Chapter 1 – Goal

Ｒ​ｅａ​ｄ ｏｎ Ｋａｔ​Ｒｅａ​ｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

 

Since I was young, I loved the superhero genre.

Good triumphing over evil. Retribution. Justice prevailing.

Aren’t those all cool and romantic ideals?

Even if someone dismissed them as mere fantasies, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the concept of justice.

That’s also why I enjoyed the game Blue Archive.

Although the setting was a school-themed slice-of-life, the core of the story was fundamentally about good prevailing over evil.

The righteous triumph, while the wicked are defeated. 

Overcoming tragedies and reaching a hopeful ending.

Who wouldn’t love such a story?

And besides, haven’t all men, at least once, dreamed of becoming a hero and upholding justice?

Especially when life on Earth—the real world—was so harsh.

But as of right now, more than anything, I desperately wanted to return to Earth.

“Hmm. I don’t know why you got lost, but try not to lose your way next time.”

I was standing in the seminar room, my digital records being checked in real time, under the guidance of Tsukatsuki Rio—Millennium’s “Seminar” student council president and future villain.

This was painful. Humiliating!

The mobs and named characters of Millennium were staring at me with curiosity from every corner of the room.

“Who’s that? Looks like a new student.”

 “Oh my, it seems like the president brought them here after they got lost.”

 “…Lost? In Millennium?”

Argh! 

Stop looking at me like that!

“Here, I sent you a screenshot of your schedule via email, so you can go now.”

“…Yes.”

I had a feeling I would become a legendary new student in the seminar—

A lunatic who got admitted just a few days ago, only to forget their entire schedule and how to navigate the school. Surely, they weren’t thinking, “How did such an idiot even get into Millennium?”.

If this was how it was going to be, I’d rather have been reincarnated on entrance ceremony day!

Lowering my head deeply, I quickly left the Seminar room.

“Haa.”

On my first day after reincarnating, I had already tasted the bitterness of life.

***

Thinking back, there was another reason I loved Blue Archive.

The villains.

Not just any villains, but charismatic ones. Not merely evil for the sake of being evil, but villains with their own circumstances, beliefs, and motives— Complex and multifaceted antagonists.

Blue Archive was filled with such compelling villains. Even the student council president I had just met, Tsukatsuki Rio, was one of them.

Burdened by a grim prophecy, she ended up fulfilling a self-fulfilling prophecy. Her story was tragic, yet at her core, her goal was to save Kivotos.

‘Her intentions were noble, but her methods were evil.’

That’s why I saw her as a tragic villain.

Rather than despairing over knowledge no one else could understand, she desperately tried to stop it, using any means necessary. But in the end, all her choices only brought about the prophecy she sought to prevent.

She was the exact opposite of a certain hero I once saw on Earth.

“Knowing all this, how could I just ignore it?”

I had reincarnated into Kivotos. I planned to do whatever I wanted.

What’s the essence of reincarnation stories?

Taking over an in-world character and altering history by creating new variables. Since I was here now, I wasn’t going to let everything unfold according to the original timeline.

I needed a goal.

First goal: Intervene in the main story.
Second goal: Get stronger.

But how could I become strong in a world without leveling up or magic?

Well there exist some amazing and mysterious powers, but…

‘If I wasn’t a nameless mob, I might have considered it.’

But the body I had reincarnated into was a nobody. A faceless extra. So, I needed to grow stronger in a way that suited my environment.

And I attended Millennium Science School. The most technologically advanced institution in Kivotos.

If anywhere could make what I envisioned a reality, it was here.

“…I’ll become Millennium’s ‘Tony Stark’.”

Of course, I wouldn’t personally build everything with my own hands and intelligence. After all, there was already someone here who could bring my dreams to life.

The Engineering Club.

That’s where I would make my ambitions a reality!

…But first, I needed to attend all my classes.

***

“Ughhh…”

After finishing all my classes, I grabbed a quick lunch and collapsed onto a park bench.

Millennium Science School. 

True to its name, each class was advanced and difficult to keep up with. 

Math and science were a given, but there were also politics, history, and even literature—liberal arts subjects in a science school.

From Rio’s schedule, I figured out that the school’s academic system was both simple and familiar. It was structured like a regular high school but, fitting its nature as a science academy, was heavily focused on STEM subjects.

I also heard that after joining a club, students could take additional specialized courses related to their field. Like a mix between high school and university.

I wasn’t sure if other academies were the same, but it was interesting.

“This setup feels both familiar and foreign at the same time.”

The only truly unfamiliar part? 

Guns.

In Blue Archive, every student was expected to learn how to handle firearms. I was no exception—I had a gun on me, just like everyone else.

“Though, the content was insanely difficult…”

Millennium’s curriculum was overall very advanced. The STEM courses especially felt more like university-level than high school. Since I had been studying for the college entrance exams just a few months ago, I could manage for now. But as things got more advanced, I knew it would get even harder.

“Even in another world, I have to study?”

This was unfair.

“Why am I not Tony Stark…?”

Every hero genre has a genius character. Why couldn’t that genius be me?

“Haa… Enough self-pity. Time to move.”

I pulled myself together and stood up. I wasn’t here to study. If I wanted to achieve my goals, I couldn’t just sit around.

“Let’s head to the Engineering Club.”

The place where I’d bring my dreams to life. The gathering of engineers who would create my hero gear.

I walked toward it.

***

“…What?”

“I want you to make this for me.”

I had stormed into the Engineering Club and grabbed a random mob character, asking for advice.

And their response?

“Uh, that’s… a bit much.”

“…”

I got rejected.

***

The reason they turned me down was simple.

Manpower, resources, and funding.

The three essential factors to achieving my goal.

They weren’t some magical cat robot that would grant my every wish just because I said, “Make this for me.” 

And was my idea even that revolutionary?

…Apparently not.  

The mob’s reaction was lukewarm.

This world was already far more technologically advanced than the one I came from, so my ideas weren’t exactly groundbreaking.

So what now?

Give up and just focus on studying?

Hell no.

“Romance. This is the path of romance.”

I muttered as I walked, just loud enough for myself to hear. 

Intervening in the main story. Becoming the hero I had always dreamed of. I refused to give up on that.

I wouldn’t waste time questioning why I was reincarnated here. Whether by chance or fate, I was here to live my own academy life. 

No matter what, I would make this happen.

“Even if the road ahead is thorny and treacherous…!”

On the first day of my reincarnation, A lost new student quietly embraced the heart of a hero.

***

I needed money.

How do you earn money in Kivotos?

Well, it wasn’t all that different from reality. 

The only difference was that guns were a natural part of the process. But I had a different plan.

“Justice.”

Kivotos had its share of criminals lurking in the shadows. I would hunt them down and… confiscate their ill-gotten gains.  In the process, I’d test my body’s abilities and familiarize myself with firearms.

“Tonight, the hunt begins.”

Starting today—

I would become Kivotos’ Vigilante.