Facing Mash, who caught a bullet and obliterated a tank, the dumbfounded delinquents were forced into a stark choice.
"I'll say it again. Come with me to apologize to everyone you've hurt… or end up like this tank. Which is it?"
"Eek?!"
"We're done for! Let's at least take him—!"
One delinquent, desperate to resist, aimed his gun and fired a barrage at Mash—but he was met with a 7.62mm retort from Hasumi's beloved rifle, Impairment M1917 Enfield.
Snapped back to reality by the gunfire, the other delinquents raised their weapons, only to be mowed down by Yuuka and Suzumi's relentless shots, collapsing in heaps.
"Gah?!"
"No one's touching Sensei."
"Crap! We forgot about them!"
"What do we do? Are we really—?"
Yuuka, Hasumi, Suzumi, and Chinatsu flanked Mash, their signature weapons trained on the delinquents while Mash aimed his fist menacingly.
"Wanna take us on?"
Mash's near-threatening declaration broke the delinquents' spirits. Faced with elite representatives from each academy and a superhuman who crushed a tank barehanded, they dropped their weapons in defeat. Soon, Valkyrie Police Academy units arrived to apprehend them.
"Phew… Case closed."
"No, it's not closed!!"
"No matter how strong you are, Sensei, standing in the middle of a battlefield like that was reckless!"
"Exactly! One hit could've been deadly!"
"There's brave, and then there's suicidal!"
The four girls scolded Mash for his disregard for danger. He apologized sincerely for acting alone… but also shared what he couldn't compromise on.
"I couldn't just stand by while you girls risked your lives. Your bodies might be tough, but like Yuuka said, getting hit hurts. Too many hits, and even you'd be in trouble, right?"
"…"
"I can't just watch that happen… But thanks for worrying about me, all four of you."
'Mash is a very honest and kind boy.' —Regro Burnedead, his grandfather
As Mash earnestly explained himself, Rin's voice crackled through the communicator.
"Sensei, can you hear me?"
"Rin-san."
"Good… Please don't do anything that reckless again. My heart can't take it."
"Got it."
"We're almost at SCHALE. I'm heading there by helicopter."
Having subdued the delinquents, Mash made his way to SCHALE's basement… unaware that the mastermind, Wakamo, had slipped away.
Due to delayed infrastructure repairs, the basement was dim, its lights and air conditioning offline. Stepping inside, Mash found Wakamo—the one who'd shot at him—sitting calmly.
"We meet again, Sensei ♡."
"!"
"Hold on a moment."
"…"
Mash raised his fists, ready to strike, but Wakamo gestured for him to stop. He maintained his fighting stance, glaring at her warily.
"Hehe… No need to be so guarded. We can't have a proper talk like this, can we?"
"You attacked me the moment I tried to talk. I can't trust someone like that."
"That's in the past. I swear I won't be so rude again."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Fine then."
"Hehe, thank you."
Lowering his fists, Mash relaxed slightly. Wakamo, smiling, posed a question.
"Why did you do it, Sensei?"
"Do what?"
"Stand in the middle of a battlefield, risking your life, and lecture me of all people."
"You were doing something wrong, so I called you out. That's all."
"Me, the 'Calamity Fox,' stopping for something so trivial?"
Wakamo, notorious for repeated heinous crimes, had wreaked havoc through destruction and prison breaks, costing Kivotos dearly. A lecture from a man who'd been here less than a day wouldn't change her—or so anyone would think.
"Even if you don't stop, I'll keep lecturing until you do."
"…Why?"
"Because what you're doing is wrong. When someone does wrong, you face them, talk it out, and make them see their mistake. That's what's right. It's sad when someone doesn't understand they're wrong—or when no one's there to show them."
"!"
Meeting Wakamo's gaze, Mash spoke earnestly, confronting her head-on.
"If you keep destroying things, I'll stop you. No matter how many times—dozens, hundreds, billions—I'll stop you with these fists, even if it kills me."
"…As Sensei?"
"No—as a human being."
"—"
Mash's words hit Wakamo like a shot to the heart. A flush spread through her, her face visibly reddening. This impulse, new and undeniable, was no lie. In that moment, Wakamo knew her true feelings.
"…? Your face is all red. Got a cold?"
"N-No… I'll take my leave for now. Your name, sir?"
"Mash. Mash Burnedead."
"Mash-sama… Let's meet again. I hope next time we can talk longer. Hehe…"
Wakamo bolted like a startled deer, vanishing like gun smoke in the wind.
"She was intense," Mash muttered, staring after her.
Rin arrived shortly after. "Sensei, sorry to keep you waiting… Did something happen?"
Startled, Mash froze. He'd just been told Wakamo was a wanted criminal. If Rin knew he'd been chatting with her, who knows what trouble he'd be in? He scrambled to cover it up.
"N-N-N-N-Nothing happened at all!!"
(He's way too shaken! Why?!)
Mash's honesty made him a terrible liar.
"…Whatever. The item left by the Federal Student Council President is stored here, thankfully undamaged."
Rin handed Mash a tablet, a glossy white device with a black screen, reminiscent of a magical slate his grandfather once used to display images and text.
"Take it."
"A board? …It's hard, but not a slate."
"It's what the President left for you—the Crate of Shittim."
"Crate of Shittim… Not a board, then?"
"It's just a nickname. It looks like a tablet, but its true nature is a mystery."
"A mystery?"
"Yes. We can't analyze it, crack its password, or even activate it."
Mash shook and turned the device, but it wouldn't budge. Clueless about electronics, he puzzled over what to do—until a (terrible) idea struck.
"The President said it belongs to you and that it can restore Sanctum Tower's control. Any hints, Sensei—?"
SLAP!
"Sensei!!" Rin snatched the tablet, panting with fury, her face flashing between red and pale as sweat poured down. "What are you doing?! This is absolutely, absolutely not to be damaged! It's critical!"
"I thought hitting broken things fixes them. It's all I know…"
"Throw out that ancient thinking now! Huff… Huff…"
"Sorry."
"Just… be careful next time."
Rin handed the tablet back and left to contact the Federal Student Council. Mash, cautious not to break the screen, prodded the side buttons to activate it.
Click.
The screen flickered white.
"Whoa…"
Connecting to "Crate of Shittim"…
Please enter the system activation password.
"Password… Like a secret phrase? Uh…"
Mash typed every word he could think of: Muscle, Training, Grandpa, Cream Puff, Cream Puff Heaven, Muscle Forever, Power is Strength.
Unsurprisingly, none worked.
"Trouble… Anything else I can think of…?"
A sudden resonance sparked in his mind. He typed the words that surfaced.
…We wish for the seven lamentations.
…We remember the ancient laws of Jericho.
…
Connection password approved.
Current user: Mash Burnedead… Confirmed.
Welcome to the Crate of Shittim, Sensei Mash.
Switching to main operating system A.R.O.N.A for biometric authentication and certificate generation.
"…Arona?" Flash!
A blinding white light burst from the screen, forcing Mash to shield his eyes.
"Sensei… Please…"
"…The sea?"
An unfamiliar classroom.
Crumbling walls and ceiling, a blue sky, piled desks, a horizon stretching wide, a waterlogged floor.
'Zzz…'
A strange young girl.
"A kid…?"
Pale blue hair with pink inner highlights, adorned with a large white ribbon. She slept quietly at a desk. Mash approached.
"Mmm… Zzz… Custard's good… but banana milk beats strawberry milk…"
"Cream puffs are best with whipped cream, though custard's not bad either."
"And… how about chocolate…? Mmm?"
"Oh, you're awake."
"Huh…?"
The girl stood, rubbing her eyes. As Mash crouched to meet her gaze, she recognized him and panicked, her expression a mix of shock, joy, and disbelief.
"Hi."
"H-Hi… You're in this space, so—you're Sensei Mash?!"
"Yup."
"W-Wow! It's already time?! Oh, uh…"
"Calm down."
"Right, right! Okay, let's start with introductions!"
The girl stood primly and greeted him.
"I'm Arona! Hello, Arona! I'm the system administrator and main OS of the Crate of Shittim, here to assist you as your… secretary!"
"I don't know what a 'main OS' is, but… you're here to help me?"
"Yes! I've been waiting for you forever—so long!"
"Long enough to fall asleep?"
"Uh… Yes! No, I mean, I wasn't just napping or anything…!"
"Sorry, things got a bit crazy."
"No, it's fine! I'll support you from now on! Oh, let's do the formalities—biometric authentication. Please touch my fingertip, Sensei…"
"My hand…"
Mash extended his trembling hand, prompting Arona's concern.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm f-f-f-fine."
"You don't look fine at all!"
"Sorry… I've never been around little kids. I'm worried my strength might hurt you."
"It's okay, just a light touch!"
"…Got it."
Their fingertips met. Arona closed her eyes, humming softly.
(A little kid, huh…)
'Mash, this is a magical photo of you as a kid. You were so small back then!'
(…I wonder if Grandpa's doing okay.)
Mash worried about the grandfather he'd left behind. Summoned to this world without explanation, thrust into the role of Sensei, and now tasked with helping students—what would his grandfather think? When could he return? He pondered alone.
Minutes later:
"…I see. I've got the gist of your situation, Sensei. The Federal Student Council President is missing, and with her gone, there's no way to control Sanctum Tower."
"Do you know the President, Arona-chan?"
"I have a lot of Kivotos' data, but there's almost nothing on the President in the city's database. Who she is, why she vanished—her motives and circumstances are unknown. I'm sorry I can't help more…"
"It's not your fault. What about Sanctum Tower? Can we do anything?"
"Oh, yes! That's no problem! From SCHALE, taking control of Sanctum Tower is a piece of cake!"
"Wait a sec!" Arona stood.
Acquiring Sanctum Tower admin rights…
Completed.
In the blink of an eye, as Arona blinked, Sanctum Tower's control was hers—under Mash's authority as her owner.
"Sensei, I've secured Sanctum Tower's control. It's under my command now. Hehe! Kivotos is practically under your rule!"
"…Can you give that authority to Rin-san?"
"Rin-san—Nanagami Rin, the Acting Chief? So, transfer the rights to the Federal Student Council?"
"Yup, please. That way, no one's in trouble."
"Transferring Sanctum Tower's control to the Federal Student Council. Here we go, Sensei!"
"What?"
"You can reach me through the Crate of Shittim's screen anytime, so call me whenever! Of course, I'd love it if you visited here too!"
Smiling shyly, Arona beamed at Mash. He nodded.
"I'll come back."
"Promise!"
The scenery shifted, and Mash was back in SCHALE's clubroom.
His body hadn't moved since activating the Crate, though a minute had passed. Rin soon returned to the basement.
"Sensei, I've confirmed Sanctum Tower's control has been secured. We can now manage the city as we did when the President was here."
"That's great."
"Thank you, Sensei. On behalf of the Federal Student Council, I deeply appreciate your help in preventing Kivotos' chaos."
"Glad my first job went well."
"Thank you, truly. Leave the cleanup of the attackers to us. Please rest now."
As Rin turned to leave—
"Oh, sorry, one more thing to introduce."
She returned immediately.
"This is a guide to SCHALE."
"Oh, right… Where do I even stay?"
"That's included here."
They climbed the stairs from the basement, Rin explaining various rooms along the way, until they reached the first floor. A door bore a sign: 'Vacant, operations to begin soon.'
"This is SCHALE's main lobby. It's been empty for a while, but it finally has an owner."
Rin opened the door, welcoming Mash inside.
"This is the Federal Investigation Club SCHALE's clubroom—your workplace, Sensei."
The room, a standard office, stunned Mash with its size.
"So big… My grandpa's house could fit in here. The President didn't need to make it this huge."
"…Sensei."
"Yes?"
"No, Mash-kun."
"Yeah?"
"You've been suddenly brought here, made a Sensei—it must be overwhelming. But we… no, the students of Kivotos have no one else to rely on. You're our last hope. So…"
"I get it. I just need to see it through, right?"
"…Are you sure? You might never return to your old life."
Mash looked at his hand, thinking.
"Stuff like earlier happens all the time here, right? Even if I go back, it'll keep happening."
"…Yes."
"Then I'll stop it, no matter how many times. That way, maybe things like that will happen less. Plus, I can't ignore people in trouble."
Clenching his fist, Mash raised it to the blue sky outside.
"I'll protect Kivotos, Rin-san, and everyone—with my fists."
"That's… incredibly reassuring."
Rin smiled softly, entrusting him with the task. Gazing at the halo-like rings of light in the sky, Mash murmured to himself.
"Grandpa, wait for me. I'll do my best here and definitely come home."
Thus, Mash Burnedead, a young man from the magic realm, joined the Federal Investigation Club SCHALE to protect the academy city of Kivotos as its Sensei.
Many incidents would challenge him, but nothing could block his path. Because—
'No matter what comes, I'll resist… with my fists.'
Mash had resolved to solve everything with his strength.
Next Chapter Preview
"Abydos?"
"Hey, Sensei. Let's get along."
"A kid as a Sensei? No way I can trust that!"
"Sensei, that's reckless! It's impossible!"
"You're my livestock… like rabbits!"
"Then let's settle who the real rabbit is."
"I'm taking back my precious students."
Countermeasures Committee Arc: Mash Burnedead and the Daily Life of the Countermeasures Committee
Begins!