Chapter 8: First Sortie

It was a week after the interview, in the afternoon. I kept thinking, When will they tell me if I passed? Maybe today—maybe there’ll finally be a letter. With that hope, I checked the mailbox… and there it was. A white envelope sealed with a wax stamp, just like last time.

Unable to contain myself, I hurried back to my room and tore it open—and the result was: acceptance.

"I… I’ve really been accepted into the Tea Party…"

But getting accepted didn’t mean everything was over. I had to fill out the enclosed registration form and complete the membership procedure. Once that was done, I would officially become a member of the Tea Party.

In addition to personal information such as my name, contact info, and beloved firearm, the form included a section for choosing the design of my uniform. The basic style was a white long-sleeved sailor dress with a cape and a beret, but apparently you could customize it to some extent.

I thought about leaving it as-is… but in the end, I decided I wanted something unique. I chose a design without the cape—symbolizing that I’m still inexperienced, still incomplete.

After sending this registration form back to the Tea Party and having it accepted, the process would be complete. It would take some time for them to confirm it, but unlike before, they’d send the confirmation by email rather than physical mail—so at least I wouldn’t have to keep checking the mailbox.

Classes went smoothly, and the weekend arrived. The sun was gradually growing stronger as summer approached, but lately all I’d been hearing was bad news.

A suspended student escaped from the Correction Bureau, Trinity students were getting harassed by delinquents more often on their way to school, and illegal weapons trafficking was on the rise. Maybe that stick-up the other day was part of the same trend? Kivotos’s safety was never anything to brag about, and now it was getting even worse. Lovely.

Honestly, I didn’t want to go outside at all, but I needed to buy a bunch of things. I also needed summer clothes soon.

And so here I was, at the shopping mall where I didn’t exactly have the fondest memories. Hopefully today I wouldn’t run into any weirdos.

"Hey, you there, missy."

Oh great. A ponytailed delinquent girl with half her face hidden behind a mask called out to me.

"What is it…?"

"You got some nerve strollin’ around all carefree like this in our turf."

Ughhh… why is she picking a fight like this… it’s so exhausting… The crime rate is awful… and it’s hot even though I’m not even moving…

"Oi, what’s with those eyes like, ‘Ugh, annoying…’? I don’t like your attitude! I’ll wreck you!"

With that shout, her underlings—who had apparently been hiding nearby—burst out and raised their guns in unison. About ten of them… twice as many as last time. For now, retreat.

"Hey! Don’t you run! After her!!"

Escalator—rushing down would be dangerous. Elevator—they’d definitely ambush me. So the stairs it was. I remembered where they were thanks to the floor guide earlier. And my destination was the basement, where the Royalty and the beloved cannon mounted on it awaited.

"Ouch—! Th-that hurts!"

The hallway leading toward the stairs was a straight line. Bullets rained down on me from behind. Enduring the pain as I ran, I drew my Brown Bess. I’d never tried loading while moving before, so it was clumsy, but I managed to cock the hammer fully. Without turning around, I fired backward toward the source of the shots. A direct hit didn’t matter—just startling them was enough.

"Tch…! What’s with her!? Shooting at us without even looking back!?"

Using that brief moment of hesitation, I reached the stairs and descended quickly but carefully so I wouldn’t slip. Other shoppers had no reason to use the stairs with both escalators and elevators available, so the place was empty. I made it to the 3rd floor, then the 2nd, then the 1st.

Then into the basement levels—down to B2, where the parking lot was. I immediately prepped for departure and headed toward the exit. While the AI handled the driving, I supplied ammunition to my beloved gun mounted on the back. The delinquents finally caught up, their bullets hitting the vehicle, but they couldn’t inflict any fatal damage. Ignoring them, I drove up to the surface.

"Tch, she got outside… wait."

"Hey, isn’t that thing loaded onto her truck…?"

"O-oh crap…! Fall ba—"

"Ready to fire! Take them down!"

As I began cranking, the two muzzles repeatedly retracted and thrust forward in rhythm, producing a steady thump-thump. At the tips, 40mm shells struck the pavement, detonating with clouds of smoke. When the magazines emptied and the mechanism halted, I grabbed the next belt, ready to reload at any moment. But through the clearing smoke, I could see the delinquent group sprawled on the ground, and I judged that no further pursuit was necessary.

"This is the Prefect Team! What happened here!?"

And then the officers arrived. Déjà vu, much.

"Uh… well, I was confronted by those people inside the shopping mall and fired in self-defense, then continued outside," I explained.

"I see… I’ve heard these incidents have been happening more frequently. We’ve increased patrols, but sometimes it’s still difficult to fully manage," one of the Prefect Team Members replied.

Ah… so the city really has gotten worse. Having lived in the countryside all my life, I couldn’t say how bad it used to be or by how much it had deteriorated.

"Thank you for your efforts," I said politely.

"Also, could you accompany us for a brief questioning?"

"Yes, that’s fine."

So, just like last time, I stopped by the substation for a short interview, then returned to my shopping. I bought daily necessities, groceries, and a full set of summer clothes before heading home.

Man… operating the Pom-Pom gun at full power for the first time was incredible. The engagement ended in an instant, no need to even reach for the next ammo belt, and the delinquents tried to retreat the moment they saw it. Remembering that, I absentmindedly patted the barrels on the truck bed.

A few days later, after school, I returned to the dorm and was handed a package that the dorm manager had been holding for me. Could it be…? Thanking them, I grabbed it and hurried to my room. I opened the box and…

"Just as I thought… this white uniform…!"

Finally, my Tea Party uniform had arrived, along with the Tea Party–issued revolver, a Webley & Scott Mk. I immediately tried it on… and no peeking, okay?

"Hehehe… it’s absolutely wonderful…!"

The uniform was exactly as I requested: a white sailor dress with gold trim, appearing as a two-piece set. A black ribbon and a cute beret were included. Elegant, pure, and above all, adorable—I was completely satisfied.

"Starting tomorrow, I’ll wear this to school♪"

Reluctantly, I changed back into my pajamas and carefully stored the Tea Party uniform in the closet. Imagining myself wearing it tomorrow, I could barely wait for the day to come.