Release Princess Mika!

I didn't want to become my favorite character, but...

"Unbelievable..."

I pressed my trembling hand against the bathroom mirror. At least with the mirror as support, my shaking stopped, but now, I felt an impulse to smash the mirror with my fist.

"Seriously, this is crazy. This can't be happening. This shouldn't be happening...!"

But I knew I couldn't do that. After all, if this body really was that character I knew... It was clear that even the slightest push would shatter the mirror into pieces.

Moreover, no matter how much I wanted to deny the "me" in the mirror, indulging in such petty actions wouldn't help my mood. The emotions brewing deep inside me couldn't be settled so easily with some small outburst.

If the emotions inside me were so light that I could relieve them with something so trivial, I would've already gathered myself back in the evening. Even though not even an hour has passed, that detail is insignificant.

"Wow—oh..."

Now, not even cursing can come naturally to me. A self-censorship filter. Why does the swear word I was about to say, "shit," sound so cute? And it's even my own voice... How ridiculous.

Honestly, though, speaking from the perspective of the one saying it, it felt slightly different from the voice I knew, but it's undoubtedly the signature exclamation of that character. Still, instead of the original's cheerfulness, there was a tinge of vulgarity, which, in the end, might be a bit of a relief...?

Thinking about it, the original owner of this body probably wouldn't even know a vulgar curse like "shit." They seemed to have a sharp tongue, but at least they were raised as a well-off lady.

In fact, at this point, none of that really matters.

...Well, not that it doesn't matter at all. The root of why I'm losing my mind in front of the mirror comes down to the fact that my current situation is desperate. Desperate to the point where I almost want to die.

Anyone who enjoys games, novels, or comics has probably imagined what it would be like to enter the world of their favorite creations. Settings like "soul possession" or "reincarnation" come from these kinds of fantasies.

For example, imagining myself as Luffy from One Piece or Itachi from Naruto. Such fantasies were common in my childhood.

Anyway, the reason my mental state is close to falling apart, and I'm on the brink of shattering, is that I've become possessed by a specific character from a game.

The game's title is "Blue Archive." It's a mobile game, often abbreviated as BlueAka or BlA by players, or sometimes even called "Molugem," but... to be honest, right now, it's just a disgustingly hated game to me.

Blue Archive is a typical male-targeted, moe girl collection game aimed at the otaku market. True to its nature, most of the main characters and playable characters in the game are female, with a few exceptions, creating an extremely skewed gender ratio.

The game is set in a school city called Kibotos, which is home to numerous academies. These thousands of schools combine to form what could be considered a de facto federation.

Even if someone hasn't played Blue Archive, they could easily guess from this information alone. Most of the main characters driving the story are female students attending these schools.

But I've been possessed by a character from this game. Not the protagonist, the "teacher," but one of the playable characters—one of the "students."

I, a man, became possessed by a female student in a game where it's depicted as if only female students exist. Honestly, if anyone isn't mentally breaking down in this situation, that would be the strange part, wouldn't it?

If those people who have wished they were born a woman or had thoughts like "I want to live as a woman for a day" were suddenly in my situation—with a large chest, a thinner voice, and an unfamiliar body—they would surely change their minds. Some might even like it, but that's not me.

"...I don't think I've done anything to deserve this TS transformation."

In my memory, the genre known as TS (transformation story) has a surprisingly solid fanbase. Stories that deal with a protagonist changing gender after a transformation have a notable demand.

But that's that. Honestly, I don't even like TS stories. I never wanted to become like this, not even a little bit.

"Haah..."

I take a deep breath, trying to find calm. It didn't work.

I look into the mirror again and slowly take in my appearance. The character I adored, who only existed as an image on a screen, is now right in front of me, alive and breathing. The problem is that it's me... but still, it's a touching moment.

My hair, disheveled, has a unique color. It starts pink at the roots, gradually fading into a sky-blue as it goes down. Such a color wouldn't exist unless it was intentionally dyed. Of course, it's fitting for a typical otaku game.

My skin is flawless, white, and smooth. But now I'm wondering if I need makeup. Wouldn't trying to wear makeup just ruin my skin?

My eyes are mostly golden, but the strange thing is that the upper parts seem to gradually shift into a mysterious color resembling the cosmos. It has an odd, captivating allure that makes me stare without realizing it.

Other than that, my long lashes, cute little nose, tiny mouth that could barely fit large food unless it's cut into pieces, and my lips, which are tilted in a way that perfectly mirrors my current mood—everything about me screams a beauty that catches attention. At least, among the women I've seen in my life, I was undoubtedly the most stunning.

Even women celebrities who spend huge amounts on styling and makeup would pale in comparison to me in this state—hair messy, makeup nonexistent, and yet this girl is still beautiful. Is that even possible?

And the fact that it's me?

"...Yeah, I guess this much beauty would be expected of a princess. So damn pretty, huh?"

As someone who's possessed by this body, I hate admitting it, but this is why I can't help but adore this character. Thinking back to the days when I used to fanboy over an unimplemented character, I can't help but smile at the memories.

But staring at that reflection, the beauty that should be admired only tortures me further, knowing that it's me. A sigh escapes my lips.

"I would have wanted to be the teacher instead."

If that had happened, I might have been able to put my worries about my previous life aside, even if just for a moment. Meeting my favorite character in real life would be impossible under normal circumstances.

I know the world of Blue Archive isn't entirely bright and wholesome, but still, if I could meet my favorite character, I could endure that.

But possessing her character is a different matter. She's the kind of character who openly shows affection for the teacher and gradually starts showing signs of mental instability.

If everything were to follow the original story, I, who was once a man, would become an obsessive female who can't live without the teacher and has a borderline psychotic obsession. I don't want that. The thought of acting like that toward a man disgusts me to my core.

I can't help but remember my life in the real world, where I was living quite decently. But a way to return to it?

Let's be honest. Would there even be a way?

The only somewhat possible solution would be to get help from the organization "Gematria," which could be the villainous faction in Blue Archive. But honestly, I don't trust them. They'd probably do all kinds of weird experiments on me in the name of research.

If this were my original body, I might not care, but seeing strange experiments happening in the body of my favorite character just feels wrong.

"Ah."

Suddenly, I had a thought.

...If I die in this body, would I be able to return to reality?

As far as I know, none of the students in Kibotos are purely human. They're all mixed with fantasy elements—beasts, angels, demons, and so on.

Maybe that's why they don't die easily. They can take bullets without flinching, and even when hit by heavy artillery, they might just retire for a bit, but they have insane durability. Of course, that doesn't mean they're invincible. If they're hit with an impact beyond what their body can handle, they'll die.

I lift my gaze from the mirror, up to the halo floating above my head. It's spinning, resembling a galaxy or a supernova explosion. In Blue Archive, all students have a unique halo above their heads, but the character I've possessed is the only one whose halo spins.

According to the story, a student dies when their halo is destroyed. However, the only thing that can destroy a halo and cause a student's death is a bomb designed to do so. Even then, the bomb's effectiveness hasn't been verified.

So, destroying the halo is a metaphor. If a student loses consciousness, their halo fades, and when they die, the halo permanently loses its light.

If I was guaranteed to return to reality upon death, I might have chosen that easy option. One of the reasons we're afraid of death is because the aftermath is an unknown terror, isn't it?

But there's no certainty, and honestly, I'm just as scared of dying. Even if I could return, killing my favorite character with my own hands feels wrong.

Yeah, there's that saying—live with the courage to die. Let's just try living. Maybe a way to return will appear.

I try to think positively, but the effect is minimal.

...Forget it. My head feels like it's about to explode.

I think I'll take a nap and try to think about this later. If only this were just a dream.

I pray that when I wake up, I'll be back in my own body, waiting for the banner of my favorite character to start.

Right now, this body is a student, and I haven't even thought about the fact that my owner, who has never skipped a class, has missed one without saying a word.

When I open my eyes again, I know exactly what kind of ceiling will be waiting for me, but still, I close my eyes once more, hoping not to awaken in the body of my favorite character.

The fact that I, who once shouted to release the princess, ended up living as that princess, has no special causality.

It just happened that I became my favorite character in Blue Archive—Misono Mika.