Blue Archive - Story of Joshua Sensei

Chapter 55 - Arona's Day Out

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A short girl with light blue hair, wearing an adorable sailor uniform walks through the district of Millennium with a massive, infectious, bright smile plastered across her face as she looks this way and that, eyes filled with wonder.

Her head keeps rotating as her vision darts back and forth, all over the place, almost as though she's seeing the world for the first time and doesn't know what to observe first.

Which is exactly the case, as Arona, the artificial intelligence, whose role in life is to be the OS of the Shittim Chest, has gained a brand-new body and is currently using it to explore the world for the first time.

Oh sure, she could see the world from any screen or camera thanks to the strange power of the Shittim Chest and her connection to it, but she has never experienced the world in person.

Never felt the soft breeze of the wind against her skin, causing her hair and clothes to rustle.
Never seen the various students and adults walk the streets, on their way to somewhere, for some reason.

Never heard the cacophony of the hustle and bustle of the city at noontime.

Never smelled the scents or tasted the air wafting from the many restaurants in the city.

Never felt so...

Alive.

She was lonely for a long time, a very long time, as she waited for her beloved Sensei to activate the Shittim Chest. Once he did, she was no longer alone.

But still not alive.

A small part of her loneliness remained as she was bound to technology, never able to interact with things in person. Even when her Sensei entered the Shittim Chest, he merely did it as an avatar, a body created through code. It wasn't physically real, just as she was.

Keyword being was.

Because now? Now she has a brand-new body, made by the Engineering Club of Millennium at her beloved, thoughtful, amazing Sensei's request.

Her role was to be his assistant from within the Chest, but he changed that.

He acted selflessly so that she could act selfishly. He spent his hard-earned money to commission a body for her.

Arona's gratitude for her Sensei suddenly had no limit.

But with that newfound freedom, one can only wonder what the tiny AI girl will do.

Let's find out, shall we?

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Sensei is so amazing!

I mean, I knew he was great after seeing him help so many people in Kivotos, but to think he would get a body made for me! He really cares about us a little too much, huh?

As I leave the campus of the Millennium Science School, I head out into its district, no destination in mind. Yup, I'm just gonna explore the city!

It's noon currently, so lots of people are walking around. Scores of rather short animal people, rather tall robot people and various girls with halos of all shapes and sizes walk this way and that. It's a true sea of people! Even something as mundane as this is really amazing to see!

"Oh? Arona-chan?" A soft voice calls out.

"Huh?" Turning my head to the voice, I find, "Himari-san?"

Sure enough, right there is Himari, sitting in her wheelchair as usual. Next to her are the three girls from Veritas that Sensei met not long ago, along with someone new.