Shinichi felt a vein inside his head throb, ready to pop at any moment.

The idea of getting a whole bunch of students to roam Zone 1 was as daunting as the ordeal sounds. The Border Station was already a mess by itself, add a fresh batch of students and everyone there would be like sardines forcely packed in a small can. Shinichi got squashed through the numerous bodies going in and out the walls and the rising sun withered his skin and lips into cracks. He missed the days when he actually had time to invest in skincare.

Shinichi and the other staff made sure that all students got inspected, one by one, guiding them through the exhausting border routine. Even though he's only a janitor… well, better than staying at the school.

They were all outside the borders, awaiting orders. Colourful buses were parked near the border walls. It would serve as their mode of transportation as they ride through the Zen Highway. The first batch of freshmen students were lined up and being distributed to different groups. There was Bobu at the front, yelling with that shrill voice of his, damaging Shinichi's eardrums. Not to mention this hot weather, Shinichi could feel his sweat sipping through his clothes. Shinichi has never been good at dealing with the summer heat.

"You actually came, huh?" Zero's voice wasn't quite as shrill but the deadpan delivery always managed to pop a nerve inside Shinichi's head. 

"This may come as a surprise to you but I don't want to get fired, you know?"

"You're right," agreed Zero. The corner of her mouth tilted up. "That is a surprise."

Zero had foregone her security uniform, donning a cropped turtleneck that revealed her muscled abdomen and some high-waist jogger pants. Shinichi sneered at it. "Isn't that outfit too scandalous for a high school practical exam?"

Zero looked down at her clothes. "You barely see a sliver of skin. What? This turning you on, grandpa?"

Shinichi shuddered. "Gods, don't even say that!"

"Then, don't mention it," she scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "It's not like I'm still a student."

"There's students surrounding you! You're corrupting their innocent eyes." As if to emphasise his point, Shinichi waved his arm to the students' vicinity.

Zero's eyebrows arched. "If they're good and innocent students, then they'll pay attention to the tour, not to me." Then she shrugged. "Not my problem if they end up just learning the curves of my body."

Honestly, there really weren't any curves on Zero. She's mostly composed of muscles and bones. Shinichi pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "You know what, whatever, I'm gonna go and be alone. Call me when Bobu's done blathering."

There was a small noise of affirmation behind him and Shinichi waved as a goodbye. He found a secluded area to rest, leaning his back on the border wall. Away from all the people, that's when Shinichi could finally breathe. He's never really had a chance to stop and rest ever since he took this job. At day, it was nonstop cleaning; the walk from work to the cheap place he was staying in was a lengthy journey (the soles of his shoes were no longer the same); and at night, he'd just collapse from exhaustion. Even then, his dreams disturb him, whether it was the nightmares or the bizarre dream walking. There was no time for rest.

Shinichi sighed into the air, watching the burning sun and its flickering rays of heat. 

"Oh, Mr. Janitor, sir!"

He blocked it with the visor of his cap. Images of Irish and Hoshina burning swept through his mind.

"Hey! Yoohoo! Mr. Janitor, my man!"

Shinichi groaned and turned to the nuisance.

Nahashi came bounding to him, the little hairs sticking out of her double buns bouncing from her excitement. She stood on her tiptoes, clasping her hands together.

"Please, please, please, please, please!"

Just when Shinichi thought he could have some peace and quiet, something just had to disturb him. With both hands on her shoulders, Shinichi steadied the girl.

"Help us, Mr. Janitor Sir!" she screeched out at last.

Two more figures emerged from the border walls. One was Nokori, the usually polite student who still couldn't stop laughter from overcoming his body whenever he witnessed Shinichi's misfortune. The other was an unfamiliar face. She was quiet, brown eyes staring off in the distance. Her golden curly locks almost drowned her petite figure. She didn't look like someone trained in combat.

Something was different about her but Shinichi couldn't figure out what.

With both hands on his hips, Shinichi huffed. "What do you want? Shouldn't you all be in line now?"

"That's the issue! We were running a bit late so we just got here," Nahashi explained. She averted her gaze, jaw locked uneasily.

"Go on, Nahashi."

Nokori spoke for Nahashi. "There's no one…"

"No one?" Shinichi's brows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

The four of them moved to the line-up area. The students spoke true. All the buses were gone.

There's that vein inside Shinichi's head again. He could feel it throbbing as heat invaded his mind. "I woke up early this morning, exposed myself to the sun, sweat through my shirt, infected myself with germs by plunging myself into a horde of people, only for them to be gone?" Shinichi rubbed his temple with his fist. "That Bobu…! How come roll-call ended so fast?"

"Guess someone got lazy," the new girl mumbled, her voice soft as the wind.

Shinichi paused and thought about it more. "Wait, this is good. Now I have an excuse to skip out."

Two hands clinged on Shinichi's shirt, threatening to tear from the force. A teary-eyed Nahashi spoke in a wavering voice, "What about us, Mr. Janitor? We can't miss our exam," sniffled Nahashi. "Professor Bobu is pretty strict when it comes to time management. He won't let us become hunters like this!"

Shinichi narrowed his eyes. That Bobu was always late whenever he commissioned Shinichi to accompany him. "I'm just a janitor though. What can I do?"

Nokori seemed convinced of Nahashi's rambling and began to truly sob. His eyes turned downcast and his bottom lip upturned for a pleading look. "Mr. Janitor, you're close with Professor Bobu, right?" he asked. His hands were trembling from where it gripped Shinichi's bicep. "Could you help us?"

He really doesn't want to. Shinichi sighed. "Hate to break it to you kids but I can't do anything about it."

Cries of outrage followed his statement. Nahashi was still clinging onto him and the spot on his arm had become damp from when she planted her face on it. He could hear the beginning sounds of fabric tearing.