeping while sitting in Nonomi’s lap again, while she was giving me directions. Shiroko kept poking at her cheek where the now-healed bruise was, but she was still out cold.

“She’s really like Hoshino-senpai,” the wolf-eared girl commented.

“Ehe? Maybe this lazy oji-san has a new friend.”

“She’s probably tired from all that running around,” I said.

“We’re here, sensei!” Nonomi exclaimed. “There’s an open parking space over there.”

I saw the gap that she pointed out and parallel parked between two cars. Everyone but Nonomi and Shiroko got out of the jeep, who were trying to wake Shion up. The repeated pokes on the cheek from both of them finally did the job.

“Mmm… stop poking me,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes awake. “We’re here?”

“Yep! It’s shopping time!”

“And while we’re at it,” Ayane said. “The rest of us could buy some more ammunition and supplies.”

“I want a bag and a cloak first.”

“There’s a clothes shop I go to nearby!”

Nonomi pointed to a somewhat stylish building only a few blocks away, so we walked up to it and entered through the door.

“Welcome! Welcome!” The robotic salesperson greeted. “How would we be of service to your party today?”

“We would like to get a bag, a cloak, and clothes for her!

Nonomi pulled Shion in front of her.

“For this miss here, our selection of bags is all the way in the left corner, and you can find the girls’ section to the right.”

Before Nonomi could say thank you, the blue-haired girl ran to the left side.

“O-Oh! Well, thank you, sir!” She said before chasing after Shion, with us following behind.

“Happy shopping!” He yelled.

We caught up to Shion after a bit, and she was standing in front of the display. She held a duffel bag that was exactly her height or even a bit longer.

“I want this one,” she turned towards us with a completely blank expression.

Nonomi was silently panicking at Shion’s choice, her hands wobbling around and shaking at the idea.

“Isn’t that a rather large bag like before?” Ayane asked.

“Bigger bag, more stuff to carry.”

“I never asked at work,” Serika spoke up. “But what have you been doing before I started working at Shibaseki?”

“Nothing you need to know,” Shion answered. “I want the biggest bag.”

“Gah!”

Nonomi emitted a yell. She was annoyed for some reason.

“It’s too big! It won’t look good!”

She grabbed a smaller bag that was still similar in size. Its length was half as tall as Shion, but at least it was much shorter.

“This is better! And much easier to carry!”

“But—”

Hoshino put her hand on Shion’s shoulder and interrupted her.

“Now, now, my new adorable underclassman. It’s better to give up when Nonomi’s like this. She’s our resident fashionista. None of us can talk her out of it.”

“…Fine.”

Shion pouted, but put the bigger bag back on the display, taking the one Nonomi had.

It… was the same ordeal again when it came to Shion wanting a cloak. Even to me, Shion’s fashion sense was somewhat tasteless.

After Nonomi got more extra clothes for Shion, she turned around and spoke up.

“Now, everyone, I’m going to buy underwear for her, so could the rest of you take Sensei to the front of the store and wait there?”

All of the girls blushed and pushed me away from Shion quickly, leaving her with Nonomi. And so we stood there for a while, with most of them still being red. I understood why. After all, it was embarrassing for a man to be with a girl when she was underwear shopping. I remembered her always being embarrassed before throwing me out back in those days.

…How was everyone doing without me?

“We’re done! We can head out now!”

Nonomi, with multiple shopping bags on her arms, was dragging Shion’s hand with her. The blue-haired girl was all red and completely silent.

“Uh… yeah. The gun shop is just a walk away, right?”

“Yeah, Sensei,” Hoshino answered. “We’ve been there a few times.”

“Well, let’s just get there quickly before we can make it worse for Shion.”

* * *

“Welcome! Feel free to take a look or use our range!”

The only robotic shopkeeper in the store greeted us, and dozens upon dozens of different firearms plastered the walls and the stands in the middle of the floor.

“We would like to get a new gun for our friend,” Ayane said. “But we don’t exactly know what type she would be comfortable with.”

“Ah! That’s completely fine! Follow me to the range!”

We followed the shopkeeper into the range, and it was anything you could expect. Stalls divided the safe from the dangerous areas, and targets attached to rails on the ceiling lined the far wall.

On a few folding tables, I could see an assortment of weapons lying flat.

The robot picked up an assault rifle and checked the magazine before turning to us.

“Which one of you is looking for a gun?”

“She is!” Nonomi pointed to Shion.

The shopkeeper handed the weapon to her before explaining it.

“A SIG SG 550 like your wolf-eared friend there. This one features a 528 millimeter barrel with a folding stock, all chambered in 5.56. Has an ambidextrous selector switch for single, burst, and fully automatic. The trigger pull is slightly heavy, but we’ve had no complaints so far from customers.”

Shion looked completely dazed from all the sudden information that was slammed into her head. The robot was gleaming and seemed eager to explain more.

Shiroko noticed her confusion and went up to her.

“Pull this back, flick this switch, and fire at that target.”

She pointed at the distant target on the far wall.

Shion understood and flicked the safety off the gun, only to struggle to chamber the rifle. After a moment, the bolt flung back with a snap, and she got into a firing stance… except everyone knew that it was really sloppy, and Shiroko quickly corrected her.

(Ratatat!)

A burst of three rounds went out of the barrel of her gun, and Shion looked surprised. She flicked the switch again and took aim.

(Ratatatatat!)

A stream of bullets flew out from the muzzle this time, and she looked a bit disheveled from that. She flicked the safety and handed the rifle back, shaking her head.

“Alright, seems that wasn’t to your liking…”

The shopkeeper swapped for a black shotgun and gave it to her.

“How about a Beretta 1301, like the pink-haired miss? A 470 millimeter barrel with a tube that can hold seven shells and one in the chamber. Very user-friendly with the oversized charging handle and textured bolt release. Semi-auto and chews through ammunition fast.”

Chambering a round and poised to fire again, she turned off the safety before pulling the trigger.

(Bang!)

(Clack! Thud!)

“Augh… Ow…”

“Shion!”

As soon as the gun went off, the recoil loosened her grip, and the gun smacked right into her forehead, making her drop the weapon and tumble to the floor in pain. We went up to her to see if she was alright.

“My guns—I mean, dear customer!” The shopkeeper corrected himself as he picked up the shotgun. “Are you okay?”

“I’m… fine…” Shion groaned as she got up, a hand holding her head. “Just… move.”

The girls and I stepped back as soon as she stood up and patted herself out.

“What’s this?”

Ayane pointed to an odd-looking firearm on the table. It didn’t have the usual magazine attached to the bottom, but instead was flat at the top. It looked like more of a rectangle than an actual gun.

“Ah! That is our newest addition to our shop!” The robot picked it up and displayed it to all of us. “The FN P90! We just got it yesterday, so I was looking for a chance to see it in action!”

He searched through his pockets and unfolded a piece of paper.

“Reading this… It’s a bullpup—means the action happens behind the trigger—personal defense weapon with a 263 millimeter barrel. It holds fifty of 5.7 by 28 millimeter rounds, and its entire length is around 500 millimeters! Fully ambidextrous and very ergonomic too!”

He hands the gun to Shion excitedly.

“I’m very curious to see how it does! Just… don’t drop it like that one…”

She took the firearm from him and nodded. Unlike before, she didn’t struggle to chamber the bolt after she switched it from safety all by herself. Her stance this time was focused as she shouldered the back of the weapon.

(Ratatatat! Ratatatat!)

(Plink! Plonk! Plak!)

A well-controlled burst from Shion caused the target to make a few sounds. The shopkeeper pressed a button, and the target came rolling forward.

“Amazing!” He exclaimed. “I heard five rounds and three were bullseyes!”

Shion turned to us with a blank stare, holding out the weapon in all its glory.

“I want this one.”

“How much is it, sir?” I asked.

“I’ll put it at 59 thousand yen! Plus five extra magazines, which puts it around 80 thousand! And if she wants a custom paint job, that’ll add 15 thousand!”

So 80 plus 15… around a hundred thousand?! These girls spend a lot… No wonder they ran out of funds if they burned through their ammunition that quickly.

“That’s a bit steep for me… I know Yuuka will see the receipts and will want answers…”

“I’ll pay myself.”

Shion whipped out a stack of bills she had somehow, despite not having any pockets, and pulled a couple of notes to pass to the shopkeeper.

“Make it blue and white, please. Mostly white.”

“Alrighty!” He took the money and the weapon away from her as the display on his head turned into a joyful expression. “It’ll take a day to be completed. The delivery would be at… Abydos High School, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Ayane answered in place of Shion.

“Okay! Would any of you like to buy something else, or will that be all?”

“We’ll take some 12 gauge, 5.56, and 7.62,” Hoshino replied. “The shells should be buckshot, none of the fancy-shmancy stuff, please.”

“I want this.”

Everyone looked towards the one who asked, which was Shion. She was holding up a collapsible baton.

“What? I might need to hit people. Add a leg holster for it and a sling for the gun, too.”

* * *

(Shak! Shck!)

(Shak! Shck!)

We were out and done with shopping at the gun store, and Shion was having fun with whipping out the baton towards the floor before retracting it to repeat the process. The sound was slowly engraving itself into my eardrums.

“Could you stop that?!”

Having heard it for minutes, Serika couldn’t take the sound anymore and yelled at Shion, spooking her.

“Sorry.”

Her head drooped down as she slotted the item into her newly bought holster on her thigh. I silently thanked Serika for giving us all respite from the noise.

“So, Nonomi,” Hoshino spoke up. “Where to now?”

“The hair salon!” She exclaimed. “I figured her long bangs were going to annoy her. Plus, she had split ends as well.”

“Is that it over there?”

Shiroko pointed to a street sign on a building that had the word “salon” on it as we walked.

“Yep!”

We took a turn across the road to get to the other side and approached the door.

(Ring, ring!)

A bell chimed as the seven of us came through the entrance, and a brown fox greeted us all.

“Hello! Welcome!”

“Hello! We would like to get a haircut for our friend!”

Nonomi put her hands on Shion once more and pushed her forward.

“Alright, please sit over there, and I’ll get ready.”

The fox went into the back after bowing to us. Shion went up and climbed the nearest open seat. She stared at the mirror blankly, not showing any emotion at all.

After a bit, the fox came back with her toolkit, only starting her work after she took payment from Nonomi.

“So, little miss!” She said after pulling out a comb and a pair of scissors. “How do you want your hair done?”

“I don’t mind how you do it…”

“Alright, then! This old fox is sure to surprise you!”

(Snip, snip!)

The fox chatted away to Shion as she sat there, silent and unwilling to respond. It was as if she were talking to a brick wall about the local dramas and gossip around the neighborhood. At certain points, I was mentioned, which… I didn’t know how to feel receiving their praise. After all, I was only doing what a teacher was supposed to do: to look after their students.

Meanwhile, the other girls were being secretive, huddling with each other, whispering about something. It felt like some surprise for Shion as evidenced by Serika’s flustered reactions, so I paid no attention.

“Hey, Sensei!”

Nonomi broke from the group and called out to me while the rest of them left for the door.

“We’re going out to put the bags back and buy a welcome gift for Shion! We’ll be back in no time!”

“Alright, Nonomi,” I smiled. “Have fun.”

“Bye!”

The blond girl skipped away through the door, and the bell chimed after her.

With time on my hands, I took to my phone and checked for anything urgent that had come up. There were a few messages from Rin on Momotalk, mentioning a lengthy list of paperwork and other documents I needed to fill out. Work never stopped for poor Rin, did it?

There was also Yuuka, who chastised me for buying strawberry-lime flavored sparkling water in bulk; Suzumi, offering her services as a bodyguard; and Hasumi, feeling embarrassed because of that misunderstanding that day.

Besides Momotalk, there wasn’t much alarming news. There were articles about the Perfect Team squashing the latest incident in Gehenna, how a helmet gang hideout near the border of Trinity was completely blown up, and the newest list of odd gadgets from Millennium.

There was also an interesting article about some retro game or whatever the kids called it being reviewed… very negatively… I feel bad for the poor girls who made it.

Minutes passed by. The sound of snipping scissors, a buzzing hairdryer, and an open sink filled the salon. And then—

“All finished, little miss!”

The fox collected her tools and helped Shion off the chair. She gave the girl a hand mirror and led her to me.

The new Shion was scratching her head, awestruck at her look. Her blue hair was much shorter. Before, it extended down her legs. Now, it was only long enough that it reached her shoulders, maybe slightly further. Her bangs weren’t just long stretches of hair that covered her face. Instead, it was now neatly divided into short sections above her eyebrows, with the section on the left side of her head curving upwards at the ends. The long strand of hair that sprouted from her head and curved down was kept, however.

“You can leave the mirror on the table before you go,” said the fox. “Enjoy your day, now!”

She left us sitting there and went to deal with other clients.

“So light…”

Shion was still dumbfounded, looking at the mirror while touching her hair. It was a bit cute to see what was once a very irritable girl be so surprised.

(Ring, ring!)

“We’re back!”

Nonomi exclaimed as she opened the door. She motioned for us to come out, and outside was the rest of the task force girls.

“Wow, Serika!” She said. “She looks so cute with that hairstyle!”

“Wuh?! Why are you mentioning me?!”

“Weren’t you the one who suggested buying a welcome gift for her?”

“I-I—”

Serika, flustered and stuttering over her words, quickly shoved a small, rectangular box into Shion’s hands before she could let herself say more.

“Y-You said you didn’t have one when I asked for your contacts! S-So I thought to give this to you!”

Shion blankly unwrapped the box and opened it up, revealing a white phone with a sparkly pink phone case and charger.

“Uhee~ What do you say, my adorable underclassman?” Hoshino spoke up. “We all chipped in a little, but Serika and Nonomi were the ones who paid the most.”

Starting frozen in place before breaking out of her daze, Shion suddenly wrapped Serika in a tight hug before going on to hug Nonomi and then the others as well.

“Thank you…” She said quietly.

“We added ours and Sensei’s contacts into MomoTalk,” Ayane stated. “Feel free to message any of us when you need something.”

“Nn. I’m getting hungry,” Shiroko added. “Should we go to Shibaseki?”

“Good point,” I said. “It’s getting late, and I believe the Master would like to see a healthy Shion.”

We laughed back to the jeep as Shion alternated between hugging Nonomi and Serika as we walked. We arrived at school after dinner to say our goodbyes, and I put the sleeping Shion, who didn’t wake from the car ride, in the infirmary before I dove into the club room couch for bed.

* * *

“Wake up, Mister Pervert-Stalker.”

“Urgh… Huh? Shion?”

The sun had already come up from the horizon a slight bit, and the time on the clock read something along the lines of five or six in the morning. Shion was standing in front of the couch, with a broom in hand, all neatly dressed up with the new cloak and bag on her shoulders. Despite it not being a full day, a white, rectangular gun with blue accents was slung across her other shoulder, which I could only assume was delivered earlier.

“It’s pretty early in the morning. What are you doing?”

“Cleaning.”

I looked around myself and the entire club room, only to find a lack of the sand we had brought in from chasing her down yesterday.

“You did a good job… but when did you wake up?”

“One or two hours ago.”

Which meant she woke up at three at the earliest.

“I don’t think you should wake up that early. It’s not good for kids your age.”

“But I always wake up early. I have to cook breakfast for my…”

She trailed at that last word before contemplating on what she was going to say.

“For someone… I can’t remember who…”

“Huh. Well, still, get some rest, alright.”

“Shut the hell up, Mister,” she shoved the broom into me. “We got a school to clean.”

…

…

…

“Wow, Sensei,” Ayane said as she and Serika came in through the club room door. “Did you two sweep the floors? I can’t see a speck of sand anywhere.”

“Shion—huff—dragged me up early to clean the entire school—huff,” I said, trying to catch my breath at each word while sitting on a chair.

“Eh~ It looks so clean!” Hoshino exclaimed as she, Shiroko, and Nonomi came in as well. “Good job, Shion-chan~”

She tried to pat her on the head before Shion slapped her hand away.

“No.”

“Aw…”

“Well, should we start the weekly Abydos Foreclosure Task Force meeting?” Ayane asked as she sat herself down and placed her laptop on the table. “I’ll remind you that Sensei and our new classmate are here today, so let’s hope for more decorum… haha…”

Everyone who just came in pulled a chair over and nodded at Ayane’s comment.

“Nice to have you here, Sensei,” Hoshino spoke.

“Likewise.”

“Well, would anyone like to raise their hand and discuss how to solve the problem of our debt?”

“Ooh! Me! Me!”

Serika eagerly raised her hand up to gain her friend’s attention.

“Yes, first-year Kuromi Serika. You have the floor.”

“Ugh, seriously?” Serika said as she lowered her hand. “Do we really have to be that formal?”

“Why not? This is our first formal meeting in a while?” Ayane giggled.

“Ehe~ It's nice to pull out all the stops once in a while, ya know? It's not every day we get to run a meeting with Sensei and a new underclassman.”

“This is the only time we've had a meeting with Sensei and a new underclassman, to be precise.”

“It really feels like we’re a proper task force now with one more member and a supervisor!”

Serika sighed in disappointment.

“Alright, fine. You all have seniority anyway…”

She suddenly stood up and paced around the room.

“Moving on! As the treasurer, let me remind you that the school is on the verge of bankruptcy! We’ll shut down at this rate if we don’t do something big!”

She stopped at a spot near Nonomi, already going halfway around the table from her seat.

“We can barely scrape by that eight million yen monthly payment just by taking bounties and other civil requests! So!”

Serika fished something out of her pocket, revealing it to be a neatly folded piece of paper. She was going to unravel it before Shion instinctively twitched her eyebrow.

Before our black cat could say anything, she stood up and went up to Serika, snatching the paper from her. Everyone was a bit surprised at her actions.

“Let me see that.”

“Hey! Wait a—”

“Ready to become a boss babe billionaire…” She read the paper. “Get rich quick with the Germanium—Serika, this is a scam again.”

She ripped up the supposed scam and tossed the remains into the trash.

Shion then went back up to Serika and started to nag about pyramid schemes and how our black cat has to drill her “rules of finding scams” into her own head before she starts bringing any more of this kind of stuff. I could sense a reaction from Hoshino, who, before, was about to doze off into the next century before Shion stood up.

“But I skipped my breakfast for this…” Serika sobbed.

“There, there,” Nonomi patted her back. “Why don’t I treat you later?”

“Sniff… Thanks, Nonomi.”

Shion and Serika went back to their seats, allowing Ayane to move on with the meeting.

“Haha… Anyone else?”

Hoshino snapped out of it and decided to raise her hand.

“Okay, President Takanashi Hoshino has the floor!”

Hoshino was the one to stand this time, albeit sluggishly.

“You know what this school's problem is? It's that the entire student body is just us. I know we just got a new underclassman, but other schools like Trinity rake in dough because their numbers are to the fifth digit.

“And?”

“I was getting to that point, Ayane! Gee, you young’uns are sure impatient.”

“You’re only slightly older than us!” Serika yelled.

“Ahem, moving on, I say we hijack a bus full of students on their way to school, and we hold them hostage until they sign the transfer form to Abydos!”

Oh my god. Hoshino, you couldn’t be serious, right?

“Excuse me, Hoshino?!”

“Interesting…” Shiroko added. “So do we hit Trinity or Gehenna? Or maybe Millennium?”

“I’m sorry,” I spoke up. “But as the head of SCHALE, who oversees multiple school districts, I will not stand for this type of criminal behavior. I get Abydos is desperate, but this is surely a stretch?”

“Right… Not to mention the other schools' respective leaderships would surely put up a fight, too…”

Ayane and I sighed.

“Haha… maybe.”

Hoshino sat back down, giggling at our reactions.

“Anyone else…?”

Shiroko raised a hand with a glint in her eyes.

“Hah… Yes, second-year student, Sunaookami Shiroko?”

“We rob a bank. The First Central Bank.”

A red vein appeared on Ayane’s forehead, and she clenched her fist. I put my head in my hands, almost sobbing at these horrible ideas. Were these the kind of ideas kids come up with nowadays?

“I've already mapped out everything from the location of the vault to the positions of the guards, blind spots for the security cameras, and even the armored car's transportation route.”

Shiroko started to spread out a map with various doodles across the table.

“We can earn 100 million yen in five minutes flat. In-and-out, easy. Here, I even brought masks.”

She shook out an assortment of six colored masks from a paper bag onto the table. Nonomi took a green one with a three on it from her.

“Wowie!” She said as she put it on. “Check it out! Don't I look like a luchador?”

“Absolutely not! Take that off!”

Ayane and Serika angrily yelled in unison.

“I will consider dropping out if we do that,” Shion stated. “I am not going to be labeled a criminal.”

“Again… I’m not willing to support you if Abydos decides to be criminals…” I said without lifting my head up from my hands.

“Right! And some lines can't be crossed!” Ayane continued. “We are not going to rob a bank, Shiroko!”

Shiroko pouted but sat back down after clearing away her stuff from the table.

“Me next!” Nonomi chimed in.

Ayane didn’t even say anything this time. She just sighed and pointed at Nonomi.

“Two words!” She stood up. “Schoolgirl pop idols!”

“That’s three words,” Shion said.

“It happens all the time in anime!” Nonomi ignored her. “Nothing helps revitalize a school like becoming a pop superstar!”

“Hmm.” I lifted my head up and started to scratch the stubble on my chin. “That’s not actually a bad idea out of everything you kids have come up with—”

“Denied.” Hoshino flat-out stated.

“I will drop out as well if we do that.”

“N-No?” Nonomi whimpered.

“Why not? You'd definitely have some fans, Hoshino,” Serika commented.

“Only creeps would be interested in frail, old me,” Hoshino chuckled.

“B-But, I even made poses and found a theme song?!”

Nonomi opened her phone and began tapping away. A male voice started to sing as a song was played.

“Christina of the Swimsuit Gang!” She exclaimed brightly as she put her phone down to pose.

“W-What the hell is that name?!” Serika yelled. “And turn off that song!”

“Aww…”

Nonomi slumped down on her chair as she turned her phone off.

“Hah…” Ayane sighed. “At least we have one more chance for a good idea.”

She looked towards Shion, and the rest followed.

“Why should I have any ideas? I enrolled only a day ago and just confirmed you were all in debt, cut me some slack.”

“Well, it's up to Sensei, I guess.”

Hoshino now turned everyone’s attention towards me.

I sighed before putting my head down into my hands again.

“At this point, I would just beg for forgiveness from whoever you owe,” I said. “Three of them include criminal activity, and a majority of you all would reject the last one.”

A distant rumbling from across the table could be felt.

“Hey, Ayane?” Serika spoke up. “Are you alright?”

“Obviously…”

“Huh?”

“Obviously NOT!”

Ayane roared as she flipped the table, surprising me as the surface almost hit my face. She began throwing pencils, cups, and many other random items as the kids and I dashed for cover. In particular, Shion was nowhere to be seen.

“She did it!” Hoshino shouted. “Ayane flipped the table again!”

“Ayane is in berserk mode!” Nonomi screamed. “Everyone, take cover!

“Can't you take this seriously for one second?!” Ayane stopped throwing things and started yelling. “I swear, it's like I'm the only mature one here! Our crisis is not a joke!”

We were chewed out by Ayane for minutes. Shion was entirely left out because she was somewhere else, and for another set of minutes, we had to find her. We eventually did, and we dragged her curled-up body out from her bed in the infirmary.

And suddenly, we were treating Ayane to ramen at Shibaseki to calm her down. There weren’t many other people, just a few kids in black and red school uniforms with masks and sunglasses on for some reason.

(Nom… Nom…)

“Want some more chashu, Ayane?” Shiroko asked.

“Yesh…” The calmed-down beast of a girl said with his mouth full.

“It’s going to be okay, Ayane,” I assured her.

“But, really, did you guys have to come to Shibaseki for this?”

Shion nodded at Serika's comment, both now in their work uniforms.

“Shh! Not the time, you two!” Hoshino hushed.

They both sighed.

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“O-Oh…”

A girl dressed in a purple military-style school uniform and a short skirt with purple hair opened the door. She had a nervous expression and had a shotgun slung over her back.

“Shion, I’ll take it this time,” Serika told Shion before turning to the girl. “Welcome! How many are in your party?

“W-What’s the cheapest item in your menu?”

“Our signature Shibaseki Ramen Bowl, priced at 580 yen.”

“H-Hey!” Shouted Serika. “ I was going to do it!”

“Get faster,” Shion bluntly stated.

While the two were bickering, the girl left the building and brought three more people. A loud sound was heard from the other table with the kids in masks, and they quickly scampered out the door past the four. Before leaving, though, the brown-haired one with inwards curving horns on her head waved to the purple-haired girl, which made her confused.

Shion, on the other hand, hid behind Serika.

"Hehe~ We finally found something that costs less than 600 yen!" yelled the one with a ponytail on the side. She had a large machine gun strapped to her back, along with a large black duffel bag, similar to Shion's old one.

"Heh, a yen saved is a yen earned," the pink-haired one said. She was all dressed up with a large red coat draped on her shoulders and a scoped rifle on her back.

The last one, who had white hair and a hoodie that read "Born to Kill," sighed, looking exasperated.

After Serika stopped fighting with Shion, she turned to the customers.

"So, four in your party? I'll show you to your seats."

"Oh no, no," said the girl with the ponytail. "We'll just take a bowl."

“You aren’t the only ones to do the same thing,” Shion said, still behind Serika. “The party that left did the same before, so go sit down and we’ll get you some chopsticks and water.”

“Wait, what?” Said Serika.

“Shut up and get them some chopsticks,” Shion ordered, pinching Serika, who yelled in pain.

“Alright! Alright! Just stop already!”

“...Kufufu. Thanks, missies.”

“S-Sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that we're broke and we're poor!”

The purple-haired girl suddenly started to panic and apologize profusely, bowing to a right angle even.

“We never should have come in here. We’re just dirt! A waste of space! Sorry, sorry, sorry!”

“Seriously, stop it, Haruka…” The stern-faced, white-haired girl said. ‘You’re making a big scene…”

“Don't say that! Don’t put yourself down because you’re poor!”

“I… shouldn’t?”

“Yeah! You're students! No one expects you to be loaded with cash. Still, you and your friends scraped enough to share a bowl of ramen together—”

Serika yelped as Shion pinched her again.

“Alright, Lucky. Enough with the monologue. Get to the back already.”

“Fine! Fine! Just get off!”

“No. My legs are jelly.”

Serika huffed away as she took big steps to drag herself and Shion to the kitchen.

“Well, that was weird,” the stern girl said as she took her seat.

The four began whispering as soon as the rest of them sat down, with the red-haired one sometimes shouting about sukiyaki or something. But other than that, I couldn’t hear what they were talking about.

Well, I didn’t deem it was that important, but I sensed something was off. I had Arona record the sound for the entire time we spent at the restaurant, just in case.

* * *

“That’s… huge…”

“It’s a big bowl again, isn’t it, Mister Chef…”

“Hehe. Well, it's the same as before, and I couldn’t help but make it the same dish again after hearing their story.”

Mister Chef made another tall order of noodles, the same height as the one when I met those weird masked kids. With another group that’s bigger than three people, I didn’t bother going out after Lucky dragged me in.

With the bowl, the two of them left to deliver it to that table. But I felt something was going to go terribly wrong soon.

I picked up a few of their names before I was completely inside the kitchen. The red one was Aru, the scary girl was Kayoko, the annoying one was Mutsuki, and the purple one was Haruka.

…

Hmm. Redhead-Dummy, Scary-Face, Duffel-Bag, and Purple-Girl should all work as good names.

After a while, I started to hear chatter between those four and the Abydos girls, along with Mister Chef and Mister Pervert-Stalker. I still didn’t like the vibe I got from those four, though.

I could look up anything on this so-called internet on my phone, right? I would have to ask someone about it… But the names of those four were probably searchable.

Anyway, from Lucky and Mister Chef coming back in with all the doors opening and closing, I could only assume that they all said their goodbyes and left.

“Hey, Lucky,” I asked. “Could you help me figure out how MomoTalk and the internet work?”

While Mister Chef went to wash the dishes, Lucky stood there, closing her eyes and clenching her fists. For some reason, she seemed pretty angry.

“HELL NO!” She yelled. “You kept pinching me and hugging me! That was super embarrassing! I’m never talking to you ever again!”

She stomped away, totally furious, opening the door to the break room and slamming it shut. I could hear yelling behind the door.

With no other option, I turned towards Mister Chef for some help.

“Sorry, kid,” he shrugged as he washed a plate clean. “I use a landline, not a smartphone. I’ve never been the one to use such fancy stuff. Maybe one day I will.”

I slumped down in sorrow, waiting for the next customer to arrive so I didn’t have to deal with this unforgiving silence.

Well…

Go fish, I guess.

- - - - -

No longer Trash-Chan! (God my artstyle is inconsistent)

Chapter Text

It was the next day, and the afternoon passed as usual. Quiet, lonely, soundless. It would be a peaceful day for the six girls of Abydos High School and their Sensei if it weren't for the thundering aftermath of grenades and the whizzing of rapid gunfire.

The choir of explosions echoed through the streets, accompanied by the commands of the fearless redheaded boss of the fixer group and her hired help, who had come to wreak havoc on the poor girls of the district.

In reality, that same girl was likely quaking in her boots.

The yelling of a part-time mercenary could be heard as she flew away from an explosion caused by the missile from a hovering drone. The buzz of the cheerful blond girl's machine gun sounded like a swarm of an angry hive of bees. Well, most of the Abydos girls had the rage of the said bees.

But at the center of all this chaos, hiding in a dark alleyway far away from the commotion, a short, blue-haired girl wondered:

'How the hell did I get here?'

* * *

"Shut up! I'll take you all out for sukiyaki once we finish this job and get paid. So you'd better go all out!"

It was faint, but through the chatter of the voices of my classmates in the recording, the voice of a girl talking to her friends about a job, payment, and the possible sukiyaki that came after crackled out of Mister Pervert-Stalker's white tablet.

The other girls, figuring out what the job entailed, were going to make sure those four weren't going to earn that sukiyaki anytime soon.

"With those uniforms, I assumed they were a part of a different school, but why would they be in Abydos?"

The adult pressed a button on the tablet, turning the screen black before putting it away.

"And so, I recorded the entire conversation, and it turns out they plan to attack the school any time now."

"DAMMIT!"

Lucky slammed the table with her fists, furious. In fact, all of them felt some degree of anger.

Me? Well, I already knew about it last night. I was already suspicious of them since they came to Shibaseki, and it looked like Mister Pervert-Stalker thought the same as well. So we did a little digging, and lo and behold, they were hired as part of some contract to take the school. I assumed that the helmet gang that cornered me and Lucky on that day were of the same vein.

For being a creep, he sure does come in handy at times.

Anyways. Problem Solver 68, our current issue at hand. Apparently, they were an illegal club not endorsed by the school they came from, Gehenna Academy. They were more like fixers or hired goons of sorts.

...Was it just me, or were there Gehenna students everywhere in Abydos? There were those four, all in masks and sunglasses again, who left when Problem Solver came in to eat. They were from Gehenna, but aside from always looking shady, they didn't seem to do anything wrong yet.

Well, yet was the keyword.

"Do we know anything else?" Uncle Pinky asked, her face much sterner than it was before.

"From what we heard, they didn't have enough money to afford more than one bowl," Glasses-Lady, better known now as Table-Flipper, answered. "So we can assume they spent it all on a lot of hired hands."

A bunch of nods came from everyone.

"It's just like the Katakata Helmet Gang again," Scarfy remarked. "Attack after attack."

"But this is the first time we've faced them," Rich-Girl said. "We don't know what to expect this time around."

"Speaking of which, what happened to the Katakata?" Lucky spoke up.

"Apparently, another base of theirs got blown up by someone else, so you girls shouldn't worry about them for now," Mister Pervert-Stalker replied.

"...Where did you get that information from?"

"Mister Pervert-Stalker must've gotten that from the internet," I joined in. "It's a very interesting place."

"...Ah. I see."

"Anyways, keep on the lookout for them. We don't know when the school will get attacked—"

Mister Pervert-Stalker was speaking before Table-Flipper suddenly butted in.

"Sensei!" I've detected a large armed group approaching fifteen kilometers out from the school!"

"Wow... They really spent all their money at Big Thug Depot, huh?" Uncle Pinky jokingly said while looking at her laptop. "Well, come on, let's show them no mercy."

"I'm going to beat them to a pulp!" Lucky declared before they all rushed out of the door, not noticing they left me and the pervy adult behind.

"I'm... going to go somewhere..."

"But shouldn't you follow them—"

"Shut up."

* * *

"Y-You! You little pieces of trash!"

The black-haired girl began to yell at the distant group of fixers and their mercenaries that encroached on her school's territory. Like the cat she was, she hissed and swore rapidly until her classmates caught up to her speed.

Similar to her, the four other girls of the school shared in her animosity. Their faces bore their newfound hatred for the fixers, and they weren't going to let them get away with such terrible transgressions.

"You'll all pay for this!"

"Haha!" The white-haired student laughed at their reactions. "The ramen was tasty, little missy! Thanks for giving us extra!"

"AGHHHHHH! YOU BRAT!"

"Ha..." The stern-faced fixer sighed. "It's regrettable, but business is business. Don't take it personally."

"So you're really fixers then..." The gray wolf glared.

"Don't you girls have something better to do?!" The blonde cried. "Shouldn't you be working a more respectable job?!"

"The fixer business is a completely respectable job!" The redheaded leader argued. "It has job titles and everything!"

She began frantically pointing at her subordinates to explain herself, with a hand still gripping her sniper rifle.

"I'm the boss, Mutsuki is the chief of staff, Kayoko is the department head, and Haruka is our entry-level employee!"

"Aru, you just gave them our names."

"Ha?! Er..."

The fixers' leader, Aru, began to slowly crumble at her department head's comment before she straightened herself out again.

"Well, no matter! We needed to spread our names out there anyway! It's free marketing, you know!"

Kayoko put her hand on her forehead and started shaking her head in exasperation.

"So, who hired you—" Shiroko corrected herself. "No, you wouldn't tell us anyway. We'll just have to beat it out of you all."

"Ha! Go ahead and try!" Aru barked. "Go get 'em, girls!"

But despite the roars from the part-timers charging in towards their target from behind her, Kayoko, at that exact moment, was wondering about one crucial detail.

'Wait, were there five or six of them?'

* * *

"Should I, or should I not?"

Yes, I was indeed talking to myself.

Yes, I was indeed pacing around my room, aka the infirmary.

No, I didn't want to fight and get myself into a shootout.

I was currently weighing my options. On one side of the scale were reparations to those five. Like Mister Chef, they had done a lot for me, and made me look less like a homeless, nearly dead rat on a street. And like what I did for Mister Chef, I should do a little something for them after all.

But on the other end of the spectrum, I was better at running away from conflicts, not diving headfirst into them. Disregarding the chases I had with both helmet gangs, I didn't remember getting myself into any firefights at all. Heck, I doubted my ability to contribute to the battle.

(Knock, knock!)

"Don't come in—"

(Whurr!)

"Hah... Hah..."

"Ah, Shion, there you are."

"...I said, don't come in."

The stupid, creepy adult and the table flipper appeared in the doorway. It looked like the beast of a girl was panting and completely out of breath from running the distance from the Black Market to here.

Well, it did look like she just came back in after running out of the school to confront the big thug group.

"Hah... Oh... Ha... Shion... You're still here?"

Table-Flipper came back to her senses and realized I hadn't left the school yet.

"Are you not going to fight?"

"It's called thinking, Mister. I haven't fought people head-on before."

"Ah. Maybe you can help out Ayane then."

"...I don't know how to operate drones either, Mister."

Table-Flipper suddenly took a big breath and then let it out slowly to calm herself down.

"Alright... Well, you don't have to fight with us, Shion."

"...I don't?

"I mean, you've only been here for a few days, and we can tell you're sort of sickly, so you don't have to—"

A vein definitely bulged from my head, and my fingers gripped tighter on the strap of my bag.

"Don't underestimate me."

"Huh?"

"Don't underestimate me!" I yelled. "I won't be coddled like a little kid!"

For some reason, feelings I can't describe filled my head as I began spouting words even I didn't understand.

"I have to be responsible for myself! I need to pull my own weight! I can't let her do everything for me!"

"S-Shion, calm down..." Table-Flipper nervously pleaded.

After a moment, I started to catch my breath and stopped my tantrum.

"Ha... ha... Sorry. Something came over me."

"It's... alright," Mister Pervert-Stalker spoke up. "But who's this her you keep mentioning?"

...

"Who?"

"Never mind," he retracted. "But you want to join in now?"

"Yes, now where's the earpiece you all have? I know you guys have an extra."

"Ah, here."

Table-Flipper fished out a white earpiece with a microphone from her pocket and passed it to me.

"Just talk into it and everyone will hear you."

"Got it, I'll head out now."

I turned around from the doorway and headed to the window.

"Wait," the pervert took a step forward. "Where are you going?"

"Hmm? The quickest way out?"

Unlike before, I opened the window this time, threw down the curtain that I had tied to the heavy storage closet a few days ago, and rappelled down to the ground floor.

"Shionnn! Stop doing that!"

"Shut up, pervert!"

And after insulting that creep, I ran towards the battlefield.

...

...

...

"We got extra magazines if you need them! Keep blazing away!"

Somehow, I waded through the empty streets and alleyways and got myself inside the opposing force's formation. None of the girls in those white construction helmets and pink uniforms somehow noticed me getting behind their lines. Those years of avoiding people during my Market trips really were useful, huh.

Still couldn't believe I was dragging myself into this.

I lugged myself to what seemed to be the furthest enemy position, and what I saw was just... ammo. Ammunition everywhere. I saw just girls handing away boxes of shotgun shells, rifle magazines, and other crap from large wooden crates to their co-workers.

It would be funny if that ammo were to disappear.

Someone would be really dumb to leave a crate of explosives in the open near the rest of their supplies.

Hmm, how fortunate for me. There was a crate of explosives near everything.

That being said, I wasn't too confident in aiming. The times I shot a gun and it hit someone were probably all flukes.

Oh well, here goes nothing.

(Click, clack!)

I chambered a round from my gun, flicked the safety to semi-auto, and rested my arms on the fallen trash can. I took deep breaths or something like Scarfy told me to when I began to aim and then—

(Bang!)

(BOOM!)

And thus, the ammunition was no more. That had to be a fluke, genuinely.

Seriously, I would have to keep in mind to put things in better places.

In front of me was once a street filled with girls handing down supplies. Now, it was just full of panicking girls who had just realized their ammo had become a big ball of smoke.

"Hey, hey! Who the hell blew up the ammunition!"

"I think we're being flanked!"

"Well, go and search for them, dumbass!"

Ah, that was my sign to leave. Toodaloo, stupid idiots.

"Wait, I think I see her!"

"After that brat!"

Curses.

(Ratatatatat!)

A wall of lead headed my way, only for the bullets to hit a wall. They hit eerily close to my position, though, so I scrambled away as fast as I could.

(Ratatatatat! Ratatatatat!)

Out of the barrels of an assortment of machine guns and rifles, bullets strayed my way. They didn't hit me at all as I led them on a chase. Speaking of which, I was good at being chased... if only my legs weren't so short.

So I had a time limit to shake them off before they could outrun me, great.

I switched to full-auto as I turned the corner in an alley and shot back. One or two of them fell down with a heavy thud, but I didn't have time to look behind and check.

(Ratatatatat!)

Trading fire for fire, I kept running and took potshots at them as they fired back. The layout of the streets was my friend as I was chased down through the maze of sand-infested buildings and narrow gaps between. I did study the area around the school when I got settled in, so I knew the land at the back of my small hands.

Except maybe not when I found myself in a fenced-off dead end. That wasn't good.

The mercenaries were starting to catch up, and I had to do something. Searching everywhere for a way out, I saw a lock on the fence gate that I seemed to have overlooked.

I could break it if I shot it once, right?

(Bang!)

Well, at least I didn't have to climb the fence like last time.

I kicked the gate open and ran out, diving into another alley across the street.

"She went over there!"

Two of them trailed behind me, and I didn't see anyone else. Seemed like I could get back quicker if I dealt with them.

Seeing that the magazine in the gun was around half-empty or so, I threw down random stuff that was in the alley to the floor for cover and took position.

They were met with a flurry of lead heading straight towards them as soon as the two mercenaries put a foot in the alleyway.

(Ratatatatat!)

"Augh!"

(Thud!)

"Crap! You'll pay!"

I took down one of them, and she came tumbling to the ground. The other, however, managed to stick to a wall and hid behind a metal box.

(Ratatatatat!)

Soon enough, it was my turn to hide in the rain of fire that came down on me. Her bullets hit the pile of stuff behind me, with one stray bullet nearly grazing my face.

She stopped after a few seconds to reload, so I leaned out of cover to keep pressure on her.

(Ratatatatat!)

(Click, click, click.)

The last few bullets that came out of the barrel glowed like wildfire before the damned click sound of an empty magazine sounded.

Damn it.

She was still fumbling with reloading her weapon, but if I reloaded mine now and jumped out, she would surely be already topped up and fire back.

But then a bright idea popped into my head, and I spared no time to try it out.

(Shuk, clack!)

Taking out the magazine, I let go of my gun and stood up, hands in a motion like I was pulling the pin of a grenade and throwing it.

Except the grenade wasn't a grenade.

"Crap, a grenade!"

She yelled in horror seeing an object flying towards her direction, and hid herself more to avoid the blast. She caught the bait.

(Shak!)

Unlatching the velcro on my thigh holster, I pulled out the baton and whipped it out to its full length before charging headfirst to her location.

She did not expect me to come up to her with a stick in hand and hit her.

(Smack! Smack!)

"Ow! Agh! Stop!"

A few minutes later, the only mercenary left was all curled up in pain. Maybe I went too far?

...

Nah. She got herself into this.

And so, I retracted my baton, slotted it in the holster, grabbed the empty magazine on the floor, and walked back to the frontlines.

* * *

So, we were in a bit of a pickle. As I expected, these girls weren't incompetent.

While I was in a safe place in the backline, Shiroko and Serika were engaging Mutsuki, the girl with the side ponytail, in an explosives fight. Whenever Shiroko's drone missiles were launched towards her, she somehow always disappeared into thin air before reappearing with a mountain of grenades to throw at them.

Nonomi had to not only take cover from the part-time hires but also from the gaze of the sniper rifle belonging to Aru, Problem Solver 68's leader. She was totally pinned down.

Hoshino charged head-on and thinned the swarm, but she had to frequently recalculate her positioning to avoid being in the splash zone of the explosives planted by Haruka, the purple-haired girl.

Ayane tried to support with the multitude of drones she had, using them to fly supplies into the rest of the task force. Except many of them would be shot down by the last of the Problem Solver girls, Kayoko.

Meanwhile, Shion... was nowhere to be found... again. Ayane gave her the earpiece, the same type everyone else had. A perk it had was that it sent their locations to the Shittim Chest, so I didn't have to use their phones to track them for orders.

But Shion either didn't turn it on, or something else happened. In fact, there has been nothing from her end, and the task force girls didn't see her on the battlefield at all.

"Shion... where are you..."

(BOOM!)

An explosion further away from the battlefield could be heard by everyone. Apparently, it was in the far back of the enemy lines? Girls on both sides froze for a second to take in what just happened.

"Was that any of you guys?" I asked.

[Nope.]

[That wasn't us!]

[I don't carry explosives like these maniacs!]

[Ehe~ Something really bad happened to them, didn't it?]

The girls on the field denied doing anything, and Ayane was the last to answer.

[It wasn't me either... Seems like the Problem Solvers are confused, too. Something about their supplies blowing up.]

So, neither the Problem Solver girls were involved either. But this was a good chance to counterattack while the other side was panicking.

In the chaos, the explosions forced Kayoko to retreat to survey their status, giving breathing space for Ayane's drones. Along with that, Aru seemed to be in shambles about losing control of the part-timers who were freaking out, letting Nonomi get out of her sight.

"Go on the attack! Nonomi, you can finally advance. Serika and Shiroko push forward! Mutsuki has to be running out of bombs! Hoshino—"

[I'm back.]

A different voice from the comms could be heard while I gave out orders, and the task force girls recognized the speaker.

[Shion!]

"Shion! You're safe! We were worried."

[Sorry, apparently you had to press a button for it to work. I'm still learning.]

A new marker appeared on the Shittim Chest's battlemap, and it was located... at the enemy flank?

"Shion, why are you on the side of the Problem Solvers... Wait a second."

[Wait, that explosion was YOU?!]

[Uhee~ Our new underclassman is really talented.]

[...It was a total fluke, don't expect it to happen again.]

In the midst of battle, Shion was congratulated for her efforts, despite her claim that it was just luck.

[Anyway, the enemy is distracted. Where do I go now?]

"Ah, right. Shion, try to join up with Hoshino if you can. Hoshino, hold your ground until she gets there."

[This old man is finally getting some help~]

[...I'm coming to your location right now—]

(Dun, dun, dun, dong!)

The school bell from campus played the end-of-the-day chime, and on the battlemap, markers belonging to the mercenaries were trailing backwards away from us.

From everyone's earpieces, the chatter from the other side leaked in.

[Welp, it's time to clock out.]

[We got our money, and that's what matters. See you girls later.]

[Hey, wanna grab some soba for lunch? I haven't eaten at all today.]

[That sounds real nice!]

[Hey! Wait a moment!]

Aru's voice came through, panicking as the sounds of battle died down.

With that in mind, it was probably safe enough to reconvene with the girls at the front.

...

...

...

'Welp! We're boned!"

Everyone, including me, heard the laughter that came from Mutsuki's mouth.

'Urgh..."

Aru groaned at her predicament. Her forces, which were now only the Problem Solver girls, were all dirty and roughed up from the battle. The task force girls on the frontlines were the same, except maybe Shion.

"We should run while we still can, Aru," advised Kayoko.

"Gah! Y-You haven't seen the last of us, Abydos!"

"Haha! You sound like a corny third-rate villain from a cartoon!"

"S-Shut up! Run for—I mean, retreat!"

At her command, the fixer group from Gehenna scrambled away like lightning. Almost too fast.

"W-Wait a second! Aw, they're gone."

Nonomi reached out to them, but it was too late for them to hear.

"Hold on."

(Bang!)

"Ow!"

Shion aimed and shot a round into Aru's ankle while they were running—er, retreating, causing her to yelp in pain and forcing her to limp away.

"...I must be really lucky today."

"Well, serves those pricks right!" Serika exclaimed before putting a hand on Shion's shoulder. "She deserved that for what she did!"

"Don't touch me," Shion pushed her hand off.

[Haha... I'm still not sure what just happened, but I can at least confirm the mercenaries clocked out. I mean, uh, retreated.]

...

"Anyway, that explosion was amazing!"

(Glomp!)

Nonomi suddenly pulled Shion into a bear hug, and the blue-haired girl started flailing her arms around.

"H-Hey! Get off! Too close!"

"Ehe~ This old man is proud of her talented underclassman."

"Hoshino, again, you're basically the same age as the rest of us."

"Congratulations aside, haha..." I spoke up. "We've confirmed that someone is hiring criminals and mercenaries to take down the school..."

"Eh, I'm sure we'll find out more when we look into that Aru girl," Hoshino shrugged.

"I know a lot about them," Shion chimed in after getting out of Nonomi's grip. "The internet is very useful."

She nodded a bit at her comment. It was just then that I noticed there were slightly dark circles under her eyes.

"Shion... when did you go to bed?

"I slept long enough," she retorted, but was slightly out of it, apparently.

She stayed up late tinkering with her phone after I taught her how to use it, didn't she? It was really evident that she had gone to bed late, with her yawning as she stood there, rubbing her eyes. I keep telling her she didn't need to wake up so early...

"Well... let's head back and get some rest," Hoshino began to yawn as well. "I know this oji-san does."

We headed back to the school, and many of the girls left after a bit. Serika had a shift at Shibaseki, so she headed off to Master Shiba. We called him to say that Shion wasn't going to be working today with her, and he responded with relief, like he finally got her to take a break.

"Whew, she's been overworking herself in the past few days, even before the incident, so I'm glad to see that she's taking a breather."

"I see. Well, have a good day, Master."

Shiroko and Nonomi were reorganizing sections of the school to make it more presentable, and Hoshino, as always, was peacefully dozing off to dreamland with her head on the whale-shaped stuffed toy placed on the table.

Shion was back in her room in the infirmary, all curled up and asleep. She insisted she wasn't tired, but her body was less willing to stand with that statement and drifted away to dreamland as well.

In the end, only Ayane and I were left in the club room, both similarly hard at work, clicking away with our devices. I asked Ayane what she was up to earlier, and she answered with something like—

"Ah, I nearly forgot about the deadline for the interest tomorrow. There's a lot of prep work involved, and I think it'll spill into tomorrow morning."

Poor Ayane. I offered to help, but she declined and said that she could do it herself.

...Ah, even more documents from the GSC. We were all office workers in one way or another, huh? Couldn't escape it from the previous world, nor could I here...

* * *

"Good morning, Sensei!"

"Ah, good morning, Ayane."

The other task force girls went home yesterday after it got late, leaving me and Shion at school as usual. I woke up an hour ago and saw that Shion was still in bed, so I walked to the nearest convenience store to get two bentos for breakfast and a bottle of sparkling water for myself as a little wake-up call. It just so happened that I bumped into Ayane while heading back.

She pointed to the bag in my hand. "Is that breakfast you're holding there?"

"Yeah, thought to grab a few boxes for me and Shion. What about you?"

"I already ate, I had to head out early after all."

"Ah, the prep work."

"Yeah... But I did spare some time looking into yesterday's battle and the one before it, so I'll show everyone what I compiled today."

"That's good—"

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

(Glomp!)

"Heya, Sensei!"

"!"

Just at that exact moment, the rushing of footsteps approached me at an instant, and someone with a particular cheery voice locked me into a bear hug from behind.

"What the?!" Ayane exclaimed.

"What a coincidence meeting you here, Sensei!"

Mutsuki hugged me even harder, and I could feel my soul escaping from my body as she squeezed my poor, old back.

"Hmm? I'm not too heavy, am I? Well, you can breathe, so you can deal with it, hehe!

"M-Mutsuki... M-my back—"

"H-Hey! Get off him this instant! He's dying!"

"Ah! Quit pulling!"

An intense tug-of-war ensued between Ayane, who was pulling the girl away with all her might, and Mutsuki, who stuck to my back like an unremovable stain. Eventually, I was freed from the devil's grasp as everyone tumbled to the floor.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Little Miss Four-Eyes from Abydos," Mutsuki said as she stood up and patted herself down. "You really like nosying about in other people's business, huh?"

"I'm not the one who started this whole mess!" Ayane yelled as she did the same. "And my name isn't Little Miss Four-Eyes, nor is it Table-Flipper! It. Is. Ayane!"

"Hihi... It's just business, like we said. Surely we can play nice off the clock."

"A-Are you actually serious?!"

"Why not? It's not like SCHALE only works for Abydos. Isn't that right, Sensei?"

She turned towards me with a cheeky grin as I still clutched my back in pain.

"C-Can't we have this—huff—conversation later—Oh, my back!"

Mutsuki's expression was quick to turn into concern and nervousness as she saw me suffering on the ground.

"Ahaha... I might have gone too far."

"You think?!" Ayane screeched at her.

Mutsuki turned to leave before facing us again.

"Oh well, stop by our office anytime you want, Sensei! Aru and the others would be thrilled to have you... Except don't come with the one who shot Aru in the leg. We're still figuring out which one of you did it, and Haruka is a bit... too energetic at the moment."

She took a few steps and said her goodbyes to us.

"I'll shoot on sight if I catch you in our district again!"

She skipped away in the other direction, not minding Ayane's threat to her.

"Goodness..." Ayane helped me get up on my feet. "Are you okay?"

"I think I'll have to suffer with chronic back pain for the rest of my life if you kids keep hugging me."

"Hah..."

The bentos. Yeah, we didn't talk about them after they were completely ruined from being dropped. I already lost my appetite after that, and Shion was still asleep anyway when we got to the school.

I need a break.

* * *

The task force girls loaded suitcases of money into a black armored truck. A logo that belonged to Kaiser Loans was etched on the sides. A robot in a suit watched each of them carefully like a hawk. Finally, Shiroko, with a clearly irritated expression, placed the last case of money into the vehicle.

"A 7,883,250 yen payment on your loan, including variable interest and additional interest, has been confirmed," the robot chimed. "Paid in cash. No issues to report."

He turned to the rest of us after he shut the doors of the truck.

"Thank you once again for doing business with Kaiser Loans," he bowed. "See you next month."

Not giving us a second look, he went into the driver's seat and sped away from the school gates.

...

The five girls were completely silent and seemingly annoyed. It was like they had repeated this for ages now.

Why did they pay in cash, though?

"Well, we survived another month," Hoshino broke the silence.

"...How much longer to go?" Shiroko asked.

"The repayment schedule is 309 years," Ayane answered. "At the rate we're going—"

"Don't say it!" Serika screeched. "I'm gonna snap if I hear the details!"

...Silence again. Serika's face darkened as she continued.

"Just face it. We'll never pay this off in our lifetimes! Why even bother doing the math?!"

"Do you ever wonder why they only accept cash payments?" Nonomi joined in. "Why would they go out of their way to use armored trucks just to collect cash?"

"I was wondering about that too," I added. "Wait, if you girls never thought about that, have you all just been completely clueless?"

I turned towards the rest of the girls, and many of them were just scratching their heads.

"Really, nothing sounded fishy to you all before I got here?"

"Bah! We can think about it when we go inside," Hoshino exclaimed. "It's getting hot."

"Oh, right! I had a few things to share as well," Ayane said.

We headed inside the school and took our seats in the club room. Serika was going upstairs to wake up Shion, so both of their seats were left empty as Ayane started the meeting.

"Let's begin, shall we?"

Ayane turned her laptop towards everyone, its screen displaying what seemed to be a neatly-made slideshow of sorts.

"The first issue at hand was what happened yesterday, and the culprits behind it—Problem Solver 68."

She clicked a button, and the screen turned into a different slide where the faces of the Problem Solver girls were shown.

"Like we've said before, it's an unofficial club of delinquents likely operating outside of their home district, Gehenna Academy. They present themselves as top-of-the-line fixers, but they're more like lowly errand girls."

We could sense the anger in her voice as she continued on, right before a knock came from the club room door.

(Knock, knock!)

(Whurr! Thunk!)

"Wow... Er, Ayane seems a bit angry. Did something happen?"

Serika seemed to be worried as she appeared with Shion riding on her back. She pulled a seat from the table and gently set the little, blue-haired girl down before sitting in the chair next to her. Shion looked like she had just woken up as she rubbed her eyes.

"Uwah... Good morning..." She said, still half-asleep.

The added presence of the two girls made the room considerably less tense than it was before, even calming Ayane down a bit.

"No, not really, Serika," I answered. "You didn't miss much."

"Aw, Shion's so cute when she's half-asleep!" Nonomi began poking the blue-haired girl's cheek. The victim was still too tired to react.

"Ehe~ This old man is sure glad to have someone similar to me."

"Ahem," Ayane cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention. "Moving on, the redhead we saw the other day was Aru, the club president or boss. She has three employees under her, as she said before. Their names are Mutsuki, Kayoko, and Haruka."

"Wah, they really do mean business, huh?" Hoshino joked.

"Wow! An executive at that age?" Nonomi chimed.

"Again, they're only presenting themselves as fixers, so we can ignore their delusions. Besides, they're probably operating within Abydos, as Sensei and I met one of them on our way to school."

The indirect mention of Mutsuki caused my spine to remember the pain again, only much lighter this time.

"Is what they're doing recognized by their school?" Shiroko asked.

"Probably not, as they're known troublemakers in Gehenna Academy. They're hired to take the school, though, so we have to take this seriously!"

"Maybe we ought to capture and interrogate them..." Hoshino suggested.

"YES!" Ayane slammed the table, surprising us all and even shocking Shion completely awake. "For once, I agree with Hoshino!"

"H-Hey... Ayane?" Serika slowly and nervously raised her hand. "You've been carrying a certain tone during this entire meeting... Is there something you want to tell us?"

"Sensei can definitely talk about it."

"I don't think my back wants to, actually."

"...Uh huh."

"Calm down, Ayane," Nonomi advised. "Take deep breaths..."

Nonomi slowly inhaled and exhaled before motioning for Ayane to try. She did a few times and looked calmer than before.

"Hah... Sorry, just irritated since this morning."

She pressed a button on her laptop to change the slide.

"Moving on to our second issue, the Helmet Gang's attack on Serika and Shion."

Looking at the screen, the rest of us saw detailed schematics and images from the battle on that day.

"After looking over the enemy gear and weapons, I've concluded that many of the items we recovered aren't on the market anymore."

"So how did they get them?" Shiroko spoke up.

"I can only suspect the weapons are linked to the Black Market."

For some reason, I swore I saw Shion twitch at the mention of the place. I turned to look towards her, but I couldn't tell if her always blank expression had changed, so I turned back to question Ayane."

"Hold on," I said. "I'm not too familiar with every location in Kivotos, so could you explain more about this Black Market?"

"Isn't it supposed to be super dangerous?" Nonomi added. "Like crawling around with bad people?"

"Right, like Nonomi said, the Black Market is a melting pot of criminal activity. Delinquents, dropouts, and other sorts of people roam there, not to mention a place where a lot of unauthorized clubs do illegal activities."

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Ayane."

"Clubs like Problem Solver 68?" Shiroko remarked.

"Indeed. Rumor has it that Problem Solver 68 has been seen around and has been causing trouble there as well."

"Welp." Hoshino clapped her hands together. "That's our link. Pretty obvious what we have to do next."

"Go to the Black Market?" Shiroko said.

"Yep!"

A hand was raised, and everyone looked over only to find it belonged to the blue-haired first-year.

"Are we really going to Black Market? Like really, really going?"

"Yes? Is there a problem?" Ayane answered. "I assume we're all leaving tomorrow morning."

"No, haha... Shit, I gotta reorganize..."

I could hear her mutter and curse under her breath, and I think Hoshino picked up on it as well.

"Hmm? But it sounds like you do, my adorable little underclassman. Maybe it's because you've been there?"

"N-No." She instantly denied. "I think for Mister Pervert-Stalker, who is related to the GSC, going into such a criminal district is a bad idea."

"Ah, right. That does make sense for me not to go in. But going in disguised shouldn't be a problem."

"Disguised?" Shiroko said as she pulled out her paper bag of colored balaclava masks.

"No! Those are terrible!" Serika screeched as soon as she caught sight of them.

While the chattering continued, I saw Shion get up from her chair and head to the door.

"Excuse me."

(Whurr... Thunk!)

...

"She's definitely been there," Hoshino said.

"Was she a delinquent before joining us?" Nonomi spoke up.

"Did she rob banks?" Shiroko sparkled.

"She surely didn't!" Serika howled.

"Hah... I'll go get her."

I got up and exited the club room while the girls chatted away about the possibilities of Shion's Black Market connections. Walking around and seeing she wasn't anywhere on the first floor, I headed upstairs to the infirmary, only to open the door and not find her there, but also see the window was open and a long piece of fabric trailing out of it.

There was a note on her neatly-made bed that read she would be back soon.

Shion... When you come back, please never exit through the window ever again.

Chapter Text

…

…

…

(Shuffle, shuffle…)

(Thud!)

A small girl, covered in sand and grime, collapses in the streets of the abandoned district. She carries nothing but herself.

There were strong winds on this particular day, carrying the yellow dust to even the tiniest cracks on the asphalt road.

She would lie there for hours, sand slowly covering her body, hiding her from sight.

But then—

(Whirrrrr…)

The hum of a moving truck glided past the empty streets. A cheap, worn-out cloth draped its trunk, secured tight with industrial-grade ropes. A tough-looking, gray wolfperson operated the vehicle, clearly irritated that he had to use the windshield wipers today, and even then, the sand wouldn’t be completely swept off the glass.

Seeing a shiny glint in the sand-covered town, he stomped on the brakes, put on his gear, and exited the truck.

He walked, and walked, in the direction of the girl, who lay asleep in the dust. But whether it was poor visibility or something else, he passed her, only to enter a house and come out with metal scrap ripped away from household machinery and in varying states of rust.

It was only then that he passed the unconscious child a second time, dropping all his newfound loot after seeing a strand of blue hair in the sand.

He rushed to the girl, digging her out of her grave and dusting her face off. In a princess carry, the child was lifted into the truck and placed into the passenger seat.

The dropped treasures were slowly dragged into the trunk piece by piece, until there was no more.

Getting back to the truck, the wolf started the engine and drove away to the crown hub of illegal activities and dangerous criminals alike, taking the girl with him. He muttered about something under his breath, somewhere along the lines of how he would tell this unexpected experience to his partner in crime, an orange fox with a round belly.

It was at this moment that the girl’s life would change forever.

* * *

Morning, 8 o’clock. Here I was, dragging myself through the school gate, my bag full of the usual stuff before I enrolled here. I had to prepare, after all, as it had been around a month since I stopped going to the Black Market when I first met Mister Chef. Half of the cash I had before was slashed thanks to me going gun shopping, so I really needed the money.

The bag was heavy, and there was a distinct metallic clink at every step I took. Soon, I found myself in front of the club room door after climbing the stairs. The sounds of girls chatting and yelling could be heard behind the door.

(Knock, knock, knock!)

I rapped on the door and was going to slide the door open before—

(Whurr!)

(Thwack!)

“Ow!”

“Next time, don’t use the window like that.”

The stupid, idiotic, perverted adult suddenly appeared and opened the door himself, before the top of my head felt his karate chop.

“Sensei, did you really need to do that?” Lucky asked.

“Shion needs to learn her lesson. Stop running off without us knowing as well, okay?”

“Stupid, freaking pervert…”

I rubbed my head as I walked myself to the couch, flopping over to relax after getting hit in the head.

“Hah…” The pervert sighed as he took his seat. “Ayane, where did we leave off?”

“Ah, right. So, we’re heading into the Black Market today. Nonomi?”

“We got the disguises!” Rich-Girl cheered. “I picked out ones that I thought looked cute!”

“H-HUH?! C-Cute?!” Lucky yelled.

“Haha… Well, I’m not going, so I’ll pass on that, thank you.”

“No, no! You’re wearing it too, Ayane!”

“Eh?!”

“Ehe~ Nonomi’s our resident fashionista after all.”

“Hn, I’m wearing Sensei’s suit.”

“Go ahead, Shiroko. I can’t wear them all anyway… Why did Rin give me so many…”

“Anyway!”

Rich-Girl dug into the mountain of paper bags that I had somehow overlooked on the floor and started handing out sets of clothing to everyone, including me.

“I-I guess I’ll go change now…” Lucky bashfully announced before leaving the room.

“Suit,” Scarfy blankly stated as she stole a set from a cardboard box that probably belonged to Mister Pervert-Stalker and left the room as well.

As they left, the pain from my head subsided, and I stood up to take a gander at what I was given… and my god, was this terrible.

“What the hell,” I said, holding up a summer dress by the straps.

“It’s perfect!” The evil blonde lady declared. “You’ll match with Hoshino!”

“Hehe~ Twinsies.” Pinky agreed, holding up a matching pair.

“Cloak, bag, or death.”

“We can add them later!” She responded before grabbing my shoulders and dragging me out the door. “For now, let’s get changed!”

“Let’s go!”

“Nooooo! You perv! Stop!”

The actual pervert and the table flipper both waved away at the three of us with a smile as the evil blondie dragged me away to the changing rooms.

Damn you all! I’ll curse you for the rest of my life!

* * *

(Whirrrr…)

The wind blew away as the jeep drove to our destination, the jewel of the criminal trade. Looking at the rearview mirror, everyone—except Ayane, as she was still at school—was in their disguises or so they called it, and sat in the passenger seats chatting away at what they could find at the Black Market.

Shiroko, like she said, was dressed in one of my GSC-issued light gray suits. It was completely oversized on her, as expected, but Nonomi thought it added some cute factor, so the baggy look was kept. She still wore the blue scarf around her neck, and Nonomi gave her a teal beret to hide her ears.

Seriously, why did Rin give me so many suits?

Serika was dressed in, and I quote from Nonomi, “A tough, boyish outfit.” Ripped jeans, a pale red band shirt, and a black jacket adorned her. Her hair was made into a bun in the back, and a grey beanie covered her head with her ears poking out. Even with the delinquent look, the fact that it was Serika wearing it made her cuter than scary.

Ahem, Nonomi’s words.

As for the designer herself, her disguise ironically didn’t differ much from her usual school outfit. She just replaced her usual jacket with a white designer one, added a cap, and called it a day. Serika called it cheating and unfair.

Onto Hoshino, she wore a white summer dress and a fancy, brimmed hat in pink with a shawl draping her shoulders. If she lost the lazy attitude, she really looked like a rich woman who delved her hand into the underworld.

And at last, Shion, who was in a daze and sitting on Nonomi’s lap with drool at the side of her mouth. She wore the same dress as Hoshino, but the hat was blue this time. Instead of the shawl, Shion still insisted on the bag and cloak.

Me? Oh, I just wore a black suit this time instead of a gray one, with a red tie, black gloves, and a black fedora to cover my face a bit. Nothing too different.

Together, we looked like a group of entirely shady characters, which sounded fitting for the place we were heading to.

“I see it over there!” spied Nonomi. “The Black Market!”

“General Student Council not welcome… All in big letters…. They sure are funny,” Hoshino remarked.

“I’m glad we covered up the GSC logo on the sides of the jeep…”

At the mention of nearing the Black Market, Shion snapped out of it and became unusually focused, gripping her bag tight.

The metal gates were open, and the girls guarding them didn’t bother to check us. They let us pass freely, and we parked at a nearby lot.

“Alright! Everyone out!” Hoshino demanded.

We walked by the actual entrance of the place, and there we saw a horde of people crowding the many brightly-lit storefronts that lined the entire street. Street stalls of all kinds were mixed in too, with the vendors yelling and shouting to everyone that passed by.

“Huh. So this is the Black Market…” Serika said.

“Wowie! There are so many people here!” Nonomi commented.”Let’s make sure we don’t get lost!”

“Hn, I expected smaller, but this is way too big, like a city almost,” Shiroko added.

“Well, to be fair, we hardly ever leave Abydos, and even then, there are a lot of odd places scattered about.” Hoshino clarified.

“Have you been here, Hoshino?”

“Nope! Not at all, Shiroko. I’ve only heard things about it, and apparently there’s even an aquarium here!”

Drool started to run from the pink-haired senior’s grinning mouth.

“Imagine the amount of delicious sushi we could feast on…”

“I… don’t think that’s what an aquarium for…” retorted Serika.

(Zzt! Crackle!)

[Ahem. Eyes sharp, everyone. You’re in the Black Market, the heart of the illegal weapons and arms trade.]

Ayane, tired from everyone's chatter, spoke into our earpieces, warning us to stay vigilant.

“Actually, this isn’t where that’s done. You can find those in the back alleys that are deeper in the Market.”

Everyone turned to look at the person who spoke up, who was the blue-haired girl in a dress.

“Er, that I know from the internet, yeah. Totally.”

“You’ve definitely been here, Shion,” Serika said.

“N-No way—”

Before Shion could finish her reply, a storm of bullets sounded nearby.

“Wahh! Please stop chasing me! Ahhh!”

“Get back here!”

(Bump!)

(Tumble!)

“Ow…”

A brown-haired girl bumped into Shion, causing both of them to fall over onto the ground.

“Are you okay? Shiroko offered a hand to the girl as Serika helped Shion up at the same time.

[Wait a second, that uniform…]

“Hey!” A black-haired girl with a ponytail wearing a mask barked at us. “We got business with that Trinity girl! Buzz off if you don’t wanna get hurt!”

[Is Trinity’s! One of the Big Three schools in Kivotos!]

Ayane chimed in through the radio, confirming the delinquent’s words.

“Uh... But I don't have any business with you,” the girl nervously squeaked.

After dusting herself off, Shion looked at us and whispered to us and the girl.

“Let me handle this.”

(Step, step…)

Shion, despite her short stature, got herself into an intimidating pose, tipping her hat to just cover her eyes and putting a hand on her hip.

“Hey,” she barked back in an almost hissing tone. “Causing a commotion? You know that this isn’t the place for that.”

“Like she said, back off!” yelled a blond girl who came with the masked girl. “We got to her first, shorty!”

A vein appeared on her cheek at being called short, but she suppressed it.

“The Market Guards, you’ve surely heard of them.”

The two delinquents froze at the mention of some group, their tough act now a bundle of fear.

“Did you know what they did yesterday to a group of girls like you? They were ruthless, brutal, and unrelenting.”

We could see them begin to shiver as she continued talking.

“You really want to risk your lives fighting against them for a friend of ours? Really?”

She stepped forward, inching closer to the two. They backed away slowly in response.

“Go on, scram now.”

“H-Hieeek!”

The two scrambled away like she said, and Shion turned towards us with the same blank expression as always.

“Huh, didn’t think it would work.”

The rest of us looked at each other before looking back at her.

“You really have been here before, ehe~”

“Nn.”

“Yup, yup!”

“Hah… yeah.”

“...I’m really not helping my case, am I?”

She sighed in exasperation and was going to say more before—

“Um…”

We readjusted our attention to the brown-haired girl whom the delinquents were chasing.

“Th-Thank you! Thank you so much! I would have been in so much more trouble if it weren’t for you!”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry about it!” Hoshino assured her. “But what’s a Trinity student doing all the way out in these dumps?”

“Ahaha…” she nervously laughed. “Please don’t tell anyone, but I snuck out to look for something that’s no longer in production…”

“A tank?” Shiroko spoke up.

“A contraband firearm?” Hoshino followed.

“A biochemical agent?” Nonomi spoke up as well.

“If I had to guess… It was something related to Momo Friends by the look of the backpack,” said Shion. “Likely in limited quantity, too.”

Everyone turned to Shion and then looked at the girl. On closer inspection, she was wearing a white bird-themed backpack along with her black and white school uniform, likely based on some branded character, like Shion said.

“Y-Yes! That’s correct!” The girl exclaimed and suddenly took the small girl’s hands into her own, surprising Shion. “Are you by chance a fan of Momo Friends too?”

“Uh… Er… No… But I did have a branded shirt, though. Sadly, it was all torn to shreds.”

The girl gasped and backed away from Shion in disgust.

“Hey, come back to me about your clothing tastes after you get hit by an artillery shell twice.”

“I like Momo Friends!” Nonomi chimed in. “My favorite is Mr. Nikolai! What’s yours, miss…”

“Hifumi! Ajitani Hifumi!” The girl was back to obsessing over this Momo Friends thing again. “Peroro is one of my favorites!”

Hifumi took her bag off and fished out an odd-looking bird plush toy from it.

“Here! This was what I was searching for! It’s a limited edition plushie from the Peroro and Ice Cream franchise collaboration! Only a hundred of them were ever sold!”

I laughed a little as I looked at the two talking about the franchise, with the others just shrugging or minding their own business. It was like I was back home again, seeing her talk about whatever trend went on in those days.

Ah, the joys of life. It has been a while, hasn’t it? Haha… I’m getting old.

Though I expect there would be a lot of scalpers and other overpriced goods at a place called the “Black Market” of all things. The poor girl must have spent a lot of money.

“Ahem! Anyways, what brings you all here to the Black Market?”

“Heh, same as you,” Hoshino answered. “We’re finding something that went off the market.”

“Nn. And hard to find,” Shiroko added.

“Wow, great minds really think alike.”

This was about the time we should really cut the chatter.

“Alright, girls. We should get going now. Those weapons aren’t going to wait to be found, after all. Say goodbye to Hifumi.”

“Oh, weapons?” She asked. “I think they’re further in the Market.”

She repeated exactly what Shion said earlier, so Shion has definitely been here if that wasn’t damning enough.

“You sure know something about this place,” Hoshino commented.

“Haha… I did my research before coming here, just in case. It never hurt to overprepare for something dangerous like the Black Market, right?”

Hoshino did make a good point, and Hifumi’s confirmation gave me an idea. A guide would be helpful.

“Actually, change of plans. Why don’t we invite Hifumi along? If she wants to, of course.”

“O-Oh?”

“A kidnapping?”

“No, not a kidnapping.”

“No, definitely not!”

[Absolutely not.]

“A-Ah?!”

All three of us—Serika, Ayane, and I—blurted out and denied Shiroko’s crime-ridden comment in unison. It was kind of funny how we shared a single brain cell at times.

“I think what Sensei meant was she would be coming along as a guide,” Nonomi explained. “Oop! Was I supposed to keep our identities secret?”

“It’s fine, Nonomi. I don’t believe she would be the type of girl to do anything malicious with that information.” I turned to Hifumi right after assuring Nonomi that she didn’t do anything wrong. “Just consider the offer as payment for getting you out of trouble.”

I smiled at the girl, waiting for her answer.

“O-Oh, you’re that Sensei? O-Oh gee. W-Well, I’m not sure if I would be that much help, but I do owe the blue-haired girl a favor… Speaking of which, I don’t see her anywhere?”

…

What?

We looked around for Shion, but like Hifumi said, she wasn’t anywhere around us. We split up and searched nearby, but again, nothing either. Not a trace of blue.

“Ayane, did you find her anywhere with your drone?”

[Hmm… I checked around a few blocks ahead, but nothing either.]

“Hah…”

I turned on the Shittim Chest and tried to locate her earpiece… but it really seemed like she turned it off again, or it was never on to begin with. She kept slipping out of our sights… Agh…

Goddamn it, Shion.

* * *

The stout fox was in a terrible mood. Not only did he have to deal with the group of ragtag thugs attempting to bargain more for what terrible quality metals they had just brought in, but also the fact that a certain small child had remained unseen for a long time. In fact, it was well over a month since she had visited the place.

So he was already irritated for a long while now, and the idiotic brats in front of him just added fuel to the fire.

(Slam!)

“This thing is worth at least 150 thousand yen! Look at it! It’s made of gold!”

“Kid, I’m no pawnshop. I deal in scrap metal, not gold. And even if you were to bring it to one, no self-respecting pawnshop would ever touch this spray-painted piece of shit.”

He leaned down to take some bills from the side drawer, counted them, and slammed them on the desk.

“20 thousand, final offer.”

“Y-You!”

The brown-haired girl wearing a mask raised her machine gun to the fox’s head.

“Oh, screw off, lassie,” he barked, unfazed by the threat of death that was upon him. Unlike any student you could find, the fox was without the blessing of a halo. “I’ve been in this business for years, and y’all aren’t the first nor the last to come up with this stupid crap.”

He leaned forward, gripping the barrel toward his head.

“I’ve got connections to Market Security. Come on, shoot me and end this miserable life of mine. Your sorry asses will be chased off the Market once they find my corpse. How would y’all like to be homeless, huh, little dropouts?”

“C-Come on,” One of her friends clutched her shoulder, pleading with her to stop. “Let’s just take the money and go.”

The girl grit her teeth and yanked the barrel out of his hands. Taking the money, she left the fox a present—which was flipping the bird to him—as she exited the building with her friends and slammed the metal door shut.

“Dumbass kids…” he muttered under his breath as he stood up to carry the junk they brought him behind the office before coming back to his seat, wiping the glitter off his hands with his shirt. “They used glitter too… Hah…”

The foxperson then sat there, reading the variety of newspapers that were strewn on the table. Each of them was from a different company in the Black Market, as the news industry was extremely competitive.

He couldn’t care less. The adult got the news after all, and he was running a branch office for a scrapyard not too far from it. A dinky office, but an office nonetheless.

Soon, minutes passed by. Often, there would be some robotic con-man or a dogperson coming in and trying to get him to sign off on some shady deals around this time, but it was strangely quiet for what would have been a busy day.

The foxperson thanked whatever was up there in the sky for such a break. He hated seeing such disrespectful people trying to do business with him.

But soon, his peaceful silence would be interrupted.

(Knock. Pause. Knock. Knock. Knock.)

Someone was rapping on the door. Thinking it was another lousy con man trying to scam him off again, he grew angry.

“Bugger off, I ain’t seeing any more idiotic morons today.”

(Knock. Knock. Pause. Knock. Knock.)

(Knock. Knock. Knock. Pause.)

(Knock.)

But despite his declaration, the person still kept knocking. In fact, it was oddly controlled, not wild. The knocks were almost like some sort of… code…

“Hold on… B, L, U, E—”

Yes, that code. The one he made to a certain customer all on a whim. Just for fun.

Upon his realization, he suddenly threw the newspaper in his hands, the roll of paper slamming into a cabinet with a thunk. The fat fox stood up fast, the chair falling over behind him, and rushed to the door.

(Creak!)

“Blue-Chan?”

He opened the door only to witness a short, blue-haired girl standing right in front of the doorway. But she wasn’t the same girl as before.

No. In fact, a lot of her appearance had changed since he last saw her. Her usual, unkempt, sand-filled, blue hair that frayed out everywhere and stretched to her legs was no longer what it was. Instead, it was much shorter, now to her shoulders, and all clean and taken care of. That same oversized, dirty yellow Momo Friends shirt was replaced with a childlike white summer dress, with a lightly-touched cloak draped over it. A brimmed teal hat complemented the outfit.

Slung across her shoulders were a completely different bag and a white, rectangular gun he recognized as an FN P90, accented with blue just like the revolver he had seen on her a few times.

But more importantly, were her eyes. They were no longer empty or dead like a fish. They were brightened anew and clearly were brimming with energy despite her still not smiling like before.

Yet, the fox still saw her as the girl who always visited, full of trust issues and a hostile attitude.

“I-Is… Is it really you?!”

“Hello, Mister Scar-Eye—”

The fox suddenly ran to the back, spooking the girl. She could hear her call his partner in crime, yelling for him to get to the office.

“Un! Un, you stupid moron! She’s back! She’s back!”

“WHAT?!”

(Rattle, rumble…)

Then, from the other door, a tough-looking wolfperson appeared, exhausted and out of breath.

“Holy shit, it’s really her.”

“I know! I know! Oh, this is a joyous day!” Exclaimed the fox as he appeared again.

“...Could someone tell me what’s going on?”

“Blue-Channnn! You didn’t visit for a month! We thought something had happened to you!”

“Oh… Right… It’s a long story…”

“We need to close up shop immediately and go out for lunch! How about that steakhouse that just opened up in the commercial district?”

“Deux…” Un put his hand on his energetic partner’s shoulder. “Calm down, let’s see what she has to say.”

“Sniff… sniff… Okay… Ho, that’s the first in a while that this old fox has been this riled up.”

“Hah… Has Mister Scar-Eye always been like this, Mister Long-Snout?”

“Haha… Still with the nicknames. Well, no, but since you’ve never kept up your usual visits, he’s been a total crybaby.”

Deux let out a hearty laugh at Un’s comment.

“Ha! I guess you could say that.”

“...I’m enrolled now.”

The ears of the two adults perked up.

“Enrolled? Which school, Blue-Chan?” Asked Un.

“Abydos… I’ve met some people, got an actual job, got a new gun…”

She tilted her head to look up at them.

“And I found out who I am somewhat. My real name is Shion, and I’m fourteen.”

“Abydos and probable amnesia… sounds like quite a turn of events.”

“...Un, be a chap and bring us some tea. The special kind. Three cups.”

“...Hmmph. Alright.”

The gray wolf left through the back door, disappearing from sight. The orange fox hobbled to his desk, pulled up his chair, and plopped himself down.

“Well, I’m sure you have stuff for me to look at. Come pull a seat and litter my table with the goods.”

Shion did as Deux said, scooting a stool over to the desk and taking off the bag to place it down. With the bag unzipped, she hauled out heavy plastic bags containing metals of various shapes and sizes. As the final bag touched down at its destination, the fox began his usual inspections, discarding the plastic coverings.

Silence lingered for a bit. Only the hum of the air conditioner and mumbling of the fox remained in the room.

“Hah… We’re done. Not much to say, especially considering the last haul you brought had guns, which the owners bought back, ha.”

He leaned below the desk to get a stack of bills and slammed them on the table.

“60 thousand yen, plus 120 thousand for your retirement.”

“My what now?”

“Retirement,” repeated Un, who came back with a tray of three small cups of tea and a teapot still steaming.

“Hush, now, kid,” Deux commanded as he took his cup and sipped. “Do you remember that day, Un?”

“I remember it like I was a baby. I was worried when she wouldn’t wake up after I arrived back.”

“Haha! And she was angry when she did! Scratched me like a cat with the nearest sharp object I can’t remember it being, probably a pencil or something. That’s how I got this scar on my eye, remember, kid?”

“Sorry…”

“Don’t be. It was a fine memory looking back.”

“I remember when you accompanied me to a scrap hunt when we didn’t get good business,” continued Un. “You didn’t like me, but that really all changed when we gave you cash for your hard work.”

“Soon, you drifted off from this oaf of a wolf and began hunting on your own. Looks like that bag we gave you was no longer of use, huh?”

“Same with that stupid knit blanket that this orange moron didn’t bother finishing.”

“Shut up.”

“You shut up, Deux.”

“Ha, like I would ever.”

…

“BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“OH YOU!”

The two adults laughed and laughed at Shion’s displeasure until they calmed down.

“Hihi… the tea?” Motioned Deux, still laughing a bit.

“Ha, right. You know… way early in the days of our scrapyard, we had gotten a tin of tea leaves from what was it, Shanhaijing?”

“Somewhere like that.”

“Anyways, it was ridiculously expensive, so it became our prized keepsake.”

“We promised later on that if one of us becomes too much of a senile oaf in the future and decides to leave, we would share a few cups of that tea in celebration or something.”

“...That’s the same tea in front of you right now.”

Shion stared into the cup of tea. Her reflection bounced back at her from the yellow water.

“Kid, this place isn’t for you,” Deux stated. “You should be playing around with your new friends, working at that job of yours, and having the best time of your life.”

The fox finished his cup.

“Don’t keep staying in a place like this. Please, this is our request.”

With one swift motion, the wolf drank all of his tea in one sip.

“I know the situation in Abydos isn’t great. But I know with the few kids who think of it as their home that you’ll have a better life than sticking around the dim corners of these alleys.”

“Come visit us if you want,” offered Deux. “But don’t stick around to be something you’ll regret.”

…

(Sip…)

“It’s… terrible.”

“No shit, kid,” Deux said. “I think us two got scammed, haha!”

“Tastes like if it was a brick of disappointment made into tea,” added Un. “This is why I drink coffee.”

“Anyway, the message matters more than the taste. Move on from us, kid. Let these old geezers do the shady stuff.”

…

Shion sipped the last of her tea, shoved the money into her bag, and stood up from her chair.

“Okay, I’ll be going now.”

She pushed her seat aside and was about to head to the door before she was stopped by the fox.

“Well, hold on there. Lemme just…”

The fat fox stood up and fished a smartphone out of his pockets, only to fiddle around with it. After a minute, he gave up and looked towards the girl.

“How do you take pictures on this thing again? I just bought it.”

“Hah… You’re such a senile oaf… Give me that.”

Un snatched the device out of Deux’s hands and quickly opened the camera application. His arm stretched out to pull Shion closer to his side, and he quickly took a few selfies, much to the girl’s surprise.

“Hey! Let me get in the picture first!”

The fox wobbled to the other side of the blue-haired girl, squishing her slightly when he got there.

“Cheese!” The two adults cheered in unison.

(Click!)

It was clear Shion didn’t like getting photographed as she scrambled to the door after they were done taking pictures. But her path was stopped once more.

“Nuh uh uh, you forgot something.”

She turned behind her to see the round, orange fox spreading his arms wide, expecting a hug. The small girl became a bit flushed and reluctant to do so, but eventually gave up and squeezed him tight.

The two adults gave her a business card as a little keepsake and a free coupon at the steakhouse after she gave the wolf a hug of his own. Now, finally at the door, the girl could leave the place for good.

“...Bye.”

“Goodbye, kid.”

“See you in the future!”

Shion gently closed the creaky metal door shut, and the wolf returned to his place in the back of the office.

Though his partner still stood there, staring at the few pictures they took on his smartphone, only to look at the framed photo on top of the cabinet depicting an angry, dusty girl flailing her arms trying to attack the two while the wolf held the camera.

“Deux?” The wolf called. “I need you back here for a second.”

“Ah, right. I’ll be on my way.”

* * *

“We’ve been walking for ages trying to find her!”

Everyone was exhausted, and Serika’s constant whining only made the fatigue worse. We were bumping into so many people in this place that we lost Hoshino and Shiroko in the crowd at one point. Thankfully, it seemed like this area was a lot quieter.

“Ohh… I’m getting too old for this,” added Hoshino. “Agh… My knees and back are killing me.”

“Hoshino,” Nonomi spoke up. “Before you say anything, you might want to look at Sensei…”

“Eh?”

Hoshino whipped towards me, only to see me in a terrible state. My feet were aching, my knees wobbled back and forth, and my back already felt broken. If walking through the desert alone was a struggle for my muscles, then trekking the entire area here looking for a small girl was a similar feeling.

“Ehe~ We’re all in the same boat, I guess.”

“Hah… Hah… Is there any place to sit?”

“Nn. There’s a free bench over there.”

At the mention of seating, everyone looked towards where Shiroko was pointing and rushed to sit down, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Thank the lord for benches,” I sighed.

“Where could she be?” Hifumi said.

“I really hate that she’s too good at sneaking off,” Serika complained. “Like, how is it that we always have to take a long time to find her?!”

“My question exactly, Serika.”

“Ooh!” Nonomi exclaimed. “I see a taiyaki stall over there! I’ll be back in a second!”

Nonomi ran off to the other side of the street, leaving us all draped on the bench. She came back later with a bag full of the pastry.

“One for Serika… One for Hoshino… Oh, one for Sensei, too!”

“Thank you, Nonomi.”

“Mmm, yummy!”

“It’s good.”

“Ahh, thanks, Nonomi. Really needed that sugar break. Here’s one for you, Hifumi.”

Hoshino passed one to Hifumi from the bag.

“Ah, thank you, Hoshino.”

“Sorry, we couldn’t get one for you, Ayane…” Nonomi apologized.

(Click! Zzzt…)

[No worries. I have snacks of my own.]

Just then, loud crunching sounds could be heard over the radio. It was… utterly obnoxious.

[Anyways, we still have no leads on the weapons.]

“Isn’t that odd?” Serika commented.

“Yeah…” Hifumi answered. “Usually, it’s normal for shady deals to be done out in the open, but we haven’t seen anything by searching for the stuff you were all looking for.”

Hifumi pointed at a building not too far from here.

“See that building there? That's the Black Market's infamous Stygian Bank. A lot of illegal stuff happens there, for example.”

“So even the banks are shady…” Nonomi remarked.

[Hmm, that’s weird.]

“What is it, Ayane?” I asked.

[Be aware that there’s a group of armed forces heading into the bank.]

“Oh, I see what you’re talking about,” Hoshino noticed, looking at the armored truck coming in from a distance away. “Hmm? Is that Kaiser Loans truck?”

“And the Market Guards, the Black Market’s top security force!” Hifumi exclaimed. “What are they doing there?”

The armored truck being escorted by armed guards stopped at the gate of the bank. From the driver’s seat, a familiar robot came out. He seemed to be chatting with an armed guard before he went back in the truck when the gates opened.

“Isn’t that the same guy who takes your interest every month?” I spoke up.

[Wait, yeah… You’re right, Sensei.]

“Is that why they’ve been so tough on insisting on cash only?” Nonomi said.

“Hold on, does that mean we have just been funding criminals this entire time?!”

…

Silence fell over the task force girls. There wasn’t really any good response to Serika’s question to begin with.

“We don’t exactly have concrete evidence yet on where the money is going,” I replied to Serika.

[Ah! The papers! The papers I worked on yesterday!]

“Oh yeah! We could find out where it is going from those papers that Ayane handed out to the bank employee,” Nonomi added.

“But wouldn’t the papers already be deep inside the bank now?” Hifumi spoke. “The Stygian Bank is one of the most heavily guarded banks in the Black Market, not to mention it’s crawling with Market Guards!”

She became concerned and put her hand on her chin, trying to come up with solutions to our problem. But…

“Hmm… Maybe we could ask politely for the papers? No, there’s no way they would let us have it so easily…”

Hifumi turned to us, sighing.

“Hah… Sorry… I don’t think I can think of any possible way to help you get them.”

“There is a way,” Shiroko confidently stated.

“What? Huh?”

“It’s the only way. Right, Hoshino?”

“Hmm? Ah… Hehe. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

For some reason, Shiroko translated something to Hoshino, and the only third-year in the group somehow understood what she was talking about.

“Come again?” Hifumi asked, still confused about what they were planning. I, too, was in that same boat.

“Ohhhh! I get it! We’re going to use that plan, aren’t we, Shiroko?”

“Hold on. You can't be serious. You three aren't thinking what I think you're thinking ...are you?”

Serika swapped back and forth at Shiroko, Hoshino, and Nonomi, respectively. When Shiroko nodded, the cat began clawing at her face and clearly screamed internally.

“Pardon the interruption, girls,” I forced out. “But what are you planning to do?”

“Eh? We already discussed it a few days ago at the meeting, though, Sensei?”

A few days ago? We were discussing how to deal with the debt problem in that meeting—

Wait a second…

No.

No.

No, no, no.

You can’t be serious.

“You don’t mean—”

“Yes, Sensei,” Shiroko announced. “It’s time we hit a bank.”

The sound of our gray-headed wolf taking out a paper bag could be heard, and out of the bag were those brightly colored ski-masks. Shiroko pulled a blue one over her head before passing the rest out, except for two. The yellow one, I suspected, was already given to Ayane before we departed. But the last one…

“Shiroko-senpai, are you not going to pass that purple one to Hifumi?” Serika asked.

“Eh?! I don’t wanna participate in a bank robbery!”

“No, this one is for Shion. She can have…”

Shiroko looked around before glancing at the paper bag she held and the other paper bag that held the taiyaki. She took a moment before taking the taiyaki one, puncturing two holes in it and scribbling a six with a pen she had apparently. Hifumi’s head wasn’t spared from being covered by the paper bag.

[Hah… I guess we’re really doing this. I doubt I can talk any of you out of it at this point. Good luck. I'm sure you'll manage somehow.]

Ayane gave up on the idea of turning them back, and I was the only one in opposition.

…Eventually, I gave up, too.

“Shiroko, Shion’s not using that one, so give that to me.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I really don’t want to be known as the one behind all this… and I especially do not want the GSC to find out. A crime is still a crime, you know.”

“It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught,” Hoshino joked.

“Hmph, fine,” Shiroko passed the mask to me. “Just give it to Shion after.”

“I… don’t think she will want it anyway…” I said as I pulled the mask over my head and then put my fedora back on.

“Ehe~ Sensei, could you do the honors?”

“Hah… Let’s go… rob a bank…”

Chapter Text

Known Character Profiles

??? Shion

Aliases: “Blue-chan”

School: Abydos High School

Affiliation: Foreclosure Task Force, Shibaseki Ramen

Age: 14, First Year HS

Height: 140 cm, ~4’ 7”

Weapon: FN P90 “Gift”, Colt Single Action Army “???”

Halo: Pale purple with an unfilled circle that has four long spikes at 90, 180, 270, and 360 degrees. Inside is a four-pointed star with a diamond cutout.

A short, blue-haired girl, now with a brand new look. She doesn’t look like it, but she’s thankful for new clothes, running water, and a clean bed. However, she was devastated when Master Shiba assigned her to a part-time shift instead of a full-time one. She’s still greatly upset by that. When will this tiny, workaholic teenager ever give herself a break…

Akabane Rika

Aliases: “Crimson Thunder”, “Thunder Idiot”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Film Appreciation Society, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 17, Third Year HS

Height: 158 cm, ~5’ 2”

Weapon: Colt Python “A Boss’s Red Right Hand”

Halo: Red with an open square with lightning strikes sprouting from each corner reaching outside.

Still the Crimson Thunder of the Thunder Helmet Gang! It’s evident she needs better security due to how much her friends—usually the sisters—keep stealing from her hard-earned paycheck. At least she got quite a big raise at her part-time job. That helps. Surely. Either way, she’s thankful she and her friends didn’t get on anyone’s bad side in the end.

Tanaka Matsuri

Aliases: “Number One”, “One-chan”, “Idiot One”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Film Appreciation Society, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 15, First Year HS

Height: 155 cm, ~5’ 1”

Weapon: HK UMP9 “A Gangster’s Weapon”

Halo: Orange with an unfilled, three-quarters circle that looks like flames are spewing out. A three-pointed star fills in the missing space.

The energetic, crime-ridden brain of the Thunder Helmet Gang, who can’t stop gushing about meeting Problem Solver 68, one of an uncountable number of criminal idols that really shouldn’t be idols. She’s very excited for the next opportunity to meet them again, which might actually happen soon. Keep her away from the idea of meeting any of the Seven Prisoners, though.

Hoshisaki Nao

Aliases: “Number Two”, “Two-chan”, “Idiot Two”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Film Appreciation Society, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 157 cm, ~5’ 2”

Weapon: Gewehr 43 "What Could Have Been of a Genius”

Halo: White with four lines assembled in an X formation with a circle passing through the midpoint of each line. A dot is situated in the center of that X, along with four other dots on the outside.

The stern tank guru of the Thunder Helmet Gang. She’s very glad she bought pants and other gear to work on keeping the “Thunder Cruiser” in tip-top shape. The name… really isn’t to her liking, not that she likes the crude paint job done by two of her friends either. …She’s hiding something from everyone.

Tanaka Sachi

Aliases: “Number Three”, “Three-chan”, “Idiot Three”

School: Gehenna Academy

Affiliation: Film Appreciation Society, Thunder Helmet Gang

Age: 16, Second Year HS

Height: 161 cm, ~5’ 3”

Weapon: HK G36C “Picnic-Chan”

Halo: Yellow with a heart inside a circle, which has an upside-down heart cutout.

The mom—I mean, big sister—of the Thunder Helmet Gang. Lovable and kind, there’s really not much to hate about her besides her airheadedness. Oh, and her grades… they’re awful, the worst of the entire friend group. She even has lower grades than her sister, the person who has not a single brain cell in her head of all people. She dreams of taking everyone to a picnic.

Sensei

Aliases: “Mister Pervert-Stalker”

Affiliation: SCHALE

Age: Old enough to be your dad

Height: Taller than most of the students for sure (173 cm, ~5’ 8”)

A middle-aged man with a tired old soul and probably Hoshino’s goalpost for the elderly vibe. He’s a tired man, yet he keeps working to see his students happy. Though he has some objections to make about their absurd ideas, which would surely get him in hot water. Feels bad for all the GSC members who have to deal with massive amounts of paperwork.

- - - - -

The List Keeps Growing

Rika - “Thunder Idiot”

Matsuri - “Idiot One”

Nao - “Idiot Two”

Sachi - “Idiot Three”

Deux - “Mister Scar-Face”

Un - “Mister Long-Snout”

Master Shiba - “Mister Chef”

Orange Catlady - “Miss Demon Catlady”

Serika - “Lucky”

Sensei - “Mister Pervert-Stalker”

Hoshino - “Uncle Pinky”

Nonomi - “Big-Chest” “Rich-Girl”

Shiroko - “Scarfy”

Ayane - “Glasses-Lady” “Table-Flipper”

Haruka - “Purple-Girl”

Mutsuki - “Duffel-Bag”

Aru - “Redhead-Dummy”

Kayoko - “Scary-Face”

Hifumi - “Plushie-Fanatic”

- - - - -

Reference Corner (C6-EX2.2)

Chapter 6 - None

Chapter 7 - None

Chapter 8 - “The Devil is a Part-Timer!” anime (title), Blue Archive V1C1E8 (bowl scene)

Chapter 9 - “My Deer Friend Nokotan” anime (title)

Chapter 10 - Blue Archive V1C1E5 (title)

EX 2.2 - “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” game (title)

- - - - -

Other Notes

Shion’s Relationships

Now that Shion’s actually met some new people, it's not hard to say she’s made a few relationships, good or bad.

The person she’s closest to is Serika, being her co-worker and classmate and all. Hates seeing her fall for obvious scams and would scold her day and night for such a thing, despite the age difference. Serika does think Shion’s somewhat reliable, though she really needs a leash.

Nonomi is a close second, for reasons unknown to Shion. She’s just comfortable to hang around with, I guess. Shion hates being her dress-up doll, though, and still doesn’t forgive her for being forced to wear that dress. Nonomi just thinks she’s cute.

Shion isn’t particularly close to Shiroko yet. Dislikes her tendency to crime, however. She isn’t close with Ayane much either, but always takes a few steps away from her in case another table starts flying.

She doesn’t actually like Hoshino much. She’s always wary of her ever since her cheek got bashed in when she was running away. And of course, she hates Sensei a lot. Why? No reason.

Her opinion on Rika and co. is different because she’s completely clueless that the weird Gehenna students and the Thunder Helmet Gang are the same people. The former she thinks are just odd, the latter she thinks are stupid and annoying.

The only good and trustworthy adults in her eyes are Master Shiba and the Scrap Union duo, Sensei not included.

Rika’s Relationships

Poor Rika doesn’t actually have a lot of friends despite being in Gehenna for a long time. Wonder why.

Anyway, she thinks of Matsuri as a kind of mismanaged blunder. She’s too unaware of everything and way too impulsive. But despite that, they love the idea of being the cool bad guy and share stuff about it. Matsuri thinks of her as the coolest boss ever. (She’s dumb.)

Nao is eerily reliable, especially for homework, which is something she would rather not do, and would rather watch films with Matsuri instead. She’s very glad to have someone really competent on her side, but wonders about her background because Nao doesn’t say much about herself. Nao, on the other hand, questions how she became friends with Rika in the first place.

Sachi is a lovable idiot who is also the friend group’s snack dispenser. Rika can just ask her for a protein bar if she is hungry. Sachi thinks of everyone as her little sister, despite Nao being the same age and Rika being older.

Shion… feels very… familiar…

Film Appreciation Society and the Thunder Helmet Gang

I realized the Thunder Helmet Gang had become bootleg Problem Solver 68 (Thus the EX omake became). Really, the only difference is that they’re new and worse at their job than Problem Solver 68 (The Katakata contract was their first one), and that they have a tank. I also just learned that Problem Solver isn’t actually a sanctioned club despite the game listing them so (which is probably the same with the Gourmet Research Society and the Hot Springs Department). That’s the other difference with the Thunder Helmet Gang. They actually have a sanctioned club.

The Film Appreciation Society is an official club headed by Rika, with its members being Matsuri, Nao, and Sachi. Its description lists it as a club that just enjoys watching films and other related media and discussing them. It doesn’t actually list what genre they watch, which is mostly noir and gangster movies. The club is more the public face of the Thunder Helmet Gang, as for some reason, Rika is unusually cautious for a Gehenna student when she’s being a delinquent. She doesn’t wanna get on the Prefect Team’s radar, nor get on their bad side.

- - - - -

Art Corner

They got new drip (kinda)

Chapter Text

“Nao! Rika! We’re back from Gehenna!”

Sachi and her little sister came into our hideout holding several paper bags in their hands. Rika was snoozing on one of the rickety folding chairs with a snot bubble coming from her nose. She was stirred awake when they entered, and the bubble snot popped as she almost fell out of her chair.

I, on the other hand, had just finished modifying the tank we stole from the Katakata a bit ago. Apparently, that incident was reported on Kronos’ website, but it was after we destroyed it, at the very least. I felt Rika would be devastated if we got on the Prefect Team’s radar because of that. Though… I had a suspicion we already were.

The tank could really do without the crappy paint job that Rika and Matsuri put on, however.

“Huh?! Wuh? Oh, you’re back.”

“Welcome back, you two. What did you get?”

“We got new clothes and weapons, along with snacks!” Matsuri announced.

“Oh, sweet!” Rika said. “Wait, weapons?”

“We traded the rifles you brought us for new firearms,” Sachi explained. “Though, I’ll admit, Ma-chan did all the purchases there, haha.”

“I bought an HK UMP9, and Sachi-nee got an HK G36C!”

Ah, so a submachine gun and a new assault rifle. They fit them.

“...I know Nao asked me for money to buy some armor plates for the tank and that expensive Millennium spray paint, but where did you two get the money for that?”

“Uhm… Uh…”

Sachi and Matsuri started looking away from Rika and shivering awkwardly. They definitely used her money without permission.

“Those things were expensive… Wait a second. What’s my balance…”

Rika took out her phone and unlocked the device. I saw her eyes widen when the white glare of the banking app brightened her face.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY BANK ACCOUNT IS IN THE NEGATIVES?!”

The chair she was sleeping on slammed onto the floor as she suddenly stood up and grabbed Sachi by the collar. It was kinda funny to see the shorter Rika hold up the taller Sachi.

“HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU SPEND?! NO, MORE IMPORTANTLY, HOW DID YOU USE MY CARD?!”

“Hweh?! I mean… I thought Matsuri said something about you letting her use it…”

“I asked you when you were sleeping and you said yes!” Matsuri stated. “Also, we spent like 100 thousand yen!”

Rika snapped her head to look at Matsuri—who was totally clueless about the atmosphere—and then dropped Sachi to the floor. She crawled away to the corner of the room and sat down, depressed. Sachi was catching her breath on the floor.

“Hah…” I sighed and went up to the sulking Rika to comfort her. “I’m sure we can turn all this around somehow…”

And just then, I had a good idea.

“Hmm, I guess we could be fixers for a day,” I said as we stood up. “It has been a while since the Katakata contract, and that was an unofficial agreement anyway, so it didn’t count.”

“Ooh! Fixers like Problem Solver 68?” Matsuri asked.

“...I- Who? Matsuri, you do realize I’m not actually in the know about every criminal, right?”

“Hack! Cough!”

With a few loud coughs, Sachi finally got herself together and stood up.

“Hah… I think Ma-chan’s talking about those girls we saw yesterday. The ones that came in with the redhead?”

Huh. They were famous—well, probably I should say infamous—criminals? That explained why Rika and Matsuri had such a reaction at Master Shiba’s place.

“Whatever, sure. Why not. Hah…”

I pulled out my phone and started looking for bounties that we could take. I took a seat as I scrolled through each one.

“No, that’s in Trinity… No, that’s too low… Hey… what are you guys doing?”

I felt something looming behind me, so I looked back and was surprised to see everyone just looking over my shoulder. Rika was even there, seemingly all calmed down.

“Oh, don’t mind us! You can keep scrolling, Nao-chan!”

“...You all have smartphones. Just… use them?”

“Haha… My phone’s dead…”

“I’m locked out for 10 more minutes!”

“Nao, mine won’t turn on…”

…

How were we still a group?

“Hah… Sachi, I have a power bank. Senpai, I’ll take a look after.”

“Thanks!”

“Hey! What about me?”

“...Matsuri, just… wait a bit.”

I really should have passed that exam…

Anyways, I turned back to my phone and continued looking for any job worth our time. Many were in Trinity—which was a no-go because we’re from Gehenna—or didn’t pay well, so I kept searching for minutes on end with the three musketeers right behind me.

“Oh, hey, Nao-chan, take a look at that one,” Sachi pointed to a contract on the screen.

I clicked on it to take a closer look, and it was… surprisingly worth it. It was in Abydos, so we didn’t have to travel that far, and we just had to retake some stolen packages from some no-name gangsters. I did take the listing with a grain of salt, but it really didn’t seem that shady after looking more into it.

“This might be a good one. Don’t know why these are worth a little over 200 thousand, but it’s simple enough.”

“Well, money is money, right?” Rika added.

“Sometimes. This doesn’t look that odd, so do you wanna give it a call?”

“Ah, sure.”

I rang the number up and handed my phone for Rika to chat. The outgoing ringtone blared on the speaker a few times before the client picked up the phone.

[Hello? Please state your business.]

An almost automatic, robotic voice came through the speaker.

“Hi! We’re the Thunder Helmet Gang, and we saw your listing online!”

[Oh, the contract, let’s see…]

The sound of paper shuffling about echoed through the phone for a few minutes before it finally stopped.

[You are to clear out all enemies and retrieve the packages from them. The target location is Central Abydos District 29, near the northern border.]

(Rustle, rustle…)

[After you have taken the packages, all marked with a bright red sticker, you are to head to the abandoned station in Northern Abydos District 31 and hand them over to one of our representatives.]

(Rustle, rustle…)

[If we find that any of the packages is heavily damaged or intentionally opened, we will not compensate you for your efforts. We will transfer the payment in person upon completion.]

(Rustle…)

[Any questions?]

“No, sir!”

“Hey, wait a second.”

“Huh?!”

I snatched my phone back from Rika. She almost instantly agreed on it if it wasn’t for one thing the client said.

“Sorry, but are you going to pay in cash when we complete the job?”

[Hmm? So you don’t want to accept the contract?]

…

“Fine, we’ll take your terms.”

[Good. Your deadline is a week from now. Notify us if you complete it early.]

(Click!)

The client hung up on us. I looked behind to everyone, whose faces were… in a variety of expressions.

“I think I’m starting to regret ever suggesting being a fixer for a day.”

“Well… It’s sketchy, but that’s it, right?” Sachi stated. “We don’t actually know if they’re going to pull something, but on the bright side, they might not!”

She smiled, trying to be optimistic. Meanwhile…

“Contract, woooo!”

Her sister ran around the room, excited to be a fixer or something, while Rika stood there in disbelief. Rika came back to her senses a bit later and sighed.

“Well… let’s get ready to leave then. Nao, can you start the tank?”

“Hold on,” I stood up, “I want to take a look at the clothes Sachi brought. I’m all sweaty and covered in gunk from working on the tank.”

I headed to the paper bags that Sachi and Matsuri placed on the table and fished out some black jeans and a white tank top.

“Thanks for getting me some actual pants, Sachi.”

“No problem! But… why?”

“Loose fabric can get caught in gears while I work on the tank. I would like to avoid becoming shredded cheese, thank you very much.”

“Ah.”

With my clothes in hand, I grabbed my toolkit before stopping at the door.

“I’m going to go change in an empty room. I’ll be back in a few.”

* * *

“All ready?!”

“Yes, Senpai!”

“Ha… yeah…”

“Mhm!”

When I came back from changing and came outside to our tank parked in the street, I saw everyone else in different outfits.

Sachi, most notably, was wearing a yellow turtleneck sweater over her uniform’s black dress shirt and black skirt. The fanny pack she always had was strapped across her waist, probably full of snacks or something. I didn’t know how she wasn’t hot with that sweater, though.

Matsuri probably got into a mafia obsession this time, as she was wearing a dark red sleeveless vest over her usual uniform and replaced the skirt with a black pencil one. She kept the uniform’s shirt and red tie, however, and for some reason, she had an orange bandana tied around her leg.

Rika’s… wasn’t that much different from before. If anything, she just had an orange bandana like Matsuri, only around the neck this time. She wore the same zipped-up, black leather jacket over her uniform as always.

And for me, I just took the red tracksuit jacket that Rika gave us and just put it over the new clothes I had. But at least with actual pants, I could hook my toolkit on the belt.

So, we had a theme, and today’s events just shattered it. Not that I cared.

“Is there anything else before we go?”

Rika turned towards me, waiting for an answer.

“Hmm, we don’t have a lot of HE shells left. I would like to avoid fighting with the tank if possible.”

“A lot of what?” Matsuri asked.

“HE. High-Explosive,” I turned to Matsuri. “There are other types of shells, like AP and such.”

She looked at me in awe, like I had given her one billion yen or something. It was just simple knowledge from school—wait, she doesn’t study, of course she wouldn’t know.

“Hah…” I sighed and turned back to Rika. “The tank’s been reinforced, so the armor won’t dent easily. I’ve also simplified the controls a bit and stashed some first aid in the corner, just in case. Oh, and your phone’s fixed, and I charged Sachi’s battery back to full.”

From my pocket, I took their phones out and handed them back.

“Thank you, Nao-chan!”

“Oh, thanks! Now the Thunder Cruiser is in tip-top shape!”

“…The what now?”

“The Thunder Cruiser!” Matsuri repeated. “Rika-senpai and I named the tank!”

…The name was so lame. Seriously? And with the crappy paint job, too?

“...You two need better naming sense—never mind, let’s just get going.”

I headed to the… “Thunder Cruiser” and climbed to the open hatch before dropping down inside. When I got into the driver’s seat, everyone else followed, with Rika being the last one in.

With a few clicks of the control panel I installed, the engine stirred without a hitch, and we drove away to our destination.

…

…

…

“...I’m bored,” Matsuri stated. “Can’t I blow up a building for fun?”

“Matsuri, no. We need to conserve ammunition, and we can’t even buy more due to someone spending all of Senpai’s budget.”

“Sorry…” Sachi apologized in place of her sister.

“Seriously, all of you guys need jobs! I can’t be the only one working in retail!”

“Wait… you work in retail. I’m… sorry to hear that.”

“Nao, why are you talking like someone died?”

“No, I’m just saying it must be a nightmare.”

“...You’re not wrong.”

So the entire ride was just small talk mixed in with either Rika or Matsuri complaining about something stupid, mostly Matsuri. So far, the trip has been shorter than the first trip from Gehenna to Abydos, yet somehow, there was more whining.

And these three were high school students. Something didn’t click.

“Nao-chan, we’re supposed to be in District 29, right?”

“Central District 29, but yes.”

Apparently, Abydos was so big that they had to divide the entire region into subregions with their own district numbers. I’d imagine it was probably a hassle to get around from district to district.

I mean, it was still a hassle even now.

“I think we’re in the wrong district. I saw a sign that said District 26.”

(Thump!)

(Screeeech!)

(Crash!)

“Ow!”

“Wah!”

“Augh! Nao, what the hell?!”

“I hate this damn desert so, so much…” I slumped in front of the controls.

I slammed the brakes, only for the tank to come to a sudden halt and throw everyone else to the front like scrambled eggs on the floor. Lifting my head, I turned to my fallen classmates.

“So, where the hell is District 29?”

“I think… y-you just passed it…” Sachi groaned.

Sighing, I turned the tank back around and followed the dusty road back from where we came. Soon, all three of them got up and chatted away like nothing ever happened. It was a good thing they were wearing their helmets at least. No head injuries today.

Finally, we came across the target location. The gangster base was in a cleverly hidden spot, holed away in an office building chock full of sand, just like our own hideout. Feels like someone was copying someone…

Either way, we only found it due to an unlucky girl just hanging out in the front entrance. It looked like our enemies were part of some lesser-known helmet gang just by looking at the pink and blue outfit the girl had on. At least it wasn’t the Katakata again.

We were a good distance away, but if the tank got closer, the girl would surely notice the sound of the engine—if she didn’t already notice the black and red paint job contrasting with the yellow backdrop, that is.

I gradually pressed the brakes this time, and the tank came to a gentle stop.

“Alright, get out of the tank.”

Slowly, everyone climbed the ladder and exited the hatch to jump down to the ground. I was the last to set foot on the sandy ground.

“So! What’s the plan, Senpai?” Matsuri excitedly asked.

“Of course! As the cool and badass gangsters we are, we’re going to charge through guns blazing—”

“Absolutely not,” I interrupted. “We’re all going to get shot down the moment we step in.”

I sighed and turned to everyone.

“Remember, while the contract doesn’t seem that bad, the client barely gave us any information. There could be fifty of them, wielding miniguns for all we know. None of us can take down that many at once.”

The three of them started nodding at my words, their mouths all shaped like a circle.

“Senpai and I will head out first and take as many of them down as we can silently. Sachi and Matsuri should stay outside and act as reconnaissance. If needed, we’ll contact you on MomoTalk if things go awry. Sound good?”

“H-Haha… Y-Yeah! I was definitely thinking that!”

I looked at Rika, who was nervously stuttering over her words. The sisters seemed to agree on the plan.

“...Alright then. Senpai, come with me.”

I headed towards an alley on the same street as the enemy hideout, and Rika trotted along. There was a ladder outside the building next to the office that led up to the roof, so we climbed to the top.

The reason we were at such a height—though it was only around four stories tall—was that I saw a door on the roof leading to the inside, totally unguarded. It was a good entry point if we wanted to be quiet.

“Senpai, would you mind giving me some space?”

“Huh? Uh, sure.”

She took a few steps away from me, and I backed up as well.

And then I began to run and jumped over.

(Thud!)

“Senpai! Come on! Jump over!”

“H-Huh?! Uh!”

Rika was shocked that I leaped to the other side and looked down into the alley below in fear. Her legs started to shake as she backed away and looked at me.

“N-Nao… I-Is it a good time to tell you I have a fear of heights?”

Ah crap.

“You've got to be kidding me.”

“N-No! Really! I do! Thunder’s worse, but heights are still equally as bad!”

“Ah… Well. I’ll catch you! Don’t worry!”

She still stood there, now nearly jelly.

“Augh… Would the great Crimson Thunder be uncool and be scared of heights?” I said in a sing-song voice.

“N-No! T-The great Crimson Thunder doesn’t fear anything! If anything, K-Kivotos fears me!”

“Then prove it,” I said, raising my arms out.

For a moment, she stopped shaking and seemed to bite her lip. She reluctantly took a few steps back and—

“AHHHHHHHHH!”

…Ran with all her might, jumping across the gap safely. She breathed heavily, the adrenaline still kicking in.

“I did it!” She raised her arms and shouted. “I did it! I jumped over a—”

“Good job,” I congratulated her while putting my hand over her mouth. “But we need to stay quiet, remember?”

“Mhmpf!” She nodded.

(Ping!)

The distinct MomoTalk notification chime sounded from our phones. I let go of her mouth and took mine out to open the app, only to see a message from the group chat.

[I saw you guys jumping over buildings. Are you two okay?]

Sachi was apparently concerned about us getting to the roof.

[We’re fine.]

[Oh… Thank goodness.]

She sent a message of relief. Since I told them to survey the area for us, I asked them if anything had happened.

[What’s the status on the ground below?]

[Nothing much. There are a few of them now in the front entrance.]

[Alright. Thanks. We’re going to silence our phones now. We’ll check in periodically.]

Seeing nothing of importance, I went ahead and switched my phone to silent mode before putting it away.

“Senpai, turn your phone to silent.”

“Ah, right.”

(Click!)

“I’ve done it.”

“Good. Let’s go.”

* * *

(Clink, clack…)

“Hmm? Did you hear something?”

“No clue what you’re talking—”

(Thwack! Thwack!)

(Thud! Slam!)

“...Let’s keep moving.”

Two armed helmet gangsters dressed in pink and blue were knocked out by the two girls sneaking about. They waded around the second floor of the building, searching for anything that looked like their target and taking down everyone that came by, all without a squeak. But after a few long hours, they couldn’t even find what they were looking for.

“Nothing on my end,” whispered Nao as she finished digging through one side of a storage room.

“Nothing here either,” stated Rika as she finished her side. “So only the first floor is left…”

“Hah… You know, I didn’t bring the sisters inside because I honestly thought they would mess up immediately.”

“...That seems accurate. Well, what do we do now?”

“Search the floor below, I guess.”

The two Helmet Gangsters sighed as they left the room and trodded down the nearest stairwell.

But not even a moment after they entered the first floor, they spotted a completely open door with paper strewn all over the floor.

“Hey, Nao?”

“Yeah?”

“You think that’s where we’ll find the packages?”

“No way,” Nao said as she trotted inside the room. “We searched like fifty rooms already, what are the chances that this room has them—”

Her lips stopped moving as her jaw dropped to the floor.

“Nao? What’s going on—”

Rika entered the room, wondering why her underclassman stopped before she turned towards where her friend was looking and did the same.

“Did we…”

“Finally!” Nao exclaimed as she dropped to her knees. “We found them after hours of hitting people and searching everywhere!”

“How are we going to carry… one, two, three… five large boxes without raising any alarms? They seem really heavy, too."

“Ah.”

Silence came flooding in as Rika offered her realizations to her underclassman.

“Ha… I suppose we’ll have to run for it. I doubt we’ll have time to come back inside. I’ll text Sachi.”

“I’ll start dragging them out…”

Rika hoisted a box under both of her arms as Nao turned on her phone to notify her two friends outside. When Sachi came back with a reply, she shoved it in her pocket and stacked the rest of the packages in her arms.

They hauled them out as quietly as they could, hiding behind walls and ducking under cover to avoid the gangsters of the pink and blue Helmet Gang. At one point, they were almost caught.

“Wagh!”

(Trip! Thud! Clatter!)

Rika tripped on a rock on the floor and tumbled into Nao, the boxes in their arms all dropping to the floor.

“Huh? What was that?

A nearby helmet gangster heard the commotion and decided to investigate, walking steadily towards the wall the two were behind before—

(Thwack!)

(Thud!)

“...Close call,” Nao huffed before helping her upperclassman up. “You alright?”

“Augh… Yeah,” Rika said while patting herself down. “I didn’t expect to trip.”

“Well, the good news is the boxes aren’t badly damaged… yet. Let’s just hurry up and leave.”

The two each lifted up their share of the packages and heaved closer to the exit.

Soon, they came across the lobby, with one huge doorway leading outside. It was heavily guarded, with multiple girls sitting around and chatting as if it were a normal school day.

“Nao!” Rika whispered. “What do we do?!”

“...Augh, we’re in big trouble. We can’t run for it safely without being shot at. If only we had a distraction…”

“Want me to text Sachi to stir up something?”

“Eh… Maybe. Doesn’t seem we’ll leave without a scratch, though—”

(Ping!)

They froze. A notification sound came from Rika.

“YOU!” Nao hissed. “DID YOU NOT GO SILENT?”

“I did! I did!” Rika panicked. “I swear I did! It must be a text from Sachi!”

Rika gently put down the packages in her arms and pulled out her phone to check her MomoTalk.

“Sachi says… a group of four is approaching the entrance?”

“What?”

(Bang!)

(Ratatatatat!)

(Boom! Crumble!)

Gunshots were heard outside, and then a deafening explosion blew up a wall near the front entrance.

“We’re under attack!”

“Shoot them! Shoot them—Augh!”

Panic spread from the wall behind them. The two helmet gangsters peered out from there only to see…

An overconfident redhead, a mischievous shortie, a purple-haired girl, and a scary-looking delinquent.

“Ha… Did you really have to blow up the entire wall, Mutsuki?”

“Kufufu… I mean, they spotted us before we could even have a chance of sneaking around, so why should I let such a good opportunity go to waste?”

The delinquent sighed at her friend's remark.

“W-Who are you people?!” A shivering helmet gangster squeaked.

“Heheh…” The redhead chuckled. “Who are we? We are…”

Just then, another text on Rika’s phone came through from Sachi.

[Senpai! Nao-chan! Those four are…]

“...Problem Solver 68! ”

[...Problem Solver 68!]

The helmet gangsters in the front and the other two helmet gangsters hiding around were stunned.

“We’ve been hired to take a few packages from you. Surrender them now if you want to get out of here alive.”

“N-Never!” Shouted another helmet gangster before she started blasting her rifle at the four intruders, only to be shot down by the purple girl with a shotgun.

“How dare you try to hurt Aru-sama…” She huffed before loading another shell into her weapon. “Unforgivable, unforgivable, UNFORGIVABLE!!!”

The lobby escalated into a warzone as the girl brazenly charged in, with the other three following behind her. Bullets whizzed past in all directions, and explosives crumbled every part of the room.

“...Well. Isn’t this convenient?” Nao sighed. “Rika, text the two to near the exit. We’ll regroup, lighten our load, and make a break for it.”

“...A-Alright.”

Rika quickly texted back and hoisted her share under her arms again.

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s go!”

The two helmet gangsters rushed out from the wall, screaming all the way outside. Most of the combatants were too occupied with fighting each other, but…

“H-Hey? Isn’t that…”

“Boss, those two are escaping with the packages.”

“Ha?! Urgh… We’re too preoccupied right now…”

“Hah… I’ll go ahead and stop them. They’re just helmet gangsters anyway.”

“R-Right! Go do that! We’ll come once we’re done!”

Kayoko quickly reloaded her pistol and disappeared, chasing after the runaways.

…

…

…

“Senpai! Nao-chan!”

“Hah… Ha… Take this.”

On the road farther away from the office hideout, Nao passed a box to Sachi while Rika passed one to Matsuri.

“We have to go, now,” Nao said. “Problem Solver is on the same contract as us.”

“We’re meeting Problem Solver again! We’re meeting—”

“Matsuri, stop jumping around. They’re our enemy right now, and we can’t beat them in a fight—”

(Whiz!)

A bullet passed by, nearly grazing Nao’s helmet. The four turned to see a scary-looking girl behind them, holding a smoking pistol. Her face scared all but one of the group, though.

“It’s Kayoko of Problem Solver 68!” Matsuri exclaimed.

“Hand them over,” Kayoko demanded.

“Crap… We’re all unarmed too…” Rika said. “Run for it!”

Kayoko was surprised that they all collectively decided to run away in front of her, but she shot them repeatedly. The four braced for impact, taking the hits yet still sprinting away.

“Ow! That hurts!” Sachi yelped.

“I can’t believe I’m being shot at by Kayoko!” Matsuri laughed as she ran.

“Are you crazy?!” Rika yelled. “We need to shake her off!”

“Hah… Toss all the boxes to me!” Nao commanded. “Cover me while I run to the tank!”

Turning into an alley, the four stopped and took a small breather before they handed everything to Nao. She struggled to hold everything, but managed to get a good grip somehow. Everyone nodded at each other and then separated in different directions. Rika and the sisters ran back to face the scary devil while Nao rushed further into the alleyway.

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“You guys are back… missing a member too…”

“We’re the ones completing this contract! Not Problem Solver!” Rika announced.

“Wait… you’re not with those helmets over there?”

“...No? We’re the Thunder Helmet Gang? I don’t even know who they are.”

Only the windy breeze carrying sand could be heard as all four were awkwardly silent.

“...Either way, Aru’s taking those packages.”

“Nuh uh!” Rika said as she raised her revolver towards Kayoko. Matsuri eagerly raised her submachine gun as well, while Sachi reluctantly followed with her rifle.

A standoff began between the scary-faced girl and the three helmet gangsters before it devolved into another firefight. The rest of the Problem Solvers would join in the fun later on, but on the other hand…

(Thunk!)

“Ha… That’s the last of them. Everything’s secure.”

Nao finished dropping the packages inside the Thunder Cruiser and hopped into the driver’s seat. A few buttons were clicked, some switches flicked the other way, and the engine began to roar.

“Good, good… All systems clear… Time to reinforce Senpai.”

(Vrrrrrr!)

The tank sped out, taking a turn into the main street. The thundering gunfire and the trembling noise of explosions sounded ever closer as the tank lurched forward.

* * *

“DIE DIE DIE!” Haruka yelled as she shot forth a few bursts of buckshot into Matsuri’s face. Somehow, Matsuri was completely unfazed. Actually, she was more excited than in pain.

“Haha! Haruka is telling me to die!” Matsuri exclaimed as she shot back with her submachine gun.

(Whip! Thud!)

“Agh!”

Haruka was then suddenly kicked in the chest by Rika, dropping down to the floor before being shot three times by the black and red revolver of the Crimson Thunder. Rika grabbed her underclassman’s wrist, pulling her away into cover.

“You stupid fangirl! I know we both like gangsters and criminals, but now is NOT the time!”

“Are you okay, Ma-chan?!” Sachi shouted as she pulled a few bandages from her fanny pack.

“I’m completely fine!”

“No, you are not!” Rika screamed at her as she tried to shoot Mutsuki before ducking to reload.

For a moment, there was a period of silence as all seven combatants were either busy reloading or doing something else.

“Boss, what do we do?” Kayoko asked Aru as she pulled the dazed Haruka back to safety. “They’re tougher than the other helmets over there.”

“W-We’ll keep fighting! We have the numbers advantage, after all!”

(Vrrrrr…)

“What’s that noise?” Mutsuki asked.

“?”

Aru, confused, peered from the top of the cement barricade. Suddenly, she began shaking.

“Boss?”

Kayoko, seeing Aru shivering, peered out as well. She realized why her boss was shaking.

The black sheen of metal plates covered it from top to bottom. Red thunderbolts accented the steel, and the rotating turret bore a long barrel. A tank appeared, through and through.

“...That’s a tank.”

“WHERE DID THEY GET A TANK?!”

“Haha! We’re in big trouble…”

The tank came to a stop, and cheers could be heard from the other side. The barrel started turning directly forward before it…

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

…Shot a round at the Problem Solvers, destroying the area behind them. Dust filled their vision as they coughed from the debris.

[That was a warning shot. Leave us alone.]

A garbled voice came from the tank, warning the Problem Solvers to leave immediately.

“THAT WAS A WARNING SHOT?!”

“That was… eerily accurate. It almost hit us.”

“Well, with enough bombs, it’ll eventually blow up, right?”

“Right. There’s still a good chance we can turn the tide.”

“Ugh…”

Just then, Haruka came back to her senses. She looked around, saw the rest of her friends with her, and bent down kneeling before the jumbled Aru.

“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” She repeatedly cried out. “I’m sorry I failed to take any of them down!”

“Ha?! Uhm… It’s okay, Haruka.”

“Hehe! I got a good idea!” Mutsuki proposed. “We just need to throw a bomb in the hatch of the tank, and the rest will come falling over!”

“But it's guarded by three other people.”

“I’m sure Aru’s explosive bullets could do the trick~” She retorted. “Besides, Haruka can sway their attention, and you can scare ‘em off!”

She smiled brightly.

“Aru can pluck the loud one out, Haruka can take the other two, and we’ll handle the bombs!”

“...That’s not actually a bad plan. But… we might need to do something about Haruka.”

Kayoko pointed at their purple friend, still groveling in front of them.

“Aru?”

“Uh, ahem,” The inspiring leader cleared her throat. “Huhu… Haruka, raise your head.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You’ll take down anyone in our way, right?”

“Y-Yes! Anything for Aru-sama!”

“Heheh… Good. Then let’s go!”

…

…

…

[The Problem Solvers are charging at us.]

“What?!”

Rika peeked behind the barricade and saw three girls heading straight for them.

[I’m firing another shell. We have exactly one round remaining after that.]

“Just go ahead! Waste them all!” Rika commanded. “Matsuri, block their path! Sachi, give her cover fire!”

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

A tank shell flew across the street, but it just missed the fixers.

[Agh… Did I miscalculate the angle? Ha… Loading a new round.]

“I’m going to fight Problem Solver again!” Matsuri exclaimed as she jumped over the barricade. She ran in closer to meet them, discharging a stream of lead towards the fixers. Kayoko and Mutsuki narrowly dodged her fire, but Haruka tanked it head-on.

“By the order of Aru-sama,” The purple-haired girl said. “Please die!”

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

Buckshot flew towards the girl, slamming into her body. Yet, she still seemed unfazed, though it was clear that the facade wasn't going to last any longer.

“Stop hurting my sister!” Sachi screamed as she fired at Haruka.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Mutsuki said as she threw several grenades into the backline. Sachi was frozen in fear before scrambling away to escape the explosions.

(Bang! Boom!)

“Hagh! This… was… the best day ever…”

(Thud!)

“Matsuri!”

“Ma-chan!”

[Damn it.]

An explosive bullet flew into Matsuri, blowing up and taking her down. Everyone on the Thunder Helmet Gang side panicked.

Rika surveyed her options right before her eyes met Kayoko’s. The girl’s glare was enough to frighten her and her underclassman next to her, too.

[Firing!]

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

[Miss! I’m out!]

“Take this!”

Mutsuki lobbed a massive amount of grenades at the Thunder Cruiser, way more than Nao had ever seen in her entire life. They blew up, turning the entire area around it into a sandy smokescreen.

(Bang! Tink! Boom!)

Another explosive round from Aru flew into the smoke with a heavy clunk, indicating that it met its target. But…

When the smoke cleared… the tank was left with barely a scratch.

“What the?!” Aru and Mutsuki shouted in surprise.

[Ha… I love Millennium products. The spray paint was worth it.]

With the tank rendered useless without any ammo, Nao got out of the gunner’s seat to grab her rifle and give supporting fire from the outside. She was just about to open the hatch before—

(Whrr!)

(Tink, tink, tink…)

…The hatch opened by itself, followed by a grenade dropping in.

[Ah, shit.]

(Bang!)

(Pew! Pew! Pew!)

(Thud!)

A light blinded Nao before three subsonic shots took her down.

“Aru, the tank is down.”

“NAO!!!!!” Rika screamed.

Kayoko somehow got behind Rika and Sachi to disable the tank. Clearly, the Thunder Helmets were losing.

“You’ll pay!”

(Bang! Bang! Click.)

Rika shot and missed Kayoko twice before she heard the click of an empty chamber.

“Oh crap.”

“DIE DIE DIE!”

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

(Thud!)

And now it was all up to Sachi, the one with the worst aim out of all her friends. She didn’t like fighting, actually, never did. She trembled in fear, seeing her beloved Thunder Helmet Gang crumble to pieces.

(Clack!)

“Eep!”

Sachi dropped her gun at the sight of Haruka getting closer. Every step back she took, the girl took a step forward. Soon, she was cornered.

“Please die.”

(Bang!)

“Ah!”

(Thud! Clatter, clatter…)

The pellets hit Sachi’s face, and she came tumbling down with her helmet being knocked off her head. Haruka was about to finish the whimpering Sachi off, but…

She froze.

“Y-You?”

“Hah… hah… P-Please don’t hurt me…” Sachi sobbed.

“Haruka? What’s wrong?” Aru asked as she walked over.

“I-I’ve met her before… at a cafe! She talked a lot about gardening and was nice to me.”

“Wait, she has horns?” Mutsuki noticed.

“A Gehenna student?” said Kayoko.

“Y-Yes!” She cried, raising her arms. “W-We’re all from Gehenna!”

“Haha… So what now, Aru?”

“Hmm… I don’t know…”

“Urgh…”

Soon enough, the fallen Thunder Helmets began to reawaken. Matsuri, despite being battered and bruised, was eager to continue.

“I… can still keep going—”

She stood up and shouted, only to almost collapse again if it wasn’t for Rika going in to support her.

“No, Matsuri… It’s over,” She lamented. “The Thunder Helmet Gang lost today.”

With her other hand, Rika tore off her helmet and threw it on the ground. She then dragged herself and Matsuri over to sit down beside the tank.

“Ma-chan! Senpai!”

Sachi, completely disregarding the four in front of her, stood up and ran to her comrades.

(Ka-chunk!)

“Ha…” Nao sighed, popping out from the tank hatch without her helmet. “You win, Problem Solver. Go ahead, take the packages. They’re inside the tank.”

Seeing the Thunder Helmet Gang completely give up soured the atmosphere.

“Well. This is awkward,” Mutsuki stated.

“Yeah… I’d feel bad if we left now.

(Thunk, thunk!)

Nao climbed out of the tank and dropped onto the sandy road.

“Agh… and I have to check if the tank’s damaged too… Maybe we shouldn’t have escaped with a tank on that day.”

“...What?”

Aru’s ears picked up the girl’s words.

“Did you say you escaped with a tank?”

“Huh? Uh… Yeah?”

“That’s… so cool!”

“Huh?”

Her friends were surprised that Aru came closer to the enemy, asking more about what happened in their escape. Nao was a bit flustered, but obliged anyway.

“You guys were the ones who completely blew up a helmet gang base?! After you were betrayed?!”

“Wow. Aru is really into it.”

“So… we don’t need to fight anymore?”

“Yeah, Haruka. We can rest.”

With the meager amount of energy that Rika and Matsuri still had, they were more than eager to explain that day to Aru. Swapping places with Nao, they talked and talked to no end. Soon, everyone crowded around the tank. The students chatted with each other, dusted off sand from their clothes, and tended to their wounds with the first aid kit Nao put in the tank and whatever else that Sachi stashed away in her fanny pack.

Nao, in particular, started looking around the Thunder Cruiser for any issues. It was still hot, so she took off her jacket and tied it around her waist as she worked.

It was decided they would all come together to the hand-off point and split the rewards in half. With that done, they just lounged around, waiting for their getaway vehicle to be completely repaired.

(Step, step, step…)

“Nao, right?”

“Yep. That’s me,” Nao said as she squatted down, tightening a bolt. “ Did Rika introduce everyone, Kayoko?”

“Yes… We traded contacts, too. Something about mutual assistance. Either way, I never thought I would find more people like Aru.”

“Funny. Still don’t know why I joined the Thunder Helmet Gang in the first place. It’s also called the Film Appreciation Society because she insisted on making an official club.”

“Hmm. Too bad Problem Solver isn’t. How did you go under the Prefect Team’s radar?”

“We’re probably not anymore after that news article. But Senpai really wanted to separate club activities from this… activity.”

“...You’re a second-year, right? Not a third-year?”

“Mhm. I’m 16, yes.”

“...You seem familiar somehow.”

Nao froze for a second before resuming her work.

“Must be your imagination. I’ve never met you.”

“...I think it was one or two years ago. I think it was about… some tech company parading around a white-haired, red-eyed girl.”

She froze again, only to continue working on the tank once more.

“There are many people with red eyes and white hair. You got the wrong person.”

“What happened to you, Hoshisaki Nao?”

(Whoosh! Click!)

Suddenly, the girl’s rifle was pointed at Kayoko’s neck, and her hand gripped the delinquent’s collar. They were behind the tank, away from everyone’s eyes.

“Listen here, you little shit,” She hissed. “Has anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t stick your nose in other people’s business?”

Her grip on Kayoko tightened.

“I know you’re formerly affiliated with some part of Gehenna’s council. If you don’t want that scary face to be even scarier, then shut up. Got it?”

The two white-haired and scary-faced girls traded glares before Nao let go of Kayoko and went back to work.

“Now get out of my sight.”

* * *

“Haha! Those girls were fun! Better than the Abydos kids!”

“Huhu… we share in the same vision. Is it a surprise that we would join forces against Abydos so soon?”

The Problem Solvers said their goodbyes to the Thunder Helmet Gang after they split the money they received from handing over the packages. They were dropped off close by their office and were now walking back to it.

“...”

“Kayoko?” Mutsuki said. “You’ve been quiet the entire time.”

“Ah. I thought they were a bit suspicious.”

“They didn’t really seem like it, though?”

“Never mind. It was just a thought.”

“Oh? Hmm, anyways…”

The rest of them continued chatting away, talking about their future plans. However, the scary-faced girl continued to be concerned. She had looked for that article again on her phone earlier and could still remember those few words she gleaned from it.

‘...Hoshisaki Nao, heiress of Wvyern Technology…’

- - - - -

Everyone is wearing a skirt except Nao lol. Truly, she is an OUTCAST.

Chapter Text

It was a long day after the task force said goodbye to the quartet of girls they had met at Shibaseki. When we arrived back at school, I went straight to the paperwork that Rin had sent me the previous day. Sometimes Ayane would sit next to me to work on her own things, or sometimes the other girls would do something absurd. But once it got late, they all headed home for the day.

Just a bit ago, Master Shiba called to say that Shion was walking Serika back home and would return to school to rest. She should arrive in half an hour, but…

(Knock, knock, knock!)

“Come in.”

(Whurr! Thunk!)

…Shion came back quicker than expected, with only a few minutes to spare. For the short time that she had been enrolled, I noticed she was very punctual and always did things in such a timely manner. It was a good quality of hers, but sometimes she took it a bit too far.

“Welcome back, Shion.”

“Hmpf,” she grunted. “I didn’t expect you would still be awake at 10 o’clock.”

“Haha… I have… a lot of work to do…”

“I’m going to take a shower. Don’t you dare peek, pervert.”

“...I’m not going to do that, though?”

“I have my eyes on you.”

Shion used two fingers to point at me and herself repeatedly before exiting the club room.

…

I sighed and went back to work. There were more complaints and issues from other schools that I had to work on anyway. And besides, there were other documents I had to send by tomorrow.

…Who decided the General Student Council kids had to do four times the workload I had when I was working at a black company? Seriously, this was crazy.

* * *

(Knock, knock, knock!)

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Oh, Shion. Finished with your bath?”

She nodded, now wearing a set of polka-dot pajamas with her cloak draped over. Her bag and submachine gun were also still slung over her shoulders despite having changed into her sleepwear. Nonomi probably bought the pajamas with everything else on the shopping trip for her.

I knew something was up with her, though. She usually didn’t even bother to check in with me after she took a shower. Normally, she’d go straight to bed without saying good night.

“What’s the matter? You usually go to bed after washing up.”

Shion unzipped her bag and pulled out her sparkly pink phone, which had been gifted to her the other day. Shion held the device out to me, displaying it in all of its glory.

“How do you use this?”

I was a bit shocked to learn that she had never used a smartphone. Did the girls never teach her how to use it? I was sure the youth were more tech-savvy than old me. It did take me a bit to get used to my first smartphone back in the day.

“Uh… Ha… I’m not the greatest person to ask about this, but I’ll try, so please hand it over.”

She passed her phone to me. It was a similar model to the one that I was supplied with on my first day here, so I was already familiar with the interface. I swiped up and found out it wasn’t locked at all when I came to the home screen. Security might be the first thing to teach her.

“Say, did you ask anyone else for help before me?”

“I asked Lucky first, but she got mad and said no. Mister Chef uses a landline, so he couldn’t help.”

“Oh? Why did Serika get mad?”

“She said I was annoying. I am not.”

I held my giggles in hearing Shion’s words before I continued teaching her.

“Anyways. Do you see this app here?” I pointed to the screen. “This is the settings application. You can tinker around with it later, but I want you to make a passcode for your phone.”

I tapped a few buttons for the device to ask for a new passcode before handing it off to her.

“Once you’ve made one, press the button on the side to lock it and try to unlock it.”

With one finger, Shion slowly pressed on the keypad four times. She pressed the side button after that and attempted to slowly type away again.

And again.

And again…

From her face, it was clear that she was having trouble unlocking her phone, somehow. She locked herself out for one minute.

“Ah. Well, that’s what happens when you type the wrong passcode too many times. Did you already forget your passcode?”

“N-No,” the girl blushed. “I remember it, but I keep accidentally pressing the wrong numbers.”

“Hm. Then just take a breath and steady yourself before doing it again.”

She calmed herself down, taking in a deep breath before gradually letting it out. Shion then typed her passcode in again, and at last, she unlocked it.

“Good job,” I congratulated her as I raised my hand to pat her head. She was taken aback by the gesture and quickly hit my wrist away.

“Don’t touch me,” she glared.

“Err… Sorry. Anyway, I’m sure you can experiment with finding out what each app does, but I want to highlight three important ones. ”

I pointed to the icon with a shopping bag on it.

“That’s the app store. You can download any other app not already installed, like games and whatnot.”

Next, I pointed out the pink icon with a peach.

“That’s MomoTalk. You can use it to contact your friends or me by text message… Oh, they already added you to their group chat.”

I gazed upon the entry that read “Foreclosure Task Force,” where the red notification number increased by one every second.

“Why don’t you try your hand at texting them right now? They seem to be still awake at this hour.”

She slid a chair towards herself and then sat down to get comfortable. She pressed the group chat’s icon, a picture of the campus, and out sprang the ongoing spam of Shiroko spewing emoticons, Serika complaining about work, Nonomi talking about what to buy tomorrow, and Ayane listing out their future plans. Notably, Hoshino was absent, though she was probably sleeping at this point.

Shion pressed exactly one button with her finger before sending it away.

[a]

It would have been washed away with Shiroko’s constant messaging if it weren’t for Ayane noticing Shion’s text.

[Guys, Shion’s still awake!]

[Hi, Shion!]

[Shion!]

Shiroko didn’t even bother typing out an actual message, opting instead to send a sticker of a person waving hello.

[Ehe~ Welcome to this mess of a group chat, my cute underclassman.]

Hoshino, who apparently wasn’t asleep, joined in to greet Shion.

The blue-haired freshman started slowly typing a text with her index finger.

[Don’t call me that, Pinky.]

[Oh great, she’s going to use her nicknames for us even while texting?!]

[There’s no rule saying we can’t call her something else~]

[Nn.]

A vein appeared on Shion’s forehead, and she started tapping even faster.

[Just go to sleep already.]

[We will, don’t worry!]

[Just for a few more minutes.]

[Aye, aye, I’ll be going to bed now.]

[You say that, but in reality, you’re just going to lurk.]

[Aw… You caught me, Serika.]

In Shiroko’s case, she responded with a sticker with the word no all in big letters. It was nice to see the somewhat unsociable Shion talk with the girls.

The blue-haired girl leaned back in her chair and continued to text the others. She seemed to get increasingly irritated with every text that came through, speeding up at typing away with her finger.

With her occupied with her classmates, I turned my attention to the Shittim Chest and the ever-mountainous workload I had.

…

…

…

(Clunk!)

“Grr… I hate them so much…”

After a bit, she seemed to be in an incredibly sour mood, putting her phone on the table before leaning back and crossing her arms. I was thankfully almost done with the papers that were due tomorrow, thanks to Arona’s help, so I turned to see what was up.

“Something happen?”

“Stupid Pinky and the others kept teasing me,” Shion huffed.

“Oh? What did they say?”

“Like I would tell you, Mister Pervert-Stalker.”

She really brought that up again.

“Seriously, Shion, is there any way for you to get rid of that nickname, or at least change it to something different?”

“Hmpf. Oh, hold on,” she said, picking up her phone again. “Maybe if you help me search for something on the internet, I’ll consider it. Which app is the internet?”

Ah, I completely forgot to name the third most important application. It was a good thing she brought it up anyway.

“The browser app is the one with the compass icon,” I instantly answered. I really did not want to leave a legacy of being known as “Mister Pervert-Stalker” for any period of time.

She clicked it and came to the title page of the browser. In the search bar, she typed in the name “Aru” and hit enter, only for the results to list photos of the same redheaded girl the task force met at Shibaseki.

“Huh. What’s got you so interested in her?”

“Redhead-Dummy and her friends seem suspicious,” she replied. “More suspicious than those masked Gehenna regulars who come almost every day.”

“Uh-huh. Interesting.”

I was a bit surprised to see that Shion had the same view towards them, so I stopped my work and searched for the audio file I had recorded earlier in the day. While I was doing that, I glanced back at her phone and saw the girl reading an article about a group called Problem Solver 68.

“We'll do the crime if you've got the dime… Mister Pervert-Stalker, these are criminals.”

“I heard Gehenna Academy was a school rampant with delinquency. Also… what happened to changing the nickname?”

“...I decided not to.”

“...How cruel.”

The file finally loaded, so I hit play and listened to it with Shion.

The recording began with the chatter of the task force girls. The Problem Solver kids’ voices were faint, but audible. I let it play for a bit to see if anything notable would come from their mouths.

“Really? You still want us to call you Boss when we're off the clock?” Mocked a teasing voice, probably belonging to the short, white-haired girl. “And what kind of boss can't afford to treat her employees to more than one measly bowl of ramen?”

Silence flooded their table before it was broken again.

“Maybe you should've thought of that before blowing all of our money on hired goons,” added a scolding voice, likely from the stern-faced girl.

(Click.)

“That’s suspicious.”

Shion hit pause and noted what the voice just said.

“So, they hired mercenaries. That’s not enough information, though, so let’s keep listening.”

I pressed play again and let the recording roll once more. Nothing was notable in the few conversations between the two voices—named Mutsuki and Kayoko—and their boss Aru as they told her off for mismanaging expenses until…

“I get why you would want to reduce the risk factor of this operation. You're right about not underestimating the target. They aren't jobbers like the Helmet Gang,” Kayoko explained. “But really, Boss? Are these Abydos students really worth blowing our entire budget on hiring extra muscle?”

(Click.)

“And there’s our answer,” I sighed.

“Wow, they’re attacking the school soon. What a surprise,” Shion sarcastically drawled.

“Looks like I’ll have to notify everyone else.”

I picked up my phone and opened Momotalk, only to see that the group chat was dead silent. It was now around 11 o’clock, so I figured the girls were all sleeping now. Shion should be sleeping too, actually.

“You should go to bed right about now, but do you have any more questions?” I asked as I typed out a brief message.

“Technology is sure something,” She stated. “The internet is amazing, after all. I mean, look at this cat video.”

She held out her phone to show me a video of a stray cat strolling around and being fed by some students.

“You’re not wrong. Anyway, I’ll stay up to finish the remainder of my work. Good night, Shion.

“Hmpf.”

She stood up and headed out of the club room to the infirmary. I was up for another thirty minutes before I was done for the day. I plugged the Shittim Chest in, said good night to Arona, and flopped down on the couch to rest.

As I drifted off to sleep, I could have sworn I heard the faint sound of electronic beeping somewhere.

Chapter Text

Too lavish. The steakhouse was too lavish for Shion’s eyes.

Tables dressed in white fabric, multiple gold-colored utensils arranged neatly, and large chandeliers; it was really overstimulating for the poor girl. And they called this a steakhouse at a shady place called the Black Market.

“Could the next person in line come up to the counter?” An automaton dressed in only the finest luxury clothing chimed. “Miss? You may come up now.”

Shion snapped out of her daze at his words and stepped toward the robot.

“A table for one?”

The girl nodded and handed a small piece of paper. The clerk gratefully accepted it before he examined the ticket. As he did, his expressions on the electronic display gradually became more shocked.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“?”

The robot hurried away somewhere, much to the displeasure of the rest of the line behind her. They groaned and complained that they had been waiting a long time and that they would have to wait even longer because this small girl had decided to do something.

“Apologies,” said the robot who had just come back. “The manager will take you to your table.”

Another automaton followed behind the first, wearing a nametag on his chest that clearly acknowledged his position. The clerk called the next person in line as the manager motioned Shion to follow. He sat her at a table much further away from the entrance, and it was more lavish than the other tables. Golden seating marked how much more special she seemed.

“Everything on the menu today is free for you, ma’am,” The manager said, handing the girl the menu. “I wouldn’t dare overcharge on our finest dishes to the girl my benefactor spoke most highly of. I’m sure he would kill me if I did.”

“???”

Shion was confused. She was hungry, and she had the coupon the sly fox had given her, so she went to the steakhouse and handed it in as he had said to do. And now she was treated this way?

“I’ll leave you to address the menu. I will come back in a few minutes.”

The manager left to attend to other matters, so Shion was left with no choice but to read the menu.

* * *

“I recommend you secure legitimate employment at once,” the robotic bank teller chimed. “Might I suggest looking into the early-morning day-laborer market?”

“Wh-What did you say?!”

It was a day after they did a small contract in hopes of raising more money for the next invasion, but the Problem Solvers were still broke. At least by splitting the paycheck with the Thunder Helmet Gang, they were less broke. Didn’t matter, though.

With her bank account frozen, Aru was still dirt poor. So, she decided to get a loan from the most infamous bank in all of Kivotos. Only the best outlaws get their money from the most dingy sources, after all.

But Aru was just insulted by the teller calling their whole fixer act an illegitimate business. Inside her mind, she was fuming with rage and wanted to blow the bank up, but those feelings conflicted with common sense.

Fortunately—or unfortunately—for someone else, they didn’t have that same common sense.

(Flick!)

“Huh? Did the lights break?”

“The Wi-Fi isn’t working!”

“MY DOCUMENTS!”

(Ratatatatatat!)

“Agh!”

“Urgh!”

(Thud! Thud!)

(Flick!)

The lights flicked back on, revealing a team of five masked bandits wearing various styles of clothing—one of them in a literal dress—standing menacingly at the front door. They all wore colorful ski masks, except the one the furthest back, who wore a paper bag labeled with the number six.

“Get down on the ground with your hands up!” Yelled the one wearing a blue mask with the number two sewn on.

“Eek!”

“Please don’t hurt me!”

“T-This is a stick-up!” Squeaked the paper bag-wearing criminal. “P-Please stay down…?”

Most of the bank’s occupants complied, fearing the terrifying weapons of the masked bandits and the potential they had to turn them all into Swiss cheese, but of course…

“WEE WOO! WEE WOO! Sound the alarm! Sound the alarm!” Exclaimed one of the bank tellers.

…There were a few who resisted.

“Ehe~ Sorry to burst your bubble, but we’re two steps ahead of you.”

“Urk!”

It didn’t matter much, though.

“Hey, you!” The girl with a red mask yelled. “You were told to get on the ground! If you don’t get down in the next five seconds, I’M GOING TO BLAST YOUR BUCKET OF BOLTS!”

With that threat, any sane person with more than one brain cell would surrender immediately; so the teller did.

“Eehh… please… do everything we say… please…”

“Everything is going as planned!” Exclaimed the girl with a pink mask. “Awaiting your next order, Faust!”

She pointed at the trembling paper-bag-wearing bandit, who instantly became confused.

“I-Is that… supposed to be me?”

“Yup yup!” The girl with a green mask confirmed. “You’re the leader, Faust! As for I…”

She posed, removing a hand from her minigun to make a V.

“…am Christina of the Masked Swimsuit Gang!”

“Are you seriously using that name again?! And what kind of name is the Masked Swimsuit Gang?! It’s terrible!”

“Haha…”

The bandits had time to joke around, even in the incredibly tense situation. As for the Problem Solvers, they find themselves lying on the ground as hostages.

“Kayoko…” Mutsuki whispered. “Isn’t that…”

“Yeah. You’re right… They’re definitely the Abydos girls… though, I see someone else.”

“Why on earth are they hitting a bank? And the Stygian Bank no less.”

“I… wouldn’t know.”

“A-Are they h-here for us?!” Haruka trembled. “S-Should I eliminate them?! They should pay for what they did to Aru-sama…”

“No, Haruka. They’re not here for us. Besides, we aren’t really in the most advantageous position to do so.”

“Hmm… Oh! Hehe… Hey guys, look at Aru.”

At Mutsuki’s word, the other two turned towards their redheaded leader, whose eyes sparkled in admiration. Even with her hands behind her head and her chest flat on the ground, she was totally enraptured witnessing the bandits continue their outrageous deeds.

“Fufu. She’s getting teary-eyed.”

“Ha… She has no clue at all.”

(Step, step, step…)

(Flump!)

The girl with the blue mask went up to one of the tellers still standing and hoisted a bag in front of him.

“Alright, you know the armored truck that just left? I want the transport papers they left in the bag—”

“O-Of course! We’ll hand cash, bonds, gold, whatever you want! You got it!”

“Err…”

(Shove, shove…)

“Here! Here! T-The money! And the p-papers too! It’s full to the brim! Just please don’t hurt me!”

“Uhm… Okay.”

Aru watched as the bandit walked up to her friends before they all hurried out of the bank in a flash.

“That… was… so cool!”

* * *

(Clunk!)

“Here are the appetizers you ordered, ma’am. The rest will arrive in a few moments.”

The manager bowed before leaving Shion with a few dishes on the table. Neatly placed in front of her was a warm and creamy bowl of clam chowder, a plate of chicken tenders with a cup of sauce, and a small cup of salad filled to the brim with various shades of green and a few slices of a ripe red tomato.

The girl didn’t really know what to do when presented with such an arrangement. Snapping out of it after a few moments of being stunned, she picked up a fork and stabbed it into the salad before chomping on it like an animal. A few greens missed her mouth and fell on her lap. She looked around to see if anyone was staring at her before quickly taking the scraps and forcing them towards her lips.

After finishing the salad in minutes, the blue-haired girl glanced at the bowl of chunky cream that lay before her. With a spoon, she scooped up a small bite and sniffed it. Deciding that it was fine, she opened wide, and like the salad, it was gone all too soon.

At this point, she had already eaten two of the four chicken tenders that came with the other two dishes and was halfway through her third piece. An audible crunch came with every motion of her mouth before she dipped the strip into the nearly empty cup of sauce again.

She didn’t care anymore. Whether she was stared at or not, Shion was hungry, and the food in front of her looked delicious.

And it really was. Excluding the ramen Master Shiba cooked up because not even this could beat that, she hadn’t really eaten anything this luxurious during her entire time hunting scrap in the desert.

And with the last lick of the fourth chicken tender, the manager came with two plates of fat steak, all precut to make it easy for her. The dog sitting at a table or two away from her spat out his drink at the sight of a small girl being served two large cuts of meat.

(Clunk! Clunk!)

“Two ribeye steaks, cooked to a medium-rare perfection. Please enjoy.”

With the robotic display, the manager gave the friendliest wink that he could before leaving her at the table.

Shion gazed at the thick chunks of steak in front of her. Each morsel puffed a little steam from its pink core, and the aroma from them made her drool uncontrollably.

Wiping her mouth, she took her fork and plunged it into the tender flesh of the mighty beef before popping a piece into her mouth.

(Nom, nom…)

“!”

As she chewed away, she could taste the juicy, rich flavor of the beef. Her lips didn’t really show much of an expression, but her eyes sparkled with delight at the taste. Shion’s legs kicked back and forth at the delicious sensation.

(Om, nom…)

Piece by piece, the first plate was gobbled away by the very hungry girl, and soon a blank dish would be produced, all licked clean of its contents. Not even the leafy garnish or crumbs of burnt beef were spared from the hunger of a tiny little girl.

Again, the process of Shion savoring the meaty taste of each bite of beef would begin anew with the next plate. If it had legs, the dish would have run off now to who knows where. Anywhere but in her stomach.

Only a few minutes later when she was already halfway through the second cut, the manager arrived again with more food. With another heavy clink of tableware, a blindingly white slice of cheesecake with its insides decorated with cut strawberries arrived. It was topped off with a whole strawberry, with the pointy end facing the sky, pieces of chocolate that bore the logo of the restaurant she was dining at, and a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

As one may have guessed, that piece of cake didn’t last long after she was finished with her second plate of steak.

* * *

“Move, damn it! Move!” Serika yelled, still running away from the Black Market Guards.

[Guys! There’s a blockade a few kilometers away from you!]

“Agh! I should’ve stayed further back!” I screamed, also running away from our pursuers. “But thanks, Ayane! I see it!”

For my own safety, I should not have been witnessing the whole heist from in front of the bank’s front door. Of course, I was concerned about the kids getting in trouble and getting hurt, but it seems like I had forgotten that the girls could survive a gunshot or two with barely a scratch.

I should have listened to Arona.

In fact, I could hear her calling my name and calling me a dummy for being too overprotective. I failed to realize I was the one who needed protection the most, not the kids.

Either way, a roadblock with many armed automations and girls fell into view as the girls and I ran towards them. It shouldn’t be enough to stop our escape, but it was an obstacle nonetheless.

[Ugh! Sensei! You’re such a dummy for getting yourself into this! Like I said, you should have been farther away! Not in front of the bank!]

“I know, Arona! I get it, but this is not the time—”

[Just tell Nonomi and Shiroko to blast them away!]

“Alright! Alright! Nonomi—I mean… whatever! Green, slow down and blast the blockade in front of us! Blue, get your drones to take down high-value targets! Everyone else, get to cover!”

“Hai hai!”

“Nn, I see one with a rocket launcher.”

Nonomi began to slow down and rev up her minigun, soon unleashing a hail of bullets at the shocked enemies facing her wrath. Windows shattered all around them, raining glass shards on the blockade. She cheered wildly as their resistance collapsed.

Shiroko, with the bag slung from her shoulder, took out a drone from god knows where before sending it to an automation with a rocket launcher. It let out a final, warbling cry as it flew away from the blast caused by the drone’s missiles.

Hoshino had already deployed her shield and advanced ahead, taking out the rest of the enemies in the way. Serika was behind her, giving as much supportive fire as possible while still staying behind Hoshino’s shield.

(Bang!)

“Agh! I need a medic bag!”

“Senpai! Would you stop saying that every time you get shot?!”

I didn’t get it, but Shiroko has been screaming that exact same line every time she got hurt. Was it a trend I was missing out on?

“Yellow! Could you bring—”

[Already on it!]

A drone flew past from behind us, dropping a red box of first aid supplies right in front of Shiroko before leaving. She instantly stopped crying about being hurt as soon as she glanced at the box, quickly opening it up and wrapping a bruise under her sleeve with some bandages.

“Thanks!”

[No problem, Sensei! There’s another roadblock in the way after this one, but it’s the last of them!]

“Great! What’s the catch?”

[Ha… There’s a tank in the way.]

“Ehe~ The Black Market is really pulling out all the stops.”

“Of course they are! We just hit up their bank!”

“Nn. It was amazing to do it.”

“Uu… I wanna go home…”

Silence descended onto the streets as Nonomi’s minigun sputtered out. As I stepped out and ran ahead, the girls followed. Another blockade followed the one we just broke through, and like Ayane said, a tank was waiting for us.

“This is the last push! Just keep going and we’ll be out safe in no time! Faust, throw the disc at the tank! Pink, I need you to rush in while everyone else covers you!”

“O-Okay! I-I got it!”

“Eeh? Looks like this old man has to do everything.”

Hifumi slung her rifle on her shoulder before she fished out a disc with the plush bird branded on it and threw it towards the tank. When it landed on the floor, out came a giant plush version of that same bird that danced in circles. I didn’t know why it took the enemy’s attention away from Hoshino as she climbed the tank, opened the hatch, and shot the crew, but I’ll take it.

“Ah! Fall back! Retreat!”

“The pink one is crazy!”

The sight of Hoshino going on a rampage must have driven away the remaining forces as they ran away screaming. It’s a miracle that I haven’t been shot once this entire firefight despite being in the middle of it, but I won’t question it.

“W-We… w-won?” Hifumi squeaked.

“Yup! All thanks to you, Faust!”

“Please don’t ever call me that again…”

“Ha… I’m tired… That was a workout of the ages for this old geezer…”

“Hoshino, you’re not that—Oh, that was Sensei.”

“Hey, hey. I’m not the only old man here,” Hoshino giggled.

“Problem is, I’m older, heh. Please never consider doing a heist again, though.”

Hoshino giggled again as she heard my comment while everyone else sighed in exhaustion.

“Hey, can I take this stupid mask off now? It’s getting real stuffy.”

[Not yet, Serika. There are no more blockades in the way, but there are still Market Guards roaming around.]

“Ayane, can you find us a good place to unmask?”

[I’ve found a quiet alley where you guys can. It's only a kilometer away. I’ll send the location right now, just follow the drone.]

“Thanks. Alright, girls. Let’s go.”

* * *

(Step, step, step…)

“I want more…”

That steak was really, really delicious. It was kinda soft and juicy and so so tasty. The strawberry cheesecake was really good as well. I couldn’t remember a time when I had such a good meal, except, of course, at Master Chef’s.

I should be heading to the Jeep? I heard a few explosions from the area where I think the Stygian Bank was, and I’d rather not fight on such a full stomach today.

But the manager over at that restaurant gave me like fifty more free coupons, so while Mister Scar-Eye and Mister Long-Snout said not to come to the Black Market no more, I might make going there an exception.

What was everyone doing when I was gone anyway?

Wait a second… What is that—

* * *

“Girls! Almost there! Just a few more blocks!”

“Hey, hang on!” Serika shouted. “Isn’t that—”

* * *

“Shion?!”

“Wueh?!”

(Screechhh!)

(Tumble!)

“Wah!”

“Ow!”

“Whose leg is kicking my face?!”

“Ha…”

The man, fortunately, slowed down his pace smoothly to a stop. The masked bandits, however, weren’t so lucky. Sensei came to see a pile of girls all fallen over each other, arms and legs poking out from the jumbled mess. The blue-haired girl was unfortunately the one to be under everyone else, gasping for air.

“Girls, come on, get up… You’re crushing poor Shion.”

“Help…”

…

…

…

“Ugh… At least I can finally breathe,” Serika groaned, now without her mask. “But where have you been?!”

“Ah! Stop! My head!”

Serika had her hands on Shion’s shoulders and shook her hard back and forth, to the point where the poor girl’s neck was the spring coil of one of those children’s toys. Everyone else had their masks off by now.

“Hehe… Serika~ You can stop now~”

“Hmpf!”

(Push!)

“Ugh… I feel like I’m going to puke…”

“Shion… could you answer Serika’s question? We’ve all been very worried about you.”

“No, seriously, I feel like—”

Shion quickly pressed both of her palms to her mouth before running towards an alley. Loud retching sounds could be heard, only for the girl to come out and wipe her lips with a white napkin.

“I hate you all. I ate really good steak, and you made me barf it all out, Lucky.”

“You left for what now?” Hoshino asked.

“Ha… Since it’s obvious that I have been to the Black Market before, I’ll just say it outright.”

Shion sighed.

“I visited my… now ex-employer. Before you met me, I traded in metal scrap I found for money.”

“…”

“Were they good employers?” Nonomi questioned, concerned at this new information.

“They were annoying as hell and treated me like their kid. They were trustable, though, unlike a certain someone here.”

Her eyes gazed at Sensei for a second before she put her hands on her hips and took a look at the other girls.

“So what have you all been doing after I left?”

“We hit the Stygian Bank,” Shiroko bluntly stated. “Hifumi led the way.”

“H-Huh?! I d-didn’t—”

“You what.”

She turned to the task force’s club advisor once more and glared.

“Okay, listen. There was no way to change their mind once Shiroko brought it up.”

“Ha… Can I just drop out now? I don’t wanna be in the same school as a future criminal mastermind… or two.”

“I-I don't know about that…” Shiroko whimpered.

“M-Me neither…” Hifumi squeaked. “Wait, I don’t even go to Abydos.”

“You could right now,” Hoshino joked. “You would fit right in!”

(Bzzt! Crackle!)

[Ha… I still really can’t believe you all made it out robbing the most infamous bank in the Black Market.]

(Clap!)

[Either way, we got what we needed. I think. Did Shiroko get the transport log?]

“She should have…” Nonomi said.

(Zip!)

“Nn. Here it is—”

“Is… that bundles of cash?!” Serika yelled.

When Shiroko zipped open the duffel bag, a pile of colorful paper spilled out onto the sidewalk. Not only that, but a few gold bars and boxes of jewelry fell out as well.

“Wait, I said you all were supposed to take the logs, not the money!” Sensei exclaimed. “Where are the logs?!”

“W-Well… the bank teller stuffed everything in… I just asked for the papers…”

“80… 90… That’s… really a hundred million yen.” Shion counted. “The papers are still there, though.”

“Holy crap! We could pay a big part of our debt with this! Come on! Let’s take it to the Jeep!”

“…”

Silence. Total silence. The black cat was confused as to why everyone was looking at her.

[Serika! Are you really thinking of taking the money?!]

“What? It’ll shave off a huge chunk, no? Like one-ninth of our remaining debt!”

[B-But then we’ll be nothing but criminals!]

“So what? We're the ones who shed blood, sweat, and tears to earn this cash in the first place! It was that evil bank that decided to funnel it away into crime!”

Serika began to flail her arms as she explained herself. For the first time ever, an opportunity appeared to clear a massive portion of the debt, and the black kitten wasn’t going to let it escape from their hands.

“Fine, we stole from someone. But the money would’ve been used for more criminal deeds! It’s better if the money were in our hands!”

A hand was raised, and everyone looked towards it to find Nonomi with a serious expression.

“I agree with Serika,” she put her hand down. “This would've just funded more crime anyway.

Whatever we do with it, we'll put it to far better use.”

“See! Even Nonomi agrees with me!”

“Humu… What do you think, Shiroko?”

“...There’s no point in me discussing further if you already have an answer,” Shiroko shrugged.

“Ehe~ You pick up quickly.”

Nonomi appeared confused at the two’s back and forth, while Serika was surprised.

“Huh?! Senpai, are you really—”

“Ahem!” Hoshino cleared her throat. “What we need is the documents, not the cash! If we cross this line today because it's us versus criminals, what about the next time? Or the time after that? There’ll be no line at all once we start down that path!”

She looked towards her underclassmen with a smile.

“I wouldn’t want to see my adorable underclassmen falling into such a rabbit hole. We could've just used Nonomi's gold card to pay off the debt if this is the way we were going to go about things.”

Nonomi shrank at the mention of her credit card, understanding that it was not really an option, no matter how many times she offered.

“I know… The debt would just belong to someone else if I did that.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Hoshino giggled.

“Ha… Yes, I agree, Hoshino,” Sensei affirmed. “Like I said before, a crime is still a crime. Our goal was getting the documents, not making some bank from a heist.”

The black cat gawked at everyone who decided against taking the money before Sensei sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

“And besides, I’m sure someone would get suspicious if a large chunk of the debt were cleared all at once following a robbery. Let’s not do that, okay? There’ll be other chances to clear the debt.”

“So, that's why we're leaving the bag behind,” Hoshino demanded. “Only take the documents. President's orders.”

Serika fumed with frustration at her friends’ decision about the money. Smoke could be seen puffing out from the top of her head.

“Argh!” She kicked a random can littered on the floor out of anger. “You have got to be kidding!”

“No point in arguing if she’s using the president card,” Shiroko stated.

“I… Uh…” Hifumi stuttered. “I can't pretend to fully understand what it's like to be in Abydos's situation… though I do know that taking this cash will probably lead to an even bigger mess. But what will you do with the money?”

“I’ll just get rid of it discreetly if we all have decided to leave it then,” Nonomi offered as she went up to take the bag.

“Wait.”

A short, blue-haired girl stopped Nonomi’s hand from reaching the cash.

“I know it's a bad idea to take the money, but just leaving it in a random place where it could be found is insane. Even burning the cash would have been a better idea, and I know none of you want to do that.”

Serika’s jaw was locked open just thinking about burning the money. Shion quickly put the bag on her other shoulder, the one that didn’t already have her own duffel bag. She looked funny with both of her arms stretched around the bags.

“I’ll handle it myself.”

Shion was about to trot off when Hoshino stopped her, tugging the back of her cloak.

“And where are you going? You’ve been sneaking off a lot.”

“Putting the money to good use,” she bluntly stated. “Don’t worry, I’m not doing anything bad… unlike you guys.”

“You haven’t answered my question—”

[Eh?! I’m detecting someone approaching you guys!]

“Agh, girls, masks up again,” Sensei ordered.

“Wait, but—”

“Hoshino, mask, now.”

“Ugh…”

(Shuffle, shuffle…)

Sensei and the girls quickly pulled their masks back on, right before the person stopped before them.

[Wait, isn’t that…]

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“Hah… hah… H-Hold on a second!”

[That’s Aru from Problem Solver!]

(Click!)

Aru’s eyes widened when the now masked-again Shiroko cocked her rifle and aimed it at her.

“Whoa, whoa! I’m not trying to pick a fight here!”

“Blue, stand down,” demanded Hoshino.

“Nn.”

(Chuk…)

Shiroko lowered her rifle, and Aru sighed in relief. After she caught her breath, she raised her head up, and everyone could see her eyes glimmer with admiration.

“So, um... I just wanted to say… I watched you hit that bank! I can't believe you robbed a Black Market bank—and the most infamous one no less—and got away with it! Outlaws like you guys come only once in a generation!”

Spewing all those words out, her eyes still sparkled in awe. The masked bandits and even Sensei were confused, joking and discussing with each other in whispers.

“What is she talking about?” Serika nudged Shiroko with her elbow.

“Don’t know.”

“Ehe~ Miss Redhead is really bad at recognizing people,” Hoshino chuckled.

“You don’t say…” Sensei agreed. “I think this is hilarious, though.”

“Ahem!”

Aru cleared her throat and continued rambling about her delusions.

“Your big heist left a huge impression on me, and let’s just say I was inspired by your performance!”

She suddenly pointed at the girls and then to herself.

“I-I'm gonna keep working hard, and someday, I'm gonna become an outlaw just like you! A truly free spirit, unrestricted by any rules or laws! I promise it! So…”

The fangirl clasped her hands together.

“W-What’s your name? Like, what’s the name of your group… o-or club?! I just really wanna know who I’m looking up to!”

“No, seriously. What is she talking about?” Serika whispered to Shiroko again. The wolf shrugged her shoulders once more.

“Oh, now I get it! We'd be happy to tell you!”

Nonomi took a few steps forward to their shivering fangirl before stopping just in front of her. Suddenly, that song played once more, and Serika groaned from hearing it for the second time in her life.

“We’re…”

The green-masked girl raised one of her arms and moved her leg away from the other to perform a pose, only to slowly switch towards another one.

“...The Masked Swimsuit Gang! My name is Christina, and our boss is Faust over there!”

She pointed to the paper-bag-wearing girl, who almost fell down in shock.

“Uuu… Please… stop calling me that…”

“Nonomi—I mean, Green! Are you really still using that name again?!”

“The Masked… Swimsuit… Gang? That…”

Aru wobbled and wobbled in shock before…

“T-THAT’S SO BADASS! The Masked Swimsuit Gang… yes, yes, I see! I love it! I’ll be sure to remember it until the day I die!”

The masked advisor had to stifle his unstoppable giggling while the red-masked bandit at the fangirl in horror.

“We're supposed to wear swimsuits along with our masks, but we were in such a rush that we only brought our masks with us, hehe~” Hoshino added.

“Yep yep! We're pop idol superstars during the day, and swashbuckling vigilantes of justice who fight the evil bad guys at night!”

“Oh god…”

As Nonomi and Hoshino spewed whatever nonsense they could from their lips, Serika couldn’t help but cover her face with her hands in embarrassment.

“WOW! You guys have a whole backstory too?!”

“Ehe~” the pink-masked girl chuckled. “Not only that, but we also got a motto too! An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth! Forsake mercy and walk the path of chaos!”

“HOLY CRAPARONI!”

As the girls blabbed to the fangirl, three figures approached from a distance.

“What… kind of joke did we just walk into?

“Kufufu… Look at Aru, she’s like a small kid discovering a theme park for the first time.”

Observant as ever—more so because the three didn’t even bother to hide themselves—the advisor saw the incoming girls and decided it was time to pack up and leave.

(Clap!)

“Alright, girls. It’s time we make our grand escape! We wouldn’t want to be caught by the evil Black Market, do we?” Sensei said, playing into the role.

“Right, right~ It’s time…”

Hoshino raised an arm up high.

“...We ride off into the sunset!”

“But it’s only like… 2 o’clock…” Hifumi squeaked as she ran away with Sensei and the rest of the girls.

“Adios!” Nonomi yelled to the fangirl.

…

“A-AMAZING! The path of chaos it is! I'm gonna burn that motto into the depths of my soul!”

(Step, step, step…)

(Flump!)

“Ha…”

Aru froze a bit before sighing in relief, seeing that the hand on her shoulder belonged to Kayoko.

“So… No loan?”

“Ack! We didn’t get one!”

“I figured it would happen… I already contacted Rika-san to borrow some money from her own split. She was glad to lend us money for free.”

“Oh… So going to the Black Market was pointless… But wait! Then we’ll have to pay them back! We can’t leave a debt unpaid!”

“She said it was completely fine. Quoting her, ‘Anything for Problem Solver.’ Ha… since when did we have a fan club?”

“But—”

“Uhm… Aru-sama?” Haruka spoke up. “I think they left this here…”

Aru and Kayoko looked at Haruka, and then whatever was in her hands.

“No. Way.” Mutsuki said.

“Is that…” Kayoko started.

Aru, trembling, walked up to her faithful underclassman and counted the stack of cash in her hands.

“This is… 300 thousand yen?!”

“D-Does… this mean we won't go to bed on an empty stomach anymore?”

* * *

(Knock, knock!)

“Oi. Who the hell is it now?”

(Step, step, step…)

(Chuk! Creak…)

“What in the hell?”

The fat fox looked around, but saw no one. However, there was a large, hefty bag on the floor.

“Is this some sort of ding-dong-ditch these moronic kids do these… Huh?”

Glancing more than once, he noticed a note stuck on the top of the bag.

“What is this?” The fox grumbled as he bent down and took the note off the bag to read it. “Hmm?”

He inspected it closely, and instead of his frown, a smile appeared on his lips.

“Shion’s last favor… huh? Hehe… invest in Abydos? Sure, sure… This old geezer can do ya a pint.”

(Zip!)

“Heh… that looks like… Mmm… 90 mil’? Maybe even a hundred? Lotta’ bank, but not the most I’ve seen.”

(Zip!)

The fox closed the bag and hoisted it on his shoulder before going back inside the office.

(Step, step, step…)

(Slam!)

“Hey, Un!”

A grey wolf slowly came out of the back door.

“Yeah?”

“What do you say about closing up shop for good and moving back to Abydos?”

“Are you insane? What brought the idea of going back home—”

The fox interrupted his partner by raising up the piece of paper in the wolf’s face.

“Girl’s asked us for a favor. And I admit, I want to see the little runt a lot more. Don’t you feel the same?”

“I-I—”

The wolf sighed.

“Of course I do, but I don’t know if it’s a good investment—”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. She brought us a hundred million. And we have millions more in our shared account, you know?”

“What in the four hells did she what?”

Silence overtook the room as the fox didn’t bother to respond. His partner sighed as he gave up his own common sense.

“Ha… alright, you win, I hated this place anyway.”

“Musta robbed the Stygian. Heard it was heisted by masked girls, haha.”

“Kid… What are you doing…” the wolf facepalmed.

Chapter Text

A woman was minding her own business in the Black Market, bored and with money to spare. She didn't bother with the explosions that happened in the farther areas of the district, but she did notice they got closer.

The woman had dark blue hair that stretched only down to her neck, and tired-looking eyes with pupils that resembled the verdant green forests that disappeared from her homeland many, many years ago.

Around her neck was a set of old headphones wired to her phone in her pocket. The white shell was dirtied by a smudge of sand and slightly dented from carelessness. In her mouth was a lollipop, lemon-flavored, just how she liked it. Her clothes were thrown on without a single care in the world, sporting a random blue hoodie and khaki shorts. She did have an armband, however, a blue one with the logo of her former school on it. She always had that one on as her pride and joy.

Her halo was just three pale-green, squiggly lines in the shape of a triangle, with a smaller triangle turned just enough so each vertex pointed directly at the midpoint of each line.

She was not a student. No, she was an adult now, having already celebrated her twentieth birthday. The woman was actually just fired from some dead-end job, and she was in the Black Market to blow off some steam at her favorite gambling parlor. She thought about drinking or grabbing a cigarette, like she saw every other adult doing, but she was a good girl. Though not good enough to avoid being addicted to gambling.

"Ha... I don't think Honoko wants to see my face right now."

She sighed, lamenting her failures back at school. She graduated with a friend in the same year, but as time went on, their relationship soured.

"How the heck did I stoop so low... Well, at least she's with me."

With one hand, she patted the metal frame of the rifle slung on her shoulder. It was a FAMAS assault rifle, left unpainted aside for the school's logo on the stock. The firearm belonged to another close friend who was in the grade below her. They had swapped armaments to remember each other and had promised to stay in contact...

But at some point in her friend's last year of school, she couldn't call her ever again for some reason, as all her calls went to voicemail. The woman chalked it up to some accident that broke her friend's phone, like always, and just hoped she would call back in the future.

She didn't get a single call in the next few years. The woman blamed it on the horrible cell service in her home district.

"Mmm... Maybe I'll win something in the slot machine this time around. You know what they say, the 143rd time's the charm!"

She laughed to herself, wiping a tear and not caring for the confused stares from the other people on the street.

"Haa... I miss everyone. The Student Council was sure a fun place, even when we had that ridiculous amount of debt hovering over our heads. Ah, good times."

Shoving a hand into her hoodie's pocket, the woman fished out a folded piece of paper. She unraveled it, only to see a photo of all seven of them smiling or doing something stupid for the camera. She saw her President trying to twirl around her lever-action rifle, only to hit the gallon hat off her head; her Vice President putting her hand on her head, sighing in frustration; and even her only other underclassman giggling at the presidential disgrace and almost tripping face-first to the ground.

The woman touched the photo and rubbed it gently before folding it and putting it back into her pocket. A bit too much nostalgia for one day.

"Hey, move it! They're going to catch up to us!"

A voice shouted from the distance, and the woman glanced to see five masked girls—dressed in a variety of outfits—and a suited man also in a mask, sprinting in the other direction. As they passed by, she noticed something very familiar.

"Haha... Did she make it a trend of passing it on? That's awesome. I wonder if my pistol is still in there. What was it, a Beretta 92? No, it was a 92A1, right?"

The pink-masked one with the number one sewn on her mask had the item that the woman was very familiar with. Of course, she would recognize the words "Iron Horus" on a steel shield anywhere. It was her shield after all.

"Ehe~ So those are the school's newest students. I might have to visit home again. I wonder how the satellite school is doing? Did they go back to the main campus?"

She rambled to herself about how home was doing and what the newest generation was holding up.

"Hehe~ Maybe I should call Honoko and invite her to visit. Or maybe find Suzuna-senpai. Bah, they're probably busy, and I think Honoko wants to punch me the second she sees me."

She looked up to the shining blue sky and smiled.

"Heh, I wonder how my adorable underclassman is doing right now. Maybe I should try to find her when I come back. We old ladies have sure grown a lot. She can't be that taller than me now, right? I remember I was like 160 centimeters back in high school..."

She ranted to herself on and on and on until finally...

"Oh! Here's the parlor. Hmm, today might be my lucky day!" She chuckled.

Chapter Text

“Hold on, where's Shion?”

I stopped and looked behind me for the short, blue-haired girl, but I didn’t see her anywhere. We were focused on running away from the Problem Solvers, and I hadn’t noticed her absence until now. Seeing me stop and ask, the girls followed as well and took off their masks.

“Ugh! She left us again?!”

“Hn… Does she need a leash?”

[That’s a bit much, Shiroko-senpai…]

“Wait… didn’t she also take the bag of money too?”

Hearing Nonomi’s words, everyone began instinctively patting themselves down. Like she said, the bag was nowhere to be found.

“Uhm… W-Weren’t the documents also in the bag?” Hifumi inquired.

“Well… seems like we’re in trouble, ehe…”

“Oh, there you all are. I was wondering where you ran off to.”

A voice called from the alley near us, and out came the little girl we’ve all been looking for… just without the bag.

“SHION!” Serika angrily huffed, walking up to her. “WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?”

Apparently, our black cat tried to grab Shion’s shoulders and shake her like she did before—which made Shion throw up after—but this time, Shion evaded her hands, and Serika fell onto the floor.

“Ow…”

“Just stop trying to touch me, Lucky.”

“Shion. Where are the transport logs?”

“I’m not that dumb to leave it in the cash bag, Mister Pervert-Stalker. I have it right here.”

She patted her own duffel bag and then zipped it open to prove it was still there. Indeed, we saw a stack of white paper with printed text shoved in her luggage. Everyone sighed in relief as she zipped the bag closed.

“Ha… Oh, good lord. For once, could you stop leaving us behind? And please stop with that nickname.”

“Mayhaps.”

“Shion!” Nonomi exclaimed. “Where have you been?”

“Dumping the money in good hands. I can promise it.”

“Ugh…” Serika groaned as she dusted herself off after getting up from the floor. “Is she going to keep giving us vague answers, or are we going to go back to the school? I’m exhausted.”

“Uwah~ Good point, Serika-chan… This old man is tired from all that running around, too.”

“Well… at least everyone and the transport logs are safe and sound!” Nonomi cheered.

“Hmm… True, we’ll head out then. The parking lot is just a short distance away,” I said. “Though, you'd better explain everything you’ve done today when we get back, Shion.”

I looked over to her, our eyes meeting before she huffed and stomped off to the lot.

“Ha… what am I going to do with this little girl…”

* * *

“Welcome back.”

Ayane stood in front of the school’s parking lot, smiling as she greeted us.

“We’re home!”

“Yep, yep! We’re back home!”

“Nn. Good to be home.”

“Ugh, finally. Home, sweet home.”

“Mm.”

Each of the task force girls in the Jeep greeted Ayane as they left the vehicle, except perhaps for Shion. Meanwhile…

“Whoa… So this is Abydos High School.”

Hifumi gazed upon the campus as she exited the Jeep, her eyes wandering left and right from sandy building to sandy building.

“Haha… It’s not much compared to the Big Three schools like Trinity, but it’s our school, alright,” Ayane confessed.

“N-No! It’s perfectly fine!”

“Ehe~ The offer to transfer here is still on the table, you know?”

“Hoshino-senpai! Stop bugging her about it!”

“Aw, worth a shot.”

“Girls, could you please head inside now? I have to park the Jeep.”

Noticing they were blocking my way, they scooched aside and left for the campus.

“See you in the club room, Sensei!” Nonomi yelled.

“I’ll be there in a moment!”

…

…

…

“Alright, since we’re all settled in now and Sensei is back…”

Ayane, from the end of the table, looked towards Shion.

“Shion, could you please pass the documents?”

“Mhm.”

(Zip!)

(Rustle, rustle…)

(Slam!)

The blue-haired girl set her bag on the table and unzipped it. She dug her hands into the bag for a minute before slamming down a stack of papers and pushing it towards the task force’s secretary.

“Thank you. Alright, let’s see here… Oh, everyone can take from the pile to read the contents if you like. I’ll just sort it out after the meeting.”

Hearing Ayane’s offer, everyone besides Hifumi stretched their arms out before taking a few pages off the stack. I, too, snatched a few sheets from the pile after everyone else got their share, but what we saw was… astounding to say the least.

(Slam!)

“What in the heck is this?!” Serika yelled, slamming the papers she had taken on the table. I swear I could hear the table creak from the impact.

“This is…!” Nonomi read in shock, eyes wide as she discovered what we had all been thinking about.

“Umm… What happened? Hifumi asked, scared of the new atmosphere the club room had taken on.

“Nn. Take a look at this.”

Shiroko slid a sheet of paper towards Hifumi. Hifumi thanked her before reading the paper.

“Uh… It says 7.88 million yen was collected from your school, but below that, some Katakata Helmet Gang got 5 million in mission funds?”

“The Katakata Helmet Gang was some lousy thug group that kept attacking the school,” Hoshino explained. “They even kidnapped poor little Serika and Shion.”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Ew. Never call me that again, Pinky.”

“But… that means right after the truck gave them our money, they were already planning to give some of it away to the Katakata…” Nonomi said.

“Wouldn’t that mean the Katakata… was working under the orders of Kaiser Loans?!”

“...”

The silence was deafening. No one else spoke after Ayane made her comment.

“I think this goes way beyond just a simple bank scheme. The only way it makes sense is if Kaiser Corporation's HQ is involved somehow…” added Shiroko.

“B-But… why would they do that?” Nonomi asked. “They won't be paid if the school goes bankrupt. It doesn't make any sense…”

Some of the girls collectively nodded. It really didn’t make sense to keep funding criminal groups to attack your source of money, unless…

“...Unless they want it to happen.”

All the girls turned to me as I spoke out, and I was front and center of their attention.

“I’m thinking about every possibility here. It’s possible they want the school gone for some reason. It’s absurd to think about it, but like Nonomi said, funding the school to be attacked while draining money out of it doesn’t make sense.”

“But why?”

“Ayane… that’s a good question… Wait… now that I think about it… Banks don’t usually give out huge loans like yours without a safety measure—the collateral.”

I put my two hands down on the table and stood up, looking at the task force girls.

“I think by destroying the high school, they want you all to default on your payment. Does anyone know what the initial collateral is for the debt?”

“Uhh…”

The task force girls looked at each other and back. There was a sense of cluelessness as Shiroko kept shrugging, and Serika gave confused looks to her classmates. Hifumi and Shion just sat there, with the former seeming a bit nervous and the latter not caring as much.

“Ha…” Ayane sighed. “I don’t think we know what the collateral is, but I think it might be in the old student council’s archives. Though the room is rather dusty, and I think I’ll have to clean it up first before I can comb through everything.”

“Oh, that’s fine. Any lead is a good lead at this point.”

“Well, this was a productive meeting,” Hoshino commented. “Whaddya say we pack it up for today and send Hifumi home?”

“Nn. Good idea.”

“Well then, I’ll drive her to the train station. It’s rather far from here, and I want her to get home safely. Would anyone like to come with?”

“I want to!” Nonomi exclaimed.

“Heh, it’s only right for the head of the Foreclosure Task Force to say goodbye to their guest,” Hoshino said. “I’ll go too.”

“The rest of us can stay and just say goodbye on Hoshino’s phone,” Ayane smiled.

“A-Ahh… Okay. Thank you.”

“Alright, come outside now.”

* * *

The station… was emptier than I expected. It was around a few kilometers away from the urban sector, so I thought people would be more plentiful, but no. Only a few people sat around the platform, and heck, I thought the train was out of service when I saw my surroundings at first.

Speaking of which, I should have used the train station instead of just walking to Abydos. Clearly, I did not expect the sand and the empty town.

“I owe you tons, everyone! I truly appreciate your help,” Hifumi thanked. “Especially for the ride! It was awful walking to the Black Market from the nearest train station.”

[I can very much attest to the trudge.]

“No problem, Hifumi,” I replied.

“We owe you, too,” Nonomi followed back as well. “Thanks for being our guide!”

“Yeah. Sorry for the trouble, though. Ehe~” Hoshino added.

“That's okay. Haha…”

Hifumi cleared her throat.

“Ahem. We don't have all the details, but this is proof that Kaiser Corporation has ties to violent criminal organizations. This is probably something the Tea Party should know. I’ll pass it along with the mention of Abydos needing help as well!”

“Haha… Uh…”

Hoshino nervously chuckled at her offer to try to help Abydos in any way she could.

“About that, they’re probably ahead of us already on the information game.”

“E-Eh?”

“Trinity’s a big school, unlike us. The Tea Party, or whatever it’s called, probably has done enough snooping around the world to know about our situation. They have enough people to do that, we don’t.”

“B-But… that means we already knew and you didn’t—”

“Huhu~ You’re so innocent, Hifumi. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows.”

“I-I… I know that!”

“Thanks for the offer, but it’ll probably do nothing good for us. Worst-case scenario, it might actually hurt the school instead.”

“R-Really?”

“Being real blunt here, Abydos is close to shutting down,” Hoshino grimaced. “There’s no way we can persuade any of the Big Three to do anything for us, and even if they help, who knows whether or not it’s in good faith. Do you get what I'm saying?”

“If someone were to take advantage of the situation under the guise of helping… you'd be powerless to stop it. N-Now I get it. That's definitely a possibility. Ugh... I hate politics.”

“That’s a rather cynical view of things, Hoshino,” I butted in on the conversation.

“Give me a break. I'm old, cranky, and my back hurts too much to trust anyone at this age. The school dug a hole it buried itself in by ignoring all the possibilities.”

“Hmm. You’re much younger than me, though,” I joked.

“Aw, can this little old lady say anything funny now?”

“Hehe.”

(Screech!)

A long train slid across the rails, producing a loud and ear-piercing noise before it halted to a stop.

[An Express Train directly heading to the District of Utnapishtim is now arriving at Track Three. Please watch your step as you board the train.]

The robotic voice from the loudspeaker chimed as the train opened its doors.

“Um… So, we've been through a lot together in such a short time…”

[We have. It was a lot of fun.]

[Fun? Speak for yourself, Shiroko.]

“I don’t know. I kinda had fun too despite everything, hehe…”

“Glad to hear it, and thanks again for your help, big boss Faust,” Hoshino said again.

“It’s big boss now?!”

“Well, how does ‘the fearless leader of the Masked Swimsuit Gang’ sound then?” Nonomi added.

[Haha… Come on, guys... Stop giving Hifumi a hard time.]

Everyone laughed together, even the kids still at school. Though, distinct lack of Shion, but she’s never been the type to do that.

“Well, I have a train to catch,” Hifumi said as she stepped into a train car. “I’ll be cheering you all on! Goodbye!”

A cheery goodbye from Hoshino, Nonomi, me, and everyone else on the phone was sent to her as the doors closed. She waved as the train picked up speed and disappeared into the tunnels.

[It's been a really long day. Why don't we all go home and get some rest? We can regroup tomorrow.]

[For you all, maybe. Shion and I have a shift soon.]

“Hmm, why don’t we all visit again and say hi to Master Shiba?” I proposed.

[NO!]

[Never.]

[DON’T SHOW YOUR PERVY MUG EVER AGAIN!]

[Mhm.]

(Click!)

“Wow… that was harsh.”

“Ehe~ Classic Serika and Shion. Oh, how could we ever live without them?”

“Well, Sensei and Hoshino-senpai!” Nonomi exclaimed. “Why don’t we head back now?”

“Yeah—Uh, which way is the parking lot again?”

“I can’t believe Sensei is losing his marbles now, hehe~”

“Like I said before, I was never good with directions.”

* * *

“Ehehe! Good morning, Aru!”

“Uwah… Good morning… Hnn…”

As Aru lurched upwards from the soft couch in their office, she saw her cheery friend Mutsuki right in front of her face. She stretched out her arms and yawned again, shifting her legs to the floor and setting aside her coat, which was used as her blanket for the night. Her face was a bit solemn, still reeling from the shock when she was confronted with the fact that the Masked Swimsuit Gang was just the Abydos girls in disguise.

And soon she would have to attack her idols again.

“Eh? You okay, Aru? Did you stay up all night?”

“N-No… I slept, technically speaking. But…”

(Step, step…)

(Flump!)

“What's eating at you this time, Boss?”

Kayoko appeared from behind the wall and sat herself down on the other couch from Aru. She held a box of apple juice and started sipping from the straw as she made herself comfortable.

“The planning is all done, right?” Mutsuki asked for confirmation. “We hire double the muscle, bring Rika and the others, and lure the Abydos kids into a good place where they can go boom.”

She brought her hands together and spread them apart, mimicking an explosion. Mutsuki also mouthed the noise as she did, and giggled right after.

“And Haruka went to lay the bombs this morning,” Kayoko said as she put her juice down on the coffee table. “Isn’t the plan to force them into a kill zone?”

“Y-Yeah—”

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

“MAKE WAY FOR THE THUNDER HELMET GANG!”

Without any respect for the building, someone loudly banged on the door to the office before it slammed open and hit the wall. As the door creaked back from the impact, Aru shrank in horror at seeing the huge hole in the wall left by the door handle.

“Haha! Fear my presence, as I, Number One of the Thunder Helmet Gang, have arrived!”

A small girl sporting a red vest and a black dress shirt with a pencil skirt and a red tie appeared in the doorway, posing with her hands on her hips. A yellow biker helmet and an orange leg bandanna contrasted with her entire outfit.

“Hie… I-I’m b-back…” A familiar purple-haired girl stuttered as she followed the loud-mouthed gangster in. “T-They followed me here.”

“Pardon the intrusion!” Exclaimed a taller, well-endowed girl in a helmet and a yellow turtleneck.

(Thwack!)

“Ow…”

“You idiot, you almost broke their door.”

Another helmet-wearing girl in a tracksuit jacket and jeans karate chopped the first girl’s head. The groaning girl clutched her head from the pain.

“Ha…” She sighed, taking off her helmet to reveal the face of the Thunder Helmet Gang’s tank-driving second-year. “Sorry about the door and the wall. I can fix it later if you like.”

“N-No! It’s fine! We’ve asked too much anyway.”

“Are you sure? Rika-senpai told us again that we must, quote, ‘provide any service to aid the Problem Solvers.’ Hah… she really is a bother.”

“R-Really! It’s fine!”

“Whatever you say,” Nao shrugged.

Kayoko got up from the couch to throw her juice away before walking back to the commotion.

“Where’s Rika-san?” She asked. “Is it just the three of you?”

“Yeah,” said Sachi, now without her helmet. “Senpai couldn’t come today.”

“Rika-senpai was called in to cover someone at work!” Exclaimed Matsuri, also now without her helmet. “She said it was very busy!”

“Ha… This is the exact reason the Katakata kicked us out of their contract. At least now she lets us do things without her.”

The other two gangsters smiled and giggled at the ever-exhausted Nao. A certain brat of the Problem Solvers followed along.

“A-Ah, Aru-sama… I f-finished planting the bombs by the w-way…” Haruka added. “W-With this button… they’ll…”

“Great!” Mutsuki shouted. “Just remember where they are, yeah?”

“O-Of course! Say the word and they'll be blown to smithereens… hehe…”

“...”

The Problem Solver’s redheaded leader didn’t even bother to react to what Haruka said. She just stared into the distance, gazing at the new hole in their wall.

“...You know, if this is getting to be too much pressure, we could all just throw in the towel and go back to Gehenna,” Kayoko suggested.

“Wh-Who said anything about it being too much pressure?! I'm just...a little…”

“That’s… not a great idea, Kayoko…” Mutsuki countered. “I don’t think the Prefect Team is going to let her off the hook…”

“Tch.”

A click from someone’s tongue led everyone’s eyes to wander to the source. The white-haired gangster crossed her arms, her red eyes glowing as she took an intimidating stance.

“I don’t understand why Rika-senpai or anyone, for that matter, fears the Prefect Team so much. Sure, their main force and firepower are something to be wary of, but if you used your brain, they’re easy pickings.”

She closed her eyes, only reopening them after she turned her head to the window.

“But I get it. It’s their Head Prefect that she fears the most. A one-woman army capable of taking the entirety of Gehenna’s delinquents all on her own if it came to it.”

Nao’s head snapped back to everyone, surprising everyone for a single second.

“Yet, that’s it. Unless you’re facing the whole Prefect Team, removing her from the equation makes everything so much easier. Their Field Captain is a stubborn hardass, and their Senior Administrator is busy licking the Head Prefect’s boots. Hell, I doubt they’re more competent than when I was in my first year.”

“...”

And everything was still. No movement or sound from any of the seven girls in the office. Only the noise of the birds chirping.

“Wow. You sound so confident,” Mutsuki replied.

“Of course, this is just my view,” Nao confessed. “Only actual field data can prove anything. Either way, I’ll follow my senpai’s wishes and not get involved with the Prefect Team.”

The girl sighed, resigned to her fate as second-in-command of the Thunder Helmet Gang.

“Well, I think the four of us have to fight them sooner or later anyway,” Kayoko spoke up. “The resources we saved up for a fight against the Prefect Team without the Head Prefect could be used against Abydos as some kind of practice.”

She sighed, crossing her arms in the same manner as the white-haired gangster.

“That's how strong I think the Abydos girls are, especially the pink one. Their only real weakness is that they lack numbers.”

“I haven’t seen the Abydos girls in combat yet, so I can’t make a fair assessment. But… I’ll take your word for it.

”...No.”

Aru softly spoke a single word, contesting everyone’s attention from the two stern-faced girls' chatter.

“Hmm? Aru, did you say something?” Mutsuki asked.

“No,” Aru repeated, standing up from the couch with a confident demeanor. “Going back home to Gehenna is out of the question.”

Everyone else in the room stared at the smug boss of Problem Solver 68. It took two seconds for that smugness to crumble, however.

“But I wish it wasn't…” she whined. “My bank account is still frozen, and the Prefect Team is still actively hunting for us…”

“Ha… Would you make up your mind, already?”

“Haha! This conversation’s getting old, and I’m starving. Hmm, how about ramen, everyone?”

“Master Shiba’s place is a great place for ramen!” Sachi added. “We’re actually regulars, and we can recommend a few options if you like!”

“Are you sure? That place?”

“Oh, pfft. Kayoko, are you really scared of the little part-timers? Haha… well, don’t worry because they only have shifts later in the day. We’ll be fine~”

“Well, I do admit the food was good… I’ll take your recommendations, Sachi-san. The Boss could use a little something anyway.”

“You four will have to wait a bit,” Nao spoke up. “We’ll have to get our glasses and masks and dump our helmets in the tank before we go in. Rika always told us to do this whenever we enter a public place.”

“Kufufu… That’s all fine and dandy. Are we going to use the tank again, too?”

“Yep!” Sachi answered. “Though Nao’s going to park it a bit further away. It’s rude to have a tank just sitting in the street after all!”

“And that the area near Shibaseki is crowded with people. I don’t want to risk running over someone.”

The white-haired gangster grimaced at the thought of accidentally running over the town’s citizens.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go eat!”

The loud, twin-tailed gangster ran out of the office as the mischievous fixer pranced behind her. Aru, Haruka, and Sachi followed their two shortest co-workers, and Kayoko was going to come with, but…

“I know you’ve been staring at me the whole time we’ve been in the office.”

Kayoko turned around to see Nao glaring straight at her, with her helmet gripped tight in one hand.

“Do me a favor and drop your curiosity. It’ll be better for us and everyone else in the future.”

“Hm. Are you going to come eat, or are you going to stand there glaring at me?”

“Oh, I’ll come. I’m just giving you one last warning,” Nao said as she passed Kayoko, never even giving her a second glance.

The fixer, now the last one in their office, sighed before heading out and shutting the door.

* * *

“Hmm… I wonder if Shion would like the fried chicken bento I got on sale today.”

It was time for breakfast, so I left the school to go to the convenience store to grab some food for Shion and me. The manager noticed I came by quite often, and we had a small chat before I headed back to campus. I’ll probably visit him again tomorrow, I’d like to continue the conversation we were having...

Again, it was a short walk to the school, so it took a few minutes until I finally climbed up the stairs to the infirmary.

(Knock, knock.)

(Whurr! Thunk!)

“Oh?”

This time around, I didn’t see Shion in the infirmary. Usually, she would always reorganize everything in the room to be neat and clean before she left, and I would always find the place sparkly clean. I would arrive when she was done to give her breakfast, but today seems like it wasn’t that day.

Trying to find her, I went downstairs to the club room to see if she or anyone else was inside, and sure enough…

(Whurr! Thunk!)

I found Shion sitting on one of the chairs next to the table, totally engrossed in her phone. When I looked over her shoulder, it seemed like she was… spamming five-star reviews for Shibaseki Ramen?

Oh, and there was Nonomi and Hoshino on the couch too, with the latter with her head on Nonomi’s lap.

“Oi. Good morning, Sensei,” Hoshino lazily greeted.

“Good to see you, Sensei!”

“...”

Shion was still into doing whatever she was doing, and I don’t think she had noticed me yet.

“Shion, what are you doing?”

“I just discovered that there’s a place on the internet where you can post reviews of places,” she replied in her usual deadpan tone. “So I’m trying to bump up Master Chef’s place up to the highest rating. I’ve made forty different accounts already.”

“Uh… That’s great? I… guess? Do you want the beef bento or the fried chicken one?”

She raised a hand towards me, not even looking away from the screen as she typed with one hand.

“Just give me one.”

“O-Okay…?”

I passed her the chicken bento, and she finally put away her phone to nibble on her meal.

“So… what are you two doing here?” I turned to the two more senior members in the room as I put down my own meal.

“Look comfortable, don't I?” She chuckled, smugly smiling at me. “Heh. Nonomi's lap is super soft and perfect for taking a nap. It's like my very own pillow.”

“There's room for you too, Sensei! Make yourself comfortable!” Nonomi offered.

“Nope! I have dibs on this lap, so why don't you back off and take one of those uncomfortable chairs over there, Sensei?”

“No one said you could call dibs, but okay…”

The pink old man giggled as Nonomi made her statement.

“Haha… It’s fine, I’ll have to decline. Can’t take the other old man’s special spot, after all.”

“Yep! What he said!”

Like a cat, Hoshino curled up away from Nonomi’s lap and stretched out her limbs as she yawned.

“Uwah~ How is everyone else already so busy this morning?”

“It's the first breather we've had in a while, especially after yesterday…” Nonomi explained. “So I guess everyone is trying to check some stuff off their lists.”

The girl swung out her legs and arms to stretch as well.

“I heard Ayane is checking out the archives at the moment, and Shiroko’s probably working out somewhere as per usual. I think Serika’s off on some other part-time job as well.”

“Wow, and you and Shion-chan were cleaning the school too? Man, all my underclassmen are such hard workers.”

Hoshino jumped off the couch and raised her hands high.

“As for me, I was taking it easy!” She exclaimed, proudly unashamed of her laziness.

“Haha… I wish I could, too,” I said. “Too much paperwork.”

“Bah, all you keep spouting about is papers, papers, and more papers. Anyway, I think I’ll kill some time before everyone gets here.”

“Huh? Where are you going, Hoshino?”

“Tis’ is thy old coot’s free day!” She said, in a remarkably posh accent. “I’ll be out for the day, so call me if something happens.”

“Well, alright then. Have a safe trip.”

The pink-haired senior went and left, but with her exit, Shion stopped munching on her bento for a second before continuing.

“She’s… probably going to take another nap, haha… I guess that’s fine, Ayane will make the meeting run smoothly anyway.”

Nonomi giggled again with a smile, and Shion was still sitting there eating her breakfast.

“Though, I guess she’s changed a lot if I think about it.”

“Oh? How so?”

“Well… she wasn’t always a sleepyhead like this. Before, she seemed a lot more… how can I say this… tired from everything. More serious.”

Nonomi’s smile flattened out as she continued to talk.

“Apparently, there was another student with her who was also the last Student Council President. I’m told she wasn’t very reliable or trustworthy, and Hoshino had to do everything after she left.”

But that smile reappeared again on the ever-cheerful Nonomi’s face.

“But that was when she was a first-year. With Sensei here, she seems to have softened up a little!”

“Really?”

We turned to the voice, which was Shion. She had stopped eating and had a confused look on her face.

“I thought she was still pretty stiff under that laziness?”

“Huh? I don’t really think so? She gets serious when she needs to be, like when Serika was kidnapped.”

“Huh. Never mind then.”

Shion brushed off whatever comment she had to say and continued finishing up her bento. But her remark did intrigue me a little. Maybe I should investigate later.

* * *

(Clunk, clunk!)

“Well, that should be two miso, three Shibaseki, one chashu, and one plate of gyoza.”

Six bowls of ramen were set in front of the girls’ faces, except one.

“Thank you, Master!” Exclaimed Sachi, now in her usual mask and sunglasses. “But Nao, are you really okay eating just the gyoza?”

“It’s fine,” said Nao, also with the same accessories. “I ate breakfast before we met up at base, so I’m not particularly hungry at the moment.”

“Nuf fumn!” yelled Matsuri, her mask pulled down and mouth stuffed to the brim with her chashu ramen. She swallowed the bite in one big gulp before shoving a glass of water to her mouth. “Pah! Gangsters are supposed to be eating together! Camaraderie, you know?!”

“First, don’t talk with your mouth full. Second, where did you even get that from—hey, don’t steal from my plate.”

“But you said you weren’t hungry!” The loud girl whined before filling her mouth with two or three pieces of Nao’s gyoza.

“...You’re full of contradictions today.”

“Kufufu…” Mutsuki chuckled. “What a bond you guys have.”

“Hehe! That’s right, we’re all good friends after all,” explained Sachi. “Hey, Ma-chan, do you wanna take a bite of my miso?”

“Sure!”

“Okie-doke! Say ahhh…”

Matsuri followed her sister’s words and opened her mouth wide for a bite of golden noodles from Sachi’s spoon. A few of the Problem Solvers were bewildered by the sight.

“Mmm! Yummy! Master’s food is the best!”

“Heh. Glad to hear it,” the dogperson smiled.

“W-Wow. Didn’t expect to see someone get spoonfed today,” Mutsuki said.

“Huh? But this is normal? Ma-chan and I are sisters?”

The Problem Solvers looked at the taller sibling before looking at the shorter one and back.

“Could you lift your glasses for a moment?” Kayoko said.

“Yeah, sure!”

Sachi lifted her glasses with one hand just enough so everyone could see her eyes. She did the same with her other hand for her sister.

“H-Huh… I-I kinda s-see the resemblance…” Haruka squeaked.

“Hm, I thought it was obvious,” Nao frowned. “These two are the only ones with horns. Senpai and I don’t have them, nor wings or a tail.”

“Haha… I’m a bit self-conscious about my big horns…” Sachi lamented. “They sometimes get stuck in things, or I keep hitting them on the doorway.”

“Well, you got two other big things, alright,” joked Mutsuki.

“Hah… that was in poor taste, Mutsuki…”

“?”

(Slurp…)

“Anyway, Master, it’s really good like last time,” Kayoko praised. “But I think I preferred the tall bowl better.”

“Oh? I’ll make it next time I see you four then. It’s nice to see regulars interacting with the friends of the Abydos girls. Makes me think the place is reviving itself, hahaha!”

Master Shiba howled in laughter, and some of the girls joined in with him. But one girl hadn’t touched her bowl of ramen ever since it arrived. In fact, she was shivering with frustration she had held in for a while now, and she was about to let it explode.

“We’re not…”

“Hm? Aru? Did you say something?”

“WE’RE NOT THEIR FRIENDS!”

(Slam!)

She stood up and hurled her fists at the table, shaking it and tipping a glass of water over to the floor. Everyone, including her own friends, was surprised at her reaction.

“You know what my problem is? I've figured it out. It's this shop! That's what my problem is!”

“...Wueh?”

“Hey, hey, now, Aru,” Her closest yet annoying friend said, trying to get an explanation from her boss. “What has gotten into you?”

“We're here to work, right? Dangerous, hard-boiled, rough-and-tumble work! Like outlaws!” The redhead flailed. “But what's this place? A little shop that feeds you when you get hungry! It's cushy, warm, and the people here are nothing but nice to you! They even have the nerve to start a polite conversation!”

She grasped her head, almost pulling her hair out.

“We're going to be friends and regulars if we keep coming here like this!”

“B-But we three are already regulars here…” Sachi whimpered.

“And mafiosos have manners, you know!” Matsuri retorted.

“Yeah! Sachi and her friends are regulars!” Mutsuki joined in with their reasoning. “And what’s wrong with having a place to hang out?!”

“It's ruining everything! How am I ever going to be a real, true-blue villain if I keep coming to a heartwarming hole-in-the-wall like this?! What I need right now is cold-blooded ruthlessness and steely determination! Not this load of sweetness and fluff!”

“A-Aru… t-take a breath for a second…” Kayoko stuttered.

“So… You’re saying this place should go… right, Aru-sama?”

“Huh?”

Haruka fished for something in her pockets, only to pull out a device with a very obvious, big, red button. Everyone at the table and Master Shiba panicked.

“H-Hey, what are you doing with that detonator?” Mutsuki asked.

“That’s a what now?!” Matsuri shouted.

“Oh, good lord,” The dogperson muttered, trying to leave the area as fast as he could.

“H-Haruka! W-Wait a second—”

Kayoko didn’t even have time to finish her sentence as Haruka pressed the button down with a smile. Everyone braced for the explosion, before…

(Sip…)

Nothing happened. In fact, the only thing that came out of it was Nao calmly sipping her glass of water.

(Thunk!)

“Seriously, what idiot makes a detonator with easily removable batteries?”

Nao fished out something from her pockets and showed it to everyone else. In one of her hands were two double-A batteries, and in the other was a screwdriver.

“Tell your supplier they’re a piece of junk,” she huffed as she put the items down on the table. “Get a new one, in fact. I’m glad I checked Haruka’s things in secret before we arrived at the office.”

“H-Huh?”

Confusion, yet mixed with relief, washed over the faces of the restaurant’s occupants.

“Phew!” Mutsuki brushed her forehead. “Crisis averted!”

“...”

(Slam!)

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I almost blew Aru-sama up!”

Haruka scrambled to the floor, kneeling down with her head pressed to the ground as she apologized. Aru was too shocked to even respond.

“Hah… Haruka… We can let this one go this time… You'd better thank Nao-san for not getting us blown up,” Kayoko sighed.

“Y-Yes! I’m sorry—”

One thing everyone forgot was the water spilled on the floor when Aru slammed the table. Haruka’s feet were conveniently in the puddle, and as she stood up, she…

…Slipped.

“Wahh!”

(Thud!)

(Click!)

Nao also forgot that explosives experts… always have more bombs than you think they have.

* * *

(BOOM!)

“An explosion has been detected within a ten-kilometer radius!” Ayane yelled from her laptop.

“Wait, isn’t that downtown?” Shiroko asked. “Is it an ambush?!”

“Hold on, it seems like the explosion was caused by a chain reaction of bombs, not a bombardment. And it was downtown! But at the center of it is…”

Ayane’s voice froze for a moment before she continued.

“...-S-Shibaseki Ramen?!”

(Slam!)

“What?! N-No way!” Serika screamed. “Why would that place be a target for anyone?”

“Wait, Shibaseki Ramen?!” I said. “Am I hearing that right, or am I getting old?!”

“It's not a strategic location, and it's not part of a major transportation route,” The wolf muttered. “Why would someone—”

(Slam!)

(Thunk!)

(Stomp, stomp, stomp…)

In an instant, Shion disappeared from the club room, slamming the door open and leaving us with the fading sound of her running away.

“W-Wait! S-Shion!” I called to her, but to no avail.

“I’m following her! She’s my co-worker, and I have to see Master, too!”

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“We need to get moving,” Shiroko stated as she stood up.

“Right! We can’t leave those two alone!” Nonomi agreed as she stood up as well.”

“I’ll send word to Hoshino! Sensei, go with them too!”

The second-years hurried out of the room before I could say anything again. I sighed as I left my seat.

“Ha… This old timer’s going to have a bad time.”

* * *

“Koff, koff! Ugh… Sachi? Matsuri?”

All Nao could see was the busted-up, blown-up, totally-wrecked-for-good Shibaseki Ramen. The Problem Solvers and the Master lay unconscious in the rubble, but her friends were nowhere to be seen—

(Crumble!)

“Pah! I’m alive!”

“Eugh, kak! Ma-chan? Nao-chan?”

“Oh, good, you’re alive,” she sighed, right before putting her mind to work. “Okay, first course of action—”

“Agh… H-Huh? M-My restaurant!”

The canine shopkeeper screamed in terror, seeing his establishment turned to nothing but rubble.

“...Never mind. Change of plans. We get Master to safety and head to the tank for our gear. The explosion definitely alerted the law enforcement here, which…. you know.

“Happens to be the Abydos kids, right…” Sachi replied. “Koff!”

(Crumble!)

From the debris, Nao got up and dusted herself off before heading to Master Shiba and putting her arm over her shoulder.

“Master, we’re getting you to a safe place. Otherwise, you’d be in the middle of a firefight.”

“Ugh… Alright… Thanks…”

His other arm was hoisted on someone else’s shoulder, which turned out to be the tallest out of the currently awake girls.

“Koff! Got your other arm!”

The two girls dragged the store owner relatively further away from the destruction, laying him down on the sidewalk.

“Alright, we’ll have to go now. Sorry for the trouble.”

“Bye!”

“Koff! Ack… seeya, kids…”

Meanwhile…

(Crumble!)

“Gasp!”

Red hair came out of the rubble, and Aru gasped for air. She looked around only to see her friends slowly waking up.

“Koff! Koff! Urgh… What… happened…”

“Ugh… Kak! Wow. The building’s been leveled,” Mutsuki noted.

She snapped her head towards her boss and began to smile.

“Aru! How could you?! I can't believe you really did all this!”

“M-Me?! What do you mean I blew up the building?! Didn’t Haruka’s detonator not work—”

“After everything Master, Sachi, and her friends at the ramen shop did for us, you blew everything up because you were starting to get a soft spot for them?!” Mutsuki butted in, ignoring Aru’s defense. “Geez, I didn't think you had it in you…”

“B-But—”

“You're as cold-blooded and ruthless as they come! An absolutely rotten, bad-to-the-bone evil villain! A complete scumbag!”

“Errr… What?”

“A real, hard-boiled outlaw! That was amazing! I had you all wrong!”

At the mention of being called a quote, “a real, hard-boiled outlaw” by her closest friend, Aru’s face totally switched gears from despair to smug confidence.

“Uh, wha...? O-Oh! A-Ahahaha... Th-That's right! Exactly! We'll do anything as long as we get paid! Yep, that's us!”

“...Boss?” Kayoko spoke up. “I don’t see Master, or Sachi-san and her friends anywhere—”

“So you really blew Shibaseki up?!”

A voice called from further away, followed by footsteps. The Problem Solvers witnessed the angry faces of the Abydos girls like when they attacked the school before, only this time, their expressions were even more distorted and scrunched up. They were followed by their Sensei, but notably, the pink one was missing, replaced by the blue-haired girl they hadn’t seen often.

“You’ll pay for what you did to Aru-sama!” Haruka barked.

“Huh?! You’ll pay! You blew my workplace up!” Serika hissed in a similar fashion.

(Bzzt! Click!)

[I’ve found Master Shiba! He’s further away on the sidewalk across from you, but he isn’t that badly injured!]

“Perfect. That means we can get as rough as we want then, right?” The catgirl growled.

“Aru… Why would you do this to poor Master Shiba?” Sensei asked. “He was so kind to you.”

“H-Huh? W-Well… to attract your attention, of course! We still have a score to settle, and we’re not losing this one today!”

“I-Is… t-that really the case?”

“Why don’t you stop talking and come at me like the fools you are?!”

“Hehe… That's right. I'll mow them all down, all for Aru-sama.”

“I hope you know what you've gotten yourselves into!” Serika yelled.

“Get ready to lose again!” Nonomi exclaimed.

“Nn.”

All of the girls loaded their magazines into their weapons, locking and loading to go guns blazing… except for one.

(Step, step.)

Shion stepped—no, trudged forward, her eyes wide open and her face in despair. She didn’t even have her submachine gun in her hand as it was still slung to her shoulder, flopping around and swinging as she moved towards the ruins. She didn’t pass the Problem Solvers a look as she walked by, confusing them and her own classmates with her actions.

Finally, she stopped, right at the place where the center of the dining floor was. She fell to her knees, staining her legs with dust, as she scrambled to pick up small pieces of debris, only to let it drop from her trembling hands.

Suddenly, she stood up, slowly turning her head towards the Problem Solvers with a brand new expression on her face that no one had ever witnessed before:

Rage.

“Y-You…”

She opened her mouth, her jaw shaking up and down as she tried to utter words.

“I-I…”

“I-I’m…”

She closed her eyes as she took a breath, only opening them again when she was done. Her furious gaze didn’t disappear, however.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU FUCKING BASTARDS. YOU MOTHERFUCKERS ARE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.”

And at an instant, she took her gun, chambered a round, and dashed towards the enemy.

- - - - -

Our very own angry mechanic

Chapter Text

This is your fault for getting close. Now something precious has been taken away from you again.

Ha… What am I going to do with this moron…

…Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

* * *

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

(Ratatatatat!)

A wall of lead shot out of the short barrel of Shion’s submachine gun. A few stray rounds dotted the ground, but some landed straight at her target: The Problem Solver’s redheaded boss.

“I’LL KILL YOU!!!” The furious girl screeched, her rage solely aimed at Aru.

“Hieek!”

“You won’t touch Aru-sama!”

(Bang! Bang!)

Two shells’ worth of buckshot flew straight into the rampaging girl’s stomach, sending her flying towards a building. The dust settled, but Shion’s rage was not yet quenched as she pulled herself off the mangled wall. Again, she rushed forth toward the four Gehenna students.

(Ratatatatat!)

(Bang! Bang!)

(Pew! Pew! Pew!)

The girls of the Foreclosure Task Force and their Sensei were bewildered by the intense emotions spouting out from their classmate. It was only when Serika spoke up that they finally snapped out of their daze.

“Hey! Shion’s fighting alone! We gotta help her!”

“A-Ah, y-yeah…” Sensei stuttered, still confused by everything. “Support Shion against Haruka, Serika! Shiroko, don’t let Aru get a shot in! Nonomi, fire away at the other two! Ayane, stand by!”

It was clear that the Foreclosure Task Force was at a disadvantage. Their strongest classmate was nowhere to be found, and another was completely out of control, leaving only three capable of taking orders on the field.

But again, the Problem Solver girls were just engulfed in rubble and slightly battered, so really, the battle was in anyone’s favor at this point.

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

(Ratatatatatat! Click, click, click!)

“Damn it!”

Haruka and Shion traded gunfire at each other while also swiftly dodging the opposing wall of lead flying towards them. Three clicks sounded from the blue-haired girl’s submachine gun, so she popped the empty magazine out and hurled it at the other girl before unzipping her bag for another magazine.

Haruka didn’t even flinch when she took the incoming object head-on, tanking the impact and taking advantage of her enemy’s reloading time to aim and pull the trigger of her shotgun.

(Click.)

“H-Huh?”

Unfortunately for her and yet fortunately for Shion, Haruka was out of lead as well. Before the purple-haired girl could take a few shells out of her pocket, the other was already topped up with her own bullets and fired wildly at her. Pain didn’t spare Haruka’s hand as the brass flew by, causing the girl to let go and drop some shells.

“RAHHHHHH!”

Shion was closing in on Haruka’s vulnerable position, and with no ammo in her weapon, the girl swiftly grabbed the barrel of her shotgun and swung it at the berserker like a bat.

The rampaging girl flew to another building again, crashing into a wall. She lay stuck inside of it for good this time, yet still had that out-of-control fury.

“Shion!”

(Ratatatatat!)

The black cat of Abydos ran forth, pelting Haruka with brass. The girl didn’t care, taking all the hits while slowly loading each shell into her shotgun.

“Heheheh…”

The last shell she needed clicked into place, and Haruka began to giggle as she fished out a familiar device from her pockets.

(Click!)

(Boom!)

“Wah?!”

A bomb blew up right under Serika’s feet, hurling her away towards Shion’s direction. She tumbled and smacked right into a wall, the same wall her very angry classmate was stuck in.

“I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them, I’ll kill them…”

“Eek!”

Terrified of Shion’s mumbling, Serika got out of her daze quickly and stood up. She noticed her classmate struggling to get unstuck from the wall, so with some effort, Serika pulled her out of it, only for Shion to rush out of her grasp without saying a single thank you.

“Ugh… Wait for me!”

(Bang! Bang! Bang!)

Shotgun shells flew out of the side of Haruka’s shotgun. The lead missed her target, with only a few pellets grazing her cloak.

“DIE, YOU BASTARD!”

(Ratatatatatat!)

Shion fired at Haruka, each shot flying towards her enemy. She poured out as much brass as she could before having to reload, throwing the empty magazine at Haruka again.

“DIE, DIE, DIE!”

“Please die for Aru-sama!”

Pleas for the other to drop dead echoed in unison as the two tried to riddle each other into Swiss cheese. The noise of gunshots in the streets was deafening.

(Ratatatatatat!)

“Don’t forget about me, you punk!”

From further away, Serika’s rifle spouted out bullet after bullet, supporting her classmate in her rampage. Even if she was less angry than Shion, Serika was still furious about losing her workplace.

After all, it was her only stable part-time job.

(Click, click, click.)

(Click.)

The clicks from both of the girls’ guns screamed that their weapons were hungry for more ammo, but the distance was closed too much to reload efficiently. So instead of backing up to do so…

(Smack!)

“Hrrk!”

“RAHHHHH!”

…They used their fists instead. Haruka wiffed her swing towards Shion with her shotgun, while Shion’s fist connected with Haruka’s stomach. The Problem Solver tumbled to the floor as Shion got on top of her, throwing punch after punch towards Haruka’s face as the purple-haired girl protected herself with her arms and tried to kick her off.

(Smack! Smack! Smack!)

“WHY. WON’T. YOU. DIE?!”

(Shak!)

(Whip! Whip!)

Taking her baton from her leg holster, Shion extended it out and began whipping away. Haruka’s sleeves began to fray with each swing, her hands being left with red lashes on the chance Shion hit her there.

(Whip! Whip—)

(Bang!)

“Shion!”

The berserker dropped to the ground and fell off of Haruka. Shion clutched the side of her head in pain, vision all dizzy and blurry.

“Get off of my subordinate!” Aru barked from far away, her rifle still smoking from shooting Shion in the head.

(Ratatatatatat!)

“Huh?! Ack!”

In a different direction, Shiroko’s rifle pelted bullets towards Aru, some hitting dead center, the rest missing her. Aru retreated, aiming to get a better sniping position. The wolf girl followed her, only stopping when she was a short distance away from Serika.

“Sorry, Sensei and Serika. I couldn’t stop her from shooting.”

(Bzzt!)

[It’s fine! Serika, new orders! Retreat to the backline with Shion! Ayane’s drones will come with medical supplies shortly! Treat your wounds before you head back out!]

“G-Got it…”

Serika stored her rifle away on her shoulder and headed to the collapsed girl on the ground. No longer was she groaning in pain, but now passed out totally unconscious on the floor. Determined to get her to safety, she lifted Shion up in a princess-carry and trotted to the back of the battlefield. A few stray bullets passed by her, one nearly grazing her leg, but she found Sensei behind a barricade with mostly fine.

“H-Hey, Serika…” Sensei hesitantly greeted her. “W-Wow… Shion doesn’t look too good.”

The remark from the adult made her glance at the unconscious girl in her arms. A little bit of blood was seeping out from under Shion’s forehead, a reddening bruise was growing on her cheek, and small cuts were scattered on her legs. And besides the already visible injuries, her now-dirtied dress shirt was torn in a few places, and the ends of her cloak were riddled with bullet holes. There were probably wounds under her clothes as well.

“Sensei! Where are the first aid supplies?!”

[Right here!]

A flying drone voiced out its position as it stopped to drop a red box of first aid supplies before flying back to the school.

“Thanks, Ayane! You’re a big help!”

[No problem, Sensei! I see Kayoko coming from the left flank!]

“Ah! Good catch! Nonomi, Kayoko’s on your left!”

[Got it!]

While Sensei was handling all the chaos, Serika wasted no time gently placing Shion down and opening the box to take a gander at what she had. Inside were bandages, compresses, ointment, and disinfectant wipes, along with a few other things Serika had no idea how to use. She’d guessed they were for more serious injuries.

Ripping open a few packs of wipes, Serika gently swept away all the blood and dust on Shion’s head and legs before adding the ointment and wrapping the injuries with the bandages. The bruise on her cheek was covered with a cold compress, and with some tape and bandages, it would stay there.

Serika stared at the sleeping girl leaning on the barricade, her chest gently rising up and down as she breathed. She thought about the time she spent with the girl as co-workers, getting kidnapped together, and being classmates. In none of that time did Shion ever act like this, and she wasn’t the type to snap that much.

It must have hurt a lot to see her beloved restaurant go down. Serika felt the same.

“Hey, Serika,” Sensei spoke up. “Serika!”

“Eh?! What?”

“Your leg,” he pointed. “You have a cut there.”

The black cat looked behind her leg to find a cut on her calf. Serika grew flustered, thinking the adult was looking at her legs the whole time.

“H-Huh?! P-Pervert—”

“I’m going to stop you right here, Serika. I know you’re worried about Shion, but you need to take care of yourself, too, you know,” Sensei scolded as he took a wipe and began treating her leg and other injuries. “I can’t let my students ignore themselves completely because they’re more worried about someone else.”

As he finished wrapping her leg with a bandage, Sensei stood up and smiled at the little cat.

“Let me handle it. That’s what good adults do.”

“...O-Okay. T-Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of Shion. You go and help Nonomi and Shiroko. It’s rude to leave them fighting by themselves.”

“G-Got it. But if I hear you did something weird to her, I won’t forgive you!” Serika yelled as she sprinted back to the front lines.

“Haha… I won’t,” Sensei waved.

He looked at the Shittim Chest, the battlemap going wild as the kids fought.

“...That’s what good adults do,” he muttered, his smile turning into a frown. “How ironic that I’m the one to say that…”

* * *

(Ratatatatatat!)

“Kufufu! Take this!”

Mutsuki swung her duffel bag at Nonomi, launching a handful of grenades. Seeing the explosive threat, Nonomi instinctively switched targets and dragged her line of fire to the black and green objects in the air. Bullets hit, and they blew up like a smoky firework.

(Ratatatatatat!)

Taking advantage of Nonomi not focusing on her, Mutsuki threw her machine gun towards the blonde student and lit her up. Nonomi ran into cover to avoid Mutsuki’s wall of lead, but a few bullets did make their mark.

(Vrrrrrrr!)

(Woosh! Woosh!)

(Boom! Boom!)

Shiroko’s drone unloaded its armaments towards Mutsuki, only to miss and later be shot down by the overconfident outlaw boss of Problem Solver 68. It spun away, blowing up into a big explosion and scattering its remains all across the battlefield.

“Nice shot, Aru!”

“Heheheh… Of course.”

(Pew, pew, pew!)

(Ratatatatatat!)

On the other side of things, Kayoko and Shiroko faced each other in a perilous standoff, bullets whizzing back and forth. With one hand holding her rifle at her hip, Shiroko’s other hand smoothly pressed the buttons on her drone controller. Another drone appeared, flying in from the school, and blasted Kayoko with its rockets. The scary-faced Problem Solver just narrowly missed the explosion, with some debris grazing her clothes.

Shiroko returned to a shooting stance, but Kayoko shot her a terrifying look, swaying the wolf’s aim and missing her target as she escaped from her optimal firing range.

Mutsuki headed and jumped over the barricade Aru was leaning behind, mounting her weapon on it. A bit later, Kayoko came over with a dazed Haruka on her shoulder, laying her down next to the barricade.

“Boss, there’s no sight of Nao-san and the others.”

“Seriously, where are they?!”

“Maybe they got tired of Aru and left,” Mutsuki teased while firing round after round toward the other side.

“No way?!”

“Calm down, Boss,” Kayoko sighed. “Even if they aren’t here, we’re equal in numbers at the moment.”

“Yeah! Excluding Little Miss Four Eyes’s drone, our Haruka and that waiter kid are down for the count! Three for two!”

“Three for three,” Kayoko corrected. “The other part-timer is back.”

“...It would be nicer if we had the Thunder Helmet Gang’s help,” Aru lamented.

“It would be funny if they brought their tank, because you know, big gun go big boom—”

“What… is that noise?”

The three Problem Solvers could hear a loud rumbling from behind them, and in the distance, they could see their saviors. The black sheen of armor, the terrible choices in symbolism written in red spray paint, and a rotating turret.

The Thunder Helmet Gang had arrived, riding their very own Thunder Cruiser.

(Vrrrrrrr…)

The tank stopped just next to the Problem Solvers, and a loud voice mixed with static yelled wildly.

[THE THUNDER HELMET GANG HAVE COME TO SAVE THE—wait, gangsters don’t save the day. Uhhhh…]

That voice was, in fact, Matsuri’s, the twin-tailed loudmouth of the Thunder Helmet Gang.

[Uhmmm… STAND READY FOR OUR ARRIVAL, ABYDOS!]

(Thwack!)

[Oww…]

[Stop screaming inside the tank, it echoes.]

The other voice was clearly Nao’s, the no-nonsense, white-haired gangster.

“Nao!” Aru exclaimed.

[Hello, Aru-chan and the others!]

And the last voice from the tank was the ever cheerful and compassionate Sachi.

[Ha… We know we’re late, yadda yadda yadda. The important part is that I only had enough to afford five HE shells, so we’ll have to make every shot count.]

The tank’s hatch opened up, and a pair of familiar sisters wearing their helmets tight climbed out to greet the desperate fixers.

“Haruka-chan!”

The taller one looked around and found Haruka lying against the barricade, all bruised up and battered, so she headed to her while unzipping her fanny bag for her bandages and other medical supplies she had.

“Haha! Praise me, Aru-sama, for I am Number One of the Thunder Helmet Gang!”

“Err… Uh.”

In contrast to her kind-hearted sister, the shorter one immediately went up to her idol, demanding praise. Aru was horribly confused by her actions.

[Ignore her. Anyways, I’m demolishing their cover. Problem Solver 68, Thunder Helmet Gang, get ready to move on my mark.]

“Aw, but—”

[Zip it, Matsuri.]

* * *

“IS THAT A TANK?!”

“Nn. Looks uglier than the ones we fought before, though.”

Serika, Shiroko, and Nonomi lay behind concrete barricades and other street decorations on their own side of the road. Further from them lay a tank.

“Did they team up with the Katakata?” Nonomi asked, looking out to the distance. “Those two seem like helmet gangsters.”

“That can’t be the Katakata, but it’s a helmet gang, alright—wait a second…”

Serika paused, deep in thought. Their outfits looked familiar to her, but she couldn’t think of a reason why they were. Their helmets were yellow with black visors, and both of them had red scribbles etched on the sides with pictures of hearts, demon horns, and thunderbolts.

Thunderbolts…

Red thunderbolts…

‘Speaking of helmet gangs, have you seen any of them with red thunderbolts on their helmets?’

…And then it clicked for the black cat. They were the helmet gang that Shion mentioned before, when they had just started working together.

“I know them! Shion mentioned them before!”

“Oh? Do you know what they’re called?”

“Not sure… Probably something related to thunderbolts because Shion emphasized that part.”

“I believe they called themselves the ‘Thunder Helmet Gang’ or something,” Shiroko answered.

Serika looked toward her wolf-eared senior with the most disappointed look she’s ever had so far.

“...Why is everyone called something lame? First, it was us with the Masked Swimsuit Gang, now it’s them with the Thunder Helmet Gang—”

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

“Wah?!”

Serika didn’t even get to finish her sentence as the girls’ cover was instantly destroyed in a fiery explosion, sending all of the Abydos girls flying back. When the dust settled and Serika got up, she saw three figures from the other side approaching rapidly.

[Girls! Are you all okay?!]

“Koff, we’re fine, kinda, koff!” Nonomi struggled to reply as she coughed through her words.

“Three of them are coming,” Shiroko coughed out. “That tank is a huge problem, though.”

[No kidding. Alright, if you can… Nonomi, suppressive fire! Serika, support Nonomi and watch her back! Shiroko, move to the right and use your drones to take out Aru and the tank! Ayane, you’re on surveillance for any of them flanking to our side!]

“Got it!”

“They’ll pay for what they did to Shibaseki and Shion!”

“Nn. Roger that.”

[On standby!]

From the other side, Mutsuki’s machine gun sputtered out.

“Ha? I’m out only now?! I swore I had more ammo…”

In her vision, she saw the little black cat and blonde of Abydos, standing there in firing position. The blonde’s minigun rotated rapidly and spat out a hail of bullets, forcing Mutsuki to duck to cover.

“Kufufu… Oh well, I always… have this!”

Not even a minute in cover while lead still rained down on her position, Mutsuki got up and threw a menagerie of various explosives from her bag, all of them with timers set to explode at different times.

(Boom! Boom! Boom!)

Some of the explosives got caught in Nonomi’s line of fire, blowing up and producing smoke just above Mutsuki. A few got near the Abydos frontline, but Nonomi and Serika were unharmed.

But that plume of smoke gave Mutsuki a chance. Already topped up again, a storm of brass headed in Nonomi’s direction from the dark grey cloud.

(Ratatatatatat!)

Mutsuki’s machine gun chugged along the links of metal that flowed out the side of her weapon. Her two targets just barely evaded becoming donut holes for someone’s break-time snack.

“Hey.”

A scary-faced girl suddenly came up to the Problem Solver’s side.

“Oh, heya, Kayoko!” Mutsuki mused, still holding down the trigger as she spoke to her fellow fixer. “Whatcha doin’ here?”

“I need a few grenades. I just ran out.”

“Frags? Flashbangs? You want it? It's yours, my dear, scary Kayoko. As long as you have enough—”

“Flashbangs,” Kayoko interrupted. “I need flashbangs.”

“Aw… Couldn’t even humor me a bit,” Mutsuki pouted, taking the time to unjam a round in her firearm. “Here.”

Out of nowhere was a flash grenade in Mutsuki’s hand. Kayoko took it, but her face twitched.

“I need a few more.”

“Ah, phooey. You’re so needy, Kayoko. Fine, here you go. Mutsuki’s shop is hereby closed for the day!”

“Are you, though?” Kayoko said, taking another two grenades from Mutsuki.

“Of course not, Kayoko, hehe. I’m just pushing your buttons.”

[If you’re done with your reunion, Kayoko, you should get moving. The wolf headed into the side. Thinking she’s going to flank the tank and Aru.]

Out of the phone in Kayoko’s pocket buzzed a very serious and commanding, white-haired gangster.

[Oh, and another thing. Haruka is definitely out for a bit, so Matsuri is coming to take her place. Mutsuki can use her as a meat shield. She’s perfect for that.]

“Huh, that’s a way to describe your friends,” Mutsuki teased.

[She’s a dumbass. Insults don’t hurt her.]

“Uh huh.”

[Just get moving, Kayoko.]

“Was going to either way. See you, Mutsuki.”

“Bye bye!” Waved the little bomber girl.

* * *

“Mmmm… I can’t get a good shot…”

[Then move away from the tank and get into a better position.]

Always, always, always, when Aru muttered to herself about something, there was a particular voice from the tank that scolded her. She hadn’t really realized it until now that the voice of the white-haired gangster was almost like Kayoko’s, except way more annoyed and angry.

“Why don’t you shoot the tank then?! It’s been ages since you fired a shell to the other side!”

[There are many reasons I can explain why I haven’t unloaded everything onto those girls, and I’m sure you don’t want to hear me ramble on about them for a week.]

“A WEEK?!”

[Hush, now. You got the wolf coming from the side towards you. I called Kayoko to come here and help, but before she does, you’re on your own.]

“What?! What do you mean I’m on my own?! Can’t you just help me?”

[...I don’t think I have to explain why shooting a tank shell near you is an incredibly bad idea.]

Aru paused for a second and then realized why.

“Ah.”

[Mhm. And someone has to man the tank lest they get their grubby hands on this thing. So that’s why you’re alone on this one until Kayoko comes around to help.]

(Ping!)

Aru could hear an echoing ping from the tank’s speakers. And then she could hear the sound of a clip sliding into the internal magazine of a rifle with the clack of the bolt being pulled forward.

[Hostile, left side, T-minus ten seconds. Good luck.]

“W-What?”

The redhead only heard Nao end her sentence off with a whistling tune before the whirr of a drone came from the left. It was evident from the school’s logo on it that it belonged to the gray wolf standing in the alley, controller in hand.

(Woosh! Woosh!)

(Boom! Boom!)

The drone shot missiles towards Aru, prompting her to dodge the explosions it caused. They didn’t hit her, but neither did she come out unscathed either.

Their firefight moved away from the tank, making Shiroko wonder for a second why the tank wasn’t doing anything at all, before she was nearly shot in the face by Aru’s rifle.

(Bang! Bang!)

(Ratatatatatatat!)

As a sniper, Aru was at a disadvantage. Normally, she would fight from the back in any other contract, taking good shots while her co-workers handled the mess on the field. But here, she was put closer to her target than she liked.

Of course, while her rifle may have more firepower and range, the flexibility and rate of fire of the wolf’s rifle were far more suited for close-quarters combat. As a result…

(Ratatatatatatat!)

“Ack!”

Aru felt the sting of more bullets than she should have felt for a day. She rolled over into an alleyway and hit her head on metal piping that lined the bottom of the wall. Aru’s head spun over and over, clearly dazed from the impact. Nao could only sigh seeing such a sight.

With the redhead taken out, Shiroko moved to her second objective: the tank. But before that…

“Eek! Please don’t hurt me!”

A helmet gangster was next to the unconscious purple-haired girl lying on the barricade. The gangster seemed like she was in the middle of treating the other girl’s wounds, but now she held her hands up in surrender.

Somehow, Shiroko and Aru never noticed her presence as they fought, but the wolfgirl’s answer to that new observation was a smack to the head with the butt of her rifle. The gangster doubled over and collapsed on the floor, clutching her head.

And finally, to disable the tank. It didn’t move an inch since Shiroko arrived at their backline, so she was thinking it was just totally unmanned or something. Just to be safe, she climbed onto the vehicle, opened the hatch with some effort, and dropped a grenade in.

But…

(Bounce!)

The next sound Shiroko heard was not the sound she was expecting, especially when that same grenade she dropped bounced upward in front of her face.

(Bang!)

(Boom!)

A gunshot, and then a proper explosion, sent Shiroko flying off to the ground.

“Just as I thought, a trampoline was a good investment,” Nao said as she climbed out of the tank. “No more grenades blowing up inside.”

Recovering from the explosion, Shiroko found herself being shot at with an older-looking semi-automatic rifle. Under fire, she quickly retreated to the backline while shooting at her assailant.

“You’re not getting away.”

(Bang! Bang!)

Two precise shots hit Shiroko’s ankle, but she had already escaped away from the enemy lines.

“Tch.”

(Shak!)

The gangster clicked her tongue as she set a clip on the top of her rifle, pushed the brass in, and threw the metal clip out. She repeated the process for another five rounds before pulling the bolt back and sending it forward.

Nao headed back inside the tank, dropping down and closing the hatch shut. Seeing no progress as Mutsuki and Matsuri fought off the blonde and the black cat, she rotated the turret in just the right position before…

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

[Direct hit. Three rounds remain. Loading new shell.]

The set of street decorations that acted as cover for the Abydos girls suddenly blew up into a pile of smoke. A street lamp went flying and loudly rattling on the ground.

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“Hah… Hah…”

[You’re late. Aru and Sachi are out for the count. The wolf got them.]

Kayoko panted as she slowed to a stop from running all the way to the frontline, her hand on the tank’s armor holding herself up.

“Agh…”

[I’m going to say, I don’t think Matsuri and Mutsuki can stand in the front much longer. Seems like a loss to me.]

“...”

[I’d say we pack it up and leave, that contract of yours is a bust. If you’re worrying about the money, I’d expect you’ll find a new contract in no time.]

(Beep, beep, boop.)

Electronic beeping came from the inside of the tank before the ringtone of an outgoing call blared through the speakers. It repeated a few times before the recipient actually picked up.

[Nao-senpai! Ack, ow! What’s up?]

(Ratatatatatatat!)

(Plink! Plonk!)

The sound of bullets passing by and colliding with metal echoed from the phone. Explosions could be heard as well.

[Pull back, we’re retreating. Tell Mutsuki that as well.]

[WHAT?! But we’re still fighting! And gangsters never back down from a fight—]

[We’ve already lost Aru and your sister. And from where I’m standing, you two aren’t in good shape either.]

[...]

[Getting out now is the better option. Too many factors prevent us from winning.]

[B-But—]

[On my signal, run. I’m shooting a round to give you cover.]

[O-Okay…]

(Click.)

The call ended, but the turret immediately sprang into action. It slowly moved towards its next target, the blonde with the minigun.

[Kayoko, if you can… drag those three inside the tank.]

“R-Right.”

(Rrrrrrr…)

[Firing HE shell.]

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

[Hit. Two rounds remain. Loading new shell.]

Nonomi was bombarded from far away, debris all collapsing in on her location. She wasn’t totally injured as far as Nao could see, but she did take enough damage to stop firing her minigun at the escaping duo.

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“AHHHHHHH! BUT I THOUGHT WE WERE WINNING?!”

“Kufufu. Apparently not.”

(Chunk, clunk!)

[Loaded. Aiming… Firing HE shell.]

(Clunk! Pow!)

(Boom!)

[...Miss. Loading last shell.]

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“Hah… Hah… Well, that was fun, hehe…” Mutsuki giggled. “Running from explosions, I mean.”

[That should not be in your definition of fun.]

The ragtag duo huffed and puffed tiredly, exhausted from running to the backline.

(Step, step…)

“I found Aru, Nao-san,” Kayoko said, carrying a knocked-out Aru on her back.

[Good. Mutsuki and Matsuri, drag those two on the floor inside—]

(Whee…)

(BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!)

All too suddenly, everyone’s vision just saw a plume of dust and smoke while the ground beneath them rocked like a violent earthquake. When they could finally see, their surroundings were already crumbling, and fires appeared in some places.

“Koff, koff! What the? What’s going on now?!” Mutsuki yelled.

“MORE EXPLOSIONS?! Nao-senpai, was that you?!”

[N-No? Hold on—]

(Ping! Ping! Ping!)

[...W-Wha… What the hell? Why are there so many hostiles behind us? The scanner is picking up so many markers!]

“Wait. Nao-san, that’s—”

[Crap. Don’t tell me. It’s the Prefect Team, isn’t it, Kayoko?]

“YES! We have to run now—”

(Whee…)

(BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!)

“Gah… Damn it…”

(Thud!)

Kayoko, Mutsuki, and Matsuri all collapsed at the next barrage of shells. When the dust cleared, all that was left of the combination of Problem Solver 68 and the Thunder Helmet Gang were unconscious girls and a battered tank.

…Speaking of the tank, the black armor that was previously unscathed was now just dented metal plating, and the barrel was totally bent at an extreme angle when it really shouldn’t have been bent at all. Despite the spray paint coating that Nao put on withstanding rifle fire, mortars were a different level entirely.

…

…

…

“Targets neutralized! That tank over there seems to be disabled, too!”

A girl in a dark, military-style school uniform with a red pointy armband reported to another girl, who seemed to be their commander. She was dressed in a white uniform shirt with a black tie and a black flowing skirt. Her silver hair, tied up into twintails, reached down to her knees, and her long bangs covered one of her crimson eyes. Her long devil tail swept the floor, and on her shoulder was her trusty bolt-action rifle. Fittingly, she wore the same red armband as the first girl.

“Good,” she replied. “Squads one and two, move in.”

“Hmm… Iori, have the Problem Solvers ever teamed up with a helmet gang before?”

A third girl spoke to the commander. She was wearing a formal outfit with visibly more red in the color scheme. She wore a white uniform shirt, a black skirt, and that red armband, similar to the commander's, but also had red stockings instead of the commander’s black ones. Red glasses complemented her pinkish-blonde hair tied up into pigtails, and a heavy bag on her shoulder highlighted her role as the Chief Medical Officer of the Prefect Team.

“Beats me, Chinatsu. But anyone collaborating with our academy’s delinquents is an enemy, as always.”

“But then what about those girls over there?”

The medical officer, Chinatsu, pointed to the gaggle of students further back from the Problem Solvers.

“You mean the students from that school? Uh… What was it called… A-dis-cos?”

“It’s Abydos, Iori.”

“Whatever it’s called,” the commander, Iori, brushed off. “Goes both ways. Interfering with our duties to arrest the Problem Solvers? Enemy.”

“...Then let's hope they stay out of our way,” Chinatsu sighed. “But procedure dictates that we state our intentions first.”

“Why bother? What can three students even do to a brigade? If they’re going to be a problem, just wipe ‘em out.”

“...You have to be kidding.”

(Stomp, stomp, stomp!)

“Field Captain Iori!”

A seemingly grunt-level student came running towards the direction of the two officers.

“Hm? What is it?”

“We don’t know how, but the tank and the Problem Solvers on the ground have disappeared!”

“...W-What?”

Iori looked back at the crater they made out of the Problem Solvers, but as the girl said, the fixers and the tank were nowhere to be found.

“F-Find them! Don’t let them get away!”

* * *

[Sensei! Those girls over there belong to Gehenna Academy’s Prefect Team!]

“...You mean their disciplinary committee?”

[Exactly!]

“You don’t mean they were the same ones who nearly bombed us?!” Serika yelled. “Are they going to arrest the Problem Solvers and whoever those helmet gangsters are, too?!”

[...I don’t know. They don’t seem to be friendlies either…]

“I’m not going to let them arrest those brats! Problem Solver and that gang hurt my friend and blew up Shibaseki!”

A bit battered yet still alive and well, Nonomi walked to Serika and put one hand on her shoulder.

“Serika… Unlike them, those girls over there are different… They’re the official armed forces of a school. Things could get political.”

She turned her head to the drone flying above them.

“Ayane, still nothing from Hoshino?”

[Yeah… She’s never been out for this long, and I couldn’t find her in the building either…]

“Ahem.”

The gruff sound of a man clearing his throat caught the attention of the task force girls.

“I’m sorry, Nonomi,” Sensei apologized. “But if they are from another academy and they’re encroaching on Abydos’s territory, it’s already a political situation.”

[...Sensei’s correct. The moment the Prefect Team entered Abydos and started enforcing their rules here, everything became political.]

“Thank you for supporting me, Ayane.”

[No problem. While yes, the combined forces of the Problem Solvers and that helmet gang started everything, that doesn’t justify the disciplinary committee of another school to do whatever they want in Abydos.]

“Yeah, that's right! How dare they?” Serika shouted. “They're basically spitting in our faces!”

The cat chambered her weapon and stepped forward with a fist.

“We're the ones who’re going to handle these morons! I'm gonna make sure they pay for what they did to Shibaseki Ramen and Shion!

“Wow, what an honor to be called a moron.”

“!”

From a dark alleyway, a helmet gangster wearing a red tracksuit jacket and jeans walked out with her arms crossed. She was covered in dust, probably from the explosions she and her friends were engulfed in. Slung on her shoulder was a long, black semi-automatic rifle.

(Click!)

“You.” Shiroko glared, pointing her rifle at the gangster.

“Yep, me, the tank driver. Feel free to shoot my head, but you’ll lose out on extra manpower.”

“Shiroko, down,” Sensei commanded.

“Hn…”

As ordered, the wolf lowered her weapon at the club advisor’s will. Everyone was on edge when they saw the enemy they had just fought, casually talking to them like nothing had happened.

“Ah. So you’re the mastermind behind our loss. What was your title? Sensei of that new GSC-based group called SCHALE?”

“...C-Correct,” Sensei confirmed.

“I was wondering how we lost despite having the number advantage. Well, to be fair, everyone on my side was indeed a moron, as the cat said.”

[What do you mean by ‘extra manpower?’ Are you planning to fight alongside us?]

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” She shrugged. “I don’t particularly want to surrender to the disciplinary committee of my own academy. A certain boss of mine would be saddened to hear her friends were thrown in jail.”

“You’re not a dropout?” Shiroko asked.

“Apparently, helmet gangsters and other thugs are mainly made of dropouts. The Thunder Helmet Gang is a special case. Don’t bother saying how lame the name is, I had no part in it.”

The Abydos girls were still tense. They couldn’t get comfortable being near a former enemy.

“Go ahead, call me anything insulting or whatever for the battle. We’re not going to see each other again after this.”

“...What’s your name?” Sensei asked. “I’d rather not do that, if I’m being honest.”

A pause. Maybe Sensei’s words surprised the gangster a bit.

“...Well, since you asked so nicely, Mister Sensei, I guess I’ll tell you.”

She stepped towards the man, causing the girls to back away.

“It’s Nao. Hoshisaki Nao.”

In the gangster’s vision, one face twitched at the moment she said her name: the blonde girl wielding a minigun. Noticing her reaction, Nao nodded silently before walking a step closer to the horde before them all.

“Now, are you going to fight, or let the Prefect Team trample all over your district?”

“Of course not!” Serika exclaimed. “We’re going to beat them to a pulp, and then we’ll deal with you!”

“Heh. Don’t make a promise you can’t keep, little kitty.”

As Nao left the scene, the cat fumed with anger at the last few words she had just said.

“DON’T CALL ME LITTLE KITTY!”

* * *

“...Iori, the Abydos students are approaching our location,” Chinatsu stated.

“Hah… And that tank hasn’t been found yet,” Iori sighed. “No matter. If they want to do it the hard way, we’ll give them the hard way. The Prefect Team can easily wipe three people out.”

“...Correction, I see four students,” Chinatsu announced, looking out into the distance. “One of the helmet gangsters has joined forces with them. Wait, hold on. That looks like a civilian—wait, isn’t that…”

The medic’s eyes widened as she saw a certain adult wearing dark-colored glasses and a light gray suit standing far in the back line of the enemy forces.

“Hold it, Iori! That civilian I see over there is Sensei from SCHALE!”

“Eh? What now?”

“We can’t engage with the enemy forces! They’re working with SCHALE! We’ll be demolished!”

“He can’t be that bad,” Iori scoffed, looking out into the distance herself. “We’ll probably crush them either way—”

And then she stopped. Iori’s eyes gazed not on the man that Chinatsu was alarmed about, but upon the entirely black rifle the helmet gangster held. It reminded her of something, something terrible.

And then she remembered. It was the weapon of that girl.

“...ALL UNITS, BE ON HIGH ALERT! BEWARE OF THE HELMET GANGSTER ON THEIR SIDE! THAT GIRL IS A HIGH-VALUE TARGET!”

“I-Iori? What’s gotten into you? What about the helmet gangster? SCHALE is more important—”

(Click!)

Iori pulled back the bolt of her own rifle, causing a bullet to be ejected to the ground. She checked the internal magazine before scrambling to take the bullet on the floor, load it into the weapon, and push the bolt forward.

“I swear if that girl is a fake of her of all people, I’m going to tear her to shreds,” Iori muttered to herself angrily, smoke even coming out of her ears. “But if that girl is really her…”

She took a large breath before exhaling.

“I’m going to get my revenge for what she did to me last year.”

Before Chinatsu could get any explanation from her field captain, Iori instantly dashed to the frontlines, ready to meet this figure she was so obsessed with.