(Side Story) Arius' Suicide Seeker EP.28

Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

(Vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas)

 

 

 

This is the first phrase I learned upon arriving here.

 

 

 

"Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."

 

 

 

This is the last testament I remember of myself.

 

 

 

I was forcibly TS reincarnated. To Kivotos, the world of Blue Archive, a game I've since dropped.

 

 

 

And the first thing I saw upon arriving here was

 

 

 

[Please save Hoshino.]

 

 

 

a strange message, and

 

 

 

"Oh my? You're awake already?"

 

 

 

a monster with a body of red and multiple eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

 

 

"...Is it morning already...."

 

 

 

I woke up on the hard floor like any other morning and looked around.

 

 

 

"The others... they've all gone out."

 

 

 

Well, it's strange for me to be able to take a nap like this.

 

 

 

After all, this is Arius.

 

 

 

"Haaahm... I guess I should get ready..."

 

 

 

I forced my still-tired body to wake and approached a nearby mirror.

 

 

 

Of course, the mirror was broken in several places and couldn't function properly, but for me... no, for the others here, it was enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Hmm... no problems today either."

 

 

 

If anyone else saw me covered in bandages, they might be horrified, but I judged there were no issues and turned away from the mirror.

 

 

 

I only came to the mirror to check if there was any excessive blood, in which case I would have needed to change them.

 

 

 

...Still, I suppose even for Arius, my appearance is a bit much.

 

 

 

My clothes cover it well, but my body is so covered in bandages that it's hard to find a spot without them.

 

 

 

Even the others who share my suffering look at me with pity, which says it all.

 

 

 

...But there's nothing I can do about it.

 

 

 

No matter how many wounds I get every day,

 

 

 

I can't stop trying to kill myself.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

It's been a year since I came to this world of Kivotos. Or at least, it feels like it's been that long.

 

 

 

Because of this, I've gotten somewhat used to living in Arius.

 

 

 

Thump!

 

 

 

Even if it means enduring what they call "education," which is really torture.

 

 

 

"Did anyone say you could lie down! Get up now!"

 

 

 

'...Should I just stay down...'

 

 

 

Of course, if I just stayed down, they'd kick me soon enough.

 

 

 

'I'm used to it now...'

 

 

 

At first, I thought I was going crazy.

 

 

 

The daily violence disguised as education was too harsh for me, who had lived a normal life.

 

 

 

It was a place where not trying to kill yourself would be the strange thing.

 

 

 

But maybe humans are adaptable creatures? Or maybe it's because I've been getting hit every day and attempting suicide, but I've gotten used to the torture.

 

 

 

Or more accurately, I've gotten used to the pain.

 

 

 

Because of that, now when I get hit, all I think is, "Ah, I'll get dirty again..."

 

 

 

'...Well, I should get up anyway.'

 

 

 

I wouldn't care if it was just me who got hurt. But these bastards know I'm okay with being hit, so if I don't get up, they'll harass the others.

 

 

 

All because of that damn "collective responsibility."

 

 

 

Especially since I'm a member of the squad.

 

 

 

In the end, I gave up and got up, continuing the education.

 

 

 

Of course,

 

 

 

Thump!

 

 

 

It wasn't long before I was rolling on the ground again.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

"We will now begin today's training."

 

 

 

Torture... no, the usual education time passed, and in the afternoon, the leader Saori's training began.

 

 

 

This time, the training was in preparation for the upcoming Eden Treaty.

 

 

 

"....."

 

 

 

"Haaah..."

 

 

 

Except for me and Atsuko.

 

 

 

Atsuko's role in this operation was just to provide blood, so it made sense for her, but I wondered why I was excluded from such important training...

 

However, it seems I not only receive the morning education but also got hit harder than usual during the earlier session, so they forcibly excluded me, saying I shouldn't overexert myself.

 

 

 

Thanks to that, I could watch Hiyori go "Bwaaaah" more clearly, but...

 

 

 

"...."

 

 

 

'Being with Atsuko is too awkward. I'd rather be in training...'

 

 

 

Swish

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh? Ah, it's fine, I'm not really hurt."

 

 

 

Swish swish

 

 

 

 

"I appreciate the concern, but you don't have to."

 

 

 

Atsuko asked about my condition with sign language and offered to treat me, but I refused, as it wasn't necessary.

 

 

 

Not only did I check this morning that there were no major issues,

 

 

 

'Treating me, who gets hurt all the time, is just a waste of energy.'

 

 

 

So,

 

 

 

"Bwaaaah!!! It hurts so much!!!"

 

 

 

"Haaah... Hiyori..."

 

 

 

We sat and watched Hiyori cry, passing the time.

 

 

 

*

 

 

It was now evening.

 

 

 

Normally, it would be dinner time, but since there was barely any food here, there was no such thing as dinner, and we always satisfied our hunger with an energy bar.

 

 

 

And,

 

 

 

"I'll be back."

 

 

 

I gave my half-eaten energy bar to Hiyori, who was crying about being hungry, and stood up.

 

 

 

It should be break time now, but I had something else to do.

 

 

 

Something very important.

 

 

 

"Sora..."

 

 

 

"Sora-san..."

 

 

 

"".....""

 

 

 

Seeing my actions, the others who knew what I was going to do looked at me.

 

 

 

Their gazes were mostly filled with pity, but no one tried to stop me.

 

 

 

No, there was a time when they did. Even Misaki tried to stop me.

 

 

 

But my persistent attempts,

 

 

 

and the benefits we gained from my actions, eventually led them to stop interfering.

 

 

 

So,

 

 

 

"Don't die."

 

 

 

They said things like that.

 

 

 

"....Yeah."

 

 

 

Even though I knew those words were a curse to me.

 

 

 

*

 

 

 

Creak!

 

 

 

"Oh my? You're back again, not tired of it yet?"

 

 

 

The space where Madam Beatrice, the current ruler of Arius, resided. I arrived here as I always did.

 

 

 

For the important task I did every evening.

 

 

 

And that was,

 

 

 

"Right, you eyeball monster. I'll definitely kill you today."

 

 

 

Challenging Madam... no, the eyeball monster to a fight, in an attempt to kill myself.