This Is A Misunderstanding [Sumi]

Maria waited quietly in her defunct tea room as her coffin was stored inside the closet. The warning was going into effect in the next day and she was going to lose her private space. She should be a lot sadder, but after a while it was an inevitability. Being such a busybody for the Church and the Cadets together, there was no time for setting up a club. No one seemed interested in British culture or anything relating to tea. She waited patiently in her seat, allowing her thoughts to meander about the events so far.

Everything seemingly worked out wonderfully, but for how much longer? Maria wasn't so naive to think everything would continue to give out fantastic results. There was a time where even that would run out. Would they even be able to crawl out from there? When she noticed the sunlight beginning to dim, she drew herself out of her reverie and remembered why she was here.

A certain pissant, who will go unnamed, tried to entice a young girl into the Cadet service despite not being one himself yet. If Maria had it her way, she would've broken his face in on the spot. But now, she had the job to clear things up for her after calling her up to meet her in this very room. Seeing the interactions between this Lui and Sumi Saito was a painful reminder of something she lost so long ago...

When the door opened, Maria gave a gentle smile towards the new comer.

Sumi received the message just as she was walking out of her last class, eager to make her way over as she heard the voice of Maria on the other end. While there was plenty of speculation about what she did or why she carried an enormous coffin with her, the gossip among the student populous seemed to indicate that Maria was a Cadet, capable of smashing demons into mush with her own two hands... or was it smashing them with the coffin itself? Sumi wasn't too sure of the details, but if she actually was a Cadet, this could be the perfect opportunity to find another link that could get her into the Cadet squadron.

As soon as she could break out of the classroom, Sumi ran full speed through the hallway made her way through the halls at a quick but respectful pace so as to not get in anyone's way and whipped the door open to the clubroom with her cheery smile and a quick wave hello, wandering over to the table Maria was seated at.

"I'm afraid I have no interest in the student council. I have no concerns of who takes the position, I'm sure whoever will take it will do sufficiently. But no, I did not call you here for that. I called you here for this." Maria quietly pulled out the note she confiscated from Takeru and slid it towards her direction. She already read its contents and was aware of the girls' intentions. It was an embarrassing piece of evidence to be sure, but the nun kept her calm and didn't berate her or shame her for it. Though to be honest, she had to admit it made her cringe a little bit. She had an apologetic expression on her face as she continued. "I must apologize to you that Takeru Kagemaru was misleading you. He was not a Cadet at the time you talked with him. He does not have any of the credibility nor will he ever have the duty of handling our recruitment process. He's... a kind of 'special' case, that is to say. But please tell me, why do you want to join the Cadets, Miss Saito?"

While Sumi's chipper expression dimmed a bit at the recognition that she showed such little interest in the student council, Sumi perked back up when she heard that Maria believed whoever took the seat had her confidence that they would be right for the job. Then Maria tossed out the familiar note that Sumi had left for Takeru, including the rather embarrassing statement she tacked on the end to repay the compliment Takeru had given to her while making sure he would be a helpful line into the Cadet squadron. Sumi sat down opposite Maria, pushing the note away from the two.

"Oh, it's no problem. Takeru explained it earlier. Sounds like a misunderstanding on his part as well. Don't worry, he didn't try using his 'position' on me for that much. If anything, he just gave me advice and a general discussion of what you guys do in case it wasn't for me. Guess that explains why you have this note instead of him.

Why I want to join the Cadets? Well, I dunno how clichéd this sounds compared to the other members you've interviewed, but I want to protect this city. I lost both my older brother and my birth mom during the events of the Divide, and I would've likely been next if it weren't for the guy who saved us that day. I know plenty of people suffered that day, and the amount of families like mine who were divided by this tragedy is... well, it's something I don't want to see happen again. I'm thankful to the Queen that she could manage to bring this city together and protect us. But with the news of all these attacks by the terrorists, I feel like I could be doing more to serve my city.

Because of my status among the student body, I feel like I could be a valuable asset for the Cadets. What I want the most is to keep this city clear of the forces that scarred it last time. My life would be at risk, but life is already short as is. I want to use it to better the lives of my city. Is that... a good enough reason?"

She raised an eyebrow about Takeru apologizing and explaining himself to her. Having never heard of this, maybe there was something more to that pissant than she thought earlier. It was another thing she'd have to deal with later at some point to be sure. And when Maria listened to what Sumi had to say, she found it was a similar reason like many others before her. The Cadet folded her hands together and stared pensively at the table. But finally, she looked up towards the student.

Sumi was starting to relax as she explained her reasons. It wasn't that unique a reason, but that didn't mean it was a reason that could be dismissed. In the recesses of Sumi's mind, she knew that such a position would strengthen her reputation even more among those of the city. There were people who would be cheering for her on the streets, the silent watchers over the city slaying demons to protect the town like the superheroes of the night. Like the unseen figure who saved her that day, maybe it would be Sumi's turn soon to repay the favor.

Then came the discussion of family. She figured someone up the line would see if her parents could approve of such a daring job. She explained the job to her parents, begging them that she would be absolutely careful and rely on her allies should things turn south very quick. In the end, when the whole family decided on whether she should perform this job...

"As to be expected, they were pretty nervous about it at first. But I talked my parents into agreeing provided I kept contact with them before and after I go out on missions. You know, so they can check up on me. That's just how nervous parents are when they already lost one son. But Lui... no matter how many times I insisted to him that this was what I wanted, he kept arguing with me. In the end, I couldn't convince him. He claims its because he doesn't want anything to happen to me, but I know he doesn't like the idea that I'm joining the Cadets. I asked if he wanted to join to protect me, but he was always going on about how he could never join Class Zero. Something about it not being the position for him, that he would get in the way.

Anyways, the parents gave me the okay. I'm pretty sure they signed something on the registration, but I can always have them give some kinda evidence that they approve if you need it. So, what's it like being a baddie-kicking Cadet?"

She had her reservations. It wasn't up to Maria to choose who got to join or not. She didn't want to upset the chain of command, after all. But someone as "bright" as her didn't really settle well with her. The events that transpired so far wasn't something for the weak-minded to experience. The Cadet wouldn't want to force it on others either. But...


She kept it simple like that. There isn't any elaboration and its sparsity was probably cryptic. There's a lot she didn't want to talk about nor did she seem too comfortable doing so. It was difficult not being the one to tell her to just reconsider her choices. Yes, she could sympathize with the loss of family members. Yes, she could sympathize with wanting to prevent others from losing their loved ones too. However, it just wasn't that simple.

Maria continued while leaning forward on the table and situating her head just behind her raised and folded hands. "If you were at the school's grand opening, you will know that you just need to come to Class Zero at night. But before you do, I want you to ask yourself this. Have you considered what it may be like if you died? What you might leave behind?"

Sumi went dead silent as Maria made her consider her mortality in this line of work. She knew all too well the feeling of losing her brother, so she could only imagine the pain and misery her family and friends would go through once she passed away. The loss would be a heavy burden on everyone, especially towards Lui due to his constant begging to have her reconsider. But Sumi wouldn't want them to cry for her for long; as long as she could protect one citizen or strike down one terrorist threatening her city, her sacrifice in the line of duty would be accepted. Besides, she had a gift for everyone who missed her should she pass on.

"I understand that this kind of job requires responsibility and the consideration to put your life on the line to do it properly. Even if I'm still nervous about how the world would keep turning without me, I managed to live through my brother's death and even improve myself with it. I'd be a shy little clam today if it wasn't for my brother encouraging me to live life without him. Sometimes I can feel him cheering me on when I'm feeling scared or nervous. I know I'll be leaving my brother an only sibling and my father would be incredibly sad to lose another one of his children, not to mention all my friends here that would lose me as a dear friend.

That's why I've started writing in a diary. If I don't know when I could die, I'll write every day, encouraging everyone who would be able to read it at my funeral to not give up on life and learn from my life. I want shy guys and scared girls to build themselves up to the shining beacons of talent that they are. I don't want anyone to suffer; instead, I want to leave my mark on those closest to me by watching them grow from what I taught them. So while I'll be leaving a lot behind, I want to leave everything that could help those that would miss me move on. That make sense?

So, there's gonna be a meeting tonight, then? Well, if I get the approval from someone up the command chain, you'll let me know, right?"

Maria closed her eyes as she quietly listened to what Sumi had to say in response. It was an answer that she didn't quite accept herself. It didn't feel quite right to her, not at all. The nun became a Cadet because she had nothing else to lose. Without anything holding her down, it was easier to commit herself to the Cadets. But what about the rest of the Cadets? They all had their family members, friends, and other such bonds. It was a question that troubled her significantly. She had no say on whether they should stay or lose their connections. But for Sumi? She only hoped that the girl made the right decision. And perhaps Maria wouuld have to be the one to look after her as usual, but she didn't care. It was part of the job anyway. But as much as it was a job, it was a daily occurrence where anything could happen. "You only need to come to the building at night, that is all. However..."

Sumi knew all too well how this type of action could be both unexpected yet acceptable from her. She would seem the type to tightly cling to life as long as she could, enjoying every moment she could spend with friends and family. But with the rising incidents involving people going missing, terrorists attacking establishments, and even the Cadets starting to become victims of these terrorists, she felt that she had to do all she could to stop other people from dying in her place. Besides, she wouldn't be alone; the Cadets seemed organized enough to know where she would be wanted or who she would be working with. Just like joining the military, her life was indeed at stake, but so long as she had allies like them to cover her just as she would try to cover them, casualties would thankfully be minimized.

"Thank you, Maria. I'll talk it over with him one more time. He knows how much an opportunity like this means to me. Last time we talked, he just left it off with a speech about how he's not older than me but I'm not older than him, so if there's any serious change like this going on, it's ultimately my decision. I don't want any of you to die any more than myself, so you can trust me to be watching your back for sure. Well, if all goes well with my application, I'll be seeing you one of these nights. Anything else before I head off?"

She closed her eyes again and pondered on Sumi's answer. Nothing would change her mind. Maria didn't like where this was going, having people join in and just simply throw away their lives. At the least, she hoped she'd give one last talk with her brother. Her eyes opened again and shook her head. "No, you may go now."

She allowed her to leave. This left Maria on her own as she sat in her chair to continue thinking about the recruitment process... People do know it can be a dangerous job and they have their own justification on why they want to join. But... how many recruits did they really need? How many more would have to throw away their lives?

[End]

"Thanks a bunch, Maria. Have a fantastic day!"
Just as quickly had she fallen into the serious girl she was at her core, her cheerful expression returned to her face as she departed for her after-school activities that day. She felt shaken from her thoughts on just what she was risking with her life dedicated to the Cadets, but if anything, it would be a proper cause to put it towards. Her heart was aching with worry, but her mind reassured her that whatever she did, no matter how she arrived to the decision...

"It's all for the good of my city. This is why I want to fight."

Sumi [EXIT]