Blue Archive: Miracle's End

Creation of A Miracle

Hoshino woke up all alone on the very couch where she and Sensei had slept that night. A blanket was draped over her--- most likely Sensei's doing, covering her with quiet care before he left.

At first, she didn't think much of it. But as she slowly began to wonder where he was, an anxious unease crept into her chest. She searched for him throughout SCHALE, her pace quickening with each passing second. Yet, no matter where she looked, there was no trace of him.

Not a note. Not a goodbye.

Only a neatly stacked pile of finished reports sat on his desk, as if it were his way of telling them all that he had fulfilled his duties.

A suffocating dread clawed at Hoshino's throat.

"No... No... It's too soon... Sensei...!!"

Biting down on her lip to keep herself from breaking, she fumbled for her phone and immediately dialed.

"Shiroko, please gather all the students who are on our side! Sensei is nowhere to be found in SCHALE! Please hurry!"

Silence hung on the other end of the call--- Shiroko was still processing the weight of Hoshino's words.

"Shiroko!" Hoshino's urgency persisted, "We need to move, now! Do exactly as we planned!"

"...Right." As if snapped back to reality, Shiroko responded hastily. "I'll call Nonomi and the others. Wait for us outside SCHALE."

Without wasting a breath, Hoshino rushed to her bag, pulling out the equipment she had always known she would need when this day inevitably arrived.

She retrieved Horus, the shield that once belonged to Yume, and strapped on her vest, its pockets filled with ammo and gear. Every motion was automatic---practiced, prepared... yet her hands trembled.

"You said you wouldn't leave until graduation, Sensei... Was that just a lie? This is too sudden... I didn't even get to tell you how I truly felt..."

Sensei had promised. He said he wouldn't leave Kivotos until the school year had ended-there were still two weeks left.

So why?

Why had he vanished now?

Had he done this to throw off the students, to slip away unnoticed and avoid any resistance?

No. That wasn't like him. Sensei wasn't the type to break a promise so carelessly.

Something must have happened.

Hoshino clenched her fists.

"Sensei's reason for leaving was never about falling in love with a student... It was because of that power. The power he kept using for our sake was slowly turning against him."

Her breath hitched.

"Does this mean... he can't hold it back anymore? ... Oh, no... Sensei..."

***

20 minutes had past since Sensei had reportedly left SCHALE. As Hoshino had feared, it didn't take long for the news to spread like wildfire, and soon enough, hundreds of students had gathered outside of SCHALE.

The first students she saw were Shiroko and the rest of the Abydos students--- behind them were the rest of their allied students who were opposed to Sensei leaving. There were probably about a thousand students on Hoshino's side, a force so great that finding Sensei surely wouldn't take long with their numbers.

If only it were that simple.

A bead of sweat trailed down Hoshino's cheek.

"...Hina-chan. Took you long enough."