[Blue Archive] Substitute

Killer and Robbers

"This one is Skullman. He premiered in episode five of season three of Momo Friends." I wished that all those girls would walk out right about now. "Now that I look at you, I bet you'd love Angry Adeliae." She pulled out a blue penguin; its stupid face annoyed me.

"Wow, you think?" She nodded her head.

"Yup, you both seem like people who speak their minds while also being kind of mean but light-hearted." My sarcasm went right over her head, or she ignored it entirely.

"Hey, while all of this has been great, I gotta ask, what is your name?"

"Hifumi Ajitani." There's no way someone with such an English accent has such a non-English name!

"Well Miss Ai-aj-"

"Um, how about you just call me Hifumi?"

"Hang on, I got this. Miss Ajit-Ajitani." She smiled after I got her name right. "Well, Miss Ajitani, maybe you should go home. This can't be a good place to look for merchandise." Her bravery in coming here for a simple piece of merch impressed me. On the other hand, she's an idiot for coming here for a piece of merch. She laughed nervously.

"I understand that; it's just I've looked everywhere else for it. This place is the only one with the merch I'm looking for." Yup, blinded by stupidity, she's bound to be kidnapped, killed, or mugged, maybe all three. She looks like a girl who has a good amount of cash on her person. "Well, it was nice talking about Momo Friends with you, but I had better continue my search!"

"Hang on a moment; perhaps you can help me before you go?" She stops in her tracks.

"Of course." I can tell she wants to say no in her eyes, but it seems she is too nice for her own good.

"As a new person to Momo Friends, maybe you could give me some recommendations on where to start? After all, I'm sure there's far more than just the show." I could feel Pandora's confusion starting to murmur in my mind. It wasn't as intense as the twinkling stare from Hifumi.

"Really, you want me to give you recommendations!" I back up a little.

"Y-y-yeah, anything besides the show I should know about?" I watched her swing around her backpack and wretch out a comic.

"This here is a spin-off called Wave Cat's Tidal Day! It's the second in the Momo Friends's origin stories. Each one does a great job showcasing the character's past." She handed me the comic, letting me look it over. The cover art isn't that bad; it looks like someone went to great care to make it. Wavecat was front and center, their wavy body stretching down a road on a sunny day. Birds, alpacas, and hamsters watch Wave Cat stretch while puppies ride on their body. Peroro was beside Wave Cat's face, skipping along with them. After I finished observing the comic's cover, Hifumi was already getting another out of her bag. "After you finish that one, you can start Angry Adeliae's Not So Rotten Day. I think you'll like this one a lot." Taking this comic, its cover art had less going on. It was a top-down view of Angry Adeliae sitting flippers crossed, looking away from Peroro, who was trying to get their attention. Both were on a sheet of ice floating on the sea.

I put both into my coat pocket and watched her take out a notebook. Opening it, she showed me a list of locations, from cafés to arcades, where the Momo Friends brand was present. She pointed at a specific one, a salon in the D.U. Central area. "This salon is holding a Momo Friends collab this coming Saturday." Huh, a salon near Schale. I could use a cleanup; my hair is getting out of hand. "If you go with a friend, you get a fifty percent discount on both haircuts. Along with getting a Dandy Momo Friend of your choice." It might be a good idea to see if Tob, Mochi, or Magenta will want to come along. Scratch Tob, it doesn't make sense for him to come.