The story we started

[Akiyama Mio stared at Zaimokuza blankly. The man's expression was very gentle, and his eyes were filled with the purest joy, simply because he saw her smile.]

[“If you really want to repay me, then smile. I am already very happy to see your smile.”]

[“Because the reason I fight is to protect everyone’s smiles, so your smiles are the best reward for me, so please smile sincerely from now on.”]

[“Look! Smile like me~”]

[The dark pupils reflected the smile that was slowly being drawn on Zaimokuza's face. The corners of his mouth were pulled up to the sides in an arc that contained happiness, forming small dimples on his cheeks. His eyes were narrowed, and a row of teeth shone with a white light.]

[Generally speaking, a smile showing teeth is not considered good-looking, but Zaimokuza's appearance completely makes up for this. The evening sun shines on half of his smiling face from the window of the ward, and the other half is hidden in the darkness, like the stars under the moonlight. The light casts a hazy filter over his face, making this smile as beautiful as a dream.]

[Not to mention Akiyama Mio who was closest to Zaimokuza, even the other girls who were farther away were stunned for a while. When they came to their senses, they immediately turned their heads away with red faces, not daring to look at Zaimokuza who was now smiling.]

[Plop——]

[Looking at this smile, Akiyama Mio clearly felt that her heart seemed to stop beating for a moment, and a certain throbbing that she had never experienced in her life before echoed in the depths of her soul. ]

[What does that feel like? Akiyama Mio doesn't know, because her mind is gradually going blank. ]

[Pure crimson spread from her slender neck to her cheeks, her eyes gradually turned into spinning mosquito coils, her fair skin was so red that it made people worry that she had a high fever, and there was a faint white mist rising from her hair, which was proof that her brain was completely overloaded.]

[It was a long time later that Akiyama Mio understood what this feeling was called. ]

【That is called admiration. 】

[“Ah… I…”]

【“Mio!?”】

[The corners of Akiyama Mio's mouth twitched a few times, and then her eyes rolled up, and she fainted neatly as her companions exclaimed.]

【"Why?"】

【Seeing the girl suddenly faint without any warning, Zaimokuza's smile froze for a moment, and he blinked in confusion.】

[When the back of Akiyama Mio's head was about to hit the headboard, a pair of hands stretched out from behind to support her body, thus avoiding this fate.]

【"...wooden seat."】

【Looking at Akiyama Mio who was unconscious in front of him, Kousaka Kyosuke's face was full of speechlessness, and the corners of his eyes twitched. 】

[He turned to look at Zaimokuza, who looked confused, and after a long silence, he managed to utter a few words.]

[“I seem to understand… Miss Ebina obviously liked you so much, but why did she choose to break up with you in the first place? It was probably because she didn’t have the confidence to avoid being framed at that time.”]

[“I won’t tell her about this… Also, if you ever do something that triggers the law, I will apply for a famous defense lawyer for you based on our past friendship.”]

[“That’s all I want to say. You can do whatever you want.”]

【“???”】

Author's message:

PS: I was so tired today. Not only did I have to attend a full class and professional courses, but I also had to run to buy supplies to avoid the typhoon. I didn’t return to the dormitory until around ten o’clock, and ended up being dragged to the door to pile sandbags because there was a river next to it.

I hope the network won't be damaged by the typhoon tomorrow, and I'll try to update again tonight.

Chapter position: 193 / Chapter price: 27 / Word count: 5633 / Update time: 2023-07-29 02:22:52

13. The situation of each party (5K)

Osaka, Shiga Prefecture, Akiyama family.

"Woo——"

"Mio! I beg you! Don't faint again! Wake up!"

Mio Akiyama looked at the smile of "Yoshiki Zaimokuza" in her future self's eyes played on the screen from a first-person perspective. The little girl, who was still in her ignorant age, could not resist the other's smile that was full of mature masculinity after being honed for a long time. Her little face turned red in an instant and she rolled her eyes. She fainted in the steam coming out of her head.

Tian Zhongli, who was standing by, skillfully reached out to help her unconscious childhood sweetheart, and shouted while shaking her body with tears in her eyes.

【Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, bellissimo ricordo restaurant. 】

【19:54 PM 】

[“Um, store manager…”]

[Asahina Mikuru looked at Kawasaki Saki who was sitting at the counter and guzzling coffee. She was intimidated by her heroic drinking posture like a man, so she swallowed her saliva, approached carefully, and called her.]

[“Um, Zaimokuza-senpai, he…”]

[“Let me guess what you want to say, Mikuru—Yukinoshita called to tell you that Zaimokuza was hospitalized again because of a car accident or some other mishap. Maybe Officer Kousaka was also with him and was unfortunately affected. The two of them were hospitalized together again, right?”]

[Ka La! ]

[Kawasaki Saki put the empty cup heavily on the porcelain plate on the counter. The noise scared Asahina Mikuru so much that she trembled. Then she looked up with a pair of dead fish eyes and said.]

[“Uh… yes.”]

[Asahina Mikuru had nothing to say and could only nod awkwardly. This unsurprising answer made Kawasaki Saki sigh helplessly and said with an annoyed expression.]

[“Really?! I told that guy that today is your birthday, Mikuru, and asked him to be careful and come back early to eat cake, but that damn rabbit did something weird again!”]

[“Car accident, car accident. Why does Zaimokuza always get into car accidents? He has done it so many times but he never comes up with another excuse. Why doesn’t he just say that he ran into an unidentified life form and survived? This statement is more credible than a car accident!”]

[“It’s fine if he’s absent from work on normal days, but now he’s even absent from your birthday. I suspect if this continues, he’ll end up being absent from work on his own birthday.”]

[“Well… there’s nothing we can do about it. I believe Zaimokuza-senpai has his own reasons.”]

【Asahina Mikuru walked over to Kawasaki Saki and put her hand down her back, saying with a wry smile.】

[“Mikuru, just keep spoiling him! I guess it’s because you have such a good temper that Zaimokuza stood you up. If it were me, do you think that kid would carry the train back at night even if he was seriously injured and hospitalized?”]

[“I’ve already told you about your personality, Mikuru~ It’s good for a girl to have a good temper, but if you’re too good, people will take advantage of you when you start working in society. Because bad guys like to bully girls like you who are weak and soft-hearted. I’m a little worried that you’ll be cheated by a scumbag in the future.”]

[“Woo woo woo…”]

[Kawasaki Saki reached out her hands with a look of displeasure and rubbed Asahina Mikuru's soft chestnut-colored hair. The girl blushed as she endured the teasing of her own store manager. She stammered and wanted to refute but didn't know what to say. In the end, she could only bury her blushing face in her full chest that was different from her peers' development like an ostrich.]

[“Okay, I won’t tease you anymore~ Go wash your hands quickly. Since that guy can’t come back, we won’t wait for him. Let’s just cut the cake. At worst, we can just leave a piece for him later.”]

【Seeing her cute appearance, Kawasaki Saki smiled, feeling that her depressed mood was also relieved a lot, and walked to the table with an opened cake on the other side of the restaurant.】

[She walked to the edge of the counter and took a knife from the knife rack. She was about to walk away when she suddenly stopped.]

[Kawasaki Saki looked at the calendar hanging on the wall in front of her, frowned, and then reached out to pick up a handful of the calendar representing today.]

[“Come to think of it, Zaimokuza’s birthday is coming up in a few months, right? Really, please don’t do this to your own birthday.”]

[“You’re already an adult, but you even forgot it yourself. You still need me to remember it for you…”]

[Kawasaki Saki looked at the number 23 on the November calendar that was circled with a red pen, sighed silently, put it down, and continued walking forward.]

[After confirming that Kawasaki Saki had gone far away, Asahina Mikuru looked around for a few seconds and secretly raised her right hand, placed it to her mouth and whispered. ]

【“Remove stealth mode.”】

[The black instrument turned from transparent to visible to the naked eye like a chameleon shedding its disguise. The screen lit up and displayed the content above. The news headlines with white letters on a black background were reflected in the girl's chestnut eyes.]

["Niigata City Police Headquarters is completely destroyed!" Unidentified Life Form No. 26: The Cruel and Beheading Man's Way》]

[This title is as usual full of the deep exaggeration of the late stage of Japanese media's second-year cancer, but that's not what she cares about. ]

[“The battle took place in Niigata City, not Tokyo. Even the number of the unidentified life form was changed from 36 to 26…”]

[“As expected, the changes in history are becoming more and more serious. Where did this distortion begin?”]

[Asahina Mikuru frowned and murmured worriedly.]

……

[Nagano Prefecture, Kuroyama ruins, where the investigation team is stationed. 】

【not long ago. 】

[“Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Asahina. Please convey this message for me.”]

【Di-】

[After hanging up the phone, Yukinoshita Yukino shook her shoulder-length hair, exhaled gently, and pressed and kneaded her nose. ]

[“It’s a turbulent time, but this can be considered a different kind of vacation. You and Officer Kousaka should stay in the hospital well, Zaimokuza-san…”]

[“Ms. Yukinoshita, is Zaimokuza-kun okay?”]

[After Yukinoshita hung up the phone, Totsuka Ayaka, who was sitting next to her, asked with a somewhat worried look on her face.]

[“Don’t worry. They say that idiots have the toughest lives, so Zaimokuza and his classmate will be fine.”]

[“Also, we have been classmates for many years since we met in high school. You can just call me like you did in high school. There is no need to use such an unfamiliar name just because I am your superior now, Totsuka-san.”]

[Yukinoshita shook her head, looked directly into Totsuka Ayaka's worried eyes, and said with a chuckle.]

[“That’s good. As for the address… I wanted to call you Yukinoshita like I used to. Yours, Yukinoshita-san. But after all, so many years have passed. It feels a bit unnatural when the words come to my lips.”]

[Totsuka was slightly relieved after hearing her reply, but after hearing what Yukinoshita said next, his face turned red and he spoke shyly, his eyes wandering.]

[“Heh~ Totsuka-san, you too, even though it’s been so many years since you graduated from Sobu High School, but when it comes to dealing with people, I always feel like you’re still as shy as when we first met in the Sobu High School Servant Club.”]

[“Uh, well… some habits are hard to change. Don’t make it sound like I haven’t grown up since high school.”]

[After hearing what Yukinoshita said, Totsuka scratched his hair with an embarrassed expression, turning his head to think of something that could change the topic.]

[“I’m actually complimenting you. Not changing is not a bad thing sometimes. It’s just like being the same as someone…”]

[Yukinoshita had a calm smile on her face, and looked at Totsuka with nostalgia. It was as if she saw through him some figure that had already passed away in her past memories.]

[“Hahaha, I appreciate your good wishes, Yukinoshita-san, but I didn’t expect that you would choose to come in person this time. You know, you have always been sitting in the laboratory and communicating with me through the computer. After all, this place may mean a little bit to you…”]

[As soon as he said that, Totsuka regretted it immediately and wanted to slap his own mouth for speaking without restraint, but since things had come to this point, he could only bite the bullet and continue talking.]

[As expected, after hearing his words, the smile on Yukinoshita Yukino's face gradually faded, and after a short silence, she shook her head and said.]

[“…It’s impossible not to be reminded of something when seeing it, but compared to those negative emotions, the discovery here is obviously more important.”]

[She paused, and then her eyes became deep. People who are familiar with her know that this is the look when Yukinoshita Yukino is completely serious. ]

[“Totsuka-san, what is the current situation at the scene?”]

[“Don’t worry. After receiving the notification that Yukinoshita-san was coming, I ordered the people present to put the place under martial law. After all, this discovery can only be handled by you, Yukinoshita-san, who is the best in the country in this field.”]

【"plz follow me."】

[Speaking of business, Totsuka was no longer vague, and nodded with a serious expression, then stood up and called Yukinoshita to walk out of the tent together.]

[Yukinoshita followed his pace, and the two of them walked out of the tent along a road divided by a cordon. After walking for about a kilometer, they stopped outside the Jiulangyue ruins.]

[“This is…”]

[Looking at the silver spire building standing at the entrance of the ruins and surrounded by chains, Yukinoshita opened her eyes wide, and a rare expression of shock appeared in her eyes despite her calm and steady personality. ]

[Even though the sun has long since set, the exterior of the spire still emits a faint but transparent light, and the countless words engraved on it sparkle with a mysterious light golden color, which is fascinating.]

[“Yes, this is the new discovery mentioned in the notification to you. Because its shape is very similar to the obelisk of ancient Egypt, we codenamed it the ‘Alpha Obelisk’.”]

【Totsuka nodded and spoke in a serious voice.】

[“If it hadn’t suddenly emerged from the ground today, we probably wouldn’t have known that there was such a thing under our feet where we had lived for several months. Its composition material is very special. It clearly has the properties and characteristics of metal on the surface, but the metal detector we carried showed nothing special and was completely unable to detect its existence.”]

[“And the reason why we can conclude that the Alpha Obelisk is related to the inscription that you, Yukinoshita, are studying is because we found this symbol on the surface of the obelisk.”]

[Totsuka led Yukinoshita toward the Alpha Obelisk. The guards stationed there saluted and made way for him when they saw him leading the way. The two of them walked all the way to the front of the obelisk.]

[“I think, Yukinoshita-san, you must be very familiar with this symbol, right?”]

[Totsuka pointed at a pictographic totem on the surface of the obelisk that was completely different in color from the surroundings, and turned back to Yukinoshita and said.]

[“This symbol is——”]

[Looking at that symbol, Yukinoshita was stunned. ]

[Of course she recognized this symbol, which was closely related to all her current research and also involved an old friend of hers.]

[——It turned out to be the totem of the fourth unidentified life form, the "Kuaga".]

[“This is Kuga’s totem, but why…”]

[After coming back to her senses, Yukinoshita frowned because of another discovery and said in confusion. ]