OST: Blue Archive OST 2. Luminous Memory
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"To the Advisor of SCHALE from the Independent Federal Investigation Club, Sensei
Hello. My name is Okusora Ayane, I'm a student at Abydos High School.
The reason I shamelessly wrote this letter to you is because I have something I must ask for your help with, no matter what.
To be blunt, our academy is being harassed.
One of the local gangs has been tormenting us.
As for why things turned out this way, the reasons are complicated…
It seems the gang has its eyes on our school building itself.
Although we are fighting desperately to resist,
our ammunition and supplies are nearly depleted…
If this continues, sooner or later our school will be taken over by the gang.
So, we can only turn to you.
Sensei, will you help us?"
That was the entirety of the letter I received.
A proper academy, bullied into near ruin by nothing more than a gang, it was difficult to imagine within the framework of common sense I had come to understand in Kivotos.
But after Arona explained it, I understood.
Kivotos was a united city made up of thousands of academies. Among them were flourishing ones like Trinity and Millennium, which I had visited before, and there were also those in decline, surviving with only a handful of students clinging on.
Abydos was a textbook example of the latter.
Abydos High School had once enjoyed a glorious past. It had even been one of the most powerful academies in Kivotos, with over ten thousand students enrolled, standing shoulder to shoulder with today's three great academies.
But as times changed, at some point Abydos fell into a harsh and unrelenting climate.
Natural disasters ravaged the land, living conditions worsened, and residents began leaving in droves.
Though vast tracts of land remained, there were no new students to replenish the numbers. Existing students transferred away, and Abydos High School steadily declined.
After learning all this, I made my decision immediately:
On an emotional level, as a teacher, I could not ignore a plea for help from innocent students being bullied. It would weigh heavily on my conscience if I did nothing.
On a practical level, all I had to do was help take down some delinquent thugs, and in return I would earn the gratitude of all Abydos. A deal with no downside.
So, I booked a supply drop from Kaiser Industries and set out with full confidence.
But the setback came swiftly.
"Why isn't there a map of central Abydos on the electronic navigation? And this place is ridiculous, I've been looking since morning and still can't find the school by afternoon…"
Since Abydos's public transportation system had already collapsed, I could only rely on my own two feet, wandering alone through the vast and desolate city.
Most of the road signs had been abandoned, and the terrain was unexpectedly complex. I ended up stuck in the embarrassing situation known as being lost.
Just like the rumor Arona had laughed off as nothing more than an urban legend.
Lost in the city center.
Once again circling back to a familiar street, I sat on the steps of an abandoned building to rest. Pulling bread and bottled water from my bag, I ate while pondering my next move.
Continuing to stumble about like a headless fly was just relying on luck, which was clearly not an option.
The General Student Council might have the data I needed, but going to them for such a small matter would only lower their evaluation of me.
The real problem was that Ayane hadn't left any contact information in her letter. Otherwise, I could have simply contacted her directly.
Squinting up at the gentle sun, I thought, I should find someone familiar with the area to ask.
Here, in the desolate center of Abydos, there was naturally no one around. But on the outskirts of Abydos, near neighboring academies, perhaps there were still some residents.
After all, the outskirts had far less harsh conditions, tolerable for living, with extremely cheap housing. The only drawback was the inconvenient transportation…
Suddenly, I remembered that sweets shop I had visited with the After-School Sweets Club students a few days ago. That shady little shop had also been located in quite a remote place.
But perhaps thanks to its small popularity online, it still had a marked location on the electronic navigation.
Following that logic, inspiration struck, and I took out the Schrodinger's Box.
"Arona, list the restaurants within the Abydos district that are still in operation. Oh, and filter out the ones that are too new, those with no customers, or those with too many negative or obviously fake reviews."
"Understood, Sensei."
In the next moment, a few red dots appeared on the otherwise blank map.
I tapped the one nearest to me, checked its details, and softly read out the name of the restaurant:
"Shiba Seki Ramen… huh?"
Alright, this would do.
Even if I couldn't gather intel, I could still reward myself with some highly praised food after wandering for half a day.
With that thought, I got up and followed the navigation.
And just like that, another hour passed. Abydos truly was the perfect definition of vast and sparsely populated.
By the time I finally arrived at Shiba Seki Ramen, I wasn't even inside yet, and my stomach was already growling.
"Welcome! This is Shiba Seki Ramen!"
As soon as I stepped in, a cat-eared waitress greeted me with a radiant smile of practiced cheer. "How many in your party? I'll take you to your seat!"
"Just me, thank you."
The shop was still mostly empty. After being shown to a table, the waitress stood by with a pleasant smile, waiting for my order.
Looking over the menu, I ordered the signature miso ramen. Watching her walk away, I suddenly realized...
I had seen this student before.
In other part-time jobs, and not just once.
"Excuse me! Sorry to bother you!"
I called the cat-eared waitress back and observed her closely.
Beautiful rose-colored eyes, black hair tied into twin tails with a dark blue ribbon, her face charming and cute.
She wore a white headscarf, an apron with "Shiba Seki Ramen" printed on it tied around her waist, and a simple black T-shirt that seemed to be the shop's uniform. A nametag was pinned to her chest.
It read: Kuromi Serika.
"Customer, is there something you need?"
"Do you know how to get to Abydos High School?"
If Serika didn't know, I was ready to ask the chef in the back. The one wearing a kimono, smoking a pipe, with a scar over his right eye and a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. A standing Shiba Inu.
But upon hearing the question, Serika's demeanor instantly shifted to alertness.
"…What business do you have with our school?"
I hadn't expected to run into the real thing.
That was the second-best news I'd received today.
As for the best, well, Shiba Seki Ramen lived up to its reputation.
The ramen was delicious.