Chapter 15

1.

Bang─!!

Two girls wearing masks clashed. They had long forgotten about guns, swinging only their fists at each other.

Bang─!!

Himari bit her lip at the resounding impact displayed on the screen. Amy, on the other hand, paused mid-reach for a snack, as if watching a movie, and only stared at the screen.

Not only them, but everyone watching the news beyond the screen — all the citizens — were the same.

At first, when they watched Silk fight, they cheered.

Witnessing the hero overwhelm the enemies, they genuinely felt the triumph of justice.

But as time passed and the blood on Silk’s body increased, their expressions gradually changed — from cheers to shock, and eventually to astonishment.

And now, they couldn’t react at all, merely glued to the screen.

Bang─!!

The two girls lunged at each other with fists, kicking and rolling in the dirty ground.

There was no trace of noble heroism or villainous cunning in this process.

It was simply brutal.

The hero tried to persuade the villain, while the villain shed unseen tears endlessly.

Though no words were spoken in the footage, the previous conversation allowed a rough guess of their situation and motives.

Bang─!!

A single blow. Within it, a question and an answer.

The girls’ fierce battle had become more than just a fight; it was a mutual proof of existence and a plea.

“Junior.”

“…Nanashi.”

Someone called out the name of their friend and junior.

“Silk… I need to remember this.”

“…Hard to watch, huh.”

“Wow. What an amazing sight…?”

Someone else took note of the hero’s appearance.

“…Is this your answer, Silk?”

“Brilliant. Is this what a hero looks like? A figure of conviction, reason, experience, and wisdom… someone we can only admire…”

And yet another person,

showed interest in the answer the girl had reached.

Bang─!!

Then, a much louder sound of impact resounded across the screen, surpassing all that had come before.

Someone fell.

A black-haired girl in a fox mask collapsed.

The hero of Kiburatos, Silk, looked down at the fallen girl.

White and black fox masks — similar yet distinctly different. Hero and villain.

The two contrasting figures left the reporter who was covering the situation speechless, transfixed on the screen.

“I won, Kosaka Wakamo.”

“Fufu, that’s right. I’ve been completely defeated.”

They barely managed to look at each other. The hero declared victory, and the villain accepted defeat.

The scene left many citizens silent.

All that remained of the hero, breathing heavily, seemed to be the weight of responsibility and duty.

Relief and joy washed over the crowd, but along with it came a lingering worry and confusion within the hearts of the citizens.

But,

as if sensing the emotions of the citizens,

Chuk─!

The hero raised an arm high into the sky,

as if trying to hide their own struggles.

And,

the citizens felt their turbulent emotions fade away, replaced solely by cheers and joy.

“Whoa─!!”

“Silk! Silk! Silk! Silk-!”

“Damn it! We believed in you, Silk-!”

[Viewers, look! Our hero ‘Silk’ has finally felled the calamity’s fox, proclaiming victory!]

She didn’t lower her arm for a very long time.

The hero –

was not someone who carries the worries of the people.

They proved themselves to be one who alleviates such fears.

The hero’s declaration of victory spread across all of Kiburatos.

Many citizens cheered and rejoiced in the triumph of justice.

But, many others remembered the hero’s hidden back turned away from the screen.

Somehow, perhaps somewhere in their minds, they planted the thought that there might be a day in the future when they would meet again.

2.

Responsibility.

It was one of the themes of Blue Archive.

At the same time, it was the most important aspect I personally valued.

The responsibility of being an adult, the responsibility of being a hero.

The responsibility of realizing and alleviating the pain of children’s dreams and futures as an adult.

The responsibility of protecting the weak and combating evil as a powerful being.

Which responsibility is more valuable and weightier to me?

Why did I choose to become a hero, and why do I continue to act as one?

Wakamo’s question swirled within my mind.

“What is your purpose? Why do you pretend to be a hero?”

Hmm. Perhaps I wanted to escape from such fundamental questions.

Or maybe, because my arrival in this world was so sudden, it was too difficult to contemplate who I really was.

I had just turned twenty when I suddenly became a student of Kiburatos. Physiologically, I was a student, but mentally, I was still twenty.

Just last year, I was the same “student” as the characters in games.

Then, who am I?

Am I an adult, or a hero, or perhaps still a student?

I answered.

“Don’t know. How would I know?”

I thought the answer wasn’t something I should decide.

I simply rejected it.

We can’t pretend to know what we don’t.

I was an adult only in age, but I’ve never thought of myself as one.

At the same time, since I graduated school and became an adult, I never considered myself a student anymore.

And due to my immaturity and shortcomings, I found it hard to call myself a real “hero.”

“What a joke. A guy who isn’t a student, an adult, or a hero.”

A contradicting existence.

That was the word to describe me.

But even so, I didn’t think too deeply on it.

I believed accepting such contradictions was a way for me to grow further.

There was no need to overthink it.

The reason I admire heroes is because I still hold onto the purity of being a “student.”

My desire to fulfill the responsibility of a hero comes from understanding the virtues a hero should possess.

And my efforts to save citizens and students stem from knowing the responsibility as an “adult.”

That would be enough.

“So it doesn’t matter.”

I am contradictory. You are, too.

Humans are always contradictory. We all are.

Good and evil coexist, love and hate intertwined.

But, does being filled with contradictions mean we shouldn’t live? Is it only the beings who lean to one side that deserve to be called human?

No, that’s not the case.

“You decide what you want to be.”

This is a message to myself, and to her.

One day, these words might become a blessing given to the true protagonist of this stage, perhaps to some mechanical warrior.

“So if your head gets too complex, ignore it.”

“Such worries will be taken care of by your future self, or maybe someone else.”

“If I feel inadequate now, I’ll think about it after growing a little more.”

This is my consolation and consultation for a certain fox girl who might still be crying right now.

A word of comfort only I can give because I understand her past.

“If it’s impossible to solve no matter how much you fret, come find me. I’ll worry for you.”

“If that doesn’t work, I’ll ask someone else for help and resolve your worries for you.”

You and I, along with everyone else, together.

This was my answer.

My response to her question.

What is my purpose?

Are you a hero, or merely someone pretending to be one?

“Hmm. Maybe I’m just someone who dreams of being a hero.”

I’ve acquired an overwhelming power.

I wanted to fulfill the “responsibility” that came with this ability.

That’s all.

3.

“Haha, I’ve been completely defeated. I don’t have any strength left to resist.”

“…Wakamo.”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of running away.”

Wakamo remembered the consultation she had had with the hero.

At first, it felt uncomfortable to hear her as if she understood Wakamo’s inner worries. Why should anyone look into someone else’s heart?

But the more they talked, Wakamo found herself feeling a deep sense of relief.

I wasn’t wrong.

None of this misery was my fault.

It was just a matter of bad timing and choices.

“…That’s enough.”

No one had ever said such things to her until now.

Silk was the only one in this world.

Even though Wakamo thought it was too late, Silk reassured her. She said Wakamo still had opportunities and deserved to be happy.

As the despair and pain gradually washed away, a sensation Wakamo had never felt before surfaced, along with comforting words she had never heard.

And slowly, not as Calamity’s Fox but merely as Wakamo, the hope began to rise in her heart.

Then,

if I can be like you said,

if I can find happiness and opportunity,

and if I get to choose all of it,

“I prefer being by your side.”

Even though we met as hero and villain,

Wakamo thought Silk might accept, no, would definitely accept, even her flaws. She believed it.

At her side, Wakamo felt she could erase every trace of her past.

Not as the Calamity’s Fox but just as Kosaka Wakamo,

maybe she could live as a student, not a prisoner.

“Possible, if you’re with me.”

Since she had battled Silk, Wakamo reached a different conclusion.

“You are a hero, Silk.”

“…”

“You defeated even someone like me and made me recognize you. You’re a hero, right? Haha.”

“Is that so?”

She showed no particular reaction, as if unable to register much emotion. But Wakamo found joy even in that.

To have transformed someone so twisted and broken like her into someone so calm felt truly amazing.

Such an interesting hero, a girl who made Wakamo want to know more. So, she said,

“Since you’ve made me like this, you should take responsibility.”

“…What do you mean? Wakamo.”

Seeing Silk’s flustered reaction, Wakamo smiled.

Indeed, she hadn’t expected this of herself.

Wakamo decided to get closer to her. Now, she saw her not as an enemy but as an admired being.

“You said if I had any troubles, I could come to you, right? That you’d help me solve them.”

“But I said that only if your troubles couldn’t be solved!”

Wakamo smiled and ignored her.

“If you don’t want me to hurt anyone, I won’t. And if you want me to help others, I will. But please-”

“…But?”

“Let me watch over you.”

She wouldn’t be troublesome.

She knew her time was limited while she remained a hero. Wakamo just wanted one thing.

To understand Silk, the girl within.

“That’s all I need.”

With earnestness, Silk seemed to contemplate the heartfelt wish and then sighed deeply.

In a deflated tone, she said,

“…Do as you please. I won’t care as long as you don’t do anything bad.”

“Haha, great. Yes, that’s great!”

“Ah, what kind of situation is this? Tiring, so tiring.”

Wakamo smiled joyfully.

Battered and battered, the girl lay on the ground, but there was no trace of the Fox of Calamity anymore.

There was just Kosaka Wakamo, now a girl who admired a hero.

That was all.

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