The story we started

"Unconfirmed Lifeform No. 6 is the first powerful enemy that Zaimokuza-san has encountered. In the battle, it has shown abilities similar to those of Kamen Rider Kuuga, the enemy. It can change its form and turn various objects into its own exclusive weapons through contact."

"But that was all. Although No. 6's strength was greatly enhanced after changing his form, he was eventually defeated by Mr. Zaimokuza, who realized the true meaning of the blue form during the battle and activated the elemental awakening mode for the first time."

"But... what comes next is the key point."

knock --

When Shirogane Miyuki said this, his expression gradually became gloomy. He stretched out his fingers and tapped the table, and the crisp sound echoed in the silent student union room.

"Unlike No. 6 and No. 22, whose physical strength was only enhanced and weapons were acquired after their transformation, No. 14, No. 21, and No. 23 also have enhanced bodies. In addition to enhanced strength, they also have special abilities that the first two Gurongi do not have."

“—You mean!?”

Having said that, Shinomiya Kaguya suddenly reacted, opened her wine-red eyes wide and looked at Shirogane Miyuki in surprise as he nodded.

“That’s right. After they became enhanced bodies, they possessed the same abilities as Mr. Zaimokuza after he activated the elemental awakening—that is, they could freely manipulate the corresponding forms of elements, and could control water, wind, and fire. The application and expression of their abilities were no different from Kuuga’s.”

"Before this, we always thought that the elemental mode was an ability unique to Kuuga, but the appearance of these Gurongi who also possess elemental powers shows a fact, that is, this is definitely not a coincidence or an ability exclusive to an individual, but rather a power that has long been popularized."

"At the same time, these Gurongis with elemental powers have another common feature, that is... they are all Gurongis belonging to the 'me' collective, while No. 6 and No. 22, who cannot control elemental power, are both Gurongis of the 'zu' group."

"As for the relationship between 'me' and 'zu', we have already deduced that these two groups belong to an advanced progressive relationship. A Gurongi who has completed the game can be upgraded from 'zu' to 'me'."

"But President, what does this mean?"

"Yeah! I'm curious too!"

Shinomiya Kaguya, who had been listening intently, noticed that he suddenly stopped talking and immediately asked subconsciously, while Fujiwara Chika next to her nodded her head in agreement.

"this means……"

Baiyin Yuxing's eyes were dark and uncertain. After taking a deep breath, he slowly spoke out the guess in his heart that made him feel a little cold.

"The abilities of these enhanced bodies will evolve as the main users of the Gurongi advance, but the enhanced bodies of the 'me' group alone have the power to manipulate elements. Let's assume that the Gurongi of the 'go' group also have corresponding enhanced bodies. In this case, then -"

He looked up at the two girls with frozen expressions and said the last sentence in a serious tone.

"What kind of terrifying abilities do these Gurongi of the 'GO' Group possess? Or... when their power to manipulate elements is already as powerful as that of a god, what other abilities can surpass that?"

As soon as the words fell, the entire student union room became dead silent, and you could hear a pin drop.

The two girls' expressions froze. What Shirogane Yuxing said made them realize that they had indeed overlooked this fatal blind spot.

If the power to manipulate elements evolves again... what kind of ability will it become? After all, even now this power has long transcended common sense, transcending the material scope and involving abstract definitions such as philosophical concepts.

And what could be a power more powerful than the elemental force that could distort "concepts"?

Baiyin Yuxing didn't know the answer to this question, and neither did they, but they all couldn't help but shiver subconsciously.

Because if possible, no one wants to know the answer... If you think about it carefully, it is really horrifying.

【Zaimokuza had a dream, a very long dream.】

[He dreamed of his grandmother who had passed away many years ago, dreamed of the promise he had never been able to fulfill, and dreamed of the first year he spent in Sobu High School in a daze.]

[Finally, he dreamed, dreamed...]

[In the hazy dream, a vague figure turned his back to him and looked over. ]

[In the chaos, everything about the figure was blurry, but only the pair of dead fish eyes filled with helplessness were so clear.]

[“What are you still standing there for, Zaimokuza? Hiratsuka-sensei and Yukinoshita are waiting for us. If we don’t leave now, Yuigahama will complain again.”]

【“——Wake up, it’s time to go.”】

[After saying this, he turned around and walked forward without hesitation. The darkness around him surged and gradually engulfed the thin figure.]

【——“Wake up… wake up… store…”】

[A huge sense of shock and sadness surged from his heart. Zaimokuza looked at that figure and suddenly couldn't control himself and shouted loudly.]

[“Wait!? Eight——!”]

[The moment that person's name was about to come out of his mouth, the surrounding darkness suddenly swallowed up everything in front of him, and the remaining sound that had not been spoken also disappeared into the boundless world.]

[——"Hurry up, Zaimokuza...senpai...Saori...Manager..."]

[At the last moment when his consciousness faded, Zaimokuza clearly saw that the figure seemed to have heard his own shout and stopped.]

【Then he slowly turned around and looked in his own direction.】

【“——”】

[But the familiar and friendly dead fish eyes have long disappeared... replaced by another pair of eyes. ]

[There is not a single trait in these eyes that can be called "human", and anyone who sees them will understand an extremely clear fact the moment they see them - humans absolutely cannot have such eyes.]

[Only a completely alien creature, a monster in human skin, could have such a nihilistic look in his eyes. Zaimokuza could read very few emotions from these eyes, but none of them could be related to the definition of "beautiful".]

[Cold, dark, dead, empty, and——]

【Despair as boundless as the ocean tide.】

[Looking at those eyes, Zaimokuza, whose consciousness was on the verge of collapse, stretched out his right hand as far as he could, clenching his palm as if he wanted to catch that figure.]

【etc--】

[Looking through the gaps between his fingers at the gradually blurry figure in his vision, Zaimokuza's consciousness finally became completely silent in his unwillingness.]

[His palms fell limply, swallowed by the engulfing darkness——unable to hold onto anything.]

[——No, leave. ]

-

[“Please wake up quickly, Zaimokuza-senpai, or Manager Saori will be angry again!”]

【“!”】

[Zaimokuza, who was lying on his side on the table, suddenly opened his tightly closed eyes and looked at the hand that was reaching back from his shoulder in panic.]

[“Zaimokuza-senpai, you finally woke up! Eh!? Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?”]

[The girl with long chestnut hair smiled happily on her chubby face when she saw Zaimokuza wake up, but after noticing his sweaty head and blank eyes, her eyes, the same color as her hair, turned into a worried look.]

[The sun shines in from the skylight, shining on her body in a slim maid outfit. Every strand of fabric in the outfit tightly wraps around her curvy figure. Her long chestnut hair, which appears transparent under the light, falls on her shoulders as she tilts her head, exuding a youthful and subtle beauty.]

[The girl, who was also wearing a maid's headband, looked at Zaimokuza with a dazed expression, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she stretched out her fair palm and placed it on his forehead, and then covered her forehead with one hand and placed it on her own forehead for comparison.]

[“Strange, the temperature didn’t rise or fall?”]

[She muttered something and pulled her hand away from Zaimokuza's forehead.]

[Just as the girl straightened her slender waist that had just been bent forward, the nameplate on her chest flashed in the sunlight as she moved, and the beautiful handwriting on it was illuminated for a moment in Zaimokuza's eyes.]

【——asahinamikuru (Asahina Mikuru).】

["...Asahina?"]

[After blinking a few times, Zaimokuza finally came to his senses after recognizing the girl in front of him as a new employee of the store, and called out her name in a daze.]

[“Mo? Senior, you finally woke up. I couldn’t wake you up no matter how hard I pushed you before. I thought something happened to you.”]

【Asahina looked at Zaimokuza who raised his head from the table, and couldn't help but sighed with relief, and complained in a soft voice.】

【Seeing that he was still staring at her with dull eyes, Asahina blushed shyly and spoke softly.】

[“Senior, now that you’re awake, go wash your face. The store manager has been waiting for you downstairs for a long time.”]

[“Also, Senior, the butler uniform you’re wearing has been ironed by me. I’ll put your breakfast on the other side of the table for you. You can eat it after you brush your teeth and wash your face—Ah, hey, hey? Senior, why are you crying!?”]

[While talking, Asahina suddenly yelled in panic and looked at Zaimokuza in front of her at a loss.]

[Zaimokuza still looked at her with the same stunned expression as before, but a clear tear flowed from the corner of his right eye, then slid down his face with deep features, gathered at his chin and fell gently.]

【Tick.】

[The tears fell on the faded jeans he was wearing, spreading dark circles on the fabric.]

[“Senior, what’s wrong with you!?”]

[“I’m fine… I, I’m just so touched!”]

[Zaimokuza raised his fingers with trembling hands, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, and looked at Asahina, whose expression was stunned by his words, with the piety of a believer visiting Jerusalem, and spoke with a moving voice.]

[“I never thought that I could feel the warmth of humanity in this cafe. I thought I would have to live a miserable life under the oppression of Miss Saki for the rest of my life. I never thought that there would be someone who would care about me - I am so touched!!!”]

【"well--!?"】

[He sucked the snot back into his nose, and as Asahina panicked, he suddenly opened his hands, like a lamb offering everything to the pillar of heaven.]

[“Ms. Asahina! I have a small, unwelcome request. Please give me a warm hug so that I can confirm that I have escaped from the difficult life before—Puwaa!!!”]

[Just as he was giving a speech of gratitude and about to hug her, a heavy dictionary suddenly appeared from the blind spot of his sight and slapped his tearful face! ]

[His handsome face was distorted in an instant, and a huge force "pulled" him off the chair and slammed him towards the wall.]

【boom!!!】

【Zaimokuza's entire body formed a large character and slammed heavily against the wall with a "bang!". He then kept this position and slowly slid down the wallpaper, leaving only a bloody mark on the wall.】

【“Material—wood—seat!”】

[Kawasaki Saori waved the dictionary in one hand, lowered her head and with black air all over her body, she slowly spoke under the horrified eyes of Asahina beside her, her voice as cold as a ghost demanding death. ]

[“——Three minutes! Just three minutes! I just asked Mikuru to wake you up for work and let her out of my sight for just three minutes!”]

[“As soon as I came here, I saw you harassing the new female employee in the store. You finally showed your true colors. You are no longer satisfied with the female customers in the store and the frequent police officer Kosaka. Instead, you have turned your attention to your juniors in the workplace. Are you going to act on your instinct to eat grass in your own backyard!?”]

[She raised her head and stared fiercely at the wooden seat lying on its back on the ground. She threw the Xinhua Dictionary in her hand and hit him in the face, causing him to let out another indistinct scream.]

[“Congratulations, your dinner is gone again! Mikuru, let’s go downstairs!”]

【“Hey——But, but what about Zaimokuza-senpai?”】

[“Don’t worry about this Bugs Bunny, he’s very lucky! Last time he went fishing with Officer Takasaka, he got into a car accident and was injured. He just stayed in the hospital for a few days. These few hits won’t kill him!”]

【"Oh well."】

[Amid Kawasaki Saki's impatient words and Asahina Mikuru's timid responses, the footsteps of the two gradually faded away, and the attic room returned to its former silence, leaving Zaimokuza lying dead on the floor with his face covered by a dictionary.]

[After a long moment, a pair of fingers covered the open dictionary, and after pulling it off, Zaimokuza's dazed face was revealed.]

[“…So it was just a dream?”]

[He looked up at the light cast from the skylight above his head, closed the dictionary and placed it beside him.]

【“——Puff.”】

[Zaimokuza, who was looking at the bright sunlight outside the window, suddenly made a strange sound, and then his face, whose nose was still bleeding, slowly smiled and laughed happily.]

[“Hahahaha? Why do I keep having these weird dreams with no beginning or end recently? Reality is really better! Apart from those unconfirmed life forms, there aren’t so many weird things.”]

[“Okay! Lie down for a while, then go brush your teeth, wash your face, eat, and welcome a wonderful new day!”]

【“Hahahaha?”】

【Zaimokuza continued to laugh loudly, with great joy and happiness.】

[However, at this moment, new tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes that were narrowed in laughter, flowing down to both sides of his temples, and shining like short pearls of clear light under the morning light.]

[Looking at the sun rising outside the window, representing a new day, Zaimokuza smiled and cried at the same time. 】

[He really looks like a madman.]

4. A miserable day begins with a reunion

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Health Center. 400txt.com

"What are those eyes--?"

When everyone saw the pair of dead fish eyes that appeared in Zaimokuza's dream through the light curtain, they reflexively turned their gaze to Hikigaya Hachiman, who had a stunned look on his face, even Zaimokuza himself who was sitting next to him.

There is no other reason, the presence of those dead fish eyes and the impression they leave on others are so strong that they have basically become someone's iconic feature, without a doubt.

So even though the figure in the dream had the blurry and unreal filter that is unique to dreaming, everyone still recognized the true identity of its owner at the first sight of those familiar dead fish eyes.

"That was... me? I appeared in the dream of Future Zaimokuza?"

"Does this sign mean... that I will finally appear in this 'story'?"

After his initial shock, Hikigaya quickly calmed down, and murmured in thought with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"But, but! If it is really as everyone speculated, then the future Dunjia has already appeared! Already——then how could he still appear in the light curtain!?"

Yuigahama Yui opened her mouth immediately, but her words got stuck when she reached the juncture of her words, and she couldn't utter the word "death" that was already on her lips.