Inside the Car
The hum of the engine filled the silence as the car sped down the road. Chinatsu was in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel with surprising confidence. Hasumi sat beside her, while Sensei and Yuuka occupied the second-row seats. Lina and Suzumi were in the last row, Lina leaning against the window with her arms crossed.
Yuuka suddenly straightened up, clearing her throat.
"Ahem, Sensei, I forgot to introduce myself!"
After holding it in for a while, she finally blurted out, "I'm Hayase Yuuka, a second-year student at Millennium Science Academy. Nice to meet you, Sensei!"
Sensei, who was too mentally drained to process anything complicated, simply nodded. "Well, nice to meet you too, Yuuka."
Then, slipping into his usual role, he asked, "Have you encountered any difficulties in your studies or daily life? Do you need any help from your Sensei?"
Lina, sitting behind them, raised an eyebrow. She muttered under her breath, "Huh... He never asked me that before..."
Though her voice was quiet, Sensei caught just enough to notice.
"What was that, Lina?"
Lina quickly looked away, her arms tightening around herself. "Nothing."
The conversation moved on, but the slight pout on Lina's face remained as she stared out the window.
Chinatsu, still focused on driving, finally spoke. "Hello, sensei. My name is Hinomiya Chinatsu, and I'm a first-year student at Gehenna Academy. Please give me your guidance."
Her grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly as she said it, making Sensei wonder if she was nervous or just really into driving.
Then, Hasumi introduced herself in a calm and composed tone. "Hanekawa Hasumi, third-year student at Trinity Academy."
Suzumi followed immediately after. "Morizuki Suzumi, second-year at Trinity Academy. Hello, sensei."
Sensei gave them all a nod. "Nice to meet you."
Then he glanced toward Yuuka. "So, where exactly are we headed now?"
Yuuka, who had been fiddling with her phone, finally closed the Momotalk app and answered.
"The General Student Council."
A Hologram Appears
A blue-tinted hologram flickered to life in front of them, revealing a composed young girl with black hair, dark blue on the inner side and sharp azure blue eyes.
"Hello, I am the acting president of the General Student Council—Nanagami Rin." She spoke in a formal, crisp tone. "I sincerely apologize. I should have invited you to the General Student Council for a more proper meeting, but due to security issues along the way, I can only greet you through this hologram. I am truly sorry."
Sensei, still processing everything that had happened today, nodded.
"Hello, you can call me Sensei... By the way, can I ask a question?"
Rin gave a small nod. "Of course."
Sensei leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean by 'I'm the Advisor of SCHALE'?"
At those words, Lina's ears perked up slightly. A thought ran through her mind— "Wait... isn't that where I live???"
Rin adjusted her glasses. "Sensei, as you can see, due to the disappearance of the highest administrator of the Sanctum Tower—the administrative center of Kivotos—the General Student Council has lost direct control over the city. This has resulted in... well, everything you're witnessing now."
She gestured toward the window, where a group of thugs was attempting to rob a store. However, before they could escape, they were swiftly shot down and apprehended by Valkyrie Police Academy officers.
As the car continued down the chaotic streets, they passed wrecked tanks, crashed helicopters embedded in rooftops, and sporadic gunfire echoing from different parts of the city. Meanwhile, in her own office, Rin glanced at a towering pile of paperwork on her desk, her temples throbbing with frustration.
Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm. "But recently, we discovered a way to bypass the missing president's authority and restore control over the Sanctum Tower."
Sensei frowned, a strange suspicion creeping into his mind. "You don't mean to tell me that I, a complete stranger who has only been in Kivotos for a single day, who hasn't even seen Schale yet, and who hasn't even received an employment certificate..."
He started counting on his fingers. When he ran out of fingers and still had more points left to make, he looked up in disbelief.
"...You're saying I somehow have the highest administrative authority over your Sanctum Tower? The one that controls the entire city?"
Rin hesitated for a moment, then let out a tired sigh. "Although I also find it hard to believe... everything you just said is correct."
Her usually composed expression cracked slightly, revealing exhaustion. "As for why SCHALE, or rather, you, were chosen to have this authority… that was a decision made by the President of the General Student Council. I don't know the exact reason myself."
Sensei blinked, his mind struggling to make sense of the situation.
"I mean... can't you just elect a new president?"
Although he had expected the answer, actually hearing it out loud made the whole thing feel even more absurd.
"That sounds a lot more reasonable than handing all this power to some random outsider who has no prior background in Kivotos."
"..."
Rin fell silent again, but this time, the silence felt heavier—almost draining. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally spoke, her voice filled with exhaustion.
"The re-election of the president must be convened by the current president."
A deep sigh escaped Sensei's lips. "Alright, even if it's just for my own survival in this city, I'll fully cooperate." He thought for a moment before nodding. "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
A rare look of relief crossed Rin's face. Sensei's straightforward agreement was, without a doubt, the easiest thing she'd dealt with in a while.
"You just need to go to Schale." She exhaled lightly. "The previous president of the General Student Council left behind certain items specifically for you there. Once you retrieve them, you will officially gain the highest control authority over the Sanctum Tower. From there, you can transfer the authority to us, the General Student Council, and we will handle everything else."
Sensei narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, "And what if I don't hand it over? Or if I decide to do something else with it first? Do you have any countermeasures?'
He glanced around at the girls. They all seemed visibly more relaxed now, as if they had just secured a game-winning strategy. He couldn't help but silently swallow his doubts.
The way you all are acting… don't tell me you never even considered that possibility?
Rin, still oblivious to Sensei's inner thoughts, adjusted her glasses and turned her attention toward the girls, who had since put away their weapons.
"I believe that as elite representatives of their respective academies, they will be more than capable of escorting Sensei to Schale safely."
"Um…"
A quiet voice suddenly interrupted the conversation.
Lina, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up.
"Where do I go?" she asked nervously. Unlike Sensei, she wasn't used to dealing with big figures like this so casually. It baffled her how he could remain so calm.
Rin took a moment before acknowledging her.
"Oh, are you perhaps the student who fought with Wakamo earlier? The one responsible for… a certain amount of property destruction?"
Lina scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Uh… I guess?"
Rin nodded slightly, her expression unreadable. "You will follow the others. Once this mission is over, the Millennium Academy Student Council will handle your punishment accordingly."
Lina pursed her lips. "Okay…"
She wanted to ask— why Schale, of all places? But instead, she just kept quiet.
"also you the most familiar with Schale after all" Rin said making Lina froze..
Lina stiffened. Her mind raced as she processed Rin's words.
"She knows? She knows I've been staying at Schale for two months now?!"
She gulped. That wasn't something she had ever mentioned to anyone—so how did Rin find out?
Sensei, oblivious to her inner panic, tilted his head slightly. "Oh, I didn't know you were so familiar with Schale, Lina."
"Uh—oh, uh—" Lina stammered, her brain scrambling for an excuse.
Yuuka, however, was much quicker to react. Her eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously. "Wait… so you were hiding there the whole time?!"
Lina let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh...."
(A/n: Happy Lunar New Year!!! also uh today chapter still shorter.....T-T)