The story we started

[Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes reflected his smile and trembled slightly.]

[“——I just want to protect your smile, Mr. Kousaka!”]

32. Returning as a Young Man (Three-in-One)

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyousuke lowered his head to prevent Zaimokuza from seeing his expression. wanben.info]

[“How is it, Mr. Kousaka? Are you touched after hearing what I said? General Zaimokuza is very kind!”]

【Zaimokuza, who was unaware of the movement behind him, thought that Kousaka Kyousuke was so moved by his words that he was speechless, and he chuckled smugly.】

【“Zaimokuzu.”】

【Listening to the arrogant words of the white-haired rabbit, Kousaka Kyosuke responded calmly. 】

[“Hmm? What, Mr. Kosaka, do you want to thank me for thinking about you? Don’t worry about it. Just treat me to a pork chop meal afterwards!”]

【“…Don’t worry, I will.”】

[Faced with Zaimokuza's offer of credit, Kousaka Kyosuke rarely refused, which immediately made Zaimokuza turn around and say in surprise.]

【"real!?"】

[“Ah? Really?”]

【Kousaka Kyousuke nodded calmly, but before Zaimokuza could continue to be happy, he changed the subject in his next sentence.】

【“——Because you drove a motorcycle on the road without a helmet, you have violated Article 71-4 of the Traffic Law: “The driver of a large motorcycle or ordinary motorcycle shall not drive a large motorcycle or ordinary motorcycle without wearing a safety helmet, or allow a person who does not wear a safety helmet to ride and drive a large motorcycle or ordinary motorcycle.”】

[“In addition, you are also suspected of stealing police scientific research materials, and kidnapping and blackmailing police officers, which is tantamount to intimidation. You have violated Articles 235, 220, and 249 of the Japanese Criminal Code.”]

【Speaking of this, Kousaka Kyosuke looked at Zaimokuza's frozen smile and made the final judgment without mercy.】

[“So you should have been punished for multiple crimes and given a strict sentence, but since you turned yourself in, I can consider giving you a lighter sentence. Afterwards, you need to go back to the Metropolitan Police Department with me to participate in the investigation and evidence collection. During this period, all your food and accommodation expenses will be provided by the police at their discretion.”]

[“Don’t worry, I will apply to the higher-ups to provide you with a single cell. After all, with your looks, it’s a bit dangerous to be in a multi-person cell.”]

[“…Mr. Kosaka, if you repay kindness with enmity, you’ll be kicked to death by the horse.”]

[“It is the duty of the police to uphold the law. Since you have violated the law, it is only natural for the police to arrest thieves. So how can my arresting you be considered as repaying kindness with enmity?”]

[“Mr. Kosaka, you’ve changed! Where is the iron-faced and impartial police officer Kosaka?!”]

[“You’ll have to ask yourself that.”]

[Amidst the noise, the motorcycle carrying the two of them drove towards their common hometown on the wide road between the fields, with the setting sun gradually setting in the background.]

【Zaimokuza, who turned back to continue driving the motorcycle while complaining, did not notice that the moment he turned his head, Kousaka Kyousuke's face, which was as indifferent as a snowy mountain, did change in that instant.】

[A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, the warm sun and breeze brushed across his face, and at this moment, Kousaka Kyosuke seemed to have turned back into the boy he once was before he became a hero. ]

[The smile warms Mingxu, and all the coldness disappears, bringing with it the vitality after thawing. ]

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"Tsk, this ending is also a good happy ending, but..."

Having said that, Miura Yumiko turned her head and looked at Zaimokuza with her eyes covered by tinted glasses. The look in her eyes was so strange that it was indescribable, and it sent chills down the spine of the person concerned.

And it wasn't just her, everyone in the health room was looking at Zaimokuza with different eyes. The only thing in common was that the emotions in these eyes were basically not normal, carrying a strong sense of prejudice and weirdness in Zaimokuza's eyes.

"Although I've always heard that the one who can best grasp a man's heart is never a woman, but a homosexual, I never believed it. I always thought it was just the losers who couldn't get a girlfriend and were whining for no reason."

"But I have to admit that you really broadened my horizons, Zaimokuza-san... Hayato, it's better to stay away from him."

Upon hearing this, Hayato Hayama silently moved a few steps to the side.

Zaimokuza Yoshiki: "..."

"Zaimokuza... I never thought that you in the future would not only wantonly play with women's feelings, but also be able to do it to men. At the very least, you are a bastard, hentai, and gay!"

Yuigahama Yui hugged Yukinoshita Yukino and huddled in the corner, staring at Zaimokuza as if she were looking at some large piece of non-combustible garbage, full of disgust and fear.

"Well, well, well? Although his sexual orientation may be a little free, at least this guy has a good heart. Don't say that—"

"Mr. Hiratsuka, although there is no evidence that the future Zaimokuza-san has a tendency towards teacher-student romance, given his looks and behavior, there is no guarantee that he will not have done something similar when traveling around the world, or hooked up with female teachers."

"—"

Hiratsuka Shizuka originally wanted to say a few good words for Zaimokuza, but a few simple suggestions from Yukinoshita Yukino made all the words she wanted to say stuck in her throat.

Then, Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at Zaimokuza with a slightly horrified look, and then she moved with the steps unique to martial arts, and her figure left behind a few afterimages as she arrived at the door of the health room.

Zaimokuza Yoshiki: "…………"

Zaimokuza sat in the middle of the health room with a wooden face, and people around him formed a circle with him as the center. The eyes cast from all directions made him feel like a rare and dangerous animal locked in a cage, and the people outside the iron cage were looking at his body with curious and awe-inspiring eyes, observing his habits.

"Do not worry."

Hikigaya Hachiman said calmly while sitting in a chair, his eyes fixed on the beautiful scene of two people driving towards the sunset on the light screen.

"I believe in Zaimokuza. Although he is always out of tune and often does stupid things, his sexual orientation is indeed normal for women, and he prefers the quiet type of JK."

"The evidence is that he blushes when he sees someone's private parts exposed when their clothes are torn, which proves that his sexual orientation is still normal at present."

"...Hachiman."

Zaimokuza, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Hikigaya turned around and looked at him, his eyes sincere without a trace of falsehood.

"Before you say that, could you please move your chair off the bedside table and over to my side?"

Zaimokuza looked up silently behind Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui and said expressionlessly.

Hikigaya Hachiman was sitting on a chair with its four legs standing on the bedside table at the edge of the bed. This made his waistline higher than anyone standing here even when he was sitting, making him stand out.

And when did this guy sneak over there with his chair without anyone noticing? He didn't even alert anyone, it was as if time had been cut off.

"I'm sorry, my legs have been suffering from rheumatism lately. My knee joints hurt when I move them. They're not working very well. Ouch?"

"..."

Chiba Prefectural Chiba Benbun High School, health room.

Kyosuke Kousaka also watched the scene on the light curtain in silence, listening to the loud screams of a group of female creatures outside, and his eyes twitched slightly.

Although my future self seems to have finally resolved the knot in my heart, this method cannot make my present self happy at all.

At the same time, Kyosuke Kousaka also began to reflect. He felt that his plan to meet Zaimokuza Yoshiki in reality after the story played on the light screen ended might be a bit too reckless. He decided to wait and see before making any plans.

This is definitely not because Kyosuke Kousaka feels his chastity might be in danger, absolutely not!

【Chiba Prefecture, Chiba City, City Hospital, Intensive Care Unit. 】

【05:57pm,m】

[The sun has almost sunk halfway into the horizon, and the remaining red light shines from afar, shining through the open window into this ward, giving the surrounding air a warm hue.]

【“Mom, there is something I have always been curious about.”】

[A voice broke the tiny silence. Kousaka Kirino, who was lying on the bed and letting her mother stroke her long, smooth brown hair, suddenly spoke, her eyes reflecting the setting sun in the distance.]

【"What's wrong?"】

[Kousaka Yoshino stroked her daughter's hair and asked softly. ]

[“Why… have you been running that bakery all this time, and the only thing you sell is curry bread. No matter how much Kyousuke and I persuade you, you don’t plan to enrich the product variety or close the store?”]

【Kousaka Kirino raised her head and looked at her seriously.】

[“You don’t need to use words like ‘Even if you only have one product, your business is still the best on that street’ to evade me. I still remember clearly how bleak the business was before you made the curry bread so delicious. Even when Dad was alive, he advised you to close the store.”]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Yoshino's hand that was stroking her daughter's hair suddenly stopped, and the gentle smile on her face faded slightly.]

[“…You’ve seen through me, kid. As expected, Kirino has always been the smartest one in our family.”]

【“Mom, tell me the reason.”】

[“Okay, okay, mom will listen to you?”]

[Faced with her daughter's penetrating eyes, Kousaka Yoshino shook her head helplessly and spoke slowly. ]

[“The reason I always insist on making curry bread is because it was your father and your brother’s favorite food when they were young.”]

[“I told you, when Kyosuke was little, he was always imitating his father. This imitation included not only his behavior, but also his various habits of dressing and eating. For example, he learned to drink strong black coffee without sugar from his father, and he learned to shave his beardless chin with a razor from his father. There were all kinds of behaviors...hahaha?”]

【Speaking of this, Kousaka Yoshino couldn't help but laugh, her eyes revealing a nostalgic glow and tenderness. 】

[She turned her head and looked at the box on the cabinet not far away. Inside was a box of curry bread that she had made as a gift for her daughter to send to her son.]

[“But… ever since your father slapped Kyosuke, he no longer wants to imitate Daisuke.”]

[“Not only that, as if to say goodbye to his old self, Kyousuke corrected all the habits he imitated from your father. He even stopped eating his favorite curry bread. He also said that what he hated most was this weird food that mixed curry and bread together.”]

[“But there is one thing that the child didn’t realize. Although almost all of his habits were imitated from Daisuke, there is one habit that he didn’t inherit from him.”]

[Kousaka Yoshino's eyes became a little dim, she shifted her gaze from the box of bread to her daughter's face, and said helplessly and distressedly.]

[“…That child really loves curry bread, because the first bread he ate after he was born was the one I made for him.”]

[“It was Kyosuke who kept praising me for the delicious bread after he ate it, and he hoped to open a shop specializing in curry bread, so that he and his father would have endless curry bread to eat in the future.”]

[“So… why did you open that bakery, Mom?”]

[“Yes, it’s for Kyousuke.”]

【Kousaka Yoshino nodded, confirming Kousaka Kirino's question. 】

[“I have always hoped that Kyosuke could return to the way he used to be, the boy who worshipped his father and loved eating curry bread, instead of being devastated after being denied by his father and becoming indifferent to everything in the past.”]

[“…But in the end, Kyosuke still became like Daisuke, but this change was not what I expected.”]

[“Although Kyousuke is still Kyousuke and has never changed, and he no longer has any obsession with curry bread...but he is no longer the child who truly loves to eat curry bread.”]

[“In the end, my wish still didn’t come true… Daisuke.”]

【“…”】

【Seeing her mother's eyes sadly express her long-buried wish, Kousaka Kirino's eyes also became lonely, and they were speechless for a while. 】

[What kind of person was the brother in my memory? 】

[Kousaka Kirino felt that she had almost forgotten everything, because since her father passed away, Kousaka Kyosuke had lived as his shadow and had never walked out of it. ]

[And the boy was buried in time, leaving only a few words in the depths of memory, and gradually forgotten by everyone as time passed. ]

[If it were that boy...what would he say now? ]

[I think I would say this:]

[“It’s not that I don’t like curry bread.”]

[Yes, and the next sentence should be——! ? ]

[“The reason why I don’t eat the curry bread you made, mom… is because the one you made back then tasted so bad.”]

【“!?”】

[Listening to the familiar voice ringing in my ears, and then seeing my mother looking behind me with wide eyes, I confirmed that I was not hallucinating. Kousaka Kirino realized something and suddenly turned around to look behind me. ]

["——Kyo...suke?"]

[A tall figure stood at the door of the ward, quietly looking at the mother and daughter in the ward.]

[His face was so familiar, his stern face also showed the stubbornness that he had seen since childhood, and the depths of his upright and sharp eyes also showed the vicissitudes that were not easy to detect.]

[Looking at him, Kousaka Kirino was stunned, her lips trembling slightly, as if that name would rush out of her mouth in the next second. ]

[——Dad? ]

[Patter. 】

[When that figure walked into the ward, the familiar illusion collapsed in an instant and turned into another familiar figure.]

【“——Brother!?”】

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke used his left hand to support his body against the wall, and looked at his surprised mother and sister quietly without saying a word.]