Kize didn't plan to stay for the aftermath. Or the discussion that would inevitably follow when he took his leave. All that mattered was for Kize to say his piece, ensure that Arius's sovereignty was upheld, and await for the inevitable weight of bureaucracy slamming into his shoulders. A soft grumble came upon his throat, held back by sheer spite as he dug himself into the ideals of his electronic bureaucracy, as Rin approached him from behind. Her presence was already felt when her heels made clacks against the floor.

"That could've gone worse."

Kize didn't respond, his eyes focused on the outside. He bore witness to the delegations of each district making their way out, with Arius being the first to leave. Kize could see them discuss amongst themselves, before they stopped in their tracks. All four collectively looked up, their looks unreadable, their gaze however, sharp. Kize could see where they intend to aim: at him.

"You're not celebrating."

"There's nothing to celebrate."

Kize's voice was flat, as if what he said was an objective fact.

"Arius had always been a district. They just needed someone to stamp the paperwork."

There was silence between the two, as if there was silent mulling between them.

"Funny. That's not what the Engineering Department calls you."

Kize blinked. And in another, he snapped his head to face Rin more properly.

"Arius's Ghost. They called you that, because you haunted their halls. Moving silently, efficiently, and just when they thought they saw you, you're gone. And just when they wanted to thank you, you vanish."

"I did my job."

Rin tilted her head.

"And now? What's your job now, Kize?"

He didn't answer. His line of sight slowly reverted back down, watching the Pandemonium Society's antics get obliterated by the Valkyrie Police Cadets.

"You could visit, you know."

Kize didn't need an interpreter to tell him what she meant by that.

"They don't need a ghost haunting them."

"They asked for you."

"They asked for Sensei."

A sigh.

"You really don't get it, do you?"

She took one step closer. A step of rare initiative ever since Kize took office as Sensei.

"Arius doesn't care about titles. They care that you were the one who listened."

Kize didn't say a word. But Rin noticed where his hands clutched. The small keychain of a pistol, with Arius's symbol engraved onto the slider. His conflict. His refusal to accept kindness.

"I'll file the reports tomorrow."

It was almost a muted response. A response she thought held significant weight. She could see that, despite it all...

He was still human.

When she left, Kize slumped against his chair, taking a few seconds for a breather before he began to reach towards the Shittim Chest to continue his work.

But then the door slid open to a drone zooming into the room, carrying a package of some sort before dropping directly onto his desk. It unraveled itself, showing a strange gizmo of various tools, materials and... Weird connectors that, if not for the fact that Kize recognized few of the parts, he'd otherwise have no clue what it was.

The self-repair sentry cannon, disassembled into its pieces. There was a piece of paper alongside it, with neat handwriting detailing how to build it properly with no tools left unused. Apparently the instruction manual was written by Hibiki, considering her signature at the bottom of the manual. With a P.S at the bottom.

'Thank you for approving our permits, Sensei!'

His expression is unreadable for two whole minutes. Was he confused? Impressed? Unimpressed? No one will know.

And then the three engineers bursts into the room.

"Approval forms, finally!"

Utaha strode in, Rai-chan floating beside her like a dutiful hound. Behind her, Hibiki lurked in the doorway, clutching a toolbox, while Kotori practically vibrated with unspent energy.

Kize looked done.

"The permits were processed yesterday."

"I know," Utaha replied simply, tapping Rai-chan's shell. "We're here for the next project."

A holographic blueprint flickered to life above Kize's desk. A title emerged:

Arius Satellite School: Phase 2 (Cultural Revitalization)

The phase involves a public library to replace the one destroyed and left to rot in the Arius District, alongside a 'Plum Blossom Garden' satellite greenhouse. Hibiki mentions that it was, and quoted by someone else, 'for horticultural therapy'.

The snap of a pen commenced.

"No."

The denial cut through the office like a knife.

"Why not, Sensei?" Hibiki questioned, blinking. It was for Arius's sake, right? They simply thought that Arius would need more infrastructure.

"You approved the particle accelerator."

"That was utilities. This is--"

Kotori butted in without a second thought.

"Essential. Post-conflict societal reintegration requires communal spaces. Also, Shun already agreed to supply the seeds."

Immediately, there was silence. That... That was an unfamiliar name, and yet something about that name sends the wrong kinds of sensation all across him.

"... Who?"

A smirk crawled its way onto Utaha's face.

"Sunohara Shun. Instructor for Shanhaijing's Plum Blossom Garden. She adores children. And ghosts."

A pointed look to Kize was all it took for Kize's left eye to twitch.

"The library stays. No greenhouse."

That, they can agree with. As they left the scene, Hibiki waved at Kize. He didn't respond. His eyes were focused on the words 'Blossom Plum Garden Collaboration' in the corner. It keeps lingering, tingling against him, as if it was a parasite that he had to address before it festers.

He stamped it for approval.

The AIs immediately blipped to life.

"Oh, Shun-sensei?" Arona pointed out.

"A reliable instructor." Already, Kize could discern that she was a familiar face to the AIs. And maybe that can be a good thing.

"Arona, Plana. Run a profile of Sunohara Shun."

"Oh? Sensei?" Arona's voice had a hint of mischief behind it soon after. "Oooooh, catching feelings already~?"

Kize provided her answer with a glare that could melt steel. "Profile. Now."

The AIs got to work. In no time wasted, the screen shows the woman in question.

Her hair was black, hip-length seemingly, tied into a loose bun with a single jade pin. Her eyes were grass-green.

"Like someone squeezed summer into a stare."

Arona's unhelpful annotation was met with Kize's deadpan glare. Her halo was a light blue, cross-shaped with diamond accents.

And then came in her apparent uniform.

A non-standard black qipao with thigh-high slits, a plunging neckline, and a fur-trimmed translucent overdress. An appearance that showed plenty of skin than she should have.

Kize's eye twitched. "That's not a uniform. That's a--"

"Fashion statement!" Arona chirped. "And super pretty!"

"Millennium's climate analytics suggest Shanhaijing averages 28°C/82°F in summer. Practical for heat dispersion."

Kize ignored Plana's addition. "Firearm?"

"QBU-88 sniper rifle," Plana confirmed. "Bipod removed, custom engravings. Likelihood of ceremonial use: 12%. Likelihood of functional use: 89%."

"Oh, Sensei talks a lot about her, doesn't he?"

"Correct. He trusts her with the kindergartners of Shanhaijing."

As the two talked to each other about Shun's finer details, Kize's grip to the broken pen tightened. Something about this whole thing is suspicious. His eyes darted to her records, as was written in Schale. She requested nothing from Schale, as if her role was one she was well specialized in. He already scoured the records of many others, and statistically, 87% of instructors most definitely needed Schale's consulting from their first year. Shun was clearly an anomaly.

What also didn't help was that she contacted Arius immediately after their recognition. Like, barely two hours in. He knew information could travel fast, but the very fact that Shun immediately reached out to help Arius was a cause for suspicion.

'Too fast. Too eager.'

The additional detail of her age being censored or not informed is also a point of contention. He vaguely heard Arona think she might be a vampire. That earned her a dead stare.

But yet, most damningly of all, he had come to a horrifying conclusion. The sensation he was feeling wasn't suspicion.

It was recognition.

Shun, with her gentle demeanor and hidden steel, her unasked-for kindness, her refusal to let go... Reminded him of her. Someone that didn't let go of him.

So he let go of her.

"Sensei~?"

He blinked, noticing that mischievous look on her face. His expression quickly turned unreadable.

"You like her outfit, hm?"

"Stress response inconsistent with threat assessment. Alternate hypothesis: Attraction?"

Kize stood up immediately.

"Enough."

The AIs kept silent. They couldn't see his face, but they could see how he was doing. And from how he looked... It didn't look pretty. His perspiration was especially more prevalent. Not because he was nervous.

But something more primal: fear.

But why?

Is it because she was dangerous?

Or is it because she was kind?