A Ferocious Warrior

"So, in short, this is a school for would-be isekai protagonists?" Veronika Ritter asked after Eiji explained everything.

"Yeah." The principal shoved his hands into his pockets. "We will help them to be ready before saving the other worlds."

"Ridiculous." The warrior replied. "Tell me any anime, manga, or light novel you think is the darkest. I can guarantee that it's not comparable to the world I've been to."

"Have you been to other realms?" Kyoko joins in. "Why are you talking as if all realms are bad?"

"How about you?" The warrior turned to glare at the female ninja. "Have you ever checked those realms and found any better than the one I came in?"

Eiji narrowed his eyes. "That's why we recruited you, Miss Ritter. You know the dangers of adventuring in other worlds, so you can warn the students."

The warrior was silent for a few seconds, then smiled. "Okay, I will obey your orders. Better let me go now. I will teach those students to be able to use weapons and be careful in adventures."

The principal studied the warrior's expression. "Your acting is terrible. If I let you go, you might destroy this school.

Veronika Ritter tried to break free again. Her expression became even more ferocious, and she roared. "No fun adventures if you go to another world!!! No harems or treasures or glory!!! You will see your friends die one by one, and you will sink into despair so many times!!!"

Eiji was wondering what kind of moments she went through. On Veronika Ritter's profile page, Eiji only learned that she has been fighting for over 50 years. Her face looks young because when she was in another world, she received a gift from God that made her never grow old.

The principal sighed, picked up his tablet from the floor, then cleaned the dust off his screen. Miraculously, that thing was not scratched at all.

"Sorry, we have to restrain you." Eiji opened a section on the shop menu. "We can't afford this place to be destroyed before the school year starts."

The principal started picking out a suitable caged cell.

***

Eiji orders the cage with a note saying the school will be destroyed if that thing isn't delivered soon. In just a few hours, it did come. But the principal was warned not to make a note like that again. The angels get a logistical nightmare, whatever it is. They didn't explain further.

"Are you all right, Anneth?" Eiji asked the witch who entered the school dining room in her human form.

"Well, I used up a lot of mana, and it was exhausting." The woman massaged her shoulders. "But Miss Paquette said it wouldn't be a problem."

"I see. Thank goodness. Thanks for holding that warrior for so many hours." Eiji received the menu for dinner that night: a bowl of beef stew, a piece of bread, some salad, an apple, and a large glass of water. "Ah, I'll bring some for Miss Paquette too, Kyoko."

"Sure." The kunoichi behind the food counter prepared another batch.

"Where are you going, sir?" Sienna, who also just arrived at that place, asked Eiji who was leaving.

"Maybe she's lonely eating alone." The principal kept walking while carrying the two trays of food. Everyone he passed looked at him, including Jon sweeping the halls.

Once he arrived at one of the school's side yards, he entered a small building with a dull brown color. His gaze was greeted by a metal caged cell there.

"Hi, sir." One of Kyoko's doppelgangers–sitting in front of that cage–greeted the principal. "Well, you met me in the dining room earlier, though."

"How is she?" The principal glanced at Veronika. That woman kneeled in the middle of the cell with her eyes closed.

"She's been in that position from the beginning." The kunoichi yawned. "He only went to the toilet once."

"You can take off your armor, Miss Ritter." Eiji put the food tray through the small window in the cell door. "You don't need to worry. This place is safe because we are isolated from the outside world."

The warrior opened his eyes but said nothing.

"Let's eat." The principal sat on the floor, then spoke to Kyoko. "You've started eating in the dining room, right?"

The kunoichi smiled. "Yeah, absolutely."

"Why?" Veronika frowned as Eiji started to eat.

The principal chewed his food. "Why not? Wouldn't eating together be more fun?"

"Yeah, I think eating together would be more fun." Sienna entered the building carrying her tray of food, then the others followed, including Aline.

"We decided to join because we wanted to get to know our newest co-worker candidate." Kyoko joined her doppelganger and immediately took a bite of her bread.

"Yeah, I agree!" Rae sat down on the floor and picked up her tray. "Together is the best!"

"I-I rarely eat with others like this," Aline added. "I'm happy too."

"How about you, Miss Ritter?" Anneth, carrying a tray with food three times the normal portion, smiled at the warrior. "Do you have any interesting dining experiences to share? I have many interesting ones, but the most amazing was when I had a big meal with the mermaids at the bottom of the sea."

"Whaaaat!?" Rae's eyes widened. "I want to hear about it!"

The staff and teachers exchanged stories while enjoying their meals, ignoring that they only sat on the floor and had to share a cramped space. Laughter continued to fill the little building, but Veronika remained in her position, despite the efforts of the others to get her to participate.

The warrior had not even touched her food.

"We will be under one roof for a long time and work together to run this school well." Eiji resumed after they finished their food. "Yes, we met recently, but I consider ourselves a family."

The teachers and staff looked at Eiji with a smile. Sienna had wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and Rae was already sobbing.

"So?" Veronica sighed. "What does that have to do with me?"

Eiji stood up and stretched his hand through the bars. "Perhaps we won't be able to replace your friends and comrades in that other world, but here we are."

They could cure Veronika's loneliness a little. And since it was a safe place, there was little chance that Eiji and the others would die there. So, Veronika will not feel the loss. Eiji almost said that but didn't do it.

Veronika must have realized that.

"Huh?" The warrior touched a single drop of tear on her cheek. She then turned around. "Please, leave me alone."