Blue Archive story · Volume 1: Foreclosure Task Force, Chapter 3, Episode 16
Vol. 1 Ch. 3 Ep. 16: Counterattack
1 scenes, 215 lines
1. Part 1
215 lines
...
It's not the best of conditions, but please bear with it for the time being, Miss.
Who on earth...
...It's me.
The Foreclosure Task Force will strike soon. Things are proceeding smoothly.
We must be fully prepared. And...
...And?
...Nephthys has betrayed us.
...As expected.
They've shown their hand sooner than we thought. And those Abydos punks really are a threat.
...All is well. I'll simply double the security.
Hm... I see, I see.
It's fine. We've been expecting this betrayal.
Whether it's Schale or the Foreclosure Task Force, I'll take care of everything.
...Confirmed.
I'm doubling the barricade heights...and setting up anti-tank mines as an extra precaution.
...Understood.
Hah... A Train Cannon? You've got to be kidding me.
I have no interest in an outdated weapon. Our focus is on the transcendent technology used to create it.
If we get our hands on that, we could build weapons unlike anything Kivotos has ever seen. After all, it is the work of the genius Tyrant Emperor.
I understand. I'll increase the number of market guards.
Nephthys...betrayed us...?
A blessing in disguise. We'll use this opportunity to reclaim the business that Kaiser Loans overtook.
Blech. Overseer? What do you want? Do you know what time it is?
Huh? Emergency situation? W-War?! What kinda stuff are you spouting?
Like, what?! We're finally getting the wheels rolling on the Trans-Desert Railway construction! So what's all this "war" stuff about?
All right!
Hikari! There's a big battle coming, full speed!
Huuuh...?
Open your eyes.
Sensei?! You're finally awake!
Sit up in the bed.
What a relief! You were caught in a huge explosion, but miraculously, you didn't suffer even a single scratch!
But you'll need strict bed rest to combat the exhaustion...
Huh, S-Sensei? Where are you going?
"I'm running late..."
"I have to get to Abydos."
Yes, yes... We understand you're a very busy person. But don't overdo it, okay? And before you go, make sure to stop by the front desk to pay your bill!
"(The helicopters are in flames on the field...)"
Sensei...
...
"Let's head into the classroom first, everyone."
Okay...
Okay...
*sigh* I'm a mess anyways. Let's wash up first.
We agreed to regroup in the Foreclosure Task Force room after cleaning up the area.
...Hoshino left on her own.
Yeah... She told us not to follow her.
I couldn't do anything to stop her... I'm still too weak.
Don't beat yourself up, Shiroko! It doesn't suit you at all. And it's not that you're weak or anything, Hoshino's just way too strong!
Yeah. You're sweet, Serika.
What the heck?! Isn't this normally when you make fun of me?
Okay...
What do we do, Sensei? How do we stop Hoshino?
"Hm..."
Using force was completely futile...
She even pulled rank on us, saying that this was an order from the vice president.
In other words, she's made a clear declaration as a member of the previously ambiguous Abydos Student Council.
She's declaring herself a member of the Abydos Student Council, of which President Yume, the principal of the contract, was a member. So the responsibility falls on the Abydos Student Council and not the Foreclosure Task Force.
Hoshino intends to shoulder everything on her own: rescuing Nonomi, finding and destroying the Train Cannon, and all the following consequences...
Do we really...have no right to be a part of Hoshino's fight? To stop her from doing this?
While Hoshino denies her cherished past...and Nonomi, one of our own members, is in danger, our role is to...wait anxiously on the sidelines?
...
*sigh*
"Do you want to stop Hoshino?"
That's a given!
Nonomi is a member of our Foreclosure Task Force. It's only right that we save her together.
Exactly. We can't let Hoshino face this fight alone. And it's an issue concerning the legitimacy of the Foreclosure Task Force.
"Yes, that's right... "
What matters the most is bringing Hoshino back.
She's making the same mistake as before, shouldering our burdens on her own. If we can't make her understand that, it's pointless to try to physically stop her.
Right now, Hoshino's focused on carrying out President Yume's will...even if it means abandoning us...
Exactly. She's chasing the shadows of the past. Not looking at the people by her side.
I feel like I'm in a daytime soap opera...
But...how in the world are we going to convince Hoshino to come back? Actually, more importantly, how're we even gonna stop her?
Now that Sensei's here...we can figure something out.
Will we be okay with just us...?
We have to be. This is our issue. We have to stop Hoshino, and we have to do it through legitimate means.
Our issue... I guess we don't have any other choice then, right?
...Yes. Let's review the problems we need to resolve.
First and foremost, our priority is to save Nonomi and prevent her from being forcibly transferred to Highlander Academy.
However, since we have no intel on where Nonomi is being held, our only option is to follow Nephthys' orders and deny the Abydos Student Council.
But the private equity fund forces will do everything they can to stop us from attending the meeting.
...That's correct. And we need to stop Hoshino as well, who's currently acting alone.
There are three main reasons we need to stop Hoshino. First, Nonomi is a member of the Foreclosure Task Force, so it's our responsibility to save her!
To deny this is to deny the very purpose of the Foreclosure Task Force!
Next, even if it's Hoshino, the private equity fund's troops are too numerous for one person to handle. Hoshino could be critically injured if left to act alone.
And lastly...we have a responsibility to ensure that the Train Cannon, located in the Abydos Desert, doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
So we're going to need to figure out where it is and secure the ownership rights.
Yes... That's right.
"Those are some tricky conditions to meet..."
"It's a steep mountain we have to climb."
Yes...the past Student Council, and the current Foreclosure Task Force...
It seems we're finally addressing this black hole of our past that we've been averting our eyes from for so long.
Sometimes...it feels like someone is probing at all our blind spots, executing a strategy to target us where we're weakest...
A strategy...?
Hm... That may come across as a bit odd. It's only a feeling.
"No, I've felt it too. An unusual feeling, but one I can't put to words."
You too, Sensei...?
I have...one more thing to add...
What is that?
Mm... I want to keep Hoshino from getting more hurt...somehow.
Just like what the Foreclosure Task Force is for me...the Abydos Student Council was an important place for Hoshino.
I don't want Hoshino to have to reject that part of herself...
In other words, you want to keep the Abydos Student Council somehow, right...? I-Is that what you mean?
...Yeah.
"All while maintaining the Abydos Student Council..."
Sorry for being stubborn, Sensei. But...
"No, no, Shiroko."
"It's an adult's job to hear out all of your stubbornness. It's okay."
...Mhm.
Sensei...
...Yeah. I really don't want Hoshino to feel sad...
The Foreclosure Task Force...the Abydos Student Council...
Ayane?
What exactly are we...?
What is the purpose behind our fight for Abydos?
We... What are we even hoping for...?
...
...
"...All right. I know what to do."
Sensei...?
"It's time to make a decision and move forward."
...?
A decision...?
Sensei...?
"The student council president position has been vacant for a long time, right?"
Y-Yes?
"Well, it can't be vacant forever."
"So I'll be holding a special election for the position."
Special election...?
What? An election? Now? What do you mean?!
Student Council President...special election...
You're right! We just need to elect a Student Council President!
Ayane...?
It's absolutely possible, Serika! Right here, right now, 60% of all Abydos students are present!
Y-Yeah? We've got three out of the five right now...but so what?
On top of it, this is exactly how the former student council president was elected, so it would be entirely legitimate!
"Yes, it's how Yume became the legitimate president."
"We're just following tradition and history here."
"Above all, as Schale's Sensei, I will vouch for its legitimacy."
...!!
Yes! Absolutely!
Count me in! I'm going to run for office!
My name is Okusora Ayane! I am running for the position of Abydos Student Council President!
What?!
Since President Yume was elected this way...this election will be considered a real and legitimate one as well!
"We have a candidate! Let's proceed with a simple show-of-hands vote!"
There aren't any rules about secret ballots or anything? Well, I'm voting yes!
Me too.
I'm voting for myself, as the candidate!
"Since 60% of the student body voted in favor..."
"Ayane is officially elected as the new student council president."
"As advisor of both Schale and Abydos..."
"...I, Sensei..."
"...ratify this election."
R-Really? Just like that...? Ayane is the student council president?
Yeah. She is.
H-Hold on. Then what happens now? Is Ayane part of the Abydos Student Council, then? What about the Foreclosure Task Force...?
"President, please advise. What is the status of the Foreclosure Task Force?"
The Foreclosure Task Force...is now merged into the Abydos Student Council!
Wh-What?!
The Abydos Student Council and the Foreclosure Task Force are now one and the same! They will be unified under the Foreclosure Task Force! Please refer to the merged organization this way moving forward to avoid any confusion!
Makes sense. Neither disappears this way.
Isn't all of this a little bit of a stretch?! I-Is this really okay?
It's absolutely okay, since these are the orders of the Student Council President! Do you have any complaints, Kuromi Serika?!
Ah, no. Um, no complaints here...
As Secretary of the Foreclosure Task Force and President of the Abydos Student Council, I will now brief you on our mission.
An iron-fisted ruler...
Our objective is to storm the general creditors' meeting and uphold the contract left to us by the previous president!
As the Abydos Student Council President, I have the authority to inherit that contract!
Kuchinashi Yume, the previous president, bequeathed this mission unto the student council! As her successor, I will ensure that no other entity claims ownership of the Train Cannon!
Mm.
At the same time, I will also demand the safe return of Nonomi, who has been forcibly detained by the Nephthys Group.
If this demand is not met, we will consider it an act of hostility against the Abydos Student Council and respond with force!
"I can find Nonomi's location, then we'll go rescue her."
Yes!
All right!
What about Hoshino?
...Hoshino.
A-Ayane...?
Hoshino...the vice president who is currently causing issues...
U-Umm...
She'll be demoted to secretary!
(She dumped her position onto Hoshino...?!)
Yeah. That's how it is. Moving forward, she's no longer the vice president.
Yes! Therefore, even if Hoshino tries to deny the legitimacy of the Abydos Student Council, it'll be null and void!
A secretary has no such authority to reject our existence!
Hoshino won't be able to deny us, President Yume, or even herself!
Thank you, Sensei. With this, everything is settled!
Is it? Hm... Once Sensei finds her location, we'll manage to pull off Nonomi's rescue one way or another...
And since Hoshino isn't vice president anymore, she's not the contract's principal anymore...so as long as we maintain the contract, the bad guys can't get their hands on the Train Cannon.
While the Abydos Student Council and the Foreclosure Task Force can exist simultaneously.
I-It's for real... We solved everything...?
Yes! There's just one last hurdle remaining!
We aim to arrive at the general creditors' meeting before noon today and certify the contract! By doing so, we'll stop Hoshino and rescue Nonomi!
This won't be easy, but...we have to beat the private equity fund's forces.
Okay. Understood, Student Council President.
Got it. But...this isn't gonna be a walk in the park.
"It's going to be hard. But we're going to do it, one way or another."
Yes! We won't give up, no matter what!
Because that's the way of the Abydos Student Council, a.k.a. the Foreclosure Task Force!
(Ayane got embarrassed now, after all that...)
"All right. You all heard the president! Let's move out!"
...Yes.
...What happened to all that fire?
It's just that, I'm not used to this...
No, but you were so into the role...
Okay. Let's commence Operation Capture Hoshino.
...And Shiroko's been way too excited since this all started.
"Good. It's time to start our counterattack."