This is not the date I wanted.

22 Family

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"Isn't all this just your own fault?"

Looking at Shidou indifferently, Mengyue asked back as a matter of course.

In response to this, Shidou was speechless as if his throat was strangled.

That’s right, just as Ryougi Yumezuki said, all of this was Shido Gokawa’s own fault.

As early as the first time she met with Hoshimiya Rokuko, Meng Yue had made it clear that Hoshimiya Rokuko was a spirit that did not need a strategy, and if it were not for DEM, she would not attack the Earth at all. If she was not dissatisfied with her life and would not cause harm to the people on Earth, sealing her spiritual power would be completely unnecessary for Rokuko.

On the contrary, if the [Heart Lock] is opened, Rokuko will not be as reasonable as she was at the beginning. No one knows what her original personality is like. Just as Mengyue said, it is not surprising that Rokuko is extremely possessive, jealous, depressed and prone to suicide, or has a tendency to kill.

No matter from which angle you look at it, Shidou's decision to capture Rokuko is completely unnecessary. If he had listened to Yumezuki's proposal and cooperated with Rokuko, who had not unlocked the [Heart Lock], to fight against DEM, the situation would definitely not be as bad as it is now.

It was Gokawa Shido himself who ignored Mengyue's advice and insisted on unlocking Rokuko's [Heart Lock] that sealed his spiritual power.

There is no doubt that the reason he ended up in this situation was not because of Rokuko or anyone else, but because of Shido Gokawa himself.

"Besides, hasn't the spirit named Rokuko already made concessions for you? Everyone has forgotten about you now, and even if you're not here, they can still live their normal lives without being affected. You can also complete your goal without any worries and accompany Rokuko to seal her spiritual power. From this perspective, isn't it a good thing?"

"..."

"...Ha, since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as your consent. You'll have to take responsibility for your own mistakes, so keep doing your best."

Seeing Shidou remaining silent, Mengyue sighed in disappointment and turned to leave.

However, before Mengyue walked out of the park, she felt her arm being tightly held by Shidao.

"What on earth are you planning to do?"

Helplessly stopping, Mengyue turned to look at Shidao, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.

"I'm not that free to play pantomime with you, so if you have nothing else to do, please let me go. Otherwise, I'll scream molest, and I really hate using that trick, so don't force me."

"I……"

Seeing Mengyue's annoyed expression, Shidao felt as painful as if a sharp sword pierced his chest. He subconsciously let go of her hand, lowered his head and barely squeezed out a few words.

"I'm sorry... I was wrong... Can you help me..."

"I'm talking to you, Gokawa boy..." Meng Yue looked at Shidao speechlessly and said, "In this society, not everything can be dealt with with just an apology. If you want to act like a spoiled child, wouldn't it be better to go directly to your Rokuko?"

A self-evident, yet extremely spicy answer.

As long as you apologize, you will be forgiven. This is a privilege that Mengyue gives to his family. Now that he has lost his memory, of course Mengyue will not accept his apology. Obviously, Shidao already knew this.

It was not until the moment of loss that Shidao realized how tolerant Mengyue was towards him.

(If only I could restore my memory... That's right!)

Thinking of this, Shidao suddenly had an idea. If Rokuko used the "Sealing Master" to seal Mengyue's memory, then he only needed to use the "Fake Witch" to imitate the "Sealing Master", and he could use the same method to restore everyone's memory.

As long as the sealed memory is released, Meng Yue will naturally forgive him.

The moment he realized this, the idea of ​​using "Unseal Master" on Meng Yue took root in his heart, sprouted little by little, and urged him to take action impatiently.

"Besides, you said you wanted my help, but what exactly are you planning to do, Gokawa boy?"

"……Eh?"

However, Meng Yue's sudden words made Shidao stunned.

"After all, Gokawa boy, didn't you intend to seal the spirit called Rokuko in the first place before opening the [Heart Lock]? And now you are asking me for help to restore everyone's memory, does that mean you have already planned to give up the spirit called Rokuko?"

"—?!"

After a while, Shidao suddenly woke up.

(What the hell am I doing?!)

Unlock the memory and let Meng Yue forgive him? That was just to protect himself from being hurt, a selfish and willful idea. If he did that now, what was the difference between that and when he ignored Rokuko's wishes and forcibly unlocked her heart?

Realizing the stupid thought that just popped up in his mind, Shidou gritted his teeth in self-blame.

(Calm down, why did I go to such lengths to quarrel with Mengyue? It wasn’t because I wanted Mengyue to tolerate my willfulness, but because I wanted to stand on an equal footing to gain Mengyue’s approval and reconcile. Didn’t I make this decision long ago?)

and--

[Indeed, judging from the current situation, Bilijiang's proposal is undoubtedly the most advantageous method for us. But that doesn't mean that the boy's idea is wrong. At the very least, if Bilijiang's idea is followed, the elves, including me, will not be able to be saved.]

[Saving Rokuko and protecting everyone——You can do both, so prove it to Meng Yue with your actions!!]

[Shidao, although I don't intend to support your idea of ​​saving Rokuko. But since you have made the decision, don't regret it.]

"I...want to save Rokuko."

Shidou took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, raised his head, looked straight at Mengyue and said.

"You're right, Mengyue. Everyone will forget me. It's all my own fault. Rokuko herself did nothing wrong. Since I was the one who unlocked her [Heart Lock], I naturally have to take the responsibility to save her, seal her spiritual power and accompany her to the end. But——"

Bitterness spread in his mouth, but Shidou swallowed it down and mustered up the courage to continue.

"Tohka, Origami, Yoshino, Kotori, Yakuya, Yui, Nanashi, Miku, Nia - and you, Yumezuki. I don't want you to forget me like this. You all... are my most important family..."

As he said this, Shidou suppressed the urge to cry, bent down towards Mengyue, and pleaded solemnly.

"I don't want to give up on either side! I know this is unreasonable, but give me a hand, Meng Yue!"

"..."

Time passed minute by minute, and just when Shidao was anxiously thinking that Mengyue was going to leave, Mengyue suddenly spoke.

"Just raise your head...it's not something unreasonable."

"Eh?"

After hearing this, Shidou raised his head and asked anxiously.

"I don't want my important family members to forget me, I want everyone to remember me. This is a natural thing, there is nothing wrong with it."

Pushing Shidou's shoulders to make him stand up straight, Mengyue explained calmly.

"You mean...are you willing to help me? Meng Yue?!"

"OK~ Since you've said so much, I have no choice but to help you."

Seeing Shidao's surprised expression, Meng Yue nodded and said with a wry smile,

"Rather, I was planning to find Rokuko from the beginning to help everyone recover their memories."

"Eh?" Hearing Mengyue's words, Shidao couldn't help but ask in confusion, "But, Mengyue, didn't you just say that you were going to school, and that this was all my own fault..."

"Alas - I think I shouldn't call you Gokawa boy anymore. It would be more appropriate to call you Idiot Shidou instead."

Seeing Shidao's honest, silly and cute look, Mengyue shook her head helplessly.

"Of course I was just trying to fool you. Who would be able to calmly say, 'Ah, it won't affect my daily life anyway, so let's just ignore it' after finding out that their memory is being toyed with?!"

As he spoke, Meng Yue clenched his fists and made a sound, showing his anger and murderous intent without disguising himself.

"Honestly, if that woman named Hoshimiya Rokuko appeared in front of me right now, I would definitely slap her in the face without hesitation!!!"　

"Haha...that's true."

Looking at Mengyue who was ready to fight, Shidao could only laugh dryly and agree.

(Speaking of which, Meng Yue has always said that she would not lie to her family. In other words, if the person she is talking to is not a family member, can she lie without changing her expression?)

Should I say that she is truly worthy of being called Meng Yue? Shidou thought to himself with a smile on his face.

"Well... that's it. I was just testing you. I'm sorry for being so mean, Gokawa Shidou."

"No, that's not the case." Shidao shook his head and said gratefully, "I should be thanking you, Meng Yue, for being willing to accompany my willfulness."

"Well... like I just said, I don't think your request is unreasonable, nor do I think your idea is willful. Well, in a sense, it is willful."

What am I talking about? After showing such a bitter smile, Meng Yue thought for a moment before speaking.

"After hearing your description of Hoshimiya Rokuko, although it's rude, I have always had the impression that she is a mentally ill person. If you want to save such a person, you will definitely regret it if you are not prepared to accompany her to the end."

"...!?"

As if he understood something, Shidou couldn't help but hold his breath.

Meng Yue looked at Shidao and smiled reassuringly.

"But if it's you, there shouldn't be any problem."

……

[But Shidou, have you ever thought about what kind of person Rokuko will be after unlocking the [Heart Lock]?]

[For example, Hoshimiya Rokuko is actually a very possessive and jealous woman. After the seal was opened, she fell hopelessly in love with Shidao, and then after seeing you being intimate with other girls, she became dissatisfied and fought with Tohka and the others.]

[Let me give you another analogy. What if Rokuko's [Heart Lock] was actually locked by someone else, and she actually had extremely severe depression? What if after you unlocked the [Heart Lock], she chose to commit suicide?]

[Ah, maybe Rokuko was actually a pleasure killer with an abnormal sexual fetish a long time ago, and when you unlocked his heart, he ran around the world killing people...]

[Mengyue, you don’t understand anything! ! ! !]

……

——Even if it is just like what Meng Yue said, I will not give up. I will find a way to stop Rokuko and save her so that she can live a stable life.

(If... I had chosen to answer like this at the time, then perhaps... we wouldn't have had a fight at all...)

After understanding Meng Yue's true intention at that time, Shidao felt a pain in his eyes.

(The one who doesn’t understand anything… is me.)

"Hmm? Itsuka Shidou, what's wrong with you?"

Mengyue waved her hand in front of Shidao, but when she saw that he didn't respond, she couldn't help feeling depressed.

However, at this moment, Gokawa Shido suddenly opened his arms and hugged Mengyue in his arms.

"--Eh?!"

After a second, Meng Yue finally realized that she was being hugged, and her cheeks suddenly felt hot.

"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up--"

"……sorry."

The choking sound in her ears made Mengyue fall into silence.

“…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…I’m sorry…”

The boy held her gently. Rather than being held, Meng Yue felt more like she was an important treasure, being carefully protected in the boy's arms.

"..."

Mengyue did not struggle, but just leaned quietly in Shidao's arms.

Although with her strength, she was sure she could easily break free even if Shidou held her tightly with all his strength, but she vaguely felt that if she did so, the boy who was crying and apologizing to her would most likely get hurt.

(What exactly is family?)

For some reason, Mengyue suddenly thought of this question.

If Dancun answered according to common sense, then the most correct answer would be blood relationship. The same blood flowing in the body is the most unshakable evidence of being a family.

But this answer does not apply to Liangyi Mengyue. After all, if this is the case, Tohka, Origami, and the Yamai sisters are not her family.

For Mengyue, what is important about family is not blood ties, but the memories accumulated from living together.

Put yourself in their shoes. If a stranger suddenly came to your house with a genetic comparison document and claimed to be your parent, you would probably be very confused.

Therefore, although Mengyue found a lot of evidence to prove that Gokawa Shidou was her family, she was missing the most crucial memory, which made her very troubled about how to treat Shidou.

"Really sorry."

"...Really, how long are you going to cry for?"

Hearing Shidao's sobbing words, Mengyue couldn't help but smile.

Then, as if it was a matter of course, Mengyue reached out and gently touched Shidao's head.

At this moment, um... how should I put it? Meng Yue suddenly felt like, "Ah, he is indeed my family." She accepted this fact very easily.

"Forget it. Since you've apologized, I'll forgive you."