The story we started

[“It’s such a mess outside, where on earth did that damn rabbit Zaimokuza go—”]

【“Um… the store manager.”】

[Just as Kawasaki Saki was mumbling, a soft voice came from behind her, causing her to subconsciously look back. The irritated expression frightened Asahina Mikuru so much that she shrank back.]

[“Ah… Mikuru, I’m sorry. I’m not in a good mood.”]

[“No, it’s okay. I understand how you feel.”]

【Asahina Mikuru forced a smile and twisted her fingers together nervously.】

【"that--"】

[When she first said this, her expression hesitated for a moment for some reason, but she continued to speak to Kawasaki Saki.]

[“Manager, Mr. Kosaka called just now.”]

[“Hmm? Officer Kousaka?”]

【After hearing this, Kawasaki Saki perked up and stared closely at Asahina Mikuru. 】

[“Officer Kosaka called? Is it related to Zaimokuza?”]

[“Hmm… yes, he said that the Metropolitan Police Department is in chaos right now because of the unidentified life form No. 25, and Mr. Zaimokuza is staying with him, so he can’t leave for the time being.”]

【Asahina Mikuru bit her lip, suppressed her inner guilt and nodded.】

[I didn’t lie, I didn’t lie, I didn’t lie… the girl silently hypnotized herself in her heart.]

[“What…it turns out that three dead rabbits are fine. If they are fine, why didn’t you call me earlier? You made me so worried about them!”]

[Hearing this news, Kawasaki Saki's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and even her tone became a little more relaxed, complaining unhappily. ]

[“Really? No wonder that guy didn’t come back for dinner today. He’s usually the most punctual at this time. He was sitting at the table with his bowl and chopsticks in his hands, staring at me before dinner even started… He’s been so tired recently. To reward him, I specially made his favorite hamburger steak today.”]

[Saki Kawasaki looked at a table not far away. On it was a bowl of white rice and a plate of hamburger steaks with sauce. The appearance alone was appetizing. In order to prevent spoilage, the food was wrapped in a plastic bag.]

[Although she always threatened Zaimokuza with dinner, she never really took action. On the contrary, she even remembered exactly what he liked to eat. This was also a unique gentleness of Saki Kawasaki.]

[“Such good food cannot be wasted... It’s decided! When that kid comes back tomorrow, this will be his dinner. It’s a punishment for breaking the promise to come back before dinner!”]

[“Hahaha… Zaimokuza-senpai will have diarrhea if he eats that.”]

【Asahina Mikuru said with a smile on her face.】

[“It’s late enough. It’s time to take a shower and go to bed. You should take a shower with me this time, Mikuru. Let me see how good your figure is and how well you have developed.”]

[“Hey? No no no! Really! I can wash it by myself! No need to be so troublesome!”]

[Faced with the girl's blushing face and violently shaking her head in rejection, Kawasaki Saki laughed loudly and walked briskly to the second floor. ]

[Just as Kawasaki Saki turned her head, the shy Asahina Mikuru behind her suddenly changed her expression dramatically. ]

[She lowered her head slightly and looked at the white collar on her chest that was propped up by the towering front armor. Her big, moist chestnut eyes were filled with deep worry and uneasiness.]

[“Zaimokuza-senpai, he should be… okay, right?”]

"Asahina Mikuru...what is her purpose?"

Yu Ishigami felt completely confused about this girl who was lurking as a waitress in the bellissimo ricordo restaurant and whose real identity was from a more distant future. He had no idea what she wanted to do.

"She is from the future, and according to previous intelligence, the future development of Asahina is different from the development of Mr. Zaimokuza's era. Even the most important Kuuga's transformation is Mr. Kousaka, not Mr. Zaimokuza as we know him. Therefore, it can be inferred that the future she comes from is very likely a future similar to a parallel world."

"But this doesn't mean that the information she knows is useless. At least regarding the unconfirmed life forms, the order of appearance in this era is basically the same as the information she has. That means Asahina should also have some understanding of the abilities of the unconfirmed life form No. 25 that appeared."

Ishigami Yu twirled the ballpoint pen with his fingers, frowned and stared at the pen shaft that had already turned out an afterimage between his fingers, thinking thoughtfully.

"Perhaps there is a huge gap between the No. 25 we know and the No. 25 in her data, but if the nature of her ability has not changed, it should still be mainly poisonous. And Asahina looks uneasy... Could it be that she knows that Mr. Zaimokuza is seriously injured now?"

“Her future Kuuga——did he encounter the same situation?”

The fingers suddenly stopped rotating, and the ballpoint pen was thrown out due to inertia and fell on the bed behind Ishigami Yu.

"Since she knew about this, why didn't Asahina choose to intervene? Could it be related to the rules of her organization? Just like those organizations in science fiction movies that can travel through time, none of them are allowed to tamper with the past in order to ensure the authenticity of history?"

Ishigami Yu crossed his hands and placed them on his chin, his eyes moving around rapidly, and he felt as if he had grasped some clue.

"But rules are dead, people are alive, and according to the current development of events, everything that happened in Mr. Zaimokuza's era is obviously a huge deviation from the history known by Asahina and the organization behind her. In this case, she should not have such concerns, right?"

"And from her expression, she is clearly very worried about Zaimokuza-san. I can tell that her feelings are real, but Asahina is just worried and not too anxious."

"……Could it be that?"

The other eye that wasn't covered by his overly long bangs widened slightly.

"Does she know something that we don't? Is she so sure that Mr. Zaimokuza will be fine?"

【Kanto Medical University Hospital, Tokyo.】

【 11:56 PM 】

[At this moment, the hospital was also full. Even though it was already early in the morning of the second day after the incident, the lights were still on, and there was no trace of the usual silence.]

[Red lights were on in all the emergency rooms. When the last patient was pushed out after the rescue, the next person on the stretcher was pushed in at the same time. Therefore, the operating light was basically never turned off, and all the medical staff were in an overloaded overtime state.]

[The entire hospital was filled with noise and noise. Many of the victims' family members were crowded in the corridors. Some of them were wandering outside the operating room with nervous faces. Some of them burst into tears after learning that their loved ones had unfortunately passed away due to failed rescue efforts. This caused others to get on edge, and they lost control of their emotions and began to curse.]

[Crying, cursing, and a few fights... This place is like a noisy vegetable market, there is no quiet for a single second.]

[And Yukino Yukinoshita and Yuigahama Yui were in such a place, sitting side by side on a bench in front of an emergency room. ]

【“…Yui.”】

[Yukinoshita took a tissue and wiped her friend's red eyes. She looked at the dark circles under her eyes and said with some heartache.]

[“Just take a break. I’m here for you.”]

【“…”】

[Yuigahama shook her head silently. With trembling fingers, she took the tissue from Yukinoshita's hand, turned her head away from the emergency light she had been staring at for almost an hour, and spoke with tears in her eyes.]

[“Xue-Xue… Zaimokuza, he’ll be fine, right?”]

【“——Yihui will be fine, don’t worry, Yui.”】

[Before Yukinoshita could reply, another sudden voice startled her, and then they both subconsciously turned their heads to look in the direction where the voice came from.]

["Ebina-san?"]

[Looking at the woman in a white coat walking around the dense crowd in the corridor, Yukinoshita opened her eyes wide in surprise. Yuigahama Yui, who was sitting next to her, had the same expression.]

[“Hina!?”]

[Suddenly seeing her high school friend whom she hadn't seen for many years, and in such an unexpected occasion, Yuigahama Yui couldn't help but widen her red eyes. 】

【“It’s me… Yui.”】

[Ebina reached out and took the tissue from Yukinoshita Yukino's hand, and gently wiped the tears from Yuigahama's eyes. The mysterious smile on his face was no longer on his face, but a gentle smile. ]

[“After so many years, you’re still so fond of crying?”]

【“——Hina!”】

[After confirming that the person in front of her was not her illusion, Yuigahama, who could no longer suppress her emotions, immediately rushed over, opened her arms and tightly hugged Ebina's slender waist, buried her face in her upright arms and let out a low sob. ]

[“Hi, hi, hi? I’m here, Yui.”]

[Ebina hugged his old friend tenderly, stroked her long pink hair like comforting a child, and whispered to her.]

[“…Yukinoshita-san, after all these years, besides contacting each other by phone, we finally meet in real life again.”]

[Ebina, who was holding Yuigahama, looked at the silent Yukinoshita and spoke with an inexplicably complex tone of emotion and sigh. ]

[“Indeed, it’s been a long time.”]

[Yukinoshita nodded. She looked at Ebina, whose appearance and figure had become mature and charming, in contrast to the youthful look in high school. Her eyes were also a little dazed.]

[When was the last time that the three of them appeared in the same place together? ]

[At this moment, a scene flashed through Yukinoshita’s mind——]

[Under the dark sky, the rainstorm continued, and the whole world was howling as if it was crying together, with deep sadness and coldness.]

[Amid heavy rain, several people wearing black suits and holding umbrellas are facing the same direction.]

[In front of him, a white-haired young man knelt down in front of a black coffin, holding the coffin tightly with one hand and a brown-covered book tightly with the other hand——]

[“——Let’s stop reminiscing here, Yukinoshita-san.”]

[Before Yukinoshita could feel sad because of the memories, Ebina's voice called her back to reality. ]

[Ebina still holds Yuigahama, who is still crying, in her arms, and looks up at Yukinoshita. The reflection of her glasses blocks her eyes, but the corners of her mouth that usually have an arc are now completely smoothed out, and a little tense.]

[“…Now, what’s the situation?”]

【“…”】

[Yukinoshita turned around and looked at the door of the operating room. Her eyes were so dim that it was hard to believe that this was the always cold and strong ice queen.]

[“As you can see, Zaimokuza-san…is still in danger.”]

……

[“Hmm——”]

[Zaimokuza spurted out blood again, staining the nurse's sterilized gloves.]

[If the blood he spat out before could still remind people of liquid, then the blood he spat out this time had completely turned into a semi-solidified liquid, and even contained fragments of internal organs, which was horrifying and creepy.]

[Not only that, his heart rate suddenly began to drop below the horizontal line like diving, and the red light of the instrument illuminated the nurse's pale cheek.]

[“Doctor, the patient’s heart rate is almost stopping!”]

[“Continue to inject adrenaline! This time the amount is 500 μg!”]

[“But, the patient has already been vaccinated before. If he is vaccinated again in a short period of time, he might——”]

[“Never mind, just do as I say!”]

[Makishima Saori's angry shout suppressed all objections. She pressed her hands hard on Zaimokuza's chest to pace his heart, her eyes anxious.]

[“Hey! Wake up, Zaimokuza! You can’t just die like this!”]

[“You are the only friend that Kosaka-kun can confide in! If you are gone, who will comfort him? Who will help him?!”]

[“Please, hold on!”]

[She pressed Zaimokuza's chest and shouted while staring at his bloodshot eyes.]

【Zaimokuza's cloudy eyes stared at Makishima Saori's face, which was so close to her. His eyes were empty and dead. Only his slightly trembling pupils proved that he was still alive. Seeing this, she trembled in her heart.】

[In Zaimokuza's vision, everything in front of him, including the anxious half of Makishima Saori's face, was rapidly fading away, and another scene replaced it all.]

[——In a world covered by heavy rain, the pitch-black tombstone stood quietly, carrying with it a silent sadness and desolation.]

[On that tombstone, engraved was the unforgettable name, but he could not see it clearly because his eyes were blurred by tears.]

[It seemed as if liquid was sliding down his face, but Zaimokuza couldn't tell whether it was rain or his own tears. ]

【“…”】

[Zaimokuza's eyes were still empty, but fluid had accumulated in the corners of his eyes, mixed with blood that had seeped out from the burst capillaries in his eyeballs, sliding down his eye sockets under the force of gravity.]

[He is crying, silently but deeply moving.]

Chapter position: 180 / Chapter price: 27 / Word count: 5804 / Update time: 2023-07-12 01:48:56

1. A blood-sacrificing ritual (three-in-one)

Chiba Prefecture, Chiba Benbun High School, health room.

"Although to be fair, this scene is indeed quite touching, but..."

"Why do I feel so wrong right now?"

Looking at the two people in the light curtain who were smiling at each other in tacit understanding, and listening to the screams of the group of female creatures outside whose volume broke through the air raid alarm by who knows how many deaf ears, Kousaka Kyosuke slapped his forehead with one hand, and his eyes that showed between his fingers were full of despair.

At this point, let alone other people, even he himself began to doubt whether there was something wrong with his future self's sexual orientation. Otherwise, why would he leave all the beautiful women around him and choose to hang out with that dead rabbit all day long.

"……Well!"