Scenario:Ami - Ami's Wish

Ami's Wish

After returning the girl to her father, Ami tells the crew members about her family. Her parents were killed by Qinglong, but she drove the beast off herself right afterwards. Achieving such a feat at a young age caused her relatives to fear her, and now she intends to reclaim her friendship with her sister by fulfilling the duty Huanglong gave her and having it grant her wish. Afterwards, she returns to her cabin and speaks of her true feelings to a friend that only she knows about.

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Having rescued the little girl, the crew returns to the town.

Ami crouches down before the child and places her hand on her head.

Ami: If I hadn't made it in time, those monsters would have eaten you. Do you understand?

Little Girl: Eep...

Vyrn: Hey, your glare might be too much for kids to handle...

Lyria: She seems pretty scared, Ami... How about trying to soften your expression a little?

Ami: I'm scolding her, so that's how it should be. Stay quiet for a minute.

Lyria: O-okay.

Ami: Now, if you understand what I just said, then don't cause trouble for your dad like that again. Got it?

Little Girl: Y-yeah, I've got it. And I'm sorry for calling you scary earlier...

Little Girl: Oh, and also, thank you so much for saving me, miss!

Ami: Good job remembering to say that all by yourself. Don't forget how you felt today, okay?

The little girl responds to Ami's instruction with a timid nod.

Father: I'm sorry to put you to so much trouble. I can't thank you enough again for saving my daughter.

After expressing their gratitude to the crew, the father and his daughter head home, holding hands.

Ami silently watches them until they disappear from sight.

Ami: A happy family... How nice...

Vyrn: Oh yeah, we've heard about your relatives and sister, but you never mentioned your parents.

Vyrn: Are you, uh... not on good terms with them either?

Ami: That's not it. We had always gotten along great.

Lyria: Oh... You had?

Ami: Yeah. My parents...

Ami: My father, who was the previous Cardinal Saint, and my mother, who had been his assistant, died trying to defeat Qinglong.

Vyrn: Ah, I... Sorry...

Ami: Don't worry about it. It happened a long time ago.

Ami: And I used this weapon to drive Qinglong off immediately afterward.

Vyrn: Oh yeah, that crossbow's the proof that you're a Cardinal Saint and the head of your family, right?

Vyrn: So I'm guessin' you became a Saint because...

Ami: Yeah. My dad... The previous Saint's passing led to Huanglong choosing me to wield his power.

Ami: Then, using that power and this weapon, I drove Qinglong off.

Ami: Unfortunately, that led to people treating me like I was some kind of monster...

Vyrn: Why would they do that? You avenged your parents and stopped it from hurting any more people, didn't you?

Ami: My parents and other relatives had been powerless to stop Qinglong once it started demonstrating its true strength. One by one, they were defeated and died.

Ami: But then I, a child who had only just become a Cardinal Saint, drove it off.

Ami: My sister and other relatives couldn't accept that.

Lyria: And just because of that, they...

Ami: I know, right? It wasn't even my choice. Huanglong was the one who picked me.

Ami: That's why I decided to run away from home, but then they started treating me like a criminal.

Vyrn: You gotta be kidding me...

The story of Ami's tragic past leaves the three skyfarers with pained expressions.

Lyria: And you've been on the run ever since?

Ami: Yeah. The other Saints helped me get to different towns where I could hide.

Ami: That's when Huanglong, the master of the cardinal beasts, appeared to me in humanoid form.

Ami: I was told that if I fulfill my duty as a Cardinal Saint...

Ami: That is, if I defeat my beast and perform a wake on its yupei enough times, my wish will be granted.

Ami: After saying that, it just disappeared.

Vyrn: Seriously? Doesn't that sound a bit too good to be true?

Ami: Yes, it does. But on the other hand, I find it hard to believe that Huanglong would tell a lie like that, and more importantly...

Ami's expression turns pensive and she stops talking.

Lyria: Ami?

Ami: Never mind. Anyway, for several reasons I decided to believe Huanglong's promise.

Ami: Not out of innocent naivety, though.

Lyria: Because you want the wish it promised you?

Ami: Yeah. I want to make up with my sister, the only family I have left.

Ami: If it means that things can go back to how they used to be between us, then I'll...

Vyrn: Okay, I get what you're saying. But then why aren't you taking down Qinglong?

Vyrn: You left it to its own devices long enough for us to get called in.

Ami: Because I don't want to put pressure on the other Saints.

Lyria: Huh? What do you mean by that?

Ami: All four of us are dealing with some problem or another.

Ami: Because of that, none of us are fulfilling our duty.

Ami: If I started fulfilling mine, the others would be forced to ignore their problems and try to do the same.

Ami: I don't want that to happen. There's no reason for them to have to do that just because of my wish.

Ami: And most importantly, my wish isn't going anywhere. That's why I decided to prioritize their feelings for now.

Vyrn: You don't say...

Ami: What's that expression supposed to mean? If you have something to say, just say it.

Vyrn: Oh you know, I was just thinkin' that you're as kind as I thought you were.

Ami: Narg!

Lyria: So you're thinking of the other Saints, even though you have your own problems...

Lyria: Hehe, I think that side of you is really nice, Ami!

Ami: Nuah... Don't say stuff like that. I'm not used to praise.

Ami turns away from the three skyfarers to keep them from seeing her blushing.

Vyrn: Anyway, I wonder what Huanglong's deal is...

Vyrn: Why did it even give you Saints the duty to defeat the cardinal beasts and perform wakes on their yupei in the first place?

Vyrn: Has it got some kind of goal in mind? I can't make heads or tails of it...

Ami: Huanglong didn't say anything about that, so I have no idea.

Ami: (Well, I have a theory, but it's so out there that I don't plan to share it with anyone yet.)

With that, Ami walks off. Her friends hastily follow after her.

After they finish their shopping, Ami heads back to her cabin alone.

Ami: Nuah... Nuaaah! I told them about my past!

Ami: Some of that stuff I'd never told anyone but Uruki before... Nau...

???: All right, don't panic. You've already told them, and there's nothing you can do to change that now!

Ami: I mean, yeah, but... Nyuh... Oh, why did I go and do that...

???: Come on, you know why.

Ami: Huh?

???: Because you feel the same way about your new friends as you do about Chichiri, Shushuku, and Uruki.

???: You trust them just as much as you do the other Cardinal Saints!

Ami: I do?

Ami: ...

Ami: (Those three didn't start treating me like a monster even after seeing me fight seriously, and they even became worried for my sake.)

Ami: (They didn't push me away like my sister or relatives did.)

???: That made you really happy, didn't it?

Ami: Yeah... I think that's why I trusted them. But...

Ami's smile disappears as her face clouds with worry.

Ami: I wonder what they'd think if they saw me right now, though...

Ami: After all, the "me" that I show them is...

Ami: I bet they'd say that this is weird... That it doesn't fit me...

???: Hey, don't worry about it. You can trust them.

Ami: ...

Ami nods and hugs her conversation partner tight to her chest.