Chapter Text
Hope’s Archive Academy. The glorious old building’s spires pierced the clear skies, displaying their majesty in a dazzling display of man made dominance. The school was legendary in both its prestige and its commitment to its mission: foster and study the most talented individuals across Kivotos.
Exclusive wasn’t a strong enough word to describe enrollment. Only those who had been personally scouted by Academy staff were even considered for admittance. Or were lucky. I’d heard that there was a lottery the school occasionally ran. Something about luck being a measurable talent? Never made much sense to me, but if the bigwigs at a place like this thought it was a worthy endeavor, who was I to question it?
Ah, that’s right, I should probably introduce myself. I suppose my case is a bit unusual compared to most others who stand at the edge of the wrought-iron gates. A school isn’t just made up of students, its staff are as important to keeping such an institution running in tip-top shape, and that’s where I come in. On a whim, I’d sent in an application to be a teacher here, not truly expecting to be hired. I’m decidedly average, all things considered, and I figured Hope’s Archive would want teachers as equally talented as their students.
So imagine my surprise when I received an email informing me that I’d been hired, no interview required! I probably should have been suspicious, but word on the internet told me that was how the school worked. Makes enough sense. If they had a robust talent scouting department, then it should extend to scouting out staff as well.
I looked down at my hand and gripped the badge I’d received in the mail so tight that it could have cut my palm. “General Studies,” it read. Even the elites need to pass their math and reading classes I suppose, and my job was to support them in these endeavors so they could best focus on nurturing their true talents. The thought of having to teach such magnificent students made my stomach tighten as I returned my focus to the school’s entrance.
Deep breaths… I could do this. With my future ahead of me and the endless possibilities of students waiting, I took one step after another until I finally managed to cross the boundary and enter the school grounds.
That was the worst mistake I could have ever made.
-
I gasped, jerking my head up with a start. What happened? Where was I? The last thing I remembered was stepping into Hope’s Archive and then… And then…? What? The more I tried to think about it the more my head ached. The most that came to me was the vague sensation of falling and a voice that sounded like it came from far above me.
Okay… memory lane was taking me nowhere, so it was time to figure out what was right in front of me. I was sitting in a comfy office chair, my arms crossed on a wooden desk that seemed straight out of an old schoolbuilding. In front of me were rows of desks neatly arranged in a perfect 4x4 grid for sixteen total. Was this my classroom? Seemed fairly standard, if a bit old-fashioned.
Although, what clearly was not old fashioned were the massive metal plates that were bolted over what I assumed were some windows. Standing, I gave them a couple of cursory tugs. No movement, like I expected, but it was no less unnerving.
“What is going on…?” I whispered to no one in particular.
Suddenly, a buzz from the desk caused me to whirl around. A tablet glowed faintly as if it had just received a notification. That- that wasn’t there a moment ago, I swear. I opened up the notification and was greeted with a bunch of start-up screens before the words “Shittim Chest” appeared along with a button that said “Tap Here!” With no other options, I tapped the icon and a message opened up.
Good morning, Sensei!
Welcome to your first day of teaching at Hope’s Archive Academy!
The Headmaster is sorry that he is currently unable to greet you personally, but rest assured that you will meet him soon enough.
In the meantime, you have been provided with a list of the wonderful students that will be under your care for the duration of your time here.
Please review their information carefully and take time to meet them one-on-one. A good teacher should know his students inside and out, after all.
An announcement will play to begin the opening ceremony shortly, so please ensure that your students are all present and accounted for.
Hope you have a beary wonderful day!
There was no signature at the bottom, only a crude drawing of a cartoon bear. Was that the school’s mascot? Did the school even have a mascot? Still, that was the least of my concerns. The message mentioned that there would be a list of my students, but I didn’t see anything else on the screen no matter how much I fiddled with it.
A click from the other end of the room grabbed my attention. It sounded like it came from the door. Had I been locked in this whole time? I figured a place like this would be eccentric, but this was getting downright creepy!
I hurriedly made my way to the door, eager to get out of this classroom before it locked again. As soon as I opened the door, I was met with a startling sound.
“Ueeeehhhhh?!” A girl just so happened to be right on the other side of the door and leapt back as soon as I opened it. She was cute, if a bit plain-looking, with the most striking thing about her being her chicken (at least, I thought it was a chicken) backpack hanging loose on her shoulders. “The locked door opened!” the girl cried, whirling her backpack around to put it between us.
“Oh um, sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” I said. Great job. Not even a few minutes into my first day and I’m already scaring a student.
The girl looked me up and down before her posture relaxed. “Wait a minute. You’re an adult!” she beamed, suddenly much closer to me. “Are you our sensei?! Oh thank goodness you’re here. We all woke up in this strange place and everything is locked and closed off and it’s super scary! But you must be in charge here, right? So you can tell us what’s going on!”
I blanched a little as her yellow eyes sparkled up at me. “Well, about that. I’m afraid I’m just as clueless as you all are.”
I could see her physically deflate when I said that, but she seemed to bounce back rather quickly. “That’s okay! At least we have an adult here in the first place, so it can’t be all bad!”
There were no other adults here? That didn’t make sense. Surely I wasn’t expected to keep an eye on every student at the Academy by myself?! I suddenly had a very strong urge to kick this mysterious headmaster for putting me in this situation. “And how many others are there, Miss…?”
“Oh! I never introduced myself did I? My name is Ajitani Hifumi, and I’m here as the Ultimate Fangirl!” Though she smiled as she said that, I could tell it was a little bit forced.
“Ultimate… Fangirl…?” I repeated slowly. The “Ultimate” title I was familiar with; it’s what Hope’s Archive called their students, but I failed to see how fangirling was considered a talent.
“Ehhh? You think it’s a lame talent, too?” Hifumi said, pulling her chicken bag up as if to hide her face.
I had a distinct impression that my foot was going to get very well acquainted with my mouth today if this was how my first interaction with a student was going. “Oh no, no, no! It’s such a unique talent that I didn’t know how to react.”
Hifumi offered a shy smile. “I know you’re saying that to make me feel better, but thank you, Sensei.” She returned her bag to her shoulders. “And I’m determined to spread the word of Momo and Friends so that everyone can have something that makes them as happy as it makes me!”
I thought about asking her to elaborate, but that would probably lead to a long conversation that I didn’t have time for right now. The headmaster’s message said that there was going to be an opening ceremony soon.
“So, Hifumi, you never answered my question. How many other students are there?”
“Um, I think there’s sixteen of us in total. We’ve all been wandering around here for a while before you came out, so I met everyone. I could take you to them if you’d like!”
“That’d be fantastic. Maybe someone’s figured out what’s going on here. Or found another adult I can talk to.”
“I hope so,” Hifumi said, expression souring a bit. “Anyway! Come on, I bet everyone will be excited to meet their new sensei!”
-
It didn’t take us long to find another student. Rather, it didn’t take long for another student to find us.
“There you are!” An annoyed voice rang out from behind us as we started to make our way down the hallway. Marching towards us was a serious looking girl in a professional looking blazer. “It’s extremely irresponsible to leave your students waiting around like this.”
“I’m sorry?” I said. “I only recently woke up myself.”
“Hmph, some sensei you are then,” the girl huffed. Damn, who pissed in her breakfast this morning?
“Yuuka…” Hifumi said, inching closer towards me. “H-he’s doing his best and he’s really nice!”
Yuuka’s eyes darted between the two of us before he shoulders sagged with a sigh. “You’re right. Sorry about that. I think we’re all a little stressed out by whatever’s going on.” She straightened her outfit and pulled her shoulders back. “Hayase Yuuka, Ultimate Mathematician. I look forward to learning from you, Sensei.”
Mathematician? I was supposed to be in charge of general studies, but with someone like Yuuka present, was I truly necessary? There was probably nothing about mathematics that I could teach her that she didn’t already know. Then again, she may be so far above the rest that it would be pointless for them to try and reach her level.
“Good to meet you, Yuuka,” I said, giving her a small nod. “I take it you’ve been investigating? You don’t seem the type to lay around.”
A phantom of a smile pulled at Yuuka’s lips the compliment. “I have, yes. We seem to be confined to the first floor of this building with the doors and windows sealed shut. I think some of the others are trying to find a way out, but I couldn’t deal with their antics, so I went off on my own.”
“If you’re good at math, what do you think our chances of getting out of here are?” Hifumi asked. “Like a percent!”
Yuuka wrinkled her nose. “That’s not how statistics works. I can’t conjure numbers out of nothing.”
“Oh. Sorry…”
I patted Hifumi’s shoulder. “It’s okay, I’m sure it’s because Yuuka just doesn’t have a clue.”
“Excuse me!” Yuuka’s professional demeanor evaporated almost instantly. “If we assign estimated, but arbitrary, values to common variables in escape then I could absolutely give you an answer!”
Ah, so that’s how she was. A stern front, but ultimately quick to rise to provocations. Thank you “Understanding Teenagers for Dummies, Volume 3” for that bit of info. “Can I ask you to do that, then? I think it would really help morale if we had an idea of our chances.”
Though she grumbled a bit under her breath, Yuuka nodded. “Fine. Though only because I want you all to see what I can do.” With that, she stomped off, head on a swivel. I could imagine the gears turning in her head as she transformed everything into numbers.
“Yuuka means well, I think,” Hifumi said. “Though I didn’t mean to set her off.”
“If it wasn’t you, it would probably be the color of the lights or something else silly.”
Hifumi giggled at the thought and we continued on our way.
-
The area we were in appeared to be the classroom wing of the school. At least, that’s what it said on the sign in the hallway. There were only three classrooms. The one I awakened in was situated around the corner from the other two. According to Hifumi, everyone else woke up in separate rooms, but my classroom was the only one that was locked. All of the other rooms except for the dormitories were completely open.
Peeking my head into one of the classrooms, it was nearly identical to the one I found myself in. Guess there was no Ultimate Interior Decorator if they used the same floor plan for everything. Or would that be Ultimate Architect?
Either way, the last classroom caught my attention because the lights were out. I stepped inside to investigate, only for the door to slam shut behind us.
“Eeeep!” Hifumi grabbed hold of my sleeve and opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, another voice spoke.
“You have a lot of nerve coming in here knowing this is my turf.” There was someone seated behind the desk at the front of the classroom, but the chair was turned away from us so I couldn’t see her face. The only light in the room shone directly on her, illuminating her presence like a spotlight.
“Your turf?” I asked, a bit incredulous. Students here had privileges, sure, but I don’t think that included claiming an entire classroom as their property.
Slowly, the girl turned in her chair. A shadow laid across the top of her face, giving her a malicious, almost evil look. Her fur lined coat hung off her shoulders with its sleeves dangling loose. “You heard me. You might be the adult here, but Rikuhachima Aru, the Ultimate Outlaw, doesn’t play by the rules.”
“O-outlaw?” Hifumi stuttered. She started to shake and clung to me tighter.
“Oh don’t you worry,” Aru said, rising from her seat and beginning to walk around the desk. “I’m not the type to hurt someone without a reason. In fact, I consider myself more of a… problem solver, if you catch my drift. You show me the cash and me and my crew can make all your issues disappEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
CRASH
Aru suddenly stumbled face first with a truly magnificent scream as she tripped over something. Maybe having all of the lights off in the room for the sake of drama wasn’t the best choice.
“Wait- Wait- Gimme a second to- Wha- WAAAAAAAAH!”
Another crash. I could vaguely make out Aru’s limbs flailing around as she tried to scramble to her feet, only for whatever she was grabbing to mysteriously move whenever she got hold of it.
I found the lightswitch and flicked it on. With the room properly lit, I could see Aru tangled up in a pile of desks, chairs, and her own coat. Nearby, there was another girl, much smaller and with shockingly white hair seated atop a desk. She kicked her feet back and forth while watching Aru struggle.
“Kufufu! Hurry up Aru, they’re gonna get away! And then we’re gonna be broke so I’m gonna have to eat all your lunch again!"
“I-I-I have everything - ouch! Everything under c-control!” Aru reached blindly for a chair, her coat now covering her face, only for the other girl to hook her foot around it and pull it out of Aru’s grasp.
“Mutsuki!” Hifumi chided. “Were you the one who closed the door when we came in here?”
“Me? No way! I’ve been sitting here the whole time. This is the best seat in the house to watch the show!”
That show being Aru struggling. “Hold on a second, Aru, I’ll help you.” Making my way through the scattered mess, I managed to reach Aru to start untangling her.
Mutsuki gasped in a way that was obviously exaggerated. “Woah! Sensei! Where are you putting your hands? Taking advantage of a helpless girl like that is so gross!”
“I’m not helpless!” Aru cried helplessly.
I took a mental note to ignore most of what Mutuski said from this point onward. Though, I did also make sure not to put my hands anywhere on Aru that could be considered inappropriate. Once I got her disentangled from her coat and on her feet, Aru gave me a warm smile.
“Thank you, Sensei, I appreciate it.”
“Sucking up to the teacher already, Aru?” Mutsuki snicked. “Some outlaw you are.”
“A real outlaw always respects those who show her loyalty and respect,” Aru replied, the tone of her voice radiating absolute confidence in herself despite my severe doubts that most outlaws cared about that sort of stuff.
“Did you get hurt when you fell,” Hifumi asked. “It sounded like a pretty hard fall.”
Aru placed a hand on her hip and tilted her chin up as if she was trying really hard to look down at Hifumi, despite only being a couple centimeters taller, if that. “Don’t worry your pretty head. Outlaws have to be tough to handle all the challenges in their way.”
“And Aru has a lot of challenges,” Mutsuki added.
“D-d-don’t tell them that!”
Don’t confirm what she said if you’re that concerned about your image? I kept that thought to myself, though. I suddenly felt a buzz in my pocket, so I pulled out the Shittin Chest. Whereas before there was only the welcome message, now there was an icon labeled “Student Profiles.” Tapping it brought up the four students I had met so far, along with their basic information and their talent. When I checked Mutsuki's, she was given the title “Ultimate Prankster.”
… Yeah, that tracks.
“Well, it was good to meet you two,” I said. Aru’s posturing was harmless, but I shuddered to think about what nonsense that Mutsuki was going to put me through. Probably best to get a move on before she started getting ideas. “Let me know if you find anything out about where we are, okay?”
“Oh we will - for a price!” Aru said with a hearty laugh.
“Bye bye, Sensei! Don’t go grabbing every cute girl you see!”
That headache I had from earlier was rapidly returning.
-
The next room we visited appeared to be some sort of storage room. Shelving lined the walls from top to bottom with a wide variety of school supplies, furniture, and gym equipment. The further back we went, the more furniture there seemed to be, transitioning from things like desks and chalkboards to lounge chairs and sofas.
“How is this one?” a calm voice asked.
Turning the corner of a shelf revealed two girls. One was athletic looking with gray hair and a small pair of wolf ears that twitched in response to our steps. The other was a smaller girl lying face down on the couch. Her bright pink hair splayed out in all directions as she hummed into the seat cushion.
“Hmm. It’s nice. A bit stiff, but it’ll do for these old bones of mine.”
“You’re not that old…”
“Age is a state of mind, young’un.”
Hifumi perked up and scampered ahead. “Shioroko, Hoshino! Hi!”
The wolf girl faced us, revealing her shocking blue eyes. “Oh, hey Hifumi and…” She gave me a quick once over. “You’re our teacher?”
“That I am,” I replied.
“Hmm. I’m Sunaookami Shiroko, Ultimate Cyclist. ”
“Another old timer?” The other girl, Hoshino I guess, piped up. She lifted one hand up, head never leaving the cushion. “Name’s Takanshi Hoshino. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll help ya out… eventually heh.”
I pulled out the Shittim Chest and tapped on her newly appeared profile. “Takanshi Hoshino - Ultimate Marine Biologist.” Huh, surprising. She didn’t seem the type given her… proclivity for lazing about.
“Hmm.” Shiroko was suddenly looking over the screen.
“Can I help you?” I asked.
“What’s that?”
Moving closer, Hifumi peeked at the screen as well. “Oh yeah, your tablet looks different than ours.” She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a sleek phone. “Ours don’t even turn on.”
“It’s because I’m more special than you all,” I said, holding the Shittim Chest slightly higher so that Hifumi and Shiroko couldn’t see.
“Hey!”
“No fair!”
I shrugged. “Teacher privileges.” While I was teasing them, I couldn’t deny that it was another weird facet to all this. If this was a normal situation I probably wouldn’t think anything of it; a place like Hope’s Archive would absolutely provide their students with the best technology, and it would be sensible not to activate them until they’d gone through some sort of orientation. But this wasn’t a normal case.
As I moved to tuck the tablet back into my pocket, I caught Hoshino staring at me. For a split second, I swear the look in her eye was almost analytical, like she was gauging my every move. However, it was quickly replaced by an easygoing grin.
“Well if you figure anything out,” she said while stretching. “I’ll be here taking a nap. These old bones need their rest.”
“You’re not that old,” Shiroko repeated. “If you’re tired, we can go run some laps in the gym to wake up.”
“That’ll only make me more tired!”
I felt Hifumi tug at my sleeve, so we covertly made our escape to leave the other girls to bicker.
-
The academic wing, as I had taken to calling it, was essentially four hallways that formed a big loop. The school library was in the middle of that loop, with entrances in each hallway. Massive shelves with books the size of cinder blocks covered every inch of available wall, and row after row filled in the floorspace. Various reading nooks were scattered between the shelves in open spaces, and the lights inside were much softer than those in the hallway. All in all, it was quite cozy, if a bit intimidating.
“This is where most of us woke up,” Hifumi explained. “There’s some dorms in the next hallway over, but they’re all locked. I guess whoever put us here decided this would be the best spot for it.”
“I see how it is. You all get the comfy library and I wake up with my back aching from being hunched over my desk.”
Hifumi giggled, but before she could respond, another girl appeared before us.
The first thing I noticed was that she was taller than most of the other girls I’d seen before. The second thing I noticed was that her gaze was utterly piercing with those fierce red eyes of hers. “Hello. I take it you are the teacher I’ve been hearing about?”
“That’s right,” I said. Her voice was even and smooth, though maybe intentionally so? It felt like she was trying to put it on more than anything.
“It’s logical that they would not put only students here without any supervision.” She frowned. “Though that is about the only part of this that makes sense. I am Rio, by the way. Tsukatski Rio, Ultimate Rationalist.”
I felt Hifumi lean in closer to me and whisper, “I don’t really get what her talent is.”
As if hers made any more sense.
Rio’s frown deepened. “I can hear you.”
“Ahhh! Sorry…”
Sighing, Rio continued. “It’s alright. It’s logical that you might not be able to discern the meaning solely from the title. Rationalism is the belief that all actions should be informed by logical thinking rather than emotion.”
Shuffle shuffle shuffle
“Wow… sounds like you’re really smart.”
“I’m no smarter than anyone else,” Rio said, though I didn’t miss the way her lips twitched upwards. “I believe my talent comes more from my practical application of my talent than mastery over the philosophy.”
Shuffle shuffle shuffle. Bump. “Owie!”
“What was that?” I said, looking around. A shadow disappeared around one of the bookshelves.
“Oh! So it’s like how I go out of my way to promote Momo and Friends to everyone!” Hifumi said cheerily.
Rio visibly cringed, though she was quick to return to a neutral expression. “I suppose the comparison isn’t inaccurate.”
Shuffle shuffle…
“Anyone else feel like something is about to happen?” I asked.
“What do you-”
“Izuna’s Secret Sensei Ambush technique!”
Before I could react, a girl in a brightly colored outfit leapt from the top of a nearby shelf. How did she even get up there? Why did she climb up there? Why was she barreling straight towards me?!
Fortunately, all she did was jump straight off the shelf, so I just moved over to the left causing the girl to land right next to me. I have to give her credit, she did land on her feet, which was impressive. What was less impressive was the result of her jump.
Creeeeeeaaaaaaakkkkkk
All of us present looked up to see the shelf that she had jumped from leaning away. Agonizingly slowly, the shelf toppled backwards, leading to a cascade of shelves slamming against each other. Books and papers dropped like flies in the summer. When the chaos finally finished, me, Rio, and Hifumi turned our attention to the fox girl who was doing her absolute damndest to disappear into the ground. Literally.
“Izuna’s floor camouflage technique. Izuna’s floor camouflage technique! Izuna’s floor camouflage technique!!!!”
“Um… are you alright?” I asked.
Izuna sprang up, landing in an offensive stance that would be significantly more threatening if she wasn’t clearly sweating bullets. “H-how could you have possibly dodged Izuna’s technique?! I’m the Ultimate Ninja! There should be no one who can evade me!”
“Well,” Hifumi started. “Maybe if you didn’t call out what you were about to do.”
Izuna looked aghast. “The words of a ninja technique are what give it power! Every ninja book I’ve read has the most powerful ninjas screaming their technique names!”
“That makes no sense,” Rio said.
She was the so-called Ultimate Ninja? Really? Granted, I didn’t think there was much competition for the title, so maybe she got it by default? Then again, she did manage to scale the library shelves without much effort, so there could be some validity to her talent. Hope’s Archive does intend to nurture talent, so she could have potential.
“We can discuss what makes a great ninja later,” I said, interrupting the girls’ argument. “But Izuna, you should clean up this mess here.”
“W-w-what?!” Izuna cried. “B-but it wasn’t my fault! My light foot technique would have made it impossible to-”
“No buts,” I said, a bit more sternly. “Your, um, your technique needs more work, so you can reflect on that while you clean.” Yeah, that sounds teacherly enough!
I expected her to be upset or continue fighting me, but instead, her eyes practically glowed. “You can tell what I did wrong?! That’s amazing! Is Sensei descended from a long line of ninjas? Did you study ancient texts for years? Are you the former Ultimate Ninja?!”
I glanced between Rio and Hifumi. “Help?!”
-
After fielding endless questions from Izuna, I eventually managed to get her to back off and clean up the library. Rio elected to stay and help. Something about not trusting the ninja to properly organize the books.
There didn’t appear to be any other classrooms in this wing, which I found slightly odd. I guess when there’s so few students per class, there isn’t much need for that many classrooms. I’d imagine most of the facilities are dedicated to studying talents and the like.
However, there was one more room on this wing, one that Hifumi seemed reluctant to show me.
“Eh, this room’s kinda strange. Can we skip it?”
“Well now you’ve got me curious,” I said.
Strange didn’t do the room justice. The whole place was black and white. From the tile floors, to the countertop that looked like it came from a sideshow scam booth, everything was either black or white, with little trimmings of red here and there. Behind the counter were rows of empty cubes that seemed like they should hold prizes of some kind. The only other thing of note was a bear-themed gashapon machine on top of the counter. Oh, and a little girl trying to reach it.
“C’mon! Ibuki found a coin, so let me play!” She tried a couple half-hearted jumps but ultimately let her arms hang to her sides. “Awww… I wanted a prize.”
“Ibuki!” Hifumi said, rushing over to the smaller girl’s side. “What are you doing here?!”
“Trying to play with the machine! Ibuki found this funny coin and it looks like it goes in there.” She held up a coin that was bilaterally split back and white. The same bear mascot that was at the bottom of my welcome message was stamped onto the front.
“I could give it a shot,” I said.
Ibuki clapped her hands together. Well, sort of. Her sleeves covered up her hands, so it was more like she patted them together. I took the coin and tried to insert it into the slot, but it didn’t take. It was obviously the right size, but no matter how much I tried, the machine just wouldn’t take it.
“That’s disappointing,” Hifumi said. “Sorry, Ibuki.”
“Heehee, it’s okay! Thanks for trying, Sensei!”
I handed her the coin back. “Where did you even get this anyway?”
“Behind the TV in the lounge!” Ibuki said. “I was looking real hard for a way out, but then I saw that and I remembered this machine so I ran back here to try it! Should Ibuki have kept looking around?”
Hifumi patted the hat Ibuki wore. “No, no it’s fine. We’ve got so many of us looking, I think it’s okay to take a break.”
Ibuki beamed with pride, puffing out her chest. “Okay! Cuz Ibuki wants to be a good student at Hope’s Archive.”
Wait. Back up. She’s a student, too?! This had to be a mistake. However, as soon as I opened up her file, there she was: “Tanga Ibuki - Ultimate Cinnamon Roll.”
Oh come on. That is absolutely not a talent. And she is way, way too young to be enrolled at a high school. Besides, I couldn’t stand it if she ended up being bullied because of her age. Someone her size and innocence would be an easy target, and teenagers could be downright cruel when they wanted. Though admittedly, I couldn’t imagine hurting such a cute girl. Her genuine smile, the way her eyes glimmered as she chatted with Hifumi, the earnestness she carried herself with. It all made my heart swell even having only known her for a few minutes.
…
Okay, maybe there is merit to her talent. Serves me right for second guessing Hope’s Archive’s talent scouts.
“Maybe the machine will work when school starts,” I said, gesturing to the empty prize boxes. “Doesn’t look stocked at the moment.”
“Oh! You’re right, Sensei! That means Ibuki should look for more coins so she can get the best prizes!” With that, Ibuki dashed from the room, eager to continue her search.
-
The dorms, as Hifumi had mentioned earlier, were indeed locked. Each one had a faceplate designating who the dorm belonged to. By my count, I’d met a little over half of the students. Though several questions did come to mind. Firstly, why were the dorms locked? Surely the students came with luggage and personal belongings, so they would have to have some place to store them. And why only the sixteen? Were upperclassmen housed on a different floor? Or a different building altogether? My onboarding paperwork promised me free room and board, so where was I supposed to sleep?
“Haaaah, I really hope the dorms unlock soon, my shoulders are killing me,” Hifumi said. “Peroro weighs a ton!”
“Peroro?”
“Oh! He’s a member of Momo and Friends!” She whipped off her backpack and showed it to me proudly. “He’s my favorite. I try to get all of his limited time merch! This bag for example! Only one-hundred of them were ever produced, so I had to go to some sketchy place to get it and-”
“Hifumi, watch out!” I yelled, but it was too late. She had been so engrossed in telling me about her bag that she hadn’t noticed that she was walking right towards a trash can.
“Eep!” a shrill voice cried out as the trash can went tumbling sideways. Luckily, it was probably empty. After the mess in the library, the last thing I needed was trash scattered all over the floor.
I bent down to pick up the trash can, but when I grabbed it, it was surprisingly heavy. I took a glance inside, almost immediately leaping back in surprise as two eyes stared back at me. “W-what the he-”
Biting back a swear, Hifumi and I both watched in horror as a girl climbed out of the trash can to put it back upright. Everything about her body language screamed “timid,” from her hunched posture to the way she kept her eyes on the ground. A cute bunny headband was the most stand out thing about her.
“S-sorry f-for getting in your way,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Hifumi’s brow furrowed as if she was trying to remember something. “Oh! That’s right. You’re Kasumi Miyu. I didn’t see you in the, um, trash can.”
“Th-that’s okay,” Miyu replied, looking like she’d rather become one with the wallpaper than continue this conversation. “I’m used to people n-not noticing me.”
Well that just broke my heart. She looked nice, if a bit shy. “Well it’s good to meet you, Miyu. I’m going to be your teacher, so if you ever need anyone to talk to, come find me, okay?”
Miyu regarded me as if she didn’t quite believe me, and, if I’m being honest, if she was to the point of hiding in trash cans, then I’m sure I would be much the same. Still, the answer seemed to satisfy her. “U-um… okay…”
A painful silence followed. Neither Hifumi nor Miyu seemed to know what to say.
“So, Miyu,” I offered, “What’s your talent?”
“I-I- Well… Th-The letter I got said I’m the U-Ultimate Sharpshooter.”
Huh. Well that’s not what I expected.
“I-I’m really not that good. I’m pretty u-useless actually b-but everyone at the competitions forgets about me, so th-there’s no p-pressure when I’m shooting. One time even my coach f-forgot I entered a c-competition. While it was my turn.”
“That’s awful!” Hifumi said, and I agreed.
“Don’t worry. If you tell us, we’ll make time to go see your competitions,” I assured her.
Despite my good intentions, Miyu only seemed to shrink more. “P-please don’t trouble yourself, S-Sensei. You’ll probably forget about me anyway.”
She was going to be a tough one, but I wasn’t going to give up. Still, probably best not to push her too far right away, especially given how she was inching closer to the trash can, so I decided to leave her be for now.
-
“Holy crap, this place is huge!” First words out of my mouth when we stepped into the dining hall. Family style tables dominated most of the floorspace, with the far wall being reserved for a banquet spread. Finger foods of all sorts adorned the banquet table, as if welcoming the incoming class. To the right of it was a drink stand with huge containers filled with juice, tea, coffee, and water.
Part of me was salivating looking at the spread, though the other part was wondering who had set this all out? And for what reason? Questions upon questions upon questions.
“Oh my, it appears that we have company. Rather, we have new company that may wish to speak with us.”
Two girls sat at the end of the table. One had brilliant, flowing pink hair, and seemed to emanate a cheery, angelic quality, likely helped by the literal angel wings sprouting from her back. The other, the one who’d spoken, sipped her tea gently before reaching up to scratch one of her long fox ears. How and why she held the tea cup with her hand inside her sleeve, I’ll never know, and frankly, it’s probably one of the less weird things I’ve seen today.
“Hifumi!” the pink haired girl said, “And a mysterious man! Are you here to join our tea party?”
Sighing, the fox girl set her tea cup down. “We are not having a tea party. You simply wished to indulge in the sweets, and I needed a rest from the investigation.”
“Ehhhh Seia! Aren’t you having fun?
“I will be having more fun when we have all figured out what is going on here.” She folded her hands in her lap. “The future is clouded even to me in this place.”
Well, it was good to see a couple of the students getting along (I think?) and making the best of the situation here. Though maybe their priorities could be a bit more… focused.
“He’s not here to join your party,” Hifumi said. “He’s our teacher!”
Both the pink girl and Seia looked up in surprise at that. “Oh, you’re Sensei?” the pink girl said, “Ibuki ran through here earlier saying something about you.”
“That’s me. Mind introducing yourselves?”
Seia opened her mouth to speak, but the pink girl got there first. “I’m Misono Mika! They call me the Ultimate Princess ahaha! It’s a pretty title for a pretty girl, don’t you think, Sensei?”
“It is very pretty, yes,” I replied.
Mika gasped. “Are you flirting with me, Sensei! How scandalous!”
“What?! I- No!”
“Then… You were lying when you said I’m pretty?” Her face dropped into instant puppy dog eyes. Oh this girl was dangerous.
“Please forgive Mika, Sensei,” Seia said, pointedly nudging a cake roll closer to Mika who instantly started devouring it. “She can be a bit childish. However, you asked for introductions, so it is only proper I comply. My name is Yurizono Seia, and I have been gifted the talent of the Ultimate Clairvoyant.”
Now that caught my attention. Some of the previous students’ talents had appeared to be more descriptors than anything, but this was the first one I’d heard that was supernatural in origin. While I didn’t consider myself a believer in the occult, something must have caught Hope’s Archive’s attention if they were going to offer enrollment to this girl.
Hifumi hummed impatiently. “Can you foresee a way out of here, maybe?”
“No,” Seia stated. “The future is not mine to request on demand. Glimpses come to be unbidden. I am merely their receptacle.”
“Uhhh…” Hifumi blinked, opened and closed her mouth, and cocked her head to the side in what must have been the most pure expression of confusion I’d seen.
“She means she can only do it when she’s asleep,” Mika said, earning a subtle but sharp glare from Seia. “What? That’s what you told me. Don’t tell me Seia’s mad at me for being honest!”
“I-”
“Well it sounds like an extraordinary talent, Seia,” I interrupted. This discussion could quickly get out of hand. “Just promise me you won’t use it to predict the answers to my tests.”
At that, Seia gave a soft smile. “Foiled my plans before they’ve even started. I see now why you are a teacher at this school.”
“Wait, Seia!” Mika cried leaning over the table. “You could’ve been helping me with tests this whole time?! Why didn’t you?!”
I was about to preempt the surely ensuing argument, but Hifumi beat me to it. “Did you two know each other before coming here?”
Both girls looked at Hifumi. “We sure did!” Mika said. “We went to middle school together! We were hoping that our other friend Nagisa got in too, but I guess not.”
“Given our circumstances, perhaps it is most fortuitous on her part,” Seia said. She took another dainty sip of tea, only to nearly spill it on her white dress when a clattering sound echoed from the kitchen.
“I… should probably check that out,” I mumbled. Wrangling sixteen unruly teenagers was already proving to be quite the task. “You two make sure to clean up whatever you don’t eat.”
“Do we have to?” Mika whined. “Shouldn’t a school like this have staff for that?”
Yep, definitely the Ultimate Princess.
-
“Damn it.”
That was the first thing that Hifumi and I heard as we made our way into the kitchen. As with most things at Hope’s Archive, it was decked out with the latest and greatest appliances around. At least, that’s how it appeared to me. Multiple burner stoves, mirror-like flat tops, and a fridge the size of a small car caught my attention, not to mention the litany of small appliances like toasters, air fryers, rice cookers, and waffle makers. At least we wouldn’t go hungry here.
More immediately pressing, however, were the pots and pans littering the floor and the girl standing in the middle of all of them. She was tall and fit, with a baseball cap pulled low over her eyes and a mask covering her mouth and nose. I swallowed a bit of nerves as I approached the girl, trying to ignore her intimidating presence.
“Are you okay? We heard a crash.”
“I’m fine,” she said simply. “The cabinet up here was more full than I expected. Things came crashing down while I searched.”
Hifumi chuckled nervously. “Were you looking for a way out in the cabinets?”
“You never know what someone could be hiding.” She turned her attention to me. “You’re a new face. Our teacher, I take it?”
“I am, yeah, it’s good to-”
“Not interested. My name is Joumae Saori, Ultimate Mercenary. I specialize in taking out large targets and organizations. If you need my services, come find me. Otherwise, leave me be.”
Well she certainly was… blunt. Still, I couldn’t just roll over and take that; she’d walk all over me if I did, but trying to order her around would probably end with me in the shape of a pretzel. With a bite taken out of it.
“If you’re so disinterested,” I challenged, “Why even come to this school?”
It could be my imagination, but I thought I saw her expression change. It was hard to tell from behind her cap and mask. “Contacts, mostly. If Hope’s Archive is willing to take someone with a talent like mine and that one other girl’s, then they’ve definitely got some powerful connections that I intend to take advantage of.”
“Well if you want to stay enrolled here, then it’s in your best interest to attend my classes, right?”
Her eyes narrowed, and I felt a chill run up my spine. “That a threat?”
Behind me, Hifumi whimpered and grabbed the back of my shirt. “No, I would never threaten one of my students. Only a suggestion to help you reach your goal.”
There was a beat of silence between us before Saori dropped her shoulders. “Well, well, well, you got guts, Sensei. I’ll consider your offer, but you try to force me to attend classes and you’ll be needing a long-term substitute.” I was about to reply when she continued, “Course, going to class beats whatever is going on right now.”
“I hope we can get out of here soon,” Hifumi said, then shrunk back.
“I’m not going to sit around waiting to be rescued. I’ll keep looking around and you should as well.”
“Eeeehh? Yes ma’am!”
Oh Hifumi, you poor thing. “Ah, she’s helping guide me around,” I said. “But we’ll leave you to your search.”
“Whatever.”
-
“Ueeehh… if I had known how scary some of my classmates were gonna be, I don’t know if I’d have accepted this invitation,” Hifumi said as we returned to the hallway. She hadn’t let go of my shirt until we were well out of earshot of Saori.
“I’m sure she’s not so bad once we all get to know each other a bit better,” I said. Whether I was trying to comfort Hifumi or convince myself was a topic that I didn’t feel like being self-reflective on.
“I guess so, but there’s not much left of this floor to see, so you’re almost caught up!”
“This floor?” I asked. “Is there another floor?”
Hifumi frowned. “Yeah, but the stairs are locked behind a really heavy gate. Even a bunch of us together couldn’t get it open.” She pointed behind me.
We’d passed right by it on our way to the dining hall, and I’m not surprised I missed it. The stairs were situated in a small nook between the dorms and the casual area, almost tucked away, and, as Hifumi said, a large metal gate like those seen in closing malls prevented access.
“Let me give it a shot,” I said.
“I wouldn’t do that,” said a voice behind me. You know, the first thing I plan on teaching these girls is how to approach people from the front. Granted there was a gate in front of me, but my point stands!
She was short. Very short. Though she carried herself with poise and confidence. Her voluminous white hair fell in a cascade over her purple uniform. What caught me most off-guard, however, was her presence. Like Saori, there was an undeniable pressure surrounding her, but while Saori’s came from her obvious physicality and willingness to use violence, this girl’s presence simply seemed to emanate from her effortlessly. I felt my mouth dry up just looking at her.
“Wait, why not, Hina?” Hifumi asked. She wasn’t nearly as skittish around this girl as she was around Saori, which I took to be a good sign.
Hina gestured to the wall where upon closer inspection there was a square cutout embedded into it. “Earlier, after you had left, Saori and I tried to lift the gate ourselves. We only managed to move it maybe a centimeter, but the second we did a mounted gun came out of that wall.”
“W-wh-what?!”
A gun? For trying to lift up a gate? It had to be a security measure. Maybe an overactive one, but surely Hope’s Archive had someone monitoring a literal gun that could be pointed at students. Right?
“It appears that whoever put us here,” Hina continued, “Wants us to stay here.” Her eyes flicked to me, and she offered a polite head bow. “I’d heard from some of the others that our sensei woke up. My name is Sorasaki Hina, the Ultimate Prefect. If you need to maintain order, don’t hesitate to come to me.”
Despite her stature, I believed Hina. She gave off the aura of someone who could cow people into submission with just a glance. Plus, if she and Saori could lift the gate, then clearly she was stronger than she appeared.
“Good to meet you, Hina. And, um, thanks for the warning about the gate.”
Hina nodded, then scowled up at the gate. “There’s something not right here. Nothing I read about this place ever indicated any sort of hazing ritual. At least, nothing substantial.”
“Wow,” Hifumi said, “You must’ve done a lot of research ahead of time.”
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Oh, your bag is open by the way.”
“Huh?!”
Hina seemed quite competent. I suppose that makes sense given her talent. She was probably used to ordering around unruly students. Which… would come in handy with the group I had on my hands.
“Sensei,” Hina said, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You truly have no idea what’s going on?”
“Hand on my heart, I’m just as in the dark as the rest of you.”
Humming, Hina closed her eyes and tugged at her gloves, wings flicking behind her. “I see. In that case, I will continue to monitor the situation.” Without another word, Hina turned on her heel and started to walk away.
“Ah! Th-thank you, Hina!” I called after her. “I look forward to working with you. I’m sure you’ll be a big help!”
Hina paused for a moment, turning back towards me. It might have been a trick of the light, but there seemed to be a faint blush across her face. “I will do my best.”
-
Hifumi had flipped a coin (a Momo and Friends commemorative misprinted coin, as she informed me) to decide what our next destination would be. We ended up in a lounge area of sorts. Plus couches and chairs dotted the room haphazardly, usually accompanied by some sort of table in front of them. A vending machine hummed on the far end of the room, though I didn’t recognize any of the items in it. What the hell was “MonoSoda?”
At the center of everything was a large screen TV with every imaginable game console plugged into it, including several that I’m pretty sure weren’t even out yet. In front of that TV sat a small blue-black haired girl. She was wearing a jacket that was slightly too big for her, and her eyes glazed over as she hacked away at a monster on screen.
As the last of the beast’s health disappeared, the creature disappeared into dust while the girl cheered. “Level up!”
“Ahem,” I coughed, though she didn’t appear to hear me. Or didn’t care. “Excuse me,” I repeated, a bit louder. When her attention remained glued to her game, I finally went over and tapped her on the shoulder.
She whipped around so fast that her hair hit my leg surprisingly hard, way harder than hair had any right to hit! “What’s this?” Her mouth moved in silent words for a moment before she beamed. “Bam ba-ba-bam! A random encounter! I have had lots of those today!”
Ummm… what?
“Do you have a quest for me? Or are you offering a trade for a rare item? Perhaps you will turn hostile if I pick the incorrect dialogue option?”
Baffled, I replied, “None of the above?”
“Oh, I see.” She seemed to deflate slightly. “Flavor text is intriguing as well!”
“Ehe, Aris, this is Sensei. He’s here to teach us,” Hifumi said, then whispered in my ear, “She’s talked like this the whole time.”
Her smile only growing brighter, Aris clasped her hands together. “Oh how wonderful. Do I get extra experience or items for completing tutorials with you?”
What was she… wait… I can use this! “Why… Yes you do! In fact, there’s a 100% completion bonus if you attend every one of my lessons!”
Aris was practically shaking at this point. “Excellent! I will be sure to achieve it! Tendou Aris is under your tutelage, Sensei! I hope to learn many combos from you.”
I pulled out the Shittim Chest to see her talent, but… that can’t be right. Instead of listing her talent, her profile simply said “Tendou Aris - Ultimate ???” She had to have a talent; she wouldn’t be here otherwise. Was it meant to be a secret? But why enroll a student who couldn’t disclose their talent? Even to a teacher?
“Aris,” I said, “What’s your talent? It’s not listed here.”
She stared at me for a few seconds before recognition flickered on her face. “Ah! My EX skill! I am… unsure. When the others were sharing theirs, I tried to recall mine, but every time I did my head began to hurt.”
“I bet it’s something super cute,” Hifumi offered. “Like Ultimate Gamer or something!”
“I would like that very much! I love video games. They are magical things that take me to many different worlds and experiences that I otherwise might not get to see!”
Well, at least she didn’t seem too broken up about not knowing her talent. It was still concerning, so I made a mental note to check with whatever medical staff was here to make sure she was alright. If I ever saw them, that is. With each student I met, I became increasingly confident that I was the only adult in the building aside from the mysterious headmaster.
“Would either of you like to play games with me?” Aris asked. “Though others are still searching, I think that we have uncovered all of the unlocks currently available to us.”
“Thank you for the offer, Aris,” I said. “But I still have one other student to meet.”
Hifumi shuffled beside me. “Um, Sensei. Do you think I could stay here? This last student, she’s… well she makes me kinda uncomfortable. Even more than Saori.”
Ah. Wonderful. You know, a teenage mercenary was a little too easy. Thanks universe for the extra challenge. Really appreciate it. Still, Hifumi seemed really freaked out, so I gave her my best smile. “That’s okay. You’ve been a big help, Hifumi. A fantastic guide.”
The blonde girl squirmed in delight from the praise. “I didn’t really do anything, but thank you, Sensei.”
“If you are staying here, then would you like to play games with me?” Aris asked.
“That sounds fun. I wonder if they have Momo and Friends vs Zombies?”
Aris tilted her head. “I am unfamiliar with that. Could you explain it?”
Oh, Aris, what have you done? That gleam in Hifumi’s eye can’t mean anything good. I silently made my escape before Hifumi could rope me into her explanation.
-
Surprise surprise, the gym was an immaculately constructed space. The hardwood floor shimmered under the bright floodlights. The bleachers had been pushed against opposite walls to make room for a makeshift stage in the center of everything. A podium with the Hope’s Archive logo emblazoned on the front stood ready to brace whoever was going to give a speech. I assumed that the headmaster would speak here for the opening ceremony, but the lack of seating for anyone aside from the headmaster stood out.
At the far end of the gym, near a section of bleachers that bordered a support column, a girl in a pretty floral kimono squatted close to the ground. Her tall fox ears swiveled back as I approached. “Stand back.” Her voice was cold, focused.
Not a second after her warning, a thin trail of smoke wafted up from where she was squatting. She rose to her full height before taking a few steps back. Then…
Boom.
An explosion echoed through the gym, sending me sprawling on my back. While it wasn’t large, my ears still rang for a moment. When the smoke cleared, it revealed that the support column was completely untouched aside from some scorch marks.
“Ah, that was Wakamo’s last one…” the girl said.
“Woah! Woah! Woah!” I cried, scrambling to my feet. “You cannot just set off explosions in the middle of the gym like that!”
“Why not?” she asked, her tone hinting at her annoyance. Wakamo turned to finally face me, and in doing so revealed that her entire face was covered by an intricate fox mask. I could barely make out her eyes moving as she sized me up. I could see why Hifumi found her so disconcerting.
I dusted off my shirt and straightened it. “You could have hurt someone! Or brought the whole building down!”
I expected her to fight me like Saori had – a student willing to set off explosives so casually surely had a few screws loose – but surprisingly, she seemed to wilt instead. “I-Is that so… Wakamo didn’t want to hurt anyone. This time.”
“Then why are you setting off bombs?”
Wakamo clasped her hands in front of her, bowing her head slightly. “I-I w-was trying to make a way out. This support beam wouldn’t have caused the rest of the building to collapse.” She made a strained noise in her throat. “But I used the last of my explosives I woke up with.”
Looking around, I saw several other areas in the gym that showed evidence of having explosives used on them. How many of those did she have on her?!
I rubbed my forehead and let out a sigh. “Well, I guess that’s understandable.”
Wakamo suddenly perked up, her ears twitching. “You… understand?”
“Of course. I’m not any more happy about being stuck here than the rest of you, so wanting out is perfectly understandable. And besides, no one got hurt, so no harm, no foul!”
Tentatively, Wakamo reached up and lowered her mask. Not all the way, but enough for me to see her shimmering yellow eyes looking at me with surprising earnestness. “And if I don’t hurt anyone, will you like me?”
“Absolutely,” I said. “You’re one of my students, after all. Promise me you won’t hurt anyone and keep your explosives… productive, and you’ll have my full support.”
Wakamo didn’t reply for a second. Then, she started giggling. Kept giggling. Wouldn’t stop giggling. Hmm… that’s a curious sinking feeling in my gut that this girl was going to be more than a handful. I’m sure it doesn’t mean anything! “These feelings… Ah, Sensei… Wakamo has never felt like this before. Wakamo will do as you say. I promise not to hurt anyone. Much.”
That last word had me doubting her sincerity, but we could work on that later. For now, I opened the now-familiar app on the Shittim Chest, but before I could open her information, Wakamo suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“No! Let me! I must introduce myself properly to you, Sensei!” Backing off, Wakamo tugged at the hem of her kimono, pressing it flat and giving me a formal bow. “I am Kosaka Wakamo, the Ultimate Demolitions Expert. Take care of Wakamo well, okay Sensei.”
“It’s good to meet you, Wakamo,” I replied. “Once we figure out what’s going on here, I look forward to having you as my student.” Demolitions expert… Hope’s Archive talent scouts, we are going to have some very strong words regarding your admittance criteria! Especially because, before she managed to stop me, I did glimpse one part of her profile. She had a warning label attached with the words “Fox of Calamity” next to it. I didn’t even want to know what that meant.
I turned my attention to the stage and podium. “Hopefully the headmaster will show up soon so we can figure this out.”
“Ooooooh did someone call for me?” a shrill voice boomed from above.
Wakamo slipped her mask fully on and dropped into a defensive posture, moving in front of me.
“Attention all students! Attention all students! This is your headmaster speaking. The opening ceremony will begin shortly, so puh-lease make your way to the gymnasium at my earliest convenience!” A pause. “And, uh, the two of you already in the gym just stay there! I usually lock that place but I forgot this time. See you soon!”
The intercom clicked off and silence fell on me and Wakamo. I couldn’t explain it, but that voice set off every nerve in my body. A surge of panic and adrenaline flowed through me, as if every dormant survival instinct came alive at once. I’d spent this whole time asking questions, and it was time to get some answers.
But I had a feeling I wouldn’t like them.