Queen's High School I

So this is Zenjou, huh? Looks like a great place to live. The people all seem to be really nice, too.

I doubt we'll have to worry about running into Space Shinkageryu here.

Yup! Almost every Servant on Zenjou is either a Caster or an Archer, after all!

Anyway, I can handle Maanna's damage assessment on my own, so why don't you all have some fun sightseeing in the meantime?

Besides, I bet there's somewhere you two are dying to check out. Right, Fujimaru and X?

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Hell yes! I've always wanted to see it for myself!

...(Sigh) So you're both all starry-eyed about this, huh...

All right, fine. I suppose I can take you there while we're out and about relaxing anyway.

The students might be a little...difficult, but the campus itself is really nice.

Goodness me! I can't believe there's still anyone in Queens who isn't a Saber!

Oh yes, this is so embarrassing. If we don't do something, the dean's likely to scold us along with them!

Say, that's you, isn't it, Ishtar? How good to see you again after...what is it, ten years you've been gone?

But I'm afraid there's no place for you in Queens anymore.

Now you're gonna pay for beating me in the Miss Queens pageant preliminaries!

Wh-what the...? We only just got here, and we have students(?) trying to attack us!? What kind of school IS this!?

Man, you guys haven't changed a bit. It's just like coming home again☆

Huh?

Attending Queens was my dream back when I was a little girl growing up in the space boonies, but this isn't what I thought it'd be like at all...

Are you telling me this is normal around here? It's not part of some weird festival or something?

That's right. Queens' longest held tradition is "might makes right." You won't last two seconds here with stars in your eyes.

So I'd hurry and get a hold of yourself if I were you, X. They'll hunt you down in no time if they smell weakness.

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The students, of course.

Every girl who comes to Queens has grown up surrounded by power and authority.

So what do you think happens when you gather every budding tyrant in the universe under one roof?

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You got it☆ These girls are always looking for something they can use to give themselves a leg up, so watch yourselves, 'kay☆

(So basically, this is where rich families send daughters who have gotten too wild to control, huh...)

(I guess that makes it kind of like a shelter for rich girls, only in reverse... I'm glad I don't have to worry about keeping up appearances like that.)

Okay, now that you've seen the courtyard, let me show you what the schoolhouse is like. Let's see, class 2-A should be right up those stair

Haaaaaah!!!

Crap! Ms. Jaguar!?

Oh? I thought you were a group of outsiders, but it looks like we have the second-year Red Devil here too.

Good day, Red Devil! Are you aware that you have a lot of unfinished work to hand in?

Ma'am, yes ma'am!

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Heh. At ease, student. You know, you're the only one who hasn't changed a bit since the good old days.

You never forget your hyena instincts, even as you gracefully soar across the skies like a hawk.

You were the best student I ever had... Not to mention the one who destroyed the most of the school's facilities... (Eyes welling up with proud tears)

So tell me, what are you up to nowadays? It's been, what, ten years since you left the academy?

Well, I've been, um, contributing to society by apprehending bad actors and receiving appropriate compensation...

Ah, a bounty hunter. Excellent choice of words and cadence.

No wonder you were valedictorian. You embody our school's motto of "Strong, Proper, Beautiful" better than anyone.

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Wh-what do you think you're doing, Fujimaru!? Don't abbreviate my name like that! It's weird!

As I said, she was the best student I ever had. It was like she already had everything she needed.

Good day, young lady cadets, and welcome to Queens!

Now listen up! You don't speak to me unless you preface it with "Ma'am, yes ma'am!" Is that clear!?

Ma'am, yes ma'am!

You there! What's your name!?

Ma'am, yes ma'am! It's Ishtar, ma'am!

That's what I like to hear! Are you ex-military? You're not? Really? And you still responded like that? Oh well!

So, Ishtar, huh. That's a great name! Tell me, cadet, are you a demon!?

No ma'am, I'm not! (Translation: Don't talk to me, bitch!)

Then are you a nightmare!?

No ma'am, I'm not! (Translation: Are you shitting me with this!?)

Do you have a problem with anything I said!?

Not at all, ma'am! (Translation: You're damn right I do, bitch!)

Perfect! Your sheer wildness is making me downright giddy!

Okay everyone, I want you all to follow Ishtar's example! Just don't take the rebellious spirit stuff too far!

Ishtar! From now on, I'm going to call you "Red Devil"!

Pretty good name, right!? Do you like it!?

Yes, ma'am! I think I'll go by that when I take a wrong turn and start leaving a path of destruction in my wake!

Excellent! I can feel the responsibility for the entire Servantverse's future resting on my shoulders!

All right, Red Devil, drop and give me a thousand! I'm going to whip that evil nature of yours into shape!

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...Between you and Blue Wrestler's academy turf war, and the way you both dominated the Cosmic Renaissance intergalactic martial arts dance competition, you two pretty much ruled this school.

Ahh, those really were the good old days...

Now I get it. You're always making these daring moves because you grew up following the school's motto.

So where's Astraea? Since we get to choose when we graduate ourselves, I'm guessing she's still here at the academy?

I'm afraid not.

Blue Wrestler left of her own accord too, after the new dean came and changed things. It was right after you left.

The new dean... What changed, exactly? I did notice those girls that attacked us had some pretty unpleasant things to say.

For some reason, everyone wants to change their class to Saber now.

They even say anyone who's not a Saber can't be a proper young lady.

The students who objected to that trend were all taken away to summer school for "special guidance," and none of them have returned.

I guess their summer will never end. Kind of romantic, really.

!

That's horrible! What about their parents? Didn't they freak out about this!?

Of course they did. But for some reason, they never went public with their grievances, and in time, they were forgotten.

Then the new dean started pressuring all the teachers from the old guard to retire. Now, I'm the only one left who taught here when you attended.

All this silence has got everyone so suspicious of one another that you can cut the tension with a laser knife. At this point, it feels more like a cemetery than a school.

...Is there anything I can do, Ms. Jaguar?

Would you look into the new dean and his faculty for me? There's something...inhuman about them.

All right. I don't have a lot of time to spare, but I'll do what I can.

Come on, guys, let's head back. Good to see you again, Ms. Jaguar.

Good day, Red Devil. Be careful out there.

Hey hey! Welcome back guys! I'm all done looking the Maanna over!

I'll be blunt: it looks like it's gonna take a long time to fix.

Like, the engine's all shot to pieces, so we're gonna have to get a new one, right? Then we've gotta swap it in and hook it up to everything, right?

And that's not even getting into the long overdue firmware updates, which are gonna take some time too.

All told, I think it's gonna take me and Ishtarin at least four days to get it all done.

Yeah? That works out nicely. We actually ran into a little incident ourselves.

While we were visiting Queens...

Whoa! I had no idea all that was going on with your old school right now!

It's got to be either a kidnapping or Servant trafficking. And on top of that

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Right. I can't stand that they've somehow managed to sink their claws this deep into the Servantverse.

Ms. Jaguar didn't come out and say it, but it's a safe bet that either the whole school is bugged, or the faculty's got spies reporting back to them.

That's awful! Okay, so what's this new dean like?

I wish I could tell you, but I don't even know where to find him. Hell, I couldn't even tell you where his office is.

I mean, I'm sure it's somewhere on campus...but the moment we set foot in there, fake Sabers are gonna be all over us.

Hmm. Sounds like this is where I come in.

I've been keeping this a secret so far, but stealth missions are actually my specialty.

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Same.

Same!

I see. Well, I'm glad to know you're all so understanding! Though I have to say, I'm also a little hurt!

Oh well, I guess it just goes to show what good friends we are.

At any rate, I'm not going to sit back and twiddle my thumbs while your alma mater is in trouble, Ishtar. Don't worry, I'll find the dean's office for you.

You two just focus on fixing up the Maanna in the meantime.

Oh, and if you don't have anything else to do right now, Fujimaru, I'd be grateful for your assistance.

If you could cause a distraction on campus that gets everyone's attention, that would make my life a whole lot easier!

Hear that, Jane? Looks like we're set then. Thanks, X. That'll be a big help.

And thank you for helping her out with her investigation, Fujimaru.

Now Jane and I can focus on fixing the Maanna up like new again!