Chapter 2

The world of Blue Archive bears many similarities to modern Earth, yet differences exist.

Setting aside the academy city concept, first of all, the fact that gun ownership is considered commonplace or that only female characters appear in the story are some settings that may seem a bit estranged but don’t significantly impact the gameplay.

Among such settings, one of them was:

“The activation level of the Black Market.”

Though similar to modern Earth, the black market structure in Kiburatos is even more severe. Whether due to firearms or the physical differences between students and other races, there is even an area called ‘Black Market’ that functions almost like an autonomous district.

Strange power structures exist, such as the Helmet Gang, mercenaries, delinquents, Kaiten Corps, and other minor organizations spread across Kiburatos.

However, the inevitable reason for the activation of the black market essentially boils down to one thing: money. Massive amounts of resources and money circulating in the black market is why it thrives.

There were various reasons for this, but for that very reason, I had come to the black market, known as the back alley of Millennium, under the guise of ‘upholding justice’ late at night.

“Also, oddly enough, the black market has often been the main stage in games.”

It appears in Part 1 of the main story, and this underworld is consistently referenced in the future.

So, I needed to adapt to this place as quickly as possible. Setting aside memorizing the layout, to acclimate to the city of Kiburatos itself.

Kiburatos. Though described as a story of academia and youth, anyone who has seen the story would know: “This is Gotham City wrapped in the guise of youth.”

Of course, it’s not like the villains run rampant and治安 collapses like in real Gotham City, but problems always occur here, explosions happen, and gunshots echo.

That’s the ‘norm’ here.

And such norms apply to Millennium as well, ‘without exception.’

Just like now:

<Tata-tang!>

“You! How dare you bring counterfeit goods! Do you think I’d fall for such a shoddy item!”

“Shit! I almost got tricked!”

“My limited edition luxury Furorosaurous goods!!!!!!”

At the outskirts of Millennium’s black market, a conflict arose as soon as a girl, presumed to be part of the Helmet Gang or a delinquent, realized there was an issue with the money and goods exchange, leading to an immediate shootout.

I watched this with a wry smile and donned an item I had prepared.

A mask. It was merely something to hide my identity, nothing more.

Before jumping into the fray, I quickly checked the items I had prepared.

“Gun, magazine, grenades, smoke bombs, all there.”

Basic weapons purchased from a convenience store.

I wasn’t sure if I could sweep away these opponents with my abilities, but this seemed appropriate for a test.

I didn’t care about the potential injuries—I considered the entire process a test.

At that moment, while I was organizing my thoughts and nodding:

<Bang!>

A bullet flew toward where I was hiding, accompanied by someone’s shout.

“You! Who are you? Who let you watch us fight!”

…Damn.

Caught.

I had no choice but to stand up from my cover and reveal myself. The ones who were in the midst of fighting turned their gaze to me and fell silent.

“What? Who’s that girl?”

“H-Hey, is she part of your Helmet Gang too?”

“…Nah, who is she?”

“Reveal yourself! You weird mask-wearing woman!”

In reality, the profanity became much harsher.

Their actions and tones were uniformly rough, leaving the impression that they lived in the back alleys.

‘Not heard this kind of tone in the game, but it’s realistic enough.’

“Are you ignoring me? Answer me!”

Naturally, I remained silent.

If they heard my voice, there was a chance my identity might be revealed someday. It’s better to hide it.

‘Although I’m worried my white hair has been exposed, there are other people with white hair in Kiburatos.’

I didn’t come here to build a reputation; I came to test my strength.

Three delinquents, four Helmet Gang members.

…Doable?

“Let’s give it a try.”

<Click>

“What? W-Why is she suddenly pulling out a gun-”

<Bang!>

Immediately, I lunged forward and fired my gun. That was the start of my battle against them.

—

Right after the first battle, I realized just how much more capable my body was than expected.

In Blue Archive, a ‘student’ is typically depicted as a superhuman beyond the ordinary human realm. However, since most students in this world are superhumans, these abilities become ‘ordinary,’ while ironically, the existence of “normal” humans—teachers—becomes symbolic of “special.”

Despite that, I could not gauge the exact extent of my superior physical abilities and senses—

“Wh-WHAT is this thing?!”

“I can’t keep up with its speed and movements!”

Based on the reactions of these extras from the Helmet Gang and delinquents, I gathered that I wasn’t entirely weak.

Are mobs in Kiburatos typically this strong? Based on their talk, it seems not.

<BOOM!>

Firing a surprise shot, I neutralized one of the delinquents, then faced a barrage of gunfire directed at me.

I briefly considered testing my body by taking a hit but was reminded of the instinctive fear of bullets due to my still-adjusting modern human senses, so I instinctively rolled across the floor.

“Hmph.”

Thankfully, during the entire process of neutralizing the first person, I didn’t feel the slightest bit tired or strained.

Superhuman physical abilities, indeed.

With that vague certainty of defeating them, I moved forward again.

First, the two near the fallen delinquent needed to be taken care of.

As I hadn’t received formal military or shooting education, my accuracy from longer distances wasn’t great, meaning I had to close in on my enemies to make my attacks effective.

The distance gave my adversaries an advantage.

But I held one clear advantage over them.

“It’s… tangible.”

Senses. Beyond the regular five senses, a superhuman awareness.

From the moment the battle began, an extraordinary set of senses started awaking, delivering countless pieces of information to me.

The positions of the enemies, the direction of the gun muzzles, the movement of their fingers.

All this data integrated seamlessly within my mind, forming an intuitive understanding of the situation. My brain quickly calculated the single most optimal action.

Which was—

<Tatatatang!>

“What… What is that thing…?!”

“How is she dodging all bullets?”

“Shit! What kind of monster…?!”

Precisely like this.

While sprinting, I performed an acrobatic jump-twist move, narrowly avoiding all incoming bullets.

This spontaneous, purely sensory-driven action shocked even myself.

But I had no time to marvel.

I quickly fired rounds of bullets at the stunned foes, incapacitating them, then turned to the remaining Helmet Gang members—but—

I couldn’t help but grimace in surprise.

“They’re running.”

The Helmet Gang members, having witnessed my bullet-dodging and defeat of the delinquents, immediately fled.

As a result, the fight ended prematurely, but I had gained considerable insight from this battle.

I tested my physical capabilities and discovered what could only be described as a superhuman ‘super-sense.’

Plus…

“These guys left behind some money.”

I scavenged cash left behind by the Helmet Gang and the delinquents, securing a basic fund.

It was a very successful first hero activity, I thought.

Starting that day, I began daily patrols of the underworld as a hero.

—

After that day, weird rumors began circulating in Millennium’s back alleys.

There was talk of a madwoman, seemingly a student, wearing a mask and attacking criminals.

Her true identity remained unknown, but her actions were simple: punish the wicked, protect the innocent, and take their money—only the guilty.

Normally, such rumors would have a hard time spreading in the black market, where strife and chaos are constant.

Initially, in the black market, entities heard through rumors typically meant one of two things: someone you should not approach or a significant power.

Hence, most people hearing these rumors only shook their heads in disbelief.

“Black Market punishing criminals?”

“Rare, but it could happen, right?”

“A student? That’s kinda surprising but possible.”

“Why did the rumor spread though?”

The people who directly encountered her, though, told a different story.

“Monster! That woman is a monster!”

Though their accounts were factual, listeners dismissed them as exaggerations.

Why?

Because the abilities this girl demonstrated were simply unrealistic.

Dodging bullets in the blink of an eye.

Defeating numerous opponents single-handedly.

Never falling, no matter who challenged her.

“What nonsense. Is it like Sorasaki Hina from Gehenna wearing a mask and playing hero?”

Bright white hair. Incredible combat prowess. And an ethos of rewarding the good and punishing the evil.

These keywords coming together made some people wonder, but most just shook their heads.

“Sorasaki Hina? Why would she be here? She’s got enough on her plate dealing with Gehenna.”

“What would she care about stealing money?”

“Come on. Does this even make sense? Is she from SRT?”

People hearing this toned down her abilities and spread a lesser version: a mysterious white-haired girl punishing criminals.

So it remained a question.

Why. Why is this girl becoming famous?

Why is there a gap between what people say they witnessed and the actual rumors?

Though there were questions, no one pursued the truth behind the rumors.

An unwritten rule of the Black Market: the truth behind rumors will naturally come to light in due time.

Whether she rises or sinks, that will be decided in its own time.

…

…

And,

The origin of these rumors?

“Welcome! Angel24!”

She was currently working part-time, succumbing to the realities of life.

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