The Stranger's return to the office was met with little fanfare. As intended. Discarding his balaclava long after he left, he adjusted his cufflink, wrinkled only by a sudden swerve in the streets earlier. He merely noted the Seven Prisoner's attack as a mere inconvenience, before driving away and out of the desert.

He had done his part. He should be receiving news that the ghost was finally captured. And with that, no one could stop Kaiser Corporation any longer. Either that, or he somehow escapes and brings Kaiser Corporation down under.

Either way, it's an inevitable victory for him.

Sitting on his desk, he swiped the screen once again, before noticing the door opening. His eyes visibly narrowed at the doorknob, noticing a gloved hand gripping it, before finally noticing that it wasn't Beatrice.

Hers was white. This one was a professional black.

"To whom do I have the displeasure to greet their intrusion for?" The Stranger spoke, before noticing a peculiar man walking into his office. A man with pure, glossy black skin, with crackles of light that vaguely resembled an eye and a carved smile on his head.

"Well, pardon my intrusion then. I go by Black Suit. And I am an associate of Kaiser Corporation."

A scoff left the stranger, yet his glove tightened around his hand as he pulled at the cuffs.

"And what business do you have with me? Your office is outside."

"My business is that of your forgery, Mr. Kuzaka. As far as I'm concerned, your overestimate your authority."

He raised an eyebrow. "Whatever could you mean? The signature for Abydos's debt is a genuine article. My authority extends in legalizing such a petty issue."

"Is it now?"

The Stranger fell silent, observing as Black Suit went close to a window, swiping it before crumbling away the dust at his fingertips.

"Arius's Ghost. You and him, act similar to one another. Clearly, you both have history. And clearly," Black Suit's 'eye' glowed, as if a revelation was about to spoken.

"It was one-sided."

The Stranger felt a vein pulsing, tempting to just throw his tablet against this... Being's face for daring assume such a thing.

"Don't even try." Black Suit shut him down immediately. "You may hold power here, but with how you've been going about, it's only a matter of time before they find out what you're planning."

"And you'll report it, is that it?"

"Me? Oh, I'm the least of your concern, Mr. Kuzaka. I am only here to inform you that..." The sound of his gloves squeaking, using friction against his gloves to make such a sound. "This Replacement Sensei is far more interesting than you."

Black Suit didn't need to turn around to see how he twitched in place.

"Elaborate." A bitter inquiry, as if being compared to him was a staple, even in a past time.

"Well, for one. He honors his contracts, and uses them for reasons you wouldn't understand." Black Suit didn't stop there.

"Adults rule the aimless with authority, the ignorant with knowledge, and the weak with power. That is what it means to be an adult. And yet, he only fulfills one."

"... Authority."

"Hmph. So you're not as emotionally driven than I thought you were." Black Suit proceeded to walk back to the door. "But do be careful. Because there is no rule that says a replacement isn't as effective as the original. Or less ruthless."

The Stranger's hand curled into a fist, threatening to crack the tablet's screen as he watched Black Suit make his way across the office. Something didn't add up here, and he spoke up.

"Black Suit, was it?"

"Hm?"

"You claim to be an associate of Kaiser Corporation. But your dossier indicated that you've already severed ties with them."

Silence filled the office, while the Stranger eyed his back like he could burn a whole straight through it. To no avail.

"So whose side are you on here?"

Slowly, Black Suit only turned his head, his singular, lit eye facing his direction.

"Good question." Silence. And then, a scoff. "Know that I work for neither of you. I work for myself."

And soon, he disappeared from the office, leaving only a man grinding his teeth while his tablet's screen began to crack under his grip. And then, he took a deep breath.

No matter. He shouldn't have been bothered by some former associate's words. Swiping his screen, a news media outlet showed itself.

'Kaiser Corporation: Fraudulent, Unfair and frankly, Failing!'

A picture was shown of both the contract he personally signed Kaiser Loans to, alongside the debt report that he sent to SCHALE.

He swiped it to the side. An attack on Kaiser Loans HQ in Abydos. Unsurprising. Foreclosure Task Force always had a tendency to rob banks.

'..... Wait, that's the loans HQ, not the bank.'

His eyes widened ever so slightly. And then, he remembered. A relatively odd anomaly.

Kize was still scrawny.

He wore a coat, but even the Stranger knew he had no actual strength to carry a soldier and flung him from one end of a hallway to the other. And Wakamo was always seen outside. And from the news reports, it was a collaboration between the Helmet Gang, Problem Solver 68, and... Some masked vigilantes in ski masks.

The Foreclosure Task Force. Of course it would be them.

But then, who was with Kize? It wasn't Sunohara Shun. His observations shown that she had still been in Shanhaijing.

It couldn't have been the GSC. They're too stuck up their own work to care.

It couldn't even have been Arius or RABBIT Platoon. Either one would be violating a jurisdiction, and their work was pure shock and awe.

Who was it that went with that bastard?

——

They all noticed something was off with Kize when they saw him being dragged onto the school grounds by Shiroko Terror.

They were supposed to be celebrating their victory. High fives, hugs, proclamations of their debts officially being held accountable against Kaiser Corporation.

But when they saw Shiroko Terror carrying a crate in one hand and a man whose shell was his own former self... Something happened.

"Sensei?" Nonomi called out in concern, a crack in her voice as Shiroko Terror let go of him. He immediately slumped against the gate, the hollow metal rattling behind him on impact.

He was breathing. He was alive.

But he wasn't there.

Where was Kize Seikato?

"Sensei." Shiroko called out, slowly reaching out to him, only to flinch when she saw those glazed eyes. Then, she slowly turned towards Serika, who tried to grab Shiroko Terror's wrist, stopped by Hoshino. A rare serious expression painted her face, but let her speak nonetheless.

"What did you do to him?!" Serika inquired. Shiroko Terror looked at Serika, before slowly shaking her head.

"I didn't." Plana's words still rang in her head.

'Psychological damage.'

"But someone did. He told me to head off without him, while he confronts... Someone."

Silence whispered through them, even as Serika scowled at Shiroko Terror.

"It's not her fault, Serika. No one is at fault here," Hoshino sternly replied. Even as they all knew what damage had been done to Kize. The kind of damage you can only experience to understand.

"And that someone... Broke him," Rabu concluded, followed by groans from the other members of the Helmet Gang. A collective agreement of simply stating that 'it was unfair.' One even kicked the gate in frustration.

"How heinous!" Aru exclaimed. "That's villainy of the lowest denominator! That's not evil, it's beyond evil!"

"Doesn't that mean... They know him?" Kayoko brought it up.

Another silence. If Kaiser Corporation knew Kize... Or whoever this man was...

What did that mean for them?

"Whoever they are... They know exactly how deep they needed to cut him," Kayoko elaborated. Her observation was on point, as they agreed. Reluctantly so.

Ayane gripped her tablet, filled with information, before she glanced down in search of any answers from Kaiser Loan's databank.

"W-what do we... Do with h-him?" Haruka asked, slowly approaching the catatonic ghost. She had never seen a ghost before, but to see one simply phasing through their own minds was unnerving.

"... I'll call the GSC. Shiroko--"

"Nn?"

"Nn?"

Serika blinked at the simultaneous answering, before the two Shiroko stared at each other, and then back to Nonomi.

"Our Shiroko, I mean. Try the thermos. Heard that he always had it with him. It must be a gift from Instructor Shun."

Shiroko Terror's wolf ears twitched. An unfamiliar name reached her ears. Who was that?

Hoshino answered it for her.

"She's colleagues with Sensei." She glanced at Kize. "Both of them, but seems to be closer with Kize-Sensei more." She shook her head.

"Why, I don't know. But the two are very close, based on what we've heard of him."

"Are they a couple?" Aru questioned, only to be elbowed by Kayoko.

Insensitive.

"We'll have to try," Kayoko stated soon after. Nodding soon after, Nonomi retreated slightly as she began her call towards GSC.

Mutsuki was oddly silent.

No. Perhaps odd was too light a word, considering her grip on her machine gun and duffel bag, as if planning a bombing in her own mind.

Shiroko, Abydos's Shiroko, approached the ghost once again, glancing at the thermos in his pocket, laying sideways lifelessly. Her expression barely changed, just the ever slight lowering of her eyelids, before slipping it out of his pocket in one hand, uncapping it, and gently taking hold of Kize's wrist in the other.

She expected resistance.

She only got a lifeless raise, like a fresh corpse. The chances were slowly growing dimmer with every passing second, it seemed. But still...

"Sensei." Shiroko called out. No response.

A slap.

A gasp escaped a Helmet Gang member.

And then another slap.

"Shiroko?!!" Nonomi called out. Everyone but Shiroko Terror were in disbelief of what Shiroko had done, the red handprints on Kize's cheeks proof of her actions.

It stung. Badly.

Shiroko Terror would only nod in acknowledgement. For no matter what timeline it was, they both would have done the same.

But the most important part of it all: it worked.

A gasp escaped Kize, and he blinked. His breathing, shallow. And yet, mechanically, he looked left and right, and then, to his hand. The hand that Shiroko raised.

"Sensei." She called out once again. His eyes widened.

"No, no no no. You... You have the wrong guy--"

"Sensei."

His muscles stiffened. Her tone didn't change. But why was it... Different?

"N-no!! No, I'm not!!!" He forcefully pulled his wrist away from Shiroko's grip, the thermos slapped out of her hand. It fell with a clang, rolling against the dirt, one more debt than his usual, while staining the ground with mere water.

Shiroko's eyes slightly widened, staring in disbelief at the thermos slowly rolling to a stop, its content nearly drained. And yet... The faintest smell of oolong persisted.

They all knew to who it belonged to. They didn't need to say it. And he always held it like a painful lifeline. A reminder of something he can't reject, but carry like a burden.

"No way..." Rabu muttered.

"Is... That a bad thing, boss?"

"He's... He's too far gone."

Shiroko Terror shook her head, a refusal to concede to this. She took hold of the thermos and looked in. Only a bit of water left. And then, she looked at Kize clutching the back of his head while rolling into a ball. Like a convicted criminal.

A sight that reminded her of when her Sensei's body was taken over. Rolled into a ball, a husk of his former self.

Not here. Never should be here.

She clutched the thermos tighter, before she walked towards him effortlessly.

"Sensei," she called out sternly.

"I'M NOT YOUR SENSEI, STO--"

"SENSEI."

A whimper left Kize. His eyes never looked further upwards, shaking from her sudden authority.

"We don't care if you aren't Sensei or not. All we care about is you. Not what you are or what you believe. Or even who you were."

She slowly, ever so gently kneeled beside him, before grabbing his wrist, and forced the thermos into his hand.

"What you do now, matters more than anything your past had inflicted on you."

She watched, his grip limp on the thermos. She kept waiting, waiting, waiting...

"Why..." His voice trailed off, and Shiroko Terror looked at him. "Why do you care?"

"...." Shiroko Terror's face slowly shrunk, her ears flopping.

"Because I failed someone. And that costed them everything. But I won't fail you. You're not a replacement anymore. You're Sensei, too."

It didn't take long before the others rallied behind her.

"You went out of your way to help us, when we haven't even asked. You're Sensei, you know?" Nonomi began.

"Huuu~ you always listen to us. You listen to Arius, and look at them now. You're practically their Sensei, too," Hoshino stated.

"...." Serika slowly crossed her arms together. "I suppose... He's not a bad Sensei."

"Well... Kize-Sensei did promise to pay us. That's more than Sensei could have ever done. That makes you our Sensei, too!" Aru declared.

"The Helmet Gang ain't the same without you, Sensei!! C'mon, come back!" Rabu shouted.

"C'mon Sensei!!" The Helmet Gang's relentless cheer with 'Sensei' persisted throughout.

And all the while, Shiroko and Shiroko Terror kneeled at both sides.

"We're here for you, Sensei. Arius, SRT, GSC... Shun. Always know you have people that care for you. And we won't abandon you."

"......."

'Miharu's still looking for you.'

The stranger's words rang in his head. She was still looking for him. Even after two years, she still persisted. Just like them.

But why?

Their voices blurred together. A voice called out for him.

Not as Kize.

Not as Sensei.

Katashi.

Not in a sneer. Not in a fatalistic way.

But something more profound.

For a moment, he was back there. Fluorescent light blurring into view, the tick of a pocket watch, and then, a silhouette draped over him.

"Chop chop. C'mon, Katashi."

Yoshikawa Miharu. Her long black hair was tied to a ponytail in this instance, her glasses glinting against the sterile light. A a lab coat was wrapped around her body, with a chain hanging off her pocket that ticked from within; a brass pocket watch. She took hold of his arm and pulled him off the couch. He reluctantly followed along with a groan.

"I just woke up from the nap you told me to take and now you want me to wake up?" He let out, only to immediately stiffen when he noticed several students peeking from the doorway.

He didn't remember how they looked like, but they seemed curious.

"Your students are here, dumbass."

"Ugh. And what are you gonna do now, leave me?"

"Psh. Only in your dreams."

"Yeah, for some reason you keep intruding those dreams lately."

"Good. Let me be a memory then."

"..." Katashi stared up at her in dry sarcasm, only for him to finally stand up, grabbing his own lab coat on a nearby rack and wearing it. It had a few bluish stains, a result from a practical examination of chemicals that he had no familiarity over.

Miharu was always a lifesaver, in that instance.

"Next time, stop overworking yourself, Katashi. Or I'm going to have to visit your house and force you myself," Miharu stated. Both a jest, and a statement.

"Oh, shut up. Why do you always worry for me?" He glanced back to the student. "C'mon in. I'll help out."

"So you see, Sensei--" They began.

He only caught an utterance from Miharu. He didn't see her, but her tone was soft.

She never spoke softly before.

"Idiot. I always do. Because..." He didn't hear what she said, because soon after, a bottle of water appeared at the corner of his eye.

"Don't forget to hydrate, Katashi."

Katashi scoffed, before he took hold of the water bottle.

He gripped the thermos. A clink from his grip that signified something. It was weak, as if it could slip if he held it any less tight.

But he didn't. The grip slowly tightened.

Fragile.

Doubtful.

But he was still there after all.

——

Rin didn't question Kize, even as they began their exit out of Abydos. A file laid on her lap, her eyes focused on the road.

Her driver's license came in handy when Nonomi called for her assistance. The file on her lap was just insurance.

She watched as Kize shared the remnants of information in the Shittim Chest into Ayane's tablet. She watched him stumble in place, as if a memory struck his mind, before the Helmet Gang quickly brought him back to his feed.

And then, she watched as he silently drifted into her vehicle, the thermos rolling on the car seat before he clutched it like his life depended on it.

She had never seen him like this before. It was concerning. And yet, seeing the Foreclosure Task Force, PS68, and especially the Helmet Gang, a mercenary delinquent group, waving goodbye to him... He had to have done something extraordinary.

And she was glad to be a witness to this.

"We always have your back. I told you that," Rin called out to Kize behind him. There was no response. Her eyes glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing his lack of expression being one that did leave concern in her heart. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened ever so slightly, the squeak of her gloves palpable.

"But... I suppose some things can't be changed."

No response. She can sense he was there. But she also felt like he wasn't. A sigh soon left her, before finally, she took the file on her lap and brought it to the back.

"Your next assignment."

She waited, until she felt a tug. Only then did she let go. A few flips, and she looked back up to the mirror again. All she saw was a half lid.

"Yeah. Shanhaijing's calling for you this time." And she glanced at Kize soon enough.

"And this time... I need you to fix yourself."