Vol. 4 Ch. 1 Ep. 3: The Squad's Circumstances

Interrogation Log: 977-R-1

Interrogator: Ogata Kanna, Valkyrie Police School, 3rd Year

Suspect: Sorai Saki, SRT Academy, 1st Year

Your name.

...

State your name!

Are you dumb? Did you forget my name already?

You're not asking the questions here.

I'll ask one more time. What is your name?

...Sorai Saki.

Affiliation?

RABBIT Squad of SRT Academy. That is, until you closed it down on a whim.

Watch your words. Do you understand your situation?

Keep resisting, and you'll learn just how I earned the nickname the Feral Hound.

Was that a threat? Is that the extent of your interrogation skills? Pfft.

SRT Academy students deal with highly confidential information regularly! We're well trained in dealing with interrogations and torture!

So, do your worst!

You know, I've looked at your records. You were an incredibly talented student at SRT Academy.

Nearly perfect scores on written tests, and you handled the practicals as if you've been in combat your entire life.

Not a single violation on your record either. A golden student from every angle.

So, tell me. Why would top-of-her-class, dedicated, and intelligent Sorai Saki do something like this? Was the thought of being transferred to Valkyrie Police School that horrible?

...Valkyrie isn't SRT.

You're avoiding the question. Answer me clearly.

Unlike Valkyrie Police School, SRT Academy follows strict, rigid principles both in the classroom and out.

We wake up at the same time every morning, make our bed with precision, train in classes, and continue our duties and practice in our dorms.

Valkyrie Police School's daily routine?

Your "most disciplined" Public Peace Bureau even wears casual clothes after classes. They play and do as they please after school rather than dedicating themselves to their training.

You can chain me up, but I will always live as a dignified wolf, not a sheepdog lollygagging in a pasture.

Is that really how you feel?

Then let me ask you another question.

When Moe used all your ammo on shooting down the drone, why did you encourage it?

A model student like you surely knows how precious ammo is in a defensive battle.

What did that have to do with your dignified principles?

W-Well, because...

I kind of thought it would be cool to see it all explode at once. In training, we're always graded on how much ammo we conserve...

Sorai

Saki

Fail

Interrogation Log: 977-R-2

Interrogator: Nakatsukasa Kirino, Valkyrie Police School, 1st Year

Suspect: Kazekura Moe, SRT Academy, 1st year

You're Kazekura Moe, correct?

The one and only.

Hey, hey. Miss Officer, you almost done with your little questioning?

I'm running out of candy and I'm b-o-r-e-d. Can I go?

Absolutely not! We must complete your interrogation.

And your concern here is candy? Please keep in mind you're a suspect in a very serious crime!

Cooperate, or there'll be no more candy for you at all!

Alright, alright, Miss Officer.

Let me get to the point, Moe. Why did you occupy the park and disobey police commands?

Your sentencing would have been much less severe if you had just surrendered.

...Leaving SRT would've sucked.

Well... I can agree that no matter the circumstances, leaving Valkyrie Police School would be extremely painful.

Our relationships and memories are precious. I'll note that down...

You've got it all wrong, Miss Officer.

If you gave me a ticket away from the RABBIT members, I'd be on the next flight out.

Miyu's a useless crybaby, and Saki is always just nag, nag, nag. Nagging queen.

Th-Then what were your reasons for wanting to stay?

The big ka-booms of course! The weapons!

Valkyrie Police School could have provided weapons as well if that is your area of interest!

Pffffffft. Those measly little kiddie toys? They're not even in the same league!

Have you ever felt the rumble of an anti-tank missile tearing through enemy lines? Or seen incendiary bombs that set everything on fire, as far as you can see?

SRT Academy let me blow up what I wanted, with whatever I could dream of!

Even at SRT Academy you're not supposed to do that! At all!

(C-Come to think of it, Moe recklessly fired bombs and destroyed shops during the last incident.)

Although different in nature, SRT and Valkyrie were both created to protect the safety of citizens.

But all you care about is blowing things up!

Moe, is protecting the peace not your utmost priority?!

It isn't.

*sigh*

Kazekura

Moe

Fail

Interrogation Log: 977-R-3

Interrogator: Nemugaki Fubuki, Valkyrie Police School, 1st Year

Suspect for Investigation: Kasumizawa Miyu, SRT Academy, 1st Year

Sooo, what's your name again?

K-Kasumizawa Miyu, I'm a 1st year in RABBIT Squad... My role is the sniper...

I'm fifteen years old... I was born July twelfth. O-Oh...and I like collecting p-pebbles.

I just needed your name...

What's gonna happen to me?

I know what I did in the park was really bad... A-Am I going to be tortured?

Like tickling me all night, or playing the same song on repeat over and over again...

Nooo! P-Please don't do it! I'm sorry! I'll tell you everything!

You can calm down... Torturing you would be way too much effort.

You just have to explain why you did what you did and we can both get outta here.

B-Because...I was scared of being transferred to a new school.

Why? We're probably the safest school you could transfer to.

N-No it's not that...

It's just that... I don't wanna have to make new friends all over again...

I mean... Miyako's the only one who ever really cares about me... But at least I have her.

If I have to go to a whole, brand-new school...

Who would talk to me? I'm a crybaby and useless. I'll fade away into nothingness like a piece of gum on the street nobody even notices.

I'd rather sleep with those icky bugs than meet new people.

I see... So you're scared of people?

N-No, not exactly. But people can forget me.

And I can't stand the thought of being forgotten. All by myself... Like a piece of gum...

That's why I went to SRT. But now my only home is gone, and I'm really scared...

Hey, I actually have an idea.

Why don't you join the Public Safety Bureau? There's only a few of us, so you'd get in easy.

I chose it specifically because you don't have to do anything! I just get to eat donuts and avoid people.

A-Avoid people?

So, if I join your club, I could go to school and never talk to anyone, ever?

Um... I mean I think never ever is kinda impossible.

We do still have to do some things. Like weird civil complaints and stuff.

Can I just go back to the bugs?

Kasumizawa

Miyu

Fail

Interrogation Log: 977-R-4

Interrogator: Sensei, Schale

Suspect for Investigation: Tsukiyuki Miyako, SRT Academy, 1st Year

...It's you.

I assume you'll be conducting my interrogation, Sensei.

I'm surprised I was worth your time. It's a long trip out here.

I assume you'll be conducting my interrogation, Sensei.

Stop playing games. My answers will be the same no matter what.

Ask away.

That's an unexpected question.

I'm as fine as you would expect a prisoner to be. I can't complain much.

Are you trying to negotiate with me? Better conditions for a favor?

If you think you can get in my head, you're fighting a losing battle.

I won't abandon SRT Academy.

The first question was unexpected, the second was bad. I'm keeping count.

I'm not against going to Valkyrie Police School.

I refuse to leave SRT Academy.

A better question. SRT Academy has a unique sense of justice.

Maybe I've relinquished my right to talk about justice.

It's a word you hear a lot here in Kivotos.

Students of Trinity, Gehenna, and even Valkyrie all fight for their own brand of justice.

...I think their brand is trite.

Justice is the path to preserving truth.

Inherently, the path has to also be based on truth. If this is so, justice shouldn't change no matter who carries it out.

All these academies, Kivotos' security organizations, everyone mixes politics and justice. And so justice becomes a sword they wield for their own self-interests. They taint it.

SRT Academy... At SRT we served justice with principle, unaffected by society and politics.

It didn't matter if it was me or Saki or Moe or Miyu. Or who our enemy was. Every member of our organization was dedicated to that path. To preserving truth.

It's these principles that made me love SRT Academy, ever since I was little.

I respected the justice they pursued. Unaffected by the inherent selfishness of humans.

But I guess for all my idealistic spouting, SRT disbanded and I became a criminal.

I'm a failure. If I had led my allies better, cooperated with them, united them, I wouldn't have let them down. I wouldn't have let SRT down.

...You're a weird one, Sensei.

I don't think I deserve that compliment, especially from you.

We planned everything in advance. On the other hand, you put together a strategy, understood and maximized your allies' talents, pried open your enemies' weaknesses, and overwhelmed us entirely in an emergency situation.

I didn't stand a single chance.

My answer is the same.

Unless you think you can stop SRT Academy from closing, I don't need anything from you, Sensei.

Well, then know I won't stop fighting for SRT Academy.

We'll go on fighting for what we believe in. We'll keep SRT Academy's justice alive.

I won't give up.

Tsukiyuki

Miyako

Decision Postponed

That's all of the suspects' interrogation records.

Good work, as usual. Thanks for your cooperation.

Well. Honestly, I wanted to try to assimilate them into Valkyrie Police School after a period of detention.

But the General Student Council was involved, so the consequences from this incident go way further than my reach. They're calling for severe disciplinary action.

They're considering expunging their academic records and essentially exiling them.

You're a softie, aren't you? I wouldn't accommodate a criminal's request, even if I could.

The closure of SRT Academy was the General Student Council's decision.

Even with all your authority, it'd be nearly impossible to reverse it.

I can't answer that question...

I believe I can help with that.

Is that...?

I'm jumping with joy to finally meet you, Sensei.

I'm Shiranui Kaya, representative of the Defense Office under the Kivotos General Student Council.