Is it because you can't bring Hiyama and the others back to Japan?

Or was it because of the incident caused by his own students, which resulted in the deaths of many people?

Or all of the above, including what I do...

As Aiko stood there with her head lowered silently, as if enduring something, footsteps were heard.

The sound was exceptionally loud, and the other party might have deliberately made it loud to make his presence known, as he normally wouldn't make such noise.

Aiko suddenly came back to her senses and raised her head to look in the direction of the footsteps.

“Nagumo-san…”

"What a coincidence, teacher."

The person in front of Aiko’s sight was Hajime.

In the setting sun, eyes shone with an orange glow as they looked directly at Aiko. Hajime was holding a flower, clearly offering it, and Aiko looked a bit surprised by this.

Hajime sensed Aiko's thoughts from her expression, and with a wry smile, he placed the flowers on the flower stand.

"I also feel a certain desire to mourn the deceased, Sensei."

"Eh? Ah, no, I didn't mean that..."

Hajime said to Aiko in a very hurt tone, and Aiko waved her hands around in panic to hide her surprise.

Hajime shrugged, indicating that he was just joking, and stood silently beside Aiko.

Aiko kept glancing towards Hajime, who was looking up at the huge Chunrei Pagoda. He didn't pay much attention to Aiko, nor did he seem to want to speak.

The silent atmosphere made Aizi feel anxious, and she had no choice but to take the initiative to start the conversation.

"Uh~ That flower... is it for Hiyama-san and the others?"

"How could that be? This is dedicated to Meld."

Hearing that Aiko's guess was hilariously wrong, Hajime raised an eyebrow and answered bluntly.

"To Captain Meld..."

"Yes, although we've only known each other for a short time, I don't dislike him. Despite his conflicting stance, causing him many troubles and occasional failures, he continued to strive for self-improvement... Losing him is truly a pity, so I wanted to at least give him a flower."

“Nagumo-san… you’re right…”

After hearing what Hajime said, Aiko's expression softened.

As long as they were enemies, he would kill them all without mercy, but he still mourned the dead, which comforted his beloved son.

Seeing that Hajime had come specially to present flowers, Aiko naturally smiled.

The truth was that when Yue and the others were about to enter the bathhouse, they showed a fierce look in their eyes and almost dragged Hajime into the bathhouse. Although Hajime had escaped, he had nothing to do in the free time. He happened to see the flowers in the vase decorating the corridor and thought he would come and offer some flowers to kill time, so he picked some flowers from the vase and came over...

However, since I felt sorry for Meld from the bottom of my heart, there was no need to explain it specifically.

Hajime kept these secrets to himself, but when he saw his son smiling, he couldn't help but frown.

"Teacher, don't you blame me..."

"what?"

This sudden remark left Aiko bewildered.

"I'm referring to Hiyama. His situation was different from Shimizu's. Although he was eaten by a monster in the end, it was just as if I had killed him. I killed another student that the teacher valued the most. Kondo was already dead, but I was the one who destroyed him to the point of leaving nothing behind... I thought the teacher would be angry with me."

"..."

The smile on Aiko's face disappeared and she lowered her head again.

Hajime remained silent and did not press her for an answer.

I don't know how long the silence lasted.

Finally, Aiko slowly spoke:

"...Honestly, I can't let it go so easily. Even though I can't forgive Hiyama-san for killing Shirosaki-san, I still hope he can live to atone for his crime if possible. Kondo-san's fate has deeply affected me, but I also understand how angry Nagumo-san is. After all, someone important was killed right before my eyes... Even if you didn't act according to my wishes, I can't lose my temper with you... Besides, I have no right to blame Nagumo-san."

Aiko clasped her hands in front of her chest and rubbed her upper arms with her palms, as if to warm her cold body.

"Teacher, are you talking about what we did at the church base?"

"..."

Aiko acquiesced. Aiko had nearly suffered a mental breakdown, and only with the help of Hajime's comfort and Tio's regeneration magic could she manage to pull herself together, but guilt and ethical concerns once again wore her spirit down.

A closer look revealed that even with makeup covering it up, Aiko had dark circles under her eyes, and it was obvious that she hadn't slept for several days, and perhaps even had a nightmare.

Silence fell once again, and Hajime said nothing;

Perhaps unable to bear the atmosphere, Aiko asked in a weak voice:

“…Nagumo-san…won’t that hurt?”

"You mean killing people? I don't feel any pain... I think it's because some of my emotions were damaged when I was at the bottom of the abyss, so I can't empathize."

"..."

Hearing what Hajime said, Aiko showed a painful expression. Whether it was learning about Hajime's emotional damage or his feelings about killing, it was the main reason that made Aiko's mental pain even worse.

“…No one… blames me…”

"Um?"

Aiko couldn't help but reveal her feelings.

"No one blamed me. The way my classmates looked at me didn't change. People in the palace even looked at me with admiration."

This was true. Because the memory of Hajime's brutal battles was so vivid, the classmates didn't really feel that Aiko had assisted in the killings. Instead, they felt that Aiko was fighting on the front lines for them. And they only felt gratitude for Aiko's help in de-brainwashing the kingdom's nobles and civil servants.

"Although I told Mr. David and the others everything, even they simply left the room, hoping to give them time to think about it, and didn't blame me. I clearly took away their important faith."

Blood dripped from his clenched lips.

Aiko probably wanted someone to blame her. Killing someone... is a heavy responsibility. Unless one is a madman or a wicked person, the sharp blade of guilt and moral principles will usually damage their spirit.

For such people, being blamed or punished is, in a sense, a form of redemption.

Aiko also unconsciously longs for redemption, but no one punishes her.

Even though Aiko was indeed one of the main reasons for the defeat of the church members, Hajime believed that Tio would have found a way to annihilate these people even without her.

Therefore, Hajime felt that Aiko was shouldering too much of the blame alone, so he scratched his cheek in embarrassment and said to her:

“Teacher, even though you said that, the direct cause was Tio’s fire breath. You were just assisting her, right? I don’t think you need to shoulder all the blame and think that it was all your fault…”

“This has nothing to do with whether or not I took action! I did…know that I could kill them, but I still helped Miss Tio. That’s no different from killing them directly!”

Aiko's rebuttal was unexpectedly strong. Perhaps she was embarrassed about yelling, so she shrank back and seemed to feel very sorry.

Hajime, who was standing by, was silent for a moment before quietly asking:

"...Do you regret it?"

“!… No, I had already made up my mind at that time, so I went with Miss Tio… because I couldn’t just sit there and watch the Church’s actions… and I also wanted to save you… and if I left it alone, the students would definitely suffer… so I…”

Aiko said in a painful tone that she "has no regrets."

At that time, Aiko saw Ishtar and the others cornering Hajime. In order to prevent them from attacking Hajime and the students, she made up her mind to do whatever it took, even if it meant getting her hands dirty.

Her resolve then remained unchanged until now. However, the pain she felt was the sin of a murderer, and it was not something that could be easily dispelled by reason.

Hajime looked at his distressed beloved son beside him and sighed softly without being noticed. Hajime couldn't help but wonder inwardly, why would a teacher's beloved son reveal such a heavy heart to a student like him? He was clearly just here to kill time...

Then, Hajime recalled what Bai Tianyue and Shizuku had pointed out about Aiko's feelings for him, and he couldn't help but feel a headache. So this was the reason. It seemed that for Aiko, Hajime had gradually moved beyond the scope of being a student.

Hajime's gaze darted around in the air, as if searching for words.

"Will the teacher still be a teacher from now on?"

"what?"

Aiko couldn't help but look surprised at Hajime's abrupt question, then she remembered that Hajime had asked the same question before.

At that time, I should have answered confidently, "Of course!" But...

"..."

But she couldn't answer it right now. A question flashed through her mind: Can a murderer call himself a teacher?

Aiko clenched her teeth and showed a painful expression. Everyone could see that she was facing an immense struggle in her heart.

As if he had anticipated this, Hajime spoke on behalf of his son, who was unable to answer.

"If you are willing to be our teacher from now on, then... could you please listen to your student's willful wishes?"

"A willful... wish?"

Aiko, whose face looked as if she was about to collapse, couldn't help but show a confused expression when she heard what Hajime said.

"Yes, a willful wish."

Hajime nodded in affirmation, his gaze shifting from the Chunrei Pagoda he had been staring at, and he turned to face Aiko, looking directly into her eyes.

Seeing the warmth that seemed to envelop people in Hajime's eyes as he looked at her, Aiko stared into Hajime's eyes as if attracted.

After confirming that his own figure was clearly reflected in Aiko's eyes, Hajime slowly spoke.

The following words were indeed just as Hajime had said, a very willful wish.

"Teacher... I hope you will continue to harbor guilt. I hope you will bear that burden. Fight normally, bear guilt normally, worry normally, complain normally. That kind of normality is even a little dazzling to me, because it's a feeling I can no longer feel... Teacher, you will be a role model for me to never forget what a normal person should be. So please continue to bear your responsibilities, and I will look upon you as a normal person. That way, after returning to Japan, I will definitely be able to live a normal life."

“Nagumo-san…”

Aiko's eyes widened in surprise at what Hajime said.

She probably never dreamed that Hajime would neither blame her nor comfort her, but instead hoped that she would continue to suffer in the future.

Hajime's willful wish, in a sense, was like adding insult to injury to his beloved son, but it also made his beloved son feel like the light had lifted from the clouds.

Taking responsibility for one's own decisions and actions is not easy, especially when accompanied by pain. Aiko's desire to escape was also frustrating. Perhaps it was her innate personality, her determination, and her awareness that prevented her from escaping, thus compounding her pain.

However, some people will be redeemed by seeing themselves in pain; some people will remember the important emotions they have lost.

Aiko thought—

Ah, it’s really willful. How can there be such ruthless and gentle willfulness?

Transparent drops of water slid down Aiko's cheeks. She had been holding back tears until now, believing she had no right to cry since it was her own doing, but now the tears easily burst forth.

Aiko burst into tears, and Hajime looked away, turned his back to her, and told her the last words in a troubled tone.

"When the pain is unbearable and you can't hold on any longer...if there's no one else around...if there's really no one else who can help...I'll lend you my back."

“…You…really…”

Hajime's back was to Aiko, his figure seemingly saying, "I didn't know you were crying!" Aiko smiled with tears in her eyes, leaning over and burying her face in Hajime's back.

"Then please lend me your back for a moment... Nagumo-kun."

"No problem, Sensei."

Hajime responded easily, and Aiko smiled, leaning against his back, tears streaming down her face as if to release some accumulated stress, and renewed her vows.

——Continue to be a teacher, and continue to bear the sins. As long as a wayward student is still looking at her... she feels that she can hold on.

The two people's shadows stretched to the east, and for a long time, in the afterglow of the setting sun, only sobbing sounds could be heard.

Afterwards, Hajime returned to the palace with his beloved son, who had finally stopped crying. However, his son blushed and lowered her head constantly, following Hajime closely. Hajime thought to himself, "I might have messed up!" Needless to say, he panicked and sweated profusely.

Then, just as Hajime expected, he was discovered by Yue and the others and taken into the room.

Compared to Shia and the others' pressing questions, what caused Hajime the most pain was of course Yue's expressionless and silent stare.

Also, regarding David and the other Knights Templar, Hajime and Aiko happened to run into them on their way back to the palace...and it seemed that love for Aiko won out in the end.

Their values ​​had already begun to diverge from their roles as Aiko's guards. Upon returning to the capital, they were forced to separate from Aiko and, unable to confirm his safety, were ordered to remain on the ground. From that moment on, they developed a distrust of those associated with the church.

Later, he learned the truth about the Holy Church and God, and the church base collapsed. Although he was greatly shocked, he finally concluded that he could not hate his beloved son.

Although there is also a sense of self-abandonment...

They seemed to have decided to worship the "Goddess of Fertility" from now on and dedicate themselves to rebuilding and protecting the capital as knights of the kingdom.

After all the twists and turns, I always feel that their love for their son seems to have been sublimated... But I believe they also have their own reasons.

“Oh my god! Hajime-san, you’re such a jerk!”

"Hajime-kun... could you please have a little respect for yourself?"

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