The story we started

[“Let alone the book you wrote, even those so-called true and touching masterpieces that people praise are essentially nothing more than the writer’s creative materials drawn from reality, undergoing secondary artistic processing in his brain, and then writing out the modified events in a coherent manner in the form of words.”]

[“The reason why people are moved by those stories is that the writers have grasped the readers’ psychology and modified the touching deeds that actually happened in reality and wrote them into their own books. The readers subconsciously know that these plots are true, so they will cry for the stories written in these works...but they are actually false.”]

[“In fact, people know very well that what is real are only the emotions and past that exist in reality. The people, events, and emotions described in this story have never existed in reality. However, they avoid thinking about this because they are unwilling to believe that the things they have placed so much emotion and tears on are all fake and unreal counterfeits. They are unwilling to believe that their emotions have been deceived by others, and that they were deceived voluntarily while they were sober... But this is reality.”]

[“Isn’t it about time you realized this fact, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru?”]

[Hikigaya quietly looked at Zaimokuza, who was in a daze because of his words, his eyes were as calm as always, and his calm but brutal voice echoed in the silent living room.]

[“The so-called story is nothing but a fake thing packaged in a beautiful literary way. It is essentially a false spiritual comfort. It is a kind of spiritual drug that gives people in reality false hope and vision, but it cannot change any reality at all. It only brings a short-lived spiritual joy, just like people who fantasize about moistening their throats to deceive their own senses by looking at plums to quench their thirst.”]

[“No matter how well-written a story is, it cannot replace a meal that fills one’s stomach, it cannot improve one’s academic performance, and it cannot tell you how to find a better job to support your livelihood, because it is ultimately false and cannot bring true happiness to people. And precisely because it is false, so…”]

【“Stories have no power at all.”】

【“——!”】

【Every time Hikigaya said something, Zaimokuza's body trembled. His words were like invisible sharp blades drawn from their sheaths. Every swing accurately hit Zaimokuza's heart, and in a short while, his soul was scarred.】

[How much he wanted to refute even one sentence, but he couldn't say it at all. Perhaps it was because Zaimokuza knew in the deepest corner of his heart that Hikigaya Hachiman was actually right.]

[False stories do not have the power to represent real reality.]

[“This also applies to the stories you write.”]

[Hikigaya pushed the story that Zaimokuza had spent countless efforts to write across the table, and the book slid and drifted in the direction of Zaimokuza.]

[Patter. 】

【“…”】

[The book fell over the edge of the table and onto the floor. Zaimokuza stared blankly at his outstretched hand, a hand that could not grasp anything.]

[When he was about to grab the book, his outstretched hand paused due to hesitation. Even if it was only a moment of hesitation, it would cause this story that no one could grab to fall into the abyss.]

["The Man Who Guards the Smiling Face", the handwritten title on the cover of the book reflects a dim light under the light, but Zaimokuza, the person who wrote the name, feels blinded at this moment, without any joy and pride when he racked his brains to write this name. 】

[“When you see a smile, you want to protect it. It’s a beautiful theme… but it’s not realistic at all, because in reality there has never been a person who would protect other people’s smiles without any reason.”]

[Hikigaya retracted his outstretched hand and walked past Zaimokuza, who lowered his head, while speaking.]

[“I am not lying. Your story is indeed well-written from the reader’s perspective, but it is not realistic at all and does not have any elements that make it a “real thing”. Even if someone imitates the protagonist in your book, it will ultimately be just a “fake” that imitates the original.”]

[“Because false things are false after all, your story can never become true, even if you, as the author, practice it yourself, but when the starting point is false in the first place, it can never become the “true thing”.”]

[“You should leave now, and don’t come here to see me again.”]

[Hikigaya stopped walking, turned his head and looked at the cat bowl on the floor not far from the sofa, his eyelids drooping slightly.]

[There was still a lot of cat food in the cat bowl, but a thick layer of mold had already grown on the surface, indicating that the cat that should have eaten up the food had not touched it for a long time, which was why this happened.]

[“…This house is no longer a place that people like you can enter.”]

[After Hikigaya finished speaking, he walked towards the exit of the living room again. When he passed the exit, he reached out and turned one of the standing mirrors that reflected Zaimokuza's back to another direction, and then continued to walk towards the stairs leading to the second floor.]

[“Let’s go, go home early now… to avoid getting into trouble on the way home too late. You can take the umbrella at the door.”]

[Listening to the footsteps that were gradually fading away, Zaimokuza lowered his head, clenched his fists until they creaked, and clenched his teeth tightly.]

【“——Wait, Hachiman!”】

[When Hikigaya walked up the stairs, Zaimokuza, who had been looking down at the story he had written, could no longer suppress the surging emotions in his heart, and turned around and shouted at Hikigaya's back.]

[But Hikigaya did not pause for a moment, and continued to walk steadily up the stairs, turning the corner and disappearing from Zaimokuza's sight.]

[——This was the last conversation between the two. From then on, they never had a face-to-face conversation again.]

【After that night, time seemed to have passed quickly as if it had been pressed on a shortcut key. When the senior year of high school came to an end, Hachiman Hikigaya, who graduated with the highest scores in both the school and Japan, took his diploma from the principal as a representative and refused to give a speech. He left this task to Himena Ebina, who ranked second in the school and was admitted to MIT like him. Then he sat alone in a secluded corner waiting for the graduation ceremony to end.】

[Zaimokuza surpassed everyone's expectations in this exam and ranked fifth in the school. Although he was not as outstanding as Ebina and Hikigaya, he and Yukinoshita Yukino, who ranked third, were both admitted to the prestigious domestic university, Johnan University.]

[After receiving the certificate, Zaimokuza looked impatiently at the seat where Hikigaya was sitting. Just when he was thinking of trying to keep him for a while, he was shocked to find that he was no longer there, leaving only an empty chair.]

[At some point, Hikigaya Hachiman had already left this school. When he first entered, he was unknown and no one knew him. When he left, even though everyone knew about it, he also left without a sound, without taking anything with him or leaving anything behind.]

[And the old classroom of the Service Club was officially abandoned after today. Before the final moment came, its members could not gather together after all.]

[Although Zaimokuza was sad at that time, he never thought that it would be the last time he saw Hikigaya Hachiman. ]

[——When we met face to face again, it was at this funeral.]

[Until the last period before Hikigaya Hachiman's death, he still failed to fulfill the promise they had made and could not write a story that Hikigaya Hachiman would approve of.]

[When he saw his friend's body lying peacefully in the coffin surrounded by a sea of ​​flowers, Zaimokuza felt not only boundless sorrow, but also endless pain and regret.]

[After that day, a huge hole was opened in his heart, which could never be filled. In countless quiet nights, that hole would always remind Zaimokuza what he had lost and what mistakes he had made.]

[Zaimokuza Yoshiteru once again broke his promise. After his grandmother, he once again broke his promise with his best friend. 】

[And the more I think and recall, the more regret I feel. ]

[This is the real reason why he is so obsessed with keeping his promises, because every time he is about to forget the promises he made to others, the emptiness deep in his heart will continue to hurt him, condemning Zaimokuza's soul, leaving him no chance to breathe.]

[Driven by this emotion, after graduating from university, Zaimokuza embarked on his own adventurous journey. 】

[On one hand, it is to fulfill the old promise with the teacher, on the other hand... it is to atone for the sin. 】

[He has traveled to every famous place in the world, set foot on the land of countless countries, met and parted with countless people during his journey, and brought smiles to countless people, but in essence - Zaimokuza Yoshiki is just imitating. ]

[Zaimokuza longs for the figure who protects everyone in the story he created, and tries his best to become that person, filling the emptiness in his heart, and finding his own satisfaction in people's smiles. At the same time, he also tries to abide by the promise he can no longer fulfill in this alternative way, the promise with his deceased best friend.]

[After Kousaka Kyosuke's mother got into trouble, what Ebina Hime said to Makishima Saori was very correct. He was just making up for it, using other people's smiles to fill the emptiness in his heart.]

[Because only in this way can Zaimokuza's guilt be alleviated a little. ]

[But perhaps it’s just like what Hikigaya Hachiman once said - when the starting point is false, it can’t become a “real thing”. ]

[——This is what Zaimokuza truly forgot.]

[The happy person in everyone's eyes, the hero who protects everyone's smiles, the unstoppable promised superman... In fact, he never existed from the beginning. Under those dazzling surfaces, he is just an ordinary person who wants to make up for his past regrets. 】

[He has never been strong, and in fact, contrary to what he showed to others, the real Zaimokuza Yoshiki is actually a loser who can't even keep his promises to his relatives, can't even protect the smiles of his friends, a complete liar, and a loser who is powerless to do anything about the tragedy that happened to those around him.]

[Hikigaya Hachiman is right. He is so right. It is so correct that I have nothing to say.]

[——Zaimokuza Yoshiki is actually a "fake", a pathetic person who longs to become a "real person".]

【“——”】

【Zaimokuza finally remembered everything and raised his head. He looked at the transparent mirror in front of him that had appeared again without knowing when, and his eyes were filled with tears that were about to overflow.】

[On this mirror, countless fragments of past memories appear at this moment, but there is a figure in each scene. ]

[Hikigaya Hachiman, whether it was the first time we met, the joy when we became friends, the close friends after a series of events, the separation due to the tragedy, or the last time we met at the funeral, his presence was in everything.]

[Every part of the foundation that constitutes "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru", the "hero who protects everyone's smiles", is engraved with his traces. In fact, this story started with Hikigaya Hachiman at the beginning. He is the real source of all this. 】

[Even though he is no longer around, he still guides Zaimokuza here, searching through past memories to find his true heart.]

[Zaimokuza finally found his true self...but where is the person who led him here? ]

【Thinking of this, Zaimokuza trembled and looked around, but he could no longer find the familiar figure that would always appear after each memory and guide him to the next journey. He was left alone here, like a child abandoned by everyone.】

[Because this is the end point, there is no need to give him any more guidance. ]

[Hikigaya Hachiman believed that he could complete the journey now, so he chose to leave without even leaving Zaimokuza with a single trace of his back.]

[He is no longer here, either in reality or in memory. ]

[“Hachiman…”]

【Yoshiki Zaimokuza had never felt this fact so deeply as at any other moment—he had lost his best friend forever.】

【Forever, but also forever goodbye.】

[The pain of not being together for so many years welled up in my heart, and my soul felt like it was torn apart, and I couldn't help but burst into tears.]

【After many years, Zaimokuza finally cried out loudly again. 】

[He held up the mirror in front of him with both hands, and cried bitterly in front of countless memories of Hikigaya Hachiman, his tears blending into the darkness.]

[A teardrop fell from Zaimokuza's eyes, and in the moment before it fell from midair to the ground, it reflected a pair of eyes.]

[Those eyes had a faint golden glow in them, like the rising sun.]

……

【Tokyo, Kanto Medical University Hospital, rooftop terrace. 】

[The young man in white who waved goodbye to Ebina Hina before did not go to visit his old friend in the hospital as he said, but was standing at the edge of the stairs, looking at the tall buildings in Tokyo in the distance with a smile on his face.]

[And the direction he was looking at was exactly where Kousaka Kyousuke and Ginoga started the war. ]

【“——”】

[But at a certain moment, the boy's expression suddenly changed, and his eyes froze in silence.]

[But the next moment, a genuine joy emerged from the depths of his eyes, and the smile on his face became even brighter than before, with unconcealed anticipation and joy in his smile.]

[“This feeling… you’re finally waking up, KUUGA~”]

[“You got it, didn’t you? That power.”]

[“——The power that leads to the ultimate.”]

Zelda Current Status

Author's message:

ps: It’s been a long time since I last saw PY. Here’s another great guy who writes special effects articles~

Direct link to the work: "The Villain Knight Doesn't Want to Be a Hero"

Chapter position: 168 / Chapter price: 22 / Word count: 4670 / Update time: 2023-06-24 23:18:50

28. The Final Chapter of Memory: Even if the Dream Will Eventually Collapse (Part )

Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Benbun High School, health room.

"..."

Kyosuke Kousaka looked at "Yoshiki Zaimokuza" who was kneeling in front of the mirror and crying on the light screen, with an indescribably complicated look in his eyes.

The other person's tears stung his eyes, and looking at such a "Yoshiki Zaimokuza", Kyosuke Kousaka suddenly remembered his future self's usually expressionless face.

It was not until now that he realized that these two people were so similar. Beneath their smiling or expressionless appearance, they both hid the painful past of losing important people and similar passionate souls.

But they were not defeated by the past. Instead, they chose to bear the pain and in order to prevent others from suffering the same misfortune as themselves, they joined hands to fight against those unidentified life forms that harmed humanity.

"Yoshiteru Zaimokuza" chose to embark on a journey because he failed to keep his best friend's smile, and to protect the smiles of everyone he met during the journey; "Kousaka Kyosuke" lost his father because of bandits, so he chose to become a policeman, punish crime and protect innocent people.

It is obvious that the paths they took and the reasons for their departure were completely different, and they should not have had any interaction, but in the end, due to a trick of fate, they miraculously intersected and became comrades fighting side by side for the same goal.

Both of them put on a similar mask and chose to become Kamen Riders to fight to protect humanity.

Kyosuke Kousaka felt that the name uttered by "Asahina Mikuru" from the future was very appropriate.

Whether it is "Kousuke Kousaka" or "Yoshiki Zaimokuza", the masks they wear on their faces are not just to protect others, but to protect themselves and the weak ordinary people under the mask.

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"——Hachiman! You are so kind to me that you are still guiding me even after your death. I am so touched by you! My spiritual friend!!!"

“It’s so disgusting! How many times have I said that I hate any physical contact with men! And don’t make it sound like I’m dead! I’m still alive—Ughh ...

Zaimokuza was moved to tears by what he saw on the screen. He sniffed back the snot that was streaming down his face, and with wide tears in his eyes, he opened his arms and hugged Hikigaya beside him.

Hikigaya Hachiman had a bad premonition when he saw Zaimokuza crying, but this time, before he could run away, he was hugged tightly by Zaimokuza. The strength was comparable to that of a bear and almost suffocated Hikigaya, and his eyes were almost squeezed out of their sockets.

The chairs the two were sitting on fell down due to the excessive movement, and Hikigaya was held by Zaimokuza and fell directly to the ground. The pressure of nearly 200 kilograms of weight made him let out a shrill scream.

"What the hell? Sure enough, this is the normal state for these two guys. Sure enough, it's best for them to continue to be like this."

Shizuka Hiratsuka looked at the two people playing around and nodded with satisfaction.

"Although Hikigaya-san, who is almost suffocated by the pressure, may disagree with this, I agree with your opinion this time, Mr. Hiratsuka."