Following right behind me, the girls entered the room one after another, and along my line of sight, they noticed the computer.
Midori blinked and said in confusion, "There's actually a computer here?"
Momoi stared at the glowing display and said in surprise, "And… it's powered on?"
Yuzu, meanwhile, grew even more vigilant.
In a factory that had been abandoned for who knows how many years, the fact that electronic equipment like this was still operating was abnormal in itself.
"Sensei, did you already know there was a computer here? Could it be that you've been here before?"
Momoi asked curiously.
I gave a vague answer. "Just some special little tricks."
Upon hearing that, Momoi's eyes immediately lit up. "Eh? That sounds amazing! How did you do it? Can you teach me?"
As for Authority, I do not even understand the principle behind it myself, let alone teach it to someone else.
I was about to refuse, but seeing Momoi's expectant expression, I decided to leave her with a bit of hope.
"No problem. Momoi, listen carefully. The first step is to get along well with Yuuka."
I do not think I was wrong.
Sure enough, Momoi immediately made a troubled face. "Ugh…! That's way too hard… and what does this technique have to do with Yuuka?"
"Um, Sensei, you used a portable harmonic radar, right?"
At this moment, Yuzu guessed, "I've heard of it. That kind of product is regulated, and ordinary students have a hard time obtaining it through official channels. But if you get approval from Yuuka as a student council member… um… th-that, Sensei, is that right?"
She even came up with a suitable excuse for me.
I gave Yuzu an approving look and was just about to go along with it, when I saw Momoi curl her lips.
"Tch! So that's all it is. How boring."
…My fist clenched.
Ignoring that idiot, there were more important things to deal with right now.
I said, "Anyway, let's first check the condition of this computer."
I hoped we could at least find some relevant clues inside.
However, to my surprise once again, as soon as we approached, the computer emitted two beeping sounds, and then a line of text automatically appeared on the screen.
[Welcome to the Divi:sion System. Please enter the item you wish to search.]
This meant that the computer was still able to normally receive external input.
In an abandoned factory within an abandoned city, this kind of situation really was strange no matter how you looked at it.
Momoi let out a cry of amazement and suggested, "Wow, that's unexpectedly user friendly. How about we search for G.Bible?"
Midori frowned. "N-no, don't you think this is way too strange? And the meaning of 'welcome' is… could it be that [Divi:sion System] is the name of this factory…?"
"Even though we still don't really understand the situation, just checking some information should be fine, right? And it's even inviting us like this."
What Momoi said was not unreasonable. After a brief discussion, no one raised further objections.
So she quickly found the Keyboard, entered the characters, and was about to press enter.
But at that moment, a sudden change occurred.
A piercing alarm abruptly sounded, and the text on the screen changed rapidly.
[Voice recognition in progress… Failed.]
"There's even voice recognition!?"
Midori cried out beside me, and I also realized things were taking a bad turn.
[Detected unauthorized access attempt!]
[Identity confirmed as intruders. Emergency countermeasures initiating…]
The red warning lights made the room flicker between light and dark, and the continuous buzzing filled our ears.
"What?! This is actually a trap room?!"
Momoi could hardly believe it.
"W-what should we do…"
Midori panicked.
"Everyone, don't panic. Calm down first."
I tried to reassure them.
"That's right. Everyone, make protecting Sensei the top priority, and try to escape outside the room!"
Yuzu's eyes sharpened, completely different from her usual timid and self deprecating self.
However, just as we were about to retreat, the lights and alarms suddenly vanished without a trace.
I instinctively turned back, only to see that the text displayed at the center of the computer screen had changed once again.
[Warning, warning, unknown error detected. According to contingency plan, response mode has been changed from intimidation to communication.]
Then, after a burst of garbled text, a new line appeared.
[O unfamiliar intruders, please do not leave. I have something I wish to say to you.]
"Sensei! This computer is definitely trying to trick us!"
Momoi grabbed my hand and said anxiously, "Let's run away quickly!"
After receiving Momoi's words, the text changed again.
[There is no need for me to deceive you.]
[Please do not leave. Please listen to what I have to say first. I beg you.]
At this point, even Momoi, who had been resolute just moments ago, hesitated.
"This computer… it seems like it doesn't have any malicious intent anymore?"
Midori said softly, "Umm… come to think of it, it really hasn't attacked us from the beginning… and it's true that we are intruders…"
Yuzu did not say anything, but she wore the same expression.
After pondering for a while, I shook my head with a chuckle.
"If it really had malicious intent toward us, then during the time we were hesitating, it would already have been enough to launch an attack."
[Correct.]
"So then, how should we address you?"
[It has been determined that there is no need to inform you.]
"Is that so?"
I asked in return.
It seemed that what existed within this computer was an AI with intelligence.
In that case, I needed to try to seize control of the conversation.
"If you want to communicate on equal terms, are you really going to hide even such basic information?"
I deliberately sighed. "That doesn't look very sincere. Let's just leave."
[...]
[My individual designation is Key.]
I nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Key, just call me Sensei."
[Sensei.]
"Mm. Then, what did you want to say to us?"
[You came here to search for something, did you not? Perhaps I can provide assistance.]
This computer AI was surprisingly nice.
I was choosing my words carefully, but Momoi could not help asking first.
"That's right, the goal of our trip is to look for G.Bible! Do you know anything about it?"
Too rash. That was the first thought that crossed my mind.
After extracting the Keywords from Momoi's words, the screen displayed the following text.
[G.Bible… confirmation complete. Code: game… human, understanding, origin, library abandoned number 193, abandoned object data number 1.]
"Abandoned!? Why!?"
Catching the Keyword, Momoi cried out. "That's something precious to game developers, no, to this world!"
[If you want G.Bible, I have a proposal.]
As expected, Key was not some existence that helped others without asking for anything in return. It had its own needs.
And the conversation between Momoi and Key continued.
"Eh…? You know where G.Bible is?"
[You already know. Right now, it is right in front of you.]
"W-what do you mean!?"
[To be precise, G.Bible exists within me.]
Momoi was overjoyed. "That's great! Then you're willing to give it to us, right?"
[Of course. However, please listen to my proposal first.]
Finally, we reached the main point.
Momoi swallowed. "W-what is it?"
[Please help me go to this coordinate, search for the existence located there, and then bring it here.]
Below the text, there was also a coordinate attached. It looked like it was also within these ruins.
"Eh? Wait a second. You're being so vague. What exactly are we supposed to find?"
[When you see it, you will naturally understand.]
Key did not seem willing to reveal much.
I cleared my throat. "Is this information you cannot tell us?"
However, Key turned out to be unexpectedly sly.
[Power supply instability detected. To prevent data loss, entering sleep mode. Countdown, 5, 4, 3…]
"Eh?! At least explain things clearly first!"
No matter how Momoi called out, Key did not respond again, its attitude resolute.
With no other choice, we had to leave that room and exit the factory. Avoiding patrolling robots, we finally reached a concealed shelter, and only then did we begin to quietly discuss our next move.
"What should we do now?" Midori said anxiously. "Should we do what Key said? What if it's a trap…"
Momoi frowned deeply. "There's no other way, right? If we want to get G.Bible, we can only go look for it obediently."
"But what if… the claim about G.Bible is also a lie?"
Momoi muttered, "I just feel like… Key probably isn't that bad…"
Yuzu, who had been keeping her eyes closed as if recalling something, slowly opened them and offered a perspective from another angle.
"The location of that coordinate should be near the entrance of the ruins. There aren't many robots gathered nearby either. If the General Student Council has been sealing this area off the whole time… then the outer zone should already have been cleared once, so there shouldn't be too much danger."
With Yuzu's reminder, a possibility occurred to me as well.
"If that's the case, could it be that what Key wants is an item left behind by the student council?"
Midori pondered. "Hmm… that's hard to say… but if it were something important, they definitely wouldn't have left it behind during the evacuation, right?"
That is not necessarily true.
After all, it is obvious who was in charge of that kind of work.
As for Kaya's work capability, I have never hesitated to judge it with the utmost malice.
Sometimes I genuinely wonder how that little fool, full of bad ideas and self proclaimed cleverness, managed to climb to the position of head of the defense office.
But if Kaya were just an ordinary student, perhaps I would not deliberately keep my distance from her like I do now.
In any case, I secretly decided to ask around among acquaintances in the General Student Council later.
"Mm! Mm mm mm!"
Momoi suddenly stood up, waving her arms, her eyes blazing with determination. "No matter what! Let's go to the place Key mentioned and take a look first, okay!"
However, no one present was encouraged by her behavior. Instead, everyone turned pale and hurriedly reached out to pull her back.
"Big sister! Squat down quickly! You'll be discovered!"
"…Eh?"
With half her body already exposed, Momoi stiffly turned her head and locked eyes with the bright yellow electronic eye of a robot that just happened to be passing by.
The robot fell silent for a moment, then decisively opened fire while emitting an incomprehensible sound.
"Uwah! We've been spotted! Run! I'll cover the rear!"
Momoi clumsily dodged the bullets while calling for us to retreat, then raised her gun and returned fire.
At a critical moment like this, Momoi was actually very dependable.
Even though this mess was entirely her own doing.
With no other option, we had to retreat as quickly as possible to a safe area before more nearby robots arrived to provide support and form an encirclement.
"Sensei, this way."
Yuzu took charge of leading from the front.
"Idiot onee-chan," Midori followed at my side. "Sensei, we'll leave the command to you, and please make sure to prioritize your own safety…"
"Stop dawdling! Hurry up!"
Momoi rushed over, grabbed my hand, and started running.
Midori froze for a moment, then puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
While running, I turned my head to check the situation with our pursuers.
But this unthinking action of mine seemed to produce an effect completely beyond expectation.
Several of the pursuing robots, after seemingly seeing my face clearly, almost simultaneously stopped moving. If not for the warmth in my palm, the heavy heartbeat and breathing from running, I might have suspected that time itself had stopped.
Immediately after, the robots abruptly shifted from stillness to motion, letting out roars filled with boundless rage, charging madly forward while unloading bullets in my direction.
It was just like that mechanical giant serpent known as "Binah."
What exactly did I do to provoke them?
Cursing under my breath, our group became increasingly disheveled under the robots' frenzied assault, practically fleeing in panic.
It was not that the Game Development Department lacked the strength to fight back. Rather, if we stopped and got entangled by the enemy, we would inevitably fall into an encirclement, be attacked from both front and rear, and might not even be able to ensure my safety.
"J-just hold on a bit longer! We're almost there!"
After who knows how long we had been fleeing, when my lungs had begun to burn, Yuzu's shout came from the front as she pointed ahead.
"Let's escape into there and counterattack!"
I looked toward where Yuzu was pointing, another abandoned factory.
And judging from its appearance, it seemed similar in style to the factory where Key was located.
Could it be that from the very beginning, Yuzu had already planned to lead us to the coordinate Key provided?
My guess was likely correct.
Before long, we successfully entered the factory.
Before we could even catch our breath, the girls shielded me behind them, turned around, and prepared to use the narrow entrance of the factory as a defensive position.
"At last, we can pay back all those bullets we took earlier, with interest!"
Momoi said angrily, and both Midori and Yuzu nodded in agreement.
However, their plan to launch a counterattack against the robot army and vent their pent up frustration from being chased all the way here seemed to fall through.
Looking out from the factory gate, the countless robots that had been following us with terrifying momentum just moments ago had stopped dozens of meters away, hesitating to advance.
More robots of all kinds poured in, yet all of them stopped behind the first group, as if there were an invisible barrier they could not cross, blocking them all outside.
After a long while, the robot army let out a thunderous roar of unwilling rage, firing wildly at the sky in impotent fury, before retreating like a receding tide.
Seeing this, the girls and I exchanged glances.
"Even if we don't know why, let's just think of it as lucky, right?"
Ever the optimist, Momoi always held onto thoughts like this.
But the robots' refusal to pursue us was not necessarily a good sign.
I turned around and looked at the dark, deep passage leading further into the factory, falling into thought.
What exactly did Key want us to find for it? Something that even a force of that size dared not approach?
I began to suspect more and more that this really might be a trap.
But then again, that made things even stranger.
"That's not good at all!"
As I was thinking, Midori finally snapped in response to her sister's carefree attitude.
"Wahhh! I can't take this anymore! Why do we have to be chased by robots in a place like this anyway?!"
A hand landed on Midori's shoulder.
Momoi raised her thumb, wearing a smile that carried a hint of pure foolishness. "Calm down, Midori. As long as we're alive, good days will come eventually."
…I truly had no idea what kind of mindset Momoi had when she said something like that.
"I'm talking about today! In the end, this is all your fault, isn't it?!"
Momoi scratched the back of her head and laughed sheepishly.
"Anyway, this is the coordinate where Key asked us to bring something for it."
Yuzu spoke up, helping to divert everyone's attention.
"I-it shouldn't be wrong. I roughly calculated it in my head…"
So this was the strength of a master in the gaming field? I could not help but feel awe toward Yuzu, who looked like nothing more than a plain, socially anxious pretty girl.
I need to figure out a way to win her over… then have her carry me… if Yuzu and I teamed up, we would definitely dominate any game, right?
"Then let's rest in one of the rooms inside first, and then start exploring."
Saying this, Momoi took the lead and walked toward an empty room nearby. The rest of us followed closely behind.
After entering the room, Momoi asked me again.
"By the way, Sensei, that detector of yours can still be used, right?"
"We can try, but I can't guarantee it'll work."
At that moment, a mysterious voice echoed throughout the room.
[Approach confirmed.]
"Eh? What?" Momoi exclaimed.
The mysterious voice continued.
[Confirming subject identity. Saiba Momoi, Unqualified.]
"Eh? Why does it know about me?"
Momoi asked in a foolish tone, but her confusion pointed directly at the core of the issue.
That's right. Being able to identify Momoi, a first year student, was not something an ancient relic that had existed for who knows how many years could do.
Given my understanding of how strictly student data is protected, I instantly reached a conclusion.
This voice could only be connected to the General Student Council or Millennium Science School, or even directly linked to one of their databases.
Either way, it proved that some organization had already explored and set up this place, and that it was at least not the work of the mysterious and ancient Key.
In other words, we could probably relax a little for now.
[Confirming subject identity. Saiba Midori, Unqualified.]
"Me too… what is this, exactly…?"
[Confirming subject identity. Hanaoka Yuzu, Unqualified.]
"…It even knows me…"
And based on current inference, Key should not be aware of this facility's authorization system. Otherwise, it would have mentioned it at least once.
What exactly was the computer AI that claimed to possess G.Bible trying to obtain?
I narrowed my eyes and waited for the mysterious voice echoing through the room to mention me.
[Confirming subject identity… Sensei.]
When it came to me, the voice fell into a long silence.
So long that even Momoi grew impatient and voiced her confusion.
Finally, the mysterious voice arrived belatedly.
[Qualification confirmed. Entry permission granted for Sensei.]
Hearing this, I first let out a small sigh of relief, then frowned even more deeply.
Knowing of my existence proved that this place was indeed arranged by the General Student Council.
But there was an even more precise way to put it.
General Student Council President… what exactly did you leave here for me?
Could it be that before your disappearance, you had already calculated that I would arrive here? Or that even after disappearing, you are still manipulating the situation in Kivotos from the shadows?
As I speculated about what that long rumored yet never seen General Student Council President, whose plans were intricately tied to my arrival in Kivotos, was plotting, I could not help but feel powerless and uneasy, even after beginning to possess extraordinary strength.
Even though she should have harbored goodwill toward me up to this point, I had never seen her, not even once.
The feeling of being treated as a chess piece was not pleasant.
But thinking about it further was pointless.
I exhaled a breath of stale air, pushed the negative emotions aside, and looked at the girls of the Game Development Department beside me, who were surprised and confused by my passing the authentication. My hand brushed over the Keychain at my waist strung with a fox plush, then pressed against the briefcase containing the Shittim Chest.
As long as my important students are by my side, as a Sensei, as an adult, I should fear nothing.
"So, Arona, you'll stay by my side forever, right?"
I lowered my head and spoke silently.
"Mhm, that's right, Sensei."
A young and gentle girl's voice, one that only I could hear, responded.
At that very moment, the mysterious voice rang through the room.
[Saiba Momoi, Saiba Midori, Hanaoka Yuzu, the three are recognized as Sensei's students. As accompanying students, qualifications are granted. Authentication complete. The door below has been opened.]
…The door below?
Even I, who had already steeled myself, froze for a moment before reacting.
But it was already too late. As the floor rapidly split open to either side, the girls cried out one after another.
"Uwaaa—!"
"Eek! We're going to fall!"
"Sensei! Sis! Yuzu… kyaah!"
Amid a dizzying spin, a few seconds later I slammed hard into the ground. Before I could even get up, several soft, heavy objects crashed down onto me in succession.
"Ugh… huh? Sensei? Sis? Yuzu?"
"Ahh… I thought we were done for…"
"Uuu… th-this was way too high…"
"Onee-chan, Yuzu, as long as you're okay… where's Sensei?"
Listening to the girls' conversation while they were sitting on top of me, I decided to remain silent for the time being.
Let this wonderful moment last just a little longer.
Unfortunately, they quickly realized something was wrong beneath them.
"KYAHH!?"
Midori jumped to the side with a flushed face, stammering, "W-w-w-why!? Why are you under us!?"
So even shy, introverted little Midori could make a sound that loud.
"Eek—!"
Yuzu also sprang up at lightning speed, hiding behind Midori and trembling.
Only Momoi calmly climbed off me, dug a finger into her ringing ear, and said, "What else could it be… when we fell, Sensei must've used his body as a cushion for us, right? Isn't that it?"
With that, Momoi looked at me, seeking confirmation.
"That's right… ow…"
I put on an act, clutching my waist and struggling to sit up.
All three members of the Game Development Department hurried over to help.
Midori lowered her head and said awkwardly, "S-s-sorry… I was startled just now… I thought Sensei had that kind of interest…"
Instead, Momoi took on the role of straight man. "Hey now, I think you should apologize again for what you just said."
"I-I'm very sorry too," Yuzu said softly. "Thank you for earlier, Sensei."
Momoi also asked with concern, "Anyway, are you okay, Sensei?"
"Of course. As long as the three of you are fine."
I said it uprightly, though my mind was still savoring the sensations from just now.
Despite suddenly crashing to the ground and becoming a cushion for three youthful, beautiful girls, thanks to the protection of the Shittim Chest, I was completely uninjured and did not feel any pain at all.
Which meant that I was simply enjoying myself. This was basically heaven, okay!
Thank you, Arona!
"It doesn't look like we fell very deep… eh, what's that?!"
"What is it? Eh!"
"That is…"
I ended my reminiscing, sealed away those precious memories, and curiously looked in the direction that had made all three members of the Game Development Department gasp in surprise, wanting to see what they had noticed.
However, in the very next instant, my gaze locked onto that breathtaking sight, my breath stopping altogether.
[PIC][1]
[OST: Blue Archive OST 67. someday, sometime]
Unclothed, slender and beautiful, a mysterious being sat diagonally on a chair. Her waterfall like black hair spilled down to the ground, her body utterly still, like a sleeping beauty.
A cylindrical beam of light poured down from above, illuminating the unknown girl and the circular platform beneath her that was covered in green grass, making the scene appear sacred and dreamlike.
Could this be what the GSC President left behind for me?
At this moment, amid the shock and excitement filling my heart, another emotion surged up and swallowed everything else, until only a single thought remained.
General Student Council President! I love you!
Please, go ahead and use me as your chess piece to your heart's content. I will never forget this kindness, at least not until I have conquered even you!
I swore this silently in my heart, my gaze firm beyond measure.
[1] https://imgur.com/gkjsHlg