“Not here. Bear with me for a moment.” Tsumugi ducks from the prying eyes of the soldiers still milling about and sets off into the forest. She’s careful to avoid dragging Haru along the ground. They must have gone a full minute deep into the forest before Tsumugi finally sets her down on a small bed of grass. A sound like a shiver of a bell toll rings out as she taps her staff hilt against the ground. Soft blue light begins to emanate from the crystal like smoke from a censer. “Geburah.” The sound of a sword being drawn. A black scythe blade manifests from the center of the crystal, as though an invisible cloth was just pulled off of it and it was there all along. With a single strike, she reaps the links holding Haru’s arms and legs together. Along with a piece of her skirt’s hem but she doesn’t care. The refreshing feeling of her suddenly free wrists is reward enough. “Thank fuck.” Well, she knows what she would have done. She would have burned the shit out of as many sons-of-

The chief passes Kuroko the needle and wipes her hands on the cloth. Silently, Kuroko continues suturing the incision shut using her mouth. Is it sterile? Probably not, but she places her trust in the purification. All the while, the chief chats away on the phone. She has that peppy, upbeat, but still reliable saleswoman voice she puts on for all customers. “Girls Won’t Cry. Security, deliveries, and bodies for cheap. What’ll it be?”The chief jerks the receiver away from her ear as a shrill voice erupts from the speaker. It’s audible but still incomprehensible from where Kuroko’s sitting.“...”“Uh-huh…”“...”“Yes, we have a courier department.”“...”“Cash up front? This I like. The water needs turning on and toilets need flush–”“...”“...yes, sorry.”“...”“Immediately?”She looks over at Kuroko who gives her a nod. “Yes, we can handle a rush job.”“...”“Perfect. An associate will be with you within the day. Thank you very much for your patronage.”She plants the receiver back

“Species?” “What?” “Species. Human or Papilio.” “Oh, uh, human.” “First name?” “Haru.” “Last name?” “Hamamoto.” “Middle name?” “I don’t have one.” “Pick one.” “W

Haru stares out the window, watching miles and miles of farmland pass in the blink of an eye. Every so often, a group of people wave at them from dinky homesteads. Haru waves back from behind the car window. Well, “Car”. She isn’t sure what to really call this thing. On the exterior, its rounded chassis and bulky armor gives it a sort of hunched appearance. On the interior, there are benches hanging from either side of the car’s walls. Not to mention that it doesn’t even have wheels, instead it’s kept aloft by some kind of invisible force. It sort of reminds her of those trains in the Monarchian base. She sees the improvised welding marks keeping this whole thing together. Sitting in the front, driving the car, is Asuka herself. She steers with one hand and pushes the pedals with a long stick she picked up. Is this safe? Absolutely not. Is Haru wearing her seatbelt? Also absolutely not. It’s quiet moments like this that Haru has to ask herself “Does Tsumugi actually know what she’s d

“Well, now that that’s over with and it’s starting to get late. Why don’t we all introduce ourselves to Hamamoto before we begin with the meeting?” “My name is Tomoe Kuroihoshi. I’m the Teacher Facilitator for the Takakumo student council. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well but… what do you mean by ‘Teacher Facilitator’ exactly?”“Well, this originally was and still is an academy, you know. I act as a power counterbalance so that no one gets any ideas that are too extreme while also giving out useful advice.” There are a few hushed snickers around the table. “Uh-huh… right. That’s pretty neat.” She gestures with her hand at Florence, signaling for him to go next. “Florence D’aubigny.” Fancy “Disciplinary Committee Head. I manage the Disciplinary Committee… obviously… which makes me sort of like a police chief. I’m in charge of maintaining order within the borders of Takakumo.” He turns his gaze from Haru to Tsuki. “To the best of my ability,