Blue Archive story · Volume 1: Foreclosure Task Force, Chapter 3, Episode 4
Vol. 1 Ch. 3 Ep. 4: Things Now Gone
1 scenes, 215 lines
1. Part 1
215 lines
Uwaaah. How did this happen?
Heeheehee. Isn't it obvious? You naive, trusting soul...
B-But...! You told me...! You said it would be 90 hours of reliable work per week, and I'd get paid lots for it!
You really think a broken down district like Abydos would have reliable work? Hah!
Around these parts, you scrape by with whatever work you can.
Sh-Shouldn't I still get paid though?
Hahaha! You're a riot!
But... I have to get paid! I need to make a lot of money so I can pay off the school's debt! And if my underclassman finds out about this, she's gonna get really worried and...
You're really worrying about the wrong things here.
You're our prisoner now! Every square inch of this building is lined with our subordinates, all armed to the teeth! No one's gonna save you now, honey!
So...
...Huh?
W-Was that an earthquake? The whole building...
You disgusting thugs!
W-Waaaah?!
Wh-What the?!
H-Hoshino...?
Seriously! Do you have to disappear when I already have so much to do? Do you know how long it took to find you?!
We've got work to do. Let's go!
Y-You think you're just gonna waltz out of here?
Hey! Stop this little girl immediately!
Who're you talking to? Unless you have more cronies hiding in the ceilings, I already took out all the trash.
H-How can that be?
You did that by yourself?! What kind of superhuman are you?
A-Aaaargh!
Gyahh!
W-Waaah! I was so scared! Hoshinooo!
Can you please stop getting tricked by obviously dodgy adults?
But...
How many times do I have to tell you? There's no rules or decency in Abydos anymore. Once all the residents left, the neighborhoods turned into crime-ridden slums.
Abydos is Kivotos' trashcan for its unsavory and unwanted characters.
So, if you don't know them, just assume they're bad!
B-But what if they're not? What if they actually just need help?
That's a fantasy! The only people in Abydos are criminals with bad intentions!
Um... But...
No buts! If you try to help people, they'll take advantage of you faster than you can blink. Being on guard with anyone and everyone is the only way we'll protect our school.
Which is why I'm saying, you need to be more...
Hoshino.
...?
The way you're speaking... It's wrong, Hoshino.
Y-Yume...?
This is reaaally important, so please listen closely, Hoshino.
W-Wait, you don't have to tell me from this close up!
Hoshino, you can't live your life being suspicious of everyone you come across. Accepting violence and lies as the norm...taking them for granted...
If we do that, one day we'll wake up and realize we've become the people we hate the most.
...
You're right. We might be able to save Abydos using your methods. But it won't be our Abydos anymore.
I can't bear the thought of Abydos becoming synonymous with lies and violence. That would make me...sad.
I know you think it's silly, but I hope that we'll always be able to hold out our hand to people who need it, especially in times like these. We can offer food and clothing to those who are hungry and cold...
...
I'm a dummy, so I don't know if I'm saying this right...
But I think if it's you, you can understand what I'm trying to say.
No way! This is exactly what I mean! This bumbling innocence of yours is what always gets you into trouble! What if trusting people means ending up in a situation like today again?!
If that happens, you'll come to the rescue again, won't you?
...Well, yeah.
Heeheehee.
Wh-What are you giggling about?!
Okay! I'm writing this down so we never forget this conversation! "Today Hoshino said..."
What?!
S-Stop that right now! I hate it when you pull out that notebook! And again, what's with the design? Huh?! I said stop writing!
Please...at least get a different notebook... We're not elementary school students anymore...
You know what, forget the notebook. I wanted to talk to you about a plan I came up with, Yume.
If it works, I think it'll make Abydos at least a little safer...
...Yume?
Yume?!
...
Yume...
...
...
Th-This place...
...
O-Oh...
Right. I got distracted.
I'm here to lock up...the Abydos Student Council room...
Guess I fell asleep again...
...
I just need to lock up, huh...?
*sigh*
There's no rush. I'll do it tomorrow.
Yeah, tomorrow. Definitely...
...You.
I've been waiting for you, Vice President!
...For me? Why?
I'd like to tell you something!
That so? Okay... Go ahead.
Y-You're right. I am from the Nephthys Group.
B-But I don't think that should stop me from helping Abydos if I want to!
Help Abydos...?
I'll pay off the school's debt in its entirety! With this gold card!
Uh... wait... What? Gold card...?
Technically it's my personal credit card... Well, Nephthys finances it, but I can sort of use it...
Don't you think you're being arrogant, li'l lady?
...!!
If you pay off the school's debt with that card, that means you'll own the school from here on out. Is that your angle?
Wh-What?! No! Of course not! I... I just wanted to help. I don't care about owning anything...
That's not how it works. You might not have bad intentions, but you're naive.
Nephthys finances that card, so it's technically theirs. If you use that, then it'll be Nephthys who paid off our debt.
I-I...
It's not your money just because you're spending it, li'l lady.
Tell me, have you ever lifted a finger in your life? Worked? Done laundry? Wiped a countertop?
W-Well...
Here's a life lesson. Money belongs to the person who earns it. Not the privileged little heir who spends it without a care in the world.
If you're trying to hand this school over to Nephthys, then, sure, pay off our debt with your fancy card.
H-Huh?!
I'll be back before you know it, okay? Once I get a few things sorted out!
Oh... And my name isn't li'l lady...
It's Nonomi... Upperclassman Hoshino!
H-Huh...?
If you'll excuse me!
...!!
...
H-Hoshino?
S-Sorry for waking you up... Are you...okay?
...
Middle schoolers shouldn't poke their noses around where they don't belong. This is a high school, you know.
I...heard someone screaming.
And I've officially graduated, so I'm no longer a middle schooler.
I've been accepted into Highlander Railroad Academy, actually. They're in an industry-academia contract with Nephthys... I think they're processing my paperwork now.
Congrats. Good for you. Then, shoo. Go enjoy your fancy new school.
I was hoping... I wanted to take one last look around the Abydos district before I left.
I wasn't trying to stalk you or anything! I was just walking by the school...
...But then I heard someone screaming, so I came to check.
Um, I heard the news...
The student council president went missing? Was her name Yume?
There have been a lot of rumors... That the president was an airhead who struggled at leading the school, that she abandoned the vice president...
But I looked into the classified documents. The president isn't missing, but she... Well...
I read that the person who provided a witness account...
I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't be prying like this. Talking about it won't change anything.
Eh, I mean, it's just you and me here.
Did...
Did you give up looking? For whatever was in the desert?
You persisted, didn't you? Even after the president was found, you continued searching the desert.
What were you looking for?
And this is the Abydos Student Council room, correct? Everything is packed away already...
But you went through the effort of forcing the sealed door open... I can't help but think you were looking for something. Did you find it?
Let's go.
I'm only one person, you know. We don't exactly have a cleaning crew here. The sand's ruined the flooring and just about everything else.
We were forced into this annex when all the other buildings were mummified by Abydos' desertification. It's not exactly state-of-the-art facilities out here.
I've heard the history. It was considered a tragedy when the main building of Abydos was buried by the desert, seeing as this was once the oldest, most storied district in all of Kivotos.
You've done your homework. Even the building we used during my first year is long gone at this point.
Yes... I believe you joined the school, and then had to move here not too soon after?
...Maybe a little too much homework.
I was interested in the history! Despite being an annex, it's still equipped with everything you would need to hold classes, Hm?
What's this classroom, Hoshino? "School Festival Headquarters"? I never saw this in the layout plans or documentation.
Oh! Could this be for the Oasis Festival?
Hold it! Don't just barge into...
I have a wonderful idea! You could revitalize the school and bring back visitors with fun events like the Oasis Festival!
Yup, yup! We could do a cute event like an idol performance! ♧
Oh.
...It's empty.
Duh. The Oasis Festival hasn't been around for years.
You're...absolutely right. I suppose I got a little carried away there.
Hm? Well I was thinking having an idol performance would...
No, not here in this room. Why have you been following me around, li'l Nephthys lady?
I've got things to do and entertaining a middle schooler wasn't on the agenda. So, why're you showing up here with all your questions and ideas?
You're already registered and set to go to Highlander, aren't you?
I just...
I have this feeling deep down that I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I choose Highlander.
Aren't they partnered with Nephthys? Sounds like a grand old time for you.
You're not wrong... I'd likely be treated well, even appointed student council president...
A fancy position for a fancy girl, huh?
...
...Look. I get it. You've got your own situation and worries.
But look around you. There's exactly one student here. There's nothing appealing about this sad, old ghost town.
You've got a bright future ahead of you, Nonomi. So take this old-timer's advice, all right?
What do you mean, li'l middle schooler? We're entire grades apart.
I technically graduated though...
Eh, same thing.
I'll present a brief overview of Highlander Railroad Academy! Time is of the essence right now.
The academy maintains railroads throughout Kivotos. It even personally owns and manages some lines running throughout the city, on top of having several business ventures.
It's unique from other academies in that it doesn't necessarily belong to any given district. The railways act as district borders which individual factions manage.
All these dots and lines make up different districts, huh? Unique is one way to put it.
Yes, and the constant push and pull of power over these railway districts create a complex political structure, as the overseer mentioned.
The secretariat and the security department are in charge of maintaining and managing the railways...and the Central Control Center manages the academy's administrative duties.
So we can kinda see it as Highlander's student council.
Exactly, Serika. The twins we had the misfortune of meeting are officers of the CCC. In other words, members of the student council.
And Asagiri Suou, the overseer, works for the board of directors. Her primary directive is to keep the CCC in check.
It would appear Suou wasn't lying when she said she's not necessarily allied with the twins, but...again, it's all rather complicated.
That concludes my briefing on Highlander Railroad Academy.
Huh?
W-Was that the doorbell?!
We installed it for visitors to use, but it's the first time it's ever actually been rung!
Hi, hi.
It's us! Highlander's CCC. Hellooo! Hikari, don't stop ringing the doorbell. We're here! Let us in!
Roger... Please prepare for the Hikari Special One-Second-Sixteen-Hit Ding-Dong-Ditch Combo...!
What?!
Wh-Why are they like this?!
Huh. Speak of the devil. They actually came.
*sigh* Move, officers.
Whoa?!
Wait your turn! No pushing!
I am Asagiri Suou, Highlander overseer. I apologize for these two idio, for our officers' lack of manners.
We've arrived to make good on our promise to the Foreclosure Task Force. If you would let us in, I assure you we come in peace.
Wh-What should we do?
I don't really want them to break our only doorbell, so let's just let them in.