The conference hall was filled with near muted chatters as each district representatives questioned, wondered, and most definitely have suspicion with each other over their 'Replacement Sensei'. The very fact that he had disappeared for effectively 5 days (Seminar knew it was 3, he just came back earlier and needed some kind of rest) without a semblance of existence was something.

But then to not just have him return, but also get the absolute bombshell that was Arius' official sovereignty, with a full district meeting to recognize them was both audacious and a paradigm shift for the ages. If anything, this could have shown the undermining of not just Trinity, but Gehenna as well, with how the operatives of both districts tend to be with Arius when Beatrice blipped off the radar and left Arius to their whims. Before the chatter, however...

—

Abydos was the first and earliest arrival, the only five remaining students alongside its only club, the Foreclosure Task Force, arriving earlier than the anticipated time. The copy they received was the exact same form, and their reactions were... Mixed, to say the least.

"Hmmm~" Hoshino cooed, stretching herself as she finished reading through the whole thing. "Do we really need another adult to tell us what to do?"

"Tch. As if we haven't handled our own problems fine without Schale." Serika's assertion was laced with venom. Knowing how Sensei usually was with them, it was clear she had high standards and thought that he didn't exactly have the right requirements. Even so...

"He helped Arius rebuild. Without orders." Shiroko's statement was a matter of fact, as she stared at the door where the General Student Council, and eventually, the Replacement Sensei will walk out of.

"He definitely has some ulterior motives! No one does charity for no good reason!"

"Do you think... Maybe he could help with our debt?" Nonomi's optimism was met with a spring of hope. Sensei tried his best to help as much as he could, even after everything else. But Sensei isn't here. Not yet. And yet, something from Nonomi's words there struck a chord with Serika, who suddenly was flustered at the thought of it.

"W-we don't need charity!"

"But free labor from a teacher~? That's just good economics." Hoshino smirked, and Shiroko simply let out a 'hm' in resonance with the chairwoman. Her eyes however, stared at the empty seat reserved for Sensei. Her left ear twitched.

"W-well, let's just pay attention to what comes next, okay?" Ayane assured, perhaps the sole voice of reason within the Foreclosure Task Force, and by lesser extent, Abydos as a whole.

—

Millennium's Seminar came in soon after, already knowing first hand of what Kize was all about. Yuuka already deflated herself when she sat down, while Noa kept the facade of her smile intact. Her eyes met Abydos and for the few seconds of their eyes meeting hers, she cooed, and indication for them to observe in finer detail soon.

"Ugh, I still can't get over how he manages to use SCHALE's funds to pay off our Engineering Department. The fact he even has efficiency with his paperwork is just... Annoying. How does he even do it??"

"98.7% approval rate on reconstruction permits. Faster than our ex-president."

"And that's not natural at all. Like, who processes forms that fast without cutting corners?"

Noa smiled simply. "Maybe someone who doesn't need sleep?"

"........." She sighed. "Point taken."

"Still, you can't deny. His efficiency with the Engineering Department is unmatched compared to Sensei."

"Right, as if prioritizing permits was legal."

"He exercised his rights and clauses quite well~"

—

Before they took their entrance, Red Winter Office had a pre-meeting meeting to assess their situation and of the Replacement Sensei. Somewhere, somehow along the way, it veered to something less substantial.

"This is an OUTRAGE! They didn't even send us his measurements for a proper uniform!" Cherino inquired, fuming at the sheer thought of the Replacement Sensei not wearing their school uniform simply to show his loyalty to Red Winter. Her mustache was crooked, probably due to her outburst.

"Absolutely unforgivable, Comrade President!" Tomoe was certainly being a yeswoman now, with her furiously writing down in her notes on what Cherino's next inquiry would be.

"We're here to discuss school affairs, not tailors..." Marina, clearly the somewhat relatively sane individual of Red Winter Office, pointed out.

"SCHOOL AFFAIRS ARE TAILORING AFFAIRS! The mustache stays ON during negotiations!"

"Comrade President, your mustache!"

Cherino immediately fixed her mustache after much struggle. As they arrived at the conference hall, Cherino sat proudly, yet uttered complaints that the chair she sat on did not reflect her superiority, something Tomoe noted on, and something Marina sensed would give her a headache over.

—

Hyakkiyako's Yin-Yang Club came in next, holding up some sweets in preparation for a peace offering to the Replacement Sensei... That Chise casually took and ate half of through their attempts to get to the conference hall. The aides wondered if this was some kind of blessing in disguise as if appeasing some unknown deity for the Replacement Sensei's kindness to shine.

"Senpai, please focus! This meeting could affect our touring budget!" Kaho called out, her eyes intent and focused towards Chise, who may be the final bastion of hope for Yin Yang Club.

Chise, on her end, was simply dreamy.

"New moon over Kivotos... A shadow without form..." That was an odd statement, and yet to Kaho, apparently it made total sense, as the latter seemed to be flustered by how she acted.

"T-that's...actually quite perceptive!"

"Hm? I was thinking about the cafeteria's moon-viewing dumplings..."

Perhaps she was. Perhaps she was waxing poetry. Or perhaps she was absolutely absent minded to the point that she entirely missed the point of this meeting.

—

Shanhaijing's Xuanlong Office came in a drove, with Kisaki as their current only head of representative. The copy of the recognition form was slipped onto her desk, and she carefully read it. But that wasn't just the only ones she had a hand on, as her aides slipped her a couple more documents her way for her own assessment.

"Master, our intelligence has shown that the man left no digital footprint. Either that or he had erased it completely." Her aides reported. Kisaki's simple response was to sip her tea.

"Hoh. A ghost in the system. How convenient. Of himself, of SCHALE and of the General Student Council." Kisaki's pinky tapped against the cup, once. Once again. Once again.

"Shall we... Dig deeper?"

Kisaki smiled. A sort of smile that hid its deviousness in plan.

"No need. Today, we will meet the Replacement Sensei. And today, we'll see what kind of blade SCHALE has acquired." Her eyes darted to the current members now sitting before her.

'Fascinating.'

—

Arius Squad-- no. They were more than that. They are the Arius Student Council. The representative of Arius, headed by Saori walked in. Her posture was of utmost rigid, yet her expression remained unwavering. Atsuko, Hiyori and Misaki ghosted alongside her, as eyes and whispers aimed at them.

Why wouldn't it? They were the biggest point of contention when Beatrice went against Trinity. And Arius were her pawn pieces.

They need no celebrations, nor do they need further elaboration for their existence. They exist as is. And they're here, not as terrorists, but as representatives to a historical era. And that was as strong a message as any.

Saori brushed her hand against the table, a silent reminder of their status. The indication of which where they belong now.

They belong here.

—

Trinity's Tea Party came along right on the intended time, with Nagisa and Mika as a study in controlled elegance (at least, with how Nagisa was) with their tea served by their aides. Mika was of a different story, her eyes scanning the room with unreadable intensity as they both took their seats.

Nagisa never bothered a glance towards Arius Squad, now revived as the Arius Students Council. Mika never took her eyes away from them. Arius Student Council, for their own end, sat in defiance against their indifference.

A kind of cold air emanated throughout the hall, the tumultuous history between the two districts need little to be said. Many months ago, they attempt to sow destruction in Trinity. Now here they sat, an example of defiance and resilience.

How pestilential.

—

Twenty minutes passed, and the door bursted open for the grand introduction of Gehenna's Pandemonium Society.

"WE'RE HERE! AND FASHIONABLY LATE, AS IS OUR RIGHT!!"

Makoto's emboldened declaration was met with initial silence. Ibuki clung to Makoto's leg, waving optimistically at everyone with that infectious smile of hers. Chiaki sauntered behind, grinning at the visible irritation Nagisa had on her face. Satsuki, ever the laid back member, flicked her coin into her cleavage before grinning. Iroha, the sensible member of Pandemonium Society, took up the rear with a tired sigh.

"You're twenty minutes late."

Yuuka's exasperated statement can be heard through the halls.

"FASHIONABLY LATE, AS I HAVE SAID." Makoto declared, as if it was an achievement.

It was certainly an achievement in her own ignorant pride. Something Cherino could share. And share, she did.

"HOW DARE YOU UPSTAGE THE SUPREME LEADER'S GRAND--"

A clear of a throat.

Rin made her appearance known to Gehenna, her eyes piercing through their chaos with cold belief with a hint of tiredness. Kize, unnoticed due to him keeping himself to the shadows, moved onto his seat, and spoke, taking everyone's attention immediately.

"Let's begin."

Reactions were immediate.

For Abydos, Hoshino quickly sharpened herself into a more alert state when she noticed how the 'Replacement Sensei' carried himself; an unsheathed blade. Shiroko's gaze was towards his hands. He had a lack of gloves, which meant he had nothing to hide here. Serika scowled, but with how he reeked of efficiency, there was no real heat to it. Ayane find his presence intense, while Nonomi was a more cautious optimist.

He wasn't Sensei. He wasn't even what they expected. But he wasn't worse. Just different.

Seminar held itself just a teensy bit well compared to the meeting the day before, considering they saw first hand what Kize was capable of.

By all accounts, they're expecting some numbers to be thrown.

Cherino was bristled quite quickly.

"WHO IS THIS--"

"Not. Now." Marina's hand clamped straight onto Cherino's muffled mouth.

"His mustache game is weak... Not like has any."

Tomoe's rather irrelevant detail spot was exactly what Red Winter's verdict of him was: irrelevant, but only due to Cherino's short attention span.

Yin-Yang Club, especially Chise, eyed him both absently and yet with a kind of blankness that mask away some kind of unknown detail of the past.

"... A sun with no shadow."

"Senpai?"

"Oh, he simply looks tired."

Chise was unintentionally accurate with that statement.

The Xuanlong Office feverishly took notice of Kize's presence and scribbled as much as they could, while Kisaki eyed Kize's details from head to toe. The very fact he was unnoticed until now told her of some untold past. A soldier? An assassin?

A stark contrast from first impression on screen. A blade worth testing.

The Tea Party's reaction was less than amused. This was the man that had Arius rebuilt in mere 3 days? His posture, his lack of visual respect and especially his appearance was all a scream of not just defiance. But of condemnation. Mika, despite being slightly hinged by Nagisa, had a glint in her eyes.

A conclusion of contrasts. A threat to one, a spectacle to the other.

The Pandemonium Society, late as they are, had reactions that were quite varied.

Satsuki thought she could more than likely hypnotize him. Iroha sighed, the very least acknowledging that he was the least of their problems. Chiaki, purely from how he looks, finds him likable. Ibuki, in her words:

"Ibuki thinks he's a really cool samurai from the dramas!"

Makoto? She gaped, in disbelief of who the 'Replacement Sensei' is in person. This was the man to be the stopgap? He never even looked like he smiled his entire life!

They were collectively disappointed by a lack of explosions. Except Iroha. Iroha is relieved of no such thing.

Arius Student Council was most damning, despite the lack of reactions from any of them. They didn't need to show such a thing. Only Saori's slight nod gave them a hint of indication of anything that passed between them.

Arius knows Kize. And he was, and still is the exact same man as he was when they brought him to Arius and left on his own terms. Just as they raised themselves by their own terms.

Rin stood at the head of the table, her expression carefully neutral now after the stunt Gehenna pulled off.

"Before we proceed with today's agenda," she began, "I would like to formally introduce Kize Seikato, who will be, and has been overseeing Schale's operations in Sensei's absence."

He needed no fanfare, standing some distance away from Rin, yet just enough that he was within arm's reach. With a sigh, he made his words known.

"You already know why I'm here. So I'll keep this brief."

The room seem to hold its breath, preparing for what he would say, what he would do.

He would do nothing, yet say with efficiency and proficiency.

"I'm not your friend. I'm not your mentor. And I'm certainly not here to replace what you've lost."

Saori noticed a twitch of his finger at the side. It was there she noticed that small keychain of a pistol. Sharp eyed as she was, she noticed the Arius symbol at the slide. She knew what he meant by those words.

But he wasn't done.

"But I am qualified. And while I'm here, I will do what needs to be done. No more, no less."

His eyes flickered to Arius only ever so briefly. Perhaps even instantaneously, before his eyes returned to the group at large. His voice however, was sharpened.

"If you're expecting hand-holding, pep talks, or someone who coddles you and tells you that everything is going to be alright... Leave. If you're willing to work, to actually fix problems instead of just talking about them? Then we'll get along just fine."

Various reactions exploded.

Some, in particular Pandemonium Society and Red Winter Office, in clear fumes due to how he acted, some in curiosity, others in begrudging respect. But one thing was for certain. He had left an indelible mark upon Kivotos. Rin cleared her throat, and when that failed, she rapped her knuckles against the table a total of three times, clearing away the discussion of chaos for the main focus at hand.

"Now, we shall begin our main agenda."

Everyone slowly returned to their seats. Except for Kize. He remained standing, arms crossed, watching as every single representative looked into the physical copy of the form they were given, followed by the form itself becoming a hologram in the middle of the room, its details refined to be seen in utmost detail.

"This isn't a debate," Rin stated, her voice crisp. "Arius Satellite School meets all administrative requirements for district recognition. The purpose of this meeting is formal ratification."

There was silence.

And then there was obvious opposition.

Nagisa's teacup met its saucer with a sharp click.

"Schale oversteps its authority. Arius remains under Trinity's guardianship."

"No. They do not." Kize's voice cut in, flat, yet final. Nagisa was quick to look straight at the 'Replacement Sensei', an icy gaze befallen upon an apathetic one.

"You are new here. You don't understand the--"

"I understand that guardianship requires actual guardians," Kize interrupted. "Not, absentee landlords."

The corner of Mika's lips twitched, almost forming a smile. At the same time, Rin tapped on her tablet, allowing a display of maintenance logs, supply requests and budget reports. All from Arius. Unanswered by Trinity.

"Six months of radio silence," Rin pointed out. "Unless you count the invoice for 'reparations' Trinity levied against their remaining assets."

Nagisa's composure cracked slightly. Just slightly.

"That was--"

"Predatory."

Kize didn't waver when he stated that, nor did his gaze ever had a glint of predatory pride. It was objective fact, and it was clear where his stance was.

"So sign the form, or explain to the General Student Council why Trinity sabotaged postwar recovery."

The hall, on the other hand, was of cacophonous symphony.

"Whoa hoh hoh hoh~ Trinity getting called out by the new guy! This is gold!!"

"Could you not fan the flames for five minutes, Prez?"

"THIS IS WHY CAPITALISM FAILS!! ONLY THE SUPREME LEADER'S PUDDING-BASED ECONOMY--"

"Comrade President! The pudding economy of Red Winter has--"

"A tree stripped bare, still grows new leaves..."

"Wow. At least we have the effort to pay our debts."

"Mostly by robbing banks, but still~"

Arius was the only district that didn't speak. And why should they? Saori's stare said everything. The rest of Arius Squad glanced at Kize, who noticed the keychain hanging from his pocket. One they recognized. One of theirs. And through it all...

Mika stood.

"...Sign it, Nagisa." Her voice was quiet, but firm. "Or I will."

Nagisa's eyes flashed. "You dare--"

"I dare," Mika interrupted. "Because someone should."

There was silence. There was a pause. Then--

Nagisa signed.

Her pen strokes were precise. Fury in every line. but it was proof. Proof that Kize's actions had inevitably shaped Kivotos. The rest soon followed, as Kize merely gazed. He didn't gloat. He didn't smile. Just a nod to Rin.

"It's done."

His steps took itself forward and out. His gaze met Saori's partway, and she nodded. A silent acknowledgement that didn't need to be addressed.

Kize thought the keychain felt just a bit heavier in his pocket.

This was the day Kivotos has learned something about the man titled Kize Seikato.

Kize might claim he's "just doing his job."

But Kivotos is always learning. And that's more than enough.