"What?! What the heck?! How are we losing?! Do they ever run out of ammo?!" Iori screamed from behind a blockade.

Haruna paced alongside the Foreclosure Task Force as they advanced on the diminishing forces of the Prefect Team.

The girls were completely silent as they reloaded for the umpteenth time since the battle had begun.

With Hasumi assisting in the back line and the girls being the strongest frontline he could ask for, it was only a matter of time before the Prefect Team's defeat.

Haruna suddenly spotted a familiar face standing behind their ranks.

"Chinatsu?"

"S-Sensei... I didn't expect us to meet again this way." She replied meekly. "I knew we had no chance of winning the second I spotted you."

"Why didn't you tell me that?!" Iori screamed.

Chinatsu only spared her an irritated leer.

A buzz rung through everyone's comms, even Chinatsu and Iori's. "This is Okusora Ayane of the Abydos Foreclosure Task Force. State your affiliation."

In response to her, another voice came across the comms in a smug tone. "I can answer that."

"Ako?" Iori questioned.

"Greetings, Abydos students. My name is Ako, and I'm the senior administrator of Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team. I'd like to take a moment to explain what's going on, if you don't mind?" She asked.

"Aw man..." Iori mumbled in fear.

"The template for apology letters is in the left-hand drawer of my desk. Understood, Iori?" Ako sternly asked.

"Can we cut to where you all get out of here?" Haruna asked in annoyance.

"We'll get there, Sensei, don't worry. Allow me to apologize for the previous students' reckless misuse of force."

Iori shot up from behind cover with a gasp. "The hell?! But I was just following orders, Ako!"

"Were your orders to blindly engage using indiscriminate bombardment right from the start?" Ako asked with a distinct patronizing tone.

Iori flinched. "Well... supporting firepower is a mainstay of... above-ground tactical deployment for the infantry."

Ako's leer of impatience could be felt through the screen. "Does it not go without saying that certain precautions are to be taken when operating within the district of another academy?"

Iori visibly gave up by crossing her arms.

"What kind of schools are you people running?" Haruna spat with widened eyes.

"Again. My sincerest apologies to the Foreclosure Task Force." Ako reinstated. "The Gehenna Prefect Team was mobilized to take specific individuals who have violated our academy's regulations into custody. This was an unfortunate incident, but since nothing illegal has happened, I hope we can count on your understanding due to the urgency of the situation. We humbly ask for your cooperation—"

"No." Haruna interrupted.

"...I'm sorry?" Ako asked in offended confusion.

"I said no. If I did my homework correctly, you're out of line here without our permission. And seeing as this has become a personal matter to us, we'll be handling Problem Solver personally." He explained.

"He's right! This is a clear breach of jurisdictional authority. It's disgraceful that an academy of Gehenna's caliber would abuse their power to launch this kind of assault!" Ayane added, leaving Shiroko, Serika, and Nonomi stunned.

"Damn, you tell 'em, girl..." Haruna muttered in amusement.

A hoarse chuckle came from Ako. "It's baffling you would take this position in the face of our troops. This level of confidence must stem from you, Sensei."

He could only shrug. It wasn't like he gave the girls anything but ammo. The pandemonium they unleashed was simply their skill.

"Regardless, I'd rather we handle it than you storm this place like Normandy." Haruna replied.

"Normandy...?" Iori muttered.

"This is bigger than a school conflict, so we aren't done with them yet. Hope you'll understand." Haruna continued.

"In conclusion, screw you and your negotiations! We demand that the Gehenna Prefect Team remove its forces immediately!" Ayane butt in again, shocking them all further.

'I'm so scared yet so proud of what she's become.' Haruna thought with a wry smile.

"Well, that's quite the pickle. If that's how it has to be..." Ako let out a long sigh. "Truly, it brings me no joy to do this, but... we have no choice but to use force."

She sounded far happier than she let on.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Haruna muttered as the Foreclosure Task Force flinched at her response.

The Prefect Team's troops all shot up from their cover and aimed at the four. The clicks and clanks of them loading their guns in preparation to dispatch them were suddenly halted by gunfire from afar.

One by one, ten percent of their soldiers began to fall.

"Th-The hell?! What's going on now?!" Iori was outta the loop at this point. First she was being scolded for using force, and now they were using it anyway.

With a sudden glint behind her, Iori spotted Haruka just in time to block a blast from her shotgun, sending her crashing into a blockade.

"Unforgivable..." Haruka muttered.

"Enough of your lies, Amaou Ako." Kayako was suddenly standing beside Haruna.

"Pardon?"

"What you said about how doing this brings you no joy? Cut the shit. You wanted this all along." She grabbed Haruna's wrist to speak louder into the comms.

"Nice one, Haruka!" Mutsuki cheered from behind Abydos.

"S-Sorry! Sorry I didn't come to the rescue sooner..." Haruka meekly waved at Haruna as she jogged over.

He lazily waved back with squinted eyes. 'Those morons... they probably just messed up their big plan and rolled with the punches.'

"This is an interesting turn of events, Sensei. What are you gonna do~?" Mutsuki teased.

"Oh, dear. You managed to break through the perimeter." Ako took note of the sudden drop in troops.

"My apologies, Senior Administrator. Our attention was briefly elsewhere, but we'll reassemble the formation right away!" The Vice Captain replied with vigor.

"At first I couldn't believe that the Prefect Team would come all the way to another district just to catch the likes of us. But of course, this inefficient and sloppy use of force is a unilateral decision of yours, Ako." Kayako kept tugging on Haruna's wrist to speak.

Ako kept quiet.

"And look at all these troops, Sensei. She mobilized the size of a small army just in the hopes of a hostile engagement with another school whose collective mass is five students." Kayako explained. "She's after Schale, Sensei. She's after you."

"What?!" Serika and Nonomi shouted.

Haruna tilted his head in confusion. What could they possibly want with— "Oh, yeah. I have a lot of power here." He whispered.

"Oh dear. It completely slipped my mind that Kayako was a part of Problem Solver too. I should've known better than to waste my time with idle chatter like this..." Ako monologued. "Ah, well. No matter."

With a snap of her fingers, harmonious stomps began to echo across the city. At every single avenue was a Prefect Soldier ready and waiting to assist the infantry.

"Twelve... six, three... and even at nine o'clock are Prefect Team forces are advancing..." Ayane revealed.

"I'm touched you've brought your girls all this way just for little old me!" Sensei sung sarcastically, but he, Abydos and Problem Solver were on edge at the overwhelming forces surrounding them.

"Okay, maybe I did overdo it just a little— but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry when dealing with Schale." Ako mused.

"A guy hits one clip on a fox girl and now the world's against him!" Haruna muttered.

"I thought we broke past the siege line, but now there's a second..." Kayako finally let go of Haruna's arm. "Can you even make a difference against a force this big?"

"We beat your sorry asses, didn't we?" Haruna smirked.

She clicked her tongue but smirked back. "You're pretty chill for a teacher."

"Our Intelligence Committee learned about a report on Schale that was submitted to Trinity Academy's Tea Party. I had no clue what Schale was at first, but whatever intel the Tea Party had, it was absolutely necessary for us to acquire it as well."

"You didn't just think to ring my line?" Haruna grumbled, but went ignored.

"I looked at the report that Chinatsu had compiled. A mysterious organization left behind by the president of the General Student Council. An extrajudicial club headed by an adult, who can somehow tap into the power of a Mystic— DOES NO ONE FIND THAT SUSPICIOUS?!"

Everyone was more shocked to hear someone so composed before snap so easily.

"What's that gotta do with us?" Shiroko asked with a shrug.

"Not like I care. He's cool." Kayako agreed.

"You little... Ugh! There are too many variables with Schale. I don't know how this will affect our upcoming treaty. At least until the treaty is signed, the Prefect Team will keep Sensei." She was back to being composed, albeit barely. "If anything, Problem Solver is just a cherry on top."

"So you're kidnapping Sensei? Do you really think we'll let that happen?" Serika asked in defiance.

"Yup. That's the way it will be. Gehenna's Prefect Team will not hesitate to resort to violence if necessary. We don't mind at all." Ako replied with a grin.

"This lady's scary..." Arona muttered to Haruna.

Aru suddenly walked up to Haruna with Hasumi at her side. There was clear disdain on her face from being accompanied by her new rival, but she grew nervous seeing Haruna turn to her.

"Boss, this is our only chance to run. Once the battle begins, there is no turning back." Kayako warned. "They intend to capture and annihilate us along with Abydos. If we work together, I think this knucklehead really can pull us through."

Haruna leered at her and threatened to pop the back of her head, but she didn't flinch and smirked at him.

"Ha..." Aru laughed. She didn't stop, and soon began to cackle as her face grew red. "Letting them treat us like this and then run away? Does that sound like me?"

"Problem Solver would never act like a pack of common thugs! I could never forgive myself if I didn't smack them down right here!" Aru shouted.

Mitsuri and Haruka grinned seeing their boss in full swing of their antics and bravado.

"But we ran yesterday..." Kayako mumbled.

"Look who's finally coming around!" Haruna strut forward and up to Aru, who flinched and began to blush even further. "We've gotta lot to discuss when we're through here. Ayane."

A drone zipped by overhead and dropped a care package. It crashed and exploded in a burst of green that healed everyone of their wounds.

With a snap of his own, everyone was suddenly equipped with dozens of ammo of their requirement, and fortified blockade began to shape around them from holograms.

"Alright! Problem Solver, let's wipe out those arrogant little twerps!" Serika shouted, loading up her assault rifle with slits in her eyes.

"We'll be your shield, Sensei." Shiroko nodded, loading her assault rifle as well.

"You guys better protect Sensei, too, got it?! If you don't, you'll pay!" Nonomi added with a pout.

Kayako rubbed her nape and turned to Haruna. "You bunch are real bipolar."

"Haha! Yes! I finally get to work with the love of my li— I mean, Sensei! You've got nothing to worry about, dear— Sensei!" Aru awed at the ammo coiling around her and loaded her sniper rifle with glee.

"Yes! We are also indebted to Sensei! He gave us food—" Haruka was shoved aside by Aru.

"I totally blowed up that shop on purpose, by the way! It was a highly tactical act of psychological warfare only a cold-hearted outlaw like me could come up with!" Aru 'boasted' while puffing out her chest in pride.

Haruna plucked her forehead with a soft glare. "Sure. Then I'm sure you can be a warm-hearted Samaritan and pay for the damages?"

Problem Solver all flinched and slowly shook their heads.

"Thought so. So lock in so we can send these prefects packing." He ordered with a smirk.

"Right!" They all shouted in unison.

"One big game of tower defense. It's almost too easy." Haruna laughed as the Prefect Team began their siege.