Blue Archive story · Volume 3: Eden Treaty, Chapter 4, Episode 2
Vol. 3 Ch. 4 Ep. 2: Uncomfortable Reception
1 scenes, 192 lines
1. Part 1
192 lines
It's been quite some time. Thank you for coming, Sensei.
"Of course. Hello, everyone."
A pleasure, Sensei. We still owe you one from last time.
...Nice to meet you. I'm Mine, captain of the Remedial Knights.
"The pleasure's mine. I get to witness an interesting trio."
"We have an interesting combination here."
Haha... Nagisa would probably call it troublesome.
Haha... Nagisa would probably call it troublesome.
I am not here to antagonize Nagisa.
The Knights stand up for our convictions and beliefs. If I see a wrong, I set it right. That is all.
Regardless of who the culprit may be.
...
...Those kind of words are gonna get someone in trouble.
That's enough chit-chat. I'm sure Sensei is busy.
Sensei, I invited you here to update you on the situation at Trinity since the Eden Treaty incident and discuss our next steps. However...
...
...
For reasons somewhat incomprehensible to me, the leaders of the Sisterhood and the Remedial Knights demanded a seat at the table. So, here we are.
Demand is a harsh word. The Sisterhood's newfound political status means we should be involved in meetings like this.
As the leader of the Remedial Knights, the oldest club in Trinity's history, I'm only fulfilling my duty.
...
"In other words, you're policing the Tea Party?"
No, no. I'm just keeping up with current events.
And I have no interest in politics.
The Eden Treaty incident may have concluded safely, but there's a lot of follow-up and post-analysis still in process.
The Sisterhood is helping out and conducting some of the research analysis.
And this meeting's purpose is to share information on said topics.
She is correct.
"O-Okay... I see."
...
You still seem confused. You see, we could not simply leave this to the Tea Party.
The Tea Party's state is fragile right now.
...
It is absolutely unprecedented for an active member of the Tea Party to be arrested. And even more so for one to attack another.
Imagine my shock when I discovered Mika was behind the attack on Seia.
...
...
As you well know, Seia has been under my protection since. I thought it only right to investigate the case myself.
Arguing that Mika was taken advantage of by Arius does not absolve her of her crimes.
On top of that, the current host manipulated Schale's extrajudicial authority for her own ends and attempted to expel students she disfavored.
...
I understand you apologized and no harm was done, but...
It casts a dark shadow on the Tea Party.
...
It was a blessing Seia awoke at all. But since then, her health has steadily declined, and she is now bedridden.
And so, it was my conclusion the Tea Party required our assistance.
Indeed.
What a clear, thorough explanation, Captain Mine. You truly never change.
"(Well, this is awkward.)"
Captain Mine is leader of the Johan faction and head of the Remedial Knights.
She had the right to attend the Tea Party, but she declined in favor of her medical career. It's rather sweet.
Let's not waste time reminiscing, Sakurako.
I'll begin. At the core of this incident is Arius.
We have confirmed that the perpetrator of the Eden Treaty incident was indeed Arius.
They coordinated their infiltrations by apparently deceiving Chair Makoto and Mika.
In fact, Chair Makoto goes so far as to claim she's Trinity's victim, seeing as Arius is a faction of Trinity.
She was mumbling some nonsense about billing us for her hairdressing expenses, but I believe that can be ignored.
It's Arius' involvement that leaves the Sisterhood with questions.
To begin, what was Arius' motivation in attacking the Eden Treaty ceremony?
Arius has long held a grudge against Trinity and Gehenna. They saw the opportunity to suppress both academies at once and took it.
According to Seia, by invoking the Eden Treaty contract, they obtained an overwhelming military force.
Yes, a force comprised of what seemed to be ghosts of the Saint Justina Council. Had they not been stopped when they had, both Trinity and Gehenna would have crumbled.
...
What do you know of those things?
We don't have a grain of evidence. Only educated guesses.
Fine. The Council is the Sisterhood's predecessor. Are you holding something back, Sakurako?
Unfortunately, I know just about as much as you do.
I cannot ignore that the Sisterhood is held together by secrets. You are long practiced in manipulating and hiding information.
It's only natural that many students at Trinity have lost faith in the Sisterhood.
Like you, Captain Mine?
...
...
"(...Can I leave?)"
If you believe me to be the Sisterhood's sole secret keeper, you are sadly mistaken.
There are plenty of things I don't know. I can't say much more than that.
I spoke out of ignorance. My apologies.
Oh, dear...
Moving on to the next order of business. Is the analysis finished on the missile that neutralized our defense system?
Nothing came of it, unfortunately. Its materials and technology are foreign to us. Wherever it came from, it wasn't Kivotos.
That's of no surprise. Arius Satellite School is in possession of at least two powerful resources we know nothing about.
...
We've been unable to discover anything.
We can't even locate the Arius district, let alone gather intel.
Their whereabouts have been a longstanding mystery. But I did uncover a few clues.
During the Eden Treaty incident, they infiltrated through the underground catacombs.
All previous Arius infiltrations can be traced back to the catacombs too. To top it off, the cruise missile was launched from a ruins district in Trinity.
The underground ruins? It's a massive network. We'd never be able to take control of them.
Besides, those tunnels are a maze. It'd be an impossible mission to find them down there.
Hm...
Seia believes the district could be protected by some incomprehensible force.
She doesn't see how else they could be so undetectable.
More things we don't understand...
Azusa, who defected from Arius, said she was given a map of the catacombs with a marked exit route for her missions.
But she was provided different routes every time, so she doesn't know a way back to the Arius district.
You interrogated her?!
Wh-What?
I'll ask again. Did you force Shirasu Azusa to give you information?
She is branded a traitor in the only home she's ever known, for helping us. How dare you put her through more hardship?
She was finally settling in here! And you re-open old wounds for your own benefit? It's thoughtless and cruel.
Y-You misunderstand! She volunteered the information.
I highly doubt that! Did you coerce her? Threaten her with the Tea Party's authority?
Excuse me?!
Check yourself, Captain Mine. Your accusations hold no ground.
You've confirmed this?
Yes. I know Nagisa has done some reprehensible things, but Azusa was never treated poorly.
At the very least, that Sensei over there would never let anyone touch a hair on her head.
...
"(Nagisa's teacup is shaking...)"
"Are you okay, Nagisa?"
It's not that I don't understand.
Yes. I do understand, you know.
Hanako, Koharu, Azusa, and...Hifumi.
Each member of the Make-Up Work Club is shouldering much more than they were ever meant to.
Their burdens are a result of my actions.
I'm not completely shameless. I know what I did.
I've done my utmost to keep them out of the spotlight as we clean up this mess.
I'd like to protect them from experiencing something like that again. After all, this is our responsibility.
"Nagisa..."
I am of the same mind. I spoke without thinking, once again. I apologize for my transgression.
I'm glad we're all on the same page.
I was hoping to begin passing responsibilities to Hanako, but...
Our contract is complete, and I won't force her into it.
So, this fight is ours. It's the least we can do for them.
But, I have a feeling a certain teacher will be with us until the end.
"Reporting for duty."
...Thank you, Sensei.
The catacombs are huge mazes of unknown magnitude. Finding a moving entrance will be a problem.
Unless we ask someone who is familiar with the passages.
Do you have someone in mind?
Joumae Saori, the leader of the Arius Squad who coordinated the attack, must know the way.
Indeed. It was Saori who executed their strategy.
We haven't been able to locate Squad. They've likely fled the district.
...I can think of someone else.
...
You can? Who could possibly...
Misono Mika.
She's been working with Arius for a long time. Do you really think she would have no idea?
...
We have records of Mika contacting Arius students to coordinate supply deliveries.
We can only assume she reached out to Arius to garner support for a coup.
But, Mika is...
Mika's reputation and conduct over the years have not been commendable.
You know Mika hid behind the shield of the Tea Party to cover up her mistakes and avoid problems.
The condemnation, protests, and public opinion against Mika are the result of a long, built-up frustration towards her actions.
"(...Protests? What's been happening?)"
Mika wouldn't lie about this. What would her motive be?
...
I understand how you feel about Mika, Nagisa.
To my understanding, your friendship with her spans all the way back to your childhood. As such, you know her better than anyone else.
...
I'm sorry if this is rude, but please be honest. Do you think Mika is still hiding something?
If she's hiding something...
"(Nagisa...)"
No. I trust Mika.
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...
I can't reasonably argue she's been a model student.
But I understand what it means to believe in someone now!
I'll convince everyone else to trust Mika as well! I'll defend her at the hearing tomorrow...
...Against anyone who accuses her! I'll fight the entire academy if needed!
Consequences be damned!
I was just going through every possibility, Nagisa. No accusations here.
We've touched a sensitive topic. Apologies.
"How you doing there, Nagisa?"
*sigh*
Please don't worry. But I think that about wraps things up.
Thank you both for your attendance today. Truly.
Yes, thank you for accepting my request to join this meeting.
I do warn you, however. I'm very concerned about the outpouring of anger towards Mika.
I'll see if I can do anything to help her. Until next time.
I'll take my leave as well.
"You did great, Nagisa."
Thank you, Sensei. You keep seeing sides of me I don't mean to show.
"By the way...what happened to Mika?"
"Mika's situation sounded serious."
Oh, yes. I suppose you wouldn't know.
Oh, yes. I suppose you wouldn't know.
Mika's hearing will be held tomorrow morning.
"Why is she having a hearing?!"
Well, it's more so...a dispensing of disciplinary action, overseen by an advisory committee of sorts.
They'll present and discuss Mika's crimes and injustices, especially in relation to the Eden Treaty.
...Sensei.
Mika is going to be expelled.