The story we started

[Gooma's resentful roar echoed in the empty museum, the hatred in his voice was like the fierce roar of a demon.]

"Obviously I shouldn't laugh...but why can't I help but laugh every time I see number three being bullied? Hahaha!"

After finally breaking free from his depressed state, Tobe Sho couldn't help laughing with his eyes open after watching the helpless and furious Gooma in the video. His laughter became louder and louder, and his laughter was like a barbell, showing that he was a very healthy person.

"Although it looks pitiful, as a teacher I don't approve of bullying...but monsters are another matter. It can be said that every evil spirit has its own way of dealing with evil spirits."

Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help laughing as she watched Batman being bullied in the video, her shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

[“You can’t run away, kuuga!”]

[Thousands of meters above the sky, Badjisu's enhanced green compound eyes scanned the surroundings. His enhanced senses took in all the sounds of the entire city. This behavior, which would have put a great burden on Zaimokuza's brain, had almost no effect on him. Nothing escaped the gaze of his compound eyes.]

【badjisu watched and listened to everything that happened in this first city in Asia. In a house, a wife had her neck twisted by her angry husband, her son squatted at the stairs and looked at her in horror. There was a boy riding a bicycle on a slope who caught a beret that floated down and turned his head to look up, and a girl on the slope. A boy cried and stabbed the back of a tall man who had his back to him with a pair of scissors. Another young girl sat in the corner in front of them and looked at this scene in disbelief. A terrified man was pressed on a vending machine by a drunk strong man and his first kiss was forcibly taken away. There was also a fat boy in a classroom who was stepped on and laughed at by three girls dressed in aggressive clothes. There was also a man riding a motorcycle to the outside of the city——】

[“Found it! It’s him!”]

[badjisu suddenly looked at the figure driving the motorcycle towards the outside of the city. The color of the other person was completely different from the other blues. It was like a burning flame radiating orange-red light in all directions, which was extremely eye-catching.]

[It quickly flapped its wings behind it, and even exploded a weak air shield around its body at a starting speed, rushing towards the Zaimoku seat of the Triangle Chaser 2000 driving on the road very far away! ]

……

[“What on earth are you doing? Zaimokuza!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke, who had just rescued a mother and daughter from No. 14, released his finger on the communication button again and drove the police car down the road with a frown on his face.]

[The Triangle Tracker 2000 was parked on the roadside above the coastline. The communication device on it kept ringing, but the person who answered the call was no longer there.]

[“Notice to all vehicles, we have just captured the ultrasonic wave of the unidentified life form No. 14. Its route shows that it is heading to Chiba Prefecture. Please ask the police cars and nearby police officers who received the call to provide support immediately. I repeat, what we just did——”]

【"Could it be that!?"】

[Kousaka Kyosuke opened his eyes wide when he heard the in-car broadcast. He turned on the in-car display screen to show the location of Zaimokuza Triangle Tracker 2000. The location shown was Futtsu Kaigan, which was in Chiba Prefecture! ]

[Kousaka Kyosuke turned his head to look at the ultrasonic capture device that Ebina Hime had given him before. There was a signal source on it that was heading towards Chiba Prefecture at an extremely fast speed. The speed was no different from that of a space shuttle. In a blink of an eye, it crossed a large area of ​​the map and rushed straight towards the direction of the triangle tracker shown on the display on the other side! ]

[“Damn it! Number 14’s target is Zaimokuza after all!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke immediately stepped on the accelerator, and the speed of the police car soared to about 100 miles per hour in an instant. The car body was like a black and blue phantom speeding on the road, leaving all the passing vehicles behind.]

[“This is my personal request. Please, Mr. Kousaka, if it is possible…”]

[“…Please do your best to protect Yoshiki.”]

【Thinking of the sincere words that Ebina Hime said to him before leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, Kousaka Kyosuke was pushed back on the chair at an extremely fast speed, and the speed of the police car continued to increase. The scenery passing by the windows on both sides had turned into lines of various colors.】

[“Don’t worry, Ms. Ebina, I will.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke touched the gun hanging on the lining of his windbreaker, clenched his teeth, and his calm face could not hide his anxiety.]

[——I rarely make promises to others, so please don’t die before I arrive! Zaimokuza!]

"...Hina, what is the relationship between you and Zaimokuza in the future? Why are you so nice to him?"

Looking at what Kyosuke Kousaka was thinking in the video, Yumiko Miura couldn't hold back her doubts and asked Hina Ebina who was sitting next to her. Her mouth was still narrowed into a W shape and her glasses reflected the image of the mobile phone video.

"Hey~ I don't know either. Maybe it's the future Zaimokuza who won my heart. After all, the future Zaimokuza is really handsome~"

This is a lie.

Miura Yumiko, who was already familiar with Ebina Hina, could tell at a glance that she was lying. She must have been hiding something from her.

Even Zaimokuza couldn't help but secretly look at Himena Ebina. He has been a solitary warrior since he was a solo player since birth. If nothing unexpected happens, he may even become a great magician. However, he didn't expect that through this video, he would know that he had a girlfriend in the future and they broke up. What's more embarrassing is that the "ex-girlfriend" in the video is standing here now. This is simply a super double public execution. Therefore, after knowing the relationship between himself and Himena Ebina in the future, he has not dared to look at her.

"~?"

After noticing Zaimokuza's gaze, Ebina Hina waved at him with a smile, causing Zaimokuza to turn back in embarrassment.

【Chiba Prefecture, Futtsu Coast. 】

【Now. 】

【"Yihui, why are you here, and your eyes!?"】

[“This… is just a minor injury. It will be healed by tomorrow. Don’t worry.”]

【Tsurumi Rumi was a little surprised at first why Zaimokuza was here. When she saw his bandaged eye with blood oozing out, she couldn't help but ask worriedly, but Zaimokuza just smiled and waved his hand.】

【"……Who are you?"】

[Natsume Mika looked at the handsome white-haired young man in front of her and couldn't help but hold the backpack tightly in her arms and took a few steps back nervously. Even though she knew from the reaction of Tsurumi Rumi behind her that it was an acquaintance of her cousin, her fear did not subside.]

[“Don’t be afraid, I’m not a bad person. You can ask Liu Mei-chan about this.”]

【"……Um."】

[Natsume Mika turned her gaze to Tsurumi Rumi, and after seeing her cousin nod silently, she relaxed her tense body slightly. However, her next words suddenly made her body stiffen again.]

[“Although Yoshiki is not a normal person, he is not a bad person either, so don’t be afraid, Mika.”]

【“!”】

[The girl's eyes became alert again, and she took another step back.]

[“Hey, hey, hey, don’t tarnish my image in front of someone you just met for the first time, Rumi-chan~”]

[Zaimokuza smiled bitterly and scratched his hair, speaking to the suddenly expressionless Tsurumi Rumi, looking at the alert Natsume Mika and sighing, then a gentle smile appeared on his face again.]

[“Actually, this wasn’t our first meeting. You might not have remembered me at that time, but I always remember the way you ran out crying after your father’s funeral, Shijia.”]

【"you……!?"】

【Suddenly Zaimokuza told her the thing that was hidden deep in her heart, Natsume Mika was stunned, and her red eyes opened wide.】

[“Like I said before, it’s not that everyone doesn’t care about your father’s affairs. On the contrary, everyone is so busy trying not to let your father’s tragedy happen again, so please don’t think that everyone is so heartless.”]

[“So come back with me and Rumi, return to your mother, and leave the rest to me—”]

[“——You make it sound so simple!”]

[But facing Zaimokuza's persuasion, Natsume Mika did not appreciate it. Instead, the pain that had been accumulated in her heart for the past month was directly triggered by his words. Tears flowed from her eyes again. She hugged her backpack and shouted at the top of her lungs. The sadness in her voice was like a baby bird crying blood because its parents were taken away by hunters. The angry voice echoed on this beach with only three people.]

[“That’s my dad! My dad was killed by No. 0 just like that! Do you know how my mom and I felt when we received that phone call that day!? Do you know how my family has been living for the past month? Every day, every day, every day, I hope to hear the news that No. 0 was shot dead by the police, but it never happened. It seems that my dad has been forgotten by everyone!”]

[“I didn’t even get to see my father for the last time. Everyone forbade my mother and me to see the body in the coffin, saying they were worried that we would faint from the shock... Do you know how I felt at that time?”]

[“That’s my dad! The person closest to me in this world! Do you know how it feels to lose the person closest to you—!?”]

[Just when Natsume Mika was about to continue speaking, a warm palm suddenly covered her hair. The warmth from the palm and the gentle eyes of the young man in front of her blocked all the remaining words she wanted to say.]

[“I understand, I understand your feelings.”]

【Zaimokuza gently stroked her long hair, his smile still as gentle as water, but a gray color gradually crept up from his clear eyes.】

[Natsume Mika is not unfamiliar with that color, because for more than a month, she can see this color in her eyes every day when she looks in the mirror. ]

[“I really understand what you said, Shika. Losing someone important to you in this world... is really painful.”]

[“When you heard the news, you must have felt as if there was a huge sound in your ears, and all the sounds in the world gradually left you. Even the temperature began to disappear from the soles of your feet. All your physical strength escaped from your body along with the temperature, and the colors in front of your eyes began to dim. Then... you must have cried very loudly, right?”]

[“Why… did you…”]

【Seeing Zaimokuza easily express all his reactions and feelings when he received the news of his father's death that day, Natsume Mika could only stare at him blankly, his voice constantly ringing in his ears.】

[“You didn’t do anything wrong, Shijia. Likewise, we didn’t do anything wrong. It is because we know how unforgettable the pain is that we can learn to understand each other. And because we don’t want anyone to feel this kind of pain again, we have been working hard. Everything we do is to protect more people from the hands of unconfirmed life forms.”]

[“Whether it’s me, the Minister, or Mr. Kosaka…everything we are doing now is to protect everyone’s smiles, so that no one will shed tears because of unconfirmed life forms.”]

[“But life is like this. It can’t always be smooth sailing. Sometimes we will encounter setbacks, fall, and even lose the things that are most precious to us.”]

[“But no matter how painful or confused we are, we must learn to stand up from where we fell, and keep going with the expectations of those who have passed away, until we reach the last step of our lives. I think this is what all the deceased expect of their loved ones... just like your father.”]

[“Your father certainly doesn’t want to see your tears, but he wants to see a smile on your face again, to see you continue to move on after he leaves, to live well, and to live with your mother with his hopes and blessings.”]

【“——Isn’t it, Shika?”】

[This last sentence completely broke Natsume Mika's defenses. She stared blankly at Zaimokuza's smiling face, tears flowing uncontrollably from her big eyes. Each tear was like a pearl shining in the sea, falling silently onto the wet sand at her feet along with the backpack that slipped out of her arms.]

[…Umm…Dad…]

[My father's face reappeared before my eyes, which were blurred by tears. He was indeed smiling, and his smile was exactly the same as in my memory.]

[That smile was so vivid, like a beam of light that illuminated the darkened heart caused by the pain of loss at that moment.]

[The petite girl who was still in junior high school held her clothes in front of her chest and sobbed quietly, until Tsurumi Rumi behind her gently reached out and hugged her to her chest. She could no longer bear it and finally burst into tears, her sobs filled with long-accumulated sadness and pain. ]

[“Yihui, you’ve become very good at comforting people.”]

[Tsurumi Rumi gently stroked the hair of her cousin who was crying on her chest, looked up at Zaimokuza and spoke softly, with a faint and touching arc at the corner of her mouth. ]

[“Isn’t that natural? I’m a man who has made comforting people one of my two thousand skills!”]

【Zaimokuza put away the momentary loneliness on his face when he heard the voice, smiled and stretched out his hand to ruffle Tsurumi Rumi's hair until her neat long black hair was messed up.】

[“… As expected, Yoshiki is still Yoshiki. He has never changed. He still likes to touch people.”]

[Tsurumi Rumi turned expressionless again and slapped away Zaimokuza's hand that was making trouble on her head, puffing up her cheeks slightly in dissatisfaction as she looked at him who was still smiling.]

[The sea breeze blew by, taking away the crying and sadness, leaving only the smile. ]

[——Until interrupted by a shout. ]

【“Zaimokuza!”】

[A familiar shout came from behind him, and Zaimokuza's smiling expression froze. He turned around and saw Kousaka Kyousuke running towards him on the beach.]

【"Mr. Kosaka——"】

【“Number 14, be careful now!!!”】

[Kousaka Kyousuke, who had already run very close to the three of them, had just opened his mouth to speak, but the sudden strong sense of danger made him and Zaimokuza's faces change at the same time.]

【Kousaka Kyosuke rushed forward and threw the shocked Tsurumi Rumi and the other person to the ground. Seeing this, Zaimokuza also rolled to the side.】

【call out--】

【Puff! 】

[A sound as subtle as a mosquito or an ant entered my ears, and the next moment, blood splashed. ]

[“Ugh!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke loosened his arms around the two girls, covered his right shoulder with cold sweat on his forehead, and scarlet blood flowed out from between his fingers.]

[Under him is Tsurumi Rumi with a dull expression and Natsume Mika in her arms. There is a hole next to Tsurumi Rumi's face, and white smoke rises from the hole formed by penetrating the sand. ]

[The needle went straight through Kousaka Kyosuke's right shoulder and missed her face by a hair's breadth. If Kousaka Kyosuke hadn't knocked them down, the needle would have gone straight through Tsurumi Rumi's brain.]

["Mr. Kousaka!?"]

【Zaimokuza stood up and looked back to see Kousaka Kyosuke lying on the ground in pain, holding his right shoulder. He immediately rushed over with a changed expression.】

Chiba Prefecture, Takasaka House.

"a……"

Kousaka Daisuke supported his wife who had just woken up from a coma, holding her trembling hand with one hand, and watched the scene on TV in front of him where Kousaka Kyosuke fell to the ground after being attacked through the right shoulder, and was silent for a while.

"Dear, Kyousuke he!?"

Kousaka Yoshino looked at her "son" who fell down after being injured again and clenched Kousaka Daisuke's broad hand, looking at him in panic because she had found her backbone.

"Don't worry, wife, Kyosuke is fine, he is our son..."

Whispering to comfort his wife, Kousaka Daisuke raised his head and looked at Kousaka Kyosuke who was helped up by Zaimokuza on TV, a relieved smile on his face.

"When you sensed danger, you chose to use your body as a shield to protect innocent people without hesitation instead of running for your life... You are worthy of the police uniform you are wearing."

"You are my pride, Kyousuke."

[“Tsk! Pretty lucky.”]

[At a height of several thousand meters, badjisu retracted his right hand that had shot out the silver needle and spoke without interruption. His sharp eyesight allowed him to see every move of the four people below clearly.]

[“Forget it, it’s just a side dish. The real main course is you, kuuga…”]

【Om—】

[As the voice fell, the simulated firearm it was holding in its hand changed in its palm, and the pitch-black short crossbow reappeared in the world.]

[Badjisu aimed the short crossbow downwards and pulled the crossbow's lever. As the wings on both sides of the bow came together, a dark green whirlwind gathered crazily at the shooting port.]

【"Mr. Kosaka! How are you!?"】

[Zaimokuza helped up the painful-looking Kousaka Kyosuke, and as he looked at the blood on his right shoulder that kept coming out from between his fingers, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he clenched his teeth tightly.]

[“Don’t worry about me, No. 14 is up there now, and that guy’s target is you!”]