Chapter 9: A Hectic Day in the D.U. District

…We desire the Seven Laments.
…We remember the Koan of Jericho.

Several days had passed since my Tea Party uniform arrived. Wrapped in that lovely uniform, I’d been happily going to school every day. Maybe the uniform—or more specifically, the fact that I’m now seen as a Tea Party member—counts as elite status, because sometimes I catch people giving me respectful looks. Personally, I still feel like just a normal first-year… which honestly makes me a little embarrassed.

Oh, and by the way, it turns out that even within the already prestigious Trinity, this uniform makes people assume I’m an elite among elites—someone wealthy and influential. Which means the chances of delinquents picking fights with me have basically doubled. I chase them off each time with my issued handgun. And if they still refuse to leave, then I gift them a 2-pounder shell.

One day, instead of heading straight back to the dorm after school, I decided to stop by the D.U. District to buy some software. Seeing it up close again—it really is massive, Sanctum Tower. You can see the beam of light rising from what I assume is its rooftop even from Trinity, but the building itself is tall enough to reach the clouds.

Glancing around like a tourist, I noticed something strange. Normally, the local delinquents pounce the moment they see a Trinity student, but today they weren’t paying me any attention at all. They were tense, braced, like they were preparing for a fight.

What are they planning…? Or wait—is this maybe…

(Is today the day Sensei finally arrives in Kivotos?)

Most likely, these are the delinquents stirred up by Kosaka Wakamo, who escaped from the Correction Bureau, trying to destroy something the General Student Council holds dear. Poor things—they’re about to get wiped out by the students who just happen to be filing petitions today. The classic tutorial battle.

(A chance to meet Sensei for the first time, huh. But…)

Right now probably isn’t the time. Or more accurately—trying to approach them while they’re clearly busy would only be a nuisance.

(I’ll save meeting them for another opportunity. As for…)

Wakamo… is better left alone. If she doesn’t meet Sensei here and that somehow breaks an important story flag later, that would be bad.

(Which means, what I should do is…)

Probably just clear out a few delinquents on the route to SCHALE. Something small and helpful. I climbed into the Royalty’s cargo bed and prepared the ammunition belt.

"How much farther to SCHALE?"

"About ten kilometers."

"Great. If we’re already halfway, then the rest should be easy! …Well, that’s what I’d like to say, but I’m getting a little worn out."

A girl with deep-navy hair tied into twin side-tails ran at the front. Behind her followed one member each from Trinity’s Justice Task Force and the Trinity Vigilante Crew, as well as one member from Gehenna’s Prefect Team. Further back trailed an adult without a halo, already slightly out of breath.

"Oh my, what is this…?"

"They’re all unconscious. We didn’t even have to fight."

Sprawled on the ground before them were delinquents who had clearly already been taken out by some earlier attack. Not having to fight was convenient when every second mattered, but the mystery of who did it was unsettling.

"Maybe the General Student Council took care of them first? Impressive—they’ve grown a little."

〈No, I have no knowledge of such an action.〉

"Huh? Then who…?"

Millennium’s Hayase Yuuka had assumed it was support from the General Student Council, but according to Nanagami Rin, that wasn’t the case. And since Rin was effectively the acting head of the General Student Council in the president’s absence, if she didn’t know, then it was either a field agent acting alone—or a third party.

〈Well, whoever that very kind and very available person is, we should be grateful and keep moving.〉

"Yeah, let’s keep going for now."

"Understood. But who in the world…"

As the others resumed walking, each with a visible question mark over their head, Hanekawa Hasumi of the Justice Task Force spotted a clue: a shell casing on the ground.

(These look like 40mm 2-pounder rounds… in that case, most likely a Trinity student.)

"Hurry up, we’re moving on!"

"…Yes, I know."

Either way, someone had helped them. So there was no point dwelling on it. They continued rushing toward SCHALE.

Sensei has finally arrived—that means the main story of Blue Archive officially begins. It’s starting. The story is really starting.

"At least until the Eden Treaty arc, none of that concerns me directly…"

Still, I can’t help being nervous. Even knowing the original story, one wrong move could destroy Kivotos entirely. I have to be careful.

For instance: today, I avoided meeting Sensei because the timing was all wrong. So when should I meet them?

"I’d like to meet them before the Eden Treaty arc, at the very least."

I still haven’t even seen what they look like yet. I’m really curious.

"And deciding how to conduct myself during the Eden Treaty…"

Right. Since I joined an organization under the Tea Party, there’s a chance I’ll attend the signing ceremony. What I do there will matter a lot.

"Well, it’s still two or three months away. No need to rush."

Yeah, I can figure it out later. Feeling a bit too carefree, I got into bed. …And couldn’t sleep at all.