Blue Archive story · Volume 5, Chapter 2, Episode 21
Vol. 5 Ch. 2 Ep. 21: Another's Gaze
1 scenes, 75 lines
1. Part 1
75 lines
At the Hyakkaryouran, it felt like everyone's eyes were on me.
Ayame.
Big Sis Ayame...
...President Ayame!
Those stares, flooded with both envy and adoration, curse and blessing... Their eyes pinned me into my role.
My mask... The mask of the president of the Hyakkaryouran felt stitched into my skin. I could never bend under the scrutiny, could never let them see just how heavy and painful the burden was.
The very embodiment of the presidency, that Ayame.
Beauty, propriety, impeccable conduct...
That's what you'd expect of the head of the Hyakkaryouran!
Nothing is too hard for President Ayame, right?
...She'll receive all of our feelings, good and bad, without raising an eyebrow.
...Obviously! She's the president, after all.
Of course! I'm just fine!
...Lies. All lies.
I slowly suffocated under that mask, bit by bit. They welded it onto my face, chiseling and designing it into whatever shape they pleased.
Smile, Ayame. Be calm, Ayame. Smile. Keep smiling.
It was my responsibility to respond to every conflict at the drop of a hat. Where others would throw up their hands and turn their heads, I was there to pick up the pieces.
And on the days when the exhaustion crept in, and the cracks in my mask deepened...
You're not your usual self today, President Ayame.
Is something the matter?
Go and get some rest! So you can hurry and get back to your usual self.
...My mask had melted into my skin. To others, there was no distinction between me and the part I played.
Why did I decide to don this mask?
Why did they decide that this mask was who I am?
Why is everyone incapable of solving their own problems?
I could never be as good as President Ayame...
President Ayame can do anything... She's amazing!
Only President Ayame can bear that mask!
Soon, the line between me and my mask became blurred...even for me.
That was when I faced my shadow in the dark of the night, and I realized I couldn't wield the Hundred Lotus.
That was when I realized I wasn't perfect.
As the president, I was a failure. And I felt...relief.
I see.
This perfect mask
is just a mask.
This responsibility
was never mine to bear.
Kuzunoha will solve everything.
The scrutiny, the demands... Kuzunoha will take what was never mine to begin with.
But she said that to me with no hesitation.
Even though she's nothing but a crybaby.
Even though she could never beat me in a duel.
Even though she could never escape the expectations and remove her mask.
...
...Stupid girl.
That's why you'll never move on.
What's on your mind?
Reminiscing.
I was remembering the feeling of the gazes of all those who once looked towards me.
Their gazes?
Mhm. Their scrutiny, their pleading eyes. Begging for my help.
This place hasn't changed at all.
They live their lives terrified of taking action, for fear of judgment and castigation.
And I couldn't play that role for them forever.
In the end, I was crushed under their expectations.
But you're not anymore, are you?
You've blossomed into something exquisite: a monster fueled by regret and hatred. You are an unstoppable force.
...Yes.
I used to be at the center of their scrutiny...
...but now it will be my gaze that they are under.
Ahhh... How beautiful! How exquisite.
Yes. Just as I imagined it.
And in the end, I was right.
No matter how monstrous or incomprehensible, if you can't see it for yourself, it's not your concern.
Unlike that brat's tome, Toutei's Phantom Illustrations creates Ghost Stories that will flood this district with vivid, picture‑perfect terror.
Run. Hide and avert your eyes. Try as you may, our gaze is ubiquitous.
Ah, what name would suit this beautiful Phantom Fable?
Amongst the countless eyes opening across the city, they will all see this and only this.
Exquisite. We shall call it the single eye, Hitotsume.
Ayame...no, Hitotsume.
Focus your gaze upon the pathetic people of this academy.
Show them that those who hide behind others' gazes don't have the right to their own.
...