Blue Archive: Miracle's End

Tipping Point

The bright white moon hung high in the night sky, casting a warm glow over the green trees below. In the stillness of the night, only the gentle rustle of leaves and the soft croaks of distant creatures could be heard.

At the center of the moonlight stood two students from Hyakkiyako and Abydos, their conversation thick with tension. A lone figure from Gehenna watched silently from a distance, listening intently to their suffocating exchange.

Yet, silence enveloped the two. Izuna had just declared her love for Sensei, leaving Shiroko standing in disbelief, her eyes wide and mouth agape. She clenched her fists, biting her lip as she struggled to find the words she wanted to say.

"Y-You... to Sensei... "

As Shiroko fumbled for her thoughts, Kayoko chose that moment to reveal herself. Emerging from the shadows of the trees, she strolled toward them with casual confidence, leaving both Izuna and Shiroko stunned, their surprise palpable at her sudden appearance.

"Y-You're..." Izuna stammered, her voice trailing off in disbelief. Before she could gather her thoughts, Shiroko cut in, urgency lacing her words.

"Where's Sensei?"

Kayoko was partnered up with Sensei, so it was only natural for the two to worry when Kayoko just showed up all alone.

" This event is over. Let's head back to Sensei and the others." Kayoko spoke firmly.

" Did something happen? Why aren't you with Aruji-dono...?"

" More importantly, you heard the conversation between us two earlier, didn't you?" 

Izuna and Shiroko continued to press Kayoko for answers, the one thing she wanted to avoid the most. Not because she didn't wish to ease their worries, but because Kayoko was struggling to fight off an urge of her own.

After all, she just learnt the truth about Sensei's secret, and Kayoko was still in the process of trying to wrap her head around the truth. She didn't know how to react as all she could do to starve of her emotions was nothing but clenching down her fists. 

" And what might that conversation be?"

" Don't lie to us, Kayoko. I can feel how tense you are." Shiroko spoke, looking down at Kayoko's trembling hands. " You heard something..."

In the end, her own body betrayed her efforts to play dumb. Faced with Shiroko's desperate plea, Kayoko simply nodded, her silence speaking volumes.

"You can't tell this secret to anyone... We don't want to burden Aruji-dono any further," Izuna urged, her voice trembling.

"Please, Kayako..." Shiroko added, her voice mixed with her own plea.

Both girls bowed before her in a gesture of desperation. Kayoko could see the guilt and worry etched on their faces for having exposed her to such a harsh truth. But deep down, she had never intended to burden Sensei with her knowledge, and she had no plans to reveal his secret to anyone.

"Other than me, there's someone else you two need to worry about," Kayoko said, closing her eyes with a sigh as she pointed behind Izuna and Shiroko.

Both girls turned, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock as they spotted another figure standing silently nearby, her eyes devoid of any light.

"Shiromi Iori..." Kayoko called softly. "What happened to you and your partner?"

Iori lowered her head, sorrow creeping into her voice as she replied, "I tried looking for her... and here I am."

***

"So you two came all this way just to make a documentary about the trip?" Fubuki asked, raising an eyebrow.