Mash Burnedead and a Trinity Summer
Inside Schale's office, Yuuka, on duty, clutched her stomach, a pain worse than when Mash was gravely injured.
"Look, Sensei, ahh~♡"
"Ahh… tasty," Mash said.
"Glad you like it~♡" Wakamo beamed.
"Sensei!" Yuuka snapped.
"Mmph?"
"Why is the Calamitous Fox here!?"
"She's my assistant now, a work partner."
"What!?"
"Pleased to meet you, Millennium student," Wakamo said.
"How did this happen so suddenly…?"
"Long story," Mash replied.
"I need details!"
Wakamo, in an apron, fed Mash with a smile that left Yuuka baffled. One of the Seven Prisoners… like this? Maybe she's not so bad?
"Sensei, why not scrap the duty roster?" Wakamo suggested.
"Huh!?" Yuuka gasped.
"I'm here now. No need for impurities."
(Not kind at all!)
"No way," Mash said. "I love meeting everyone daily."
"If that's your wish, I'll comply," Wakamo relented.
"Thanks."
(What a dangerous ally Sensei's gained…)
Yuuka felt a mix of unease and relief at Mash's new companion. As he reached for paperwork, his phone rang.
"Nagisa-san? Rare call," Mash noted.
"Trinity's top?" Yuuka asked.
"Odd," Wakamo mused.
"Might be urgent," Mash said, answering.
"Mash Burnedead, what's up?"
"Sensei, it's been a while… I need your help," Nagisa said.
"Anything."
"Thank you… It's, um…"
"Something bad?"
"Bad… well, not very Trinity-like…"
"Nagisa-san?"
"Sorry, my stomach's acting up."
"Definitely something bad, right?"
"Yes… well…"
Dishes clattered over the phone, Nagisa's voice trembling. Mash braced himself.
"Two Trinity students…"
"Two students?"
"They stole a tank, fled, fought the Justice Task Force, and are now detained at their headquarters."
"…What!?"
Mash couldn't process it. Gehenna's chaos might excuse this, but Trinity? It was supposed to be orderly.
"Trinity students did that?"
"Yes… unfortunately," Nagisa confirmed.
"Shocking."
"Tell me about it."
"Who are they?"
"It's hard to say, but… Hifumi Ajitani and Azusa Shirasu."
"Why… why would they!?"
"I'd love to know!"
Nagisa sounded near tears. Mash pondered why Hifumi and Azusa, both good kids, would do this. Surely not out of malice, but…
"A tank? Why?"
Nagisa's sobs echoed through the phone.
"I'm worried… what if my Hifumi's gone delinquent!?"
"She's not yours," Mash muttered.
"And Azusa too! After everything, I thought better of her, but what if she's been influenced by Hifumi and turned delinquent!?"
"You sound like a mom whose kids went rogue."
"Please, Sensei, find out their true intentions! And if possible, bring them back to their senses!" Click.
"Nagisa-san? …Disconnected."
Mash set the phone down, thinking. Nagisa's change—her newfound trust in others—had likely sparked an overprotective love for her friends.
"Gotta check this out," he decided.
"Going out, my beloved?" Wakamo asked.
"Yup, to Trinity."
"Eden-related?"
"Nope. Some Trinity students stole a tank and went wild."
"Not Gehenna?" Yuuka interjected.
"Yeah, I thought the same, but it's Trinity."
"Shall I accompany you?" Wakamo offered.
"No, I'll handle this solo. But if something comes up, I'll call. Can you stay and hold the fort, Wakamo-chan?"
(What?)
"Of course!"
"Alright, I'm off."
Mash grabbed essentials and headed to Trinity, leaving an awkward silence behind.
At the Justice Task Force headquarters, Hasumi Hanekawa faced Mashiro Shizuyama, with Hifumi and Azusa detained nearby.
"Report," Hasumi said.
"Thirty-plus Task Force members lightly injured, east campus plaza half-destroyed, twelfth school building completely wrecked—"
"Thank you. We'll detail damages later," Hasumi interrupted. "This was all caused by these two, not an armed group or something larger?"
"Yes. They waged a blitzkrieg-like assault. We were outmaneuvered until we deployed PIAT anti-tank weapons. Their speed, precision sniper shots targeting grenadiers—it was remarkable."
"I see…" Hasumi sighed.
"Ugh…" Hifumi whimpered.
"Hmm," Azusa huffed.
Hasumi clutched her head. The twelfth building was empty, so its destruction was manageable, but the plaza's damage was serious.
"Why do this? Stealing a tank so boldly, when Trinity's still on high alert post-reconstruction…"
"N-no, we didn't steal it! We just borrowed it and planned to return it…" Hifumi stammered.
"That's called theft," Hasumi said sternly.
"Ugh…" Hifumi deflated.
"Hmph," Azusa snorted.
"I can't fathom why you'd do this now, but rules must be upheld. Breaking them incurs penalties."
"It's because it's this time of year… we wanted something cheerful…" Hifumi mumbled.
"So, you stole a tank and waged a blitz?"
"It's a misunderstanding!"
"We need to discuss your punishment. Stay put."
Hasumi left with Mashiro, and the two girls were escorted to a holding cell.
"We're so misunderstood…" Hifumi groaned.
"We were close, Hifumi. If we'd spotted that last sniper ambush, we could've kept going," Azusa said.
"Azusa-chan, no! Why did we even attack the Task Force? We should've surrendered!"
"They chased us, so we fought back. Your tank driving was amazing—especially that corner drift after accelerating. Not everyone can pull off a track drift."
"That was just me poking random controls, and it moved…" Hifumi whimpered.
"There's no way you just 'poked' a tank into action," Azusa said.
"What do we do!? We stole a tank, tore through campus, and took out Task Force members. We're total villains now!"
"Sounds about right," Azusa replied.
"No, it's all wrong! This wasn't supposed to happen!"
"Hmm… what's next? Torture? Nail-pulling? Hifumi, trained for that?"
"No, and I don't want to be! The Task Force wouldn't do that… probably."
"Even their leader? Or is that execution, not torture?"
"I don't know much about Tsurugi… how strong is she?"
"Well, Sensei said her attacks hurt, and if she got serious, it'd be bad."
"She hurt Mash!? She's insanely strong!"
Hifumi's panic grew. In her mind, anyone who could hurt Mash was a titan, and Tsurugi now terrified her.
"We have to confess everything and beg for forgiveness!"
"Don't worry, Hifumi. I'll protect you," Azusa said.
"Azusa-chan…"
"And when Sensei comes to scold us, we'll take his chops together."
"Can't you take mine too!?"
"Sorry, I'm not that brave."
"Azusa-chaaan!"
Hifumi shook Azusa's shoulders, on the verge of tears, when—
CRASH!
The door shattered, and Mash appeared, worry etched on his face.
"You're really here. What happened!?"
"Sensei!" Hifumi cried.
(Wait, tanks aren't that easy to drive, right? Shou-chan's incredible…)
-----------------------
✨ Want early access to the latest chapters and exclusive content? Support me on Patreon and unlock special perks!
👉 [pat*eon*com/Greyhounds]