One peaceful day, while the teacher was busy dealing with paperwork, an unexpected visitor arrived. Six girls showed up at the cabin all at once.
“Nice to meet you, Teacher! I’m Shiranuichi Kaya, in charge of the Defense Office for the Student Council Administration Committee. And the person next to me is Shichido Yukino, the captain leading the FOX Squad, and also the head of ETO.”
“Greetings, Teacher. As a student currently affiliated with SRT, I hope you will treat us comfortably.”
Leading the conversation was the cheerful-eyed girl who introduced herself as Kaya. Next to her stood a fully armed student, striking a proper pose with fox ears atop her head, giving a stiff greeting.
“Effective today, I’m here to inform you that the affiliation of SRT Special Academy has been transferred to the command of the cabin at your request. Here, this is the documentation related to that. The individuals behind me are the exceptionally promising members of the RABBIT Squad, who will be directly assisting our tasks from now on.”
The teacher couldn’t help but feel a sense of compassion upon seeing the contrasting dark circles under the bright-eyed girl’s smile.
“Looks like you’ve had a tough time too,” he thought.
“You’re quite efficient… Good work, Kaya.”
Upon hearing the teacher’s remark, Kaya silently smiled. However, her true feelings were different.
The fact that the Defense Office’s direct troops were being handed over to an unknown entity like the teacher had been achieved far too swiftly, thanks to the efforts of the Defense Office, which had been the prime contributor in calming recent chaos. Given that the Defense Office cast their votes without hesitation, the choices of other administrative committee members were naturally influenced.
And since it was known that Mika led this, it was merely a matter of raising Rin’s hand to expedite the process. Had Rin taken the lead personally, such swift arrangements would have been impossible.
Swallowing her thoughts, Kaya, who was maintaining her posture amongst the girls, signaled to the one eyeing Yukino with envy.
The girl who caught the signal, Tsukiyuki Miyako, nodded and stepped forward.
“I’m Tsukiyuki Miyako from the RABBIT Squad of SRT Special Academy. Though I’m lacking in many ways, I’ve taken the role of squad leader. I’ve been ordered to assist the cabin’s activities from the closest position—”
“But I can’t agree to that! Hey, Teacher! The fact that SRT has come under this cabin suggests that it also hands over the authority to appoint me as the squad leader, right?”
“…Saki, I suggest you show respect to our direct superior now.”
“Seriously, what a chatterbox, trying to act all senior—”
“…Enough.”
A cold voice cut through Saki’s attempts to banter as she felt like a frog in front of a snake under Yukino’s gaze.
“RABBIT 2, Sorai Saki. The command of this squad has been granted to Miyako based on the orders left by the Student Council President. Also, I am indeed your senior.”
“…”
“Additionally, squabbling over trivial matters in front of the Teacher and the Defense Office Head… doesn’t that make you feel ashamed as someone who claims to be elite at SRT?”
“I’m sorry, Yukino-senpai. My apologies, Teacher. And to you, Head of Defense.”
“…Kuhihi. I just need a license for using firearms frequently, Teacher. RABBIT 3, Kazekura Mohe here.”
Having swiftly quelled Saki’s complaints, Yukino nodded and turned back to the teacher. With that, the introduction of the RABBIT Squad finished—
“Um, excuse me…”
The last remaining girl timidly expressed her presence. The teacher turned his gaze toward her.
Her slumped posture, full of lack of confidence, was a clear sign of her timidness. The teacher decided he needed to pay special attention to this girl.
“RABBIT 4, the sniper position belongs to Kasumi and Miyu… I really hope you remember our names…”
“…Alright, Miyu. I’ll definitely keep that in mind, so don’t worry.”
“Uh… Th-thank you…”
Confirming that the introductions for the entire RABBIT Squad were finally over, Yukino handed her business card to the teacher.
“Teacher, our SRT exists to respond to crimes occurring in areas untouched by Valkyrie in Kivotos and to issues requiring preemptive strikes. This should align with what the federal investigation organization, Shalle, might take on. Since you were nominated by the Student Council President, we will trust and follow you, Teacher. However…”
Receiving Yukino’s card, the teacher looked at her with keen interest, curious about what she would say next.
“If you were to walk a path contrary to justice—well, you might lose our trust.”
“Though Yukino is saying that now, I believe in you, Teacher. I’m sure you can meet everyone’s expectations. After all, Mika is… Oh, pardon me. Please forget what I just said, Teacher.”
The teacher stroked his chin while considering Yukino’s warning intertwined with the words of Kaya.
Ah, Mika again.
He thought it might be necessary to investigate a bit more about Mika while he spoke.
“I appreciate the trust you’ve placed in me; it’s comforting yet terrifying at the same time. By the way, Yukino, could you tell me a bit more about this ‘justice’ you mentioned?”
That day, five students registered their names in the list of Shalle, making a total of six members, excluding the teacher.
Naturally, the first to register was Misono Mika.
*
A few days after that, the teacher woke up in the basement of Shalle and bought a canned coffee at the newly opened convenience store on the first floor before heading to the club room.
Shuddering at the paperwork hell awaiting him, the teacher was approached by Arona, who brought news.
[Good morning, Teacher. Um… I apologize for bothering you so early in the morning, but I believe there’s a letter you need to read.]
Slowly reading through the letter Arona handed him, the teacher began.
—
To the esteemed mentor of the Federal Investigation Club.
Hello. I am Okusora Ayane from Abydos High School.
I’m writing to you with a humble request.
Our Abydos High School has lost much of its territory due to desertification that began a long time ago, but lately, the sandstorms have become utterly uncontrollable.
While there are several presumed causes, the biggest problem is not that.
There are rumors of a desert monster that has existed since ancient times… the presence of a gigantic mechanical serpent threatens our academy and the entire autonomous district.
However, this monster is far too powerful. I’m writing this letter right after we’ve successfully repelled this behemoth…
Evidence suggests that the likelihood of capturing it again is extremely low at this point.
Additionally, the sandstorm blankets the entire district, causing various disruptions in maintaining security.
We’ve determined that it’s a bit too daunting for our academy to resolve this on our own, which is why I’m reaching out to you now.
Primarily, we wish to either slay the desert monster or find a way to prevent it from rampaging again soon…
And ultimately, we seek your advice on measures to ensure our academy and district’s survival amidst increasingly severe sandstorms.
We know this is neither an easy nor simple task.
But… we desperately need help now. Even if addressing these myriad issues doesn’t guarantee improvement, I still implore you.
Teacher, could you assist us?
—
Once the teacher finished reading the letter, Arona cautiously added some context.
[Abydos Autonomous District once was quite large, but due to unexplained climate changes, it’s been struggling. It used to be so expansive that people could get lost and stranded in the middle of town…but, uh, maybe that’s an exaggeration?]
“Come to think of it, I think I heard this from Mika. Back in its prime, the Abydos Autonomous District was as vast as Gehenna and Trinity combined… And now it has all turned to desert.”
Upon hearing the teacher’s words, Arona puffed her cheeks slightly. Ah, Misono Mika again. Subtly grumbling inside, Arona spoke up again.
[But the fact that desertification has worsened in Abydos doesn’t sound like a common occurrence…]
“Yeah, it probably isn’t. This desertification could go on indefinitely… and above all, it seems a little difficult to deem this just a natural phenomenon.”
[That’s true… Something big must have happened.]
“I need to prepare for an expedition to Abydos. I’ll contact the RABBIT Squad… If the sandstorms are severe, transportation by helicopter might be tough, so I might have to travel on foot…”
[Oh, you can use the desert crossing train for transport!]
Deciding on the trip to Abydos, the teacher carefully tucked the letter into his pocket. Sensing the earnestness of the student who wrote it, he vowed he would definitely lead this effort to success.
