The story we started

[But Kousaka Kirino was not as calm as him. She quickly walked to him and stood still, staring at her brother in disbelief.]

【“Kyosuke! Didn’t Miss Gokoro say you couldn’t come? Why are you here? And…what are you wearing? There’s blood on your body! Are you injured?!”】

[Looking at her brother standing in front of her wearing a set of armor she had never seen before, Kousaka Kirino felt as if she was still in a dream. She couldn't help but stretch out her hands and touch his face with trembling hands, as if she wanted to confirm whether the person in front of her was her illusion. ]

[But when the tips of her fingers touching Kousaka Kyousuke's face felt wet, Kousaka Kirino immediately withdrew her hands as if she had received an electric shock, and screamed as she looked at the blackened, coagulated blood on her fingertips.]

[“I’m fine. This isn’t my blood.”]

[“You’re lying! There’s a wound on your forehead, wait—”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke shook his head and stopped talking to his sister. He supported his battered body with his left hand and walked to the cabinet where the bread was placed. He gently opened the lid of the box with his armored gloves.]

[A familiar fragrance filled his nose, and he couldn't help but look a little dazed, as if he saw the river of time flowing before his eyes, and a forgotten memory was riding a boat from the distant past to the present.]

【“——”】

[The armored fingers picked up a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. Kousaka Kyosuke chewed quietly, and his eyes suddenly paused in reminiscence.]

[It's really familiar. Although the ingredients and proportions are much better than before, the taste still makes Kousaka Kyosuke see a scene from that distant time in an instant.]

[——The boy curiously took the bread wrapped in oilcloth from his mother, sniffed it a few times, and then bit it, leaving a clear tooth mark on the bread.]

[He thought he had long forgotten that smell and would never be able to find it again.]

【But Kousaka Kyosuke forgot the most important thing. 】

[——In fact, this smell has never disappeared, it has just been kept by my mother. ]

[“…But for now, this taste can be given a passing grade.”]

[He gently put the bread back into the box, closed the lid, and turned to face Kousaka Yoshino who was staring at him blankly.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke put down his hand that was supporting the wall, limped over, walked to the bedside and reached out to sign his mother's hand.]

[Except for the helmet that disappeared after he woke up, he was still wearing the Go armor. Kousaka Yoshino's hand in his armor-covered palm was like the contrast between a child and an adult.]

[But the fact is, Kousaka Yoshino is the adult, and Kousaka Kyosuke is the child. ]

[“It may be a little late to say it now, but…”]

[“I’m back, Mom.”]

【Kousaka Yoshino felt the hard touch and cold temperature of her palm, looked up at the smile on her son's face which had been cold for many years, and her eyes became dazed in an instant.】

[The appearance of Kousaka Kyosuke in front of her overlapped with that of another person, and that person was also one of the people she loved most in her life. 】

[The hand with faintly visible wrinkles was pulled out from the broad palm and gently touched the face in front of him. ]

【“…Welcome back.”】

[Feeling the weathered toughness and softness on that face with her fingers, Kousaka Yoshino's lips moved, and a gentle smile slowly appeared on her face.]

【"child.】

[Kousaka Kyosuke smiled, and suddenly he felt a sense of being embraced from behind, a pair of white and slender arms wrapped around his waist, and crossed over the armor on his chest to hug him.]

[“——Stupid brother, you’re too late!”]

[With her face against the back of her brother's neck, Kousaka Kirino held back the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes and spoke with a choked voice. ]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke remained silent, but held his mother's hand with his other hand, and after shaking his severely injured right hand for a few times, he tried to raise it and hold her hand around his chest.]

[He still said nothing.]

【But it’s enough.】

……

[Outside the ward, just separated by a wall.]

【Zaimokuza, who was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, listened attentively to the noise in the ward and put on a smile.】

[At this moment, his eyes, which had been forced open, could no longer hold on and slowly closed. The incomparable sense of emptiness in his body burst out in one breath after Zaimokuza stopped forcibly suppressing it, surging and completely engulfing him.]

[In fact, he had already lost all his strength. He was able to bring Kousaka Kyousuke here only by relying on his last breath and tenacious determination.]

[When Zaimokuza's eyes completely closed, an overwhelming darkness swept over him, carrying his thoughts into the deepest part of his consciousness.]

[I hope I can have a good dream this time...]

【“…”】

[Patter. 】

[His left hand, which was placed flat on his knee, fell weakly to the ground, and his head, which was leaning back against the wall, also drooped forward slightly.]

【Zaimokuza fell asleep, sleeping peacefully and calmly.】

[After he lost consciousness, the only white shirt he was wearing began to be stained with blood, and soon the white clothes were dyed red everywhere.]

[After losing the suppression, what erupted was not only the fatigue of the body, but also the pain and injuries that had been held back. ]

[In this battle, Zaimokuza was injured more severely than anyone else. He had three elemental awakenings that exceeded his limit, and the last fire element overload drive, as well as the trauma he suffered in the battle... With the combination of various reasons, his body had long been overwhelmed.]

[Even when he was joking with Kousaka Kyousuke, he was smiling all the time while enduring the pain and torture of his body that was about to collapse, trying his best to avoid letting the other party notice his abnormality.]

[Also separated by a wall, Kousaka Kyosuke accompanied the two most important relatives in his life; while Zaimokuza sat alone in the corridor outside and fell asleep, with no one paying attention to him. ]

【But no one has ever regretted their choice. 】

33. Unspoken Heart Knot Two-in-One

【Tokyo, Kanto Medical University Hospital, consultation room. mijiashe.com】

[“Is this how it all happened?”]

【"……Yeah?"】

[Makishima Saori, who had already prepared the ward, listened to the words on the other end of the phone, and after a long silence, she sighed. ]

[“You don’t sound that surprised, Saori-chan?”]

[Hina Ebina on the other end of the line said this in a relaxed tone, her legs crossed in black stockings and high heels, the lines of her legs extending from under her hip skirt were elegant and straight.]

[“While this is indeed a very absurd move, it’s not that surprising when I think about the fact that it was Mr. Zaimokuza who did it.”]

[Makishima Saori also relaxed her body and leaned on the sofa, and replied helplessly. ]

[“After all, he is the one who can open the heart of Kousaka-kun, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he did something incredible.”]

[“Oh my? I didn’t expect that you would have such great confidence in Yihui after only knowing him for a few months? Do you really believe that he can help your beloved to return to the right path?”]

[“If we talk about this, aren’t you the same, Hime?”]

【Makishima Saori mercilessly counterattacked Ebina Hime. 】

[“Didn’t you also hand over that dangerous weapon to Kousaka-kun without any safety tests or trials? This shows that you trust him, doesn’t it? This shows that we know each other’s loved ones well enough, Hime-chan.”]

[“Well? What you said does make sense. Those two people do have something in common. They both have the qualities that make people trust them for no reason.”]

[“But it’s precisely because I know them well that I’m worried, Saori-chan?”]

【"Why?"】

[Makishima Saori raised her eyebrows and asked curiously.]

[“After all——”]

[Hina Ebina deliberately dragged out her tone and said it in a teasing tone. ]

[“Our Yoshiteru is so outstanding. I’m worried that when he spends time with your Kosaka-kun, he might turn him into a lesbian without realizing it. Then, Saori-chan, you’ll have to stay alone in your empty room, biting your pillow like a resentful woman and regretting that your trust in Yoshiteru had led to such a bitter outcome, right?”]

【"Well!?"】

[After hearing this, Makishima Saori's fair face inexplicably turned red, and then darkened. ]

[——It’s not impossible. It’s precisely because she knows the character of Zaimokuza Yoshiki that she knows that this is very likely.]

[If I hadn't already had someone in my heart, I'm sure even she would have fallen for me after spending so much time with me.]

[Some taboo image about Kousaka Kyousuke and Zaimokuza Yoshiki popped up in her mind, and Makishima Saori's eyes twitched suddenly, and her scalp felt numb. ]

[“Thank you so much for your concern, Hime-chan!”]

[Makishima Saori said this with a fake smile, and her fierce voice sounded like she was gritting her teeth.]

[“Then you have to keep an eye on your Yoshiteru, right? After all, since he is so charming, he will definitely attract many women. Don’t let Zaimokuza be snatched away by other women because you fail to take good care of him.”]

[“Then you won’t even have anything to cry about, Jicai. You might become the woman who is alone in her empty room biting her pillow to vent her anger!”]

【"Don't worry, Yihui won't do that."】

[In response to her friend's counterattack, Ebina Hime seemed calm and her eyes did not even change. 】

[“Do you have so much confidence in him?”]

[“It’s not that I have confidence in Yoshiki. I just know him well.”]

[“Yihui, it’s impossible for him to have the mind of falling in love right now… at least until his knot in his heart is untied.”]

[In response to Makishima Saori's question, the usually cheerful and eloquent Ebina Hina was unusually silent for a while, then spoke slowly. ]

[“Heart knot? Are you saying that Zaimokuza, who always looks so happy, has some psychological problems? Himena, you are not saying this just to get revenge on me, are you?]

[Makishima Saori was immediately filled with doubts. It wasn't that she didn't believe what her friend said, it was just that the information was a little untrue.]

[Heart knot? That smiling superman who has almost no expression on his face except for a smile, Zaimokuza Yoshiki would have a psychological problem? This doesn't sound credible. 】

[To put it bluntly, do single-celled organisms have the concept of "heart knots"? Just like a rabbit can survive as long as it eats grass, Zaimokuza Yoshiki can survive as long as he smiles, and by the way, he can also warm others like a central air conditioner. ]

[“Of course there is. In this era, everyone has some psychological problems, so Yoshiki is also a human being.”]

[“Saori, have you ever wondered why Yoshiteru is so desperate to protect everyone’s smiles?”]

[“Is it true that his help to Kousaka-kun was based solely on friendship? Was there nothing else involved? Have you ever doubted this even once?”]

【"……What's the meaning?"】

[“The answer is simple…very simple.”]

[Hearing Makishima Saori's voice finally become serious, Ebina Hina, who was leaning on the back of the chair, slowly sat up and glanced at a framed photo on the table. ]

[That was a group photo taken when she first enrolled at MIT, with students and mentors from the same department.]

[Looking at the photo, Ebina Hina's eyelids drooped slightly, and her voice became calm for the first time while talking to others. ]

[“Because people who have lost something always want to make up for it.”]

[“It’s just common psychological compensation, a basic knowledge of psychology.”]

……

【Chiba Prefecture, Chiba City, Prefectural and Municipal Hospital, Intensive Care Unit. 】

【08:34pm,m】

[Next to the ward where Kousaka Yoshino is staying, there is a newly written house number on the door of another ward. ]

[The upper part is Kousaka Kyosuke, the lower part is Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. 】

[Kousaka Kyosuke, wearing a hospital gown, was lying on the bed outside the ward. The cuffs of his gown were wrapped in thick bandages, his right hand was tied to his chest, and his left leg was in a plaster cast and suspended with a brace.]

[When he was forcibly dragged to the infirmary for an X-ray examination by Kosaka Kirino, who noticed something was wrong, the doctor was so shocked after checking the X-ray film that he almost dropped his reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. He looked at Kosaka Kyosuke as if he had seen a ghost.]

[According to the doctor, it is a miracle that he is still conscious and able to move freely. If he were an ordinary person, he would have already gone into shock and coma due to the severe pain all over his body.]

[After knowing this, Kosaka Kirino ignored his excuses and forced Kosaka Kyosuke to stay in the hospital here, and arranged a ward next to her mother. ]

[The GO armor that he had taken off earlier was piled up in the corner of the room. After receiving a call from the Unidentified Lifeform Search Headquarters, the medical staff who knew the true identity of Kousaka Kyosuke were shocked and handled these confidential items very carefully, not daring to move them at will.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke, who was now wrapped in white bandages like a dumpling, used his only eye that could move freely to look around this new ward, which was different from the previous one, with a curious look.]

[To be honest, after getting used to the previous ward, the current one makes Kousaka Kyousuke a little uncomfortable, just like when the family moved to a new house after their father passed away, they were a little uncomfortable living in the new house.]

[This time his injury was more serious than any other time before. The most skilled Mediterranean doctor in this hospital warned me and my sister in a very stern tone that even with Kousaka Kyousuke's physical fitness that completely exceeded that of a normal human, he would have to stay in the hospital for at least a week, and he must not do any strenuous activities during this period, otherwise he would definitely have sequelae in the future, and he would probably spend every day of his old age in unbearable pain in his bones.]

[Thinking of his sister's horrified expression with her hands covering her mouth and tears in her eyes after she learned the news, Kousaka Kyosuke sighed silently and silently gave up the idea of ​​being discharged from the hospital early. ]

[Although the severity of the injury was unprecedented, Kousaka Kyosuke didn't think it was a big deal. Instead, he thought he had made a profit this time.]

[At least the combat capability of the first set of G-series weapons armor has been verified. After seeing the recorded combat footage, the leaders above will no longer block the funding for this research within the institute after seeing the superior performance of GO. Maybe they will even get strong support.]

[And Ebina Hime will probably make another adjustment to GO based on this data, so the next time it is used, there shouldn't be the same serious side effects as this time. ]