Chapter Text
Story Arc: Welcome to Kivotos
Prologue: The meeting between a teacher and a president
XXX
Narrator's POV
In an unspecified time, inside the Sanctum Tower, the beating heart of the city of Kivotos, a man named Zelretch is talking to the Director of this place.
"There is a last refuge for the desperate, the unloved, the persecuted and the strange.
When life becomes too strange, too impossible, too scary, there is always one last hope.
When all else fails, there is a person in a dingy office as if they have always been there, and always will be.
The most capable, stubborn, bizarre and courageous man I have ever known, Bruce Belmont, the Occult Detective, the King in Black of Chaldea." Zelretch said, placing a rather large and thick file on the director's desk.
The director of Kivotos opens the file and begins to leaf through it, forming a general idea about this Occult Detective.
" Zelretch, I am interested in hiring your agent as Sensei." The director declares, before closing the file.
" I can't wait to see how Kivotos will react to Bruce and vice versa." Zelretch states with a mischievous smile.
The old magician is ready to sit back and enjoy the show.
XXX
In a place where the concept of space and time does not work in the way known to humans, one can find a person who is ... making promises of revenge against a certain Wizard Marshal.
"Zelretch, you will never be welcome in Ysatnaf again, and more importantly, you will never be invited to my birthday party again." She declares an androgynous voice with a slight British accent.
The owner of the voice is Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont, an Occult Detective from Earth-2126, who received a trip to a random location in the Multiverse as a gift from Zelretch.
Bruce is a 175 centimeter tall person with a slim and slim physique.
The color of her skin is a magnificent milky white, smooth and free of imperfections.
His ears are slightly pointed like he's a half-elf or something.
Bruce's lavender hair is very long, held in a long braid, which Bruce ties around his neck like a scarf, a long fringe covering his left eye.
The right eye is fluorescent gold with a bird of prey pupil.
Her face has soft and delicate features, thin eyelashes and a light androgynous structure, which gives a very feminine appearance.
If anyone who lived during the times of King Arthur saw Bruce, they would surely mistake him for Morgan Le Fay.
At first glance, Bruce can easily be mistaken for a very cute girl in her late teens. But, in reality, he is a man who should be turning 26.
Bruce's outfit looks like a kind of spacesuit with some accessories.
The suit is a light lavender color with several white sentients, the suit starts from the tip of the toes and ends at the top of the neck.
As you might imagine, the suit leaves little to the imagination, a fact that a number of Bruce's entourage are very happy about.
Over the skin-tight suit, Bruce wears a short white coat that reaches to the back of his chest, with a translucent veil that reaches to the top of his knees.
On the coat located in the heart area there is a sort of metallic identification card with a photograph of Bruce on it, a symbol and some illegible writing.
On the right sleeve of the coat there are only four golden coats of arms positioned in a straight line and equidistant.
Around his neck, Bruce wears a kind of necklace with a black metal pendant that seems capable of transforming into a robot.
Bruce is a rather well-known person in his world for many reasons.
To the masses of civilians, Bruce is the World's Greatest Detective based in Boston, an eccentric individual of undisputed talent, who travels far and wide, solving puzzles and problems of ordinary people and/or the leaders of major super- powers of the world.
Some people have called it a strange combination of Sherlock Holmes, Arsène Lupine, Edmond Dantès, John Constantine, Nathan Drake and a Shōnen Rival.
To members of the superhero community, Bruce is Arkan Bloodedge or Shoggoth, a masked vigilante skilled in the paranormal and interdimensionally traveled, who has no problem meddling in the affairs of others.
Many heroes such as the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four have teamed up with him or requested his help to solve certain exotic or delicate problems. Learning that it is better to have him with you than against you.
SHIELD and other similar groups consider him a potential Omega-Class threat.
One of the Shielder's files describes him as: "A human-alien hybrid with deep magical/divine ancestry, gifted with Omega-level X-Gene and an intellect that places him in the top five smartest people in the world, all inside one body trained and empowered by every means imaginable."
The people of the Moonlit World are the community that knows best what Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont is capable of, considering him one of the most powerful and dangerous sorcerers of his generation, receiving a place in the history books of the Association of Magicians.
In recent years, Bruce has become particularly famous for becoming the Last Master of Chaldea and
having professionally (and intimately) helped Olga Marie Animusphere obtain and maintain a prestigious position within the Clock Tower.
In the present, Bruce is drifting through the gap between worlds, waiting to land in a physical location.
'I wonder where I'll end up this time?' Bruce thinks, crossing his arms, minimally uncomfortable with his current situation.
No normal, sane person would be so calm and calm in such a situation.
It is equally true, that a normal, mentally stable person would not have attracted Zelretch's attention.
'Knowing Zelretch, it's probably going to be a place full of problems and trigger-happy unstable women.' Bruce thinks calmly, making some guesses as to where he might end up.
For many this hypothesis would sound absurd, but with his track record, it is more likely that Shirou Emiya will stop being a hero, that Bruce will not end up in trouble.
Suddenly, the gap between worlds has gained a new tenant, the ghost of a girl.
Bruce immediately noticed the presence of another person in this remote and desolate place.
'Is this girl some kind of wandering soul, an astral projection, a psychic manifestation, or the second part of Zelretch's gift?' Bruce places a hand under his chin as he thinks of valid explanations for the ghostly girl's presence.
In front of Bruce is a young woman who could pass as a ghost or a hologram if you're a more scientifically inclined person.
This woman has long light blue hair with pink inside, a long fringe covering her left eye, and a loose braid tied on the left side.
Above the woman's head is a halo that resembles a white ring with a blue star in the center slightly to the right. The halo sits high but leans slightly to the right.
The woman wears a white jacket over a long double-breasted dress with gold buttons and a pair of high white boots.
On the right chest is a large star badge while on the left chest is a badge backed by blue cloth and gold stars.
On his collar there are stars located slightly to the left and right.
'A nice coincidence, she and I share more or less the same haircut.' Bruce thinks, finding one thing in common with the ghost woman.
"Bruce-Sensei..." The woman said, reaching out in Bruce's direction, as if to pull him towards her.
'What does it say about my life when an encounter like this doesn't even make the top ten strangest encounters with a woman.' Bruce thinks, keeping a stoic face in front of the ghost woman.
Bruce approached the mysterious woman, having some questions to ask her.
"Who are you? How did you get here? What do you want from me? Did Zelretch send you?" Bruce asks in a calm tone, waiting to see a reaction from the woman.
"We long for the seven wailings. We bear the koan of Jericho." She declares the woman, as if she were not entirely present there.
Hearing those words, Bruce's good eye closed against his will.
XXX
When Bruce opened his right eye, he found himself in a place both familiar and foreign.
"I'm inside a train. Good sign, it means I've arrived in a world advanced enough to build one of my favorite vehicles." Bruce mutters, starting to look around for potential threats and/or clues.
Detective Occult immediately noticed that he was aboard a luxury train transporting wealthy passengers.
Bruce understood all this from the quality of the objects and luxuries present in the wander.
High-quality leather seats with a high-tech interface to call staff or launch a mini-screen to watch a movie during the journey;
high-tech billboards displaying products that are expensive and out of reach for the common citizen; air conditioning that works without making any noise; a shiny and immaculate floor.
Each is a sign of a train reserved for the elite and kept in the best possible condition for its customers.
"For once I landed in a decent place.
If the train stops near a Leyline that allows me to summon a Servant, I can consider starting this year's great adventure in good stride." Bruce murmurs in a less stoic tone.
Finding no enemies or objects of interest, Bruce took a couple of steps to observe the view, being able to learn a lot from how the local cities are built.
Bruce through the reinforced glass saw the sun setting, a peaceful beach, a clear sky, and what appear to be rings or glyphs of energy decorating the sky.
These marks resemble the halo of the mysterious ghost woman from earlier, sharing
shape and color.
"Am I inside a Singularity?" Bruce asks, keeping his gaze fixed on the rings in the sky that remind us of Ars Almadel Salomonis.
'I'll have to gather more information before I act, but I hope these glyphs are just exotic decorations or some kind of barrier.' Bruce thinks, trying not to be influenced by his past experiences.
Stopping to look at the view, Bruce shifts his gaze to his hand.
" Daedalus Cube, come to me." Bruce said, calling into his right hand a black cube of pure obsidian, decorated with complex geometric and runic symbols, on the inky surface small lights appear and disappear into the depths of him.
"Until I find out whether or not I have to worry about a creature that wants to incinerate the planet, you stay by my side 24 hours a day." Bruce said, holding the Black Cube tightly in his hand.
The Daedalus Cube is one of the most complex and dangerous Artifacts that Bruce has ever created in his life, it could be called his greatest creation.
Construction and development of the Daedalus Cube began when Bruce Belmont was 15 years old, continuing to improve it into the present.
The Daedalus Cube has many functions and abilities that will be shown later, but we can say that this Cube can be considered a miniature and transportable Chaldea.
Taking a step forward, Bruce's nose detected a very familiar odor.
"I smell blood, specifically from a young woman just 18 years old who is a virgin." Bruce said, managing she learned all these details just from the subtle nuances of the smell.
"She's close." Bruce said, following the scent trail to the adjacent train compartment.
This carriage is identical to the previous one, except for a single detail, one seat is occupied.
"We meet once again." Bruce said, approaching the only passenger in the car.
Sitting on a seat with her back to the window is the woman Bruce met briefly in the gap between worlds.
The young woman is seriously injured, the left side of her white uniform is stained with blood.
In addition to the wound, the young woman's halo struggles between vanishing and reappearing, as if it were a representation of the woman's physical state.
Bruce stopped in front of the woman who looked like she was about to pass out due to blood loss.
"I'll help you first, then you'll answer my questions." Bruce said in a calm voice.
Bruce using his left hand, moves his bangs, which cover his left eye, revealing that in his left eye socket is a gemstone cut into the shape of an eye.
Many people would have been sad about losing an eye, but Bruce saw an opportunity to use Mystic Eye Artificial when he lost his left eye at the age of almost 16.
"Eye of Panacea, grant your cure to this woman." Bruce said, channeling just enough of his magical energies to activate his Mystic Eye Artificial.
The false left eye began to glow a green color, simultaneously a green aura began to cover the girl's entire body.
Slowly, the girl's condition improved, her breathing is no longer so irregular, her face is less pale and her halo shines brighter.
"The Panacea Eye has succeeded in stopping the bleeding and soothing your pain, it has not completely healed your wound.
But if you get medical treatment
appropriate, you will be able to survive and recover within a month or two." Bruce states, acting like a doctor telling his patient what he needs to do to recover.
"Thank you so much Bruce-Sensei." The young woman said with a faint smile on her lips, appreciating the help she had received.
"Don't thank me, the Eye of Panacea is a recently created prototype, I used the circumstances to gather data on how it works on a severely injured humanoid subject." Bruce said, stating that he took advantage of the moment to experiment with his invention.
The young woman almost laughs at Bruce's response.
"Bruce-Sensei, you always try to appear cold and detached, but we both know you're a softie inside." The young woman said seeming to know the type of person Bruce is.
"I am not a Tsundere or a Kuudere." Bruce comments, crossing his arms, not liking that an unknown woman calls him a softie.
This time the young woman couldn't hold back her laughter.
"Bruce-Sensei, could you do me a favor and sit next to me?" The young woman asks, wanting someone to be close to her.
Adjusting his bangs to cover his false left eye, Bruce sits down on the seat next to the mysterious blue/pink haired woman.
The first to speak was Detective Occult.
" I kept track of your easy micro-expressions and body language.
I can tell you are sad and worried, but my presence calms and comforts you." Bruce said, doing his usual Sherlock Holmes trick.
" Nothing escapes Bruce-Sensei's gaze. Always looking for puzzles to solve." The young woman said with a bittersweet expression, finding a brief moment of joy in this conversation.
"You know me, but I don't know you." Bruce said as he turns to look directly into the mysterious woman's eyes.
"At the moment, three explanations come to mind." Bruce states, raising his left hand, showing three fingers.
"First theory, we were attacked by an enemy, you were physically injured, while I was mentally injured, suffering memory loss.
Second theory, you're from the future, pretty simple solution, but it's happened to me before.
Third theory, we are in the midst of an event of space-time origin where past and future meet." Bruce presented his three explanations for the situation he finds himself in.
"Don't think about it too much, Bruce-Sensei, this is all temporary, everything will be resolved soon." The mysterious woman said, trying to ease the Occult Detective's mind.
The girl's expression became bitter, as if she suddenly remembered something very bad.
"Maybe somewhere else, a me from the future is talking to a you from the past." Bruce said in a more humorous tone, sensing the girl's bad mood.
" Bruce-Sensei, don't try to distract me. This was all my fault." She confesses to the girl with a voice full of sadness and defeat.
"My decisions and everything they caused.
It had to come to this for me to finally realize that you were right all along." The girl states, as if she had just had an internal revelation.
Bruce tilts his head slightly, trying to better understand what's going on.
"In most cases I have been right, especially when it comes to crime, magic, science, business, administration or war." Bruce comments, aware that he sounds arrogant, but when it comes to these domains he is among the best in the world.
"But aren't you exaggerating by blaming yourself for all the evils that are happening?
Not even the greatest king can rule in tumultuous times if he is surrounded by the incompetent, the corrupt and the traitors." Bruce said, believing that the girl is exaggerating her guilt just like Artoria Pendragon during the fall of Camelot.
Hearing these words the sadness vanishes for a moment.
"At first when I first met you I thought you were an arrogant, cold man with a sharp tongue and a flair for the dramatic.
Only when it was too late to do anything, I learned that you are the best Sensei I could hope to have." The young woman said in a bittersweet tone.
"It's not the first or last time a woman first hates me and then changes her opinion." Comments Bruce, used to this kind of thing.
"So forgive me for being so bold, but I must ask for your help, Bruce-Sensei." The blue and pink haired girl said, needing help.
"If you know me, you already know that I can't refuse the pleas of a cute and needy girl. But it will cost you the equivalent of $5 an hour." Bruce said in a half serious, half joking voice.
"If I remember, well your first lesson was: If you're good at something, never do it for free." The young woman said, remembering one of Bruce-Sensei's first lessons.
"That's why I'm giving you an extra point on your report card." Bruce comments, trying to lift the girl's mood.
The blue and pink haired girl didn't laugh at Bruce's bad joke, but I appreciate the gesture.
Taking a breath, the young woman continued her farewell monologue.
"You will forget these words, but it won't matter. Even without your memories, you will probably make the same decision in the same situation.
Therefore, I believe that what matters most are the choices we make, not the experiences we have.
There are choices that only you can make." The mysterious girl said in an enigmatic tone.
Bruce shakes his head seemingly amused by the girl's words.
"You should not underestimate your Teacher. I have a very hard head, an unshakable will and can be immensely stubborn.
Messing with space-time isn't enough to erase my memories. Sooner or later, my memory will be restored." Bruce states, confident that he will remember this discussion, even if it will take some time to recover the information.
The girl smiles weakly, before continuing her speech.
"I have already talked about responsibility.
I didn't really understand it then, but now I do.
Adulthood, responsibility, obligation… and the choices you make that go beyond these ideals.
I also understand their implications." The girl said, sounding much older and tired than before.
"Everyone wants the crown, everyone wants to be big and powerful, but almost no one is ready for the responsibilities of such positions." Bruce comments, having seen his fair share of leaders who are inept or unprepared for their position.
"Bruce-Sensei, you're the only one I can trust." The blue and pink haired girl said with a voice full of emotions, mostly sadness and hope.
The girl reaches out to touch Bruce's hand.
"Only you can free us from this twisted fate and find the choices that will lead us to a new reality." The girl said, gently shaking Bruce's hand.
" Don't worry, with me in charge you won't have to worry about anything. I am Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont, the King in Black of Chaldea, I am the strongest and I will save the world as I always do." Bruce said with a faint reassuring smile on his lips, pushing aside his stoic expression.
This time the girl smiles big, showing a genuine smile for an instant.
"So, Sensei. Please..." The girl is about to say her last word...
"Say nothing else, this Sensei is already on the job, solving every problem I find on the way. Then, eventually, I will come to you and make you pay the bill." I promise Bruce with a sincere voice.
The girl smile for one last time is the [dream] ends.
XXX
Suddenly, Bruce woke up sitting in a chair in a clean and tidy office.
" I have an headache." Bruce mutters, placing a hand over his forehead due to the pain.
Before Bruce could get up and try to figure out where he went.
The office door opened, a young woman with black hair, pointed ears, dressed in a white uniform stepped inside.
"You... are..." The elf said with some hesitation, not being able to finish the question.
Taking a deep breath, the black-haired woman tries again to ask her question: Are you… Sensei?"
Continues ...
Chapter 2: Welcome Bruce-Sensei
Summary:
Rin Nagami is facing a difficult week, but fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, Bruce-Sensei has arrived.
Shortly after the meeting with the eccentric Bruce-Sensei, a certain pink-haired Servant Rider will also appear on the scene.
Notes:
I have a little question for other Blue Archive fans. In your opinion, where do female students come from?
The population of Kivotos is made up of sentient animals, sentient robots, and schoolgirls with halos.
Sentient animals certainly reproduced like humans.
Sentient robots may have been built by a factory, another alternative is that a robot dad and a robot mom built a robot baby.
But where do the students who are all girls come from?
Were they grown in tanks in a laboratory under a hospital?
Or is it something stranger, little girls appear like mushrooms and whoever finds them first takes them to their schools?
If you have a theory or explanation, I'm happy to hear it.
Chapter Text
Story Arc: Welcome to Kivotos
Episode 1: Let's take back the SCHALE Club building (I)
Chapter 1: Welcome Bruce-Sensei
XXX
Narrator's POV
The school town of Kivotos is going through a period of deep crisis that is getting worse with each passing day.
It all started a week ago, when the GSC President, the leader of Kivotos, disappeared without a trace.
The simple power vacuum is not the main problem or the cause of social disorder.
Without the GSC President, who holds administrative rights to the Sanctum tower which, in turn, controls infrastructure critical to the city's functioning, things quickly fell apart.
Electricity and running water throughout Kivotos went out, making it difficult to carry out most duties and public administration.
The only good thing is that all schools, large and small, are equipped with an emergency generator and a supply of food for emergencies.
Unfortunately, the generators and supplies were not designed to last long, currently most small schools have reported the death of their generators and have begun rationing food and water.
No one was surprised that in this situation problem students and delinquents decided to take advantage of the situation for their own gains.
The rate of micro and macro crime has skyrocketed, making the already precarious situation of Kivotos even worse.
These are only part of the problems that are affecting the city.
Everything seems destined to get worse, but from today things are about to get better.
XXX
Inside the Sanctum Tower, the heart and brain of the Kivotos school town, all people are working to find a solution or mitigate the damage as much as possible.
The person most aware and stressed about the current situation is Nagami Rin, the Vice President of the General Student Council, and the acting leader of Kivotos.
Rin is a 17 year old girl, 160 centimeters tall.
Rin has long, straight black hair, dark blue on the inside, which becomes more saturated towards the bottom, with an all-black fringe over her blue eyes and elf ears.
She wears a pair of silver oval reading glasses and a blue four-pointed star earring.
His halo appears as a dark blue crown that becomes lighter at the front with three stars of different sizes aligned a little to the right of the front.
Rin wears a standard white uniform with buttons and neck accents. He has a dark blue tie with three gold stars on it.
On his hands are a pair of short white gloves and on his waist is a white belt with gold buckles, holding a gun holster.
The uniform skirt has dark blue vertical lines and the General Student Council logo on it.
In addition to these, she wears a long-sleeved cape trench coat with a similar design. The inside of the coat has a blue starry print black tights and white high heels.
Rin's weapon is a Desert Eagle Mk. XIX L6 with dark blue grips, trigger and integrated muzzle brake.
Rin is walking in a hurry through the corridors of Sanctum Tower, needing to get to the missing president's office.
Unusually, Rin is carrying a black briefcase under her left armpit and in her right hand she is carrying a sleek black case for a keyboard or a sniper rifle.
Rin has been trying every possible way to find the GSC President for a week, but hasn't found any clues as to where she might be.
The same is true in his attempts to gain administrative rights to the Sanctum tower.
However, among these failures, Rin has managed to find a solution that can solve the problems that beset the school town of Kivotos.
When Rin searched the GSC President's office for clues to find her, she discovered the existence of a letter addressed to her.
The letter explains that the GSC President herself personally appointed a teacher, a person who comes from outside Kivotos.
This Sensei should reactivate Sanctum Tower's permissions and become the advisor/manager of the Schale club.
The letter also contained information on when and where Sensei would appear, as well as some precise advice and instructions to follow.
Rin finding out this information was both relieved and stressed. She is relieved because there is a solution to their problem, stressed because the solution is a stranger who could do more harm than good.
Shaking her head and trying not to think about the hypothetical negatives, Rin continues walking through the halls.
Soon, Rin arrived at the front door of the GSC President's office.
Putting down the long, thick rectangular case, Rin takes out his Smartphone and checks the time.
"There's still a few minutes until I'm supposed to get into the office." Rin mutters, putting her smartphone away.
Rin decided to take the letter written by the GSC President and reread it one more time, to make sure that she is following the instructions she received from her dear missing friend.
XXX
To my dear friend, Rinny.
I'm so sorry I had to leave and leave you to look after Kivotos.
Don't worry about me, I'm in a safe place and it's unlikely that anything bad will happen to me, at most I'll put on a few kilos.
But don't worry, even though I will have to leave for a while, I have taken steps so that Kivotos' future is secure.
Exactly one week after my disappearance, at 1:00 pm sharp in my office, a Sensei will arrive, a person from a very distant place.
His name is Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont, but you can call him Bruce-Sensei, despite his androgynous/feminine appearance, he is a 24 year old adult man, with a lot of experience, qualities and an... eccentric behavior.
If there is a problem of political, war, administrative, medical, magical or scientific origin, Bruce-Sensei can help or manage the situation.
In my closet you will find a black envelope and a black case, you will have to bring them to Bruce-Sensei when you receive it.
The official and complex documents of what I want you to do with Bruce-Sensei, you can find them on my computer.
Rinny, I want to give you some warnings and advice on how to deal with Bruce-Sensei.
First of all, absolutely do not call him a half-breed, that word triggers a destructive rampage that will at the very least end in a demolished building and a long stay in hospital.
Second, don't try to make fun of his intelligence, if you call him stupid, you'll end up having to drink your meals through a straw.
Third, don't touch him or invade his personal space, he hates being touched without permission. So keep your hands at home until you receive permission.
Fourth, Bruce-Sensei is a Tsundere and a Kuudere, a Kuutsundere, at first it will be very difficult and demanding to get into his good graces, it will probably take months, but once done I shouldn't have to worry about anything.
Fifth, beware of his charisma, Bruce-Sensei has a long history of stealing women's hearts. But if you want to have a one night stand or a romantic story you have my blessings, but I would have many rivals
Sixth, I hear that Bruce-Sensei has a thing for girls with long ears who wear glasses and uniforms. So you have a head start, Rinny!
If that's not enough, try dressing up as a Witch, Magic Girl, Swordswoman, Priestess or French Maid ;-)
Seventh, if you can't wait for me to return to do the wedding, please take a nice video of the events and lots of photos.
Eight, if you don't end up enchanted by Bruce-Sensei, then you should check in on him at least once a day about what's going on.
Bruce-Sensei is a workaholic who could work day and night non-stop, whether it be bureaucratic chores, laboratory work or guerrilla operation.
Every now and then I have to bring someone back down to earth and take him to a restaurant.
I could give you more advice, but I have little space left on the letter.
Rinny, I'm sure you and Bruce-Sensei will keep Kivotos safe and happy.
XXX
Finishing rereading the letter, Rin can't help but blush at her friend's advice.
' Has the GSC President found a capable teacher to help Kivotos students or does she want to give me a boyfriend as an apology gift for disappearing.' Rin thinks, not knowing what her friend was thinking about her when she wrote the letter.
When 1pm arrived sharp, Rin grabbed the handle and opened the office door, hoping that this Bruce-Sensei was inside.
As the GSC President's letter said, inside the office there is a person who does not appear to belong to the city of Kivotos, as he does not have a halo above his head.
This person wears a skin-tight jumpsuit that looks like something out of a science fiction movie, with a short jacket over it that has a translucent veil that reaches down to the top of the knees.
This person has snow-white skin, slightly pointed ears, one golden eye, long lavender hair held in a long braid.
In his left hand is a block of obsidian the size of a Rubik's cube.
"You… are…" Rin asks with some hesitation, not being able to finish the question.
Taking a deep breath, Rin tries to ask her question again, "Are you... Sensei?"
The person stands up, revealing that he is six inches taller than Rin.
"I don't understand your question, can you be more precise?" The lavender haired person asks in a stoic voice, keeping his gaze fixed on Rin.
"You, you're Bruce-Sensei, right?" She asks Rin in a hopeful tone, desperately needing some good news.
"My name is Bruce Bel Bahamut Belmont." Proclaimed Bruce out loud, as if his name were something important and worth remembering.
" Primarily, I am an Occult Detective, but based on the need and requests of clients, I can provide other services.
In my ten years as an officer, I have taken several people with potential under my wings, training them to be extraordinary people." Bruce explains in a calm and eloquent voice.
Rin blinks, slightly surprised by how Bruce-Sensei speaks.
Based on the advice received from the GSC President's letter, Rin expected a tough person with a bad temper or a classic womanizer.
Instead, Bruce-Sensei seems like a rather calm and professional person, even if he is dressed strangely.
'However, my dear friend was not mistaken that Bruce-Sensei appears to be a woman or of indeterminate gender.' Rin thinks, sure she has met popular girls who are uglier and less elegant than Bruce-Sensei.
"Now that I've answered your question, can you tell me who you are?" Bruce asks, wanting to know who he's talking to.
"I am Nagami Rin, executive member of the student council of Kivotos School City." Rin replies, introducing himself properly.
"You are definitely the teacher we summoned here." Rin said, happy that the right person came along at the right time.
"Let me guess, something has happened that threatens your world, you don't know what to do to solve the crisis and you have decided to call in an external factor to solve the problem?" Bruce questions in a bored voice, placing a hand on his right temple.
"Has the GSC President informed you of what is going on?" She questions Rin with a surprised voice, believing that she should have spent hours to inform Bruce-Sensei of the recent events.
"I didn't have time to get any kind of briefing, I was just guessing." Bruce said as he leans against his desk and plays with his Black Cube.
"I don't want to speculate. I don't even know the specific details of your coming here, but have you ever had long-term, demanding assignments under less than favorable circumstances?" Rin asks, curious about Bruce-Sensei's CV.
In Rin's humble opinion, from the way Bruce-Sensei speaks it seems like he has faced similar situations before.
Bruce raises his right hand and makes the gesture that more or less means yes.
"Could you elaborate?" Rin asks kindly, wanting to know more.
"A third of my life story is about falling from the sky into disaster, meeting a woman who gives me a mission or a guideline, then I have to make the impossible possible to fix the situation." Bruce said, as if having an Isekai style experience was something that was everyday or at least something that happens regularly.
Bruce stops leaning on the desk and stands in front of Rin.
" In short, give me a brief account of where I am, an objective, a target and a weapon." Bruce states in a serious voice, looking the elf girl with glasses directly into her eyes.
' The GSC President wasn't joking. Bruce-Sensei is someone who isn't afraid to throw himself into work. Admirable, but I can't let him go blindly into Kivotos.' Rin thinks, feeling slightly intimidated and worried for Bruce-Sensei.
"Bruce-Sensei, you are probably confused and have many questions." Rin said, trying to start a reasonable discussion.
Bruce, seeing what Rin is trying to do, decided to sit back down and go at a slower pace.
"Confused is not the right word. I would say I'm a little disoriented and have a slight migraine." Bruce replies, placing a hand on his right temple.
"This situation is regrettable, but it is still something we have to deal with." Rin said, slightly more relaxed than before.
"It won't be the first or last time I have to do a job when I'm not at my best." Bruce comments with a bittersweet smile, moving his gaze to his left arm.
"Do you need medicine for a headache or something else?" Rin asks kindly, wanting to help as best he can.
Bruce slowly shakes his head in denial.
"Thanks, but I don't need any medicine, I'm a fast healer." Bruce responds, refusing to receive a painkiller.
"If you're sure you don't need medicine, I won't push." Rin said, respecting Bruce-Sensei's choice.
For a moment, the two stood in an awkward silence, embarrassing for Rin and an opportunity to think for Bruce-Sensei.
'Due to my unique and enhanced physiology, suffering from migraines is not natural, it must have been caused by something or someone.' Bruce thinks with a harsh note, hating when someone plays with his mind.
'When Zelretch sent me into the gap between worlds, I met a ghost woman with blue and pink hair... then everything was clouded, but I'm sure I made a promise. After that, I came here.' Bruce thinks, having the rare difficulty of remembering an event.
Rin not supporting the silence, did something to put an end to it.
"The GSC President, has given me clear instructions to hand over this dossier and this case to you." Rin said, handing Bruce the two items prepared specifically by the GSC President for him.
"Put them on the desk, I'll see what's in them right away." Bruce replies, pointing to the free desk in the office.
Rin without saying anything else places the file and case on the desk surface.
Bruce stands up and walks over to the desk, leaving his Black Cube sitting next to the case.
First of all, he takes the file and opens it, revealing it to be an employment contract for him.
"Rin, your boss has the sense to make a written contract with me, most of my ex-employers settle for a verbal agreement." Bruce said in a stoic tone, appreciating that he was receiving a real, authentic paper contract.
"Do you need me to give you a pen to sign? I don't see any pockets on your dress." Rin said with a light blush, trying not to look too much at Bruce-Sensei's tight space suit.
" Before signing a contract, I want to see the situation with my own eyes, read the document and have time to think about the pros and cons." Bruce said, not being stupid enough to sign an employment contract without reading it or understanding where he will be working.
"It's a very logical and reasonable thing to do." Rin said, seeing nothing wrong with Bruce-Sensei's actions.
Detective Occult quickly leafed through the contract, finding a letter addressed to him at the bottom of the file.
Setting down the employment contract, Bruce opens the letter and begins to read it in his head.
XXX
Dear Bruce-Sensei, I am sorry that I cannot welcome you personally and help you sort out the internal and external problems of Kivotos.
But Mr. Zelretch has convinced me that you are the most adaptable and hard-to-kill candidate I could hope for.
I'm even more sorry that I ruined your birthday by taking you to Kivotos instead of letting you celebrate with family and friends.
If it were up to me, I would have taken you the day after the celebration, but Mister Zelretch said that was the only time available due to the alignment between the two dimensions.
As an apology, I have prepared a welcome gift for you and taken steps to make your move to Kivotos as convenient as possible.
Finally, SCHALE's Sanctum Tower and Club Room are built under Leylines, so you can summon one of your Servant lovers.
Ps. If you have some free time, you could look after my friend Rinny, my disappearance must have deeply disturbed her and all the stress of keeping the city in gala, until your arrival, taking her to dinner every now and then.
Psst. Please do not disrupt Kivotos with your First Class Servants, forbidden magic, unstable experiments, or teaching overly advanced Magecraft to female students.
XXX
'This GSC President is proving to be a good person.
The other times I have been invoked, things are more chaotic, I receive no official apology or gifts or preparations for my arrival or information about the Leylines.' Bruce thinks as he closes the letter and puts it back on the desk.
"What did the letter say?" Rin questions, immensely curious about what was written.
"Several apologies from your missing boss and a request to take care of Rinny, she wants me to take you to dinner sometimes." Bruce said, giving a short summary, omitting certain contents of the letter.
Rin blushes slightly at the idea of having dinner with Bruce-Sensei.
'Why does my friend want match-ups? ' Rin thinks, unable to understand the GSC President's reasons and actions.
Bruce leaving Rin to solve her questions on her own decided to open the rectangular case.
Opening the two clamp-lock fastening straps, Bruce reveals the contents of the case: an arsenal of weapons, Batman-worthy gear and other small things.
Above are a mix of modern and archaic weapons, all well organized and brand new, placed so they're easy to see and pull out of the case.
A folding bow and a set of ten arrows; ten throwing knives; a pair of semi-automatic pistols and two magazines; a whip; a futuristic-looking short sword and a pair of retractable escrima bastions.
At the bottom of the case is a paramilitary combat suit with different protection, a black cloak with a hood, a futuristic-looking gas mask, a utility belt and other gadgets.
"Promises well." Bruce mutters, before taking out one of the throwing knives and starting to examine it closely.
'Why on earth would my friend give a teacher from outside Kivotos a case full of equipment and weapons, including some obsolete ones?' Rin thinks, taking a small peek at the contents of the case.
Rin like all the students of Kivotos, except for some anomalies, do not use sidearms, making use only of firearms and their unique abilities.
Bruce who clearly has a different ideology did several knife tricks, followed by some stabs into the air.
Once he finished playing with the edged weapon, for the first time since Bruce arrived here, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"Rinny, your boss is a person who knows how to treat her business partners well. Many people have something to learn from her." Bruce said, maintaining his faint smile as he puts the throwing knife away.
'I admit he's cute when he smiles.' Rin thinks, unable to deny that Bruce-Sensei is aesthetically pleasing.
Bruce took off his jacket, throwing it straight towards a coat rack in the office.
Then, Bruce fools his fingers and the clothes he's wearing slowly begin to melt...
"Bruce-Sensei your clothes!?" Rin exclaims with a worried voice, pointing to the tight spacesuit of the GSC President's chosen teacher.
The part of Bruce's spacesuit covering his back has melted away, revealing a couple of scars and a huge dragon tattoo.
Rin's cheeks turned red.
"This is a function of my suit, it is made of a special rather malleable material that can easily switch between solid, gelatinous and liquid states." Bruce explains in a calm voice as the parts of the suit covering his arms and legs have melted.
Rin couldn't help but stare at Bruce-Sensei's arms, noticing strange tattoos on the inside of each forearm.
Rin's heart begins to beat much faster than before, feeling like she's doing something bad, she looks down at the floor.
"Why would you ever create such a dress?" Rin questions, her face all red like a tomato.
"This technology allows you to take off and put on complicated clothes in a few tens of seconds.
A suit made from this material fits your measurements perfectly and has limited self-repair and self-cleaning capabilities." Bruce explains in a calm, stoic voice the benefits of his invention.
Currently, Bruce's skin-tight suit resembles a school bathing suit, but much tighter and ready to fall off at any moment.
"Aren't you embarrassed?" Rin questions with a trembling voice as her elf ears also turn red.
"I am a man without shame, incapable of feeling embarrassment and shame. Honestly, I don't understand the taboo of nudity and other social taboos." Bruce said, finally showing the eccentric or antisocial side of him.
Bruce turns and begins to take the equipment out of the rectangular case, wanting to try them out before leaving the office.
"I have no problem if you see me naked or watch me wearing my welcome gift." Bruce said in a voice before emotion or discomfort.
At that moment, what was left of Bruce's suit melted completely, forming a black-purple puddle on the floor.
Rin's eyes saw Bruce-Sensei's white skin marked by some scars and several tattoos.
The most elaborate and complex tattoos are a raven tattoo on his left shoulder, a snake tattoo around his neck and a huge crimson tattoo on his chest in the shape of a diamond from which seven pairs of wings extend.
Rin's vision drooped to her bottom and her brain short-circuited.
Rin covered her eyes with her hands, not wanting to look any further at the slim and cute body of the GSC President's chosen teacher.
Maybe it's a hallucination or an unknown passive ability of Rin's, but the halo has started to smoke.
"Bruce-Sensei, you will find me outside the room!" Rin shouts with a completely red face, running out of the office as fast as she can.
By some miracle, Rin made it out of the room without hitting the door or tripping.
Bruce stood at the desk, taking out and examining semi-automatic pistols.
"To this day I still don't understand why people are so shy and modest about nudity, it's not like I have something that others don't have." Bruce mutters, lowering his guns and placing them on the desk.
"Well, my body has undergone internal and external changes over the years.
But I still have a classic humanoid appearance, especially in this form made for everyday life." Bruce said, taking a quick look at his current form which on the surface respects the biology of a male human.
"If I'm alone, we take advantage of the moment and the position." Bruce said, touching the Daedalus Cube, sending them a command.
The artifact emits a faint glow that revises the floor, walls and ceiling of the office.
At the same time, the raven and snake tattoo moved slightly on Bruce's skin, as if they were living beings.
"No one can come in, no one can anyone, no one can spy on what's going on here anymore. The Bounded Fields are so useful." Bruce said, making a circular motion with his right hand.
The black-purple puddle on the floor moved, becoming a perfect circle.
Bruce made more hand gestures, the perfect circle becoming a magic summoning circle.
"Time to bring a trusted assistant to this teacher." Bruce said with a small smile on his lips.
The Occult Detective takes the Black Cube and throws it into the center of the summoning circle.
Instead of falling to the floor, the Daedalus Cube floats in the center of the circle.
Bruce takes a couple of steps forward and raises his right hand towards the summoning circle and the magical artifact.
" The curtain rises again for this epic that is not over yet.
Hear me!"Bruce begins to speak the verses of the spell.
The Cube of Daedalus has begun to rotate on its axis, getting faster and faster.
"Heroic Spirits, Noble Souls, Nefarious Souls, Souls Lost and Found!
I am the one who will lead you into battle and bring you to your resting place."Bruce continues to cast the spell as all the magical components of his body activate one by one.
"Mighty warriors of sword, bow and spear!
I am the one who is blessed by heaven." Bruce said, focusing solely on the invocation of the Servant and nothing else.
"Great tamers, wise sorcerers, mad beasts and masters of shadows!
I am he who is cursed from the depths."Bruce continues to play his part perfectly.
The Cube of Daedalus, using pure and perfected magical energy, is releasing a miasma of Spiritrons which are used to build the body of a Servant.
"Women close to holiness, men marked by vengeance, people created by desires and those who come from the outside!
I'm the one who seeks balance." Bruce said, getting closer to the end of his spell.
The Cube of Daedalus using what is inside it, releases one completely white Class Cards, which serves as a core or vessel for the Saint Graph of the Servant.
"Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, Ruler, Avenger, Alter Ego, Foreigner!
By your return, I will become your anchor to this world!"Bruce proclaims, feeling one threads connect again between himself and the soon to come Servant.
The Cube of Daedalus is about to finalize the process, using the systems and components inside it, it invokes one heroic soul in the material world.
"I have great heroes and heroines of human history, I invoke you before me!"Bruce shouts aloud, pouring all of his energy into this magic.
Simultaneously, Daedalus Cube released one last burst of magical energy, which serves as the glue to bring the three components together to materialize the Servant.
FLASH!
This process created a blinding flash of light that engulfed the entire church.
The soul of a Heroic Spirit has entered the Class Cards, transforming it into an authentic Saint Graph.
Subsequently, the Saint Graph uses the miasma composed of Spiritron to construct his physical bodies.
When the flash of light disappeared, in the center of the summoning circle appeared, Servant Rinder, Astolfo.
Astolfo is an unparalleled bishounen, 164 cm tall, weighs 56 kg, his three dimensions are: B71/L59/H73.
Her hair is red held in a long French braid and her eyes are purple.
Astolfo wears hair ornaments, which look like something a princess would wear.
The pink haired boy is wearing white boots with gold detailing, black thigh-length stockings with garter belt, a tight black one-piece dress with long sleeves.
Above the suit are several pieces of white and red light armor covering the hands, forearms, thighs, chest and shoulders.
{Author's Note: Astolfo currently uses the least amount of magical energy, thus the default aspect of the First Ascension).
" Astolfo-chan is the first to arrive at the party!" Astolfo exclaims with a big smile, making the V sign with his fingers.
'Cute, silly and full of positive energy, this is Astolfo.' Bruce thinks in a fond Tsundere style way.
"I'm sorry, Astolfo, but there won't be any party, there have been some sudden changes in plans." Bruce said in a calm voice, going back to checking the equipment.
"I understand, you've decided to spend your birthday with just me." Astolfo said with a big smile and an emotional tone, clearly not understanding what happened to his Master.
Astolfo approaches Bruce and hugs him from behind, holding him tightly.
"What does my dear husky want to do for his big day?" Astolfo asks in a pleasantly provocative tone.
Bruce remained completely unchanged and immobile at Astolfo's affectionate gesture.
This may seem mean, but the simple fact that Astolfo can do it without fear of consequences or being stopped means a lot.
"My little bishounen, I don't want to recreate scenes from a Yaoi novel with you at the moment." Bruce said in a firm, but kind tone, nipping Astolfo's idea in the bud.
Astolfo's smile weakened, but he remained happy and his embrace did not stop.
"Then why are you naked?" Astolfo asks with a confused tone, having misunderstood the circumstances.
" I took off my clothes to wear my gift from Rin's boss." Bruce explains in a stoic tone.
"Is Rin Tohsaka here?" Astolfo questions, raising an eyebrow, not knowing another person named Rin.
"No, Tohsaka's heir is not around.
An elf with a halo named Rin Nagami stands outside the room, waiting for me to come out dressed and armed, so I can save the school town of Kivotos from disaster." Bruce gave a little summary of what he is about to do.
Astolfo blinks in confusion, having never heard something as strange as an elf girl with a halo.
Astolfo interrupts the embrace, aware that the moments of cuddles have not arrived.
"Master, can you tell me what happened?" Astolfo asks, placing his hands on his hips.
" Zelretch gave me a gift and I ended up getting a teaching job at this place." Bruce said, knowing that Astolfo doesn't need to hear all the details.
"Master, how do you always end up in situations like this?" Astolfo asks, shaking his head slightly.
"I am simultaneously the luckiest and unluckiest man in the world." Bruce replies with an indifferent tone, having grown accustomed to a chaotic lifestyle for years.
"Master, I remind you that I am your sword, your blade, your arrow, you can count on me for anything." Astolfo declares with a serious voice that rarely appears on his face.
"I am aware of your faithfulness and devotion." Bruce said, not needing a reminder of how Astolfo feels about him.
"Help me get dressed, once I leave this office we have a lot to do." Bruce said, wanting to be prepared for the immense adventure/misadventure.
" With great pleasure!" Astolfo exclaims, smiling enormously at the idea of helping his Master wear his new clothes.
"I remind you, Astolfo, not to linger too long or I'll slap you." Bruce tells the pink haired boy a little warning.
Astolfo blushes for a moment and begins to play with his braid.
"And as unpleasant as it is, you will have to remain in your spirit form until I say otherwise." Bruce said with a serious tone, not wanting to reveal the existence of the Servants to Rin and the other inhabitants of Kivotos.
"Understood, I'll be a good boy, but later I want to be able to cuddle with my dear husky." Astolfo said in a sweet tone, placing a hand on Bruce's chest.
Detective Occult doesn't hesitate to pinch Astolfo's cheek to make him behave.
'Master why did you have to be a Tsundere?' Astolfo thinks, while he receives his "punishment".
Continues ...
Chapter 3: Bombshell news
Summary:
Bruce comes out in his new uniform and walks with Rin. After seeing the sights of Kivotos, Bruce and Rin receive four surprise guests.
Chapter Text
Story Arc: Welcome to Kivotos
Episode 1: Let's take back the SCHALE Club building (II)
Chapter 2: Bombshell news
XXX
Narrator's POV
Rin Nagami is found in the corridor, near the door of the GSC President's office, which is currently being used by Bruce-Sensei as a changing room.
The black-haired elf girl's thoughts are centered on Bruce-Sensei, the man chosen by her dear friend as the solver of their current and future problems.
'I admit that Bruce-Sensei seems like an expert and so far reasonable person, but why did he have to be such a shameless man!' Rin thinks with her face red as a chili pepper.
The elf girl vividly remembers how Bruce-Sensei's tight suit was melting and he had no problem exposing himself...
Shaking her head, the elf girl tries to keep calm and bury these inappropriate memories and thoughts, for the good of the city Kivotos and her own peace of mind.
Finally, after what was an eternity for Rin, but for everyone else it was ten minutes.
"This clothing suits you well. It makes you look more imposing and mature." Rin said in a calm tone, complimenting Bruce-Sensei.
Bruce is dressed in a custom suit for polar combat.
Some might say the suit is a combination of Sam Fisher and Batman, but with Bruce's own personal touch.
The first part of the costume is a grey-white colored jumpsuit with a polar camouflage design, with a simple hood supplied.
Over the suit is a gray military vest with pockets to hold ammunition and other tools.
There are also several straps and a shoulder holster to hold the two semi-automatic pistols you just received.
On his back is a quiver with arrows and a high-performance folding bow.
Around his waist he wears a utility belt, equipped with four holsters to hold four separate weapons and special pockets to hold knives.
On the left holster is a whip, on the right is a short sword, the two rear holsters contain two escrima bastions.
The forearms are covered in thicker armor, on the knuckles of the fists, the back of the hands and on the wrist there are thin metallic tiles with a futuristic look.
Strangely, on the left forearm there is a less armored rectangular area that appears to be missing something.
The last accessory of this costume is a white sci-fi metallic mask that covers the lower part of the face.
Bruce's lavender hair was pulled back into a bun, precisely the same style used by Artoria Pendragon.
The chignon is tied with a black ribbon that was not in the case received as a gift.
Despite the new hairstyle, the bangs remain and cover the left eye.
Who bets that Rin's calmness is connected to the fact that 3/4 of Bruce-Sensei's face is hidden?
" Thanks for completing. Sorry it took so long, but I had to check the equipment and fix my hair. I gave up the French braid in favor of the British bun." Bruce said in a slightly lower voice than before due to the mask.
"No problem, Bruce-Sensei, the bun suits you." Rin replies, taking a quick look at Bruce's hairstyle.
'Is it normal for men outside of Kivotos to have long, enviable hair?' Rin thinks, knowing very little about men and the world outside Kivotos.
'The elf girl is right, you should wear a bun more often.' Astolfo's voice resonates in Bruce's head.
The Servant Rider is at Bruce's side, but being in his spirit form, Astolfo is practically an invisible and imperceptible ghost to Rin.
Only Bruce, thanks to his unique abilities and spiritual awareness, can see Astolfo, even though in his perspective Astolfo is semi-transparent and a cord of energy connects them.
Speaking of Astolfo, the pink-haired paladin wears one less ribbon.
It's pretty obvious where Astolfo's hair ribbon went.
'Do you prefer me to wear my hair like this?' She questions Bruce in a curious tone, speaking through the Master-Servant mental link.
' Actually, you look cute no matter what haircut you wear. Only every now and then you should change your style, it allows me to admire other sides of you.' Astolfo replies with a certain blush on his cheeks.
'You're cute too, especially when you blush or show your rare shy side, you look like a princess when you do that.' Bruce said in a stoic tone, deciding to return the favor.
'Master, I am a paladin, not a princess!' Astolfo exclaims with a more intense blush than before.
The elf girl unaware of the chat between Master and Servant placed herself between the two.
"Please follow me." Rin said, motioning to come after her.
"Lead the way." Bruce replies, starting to follow the elf girl, being able to joke with Astolfo later.
'This Rin Nagami doesn't look anything like Rin Tohsaka.' Astolfo murmurs as he walks in spiritual form next to his Master.
The group of two (three) people walks through the corridor approaching an elevator.
"There's a little thing I need you to do." Rin said with a serious tone as he calls the elevator.
"It's not obvious, I'm here to complete a task, not be a tourist on vacation." Bruce said, expecting to receive mission after mission.
Maybe Bruce isn't an action role-playing game, but there are enough similarities to teach Bruce that every great adventure is made up of lots of small tasks.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a sleek and clean express elevator, with glass walls affording a beautiful view of the city.
"The fate of the school town is at stake. Let's just say it's a good idea." Rin said, entering the elevator.
Bruce and the invisible Astolfo entered the elevator, receiving a front row seat to see the city.
'This city is beautiful!' Astolfo exclaims, getting as close as possible to the glass walls to see the view.
An immense metropolis, full of buildings of all shapes from skyscrapers to condominiums.
A crystal blue lake separated two halves of the city from each other, or rather only this part of the city.
The city has a dreamlike feel or something out of a Solarpunk world.
"Welcome to Kivotos, Bruce-Sensei." Rin exclaims in a gentle, loving tone, stepping aside to give Bruce a nice view.
Bruce's right eye glows for a moment, a small amount of magical energy being used to enhance his already sharp vision.
'Taking into account the height we are at, the level of magic applied to my eye, and my natural enhanced vision, I should be able to see the periphery, but I can't.' Bruce thinks, failing to see the end of the city of Kivotos.
"I admit I'm slightly impressed, Kivos is probably one of the largest cities I've seen in my life.
It's definitely not Ravnica, the City of Guilds, but it's still a big place, it will be interesting to explore during your free time." Bruce murmurs in a less stoic voice than usual.
The Occult Detective is a person always looking for new knowledge and experiences, exploring new places is among his favorite activities.
"Kivotos is a huge school town made up of several large schools. This is where you will work from now on." Rin said, giving a short and simple introduction to his city.
'Master, we have once again ended up in a city of schools, I wonder if it will be similar to Aleister Crowley's Academy City?' Astolfo said through the mental connection, remembering very well their adventures in the city of science and the Espers.
' If this place has worthy opponents like Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku or interesting people like Kamijou Touma and Kakeru Kamisato, it wouldn't be a displeasure to meet them.' Bruce replies, a faint smile appearing under his mask.
Fighting against what Bruce deems a worthy opponent is one of his life's passions.
"I'm sure things here are very different from where you were before and you might have a hard time getting used to it here." Rin said, trying to sympathize with Bruce-Sensei.
Rin has seen several female students who had initial or persistent difficulties when they changed schools and/or districts.
If changing schools can be so difficult, how hard would it be to completely change the environment you live in?
" Rin, it's kind of you to care about me, but don't you dare underestimate me. One of my strengths is my extreme adaptability, wherever I go I will end up at the top." Bruce said in a serious voice, full of confidence.
"True, the GSC President chose you after all." Rin murmurs, feeling slightly reassured that she has a confident and confident teacher.
Detective Occult turns to Rin.
"He chose me for what? Pull the sacred sword from the stone? Collect seven magical rings? Participate in a deadly battle royal? " Bruce questions in his usual stoic and cold voice, uttering unlikely sentences with seriousness.
' Master, I hope we don't have to participate in a conflict similar to the Holy Grail War again, I'm tired of stuff like that, I want something new and fun.' Astolfo comments, crossing his arms and pouting.
Clearly, the pink-haired paladin no longer wants to participate in a tournament where the prize is an empty cup that could turn out to be a ticking time bomb.
'Bruce-Sensei has a vivid imagination.' Rin thinks, slightly amused by what she heard.
Rin Nagami is completely out of the loop, because what the examples Bruce states are things that actually happened to them.
The elevator stopped and its doors opened, revealing a large atrium, presumably a waiting area for visitors to the SGC.
"I'll explain it to you later." Rin said, exiting the elevator, having a lot to do and little time.
Raising his hood, Bruce stepped out of sight, walking behind Rin.
' Master, this place is full of girls in cute uniforms, each of them with halos and a firearm.' Astolfo said through the mental connection, looking around like a child in a toy store.
'Master, if I wear a cute school uniform, might I not be in my spiritual form? Being a ghost is boring!' Astolfo said, looking for a way to be with Bruce in front of everyone, without attracting attention.
A vision of Astolfo wearing the GSC uniform appeared in Bruce's head, followed by visions of Altera, Nero Claudius, and Tamamo-no-Mae in similar uniforms.
For a few seconds Bruce's heart rate increased and then returned to its normal rhythm.
'It wouldn't be a bad idea, but we should create a false halo, perhaps through an amulet or holographic projector.' Bruce said, liking the idea of dressing up Astolfo and the rest of the Servants who will be summoned as natives of Kivotos.
Astolfo, hearing these words, smiles and clenches his fist in happiness.
'I have to thank Luz for conveying a penchant for school uniforms and cosplay.' Astolfo thinks, feeling like I've won a prize.
"Wait!" An unknown female voice exclaims.
Rin, Bruce and Astolfo turn to see a girl in a black uniform running towards them.
Behind her are three other girls in different uniforms.
"I wanted to avoid talking to those four girls." Rin mutters in a disgruntled voice, sounding like a completely different person.
"Who are those girls?" Bruce questions, wanting to understand who he's about to meet.
"Hayase Yuuka, Hanekawa Hasumi, Hinomiya Chinatsu, Morizuki Suzumi." She mutters to Rin with a grimace on her face, clearly not happy about having to meet and talk to these girls.
"Here you are, Acting President! We've been waiting! Get the real president here already!" Yuuka exclaims, pointing her finger at Rin.
Hayase Yuuka is a 16 year old girl, 156 centimeters tall.
Yuuka has long purple hair that reaches her waist in braids tied with a triangular device similar to her halo.
He has bright blue eyes with red snake-like slits in the pupils.
Yuuka's halo is a black circle with a blue line in the center inside like a visor.
She wears a standard uniform, along with a white and blue hoodie, a black and white blazer with Millennium access clip, a white tucked-in shirt with blue tie underneath, and a black pleated skirt. The latter wears a white belt with attached bullet pouches.
He wears black sleeveless gloves on both hands and a pair of black boots with blue tags.
'This girl looks like Rin Tohsaka when she was a teenager.' Bruce thinks, noticing a certain physical resemblance between Yuuka and one of her acquaintances at the Clock Tower.
"Oh? Who's the adult next to you?" Yuuka asks, noticing Bruce's presence.
The blue-eyed girl looks at Bruce with curiosity having never seen him before and does not recognize the supplier of her clothing and equipment.
"For now, it's enough to know that my name is Bruce and you'll see me around quite often." Bruce said, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall.
Detective Occult has the idea that he will witness a long conversation between women.
The four girls shifted their attention to Rin, needing answers to their questions, having no time to observe a stranger.
"Acting President, I have been waiting for you." Hasumi said, stepping forward, wanting to talk to Rin about these urgent matters.
Hanekawa Hasumi is a 17 year old girl, 179 centimeters tall.
Hasumi has long black hair, red eyes, and a short top. She is also wearing a long striped skirt, black gloves and thigh-high stockings. She has black wings on her back.
Hasumi's halo has a sharp red dagger on the star-shaped circle with a four-pointed star in the center.
Hasumi has long black hair reaching her waist with loose bangs, dark red eyes, and large black angel wings on her back.
He wears a standard uniform, a black sailor suit with a red stripe on the torn pleated skirt and sleeves, a Trinity logo on the left sleeve, and a red tie. He also wears black ballet slippers with socks.
Before Rin could answer Hasumi's question, a third girl decided to step forward and ask her share of questions.
"I'm here to see the president of the Federal Student Council.
The chairman of the disciplinary commission has asked for a satisfactory answer to the current situation." Chinatsu questions, needing a satisfactory answer for his superiors.
Hinomiya Chinatsu is a 15 year old girl, 159 centimeters tall.
Hinomiya has long, shoulder-length blonde hair tied in braids with red headbands each and black ribbon hair band. She has elf ears and amber eyes with black glasses.
Chinatsu's halo is a small red circle with four red dots forming a crosshair.
He wears a white collared uniform shirt with center pleat decoration, a red tie, and a red military sash on the left sleeve. She also wears a black skirt with red stockings and black boots with red laces.
His hands are covered in red gloves and on his shoulder is a large brown shoulder bag with a black red cross. The bag is filled with medical supplies, such as syringes and compression bandages.
" Looks like we've been captured by some troublesome people." Rin murmurs in a low voice, but Bruce and Astolfo managed to hear her.
' Master, I feel like I'm about to experience a déjà-vu of the arguments between Tohsaka and Edelfelt.' Astolfo said, leaning against the wall next to Bruce.
"Hello to everyone who takes the time to come here from all the various schools. The student council, the disciplinary committee and everyone else." Rin said with a fake smile, doing the bare minimum to be friendly to her surprised guests.
"It seems like you are all free. Do I know why all you important people came to visit me here today?
To hold us responsible for all the chaos happening in school town right now, right?" Rin said with an even more fake smile and a look full of annoyance.
'Poor Rin, her boss is missing and everyone is going after her.' Astolfo said, feeling sorry for Rin and his situation.
"If you already know, why haven't you done anything about it?
Aren't you guys the Federal Student Council?" Yuuka questions loudly in a passive aggressive manner.
Yuuka clenches her fists and steps forward to stand in front of Rin.
' Astolfo, if this conversation takes a more violent turn I will intervene.
You, stay in spiritual form and see what happens.' Bruce said through the mental link, keeping his good eye on the four girls and their weapons.
' Master, I don't like to stay on the sidelines, but I will do it for you, after all you are the tactical genius. But if you risk being hurt, I will join in without hesitation!' Astolfo declares in a proud voice, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword.
"A lot of schools have already fallen into turmoil!
The last time something like this happened, our school's wind turbine shut down." Yuuka said, making everyone remember how bad the current situation is.
"We have also received information that some of the suspended students from the Federal Department of Corrections have escaped."
Chinatsu announces more bad news that continued to pile up.
"The frequency of thugs like the Sukeban attacking our students on their way to school has also increased dramatically in recent times.
It has become difficult to maintain public safety." Suzumi, the fourth girl in the group of representatives, said, speaking for the first time.
Morizuki Suzumi is a 16 year old girl, 162 centimeters tall.
Suzumi's halo has a pale purple crosshair with arrows pointing outwards along the edges.
Suzumi has long white hair that reaches her waist with a kind of wing tied on the left side. Suzumi has red eyes.
She wears a standard uniform, a gray sailor dress with two black stripes on the skirt and sleeves, white collar and a thin red ribbon with Trinity access badge clipped to the collar, a matching short cloak with the Trinity school insignia, a black belted corset and a brown uwabaki with stockings underneath.
"The distribution of weapons of unknown origin, such as tanks and helicopters, has also increased by more than 2000%. This is a problem for students' normal school life." Hasumi expresses precise information about weapons smuggling.
' Someone decided to take advantage of the chaos to make money or further their personal agenda.
It must be an influential person or organization, with resources to provide so many weapons and vehicles.
I'll have to look into this later.' Bruce thinks, mentally jotting down the information.
"What is the GSC President doing in this situation? Why hasn't he shown up in weeks? I want to see him now!" Yuuka questions out loud, demanding to speak to the GSC President.
Rin understands that the four representatives, especially Yuuka, will not leave without receiving the answers they long for.
'These girls are stubborn and have too much free time for their own good, I can't send them away like before.' Rin thinks, wishing she could snap her fingers and make Yuuka and the rest of the annoying girls disappear.
Rin, like the rest of the GSC, tried to hide the news of the GSC President's disappearance as much as possible.
'But is secrecy still necessary? Bruce-Sensei has arrived and soon everything will be back to normal... more or less.' Rin thinks, opting to tell the truth to get the four annoying girls out of her hair.
Taking a deep breath, Rin opened her mouth and said, "The President of the Federal Student Council is not in her place at the moment. To be honest, she is missing."
Chinatsu and Suzumi were speechless and wide-eyed.
"What ?" Yuuka exclaims out loud with an incredulous expression.
"So, that means the rumors are true." Hasumi mutters softly with a serious tone.
" So, cutting straight to the point, since the final administrator of Sanctum Tower is no longer in place, the Federal Student Council has lost its administrative control." Rin continues to drop another shocking piece of news.
The four girls became slightly paler than before, disappearing that the current situation of the Kivotos school town is worse than I imagined.
"I was looking for a way to bypass the security, I didn't find it until now." Rin said with a serious and professional expression.
" So now there is a way, Acting President?" Request
Hasumi with a hopeful tone, not wanting to report such horrible news to her superiors.
" Yes." Rin replies with a small smile on her lips, feeling victorious.
The four girls show that they are relieved by this news.
"He is Bruce-Sensei and the one who will be the repairer." Rin said, turning in the direction of Bruce, who remained off to the side for the duration of the conversion.
'Master, the spotlight has fallen on you again.' Astolfo comments, aware that Bruce is unintentionally good at attracting people's good and bad attention.
" This person?" Hasumi questions, studying Bruce-Sensei's posture and attire, noting the presence of a sword, whip, and other antiquated weapons.
" Wait a minute. Now that you mention it, who the hell is this Bruce-Sensei? Why is he here?" Yuuka asks with a tone full of curiosity, having so many questions.
" Sounds like you're not from Kivotos. You're a teacher though, right?" Hasumi comments, noting a distinct lack of a halo on Bruce-Sensei's head.
" Yes. Bruce is the person who will work as a teacher at Kivotos, and he was specially appointed by the GSC President." Rin said, placing his hands on her hips, looking like he had everything under control.
"Did the missing President nominate anyone? This is getting more and more confusing." Yuuka said, surprised and confused as to what is going on.
"The situation is actually quite simple.
Your leader for unknown reasons vanished without a trace, before leaving Akasha knows where, he made me promise to save the city from current and future threats." Bruce said, giving a brief overview of the situation from his point of view.
This information penetrated Yuuka's head, flipping some kind of switch.
"Hi, Bruce-Sensei, I'm from the Millennium Science School." Rin said in a friendly tone, bowing, trying to make a good first impression.
Then, Yuuka realizes that she is not in an office or a classroom.
"No! Greetings aren't important right now." Yuuka said, returning to speaking rudely and loudly.
'If anyone doesn't say it, I'll say it, Yuuka looks like Rin Tohsaka as a teenager, shares the haircut and Tsundere factor.' Astolfo comments, standing closer to Bruce, as if he wanted to protect him from the Tsundere factor.
" Don't worry about that annoying person, Bruce-Sensei. Let's move on." Rin said, stopping to hide his dislike and annoyance towards Yuuka.
"Who's an Annoying Girl!?" Yuuka exclaims, looking ready to argue with Rin.
"My name is Hayase Yuuka, please remember that, Sensei." Yuuka declares, returning to talking and looking like a little angel.
"Bruce-Sensei originally came here as an advisor in charge of a certain club activity that had been established by the President." Rin said, drawing attention to herself.
"Rin, your Chief gave me to save the city, nothing more, nothing less.
The employment contract that I haven't signed yet didn't say anything about being an advisor to a school club.
If you want my services, I want to know in detail what you want from me." Bruce said in a stoic and serious voice, not wanting to be deceived.
Yuuka, Hasumi, Chinatsu, and Suzumi turned to Rin, wanting to hear the details of Bruce-Sensei's work.
"The Federal Investigative Club SCHALE." Rin states, as if it were the title of a secret project.
"It's not just a club, but also a sort of extrajudicial organization.
Because it is a federal organization, it can also allow students from all Kivotos schools to join without restrictions." Rin
"A federal extrajudicial organization in a huge school town full of magical female students.
This job seems like it was made for me." Bruce said in a calm and calm tone, having no problem occupying such a position.
Some of the people there raised an eyebrow when Bruce said, "magical female students."
" It is also possible to conduct combat operations in the autonomous regions of each school without restrictions." Rin said, giving more details about the activities of this Schale Club.
"I don't know why the GSC President created an institution with so much authority.
But the SCHALE club room is located in the outer suburbs, about 30 kilometers from here.
The building is almost empty, but on the orders of the GSC President we brought something to the basement." Rin talks about the location of the SCHALE Club headquarters.
"We need to get Bruce-Sensei there as soon as possible, once inside, he can gain administrative privileges on the Sanctum Tower and return the entire Kivotos to normal." Rin said in a deadly serious voice.
The four girls have understood how important Bruce-Sensei is at the moment, without him Kivotos risks slowly becoming a city of the dead in the throes of anarchy.
After this little speech, Rin takes out an extremely advanced looking Smartphone.
Instead of holding the phone to her ear to hear and be heard, Rin held it in front of her, as if to give a clear view of the screen to everyone.
Rin's phone glows for a second and creates a miniature hologram of a person, it would be the size of an action figure.
The hologram shows Rin's colleague, Momoka.
Momoka has short pink hair tied in two pigtails at the sides. She has a pair of tiny black horns with mint green tips. She has mint green eyes and a long, voluminous midnight blue demon tail that ends in a pink spade with a white tip.
His halo is composed of five individual four-pointed stars connected to each other, forming a circle. The mint green stars have bold, pink outlines.
He wears a white sleeveless uniform with gold buttons with a dark blue tie. Dark blue vertical lines decorating the background.
In addition to this, he wears a white leather jacket with gold buttons, black zippers and cuffs with gold buttons. The inside of her jacket is midnight blue, with a star print.
She has a pink and white patch on her left knee. He is wearing thick, knitted, white knee-high socks and a pair of white slip-on athletic shoes with black midsoles and pink tongues.
'This is a cute gadget!' Astolfo exclaims, taking advantage of his spiritual form to get closer to Rin's gadget.
'Master, you should create something like this, it would be great to talk to a holographic miniature of your friends!' Astolfo exclaims with a huge smile, acting like a child who has found a new toy.
"Momoka, I need a helicopter to go directly to the SCHALE Club Room." Rin said, wanting to get Bruce-Sensei to the right as quickly as possible.
"The SCHALE club hall on the outskirts of town?" Momoka asks in a casual and light voice.
The girl with tiny horns holds a bag of chips in her hand and eats them nonchalantly.
"Sorry Rin, it's crazy out there right now." Momoka said as she shook her head in denial.
" What is going on?" Rin questions, showing a confused face, believing that the situation in this district is stable.
"A suspended student escaped from the Department of Corrections and caused a bit of a commotion there. It's a war zone now." Momoka explains in a bored tone as he continues to eat her chips.
"What?" Rin exclaims, unable to believe how unlucky she is.
"They have rounded up all the delinquents in the area and are destroying everything in their path to take revenge on the General Student Council.
I heard they even have a Crusader tank!
They are probably trying to occupy the SCHALE building because they know that the GSC controls it. Maybe they think there's something valuable inside." Momoka said, giving more details about what's going on in the outskirts of the city.
"Because I'm not surprised what's happening." Bruce mutters, shaking his head slightly.
"The moment I have to go to a place to carry out an assignment, then a dangerous criminal and his minons decide to take over the area." Bruce murmurs in a stoic and tired tone, used to situations like this.
'I'm not surprised by this either. After all, you are the luckiest and unluckiest man in the world.
Only Kamijou Touma can compare to you in terms of adventurous bad luck.' Astolfo said, trying to give a friendly pat to Bruce's back, but being in spirit mode, his hand goes through Bruce.
"Oh, well. The city is already a dump, so I don't think it'll make much of a difference..." Momoka suddenly stops talking.
Something is clearly happening on his end, a small beep can be heard in the background.
"Oh, great!" Momoka exclaims in a more lively and energetic tone than before, as if something very important had happened.
"The food I ordered is here. Talk to you later!" Momoka states hastily, ending the conversation.
Rin's extremely advanced Smartphone closes, leaving the group in absolute silence.
Rin was gripping her phone with such force that the screen was moments away from cracking.
"That girl is as lazy as Vritra. I don't know how to reward or punish her nonchalant attitude." Bruce mutters, not knowing how to judge Momoka for her nonchalant attitude during a crisis.
Bruce approaches Rin, sensing that the girl needs some comfort.
Being careful not to touch Rin's halo, Bruce gave her an affectionate pat on the head.
"You did a good job Rinny. You managed to keep the entire city on its feet, while the situation degenerated and everyone attacked you to solve their problems or look for answers that you didn't have." Bruce said in an almost fatherly tone, continuing to pet Rin's head.
"Now, I'm here to help you. You can go and rest, I'll take care of regaining the headquarters of the SCHALE Club." Bruce said confidently, stopping petting Rin's head.
From the expression of the black-haired elf girl it seems that she wanted Bruce to continue caressing her.
Then, Rin realizes that she was being watched throughout the entire process.
Yuuka, Hasumi, Chinatsu and Suzumi are watching as Rin's face is turning red like a cooked chili pepper.
"What are you staring at!?" Rin exclaims out loud, really wanting to have the power of invisibility or teleportation.
Bruce is walking towards the elevator, having something on his mind.
"Is that where you're going? You can't put your hands on me and leave without saying anything!?" Rin exclaims loudly, sounding like he's some kind of angry girlfriend...
"I'm going to recapture the SCHALE Club building, it's thirty kilometers from here.
If I start running, I'll have to get there in half an hour, then half an hour to beat up everyone there.
Then, an hour to inspect the building and find the trinket that allows me to obtain administrative privileges." Bruce said in a stoic tone, showing no trace of the affection he had earlier.
"You can't go alone, if something happens to you our problems will only increase dramatically." Rin said, worried that Bruce-Sensei might get hurt walking through the thug-filled streets of Kivotos.
"Don't be silly Rin, I'm never alone." Bruce said with a mysterious tone.
Astolfo covers his mouth, keeping himself from laughing, partly at Rin's words and partly at Bruce's response.
"If that will make you worry less." Bruce murmurs, turning towards the four girls he just met.
"Yuuka, Hasumi, Chinatsu and Suzumi, congratulations you four will be the first girls to be recruited by Club SCHALE." Bruce declares, having decided to bring with him the four representatives of Kivotos' most prestigious schools.
"W-Wait, what?" Yuuka, completely lost.
"We'll talk along the way, we have a city to save, a criminal to return to prison and a lot of criminals to punish." Bruce said, grabbing his whip.
'Surely, the GSC President has chosen a unique Sensei.' The girls think at the same time, not knowing how right they are.
Continues ...
Chapter 4: 'Shopping' with Astolfo
Summary:
Once inside the helicopter, Bruce has a short conversation with the girls who try to get to know him better.
When the helicopter lands, the girls insist that Bruce-Sensei stay safe and off the battlefield.
Therefore, Bruce decides to do his own thing.
Notes:
I've been busy the last few weeks and haven't been able to post as I usually do.
But I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Text
Author's Note: I've been busy the last few weeks and haven't been able to post as I usually do.
But I hope you enjoy this chapter.
XXX
Story Arc: Welcome to Kivotos
Episode 1: Let's take back the SCHALE Club building (III)
Chapter 3: 'Shopping' with Astolfo
Plot: Once inside the helicopter, Bruce has a short conversation with the girls who try to get to know him better.
When the helicopter lands, the girls insist that Bruce-Sensei stay safe and off the battlefield.
Therefore, Bruce decides to do his own thing.
XXX
Narrator's POV
Above the city of Kivotos, a GSC helicopter is carrying four girl students, a one-of-a-kind "teacher", and a Heroic Spirit Otokonoko.
The helicopter is a civil model designed to transport a small group of people quickly and safely, having eight seats available, ten if you count the pilot's and co-pilot's seat.
The helicopter is piloted by two girls named Sumika and Ushio, who work for the GSC as helicopter pilots.
The seats at the back of the helicopter are divided into sets of four and positions facing each other.
Suzumi and Hasumi, coming from the same school, Trinity General School, sat together on row A.
Suzumi sat on seat 4A, near the window, Hasumi sat on seat 2A, out of necessity.
Hasumi is the tallest person in the group and has a pair of rather bulky wings, even when held together Hasumi's wings take up the space of seats 1A and 3A. Hasumi definitely has a hard time with public transportation in narrow vehicles.
Chinatsu sat on seat 1B near the left window, Yuuka on seat 2B, Bruce on seat 3B, and Astolfo on seat 4B near the right window.
For the first few minutes of the trip, Bruce took a closer look at the girls' weaponry.
Morizuki Suzumi uses a two-tone SIG-Sauer MCX VIRTUS Patrol rifle with a black pistol grip, magazine and stock rest of the rifle is painted white although some parts still retain the black scheme.
Hanekawa Hasumi uses a black Enfield Model 1914 repeating battle rifle with gold ornaments decorated throughout the stock is embossed with the Trinity insignia in gold.
Hinomiya Chinatsu uses a black Mauser M712 Schnellfeuer pistol with brown grip, magazine and magazine pouch embossed with the brown Gehenna insignia.
Hayase Yuuka uses a pair of black SIG MPXs with blue highlights on the handguard and the magazine stock is embossed with the Millennium insignia.
Astolfo spent the first minutes of the journey looking at the landscape of Kivotos from the window with his eyes wide open as if he were a child on a school trip.
'Sometimes I don't understand myself. Why, do I find Astolfo's childish behavior cute?' Bruce thinks, pretending to look at the window, while he watches the pink-haired paladin.
' Logically, I should have insisted on summoning a Servant Assassin or Archer, I would have had more advantages in terms of stealth and personal concentration.' Bruce thinks in a harsh tone, imagining many scenarios in which an Assassin or an Archer may be more capable than Astolfo.
'Putting aside Astolfo's eccentric personality, lack of professionalism and stealth skills, he is a rather useful and capable Servant.
Astolfo has a considerable number of Noble Phantasms, his mount is among the best in terms of evasion, I can keep Astolfo at maximum capacity for a long time without fear of compromising my combat capabilities.
Outside of the combat scenario, Astolfo provides me with a physical and emotional comfort that few Servants can provide.' Bruce thinks in a softer tone, assessing Astolfo's qualities.
'My Hasky, did you realize that the mental connection is open?
I was able to hear everything he said about me!' Astolfo thinks, keeping his face towards the window, not wanting to show his red face to his Master.
"Bruce-Sensei, can I ask you a question?" Hasumi questions, wanting to get to know the man in white a little better.
"The trip will last a maximum of 15 minutes, enough to allow everyone to ask a question, but I take the privilege of not answering if they are too personal or inappropriate for minors." Bruce replies, willing to socialize to a certain point with the students, but not to tell the story of her life or her secrets.
"Understandable." Suzumi murmurs, aware that personal privacy exists and everyone has their own secrets.
"Master, can I join the game too?" Astolfo asks over the mental connection, with a big playful smile.
Bruce does not answer Astolfo's question either verbally or via mental connection.
"I'll be the first to ask Bruce-Sensei a question!" Yuuka states, wanting to be the first one she has to participate due to her curiosity.
Bruce turns to his left to look at Yuuka.
The small purple haired girl was slightly Intimidated by Bruce's appearance, wearing a mask and keeping his hood up makes him look like a shady character.
Taking a moment to compose herself, Yuuka asks, "Bruce-Sensei, why do you use such primitive weapons?"
" Primitive is a vulgar word, I prefer the word classics." Bruce comments, stroking the handle of his whip.
"I see you carry some semi-automatic pistols, but you also carry a sword, bow and whip, what do you need?" Yuuka asks, with a confused expression, not seeing the use of such archaic tools.
Yuuka comes from the Millennium Science School, which values logic and technical skill above all else, so in her worldview, ancient weapons are useless.
" Yuuka, here is my first lesson for you: In the hands of a master even a staff becomes a deadly weapon." Bruce said in his usual monotone.
If they weren't inside a helicopter in flight, Bruce would have demonstrated what his weapons can do.
"Especially if that person is Lancelot." Astolfo comments, sure that the Lake Knight can kill a minor Servant or an army of monsters with a tree trunk as a weapon.
"I understand that a person with experience is more capable in handling a gun than a person with no experience.
But aren't you exaggerating?" Yuuka comments, raising an eyebrow, believing she doesn't need this lesson from Bruce-Sensei.
Detective Occult shakes his head slightly, seeming amused by Yuuka's words.
"Girls, pay attention because I'm about to tell you a lesson that is the result of ten long and crazy years of work." Bruce said in a less stoic voice.
The four girls remain silent and lean forward to better hear what Bruce-Sensei has to say.
"The universe is a wonderful, horrible, absolutely crazy and unpredictable place.
The foundations of society and reality are more fragile and malleable than the common person believes.
Nothing is impossible, miracles worthy of your greatest dreams or the worst horrors of your nightmares can happen at any moment." Bruce declares with a serious voice, having seen so many absurd things in his life that you have to see them with your own eyes to believe.
"Thank you Bruce-Sensei for this... unique advice." Chinatsu said in a friendly voice, trying not to make a weird face.
The rest of the girls cordially decided not to comment on the short lesson.
Bruce's words as true as they were on Earth-2126, the people of Kivotos have different standards for what strange, crazy, and impossible means.
" Other questions ?" Bruce asks, sure the girls want to change the subject of discussion.
"Why are you wearing a polar camouflage suit?
If we were to go to the Red Winter Academy district, I could understand using such camouflage, but it never snows in this district." Suzumi questions, curious about Bruce-Sensei's current equipment.
"It's very simple, my suit and weapons are a welcome gift from the GSC President.
You must have somehow discovered that my favorite season is winter, and white is my third favorite color." Bruce said with a cold tone, feeling a sort of annoyance that the GSC President, knows her personal preferences .
"Is winter your favorite season?" Hasumi questions, in a friendly tone, making a simple conversation to pass the time.
" Yes, I love winter, snow and winter sports. I am also, quite adept at fighting in cold environments.
You don't want to know what I can do in a mountain or forest on a cold winter night." Bruce said with a joyful tone, clearly he must have many happy memories regarding the winter.
'Bruce-Sensei likes snow, which means he will make several visits to the Red Winter Academy in the future.' Yuuka thinks, making a logical argument that might be useful later.
'His love of frost is one of the reasons I nicknamed him, Hasky.' Astolfo thinks, having several reasons for having invented this nickname for his Master.
Bruce shifts his gaze to the elf girl with glasses and pink hair.
" Chinatsu, you're the last girl who can ask me a question before we land." Bruce said, willing to answer one more question and then that's it.
The girl from Gehenna Academy remains silent for a moment, thinking what she can ask the teacher.
"If you don't mind, Bruce-Sensei, can you tell me where you're from?" She asks Chinatsu with a certain shyness, the girl is not used to talking to a male.
"From everywhere and nowhere." Bruce replies in an enigmatic tone, crossing his arms.
'The Master is a cute nerd when he tries to act mysterious.' Astolfo thinks, finding Bruce's dramatic/nerdy streak funny.
"This is not a satisfactory answer." Yuuka states, not happy with the teacher's response.
"I'm a person who, for better or worse, never stays in one place for too long. One way or another I end up in the most absurd places imaginable." Bruce said with a tired tone, Kivotos itself is one of the quirky places he ended up visiting against his will.
Before the girls could ask for details about their new teacher's travels, the pilot made a statement.
"Dear passengers, prepare for landing." The pilot said, as he prepares to perform landing maneuvers.
'Now it's my turn ! Master, am I your favorite Servant?' Astolfo asks with a flirtatious tone, through the mental connection, leaning on his Master.
Betraying a sigh, Bruce decides to answer, before Astolfo can ask nasty questions, which would cause problems in the future between the Servants.
' Astolfo, you are the nicest Servant among men. But don't let your head grow and stay focused, we have a job to do.' Bruce said in a serious tone, choosing his words carefully, so Altera/Nero/Tamamo-no-Mae when they arrive in Kivotos, they won't start a fight over stupid reasons.
'But am I prettier than the women of Chaldea?' Astolfo asks with a mischievous smile, wanting to hear if he is prettier than his female rivals.
Under the hood, an annoyed frown appeared on Bruce's face.
'Stop it or I'll throw you out of the helicopter, spiritual body or physical body, I have the means to influence both.' Bruce said in a warning tone, having no problem beating Astolfo up a bit.
Knowing that there is a 30% chance that he will be thrown out of the helicopter, Astolfo reluctantly walks away from his Master, but not without putting on an adorable pout.
'Yuuka isn't the only Tsundere inside the helicopter.' Astolfo thinks, aware that if she exaggerates, especially in public or on certain topics, she risks a certain level of beatings.
Of course, it's never anything that can significantly hurt a Servant, Astolfo isn't stupid enough to enter into a competition with the likes of Tamamo-no-Mae or Kiyohime, for a violent Master.
' But, as with every Tsundere in the world, when she smiles, she deserves to support her Tsu-Tsu outbursts.' Astolfo thinks with a sweet smile, casting a furtive glance at his Master, imagining him without a mask, with his hood down and with an affectionate smile on his face.
XXX
A few minutes later, the unnamed team descended from the helicopter, preparing for action.
"Since Bruce-Sensei is here with us, we are careful about this. Protecting the teacher is our top priority, in addition to retaking the SCHALE Club building." Hasumi said, making the team's priorities clear, a habit she picked up as Vice Chairwoman of the Justice Realization Committee.
"Hasumi is right. Bruce-Sensei is not from Kivotos. Unlike us, even a competition can put his life in danger. Please be careful." Chinatsu said, nodding her head.
Chinatsu being the team's field medic has the most experience with the wounded (wounded by Kivotos standard) and has an idea of how dangerous a gunshot wound can be for a normal person.
"You don't have to state the obvious, I know that people outside Kivotos are fragile." Yuuka comments, as if she's bored of hearing an old lesson being repeated over and over again.
"Bruce-Sensei, you must stay away from the battlefield and in a safe place while we fight." Yuuka expresses the team's general thoughts.
"Maybe you could stay on the helicopter and wait for us to finish clearing the area of enemies." Suzumi suggests, not wanting their VIP to get hurt.
" Great idea Suzumi!
Bruce-Sensei can stay safe inside the helicopter, if something happens he can immediately return to Sanctum Tower and come with extra reinforcements." Hasumi said, liking the idea of his white-haired schoolmate.
At the end of this one-sided speech, Astolfo and Bruce expressed their opinions.
The pink haired paladin tried not to burst out laughing.
'These girls definitely don't know my Hasky.' Astolfo thinks, calming the need to laugh, not wanting to be heard by the girls.
The spiritual form makes him invisible and intangible to almost everyone, but strangely if he speaks in this status everyone can hear him.
This feature can be useful for playing ghost-related pranks, but of little use if you have to pretend to be a Servant Assassin.
'I and dozens of Servants, out of duty or love, have tried to keep the Master off the battlefield... with little success.
So, I doubt you girls can succeed where I failed.' Astolfo thinks, with a rare depressing tone, moving his gaze to a specific point on Bruce's back.
A place where he was injured years ago during a fight in the Camelot Singularity.
Astolfo being a Servant and a paladin has the task of protecting and serving his Master, this is worth twice as much when he feels genuine affection for his Master.
Unfortunately, this self-imposed task proved extremely difficult for Astolfo, having an abnormal Master who does not hesitate to fight on the front lines against high-caliber opponents.
Bruce, unaware that Astolfo is thinking bad thoughts about his operating record, turned to the girls.
"You are adorable." Bruce replies, sounding amused by the four girls' concerns.
Bruce raises his hand and pets Yuuka's head, as if she were some kind of cat or dog, ironic because she is the most human-looking girl on the team.
"Little female students want to prove trustworthy and protect their teacher from delinquents." Bruce said in a joking tone, talking to them if they were adorable little girls playing at being super-heroines.
Yuuka's face immediately turned red, having never been caressed by anyone, especially a man.
"I don't have to prove anything, I'm a model student with perfect grades!" Yuuka replies loudly, taking a step back so as not to be petted by Bruce-Sensei anymore.
"You're also a good girl to be worrying about the safety of someone you've only known for an hour." Bruce adds, continuing to speak in an amusing tone.
Yuuka's face turned even redder than before, her hands gripping her machine guns.
' If he continues to make fun of me, I will... ' Yuuka thinks, ready to act like a true Tsundere if provoked.
' Master, I advise you to stop teasing the girl, or you risk ending up like Shirou when he angers Rin.' Astolfo said, wanting to prevent an unlikely attack.
This time Bruce managed to hear Astolfo and decided to proceed with serious business.
"Girls, I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't need your protection, not now, not ever. I'm perfectly capable of managing my own safety." Bruce said, returning to his stoic voice, cutting away any trace of affection or fatherhood.
This statement was not well received by the girls.
Yuuka's face turned red again, but not out of embarrassment, but out of anger.
"This is a terrible idea!" Avert Yuuka, who is against having her teacher with her on the battlefield.
"Bruce-Sensei I am against the idea of your war deployment, if something happens to you the crisis could be prolonged indefinitely." Hasumi states, not wanting to fail the mission or have an injured teacher on his conscience due to a moment of carelessness.
"Do I look like an innocent and defenseless princess?" Bruce asks, placing a hand on his chest, asking a strange question.
The girls remain silent not knowing how to respond.
The only one to say anything is Astolfo.
'Hasky, when you fulfill Nero's wishes and dress like a noblewoman, you can easily pass as a princess.' She communicates to Astolfo with a small blush on her cheeks, sharing one of Nero Claudius' interests.
"I understand that you are not the typical teacher, but this is no reason to risk your safety, you are too important." Suzumi said in a serious voice, without a bit of hesitation.
"Bruce-Sensei, you probably don't like being on the bench, but I would feel better if you were out of harm's way." Chinatsu said in a softer voice, avoiding eye contact.
"You're such a tight-knit group all of a sudden." Bruce comments in an emotionless voice, feeling a sense of déjà-vu.
'What is it with the women who work under me to be so obsessed with keeping me out of harm's way?
First Chaldea staff, then Rhodes Island, Azur Lane, Griffin & Kryuger Security, now Kivotos female students.' Bruce thinks, crossing his arms and leaning against the carcass of the helicopter.
' Both in reality and in my strange dreams, those who are supposed to follow my orders treat me as if I were made of glass.
I have saved the world dozens of times and defeated threats that many can only imagine.' Bruce thinks, feeling a feeling of frustration inside himself for a moment.
Taking a deep breath, Bruce pushed his feelings aside, knowing that girls mean well and act the way they do because they don't know about his abilities.
"Well, I'll do like Batman, I'll leave the front line to those with super powers." Bruce declares, seemingly accepting the girls' wishes.
"I'm relieved you saw reason." Hasumi comments, immensely relieved that Bruce-Sensei will be safe.
"Who is Batman?" Yuuka mutters softly, not knowing a person with this name.
"Well, we'll be back in a few hours, until then stay safe Bruce-Sensei." Suzumi said, before turning and marching towards the SCHALE Club headquarters.
Before long, the girls took off towards the battlefield, leaving their teacher behind in the helicopter.
Astolfo, still in his spiritual mode, placed himself close to his Master.
'The girls don't know that Batman has a habit of disappearing and appearing suddenly, often to save the day.' Astolfo comments, not needing clairvoyance to understand what will happen soon.
'It's fun to say your intentions in green to their faces, but they don't understand.' Bruce said through the Servant-Master-Servant mental connection.
Once the four female students had gotten far enough out of sight, Bruce made his move.
"Sumika and Ushio, I'm leaving." Bruce exclaims, walking away from the helicopter, walking in the opposite direction of Club SCHALE.
"Sensei, where are you going?" Asks Sumika, the tall, serious-faced girl who occupies the pilot position.
"I'm going to get a snack and a little shopping, maybe borrow a car and some ammo." Bruce said nonchalantly, having his own set of moves to make in his mind.
"If you leave, what will we do?" Question Ushio, the short, carefree girl who holds the role of co-pilot.
"You two girls can do whatever you want, go back to Sanctum Tower, fly over the city or kiss each other." Bruce said, not too interested in what the pair of female pilots will do, just as long as they don't get in his way.
'First lesson in dealing with my Hasky, never lose sight of him or leave him alone, because there is a risk that he will do something crazy.' Astolfo thinks, walking alongside his Master in his spiritual form.
XXX
Once there was no one in sight, Bruce raises his palm towards the sky.
"Daedalus Cube." With these words the black cube-shaped artifact appears in Bruce's hand.
"Electromagnetic jammer, level 1, range 100 meters, time 5 minutes." Bruce recites the orders for the artifact to follow him.
Immediately afterwards, the Daedalus Cube emitted a flash and a small pulse that deactivated every scientific device in the vicinity.
"Now you can return to your physical form." Bruce said, continuing to walk down the sidewalk in a ghost district.
"I can finally feel the ground under my feet and above all I can touch you!" Astolfo exclaims with great joy, becoming visible and tangible again.
The pink-haired paladin wastes no time in clinging to her Master's left arm as if she were a clingy high school girl.
" Astolfo, I know I've given you permission to touch me and be close to me, a privilege few people have, but this is not the place or time for physical affection." Bruce said, releasing his left arm from his paladin's grip.
"Sometimes, Master, you're a killjoy." Astolfo said, pouting, displeased with his Master's words and actions.
"And you are a princess in need of cuddles and affection." Bruce comments, aware that Astolfo loves to be physically affectionate with him.
"And you're as cold as ice cream." Astolfo responds by raising the tone of his voice a little.
Clearly, being forced to stay in spiritual form and not even receiving a hug made Astolfo nervous.
Bruce did not respond to Astolfo's statement, instead stopping in front of a vending machine.
Without thinking too much, Bruce took his sword...
CRACK!
And he used it to break the window of the vending machine, then he puts the sword back.
"Master, you know you are showing a bad example for your female students, a teacher should not break and rob a vending machine." Astolfo said, openly criticizing Bruce, but it doesn't stop him.
"In my defense, Eda, my dear owl mother is a cursed, ex-alcoholic, kleptomaniac, gambling-addicted witch who preached to me the wonders of anarchy and theft." Bruce said, passing the blame for his bad habits to his adoptive mother.
'The Owl Lady certainly raised my Master in a unique way.' Astolfo thinks, trying not to think too much about his Master's unique education.
" Astolfo here's a strawberry donut, if I remember correctly strawberry is my favorite flavour." Bruce said, grabbing a snack from the vending machine and passing it to the pink haired paladin.
After that, Bruce got a box of pocky for himself, one of his favorite treats.
Heroic Spirit Otokonoko didn't miss the opportunity to get a snack, especially one offered by her Master.
"Hasky, can we make ourselves comfortable?" Astolfo asks as he takes a bite from his strawberry donut.
"Yes, we can do it, we are not in a race against time, one or three minutes to have a snack." Bruce said in a calm tone, taking advantage of the lack of a countdown.
"But aren't the girls at risk of getting hurt?" Astolfo asks, slightly worried about Yuuka and the rest of her female friends.
"Not as much as you think." Bruce replies, opening the box of pocky and taking out a stick.
"What do you want to say ?" Astolfo asks, not understanding what the Master wants to say about him.
"Astolfo, you have nice, beautiful eyes, but you don't use them to see the obvious things." Bruce said, complimenting and insulting Astolfo at the same time.
'The Master is like an ice cream, it's cold, but also sweet.' Astolfo thinks, blushing because of the compliments.
"So, my dear Detective, can you enlighten me?" Astolfo asks with a big smile, taking a step closer to Bruce.
"The city is in chaos, but I haven't seen a single body or drop of blood. Guess why this happened." Bruce asks, wanting to see what Astolfo thinks.
"The uprising is still just beginning, there hasn't been time for a tragedy to happen." Astolfo said on the spot, not finding a better explanation.
"The riots have been going on for a week, more than enough time for a disaster or massacre to occur.
But it didn't happen, because Kivotos girls have a special characteristic." Bruce said in a calm tone, exposing his deduction skills.
"What's special about these girls, besides being prettier than normal girls?" Astolfo asks, not finding a unique trait in the Kivotos girls other than their cute looks.
"Didn't you see their halos?" Bruce asks, looking at Astolfo as if he were a short-sighted fool.
"Yes, but I didn't pay attention, I've seen more bizarre things than some accessories flying above their heads." Astolfo said with an embarrassing smile, not having paid attention to that detail.
The pink-haired paladin takes one last bite of the donut and finishes eating it.
"If you factor in the presence of halos, the lack of corpses in a conflict zone, the girls' carefree attitude about their own safety, and their excessive concern for me, one can theorize that the Kivotos girls have a defensive ability of some sort. ." Bruce said, giving his reasoning.
"I could understand more about how this feature works, but I'll have to see the girls in action and understand how they react to damage." Bruce said, stopping to talk like a detective and starting to talk like a scientist.
"We had a snack and listened to your theories, we refreshed ourselves." Astolfo said, reaching through the broken glass of the vending machine to take a fizzy drink.
"How do we continue, do I call my hippogriff or do we jump across the rooftops?" Astolfo asks, before opening the can and taking a sip.
"First of all, Astolfo, choose a car you like." Bruce said, pointing to the damaged cars parked nearby.
Leaving a car parked outside during a crisis is a great way to fill it with holes and probably earn some money from the insurance.
" Very good, give me a moment to look." Astolfo said, walking towards the row of parked cars.
'Even though I'm a Rider, it doesn't mean I'm a great expert on cars.' Astolfo thinks, looking around, finding all the cars more or less the same.
Astolfo is spoiled for choice.
'I think I should get a spacious car, surely we should take the girls with us too.' Astolfo thinks, deciding to focus only on spacious cars.
After a few minutes Astolfo stopped in front of a purple car similar to a Peugeot 5008, a large car with seven seats, designed for large families.
"Master, I have chosen this car!" Astolfo exclaims, giving a small pat on the hood of the car.
Bruce walked over to the Peugeot 5008, giving the vehicle a quick look, imagining different ways to improve it.
"It'll work." Bruce exclaims, approving the choice made by Astolfo, as he places his left hand on the window.
"Second step, I open the car and start it, you collect the loot from the vending machine and put it in the trunk." Bruce said in a stoic voice, make a fist...
CRACK!
He breaks the car window, so he can reach for the handle and open the door.
Once inside, Bruce leaves the Daedalus Cube near the manual transmission and uses his combat knife to open certain parts of the car and cut some wires.
Astolfo made no comment on his Master's destructive actions, instead he asked a question: "Master, why do you want to borrow a car that doesn't work, hasn't your Black Cube killed every high-tech car around?"
"You may not know, but the latest upgrades to the Daedalus Cube consist of modifying and altering a common machine into a Magitech machine." She said
he went to collect the drinks and snacks from the vending machine.
'My Master, instead of being subtle as usual and breaking into objects using his powers or some gadget, used brute force.
It means he's basically in a bad mood.
I'm not surprised, thanks to Zelretch, instead of celebrating the birthday with the family, the Master is here and the girls with their overprotectiveness have added fuel to the fire.' Astolfo thinks, filling his arms with cans and packets of snacks of every imaginable brand.
'Once we finish reclaiming the SCHALE Club building, I'll surprise them to make them happy, I'll need a delicious cake, a cute costume and a shōgi or Go board.' Astolfo thinks, planning how he can lift his Master's mood.
While Astolfo is retrieving supplies, Bruce has moved, leaving the driver's seat free for his Servant Rider.
"Daedalus Cube, upgrade of car, level one." Bruce said, activating another function of one of his greatest creations.
The Black Cube emitted a strong glow of purple light that spread around the vehicle, increasing its performance, erasing damage and altering its appearance.
" Astolfo, the Batmobile is ready, get in and take me to my four female students, they are about to learn not to underestimate me." Bruce said in a stoic voice, readying one of his guns.
"As you wish, Master!" Astolfo exclaims in an exhilarated tone, as he starts the engine of the 'Batmobile', using a combat knife as a key.
Before Astolfo could hit the accelerator pedal, Bruce points his gun at the pink-haired paladin's head.
"Did I do something wrong? Did I happen to forget to remove reverse again?" Astolfo asks in a voice without fear or nervousness, knowing that his Master will never shoot him... with a gun.
Furthermore, the gun is not pointed directly at Astolfo's head, so if Bruce hypothetically pulled the trigger, the bullet would hit the window, missing Astolfo by a few centimeters.
"Yes, you forgot to put your seatbelt on." Bruce said in a serious voice, using the gun to point to the seatbelt that wasn't touched.
"My dear Hasky, you have some strange priorities." Astolfo declares, while he follows his Master and puts on his seat belt.
"I have never said in my life that I am normal or that I want to be normal." Bruce said as he opens the car window.
"At my signal, you start driving like we're in a Fast & Furious movie." Bruce declares, leaning out the window with his head and arm, holding his gun pointed at the sky.
"Carmen the Crow, come out and have my eye in the sky." Bruce states, the magical circuits in his body kick in, circuit-like symbols appear on his body.
Under his clothes, the crow-shaped tattoo on his left shoulder disappears and a jet-black glow appears in the gun he holds.
BANG!
When Bruce pulls the trigger, a bullet travels into the sky surrounded by a fiery aura that resembles a crow.
The bullet, ignoring some laws of continuous physics, flew high in the sky, once it reached the clouds, the aura solidified, becoming a female crow with blue eyes and a silver beak.
"Exhibitionist." Astolfo said in a playful tone, aware that the Master has dozens of calmer methods to bring out his first Familiar, Carmen.
However, Astolfo hits the accelerator, driving a magic-enhanced automobile towards a conflict zone.
"The girls are about to get ambushed, so you don't have to be afraid of going over the speed limit or hitting someone." Bruce exclaims nonchalantly, preparing to shoot some thugs.
Without further words the 'Batmobile' took off at top speed.
Continues ...
Tendo (Guest) on Chapter 2 Sat 01 Feb 2025 04:27PM UTC
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Tendo (Guest) on Chapter 4 Sat 01 Feb 2025 04:12PM UTC
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