"Sensei, here's a gas mask."
"Ah. Thanks, Saki."
Before the train arrived at the station near Abydos High School, Sensei and the RABBIT Platoon moved from their passenger cabin to the cargo hold. As soon as they arrived, Saki took out the gas masks they had prepared in advance and handed one to Sensei before passing them out to the other squad members.
"Kuhuhu... I knew this would happen, so I even brought a king-sized jawbreaker to replenish my sugar levels."
"Moe, having something like that in your mouth will interfere with communication."
"Tch, nagging again. Whatever, the candy's going in."
Moe quickly popped a candy, about four times the size of a normal jawbreaker, into her mouth and put on her gas mask. Then, she moved her lips.
"Mmph. 'An 'oo 'ear me?" (TN: Moe's speech is muffled by the candy.)
"I have no idea what you're saying. Moe, it would probably be more helpful if you just didn't talk until you finish that thing."
"'At's 'hat 'oo 'hink."
As the squad members finished putting on their masks one by one, Miyako looked at Sensei and asked a simple question.
"Sensei, since there are two tactical vehicles, we will split up into two teams: Saki and you, and myself with Moe and Miyu."
"Then, for the driving...?"
"The vehicles are equipped with a basic autonomous driving system, so you don't need to worry. Also, we at SRT conduct driving training in preparation for real combat situations, so Saki and I will take the wheel in case of an emergency."
"SRT is very competent..."
"Thank you for the compliment, Sensei."
Even as she said this, Miyako didn't show the slightest hint of a smile. She simply nodded and handed a car key to Saki.
"Saki, please take good care of Sensei. I trust your skills."
"...Wh-What's with you, Miyako? Why are you suddenly saying things you never say? And your phrasing is kinda awkward."
"Is it...? I'm not sure. But even a gunshot wound could be a serious injury for Sensei, so in an emergency, your combat prowess will be able to guarantee his safety."
"Uh, uh-huh. Well, I guess so...?"
Saki, who had been staring at Miyako strangely as if she had eaten something weird, tossed the key in her hand and turned her gaze to Sensei.
"So that's how it is. From now on, Sensei, you just have to trust me!"
As Saki declared confidently and got into the driver's seat, Sensei quietly approached Miyu, who was fidgeting with her gas mask.
"Miyu, is something bothering you?"
"Ah, no... It's just, I was thinking, what if I get lost in that sandstorm... and, and get left behind... It's a little, what should I say, scary."
"Of course, it's best if that doesn't happen... but if it does, I'll take responsibility and find you, so don't worry too much, Miyu."
"Y-Yes... Thank you..."
Sensei was about to gently stroke Miyu's head but, noticing her headband, changed his gesture to a gentle pat instead. Then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he took the gas mask from Miyu's hands and helped her put it on.
"Um, Sensei. Miyu is not a child..."
"In my eyes, you are all young students that I need to take responsibility for and lead."
"...Is that so."
*What does taking responsibility and leading have to do with helping someone with something they can do on their own?*
With that thought, Miyako opened the driver's side door and climbed into the vehicle.
Two tactical vehicles rolled out of the stopped train's cargo hold, cutting through the sandstorm and driving down the city roads that were turning into a desert.
***
Currently, the buildings of Abydos High School, with the exception of the main building, were in a state of semi-neglect. They had only been properly maintaining the main building before, but now, with the sandstorm, they were lucky if they could keep just that one building clean.
"Wh-What! Who didn't close this window properly! No, why was it even open in the first place?!"
"Mm... I opened it to ventilate when the storm let up for a moment."
"W-Well, you should have closed it properly then! I swear, I can't deal with this."
Sweeping up the sand that had come in through the partially open window, Kuromi Serika, a cat-eared first-year student of Abydos, vented her frustration. Beside her, Shiroko silently wiped the sand off the windowsill with a wet tissue.
"Hoshino-sunbae should wake up from her nap and help out! She's always saying we have to do what needs to be done, but she's not doing what needs to be done right now!"
"Nnngh... five more minutes..."
"Ugh..."
On the day the Foreclosure Task Force had stopped Binah's advance, Serika had seen the combat footage recorded by a drone and had become restless, saying she shouldn't be working part-time at a time like this.
But Hoshino had dismissed Serika's anxiety, telling her she could just pass off troublesome things like this to her sunbae and that it would be better for her to just quit her job.
Because of that, Serika couldn't say anything more to Hoshino. Whenever she saw Hoshino's ruined fingernails, all she could think was that she was just glad her sunbae was safe.
"Uhe~ Mika-chan, I mean it this time... just trust me one more time..."
"...What kind of nonsense are you spouting in your sleep! And who's Mika-chan!"
Binah, driven off by Hoshino, had attacked Kaiser's excavation site. Driven off from there, it then attacked Saint Nephthys's construction site, creating a pattern of passing the bomb. However, the Foreclosure Task Force was not in a position to grasp such details.
In a way, they were completely isolated by the sandstorm. But everyone in the Task Force firmly believed that their situation would definitely get better.
Hoshino worked to maintain public security, secretly clearing out the sukeban who had occupied a nearby abandoned warehouse. Serika went to her part-time job to earn money to help pay the interest to Kaiser Loan. (TN: Sukeban is a Japanese term for a delinquent girl, often the leader of a gang.)
Just last year, Abydos had a considerable surplus of funds, but now, with the worsening sandstorm, their remaining cash was only enough to barely cover about three months' worth of interest payments. This would only get more serious the longer the sandstorm continued...
Realistically, it was more likely that Abydos High School would be completely buried in sand, losing its title as a school and making the repayment of its debt meaningless, before that happened.
Because Mika had mentioned her connection to Abydos in front of the President, Kaiser Loan didn't dare to play games with the interest payments, but even they had long since realized that Abydos's future was not bright.
To put it bluntly, Abydos was withering away. The situation could no longer be solved even if Nonomi used all her available cash to pay off the debt, and the Foreclosure Task Force itself had no viable way to overcome the situation.
And to them...
"Hoshino-sunbae, Shiroko-chan, Serika-chan! Two unidentified tactical vehicles are approaching from the city center!"
"Hmm? They're coming toward us, not just passing through...? And they're not from Kaiser, either?"
"Mm... I'll prepare for combat immediately."
[Wait, I've just established contact with them. The Sensei from SCHALE... Sensei has come to help us!]
"SCHALE's Sensei? Who the heck is that?!"
"...Uhe. Ayane-chan, isn't it a bit much to plan something this big without even consulting this old man?"
The first helper had extended a hand.
***
The members of SCHALE, having driven their vehicles right up to the front of the Abydos main building, disembarked one by one. Fortunately, the wind had died down a little, but there was no telling when the storm might intensify again.
Miyako let out a small sigh as she took in the reality of Abydos High School, which could only be described as shabby, covered in sand everywhere.
Sensei had said that this sandstorm did not seem like a natural phenomenon. That could be interpreted to mean that the current situation might be an attack on Abydos by outsiders.
In that case, helping Abydos could indeed be called justice.
As Miyako was thinking this, a voice, seemingly lethargic yet filled with caution, was heard.
"Wow, everyone's even wearing gas masks... You guys are really serious."
Miyako flinched as she shifted her gaze toward the speaker.
*Small.* And her relaxed posture and atmosphere, which gave no sense of weight, should have been perceived as harmless.
But the presence of the person before her could not be hidden. She was on a different level.
This person was a monster comparable to the most martially gifted student Miyako knew. And she had a face Miyako had seen in the database she had reviewed before departing for Abydos.
"Are you... Takanashi Hoshino, the Vice President of Abydos High School?"
"The General Student Council is a strange place, isn't it~? They don't have the slightest intention of helping Abydos, but they diligently scrape together information like that. It's kinda... hmm... a little hard to put into words."
"...Irritating?"
"Hmm... maybe something similar to that. Oh, by the way, this old man isn't anything as grand as a Vice President, so don't get the wrong idea, okay?"
Hoshino, nodding slightly at Saki's words, walked toward the one person who stood out in Miyako's group. The only male, a full 24cm taller than Moe, the tallest of the RABBIT Platoon.
Naturally, the members of the RABBIT Platoon, responsible for Sensei's safety, tensed up, and Saki was about to raise her gun, but...
"It's alright, Saki."
"...Understood, Sensei."
Sensei placed a hand on Saki's shoulder, stopping her. Looking into Hoshino's eyes, Sensei judged that she had no intention of harming them here.
Taking off his gas mask, Sensei stepped forward to face Hoshino and extended a hand.
"Nice to meet you, Hoshino. I'm the advisor for the Federal Investigation Club—"
*Rumble, rumble, rumble—*
"...Uhe?"
The faint vibration that had been rumbling soon subsided. A giant serpent raised its head at a distance that was just barely visible to the naked eye.
Soon after, the sandstorm, which had been calm for a while, began to dye the sky yellow once more.
"...Is that, by any chance, the desert monster mentioned in the letter?"
At Sensei's question, Hoshino nodded and opened her mouth.
"It looks like we should talk later... Did you bring a tarp to cover the vehicles, Sensei?"
Very fortunately, SRT's preparedness was not just thorough, but near-perfect.
***