The story we started

[After wrapping the bandage around the upper body of the Zaimokuza, Kousaka Kyousuke took out his cell phone from his pocket and called the Unidentified Lifeform Search Team.]

[“Yes, Mr. Kosaka?!”]

[“That’s right, you must immediately notify all members of the search team that their vacation is cancelled from now on, not——”]

[“Mr. Kosaka, please wait a moment! I have something urgent to tell you!”]

[“Hmm? What’s wrong?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke was a little slow to react when his words were suddenly interrupted, but when he heard the anxious tone of Gokou Ruri on the other side of the phone, a bad premonition suddenly emerged in his heart.]

[This made him frown and ask in a low voice.]

[“It’s like this! Just now your sister called the search team and said that your mother—”]

【"——————"】

[Hearing Gokou Ruri's next words, Kousaka Kyousuke's expression froze in an instant, and his pupils shrank to the size of a pinhole. ]

[All of this was seen by a pair of black eyes nearby. ]

……

【Chiba Prefecture, Chiba City, Municipal Hospital. 】

【10:54 p.m】

[“Your mother’s condition is not optimistic. She not only suffers from lumbar disease, neck and shoulder pain, lumbar muscle strain, arthritis, but also high blood pressure and endocrine dysfunction, and even malignant gastrointestinal tumors. These are all symptoms of long-term overwork.”]

[“Fortunately, you sent your mother here in time. Although each of these diseases is not fatal, when combined together, it is extremely dangerous for the patient. If she had been sent here a little later, her life would have been in danger.”]

[The doctor in a white coat pointed at the CT image displayed on the computer with a pen and said, while Kousaka Kirino sat on the chair opposite the doctor with a pale face, holding the straps of her shoulder bag tightly with both hands, and her fingers turned white. ]

[She felt that every word the doctor said was like a cold spear stabbing into her heart, and it hurt so much that she couldn't help wanting to cry.]

[“Doctor, can my mother get better?”]

[“My suggestion is to have the surgery today and then stay in the hospital for observation for a period of time. Under the care and treatment in the hospital, I can ensure that your mother’s condition does not deteriorate further.”]

[“So I need you, as a family member, to sign the surgery consent form. It is up to you to decide whether to proceed with the surgery.”]

【"I……"】

【Faced with the pen and consent form handed to her by the doctor, Kousaka Kirino bit her lower lip with her white teeth, biting it until it turned white.】

[Under the doctor's invisible eyes behind the reflective glasses, she did not take the surgical consent form and writing pen handed to her, but reached into her pocket to take out her cell phone.]

[“Excuse me, please…please let me make a phone call. I want to inform my brother.”]

【“It’s okay. Please do as you please.”】

……

[“This is what happened. Your sister wants you to go to Chiba Prefecture immediately to take care of your mother. Please go quickly!”]

【“…”】

[Listening to the news from Gokou Ruri, Kousaka Kyousuke lowered his head deeply, his bangs falling down to cover his eyes, making it impossible to see the expression hidden behind his hair.]

[Mom…]

[Thinking back to his mother's voice, smile, and the news of her hospitalization, he clenched his palms into fists, veins throbbing and his finger bones making crisp sounds.]

[After a few seconds, Kousaka Kyosuke's clenched fist loosened weakly, and he spoke calmly.]

[“…I understand. Gogen, you immediately notify the members of the search team who are on vacation and tell them that their vacation has been cancelled. Unconfirmed life form No. 23 has appeared. I will rush back to the headquarters to summarize the intelligence immediately.”]

[“Number, number 23!? But, Officer Kousaka, your mother—”]

[“The matter here is more important than that over there. Hurry up and inform them.”]

[“More importantly??? That’s your mother!”]

【“——Five o’clock.”】

[Faced with the excited questioning of the policewoman, Kousaka Kyousuke's voice remained calm, but his tone was much lower. ]

[“This is an order, do you understand?”]

[“…Yes, Officer Kousaka.”]

[Ruri Gokou on the other side of the phone could no longer say anything and could only bite her lip and accept her boss's orders.]

[“…I’ll be leaving now. Please go to the hospital and ask Makishima to treat your wounds. I have to go back to the headquarters to mobilize personnel.”]

[After hanging up the phone with Gokou Ruri, Kousaka Kyousuke turned to Zaimokuza next to him and told him what to do next, then turned around and hurriedly walked towards the river bank, his shoes leaving deep footprints on the beach.]

【“Mr. Kosaka!”】

【Zaimokuza, who had been listening to Kousaka Kyousuke's entire conversation in silence, stood up and shouted at his back after seeing him leave quickly.】

【"What's wrong?"】

[Kousaka Kyousuke stopped walking up the stairs and asked without turning his head.]

[“Is it really okay like this?”]

[“You and I were the first witnesses to see No. 23, and we understand its abilities best. Your special status makes it unsuitable for you to report at the meeting, so I have to be the one—”]

【“Mr. Kosaka!”】

[“You know, that’s not what I want to ask.”]

[Faced with Kousaka Kyousuke's explanation, Zaimokuza also emphasized his tone and interrupted him. ]

[“Isn’t your mother going to have surgery? And her condition is not very good. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital and look after her with your sister?”]

[“…My sister is there, nothing will happen.”]

[“What about you? Mr. Kosaka, do you really think this is okay? Don’t you have any intention of going to see your mother? You can let me deal with No. 23. Although the enemy this time is difficult, I am confident that I can handle it alone—”]

【“Zaimokuzu.”】

【Kousaka Kyousuke also interrupted Zaimokuza's words and slowly turned around, looking down at him with his dark eyes.】

[“You have to know one thing. Dealing with unidentified life forms is not only your responsibility, but also the responsibility of the police.”]

[“According to the crime patterns shown by the previously unidentified life forms, we need to deploy defenses against No. 23’s whereabouts and disperse the local people. At that time, No. 23, who can’t find a target to hunt, will turn his attention to the police.”]

[“At that time, casualties were inevitable, and each of those policemen had their own families, parents waiting for them to support them, wives waiting for them to come home to cook, and children waiting for their fathers to come back to teach them how to do their homework… and I am also a policeman, and they are all my colleagues, my subordinates, and my comrades-in-arms.”]

[“I am their superior, so I have the obligation to be responsible for their lives and safety. If their casualties increase because of my absence at this moment, I will never be able to forgive myself.”]

[“…What about your mother? If you don’t go now, Mr. Kosaka, your sister will definitely not forgive you. And you…can you forgive yourself?”]

【"cannot."】

[Without even a second of hesitation, Kousaka Kyousuke gave the answer. ]

[“No matter which side I choose, my heart will be condemned. Not only my family, but even I will not be able to forgive myself.”]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't say anything. He could only stare at the man on the high ground in amazement.】

[“Zaimokuza, you once said that the reason you fight is to protect everyone’s smiles, right?”]

【"……Um."】

[Kousaka Kyousuke directly threw the topic to Zaimokuza, which caught him off guard and he could only nod in agreement. ]

[“In fact, what I did was no different from what you did. I also wanted to protect the citizens from those inhuman monsters and keep their smiles.”]

[“If I go to the hospital, many of my comrades may die because of my absence. Their families will cry and the smiles on their faces will be taken away.”]

[“If I choose to fight alongside them instead of going to the hospital, I might be able to save more people and protect more smiles, but the price is that my family and I will lose our smiles, and even my sister will resent me for it.”]

[“One family cannot be compared to multiple families. Although they are the same, the number of people on one side far exceeds that on the other side…even if the oppressed side includes me.”]

[“This is my choice. Between ‘one’ and ‘many’, I chose the larger ‘many’.”]

[“How could it be… Smiles cannot be measured with numbers…!”]

【“Zaimokuza!”】

【Zaimokuza felt that he could not accept Kousaka Kyousuke's ideas at all, and refuted them with some emotion, but he was suppressed by his louder roar.】

[“…I told you this before.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke stared at Zaimokuza's expression, which was stunned by his roar, and spoke word by word.]

[“It’s hard to have the best of both worlds in this world. Sometimes we have to make a choice, whether we like it or not. That day will always come... It’s the same for everyone.”]

[“Especially for people in my profession, the chances and frequency of this happening are much higher.”]

[“Many of my respected predecessors have faced this kind of choice, and almost all of them made the same decision as I am now, including—”]

【Speaking of this, Kousaka Kyosuke closed his eyes, not wanting Zaimokuza to see the suppressed pain in his eyes.】

[“…I’m a police officer, Zaimokuza.”]

[“What the police should do is to protect more people. Even if they lose their smiles or even more, they should firmly choose the majority rather than the smaller group... This is the truth taught to me by a senior who I admire most.”]

[“We are the people’s last line of defense. If even we choose to be partial to the poor, what will happen to the vast majority of innocent people? Who will protect them?”]

[“While you and I are talking and arguing about this topic, maybe No. 23 has already started committing crimes again. Have you ever thought about what the families of those who died at its hands will feel like?”]

【"I……"】

[This sentence hits Zaimokuza's weak spot, leaving him completely speechless.]

[Does he know? Of course he knows what will happen to the relatives when they learn of the death of their loved ones.]

[In Nagano Prefecture, a certain girl's star-like tears were the reason why Zaimokuza chose to fight. He resolutely chose to step into the Shura battlefield in order to prevent such a thing from happening again.]

[“It seems that you are also very clear about this. That’s right…”]

[“Someone has to make sacrifices to protect people’s smiles. Isn’t that why you fight? You chose to sacrifice yourself, and I just made the same choice.”]

[“…I made my choice. I made the most appropriate decision for Kousaka Kyousuke to make as a police officer. That’s all.”]

[After saying this, Kousaka Kyosuke turned around and left immediately without looking back, leaving Zaimokuza standing there with his hand outstretched towards his back.]

【“——”】

【Watching that lonely but determined figure disappear into the distance, Zaimokuza lowered his outstretched hand and clenched it into a fist silently.】

[The cold wind blew past, leaving him standing here alone, staring blankly at the direction where Kousaka Kyosuke went.]

[“That’s not the case, Mr. Kosaka… That’s not the case…”]

【Zaimokuza clenched his teeth and looked at the footprints of Kousaka Kyousuke on the beach with complicated eyes.】

[Each footprint is very deep, which shows how heavy the owner's steps are and how fierce the inner struggle is, which is why they leave such marks that cannot be completely smoothed out even by the waves.]

[“The reason I choose to fight… is not only to protect people’s smiles, but also to prevent them from making such painful choices.”]

[A light breeze blew by, carrying Zaimokuza's mumblings high into the sky. ]

13. The story is called "Kamen Rider Kuuga" 7-in- K

Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Prefectural Chiba Benzan High School. mzjgyny.com

"My future self..."

Curled up in bed, Kyosuke Kousaka stared blankly at the "himself" in the light screen who walked towards the police car parked on the shore without hesitation and made his choice, his eyes shocked and dull.

If I were faced with this choice now...what would I do?

Kyosuke Kousaka tried to put himself in the situation of his future "self", but found that no matter how many times he faced this situation, he could only hesitate, or simply grit his teeth and choose his family, who were more important to him, and choose to give up those people and the police with whom he did not know or had a shallow relationship.

He could never do what "Kousaka Kyosuke" in the light curtain did, who after a brief struggle of less than a minute, resolutely chose the people in the majority and abandoned the people in the minority, even if they were his own family.

Kyosuke Kosaka once heard of a famous difficult problem: an out-of-control train was speeding towards the road ahead, and the railway ahead had two branches with a handle in the middle. The person holding the handle that could change the train track would make the decision.

This is the crux of the problem, because there are more than a hundred children playing on one railway track. They are naive and ignorant, have no talent for learning, and only know how to play all day long and waste their precious time. However, there is only one lonely child on another railway, but he is sensible and well-behaved, never causes trouble to others, has very good academic performance, and will definitely become a pillar of the country in the future.

A good child who is sensible and well-behaved, has excellent learning ability and will definitely contribute to the society in the future; and another hundred childish children who only know how to make trouble and it is unknown whether they will contribute to the society in the future. The person who holds the handle decides their life and death.

Although human life should not be put on the scales for decision, and it is even more inappropriate for people to make the choice, but as the future "Kyosuke Kosaka" said, a person will always face similar choices in life, whether he is willing or not.

If the life and death of both parties is decided by the person holding the handle, then knowing both children well, people will generally choose to save the child who is well-behaved, sensible and has excellent learning ability according to their own inclinations and ideas.

The problem faced by the future "Kousaka Kyosuke" is compounded by an even more outrageous difficulty.

That is, the well-behaved child who was alone on the other railway track was his "family".