Trrrrring~ Trrrri….
The same as always.
A very familiar, merciless sound with not an ounce of consideration pierces my ears.
But I was fine.
Perhaps because I'd had a pleasant dream for a change, I wasn't particularly annoyed. On the contrary, my mind was clearer than usual, and I felt like today would be a pretty good day.
I never knew dreams could be this good….
'Will I be able to dream again today…?'
I was getting needlessly excited, but they say you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch.
I put aside my anticipation for a moment, took out the phone from my uniform jacket, and turned off the alarm.
Trrri–.
I got up from the dusty mat, dusted off my uniform, and stretched my arms high above my head.
"Hngggh—! Ugh…."
Do you happen to know what déjà vu is?
Déjà vu.
A strange feeling or illusion of having already seen or experienced something, despite it being the first time.
To interpret this situation through the lens of déjà vu, I have seen this situation before.
The only difference, perhaps, was that the memories of the experience were as vivid as if they'd happened just yesterday…?
"Haha! No wonder it felt so realistic!"
…Shit.
______________________
The first thing I did was deny reality.
"No, this can't be real…! There is no god, and things like this only happen in novels, in fantasy stories…! That's right…! This has to be a dream too...!"
Anger.
"Seriously, what the hell did I do wrong! Why is this shit happening only to me–!"
Anxiety.
"What do I do now…? Can I survive here…? What if I get shot, and the money...?"
Worry.
"Mom… does this mean I can never see my family again…? Now that I've disappeared, will my family be looking for me...?"
Acceptance.
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha-ha! Ha-! Hahaha! Hahha! Ha..."
After that, it seems I just kept laughing like a madman.
______________________
"Ha–ha…ha- ha…."
I don't understand it.
But, I can't deny it anymore.
'Let's admit it… let's accept it….'
I had fallen into this world… into Blue Archive.
"Hoo– phew~"
I took a deep breath to calm my mind.
My troubled heart gradually settled, and I was able to regain some semblance of composure.
'Alright, first, let's check what I have on me again.'
I checked my belongings.
Starting with my phone and uniform jacket, there was my tie, pants, shoes, and socks. And finally, the shirt and the white short-sleeved undershirt and underwear I wore beneath it….
As for money, perhaps because I spent some at the convenience store, I had 6,830 yen left.
"Haah…."
I had money, but… I couldn't live on this forever….
I felt hopeless about the money situation, but since I did have some cash, I decided to put the problem aside for a moment.
"Next… securing a base."
After a rough assessment of my situation, I stepped outside the building for a moment to scout the area.
"Ughh…."
When I stepped outside… an involuntary groan escaped me, enough to scare away ghosts.
As if to prove this was Abydos, the sun was blazing, and the hot, humid air enveloped my body.
My body felt like a vampire's, and I thought, 'Should I just go right back in….' but out of a sense of human duty, I wandered around and explored the vicinity.
…However, the hot sun got to me, and I ended up returning to the building shortly after, ending my reconnaissance….
Still, it was valuable time.
"Hooah…."
'Was it called geomancy or something…?'
It seems there's nothing of the sort here….
"….Well, this should do…."
After some thought, I chose this place as my base. It's not like I had anywhere else to go… What more can a homeless person ask for…. (I'd be lucky just to have shelter from the wind.)
It was sad, but the musty, dusty smell felt strangely real.
Ah, but more than that, there was another detail….
Something I confirmed while scouting was that this was a secluded area.
The buildings around were heavily piled with sand, as if they hadn't been cleaned, and some entrances were even blocked by it.
And there are no people.
Not a soul in sight….
Perhaps the desertification progressed particularly fast here, causing people to leave quickly? That was my rough guess.
".... Haah…. For now, should I just look around…."
Since I've chosen this as my base. …And crucially, I have nothing to do.
There's also the wisdom left by all our ancestors, "just in case…." So, I trudged along, looking around here and there.
"Oh… this too."
Actually exploring the surroundings was quite fun.
Maybe it was because it was dark then, or maybe I just didn't pay attention. Besides the display shelves, there was a counter and a bathroom, all evidence pointing to this place being a supermarket.
I was a little suspicious because I couldn't see a separate storage room, but maybe the room with the mat was both a storage and a break room?
The ravages of time were clearly visible, but if this place wasn't a supermarket, that would be strange in its own way….
"No… is this also that…."
But I stopped thinking about it. There was no point in getting worked up over something that was ultimately useless.
"Is this… the life of a complete bum...."
Another heartfelt sigh escaped me.
When I was dying from exam prep and performance assessments, I was somewhat envious of the bums who were just comfortably taking a dump at home… but this wasn't all that great.
[79%]
[7 : 56]
To relieve this boredom, I turned on my phone.
"Ah-! The battery…!"
I can't even use this as I please…. What a harsh world. I hurriedly switched it to power-saving mode and lowered the brightness to the bare minimum.
'Hah… I'll have to cut down on phone usage now….'
With the battery in mind, I quickly checked what I needed to check.
[The number you have dialed is not in ser….]
Beep-.
Just in case, I dialed my mom's phone number, but the only response was a TTS voice telling me the number didn't exist.
For a moment, I closed my eyes.......................................
I opened them.
.
.
.
"Ah— I'm completely and utterly bored…."
Morning, afternoon, whatever. There was seriously nothing to do.
My phone was unusable due to the battery issue. I was mentally exhausted and my body was tired for the same reason. I was all alone here, and I had to save money to eat….
You still have to eat~ Hurry and eat this before you go.
"…Maybe I should get some breakfast."
I got up from my spot.
I brushed off the dust caked on my clothes, and just in case I couldn't find my way back to my base, I marked the location using the map app on my phone and went outside.
"Where to…."
But how would I know my way around a place I've never been before….
There's a reason 'guide' is a profession. Even a convenient app like a map has its limits.
"...."
'Just in case….'
As I was hopelessly lost, I happened to spot a robot citizen passing by.
Thinking I couldn't miss this opportunity, I started following it without a second thought.
As I continued to follow it.
"Ooh…."
-What's with this guy, following me? Is he a stalker?
The quiet streets gradually filled with the sounds of people, and the buildings that came into view were all full of life.
'Is this… downtown Abydos…?'
It must have been cleaned, as there wasn't a speck of sand in sight. Cars were passing on the roads.
There were restaurants, arcades, and karaoke bars. I could see entertainment businesses. For Abydos's run-down image, the infrastructure seemed to be on par with anywhere else.
…It also made me realize just how desolate my base was….
'Well, I'm here, but… what should I eat…? Should I just eat at a convenience store again?'
"Hmm... Ah-!"
A lightbulb lit up in my head.
'If this is really the downtown area...!'
My heart swelled with anticipation as I bounced on my feet.
"Hm~ Ah, excuse me!"
"?"
Just in case, I also asked the surrounding citizens for information. I made my way down the streets one by one.
From the citizens….
I was able to get a very satisfactory result.
Trudge- trudge… stop-.
"I found it…!"