Chapter 40: A Story of Youth

Inside one of the prison cells in Trinity’s Detention Block.

"Honestly, you sheltered little princess! We went out of our way to get you out of your cell, and this is how you act—getting all high and mighty…!"

"Try understanding your position for once!! You’re on the verge of being dismissed from the Tea Party!!"

For the sake of delivering a formal declaration of war against Gehenna, Misono Mika—the leader of the Patel faction—had been detained under the fabricated charge of staging a coup. The Tea Party’s hardline faction had even bribed the Seven Prisoners to break her out.

But although Mika disliked Gehenna, she had no intention of declaring war. She rejected it outright. If the hardliners wanted conflict, they could take responsibility themselves—she wasn’t participating.

Enraged, they turned on her. Even if she was their faction leader, she was still a prisoner. They slapped her, then started punching and kicking her—conduct utterly unbecoming of refined ladies. But then—

"W-what do you think you’re doing!?"

"Wh-who are you!?"

A petite girl with cherry-pink hair, wearing the black sailor uniform of the Justice Task Force, stepped between Mika and the hardliners.

"B-bullying is wrong! Why would all of you gang up on one person like this…!? I—I won’t allow it!!"

Another figure approached—this one with blue hair, wearing the Tea Party uniform. The hardliners immediately attempted to pull her to their side.

"Honotani Masa! If you saw all that, get over here and drag this Justice member out!"

"Sigh… Why are there so many idiots in our faction?"

Instead, Masa looked at them with open pity.

"W-what are you…"

"I wasn’t here from the start, so I don’t know every detail… but let me guess. You tried to force Lady Mika—the only active Tea Party member left—to declare war for you. She refused, so you threw a tantrum… something like that?"

Having the situation summarized so cleanly, one of the hardliners snapped back, visibly shaken.

"S-shut up!! Acting all superior when you’re just a first-year!!"

"If you want a fight, that’s fine with me. I’ll take you on. Though… I assume you’re aware of what happens when I use anything stronger than training rounds."

Mika remembered all too well. When she fought Masa about a month ago, the bullets had left a lingering, nerve-poison-like pain for hours. It eventually faded, but it was nothing she wanted to experience again.

"Tch…"

Koharu and Masa stood firm. The hardliners couldn’t advance either, and the tense standoff stretched—until someone unexpected intervened.

"“What are you doing.”"

"S-sensei!?"

Sensei from SCHALE—who had been shot, lost a dangerous amount of blood, and fallen into critical condition—had somehow forced themself to move despite the pain, determined to stop the chaos.

"“Please… I’m asking you. Stop the violence first.”"

"T-that’s…"

"L-let’s go. It’d be bad to push our luck by picking a fight with Sensei."

Seeing the unyielding determination in Sensei’s expression, the hardliners finally backed down and withdrew.

"S-sensei… Sensei…!"

Koharu—usually timid—had faced multiple hostile glares, from people fully willing to use violence. She must have been terrified. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked up at Sensei.

"“Koharu, you were amazing. That’s the elite of the Justice Task Force I know.”"

"Sensei…!"

"Yes… Koharu."

Watching, Masa also spoke to her.

"W-what is it?"

"…I must apologize. Before we met in the Remedial Studies Club, I had heard of you. I thought you were weak for someone in the Justice Task Force."

She bowed her head. Koharu’s expression shifted—from teary, to shocked, to indignant.

"You thought that about me!?"

"But now—I’ve changed my mind. …You’re strong. I can guarantee that."

Masa was known as one of the strongest among the first-years. She had seen Koharu, during the previous battle, barely holding out against Mika—an achievement with real weight.

"Th-thank you…?"

…Though Koharu herself felt she had only done what was “obvious,” and didn’t understand why that made her “strong.”

"“…Mika, are you okay?”"

Sensei turned to Mika. The pain was still there, but someone as tough as her could bear it. That wasn’t the point of the question.

"Um… how do I put it… It’s been a while, hasn’t it?"

"“Yeah. Mika… why did you refuse earlier…?”"

Why she didn’t support the declaration of war against Gehenna—that was what Sensei wanted to know. Mika’s answer was:

"Eh, ah—well… I don’t really know, honestly. I get why it would be the perfect opportunity, but… I don’t know. I just… didn’t feel like it, I guess…"

Masa cut in with her usual dry tone.

"I assumed Lady Mika simply had the good sense to avoid unnecessary actions right now… but was that not the case?"

"Masa-chan, you never shut up, do you? You’re just like Seia-chan…"

The moment Mika said Seia’s name, tears fell before she realized it.

"Seia-chan… wait, hold on, I…"

And then she remembered—where everything had begun.

It started when she once said, during a Tea Party gathering, that she wanted to get along with Arius. When asked what political benefit it carried, she was told: If Trinity becomes stronger by absorbing Arius, what exactly do you plan to do? She had casually answered that since some members wanted to attack Gehenna, maybe they should simply do that. The looks she received had been pure exasperation.

(I was serious about reconciling with Arius. So why did they look at me like that?)

Frustrated, she ordered an Arius unit to send them to the hospital—only to learn afterward that Seia had died.

(No, that wasn’t what I meant… wait, why did I even have Seia-chan attacked…?)

(…Right. I became host, and because I hated Gehenna, I decided we should strike them. And because Nagi-chan said something strange about forming a peace treaty with Gehenna…)

(So this… this was unavoidable.)

"I—I… I’m sorry… Seia-chan… how did it come to this…? I’m so stupid… I’m so, so sorry…"

"Mika…"

Her face swollen from crying, Mika looked up at Sensei.

"Sensei… I want to see Seia-chan… and Nagi-chan too… Even though someone like me might not deserve it anymore…"

"…Leave it to me, Mika."

But Mika was still under disciplinary confinement, and both Seia and Nagisa remained unconscious. And Sensei still had to bring the current chaos under control. For now, they left the prison and moved toward where they were needed next.

"Sensei…!"

Seeing the familiar adult figure enter with Koharu and Masa brought instant relief. Sensei was alive. Knowing that through information and confirming it with one’s own eyes were two very different things.

"“Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting. From here on, leave things to me.”"

Sensei began issuing commands to each organization—something only SCHALE, with its extralegal authority, could do. Following those directives, both I and Masa headed toward the Old Sanctuary.

On the way, we stopped by the Tea Party headquarters to pick up Maiha, who looked utterly exhausted from the meetings. After resupplying ammunition at the training grounds, we advanced toward our objective.

"Officer Candidate, reporting for duty!"

Waiting for us were the Remedial Knights, the Justice Task Force, the Sisterhood, the Foreclosure Task Force, and the Prefect Team.

"Hm. Aika. It’s been a while."

"Y-yes, Sunao-senpai."

Come to think of it, Shiroko and Serika had worked with SCHALE once before. Just that one time, honestly—I had almost forgotten.

"We’re surrounded… especially that pop-pop cannon. If that hits us, it looks like it would hurt a lot…"

"This might be a little rough, Leader."

Facing us directly was the Arius Squad. Hakari Atsuko was absent, still injured from the halo-destruction bomb, but the other three stood before us.

"It matters not. No matter how many you gather, it is meaningless before the infinitely multiplying Justina Student Council."

In response to those words, a group appeared—wearing high-leg leotards, wimples, and even gas masks. A very… distinctive aesthetic.

"Let all present here witness the truth of this world. In a world overflowing with hatred and malice, effort amounts to nothing. Struggle is meaningless. Everything is futile!"

Hifumi exchanged a look with Sensei. Sensei nodded. Then she stepped forward and faced Azusa.

"Hifumi…"

"Azusa-chan, I am extremely angry right now. Very angry."

Azusa averted her eyes, and Hifumi continued.

"But… more than that, I’m glad you’re safe. I was furious, yes, but thinking it over, none of this is your fault. So I’m not angry at you anymore."

Then she turned back to the Arius Squad.

"However, those people—I am still angry at them. Hatred, malice… saying these things are the truth of this world… forcing that on others, insisting everything is meaningless…"

"You’ll understand eventually! This world is—"

But before Saori could finish, Hifumi’s voice cracked like a whip.

"Be quiet!"

"Wh—!?"

No one—not a single person alive—could interrupt her right now. No one would be allowed to.

After I shouted them down and forced silence over the battlefield, Hifumi continued.

"But even so… I don’t want Azusa-chan to become a killer! I hate stories that are dark and depressing! Even if someone insists that’s the truth or the nature of this world, I still don’t like it!"

I knew these words. This moment was one of the greatest turning points in the entire story—the heartfelt cry of a single girl.

"I have things that I love! I may be plain, I might not have any remarkable traits… but when it comes to what I love, I absolutely refuse to yield!"

Plain? Lacking individuality? Really? She’s incredibly unique—in the best way.

"I love stories where friendship overcomes hardship, where hard work is rewarded, where friends comfort each other when things get tough…! And even if there’s pain along the way, the ending is one where everyone can smile… That’s the kind of happy ending I love!"

Friendship… friends… I glanced toward Maiha and Masa. They were listening just as intently, and when they noticed my gaze, they gave quiet, steady nods.

"No matter what anyone says, I’ll keep saying it again and again!"

As if answering her voice, the sun peeked over the horizon, and the rain clouds began to thin.

"We’re the ones who decide the story we paint!"

Hifumi clenched her fist, filled with resolve.

"We won’t let it end. We’re going to keep going!"

And then, the protagonist of this tale raised her finger to the heavens and declared:

"Our story… our story of youth—Blue Archive!!"

The rain clouds cleared completely, and a vast, endless blue sky enveloped the world as if offering its blessing.

"The rain clouds… Is this weather manipulation? No, this is…"

"A m-miracle…?"

"N-No, miracles don’t happen! What is this…?"

The Arius Squad wavered in confusion, but Sensei stood firm.

"—I hereby declare this. We are the new Eden Treaty Organization—ETO."

"What…!?"

This was once the site of the Old Sanctuary, where the Eden Treaty had been signed. And gathered here now were representatives of Trinity’s Pater, Filius, and Sanctus factions—the original signatories—along with the Justice Task Force and the Sisterhood. From Gehenna, the Prefect Team was also present.

And the one who declared it was the Sensei of SCHALE, created by the Federal Student Council President as a proxy for the missing Trinity Student Council President—the original initiator of the treaty.

In other words: the Eden Treaty that Arius had stolen… Sensei had just taken back.
A “grown-up’s” move answered with a “grown-up’s” move.

"…Leader, Justina’s control is destabilizing."

Just as Misaki Imashino reported, the clones of the Justina Student Council were flickering, unable to maintain combat form.

"I-It’s confused… The doctrine says to aid the Eden Treaty Organization, but now there are two ETOs…"

A line flashed through my mind—There were two ETOs! Not the time for that, though.

"A happy ending!? Don’t make me laugh! You think this world changes just because you say pretty words!?"

Saori, still bound by her e-m-p-t-y ideologies, shouted furiously.

"You think that alone can change hatred—change a world built on distrust!? Don’t spout such childish fantasies…!"

"It is an adult’s duty… to help bring students’ dreams to life."

Sensei addressed them gently. To guide these girls—used and exploited by awful adults—out of the darkness.

"What are you…!"

"I believe in the dreams that students wish for. And I will support those dreams… the dreams they truly desire from the heart."

As Sensei finished, I spoke my own thoughts aloud.

"If everything truly is meaningless—if that is where all things must return—then we should lose, and you should win. But that will not happen. We will prove it."

"…Very well. I’ll make you understand. All of you… and Azusa, I’ll make you remember too!"

At her cry, something massive emerged behind her—a monstrous figure I recognized from my previous life.

"…Ambrosius. You called that doll a failure, but this should be more than enough."

I see. So that was their trump card. But with Sensei leading us… losing didn’t even seem possible.

"They just keep coming no matter how much we shoot…!"

Explosions burst—boom, boom, boom—as I kept firing steady suppressive shots. With the battlefield turned into a chaotic melee, I couldn’t fire rapidly. I had to aim carefully to avoid hitting our own allies.

I had asked the Sensei to tell everyone to regroup to avoid scattering, but of course that couldn’t be enforced perfectly.

Justina’s replicas sometimes spawned right beside me; when that happened, I had to take them out with my handgun. Needing to interrupt my bombardment each time was really irritating.

The Arius soldiers were far better to deal with. They didn’t respawn, their numbers were clearly shrinking, and most importantly, they didn’t suddenly pop in. That meant I could blast them with the 40mm two-pounder before they got close.

Oh, and that Ambrosius we focused down earlier—he was easy too. Big target, hardly moved. Perfect.

"How is the Remedial Class holding up!?"

I called out to Masa on the front line over the radio.

"They broke through the encirclement earlier and now they’re with the Arius Squad and—ah, Azusa-senpai is chasing them into the ancient chapel’s basement…!"

"Understood. I will head there as well."

The basement… that meant Hieronymus. In that case, the more firepower the better. And since it was a large, slow target, the pom-pom gun was ideal.

Hoping the tires wouldn’t burst on the uneven, rubble-strewn ground, I drove down into the basement. A bit further in, I saw Azusa and Saori fighting, so I provided support fire.

"You have so many allies. Not just the Remedial Class and the Sensei—us officer cadets as well, and countless other Trinity students. So you… will not lose."

Of course she couldn’t hear my mumbling from this distance while fighting. Even so, for a moment, it felt like Azusa smiled.

After several more exchanges, Saori fell first. Right after, Azusa collapsed too, as if her strength had finally given out. Though honestly… I hit Saori with the pom-pom gun at least twice. How was she still standing?

Then a girl wearing a hood and a partially broken mask appeared. I couldn’t hear her from here, but if things followed my previous life, she was probably saying something like, “If you return to Arius, they’ll kill you. You should run.”

As I thought that, the ground suddenly shook. In the distance, something rose—a form unmistakably taken straight from the game.

"There it is—Hieronymus…!"

For a split second I almost laughed, remembering old meme edits from my previous life, but I forced myself to focus.

Then I noticed the Sensei—standing beside Azusa—pull something out and raise it high.

A Grown-Up Card.
A power—an external tool—Sensei could use. Every use shaved away his life, his time. And this time… he was using it to call forth a student who shouldn’t be here.

In the game, you summoned from your own roster, so if your team wasn’t leveled enough, this fight could be rough. Recommended level was around 65, I think.

"Whose help is the Sensei going to borrow…?"

In front of Hieronymus appeared four students: Waraku Chise, Kasuga Tsubaki, Mizuha Mimori, and Saiba Momoi. A little closer to me, riding a tank, were Natsume Iroha and Aikiyo Fuuka.

(I’ve only met Fuuka before…)

Even then, we only worked together during the same mission where I met Shiroko. Given how our schools operate, that wasn’t unusual.

While I thought about it, the Sensei directed the summoned girls; together, they cleared the waves of Justina clones and completely destroyed Hieronymus.

In the confusion, the Arius Squad had already retreated. Well, they no longer intended to return to Arius… and they probably wouldn’t challenge Trinity now.

"Good work, Azusa. You too, Sensei."

"Ah… Aika…"

Once the six summoned students vanished, I drove the truck closer to Azusa and the Sensei.

"I’ll take you both to the surface—or rather, to the Remedial Knights. Sensei, I imagine forcing yourself down here must have been difficult."

"“Yeah… that would help. Thank you.”"

"Of course. Please, both of you, climb into the cab."

With the Justina Student Council gone, I drove slowly across the rubble-strewn ground. Once we emerged on the surface, the Sensei informed everyone waiting that the battle was over, then headed toward the Remedial Knights’ facility.