Chapter Text
≮̄͜-̸̗͐ ̵̝̎Ḇ̶͗l̸̟̕ŭ̴̖e̵̱͂ ̴̲̓Ǎ̵̻r̶̠̉c̴̝̿h̵̠̔į̸̓v̴͍͊e̶͉͌ ̶̜̓3̷̺͝5̸̳̀ ̴̬͑-̷̦͝ ̵̼͊M̶̢͝ȏ̶͈r̸͙͂ò̴̢s̷͉̄ê̸̲ ̶̘̀D̷̖̎r̷̛̦e̶̫̒ȁ̶͉m̶̟̕e̵̠̕r̸̹̔ ̸̗̕-̴̧̕>̵̡̛
A figure emerged from the shadows of the evening, silently returning to his dwelling. His attire bore the telltale signs of encounters with strangers, splattered with crimson evidence. His expression, or lack thereof, was like a mask, devoid of emotion or humanity. It was as if he had become a mere automaton, trapped in the monotonous repetition of daily routines, disconnected from the essence of being alive.
Without sparing a glance around or bothering to tidy himself up, he immediately sank into the couch, a beer can in hand, his gaze fixed on the ceiling above, seemingly focused yet ultimately aimless.
After all…
He was merely existing.
He became nothing more than a blank portrait.
…
The musty air hung heavy in the oversized grey room, lending it an empty and desolate atmosphere. The scent, intensified by the scattered beer cans and swirling cigarette ash, added a tinge of decay to the surroundings. Yet, he remained indifferent to it all, even to his beverage.
The room felt more like a tomb than a living space, unfit for any human inhabitant. As he remained motionless, a rational corner of his mind couldn't help but entertain a troubling thought: Was he even considered human at this point? His existence seemed to blur the lines between humanity and something far more sinister. Yet, he could not care.
Hours passed, the atmosphere stagnant and unchanged. However, in a particular moment, something seemed to shift.
For some inexplicable reason, he decided to cast a glance at a particular corner of the room.
!?
In an abrupt motion, he crushed the beer can in his hand, spilling its contents onto the floor. The liquid mingled with the blood already staining his hands, creating a macabre scene of chaos and disorder. Slowly, it dripped to the floor, the only audible noise in his room filled with emptiness.
…
It slipped through his fingers…
…
Much like she did...
…
Then, he resumed his mindless stare at the ceiling, his breathing gradually returning to a rhythmic pattern. It was evident that whatever he had seen had momentarily halted his breath.
…
A plush brown bunny toy sat nestled among the scattered debris, its once vibrant fur now dulled with age and neglect. Nearby, a small cradle adorned with celestial motifs of stars and a crescent moon stood as a silent sentinel, its wooden frame weathered but still retaining a sense of ethereal charm.
He wanted to throw them away… but he just couldn’t.
And so, they lingered, forsaken to decay.
“That’s that and this is this.”
He muttered, his voice coarse and parched, likely from dehydration.
- .... .- - .----. ... / - .... .- - / .- -. -.. / - .... .. ... / .. ... / - .... .. ... .-.-.-
Roland jolted awake, sweat pouring down his body in rivulets. Gasping heavily for air, he reached out frantically, as if grasping for something just out of reach. His eyes darted around the room in a panicked frenzy until they finally settled on his surroundings: he was still in his room in SCHALE.
As the realization dawned that he had awoken earlier than usual, Roland's frantic pulse began to calm. Noticing that even Arona remained asleep, the room remained enveloped in a peaceful silence, leaving Roland to sit motionless on his bed, lost in his own thoughts.
Suddenly, an inexplicable urge struck him.
With deliberate slowness, Roland withdrew the neatly-folded black gloves from his pockets, cradling them delicately in his hands. His fingers traced the contours of the soft fabric, absorbing the comforting texture. He continued to rub the fabric of the gloves, as if searching for something or someone amidst the folds of the material.
They almost felt comfortable.
Yet, his expression revealed a labyrinth of emotions, a cacophony of conflicting feelings that seemed impossible to unravel. Each emotion clashed with the next, weaving a turbulent tapestry of chaos. Something about them just seemed… tainted?
He just… could not understand.
With equal care, he folded the black gloves and slipped them back into his pockets, the weight of uncertainty lingering in the quiet room like a heavy shroud.
He could not sleep.
…
…
<- Blue Archive 10 - Romantic Smile ->
[ Yawn ]
Arona stirred from her slumber, still garbed in her nightwear and a hat. Groggily, she pushed herself up from her seat and, with a subtle gesture, her attire seamlessly morphed into her usual clothes through the power of virtual manifestation.
Why was she sleeping on the table? Well, it's surprisingly comfortable once you get used to it, you know?
Finally, she took note of the surroundings outside of the sh*ttim Chest.
[ Eh? Where’s Roland Sensei? ]
Seemingly by coincidence, he barged into the room just as she thought this.
[ “Good-” ]
As she prepared to greet him with a cheerful ‘good morning’, her words caught in her throat as she observed Roland's condition.
[ Eh? ]
“Gooooood mooorning, Arooonaaaa.”
His speech seemed to slur, seemingly as though something had possessed him. Despite this, his tone remained unnervingly cheerful, as if blissfully unaware of any troubles in the world.
Roland's hair was a wild tangle of disarray, and his suit hung on him like a rumpled afterthought, the wrinkles accentuating the sense of dishevelment. His complexion appeared flushed, and he swayed unsteadily, resembling a pendulum caught in an erratic dance.
Then, for some inexplicable reason, he began to yell with a maniacal grin stretching across his face, his eyes wide with an almost feverish intensity. His voice cracked at the end of each sentence, echoing through the room with a disturbing fervor,
“AROOOONA, MY HOUSE IS BROKEN DOWN, LET’S GOOOO!”
“I DON’T HAVE HAMHAMPANGPANG, LET’S GOOOO!”
[ ??? ]
Before she could even reply, he darted towards the wall, his movements frantic and uncoordinated. With a sickening thud, he collided with it, knocking himself unconscious. As he lay sprawled on the floor face-down, like a rag doll, Arona could only watch in astonishment, finding the sudden turn of events to be utterly perplexing.
[ ???????????? ]
After finally registering the events, Arona called out to him with very serious concern in her voice,
[ “Uh… Roland Sensei? Are you okay?” ]
He did not reply but it seemed like he was snoring now?
Before she could make an urgent call to him, Roland suddenly stirred, seemingly awake as he slowly pushed himself up from the floor while massaging his head with one hand, mumbling unintelligibly,
“Agh… I feel like sh*t…”
[ “Roland Sensei! Uh…? Um…? Hmm…? I think we need to call medical help?” ]
Taking a moment to register what she said, he held up a hand towards Arona, dismissing her concern,
“Nah… I’m fin-”
Suddenly, a wave of nausea swept over him, causing him to double over.
“Heugh… Give me a moment… I’ll be off to… go tidy myself. Don’t call anyone…”
Then, he dashed out of the room, leaving Arona to ponder over his sudden departure.
[ ??? ]
…
…
Finally, Roland reentered the room, his appearance somewhat improved but still bearing signs of disarray. His hair was slightly messy, and his new black suit seemed hastily worn, as if he had hurriedly put it on without much care.
[ “What happened?” ]
“I guess… I must have eaten something bad yesterday?”
[ “Right…” ]
Her voice indicated that she was unconvinced.
“No, I’m being serious.”
[ “Sure… I believe you, Roland Sensei…” ]
“…”
[ “…” ]
After a moment, she heaved a sigh of relief,
[ “Well, at least you’re fine now, Roland Sensei. I was worried, you know!” ]
He shuffled uncomfortably at her statement, a tinge of guilt evident.
“Ah… Sorry, it won’t happen again.”
She hummed in acknowledgement.
“Well then, let’s get started off with the day.”
…
…
As they reached the SCHALE executive office, Roland's gaze lingered on the sh*ttim Chest as he asked Arona with curiosity,
“So… what's been happening in Kivotos lately? I remember I was supposed to address students' issues, but which specific students?”
[ “Actually about that…” ]
[ “A lot of people are starting to talk about SCHALE and we’ve received letters from other students asking for help.” ]
[ “That’s a great sign and it means there’s a lot of work for us to do!” ]
She concluded with a smile, seemingly delighted at the prospect.
Oh… Why is she so happy about this?
Though her expression shifted to that concern,
[ “Um, but… there’s this one letter we got.” ]
[ “I think you should take a look.” ]
<- Blue Archive 2 - Luminous Memory ->
To the advisor of the Federal Investigation Club
Hello. My name is Okusora Ayane, and I’m a student at Abydos High School.
I’m writing this letter because I want to ask for your help.
Our academy is being harassed.
One of the local gangs has been tormenting us.
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 run out of ammunition and supplies though.
At this rate, the school will fall to them for sure.
That’s why I’m writing to ask for your help.
Can you please help us, Sensei?
<- Blue Archive 10 - Romantic Smile ->
I didn’t expect a school to struggle against gangs. Could it be… that the size of the gang could be on the level of a Finger?
With a pensive expression, Arona murmured,
[ “Hmm… Abydos High School, huh?” ]
“Do you know anything about it?”
[ “Well… It used to have a large, thriving district, but it fell on hard times due to climate change.” ]
“What kind of climate change?”
[ “Well… it turned into a desert.” ]
Her tone souring momentarily before quickly shifting back to excitement. With her voice filled with enthusiasm and her halo glowing green, she exclaimed,
[ “But the district was so big that people would even get lost in the middle of town!” ]
Her halo then transformed into the shape of a heart as she giggled,
[ “Heehee. That must sound ridiculous. How does someone get lost in the middle of modern civilisation?” ]
Finally, reverting back to her normal state, she added,
[ “I’m sure that was just an urban legend.” ]
If that were the case, then perhaps the gang could be just a small one. Since it’s most likely that a school this weakened would likely fall if it were initiated by something bigger.
[ “Anyway, I can’t believe the academy is being bullied by some lowlife gang. It sounds pretty serious.” ]
[ “I wonder what brought this on.” ]
"Eh… don't know. Perhaps the gang could be orchestrated by someone higher up or it could simply just be a case of taking advantage of a vulnerable school. But… without more information, I'm just making blind guesses."
After all, there were various subsidiaries below the major fingers. That could be applied in this scenario.
“Either way, I’m going to Abydos.”
[ “Huh? You want to head there right away? You really don’t back down, do you?” ]
[ “All right, then! Good luck!” ]
He nodded and went back to his thoughts,
Let’s see... I need to make some preparations to stay there…
…
…
<- Blue Archive 13 - Barrier ->
As Roland left Abydos train station, he noticed that the surrounding buildings consisted mostly of flats, lacking the advanced features seen in Millennium. Giant billboards adorned some buildings, along with shops for essentials. Various beings, including robots and humanoid animals, roamed the streets. However, what struck him most was the sparse population compared to other cities occupied by rival schools.
Armed with a map provided to him, he soon realized its outdated nature and turned to Arona for assistance. Fortunately, she possessed the ability to track down every student's phone in Kivotos, providing him with a general idea of the school’s location.
Eh… that’s a bit questionable but it’s just Kivotos.
As he trekked towards the general vicinity, he was met with the sight of a vast sandy dune. Its expanse stretched far and wide, with no end in sight. The grains of sand shifted and shimmered under the sun's relentless glare, creating an illusion of endlessness.
Taking out a bottle of water from his backpack, filled with essential necessities, he chugged down a portion of it.
So… this is the climate change she mentioned. Good thing I was prepared with several bottles of water.
Besides the essentials, there were also ammo packs that Abydos had requested. However, he had only brought the most commonly used types since he did not expect Kivotos to have so many different types of ammo. As such, he made a mental note to arrange for another set of ammo of the correct type to be transported via helicopter after getting to know the students better.
He continued walking, hoping for any sign of life, but the only thing that greeted him was the breeze that blew in his face. The only indicator that he was heading in the right direction was Arona's encouragement, guiding him along his path.
Hah… I was hoping to get a view. Maybe I should have taken one of those helicopters instead.
Then, he noticed a change in the texture beneath his feet. Instead of the familiar grainy sensation of sand, he felt something solid. Curious, he shifted his foot around, trying to discern the nature of the ground.
Ah... it's concrete. A street? Seems like I’m heading in the right direction.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally caught sight of what appeared to be a civilization.
…
Though not quite attaining the advanced stature of Millennium, they dwarfed the structures of Gehenna and Trinity by a considerable margin. Mostly comprised of towering apartment complexes but they appeared to be in a state of disrepair, with sand blanketing their exteriors. Yet, the streets retained a surprising degree of organization, suggesting an underlying order.
However, that only applied to those which were relatively untouched.
<- Music Stop ->
In truth, the majority of the buildings lay scattered about, their shattered remnants strewn across the sandy dunes, forming crude pathways. Once a seemingly majestic city, it now stood in ruins, its grandeur reduced to rubble and decay.
…
Furthermore, there was one key detail that stood out to him like a sore thumb.
It was far too quiet.
No signs of life stirred in this portion of Abydos, akin to a ghost city. It bore the eerie semblance of a place abandoned in haste, as if its inhabitants had been compelled to flee by some unseen force, leaving behind a haunting emptiness in their wake.
…
“Arona, are you sure we’re in the right place?”
…
[ “There’s still some distance to cover. Maybe this is the ruins of the original Abydos?” ]
…
Suddenly, familiar emotions began to course through Roland, accompanied by a profuse sweat that drenched his body. Though he struggled to pinpoint the exact nature of them, they felt like the embrace of an old, dear friend.
It almost reminded him of…
- .... . / .--. .. .- -. .. ... - .-.-.-
<̷̖͛-̵͈͠ ̸̖̊S̴͖̾i̶̟̎c̴͉͊à̸̩H̷̙̅ ̷̩͘-̵̜͆ ̸̳̕Ě̴͇ā̵ͅȓ̶̨l̷̜̈́ÿ̷͇́ ̶̱͝B̷̢̂ä̵̗́t̶̙͑t̵͓͛l̵͈͌e̷̲̾ ̸̹̿-̴̣̊ ̶̉ͅD̵̘͋i̷̜̕s̵̖͗t̸̺͝r̶̲̀ḯ̵̤c̸͚̔t̷̥̐ ̴̺͘9̷̠̋ ̵̹̂-̷̙̉ ̷̼̎6̸̹̿H̸̢̏a̷͓̋ṇ̶͝d̵͉̓ ̸̫̾V̵̥̈́e̵̟͌ŗ̶͋.̶̦̓ ̶͙̈́-̵̢̂>̴̤̍
The rush of helplessness.
...
When the call came.
...
He sprinted as fast as he could, heart pounding.
...
Only to witness the aftermath.
...
From the wreckage and devastation, emerges the most b̸͙̠̃̆ẽ̴̼̍a̸̟̗̎ǘ̶̡̲̍t̶̢͎͆͝ï̷̲͓f̵̼͊̈́ŭ̵͙̠ḽ̷͆ ̷͈͛p̴̲̔͠e̵̙͎̿̀r̶̻̒̿f̵̜̄o̴̯̻̐r̵̰̄m̷̩̤̄á̸̱̠̎n̷̡͛̇c̴̮̑̚e̸̫̎.
Fragments of the city hovered in mid-air while musical notes, akin to tormented souls, wailed for release, their haunting cries reverberating through the desolate streets. It was an orchestra of discord, a symphony composed of shattered hopes and unspoken desires, each note a poignant reminder of the city's silent anguish.
It wanted to be heard.
Blood clouded his vision, obscuring his surroundings in a crimson haze as desperation consumed him. The relentless exertion of his fixer enhancements ignited an inferno within him, the heat of the situation threatening to consume him whole.
With frantic urgency, he slashed and shot at anything that moved, driven by the singular desire to find her. He was acting completely on instinct.
To end this nightmare that threatened to swallow him whole.
SQUELCH
Finally, amidst his frenzy, the haunting melody of the pianist's final note echoed through the air, its ghostly resonance fading into silence as the reverberations ceased. In the aftermath, a profound stillness settled over the scene, and clarity pierced through the fog of despair like a beacon in the darkness.
With a hollow thud, all six of its arms dropped to the floor, severed from its lifeless body, which finally collapsed in a heap.
Yet, in that moment of eerie calm, his gaze fixated on a hauntingly familiar sight. He wished fervently for it to be a mere figment of his imagination, a cruel trick of the mind born from the depths of his despair. But every fiber of his being, every sense that remained alert amidst the turmoil, whispered with chilling certainty that this was all too real.
Ha…
Blood-soaked strands of once pristine white hair hung suspended from the ceiling, stark against the muted surroundings. Her delicate hands, frozen in a final plea, reached out as if grasping for salvation.
Ha…
Before he could even process the significance of this chilling revelation, something dropped from the tangled strands, emitting a sickening squelch as it hit the ground below.
Haha…
It lay there, sprawled on the ground in a twisted parody of life, its small form contorted and broken. The once delicate features, now marred by the harshness of its demise, were frozen in a silent scream of agony.
Hahaha…
His only hope for the bleak world that he lived in.
All shattered.
He snapped.
H̴͉̦͓̫̃͐͑͗́́̌̾̚A̶̢̨̢̟̬͓̳̟̗̩͉̤̪͎̰̹̯͍̻͍̼̘̜͍͚̻̫̙͖̣̅̊̅͆͘͜͜͜͝͝H̴̛̫̒̀́͑͝A̸̧̝̼̭̼̳̬̻̥̠̠͔̫͎̺̰̹̙̘͓̳̼̘͇̟͉̱̗̬̭̱̥͖̝͝͠ͅͅH̵͈͕͓͎͖̫̱̯͇̪͖̘̖̏́̑̂͋̚͝͠͝ͅȀ̷̺̠͕̬̮̉̈̑̒̏̏̌̕͝Ḓ̵̡̢̛̜̣̣̝̯͍̤͔͉̜͎̦̖͍̣͍̼̺͕̟̰̜̦̬͕̹̝̜͉̦͚̖̅̓̽̒̀͌͐̿̀̂̈́͂̐̐̕͝I̸̧̨̲̪͚̬̱̗͔̼̣̹͉͈̲̯̗̪̠͙͍͙̣̰̮̦̭̘͉̗͈͚̠̱̺̐̅̾̀̑̐̃̍̋̀̍̀̐̃̍̾͊̓̉͋̓̿̂̄͊̂́̓̂͒̊̃̆̉̋̏͛͌̈́͂̅̑̕̚͘̚̕̚ͅͅU̵͙͑H̴̢̨̺͙̻̰̳̬̼̣͍̝̦̱͙͇̞̤̯͈͉̖̟̒͑͊̎͛́̇̉̊̆̋́̀̾̍͆͋̅͋̒́̽̿̿̔́̇̓͗̏͐͑̄̊̎͒͗̐͜͝͝͠A̷̲͓̳̪̜̭̯͉̰͓̟͉̱͐̂̿͂̈́̃̏̌̒̊̏̈́̌͐̓̔̎͋́̓̅̽̿̚͠Ẅ̶̢̡̧̡̛̻̱̪͍̹̻̻̼̟̼͇͈͍̰͓̩̠̱̟̗̣̞͇̱̥̮͍̯̘̰̘̤͎͎̰̲̝̫͇͒͌̀͐̒̇͊̾̎͌͐̎̌̆̈́́̓͛͂̾̊̔̿̊̓̽̅͌͌̀̋̄̈́̐͗͘̚͜͜͝͝͝͠͝͝ͅD̵̢̨̝̮̦̣̙̬̤̮̫̭̹̫͈͕̥̳̥͔̭͙̦̥͕̆͂̆̽̔̉͋̈͒͒̇́̊̉͂́̐̂̾̈́̔̿͠͝͝͝͝ͅH̴̛̩̹̙̺͔̪̲͚͈̓̋̀͐̒͂̅̊̈̈̄̋͛͜Ḁ̷̡̡͓̣͍͓̦̞̱͔̻̳̫̲̼̰̟̺̫̺̩̹͉̱̪̮̣̻̫̣͖̝͙̅̃̈́́͒̂̑̆̏̄̔̈̎̃̆̆̃̊̐̆̀̕̚̚͘͜͝W̵̛̠̟͕̪̖̹̻̱̞͌̇̂͒͗̓̀͆͐̃͂̔̽͑̊̄̉̅̓̅̈̈́́̊̊̅́̐̓̑̇̀̄̀̈́̉̃̀̽̓̾̌̕͘͘̚͝͝ͅD̷̡̧̧̨̰̹̜̯̠̦̠̥̥̝̖͉̫̝̺͖͓͖͙͇̟̖̖͉͎̦̫͕̠̜̘̝̥̼͍̭͙̻̗̦̞̰̽̑̔̽͛͂̒̓͛́͑͂͆͂̍̈́͊̌̽̑͌̄̀͘͜ͅU̴̝̍̄̅̽̿̈͐͆̊̄̉̆͗͜͝͝͠͝͝͝(̶̛̰͕̞͉͉̠͙̝͇̱̰͓̙̆͒͋̄̓͐̓̒͆͑̍̏̃͑̚͜͠)̴̛̺̦͍̫̰̱̙̤̰̦̱̗͉̳̥̳͈̰͇̺͈͔̟̼̇̃̊̀͐̈̈̇̂͊̓̑̏̅̈͆̂̽̊̎̈́͗̽̅̄̐̏̇̋͒̎̈́̉͛͆͘͘͜͜͝͝ͅ&̶̧̨̧̲̰̻̫̱͔͉͚͔̩͍͎̙̖̪̩̞̫͓̖̃̔̆̀̎̾́͋̉͆̆͘͠Y̵̢̨̢̛̛̜͖̱̤̟̼͕͔͚̠͈̗̫̞͎͚̤̰̬͍͇͖̫͈͈̬̭͇̘̣̰͎͙̠̙̲̖̬̠̯͇̐̑̑͆̽̏͌́́̀̍̏͆͒̿̅͆̄̆̔̓̔́̾̄̆̓̈́̈́̽̊̍́̿̌̔̊̏̀̌̎̕͜͝͝ͅĄ̷̨̞̮̼̪̜̠̼͈̙̮̲͈͉̘͈͙̙̳͚̖̮͓͚̞͎̪͓͎̆́̓͗̏̏̑̏͂̀͛̈́̌̿̔̿̀̌͗̇̍̈́̍͜͜͝ͅͅW̵̯̣̳͔̰̓͆̍̆̌́͐̈́̇̽̌͛̍̊͆̈̌̿̑̂́̇̀͋͐͛̊̋́̀̃̏͌̅͛͆̂͑̍̑͗̓͊̕͘͝͠͠͝͠Ȩ̷̢̳͈͈̰͉̘̘͚̻̼̫̝̪̗̝̭̘̤͙͖̝͈̻̯̩̎̏͆̔͑Ḋ̵̡̨̢̨̧̠̜̼̗̩͔͔̪̜̩̭̫̻̙̲͓̠̦̲̯̙̮̮͔̬̖̪̝̖͖̰̣̬̀̋̎͑̈́̆̏̓͌̅̊̉́̐͘Ǘ̶̢̨̧̜͓̬͓̮̟̗̟̠̩̯̠̗̗̩͚̤̜̠̼͎͔̪͙͔̞̣̗̙̙̬̯̖̘̝̖̫̠͈̏͆̓̀̑̌͑̒̅̍͒̀͋̾̿̐̉̿̆̃̈͌͊̾̆͊̅̉́͆̈́̾͋̆͋̀̕͘͜͜͠ͅH̷̰̤̙̦̼̣͓͉̘̜͇͉̟̺̬̲̖̯͓͙͎͎̱̙͈̘̯̟̼̬̑̾̆̊̐̀̉̄̿̆̅́̈͆́̄̔̄͆̔͊̿͒̑͝ͅͅȈ̷̢̧̡̜̦̟̮̩̤̬̹̥͙̩̺͚̮̗̭͕̻̯͍̣͖̻̜͉͇̪̺͔͑̔́̇̓͑̈́͜A̷̧̨̧̨̢̧̛͔͉͚̺̺̩̙͍̪̗̟̫̱͇̥̞̤̣̤͙̞̮̫̺̪̣̝͈̰̖͔̻̪̞͖͔͆͛̿͂͆̈́̔͊̅̅̾̍́̂̅͊̈͛̋̄̀̾́̉̏̒͑̈̃̒́̄͌̈́͛̾̌͛̿̃̏͐̇̕̕͜͜͜͝ͅͅH̶̠̩̍̋̍̾̾̈́̾͗̆̈́̾̇̈́̄̓̆͌̌͐̔̕͝͝Ę̷̨̡̧̢̢̡̧̛̮͕̰̫̜̯̘̻̪͕̮̘̦̫̘̠̰͔̦̰̜̫̥̬̺͇̌ͅƯ̴̻̣̋̎͂̃͛̉͐̇̕̕͘͜ͅI̴̧̧̢̧̩̮͍͈̬̱̰̟͔͚̭̘̯͚͇̪̬̖̩̳̬͐̿̑̎͋́͌̾͛̏̆̽͜͝ͅͅF̸̧̛̘̜͖̝͉̮̣͕̈͂̏̌̾̃̔̌̽͊̆̓̎̀̀͝͝H̷̢̢̡̡̯̣͙͇̱͎̙̣͇͚̤̼̖͉͚͇̪̝̫̩̙͎̫̖̗͙̖̺̝̘̖̙͋̾̈́̉́͒̓̆̈́͗͋̅̄̏̀͗̐̀̕͘͘͝A̴̛͕̤̩̫͉͇͓͈̤̞͕͇̳̟̔̔̌̓͒͆̿́͗͗̓̿̓̆̍͐̕̕Ŭ̴̢̢̢̢̧͕̝̪̹̹̹̱̖̤̩͕̖̹͔̮̱̮̖̮̩̺͕̙͚̠̩̯̦̤͈̼̭̦̩̞͎̂̉̅̄̈́̀͊̐̈́̐̊̌͌̆͒̾͂͆͒͂̓̐̃̓̇̄̄̋̿̏̿͐̒͂̾̅͋̊̿͘̚̚͜͝͝͝͝I̸̡̢̡̧͍͕̟͈̜̗̝̩̟̫̫̗̺̱̝͙͉̦̮̠̱͎̼͚̪̙͕͔̹͔̝̣̰̤̒̀͊́̓̀̿̔̒͠Ȩ̸̧̛̛̛̛̼̻̰͙̗̥͎̬͉̥̦̥̘̱̤̪͙̻̻͍̦͎͖̗̖̻͉̾̃̽̓̍͑̓̆̇̏̀̉̋̎͛̊͌͊̀͊͑̀̋͒͊̿̈́̎̇́̈̊̍̇̐͘̚̕͘͜͜͝͝͝͝ͅS̷͕͎̰̀̄̉̆̈́͛͒͋͌̓̾̿͗́̓̉̐͑̿̔̓̓͐̇̀͂̌̄̕͠Ợ̵̢̡̞͖̫͖̬̤͉̥̘̳̱̘̭̟̇̎͋̽͛̅̀͒̄́̾̃̊̆̇̂̊̀̌̓͐͌͆̌̄̇̌͂̐̈̍͋̾̀̄͂̊͊̓̏̚̚̚̕̚͠͠ͅF̵̢̨̨̨̧̡̲͇̰̹͉̱͉̤̣͍̳̺͉̤͔͈͙͇̭̙̯͔̟͉̱͙̞̗̱͉͑͐̎̚͜Ö̶̙̖̫̤̣́̾̍̆͑̏̄͗̒͆́̈́͐̎͊̔̄̀̂̈̎̀̄͊̓̈́͛̓̇̊̎̑̚͘͜͠͝͝͠͝ͅY̷̢̨̢̧̢̨̢͍̮̱̘͚̰̱͖̯̞̥̪̪̩̙̲͇͕͚̲̞̼̹̲͎̰̺̟̠̝̻̙͎̼̥̲̦͊̈̒̽̔̋͂̉͂̓̓̒̿̈̏̿̚͝͠ͅͅH̵̡̨̛̛̛̥͉͇̖͉̯̹̘̳̼̩̰̼̖̤̻̄͊͌͐̽̎͋̋̎͐̌̐̔͆͂͛̇͒͐̔͛̉̌̓̅́̈̏̆͠͝͝ͅÈ̶̤͔̊̊Ş̶̢̧̧̧̳̜͉͈̻̤̜̮͕̜͇̻̻̭̯̟̪̥̺̺̩͍̖͉͓̹͙͓̳̇̉́̅͛̓̋̅̔̐͌̈́̕R̴̢̢̨̨̧̲̻̜̭̖̻̳̝͕͎͎̩̯̭̝̬͇͈͚̜̭͎̞̪̟̲͉͖̂̈͗͋͂̂͑̊̓̉̄͊̊̏͊̈́̃̽̀̌̒͗̆́̀̚̚͘̕͜͠Ȳ̷̡̢̨̧̡̢̧͓̪̥̙̝̯̦̭̻̞̘͓͉̳͔̖̲̫͉̞̲̭̖̱̞̯͙̥̳͙͙͉͖̬͔͈̯̿͒̑̽͒̎̋̽̈̑̀̈́̃̀̾͋̄́͘̚̚̚͜͜͝U̴̡̡͚̗̜̹͇̗̻̮͖̱̫̙̯͔̠͉̱̘̱̮͓̣̬̣͕̠͆̔͑̆̌̽̈́̉́̓̏̊͛͗̍̾̀͛̀̎̑̂͗̍͊̓̕͠͝Ī̶̡̢̜̬̼̹̝͓͕̥̲͕̫̙̦͙̝̯̰̻͚̬̘̞̐̽͂̋́̋̿̕̚͝ͅͅG̷̡̛̠̲̫͓̫̮̻̟̦̻͎͉̺̫̻̀͆̋̎̉̋̿͌̆̏̎̓̀́̓͐̔̓́̀̑͂͐̒̀̆̆̎͆͘͘͝Ẽ̷̡̧̨͈̗̥̳̙̘͖̮̟̮͕͈̠̘͙̰̬̯̬̫͚͓͎͕̘̠̪̦̪͇̤͎̰̙̯̠̅̽̈̀̑̈̊̈́̄͘͘͜͝͝ͅͅS̷̨̛̛͈̲͈̣͈̪͚͓͇͓̪͓͎͓̞̠͈̪̤͕͔̦̹̯̻͇̺͉̻̀̂̾̅̒̍͒̅͗̄́̎́͒̂͂̅̉̈́͋͑̑̂̉̽̀͗̎̐̀̍͘͝͝͠ͅF̶̧̨̨̧͍̠͕̜̤͚̫̺͙̫͔̗̙̜̯̘̫̯̙̱̼̲̝̳̭̣̹̮͇̠͕̬̬̺̲̺̋̀͌͑͋I̸̤̯̩̜̖̳̹͉̗͂̄͋̓̈́̒̈̊͋̄̑̎̅̊͋̄̆͌̊̊͛͋̀̋̅̊̂͆͗̒̌̌͒̋̂̿̋̎͛̄͌̚͘Ǘ̸̢̢͙̤̮͓̳̘͇͚̝̘̻̙̱̠̘̪͙̳̻̬͍̤̭̙͉̟̝̣̫̖̗̺̝̘̥̼͔͓͈́́͒̂̊̎̑̚̕͜͝͠͠G̸̢̡̧͖̭̜͈̲̘̯̻̝͕̪͚̻̦̯̤̩͚͚͉̯͓̞̥̹̩͙̩̥̺̭̥̭̒̃̓V̴̢̢̨͍̖͓̦̜̫̤̘̲̜̺̖̱̜̯͇͇̭͙̩̻̮̦̭̠̟̣̺̣̊͒́̎͗̐͋̈́̿͗͘͝ͅͅH̶̢̨̨̡̢̨̞̫̥̥̭͎̣̤̝͇̻͈̩͇̍̉̔̽̾̏̑͑͊̇͑́̋̇͋͋̍͑̑̒̋́͒̈́͐̀͑̂̍̎̇̈́̈́͋̊̂̍͘̕͘͝͠Z̴̨̧̥̣̣̘̥͓̬͉̩͚̮̙̩͙̩̰̬̭̭̩͍̭̟̞̳͚̟͎̬͔̣̠͔̖̺̭͌͊̾̈́̈̉̍̓̃̂̆̍͋̄̿̈́̊̍͑̓̽̏̿̇̋͑͂̎͊̒̚͘͜͠E̷̢̧̨̛̻̟̳̼̱̞̗̖̤͚̮̳͎̦̰̐̊͂̄̍̌̔̒̊̈́̀͑̿̇̉͆́͆̈́́̑̇͆̀̾̐̍̀͊͌͗̑̉̃̾́͒̋̿̈́̀̇͂̏̍͋̕͝͝ͅS̵̨̧̨̢̢̧̛͍̗̪̻̘̫͚͇͔̩̫̭̼͉͙̪̳̱̝̻̦̘̞̼̩̬̣̦̞̬̺̖̟͉͗̀̒̎͌̀̀̊͑̀̇́̃̇̄̍͛̀͋͋̐͌̉̐̓́͂͘̕͜ͅT̵͍́͂͑̉͋̎̂̔̓̋̄̊̀͘B̷̖͌͒̌́͒͆̅̇̾̐͋̎͊̋̽͗̕F̴̦̳͎̞̥̩̩͗̋͋͐́͌̽̃̓̌̚̕G̴̢̢̢̛̗̼̹̟̲̥̮̗̣̜̙̳̝̖̲̭̙͈̹̱̺͉̲̭̯̰͇̠̺͙̞̭̝̭͎̯̽̃́͊̉̈́̈́͋̐̿̐͛̉̏̈̂̄̇̀͐̎͌̈̐͋̋̑̚̕͜͠͝͝ͅu̷̧̡̩͕͓͍̭̜̪̖̭̭̖̣̣̫̩̹̘̦͖̖̘̣̟͔̍̊̈̀͌̐͆͛̂̉̋̌͂́̓̌͂̽̌͛̔͆̎́͐̈́͛͑̓̅́̓͌̾̄̈͘̚͜͠͠ͅͅḩ̴̨̗̭̣̠̣͍̯̰̰̼̮̤͍͍̞̺͇̖͇̰̮̥̻̤̮͙̐͛̏̾̑͆̑̈́͛͗̆͛͋̋̐̊̚͜͜͝͝͝ͅͅj̷̧̡̛̫̼̤̜̞̬̯̥̦̪̯̅̽̓̋͂͛̏͛̈́́̽͌̈́̐̂̀̃̓̒͠ͅk̵̢̢̢̧̧̢̨̛̛͓̼̦͚̻̭̖͖̹̥͍͎̼̱͓͓͉̰̬͙̹̦̖̝̝̠̺̮̣̟̫͗̓͒́̎̉͊͒̍͒̅̔̈́̃͆̅̚̚͘͝ͅͅẻ̴̡̧̧̡̛̠͓͈̝̹̙̘̠̞̗̠̼̥̲̮̱̞̮̼̼͆̽̋̀͋͛̅̊̌̒̈̄̑̿̊́́̄͒̋̄͋̿̉͆̋̀̅̒̒̓͆̒̃̏͒̈́͆͗͊̆̃̄͗͜͝͠͝͠s̴̢̩͓̟̰̼̺͖̙̭̤̘͖̪͚͓͙̼̺͍̝͎̪̖̱̻̜̭̜͉͚̺͓̘̪̺͕̬̹̪̹̱͍̯̲͍̓͛͗̉̚ͅa̴̡̨̗̪̣͚̞̭͇͙̳̻̝̥̯͔͑́̀̂̓͗̔̃͆̑̓̍̔̆͌̓b̴̨̢̡̨̫͚̠͙͎̯̭̖̥̲̬̬̖͌͑̄͐͒̉̎͝ͅf̷̢̛̯̠̻̤͍̰̙̮̻̟̖͍̱̣̪̻̳̪͖̝̙͓͚̠̜̜̫̱̩̬͓̯̯̝̼̳̈́̆̿͂͐̅͛̉͑̊̍̍̃̓̅̒͆̾̑̋̃̀̾̽̕͘̚͜ͅͅg̷͓͚̘̱͂͆͒ḧ̴̨̢̠͍̠̜̳̺͖͔̳̫͙̭͓͚͓͈̥̣̜̲̺̱̼̖̘̠͕̬͖͉͉̝̮͇̪̙͓̪̣̤͕̠̮́̈̃́̏̃̊̉̉̌̀́͊͂͌͜͜4̷̢̨̪̫̤̦̘̙͍̤̟̭̠͖͖̩̣͈͖̭̝̣̘͎̥̟̰͚͚̩̩̳͎̠̯̔͐̑̽͑̆̉̎̅̌͘͜͜͜͝͠͝5̵̙̌͗̌̄͂̈́̔̓̾͋̾̓̍̆̊͒̓͋͗̄̿͂̔̚̕̕͝3̷̢̨̧̛̫̰̹͇̹͉̝̟̯͈̝̥̯͖̻̬̘͙͓͎̝͇̙͚͍̘̜̺̥́̂̊̏̈́͋͒̌̈́̔͂́̇͆̌̃̾͊̆̎̈̃̔̒͐͊̾́̃̒͗͂͌͊̊̌̿̀͘̚̕͘͜͜͝͝͠͝͝ͅͅţ̸̢͉̤͖̤̰͉̯͓̬̤̜̎̽̿̃̀̇́͌̓̇̓̎̌̈͆̏̉̄̄̍͘͜͠͝͝͝͝w̶̨̧̡͎̣̘̞̘̲͚͙̗̲̝̩̲͕̳͇̫̙̹̗͚̙̣̜̮̥̭͚̬͎͙̻͙̠̜̙̙̭͕͉͚͊̄̽̆͆̀̑̑͗̆̇̂̀̒̅̀̅̚͘͝͝͝͝͝ͅͅe̷̡̨̱̱̜͔̣̣̟̬̘͇̱̩̗̫̗͍̯̅̆̇̆͋͒̽̒͆̃͆̽̊̌͒͂͂̎͌͛̐̈̾͠ͅr̵͎̱̫͖̖̮̻̯̭̟͖͕̩̞̰͚̗̥̟͖̪̗̠͙̹͍͎̳̯͌̽̓͛͐̈̀̇̿͒̐̇̈́̏̑̄̀̌̂̈́̉͊̔͛͊̎͒̓̍̂̓̎̅̎̌̄̚͜͠ġ̸̡̧̨̧̫͉͕̦̣̺͇͕̺̩̱̤̣̙̖̰̙̥̻̝̫͈̜͓̟͎̯̲̠͍͍̤̬̣̼̤̩͇͈̱̑̓́͆͒̃̀̔̾̄̑͑͑̂̀̀̈́͒̌̆͘͘̕̚̕͜͝͠ͅw̶̢̢͉̼̟͖͎̰̘̯̱̹͖͇̪̻̺̲̫̼͓͎̱͇̖͖̝̪̘̼̥̬̱̮̘̘͖̙̻͒̿͑̀̅͊̑̚ͅͅȩ̴̢̡̨̡̨̹̮̖͓̙̳̤̲̭͉̹̭̲̜̗͎̖̟̫̬͇̫̣͈̣̘̺̪̮͓̻̥͓̰̪̟̪͍̺̟͍̲͌͒͐͛͛̊͌̓̊͊̇̇͆̔͒̐̒͑͘̚̚̚͜͝ͅ4̸̡̡̬͈̫͎̰͚̜̖͈̻̻̺͉̣̳̺͕̖̩̖͎̜̞̟̟̲̺̱̯̘̗̰͇̝̤͕̩̝̮͖͚̲̬̓̆̾͗̅̈́̇͂̀̈͛̋́͂̑̋̂̚̕͘͜͠5̶̧̧̢̨̢̧̩̳͈̘͉̟̺̱̬̜̝͈̻̞̟̲̳͍̻̯̬͕͕̖͈̻͙̱̩͂͊̍̐́̋̎͒́́̌̊̄̃̿̏̽̎̎̕̚͜͝ͅs̶̛̛̛̤͚̠̍̓̉͑̇̍̋̋̊̓̓̀͛͛͛̍̌̈́̓̉̇́̽̍̏̀̽̓̋̔͗̂̉̄̾̔̒͑̚̚̚̕͜͝͠͝͝ṱ̶̣̣͈̟̟͖̝͙͕̣͈̳̰̜̼͇̏̈͐͋̔̆͒̐̄͆͋̔̑̈́͗̐̽̌͋̋̎̄̂̎̍͂͊͗̑͐̽̇̂͛̆̽̈̾̕͘̕̕͝͝0̵̧̻̤̳̹͎̹͎͇͔̲̝͔͎͍̙͇̳͈̈́̈̐̓̀̕͝8̶̧̧̢̨̡̛̛̛̤̯̫̱͉̝̺̦̲̩̖̻̫͓͕̹͔̖͖̙͒͑̄̇͊̍͛̄̊̿́̾̿́̒̐̈́̈́̍͆̈́͐̊̓̈̀͗̂͐̏̈́́́̐͒͂̚̕̕͝͝͝͝ͅ9̷̨̛̫̯̫̣̰̆̒̋̀̋̾́̍̒̊̄͂̓̊̓̾̎͒̽̇̃̾́͌̍̑̒̊̄̎̀̍͛̆͒̎͊͑͘̚̕͝-̸̡̡̧̨̨̲̲͍̣͚̹͔͈͕͉̻͕͉̝̜̘͕̥̫̤̼͓̟͔͓̲͍͓̹̜̩̩̥͈̭͐̈̀̾͛͆̒͂͘͜͜ͅu̴͉̩̜̭̹̜̰͚̾̾̈́̒̍̌̈́̊̓̈́̂̎̒͌́̐̀͂͋̊͊̋̓͑̎̉̇͘͝͝0̸̡̨̨̧̛̛̜͎̰͈͖̹͈͍̻̙̳͓̹͎̦͖̱͙̝͈̭̳̘̥͔̺̳̦͉̞̼̺̖̀͋̓̔͌́͛̐̐̑͛̈́̾͂̐͌́̓͗̎̐̑͆̎͐͋̓̔͂̈̀̋̍̓̌́͊̚̚͜͠͝͠͝ͅ4̷̧̨̛̛̹͓̼̭͚͈̯͓̰̹̟̼̣̥̫̀̏̅͗͌̾̿͒́̽͗̿̾͌̋̌̽̅̓͊̌̆̀̐̓̏͋̉̓́̍͊̀́̒́̎͗̂̈́̕̕̚͘͜5̶̢̢̨̡̨̛̛̹̫̜̦̖̜̯͎͚̗̣̙̼̲͎̲͕̺̞̮̺̼̣͚̗̰̤͇̟̦̣̝̜̣͙̯̻͖͕͛̏̈́͒̓̇̈́̈́͂̑͋̍̌͌̓̑̐̆̍̌͐͆̐̿͑̊̏̓̌͊̔̈̂̈̂̾̆̚͝͝͝ͅe̸̜͗̋̎̄͑̆̊͐̃͋̅̀͒̉̉̓͂̎̾̉̆̽̾͆̾̾̈́̀̈́̉͑̌̍̍͆͌́̈́̍̌̋̕͘͝͠͠ẁ̸̡̨̻̝̠͉̦͉̝̭̪̣̲̠͇̱̺͙͎̭̝̙̝̣̬̒̅̅̂̔̀͛̎̾̂̍̅̑͘͝ͅt̴̨̛̛͇̭͔͎̼̥͙̹̟̜͉̣̜̫͕̙̦͍͉̪̳̯̺̦͓̪̱͚̼̠̯̙̳̩̫̪͙̺͎̹̩̫̪̾̋̆̈̊͋̿̔͆̍̍͌͂̓̀͑̑͑̆̓͊̀̐̅̓͒̉̂̾̋͘͘̚͜ͅi̷̧̡̛̯̖͉͙̻̟̤̳̦̦͍͈̳̯̬͈̰̬͓͔̯̍̉̋͗̏̈͗̿̌́̀͊̾̓͘̕͜7̸̨̯̪̪̻̜̞̥̳̗̙̥̩̭̱͈̊̌́̀͌̈́̀̀̆̿̾͒̓̓͛͗̎̂̎̿̄̾͆̊̍͗̓̏̚̚͜͠ở̶̧̢̨̡͍̫̲̰̯̭̗͓̜̼͖̗͓̪͔̻͈̘̘̯̠̰̱̺͖͍̦̞͓̠̬̰̻̲̹̪̻͚̹͇̩̄̅̊͌͒͌̆̈́͋̀͆͊͂͊̄͆̋͂̓̑̒͗̏̆̈́̈́̎̇̔̔͌͊̃͘͜͝͝͝ͅͅģ̵̛͇̖͈̟̖̲͖͍̺͖̳̝̹̳̪̭̯͖̞̞͔̙͈̳̹̰̦͍̋͗͑́͌̊̓͒̾̆̈́͆̈̍̎͒̽̈́̂̈́̋͐͆̆͜͠͝4̶̜̜͉̩͉̤́̆͌̍̋́͂͑̍͌̒̑̒̇̈́͗͑̈́̍͂́̚̚͘̕͜͠͝͝͠ȩ̸̨̧̖͕̜̱̫̫͕͎̜̭͍̪̱͇̮̞̀̉͊͘͝ẃ̶̧̛̳̣͛̔̉̈́͑̂͑̈́̍̀̉̔̃̂̈́͋̀̏͘̚͜͠͝h̷̛̛̛͍̠͍͙̓͒̈̈̇̈́̀̈͊̊̽̔͌͐̌̔͐͌͐͒̋̿́͋̐̈́͘͜͝j̸̧̨̡̢̢̬̖̞̰͖̭̥̤̣̲̞͔̟͙͎̯̞̰̬̯̬̖̥̲̩͎̀̊̄͗̏͒͘͜͜͜͜ͅf̸̡̢̧̨̛͙͖͇͍̜̤̥̼͔̭̟̦͔͇̘̪̟͕̤̼̥̺̺͉̣̳̳̻͇͓̪̞̟̘̖̪̜̪̞̞̬͆̾̐̈́̋͒̊̈́̇̍̀͆͐̓͊̏͊̿͑́̽̈́̈̚̚͜í̷̢̧̢̡̨̭̪̝̞̹̞͖͚̫̞̼̳͎̥̱͎̯̠̫̞̰̲͙̙̬͖̘͉͕̗͎͈͇̜̙̪̫̯̮̗̈̄͋̅̈́̒̈́̈́̏̇͆̾̓̎̀̎̀͗͛̾̐̐̓̀̈́͆͋̒̂͌͐̈̉̇̈́̈́̕̚̚̚̚͠ͅų̴̡̨̛̛̥̺̤̫͍̫͉̳͈̩͙̦̥̥̮̥̰̟̰͖͑̏̏͐͂̓̄̐͒͗͐̇̀̑̾̋́͒̈̐̉̔̔̏̋̈́̈́͌͂̄͋̚̕̕͜͠͝͠y̵̢̧̨̙̱̯̤̺͇͙̙̦̲͚̭̆̾̓̇͆́̾̈́̊̃̑̏͊̎͌͂͊̇̅͋̔̂̃̀̓̚͝͝͝ͅk̷̢̛̫̩̭͇͖̽̐̒̃̐̆̓͆̓̓̀̒̀̐̓̀͊̈̆̉͋̑̉̃̊̿̂̀͂͌̑̑̿̀͆̀̊́̈͗͋͒͘̕̚͘͝͝͠r̴̢̲͙̻̟̭̫͔̘̦͚̖̗̪̦̺͍̫͎͙̲̘͇͇̫̟̳̭̪̪̦͕̳͈̹̍̊̄͛̒̆̾͒̈́̈́̑́͂͋̊̆̈́̾͌̽̉̐̚̚͝͠d̷̢̧̡̨̡̢̗̱̰̘̖̱͈̪̲͖̙̣̠̥͔̖̫̘̭̠̠̻͍̖̫̥̞̠͉̬̘̩̮̘͔̺͚͉͔͒̄̕͜͜s̶̨̡̨̛̤̠̹̰̤̟̝̪͔̠͔̞̗͇̞̱̞̙̮̙̯̠̱̲̝̺͇͔̭͔͕͕̩̺͕̅͋̉̋̋̀̐̔̄͌̓̅̆̍̌͑͊̍̊͑̇͑́͌̆̍̏̏̆̀̀͘̕̕̕̚̚͝͝͠ḩ̴̨̨̧͖̯̗̤͓͈̠̬̣̙͍͎̪̣̠̩͈̰͙͍̣͉̠̫̮̣͎̫̱̹̘̱̣̼͇̪͙̝͔͎̯̈́̆̉͋̃̊̐͛́̃́̐̍̓̔̊͆̏̇̄̄̅̃̅͑͛̈́͌̀͒͂̄̀͛̐͛͆̒̀̂̈́̈́̏̈̾̀̕͘͝͝ŕ̸̡̡̡͇͙̺̱̯͚̘̺̱͎͚̪̲̯̬̜̘̼̰̙̱̦͖̯̗̲͙̗͎͉̠̲͚̠̺̱͑͆̒̈́̌͗͆́̂̍͒͐̀̓̍̅́̕͝͝f̵̧̢̢̨̨̦̻̯͇̰͍̟͓̻͈̠̲͓̪̤̖̱̪̠̘̼̙̗̠̱̥͚̰̳̬͓̲̳̘͈̦͔̫͎̞̺̈́́͐̓̓̏̀̈̎͒̈͗̽̚͘͜ͅͅ ̸͇̟͚̞̮͍͉̱̝̬͈̭̉̇͛̑̀͑̑̍͒̐͌̇̃͋̉̍̊̅̓̍̈́̒̌̚͝7̷̨̢̨̨̨̨̛͍͔̱͕͚̬͖̭͇̩͇̦͎͍̺̤̗͖̮̖͍̼̘͕̖̻͕͑̒̂̐̄̎̾͆̐̅͒̆̈́̿̆́͛̉͐̇̈́͊͂̆̔͑̂̅͂͐̀̇̄̂͑̔͑̈́͘̕͜͝͝͝͠u̵̢̧̡̡̧̘̰̻̠̤̳̰͍̬̝̣͕̠͓͔̖͚͔̫̖͙̹̜̻̲͈͚̞͇͉̟̬̠̠͙̘͊̍͐̒̀̌̔̾͛̎̾̓͌̋̓̚̚͘͜͝͠͠y̸̨̢̢̦͙̺̮͉̳̯̝̞̬̱̰̠̠̗̥͔̘͈̗̟̬̞̹̯̲͉̜̬̘̦̰̣̗͑̍͊̽̑̇̋͐̊̔͗́̀͊̃̂̂̽͐̂̊́͊̃͊̀͆̑̈́͘͠͝͝͝ͅͅͅį̵̧̢̧̧̢̢̢̘̦͉̰͇̯̪̱̘̜͕̳͙̘̯̣̪̖̩͕̟͖̗̦͍̥͓̳̮̟̰̫̻͙͇̩̪̉̾ͅș̴̢̧͙̘̞͈̜̰͓̰̙̬̣̰̲̳͖̝̳̞́͑̿̍̎͜͝d̸̨̧̡̧̛͇̻̼̟̬̹̙͖̞͔̲̙̭͉̭͙̪̣̤̮͖̮̩̳̭̱͎̱̤͇̲̮̞̤̟̭̺̊̾̀̅͛̚͜f̶̨̟̜̞̥̜̫̟̭̹̱͕͇͇̹̘͍̙͍̩̲̮̘͖̥̲͚̗͎̟͈̂͆̀͗̍͋̽̌́͗͊͆̓̕͜͜͠g̴̨̧̧͖͕̳̈́̈̍̂̃̓̈́̔́͂͋̍̀́̚̚̚͝t̸̡̨̢̛̗̰͕̫̤̮̰̥̗̜̻̝̹̼͎̗͕͈͙͕̺̬̲̞̭̯̠͓͔̺̭͙͓̰̬̱͎̠͍͓̖͌̿̊͊̉̔́̀̌̊̿͛̂͐͒̿̽̐̈́̅͒͂́̀͊̔̍͌̓͊̊̃̎͋̊͘̚͝͝͠͝͝͝ͅͅḟ̵̨̧̧̡̡̨̨̢̨̣̤̪̣̟̲̪͙̬̺̫̝̹̰̞̲͇̥̞̮͖̳͕̲̖̲͉̫͇̯̦̪̦̲͙͈͚̭̈́̆̃̀͛̈́̐̍̎̎̆̋́́̊̾͆̌͋̃̅̀͋̏͌̓̿̕̚͜è̸̛̝̠͈͕̻̻̰̟̳͍͍̦̲̱̭͕̗͇̋̅̓͆̓̐̾͌͆̏̽́͑̎̈́̇̋͊̊͆́͆̋̃̃̿̈́͐͗̎͑̆̅͛͑͛̌̚̕̕͝͝͝͝g̷̜̙̥̘̳̗̳̖͈̝̺̝̠̠̣̪̖̑̅̇
He unleashed a primal scream, a guttural cry of anguish that seemed to tear through the fabric of the world itself. Each agonized wail echoed off the crumbling walls, reverberating through the desolate streets.
His lungs burned with the effort, as if they might rupture from the strain of his despair, yet even this physical torment paled in comparison to the searing agony that consumed him from within. The taste of blood filled his mouth, metallic and thick but he did not care.
With a ferocious wail, he unleashed the depths of his sorrow upon the district. Each strike reverberated like thunder, tearing through the buildings with a relentless fury as if he were a force of nature exacting vengeance upon the world. Each impact left behind a gaping hole in the structure, setting off a domino effect that culminated in the total collapse of the once-standing edifices.
BOOM!
Dust clouds billowed, enveloping the area where towering structures once stood, yet he showed no signs of relenting. His fury knew no bounds, indiscriminately striking out in every direction. Left, right, center — it mattered not to him. All that mattered was the release of his pent-up anguish, leaving nothing untouched by the ferocity of his wrath.
Amidst the chaos, amidst the deafening roar of destruction, he felt a faint whisper, a voice beckoning to him from the shadows. But he paid it no mind. All that consumed him was the desperate longing for relief, the fervent wish for someone to assure him that this nightmare would soon fade into oblivion.
But as the harsh truth dawned upon him with merciless clarity, he was forced to confront the bitter reality. He was nothing more than a pawn in the cruel game orchestrated by fate, a mere puppet manipulated by forces beyond his comprehension. Trapped in the relentless dance of destiny, he found himself devoid of control, a hapless pawn in the grand scheme of an indifferent universe.
And in the suffocating grip of this revelation, he finally succumbed, sinking to his knees beneath the weight of despair. There was no escape from the torment that engulfed him, no respite to be found amidst the wreckage of his existence. The destruction he wrought was but a futile attempt to quench the inferno raging within him, a feeble echo of the devastation that consumed his very soul.
Time stretched endlessly as he plummeted into the abyss of his desolation, lost in the bleak reality of his plight. It was as if he wandered through a wonderland of despair.
Yet, within the relentless turmoil, a stark realization pierced through the haze of despair. In the midst of his chaotic thoughts, he grasped onto a singular notion, irrational yet consuming.
No... he needed more than just aimless destruction.
He needed a purpose.
A focus.
A target.
O̷͖͐r̴̰̕ľ̷̲å̷̬n̷̻̆d̶̮̽o̵̫͗ ̸̭̕F̵̪̀ų̴̾r̷̳̾i̵̠͋o̷̥̓s̴̤̈́o̵͇̎.̸̣̎
…
…
<- Music Stop ->
[ “Roland Sensei!” ]
Hah…hah…
Blood dripped from his hands, evidence of the intense pressure of his grip. His lungs strained for oxygen as he belatedly realized he had stopped breathing. Eyes darted around his surroundings, alert for any potential threat lurking.
[ “Roland Sensei!” ]
“I-I’m fine, Arona… Just a nice trip down memory lane.”
At this statement, she quietened down, seemingly at a loss for what she should do.
Noticing her silence, Roland forced a cheerful tone into his voice,
“You don’t have to do anything. I'll… work through it... eventually… Hopefully.”
<- Blue Archive 9 - Midsummer Cat ->
Before he could continue his voyage, he heard the rhythmic whir of mechanical motion approaching, punctuated by the soft patter of tires.
Then, he turned around to see a student.
She sports a shoulder-length long bob cut, her grey hair accented by a pair of wolf ears adorned with prominent white fluff. A cyan, inverted cross-shaped hairpin rests below her left ear while a singular cyan stud adorns her right humanoid ear. Her eyes boast mismatched, slitted pupils, with the left one appearing white.
Her cyan halo resembles a ring with four lines marking cardinal directions and a blue circle at its center, resembling a gun crosshair.
Finally, She dons a school uniform: a white dress shirt with a school logo, a cyan necktie with a navy blue cross mark, a dark grey pleated skirt with a plaid pattern and a navy blue blazer with silver buttons and white accents. A lime-green and cyan badge hangs from the blazer. She wore a cyan striped scarf around her neck and a single lime-green fingerless glove on her left hand.
Her accessories include a black shoulder bag with cyan and silver accents, adorned with keychains: a lime green cat, a silver cross, and a pink heart. Her knee-high socks feature triangular logos near the cuffs, matching those on her bag, and she wears black running shoes with lime green accents and cyan laces.
For her firearm, she has a white assault rifle with the same logo on it.
Huh… that seems like a convenient mode of transport.
“Are you okay?”
Huh?
“Why?”
“You were standing there motionlessly for a while.”
“Haha… I’m fine.”
He waved with both hands, attempting to reassure the girl.
However, it proved to be a grave oversight as she noticed the blood seeping from his hands. Her expression darkened as her demeanor shifted to one of seriousness.
Eh?
Glancing at his palms, he realized his mistake. Internally berating himself, he quickly explained,
“Before you say anything, I’m fine. This is just a scratch wound I got from falling down.”
“Nn…”
She stared at him intensely, scrutinizing him with furrowed brows. Then, she began rummaging through her bag, searching for something. Finally, she took out a disinfectant. To which, he started denying,
“There’s really no need, it will just heal on its own.”
However, she remained insistent. With a swift motion, she attempted to grab his wrists but Roland quickly moved them out of her reach. This sparked a cat-and-mouse chase, where she repeatedly tried to grab his wrists, but to no avail.
With a tinge of annoyance and her ears seemingly twitching, she monotonously pleaded,
“Stop moving.”
Before he could reply, Arona's exasperated voice chimed in to remind him,
[ “Roland Sensei… you know… she’s just trying help you… Just accept it already!” ]
Defeated by the persistence of both of them, he sighed heavily, his tone resigned to his circ*mstances,
“Alright… fine. Take a look.”
Surprisingly, he noted that the student seemed oblivious to Arona's intervention, judging by her lack of reaction.
Huh… so students can’t hear Arona?
With practiced ease, she retrieved disinfectants and proficiently cleaned the wounds on his hands before applying band-aids. Her movements were confident and precise, suggesting that she had done this many times before. Curious, he couldn't help but point it out,
“Looks like you’ve done this before?”
She hummed in acknowledgement before replying,
“I got into a lot of accidents when I first started cycling.”
“Ah… Alright.”
Next, she inspected his outfit, her eyes scanning him from head to toe before finally stating,
“Are you here on some kind of academy-related business?”
“Ours is the only one around.”
At this, Roland nodded, revealing the lanyard with the SCHALE card attached to it.
“Yep, I received a letter to visit Abydos High School. Something about a gang attacking the school and running out of resources.”
“Oh… you’re from SCHALE?”
Roland nodded once again, elicting some kind of expression from her which seemed to mirror admiration for some reason?
“So… you must be one of the students from Abydos. Mind telling me your name?”
“I am Sunaookami Shiroko, a second-year student of Foreclosure Task Force.”
Foreclosure Task Force?
As she waved at him and introduced herself, she continued, her voice carried a curious tone,
“So… what’s your name?”
With a small smile on his expression, he replied,
“Roland, as you already know the… Sensei from SCHALE, a supposed… advisor. Thanks for helping with the scratch by the way.”
She nodded in acknowledgment, her expression softening slightly. With a gesture, she motioned for him to follow her as she walked alongside her bicycle, the wheels rolling quietly against the ground. Roland fell into step beside her, the silence between them stretching like an unspoken question hanging in the air.
“So… what happened to the school?”
“Desertification and debt.”
Debt? This was not mentioned in the letter. Perhaps… it’s related to the desertification? Though I should confirm the lack of resources first.
“So the debt is the main reason on why you all are running out of resources?”
She nodded.
Testing the waters of his earlier thought, he ventured a hypothesis,
“I’m assuming desertification was the reason why you went into a debt in the first place. Is that correct?”
Her eyes widened slightly, astounded by his analysis.
“Y-Yes, that’s true but I don’t know the specifics of the desertification since I joined the school only after it happened.”
“That’s fine but how much debt does the school owe?”
<- Blue Archive 155 - Responsibility ->
At this, Roland noticed a subtle droop in her ears, accompanied by a shift in her behaviour,
“At the rate we’re going…”
“309 years and 2 months to fully pay it off…”
Hearing this, he halted in his tracks, the shadow from one of the buildings enveloping him while Shiroko continued walking into the sunlight, oblivious to his sudden stop. Only once she noticed his absence did she turn back to look at him, a tinge of curiosity evident in her expression as she awaited his reaction.
“Pardon?”
“309 years and 2 months?”
“What? How…?”
Disbelief washed over his expression as he began tapping one foot and covered his mouth with his hand, rubbing his chin absentmindedly. His thoughts churned, forming rapid connections that seemed to make little sense.
How can a school burdened with this much debt still be operational? Shouldn’t it have shut down already? Unless… there’s something stopping them from doing so? Or it could just be Kivotos again…
With this realization weighing heavily on his mind, he ceased tapping his foot, his thoughts consumed by the implications of his discovery. Putting it aside for the moment, he continued,
“Well… how many Abydos students are there?”
As he asked this, her ears seemed to droop even further, and her expression grew grimmer. That was all Roland needed to know.
With a heavy sigh, Roland turned to Shiroko, his expression a mix of resignation and concern,
“Shiroko… wouldn’t it be better for you to leave the school and enroll in another one? In fact, shouldn’t all of you leave at this point? After all, the debt only belongs to Abydos High School.”
At that moment, she became fully focused on the ground, her gaze fixed intently. Roland couldn’t discern her expression but he sensed she was grappling with his suggestion.
Oh well, she’s probably going to yield since she’s young. It’s best for her anyway-
“No.”
Her tone was resolute and firm, almost catching Roland off-guard. As he looked at her once more, she met his gaze with immense determination.
What?
Slowly and carefully, he articulated his next few words,
“Why? As harsh as this sounds, I don’t see any future with the school having that much debt.”
Shiroko continued staring at him, her free hand lightly grasping onto her scarf as she replied with conviction,
“Roland Sensei, I understand that you’re concerned about us but…”
“…”
“…This is our home.”
Roland's eyebrows tightened slightly as he listened to Shiroko. After a moment of careful deliberation, he continued,
“Even so… do you see any future for yourself?”
At this, Shiroko tightened her grip on her scarf, seemingly finding solace in it. Yet even with this action, she remained steadfast.
“Yes… because I believe in them.”
…
“Then… what will you do if the school crumbles?”
“I will continue to stay.”
Roland couldn't help but scrunch his face in confusion. It seemed insane to him — how could someone be so sure of their own future, especially in the face of overwhelming odds against them? It just didn't make sense.
“Why?”
At this point, desperation stirred within him as he yearned to understand her but he couldn't. It felt like traversing an unfamiliar perspective that he could not hope to grasp.
Upon hearing this, Shiroko cast a fleeting glance at her scarf, pulling it closer to her face, her expression contemplative as she closed her eyes. In the sunlight, she seemed to glow with an inner radiance, a symbol of unwavering determination in Roland's eyes. Finally, she responded with the same resolute conviction she had displayed before.
“It’s my responsibility as a student of Abydos.”
???
“…”
“…”
“Ha…”
“…?”
“Haha…”
Finally, he chuckled, the sound quickly evolving into full-blown laughter. It was a laughter tinged with a myriad of emotions, each one foreign and indecipherable to him. After a while, he managed to respond, sighing deeply,
“Hah… you’re insane…”
There was a moment of silence, where the weight of the conversation hung heavy in the air.
“…But then again, this world is pretty insane too.”
With a shaky wry smile, he relented,
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Returning a small smile, full of certainty, she nodded, and they continued on their journey to the school.
…
…
<- Blue Archive 3 - Mischievous Step ->
As they continued walking, the buildings, initially in a state of disrepair, gradually appeared more well-maintained and normal. Finally, he reached what seemed to be a residential area. However, the buildings here were noticeably smaller and in a less decrepit state compared to those he had seen earlier. Furthermore, residents were roaming about in the area.
As they continued walking, he finally came across a school that could be considered normal-looking, at least by his standards. Despite being smaller compared to the other schools in Kivotos, it resembled what he would typically find back in the City.
The school gate resembled that of Trinity, albeit without the ornate decorations. Constructed from bricks, it sported a predominantly light color scheme of white and light brown. At the top of the school building, Roland spotted the logo which adorned Shiroko’s outfit and gun: a triangle with an eye symbol.
However, there was a key detail that caught his eye. There were an array of objects strewn across the front of the school. Among them were metallic drawers and cabinets, haphazardly arranged as if forming a makeshift cover against intruders. Despite the chaos, Roland couldn't help but whistle at the ingenuity behind their makeshift defense.
As they entered the school, Roland took in his surroundings with a keen eye. Most of the rooms appeared tidy although he noticed a few that still bore traces of sand. Unlike Millennium, there was no sign of advanced technology nor did he sense the presence of any religious symbolism akin to Trinity. It felt like an ordinary school, something that one would normally see back in the City.
<- Blue Archive 10 - Romantic Smile ->
Finally, Shiroko reached for a door and swung it open, announcing as she did so,
“I’m back.”
“Welcome back, Shiro…ko?”
The greeting came with a hint of confusion, evident in the speaker's voice.
She sports a black hair tied in long twintails that cascade down to her legs. Bright cyan ribbons adorn her hair, along with a sleek speaker earpiece. Adding to her distinctive appearance are her dark blue cat ears.
Her halo features a red crosshair floating above her head, with arrows embellishing the outer ring.
In terms of attire, she opts for a uniform similar to Shiroko's, donning a buttoned navy blue blazer adorned with the school badge. Beneath, she wears a white shirt paired with a cyan tie, while her lower half is adorned with a pleated, plaid black skirt.
Her hands are clad in black gloves, with red accents on the palm area. Additionally, she wears a black knee wrap on her right leg, complemented by matching black socks. Her footwear of choice consists of black and white sneakers with cyan shoelaces.
“Who’s that behind you?!”
Then, a cheerful voice chimed in,
“Maybe… Shiroko kidnapped him?”
She has long, pale blonde hair cascading down to her waist, with a side bun on her left side. Her emerald green eyes add a striking contrast to her hair.
Her halo features a neon green circle with a smaller circle inside, accompanied by two earlaps.
In terms of attire, she deviates slightly from the uniform. Instead of wearing the tie and blazer, she opts for a white shirt paired with a beige cardigan adorned with black piping, which she casually drapes off her shoulders. Her school badge hangs around her neck on a lanyard, and her hands are adorned with black tracking gloves. Completing her ensemble are a grey skirt, black socks, and white trainers.
However, her speculation was quickly dismissed by a voice of reason,
“Um… I don’t think that’s the case.”
She sports a black bob cut with bangs, accentuated by a French-braid styled headband that matches her hair color. Her look is completed with red glasses, a white butterfly hairpin with a red stud and a sleek speaker earpiece. Notably, she possesses long ears similar to Rin and amber eyes.
Her halo features a red crosshair within another circle, with holes adorning the oval part of the crosshair.
In terms of attire, she wears the standard Abydos uniform with a few personal touches. This includes a navy blue blazer with the school badge, cuffed sleeves, and a beige sweater layered over a tucked-in white shirt. A cyan tie adds a pop of color to her ensemble, which is paired with a pleated, plaid black skirt.
Completing her look, she wears a cyan armband with dark stripes, featuring kanji characters. Her footwear consists of black socks adorned with a butterfly on the rim, paired with brown uwabaki with red shoelaces.
After taking stock of everyone present in the room, he cast a brief scan across the area. The room featured a long table and several cabinets stocked with numerous books. A large, moveable whiteboard adorned one side of the room while his attention was drawn to the weapons scattered in plain sight: an assault rifle, a… minigun from what he could discerned from the internet and a standard pistol.
With the same calm expression and tone she had maintained since the start, Shiroko attempted to diffuse the situation.
“Settle down — they’re here to visit the school.”
However, this only prompted them to continue staring at Roland in confusion, leaving Shiroko at a loss for words as she muttered,
“Uh…”
Oh well, time to step up it seems.
With a smile gracing his features, he greeted them in a cheerful manner, though not as exuberantly as he had with the four students he met on his first day. With a casual wave, he introduced himself,
“Yo. I’m Roland, the Sensei from SCHALE, a supposed advisor.”
As he said this, they all seemed to yelp in surprise at this revelation.
“What!?”
The red glassed one was the first one to recover,
“No way! Are you?!”
But before she could continue, the one with cat ears, who reminded him of that uptight student from Millennium, Yuuka, interrupted,
“You’re with SCHALE? The Federal Investigation Club?!”
Next, the pale blond girl added,
“Wow! That means you got the letter Ayane wrote! ☆”
The girl in question, her expression relieved, exclaimed,
“This is great. This means we can finally get more ammo and supplies. I have to tell Hoshino.”
Though a look of confusion soon seeped, her eyes seemingly searching for someone,
“Wait… Where is she anyway?”
The one with cat ears responded,
“She’s taking a nap in the next room. I’ll go wake her up.”
The one with cat ear was seeming about to walk off but was soon intercepted by Roland’s voice,
“Wait… I don’t believe I have gotten the names for all of you yet.”
With this, a sheepish look appeared on the faces of the three students aside from Shiroko. The one with pale blond hair spoke first, her voice enthusiastic and almost hopping as she introduced herself,
“I am Izayoi Nonomi, a second-year student. Nice to meet you!”
Next, the one with red glasses began, courteously bowing as she spoke,
“Hello. I am Okusora Ayane, a first-year student.”
Finally, the last person to introduce herself was the one with cat ears. She seemed a bit bashful, crossing her arms as she spoke,
“I’m Kuromi Serika, a first-year student!”
After the introductions, Shiroko, for some reason, introduced herself again, waving at Roland once more,
“I am Sunaookami Shiroko, a second-year student.”
Then, she started to mumble,
“Well, we met earlier so you should already know me.”
“Ah… By the way, I’m not trying to highlight myself by saying this.”
With that, Roland nodded at all of them, a small smile gracing his lips. He then unloaded the ammo packs he had brought onto the table, inviting them to inspect the contents. As he did so, he closed the door behind him.
<- Th-Thiles - Who Is She x The Perfect Girl (Instrumental) ->
Now all that’s left is Hoshino. I wonder what kind of person would nap in the middle of school.
Knock
Knock
Suddenly, a rhythmic knocking on the door behind him interrupted his thoughts.
With a perplexed expression, Ayane murmured,
“Huh? Is that Hoshino? That’s… strange, I thought she would still be napping at this time?”
The confusion was palpable among the group, evident in their exchanged glances and furrowed brows. It was clear that this unexpected interruption deviated from their usual expectations.
With a mixture of curiosity and caution, Roland stepped forward, finding himself nearest to the door. Its surface still reverberated from the abrupt disturbance. With a deliberate motion, he slid the door open, revealing the figure standing on the other side.
Then, he could see a pink-haired girl with-
[ “ROLA-” ]
WOOSH
BOOM
Reacting with lightning reflexes, Roland swiftly dodged just in the nick of time, the whoosh of displaced air brushing past his cheek as the well-executed kick narrowly missed its mark. But the force behind it was immense, sending the once-pristine door flying off its hinges and crashing outside the room in an explosion of dust.
What?
In that fleeting moment, a pair of heterochromic eyes locked onto Roland's — one a piercing yellow, the other a captivating blue. Time seemed to slow as those eyes bore into his, scrutinizing his every move with an almost supernatural intensity, akin to the gaze of Horus.
As he cautiously stepped back to better observe the enigmatic figure, Roland took note of her distinct appearance.
She possessed striking pink hair with a lengthy cowlick trailing down to her legs. Her eyes, each a different color — blue and orange — added to her captivating aura.
Her halo featured a pink eye-like circle bordered by a curved outer line that tapered into a strip line.
Though clad in the same uniform, her style diverged significantly from her peers'. Unlike Shiroko, Serika, and Ayane, Hoshino opted for a more relaxed approach. She forwent the blazer, leaving the top two shirt buttons undone and her tie loosely knotted. Additionally, she sported fingerless gloves and a buckled tactical brace. Her attire included a black and grey pleated skirt, white socks, and navy blue sneakers with white laces and soles.
Completing her ensemble, Hoshino's hands were adorned with black tracking gloves, and she carried a what appeared to be a briefcase, secured by a white strap.
However, what immediately caught Roland's attention was the seriousness etched into her expression. Unlike the laid-back demeanor he had heard described from the rest, her brows furrowed with an intensity that belied any hint of relaxation. It was as if she sensed his scrutiny and returned it with equal measure, her gaze piercing through the air with unwavering focus.
“…”
“…”
Silence draped over them, heavy with tension, as their gazes locked in a silent exchange. Each sought to unravel the other's intentions, their unspoken communication forming a bridge between them. Roland's expression remained etched with confusion as the scrutiny persisted.
This entire exchange lasted for mere seconds before Ayane's interruption broke the tension. Her voice, tinged with a mix of anger and confusion, cut through the silence like a knife,
“Hoshino! You almost hurt Roland Sensei and look what happened to the door!”
In turn, Hoshino raised her eyebrows before letting out a casual yawn and slouching, rubbing the back of her head,
“Uhe~… sorry for the commotion, it seems that this Ojisan must have been pretty tired lately and mistook you for an enemy. I’ll fix the door later. I’m Takanashi Hoshino, sorry for almost kicking you, Roland Sensei.”
The rest of the students appeared visibly shaken, their expressions a mix of confusion and apprehension as they grappled with how to process the situation. Among them, Nonomi displayed the most pronounced reaction, her features contorted with a combination of shock and concern, her hands covering her mouth.
Besides Nonomi, Serika appeared perturbed, her wide eyes and gaping mouth betraying her astonishment as she pointed at the remnants of the damaged door. Meanwhile, Shiroko narrowed her eyes at Hoshino, seemingly pondering on what could elicit such an abnormal reaction from her. Ayane, despite her earlier anger, trembled slightly from the sudden action of Hoshino.
For some unknown reason, he thought he saw Hoshino’s fists clench in the corner of his eye though her expression suggested otherwise.
…?
Before anything could be said, gunfire could be heard outside.
<- Blue Archive 5 - Colorful Mess ->
Nonomi was the first one to react to gunfire, exclaiming,
“Was that gunfire?!”
“…!”
However, it was Shiroko who was the first to take action, swiftly retrieving her rifle from her back and peering outside the window.
With curiosity piqued, he cautiously peered outside, ensuring only a small part of him was visible.
In the school grounds, he observed several students wearing helmets reminiscent of those used for motorcycles, firing shots at the school windows as if daring its defenses. He couldn't shake the feeling that their attire was teetering on the brink of reaching the absurdity of the Kaitengers'.
So that’s the gang… what an… interesting choice of outfits.
Faintly, amidst the chaos, he could discern mocking taunts and rambunctious laughter echoing through the air as they continued their assault on the school.
With a shocked expression, Ayane identified them,
“They must be the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang!”
The what now?
With gritted teeth, Shiroko uttered,
“Those punks… They have some nerve coming back for more.”
With determination, she leaped off the building, descending to the ground with a casual grace.
Nonomi, Serika, and Ayane opted for a normal approach, each swiftly preparing their respective weapons: a minigun, an assault rifle, and a pistol. Additionally, Ayane activated a nearby drone. With their preparations complete, they dashed out of the room, leaving Roland and Hoshino alone.
<- Blue Archive 92 - Crucial Issue ->
Well… this is awkward.
“Sooo~ uh… nice to meet you, Hoshino?”
“Yup~ nice to meet you, Roland Sensei.”
Initially, her response appeared casual as if given without much consideration. Yet, Roland soon discerned a discrepancy between her words and her demeanor. Despite her seemingly relaxed manner, Hoshino continued to observe him intently, her scrutiny evident in the subtle shifts of her expression.
With hesitance laced in his voice, he questioned Hoshino,
“So… who exactly did I remind you of? You did mention something about an enemy.”
Her eyes seemed to dart to the side as though pondering before she responded with a flippant tone,
“I guess there is one thing both of you have in common.”
“…”
“A black suit.”
Huh?
“That’s it? Seriously?”
However, in that split second, her eyes narrowed, a subtle shift hinting at deeper scrutiny though her voice remained unchanged.
“Then again, you are quite different from him.”
Finally, reverting back to her laidback attitude, she sauntered away towards the staircase, her arms stretching languidly as she moved.
“Oh well, we should go help my dear juniors~.”
As he watched her walk away, he was still visibly confused. The situation still didn't add up. Even if she had indeed mistaken him for someone else, there was an underlying sense that there was more to her reaction than met the eye. Then, his gaze shifted to the remnants of the door.
Especially that kick… It was almost as though it was instinctual. If it had been anyone else, someone ordinary… I can’t imagine the consequences.
Soon, he was cut off by a voice filled with panic,
[ “Roland Sensei, are you fine?! I-I activated the barrier on time but you somehow dodged her kick?” ]
“A barrier?”
[ “Yeah! It’s a safeguard though I never imagined I would have to use it this early…” ]
Seeing her voice trail off, Roland simply sighed and reassured her,
“It’s fine, I can handle myself pretty well… for the most part.”
With that, he descended the staircase, following the sound of gunshots.
<- Blue Archive 18 - Mechanical JUNGLE ->
Explosions echoed as bullets flew haphazardly around the front of the school. As Roland descended the staircase, he saw the Abydos students fending off the gang. It appeared they were managing quite well on their own.
Shiroko seemed like a rush-down type. She charged straight toward the gang, guns blazing, only occasionally taking cover to reload. Roland felt her methods were rather crude and risky, especially considering she was the only one who had jumped off the building to engage. He also noticed that she occasionally deployed a mini drone that fired missiles at the gang.
Hah… she’s reckless.
Next, Serika, armed with an assault rifle similar to Shiroko's, appeared to employ a slightly more cautious approach. However, given Shiroko's recklessness, the bar for comparison was quite low. Roland noted that Serika occasionally exude an aura reminiscent of Wakamo and that one white-haired girl, though her power output was far less intense. In this heightened state, it seemed like she could fire her assault rifle at an increased rate.
Huh. I wonder if those weird abilities come from the halo itself? Rin did say it represented their consciousness… wait… does that mean… it’s sort of like an E.G.O?
Leaving that thought in the back of his mind for now, he shifted his focus to Nonomi.
With ease, she wielded a large minigun, swiftly dispatching the hordes of helmet-wearing delinquents. Despite the chaos of battle, her cheerfulness remained palpable, evident in the persistent smile adorning her face. However, there were moments when she would intermittently cease firing, seeking cover and patiently waiting for her gun to cool down or reload before resuming her onslaught.
She’s… still cheerful in the middle of a battle?
Next, he sought out Ayane until he located her.
Ayane occupied the backlines, manipulating a device to maneuver a drone in the sky. Whenever someone required assistance, be it medical or ammo-related, the drone would precisely drop supplies to the designated student. It was evident that they must have been communicating effectively through a shared headset.
Huh… that drone is pretty neat.
Finally, he focused his attention to the last one, Hoshino.
It was evident that she had rushed to the frontline, considering her swift presence there. Armed with a shotgun and shield, she adeptly used the latter to block incoming fire. At first glance, her movements seemed lethargic, but Roland discerned it was a deliberate ruse to draw enemy fire towards her. Occasionally, angry screams from the opposing side prompted increased gunfire in her direction. However, she remained largely unscathed, skillfully deflecting the onslaught with her shield. In fact, it felt like she was merely toying with them.
…?
However, one aspect of the battle stood out as inefficient. Shiroko often found herself targeted from multiple angles, requiring Hoshino to step in and block the shots meant for her. This diversion of attention, however, resulted in the others being vulnerable to stray bullets. While Nonomi and Serika managed well individually, there was a sense that their collective performance could be improved.
As he neared the battlefield beside Ayane, he noticed the sandy ground beneath his feet, sparking an idea.
“Roland Sensei? What are you doing here? It’s dangerous!”
With a small smirk, he replied,
“I got a plan.”
…
…
<- Blue Archive 49 - Mechanical JUNGLE (Hi-Tech Full On Mix) ->
“Shiroko~ I can cover for you but this Ojisan still needs to look out for the rest, ya know?”
Shiroko and Hoshino were entrenched in the frontlines, taking cover from the incoming horde of bullets.
“Nn. Sorry.”
“Bah, it’s fine, just give me a heads up.”
Then, Ayane’s voice suddenly rang out from their respective headsets.
“Shiroko, Hoshino! Nonomi will create a distraction for you to go in and I’ll guide Serika to cover for you!”
Before they could even reply, they heard the distinct sound of Nonomi’s minigun. This time, instead of targeting the delinquents directly, she aimed at the ground near them, creating a thick cloud of dust.
Panic ensued as the helmeted delinquents struggled to clear their visors of the blinding sand, their vision obscured despite their frantic efforts.
“Hoh…? Not bad. Let’s go, Shiroko.”
Shiroko nodded, and together they sprinted toward the smoke, skillfully dodging the stray bullets fired in desperation by their disoriented enemies.
“Want a lift?”
“Sure.”
Hoshino raised her shield, allowing Shiroko to step onto it. Once Shiroko was in position, Hoshino hurled her to the other side of the dust cloud, positioning Shiroko for a flank while she held the front line.
Hoshino noticed that bullets continued to fly from their side, the spread characteristic of an assault rifle. With Ayane’s guidance, she observed that most of these shots were hitting their marks, shattering the helmets of those caught in the dust cloud.
With a proud smile, eager not to be outdone, she stepped into the cloud of dust.
…
...
As the portion of helmeted delinquents managed to clear the sand from their visors, the storm was far from over. One of them, her hand trembling, pointed into the smoky haze.
“T-There’s something there.”
In the swirling sandy smoke, a pair of glowing eyes loomed — a piercing yellow and a patient blue — leaving an eerie trail as they moved ever so slightly. They radiated an air of cold superiority, unsettling the delinquents. Disoriented and unnerved, they had never encountered anything like this in their previous attacks on Abydos. It felt as though a judge were passing an unyielding verdict on them.
And they were the ones condemned.
One of them, breathing heavily, shouted in horror and attempted to shoot at the eyes.
“Stay back!”
But the eyes simply tilted to dodge the bullet, narrowing in the process as her voice took on a methodical tone,
“Don’t you know how to greet an old pal?”
Then, the eyes vanished, but the overwhelming presence lingered, sending shivers down their spines.
“A-AAAH-”
Suddenly, one of them screamed, only for their voice to abruptly cut off as if they had never existed in the first place.
On high alert, they began spraying bullets into the swirling smoke, hoping to hit their target. However, their efforts were in vain, as another one was suddenly dragged away by the legs. Panicked, they attempted to shoot at whatever was grabbing their comrade, but their bullets found no purchase as she was swiftly pulled out of sight.
They were now down to four, visibly panicking, especially after witnessing two of their comrades being dragged away.
“I can’t deal with this anymore!”
One of the helmeted delinquents shouted, throwing their weapon to the ground in frustration before bolting away. The others could only watch as their comrade vanished into the swirling sand, her footsteps quickly fading into silence.
“W-Well, this isn’t looking good right, guys?”
“…”
“Guys?”
She repeated the statement, her voice trembling. But there was an unsettling silence and a chill ran down her spine as she realized someone was behind her. A voice, cold and authoritative, cut through the tension.
“Turn around and shake my hand.”
As she slowly turned-
“Boo.”
“AAHASIUFGAIWFGAI!”
With that, the last remaining delinquent in the dust cloud fell.
“Welp, I guess that wraps up things on my end.”
With a tired yawn and a long stretch, she moved to the other side of the dust cloud, which was beginning to settle.
…
…
<- Blue Archive 130 - Foolish Days ->
“That was close. We were almost caught up in that smokescreen.”
Several of the helmeted delinquents had managed to escape the sandy haze just before it turned perilous.
One of them simply stomped around, seemingly frustrated by what has transpired,
“Darn it! We were close this time.”
The rest of them sweat-dropped at their energetic companion with long dark blue hair and a peculiar halo compared to the rest. Then, one of them stepped forward to refute her, her voice tinged with annoyance,
“No, how could you even call that close? It was just another one-sided massacre.”
Unconvinced, she raised her voice in retaliation,
“You see, considering we’ve lost several times while attacking this academy, wouldn’t that mean their resources should be running dry by now?”
“W-What? I-It still doesn’t change the fact that we are getting obliterated!”
“Nuh uh, you see. There was this one quote from Shanhaijing.”
“Okaay? What about them.”
With a seemingly haughty laugh, she adopted a demeanor reminiscent of a teacher as she spoke the next few words,
“The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“…”
“…”
“What does that have to do with our situation.”
“Duh, we just have to continue raiding them and continue losing to them until we win.”
At this point, smoke could practically be seen coming out from the listener’s helmet.
“THAT DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!”
“You’re just not big brain enough to understand.”
“No… I think you’re just insane.”
Seemingly offended by her statement, she launched into a tirade,
“What the hell did you just say about me? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in Kivotos, and I've been involved in numerous raids with over 300 confirmed knockdowns. I'm trained in guerrilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire Kivotos. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this planet, mark my words. You think you can get away with saying that to me? Think again. As we speak, I am contacting my secret network of spies across Kivotos and your IP is being traced right now, so you better prepare for the storm. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're actually dead. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can destroy you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of Kivotos and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable existence off the face of the continent. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little 'clever' comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will unleash fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're dead.”
As she finally finished, the recipient was at a loss for words, stunned into silence.
“…”
“…”
“W-What? W-W-Wait now that I think about it, aren’t you just a new recru-”
Before she could finish, the other helmeted delinquent turned and bolted.
“H-Hey, why are you runnin-”
“Nice talk.”
A monotone voice interrupted her. The blunt, straightforward delivery left her struggling to identify who had spoken.
As she turned around rigidly to see who it was, she was met with an incredible sight that left her speechless. All of her companions were on the ground, their helmets shattered completely. Flames flickered on the ground, burning for some unknown reason, casting an eerie glow over the scene.
And the culprit was a girl with grey hair and wolf ears.
Indignant and feeling betrayed, she yelled at the one running away,
“Hey, why are you leaving me behind!”
The blue-haired girl did not reply and simply gave her a thumbs up as she continued her run.
It was at this point she realised the significance of the quote.
“Hah… The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“True.”
The person behind her replied curtly before slamming her into the ground before shooting her in the helmet repeatedly.
“I giv-”
She could not utter a single word as the wolf girl simply continued shooting at her, staring silently with cold, unblinking eyes. Each shot was precise and unrelenting, echoing in the eerie silence that followed. The relentless onslaught finally ended, leaving the helmeted delinquent lying motionless on the ground.
At last, the final helmeted delinquent had fallen.
…
…
<- Blue Archive 11 - Connected Sky ->
Well, I think that worked a little too well.
As the dust settled, Roland observed that all of the helmeted delinquents lay unconscious. Amusingly, he noticed that the area where Shiroko had been launched was scattered with delinquents whose helmets had been shattered.
Gradually, they began to awaken and hastily fled from Abydos, their panicked screams echoing as they ran.
With a relieved sigh, Ayane smiled and spoke into her headset,
“Thank goodness, the Kata-Kata Helmet are currently retreating from the district.”
As she spoke, the rest of the students gathered around Ayane, their expressions reflecting a mix of relief and satisfaction at their successful defense against the gang.
With a large, gleeful smile, Nonomi celebrated, exclaiming,
“Wow! We won! Well done everyone! ☆”
Meanwhile, Serika couldn't help but jeer at the retreating gang, taunting them with a hearty laugh,
“Hahaha! How do you like that, Helmet Gang?”
Hoshino and Shiroko simply remained silent, their smiles speaking volumes as they watched the scene unfold.
With that, Ayane led everyone back to the school.
…
…
<- Blue Archive 10 - Romantic Smile ->
Once they arrived at the school club room, Hoshino immediately went to a seat and slumped onto a the table.
“Uhe~ that was a tough battle. The Helmet Gang seemed pretty determined~.”
Though, Ayane disapproved her statement,
“You shouldn’t say that, Hoshino. Those thugs would have taken over the school had we lost. Besides, it was thanks to Roland Sensei who came up with the plan.”
At this, she raised her eyebrows, though before she could reply, Serika barged in, huffing as she did,
“Hmph. We could have defeated them by ourselves.”
Deviously, Hoshino smirked,
“Serika~, you’re still such a tsundere~.”
Tsundere?
In retaliation, she indignantly shouted back,
“Shut up!”
The atmosphere lightened as Hoshino unexpectedly leapt from her seat to hug Serika, who struggled to free herself but couldn't. The other students smiled at this familiar interaction, indicating it was something they were accustomed to witnessing.
Roland couldn't help but let a small smile slip onto his face though he quickly suppressed it. Clearing his throat to interrupt their playful banter, he rubbed the back of his head.
“I just simply did what I had to as Sensei. It’s not that amazing, really.”
However, Shiroko immediately interjected, her voice carrying a tone of genuine admiration,
“No, you were the one that gave us the edge over them. Experience was likely the deciding factor. It was amazing how you handled resources, equipment and support.”
Everyone fell silent at this, even Roland was momentarily at a loss for words. A small blush appeared on Shiroko’s face as she tried to reaffirm her statement,
“I’m not wrong, right?”
“Sheesh, Shiroko. You sound like you have a schoolgirl crush. Anyways, I’ll be heading to sleep now that it’s over.”
“You shouldn’t tease Shiroko like that, Hoshino! Besides, haven’t you slept enough today?”
But Hoshino didn’t seem to hear Serika, as she returned to the same seat and slumped onto the table. However, it was evident she was still awake, judging by the glow of her halo.
However, Ayane was having none of it. With a large smile and her eyes closed, her glasses flashing ominously, she slowly recited,
“Ho-shi-no~, would you please kindly fix the door?”
“Eh?”
“Please?”
Upon hearing that, Hoshino snapped to attention like a soldier responding to a command. She ran towards Nonomi, her expression one of comedic fear, her eyes wide and nearly white with anxiety.
“Help me Nonomi, Ayane is bullying her Ojisan~”
However, Nonomi smiled apologetically,
“Ha…ha, sorry, I can’t help you out of this situation.”
At this, she dramatically pretended to melt into the floor, sniffing fake tears as if she were turning into liquid,
“How could you betray me?”
“Oh come on, stop being melodramatic!”
Serika chimed in, clearly annoyed.
What am I even witnessing? I thought this school was the closest thing to normal. Oh well, who am I kidding? This is Kivotos.
After some convincing, Hoshino reluctantly went to find some tools to help her fix the door.
With curiosity laced in his voice, he inquired about Hoshino,
“So… why does she refer herself as Ojisan and what does that even mean?”
This time, Shiroko helpfully explained,
“Ojisan means uncle. As for why, I think… it’s because she’s the oldest out of all of us. And... just ignore what Hoshino said earlier, okay?”
“Okay…? Wait, you mean to say she’s your senior?”
They all nodded, and Nonomi chimed in enthusiastically,
“Yup and she’s our beloved president!”
Huh? How?
Initially, Roland found it perplexing how a third-year student could exude the demeanor and appearance more typical of a first-year. Observing her interactions with the other students, it appeared as though she carried herself with a carefree attitude, adding to the mystery surrounding her.
However, after contemplating for a moment, he came to the realization that she was the sole individual in Abydos who had attacked him despite her insistence that it was accidental. In that fleeting moment of aggression, it seemed as if a glimpse of her true nature had been unveiled.
What a strange student… Yet, why does she feel strangely familiar?
“R-Right, so what’s the purpose of the Foreclosure Task Force? Based on how it sounds, I’m guessing its main purpose is to prevent the school from closing down right?”
She nodded, reinforcing Roland's points with her own words.
“Yes, and to bring Abydos back to its former glory.”
Isn’t that… a bit too optimistic?
As she said this, Nonomi elaborated further on the club,
“We’re the only club in the school where every single student is a member! I mean, we’re the only five students at this school, but still…”
Hah…
Shiroko's monotone voice interjected, providing additional clarification,
“All the others either transferred or dropped out and left town.”
“I don’t blame them for leaving, with the state that Abydos is in. And now we have to deal with thugs like the Kata-Kata Helmet Gang trying to take over the school.”
“It’s too difficult to defend Abydos on our own and embarrassing to see the state it’s in if I’m being honest…”
Hearing all this, Roland rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers, trying to process everything. After a moment of contemplation on the best way to handle the situation, he put on a somewhat exaggerated smile and said,
“On the plus side, you’ve got the support of SCHALE~ Speaking of which, I'll need all of you to send me your ammo specifications so I know what to order next.”
“Oh, sure! Through Momotalk?”
Ah… that one function that I have not used yet.
As he slowly nodded, he opened up the Momotalk app on the sh*ttim Chest.
The app's interface featured a pink color scheme, and its logo resembled a peach. It felt somewhat similar to the cellphones he used back in the City, though this one was much more advanced.
“Uh… is this the button for adding new contacts?”
“Oh, let me help!”
Roland handed the tablet to Ayane, who promptly began typing rapidly. After a while, she handed it back to him. Looking at the app now, he saw that there were five students in the contact list.
“Try typing something and sending it to me”
“Uh… sure?”
hallo ||
|| Alright… It works properly.
Roland then nodded before questioning,
“What should I be doing now?”
With this, Shiroko’s ears seemed to perk up,
“Oh, let me give you the tour of the school.”
With that, Roland followed her as she gestured for him to come along. The rest of the group watched them leave, their faces marked with particularly strange expressions.
<- Blue Archive 105 - Alkaline Tears ->
“Seems like the desertification really hit the school hard.”
Shiroko hummed in acknowledgment before coming to a halt, her gaze lingering on a nearby poster. It seemed as though she was reaching out to it longingly.
It appeared to be a poster among a collection of various advertisem*nts for different clubs. Each poster boasted bright colors to distinguish itself from the others. Yet, the one that seemed to captivate her the most was the cyan and yellow poster promoting cycling.
“You uh… really like cycling?”
“Yes, I enjoy various physical activities but I like this one the most.”
“That’s nice, having something to enjoy in your off time.”
“What about you, Roland Sensei?”
Eh?
At the unexpected question, Roland’s mind momentarily blanked, unused to such personal inquiries. As he thought about it, his eyes drifted to the left, his expression tinged with wistfulness. Finally, he replied, his tone unsure,
“Perhaps cooking?”
At this, Shiroko tilted her head slightly, curiosity evident in her expression.
“Though I haven’t exactly done that in quite some time so I’m pretty rusty.”
“Maybe you could cook for us when you are free. I’d like to try your cooking.”
Shiroko suggested with a small smile.
“H-Huh? Are you sure? When I say ‘quite some time’, I really mean it.”
Though she did not reply, she continued staring inquisitively at Roland, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. Seeing this, Roland couldn't help but sigh and nod helplessly.
As they continued their tour, Roland passed by several rooms and was pleasantly surprised by how well-maintained the school was, considering there were only five students. Most of the classrooms appeared clean, and the facilities seemed to be in working order. However, he occasionally noted areas that could use a slight touch-up.
Impressed, he remarked,
“The school is surprisingly well-maintained for only 5 students.”
“Nn, we work together when it comes to maintenance.”
A slight concern crept over his expression as he recalled the seemingly lazy president. Trying a bit of reverse psychology, Roland ventured a guess,
“I’m assuming your president helps out too?”
To his surprise, she nodded,
“Hoshino may seem pretty lazy but she’s pretty dedicated when it comes to work even if it doesn't always appear that way.”
“So she doesn’t laze around?”
“For the most part.”
Huh.
“Speaking of her, is it normal for her to… suddenly destroy the door like that?”
At this, Shiroko frowned, her eyes closing in contemplation. A shadow of concern crossed her face as she thought about the incident. Finally, she mustered a reply, her voice soft and tinged with a mix of hesitation and confusion,
“I… don’t know.”
This prompted Roland to raise an eyebrow. It didn’t make sense. With only five students, how could she, a second-year, not know much about Hoshino, a third-year? It would have been understandable for the first-years but for a second-year to be in the dark raised some red flags about Hoshino.
As if prompted by his thoughts, she continued, her gaze turning distant as she reminisced, her fingers subconsciously tracing the fabric of her scarf as she spoke,
“Hoshino and Nonomi were the only ones present when I joined. In fact, Hoshino was the one who reached out to me.”
What?
“Reached out as in?”
As soon as he said this, she fell silent. Her expression darkened, and a fleeting array of recollections seemed to flash across her eyes. Realizing he had unintentionally stepped into a sensitive topic, he quickly backtracked, offering reassurance,
“Ah, if you don’t want to share, it’s fine. I’m just sating my curiosity about Abydos and Kivotos in general.”
Shiroko nodded slowly, her voice measured as she gradually regained her composure,
“If you're worried about Hoshino, don't fret too much. She cares deeply for all of us so perhaps she's just cautious with new people.”
Hah… cautious to the point that she literally destroyed the door.
Once again, Shiroko posed a question that seemed to boggle his mind,
“Wait you mentioned that you wanted to sate your curiosity about Kivotos? Does that mean you’re originally not from Kivotos?”
Ah… How should I reply to this?
Starting off with some hesitance and a forced smile, he replied,
“Well… yeah.”
Confused by his abrupt pause, she prodded him with another question,
“What kind of place is it?”
His smile seemed to stretch thin as he unconsciously grabbed his other arm with his hand, adopting a guarded posture. Despite this, he replied, albeit with a tinge of disdain,
“It’s not a pleasant place.”
Seeing his reaction, she muttered softly,
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s… fine. What can I say? That’s that and this is this.”
“That’s that and this is this?”
“Ah, that’s a favourite phrase of mine. It made living an easy and comfortable one.”
“But… what does it mean?”
As he was about to speak, something within him held him back. He couldn't understand why but he realized he had never truly questioned the meaning of the quote. It was simply something he had repeated in various situations, finding solace in it. Or perhaps, over the years, the quote had become too tainted from its original use.
Thinking back to Arona, he realized that while he had taught her the quote, her interpretation of it was quite different from his. For him, it had become a crutch but for her, it was more of an option.
[ “Roland Sensei! You can’t just say that for everything!” ]
“Roland Sensei? Are you there?”
Snapping out of his trance, he saw Shiroko watching him with a concerned look on her face. Smiling, he reassured her,
“Yeah, I am. I was just thinking about what you just said.”
“…?”
“Maybe… There is something more to the quote than I had initially anticipated. Thanks, Shiroko.”
Her ears twitched in confusion as she slowly nodded at the unexpected praise. She decided to leave the question aside, intrigued by his peculiar reaction, which seemed to be filled with sentimentality.
Finally, they reached a room of some kind. It appeared fairly tidy with two couches positioned in the middle. Cabinets flanked the left and right sides upon entering while at the far end sat a desk and chair. A window behind the desk let in a soft glow of light.
“From now on, this is your room, Roland Sensei.”
“Really?”
She hummed as she continued,
“There’s too much sand in the office. Do you find it too narrow here?”
“Well… I’ve worked in worse so it’s fine. Thank you.”
Upon hearing that statement, a hint of concern flickered across her expression though she didn't question what he said. Instead, something seemed to catch her attention, prompting her to take out her phone and look at it.
"Ah... I need to go now. Nonomi is inviting me to join her in her shopping.”
“Sure but before you go, let me just tell you something.”
“…?”
With a somewhat exasperated look, he smirked,
“Try… not to go overboard like that again.”
Initially confused, she watched as Roland gestured towards his own head with exaggerated motions. It took a moment but eventually, the meaning behind his actions became clear to her.
“I’ll try.”
With that, she finally left, leaving Roland alone in the room.
[ “Hey, what are you going to do now?” ]
And Arona.
<- Blue Archive 10 - Romantic Smile ->
“Eh, I guess I’ll try to make myself at home here.”
He noted that despite the tidiness of the room, there were still some things that bothered him somewhat, particularly the boxes strewn across one of the couches. However, he simply chose to ignore them and laid down on the other couch instead, sinking into its soft embrace after placing his bag on the table.
"Oh yeah, Arona, could you make some orders for more bullets based on the replies in Momotalk?"
[ “Ah.. sure!” ]
As he lay on the couch, the material felt top-notch, akin to resting on clouds. Maybe Abydos' former prosperity had seeped into the couch's fibers or perhaps it was just an extravagant piece of furniture. Or maybe, just maybe, he and the couch were destined to be together, two soul mates in the vast expanse of the living room. In a previous life, they might have shared adventures or cozy evenings by the fire. Who knew? All he could say for certain was that the couch seemed to understand him in a way no other piece of furniture did.
Either way, he could feel like he could lay on this one particular couch forever.
Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Hah… I guess I’m just tired.
Slowly but surely, he drifted into unconsciousness, his breaths becoming soft snores as he succumbed to sleep.
[ “Alright! I’m don-” ]
Before Arona could finish her sentence, she halted, noticing Roland's state. He was now fast asleep.
As she folded her arms, she muttered softly to herself, a hint of amusem*nt in her voice,
[ “Hah… what am I going to do with you.” ]
[ “…” ]
[ “Then again, you looked really tired this morning.” ]
With that, she simply went to her own table in the sh*ttin Chest and settled in for some sleep.
…
…
<- Music Stop ->
Roland woke up in the middle of the night, yawning and stretching as he did so. He couldn't shake off the feeling of having had another weird dream. Vaguely, he remembered something about being a student, involved in a strange performance as knights and... cross-dressing on his birthday? He shivered at the thought.
However, at the same time, it felt blissful, an experience foreign to him, filled with nothing but nostalgia. Not the cross-dressing part, mind you, but he could vaguely remember the people of the City seeming less serious and the absence of crime. It felt like an ideal world.
Ultimately, it was just a dream.
He retrieved the sh*ttim Chest and noticed that Arona was asleep. Quickly checking the time on it, he realized that it was rather late. Placing it on the table near where he had left his bags, he quietly exited the room, his mind now awake from the rest he just had.
The school appeared rather different at night, with a liminal quality that seemed to permeate the surroundings. It was strange — a sense of nostalgia stirred within him despite never having attended any schools before. Perhaps it was just a strange phenomenon, he mused as he continued his nighttime exploration.
As he walked, he recognized a soft but unmistakable sound in the distance. It seemed to be coming from the direction of the Foreclosure Task Force room.
An intruder?
Stealthily walking closer, the sound grew louder until he could finally decipher its source. It was a series of metallic clanks or clinks, accompanied by occasional grunts.
Finally, he was around the corner and he peeked out to see what was the source of it.
He saw Hoshino attempting to fit a door into a sliding door, the task made all the more challenging by her short stature. Despite the difficulty, the door appeared to have been fixed surprisingly quickly, leaving him baffled at how something so broken could have been repaired so fast. However, a hint of amusem*nt crossed his mind as he watched her struggle with the oversized door.
Seeing that he has to step in, he-
“Whoever is hiding behind that corner, come out now.”
A chillingly firm voice cut him off, starkly different from any other he had heard from the students so far. It felt as if the very air around them had turned cold and unnatural, a surprising contrast to the speaker's small stature.
Before he could even process what was happening, she swiftly set down the door she was holding with a gentle thud, then deftly retrieved her shotgun from her back. With a chilling calmness, she began to count down,
“3…”
“…2”
“…1”
Bursting out from his hiding spot, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, panic evident in his voice as he called out,
“W-Wait, don’t shoot! It’s me, Roland!”
At this, she simply raised her eyebrows before sighing and lowering her shotgun. With a nonchalant shrug, she resumed her task without further ado.
They stood there in silence, the only sound being Hoshino's attempts to fit the door in.
Feeling a bit awkward, Roland struck up a conversation, hoping to alleviate the silence permeating the school. His voice was cheerful as he inquired,
“So… what are you doing this late in the night?”
“Fixing this door.”
Ah. Maybe that was a bad conversation starter?
“Well~ I am quite surprised you all managed patch it up within a day.”
“Well~ Everyone helped out so right now I’m doing the finishing touches~”
She then turned to Roland, a knowing, sly smile spreading across her face, wider than usual, which was uncharacteristic even for her normally cheerful demeanor. It bore a striking resemblance to the enigmatic grin of a Cheshire cat. Adding to the intrigue, one of her eyes closed in a gesture of subtle amusem*nt.
Ah.
“Sorry for not being able to help, I… slept accidentally.”
“Bah, it’s fine. All that’s left is trying to fit the door in.”
Once again, silence enveloped them. However, it didn't last long before it was interrupted once again but this time, surprisingly, by someone else.
“Let’s cut to the chase.”
Hoshino lowered the door back to the floor, her focus now entirely on Roland as her tone shifted drastically. Her demeanor seemed to undergo a profound transformation as if a mask had been lifted to reveal a different side of her personality.
Roland could not decipher if this was a deliberate facade or an authentic reflection of her feelings but he sensed an undeniable tension in the air — a palpable animosity directed towards him.
“Who are you?”
…?
“Look, I’m just the Sensei of-”
“CUT THE CRAP!”
Her voice echoed like thunder, pulsing with anger and frustration, her body poised to lurch forward. Eyes ablaze with intensity, she gritted her teeth, fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white with tension.
It felt like an entirely different person all together yet there was an oddly familiar quality to it, something Roland couldn't quite place.
In that instant, the moonlight filtering through the void left by the absent door intensified, casting long, ethereal streaks across the space between them. It created an illusion of an invisible wall, a spectral divide in the dimly lit room, isolating them within their own worlds yet binding them under the same celestial glow.
She took a step forward, her voice seething with venom, each word dripping with fervor,
"The way you carry yourself, always seemingly on edge and the overwhelming stench of blood that I can't even begin to fathom. And let's not forget how seamlessly you dodged, so much so that no one even realized it was you who moved."
Finally, she stomped into the heart of the moonlight, her heterochromatic eyes narrowing and glowing even brighter under its ethereal glow — one burning orange, the other a deep, drowning blue. They bore into Roland as she snarled, her voice dripping with bitterness,
“So let me ask again. Who are you?”
The only sound breaking the silence was the audible noise of her panting, a tangible aftermath of her loud, exhausting outburst.
<- Berserk - 4 Gatsu ->
In the dimly lit corner of the corridor, Roland stood motionless. His expression remained oddly serene, with a hint of wistfulness yet his mind churned with a whirlwind of emotions. His silence permeated the space, his eyes reflecting a profound sense of reflection.
Who am I…
As he pondered, a myriad of scenes flowed into his mind like a gentle river, each image akin to a vast sea within the expanse of his consciousness. In this mental landscape, a ferryman could be seen guiding his small wooden boat along the water's current, with Roland as the passive passenger, carried along by the tide of his thoughts.
Initially, it felt like navigating uncharted territory, but as time passed, he began to grasp the lurking dangers of the City. He envisioned a younger version of himself atop the water's surface, fending off various adversaries though most conflicts were resolved by fleeing. Out at sea, various unseen hands seemed to reach out, threatening to capsize the boat he sailed.
In the end, it was indeed a dog-eat-dog world.
“Kid, do you want to live? Then, come with me.”
Suddenly, the grasping hands ceased, replaced by the unexpected appearance of a sword on the boat. It was a black longsword with an elongated sheath — his first weapon, Durandal. Initially, it was too weighty for him to wield but with time, he grew accustomed to its heft. Beside it lay a black perception-blocking mask, adding to the mystery of his newfound arsenal.
He now had a solution to his troubles.
Was there anything that I could do for myself?
Should I settle for a life where I won’t lack for anything crucial…?
Will I be happy if I live in the Nest…?
As soon as these thoughts crossed his mind, the hands that had initially ceased all started elongating towards the boat from behind at an alarming rate. Swiftly seizing the sword and donning the mask, he proceeded to rapidly cut them down one by one, akin to slicing through branches on a tree. He could not discern any particular emotion he held towards them or perhaps he was suppressing it
After all, he was merely striving to survive. Was there anything wrong with that?
However, soon, a stray hand unexpectedly emerged from the front of the boat, catching him off guard. In an instant, a loud slice rent the air from behind him. Before he could even turn around to see who they were, they vanished in a wisp of smoke, their voice lingering like an echo in the air.
“Try looking at what’s in front of you for once. You’ll miss the most important things if you’re always looking back, don’t you know?”
Then, as he looked forward, he dropped his sword. There lay something beyond his comprehension even though it was censored in his head. The emotion stirred by seeing it still remained etched within him, causing bile to rise in his throat. Collapsing to his knees, he stared at his hands, stained with blood.
I… killed for something like this?
Then, time seemed to blur, and the rivers flowed at a rapid speed until his small wooden boat transformed into a larger, more stable vessel. Gradually, the river returned to its gentle flow and the memories became more apparent.
Suddenly, a beam of light illuminated his world, revealing his surroundings in clarity. Somehow, he could finally discern what was around him. A soft, gentle feminine voice whispered beside him, causing his mask to seemingly crack under the weight of the revelation,
“Why should I begrudge it, since during the hours when my soul crushed the depths of my heart, it was seated there beside me?”
Yet, he flew too close to the sun. The voice quickly dissipated, leaving nothing but silence in its wake. A thunderous storm ensued as the boat began to crumble apart, disintegrating until all that remained was a solitary wooden board, barely stable enough to support him and the ferryman.
All he could do was writhe in agony as he fell into the ocean. The distinct taste of salt filled his mouth as he slowly sank to the depths. He felt like a puppet with no strings and then he noticed his hands were now black, covered by a pair of gloves.
Then, hands seemed to reach out to grab him but instead of malicious intent, they felt as though they were trying to help him. Each hand was clothed in distinct colors and unique attire, yet despite this, he did not grasp onto any of them.
Finally, a pale hand, clad in dark blue with white trim at the end of the sleeve, reached the furthest toward him. He widened his eyes in surprise but smiled sadly, muttering softly,
“That’s that and this is this.”
And then, he drowned, the last thing he felt was a serene sense of peace enveloping him.
…
…
With that, he snapped back to reality after his deep introspection, he concluded that there were several ways to see his story.
Survivor.
City.
Tragedy.
Genocide.
Pretender.
Struggler.
However, they all shared one thing — they were echoes of the past, etched deeply into his soul, with no escape. No matter what he did, they haunted him relentlessly. They would slink into his thoughts when he least expected, their icy fingers coiling around his heart, inflicting a pain that cut deeper with each passing moment.
It was a torment he had grown accustomed to, the constant barrage of memories and regrets that weighed heavily on his spirit. And he knew that on the day of his final agony, they would gather around him once more, their spectral forms lingering in the shadows, ready to bear witness to his last breath.
It was a burden that he alone must bear, a weight that pressed down upon his shoulders with unyielding force.
Finally, he spoke for the first time, his tone weary and laden with unimaginable anguish. His eyes, void of any light, seemed to absorb every glimmer of hope that had ever existed.
“You’re right. I can’t wash away all this blood that I have shed in my world.”
He paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts.
Upon seeing Roland’s state and hearing this, Hoshino’s eyes widened. From what Roland could discern, her anger was still palpable, but there was also a flicker of surprise, regret and perhaps even recognition in her expression.
Finally, he dragged himself toward the door, staring at it before lifting it. His action startled Hoshino, who seemed even more tense than before. However, this only led Roland to give a tired smile,
“I’m not sure what you see in me.”
He muttered, slowly walking toward the open gap in the sliding door, his steps heavy with weariness.
“But…”
With a sudden motion, he slid the door back into place. It made a grinding sound from the abrupt action but surprisingly, it now moved seamlessly back and forth, as if it had never been broken.
“I’m just someone trying to make things right.”
The moonlight seemed to dim as the door finally closed, but it still cast a soft glow around them. The once bright beam of moonlight was now a faint, gentle light, encircling them as they looked at each other.
As Roland stared at her, Hoshino looked away, her expression softening. She sighed, her voice tinged with a mix of resignation and lingering distrust as she muttered,
“Fine… but I will still be watching you.”
“That’s fine with me. How about we make that a promise?”
Roland extended his pinkie finger. Hoshino scoffed but hesitated only for a moment before linking her pinkie with his.
“…”
“…”
They stood in silence, the unspoken agreement hanging in the air between them.
...
...
Crack Omake
<- Jujutsu Kaisen - The Honored One ->
[ Yawn ]
Arona stirred from her slumber, still garbed in her nightwear and a hat. Groggily, she pushed herself up from her seat and, with a subtle gesture, her attire seamlessly morphed into her usual clothes through the power of virtual manifestation.
Why was she sleeping on the table? Well, it's surprisingly comfortable once you get used to it, you know?
But on this particular day, she couldn’t quite pinpoint what was off. It felt like a nagging sensation, an unsettling feeling she couldn't shake. It was as if the world itself was on the verge of becoming a living joke in the next few moments.
The peculiar sensation led her to scratch her head in confusion, tapping the table with growing concern as she grappled with the strange emotions swirling within her.
Hesitantly, she took a peek outside of her tablet, scanning the surroundings with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
[ Eh? Where’s Roland Sensei? ]
Seemingly by coincidence, he barged into the room just as she thought this.
However, there was something extremely weird about him.
Roland's hair was a wild tangle of disarray, and his suit hung on him like a rumpled afterthought, the wrinkles accentuating the sense of dishevelment. His complexion appeared flushed, and he swayed unsteadily, resembling a pendulum caught in an erratic dance.
The main reason, though, was hard to ignore — he was enveloped in a faint, yellow glow, with spectral figures shimmering around him. They danced and twirled with an almost palpable liveliness, casting an otherworldly aura around him.
“Yo, Arona.”
[ “Uh? Roland… Sensei? Why are you glowing?” ]
However, he did not reply. Instead, a maniacal grin stretched across his face, his eyes wide with an almost feverish intensity. With exaggerated flair, he spread his arms open wide. His voice cracked at the end of each sentence, echoing through the room with a disturbing fervor,
“AROOOONA, MY HOUSE IS BROKEN DOWN, LET’S GOOOO!”
“I DON’T HAVE HAMHAMPANGPANG, LET’S GOOOO!”
Then, slowly, his voice softened, but his eyes remained wide open, gleaming with madness. The light surrounding him seemed to intensify as he inexplicably began to float. His gaze fixated on the sky, seemingly entranced, as his arms stretched outwards.
In that moment, it felt as though Roland had transcended into some kind of otherworldly being, leaving Arona engulfed in strange and indescribable emotions.
“But… why is it that the world feels… so, so wonderful right now.”
[ ??? ]
Then, for some inexplicable reason, he struck a pose, one hand reaching for the sky while the other pointed towards the ground.
“Throughout Heaven and Earth, I alone am the Orlandoed one.”
He declared, his voice carrying an eerie conviction that resonated through the room.
“Furioso…”
As soon as he said this, he slammed into the wall, shattering it as his unconscious body flopped like a ragdoll, an awkward and jarring spectacle. Before Arona, the massive hole in the wall seemed utterly implausible for a normal human to create yet there it was — a tangible tear in the building.
All she could mutter out was a single word.
[ “Huh?” ]
…
…
<- Zoolander Meme Loop ->
Roland had lost track of how long they had been staring at each other.
Time seemed to stretch, elongating the moments into an indefinite span. It felt like an eternity yet it seemed like mere seconds had passed.
From the moment Hoshino broke the door, they had been locked in a prolonged stare-down, each second stretching out in slow motion. However, it became apparent that they were caught in some kind of loop, trapped in an endless cycle of gazes and unspoken tension.
As the loops persisted, Roland's senses began to blur, and he discerned a faint electronic melody playing in the background. It seemed to loop in synchrony with their repetitive gazes, adding an unsettling rhythm to the surreal scene. Amidst the strange ambiance, he could vaguely hear the lyrics, "Oh, who is she?", repeating like a haunting refrain.
Hah… I wonder if this is Kivoto’s fault.
Roland mused silently, though the question remained unanswered.
Fortunately, after what felt like an eternity, time resumed its normal flow once again.
…
…
<- Music Stop ->
“Whoever is hiding behind that corner, come out now.”
A chillingly firm voice cut him off, starkly different from any other he had heard from the students so far. It felt as if the very air around them had turned cold and unnatural, a surprising contrast to the speaker's small stature.
Before he could even process what was happening, she swiftly set down the door she was holding with a gentle thud, then deftly retrieved her shotgun from her back. With a chilling calmness, she began to count down,
“3…”
“…2”
“…1”
Bursting out from his hiding spot, he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, panic evident in his voice as he called out,
“W-Wait, don’t shoot! It’s me, Roland-”
But before he could stop himself, compelled by some inconspicuous force, he continued his sentence.
“-from Library of Ruina on the Nintendo Switch!”
<- Library of Ruina - String Theocracy ->
As soon as the final word left his mouth, a distorted and loud music began blaring out of nowhere, seemingly emanating from no discernible source.
Upon hearing this, Hoshino simply smiled, her expression transforming into a wide grin as she closed her eyes in amusem*nt. However, despite her attempt to appear calm, it was evident from the trembling of the hands holding the shotgun that she was anything but relaxed.
“Look Hoshino, I… didn’t do that.”
“Yes, I just wanna talk to you.”
“Then… could you please put down that shotgun?”
“Yup~, I’ll just be talking to you.”
“…”
“Sure, I just want to shoot you.”
“W-W-WAI-”
BOOM
Roland is dead, not big surprise.
