The taxi drive Miharu took was hell.

It was a fine vehicle. It was a clear afternoon. It should take her to the fastest pathway that would eventually lead her to her destination.

But whoever decided that a tank was a valid vehicle of transport in Kivotos should find themselves robbed of their rights to own one, she thought as she stomped her way to her destination.

Why was a tank even legal?

Miharu's arrival to SRT's base wasn't even unexpected, considering they were notified of a 'SCHALE collaborator approaching' 15 minutes ago.

When she arrived, however, hands in her lab coat pockets, eyes half lidded filled with the seriousness they half expected from adults, they tensed, especially FOX Platoon.

They've never laid eyes on the ghost himself. But she was scarily similar in aura.

"Special Response Team, I believe?" Miharu began. Miyako and Yukino, leaders of RABBIT and FOX Platoon respectively, nodded.

"Good. I've got a mission for you."

"Hold on," Saki spoke up as she walked forward, instructional notebook in hand.

"Chapter 19 Section B: Orders. 2A: RABBIT Platoon shall only take orders from Sensei. In other words." Saki glanced up. "Identify yourself."

"..." Oh. A stickler for rules. Now that's just stiff. Miharu rolled her eyes.

"Miharu, SCHALE collaborator." She lifted her lanyard, proving her point immediately. "And if you don't want to take orders from me, then that's fine. But listen to me, at least."

FOX Platoon glanced at each other. They've had their own issues with people flailing their power around. So it brings up a rather... Divisive conundrum.

But at least Miharu didn't force them into an ultimatum. She at least didn't take away the fact that they could still say no for whatever reason, and hopefully, she would respect that decision.

Hopefully.

"What do you got?" Otogi spoke up. Miharu pulled out her smartphone, and scrolled into her Momotalk, the chat application. An entire conversation between Miharu and Momoka had commenced.

It was kind of mandatory to install, considering how it was a popular chat application in Kivotos. That, and Rin recommended for her to do so. Considering how it was similar to what she tends to use for everything else online, it helped.

Momoka: Sup, Chief of Transport here.

Momoka: Gotten reports and trusted intel from Valkyrie that there's some shady deliveries being done.

Momoka: Probably The Stranger's bullets in there. Sloppy work. Or intentional, I unno.

Miharu: To where?

Momoka: Gehenna.

Momoka: Coulda stopped them if they were in trucks.

Momoka: Trains are kinda hard to tell them to stop.

Momoka: Oh, and just in case, there's only one train from GSC to Gehenna and vice versa, so you don't have to worry too much on finding out where is which.

Miharu: And you could've just have members of the GSC wait in their designated stops to have the train checked?

Momoka: Look, we're kinda understaffed.

Momoka: Your paperwork and Sensei's shenanigans, or lack of it, isn't making things easier over here.

Momoka: And also, I'm on my snack break, so I'm expecting compensation.

Momoka: So kindly, find some help to intercept.

There was a considerable time gap. 5 minutes, to be more precise.

Miharu: Is this official orders?

Momoka: I'll file that as one.

Miharu: Good.

Yukino squinted at this newfound information.

"Do you trust her?" She asked.

"Why do you ask?" Miharu asked back.

"Because the last time we trusted someone from the GSC, she backstabbed us," Kurumi spoke up.

"Well, you're in luck. Because I'm SCHALE."

"... We only take orders from Sensei. But... We will note this," Saki admitted. Protocol mattered, but then Yukino raised her head. A hint of thought process going through her mind, before she glanced back to her team members.

It was clear they were thinking the same thing as she did. And just like her, they were hesitating to say it out loud. It was a thought that could possibly alter things from the get go.

But in the grand scheme of things, even if they were restricted, the wording of FOX Platoon's mandate by the ghost left enough caveats to exploit.

Yukino, after hesitating so much to speak, it finally raised heaved out a sigh. And then, she spoke.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." She looked straight towards Miharu. "Do you trust FOX Platoon?"

"Wait, hold on, senpai," Miyako interjected. "Are you seriously going to ignore protocol?"

"It hasn't been updated to accommodate or account for us," Niko pointed out, shrugging. "Seems like we're a perfect loophole, because, as long as we followed GSC mandate, we wouldn't get in the most trouble."

"........." Moe fiddled with her stick hand grenade, legally bought from Gehenna as she tossed in the air. "Aren't you already on thin ice? With what you did with the Sanctum Tower?"

"We know what we did," Yukino rebutted. "And we won't sugarcoat it nor deny it. If this is our chance to redeem ourselves for the better, then we'll take it."

"... Well, we can't stop you, then. But you." Miyako looked towards Miharu. "You better be careful. We never had a 'SCHALE collaborator' before, so best be careful with how you wave around your authority."

"Noted..." She blinked. "Not like anyone would notice a particular woman like me anyway."

Before she took one step back, her brain needed to get something out.

"Is everyone a furry or a robot or something?"

"Excuse us?"

"Yeah, like, everyone here seemed to be animals who talk and stand on two legs, robots that talk in casual speak, and then..." She gestured to FOX Platoon. Specifically, their curious, twitching ears.

"......... I'm sorry, is this not common for you?"

"No. Why did you think I asked?"

"........."

They didn't say much else. None of them did. Eventually, Miharu just concluded one simple thing:

Just run with it.

With that, she sighed.

"Fine, let's hurry up before that train gets there."

And so, Miharu and FOX Platoon moved out. Phone in hand, Miharu glanced down towards the screen heading straight towards the map application, finding the specific transport train.

"10 minutes from now. It'll be making a stop near D.U."

"Buying a ticket isn't an option," Yukino proclaimed. "We'll have to sneak in."

"Wait, why do we have to sneak in?" Miharu questioned. Kurumi sighed.

"Highlander Railway Academy is... A thing."

Miharu immediately stared at her in confusion. Yukino proceeded to clarify.

"The Highlander Railway Academy, as is stated in their name, is an academy fully intending on railway maintenance. Now when I say academy, I don't mean a single static building."

"... The academy are their goddamn railways and trains."

A pensive nod left them. Miharu hissed.

Just when she thought Kivotos had some semblance of sense and commonality, and now this was thrown her way.

But it had to be done. For Kivotos. For him.

"What do you feel like we should do?"

——

Kize was awoken. Not by sudden loud noises. Not by the sudden realization the sun shone down. Not by sudden increase of temperature.

He just... Woke up. No fanfare, no alarms. Just a man wrapped in a blanket carefully tugged to cover every facet of his body, with a pillow carefully warmed, firm enough to softly cradle his head.

He breathed in, then out. A blink. Two. And then he sat up.

"Good afternoon, Sensei!" Arona chirped, the Shittim Chest coming to life, before Plana slowly slid into view, pointing towards where the time was.

1:36 PM.

5 hours 21 minutes ago did he fall asleep.

Far from adequate.

But enough for him.

"Really took in your beauty sleep, didn't you?" Shigure questioned, as she proceeded to throw him her flask. He took it, staring at the metallic container again before looking back up to her, her coquettish smile growing by the second.

"It's not vodka."

"Somehow that's worse."

He uncapped it and sipped.

Warm fruit punch. A mix of berries that he can't lay a finger on the specificity. Clearly, her own creation.

Better than vodka.

"The walls hadn't collapsed yet when you were asleep. Have any plans on heading out at some point like you usually do in the other districts?"

"We'll see."

Uncertainty. Which made sense. Shigure knew the world doesn't revolve around Red Winter. Or 227.

Hopefully the world doesn't revolve around Kize, or that would be a depressing world to live in.

"How assuring. C'mon. We still got leftover moose meat and fish."

Kize felt his muscles stiffening at the mention of moose meat. An internal hiss, one that never left his lips, caused him to slowly slide the Shittim Chest into his pocket. Noticing this, Shigure took hold of his arm and lifted him to his feet with little effort.

"If it's okay with you, can I refill your bottle?"

Kize stared at her, even as he felt his weight leaning towards her. He scoffed.

But he didn't say no. That was enough for Shigure.

"Good, good. Everyone's waiting for you."

They kept moving together, one step in sync with one another while Kize found himself breathing slowly. Was it to regulate his own sense of reality? Or was he getting used to the cold?

He wasn't sure if he liked the answer to either one.

Soon, they trudged to the outside, noises on megaphones clearly coming from Minori and the Labor Party barking orders in tune to a folk song. Another self sense of assurance washed over him, knowing that they're doing their job, as per their contract.

If there was one thing he now acknowledges, it's the fact that The Labor Party is rather too much of a stick up for what they deem irregular.

Minori was too petty, so he made sure to hit everything as close as he could.

227 knew what his efforts were. It was why he was awake the whole night.

227 themselves were now surrounding a fire. The snowstorm that had once overwhelmed the taiga died down. But the snow, persistent as it was, continued to fall. Many of which were eating the moose meat they had stored up.

Kize said nothing. He didn't have to. He sat down, and was immediately offered a skewer. He accepted, a quiet moment shared between them.

"Bottle?"

Kize slipped it to his hand... And stared.

He never bothered with the details of the thermos. The dents, the fact that it was purely white, unstained. Basic.

Just as it was like before.

It made him wonder how it was even dented in the first place.

Maybe it was the labor he went through for the garden during its inception.

Maybe when he was thrown into that faculty lounge by an explosive drone.

And then, he looked back to his forearms, and his own hands. Scars. He never cut himself. A reminder of the drones, the cuts... The ink that consumed him before, never again.

He gripped the thermos, its dents molded into his hand as it did, before he passed it to Shigure.

For once, it was a moment that he never thought too hard on. The thought that maybe, just maybe, he can know peace.

Rio's bleeding flashed into his mind.

He flinched, the intrusion a sickening reminder of how he even got to 227.

His breathing hastened, gripping the skewer slightly harder than he should. Ever observant, Nodoka approached him.

"Spill it out."

"... No."

"Why not?"

"... It's confidential. It's better you don't know just yet."

"So you're okay with telling us later?"

"....."

He sighed, biting into his skewer as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"All you need to know is that I got someone hurt real bad."

"How bad?"

"Bullet gone wrong."

"You shot someone?"

"No."

"Someone tried to shoot you?"

"..."

"Someone did. Who--?"

They squinted. All of 227 collectively squinted together, a reminder of who the enemy was.

The Stranger.

And by all means, and by all accounts, if that man tried to shoot him, Kivotos would've gone up and arms.

But at the same time, he was merely a replacement. At least, that was how it was understood by those that never asked for his help. Even then, he was also detached.

So perhaps, to put them in a more accurate terminology, only those Kize instructed would have gone up and arms.

"..." Kize shook his head, chewing the meat. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't feel guilty about it, since it was a student that... I see more in common with me."

"Huh. Like, cold, logical and all that?" Shigure questioned, placing down the thermos beside him. He took it, gauging its newfound weight, before slipping it to his pocket.

"Should be. Then, she turned out to be better than I am."

"Huh. Didn't think you could talk more than you already did, Sensei."

"Shut up."

Shigure giggled, her tail swishing behind her, before elbowing him.

"Hey, on the bright side, you're still here. She's still alive. I hope. And if not for you, we wouldn't be having a moment like this."

A hand found his shoulder. Her hand. And then another on the other shoulder. Nodoka's.

"So thank you. For doing this for us."

Kize couldn't help but sigh, eyes closed and all. This was inevitable. This is what happens when he opened himself to them.

He should hate it.

He should hate the fact that he was feeling vulnerable.

Instead, he was there. Breathing. Living. Like a soft, warm breeze blowing over him that told him that despite everything, he could still grow.

A ringing sound rang out from his pocket. His hand slid to the Shittim Chest.

"It's from Rin. I wonder what's up," Arona commented, before Kize picked up the call.

There was Rin, sighing as she put away the stacks to finally focus on Kize. Bags under her eyes, and the severe lack of her mug was a kind of indicator that Kize knew.

Something bad happened.

"Sensei. Where are you?" She began. Kize looked around.

"Red Winter. 227's dorm."

"... Okay. You're close, then." A voice of exhaustion dripped out of her immediately after.

"What is it?"

"Listen. We've sent reports to FOX Platoon about a suspicious cargo sent by train to Gehenna. It's likely the cargo are bullets from the Stranger."

Kize's eyes widened slightly.

"We've sent FOX Platoon off with a SCHALE collaborator, but..."

"But?"

"..... That was 30 minutes ago. We haven't heard since, and the train has arrived in Gehenna's main station 5 minutes ago."

"....."

He quickly stood up, chomping down on the skewers while preparing to make his leave. But then, he looked back to 227.

Their expressions of curiosity, concern, but... Understanding? It was all so clear, yet so mixed upon their faces that Kize couldn't tell whether he should go or stay.

But the bullets. And FOX Platoon. He wasn't sure if they overstepped their boundaries.

And what the hell's this so-called SCHALE collaborator, and why did he only hear of that today? Rin never mentioned of such a thing or a role existing, and he was certain that his meticulous searches through GSC and SCHALE database gave no result of such a thing.

So who was involved in this crossfire?

"Rin, why did you call me now?"

"We tried to call you when we couldn't contact FOX Platoon 10 minutes ago. But... Seemed like someone didn't want to interrupt their getaway."

"What are you saying?"

"Most likely, The Stranger jammed our comms. We couldn't get to them, or anyone for that matter."

"So you didn't contact them before the 10 minutes? On any intermittent point?"

"... We trusted FOX Platoon. They are meticulous..." She sighed in resignation. "But I guess the GSC aren't."

Kize gripped the Shittim Chest, before he sighed.

"You're briefing me on the train when I get there. And you better tell me why you have a role that didn't exist until today."

"..."

She nodded, before closing the connection.

"You have to go?" Nodoka asked.

"I have to," Kize stated. No one said another word for about ten seconds. Their expressions were mixed. Solemn, drooping expressions. As if they want him to stay to see the results.

Instead, he perpetuated the cycle of never seeing nor acknowledging the result of his own work. A revelation Kize himself noticed. But this time, there was something more at stake.

Gehenna was a district of chaos. And if those bullets reach even a single hand in Gehenna...

"Go. You can't waste anymore time."

Shigure's voice cracked through their indecision. She gripped her flask as she said this, and yet, those carefree eyes held an ember Kize was intimately familiar with.

Kize blinked only once, before glancing at the rest. They, in turn, glanced at each other.

And then, Nodoka spoke up.

"C'mon. What's our motto in this wasteland?"

"... Not a step back?"

"That's right! So, go, Sensei." Nodoka smiled, before slapping him on the back, causing him to stumble forward with a wince. "Not one step back! Go! For us!"

Kize hissed, the stinging pain ever so prevalent in his back, before he looked at 227. They all waved at him, chanting that very same motto as if it were words of encouragement for him.

"Not one step back!! Not one step back!!"

He stared at them. One more beat. And then, he took one step back, towards the federal academy's train station.