The story we started

[Zaimokuza silently looked at the furious Makishima Saori in front of him, his originally clear eyes now turned into a somewhat incomprehensible depth.]

[It's like an ancient well, the water is still clear, but you can no longer see the bottom. ]

【"call……"】

[Makishima Saori took a deep abdominal breath, her full chest swelled up with the large amount of oxygen flowing in, and then calmed down.]

[“I’m sorry, Mr. Zaimokuza, you made a fool of yourself.”]

[Zaimokuza shook his head to indicate that it was okay, and she pursed her moist lips and continued talking.]

[“In short, the superior’s order put a lot of pressure on the police’s actions at the time. Fortunately, not all the senior police officers were of that kind. Those who did practical work were attacked from both inside and outside. On the one hand, they tried to delay the superiors as much as possible, and on the other hand, they racked their brains to think of ways to rescue the hostages and arrest the robbers. At the same time, they continued to send negotiation experts to appease the robbers.”]

[“This delay lasted for two whole days… and it also caused irreversible consequences.”]

【"what happens?"】

[Although it was a question, Zaimokuza already had a vague premonition in his heart. 】

[He may now understand why Makishima Saori used the word "they" when referring to those bandits.]

[“The police only considered how to buy time to find a solution to the incident and save the lives of the hostages, but forgot to consider one thing.”]

[“They never thought about what kind of desperate criminals those gangsters were.”]

[“According to the subsequent investigation and evidence collection, all of those criminals were extremely vicious villains, each of them had killed no less than ten people, and they had done basically all the evil things that humans can imagine, such as drug trafficking, drug taking, buying and selling human organs, rape and murder…”]

[“At that time, they had just taken drugs before committing the crime.”]

【“——”】

[Hearing this, Zaimokuza couldn't help but hold his breath for the first time. ]

[What happens if someone who has used drugs becomes addicted again? ]

[Zaimokuza didn't know what that feeling was, but he had seen people like that before, when he traveled to a certain country and passed by the "Zombie Street" which was in a sense world-famous.]

[Because he had seen that miserable state, Zaimokuza knew very well how crazy those people would become when they had no medicine to take.]

[In the eyes of those people, human ethics are no better than paper. Everything can be torn apart. As long as they can get another pill, they will be happy to slaughter their entire family in exchange, because by then, humans have already turned into pure beasts.]

[“When the first robber became addicted to drugs, the other robbers also began to do so one after another. Their eyes were dominated by madness and violence at that moment. All rationality disappeared completely. In the darkness of the power outage, they were like a pair of glowing green wolf eyes.”]

[“The negotiation expert had just walked in at that time, and before he could say anything, a gangster cut his throat with a dagger and killed him. And then…”]

[As if she had thought of something, her voice could not help but tremble at this moment, and she could not help but hug her shoulders with her hands, and her whole body was shaking slightly.]

[“Next, they…”]

[After saying this, Makishima Saori could no longer continue, and her entire body went from trembling slightly to shivering.]

[“Hmm——!?”]

[Just then, a warm hand was placed on her shoulder. The warmth from the palm startled her subconsciously, and she raised her head in panic.]

[A pair of warm black eyes appeared before his eyes. Zaimokuza quietly looked at Makishima Saori's panicked expression, which she had never had since they met. He looked straight at her without wavering, as if he wanted to convey his inner determination with his eyes.]

【Looking at those gentle eyes, Makishima Saori's body gradually calmed down. 】

[She opened her mouth and spoke in a hoarse voice.]

[“…………Later, when a gangster wanted to attack Kosaka-kun’s sister and her friends, Kosaka-kun, who was tied up with other male hostages, used the broken glass water cup on the ground to cut the ropes that bound his hands and feet, and rushed forward without hesitation to knock the gangster to the ground.”]

[“At that time, the other gangsters did not react because they were abusing other women in the store. After Kosaka-kun pounced on the gangster, he immediately snatched the pistol from his waist and shot another gangster.”]

[“Kousaka-kun had received a Morse code message from his father using a light before. The message was - if there is any danger, make a loud noise and I will rush in immediately.”]

[“The gunshot and the scream of the gangster due to being shot in the knee were the signal.”]

[“The police who had been lurking nearby immediately took action after receiving the signal. Led by Kosaka-kun’s father, they broke into the cafe. The criminals who reacted immediately picked up their guns and fired back. The entire cafe became the scene of a gunfight in the first place.”]

[“Although several hostages were shot, fortunately, none of them were in danger of death after receiving first aid from the doctors who stayed outside.”]

[“In the chaos, the police shot and killed several of the gangsters, while several others were shot and fell to the ground with serious injuries.”]

[“That leader…when he saw the situation was bad, he immediately took off his coat to reveal the bomb tied under his clothes, which frightened the police who wanted to shoot and took the opportunity to grab Kosaka-kun’s sister as a hostage. With the threat of these two, he forced all the police to retreat.”]

"Kirino!???"

When Kyosuke Kousaka heard this, his heart tightened. Of course he understood that the "Makishima Saori" on the light curtain was referring to his sister, with whom he had been in a cold war until their relationship reconciled recently.

But his tense body soon relaxed as he realized that was the future, not the present.

"But...offline online fan meeting? Is it the party that Kirino told me about recently?"

Thinking of this, Kyosuke Kousaka frowned into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

I absolutely cannot let my sister continue to attend that Shilaozi netizen meeting! He secretly made up his mind.

At the same time, his father, Daisuke Kosaka, also made the decision.

The corners of Kousaka Daisuke's eyes were raised with obvious wrinkles, and his sharp eyes revealed obvious dissatisfaction and palpitations.

"Sure enough, I still neglected to discipline these two children because of my usual work. I must educate them well when I come back and make them stay away from these things that can make people lose their ambition and attract danger!"

[“In this situation, all the police could only take the opportunity to retreat with the remaining trapped hostages and the executed criminals, leaving only Kosaka-kun and his father there to continue confronting the leader who had held his sister hostage.”]

[“No one knows what happened in that coffee shop afterwards.”]

[“All I know is that after a few gunshots, all the police officers rushed in again, and all they saw was the gang leader and Kosaka-kun’s father lying on the ground covered in blood.”]

[“——And Kousaka-kun, who was standing there with a smoking gun, trembling all over, and his sister, who was crying while hugging her father.”]

[“Afterwards, Kosaka-kun’s father was seriously injured and died despite all possible rescue efforts.”]

【“…That’s everything I know about that case.”】

[After Makishima Saori finished her last words, silence enveloped the place completely, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was suffocating.]

[Zaimokuza lowered his head and looked at the broken pieces of the water cup that had splashed down at his feet. The broken pieces reflected his complex and indescribable eyes.]

[Thinking back to Kousaka Kyosuke's expressionless face with lines as hard as stone that had remained for most of the time since they met, he gently closed his eyes.]

[——This is my choice. Between "one" and "many", I chose the larger number of "many".]

[——I am a police officer, Zaimokuza.]

[——And 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 side with fewer people... This is the truth that one of my most respected predecessors taught me. ]

[——Someone has to make sacrifices to protect people's smiles. Isn't this also the reason 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 as a police officer. That's all.]

[Before the two of them parted, the words the other person said rang in their minds again. ]

[Zaimokuza couldn't tell what he felt right now. He just felt like a bottle of spilled vinegar, sour and tasteless at the same time.]

["...Mr. Kosaka."]

[He whispered Kousaka Kyousuke's name, his eyes lowered and his long eyelashes closed.]

[It was not until this moment that Zaimokuza finally understood what kind of mood Kousaka Kyosuke was in when he said those words, and how much determination and willpower it took to make such a choice.]

[I also realized how much weight and bitterness were contained in his insincere words, but he never said even a word to me, the one closest to him.]

[——You did the right thing.]

【You are always right. 】

17. The Price of a Hero -in-

[…Afterwards, the senior officials used all their energy to cover up the truth of the incident. After the hostages in the cafe were rescued, everyone received a sum of money as compensation that they could not get in their entire working lives. The condition was that they had to sign a confidentiality contract and not spread the matter to others, otherwise they would bear legal responsibility. wanben.info”]

[“In addition to this, they paid a huge amount of compensation to the family of the only police officer who died in this incident, in addition to the routine pension. Officer Kosaka was posthumously named a martyr.”]

[“But the Kosaka family resolutely refused the compensation. They only took the pension left by Mr. Kosaka Daisuke and moved to another place in Chiba Prefecture. They never returned to their hometown.”]

[“I originally thought that after experiencing such injustice and witnessing the darkness of officialdom when he was a minor, Kosaka-kun would always resolutely distance himself from the police profession...but the facts proved that I was wrong.”]

[“On this point, I… don’t understand Kousaka-kun at all. He is stronger than I thought.”]

[Speaking of this, Makishima Saori's tone became somewhat lonely, but also somewhat relieved. ]

[“In the following years, Kosaka-kun changed his lazy nature and became very hardworking. After his father passed away, he became the only breadwinner of the family. While studying and working part-time to supplement the family income, he refused the help of his father’s former colleagues and superiors and passed the police academy through his own efforts.”]

[“After graduation, he inherited his father’s legacy and became a police officer. He was transferred to Nagano Prefecture. In just a few years, he solved many large-scale and old cases that even experienced seniors in the area found difficult to solve. He became the most famous rising star in the police force, easily surpassing all his father’s achievements in his decades of work. Everyone praised that Kosaka-kun was his father’s greatest pride.”]

[“Later——”]

[At this point, the female doctor raised her head and looked at Zaimokuza who was listening attentively with a gleam in her eyes.]

[“…Kousaka-kun, I met you, Zaimokuza-san, and your story began.”]

[“Mr. Zaimokuza, do you know? Before I met you, Kosaka-kun basically never smiled. He always looked cold 365 days a year. Although he has countless friends, admirers, and even admirers, no one can make him show an expression other than “expressionless” on his face. Only in front of his sister and mother, who are his family members, will Kosaka-kun take off the mask on his face a little bit.”]

[“He was secretly teased by many colleagues as “the cold detective who doesn’t like women” and “the emotionless work machine”. They said that Kosaka-kun was even more like a monk than a monk who had been ordained for many years. It was estimated that only girls born in Hokkaido with a kind heart would choose to marry Kosaka-kun. Otherwise, they would be suffering in life, because he was as cold as a stone frozen at the bottom of a river by ice and snow. As long as Kosaka-kun was around, there was no need to turn on the air conditioner even in the summer.”]

[“But after meeting you, the cold and indifferent Kosaka-kun began to change and became more humane.”]

[“In contrast to his cold and powerful appearance, the lifeless Kosaka-kun gradually came to life while getting along with you. A smile gradually appeared on his seemingly frozen face, and he began to turn back into the ordinary boy he was when his father was still alive. All of this was brought to him by you, Mr. Zaimokuza.”]

[“Although Kosaka-kun has never told anyone, I can see that you, Mr. Zaimokuza, have long been his best friend. You have also done things that many people, including me, have been unable to do over the years.”]

[“That is to become the only person other than family members who can successfully open Kousaka-kun’s long-closed heart and enter his heart.”]

[“Because of his encounter with Zaimokuza Yoshiki, he gained a unique treasure for Kousaka Kyousuke—the smile he had lost for a long time.”]

[“So I want to believe that, Zaimokuza…”]

[Makishima Saori stretched out her fair hands and held up Zaimokuza's right hand, her eyes and words filled with unprecedented sincerity and pleading.]

[“…Only you. Only you can do this.”]

[“I beg you to untie the knot in Kousaka-kun’s heart, free his soul from years of pain and self-blame, and let him smile without any shadow on his face again.”]

[“Please.”]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza felt the two soft hands holding his right hand, looked at the pleading look in Makishima Saori's eyes that he had never seen since they met, and fell silent.】

【But his left hand slowly stretched out and covered Makishima Saori's closed palms. 】

[“Leave it to me, Ms. Makishima.”]

[Zaimokuza's mouth curved upwards in a gentle arc, revealing a gentle smile.]

[The warm golden sun shines in from the window, and the light hits his face, but it is completely suppressed by the warmth brought by that smile, and can only serve as a foil. ]

[“I promise you—I will protect Mr. Kousaka’s smile.”]

Outside the light curtain, everyone in the real world was silent after hearing the story of the future "Kousaka Kyosuke".

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"Tsk, why do I feel that the people on the human side who are related to our school are basically very bitter and vengeful."

Miura Yumiko smacked her lips unhappily and continued speaking with a speechless expression.

"First, Yui lost her lover Hikio in the future, and could only live a lonely life with regret for her beloved. Then, there was Yukinoshita, who lost her club members and her figure was forever frozen in junior high school. Then, there was Hikio, who only lived in memories. It was bad enough that she was treated as a clown and ridiculed in high school, but in the future, she also lost her sister, and in the end, she died in an unclear way."

"And then there are the two people who are the undisputed 'protagonists' of this 'story'. Kousaka Kyousuke witnessed his father die in front of him, and then suffered all kinds of persecution. The hospital basically became his second home, and now he is faced with having to choose between his mother and the masses."

"And Zaimokuza, who always has a smile on his face in the future, is the most miserable one among all of them. Both his parents are dead, and he is wandering around the world alone without any relatives. Moreover, he may have sexual orientation problems during the journey and become gay. His car and ID card were burned down in Nagano Prefecture along with the previous motorcycle. Now he can only work illegally in that Kawasaki coffee shop as an unemployed vagrant all year round, and he has to fight those unidentified life forms all day long. Serious injuries have become commonplace."

“I feel like in the future they can form a “Bereavement and Life Grief Seminar”.”

"Yu, Yumiko!? What are you talking about! My future self is losing love love love--"

"..."

"Uh-huh!"

"??."

Her sharp remark made Yuigahama Yui's face turn red and she protested in panic, made Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes twitch, made Zaimokuza Yoshiteru feel like he was stabbed in the heart again, and a clear crossroads appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's forehead.

"Your summary... is really insightful, Miura."

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at the members of the Service Club who were so upset by what they said, and quietly took a few steps away from Miura Yumiko to avoid being struck by the lightning.

"…A-choo! Who is saying bad things about me again?"

Even Kyosuke Kousaka, who was far away and was shocked and indignant by the details of his father's death, couldn't help but sneeze and looked around suspiciously.

"So this is ah……"