The story we started

【With this movement, twisted heat waves and red cyclones gathered from the surrounding air to the palm of its hand covering its mouth, forming a small fireball between its palm and mouth. In the center of the fireball, a black round bead similar to liquid could be seen. As time passed, the fireball wrapped in the black round bead grew larger and larger until it was the size of a giant's head. The color of the flame also became darker, changing from orange to red, and even began to transform into blue.】

[“Gu!?”]

[Zaimokuza, who was breathing hard, felt the hair on his back stand on end when he saw the fireball formed in front of Giiga's face, and an extreme chill ran up from his tailbone.]

【From his own instinctive reaction, Zaimokuza knew that this attack would definitely kill him, so he stood up while enduring the burning pain on his body, and his body was once again in a posture ready for the all-powerful kick, and red flames flashed under the sole of his raised foot.】

[He actually didn't plan to escape, but was ready to take on this attack head-on! ]

【"snort!"】

[Giga snorted coldly at Zaimokuza's action, and after lowering his palm, a fireball with a completely blue color was ejected from his open mouth. The enchanting blue fireball left a blue afterimage and a blurred trajectory distorted by the high temperature in the air, and shot straight at Zaimokuza's chest.]

[Faced with this attack, Zaimokuza stood still without dodging, staring intently at the incoming attack. The blue deadly fireball was getting closer and closer in his red compound eyes, and it was getting brighter and hotter.]

[“Taku!”]

[Just before the blue fireball was about to hit him, Zaimokuza twisted his waist and turned backwards, kicking the incoming fireball with his flaming right foot, just like kicking a soccer ball, with the sole of his foot burning with red flames "touching" the bottom of the blue fireball, and with this one volley, he changed its direction, and the straight-flying fireball drew an arc in front of him, flew behind him, and crashed into one of the delivery rooms! ]

【boom! ! ! 】

[The fireball hit the factory building, and a huge explosion sounded the next second. All the glass in the building was shattered by the shock wave from the explosion. Blue flames rushed out of the windows, and the entire reinforced concrete building was instantly enveloped by raging blue flames, like a pillar of fire rising into the sky.]

[“Huh?”]

[Giga was obviously surprised that Zaimokuza was able to block his attack in this way, and even clapped his hands to praise him while exclaiming.]

[“Beautiful! It seems that your Kuuga is not that weak after all.”]

【Om—】

【As for this "praise" in Japanese, Zaimokuza had no intention of paying any attention to it. Instead, he placed his hands on his waist while Giiga did not launch an attack, and the red spirit stone changed to purple with a buzzing sound.】

[“Super Transformation!”]

[After Zaimokuza's right hand swept across his eyes and he suddenly spread his hands to both sides of his body, the silver-white armor quickly covered his upper body, and the pearls on his limbs and the red compound eyes also changed from red to pure purple. Finally, as two petals of armor with purple stripes stretched out from his shoulders, he turned into a purple Titan form.]

[“Purple power? It seems that you want to withstand my attack... Can you do it?”]

[Giga saw Zaimokuza transform into a Titan that focused on defense, but his tone remained calm and he even rubbed his chin with interest. His words and actions showed his strong confidence.]

[The hand wrapped in white armor paused for a moment as it reached for the handlebars of the Triangle Tracker 2000, clearly hesitant, but then immediately grabbed the handlebars and pulled them off. The sound of the handlebars being pulled off quickly was like a sharp blade being unsheathed.]

【"……drink!"】

【Zaimokuza endured the burning pain that still came from his body, tightly grasped the handlebars that had been pulled out, raised them in front of him with some trembling, then gritted his teeth and swung to the right.】

[Clang! 】

[The short handlebar changed shape in Zaimokuza's hand, becoming the purple and gold Titan sword that defeated No. 20. A small hollow blade extended from the front of the thick upper half of the sword.]

[Although he transformed into this powerful purple form again and held the seemingly indestructible sword, Zaimokuza did not feel the slightest sense of security at this moment.]

[The enemy in front of me is unprecedentedly powerful. The Gurongi I encountered before are nothing compared to him. Even No. 6 and No. 14 have never given me such a sense of oppression. And seeing that he is still leisurely after seeing me transform, it is obvious that he is not afraid of the power of the purple form. ]

[For the first time, Zaimokuza felt a fear of "battle" in his heart. Although he immediately suppressed it with his will, the fear of battle and pain still spread uncontrollably in the depths of his heart like a seed taking root and sprouting.]

[I can really——No, I can’t let my imagination run wild anymore! ]

[As he hesitated in his heart, Zaimokuza subconsciously took a step back, but immediately stepped forward again, as if he wanted to cover up his inner cowardice and refused to retreat.]

[——If I run away here, who will defeat the unidentified life forms that will appear next? How many innocent people will die tragically at the hands of these guys? ]

[You can’t run away! You can’t run away! You absolutely can’t run away! ]

【"call--!"】

[He was wrestling with his thoughts, and after taking a deep breath to suppress the fear rising in his heart, he grasped the Titan Sword with his trembling right hand, and walked towards the opponent with the sword in hand...]

……

【Wakaba Kindergarten, Toshima-ku, Tokyo. 】

[“I’m interrupting here with an urgent news report. Newly emerged unidentified life forms No. 21 and No. 4 are fighting in a quarry downstream of the Sumida River. Please do not approach that area. The police have already cordoned off that area—”]

[Snap! ]

[The mug filled with tea fell to the ground, making a crisp shattering sound.]

[As the mug shattered, the lost scalding liquid also spread on the spotlessly clean floor and was then absorbed by the floor with good absorption properties.]

[But Yuigahama Yui no longer cares about this matter. She is alone in the classroom office, staring blankly at the urgent news broadcast on the TV news channel in front of her, letting the tea spread around her feet in her indoor shoes, and soon soaking the soles of her indoor shoes. ]

[——"There is something I need to solve. This is something that only I can do in this world, so this is all I can do today. Please tell the children that Brother Yihui will come next time!"]

[——"Don't worry! It's not dangerous. It's just a normal part-time job."]

[“What’s nothing… what’s an ordinary part-time job… that idiot!”]

[“Why… did you lie to me again…”]

【Thinking of what the white-haired young man said when he said goodbye to her, Yuigahama Yui lowered her head and remained silent. Her white hands tightly grasped the hem of her apron, and her shell-like white teeth tightly bit her rosy lips until a noticeable mark was left.】

[I should have thought of this earlier, right? What kind of things in this world can only be done by certain people? Thinking about what Zaimokuza told me about his other identity, the answer is obvious. ]

[That is fighting, fighting against those terrifying monsters that plunder lives as the unconfirmed life form No. 4.]

【Kara.】

[Yuigahama Yui opened her drawer. In the drawer, besides some notebooks with recorded data, there was only a framed photo.]

[The photo frame was placed on top of a book. The white edges of the frame had turned yellow and oxidized. It was obvious that the frame was quite old, but the glass on which the photo was mounted was still shiny. It was obvious that its owner often took care of it and wiped it.]

【“…”】

[Yuigahama Yui reached out and picked up the photo frame that she had always taken good care of, and gently stroked the surface of the glass of the frame. ]

[This photo is arranged from left to right in a female-female-male-male order. On the far left is Yukino Yukinoshita, who is wearing a black school uniform with pleats, black stockings with white trims, long black hair, red bows on both sides of her hair, and a white scarf. She looks helpless, and Yuigahama Yui, who is wearing the same school uniform, has short pink hair, and smiles with her eyes closed, with her arms around her neck.]

[Then on the right is Hikigaya Hachiman, who is wearing a black winter school uniform for boys, hunched over, wearing a black scarf, and has a pair of conspicuous and dha-rich dead fish eyes. And there is Zaimokuza Yoshiki, who is hugging his shoulders, wearing a brown windbreaker, with fingerless gloves and a pair of black-framed glasses on his hands and face, and smiling very happily. ]

[This is a group photo of the Service Club. This photo is exactly the same as the one Yukinoshita Yukino keeps in the drawer of the research room at Jonan University. It is obviously not a unique copy.]

[“Small business…”]

[Yuigahama Yui reached out and gently stroked the photo with a dazed look in her eyes. Her fingers touched the photo through the glass of the frame. Hikigaya Hachiman, who was hugged by Zaimokuza and couldn't break free, looked helpless. His dead fish eyes were still vivid after so many years. When she looked into his eyes as a teenager in the photo, she even thought that he was looking at her too.]

【Tick.】

[A drop of clear water fell on Hikigaya Hachiman's face, and was then wiped by delicate fingers. ]

[“Xiaoqi, please——”]

[Yuigahama Yui held both sides of the photo frame with both hands and held it against her chest, lowering her head deeply, her thin shoulders shaking from time to time, and crystal tears fell from her lowered face like pearls from a broken string, splashing on the red tea that spread on the floor.]

[She spoke softly, her gentle voice carrying a faint and barely audible cry.]

[“Please bless Zaimokuza and our friends…”]

49. Defeat 8-in- K

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Health Center. 186txt.com

"..."

After closing the door of the health room to block those who wanted to rush in, everyone present fell silent as they watched the video on their mobile phones showing Yuigahama Yui crying while holding a photo frame. Many people subconsciously turned their heads to look at the other person standing next to Zaimokuza who was lying on the bed.

Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop joking..."

Hikigaya Hachiman looked at the crying big dumpling version of Yuigahama Yui on the screen of his mobile phone. His dead fish eyes rich in DHA nutrients twitched and he felt that this scene was filled with an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

He remembered that he had seen this kind of scene many times before, basically when watching Korean soap operas and Japanese idol dramas.

When the heroine/hero encounters a major setback, they will take out a necklace or a photo from their pocket or clothes, look at their old self and someone in the photo with sad expressions, reach out and touch another smiling person in the yellowed photo, and cry softly, saying "Oppa" or "Mr. So-and-so". The tears are so real and the sadness in their eyes is enough to break the heart, thus drawing all the audience into a heart-wrenching sad past.

When Hikigaya first saw this kind of plot in the first grade of elementary school, he was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He sat on the sofa in front of the TV with his mother and sister, wiping his tears with tissues. He kept saying that this plot was too sad and touching. Did the screenwriter receive some kind of mental stimulation? Why did he have to write such a sad past that made people feel so heartbroken? He also blamed the bystanders for not helping and made sarcastic comments. He really hated himself for not being able to become a character in the story to change this cruel plot.

But times have changed, and after being bombarded with countless similar TV plots over the years, Hikigaya Hachiman, who now faces this kind of plot, has been able to achieve a state of mind similar to "If the mind is calm and peaceful, the sky will fall without being startled". He can watch this kind of plot from beginning to end with a pair of unwavering dead fish eyes without blinking. The only feeling and experience after watching it is that his eyes are so dry.

Even the two women sitting next to him and the cat on his head who kept wiping their tears could not shake his determination. After these touching plots, he even calmly commented that the roles of tool man and memory man turned out to be so miserable. This way of dying was quite interesting, but it was less sensational and more thrilling and suspenseful, and it seemed a bit off topic. The director's ability to conceive needs to learn from the writing methods of those minotaur moderators, similar to the plot of the next door "Tianyun Niehai", which is heartbreaking and can arouse other people's sexual interest and so on...

After finishing the evaluation, he could still calmly crack a melon seed with one hand and throw it into his mouth, allowing his mother, who was deeply moved by the plot, to give him a death stare, his sister to slap him in anger, and his cat to bite his hair madly. Even when his body was tempered, he remained true to his heart, without any ripples in his heart. He could not help but sigh that he had eventually become those bystanders who he hated the most when he was a child.

However, the reason why he felt no wavering in his heart was because he knew clearly that the plots were just fictional stories, and those emotions like sadness, touching, happiness, joy, anger, etc. were nothing but carefully created "fakes", and those tragic deaths of characters and sad pasts in the play were nothing but phantoms born out of nothingness. It was really stupid to be moved and confused by them.

To put it in a way that people can understand, this kind of plot is already out of date!

After being bombarded with soap operas for many years, people's vision and aesthetics have long been cultivated to be comparable to the Eagle Brother in "The Return of the Condor Heroes". After all, in this era of freedom, who would be moved by such a suffocating old-fashioned plot? Except for Qiong Yao's diehard fans, no screenwriter would play this trick.

But no matter how old-fashioned and ridiculous the plot may seem in the eyes of today's people, it may not be the same once it becomes a reality.

Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been tempered by this kind of plot for many years, could imagine with his knees what would happen next after watching the scene in the video where Yuigahama in the future was crying while holding a photo of him and saying his name.

But what made Hikigaya feel frustrated and suffocated was that this time he seemed to have become one of those tools that he had evaluated himself in the past, who never appeared in the main drama and whose only use was to lead out hidden side plots.

"Forget it... I just mentioned my expectations for my future self. Am I going to die inexplicably like this? I don't even have a chance to appear on the stage?"

Hikigaya Hachiman couldn't help but cover his face with one hand, his tone full of dejection.

"Well, Hikigaya, at least you know what might happen to you in the future. If you are sick, I suggest you go to the hospital for a check-up right now. If it is due to an accident, then you can avoid it in advance after knowing it!"

Shizuka Hiratsuka rarely comforted Hikigaya. She reached out and patted his shoulder. Her tone was full of kindness and her eyes showed concern for a dying person.

This love and care hurt Hikigaya's fragile heart, and he didn't know whether he should say the curse words he wanted to hold back.

"… Let's continue reading. We might be able to find out what will happen to Hikigaya-san in the future, so we can come up with a plan to save him from death."

It was rare that Yukinoshita Yukino did not mock Hikigaya. Instead, she frowned and looked at the video and spoke seriously. Hikigaya keenly felt through his intuition the worry about himself hidden under the cold voice of this girl, and he couldn't help but feel a little bit of emotion in his heart.

As expected, no matter how cold-blooded she is, Yukinoshita will not stand by and watch her members die. She is such a kind girl.

"He was a member of the Service Club after all, so we have to know the cause of his death. If it was a ridiculous death like "he saw a toy car at a traffic light and mistook it for a dump truck, and was frightened to death", it would really damage the image of the Service Club. Although I think this kind of death fits the impression that Bipenguin-san gave me."

"—"

The touch in his heart disappeared without a trace in an instant. The corners of Hikigaya's eyes and mouth twitched violently. He stared at Yukinoshita Yukino who said such extremely hurtful words without changing his expression.

...Sure enough, "she should be caring about me" is a complete illusion. We should not have any expectations about the idea that "cold-blooded creatures actually have feelings". How could this extremely vicious and cold-blooded woman have such rich empathy!

【Tokyo, downstream of the Sumida River, quarry. 】

【boom--】

[“Ugh!”]

[The dark red ball hit Zaimokuza's right shoulder and exploded. The powerful shock wave generated by the explosion caused the Titan form, which had been invincible in the last battle with No. 20, to retreat several steps. It could only stop after the potential energy of the impact was removed.]

[But even so, the power of the sphere explosion and the residual high temperature still turned the bright shoulder armor on the right shoulder black, and a white mist rose. Zaimokuza endured the discomfort and stepped forward again with the Titan Sword in hand.]

[Very good, the purple form's defense is strong enough to block it! Just block the attack and defeat it in one go!]

[“Hmph~”]

[Giga seemed to see through Zaimokuza's thoughts. He sneered and continued to spit out a black and red ball from his mouth. This time the ball hit Zaimokuza's chest. In the spreading flames, Zaimokuza took another step back. He felt as if his chest was hit by a heavy hammer. A sharp dull pain and chest tightness spread from his chest.]

[“Gu…”]

【Zaimokuza felt a sweet and fishy taste spreading in his mouth. He swallowed the blood that welled up in his throat and stabilized his unstable body before walking towards Giiga again. However, this time his steps were no longer as firm as before, but rather hesitant.】

[“As expected of purple power, it’s pretty durable~ How about this?”]

【"drink!"】

[Giga looked at Zaimokuza who was still walking towards him with determination and didn't care. He raised his right hand to cover his mouth again. A red fireball gathered between his mouth and palm, and sprayed towards him, leaving a conspicuous trace in the air.]

[But this time the fireball was no longer aimed at Zaimokuza's upper body which was covered by armor, but at the area not covered by armor, namely his abdomen! ]

[“Woooooo!”]

[This attack was effective. The impact and high temperature after the fireball hit Zaimokuza's abdomen blew him to the ground. Zaimokuza covered his abdomen with his left hand, which was emitting white smoke, and gasped in pain. He held the Titan Sword in his right hand and inserted it into the ground, trying to support his body and stand up with difficulty.]

[“It’s time to end this boring battle——”]

【Giga did not give Zaimokuza another chance. When he stood up, he condensed another fireball. This time, the color of the fireball continued to deepen. The red air waves turned yellow when they gathered. Finally, the yellow-white fireball condensed was the size of a football. The flames swirled around the black ball in the middle like liquid. The astonishingly high temperature caused the air temperature around the fireball to continue to rise, and the scene was completely distorted.】

【“!?”】

[Zaimokuza stood up and felt a chill run down his body when he saw the fireball condensed by Giiga. The unprecedented sense of danger urged him to dodge quickly, but just as he stood up with the support of the Titan Sword, the yellow and white intertwined fireball was already shot towards him under the opponent's roar! ]

【Bear--】

【Fight! 】

[Looking at the fireball flying towards him with terrifying force, Zaimokuza realized that he could not dodge it, so he gritted his teeth and held the Titan Sword in front of his chest with both hands, trying to block it.]