The story we started

[The hand that was patting Yukinoshita Yukino's shoulder paused, and then Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the woman in front of her with a look of relief in her eyes for the first time.]

[She placed her palm on Yukinoshita Yukino's head and stroked it gently. The reflection of the grown-up Yukinoshita Yukino in her eyes seemed to have turned back into the girl who wore a Sobu High School skirt and sat by the window reading a book with a face full of unwillingness to admit defeat.]

[“Finally, I am no longer the little girl who kept everything to myself, stubbornly believed that she was always right, and had a bad temper. I am also no longer the fledgling who was protected in a cage by her family and was unaware of the dangers of the outside world and was only immersed in her own little world.”]

[“Now you have become mature and reliable. You have learned to listen to others’ opinions while holding your own opinions. You have learned to use your own eyes to judge and think about everything you see instead of blindly denying it... As your former teacher, I am really pleased.”]

[“…So this is how I used to be viewed by you, teacher? I’m really causing you trouble.”]

[Feeling the strength and warmth of Shizuka Hiratsuka's palms, which were like stroking a child's hair, Yukinoshita Yukino's calm white cheeks turned red, and her eyes slightly avoided her gaze.]

[“Of course! You little girl, you only realize now how much of a headache you gave me back then, right? At that time, I felt a splitting headache just dealing with you.”]

[“You’re the only one who’s so troublesome, not to mention the mess you guys made after Hikigaya and Zaimokuza joined the Service Club. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure every time during my physical examinations, and it got higher and higher each time. I almost had a blood vessel burst and was hospitalized!”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka said with a face full of annoyance. Feeling indignant, she stretched out her hands to pinch Yukinoshita Yukino's cheeks and rubbed them hard like rice cakes, and soon her face became white and red. ]

[“I’m sorry… but… people always grow up… teacher.”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino helplessly endured Hiratsuka Shizuka's teasing of her cheek, feeling a little embarrassed by the resentment that the teacher behind her had accumulated in her words for many years.]

[It seems that this teacher was indeed caused a lot of trouble by them back then, otherwise he wouldn't have been so resentful for so many years.]

[“… And teacher, I wasn’t the only one with the best grades at Sobu High School. You also missed three people.”]

[After Hiratsuka Shizuka let go of her hand, Yukinoshita Yukino covered her red and hot cheeks and said with a helpless voice. ]

[“Ah~ Now that you mention it, I remember that there are indeed three more people.”]

[After venting her anger, Shizuka Hiratsuka, feeling satisfied, walked to the chair opposite Yukinoshita Yukino and sat down, crossing her legs with a skilled movement. ]

[“First of all, Zaimokuza. I never thought that a guy whose grades were always hovering around the passing line would be able to be admitted to Jonan University like you. All the teachers were shocked at the time.”]

[“Are you, Mr. Hiratsuka, included among these teachers who were shocked?”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino asked Hiratsuka Shizuka with a chuckle, and she rolled her eyes. ]

[“Of course, I didn’t expect that guy to be admitted to Jounan University. I originally thought that with his grades, I would be satisfied if he could be admitted to an ordinary university, and the effort I put into him was not in vain. However, Zaimokuza was able to improve his deviation value to this level with only one year left. It really exceeded my expectations and made me very proud in front of other teachers.”]

[“What’s the matter? You guys worked so hard to get the top students in your class, but you can’t compare to the last-place students I spent a year teaching, hahahahahaha——”]

[Thinking of the envious and jealous expressions on the faces of her colleagues after the results came out, Shizuka Hiratsuka smiled wildly and exaggeratedly, like a primary school student who had won a fight, which was completely inconsistent with her actual age of 40.]

[Yukinoshita Yukino looked at Shizuka Hiratsuka, who was smiling like an adult, but she still kept smiling. Her eyes were full of love, and there was a strange maternal feeling in the depths of her eyes. ]

[This scene really makes it impossible to see Yukinoshita Yukino and Hiratsuka Shizuka as a teacher and student. Instead, they look more like a mother and daughter of similar age. ]

[“Cough, cough, cough!”]

[Seeing the strange loving look of Yukinoshita Yukino in front of her, which was similar to the loving look of an elder looking at a child who has not yet grown up, Shizuka Hiratsuka realized that her laughter and expression just now really damaged her previous image and majesty. Her face blushed slightly, she put her hand in front of her mouth and coughed, forcing herself to make her expression dignified.]

[Although she originally had no image or dignity. ]

[“…But although Zaimokuza surprised me at the time, it wasn’t as exaggerated compared to the other person.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka shook her words a few times, then continued to speak slowly.]

【“…”】

[After hearing what Hiratsuka Shizuka said, the smile on Yukinoshita Yukino's face slowly faded, and she listened in silence.]

[“Hikigaya, that guy was the biggest dark horse of Sobu High School that year, and the biggest dark horse of the whole of Japan that year.”]

[Shizuka Hiratsuka took out a cigarette from her pocket again, knocked out a cigarette, put it in her mouth and lit it, took a breath to calm the emotions surging in her chest, and her eyes were full of complexity behind the smoke.]

[“When that guy chose to switch from liberal arts to science, I thought he was giving up because of his sister’s death. I tried to persuade him several times, but Hikigaya refused without hesitation, saying things like “This is the student’s freedom, you have no right to interfere”… I was almost pissed off.”]

[Thinking of the words that the boy who wore a pair of glasses after removing the dark circles under his eyes said in front of her in the office, and his appearance soared, no longer had the decadent feeling of dead fish eyes, Shizuka Hiratsuka couldn't help but sigh. ]

[Even today, the pair of eyes hidden behind Hikigaya's glasses, which seemed to have lost all emotion and become empty and indifferent, always appear in her mind along with her memories of Sobu High School. She can't forget it no matter what. Every time she thinks of it, Shizuka Hiratsuka feels a twitch in a corner of her heart.]

[“…Everyone thought so originally, but I didn’t expect that Hikigaya would really give everyone a big surprise, even a shock, in the entrance exam.”]

[“Not only did he get a ridiculous full score on the exam, but he was also allowed to take the exam for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States as an exception, and was admitted with the first place score... And Hikigaya didn't even apply for any cram school, he studied entirely on his own. Even Ebina, who also got into MIT, can't compare with him in this respect.”]

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"Is Bi-Penguin so powerful?!"

Tobe Sho turned his head in astonishment and looked at Hikigaya Hachiman, who was sitting on the hospital bed behind him with his head lowered. His eyes were full of disbelief and deep jealousy.

He was not surprised that Hina Ebina was admitted to MIT. After all, she was his goddess! Being admitted to the world's number one university was just a piece of cake and was not surprising at all.

But even if Zaimokuza could be admitted to Jonan University like Yukinoshita Yukino, it would be fine. After all, he would become a super warrior in the future who could fight against those terrifying unconfirmed life forms. In comparison, it is not surprising that he was admitted to the top three universities in the country.

But it turns out that Penguin, who has no advantages over the other members of the Service Club, is so amazing that he was able to get into MIT just by self-study?

How could he do such an outrageous thing? Could it be that he was really transformed by the death of his sister?

Tobe Sho felt even more unbalanced when he thought that in the future he could only marry a woman in whom he had never been interested before and open a small restaurant next to Sobu High School, while Hikigaya Hachiman was rising rapidly, getting a green card after graduating from MIT and living a life of luxury in the United States.

They all graduated from the same school, why is there such a big gap? ?

"..."

Hikigaya Hachiman sat on the edge of the hospital bed, holding his mobile phone in both hands, watching the video. There was no joy on his face at finding out that his future self had been admitted to MIT, as if that was someone else's success.

The reflection from the cell phone video illuminated the dark shadows on his face, but could not illuminate his ink-dark eyes.

"Hey, Hikigaya, are you okay?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was standing next to Hikigaya, looked back and forth at Zaimokuza and Hikigaya, who were sitting on both sides of the bed, with a headache and worry, especially focusing on Hikigaya.

Zaimokuza was fine. He was very unstable at first when he learned about his parents' death in the future. But as time passed and everyone's advice came, he gradually calmed down his inner anxiety and uneasiness. Although there were still flashes of irritation in his eyes from time to time, he calmed down overall.

On the contrary, she felt very uneasy about Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been acting very calm and normal since learning of his sister's death, because at this moment this normality was the biggest abnormality.

Hikigaya had been sitting silently on the bed watching the video since a while ago. Although he was not a talkative person normally, he was not as talkative as he was now, not saying a single word in nearly ten minutes.

Moreover, unlike the decadence and laxity of the past, the atmosphere surrounding him was now so dead silent that it made people feel uneasy. To Shizuka Hiratsuka, that calmness felt like the peace before a storm.

Once the thunder roars and the rainstorm comes, the world will be turned upside down.

Everyone in the service club felt that something was wrong with Hikigaya. Yukinoshita Yukino stood in front of the bed and frowned as she looked at the two people sitting back to back. Yuigahama Yui sat beside him worriedly, gently grabbing the other person's shoulders with both hands.

"…I'm really fine, you don't have to worry about me."

Hikigaya spoke softly without even raising his head, his voice as calm as the Dead Sea.

"Tsk..."

Seeing Hikigaya answer without even raising his head, Hiratsuka Shizuka couldn't help but smack her lips and felt very embarrassed.

How can this person look like everything is alright?

"—"

Standing not far from the service club, Hayato Hayama was also looking at Hikigaya Hachiman with a frown.

Because of his family background, he developed his own unique method of observing people since he was a child, and his accuracy has always been quite high. Although he cannot see everything clearly, he can often see through some of the essence of the observed object hidden beneath the surface.

In Hayato Hayama's perception, the aura released by Hikigaya Hachiman at this moment contained an indescribable alien light, a light that did not exist in the world they usually lived in.

And this heterogeneous light will never bring people any results related to positive words such as happiness, beauty, brightness and kindness.

At the same time, Hayato Hayama's sixth sense was constantly conveying to him a very uneasy feeling, as if he was a wild beast in the wilderness facing an impending natural disaster. He knew that the disaster was approaching but had no way to avoid it and could only tremble in fear.

——If I don’t persuade Hikigaya Hachiman now, I will definitely regret doing nothing today in the future.

He inexplicably had this feeling, and this premonition was so strong that it even surpassed the thing that happened in elementary school that he regretted to this day.

Driven by this uneasy emotion, Hayato Hayama walked towards Hikigaya Hachiman who was sitting on the edge of the bed. His approaching figure and footsteps attracted the attention of others.

"?"

Yukinoshita Yukino frowned even more as she looked at Hayama Hayato who was walking towards her, and there was a hint of unconcealable disgust in the depths of her navy blue eyes.

"Um, Hikigaya-san..."

He walked up to Hikigaya, who still had his head lowered, and organized his words before speaking.

"I think—"

Buzz——————

Just as Hayato Hayama opened his mouth, an indescribable loud noise suddenly sounded in his mind.

This sound was similar to fingernails scratching on a blackboard or glass, which was physically unbearable. It also interrupted all the words he wanted to say next, and he suddenly fell into a state of insanity close to "blankness".

All the scenes in front of me suddenly flashed a blurred and chaotic mosaic frame from the edge, and all kinds of bizarre colors came from all directions to fill the scene.

In this blurry scene, a hand reaches out to "myself" from outside the field of vision, holding something similar to ■■.

Like...what?

Before any doubts arose in my heart, a voice sounded.

The voice was cold and indifferent. There was not a trace of human emotion in the voice. Even the best profiler could not derive any information about the owner of the voice from it.

Simply because the voice belongs to a "non-human" being.

He said:

——Fight.

"!???"

The moment the voice uttered those three words, an uncontrollable hatred and pain suddenly surged up from the depths of Hayato Hayama's heart.

He had no idea where this feeling came from, but the hatred was so strong, the pain and despair so real, as if the "soul" whose existence had not yet been confirmed by human technology was torn apart, and boundless pain spread from the broken part to his entire mind.

Then, all that was felt in my mind was this incomparable pain.

"Well--!!!"

Under everyone's stunned gazes, Hayato Hayama, who had walked up to Hikigaya and wanted to say something, suddenly covered his head with his hands with a look of pain on his face. His knees even went weak and he knelt down weakly in front of Hikigaya.

"Yayama!?"

"Hayato! What's wrong with you?!"

"Hey, Hayato! Are you okay!?"

……

Between Miura Yumiko, who was holding his shoulders in panic, and his friends who were gathering around him, Hayama Hayato held his head and raised it in pain, looking at what was in front of him.

Just before his brain activated the body's protective mechanism due to the severe pain and he was about to pass out, he saw Zaimokuza Yoshiki, who turned around and stood up with a look of surprise on his face because of the commotion here.

as well as--

"..."

Hikigaya Hachiman also slightly moved his lowered head because of Hayama Hayato's sudden strange behavior, and slowly raised his head to face him who was blocked by Tobe Sho's body behind him. The eyes that had been covered by the drooping bangs were now revealed to Hayama Hayato through Tobe Sho's shoulders.

"—"

Time seems to stand still at this moment. Its passage is like a floodgate that is blocked by a suddenly lowered iron gate, and can only flow at a much slower speed than before.

Looking at the pair of eyes that were revealed, Hayato Hayama opened his eyes with difficulty, and the pupils "slowly" shrank, almost to the size of a needle tip.

There is no light in those eyes;

There is no darkness in those eyes;

There was no kindness in those eyes;

There was no evil in those eyes;

Those eyes, without emotion.

They were like two pieces of frozen ice, emitting a cold air without any temperature, and also like a black mirror, reflecting everything in the world without any prejudice, because everything made no difference to the owner of these eyes.

There is no impulse to destroy due to inner hatred, no wish to protect due to the pursuit of justice, and no determination to seek the meaning of life.

But there is nothing worth cherishing.

Therefore, everything can be destroyed and everything can be reshaped, as if everything is being watched from outside the world and has nothing to do with this world.

Such a pair of eyes reflected Hayato Hayama's eyes trembling with pain.

And Hayato Hayama's eyes also reflected this black "mirror" that was devoid of any human emotions.

The voices of all the people in their ears were disappearing into the distance. The border of the world was stretching infinitely. It was as if Hikigaya Hachiman and Hayama Hayato had come to a strange land where only the two of them existed. They stared into each other's eyes and imprinted each other's figures in their eyes.

The next moment, Hayato Hayama fainted.

Those "inhuman" eyes were also completely submerged by the darkness that was descending before them.