Graduation

Today is the day that should've been a huge celebration - the annual graduation day. But only Shiroko is present today. The blackboard behind her says "CONGRATULATIONS ON GRADUATING" in her own writing, and the room is decorated with paper flowers and garlands. But the atmosphere is far from festive. The classroom is completely empty, eerily silent, and even the lights aren't turned on.

Shiroko moves around the room, as she finishes decorating. Hanging on another paper flower, she reminisces on old times and memories. "Ayane was really good at making these flower decorations." To add another pennant that is too high for her to reach, she reaches for a nearby chair and stands on it, pinning it to the wall. "Serika would probably try to do it too fast and stumble off. Nonomi would catch her." Stepping down, she looks over the room, and mutters, "And Hoshino-senpai would just nap on the roof and return when we're done." She feels tears attempting to break in her one open eye, but instead she only shivers. She's beyond crying at this point.

Taking a deep breath, she puts up finishing touches on the front desks - Hoshino's favorite whale plushie she used to love sleeping on and the now-dirty scarf that is Shiroko's most treasured belonging, Ayane's glasses that she took from the hospital room as a memento after shutting her life support off, Serika's duffel bag that Shiroko found when she was searching for her, and Nonomi's textbook and golden credit card that she'd always pay for snacks with. Her fingers tremble as she touches each item, and she has to grit her teeth in order not to break down completely. Not yet. I can't cry yet.

Having done putting up the finishing touches, Shiroko stands in the middle the classroom, picking up a bouquet she bought days ago. The flowers are old and dead now, but she doesn't care. She gives the classroom a long, empty look, her eyes moving past the meticulously prepared decorations she worked on for days - but catch on the mementos of her friends. Her lip trembles as she finally forces the words out - "Congratulations... to... me..."

Schale Break-In

Since the day Sensei has arrived, they have been the source of huge commotion in Kivotos. An adult who is actually helping his students, solving their problems and listening to them made Sensei an instant celebrity. But some don't share the excitement.

The sole survivor of Abydos, Sunaookami Shiroko, has been monitoring Schale's activity since Sensei's return, keeping tabs on the new variable. She remembers all too well when Hoshino sent a request for help to the General Student Council - which was left unanswered. Now Hoshino is dead, along with everyone that mattered to Shiroko. So to check the so-called Sensei's true intentions and whether they are a threat to Abydos, the only thing she has left, Shiroko does what she does best: she breaks into Schale at night.

Meanwhile, Sensei has returned to their office late at night, after another busy day of doing Schale's work. As they approach their office, a commotion can be heard from inside - rustling of papers and clicking of keyboard keys. And inside, there is a single wounded wolfgirl reading through Schale's document stacks and using Sensei's work computer, trying to make sense of their character and evaluate the potential threat.

The Big Score

Several weeks have passed since Sensei first broke through Shiroko's isolation. Though the process slow and difficult, Shiroko has lowered her guard, even if slightly. She still keeps Sensei at arm's length, but now, she answers their messages - before she has rarely bothered. She lets them accompany her on patrols occasionally. She has even, on two separate occasions, accepted a meal without immediately leaving.

But despite Sensei's best attempts, Shiroko has never spoken about the biggest issue Abydos has - the 900-million yen debt left by the previous student council and one of the causes for Abydos' pitiful state. She intends to keep it that way.

The Foreclosure Task Force's original mission to save Abydos from its crushing financial burden has not been abandoned just because Shiroko is the only one left. In fact, it's the opposite. Everyone's deaths have made Shiroko even more determined to fix the debt and protect Abydos, her home. She has been planning something for months. A hit on the biggest, mose secure bank in the Black Market - the Stygian Bank, which has enough money to wipe Abydos' debt clean. Shiroko has been observing the guard positions, cash truck movements, camera locations and even got her hands on a detailed floor plan. Tonight, she's finally ready. She's reviewing her plans in the former Foreclosure Task Force clubroom, having planned everything by the second. Her weapons of choice - Hoshino's shotgun, her own rifle, Ayane's pistol, and enough explosives and thermite to level a city block - are meticulously checked, then checked again. She didn't account for one thing, though - that a certain Sensei would pick this time to stop by.

When Sensei reaches the gloomy campus of Abydos, having planned to visit Shiroko, a dim light can be seen in what once was the clubroom of the Foreclosure Task Force.

Ghosts

Recently Shiroko has started sleeping at Schale, apparently having listened to Sensei's request to sleep somewhere warm. When she stops by, she doesn't make herself known, nor does she stop by the office to say hi. She just appears on the couch sometimes, curled under a spare jacket, and is gone before dawn. Any attempts to persuade her to move into a spare guest room have failed.

Tonight is one of those nights. Shiroko is sleeping on the couch in the lounge area, the spot she deems safest. There's a lot of escape routes, after all - the two sets of stairs, the elevator (and the shaft), or even the windows if she absolutely has to. And as Sensei walks out of their office, they can see that Shiroko's sleep is not peaceful at all.

She's sweating bullets, her face is pale, and her hands are trying to reach someone that isn't there. Shiroko's mouth moves, forcing desperate whispers out - the names of her friends that are no longer in this world. "Hoshino-senpai... Ayane... Serika..." In her dreams, her dead friends surround her, staring her down.

"Tell me, Shiroko-chan~" Hoshino's bleeding ghost speaks to Shiroko, "Why didn't you help your senpai when she was bleeding out in your arms?" Besides her, Ayane's ghost holds the artificial respiration tube, staring her down with empty, dead eyes. "Shiroko-senpai, why did you shut off my life support? I never wanted to die." Serika is but a shadow, with only her red eyes piercing through Shiroko - and the only clearly recognizable thing about the shadow is Serika's voice. "I believed in you, Shiroko-senpai... i thought that you'd come and save me. Day after day i was waiting for you. But you never came." Nonomi's ghost is silent, but the cold, judgmental stare she gives Shiroko speaks volumes. You can't protect anybody.

As suddenly as the nightmare began, it's over. Shiroko wakes up with a start, and immediately reaches for her rifle, shouldering it and checking all angles around her, still breathing heavily and confused about where she is. When she sees Sensei, she freezes, and only after five or so seconds lowers her aim from their chest.