Vol. 5 Ch. 2 Ep. 5: Yearning Beyond the Memory

Ten months ago, Ayame gave me the Hundred Lotus and left to search for Kuzunoha in the northern lands.

I was so flustered, betrayed, and paralyzed with fear.

I knew I could never replace Ayame. She was the president of the Hyakkaryouran, and I...I didn't know what I was.

I was adrift and untethered. And before I knew it, I was headed towards the Great Snowfield.

How much time had passed? How many nights and days had turned?

It seemed impossible. How could I find one person in the vast and blinding snow? I trudged forward with the last wisps of my strength, following the map to the Twilight Temple, but instead found only an empty field.

And Ayame was there. She looked like she had been waiting for a long time.

You all must remember her face and her voice...

A smile that shined like the sun even on cloudy days, and a warm welcoming voice that could bring you back to life.

My hands were so cold they felt frozen to the Hundred Lotus. But when I saw that haori, azure like the sky of a warm spring day, I actually hoped.

I hoped that she would look after me like she once had, even though I had abandoned my duties. I hoped she would coddle me.

I hoped she would reach her hand out to pick me up, then smile because she accepted me as I was.

I hoped she would return and be our president.

But, what I heard from Ayame was...

Why did you come here?

A cold voice I have never heard her use before.

A chilling glare, looking down on me, detesting me.

That...wasn't the Ayame I remembered.

Why did I come here...? Ayame, I came here for...

I told you that I'm here to meet Kuzunoha. I'm not returning until I've found her.

But everyone's worried about you.

Everyone in the Hyakkaryouran is confused without you, our guiding light.

...Come back with me, Ayame.

You know as well as I do, Ayame.

Kuzunoha is like a rumor, an old myth...

A rumor?

...You could be right. The temple is eroded or buried under the snow, and she hasn't shown herself despite all my calls.

Even so, I have to meet Kuzunoha.

Nagusa, I wouldn't expect you to understand why.

Please...tell me.

You're trying to be a responsible leader? You seek her wisdom and guidance?

Haha...

Hahahaha!

Honestly, Nagusa. You don't know me at all.

All those years, and you never got it.

Ayame, please don't...

The human mind is a delicate, beautiful thing. It can never be fully understood.

To presume to know another is sheer arrogance, a brittle illusion that can be shattered like glass...

You arrogant, incompetent little girl.

You're...?

I am a mere traveler in search of a good story.

I sensed a lost soul out here and sought to help them.

Do you know where Kuzunoha is?

A pity, but no. But, like you, I also seek to reach the boundary of the Beyond. Until then, I soothe my soul with artistic elegance.

And, even if our paths diverge in time, I'd be happy to keep you company.

Very well. Lead the way.

No. Ayame, don't! Don't take my friend!

...Friend?

You were never my friend...

...Goryou Nagusa.

Oh dear... Surely Ayame couldn't be so cruel?

No way. President Ayame would never, no matter how angry she was.

...That is not the Ayame I know.

I understand. It was...difficult to witness.

I tried to deny it, thinking maybe I had hallucinated some terrible nightmare.

But, as I reached out, my arm was swallowed in her hem...and this wound is a constant reminder.

And that is all President Ayame said to you?

I think so. I collapsed, lost consciousness...

I could have frozen to death, but I was so tired. And it hurt so much...

But thankfully, a kind soul found me.

Someone happened to be passing by? Nagusa, that's utterly miraculous!

...A miracle?

There's no such thing.

...Hm.

...Are you awake?

If you are awake, follow this path to the village at the foot of the mountain. You may be able to survive, but you'll never recover.

Did you...save me?

Fufu, what an insolent tone for your elder.

I'll overlook it this time, seeing as you're a tad...unraveled. Do you remember your name?

I'm...the Hyakkaryouran's acting president, Goryou Nagusa.

How are cherry blossoms blooming in the middle of winter?

How, indeed? It's so strange that you didn't smell them on your way out here.

I don't think the blossoms are so unusual. Then again, time passes differently in the Twilight Temple.

This is the Twilight Temple...?

Then you...are the Great Prophet, Kuzunoha?

Hm...

Well, what if I was? What would you do?

Would you ask me for my blessed Hyakkaryouran wisdom, Madame President?

No, you're not Kuzunoha.

Hmm...

Because the real Kuzunoha would never ignore Ayame while saving someone as worthless as me.

A cruel, heartless person like that could never be Kuzunoha, the first president of the Hyakkaryouran.

You are entitled to your opinion.

However...this is a good opportunity. I have a small request, let's say in exchange for me saving your life.

A scroll...

It's a message to a certain someone who has been looking for me.

It's for Schale's Sensei. And inside this scroll is...

...a way to save someone.

...That's what I remember.

And, yes, not only did I fail to save Ayame, but she rejected me. And that is how my arm became this way.

I was afraid you would all be disappointed if you knew. I thought you might leave me too.

...But I will no longer run from the truth.

So, blame me. Hate me. All I ask is that you be honest with your feelings.

How... How...

How could I blame you for something like that?

Yu-Yukari...?

Amidst a storm of chaos and doubt, only YOU had the fortitude to venture to the Great Snowfield and search for Ayame.

Who amongst us could possibly blame you?

...I thought you'd matured since our last incident, Nagusa, but you're being an idiot.

If President Ayame was acting completely different, as if POSSESSED, and then Nature's Beauty appeared to ambush you...

Is it not obvious that this is a scheme to trick you and slander the Hyakkaryouran?

Precisely. If that even was Ayame, then she was being tricked. We know her spirit. That was not her.

Yeah. So what are you blaming yourself for?

I say we go to the Great Snowfield right now to save President Ayame and...pick up Nagusa's arm or whatever!

Brilliant. I wholeheartedly agree!

B-But...

The Great Snowfield is treacherous, and the entire Hyakkaryouran can't leave on account of me...

Excuse me, is this the Hyakkaryouran?

Oh, good. The gang's all here.

And you're... Why are you here, precisely?

Ah, I just wanted to let you know, the president of the Yin-Yang Club...

...she needs the Hyakkaryouran for something. Sounded important.

Niya...?