Their arrival back to the Ghost's Teahouse was met with... A ridiculous amount of fanfare.

"VICE PREZ!! YOU'RE BACK!!" The part time students exclaimed suddenly, wide eyed and filled with utter joy at the sight of their Vice President returning to Hyakkiyako. Nagusa visibly stumbled in place, the sudden energy for such an afternoon like this incalculable. The students' voices piled atop each other, a cacophony of too-sweet welcome-back cakes and too-sharp questions.

"Where's President Ayame?" One asked. Nagusa's grip on her rifle were white knuckled, but barely noticed. Another, "What happened to your--?" Nagusa's bandages itched under their gazes. Kize's fingers twitched toward his Shittim Chest. Not to intervene, but to document. This was a liability in motion.

His eyes however, discerned an anomaly, one the AIs quickly correlate to him. Nagusa noticed the smallest shift in his expression before he stepped forward.

"You. I would like to talk with you in private."

The girl who once complimented his facial features flinched, her pupils dilating a beat too slow before a dust of pink settled on her cheeks.

"Sensei, you shouldn't--"

"I insist."

"Oh, Ghost-Sensei finally making his move!"

The students cheered at this seemingly sudden progress, but Nagusa's discernment was one she identified with immediate urgency, with bandages pulsing where the ink had dried, as if the lie itself irritated the wounds. But before she could say another word, Kize glanced at her.

An unspoken conversation. She nodded.

"Let's give Ghost-Sensei some space."

She pushed the other students out, with her in tow. The door shut behind them, leaving Kize alone with the girl.

"Sensei, this is a little too sudden..." She cooed, twirling a stray white hair. Kize was unfazed, before he spoke.

"You're not her."

Silence.

"W-what do you mean--"

"She never addresses me as just Sensei. Your eyes are a slight deviation of blue that veers straight into aqua blue. She never has a mole at her left chin. And you have several strands of white hair too much compared to her."

"..........."

The white hair quickly lashed out, attempting to snap up his arms, with Kize backing away several steps away. Her blush evaporated too fast, like paint over cracks. Kize noticed how the white hairs hissed at him, taking shape of snakes. Her eyes shed its color, a true yellow with snake slits for irises.

Kize, the stoic Sensei, for the very first time since his arrival, expressed utter disgust. The very sight of the woman before him having some parts of her white hair turning out to be snakes defied all logic, all common sense. This wasn't biology. This was artifice; a perversion even Kivotos shouldn't allow.

He could accept animal ears. Animal ears obeyed biology. He could give leeway for angel and devil wings. But this student, woman, whichever or whatever she was...

It was if she was a true supernatural being that was never held by the advent of reality.

"Well done, Replacement Sensei. So you are more than just a bureaucrat, after all," she cooed with a faux pas of a head tilt.

"Sensei! She's not in any of the records in SCHALE!"

"Conclusion: She is an anomaly of Hyakkiyako. Suggestion: retreat."

Kize's expression betrayed the answer he logically should have gone to. Instead, he sprinted up the stairs, the creaking of the stairs following his steps, only for faint laughter following him. His mind quickly looked about once again.

Tatami mats, pillows, legless chairs and tables. Frankly, insufficient weaponry. And yet, he exhaled, eyeing ever so carefully at what could emerge from beneath the stairs.

The hissing grew louder, and then, her snakes faced him first. Sadistic sighs left the woman's lips, before she giggled.

"Oh, Replacement, I have yet to introduce myself, have I? I am Kokuriko's loyal servant, Habu Azami. Your attempts here in reforming Hyakkaryouran had been nothing short of astounding~"

Her snakes hissed in anger, or a sort of twisted impulse of pleasure at the sheer thought of being able to take a bite out of a ghostly figure as prominent as Arius's Ghost.

"But unfortunately, even tales have an ending. And we have written yours." Her approach was menacing, each step onto the floor leaving a creak, like a pulse waiting to burst out at any moment given.

"You're not my author." Kize's blunt response was followed by a snap of his fingers, right on his back.

BANG

A bullet slammed right into the side of Azami's head. Her head jerked to the side, her snakes recoiling from unexpected pain jolting into their systems. And then, a foxlike laughter.

"I'm glad you've summoned me here, Sensei~" Kosaka Wakamo cooed, emerging from the balcony with her signature mask on her face, her rifle aimed with merely one hand towards Azami. Even with the mask, Azami could see the thirst for blood seeping through its crevices.

Her eyes slightly widened, before realizing her current circumstance. Nagusa waited outside with the Hyakkaryouran. The Replacement had Wakamo, a member of the most notorious Seven Prisoners in his beck and call.

She was a predator.

But she was surrounded by bold prey.

"How did you--"

"Fire."

Kize's cut off provided the fuel to the flame. Wakamo immediately charged with manic laughter, firing her bolt action rifle as if it was semi-automatic, her hands pulling and charging the bolt handle in breakneck speed. Four bullet casings flew off and dropped to the floor with a hollow ping in near simultaneous fashion.

All but 3 missed its mark.

The scratch caused by Wakamo's bullet was seen on Azami's right arm, causing her to hiss, and then laugh. Raising the scratched arm, she licked the injury.

The blood tasted like ink. She grinned.

"Fufufu, you bite back! How delightful!"

she aggressively reached out. Immediately, Wakamo used the butt of her rifle to deflect her wrist before slicing Azami with the bayonet knife on her rifle. One that was narrowly dodged by Azami, before she scratched her sleeves and wrist.

A flurry of moves too fast for Kize to perceive, as their strikes, kicks and grapples were too efficient, too skilled. Hands whizzed, feet swung, arms gripped and thrown. All the while, Wakamo's mask, a pristine white with fox motifs, had its eyes, already painted red, glowed an ever darker shade behind it.

"Sensei, we gotta do the next plan!" Arona chimed in through the earbuds. Kize blinked only once, before he simply said one word.

"Jump."

Like a trigger word, Wakamo jumped, kicking away Azami before grabbing Kize, carrying him bridal style. Wordlessly, they jumped out of the balcony, landing immediately on a tiled roof of the other side. Wakamo still held onto Kize like he was her bride, something Kize couldn't care less as his eyes met down towards Nagusa and her club members.

Their eyes met.

"Wait, Ghost-Sensei's there?" One pointed out.

"Wait, is that Wakamo?!! Why is she here?!" Another questioned. "And why is she holding Sensei hostage?!!"

Nagusa said nothing, only watching Kize's hand movements. A clasp of his fist, then open splayed, and then a single finger pointed towards the Hyakkiyako Yin-Yang Club Main Building.

She understood it all in record time.

Kize watched as Nagusa seem to inform her clubmates of what they should do, before moving away from the teahouse's entrance. Away from the trap that had sprung into action. The wave of tourists looked up to them, noticing a ghost being carried by a criminal in a mask, followed by the sudden leap of a snake haired woman. In swift fashion, Wakamo sprinted off, jumping from one rooftop to another, while Kize took hold of her rifle, a Type 38 Arisaka, and pushing a stripper clip down. But as he charged the bolt, a bullet popped out, a detail he noticed, but was too late to grab. The casing clattered to the tiles, a metallic whisper of incompetence. Paperwork had never betrayed him like this.

He never held a gun, and never will intend to use it. Too cumbersome, and it would more than likely cause paperwork nightmare.

And Rin's disapproval.

Their chase through the shopping district's roofs commenced. To the onlookers, they thought they were bearing witness to a live show. Of a ghost being kidnapped by his snake haired lover. Cheers occurred at every leap, every hiss, every grimace ever faintly seen on Kize's face as they landed on another tiled roof.

Far from it. This was no act of love. It was an act of malice.

"Replacement, do we move to the next phase~?" Wakamo cooed, adjusting Kize so that he was on her back, clinging to her shoulders while she climbed up onto a roof, intending to head out of the shopping district and into Hyakkiyako's garden. Azami was never far behind, before the two disappeared into the greenery of the garden.

The garden had long closed, intending to let it recover from the unknown attack from the sky some time ago. The very same attack that shook Kivotos's foundation and put Sensei into his coma. Its remnants remained, of burnt grass, rubble jutting in places and cobblestone intended for visitors to walk on. Some trees stood, leafless, but living. Sakura blossomed still, yet its petals barely held together by the hopes and dreams of Hyakkiyako.

Somehow, Kize and Wakamo hid too well.

"You cannot hide forever, Replacement," Azami called out, her snakes hissing as if trying to pick up his scent. Her scent. Anything. Anywhere.

All they picked up was the faint smell of gunpowder and extrajudicial power.

Three figures emerged. All three wearing tactical gear and body armor. Their most distinct feature were the bunny ears equipment on their head.

RABBIT Platoon. A recognition Azami found out too quickly, amplified further when Wakamo cackled behind her, the barrel of her rifle aimed directly towards the back of Azami's head.

"Sensei, we have eyes on the target." Miyako's simple announcement came to easily to her tongue, her hand on the communicator in her ear.

"Clause 3: Extrajudicial Act. Your threat of Hyakkiyako's destruction has caught SCHALE's attention and will be brought down!" Saki declared, her LS/26 aimed right and true towards Azami.

"I wanna blow her snakes up." Moe, the ever so destructively explosive girl she was, held C4s in her hand.

Miyu was nowhere to be seen. Or at least, could be seen. But her scope was aimed true towards Azami.

Kize was nowhere to be found.

—

The chaos in the gardens had commenced. A battle of gunshots, gunpowder, and blades, the ruined garden brought to its unnatural demise by the advent of its combatants.

All the while, Kize weaved through the crowds, almost effortlessly arriving at the main building with Nagusa awaiting there with the others.

"Ghost-Sensei! What was that?!" They inquired. Kize didn't say a word, but he only glanced at the doors, opening wide to allow Niya to appear before them.

"Good planning so far, Sensei. I won't lie, the fact you told us about Nature's Beauty Club just to plan this all out is so back aching," Niya groaned, a yawn followed by a single eye open. Sharp.

"Is... Something going on?" The part timers questioned.

"Sensei has a plan," Nagusa mentioned. She never spoke else of what the plan might be. However, from how Niya looked at Kize, and the mere mention of the Nature's Beauty Club, it was clear they had something in mind. Kize glanced at Nagusa.

"Get your members."

Nagusa's expression immediately shifted. she flinched, before she visibly shrunk.

"I... I'm not like the president, Sensei."

"You're not." Kize bluntly responded, sliding the Shittim Chest into his hands as he swiped and circled a potential spot. That choker woman that morning had her motives, and he could feel the motive bleed through Azami.

He discerned that she must be Kokuriko. And yet... Why was she doing what she did?

"... So why...?" Nagusa questioned, yet trailed off. Kize exhaled through his nose. A wasted motion, but calculations demanded clarity.

"You're not her." Kize let half a moment pass. "You're Nagusa."

Her breathing shifted.

"Now get your members. We're ending this." Kize's finishing words was like a gavel strike. Yet, the words tasted like Shun's tea: unnecessary warmth. But the mission required efficiency, not pride.

"Yeah. He's right... You're not the president. But you can still do what you do best, VP!" The part timers insisted.

"We're the Hyakkaryouran! There's no way we should give ourselves up! The Great Prophet wouldn't dare want to watch us disappoint ourselves by not doing anything!"

"YEAH!!"

Nagusa's breathing shook, before her grip on her rifle was held firm and tightly.

"Where will we be going, Sensei?" She questioned.

"Yukari."

Confusion painted the Hyakkaryouran's faces. Yukari? Why her?

Niya provided them the solution.

"The most fervent member of the Hyakkaryouran is the only fire that keeps it alive. Snuff it out, well..." Her voice dropped an octave, "the Hyakkaryouran wouldn't shine as bright as its epitome."

Nagusa's eyes widened, the grip on the stock of her rifle nearly cracking her rifle. Kize seemed indifferent, but when their eyes met, she could see urgency in his eyes.

And as quick as he appeared, he disappeared into the crowd once again, the fluttering of his coat suffocated by the bodies of the masses.

She glanced at the others, to Niya. And they all wondered the same thing.

Who was the ghost planning to haunt then, if he wasn't going for Yukari?

——

Kadenokouji Yukari came from a noble family. Every moment of her life was intended to ensure that she was to uphold and not disappoint the Kadenokouji name. For what reason, she never knew. But she tried.

She always lent a helping hand. It came naturally. It was because she was a Kadenokouji. The name bore respect and responsibility. And yet, the name was used for selfish purposes.

Not by her. But by everyone else.

Every tug, every pull here and there. Every desires, whims of her fellow students and relatives relegated her to truly test her limits. A noble name tainted by a history she had no hand over, no reason of involvement into, especially as she would be the next miko for this year's upcoming lantern festival.

But even then, there was one group that saved her. One face that she truly saw a place to be, merely in just their first encounter.

Goryou Nagusa. The Hyakkaryouran Conflict Resolution Council.

It was the vice president that saved her from thugs, and seeing that this act was not just because it was the right thing to do, but also that it was of her own free will, she asked to join.

They accepted. A first year, dedicated to the cause of helping not because of her family name, but by her own free will. Of how she chooses to help.

She wasn't the best. She was sheltered. She still stumbled. She lacked the experience typically shared by her fellow Hyakkaryouran members.

And yet, she was earnest. She was true. And that was the strongest glue the Hyakkaryouran ever had since its inception.

But even the strongest glue wore down.

The Hyakkaryouran's disbandment came unannounced, but expected. Its President, undoubtedly its strongest member, Nanakado Ayame, disappeared. No one knew where she disappeared. But when she did, Nagusa did as well. The lack of leaders led to an inevitable domino effect, its members in disarray, loss of its purpose.

But not Yukari. She persisted. And she held firm. Initially unwavering, she gave a request to the Yin-Yang Club for help.

They gave her the Replacement Sensei.

His given moniker, Arius's Ghost, fit too well. Ghost-Sensei was the second moniker, his spectral being an anomaly against the very nature of Kivotos.

She heard the stories. Of how he rebuilt Arius in 3 days, established their sovereignty in 2, stood against drone attacks from Kaiser to protect Arius, gave the students of SRT a new purpose, and established an alliance between two bitter enemies.

She expected a man who would come in, write some miracle, reinstate the Hyakkaryouran, and then disappear.

She found out quickly that his methodology was that the ends justify the means. A man who seemed he'd rather be anywhere else. A man who does, then disappears. Never to linger, never to even comfort.

Then she saw his bandages, and wondered how a ghost could even get hurt. How that she had to remind herself that he was still human.

But then she thought he was heartless. Unemotional. Leaving and never comforting her when she lost against her friend, Renge, the crater that once held her body now a mark of shame. Never being there when she resolved herself to reform the Hyakkaryouran by herself. Not even the decency to look for her when she was shamed and bombarded by truths from Kikyou after her own defeat.

"You still have the Kadenokouji to return to. Yet, you persist ever more so for Hyakkaryouran. Why are you so immature to not face the reality of the matter?"

Kikyou's words stung.

As if the thought of trying to reform Hyakkaryouran was more painful than she could handle.

Was the Hyakkaryouran truly over? A long standing tradition since the peace of Hyakkiyako, gone like a pathetic ember?

If she were to reach out to the ghost, would he flinch? Or would he not even notice?

Questions she never had answers to, as she clung to the last remnants of her bond on her back, while she sat at the edges of the bridge connecting Hyakkiyako to the rest of Kivotos, where no eyes would see her.

It had been of disuse ever since the maglev was introduced, the evening sky dawning down slowly to the night.

The Hyakkaryouran haori. Her sole belief, shattered. Her grip[ faltered, her lips quivering. The memories of her bonding with them...

The times Kikyou offered her a novel to read in their spare time.

When Renge decided to bring her along to be a part of Hyakkiyako's etiquette ceremony.

When Nagusa gave her a job well done for her efforts, whatever it could have been.

Was it all going to be just that? A painful memory with no lasting impact?

"What a face you're making, Kadenokouji."

A squeamish voice called out from the side. She glanced, and spotted a petite girl with gray hair at a neck length bob cut at the sides, and long at the back. Her eyes were of wide, devastated red, but her grin bore a twisted sensibility with it. Bandages were wrapped around her arms, calves and feet, with several medical patches all over her skin. Most prominently, a large one on her right cheek.

She half expected the girl to have been Ghost-Sensei's protege, or some kind of poor attempt to cosplay him. But with the grin she sported and the very fact she knew her family name and addressing her as such, it was clear she had no good intentions.

"What do you..." She trailed off when a dark figure slowly emerged from the girl's shadow. Its eyes were ink-black, with too many teeth prodding out of its mouth.

"It's been said that you were the reason Hyakkaryouran still stands now. Tell me. Tell Yabuki Shuro this." A roundabout way of introduction. Yet, the shadow seem to consume her, the glint of her red eyes being her only validation to his existence.

"Tell me that this will all end with Hyakkiyako burning itself~"

"Yukari!!" Nagusa's voice called out, her rifle aimed immediately towards Shuro, while the other members aimed their own towards the shadow.

"..... What is that?" One of them pointed out.

"... Nagusa?" Yukari croaked.

"Yukari... I'm sorry," she began, but before she could notice, the tendrils of shadows wrapped around her bandaged arm, a coiling sensation that suddenly pulled her and dragged her across the floorboards.

Her bandages unraveled, the ink stained brand seared into their memories as she was lifted by said arm, almost crushed by the tendrils while the figure seemingly cackled.

Nagusa's screams were haunting to hear.

"VP!!"

Bullets were shot. All found their target.

None effective.

Shuro cackled as she eyed at the pained expression Nagusa held, the ink stained arm seemingly coiled against her very arm to the point that her pained screams turned hoarse.

"Yes, let me hear more of it! More! That despaired look you gave when you couldn't save your President in the Great Snowfield. A failure that you couldn't even have the audacity to return to!"

A stray punch was thrown. It hit nothing. A swat from the shadow, and a member plunged into the waters, with Yukari too catatonic to move. Bullets flung, but when that failed, they turn barehanded.

"Give her back, you monster!!"

Shuro, unfazed, continued.

"You lie to yourself every single moment, thinking that it'll all be fine if you just don't come back. Right after she became a Phantom Fable. And look where that got you. A fading optimist, a dying club and the inevitable destruction of Hyakkiyako. Your farcical thoughts are meaningfully nothin--"

"You're wrong!!"

An exclamation, before a warcry bellowed from above. A shine of a single light, and the tendril dissipated, with a girl with spiky, long red hair with a fiery grin on her face carrying Nagusa, her arms clawed and darkened.

A human with oni features.

"Renge?" Yukari quietly voiced out.

"Nagusa is far more competent than you'd ever seen. She failed, but not for a lack of trying. And that's far more respectable than using your cheat code, you bastard!" Renge exclaimed, her clawed arms ready to tear apart the shadows, but couldn't. The Hyakkaryouran members slid back to them, aimed at Shuro.

She laughed.

"Oh, you all are silly. My Faceless Katashiro is forming and you all merely think that I would stop there?" She emerged from the shadows, that twisted grin now showed a sadist's delight, while her tome seem to have written an order, its ink dripping down from the seams.

"Watch!! Hyakkiyako will burn with the Hundred Ghost Stories in display!"

And as she proclaimed this, an ember began to engulf a storage grain...