"Welcome to Angel 24!"
The world of Blue Archive is truly perplexing. The fact that one can purchase firearms and ammunition at a convenience store is difficult for a modern person to readily comprehend. This is only possible because the people of Kivotos possess a wondrous durability that prevents them from dying from a few simple gunshots.
"Oof..."
The first time I saw the part-time worker in front of me carrying a box of ammunition, the sense of dissonance was immense. A student working at a convenience store that handles firearms. Then again, Sora, the part-timer at the Angel 24 convenience store in the game, is a middle school student, so it wasn't that surprising. Still, seeing it in person felt a little different.
I've become a regular at this convenience store from burning through so much ammo in mock combat training. I've even gotten quite friendly with this part-timer and occasionally buy her a drink. The cost of ammunition is so high it would put a chain-smoker's convenience store budget to shame, but honestly, it's not much of a burden.
After all, I pay for the ammo with a card linked to the account where my stipend—my "dignity maintenance fee"—is deposited.
A magic card into which over 40 million won is deposited every month. Ammo, whatever; I can just swipe for as much as I want at the convenience store without any problems. Honestly, for a student, isn't this an amount of money you couldn't spend even with extreme extravagance?
However, I have to be frugal with the money in my other accounts. Using the stipend card to help students from other academies is basically embezzlement of state funds, so the money I sent to Abydos all came from my personal account. There's a lot I can do with this card, but the moment another school gets involved, it's a no-go. That's where the risk comes in.
Still, it's a relief that my Kaiser Corporation stock continues on a steady upward trend. To think I'm helping a school that's being manipulated by a company, using the money I earned from that very company's stock. Isn't this the very definition of legal Robin Hood-ism?
"Payment complete! Thank you, please come again!"
"Yep, take care."
A full month has already passed since I was dropped into Kivotos in Mika's body. Now, if I'm not conscious of it, informal speech comes out first, so I try to be mindful of using formal language when I visit the shopping district.
Anyone who's worked a part-time job right after becoming an adult will know. It's incredibly unpleasant when a customer speaks to you informally out of the blue, but the reality of a part-timer is that you can't call them out on it. In Kivotos, most people you meet are students anyway, so it might be less unpleasant, but is showing a little courtesy that difficult?
Besides, Mika's appearance has something that transcends gender, and when I treat people with a gentle, formal tone, I sometimes get to see amusing reactions, so it's not bad. Especially from people who knew the original Mika.
Leaving the convenience store and walking down the street carrying a box full of 50-round 9mm cartridges feels truly strange. The fact that, with a little exaggeration, I can't feel the weight of the ammo at all; the fact that no one finds my appearance strange; and the fact that I've gotten used to it all.
A situation that is not just out of the ordinary, but completely surreal, has now become my daily life, and I am living it, having perfectly adapted. Should I be proud of this, or what?
Still, I can say one thing for certain. This life in Kivotos, where the extraordinary happens on a daily basis, feels far more enjoyable than my original life, which repeated day after day like a hamster on a wheel.
It's to the point where the fact that my chances of returning to my original life are remarkably low—something I became half-convinced of because of Seia—doesn't bother me that much.
The yet-to-begin main story and the vague, uncertain future after graduation are still nagging concerns, but aside from that, I have already come to regard my life as Misono Mika as completely my own.
All the connections I have made here have become too precious to easily let go, and the big and small events I have experienced over the past month or so have also remained in my memory. It hasn't all been good, but looking back, there were more good times than bad.
"Hmph-hm~☆"
The weather is nice, and from the looks of it, there's nothing out of the ordinary happening nearby. It feels so peaceful that I start humming a tune.
Actually, my thoughts have changed a lot lately, so I don't just wish for every day to be peaceful. A Kivotos where no incidents occur is a place I can't even imagine.
Perhaps I've taken the saying "if you can't avoid it, enjoy it" a bit too seriously. Anyway, by my standards, enjoying the peace I'm given can be considered a preliminary preparation for enjoying the next chaos.
And so, as I was heading to the academy, humming a tune with these various idle thoughts, I witnessed a scene I absolutely could not ignore.
That uniform, with a design that is clearly a far cry from Trinity's. Silvery hair that hangs down to the middle of her back, shimmering as it catches the sunlight. A coat worn only over her clothes, and an armband on her left arm with 'EAT' written on it. A single bat wing with a piercing, and a swishing demon's tail.
"Oh... did I set a flag or something?"
I remembered the day I was learning my Tea Party duties, when I had seen a document about an incident that was clearly the work of the group known as the Gourmet Research Society. The report concluded that the culprit could not be identified, but from my perspective, the only ones who would commit such an act were the demons of the Gourmet Research Society.
And now, right before my eyes, the suspect... no, the definite culprit of that incident was walking by.
The president of the Gourmet Research Society, Kurodate Haruna.
There is, of course, only one reason for that terrorist to be in Trinity. The fact that she has drifted into the heart of Trinity, which is practically an enemy territory, with the sole conviction of finding the ultimate taste—should I call that passion admirable?
I was deep in thought as I watched the back of a literal living bomb, which could go off at any moment, step into an Italian restaurant. At this rate, it'll bother me too much to just pass by.
Besides, how does an Italian restaurant even exist in Kivotos? That's quite the mystery.
In any case, if I take a moment now, that restaurant might be able to avoid a potential explosive ending. Some of the places Haruna blows up truly deserve it, but aside from that, my position in Trinity makes it difficult to turn a blind eye to such things.
If I don't stop this now, I might have one more document to process!
...Let's just ignore the fact that processing one document is easier than the trouble I'm about to go through.
I placed the box of ammunition next to a nearby bench and took out a sticky note from my handbag.
[Could you move this to the Tea Party firing range for me♡]
Normally, I would have drawn a star, but I felt a little bad asking for such a trivial favor, so I slyly changed it to a heart. With a heart at the end of my pretty, elegant handwriting, it looked surprisingly nice. It was a complete world away from my original, terrible handwriting, and this was one of the changes I actually liked.
Come to think of it, I also sent Hoshino a handwritten letter. I hope she wasn't in her more destructive phase at the time and just tore it up without reading. That would make me a little sad.
I stuck the note on top of the box, and this time, I fished out a pager that looked like a car key and pressed it firmly.
Beep-beep—!
Now, the Tea Party escorts, who are surely on standby nearby, will come and pick up the ammunition in no time.
I feel a little bad making them run such trivial errands, but I still work them far less than the original Mika did. It was so bad that they once came to me and pleaded, "Do you not need us anymore...?". Maybe that's why they seem so happy when I call them like this sometimes.
I picked up my wife, who has literally become my life partner since coming to Kivotos, a.k.a. my gun, and walked towards the front of the restaurant. A robot staff member standing in front of the store bowed its head slightly and spoke to me.
"Welcome. If you would please state your name and reservation, I will guide you to your table."
Do they only accept reservations? Or did I just look like a customer who would naturally have made one? The former seems more likely.
"I am with the person who just went in. You do not need to guide me separately."
"Ah, I see. For confirmation, may I ask, the reservation is under——"
So Haruna must have a reservation. Wait, don't you usually state the number of guests when you make a reservation?
"I believe the reservation was made under the name Kurodate Haruna. The number of guests was probably listed as one, but she likely forgot to inform you that the number has changed. Haruna can be quite clumsy at times."
"Hmm... Yes, it is as you have stated. You may enter."
Well, if they only accept reservations, the worst that can happen is I get kicked out the moment Haruna declares, "I don't know this person." The staff member probably figured it was fine to just let me in on that basis.
"Thank you~"
The interior of the restaurant emphasized cleanliness over overall luxury. Since it was dinnertime, there were customers dining here and there.
Watching a Doberman beastman eating, I had a personal question: if you accept beastman customers, how do you manage the restaurant's hygiene?
...If I say this in Kivotos, would it be considered racism?
I found Haruna looking at a menu at a table near the kitchen. As a main character who plays an active role in the story, her striking appearance made her easy to find. She was also cheekily advertising "I'm from Gehenna" with her outfit.
I subtly put on a Mika-style poker face—that is, a smile—and naturally sat down in the seat opposite Haruna. A little flustered by the unexpected situation, Haruna blinked her ruby-like eyes and looked at me.
"Hi? Excuse me, but I'll be joining you, Gourmet Research Society President Kurodate Haruna. Eating alone is lonely, so this isn't a bad deal for you either, right?"
As I faced a Gehenna student for the first time, I thought.
Maybe Gehenna isn't so bad after all...