Pseudo Messiah - Haruna of the Heavens

8 = Don't Call It A Comeback

"What?! What the heck?! How are we losing?! Do they ever run out of ammo?!" Iori screamed from behind a blockade.

Haruna paced alongside the Foreclosure Task Force as they advanced on the diminishing forces of the Prefect Team.

The girls were completely silent as they reloaded for the umpteenth time since the battle had begun.

With Hasumi assisting in the back line and the girls being the strongest frontline he could ask for, it was only a matter of time before the Prefect Team's defeat.

Haruna suddenly spotted a familiar face standing behind their ranks.

"Chinatsu?"

"S-Sensei... I didn't expect us to meet again this way." She replied meekly. "I knew we had no chance of winning the second I spotted you."

"Why didn't you tell me that?!" Iori screamed.

Chinatsu only spared her an irritated leer.

A buzz rung through everyone's comms, even Chinatsu and Iori's. "This is Okusora Ayane of the Abydos Foreclosure Task Force. State your affiliation."

In response to her, another voice came across the comms in a smug tone. "I can answer that."

"Ako?" Iori questioned.

"Greetings, Abydos students. My name is Ako, and I'm the senior administrator of Gehenna Academy's Prefect Team. I'd like to take a moment to explain what's going on, if you don't mind?" She asked.

"Aw man..." Iori mumbled in fear.

"The template for apology letters is in the left-hand drawer of my desk. Understood, Iori?" Ako sternly asked.

"Can we cut to where you all get out of here?" Haruna asked in annoyance.

"We'll get there, Sensei, don't worry. Allow me to apologize for the previous students' reckless misuse of force."

Iori shot up from behind cover with a gasp. "The hell?! But I was just following orders, Ako!"

"Were your orders to blindly engage using indiscriminate bombardment right from the start?" Ako asked with a distinct patronizing tone.

Iori flinched. "Well... supporting firepower is a mainstay of... above-ground tactical deployment for the infantry."

Ako's leer of impatience could be felt through the screen. "Does it not go without saying that certain precautions are to be taken when operating within the district of another academy?"

Iori visibly gave up by crossing her arms.

"What kind of schools are you people running?" Haruna spat with widened eyes.

"Again. My sincerest apologies to the Foreclosure Task Force." Ako reinstated. "The Gehenna Prefect Team was mobilized to take specific individuals who have violated our academy's regulations into custody. This was an unfortunate incident, but since nothing illegal has happened, I hope we can count on your understanding due to the urgency of the situation. We humbly ask for your cooperation—"

"No." Haruna interrupted.

"...I'm sorry?" Ako asked in offended confusion.

"I said no. If I did my homework correctly, you're out of line here without our permission. And seeing as this has become a personal matter to us, we'll be handling Problem Solver personally." He explained.

"He's right! This is a clear breach of jurisdictional authority. It's disgraceful that an academy of Gehenna's caliber would abuse their power to launch this kind of assault!" Ayane added, leaving Shiroko, Serika, and Nonomi stunned.