Blood Archive (Bloodborne/Blue Archive)

[mgman]

Hello friends, I come with a story, specifically a blue archive and bloodborne crossover story.

As is probably obvious, this is a cross post of my already existing blue archive crossover story that I have been working on for some time now, originally it was hosted on space battles however with my subsequent ban from that website, I instead moved it over permanently to fanfiction.net. But considering how well my other story which is a Monster girl encyclopedia and bloodborne crossover is going currently, I thought why not bring my other popular story to this website and see what people think about it.

I will say though if anyone is coming from my other story expecting lots of bloodshed and violence, then you will sadly be disappointed (or possibly relieved considering not everyone seems to like my portrayal of the hunter in that story) considering that despite the fact that bloodborne is a very messy and violent game, I've tried and will continue to try my absolute best to tone down some of the darker aspects of the game, specifically the blood and violence to fit more in line with the slightly more cheery atmosphere of blue archive.

However, that doesn't mean that some of the more cosmic and lovecraftian aspects of bloodborne won't make their way into blue archive because after all, it wouldn't be a bloodborne story if there weren't a lot of cosmic shenanigans and a mind melting amount of insight.

Anyway I think that's enough of me rambling for now, much like was my other story I am still working on the latest chapter as I write this but in the meantime I will upload all of the previous chapters I have posted. So without any further ado, may I present you what I personally think is my best work, Blood Archive.

The night had been long, yet much like it was always, the darkness of night was quickly banished by the sun's rising. The black veil of the night quickly retreated as the bright and radiant sun began to peak over the horizon, the numerous skyscrapers that dotted the landscape casting long retreating shadows over the sprawling metropolis of Kivotos.

It was a beautiful sight, one that could easily take the breath away. It also had a calming effect on those who saw it, the pale sky the sparkling of the distant towers, and the ethereal glow that the rising sun gave the entire City.

The breathtaking, panoramic vista was so captivating that it could soothe even the most agitated soul. The harmonious convergence of elements created a visual symphony that quelled the frenzied mind, bringing a sense of tranquillity and serenity.

However.

Today's stunning view did absolutely nothing to calm the raging and turbulent mind of a certain general student council member. In fact, unlike every other day, the now de facto leader of the general student council wouldn't even acknowledge the spectacular view.

Letting out a tired and frustrated sigh. Rin Nanagami, the current acting head of the general student council, slumped down into her chair. Massaging one of her temples with her gloved hand, as the consistent throbbing pain in her head continued to give her grief.

Pulling off her glasses and placing them on the table, Rin pinched the bridge of her nose, the stress of everything she had been dealing with up until now finally getting the better of her.

Everything was falling apart, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. The city was in turmoil, all of its services breaking down, gangs and other criminals were running rampant, practically treating the city as their own personal playground. And all the while the general student council was completely powerless to stop it.

She and everyone else in the general student council were trying to keep everything together, but it was simply just too much. Without the Sanctum Tower, they were practically powerless to do anything, which was only made worse by the fact that they couldn't even access the tower ever since...

Rin felt a horrible aching in her chest, as her train of thought came to a dead stop. She had been putting off thinking about it ever since it happened, using the amount of work as an excuse to not think about it.

But it was ultimately fruitless, considering that... her disappearance, was the catalyst for all of this.

Feeling the pain in her heart only grow the more she thought about it, Rin's gaze unconsciously came to rest, on a particular picture frame, its wooden frame was horribly out of place on her neat and overly tidy desk.

Staring back at her from the picture, was a younger version of herself looking quite unused, Yet the person next to her younger self was the exact opposite. Her face so vibrant and full of life, that even though she felt an incredible pain in her heart, Rin couldn't help but smile just a little bit looking at the picture.

However, the brief smile on her face quickly vanished as the full reality seeped in once again, her friend... her only friend. The general student council president...

Was gone.

Rin, when she found out, had mobilised all available resources to try and find her, both for the sake of Kivotos, and selfishly because the thought of losing her, was something that the dark-haired girl was not willing to accept.

Yet all the searches and investigations have been completely fruitless. The general student council president had seemingly completely vanished into thin air, with not a single trace of her left behind. Her complete and utter disappearance made it almost seem like she never existed, to begin with.

But that was not possible, considering that it defied all logical explanation, and also considering that despite the size of Kivotos. Actually fully vanishing in the mega-metropolis was exceedingly difficult, if not completely impossible.

And of course, this led to only one explanation. One that Rin didn't want to accept or even consider, despite it being the only one that made any sense or logical reason.

The pit and her stomach only grew as she continued to stare at the photo frame on her desk, the horrific thought swirling around in her brain before despite her protests cementing itself at the front of her mind.

The student council president hadn't just gone missing. It was far worse than that.

She was... kidnapped.

It was the worst possible explanation, but ultimately it was the only one that to Rin's logical mind made any sense whatsoever. Although even though it was the only explanation left that made any kind of sense to her, there was still the question of how exactly somebody could have kidnapped her. Considering that the student council president was, without doubt, the most guarded and well-protected person in all of Kivotos.

Straightening herself in her chair. Rin pinch the bridge of her nose once again, letting out a quiet but frustrated-sounding sigh, quickly retrieving her glasses from her desk and placing them back on her face.

Despite the aching in her heart persisted for her missing friend. She knew more than anyone that just sitting around and feeling sorry for herself wasn't going to get anything done, especially considering that the city was basically collapsing around the general student council.

As such, after taking a deep breath to try and compose herself, she finally began to work. The sun had now fully risen over the Horizon, basking her office in a warm glow that was refreshing, even though it didn't exactly make her feel any better.

Yet, as she began to work on the backlog of documents on her desk, a strange thought came to her mind. More precisely, it was a... Memory.

The memory of a dream, that was fuzzy and indistinct in her mind

However, as she continued to scribble away at the document in front of. The memory of the dream became more pronounced, more of it gradually coming back to her as she quickly went on to the next document.

…​

Rin's eyes jolted open, her body propelled upright from its prone position with such rapidity that her head spun. As she drew in a sharp breath, her chest seemed to be pierced by innumerable daggers. The ensuing violent coughing fit caused her to sputter and spray her surroundings.

Her head felt light and empty, the spinning of the world around her only continuing to intensify as she quickly lost her balance falling back onto her back, as she tried to force as much oxygen into her lungs as possible.

She wasn't sure how long she lay there, it could have been minutes, days or even years for all she knew. But the fogginess in her mind combined with the heaving of her chest rendered any kind of perception of time almost completely non-existent.

However, thankfully, Rin's the light headedness began to subside, along with the slowing of her rapid heart rate and the studying of her breathing. But as her mind regained clarity, that's when she became fully aware that something was deeply wrong.

As she pushed herself to a sitting position, Rin noticed that the surrounding area was completely unfamiliar, in fact, the surrounding environment was so strange and bizarre that it didn't look like anything she had ever seen in her life.

She was surrounded on all sides by the most beautiful pale white flowers that she had ever seen. The whiteness of their petals was so pure and vibrant that they almost didn't look real. Yet experimentally running her hands through the flowers next to her confirmed that they were in fact real despite their almost unnatural beauty.

Suddenly, something amidst the beautiful flowers caught her eye. Large, strange wooden cross-like structures, covered in moss and vines, protruded from the ground. Their distinct shape made her think of the religious motifs of trinity almost immediately.

To Rin's eye, they almost look like scarecrows, but without any kind of decoration that scarecrows usually employ to ward off potential birds and other pests. Yet, as she slowly got to her feet she noticed, that the wooden crosses were not the only thing scattered amongst the beautiful flowers.

Cautiously approaching it, a pit began to form in her stomach as she registered what exactly the mysterious object was. It was a...

Greystone

A cracked and weathered headstone, that looked entirely out of place amongst the pale white flowers. And casting her gaze around herself made it abundantly clear that it was not the only one of its kind scattered about.

Some of them looked ancient, their surfaces cracked and weathered, to the point where any text that would have been etched into them had long been eroded away by the unyielding march of time.

Others, by complete contrast, were practically brand-new looking, to the point where even from a distance, she could make out legible text etched into the stony faces of the headstones.

Despite the strangeness of the situation, Rin felt herself beginning to move towards the nearest headstone, her feet almost moving by themselves as she quickly came to a stop in front of one of the newer looking gravestones.

Etched into the face of stone, was nothing, except for a singular word. One that surprisingly she was able to understand considering that it was written in global, and even though she was not the most fluent in the language, she was able to read aloud what was written.

"Liliana"

The unfamiliar name roller for tongue, her voice having a strange echoey otherworldly quality to it that made it sound like not even her own.

Rin turned on her heels, looking around at all the strange crosses and gravestones that were scattered amongst the flowers, it was an incredibly bizarre site, one that almost felt like something that would be seen in a dream. Yet it also had a strange and eerie beauty to it, the likes of which she wasn't quite sure how to put into words.

However, the strangeness of the entire scene, was only made more apparent when she finally noticed something that she didn't understand how she couldn't have noticed before.

In front of her, a massive tree stood majestically atop a small hill. Its colossal size, unlike anything she had ever encountered, left her in awe. The tree's gnarled and twisted trunk soared high into the sky, culminating in a sweeping canopy that nearly enveloped the entire heavens.

At Its base was a collection of more gravestones, so close together that they almost looked to be stacked on top of each other. Many of them looked so old and ancient that they were practically crumbling apart.

Cautiously approaching the tree, Rin immediately notice something that made her stop. It was perhaps the strangest object she had seen so far, and certainly one that didn't look like it belonged where it currently was.

A singular old-fashioned wheelchair sat on the crest of the hill, poison Ivy vines and flowers growing through the spokes and gaps of the wheels.

Rin wanted to approach, her curiosity getting the better of her. Yet before she could even think about stepping forward, she felt an almost sickly feeling of shame overtake her. It was so sudden and quick that she felt herself stumble backwards several steps, as if she had been repelled by some kind of invisible force.

Quickly recovering from whatever had repelled her, she looked at the wheelchair questioningly, trying to figure out if it was somehow responsible for what it just happened. Yet it didn't give any indication as such, continuing to calmly sit there at the base of the massive tree amongst the beautiful flowers.

Giving the wheelchair one last cautious side-eyed glance, Rin turned to attention back to the massive flower field, her gaze immediately resting upon a small muddy path that curled out of sight around some of the headstones.

Something in the back of her mind compelled her to walk over to the path, which she did after a moment of hesitation. The path was barely even that, simply just a clearing in the flowers, allowing one to step through them without trampling them.

Walking down the path, she came to a large and very elaborate wrought iron gate, one that looked absolutely ancient yet very well cared for despite its age.

Approaching the gate she noticed that it was slightly a jar, and without a second thought she gently pushed it open, the hinges squeaking slightly as the gate was opened.

Beyond the gate, Rin discovered a cobblestone path, weathered and worn from the passage of time and frequent use. Pausing briefly, she stepped across the threshold, feeling the cool, damp stone beneath her bare feet—a pleasant contrast to the wet mud she had been treading through.

Looking around, she began to make her way down the cobblestone path, admiring the beauty of the flowers arranged alongside the path. However, as she cast her gaze to the other side of the path, she noticed a site that immediately caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

Beyond the wrought iron fence lay a sight that she could scarcely comprehend. Instead of more land, there was an endless expanse of white fog that reached to the distant horizon. The only visible objects were strange, impossibly large gray pillars that rose high into the night sky, seemingly reaching for the stars.

The strangeness of a worldly vista caused Rin's mind to misfire for a moment, it was so strange and alien, yet somehow held an eerie calming beauty that was almost impossible to put into words.

She couldn't draw her gaze away from the strange and otherworldly vista, it looked like something plucked straight out of a dream... or maybe even a nightmare.

Rin continue to stare, yet as she did, she felt something beginning to pull at the back of her mind, urging her to continue despite the otherworldly site in front of her. After a moment, her feet began to move by themselves, her body seemingly on autopilot as she continued down the cobblestone path.

After an unknown amount of time, she rounded a corner, the flowers which had been blocking her view before, now giving way to a site that was strange but not as otherworldly as the previous one.

Nestled on a hill was a strange-looking structure, the architecture being of a much older and ancient looking style, with a stylistic flare to it that was completely alien to her and nothing like the ultra modern and sleek architecture she was used to seeing.

In fact, the closest comparison that she could think of at this moment was some of the oldest and most sacred buildings located in Trinity. But even then, the comparison was only passing, considering that this structure was even more elegant and elaborately decorated than any of the buildings in Trinity.

She wasn't sure what came over her, but something compelled her to walk forward, to approach the structure. And despite trying to resist the urge, she couldn't help but comply with the Silent request. Each step bringing her closer to the strange abode.

Looking around, she could see that there were more graves, each one of them looking much more individual and even personalised than the ones that she had seen previously in the flower field,

The building itself was located on a small hill with two paths that lead up to it, the one directly in front of her was a set of cobblestone stairs that curled to the left, a series of five elaborate gravestones flanking the right side as they curled with the steps

In contrast, the path to her left was significantly longer. It consisted of a cobblestone pathway covered in moss, leading to an additional entrance. Between the two paths, there was a small, secluded spot where the same exquisite, light-coloured flowers she had encountered earlier grew in clusters. Curiously, she noticed a miniature birdbath nestled against one of the rocky walls that supported the building.

Feeling the pull in her mind intensifies, Rin gently approaches the stairs that lead up to the entrance of the strange building, pausing for just a singular moment to look at the intimidating structure before she began to ascend the steps. Now that she was closer she noticed that the gravestones were indeed very different from each other, each one of them having a completely different and distinct design.

The very last one was of particular strangeness considering that it looked like it was almost alive with the sticky fleshy tendrils that seemingly kept broken and lumpy stone in the rough shape of a headstone.

Pushing the thought aside, Rin finally reached the top of the stairs, standing before a large set of closed oak doors, their surfaces holding elaborate engravings and trimming that gave them an almost regal look.

Reaching out with her hand, she gently grabbed a hold of the latch, being surprised to find that the door itself was unlocked, allowing her to simply pull it open with relatively little force despite its size.

Almost immediately her ears picked up on a strange sound, wonder was unusual yet gave her a strange sense of comfort. It was the crackling of a fireplace.

Rin looked into the open doorway, the inside of the abode being just as strange yet majestic as the outside. Immediately to her left was a large strange chest, large metal padlocks keeping whatever contents were inside safe from potential prying eyes or thieves.

Directly opposite the chest was a large collection of books, many of them collected in two large bookshelves but also haphazardly strewn across the floor in unorganised piles and towers.

Stepping into the strange abode, she felt the texture beneath her feet become almost as soft as velvet, and looking down confirmed that it was a luxuriously soft fur rug that encompassed most of the floor.

Looking around, she noticed many strange and unfamiliar objects, many of which were contained within a large cabinet located further into the strange abode. Containers of all kinds filled with strange liquids and even objects that were unable to be made out due to the tinted glass of the containers they were contained in.

However, as she stepped further in, Rin came to a complete stop. Her eyes coming to rest on a site that confirmed that she wasn't in fact alone.

At the far end of the abode, and located up a small set of stairs, was a person... a woman in fact. Her skin and complexion were unnaturally pale, to the point where her skin almost looked like it was made of pure porcelain.

Her clothes were incredibly antiquated, being comprised of a brown shaw that hung around her shoulders, a dark red corset and an ankle length skirt that hid the majority of her figure, with the entire entirety of her outfit being topped off by a simple dark red bonnet.

Rin wasn't sure what to make of the woman, her unnatural appearance and strange sense of dress certainly set off quite a few alarm bells in her mind, in fact for a moment she considered not even approaching the woman whatsoever.

But she ignored her worries because this woman, even though she looked strange, was the only clue she had to figure out why she was here.

After swallowing a lump in her throat, Rin began to approach the woman, taking care not to make too much noise as to frighten her.

As Rin approached, she was struck by the woman's unnatural appearance but also her extraordinary beauty. The woman's hair was a pale white, reminiscent of the flowers in the strange place, and her skin was flawless and blemish-free. Rin was reminded of the porcelain dolls that were so popular among the youngest students on the Trinity campus.

Rin parted her lips, about to speak, but any questions she had instantly vanished, replaced by a shock that froze her in her tracks and chilled her blood.

The woman was not alone.

In her lap rested a hauntingly familiar figure, someone Rin had yearned to see for an eternity, ever since she had disappeared. Yet, even though she was now right before her, Rin found herself unable to take another step.

"P-president?"

In a whisper so soft that it was almost drowned by the sound of the wind, Rin spoke. Yet the strange woman with silver hair seemed to hear her anyway. The woman lifted her head and turned her gaze to meet Rin's, as if locking onto her.

When Rin looked into the woman's eyes, she saw they were a beautiful pale blue colour. However, she felt a shiver when she saw how empty and lifeless they really were.

Managing to tear her gaze away from the woman's, Rin looked back to the general student council president who was resting in the woman's lap, only just now noticing the condition she was in.

The pristine whiteness of her uniform had been marred by an unknown red substance. At first, it was just a splatter of colour, but as the realization dawned on her, a chill of horror shot through her veins.

Blood…

Her uniform was stained in blood.

Rin couldn't tear her eyes away from the blood that adorned the president's uniform, yet the longer she looked, the more horrific chill began to creep up her spine when it became apparent that the president was not moving whatsoever.

Her face usually so full of life and energy was completely still, the expression on her face being a completely neutral one.

Before she could stop herself, Rin took a step forward, the mysterious doll-like woman's gaze noticeably hardening as she approached. The horrific feeling in her body did not leave as it became horrifyingly apparent exactly what condition the president was in.

Yet despite that, she didn't want to acknowledge it. She didn't want to acknowledge the fact that the president was seemingly...

Dead

Rin felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, a sob uncontrollably escaping her lips as the true fate of her friend became apparent, her legs went weak causing her to fall to the ground, the soft carpet beneath her cushioning her fall as all the strength left her body.

It was a nightmare, a true waking nightmare. Her friend, the only person that was dear to her, was... Dead.

The dam that held back Rin's tears finally shattered, releasing a cry of anguish as the true extent of her friend's disappearance and fate crashed upon her.

Even in her sorrow, she could feel the mysterious woman's intense gaze burning into her, as if trying to pierce through her soul. But Rin could not find it within herself to care, consumed by the emotional turmoil caused by the revelation of her friend's destiny.

Despite her crying, Rin suddenly became aware of a strange, almost oppressive feeling washing over her, one that was accompanied by the woman's gaze moving away from her and focusing on something else.

"Ah. Welcome home, good Hunter"

Rin felt the blood in her veins turn to ice, which was accompanied by a chill running down her spine. The voice that emanated from the strange woman, had an almost otherworldly quality to it, one that was almost impossible to put into words.

Yet before she could comprehend the woman's strange voice even further, the horrific oppressive feeling that had settled on her shoulders only grew in intensity, the distinct sound of gentle but deliberate footsteps being audible in her ear.

She couldn't bring herself to turn around, something in the deepest recesses of her mind screaming at her to stay as perfectly still as possible. She felt incredibly small and tiny, as if her very existence was nothing but a mere speck compared to whoever... Or whatever was behind her.

Ỳ̴̹͙̜͕̲͖̜̾̔́͂ͅ'̸̡̝̤̲̹̫͛͒̏͆́̊́̿̍͋̑͋̐͠ͅ ̷̧̦̳̭̹͓̙͉̪͇̭̓̍̂̊̀̕m̷̮͌̑̈́̈̇̾̿͌̿̓̍́̒͘g̵̨̨͕̹̪͇̘͍̬̗͖̮͈̭̖͈̅̎̉̃̄̚e̴̢̨̺̦̮̠̭̯̩̤̹͍̦̤͒̑̿̎̾̃͑̽͆͊̕͘͝ṗ̷̛̹͈̻̯̫͍͓̙̙̾̌̈́̉̈͌̕ ̴̡̨͔̪̪̺̝̟̰͎͈̑̈́͂͂͆̔́̊m̵̡͇̝̪̫̳̫̠̼̲̆̎͗͗̈́̔̓̔͛̽͘̕g̴̗̹̀͋̊́͑͘͝e̶͍͍͓̲̺̞̭͍̟̦͓̍̉̈́̍̾̃̀̅͗͒̑̕͜p̵̢̢͕͍͇̘͎͚̻̜̮̐̃͊͐̔͒̊̎̎̎̏n̷̥̯̫͎͉̪͎̮͂̈́͊̾͜͜ͅȍ̵̤̱̄̀̕͝ḡ̴̲͓̮̥͓͉͓̖̀͆̔͑͘é̶̢͈̙̘͇͇͌̽ͅṗ̷̨̢̬̜̬̤̦͔̠̓́͑̒̈́̉́̒͌̀͆͠͝͝ͅh̸̳̲̙̞͙̜̲̹̜̽͊̊́̀͐͛̎́͝͝á̶̧̪̼̦̰̖̦̦́̾͆̀̉̓͗͛̈͌̏̎̀̚i̷̧̅̿́͒͊͑͆̽͒̈́̓̈́̈̈́̾̕͝i̵̛̮͉̙̻͉͍̎́̏̇̑̍̓̍͘͝͠,̸̱̣̿̉͝ ̷̠̲̍ḽ̴̨̨̡̛̫̙̟̭̼̥̹̻̆̀͒̀͐̅͌́̽̚̚͜ͅͅu̵̧͚̳͍͇͓͙̫͈̝͒̍̈͒͐͂͝ͅń̷͇̖̝̼̝̭̹͙̬̤̦̪́̽͋̂͜ͅä̸̛̖͉͊̋͒̔̏̈.̶̄͂̈́̍̎̎̌͗͐̿͘͠ͅ ̵̨̱̤̜͙͙͛̑͐̈̅͊̈́̐̑͊͝ͅ ̷̺͍̘̰̖̄̀̉͋͂̏̇̎̿̈́̈͘͝͝Ä̴̰̳̗̞̘͚͎̼͚̣̼̩̥́͐͆͒̈́͛̅̿̀́͝ͅh̶̢̧̹̤̞̠̦͇͕̝̳͖̖̘̣̽̈͜f̷̨̩̯̄̈́̉͊̉̆̋'̴̛̖͍̤̣͕͈̾̈́̊͌͊̓̑͐͑̇̕͘͝͝ͅ ̵̢̧̺̤̫̠̯̝̗͛͂̋̊a̷̠͙̖̖͓͂͛̀h̸̟̗͚͗̿͂́̕ ̶̡̨̼̭̙̟̳͕̜͇̟̙̙̜͋͊́̇̎́͝c̵̢̨͚̞͎̲͔̜̞͍̻̪͍̹̩̊̃͆̇̏̐̒̈́ä̵̟̠̻̍̈́h̷̠͇͇̼̽̕ḟ̷̧̲̤͙̗̺̠̜͇̘̟̣̺͊̊̋̅̐̾̄̉̓̾̀̐̚ ̶̨̹̥̼͙̙̹͓̝̻̃̀̿͒̃͊̄̑̋̋̎͆͑̈́͝l̸̨̟͓̳͚͇̻̣̼̝̿̎̈́̿͝ͅļ̸͚̱̈́ļ̶̛̼̫̺̥̩͈̺͓̦̥͆͑̾̎͋̐̂̇͜͠l̴̳̳̗̳̟̺̺̠̋̅̂̄̑̔́͗͂̅͐͘͝͝ͅ ̵͇͇̞̅̇ẏ̵̙̟̭̼̫̫̱̱͚͎̭͈̞͇͔̇̈͂̆͌̐̇̿̈́͜ͅm̶̨̜̞͎̖͕͐̍̄̐̀͛͑͂͋͜ǵ̴̬̰̰̦͉͓̣͔̱͇̟̰͚̐͊̌̈́̍͑͐͆͂͊̚̕͜'̴̛̖͆̑̈́̐̈̏́́̈̃͠͝,̸̭̣̯̟͚̺̂̐̾̄͌ ̷̛̖̣̹̩̝̞͉͎̥͉̿͌͐͛̓̔̉͗̅̽̏͂̓̋̉͠Y̸̨̱̩͕̦͕̦͈̾'̸̣̬̞̭͙͍̰̖̪̗̩̇̏̇͌̇̾͌̈́͐̂́̽̌͝ ̶̧̬̳͚̹̭̠̖̟͓̎̓ͅa̶̘̜̓̀͛̉h̵̝̓̊͐̉͋̿̄͋n̷̡̬̙̝̘̞̘̫̿ỵ̵͈̓̂̏͆̒̓̑̅̈́́̚͜t̷̨̙̝̳̯̗̠͈̹͂͊̉́h̵̢͍̙̞̲̘͓̙͎̭͈͉̬͉̤̻̃̃̐͛͛͛̀̽̒͘o̸̝̗͕̥̒̓̚ȓ̵̨͕̝̟̱̱̻̹̹̝̆̄̑̿͑͆͂̍̆ ̴̧̢͍̦͎̬̗̹͇̙̼̫͔̠̥̒̅̉̃̈́́̿̈͐͘͜ͅä̸̮͔͚̭͇̖͉̦͕̺̤́͂́͠h̷̡̪̗͍̟̼̭͎͔͇͍̏̇̌̽̈̄͒̾̓̚͠'̴̼͒̏k̶̛̞̥̼̻̫̝̎͌̐̄͋̽̾́̀̈́̓͒̀͘͠ͅͅñ̸̫̺̀͛͆̀͗̊̏͜͝'̴̢̨̥̹͙̜̩̼͈͑̿̿̏̽̒́̂̂͘͝ậ̵͎̈̾̅̓͂̎̇̅̎́̍̊̈́͗?̷̨̧̢̜̼̤̰̥̞̼͎̬̄̀̉͗̍̎͋̈́̒̎͗͛̓̕͝ͅ​

Rin's crying came to an abrupt halt, a sharp and unexpected pain quickly exploding in her brain, causing her to grab her head with both hands. It felt like something was wriggling inside her brain desperately trying to explode outwards.

She felt the strength leave her body, quickly falling onto her back as she continued to roll around in abject agony, the pain was unbearable it felt like her skull was about to be cracked open from the inside.

Amidst the torment, Rin mustered the strength to seek a moment of clarity. Her eyes lifted, coming to rest on something that—

Ring Ring! Ring Ring!

Rin jumped nearly ten feet in the air at the sudden sound, the sharp and sudden jerking motion she made sent quite a few of the documents on her desk flying across the room.

With her heart in her throat, she looked around for the source of the noise, quickly finding that it was the intercom PA system currently buzzing on her desk, indicating that somebody was trying to contact her.

Putting a hand on her chest, she tried to take a calming breath, the feeling of her heart beating hard in her chest beginning to subside as the momentary shock left her system. And after quickly brushing away some stray hairs from her eyes, she pressed the answer button on the PA system.

"Yes, what is it?" Rin didn't mean for her response to come across as harsh and snappy, silently apologising to whoever was on the other end of the line as she waited for a response.

"Umm... vice presid- I mean acting president, Rin. The Academy representatives are here... I T-T-tried telling them that you were busy, but they wouldn't have any of it" Rin let out a weary sigh, the voice on the other end of the line was none other than her secretary and the head of the Arbitration office, Ayumu Iwabitsu.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Rin already knew that she wasn't in the mood to deal with the Academy representatives, especially considering all the work she had to do to just try and keep the City from completely imploding on itself.

This certainly wasn't helped academies like Trinity and Gehenna, outright refusing to get along on the best of days and often trying to stoke the fires of all-out war on the worst.

But after letting out of exasperated sigh, Rin resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't avoid the Academy representatives forever even though she desperately wanted to, simply to save her any more aggravation.

"It's fine, Ayumu, tell them I will be down soon. Also, send Aoi to my office while I'm away, these documents aren't going to sign themselves" Rin spoke into the intercom, silently apologising for the increased workload she was about to put the general student council's chief financial through.

"O-of course, I'll S-send her up right away" Ayumu's timid and fragile voice came from the other end of the intercom.

"Thank you Ayumu" Rin pressed the disconnect button, uncharacteristically slumping back in her chair as another sigh escaped her lips.

With a hand already pressed against her throbbing temples, she could sense an intense migraine brewing within her skull. Despite the pain, she stood up, determined to power through it as she had countless times before.

Retreating from her desk, she quickly scooped up her coat, which was resting on a sofa nearby. Looking in the stand-up mirror, Rin wasn't shocked to see her dishevelled and frankly worn-out vintage looking back at her, but pushing those concerns aside, adjusting her coat as she made for the exit of her office.

On her way out of the office, a memory resurfaced in her mind. It was something the president had briefly mentioned to her before she had mysteriously vanished.

"Rinny... I'm scared... I'm scared that soon all of Kivotos will fall into darkness... a darkness that none of us can escape from and the likes of which we can't even begin to understand…"

"But there is Hope... there is one person that could lead us through this... an individual who could guide and teach... a sensei, Someone that could maybe even save Kivotos from its ghastly fate"

Originally, Rin was at a loss for understanding the president's message. However, after her disappearance and the peculiar dream she had, she began to develop a growing sense of unease, suspecting that the president's words held deeper significance than she had perceived initially.

As the elevator descended toward the ground floor, Rin trembled uncontrollably, her spine tingling with apprehension about what lay ahead in Kivotos' near future.

 

[potato murderer]

More

 

[mgman]

"It was all my fault... My decisions and everything they caused."

"I didn't want to understand at the time... Yet after everything came to ruin, only then did I finally understand you were right all along"

"I spoke of responsibility, of knowing what it truly meant... but I was wrong I never understood it then, but now I do."

"Adulthood, responsibility, obligation and the choices that come along with it... Only now do I understand the implications and the weight that those concepts carry…"

"I put on a brave face, but I was lying to those around me... And even myself

"I was scared…"

"I was deathly afraid of growing up... terrified of adulthood and the responsibility that came with it... but that wasn't all."

"Not only that, but I was also scared of the unknown... The unknowable future that came with adulthood, it left me awake at night sweating in my bed as I tried not to think of all the unknown futures that could lie ahead."

"I was afraid of making the wrong choice, of casting everything Into darkness through my own actions."

"Even now... the fear of the unknown, of making the wrong choice... still makes me tremble with fear."

"Yet, it's ironic in a way. I feared making a wrong decision, of making a wrong choice when it mattered most."

"But that was what led us to ruin, my inability to make any decisions because of my own fear...

"Was the very thing that doomed us."

"Therefore, I'm sorry that I have to ask this of you…"

"But you're the only one I can trust now."

"Only you have the power to free us from this twisted, distorted fate…"

"And find the choices that will lead us to a new reality."

"I don't even know if you will remember these words... But I know... you will make the right decisions."

"So, please... liberate us from this horrible nightmare…"

"Good Hunter."

..........................................

"What do you mean we can't see the president!"

Rin let out a sigh, only seeming to aggravate the student in front of her, as she cleared her throat before repeating herself.

"As I said previously... the general student council president is currently... unavailable at the moment" she tried to keep her voice even and level,

Yet, going by the facial expression of the Academy representative in front of her, it seems that she wasn't fully able to get rid of the condescending tone in her voice.

"Well, make her available then!" Rin felt a vein beginning to bulge on her forehead, as a student, a purple-haired girl by the name of Yuuka again demanded to see the president.

Rin was beginning to lose her patience, she didn't want to outright tell anyone that the president had gone missing, after all it would only make the situation even worse than it already was. But at the same time, it was becoming even more apparent that the student representatives were not going to leave until they got some kind of answer.

"Unfortunately, I can't just do that... T-The president is a very busy person, and I can't just disturb her work for something so meaningless" Rin said to Yuuka and all the other representatives present.

She didn't take any pride or pleasure in lying to their faces like this, but ultimately it felt like the only way to keep the situation from growing even worse. Considering that if news about the president's disappearance got out before the council was ready to make a statement, then who knows what could happen?

"Even if the president cannot see us, can you at least address the rumours that several students under the custody of the federal corrections Bureau have escaped?" Another representative step forward, this one being a student named Chinatsu, a member of the disciplinary committee, who adjusted her black-framed glasses as she waited for a response.

Rin felt her headache only grow. She had completely forgotten about the escaped convicts, yet even though they were perhaps some of the most dangerous criminals currently alive, in terms of overall priority, their catcher and incarceration was a bit low on her list of priorities.

"Unfortunately, the rumours are true, several incredibly dangerous criminals have escaped-" Rin didn't get a chance to finish her words as somebody interrupted her.

"There has been a sharp increase in the number of Thugs attacking students on their way to school. I find it completely deplorable that is a general student council is not doing enough to ensure public safety"

A Trinity student by the name of Suzumi said abruptly. Being one of the most well-known members of Trinity's Vigilante Crew, the issue of public safety was a very hot-button issue for her and her group.

"That is not all. Illegal distribution of Tanks, helicopters and other contraband weapons has increased by over 2000 percent. At this rate, ordinary school life in Kivotos will be a thing of the past."

Another student stepped forward following up Suzumi's comment. Her long black hair flowing behind her as she brushed away some stray hairs from her eyes.

Hasumi, the vice-captain of the Justice Realization Committee, was no stranger to Rin. After all, the black-haired girl was known all across Kivotos both for her beauty and her sense of Justice.

In fact, out of all the Academy representatives gathered before her, Rin went as far as to say that the tall and beautiful vice-captain of The Justice committee, was the one she respected the most, because of her professional attitude despite the situation.
Feeling her migraine from earlier that day beginning to return, Rin pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a frustrated sigh that certainly caused a few angry gazes to be directed her way. But quite frankly, she had long since passed the point where she cared about what the representatives thought of her.

"I understand... But I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do, the general student council's resources are already stretched thin as it is" Before the words even left her mouth, Rin knew that the answer wouldn't go down well for Academy representatives.

But it was simply the truth, the general student council simply had no more resources to spare, with them being locked out of Sanctum Tower, their power to actually govern the city was extremely limited.

"What!? Are you telling me there's nothing you can do, thousands of academies are in panic! Our wind generator shut down just a few days ago!" Yuuka's reaction was explosive, stomping her foot and disapproval at what the acting general student council president had just told her.

Rin for her part simply nodded her head, finding the purple-haired girl's adverse reaction to her words extremely irritating

"That is most unfortunate to hear... Chairwoman Hina isn't going to be happy about this" Chinatsu said with a sigh, her pointed ears wiggling in disappointment at the thought of the disciplinary committee's head having even more work dumped onto her.

Hasumi looking incredibly disappointed by the statement crossed her arms over her chest, which had the side effect of propping up her ample bosom as her wings flat disapprovingly behind her.

"This entire situation is utterly ridiculous. If the general student council is unable to do anything, then all of Kivotos will become just as lawless as Gehenna" Hasumi said off handily, seemingly not even considering her words as Chinatsu turned to look at her incredulously.

The rivalry between Trinity and Gehenna ran extremely deep, to the point where it wasn't uncommon for groups of students from both academies to actively seek out each other and fight.

And even though Chinatsu was not usually one to let the bad blood between her school and Trinity factor into her decisions, she simply couldn't let this unnecessary slight against her Academy go unmediated.

As such, adjusting her glasses, Chinatsu responded, "You say that like Trinity is any better with regard to supposed lawlessness... In fact, the last time that I checked, I was under the impression that Trinity had experienced a notable increase in unlawful activity under your tenure"

Her words cut deep and Chinatsu knew it, considering that Hasumi almost instantly snapped her head to look at her. An incredulous look on her face, which was filled with both anger and surprise.

"H-how dare you! I'm unsure where you got your information but it is completely wrong! Besides isn't a Gehenna student calling Trinity's supposed rise in crime, the pot calling the kettle black?"

Hasumi's calm and exposed exterior was completely shattered, her elegant and beautiful face taking on an almost animalistic snarl as she accusingly jabbed a finger in Chinatsu's direction. Which the blonde-haired girl didn't particularly appreciate, but kept her cool as she adjusted her glasses once again.

"I wouldn't consider it as such. While the students of Gehenna can be rumbustious and free-spirited, the public safety of our Academy and the district has always been excellent, and I would go as far to say a step above Trinity's"

Chinatsu didn't even try to hide the condescending tone in her voice, which had the desired effect as be black haired Justice committee vice president's face went as red as a tomato, with steam practically flying out of her ears due to how angry she now was.

"Ha! now I find that hard to believe! Gehenna's sorry excuse for a justice system is nowhere even in the same league as trinity's. Especially with that sorry excuse for a chairwoman of yours!" Hasumi quickly closed the gap, aggressively jabbing a finger into Chinatsu's just as the fiery hot words left her mouth.

"T-the nerve! Chairwoman Hina's competency and ability to keep the peace is unmatched, especially compared to that mad dog of a president that your committee has!" Chinatsu's mouth moved before her mind, the fact that this black-haired sow in front of her dared to insult the disciplinary committee's president directed to her face, made the usually calm and collected girl lose all sense of reason.

The atmosphere between the two girls was palpable, to the point where after looking at each other for a moment, Yuuka and Suzumi, both quickly stepped away from the feuding students. Not wanting to get involved in their completely unnecessary argument, which wasn't too far away from escalating into an outright battle.

And even though Suzumi, didn't exactly appreciate Chinatsu's comments about her school, she wasn't stupid enough to go and start an argument over something so trivial.

Rin felt her lips curling to a strained smile, the urge to now smash her head into the nearest wall, increasing to the point where she wasn't sure she could control herself anymore.

However just as Chinatsu and Hasumi drew their weapons, the front doors of the office quickly slammed open, catching everyone by surprise as all of their gazes onto the new individual standing between the now open doors.

"Vice presi- I mean acting president!" the mysterious interrupter, was a young girl of small statue with white hair, her uniform and equipment making it extremely apparent that she was a member of the Valkyrie Police Academy, Kivotos's de facto law enforcement agency.

'Thanks, I'm saved!' Rin screamed mentally, trying to not let her relief show on her face as the young girl quickly ran up to her, doubling over as she tried to recover her breath from seemingly running halfway across the city.

"A-acting P-P-president... I H-have... S-something important to tell you!" The young girl managed to splatter out, between her ragged breaths, her voice noticeably horse and strained.

"I understand, but first, calm down and take a deep breath" Rin gently patted the back of the young girl, urging her to get her breath back before she relied whatever message she had.

And finally managing to catch a breath, the young girl stood up, her eyes completely obscured by her dishevelled hair, with the redness in her cheeks still prominent.

"Acting president! Director Ogata has requested that she needs to speak with you, with regard to somebody that was taken into custody earlier today! She said it's of the utmost urgency!"

The young girl finished her ramble of words with a swift salute, the sudden action causing the hair in front of her eyes to momentarily lift, revealing steel grey eyes.

Rin didn't quite know how to respond at first, both of because of how sudden and strange it was. Kanna Ogata, the director of the Public Peace Bureau, reported directly to Kaya, considering that she was currently the general student council defence chief.

As such the fact that the Valkyrie police officer wanted to speak to her directly was a very strange turn of events. But if it could get her out of dealing with the Academy representatives, then she honestly couldn't have cared less about what the request actually was.

"If it's urgent as you say then I guess I can't refuse, please return to her and say that I will meet her immediately" Rin could easily hear Yuuka's scoff from somewhere behind her, but chose to pay it no mind.

However, instead of immediately answering her request, the young Valkyrie student was seemingly caught off guard by her words, rubbing the back of her head in obvious embarrassment/

"Well, you see, ma'am... Director Ogata sent me ahead to give you a heads-up she would be coming..." the young student continued to nervously laugh, as Rin processed what she had just said.

If Kanna was already on her way here with whoever she had apprehended, clearly it was incredibly serious. To the point where Rin silently hoped that the police captain had managed to somehow capture one of the seven fugitives who had escaped federal custody.

"I see... well thank you for informing me, you may return to your duties officer..." Rin let herself trail off, realising that she never actually got the name of the young Valkyrie student.

"Oh! My name is Mutsu, Cadet Mutsu Kigawa ma'am" The student now revealed to be Mutsu, said with another energetic salute.

"I see, well officer Mutsu... You may return to your duties" Rin could feel the gazes of the student representatives boring into the back of her head, yet honestly she didn't care.

"Of course! Right away, ma'am" The young student, gave a final energetic salute before turning on her heels and running out of the lobby, the large glass door sliding shut behind her as she disappeared.

Unfortunately, though, leaving Rin to once again to be the centre of attention for the irate student representatives.

"So where were we exactly" Rin didn't mean to say that out loud, but her patience had long since worn thin, to the point where she simply just didn't care any more if she came across as condescending.

Yuuka after looking at all the other representatives was the first to speak. How come that you can make time for the Valkyrie police chief, but not us?!"

The frustration was easily apparent in the purple-haired girl's voice, which combined with the frantic tapping of one of her feet, made it obvious to Rin that she wouldn't be able to keep this charade up for much longer.

"The Millennium of representative makes a very good point, How is it the Valkyrie Peace Bureau's chief is easily able to meet with you when we practically had to break in to do so ourselves?" Suzumi said with a questioning look, crossing her arms over her chest in a disapproving manner.

Chinatsu and Hasumi having put a momentary halt to their feud, both added to Suzumi and Yuuka's point.

"That is a very good question, it seems a bit hypocritical that the chief can meet with you on such short notice while we are unable to do so" Chinatsu adjusted her glasses as she spoke.

"As much as it pains me to agree with a Gehenna student, I must concur with her statement" Hasumi crossed her arms over her chest, her huge elegant wings flapping disapprovingly behind her.

Rin kept silent for a moment, not because she couldn't find the words. Oh, she knew exactly what she wanted to say to the gathered Academy representatives, but the choice of words that she wanted to use would only make the situation worse, so biting her tongue to keep the words from coming out was probably the best option.

"The reason why, it's that while the welfare of the individual academies is important, matters of national security for all of Kivotos, come before the concerns of individual academies"

it was a complete lie, and one that she knew wasn't likely to convince them, especially considering that the job of the general student council was to adhere to the concerns of the academies above anything else.

But she hoped that if she made it sound official enough, it was possible to string them along for just long enough to get them to leave or until Kanna got here with whoever she had captured.

Yet judging from the reactions and facial expressions of each of the representatives, it seems that unfortunately, both options were off the table for her, especially when Yuuka stepped forward, a livid expression on her.

"That's the biggest load of crap I've ever heard! The general student council's job is to look out for the academy's well-being above everything else! Yuuka said with an indignant expression on her face.

Hasumi and Suzumi both nodded in agreement with the Millennium representative, while Chinatsu gave the purple-haired girl a disapproving side-eyed glance, clearly not liking her use of profanity. But ultimately still nodding in agreement with her sentiment.

'Well it was worth a shot' Rin thought to herself as she let out a disappointed sigh, she knew that her Gambit wasn't going to work, but still, nobody could blame her for at least trying and or possibly hoping for some kind of miracle.

Yet before she could say another word, the sound that she had been wanting to hear for the last several minutes finally happened. The sound of the foyer doors opening was practically music to her ears, causing how to instantly turn on the spot as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Director Kanna, I got your message, and I've been patiently expecting-" Whatever she was about to say, instantly died in Rin's throat as her eyes came to rest on the familiar form of Kanna Ogata and more importantly the person standing next to her.

Their appearance was truly alien, in fact, it was so different from anything she had ever seen before in her life that Rin didn't have any frame of reference to actually and accurately describe them.

Atop their head was a strange pointed and crooked hat with a very large brim that curled at strange angles as it radiated out from the centre. The surface of the hat was seemingly made of some thick and stiff material that almost looked like stained leather or some other kind of animal skin.

Their shoulders were draped with a black, tattered shawl, held together with large, braided ropes of a dull yellow hue. Many of the ropes appeared to be very old and worn, due to the passage of time. The shawl gathered around their neck, concealing the lower half of their face, then cascaded down their back in the form of a large, tattered, black cloak that trailed behind them like a dark, lingering presence.

Hanging from one of the ropes around their neck, was a strange necklace or emblem of some kind, which to Rin's eye almost looked like a crudely carved skull, made of some metallic-looking material that she couldn't quite identify.

The cloak they were wearing obscured most of their upper body from view, meaning that she could only catch glimpses of what lay beneath. She could see fabric worn and coarse, that had clearly seen better days, the colour of the fabric was a mottled arrangement of dark browns and blacks, with various dark red stains that she couldn't quite identify, due to them being mostly obscured by the cloak.

The sound of their feet against the hard stone floor of the reception had a very particular sound. It was the sound of metal against stone, which Rin didn't quite understand before she caught a glimpse of the stranger's feet beneath their cloak.

She saw metal.

Glistening silver metal boots that terminated in sharp almost talent like points.

Their arms were a similar story, covered in what looked to be gauntlets made of the same kind of silvery metal, with the ends of the fingers terminating in lethally sharp points that, Rin was positive, could easily carve up steel due to how the light glistened off the razor-sharp points.

Yet as the stranger grew closer and closer, she looked up and noticed something that was missing. Something that caused her blood to momentarily run cold.

This person was lacking something that she knew should have been there.

A halo...

This person, whoever they were, had no halo to speak of.

But the shock of that revelation was not all that she felt.

A strange presence suddenly overtook her, it felt like a tremendous weight pressing down on her shoulders to the point where she felt her legs wobble beneath her. It was hard to describe in words. In fact, the only real way that she could even begin to describe it, was that it felt like she was drowning at the bottom of an immense impossibly deep ocean, all the millions of tons of water pressing down on her and threatening to crusher into sheer nothingness.

And taking a glance behind her, she could see that she wasn't the only one. Hasumi, Suzumi, Chinatsu and Yuuka all had the same reaction as she did. With Chinatsu easily being the most affected, considering that the poor girl was currently holding onto the reception desk for dear life.

Breathing in to try and calm her racing heart, Rin managed to regain her composure as the strangely dressed individual and Kanna finally arrived in front of her and the other representatives.

She immediately noticed that Kanna was seemingly just as on edge of she was, considering that her pointed ears were sticking straight up on high alert, with her hand hovering over the holster where her standard issue pistol was held, obviously preparing for any kind of hostile movement that the stranger would make

looking between Kanna and the stranger that was now standing in front of her, was it only now that Rin realised just how incredibly tall this person truly was. The hat atop their head did somewhat skew her observation, them look taller than they actually were, but by her reckoning the individual in front of her had to be at least 6 ft 5 or possibly more.

Rin suddenly realised that a deafening silence had overtaken the lobby, which was only broken by her clearing her throat and speaking.

"Director Ogata, I'm assuming that this is the individual that you took into custody?"

Kanna maintained her sharp and suspicious gaze on the individual beside her, showing no immediate response. After a brief pause, she finally broke away from the staring contest and turned her attention towards Rin, addressing her instead.

"Yeah it is... I was going to take them back to the station for questioning, until he said that he had something important to tell you directly"

As she spoke, Rin noticed that the strange individual didn't give any reaction whatsoever to them being addressed, remaining completely still as if they were a statue.

"I see… If I may ask, what did they say exactly to convince you not to take them back to the police station? Rin was curious now, despite not knowing her on a personal level. She knew enough about Kanna to know that she was not so easily convinced by whatever a suspicious individual had to say to her.

Kanna looked between the acting student council president and the mysterious stranger, much to Rin's confusion. In her eyes she could see uncertainty and perhaps even just a small amount of fear, which was certainly unusual for a tough and hardened police officer like Kanna Ogata.

"Well, acting president, you see... He knows about... That" Rin felt the world around her come to a complete stop, she didn't need to the blonde haired police woman to elaborate on what exactly she meant by 'that'

"I see... well thank you Director Ogata, I can take it from here!" the words flew out of her mouth so fast that she stumbled over them, barely managing to articulate a coherent sentence, much to the surprise of the gathered representatives Kanna. Who after a moments' hesitation simply nodded before turning around.

Yet before she walked away, she turned her head to say something.

"Just be careful acting president. This city will go to hell quicker than we can say shit if something happens to you too""

The blonde head police officer, had genuine concern and her voice, because even though she did not know the acting president on a personal level, she was still deeply concerned both for the safety of her and the general well-being of the city itself. After all, her prime directives as a law enforcement officer were to serve the public trust, protect the innocent and most importantly uphold the law.

Rin felt a chill run down her spine. Something about Kanna's words made a pit form in her stomach, to the point where for just a singular moment she almost reconsidered if she wanted to meet with this unusual individual that was now standing beside her.

But quickly pushing aside her own uncertainty, she gave a quick nod to the Valkyrie police chief. Trying to sound as confidence as possible as she spoke

"I will keep your concerns in mind, Director Ogata" Rin could still see uncertainty and suspicion in Kanna's eyes.

Especially when she turned to look at the mysterious stranger once more, before letting out a sigh and moving on her way, exiting the foyer of the general student council building and disappearing from site.

As the blonde haired police chief left, Rin quickly retrieved her phone from one of the many pockets on her overcoat, how fingers automatically dialling the number she needed before putting the smartphone to her ear.

"Ayumu, I need you to drop whatever you're doing, and come to the foyer immediately, I have some important business to discuss with a... unexpected guest" Rin didn't even wait for the blonde haired girl on the other end of the line to answer before she issued her orders. She saw out of the corner of her eye the mysterious stranger staring at her, or more precisely at the smartphone that was currently pressed against her ear.

"Um, acting president, I'm C-currently in the middle of-"

"It doesn't matter, whatever it is it can wait, I need you down here now, that's an order!" Rin did feel a twinge of guilt for ordering her usually shy co-worker around like this, but she needed to hear whatever this mysterious individual had to say in regard to the disappearance of the president.

"O-Of course A-A-acting president, I'll be down in a moment" Rin abruptly disconnected the line, not even stopping to say thank you to her blonde head co-worker as she turned to look at the mysterious stranger.

"Come with me this instant, we have much... to discuss" whirling around she quickly made for the elevator much to the protests of the representatives gathered around the front desk.

Yet, she suddenly heard something that caused her to stop dead in her tracks, for the mysterious individual uttered something for the first time since arriving.

"As you wish mlady"

A cold shiver coursed down Rin's spine as their voice sent icy shivers through her veins. It carried a distinct, otherworldly quality that defied description; words failed to capture the alien nature of the sound.

Yet pushing the thought aside, she continued towards the elevator pressing one of the many buttons as the doors opened up and allowed her and the stranger to step inside. And after pressing one more button, the door's shut and the elevator began its journey upwards, leaving Rin completely isolated in a metal box with the incredibly tall and mysteriously dressed stranger.

Thankfully, the journey was mercilessly short as the doors quickly opened up, allowing her and the stranger to step out onto the highest level of the general student council building. After a short walk, she and the mysterious stranger finally made it to her office, which after ushering them inside, she quickly locked the door behind her, not wanting any interruptions of any kind.

"What do you know?" It came across as quite accusatory, she was well aware of that, yet at this point Rin didn't really care how she came across any more. This person in front of her, this alien looking stranger, knew something about the president's disappearance, and she wanted to know exactly what they knew of it.

The mysterious individual didn't speak for a moment, instead turning to look around the office, almost marvelling at everything around them as if they had never seen such things in their life.

Yet after a moment of this and Rin gradually growing more inpatient, the mysterious individual spoke once again, their strange and alien voice again sending shivers down her spine.

"If you are referring to the disappearance of your president, then I am afraid that I do not have knowledge on such matters" hearing their voice again, Rin was able to identify the mysterious person as a man, and to make it even more strange he spoke in global.

A very antiquated version of global that she had only ever heard spoken in incredibly old movies from nearly a century before.

His accent was also incredibly hard for her to describe, it almost had a Trinity like quality to it, with his word choice and the way he articulated his sentence, but with it being in global it just made it sound even more strange to her.

"However" Rin felt herself perk up at his sudden continuation, her gaze locking onto his, and only just now realising that he did not have two eyes instead he was wearing some kind of mask that had three pairs of dimly glowing eyes.

"I am here on her behalf" His words left her slightly dumbfounded, if he didn't know anything about the disappearance of the general student council president then how exactly could he be here on her behalf.

"I don't understand... if you don't know what happened to her, then how exactly are you here on her behalf?" Rin wasn't sure exactly how this could be.

Before she could fully grasp the situation, the enigmatic individual gazed at his feet in deep contemplation. After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"I am unsure myself... Everything surrounding her is foggy in my memory, but I do remember her asking me for one thing" Though his words held no comprehensible meaning to her, Rin found herself inexplicably drawn to the confidence that radiated from him, a contagious energy that seemed to permeate her being.

"What exactly did she ask you?" She felt like a bunny rabbit chasing after a carrot on a stick, hanging on to the silence as she waited for him to respond.

Yet instead of immediately answering, only silence greeted her, it was almost the deafening to the point where she could have sworn she heard her own heartbeat in her ears.

The stranger meanwhile was deep in his own thoughts, seemingly trying to recall a long-lost memory but struggling to do so, the only thing that he could remember for certain was…

Somebody, asking. No, pleading for help.

"Please... liberate us from this horrible nightmare…"

"Good Hunter."

It was incredibly foggy and hazy, but it was the only thing that he could truly recall from the long-lost memory.

"She leaded for my help... She... asked me to assist you and all of Kivotos" With conviction and a growing determination, the stranger's voice resonated in the air, carrying the weight of his unwavering resolve.

As Rin absorbed his words, a sense of unease washed over her. His tone, tinged with a peculiar and slightly ominous undertone, sowed seeds of doubt in her mind regarding his true nature. Just when she began to feel uncertain, a sudden realization dawned on her.

It was a memory.

A memory of the last time that she had spoken with the President, before her disappearance.

"There is one person that could lead us through this... an individual who could guide and teach... a sensei, Someone that could maybe even save Kivotos from its ghastly fate"

At last, the significance of the president's words hit Rin like a bolt of lightning, rendering her speechless and causing her jaw to drop to the floor.

She felt herself stepping back, her entire system going into shock as the reality finally dawned on her of who exactly this strange and mysterious individual in front of her was.

"That means... That you are... T-The sensei!"

"Y-you are the sensei she was talking about!"

She felt her legs move before her mind did, quickly running up to the mysterious stranger in front of her and grabbing his shoulders, desperately trying to shake him in shock and seeming disbelief. Of course though due to his very large frame and substantial height her efforts to move him didn't yield match results, yet that was the furthest thing from her mind as tears began to leak from her eyes.

"I C-can't b-believe it, She wasn't wrong... You… R-really came" She couldn't stop a sob from escaping her lips, the tears leaking from her eyes continuing to fall as her knees gave out from under her. The weight and responsibility of Kivotos fate finally getting the better of her as it threatened to crush her into nothing.

Yet as she sunk to her knees and continue to cry, she heard the sound of scraping metal and flowing fabric, before she felt something cold and metallic gently push aside her glasses and wipe away some of the tears. Looking up, the tears made it hard to see, but she could see the stranger kneeling down in front of her and wiping away some of her tears with his vicious looking metal gauntlets. The juxtaposition of the viciousness of his gauntlets vs the tenderness of his action was incredibly apparent.

"Come now, there is no need to weep. A young lady such as yourself should not have to bear such a burden" His voice had a calming and gentle tone to it, filling her with an almost strange and calming euphoria that cause the tears in her eyes to dry up.

"Even though I am uncertain of how she wanted me to assist you, I will do everything within my power to help... It is my duty you could say" Rin felt his strong arms quickly grab a hold of her, as much to her surprise she was quickly pulled to her feet, the stranger quickly reaching into his cloak before retrieving a small silk handkerchief and passing it to her.

Wordlessly, she accepted the offer, wiping away the remaining tears and not really caring if her mascara was smudged in the process.

"Thank you... I'm sorry you had to see... that... I've been under a lot of stress recently" Rin finished wiping away the tears from her eyes, looking at the handkerchief for a moment before passing it back to the stranger who wordlessly took it in his gauntleted hand before placing it somewhere inside his cloak.

"You should not apologise... There is no need for it" The stranger said nonchalantly waving one of his metallic hands.

"Sometimes allowing emotions to get the better of oneself... is good for the body and mind, especially when it comes to relieving stress"

His words had an almost otherworldly sage like quality to them, as if he was some kind of Higher being imparting a small piece of cosmic wisdom onto her fragile and immortal mind.

"I suppose you're right, anyway... I... I don't even know where to begin honestly" Rin felt her pale cheeks turn red in embarrassment. She was usually so well-prepared for everything. But even though she had been silently praying for the sensei that the president talked about to come, because of the scenario's unlikelihood she had never actually put anything in place for such an event.

"How about the beginning. Start from the beginning and leave nothing out" the mysterious individual said, crossing his arms over his chest as Rin looked at him confused for a moment, before realisation crossed her face at exactly what he was getting at.

If he was here to help, then he needed to know exactly what her and the rest of Kivotos were currently going through. As such, after a moment she quickly walked over to her desk, slumping down in the comfortable chair, and beginning her tail.

Rin started with the general Cliff notes of Kivotos's history, explaining how the mega Metropolis came to be and how it operated. She told of how the city itself was made up of thousands of different academies, each with their own numbers of students. However, even if she had the time to do so, she would have not been able to have named all the academies so she simply limited it to the main three and biggest ones, that being Gehenna, Trinity and Millennium.

She then moved on to the topic of how the city itself was governed, expanding on what the exact role of the general student council and its main purpose was. Explaining that even though the now missing president was the de facto leader of the student council and by extension Kivotos as a whole, the overall political power of the student council was quite limited which was by design as to allow the individual academies to largely govern their own districts as they saw fit.

She then moved onto the topic of the general student council president's disappearance and how would it plunge the entire city into chaos. The very system that allowed the academies to govern themselves independently was the reason why the city was falling apart, which wasn't made any better by the fact that certain academies such as Gehenna and Trinity openly wanted to go to war with each other over disagreements that extended far back into the midst of time.

"And that's where you come in sensei" Rin finished her exposition, the fact that she had dressed the stranger as sensei being a bit strange at first, but she supposed that she would get used to it.

The stranger for his part looked momentarily confused as a result of being addressed in such a manner, but after a moment he quickly nodded his head seemingly accepting the new alias that was given to him without question.

"An unfamiliar title, but I'm not opposed to it..." The stranger now dubbed sensei said with a shrug of the shoulders, which had the desired effect of lifting Rin's spirits to a level that she had not felt since the president had disappeared.

"Excellent! We can discuss the exact details another time, but there's something I want to show you" Rin quickly got up from her seat, gesturing sensei over to her, which after a small hesitation he did.

Standing by one of the large glass windows that enveloped her office, she took out a small remote from her pocket and pressed a button. The blinds swiftly retracted, unveiling a breathtaking sight.

"Welcome to Kivotos, Sensei"

The site before them was truly magnificent, the metropolis stretching for as far as the eye could see in every direction, the skyscrapers made of glass and metal piercing the heavens like white monoliths.

In the sky were large halo like rings that stretched almost to the horizon, giving the entire skyline a strange and ethereal beauty that was hard to really put into words.

"Truly magnificent... This puts anything in Yharnam to shame" sensei said to himself under his own breath, Rin just managing to catch the word Yharnam which made her raise an eyebrow. The name was completely unfamiliar to her, although the word itself did have a slight Trinity like sound to it, but she shook those thoughts aside because there were more important things to worry about.

"Indeed it is... Kivotos is a place of beauty... and it needs your help, sensei. I don't know why, but the general student council chose you to safeguard our future, I'm uncertain of where you come from or who exactly you are sensei, but I trust the general student council president's choices so... therefore I trust you"

Rin locked her gaze onto the mysterious sensei's staring into the metallic mask that he partially had beneath his tattered shawl. She couldn't see his real eyes, yet the gaze that he gave her was one of understanding and acceptance, one that filled her with...

Hope

Hope for the future

Something that had been completely absent from her for a long time.

"I will do what I can... I am uncertain why I was chosen, but clearly whatever the reason, I cannot turn my back on people in need, it goes against the very thing I stand for as a hunter" He said with conviction turning his gaze outwards to the city that sprawled out to the horizon, seemingly absorbing every detail about its appearance as if familiarising himself with its visage.

Rin felt even more hopeful upon hearing his words, however one thing that he said caught her attention, causing her to feel very confused as she spoke.

"I'm very glad to hear that sensei... But I must ask what did you mean by Hunter" Rin asked tentatively, not wanting to seem like she was crying into his previous life before coming here.

Sensei however simply shook his head.

Tilting his head upward slightly and looking into the sky through the window, his gaze had an almost longing look to it, as if he was remembering a different time and a different place.

"I suppose you could say it was my previous occupation, but it doesn't matter now... That passed along with everything is entails is long deceased... and should remain that way" His voice had a strange tone to it one that she couldn't quite describe, it was as if he was nostalgic, disgusted, mortified, horrified and saddened all at the same time.

It made her truly curious about what kind of past sensei had, and what role is occupation is a hunter played into it. But she supposed that those kinds of personal details could wait for a future time because right now there is more important business to attend to.

"Fair enough, anyway, we have some important business to discuss sensei" In our office chair, Rin settled back, pivoting to face the sensei just as he turned away from the large glass window. Before she could utter a word, he began speaking.

"While I appreciate the title you have given me, I would prefer if you addressed me by my other title" His words caught her off guard somewhat, it was a bit strange to her. But considering that he spoke in global, it was possible that he simply just didn't like the sound of sensei.

"I don't see why not, although when referring to official business, I'm afraid that I must use the title sensei" She saw him nod in agreement as he stepped away from the window, his cloak flowing behind him like a dark waterfall.

As he turned on the spot, his tattered shawl was quickly thrown off his face, momentarily exposing his mask. Rin jumped back in her seat, startled by the sight of the lower half of his mask, which resembled a skeleton. The corners of the mouth were slightly curved upwards, giving the entire mask a slightly malevolent grin.

"That is fine enough, I believe that a proper introduction is in order" In a swift and sweeping motion of his arm, he executed an elaborate bow, his cloak fanning out dramatically around him, resembling a billowing dark explosion.

"The name is good Hunter, and I am at your service, Rin Nanakami"

 

[potato murderer]

More

 

[mgman]

This is ridiculous! Why is it so hard to get a straight answer in this place!?'

Yuuka accompanied this thought by smashing her fist onto the reception desk, causing her to wince in pain from the blow, while also scaring the blonde-haired woman who was currently receiving her anger.

She had come all the way from millennium to find out why the student council was seemingly doing nothing while the city literally fell apart around them. Yet when she got here, actually trying to find the president was completely fruitless and the vice president basically blew her and the rest of the other representatives off.

Meeting with some unusually dressed stranger who she proceeded to take with her to some other area of the general student council building that she despite wanting to follow wasn't allowed to access.

"I'm S-sorry T-T-there's nothing more I can do, T-he vice presid- I mean acting president is currently in a meeting with some-"

"I don't care if she's in a meeting! Get her out here now!" Yuuka felt her blood pressure spike to an almost dangerous degree, a light-headed sensation washing over her and causing her to stumble for a moment before she recovered. Yet before she could continue her rant, somebody interrupted her

"I understand your anger with the situation, but please calm yourself!" Chinatsu said abruptly. "Your blood pressure is dangerously high, if you continue like this you might pass out" Quickly grabbing a hold of Yuuka's wrist as she took her pulse, despite the protests of the purple-haired Millennium student.

"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down!?" Yuuka pulled her arm free of the Gehenna girl's grip, momentarily catching Chinatsu off guard, a displeased expression making its way out of her features as she adjusted her black-framed glasses.

"While I understand your frustration, getting angry about that isn't going to fix anything or get the vice president out here quicker" Suzumi called over from where she was sitting, crushing her arms over her chest as adjusted her sitting position, trying to get as comfortable as possible on the completely uncomfortable bench that she was resting on.

Yuuka looked towards the white-haired girl, a flabbergasted look on her face, as if Suzumi had just said the most ridiculous thing imaginable to her.

"If getting angry is not going to help! Then what the hell do you expect me to do!? I've tried literally every other Avenue, but nothing has worked!" She shouted, her voice reverberating around the lobby and causing the already terrified blonde-haired girl behind the front desk to cower away further.

Suzumi open her mouth to respond, yet before she could do so, Hasumi spoke first.

"Getting angry in this situation is understandable, but ultimately having a temper tantrum like a preschooler, and taking it out on the poor reception woman will not solve anything"

The Trinity student got up from her seat, her wings flapping slightly behind her as they readjusted themselves after being concealed. Walking over to the reception, she quickly extended a hand to the cowering blonde haired reception woman.

"I'm deeply sorry on my acquaintances' behalf... But meeting with the vice president is of the utmost priority, I am afraid that we will not be leaving until we see her again" Despite Hasumi's voice being calm and even, the force behind her words left no illusions that she was willing to negotiate.

There was a silence for a moment as her words seemingly settled into the reception woman's mind, yet the blonde woman simply reiterated what she had already said, much to everyone's displeasure.

"I'm S-sorry there's truly N-nothing I can do... I-if the acting president wants to see you, then she will when she deems it necessary"

Hasumi felt herself somewhat deflate at the words, an exasperated sigh exiting her lips as she stepped away from the reception desk. A miffed look making its way onto her delicate features, as she crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not please.

"It was worth a shot Hasumi" Suzumi said with a sympathetic tone, watching the vice president of the justice committee practically fuming as she began to pace back and forth.

Chinatsu let out a sigh, rubbing the side of her head as she quickly sat down on one of the nearby benches, placing her heavy shoulder pack on the empty half of the bench next to her as she spoke.

"I'm unsure what all of you plan to do. But I am not leaving until I have until I have answers and something concrete to report to chairwoman Hina"She finished by taking off her glasses, her eyes squinting noticeably as she retrieved a silk handkerchief from one of her pockets began to almost reflexively clean her glasses before placing them back on her head.

Hasumi who continued to pace back and forth, let out another frustrated sigh, sitting down next to Suzumi,

Yuuka, who looked like she was about to explode, after a moment let out a sigh, her expression of anger and rage quickly being washed away as a frustrated and tired expression replaced it. Quickly walking over to the same bench that was occupied by Chinatsu, and collapsing into the remaining unoccupied seat, her shoulders noticeably slumping.

Hasumi who by now had stopped her pacing, let out another frustrated sigh as she sat down next to her fellow Trinity student.

All the Academy representatives were plunged into an uncomfortable silence that was almost deafening.

Yet the silence didn't last long as something suddenly occurred to Hasumi, causing her to break the silence that had taken over the lobby

"On the topic of the vice president, did any of you notice just how strange the person she met with was?" Her words caused all three of the other Academy representatives to look at her, confused expressions crossing their faces before realisation suddenly settled in at what exactly she was referring to.

"Indeed, I did notice. They were dressed, unlike anything I've ever seen before" Chinatsu adjusted her glasses as she responded. Her thoughts lingering on the incredibly strange manner that the mysterious individual was dressed. In particular, the thing that stuck out to her most in her memory was the almost witch like hat that sat up on their head.

Yuuka's scrunched up slightly, a frustrated look making its way onto her face as she tried to record the details of the mysterious individual. Yet despite trying to she couldn't really recall much about the mysterious individual considering at the time she was more focused on the general student council vice president.

But one aspect that she could remember immediately jumped out to her about the stranger, something that immediately caused her brain to momentarily halt as she realised just how bizarre that particular detail was.

"Hey... Guys... Did any of you notice that they didn't have a halo?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at Yuuka, confusion spreading across their faces before realisation settled in an exactly referring to. Every single one of them up until now hadn't actually even realised it. But she was right, the mysterious person didn't have a halo of any kind, even though they seemed to be human despite the strange clothes.

Chinatsu's eyes noticeably narrowed, a deep look of concentration making its way onto her gentle features as she thought about what exactly Yuuka had just said.

In Kivotos there were three distinct types of individuals, first were the students like herself who had halos and attended the academies that made up the overall city itself, second was the civilian population of Kivotos which consisted of animal human hybrids and sentient machines. And third was a much more mysterious group one that was rarely seen, those being adults who had no halos to speak of therefore making them different from everything else.

And considering what Yuuka had said, it left no option in the blonde haired girl's mind that the mysterious individual that the general student council vice president had met with was one of these halo-lacking adults.

'Chairwoman Hina needs to know about this development' Chinatsu thought to herself, her contemplation about the haloless adult being shattered by somebody speaking.

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I didn't see any kind of Halo above their head" Suzumi was the first to speak, straightening up in her seat and brushing away some hair from her eyes.

She had heard rumours of haloless individuals existing, but had always disregarded it as nothing more than that, simple rumours and gossip spread among students. But now it seemed that those rumours had a bit more truth to them.

Hasumi didn't say anything, a deep look of concentration on her face as she was absorbed in her own thoughts. She much likes her fellow Trinity student had heard rumours of adults who lacked halos, and even though she was not one to usually partake in gossip, even she listened when these particular rumours emerged.

Of course now with the revelation that the mysterious individual that the general student council vice president had met with lacked a halo of any kind, and was seemingly an adult on top of that, it certainly made the rumours feel a bit more real than she could have imagined.

The general student Council building's lobby was plunged into silence once everyone to absorbed in their own thoughts about the mysterious and haloless adult to even consider talking to each other.

Although as they all sat there, each one of the Academy representatives felt a strange feeling of foreboding overtake them, each one of them reacting differently.

Hasumi's wings straightened out, her eyes narrowing with her body going tense, seemingly ready to react to a moment's notice against any potential danger.

Chinatsu had a similar reaction, although instead of looking like she was ready for a fight, instead she placed her massive shoulder bag in her lap, unzipping one of the many compartments and retrieving a small syringe ready to administer healing to anyone in need.

Suzumi readied her rifle, pulling the slide back and chambering a fresh round, keeping her finger on the safety as her eyes darted around the lobby trying to pinpoint any potential danger.

Yuuka sat straight up in her seat, putting her hands in her jacket pocket and grabbing a hold of her portable calculator, which also doubled as a personal shield generator once the right equation was ended. She also retrieved one of her SMGs, racking the slide and releasing the safety.

Yet as the tense and dreadful seconds ticked by into minutes, absolutely nothing happened the lobby remaining is dead and lifeless as it had been, save for the scratching of pen on paper as Ayumu nervously filled out another document before placing it aside, the feeling of dread and foreboding washing over her as well, making her tremble like a leaf in a hurricane.

Ding!

The sudden sound caused everyone to jump, Hasumi, Yuuka and Suzumi all jumping to their feet as they ready their weapons, pointing at the source of the noise, Chinatsu did much the same reading her syringe as well as drawing her own handgun and releasing the safety.

Ayumu practically jumped under the desk, wrapping her black wings around herself in a feeble attempt to shield her body from any potential attack. However, instead of an attack, what the Academy representative saw was simply the elevator doors opening up, the sound that had startled them being nothing more than the elevator announcing its arrival at the ground floor.

Rin stepped out of the elevator, adjusting her glasses as she did so. However, what greeted her was an incredibly bizarre and slightly disconcerting site. Because all the Academy representatives were pointing their weapons in her general direction, however, after a moment they all lower their weapons, letting out a collective sigh of relief.

Shaking her head she pushed whatever all of that was aside, as she made a beeline for them the good Hunter stepping out of the elevator and falling into lockstep behind her, however as she approached the representatives all of them become somewhat tense, they weapons remaining lowered but clearly at the ready. Which confused her for a moment before her eyes widen as she realised what the problem was.

Turning around, she saw the skeletal mask that adorned the hunter's face, immediately realising that its quite frankly terrifying appearance clearly was the cause for the representatives' trepidation.

In fact, despite wanting to tell herself that she would get used to it, just looking at the skeletal mask was enough to send a chill down her spine. Yet, she pushed away the discomfort as she motioned for the hunter to follow her as they approached the academy representatives.

"Well, well the vice president decided to miraculously reappear after her disappearing act" Yuuka's tone was full of sarcasm and disdain, Crescent her arms over her chest in a disapproving manner, as she glared at the vice president of the general student council.

Rin despite feeling her blood beginning to boil at the comment, decided to let it go as there were more important things to deal with rather than the Millennium representative's bad attitude.

"Hello, guests that represent the neighbouring academies' student councils, disciplinary boards those who otherwise have too much free time on their hands"

Rin didn't even try to hide the disdain and sarcasm in her voice, the facial expressions of the Academy Representatives in front of her showing that her tone was clearly not appreciated. But quite frankly at this moment she didn't care considering how much trouble they had made for her.

"I am well aware why you irksome-I mean, important representatives have come here today" Pausing for a moment, Rin's face took on a strained smile, closing her eyes as she tried to keep her internal anger under control.

"You've come here to blame us for the fuss happening in the academy city. Isn't that right?" She opened her eyes, feeling just a small amount of satisfaction at seeing the insulted looks on the faces of the Academy representatives. Rin was being incredibly spiteful, and she knew it, and it usually wasn't like herself to do something like this, but at this moment she couldn't have cared less.

After a moment, Yuuka was the first to respond, her face flushing red with anger as she jabbed an accusatory finger in the direction of Rin.

"Huh?! What's with that attitude? You make it sound like it's our fault that the city is going to hell?"

Rin managed to control herself and not respond to Yuuka's yelling, yet she's certainly felt her hand beginning to slowly reach for her holster. Of course, shooting the Millennium student in the head wouldn't exactly hurt her much, but still, it would certainly shut her up.

But before she could take such a drastic course of action, she felt a cold and metallic hand come to rest on her shoulder, the feeling causing a shiver to run down and making her jump slightly as she turned her head, only to see that it was the good Hunter.

"You should calm yourself Rin, taking such a rash course of action will not achieve anything" His words had a certain weight and command, yet his tone was soft and gentle which immediately made her listen, her anger and frustration immediately subsiding as she took a calming breath.

Yet as she turned her gaze back to the student representatives, she couldn't help but wonder how exactly he knew what she was thinking of doing.

"Well, I wouldn't say that all of you in particular are responsible for the city's sorry state... the governing bodies of your academies and the resulting actions haven't exactly made the situation any better"

Rin adjusted her glasses as she finished speaking. She chose her words carefully while keeping the condescending tone in her voice to a minimum, but she knew that her words left no argument that the academies were not solely innocent in all of this.

A silent lingered in the air as the academy representatives looked, clearly trying to think of some retort to what the vice president of the general student council had said, but ultimately coming up blank on what to say. Yet after a moment Yuuka finally broke the silence.

"Well... whether the academies are to blame, what exactly has the general student council president been up to during such a sorry state of affairs? For the last time, I demand to see her this instant!" Yuuka lowered her voice, no longer shouting at the top of her lungs like she had been before, but still keeping her voice raised to a level that showed her frustration and anger as well as put her point across.

Yet instead of immediately answering, a look of uncertainty crossed Rin face, her eyes closing as she removed her glasses before pinching the bridge of her nose, she knew that it was finally time to reveal the president's absence.

As such, after putting her glasses back on and taking a deep and calming breath, she finally spoke.

"I'm afraid the president is not here at the moment. In fact to be frank she has gone missing" Rin let her words hang in the air, a deafening silence overtaking the lobby as all the representatives looked at her in confusion clearly not believing her, but as the silence lingered on the more all of them realise that she wasn't joking or being untruthful.

Yuuka was the first to react, stepping back in shock as her mouth practically fell to the floor. Despite rumours going around about the president's absence, she had been under the suspicion that the president was simply hiding from her duties, rather than outright missing .

"W-what?!" Yuuka managed to stutter out, shock and confusion plastered across her face.

Chinatsu had a similar reaction, the c96 Mauser that she had been holding fell out of her hand, cluttering to the floor loudly as her jaw also metaphorically hit the floor along with it.

Suzumi reaction wasn't as expressive as the first two girls, still she was shocked but not as much as the Gehenna and Millennium representative simply because she had been well aware of the rumours circulating that the general student council president had in fact disappeared.

Of course at the time she had simply disregarded them as alarmist rumours, but to know that those rumours were in fact real and the truth certainly was a shock to the system.

Hasumi's reaction was the most subtle out of all of them, sad acceptance Crossing her face as she closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.

"I see... So the rumours were true after all..." Her words were extremely quiet as she spoke to herself, her head drooping down slightly in sad exceptions of the rumours being true.

Rin let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding, turning her head, she saw that the good Hunters gauntleted was still resting on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring but gentle squeeze that she appreciated, and after giving him a quick smile she turned her gaze back to the Academy representatives, a tremendous weight finally off her chest about the president's disappearance.

Taking a breath to steady herself, Rin began speaking, "Allow me to cut to the chase. The general student council has absolutely no authority because the top administrator of the Sanctum Tower has gone missing. We had been searching for a way to bypass the need for verification, all to no avail... until recently"

Rin pause, both to collect her thoughts and to make sure the representatives were understanding what she was saying. And thankfully it seemed that they did as they were all intently listening to her.

"Are you saying you've found a way now, chief officer?" Hasumi spoke, stepping forward slightly as she waited for Rin's response.

After thinking of the right words, a smile spread across her face as Rin finally responded, "That is correct. Sensei here is the answer to our problems"

With those words, she stepped aside, allowing the representatives to see the full unobstructed view of the mysteriously dressed stranger that was referred to as Sensei. Just as before, his clothing was completely alien and bizarre, which was only made worse by the terrifying skeleton mask that covered his face from view.

All the gathered representatives, mouths fell to the floor once again at what the vice president of the general student council had just said. The fact that she referred to the mysterious individual as a sensei through all of them through a loop. Yet after a moment of silence Hasumi once again was the first to speak

"This person... Is a sensei?" Her tone was full of confusion and uncertainty, yet there was a distinct twinge of interest in her voice, as she eyed the mysterious individual.

Rin didn't say anything, simply gesturing to the good Hunter who after a moment stepped forward, his ragged and weathered cloak billowing behind him as he quickly performed an elegant bow.

"Indeed I am, young lady. I am the good Hunter, but if you wish to refer to me as a sensei then that is acceptable" Contrary to his appearance which was bizarre and slightly terrifying, all the representatives were surprised by how soft and gentle his voice was and the way he spoke.

His way of speaking was noticeably old-fashioned, to the point where he sounded like he came from a completely different time. In fact, hearing his voice immediately made both Suzumi and particularly Hasumi think of the tea party members, particularly the current leader Seia Yurizono, who spoke in a similarly old-fashioned and formal way.

"Hold up. Who is this "Sensei" you're talking about? What are they doing here in the first place?" Yuuka said with a sceptical tone in her voice, raising an eyebrow as she looked at the good Hunter up and down, clearly not quite sure what to make of him.

"Whoever he is, He doesn't seem to be from kivotos." Hasumi much like Yuuka eyed the mysterious sensei up and down, her posture noticeably stiffening and her eyes narrowing, when her gaze came to rest on the skeletal mask that covered his face.

Seeing a chance to interrupt, Rin quickly cleared her throat catching all the representatives turning their attention back to her, and after making sure each one of their gazes was on her, she began to speak.

"This is Hunter Sensei, or the good Hunter, as he likes to be called. Not only is he going to be teaching in kivotos. But he has also been personally selected by the general student council president" She gestured towards the good Hunter, yet before she could continue speaking before she was cut off abruptly.

"The president chose him? The one who's now missing? Things are making less and less sense..." Yuuka said with a confused and frustrated expression on her face. It didn't make any sense to her how the president could go missing yet somehow choose a sensei to take her place.

Taking a breath to calm herself, Yuuka began speaking again "A-anyway. It's good to meet you sensei, I'm Millennium science school's... I-I mean, why am I even bothering to introduce myself right now?" She said abruptly, the Millennium representative only realising halfway through her introduction how pointless it was introducing herself.

Rin took on a noticeably dark aura, the sinister and strain smile from before quickly making its way back onto her face as she readjusted her glasses, causing the light to glint off them and make it look as if they were glowing.

"Don't worry about that annoying girl, let's move on, shall we..." Yuuka's mouth practically hit the floor once again, not quite believing what the vice president had just said about her, in fact before she could stop herself anger took over.

"Who are you calling, annoying?! I'm Hayase Yuuka! You should remember that name, Sensei!" Yuuka finished her little diatribe by gesturing towards the good Hunter, who after a moment of seeming surprise gave a small and curt nod.

"Indeed I will remember that name, it's a pleasure to meet you Yuuka Hayase" He said with another bow, his hand reaching out for her own before he suddenly stopped as if he realised what he was doing as he quickly retracted it much Yuuka's confusion.

Rin managing to get control of a frustration once again, let out a sigh as she turned to the good Hunter.

"Hunter sensei. You are here to serve as an advisor for a club that was created by the general student council president. The Federal Investigation Club: Schale" Rin finished speaking, she knew that she was needlessly repeating herself, considering that she had already told the hunter all of this information in her office. But she wanted to be absolutely certain that he understood what he would be doing and what his responsibilities now were.

Although, she did notice all the Academy representatives take an interest when she mentioned the name of the club. Which she supposed was an expected reaction considering that Schale's existence up until this point had been completely confidential, with no one outside the immediate general student council members knowing about its existence.

Clearing her throat, Rin continue from where she had left off. "This isn't your average club-more like a type of extrajudicial organisation. Since it's a federal club, you are allowed to register students from any of the academies in Kivotos. Each Academy region can perform battle activities without restriction"

Rin removed her glasses as she finished, a frustrated sigh exiting her lips as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "How the president was able to create such an organisation with this level of power, I have no idea"

Letting out another sigh, she put her glasses back on, directing her now steely gaze towards the good Hunter, who stared back at her through the eyeholes of his metal skeletal mask.

"As such you have been given a lot of power sensei, more power than anyone in all of Kivotos has ever possessed in its long history, so I expect you to use it wisely and not mistreat it" Rin's was harsh and commanding, making it very clear that she would not tolerate any abuse of the federal investigation club's powers.

The good Hunter for his part simply bowed his head, Rin feeling her cheeks flush just a little bit, as he unexpectedly took her hand into his own. And even though he was wearing a metal gauntlet, she was surprised by just how gentle and soft his grip was.

"I swear on my life, and my honour as a hunter, that I will not abuse this power that has been bestowed upon me" The student representatives watch this interaction with curious fascination, the tone and conviction in his voice left no doubt in any of their mind that he was telling the truth, which itself was bizarre considering that they had no idea who he truly was, but somehow they felt as if they could trust his word.

Rin after recovering from her embarrassment and surprise, gently wiggled her hand free of his grip motioning for him to get up which he did in short order.

"Anyway... The Schale clubroom is about 30 kilometres from here. The building is currently empty, but we had to put something in the basement at the president's request" Rin quickly adjusted her long coat, the representatives watching with confused wild Hunter watched with mild interest as she pulled over her shoulders and clasped the buttons on its front together.

"It's now my job to take you there, Hunter sensei" She said as she quickly retrieved her phone from her coat pocket, seeing out of the corner of her eye at that's the good Hunter was once again watching her intently, his gaze conveying interest and wonder as she speed dialled the number she needed before pressing the call button.

"Momoka. I need a helicopter to take us to the Schale Clubroom" Rin waited for a response on the other end of the line, yet for a moment there was silence, but just when she thought that she might have mistakenly dialled the wrong number, she heard a distinctive and annoyingly familiar crunch from the other end of the line.

"The Schale clubroom? That's over in the outskirts. Things are kind of crazy over there right now... " Momoka on the other end of the line spoke between crunches, causing Rin aggravation to grow because the pink haired girl clearly after all this time had still not learnt basic table manners that even a kindergartener knew.

"What do you mean by "crazy"?" Rin asked tentatively, already not liking where this line of enquiry was going.

"A suspended student escaped from the Corrections Bureau and is wreaking havoc. It's a battlefield over there right now!" Momoka's words immediately made Rin snap to attention, suspended students that it could be, with each one of them not boating well on the current situation.

"They rallied all the thugs in the area and are destroying everything in their path to get revenge on the General Student Council. I hear they even got a Crusader Tank!" Each word that came from the other end of the line made Rin's anxiety and blood pressure spike to an almost dangerous degree. Yet before she could speak, Momoka continued rambling on.

"They must be trying to occupy the Schale building because they know the General Student Council controls it. Maybe they think there's something valuable inside. Oh, well. The city's is already a dump, I don't think it'll make much of a difference anyway..." Rin's hands began to shake violently, the phone clutched in her hand creaking and threatening to shatter under the immense pressure her grip was exerting on it, she didn't appreciate Momoka comment in the slightest.

"Momoka-"

"Oh great! The food I ordered is here, I'll talk to you later!" The line went dead, the lobby being plunged into silence as the good Hunter and the Academy representatives watched Rin simply stand there, the phone still held up to her ear.

Yet the silence was quickly broken by the distinct sound of glass cracking, which was quickly revealed to be the phone in Rin hands, which now had a spider's web of cracks running across the screen.

Rin didn't care that she had broken her phone, the feeling that was boiling inside had long ago morphed from frustration into pure unadulterated rage. The look on her face was almost indescribable, conveying rage, frustration and anger all at the same.

Yet before she could act on the sudden and very irresistible impulse to throw the broken phone clear across the room. Rin felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder, which immediately made her snapper gaze in the direction of its owner, only to come face to face with the skeletal mask of the good Hunter, his gaze conveying understanding about her situation, and more importantly concern.

"Deep breaths now, Rin. Take a deep breath and calm yourself, remember what I said earlier" The voice of the good Hunter wormed its way into her ears, the frustration and rage that had been boiling inside her, slowly beginning to diminish, and after taking in a deep breath and letting it go, her anger subsided to the point where she could think clearly again.

"I'm fine now... Just a minor setback. And one that is no problem at all" Rin said mostly to herself, desperately trying to convince herself that the situation wasn't completely hopeless. However, as she felt the good Hunter take his gauntleted hand off her shoulder, she looked up at the Academy representatives, an idea suddenly occurring to her as she stared intently at them.

"W-what? Why are you looking at us like that?" Yuuka found herself incredibly creeped out at how the vice president was staring so intently at her and the rest of the Academy representatives. And it was only made worse when an almost malicious smile made its way onto her lips.

"It's sooo reassuring to have you trustworthy Academy representatives here with us" Rin put as much false sweetness in her voice as physically possible, taking slow and deliberate steps towards the Academy representatives, who all now collectively looked terrified instead of confused.

Yuuka felt her legs beginning to tremble, confusion and fear racing through her as the vice president stepped closer and closer towards her in particular.

"Huh?" Was all that the purple-haired girl could get out before Rin spoke again.

"We are going to need your help to bring peace back to kivotos. Let's go." Rin quickly turned on her heels, motioning for all the representatives to follow her and the good Hunter as they made their way towards one of the many exits of the lobby. One by one, the Academy representatives began to follow.

First Hasumi, who grabbed her rifle, chambering a round as she did so. Next was Chinatsu who quickly retrieved her pistol from the floor, grabbing her large medical bag and swinging it over her shoulder. Suzumi quickly followed, slinging her rifle over her shoulder as she fell into lockstep with the group.

Yuuka however was left standing there completely confused, her white jacket falling off one of her shoulders, one of the watching the group as they began to disappear through one of the many lobby doors.

"Wait What? Where are we going!?"

….​

'What the hell did I do to deserve this!'

Yuuka mentally screamed at herself as she quickly took cover behind an overturned car. Bullets ricocheting off the pavement and the body of the car, sending fragments of rock and metal everywhere as she fumbled with the magazine while trying to reload her submachine gun.
However, just as she managed to insert the mag and press the bolt release, a stray rocket impacted the ground nearby. Exploding in a bright fireball that sent small chunks of debris flying in every direction.

"What's going on!?" Even more thunderous explosions and rapid gunfire drowned out Yuuka's voice. She had got into gun fights before, like pretty much every student her age, but this kind of intensity was something that was completely alien to her.

With a temporary lull in the gunfire coming from the enemy, she quickly popped her SMG over the side of the car, spraying a few rounds down range before pulling it back into cover.

"Why do we have to be the ones to fight them, damn it?!" Yuuka complained loudly as she reached for a fresh mag. Noticing Chinatsu out of the corner of her eye as the Gehenna student, quickly ran from the cover she was resting behind to the very same overturned car Yuuka was using.

"Rin set defending the clubroom is paramount if they're to regain control of the Sanctum Tower" Chinatsu set quickly, as she quickly ducked around the side of the car, aimed her pistol and quickly took out a thug that just happened to be running between cover.

Finally Reloaded, Yuuka did much the same, jumping on top of the car and letting loose a spray of automatic fire, her rounds impacting their intended targets and knocking the delinquents out cold.

"I get that, but I belong to my school's student council! Why is busywork like this falling to me?" Yuuka accompanied her rant by emptying the rest of her magazine in the general direction of the delinquent student. Her bullets quickly finding their target which was a delinquent trying to ready a massive rocket launcher but failing to do so as she was quickly knocked out by the stream of automatic gunfire.

Jumping back behind the cover, Yuuka began to reload once again, yet stopped herself when she realised something. More importantly, a particular somebody that she had somehow managed to lose since arriving at this battlefield.

"Where the hell is sensei anyway? Isn't he part of the reason why we're even here!? Yuuka jammed the magazine into her gun, her eyes scanning around the immediate area, trying to spot the good Hunter. Which shouldn't have been that hard considering his very distinct appearance, but it seemed that he had managed to do some kind of disappearing act, much to her frustration.

Yet as she released the bolt on her weapon she heard a voice that made her jump.

"I am right here Yuuka"

Yuuka snapped her gaze towards the sound of the voice, her heart in her throat as she was caught off guard by the good Hunter standing next to her and Chinatsu, not even taking cover behind the car as a hail of bullets continue to fly in their direction, which somehow all miraculously missed him.

"S-Sensei! What are you doing!?" Jumping to her feet, Yuuka completely forgot about the hail of gunfire coming their way as she quickly grabbed the good Hunter by his cloak, managing despite his much larger frame to pull him to his knees and behind the car that was acting as their cover spot. Although, strangely enough, she noticed that he didn't seem surprised in the slightest by her sudden action.

"What were you doing just standing in the open like that! You could get hurt, Sensei" Yuuka shouted loudly, mostly because of the loud gunfire but also because of the sheer adrenaline running through her system at the fact that the good Hunter could have got himself killed.

Yet instead of saying anything in response, she saw the good Hunter simply stare at her, his mask obscuring his face from view but his gaze conveying confusion and curiosity, as if he was completely unaware that he could have had his head splattered across the pavement by a stray bullet.

"I see, I will keep that in mind Yuuka. But I must say that you should do the same, I would hate to see any of you get hurt or worse on my watch, especially on my first day as your teacher" Yuuka immediately noticed the strange change in his tone as he spoke.

The first part of his sentence was noticeably calm and relaxed, as if the prospect of nearly having his head shot off was something not even to be considered. But the part that caught her attention the most was the noticeable change when he spoke about her and the other representatives being hurt, she could easily pick up on a tone of concern in his voice.

Yuuka try to think of a response to his words, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times before she finally found what she wanted to say. But before she could say it, Chinatsu answered for her.

"The concern is most appreciated, Sensei. But you don't need to worry about us, our halos will keep us safe from most physical damage" The blonde-haired Gehenna student said as she reloaded her pistol, inserting a fresh stripper clip before pulling the slide back and releasing it.

The good Hunter turn to the tension to the blonde haired student, his head tilting up slightly as his gaze came to rest on the crosshair shaped Halo that hovered above her head. Yuuka and Chinatsu both watched him as he stared at it for a moment, seemingly examining every detail of it as if he had never seen such a thing before in his life. In fact, the more he looked at it, the more Chinatsu felt self-conscious, with her cheeks turning noticeably red.

"Even if that is the case, I must implore both of you to stay in cover until we can formulate some kind of strategy to get to the clubroom" The good Hunter said as he turned his intense gaze away from Chinatsu's halo, much to her relief. And quickly poked his head over the side of the upturned vehicle, much to the protest of both students.

"Yuuka, Chinatsu, I will draw the enemies fire while you use the opportunity to incapacitate them" Both representatives didn't have a chance to argue or even really comprehend what he had said before the good Hunter suddenly sprung from the safety of the upturned vehicle.

Yuuka and Chinatsu watched in abject horror as every delinquent on the street turned their rifles towards the good Hunter and opened fire. Yet instead of being gunned down, something almost impossible happened.

Something that was so fast and sudden that in the moment they didn't quite understand what had happened.

One moment the good Hunter was simply standing there, letting the wall of bullets and rockets travel towards him, the next he was several feet away from where he was standing. His cloak flowing behind him, as the bullets that were intended for him harmlessly impacted the street and buildings behind the spot where he had been only a second earlier.

Both Yuuka and Chinatsu's mouths hit the floor, only just now realising exactly what had happened and even though they had seen it with their own eyes, not quite believing it.

The good Hunter had literally dodged bullets.

Something that even the strongest and the most battle hardened of students could not do easily. Yet he somehow did it effortlessly and so quickly that he almost looks like he teleported from one spot to another.

However, before both of them could marvel at this accomplishment any further, the good Hunter quickly shouted over to them, shaking them from their stupor.

"Yuuka, Chinatsu! Fire upon them now! Their guard is lowered!" Both representatives were immediately spurred into action, their shock and confusion at what the good Hunter had just done completely forgotten as both of them jump from behind the improvised cover.

Yuuka quickly took out her second SMG, duel-wielding both of them as she quickly sprayed a hail of bullets at a group of delinquents who were in the process of reloading their weapons. Her bullets landed home and took all of them out in an instant.

Chinatsu held her C96 with both hands, the accuracy of her fire being impeccable as she had no trouble managing to land all her shots on target, with every single one of them being a perfect headshot which was more than enough to complete incapacitate the delinquents as they fell to the ground.

Quickly reloading their weapons, both girls looked around the immediate area, looking for any other delinquents that could be hiding. But thankfully they found none, which made both of them let out a sigh of relief. Both of them taking a moment to rest as the good Hunter quickly approached them.

"That was impeccable work girls, I am very proud of both of you" good Hunter accompanied his praise by putting his hands on both of the girl's heads and gently ruffling their hair.

Yuuka reaction was immediate as she quickly protested, flailing her arms around as her cheeks went rosie red. She was not used to this kind of physical attention from anyone, especially a mysterious male adult that she hardly even knew.

Chinatsu by contrast had a much more subtle reaction her cheeks going rosie red just like Yuuka, but instead of getting immediately flustered and trying to push away the affection, she actually seemed to openly enjoy it, a small smile making its way under her lips as she somewhat shyly tapped the tip of her fingers together.

Finally having enough of the hunter patting her head, Yuuka finally managed to push the good Hunter's hand off her own head, her cheeks now a bright red as she quickly spurted out some words.

"C-cut it O-out Sensei! I'm not a little kid, you know!" The good Hunter was momentarily surprised, but before long he felt a new sensation rise up within him, one that he had not felt in quite some time.

Yuuka's fuming out about the good hunter's actions, was quickly interrupted as she and Chinatsu heard something that caught both of them off guard. A soft chuckle, one that almost sounded like the gentle breeze on a cold night.

Both of them look towards the source of the noise, surprised to see that it was the good Hunter, gently chuckling while shaking his head. Even though the hunter had obviously displayed emotion up until this point, actually hearing him laugh was a strange experience. It filled their very souls with an almost warm, tingly sensation, that made all of their tension and frustration disappear.

After a moment of laughing quietly, the good Hunter managed to get control over himself, speaking between his gradually lessening chuckles.

"Forgive me Yuuka, I let my body control my actions there for a moment... Although I must say that you are particularly adorable when you are flustered" If it were possible, Yuuka's cheeks somehow got even reader than they were before, her eyes dilating rapidly as she quickly grabbed both of her pigtails to try to hide her face with them. This only caused the hunter to chuckle more which was quickly joined by Chinatsu, who despite trying couldn't hold back her own laughter.

Yet before Yuuka could literally die of embarrassment, the group of students and one sensei heard a familiar voice approaching.

"Sensei, I'm sorry that I was separated from you for so long, a particular group of rowdy delinquents had me and Suzumi pinned down the next street over." Hasumi along with Suzumi jogged their way over to the group. The black haired Trinity students, wings flapping behind her, as her... ample assets bounced in rhythm with her step.

Which caused Chinatsu to look down at her own chest, a feeling of inadequacy settling upon her shoulders, despite the fact that she wasn't exactly the smallest in that department.

The good Hunter turned towards the Trinity students, both of them coming to a stop in front of him as they began to catch their breath.

"There is nothing to apologise for Hasumi, we had the situation here under control, and we managed to end it in a swift and decisive" The hunter accompanied his words by gently patting the blackhead girl on the shoulder, making her blushed slightly but other than that she had no reaction to his touch.

"Now that we are all back together, we should make our way towards the clubroom, according to Rin's directions, it should only be a short journey from here" the four students watched as the good Hunter turned his head.

His gaze settling on the distant buildings, as if he somehow already knew where he was going. Which itself was a bit bizarre considering that he obviously wasn't from Kivotos, but they all collectively chalked it up to him simply having a good sense of direction.

And so, after making sure everyone was stocked up on ammo, the group continued on their way towards the Schale club building. Every so often they encountered small groups of delinquents, engaging inlooting and general chaos making, but there was no trouble dispatching any of them. However, as the good Hunter lead the group around one final street corner, the club building finally came into view, but that wasn't all. Gathered outside the building was a large amount of delinquents of various groups, sporting every kind of weapon imaginable, from antiquated bolt action rifles to modern heavy calibre machine guns that were completely illegal to own.

"Everyone! Scatter and find cover!" The good Hunter raised his voice louder than any of them had heard so far, but they didn't need to be told twice, as they all quickly found various pieces of cover.

Which was not a moment too soon as the large gathering delinquents opened fire on their positions, bullets of all sizes and calibres, whizzing past them, impacting the cover they were hiding behind and generally tearing up the street and buildings around them.

"T-this is... Really intense!" Suzumi shouted as loud as she could, her voice being completely drowned out by the sound of bullets hitting the pile of rubble she was taking cover behind. Occasionally poking her head over the improvised cover and shooting controlled bursts at any delinquents that she could get in her line of sight.

Hasumi quickly jump from behind a nearby corner, racking the bolt of her rifle as she quickly put a shot into the head of a delinquent who was running between two pieces of cover. The delinquent instantly being incapacitated as her shot landed home.

Pulling back the bolt and expelling the spent round, she quickly jumped back behind The Wall just in time as a barrage of bullets quickly chipped away at it, but thankfully it held as she chambered the next round.

"I couldn't have said it better myself. I've been in some serious firefights before, but this is on a completely different level!" Hasumi accompanied her words by quickly ducking out of cover, shooting a delinquent in the face, and then quickly ducking back behind cover. Reaching into the slit of her skirt, she retrieved a fresh stripper clip inserted it into her rifle and racking the bolt, the first round being chambered as the now empty strip of metal was sent tumbling to the ground with a loud metallic ping.

Hasumi and Suzumi then look to each other, both of them nodding in unison as they quickly began taking turns at dispatching the delinquents that were currently raining bullets down on their position. Both of the Trinity girls worked like a well-oiled machine as they took out delinquents left and right.

The same however couldn't be said for Yuuka and Chinatsu, who were both pinned down behind the burnt out wreck of what was once a public bus. Yuuka occasionally taking pot shots at any delinquents that she could see without exposing herself to the line of fire and Chinatsu doing her best to do the same despite the fact that her weapon, a c96 pistol, was intended more for self-defence rather than an active firefight like this.

"This is impossible! How the hell are we going to get to the clubroom with all of those troublemakers in the way!" Yuuka accompanied her shouting, by quickly reloading her SMG and shooting at a delinquent who was getting a bit too aggressive and running straight towards their covered position. The delinquent who was wielding a shotgun quickly went down like a sack of bricks, her halo winking out of existence as she fell into unconscious.

Chinatsu quickly expended the last of her magazine, ducking back behind the cover as she reached for a fresh magazine that she kept in her large duffle bag that she had been lugging around this entire time.

"I don't know... all we can hope is that sensei will come up with some kind of plan" Chinatsu said with hopelessness beginning to creep into her voice. Inserting the fresh magazine into her pistol as she turned her gaze over to the good Hunter who was sitting behind an upturned vehicle, his pointy hat along with his head poking just above the improvised cover so he could see the entire battlefield.

Yuuka stop firing SMG talking back behind the cover as she looked at the Gehenna student with a concerned expression. Despite not wanting to believe it she was honestly beginning to think, that the good Hunters ability to direct them in combat earlier was nothing more than a fluke, considering that so far they had been sitting here taking bullets and knocking out a few delinquents without really accomplishing anything.

Reaching into her pocket, the purple haired girl quickly pulled out a small digital calculator, looking at it with an almost forlorn expression as she contemplated actually using it, despite the fact that she hadn't actually tested it under these kinds of conditions.

However, before she could contemplate that line of thought any further, she, along with the other Academy representatives, all suddenly heard the good Hunter speak for the first time since this fire fight had begun.

"Everyone! Come to my position now, I have formulated a plan" the good Hunter's voice carried across the battlefield, easily reaching all the Academy Representatives in the positions they were, and after a small amount of hesitation. One by one, they began to make their way to his position. Using the momentary lapses in enemy fire to quickly jump from cover to cover before finally arriving at his position behind the upturned car.

Chinatsu was the last to go, hefting the large bag strap onto her shoulder as she quickly ran from behind the burnt out bus. Which couldn't have been more perfectly timed, as the bus was quickly enveloped in a fiery explosion by a delinquent that happened to have a rocket launcher on her.

The Gehenna student paid it no mind however as she continued to run, ducking and weaving between broken rubble and burnt out cars as she finally made it to the overturned car that sensei was using as his improvised cover.

Letting the bag drop from her shoulder, Chinatsu quickly fell onto her butt, breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She was never one to skip physical education, After all, skipping classes of any kind was something that could put you on a fast track to becoming a delinquent.

But unfortunately physical education was always her weakest subject simply because she wasn't a very athletic girl, not like her fellow Prefect Team member and friend Iori who absolutely excelled at any physical sport.

"Chinatsu, are you alright, young lady?" The good Hunter turned his gaze towards the Gehenna student who was desperately trying to catch her breath, his gaze even though it was hidden behind his mask conveying concern for her physical condition.

Managing to gulp down as much are she physically could, Chinatsu felt her heart rate beginning to return to a normal pace turn and after taking a couple more deep breaths, she finally responded to sensei.

"I'm F-fine, I'm just not very G-good at physical-activities at all... It's my W-weakest subject" She managed to force a chuckle between her breaths, yet instead of immediately responding, the good Hunter continued to stare at her for a moment before ultimately shaking his head.

"I see, if physical education is your weakest subject, I suppose after all of this mess is sorted out, we can remedy that somehow. After all, a healthy mind isn't of any use if it doesn't have a healthy body to work in tandem with" Chinatsu felt her cheeks turn hot, a vicious blush making itself easily apparent on her face as the prospect of one-on-one lessons with sensei wasn't exactly something she would be against. Yet she quickly shook the embarrassment and that thought away, after all, much like the good Hunter had implied they needed to fix this situation first.

The hunter after a moment quickly clapped his gauntleted hands together, his clap somehow being heard over the gunfire and Explosions and therefore catching all the gathered students' attention.

"I need all of you to listen to me intently, the number of adversaries as many and we are few. But I've come up with a plan" The good Hunter paused for a moment, making sure that all the Academy representatives were listening to him, which thankfully they were as they all intently stared at him.

"I have not acted until now because I was watching you young ladies fight, I needed to know what your strengths were before we proceeded, and now I do, so here is the plan that I have devised"

Yuuka, Chinatsu, Hasumi and Suzumi old watched intently as the good Hunter began to explain his plan, which was aided by him carving a crude but useful visual battle strategy into the pavement with a piece of bent rebar he picked up from the ground.

"Yuuka, Suzumi I want both of you at the front here in the formation, both of you are extremely adept at using those quick firing weapons of yours" Both students nodded in agreement as they watch the good Hunter carve little circles into the pavement that represented them, before moving on to the back line of the formation.

"Hasumi I want you in the backline, that rifle of yours is extremely powerful, and accurate but ultimately slow firing, therefore your accuracy and power would be best suited supporting the front line from a rear guard position" Hasumi watch the good Hunter carved another little circle into the pavement representing her.

Despite the fact that she was an incredibly quick shot with her rifle, being able to empty an entire magazine in less than 3 seconds. She knew that going up against delinquents that had automatic weapons was not the best idea, especially considering that her rifle only held 5 rounds. As such, after a small amount of contemplation, she nodded her head also.

Satisfied with this, the good Hunter then moved on to the final student, who was awaiting her role assignment.

"Chinatsu, I want you to stay close to me, while your weapon is far from useless, unfortunately I do not feel that you could be with much used in the front line, alongside Yuuka and Suzumi" The good Hunter carved one last symbol into the pavement, a small circle alongside a bigger circle that represented himself at the very back of the formation.

He was half expecting the Gehenna student to be somewhat disappointed with her placement in the formation, yet to his surprise she simply nodded in agreement, retrieving her bag from the concrete pavement next to her as she spoke.

"I don't have any problems of that sensei, to be perfectly honest frontline combat isn't exactly my speciality, I've always been more suited for support role" She finished by adjusting her glasses wiping away some dirt and grime that had accumulated on the lenses over the course of the firefight from earlier.

Looking at her for a moment, the good Hunter gave a nod of affirmation, dropping the piece of rebar as he quickly stood up before issuing his orders.

"Yuuka, Suzumi, I want you to make your way over to that building, and stay in that position until I give the word" The good Hunter pointed at the building he was referring to, one that once upon a time was an electronics shop but had now been completely looted and stripped of anything valuable.

Suzumi, Yuuka both nodded, grabbing their weapons and making sure they were loaded and ready before they quickly ran from cover to cover. Both girls quickly arriving at the empty building and quickly taking up cover inside while they waited for Sensei's word.

With the two students and position, the good Hunter turned his attention to Hasumi, who like a well-trained soldier already had her rifle in hand and was waiting for the order to move.

"Hasumi, make your way over to the opposite side of the street where that destroyed wagon is and wait for my mark" The Trinity student was a bit thrown off by sensei's choice of word, considering that she had never heard anyone referred to a car as a wagon.

But shaking her head she told herself that strange things like that were not important right now, she quickly made her way over to the burnt out car which was lying on its side, taking up her designated position as she waited for the word.

With a nod, the good hunter confirmed that every student was in position and prepared to follow his command. He then turned to Chinatsu, who remained seated with her back against the makeshift cover. Extending his hand, he offered assistance to the surprised Gehenna student. Chinatsu accepted, finding herself unexpectedly lifted to her feet with effortless strength.

Seen that everything was in place, the good Hunter motion for Chinatsu to get behind him, which she did without complained as she prepared her pistol just in case she needed to use it.

"Everyone! Let the hunt begin!" the good Hunter's voice carried across the battlefield, his choice of words being bizarre to the academy representatives. But they all quickly understood what he meant as they spring into action.

Hasumi using the destroyed car as cover began to take out as many delinquents as she could see, the accuracy and precision of her shots being almost supernatural as she made sure any delinquent would think twice before stepping out of cover and into the open.

"Yuuka, Suzumi both of you advance now!" The Hunter ordered as he pointed to where they needed to go, both students being momentarily confused at exactly what he wanted them to do before it suddenly clicked. Hasumi's accurate and precise fire had made the delinquents afraid to expose themselves, meaning that they wouldn't see a counter-attack coming until it was too late.

Suzumi's eyes lit up as an idea suddenly occurred to her, Yuuka watching with confusion as the Trinity student quickly retrieved a cylindrical object from her belt. One that caused Yuuka's eyes to widen as she immediately recognised it as a high-powered flashbang, something that she knew most students shouldn't have access to.

Wordlessly but with an excited look on her face, Suzumi quickly pulled the pin on the flash grenade, holding it in her hand for about a second before she quickly tossed it towards the group of delinquents. The flashbang sailing through the air in a perfect ark as it quickly landed amongst the delinquents and before any of them could react they were blinded and deafened by the Exploding flashbang.

"Come on Yuuka's let's go!" Suzumi said excitedly as she quickly grabbed her rifle, rushing out of the derelict store before the Millennium student could give any kind of protest.

"H-hey! G-give me some warning next time, dammit!" Yuuka explained, running after the Trinity student as she readied her smg.

Suzumi and Yuuka quickly made it to the group of delinquents, who was still dazed and confused by the flashbang, and quickly seizing on the opportunity both Academy representatives quickly gunned the delinquents down, making sure each one of them was thoroughly incapacitated before kicking away their weapons and taking their position as their own.

Seeing the two girls move up, Hasumi quickly reloaded her rifle as she moved to another spot, so that she could continue to give fire support to Suzumi and Yuuka. The good Hunter and Chinatsu did the same as they quickly moved to a new cover spot, taking cover behind a burnt-out vehicle that once upon a time was a delivery truck.

Yuuka knelt down, pulling a fresh mag from her coat pocket as she reloaded her smg. Suzumi took the time to do something similar, inserting a fresh magazine into her assault rifle before she clicked the bolt release. But as she did this, both students were quickly knocked off their feet by an explosion that hit nearby.

"Yuuka, Suzumi!" the good Hunter shouted at the top of his lungs, seeing the explosion and fearing the worst, he made to run over to where Yuuka and Suzumi position was. Yet he found himself stopped as somebody quickly grabbed onto one of his arms, turning his head to see that it was none other than Chinatsu, her face full of fear for his safety.

"Sensei you need to stay here, I will go" The good Hunter didn't get a chance to protest her words as the blonde-haired girl quickly ran from the safety of the burnt-out delivery truck.

"Chinatsu! What are you-" The good Hunter tried to call after the student but had no luck as she continued to run between cover, the large bag slung over her shoulder making her movement extremely sluggish as she continued after shift its weight so she wouldn't fall over.

"Hasumi! Cover Chinatsu!" Hasumi immediately did it she was ordered, despite the fact that she and the Gehenna student didn't exactly get along, rivalries between academies could wait until they weren't in a dangerous situation like this.

As such, she began to take out any delinquency she could see, making sure that none of them tried targeting the Gehenna student, as she made her way over to Yuuka and Suzumi's position.

Pulling the bolt back on her rifle, Hasumi quickly retrieved another stripper clip as she inserted it into her rifle, her dark red eyes scanning for the exact origin from where the rocket launcher had been fired earlier. However, as she continued to provide supporting fire while keeping an eye out for the target, she suddenly heard the good Hunter shout loudly at her.

"Hasumi! Target at the end of the street, second building on the left, 4th floor, third window from the right!" Hasumi quickly directed her rifle to the called out location, her red pupils narrowing as she quickly spotted her target. Sat in the window of the building, in the process of reloading her massive rocket launcher as she intended to cause more havoc with it.

"Not on my watch you don't, delinquents like you deserve to be punished" Hasumi spoke quietly to herself as she acquired her target, mentally accounting for both windage and elevation as she aimed for the delinquents head. As she was doing this, a dark aura began to surround her rifle, swirling around the barrel as Hasumi quickly racked the bolt of her rifle, before pulling the trigger.

The good hunter from his position watched with fascination as this happened, his gaze following the trajectory of the bullet now encase in a dark aura as it left the barrel and sailed through the air at supersonic speed, hitting the delinquent Square in the face, a dark explosion surrounding her as she was quickly incapacitated by it before unceremoniously falling out of the window and to the street below.

Letting a small smile spread across her face, Hasumi quickly pulled the bolt back on her rifle, chambering a new round as she resumed her task of providing covering fire to Chinatsu as she made her way over to Yuuka and Suzumi's position.

Chinatsu quickly skidded to a halt, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart as she quickly put her pistol back in its holster, reading herself for the worst as she finally made it to Yuuka and Suzumi's position.

"Yuuka, Suzumi!" Are you two OK?" Chinatsu called as loudly as she could manage, quickly rounding the piece of rubble that had been their cover. Much to her relief, both students were in fact still conscious and didn't look like they had taken that much damage from the explosion, although it certainly had still done a number on them.

Yuuka hearing the sound of the Gehenna student's voice looked in her direction, her purple hair slightly frazzled and noticeably dishevelled from the explosion but other than that thankfully she had very little injuries.

"I'm fine, a few bruises, but I'll live" Yuuka managed to say, letting out a quiet groan, as she managed to get to her feet, her knees shaking considerably as she quickly grabbed onto the of rubble to support herself. Chinatsu seeing this move to help the Millennium student, yet Yuuka quickly shook her hand, trying to reassure Chinatsu that she was alright.

"I'm fine honestly, Suzumi got it worse than I did, so you should look at her first" Chinatsu wasn't convinced by the Millennium student's words about her being fine. But decided to not push the issue as she turned her attention to the Trinity student, who currently had her back up against one of the pieces of rubble that made up their covered position.

Suzumi despite being conscious, and still on high alert, her rifle clutched in her hands. Had much like Yuuka said got the brunt of the explosion, the entire side of her uniform was completely torn up, with her skin beginning to turn black and blue from the bruises that were beginning to form, which wasn't made any better by the numerous small cuts that oozed a small amount of blood.

Kneeling next to Suzumi, Chinatsu exchanged a quick glance with the Trinity student before she put her large bag down next to her, quickly opening up one of the large zippers as she rooted around for the exact items that she needed. Which upon pulling out revealed large medical bandages and a syringe filled with a blue medicine.

Chinatsu quickly unravelled the bandages, looking at Suzumi for permission to proceed, which the Trinity student quickly gave in the form of a small nod. As such, she quickly got to work wrapping the bandages Suzumi's torso. The silver head girl letting out quiet whimpers and groans of discomfort as the disinfectant bandages came into contact with her cuts and fresh bruises.

"Sorry, I forgot to say this with sting" Chinatsu quietly apologised, paying extra attention to the most heavily bruised areas of Suzumi's upper chest and breast area, being sure to wrap the bandages especially tight in that region. Both to give the girl some dignity considering her chest was practically on display, and to make sure the bandages held fast, considering that she had a distinct feeling that this battle was far from over.

"It's F-fine, it's not my first time being P-atched up in the middle of a B-battle like this" Suzumi managed to let out a small laugh between her hisses and groans of pain. Fondly remembering some of the altercations she got into and the fact that members of the Knights Hospitaller would often be there to patch her up after or even during the fight.

Chinatsu finished preparing the bandages, a small smile making it's way on to her face because of what the Trinity student had just said. Patching people up in the middle of battle like this was something that she also had experience with, especially the many occasions when her fellow prefect team member, Iori, got herself caught up in unnecessary firefights while doing her job.

"Alright, the bandages are in place... although, I don't know how well you're going to like this next part" Chinatsu accompanied her words by giving the bandages one last adjustment to make sure they were tight, and retrieving the large fluid-filled syringe which upon seeing Suzumi flinched slightly, a noticeable amount of discomfort and maybe even a small amount of fear in her eyes.

"I'm guessing there's no way I can say no... Right" Despite the slight pleading tone in Suzumi's voice. Chinatsu simply shook her head indicating that was the case, any hope in the Trinity student's eyes completely evaporating, she took a noticeable gulp. Yet, as Chinatsu remove the syringe's protective plastic cap, a barrage of bullets quickly impacted the piece of rocky debris that they were all using as cover. Yuuka quickly readying her SMG as she began to return fire.

"Whatever You're Gonna do, make it quick. We have a metric ton of delinquents coming our way, and they don't look particularly pleased" Yuuka said as she peeked over the edge of the cover, being careful not to get a stray bullet to the face as she counted about 15 delinquents all rushing towards their position.

She couldn't really understand why they would be so stupid as to leave their covered positions and rush them like this, but she suspected it was probably something along the lines of the delinquent getting bored and wanting to cause more chaos and destruction.

Chinatsu and Suzumi both looked at the purple haired Millennium girl for a moment before turning back to look at each other. The look on Suzumi's face being one of complete and utter defeat as a sigh escaped her lips.

"Just do it quickly, I'm not a little kid any more, so I don't know why I'm still scared of needles" Suzumi closed her eyes and turned her head away, grimacing noticeably as she waited for the pain that would come from the needle entering her flesh. Chinatsu for her part simply said nothing as she located a prominent vein on the girl's arm, positioning the needle so it would go in properly.

However, before she jammed the needle into Suzumi's arm, Chinatsu quickly spoke. "If it's any consolation, I still don't particularly like needles myself"

Suzumi turned to look back at Chinatsu, opening her mouth to say something, but not having the chance to do so as the needle was quickly jabbed into her arm.

"Ow! Dammit that hurt!"

In truth, the actual pain from the needle entering her flesh wasn't as much as she had expected, but the suddenness of it was what made her jump. Instinctively trying to pull her arm back, which was prevented by Chinatsu with her free hand as the liquid was quickly injected into her veins.

Yet whatever was in the syringe quickly got to work with the effect being almost immediate, the pain from both the needle going into her arm and the residual ache from her taking the explosion in the first place almost immediately vanished, with it replaced by almost newfound energy, the kinds of which that even trinity's best medicine could never hope to compare to.

As Chinatsu removed the needle, while wiping away some of the blood with a cotton bud, Suzumi found herself almost vibrating on the spot wanting to jump to her feet right away as, the energy that was coursing through her veins was like nothing she had ever experienced before.

The only thing that she could compare it to, was like drinking an entire crate of energy drinks in one go without stopping. But even then the comparison was only flimsy at best, because unlike drinking a crate of energy drinks which shamefully she had done in her younger years, whatever had been injected into her left her completely energised both physically and even mentally without any kind of negative side effect.

"Sorry, I don't have any proper plasters" Suzumi was pulled from her thoughts by Chinatsu voice, her gaze snapping to the Gehana student who was holding a small plaster in her hands, one that she immediately recognised as a Peroro-themed one that was very popular with younger kids.

Looking at the plaster for a moment, Suzumi turn to a gaze back to Chinatsu both students scaring at each other for a moment before Suzumi let out a quiet chuckle.

"If it's all you've got then I suppose it will just have to do, besides its kind of cute in a weird way" Suzumi saw a small smile make its way onto Chinatsu's face, who quickly got to work applying the small bandage over the spot where she had used the syringe, the coldness and stickiness of the plaster making the whitehead Trinity student wince slightly as it quickly stuck fast to her skin and covered up the wound.

Chinatsu quickly zipped up her bag, retrieving her pistol which was laying nearby, quickly rising to her feet as she made sure that it was fully loaded before she offered a hand to Suzumi, who after a moment quickly took it retrieving her own rifle as she was pulled to her feet by the blonde haired Gehenna student.

"Normally I would say that at least 15 minutes of rest is required after such an injection... But it looks like we don't have that luxury right now" Chinatsu words were punctuated by a series of bullets whizzing over both of their heads.

"Yeah... I feel a bit light-headed, but I'm good to fight" Suzumi accentuated her words by racking the bolt on her rifle, chambering a new round as she held her rifle at the ready.

"Guys! Hurry up-" Yuuka didn't get a chance to finish, as the group of delinquents that had been advancing on their position finally arrived, several of them immediately surrounding the free students, with their rifles pointing at them.

"Ha! We've got you now!" A delinquent, with a red painted helmet, exclaimed proudly as if she had just accomplished some kind of great victory.

"Yeah! We're going to fill you full of holes!" another one with a black painted helmet and a very out of regulation uniform accompanied her words by jabbing Chinatsu's chest with the muzzle of her rifle.

Chinatsu didn't appreciate this, as she glared vicious daggers at the delinquent, yet before she could act on the sudden impulse to viciously beat the delinquent over the head with the butt of her pistol, fate decided to intervene.

BANG! BANG!

"Huh!

"What the hell!"

Yuuka, Chinatsu and Suzumi along with several delinquents were suddenly caught off guard by the helmets of two delinquents exploding in a shower of plastic fragments, both delinquent's halos winking out of existence as they fell to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.

Using the opportunity, Chinatsu quickly grabbed the muzzle of the delinquents rifle that was pointed at her, grip and before the Troublemaker could react grabbed it with both hands raising it above her head and bringing the rifle, now improvised bat down hard.

The delinquent's helmet made a satisfying plasticy cracking noise as it's shattered like glass from the force of the impact, Chinatsu quickly dropping the rifle putting some distance between her and the troublemaker as the delinquent stumbled only just managing to stay on her feet as she tried to recover from the sudden blow.

Chinatsu however wouldn't give the delinquent a chance to recover as she quickly brought up her pistol, releasing the safety and somewhat angrily emptied an entire magazine of 9 mm cartridges into the delinquency chest. Which was more than enough to put her out of commission as she collapsed like a sack of bricks. Her halo disappearing as her body hit the floor with a hollowed thump.

Yuuka like Chinatsu used the sudden confusion to charge the nearest delinquent, pivoting on one of her feet as she quickly delivered a vicious roundhouse kick, which was more than enough to disarm the delinquent and knock her to the ground. Giving Yuuka ample time to quickly shoot her several times with her SMG, before emptying the rest of her magazine into another confused delinquent that unluckily happened to be standing close by.

Suzumi, unlike Yuuka and Chinatsu didn't use any hand-to-hand combat, simply choosing to unload the entirety of her assault rifle's magazine into the nearest delinquent, before quickly reloading and doing the same to two more.

In a state of disbelief, the remaining two delinquents gazed upon their unconscious and incapacitated gang members scattered on the ground. They couldn't comprehend how their friends had succumbed to defeat so swiftly.

Moments later, they exchanged glances before turning their attention to the Academy representatives, who now significantly outnumbered them. Despite being at a severe disadvantage, both delinquents stubbornly kept their rifles raised, demonstrating unwavering determination and a disregard for their own safety.

Yuuka Chinatsu and Suzumi all raised their respective weapons, all three of the Academy representatives reading themselves for the gunfight that was about to begin.

The five students all respectively held their ground, nobody daring to take the first shot as they were stuck in a true Mexican-style stand-off. And even though the delinquents were clearly outnumbered and outgunned, they couldn't have cared either way.

However, both of the helmeted students saw the faces of the Academy representatives suddenly change, their expressions of anger and seriousness almost disappearing as they all did something completely unexpected.

They lowered their weapons.

Seemingly just giving up, which the two delinquents couldn't have been more excited by, because it meant that they wouldn't give any resistance when they gunned them down.

"Ha! Giving up that easily, huh?" The delinquent with the purple and black helmet said mockingly. Emphasising her words by both laughing and poking the barrel of her gun in the general direction of Chinatsu, who simply didn't respond but clearly didn't appreciate what she had said.

"Hell yeah! You're making this too easy" the other delinquent, this one wearing a helmet that comprised of various pink and yellow swirls, said with an almost childlike glee that in any other situation would have been considered quite cute.

"You got any last words before we fill you full of holes!" the pink and yellow helmeted delinquent said it in an almost joking manner

After exchanging glances with Chinatsu and Suzumi, Yuuka smirked and stepped forward. The delinquents, caught off guard by her boldness, snapped their rifles at her, clearly not expecting her to take them up on their word.

"As a matter of fact I do, before you fill us full of holes... you might want to take a look behind you" The condescending and smug tone was practically dripping from Yuuka's voice as she tried her absolute hardest not to burst out into a fit of laughter.

Both delinquents were confused and somewhat offended by her tone of voice not understanding what she was getting at, however, that's when a dark shadow quickly loomed over them. One which was accompanied by a menacing, dark aura that made their very souls begin to shake with fear.

Slowly turning around, both helmeted delinquents came face to face with somebody that made their blood run cold. Standing over them was the good Hunter, the shadow cast by his large brimmed which like hat, obscuring much of the skeletal mask from view, yet his six inhuman eye sockets globe with a dull red aura that radiated malice and terror.

Both delinquent's weapons fell from their grasp, dropping to the floor with a notable thump as they felt their knees beginning to give out underneath them. Yet before they could collapse, the good Hunter moved with such speed that it was almost impossible to see what he had done.

But the effect was almost immediate as the halos above the delinquent heads suddenly winked out of existence as their bodies went limp and dropped like stones, but before they could impact the hard concrete, the good Hunter caught both delinquents in his arms, and with a gentleness from that had not been seen up until this point, placed both unconscious girls down onto the concrete softly.

Quickly rising back to his full height, the good Hunter turned his attention to Yuuka, Chinatsu and Suzumi, his gaze conveying both relief and concern as he quickly spoke.

"Yuuka, Suzumi are you both unharmed?" Both students quickly shook their heads. Despite the majority of her blazer being ripped to pieces, Suzumi was thankful that her injuries looked worse than they actually did.

"I'm a little banged up, but I'm fine. Especially after how good Chinatsu patched me up" Suzumi said with a confident tone, twisting her shoulder around in an exaggerated movement to show that she looked fine, as well as sending a thankful glance towards the Gehenna student who looked quite surprised that Suzumi had called her by her first name.

"I'm fine as well sensei, Suzumi got it worse than I did, so I'm still good to go" Yuuka emphasised her point by bringing up both of our SMGs and in one fluid motion releasing the bolt on both of them, the metallic noise that emanated from the guns somehow conveying slight malicious.

The good Hunter looked at both girls, his gaze conveying a deep sense of relief as he let a quiet chuckle escape his lips, quickly and unexpectedly padding both of the girls on the head. Suzumi was incredibly surprised by the sudden action but didn't protest, a small blush and shy smile making its way onto her face. Yuuka's reaction was much the same as before, her face going as red as a tomato as she flailed her arms around, trying to get the good Hunter to stop his head pat.

"I'm glad to hear that you are both safe and sound, as your teacher it is my responsibility to look after you. So I would hate to have you injured on my watch" The Hunter said as he finished giving both girls their head pats,

The sound of footsteps from behind causing him to turn his head, his hand twitching ever so slightly, before seeing that it was none other than Hasumi. Her Raven black hair flowing behind her like a dark waterfall as she joined up with the rest of the group.

"Sensei, the delinquents appear to be retreating" The blackhead Trinity student said as she came to a stop next to the good Hunter, quickly inserting a fresh stripper clip into her rifle before she closed the bolt.

"I see, then I suppose that means we have beaten them for now" The good Hunter turned to Hasumi, raising his hand, and before she could protest giving her a head pat of her own. An embarrassed look made its way onto her face as she tried to push his hand away, her cheeks going a noticeable shade of red.

"S-sensei! Please refrain from doing such things, I'm not a child" Hasumi managed to push the good Hunter's hand away, her cheeks a bright violet red as she tried to compose herself.

"Anyway, even though they are retreating simply regrouping, and even possibly even formulating some kind of counterattack" Hasumi's words made the good Hunter pause for a moment, his gauntleted hand coming up to gently rub the metallic chin of his skeletal mask in seemingly deep contemplation.

"I see... if that is the case, then we must formulate a counterattack of our own" Hasumi, Yuuka Chinatsu and Suzumi all snapped to attention when he spoke those words, listening intently as they waited for whatever plan he was going to come up with.

"It's clear that the club building is within reach, but our path is obstructed by a group of delinquents who have retreated strategically to either regroup or reinforce their defences." the good Hunter much like you had done before quickly got to one knee as he began carving out a crude battle diagram in the pavement, all of these Academy representatives watching intently as he did so.

"As such, here is what we will do, instead of waiting for them to approach us or letting them fortify themselves, we need to eliminate them and punch through their line as quickly as possible" The good Hunter drew a crude line representing the defensive line of the delinquents and then an arrow pointing towards it, which Hasumi, Yuuka Chinatsu and Suzumi immediately understood represented them.

"Yuuka, Suzumi I want you to perform as the vanguard, you two will act as the head of the spear that will punch through their lines. Hasumi and Chinatsu, both of you will remain in the back with me giving as much support as possible to Yuuka and Suzumi as we break through the delinquent's defences" All the students watched and listened intently as the good Hunter finish drawing his crude diagram in the pavement.

It was an incredibly risky plan for sure but considering that the delinquents would either counter-attack or dig themselves so it was the only one they had that could have any possibility of succeeding especially if they acted upon it now.

Without any words, everyone immediately assumed their intended positions, Yuuka and Suzumi taking up the head of the formation as they made sure their weapons were ready and loaded for what was about to come. Hasumi and Chinatsu both formed up around the good Hunter, the students sharing a quick glance with each other before they both nodded in agreement, whatever bad blood there was between their schools could wait until this was over, because they needed to focus on protecting the good hunter from harm and providing as much support as they could manage to Yuuka and Suzumi.

"Alright, is everyone ready for what is to come?" The Hunter said as he looked around at the Academy representatives, he wanted to make sure that all of them were prepared because once they started there was no turning back.

"Yes sensei!" Hasumi, Chinatsu, Yuuka and Suzumi all said at the same time, each one of them emphasising their words by cocking their respective weapons.

In a moment of suspense, the Hunter stood stoically silent. Abruptly, his arm shot upward, one of his metallic fingers piercing the sky as a resounding shout escaped his lips. "Alright everyone! Let's teach these troublemakers a lesson that they will be sure not to forget!"

As soon as the words left the good Hunter's mouth, the group quickly sprung into action, swiftly exiting the piece of rubble that had been using as cover and quickly advancing on the delinquent entrenched position. The troublemakers for their part were completely caught off guard by the sudden advance, not having time to react as several of them were quickly gun down by the collective fire from Yuuka and Suzumi.

Quickly making ground, the group suddenly ducked behind an overturned vehicle using it as cover as several delinquents Returned fire, the good Hunter waited for the precise moment that they would all empty their magazines, using that opportunity to give an order to Hasumi.

"Hasumi! They are reloading their weapons, seize the opportunity and take them out!" The raven haired student without a word did she was commanded, jumping out from behind cover as she took aim with her bolt action rifle, finding her target and pulling the trigger before racking the bolt in rapid succession 4 times. Each shot was almost unnaturally precise and accurate, every single one of them hitting the delinquent square between the eyes and shattering their helmet visors as a result.

Ducking back behind cover as the delinquent bodies fell to the floor, Hasumi proceeded to reload her rifle, saving the singular spare round that was ejected for later as she inserted a fresh stripper clip.

With the group of delinquents now incapacitated thanks to Hasumi's expert and accurate fire, the good Hunter turned his attention to another group of delinquents which had foolishly jumped out from behind their covered position and were firing wildly in their general direction.

"Yuuka, Suzumi, I want you to advance, incapacitate those troublemakers and procure that position, once you have done this we will follow" Both girls watched the Hunter gesture to where he was talking about, which was currently occupied by about 5 delinquents which were firing haphazardly in their general direction.

Yuuka and Suzumi both turned to look at each other for a moment before nodding, an eager smile making its way onto both girls faces as they brought up their weapons and prepared them for battle.

"You can count on us Sensei" Yuuka said enthusiastically, quickly grabbing her second SMG which she had been keeping in reserve for just such an occasion.

"Yeah we'll clear the way for you, plus I want some payback after what they did to my uniform" Suzumi emphasised her words by pointing at the tattered remains that was once her blazer and shirt.

The good Hunter looked at both girls before giving a nod, which was all the confirmation they needed as they quickly jumped out from behind the cover and quickly went on their way, firing their weapons all the while as they advance on the enemy position.

"Hunter sensei, what should we do?" Chinatsu said with a calm and even tone, although the good Hunter was able to detect a slight amount of eagerness in her voice.

Turning to look at her, he paused for a moment, before finally finding his words. "We will hold this position and provide as much support to Yuuka and Suzumi as we can manage"

If the Gehenna student was disappointed by his response, then she didn't show it as she simply nodded in return, keeping her pistol close as she made sure that her medicine bag was at the ready just in case it was ever needed.

However, as Chinatsu went to retrieve a spare magazine that she kept in one of the many large pouches on her medicine bag, she failed to notice the ever so distinctive glint of a rifle scope in a ruined building not far away. In fact, she was so unaware of the fact that she was being targeted, she didn't have a chance to react as the owner of the rifle pulled the trigger.

Yet where she failed to notice her impending doom, somebody else did, as the rapport of a singular gunshot somehow drowned out every other sound on the battlefield.

BANG!

"CHINATSU!"

Chinatsu heard both the gunshot and her name being shouted, and by Instinct alone she closed her eyes, expecting the worst. However, instead she found herself wrapped up in a pair of extremely strong yet gentle arms, and after several very tense moments, she tentatively opened one eye, only to have both of them shoot wide open when she saw the sight before her.
The good Hunter had wrapped her in a tight embrace, his black and tattered cloak draped around her like the wings of a dark angel, as his massive body practically dwarfed her own. Yet those kinds of details were the absolute furthest thing from her mind.

A wave of horrific dread washing over her as horrific realisation settled in at exactly what had happened, which was only made even worse when she felt the Hunter's body lost most of its strength. His substantial weight now pressing down onto her as he struggled to keep himself upright while also protecting her from any follow-up shops from the sniper.

"S-Sensei!" Chinatsu tried to free herself from his grip, her medical Instincts already kicking in, yet even though his strength continues to dwindle he did not let go of her. And before she could protest even further he quickly barked out an order, which was accompanied by spatters of blood spraying out from the mouthpiece of his skeletal mask, some of which much to her horror landed on her cheek and glasses.

"H-Hasumi! The white-F-faced building at the fire E-end of the Street, 6th floor left window" Hasumi turn her attention to the Hunter when he shouted her name, only for her eyes to widen in shock and her mouth fall open when she saw him protecting Chinatsu. Even though his cloak obscured most of the Gehenna student and his body from view his position, as well as the stutter in his voice, made it horrifyingly apparent what had just happened.

Yet before she could say anything, the good Hunter spoke once again, this time his voice having a noticeable strain to it. "H-Hasumi! T-take out the R-rifleman now"

Despite the horror and worry that was now etched into her mind, she quickly pushed all of it aside, as Hasumi quickly took aim in the general direction, her excellent eyesight straining slightly as she tried to find her target, which she was able to do so when the telltale glint caught her eye, exactly where the good Hunter had said it would be.

Taking a deep breath, she held it as she waited for the right moment, her finger inching onto the trigger as her entire body went rigid. Doing the mental math to correct for both windage and elevation, Hasumi finally pulled the trigger.

The sound of her rifle somehow drowning out the chaos of the battlefield as to her delight, her shot hit the exact mark she aimed for, which specifically in this case was the rifle scope which exploded in a shower of glass and metal as the delinquent that was using it was put out of commission.

Yet any kind of positive emotion was completely forgotten as she almost threw her rifle aside, scrambling to get to the good Hunter's side who was still huddled over Chinatsu, selflessly using his very own body as a shield to protect her.

"Sensei!" Hasumi shouted with concern as she threw her rifle to the ground, not caring in the slightest if it got damaged by the sudden action. Quickly kneeling down next to the good Hunter, and used her considerable strength to prop him up on her own body, which was horrifyingly easy despite his incredible weight.

"G-good work.. Hasumi... That was the most excellent shot" in any other situation, Hasumi would have been positively elated by the complement of her marksmen ability, but right now she couldn't have cared less.

Chinatsu now finally free from the good Hunters protective embrace, quickly got to work as Hasumi with much effort, managed to prop the good Hunter up against the vehicle that all three of them had been using as cover.

"S-sensei, Why... Why did you do that?... I told you that our halos can keep us safe from physical damage..." Chinatsu try not let her emotions get the better of her, especially considering that she needed to focus on treating the Hunter's injuries. But as she began to try and remove the cloak that covered his chest, that was much easier said than done as she felt tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes.

Even though she did not know the good Hunter all that well, considering that she had only met him a few hours earlier. Seeing anyone hurt, especially because of her, was something that always weighed heavily on her mind, it also didn't help that in the little time she had spent with him, she had seen that the good Hunter was an incredibly decent and genuinely good person.

The Hunter did not say a word, simply letting out a quiet chuckle which was quickly followed by several very wet-sounding coughs, much to the horror and worry of both students as Chinatsu tried her best to see to his wounds and Hasumi simply sat by, unable to do much but watch.

"I suppose my body acted on its own... Even though you informed me that your halos keep you safe from physical harm, I still couldn't help myself when I saw someone so young like yourself in danger... How foolish of me, I suppose... Making such a novice mistake after all this time" His words held a furlong and almost regretful sounding tone, as if he was guilty of some grievous mistake that he could never take back no matter how much he tried.

Chinatsu felt many conflicting emotions, on the one hand she was genuinely touched by the fact that he was willing to put himself in physical danger to keep her safe even though she was practically a stranger to him.

On the other, she was horrified by his seeming complete disregard for his own physical well-being, even if it was from his point of view to seemingly save somebody's life. Although as she rummaged through her medicine bag, looking for the biggest bandages she had on her, the last part of his sentence stuck out to her, particularly the way he said, as if this wasn't his first time doing such a thing.

But quickly shaking those thoughts away, she recentred her focus back to what was most important right now, which was trying to stop hunter from bleeding out in front of her from his gunshot wound.

"Sensei don't talk, try to conserve your strength... I will do what I can, but I think you might need to go to an actual Hospital..." Chinatsu continue to look for the bandages that she needed, cursing under her breath because she still couldn't find them.

Yet both she and Hasumi failed to notice that her words specifically be mention of a hospital elicited a reaction from the good Hunter. It was a slight shudder in his shoulders accompanied by his body going completely rigid. The mere mention of a hospital brought back many unpleasant memories for him, ones that he had tried to forget, but seemingly to no avail.

However after a moment he quickly reached out his hand, and grabbed Chinatsu's wrist with a noticeable amount of strength, which caught the blonde haired Gehenna student completely off guard she turned her gaze to look at the good Hunter's skeletal mask which covered his face from view.

"Chinatsu... I assure you I will be fine... this is not my first grievous injury and I doubt it will be my last... now I need you and Hasumi to stand back and observe... Because I have the perfect remedy for a situation like this"

Chinatsu and Hasumi were both caught off guard by his words, especially Chinatsu considering he said he had the perfect method to treat his current injury, considering that he had a gunshot to the chest which even for a student with their halos was a serious injury that needed specialised treatment methods.

Nevertheless, after a considerable amount of hesitation, both girls quickly moved back as instructed, watching intently as the Hunter reached into his robe before proceeding to pull out the object he was looking for. Chinatsu and Hasumi were confused by what exactly they were looking at. It was a small glass vale containing some kind of red liquid, approximately the size of a medium-sized water bottle. Protruding out of the neck of the bottle, was a strange long projection which was obscured by densely wrapped linen and fabric stained a deep brown colour.

Chinatsu couldn't help but grimace, because the fabric itself looked incredibly unsanitary, but any thought of such things completely forgotten when she saw the good Hunter quickly rip the fabric from the top of the bottle. Revealing a large and very ornate looking needle which had been obscured by the fabric coverings, it was so long and thick that it looked almost like a small dagger rather than any kind of medical needle that she was familiar with.

And before her and Hasumi could say anything, they watched with sudden horror as the good Hunter quickly and without hesitation stabbed himself with the strange glass vial, the large dagger like needle gliding in between the gaps of his armour and puncturing deep into his chest cavity.

Chinatsu by pure Instinct alone quickly jumped to the Hunter's side, not even thinking as she quickly ripped the glass vial from his gut. Completely failing to notice that the contents inside the bottle was now gone as she threw the bottle to the ground, hearing it shatter into a million pieces against the hard pavement below.

"Why did you do that, sensei! You could have only made the injury wo-" Chinatsu found herself quickly silenced by the good Hunter placing one of his armoured fingers against her lips. The cold steel of his gauntlet making a chill run down her spine as he let out a shushing noise, similar to how a parent would silence a child.

"There is no need to threat Chinatsu... What I just did was the perfect remedy... in fact, I feel as right as a hunter on the night of the hunt" Both students confused by his words, but found themselves completely caught me off guard a moment later when the good Hunter shot to his full height, without any kind of struggle whatsoever. As if he's near life-threatening injury that he had had seconds ago had never been there to begin with.

Chinatsu's mouth dropped open, not quite believing what she had just seen. One moment the good Hunter was on the verge of death from a gunshot wound to the chest, and the next. After injecting himself with whatever was in that vile, was somehow completely healthy once again, as if the gunshot had never actually happened.

"H-how... How did you do..." Chinatsu's words completely failed her, not understanding in the slightest how what she had just seen was even possible. Even the most advanced and experimental medicine and medical technology could heal somebody with that kind of injury in such a short time. It was completely impossible, and yet it had happened right in front of her.

As the Hunter remained silent, his gaze shifted towards Chinatsu, seemingly locking onto her for an eternity, though in reality, it was only a fleeting moment. Despite the obscurity of his true eyes, veiled behind the empty sockets of his skeletal mask, Chinatsu felt as if she were gazing into the vast and infinite abyss of the cosmos, a feeling that lingered long after the Hunter's eyes had returned to their original position.

"I'm afraid Chinatsu that we do not have the time to discuss it in detail... let's just say that it's a remedy from my homeland" Chinatsu's sheer bewilderment did not abate even with that answer, simply because it was not a true answer, it was a deflection, a polite one definitely but still a deflection nonetheless.

Yet just as she opened her mouth to protest his non answer, an explosion went off nearby most likely courtesy of a stray rocket fired by one of the delinquents, small bits of rubble landing all over her, Hasumi and the good Hunter like rocky rain.

She wanted to protest, she wanted to demand an answer to something that quite literally shouldn't have been possible. But despite how much it pained her to do so, the good Hunter had a decent point, right now was not the time or the place for in-depth discussions about seemingly almost a miracle like medicine.

As such, after metaphorically picking her jaw up off the floor, she quickly retrieved her duffle bag, zipping it up before grabbing her C96 pistol which was lying nearby.

"I suppose you're right sensei... but after this is over I want an explanation!" Chinatsu emphasise her point by jabbing one of her fingers towards the good Hunter, a fiery looking in her eyes that was one of burning curiosity but also deep confusion and maybe even just a little bit of Fear.

"While I would also like an explanation, I do think that we should get moving. Yuuka and Suzumi seemed to have secured their position" Hasumi got to her feet, retrieved her rifle from the ground as she gently pulled back the bolt just far enough to see if a round was chambered which thankfully it was.

"Very good of them I must say, those two are really earning their keep" The Hunter said with a quiet chuckle, quickly turning his gaze to both students who after a moment both nodded, which was all the signal he needed.

"Hasumi, you will need the way. Chinatsu and I will follow you, I'm counting on you to protect us both" Hasumi despite a small amount of hesitation quickly gave a confirming nod, a serious and confident look making its way onto her elegant and beautiful features as she held her rifle close.

With one final nod between all three of them, Hasumi quickly sprang out from behind the improvised cover they had been using, both the good Hunter and Chinatsu, following closely behind as she kept a very good eye out for any potential threats as they moved from cover to cover.

All three of them quickly ducked behind a piece of rubble, Hasumi motioned for the good Hunter and Chinatsu to stay put, as after a second she quickly jumped out from behind the piece of rubble, bringing her rifle up and quickly dispatching a group of delinquents with two very well-placed shots.

"We've clear, let's keep moving" Hasumi said as Chinatsu and the hunter quickly emerged from behind the piece of rubble, all three of them continuing to snake their way through the destroyed streets.

"That was most impressive Hasumi, your senses of the surroundings are impeccable" Hasumi couldn't stop the slightly prideful smile from etching its way onto her face, as the good Hunter came beside her.

"Thank you sensei, being second in command of the Justice Committee, means that I must always be vigilant for any kind of unlawfulness" Despite the proud tone in her voice, Hasumi tried to suppress both it and the incredibly proud smile that was currently on her face.

She wasn't one to usually gloat, after all, it was unbecoming of a young lady like herself and the second in command of The Justice committee. But still, receiving a compliment for her performance as a result of her dedication to her work certainly boosted her ego.

However, just as she opened her mouth to say something, Hasumi suddenly found herself abruptly pulled back by something grabbing onto the back of her shirt. Just as a bat wrapped in chains and studded with nails was quickly swung down hitting the ground directly where she had been standing just a moment ago, with enough force that the asphalt beneath it cracked and broke upon impact.

Hasumi's eyes widened as she looked at the bat, before she suddenly turned her gaze to the source of whatever had just pulled her out of harm's way. Only for her eyes to widen even further as she saw the good Hunter was the one responsible, his hand still tightly clenching the fabric of a shirt.

"Put down the weapon!" Chinatsu shouted as she raised her pistol to eye level. "In the name of the disciplinary committee, and by extension the student council, you are under arrest!" The commanding tone and forcefulness of Chinatsu's voice made both the good Hunter and Hasumi, both of them had not expected to hear such a tone from the soft-spoken Gehenna student.

The delinquent however didn't seem intimidated by this, simply scoffing as she raised the bat above her head and rested it on her shoulder in a very nonchalant manner.

"I don't give a shit who you work for, girly! And I ain't as hell put down my bat, especially considering that I haven't smacked all three of you over the head with it yet" The delinquent girl's mocking tone and overall attitude were certainly enough to rile up Chinatsu, as her usually bright and kind eyes dangerously narrowed, the pistol in her hands beginning to shake as she tightened her grip on its handle.

Which wasn't helped when the delinquent let out a mocking laugh, cackling loudly as she spoke. "And I think I might start with this freak over here" She accompanied her words by pointing the bat in the direction of the good Hunter.

Her laugh only grew louder as an incredibly sarcastic and mocking tone entered her voice. "What do you think, big guy! How would you like to be the first to get smacked over the head by my little bat huuuuuh?"

Chinatsu looked like she was about to explode, her face having gone as red as a tomato which was accompanied by a vicious and dangerous fire in her eyes, that would have most likely already put the delinquent girls 6 ft under if looks could kill. However, before the glasses wearing student could act on her sudden and very violent Impulse to smash the delinquent repeatedly over the head until she stopped moving.

Somebody place a hand on Chinatsu's shoulder, causing her to look at the owner of the hand, being somewhat surprised to see the Hunter with what she could assume was an expression that was meant to calm her.

Staring into the good Hunter's skeletal mask, Chinatsu felt a strange calming sensation wash over her, one that made all the anger and rage inside her quickly dissipate and vanish as if it had never been there to begin with, it was both relieving and also quite strange. But before she could comment on it, the good Hunter quickly spoke.

"Hasumi, Chinatsu, both of you stand back, I will deal with this wrongdoer myself" The Hunter turned his gaze towards the bat wielding delinquent, both Chinatsu and Hasumi looked at him for just a moment before they quickly opened their mouths to protest such an action.

"Absolutely not / You cannot do that!" Both girls spoke at the exact same time, not caring that they had talked over each other as they quickly tried to get between the good Hunter and the delinquent who was tapping her back against the ground, looking almost bored at the entire interaction.

However, before they could draw their weapons, the good Hunter quickly stepped Past both of them. Waving one of his gauntleted hands nonchalantly.

"I can assure both of you that I will be fine. Now... As for you" the hunter pointed one of his metallic fingers at the delinquent who had stopped tapping her back against the ground. Her face which was hidden by her helmet taking on a slightly excited look as she prepared to teach this strange looking adult a lesson he would never forget.

"It's time to issue your punishment and teach you a lesson" Chinatsu and Hasumi felt a chill run down their spines as the good Hunter spoke. His voice didn't discernibly sound different from before, but there was something in his tone, something dark and sinister, that was enough to send a chill down their spine.

And they were not the only ones, as the delinquent who had been excited noticeably shivered, her hands along with the bat noticeably shaking before she managed to get control of herself.

"Oh yeah? Those are some big words, coming from a guy who doesn't even have a weapon!" the delinquent half laughed and shouted, whatever momentary hesitation and fear from before completely gone as she pointed her bat at the Hunter who simply stood there, his body being so still that he almost looked like a statue.

Growing annoyed by his continue silence, the delinquent quickly rested the bat on her shoulders, putting her other hand on her hip as she began to tap her foot on the ground in a clearly annoyed but consistent rhythm. Her eyes, which were hidden by the visor of her bike helmet, looking the good Hunter up and down as she quietly sized him up.

"Well then, come on, big man. Why don't you come put me in my place like you said you would?" The mocking tone in the delinquent's voice was even more palpable, as she let out a sarcastic but slightly forced sounding laugh. Both Chinatsu and Hasumi who was standing by behind the good Hunter, felt the Intent to smack and otherwise brutalise the delinquent increase considerably with each word that left her mouth.

Yet before either girl could act on these impulses, the Hunter raised a hand, ushering them to stand down as if he somehow was able to read their emotions, before he turned his attention back to the delinquent in front of him.

Instead of speaking, he simply raised one of his gauntleted hands, ushering the delinquent to make the first move with a simple flick of his fingers, indicating that he wanted her to come at him first.

The delinquent for her part to let out an annoyed snarl, her plan to annoy him and get him to make the first move so she could counter-attack had not worked in the slightest, in fact as she grabbed the bat with her other hand, now holding on to it tightly with both. She felt an almost calming aura radiating from him, as if he was a beacon of light in pitch black nothingness.

"Fine then! Have It Your Way! I'm going to beat you senseless and turn you into a red stain on the pavement!" The good Hunter did not retaliate as the delinquent shouted those words, instead simply letting out a quiet breath as he prepared himself.

The delinquent, scraped one of her feet against the cracked and broken pavement, exactly like a bull that was ready to charge at a red object. And with a scream, she quickly charged at the Hunter, throwing the bat above her head as she intended to bring it down squarely on the Hunter's pointed witch-like hat.

"Sensei! / Hunter Sensei!" Chinatsu and Hasumi both screamed at the same time, watching with fear and horror has the delinquent charged at him, her bat swinging down aiming directly for his head as if it was an out of control freight train that couldn't be stopped.

Yet before the bat could make contact with the good Hunter and both academy representatives could move to defend him, something unexpected happened as the bat quickly and unexpectedly smashed into the concrete. The delinquent as well as Chinatsu and Hasumi, blinking in surprises, as they tried to process what it just happened.

The delinquent was the first to react, pulling her bat out of the concrete in a somewhat confused state as she began to look around, trying to locate where the Hunter had gone because from her perspective one moment he was there about to get his skull crushed by her bat and the next he was just... gone?

"Are you perhaps looking for me, young missy?"

The delinquents eyes widened behind the face shield of her helmet, her entire body quickly whirling around as she located the source of the voice. The good Hunter was standing in the same spot she had been only seconds ago, completely unscathed, as his tattered cloak gently swayed in the breeze.

"H-how, How the hell did you do that!" the Hunter did not respond to her, choosing to remain silent as he simply stood there, his overall posture despite being calm and relaxed still somehow inviting the delinquent to try again, which she quickly did. Letting out a loud yell as she quickly charged at him again.

"I've got you this time, you old bastard!" The delinquent girl shouted triumphantly as she took a sideways swing at the good Hunter, again aiming directly for his head. However, much like before, the bat hit absolutely nothing as the momentum from her swing and the overall heavy weight of the bat caused her to lose her footing, making her tumble to the ground as the bat fell from her hands and landed nearby.

"W-what the hell!" the young delinquent shouted incredulously, her eyes scanning round trying to locate where the Hunter had gone this time. Yet as she did so, a shadow quickly loomed over her, one that she immediately noticed as she turned to look at its source. Her eyes widening and her teeth clenching an anger as she saw that it was none other than the good Hunter, offering a hand to her in an almost mocking manner.

In the blink of an eye, the delinquent reached for her bat, grabbing hold of it with one hand as she swung it wildly without any real target. Only for it to actually connect on something, specifically the good Hunter's gauntleted hand, which was quickly thrown aside by the sudden action.

Seeing and utilising the opportunity this gave her, the delinquent quickly sprung to her feet, much quicker than anyone had expected her to, taking the bat in both hands as she swung the bat as hard as she could possibly manage. This time aiming for the Hunters' abdomen area, which she hoped would put him down long enough so she could finish him off with a blow to the head.

Yet much like before he was able to somehow dodge her attack, but this time she actually managed to see exactly what was happening and quite frankly it through her through a loop.

This mysterious adult was somehow dodging her attacks, that part she had already figured out, but seeing how he was actually doing it just made no sense to her. Simply because he was moving so fast that it almost looked like he was teleporting from one place to another. In fact, the only reason that she even noticed at this time was because she was focusing all of her attention on him, and even then she only just barely caught him moving.

"Stay still, god dammit!" The delinquent yelled, trying again and again to hit her target but failing every time as the good Hunter simply and effortlessly sidestep and dodged every single one of her attacks.

"I see you're beginning to learn" The hunter said with an almost amused tone to his voice as he sidestepped another one of the delinquents attacks, noticing that her attacks were becoming slower and more sluggish, meaning that she was becoming tired from overexerting herself.

"W-what... (pant) T-the hell are you... (pant) T-talking about?" The delinquent said between breaths, her legs wobbling beneath her as she used the bat as an improvised stand to try and keep herself upright.

The Hunter did not immediately respond, instead of choosing to move towards her at a slow but even pace, seemingly not caring if the delinquent tried to attack him, which she unsurprisingly did as with the little strength she could muster, quickly and somewhat sloppy picked up the bat and swung it with both hands, hoping that it would find its target.

"The lesson I am teaching you is that you should never underestimate an opponent" The Hunter said as he suddenly and unexpectedly caught the bat with his hand. Surprising both the delinquent, as well as Chinatsu and Hasumi who had been watching the entire ordeal from the sidelines with bated breath.

The delinquent eyes widened behind the faceplate of her helmet, her gaze slowly tracking to the bat, which was currently gripped tightly in the hunter's hand, disturbingly and somewhat morbidly she noted that the clawed tips of his gauntleted were digging into the bat. Which was enough to make her blood run cold.

Yet as her gaze snapped to look at the good Hunter's skeletal face mask, her blood turned even colder when she saw that the eyeholes of his mask were glowing a dim yellowy orange, one that sent a feeling of malice, hate and fear coursing through her body.

"Remember this lesson well young urchin, even if an opponent is unarmed or lacks a weapon you should never underestimate them, always treat them as if they are the most dangerous beast you will ever face, and fight like your very life depends on" His voice was enough to make her legs tremble, the way he spoke and the tone of his voice was somehow elegant and refined yet paradoxically complete the alien and inhuman.

It made her head spin to the point where she felt her legs beginning to buckle beneath. However, before she could collapse the good Hunter quickly backed away from her, releasing the bat which quickly tumbled from her grip and clattered to the ground.

"I believe it is time to end this lesson" The hunter said with an almost melancholic tone to his voice, as he backed up from the half scared to death delinquent. Yet despite being terrified she somehow found the inner strength to quickly retrieve the bat from the ground, the terrified expression never leaving her face as she raised above her head and charged at the good Hunter, screaming all the way.

The good Hunter beneath his face mask smiled sadly, even though she was a very misguided young girl, he could respect her perseverance to fight to the very last in spite of her own fear.

Chinatsu and Hasumi held their breath, as the fight had gone on the fear that the good Hunter would actually be hurt had slowly dissipated, considering how effortlessly he had dodged the delinquent attacks up until this point. Still, as they watch the delinquent charge at him for one final time. They couldn't stop themselves from shouting out in fear that the good Hunter would be hurt once again.

"Hunter Sensei! / Sensei" Both students screamed, their bodies moving on their own as they try to run to the good Hunter's aid.

Yet instead something completely unexpected happened. Something that was so quick and sudden that they almost didn't even perceive it in the moment and only understood what had happened after it had concluded.

The good Hunter allowed the bat to come closer to himself, yet just when it was about to strike he did something completely unexpected, with a speed and swiftness that was completely inhuman, he reached inside his cloak, retrieving an object which he drew out into the open.

What he had in his hand was truly a work of art, the deep red coloured wood engraved with elaborate patterns and ornamentation that suggested a nobility long-lost time. The metal of its frame and other intricate components, was composed of a shining metal, that paradoxically was as black as the infinite expanse of the Cosmos itself, and much like the wood, every piece of the inky black metal was engraved with some elaborate ornamentation that caught the light exquisitely, giving it the illusion that the engravings were almost the dancing as they sparkled.

With inhuman speed the good Hunter pulled back the Hammer, time slowing for him as he waited for the exact millisecond that he needed and once it came he did what was necessary, pulling the elegantly curved trigger which initiated a chain reaction resulting in his pride and joy the Evelyn firing for the first time in this new world.

BANG!

The delinquent's ability to process what was happening was completely non-existent as the Evelyn unleashed fury upon her. The blood infused Quicksilver bullet exiting its muzzle in a bright flash and a millisecond later impacting directly in the centre of her chest.

Even though the delinquent's halo kept her safe from the bullet actually penetrating her chest cavity, the sheer force and energy behind the Quicksilver bullet, was enough to completely cripple her body, her legs giving out from under her as she felt her knees.

The good Hunter moved as fast as a lightning bolt, crossing the small distance between him and the delinquent as he drew his right hand back. His fingers and thumb held together in a sharp almost a dagger like shape as without a moment of hesitation, he thrusted his hand forward aiming directly for the delinquent's chest.

Yet at the very last second before contact, he seemed to hesitate for just a singular microsecond. His hand instead redirecting and aimed for the delinquent's neck, delivering a swift and precise karate chop to her neck. Which was forceful enough to instantly render her unconscious, but not hard enough to cause any lasting physical trauma or damage.

By the time Hasumi and Chinatsu actually could perceive what was happening, it was already all over. The delinquent now on her knees, and quickly collapsing to the floor with a loud thump as her halo winked out of existence. The good Hunter stood over her triumphantly as smoke billowed out of the barrel of a very old-fashioned, but very elegant and ornate flintlock pistol that had not been in his hand a moment ago and had seemingly just materialised out of thin air.

Chinatsu was the first to move, quickly running to the good Hunter as she shouted for him.

"S-sensei"

Coming to his side, she quickly and somewhat methodically began to look him over, trying to locate any possible injuries he could have sustained during whatever he had just done. Yet she found nothing, causing her to let out a sigh of relief as Hasumi also quickly came to the good Hunter's side.

"Hunter sensei. What did...? How did you-" Hasumi tried to articulate her words, she couldn't understand how he was able to move that fast. The first time, when she saw him move that quick to dodge a barrage of bullets, she simply disregarded it as a fluke or even a trick of the light. But seeing him move at a similar speed repeatedly made it very apparent that this was something he could do consistently.

The good Hunter for his part did not say anything for a moment, his gaze still lingering on the delinquent who was currently passed out on the concrete below. Both students could see that despite his face being obscured from view, there was a noticeable sadness in his gaze, one that was quite strange. However, as quickly as it came it disappeared as the hunter abruptly and unexpectedly knelt down, much to the confusion of both Hasumi and Chinatsu.

He quickly, somewhat hesitantly, began to rummage around in the delinquents pocket seemingly searching for something which he abruptly found as he pulled his hand back. Both students were surprised to see that it was the delinquent's original student ID card, which by the amount of creases and cracks in the plastic card certainly showed that it was worse for where.

The Hunter flipped the card over in his fingers, staring intently at the student picture that was on the delinquents card, seemingly studying every detail of the photo, before he abruptly stood up surprising both Hasumi and Chinatsu as he put the student card somewhere inside his cloak before turning to them.

"We should hurry, I feel as if the battle is going to come to a crescendo soon" Both students, despite the strangeness of what it just happened, quickly obliged. Hasumi making sure her rifle was loaded, and Chinatsu hefting the massive duffle bag on to her shoulders as she prepared to move.

Seeing that both students were ready, the good Hunter motion for them to move, as the Hunter and two students quickly but cautiously began to make their way over to where Suzumi and Yuuka were currently occupying.

However, as the group moved, Hasumi and Chinatsu both shared a side eyed glance with each other, both mentally agreeing that they needed to ask a question that had been on their mind.

"Sensei..." Chinatsu started, trying to think of what to say next before Hasumi spoke for her instead.

"Sensei... Why exactly did you pick up that delinquent's student card?" Even though the good Hunter does not stop walking, both students could tell that he had acknowledged their question, by the ever so slight tilt of his head. The Silence dragged on for a moment, the only thing breaking it being the sounds of their feet against the broken concrete below, the good Hunter finally responded.

"I suppose you could say... it's to satisfy my own curiosity" Both girls found themselves confused by his words, mostly because his response did absolutely nothing to actually answer the question. But before Hasumi and Chinatsu could voice these thoughts, the good Hunter quickly spoke again, a barely perceptible haste in his voice as if he wanted the subject to be changed.

"Both of you prepare yourself, we are here" `Despite still wanting an answer as to why he picked up the delinquent's student card. Both girls did as they were told as they ready to their respective weapons just as the group finally made it to their destination.

Both Suzumi and Yuuka turn to their heads and raised their weapons, the sound of the sudden approaching footsteps making them think it was a potential ambush. However, both students immediately relaxed when they saw that it was none other than the good Hunter along with Hasumi and Chinatsu approaching their position.

"Sensei, you're finally here" Yuuka said with a small amount of relief in her voice.

"Yeah, you guys were taking so long I was beginning to get worried" Suzumi quickly followed up Yuuka, sending a thankful and relieved smile towards the good Hunter and the other two students beside him.

Despite his face being covered, both Yuuka and Suzumi could feel the smile in his gaze as he looked at them. A quiet chuckle escaping his lips as he quickly spoke.

"Well, I can assure you that I, as well as Hasumi and Chinatsu are very much in fine order. We had a momentary scrap with a couple of delinquents, but we taught them a much-needed lesson... didn't we girls?" The Hunter turned his head slightly towards both girls in question.

Hasumi and Chinatsu both being momentarily surprised before they quickly spoke in response.

"Of course sensei / Hunter sensei" Both students said at the same time. The good Hunter quickly gave a nod of approval, however before he could speak Yuuka decided to speak first.

"Say... I heard a loud bang earlier... one that sounded more like an explosion than a gunshot" Yuuka said tentatively, wanting to know if the strange explosion like bang that she had heard earlier was also heard by the Hunter as well as Hasumi and Chinatsu.

The good Hunter looked at Yuuka for a moment, momentarily perplexed by her question, before it's suddenly clicked on what exactly she was talking about. Letting out a quiet chuckle, the Hunter gently shook his head, as he reached into his robe and pulled out the Evelyn, as well as answering Yuuka's question.

"Well my dear, that awful loud bang you heard was probably from this" Yuuka found her eyes immediately drawn to the object, quickly realising that it was in fact a very elegant and elaborately decorated flintlock pistol.

Despite not being into historical firearms or art for that matter, even she couldn't help but marvel at the sheer artistry and beauty that was displayed on the pistol in the hunter's hands. The pistol in its entirety was a work of art, one that looked like it belonged in a museum, both because of its age and because of its sheer beauty.

However, as she continued to marvel at the work of art of a pistol in front of her, a sudden thought occurred to Yuuka one that made her face scrunch up as she spoke.

"Wait a minute... you've had a gun this entire time!" the hunter did not immediately respond to Yuuka's outburst, remaining completely still and Silent as the purple head girl began to fume.

However, before she could continue on her rant, the good Hunter held up one finger, silencing the girl as a chuckle escaped his lips.

"I must apologise, Yuuka. The reason for me not using the Evelyn before, was because I was unsure whether it would actually severely harm any of the delinquents" Yuuka despite wanting to argue the point from before couldn't help but be a bit confused by what exactly the good Hunter meant by his weapon being able to severely harm be delinquents. His wording implied that it was an extraordinarily powerful weapon, but to her, it just looked like an incredibly ornate but otherwise very ordinary flintlock musket pistol.

However, before the hunter could actually explain his point and by extension what he meant, Suzumi quickly interrupted, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"Guys, you might want to take a look at this!" Suzumi motion in the directions she was talking about, causing everyone's gaze to turn to look in that said Direction. At the end of the street was a truly massive collection of delinquents of various different gangs, standing in incredibly loose and haphazard formations, all of them wielding rifles, rocket launchers and everything else in between.

But what caught everyone's attention the most, was what was at the centre of the formation. It's incredible size and glistening black frame, shining brightly and menacingly in the sunlight.

"Is that... What I think it is?" Yuuka said, not quite believing her eyes.

"It would look very much that way, I suppose those rumours about prohibited equipment falling into the wrong hands were true" Hasumi's eyes narrow dangerously, the thought of delinquents of all people having access to such destructive hardware. Set a light of fire Inside her that burned with rage and anger.

"A Crusader Tank..." Chinatsu was the last to speak, her words not being directed at anyone in particular as her golden eyes remained glued onto the tank at the end of the street. The sound of its engine even from at the end of the street sounded like the rumbling of a great armoured dragon.

With his gaze unwavering, the Hunter stood in Stoic silence, his eyes locked onto the armoured vehicle. As time passed, the students surrounding him could almost tangibly feel the intensity of his inquisitiveness as he meticulously scrutinized every facet of the Black Crusader tank, absorbing every detail without uttering a word.

However, this was interrupted when Yuuka quickly grabbed onto the Hunter's cloak, pulling it hard and vigorously, trying to get his attention.

"Sensei! We need to run!" Yuuka said with urgency in her voice, desperately pulling on the good Hunter's cloak to try and get him to move. The hunter however did not budge, but he did turn to look at her, his gaze convenes confusion at her request.

Hasumi immediately snapped her gaze to look at the purple head Millennium student, a look of almost indignation Crossing her face, as she quickly shouted.

"Are you really suggesting that we turn and run like cowards!" Hasumi's voice had a noticeably dangerous edge to it as she squared up to Yuuka. Her massive black wings flaring out dramatically and angrily as she jabbed an accusatory finger towards the Millennium student.

Yuuka looked slightly taken aback, an angry expression crossing her face as she turned to the Trinity student, not intimidated in the slightest by her imposing height and stature.

"I'm no coward! The reason we need to get out of here is because we simply don't have the firepower to take that head on!" Yuuka accompanied her words by jabbing a finger directly into Hasumi's voluptuous chest. Which only served to further aggravate the Trinity student as the angry looking her eyes turned almost murderous.

"I shouldn't be surprised the only thing that Millennium is good at is getting their little toys to do everything for them, instead of putting in hard work and perseverance like a real Academy and its students should" Hasumi accompanied her words by folding her arms under her chest, her red eyes continuing to glare daggers at the Millennium student directly in front of her. Yuuka's blood pressure raise to an almost dangerous level, her face going completely bright red as the look in her eyes turned from frustration to complete incandescent rage.

However, before the two students could continue their argument or even progress it to a physical one, somebody quickly stepped between them, somebody that was none other than Chinatsu, who quickly pushed both girls away from each other with her hands.

"Would you both stop now, for crying out loud! Arguing like this isn't going to get us-"

"Stay out of it, Chinatsu/Four eyes!" both Hasumi and Yuuka shouted at the same time, trying to get past the blonde haired girl as they wanted to continue their argument uninterrupted.

However, just as both of them open their mouths to continue shouting at each other everyone was quickly silenced by a loud and powerful voice, one that carried such an authority and heavy tone that it immediately made everyone stop in their tracks.

"ALL OF YOU, STOP THIS INSTANCE!" Everyone immediately turned to the source of the voice, all of them feeling a shiver run down their spine when they saw that it was the good Hunter, his stance and his gaze conveying extreme disappointment and frustration.

"Please forgive me for raising my voice. But arguing like small children is not going to get us anywhere, that armoured behemoth is quite the obstacle, one that even I am quite unsure how to tackle as of this moment. Yet resorting to violence amongst ourselves will not solve or help us think of a way to overcome this great obstacle" Hasumi, Yuuka, Chinatsu and Suzumi listen to the Hunter's words. Hasumi and Yuuka in particular still giving each nasty side glasses, yet this was stopped when the good Hunter stamped his foot on the ground, the sound of his metal boot connecting with the concrete causing their attention to immediately snap back to him.

"Now I want all of you to listen carefully, and I don't want any interruptions, do I make myself clear?" The students all nodded as the good Hunter began to walk back and forth in front of them, pacing up and down similarly to a drill instructor, as his gaze remained locked onto them.

"While, I have never faced anything like an armoured wagon before. I have faced and defeated heavily armoured foes in the past, as such I know of a modified strategy that can be used" pausing for a moment the good Hunter made sure that all the students were following along and once satisfied he continued.

"Hasumi I want you to take out as many of the delinquent as you can with your rifle. Make sure to prioritise the ones with heavier weapons." Despite the slightly aggravated look on her face, remaining and sharing one last side glance at Yuuka. Hasumi nodded, bringing her rifle up and reading it in anticipation of what was to come.

"Chinatsu, I want you to stay with Hasumi and provide her as much support as you can" The hunter pointed at the blonde haired Gehenna student, who was momentarily taken aback by what he had asked as if it was the strangest request in the world.

"But who will protect-" Chinatsu didn't get a chance to finish her words as the hunter held up a hand to silence her.

"I will be fine, Chinatsu. This plan hinges on my ability to operate alone, and also I promise that I will not come to harm" Despite her nervousness at the prospect of the good Hunter having nobody to protect him, especially after his almost near-death experience earlier.

Chinatsu couldn't help but feel her worries somewhat soothed by his words, because even though a promise like that could easily be broken, somehow she was convinced that he would keep that promise no matter what.

"Yuuka, Suzumi both of your roles in this plan are incredibly important so listen carefully. I want both of you to cause as much mayhem in the delinquent ranks as possible, do everything you can to distract them for as long as possible"

Yuuka and Suzumi both nodded in unison, a somewhat excited look making its way onto Suzumi's says as she readied her assault rifle. The slightly aggravated expression on Yuuka's face remained as she quickly prepared both of her smgs. Although the prospect of being able to inflict some pain on a bunch of delinquents without any ramifications did make her feel somewhat better.

With the plan now put into place and everyone having their assigned roles, the good Hunter gave a final nod, standing up to his full height as he turned towards the large gathering of delinquents, all four of the students by his side as they waited for his word to proceed.

"Now everyone!" as soon as the words left his mouth everyone did exactly as they were instructed, splitting up into two groups comprised of Yuuka, Suzumi in one group and Hasumi, Chinatsu in the other.

Hasumi wasted no time as she, along with Chinatsu who struggled somewhat to keep up, quickly found a perfect spot and took up residence. The loud echo of her rifle immediately ringing out as she began firing into the group of delinquents, taking out each one, causing chaos amongst their ranks as they tried to figure out exactly where the fire was coming from.

Which was exactly what she wanted, as the delinquents began to run around like headless chickens, causing a sadistic smile to make its way onto her face as she continued to take them out one by one with impossibly precise shots.

Chinatsu tried her best to assist as much as she could, using her pistol to take out any delinquents that didn't go down to Hasumi's scarily accurate fire. However, as she reloaded her pistol, she spotted something that immediately made her gasp.

"Hasumi! Over there, one of them has a rocket launcher!" Chinatsu pointed to where she was referring to. Which immediately made Hasumi snap her gaze to the indicated location, her eyes coming to rest on a delinquent who was being assisted by another who acted as the loader for the rocket launcher on her shoulders.

"I don't think so" As the words left her lips, Hasumi quickly fired two shots in rapid succession, both of them landing home on their desired targets as both delinquents helmets exploded in a shower of colourful plastic fragments, with both of their bodies falling to the floor like puppets with their strings cut.

Hasumi quickly pulling her rifle's bolt back and inserted a fresh stripper clip, her gaze turning to Chinatsu as she quickly spoke.

"Chinatsu, keep calling out targets for me!" Chinatsu didn't need to be told twice or even have an explanation of what exactly the Trinity student meant, as she quickly got to work. Calling out the locations of the various delinquents who were wielding heavier weaponry than the rest, which Hasumi then proceeded to unceremoniously gunned down as she and Chinatsu worked to fulfil the good Hunters orders.

Yuuka and Suzumi unlike Hasumi and Chinatsu didn't settle for staying in one place and gunning of delinquents down. Instead, they decided to take the fight to them, using the various pieces of scattered rubble and overturned vehicles as cover while they advanced towards the large gathering of the liquids.

Skidding to a stop, Suzumi quickly aimed and let out a controlled burst from her rifle, her shots landing home and taking out a delinquent who unluckily was caught in the middle of reloading her light machine gun. Ducking behind a large pile of rubble, the silver head Trinity student proceeded to dump the empty magazine from her rifle and then swiftly insert a fresh one.

However, instead of jumping back out into the open to fire at more delinquents, she instead quickly pulled something from her belt, a familiar cylindrical object which she quickly pulled the pin on before throwing clean over the piece of cover. The familiar metallic clank of it landing on the floor some distance away reaching her ears as she quickly shouted to Yuuka, who was still in the process of gunning down several delinquents who were still in the open.

"Yuuka! Get down" Yuuka turning to the source of the voice, did immediately as instruct as she sprayed a few more rounds from SMG before jumping behind the same large pile of rubble that Suzumi was using as cover.

BANG!

Yuuka covered her ears, as the flash bang went off, not wanting to go deaf from how loud the explosion was. Suzumi however didn't bother doing so, simply letting be sound of the incredibly loud flashbang roar through her ear drums, before she jumped up and unleash the hail of bullets towards the stunned and dazed delinquents. All of them going down after her onslaught ended.

Ducking back down, she quickly reached for another magazine, only to catch Yuuka looking at her with a slightly unimpressed expression add she put a new magazine into her submachine gun.

"Perhaps give me a bit more of a warning next time" Suzumi didn't say a word, instead simply nodded her head in agreement as she resumed firing upon various delinquents who were running around like headless chickens.

However, as Yuuka and Suzumi continued firing their weapons, Yuuka suddenly turned to the silver head Trinity student next to her, a slightly concerned and questioning look making its way onto her face.

"You know...where was supposed to protect Hunter sensei, but he's just gone off and done his own thing" Yuuka said quickly, following up her words by quickly jumping up and unleashing a spray of automatic fire from her SMG which managed to catch a delinquent who was in the process of running between two different pieces of cover.

Suzumi didn't immediately respond, a slightly thoughtful look crossing her face as she reloaded her assault rifle once again. However, after a moment, she finally responded.

"I mean yeah, but at the same time..." Suzumi let her words trail off, her hands slowly raising and pointing to somewhere off behind Yuuka who quickly followed the pointed finger, her eyes coming to rest on none other than the good Hunter who was in the process of running between various pieces of cover.

"He seems to be handling himself just fine" As the words left Suzumi mouth, both she and Yuuka watched in fascination as the good Hunter proceeded to effortlessly dodge several bursts of automatic fire from a group of delinquents. His movement almost looking like a choreographed danced as he effortlessly manoeuvred his way around the bullets as if they were not even there. Before quickly closing the distance between him and the delinquents and, in a flash, incapacitating all of them with a precision and swiftness that was inhuman.

"Yeah... I guess you're right" Yuuka set after a moment, watching the delinquents fall to the floor at the feet of the good Hunter who after a moment of observing the incapacity delinquents quickly took off like a speeding bullet once again.

The Hunter continued to push himself forward, using his superior speed and agility to run literal circles around the delinquents, and only using his martial arts skills to take them out when absolutely necessary. After all even though all the delinquents had halos and therefore could survive severe bodily harm that would kill a normal person, he was still unsure exactly how much they could take before perishing, as such deciding to restrain himself was for the best.

"Hasumi! Give me some covering fire!" The good Hunter shouted, the black-haired Trinity student in question immediately answering his call as she quickly sighted and then gunned down the delinquents that the hunter needed to be dispatched.

With one more obstacle now out of his way the good Hunter quickly resumed dashing between various pieces of cover, using his pride and joy the Evelyn to take out the odd delinquent here and there, as he manoeuvred his way towards his ultimate target, the large crusader tank which was idling menacingly at the end of the Street. Although as he drew closer to it, he couldn't help but wonder why it hadn't opened fire just yet, considering its canon could most likely penetrate and destroy any piece of cover that his students were using as protection.

However before he could issue another order to the students, the Hunter saw the large armoured vehicle turn its turret to face directly at him, it's barrel perfectly in line with him as for just a singular moment everything slowed to a snail's crawl. Allowing him to observe every single detail of the armour behemoth from the smallest nut and bolt up to its massive cannon barrel, but eventually it finally happened.

KABOOM!

The sound was deafening, sounding more like a powerful thunderous clap of thunder rather than a tank cannon, everyone delinquent and student alike was almost deafened as the sound washed over them and the very city itself.

The good Hunter, despite his impressive reaction time, barely had a moment to dodge the projectile as it zoomed past him. Time slowing from his perspective, allowing him to watch with fascination as the projectile slowly lumbered past him before time resumed its normal course.

Instantly the shell impacted several hundred feet away, resulting in a large explosion that completely levelled an already partially destroyed building, resulting in its complete collapse as it kicked up a massive dust cloud.

"S-Sensei!"

Yuuka and Chinatsu both shouted at the same time, the wave of dust from the buildings collapsed washing over them and obscuring most of the battlefield from view. Most of the gunfire stopped as the dust cloud rolled in, leaving the Battlefield in an eerie silence that was only punctuated by the residual and the almost ghostly Echo from both the buildings collapsing and the tank gun firing

For a moment Yuuka, Chinatsu along with Suzumi and Hasumi feared the worst, dread pouring into their hearts as absolutely no response was heard from the good Hunter.

"Sensei!" Yuuka suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping that her voice would be able to find the good Hunter, however much like before the only response given was silence.

Yet just when she along with the other students were beginning to lose hope, an explosive noise suddenly erupted from somewhere in the dust cloud. It sent a shiver down her along with everyone else's spine, as it almost sounded like the deep rumbling roar of some great, vicious Beast. And as the sound washed over them the dust cloud suddenly evaporated, pushed away by an immense wind that almost knocked the four Academy representatives off their feet

Yuuka, Chinatsu, Suzumi and Hasumi all shielded their eyes from the sudden wind, the dust rushing past them as the entire street was cleared almost immediately, revealing a site that made all of them immediately feel more relieved.

Standing in the epicentre from where the wind had come from, was the good Hunter, completely unharmed. His tattered and torn cloak blowing in the residual breeze in an almost eerie and ghostly manner. Clutched in his left hand was a small furry looking object, one whose identity could not be ascertained entirely before the good Hunter quickly concealed the strange object inside his cloak.

For just a moment the good Hunter stood there motionless, his cloak continuing to billow in the slight breeze, yet before any of the Academy representatives could shout to him, the hunter suddenly raised his pistol into the air. The glistening silver colour of its metal components shining brightly as he quickly pulled the trigger, an impossibly loud bang emanating from the pistol as he quickly accompanied it by shouting.

"Everyone advanced now! While they are still stunned" all four students were momentarily confused by his words, not quite registering what he had said. Yet before any of them could say anything, the Hunter suddenly took off at a full sprint, which quickly compelled all four Academy representatives into action as

Yuuka, Chinatsu, Suzumi and Hasumi, all spring from their positions, quickly forming up with the good Hunter as all five of them ran straight at the few remaining delinquents and their tank.

Despite being momentarily caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, the remaining delinquents quickly raise their weapons, intent on gunning down the group of students and strangely dressed adult as they advanced towards them. However, just as the delinquents are about to pull the triggers on their weapons, Yuuka quickly jumped in front of the group much to the Confusion of the good Hunter, as well as everyone else, and she quickly retrieved a small device from her pocket.

"Yuuka! What in your right mind are you-" the good Hunter did not get a chance to finish his words, as the gathering of delinquents opened fir. The bullets flying through the air towards him and his students. However, something miraculous happened, something that he couldn't have expected.

Quickly tapping away at it, the small device in Yuuka's hand began to emanate a strange aura, the bluish glow growing stronger and stronger until eventually a large hexagonal shield seemingly made of light itself materialise the round the purple haired student. Which couldn't have come out at a better time, as the bullets fired by the delinquents quickly impacted against it, and much to the good Hunter's amazement completely and harmlessly bounced off, protecting him and the other students from harm.

"Everyone, stay behind me!" Yuuka accompanied her words by quickly retrieving her second SMG and unleashing a hail of gunfire directed at the delinquents, as she and the group continued to advance forward.

"Good thinking Yuuka!" The hunter shouted as he and the rest of the students gathered behind her, while they advanced towards the few remaining delinquents and the black crusader tank.

"Hasumi! Dispatch those delinquents on the right side! Suzumi do the same with the left!" Both students followed his command. Hasumi channelled a dark aura around her rifle, and then fired several well-placed shots, each one of them finding their desired target and subsequently taking them out of the fight.

Suzumi quickly retrieved the large flash-bang from her belt, pulling the pin and tossing it as hard as she could manage. And as it sailed through the air, it somewhat comically bounced off the turret of the tank, before clattering to the ground and exploding in a bright flash accompanied by a loud bang. Blinding and deafening several delinquents as they tried to recover. Yet the silver-head Trinity student would not allow it as she quickly let loose with her assault rifle, firing in controlled bursts and subsequently incapacitating the 5 or 6 delinquents that were in the little group, she had stunned with her flash grenade.

With almost all the delinquents now incapacitated and out of the fight, the good Hunter held up the Evelyn, pointing it forward as a sign for everyone to advance. Which all the students quickly did. Yuuka leading the way with her hexagonal light barrier protecting her and by extension the Hunter, as well as Hasumi Chinatsu and Suzumi who huddled around the good Hunter both to protect him and stay within the protective vicinity of Yuuka's shield.

However, as all of them continued to advance towards the now completely undefended tank, Yuuka suddenly spotted something that made her blood run cold. The tank's turret had turned to face them directly. She knew that her shield could stop bullets and maybe even a grenade or two, after all, that's what she had tested against, but she didn't need to test to know that it couldn't stop a tank shell.

"Everyone scatter! The tank is about to shoot!" Yuuka shouted with absolute panic in her voice, her words immediately causing everyone to begin to scramble. However, before they could actually get far doing so, the good Hunter suddenly intervened, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone! Stay close to me now" Despite the absolute absurdity of his request, considering that a tank was literally staring them down with its gun ready to fire. All the students found themselves unable to move for a moment, before somewhat hesitantly gathering back around the hunter in a close hubble.

Yuuka was the last to do so, noticeable amounts of hesitation on her face as she seemingly went over her options, yet ultimately as her shield finally dissipated the charge on the little device that generated it now completely dried up. She made a split second decision and joined the group of four students all huddled around the good Hunter. All of them waiting with bated breath as to how the hunter was going to get them out of the situation.

The hunter let out a quiet breath, the sound of it passing between his lips almost sounding like a gentle night breeze as the tension in his body left. He needed to wait for the right moment otherwise this plan would not work, after all, this particular tactic that he had in mind had only been used a handful of times. As such, he could guarantee that he was a bit rusty when it came to its use. But with the safety of his new students on the line, he knew that he had no room for margin or error.

"Everyone" the hunter's voice was soft and quiet yet still managed to catch everyone's attention as they all turned to look at him. Various emotions ranging from fear to panic etched into all of their faces as they waited for what he had to say.

"Stay close to me... and make sure to cover your ears, this might get a bit loud" All the students looked at him slightly perplexed, before hesitantly doing as he instructed. Each one of them covering their ears to some degree, as they waited with a growing sense of dread for what was going to happen next.

For the hunter, time itself seems to slow as he waited for the exact millisecond he needed. Which came in not too short order as he saw the slow-motion cloud of fire and smoke explode out of the tank's gun barrel, the shell moving through the air slowly and lazily from his perspective as it travelled towards him and his students.

A smile made its way onto his face under his mask as he reached into his cloak, pulling out the object he needed, which was the same small fairy object he'd used before. It was a forbidden tool, one that Hunters were forbidden from using due to its beastly nature, but its usefulness outweighed its blasphemy as he quickly activated the Beast roar, clutching down onto the severed hand of what was once a deadly and powerful silver Beast.

Yuuka, Chinatsu, Suzumi and Hasumi, all by reflex, closed their eyes as the sound of the tank's canon washing over them. Expecting to be blown into oblivion by a tank shell moving thousands of feet per second. However, that was far from what actually happened.

A truly horrific sound washed over them, somehow managing to penetrate their eardrums, even though they all have their ears covered. Yet this wasn't all, as the four Academy representatives found themselves nearly blown off their feet, by a strong force/wind that accompanied the horrific sound. Which almost resembled a choir of screaming damn Souls and the vicious roar of an ancient, long-dead beast.

Yuuka was the first to recover, hesitantly opening her eyes only to have them practically full out of her skull once she saw what had truly happened. The good Hunter stood defiantly in front of her and the other students, his flintlock pistol in one hand and the other, clutched a large hairy object that upon closer inspection was revealed to disturbingly be a large severed hand, that look like it came from some large vicious Beast.

However, as the rest of the students opened their eyes and saw the site before them, what caught all of their attention the most was the aftermath of what looked to be a massive explosion off to their right side. The building that had been there moments before now nothing but a pile of broken steel and rubble

In front of them the tank, which was still staring them down, noticeably had its barrels still smoking from the shell in it just shot at them. However before any of them could truly comprehend the mind-bending feat That The Hunter just accomplished, his voice suddenly rang out forcing all of them into action

"Everyone! Scatter now!" Yuuka, Chinatsu, Suzumi and Hasumi all did so without any hesitation, as they all scattered in various directions, each of them taking cover or preparing themselves behind whatever they could find as they prepared for whatever was about to happen.

However, they all suddenly noticed that the good Hunter had remained motionless, his body is still as a statue as he seemingly waited for his inevitable end at the hands of the tank in front of him.

"S-sensei! What are you doi-" Hasumi began to shout but was quickly silenced by the hunter's other hand quickly shooting up, the sudden and quick motion causing his cloak to billow behind him almost majestically as he quickly spoke.

"There is no need to fear Hasumi, I will be perfectly fine" His words somehow soothed her and all the other Academy representative's worry despite the fact that the rational part of their minds, telling them that there was no way he could stand up to a fully armoured tank like this and expect to win.

"Now all of you watch closely... I will show you how a hunter deals with such matters!" The good Hunter accompanied his words by quickly plunging the Evelyn and the hand that was holding it deep into his still billowing cloak.

All the students watched closely, as after a split second his arm quickly retracted from his cloak, revealing something so preposterously large and ridiculous that it should have been impossible for it to be inside his cloak, let alone it attached to his arm.

It's gleaming silver surface sparkled in the sunlight as the good Hunter with a flick of his arm quickly aimed it directly at the tank, somehow having the inhuman strength to hold it up at arm's length. Much like the Evelyn, its surface was covered in engravings and ornate patterns that gave it an almost beautiful quality.

Yet unlike the engravings on the Evelyn which suggested a nobility lost to time, the engravings on the long and cylindrical tapered object were of a different nature, looking more like something that would be found on a religious and deeply revered holy artefact.

"Is that..." Suzumi said quietly under her breath as she only just now realised, along with the other Academy representatives, to realise what exactly was strapped to the good Hunter's arm.

Yet before any of them could truly comprehend the sudden revelation the good Hunter finally pulled his finishing move, waiting for the exact moment when the tank's cannon barrel aimed down to look at him which was when he pulled the trigger on one of his favourite weapons.

The Church Canon!

KABOOOOOOOM!

The explosion that came for from the now revealed arm mounted cannon, was truly deafening. In fact, as the sound from the weapon washed over all the students they found themselves momentarily deafened by it, as well as almost knocked off their feet by the force of the muzzle blast from the church Canon.

The tank which was designed to face against other vehicles of a similar type stood no chance as the Quicksilver-infused cannonball flew towards it at supersonic speed, and completely bypassed its armour as if it wasn't even there.

The cannonball tearing right through the armoured vehicle as if it was made of nothing but paper and cardboard. Ultimately resulting in the tank exploding in a bright fireball and ultimately bursting into flames afterwards.

The good Hunter found himself pushed back considerably by the muzzle blast from the canon. Even though he was one of the very few Hunters to ever master such an unwieldy weapon, he was not immune to the tremendous recoil from such a weapon. But with a change of stands and a quick flick of his arm, he managed to regain his footing. The Canon letting out a hollow clunk as the second and last cannonball was loaded into place.

Although looking at the tank which was now in the process of uncontrollably burning, the good Hunter knew that a second shot from the church Canon was not necessary, it would be a waste of silver bullets which he was now in short supply of thanks to the weapon. After all, despite its immense weight and unwieldy nature, the only real problem he ever found using the church Canon was its absurd appetite for Quicksilver bullets.

"It looks like this Hunt has come to an end..." The hunter said quietly to himself, his eyes scanning over the Battlefield and observing every detail of it, as he heard four sets of footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

Turning around he was greeted by the sight of his new students, Yuuka, Chinatsu, Suzumi and Hasumi staring at him with various expressions on their faces, ranging from confusion to utterly dumbfounded about what they had just witnessed.

"S-Sensei H-how... How did you do that?" Chinatsu was the first to speak, she had seen the Hunter do many strange and impossible things, from taking a bullet to the chest and surviving to moving at speeds that no Ordinary human could move at. Yet seeing him quite literally destroy a tank with a handheld cannon for all intents and purposes took the cake for both impossibility and strangeness.

It also didn't help that her eyes didn't know where to look exactly between the now burnt-out and destroyed tank and the Canon which was responsible for said destruction, strapped to the good Hunter's arm.

The hunter looked at the strawberry blonde haired Gehenna student for a moment, seemingly choosing his words carefully before speaking. Yet before he could actually do so, Yuuka quickly interrupted him.

"S-Sensei! Why must you act so recklessly! You could have got yourself killed!" Yuuka shouted with an incredibly agitated edge to her voice, accompanying her words by jabbing her finger into the good Hunter's chest. On her youthful and elegant face was a noticeable look of worry and concern for the good Hunter's safety. It completely overrode everything else, including the very, very big fact that the hunter had taken out a literal tank with a handheld cannon.

The hunter was momentarily surprised by the purple haired girl's sudden outburst, momentarily not quite knowing what to say. Yet after a moment, a quiet chuckle escaped his lips as he used his free hand to gently pat Yuuka on the shoulder. Which, despite catching her off guard, only made her more aggravated, causing her to stamp her foot against the ground in an almost childlike manner.

"Seeenseiii! Take this seriously, dammit! You could have got yourself badly hurt or even killed doing a stupid-" Yuuka quickly found her rant silenced by the Hunter placing one of his metallic vintage fingers against her lips and letting out a quiet shushing sound. The sudden and almost intimate nature of the gesture caught her completely by surprise and made a bright red blush make its way onto her pale cheeks.

"Please Yuuka contain yourself. While your worry over my safety is much appreciated, I must assure you that I was never in any danger. This is not my first run-in with seemingly impossible odds, and I highly doubt it will be my last" The good Hunter spoke softly and quietly, momentarily casting his gaze towards the now mostly quiet and deserted battlefield that had once been a street, as well as the now completely burnt out husk of the tank that had stood in his and the student's way.

Yuuka wanted to protest, after all she and the other representatives had been directly tasked with the hunter's safety, specifically because he didn't have a halo, meaning that theoretically could be taken out by a simple stray bullet in the middle of a firefight. Of course, though that seemed very unlikely after seeing what he could actually do in combat, but still, it didn't change the fact that she still felt responsible for his safety and well-being.

Yet somehow she simply couldn't bring herself to argue against his point, it was as if his words how they much deeper weight and meaning than she could have possibly imagined. In fact, the way he said it wasn't his first time against impossible odds, left an odd feeling in her gut because his tone conveyed that he had plenty of experience with encounters that are seemingly could not be overcome.

Which ultimately reinforced one of the biggest questions that had about her new sensei since first meeting him. Where did he come from, and who exactly was he?

"Hunter Sensei... if I may be so bombed to ask... How exactly is that weapon on your arm able to take out a tank in one shot?" Hasumi quickly broke the silence that was hanging in the air, her eyes practically glued to the church Canon, which was partially hidden behind the hunter's billowing cloak. The hunter for his part down at the weapon attached to his arm, momentarily surprised by her sudden question before a loud and jovial chuckle escaped his lips, which immediately made all the gathered students fuel incredibly calm and relaxed as if he was a beacon of pure and positive energy.

"Well you see Hasumi, why I can't give away all of my tricks, I will say that the lethality of this weapon is entirely reliant on its special manufacturing, and it's even more special ammunition" The hunter accompanied his words by hefting the church Canon up so it was held out at arm's length in front of him, allowing the students to one by one gather around it and inspect it closely.

Suzumi and Hasumi in particular found themselves almost mesmerised by the elaborate engravings and inlays that made up the entirety of the cannon's body. In fact, the longer they looked at the iconography that made up the engravings, the more it made them think of Trinity and the Sisterhood, specifically it was the use of crosses and other elaborate almost religious-like symbols that made them think of such connections.

Chinatsu while not being as enthusiastic about inspecting the canon as the Trinity students, she still marvelled at how the surface of the Canon and all of its elaborate engravings glistened in the sunlight. In fact, its surface was seemingly polished to an almost mirror shine, allowing her to see a slightly distorted reflection of herself as she pushed her glasses up and adjusted them.

Yuuka despite still being somewhat flustered from senses complete disregard of her feelings about his safety and his recklessness in battle, eventually and begrudgingly begin to inspect the Canon, any residual anger directed at The Hunter quickly disappearing as her face quickly turned into one of Wonder.

Just like his pistol, the Evelyn, as he called it. This arm Canon, which itself was still a strange concept to her, was practically a work of art in itself, it's surface completely covered in engravings and reliefs that depicted various different things that she couldn't quite understand.

There was also engraved writing in various places, which even though she looked at closely she couldn't understand for the life of her because it was in a language she simply didn't know. However, as she continued to look at the weapon, a sudden thought occurred to her, as her gaze slowly lingard up and down the entire length of the church canon.

"Sensei... How exactly do you reload this thing, I don't see any breech or magazine catch?" As the words left her mouth, the other students looked at her surprised for a moment, before their eyes quickly traced up and down the church Canon, only to widen when they didn't see any obvious method of reloading the Canon.

"Well, you see it is..." The hunter paused, seemingly for dramatic effect, the students practically leaning in as they waited for what he was about to say.

"A secret!" The words were quickly accompanied by a hearty chuckle, which caught all the students completely off guard as they almost fell over from the sheer surprise of his answer.

"Sensei! What kind of answer is that" Suzumi said abruptly, mock anger making its way into her voice, as she tried and ultimately failed to resist the urge to laugh.

The rest of the students despite trying to resist themselves ultimately followed suit as they all broke out into various fits of laughter, with the battle for the Federal Investigation Club building now thoroughly concluded, all of them could finally relax and let the tension leave their bodies and Souls

Yet their laughter was quickly silenced by the quiet yet quickly growing sound of helicopter blades, the familiar chopping sound growing louder and more unbearable as a familiar pure white helicopter quickly came into view over the tops of the buildings.

The hunter gestured for everyone to stand back, which they all did, but they quickly noticed the hunter place his arm along with the church Canon deep inside his cloak, before retracting it and to their surprise revealing his arm was now completely free of the giant weapon, it had seemingly just vanished into thin air beneath his cloak as if it had never been there to begin with.

Yet before any of them could question this, the pure white helicopter which had quickly circled around a few times in the air above the tops of the buildings came in for a landing, the familiar symbol and text on the side revealed that it was a helicopter that belonged to the general student council.

The dust kicked up by the helicopter began to assault everyone's face and eyes, forcing these students to protect themselves with their arms and hands as the helicopter finally touched down with a noticeable thumb. Despite the dust and wind kicked up by the helicopter's prop wash, the hunter did not need to shield his face as he approached the helicopter, the side door quickly opening up and revealing a very familiar young lady.

Rin Nanagami, adjusted her glasses as she stepped out of the helicopter, the wind and dust kicked up by the helicopters prop wash, causing her long hair to whip around like crazy making her curse under her breath as she tried to keep her hair under control while it was assaulted by the dust and wind.

"Sensei! Excellent work reclaiming the Schale clubroom building!" Rin had to shout over the sound of a helicopter blades so she could be heard, as the chopper quickly took back off into the air, blowing around more wind and dust, much to her annoyance.

As the helicopter disappeared over the tops of the buildings the noise from its rotor blades gradually diminishing, the good Hunter responded to her words by Simply doing another one of his elegant bowels holding one arm out to the side and another on his chest, in much the same manner as he had done when he first met her.

"While I appreciate the praise Rin, I couldn't have done it without the help of my four lovely students here" rising from his bow, The good Hunter gestured to the four Academy representatives standing close by, all of them to some degree looking dishevelled and slightly grimy, both from the battle to reclaim the clubroom Building and as a result of the dust and grime kicked up by the helicopter.

Yuuka step forward, not caring in the slightest that her usually white jacket was noticeably grimy and dirty, as she puffed out her chest with a proud look making its way under her face.

"That's right, WE helped sensei take back the clubroom building" Yuuka closed her eyes and puffed up her chest even further, an incredibly smug and proud smile making its way onto her face as she put her hands on her hips.

Rin didn't immediately say anything, a slightly unused expression appearing on her face as she looked the slightly scruffy Millennium girl up and down.

"I see... Well done then, I suppose you're not as useless as I initially thought you were" Rin let her filter slip for just a moment, allowing what she true thoughts to come out instead of more corporate and less insulting response she had meant to give.

Yuuka's proud expression and posture completely evaporated when she heard those words from the general students by the council vice president. For a brief moment her face was blank, yet the blank look was quickly replaced by one of almost incandescent anger and frustration.

"M-Me useless!? H-how dare you, all you did was sit in your pretty little helicopter, while I busted my ass trying to retake this stupid clubroom of yours!" Yuuka abruptly snapped back, her face going slightly red as she clenched her gloved hands hard.

Rin didn't immediately respond, but the twitching in her right eye only grew worse, as a very frustrated and exhausted sounding sigh escaped her lips, the vice president of the general student council, truly looked like she wanted to fall into the world of dreams and never awaken again.

However, before either Rin or Yuuka could continue their argument, the good Hunter quickly stepped between them. Using both of his hands to gently push them away from each other, just in case in the very rare unlikelihood that the argument would progress to a verbal one to a physical one.

"Both of you stop, now is not the time for arguing, we should be celebrating our victory instead of pointless squabble" The hunter said with a stern authoritative tone, looking at both of the girls with slight disappointment.

Both Rin and Yuuka looked at him for a moment before looking at each other, Rin's completely tired and forlorn expression quickly disappearing as she let out a quiet sigh, composing herself into the much more professional composure that she usually kept as a member of the general student council. Yuuka eventually let out a sigh of her own, the angry and Furious expression on her face quickly vanishing as she took a couple of deep and calming breaths and composed herself.

"That's better, now Rin, while your frustration with the situation before my arrival was understandable, you mustn't take it out on other people, especially those like Yuuka who are directly responsible for helping remedy the situation" Rin didn't say anything in response to The Hunter, his toe reminded her of a father gently disciplining a child who had misbehaved.

And despite wanting to argue his point, she had to be gradually admit that he was correct, in fact his words reminded her of the general student council president, because she had once set something to Rin that was eerily identical to this.

With his point made, the Hunter exchanged one more glance with the black haired student council vice, before turning his pension to a certain purple haired Millennium student.

"Yuuka, while taking pride in your accomplishments is understandable, you must understand that boasting needlessly about your accomplishments is a very sure-fire way to aggravate those around you. Take pride in your accomplishments, but be sure to remember that being too prideful can lead to one's own undoing" The good Hunter said with a calm and gentle tone, he didn't want it to sound like he was trying to punish her for having pride in her accomplishments.

But he knew, from both personal experience and several events in his past, that being overly proud of oneself and their accomplishments to the point where it bordered on arrogance always ended in tragedy.

Yuuka didn't say anything, listening intently to the hunter's words as he spoke, while she was still a bit annoyed at the way that the general student council vice president had spoken to her and had basically disregarded her accomplishments in taking back the clubroom. She had to admit that sensei had a point, taking pride in one's work was something that was to be expected and even encouraged, but bragging about your own accomplishments could easily make you look like a self-centred person. Which she knew she certainly wasn't.

"Now both of you, I want you to apologise to each other, after all, this is a time when we should be celebrating our Victory instead of squabbling amongst ourselves" Both girls and question looked at him oddly for a moment before turning to look at each other, the tension leaving their bodies as they both like out of sight.

Rin was the first to speak. "I'm sorry Hayase Yuuka, the amount of stress I've been under has made me forget how to be polite and considerate..." She paused for a singular moment, seemingly collecting her thoughts, before she quickly opened her mouth and continued.

"As such I must thank you how wholeheartedly for helping to reclaim the schale clubroom building, the general student council as a whole is in your debt" Rin finished by quickly grabbing one of Yuuka's gloved hands and giving it a thumb but vigorous shake, much to the surprise of said Millennium student who looked almost flabbergasted at the exchange.

However, after a moment Yuuka opened her mouth to speak as well. "Thank you vice president, your praise...is appreciated" Yuuka paused opening her mouth several times as she tried to find the right words before eventually managing to do so. "I'm sorry about how I spoke earlier, I should have known better than to disregard the general student council so lightly" she finished by tightening her grip on Rin's hand, using her own strength to give it a firm shake as both girls made up with each other. Much to the pleasure of the good Hunter who crossed his arms and nodded his head slightly.

"Now with things settled, I think-" The hunter started but then quickly and abruptly stopped as his head suddenly snapped in the direction of the clubroom building, much to the surprise of the gathered students who all looked at him strangely. They immediately noticed that his stance and posture was completely rigid, he was now so still that he almost looked like a statue.

"Sensei, what's the matter?" Rin was the first to speak, reaching out for him and grabbing onto his cloak and giving it a firm but gentle tug, yet it didn't seem to elicit any response, his gaze still lingering on the entrance of the clubroom building.

"Sensei... Are you alright?" Suzumi much like the vice president, gently pulled on the good Hunter's cloak, only for it to elicit a reaction but not the one that she or any of the other students expected.

The hunter quickly turned his entire body on the spot and without missing a beat began to march towards the clubroom building entrance, his cloak billowing behind him as he advanced towards the building.

Despite the momentary surprise, Rin the first to react, quickly running to keep up with the Hunter as she tried speaking to him.

"Sensei! Where are you-" Rin found herself quickly silenced by The Hunter as he stopped, turned and put a finger to her lips all in one motion, it momentarily surprised her because of how quick and smooth the entire thing was, but before she could recover and continue speaking the good Hunter spoke instead.

"Rin, I want you to wait here, there is something that... I need to attend to inside the clubroom" she wanted to ask what exactly he meant by that, but before she could, he quickly turned and began walking towards the entrance of the building again. Not giving her any time to react or even attempt to try and follow him, as he entered the building and disappeared from sight.

Leaving her standing there completely dumbfounded as well as the other Academy representatives who all couldn't understand what it just happened.

….​

"I don't see what the big deal is about this place"

Somebody said to themselves as they continue to walk around the basement of the Schale building, somewhat aimlessly. The individual was revealed to be none other than a young girl wearing an elaborate oriental style uniform, complete with a white and red painted fox mask that covered her face from view. Over her shoulder was slung a rifle painted in a similar manner to her black, white and red uniform.

Wakamo let out a quiet sigh, her gaze continuing to slowly and somewhat aimlessly wander around the somewhat dark and almost dreary looking basement. She had been given the task of completely levelling this place to the ground, but that was about all she had been told.

"What am I even supposed to destroy here? It just looks like a bunch of junk to me" True to her word she really didn't see anything much of value in this place, of all the general student Council Buildings and facilities that she could have been tasked with destroying, she couldn't for the life of her understand why this one in particular needed to be destroyed, considering that to her eyes least there was nothing value actually here.

Wandering further into the dark and dreary basement, Wakamo continued inspecting the various objects scattered around time, most of which either had fabric coverings haphazardly thrown over them or were covered in a thick layer of dust. Yet, as she continued to do this, the fox girl failed to notice that she was being followed by someone or something.

In fact, as Wakamo stopped to examine one particular object that almost looked like an old antiquated street lamp, haphazardly hanging from a rusty metal stem. She completely and utterly failed to notice a dark shadow quickly fall over her, the owner of said shadow towering over her as he silently observed her.

"What is this?" Wakamo said quietly, as she bent down slightly to get a better look at the strange lamp-like object. The only reason it caught her attention was because of how out of place it looked, compared to all the other mundane and boring objects that surrounded it.

"Annnnd what exactly are you doing, young missy?" Wakamo felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up on end as a shiver run down her spine. Instantly jumping to her feet as she turned on the spot in a flash, reaching for her rifle as she prepared to confront the person who would somehow manage to sneak up on her.

However, even in the dim light of the basement, her eyes widened considerably when she saw who was standing just feet away from her. He was tall, incredibly so to the point where she had to crane her neck just to see his face, yet what she saw was not a human face, in fact it was a skull, a silvery metallic skull that had six pairs of dimly glowing orange eyes that seemingly stared into her very soul.

Any thought of reaching for her rifle was completely forgotten, staring into those dimly glowing orange eyes. Every single Instinct in her body was telling her one thing, something that she never ever would do in a normal situation.

Run...

Run as fast and as far as you can...

"If I may enquire young missy, you wouldn't happen to be the leader of those delinquents that my students and I took care of outside would you" His voice had a paradoxical nature to it, on the one hand it sounded almost angelic, with a calm and refined air to it that suggested civility. But on the other, something almost imperceptible in his voice sounded wrong... as if it was an unknowable entity imitating a human voice almost perfectly, yet failing to capture the essential essence of what made a human being.

Wakamo didn't respond, not because she couldn't, but because she simply couldn't bring herself to. Every instinct in her body was still telling her to run and hide, yet paradoxically her body refused to move, as if even the slightest movement would trigger some unforeseen event that would result in her demise.

"You seem to be looking rather pale, young lady... Are you perhaps unwell?" Wakamo cringed, her body beginning to shake violently as the sound of his voice washed over her. His words held nothing but concern, yet that somehow made his voice even more eerie and off-putting.

She felt the sweat beginning to pour down her face, her legs felt like they were going to tumble out from under her. But as the mysterious individual in front of her reached out a metallic gloved hand, Wakamo's body finally reacted.

In a flash, she turned on her heels and sprinted, making a desperate beeline towards one of the many exits that she had memorised before entering the building.

She needed to get out of here. She needed to get away from whatever... HE was.

The good Hunter, watched with visible confusion as the young fox girl quickly dashed away from him and disappeared out of sight. Even though she was most likely up to no good, considering that she was most definitely the leader of the delinquents that him and his students are taken care of.

He hadn't actually intended to do anything or even fight her, in fact he intended for quite the opposite, hoping for a peaceful negotiation and possible surrender. After all, if he was going to become a teacher in this strange land, then he simply couldn't abandon a student who had fallen off the wrong path.

"How unusual and troublesome" The hunter muttered quietly to himself, as he began to look around at the various objects scattered about the dark basement, at the centre of the room on top of a large podium was a strange and slightly eerie-looking stone obelisk, floating quietly in the air by some unknown arcane means.

However, looking down where the Fox girl had been a moment ago, he saw something that he would rather have forgotten. An unpleasant and unsightly that had many unpleasant memories and moments attached to it that he would have been happy to completely forget.

Getting down to one knee, the hunter gently wiped away some of the dust that had gathered on the lamp, it was the very same style of lamp that he would have awakened at and utilise throughout his travels when he was a hunter connected to the workshop.

"Such an unsightly thing... How did this get come to be here I wonder" The good Hunter spoke quietly, his metal-gloved hand almost caressing the lamp in a gentle manner. He wanted to destroy it, to permanently sever any connection between him and that cursed nightmare.

Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it, even though the lamp was a symbol of the nightmare, it still had some fond memories attached to it, particularly of the little ones, who like the loyal companions they were had always been there to help him throughout his journey.

Giving the lamp one last look, the hunter quickly rises to his feet, his eyes lingering on the lamp for a brief moment before he suddenly became aware of footsteps approaching from behind.

"Sensei! What made you run off like that?" Rin said with a slightly aggravated tone to her voice. Her face conveying disapproval as she crossed her arms over her chest in a disapproving manner. However, as she stared at the Hunter waiting for a response, she became aware of the almost strange atmosphere in the air, as if she had interrupted something important.

"Sensei... Did I miss something important?" Rin ask cautiously, looking around somewhat awkwardly as she waited for the hunter to respond.

The good Hunter did not immediately say anything, continuing to look off in one particular direction of the basement, before ultimately a sigh escaped his lips as he turned to the general student council vice president.

"No Rin... nothing in particular that you should worry about" The hunter said with a completely nonchalant tone, yet there was something in his voice that made Rin not entirely sure if she could believe his words, but ultimately she decided to disregard that self-doubt because there were more pressing matters to attend to.

"If you insist. Well this building and everything in it was left specifically to you by the general student council president, but if I can find it, that was one object that was the most important for you to have" Rin accompanied her words by quickly beginning to rummage through several boxes that laid nearby. Her eyes momentarily coming to rest on the strange lamp, before she disregarded it and continued rummaging through the boxes.

"Ah found it, thankfully, there isn't a scratch on it" Rin quickly pulled the object from the box it resided in, gently blowing on it to remove a thin layer of dust that has accumulated on its surface. She looked at it with a slightly sad smile, almost gently caressing the rectangular object, as it was probably one of the very last things that the general student council president interacted with before she disappeared.

"Please sensei. Take it" Rin held the rectangular object to arm's length, revealing that it was a generic looking white smart tablet. The hunter, despite being quite perplexed by the strange object, gently took it into his hand, being careful that his metallic gauntlets wouldn't scratch the delicate surface of the rectangular device.

"So this is what was left for me?" The hunter said as he looked at the object in his hand, it was completely and utterly alien to him, much like the rest of the strange and otherworldly devices that he had seen during his short time in this new world.

"Yes, sensei. This is what the general student council president, left for you. The Shittim Chest" Rin quickly adjusted her glasses, watching the Hunter with growing curiosity as he inspected the tablet. Despite his face being hidden, his body language was more than enough to tell her that he was completely confused yet intrigued by the tablet, as if it was his first time singing such a thing.

"It may seem like a normal tablet, but its origins are a mystery, it's manufacturer, OS, system architecture and components are completely unknown" Rin let out a sigh as she spoke, even though she had had the tablet examined by some of the best and brightest minds in Kivotos multiple times already. The tablet was still a complete unknown and a massive thorn in her side.

"I see... Quite the little mystery box I suppose, although forgive me, but I failed to see how I equate into all of this" The hunter turned his attention to Rin, momentarily disregarding the strange little rectangular device in his hand.

Rin didn't immediately respond to his words, in all honesty she didn't quite know herself where exactly the hunter fit into all of this, but she did remember something that the president had told her in regard to the tablet before her disappearance.

"Before she disappeared, the general student council president said that you, and only you would be able to access the Shittim Chest. And that with it, you would be able to control the sanctum Tower" Rin paused for a moment, trying and failing a few times to find what she wanted to say before ultimately she managed to do so.

"No one else in all of Kivotos has been able to activate or access that tablet... but if the tablet was left for you sensei, then maybe you're the one that is able to access it" Rin didn't care in the slightest if she sounded like she was pleading. If sensei was indeed the one that could restore order to the city with whatever the tablet was, then she would happily get down on her knees and kiss his shoes if it meant that he would do so.

The hunter didn't say anything, turning his gaze back down to the tablet in his hands, even though he was completely unfamiliar with whatever the strange little device was, clearly it was a great if not the diet important to the very future of this world itself.

Rin felt herself beginning to fidget on the spot, sweat forming on her brow as she watched the good Hunter, silently observed the tablet in his hands. The deafening silence was beginning to weigh on her like a 10 ton weight pressing down on her shoulders, she didn't think that the good Hunter would refuse her request, but watching him examine the tablet made it very clear to her that he had absolutely no clue how to activate the strange little device. And that's when it finally dawned on Rin, her eyes widening as her mouth almost fell open in shock, the hunter truly had no idea how a smart tablet worked, judging from how he was turning it over in his hands repeatedly clearly completely confused on how the device was meant to be operated.

"Sensei... do you know how to use a smart tablet" Rin ask cautiously, not wanting to make it sound like she was insulting his intelligence or demeaning him. However, if she actually meant it or not, the hunter didn't seem to register it, his gaze quickly turning to look at her as his body language and gaze conveying confusion and slight frustration.

"I suppose you could say I am, I have never encountered such a strange device... But as a hunter I am a quick learner" The good Hunter said as his finger traced over the screen of the device before coming to rest on a singular large round button, and after a singular moment gently pressed it.

*Beep*

With a gentle sound, the tablet quickly sprung to life, the screen which had been black and dead moments ago quickly lighting up in a bright and vibrant white hue. And after staying like that for a moment, the white screen quickly transitioned into something else.

The good Hunter behind his mask squinted his eyes slightly, his keen and sensitive Vision not used to such a bright and a natural light shining into his eyes. But after a moment he quickly adjusted, a strange almost S like symbol in blazoned on the screen which was quickly followed by a string of text that surprisingly he could actually read.

Connecting to the Shittim Chest...

The hunter waited for a moment, watching as the text quickly was replaced by different text, along with a small rectangular box on the screen.

Please enter the system password.

In any other situation, he would have been absolutely amazed by the sheer vibrancy being displayed on the display. But right now that was the furthest thing from his mind as he felt almost a familiarity with this device, which was bizarre considering he had never seen such a thing in his life before.

Rin felt a massive surge of relief race through her, a sigh escaping her lips as her shoulders noticeably dropped, it seemed that the tablet was indeed meant for sensei all along, considering that he was able to effortlessly activate.

"I will leave you to this sensei, I'll step away as to not interfere" Rin quickly stepped away from the good Hunter, moving to the opposite side of the room as to not interfere with whatever was going to happen next.

The hunter gave the vice president one last glance, before turning his attention back to the tablet in his hands, gently tapping on the display brought up a keypad which despite momentarily surprising him, he was able to quickly figure out how it worked. Yet, staring at the empty text box and the keyboard, the good Hunter was completely at a loss as to what the password for this strange little tablet could be.

Passwords had always been something he was especially bad with, especially when it came to important ones that needed to be remembered.

However, as he continued to stare at the empty text box, something suddenly popped into his mind, a distant memory that was foggy and indecisive yet somehow paradoxically as clear as day. His fingers moved by themselves as the text box was quickly filled.

We thirst for the seven wailing

We bare the koan of jericho​

The Hunter pressed the enter button, the strange memory of whatever those words were and what they could possibly mean disappearing from his mind as quickly as it came. Leaving him momentarily perplexed at what he had just done, which was very much unlike him.

A small confirmation message popped up, alerting the hunter that the password had been accepted and that the tablet had been fully unlocked and was now ready for him.

Password accepted. User identified as k̷̡͍͍͖̼͎̠͔̝̱͎̺̘̳̺̳͓̰̠̉̃̍̔̆̄̀̔̈́͑͆̊͝e̵̩̫̘̤͙̤̹͉̭̭̳̗̻̠̱͓̙͗̿̓͗̌̕͜ͅn̶̨̨̛̻͍̮͚̹͊̾̇͊͆͗̇͋̅́̉̏̌̚͘͝j̸̛͈͉̳̮̹͓͓̰̇̍̍̈́̾͛̈́̑͌͊̒͛́̊̀̚i̴̝̻͓͋ Confirmed

Welcome to the Shittim Chest, k̷̡͍͍͖̼͎̠͔̝̱͎̺̘̳̺̳͓̰̠̉̃̍̔̆̄̀̔̈́͑͆̊͝e̵̩̫̘̤͙̤̹͉̭̭̳̗̻̠̱͓̙͗̿̓͗̌̕͜ͅn̶̨̨̛̻͍̮͚̹͊̾̇͊͆͗̇͋̅́̉̏̌̚͘͝j̸̛͈͉̳̮̹͓͓̰̇̍̍̈́̾͛̈́̑͌͊̒͛́̊̀̚i̴̝̻͓͋ Sensei.

Converting to operating system ARONA for biological authentication and generation of verification certification.

The Hunter didn't actually have a chance to read those words, as he suddenly felt a strange sensation come over him. The world around him beginning to distort and ripple like water that have been disturbed on a pristine pond, and for just a moment it felt like his mind was being tugged along by some invisible force. This feeling was eerily familiar to him, to the point where for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, he felt a sense of apprehension well up from deep within his soul.

'This is… just like before... just like that night'

Was the last thing that the hunter thought as his entire world and existence went momentarily black.

….​

The Hunter slowly felt his senses return to him, his eyes opening slowly as he gradually took in the strange environment he had found himself in. Despite its otherworldly architecture compared to what he was used to, the hunter could easily identify to some kind of classroom, which was helped by the abundance of desks, lockers and other classroom related accoutrements scattering the surrounding floor.

Taking a step, the hunter heard a small splash beneath his foot, looking down revealed that there was a small amount of water on the floor, just enough to be noticeable when he walked but not enough to be an inconvenience.

One side of the classroom was entirely absent, unveiling a stunning vista of a crystal-clear blue ocean and a soft, pale blue sky. The beauty of the scene was mesmerizing, but it wasn't the primary focus of his attention.

At the centre of the room was a small young girl, her head was resting gently on one of the many desks that littered the classroom. Was topped by a mop of pale blue hair, tied up in a white hairband that almost resembled a pair of rabbit ears.

The hunter gradually approached the young girl, the sound of water under his feet almost imperceptible as he quietly observed the young girl, not quite sure what to make of her. If her height was anything to go by, then she was incredibly Young, possibly even barely a teenager. Her uniform, for a lack of a better term, consisted of a blue sailor style dress shirt, and a short white poofy skirt.

Leaning in but being careful not to disturb her, the hunter observed what he could see of her face, which was partially obscured because she was resting her head on her arms, using them as a makeshift pillow. However, as he watched her, he suddenly heard her mumbled something in her sleep.

*nom* "Castella cake... banana milk... goes better then strawberry milk...

That made the Hunter do a double take, staring at the young girl for a couple of seconds before a quiet chuckle escaped his lips, clearly this girl had a vivid imagination, her dreams being one of endless culinary delights based on what she mumbled about in her sleep.

Although the smile that was on the hunter's face under his mask quickly faltered when he remembered his own experience when it came to the world of dreams. The realm of dreams and nightmares had been an unpleasant experience, to say the least, one that he tried his hardest to forget about every moment he had.

"Heehee... There's so much left..."

The hunter was pulled from his musings by the young girl mumbling again in her sleep, a wide smile making its way onto her face as a small amount of drool began to slowly drip from the side of her mouth.

He felt his smile quickly return, watching the young girl sleep peacefully while experiencing a truly relaxing and pleasant dream, genuinely calmed his nerves like nothing else ever had.

Yet as she continued to mumble her sleep about all kinds of various desserts, the hunter stood up to his full height, and surprisingly removed the silver metallic gauntlet from his hand, revealing pale flesh where the gauntlet had been a moment previously.

With care, the hunter slowly reached for the girl with his now bare hand, using one of his fingers to gently poke the girl on her cheek. He wasn't exactly sure why he did this, but something compelled him to do so as he continued to gently poke her soft and squishy cheek.

"N-not now... I still have so much to eat..."

The girl mumbled as her expression turned from a pleasant one to a slightly perturbed and aggravated one, clearly what the hunter was doing was disturbing her pleasant dream. But he decided that that was for the best, considering that something compelled him to wake the girl from her slumber.

"Mmm... But... heehee" With a few more careful cheap pokes, the young girl finally began to stir, her eyes fluttering open slightly before she quickly closed them, and before the hunter could say or do anything. She shuffled from her seat, groggy, getting to her feet as a small bright blue Halo quickly materialised above her head, she began to rub sleep from her eyes.

*Yawning* "What's going... on" The girl said in between a yawn, as she stretched her arms over her head.

The hunter only just now realising that clutched in one of her hands, was what looked to be a small wrapped white umbrella, with strangely enough a rifle stock poking out of where the handle for the umbrella should have been.

The small girl continued to rub the sleep from her eyes, opening them after a moment to look at who had awoken her from her slumber. However, when her eyes came to rest on the hunter, he saw her blink several times, clearly somewhat bewildered, before she quickly rubbed her eyes again.

"Huh...?" Was all that the girl managed to say as she rubbed her eyes once again, clearly still not fully believing what she was seeing.

"Uh... Huh? Wha…?!" The hunter watched with slight amusement, as the girl stumbled over her words, above her head the Halo which had been a bright blue ring before began to change, taking on a noticeably jagged appearance seemingly in reflection of her current emotion.

"Are you OK, young missy?" The hunter inquired after a moment, his words seemingly catching the girl off guard as her halo continued to alter shape, becoming increasingly jagged, and a completely perplexed expression enveloping her face.

"S-Sensei!? If you're here, does that mean that you're Kenji Sensei?!" The girl asked abruptly, completely ignoring his question. Yet the hunter did not immediately respond, mostly because he for the first time in a long time was caught completely off guard, specifically because she knew something that not many people ever knew.

"Yes, I am... but first of all, how exactly do you know my name?" the hunter asks with a cautious air to his voice, his body going noticeably rigid, seemingly in preparation for something. Despite the fact that she was just a young girl and could pose no threat to him, he didn't want to take any chances, considering that she somehow knew a piece of information about him that almost nobody in existence did.

The girl however didn't seem to care about his question or his body language as her Halo continued to spike wildly, the bewildered expression on her face only growing stronger as she quickly spoke.

"What? So I'm right? What time is it" the small girl began to look around frantically, seemingly trying to figure out exactly what the time was.

Hunter, despite still being somewhat wary of the fact that she knew his name, noticeably calmed himself, taking a deep relaxing breath as he managed to regain control over himself. However, the girl knew his name, he highly doubted that the girl knew his name for any malevolent reason.

Opening his mouth to speak, the Hunter, found himself quickly silenced as the girl spoke first, gently slapping her cheeks seemingly in an attempt to get a hold of herself.

"Wait. Calm down..." As the words left her mouth, her halo changed once again, this time noticeably beginning to droop in certain places along its circumference as if it was made of some kind of liquid.

"Un, so... Oh, that's right! I forgot to introduce myself!" The girl paused for a moment, clearing her throat as her halo return to what the hunter could presume was its default normal state. "My name is Arona!" She said with an energetic tone, a bright smile making it's way on to her face as the words left her mouth.

"I am the system manager that lives inside the Shittim chest. I serve as its main OS. Think of me as your trustee secretary, Sensei!" The hunter wasn't exactly sure what she meant by main OS, considering that the term was completely foreign to him. But her mentioning that she lived inside the tablet resonated with him because it reminded him of a certain somebody that he cared for deeply who was in a similar predicament.

"So I have somehow travelled inside the strange little device that I was given?" The hunter said after a moment, the prospect of being inside the smart tablet not being entirely unusual to him, considering some of the strange things he had experienced during his time as a hunter.

"Yep! I'm so glad to finally meet you! I've been waiting a long time!" A bright and cheerful made its way onto Arona's face, her halo changing to a bright pink hue, as well as taking on the shape of a stereotypical love heart.

The hunter found her cheerfulness almost infectious as a smile made its way onto his face, something about her bright and bubbly nature genuinely soothed him in a way that almost nothing else could.

"I see... You've been waiting here so long that you fell asleep?" The hunter asked out of curiosity more than anything else. But Arona's reaction was not what he expected, her halo changed once again resembling the spike pattern that it had been earlier as a slightly embarrassed blush made its way onto her face.

"Well, uh... I guess I might have dozed off there" Arona's embarrassed face as well as her general nervousness as if she had been caught sleeping on the job. Made the hunter chuckled loudly, much to the surprise of the young girl who looked at him with a small pout, clearly not appreciating him laughing at her expense.

*Haha,* "Please excuse me Arona, it's my pleasure to make your acquaintance" The hunter gave a slight bow as he spoke, the slightly aggravated and embarrassed expression on Arona's face disappearing as the hunter introduced himself, her halo also returning to its normal state before again taking on the shape of a purple love heart with a smile quickly accompanying it.

"I'm happy to meet you as well, Kenji Sensei" Arona replied with a bright smile. The hunter couldn't help but flinch slightly when she used his name but decided that if she wanted to call him that then he wouldn't stop her.

"If I may enquire Arona... How exactly do you know my name" The hunter enquired cautiously, not wanting to make it sound like he was going to punish her for knowing or using his name. If anything he was just curious of how she could know such a thing about him, especially when to his knowledge he had never met her before, and the fact that almost nobody both in the dream and waking world knew his name.

Arona didn't immediately respond, her face taking on a noticeably confused look as her halo changed colour from blue to green, clearly mirroring her slightly confused state. Yet, after a couple of moments of silence, she finally responded.

"I'm not sure... I kind of just know, I guess?" Her Halo quickly changed once again, this time taking on a noticeably spiky appearance, with the colour changing from Green to Blue. This was accompanied by her facial expression, which took on one of noticeable frustration. Clearly, she was trying to remember how she knew the Hunter's name, but it seemingly completely escaped her, which was causing her frustration.

The Hunter watch her fume for a moment before a quiet chuckle escaped his lips, he reached out with his unarmoured hand and gently patted her on the head, his fingers passing through her halo as he gently patted her on the head. This also served to confirm his suspicions that the student's halos were indeed intangible objects, despite the fact that some of them looked like they were made of solid matter.

Arona's face took on a noticeable blush, as her halo changed once again to mirror her emotion. This time it changed to an even lighter blue than its base form, taking on a noticeably jagged and slightly unclear appearance as the young girl began to flail her arms around.

"S-Sensei! My physical form is small, and my voice could use a serious upgrade but don't treat me like a kid!" Arona stated with a noticeable pout on her face. Which only served to make the good Hunter chuckle and ultimately pat her head more, making her even more embarrassed and frustrated.

"Your size matters not to me, Arona. Your value and usefulness to me is not based on your size" the hunter said with an almost fatherly like tone as he removed his hand from the young girl's head. Her embarrassed and slightly frustrated expression immediately vanished as a smile quickly replaced it her halo as well returning to its default state.

However, this did not last very long as it suddenly changed once again, taking on a noticeably green and spiky appearance as her face turned into one of realisation and shock. "Oh, right! We haven't completed your biological authentication yet?"

The hunter was a bit confused by her words, he wasn't exactly sure what biological authentication meant, but he could make an educated guess that it most likely revolved around some function of the tablet that he was unaware of.

"How exactly do we go about this... biological authentication that you speak of Arona?" The Hunter asked Arona, and she was surprised for a moment.

"Um... This is a little embarrassing, but it's all part of the protocol. Would you mind standing a little closer" Arona said somewhat shyly, idly tapping her fingers together as she averted her gaze from the good Hunter. Her halo also took on a noticeably pink hue, signifying her embarrassment.

The hunter didn't say a word but complied with her request, as he quickly got down to one knee, the height difference between them reduced somewhat, but even then she still barely came up to his chest. As such, the Hunter hunched his back, lowering himself even further until he was nearly eye level with her.

Arona now looking for hunter dead in the eyes, let a smile cross her face clearly. The hunter was thoroughly surprised by this, considering that he was still wearing his bone ash mask, which itself had quite a frightening visage. Even so, the young girl didn't seem phased or even care in the slightest about the quite frankly horrific appearance of the bone Ash mask.

"Sensei. Now place your fingertip against mine" the hunter went to do as he was instructed yet noticeably hesitated as his finger came within millimetres of hers. The prospect of sharing any kind of close physical contact with anyone being somewhat alien and uncomfortable to him, yet after the momentary pause he followed through. Gently placing his much larger finger against Arona's small and delicate one.

Arona couldn't stop herself from letting out a quiet giggle, the strange coldness of the hunter's skin, making a slight jolt run down her spine. But it wasn't unpleasant for her, if anything it was like being tickled all over at once.

"Heehee. It's kind of like we're making a promise or something, isn't it" Arona said letting out another giggle. Yet the hunter didn't say a single word, being oddly quiet as her words roused something deep within him. It wasn't her fault she couldn't have known, but her words stirred up unpleasant memories, one of a promise that he had made to a certain young girl that he had failed to keep, ultimately leading to her demise.

"Sensei... Sensei? Are you OK?" The hunter was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of her voice. Arona was looking at him, obviously worried by his abrupt silence, her halo reflecting this as it had taken on a noticeably sad colour and shape.

"I am... Fine, Arona. I was just... recalling some unpleasant memories as all" The hunter said after a moment of quiet, he didn't see a need to lie to her, but he did keep the true nature of his thoughts to himself simply because he didn't want to upset the young girl or worst traumatize her.

"Oh..." Was all that Arona uttered as she did something completely unexpected and abrupt. Without warning and yet still keeping her finger pressed against the hunters, she came in closer to the hunter's face, and before he could respond, she placed her forehead against the metallic surface of the bone ash mask, closing her eyes as a soft and content smile made its way onto her facial features.

The hunter was completely taken off guard by this, he wasn't used to close physical contact like this, particularly of such an intimate and thoughtful nature from somebody so young and innocent. Nevertheless, as her forehead remained in contact with the bone ash mask, the hunter felt a calming sensation come over him, one that truly made him feel calmer and more relaxed.

He wasn't sure exactly how Arona was able to do this and make him feel this way, it could have been because she had ultimate command over the domain of the tablet where they were currently. Or it could have just been a positive side effect of her genuinely calm and peaceful nature.

Still either way, despite these things racing through his mind, the hunter did not interfere with the gesture, allowing the young girl to do whatever it was to him that was having this calming effect on him.

Yet as quickly and suddenly as she performed the gesture, she quickly pulled away, the pleasant smile on her face never wavering as she looked him dead in the eyes and then spoke.

"There Sensei. Do you feel better now?" Arona ask, the beaming smile never leaving her face as she waited patiently for the hunter to answer her inquiry.

While still being confused on how exactly she was able to make him feel this way, the hunter couldn't help but smile under his mask as he opened his mouth to respond to her question.

"Yes Arona... my nerves feel soothed" The hunter spoke, the smile never leaving his face as Arona let out a small laugh, her smile somehow growing even wider and brighter.

"Heehee. I'm happy I could help Sensei!" Arona beamed cheerfully, continuing to hold her finger against the Hunters for a couple of months longer. Before a satisfied smile made its way onto her face, are she pulled her finger away from the Hunters.

"All done!" She said excitedly, an almost sing-song like tone creeping into Arona's voice as her halo changed a noticeable pink as well as changing into the shape of a love heart.

I see... if I may enquire Arona, what exactly does this biological authentication actually do?" The hunter asked, very curious about what this biological authentication actually was and what it did. Evidently, from the way that Arona talked about it. It clearly had an important function, even if he currently wasn't sure what it was.

Arona didn't instantly answer, her face morphing from bright and cheery to a very confused expression. From her point of view, it was an incredibly strange question to be asked considering that biological authentication was a commonplace thing, especially with all the up-to-date technology nowadays.

"Well Sensei... Biological authentication is a security measure, which makes it the only you can access the Shittim chest..." Arona explained it in the simplest way possible, fearing that the hunter would be somewhat offended by the almost infantile way that she had described it to him. However, despite not being able to see his face, his body language suggested that he wasn't insulted in the slightest, in fact he seemed almost eager and curious.

"I see... most fascinating indeed" the hunter said mostly to himself as he did something completely unexpected. Reaching into his cloak with his unarmoured hand, Arona saw him quickly pull out a dark brown object, one that was tied together with a piece of gnarled and frayed cord.

Yet before she could inquire about what it was, the hunter quickly unraveled the object, revealing that it was a leather-bound book, the pages which had most likely been bleached white once now stained with various dark brown and yellow splotches.

Arona continued to watch as the hunter reached into his cloak once again with his other hand, producing what appeared to be a small, ornate looking fountain pen, the likes of which she had never seen before in her life. He then began to quickly scrawl something in one of the open pages in a form of writing that despite her considerable and almost infinite knowledge was completely unreadable to her.

"Sensei... what are you doing?" Arona asked with curiosity, following as the hunter continued to scribble down intelligible script on the paper in front of him, before quickly flicking to a new page once he had run out of space on the previous one.

The hunter did not immediately answer her question, still scribbling down something he could only read on the paper in front of him. Yet after a few more quiet moments of this, he at last stopped, returning the pen to the inside of his cloak as he slowly started to curl up the twine and wrap it around the leather book.

"Well my dear Arona, I was simply writing down all the things that I need to learn more about, when I have the time to do so" The hunter replied as he finished tying up the twine around the book before placing it back inside his cloak.

Arona didn't speak, but she made a definitive *Oh* sound as she now understood exactly what the hunter was doing. Though, before she could open her mouth to say something that was on her mind, the hunter interrupted her.

"Arona, now that all the formalities are out of the way. I must ask, is there any way for you to return control of the tower to the general student council" The hunter asked quickly, any form of jovial and calm nature completely gone as his voice took on a hard and disciplined tinge.

It took Arona a couple of seconds to process what the hunter had just said, before her eyes noticeably widened as her Halo took on a green and spiky appearance.

"Sensei... I'm a bit lost" Arona said quietly, the look in her eyes conveying confusion and not understanding.

With a deep sigh, the Hunter began to recount the events that had led him to this strange land. He started with a condensed version of his journey, describing his encounter with the general student council and learning about the president's disappearance and the fact that he was to become a teacher. He then moved on to a brief account of the battle for the clubroom and how he arrived in this mysterious place with her.

Arona absorbed all the information that he told her, the stupefied and slightly bewildered expression on her face, fading away as a look of understanding replaced it.

"Got it. A lot's been going on, hasn't it?" Arona said softly, the hunter shaking his head in agreement with her, as she continued to speak after a short pause. "The general student council president went missing, and there's no way to control the Kivotos tower now..." She merely said that last part to herself, seemingly in attempt to retain the information in her mind.

"Arona, you wouldn't happen to know anything about the general student council president, would you?" Arona immediately picked up on the Hunter's query, her halo transforming once again into a spiky pattern as its colour remained mostly the same as it's default appearance.

"I have lots of dater on Kivotos, but I know very little about the president, I don't know who she is or why she disappeared, unfortunately" A very dejected expression made its way onto Arona's face as she became noticeably dismayed at the fact that she couldn't fulfil the hunters request for information.

"I wish I could be more helpful, Sensei..." Arona said with sadness, as her halo took on its sad appearance once again, beginning to noticeably droop down in places again as if it was made of some kind of liquid.

The hunter scene that she was clearly upset, about not being able to help him quickly reached his hand out, and once again began to gently pat her on the head. This time she didn't complain or push his hand away, the sad expression on her face slowly faded as the hunter finally spoke.

"There is no need to feel downtrodden Arona, you are more useful to me than you could imagine" The Hunter didn't stop to gently stroke her hair, beginning to make it look somewhat dishevelled and messy. Yet Arona didn't seem to mind as a smile made its way onto her face, her halo transforming into the pink love heart once again.

"Heehee. Sensei. I might not know anything about the president, but I can help with the sanctum Tower, at least" Arona said with a cheerful expression on her face stars practically filling her eyes as she patiently waited for the hunter to respond. Her behavior reminded him of an overexcited pup just waiting to execute its master's commands.

"That would be very much appreciated Arona" With an audible chuckle escaping his lips, the Hunter spoke, he found her enthusiasm can help with the situation quite refreshing and endearing, again likening it to an overexcited puppy.

"Alright! Just let me restore permissions to the sanctum Tower!" Arona closed her eyes as she spoke, a look of intense focus making its way onto her soft and delicate features as she did her magic. "This will be just a minute, Sensei!" She giggled excitedly, never opening her eyes as the look of concentration on her face grew deeper.

In the real world, unbeknownst to the Hunter, the lights in the basement where he and Rin had met up, and he had interacted with the tablet, suddenly came to life along with the entire building. But this wasn't all, as everything across the city that was even slightly plugged in to the sanctum Tower all simultaneously shut off and then a second later relaunched.

Back within the world inside the tablet, the hunter could do nothing but patiently watch as Arona whatever she was doing. However, he didn't have to wait very long as Arona abruptly opened her eyes. A somewhat dopey and innocent smile made its way onto her face as she quickly spoke to him.

"Sanctum Tower admin privileges acquired, we've successfully regained the sanctum Tower, Sensei! The tower is now under my control" Arona's smile suddenly grew even wider as she looked at the good Hunter with an almost expecting look, as if she was waiting for him to do something with the new powers that she had just given him.

"That means that all of Kivotos is in the palm of your hand, Sensei!" The hunter found his eyes growing wider behind his mask. When Arona said that she had restored the tower to its former operation. He had not expected her to outright give him, an outsider for all intents and purposes, such authority over something that fundamentally he did not understand.

The hunter didn't say anything for a few seconds, causing Arona's excited and expecting look to subside somewhat as she tilted her head to the side in an inquisitive manner, similar to that of a puppy or kitten. However, after letting an uneasy silence hang in the air for a moment, the good Hunter finally responded.

"Arona, I want you to transfer authority over the sanctum Tower back to the general student council... I am here as a teacher and not as a conqueror or a tyrant, and even if I was a worthy recipient of such powers, I am a stranger in these lands and I would not know how to govern them" The hunter said his peace, he did not need to have power and authority over the city itself when he was not from here. It would be unbecoming of him and Incredibly arrogant to suggest that he could run these lands better than its inhabitants could.

Arona didn't immediately answer him, the look of excitement that had been there moments ago had now completely gone, leaving a genuinely confused expression on her delicate features. The fact that the hunter refused to have such powers was is confusing to her, but it also warmed her heart slightly, knowing that he wasn't some kind of power hungry psychopath.

"I can do that, Sensei, if you want... But are you absolutely sure that's what you want to do? You would be giving total control to the general student council" Arona wanted to make completely sure this is what the hunter wanted. Even though she could most likely brute force her way back into the sanctum Tower system if she really wanted to. She would have nowhere near the level of control she did now if she were to do something like that in the future.

The Hunter instead of speaking simply nodded his head, the large pointed hat on top of his head wobbling slightly as he did so. Arona was about to ask one more time if this is what he really wanted, but before she could do so he interrupted her seemingly having read her mind somehow about her unspoken question.

"Yes Arona, I would like you to transfer control... However," Arona immediately perked up, looking at the hunter in intently as he paused for a few moments, making sure that she was listening before he continued speaking.

"If you can do so... I would like you to make some kind of emergency access for me. I pray that it will never have to be used, but having a safeguard in place can prevent this kind of scenario from happening in the future" The hunter said with a slightly weary toned, he truly hoped never to use such a thing, but it was in his nature as a hunter to have a contingency plan and backup plan for every conceivable scenario imaginable. It was one of the biggest things that separated a novice and unskilled hunter from a master of the craft.

Arona didn't immediately respond to his words. But a smile quickly made its way onto her face regardless, even though the hunter was for all intents and purposes a stranger in a strange land, he genuinely seems to care about the well-being of all or Kivotos.

"All right, then, sensei! Control of the sanctum towel will now be transferred back to the general student council, as you requested!" Arona beamed with pride as she closed her eyes once again, however, something unexpected happened to the Hunter. He felt his head beginning to spin, much like it had done before he had woken up in this strange place, yet closing his eyes for a moment and then opening them again. He was completely taken aback to find himself back in the now lit up basement of the clubroom building, the tablet still clutched in both of his armoured hands.

"Good. Understood" the hunter heard a voice off someone he couldn't see, one that for just a brief moment he didn't recognise. Before he realised it was none other than Rin, her expression one of immense relief and satisfaction as she quickly presses the button on her smartphone before placing the device back in her pocket.

"Control of the Sanctum Tower was just confirmed. This will allow us to manage the city as well as we could before the president's disappearance" Rin relieved expression turned somewhat sour as the prospect of her friend still being completely and utterly absent washed over her. But before the hunter could try and console her, she quickly picked herself up, taking a deep calming breath as she turned to The Hunter.

"Well done, Sensei. I want to thank you on behalf of the entire general student council for preventing Kivotos from falling into utter chaos" Rin quickly extended one of her hands, gesturing for the good Hunter to take it, which he did without hesitation as they both firmly shook each other's hands.

"I'm glad I could be of help Rin" Was all about the hunter remarked, his mind was currently preoccupied with the experience he had inside the tablet and the question whether or not it was actually real. He was no stranger to dreams and nightmares that felt like reality and everything in between, but he was 100% sure that whatever he had experienced with Arona was real.

"You don't need to worry about the suspended students and thugs that attack you before. They will be tracked down and punished before long" her words instantly caught the hunter's focus, causing him to break from his internal musings, looking her dead in the eyes as they both broke the handshake that they had been doing moments ago.

"I see... I don't know if this is over stepping my boundaries, but if you do find any of them, perhaps you could refer some of them to me. If I'm going to be a teacher here, I must do everything in my power to teach and guide all students, regardless of their pasts" The hunter spoke with a confident tone.

His request made Rin's eyebrow raise, in her personal opinion students who acted like Thugs and received suspensions didn't deserve second chances, as such she did briefly consider denying his request, but ultimately decided against it considering that the good Hunter had been instrumental in returning law and order to Kivotos.

"I suppose we could try and make some arrangements, but I can't make any promises, Sensei" Rin said with a slightly bated breath, a quiet sigh managing to escape her lips, the good Hunter's body language conveying acceptance and just a little bit of happiness.

"I see, thank you, Rin" The hunter replied with a noticeably chipper tone to his voice, as he quickly and unexpectedly reached up and planted his hand on top of the vice president's head. Rin being completely thrown off guard as the hunter proceeded to give her a head pat as if she was a child or worse some kind of pet.

Yet despite the embarrassment making itself visible on her face and the slightly angry expression that followed, deep down Rin couldn't help but find some amount of enjoyment in the gesture, a small part of herself actually enjoying it despite not wanting to admit it

Rin quickly cleared her throat, making the good Hunter stop his action as she quickly spoke. "My duty was to only see that you received and activated the Shittim chest, so my job here is done... But there is one thing that we should do before I leave" She concluded by gently but firmly removing the hunter's hand from her head, the blush still evident on her cheeks as she turned and gestured for the hunter to follow.

"Follow me, Sensei. I'd like to properly introduce you to the federal investigation club: Schale" Rin began to walk, the hunter swiftly following after her as he fell into lockstep beside her. The tablet which had by now gone into sleep mode still in his hands because he feared that putting it in his personal storage would somehow damage these strange and fragile device.

Rin took the Hunter on an abbreviated tour of the entire building, showing him all the important rooms and facilities that he had access to now that he was the official head of the club. She didn't show him every room, simply because the vast majority of them were empty or being used as storage for student council things, which she would get cleared out eventually once she had the manpower.

Finally, the tour came to the very last room of importance, she had saved this one until last considering it was perhaps the most important one in the entire building and the very same room where the hunter would probably spend the majority of his time.

"This is Schale's main office and lobby. It's been empty for a long time, but now it finally has an owner" Rin quickly brushed away some dust that had accumulated on the plaque next to the door before she opened it. Revealing a richly stocked office with everything a teacher could need, and surprisingly much to her satisfaction it looked as if somebody had come for and cleaned it recently.

"You could consider this to be the Schale clubroom. This is where you'll be working starting now, Sensei" Rin swept her arm around in a wide arc, motioning to the entire room as the Hunter took in everything around him.

'It certainly isn't a Hunter's workshop, but still impressive I must say' The hunter thought to himself as he examined the entire room closely.

It was very large to the point of being almost comically huge, it was so big in fact that it even had a second level filled with cabinets and closets containing various equipment and stationery that was alien to him, yet he had a distinct feeling he would become intimately familiar with very soon. One thing that did catch his eyes the most though was in the far corner of the room, it was a workbench, one that was currently empty. Yet the racks above it held several weapons of unfamiliar design, but looked similar to the ones that he had seen the students using.

"This is most impressive, I must say though that I'm a bit at a loss of what I can do with all of this" the hunter continues to observe the room, his eyes somehow managing to catch and find new objects and details that intrigued his curiosity to know end.

"Schale may have authority, but it has no particular goals at the moment. But even though you don't have a specific job to do, you can freely enter any academy districts in Kivotos. From there you can register any student you wish as a club member, amongst other things" Rin couldn't help but smile a little, watching the Hunter somewhat aimlessly observing the surrounding room, clearly somewhat overwhelmed. In fact, a small part of her might even said it was slightly adorable, considering his usually somewhat Stoic and overly formal nature.

"Though... isn't it fascinating? It may be called an investigation Club, but the president to never actually specified what it would be investigating or what it's purposes" Rin pause for a moment as she felt a slight ache entering her chest as she thought about her friend, but she quickly pushed to the side as she regained her sense of calm.

"In a sense Sensei... You have a lot of freedom don't you" Rin looked at the hunter as she spoke, noticing that he was now looking dead at her. Clearly, her words captivated his attention and had momentarily ceased his observation of the surrounding room.

"Indeed, it seems like I do... But with that freedom comes power, and with power one must always be mindful of when and when not to use it" The hunter said after a moment of silence, his words striking a chord with Rin and further demonstrating to her that despite him being an outsider to these lands, he could be trusted with the power he had been given.

"Indeed sensei... However, if the president was still here I'm sure she could clear up your purpose much more than I could, I'm afraid... though of course she remains missing, despite our best efforts" Despite trying to not let it do so, Rin could hear the bitterness and resentment creeping into her voice.

The fact that even with all the power at the disposal of the general student council, her friend could not be found anywhere made her angry and Incredibly upset.

"We have and are still using everything I got disposal to look for. Yet that's just left us short-handed for dealing with all the other problems around Kivotos" Rin let out an exasperated huff, she never meant for things to get as bad as they did, but the situation simply moved too rapidly for her to keep track of it all. And once she had realised what was happening to the city around her, it was pretty much too late.

"Even now, the general student council is being inundated with civil complaints of every type. Requests for support materials, environmental aid, makeup work for failing students, requests to save clubs, and so on..." She couldn't stop ranting, the words continuing to simply fall out of Rin, as all the stress from the last couple of weeks finally got the better of her. Even with the fact that the sanctum Tower had been restored to full operation and as such the city could hopefully be put back together again, it didn't distract from the fact that the general student council was up a creek without a paddle.

Yet before she could continue speaking, Rin suddenly felt a firm hand be placed on her shoulder, and looking up, she wasn't surprised in the slightest to see it was the Hunter, gazing at her with a look that radiated understanding for her situation.

"Rin, while I can't promise that I will be the most effective, I would like to pledge my assistant to you and the student council in dealing with your workload. Considering I have an excess of free time, I think it would be best to put my newfound role as a teacher to use" The hunter said with a calming tone, his words sounding like music to Rin's pointed ears. The thought of him lessening her workload by even a microscopic amount was something that she would not pass up, even if it made her look and sound a little bit selfish and lazy.

"I would like that very much, Sensei!" Rin didn't care if she sounded overly excited, the prospect of having her and by extension the rest of the student council's workload decrease by any noticeable degree being something that genuinely lifted her spirits and improved her overall state of mind.

The hunter let out a chuckle, blackhead girl genuinely put a smile on his face, especially considering that for the little he had known her, she had presented herself as professional, well-disciplined and proper.

"Well Sensei, I will send over the documents as soon as I get back" Rin managed to finally get control of herself, letting out a couple of coughs to clear her throat as she kept on speaking." I will leave you to get acquainted with the clubroom" She said as she turned to leave, pausing mid-step as she looked over her shoulder, apparently trying to make sure that the hunter was indeed real and not some figment of her imagination that would disappear as soon as she turned her back.

"Sensei" Rin call suddenly, getting the full focus of the hunter as he turned to look at her one more time. She opened her mouth, yet no words came out for a moment, but quickly she managed to find her voice.

"The best of luck with your new position, Sensei... If you ever need anything, feel free to let me know, ok?" Rin waited for the good Hunter to give an answer, which he quickly did in short order.

"Thank you Rin, and if I ever do need anything I will be sure to let you know" the hunter replied, giving her one final bow, much like how he had done when he first met her and introduced himself. Rin couldn't help but smile brightly as she turned and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her and leaving the hunter completely alone.

The hunter stood in the centre of the room for a moment, before an audible sigh escaped his lips, despite not tiring easily, he was mentally and physically worn out from the days activities, navigating to the nearest chair, and looking at it somewhat suspiciously before he planted himself in it, being sure to place the tablet which was still in his hands gently on the desk next to him.

He sat there silently for several long moments, so still that he almost looked like a life-size statue, as he silently contemplated each and every thing that had happened to him in such a short amount of time. This waking world was different and far more alien than the one he remembered, but in contrast to the nightmare of yharnam, this world was positively pleasant. In fact, he might have even stated that it was a paradise simply by comparison, but that would be far from the truth considering that this world had its own problems.

The hunter immediately stood up and began to take off the bone Ash mask and its attached hat, and once he had done so he gently laid the entire assembly down on the table next to him before turning to the large double windows that displayed the bright city outside. The sun beat down on his exposed face as a small smile made its way on to his lips.

"Well, I suppose even a hunter deserves a break from time to time"

 

[Daurtanes]

How much words??!!!!

 

[mgman]

How much words??!!!!

Click to shrink...

a lot lol

 

[mgman]

"I see... what a remarkable device indeed"

A man's voice filled the air, its tone was soft and quiet as its owner marveled at the piece of modern technology in front of him that was a personal computer.

The good Hunter recline in the office chair, idly tapping away at the computer in front of him, it had taken him less than a day and a half to actually figure out how to use the computer. In fact, figuring out the basic mechanics of how to actually operate the user interface as well as the keyboard and mouse was actually very easy, which is expected was most likely an intentional on the part of whoever created the miraculous device.

However, even though he had now mastered the fundamentals of how to use a computer and some of its basic programs, one aspect that completely stumped him even now, much to his frustration, was this thing that Arona had referred to as the internet.

Using the mouse and opening up the icon that was the internet browser, the hunter was met with his opponent, the overly cluttered and nonsensical homepage of the application which was referred to as Internet Express.

The way that Arona had explained to him made it sound almost too good to be correct, which he was still of the mindset of even after experimenting with it. The internet was said to be a vast repository of knowledge that was nearly limitless, somehow managing to contain civilisations worth of knowledge in this strange ethereal place that his new AI assistant had referred to as Cyberspace.

The hunter let out a quiet snort, giving the internet browser homepage one last glance before he abruptly pushed on the table in front of him, the force pushing the chair backwards and allowing him to stand up. Making his way over to the opposite side of the office, the hunter stood in front of the large double storey skylights, basking in the freshly risen sun and allowing its rays to wash over him.

Despite always preferring the cover of night and the pale light of the moon due to his nature as a hunter. This did not suggest that he didn't appreciate the majestic beauty of a fresh sunrise, after all the sunrise signified the start of something fresh and a new beginning.

Yet it wasn't just the sunrise that he appreciated, in fact that was only a small part of it. The part that he appreciated the most about this current scene was its tranquillity and peace. When he was a hunter of the workshop, these moments were few and far between on the night of the hunt.

However, even though that nightmare had long since passed and become nothing more than an unpleasant memory, the hunter still cherished these quiet and peaceful moments even if they were more common than they used to be.

It allowed his mind to be at ease and for him to think clearly, and at this particular moment he was thinking about everything that had happened to him, and how he was going to fit in as a teacher. While he wasn't worried about his lack of experience in such an occupation, he was concerned about his ability to lead and set a good example for others. Especially when the majority of his knowledge revolved around bloodshed and carnage.

'How can one teach those who are impressionable and without direction, when all they know is nightmares and bloodshed'

The hunter thought to himself, the smile which had been on his face moments ago quickly faltering as it faded away, being replaced by a slightly sour expression. As, for the first time since becoming a teacher. He truly began to doubt whether he could be a teacher when all he knew was violence and death

And yet, as he continued to stare at the fiery orange sky and the Illuminated cityscape below, engrossed in his own negative thoughts. The hunters suddenly heard an electronic beeping noise, which was quickly accompanied by a yawn that despite sounding slightly electronically distorted. It was unmistakable who it belonged to as the hunter immediately turned on the spot, managing to force a smile onto his face he banished the negative thoughts from his mind.

"Good morning Arona" the hunter expressed, the young girl still rubbing the sleep from her eyes as her entire body noticeably flickered.

The fact that she could manifest herself like this had shocked him at first, that was until it was explained to him how she was able to do it and his own curiosity. Which led him to find that there were small light projecting devices embedded in the ceiling all around the office and the majority of the building for that matter, allowing the AI girl to project a holographic image of herself almost anywhere in the building.

Although, since it was a holographic prediction, it was incredibly limited considering that it couldn't interact with any physical objects.

'I wonder if I could remedy that somehow'

The Hunter thought to himself, as Arona finally finished rubbing the sleep from her eyes. However, he quickly pushed that thought to the side, deciding to explore that possibility later when he had free time.

"Mm Sensei? What are you doing so up early?" Arona let out another yawn, stretching both arms about her head in an attempt to relieve the stress from her body.

The hunter couldn't help but chuckle quietly watching her do this, the more he interacted with the little AI, the more endearing he found her. In fact, he could say for certain that she had already carved a little place for herself in his heart.

Clearing his throat, the hunter swiftly began to speak. "Well, I suppose you could say that I was eager for my first official day as a teacher" Pausing for a moment the Hunter, gestured to himself. "I even changed out of my usual attire for something a bit more formal and less outwardly threatening"

Arona finished stretching, giving her eyes one last rub as she finally looked at the hunter properly. Her eyes practically fell out of her skull when she saw what he looked like. The biggest thing that caught her off guard was the fact she could see his face, which when she had first met him had been hidden behind a skeletal like mask, which she did find slightly unnerving at first but quickly got used to.

His face in general was normal looking, his cheekbones were noticeable but not overly so and his skin despite being very pale wasn't to the point where it looked like he was a living corpse or a vampire. Atop his head where the hat had been before was a full head of hair of luxurious dark black hair, roughly shoulder-length with a noticeably messy style.

What he was also wearing was also a massive departure from what she had seen him in previously. Before, he had been wearing what was essentially tattered and worn rags, with pieces of armour that lay obscured beneath the wrappings protecting his vital areas from attack. But now the rags and armour were gone, replaced by fine and ornate clothing that looked like it belongs more on a noble from an old fairytale book rather than somebody walking around in today's society.

"Wow! Sensei! You look... So cool!" Arona began to excitedly pace around the hunter, who despite the smile on his face simply stood motionless and allowed her to do so.

The boots on his feet were a dark brown in colour, they looked old and aged yet extremely well taken care of. His pants were another shade of brown but this time much lighter in colour, with a pattern stitched into them that almost resembled little interlocked rings.

Arona moved her gaze upwards, immediately spotting the dark overcoat outlined with gold a trim, as well as the shirt which also shared the same motif, both of them looked extremely fancy and expensive. To the point where the little AI briefly considered the possibility that the hunter might have been rich.

Finally topping off his outfit were a pair of dark red gloves, that were wrapped tightly over the ends of the sleeves of his overcoat, sharing the same gold trim motif around the edges as the shirt and overcoat they belonged to.

Continuing to stare for a moment, Arona quickly spoke, still somewhat flabbergasted at the sight before her. "Sensei... are you rich?" She didn't immediately get a response, the hunter looking slightly taken aback by the question before, a smile made its way onto his face as a jovial laugh escaped his lips.

The hunter gave a knowing smile, while he didn't own many articles of clothing that could be considered for non-combat use, the Cainhurst knight set was the only one that came to mind that at least looked somewhat normal.

In fact, other than his beloved bone ash attire, the knight set was perhaps his favourite. Because even though he despised the principles that Cainhurst followed. The hunter could fully admit that the Cainhurst's sense of style, elegance and grace, when it came to architecture and especially weapons and clothing, was second to none.

"I can assure you, Arona, that I am not that wealthy" the hunter said, still chuckling slightly to himself as the girl in question turned her upwards to look at him.

The look on her face implied that she wasn't entirely convinced by his words, after all the clothes that he was wearing looked like they belonged to somebody of Incredible wealth not to mention that it made him look like he belonged in some kind of dark steampunk fantasy novel.

"If you're not rich, then... Did you steal them!? If you did, I won't tell" Arona suddenly blurted out, quickly mining the gesture of pulling a zip over her lips to indicate she wouldn't tell anyone. The hunter was taken aback by her words but quickly began to laugh loudly, his voice echoing around the office, as his laugh graduated from chuckling to full belly laughter.

Arona quickly joined him, both of them laughing together, as the bond between AI and Hunter grew stronger by the second. However, eventually the hunter's laughter came to an end, managing to get control of himself as he tried to clear his throat.

"Well, now that we are both here, we need to get started with our first official day don't we Arona?" the hunter inquired, Arona laughter quickly fading as her eyes lit up and were filled with stars. She was incredibly excited to start, as well as be useful to The Hunter.

"Yes Sensei!" Arona responded enthusiastically, the halo above her head quickly transforming into an excited state. The hunter let out a quiet laugh, finding it somewhat comical that her halo was perhaps the best indicator of her emotions, considering that it changed according to how she felt.

But, pushing that thought out of his mind, he quickly sat back down in the chair he had been in before. Wheeling himself closer to the desk as he pressed one of the many keys on the keyboard in front of him, to bring the computer out of its sleep state and back into full operation.

Arona briefly dematerialised from existence, before quickly appearing next to the desk that the hunter was sitting at, while be coverage of the projector system in the building was amazing. It did have pretty annoying blind spots, which meant that she couldn't move her holographic form as freely as she would have liked.

looking at the computer screen, Arona's expression changed to a noticeably sly one, an almost Cheshire Cat-like smile making its way onto her lips as she spoke with a slightly sarcastically sympathetic voice.

"Are you still having trouble with the internet, Sensei!" Arona tried so hard to contain her giggling and by some miracle actually managed to do so, as the hunter didn't immediately respond to her. The overall happy expression that had been on his face at that point quickly evaporating as it was replaced by a slightly frustrated one.

Arona finally couldn't hold it back anymore as she quickly burst into a fit of laughter, giggling so loudly that the speakers that projected her voice into the room began to fizzle slightly.

*Heehee* "Sensei you're so funny!" The young AI girl managed to say between her laughs as she continued to give out like a mad woman, her halo changing in rhythm with her laughter.

The hunter didn't say anything, choosing not to respond to Arona even as she continued to laugh her metaphorical guts out. Instead, he took the mouse in his hand and began navigating his way to something else other than the still slightly perplexing internet browser page, ultimately deciding to simply close the program down and leave the computer on a blank desktop for the time being.

Finally managing to recover from her laughing fit, Arona took some deep breaths to calm her aching chest, laughing so hard like that made her chest actually hurt from the sheer exertion, but as far as she was concerned it was worth it.

"OK I'm done... Sensei" Arona took one last deep calming breath, managing to let out a few more giggles before she fully got control of herself again. Looking at the hunter, she wasn't surprised to see him staring back at her with a slightly unamused expression, however she could see a slight twitch at the corners of his lips, clearly him trying hard not to smile along with her.

"I think it's time we get to work, wouldn't you say, Arona?" the hunter tried hard to prevent the amused tone from creeping into his voice. Yet, judging from the sly expression plastered across the little AI's face, he clearly wasn't doing a good job of hiding is amusement from her actions.

Managing to finally wipe the sly grin off her face, Arona quickly bobbed her head in response to the hunter's suggestion. "Yes, Sensei! A Lot of people are starting to talk about Schale, we've received letters from students asking for help, in fact I would say that you're becoming quite popular amongst the students Sensei" Arona giggled to herself, quickly activating one of the numerous large screens scattered around the office. On it appeared an absolute barrage of letters taken from the official Schale inbox, as well as comments taken from all kinds of social media platforms.

Despite having accepted the idea that communication across long distances was entirely possible. The hunter was still at a complete loss for words from the sheer barrage of requests directed at him and Schale.

While the comments from what Arona told him was social media were completely irrelevant to him, he did also find it interesting some of the things that were being said about him, but he quickly decided that those kinds of things were not important right now.

"I'm truly surprised. To receive such a large amount of requests in only a few days is staggering" The hunter said mostly to himself as he watched the wall of text in front of his eyes continue to rush past. It was only now, seeing all of these requests, that he finally realised exactly what he had signed up for when he had immediately offered to help Rin and the rest of the general student council with their workload.

'A hunter always keeps his word regardless' The hunter thought to himself as he continued to stare at the hundreds of thousands of requests that were scrolling past on the screen.

"That's a great sign, isn't it? It means there's lots of work for us to do!" Arona exclaimed excitedly, clearly very enthusiastic about the amount of work that lay before her. For a moment the hunter didn't quite share her optimism, however eventually a smile made its way on to his face, he wasn't about to quit in the face of so much work, especially on his first day.

However, before he could open his mouth to ask Arona where they should start with these requests. She quickly beat him to the punch as her face took on a noticeably confused and slightly concerned look

"Um, there's this one letter we got..." Arona's expression and tone immediately made the hunter turn to look at her, one of his eyebrows arching as she continued speaking. "I think you should take a look at it sensei... it looks really important" She followed her words by quickly retrieving the letter from the inbox and placing it directly on the desktop in front of the Hunter.

Turning to the computer screen once again, the hunter hunched his back slightly bring his face closer to the computer screen, Arona doing much the same as both him and her began to silently read the letter.

To the adviser of the Federal Investigation Club.

Hello. My name is Okusora Ayane, and I'm student at Abydos High School.

I am writing this letter because I want to ask for your help.

Our Academy is being harassed.

One of the local gangs is tormenting us.​

Arona and the hunter shared a side eyes look with each other, as the hunter scroll down slightly to continue reading.

It's a long story, but we think...

...this gang is after the school building itself.

The students are doing their best to stop them.

It's only a matter of time before we ran out of ammunition and supplies though.

At this rate, the school will fall to them for sure.​

The hunter scroll down once again, allowing him to read the final part of the letter, his face noticeably hardening as he did so.

That's why I'm writing to ask for your help.

Can you please help us, Sensei?​

With the final part of the letter read, Arona leaned backwards, allowing the information to be absorbed into her system. Clearly the school was on the brink of disaster, judging from the contents of the letter.

However, turning to the hunter something she stopped herself when she noticed the expression on his face, he was still staring at the screen in front of him, yet his soft and gentle features from before had completely vanished and were now replaced by a hard set expression one that exuded determination and a sense of duty.

"Arona... What can you tell me about Abydos High School" The Hunter quickly got up from his seat, and before the little AI could say anything walk to the opposite side of the room, coming to stand in front of the large double windows that looked out over the city below.

Quickly dematerialising and then reappearing next to the Hunter. A deep expression made its way onto Arona's face as she closed her eyes while concentrating, digging up every piece on the subject of Abydos she could find in her memory banks and other available sources of information.

"Hmm... Abydos High School, huh? It used to have a large, thriving district, but it fell on to hard times because of severe climate change" Arona open her eyes and looked at the good Hunter, staring up at him as he continued to stay out of the window for a moment, before he turned to look at her his face noticeably softening yet the determination in his gaze never left.

"Climate change, you say?... How unusual" The hunter raised an eyebrow at this.

While the idea of a rapidly changing climate was not new to him, considering his experiences with the ailing land of Loran. The fact that Abydos could supposedly suffer from rapid climate change while still remaining within the borders of kivotos struck him as slightly odd.

'Something more is clearly at play' The hunter accompanied this thought by turning his gaze back to the window in front of him. While he couldn't be exactly certain if it was what he thought it was, his gut feeling told him that the great expansive desert mostly obscured by buildings and hidden by the horizon was his next destination in the near future.

Although not physically being in the room with hunter sensei. Arona could still feel be almost oppressive atmosphere take over the room as the hunter continued to stare off into the horizon. However, deciding to light on the mood, Arona quickly spoke up.

"Hey sensei, apparently the district was so big that people would even get lost in the centre of town!" The Hunter turn away from the window to look at his little AI assistant, raising an eyebrow at her comment as she continued giggling while she did so.

Heehee. "That must sound really silly. How does somebody get lost in the middle of modern civilisation?" Arona couldn't stop herself from laughing more. The idea of somehow getting completely lost in a Modern City being completely ridiculous to her.

"I'm sure that's just an urban legend anyway" She said between her giggles, the hunter however while looking at her with a much softer expression than before didn't share her sentiment considering his own personal experiences, especially with that accursed Forbidden Woods.

"Anyway I can't believe the Academy is being harassed by some low life gang, it sounds pretty serious" Arona said, a very thoughtful expression appearing on her face, as she thought about the possible reasons why a gang would target an academy like this.

Even though the hunter suspected, there may have been some deeper reason as to why the gang was targeting this particular Academy. He decided to answer his little AI companion's query anyway, "Some people do not need a reason, Arona. Sometimes all that is required for them to do such a thing is simply a want for destruction and chaos" The hunter said with a slightly serious tone. Despite the fact that he was willing to help all students regardless, even if they were troublemakers or suspended students. It didn't change the fact that targeting an academy like this was an incredibly brazen act.

Arona looked up at the Hunter for a moment before quickly nodding in agreement. "I guess you're right sensei, some people just like to watch the world burn... still I wonder what brought this on all of a sudden, gangs caused trouble all the time but to target an Academy like this is incredibly unusual" Arona accompanied her words by rubbing her chin thoughtfully, something that she had picked up from the good Hunter considering he did it quite frequently.

The hunter looked down at the little AI, a smile making its way onto his face as he saw her copy his thinking pose.

"Regardless of how this started, I think it's time that I make my first official Schale visit" The Hunter accompanied his words by quickly turning away from the giant glass windows.

Arona was caught completely off guard by his words and his sudden action, but quickly her eyes were filled with stars as the hunter quickly walked over to the desk he had been sitting out earlier and retrieving the Shittim chest and tucking it into a conveniently large pocket inside his overcoat for safe keeping.

"You want to head there right now? You really don't back down, do you, Sensei!?" Arona said excitedly as she quickly materialised her holographic body next to the good Hunter, who upon seeing her do so smiled at her with a warm, kind smile, the determination in his eyes only growing in fury and intensity with each growing second.

He was determined beyond anything to aid the students who had cried out for help. It wasn't just his new duty as a teacher that compelled him, no, it wasn't that simple. As a hunter it was his mission to protect the innocent, he made a promise once, a promised to help one young girl finds refuge in a waking nightmare, but he had failed, leading to her death. It's scarred him to his very core, leaving a permanent wound in his very soul. But he wouldn't fail again, ever.

"Indeed I do, there is an old saying where I come from, Arona. Would you like to hear it?" The hunter asked as he began to slowly walk towards the office exit. Arona excitedly nodded her head, her body dematerialising as the screen on the tablet quickly lit up. The familiar classroom and her face in particular being easily visible as the good Hunter exited the office.

"There is no rest for the wicked, especially us Hunters"

…...​

The journey towards abydos turn out to be a rather long but unremarkable affair. While the hunter did not have any currency to use on the public transportation system, with a little bit of careful magic from Arona he was able to easily access both trains and buses to his heart's content.

However, despite most of the journey being uneventful, there was one moment where it turned into a slightly more eventful one. specifically, when he came into contact with the other residents of kivotos. While he had seen students with animalistic like traits of all descriptions ranging from wings, ears and tail.

One thing he is not counted on was running into animal human hybrids, in fact for just a singular moment his composure and restraint almost failed him when he went to draw for his weapon, but thankfully he was without one.

Arona then how to explain to him exactly what these beings were, which he found interesting, because as far as he was aware, the only people that actually occupied kivotos were students.

Still, while he could probably assume that the animalistic residents of the city were most likely kind and welcoming. Just looking at them was enough to bring up unpleasant memories of certain townsfolk who would scream "Away! Away!" while waving around lit torches and trying to rip him limb from limb with various pieces of repurposed farm equipment.

Stepping off the final train, and onto the platform. The hunter was presented with a rather dismal site, the train station looked almost abandoned, not a single person other than himself was present. In fact, as he walked to the entrance of the train station, the train which had brought him here rumbling away as it continued on its journey. He didn't see a single soul, the rolling sand only occasionally populated by forsaken buildings and vehicles that had long since been abandoned by their owners.

The hunter did not say a word as he continues to walk away from the train station and down a particular street. He had absolutely no idea where exactly abydos high school was located, however that was not a concern for him as he decided to follow his instincts. Even during his most desperate times as a hunter, they had never failed him, so choosing to rely on them to find his destination was a safe bet.

"Sensei... Do you want me to bring up a map..." The hunter heard a slightly muffled voice emanating from his overcoat pocket. Any normal person would have jumped at the sudden voice while being surrounded by sheer desolation, but he didn't as he continued to walk and spoke at the same time.

"There is no need, Arona" Was all that the hunter had to say in response as he continued to walk amongst the sand covered ruined buildings. Arona let out a quiet grumbling sound, somewhat dejected at the fact that the hunter had refused to help, however instead of nagging him like she wanted to, she decided to simply sit back and wait for him to ask. Trying to find some way to occupy herself in the virtual classroom that was her home.

The hunter looked around the buildings that towered over him, while their design was alien and unusual to him, the state they found themselves in was eerily familiar to him. In fact, the longer he spent amongst the sand filled carcasses of these buildings, the sun beating down on him as his face was assaulted by sand kicked up by the wind. The more it reminded him of that hellish land that had worshipped the great ones, yet had been led to ruin and had been swallowed by the very sandy lands that they called home.

"This is too much like Loran, for my liking" The hunter whispered quietly to himself, shielding his face from a sudden gust of wind that kicked up an immeasurable amount of sand.

However, his words were not quite enough, as a familiar voice suddenly interrupted his quiet contemplation.

"Sensei... what's Loran?" Arona's voice emanated from the tablet, which was concealed within his overcoat pocket. The hunter didn't immediately respond, instead choosing to quickly retrieve the tablet from his pocket and holding it at Arm's Length, the confused face of his little AI companion looking back at him, as he continued to walk in silence for a moment before a sigh escaped his lips.

"Well you see Arona, Loran is... or was an ancient civilisation from where I hailed from" The hunter paused for a moment, he did briefly consider lying to her about the true Nature of Loran and ultimately what led to its downfall, but he ultimately decided against it.

"Loran, or as it became known the ailing land of Loran, was an ancient civilisation that once resided within a hot and dry land much like this one" The hunter gestured to the sandy ruins around him. "It was once the pinnacle of civilisation, featuring art and culture that was unrivalled by almost everything that came before or since"

The Hunter continue to walk as he spoke, the face of Arona on the tablet growing more and more amazed by the second as he continued speaking. While not much of Loran was left other than it's decaying sand filled tombs and catacombs, even in those dark and decrepit places. Some of Loran former beauty and Majesty remained, mostly in the form of its elaborate burial chambers and great underground tombs.

"It was said that they worship the great ones, beings of immense power who once walked the earth in physical bodies but then ascended to the dreamlands... of course whether such things were actually true is currently unknown to me and I suspect anyone" The hunter chooses his words carefully, while he was not afraid of the great ones considering his own ascension.

Invoking their names irresponsibly was still somewhat of a taboo for him. After all, he would prefer if that part of his past stayed buried permanently.

Arona's face lit up with each word that left his mouth, she knew very little about the Hunter, especially of his past and his homeland. So the fact that he felt comfortable enough to share stuff about his homeland felt like a great honour to her, plus it also ignited her ravenous curiosity, after all as a computer based AI, one of her most important jobs was to categorise and absorb new information.

However, as the hunter continue to walk, the density of the buildings around him and his AI assistant growing slightly more dense. A thought suddenly occurred to Arona, one that made her ask a question that has been on her mind since the hunter had started speaking about Loran.

"Sensei... this Loran place, you speak like it doesn't exist anymore?" Arona asked tentatively, she didn't want to pray if the hunter was unwilling to share, but her curiosity got the better of her regardless.

The hunter looked at her his eyebrow arching slightly, but he didn't immediately respond, for a moment the little AI thought that she was going to get brushed off, considering the look in his eyes was one of unease.

However, much to her surprise, the hunter quickly responded to her question. "Yes, indeed Arona... I use the past tense because Loran no longer exists, all that remains of its existence is ruins" The hunter considered his next words carefully, while he knew full well exactly the reason why that cursed land fell and became nothing more than a desecrated grave. He decided that changing a few details would ultimately be for the better, because after all some things, especially those pertaining to the beastly scourge, deserved to be forgotten.

"Nobody can be sure, but eventually much like the surrounding land, Loran was swallowed up by the very sans that it called home, leaving nothing more than decayed ruins and the remnants of a great civilisation" It wasn't technically a lie, while the beastly scourge had been majority responsible for its fall, Loran still suffered from being swallowed up by the very sans that it called home.

Arona made an *Oh* sound, the somewhat confused look on her face turning into one of genuine amazement as both her and the hunter were left in silence again.

However, the silence did not last very long, as Arona decided to speak up once again.

"So... Loran suffered a similar fate befell Abydos... slowly swallowed up by the very sans around them" Arona said thoughtfully, the hunter didn't verbally respond but nodded his head in grim acknowledgment.

Staring at the ruined buildings and vehicles around him, the hunter realised that the city itself was beyond saving, clearly those who could flee had already done so, leaving the city to its inevitable fate.

But even if the city itself is beyond saving, students who had cried for aid in saving their dilapidated School would not go unanswered, he would do everything in his power to try and save what little they had.

With that silent promise to himself the hunter continued walking, however as he did Arona quickly spoke up. "Sensei... I'm feeling a bit tired... if it's alright with you, do you think I could go for a nap?" the little AI asked tentatively, tapping her fingers together in a slightly nervous manner as she waited for the Hunter's response.

Momentarily taken aback by this, the hunter let out a quiet chuckle under his breath as he quickly responded to his little AI companion.

"Of course Arona... I will not stop you if you wish to rest" The hunter saw Arona's face brighten up considerably, the tiredness in her eyes momentarily dissipating as she let out an excited giggle. "In addition I also remember that you mentioned something about how this device only has a limited amount of charge, as such I think it would also be pertinent to conserve the little we do have"

While he had quickly come to understand how exactly the tablet worked, one thing here forgotten about, much to his embarrassment, was that it still needed to be charged from time to time. Much like a certain weapon in his inventory which he was fond of using but often forgot to charge up before battle.

Arona nodded her head and agreement, the tiredness in her eyes seemingly related to the fact that the tablet she resided in was beginning to run low on battery.

"OK sensei, but remember! If you need anything, don't hesitate to wake me up... OK?" Arona replied with a slightly authoritative tone, while she would take any opportunity to sleep, she also didn't want to inconvenience the Hunter at any point.

The hunter simply nodded, a smile making its way onto his lips as he quickly put the tablet back in his overcoat pocket, which was all the signal that Arona needed as she quickly found a nice quiet spot to lie her head, her Halo slowly beginning to fizzle out of existence, as the tablet screen itself went dark.

As the hunter continued on his seemingly aimless journey, he found himself alone with his thoughts. While he cherished the endless interactions with others, he also valued the serenity of these solitary moments, allowing him to quietly contemplate and reflect.

Casting his gaze around at the buildings that surrounded him, the hunter could feel a familiar sensation deep within his bones. He was getting close to his target, and while he was not on the hunt, thinking of his destination as a potential target to be hunted always helps to concentrate and help steer his sense of direction. Most people would have found it bizarre and strange, which he could fully accept, but it was just how his mind operated.

Yet as the hunter continues to slowly meander his way down the street, he suddenly became aware of a new sound, one that was barely perceptible over the quiet howl of the wind yet continued to grow in intensity as whatever its source was approached him from behind.

Turning on the spot the hunter squinted his eyes, at first it was a blurry shape, one that was completely imperceptible even to his keen vision. But slowly, be indecipherable shape began to become more recognisable.

It was a person on a bike, specifically it was a young girl riding a blue bike, her grey hair being blown behind her as she approached the Hunter at a rapid turn of speed. However, as she approached, the hunter could finally notice that the atop her head was a set of grey wolf-like ears that twitch and moved similarly to the canine predator.

'I wonder if she is an Abydos student'

Shiroko continue to pedal, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she worked up a very light sweat, the street in front of her was completely empty and barren as usual and perfect for bicycling.

And while seeing the surrounding city in such a state always made her feel sad, one good thing she did take away from it was that she was able to ride her bike almost anywhere without any kind of obstruction.

Going for a long bike ride always cleared her mind of any negative feelings and thoughts, in fact despite being urged to start bike riding mostly to keep in shape, now she did it almost exclusively as a form of relaxation. The wind In her hair, the sight and smell of the sand, the sound of her bike tyres against the pavement, it was just soothing to her mind and body.

However, as Shiroko continue to peddle her way down the street, occasionally stealing glasses at the deserted and decaying building around her. She suddenly noticed something in the middle of her path, it wasn't a piece of trash or garbage, or even a deserted vehicle.

No, it was... a person?

Pulling on her bike's brake handles, Shiroko let herself slow down, the person which was standing in the middle of the sand covered Street turning to look at her as she approached him.

The first thing that caught her eye was that he was a man, even so the second thing that pulled her attention was the fact that the spot above his head where a halo should have been was completely absent.

His clothes were also strange, having a very refined and elegant like quality to them that gave him the look, as if he had stepped out of some kind of fantasy novel or from an old work of art, and made him look completely out of place in stark contrast to the ruined buildings and sand around him.

Yet as she finally came to a stop, no more than a stone's throw away from the stranger, Shiroko felt a strange tingling sensation wash over her, one that made all the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, and her ears shoot straight up on high alert.

It was hard to describe for her, but it almost felt like she was standing in the presence of some great apex predator, one that if it wanted to could easily overpower her without any effort on its part. It made her extremely cautious and a little bit on edge, despite the fact that nothing about the stranger looked outwardly forbidding, in fact quite the opposite, while he had no discernible expression on his face or didn't seem like he was a dangerous person.

Quickly dismounting her bike, Shiroko began to walk closer to the stranger, managing to get control of her emotions as she pushed away the uncertainty that she felt just looking at him.

"Are you OK?" Shiroko asked somewhat hesitantly, while she didn't see any reason to be afraid of this mysterious stranger, considering she could take care of herself and there was nothing outwardly alarming about him, some deep instinctive part of herself still kept its guard up just in case.

The stranger didn't immediately respond, instead choosing to somewhat discreetly look Shiroko up and down as if he was examining every inch of her. However, this did not last long, as he finally looked at in the eyes and spoke.

"Yes, I am more than well, young lady" His voice sent a shiver down Shiroko's spine. His voice had an almost ethereal quality to it, but paradoxically sounded completely normal, it was a strange juxtaposition that her brain simply couldn't figure out.

"Oh OK... are you lost then? You don't look like you're from around here?" Shiroko immediately mentally kicked herself for her word choice, to her ears it sounded like she was being condescending. Yet if the stranger was offended by her words, he didn't express any, as he quickly rubbed his chin for a moment.

"I wouldn't say that I'm lost per se... more just letting my Instincts guide me you could say" The stranger replied. Shiroko tilted her head to the side, a slightly perplexed expression making its way onto her face. If the stranger wasn't lost but wasn't looking for anything in particular either, then what exactly was he doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere.

*Nm* Shiroko let out a quiet sound as she continued to stare at the stranger somewhat puzzled, he was a strange person for sure both in the way he dressed and the way he talked, but then it suddenly occurred to her that maybe he was here for a reason. As such, she quickly blurted out a question without really thinking.

"Are you an adult from the general student council? Are you here on some kind of academy-related business?" Managing to get a hold of herself immediately before she could blurt out anymore.

Shiroko felt a slightly embarrassed blush forming on her face, yet the majority of her embarrassment was out weighed by the hopeful feeling creeping into her heart. If he was who she thought he was, then it was possible that her and her friend's luck was about to change.

The stranger did not immediately respond to her questions, one of his eyebrows arching upwards as after a moment a quiet chuckle escaped his lips. Shiroko was a bit confused by this, but before she could say anything, the stranger decided to introduce himself.

"I suppose you could say that. You may call me the good hunter or sensei if you wish" The hunter paused for a moment, watching the grey haired wolf girls eyes go wider as he continued speaking "I am here as part of the federal investigation Club, I came in response to a letter I received the other day" With a wide sweep of one of his arms, the hunter gave a short bow.

Shiroko was completely at a loss for words, it sounded like it was too good to be true, which was what prompted her to do what she did next.

Gently putting her bike on the ground, she quickly walked over to the good Hunter, who was caught momentarily off guard as she began to pace around him. The look of bewilderment never leaving her face as after a moment she gently poked him in the side, clearly trying to figure out whether he was actually real or some kind of heat stroke induced illusion.

Continuing to watch the young wolf girl circle around him and poking him in various places occasionally, the hunter let out a laugh, finding her behaviour quite strange but understandable.

Clearly the situation involving Abydos was so dire, that even when help was presented to one of its students, they genuinely didn't believe it.

However, that thought made his smile waver for a moment, just how bad of a situation was this school in where the mere idea that help would actually come when requested was almost an unthinkable concept to the students.

'The situation may be much worse than I thought'

The hunter thought to himself, continuing watching the young girl doing a few more revolutions around him. However, after a moment he held out his hand managing to stop her from doing another circle around him and making her look up at him, her eyes were filled with bewilderment and disbelief but also a growing sense of relief as well.

"I can assure you, young lady, that I am real and here to help" The hunter smiled softly, gently placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he looked into her eyes.

It was only done that he noticed that one of her eyes was a different colour, specifically her pupils, with one of them being an unusual dark grey and the other being a more normal black.

Shiroko felt a massive sense of relief wash over her, the disbelief that had been on her face a moment ago slowly disappearing as it was replaced by a genuine relief-filled smile.

the hunter smiled back at her, withdrawing his hand from her shoulder, as the two stared each other in silence for a brief moment before a surprised look crossed the wolf girl's face.

"Oh... I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Sunaookami Shiroko. I'm a second year student" Shiroko spoke softly, a smile instantly returning to her face as she introduced herself to The Hunter.

"It's very nice to meet you, Shiroko" the hunter replied, giving another slight bow which did confuse Shiroko somewhat but not to the point where the smile left her lips. Even so, after a moment, the hunter quickly began to speak again. "Would it be fair to assume that you are a student of Abydos High School?"

Shiroko's face remained unchanged as she quickly nodded her head, her ears bouncing in rhythm with her head movement, much to the amusement of the good Hunter.

"Yes I am" Was all that the young girl answered as she turned and quickly retrieved her bicycle which was still laying nearby.

"I see, in that case, I wouldn't suppose you mind escorting me to the campus?" The hunter asked politely, while he didn't exactly need her assistance in locating the school, he thought it would be for the best to ask her, both in an attempt to get her to trust him and ingratiate himself with her.

Shiroko let a small smile spread across her lips, as she began to push her bike down the road, motioning for sensei to follow her.

"I'd love to Sensei" She said softly as the hunter quickly fell into lockstep next to her, both of them continuing to walk down the deserted road surrounded by dusty sand covered buildings.

As the Hunter walked beside Shiroko, he quickly determined that she was not exactly the most vocal of people, considering the silence that existed between them as they both continued to walk. However, he did not mind this simply because it was just the way she was, and if she didn't feel like making small talk then he wouldn't hold it against her.

…​

The clubrooms double doors opened, allowing Shiroko to quickly step inside as she motioned behind her. However, before she could open her mouth to speak, she was quickly interrupted by a black-haired girl with cat ears and a cross-hair type halo.

" Welcome back, Shiroko. What took you so long?" The blackhead girl asked, raising an eyebrow as she quickly stood up from the desk she was sitting at.

Shiroko didn't immediately respond, instead of simply choosing to stand aside and motion to someone out of sight, much of the confusion of the blackhead girl and the others in the room.

*Nn*"You can come in, Sensei" Shiroko said softly As the hunter quickly entered the room, having to duck slightly as to avoid bumping his head on the low door frame. He was met with a very well-kept room filled with various kinds of school equipment, all neatly arranged. However, what caught is attention the most was the three students occupying the table in the centre of the room.

"Shiroko... Who is this" A girl with pointed ears and glasses quickly spoke, a slightly confused the look on her face as she looked at the mysterious adult that had just entered the room alongside her classmate.

"Wow, Shiroko brought a visitor to our school!" A girl with light sandy brown hair and a green halo exclaimed excitedly, letting out a loud giggle as she clapped her hands together in an almost motherly like fashion.

"Who are you exactly?" The cat-eared girl asked with a considerable amount of hostility in her voice, crossing her arms over her chest as she cocked an eyebrow while looking at the mysterious individual.

Shiroko open her mouth to answer these inquire, however she was quickly stopped by The Hunter who put a kindly hand on her shoulder. A smile working its way onto his face that conveyed that he was grateful for her offer, but he could introduce himself.

As such, removing his hand from the wolf girl's shoulder, the hunter quickly stepped forward, giving a slight bow much to the assorted reactions of the girls in front of him.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am the good hunter or Hunter sensei if you will. I am here as a representative of the federal investigation club, Schale" Quickly rising from his bow, the hunter put on a genuine and approachable smile. "It is very nice to meet all of you"

The hunter saw various reactions from the girls in front of him, the girl with the pointed ears, glasses and the red halo had a look of pure astonishment race across her face, her mouth hanging open in share disbelief. The girl with cat ears and black hair kept mostly the same slightly cautious and unimpressed expression, yet the hunter could swear he saw a small amount of anger beginning to manifest in her eyes. The sandy haired girl with the green Halo made a surprised face, as if him introducing himself was the most baffling and surprising thing in the world.

"W-wait, You're with Schale? The Federal Investigation Club?" the girl with the glasses said after a moment of silence, stumbling over her words a few times as the look of bewilderment on her face grew ever more present by the second.

The hunter simply noted his head, which made the bewildered expression on the glasses wearing girl's face even more pronounced, as she looked like she was about to faint.

"Wow! That means you got the letter Ayane wrote!" The girl with the green Halo said with a loud laugh, the hunter could easily ascertain that she was perhaps the most easygoing out of the bunch, judging from her overly relaxed and chipper attitude.

The glass is wearing girl now identified as Ayane quickly shook her head. The expression of the bewilderment quickly being replaced by a look of genuine relief and happiness.

In fact, she was so full of joy and joy, that in a moment of pure emotion she quickly ran over to the good Hunter, much to the surprise of her friends, grasped his hand and began vigorously shaking it.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I didn't think anyone would actually come. You don't know how much of a relief this is!" Ayane spoke so fast that the words were almost unintelligible, her friends were giving her strange looks.

But quite frankly she didn't care, the fact that her letter actually made it to its destination and somebody actually came was just overwhelming.

The good Hunter, despite being momentarily surprised by her sudden actions, quickly let out a joyful laugh as he gently stopped her from shaking his hand and released himself from her hold.

He then quickly placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a very slight but reassuring squeeze, while kneeling slightly so he could look her in the eye.

"When I received your letter, I came as soon as I could. After all a teacher's duty is to look after his students" Ayane looks like she could cry, fact a few tears actually formed at the corner of her eyes, before she got a hold of herself taking off her glasses and rubbing the tears away before putting them back on and taking a calming breath to get a hold of herself.

The hunter let a satisfied smile appear on his face, quickly removing his hand from the girl shoulder, and standing back up to his full height as he looked towards the other two girls in the room.

The brown haired girl was looking on at the scene with genuine happiness and excitement, while the black haired girl with cat ears just looked even more angry, as if the hunter had done something to personally offend her.

Ayane quickly turned to her friends, motioning for both of them to introduce themselves. The black haired girl let out an audible frustrated groan, while the girl with brown hair excitedly trotted over to the Hunter, her ample chest bouncing in rhythm with her step as she introduced herself.

"My name is Izayoi Nonomi it's nice to meet you, Sensei!" Nonomi said with a warm and kind smile, giving a little bow of her own, playfully mirroring the good Hunter's actions, which made him chuckle as he responded to her introduction.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Nonomi" The Hunter gave a mock bow back to her, causing the brown haired girl to giggle loudly as the two of them finished their introduction.

Turning to the black haired girl with cat ears, the hunter could see from the look on her face that she didn't want to introduce herself, let alone be in the same room with him. He wasn't exactly sure what about his introduction had seemingly offended her, but he hoped to remedy the situation before it got any worse.

"And who might you be, young missy?" the hunter said after a moment of uneasy silence, it was obvious that she wasn't going to initiate the introduction, so he decided to do it for her.

The girl let out an audible annoyed growl, noticeably rolling her eyes as she introduced herself. "I'm Serika" Was all that she said, her arms remaining crossed over her chest as she began to tap her foot, clearly irritated.

Despite not showing it on his face, the hunter he was a bit dejected by her behavior, he wasn't sure why she was acting this way, but he decided not to push her any further as he backed away from her. Choosing to stand next to Shiroko as Ayane motions to the other students to gather around the meeting table.

"Since Sensei is here, this means that we can finally get more supplies and ammunition." Ayane smiled excitedly as the look on her face was one of pure excitement. The prospective of actually being able to put up a fight against the frogs that have been harassing her and her school genuinely improved her morale.

Nonomi shared in Ayane's excitement, a bright smile making its way onto her lips as she quickly spoke as well. "It's like sensei as a guardian angel! Coming down from heaven to help us Heehee" Nonomi laughed loudly,

Ayane quickly joining in as for the first time in a while both girls genuinely felt happy about the immediate future.

"I have to tell Hoshino. Wait... Where is she anyway" Ayane began looking around for the person in question, pointed ears wiggling slightly as she tried to locate wherever Hoshino had gone off to this time.

The other girls quickly joined in with her, looking around the clubroom in all the obvious spots for the elusive girl but having no luck as she clearly wasn't in the room with them.

The hunter himself also idly looked around, trying to locate wherever this Hoshino could possibly be. However, it became quickly apparent to him that she was not here.

Serika quickly spoke up after a moment. "She's probably taking a nap in the next room. I'll go wake her up" The cat eared girl quickly turned up our heels and exit the room, not even giving anyone a second glance as she did so. The door behind her slam shut a bit more forcefully than she probably intended to, but simply didn't care.

Everyone in the room was left a bit stunned, before a slightly embarrassed and disappointed look crossed Ayane's face as she began to apologise. "I'm sorry about her, Sensei. I'm not sure what's gotten into Serika?" Ayane quickly stood up and gave an apologetic bow to the Hunter. Who simply disregarded it by waving one of his hands in a nonchalant manner.

"You should not need to apologise on her behalf Ayane, I will not hold her actions against her" The Hunter replied, trying to get the elf girl to understand that he wasn't offended by Serika's actions.

After all, if he was going to be a teacher then he needed to have patience with his students, not every single one of them were taken an instant liking to him. He needed to build a relationship with them, instead of simply just expecting one to form instantly.

Ayane still looked slightly embarrassed and frustrated but accepted the hunter's words as she quickly sat back down at the meeting table in front of her.

"Serika can just be a bit funny sometimes. I'm sure she'll come around eventually, Sensei" Nonomi said with a smile, trying to keep the overall mood of the room up. She knew that Serika could certainly be a prickly one sometimes, especially around new people, but this level of hostility to somebody that she had only just met was genuinely bizarre even for someone like her.

*Nn* "Serika is just like that sometimes" Shiroko said quietly, choosing to sit down in one of the many empty seats as she put her white assault rifle on the table in front of her, along with the small duffle bag that she had been carrying this entire time.

The hunter let the silence in the room linger for a moment, but just as he was about to open his mouth to say something, he was quickly silenced as the all too familiar sound of gunfire quickly opened up.

*pop* *pop* *tat* *pop* *tat* *tat* *pop*

The sound of the bullet impacting the wall and shattering the window caused all the girls to immediately go on high alert, each one of them instinctively grabbing their respective weapons.

Nonomi was the first to speak, "Was that gunfire!?" she accompanied her words by quickly hoisting up her massive minigun, the white and black rotary cannon being of such immense size, that the hunter was genuinely shocked and simultaneously impressed that a girl of her stature could actually lift the thing.

From outside the now shattered window, voices could now be heard speaking and laughing, and peering outside, Ayane was able to confirm that it was none other than the Kata-Kata helmet gang that was attacking the school.

"Hahah!"

"They're all out of ammo. Let's finish them off, Girls, and take over that school!"

"Hell yeah!"

"Let's go!"

The group of delinquents continues to shout loudly, as they went on to fire at the school with their automatic weapons, not caring in the slightest about the amount of property damage they were causing in the process.

The hunter let out a frustrated sigh, while he still wanted to help every student he can, even the ones that were troublemakers like this lot. He was beginning to feel his patience tested by just how troublesome some students seems to be.

Nonomi was the only one to notice the hunters' frustration, her gaze taking on a noticeably concerned look as she turned to The Hunter.

"Sensei... Are you OK" Her words were quickly and abruptly ended by another shower of gunfire peppering the outside of the school. The hunter didn't immediately respond to her, waiting for a pause in the gunfire before he did respond.

"I am fine, Nonomi. It is nothing that you should be concerned about" The Hunter let out another groan as he spoke. The minigun welding girl seemed like she wanted to say more in response to his words, but she couldn't before Ayane quickly spoke up.

"There's a large group approaching the school! It must be the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang!" Ayane quickly retrieved a smart tablet from the table in front of her, typing away at it with such ferocity and speed that it was a genuine miracle the little device didn't shutter from the force of the blows it was receiving.

Shiroko, quickly retrieved a result rifle from the table, ejecting the magazine and checking that it was fully loaded before inserting it back into the weapon. "Those punks... they have some nerve coming back for more" She said with a noticeably angry tone, quickly releasing the safety catch on her rifle and racking the bolt and chambering a fresh round.

The hunter shared a glance with Shiroko, a smile of admiration spreading across his face as he marveled at her unwavering determination. Although he had not yet seen her in combat, his instincts told him that she possessed exceptional fighting ability.

More gunshots rang out as bullets impacted against the outside wall of the school. The door to the clubroom quickly slammed open, revealing Serika dragging another girl behind her by the scruff of her shirt.

"I've got Hoshino! Now If she'd just wake up dammit" Serika let go of the half asleep girls' shirt as she quickly ran to the corner of the room, retrieving her rifle from a ready rack and making sure it was loaded. If the gang wanted another fight, then she was sure as hell gonna give it to them, especially considering the kind of mood she was in right now.

The hunter turned his attention to the newest edition in the room. The new girl which he could presume was Hoshino let out a loud audible yawn as she hoisted her arm over her head. She was short, shorter than the rest of her classmates by a noticeable degree, she had long pink flowing hair that cascaded down her back.

Her uniform consisted of a patterned skirt similar to the ones of her classmates and a simple white button-up shirt, with a blue tie very similar to the ones of her classmates, tucked into the shoulder harness which she wore. Her Halo was perhaps the strangest one he had seen so, it was made up of multiple concentric circles that immediately made him think that it looked like an eye.

*yawn* "Just five more minutes..." Hoshino let out another yawn as she hunched her back, practically falling asleep on her feet as the rest of her classmates got ready for battle. The hunter raised an eyebrow at her behaviour not because it was inappropriate but rather because there was just something that felt off to him, it was strange, almost as if her sleepy persona was...

Forced.

"Hoshino! Take this seriously! The helmet gang is attacking again!" Ayane was clearly frustrated by her upper classmen's behaviour.

Yet, she decided to put it to the side for a moment as she motioned to the good Hunter. "By the way, this is sensei from Schale" Ayane finished her quick introduction of the Hunter by quickly grabbing her pistol from the table, making sure it was loaded before placing it in the holster attached to her side.

"Ohhh. That's a problem..." Hoshino let out another yawn as she quickly rubbed her eyes, turning to look at the hunter with a look that he couldn't quite place for a moment. "Nice to meet you, Sensei"

Starting into the girl's eyes, the hunter noticed that she had very distinct heterochromia. With one of her eyes being a deep baby blue while the other was a deep orange.

However, the colour of her eyes wasn't what the hunter paid attention to. No he paid attention to her gaze, despite the fact that she hid it well, the hunter could easily see past her defences, seeing the look of suspicion and distrust in her gaze that was hidden by her deliberate and slightly forced laid-back attitude.

While her distrust and suspicion was a bit strange, the hunter decided not to pay it any mind for the moment as he quickly introduced himself as well.

"Nice to meet you, Hoshino. Although I wish our first meeting was under... Better circumstances" The hunter quietly observed the look in her eyes, noticing that the level of distrust and suspicion in her gaze did not change as she quickly let out another exaggerated yawn.

Serika quickly stomped back over to Hoshino, holding her rifle in one hand and a sleek white shotgun in the other, which she quickly pushed into the chest of the pink-haired girl, forcing her to grab it so as to not let it drop to the ground.

"For crying out loud! Wake up and get your butt in gear, Hoshino! Literally! We have to defend the school!" Serika set angrily, frustration creeping into her voice as she hurriedly walked to one of the nearby windows, being sure to stay out of sight while still peaking around the corner to observe the gang members who were still shooting at the school building from outside.

Hoshino let out another yawn as she took the shotgun in her hands, and with a swiftness and dexterity that the hunter found both impressive and surprising, quickly loaded the shotgun. Her face remaining the same as the look in her eyes turned into one of determination as she quickly racked the bolt of her shotgun, making it ready for use.

"Don't they know it's rude to interrupt somebody's nap? I hate the helmet gang" Hoshino put on a noticeably dopey expression as she put the shotgun over her shoulder, holding it by the butt stock as she walked over to a nearby weapon rack and retrieved a very unusual object.

Watching with slight fascination as she hoisted the object up by a strap, revealing it to be a large and old but well maintained shield of some kind. On the shield's front was a triangular-shaped logo, with a string of text beneath it that was partially obscured by both damage, wear and tear, but the hunter was able to make out the text regardless.

Iron Horus

The name sounded familiar to the Hunter, in fact, it immediately reminded him of some of the ancient great ones of Loran. But that was most likely just a coincidence.

"Let's get going, everyone. Sensei brought us some ammunition and supplies so we're good to go" Shiroko turn her attention to The Hunter, which was enough to remind him that he did in fact bring ammunition for them, he had momentarily forgotten much to his chagrin.

"Indeed I did bring ammunition, I didn't know exactly what kind of ammunition your weapons used, so I brought a wide assortment with me" the hunter saw all the girls visibly become excited when he mentioned the prospect of having ammunition for them. It was still a bit strange to him to see girls would get excited over such a thing, but he decided to not question it.

Reaching into his overcoat, retrieving what he was looking for and placing it on the table in front of him, all the students gathering around him as they looked down at the small little box.

9 mm Parabellum, 35 rounds.

All five Aybidos students looked at the single box of pistol ammunition, each one of their faces completely blank and featureless as they stared at the singular ammunition box.

Nonomi was the first to look to the good Hunter, her facial expression conveying confusion and perhaps a small amount of frustration, even though she tried her best to hide it with a smile

"Uhm... sensei... is this all you brought with you?" The blonde haired girl tried to not make the frustration that she was experiencing evident in her voice, after all, it could have been just a simple mistake on sensei's part.

The good Hunter opened his mouth to speak but was quickly silenced by Serika, an angry look in her eyes as she pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"Is there some kind of sick joke! Do you really expect us to fight a whole gang off with this!?" The angry cat girl gestured to the single box of pistol ammunition, her feelings of rage and frustration growing by the second as she briefly considered actually turning her rifle against the Hunter.

Once again opening his mouth to speak, the hunter was quickly silenced again as he felt frustration beginning to build within him.

This time it was Ayane, who quickly got between Serika and the good Hunter, trying to calm down the nearly incandescent cat girl. "I'm sure it's just a mistake, Serika! Just calm down" Ayane words fell on deaf ears as Serika continued to fume openly, the look of hatred in her eyes growing stronger and stronger by the second.

With his frustration now reaching a critical point, the hunter quickly tapped his foot against the floor, the force from his strike leaving a noticeable dent in the floor below as all the students turned to look at him now silenced by his action.

"If you had let me finish. Then I would have said that this is not all that I brought with me" the hunter cleared his throat as he stopped talking, managing to compose himself and flush the frustration from his system as he took a calming breath.

The students looked at him strangely, if the hunter had actually brought from ammunition with him like he said, then how exactly was he carrying it. Considering that, they couldn't see any obvious indications of where the ammunition would be stored on his person.

Reaching into his overcoat again, the hunter swiftly produced another box of pistol ammunition, yet before the students could say anything. He quickly reached into his pocket and bizarre produced another box this time of rifle ammunition specifically 5.56 calibre, the exact kind of ammunition that was needed for Serika and Shiroko rifles.

Again he reached into his overcoat, producing several more boxes of the same ammunition, which was more than enough for the students to feel a growing sense of shock as the ammunition on the table quickly began to increase. They didn't understand how it was possible, every time his hand reached into his pocket another box of ammunition would come out, and it wasn't just pistol and rifle rounds.

The hunter rapidly produced several boxes of 12 gauge ammunition ranging from double odd buckshot, to solid slug rounds.
Hoshino, raise an eyebrow at this, a slightly giddy look Crossing her face for just a split second at the prospect of being able to use some 12 gauge slugs
And just when they fought it couldn't get any more ridiculous, he then produced an impossible amount of 7.62 mm ammunition, the very same kind that Nonomi's beloved mini gun chewed through like no tomorrow.

With one final box placed in the pile of ammunition on the table, the hunter stepped back, allowing the girls to see the full extent of the ridiculous amount of ammunition in front of them. It was excessive, and it was ridiculous, but it was just what they needed.

"I apologise if this is still not a sufficient amount of ammunition. There was only so much that I could carry with me before becoming encumbered" The hunter said with a slightly apologetic tone, completely missing the shocked and stupefied faces on all the students.

Hoshino was the first to pick her mouth up off the floor and respond quickly, resuming her overly tired and laid back persona.

"Wow sensei. Is this really all for us?" she said with an exaggerated yawn, eyeing almost hungry the 12 gauge shotgun slugs resting on the table. While she couldn't begin to understand how he could carry so much on him, quite frankly she wasn't really going to complain or really question considering that he was giving this all to them for free and the fact that they were shotgun slugs involved.

"Sensei. Did you do that with some kind of magic trick?"

Shiroko quickly began to pace around the Hunter, much to his amusement, she was looking for any potential places he could have been hiding all the ammunition. Yet despite her keen eye, she couldn't see any obvious spots where it could have been concealed. Which only caused the slightly annoyed expression on her face to grow deeper as she continued looking, despite the fact it was becoming obvious that there wasn't anywhere it could have been concealed.

Nonomi after scooping her mouth up off the floor, quickly let out a couple of cheerful giggles. Despite the fact that it's seemingly wasn't possible for a single human to carry so much ammunition, the green-eyed girl wasn't really going to question it, considering that the hunter had been thoughtful enough to bring her a lot of extra 7.62 mm ammunition for her minigun.

"Wow, sensei. You're really full of surprises" She accompanied her words by hefting her minigun up onto the table. Which groaned noticeably under the sheer weight of the weapon as Nonomi began emptying the ammunition out of the cardboard boxes they came in, and placing the bullets into the magazine of her minigun, while also tucking extra rounds in the pockets of her sweater just in case.

The Hunter, still with Shiroko cycling around him trying to find any potential hiding spot for the ammunition, let out a chuckle, it seemed that even though he wasn't sure exactly how much ammunition to bring, the amount he did bring was more than enough for them. In fact, he was beginning to think that he may have brought a bit too much, but he's supposed that even if he did, the girls would put it to good use.

"OK everyone now that everything is in order" The hunter got everyone's attention with his tone of voice, all of them stopping what they were doing which was mostly loading ammunition into their weapons as they all turn to look at him.

"I think it's time we show these delinquents that this school is not as defenseless as it seems" Shiroko, Nonomi, Serika, Ayane and Hoshino all looked at the Hunter with resolute looks in their eyes as they all collectively cocked their weapons. Much to the satisfaction of the good Hunter, who quickly reached into his overcoat and produced a pistol of his own.

It wasn't a weapon that he particularly favoured, especially compared to his beloved Evelyn. But the repeating pistol, a creation of the healing church workshop, would certainly do for a situation like this. Especially with its ability to perform rapid follow-up shots

"Alright everyone let's go"

"Yes Sensei!"

…​

The Hunter was the first to exit the school building, much to the protest of the Abydos students, as he surveyed the courtyard area of the school. He counted roughly 20 or 25 delinquents, all of them wielding various kinds of weapons, from machine Pistols all the way up to heavy machine guns.

"This shouldn't be a challenge at all" the hunter said murmured to himself as he was quickly flanked by his students, each one of them holding their weapons at the ready, eager to defend their school from these Invaders.

"Everyone scatter!" the hunter abruptly said, the students being briefly caught off guard before they quickly complied with his request, each one of them running to a different area of the courtyard and taking cover behind whatever they could find.

And it wasn't a moment too soon, as the group of delinquents quickly opened up with their weapons, spraying a hail of bullets with no rhyme or reason.

Serika was the first to engage the delinquents, quickly jumping up from behind the old filing cabinet she had been using his cover and with well-placed shots taking out two delinquents.

"Take this!" The black haired cat girl shouted angrily as she continued to target any delinquent she could see. She wasn't going to let them take the school from her, in fact they would have to pry it out of her cold dead hands before she would give up.

Shiroko quickly flew from cover to cover, managing to dodge a hail of bullets much to the good Hunter's amazement, as she quickly landed in the same position as Serika. Both girls sharing a confident glance with each other as they began to work together, using their assault rifles to take out any delinquents that they could target.

Hunter after hiding behind an old pile of sandbags for a moment quickly jumped up on top of them, he wasn't concerned about being hit by any stray bullets, considering that he still had more than enough blood vials on hand, so any damage he could sustain would be negligible.

Surveying the battlefield, the hunter immediately noticed that much like before, the delinquents had no rhyme or structure to their ranks. Most of them simply choosing to stand out in the open whilst spraying their weapons wildly, the few that did have common sense to take cover didn't actually utilise it very well considering that they either disregarded it choosing to jump out into the open, or simply didn't engage in the fight whatsoever instead of choosing to tap away at their mobile phones.

"It seems that some require more correction than other" The Hunter grumbled quietly, his voice being drowned out by the sound of gunfire as he let out an exasperated sigh. Quickly shaking his head, he returned his thoughts to the here, and now quickly issuing out an order, seeing a potential opening that could be exploited.

"Nonomi! Use your chain gun and kick up a dust cloud!" the brown haired girl in question turn to look at the hunter, a somewhat perplexed look on her face, as she didn't quite understand why exactly that would be helpful right now. However, then it suddenly clicked for her, a look of realisation crossing her face as she saw where her friends were and what they were doing.

"Leave it to me! Sensei!" Nonomi said with an excited and cheerful tone, as she jumped up onto the piece of cover she had been using and began to spray and pray with her beloved mini gun. The weapon spitting out hundreds of rounds a second as a gigantic dust cloud with kicked up by her bullets impacting the dusty courtyard.

"H-hey! What gives!?"

"I can't see shit!"

Multiple delinquents cried from within the dust cloud as their vision was obscured by it. The hunter from his vantage point smiled as his plan had worked, they were now even more disorientated and blinded, leaving them open to a counter-attack. Looking over to his right, he saw Hoshino standing by and looking at him with an expecting look. Even though it was obvious to him that she didn't entirely trust him, it was still a pleasant surprise to see her waiting for his word.

"Hoshino! Seize the opportunity!" The hunter shouted loudly as he threw his arm forward, which was all that the pink haired girl needed as she quickly ran into the dust cloud. The Iron Horus unfolding to its full size as she quickly held it up in front of her, using it as a shield.

"As a senior, I want to lose the juniors" Hoshino said playfully as she began to advanced forward, using the Iron Horse as a brace so she could shoot her shotgun one-handed, taking out any delinquents that she could see within her sight.

"There she is! Shoot her, damn it!"

Hoshino immediately turned to the source of the voice, using the Shield to block a hail of bullets that rained down upon her.

"I don't think so!" the pink haired girl said with a slightly displeased tone, as she returned fire silently thanking sensei for providing her with 12 gauge shotgun slugs, which had the power to easily put down a delinquent in one or two well-placed shots.

"Ha! I've got you now"

Hoshino felt somebody place the barrel of a gun against her head, however before the delinquent could react, the abydos student quickly spun around. Momentarily letting her shotgun fall to the ground as she proceeded to smash the Iron Horse over the delinquents head. Which immediately resulted in the helmet they were wearing exploding into a thousand plastic fragments as they dropped to the ground.

Giving the now unconscious delinquent one last look, Hoshino quickly retrieved her shotgun from the ground, loading in a fresh series of 12 gauge shells as she quickly folded the Iron Horus back into its travel configuration. Its job was done for now, so she didn't think it would be needed any more in this particular fight.

The hunter from his position watched Hoshino finish her fight, while the dust cloud obscured her and the delinquents from view for a normal person. He had absolutely no trouble scaring past the particles in the air and seeing just how skilled Hoshino actually was in battle. He was impressed, definitely so, but it also served to further indicate to him that her sleepy and laid back persona was either a complete act or at the very least a slightly modified put on.

"Shiroko, Serika both of you advance while their guard is open!" the hunter yelled to the two girls. Deciding to put the issue of Hoshino and her strange behaviour on the back burner for the moment as he focused on more important matters at hand.

Both Shiroko, Serika looked at the hunter in surprise for a moment before looking back at each other and then nodded in agreement. Jumping out from behind the piece of old sport equipment that they had been using as cover, and running into the mostly evaporated dust cloud.

Serika was the first to open fire, using the burst setting on her assault rifle, to quickly take out five delinquents before ejecting the empty magazine and inserting a fresh one.

Shiroko did much the same, but instead of using a burst function, she simply preferred to use fully automatic fire, quickly gunning down four delinquents before her magazine suddenly went dry. However, reaching into her pocket, she only just now realised that she was completely out of spare magazines.

*Nn* "Serika, I'm all out" Shiroko said matter-of-factly, making Serika turn to look at her, a clearly annoyed expression on her face as she finished inserting the last magazine she had on her into her rifle.

"Shiroko! For God sakes! Why didn't you pick up some spare mags before leaving?" Serika said loudly, chastising her wolf eared friend, to looked back with a slightly embarrassed expression on her face. Pouting noticeably as if she was a small puppy who was being disciplined for misbehaviour.

However, before Shiroko could respond to the black haired cat girl, both of them were suddenly confronted by two overly confident and aggressive delinquents, who pointed their heavy machine guns at both abydos students.

"We've got you now!" One of the delinquents said as she cocked the heavy machine gun in her hands, the other delinquent doing the same, as both Serika and Shiroko shared a glance between each other. While they weren't afraid of taking a few bullets, the fact that both delinquents were wielding heavy machine guns with high rates of fire made the situation a bit more precarious.

However, something unexpected happened just as both delinquents were about to pull the triggers on their respective weapons.

BANG! BANG!

Both Serika and Shiroko instinctively covered the ears, the sound of the bangs sounding much louder than any weapon that they were familiar with, in fact it almost sounded like a heavy cannon going off rather than any kind of man portable weapon. However, when they looked up they saw both delinquents now laying on the ground, their helmets reduced to nothing more than plastic fragments with their weapons laying nearby.

"Ayane! Shiroko needs another magazine" Both students heard the hunter shout from atop his perch, turning to look at him as they saw in his hands was the very same weapon he had produced back in the classroom, the twin barrels smoking noticeably from the shots that they had just fired.

"On it, Sensei" Ayane quickly adjusted her glasses, before proceeding to quickly take away at the smart tablet in front of her. One of the many drones that she kept on campus quickly activated and flew high into the air, in its metallic pincers containing a singular black rifle magazine.

Shiroko looked up into the air watching as the drone flew over her before quickly dropping the magazine from its grasp, as if by Instinct she reached out her hand allowing the magazine to fall into it before in one fluid motion inserting it into her rifle and pulling back the bolt chambering a new round.

"Thanks, Ayane" Shiroko quickly jumped from behind the piece of improvised cover she and Serika had been using. Completely ignoring the complaints of her black haired friend as she speedily charged the nearest group of delinquents.

In a quick burst of automatic fire she managed to take down four out of five of them, however instead of wasting her rounds on the last delinquent, she quickly dodged around the helmet wearing delinquents automatic fire, before delivering a swift roundhouse kick to her stomach. Causing the delinquent to fall to the floor clutching her gut, completely incapacitated and out of the fight.

"Everyone, I think it's time we end this" The Hunter accompanied his words by jumping down from the spot, landing on both his feet as he pointed his strange double barrel pistol at the remaining delinquents.

The abydos students immediately realised exactly what he meant, all of them collectively reading their weapons for one final push.

Shiroko was the first to act, quickly rushing what was left of the delinquent group as she fired the remaining rounds in her assault rifle, the magazine quickly being depleted and ejected. A fresh one abruptly falling out of the sky and into her outstretched hand, courtesy of Ayane's quadcopter drone.

Serika quickly joined her classmate, both of them sharing a glance before they quickly set to work gunning down the few remaining delinquents, as Nonomi and the good Hunter both provided fire support with their respective weapons.

"What the hell!" The leader of the delinquents shouted, looking around completely dumbfounded at all of her fellow gang members which were now incapacitated. She was dressed similarly to her gang members, with the biggest difference being that her uniform was red instead of black, signifying her higher position in the gang.

Shiroko abruptly separated from Serika, ignoring the shouts of the overly aggravated cat girl as she charged at the gang leader. Rapidly reloading her rifle one final time as she hurriedly dodged a barrage of bullets.

"Stay still, damn it!" the gang leader cried as she sprayed another inaccurate hail of bullets.

Shiroko not even needing to put any effort into dodging them this time, as she quickly left onto a piece of gym equipment, using it as a springboard to throw herself into the air.

Firing a burst from her rifle in mid-air, mostly in an attempt to distract the gang leader, Shiroko landed right in front of her, the gang leader's eyes widening behind her helmet as she quickly brought up her machine gun, trying to gun down the student in front of her.

Shiroko was ultimately quicker however as she closed the gap, using the stock of her rifle to smack away the gang leader's machine gun, ultimately throwing it from her grasp. And in one lightning-quick motion. She quickly kicked the gang leader's feet out from under her before delivering a strong and powerful roundhouse kick, throwing the gang leader onto her back as Shiroko stood over her gum pointed directly at her face.

*Nn* A quiet sound escape her lips as Shiroko's trigger finger inched ever closer to the trigger of her rifle, she really wanted to shoot the gang leader repeatedly in the face until she stopped moving. After all, it was only a fraction of what her and her gang members deserved after harassing her and her friends as well as trying to take their school.

However before she could do so she felt somebody place a hand on her shoulder causing her to look behind her, finding that it was none other than the good Hunter, a look of sympathetic understanding on his face as he quickly opened his mouth to speak.

"Shiroko, that's enough. I will take it from here" The Hunter gently squeezed her shoulder with his hand, both to reassure her and to get his point across that this was the end of the fight.

Shiroko looked at the hunter for several moments, her gaze and face remaining flat and even, yet the hunter could see in her eyes the burning conviction and the fervent desire for revenge. Yet finally what after what seemed like an eternity she let out a sigh, lowering her rifle as she stepped away from the delinquent who quickly use the opportunity to get to her feet.

"If you think this is over! Then-" The delinquent didn't get a chance to finish her words, as the hunter quickly closed the gap between her and him, moving so fast that it almost looked like he teleported straight in front of her.

Staring into his eyes, the delinquent found herself beginning to tremble uncontrollably, his gaze held both a mixture of anger and frustration. Yet there was something more to it, something that was hidden yet as clear as day, that made an uncontrollable shiver rundown her spine.

"Young lady... I believe it is time for you to turn back, especially if you do not want to be punished like the naughty little urchin you are" The abydos students felt a shiver run down the spines as the hunter spoke his words.

All the warmth in his tone was completely absent, replaced by a cold and sinister edge to it that was truly strange and slightly unnerving to listen to. In fact, despite nothing about him being outwardly threatening other than his overall structure, all of them felt themselves be put on edge slightly, looking at him as if he was some great predator ready to strike.

By some miracle, the delinquent managed to stay on her feet, despite the fact that her legs and her entire body for that matter were shaking noticeably.

"A-nd W-w-why should I be S-s-scared of Y-you" The delinquent managed to cough out, the shaking in her legs growing to such an incredible degree that she was very close to collapsing outright. The hunter, despite feeling his aggravation increase slightly by her response, he begrudgingly had to respect her determination in the face of danger.

"Well my dear... I could tell you exactly how I punish you and your friends... But unfortunately for you, I am not at liberty to give secrets, especially when those secrets will make your punishment more severe" The hunter was deliberately trying to scare her at this point, silently apologising to her in his mind because even though she was a severe troublemaker, she was still a student in need of guidance.

"Now... leave! And never come back" Leaning in close so he could whisper the last part in her ear, the delinquent's reaction was almost immediate as she quickly turned on her heels and began to sprint in the opposite direction. Completely ignoring her rifle, which still lay on the ground. As the rest of the delinquents that could stand and walk, quickly did the same, following their leader while helping them more incapacitated members as the entire gang retreated from the school grounds.

"Well done, Shiroko" The hunter quickly turned on the spot, bringing his hand up and resting it on the young wolf girl's head as he began to gently rub the spot between her ears. Which, judging from the happy and slightly comfortable expression on her face, she seemed to enjoy to no end.

"I don't believe that those delinquents will be giving you any trouble in the near future, girls" Turning away from Shiroko while continuing to gently rub her head, much to her continuing enjoyment. The hunter addressed the other four abydos students, who had all quickly gathered around, all of them looking extremely contented and overjoyed that they had been able to defend their school against the group of delinquents who had attacked them.

"Wow! We won" Nonomi cheered excitedly, jumping up and down on the spot despite the fact that she was still holding her mini gun in both hands.

The hunter idly thought to himself that the girl must have had incredibly ridiculous levels of strength to do something like that, considering that even with his preposterous strength he struggled to wield a chain gun of similar size and stature.

"Hahaha! How do you like that, your stupid helmet wearing freaks!" Serika cupped her hands over her mouth, hoping that her voice would carry far enough that the retreating helmet gang members would hear her taunt.

"Uheee~ I can't believe we won, the helmet gang seemed really tenacious this time" Hoshino promptly found a nearby piece of gym equipment and seated herself on it, placing down both her shotgun and shield next to her as she yawned while stretching both her arms over her head.

Ayane didn't appreciate Hoshino's as she began to noticeably pout while stamping one of her feet against the floor. "You shouldn't say that, Hoshino. "Those thugs could have taken over the school if we had lost"

Hoshino responded to Ayane's retort by nonchalantly waving one of her hands and giving a big dopey looking smile. Ayane didn't appreciate this one bit, the frustrated expression on her face growing more and more evident. Yet before the poor elf girl's anger could explode, she felt somebody place a hand on her shoulder, causing her to immediately her turn to see who it was.

"Ayane, you should be calm, this is not the time for anger. If anything we should be celebrating our victory" the hunter remarked as the anger and frustration in Ayane's quickly subsided, a slightly dismayed yet calming sigh escaping her lips.

"I guess you're right sensei" Ayane closed her eyes for a second before a small smile made its way onto her face. While the main troubles of the school when nowhere near to being dealt with, she could at least take some comfort in the fact that this day had been a success, and the first one that she and her friends had in quite a long while.

The hunter was happy with the fact that he managed to cheer up the glasses wearing girl, quickly releasing his hand from her shoulder as he turns to look at all the students. All of them looked back at him with a happy expression, even the seeming sourpuss of the bunch, Serika let a little smile appear on her face, despite the fact that she most certainly was trying not to let it.

Despite the lingering problems at the school that were far from being resolved, a sense of warmth filled the hunter's heart as he observed the happiness of the students. It was essential for him to safeguard this happiness, ensuring that every student under his guidance would have the opportunity to lead fulfilling and prosperous lives, free from despair and worry.

"Nn Sensei"

The hunter's attention was immediately taken by the sound of Shiroko addressing him, causing him to look at her as she looked at him. Her gaze filled with admiration and pride.

"Sensei... you gave us the edge that we needed today. We couldn't have done it without you" Shiroko said happily, a small and delicate smile making its way onto her lips.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, yet all the students watch as a genuine smile appeared on his face. He was genuinely touched by her words to the point where he quickly reached out and began to rub her head, much to her satisfaction.

The other students, especially Hoshino and Nonomi giggled loudly as they watched their classmate and friend received her head pats. Shiroko fluffy ears twitching noticeably as she closed her eyes, a broad smile quickly developing on my face.

"Haha, It looks like Shiroko has a new friend" Hoshino laughed with delight, seeing the grey haired girl so happy and content truly warmed her heart. It was also an incredibly touching site considering how Shiroko used to be when she was first enrolled.

Hoshino's smile quickly faulted for a second, reminiscing about the past was something she always hated, especially considering it made her remember...

Quickly shaking her head, Hoshino forcefully pushed out those thoughts from her mind, managing to force a smile to return to her face.

"Well everyone, now that the delinquent issue has been dealt with for the moment, why don't we return inside so we can discuss more about what ails your school" The hunter commented after a moment, removing his hand from Shiroko's head much to her disappointment as her ears noticeably flattened against the back of her head.

Nobody immediately replied to the hunter's words, all the students looking around somewhat hesitantly between each other before Ayane eventually stepped forward, holding her smart tablet close to her chest as she spoke.

"Well sensei, we'd love to, but it's actually nearly the end of the day, and it would take far too long to explain in detail..." Ayane sounded clearly afraid, much to the good Hunter's displeasure. Yet, after looking at the glasses wearing girl for a moment, it's suddenly clicked for him why she was so nervous.

"I see... well in that case then, I suppose I will have to come back tomorrow, preferably in the morning, so I can get a full assessment of the situation" His words had to be desired effect, Ayane's eyes immediately welling up with relief and happiness at the reality that the hunter would in fact come back for them, and simply not forsake them like the general student council had.

The students smiled with relief upon learning that the hunter would return for them, unlike the general student council, which had neglected them.

"T-that would be great, Sensei!" Ayane jumped forward and hugged the hunter tightly. This surprised him and the other students.

Looking down at the girl who had her face buried in his torso, the hunter could see tears of happiness beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. The sight of her beginning to cry was both upsetting and touching. Just how much these girls have suffered in abject silence, their cries for help being completely ignored by the general student council.

"Come now, Ayane. There is no need to cry" The hunter used one of his hands to gently nudge the girl away from him, before quickly lowering himself down onto one knee and retrieving a silk handkerchief from one of his overcoat pockets.

Ayane looked incredibly confused as the hunter gently pushed her glasses up onto her forehead and wiping away the tears arise using the handkerchief. Shiroko, Nonomi, Serika, and Hoshino all watched the scene somewhat bewildered before Hoshino out a loud squeal of laughter.

"What a sight to behold, it's almost enough to make a young maiden's heart swoon" Hoshino accompanied her words by overemphasizing them, striking a pose that wouldn't have been out of place in an old romance novel or movie as the rest of her classmates turned to look at her.

Ayane's bewildered face suddenly turned a bright red, steam practically flying out of her pointy ears as the Hunter quickly finished wiping away the tears from her eyelids, making sure to place her red framed glasses back on the bridge of her nose once he was done.

"Oh Wow! Ayane's face has gone all red!" Nonomi laughed uncontrollably, cupping both of her hands together beside her face, as she watched the clearly embarrassed elf girl quickly bring her hands up to try and hide the self-conscious look on her face.

"I think somebody's in looovvvve" Hoshino said loudly, exaggerating the word love as she quickly walked over to Ayane placing on the girl's shoulder which made her remove her hands from her face, the embarrassed the look still clearly evident but also now mixed with a dismayed and slightly irritated look.

"W-would you please S-stop it" Ayane managed to splatter out, the redness in her cheeks only growing as Nonomi and Hoshino continue to take extreme delight in teasing their younger classmate.

With a glint of genuine happiness in his eyes, the hunter observed the scene before him. It warmed his heart to witness them behave in a manner befitting girls of their age.

"Well I suppose since the day is now over, I should take my leave" The hunter said as he swiftly turned to go, yet he suddenly felt somebody grab his hand causing him to stop in his tracks as he turned to look at whoever was responsible.

"Nn You will come back, right Sensei?" Shiroko asked with a slight pleading tone in her voice. While her face remained mostly emotionless, the look in her gaze made his heart ache. She clearly feared that he would not hold to his promise, choosing to abandon her and her friends like had been done before.

The hunter looked at her, choosing to remain silent for just a moment as he looked at the other students, who by now had stopped their teasing and antics and were all looking at him anxiously and hopefully.

"Of course I will return, Shiroko. I will never abandon any of my students… I promise" The hunter's spoken words broke the silence that hung in the air, all the students immediately feeling an immeasurable amount of relief passed over them as they all visibly felt at ease.

With his promise now made, The Hunter gently patted Shiroko on the head once more, before turning once again and making his way out of the school grounds, all the students watching him as he left. However, as he continued to walk, he suddenly turned around and quickly shouted.

"I will be sure to arrive early tomorrow morning. So until then all of you behave yourselves" The hunter hollered playfully as all the students, minus Hoshino strangely enough, shouted back waving at him as they did so.

"Yes sensei"

With a satisfied smile on his face, the hunter turned and continued on, already having memorised his initial trip from the train station, so getting back wouldn't have been an issue. He also made a silent promise to himself, that he would bring even more supplies with him tomorrow. Because even though it was most likely spoiling them, he supposed that it was acceptable considering how they had been treated up until now.

"I suppose my first official day couldn't have gone better" The hunter silently chuckled to his own satisfaction as he continued to walk. Not noticing that a particular abydos was staring intently at his back, a critical and very distrusting look in her gaze as her blue and orange eyes narrowed considerably.

'Just who are you really, Sensei. And... what exactly do you want from us'

 

[potato murderer]

more, more, more, MORE BULLETS

 

[mgman]

"Jeez Sensei. Why didn't you wake me up when things were getting good!? A certain little AI exclaimed disapprovingly.

The Hunter, holding the tablet at arm's length so he could see her, chuckled quietly to himself much to the disapproval of Arona, Who pouted noticeably at the hunter clearly finding her behaviour comedic and funny.

"Well, you seemed to be sleeping peacefully so I didn't want to disturb you" Putting the tablet back into his overcoat pocket for a moment, the hunter quickly readjusted the massive duffle bag that was on his back.

While the ammunition he had brought with him yesterday had been more than enough to keep the girls supplied for quite a while. He ultimately decided that spoiling them would be acceptable just this once, considering that they had been without support for so long. Also from a practical standpoint he had learnt through trial and error in his past that you could never have enough supplies.

Arona quickly interrupted the hunter's thoughts, causing him to momentarily shake his head as he focused his mind back on the here and how. "Sensei, I know you wanted to help the students by bringing them useful things... but are you absolutely sure it was necessary to completely clear out pretty much the entirety of the club's lunchroom ?"

Quickly retrieving the tablet from his pocket once again, the hunter stared at Arona, who looked at him for a second before directing her gaze to the massive bag that was slung over his shoulders.

Turning his head slightly so he could look at it, the hunter quickly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not, it's better than the food going to waste" Adjusting the bag once again, the hunter continued to walk in silence, the Abydos front gate becoming visible over the sand dunes in front of him.

"Well, sensei... What exactly are you going to eat then?" Arona quickly asked, a slightly concerned look making itself apparent on her face.

Stopping mid-step, the hunter looked at his little AI companion, unsure what to say for a moment. Other than being charitable and not wanting to see food go to waste, the main reason why he was getting rid of it was because he simply would never need it. Even before his ascension, and during his time as a hunter, he needed very little in the form of nourishment to keep himself going. And becoming something more than human basically eliminated the need for food entirely. In fact, he only ate and drank these days mostly out of habit, and because the sensation and taste of eating food was still pleasurable to him.

"There is no need to worry about your little head, Arona. I made sure to leave a few essential items for myself" It was a complete and utter blatant lie, one that made him mentally apologise to his little AI assistant. But ultimately it was for the best, considering that she would most likely start to ask too many questions about the fact that he never seemed to eat or drink. After all, his true nature as something more than human was something he wanted to keep himself.

Arona didn't look entirely convinced by his words, a very sceptical expression making itself known on her face, but ultimately she shrugged her shoulders. As long as there was enough food to keep sensei going then that's all she really cared about, but still, casting her gaze to the duffle bag that was still slung over his shoulders, she couldn't help but find his sudden donation of all the food was a bit strange.

"OK Sensei... But remember! Eating plenty is essential for a teacher to go about his duties!" Arona put a hand on her hip as she waved a pointed finger back and forth, in a manner almost similar to a mother disciplining her child for not eating their vegetables.

Letting out a quiet chuckle, the hunter quickly nodded his head in agreement, while he couldn't keep the promise of having a regular diet considering he didn't need the food, he would at least placate Arona to keep her happy. Besides, a bit of extra food here or there wouldn't upset his stomach, especially considering a lot of the food in this world was strange and new to him, and he was more than willing to try these new and exotic food items.

"Alright Arona, in that case I need to eat plenty to fulfil my duties as a teacher" The hunter replied with a slightly playful tone to his voice, as he quickly placed the tablet back into his overcoat considering that he was almost at the school front gate.

While Arona would be awake this time, she had expressed to the Hunter that she wanted to keep her existence mostly secret, because while advanced artificial intelligence was not entirely unheard of in kivotos. An AI of her sophistication would certainly be a shock to most, as well as cause problems considering that many would like to study her as if she was some kind of lab rat.

The hunter had of course agreed on the spot that he would not reveal her existence, after all it mirrored his own predicament with his true Nature, which he'd prefer to keep hidden mostly, because if the students knew exactly what he truly was then it would be very hard for them to trust him.

Although, as the hunter approached the front gate, he couldn't help but chuckled to himself at the incredibly comedic mental image of him in his true form, standing in front of a full classroom of shocked and disturbed students while teaching as if nothing was wrong.

"While comedic, I don't think my students would appreciate that" The hunter spoke quietly to himself, letting out a few more chuckles as he finally made it to his destination. However, as he approached the open abydos school gate, he quickly noticed that he was not alone, as somebody was standing in front of the school gate, shotgun slung over her shoulder, as she let out a very tired-sounding yawn.

'I never took Hoshino as an early riser' As that thought went through the hunters mind, he observed Hoshino become aware of his presence, turning to look at him with a clearly distrustful and Incredibly critical gaze before she let out another yawn, not needing to fake the tired and sleepy act this time. Because as the hunter drew closer, he could see the tell-tale dark bags under her eyes, which combined with the rigidness in her body was more than enough to tell him that she had been awake for hours, most likely standing in the exact same spot.

"Uheee~ Fancy seeing you around so early, Sensei" Hoshino followed up her words by letting out another yawn, the hunter for his part didn't immediately respond coming to stop no more than an arm's length away from the young girl as she finished yawning and looked at him again this time straight in the eyes.

She did very well to hide it, in fact even he if he wasn't actively looking for it, he probably would have missed it, but it was as clear as day to him. Distrust, suspicion and hostility, all of it was visible in her gaze, and it made the Hunter contemplate what exactly it happened in Hoshino past to make her such a distrustful person of adults.

Quickly shaking his head, the hunter cleared his mind as he quickly responded to Hoshino. "Well good morning to you Hoshino, I could also see the same thing about you, I was not expecting any students to have arrived yet" Observing her reaction, the hunter saw the slight tension in her body and the glint in her eyes, clearly she thought that he was up to no good arriving so early before the other students.

However, after a moment of scrutinising him closely, eventually, the pink-haired girl let out a sigh, the absolutely drained and tired looking in her eyes now becoming even more apparent and almost completely overpowering her distrust for him.

"As the vice club president of the foreclosure task force, it's my duty to always arrive on time before everyone else, and after all an ojisan such as myself needs to make sure that everything is in order for the juniors under my care" Hoshino said with a slightly forced smile, loosening the grip on her shotgun which was still slung over her shoulder as she let out another very tired sounding yawn.

"I see, that's quite commendable of you, Hoshino. I can also certainly understand, because after all as a teacher I must look after all students under my care" the hunter readjusted the duffle bag slung over his shoulder as he spoke. Even though Hoshino's face remained the same, he could see the substantial distrust and suspicion in her gaze return.

However, as she opened her mouth to respond, the hunter interrupted her, holding up his free hand as he spoke instead." Hoshino... I am not sure of your motives, but there is no need to be distrustful of me... My intentions are pure and just" The hunter began to walk as he spoke, crossing the gate threshold and entering the school grounds, leaving Hoshino still standing in her position at the gate as if she was a solitary guard protecting the long deserted school grounds from unknown threats.

Yet as the Hunter gently pushed open the main school doors allowing him to step inside, he failed to notice Hoshino turned to look at him, the tiredness on her face being replaced by complete and utter distrust and maybe even just a little bit of anger.

"I wish I could take you out your word Sensei... But I learnt a long time ago to never to fully trust an adult" Hoshino continue to stare at the door that the hunter had gone through, her two-toned eyes narrowing sharply as she tightened her grip on her shotgun

…...............................​

Ayane was the first to enter the school grounds, letting out a substantial yawn as she readjusted the school bag which was slung over her shoulder. While she had long since grown accustomed to the searing heat of the surrounding desert, she was thankful that today seemed like it was going to be a slightly more mild one in terms of overall heat.

Yet as she entered the school proper, quickly navigating towards the foreclosure task force clubroom, she couldn't help but feel just a small amount of worry beginning to build in her chest. While Sensei had promised that he would return, and she desperately wanted to believe him, some small part of herself still didn't fully accept it, not because of any fault of sensei himself but simply because it felt almost too good to be true.

Giving out a sigh, Ayane already begun to subconsciously prepare herself to be let down and as she finally made it to the clubroom, she paused for a moment as she reached for the door handle.

Almost every part of her being was praying that sensei they would be on the other side of that door, but the longer she stood there in the halfway, the more the feeling of dread and doubt began to creep into her heart, a slightly bitter and sad expression making its way onto her face. In fact, quickly bringing a hand up to her face and pushing her glasses to the side, she rubbed away a few tears that were beginning to begin to appear.

"Get a hold of yourself! Ayane, you're not a kid any more" Ayane said aloud to herself, quickly shaking her head as her voice echoed off the walls of the eerily quiet hallway around her.

Taking a quiet but calming breath, Ayane finally grab the door handle and without any hesitation pulled open the clubroom door gently, not even bothering to look inside as she stepped into the room before quickly timing around and shutting the door behind her, she.

Yet as she mentally prepared herself to be let down, by sensei not showing up, she suddenly heard a familiar voice that made her entire body go as stiff as a statue.

"Ah, Ayane. A good morning to you" Ayane hesitated turning around for a moment, fearing, that it was nothing more than her hopeful imagination playing tricks on her.

Yet finally after mentally psyching herself up, she finally turned around only to see a scene that shouldn't have been surprising to her considering that sensei said he would keep his word, but it's still nonetheless completely stupefying her, making her almost dropped her school bag.

The hunter looked at the young girl before him with a bit of puzzlement on his face, her expression was one of complete and utter disbelief. However, after a moment, it finally occurred to the Hunter what exactly had made her seem so shocked.

Letting out a quiet sigh, the hunter quickly walked over to Ayane, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, causing her to momentarily break from her stupor and look directly into his eyes.

"See, Ayane I told you I would return. After all a teacher like myself always keeps his word" The hunter accompanied his comments by putting a bright smile on his face, which had the desired effect almost immediately, as Ayane went from looking completely stupefied and flabbergasted to noticeably calming down and immediately accepting that the hunter was in fact real and here.

Happy with his actions, the hunter quickly turned away from the glasses wearing student, instead returning his attention to what he was doing before she entered, which was none other than unloading the preposterously large duffle bag of all of its supplies.

Ayane, curious about what the hunter was doing, quickly walked over to the main clubroom desk, only to have her eyes practically fall out of their sockets when she saw the gigantic pile of ammunition and supplies piled up on the desk.

While on the one hand she felt somewhat aggravated by the sheer messiness of the pile, that was quickly overwhelmed by her sheer shock because while the pile was not as big as the one from yesterday, it was still a truly ridiculous amount of ammunition as well as what she could see was food and other various items piled up with it.

"S-Sensei! Is this R-really all for us!" Ayane suddenly blurted out, completely forgetting about her school bag, which slipped from her shoulder and landed on the floor with a soft thump and rattle.

Turning his head slightly to look at her, the hunter smiled with a slightly wolfish grin, while the amount of ammunition he had brought with him today was nowhere near as substantial as yesterday. He had a strong suspicion that this would be the reaction that he received, considering that the amount of ammunition he had brought with him today was still substantial and more than enough for what the abydos students would be needing.

"Why yes it is, Ayane. While I brought a lot of ammunition with me yesterday, I decided that a few more boxers couldn't hurt" The hunter said as he turned to the glasses wearing student, using one of his hands to gesture to the pile of ammunition, as well as the other supplies which Ayane only just now noticed.

Looking between the pile of assorted items and the Hunter, Ayane wasn't quite sure what to say at first before she eventually found her voice. "Sensei... Why did you bring food with you?" she asked tentatively, not wanting to sound like she was questioning his generosity.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, looking at Ayane a slightly questioning gaze before he eventually responded to her question.

"Well, I brought these food items with me, because while ammunition for your weapons is definitely important, I can't have my students going hungry while trying to defend their school against bandits, can I?" The hunter watched with anticipation for Ayane's reaction, her face taking on a slightly uncertain expression before she let out a sigh.

"T-that's really kind of you, Sensei... But we don't usually eat here at school, we tend to bring our own food with us" Ayane quickly retrieved her bag from the floor, placing it on the table and then reaching inside.

"See?" Quickly pulling her lunch box out, Ayane held it up to the Hunter so he can inspect it, which he did as he bent over slightly while silently observing the lunch box.

"I see... How foolish of me" The hunter said. Ayane immediately assumed the worst, fearing that she had offended The Hunter.

"I-it's not a problem, Sensei! I'm sure we can put this food to good use... P-please don't be mad" quickly giving an apologetic bow as she spoke, Ayane quickly closed her eyes, fearing that she had just offended sensei and making it so that he would refuse to help them going forward.

Despite being momentarily caught off guard by her actions, the hunter quickly reached out a hand, placing it on the young girl shoulder as he encouraged her to stand back up, making her open her eyes in the process.

"Why would I be mad at you Ayane, me bring all of this food with me was based on my own incorrect assumptions" The hunter couldn't help but feel a slight aching in his heart seeing the incredibly worried expression on the girl's face.

It stirred something deep within him, something that went beyond his human nature, Ayane may have not been his child in the biological sense, in fact it may have been quite inappropriate to even consider her to be such a thing while having only known her for a short while.

But when he saw the sad and frightened expression on her face, it awakened his deep parental Instincts, ones that he knew came about because of his true nature as something beyond human.

Ayane looked into Sensei's eyes, she expected to see disappointment and even anger as a result of her brushing off his generosity. But she didn't, instead she saw what looked to be genuine compassion and kindness, it confused her but at the same time it immediately soothed her worry and dread, the Hunter taking his hand off her shoulder after a moment.

"Now, there is no need for you to be upset or sad Ayane, I'm sure even if you and your friends do not need all of this food we can put it to good use somewhere... Perhaps we could even give it out to the less fortunate" The hunter said with a slightly thoughtful expression on his face, trying to think of a possible way that all of this food could be put to use if the students themselves did not need it.

Ayane was momentarily taken aback by the suggestion before a pleasant smile made its way onto her face. If she wasn't convinced before now, she truly was that the hunter was a genuinely generous person, considering that he was willing to give this food away to people less fortunate than themselves.

"That sounds wonderful sensei, I think I might know some places where-" Ayane didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as the classroom doors quickly opened up behind her, causing both her and the hunter to turn to look who had opened it.

Standing in the doorway was none other than Nonomi, a school bag slung over her shoulder and her minigun under her other arm. Her eyes immediately brightened up when she saw who was in the classroom. While, she had expected Ayane to already be there ahead of her, considering that her glasses wearing friend often arrived to school the earliest out of everyone.

She hadn't been expecting to see sensei there as well, in fact despite being the most optimistic out of everyone, she had been expecting the hunter not to show up at least until sometime later in the day considering that he was most likely very busy.

"Oh~ Good morning, Sensei!" Nonomi set with a noticeably cheerful tone as she walked into the room, using her foot to shut the door behind her, as she quickly made her way over to the large table in the centre of the room. Putting both her bag and her minigun down on the table, before turning to her classmate and the Hunter.

"A good morning to you as well, Nonomi" the hunter accompanied his words by giving a short bow, which was quickly reciprocated by the sandy haired girl who giggled loudly as she bowed back to the Hunter.

Ayane watch the interaction with a smile, letting out a giggle. Nonomi had always been the happiest and go lucky member of the task force, and while sometimes her overly positive attitude could be a bit overbearing, seeing her well-endowed upper classmate so happy certainly made her feel happy as well.

"Oh Wow! You brought us more goodies today, Sensei?" Nonomi quickly straightened herself from her bow, turning her gaze over to the large pile of ammunition and other items piled in the centre of the main clubroom table.

The hunter quickly straightened himself as well, pulling at the decorative ruffle on the front of his shirt to make sure it was presentable before he spoke. "Why yes I did Nonomi, I brought with me more ammunition as well as food items, I thought that you girls could use them more than I, but I learnt from Ayane that you girls tend to bring your own food from home instead of eating on campus"

Nonomi looked between the good Hunter and Ayane, a slightly mischievous expression making its way onto her face as she quickly spoke with mock anger. "Ayane! How could you! Being so mean to sensei, especially after he spent all morning bringing all of this stuff here out of the goodness of his own heart" Nonomi quickly began to make fake sniffling noises rubbing her eyes to get rid of non-existent tears as the hunter let out an audible chuckle at her teasing attitude.

Ayane however didn't look pleased whatsoever, the smile disappearing from her face as it was replaced with a look of mild irritation.

Seeing her younger classmate's reaction, Nonomi let out a loud laugh which was quickly accompanied by the Hunter who let out his own laugh. The pout and slightly annoyed look on Ayane's increase noticeably as a result, yet she herself couldn't stop a small smile from creeping onto her face.

Even though the problems with the school were nowhere near to being dealt with, she still felt a tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders for just a singular moment, because right now it felt like she was just a normal school girl being teased by her classmates and teacher, instead of somebody who had the entirety of Abydos's future rusting on her shoulders.

"Now then, we have had our fun, but why don't you two girls help me put all of this away" The Hunter gestured to the massive pile of ammunition and other supplies in the centre of the table. "After all, a presentable classroom is always important, especially when it comes to boosting morale" Both girls looked at him for a moment.

Nonomi's smile growing wider as she quickly skipped over to the good Hunter, more than happy to help him. Ayane on the other hand still looked somewhat miffed, but eventually she let out a sigh. A small smile making its way onto her face, quickly joining the hunter and Nonomi as the three got to work organising and storing all the ammunition and other supplies that the hunter had brought with him.

This task, however, didn't take as long as the Hunter had initially expected it to. Nonomi while incredibly laid back and easy going, was by no means a lazy person, in fact as the hunter observed her work, he couldn't stop himself from commending her for her work ethic.

Ayane was also just as dedicated, in fact, the hunter easily noticed that she pushed herself beyond her own limits on occasion to try and keep up with her classmate. Yet, where the glasses wearing girl's strength truly lied was her ability to direct and coordinate those around her.

While he had only seen a brief glimpse of it in the battle for the school grounds yesterday, seeing it on full display in a less serious situation made the hunter commend her as well. Causing the pointy-eared girl to become embarrassed at his flattery, which only served to make Nonomi chuckle quietly to herself as she and the hunter finished by putting away the last few boxes of ammunition.

"All done, and not a moment too soon I suppose" The Hunter said as he somewhat exaggeratedly clapped his hands together in a satisfied manner. Which was quickly accompanied by the doors to the clubroom opening up and revealing both Serika and Shiroko, who immediately stopped the idle chit-chat between each other when they saw who was present in the classroom.

*Nn* "It's good to see you, Sensei" Shiroko quickly made her way over to the Hunter, completely disregarding her school bag which she tossed onto the table as she came to a stop directly in front of the Hunter, looking up into his eyes with a mostly blank expression, yet the hunter could easily see happiness in her gaze.

Chuckling quietly, the hunter quickly padded the wolf girl on the head, much to her pleasure as he turned his attention to Serika, who was still standing in the doorway to the clubroom, a noticeably aggrieved expression on her face.

Yet after a moment she abruptly crossed the clubroom threshold, shutting the door behind her with her foot before, making her way over to the opposite end of the clubroom and planting herself down in one of the many vacant seats, crossing her arms over her chest and irritated manner, turning her head so she didn't have to look at the Hunter.

Continuing to somewhat absent-mindedly pat Shiroko's head, the hunter felt slightly dejected by the blackhead cat girl's continued hostility to him, he still wasn't sure exactly why she seemingly had such a distaste for him. In fact, turning to look at Serika, who had quickly got out her phone and was tapping away at it, the hunter began to think that maybe there was something more to why she was so hostile towards him.

However, the hunter decided to put that to the back of his mind for the moment as he quickly removed his hand from Shiroko's head, speedily turning his attention to Ayane who herself after looking at Serika for a moment, clearly not pleased with her behaviour, let out a quiet displeased sigh before turning to look at the Hunter.

Yet before she could open her mouth to apologise for the behaviour of Serika, the hunter held up one hand, gently swaying his head as he spoke. "There is no need to make an apology, Ayane" The hunter accompanied his words by turning to briefly look at Serika one more time before he quickly shifted his attention away from her and sat himself down in one of the many empty chairs that surrounded the main clubroom table.

Quickly smiling at sensei, Ayane straightened her glasses as she turned her gaze to the clock that hung above the clubroom's double doors. 'It looks like Hoshino is going to be late again' Ayane accompanied this thought by letting out a noticeable groan.

While Hoshino never missed the day of class, in fact, her attendance records since her junior year had been almost flawless. It didn't change the fact that her upper classmen almost without question arrived late to early morning class.

"I would have liked Hoshino to be here, I suppose we're going to have to do this without her" letting out an audible sigh, Ayane quickly straightened her back as she walked to the front of the clubrooms table, motioning for both Nonomi and Shiroko who quickly took their seats at the table.

"We've already introduced ourselves to you, Sensei. So I won't bother with any personal introductions... We're the Abydos foreclosure task force" Ayane pause for a moment, accumulating her thoughts as she then continued speaking. Our mission, as the Foreclosure Task Force. Is to bring Abydos back to its former glory no matter the costs"

After letting the silence hang in the air for a moment, Nonomi quickly followed up what Ayane had to just said. "We're the only club in the school where every student is a member!... I mean, we're the only five students at this school, but still..."

The hunter raised an eyebrow, it was only now after hearing what Nonomi had just said that he realised, that during his relatively limited exposure to the school of Abydos. He had only seen five students, all of which he was already acquainted with.

"Why is that exactly" The hunter suddenly said, catching Nonomi completely off guard with his response.

Ayane and Nonomi both quickly looked at each other, the two of them slightly perplexed on how to answer his seemingly random question, however that's when it clicked for them, with what exactly what he was referring to. Yet before either one of them could speak, Shiroko quickly beat them to it.

"All of the other students either transferred or dropped out and left town..." Shiroko pointed grey ears noticeably drooped as she spoke, a slightly forlorn expression making itself at home on her usually blank face.

"I see, I can't even begin to imagine how difficult it must have been for you to keep the school completely with just five students" The hunter said as he offered his sympathy, while he couldn't begin to fully understand the predicament they had found themselves in. he could at least sympathise with them.

Shiroko's slightly sad expression didn't leave her face as she let out a noticeably frustrated sigh.

"I don't blame all of the other students for leaving entirely, with the state that Abydos is in. if I was in their situation, I probably would have done the same..." Shiroko pause for a moment, the sad expression on her face quickly being replaced by a slightly angry one.

"But still, seeing just how far our school has fallen is embarrassing if I'm being entirely honest, and... It makes me angry" Shiroko finished her words by clenching her gloved hand tightly, the agitated looking of her eyes increasing momentarily before she suddenly closed them, letting out a sigh as she tried to calm herself.

Ayane looked at Shiroko, a noticeably concerned expression on her face as she watched just how angry her wolf eared friend had become. However, before she could say anything, the hunter quickly spoke instead.

"Your anger is understandable, Shiroko. Seeing something that you care deeply about suffer despite your best efforts is distressing to most" The hunter quickly stood up from his chair and moved over to Shiroko, placing a hand on her shoulder as he continued speaking. "Instead of letting those negative emotions affect your mind, you should harness those feelings in order to use them to fuel your determination and motivation" Giving her shoulder a quick squeeze, which made Shiroko look up at him with a slightly confused expression that quickly turned into a determined and happy one.

Yet before anyone could say anything, the sound of the clubrooms doors opening quickly caught all of their attention, making them all turn to look.

*Yawn* "Morning everyone" Standing in the doorway was none other than Hoshino, covering her mouth with one of her hands as she let out a big yawn, while the other was holding the Iron Horus by its carry strap, her shotgun was slang over her shoulder by the sling.

Ayane didn't say anything in response, crossing her arms as she turned to her upper classmate. Tapping her foot incessantly while gesturing to the clock above the door with a nod of her head.

Hoshino after finishing her yawn and stretching slightly, quickly crossed the threshold turning her head upwards to look at the clock as a look of mock shock quickly crossed her face.

"Uhe! Am I really that late?" Hoshino quickly accompanied her words by placing a hand over her mouth, pretending to be shocked at how late she was. Yet the tell-tale twitch at the corners of her lips indicated that she was trying hard not to laugh.

Not appreciating this, Ayane's frustrated expression quickly turned into a full on angry one as she tapped her foot against the floor even harder, to the point where it almost sounded like low calibre gunfire going off in the classroom.

Yet instead of chastising her classmate, eventually Ayane let out a noticeably exasperated sigh. She already knew that Hoshino would be late like she was every morning, but still it didn't change the fact that whenever she was, it made her incredibly frustrated especially considering that as a third year student Hoshino was supposed to set a good example for her as well as her classmates.

"Hoshino, please just sit down" Was all that Ayane said, quickly moving her glasses up as she pinched the bridge of her nose and frustration.

Hoshino for her part simply smirked as she quickly made her way over to the table, quickly placing the Iron Horus along with her shotgun in one of the many weapons racks dotted around the classroom, before setting herself down in one of the many empty chairs. Her eyes almost immediately closing as she rested her head on the desk, yet considering that her Halo didn't disappear meant that she wasn't actually asleep

"Now where was I... Oh! Yes! I wanted to say again, thank you sensei. If you hadn't come to help us, we would have been in real trouble this time around" Ayane quickly bowed, while it did feel a bit needless to thank him like this again, it didn't change the fact that she was extremely grateful, her and her friends would have been in serious trouble without him.

Hoshino quickly lifted her head up from the table, letting out a noticeably exaggerated yawn as she quickly spoke. "Ayane is right, if it wasn't for Sensei showing up when he did, then we would have really been up a creek without a paddle"

The hunter could feel Hoshino's slightly critical gaze land on him for just a moment, her dual coloured eyes holding both suspicion and concern. Yet, The Hunter decided that he wouldn't focus on Hoshino's distrust of him for the moment.

"Like I have already said, your thanks are welcome but unnecessary Ayane, if I did not look after all the students under my care then what kind of teacher would that make me?" the hunter accompanied his words by gesturing with his hand for Ayane to rise which after looking at him for just a moment she quickly did, a slightly embarrassed expression on her face.

"Now then, why don't you all tell me what exactly is the issue that plagues your school" The hunter didn't expect an immediate reaction, which is exactly what happened as all of the students looked around at each other, clearly unsure how to proceed and answer his question.

Yet eventually Ayane step forward, a noticeable amount of hesitancy in her face as she opened her mouth to speak. "Well... You see Sensei... Our school is..."

Ayane didn't get a chance to finish, as Hoshino quickly spoke up, a look of realisation replacing her usual sleepy expression as she stood up from her chair.

"Before we get to that, Ayane, I have something I'd like to say!" Hoshino quickly walked over to where Ayane was standing, so that all the students and sensei could see her.

Clearing her throat, Hoshino began to speak. "While we beat the absolute snot out of the helmet gang yesterday, I don't think that that's going to be the last we see of them. In fact, I would go as far as to say that it's only a matter of time before they come back" Hoshino quickly finished her words by letting out a loud yawn, completely destroying any kind of serious mood she was going for.

The hunter didn't say anything immediately, simply choosing to rub his chin in deep thought. Hoshino was most definitely correct with her assertion, while they had dealt a serious blow to the gang, physically and mentally, the Hunter knew even before the battle had ended, that it wouldn't be the last time that he or the other students would see them.

"Hoshino is right, it's only a matter of time before they come back and cause more trouble" Shiroko said with a slightly displeased expression on her face, while she was more than happy to teach the Gang another lesson if they came back again. It didn't change the fact that there were more important things that she and her friends could be focusing on rather than dealing with a bunch of low life delinquents looking to cause trouble.

"Ha, let them come back, I'll be more than happy to I'll be more than happy to knock them into the dirt like last time!" Serika opened her mouth for the first time since entering the clubroom, the other students and the hunter turning to look at her as they saw the clearly angry expression on her face, her rifle already resting in her lap just waiting to be used.

"I'm with Serika on this one" Shiroko quickly retrieved her own rifle, holding it up and releasing the cocking mechanism which let out a satisfying click. "If they want to come and cause more trouble, then I will gladly teach them a lesson"

The hunter nodded in agreement with both girls, admiring both of their determination to protect their clearly daily beloved School. Although despite the fact that he was more than willing to help in the likely prospect of the gang coming back to attack again, it didn't change the fact that some kind of permanent solution needed to be thought of in regard to the gang.

"Instead of waiting for them to attack, we need to think of some way to drive the gang off so they don't attack again" The hunter said abruptly, catching all the students off guard as they all turned to look at him. While the idea of actually going on the offensive when it came to the helmet gang had been briefly considered many times in the past, it was something that none of them had put any real serious thought into, simply because they never had enough supplies at their disposal to justify such an operation outside of school grounds.

"Everyone!" Hoshino raised her voice slightly, just enough to get everyone's attention without resorting to outright shouting. And satisfied, that now everyone was looking at her, she continued.

"I have a plan" The hunter was slightly intrigued by her words, curious to hear what kind of plan she had come up with.

The rest of the students though had one singular reaction, complete and utter shock at the fact that Hoshino of all people had a plan, considering that she usually spent most of her time lounging around doing relatively little.

"What the...?! Hoshino came up with a plan?!" Serika was the first to react, genuine shock on her face because as long as she had known Hoshino, she had done basically nothing, choosing to simply lounge around all day.

Hoshino for her part simply let out a little laugh, a slightly embarrassed look on her face because even though she didn't like to openly admit it, she did spend a lot of her time during the day snoozing when there were lots of things that could have been done. Still, she made up for it when it came to being active at night however, but her classmates didn't need to know about that now.

"I'm surprised too!" Ayane felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders, an almost relieved expression making its way onto her face at the fact that Hoshino after all the time that she had known her finally suggested something in the morning club meeting.

"Hey, I know I'm not the best, but those kinds of responses hurt my feelings, I do my part too, you know" Hoshino said with mock offence, putting on a deliberately exaggerated hurt expression on her face as well as pretending to cry. Her actions were enough to get a laugh out of Nonomi, and even a quiet chuckle out of the Hunter.

"Well? Come on, spill it before I turn old and grey" Serika accompanied her clearly irritated words by incessantly tapping her foot on under the table, crossing her arms over her chest as one of her cat ears twitched noticeably.

Hoshino waited for a moment, making certain that everyone was looking at her before speaking. "If history repeats itself, the helmet gang will attack again in a few days" Hoshino pause for a moment making sure everyone was following along with her before continuing. "So before then, why don't we go on the offensive for a change. They're probably sulking and vulnerable after that last fight"

Hoshino finished her words by quickly walking over to a weapons rack, and retrieving her Shield and shotgun. Racking the bolt on her beloved weapon to indicate that they should do it now as well as to chamber a fresh round

"Y-You mean right now?" Ayane said with a clearly shocked expression, while she wasn't necessarily against the idea, after all the delinquents wouldn't be expecting a counter-attack. She wasn't entirely sure about the feasibility of the proposal, especially considering that they only had a vague idea of where delinquents were actually based.

"Yeah, we should do it now. With all of the supplies that Sensei brought us, we will have more than enough to finish the job once and for all" Hoshino rested her shotgun over her shoulder, holding it by the butt stock as she looked around at her classmates.

Serika, Shiroko and Nonomi looked between each other for a few moments before all nodding in agreement, while revenge was certainly not a good thing to do, it didn't change the fact that they were all more than willing to hit back at the helmet gang and finally drive them off for good.

*Nn* "The helmet gang's base is only 30 kilometres away from here, we have plenty of time if we leave now" Shiroko said as she retrieved her own rifle, somewhat expressionless face taking on a very slight excited look. She was looking forward to teaching the delinquents another lesson and potentially driving them out of abydos for good.

Nonomi quickly retrieved her beloved mini gun from the table, the table noticeably flexing and creaking back into its original shape, as a result of its frame being liberated of the minigun's weight.

"I'm all for it as well. The last thing that those troublemakers are going to be expecting is for us to attack now" Nonomi accompanied her words with a small giggle, cradling her minigun and even gently stroking it as if it was her child.

Ayane looked at the rest of her classmates, a slightly dismayed expression on her face as she let out a noticeably exasperated sigh. Sometimes she felt like she was the only sane person in the entirety of the foreclosure task force.

On the one hand she wanted to say yes to the plan, simply because it would hopefully get the helmet gang out of their collective hair permanently, but the reason why she was so hesitant was because the plan could easily go sideways, especially if the helmet gang were expecting some kind of counter-attack.

Letting out another sigh, Ayane turn to The Hunter, wanting his opinion on the matter, after all his opinion mattered the most considering that he was the only adult present.

"What do you think, Sensei?" Ayane asked, her as well as the other students all waiting patiently for his answer.

the hunter didn't immediately respond, looking at Ayane for a moment before turning his gaze to look at the other students, all of them except for Serika, who simply turned her head while letting a quiet but noticeable annoyed huff.

But it didn't take him too long to come to his decision as he finally responded to Ayane, standing up from his seat, much of the confusion of the students as he spoke. "I think we should follow through with it Ayane, after all, the sooner we get these delinquents out of your girl's hair the quicker we can get down to the real problems that plague your school" The hunter couldn't help but smile when he saw the expressions the girls faces, the look of excitement that was shared between Nonomi, Shiroko and Hoshino certainly warmed his heart slightly.

"Great! If Sensei is giving us the green light, then let's hurry up and go" Hoshino said with noticeable excitement, the hunter finding it somewhat surprising by just how excited and seemingly energetic she was now.

The hunter smiled at Hoshino, while he's still wasn't exactly sure if he could be considered to be on friendly terms with her, it was actually a pleasant change to see her happy and excited for once, especially considering how she had been with him up until this point.

Shiroko quickly walked over to the Hunter, looking up at him with expecting excitement as she held her rifle close. "Sensei, let's strike while the iron is hot" She said, her eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

The Hunter smiled at her, chuckling quietly is he quickly rubbed her head before turning to the other girls in the classroom, all of them with the exception of Ayane already having retrieved their weapon and reading them for the battle to come.

Ayane let out a quiet sigh, quickly retrieving her tablet from her school bag before turning to the rest of her classmates to speak.

"I'll go get the truck ready" Ayane said, as she put her tablet under one arm before turning on her heels and exiting the classroom.

The rest of the foreclosure task force quickly did the same, the hunter following along behind them as the girls excitedly made their way towards the clubroom's door.

"This is going to be a fun Field Trip!" Nonomi giggled excitedly as she exited the classroom.

Hoshino giving a thumbs up as she responded "Uhe, it's time for a field trip" the hunter chuckled as Hoshino lifted one of her arms up into the air, exiting the classroom as he followed behind, making sure to close the classroom door behind him and the girls made their way towards the Abydos School carpool.

…...............................​

"Ok everyone, we're here" Ayane said, giving one last look at her tablet to confirm that these were the right coordinates. As she switched off the car's engine.

"Uhe, I was just beginning to get comfy" Hoshino accompanied her words by letting out a yawn, as her and everyone quickly exited the truck. The scorching sun quickly beginning to beat down on all of them, yet none of her classmates complained because they were mostly used to it, and the hunter wasn't really affected by the heat at all

"How the hell can you get comfy in that thing, Hoshino? I feel like I have back problems after sitting in those chairs for so long" Serika complained, stretching her arms over her head trying to relieve the stress that was now present in her spine.

"I don't think the chairs in the truck are that bad" Nonomi responded to Serika, as she adjusted the minigun which was strapped over her shoulder. The hunter, despite having grown accustomed to the strange things that students could do, still couldn't quite understand how she was able to so freely heft around such a colossal weapon as if it was the easiest thing in the world.

Serika quickly turned to Nonomi, a blank expression on her face as she finished stretching her arms. "That's easy for you to say Nonomi, you got to sit in the front seat, which if I remember correctly you replaced entirely by buying a brand new one with extra padding"

Nonomi didn't immediately respond, a slightly thoughtful look crossing her face before she suddenly let out a slightly guilty-looking smile.

"Well... I did offer to buy everyone else a custom seat as well" Nonomi said trying to defend herself, letting out a slightly nervous sounding chuckle, which didn't seem to have the desired effect as Serika continued to look at her with a clearly unimpressed gaze.

"Yeah, and remember what we told you at the time?" Serika adjusted the rifle slung over her shoulder as she crossed her arms over her chest, a very agitated and disapproving look crossing her face.

Nonomi intermediately respond, tilting her head up a little bit and placing a finger on the side of her jaw, trying to remember exactly what she was told before it occurred to her. "That I shouldn't flash my money around willy-nilly" The Sandy head girl said.

Ayane hearing the entire conversation unfold behind her let out a noticeably frustrated sounding sigh, it was only now that she remembered why that she and her friends really ever went out together.

Hoshino for her part simply laughed loudly, finding the entire interaction between Nonomi and Serika quite funny, it also warmed her heart slightly to see her classmates actually acting like they should. Because while the problems with their school were many and severe, it was the little moments like this where she could forget about all of that for just a moment, that she cherished.

The Hunter trailed behind the group of students, chuckling quietly to himself as he watched their antics. It was both refreshing and pleasing to see them acting like actual girls of their age instead of having to worry about existential threats to their school.

Yet, as the Hunter and the group of girls continued towards their destination on foot, something suddenly occurred to him that he had not considered up until now. Something that was so blindingly obvious that it made him stop in his tracks for a moment, a completely stupefied look making itself apparent on his face.

"If I am the only teacher... Then where exactly are then where exactly are the rest of the adults" The hunter said quietly to himself, a look of deep thoughtfulness quickly replacing the dumbfounded expression on his face. While he had seen adults in the form of animal human hybrids, one important thing he had not seen during his time in the strange lands was human looking adults like himself.

However, before he could contemplate this fourth any further, he suddenly heard somebody approaching him.

*Nn* "Sensei, are you ok?" The hunter quickly looked at the source of the voice, seeing that it was none other than Shiroko, her usually blank face filled with palpable concern and confusion because of why he had stopped suddenly.

The hunter looked at her for a moment before turning his gaze upwards. The other girls a short distance away from him all looked at him, some with looks of concern and others confused at why he had stopped abruptly.

"Yes Shiroko, I'm... fine" The hunter could easily see be slightly unconvinced glint in her eyes, but eventually she nodded her head accepting his response as she gestured to him to continue walking with her which he did as both him and Shiroko rejoined the group.

And after a short amount of time, the group of five students and one teacher finally made it to their destination, which was a nondescript looking large Warehouse building, which judging from it's battered exterior clearly had seen much better days.

In fact as the hunter looked up at the quite imposing structure he couldn't help but wonder how such a decrepit old building was even still standing, and more importantly why the delinquents would have chosen this place amongst all the other abandoned buildings in the district to make their temporary home.

"Man, this place looks like a dump" Serika said with a noticeable displeased tone in her voice, in its time the building probably wasn't much to look at considering it was a warehouse located in a formerly Industrial District. But still, the years had definitely not been kind to it, resulting in the absolute ramshackle and unkempt appearance it had now.

*Nn* Shiroko let out a quiet sound as she nodded in agreement with Serika. While she didn't want to admit it openly, looking at the absolute squalid building that the helmet gang was using as their hideout, made her feel just a little bit sorry for them. Because she honestly wouldn't have wished for anyone, even her enemies, to live in such conditions.

"It certainly isn't much to look at, but I suppose when you're bullying an academy that's on its last legs you can't really be picky now can you" Hoshino said as she quickly retrieved her shotgun from her shoulder, making sure that the Iron horse was ready to be deployed at a moment's notice.

"Well said Hoshino" The Hunter said as he took the lead, the students falling into lockstep behind him as he cautiously approached the side of the building.

Now much closer to the decaying building, the hunter could immediately see multiple places of entry that could be exploited, although despite initially considered entering through the back of the building and catching the delinquents off guard.

The hunter ultimately decided on a different strategy, one that would take advantage of the element of surprise in a different way. As such with his mind made up the hunter motion for all the girls together around him which they did in short order. Even Serika did so, although the hunter suspected it was most likely her just going along with her classmates rather than her actually trusting his word.

"Now everyone listen closely, as far as we are aware the helmet gang does not know we are coming, that means we have the element of surprise on our side" The hunter paused for a moment allowing the girls to follow on with him as he quickly began to draw a crude diagram in the sand. "As such I propose that we assault them head on, we will smash through the main doors of this storehouse and incapacitate them" Finishing drawing his diagram, the hunter looked up, seeing all of the students looking at him with variations of confusion and concern on their faces.

"Going through the front could work, it would certainly catch them by surprise, but it would also be very dangerous" Hoshino replied with a thoughtful look on her face as she actually considered the hunter's idea. While she was incredibly distrustful of him because of him being an adult. She had to admit that despite how risky it was, it was certainly an idea that she can get on board with.

"Sensei, are you sure that's a good idea?" Ayane was the first to speak up, looking at the hunter with a clearly questioning look in her eyes. While she didn't like the idea of doubting him considering how much he had helped so far, his plan to simply go through the front door in lack of better term just didn't feel right to her.

"Yeah what gives!? Just walking in through the front door is a one-way ticket to getting our asses kicked!" Serika exclaimed with an angry expression on her face, pointing an accusatory finger up the hunter as if he was some kind of villain.

The hunter for his part try to respond but quickly found his words silenced by Ayane who spoke before he did.

"Sensei, don't you think it would be a better idea to go through some kind of back entrance and catch them by surprise?" Ayane pause for a moment, nervously looking at the ground because she didn't want to offend him by questioning his idea. "Plus it would probably be safer as well" She said quiet, looking between her feet and the good Hunter who finally seeing his chance responded to her and the other students enquiries.

"While I can understand all of your hesitancy, this plan will be the quickest path to succeeding and driving the delinquents off permanently" The hunter stopped for a moment, collecting his words for a moment before continuing. "The helmet gang is currently licking their wounds, I chose this course of action specifically because I do not believe they will put out much of a fight... plus I also believe all of you will win, you show me through your actions that your determination to save your school will not be swayed by any obstacle in front of you"

His words seemingly had the desired effect, as all of the students with the exception of Serika and Hoshino looked between each other for a moment before suddenly nodding an agreement, looks of determination making its way onto their faces as they collectively ready their weapons.

Hoshino and Serika's reactions were a bit different. Hoshino simply nodded her head, a somewhat excited smile making its way onto her features as she quickly readied her shotgun.

Serika on the other hand didn't look convinced by his words in the slightest, looking around at her classmate with a look of bewilderment on her face, clearly not understanding why they were so willing to go along with his plan, which to her sounded incredibly dangerous.

But eventually, after letting out a slight growling noise, Serika somewhat hesitantly readied her own rifle, because while she didn't trust the hunter's plan, it didn't mean that she was going to abandon her friends, especially when she had something to prove.

Satisfied that all of the students were on board with his plan, the hunter quickly stood up to his full height, motioning for the students to follow behind him, which they all began to do so as the group discreetly made their way towards the main entrance of the warehouse. Being careful to make as little noises possible as they approach the corner of the building, just in case any guards were present outside the main entrance.

However, after urging everyone to stop and looking around the corner, the hunter confirmed that there were no guards to speak of, which he expected. After all, as far as the helmet gang was aware, their base camp location was not known to the abydos students, so it wouldn't have made any sense to have guards.

The hunter quickly emerged from the corner of the building, motioning for the students to follow with him as they all quickly came to the large and imposing shutter doors of the warehouse.

"Alright girls, I want all of you to take your positions" The hunter quickly pointed to the positions he wanted as he continued speaking. "Nonomi, Hoshino, I want you two to take the left flank. Serika and Shiroko both of you will take the right flank" The four students silently nodded, quickly but discreetly making their way to the opposite sides of the large doors as they waited for the Hunter's word.

Ayane was the only one left standing next to the Hunter as she opened her mouth to speak. "Sensei, what about me?" Concerned expression on her face. While she was not afraid to get her hands dirty, it didn't change the fact that she didn't think she'd be as much use in a firefight with just her pistol.

Turning to look at the glasses wearing student, the hunter mulled it over for a moment, before opening his mouth to respond to her. "I want you to find a nice secluded spot, Ayane, and provide as much support as possible with your little flying machines. There are several holes in the roof of the building that I think you could utilise"

Ayane looked at the hunter in surprise for a moment before quickly nodding her head, while she did feel a bit bad for not being on the front lines of her friends. She knew that her skill set was not suited for frontline combat but supporting her allies from the backline.

Giving the hunter one last look, Ayane quickly took off in a full run, deciding that heading back to the truck that she had driven here, would be the best place for her to provide support.

Watching the girl disappear from sight, the hunter turned his attention back to the large doors in front of him. He had several ideas on how to break them open, but he wasn't exactly sure on which one will be the most effective.

Cautiously approaching the doors, the hunter did briefly consider using a Molotov cocktail in conjunction with an oil pot. He had learnt the hard way just how explosive a combination like that could be, but putting his hand on the door and giving it a light but experimental push. It suddenly occurred to him what exactly he could use to break these doors down.

"It's been some time, since I've used that particular weapon" The hunter said quietly to himself as he let out a chuckle, quickly reaching into his overcoat as something materialised on his arm, that immediately made all of the students take notice.

the device was cumbersome and huge, yet it strangely had an Elegance and beauty to it that suggested whoever made it put a lot of love and care into crafting it. The majority of the device's construction was taken up by a large cylinder with what appeared to be vents running down the side, on top was a strange handle that was connected to what looked like a piston.

However, what caught everyone's attention the most was the large silver javelin like blade that protruded out of the front of the device, its shaft was connected to the handle which by extension connected to the large piston, out of the back of the strange device protruded a large rod, one that was obviously connected to the javelin like blade.

The blade itself was paradoxically wicked and deadly looking, but also covered in a matrix of intricate and complex engravings that gave the strange device now presumably a weapon a almost saintly like air to it.

"What the hell... is that" Serika was the first to speak up, the device that was attached to the hunter's arm was completely alien to her. In fact, the only thing that she could really equate it to was some kind of very ornate-looking piece of construction equipment.

The rest of the abydos students all shared in Serika's confusion, the longer they all looked at the strange device that the sensei had just produced out of thin air, the more they couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly it was.

At first, they thought it might have been some kind of weapon, considering the large javelin like blade that protruded out of its front. But that conclusion was quickly called into question by the overall construction of the thing and how cumbersome it looked attached to the hunter's arm.

"Sensei, what is that?" Nonomi asked curiously, she much like her fellow classmates couldn't really make heads or tails of what exactly the object was that the hunter had just produced. It was strange and unknown for her, but it also made her incredibly curious about its true Nature.

The hunter didn't immediately answer, continue to look at the weapon attached to his arm with an almost fond expression, while the weapon was not one that he personally utilised that much considering he preferred much more dexterous weapons. Looking at it reminded him of its original user, a certain old Ashton Grey Hunter, one that he had grown to see as a comrade and a friend during his time on the hunt.

"You didn't deserve your fate Djura, I can only hope that your eternal rest is forever peaceful" The hunter said quietly to himself, the expression on his face turning into a noticeably sad one. If there was ever a hunter that didn't deserve the fate that all Hunters were destined for, then it was Djura. Someone so kind and selfless that he should have lived a long and fulfilled life, but the hunter knew that the world was rarely ever so kind.

"Hey old geezer, are you just going to keep ignoring us!?" The hunter was pulled from his thoughts by the voice, tearing his gaze away from the weapon strapped to his arm and looking at whoever had spoken to him.

Serika was looking at him with a clearly unimpressed expression, her eyes holding nothing but contentment and frustration that was entirely directed towards the Hunter.

Quickly clearing his throat, the hunter quickly banished the thoughts of his fallen companion from his mind as he quickly opened his mouth to speak."Well, my dears, this device is just what we need for breaking down this door. Now all of you stand back and cover your ears, this is going to be quite loud and explosive"

The hunter could feel all of the abydos students looking at him with clear confusion. Noting understanding in the slightest how exactly the strange device that the hunter had procured, was going to get them inside the warehouse. But nonetheless they did as instructed, covering their ears the best they could while still holding their weapons in their hands.

Looking at the students to make sure they had followed his word, the hunter quickly with one swift motion pulled his arm back, which was accompanied by a loud mechanical noise as the large javelin like blade attached to the device quickly retracted further into it, the large spring which was coiled around the end of the spear, jutting out the back of the device was compressed, streaming under the tension as what seemed to be steam quickly shot out of the strange device's vents.

Holding this pose, the hunter remembered his first time actually using this weapon, it was when he had first met and befriended Djura, who had been so kind as to show him exactly how the steak driver worked.

'Prepare yourself young lad, this girl has some kicked to her' The words filled his ears as the hunter prepared himself, however just when he was about to release the safety catch. Something quickly wormed its way into his ears, voices that only he could hear with his superhuman hearing.

"Hey, Ume, have you heard from Tomo yet?"

The hunter held his position, his body was so still and rigid that he almost resembled a statue, he could feel the gazes of his students on him, clearly confused at why he had suddenly stopped, but he momentarily paid that no attention as he continued to listen, his curiosity piqued.

"No I haven't, I'm starting to get worried about her, you know"

His eyes narrowing slightly, the hunter continued to listen, straining his inhuman hearing so he could understand more of the conversation.

"I'm sure she's fine, you know what she's like, always running off and doing her own thing"

"Sumi, it's been over a week! Even when she disappears for a couple of days, she usually keeps in touch"

"For Christ sakes! Ume for the last time she'll be fine, she's probably off robbing some shopfronts or something. And besides I highly doubt she's in any trouble, considering that everything around us for miles is a deserted dump"

The hunter continued to listen, a stern look making its way onto his face as the voices continued to speak. Even though he could not see them physically, he could feel the worry and panic radiating from the individual he presumed was Ume. Clearly, whoever this Tomo was, they were of great importance to Ume, to the extent where she was incredibly worried about their safety.

"Hey sensei, what gives!? I thought we were going-" The hunter quickly held up his other hand, silencing Serika and preventing her from continuing as he continued to listen intently. While her speaking wouldn't have drowned out the voices considering his unnatural hearing, his concentration would have been broken if she continued to speak.

"Tomo wouldn't have gone so long without calling, something must have happened to her for crying out loud!"

"Oh my god, Ume! All you talk about is Tomo this and Tomo that! For the last time, she's probably fine! You need to stop worrying so much dammit"

That was a pause between the voices, frustration clearly evident in the air between them as the hunter continued to listen intently.

"Well, excuse me for giving a shit about my sister!"

"Ha, sound more like to me that you have some kind of obsession with her, maybe you might even be a siscon~"

The voices quickly devolved into an argument that the Hunter by this point stopped listening to the look on his face, an almost unreadable expression. The mentioning of a lost sister stir something deep within him, bringing back very unpleasant memories that he would have liked to have forgotten about, but never seemed truly leave him.

"Never again... I will never repeat that mistake again" The hunter spoke quietly under his breath, the voices of his students calling to him, before flipping the safety catch on the stake driver and throwing his arm forwards. The Javelin like spear of the stake driver smashing into the door before exploding forwards in a quick, almost imperceptible motion, the force and sheer power completely shattering the large warehouse doors as if they were made of nothing but paper.

KABOOOMMM

All of the abydos students instinctively covered the ears, most of them also closing their eyes as they almost by Instinct shielded themselves from the almighty explosion. However, after the boom noise washed over them, they all collectively open their eyes, only to have a nearly fall out of their sockets when they saw the devastation that had just been unleashed.

The hunter stood in the now gaping doorway, the stake driver letting out a consistent stream of smoke as the weapon cooled down from its sudden use. Quickly shaking his arm, the hunter readjusted his footing, a slight and momentary ache emanating from his shoulder, as a result of the tremendous recoil from the stake driver.

"S-sensei... W-What the hell was that!?" Hoshino was the first to speak, shocked and confused as she looked at the large device attached to his arm that emitted smoke and steam like a man portable steam power jackhammer.

Yet the hunter didn't answer her question, instead pointing his free arm forward quickly shouted at the top of his lungs. The delinquents on the other side of the now vacant door frame, completely and utterly surprised by what had happened, with most of them completely unprepared for what was about to come.

"Alright my dears! Advance and obliterate them before those delinquents can recover!"

The Abydos students looked at him for a moment, still confused. But ultimately complying with his word as they quickly jumped into action, all four of them quickly running into the building and proceeding to gun down any delinquents they could find.

"W-what the hell!?"

"It's those abydos brats!"

"How the hell did they find us!?"

Multiple delinquent voices could be heard shouting these words, as the abydos to students descended upon them. Catching them completely unaware as they began to gun them down without mercy.

The hunter decided that he would not get involved returning the Stake driver to the inside of his overcoat, as he silently observed from the open doorway. While making sure that no delinquents would try to escape before their punishment had been served.

However as he continued to watch his students battle the very unprepared delinquents, his eyes quickly fell onto two delinquents in particular who had taken up a position behind several big crates, using it as cover as they began to try and fight back against the students that had invaded their hideout.

Even though he had not seen their faces and only heard their voices, the hunter through his inhuman perception was able to immediately know that they were the ones he had heard speaking behind the door before he had blasted it open.

As such, without a single worry for his own personal safety, the hunter quickly moved from the open doorway of the warehouse. Advancing his way towards the hunkered down delinquents, as bullets of all sizes and descriptions flew in all directions.

Yet by either luck or some kind of supernatural force, none of the dangerous projectiles in the air hit him, all of them completely missing him as he finally stopped in front of the crates that the two delinquents were using to improvise cover.

"Dammit! How did they find us!?" Said the delinquent that the hunter could presume was Sumi, she was in the middle of reloading her weapon while a particularly frightened looking delinquent next to her coward in fear next to her, a simple rudimentary pistol in her hands.

"How should I know, I thought that they didn't know where we were" the delinquent with the pistol said with a nervous sound to her voice. The hunter could safely assume that this was Ume, the person responsible for gaining his interest.

Taking a moment to clear his throat, the hunter finally made himself known, making both delinquents jump in the process. "I'm afraid, my young ones, that your hideout was not as unknown as you would have assumed" The hunter said as both girls quickly jumped up from their hiding spot.

They either by instinct or surprise pointed both of their weapons at him, yet the hunter wasn't intimidated by this in the slightest. Idling noting that Sumi's weapon was a very unusual one, specifically because it was a large bore double barrel shotgun with exposed hammers. A weapon that was very out of place and would have looked more at home in the streets of yharnam rather than being used by any student, delinquent or otherwise in Kivotos.

Both delinquents didn't say anything for a moment, fear clearly written across their faces as they still continue to point their weapons at the hunter. While they had not been present at the Battle yesterday, considering they had been tasked with guarding the hideout, they had certainly heard from the returning and beaten gang members about how they had had their butts kicked by the abydos students and a mysterious halo lacking adult.

With a slightly strange atmosphere hanging in the air, the hunter quickly made a step forward, only to have both delinquents motion for him to stop with their weapons. Narrowing his eyes the hunter could see their fingers beginning to itch towards their respective weapons triggers, as such he decided that before anything rash could happen he would do something to disarm the situation both physically and metaphorically.

In a burst of Speed that was inhuman, the hunter quickly closed the distance, catching both delinquents off guard as he scooped up their weapons, clutching both the pistol and shotgun in one hand, before quickly returned to the spot he had been standing on a second ago.

Both delinquents immediately fell onto their behinds, shock and fear making itself known on their faces as from their perspective, it looked as if the hunter had not even moved, the weapons appearing in his hand as if by some magic.

However, before the hunter could say what he wanted to ask, he felt a presence appear behind him, which was quickly accompanied by a familiar voice.

*Nn* "Sensei, we're all done" The hunter turned his attention away from the delinquents for a moment, seeing none other than Shiroko. Her facial expression a blank one like usual yet in her eyes whilst a look of satisfaction that the hunter found somewhat adorable but also disconcerting considering how that satisfaction was brought about.

"Very good Shiroko, why don't you go and look around for any useful supplies we can bring back with us while I have a talk with these two" The hunter turned his attention back to the delinquents in front of him who were now looking around at each of the incapacitated gang members completely and utterly surprised.

In truth, despite not showing it, he was also a bit surprised by how quickly the battle had ended, but he supposed that since they had caught the gang off guard they couldn't really put up much of a fight before they were all rendered unconscious.

Shiroko quickly nodded her head, but before she moved away she looked at the two delinquents, a somewhat vicious glint manifesting in her eyes as she brought up her rifle.

"Would you like me to... help you with them, sensei?" Shiroko said with a slightly aggressive sounding tone, which was not directed at the hunter himself but instead the two delinquents who after seeing they were the last ones standing now had very frightened expressions on their faces.

Sharing a glance between the delinquent and the clear vengeance seeking Shiroko, the hunter quickly shook his head, a disappointed expression making its way onto the wolf girl's face as she lowered her rifle.

Not needing her help was the main reason why he had turned her down, but it was also to save the two remaining delinquents a world of pain that the hunter was very sure Shiroko would inflict without mercy.

"Now then Shiroko, would you please leave us alone for a moment, I have much I would like to discuss with these two" The hunter spoke as he turned back to the two delinquents, he could sense Shiroko turn away from him yet quickly turn back and open her mouth to speak.

Yet instead of turning around to address her, the hunter simply held up his other hand, indicating he would not reconsider what he said as such, after a moment the wolf girl quickly moved away, returning to her friends as they scavenger any useful in the warehouse.

After waiting for a moment to make sure that Shiroko was out of earshot, The Hunter took several steps forward, pushing aside the large crates that blocked his path, which only helped to make the two delinquents which were now holding each other, look even more fearful as he came to stop less than an arm's length in front of them.

"Now you two, there is something that came to my attention that I would like to discuss with you" The Hunter said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. Yet despite his best efforts, it seemed to do very little as both delinquents continue to squirm in fear in front of him.

Deciding on a different approach the hunter quickly knelt down in front of them, hoping that decreasing his quite menacing height would help to alleviate their fear somewhat, which thankfully it managed to do somewhat as despite both delinquents still holding on to each other for dear life, they did noticeably calm at least a tiny amount.

"Before I and my compatriots made our... explosive entrance, something came to my attention, something involving a missing acquaintance of yours" The Hunter gestured at the individual he presumed was Ume, looks of confusion easily visible behind the visors of their bike helmets.

However, after quickly sharing a glance between each other the confusion was replaced by new and renewed fear, both of them now looking positively petrified. Because from their perspective, it was almost as if he had read their minds.

Yet, after a moment of hesitancy, Ume suddenly separated from her companion and fellow delinquent, a slightly desperate look in her eyes are she quickly spoke.

"D-do you know anything about T-Tomo!?" Ume asked with a slight nervous tremble in her voice, while she was still frightened of the Hunter, the prospect of him knowing anything about her sister and where she had gone completely outweighed her sense of danger.

Yet before the hunter could respond, the other delinquent, Sumi, quickly came to the side of her friend, the fear not leaving her eyes as she pointed in an accusing finger at the hunter.

"H-How the hell did you know what we were talking about!? Are you some kind of S-S-stalker or something?" The hunter could tell that Sumi immediately second-guessed her choice of words, as she mistakenly interpreted the confused the look on his face as one of annoyance or anger.

The hunter didn't dignify her words with a response, simply letting out a rather frustrated sigh which only served to make the delinquents even more afraid as he straightened himself quickly rising to his full height once again, as he decided to speak plainly.

"Unfortunately I do not know anything about your sister Ume" The hunter said, the slightly hopeful look in her eyes which was mostly hidden by her own fear of him, quickly dying away, but before the hopelessness could fully take root within her the hunter continued speaking.

"However, even though I know nothing about your sister and her potential whereabouts, I would like to locate her for you" The hunter's words elicited different reactions from both Ume and Sumi.

Ume eyes immediately lit up with confusion which quickly change into an almost joyous look, however there was a small hint of suspicion, which the hunter could fully understand.

Sumi's reaction was varsity different, a look of deep suspicion and distrust making itself known in her eyes as she scrutinised the hunter, still afraid of him but also now suspicious of why exactly he was willing to help them after he and his students had beaten them not once but twice.

"Why the hell should we trust you?" Sumi said abruptly, still pointing a finger at the hunter, the fearful and distrusting look never leaving her face as she stared at him. While he was a bit disappointed by the reaction, he could certainly understand it, considering that from her point of view it made little sense that he wanted to help them after beating her gang twice.

Letting out a breath, the hunter responded to Sumi. "The reason for me wanting to help, is because despite the fact that you too are delinquents and very troublesome ones at that" pausing for a moment to collect his words the hunter idling notice that both students bodies went rigid as if they were expecting some kind of punishment.

"My duty as both an adult and a teacher is to help all students under my care regardless of who they are or their past" the hunter didn't need to fake the genuineness in his voice, offering a hand of both metaphorical and literal peace to both delinquents.

He truly did want to help them both because it was his duty to, and because he didn't want to repeat of his past, where he failed because of his own inaction.

Ume looked somewhat drawn in by his words, the hopeful sparkle in her eyes growing by the second. However, Sumi didn't look convinced at all, a cynical and distrusting flicker making itself known in her eyes as she quickly got in front of Ume much to her and the hunter's surprise.

"Do you think we're stupid or something!? Even elementary schooners know not to trust an adult! Because adults only care about themselves!" Sumi screamed aggressively, fear still present in her eyes. Yet there was also now a deep-seated desire to keep her friend safe no matter the cost.

The hunter was taken completely aback by this, his face taking on a noticeably surprised look as Sumi words bounced around inside his mind. He had initially assumed that Serika and more importantly Hoshino's distrust of him was limited to them, however with what Sumi just said, it was now apparent that distrust of adults like him was something far more common than he originally suspected.

"That's something I need to look into later" The hunter said quietly to himself, while the distrust of adults was seemingly more common amongst the students than he thought did concern him, it could wait until later considering that it wasn't his primary focus right now.

As such, he quickly put that to the back of his mind as he quickly knelt down once again, putting a calm and gentle smile on his face as he extended his free hand towards both delinquents but primarily Ume who was still being shielded by Sumi.

"Ume... do you love your sister?" The hunter asked, his question having an immediate reaction as Ume quickly pushed her way past Sumi, the helmeted Gang member quickly removing her helmet, revealing a head of scarlet red hair, cut in a short bowl cut.

Looking into her deep aquamarine blue eyes, the hunter could already see the answer to his question, as the now helmetless girl quickly spoke. "Y-yes I do! She's my everything, I don't know what I would do without her!" her voice trembled, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

Despite managing to keep his calm and gentle smile internally, the hunter felt his heart break for the young girl, her words and action reminded him too much of Father Gascoigne daughters, to the point where it was almost eerie, but that wouldn't stop him from help.

Quickly reaching into his overcoat, the hunter could feel the eyes of the abydos students now resting upon him as he quickly reached out and began to wipe away the tears from Ume's eyes with a silk handkerchief. Both her and Sumi being incredibly surprised by the gesture, yet the red-headed girl did not try to stop the hunter as he finished wiping away her tears.

"A young girl such as yourself should not cry Ume, I will do everything in my power to find your sister and bring her back safe. I promise not just as a teacher but as a hunter" The hunter said as he motioned for the girl to hold out her hand which after a moment of confusion she nervously did, the Hunter depositing into our hands, the handkerchief he had just used to dry her tears.

Ume looked at it confused for a moment before looking back of the hunter, even though she did not speak her gaze conveyed confusion about if she was allowed to keep this.

The hunter for his part simply nodded, the smile never leaving his lips as he quickly got back to his feet, however as she did so Sumi quickly got in front of Ume once again, the cynical and distrustful looking of her eyes still present as she again pointed a finger at the hunter.

"What exactly is your game, huh? What do you want from us!?" She said with a noticeably spiteful tone, the fear still presents in her eyes, yet now it was overpowered by both a will to protect her friend and deep suspicion directed at The Hunter.

"I don't want anything in return, Young Sumi" Was all about the hunter said in response, the delinquents body language conveying surprised at the fact that he somehow knew her name, when she was positive that she never actually said it out loud to him.

"I... Don't believe you" Sumi said with a noticeable amount of disbelief in her voice, nervously gulping down some air before continuing." Adults never do anything without wanting something in return, so what is your game!" She said with a bit more intensity to her voice.

The hunter didn't immediately respond, not quite knowing how to, it both saddened and concerned him just how distrusting of adults Sumi truly was. Even when one like himself was offering to help with no expectations of any reward, she simply couldn't believe it, are that only served to make the hunter think just how many negative experiences she had had in the past with adults who had taken advantage of her.

However, before the hunter could open his mouth to respond, Ume quickly came to his defence, managing to push past her friend and then turning around to address her.

"Sumi, I think he's being honest" Ume managed to say, there was a small amount of doubt in her eyes, yet ultimately it was overpowered by the prospect of the hunter possibly being able to find her sister.

Sumi didn't look convinced in the slightest, quickly tearing her helmet off from her head revealing a long flowing waterfall of platinum-colored hair and dark red eyes, yet what caught the hunter's attention the most was a large and horrific looking scar that run down be right side of her face.

'That looks like some kind of burn mark' the hunter idling noted to himself, his gaze turning somewhat sorrowful, the prospect of a young girl such as herself already having a scar like that truly made his heart ache.

"Look up my bloody face Ume! This is what happened the last time I trusted an adult! I don't want the same thing to happen to you as well!" Sumi cried loudly, tears born of frustration and sadness beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. Despite the fact that she teased Ume to no end, it didn't change the fact that she was her closest friend, and she would do anything to protect her.

Ume looked at her friend, somewhat shocked by the sudden action of her removing her helmet and referencing her scar. Sumi had always been very self-conscious about her scar, to the point where she never actually revealed how she got it. but to find out that it was the result of an adult of all things truly broke Ume's heart, and also really put into perspective why her friend distrusted adults so much.

Yet turning back to the hunter who simply looked on with a somewhat sad and expression, Ume felt like she had no other choice but to trust him. Despite the fact that she knew not to trust adults so quickly, something about him stirred something deep within her, making it feel like she could trust him even though her brain was telling her that it probably wasn't a good idea to do so.

"Please... Whatever it takes... just find my sister" Ume said after a moment of silence. Even if this mysterious adult wasn't trustworthy like her heart deep down was telling her he was, she was more than willing to take the risk if it meant finding her sister.

The hunter for his part simply smiled, nodding his head as he gently placed both delinquents weapons on the ground, before reaching into his pocket and retrieving something unexpected.

"I believe you will be in need of this, my dears" The hunter said as he quickly retrieved a small ward of paper notes. Both Ume and Sumi immediately recognised what it was as the hunter quickly deposited the money on the ground next to both of their weapons, both delinquents looked at him confused, not understanding what could have willingly possessed him to give them some of his own money.

Seeing their confused faces, the hunter let out a quiet chuckle as he quickly spoke. "That money is for you to find some kind of transport, while it would be unwise to take both of you with us" The hunter paused for a moment looking over his shoulder at the gathered abydos students who all were watching the scene with various expressions.

"It would be unbecoming of me to simply abandon you two in the middle of this wasteland" The hunter finished his words by quickly turning on his heels, waving a hand over his shoulder as he began to walk towards the abydos students who were still watching the scene.

Ume after a moment of looking at the money with confusion and surprised, quickly looked at the hunter before opening her mouth to speak, having to raise her voice slightly so it would carry across the warehouse.

"T-thank you... S-sensei"

The hunter stopped mid-step, a slightly surprised look making itself known on his face before it was replaced by a smile as he quickly resumed his even pace. Despite the fact that the title was still a relatively new one to him, and one that he wasn't entirely sure he would get used to, it genuinely warmed his heart to hear her call him that.

"Now then everyone" The hunter turned his attention to the abydos students, motioning for all of them to follow him as he exited the gaping warehouse door. "I believe it's time we head back to the school, and celebrate our victory"

The hunter immediately noticed all of the students look between each other, clearly somewhat confused, and a bit weirded out by his interaction with the two delinquents. However, after a moment none other than Serika a quickly spoke, a slightly aggravated and suspicious expression on their face.

"Hey old geezer, whose side are you supposed to be on exactly? The cat girl asked with a clearly accusatory tone. The suspicion and distrust in her gaze clearly evident as the hunter stop and turn to look at her and by extensions of students.

Yet before he could open his mouth to speak, someone else answered in his place." Serika brings up a good point... why exactly did you help them, sensei?" Shiroko asked with a clearly confused tone, unlike her black headed classmate her eyes did not hold distrust or suspicion, instead it was more just puzzlement and maybe even a slight amount of hurt.

"Well Shiroko, the reason I helped them was because it was the right thing to do, plus despite the fact that they are delinquents, I am still responsible for them as their teacher just like I am responsible for you 5" The hunter said straightforwardly, while there was a little bit more to the reason why he helped them that he wasn't going to reveal.

His words however were true and honest because even though the delinquents were troublemakers of the highest degree. It didn't change the fact that as a teacher, he was the one that was responsible for them, and needed to better them.

Shiroko didn't immediately respond to his words, her usually expressionless face taking on a slightly unreadable expression. Yet looking into her eyes, the hunter could see the gears of her mind turning furiously, before ultimately she nodded her head.

"I guess that makes sense sensei, still even if it was the right thing to do, delinquents like them still don't deserve any mercy in my opinion" Shiroko said with a completely flat tone, yet to The Hunter could see the slight bitterness that was hidden behind her eyes.

Letting out a breath, the hunter quickly noticed that there were several boxes of various descriptions scattered around. He wasn't sure what resided within, most of them, But safely assumed that they had liberated from the gang's hideout.

"I suppose it's not stealing if it was already stolen to begin with" the hunters said softly under his breath. Before then quickly let out a loud chuckle, the students being confused by why he was laughing before he quickly got a hold of himself.

"Now then, why don't we make our move, the sun is beginning to hang low so we should return to the school as quickly as possible" The hunter said as he quickly picked up two boxes, stacking them on top of each other so he could carry a more efficiently.

The rest of the students, after a moment of inaction, quickly followed suit, all of them speaking together as one, as they began to make their way back towards the truck.

"OK Sensei"

…...............................​

"Man *yawn,* What a day" A voice accompanied by a yawn echoed off the sand covered deserted buildings. It's owner, a certain pink headed girl wielding both a shield and shotgun, bringing a hand up to her mouth to try and suppress another yawn.

Hoshino despite being used to pulling all-nighters like this, couldn't help but feel incredibly drained already, the day before had been an incredibly eventful one, considering that she and her friends, along with a little bit of help from sensei, had finally managed to deal with the thorn in their sides that was the helmet gang.

Still, as Hoshino continue to walk amongst the deserted, her eyes scanning around for any potential threats like she did most nights, her mind quickly centred on the Hunter, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she tried to figure out exactly what his game was.

Even though he said that he was there to help, she had learnt the hard way a long time ago that trusting an adult's word was like a murderer promising not to stab you in the back, only to do it the moment you want looking.

"I won't make that same mistake again..." Hoshino said quietly to herself as she came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the sand covered Street. A gentle cooling breeze blowing around her as her gaze slowly traced its way up into the cloudless sky, her eyes landing on the brilliant majesty of the full moon which bathed her in its light.

Contrary to what her classmates believed, going as far back as she could remember, she had always been a day person. Nighttime was supposed to be a time of rest. Yet even she had to admit that the night sky, full of stars and the moon itself, held an almost supernatural beauty. Something that was hard to quantify in words but left a lasting impression upon you the moment you saw it.

Yet the nighttime also held unpleasant memories for her, mostly because it reminded her of a certain somebody that she had lost, somebody that at the time she didn't know how much she cared for until that person was taken away from her.

Hoshino could feel tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, yet, she did not stop them, her eyes narrowing as her face turned on a noticeably perturbed look.

*Yume...* Hoshino's voice was barely above a whisper, yet even with the breeze blowing past her and through the decaying husks of buildings that surrounded her. The singular name that she uttered sounded like a gun going off, one that somehow managed to echo around her despite it being physically impossible.

She missed her. Hoshino missed her so much that it almost physically hurt, living in this world without her Sendai was like a waking nightmare, one that she wished she could wake up from, yet never seemed to.

It was almost like her own personal hell, everything reminded her of Yume, from the little things like the way her classmates would sometimes act, up to the fact that she carried a physical reminder everywhere she went of her friend's death.

Unstrapping the Iron Horus from its carry strap, and quickly slinging her shotgun over her shoulder. Hoshino held the ballistic shield out of arm's Length so she could see it's battered and weathered frame.

She had long become accustomed to its physical weight, barely even noticing it was there most of the time, yet the mental weight of carrying something that Yume cared for so deeply always weighed on her mind, to the point where it felt like she would be crushed under it.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!"

Hoshino suddenly found herself nearly jumping out of her own skin, the Iron Horus quickly falling out of her hands and clattering loudly to the pavement below. Although quickly, she recovered from the momentary shock, her body going into autopilot as she quickly grabbed her shotgun from her shoulder, racking the bolt and releasing the safety as she quickly began to scan around for the source of the scream.

While crime in abydos district was incredibly low entirely because of the lack of people, it didn't change the fact that every now and again crime still happened, which was the main reason why she portrayed at night.

"Where did that come from?" Hoshino said quietly to herself, quickly scooping up the Iron Horus, making sure it was firmly strapped to her arm as she tried to identify where the souls of the scream had come from. However, she couldn't seem to identify its exact source or direction, mostly because of the howling noise coming from the breeze blowing through the desiccated buildings around her.

However, as she continued to scan her surroundings, keeping her shotgun raised up and ready just in case, she suddenly heard another scream followed by what sounded like garbled words.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhh! P-P-please... Oh G-god! P-please someone H-help me" The scream and voice were loud as a result of bouncing off the buildings, yet also faint and distant. But thankfully, Hoshino had managed to get an idea of where it was as she quickly began to run.

'It must be stragglers from the helmet gang' Hoshino thought to herself as she continued to run, sand being kicked up beneath Her Feet as she drew closer and closer to the source of the screams.

Yet, as she did something about, the screams and cries felt off to her. She knew what somebody being mugged or assaulted sounded like, but these screams on cries sounded different, more urgent and primal. They sounded more like somebody being viciously mauled by an animal.

In fact, as she finally reached the alleyway which she could hear the screams coming from, Hoshino felt a shiver run down her spine as the screams quickly fell silent. Because at that moment it finally hit her, that the screams sounded like somebody who was dying.

Holding her shotgun in front of her, Hoshino looked at the dark alleyway in front of her, even though it was a full moon tonight the alleyway was situated between two large buildings, making it almost pitch black and unable to be seen into by anyone. In fact, even though she had superb night vision, Hoshino had to squint her eyes, to begin to even make out anything in the alleyway.

Letting out a shaky breath to try and calm herself, Hoshino began to advance into the dark alleyway, her eyes having a hard time focusing and by extension making anything out in the inky blackness.

"Whoever you are, I would stop what you're doing if I was you" Hoshino said with a slight nervous twinge to her voice. The darkness was beginning to play tricks with her, she could see things moving around in the corner of her vision as she ventured further into the pitch black alleyway.

But quickly shaking her head, Hoshino managed to get control of herself, momentarily quelling the nervousness that was building inside her, she focused on what she was here to do. Somebody was in trouble, and she needed to help them, so she didn't have time to be slowed down by being scared of the dark.

Yet as she continued to walk forward, she became aware of a strange sound, one that was incredibly hard to place at first because it was so alien to her. In fact, as she drew closer to the source of the noise, the only thing that she could reason be compared it to was the sound of somebody stepping in wet mud or maybe even wet canvas being torn apart vigorously.

"Hello... Is anyone there?" The strange noise did not stop as the words exited Hoshino lips, the feeling of nervousness and dread coming back in full force as she continued to walk deeper into the pitch-black alleyway.

But then, Hoshino suddenly came to a dead stop, the sound of something liquid beneath Her feet as she looked in front of her. Her eyes had a hard time making it out, but she could just about perceive a black silhouette laying on the ground with another one crouched over the top of it moving furiously in a manner that almost looks like it was... Eating?

keeping her shotgun raised, Hoshino opened her mouth once again, the feeling of dread and nervousness, now graduating into full-blown fear and almost panic. "H-hello?"

The strange wet tearing noise immediately stopped, the black silhouette crouched over the one on the ground immediately going still, it's body which had been moving violently and vigorously before going completely still. It was almost dead silent now, the only sound that managed to reach Hoshino's ears being the sound of something wet consistently dripping onto the concrete below. The silhouette which had remained still up until this point quickly began to move, rising from its crouched position

Hoshino's eyes grew wider and wider as the black silhouette continued to grow in height until it was a full head under half taller than herself. Her eyes having now grown accustomed to the dark were finally beginning to pick out details about the mysterious figure. Their body was strange, seemingly disproportion with one arm much longer than the other, they seemed to be wearing a tattered and ragged jacket and what was left of a skirt that was barely hanging on to their lanky and skinny frame.

However, the aspects that caught Hoshino's attention the most, and what made her begin to tremble in fear, were the splotches of black fur covering their body covering their torn, wrinkly and ragged skin.

And finally, most importantly... it's pale milky coloured eyes. That were filled with malice, hate and an insatiable hunger for flesh.

By pure instinct, Hoshino began to slowly back away, keeping her shotgun pointed at the thing in front of her, her hands were beginning to shake violent with sweat beginning to form on her brow. Every instinct in her body was telling her to turn and run, however before she could act on those instincts, the thing in front of us suddenly moved.

As a complete reflex, Hoshino pulled the trigger on her shotgun, the muzzle blast from the weapon quickly lighting up the alleyway for just a brief moment, but it was more than enough for her to see the true horrific scene in front of her.

On the ground was a dog man, or more precisely, what was left of the corpse of one. His entire chest cavity was carved open from pelvis to sternum, his internal organs or the very little that was left of them lie around him in a haphazard manner that suggested, the entire process of their removal had been incredibly fast and extremely violent.

There was quite literally blood everywhere, covering almost every inch of the alleyway, with even her shoes, which were normally a black colour, covered in the viscous red liquid.

Hoshino didn't get a chance to shoot a follow-up shot, as she saw the dark silhouette of the creature quickly charge at her with supernatural speed. All she had time to do was quickly unfold the shield on her arm as the creature slammed into it, almost knocking her off her feet, yet she managed to keep herself in place as the creature began to snap and claw at her, trying to rip her limb from limb like it had done with its previous victim.

However, Hoshino wasn't going to let that happen, as she quickly pushed on the shield of all of her strength, managing to push the creature off of her shield and stagger it for a moment as she quickly brought her shotgun at one-handed and fired.

The muzzle blast again illuminated the alleyway, allowing her to briefly see the damage she had inflicted to the creature, yet much to her horror in spite of the wound on its chest from her bookshop rounds, being quite severe and seemingly life-threatening. The creature was barely slowed down as it quickly charged at her again, smacking into her shield again, this time however, the creature managed to bypass her shield, throwing a wild swing at her arm as it's claws, quickly cut through Hoshino's shirt and deep into the flesh of her arm.

"Aaahhh!" Hoshino screamed loudly, the pain from the new wound being almost overbearing as she felt her leg momentarily buckle underneath her. Allowing the creature to push forward onto the Shield as it continued to snap and bite at her with its vicious razor sharp teeth filled mouth.

Although greeting her teeth, Hoshino managed to quickly get her strength back, pushing the creature off herself once again as she quickly began to unload every shell in her shotgun into the creature.

She wasn't sure exactly how many of her shot actually hit the creature, but quite honestly she didn't really care, as she quickly turned on her heels and immediately started to sprint, the creature letting out what she was sure were howls of pain or agony, as she kept continuing to run.

Quickly finding the exit to the alleyway and sprinting back out into the relative safety of the moonlight illuminated deserted city street, but even though, Hoshino's chest was heaving and her lungs beginning to burn. She did not stop, still running as fast as she could to get away from whatever the hell had just happened.

Hoshino could feel blood seeping from the wound on her arm, staining her arm and shirt a deep crimson, yet even that was completely overpowered by her almost animalistic Instinct to continue to run.

Hoshino wouldn't stop running, in fact she would not stop until she made it back to her own home, quickly locking the entire place uptight as she prepared for the beast to follow her. Staying up all night to make sure that she was ready for it when it came to try and finish her off.

However, nothing of the sort of happened as eventually the sun began to peak over the horizon, the terrified and exhausted young girl finally falling victim to exhaustion as she collapsed on her own floor, her nightmares been filled with visions of the vicious beast that she had only just managed to escape.