Blue Archive story · Volume 6, Chapter 1, Episode 5
Vol. 6 Ch. 1 Ep. 5: The Last Supper(?)
1 scenes, 235 lines
1. Part 1
235 lines
Waaah! Goodbye, cruel world... We're going to be abducted and taken to Trinity...probably tortured... Just don't take my fingernails, please!
Hiyori, we no longer do such things...
"No longer"? That would imply that you once did! "Arius Apocrypha" must have been true!
S-Sensei...?
Sensei?
"Let's all take a big, deep breath!"
"Neither Nagisa nor I have any ill intent."
You expect us to believe that?
UWAAAAAAH!
Ahem. Then, shall we start over? It's a pleasure to see you again, Arius Squad.
I'm Kirifuji Nagisa, the host of Tea Party.
Hello, Nagisa. And I am Hakari Atsuko, of the Arius Squad. The pleasure is all ours.
I'm happy to formally meet you.
Imashino Misaki.
I-I'm Tsuchinaga Hiyori... Eheehee...
No, not just you. I know all of you, if only through reports and hearsay.
And the nature of our past makes you not knowing me an impossibility.
...You get right to the point, don't you?
E-Eeeek...
Enough, Misaki. Let's not pass up this opportunity to speak candidly with each other. So, please... You as well, Saori.
...Fine.
Understood.
Well then. With introductions out of the way, shall we proceed inside?
Wh-What...? Inside the ship?
Yes, of course. I've rented this cruise ship for the day, so please don't worry about prying eyes.
?!
?!
...
"You've rented this ENTIRE SHIP?!"
"Isn't that a little overboard?!"
Hm? Why? The ship will remain docked the entire time. It's not as if I had to hire a sailing crew.
This much is well within budget. Now then.
This is...its own kind of nightmare... Actually, I wish this WAS a nightmare... Not even adulthood is scarier than this...
...They do operate in a different world from us, in more ways than one.
Wh-What do we do here?
"Let's...accept her hospitality...? For the time being...?"
Excellent. Let's follow her, then.
Hm? You're relieved that at least I'm taking this well?
Aha. You see, it's rare to see you so baffled. Which led me to believe that these circumstances must truly be unusual ones.
If we are already beyond our wildest expectations, it'd be wise to simply bend with the wind, yes?
"If Atsuko can do it, so can I!"
Wh-Whoa...
Is anyone hungry? This restaurant has no menu, so please instead order whatever your heart desires.
...Just order anything I want? How can someone operate a restaurant without a designated menu?
"No, Misaki... This is the mark of their culinary pride!"
"They're confident they can really make anything!"
I-Is that how it is? I was unaware that was even possible...
...Is this meant to be our last supper? This is just...
"L-Last supper"? What do you mean? I only wanted for us to share a meal...
Miss Nagisa? I'd like to apologize. We're not very used to places like this.
Could we leave the ordering to you?
Of course, Atsuko. Excuse me? We're ready to order.
Understood, Miss Nagisa. As you wish.
Well then.
Course after course came out...filled with types of dishes I'd never even seen before, let alone tried.
For Nagisa, this seemed to be just another normal meal. The rest of us were so overwhelmed by the unfamiliar foods, we couldn't even process all the different tastes.
...That is, except for one person.
Sho gooh... Shooo gooo...!
H-Hiyori? It's rude to talk with your mouth full...
*munch* *gulp* S-Sorry...! It's just sooo delicious! So many flavors I've never tasted!
I'm happy to hear that. Please, help yourself. There's more than enough.
Did everyone enjoy their meal?
"It was incredible..."
...Thanks. Really.
I agree. I felt almost guilty, eating something so luxurious.
M-Maybe we can get a box for takeout!
While I understand how you're feeling, it would be best to exercise some moderation, Hiyori.
Boooooo... Okay...
Shall we have some tea to help digest our meal?
I've brought with me tea leaves from Brinings. It's one of my favorite brands.
Shall we prepare it for you, my lady?
No, thank you. I will do it myself. It'll take only a moment.
Nagisa brewed the black tea with a practiced air, precise and exacting in her process.
It wasn't long before we could smell the delicious aroma of black tea.
There we go. All done. While not quite up to my usual standard, I do hope you'll enjoy.
H-Heehee... It's so warm...makes me feel fuzzy... Mmm, this reminds me of Water Time back at Arius.
...Ah. Yeah. We did have that.
"Water Time"...?
It was a rare treat, but they'd sometimes award a cup of warm water to whoever performed best during training that day.
It'd be around this time of year, usually.
"(Warm water...?)"
Whenever I got it, I would savor it with the teeniest, tiniest sips. But then it'd get cold...
It's funny how it was just some lukewarm water...but it was somehow the yummiest thing in the world...
Gah! M-Miss...Nagisa? My lady? Your majesty? Um, anyways, your tea is a million times better than some boring cup of water, of course!
Thank you. And please feel free to call me Nagisa.
I was actually the one who asked Sensei to help arrange this meeting.
...You contacted Sensei first?
...
How did you know? The two transfer students were the only ones Sensei spoke to.
"Ahem! So, if I could explain!"
No, Sensei. I believe this would be best coming from me.
Or at least, this is why I wanted to have this meeting.
Where shall I begin?
Trinity's Intelligence Committee works tirelessly and achieves excellent results.
...So you knew about them before Sensei even did.
And considering you made first contact... You have all the transfers from Arius under surveillance, don't you?
You see...
"Aaand, now leave it to Sensei!"
"The baton touch might be a little early, but I hope you don't mind!"
S-Sensei?
"It's okay, Nagisa. Sometimes, you have to rely on me."
"And I've confirmed everything you told me already."
...I'll leave it to you, then.
"You're right. Every transfer student has a Trinity student assigned to them."
"But they're there to help them adjust, not to monitor them."
"The transfer students were actually the ones..."
"...who told their Trinity counterparts about our meeting."
...And I'm just supposed to believe that?
I understand that I'm asking for a lot. There are too many broken bridges between our schools, and I am a member of the Tea Party... But still...
"Can you trust this teacher of yours, at least?"
Hiyori...
B-But Sensei's helped us a lot...
They could've called Valkyrie on us anytime they wanted. They could do it right now!
We'd be locked up deeeeep in the Corrections Bureau...or somewhere even more terrifying...
W-Wait! Were you pretending to be nice to us all this time, biding your time until you dragged us away?! EEEK!
After everything we've been through...this is finally the end! Life is nothing but pain and suffering! All is in vain! So I might as well finish this black tea before you lock me up!
S-Sensei? Is she...
"Don't worry... That's our Hiyori..."
"Don't pay her too much mind."
If you say so...
Hm? I should focus on what I came here to do?
...
Yes. You're correct. This entire endeavor would've been for naught if I didn't fulfill my objective.
All, I would like to say something. I will not lie to you and pretend that my presence here today is merely in a personal capacity.
It's the nature of holding the title of Tea Party host. Whatever I do will be open to interpretation, and whatever I say will be scrutinized for its true intent.
So...
I would like to formally, and sincerely, apologize to each one of you.
...Huh?!
Wh-What are you...?!
...
Earlier, you said that whatever you do will be open to interpretation, and whatever you say will be scrutinized for its true intent.
Could I ask you to elaborate, Nagisa?
I would expect you to. However, it is as I said.
As the Tea Party host, and a Trinity student...
...and as the one who currently represents Trinity.
I apologize to you all, and to the Arius Satellite School.
But why? We acted against Trinity first, did we not?
Yes. I know that the Arius Squad was at the forefront of that incident.
However, I also know the long, twisted road that led us there.
Arius and Trinity's problems did not begin with us.
After the Council, Trinity and Arius...devolved into what we are now.
But today, looking at the relationship, there are ways in which we are closer than any other schools in Kivotos.
And you suddenly just woke up one day and had a conscience about all that?
Misaki.
It's okay. You're well within your rights to feel that way.
Trinity...should never have banned Arius. Their only crime was a difference in perspective.
I believe I've also been personally guilty of neglecting those who were suffering around me.
I blamed it on politics and circumstances.
If I can reach out my hand to those who are still suffering, I wish to do so.
...I don't buy it.
S-Seriously?!
I don't want to sit here and sift through the past...
But let me be blunt. Were you, Kirifuji Nagisa, not the victim of the Eden Treaty incident?
And you can hardly deny that we were the perpetrators of said incident.
So why are you, the victim, apologizing? You can see why that'd be weird to us.
When people's actions don't make sense to you, it means they know something you don't.
Enough, Misaki.
...
Please, it's okay. I understand your concerns, I truly do.
I can offer...two answers. One more palatable, the other difficult to accept.
What would the palatable answer be?
Well...
If my apology alone was all it took to quell the Trinity student body's lingering anxiety regarding Arius...
...it'd be quite the keen political maneuver on my part to give one.
...You should've been honest from the beginning.
...
Allow me to tell a story of a student who leads the Tea Party in Trinity.
After experiencing a particularly harrowing incident called the Eden Treaty, she spent much time reflecting upon what had gone wrong.
In her need for answers, she began digging into records of the past. Some were so confidential that even as a member of the Tea Party, she had difficulty finding them. But she was overwhelmed with this gnawing hunger to understand all that had taken place.
Later, as she was gazing down at the Trinity campus, at all the students living out their peaceful lives, the answer finally dawned on her.
In order for both schools to move forward, their relationship could not stay as it was.
What Trinity did was wrong.
And so, should it not be Trinity who reaches out their hand in reconciliation first? Whether it be grasped or cut off?
...Reminds me of a freakishly strong, pink princess.
Yes. Perhaps it was that very princess that helped this student to finally open her eyes.
...
...
Heehee.
Then, me as well.
...!
As one of royal blood...
And perhaps the one closest to the role of student council president...
On behalf of Arius Satellite School...
I'd like to apologize for the terrorism we committed against you.
I do appreciate it. Truly.
However, the apologies spoken here will hardly be enough to resolve the years of conflict between our schools.
I'd like the opportunity to one day apologize to the transfer students living in Trinity...
...as well as to those who remained in Arius.
A certain teacher once taught me something.
Apologies hold no weight without also taking responsibility.
And such responsibility must be upheld with action.
...I agree with that sentiment. I have much to apologize for as well.
But let's not waste anymore time on platitudes.
Why did you want to meet with us? I take it you had a different objective than just bowing your head.
You've gone to great lengths just for the chance to apologize and tell us you've grown.
Yes, well said, Saori.
Allow me to usher along this meeting's agenda.
Now, I'm sure Sensei has already spoken to you about exams.
Do you mean...?
Yes.
Perhaps this is arrogance on my part.
But I share Sensei's sentiment.
I wish for everyone from Arius...
...to have the opportunity to hold their heads high in society. If they so wish.
That's very kind. Thank you, Nagisa.
I was concerned...that you would see this as patronizing or controlling.
Because behind every altruistic act...
...lies the possibility of being motivated by a subconscious feeling of superiority.
For one to believe that they alone know best, and to judge that others should live as they see fit...
But that was never your intention, was it, Nagisa?
Atsuko...
...You're not wrong.
...Thank you, everyone.
We appreciate your hospitality thus far.
So, what is it you'd like for the Squad and Sensei to do?
I-I haven't even broached...! How did you...?
L-Leader...!
I-I figured as much...