A group of students chased after Rappa relentlessly.
Because she was carrying a burden, Rappa was forced into a corner by several students.
"*Academic vulgarity", you can really run."
"Wearing strange clothes, a glowing scarf, and spouting complete nonsense!"
"Found you! You're not getting away this time!"
The students were panting, hands on their knees, catching their breath.
Facing their fierce approach, Rappa shielded his black-haired girl behind her and said solemnly:"...Ninja Initiate Gigaku, it seems our time for rest is coming to an end."
The black-haired girl behind him spoke as well: "You're right, Dazzling Ninja. They are the warriors of this land... No, they're the evil spirits drawn to our sins."
Rappa sighed and said: "Lamentable... My ninja speed isn't fast enough to outrun cause and effect."
But the black-haired girl shook her head firmly: "The ninja's blade can and must sever the chain of cause and effect!"
Rappa looked at her in admiration: "Your determination is admirable! Ninja Initiate Gigaku, you have already stepped into the Ninja Hero Domain."
This praise made the black-haired girl even more excited, almost unable to contain herself, as if she had been waiting for this recognition.
"Do you hear that? Evil spirit, be reduced to ashes before our ninjutsu!"
The two of them carried on with this absurdly abstract exchange.
The audience watching was left dumbfounded.
This girl who smoothly followed up Rappa's strange lines without blinking, clearly she was her match.
After all, given Rappa's bizarre way of speaking, anyone who could hold a normal conversation with her was already outside the bounds of ordinary people.
Could it be that Rappa had finally found a true companion?
Yet at that moment, the few students standing in front of them stared at them blankly.
"Unbelievable... You from the Performing Arts Club! That woman next to you is in big trouble. Don't become an accomplice!"
With that reminder, the black-haired girl, who had been deadly serious, suddenly lost her composure and complained: "Aw, come on, just play along! The camera was rolling!"
The disciplinary committee student crossed his arms, exasperated: "So, is she a member of your club?"
The black-haired girl shook her head: "No, I think she came from outside the campus, but look how in-character she is. She's perfect!"
The truth came out.
Everyone except Rappa, the disciplinary students present, the three eavesdroppers in the back, and the audience, could only slap their foreheads in disbelief.
Even the audience were the same:
...
: I should've known better than to expect anything normal from a Rappa plot.
: That black-haired girl's eyes were so firm, I thought she was about to join a revolutionary cause.
: We're just not abstract enough.
: No, it's not our fault. Anyone who can perfectly keep up with Rappa's rambling, she's not a normal person either.
: Penacony's Paperfold University College students are just too abstract.
: Forget the professors, now students are imitating Rappa as some cosmic ninja. Wild.
...
As the chat scrolled past, the disciplinary students couldn't stand this absurd "arrest" any longer.
They surrounded Rappa.
"Anyway, that's enough. Come with us."
"In all my years as head of the disciplinary committee, I've never met someone as absurd as you."
"In Penacony, you're one of a kind."
The committee head, a tall male student, said this bluntly, then stepped forward.
Just as they were about to move in, the three little ones who had been watching rushed out.
"Wait, wait, it's a misunderstanding!" March 7th waved her hands, standing between the groups, her eyes darting nervously.
The students were baffled.
But some sharp-eyed ones immediately recognized Stelle.
They whispered a few words into the head's ear, and suddenly his expression changed.
"Oh! So you're shareholders."
"My apologies for showing you such an unseemly sight. Don't worry, we'll handle this immediately."
Before the three could explain, the head hurriedly spoke again:
"Uh, wait, wait. This Dazzling Ninja here, I know her. She's a friend of mine."
Stelle quickly added in support.
"Ohhh ~"
The head gave a knowing look and said slowly: "So she's a friend of our shareholders. That makes sense."
"Hey, what sense are you making there…" March 7th narrowed her eyes.
The boy smiled, then turned to Rappa, his tone suddenly much gentler: "Since you're a visitor, I'll let you off this once. Don't break school rules again."
Before Rappa could react, the black-haired girl burst out.
A random outsider suddenly became a "visitor."
Graffiti and public disturbance instantly turned into just "breaking school rules."
Wasn't this law enforcement line way too flexible?!
She couldn't help but say: "Hah! The tyrannical official retreated in the face of such extraordinary fighters! Victory for the ninjas!"
But the boy's face hardened: "You, put on your school uniform or it's a demerit."
"Huh"
Helpless, she could only bid Rappa farewell and obediently return to change into uniform.
The viewers watching burst out laughing.
The chat instantly filled with comments.
...
: This guy's face just screams 'I want to improve.'
: Too diligent, too diligent. Bet he's going into civil service someday, if Penacony even has exams.
: So proper.
: Disciplinary Committee: what, you're not convinced? Is your friend a shareholder too?
: Hahaha, but seriously, Stelle's shareholder identity really comes in handy.
: So different from when they first came to Penacony. You can really feel the change.
: Five percent shares, does that really mean so much?
: Of course! That's five percent of all Penacony! Do you know how many people live here?
: To ordinary folks, the three's status is untouchable. Of course they'd flatter them.
...
Thanks to all the committee members fawning over them, Rappa's crisis was finally resolved.
The three managed to pull her aside and try to get some information.
The only problem, Rappa still spoke entirely in rhymes and riddles, incomprehensible nonsense.
They had to interpret it themselves.
Through Rappa's telling, things gradually became clearer.
First, the "Ninja Knight" and the "Galaxy Ranger" in her words referred to the same three ideas.
And then, just as the trio had guessed before, Rappa had come here with a purpose.
The act of scribbling graffiti all over the school wasn't meant as mischief.
Rather, this school had already been shrouded in evil, and only by carving seals, those so-called graffiti, could the evil be broken.
Sharing the same mission as her was the Silvergun Shura, also known as Boothill.
Although that name was definitely worth ridiculing a little... It didn't matter.
What mattered was their enemy.
An adversary worthy of the Galaxy Rangers' attention.
The two sides had already been fighting secretly for quite some time, and this incident in Penacony would likely become yet another battlefield.
"So, who exactly is this 'Evil Ninja Osaru' you speak of?"
"To be considered a nemesis of the Galaxy Rangers..."
"He must go by other notorious names across the universe."
Dan Heng frowned as he asked.
But Rappa insisted: "Evil Ninja Osaru, a scourge to all sides, is the enemy of the Ninja Capital!"
The camera cut to Rappa's face. Everyone could clearly see it. On the delicate face of this young beauty, there was not the slightest hint of jest. Utterly solemn.
"..." March 7th and Stelle exchanged glances.
They both felt a splitting headache.
"We already thought the two of us were abstract enough, but clearly there are always stranger ones out there..." March 7th muttered while holding her head.
Leaving aside all those titles Rappa spouted, just the claim that the academy was shrouded in evil, and graffiti was needed to dispel it, that alone was enough to showcase Rappa's unique mental state.
She gave off the impression of someone living entirely within her own worldview... a somewhat closed-off person?
And yet, even as she saw the puzzled expressions on the three's faces, Rappa's determined gaze never wavered.
While March 7th and Stelle's minds were tied in knots, Dan Heng rubbed his chin and came to a conclusion:
"This is trouble... If she really is a Galaxy Ranger, then no matter how incomprehensible her words sound, we cannot treat them as a joke. She must truly be acting out of serious cause."
From a mess of bizarre, abstract information, Dan Heng had extracted the one absolutely reliable fact.
Since she knew Boothill, her identity as a Galaxy Ranger was beyond doubt.
And once that was confirmed, then no matter how abstract her words, they had to be taken seriously.
And the reason was simple, because those words, Galaxy Ranger, were enough.
March 7th and Stelle instantly understood what Dan Heng meant.
March 7th asked nervously: "If Rappa and her allies are really chasing down something dangerous, should we inform the Family?"
Dan Heng shook his head: "Don't act rashly. Right now, we're only here as students and guests."
At this point, the audience's respect for Dan Heng grew boundlessly.
Not only had he pinpointed the critical fact, but he also immediately made the cautious decision not to act rashly.
For the trio, keeping to observation and investigation without direct involvement was indeed the safest approach.
After all, in Penacony last time, the Nameless had already suffered a loss.
And just then, the scene suddenly shifted.
...
The person everyone was talking about appeared.
"My muddle-fudgin' brain ain't the boss of me! Or how'd I end up here?"
The bartender stared blankly at the mechanical guest before him, question marks practically spilling from his head: "Pardon me for asking, but this is your seventh drink and you've only had a sip from each ... Is there something the matter with them?"
"Oh, it ain't like that. These little sweet drinks taste pretty good. Ordering a bunch is just a habit of mine."
Boothill waved dismissively. "No need to worry, lady, you'll know soon enough. I'm headin' out to take care of some business. Keep these safe for me."
With that, he turned and strode off coolly.
"Eh, wait."
"No, sir, "
"The bill..."
The bartender's eyes widened, but before she could finish, Boothill's figure had already vanished.
...
: Boothill! Finally, we see Boothill again!
: I think I'm sick, just hearing Boothill talk makes me laugh.
: Hahaha, Rappa and Boothill are the perfect comedy duo.
: With this level of self-monologuing edge, honestly, his mental state is... beautifully abstract.
: Wait, do the Galaxy Rangers recruit based on mental states?
: 'My brain can't control me', paired with Rappa, that's a unique kind of abstract beauty!
...
As soon as Boothill appeared, the comments started again.
Thanks to his earlier short feature, Boothill had already become a highly popular character.
Whether it was his peculiar way of speaking or his tragic past, both had greatly increased audience affection toward him.
"I get that I'm supposed to be helping Rappa, but I don't see anything strange going on here."
"Huh? What's that noise outside?"
Stepping out, Boothill muttered as he pulled out his phone.
Dan Heng had already messaged him, warning of lurking danger.
But for some reason, the signal here was poor.
The message had been sent some time ago, but Boothill was only receiving it now.
Shaking his head, he pocketed the phone and headed for a nearby alley.
But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw two groups of people facing off, one side aggressive, the other weaker but refusing to back down.
Boothill didn't care who they were.
He just walked straight through: "I don't care what y'all shithead' got, just make way, will ya?"
"?"
"So what? You hired this guy to be your thug?"
The aggressive man frowned. "If so, then don't blame me for being rude."
He shot a look at his underlings, about to speak further, but Boothill was already impatient.
"Forkin' hell, you hard of hearing or something? Do I have to let my gun do the talking?"
As he spoke, Boothill swiftly drew his pistol and pointed it right at the man's forehead.
"Alright then! Hope you're ready to get shot."
The crowd paled instantly at the sight of the gun.
"You!"
The man was both furious and alarmed.
He hadn't expected this stranger to be a lunatic.
To draw a gun just like that? Didn't even bother with pretense!
"There's no need for that, sir. Allow me to apologize on their behalf."
"Please, put your gun away. I'm afraid that's too much excitement for those of us who've already "died" once."
Just as Boothill narrowed his eyes, Micah hurried over, trying to mediate.
"...Who are you, now? What kinda show they runnin' here?"
Boothill glanced at Micah but didn't lower his weapon.
"Forget it. The world's complicated enough as it is, but my bullets will make things real simple."
"Act first, think later. You bet your forkin' bananas I'm teaching all of you a lesson today-"
"...?"
Halfway through, Boothill suddenly froze, eyes wide.
"Wait a sec. The fudge was that?"
"Bet your bananas? When the bananas did I start saying fudgin' bananas?"
"Bananas? Son of a banana? What the banana fudgin' sundae?"