The story we started

[“There is nothing wrong with the original meaning of your sentence, but you have completely confused the two subjects in it.”]

[Ebina looked deeply at Yukinoshita's expression, which was beginning to be stunned by his words, and continued speaking in a calm tone.]

[“Yui is not as fragile as you think. She has already walked out of the shadow of the past.”]

[“Although she is still sad and still misses him, she is no longer bound by the past. She has already moved towards her own future. Yui is stronger than we thought.”]

[“The one who never got over that day was actually not Yui... You don’t know your members well enough, Yukinoshita Yukino.”]

[This time, Yukinoshita really couldn't sit still. Not wanting to wake up her friend, she turned her head and stared at Ebina, her moist lips opening and closing as she questioned.]

[“What do you mean? Ebi——”]

【Jingle Bell--】

[The urgent ringing of the cell phone interrupted what Yukinoshita was about to say, and also woke up Yuigahama who was sleeping lightly on her lap, causing Ebina to frown slightly. ]

[Ebina reached into the pocket of her skirt and took out her cell phone. After answering the call, she put it to her ear and said.]

[“Hello, Kosaka-kun?”]

[Her calm expression suddenly changed, and she immediately stood up from the chair. Her violent reaction startled Yuigahama, who had just woken up.]

[“…I understand. I’ll be right there.”]

[Ebina said in a deep voice. His solemn expression made Yukinoshita guess a little. She had to hold back the question she wanted to ask and instead spoke with concern.]

【“Has number 25 appeared?”】

[There are only two things in Tokyo right now that can cause Ebina to have such a big reaction. One is the life and death of Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, who is the culprit for the former's situation. The answer is obvious from the other party's face that was instantly covered with a layer of frost. ]

【“Hina.”】

[After waking up, Yuigahama looked at her friend worriedly, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say.]

[“Don’t worry, Yui. Researchers like me don’t need to be present in person.”]

[Ebina smiled and patted her shoulder, glanced at the red operating light, turned around and walked away with reluctance, leaving only one sentence in the air.]

[“Yihui is now in your hands. Only you can help him get over his past.”]

【“——Service Department.”】

[When passing the corner, the smile on Ebina's face completely disappeared, and he walked towards the elevator with a solemn and cold expression, while reaching into his white coat to take the key to his sports car.]

【"not good!"】

【哐婷——】

[Because of her hasty actions, Ebina's key accidentally slipped out of her pocket while she was taking it out. As she screamed, it spun on the smooth tiles on the floor and slid towards the elevator door that was opening.]

[The car key turned and stopped sliding when it touched a pair of white shoes that appeared when the elevator door opened.]

[“Sorry, that’s my key.”]

[Ebina jogged over, panting slightly as she sneered at the black-haired boy who was bending over to pick up the key. Physical strength has always been a weak point for researchers like her.]

[“Is it okay?”]

[The black-haired boy in a white shirt and white pants looked at Ebina, raised his lips and spoke softly, and reached out to hand over the key he had picked up.]

【“Thank you, this…classmate.”】

[Ebina reached out to take his key and took a look at the boy in front of him, who was about 17 or 18 years old, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. ]

[She was in a hurry when she was running just now, so she didn't observe the boy's appearance carefully. Now after a careful inspection, she found that the boy was really extraordinary. ]

[Not only does he have fair skin, but he also has a very handsome face and a gentle and sunny temperament. He is the kind of sunny idol that can attract women from eight to eighty years old. Just like Fujii Itsuki who stood by the window reading a book in "Love Letter", his appearance is exactly the template face that every girl's first love should have.]

[Especially the smile on the corner of his mouth, which made Ebina even have an illusion when he saw him for the first time. ]

[A white-haired figure instantly overlapped with the boy in front of him. Even the arc of the smile on their mouths was so similar, like a pair of twins.]

【"righteous--"】

[“——Excuse me, are you here to visit a friend?”]

[Ebina subconsciously wanted to call out the man's name, but the boy asked her softly.]

[No matter her smile or manners, there is nothing wrong with her. She has a natural sense of freshness, and even her smile is not a bit gloomy.]

[But this scene somehow feels disconnected from this hospital, because this hospital is now full of injured people and their families who were admitted because of Case 25, and there are cries everywhere. There is no one like this boy who always has such a pure smile on his face.]

[It was like an angel had arrived at the hell of suffering, with an inexplicable sacred and pure light, which was completely at odds with the tragic atmosphere and scene around him.]

[But for some reason, Ebina didn't feel anything was wrong, as if it was supposed to be this way, and subconsciously ignored the strange atmosphere. ]

[“Cough, cough, cough!”]

【The young man's question made the dazed Ebina react immediately. He coughed a few times in embarrassment, and was surprised to think that there would be a day when he would confuse Zaimokuza with someone else.】

[“Yes, classmate, are you here to visit your friends as well?”]

[Ebina smiled and wiped his nose in embarrassment. He guessed that this boy was probably here to visit a friend or family member who was in the hospital, otherwise he wouldn't have come here.]

[“Hmm? I’m here to visit an old friend I haven’t seen for a long time. He was hospitalized yesterday due to illness.”]

[The young man smiled and nodded, his smile was sincere and not fake at all, his eyes were filled with joy and cheerfulness of meeting an old friend soon.]

[“I learned from a friend that he was in the hospital. He seems to be still sleeping now, so I want to visit him and hope he can get better soon.”]

[The boy in white expressed his concern for his friend to Ebina, his eyes were still full of smiles, and the curves at the corners of his eyes were as innocent as two bright crescent moons.]

[“You and your friend have such a good relationship. I hope you can see your friend soon and I also hope he can recover.”]

[“Also, if you don’t know which ward your friend is in, you can ask the nurse here. I have something urgent to do right now. I’ll treat you to milk tea as a thank you next time I see you!”]

[Ebina nodded and smiled, then walked past the boy, walked into the elevator and pressed the down button.]

【"Thanks?"】

[The black-haired boy dressed in white smiled as he watched Ebina leave, then raised his hand and waved goodbye to her.]

[His eyes, which were almost narrowed by his smile, opened slightly, revealing a pair of eyes as dark and deep as an ancient well, and his white teeth sparkled with dazzling light against the backdrop of his smile.]

[“…I have always believed that when we meet again, he will be well again.”]

[“KU——”]

[The elevator door slowly closed, and Ebina saw the boy smiling at him, with a warm summer-like smile, and he softly recited his friend's name.]

[But she only had time to hear the first half of the sentence, as the elevator closed and blocked the other person's name from being spoken.]

……

【"here……"】

[Zaimokuza, who was half-kneeling on the ground, raised his head and stared blankly at everything in front of him. ]

[Looking at this place in front of him that he had never had any impression of, his eyes widened unconsciously, and he could not hide the astonishment in his voice. ]

[“Where exactly is this place?”]

[In front of me is a dim room, with a row of long tables with several computers on them, and in the corner not far away are several wooden scientific instruments that are completely incomprehensible, as well as a blackboard covered with various mysterious white numbers.]

[The floor is littered with scattered scientific research materials. The room is dominated by absolute darkness and depression, with no windows leading to the outside world.]

[——Besides that, there are mirrors everywhere.]

[Whether it is the floor, ceiling, or wall, all are made of glass-like materials that can reflect objects. The mirrors that reflect each other visually expand the spatial breadth of this room infinitely. The overlapping phantoms can easily make people lose their sense of direction.]

[Although Zaimokuza could not guarantee that he could remember everything in the past, he was sure that he had never seen such a room in his memory. ]

[Because this place is really too weird, not only does the construction and design style completely violate the most basic laws of architecture, it can make people feel comfortable, but there is also an indescribable emptiness and paleness filling every corner of this room. ]

[This room is like a foreign land that is a world of its own, covered with a surreal feeling as if reality has been stripped away. If I have seen it before, Zaimokuza is sure that I will never forget such an abnormal place.]

[Click——]

[Just as Zaimokuza was surprised at the abnormality of this room, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps coming from behind him.]

【Zaimokuza hurriedly looked back.】

[The person who came into view made his pupils dilate in an instant, and the gray irises reflected an expressionless face. ]

[“…Hachiman?”]

[Zaimokuza shouldn't have been so shocked, because he had already met Hikigaya Hachiman before, and he had come here chasing after him.]

[But the person who appeared before him at this moment still made Zaimokuza lose all his composure in an instant. ]

[Because the person he saw was not the one in his memory or the one who appeared before, the Hikigaya Hachiman wearing the Sobu High School uniform. ]

[What he saw was the person he saw for the last time, the one who left deep pain in his memory.]

[It is the one whom I will never see again in my life——a true friend. 】

Chapter position: 159 / Chapter price: 20 / Word count: 4403 / Update time: 2023-06-15 01:41:38

22. Interlude: Fighting Alone (Two in One)

““Hmm!?”

When they saw the young man in white appear on the light screen, Yoshiki Zaimokuza and Kyosuke Kousaka, who were separated in reality, had similar and intense reactions at the same time.

"Zaimokuza?"

As Hikigaya asked with a frown, Zaimokuza put his arms around his shoulders with an uncomfortable look on his face.

At this moment, an indescribable chill wrapped around his body from the soles of his feet, making Zaimokuza feel as if he was at the top of the Arctic Circle, feeling only the bone-chilling cold.

“What’s going on…?”

The skin on his fingertips seemed to have lost all temperature as if it was soaked in ice water, and his forehead was instantly covered with cold sweat. Zaimokuza couldn't help but look up and look at the black-haired boy on the screen who was waving goodbye to "Hina Ebina" who walked into the elevator, his eyes filled with inexplicable astonishment.

Looking at the boy's face, the smile on his face was so warm and gentle, just like his future self in his imagination, but Zaimokuza felt completely different.

If the smile of the future "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" is the sunshine that embraces everything, then the smile of this boy——

“It’s just… like a mask!”

Kyosuke Kousaka hugged his trembling hands and stared in disbelief at the smile that disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.

He had no idea why he had this strange illusion. Even though the smile was very similar, Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't feel any sense of security from this boy, similar to what Zaimokuza could give him. He even felt a completely opposite coldness and unspeakable disgust from the bottom of his heart.

It felt like the instincts of all living things were telling me one thing: there was a natural enemy ahead!

"Hey, Zaimokuza—"

"Look, Xiaoqi!"

Just as Hikigaya reached out to hold Zaimokuza, Yuigahama Yui's exclamation made him look subconsciously, and he saw the girl looking at the light screen in front of him with an incredible expression.

"Is this you in the future?"

Hikigaya immediately turned around and looked at the light curtain in front of him. The figure he saw made his expression change slightly.

"This person is... my future self???"

He looked at the face on the screen that was very similar to his current self, but with a much more mature temperament and aura, and spoke hesitantly, his voice full of confusion and doubt, as well as faint suspicion and uncertainty.

That person looked exactly like Hikigaya Hachiman, but...

Only those eyes would never let anyone who saw them confuse him with the Hikigaya Hachiman they knew.

【at the same time.】

【Tokyo, on the expressway leading outside the metropolitan area. 】

[In order to prevent the 25th from collapsing in Tokyo and releasing a huge amount of poison gas, the police set up a plan to transport the opponent outside the metropolitan area and annihilate him, and the main implementer was Kyosuke Kosaka. ]

[The police acted very quickly. When Ginoga first appeared to play the game, they had already mobilized all police forces to clear all vehicles on the highway and set up a no-travel policy within a radius of at least ten kilometers, trying their best to eliminate any unexpected factors that might cause the plan to fail.]

[And now, Kousaka Kyosuke was driving the Graham, which had merged with his own mount into a new motorcycle, and was driving Ginoga along the road at a very high speed. The cameras along the road were unable to capture their speeding figures completely, and could only capture a blurry afterimage passing by.]

[Looking down from above, it looks like a dark blue meteor flying low along the highway, and the afterimage is the trail left by the meteor. ]

[Soon——]

[Kousaka Kyosuke, who was driving the Graham Charger, first glanced at Ginoga, who was lying in front of the car and was locked by the horns and unable to move, and then looked at the map route displayed on the screen in the lower left corner of his vision. A blue light dot representing himself was moving towards a red light dot, and the distance between them was constantly shortening.]

[That red light spot is the location of the planned annihilation. Once we reach there, even if it is not confirmed that Life Form No. 25 can fly, it will be unable to escape. The heavy firepower weapons deployed are enough to blast the opponent to pieces without leaving even a single cell! ]