NOVEL NEXT It’s been a week since I possessed the body of my favorite character, Misono Mika, in Blue Archive.
On the first day, I was moaning and groaning from the aftereffects of being hit by a TS beam, but thanks to my friend Nagisa coming to visit, I managed to pull myself together.
On the second day, I became a good student who listened well to Nagisa and went to Trinity, the top academy in Kivotos. But wait, it’s not just an academy—it’s practically a nation, and I found out I’m a president?! Talk about ridiculous.
I thought I would be burdened with responsibilities and work myself to death, but oh my! The benefits at this “company” are insane.
Seeing the amount deposited into my account made all my hardships feel insignificant. So here I am, a week later, diligently handling my tasks and enjoying my rewarding days.
It’s called an allowance for maintaining dignity, but even if I’m not a high-income earner, they pay me a salary equivalent to an average office worker every month?! How do I even deal with this? The only option is to smoothly accept this life as a slave.
And then came the much-anticipated third day.
I had to confront despair as I solved last week’s mock exam provided by Nagisa.
I scored surprisingly well in language. It felt like my brain automatically downloaded a Japanese patch upon possessing this body.
I remembered almost everything in math except for one topic, so I’d probably pass without much trouble.
The real problem? Ballistics.
Come on, isn’t the difficulty level a huge leap? Of course, I erected a pillar. I understand that in a world of military high school girls, such a subject exists, but the level is too high. How on earth do students who are weak in math survive in this world?
Fortunately, the passing cut-off for this subject is much lower than for others. Nagisa, aghast at my structure, offered to help me focus on this part. Seeing my scores from the other math subjects, she reassured me I’d be fine, but why am I the one feeling uncertain?
Still, if I don’t try, it’s not just my problem. If I fail and ruin my life in Kivotos, I’ll storm into Arius and cause chaos.
Realistically, breaking through all the students in Arius is a challenge, not to mention the odds of defeating Beatrice one-on-one… Yeah, is that even possible? In the end, avoiding failure is the only absolute outcome.
History, of course, went down the drain. The good news is that it’s a memorization subject, and there are some tricks I can use.
It’s not about aiming for a high score, but simply crossing the pass mark, so while memorizing everything within a short time is difficult, I can afford to memorize certain parts firmly.
It’s the worst method for straightforward studying, but if my goal is to pass a single exam, that’s a different story. If it’s a trick, it’s a trick; if it’s wise, then it’s a smart strategy, right?
Since I’ll have to take tests in various subjects, I think the most rational approach for me right now is to check the syllabus and concentrate on what’s just important. Nagisa dislikes this mindset but agrees it’s the path closest to passing and outlined the syllabus for the next exam.
Once I pass this test, I’ll have some time to spare, so I plan to follow along as much as possible.
Once I have some time, I need to dive fully into studying to avoid failure, while I also have to handle T-party affairs every day and dedicate time to battle training to prepare for real-world scenarios. Honestly, I didn’t work this hard even when preparing for the college entrance exam.
The hardest part was me, an agnostic, studying theology and attending Sunday Mass. I had no knowledge of what to do during Mass, so I checked the general process beforehand, but initially, I was so blank that the Sisterhood students were concerned about me.
“Sister, you don’t seem to be in great shape. What do you think about heading back for today?”
I’m perfectly fine… It was just my first time…
I can’t even vent anywhere. Nagisa and Seiya are busy, and if I complain about this kind of thing, I feel like I’m just being pathetic.
Honestly, I dislike that Trinity is a mission school. After spending four days here, I don’t find attending Mass meaningless, but I have so many things to do that even that short time in Mass feels like a waste.
But then again, being a host of T-party and skipping Sunday Mass might cause some controversies, so I can’t miss it. Suddenly possessing such an important identity makes me act extra cautiously.
…Thinking of it as a time for meditation to calm my mind somehow helps ease my thoughts.
Studying theology is truly a lost cause. Nowadays, during my commutes, I listen to the audio Bible… Or, is it called scriptures here? I spend time listening to the audio scriptures. Just reading through them doesn’t cut it; this feels like the most hopeless part.
I wish days were 48 hours—I’m learning what being busy means in my body. If I had lived this diligently before possessing this body, I wouldn’t have had time to game and wouldn’t have ended up like this.
A week has passed since I started living as Misono Mika. Unable to endure the increasing stress, I decided to have a cheating day. If I’m spending two hours playing instead of studying, isn’t that practically a cheating day? Honestly, whether it’s dieting or studying, the essence is about resisting what you want.
“Wow, is that true? Hifumi-chan, you study really well!”
“Ahaha… I’m really not that great… Rather, Misono-senpai seems like she studies well from the way you talk…”
“Eh? I appreciate the high praise, but~ I’m actually on the verge of failing☆ To be honest, I should be studying right now, but I’m so tired that I decided to take a quick break! Isn’t that the worst?”
As I avoided studying and went out to have fun, I formed an interesting connection in front of a dessert café.
What can I say? The star of Hifumi Daisuki, Ajitani Hifumi.
Seeing Hifumi contemplating whether to enter the dessert café, I couldn’t help but approach her and strike up a conversation. Honestly, seeing Hifumi, who’s relatively gentle compared to other students, brought me good feelings.
“By the way, calling me Misono-senpai seems too distant, don’t you think? I think it would be better to just call me Mika-senpai. What do you say? Since Hifumi-chan is cute, it wouldn’t be bad to permit calling me Mika-chan…”
“Uh, umm… That’s too much pressure for me… Ah, never mind…! Then I’ll call you Miko-senpai…?”
“Great! Yes, I like it! To meet such a cute kouhai like Hifumi-chan, today must be my lucky day☆”
“Ahaha… I’m also happy to meet someone like Miko-senpai… But which club do you belong to?”
Thinking back, I wasn’t in my usual outfit. My usual attire screams “I’m of high status,” so when I walk around in that, I get a lot of attention, so I deliberately came out in casual clothes.
Did I feel discomfort wearing feminine clothes? Not really. I mean, wouldn’t that thought only exist if I still had traces of being a guy? Still, I’d like to eventually try wearing a male suit even if I’m a bit feminine. After all, when pretty girls wear those, it gives a stunning contrast.
Saori and Nagisa in formal wear? Honestly, I can’t resist this. While Mika is pretty, she has a cute vibe, so she probably wouldn’t suit it as much as those two.
Anyway, since I’m in casual wear, Hifumi can’t guess what club I’m in. If I were in my regular attire, she might not confirm I’m in T-party, but she could at least assume I probably belong to an upper-class club.
“Hmm~ These days I feel like I’d fit well in the Sisterhood.”
Honestly, that’s not too far off. Attending Sunday Mass diligently. Listening to audio scriptures on my commute. Studying theology on the side. With qualifications like that, I’m basically a ideal fit for Sisterhood, right? Mika in a nun’s uniform… that sounds kind of cute…
But imagining it doesn’t really make me feel anything. I should be feeling something when I see Mika’s body while bathing or looking in the mirror, but that’s not the case. Is it because it’s my body now? Quite tragic.
“Ah, that means you’re not part of the Sisterhood. Are you affiliated with the Rescue Knights, Miko-senpai?”
Oh? Does my image convey that as well? I didn’t feel like I gave off a Rescue Knights vibe…
“The Rescue Knights, huh? In a way, we’re fundamentally similar but slightly different. Think about it again!”
“If you’re neither the Sisterhood nor the Rescue Knights… Ah?!”
Seeing Hifumi nearing the truth, I realized she seemed quite sharp. She isn’t an honor student for nothing.
But this girl is running around the black market to buy Peroro goods and skipping exams due to a Peroro guerilla event and failed. It just shows that students at Kivotos all possess a touch of madness, big or small.
“Don’t worry, don’t worry~ right now, we meet as seniors and juniors outside the academy! Nothing more, nothing less☆”
Thank goodness she didn’t realize I’m one of the leaders of T-party. If that came out right from the first meeting, it might overwhelm the self-proclaimed ordinary student, Hifumi.
“Ah, but this is my first time talking to someone from T-party, so… if I’ve offended you in any way…”
“Ahaha! Not at all! That’s really unnecessary worrying, Hifumi-chan. We’re just having a chat while enjoying parfait, right? Above all, I think acting formal in a place like this is too rigid! So relax and feel free to talk about whatever you want☆ It’s all about breaking the ice!”
In fact, though Hifumi talks like that, her social skills are impressively high, so as long as the groundwork is laid, she would gladly engage with me. She’s more than enough to have as a conversation partner for a short break.
“Uh, um… do you like Peroro?!”
…Oh dear.
I didn’t expect her to jump straight into talking about Peroro. Hifumi, how could you directly contradict my thoughts like this?
Still, it’s a relief that this conversation topic was within expected territory. I had prepared a response template for such tricky questions.
“You’re talking about Peroro from Momofriends, right? Well, I wouldn’t say I dislike her. But it’s not exactly that I love her either. Personally, I find Wave Cat cuter in Momofriends☆”
I bet Hifumi didn’t see that coming. Well-timed interruption before Hifumi could launch her Peroro praise. This is the skill of someone who just recently became an adult——
“Oh, it’s a little disappointing that you don’t see the charm in Peroro, but Wave Cat is indeed quite lovable! Especially her bond with Peroro is the most alluring aspect!”
“Wow—oh.”
——Human conversation skills… are overrated. You’ve got me this time, Hifumi.
Wave Cat is Peroro’s close friend…? I’ve never heard such a setting before. Truly, this shows my underestimation of the madness.
“Next time, let’s go shopping when you have time, Mika-senpai! It’ll definitely be fun… Ah.”
…Honestly, tell me, Hifumi. Is that shopping just to buy Momofriends goods? Your intentions are super obvious, you know? Is it really that heartwarming to have someone with a shared hobby?
“Ah, I’m sorry. I got too excited…”
Hmm, even with this peculiar level of awkwardness, her cuteness shines through. Is this the image of an introvert who secretly dreams of being a social butterfly? Like a bizarre creature created through gene editing by scientists?
“No, no, you’ve got nothing to apologize for! Seeing you so excited makes me happy too, so I’m not feeling bad at all!”
Honestly, I’m most curious about how she and Nagisa become friends. What would create a connection between the two?
But if I befriended Hifumi first and that created a butterfly effect that lost out on the opportunity for them to befriend each other… Should I make the initiative to set a time for them to connect? Even if I did, if their bond feels forced, what then?
Though my concerns deepened, I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to Hifumi chatter away. It was the perfect relaxation after a long week.
*
“What the heck! Without saying a word! Where have you been?!”
I was just chatting for two hours with a new friend…
As I spoke that, Nagisa made a distorted face. What? Did I do something wrong?