The story we started

"That's quite manly, Zaimokuza~"

In a pure white space, Xu Guoliang crossed his legs, supported his chin with one hand, and looked at the golden light curtain in front of him. The lenses of his glasses reflected the light, making it impossible to see his eyes clearly.

But his expression was very calm, and his tone was as calm as the Dead Sea, without any of the previous worry and anxiety.

It's very simple, because Xu Guoliang has completely let go of this, or in simple terms, he has given up.

A tree without bark is doomed to die, a person without shame is invincible, and a person who gives up is unmatched in the world.

Isn't it just that the protagonist was chosen wrongly? Isn't it just that the plot has changed drastically? Isn't it just that Gurongi's power has been greatly enhanced? It's all just a slap in the face~

Anyway, if we mess up in the end, at worst, we will all be game over. Everyone in the world will get a one-way ticket to hell, and we will all get on the train to death with laughter. Maybe when you meet the devil cutting your ticket in the first class cabin, you can even proudly say:

"I have accomplished the feat of making everyone in the world cry together after my death!"

After all, once he, as the collective consciousness of mankind, sends it, it means that all human beings send it together.

And since everyone is going to die, isn't it okay to cry a little?

The death of one person means the death of all people. Throughout the history of mankind, is there any great man who can have such prestige and status?

The standard of the funeral was unprecedentedly high. The word "state funeral" was no longer enough to describe it. Perhaps a new term had been created - "world funeral", which sounded pretty good.

People's fear of death has always been rooted in loneliness and the unknown, but when they think that everyone will die with them, death seems to become less scary.

Therefore, he has now completely thrown away all negative emotions. He doesn't care about life or death, and will just fight if he doesn't accept it. He has changed from a worker who was thrown a huge mess to a person who enjoys having fun. He can even comment on the performance of Zaimokuza, the "protagonist" in the video, with relish. All he needs is a bucket of popcorn and a cup of Coke.

...If all the people in this world knew that the Alaya-vijnana, their last hope and shield, was actually such a lousy otaku wearing glasses, would they rather blow up the earth and commit suicide? After all, at least they could die with dignity this way.

"Hehehe~"

Every time he thought of this, Xu Guoliang would laugh with a hollow look in his eyes, his laughter full of sadness and despair.

After laughing, he picked up a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth.

Hmm~ It’s worthy of being stolen from the movie theater, the authentic popcorn manufacturer. It’s fried better than the ones sold on the market.

"Come on, Zaimokuza Iki."

"After all... you are the protagonist chosen by this "world"."

[A warehouse in the warehouse district, Shinagawa District, Tokyo City. ]

【01:35 a.m】

[“You look very depressed.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke wrapped a bandage around Zaimokuza's bleeding right arm, speaking calmly.]

[Zaimokuza, who looked a little depressed, looked at Kousaka Kyosuke who was sitting next to him, and said with his pale lips.]

【"I……"】

[“Lost to number 21, huh?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke wrapped the last exposed piece of skin with a bandage and tied a bow.]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza lowered his head in silence and stopped talking. Seeing him like this, Kousaka Kyosuke felt like he was seeing a little white rabbit being caught by a bear to wipe its butt.】

[He reached out and slapped Zaimokuza's bandaged right arm a few times, and stood up amid the other's cry of pain.]

[“It’s not like you haven’t lost to unconfirmed life forms before. Whether it was number 3, number 6, or number 14, you were defeated in your first battle with them. But I’ve never seen you look so depressed after a defeat.”]

[“What else happened besides that, did it?”]

【"……Um."】

【Zaimokuza was silent for a while, then nodded slightly.】

[“I… watched a policeman die in front of me.”]

[“I could have blocked the attack and saved him, but I subconsciously dodged No. 21’s attack, which resulted in his death.”]

【"……Yeah?"】

[Kousaka Kyosuke stood by the warehouse window, watching the police and police cars coming and going outside, without turning his head, and spoke softly.]

【“…More than that.”】

【Speaking of this, Zaimokuza clenched his hands on his knees into fists and lowered his head deeply. Kousaka Kyousuke turned his head and saw Zaimokuza's mouth open with his teeth clenched.】

[“I got scared when I was fighting No. 21.”]

[“When I was defeated in the battle with it in purple form, I was not only afraid of its strength, but I even thought of running away... Even the purple form turned back to red due to my inner fear.”]

[“…I lost to No. 21 not only physically, but also mentally.”]

[“This is the first time I’ve lost so miserably.”]

【“…”】

[This time it was Kousaka Kyosuke who was silent. After listening to what Zaimokuza said, he said nothing and just turned his head and continued to look out the window. ]

【Zaimokuza was unable to say anything else after he finished speaking, and he also sat on the chair, looking down at his soaked white sneakers.】

[The atmosphere in the warehouse fell silent for a moment. The two people, one standing and one sitting, did not speak, each immersed in their own thoughts.]

[After a long time, the almost frozen atmosphere in the room was broken. ]

【The one who broke it was Kousaka Kyousuke. 】

【“So, Zaimokuza.”】

[“Are you feeling ashamed and regretful? Regret for the fear you created in the battle?”]

[“——Or are you regretting that you wore that belt and became Kuuga? Because you felt fear for the first time in this battle, so you feel that you are not worthy of wearing that belt, right?”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke turned around and walked over to Zaimokuza, who was sitting on the only chair in the room with his head bowed. His deep black eyes looked down at him from above, with some inexplicable meaning in his eyes.]

[“…I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.”]

[Zaimokuza still lowered his head and responded in a dull voice.]

[“At that time, if I didn’t wear that belt, not only me, but also many people including the minister who was there would have died. In fact, I had no choice.”]

[“But the moment I put on that belt and transformed into the red form for the first time, I really felt like I was omnipotent. I felt that I could change all the bad things, prevent all the tragedies... and wipe away the tears that everyone might shed because of the unconfirmed life form.”]

[“Perhaps I am too arrogant. I think since I have this power, I must stop those guys from doing evil. But even if I can defeat the enemies that appear every time, people will still die. But at least every time after I arrive, no one will be sacrificed, and I can save everyone present.”]

[“…But this time, not only did I fail to save anyone, I couldn’t even avenge them…I even wanted to run away when facing the enemy’s overwhelming force, and in the end, I lost.”]

[“Am I really worthy of using this belt?”]

【Zaimokuza opened his palms and raised them in front of his eyes. His eyes were filled with confusion, which was rare. His usual confidence and vigor disappeared from his face. He was as lost as a child who had lost his way.】

[“You sound pretty arrogant.”]

【After hearing what he said, Kousaka Kyosuke not only did not comfort Zaimokuza, but instead stabbed him with an expressionless face. 】

【“…”】

[After hearing this, Zaimokuza, who thought that Kousaka Kyousuke also agreed that he was not worthy of the belt, put down his raised hands and pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.]

[“——But I never thought that you were unworthy of this belt. On the contrary, I thought that the person wearing this belt was you, and that might be the luckiest outcome for everyone.”]

【"?"】

【As a result, Kousaka Kyosuke's next sentence took a sudden turn, causing Zaimokuza to slightly widen his eyes, raise his face with disheveled hair, and look at him with a somewhat surprised look.】

[Kousaka Kyousuke stared at Zaimokuza's confused eyes and continued speaking calmly.]

[“The reason I say you are arrogant is not because you wear this belt, but because you want to take all the responsibility, even the deaths of those victims, on yourself, as if the main reason those people died was because you couldn’t save them. This is a very self-centered and arrogant idea.”]

[“You seem to think of yourself as an omnipotent god… but that’s not the case.”]

【“Zaimokuza, who do you think you are?”】

[“Eh? I…”]

【Zaimokuza never expected that Kousaka Kyousuke would ask such a philosophical question as "Who are you" at this time. His mind was not able to react for a moment, and he opened and closed his mouth but didn't know what to say?】

[“Then let me ask you this: who are you in the eyes of many people outside now?”]

[After hearing what Kousaka Kyousuke said, Zaimokuza thought for a moment, then spoke with some uncertainty.]

[“Unconfirmed life form… Number 4?”]

【"Then what?"】

[“Uh… a strange life form with power beyond that of humans?”]

[Zaimokuza thought about what was said about him in the recent news and newspapers, and spoke hesitantly.]

【“And then what?”】

【"Um……"】

[Kousaka Kyousuke continued to ask, but Zaimokuza was completely speechless and didn't know what to say.]

[“Then let me ask you this question in another way, Zaimokuza. Who do you think you are in the eyes of me and other people who know you?”]

[“I am…what?”]

[After hearing what Kousaka Kyousuke said this time, Zaimokuza seemed to have grasped something, but it seemed that the answer came to his lips but he couldn't say it, perhaps he didn't know how to say it. ]

[The next moment, Kousaka Kyosuke gave the answer for him.]

[“In the eyes of those who know you well, you are not some unconfirmed life form number four, but just Zaimokuza Yoshiki.”]

[“Similarly, in my eyes, even if you put on that belt and have the ability to transform into Kuuga, you are still just Zaimokuza Yoshiki, just an ordinary person.”]

【Kousaka Kyousuke spoke seriously to Zaimokuza, whose expression was stunned by his words, and his voice was full of unquestionable certainty.】

[“Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, even if you have the power to rival those unconfirmed life forms after your transformation, you are different from those guys who regard human life as nothing and kill wantonly. You are not a "monster" without humanity, nor are you an omnipotent "god" who can change everything. ”]

[“You are an ordinary person, just like me and all the other people in this world, an ordinary “human being”.”]

【“And the so-called ‘human’ is a weak and imperfect life.”】

[“In life, there are birth, aging, sickness and death. There are also things that we make mistakes about, things that we cannot do anything about, things that we cannot accomplish, things that we suffer from, and similarly… there are also people that we cannot save no matter how hard we try.”]

[Speaking of this, Kousaka Kyosuke raised his palms and opened them in front of his eyes, shielding Zaimokuza's face in front of him, and also shielding his own gloomy eyes at this moment. ]

[The open palm is clean, each palm line is clearly visible, and each finger has thick calluses, which are the marks of holding a gun for many years. ]

[There was nothing else, but at this moment, Kousaka Kyosuke saw that his palms were covered with hot blood. The color of the blood was extremely red, and it was so hot that it seemed to burn him.]

[He gently closed his eyes and clenched his open hands and put them down. When he opened his eyes again, he met Zaimokuza's eyes, as if he wanted to see through all the emotions hidden deep in his heart through his eyes, making Zaimokuza subconsciously avoid Kousaka Kyosuke's eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.]

[“Zaimokuza, you said you were scared when you were fighting No. 21, right?”]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza didn't know how many times he had said something wrong today. He looked at Kousaka Kyousuke standing in front of him, lowered his eyes and said nothing, but this was also equivalent to tacitly agreeing with the other party's words.】

[I did feel scared, that’s a fact.]

[“To be honest, you don’t need to feel guilty or blame yourself for this, because… I would also feel scared when facing those unconfirmed life forms.”]

[“…Eh? Mr. Kousaka?”]

【Zaimokuza looked up in astonishment, and looked at Kousaka Kyousuke, who said this calmly, completely breaking his impression of him.】

[Would Kousaka Kyosuke be afraid? Would the ace of the aces in the Metropolitan Police Department be afraid? 】

[If you tell others about this, no one will believe it. In the eyes of the Metropolitan Police Department, he is the most capable and bravest policeman. When encountering unidentified life forms, he always rushes to the front and protects many lives, including his colleagues. Every time you see his back in a battle, you can feel at ease, and even morale will be boosted.]

[In the eyes of the public, Kousaka Kyosuke is one of the strongest shields for the people, a synonym for justice and bravery. He has always fearlessly fought those cold-blooded and brutal monsters with his life and guns as weapons. Hesitation and fear are two strange words to him, and they are completely unrelated.]

[In Zaimoku's eyes, Kousaka Kyousuke is the most trustworthy comrade and friend. He can provide him with the best support in every battle with unconfirmed life forms. There were many times when Zaimoku might have died in the hands of some enemies if he hadn't intervened without fear of life and death. You can always trust Kousaka Kyousuke. ]

[But a man who is worthy of the title of "hero" in everyone's eyes...actually said that he would be afraid when facing unconfirmed life forms? ]

[This is completely nonsense. After all, that is Kousaka Kyosuke, a hero recognized by everyone! ]

[Shouldn't a hero be brave and invincible and not afraid of death? How can a hero be afraid? ]

[“Isn’t it incredible? Did you think I wasn’t afraid at all?”]

【Kousaka Kyousuke saw through Zaimokuza's thoughts at the moment and said with a smile.】

【"Um!"】

【Zaimokuza nodded solemnly, thinking that what Kousaka Kyousuke said was absolutely correct. He had never thought that Kousaka Kyousuke would be afraid, and even felt that having such an idea was an insult to him.】

[“But you’re wrong, Zaimokuza. I’ll be scared… Do you know why?”]