The story we started

[He originally thought that Zaimokuza's ability to display this level of combat power meant that his injuries had completely healed, but judging from his current appearance, this was not the case.]

[“Hey… Mr. Kosaka, are you okay?”]

[Zaimokuza, whose face was as pale as a dead person, turned to look at the astonished Kousaka Kyousuke and said with a forced smile.]

[“That’s what I want to say! Even your eyes are starting to blur, are you okay!?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke quickly reached out a hand to support the shaky Zaimokuza, and said worriedly as he looked at him.]

[“Um? Don’t worry, I…”]

[Just when Zaimokuza was about to smile and say that he was fine, his pupils suddenly dilated and he lost consciousness. His body, which was supported by Kousaka Kyousuke, fell forward weakly.]

[“Hey! Zaimokuza, you——Ugh!”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke threw away the Demon Slayer that he was leaning on with his other hand, and just as he was about to check on Zaimokuza with both hands, he suddenly groaned.]

[“Damn it…”]

[The scene before him began to spin, and Kousaka Kyosuke realized that he had also reached his limit without realizing it, and whispered unwillingly.]

[The reason why he didn't trigger the body's protective mechanism and fall into a coma before was because the rapid secretion of adrenaline during the battle kept his body in an extreme state, so Kousaka Kyousuke could ignore the severity of his injuries and continue fighting. But now that the battle is over, his body and mind, which have exited the wartime state, have caused all the suppressed injuries to burst out at once.]

[“Puff!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke supported the unconscious Zaimokuza and half-knelt on the ground. He lay on Zaimokuza's back and spit out a mouthful of blood. His expression instantly became weak.]

[No, the temperature here is too high. We must move the wood base first...]

[He bit his tongue hard, and after using the pain to suppress the urge to fall asleep, he supported Zaimokuza's body and walked back the way he came.]

[Kousaka Kyousuke staggered and supported Zaimokuza as he walked a considerable distance along the smoke-filled road. When his remaining consciousness confirmed through smell and touch that he was far away from the smoke-filled and high-temperature environment, he fell to the ground helplessly with the scene in front of him completely blurred.]

[Patter. 】

[After Kousaka Kyosuke helped Zaimokuza lie on the ground, he could no longer hold on and fell forward, causing his armor to make a dull sound.]

[The two of them fell together on a road about 100 meters away from the battlefield, and fell into a coma.]

【“…”】

[The golden eyes reflected the two people who had lost consciousness, and the sight was especially focused on Kousaka Kyosuke's resolute face, which did not relax even after he fell unconscious. His eyelids drooped to cover up the emotions in his eyes.]

[The long eyelashes blinked, and then the figures of Zaimokuza Yoshiki and Kousaka Kyosuke and the amber-like gold disappeared without a trace when he opened his eyes the next time, and the eyeballs returned to their original black irises.]

[Baruba, dressed in red, turned her gaze back to the window, reached out and picked up the coffee on the table in front of her expressionlessly, but did not stop drinking.]

[“Sure enough, the previous sensation was not an illusion.”]

[Looking at her cool and beautiful face swaying on the coffee mist, Baruba's thoughtful voice echoed in the beautifully decorated and luxurious classical style room. ]

[“KUUGA… He has awakened.”]

[“This is what you want to see, right?”]

[She raised her head, looked at the chandelier above her head and whispered to herself.]

[This scene is very strange. Obviously, there is no one in the room except her, but Baruba's natural expression and movements are like she is talking to a person standing in front of her. There is no sense of acting at all.]

【“～”】

[A light laugh like an illusion sounded in his ears. Baruba looked down at the coffee cup in his hand. What he saw from the black reflective surface was not his own face, but another pair of clear black eyes.]

[This scene was filled with indescribable weirdness and horror, a scene that only appears in horror movies, but Baruba did not show any surprise on his face, he just quietly looked at the pair of black eyes that were the same color as his own.]

[“Now, we can start.”]

[The eyes reflected in the coffee narrowed, filled with joy and happiness, like a child who got his favorite toy. Even the voice in her ear was innocent.]

[“Let’s start the ‘Dark Game’. We will soon be able to meet old friends on the battlefield.”]

[“I’m looking forward to the day when he or another winner comes before me and brings about the ‘ultimate darkness’.”]

["KUUGA～"]

[After those innocent words fell, those eyes disappeared in the rising coffee mist.]

[Baruba listened to every word the voice said silently. After the eyes disappeared, she picked up the hot coffee and drank it all in one gulp.]

【“…Dorudo.”】

[A pale figure walked out of the darkness of the room. The man, with only his eyes exposed, held a black stone abacus in his hands, waiting for Baruba, who had his back to him, to give him instructions.]

[“Call Gooma back. I have something for him to do… Also, notify ‘Nu’ to get ready.”]

[Even though they were of the same level, Ra-Dorudo-Gu acted like a subordinate in front of Baruba. He nodded slightly and then stepped back, disappearing into the shadows away from the exit of the room.]

【“Finally, it’s about to begin.”】

【Looking at the coffee cup with not a single drop of coffee left in his hand, Baruba muttered to himself in a trance. 】

【This time, no one responded to her. 】

……

【Tokyo, Kanto Medical University Hospital, intensive care unit on the third floor. 】

【12:25 AM】

[Outside the ICU, a small, slightly yellowed piece of paper was added to the doorplate.]

[The upper part is Kousaka Kyosuke, the lower part is Zaimokuza Yoshiteru. 】

[“Haha~ Finally done.”]

[With a pair of dark circles under her eye bags, Makishima Saori looked at the two people wrapped in bandages and falling asleep on the two beds in front of her, and spoke weakly. ]

[Especially Zaimokuza, who was glared at fiercely by her with eyes full of resentment.]

[“Really? I’ve never seen such an outrageous person before. He just woke up and transformed in the operating room and removed the exhaust fan to get out? Fortunately, everyone in the operating room signed a confidentiality agreement, otherwise the whole of Tokyo would know tomorrow that the true identity of No. 4 is actually a human named Zaimokuza Yoshiki.”]

[“Um, Ms. Makishima…”]

[Standing not far away, Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui remained silent as they watched Makishima Saori busy healing and bandaging the two people. Only after the process was over did Yuigahama finally unable to hold back her expression of worry and talk to her.]

[“Ah~ Since you are all friends of Zaimokuza, there is no need to be so distant. You can just call me Saori.”]

[Makishima Saori looked at Yuigahama's somewhat unfamiliar expression and waved her hand carelessly.]

[“So, Sa… Saori, Zaimokuza… and Officer Kousaka, how are they doing now?”]

[Yuigahama, who had slept for less than two hours that day, also had obvious dark circles under her eyes, but she still forced herself to ask.]

[“That’s terrible.”]

[As a result, Makishima Saori's first words made her face pale and she covered her mouth in panic. ]

[“But don’t worry too much! This level of injury is common for the two of them. I would find it strange if they were not seriously injured every time they were hospitalized.”]

[“Yes, is that so?”]

[This statement surprised Yuigahama greatly. Although she felt that it was unreliable, her inner anxiety was calmed down by the other party's assurance.]

[“Put it down. Although the injuries on Kousaka-kun and Zaimokuza-kun look scary, such as multiple fractures, muscle strains, ruptured internal organs, high fever, cracked ribs, large-area burns on the body surface, severe concussion, etc.... they are indeed scary.”]

[Makishima Saori used her slender white fingers to count the injuries the two had suffered this time one by one. Every time she counted, Yukinoshita Yukino's eyebrows twitched, and Yuigahama Yui covered her mouth in horror.]

[“But, it’s okay!”]

[After finishing her summary, the female doctor showed a fearless smile, generously patted her full chest with her hands, and shook her chest with a wave that no one at the scene could ever reach in their lifetime, and then said.]

[“This level of injury is just a piece of cake for them. The serious injuries that would kill an ordinary person would at most cause these two monsters with extraordinary physical fitness to be hospitalized for a few days. After a few days, they will be full of energy again to find those unconfirmed life forms to fight to their heart’s content.”]

[“The worst that can happen is that they will have some sequelae similar to hemiplegia in their old age. It’s okay!”]

【Yuigahama Yui: “…”】

[Yukishita Yukino: "..."]

[They suddenly realized that this doctor did seem a little unreliable, and wondered if they needed to raise some pension for the two people she mentioned in their old age.]

【"correct!"】

[Makishima Saori suddenly remembered something. She looked around at Yuigahama who was laughing awkwardly and Yukinoshita who was holding her forehead. She found that someone was missing and asked in a strange way.]

[“Where is Hime-chan? Wasn’t she here just now? How come she disappeared in the blink of an eye?”]

[“As for Ebina-san, I remember she just said she was going to the storage room.”]

……

[“This is really… more damaged than I expected.”]

[Looking at the GO armor on the table, which was taken off from Kousaka Kyousuke and whose parts were in tatters, Ebina covered his face with a look of frustration. ]

[She felt so heartbroken that she couldn't speak, and was filled with resentment towards the dead body of Kousaka Kyosuke lying upstairs.]

[All this is money! It costs money to build it, and even more money to repair it. All of this is just pure money! Even if you have money, you can't squander it like this! ]

[“When you men shoot, have you ever thought that every bullet you shoot is the money saved by us logistical researchers…”]

[Ebina muttered to himself, picked up a piece of armor fragment that had fallen off, and frowned at the damage on it.]

[Although her words were mixed with some of the truth, most of them were just angry words, and this battle actually exposed many problems. ]

[“I just updated the armor version, and I thought that with the current performance of GO’s mecha, I should be able to sustain the battle against the unconfirmed life form for a long time, but I didn’t expect the enemy this time to be so terrifying.”]

[“Not only did he fail miserably in his normal state, but he also failed miserably after encountering all the functional restrictions. To be honest, if the dresser wasn’t Kosaka-kun, he would have died suddenly in the middle of the game…”]

[“Also, judging by the strength of the 25th that appeared this time, the game of those Gurongis should have entered a new stage. The enemies that appear later will probably become stronger and stronger. With only the current GO, without Yoshiki’s help, there is no way to deal with it, even for Kosaka-kun.”]

[“Ah, my goodness! I never thought that the masterpiece I spent so much time designing would fall behind the latest version so quickly. This really hits my confidence.”]

[Ebina casually threw the fragment back onto the table, looking at the armor in front of him that he had spent countless efforts on, his eyes behind the glasses flickered.]

[“Since the current version cannot keep up, we can only continue to update…”]

[“It’s time to put the “G1” plan on the agenda.”]

Avenue to Jane

Chapter position: 174 / Chapter price: 25 / Word count: 5311 / Update time: 2023-07-04 00:10:07

34. Before the Darkness (5K)

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"That is--!?"

Hikigaya, who had just finished playing with Zaimokuza, was helplessly tidying up his messy clothes when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the pair of eyes that appeared on the surface of the coffee in Baruba's hand in the light curtain, and his pupils suddenly shrank.

"What's going on? Why did a pair of eyes appear in the coffee in the hand of the Gurongi referee?"

Yukinoshita Yukino also noticed this, and her beautiful brows frowned in confusion.

"And, if that voice is correct, I remember it was..."

"That's right?"

The voice coming from behind attracted everyone's attention. Ebina Hina, who was originally watching the two people playing with a smile, adjusted her glasses and spoke in a calm voice after the reflection blocked her slightly squinted eyes.

"Yukinoshita-san is right... the owner of that voice should be the boy that my future self met when Yoshiki was in the hospital."

Hearing her calling him by his name, Zaimokuza turned his head away in embarrassment, avoiding the teasing gazes of others.

Ever since she stopped hiding the fact that they were childhood sweethearts in a sense, Ebina now calls Zaimokuza by his first name, skipping his surname. In this country, only people who are close enough to each other call each other by their first names, and usually they call each other by their surnames.

But compared to this, Zaimokuza was more concerned about the topic she brought up now.

Although it may sound strange to say this, ever since the young man in white appeared, Zaimokuza's attention has actually never shifted away from him, because he gives Zaimokuza a very strange feeling.

This feeling is really hard to describe. If I had to use a literary expression, it would be: a connection of fate.

Yes, Zaimokuza felt as if he was connected with that boy on the level of fate. Any of his actions touched Zaimokuza's heart, making him unable to help but care. And judging from the information before the light curtain, the other party might be a Gurongi, because no one else would call themselves KUUGA.

And now it seems that the opponent is probably not just an ordinary Gurongi.

Zaimokuza was not sure what class Baruba, the referee, held in the entire Gurongi clan, but judging from the fact that all the previous Gurongis did not dare to provoke her directly even if they were dissatisfied (except for a certain bat), and the Gurongi from the 'GO' group who had made a stunning appearance in the battle with No. 14 treated her as an equal, even if Baruba's status was not at the highest level, it was definitely not far off.

But he saw it very clearly just now. When facing the pair of eyes that appeared in the coffee in his hand, although Baruba behaved as aloof and cold as usual, his attitude was exactly like a taciturn subordinate waiting for orders from his superior, without even any argument or suggestion.