The SRT Special Academy.
SRT stood for Special Response Team.
This academy reported directly to the president of the General Student Council. Unlike the Valkyrie Police Academy, which was restrained at every turn, SRT had the authority to operate freely across school districts.
Inside the virtual space known as the Box of Shittim, he sat across from Arona, flipping through printed documents about the SRT Special Academy. He pondered Kaya's true intentions.
"It's similar to Schale," he murmured. "The biggest difference lies in the personnel structure."
SRT members weren't loyal to the student council—they were loyal solely to the president, who was now missing.
"If I, as Schale's head, recruited members of the president's special task force... Was she trying to get me to inherit the president's military legacy? Or show political allegiance to the president's loyalists?"
"Arona doesn't know," she said gloomily, slumped on the table. "Sensei is so amazing. I don't feel helpful at all. I wish I were smarter..."
He patted her head. "I'm just speculating with basic logic. You're already helping a lot by gathering this info. Stay your cute self."
"Hehe~ yaa~ don't mess up my hair, you meanie sensei!"
Satisfied, he let go of Arona and returned to his train of thought.
If he did something so reckless, not only would he face disaster, but SRT would likely be disbanded or purged.
If Schale, a symbol of General power, absorbed SRT and partnered with an ambitious enterprise, he could seize military control over D.U. the same day and forcibly install a new student council president the next.
He recalled a news report in which an SRT student openly criticized the Security Bureau. SRT had clearly encroached on their territory.
It wasn't impossible that someone wanted to remove this threat and expand their own power.
But was it necessary?
"Arona, pull recent activity data for SRT since the president's disappearance."
"Okay, give me a sec..."
Arona's halo flashed. After a few seconds, her eyes widened.
"Sensei! It's zero!"
"As expected."
He closed the files. There was no point reading further.
SRT was already on the verge of being disbanded.
To clarify, the key difference between Schale and SRT lay in their organizational structure.
Schale could freely recruit from all academies, even from opposing factions. But this came with limitations. It could only supplement the General Student Council and other school security forces—never encroach on their sovereignty. Doing so would undermine its foundational purpose.
"Only when all of Kivotos faces an existential threat does Schale reveal its true worth—as a bridge, a bond, uniting all possible forces."
"Schale is the embodiment of Kivotos' collective will."
"In contrast, SRT is a blade. A blade wielded by the student council president."
"As long as she existed, the blade had direction."
"But now, the blade is ownerless. Directionless."
"Worse, there's a safer, more controllable replacement—Schale."
It was clear: once Schale scaled up and gained some success, the council would quickly pass the proposal to shut down SRT and redistribute its students.
Most likely, to the Valkyrie Police Academy under the Defense Office.
Damn it. What the hell was Kaya up to?
If some clueless SRT sentimentalist heard about the shutdown and blamed Schale's head—what then?
Was she using him as bait to lure out troublemakers?
"Sensei's saying things I don't get again," Arona mumbled.
"Put simply, the president vanished, so now SRT's being dissolved."
With that summary, he checked the time and said goodbye to Arona before exiting the virtual space.
Back in reality, he was sitting in the corner of a café, the curtains drawn to block the gentle morning sun. On the table sat half a glass of juice and the remnants of a donut.
Too many donuts were cloying. And as for the juice instead of coffee—it wasn't work time. Why torture himself?
According to Miss Kanna—who thought she was anonymous but wasn't—this student, Nakatsukasa Kirino, often stopped by this café during her patrols.
He planned to observe her personally and only rely on the report—which painted her as a pure-hearted hothead—as reference.
He had already decided: as long as she matched the basics of the report, he'd invite her.
Just like he did with Yuuka.
Now that he thought of it, he hadn't seen Yuuka for two days... cough.
Kirino's personal evaluation put her at the bottom of Valkyrie. Her shooting skills were a disaster, her personality clumsy, and she frequently caused trouble.
However, her enthusiasm made up for her flaws. With passion and diligence, she solved many issues in her district and earned the locals' praise.
That was likely why Kanna noticed and recommended her.
In his eyes, Kirino fit the bill.
In Kivotos, only two scenarios threatened his life:
Being caught in a large-scale gunfight with no way out.
Being physically restrained and unable to call for help.
---
He didn't care how strong a bodyguard was—as long as they could run with him under normal circumstances and fetch reinforcements in emergencies, that was enough.
His standards were extremely low.
So screw SRT and Kaya.
He opened his phone and sent Kaya a message on Momotalk.
He: I really think you have superhuman potential, Kaya.
Kaya: !?
Kaya: What happened? Why the sudden change of heart!?
Kaya: Sensei?
Kaya: Don't keep me hanging!
Kaya: Please reply soon!!!
He ignored her. After some time—
Kaya: Are you busy?
Kaya: Sorry if I disturbed you.
Kaya: Please don't think I'm clingy!
Kaya: Oh, by the way—I just realized SRT might not be suitable after all.
Kaya: If you haven't gone yet, please disregard my suggestion.
Kaya: I'll arrange a better candidate for you!
Reading her messages, he rubbed his eyes.
Had he misjudged her?
He meant to mock her, but she took it as praise? Had he overestimated her intelligence?
Was Kaya just... an idiot?
He tested her with another message.
He: Sorry, I was busy. As for the bodyguard, don't worry about it.
Kaya: Okay!
Kaya: Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help!
Kaya: I may be a little sidelined, but I'm still a department head!
Kaya: Sorry, I'm rambling again.
Kaya: I won't bother you anymore.
Kaya: I look forward to our next meeting!
Seeing her flood of messages, he fell into thought.
It was now clear—she really was just an idiot.
But then, what was her real reason for pushing SRT?
Probably nothing good.
But why did she suddenly change her mind?
He had only sent two vague messages—what kind of bizarre interpretation had she come up with?
He felt a hint of despair: perhaps he would never understand this baffling level of "genius."
Without replying further, he drained the juice, leaned back, closed his eyes, and let himself drift into a light nap, enjoying a rare moment of mental peace.
He waited patiently in the café, until most of the patrons had come and gone—and finally, his target arrived.
"Boss! Two donuts, please!"
With the beauty typical of a student, a voice full of energy, an innocent and cheerful smile, and two long white braided pigtails hanging behind her, she gave off the vibe of a girl-next-door.
The most important thing was, aside from the glowing halo above her head, she looked completely human.
His first impression of Kirino wasn't bad at all.