Something should always remain buried
Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Archive; all characters belong to their original creators.
Chapter 4: A difficult decision.
A few days later,
It is another beautiful day in Kivotos as Takashi slaves away on his computer.
"Aaaaaaaaah, will this work ever end? I want to go on an adventure with my students again, not sit here and pull another all-nighter," Takashi cried out.
"Please stop whining, Sensei. I have to abandon my duty as the Senior Administrator of the Prefect Team just to help you today, so please, show some appreciation instead of complaints," Amau Ako replied with a hint of annoyance.
"I'm sorry, Ako, but I really miss the expedition I went on with everyone at Millennium a few days ago. I barely have time for leisure activities right now," Takashi responded.
"I'm in the same vein as you there, Sensei, so you don't have any right to complain, especially if you are an adult," Ako countered.
"You're such a meanie, Ako-chan, and here I thought I would get some sympathy from you!" Takashi cried before he turned into a 2D doodle.
"And you're such a child, Sensei," Ako sighed.
As the two continue to work, an unexpected figure appears from the door to Takashi's office. That figure is none other than Nanagami Rin, the Vice president of the General Student Council. After entering the room, she approaches Takashi and says: "Sensei, there is an emergency at Millennium Science School that requires the GSC's interference and your expertise."
"What is it, Rin-chan?" Takashi asked.
"For the last time, Sensei, please stop calling me Rin-chan," Rin complained.
"Back to our former business, information regarding this emergency is classified and can only be disclosed by the involved parties. Therefore, you'll have to come with me to Millennium to receive further notices," Rin added.
"I guess this is too important to reveal prematurely to the other academies. Okay, I'll go with you. Ako, you are dismissed for the current time. I'm also telling other students to take a break from SCHALE's duty today," Takashi replied.
"Then, I'll go back to Gehenna. Thank you for your hard work today, Sensei," Ako said before packing her stuff.
After Ako leaves, Takashi organizes the remaining works, messages the other students, and follows Rin with the Shittim Chest in hand. As they arrive at Millennium's hangar on a helicopter, they are greeted by a familiar face. After seeing Takashi and Rin exit the helicopter together, Eimi greets them stoically: "Greetings, Takashi Sensei and Vice President of the GSC, president Himari, and our Student Council are now waiting in the Seminar's meeting room. I will lead you there myself."
"Hello, Eimi, please guide the way," Takashi greeted back.
As Takashi enters the meeting room with Rin and Eimi, instead of being greeted by the professional Yuuka, the teasing Noa, or the proud Himari, he is now faced with a room full of students from Seminar and the GSC besides those three, each having a serious expression on their face.
Seeing Takashi, Himari approaches him and says: "Hello, Sensei; we are glad you can arrive at the intended time. As you are seeing, we are in a dire situation that desperately needs your guidance. Please take your seat and I'll share with you everything I know. Rin and everybody here have already known everything."
After Takashi takes the seat at the end of the meeting table, every window and door in the meeting room suddenly slams tight and is covered by metal plates, signaling the lockdown of the entire room. After making sure that nothing gets in or gets out, Himari moves to the giant presentation screen in front of everyone and begins her presentation: "As you've already known, during the invasion of Chroma, the Engineering Club discovered a secret lab besides the Utnapishtim ship under the Abydos desert. After we received permission from the Student Council of Abydos High School, a team consisting of Akeboshi Himari, Hayase Yuuka, Izumimoto Eimi, Asuma Toki, Shiraishi Utaha, Nekozuka Hibiki, Toyomi Kotori was dispatched to the site 5 days ago under the supervise of Takashi Sensei and Okusora Ayane from Abydos."
"In that lab, we discovered notes detailing experiments on girls with haloes and how to create them. At first, we thought this was some illegal experiments from the time of old, when Kivotos was still in a state of chaos. However, the journal and videos left behind by the Chief Director of the facility proved otherwise by revealing to us the origin of both Kivotos and the advanced civilization of old," she added.
"We, as Millennium students, had gathered here to solve the Millennium question and advance Kivotos' knowledge and technology. However, we are currently facing a dilemma that can either lead to the destruction of Kivotos or the largest breakthrough in this world's history. Right now, this information only exists within the Seminar, Super Phenomenon Task Force, and the higher-ups at the GSC and hasn't been published yet. While most Seminar students think that this knowledge should be revealed to the public, most of the higher-ups at GSC think it should be hidden away from the public eye. That is why Sensei is now present with us to resolve this dispute," Himari ended her presentation.
As every eye in the room points towards Takashi, he asks every student sitting there: "Have any of you in the Seminar or the GSC actually watched the videos mentioned by Himari?"
"No sir, we still haven't seen the actual videos mentioned by Himari-san, only knowing that it will turn everything that we've ever known about history upside down," a student wearing the Seminar uniform answered. "However, we Millennium students have always been known for our pursuit of knowledge and logical ways of thinking. If this finding is as grand as Himari-san said, it will give us a complete picture of the founding of Kivotos, one that we've been trying to find for many years," she added.
After that, a student from the GSC speaks up: "We have also only received reports from Hiamri-san. However, we understand that some knowledge should always remain buried, Sensei. We, and many generations before, have learned about history as it was written many years ago. If we publish such a controversial finding, it may cause unnecessary civil unrest among the students."
"After hearing what you guys say, I have a proposal. Why don't you all watch the videos before considering your choice? I will also watch it, too," Takashi suggested.
This shocks every student in the room as they begin to talk among themselves. After 10 minutes of discussing and arguing, the students from the Seminar and the GSC gave Takashi their final answer: "We will watch the videos."
"That's the spirit! Himari, can you make more copies for everyone here to watch?" Takashi asked.
"It will be done, Sensei. You can expect everyone to receive their own copies at the end of the day," Himari replied
"Although I know you guys are busy with work all the time, we will soon have to make the final decision. Are you all okay with the deadline being a week starting from tomorrow?" Takashi asked again.
Seeing that no one has any problems with the deadline, Takashi gives Himari a nod, prompting her to end the meeting. While riding his way home on the helicopter, Takashi asks Rin: "What do you think about all of this, Rin-chan?"
"Just like everyone at the GSC, I've not watched the videos, but I share their opinions. This is just history from a time nobody knows existed; I feel like sharing this would not help us achieve anything besides a lot of civil unrest and some minor adjustments to the history textbooks that almost no one will notice," Rin answered truthfully.
"Many adults would agree with you there, Rin, but knowing about the past is essential for building the future. Besides, I think that someone will discover this sooner or later, through small talks or social media, so it is best to make it public instead of keeping it a secret," Takashi replied.
The sky has already turned orange by the time Takashi arrives at his office. After changing his clothes, he boots up the Shittem Chest and greets his 2 A.I. daughters: "Hello, Arona-chan, Plana-chan, sorry for not hanging out with you guys these past few days."
"Don't worry, Sensei, I know you are busy and always try your best to help your students. Besides, even if Sensei has less time to play with me, I don't feel lonely anymore since Plana-chan is here with me," Arona reassured Takashi with a smile.
"Hello, Sensei, don't worry about us; you keep trying your best out there," Plana added.
"You guys heard everything in the meeting room, didn't you? What are your thoughts on this?" Takashi asked.
"Even though I'm a super A.I. (self-proclaimed), I still don't have any knowledge regarding the world before Kivotos, so I can't offer you my opinion. But whatever Sensei chooses, I will support it with all my heart, right Plana-chan?" Arona replied while trying to pat Plana.
"Arona-senpai is correct, Sensei. You rarely make wrong decisions when helping your students, so I will support you with all my heart," Plana added.
"Thank you for your support, but let us watch these videos first before making any hasty decisions," Takashi smiled back at his daughters. Not a moment later, a "Ting" interrupts their conversation as a file containing 3 videos appears on the screen of the Chest.
"Ah, Sensei, your package has arrived," Arona reported.
"Thank you, Arona. Now, let's see what Mr. Chief Director was hiding, shall we?" Takashi replied.
A week later.
A meeting at Seminar's meeting room was again held by Himari and Rin to finally end the dispute between Seminar and the GSC. As Takashi walks in, and sits at his assigned chair, he asks the students in the room: "What are your thoughts on the videos Himari sent you?"
One student from the Seminar raises her hand up and speaks: "Those were a lot to take in Sensei. To be honest, after watching them, I don't know what to feel about this finding anymore. Although I still believe that sharing this finding is right, I don't think the average students will understand half of what the author is trying to say."
After she finishes, another from the GSC speaks up: "I share my opinion with Akiko-san there, Sensei, they were a lot to take in and totally defied what we used to know about the history of Kivotos. Although I still think keeping this finding a secret is a good idea, I still cannot fully comprehend the information they contain. If this information gets out, I don't think most students will believe this due to how absurd it is."
After both of them finish their own thoughts, many students in the room also nod their heads, signifying their agreement with those two.
"So most of you guys are neutral about this finding, then what about Himari and Rin?" Takashi asked again.
"I'm also neutral about this, and I'll support whatever your decision is, Sensei," Himari replied.
"I agree with Himari-san, Sensei," Rin replied.
After hearing the opinions of all of the students in the meeting room, Takashi says: "Although this past no longer has any connections to us, their protection of this land was the reason we still exist today. If this Director wanted the future generations to remember them and learn about their mistakes, we should at least honor his wish. Besides, Kivotos has gone through a lot in just a single year. I think everyone here has already used to logic-defying things in Kivotos."
"I understand, Sensei, then this finding will be published to all of Kivotos after this meeting," Rin announced.
After the meeting, Takashi returns to his normal work at SCHALE once again. As he organizes the paper on his desk, he begins to reflect on his decision during the meeting. When he watched the videos, he was mad, very mad for the reasons why the students, HIS students were created. At the time, he even considered hiding this information away forever, in fear of it demeaning his students.
They were considered machines, weapons created for a war even he could not comprehend. However, he was also able to see through his rage, to see the desperation of the Director, of the people who were once the masters of this land. They were fighting a losing war, and they knew it. So, they tried everything to protect their children, their own future, by creating living weapons that wouldn't have any future in the first place. In the end, it was all for naught. So, in order to preserve their legacy, their ultimate weapons would become their successors. They would entrust their future to the ones they once called "Abominations" and protect them under the Haloes of Kivotos until they could reclaim what was lost. The Director leaving his records behind wasn't for forgiveness; he just wanted to be remembered.
2 days later,
It is another beautiful day in Kivotos as every student rises up from their beds and starts a typical Saturday by shopping, watching movies, eating sweets, or just lying lazily in their own bedroom. Everything is as it should be until every channel across Kivotos is interrupted by the Kronos Journalism School.
"Hello, everyone. This is Kawaru Shinon of the Kronos School of Journalism, here to bring you hot news never seen or heard before in Kivotos, brought to you by the Millennium Science School and the GSC," Shinon shouted.
"The thing is that, almost half a month ago, a secret lab was discovered under the surface of Kivotos by a team of students from Millennium. Finally, they discovered that the lab contained the history of the civilization pre-dating Kivotos and the true history of Kivotos itself. After a while of debating, the GSC and Millennium Science School published this finding to Kivotos. Find out more on our channel," Shinon added.
After that brazing announcement, almost all the citizens of Kivotos stop what they are doing and begin to talk among themselves. "The history of Kivotos?", "The rumor civilization of old is real?" "Can't wait to see what this is about!" "Are you sure this is not some trick to get views?". Every student on the streets begins to take out their phones and text each other, inviting their friends to watch this news. Many workers temporarily close their shops to focus on this groundbreaking news spreading across Kivotos like wildfire.
Somewhere in Kivotos, a man in a black suit looks up at the sky and says, "This is going to get interesting."