The story we started

[“——Ah… ah…”]

[——In Kousaka Kyousuke's subjective perception, after an unknown amount of time had passed, the blood-soaked screams finally began to fade away.]

[Zaimokuza's body gradually stopped struggling, no longer struggling and convulsing in pain, and the changes in his body surface and the strange phenomena caused by the elemental power surging around him gradually calmed down and disappeared without a trace.]

【Om—】

[The spirit stone on Zaimokuza's waist became extremely dim at this moment. With a faint humming sound, the white body of the newborn form changed into the white-haired young man in the brown windbreaker in the transparent ripples.]

[But Zaimokuza's appearance after returning to his original form was definitely not good. His pupils were almost completely dilated, his face was covered with mysterious purple stripes, and even the whites of his eyes turned blood red due to congestion.]

[“Woo… High…”]

[His scattered eyes stared at Kousaka Kyosuke who was close at hand. As soon as he opened his mouth, dark blood flowed down the wounds at the corners of his mouth and neck, staining the clothes he was wearing black.]

[“Hey! Hold on! I’ll take you to the hospital right away. You won’t have any—!!!”]

[Huhuhu——]

[When Kousaka Kyosuke anxiously held Zaimokuza and tried to stand up, he looked up with a changed expression when he heard movement in front of him.]

[The giant mushroom in front of me, which had been burned to pieces by Zaimokuza's flaming attack, was now violently spewing out white mist with high temperature in all directions.]

[As the mist was sprayed, its size gradually began to shrink, and the connected mycelium tissue began to melt and dissipate, releasing purple gas mixed with the white mist and began to spread in all directions.]

[——Therefore, an extremely terrifying scene began to appear. ]

[As the mist mixed with purple gas spread, the trees shrouded in it began to wither rapidly, and even the yellow sand turned into a dark black without any signs of life, and the asphalt road surface gradually melted.]

[More importantly, as the mushroom shrank in size, a familiar figure began to loom in the mist.]

【"Damn!"】

[Looking at the looming figure in the mist and the poisonous gas that was spreading towards this side, Kousaka Kyousuke bit his teeth so hard that he almost broke them. ]

【That's why he stopped Zaimokuza's attack just now. 】

[The analysis results displayed on the computer show that the gas released by this plant is more toxic than one might imagine, and a great deal of poison gas is stored inside.]

[And according to computer calculations, once No. 25 dies, not only will the plant disintegrate in an instant, but the poisonous gas inside will also be released in one breath and spread throughout Tokyo with the wind! ]

[It would be an unimaginable tragedy, with countless deaths, and the consequences would be far more unacceptable than the destruction of Shinjuku.]

[“Hold on! Don’t die!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke realized that he had lost the best chance to defeat the enemy just now and he no longer wanted to fight, because there were more important things to deal with right now.]

[He carried the seriously injured Zaimokuza on his shoulder with one hand and ran towards the machine charger that fell not far away.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke placed the wooden seat on the back seat, sat on it, and immediately turned the brake and started the engine of the motorcycle. ]

【boom--】

[Amid the roar of the engine, Kousaka Kyosuke looked back unwillingly at the giant mushroom that had stopped emitting mist and the gradually clearer figure on top, and drove quickly into the distance with the Zaimokuza.]

【"kuuga——kuuga!go!"】

[Ginoga stepped out of the mist with one foot, exited the enhanced body and turned back into a mushroom-type Gurongi. He covered his face with one hand and looked at the blue motorcycle that disappeared at the end of his sight, letting out a low roar from his throat.]

[Between the fingers of its hand that covered its face, an eyeball that looked no different from a human's looked at the two people's backs as they walked away. The white of its eye was covered with bloodshot, and blood was flowing down its eye socket.]

[That eye was filled with incomparable malice and hatred, without the previous teasing and mockery, and was as terrifying as the ghost in a horror movie.]

[“You——saved a life!”]

10. Falling into the Deep Sea of ​​Memory 5-in- K

【Tokyo, Shuchiin Academy, student dormitory.】

[As the country's top high school, except for a very small number of special students, almost all students here have family backgrounds of either rich or noble. They are either descendants of politicians or sons and daughters of wealthy nobles. At the very least, they are children of the boss of the company they are in. 180txt.com]

[For these people, student dormitories are completely meaningless. With their family's financial resources, they can easily buy an apartment or villa in a busy street in Tokyo if they want to. Therefore, Shuchiin has never thought of building student dormitories before.]

【However, the principal of this school has made drastic reforms to the admissions policy of Xiuzhiyuan after a certain class of students graduated in recent years. He believes that there is still a problem with the admissions policy of Xiuzhiyuan in the past, that is, the scope of special admissions is too narrow, basically only those excellent students with deviation values ​​and excellent grades are selected for admission, while ignoring the rest of the students with special talents. This is a very wrong approach.】

[Therefore, the newly revised admissions policy has many changes compared to the past. The biggest change is that the scope of admissions has been expanded from "students with excellent deviation values" to "students with excellent special skills and outstanding achievements in various fields." 】

【Student dormitories came into being as a result, specifically for the special students who have special skills and honors in various fields, but whose families are not so well-off.】

【And Tsurumi Rumi is undoubtedly one of these students with special skills. 】

[Although he is only a high school student, he has become a rising star among cartoonists in recent years. His themes are fantasy and romance, and his works are praised by readers for their delicate style and emotional portrayal. His comic books have sold nearly 6000 million copies worldwide.]

[Her potential is so high that many senior industry masters have evaluated her as a figure who will definitely go down in history in the comics industry. She is expected to become a comics master comparable to legendary figures such as Anno Hideaki and Fujiko F. Fujio in the future. She undoubtedly meets the special enrollment requirements of Shuchiin. ]

[Specially recruited students are rare creatures in the Shuchiin Academy where rich people are everywhere, not to mention that she is a super beautiful girl with a beauty score of 90 points. Therefore, Tsurumi Rumi is not only very popular in the school, but also has suitors across all grades, both male and female. ]

[There is a legend among many suitors that no one other than Tsurumi-senpai/classmate has ever entered her dormitory, so no one has ever seen the true appearance of her living environment. Just like her heart that has never been opened to anyone, no one knows what kind of mysterious scenery is hidden inside.]

[So if one day, someone other than her walks into that dormitory, it means that someone has opened the door to Tsurumi Rumi's heart that no one has ever entered under her cold appearance, and has become the most important person in her life.]

[Therefore, many people who have a crush on her have imagined what kind of beautiful scenery they would see when they become the most important person to Tsurumi Rumi and are invited by her to step into that dormitory? ]

[Is it like every young lady's fantasy, full of pink and beautiful fairy tale scenery, or is it elegant and aloof, with a cold-toned house full of mature feminine temperament? ]

……

[“…Tsk!”]

[A drop of ink dripped from the brush in his hand, staining the bright smile of the male character in the painting with a dark stain. ]

[Tsurumi Rumi, who had messed up another drawing, also had a gloomy face. She pulled the drawing paper out of the workbench, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it behind.]

[The crumpled manuscript rolled on the carpet stained with various colors of paint until it touched a pile of similar paper balls.]

[The dormitories built by Xiuzhiyuan for special admissions students are single-person rooms with extremely luxurious configurations, comparable to presidential suites, and free of charge for water and electricity. This treatment is much better than that of international students from neighboring countries.]

[But at this moment, the floor of this dormitory, which was originally like a presidential suite, is filled with various takeout boxes and empty instant noodle buckets. All you can see are garbage bags piled up together. There is almost no place to stand. An indescribable odor fills the room because of the pile of garbage.]

[The expensive mink carpet was stained with paint so badly that its original color could not be seen at all. Various private or non-private clothing belonging to women were thrown randomly in various corners. A large fly with green eyes squatted in the empty takeout box and devoured the leftovers. After eating, it flapped its wings and flew around the triangular clothing with a bear pattern on it, happily flying around the room with its companions...]

[This unbearable scene is more like a landfill than a presidential suite, because even the slovenliest college girls' dormitory is not as outrageous as this.]

[This is also the main reason why no one except the owner has entered this dormitory so far, because this scene is enough to completely destroy the perfect goddess image they have longed for in their hearts. ]

【As for the owner, Rumi Tsurumi no longer looks like the elegant and aloof school goddess in the eyes of outsiders. Instead, she sits cross-legged on a chair in front of the drawing table with a gloomy face and a tacky green sportswear. Her waist-length hair is casually tied into a shoulder-length braid, and she wears a pair of round black-framed glasses that cover half of her face.】

[She sat cross-legged on a chair, holding a paintbrush in one hand and scratching the sole of her itchy right foot with the other hand... The salty and smelly smell of a sloppy otaku almost hit her nose. ]

An elementary school classroom in Chiba Prefecture.

"This……"

Rumi Tsurumi, who was still in elementary school, looked at "herself" on the screen, who was standing in the garbage dump. Her sitting posture, dress, and movements were exactly the same as those of an uncle. Her eyes were dull and her petite body turned extremely gray in an instant.

Click——

Feeling the strange gazes from her classmates around her, and catching a glimpse of their faces that had turned red from trying to hold back their laughter, Tsurumi Rumi clearly heard the crisp sound of something shattering deep in her heart - that was her young dream of growing up and living in high school.

After experiencing social death, the young girl understood a truth at this moment.

…It turns out that growing up doesn’t necessarily mean getting better. It’s also possible to get worse, even to the point where even your past self can’t bear to look at it.

"I... don't want to grow up anymore."

This was the last thought of the girl who turned into pieces and drifted away with the wind.

【“Ugh——It’s all because of that idiot Yoshiki!”】

[Tsurumi Rumi was so annoyed that she could no longer force herself to calm down and continue painting. She threw her brush behind her and slumped down in her chair. She curled up with a pouty mouth and looked down at her ten white toes swinging up and down on the edge of the chair seat.]

[Obviously, her current state is caused by someone, and the resentment has become a substance that wraps around her entire body.]

[“He actually lent his windbreaker to someone else, even though we had already agreed on it… That big liar! A bastard who doesn’t keep his word! He’s a dead rabbit that should be sunk into Tokyo Bay by the underworld for breaking his promise!”]

[Tsurumi Rumi complained with an indignant expression, but at the end she couldn't help but let out a long sigh.]

[“Really? That guy…”]

[She turned her head and looked towards the bed. On the bedside table there was a framed photo of the group.]

[The people in the photo are a group of high school and elementary school students in casual clothes. They are huddled together and smiling towards the camera, but the overall atmosphere does not give people the warmth and joy they should have. Instead, it is filled with an indescribable strange feeling.]

[What was strange was that even though they were about to face the camera and take photos, many of the high school students had unnatural and awkward smiles on their faces, as if a smile arc had been forcibly drawn on their faces with a pen, mechanical and stiff.]

[In contrast to them is another group of elementary school students. Not only do they not have the slightest smile on their faces, their expressions are filled with visible fear, and they stand in a position that makes it seem as if they are trying their best to distance themselves from the high school students. If you observe carefully, you can even feel the disgust and hatred in the eyes of the elementary school students as they avoid the high school students.]

[This photo is completely different from other group photos. Normally, group photos like this should be harmonious and even if there are conflicts, they will not be shown. However, the disharmony between all the people in this photo can be felt without even observing. It is hard to imagine what the photographer who was responsible for taking the photo felt.]

[And in this photo filled with strangeness and alienation, there are only a few people with genuine smiles on their faces.]

[One of them is the boy in the center of the photo wearing an old brown windbreaker. He has a smile on his chubby face as always. One hand is around the neck of a helpless boy with dead eyes next to him, and the other hand is on a little girl with long straight black hair wearing a white velvet hat who is only as tall as his waist.]

[The little girl couldn't help but roll her eyes upwards because he was holding her head down, her expression was very speechless.]

[But people with good observation skills can find that although the little girl has a helpless expression on her face, the corners of her mouth also quietly draw a soft arc, which is subtle but real, and is in complete contrast with the classmates around her. ]

[In this painting full of themes of "nothingness" and "fakeness", the expressions on the faces of these three people are the only ones that do not seem out of place, expressing emotions from the heart.]

[Looking at the photo, Tsurumi Rumi was silent for a long time, then sighed again, her eyes sparkling with complex and lost feelings.]

[“Does he really still remember? Our…promise.”]

……

【Kanto Medical University Hospital, Tokyo.】

[Saori Makishima, who had received the news in advance, led a group of medical staff to guard the main entrance of the hospital, with a gurney and various first aid items prepared long ago next to them.]

[She paced back and forth in front of the main entrance of the hospital with an anxious look on her face. The uneasiness and anxiety between her brows made everyone afraid to speak. People passing by couldn't help but wonder what had happened to make this famous beautiful doctor in this hospital so uneasy.]

【boom--】

[Until a roar that shook the eardrums came from a distance, Makishima Saori stopped what she was doing and immediately turned to look in the direction where the sound came from. ]

[A blue motorcycle drove straight into the hospital entrance without slowing down, and with a rough drift, it left a trail of white smoke on the ground not far from the medical staff, proving how fast the motorcycle driver was speeding.]

[“Hurry up! He can’t hold on any longer!”]

【Kousaka Kyosuke immediately jumped out of the car carrying Zaimokuza, handed him to the medical staff who rushed over, and looked up at Makishima Saori and spoke hastily.】

[“Leave it to us.”]

[Makishima Saori nodded to Kousaka Kyosuke with a solemn expression, then immediately turned around and jogged after Zaimokuza, who was being put on a trolley by the medical staff and pushed to the operating room. The back of the figure in a white coat gradually disappeared from Kousaka Kyosuke's sight along with the sound of running.]

[“…I have already sent Zaimokuza to the hospital, Ms. Ebina.”]

[After watching Zaimokuza being wheeled into the operating room, Kousaka Kyosuke, who was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief, then remembered that he had not yet reported the information to Ebina Himena who was far away in the control room, so he reached out and pressed the communication button on the outside of his helmet and whispered.]

[No sound came from the other end of the line, total silence.]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke roughly guessed where the person on the other end of the call was going, and silently hung up the call, turning around and looking behind him.]

[Beep, beep, beep—]

[A series of ambulance sirens followed closely behind, and one ambulance after another drove towards this side, quickly filling up the open space in front of the hospital. Then, the rear doors of the ambulances opened almost simultaneously.]

[Many hospital staff members each carried a stretcher and got off the ambulance. None of them had the energy to pay attention to Kousaka Kyosuke, who was wearing a strange armor. They all walked past him and ran into the hospital with the unconscious or struggling patients on the stretchers.]

[And these people are all victims number 25. ]

[Only a few were unlucky enough to stay where they were and not have time to escape after it transformed into an enhanced form and wreaked violence wantonly. The vast majority of them suffered from poisoning symptoms caused by the poisonous gas emitted after the giant plant's shell collapsed.]

[After Kousaka Kyosuke and Zaimokuza escaped, and Ginoga left the scene, the giant mushroom plant disintegrated and dissipated on the spot, but the toxic gas stored inside was also released. ]

[Although the consequences of the direct collapse were not as serious as originally estimated, the poisonous gas released during its gradual dissipation should not be underestimated. What's even more unfortunate is that the wind is favorable today, and the poisonous gas released was carried by the wind and blew over most of Shinjuku.]

【Therefore, many people in Shinjuku who had not yet had time to escape suffered as a result. 】

[Kousaka Kyousuke didn't know the exact number of victims, but based on the number of ambulances driving in the wrong direction that he saw when he brought Zaimokuza to the hospital, the number of victims must be at least in the three digits.]

[In all the cases involving unidentified life forms that have occurred so far, there has never been such a horrific number of victims in any related incident, which almost matches the total number of victims in all previous cases.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke stood in front of the hospital entrance, facing the outside world alone. Surrounding him were victims and medical staff who kept running into the hospital, some of whom were accompanied by their families.]

[“Dad! Don’t die! Please don’t die!”]

【“Xiao Lu, Mom is here! Don’t be afraid.”】

[“Dear, please open your eyes and look at me!”]

【“…”】

[Listening to the anxious calls and cries in his ears, Kousaka Kyosuke still stood quietly in the same place without moving an inch. Because of the helmet covering his face, no one could see his expression.]