The train ride to school was far more peaceful than I expected. Now, you might think, what's so special about a normal train ride?... but there's one fact you must never forget here.
This place is Kivotos, a pandemonium where the very incarnations of madness reside.
So, the fact that no incident occurred on the train wasn't something to be taken for granted; it was something to be grateful for. We're in a time before the main story, so I can't be sure what the major named students are up to, but in my opinion, there is zero possibility that those troublemakers were studious model students just because it's the pre-story era.
Sitting on the train, hugging a gun, feels truly strange. A sight that should have been the very definition of the extraordinary is now set to become my everyday life.
In what world do high school girls commute to school carrying firearms?
Amazingly, in Kivotos, this is normal. A crazy world that turned the once-joking concept of "gun-toting high school girls" into common sense. The female students here drive tanks, handle guns and bombs with nonchalance, and even fight by taking those hits to the body. From a modern person's perspective, it's utterly baffling, but I guess when you don't die from it, that kind of insanity just becomes the norm.
Right now, in my arms, is the real-life version of Quis ut Deus, the firearm Mika uses, her exclusive weapon in the game. The gun's model name is the Lanchester Mk I.
Other than Blue Archive, the only place I've seen it is in some old western movie. I'm not a military otaku, and I've certainly never served, so I don't know much more than that. Not that someone who'd served in a modern military would know much about a gun used ages ago, anyway.
Its beautifully decorated exterior is so quintessentially Mika that I can't help but feel an attachment to it. It seems I'm already about halfway to becoming Mika myself. I didn't even notice it until Nagisa pointed it out, but my speech patterns are now apparently close to the ones Mika originally used.
Thinking back on how my curses were auto-filtered into "Whoa—", it's not all that surprising. It just feels a little bittersweet, like I'm losing more and more of my original self.
Apparently, how to handle a gun is such basic common sense for the schoolgirls of this world that you can't even learn it from a tactical BD. It's something you naturally learn in kindergarten and elementary school.
But thankfully, I have the dazzlingly kind-hearted Nagisa by my side. Help me, Nagisa-emon!
To be honest, the way I so naturally grabbed the gun on my way out of the house made me think it must be a habit ingrained in Mika's body. But I was a little worried that I'd just added extra luggage by bringing a gun I couldn't even use. Thankfully, Nagisa reassured me, saying she'd make time to take me to the Tea Party's firing range and help me out.
Nagisa herself said that she mainly uses a pistol and isn't particularly outstanding in terms of combat ability, but she confidently stated that she could at least teach me the basics of how to use a gun. Frankly, with Mika's body, I feel like I could use the gun as a club and still be more than a match for most students, but there's a clear difference between being able to use a gun and not, so I intend to learn properly.
By the way, seeing Nagisa dozing off next to me, it seems even the students of Kivotos need to get proper sleep. I've been getting drowsy myself, and it seems that regardless of physical ability, mental fatigue is unavoidable.
It's hard to lean back fully on the train because of my wings, so I find myself nodding off while sitting upright. I gently pulled Nagisa over to lean on my shoulder. She opened her eyes halfway and glared at me, only to snuggle in even closer, making me feel flustered.
The scent of her shampoo suddenly wafted into my nose. The thought that my own hair smelled the same gave me a strange sense of depravity, even though I hadn't done anything wrong.
Still, Nagisa had been through a lot, so I decided to let her get a catnap. In some ways, she'd probably had it just as rough as I had, if not more so.
After passing one or two more stations, I began to hear the hushed whispers of female students nearby.
"...Oh my, isn't that person over there Misono Mika-sama?"
"Gasp, you're right...? Wow, this is my first time seeing Mika-sama in person... The rumors might have actually downplayed it, don't you think?"
"I know, right...? So, you have to be at least that beautiful to be considered one of Trinity's greatest beauties. By the way, is that Nagisa-sama next to her? I guess the rumors that they're the closest of friends in private were true."
They were ordinary Trinity mob students. As I understand it, the Tea Party maintains a policy of secrecy, so they rarely cross paths with regular students. It seems one of them had seen Mika in person before. I'm not sure if they knew her as Misono Mika, the Host of the Tea Party. Maybe they just saw the Tea Party uniform and thought, Oh, she's one of them?
Ah, but I'm so sleepy. I can't fall asleep and miss my stop...
My eyes are getting heavier. There's something next to me that looks strangely comfortable to lean on, and my head starts to tilt that way.
At some point, I felt an unknown hand gently shift my position. I was half-asleep so I can't be sure, but it must have been Nagisa, right?
The mob students stopped chatting after our eyes met for a moment, but it would be much later that I realized it would have been better if they had just kept talking.
[Image]
Furthermore, it would be even further in the future that I would learn that a picture titled 'Trinity's Two Greatest Beauties Sleeping on Each Other on the Train.jpg' had been secretly taken that day, and that it had quietly spread throughout Trinity General School.
Thankfully, the disaster of missing our stop did not occur. It was all thanks to a Yorkshire Terrier beastman sitting next to us, who woke us up and asked if we weren't getting off at the next station.
Dogs truly are man's best friend. Get out of here, you symbol of betrayal!
Anyway, I wonder what Trinity Academy will be like in person. It's based on Great Britain, so the campus is laid out like an island, and with its strong Christian elements, I'm sure it will have a unique grandeur. I've been to Vatican City before, and despite not being religious, I remember being unable to stop marveling at the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica.
And the view of Trinity Academy, as seen with my own two eyes, was...
"..."
So beautiful it left me speechless for a moment.
The buildings, steeped in a religious aesthetic, capture the eye and inspire awe. The trees and lawns planted throughout neutralized the "religious facility" vibe, allowing me to still perceive it as an academy. And the lake water was so clear. It looked like you could actually drink it without any problems. Not that anyone at a prim-and-proper girls' school would ever do such a thing.
"...I see. This is your first time, I suppose. What is your first impression of Trinity Academy, Mika-san?"
My honest, truly honest impression is that I don't understand how students who attend classes in a place like this can develop such shady personalities. But I can't very well say that to Nagisa.
"I'm not sure how to describe it. It's just... what's the word... a beauty that moves the soul? Yeah, I think that's it."
"Fufu. I would love to give you a tour of the academy, but there is someone we must meet first. After we discuss how we should proceed with that person, we can look around together."
"The person we have to meet, is it the other head of the Tea Party, Seia-chan?"
"Yes. I have not yet informed Seia-san that you have lost your memory. Complex stories are more effectively explained face-to-face. Since you, the current Host, are in a difficult position to perform your duties, Seia-san and I will help as much as we can for the time being. The day Seia-san takes over as Host is not far off, so please just hang in there until then, Mika-san."
"But, even if Seia-chan takes the Host position, I'm still one of the heads of the Tea Party, right?"
"Yes, well. For now, that is correct. But I do not think you need to worry too much. I have a feeling that the current you will be able to adapt to the Tea Party's duties in no time, Mika-san."
Well, I'm grateful that she trusts me. But Nagisa, doesn't that statement also imply that the real Mika wouldn't have been able to?