The Mission begins

Itou Hayato

Itou liked to think of himself as a patient man. Due to his military service, there weren't very many things in the universe that he hadn't already seen or been through yet. Academy for the supernatural, magical, and psionic all smashed into one? This wouldn't even make his top dozen. Or hundred. He had to admit, though, that it was unusual to see the entire academic set folded into a single place.

How does the teaching system even work here? he wondered briefly. The answer, of course, was magic. Because, because. Whatever. The excuse was really starting to become stale. Even though he knew there was probably no use in thinking about it any further, Itou couldn't help but try to piece it together anyway. The very first indication of how futile an effort it was, however, was his resigned observation that nobody could even say exactly how many students there were. The second was how nobody could even say exactly how many teachers there were. If he had been a betting man, Itou would have bet that the logistics behind the place were a work of art. As it was, getting their paperwork settled had been an interesting challenge in itself.

In any case, Itou was simply glad to be back in uniform. Even if he still technically was on medical leave, he seriously doubted that anybody would make a big deal out of it. Being off world certainly was an effective stonewall against the bureaucracy. The word of an outer imperial family member was another. In hindsight, it was probably reckless of him to have accepted it in the first place.

Megumi no Miya was a unique young lady. Itou used these words specifically because based on the reactions of her former guards when he had asked -as well as his own observations during his brief meeting with her- it was easy to start thinking some less then civil things about the princess after a time. Megumi no Miya was very a unique young lady. It would be best for everybody's sake if he simply got used to it.

With that thought in mind, he entered the Admissions Office and, upon seeing the princess waiting there as expected, saluted.

Itou Hayato

So it seemed like this assignment really would try on his patience. Wonderful, Itou thought, without showing any emotion at all to to Megumi no Miya's pecking order. Something of a hypocrite, too, he determined of the young princess. Well that was to be expected. People often were, children in particular always were. She had time yet.

And he absolutely did not think anything like Her Highness will never change, will she? because that would have been entirely out of line. Even if it was also completely true and on everybody's minds.

"Not much here appears to make sense," Itou said in perfect deadpan as he sat down across from the princess. "Even the number of people in attendance and employment seems to be under guard." There wasn't anybody in the room and he could tell from hearing alone that there wasn't anybody listening outside either so he felt that it might be safe to go on.

"The people here are unusual even by our standards," he told her haltingly. "Their magic all can be sourced to different systems. There is little uniformity among them. It seems as if multiple worlds had collided with this one at some point. Yet at the same time, it does not appear that there is any kind of major paradox in effect."

He withdrew a silvery chip from his pocket and offered it to Megumi no Miya. It was one that held information on the particular individuals he had found to be alarming. Aurora Cecilia Silivasi. That was the name at the top of his list, a teacher who happened to be the current Director of Music.

"These are the people who might pose some kind of threat," Itou said to her. "Please look. There are some things that I believe you might need to see for yourself."

Itou Hayato

Wars were so ugly when children were involved, Itou reflected. Things like time travel just made the equation that much more unbalanced and this, sadly enough, was not the first time he had to deal with both combined. Knowing how things would turn out, however, was a new detail that he might have been fine without. So it doesn't matter which end of it you're on, he concluded. Either way, it's still strange. The officer wasn't sure if he should have been reassured by that or not. He wasn't, in any case.

He took the chip from Megumi no Miya, hoping that she didn't mean for him to read it right then. It was fairly obvious that Itou didn't have the means to do so at that very moment. So if she really did intend for it, he might feel obliged to ask her if that was supposed to be some kind of test.

"I will do so as soon as possible," the officer assured her. If they were really here to reason with the Genocide Maiden, however...

Do we even have enough resources to deal with her right now? he wondered in slight worry. Had he known about it beforehand, he would have asked for his former Chief Medical Officer to accompany them. As well as a few ships. A flotilla, maybe.

Refraining from sighing in the princess's presence, Itou asked, "Is there any other way I may be of service?"