Chapter 1: A Story of Nothing but Reincarnation

Under a heavy downpour, a woman walked alone, cradling an infant in her arms.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"

A glowing ring shone above the woman's head—one that evoked a sense of “mystery,” even “divinity.” But the infant bore no such glow, no halo. Not even the spark of life seemed present.

Lips drained of color, skin pallid to a terrifying degree, eyes shut tight.
Most people would look and say: dead.

The woman placed the baby down in an alleyway and hurried off without ever looking back.

She never noticed the infant’s halo flicker back to life.

My name’s Naitō Sei.

Just a normal second-year high schooler! …Or at least, I was. Until just now—I died.

It wasn’t some dramatic death. Just an accident. I was hit by a car on the way home from school. That’s it.

Blood poured out everywhere, but the pain wasn’t too bad. The sounds around me were loud, yet far away—strangely quiet.

I did have regrets. Things I still wanted to do. I didn’t want to die. I was scared.

But still, I died.

Ah… my dad—bald but dependable. My mom—big but kind. And my idiot older sister—airheaded but always helped me out. Please forgive me for dying before you.

I’m sorry I never repaid your kindness.

I remember thinking all that at the edge of death.

I didn’t want to die. I was scared. But I’d tried to live each day as best I could, even happily. So while I had regrets, there was also some satisfaction.

If possible, I want everyone to remember me and be happy. Even just in a corner of their memories.

And then, I suddenly realized—

──What exactly is this “me” who’s thinking right now?

Without even opening my eyes, I could tell it was raining around me.

“…?”

I couldn’t move my body, my head felt hazy. Forcing my eyes open, I saw a blurred light fading away into the rain.

──I’ve been abandoned.

I didn’t know why, but that’s what I thought. The light vanished completely, and the rain and wind kept draining my strength.

Ah, crap. If this keeps up, I’ll die. My body feels so weak.

…Wait, my body’s small?

“…ah?”

I tried to speak, but what came out was a broken, babyish sound. I looked down at myself.

Tiny hands, fingers, feet, a chubby torso—there was no mistaking it. A baby’s body.

“…eh!?”

What the hell. Didn’t I die? What is even happening right now?

Even with all those questions piling up, one thought rose from deep in my chest—

“i… don’t… want…”

──If this keeps up, I’ll die. I don’t want to die.

A person who’s already died—what are they even saying? This whole situation makes no sense. I don’t know if I’m alive or dead.

“don’t… want…!”

Even so, my body moved. Acting purely on survival instinct.

I stretched out my arms with strength no baby should have, hauling myself out of the box I was in and down to the ground. Mostly I fell, but it didn’t hurt.

“some…one…!”

──Someone. Help me.

No voice came out. Even so, I crawled forward on the wet ground. Maybe it was pointless, but I couldn’t just do nothing.

“…huh?”
“…!”

A shadow appeared in front of me.

A person? Will they help me? Please help me.

I tried to call out, but tears overflowed instead.

But these weren’t tears of joy. They were fear. The fear of encountering an unknown person. A feeling closer to an infant’s pure emotion.

“Waaahhh!”

“Whoa… hey, easy now. It’s okay. You’re okay. There, there.”

I was lifted up, soothed. My heart settled a little. The tears slowly stopped.

“… …”

“…Stopped crying? Seriously, people keep dumping kids off like this… This isn’t a daycare, you know… Well, whatever. I’ll take you back to the school for now…”

Suddenly, sleepiness overcame me.

Well, I guess that’s natural for a baby’s body.

“…Hm? Asleep already. Better warm you up…”

I couldn’t resist the sleep anymore.

“Sleeping so soundly… You’re in for a rough road ahead, you know?”

And then, my consciousness slipped away completely.

When I passed through the tunnel of unconsciousness, what I found was a crystal-clear world… Yeah, no. Not the time for poetic commentary.

It’s been about three days since that bizarre day. No clock around, so that’s just how it feels.

Naturally, when I woke up, the first thing I did was check my surroundings.

I wanted the 5W1H more than anything—who, what, when, where, why, how. Of course, I didn’t want to make things worse by flailing around, so I only used my eyes.

From what I could tell, I’d been taken in by the woman I last met.

I was laid in a baby’s crib, but even that much told me where I was.

"Here, time to eat."

The woman who picked me up brought over a baby bottle.

Back then I hardly saw her face, but now that I got a good look—yeah, she was beautiful. Beautiful, sure. If only that was all there was to it. If only.

"Drink it all up."

But above her head, a brilliant halo blazed.

Yup. A world as clear as glass. Thank you so much for this nightmare.

"Good, that’s the right amount."

She gently patted my back.

Buuurp!

"Good kid. Stay calm, alright?"

The woman left, and I was left to think things over.

──Blue Archive.

If you’re into mobile gacha games or know a bit about pop culture, you’ve probably heard of it at least once.

And even if you haven’t, maybe you’ve seen the memes—“harsh something-or-other,” “hot despite not moving,” “Let’s go!” “Look over here!” …Okay, enough of that.

Anyway. Blue Archive is a school RPG released in February 2021, a story painted with a “crystal-clear world.”

In the academy city of Kivotos, students, together with a teacher from outside, fight shady adults, stop civil wars, pour their hearts into club activities… A tale of youth filled with tears and laughter.

…At least, that’s the official story.

The reality? A world where students with durability tougher than bulletproof glass casually spray bullets everywhere, a world so insane even Golgo 13 would hesitate. A setting so absurd people nicknamed it “Kirara GTA.”

The main heroine’s hobby? Bank robbery. A ramen shop blowing up from a “simple mistake.” Factional infighting almost claiming multiple victims. Some opportunist getting devoured by piranhas in Cheonggyecheon—well, maybe not that last one.

Point is, it’s a meme-riddled series. But the truth is, the main story is dead serious.

The writing packs a punch. Especially the “Eden Treaty Arc,” which is insanely popular.

A story woven from meta, jokes, and serious drama—transcended into something unique.

I was one of the fans. Played it seriously enough, even dug into the lore. Though there were way too many mysteries.

Anyway… this is not a world where normal humans with normal bodies and normal minds can hope to survive.

And it looks like… I’ve been reincarnated into it. Probably abandoned by my parents, too.

"Sigh…"

Yeah, I have a million things to say. Why reincarnation? Why is a game reality?

But survival comes first.

Lucky or unlucky, though…

"Ahh…"

I tilted my gaze upward—and there it was.

A shining halo floating above me.

That’s right. I’ve got a halo. Looks like I’m considered a student of Kivotos. Not “ordinary” but “extra-ordinary.” …Ha-ha. Very funny.

Which basically means future gunfights, shootouts, and rebellions are all but guaranteed.

Still, if that were the only problem, maybe it’d be fine. I don’t know if not becoming a student is even an option, but surely there’d be a way to live safely.

"Uuuh…"

But. But! BUT!

I glanced at the woman in the back. On her arm: an armband with a skull mark and the word arius. She wore a uniform like an oversized jumper.

Yep. Out of all the people who could’ve picked me up… it had to be them.

Arius Branch School.

…So, to sum it up:

I got reincarnated into Blue Archive’s world as a student. Probably abandoned by my parents. Then picked up by Arius Branch.

…Goddammit.

Afterword – Setting Notes

Most readers are probably already familiar with the original work, but for areas where I felt the setting wasn’t fully explained, I’ll add a light glossary here. I wanted to include this in the main text, but it would’ve dragged things out, so I’ll keep it separate.

Kivotos
── The academy city and main stage of Blue Archive.
── Guns blazing everywhere might be a thing, but apparently there are still actual laws in place.
── The students themselves handle politics and administration.

Halo
── The floating ring above every student’s head. If it breaks, the student dies.
── Its condition reflects the student’s mental state. (It disappears while sleeping, cracks if they take severe psychological damage, and so on.)

Students
── Anyone with a halo.
── Their bodies are absurdly tough and durable.
── Some also possess special abilities.