Blue Archive story · Volume 5, Chapter 2, Episode 12
Vol. 5 Ch. 2 Ep. 12: Kadenokouji's Miko
1 scenes, 119 lines
1. Part 1
119 linesWe spent half the day walking across the snowfield before arriving at the mansion.
This must be the Mansion of the Beyond...
I-I've never been here before.
...Strange. Was this mansion truly abandoned for several decades?
The garden is clean. The grass hasn't overgrown, as if someone tended it a few days ago.
Isn't that all the more reason that this could be Nature's Beauty's base?
Someone maintaining and living in what was thought to be an abandoned mansion is inherently suspicious, right?
I agree with Ayame. All of this points to a larger, sinister operation.
And if this is truly Nature's Beauty's base, then Shuro must...
...
Yabuki Shuro...?
"Are you all right?"
I can't do this...
How can I look in Miss Kokuriko's eyes...?
She gave me two chances, and I failed both times! She'll hate me!
She'll abandon me... Throw me out like last week's trash...
Oh, wow... Is Kokuriko really that cruel?
Don't you dare speak of Miss Kokuriko! Miss Kokuriko is...
Waah...
"Poor kid..."
"How about you all go ahead? I'll watch Shuro."
We were going to split up to case the mansion anyway...
Surely we cannot leave Sensei alone and defenseless? What if an Artifact Spirit emerges?
I suppose I can stay with these two.
I'm no warrior, after all. I couldn't possibly be of much use in your search...
But I am fast. If something happens, I'll grab Sensei and run to you!
"Don't worry, Kikyou."
"We'll be close by."
But...
"As Azami said, we'll run if something happens."
"Thank you for your concern."
Then shall we split up and start our search?
Nagusa and I will check the main building and inner court, Kikyou and Renge can check the shed and outbuilding, and Yukari will cover the library.
If you see anything strange, don't touch it. And, if ANYTHING seems off, call for help immediately. We'll face it together.
Very well, Ayame.
Leave it to me!
Then let's get to it.
It's so clean.
Furthermore, the kitchen is stocked with silverware and tea sets. Someone must have been here recently.
It all feels so eerie.
They could be close by, waiting to ambush us.
Nature's Beauty! Face us, you cowards!
Did you really think that would work?
If anything, you're giving away your position. They could be fleeing as we speak.
Hmph, they can try! Sensei and Azami are guarding the entrance.
Anyway, doesn't this mansion feel familiar? It's like I've been here before...
Be reasonable. There's no way you've been to an abandoned mansion in a remote area like...
...Hold on. This structure...
...Could it be?
The pattern on this paperweight bears...
...the emblem of the Kadenokouji family.
Why is the Kadenokouji seal in an abandoned mansion...?
...That's right. The Kadenokouji mansion here in Hyakkiyako Central was originally an expansion.
The main Kadenokouji branch used to be somewhere far in the north.
The white snow and the frozen pond in the back gardens were beautiful in the winter.
But, due to a tragedy before your birth, we decided to move.
...It was a disgrace that marred the family name.
You see, the Kadenokouji miko behaved quite improperly...
Don't tell me...
Th-That can't be. It was over twenty years ago...
All the books are dusty except this one.
It doesn't look like a tome. It looks like an ordinary journal...
Twenty years ago, the Kadenokouji miko possessed a righteous, upstanding heart.
Uphold the Kadenokouji name.
The girl, who believed in justice and chivalry, joined the Hyakkaryouran. Soon, her talent was recognized, and she became the president.
To uphold the Kadenokouji name
means to spread the family's prestige
But the girl's sacrificial spirit clashed with her family's teachings.
The girl was to perform the miko's dance at the Lantern Festival.
However, as she was about to take the stage, a single, small fire spread in the distance.
The selfless girl prioritized dousing the flames, believing that it would spread without her intervention.
And while she stopped the blaze, it was at the cost of missing her performance. The festival ended with a fizzle...and the Kadenokouji family was grievously shamed.
No matter the reason,
To neglect one's duty is to shame the family.
Utterly shamed, the girl was ousted from her home. She devoted herself to the Hyakkaryouran presidency, which was the only purpose left for her.
But perhaps that obsession dulled her wisdom.
Sensing her weakness, the Hyakkaryouran members held a succession contest. They took her position as well as the Hundred Lotus.
The Authority of the Presidency
is proven through the succession contest.
Ultimately, the girl had nothing, not even her name.
She lost the respect of her peers, of the people.
So the girl sought out Kuzunoha, hoping to find divine guidance.
Uphold the Kadenokouji name.
But no matter how much she wandered the Great Snowfield, no matter how much she searched for Kuzunoha, the girl remained alone.
This was because Kuzunoha was nothing more than a rumor.
Everything was a lie.
The final hope that held her noble heart together snapped, and the girl was enveloped by betrayal, despair, and hatred.
If the Hyakkaryouran prophet and the unconditional love of a family were mere lies...
If all that she admired was a mere rumor that someone fabricated...
...Then she vowed to become a rumor as well.
I am the one who enlivens all the rumors and ghost stories. I brought them into reality.
...I-It's impossible!
The Kadenokouji miko that disappeared twenty years ago is the president of Nature's Beauty?!
The truth possesses an elegance, dear girl.
Your family and your beloved Council were built upon a grotesque past.
This is your journal? This is your story?
Yes. It appears that it very much mirrors your own.
Fufu... I wonder if I made that same betrayed face back then. It's...nostalgic, in a way.
("I must alert the others!")
Your friends won't save you, little Kadenokouji.
H-How did you read my mind?
Darling, you are not terribly complicated. Your thoughts, emotions, and pain... I understand them all perfectly.
I was the Kadenokouji miko. I was a member of the Hyakkaryouran.
I was you. Your future will be no different from mine.
That's a lie!
It's true that, I, Yukari, may not be the strongest...
And the ideals I strive for may be illusions decorated with lies...!
...But I will never be like you! That's a promise!
I pity you, you precious, delicate flower.
You are utterly adorable. Truthfully, I considered letting you go...but I do have a reputation to uphold.
...Especially given that you left muddy footprints all over my elegant home.