“Welcome! This is Angel 24!”
The world of Blue Archive is truly perplexing. The fact that you can buy firearms and ammunition at a convenience store is hard to comprehend from the modern person’s perspective. This is only possible because the people of Kivotos have astonishing resilience, to the point that getting shot a few times wouldn’t necessarily mean death.
Uchaa…
The sense of unease I felt when I first saw a part-time worker carrying a box of ammunition was tremendous. A student handling firearms at a convenience store!
It shouldn’t have been that surprising considering Sora, the part-time worker at the Angel 24 convenience store in the game, is just a middle school student. But seeing it in real life feels a bit different.
Having reloaded ammunition during mock combat training, I’ve become a regular at the convenience store. I’ve gotten quite friendly with this part-time worker, and sometimes I buy them drinks. The cost is sky-high, enough to put regular smokers to shame, but it doesn’t really feel much of a burden.
After all, ammunition is purchased using a card linked to an account that receives a monthly stipend.
It’s a magical card that brings in over 40 million won each month. Whether it’s ammunition or whatever, I can just swipe it to my heart’s content at the convenience store. Honestly, at a student level, the amount I could spend is practically an unfathomable luxury.
But the money in a different account needs to be saved up carefully. Using the stipend card to assist students from another academy could be seen as a drain on public funds, so all the money sent to Abydos came right out of my account. There are many things I can do with this card, but the moment it involves another academy, it’s a no-go. That’s when the risks kick in.
Still, I’m grateful that Kaiser Corporation’s stocks are steadily rising. Thanks to them, I’m helping to fund a school that’s likely up to no good. Now that’s what I call legal banditry!
“Payment completed! Thank you, please come again!”
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
It’s been a month since I fell into Kivotos possessing Misono Mika’s body. Now, it’s reached a point where I automatically speak casually unless I’m conscious of it, so I make an effort to use polite language when visiting the shopping district.
Anyone who’s just turned into an adult and done some part-time work would know that it’s extremely unpleasant when a customer suddenly speaks casually, yet you can’t actually confront them. Such is the reality of being a part-time worker.
In Kivotos, since most people are students, it’s somewhat less unpleasant, but come on, showing a bit of courtesy isn’t that hard, is it?
Moreover, there’s something transcending gender in Mika’s appearance, so if I sweet-talk people in a gentle, polite manner, I occasionally get some amusing reactions, especially from those who knew the original Mika.
As I stroll down the street holding a box filled with 50 rounds of 9mm cartridges, I feel a strange mix of emotions. To exaggerate a bit, I don’t even feel the weight of the ammo, nor does anyone think my appearance is strange, and I’ve even gotten accustomed to it myself.
What started as an extraordinary level of strangeness has become my everyday life, and I’ve completely adapted to it. Whether I should take pride in this or not is another matter.
Yet one thing I can state for certain: this life in Kivotos, where abnormal events occur regularly, is far more enjoyable than the monotonous days of my previous life.
In fact, the likelihood that I’ll return to my original life, which I half convinced myself of thanks to Seiya, now barely crosses my mind.
It’s true that the vague and uncertain future after graduation from the original story bothers me, but regardless of that, I’ve come to regard my life as Misono Mika as fully my own.
The connections I’ve built here have become too precious to easily let go, and the experiences I’ve had, both big and small, over just a month, have left a lasting impression. Not everything was good, but looking back, there were certainly more pleasant occurrences.
Huhng~☆
With the weather nice and nothing particularly noteworthy happening around me, it truly feels peaceful, prompting me to hum a tune.
In fact, I’ve started to change my perspective lately, so I don’t merely wish for every day to be peaceful. A Kivotos without incidents is something I could hardly imagine.
Perhaps I’ve taken the saying “If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it” a bit too far. In any case, relishing the peace given to me is a way to prepare for the next chaos.
During that ponderous humming as I made my way to the academy, I witnessed a scene that I absolutely couldn’t overlook.
A gathering with a design that was in no way related to Trinity. Hair as silver as sunlight, flowing down to the middle of the back. A coat casually draped over the outfit, an armband reading ‘EAT’ filled with pride on the left arm. A singular earring in the shape of bat wings, and swaying behind was a devil’s tail.
“Oh? Did I set a flag or something?”
I recalled the day I was learning about the tasks of T-party when I came across paperwork relating to an incident that was unmistakably the work of the Gourmet Research Club. Ultimately, the report stated that the culprit of that incident couldn’t be identified, but in my eyes, those who would commit such mischief could only be the devils from the Gourmet Research Club.
Yet right before my eyes, the suspect responsible for that incident… no, the definite perpetrator was passing by.
The leader of the Gourmet Research Club, Kurodate Haruna.
There could only be one reason for that terrorist to be in Trinity: a singular ambition to seek the ultimate flavor, compelling her to drift into what amounts to an enemy territory of Trinity.
Witnessing what could metaphorically be described as a ticking time bomb stepping into an Italian restaurant placed me deep into thought. Given this, it’s impossible to just walk by without paying attention.
More than that, how does an Italian restaurant even exist here in Kivotos? That’s quite an enigma.
In any case, if I take a moment to intervene now, I might be able to prevent the potential explosive ending for that shop. Sure, there are indeed places that deserve to be blown up among the ones Haruna might target, but that’s beside the point. My position in Trinity makes it hard to ignore such antics.
If I don’t act now, I might just be adding an extra document to my workload!
…Ignoring the fact that handling a single document is way easier than the effort I’d put in now.
I set the box of ammunition down next to a nearby bench, took out a Post-it note from my handbag, and tore off a piece.
[Please move this to the T-party firing range♡]
Usually, I’d draw a star, but since I feel a bit bad asking for such a small favor, I thought I’d sneak in a heart instead. Adding a heart at the end of my beautifully written note turned out looking surprisingly nice. It’s nothing like my formerly messy handwriting; this is actually one of the changes I like.
Speaking of which, I sent a handwritten letter to Hoshino before. I hope she didn’t tear it up without reading it because she’s in her tragic ‘Tear-Shino’ mode. That would sting a bit.
After sticking the note on top of the box, I pulled out a key-like device resembling a car key and pressed it down.
Beep—!
That should mean the T-party personnel waiting nearby will rush over to pick up the ammo in no time.
I feel a little bad putting these trivial errands on them, but I’m still making them work way less than I did with the original Mika. They’ve even come to me, asking, “Are we no longer needed…?” So, when I call on them occasionally, they really seem to appreciate it.
Walking with my trusty companion, a.k.a my gun, I made my way to the restaurant. The robot employee standing in front of the store slightly bowed its head and started to speak.
“Welcome. If you could please provide your name and the reservation you made, I will guide you to your seat.”
Is this place only receiving reservations? Or did I look like a customer who was assumed to have made a reservation? It’s much more likely to be the former.
“I’m with the group that just went in. You don’t have to guide me separately.”
“Oh, I see. If you don’t mind me asking for confirmation, the reservation is——”
In that case, Haruna is certainly a reservation customer. Wait, don’t people usually mention the number of guests when making a reservation?
“I believe the name is Kurodate Haruna. When reserving, the guest count was probably one person. She must have forgotten to mention there was a change in the number of guests since she’s a bit of a scatterbrain.”
“Hmm… Yes, it’s noted as you mentioned. You may enter.”
Well, since they only accept reservations, the moment Haruna says, “I don’t know this person,” she’d just be kicked out. In that respect, the staff likely felt free to let me through.
“Thank you~”
The restaurant’s interior emphasized cleanliness over luxury. As it was dinner time, I could see several diners enjoying their meals.
Seeing a Doberman beastman eating made me wonder how hygiene is handled when receiving such customers in a restaurant.
…Wouldn’t that be racial discrimination in Kivotos?
I spotted Haruna near the kitchen, perusing the menu. Being a prominent character with a notable appearance in the main story made her easy to find. She’s even proudly displaying her outfit that screams, “I’m from Gehenna.”
Wearing a smile reminiscent of Mika, I smoothly sat down in front of Haruna. Maybe surprised by my unexpected appearance, she blinked at me, eyes sparkling like rubies.
“Hey there! Sorry to intrude, but mind if I join you? It’ll be a bit lonely to eat alone, and it’s not such a bad story for you, right?”
For the first time, sitting across from a student from Gehenna, I thought to myself.
Gehenna might not be so bad after all…
