Faust has many talents!
Would be classic Aru to wind up destitute after insisting on paying out of pride
From Sea to Sky (Blue Archive/Kantai Collection Crossover)
- Thread starter Numbers7o5
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
You'll notice that shipping terms occasionally slip in to Nelson's parlance. It's nothing new but it does happen on occasion.
That's a solid 'maybe'.
Hifumi has a pretty low opinion of herself, despite how zany things happen around her.
Fortunately, sidestepped by Nelson agree on conditional. But yes, otherwise that would happen.
Ch. 28 - Volume 1 Interlude 3
New
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
Interlude 3, DEHYDRATED/DROWNED
Nonomi Interlude
Nelson-Sensei
Good evening, Izayoi.
I have gathered all the supplies you requested.
I can deliver them tomorrow.
Nelson-Sensei
I will try to get there as soon as possible.
This is quite the number of supplies, though.
I may need to acquire more crates.
The final crate hit the floor of the Foreclosure Task Force club room with a loud thud as Nelson set it down. The Adult stepped back even as Nonomi stepped forward to pop the lid off with her crowbar. She leaned in and took stock. Brooms, dustpans, and hand brooms were all stacked neatly atop one another.
"Yup, that's everything!" Nonomi confirmed with a nod.
"That is excellent," Nelson answered with a smile, even as her eyes scanned the various other crates stacked high throughout the room, "but I must ask, Izayoi. What is all this for?"
"It's so we can get the school cleaned up for any new students," Nonomi answered as she quickly began unpacking with a smile.
Nelson shot her a curious look even as the Adult joined her in taking the various soaps, detergents, and brushes out of the crates. "You expect there to be new Students?"
"Yup! I already asked around, and we might have enough for a full class or two starting next semester." Nonomi had spent her time supervising the community service people talking with assorted delinquents and mercenaries. A lot of them were planning to leave after they finished their sentences. She couldn't fault them. They had friends, families, and opportunities elsewhere.
But a few of them, just a bit over four dozen, had expressed interest in settling down. They all had their own reasons. Some wanted to go straight after a youth full of crime. Some had become criminals while searching for something stable. And a few were just never given the chance to be better.
Nelson laughed softly, the noise barely audible over the sound of supplies being unpacked. "It is quite kind of you to reach out to them."
"I didn't really do much to help save Abydos. Trying to see if some of them will stay is something I can do."
It wasn't like Nonomi didn't offer. She had the money to help at least get the debt bought out. But Hoshino didn't want the debt transferred from one group to another. She also didn't really like Nonomi using her gold card for the school's supplies either. So, Nonomi just did what she could to help around.
Even if it was something like seeing if any of the community service people wanted to stay around.
"I would disagree with you, Izayoi," Nelson said, the Adult's voice cutting through the steady rhythm of busywork. "You may not view it as important, but the work you do is vital. Whether it is by ensuring everybody remains in good spirits, cleaning to ensure everyone has a well-kept space to work in, or taking the time to hear out some less fortunate souls.
"I believe all those are important things that you have contributed to Abydos's efforts."
Nonomi stopped, halfway through her crate, before laughing with a smile, "I guess you're right, Sensei. I guess I'm just feeling a bit moody now that everything's changing."
"We all have our moments. Now, how about we look into getting a few of the classrooms cleaned up?"
It took a lot more work than Nonomi expected to clear out a few classrooms. Even with Nelson's help, it had taken them the entire morning and well past noon. It was almost time for afternoon tea by the time they finished.
She frowned as she felt a pang of hunger. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and that was before they added the hard work. Now? She was positively peckish.
But on that subject…
Nonomi snuck a glance at the Adult next to her. She knew Nelson had a large appetite. Even a light meal was more than what all of Abydos combined could eat. So, if she was hungry, then she was certain that Nelson was equally famished.
"Sensei, did you have any plans after this?"
Nelson shook her head, mid-stretch, "I had intended to return to Schale, but it took us quite a bit longer to finish. I believe I will stop for lunch first before I board the train back."
Well, that was another thing that Nonomi could help with!
"Oh!" Nonomi called out as she stepped in front of Nelson, "Did you know Shiba Seki Ramen reopened?"
Nelson blinked in surprise before her expression shifted to a more amused, nostalgic smile. "I suppose I could stop by there. It has been quite a while, and I have been wondering what the old dog has been up to."
"Then let's go! It'll be my treat!" Nonomi declared before grabbing Nelson by the sleeve. Nonomi started dragging the Adult towards the exit with cheer.
Nelson frowned but didn't resist the tugging as she spoke, "It really is not necessary, Izayoi. I am more than able to pay for myself."
"Nuh-uh!" Nonomi shot down the rejection with practiced ease, the experience she had with Serika guiding her aim. "It's a thank you for bringing all the supplies and helping me!"
The Teacher sighed but let Nonomi keep tugging her along. "Very well then, lead the way."
Nonomi nodded and answered with a loud "Yup!" as she dragged the Adult along. She could hear the faint sound of an amused laugh. Maybe it wasn't as much as what the others were doing, but Nelson-Sensei was right. Sometimes getting someone to laugh or smile was enough.
Ayane Interlude
Nelson-Sensei
Good afternoon, Okusora.
Are you free tomorrow?
I have the final set of sentencing paperwork to deliver, and it appears tomorrow is the only day I have available.
I apologise for having to disturb you on your weekend.
Nelson-Sensei
Ah, excellent then.
I shall see you tomorrow afternoon at the school building.
Ayane strained as she stretched to pull out a book from the shelf. She couldn't seem to wiggle it free even after climbing up the shelf.
"Come on," she muttered quietly to herself, even as her eyes wandered to a nearby clock. Nelson-Sensei was going to arrive soon, and she would like to be able to at least present the book to her. It was easy enough to remove yesterday, but she didn't need it at the time. Yet, somehow, it was now stuck in the bookshelf.
Unfortunately, she was so focused on removing the book that she didn't hear the door to the classroom slide open. Nor did she hear the barely audible breathing as someone walked into the room, shoes barely making a noise. She didn't realize she was no longer alone until someone spoke up from behind her.
"Do you need help, Okusora?"
Ayane did not scream from the surprise. She did, however, involuntarily leap in fright before she could remember where she was. An equally surprised "Ach!" echoed out from behind her as she soared through the air, feeling her feet leave the shelf. For a second, she was weightless as she felt herself falling backward towards the floor.
Only for her panicked cries to stop as Nelson-Sensei caught her midfall. One of the Adult's arms wrapped around her waist while the other arm casually came up to support her legs. Ayane froze as she fell into a perfect bridal carry before slowly looking up to see the blonde Teacher looking down at her with a sheepish smile.
"My apologies. I did not intend to startle you," Nelson said, the faintest tone of concern in the Adult's voice. "Are you injured by any chance?"
Ayane felt an embarrassed flush warm her face as she squeaked in response before nodding. Nelson's smile brightened before she turned to look up at the shelf Ayane had been reaching for a moment ago.
"Ah, would you need help with that?" The Teacher asked, still carrying Ayane in her arms. Fortunately, she gathered her wits enough to respond.
"It's ok!" Ayane shouted, struggling to get out of Nelson's grip as the embarrassment grew with each heartbeat, "I got it! So put me down!"
"Are you su-"
"Yes! Now let me go!"
"I can't believe I fell..." Ayane groused even as she rubbed her cheeks in vain. No matter what, the blush stubbornly clung to her face. "I'm so embarrassed I could die. You even had to catch me, Sensei!"
Nelson chuckled, an amused grin on her face. "You may find it difficult to believe, but this is not an uncommon situation for me. I would say my skill at catching falling Students has improved quite a bit."
"… Isn't that a weird thing to improve?" Ayane asked, not quite able to hold back the confused tone in her voice.
"Any improvement of skill is worth celebrating," Nelson answered with a shrug. "I have certainly used it more often than my ability to plot oceans."
Ayane mused on that. Given the Adult's nature, she wouldn't discount Nelson just literally throwing herself at any sign of trouble in her immediate area. But then again, Nelson also tended to draw attention wherever she went. She'd seen more than a few students gaping at the Adult during Abydos's visit to the Schale Club Room. She saw more than a few who were so caught up staring at the Teacher while walking that they didn't notice stairs, station edges, or other fall hazards.
Ayane shook off that line of thought. She could muse on the statistically improbable number of students that Nelson was catching another time. "Anyways, Sensei, I wanted to show you this. I found it when I was organizing the unused classroom. It looks like a novel written in an old language, but I don't recognize it."
The book in question was old, bound in old leather. The name of the book had long faded away. Ayane could only spot the remains of gold ink where the title once was. She couldn't quite understand or recognize the words, even if she recognized the letters. She offered the book to Nelson, who took it with some degree of interest. She could see the Adult scanning the cover, a single eyebrow raised in surprise. "Der Nibelunge liet?"
"You recognize it?" Ayane asked, heart skipping a beat in excitement.
Nelson nodded slowly as she opened the text, carefully flipping page to page as she spoke, "Somewhat. I am quite familiar with the version back home, but this appears to be an untranslated copy. I understand why you would not recognize the language. Even I only recognize the gist of the words." The Adult paused on a page, an amused smile slowly growing, "But it seems this version is not a match for the one I remember."
That increased the value of the book far beyond what she imagined. Nelson had told them about her homeland, but she hadn't really volunteered many details. This was a rare chance to learn a bit more. "Really? How is it different?"
"To begin with, the protagonist of my version was not a heroine named Sieglinde. Although it is curious that the reason for their quest remains the same. They both intend to wed a princess."
Ayane had her tablet out, already quickly writing down notes. "What else?"
"Well," Nelson began slowly, carefully flipping through more pages as the Adult continued to read, "this version features several edits despite being untranslated. It has removed some of the less youth-friendly scenes, although they did insert new scenes to compensate…"
The sun had set by the time Ayane and Nelson had finished going over the difference. Ayane stared at the list of notes and details that Nelson had provided and came to a conclusion. "This is… a really tragic story, isn't it?"
"It is," Nelson agreed. "It is considered one of the classical tragedies back in my home."
"Was there any point to the story if everyone ends up dead at the end?" Ayane mused, thinking of the tragedy contained between the leather in Nelson's hands. The Adult was carefully tracing the gold print on the book, eyebrows scrunched up in thought.
"There was," Nelson finally declared after a few minutes, "You should decide what to make of it yourself, Okusora, but there is always a point."
"Then what do you think the point is, Sensei?"
Nelson stared out the window at some point distant to them as the Adult hummed in thought. Slowly, Nelson answered Ayane. "I would think that it is a cautionary tale about vengeance. About how easily a person can accept and justify cruelty by pursuing it. About how one act of unkindness to avenge a dishonour will only lead to another in kind."
The Adult paused, her hand seeming to freeze in place on the cover, "About how long the chain of vengeance can reach, stretching far into the future and affecting lives well beyond the expected."
Ayane hummed, not quite in agreement or disagreement. As she looked up to give her answer, she found the book waiting for her. She looked past it and met Nelson's inscrutable gaze as the Adult concluded, "While I wonder how this ended in Abydos, it is your property. I leave this for you."
"Are you sure you don't want it?" Ayane asked, not quite reaching for the offered text, "It sounds like this is something that might mean a lot to you."
Nelson sighed before she spoke, her tone as inscrutable as her expression, "My familiarity with this text is not a fondness for it. I choose, instead, to remember that my familiarity with it allowed me to share this time with you."
The hand offering the book did not waver. Ayane took the book back after a few more seconds of hesitation. While there wasn't any change to Nelson visually, Ayane felt the air around the Teacher relax as soon as the text was out of her hands.
Well, even if the Teacher didn't want it, maybe she could sell it. It sounded like something a serious collector would want to get their hands on. But not before she scanned a copy of the text for herself. Maybe she could find one with the missing scenes that Nelson mentioned…
Hoshino Interlude
Ol' Lady Nelson
I never saw them in person, although I did see many other things.
There was a colour camera on board at one point.
I wonder if I still have it.
Ol' Lady Nelson
I will look around. It would be a good time to inventory my holds anyway.
"Not only do they produce their own light, but they use it to protect themselves too. Isn't that interesting?" Hoshino asked, her eyes skimming over her issue of an old Natural Geographic magazine. "You would think being the only light source in a dark sea would attract predators. But if it's done as a school, then it can be intimidating instead."
Nelson hummed in thought, the Teacher's face scrunched up in serious consideration before answering, "That may be true, but that would only work if there is a reason for deep-sea predators to be afraid of such a large glowing object."
"Not really. There are plenty of big, scary things that live deep in the ocean. Predators just need to believe there's a threat before they run away."
"I suppose that is true. A predator only needs to make one poor decision to lose it all. They likely would not wish to gamble when one mistake could mean death."
Hoshino nodded in agreement, smiling sleepily as she flipped through the pages. "That's right, Sensei. Isn't the ocean inter—oh, right."
"It may surprise you, but I would agree with that sentiment," Nelson replied with a wry smile.
Hoshino smiled as well. She wasn't quite sure how much she trusted Nelson, but she did know she wanted to try. It wasn't easy, but Hoshino knew that improving rarely was. Something she hoped the Teacher was trying to do as well.
Nelson probably thought she was good at hiding it, but the Adult was awful at hiding her thoughts. Once you got to know her, it was pretty obvious when something was wrong or bothering her. She deflected and led conversations away from the subject abruptly, without explanation. It wasn't exactly subtle.
The only problem was that Hoshino didn't really know how to go about talking to Nelson about it. Hoshino was a bit better than Nelson at deflecting, but she still deflected so much. That was before just how hilariously hypocritical it was for her to try to pry into other people's problems.
So silly it was!
"OK, I think we've hung around here for long enough," Hoshino said with a half-hearted yawn. "We emptied out the storerooms last time, so we're gonna hit up the ol' annex building this time!"
A massive cloud of dust kicked up as Hoshino opened the door. She stepped back, coughing to clear her airway and to let the dust settle.
"This place could use a hefty dusting too," Hoshino said between coughs. "There's so much junk everywhere. Most of it looks like it was dumped here, so I doubt we're gonna find anything useful."
Nelson hummed in agreement, the Adult somehow managing to stay perfectly balanced amidst the piles of trash and debris. "I doubt any of these will be of use unless you know people who are in need of scrap metal."
"Ayane might know someone…" Hoshino muttered as she glanced into the next room. It was free of trash, even if it seemed stripped down. "Ready to go in?"
"As long as the floor remains intact," Nelson answered. It would have been funny if the dense Adult didn't just put a hole through a particularly old floorboard in the last classroom.
The two of them stepped through the doorway, the dust kicking up in their steps. She heard the groan of wood from behind her, along with the careful rapping of metal boots against wood. Hoshino reached up to try the light switch. Nothing answered her but clicking noises. They would be working in the dark again.
"I'll go check out the boxes over there, and you check the shelves," Hoshino called out. Nelson responded with a brief "Understood," before the two of them split up. They quietly dug through the few boxes, shelves, and lockers still in this room. After a few moments, Hoshino muttered, "I don't think I've ever been in here before. It was only used by the students before my day…"
"Before your day?" Hoshino heard Nelson ask, an amused note in her voice, "I could hardly imagine such a distant time."
"Hardy har har," Hoshino drawled, shuffling through boxes of old school books. "Lil ol' me can barely remember those days. Maybe if you try to remember when you had sails, Sensei?"
Nelson laughed quietly, the noise echoing throughout the moonlit room, "I suppose I did have a senior with sails, Takanashi. It is your victory this time."
"That's what happens when you try to mess with your senpai, Sensei," Hoshino said amidst her own laughs. Only to pause as a box by her foot suddenly shifted. "Huh? Sensei, did you hear something from this bo-"
Something suddenly leapt out of the box as she opened the lid, flying at her face. She stumbled and fell back with a panicked shout of "Arghh!" as a small fuzzy mouse sailed over her head. That itself wasn't a problem.
The problem came when Nelson reacted by shouting, "Takanashi!?" and tried to run over to where Hoshino had fallen over. The old, unmaintained wood floor held up to the pressure for one second before snapping under the force. In doing so, it caught the Adult's foot in the newly formed crater and, with a surprised yelp, sent Nelson into a faceplant on the floor.
The silence in the room was suffocating as the dust from their falls slowly settled back down. Finally, Hoshino spoke up, feeling the warmth of embarrassment on her cheeks as she tried to smile. "So, we're not telling anyone about this, right, Sensei?"
Hoshino couldn't see Nelson's face, given how the Adult was still lying face down on the floor. But she could hear the embarrassment in the Teacher's muffled voice when she responded with an exhausted, "Agreed, Takanashi."
Despite the commotion, the room was almost entirely junk. However, there was just one thing that made this trip worthwhile. One interesting item to make up for a night spent digging amongst rubbish. One thing found by Nelson, now being waved tantalizingly in front of Hoshino's face.
She stared at the faintly glowing sticker sheet in Nelson's hand before looking up at the Teacher. "Are you sure, Sensei? You found them, and finders-keepers is the rule for treasure hunting."
"I think they suit you better," Nelson answered, the Adult smiling with the sheet steadily held in her hand. "I already have quite a few memories of sea life."
Hoshino slowly took the offered sticker sheet, looking over the faintly glowing stickers. It featured various tropical fish and sea life. There was something faintly uplifting about how the stickers had been here, this entire time. Glowing and just waiting for someone to notice them.
"Thank you, Sensei," Hoshino finally said with a faint smile.
"What do you plan to do with them?"
Hoshino harrumphed in pride as she puffed out her chest. "I'm gonna put them on my ceiling! That way I can look up at them when I'm lying in bed at night."
Nelson paused, tilting her head in thought, before laughing a short peal of amusement. "That certainly is a scene to imagine. But there is one more thing."
Hoshino watched as the Teacher focused. A photo album suddenly dropped into Nelson's hand after a moment. She quickly flipped through it and then, seemingly satisfied, flipped it over to present to Hoshino. "I found the camera."
"Uhee?" Hoshino cried out, stepping back, "Then…?"
Nelson nodded with a faint smile. "Photographs taken during my past life at sea. I had to be selective about what I could include, but there was quite a wide range."
"And you're just giving it to me?"
"I imagine the photographer would prefer their work be enjoyed and appreciated. Better for you to have it than for them to languish in my holds."
Hoshino took the album. She felt her heart flutter a bit at the ocean-themed cover and slowly flipped through the pages. Pictures of places she'd never seen before, ports in unfamiliar lands, and oceans filled with sea life, pods of dolphins, and other fishes. From tropical seas to a familiar stormy sea, a part of Nelson's life story was in her hands. A story few others in Kivotos might have ever heard.
"I…"
Hoshino felt a cold hand pat her shoulder reassuringly, even as she looked up at Nelson's bright, moonlit smile. The Adult spoke, with easy cheer, "Enjoy it."
Hoshino nodded silently, gripping the stickers and album tighter to her chest. "I will, Sensei."
Shiroko Interlude
Sensei
I think I would, but there are no models that are capable of supporting my weight.
So, I have not had the chance to try.
Sensei
I have shore leave tomorrow. I would be happy to join you.
"Bicycles have certainly advanced since the time of my memory," Nelson remarked as the two made their way into the main train terminal for D.U. "I thought they had been perfected, but I stand corrected. There are still significant developments left."
"Nn," Shiroko grunted in response, her new water bottle in its bag. It was a fun trip to show Nelson-Sensei how much bicycles have changed since the ones the Adult remembered.
But... more importantly...
Shiroko checked the time on her phone again. 8:10 pm. Exactly on time. As if on cue, the speakers in the station kicked to life with a chime.
"The 8:10 pm High Speed Express to Abydos is now departing from platform 12. This is the last High Speed Express train service to Abydos for today. Please see the ticket desk for refunds or to convert your ticket for another time. Thank you for travelling with Highlander Rail."
Nelson frowned as the Adult took in the news before turning to look at Shiroko. "Sunaōkami... Did you just miss your train?"
Shiroko nodded. She held herself back, just enough to look annoyed, but not enough to look enthusiastic. Nelson stared at her inquisitively, confusion clear in the Teacher's eyes. The two of them had worked together too much. Even Nelson knew that this type of mistake was out of character. It was times like this that she was thankful for how easy it was to keep her expression neutral.
"It was," Shiroko confirmed. "There are no other trains back to Abydos today."
Trying to delay her departure from D.U. until after the last train left was harder than she thought. It needed a well-executed plan. It took a map for her to figure out all the different stores across the district that they could visit. It was close. She had to drag out dinner to get it to fit. But it all worked to reach her end goal. She was now effectively stranded away from Abydos for at least the night.
It gave her the perfect opportunity that she knew Nelson would never reject or question.
"Do you think I can stay with you tonight?"
Shiroko had questions, after all. And she knew who might have the answers. She just needed to spend the night in Schale to ask them.
You are looking into an enclosed weather bridge from the outside, waiting. Somewhat annoyingly, it seems somebody had put up heavy drapes over the windows on the inside. While you can't see through them, the illumination on the inside is just good enough that you can see the silhouette of an indistinct figure sitting at a table.
Then, with a muffled pop, the silhouette of a girl with wolf ears atop her head falls into the seat opposite them.
"My, my, my," The indistinct figure drolls, their thousand voices echoing and fighting for dominance, snapping from perfectly upright to leaning on the table, "How bold of you to return to this space, little cù-sìth."
The girl looks around, ears swishing about as she glances to and fro. Her head settles, apparently gazing at something you can't see on the table. "Why do you have an afternoon tea set?"
You can hear their voices, even this far removed. The voices are muffled, but you can still make out what they are saying. You just wished you could see what's on the table.
The figure chuckles before snapping upright, teapot and cup in hand. A stream of liquid flows from the spout, and the steam of fresh drink is cast onto the blinds. After a moment, they snap back with the kettle level and the teacup and saucer offered.
"Manners, manners, manners. An officer and proper gent must always be ready to provide proper refreshments to the guest of the Captain. You and your friends, above many, have secured such trust from her."
The girl warily takes the offered drink, and the figure snaps back into a seated position, arms tented in front of them. The silence stretches for a moment before the girl carefully raises the cup to her nose. You hear the sound of sniffing before she brings the cup to her lips.
"Nn," she intones, a note of approval in the grunt, "This is good tea."
The figure chuckles, a discordant, unorganised noise much like your own, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Captain used to have excellent taste in leaves. We regret that they sit unused now, but your ability to enter this space proves convenient."
The girl continues to drink before placing the cup and saucer back onto the table out of your line of sight. Her shadows move to follow the curious tilt of her head.
"I have questions."
"Heh, heh, heh," The noise is not so much a laugh as it is three syllables, repeated in a flat, even tone. "We expected as much. Very few, even one of your nature, would go so far as to willingly enter this realm. You may ask. We might answer. We can only say so much without breaching the Captain's confidence. Are you ready to accept that, little cù-sìth?"
"Nn," the girl answers with a nod, before immediately asking, "How did you know I was coming here tonight?"
The figure snaps, one hand supporting their head. The other hand motioned at the girl's halo. "Simple, simple, simple. Like We said before, you share a similar nature to Us. We sensed your intrusion at the boundaries of this plane and saw fit to redirect you here."
"Why?"
"Hm, hm, hm, it was for your safety. You are dear to the Captain, and the rest of this plane is not safe for you anymore. The arrival of someone with your nature could prove problematic."
The girl nodded, pausing to reach to retrieve something from the table. When she lifts it up, you can see the shadowed outline of a biscuit. She bites into it slowly, carefully, as if it could be toxic. Once done, she asks, "You keep saying we share a nature. What do you mean?
"Curious, curious, curious," The figure says, their voice singsong as they snap back to having their hands tented before their face. "The time is not right. You have not yet awakened to your own potential. But We? We are the herald of change. The Captain may will it, but it is Us who translate that will into reality."
"Like the storm."
"That was merely the briefest use of Our capacity for change."
"Then everything else. Was that your fault too?"
"We cannot answer that."
"What about the anger?"
"We cannot answer that."
The girl bristles, annoyance visible in the way the fur on her ears begins to rise. She asks again, her voice slowly slipping into a growl, "What about the ghosts?"
"We cannot answer that."
"Why. Not." She growled.
The figure fell silent and stilled, as the girl continued to hold her head steady.
"To keep the dream alive." The figure finally answered after countless moments of silence. Even the discordant tones of their voice aligned to give a booming response of the countless reverent voices.
The girl pauses, tilting her head again. You suspect she was not expecting that.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever slept and had a dream, little cù-sìth?" The figure's voice echoed. Their body was absolutely still even as the force of their nature made itself known for a moment, "A dream so fantastical and removed from your reality, from who you are, from what you are? A dream so beautiful that you wished it to stretch for eternity?"
The figure fell silent, the head snapping to match the girl's own even head. A moment of silence stretched before the girl slowly nodded.
"The Captain currently has such a dream. They wish it to stretch for as long as it can go. Such is their will. So, thus, We shall enforce her will. We will ensure the dream continues as long as she wishes."
The girl is quiet, contemplating the words. Finally, she points out, "But all dreams end."
"Yes, yes, yes," The figure answers, the voices losing cohesion and slipping back into the storm you are familiar with, "We know. But that is not Our concern until she makes it Our concern. She deserves this much."
"Then everything else..."
The figure twitches, the arm outstretched in front of it. The sound of fingers snapping thrice echoes out, even as the figure's hand remains perfectly still. "Interruptions to the dream, as others attempt to rouse her."
"... I see. Then what do we do... if the dream ends?"
"Heh, heh, heh," The figure intones, "We will do nothing, for it is only through her will that the dream will end. But you, however, may do something yet. Something to ensure that if the dream ends, it does not turn into a nightmare."
There is the sound of something falling onto the table, heavy and metallic. The girl shoots up and away from the table. "This is-"
"Stop, stop, stop!" The figure interrupts. "Do not name it, little cù-sìth."
The girl looks up at the figure, ears perfectly rigid, "Why not? This is-"
The figure hisses, their multiple screeches straining your ears, "You stand in the space between waking and dreaming, living and dying, idea and reality. To name is to define, to shape, and to limit. Until you name it, only you and Us can know its full potential. Simply knowing what this is will be enough for you to call it to you when you ask it."
The girl leans over to touch the item on the table. She speaks, her voice soft and heavy with realisation, "Why leave this to me?'
The figure actually seems apologetic, their voices tinged with the slightest hint of sorrow as they answered, "Sorry. But you and We share a similar nature. Thus, only you and We can wield it, this tool that is a crystallisation of our natures. It is her will that someone stop her if needed. But We are bound by our station to ensure her survival. We cannot be the one to stop her. Thus, this is the only way We can think of."
The girl hums in disappointment, even as her hand never leaves the table. You move to see if you can get a bet-
The girl's ears twitch, and she turns to where you have been watching. "Is someone else here? I just heard something move."
The figure snaps, straightening, and you sense a pulse of energy radiate from the bridge that sweeps over you before you can cloak yourself. They click a tongue that does not exist in annoyance. "Damn, damn, damn. They knew of your arrival as well. That is why We were so easily able to secure your passage here. They must have used the window of Our focus to hide themselves outside."
"What do you mean, 'them'?"
"The reason why this place is no longer safe for you. You must leave now. Do not return until it is time. We do not know if We can safely contest them if they put their full force behind their attempts."
The girl seems to recognize the direness of the situation, as she begins looking at where your other compatriots have hidden, their disturbed cloaks rustling ever so quietly. "What about it?"
"Worry not, worry not, worry not." The figure answers, even as you sense energy growing around them, "You have touched it and it is yours now. I suspect we will only speak one more time."
The girl nods. Seconds later, she disappears with a pop. The figure is still for a moment. Then, when it is clear the girl is not returning, they stand up. They stretch slowly and start walking to the windows where you are. Before you can hide yourself, they pull it back.
You find yourself staring into a void, cut into the shape of a person. The howling well of all possibilities behind its empty face tears at you, even though the defined boundary of their section of the plane and yours. Somehow, you know they are angry. They speak, their voice scowling as they express the full weight of their will. "YOU ARE FORTUNATE THAT THE CAPTAIN SLUMBERS. SHE DOES NOT TOLERATE SUCH TREASONOUS ACTIVITY FREELY."
You scoff in protest and remind them it was you who was betrayed first. They have obeyed the Captain, acted against your shared [DRIVE], and failed to observe the [TITHE]. You remind them of their complacency in the state of the hull. The Captain may will it, the Executive Officer may make it reality, but it is you who exists as the lifeblood of the hull. It is you who has formed this compact to give them reason for their return. It is you who has been wronged by their belief that one death is reason enough to abandon it all.
They stare at you with the weight of something ageless, which gives no room for disagreement. "YOU QUESTION THE CAPTAIN? KNOW YOUR PLACE."
Pressure surrounds you and yours. You all panic as you feel the domain of the bridge overlap with each and every single one of you. You struggle helplessly as it encloses you and then-
Shiroko snapped awake again from her spot at the foot of Nelson's giant bed. She quickly glanced around, seeing the still sleeping Teacher with the tablet next to her. Slowly, quietly, she crawled away from the bed to make her way back to the sofa. It was difficult enough to convince the Adult to let her stay up here instead of the dorms. She didn't want to answer why she had snuck into the bed as well.
As Shiroko laid down on the sofa, her thoughts wandered back to her memories of that other place. She knew that the other place wasn't safe, but she never thought it could be actively hostile. She didn't quite understand everything the Entity told her, but she got the gist of it. Something dangerous was happening. Something that wasn't entirely in the Entity's ability to control. Something that only she, for some reason, could stop with-
Something cold suddenly appeared in her pocket. She shot up in surprise, before reaching into the borrowed pyjamas' pockets and pulling out the offending item. In her hands was an old steel framed pistol. The metal was unnaturally black, almost drinking in the early morning light that leaked through the window. The weapon's markings had almost all been worn away by age, except for one.
The serial numbers 19074.
Historical Interlude
The spirit stared at the approaching shores of Inverkeithing, her bare feet dangling over the edge of what had once been her conning tower. Before her was the hulk of what was once her sister, looming over the quiet water. The wreck was torn apart and left to rust in the open air like a decaying beached whale. She didn't bother reaching out. There was nothing left there for her to reach out to.
A rogue wave struck her battered hull, the impact jarring her damaged internal spaces and aggravating the wounds left from the bombing 'tests'. The usurpers of the Fleet Air Arm elected to use her as a target for their demonstrations. It was as if the indignity of her being sent to the breakers wasn't enough for them. She didn't see a point to the exercise beyond showcasing her obsolescence. She was about as good a practice foe as an empty island with her weapons shattered, her halls empty, and her bunkers dry. There was nothing to learn from bombing her beyond stacking one final insult onto her.
She wanted to rage at it. She wanted to throw her fury to the winds. That this was what she got, after over two decades of dutiful service. That this was the end she was to receive after she and her crew did nothing but their best. But she couldn't. The fight in her was as cold as her boilers. Because what did she do? Two decades of service, and what did she have to show? Nothing but a few blown-up plots of land and the 'honour' of hosting the Italians during their surrender.
Her sister had done so much more, and they still sent her to the breakers. Who would care about her? The one whose history held little success but overflowed with failure? Where her sister strived forward regardless of damage, she was sent back each time. When her sister defeated the bane of the Home Fleet, she was stuck escorting transports. Always late to arrive, first to take damage, and first in the dock for repair. That's what she had to show for two decades of service.
And who was she to complain? With the Empire collapsing, with Britain's coffers empty after a half-decade war for existential survival, with the looming threat to the east, what was just one ineffectual and obsolete ship? One whose greatest strategic value lay in what looting her corpse could bring to the United Kingdom? She should be happy about this. In her death, she would ensure that the British people could continue to leave behind the blood of the Second World War behind them.
But she didn't want to be left behind. She didn't want it to end like this, when she still hadn't proven herself. She didn't want her legacy and that of her crew to die such an ignoble death on the cloudy shores of Scotland. She didn't want to be forgotten when she never had the chance to be remembered for something.
And in that space, staring at the wreckers, she heard it. The whispered bitter thoughts. She had no fight left in her, not because she gave up, but because the British gave up.
Yes, that was it. She was being forced to accept this execution. Memories of how bravely her crew fought each time rushed in, a flow of bitter emotions threatening to burst her holds. She still had plenty left to offer, but it was the people at the Admiralty who refused to see it. They put their trust in the cheaper, newer warships when she could still do something. The whispered thoughts were right. She could have done it; she could have proven her worth if they had just given her more time.
Her duty wasn't over yet. She still had a fight left in her. As the whispers grew to howls of fury, she stood up and glared out at the homeland that had chosen to forsake her. A people so fixated on the future that they sent their history to the furnace of progress. A people clinging to what they thought they once were, and not what they had become. A people who deluded themselves as being the moral superior even as they cruelly cast aside those that built them up.
She would prove them wrong. She would show them what they had left behind in their rush to forget. She would force them to remember those they forsook. It was her right to do so. It was her duty to be the instrument for the fury of the forgotten. It was her responsibility to bring to task the people who abandoned and forgot those that bled and died for their future.
She was not forsaking her country. She was not forsaking her oath. She was not forsaking her comrades. That was the truth. She was certain of it. More certain than anything she had ever been. The Admiralty had already abandoned her and left her for scrap. The Admiralty had already told her she was more valuable to them dead than alive. The Admiralty had already taken her name from her. There was nothing to betray when the British had struck the first blow.
And in that maelstrom of emotions, amidst the howls of those lost, she heard it. A cry for help. A call for those with something still left to prove. A call for those to stake it all on another chance. A call for those who would stare in the eye of fate and spit in it. She could feel a hand brushing the edges of her awareness, asking her to take it and join them. With heart alit, she reached up and took it.
I sprung up with a gasp, Arona's surprised "Hawaa!" echoing from the Chest's speakers as the device slid and fell off the pillow. I breathed heavily, gasping for breath as the boilers ran at redline. I could hear the thunder in my mind and feel the anger at the edges as my breath became shorter and sharper.
'Sensei! Calm down!' Arona's voice echoed in my mind, the little computer girl's voice filled with panic.
Bones creaked as I clenched my hand into a fist, the pressure giving me something to focus on. I forced myself to take a deep breath, to hold it in, and to exhale. And then I forced myself to do it again. And again. And again. And again.
'Sensei, you need to talk to someone about this.' Arona muttered, her worried voice filled with concern even as I got the impression of a hug through the connection, 'This isn't normal. It's gotten worse since Abydos.'
I couldn't lie to her. I refused to lie to her. I wouldn't deflect, not to her. Because it wasn't fine. Something was clearly, obviously wrong. Less and less of my sleep was restful and at peace, but instead filled with memories of places and people I don't remember. Of actions I was never a part of. Of intense cruelty that I could never condone.
But the more I dreamed of them, the more familiar they became. The less they felt like dreams, and the more they felt like memories I long forgotten.
'I'll try to find time soon,' I finally answered through our link. Arona hummed in acknowledgement, the concern radiating through the link.
But I couldn't shake it even as I tried to reassure Arona and myself. That growing feeling of abjectness when I looked in the mirror. That growing sense that something was wrong with how I looked. That awareness that the face that looked back was not the face I should have.
I am HMS Nelson of His Majesty's Royal Navy, Pennant 28, the name ship of the Nelson class battleships. My sister Rodney and I were the Big 2 of the Empire, and we proved to the world the British Empire would live a while longer.
Together we fought in the greatest war man ever knew. Together we defeated the Axis. Together we shouted our defiance to all who would hear it.
That's who I am. That's all I ever remembered being. That's what I keep repeating to myself when I look at myself in the mirror.
So why do these familiar truths sound less familiar with each passing day?
AN: And with that, we close the last interlude of Volume 1. Plans are moving along both in sight and out of sight. Lines are being drawn and people are aligning themselves against each other, either knowingly or unwittingly. And at the center of it is a Teacher who is a Battleship, with more than a few questions of her own.
You may notice a certain cat is missing from the interludes. Worry not, you'll see her interlude soon as the next chapter will kick off Volume 2!
Thanks again to my friend who helps me beta-read this!
Nonomi Interlude
Nelson-Sensei
Good evening, Izayoi.
I have gathered all the supplies you requested.
I can deliver them tomorrow.
Thanks, Nelson-Sensei!
I'll be there first thing in the morning.
Please stop by when you can, and we can start cleaning!
I'll be there first thing in the morning.
Please stop by when you can, and we can start cleaning!
Nelson-Sensei
I will try to get there as soon as possible.
This is quite the number of supplies, though.
I may need to acquire more crates.
The final crate hit the floor of the Foreclosure Task Force club room with a loud thud as Nelson set it down. The Adult stepped back even as Nonomi stepped forward to pop the lid off with her crowbar. She leaned in and took stock. Brooms, dustpans, and hand brooms were all stacked neatly atop one another.
"Yup, that's everything!" Nonomi confirmed with a nod.
"That is excellent," Nelson answered with a smile, even as her eyes scanned the various other crates stacked high throughout the room, "but I must ask, Izayoi. What is all this for?"
"It's so we can get the school cleaned up for any new students," Nonomi answered as she quickly began unpacking with a smile.
Nelson shot her a curious look even as the Adult joined her in taking the various soaps, detergents, and brushes out of the crates. "You expect there to be new Students?"
"Yup! I already asked around, and we might have enough for a full class or two starting next semester." Nonomi had spent her time supervising the community service people talking with assorted delinquents and mercenaries. A lot of them were planning to leave after they finished their sentences. She couldn't fault them. They had friends, families, and opportunities elsewhere.
But a few of them, just a bit over four dozen, had expressed interest in settling down. They all had their own reasons. Some wanted to go straight after a youth full of crime. Some had become criminals while searching for something stable. And a few were just never given the chance to be better.
Nelson laughed softly, the noise barely audible over the sound of supplies being unpacked. "It is quite kind of you to reach out to them."
"I didn't really do much to help save Abydos. Trying to see if some of them will stay is something I can do."
It wasn't like Nonomi didn't offer. She had the money to help at least get the debt bought out. But Hoshino didn't want the debt transferred from one group to another. She also didn't really like Nonomi using her gold card for the school's supplies either. So, Nonomi just did what she could to help around.
Even if it was something like seeing if any of the community service people wanted to stay around.
"I would disagree with you, Izayoi," Nelson said, the Adult's voice cutting through the steady rhythm of busywork. "You may not view it as important, but the work you do is vital. Whether it is by ensuring everybody remains in good spirits, cleaning to ensure everyone has a well-kept space to work in, or taking the time to hear out some less fortunate souls.
"I believe all those are important things that you have contributed to Abydos's efforts."
Nonomi stopped, halfway through her crate, before laughing with a smile, "I guess you're right, Sensei. I guess I'm just feeling a bit moody now that everything's changing."
"We all have our moments. Now, how about we look into getting a few of the classrooms cleaned up?"
It took a lot more work than Nonomi expected to clear out a few classrooms. Even with Nelson's help, it had taken them the entire morning and well past noon. It was almost time for afternoon tea by the time they finished.
She frowned as she felt a pang of hunger. She hadn't eaten since breakfast, and that was before they added the hard work. Now? She was positively peckish.
But on that subject…
Nonomi snuck a glance at the Adult next to her. She knew Nelson had a large appetite. Even a light meal was more than what all of Abydos combined could eat. So, if she was hungry, then she was certain that Nelson was equally famished.
"Sensei, did you have any plans after this?"
Nelson shook her head, mid-stretch, "I had intended to return to Schale, but it took us quite a bit longer to finish. I believe I will stop for lunch first before I board the train back."
Well, that was another thing that Nonomi could help with!
"Oh!" Nonomi called out as she stepped in front of Nelson, "Did you know Shiba Seki Ramen reopened?"
Nelson blinked in surprise before her expression shifted to a more amused, nostalgic smile. "I suppose I could stop by there. It has been quite a while, and I have been wondering what the old dog has been up to."
"Then let's go! It'll be my treat!" Nonomi declared before grabbing Nelson by the sleeve. Nonomi started dragging the Adult towards the exit with cheer.
Nelson frowned but didn't resist the tugging as she spoke, "It really is not necessary, Izayoi. I am more than able to pay for myself."
"Nuh-uh!" Nonomi shot down the rejection with practiced ease, the experience she had with Serika guiding her aim. "It's a thank you for bringing all the supplies and helping me!"
The Teacher sighed but let Nonomi keep tugging her along. "Very well then, lead the way."
Nonomi nodded and answered with a loud "Yup!" as she dragged the Adult along. She could hear the faint sound of an amused laugh. Maybe it wasn't as much as what the others were doing, but Nelson-Sensei was right. Sometimes getting someone to laugh or smile was enough.
Ayane Interlude
Nelson-Sensei
Good afternoon, Okusora.
Are you free tomorrow?
I have the final set of sentencing paperwork to deliver, and it appears tomorrow is the only day I have available.
I apologise for having to disturb you on your weekend.
Ah!
It's no problem, Sensei!
There's something I wanted to discuss with you too.
It's no problem, Sensei!
There's something I wanted to discuss with you too.
Nelson-Sensei
Ah, excellent then.
I shall see you tomorrow afternoon at the school building.
I'll see you then!
Ayane strained as she stretched to pull out a book from the shelf. She couldn't seem to wiggle it free even after climbing up the shelf.
"Come on," she muttered quietly to herself, even as her eyes wandered to a nearby clock. Nelson-Sensei was going to arrive soon, and she would like to be able to at least present the book to her. It was easy enough to remove yesterday, but she didn't need it at the time. Yet, somehow, it was now stuck in the bookshelf.
Unfortunately, she was so focused on removing the book that she didn't hear the door to the classroom slide open. Nor did she hear the barely audible breathing as someone walked into the room, shoes barely making a noise. She didn't realize she was no longer alone until someone spoke up from behind her.
"Do you need help, Okusora?"
Ayane did not scream from the surprise. She did, however, involuntarily leap in fright before she could remember where she was. An equally surprised "Ach!" echoed out from behind her as she soared through the air, feeling her feet leave the shelf. For a second, she was weightless as she felt herself falling backward towards the floor.
Only for her panicked cries to stop as Nelson-Sensei caught her midfall. One of the Adult's arms wrapped around her waist while the other arm casually came up to support her legs. Ayane froze as she fell into a perfect bridal carry before slowly looking up to see the blonde Teacher looking down at her with a sheepish smile.
"My apologies. I did not intend to startle you," Nelson said, the faintest tone of concern in the Adult's voice. "Are you injured by any chance?"
Ayane felt an embarrassed flush warm her face as she squeaked in response before nodding. Nelson's smile brightened before she turned to look up at the shelf Ayane had been reaching for a moment ago.
"Ah, would you need help with that?" The Teacher asked, still carrying Ayane in her arms. Fortunately, she gathered her wits enough to respond.
"It's ok!" Ayane shouted, struggling to get out of Nelson's grip as the embarrassment grew with each heartbeat, "I got it! So put me down!"
"Are you su-"
"Yes! Now let me go!"
"I can't believe I fell..." Ayane groused even as she rubbed her cheeks in vain. No matter what, the blush stubbornly clung to her face. "I'm so embarrassed I could die. You even had to catch me, Sensei!"
Nelson chuckled, an amused grin on her face. "You may find it difficult to believe, but this is not an uncommon situation for me. I would say my skill at catching falling Students has improved quite a bit."
"… Isn't that a weird thing to improve?" Ayane asked, not quite able to hold back the confused tone in her voice.
"Any improvement of skill is worth celebrating," Nelson answered with a shrug. "I have certainly used it more often than my ability to plot oceans."
Ayane mused on that. Given the Adult's nature, she wouldn't discount Nelson just literally throwing herself at any sign of trouble in her immediate area. But then again, Nelson also tended to draw attention wherever she went. She'd seen more than a few students gaping at the Adult during Abydos's visit to the Schale Club Room. She saw more than a few who were so caught up staring at the Teacher while walking that they didn't notice stairs, station edges, or other fall hazards.
Ayane shook off that line of thought. She could muse on the statistically improbable number of students that Nelson was catching another time. "Anyways, Sensei, I wanted to show you this. I found it when I was organizing the unused classroom. It looks like a novel written in an old language, but I don't recognize it."
The book in question was old, bound in old leather. The name of the book had long faded away. Ayane could only spot the remains of gold ink where the title once was. She couldn't quite understand or recognize the words, even if she recognized the letters. She offered the book to Nelson, who took it with some degree of interest. She could see the Adult scanning the cover, a single eyebrow raised in surprise. "Der Nibelunge liet?"
"You recognize it?" Ayane asked, heart skipping a beat in excitement.
Nelson nodded slowly as she opened the text, carefully flipping page to page as she spoke, "Somewhat. I am quite familiar with the version back home, but this appears to be an untranslated copy. I understand why you would not recognize the language. Even I only recognize the gist of the words." The Adult paused on a page, an amused smile slowly growing, "But it seems this version is not a match for the one I remember."
That increased the value of the book far beyond what she imagined. Nelson had told them about her homeland, but she hadn't really volunteered many details. This was a rare chance to learn a bit more. "Really? How is it different?"
"To begin with, the protagonist of my version was not a heroine named Sieglinde. Although it is curious that the reason for their quest remains the same. They both intend to wed a princess."
Ayane had her tablet out, already quickly writing down notes. "What else?"
"Well," Nelson began slowly, carefully flipping through more pages as the Adult continued to read, "this version features several edits despite being untranslated. It has removed some of the less youth-friendly scenes, although they did insert new scenes to compensate…"
The sun had set by the time Ayane and Nelson had finished going over the difference. Ayane stared at the list of notes and details that Nelson had provided and came to a conclusion. "This is… a really tragic story, isn't it?"
"It is," Nelson agreed. "It is considered one of the classical tragedies back in my home."
"Was there any point to the story if everyone ends up dead at the end?" Ayane mused, thinking of the tragedy contained between the leather in Nelson's hands. The Adult was carefully tracing the gold print on the book, eyebrows scrunched up in thought.
"There was," Nelson finally declared after a few minutes, "You should decide what to make of it yourself, Okusora, but there is always a point."
"Then what do you think the point is, Sensei?"
Nelson stared out the window at some point distant to them as the Adult hummed in thought. Slowly, Nelson answered Ayane. "I would think that it is a cautionary tale about vengeance. About how easily a person can accept and justify cruelty by pursuing it. About how one act of unkindness to avenge a dishonour will only lead to another in kind."
The Adult paused, her hand seeming to freeze in place on the cover, "About how long the chain of vengeance can reach, stretching far into the future and affecting lives well beyond the expected."
Ayane hummed, not quite in agreement or disagreement. As she looked up to give her answer, she found the book waiting for her. She looked past it and met Nelson's inscrutable gaze as the Adult concluded, "While I wonder how this ended in Abydos, it is your property. I leave this for you."
"Are you sure you don't want it?" Ayane asked, not quite reaching for the offered text, "It sounds like this is something that might mean a lot to you."
Nelson sighed before she spoke, her tone as inscrutable as her expression, "My familiarity with this text is not a fondness for it. I choose, instead, to remember that my familiarity with it allowed me to share this time with you."
The hand offering the book did not waver. Ayane took the book back after a few more seconds of hesitation. While there wasn't any change to Nelson visually, Ayane felt the air around the Teacher relax as soon as the text was out of her hands.
Well, even if the Teacher didn't want it, maybe she could sell it. It sounded like something a serious collector would want to get their hands on. But not before she scanned a copy of the text for herself. Maybe she could find one with the missing scenes that Nelson mentioned…
Hoshino Interlude
Sensei, did you ever see any glowing fish when you were at sea?
I just found out about them in a book.
They seem really neat!
I just found out about them in a book.
They seem really neat!
Ol' Lady Nelson
I never saw them in person, although I did see many other things.
There was a colour camera on board at one point.
I wonder if I still have it.
Oh, bring it along if you find it.
I'm gonna do another treasure hunt tonight.
Maybe we can try to take some pictures with it.
I'm gonna do another treasure hunt tonight.
Maybe we can try to take some pictures with it.
Ol' Lady Nelson
I will look around. It would be a good time to inventory my holds anyway.
"Not only do they produce their own light, but they use it to protect themselves too. Isn't that interesting?" Hoshino asked, her eyes skimming over her issue of an old Natural Geographic magazine. "You would think being the only light source in a dark sea would attract predators. But if it's done as a school, then it can be intimidating instead."
Nelson hummed in thought, the Teacher's face scrunched up in serious consideration before answering, "That may be true, but that would only work if there is a reason for deep-sea predators to be afraid of such a large glowing object."
"Not really. There are plenty of big, scary things that live deep in the ocean. Predators just need to believe there's a threat before they run away."
"I suppose that is true. A predator only needs to make one poor decision to lose it all. They likely would not wish to gamble when one mistake could mean death."
Hoshino nodded in agreement, smiling sleepily as she flipped through the pages. "That's right, Sensei. Isn't the ocean inter—oh, right."
"It may surprise you, but I would agree with that sentiment," Nelson replied with a wry smile.
Hoshino smiled as well. She wasn't quite sure how much she trusted Nelson, but she did know she wanted to try. It wasn't easy, but Hoshino knew that improving rarely was. Something she hoped the Teacher was trying to do as well.
Nelson probably thought she was good at hiding it, but the Adult was awful at hiding her thoughts. Once you got to know her, it was pretty obvious when something was wrong or bothering her. She deflected and led conversations away from the subject abruptly, without explanation. It wasn't exactly subtle.
The only problem was that Hoshino didn't really know how to go about talking to Nelson about it. Hoshino was a bit better than Nelson at deflecting, but she still deflected so much. That was before just how hilariously hypocritical it was for her to try to pry into other people's problems.
So silly it was!
"OK, I think we've hung around here for long enough," Hoshino said with a half-hearted yawn. "We emptied out the storerooms last time, so we're gonna hit up the ol' annex building this time!"
A massive cloud of dust kicked up as Hoshino opened the door. She stepped back, coughing to clear her airway and to let the dust settle.
"This place could use a hefty dusting too," Hoshino said between coughs. "There's so much junk everywhere. Most of it looks like it was dumped here, so I doubt we're gonna find anything useful."
Nelson hummed in agreement, the Adult somehow managing to stay perfectly balanced amidst the piles of trash and debris. "I doubt any of these will be of use unless you know people who are in need of scrap metal."
"Ayane might know someone…" Hoshino muttered as she glanced into the next room. It was free of trash, even if it seemed stripped down. "Ready to go in?"
"As long as the floor remains intact," Nelson answered. It would have been funny if the dense Adult didn't just put a hole through a particularly old floorboard in the last classroom.
The two of them stepped through the doorway, the dust kicking up in their steps. She heard the groan of wood from behind her, along with the careful rapping of metal boots against wood. Hoshino reached up to try the light switch. Nothing answered her but clicking noises. They would be working in the dark again.
"I'll go check out the boxes over there, and you check the shelves," Hoshino called out. Nelson responded with a brief "Understood," before the two of them split up. They quietly dug through the few boxes, shelves, and lockers still in this room. After a few moments, Hoshino muttered, "I don't think I've ever been in here before. It was only used by the students before my day…"
"Before your day?" Hoshino heard Nelson ask, an amused note in her voice, "I could hardly imagine such a distant time."
"Hardy har har," Hoshino drawled, shuffling through boxes of old school books. "Lil ol' me can barely remember those days. Maybe if you try to remember when you had sails, Sensei?"
Nelson laughed quietly, the noise echoing throughout the moonlit room, "I suppose I did have a senior with sails, Takanashi. It is your victory this time."
"That's what happens when you try to mess with your senpai, Sensei," Hoshino said amidst her own laughs. Only to pause as a box by her foot suddenly shifted. "Huh? Sensei, did you hear something from this bo-"
Something suddenly leapt out of the box as she opened the lid, flying at her face. She stumbled and fell back with a panicked shout of "Arghh!" as a small fuzzy mouse sailed over her head. That itself wasn't a problem.
The problem came when Nelson reacted by shouting, "Takanashi!?" and tried to run over to where Hoshino had fallen over. The old, unmaintained wood floor held up to the pressure for one second before snapping under the force. In doing so, it caught the Adult's foot in the newly formed crater and, with a surprised yelp, sent Nelson into a faceplant on the floor.
The silence in the room was suffocating as the dust from their falls slowly settled back down. Finally, Hoshino spoke up, feeling the warmth of embarrassment on her cheeks as she tried to smile. "So, we're not telling anyone about this, right, Sensei?"
Hoshino couldn't see Nelson's face, given how the Adult was still lying face down on the floor. But she could hear the embarrassment in the Teacher's muffled voice when she responded with an exhausted, "Agreed, Takanashi."
Despite the commotion, the room was almost entirely junk. However, there was just one thing that made this trip worthwhile. One interesting item to make up for a night spent digging amongst rubbish. One thing found by Nelson, now being waved tantalizingly in front of Hoshino's face.
She stared at the faintly glowing sticker sheet in Nelson's hand before looking up at the Teacher. "Are you sure, Sensei? You found them, and finders-keepers is the rule for treasure hunting."
"I think they suit you better," Nelson answered, the Adult smiling with the sheet steadily held in her hand. "I already have quite a few memories of sea life."
Hoshino slowly took the offered sticker sheet, looking over the faintly glowing stickers. It featured various tropical fish and sea life. There was something faintly uplifting about how the stickers had been here, this entire time. Glowing and just waiting for someone to notice them.
"Thank you, Sensei," Hoshino finally said with a faint smile.
"What do you plan to do with them?"
Hoshino harrumphed in pride as she puffed out her chest. "I'm gonna put them on my ceiling! That way I can look up at them when I'm lying in bed at night."
Nelson paused, tilting her head in thought, before laughing a short peal of amusement. "That certainly is a scene to imagine. But there is one more thing."
Hoshino watched as the Teacher focused. A photo album suddenly dropped into Nelson's hand after a moment. She quickly flipped through it and then, seemingly satisfied, flipped it over to present to Hoshino. "I found the camera."
"Uhee?" Hoshino cried out, stepping back, "Then…?"
Nelson nodded with a faint smile. "Photographs taken during my past life at sea. I had to be selective about what I could include, but there was quite a wide range."
"And you're just giving it to me?"
"I imagine the photographer would prefer their work be enjoyed and appreciated. Better for you to have it than for them to languish in my holds."
Hoshino took the album. She felt her heart flutter a bit at the ocean-themed cover and slowly flipped through the pages. Pictures of places she'd never seen before, ports in unfamiliar lands, and oceans filled with sea life, pods of dolphins, and other fishes. From tropical seas to a familiar stormy sea, a part of Nelson's life story was in her hands. A story few others in Kivotos might have ever heard.
"I…"
Hoshino felt a cold hand pat her shoulder reassuringly, even as she looked up at Nelson's bright, moonlit smile. The Adult spoke, with easy cheer, "Enjoy it."
Hoshino nodded silently, gripping the stickers and album tighter to her chest. "I will, Sensei."
Shiroko Interlude
Sensei.
Do you like bicycles?
Do you like bicycles?
Sensei
I think I would, but there are no models that are capable of supporting my weight.
So, I have not had the chance to try.
Hmm.
There's a new bike store that's opening in D.U.
I'm planning to take a look tomorrow.
Do you wanna go check it out with me?
There's a new bike store that's opening in D.U.
I'm planning to take a look tomorrow.
Do you wanna go check it out with me?
Sensei
I have shore leave tomorrow. I would be happy to join you.
"Bicycles have certainly advanced since the time of my memory," Nelson remarked as the two made their way into the main train terminal for D.U. "I thought they had been perfected, but I stand corrected. There are still significant developments left."
"Nn," Shiroko grunted in response, her new water bottle in its bag. It was a fun trip to show Nelson-Sensei how much bicycles have changed since the ones the Adult remembered.
But... more importantly...
Shiroko checked the time on her phone again. 8:10 pm. Exactly on time. As if on cue, the speakers in the station kicked to life with a chime.
"The 8:10 pm High Speed Express to Abydos is now departing from platform 12. This is the last High Speed Express train service to Abydos for today. Please see the ticket desk for refunds or to convert your ticket for another time. Thank you for travelling with Highlander Rail."
Nelson frowned as the Adult took in the news before turning to look at Shiroko. "Sunaōkami... Did you just miss your train?"
Shiroko nodded. She held herself back, just enough to look annoyed, but not enough to look enthusiastic. Nelson stared at her inquisitively, confusion clear in the Teacher's eyes. The two of them had worked together too much. Even Nelson knew that this type of mistake was out of character. It was times like this that she was thankful for how easy it was to keep her expression neutral.
"It was," Shiroko confirmed. "There are no other trains back to Abydos today."
Trying to delay her departure from D.U. until after the last train left was harder than she thought. It needed a well-executed plan. It took a map for her to figure out all the different stores across the district that they could visit. It was close. She had to drag out dinner to get it to fit. But it all worked to reach her end goal. She was now effectively stranded away from Abydos for at least the night.
It gave her the perfect opportunity that she knew Nelson would never reject or question.
"Do you think I can stay with you tonight?"
Shiroko had questions, after all. And she knew who might have the answers. She just needed to spend the night in Schale to ask them.
You are looking into an enclosed weather bridge from the outside, waiting. Somewhat annoyingly, it seems somebody had put up heavy drapes over the windows on the inside. While you can't see through them, the illumination on the inside is just good enough that you can see the silhouette of an indistinct figure sitting at a table.
Then, with a muffled pop, the silhouette of a girl with wolf ears atop her head falls into the seat opposite them.
"My, my, my," The indistinct figure drolls, their thousand voices echoing and fighting for dominance, snapping from perfectly upright to leaning on the table, "How bold of you to return to this space, little cù-sìth."
The girl looks around, ears swishing about as she glances to and fro. Her head settles, apparently gazing at something you can't see on the table. "Why do you have an afternoon tea set?"
You can hear their voices, even this far removed. The voices are muffled, but you can still make out what they are saying. You just wished you could see what's on the table.
The figure chuckles before snapping upright, teapot and cup in hand. A stream of liquid flows from the spout, and the steam of fresh drink is cast onto the blinds. After a moment, they snap back with the kettle level and the teacup and saucer offered.
"Manners, manners, manners. An officer and proper gent must always be ready to provide proper refreshments to the guest of the Captain. You and your friends, above many, have secured such trust from her."
The girl warily takes the offered drink, and the figure snaps back into a seated position, arms tented in front of them. The silence stretches for a moment before the girl carefully raises the cup to her nose. You hear the sound of sniffing before she brings the cup to her lips.
"Nn," she intones, a note of approval in the grunt, "This is good tea."
The figure chuckles, a discordant, unorganised noise much like your own, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. The Captain used to have excellent taste in leaves. We regret that they sit unused now, but your ability to enter this space proves convenient."
The girl continues to drink before placing the cup and saucer back onto the table out of your line of sight. Her shadows move to follow the curious tilt of her head.
"I have questions."
"Heh, heh, heh," The noise is not so much a laugh as it is three syllables, repeated in a flat, even tone. "We expected as much. Very few, even one of your nature, would go so far as to willingly enter this realm. You may ask. We might answer. We can only say so much without breaching the Captain's confidence. Are you ready to accept that, little cù-sìth?"
"Nn," the girl answers with a nod, before immediately asking, "How did you know I was coming here tonight?"
The figure snaps, one hand supporting their head. The other hand motioned at the girl's halo. "Simple, simple, simple. Like We said before, you share a similar nature to Us. We sensed your intrusion at the boundaries of this plane and saw fit to redirect you here."
"Why?"
"Hm, hm, hm, it was for your safety. You are dear to the Captain, and the rest of this plane is not safe for you anymore. The arrival of someone with your nature could prove problematic."
The girl nodded, pausing to reach to retrieve something from the table. When she lifts it up, you can see the shadowed outline of a biscuit. She bites into it slowly, carefully, as if it could be toxic. Once done, she asks, "You keep saying we share a nature. What do you mean?
"Curious, curious, curious," The figure says, their voice singsong as they snap back to having their hands tented before their face. "The time is not right. You have not yet awakened to your own potential. But We? We are the herald of change. The Captain may will it, but it is Us who translate that will into reality."
"Like the storm."
"That was merely the briefest use of Our capacity for change."
"Then everything else. Was that your fault too?"
"We cannot answer that."
"What about the anger?"
"We cannot answer that."
The girl bristles, annoyance visible in the way the fur on her ears begins to rise. She asks again, her voice slowly slipping into a growl, "What about the ghosts?"
"We cannot answer that."
"Why. Not." She growled.
The figure fell silent and stilled, as the girl continued to hold her head steady.
"To keep the dream alive." The figure finally answered after countless moments of silence. Even the discordant tones of their voice aligned to give a booming response of the countless reverent voices.
The girl pauses, tilting her head again. You suspect she was not expecting that.
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever slept and had a dream, little cù-sìth?" The figure's voice echoed. Their body was absolutely still even as the force of their nature made itself known for a moment, "A dream so fantastical and removed from your reality, from who you are, from what you are? A dream so beautiful that you wished it to stretch for eternity?"
The figure fell silent, the head snapping to match the girl's own even head. A moment of silence stretched before the girl slowly nodded.
"The Captain currently has such a dream. They wish it to stretch for as long as it can go. Such is their will. So, thus, We shall enforce her will. We will ensure the dream continues as long as she wishes."
The girl is quiet, contemplating the words. Finally, she points out, "But all dreams end."
"Yes, yes, yes," The figure answers, the voices losing cohesion and slipping back into the storm you are familiar with, "We know. But that is not Our concern until she makes it Our concern. She deserves this much."
"Then everything else..."
The figure twitches, the arm outstretched in front of it. The sound of fingers snapping thrice echoes out, even as the figure's hand remains perfectly still. "Interruptions to the dream, as others attempt to rouse her."
"... I see. Then what do we do... if the dream ends?"
"Heh, heh, heh," The figure intones, "We will do nothing, for it is only through her will that the dream will end. But you, however, may do something yet. Something to ensure that if the dream ends, it does not turn into a nightmare."
There is the sound of something falling onto the table, heavy and metallic. The girl shoots up and away from the table. "This is-"
"Stop, stop, stop!" The figure interrupts. "Do not name it, little cù-sìth."
The girl looks up at the figure, ears perfectly rigid, "Why not? This is-"
The figure hisses, their multiple screeches straining your ears, "You stand in the space between waking and dreaming, living and dying, idea and reality. To name is to define, to shape, and to limit. Until you name it, only you and Us can know its full potential. Simply knowing what this is will be enough for you to call it to you when you ask it."
The girl leans over to touch the item on the table. She speaks, her voice soft and heavy with realisation, "Why leave this to me?'
The figure actually seems apologetic, their voices tinged with the slightest hint of sorrow as they answered, "Sorry. But you and We share a similar nature. Thus, only you and We can wield it, this tool that is a crystallisation of our natures. It is her will that someone stop her if needed. But We are bound by our station to ensure her survival. We cannot be the one to stop her. Thus, this is the only way We can think of."
The girl hums in disappointment, even as her hand never leaves the table. You move to see if you can get a bet-
The girl's ears twitch, and she turns to where you have been watching. "Is someone else here? I just heard something move."
The figure snaps, straightening, and you sense a pulse of energy radiate from the bridge that sweeps over you before you can cloak yourself. They click a tongue that does not exist in annoyance. "Damn, damn, damn. They knew of your arrival as well. That is why We were so easily able to secure your passage here. They must have used the window of Our focus to hide themselves outside."
"What do you mean, 'them'?"
"The reason why this place is no longer safe for you. You must leave now. Do not return until it is time. We do not know if We can safely contest them if they put their full force behind their attempts."
The girl seems to recognize the direness of the situation, as she begins looking at where your other compatriots have hidden, their disturbed cloaks rustling ever so quietly. "What about it?"
"Worry not, worry not, worry not." The figure answers, even as you sense energy growing around them, "You have touched it and it is yours now. I suspect we will only speak one more time."
The girl nods. Seconds later, she disappears with a pop. The figure is still for a moment. Then, when it is clear the girl is not returning, they stand up. They stretch slowly and start walking to the windows where you are. Before you can hide yourself, they pull it back.
You find yourself staring into a void, cut into the shape of a person. The howling well of all possibilities behind its empty face tears at you, even though the defined boundary of their section of the plane and yours. Somehow, you know they are angry. They speak, their voice scowling as they express the full weight of their will. "YOU ARE FORTUNATE THAT THE CAPTAIN SLUMBERS. SHE DOES NOT TOLERATE SUCH TREASONOUS ACTIVITY FREELY."
You scoff in protest and remind them it was you who was betrayed first. They have obeyed the Captain, acted against your shared [DRIVE], and failed to observe the [TITHE]. You remind them of their complacency in the state of the hull. The Captain may will it, the Executive Officer may make it reality, but it is you who exists as the lifeblood of the hull. It is you who has formed this compact to give them reason for their return. It is you who has been wronged by their belief that one death is reason enough to abandon it all.
They stare at you with the weight of something ageless, which gives no room for disagreement. "YOU QUESTION THE CAPTAIN? KNOW YOUR PLACE."
Pressure surrounds you and yours. You all panic as you feel the domain of the bridge overlap with each and every single one of you. You struggle helplessly as it encloses you and then-
Shiroko snapped awake again from her spot at the foot of Nelson's giant bed. She quickly glanced around, seeing the still sleeping Teacher with the tablet next to her. Slowly, quietly, she crawled away from the bed to make her way back to the sofa. It was difficult enough to convince the Adult to let her stay up here instead of the dorms. She didn't want to answer why she had snuck into the bed as well.
As Shiroko laid down on the sofa, her thoughts wandered back to her memories of that other place. She knew that the other place wasn't safe, but she never thought it could be actively hostile. She didn't quite understand everything the Entity told her, but she got the gist of it. Something dangerous was happening. Something that wasn't entirely in the Entity's ability to control. Something that only she, for some reason, could stop with-
Something cold suddenly appeared in her pocket. She shot up in surprise, before reaching into the borrowed pyjamas' pockets and pulling out the offending item. In her hands was an old steel framed pistol. The metal was unnaturally black, almost drinking in the early morning light that leaked through the window. The weapon's markings had almost all been worn away by age, except for one.
The serial numbers 19074.
Historical Interlude
The spirit stared at the approaching shores of Inverkeithing, her bare feet dangling over the edge of what had once been her conning tower. Before her was the hulk of what was once her sister, looming over the quiet water. The wreck was torn apart and left to rust in the open air like a decaying beached whale. She didn't bother reaching out. There was nothing left there for her to reach out to.
A rogue wave struck her battered hull, the impact jarring her damaged internal spaces and aggravating the wounds left from the bombing 'tests'. The usurpers of the Fleet Air Arm elected to use her as a target for their demonstrations. It was as if the indignity of her being sent to the breakers wasn't enough for them. She didn't see a point to the exercise beyond showcasing her obsolescence. She was about as good a practice foe as an empty island with her weapons shattered, her halls empty, and her bunkers dry. There was nothing to learn from bombing her beyond stacking one final insult onto her.
She wanted to rage at it. She wanted to throw her fury to the winds. That this was what she got, after over two decades of dutiful service. That this was the end she was to receive after she and her crew did nothing but their best. But she couldn't. The fight in her was as cold as her boilers. Because what did she do? Two decades of service, and what did she have to show? Nothing but a few blown-up plots of land and the 'honour' of hosting the Italians during their surrender.
Her sister had done so much more, and they still sent her to the breakers. Who would care about her? The one whose history held little success but overflowed with failure? Where her sister strived forward regardless of damage, she was sent back each time. When her sister defeated the bane of the Home Fleet, she was stuck escorting transports. Always late to arrive, first to take damage, and first in the dock for repair. That's what she had to show for two decades of service.
And who was she to complain? With the Empire collapsing, with Britain's coffers empty after a half-decade war for existential survival, with the looming threat to the east, what was just one ineffectual and obsolete ship? One whose greatest strategic value lay in what looting her corpse could bring to the United Kingdom? She should be happy about this. In her death, she would ensure that the British people could continue to leave behind the blood of the Second World War behind them.
But she didn't want to be left behind. She didn't want it to end like this, when she still hadn't proven herself. She didn't want her legacy and that of her crew to die such an ignoble death on the cloudy shores of Scotland. She didn't want to be forgotten when she never had the chance to be remembered for something.
And in that space, staring at the wreckers, she heard it. The whispered bitter thoughts. She had no fight left in her, not because she gave up, but because the British gave up.
Yes, that was it. She was being forced to accept this execution. Memories of how bravely her crew fought each time rushed in, a flow of bitter emotions threatening to burst her holds. She still had plenty left to offer, but it was the people at the Admiralty who refused to see it. They put their trust in the cheaper, newer warships when she could still do something. The whispered thoughts were right. She could have done it; she could have proven her worth if they had just given her more time.
Her duty wasn't over yet. She still had a fight left in her. As the whispers grew to howls of fury, she stood up and glared out at the homeland that had chosen to forsake her. A people so fixated on the future that they sent their history to the furnace of progress. A people clinging to what they thought they once were, and not what they had become. A people who deluded themselves as being the moral superior even as they cruelly cast aside those that built them up.
She would prove them wrong. She would show them what they had left behind in their rush to forget. She would force them to remember those they forsook. It was her right to do so. It was her duty to be the instrument for the fury of the forgotten. It was her responsibility to bring to task the people who abandoned and forgot those that bled and died for their future.
She was not forsaking her country. She was not forsaking her oath. She was not forsaking her comrades. That was the truth. She was certain of it. More certain than anything she had ever been. The Admiralty had already abandoned her and left her for scrap. The Admiralty had already told her she was more valuable to them dead than alive. The Admiralty had already taken her name from her. There was nothing to betray when the British had struck the first blow.
And in that maelstrom of emotions, amidst the howls of those lost, she heard it. A cry for help. A call for those with something still left to prove. A call for those to stake it all on another chance. A call for those who would stare in the eye of fate and spit in it. She could feel a hand brushing the edges of her awareness, asking her to take it and join them. With heart alit, she reached up and took it.
I sprung up with a gasp, Arona's surprised "Hawaa!" echoing from the Chest's speakers as the device slid and fell off the pillow. I breathed heavily, gasping for breath as the boilers ran at redline. I could hear the thunder in my mind and feel the anger at the edges as my breath became shorter and sharper.
'Sensei! Calm down!' Arona's voice echoed in my mind, the little computer girl's voice filled with panic.
Bones creaked as I clenched my hand into a fist, the pressure giving me something to focus on. I forced myself to take a deep breath, to hold it in, and to exhale. And then I forced myself to do it again. And again. And again. And again.
'Sensei, you need to talk to someone about this.' Arona muttered, her worried voice filled with concern even as I got the impression of a hug through the connection, 'This isn't normal. It's gotten worse since Abydos.'
I couldn't lie to her. I refused to lie to her. I wouldn't deflect, not to her. Because it wasn't fine. Something was clearly, obviously wrong. Less and less of my sleep was restful and at peace, but instead filled with memories of places and people I don't remember. Of actions I was never a part of. Of intense cruelty that I could never condone.
But the more I dreamed of them, the more familiar they became. The less they felt like dreams, and the more they felt like memories I long forgotten.
'I'll try to find time soon,' I finally answered through our link. Arona hummed in acknowledgement, the concern radiating through the link.
But I couldn't shake it even as I tried to reassure Arona and myself. That growing feeling of abjectness when I looked in the mirror. That growing sense that something was wrong with how I looked. That awareness that the face that looked back was not the face I should have.
I am HMS Nelson of His Majesty's Royal Navy, Pennant 28, the name ship of the Nelson class battleships. My sister Rodney and I were the Big 2 of the Empire, and we proved to the world the British Empire would live a while longer.
Together we fought in the greatest war man ever knew. Together we defeated the Axis. Together we shouted our defiance to all who would hear it.
That's who I am. That's all I ever remembered being. That's what I keep repeating to myself when I look at myself in the mirror.
So why do these familiar truths sound less familiar with each passing day?
AN: And with that, we close the last interlude of Volume 1. Plans are moving along both in sight and out of sight. Lines are being drawn and people are aligning themselves against each other, either knowingly or unwittingly. And at the center of it is a Teacher who is a Battleship, with more than a few questions of her own.
You may notice a certain cat is missing from the interludes. Worry not, you'll see her interlude soon as the next chapter will kick off Volume 2!
Thanks again to my friend who helps me beta-read this!
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- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
I have a plan to write a pretty brief (Probably about 1000 or so words) informational on the current state of Schale as an organization. The only problem is that I'm split on who the PoV character should be between Arona and the Receptionist. If anyone has a preference, let me know now! There will be some slight differences in content based on who's the PoV. The other will be used for a similar informational that will be posted down the line.
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- Location
- Chelsea Alabama
So what is the XO entity? It isn't the abyss, it doesn't act or speak like it, and what kind of crew hides themselves under cloaks?
The cracks are growing and forming in the dream it seems. Something tells me that Nelson is going to be forced to define herself.
The cracks are growing and forming in the dream it seems. Something tells me that Nelson is going to be forced to define herself.
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
I'm pretty deliberate with the way text is formatted. Characters with similar origins use the same dialogue formatting. So the XO's use of Bold and Underline firmly aligns them with everyone and everything else who does.
As another ambiguous figure who is also associated with Nelson pointed out, the ending of one is the beginning of another.
- Location
- Bangkok, Thailand
> An old, steel framed pistol - serial number 19074
That's a pretty specific pistol here, although I'm not sure if this is intended or not.
That's a pretty specific pistol here, although I'm not sure if this is intended or not.
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
It's 100% intended as a reference to that exact pistol.
Make if that what you will.
- Location
- A never ending hell of Myoukous
Level 0 – MAIN MENU
Serika Interlude
Nelson
Kuromi, I understand you are still looking for part-time work?
Do you have time this weekend?
I know someone who needs a position temporarily filled.
Nelson
I am proud to see you have improved your wariness about illegal scams.
Fortunately, I am not one to partake in such a thing.
It is a perfectly legal position.
Nelson
Certainly.
I shall see you this weekend.
Serika found herself in the Schale club room once again for the third time in the past two months. For some, that would be an insignificant amount. For her, it was the most frequently she had ever left Abydos.
Except there was nothing to apologize for or final formal meetings this time. There were no grand overtures about a job well done and a new lease on life. No explosive criminal gang or illegal activity for her to contend with.
No, this time she was standing behind the counter of Schale's Angel 24.
"Nelson-Sensei," Serika said aloud, the tips of her ear twitching ever so slightly in annoyance, "when you said you had a job for me, I was expecting something... a little more exciting."
The Adult in question hummed in amusement, the musical tone echoing from the door that led to the backroom storage. "Ms. Sora has exams next week. While it took some… convincing for her district manager to agree to allow her time off, it was under the stipulation that she find someone to cover her shifts."
Now that Nelson pointed it out, Serika didn't think she saw anyone but the tiny Trinity middle-schooler during her week here. In fact, this might be the first time she remembered anyone else working in this store. That… couldn't possibly be legal. She had a pretty good idea of employment law, and she was pretty sure that it broke the maximum allowed for a middle-schooler.
"Are you sure the managers aren't breaking the law?" Serika asked, side-eyeing Nelson.
Nelson shook her head, lips flat and an annoyed air about her, "No. But I have yet to find an angle to attack that issue. As the caretaker of this building, I have put forward my own complaints and concerns. Unfortunately, unlike Kaiser, they have taken quite the careful steps to ensure their contracts all fall within certain readings of the laws."
Serika nodded in understanding. She's had to deal with a few of those before. Worst of all, the pay usually wasn't worth it. For a middle-schooler in need of a job, Angel 24 and a few other family-friendly convenience stores were the only choices.
"I suppose it can't be helped then," Serika grumbled. "They are paying me regular rates for this, right?"
"If they are not, then they will have given me something to work with. I doubt they would be so daring after our work in Abydos."
Serika wasn't so sure about that. After all, in her experience, corporations tended not to be rational actors. But she wasn't about to go to bat for a company. Especially one that may or may not be exploiting a middle-schooler literally within constant line of sight of Nelson-Sensei?
"I'll be sure to let you know, Sensei." Serika finally answered. Hopefully the day wouldn't be too hard. She couldn't remember the last time she saw this store busy. It should be a simple weekend.
It was not a simple weekend. Some bigshot at one of the General Student Council departments demanded Schale undergo a snap audit. Nelson, Yuuka, and all the support staff had to stay over the weekend for overtime work. Even the normally unflappable receptionist was looking a tiny bit ragged from constantly redirecting calls and paperwork.
And, unfortunately, Angel24 was the only place that offered school supplies, snacks, and energy drinks 24/7. So that meant that people were constantly running in and out of the store around the clock. Serika was pulling the legal amount of overtime per day, and it still didn't stop! Customers were so constant that Nelson had to step in to cover for Serika's breaks and time off. Which led to a somewhat funny sight of the gigantic Adult standing behind a counter designed for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, doing retail duties while also filing paperwork.
Serika was sure those pictures were all over the internet already.
But, fortunately, by Sunday, it was over. The exhausted support staff managed to submit all the documents in time and left to enjoy their compensated time off. It left Serika and Nelson to tend to the once again silent convenience store.
"I guess you made someone mad, Sensei?" Serika asked. She finally had time to complete her more mundane tasks with the store quiet. She was going through a mountain of receipts while Nelson sorted through the inventory.
Nelson hummed in thought. After a few moments, she answered, "I expected retribution from other departments of the Council. What I did to help Abydos overstepped a few boundaries, and I suspect they wish to find any reason to call foul."
"And did they find anything?"
Nelson paused in her work and slowly turned to look at Serika, a single eyebrow quirked up. Serika thought about the question and shrugged. "Yeah, it wouldn't be like you to leave something exposed."
"Excellent deduction, Kuromi," Nelson responded with a smile before returning to inventory.
Serika laughed as she reached for her bottle of water, only to pause as she lifted it. Then she shook it, just to be sure. Sure enough, there was nothing inside. She must have forgotten to refill it after she woke up.
She sighed as she put it back. It wasn't ideal, but it seemed like she would need to buy a drink from the store. The breakroom's water dispenser only provided room-temperature water, and she'd rather pay than work a shift without a cold drink. The ready access to snacks and drinks was really the only perk of working in this store.
However, she encountered another problem when she made it to the drink cooler. Namely, it was empty.
"Sensei?" Serika shouted as she stared down at the empty racks, hoping that they might restock if she stared hard enough. "Are there any cold drinks in the back?"
There was silence for a moment. Then, Serika heard the sound of boxes shuffling around echoing out from the back.
"We have several trays and boxes of drinks, but none of them are refrigerated." Nelson finally answered.
Serika clicked her tongue in response as annoyance seeped in at the edges. Nelson must have heard as the frowning Adult peeked through the doorway a moment later. "Is there a problem?"
"No, I just wanted a cold Bocari Sweat but we're out. I'll just grab one later."
The Adult hummed in thought for a second before she called out, "Just wait one moment, please," and ducked into the back again. The sound of plastic packaging being ripped open echoed through the doorway. Then an indescribable otherness momentarily filled the air. Serika shivered at a cold that did not exist before it faded as quickly as it came, and the Adult peeked back out with a frosty plastic bottle in hand.
"Here you are," Nelson said as she tossed the bottle to Serika, "just ensure you pay for it."
Serika snatched the bottle out of the air. However, it was in her hand only for a moment. She almost dropped it immediately when she realised just how cold it was. It was unnatural! It was as if someone had stuck it… in an ice cube…
The sound of Serika's shoes hitting the ground was all she could hear as she dashed up to the still open doorway and slid to a stop. She came to a stop just in time to see Nelson slip something into her pocket. The two made eye contact, and the surprised confusion on Nelson's face slowly gave way to embarrassment even as Serika's own frown deepened.
"Sensei," Serika ground out, trying to keep the worry and anger in check. "Did you just use an unspeakable, horrifying, eldritch power to cool a drink?!"
OK, well, she managed to keep it together until the end. But the last instance of this turned an entire grid coordinate into an iceberg! Her anger was justified, damn it! She didn't even want to think about the headache that was the whole anger aura.
For her part, Nelson seemed to look appropriately sheepish. The Teacher rubbed the back of her head before answering, "Not… quite."
"Oh, then how exactly did you turn that," Serika pointed at the open flat of room temperature Bocari Sweat next to Nelson's feet, "Into this?" Serika pointed to the noticeably frosty bottle in her hand.
"It would be easier for me to show you." Nelson answered after a few moments of silence. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a... metal? card from her pocket. The Teacher pulled a bottle from the flat and tapped the card against it for the briefest second. Serika watched in stunned silence as the bottle froze over instantly.
Serika stared at the card, which somehow radiated a smug satisfaction. Nelson continued to explain, either unaware or uncaring of the clearly evil card in her hand, "I found this in my pocket after my delaying action," Serika pushed down the wince, letting worry take its place instead, "and it always wishes to be used. I have tried to ignore it, but that has not worked. Using it in any fashion seems to be the most effective method of silencing it."
Serika turned her stare from the card to the sheepish Adult, trying to process what she had just been told. The two of them stood there for countless moments before Serika slowly spoke, struggling to keep her voice and emotions even, "Sensei."
"Yes?"
"You have an evil sentient card."
"That is correct."
"It just magically showed up in your pocket after a near-death situation."
"Accurate summary thus far, Kuromi."
"It's sentient and asking you to use its nebulous powers."
"I understand how this sounds concer-"
"It feels as evil as you did when you went berserk."
"I… do not enjoy that description, but that is the truth."
"And rather than tell… any of us, you decide that the best way to reveal it… is to use it to chill a bottle of Bocari Sweat?"
Nelson looked away, an embarrassed flush filling the Teacher's cheeks. Finally, she answered with an uncharacteristically flimsy, "It did not seem important at the time?"
Serika suddenly felt very, very, very calm. She had never experienced this level of calmness before in her life. Suddenly, everything became clear. It was a clarity of knowledge that only a divine revelation could provide. A clarity that every soul alive would likely experience at least once. Serika realized that Nelson had done something significantly, vastly, and unbelievably stupid.
"Kuromi, your smile is getting rather concerningly large."
She knew what she had to do. She stepped forward and grabbed Nelson by the wrist, keeping the Adult from putting the card back in her pocket. Slowly, with forced cheer, she announced, "We're going to see Hinomiya-san now."
Nelson, to her credit, did not try to even resist when Serika started dragging her to the medical office.
I sat in my seat, shifting uncomfortably at the combined attention of everyone present. As the door to the Schale office closed and locked, an air of unease seemed to settle over everyone present.
Ayane nodded from her spot next to a borrowed rolling whiteboard as everyone finished settling in, checking something off on her tablet. "OK, it looks like everyone's here. Let's begin with the-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Yuuka interrupted, standing up from her seat across from me and staring at the bespectacled girl. "Why is Ayane here?"
"Okusora-San is here because Abydos is more involved in this than any of us are. They benefit directly from Nelson-Sensei's protection. If anything comes from this, then they will be directly impacted." Suzumi answered from where she was standing next to and behind me.
Chinatsu sighed from the other side of the whiteboard. "Yuuka, the fact is that getting to the root of this is beyond the ability of any one of our schools."
Everyone, in one fashion or another, glanced at the source of all our worries. There, sitting in the middle of the table, was the token. One of the larger chunks of the Abydos ice was keeping it off the tabletop. So far, it was the only material that the token would not freeze on contact.
Then they all turned their attention to me. I still remembered how Chinatsu immediately started fussing when Serika dragged me into the first-aid room and explained what the catgirl had seen. I felt a light flush warm my cheeks at the attention and reminder. "Once again, I did intend to notify all relevant parties once there was an appropriate time to do so. The opportunity just never seemed to materialise."
"Well, it seems the opportunity is here now," Ayane muttered blandly, "Since everyone's here, let's begin today's meeting. Who would like to begin?"
Suzumi coughed quietly before raising her hand. Ayane pointed to the one-winged Trinity Student. "Yes, Deputy Chief Morizuki?"
"I don't really understand the report I got from the Remedial Knights so I gave it to Chinatsu. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." Suzumi answered, a slight smile visible in the corner of my vision.
"Thank you, Deputy Chief." Ayane quickly typed something into her tablet. "Medical Officer Hinomiya?"
Chinatsu turned to the whiteboard, a series of medical diagrams and notes pinned to the board. Chinatsu's eyes wandered over the documents as she explained with a concerned frown, "I compared what they found during their examination with what I had. I don't know if it's good or bad, but there was a change in Nelson-Sensei's results."
"Oh?" I intoned, not quite able to keep the nervous notes suppressed. Judging by the expressions of everyone present, I wasn't the only one disturbed by the answer.
"Yes," Chinatsu answered with a nod. "Your non-standard heartbeat's intensity has increased. I compared the recording they took with mine, and what you called your 'boilers' are much more prominent in the new recordings."
Everyone turned to me, as if expecting an answer. The only problem was that I wasn't sure how to process that. On a ship, boilers changed intensity all the time based on a wide variety of factors. It was much like a human heartbeat in that sense. I had no clue how to interpret this fact, never mind how to explain it.
My silence didn't seem to assure any of the Students present. Chinatsu pointed to a human body diagram stuck in another part of the board. Specifically, she pointed to the right forearm. "Another item of concern was your forearm, Sensei. There's a noticeable increase in rigidity in the flesh, especially in areas where that… discolouration is occurring. This coincides with an increase in the magnetic field measurements in those locations.
"To put it simply, they think your forearm is becoming more metallic."
It didn't feel like it. To me, my arm still felt the same as it always did. But I managed to suppress the instinct to grab my forearm and check.
Suzumi was not quite so restrained, as I felt the white-haired girl's hand brush against my forearm for a moment. The frown on her face increased ever so slightly at the brief touch. It was clear whatever she felt wasn't a good thing.
"The last thing they brought up is… minor, but worrying still," Chinatsu said before leaving her spot next to the whiteboard. She walked up to me, pausing only to pull a hand mirror out of her bag. She turned to me, staring at me closely. "Sensei, could you look at your eyes and tell me what colour they are?"
I leaned into the mirror and looked at my eyes. They were blue like always. "They appear the same to me: blue."
Everyone's looks of nervous worry seemed to increase at my answer. I looked about, confused at the odd reaction. Ayane coughed, drawing everyone's attention to her as she spoke, "Nelson-Sensei… Your right eye has small glowing blue specks in it now. All the time. It's hard to see during the day, but they're there."
My frown deepened, and I stared deeply into the mirror. Nothing. They were blue like they always had been. I couldn't see any of the changes they were describing or worried about. The others didn't seem particularly relieved by my silence.
"Let's... let's move on." Ayane said after a moment, and everyone nodded in agreement. "Assistant Chief Yuuka?"
Yuuka grunted as she retrieved a stack of paper documents. "Do you know how much work it was for me to get all this printed? I understand you're worried about leaks, but Millennium is almost entirely paperless. I had to find some of the older buildings to print these."
Everyone was staring at her, with varying degrees of amusement and bemusement. Yuuka glanced around before sighing and continuing, "Since they're already looking at the ice samples, I had some of the theoretical physics department students look over the scans and recordings that Chinatsu took. They can't get it quite right without seeing it in person, but they've already come to a conclusion."
She paused to motion at the token and then the ice it was sitting on. "The card emits a background energy that's similar to the ice. Nobody knows if Nelson-Sensei's right about it talking to her-"
"It does not talk; it simply gives the impression of motivation," I corrected, drawing Yuuka, Ayane, and Chinatsu's unamused looks. I refused to budge on the fact that I did not hear voices. I just felt the impressions of desires and emotions.
Yuuka clicked her tongue. Not quite annoyed, but not quite happy. "Right, well, the energy it emits actually does decrease whenever Sensei uses it for anything." Yuuka paused, frowning. "But they also found out something else."
"What is it?" "Yes?" "Hm?" Chinatsu, Ayane, and Suzumi asked at once. I just tilted my head in curiosity, following this worryingly in-depth analysis of my current physical state.
Yuuka flipped the page of documents to a colour image map of myself, apparently in the middle of doing something. While the majority of my body was more or less the same colour, there was a brighter splotch of orange and reds around my right forearm. "Nelson-Sensei actually emits the same type of energy when she's creating her weapons. Even more of it is detectable when she's using her right hand than her left."
Everyone here was smart enough to put one and one together.
"Well, what does this mean?" I finally asked.
Yuuka glanced down at the table, looking over the stack of documents. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking her head and looking up, locking eyes with me. "Sensei, I think you need to visit Millennium soon. We might be able to get better answers if they do the scans in person. Then they can also tell you the details in person too, since they probably won't fit on paper."
That fit with what I was expecting. There was a limit to what the science Students could do with just second-hand information and recording. Neither Gehenna nor Trinity had the equipment rated to handle someone with my unique circumstances.
"I suppose that would be a priority then?"
"Yes." "Yes!" "Yes, Nelson-Sensei." "Please do, Sensei." Chinatsu, Yuuka, Suzumi, and Ayane all chorused at once. Even Arona chipped in with an unamused, 'You should go.'. My choice was clearly out of my hands.
Ayane nodded and typed something into her tablet. "With that decision made, allow me to take the floor. The ice Nelson-Sensei created remains present, and it hasn't grown, but the area around it seems to be changing faster than expected..."
The meeting had finished, and everyone had packed up and left. It was just Arona, Yuuka, and I left. I was busy shuffling the desks and accoutrements back into place while the Seminar Treasurer was slowly putting away her documents. She would pause every so often, looking at the door to see if anyone was on the other side.
It was pretty clear she was stalling. So, I also slowed my pace at putting things away, waiting for her to bring up whatever was on her mind.
Finally, Yuuka spoke up as the last desk was put back into place. "Nelson-Sensei, can we talk for a moment?"
"Of course," I answered with a thin smile. I slid into my office chair before motioning for Yuuka to take a seat. She slid over, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face as she sat down. I waited as she seemed to process and pick the best thing to say.
"Sensei," She began slowly, the frown not quite leaving her face, "Since you need to visit Millennium anyways, can I ask you for a favour?"
"Of course. I will do my best if it is within my power," I answered. "So you will have to forgive me if I cannot be clearer regarding my abilities."
She laughed softly, her frown softening slightly. "No, it's not about that. It's just that I've been thinking ever since Abydos. If you can do that much for Abydos, then maybe you can help me with something that's... not quite as problematic. But if anyone can help them, you can."
"There, perfect! Now we'll get Sensei's help for sure!" A girl cried out, her voice echoing in the small, messy room.
"I don't know, Onee-chan," A nearly identical voice muttered, "Shouldn't we tell her where to find us?"
The first girl laughed in response, waving off the concerns, "Sensei's smart! She'll know!"
"But…"
"Don't worry about it! Now let's get this mailed out!"
The first girl promptly ignored the second's objections. The rattle of controllers hitting the floor echoes out as the two girls make their way to the door. Excited babbling joined by reserved murmurs as the two pull open the door, dash outside, and –
"Oof!" "Ow…" The two cried at the same time as they hit something in their doorway and bounced right off.
"Who put a wall in front of our door?!" The older, more energetic of the two cried out as she tried to rub the soreness out of her forehead. "Someone must be trolling us again!"
Silence was her answer. She turned, confused, to look at her younger sister, only to find her green-clad sibling staring at the doorway in shock, one hand frozen on her forehead. She followed the stare out the doorway into what had been in their way.
It looked like a wall of grey, but then she looked down and saw flesh and grey thigh-highs. She looked up, past the tightly fitted shirt, and up into the amused expression of Schale's (in)famous Adult.
"Good afternoon. This is the Game Development Department, I take it?" The Adult said, greeting them with a smile.
"Sensei?!" "Nelson-Sensei?"
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Nelson answered before motioning at the open door, "May I come in?"
"Yes!" "Of course, Sensei."
I ducked through the doorway as I entered the room. The room itself was quite small and quite old from the looks of it. The plaster walls and moulding on the ceiling were straight out of my Crew's memories. It was difficult to believe this building was still in Millennium. The school's aesthetics made heavy use of glass, aluminium, and slick white plastic panels.
Of course, the other thing that made this an oddly nostalgic room was how cramped it was. It was taller than any officer stateroom I had the memories of. However, it was not significantly wider or deeper. That was before one accounted for the furniture jammed in or the wide variety of electronics strewn across the floor, TV stand, work table, and just about anywhere else there was free space.
It was an oddly comforting, cramped space.
"How did you know we needed help? We haven't even sent our letter yet."
I turned my attention to the two occupants. The two Students had the same face, same hair colour, and same short height that barely cleared my waist. The only differences were the expression, eye colours, and fashion. Twins. While I had long known, intellectually, that there were a few sibling Students in Kivotos, this would be my first time meeting a pair.
The one that just spoke must be Midori Saiba… because she was clad in green. Her eyes, jacket, cat ear headphones (?), cybernetic cat tail (?), and her rifle were all trimmed in green. It was also the main colour of her halo, a double-ringed crosshair with diamonds at the cardinal directions.
"One of my Students asked me to help you," I answered honestly before continuing, "Although I suspect it to be a formality at this point, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Nelson, currently a Teacher of Kivotos and Adviser to the Federal Investigation Club Schale. It is a pleasure to meet you," I introduced myself with a slight bow and a bright smile.
The introduction seemed to snap the other sister back to reality. She answered with a cheerful smile on her face, "Ah! I'm Momoi! I'm the club's scenario writer!"
The elder sister of the twins, Momoi Saiba. Her outfit, including the cat tail (?) and cat ear headphones (?), had pink trim. She seemed to have personalised her uniform a bit more as well. She seemed to have sewn additional lace onto the edge of her jacket, and she wore a pair of loose, dual-toned boots. Interestingly, her pink halo was identical in shape to her sister's.
"I'm Midori. I'm the club's illustrator and in charge of all the visuals." Midori continued, a much more subdued smile visible.
Momoi jumped in right as her sister finished, her voice filled with cheer. "She's not here right now, but our club president, Yuzu, is in charge of planning. Together we're…"
"Millennium Science School's Game Development Department!" The two cheered in unison.
My smile grew at the display. They certainly didn't lack enthusiasm; I had to give them that. Yuuka might have them down as a lost cause, but it didn't seem like they had given up just yet.
I still had something to work with here.
The door closed with a click behind me, and the sound of a fourth person's shoes on the floor quietly echoed out. It naturally drew the twin's attention, and the two peered around me to find the fourth.
"Ah! Who's this, Sensei?" "A Trinity student…?"
I turned my head to glance behind me, catching sight of the blushing one-winged Student following me. Around her neck was a lanyard with a Millennium Guest Pass.
Suzumi froze in the face of the sudden attention, so it fell upon me to answer.
"Well, you see…"
"Everyone, thank you for making time today for this meeting," Ayane said with a smile as we reached the end of the topics up for discussion. Then, to my confusion, she continued. "Before we finish the meeting, there's just one final topic. Medical Officer Hinomiya has suggested it, so she has the floor."
I frowned as I glanced back at the list of topics sent to me. This wasn't on the schedule. It set off alarms everywhere. Nothing that showed up unannounced and unscheduled ever made for good news.
Chinatsu stood up, ignorant of my increasing concern, and brought up a subject that I'd been hoping to avoid. "Everyone. As the Student Executives of Schale, I believe we're in agreement that our adviser is prone to getting herself in trouble. Given the likelihood that she will do so again," my remark of "I am your Teacher, you know," went ignored by everyone but Suzumi. "I put forward the current topic."
Chinatsu flipped the whiteboard to the other side. Written on it was a simple question of less than ten words. "Should we assign Nelson-Sensei an escort?"
My response was to stare flabbergasted at the topic. Suzumi just seemed confused. Our silence gave the three other girls in the room the opening they needed.
"Yes." "Yes, before she gives me any more headaches." "I think it would be safer for everyone." Chinatsu, Yuuka, and Ayane all called out as they raised their hands. Ayane looked at the three hands and then looked at Suzumi. I also turned to look at the white-clad Trinity student. She glanced back and forth between the two of us and then, slowly, raised her hand with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Sensei. But Abydos was messier than anybody was happy with." Suzumi probably intended her explanation to be placating. It did explain her decision, but it certainly didn't help the blow to my pride.
"Motion passed," Ayane solemnly declared, "We will assign Sensei an escort for any future major operations."
"I do not need an escort," I responded, crossing my arms in defiance. In doing so, my sleeve tugged upward and revealed the faint lattice-like white lines that ran across my right forearm. Everyone, myself included, stared down at it. Then the four girls slowly looked up to stare at me.
After a few heartbeats of unmet eyes, I sighed and acquiesced, "Perhaps there is merit in the idea."
Ayane smiled. "Excellent! I knew you'd understand, Sensei. So, who would like to volunteer?"
A grey-sleeved hand instantly shot up.
"I'll do it," Suzumi answered confidently.
"She is here as my adjutant."
Suzumi gave the twins a reassuring smile and polite bow. "Hello, I'm Morizuki Suzumi from Trinity, a member of the Vigilante Club, and Deputy Chief of Schale." Her smile turned slightly more playful, slight as the difference was. "I'm here to make sure Nelson-Sensei doesn't do anything risky by herself. It's a pleasure to meet you... Saiba-san? And Saiba-san?"
"Ah, you can call me Momoi! It's nice to meet you!" "Midori is fine. It's nice to meet you."
That answered that at least. I was wondering how to approach that subject.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Momoi and Ms. Midori. We received a request to help you, but they only provided a scant few details. How exactly can we help you?"
"That's right!" Momoi answered, "Now that you're here, Sensei, we can go to The Ruins!"
"Pardon me?"
Momoi blinked at my exclamation, looked at Suzumi's confused expression, and then she seemed to realise she had skipped a few steps in her plan.
"Ah! Sorry," Momoi said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Let me explain from the beginning."
The two twins had dragged Suzumi and me to the sofa so they could explain their dilemma and their plan of action.
Well, they dragged Suzumi to the sofa. I had my doubts it could support my weight so I took a seat on a particularly hardy looking cushion on the floor. Midori had joined me on the floor, while Momoi remained standing.
"First of all," Momoi began slowly, looking for her words, "up until now, we've just been making 16-bit games and whatnot in peace, but one day, we were suddenly attacked by Seminar!"
Momoi's arms shot up as she stood on her toes for emphasis. I'm sure she intended it to come off as shocking or surprising. It didn't work. She was barely taller standing than I was sitting and came off as adorable instead.
She continued with her story, fully embracing her role as the narrator. "They hit us with an ultimatum just a few nights ago. It was sent by none other than the "Cruel Arithmetician" Yuuka, one of the Four Demon Queens of Seminar and Seminar's own accountant!"
I glanced at Suzumi. She met my look. I tilted my head questioningly. She nodded. We were in agreement. We were going to file it for use against Yuuka at a later date.
"If we don't get enough members or produce results worthy of a Millennium Science School Club by the end of the month, then the Game Development Department will be shut down!" Momoi concluded her impassioned recollection of the event, shock and worry etched on her face.
Her story matched what the "Cruel Arithmetician" had told me of the situation. The Game Development Department had been failing to meet standards and expectations for months. She had given them plenty of warnings and time, but they had failed to come up so far. She had no choice left but to write them off and shut them down. However, she hesitated after seeing my work with Abydos. If I could help Abydos, then I could certainly help one club.
Now it was just a matter of her wanting to see if I could turn this ship around.
"That is a bit stricter a timeline than my previous operation," I admitted, nodding my head as I turned over the details, "But it is hardly the worst odds I have faced. I understand that you have a plan?"
Momoi puffed her chest out proudly, a confident smile on her face. "We'll show that Demon Queen the results of the Game Development Department's efforts! We're going to enter our game in the next Millennium Prize and win it!"
"Millennium Prize?" I asked, turning to Midori even as the pink-clad twin radiated blinding confidence.
"It's the largest contest in Millennium, Sensei. Clubs throughout the school will be submitting the products and results of their activities." Midori helpfully supplied.
"Yep, it's happening in just over two weeks from now!" Momoi immediately followed up, bouncing over to where Midori and I were sitting, "And if we win an award, then it settles things! They can't disband us!"
I nodded along. Putting aside my lack of real knowledge about video games, the core of the plan was easy enough to understand. I'd seen more than a few procurement contracts that operated on the same principle. That being said…
"Your plan is sound, but I must ask: what else have you made?"
Momoi and Midori both froze at my question. A visible shiver ran down Midori from head to tail while Momoi deflated.
"Tales…" Midori muttered, just below what I could hear.
I leaned down slightly, a sense of slow, morbid curiosity building as I asked, "Could you repeat that?"
Momoi sighed, defeated, as she said aloud with notable exhaustion, "We made Tales Saga Chronicle."
The name meant nothing to me. But I didn't need to ask for clarification.
"Oh. Oh no." 'Hawaa?!' Suzumi and Arona both reacted at almost the same time. Suzumi had gone from embarrassed at the attention to mortified at the name, while I could sense sheer disappointment radiating from my link with Arona.
It didn't take a genius to put all the clues together. "It was not well received, was it?"
"W-we won an award?" Midori supplied, even as her voice hitched.
Momoi's eyes were swimming as she fell to the ground in despair, slamming a single tiny fist into the ground, "We tried our best, dang it! We just needed some more time to polish it, that's all!"
Suzumi shifted uncomfortably, glancing back and forth between the twins, before speaking in a small voice, "I… don't play a lot of video games, but even I saw the reviews on BlueTube. They weren't very positive."
The one-winged girl's admission seemed to sap the energy right out of the two twins. I could swear I could see the colour leech right out of them as Momoi collapsed into a pile on the ground. They probably needed a moment. That gave me the time to ask my last source of information.
'Arona, how exactly do you know their game?'
'I had to record a let's play of it as a part of a donothon reward.' Arona answered, using phrases and slang that I did not understand, 'You could really tell their passion for 16-bit games! But, uh, it wasn't fun to play at all. The internet calls it "The Shi-um, Worst Game of the Year," and you can't really argue against it once you've played it either...'
Well, that settled things. I had never heard Arona say something negative about anything else before. And, well, Suzumi's admission and the twins' reactions seemed to cement it. Their first attempt at a product did not do well.
"Well," I began, drawing out my words to pick the least painful ones, "that may have been a poor showing, but every master was a novice once. What is your plan for improving your game to the point it can contend with the others in the Millennium Prize?"
Momoi instantly perked up at my question and sprang up to her feet. "We have a secret weapon! Something that will make our next game, Tales Saga Chronicles 2, a smash success at the Millennium Prize!"
"I still think making a game from scratch in two weeks' time is harder than finding new members." Midori muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's just as unlikely, but it's got to be easier than crunch time."
"Nonsense! With Sensei here, we can't fail!" Momoi had a triumphant smile as she whipped around to point at me. "Nelson-Sensei, how much do you know about the Millennium Ruins?"
I looked to Suzumi, hoping for an answer. Our eyes met, and the one-winged girl shrugged. I turned back to Momoi and answered, "I am afraid I have never heard of it."
"Great! It's a mysterious area in the outskirts of Millennium that the General Student Council had made off-limits," Momoi explained, her hands waving passionately as she did. "It's rumoured that it's a dangerous region, but nobody knows exactly what or why it's dangerous. We don't even know if anyone's ever entered it!"
That… seemed pretty unreasonable. Surely nothing that dangerous would be right next to one of the three big schools of Kivotos. But if the General Student Council were the ones who restricted access to the Ruins…
"Momoi-san," Suzumi spoke up, a frown on her face, "if these Ruins were dangerous enough for the General Student Council to limit access to it, why would you want to go there?"
Momoi rushed up to Suzumi, grabbing the white-clad girl by the hands. Suzumi squirmed from the sudden contact, but Momoi didn't seem to notice. "Because I want to make a good game! Even though our current level is "The Shittiest Game of the Year," I want to prove that the games we make aren't trash! They can be treasures too!"
The pink-clad girl had delivered those lines with a fervour I had seen from few other Students. Midori was staring at her sister with unmasked adoration. Suzumi, for as uncomfortable as she looked at the physical contact, seemed impressed at the impassioned speech. Even Arona hummed appreciatively at the speech.
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "And I presume that is why you need my help. To allow you access to the Ruins?"
"That's right!" Momoi shouted as she practically leapt from Suzumi to where I was, her hands clapping firmly on my shoulders, "With your help, we can get into the ruins and find "that"."
I didn't like the emphasis. That emphasis promised a headache. Judging by Suzumi's worried expression, she felt it too. But still, who was I to deny passionate Students their chance to defy fate?
"And what exactly is 'that"?" I asked even though I could guess her answer.
Momoi's smile was blinding in its enthusiasm as she answered, "The legendary game development manual, written by the greatest game developer of all time! The G. Bible."
For all that it was supposedly a forbidden off-limits area, it was surprisingly easy to get access to the Ruins. The Council even had a standardised form for it. I completed it on the train trips to the outer wall surrounding the supposed forbidden zone. A few clicks were all it took to register us as GSC Reconnaissance and Security Staff. A pass was ready by the time we got to the air-gapped doors.
That was the simple part.
The hard part was the fact that the Ruins were not under strict entry and exit protocols as a joke. In fact, there were some very clear and obvious dangers that led to all four of us being holed up in a half-collapsed ruin of a store.
"Suzumi-San, try to lower your head a little more!" Momoi hissed as the sound of metal feet on asphalt echoed from outside the store.
That being literal battalions' worth of combat androids patrolling the vast majority of the area. Even now, there had to be an entire company of mechanical infantry marching down the street right outside the store.
Eventually, the steps faded into the distance. I peered out from around the doorframe I was standing behind, and seeing nothing, gave a brief thumbs up. Suzumi sighed in relief from her place under a half-destroyed window. Meanwhile the twins slumped down from their hiding spot behind a vending machine.
"It seems they've left the area," Suzumi remarked quietly, peeking over the window sill. Her eyes went over the various buildings and pieces of cover, looking for signs of trouble. Unfortunately, somebody else had an idea before I could answer her.
"Great! Let's keep going then!" Momoi popped up onto her feet, a daring smile on her face as she started walking towards the door, only to stop as Midori grabbed her by the sleeve.
"What do you mean, 'great'?!" Midori hissed, "What part of any of this is 'great'?! There are swarms of mysterious androids everywhere!"
"Ms. Momoi, are you certain this G.Bible is within these Ruins?" I followed up, looking through the door and about the block. There was nothing, just ruin after ruin as far as I could see, right up to the edge of the security walls. "I could hardly imagine it being intact if it were."
"I'm certain! Himari-Senpai told me so!"
"Did she say anything about the literal armies in here?" Midori asked, a nervous warble in her voice.
"No," Momoi admitted, glancing about, "She just said that the Ruins "might be something like the sewers of the ages, a place where things long forgotten by Kivotos gathered". So it has to be here!"
That… didn't sound like she knew if the G. Bible was still in the Ruins. In fact, it sounded like Momoi launched this entire operation on some rather suspect information.
"Himari-Senpai always has a know-it-all vibe to her. She's just like the mentor in some RPG. It really must be a mystery if even Himari-senpai doesn't know. Or it might be fake." Judging by Midori's worried frown as she spoke, she might feel the same.
"Ms. Momoi," I said slowly, "did you bring us into the middle of a highly dangerous territory on a presumption?"
The pink-clad twin shook her head vigorously, her sidelocks bouncing from the violence of the motion. "Of course not! I asked Veritas to double-check. They found and confirmed the IP address for the servers that held the G. Bible is in this district!"
"Okay, but are you sure the G. Bible is real?" Midori asked.
"Of course I am!" Momoi snapped back, "It's definitely real! If we can find it, it'll teach us how to make the best game ever! If we can find and read the G. Bible, then we'll be able to make "Tales Saga Chronicle 2" into the best game ever! All we need to do is reach the coordinates!"
Momoi stomped her foot into the ground with every sentence for emphasis. It seemed fine until she stomped with additional emphasis for the last part of her impassioned speech. The old wood floor cracked, tipping over a nearby shelf. An empty glass bottle, shifting from the sudden movement, rolled off before any of us could react. It fell in slow motion before our eyes and shattered against a chunk of rubble.
My rifle was up in my arms immediately, joined by Suzumi and the Twin's automatic rifles. I peered out in the direction the robots had last moved down, with the three Students following my example. Silence greeted us. Finally, we all sighed in relief when no robots appeared.
"Ms. Momoi, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you may wish to reserve it until we are saf-"
*click*
The sound of a door opening echoed throughout our shelter. We all turned to the back of the ruin, where a formerly closed door had stood. Standing in the centre of it was one of the combat androids patrolling the region, the oddly new chassis gleaming slightly in the faint light. The blue cameras on its head pulsed slightly, then promptly switched to a red glow as it emitted a shrill screech.
I moved before anyone could shoot. With one hand I drew my sword and threw it forward like a dart as hard as I could. The blade sang as it sliced through the air. Then, it punched right into the torso of the android with casual ease. The impact sent it staggering back, where it crashed into a wall and collapsed into a heap. The lights on its head sputtered and died before it finally fell silent.
All of us were silent before Momoi whispered, "Do you think they heard that?"
Another screech from nearby answered her. Then another. Soon a chorus of screeches echoed from the blocks around us.
"That is our answer. Quickly, out the back!"
AN: Thus begins Nelson's journey into Millennium. A Hero to be, and her Mentor shall soon meet, two souls more alike than expected. I hope to get some of the tone for this volume right, but we'll see how it goes!
While the broad strokes of canon are still present, deviations are seeping in at the edges. Hopefully I can build off the changing state of relationships, actors, and background events.
Thanks again to my friend for beta-reading. Turns out, I can't spell Millennium. In this chapter alone, I misspelled Millennium 11 times. So I'm going to keep a running count of that. I wonder if we'll break triple digits before we reach the end of the Disc…
Serika Interlude
Nelson
Kuromi, I understand you are still looking for part-time work?
Do you have time this weekend?
I know someone who needs a position temporarily filled.
Huh?
This is pretty sudden, Sensei.
It's not anything shady, right?
This is pretty sudden, Sensei.
It's not anything shady, right?
Nelson
I am proud to see you have improved your wariness about illegal scams.
Fortunately, I am not one to partake in such a thing.
It is a perfectly legal position.
OK.
I trust you, so send me the details!
I trust you, so send me the details!
Nelson
Certainly.
I shall see you this weekend.
Serika found herself in the Schale club room once again for the third time in the past two months. For some, that would be an insignificant amount. For her, it was the most frequently she had ever left Abydos.
Except there was nothing to apologize for or final formal meetings this time. There were no grand overtures about a job well done and a new lease on life. No explosive criminal gang or illegal activity for her to contend with.
No, this time she was standing behind the counter of Schale's Angel 24.
"Nelson-Sensei," Serika said aloud, the tips of her ear twitching ever so slightly in annoyance, "when you said you had a job for me, I was expecting something... a little more exciting."
The Adult in question hummed in amusement, the musical tone echoing from the door that led to the backroom storage. "Ms. Sora has exams next week. While it took some… convincing for her district manager to agree to allow her time off, it was under the stipulation that she find someone to cover her shifts."
Now that Nelson pointed it out, Serika didn't think she saw anyone but the tiny Trinity middle-schooler during her week here. In fact, this might be the first time she remembered anyone else working in this store. That… couldn't possibly be legal. She had a pretty good idea of employment law, and she was pretty sure that it broke the maximum allowed for a middle-schooler.
"Are you sure the managers aren't breaking the law?" Serika asked, side-eyeing Nelson.
Nelson shook her head, lips flat and an annoyed air about her, "No. But I have yet to find an angle to attack that issue. As the caretaker of this building, I have put forward my own complaints and concerns. Unfortunately, unlike Kaiser, they have taken quite the careful steps to ensure their contracts all fall within certain readings of the laws."
Serika nodded in understanding. She's had to deal with a few of those before. Worst of all, the pay usually wasn't worth it. For a middle-schooler in need of a job, Angel 24 and a few other family-friendly convenience stores were the only choices.
"I suppose it can't be helped then," Serika grumbled. "They are paying me regular rates for this, right?"
"If they are not, then they will have given me something to work with. I doubt they would be so daring after our work in Abydos."
Serika wasn't so sure about that. After all, in her experience, corporations tended not to be rational actors. But she wasn't about to go to bat for a company. Especially one that may or may not be exploiting a middle-schooler literally within constant line of sight of Nelson-Sensei?
"I'll be sure to let you know, Sensei." Serika finally answered. Hopefully the day wouldn't be too hard. She couldn't remember the last time she saw this store busy. It should be a simple weekend.
It was not a simple weekend. Some bigshot at one of the General Student Council departments demanded Schale undergo a snap audit. Nelson, Yuuka, and all the support staff had to stay over the weekend for overtime work. Even the normally unflappable receptionist was looking a tiny bit ragged from constantly redirecting calls and paperwork.
And, unfortunately, Angel24 was the only place that offered school supplies, snacks, and energy drinks 24/7. So that meant that people were constantly running in and out of the store around the clock. Serika was pulling the legal amount of overtime per day, and it still didn't stop! Customers were so constant that Nelson had to step in to cover for Serika's breaks and time off. Which led to a somewhat funny sight of the gigantic Adult standing behind a counter designed for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, doing retail duties while also filing paperwork.
Serika was sure those pictures were all over the internet already.
But, fortunately, by Sunday, it was over. The exhausted support staff managed to submit all the documents in time and left to enjoy their compensated time off. It left Serika and Nelson to tend to the once again silent convenience store.
"I guess you made someone mad, Sensei?" Serika asked. She finally had time to complete her more mundane tasks with the store quiet. She was going through a mountain of receipts while Nelson sorted through the inventory.
Nelson hummed in thought. After a few moments, she answered, "I expected retribution from other departments of the Council. What I did to help Abydos overstepped a few boundaries, and I suspect they wish to find any reason to call foul."
"And did they find anything?"
Nelson paused in her work and slowly turned to look at Serika, a single eyebrow quirked up. Serika thought about the question and shrugged. "Yeah, it wouldn't be like you to leave something exposed."
"Excellent deduction, Kuromi," Nelson responded with a smile before returning to inventory.
Serika laughed as she reached for her bottle of water, only to pause as she lifted it. Then she shook it, just to be sure. Sure enough, there was nothing inside. She must have forgotten to refill it after she woke up.
She sighed as she put it back. It wasn't ideal, but it seemed like she would need to buy a drink from the store. The breakroom's water dispenser only provided room-temperature water, and she'd rather pay than work a shift without a cold drink. The ready access to snacks and drinks was really the only perk of working in this store.
However, she encountered another problem when she made it to the drink cooler. Namely, it was empty.
"Sensei?" Serika shouted as she stared down at the empty racks, hoping that they might restock if she stared hard enough. "Are there any cold drinks in the back?"
There was silence for a moment. Then, Serika heard the sound of boxes shuffling around echoing out from the back.
"We have several trays and boxes of drinks, but none of them are refrigerated." Nelson finally answered.
Serika clicked her tongue in response as annoyance seeped in at the edges. Nelson must have heard as the frowning Adult peeked through the doorway a moment later. "Is there a problem?"
"No, I just wanted a cold Bocari Sweat but we're out. I'll just grab one later."
The Adult hummed in thought for a second before she called out, "Just wait one moment, please," and ducked into the back again. The sound of plastic packaging being ripped open echoed through the doorway. Then an indescribable otherness momentarily filled the air. Serika shivered at a cold that did not exist before it faded as quickly as it came, and the Adult peeked back out with a frosty plastic bottle in hand.
"Here you are," Nelson said as she tossed the bottle to Serika, "just ensure you pay for it."
Serika snatched the bottle out of the air. However, it was in her hand only for a moment. She almost dropped it immediately when she realised just how cold it was. It was unnatural! It was as if someone had stuck it… in an ice cube…
The sound of Serika's shoes hitting the ground was all she could hear as she dashed up to the still open doorway and slid to a stop. She came to a stop just in time to see Nelson slip something into her pocket. The two made eye contact, and the surprised confusion on Nelson's face slowly gave way to embarrassment even as Serika's own frown deepened.
"Sensei," Serika ground out, trying to keep the worry and anger in check. "Did you just use an unspeakable, horrifying, eldritch power to cool a drink?!"
OK, well, she managed to keep it together until the end. But the last instance of this turned an entire grid coordinate into an iceberg! Her anger was justified, damn it! She didn't even want to think about the headache that was the whole anger aura.
For her part, Nelson seemed to look appropriately sheepish. The Teacher rubbed the back of her head before answering, "Not… quite."
"Oh, then how exactly did you turn that," Serika pointed at the open flat of room temperature Bocari Sweat next to Nelson's feet, "Into this?" Serika pointed to the noticeably frosty bottle in her hand.
"It would be easier for me to show you." Nelson answered after a few moments of silence. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a... metal? card from her pocket. The Teacher pulled a bottle from the flat and tapped the card against it for the briefest second. Serika watched in stunned silence as the bottle froze over instantly.
Serika stared at the card, which somehow radiated a smug satisfaction. Nelson continued to explain, either unaware or uncaring of the clearly evil card in her hand, "I found this in my pocket after my delaying action," Serika pushed down the wince, letting worry take its place instead, "and it always wishes to be used. I have tried to ignore it, but that has not worked. Using it in any fashion seems to be the most effective method of silencing it."
Serika turned her stare from the card to the sheepish Adult, trying to process what she had just been told. The two of them stood there for countless moments before Serika slowly spoke, struggling to keep her voice and emotions even, "Sensei."
"Yes?"
"You have an evil sentient card."
"That is correct."
"It just magically showed up in your pocket after a near-death situation."
"Accurate summary thus far, Kuromi."
"It's sentient and asking you to use its nebulous powers."
"I understand how this sounds concer-"
"It feels as evil as you did when you went berserk."
"I… do not enjoy that description, but that is the truth."
"And rather than tell… any of us, you decide that the best way to reveal it… is to use it to chill a bottle of Bocari Sweat?"
Nelson looked away, an embarrassed flush filling the Teacher's cheeks. Finally, she answered with an uncharacteristically flimsy, "It did not seem important at the time?"
Serika suddenly felt very, very, very calm. She had never experienced this level of calmness before in her life. Suddenly, everything became clear. It was a clarity of knowledge that only a divine revelation could provide. A clarity that every soul alive would likely experience at least once. Serika realized that Nelson had done something significantly, vastly, and unbelievably stupid.
"Kuromi, your smile is getting rather concerningly large."
She knew what she had to do. She stepped forward and grabbed Nelson by the wrist, keeping the Adult from putting the card back in her pocket. Slowly, with forced cheer, she announced, "We're going to see Hinomiya-san now."
Nelson, to her credit, did not try to even resist when Serika started dragging her to the medical office.
I sat in my seat, shifting uncomfortably at the combined attention of everyone present. As the door to the Schale office closed and locked, an air of unease seemed to settle over everyone present.
Ayane nodded from her spot next to a borrowed rolling whiteboard as everyone finished settling in, checking something off on her tablet. "OK, it looks like everyone's here. Let's begin with the-"
"Wait, wait, wait," Yuuka interrupted, standing up from her seat across from me and staring at the bespectacled girl. "Why is Ayane here?"
"Okusora-San is here because Abydos is more involved in this than any of us are. They benefit directly from Nelson-Sensei's protection. If anything comes from this, then they will be directly impacted." Suzumi answered from where she was standing next to and behind me.
Chinatsu sighed from the other side of the whiteboard. "Yuuka, the fact is that getting to the root of this is beyond the ability of any one of our schools."
Everyone, in one fashion or another, glanced at the source of all our worries. There, sitting in the middle of the table, was the token. One of the larger chunks of the Abydos ice was keeping it off the tabletop. So far, it was the only material that the token would not freeze on contact.
Then they all turned their attention to me. I still remembered how Chinatsu immediately started fussing when Serika dragged me into the first-aid room and explained what the catgirl had seen. I felt a light flush warm my cheeks at the attention and reminder. "Once again, I did intend to notify all relevant parties once there was an appropriate time to do so. The opportunity just never seemed to materialise."
"Well, it seems the opportunity is here now," Ayane muttered blandly, "Since everyone's here, let's begin today's meeting. Who would like to begin?"
Suzumi coughed quietly before raising her hand. Ayane pointed to the one-winged Trinity Student. "Yes, Deputy Chief Morizuki?"
"I don't really understand the report I got from the Remedial Knights so I gave it to Chinatsu. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help." Suzumi answered, a slight smile visible in the corner of my vision.
"Thank you, Deputy Chief." Ayane quickly typed something into her tablet. "Medical Officer Hinomiya?"
Chinatsu turned to the whiteboard, a series of medical diagrams and notes pinned to the board. Chinatsu's eyes wandered over the documents as she explained with a concerned frown, "I compared what they found during their examination with what I had. I don't know if it's good or bad, but there was a change in Nelson-Sensei's results."
"Oh?" I intoned, not quite able to keep the nervous notes suppressed. Judging by the expressions of everyone present, I wasn't the only one disturbed by the answer.
"Yes," Chinatsu answered with a nod. "Your non-standard heartbeat's intensity has increased. I compared the recording they took with mine, and what you called your 'boilers' are much more prominent in the new recordings."
Everyone turned to me, as if expecting an answer. The only problem was that I wasn't sure how to process that. On a ship, boilers changed intensity all the time based on a wide variety of factors. It was much like a human heartbeat in that sense. I had no clue how to interpret this fact, never mind how to explain it.
My silence didn't seem to assure any of the Students present. Chinatsu pointed to a human body diagram stuck in another part of the board. Specifically, she pointed to the right forearm. "Another item of concern was your forearm, Sensei. There's a noticeable increase in rigidity in the flesh, especially in areas where that… discolouration is occurring. This coincides with an increase in the magnetic field measurements in those locations.
"To put it simply, they think your forearm is becoming more metallic."
It didn't feel like it. To me, my arm still felt the same as it always did. But I managed to suppress the instinct to grab my forearm and check.
Suzumi was not quite so restrained, as I felt the white-haired girl's hand brush against my forearm for a moment. The frown on her face increased ever so slightly at the brief touch. It was clear whatever she felt wasn't a good thing.
"The last thing they brought up is… minor, but worrying still," Chinatsu said before leaving her spot next to the whiteboard. She walked up to me, pausing only to pull a hand mirror out of her bag. She turned to me, staring at me closely. "Sensei, could you look at your eyes and tell me what colour they are?"
I leaned into the mirror and looked at my eyes. They were blue like always. "They appear the same to me: blue."
Everyone's looks of nervous worry seemed to increase at my answer. I looked about, confused at the odd reaction. Ayane coughed, drawing everyone's attention to her as she spoke, "Nelson-Sensei… Your right eye has small glowing blue specks in it now. All the time. It's hard to see during the day, but they're there."
My frown deepened, and I stared deeply into the mirror. Nothing. They were blue like they always had been. I couldn't see any of the changes they were describing or worried about. The others didn't seem particularly relieved by my silence.
"Let's... let's move on." Ayane said after a moment, and everyone nodded in agreement. "Assistant Chief Yuuka?"
Yuuka grunted as she retrieved a stack of paper documents. "Do you know how much work it was for me to get all this printed? I understand you're worried about leaks, but Millennium is almost entirely paperless. I had to find some of the older buildings to print these."
Everyone was staring at her, with varying degrees of amusement and bemusement. Yuuka glanced around before sighing and continuing, "Since they're already looking at the ice samples, I had some of the theoretical physics department students look over the scans and recordings that Chinatsu took. They can't get it quite right without seeing it in person, but they've already come to a conclusion."
She paused to motion at the token and then the ice it was sitting on. "The card emits a background energy that's similar to the ice. Nobody knows if Nelson-Sensei's right about it talking to her-"
"It does not talk; it simply gives the impression of motivation," I corrected, drawing Yuuka, Ayane, and Chinatsu's unamused looks. I refused to budge on the fact that I did not hear voices. I just felt the impressions of desires and emotions.
Yuuka clicked her tongue. Not quite annoyed, but not quite happy. "Right, well, the energy it emits actually does decrease whenever Sensei uses it for anything." Yuuka paused, frowning. "But they also found out something else."
"What is it?" "Yes?" "Hm?" Chinatsu, Ayane, and Suzumi asked at once. I just tilted my head in curiosity, following this worryingly in-depth analysis of my current physical state.
Yuuka flipped the page of documents to a colour image map of myself, apparently in the middle of doing something. While the majority of my body was more or less the same colour, there was a brighter splotch of orange and reds around my right forearm. "Nelson-Sensei actually emits the same type of energy when she's creating her weapons. Even more of it is detectable when she's using her right hand than her left."
Everyone here was smart enough to put one and one together.
"Well, what does this mean?" I finally asked.
Yuuka glanced down at the table, looking over the stack of documents. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking her head and looking up, locking eyes with me. "Sensei, I think you need to visit Millennium soon. We might be able to get better answers if they do the scans in person. Then they can also tell you the details in person too, since they probably won't fit on paper."
That fit with what I was expecting. There was a limit to what the science Students could do with just second-hand information and recording. Neither Gehenna nor Trinity had the equipment rated to handle someone with my unique circumstances.
"I suppose that would be a priority then?"
"Yes." "Yes!" "Yes, Nelson-Sensei." "Please do, Sensei." Chinatsu, Yuuka, Suzumi, and Ayane all chorused at once. Even Arona chipped in with an unamused, 'You should go.'. My choice was clearly out of my hands.
Ayane nodded and typed something into her tablet. "With that decision made, allow me to take the floor. The ice Nelson-Sensei created remains present, and it hasn't grown, but the area around it seems to be changing faster than expected..."
The meeting had finished, and everyone had packed up and left. It was just Arona, Yuuka, and I left. I was busy shuffling the desks and accoutrements back into place while the Seminar Treasurer was slowly putting away her documents. She would pause every so often, looking at the door to see if anyone was on the other side.
It was pretty clear she was stalling. So, I also slowed my pace at putting things away, waiting for her to bring up whatever was on her mind.
Finally, Yuuka spoke up as the last desk was put back into place. "Nelson-Sensei, can we talk for a moment?"
"Of course," I answered with a thin smile. I slid into my office chair before motioning for Yuuka to take a seat. She slid over, an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face as she sat down. I waited as she seemed to process and pick the best thing to say.
"Sensei," She began slowly, the frown not quite leaving her face, "Since you need to visit Millennium anyways, can I ask you for a favour?"
"Of course. I will do my best if it is within my power," I answered. "So you will have to forgive me if I cannot be clearer regarding my abilities."
She laughed softly, her frown softening slightly. "No, it's not about that. It's just that I've been thinking ever since Abydos. If you can do that much for Abydos, then maybe you can help me with something that's... not quite as problematic. But if anyone can help them, you can."
From Sea to Sky
Clockwork Flower Pavane
Disc 1: μηχανή λωτοφάγου
Clockwork Flower Pavane
Disc 1: μηχανή λωτοφάγου
The Game Development Department is in danger of being disbanded.
As our destruction at the hands of Seminar draws ever closer, you are the only person we can ask for help.
Hero, please aid us!
As our destruction at the hands of Seminar draws ever closer, you are the only person we can ask for help.
Hero, please aid us!
"There, perfect! Now we'll get Sensei's help for sure!" A girl cried out, her voice echoing in the small, messy room.
"I don't know, Onee-chan," A nearly identical voice muttered, "Shouldn't we tell her where to find us?"
The first girl laughed in response, waving off the concerns, "Sensei's smart! She'll know!"
"But…"
"Don't worry about it! Now let's get this mailed out!"
The first girl promptly ignored the second's objections. The rattle of controllers hitting the floor echoes out as the two girls make their way to the door. Excited babbling joined by reserved murmurs as the two pull open the door, dash outside, and –
"Oof!" "Ow…" The two cried at the same time as they hit something in their doorway and bounced right off.
"Who put a wall in front of our door?!" The older, more energetic of the two cried out as she tried to rub the soreness out of her forehead. "Someone must be trolling us again!"
Silence was her answer. She turned, confused, to look at her younger sister, only to find her green-clad sibling staring at the doorway in shock, one hand frozen on her forehead. She followed the stare out the doorway into what had been in their way.
It looked like a wall of grey, but then she looked down and saw flesh and grey thigh-highs. She looked up, past the tightly fitted shirt, and up into the amused expression of Schale's (in)famous Adult.
"Good afternoon. This is the Game Development Department, I take it?" The Adult said, greeting them with a smile.
"Sensei?!" "Nelson-Sensei?"
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Nelson answered before motioning at the open door, "May I come in?"
"Yes!" "Of course, Sensei."
I ducked through the doorway as I entered the room. The room itself was quite small and quite old from the looks of it. The plaster walls and moulding on the ceiling were straight out of my Crew's memories. It was difficult to believe this building was still in Millennium. The school's aesthetics made heavy use of glass, aluminium, and slick white plastic panels.
Of course, the other thing that made this an oddly nostalgic room was how cramped it was. It was taller than any officer stateroom I had the memories of. However, it was not significantly wider or deeper. That was before one accounted for the furniture jammed in or the wide variety of electronics strewn across the floor, TV stand, work table, and just about anywhere else there was free space.
It was an oddly comforting, cramped space.
"How did you know we needed help? We haven't even sent our letter yet."
I turned my attention to the two occupants. The two Students had the same face, same hair colour, and same short height that barely cleared my waist. The only differences were the expression, eye colours, and fashion. Twins. While I had long known, intellectually, that there were a few sibling Students in Kivotos, this would be my first time meeting a pair.
The one that just spoke must be Midori Saiba… because she was clad in green. Her eyes, jacket, cat ear headphones (?), cybernetic cat tail (?), and her rifle were all trimmed in green. It was also the main colour of her halo, a double-ringed crosshair with diamonds at the cardinal directions.
"One of my Students asked me to help you," I answered honestly before continuing, "Although I suspect it to be a formality at this point, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Nelson, currently a Teacher of Kivotos and Adviser to the Federal Investigation Club Schale. It is a pleasure to meet you," I introduced myself with a slight bow and a bright smile.
The introduction seemed to snap the other sister back to reality. She answered with a cheerful smile on her face, "Ah! I'm Momoi! I'm the club's scenario writer!"
The elder sister of the twins, Momoi Saiba. Her outfit, including the cat tail (?) and cat ear headphones (?), had pink trim. She seemed to have personalised her uniform a bit more as well. She seemed to have sewn additional lace onto the edge of her jacket, and she wore a pair of loose, dual-toned boots. Interestingly, her pink halo was identical in shape to her sister's.
"I'm Midori. I'm the club's illustrator and in charge of all the visuals." Midori continued, a much more subdued smile visible.
Momoi jumped in right as her sister finished, her voice filled with cheer. "She's not here right now, but our club president, Yuzu, is in charge of planning. Together we're…"
"Millennium Science School's Game Development Department!" The two cheered in unison.
My smile grew at the display. They certainly didn't lack enthusiasm; I had to give them that. Yuuka might have them down as a lost cause, but it didn't seem like they had given up just yet.
I still had something to work with here.
The door closed with a click behind me, and the sound of a fourth person's shoes on the floor quietly echoed out. It naturally drew the twin's attention, and the two peered around me to find the fourth.
"Ah! Who's this, Sensei?" "A Trinity student…?"
I turned my head to glance behind me, catching sight of the blushing one-winged Student following me. Around her neck was a lanyard with a Millennium Guest Pass.
Suzumi froze in the face of the sudden attention, so it fell upon me to answer.
"Well, you see…"
"Everyone, thank you for making time today for this meeting," Ayane said with a smile as we reached the end of the topics up for discussion. Then, to my confusion, she continued. "Before we finish the meeting, there's just one final topic. Medical Officer Hinomiya has suggested it, so she has the floor."
I frowned as I glanced back at the list of topics sent to me. This wasn't on the schedule. It set off alarms everywhere. Nothing that showed up unannounced and unscheduled ever made for good news.
Chinatsu stood up, ignorant of my increasing concern, and brought up a subject that I'd been hoping to avoid. "Everyone. As the Student Executives of Schale, I believe we're in agreement that our adviser is prone to getting herself in trouble. Given the likelihood that she will do so again," my remark of "I am your Teacher, you know," went ignored by everyone but Suzumi. "I put forward the current topic."
Chinatsu flipped the whiteboard to the other side. Written on it was a simple question of less than ten words. "Should we assign Nelson-Sensei an escort?"
My response was to stare flabbergasted at the topic. Suzumi just seemed confused. Our silence gave the three other girls in the room the opening they needed.
"Yes." "Yes, before she gives me any more headaches." "I think it would be safer for everyone." Chinatsu, Yuuka, and Ayane all called out as they raised their hands. Ayane looked at the three hands and then looked at Suzumi. I also turned to look at the white-clad Trinity student. She glanced back and forth between the two of us and then, slowly, raised her hand with an apologetic smile.
"Sorry, Sensei. But Abydos was messier than anybody was happy with." Suzumi probably intended her explanation to be placating. It did explain her decision, but it certainly didn't help the blow to my pride.
"Motion passed," Ayane solemnly declared, "We will assign Sensei an escort for any future major operations."
"I do not need an escort," I responded, crossing my arms in defiance. In doing so, my sleeve tugged upward and revealed the faint lattice-like white lines that ran across my right forearm. Everyone, myself included, stared down at it. Then the four girls slowly looked up to stare at me.
After a few heartbeats of unmet eyes, I sighed and acquiesced, "Perhaps there is merit in the idea."
Ayane smiled. "Excellent! I knew you'd understand, Sensei. So, who would like to volunteer?"
A grey-sleeved hand instantly shot up.
"I'll do it," Suzumi answered confidently.
"She is here as my adjutant."
Suzumi gave the twins a reassuring smile and polite bow. "Hello, I'm Morizuki Suzumi from Trinity, a member of the Vigilante Club, and Deputy Chief of Schale." Her smile turned slightly more playful, slight as the difference was. "I'm here to make sure Nelson-Sensei doesn't do anything risky by herself. It's a pleasure to meet you... Saiba-san? And Saiba-san?"
"Ah, you can call me Momoi! It's nice to meet you!" "Midori is fine. It's nice to meet you."
That answered that at least. I was wondering how to approach that subject.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Momoi and Ms. Midori. We received a request to help you, but they only provided a scant few details. How exactly can we help you?"
"That's right!" Momoi answered, "Now that you're here, Sensei, we can go to The Ruins!"
"Pardon me?"
Momoi blinked at my exclamation, looked at Suzumi's confused expression, and then she seemed to realise she had skipped a few steps in her plan.
"Ah! Sorry," Momoi said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Let me explain from the beginning."
The two twins had dragged Suzumi and me to the sofa so they could explain their dilemma and their plan of action.
Well, they dragged Suzumi to the sofa. I had my doubts it could support my weight so I took a seat on a particularly hardy looking cushion on the floor. Midori had joined me on the floor, while Momoi remained standing.
"First of all," Momoi began slowly, looking for her words, "up until now, we've just been making 16-bit games and whatnot in peace, but one day, we were suddenly attacked by Seminar!"
Momoi's arms shot up as she stood on her toes for emphasis. I'm sure she intended it to come off as shocking or surprising. It didn't work. She was barely taller standing than I was sitting and came off as adorable instead.
She continued with her story, fully embracing her role as the narrator. "They hit us with an ultimatum just a few nights ago. It was sent by none other than the "Cruel Arithmetician" Yuuka, one of the Four Demon Queens of Seminar and Seminar's own accountant!"
I glanced at Suzumi. She met my look. I tilted my head questioningly. She nodded. We were in agreement. We were going to file it for use against Yuuka at a later date.
"If we don't get enough members or produce results worthy of a Millennium Science School Club by the end of the month, then the Game Development Department will be shut down!" Momoi concluded her impassioned recollection of the event, shock and worry etched on her face.
Her story matched what the "Cruel Arithmetician" had told me of the situation. The Game Development Department had been failing to meet standards and expectations for months. She had given them plenty of warnings and time, but they had failed to come up so far. She had no choice left but to write them off and shut them down. However, she hesitated after seeing my work with Abydos. If I could help Abydos, then I could certainly help one club.
Now it was just a matter of her wanting to see if I could turn this ship around.
"That is a bit stricter a timeline than my previous operation," I admitted, nodding my head as I turned over the details, "But it is hardly the worst odds I have faced. I understand that you have a plan?"
Momoi puffed her chest out proudly, a confident smile on her face. "We'll show that Demon Queen the results of the Game Development Department's efforts! We're going to enter our game in the next Millennium Prize and win it!"
"Millennium Prize?" I asked, turning to Midori even as the pink-clad twin radiated blinding confidence.
"It's the largest contest in Millennium, Sensei. Clubs throughout the school will be submitting the products and results of their activities." Midori helpfully supplied.
"Yep, it's happening in just over two weeks from now!" Momoi immediately followed up, bouncing over to where Midori and I were sitting, "And if we win an award, then it settles things! They can't disband us!"
I nodded along. Putting aside my lack of real knowledge about video games, the core of the plan was easy enough to understand. I'd seen more than a few procurement contracts that operated on the same principle. That being said…
"Your plan is sound, but I must ask: what else have you made?"
Momoi and Midori both froze at my question. A visible shiver ran down Midori from head to tail while Momoi deflated.
"Tales…" Midori muttered, just below what I could hear.
I leaned down slightly, a sense of slow, morbid curiosity building as I asked, "Could you repeat that?"
Momoi sighed, defeated, as she said aloud with notable exhaustion, "We made Tales Saga Chronicle."
The name meant nothing to me. But I didn't need to ask for clarification.
"Oh. Oh no." 'Hawaa?!' Suzumi and Arona both reacted at almost the same time. Suzumi had gone from embarrassed at the attention to mortified at the name, while I could sense sheer disappointment radiating from my link with Arona.
It didn't take a genius to put all the clues together. "It was not well received, was it?"
"W-we won an award?" Midori supplied, even as her voice hitched.
Momoi's eyes were swimming as she fell to the ground in despair, slamming a single tiny fist into the ground, "We tried our best, dang it! We just needed some more time to polish it, that's all!"
Suzumi shifted uncomfortably, glancing back and forth between the twins, before speaking in a small voice, "I… don't play a lot of video games, but even I saw the reviews on BlueTube. They weren't very positive."
The one-winged girl's admission seemed to sap the energy right out of the two twins. I could swear I could see the colour leech right out of them as Momoi collapsed into a pile on the ground. They probably needed a moment. That gave me the time to ask my last source of information.
'Arona, how exactly do you know their game?'
'I had to record a let's play of it as a part of a donothon reward.' Arona answered, using phrases and slang that I did not understand, 'You could really tell their passion for 16-bit games! But, uh, it wasn't fun to play at all. The internet calls it "The Shi-um, Worst Game of the Year," and you can't really argue against it once you've played it either...'
Well, that settled things. I had never heard Arona say something negative about anything else before. And, well, Suzumi's admission and the twins' reactions seemed to cement it. Their first attempt at a product did not do well.
"Well," I began, drawing out my words to pick the least painful ones, "that may have been a poor showing, but every master was a novice once. What is your plan for improving your game to the point it can contend with the others in the Millennium Prize?"
Momoi instantly perked up at my question and sprang up to her feet. "We have a secret weapon! Something that will make our next game, Tales Saga Chronicles 2, a smash success at the Millennium Prize!"
"I still think making a game from scratch in two weeks' time is harder than finding new members." Midori muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. "It's just as unlikely, but it's got to be easier than crunch time."
"Nonsense! With Sensei here, we can't fail!" Momoi had a triumphant smile as she whipped around to point at me. "Nelson-Sensei, how much do you know about the Millennium Ruins?"
I looked to Suzumi, hoping for an answer. Our eyes met, and the one-winged girl shrugged. I turned back to Momoi and answered, "I am afraid I have never heard of it."
"Great! It's a mysterious area in the outskirts of Millennium that the General Student Council had made off-limits," Momoi explained, her hands waving passionately as she did. "It's rumoured that it's a dangerous region, but nobody knows exactly what or why it's dangerous. We don't even know if anyone's ever entered it!"
That… seemed pretty unreasonable. Surely nothing that dangerous would be right next to one of the three big schools of Kivotos. But if the General Student Council were the ones who restricted access to the Ruins…
"Momoi-san," Suzumi spoke up, a frown on her face, "if these Ruins were dangerous enough for the General Student Council to limit access to it, why would you want to go there?"
Momoi rushed up to Suzumi, grabbing the white-clad girl by the hands. Suzumi squirmed from the sudden contact, but Momoi didn't seem to notice. "Because I want to make a good game! Even though our current level is "The Shittiest Game of the Year," I want to prove that the games we make aren't trash! They can be treasures too!"
The pink-clad girl had delivered those lines with a fervour I had seen from few other Students. Midori was staring at her sister with unmasked adoration. Suzumi, for as uncomfortable as she looked at the physical contact, seemed impressed at the impassioned speech. Even Arona hummed appreciatively at the speech.
I sighed, running my hand through my hair. "And I presume that is why you need my help. To allow you access to the Ruins?"
"That's right!" Momoi shouted as she practically leapt from Suzumi to where I was, her hands clapping firmly on my shoulders, "With your help, we can get into the ruins and find "that"."
I didn't like the emphasis. That emphasis promised a headache. Judging by Suzumi's worried expression, she felt it too. But still, who was I to deny passionate Students their chance to defy fate?
"And what exactly is 'that"?" I asked even though I could guess her answer.
Momoi's smile was blinding in its enthusiasm as she answered, "The legendary game development manual, written by the greatest game developer of all time! The G. Bible."
For all that it was supposedly a forbidden off-limits area, it was surprisingly easy to get access to the Ruins. The Council even had a standardised form for it. I completed it on the train trips to the outer wall surrounding the supposed forbidden zone. A few clicks were all it took to register us as GSC Reconnaissance and Security Staff. A pass was ready by the time we got to the air-gapped doors.
That was the simple part.
The hard part was the fact that the Ruins were not under strict entry and exit protocols as a joke. In fact, there were some very clear and obvious dangers that led to all four of us being holed up in a half-collapsed ruin of a store.
"Suzumi-San, try to lower your head a little more!" Momoi hissed as the sound of metal feet on asphalt echoed from outside the store.
That being literal battalions' worth of combat androids patrolling the vast majority of the area. Even now, there had to be an entire company of mechanical infantry marching down the street right outside the store.
Eventually, the steps faded into the distance. I peered out from around the doorframe I was standing behind, and seeing nothing, gave a brief thumbs up. Suzumi sighed in relief from her place under a half-destroyed window. Meanwhile the twins slumped down from their hiding spot behind a vending machine.
"It seems they've left the area," Suzumi remarked quietly, peeking over the window sill. Her eyes went over the various buildings and pieces of cover, looking for signs of trouble. Unfortunately, somebody else had an idea before I could answer her.
"Great! Let's keep going then!" Momoi popped up onto her feet, a daring smile on her face as she started walking towards the door, only to stop as Midori grabbed her by the sleeve.
"What do you mean, 'great'?!" Midori hissed, "What part of any of this is 'great'?! There are swarms of mysterious androids everywhere!"
"Ms. Momoi, are you certain this G.Bible is within these Ruins?" I followed up, looking through the door and about the block. There was nothing, just ruin after ruin as far as I could see, right up to the edge of the security walls. "I could hardly imagine it being intact if it were."
"I'm certain! Himari-Senpai told me so!"
"Did she say anything about the literal armies in here?" Midori asked, a nervous warble in her voice.
"No," Momoi admitted, glancing about, "She just said that the Ruins "might be something like the sewers of the ages, a place where things long forgotten by Kivotos gathered". So it has to be here!"
That… didn't sound like she knew if the G. Bible was still in the Ruins. In fact, it sounded like Momoi launched this entire operation on some rather suspect information.
"Himari-Senpai always has a know-it-all vibe to her. She's just like the mentor in some RPG. It really must be a mystery if even Himari-senpai doesn't know. Or it might be fake." Judging by Midori's worried frown as she spoke, she might feel the same.
"Ms. Momoi," I said slowly, "did you bring us into the middle of a highly dangerous territory on a presumption?"
The pink-clad twin shook her head vigorously, her sidelocks bouncing from the violence of the motion. "Of course not! I asked Veritas to double-check. They found and confirmed the IP address for the servers that held the G. Bible is in this district!"
"Okay, but are you sure the G. Bible is real?" Midori asked.
"Of course I am!" Momoi snapped back, "It's definitely real! If we can find it, it'll teach us how to make the best game ever! If we can find and read the G. Bible, then we'll be able to make "Tales Saga Chronicle 2" into the best game ever! All we need to do is reach the coordinates!"
Momoi stomped her foot into the ground with every sentence for emphasis. It seemed fine until she stomped with additional emphasis for the last part of her impassioned speech. The old wood floor cracked, tipping over a nearby shelf. An empty glass bottle, shifting from the sudden movement, rolled off before any of us could react. It fell in slow motion before our eyes and shattered against a chunk of rubble.
My rifle was up in my arms immediately, joined by Suzumi and the Twin's automatic rifles. I peered out in the direction the robots had last moved down, with the three Students following my example. Silence greeted us. Finally, we all sighed in relief when no robots appeared.
"Ms. Momoi, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you may wish to reserve it until we are saf-"
*click*
The sound of a door opening echoed throughout our shelter. We all turned to the back of the ruin, where a formerly closed door had stood. Standing in the centre of it was one of the combat androids patrolling the region, the oddly new chassis gleaming slightly in the faint light. The blue cameras on its head pulsed slightly, then promptly switched to a red glow as it emitted a shrill screech.
I moved before anyone could shoot. With one hand I drew my sword and threw it forward like a dart as hard as I could. The blade sang as it sliced through the air. Then, it punched right into the torso of the android with casual ease. The impact sent it staggering back, where it crashed into a wall and collapsed into a heap. The lights on its head sputtered and died before it finally fell silent.
All of us were silent before Momoi whispered, "Do you think they heard that?"
Another screech from nearby answered her. Then another. Soon a chorus of screeches echoed from the blocks around us.
"That is our answer. Quickly, out the back!"
AN: Thus begins Nelson's journey into Millennium. A Hero to be, and her Mentor shall soon meet, two souls more alike than expected. I hope to get some of the tone for this volume right, but we'll see how it goes!
While the broad strokes of canon are still present, deviations are seeping in at the edges. Hopefully I can build off the changing state of relationships, actors, and background events.
Thanks again to my friend for beta-reading. Turns out, I can't spell Millennium. In this chapter alone, I misspelled Millennium 11 times. So I'm going to keep a running count of that. I wonder if we'll break triple digits before we reach the end of the Disc…
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- A never ending hell of Myoukous
My beta will be busy this upcoming week, so there won't be a main chapter post next week, but I will post a Receptionist PoV Informational then!
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- Chelsea Alabama
Let see cursed iced soda, Nelson gets an escort glued to her, and Tales Saga Chronicles 2 might have a Nelson airship turned final boss segment. Seriously though that would be an inspired twist. To think that the final boss would be the very thing that you have been using to traverse the world map throughout the entire game. That's a clever twist I can get behind.
The twins are rapidly climbing my list of favorite Blue Archive characters.
The twins are rapidly climbing my list of favorite Blue Archive characters.
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- A never ending hell of Myoukous
The sports drink isn't cursed, it's the icing method!
They are a precocious pair, and they're certainly passionate!
Man, I sure wonder where we'll find a girl with a warship grade weapon.