Scenario:Shushuku - Soon the Day Will Come

Soon the Day Will Come

(Captain) and the others visit one of Shushuku's acquaintances to learn more about the yupei. She receives a golden key from a dread-inducing presence that only she can see, which causes memories of her grueling childhood full of training to come flooding back.

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Hoping to learn more about the fallen yupei, (Captain) and company follow Shushuku to her supposedly knowledgeable acquaintance.

Lyria: Brrr... This place is so dark and chilly... It's kinda scary...

Vyrn: It's givin' me the heebie-jeebies... Are ya sure someone even lives here?

Shushuku: Yeah! Don't worry, I've never met a nicer soul! C'mon, follow me!

The crew arrives in front of what appears to be a shrine. Shushuku then knocks on its door before calling for her friend.

Shushuku: Koku? Koku! Are you asleep or something? Wake up!

Lyria: I've got a bad feeling about this...

An air of impending doom suddenly fills the cave, causing (Captain) to break out into a cold sweat.

Shushuku: Oh, there you are! How have you been? Looks like you're doing great!

The cave walls reverberate from Shushuku's cheerful voice as she shouts into the void.

Vyrn: So who's she talking to? I don't see anybody around...

Shushuku: Huh? Are you really that worn out? Here, maybe some of my favorite snacks will cheer you up!

Shushuku: Wait, you're tired because of me?

Shushuku: But I didn't do anything wrong!

Shushuku: Fine, I might not be very useful, but... what's that got to do with your exhaustion?

Shushuku: Hold on, why are you giving me a key? What's this even for?

Shushuku: I have no idea what you're talking about. Do I need this key in order to learn more about the yupei?

Shushuku: Ah, wait! Hold on a sec! I still don't get it! Come baaack!

No longer sensing the ominous presence, (Captain) wipes the sweat away.

Shushuku: Hrm... I can't say I understand what's going on, but it looks like we have some kind of key now...

Vyrn: Are you sure that friend of yours isn't dangerous? I still feel chills goin' down my spine...

Shushuku: You do? But now that you mention it, I actually haven't the slightest clue.

Vyrn: Are you sayin' ya don't even know who you're talkin' to?

Shushuku: Hm, probably some kind of spirit—not that I know what a spirit's supposed to be like!

Lyria: A-anyway, let's get out of here!

As the party heads back outside, Shushuku stares inquisitively at the golden key in her hands.

Shushuku: (I swear... I've seen this before... But where?)

Shushuku: Duty this, duty that! I'm sick of hearing it! I'm getting rid of my training sword and handbook—and there's nothing you can do to stop me!

Shushuku: (I remember having... a training sword... and handbook... a long time ago...)

Young Shushuku: Sob... Sniffle...

Shushuku's Mother: Your opponent is still standing. Again.

The young Shushuku tightly grips her wooden sword. Come rain or shine, she spends every day training in order to fulfill her family's duty.

Young Shushuku: Sniffle... Volleying Blade... One, two, three!

Shushuku fights back her tears, putting her full weight behind each slash—but the dummy opponent refuses to budge.

Young Shushuku: Ow!

Shushuku looks down at her hands and spots a small red trickle coming from one of many calluses.

Young Shushuku: I'm bleeding...

Her mother quickly disinfects the wound and bandages the injured hand. Not wasting a single moment, she then speaks sternly to her daughter.

Shushuku's Mother: One more time.

Young Shushuku: But—

Shushuku's Mother: You still haven't advanced to the next stage of training even after nearly a decade of daily practice.

Young Shushuku: Sniffle... But my hand hurts...

Shushuku's Mother: Listen to me carefully, Shushuku. Now, it is I who is responsible for keeping Baihu in check, but one day, that burden will fall on you.

Shushuku's Mother: The time will come when it is you who will be in charge—that day could very well be tomorrow.

Young Shushuku: ...

Shushuku's Mother: When Baihu returns once more, it is our duty to defeat it before it can bring calamity to these skies...

Shushuku's mother brushes aside her daughter's bangs and gently strokes the beautiful golden crystal before her.

Shushuku's Mother: You were born to be a Cardinal Saint. Your body itself is proof of your destiny.

Shushuku's Mother: It was never my wish to force any of this upon you... And yet...

Young Shushuku: ...

Young Shushuku: Okay... I'll do it... I'll keep practicing!

Though but a child, Shushuku pushes through the pain and suffering, ignoring her youthful desires, and dedicates her every moment to training.

Young Shushuku: Urgh, I'm exhausted... But I still have to do some review reading before heading to bed...

Young Shushuku: Sniffle... Sob... It's okay. I can do this...

Young Shushuku: I need to train even harder... Someday, it'll be me who's in charge!

The day eventually arrives when her mother falls in battle, and Shushuku, now thirteen years of age, must rise to the challenge, facing Baihu on her own.

Baihu: ...!

Young Shushuku: Mother... I, Shushuku, will take on your duties and finish what you, the previous Cardinal Saint, could not—I swear it on the name of our family!

Young Shushuku: I-I'll be fine. I trained every single day! I've basically memorized my handbook with how many times I read it!

Young Shushuku: Volleying Blade!

Shushuku slashes at Baihu using the same techniques she had perfected over her countless training sessions.

Young Shushuku: Nice! I used everything I practiced so far! This should be enough to—

Baihu: ...

In the middle of her celebration, Shushuku notices Baihu from the corner of her eye. Her opponent sits before her, almost mockingly, without so much as a scratch.

Young Shushuku: Eeeek!

In an instant, Baihu strikes back, sending Shushuku flying. She gathers what little strength she has remaining and barely escapes with her life.

Young Shushuku: Huff... huff... I could train for a hundred years, and I still wouldn't be able to beat that thing!

Young Shushuku: My endless training... The pain and suffering I put up with... All for what?

Young Shushuku: Waaaah!

Punching a nearby wall, Shushuku laments the futility of her struggles—with nothing but a few bleeding calluses to show for her efforts.

Young Shushuku: Sniffle... Sob...

Suddenly, a certain evil presence appears from the shadows. It approaches the despairing young girl to offer a word of sympathy.

???: ...

Young Shushuku: Wh-who are you?

Young Shushuku: Yeah, I worked so hard... It's frustrating... Really, really frustrating...

Young Shushuku: Actually, maybe it isn't that I'm frustrated...

Young Shushuku: Because if that were the case, I'd want to train even harder! But I don't—no, I can't!

Young Shushuku: People keep telling me that things will happen one day, but when is "one day" even going to come? Just how long do I have to train if I want to defeat Baihu?

Young Shushuku: I don't care about being a Cardinal Saint! I could keep at it for a century and nothing would change!

Young Shushuku: What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? You know just as well as I do that it's impossible.

Young Shushuku: Oh well... At the end of the day, it's my own fault for foolishly chasing a goal I could only hope to "one day" accomplish...

Young Shushuku: How did I even put up with all of this for so long—and why?

Some time later, Shushuku finds herself standing before a mirror. Her surroundings have completely changed, and the figure in the reflection is nearly unrecognizable.

Shushuku: I've had it with waiting for things to happen. I'm tired of it all. It's about time I put myself first!

Shushuku: No more trying my hardest for a day that will never come! I'm living for the here and now!

In that moment, Shushuku buries her past in the far depths of her mind, changing everything about herself—from how she dresses to her manner of speech.

Shushuku: (Everything I am now traces back to that day... But if I hadn't listened to that voice, then...)

Shushuku: (This key... Is it mine?)

Vyrn: Hellooo? Can you hear me?

Shushuku: Hm? Ah, right. I can hear you just fine!

Shushuku: Oof!

Vyrn: I told ya to watch your step...

Lyria: Look, Shushuku. You scraped yourself. I'll fix you up.

Shushuku: Ah, thanks. You guys are, um...

Lyria: Hm? What is it?

Shushuku: You guys sure are nice to me. That's all!

Vyrn: Hey, you're the one constantly gettin' into trouble! Not like we have much of a choice...

Lyria: Ahaha...

Lyria: Oh, we've made it back to the entrance!

Squinting, (Captain) and the others slowly emerge from the cave into the bright outdoors.

???: To think those useless cretins could actually sense my presence... Damn them all...

???: No matter. They're a nonissue. I'll wait for as long as it takes to see my plans through...

Shrouded by the cave's shadows, a mysterious figure gazes at the crew with a cold, piercing glare.