Kenji
'Why do I keep dealing with weird social situations? Why can't it just be fighting stuff…'
He sat in one of the chairs opposite the principal's desk, staring at his own hands, his face still burning with embarrassment from Kiana's outburst. He had bolted across campus in a full-blown panic to her office.
And then once he finally told her, she had suggested taking the students' attention away from the rumours by making another, more distracting rumour. Only for that option to be taken away once Himeko barged into the room and told them that Kiana accidentally confirmed that Kenji was the Night Runner.
He felt his soul leave his body then and there.
Theresa told Himeko to get everything under control and bring the three girls here. Minutes later, the door had slid open again, and Himeko had dragged Kiana in by the ear, with Mei and Bronya trailing behind like witnesses to an execution.
Now, they just sat there. Kiana was slumped in her chair, looking guilty and pointedly avoiding eye contact with everyone. Mei and Bronya sat composed, but they were obviously quite tense as to what was to come.
Theresa, who had been watching them all with her chin resting in her hand, finally let out a long, slow sigh.
"Kenji. First, on behalf of St. Freya, I apologize."
"Huh? For what?"
"For this entire situation," Theresa said, rubbing her temples. "This was an oversight on my part. Between the post-eruption cleanup in Nagazora, managing resource allocations, and... other matters, I completely underestimated the social impact of your arrival. I've been so swamped in work that I let this... this gossip fester until it exploded. You shouldn't have been subjected to that."
"I've handled the students," Himeko reported from her corner, still sounding annoyed. "The scandalous part of the rumor has been pretty much debunked. I made the 'official' explanation clear."
"The scandalous part, yes," Theresa agreed. She turned her gaze to Himeko. "Your cover story, that you caught him using the sim rooms after curfew—"
'Thank goodness she doesn't know!'
"—is now the official record. It's plausible, and most importantly, boring. It will kill the 'affair' rumor completely by morning."
"But..." Theresa continued, lacing her fingers together on the desk as her gaze shifted back to Kenji. "The other rumor is a different problem. Kiana's 'enthusiastic' denial in the main hallway," Kiana flinched at the description, "has, for all intents and purposes, confirmed your identity as the Night Runner to the entire student body."
Theresa sighed again. "I can issue a formal denial, of course. We can claim it's just a Stigmata with similar abilities. But at this point... It's unlikely anyone would believe it."
The team looked at Kenji. He was quiet for a long moment, staring at his hands in his lap. Finally, he shrugged, running a hand through his hair.
"It's alright, Principal," he said, his voice surprisingly calm.
Himeko and Mei looked at him, surprised. It was clear that they had been expecting some form of outburst from him. "It... is?" Mei ventured.
"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, though, it kinda sucks," Kenji admitted, scratching his cheek. "I liked the idea of the 'Night Runner' being one thing, and the 'Knight' being another. One was... mine. The other is Schicksal's. Having them separate was pretty nice." He paused, then sighed. "But things happen, and it's not the end of the world. I can deal with it."
His gaze shifted to Kiana, who was still staring at her shoes as if they held the secrets of the universe. A small, playful smirk touched Kenji's lips.
"Besides," he added, "at least I know who to blame if I suddenly start getting fan mail."
Kiana's head snapped up, her face bright red with a mixture of guilt and indignation. "I said I was sorry!.
The jab finally broke the suffocating tension in the room. Mei let out a relieved sigh, and even Himeko's stern expression cracked into a smirk. Bronya, for her part, issued a quiet, "Hmph."
"Well," Himeko said, pushing off the wall. "Now that your cover's blown, it just makes your new mission simpler."
Kenji and Kiana both looked up at the same time. "New mission?"
Theresa's expression shifted, the last traces of annoyance evaporating, replaced by the serious look of the Principal of St. Freya. "I was planning to brief you all on this tomorrow," she said, activating the large holographic display behind her desk. "But since you're all here, this will be your first official off-campus mission. One that isn't an assignment, at least."
A fresh surge of excitement instantly incinerated Kiana's guilt. "Yes! Finally! A real mission!" she practically vibrated in her chair. "Do we have to take down a super-strong enemy? I'm ready!"
"Not quite, Kiana. You four have shown incredible growth over the past few months and have performed well on supervised missions. Along with your team's 'special' circumstances, we decided that it was time for something more serious."
As she finished, the holo-display resolved into a spinning globe before zooming in on a map of Oceania. "We've lost contact with the Schicksal Oceania Branch."
Bronya's head, which had been facing forward, snapped up. Her eyes, usually placid, widened almost imperceptibly. Her hands, resting in her lap, clenched into tight fists.
Everyone missed this reaction of hers, except for Kenji. 'Huh, she must be pretty excited for the mission too.'
"The base went dark after a massive Honkai spike in New Zealand. The entire facility is now showing a massive, localized Honkai spike. It's been overrun by beasts and zombies. And in the chaos, the Gem of Desire was lost."
Kiana was practically bouncing. Mei looked focused and serious.
"Himeko," Theresa ordered, "you will lead the investigation. Everyone else," she said, her gaze sweeping over Kiana, Mei, and Bronya, "you will be her direct support. This is a retrieval and, if necessary, a rescue mission. Your priorities are to retrieve the Gem of Desire. More information will be given to you on the day of the mission, but for now, prepare yourselves."
"Understood!" Kiana and Mei said in unison, while Bronya just nodded.
"Kenji," Theresa's gaze settled on him, "you are a… special case."
He did not like the sound of that.
"Given the unique nature of your energy. It's important for you NOT to make any physical contact with the Gem of Desire. Even better if you could also keep your distance," She paused, letting him process her words. "Apart from this one order, your role is essentially the same as the others."
"Yes, Principal,"
Seeing their serious expressions, Theresa smiled, satisfied. She turned to look at Himeko, and she nodded. "You will be heading out in 2 days. Make sure to rest up, ok?"
/ — /
Theresa
After that, she excused the four from the room. Leaving only her and Himeko. The latter was looking at her with a not so pleased expression.
"So… with the mission so close to starting, could you finally tell me what the deal is with this Gem of Desire?" Himeko asked, but it was clear that she wasn't expecting an answer… Not now, at least.
Theresa sighed, "Look, I will tell you everything you need to know, but that will have to wait. The Gem of Desire is… a delicate subject, and I have been dealing with other matters that I can say are more important."
Himeko didn't look pleased with her response, but sighed and pushed off the wall she was leaning on. "As secretive as ever, Theresa." She began to walk to the door, but left one more message before she left. "Don't forget to rest, ok?" And with that, she left the room; her office door clicked shut.
Theresa couldn't help but crack a fond smile at her friend's words. Even if she was annoyed at her secrecy, she still trusted her. But that smile slowly turned into a regretful frown.
'I only hope… that she doesn't regret placing her trust in me…'