Blue Archive: Requiem of Oblivion, Symphony of Regression - The Disciplinary Committee Chairman's Gunpoint and the Vanished Port Tower

The smell of sand clings to the back of his nose. Morning. Sensei rose from the hard bed of the cheap inn. Outside the window, Abydos's morning sun lit the sand-colored city. Building shadows stretched long, dyeing the alleys black. He reached into his breast pocket. The stiff feel of the photograph. (Still there.) Last night, he'd been attacked by a black haze. What that thing was, he still didn't know. But the photo had glowed, and driven the haze away. "Your memories won't last much longer." The haze's words stuck in the back of his ears. Sensei shook his head. (Don't think about it now.) (Do what needs to be done.) He washed his face at the sink. The cold water slapped his drowsy mind awake. His own eyes met his in the mirror. The tear mole under his left eye. Tired eyes. Black hair sticking up from sleep. (Look at that face.) A dry laugh escaped him. He'd arrived in Abydos late last night. Got a room, and collapsed into sleep. He still hadn't met the members of the Countermeasures Committee. (Today, I'll go see them.) Sensei rolled up his dress shirt sleeve, and for a moment stared at the old burn scar on the back of his right hand. (This scar too, just like that day.) Memories of the previous loop flickered in the back of his mind. The sound of Hoshino's halo shattering. The moment Shiroko's blank expression crumbled. Tsurugi's red hair turning into motes of light. (Stop.) (Not now. Stop.) Sensei took three deep breaths. Then he checked the terminal he'd been issued. One notification from the Federal Student Council. "Your scheduled visit to the Abydos Academy Countermeasures Committee has been confirmed. Today at 10:00, meeting scheduled in the Countermeasures Committee Room." (Right. Today's the day of reunion.) Sensei pocketed the terminal and left the room. In the dining hall on the inn's first floor, he ate a simple breakfast. A salad of thinly sliced desert cactus, and hard bread. The taste was bland. But it tasted the same as what he'd eaten in the previous loop. (Guess nothing's changed.) In the corner of the dining hall, an elderly woman was listening to a radio. The static-laced voice announced today's weather. "Today's Abydos will be clear. However, winds will strengthen from the afternoon, with blowing sand expected." Sensei chewed his bread and looked out the window. In the distance, the Abydos Academy school building was visible. A building on the verge of closure. In the previous loop, he'd held countless meetings there. Laughed. Cried. Fought. (Right now, there are only five students.) (Hoshino, Shiroko, Nonomi, Serika, Ayane.) (Today, I'll meet three of them.) He finished the bread and drained his water. Sensei stood up. "Let's go." He spoke aloud, to spur himself on. When he stepped out of the inn, the morning streets of Abydos spread before him. A shopping street called Oasis Avenue. Most shops weren't open yet. Sand piled on the shutters. Each time the wind blew, the sand shifted with a soft hiss. (This city too, in the previous loop...) Sensei bit his lip. The Hour of the End. Abydos was the first to collapse. Black mist covered the city, buildings crumbled, people vanished. (This time, absolutely—) He walked. The sound of his soles on the sand rang oddly loud. At the edge of the shopping street was a general store. An old woman shopkeeper was sweeping sand from the storefront. "Good morning." Sensei gave a light bow. The old woman looked up. "Oh my, a face I don't recognize. Are you a traveler?" "I'm an external advisor, dispatched by the Federal Student Council." "External advisor? Ah, so you're one of those 'Sensei' types. How many years has it been since a Sensei came to Abydos, I wonder." The old woman moved her broom with wrinkled hands. "This city, you know—when young people like you come, just that alone makes it brighter." "...Is that so." Sensei let his lips soften, just a little. (Right. There are still people in this city.) (There's ordinary daily life here.) (I'll protect that daily life.) "To get to the academy, do I just go straight down this road?" "That's right. You'll see a big school gate. But, well, the gate's broken, so you can just walk right in." "Thank you." Sensei started walking again. Behind him, the old woman's voice chased after. "Do your best, Sensei." Sensei didn't turn around, just raised a hand slightly. The Abydos Academy school gate was, indeed, broken. The iron gate had come off on one side and leaned crooked. Sand had piled up beneath it, forming a small hill. (It was like this in the previous loop too.) Sensei passed through the gate. The schoolyard was covered in sand. It must have once been a sports ground. Faint white lines were visible beneath the sand. The school building was old, but stood firm. (The Countermeasures Committee Room is on the second floor.) Sensei brushed the sand off his shoes and entered the building. The hallway was dim. Light from the windows made the dust float. The stairs to the second floor. Each step creaked. (This sound too, brings back memories.) He stood before the Countermeasures Committee Room. A wooden door. A plate hung on it. "Abydos Countermeasures Committee." Sensei knocked three times. Knock, knock, knock. "—Yes, come in." A young woman's voice came from inside. Ayane. Sensei opened the door. The room was brighter than he'd expected. Morning sun poured through the windows. An old sofa. Guns propped against the wall. Documents scattered across a desk. And three students. A small girl with glasses, Ayane, was at the desk organizing documents. "Good morning. You must be the scheduled visitor..." Ayane looked up and saw Sensei. "...The external advisor, Sensei, correct?" "Ah, that's right. Nice to meet you." Sensei smiled. (Ayane. Serious as ever.) Just then, a figure rose sluggishly from the sofa. "Mm... someone came this early...?" Long, pinkish-silver hair. Sleepy eyes. Still a teenager, yet wrapped in an oddly elderly air. Hoshino. "Hoshino-senpai, please wake up. Today is the day the external advisor Sensei is visiting." "Mmm... I know, but... still sleepy..." Hoshino gave a big yawn, then looked at Sensei. "Oh, hello. I'm Hoshino, of the Abydos Countermeasures Committee. Nice to meet you, Sensei." "Likewise. Nice to meet you." (Hoshino... you're alive.) (Of course. For now, still.) His chest grew warm. "Um, I'll make some tea." From the corner of the room, another girl stood up. A gentle-looking girl with flaxen hair tied in two. Nonomi. "Ah, thank you. That helps." "Not at all. Please don't hold back." Nonomi disappeared into what looked like a small kitchenette. Sensei, prompted by Ayane, sat on the old sofa. (This sofa, I sat on it in the previous loop too.) (Hoshino was always napping here.) "Sensei, this is the material summarizing the current state of Abydos Academy." Ayane held out a thick bundle of documents. "Ah, thank you." Sensei took the documents and flipped through them. (Almost identical to the previous loop.) (Five students. Budget nearly exhausted. No funds for building repairs. And the advancing desertification.) "...Hmm." Sensei muttered unconsciously as he read. "The desertification's progressing faster than the last survey. At this rate, the east side of the building will be buried in sand within half a year." In that instant, the air in the room changed. Ayane's hand stopped. Hoshino's sleepy eyes slowly opened. "...Sensei." Hoshino's voice dropped low. "You just arrived yesterday, yet you're awfully well-informed." Sensei felt his heart leap. (Damn.) "Uh, ah... no, I just read the documents. The ones the Federal Student Council sent me in advance." Sensei scrambled to cover. "Is that so." Hoshino stared fixedly at Sensei. "But that data—'the desertification is progressing faster'—no one's compiled that yet." Ayane said, looking confused. "Huh?" "What's in these documents is data up to last month. This month's measurements are still being entered by me... The prediction you just made, that 'the east side will be buried in half a year,' shouldn't be written anywhere yet." Cold sweat ran down his back. "Ah... that's, well... call it my rule of thumb... from the desert wind direction and the building's position, sort of..." Sensei's voice trailed off. (I'm terrible at covering this up.) (What do I do. What do I do.) "Heh..." Hoshino smiled brightly. But her eyes weren't smiling. "To be able to tell that accurately from a rule of thumb. Sensei, you're amazing." "No, really, it's just a guess." Sensei set the documents on the desk. His hand was trembling slightly. (Calm down. Calm down.) (It's not a fatal slip yet.) Just then, Nonomi came carrying tea. "Sorry for the wait. It's hot, so please be careful." Nonomi placed a teacup in front of Sensei. "Ah, thank you." Sensei took the cup. Nonomi stared at Sensei's face for just a moment. "...Sensei, are you tired? You look a little pale." "No, I'm fine. Just a bit short on sleep." "I see. Please don't push yourself." Nonomi smiled quietly. But her eyes were watching Sensei, as if probing for something. (Nonomi's observation skills are sharp.) (Even in the previous loop, she was always the first to notice changes in me.) Sensei took a sip of tea. Warm. Slightly sweet. "Delicious." "I'm glad. It uses herbs harvested in Abydos." "Oh, is that so." The conversation continued awkwardly. Hoshino was still observing Sensei. Ayane resumed entering documents. (The air is heavy.) (But it can't be helped. Suspicion is only natural.) Sensei pulled himself together and decided to get to the point. "So, today I'd like to talk about fundraising to avoid the school's closure, and desertification countermeasures." "Fundraising, you say." Ayane looked up. "Yeah. With just the subsidy from the Federal Student Council, you can't even cover building repairs. And desertification countermeasures—installing sand barriers, introducing greening plants—cost a fair amount." "...You're absolutely right." Ayane's expression clouded. "This month's budget is already almost gone..." "I know. That's why we need to create new sources of income." Sensei dug through memories of the previous loop. (What made money in Abydos?) (Resources sleeping beneath the old school building. Turning Oasis Avenue into a tourist spot. And then...) "First, let's survey beneath the old school building. There's a chance resources from the old era are sleeping there." "Beneath the old school building...?" "Yeah. Before the desertification, Abydos prospered from resource mining. Remnants of that should remain underground." "But beneath the old school building, there's a risk of collapse, so it's off-limits." "I'm aware of the danger. But it's worth doing." Sensei's voice carried force. (In the previous loop, this survey became the first step in Abydos's reconstruction.) (This time too, absolutely.) "...Sensei, you really do know a lot about Abydos." Hoshino leaned forward from the sofa. "A Sensei who just arrived yesterday—how do you know resources are sleeping beneath the old school building?" "That's..." Sensei's words caught. (Slipped again.) "Well, whatever." Hoshino gave a small laugh. "If you're going to act for Abydos's sake, then from our side, that's a help." "...Yeah. I'll give it everything I've got." Sensei looked straight at Hoshino. Hoshino stared back into Sensei's eyes for several seconds. Then she turned her gaze away. "Then, shall we hear the rest about the desertification countermeasures?" That was when it happened. The door flew open. A bang echoed through the room. Everyone's eyes focused on the door. Standing there was— Vivid crimson long hair. Hair tied high. The black ribbon of the Prefect Team. Sharp red eyes. Three small piercings on her left ear. A girl wearing the Gehenna Prefect Team uniform, perfectly p

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Episode 2

Name: Blue Archive: Requiem of Oblivion, Symphony of Regression
Author: Novelia

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