Chapter 34: Chapter 32

“Hnng~”
“I told you, you should have logged off earlier last night. You knew it would be an early morning.”
“Boo~! I hate timezones!”

Ji-Hye puffed up her cheeks as she slumped back in her chair, watching the grassy hills roll by beside them.

The Phoenix students had arrived in England, but for security reasons they weren’t able to land a firebird in the middle of a bustling city, so they landed in the nearest airport and were travelling via private coach.

The Cataclysm had hit the whole world hard, but worst of all were major cities, which seemed to face the full brunt of the demon attack. London was lost nearly overnight, but the citizens of England rallied together to retake Birmingham as the new capital, and efforts to reclaim London over the past decade had been largely successful - despite the scars still being fresh.

The New Ministry of Defence headquarters were near the centre of Birmingham city, and the grassy banks soon turned into quaint suburbs as they approached civilisation once more.

“Yuuji, Yuuji, what’s England like?”

From over his shoulder, Hibiki leaned between the coach seats with stars in her eyes. She’d been reading tourist travel guides as if they were on holiday, but he couldn’t find it in him to set her straight, as she’d always wanted to see the world and finally had the chance.

“Hmm. It’s got a lot of greenery, and many small, old villages connected by winding roads. Sadly most of the less populated locations were abandoned as groups clumped together to fight off the demons, but the history behind some of the old buildings can be really interesting.”

Nostalgia tipped his words as he thought back to his time here. He made many friends, temporary as they were, and secretly as a child he wished he could run away into the fields and live a quiet life without having to fight. But that dream wasn’t a reality, and here he was on the way to a briefing, reliving his past all over again.

“Let’s go and see some of those buildings together then!”

No. It was different now.

The girl’s smile melted away his reluctance, and weak as it was, he returned a true smile of his own. He looked around the confines of the coach and saw many faces of people he wanted to protect - people he could sincerely call friends.

“Yeah. And we’ll drag Ji-Hye along too.”
“I don’t wanna! The internet connection is so bad!”

He laughed openly as the three of them joked together on their journey, slowly closing in on their next assignment.

******

“Welcome to the New Ministry of Defence. I’d like to offer my thanks to you all as a representative of the British Isles, and look forward to working with Phoenix Academy as we continue to a bright future.”
“Thank you very much. The feeling is mutual.”

Conrad gave the representative a firm handshake, as the two of them disappeared into a nearby briefing room to discuss the tasks that were to be completed. The students being left at attention on foreign ground made a few of them look around uneasily, but eventually the temporary acting command Aoi permitted them to be seated.

“Yo, Yuuji! So this is your old stomping ground huh? Got any lady friends you can introduce me to?”

Mitra sauntered over to join him without a care in the world, openly spouting nonsense as if the tension in the air meant nothing to him.

“What exactly do you think I did here? Never mind, don’t answer that. Hema, if you’d please.”
“Gladly!”
“No wai-! Ow!”

Right on cue, Yuuji grabbed the passing girl, and without any explanation she immediately understood what he needed and stomped down on Mitra’s toes, hard. He stifled his yelps as best as possible but immediately fell back into a nearby chair to nurse his wounds.

“I’m assuming he said something about you helping him find a date?”
“More or less.”
“Moron. That aside, I can’t help but be curious. Is there anyone here you would still want to visit?”

Yuuji fell quiet as he formed his words carefully. It was a thought he’d considered often over the last week, and even though it was painful he’d made his decision.

“No. There are people I’m indebted to, and people I would like to meet again, but I don’t think now is the time. We’re here on business, and I don’t think I would have the answers to the questions they’d want to ask the most.”
“Hmm~. I see.”
“So it was more of a ‘one night stand’ kinda-”

*WHAM*

Hema’s ruthless punch ended Mitra’s sentence flat, and he slumped back in his chair while his soul escaped his body. Yuuji simply nodded his thanks, as it was a common routine between the three of them at this point.

“Phoenix, listen up.”

Conrad returned from the meeting room with someone standing beside him, but it wasn’t the representative he’d entered with. He cast a quick glance over the group as they all stood to attention (except one) and continued.

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“Allow me to introduce you to one of the finest the MID have to offer. She’s graciously offered to assist in our first task, both as a local guide and as combat personnel should it come to that.”

The girl stepped forward lightly, and with beautiful posture and a clear, ringing voice, announced herself.

“Good morning, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Gale Rose-Windsor, Premiere Knight of the British Isles. Please do not hesitate to ask should you need my assistance, my blade is yours.”

She stood rigid and placed her arm across her chest in a military salute. It was refined and immaculately practised, and even though her age was similar to their own she gave the impression of a seasoned soldier.

Her golden blonde hair shone like the sun, and had been neatly brushed behind her petite ears to hang at neck length. The gaze of her sea-blue eyes washed over them as she scanned the room, lingering momentarily on a few select characters.

The outfit she wore combined traditional ceremonial military wear with thick metal plates, and even though the weight of her armour alone surely drew a heavy burden, she moved unfazed with each step.

“Thank you, Gale. Our first task is in a village to the south, in the Cotswolds. It’ll be remote, so be sure to stock up on any personal essentials now, and keep in mind that internet connection will be spotty at best throughout our time there.”

Ji-Hye’s legs visibly wobbled, but she managed to remain upright without falling to her knees as Conrad took another breath.

“We’re investigating rumours of a wraith haunting. Our MID contact is the village vicar, who has also helped out by arranging lodgings with some of the locals in the area, so as always mind your manners and don’t do anything stupid. Especially you, Mitra.”
“...”

There was a momentary silence as he scanned the faces around him, only to find that the one he chose to single out was ‘sleeping’ peacefully in his seat with a giant red welt across his cheek.

“...In any case, we’ll be leaving in 2 hours. Make sure to finish up any last city errands now and head back- we depart on time, with or without you. You are dismissed.”

******

“My dailies… my stamina recharge schedule… my limited time banners…”

Yuuji decided it was best not to stare too long at the girl beside him, who was plucking leaves off a daisy while muttering eerily. With her pale skin and chant-like murmurs, it would be easy to mistake her for the wraith they’d be seeking out, if it weren’t for the brightly coloured modern headphones over her ears. Ji-Hye’s mood had only gotten worse, as she groaned at every passing building, the likes of which became more and more sparse as they progressed into the countryside.

Counter to that, Hibiki’s gasps of excitement sounded whenever they passed another farm, and she watched the cattle gleefully while pointing out any details she could scry before they disappeared behind the treeline.

“There was a black sheep! A black one! Oh, are those pigs!?”
“Haha, I’m sure there will be plenty of farmland around our destination. You might be able to meet some up close.”
“Really!?”

Her slender hands reached through the gap between the chairs and grabbed his arm with fearsome strength. He turned around to see her eyes the size of saucers, and for a moment he feared for his life should he tell her they may not get the chance.

“Y-Yeah.”
“Wow! I can’t wait!”

She released him and returned to her window once again, glued to her personal portal to the outside world. Yuuji rubbed his arm softly as he began to regain feeling in his fingers, and after gazing at the surroundings himself, he realised they were slowing down to arrive at their destination.

It was a quaint and beautiful little village, with old stone houses dating back centuries, though they’d had plenty of touch-ups to bring them into the modern day. It was sparsely populated, but the townsfolk that they passed watched on curiously as the out-of-place coach squealed to a halt.

With the coach driver’s go-ahead, Conrad rose to his feet, and addressed the students once more.

“Alright then, we’re here. This will be our home for the next few days as we conduct the investigation, so get comfy. Our contact should be just outside, and we’ll show you to your lodgings, and assign some groups for delegation.”

The doors opened, and a brisk winter breeze swept through the once cozy interior.

“Let’s get started, shall we?”

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