“...So you’re Sensei.”
“Hmm... I don’t know what you’re up to, but...”
“Right. This time, let’s not get in the way.”
“But... are you really going to keep wearing that mask?”
“Hmm... for now?”
“Please take it off just once!”
“Hmm... all right, fine.”
Haruta removed his mask and showed his bare face.
“Ah... ah...”
“What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing...”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Students could now be seen in the distance.
“Is this really the prologue...?”
Sensei’s face slowly came into view.
He was a man, and unmistakably handsome at that.
“Shall we go?”
“I suppose it’s about time I got up...”
“Good. Then wait here. I’ll go.”
“Hmm... thank you. I hope we meet again next time.”
“Think nothing of it.”
With a small wave, Haruta watched Sensei from the high-rise building.
“...All right. Let’s go.”
Then he leaped down and landed in front of everyone.
Boom
The ground cracked as dust slowly billowed up.
“...? Who are you?”
“Hmm... are you Sensei?”
“Uh... y-yeah?”
“Hmm... heh. Thank you.”
As soon as Hasumi confirmed Haruta’s face, she fired.
Bang!
“?”
Haruta caught the bullet with his bare hand and looked toward the direction it had come from.
“? Ah, the Justice Task Force...?”
“S-Sensei... p-please step back.”
“? Why?”
“Th-that person is... Kivotos’ strongest... worst criminal...”
“No way... he really got locked up in the correctional facility...”
“Could we buy some time with a flashbang...?”
“...”
“Wait a second.”
“Sensei?”
“Y-yes?”
“Where are you from, by any chance?”
“S-South Korea?”
Sensei answered his hometown without thinking.
“Oh! Sensei, I’m from Korea too!”
Sensei was so stunned he couldn’t say a word.
“Then where’s your hometown?”
“Incheon...?”
“Wow!! I’m from Seoul...”
“Really? You...”
“Hmm... should I say it’s probably exactly what you’re thinking?”
“So... you ended up here for some reason too?”
“Yes... well, I came here at the Student Council President’s request.”
“I see. Then... I can think of you as an ally, right?”
“Yes!”
“And your name?”
“Hmm... please call me Haruta!”
“All right, let’s go, Haruta!”
Haruta slowly drew his sword and pointed it forward.
“? ...Chaos!”
“What? Chaos?”
The helmet gang backed away as Haruta leveled his sword and sprang forward.
“...Well, is this where it starts?”
Haruta saw a tank sitting in front of him.
Then he gripped the sword with both hands and sliced off the tank’s barrel.
Sshhh!
Chak
With the barrel severed, he shoved the blade into the inside of the cannon and planted an explosive there, blowing it apart.
Boom
“Hmm... being stuck in prison for so long really does make it hard to use my abilities.”
“Huh...”
Sensei stared at Haruta in silence.
“...”
“What are you so surprised about?”
“Wait! You’re a criminal, aren’t you? There has to be a reason you’re helping us!”
“Hmm... Hayase Yuuka, right?”
Yuuka looked visibly shocked.
“And the four of you are wondering why I’m here too, right?”
“Yes, I’m curious too.”
“Ah, Sensei. Please go into Schale first and meet Rin for now.”
“Ah... right. I’ll see you later.”
Sensei went into Schale first, and the two of them talked for a moment.
“Hmm... so, why did I help?”
“Th-that’s right! You’re a criminal!”
“Haah... how did I end up becoming a criminal?”
“Of course, that includes the time you crushed the Justice Task Force in the past.”
“...That... was my bad.”
Everyone was shocked by his apology.
“? What’s wrong?”
“N-no, nothing.”
“Anyway, my real goal is to become affiliated with Schale.”
“...? Weren’t you affiliated with Gehenna...?”
“Tch... I’d like to go back to Gehenna, but... not right now.”
“...Understood.”
“Anyway, we’ll be seeing each other again later, so there’s no need to make bad blood by fighting now, right?”
“...”
“Then I’m off.”
Haruta immediately ran into Schale and met Sensei.
“...? Wakamo?”
“Ah...? Pardon me.”
Wakamo had come out of the basement...? Though it was probably the Craft Chamber.
“...? Sensei?”
“Ah... yes... Haruta, was it?”
“Yes... but is the Shittim Chest all right?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“That’s a relief.”
“...Then may I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“All right... first, what school are you affiliated with?”
“Hmm... I was originally at Gehenna, but the Student Council President told me to go to Schale, so I’m basically under the Student Council now.”
“...I see. Then can we just put you into Schale right away?”
“...Yes. Right now.”
“...All right.”
------------------------
Three days had passed since Haruta entered Schale and started working.
“Haaah... Sensei? I’m not exactly cut out for studying, so Schale’s paperwork is rough...”
“Same here... this is just unreasonable...”
Neither Sensei nor I had realized Schale’s work would be this difficult.
“Haah...”
“Ah. Sensei, you said we were starting duty assignments today, right?”
“Yeah. Today’s first student will probably be Yuuka.”
“...Wait a second.”
I called Sensei over and whispered quietly.
“...Sensei? Do you by any chance know Blue Archive?”
Sensei’s face showed clear surprise.
“...I do.”
“Thank you. Then I can finally speak more comfortably.”
Haruta put some distance between himself and Sensei, then sat back down at his desk.
“Hmm... then Sensei, you probably know most of it already.”
“Right. And you probably know at least some of it too.”
“Of course.”
“All right, Yuuka should be here soon, so I’ll get back to work.”
“Me too.”
As Haruta and Sensei worked as usual, Yuuka came in.
“I’m Hayase Yuuka, here for today’s duty!”
Yuuka entered, and when she saw my face, she was still wary.
“...? No, I just got out after spending two years in prison and serving my sentence.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“No, I... still...”
“Hey now. Yuuka, why are you acting like that? You should get along with your friends!”
“Sniff... Sensei, Yuuka is so scary...”
“Yuuka! Hurry up and apologize!”
Sensei and I quickly synchronized and teased Yuuka.
“I-I’m... s-sorry...”
“Really?”
“Yeah...”
“Good. That’s enough.”
Haruta slowly looked at Yuuka, then went over to his chair and sat down.
After that, there was the familiar sound of receipts being printed.
It seemed Sensei had been caught spending money on games with me.
“Sorry, Yuuka-chan...”
“Please be a little more deliberate with your spending from now on!”
“Heh. So even Sensei couldn’t escape Yuuka’s nagging...”
“And you! Chaos!”
“Haruta.”
“Right! Haruta, you too! Think before you spend money!”
“? Me?”
I looked at Yuuka in surprise.
Then I silently turned on my phone and showed her my account balance.
“One... ten... a hundred... ten thousand... one hundred thousand... ten million... 800 million yen?!?!”
“Yep. 800 million yen.”
“What?? Haruta, are you some kind of tycoon?”
“No, I made it through stocks.”
“You... bought crypto?”
“No...? I really just made it through stocks...?”
“...Then isn’t that deliberate spending?”
Sensei asked Yuuka, but no answer came back. Yuuka just stared blankly at the ceiling.
“800 million... yen?”
“Wait a second. Then why are you working at Schale, Haruta?”
“Huh?”
“No, think about it. If you’ve got 800 million yen, why do you need to work at Schale?”
“No, I’m just doing it because I was asked to.”
Sensei nodded silently, and Yuuka toppled over in shock.
“N-no! Even so, 200,000 yen at once is too much!”
“Well, whether I live or die, isn’t that my business?”
Yuuka gave in to the strangely persuasive logic.
“A-anyway... from now on! Think a little more before you spend money!”
“Yes, yes~”
---------------------------
“Hmm... Haruta? Abydos contacted us.”
“Huh? Ah, please tell Hoshino that the demon with two pairs of wings says hello.”
“? R-right.”
“Yes! Have a safe trip!”
There was no way they’d get stranded, right?
That was what I thought, and I was the fool. I had gotten lost before too, so it was my mistake not to realize Sensei would obviously get lost as well.
----------------------------
“Akashi? Did Sensei get stranded?”
“...Yes. He’s lost in the middle of the Abydos desert right now...”
“...? Haah. Fine, I’ll go myself.”
Haruta had learned teleportation. Previously, because his movement speed was too slow, he had gained a technique that could tear through dimensions and take him to the space he wanted.
Rip!
The space tore open, and Haruta slipped into the gap.
“? What the— Haruta?”
“Haah... Sensei? Why are you sprawled out asleep here?”
“Water... give me water...”
“Sure. I brought water too.”
“Haah... thank you.”
“Just let me carry you. I know the way.”
“...? What, you’ve been here before?”
“Yes, of course. Do you know how hard and grueling that journey was?”
“Huh...”
“First, get on behind my wings. With two pairs, I’m faster than you’d think.”
With that, Haruta took off.
Whoosh!
“Hey! Haruta! Too fast!”
“Ah, don’t worry, Sensei! This is safer than it looks!”
After about five minutes of flying, they arrived at the entrance to Abydos High School.
“Haaah... haaah...”
“No... Sensei... I’m tired too...”
“Haaah... so... this is... Abydos?”
“Yes. This is the Abydos I restored to normal!”
“? What are you talking about?”
“Nothing...”
Haruta entered Abydos with Sensei in silence.
“Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
“? Who are you?”
“Ah... I’m Sensei.”
“Huh? You really came?”
“Yes.”
“And the person beside you is...?”
“Hi. I’m Takashi Haruta.”
“Takashi Haruta?”
“Yeah. In your terms, you can call me Chaos.”
“Whaaat???”
“Yeah. Ayane-chan? Is something wrong?”
“Waaah! It’s Sensei!”
“Ahh... that... Chaos...?”
Everyone simultaneously pulled out their guns and aimed them at his head.
“Wow, that’s a pretty fierce welcome.”
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