The story we started

[But at some point, his armored hands had already clenched into fists, and faint electric sparks flickered between the fingers of his gloves.]

……

[“Please, don’t die!”]

【Makishima Saori took a deep breath and pressed the activated pacemaker against Zaimokuza's chest.】

[“Power on, 300j!”]

【boom--】

[The strong electric current turned into pulses and directly hit the body through the chest muscles. Zaimokuza's entire body was lifted up under the stimulation of the electric current, and then he lay back on the operating table.]

[“Doctor, the patient’s heart rate is starting to increase and increase.”]

[“Then continue, 400j!”]

【“——”】

[——In Zaimokuza's perception, everything in front of him seemed to be moving away from him, gradually being eroded by the darkness spreading from the edge of his vision. In the center of his blood-red eye whites was a black pupil, and the pupil had almost dissipated into nothingness.]

[Gradually, as time passed, the anxious face of Makishima Saori wearing a mask began to blur, and her form was distorted and dissipated like sand blown by the wind. ]

[Am I going to die? ]

[For some reason, this thought crossed Zaimokuza's mind as he was about to lose consciousness.]

[——It is said that before a person's memory is on the verge of death, the brain separates the person and the event through its own memory events, and projects them in a third-person perspective, recording their life in the form of a story. Through these fragments, people can know everything about their life.]

[In their shallow state of consciousness, they often think that living is more meaningful than dying. ]

[Everything in life will flash through your mind like a movie in super-fast forward, just like the leader of a race is constantly being chased by the runners behind, and the name of those chasers is the past.]

[People call this phenomenon a revolving lantern.]

【And the revolving lanterns of Zaimokuza are...very rare. 】

[Because in his life, there are only a few memories that are truly worthy of being regarded as treasures, just as rare as the people he cares about. ]

[Grandma, Dad, Mom, Teacher, Manager, Yuigahama, Mr. Kousaka, Himena...]

【as well as--】

[“Hmm…”]

[His eyeballs twitched a few times, and his hands unconsciously grasped the operating table beneath him.]

[Beep, beep, beep——]

[The frequency of the lines displayed by the electrocardiograph suddenly fluctuated violently, just like his mood and obsession.]

【“——”】

[In the world that was almost swallowed by darkness, Zaimokuza felt as if someone reached out and held his face, and heard a familiar voice in his ears, but he could neither hear nor see anything. ]

[This made him realize that he really wanted to——]

【"--sorry!"】

[A clear female voice with a strong crying tone resounded throughout the world, accompanied by the tender touch of trembling fingers on the face. ]

[A pair of white arms stretched out from above his head, holding Zaimokuza's blood-stained face, and the stone bracelet on his right hand also flashed a simple and warm color in the darkness.]

[For some reason, Zaimokuza felt as if he could clearly feel the guilt and sadness in the other person's heart through the touch of his fingers on his face.]

[——Who is it? ]

[——Why... do you feel so guilty? ]

[“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry—”]

[Before Zaimokuza could think with his almost stagnant brain, the female voice kept telling him her apology, each sentence was more tearful than the last, and she was sobbing until she couldn't make a sound.]

[“It’s our responsibility that you’ve become like this. I’m really sorry for making you suffer so much.”]

[“I’m sorry, the sins and responsibilities that we were unable to bury can only be borne by you who was born in the future and had nothing to do with them.”]

[“I’m really sorry!”]

11. Deep Sleep 5-in- K

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Service Club.

"This voice, and that bracelet... isn't this person the same person as before--!?"

Zaimokuza looked at the pair of arms holding "his" face in the light curtain, and the stone magatama bracelet on his right wrist, and his eyes gradually widened. sangbook.com

"Yes, it's the owner of the pair of arms that appeared during the battle between Future Zaimokuza and No. 24."

Hikigaya Hachiman nodded slightly and spoke thoughtfully.

"And this wasn't the first time these arms appeared. When the video was still up, these hands appeared in the last scene of Future Zaimokuza's dream, stroking the coffin that sealed the previous Kuuga, and they seemed to be shedding tears. This shows that she should have a very close relationship with that Kuuga."

"I originally thought that the girl who appeared in the battle with No. 24 was just some kind of illusion or the remnant of my thoughts, but now it seems that this is not the case."

"She undoubtedly has a very clear sense of self, and may even be alive!"

This conclusion was so shocking that it stunned everyone present.

"Wait, wait! According to what you said, Hikigaya... the owner of these arms is a genuine human who survived from the ancient civilization?"

Shizuka Hiratsuka rubbed her temples, which felt a little dizzy due to a series of unexpected situations, and asked in disbelief.

"But how is this possible? That super ancient civilization existed before our current human history, just like the Xia Dynasty in the history of the neighboring country. It is a civilization with an uncertain nature. All we know is that it does exist, but we know nothing about this civilization. You can imagine how far away this civilization is from our history!"

"In this time scale where even civilizations disappear without being known to later generations, is it really possible for humans to survive that long?"

"...Let's not talk about humans for now, but creatures belonging to a super ancient civilization that are not humans have always appeared in our sight, haven't they?"

Hikigaya pointed to the new screen that was switched on the light screen. Ginoga, who had turned back into human form, was sitting against a wall with a painful look on his face. His whole body was covered with burn marks and wounds. It was obvious that the attack of "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" had actually caused it considerable trauma.

"We need to expand our thinking, teacher."

"Although the life forms of these Gurongi are very different from humans, since they, as life forms belonging to the same super ancient civilization, have been able to survive in the seal until the modern era, it is not impossible for humans who lived in the same era as them to survive to our time. After all, the technological civilization of the super ancient times is too mysterious and wonderful. The belt she called Yamadam is the best example."

"And... right now we can't tell whether she's really alive or not."

Hearing this, Yukinoshita Yukino, who had been listening, raised her eyelashes slightly and asked out of curiosity.

"What do you mean? Hikigaya-san, you said that she might be a survivor from the ancient times, but now you say that she might not be really alive... Isn't this a bit contradictory?"

"That's not contradictory, Yukinoshita."

Hikigaya shook his head and said with a meaningful look in his eyes.

"I don't deny that she might be a survivor who has survived from the ancient times, but as Mr. Hiratsuka said before, it is impossible for humans to survive for so long in a time when even civilization has disappeared."

"And judging by the way this person appeared and the peculiarities that only Zaimokuza could see, even if she is truly human, she should have survived to this day in a different way than what we know."

"???"

Yuigahama Yui, who was standing by, listened to their conversation and felt like she was listening to a mystery and couldn't understand anything at all.

Although I didn't understand it, it seemed very powerful.

[“Ugh…kuuga!”]

[The whole body still felt pain from the burns from time to time, Ginoga's face twitched in pain, and he said the name of the person who caused him to become what he is now with resentment. ]

[Several dark shadows covered the light in front. Ginoga looked up in surprise and saw several familiar faces.]

[They are Baruba, who is acting as the referee with an expressionless face, Me-Garima-Ba, the leader of the "me" group, who looks indifferent, and Gooma, who was taught a lesson by me before.]

[“It seems that you were beaten badly by Linduo’s warriors. So, do you want to admit defeat?”]

[“If you want to admit defeat, as the leader, I can fulfill my responsibility and help you end it before you explode. It can be regarded as giving you dignity.”]

[Garima's lips, painted with purple lip gloss, curled up in disdain, and said mockingly while looking at the disheveled Ginoga.]

【Om—】

[It gently plucked a magatama from a string of stone magatama ornaments worn around its neck. The small stone magatama flashed a green light in Garima's palm, and a black double-headed sickle quickly extended out.]

【“…”】

[Looking at the sickle in front of him with a cold and gleaming blade, Ginoga remained silent and lowered his head so that the remaining Gurongi could not see his eyes. ]

[“Since you are going to admit defeat, why not give me the qualification to play the game!”]

[Gooma had originally only dared to hide behind Baruba and peeked at Ginoga, who was sitting on the ground, with hateful eyes, but after hearing Garima's words, his desire for "Kikiru" immediately overwhelmed his reason, and he moved forward impatiently while speaking, completely forgetting the previous lesson.]

[“You’re going to give up anyway! So why not just——”]

【brush! 】

[Just as its hand reached out to Ginoga's hand wearing the bracelet, a pale green light flashed by, and then Gooma felt his outstretched arm lighten.]

【“——”】

[Gooma's eager expression suddenly froze on his face, and he stared blankly at his arm, which was empty from the wrist down, where his palm used to be.]

[The next moment, a huge amount of blood gushed out from the broken wrist, staining the white dress of the ginoga who was bowing her head in front of it red.]

[“Ugh, Aa ...

[A shrill scream sounded at the deserted subway entrance. Gooma hugged his broken arm and cried, rolling on the ground wailing.]

【"……roll!"】

[Garima, with a cold face, turned a blind eye to the bloody tragedy. He was even more annoyed by Gooma's wailing. He kicked Gooma and kicked it directly into the stairs leading to the subway. The wailing sound also faded away as it rolled.]

[“What an idiot who will never learn his lesson. This is a conversation between ‘me’ players. When is it your turn as a ‘zu’ loser to interfere? You don’t know how to live or die!”]

[“…I don’t need you to do it for me.”]

[The Ginoga, who was lowering his head, reached out and grabbed the bloody blade hanging in front of him. He used the force to stand up and threw the blade away. He looked up at Garima, who was nominally his leader, with an expression of disgust and hatred that could not be concealed.]

[“Oh? It seems you don’t want to give up just yet. It seems you have made some progress.”]

[Garima was not angry at its behavior. Instead, he raised his thin eyebrows, put away the sickle in his hand, and said with interest.]

[“…Don’t think of me as the coward who didn’t dare to fight. I don’t need your sympathy anymore. And even without your help, I can complete my own ‘Kikiru’!”]

[Ginoga reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth and said with a sinister look.]

[“I have always remembered the contempt you showed me and the humiliation you gave me, so you must remember this!”]

[“——When I become a ‘go’ through the game, my first game target will be you!”]

[“Heh… I’ll wait and see.”]

[Faced with Ginoga's stern threat, Garima sneered and nonchalantly put the magatama, which had changed from a sickle to a pendant, back on his necklace.]

[“But the premise is… you can actually finish the game.”]

[“Kuuga has been poisoned by me. His death is only a matter of time. Can I get his special points now?”]

[Ginoga ignored Garima's ridicule and turned to ask Baruba, who had been silent until now.]

[“The rules have been changed. Now you will not get any points for defeating Kuuga alone.”]

[Baruba raised his eyes slightly and replied in a neutral tone. ]

[“Now Kuuga and Go share the same score. If you want to get extra points, you must get rid of Go as well.”]

[“Go… Hum! Is that Kuuga’s fake?”]

[The image of Kousaka Kyosuke wearing armor and fighting side by side with Zaimokuza flashed through his mind, and Ginoga sneered with disdain. ]

[“Anyway, we’ve already killed Kuuga, the biggest threat. It’ll be more than enough to just deal with the remaining guy.”]

[“…Then you have to work harder. You know, the number of people in your normal game is far from meeting the standard.”]

[For some reason, Baruba was silent for a moment, then spoke in a light voice.]

[“You should know that the Lindo you killed with the power of ‘Him’ are not counted in the number of people. You must do it yourself. Don’t think of breaking the rules.”]

[“Similarly, don’t be too careless and underestimate the enemy. If you do that, not only will you fail to kill Go, but you will be killed by him instead.”]

[“Hmph? Are you talking about yourself? With that fake made by the Lindos? You think you can defeat me now with the armor used by an ordinary Lindo?”]

[“Perhaps it was possible in the past, but times have changed now. The once-honored 'ra'-baruba-de?”]

[Ginoga spoke with a sarcastic look in his eyes, then he took a step forward and knocked Baruba's shoulder away, and walked towards the subway passage leading to the ground without looking back.]

【“…”】