...
Though the girls made it back to Abydos safe and sound, in Abydos' medical room, a certain catgirl is distraught. Or perhaps more accurately, confused.
Not from the kidnapping, or the fighting, but rather her Sensei.
As she sits on the medical room's bed, she holds her knees to her chest, her mind racing.
'Why would he go so far for someone he met just a few days ago?' She thought, completely confused. 'He was smiling. He was genuinely happy that he had saved me, even though he was wounded.'
She didn't even realize that he was injured until she was woken up upon reaching the school, noticing that he had taken a bullet to the arm and ripped off his sleeve to stop the bleeding.
"I'm glad to see you're alright, Serika."
That was what he had said as he saw her. Yet the poor girl is unable to forget those words he said while smiling.
She merely clutched her knees tighter to her chest confused by her strange feelings, and sat there by her lonesome.
—————
In the Foreclosure Task Force room, Ayane began to properly doctor me up then and there. My makeshift tourniquet had stopped the bleedling, but it was still a lot of blood lost in a short time. She and the others were a bit worried about all of the scars, but none of them asked, thankfully.
"Honestly, Sensei. Why did you run straight into enemy fire?" The elf girl admonishes me.
"I knew I could handle it." I shrug with my good arm.
"But you had the other girls with you, why didn't you get them to help?" She chastises once again.
I remain silent, trying to think of a reason. Then it clicks. "I guess... I've been in lots of fights on my own, with no one to help, so... I guess I ignored the fact that I could have someone helping me." The four girls look at me, almost in shock. "I knew you girls had each others' backs, but not mine, for one reason or another. Sorry." I say, embarrassed.
"That's no good, Sensei!" Nonomi shouts. "You said you were going to have our backs, right? Well that goes both ways!" My eyes widen at this.
Shiroko lets out a hum of agreement.
"You can't do everything on you own, Sensei. Remember?" Hoshino asks.
Right, I said that to them before... "Yeah, I do. Sorry, you guys."
"It's fine, Sensei. Just don't forget we care about you too!" The blonde haired girl says happily.
Huh... I suppose I forgot what it was like to have people care about you... It's been so long since...
No, I need to move on from those messes.
"Thanks y'all." I say with a smile.
"By the way." Ayane begins. "I asked Arona-san to look into the tank you all fought against."
"What did she find?" I ask.
"It turns out they were from an illegal model that is prohibited in all of Kivotos. I'll have to dig a little deeper, but right now it looks like the Helmet Gang has gained access to weapons that should be contraband." Ayane explains.
"I bet we can find out who those hooligans answer to if we analyze the distribution channels for these parts!" Nonomi points out.
"Bingo. We'll also hopefully find out why a minor criminal organization is targeting our school so obsessively..." The elf girl trails off.
"You raise a good point, Ayane. They seem to be entirely focused on attacking you guys. But why...?" I ask myself.
"Sounds good to me." The pink haired girl agrees. "Let's proceed a little cautiously and see where this leads."
The other girls nod and agree with this.
—————
After taking a nap for most of the day, I decided to check on Serika.
I open the door to the medical room, noticing that it's nearing the evening.
"Huh?" She says, looking up at me quickly, despite still being covered in bandages. "Wait... Sensei?! What are you doing here?!" She shouts, her face crimson.
"Came to check on you. I fell asleep for a while and wanted to see how you were doing before I went back to Schale for the day." I explain.
"Oh." She calms down. "I'm fine. I shouldn't be spending so much time lying around doing nothing anyway. I don't want to worry Ayane or the others too much. Plus, I have my part-time job to go to." She begins to ramble a bit.
I sigh. "I'm glad to see someone can be so hardworking, but rest is important, Serika. Much more than people think."
"Y-You don't have to worry about me so much!" She all but shouts. "I'm fine, really."
"That's a relief." I say, smiling. Oddly enough, this seems to make her more nervous.
"Uh, so... by the way..." She tries to speak. "Th-The thing is..." I merely stay quiet, as to let her finish. "Looking back on it, I don't think I ever thanked you, Sensei... S-So... thanks. For all the help and stuff... And sorry about being so rude to you before."
I merely smile. "You're welcome, Serika. And I already forgave you for the rudeness. We had just met, and you didn't trust me too much, so it's fine."
"B-But still! Don't assume this has done anything to actually help our school! We're gonna settle this debt if it's the last thing we do!" She shouts.
I nod resolutely at the latter sentence, not the former tsundere-like one. A smile must have been on my face, since she yelled once more, her face crimson. "Wh-What...? What's with that smug look on your face?"
"What smug look?" I ask, confused.
She merely sighs. "Geez. W-Whatever, I'll see you tomorrow. Sen..." She hesitates a bit. "...Sensei." With that, she hurriedly rushes away, her face still crimson.
I shake my head and chuckle at the display. "That girl really can't be honest to herself, huh?"
With that, I begin my trip back to Schale. Much faster this time, due to the stolen truck, which I parked in Schale's garage. Hopefully I can fix it up sometime soon.
One more day in Kivotos comes to a close...
—————
The next day, I once again swing by Abydos.
"All right." Ayane catches our attention, as all of us sit in the FTF club room. "Time for us to begin our regularly scheduled Abydos Foreclosure Task Force meeting. I'll remind you that Joshua Sensei is in attendance today, so I would hope for more decorum than usual..."
"Okay!" Nonomi says, cheerful as ever.
"Naturally." Shiroko agrees.
"Come on. You say that like we've never taken it seriously before..." Serika adds.
"It's good of you to join us, Sensei." Hoshino speaks, still a bit sleepy.
"Er, thanks for having me." I say, a bit awkwardly.
"Okay. Let's get down to business and discuss the key item on our agenda. How do we settle the school's debts? Discuss." Ayane begins the meeting. "If anyone would like to share their thoughts, raise their hand!"
"Ooh! Me! Me!" Serika raises her hand quickly. Heh, reminds me of school, funnily enough.
"Yes, first year Kuromi Serika. You have the floor." Ayane says, professionally.
"Seriously, again with the formalities?" The cat girl asks, a bit exhausted sounding. "I hate it when you do that."
The elf girl chuckles a bit. "Why not? This is our first formal meeting in ages."
"Yeah, what's the big deal?" The pink haired girl chimes in. "It's nice to pull out all the stops once in a while. It's not every day we get to run a meeting with Sensei."
"This is the only time we've had a meeting with Sensei in attendance, to be precise." The wolf girl corrects.
"That's right! It's like we're a proper task force now!" The blonde girl adds.
I just stay quiet and smile at the group's antics.
Serika sighs reluctantly. "Fine. You guys do have seniority here, I guess..." She clears her throat. "Moving on. The school is on the verge of bankruptcy, and I'm the treasurer, in case you forgot, so I really mean it!" She's the treasurer? Didn't know that. "Abydos will seriously get shut down at this rate. Got it?"
"Well, yeah." Hoshino says, confused a bit. As am I, not seeing where she's going with this.
"We're paying nearly eight million yen every month alone." She says, causing my eyes to widen.
"THAT much a month?!" I interject, shocked.
"Er, yes." Serika admits.
"That's correct. Every month, a truck comes by for us to deposit the money." The elf girl explains.
"Deposit? Do you just give them eight million in cash?" I ask.
"That's right." Nonomi says, worrying me. Why in cash? That seems WAY too sketchy to me...
"Anyway, we're doing everything we can to hold on, but that much is barely keeping up with the interest. There's only so much we can do by just arresting wanted criminals or taking care of civilian requests. We're royally screwed unless something changes. What we need is something big! Huge, even!"
"Something... big?" Ayane questions.
"Makes sense. If you girls can't keep up the interest, you need a way to do it." I summarize. "Very few options there, though."
"Way ahead of you, Sensei." Serika says, confidently. "This is it!" She says, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket.
"What's that?" The elf girl asks.
"A flier?" I ask.
"Yes, one from downtown." Serika says.
"Let me see here." Hoshino says, grabbing the flier and reading it. "Ready to become a boss babe billionaire? Get rick quick with the Germanium Granite... Bracelet... Network?!"
"Oh, god..." I say, peering at the paper. Hoshino looks up to me, her face mirroring my concerns.
"That's right! We're all gonna become boss babe billionaires!" Serika says, still confident.
All of us just stare at her, silently.
"I was downtown recently, and these really cool people invited me to a seminar. They told me all about these amazing germanium bracelets!" She explains, happily. "Did you know that can cleanse your aura and bring you good luck? They're so powerful that you can boost your good vibes just by wearing them!" Good vibes? The hell? "And if you can get three other girls who wanna become boss babes like you...?" She trails off, noticing our stares. "...What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Oh Serika, you sweet summer child..." I say, shaking my head in both amusement and disappointment.
"Proposal denied." Hoshino shuts her down.
"What? Why?!" The cat girl shouts once more.
"Serika..." Ayane begins, trying to ease into this. "Have you ever heard the phrase 'pyramid scheme' before?"
"It's a scam." The wolf girl says, bluntly.
"What?!" Serika seems genuinely surprised.
"First, I don't think germanium can affect your luck, if it even exists." The elf girl begins.
"Germanium's a real metal back home. Not sure about here, though." I add quickly.
Ayane nods at me. "Second, if this is such a great business plan, why would they give it away for free at such a fishy sounding seminar?"
"N-No way! I already bought two bracelets, so that can't be right!" Serika says.
"...You girls need a new treasurer." I say.
"Hey!" Serika shouts, indignantly.
"Serika is so gullible it's cute!" The blonde says, causing the cat girl to still and blush.
"Aww, you can be so naive, Serika. Sweet, but naive. You'd better start wishing up, or else you're going to have your life ruined by one of these schemes someday!" Hoshino chides her kouhai.
"B-But..." The poor cat girl tries to deny it, sadly. "It sounded so convincing. I even skipped lunch so I could buy these..." She trails off, looking down.
"There, there, Serika. It's okay." Nonomi rubs the poor cat girl's shoulder. "Why don't I treat you to lunch?"
"...Nonomi." She says, happy.
"Well then..." Ayane begins awkwardly. "That's it for Serika's suggestion. Anyone else?"
"Me! Me!" The sleepy girl shouts, swinging her raised hand around wildly.
"Okay. President Takanashi Hoshino has the floor." Ayane says, once again professionally.
"Thank you." The pink haired girl says, clearing her throat. "You know what this school's problem is? It's that the entire student body is just us. More students means more money. Think about Trinity of Gehenna with their five digit enrollment numbers." They have THAT many students?! "Then think about how much they must be raking in with monthly student fees alone!"
"I suppose... And?" Ayane asks.
"So we need to increase our enrollment numbers! That's our top priority." Hoshino explains. "We'll also get more representatives and have a better say with the General Student Council that way."
Sometimes, real intelligence bleeds through Hoshino. It catches me off guard still. "That's definitely a good idea, but how are you gonna do that?" I ask.
"Simple. We abduct another academy's school bus." She says happily, as though she sees nothing wrong with it.
"Excuse me?!" Ayane shouts, as my palm hits my face.
"We hijack a bus full of students on their way to school, and we hold them hostage until they agree to transfer their enrollment over to our school!" Hoshino says, still proud. "This is sure to get our enrollment numbers up!"
"Interesting." Shiroko adds, looking like she's on board already. "So who's our target? Trinity? Gehenna? Or is it Millennium?" Oh god, she's on board. "We'll have to evolve our strategy to fit the target."
"Oh, yeah?" Hoshino says, looking interested. "Well, what about Trinity? No, wait! Let's hit Gehenna!"
"Wait a second!" Ayane shouts. "We can't possibly boost our enrollment with a stunt like that! Not to mention the other schools' respective leaders would surely put up a fight."
"Heh heh." Hoshino chuckles. "Oh would they now?"
"That wasn't supposed to be a challenge, Hoshino." The elf girl deadpans.
"Didn't you just mention that they have a five digit numbers of students? Five versus that isn't a good matchup." I point out, eyebrow raised.
"Fair point, Sensei." The pink haired girl relents.
Ayane sighs. "Can you please try to take this meeting seriously?"
"I have an even better idea." Shiroko says.
"...Fine. Go ahead, second year student, Sunaookami Shiroko." Ayane says, exasperated.
"We rob a bank." The wolf girl says simply, without a shred of shame or hesitation.
Palm, meet face. How have you been? We just saw one another, idiot.
"What?!" Ayane shouts.
"It's a surefire plan, and we already have the perfect target." The wolf girl explains. "Let's hit the First Central Bank downtown. 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." I don't think I've heard her speak so much, she must be passionate about this.
"Is that what you've been working so hard on lately?!" Ayane accuses.
"We can earn one hundred-million yen in five minutes flat. In and out, easy. Here, I even brought masks." She says, pulling out five balaclavas, of assorted colors, from her bag. I notice each has a number as well.
Shiroko quickly put on the blue one with the number 2 on it. Huh, it even has holes for her ears.
"Where did you find the time to prepare all of this?" Ayane asks, completely caught off guard.
"Did you sew these yourself?" I ask, curious.
"Wowie! Check it out! Don't I look like a luchador?" Nonomi asks, wearing the green one with the number 3. It has a hole for the bun of hair on the side of her head.
"Dang...!" Hoshino cheers. "It's so obvious! You gotta risk big to win big! Isn't that what life is all about, Serika?"
"Heck no it isn't! Absolutely not! DENIED!" The cat girl shuts them all down.
"She's right! We can't possibly stoop to being criminals!" The elf girl chastises. Shiroko pouts and takes off the mask. "Pout all you want, Shiroko, but there are some lines that can't be crossed!" She calms down and sighs. "Seriously." She holds a hand on her head. "If no one come up with a real idea soon..."
"Hey, excuse me! Me next!" Nonomi waves her arm, having taken off the balaclava.
"Very well, second year Izayoi Nonomi... As long as it doesn't involve scams or breaking the law, you have the floor." Ayane reluctantly says.
"You got it! I have the perfect thing, and I promise it isn't illegal or a pyramid scheme. This one is definitely gonna work!" I sit forward, intrigued by her confidence. "Two words: pop idols! Schoolgirl pop idols, to be exact!" Aaaaaaand, I lean right back.
"Pop idols...?!" Ayane says confused as all hell.
"You heard me! It happens all the time in anime." Ohhhhh no. "Nothing helps revitalize a school like becoming a pop superstar! If we all break into the industry together as pop idols.."
"Denied." Hoshino cuts her off.
"What...? You don't like that idea, either?" The blonde girl asks.
"Why not? You'd definitely have some fans, Hoshino." Serika chimes in.
"Yeah, more like I'd have a bunch of creeps after me. No thanks." The pink haired girl waves off.
"B-But I even came up with a pose..." Nonomi says, a bit sad, before doing said pose. The exact pose isn't important. What is important, is that she made a heart with her hands and happily said "Christina of the Mizuki Girl Gang!"
"Are you..." Serika begins, her rage building. "...KIDDING ME?!" She shouts, causing Nonomi to reel back, dropping her pose. "The Mizuki WHAT?! Get real!"
"Aww. But I worked on it all night..." Nonomi looks sad.
"I thought it was impressive." I add.
She immediately cheers up. "Aww, thanks Sensei!" The blonde says with a big smile.
"This meeting is just going in circles." Ayane chimes in. "Shouldn't we at least try to decide on something? Anything?" She pleads.
"Why not let Sensei decide?" Hoshino asks. "Sensei, which idea do you think we should go with?"
"What?! You want to make a decision already? Shouldn't we at least throw out some better ideas first?" Ayane asks, surprised.
"It'll be fine. If Sensei backs it, then I'm sure it'll be the right one." Hoshino says, confident.
"I'm surprised you've got so much confidence in me." I point out, a bit shocked.
"Now wait just a minute! How does that make any sense?" The elf girl asks.
"I mean, at least this means becoming pop idols is off the table... right?" Serika asks hoepful.
"Pop idol stardom, here we come!" Nonomi cheers.
Shiroko just puts her mask back on, hopeful.
I take a moment to mull it over, rubbing my chin with my hand. "Hoshino's idea has it's merits..." The pink haired perks up. "But no way am I gonna let you girls be criminals." She pouts. "That goes for your idea as well, Shiroko." She pouts as well.
Nonomi gasps loudly. "Yay! That mean's it's my idea!"
"Hey now, I didn't decide on-" I try to say, but am quickly cut off.
"I guess we have a winner!" Hoshino cheers. "Let's do this!"
"Yay! This is going to be so much fun!" Nonomi cheers.
"Hey, girls?" I try to catch their attention. Emphasis on try.
"This is a joke right...? We aren't really...?" Serika asks, unbelieving.
"Why not?" Hoshino asks the cat girl.
"Might as well go big or go home." Shiroko pipes up. "Isn't that right, Ayane?"
"Obviously..." Ayane says quietly.
Serika looks surprised. "Really?"
"OBVIOUSLY NOT!" Ayane suddenly shouts and in a single, fluid motion, flips the table, throwing it to the other side of the room with a shocking amount of strength from the thin elf girl.
"JESUS!" I shout, recoiling at the sudden violence from the nice girl. Guess everyone has a breaking point?
"Holy crap! Ayane flipped the table!" Hoshino says, heterochromatic eyes wide. Even Shiroko leans back. Serika has quickly shot back, her back to the wall.
"Ahh!" Nonomi shouts. "Ayane is in berserk mode! Everyone take cover!"
"You've grown up to be a fine young lady that gets the job done. I'm so proud of you, sweetie." Hoshino says. Why's she talking like a old lady?
"Can't you take this seriously for once second?!" Ayane shouts, full of rage. "I swear, it's like I'm your mother! All you four ever do is fool around! Robbing banks, pyramid schemes... Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?!"
"Er, for the record." I start, only to recoil as Ayane's gaze is fixed solely on me. "I was gonna shoot down the idol idea as well..."
She looks at me for a moment, before letting out a big exhale.
"Hey now, everything's going to be all right, Ayane. We're sorry, okay?" The now wide awake girl attempts to placate the elf girl. "I'll treat you to some ramen to make it up to you. Would that be okay?"
Ayane remains silent as a tense moment passes. "Fine. It is lunch time, after all. Let's go." She says, leaving the room.
"...Christ... It's always the quiet ones." I mutter to myself as I, along with the other four girls leave for Shiba Seki.
—————
"You okay now, Ayane?" I ask, as we sit down at the dog-owned ramen restaurant.
"Yes, I'm fine now." Ayane says. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Sensei."
I wave her off. "It's fine. We all have a breaking point."
"That's fine and all, but did you guys seriously have to come back here again?" Serika asks, donned in her working attire.
"I see no problem here, this place's food is good" I say, as we begin to eat.
"Want some more chashu, Ayane?" Shiroko asks.
"Yesh." Ayane says, while chewing.
The small bell on the front door rings out as the door opens. Looking out of the corner of my eye, I see who entered. A girl with short purple hair, her bangs held with various hairclips of a similar color. I notice her eyes are a similar shade. She wears a black, military-esque uniform, complete with a small hat and skirt. She has on a black tie and a dark red undershirt, as well as black, laced boots that come to her mid-shin. She also has a small bag, held on her belt. Her halo is a deep purple, comprised of three shapes in a triangle pattern, all three resembling thorns. Around her back is a black and purple shotgun with a yellow Gehenna logo.
She looks around nervously, stuttering all the while. "Oh... U-Um..."
Serika, not noticing her nervousness, or perhaps not caring about it, greets her with the usual greeting. "Welcome! How many in your party?"
"Uh... Excuse me. How much is the cheapest thing on your menu?" The purple haired girl awkwardly asks.
"Our lowest priced dish?" Serika asks, taking a moment to think. "That would be the regular Shiba Seki Ramen Bowl for five-hundred eighty yen! It's our signature dish and super tasty too!"
"Oh, uh, thank you!" The purple haired girl says with an awkward smile, before rushing outside, and back in. This time, with three other girls in tow.
One girl gives me imp vibes. She has long, cream white hair tied in a side ponytail, held with a black and red hairtie, resembling a flower. She also wears a military-esque uniform, but this one has a short, black top that ends just below her chest. Her red skirt comes up to the top. Underneath is a short, white shirt held with a red colonial tie. She wears loose black and red boots, ones similar to the purple haired girl, just with no laces. She also carries a large, black duffel bag with her. Her halo is a burgundy color, comprised of an inner ring with four 'spikes' protruding from the intermediate directions. Inside the inner ring is a flower shape. The outer ring is separated by the four spikes and has small points at the cardinal directions. Tied to her bag is a dark red and black Machine Gun.
"Heh. We finally found something that costs less than six-hundred yen!" The imp looking girl says happily.
Another girl looks rather professional and somewhat imposing. She has long brownish-red hair with two brown and gold horns protruding from the back of her neck, under her ears. How odd. Her eyes are a vibrant shade of yellow. She wears a buttoned white shirt, with a red colonial tie and white gloves. Her black, business skirt hugs her figure quite well, and her black business shoes are accompanied by black bands just above her ankle, complete with a yellow bow tie. She also has an extravagant brown and gold coat held by her shoulders. Its' collar and sleeves have a puffy black material on them. Her halo is of a pinkish-red color and is hard to describe beyond that it resembles a rose somehow. Around her back is a long sniper rifle that's red, black and gold, the exact same colors as her coat. It also has a golden rose above the grip.
"A yen saved is a yen earned. I knew we'd find one." The business looking girl says, losing all my respect in an instant. Impressive.
"Y-You were right. I guess you really do know everything, Boss..." The timid girl speaks up. smiling.
The fourth girl sighs at them. She has short, stark white hair, tied in a ponytail. Said ponytail, as well as the middle of her bangs are dyed black. Her eyes are a dark red. She wears a large, black hoodie that has a white bull skull logo as well as text that reads 'BORN TO KiLL' underneath. The sleeves have two red stripes at the sleeves each. Underneath is a black t-shirt. She has a black backpack slung over one shoulder, as well as a red, plaid skirt, mostly hidden due to her large hoodie. She has on black tennis shoes as well. Her halo is silver and is comprised of two 'rings', both the shape of a pentagon. The inner one 'points' up, and the outer one down. The outer one also has three spikes, one on the top and two on the bottom. She also has a single wing coming from underneath her hoodie, it resembles a bat's. Hooked to her bag is a black and white handgun with a black suppressor.
"So four in your party?" Serika asks. "I'll show you to your seats."
"Oh, no, no, no." The imp girl interrupts. "You don't have to do that. We're only going to order the one." One? Then why are all four of them here? They gonna share?
"Just one...?" Serika looks equally as confused. "Still, you may as well be comfortable. Plus, we're not very busy at the moment."
"Well, isn't that nice of you?" The imp girl asks rhetorically while she and the other three sit down, a smug grin on her face. "Don't mind if we do. Oh, and can you get us four pairs of chopsticks while you're at it? Thanks, little missy." Oh dear god, they're gonna share.
"Four pairs? Uh, you're not thinking of splitting a single bowl between the four of you, are you?" The cat girl asks.
"S-Sorry!" The timid girl suddenly shouts. "I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that we're broke and we're poor!" I got the sudden urge to hug her.
"What the...? You don't have to apologize to ME over something like that..." Serika says.
"No, really! What's the point of living like this? We're just a waste of air! Lower than dirt! We should have never come in here! Sorry, sorry, sorry..." The timid girl continues to spew apologies. I really wanna hug her now.
The punk looking girl just sighs. "For crying out loud..." She says under her breath. "Knock it off, Haruka. You're making a scene."
"Don't say that!" Serika says passionately. "Being poor isn't a crime or anything to be ashamed of. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself!"
"I... shouldn't?" The timid girl, Haruka, asks, genuinely confused.
"You're students!" Serika argues. "No one expects you to be loaded with cash! Still, you and your friends scraped enough to share a bowl of ramen together. That's saying something, isn't it? Hang tight. I'd be glad to bring it to you." Serika goes to the kitchen.
I stop eating for a moment, making a decision, while also listening to them. I figure I oughta do something nice. Our table's rather close to the kitchen, so I lean over. "Hey, boss?"
"Yeah?" Master Shiba, the owner, looks over at me.
"Bill me for four more big ramen for them." I say, motioning my head
"Ha!" He lets out a bark of laughter, though not a literal bark. "You're really nice, aren't ya Sensei?"
"Eh, just doin' my part." I shrug him off and keep listening to the four girls.
"I think she got the wrong idea." The punk girl says.
"Yeah! It's not like we're beggars." The imp girl says. "It's just because Aru blew through our cash."
"That's 'Boss' to you." Aru, the business like girl admonishes. "You should know better than to not refer to me by my title, Chief of Staff Mutsuki." Chief of Staff?
"Really?" The imp girl, Mutsuki, says with an impish grin. "You still want us to call you Boss when we're off the clock? And what kind of boss can't afford to treat her employees to more than one measly bowl of ramen?" Very smug there, girl.
Aru just stays silent, looking caught on the spot.
"Maybe you should've thought of that before blowing all our money on hired goons." The punk girl says. Hired goons? What'd they need that for?
Their boss chuckles. "Would you expect me to do any less? Be grateful there was enough left for a bowl of ramen."
"You could have negotiated to make sure there was enough left for four, you know..." The punk girl points out.
"Just admit that you forgot to account for dinner in today's expensed, Aru." Mutsuki says.
Aru just chuckles, an unreadable expression on her face...
"I get why you would want to reduce the risk factor of this operation." The punk girl begins. "You're right about not underestimating the target. They aren't jobbers like the Helmet Gang." What are they, bounty hunters?
The punk girl says something else in a whisper, not loud enough for my ears to catch.
"They could be..." Aru says, nervously.
"Aru probably doesn't even know. That's why she hired those goons, because she's chicken!" Mutsuki teases.
"Who are you calling a chicken?" Aru snaps. "I'm just being careful and covering our bases! Failure is not an option. You all know Problem Solver Sixty-Eight's motto: Expect the unexpected." They even have a motto?
"This is the first I'm hearing of a motto." The punk girl points out.
Nevermind, they don't have a motto.
"Pretty sure she just made that up on the spot." The imp girl concludes.
"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!" Aru says, hopefully encouraging them.
"Sukiyaki...? Wait, what's that?" Haruka asks.
"It's a dish that adults like... and is really expensive." The punk girl says.
"W-Wow. I don't know if dirt like me could appreciate it, then." Haruka says. "Would I have to sacrifice me life afterward for overindulging?" This poor girl needs some for self-esteem.
Aru chuckles proudly. "Problem Solver is an industry titan at this point. We deserve only the best, wouldn't you agree?"
"Heh! You're so ambitious, Aru." Mutsuki says.
"I told you to call me Boss!" The Boss chides.
At that moment, Serika returns. "Order up! The bowls are hot, so be careful." She says, placing the four bowls down.
"Whoa, wait." Mutsuki says. "We only ordered one, right?"
"Well, Sensei over here decided to pay for you four." Master Shiba motions to me, as I simply wave at them.
"W-Wow." Haruka says. "Do I have to offer my life in exchange for this?!"
"Nah." I wave her concerns off. "Just doin' a good deed. Don't worry about it, The world needs some more goodness in it, anyways."
"I say we eat first and ask questions later. Chopsticks ready!" Mutsuki interrupts.
Aru chuckles. "I didn't see this coming, but it'd be rude of us to send it back."
"Let's dig in!" The imp girl says happily as the four begin to eat.
The four of them, after tasting the ramen, suddenly still, eyes wide.
"I-It's so yummy!" Haruka says.
"Not bad at all." Mutsuki compliments. "Who knew there was such a good ramen shop out here in the boonies?"
Nonomi suddenly squeezes into their conversation. "I know right? Isn't it the best?"
"Huh? Weren't you sitting at the table next to us?" Mustuki asks, surprised by the blonde's sudden presence.
"Yep!" Nonomi says. "The ramen here is the best around. People come from all over just to get a taste of it."
"I can see why. I've been to my fair share of shops, and ramen this good is hard to find." Aru praises.
"We're regulars here." Ayane speaks up. "Sorry to interrupt your meal, but we wanted to say it's good to see students from other schools come here and see the light."
"That uniform you're wearing is Gehenna's right?" Shiroko asks. "That's a long trip."
The punk girl and Mutsuki stop eating to whisper to one another, as Aru gushes. "Haha! I never expected to run into fellow connoisseurs here. Isn't life wonderfully unpredictable sometimes?"
Aru continues to speak happily with the Abydos girls and I, as we all finish our food.
—————
As we leave, Serika bids the Problem Solver girls goodbye. "Take care on your way home!"
"Good luck with your business!" Nonomi says.
"Same to you guys! Good luck with revitalizing your school. I'll be cheering you on!" Aru says. "Bye bye!"
As we ate, both groups swapped stories. The girls, Aru, Mutsuki, Haruka, and Kayoko have a business they run. They never mentioned what they do exactly, but I kinda figured it out...
Either way, we parted ways then and there.
Shame I didn't know things were gonna get hectic in just a few minutes.
Oh well, at least I wouldn't be fighting on an empty stomach!
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"Heh..." Aru chuckles to herself. "What great girls, yeah? And that Sensei guy, I never thought I'd meet a handsome guy who was that nice!"
Kayoko speaks to her. "Aru? Didn't those uniforms look familiar to you?"
"Huh? No. Why?" The boss asks, confused.
"Those were Abydos students." Mutsuki stops them from beating around the bush.
Aru remains silent for a moment, the gears in her head starting up. After a moment, her face is once of pure shock. "Wh-What?! What did you say?!"
"Hahaha! You should see the look on your face!" Mutsuki giggles.
"Did you really not know?" The punk girl asks.
"B-But doesn't that mean they're our targets?" Haruka asks. "Sh-Should I go back inside and snuff them out?"
"It's a little late for that. We're gonna raid 'em in a bit anyway, so save it for then, Haruka." The imp girl says.
"Y-You're serious...?" Aru asks in denial. "They're the ones from Abydos? Ugh. Ah... Why is fate such a cruel mistress?"
"What's wrong, Aru?" Mutsuki teases. "Isn't it time for us to get to work?"
"The hired muscle is waiting for instructions." Kayoko points out.
"Do we gotta...? Do we have to wipe them out this second?" Aru asks, pleading.
"Looks like our sweet little Aru is being torn apart~" Mutsuki jokes. "What happened to doing the crime as long as the client has the dime? Problem Solver Sixty-Eight doesn't let emotions get in the way, so what's going on?"
"I-I know that, but..." Aru trails off.
'She really is conflicted right now...' Kayoko thinks to herself, surprised.
"I gotta pull myself together!" Aru shouts, slapping her cheeks. "What kind of executive would I be if I can't do a simple job like this? Let's do it!" She shouts, gathering her courage. "Round up the muscle!"
'We'll crush those Abydos girls and that handsome guy!' Aru pumps herself up mentally.
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AN
Next time, FTF vs. PS68. Who'll win?!
Our favorite goofball Aru appeared, and Ayane fucking snapped.
Edit: November 1, 2022: Added girls' weapon descriptions.
Edit: February 25, 2023: Changed some dialogue and stuff.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!