Chapter 7: Proof of the Little Devil

"My name is Kirihana Suou. I'm six years old, but my mental age is twenty-three. Like the two of you, my goal is to prevent the civil war. Will you work with me?"

"...Huh?"

"...Excuse me?"

"I'm being completely serious."

"It's not that I didn't hear you. ...Kid, are you for real? That's impossible. It sounds like a load of crap, if you ask me."

Of course. Frankly, it would be stranger if they believed me.

"I am serious—dead serious. And please stop calling me 'kid.' I can't offer you concrete proof, but could you at least hear me out?"

"Hey, hey, Anna-chan! The way she talks so boldly for someone so tiny is just so cute!"

"Will you be quiet?"

"Can the two of you calm down and listen?"

"You're both so mean!"

Seriously. I initially thought Anna was the one with a difficult personality, but it's Cyan who truly can't read the room. Or perhaps she's just a fool. If I want a real conversation, Anna is the one to focus on.

"To explain anything, I suppose I have to start with my own story… which is, well, a little on the occult side."

"...Just tell us."

Good. Honestly, getting them to listen at all is a victory.

"So… in another world, I died. Are you familiar with the concept of reincarnation? Essentially, I was reborn into this world, retaining all my memories from my previous life."

"I've read a manga like that before!"

"I mean, I've seen similar stories too… but that's fiction. A fairy tale. I can't just believe you because you say it's true, kid."

"I know that!"

So even in Kivotos, reincarnation stories exist. That actually helps make the explanation easier.

"And if that was all, it would have been fine. But in that other world, I could observe glimpses of the future here. Just fragments. Like watching a game."

I can't very well say, "This world was originally a game." That would shatter their fragile grasp on reality. Even if they did believe me, the psychological impact would be devastating.

"Observe…?"

"Yes. Just a rough outline of events. I saw what would happen about ten years from now."

"Ten years later… I'd be twenty-seven by then… probably working some job somewhere…"

"And then drinking cheap alcohol alone at night, wondering why you're still not married."

"Why did you have to make it so depressing!? Hey!"

Cyan shrieked and lunged at Anna.

…Is she okay? I could have sworn I just heard Anna's shoulder pop.

"Alright, alright, settle down… So, what's this 'ten years later' supposed to look like?"

Anna, looking slightly pale, brushed Cyan off and turned back to me.

"In the end, the civil war isn't stopped. And then an 'adult' named Beatrice takes control of this school."

"What…!?"

"Yeah, I don't see the connection. What does Beatrice have to do with a civil war?"

"The war destabilizes everything. Beatrice seizes the opportunity to take over—she likely sides with the radicals. After that, this school becomes a tool for her ambitions, ruled through fear. People even start to die."

"I see… so that's why you want to stop the civil war. Hm. I understand now."

"Anna-chan, I still don't get it at all."

Cyan looked like steam was about to blow from her ears, but at least Anna understood. That was something. …But the real problem was…

"I understand your reasoning, but… do you have any proof?"

"…"

"I'll admit you're not an ordinary child. I'll even accept that your 'mental age twenty-three' claim probably isn't a lie. But that's a separate issue. To us, you're still an unknown variable. That hasn't changed."

…There it was. The heart of the matter.

In the end, my words were just that—words. These two never appeared in the original story, and Arius from ten years ago was barely depicted at all. Finding any tangible proof to show them is nearly impossible.

"Yeah… you're right…"

But…!! This is my gamble…!!!

It might just work on these two…!!!

"Have you heard of the Heroic Myth series?"

"Heroic Myth? Oh, you mean that game series that started about seven years ago, right?"

"That's the one."

"Isn't the newest one Trails of Zero?"

"Never heard of it."

"Most of the games we find are old cast-offs anyway…"

…If this works, I'll have to introduce these two to all kinds of games. Maybe I could even transfer to Millennium.

"Anyway, yes… and next year, a new one is being released…"

"No way."

"That's right. The newest title, coming next year: Heroic Myth – Trails of Azure…! And its story is—!!!"

"S-stop! Don't you dare spoil it!"

"We've only played as far as White Witch!"

Yes, this is my gamble.

In the original Clockwork Flower Pavane arc, Momoi recommended the Legend of Heroes series to Alice… Here, I'm using a parody—the Heroic Myth series.

Since this world is set about ten years before the start of Pavane Chapter One, the latest Legend of Heroes title released ten years before 2021—when Pavane was added—should correspond with the newest Heroic Myth game now…!

By "predicting" a game that hasn't even been released yet, I can prove myself!!! Against these two, it might just work!

"D-damn you…!! You think you can just dangle that in front of us!? It won't work on me!"

"Oh, really? Are you sure? Then listen closely—Trails of Azure is set once again in Crossbell State, and…"

"Stopppp! I believe you! Let Anna verify if it's true instead!"

"Wha—You damn gorilla! You're pushing this onto me!?"

…Wow, this is even more effective than I anticipated… Wait, if they're making this much noise…

"Who's there!? What are you doing!?"

"!! Crap… Gorilla! This is your fault!"

"Haaah!? You were the one who screamed first, Anna!"

"This isn't the time to argue! What do we do!? You two might be fine, but if I'm caught, I'm finished!"

"…Ah, don't worry about that, Cyan-chan."

"…Okay."

"You there! Identify yourselves or—ugh…!"

"………Huh?"

That was strange. That was a teacher, wasn't it? They should have been fairly strong… Yet Cyan just knocked him out in one hit—without even using a gun…!?

"…Do you know why someone as airheaded as Cyan-chan could become student council president as a first-year?"

"Calling me airheaded is unnecessary!"

"This girl, when she's under pressure, radiates this bizarre charisma… but more importantly, at the Arius branch, she is undeniably the strongest."

"……No way…!?"

To be called the undisputed strongest… Just how powerful is she…!?

"…Well, let's call it a day for now. If we get spotted again, it will be trouble. Loli, come back tomorrow under the pretext of inspecting the training school. I'll be in the school building during the day, so meet me there."

"I told you, I'm not a loli. …But fine, I understand."

"I still don't fully trust you… but I believe you're not just a child, that you know something about the future, and… probably, you're not a bad person."

"I think we should trust her completely, though…"

"You're far too trusting, Cyan-chan…"

"………Thank you."

Even that much was more than enough. Just having potential "accomplices" made it significantly easier to take action.

"Alright then, see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Suou-chan."

"…Yeah. See you tomorrow."

Still… even if they're both eccentrics—one a gorilla-strong student council president, the other a self-proclaimed super-genius clerk—maybe I've just revealed my secret to two truly formidable people.

"…Eh, whatever it takes."

With a mixture of anxious unease and a flicker of hope, I hurried back to my room.

The next day. At morning assembly.

"Uh, last night, an intruder was discovered inside the school building. One teacher was knocked unconscious, and according to his statement, it felt like he’d been hit by a gorilla…"

"…"

Cyan and Anna were being reported as the suspicious individuals.

…Yup, I definitely revealed myself to two absolute disasters…!!!

Clockwork Flower Pavane Arc

—One of the main storylines in Blue Archive.
—The setting is the Millennium Science School, with the spotlight on the Game Development Club.