BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Hero / True face
Part 1
When he woke up, Jin couldn't stand up, not because of fatigue or pain, but because of a terrible feeling of helplessness.
Jin was in a small, dimly lit prison cell, surrounded by blackened gray concrete. He seemed to be lying on a mat on a bed that looked like a simple board attached to the wall, covered with a worn blanket.
He remembered what happened much more clearly than in his dreams while he was asleep.
Three soldiers, folded up and dead.
Countless corpses were brought in as if they were something like fuel for a cauldron.
Then there was... Grimwood's body, strangled by the throat and hung midair, Meifang looking up at him and smiling.
A neck that was shredded and a torso that fell.
Jin recalled the scene over and over again in the back of his eyelids as he sat cowering on the cold floor.
There was no rug on the floor, and the concrete was cold, but the sensation of feeling it seemed so far away that it was difficult to realize that it was his own sensation.
Jin was in a branch of the Zeroth Squadron in the sixth level of Yabiko City, in a room where criminals are detained awaiting justice.
The person who retrieved Jin was a member of the Zeroth Squadron who was in the same place at the time, and the wound on his shoulder had received only minimal treatment. What he was wearing was still the same, but all of his belongings were placed together right next to the prison.
...It was Honoka, standing behind the barred door, who explained to Jin.
"Captain Grimwood was a spy for Sector Seven. He has been leaking information to the outside, but this time he was informed that there were important secrets of the Librarium there, and he was trying to sell the contents to Kokonoe of Sector Seven...”
After these few words, Honoka moved his eyes to the document he was holding in his hand. It was a report on the series of events that had taken place after the boy soldier had arrived at the time.
Honoka dropped his thin shoulders and sighed.
“According to the investigation by the Zeroth Squadron, in addition to leaking information, he was involved in a variety of other activities, such as diverting equipment, sabotaging facilities and helping prisoners escape. It may have been because of him that the front line we were on did not produce effective results.”
Cleverly controlling the information and the battlefield, trying to coordinate so that neither side wins too much. They must have been using that place as their base of operations. That was how the Zeroth Squadron viewed it.
"...Lieutenant?"
Perhaps worried by Jin's lack of response , Honoka lowered his papers and peered behind the grate. Jin's eyes remained motionless as he stared blankly into the empty space. Not knowing if he was listening or not, Honoka peeked in, stepped forward and smiled a little.
"It's outrageous that he would involve and take advantage of you, Lieutenant Kisaragi, but since he was a spy, he was likely an expert at deception... And in the first place, there was no way around it.
“.....Ha!”
Apparently, Honoka thought that Jin was shocked by Grimwood's betrayal. An amusing thought, so Jin let out a light chuckle as he gushed.
He slowly raised his gaze to look at Honoka, who was puzzled. His green eyes had the color of exhaustion in them, though he was still able to reason.
"You don't believe it, don't you?"
His voice was hoarse and muddy as he spoke with a dry throat. Honoka tilted his head at the question. Then, he looked back and forth in a troubled way between the document in his hand and Jin, as if comparing them several times.
“Well, whether I believe it or not... it has already been officially accepted as a fact by the Librarium, so..."
Regardless of whether you believe it or not, this was acknowledged as a "fact". There was no room for personal feelings to enter.
Grimwood was recorded as a "sinner". That disgrace will remain with his name for a long time to come.
"With all due respect, I think you were deceived, Lieutenant Kisaragi. Deceived by how much of a good man he was. But I don't think the person you saw is necessarily the person they really are.”
Perhaps there was a side to Grimwood that Jin was completely unaware of. Jin didn't know the big, earnest man well enough to deny that possibility.
After all, it had only been less than a year since they had met.
(One year...)
In that period of time, Jin realized that he was quite fond of the big man. He liked him as a person. If he had stayed with him for a few more years, he might have had some unfamiliar feelings of respect for him, though not as much as Karenjina. He wasn’t sure if he thought that way because his emotions were romanticizing his impressions of his former captain.
"It seems that Lieutenant Kisaragi will be questioned as well. They’re preparing a meal right now, so you’ll probably be summoned when it's over." Honoka said to Jin, who turned his head down again.
It was probably Honoka's role to originally tell him this.
This time, he must have been told something by the Duodecim and the Librarium. He was grateful for the fact that he even brought the report and explained the situation and details.
"Honoka. What happened to Karenjina...?"
He asked in a muddy voice. The area was very quiet, so Honoka could still hear him without a problem.
"She was asked out a lot of questions about Captain Grimwood, but she didn't know anything about him and was not charged with a crime, but she was expelled and will be under surveillance for a while."
How she was interrogated was not in Honoka's words, but he could imagine. Jin felt a distinct sense of regret. Maybe he shouldn't have taken Karenjina with him, or maybe he should have kept her with him until the end.
It occurred to him that the choices she had made with Jin and Grimwood might have set her on the worst possible path.
"She's already been released from detention, but her... condition is not good. She is currently recuperating in a hospital room here."
"...I see."
“She seems to have had a tough time. But I'm sure the hardest part is yet to come.”
Honoka said, with an ambiguous tone.
Jin covered his face with his outstretched hand as the words seemed to pierce him.
“Well... I'll be on my way. If you'll excuse me."
Honoka saluted as he had been taught at the academy and walked away, a little concerned about Jin.
The sound of footsteps moving away echoed in the aisle. After that, it was no longer heard.
Jin clenched his weak hand into a fist and pounded the floor.
Jin's interrogation was surprisingly uneventful.
They started by checking his name and identity and then asked him when and where he was in battle, what he thought of the people of the 9th squad.
Then he asked him a few confirming questions and that was it.
It was probably decided from the beginning that Jin would not be punished. After all, he was the next head of the Kisaragi family, one of the Duodecim. There was no need to go to the trouble of incurring a grudge over something like this.
Jin was immediately released.
But before he left, he wanted to make a stop at a place. He asked a guard in a white robe who was walking behind him as his escort and he told him surprisingly easily where he should go.
He took the elevator up to the fifth floor and walked down the unadorned white-walled corridor. At the end of this straight stretch, Jin stopped in front of the door on the left.
A card labeled "Ward A" was held up.
The door had a small window with a grate on it, suggesting that this was a hospital room for those who were being judged.
He knocked on the door, bottled up the hesitation that was slowly seeping through and said her name.
“Come in.”
A horrifyingly inorganic voice came back, but it was definitely Karenjina's.
Jin opened the door and stepped inside.
It was a small room. There was a bed, an empty shelf, a white bedside table and a chair that was probably used by the doctor. That was it.
Karenjina lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Jin groaned briefly at the sight of her.
They turned her into a mess.
Bandages were wrapped around her neck, shoulders and arms. The blanket was covering the rest of her body, but she must have been injured below her abdomen as well. A large piece of gauze was placed on her cheek, and her eyes were blue and swollen. He wondered what had been done to her, but one of her ears was also covered with a thick layer of gauze. They looked like assault marks, but that's not the case when you're dealing with the Zeroth Squadron. The dreadlocks were completely trimmed and gone. These were the scars of attempted torture in various ways.
Jin went to the side of the bed and stood there without a word.
The dark blue eyes did not look at Jin. They just stared at a point on the ceiling as if they were trying to hold back something and don't waver.
There was silence for a while. Jin didn't know what kind of words were needed at this moment. Was it an apology, an explanation, silence or tears? Indignation or chastisement?
He couldn’t really choose any of these.
“...I used to hate you."
He heard her take a breath, and when Jin looked up, Karenjina chimed in.
Her eyes were still fixed on the ceiling, but her words were clearly directed at Jin.
“You were assigned to us out of nowhere and one of the Duodecim. I thought you had it easy, even taking a valet with you."
Jin listened to Karenjina's words without saying anything. Somehow, he felt that she didn't want him to say anything at all.
Karenjina continued with a monolog-like tone.
"But Grimwood wasn't like me. He welcomed you. I heard over and over again... That with you, 'we could end the war.' It's not me, I thought. ...He can't end the war with me, but he might end it with you. I was jealous of Grimwood's expectations of you.”
"..."
“But you're so strong. I can't compare in any way. Until you came, I was the one who stayed by Grimwood's side this whole time. I was the one who was most useful to him."
Her tone was too pale and weak to be called resentment.
With no expression on either of their faces, Karenjina stares at the ceiling and Jin stared at her.
“...If only it was me.” she muttered.
Karenjina went silent for a while.
It was only a little later that Jin noticed that her shallow breathing was shaky.
“Grimmwood is...”
Karenjina's voice trembled.
“He didn't leak anything.”
"..."
Jin gasped in dismay at the assertion, unsure as to why he was so upset. But for a moment, he felt a twinge of envy. Jin couldn't affirm why, but it was envy.
Clutching her right hand, which was covered in bandages to the fingertips, Karenjina spoke as if she were spitting out her last breath.
"Grimwood wanted to end the war more than anyone. He hated the idea of anyone dying. Even though he was a mercenary, he hated war."
Karenjina choked once and sniffed.
"Grimwood was not a spy. I believed in Grimwood. I believed in the man who pulled me out of hell. He's may be asshole when left me with behind, but I'll always believe in him."
Unable to hold it in, her voice turned upside down and tear drops spilled out of the corners of her eyes. Karenjina kept her fists clenched and her eyes closed. Perhaps because she seemed to admit that she was crying when she wiped her tears away.
“But there's nothing left. I have no strength to fight. I have nothing."
Jin looked at Karenjina’s left arm.
Apart from the bandages that hold the fingers and shoulders in place, there were bandages that just cover her forearm area.
He didn't know what they had done to her, but when he saw it, he knew that she was no longer able to use her Drive.
"I'm 'alone' again. There is never a time when I am not."
Karenjina said, as if it was a curse she was placing on herself.
Jin saw the look on her face and emotions of regret spill out. She was a stout soldier, but her face was contorted and distorted. She bit her lips and started sobbing. She was crying incessantly. Then, closed her eyes tightly and stifled her cries with a quivering sigh.
"So please. Just leave me alone already. I don't need anything anymore."
Unable to bear it, Jin turned his head away. At the same time, Karenjina also turned her face away from Jin.
The sobs continued.
He couldn't stay here forever. Jin eventually turned around, keeping his lips pursed.
But before he could leave, her fingers. Karenjina’s fingers grabbed the hem of Jin's dress.
"...Jin."
“What?”
“End this war."
With that, Karenjina removed her fingers from Jin's clothes. After watching her hand go back to the bed, Jin turned his back to Karenjina again.
He walked with a calm and unhurried gait and left the hospital Ward A. Just as he was about to close the door behind him, he heard what sounded like a growl. Jin quickly left the room. He felt that he must not listen to her overflowing cries.
Part 2
As Jin exited the building of the Zeroth Squadron, he saw a familiar figure waiting for him.
The girl standing there holding the sword bag was a girl. Her long hair, fluttering in the gentle breeze, was a vivid camellia red.
"...Tsubaki."
Tsubaki Yayoi. She was the childhood friend of Jin, a junior at the academy and also the daughter of the Yayoi family of the Duodecim. The sky-blue eyes that sent Jin off in tears on the day he left for Yabiko were now gazing at him with a sincere look.
"...Jin Niisama. I'm glad you're safe."
She deeply bowed her head. Tsubaki was that kind of person. Polite and calm.
Not wanting to linger too long in a place where he could see the buildings of the Zeroth Squadron, Jin took Tsubaki with him and changed places.
After about ten minutes of walking, they chose a small park where they could see the arrival and departure of Ars Magus Vessels. On a bench painted green, Jin and Tsubaki sat side by side.
It was already evening.
The port welcoming the Ars Magus Vessels was lit up early, and the setting sun from the west added an orange hue to the long deck.
She tucked her hair behind her ears and turned her body to Jin, then lowered her eyes slightly and smiled modestly.
“When I heard that you had been detained, I just had to come over. I'm sorry for startling you."
"No, it's fine."
Jin spoke back shortly.
The moment he had seen her, Jin had understood. The reason why Jin was released had been so easy and straightforward. It was because Tsubaki had lobbied for it using her position in the Yayoi family. This would not have happened in the Kisaragi family. There were many people in that house who wanted to get rid of Jin. It would have been a hassle if they were disturbed and forced to help him. Rather, some would have tried to take advantage of this situation.
But before that could happen, the Yayoi family, no... Tsubaki made the first move.
"I'm sorry, Tsubaki. I'm sorry I caused trouble for you."
One more regret piled up in Jin's mind.
Tsubaki shook her head in panic.
“It's no problem. I wanted to meet you, Jin. That is what I decided myself, so there's nothing for you to apologize for!"
Jin squinted dazzlingly at Tsubaki, whose cheeks flushed red as she tried to excuse herself. This repose was painful to his chest and he turned away.
Tsubaki gazed at him with a gloomy expression.
A few seconds of silence passed.
A breeze blew through the air. Tsubaki gently called out to Jin as she pulled her flowing hair back over her ears.
"You look in pain."
"Pain, huh?"
The murmur he returned was unexpectedly twisted into self-mockery.
(What exactly is the pain I feel for?)
Was it that Grimwood had betrayed him? Or is it that he couldn't believe that Grimwood betrayed me?
Was it that he believed in Grimwood? Or was it knowing that he did not believe in Grimwood?
Grimwood had 'trust.' He believed in himself and his friends, that he could end the war.
“I'll probably get scolded for saying this, but..."
Tsubaki opened her mouth so as to slip her words into the evening breeze.
“I hate... war."
Jin looked sideways at the girl he had known since childhood.
He remembered that her father was also away from home, in the war zone as a guard of the Librarium.
Tsubaki’s sky blue eyes were filled with melancholy and sadness.
“Of course, I'm also an officer school student of the Librarium. For the sake of order and justice, I am prepared to fight even if I have to use myself as a shield. But it's not because I want to defeat anyone. It's because I want to protect as many people as possible."
Tsubaki clasped her hands tightly around her chest and looked at Jin.
“Because I want to protect the people I care about.”
“...Such naivety."
“I know that, but despite though I know, I still hate... war."
Tsubaki's lips twitched as she said this in a sultry tone. It's one of those habits that he used to see in her when she was little and she can't seem to get over it.
Jin replied, exhaling deeply.
“My feelings are the same.”
(I never used to have any impressions or feelings about war. I was not interested in my own life or death or even the life or death of others and I was just aware of war as something where people die a little more than usual.)
(But now, it didn't feel the same as it had then and at the same time, I can't send Tsubaki to that crazy place called "war".)
(But what can I do now? Do I have the "power" to change anything?)
Grimwood is no longer here.
The war still rages on.
"Jin Niisama. Take this."
As if remembering, Tsubaki held out the sword bag that was propped up beside her. She untied the string that had been around it and opened the bag. Inside was a single sword in a blue scabbard with a silver-green handle.
"Yukianesa...”
The luggage they had been told to pack was almost gone. There were only a few pieces of minimal equipment lying around from when they left the encampment with Grimwood.
Yukianesa was nowhere to be found, but that was a Nox Nyctores. If he needed it, he would just call out to it and it will come back, like a summoning spell. That's what Jin thought when it was gone, so didn't pay much attention to it.
He didn't expect it to come back to him like this.
“It's valuable to you and I didn't want it to get lost. I've been keeping it at the Yayoi household. This is Jin Niisama's most precious possession, yours truly."
Tsubaki then presented Yukianesa to Jin with the sword bag intact, without touching it directly. When Jin had come to the Kisaragi family as an adopted child, this sword had been the only personal item he had with him. Tsubaki knew that.
As he was offered the sword, Jin took it from the bag. Through the soft cloth, he could feel the cool air of the pale blue scabbard.
Jin chuckled at the corner of his lips.
(Of course, this is the only "power" I have...)
The Nox Nyctores "Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa". This is the weapon that fought the Black Beast. If this sword had saved the world in the past, could it save at least one organization in turmoil during a civil war? Would I be able to protect at least this one girl who cared so much for me?
"Thank you, Tsubaki."
Jin stood up and returned only the sword bag to Tsubaki.
By that time, Jin's eyes had already changed their expression. This quiet, peaceful breaktime was over. It was too early for him to take any break. It was simpily not meant to be for him right now.
"I will do it."
There were still some things I hasn't finished.
"Are you going back to...?"
Tsubaki's lonely voice hung on his back. Jin nodded, gripping Yukianesa's scabbard tightly.
"Yeah. I'm not just going back. I'm going to 'End' it."
(That's what I've been entrusted with and it's the only thing I can do right now.)
Tsubaki stood up and saw Jin off as he started to walk away.
"Take care of yourself. When you return, I will welcome you wholeheartedly."
The gentle girls voice strengthened Jin's resolve.
Part 3
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