The story we started

——But just before being completely swallowed by the darkness, the same noise as before sounded again, and another pair of eyes appeared along with the sound.

Two pairs of identical eyes completely overlapped.

The same emotionlessness, the same indifference, the same——

lonely.

73. Mirror that reflects reality

"Come here, some people, help lift Ye Shan onto the bed!"

Seeing Hayato Hayama fainted without any signs, Shizuka Hiratsuka felt like her scalp was about to explode.

What's going on? Is the sudden coma game popular in Sobu High School now? First it was Zaimokuza, then Hikigaya, and later it was Hayama. Could the students of this school be under some kind of curse?

"Hikiio, move aside! Get out of the way!"

Anxious Miura Yumiko saw that Hikigaya was still sitting motionless beside the bed, blocking the way for everyone to carry Hayama to the bed, and she immediately shouted with her eyelashes raised.

Hikigaya did not respond to her words, and did not move when everyone was about to carry Hayama Hayato over. This immediately made Miura Yumiko angry, and she quickly walked over, held his shoulders and shook him.

"Hey! Didn't you hear what I said? You're sitting here blocking everyone's--"

Miura Yumiko's words got stuck in her throat halfway through, and like a kitten with its neck strangled, meaningless syllables spilled out of her mouth.

Her eyes reflected a pair of emotionless eyes, and the way those eyes looked at her was like the way a walking human occasionally looked down at the broken grass under his feet, without the slightest movement or fluctuation.

Human beings do not care whether the grass under their feet has life just like themselves, even if there is actually no difference between the two to the world.

"...!"

An unprecedented sense of fear rushed up along the cervical vertebrae to the cerebral cortex. Miura Yumiko's fleshy, slender legs in black socks began to tremble uncontrollably. She involuntarily took a few steps back and almost bumped into Hayama Hayato who was being lifted up by everyone.

Just as Miura Yumiko stepped back, Hikigaya stood up from the edge of the bed, walked around the trembling girl in front of him without saying a word, and walked towards the window of the health room.

Crunching——

His shoes stepped on the broken mirror fragments on the ground, which had not yet been sorted out. He walked to the window with a creaking sound and looked at the panoramic view of the campus outside, letting the fragments he stepped on break into smaller pieces.

"Hey! Hikigaya, stop adding more trash to the school."

Shizuka Hiratsuka felt an even greater headache when she saw the glass fragments shattered into smaller pieces after being stepped on by Hikigaya. She and a group of people helped carry Hayato Hayama to the bed, then looked up and shouted at him in dissatisfaction.

"Oh."

The indifferent voice came from Hikigaya, who was standing by the window, looking down at the students downstairs. Just like before, he did not turn around.

"You...forget it."

Hiratsuka Shizuka was choked by Hikigaya's response and felt as if her chest was blocked and she couldn't breathe out. Her towering chest, which could not be covered by her white coat, rose and fell violently several times.

She originally wanted to get angry, but thinking about Hikigaya's mental state since he learned about his sister's death, she finally sighed helplessly and chose to give up.

“Hachiman——?”

Zaimokuza looked at Hikigaya's back and felt that the other party's mental state was not normal. Although he was still full of anxiety in his heart, he was still prepared to persuade Hikigaya.

But just after he took a few steps, a white and tender hand grabbed Zaimokuza's shoulder. He turned around with a blank expression and saw the pure and flawless face of Yukinoshita Yukino.

She shook her head slightly, looked past Zaimokuza at Hikigaya's back in the distance and spoke softly.

"Don't disturb Hikigaya-san. What he needs most right now is not comfort, but a place where he can be alone and calm."

"..."

Zaimokuza opened his mouth, but finally closed it silently and listened to Yukinoshita Yukino's opinion.

In a direction that no one could see, Hachiman Hikigaya, who was standing by the window, no longer had the indifferent and cold look in his eyes. Instead, his eyes were filled with incomparable gloom and restlessness, and his brows were furrowed to the point of almost protruding.

His right hand was tightly gripping the mobile phone that was playing videos. The force was so great that the screen cover of the phone made a crisp sound of creaking, as if it was about to break under this violence.

Whenever he thought about the news of his sister's death in the future that he had just learned through the video, Hikigaya felt that he could hardly control the surging emotions in his heart, and the valve of rationality was almost destroyed by this torrent of emotions.

The calmness and composure he showed when facing Zaimokuza just now was just an illusion, a kind of emotion that would eventually turn into the opposite before it reaches a critical point. Often, the person who seems to be the most rational is actually the one who is least able to calm down.

Hikigaya raised his head and stared at his own reflection in the window in front of him. The suppressed emotions in his eyes were clearly visible in the reflection of the window.

He had never shown this kind of look in his eyes since he was born. This "mirror" formed by the window glass seemed to reflect the other side of Hikigaya Hachiman hidden deep in his heart, and this exposed other side even made Hikigaya himself feel unfamiliar.

But sometimes the person who is most unable to see a person's true nature is always that person himself, otherwise there would not be the saying that a bystander sees more clearly.

The familiar stranger reflected in the glass in front of me suddenly disappeared at this moment and turned into the sweet smile of another girl.

A happy smile appeared on that face that still had some baby fat, as warm as the white lilies blooming in the sea of ​​summer flowers, pure and sunny.

The suppressed darkness in his heart seemed to gradually weaken at this moment. Hikigaya stared at the smiling face in a daze and couldn't help reaching out to touch her.

But just as his palm touched the glass showing the smiling face, the smiling face turned back into the face that Hikigaya Hachiman had been familiar with since he was born.

"...!"

Hikigaya paused, and the hand that was touching the glass slowly clenched into a fist, shaking slightly.

Komachi...

Thinking of his sister who was far away in another place and had no news from her because all communications were cut off, Hikigaya couldn't help but grit his teeth and forced himself to close his eyes and stop looking at the reflection in the glass.

Ever since his sister was born, he has long been accustomed to having Hikigaya Komachi by his side.

And precisely because he was so accustomed to it and it had become a part of his life, he never thought that there would be a day when Hikigaya Komachi would leave him forever.

When he learned from this mysterious video that there would really be such a day in the future, Hikigaya finally realized how much he cared about his sister.

When he thought that he might never see his sister again, it was as if a hole had been opened in his chest where his heart was, swallowing up everything.

Justice, emotion, persistence, pursuit... nothing is left.

But when Hikigaya closed his eyes, he missed one thing.

And because of the perspective, other people did not notice the changes happening here.

When Hikigaya Hachiman closed his eyes and clenched the hand that was touching the glass into a fist, on the other side of the glass he touched, a palm opened and touched his clenched fist through a layer of glass.

——On the other side of the glass, another "Hikigaya Hachiman" stretched out his hand and touched fist with Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Hikigaya Hachiman" just looked at Hikigaya Hachiman on the other side of the mirror. His pair of emotionless black eyes reflected the face of Hikigaya Hachiman in the real world with his eyes closed and teeth clenched. His calm expression made it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Hikigaya Hachiman" gently withdrew his open palm, turned his back to Hikigaya Hachiman and walked deeper into the mirror.

"?"

As if sensing something, Hikigaya Hachiman opened his eyes blankly.

And what he saw was still the "mirror" formed by the window that reflected his own face.

74. Sad past

[Chiba Prefecture, Sobu Prefectural High School, former site of the Service Department. 502txt.com]

[“Hikigaya-san, after… that, it’s like you’ve completely changed.”]

[Thinking of the boy who had walked with her soul, but finally parted ways with the service club due to the malice of fate, Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes closed gently, and the chest where her heart was seemed to twitch a few times at this moment. ]

[But the pain is not as strong as it was before. Time is indeed the most powerful force in the world. It can separate a love relationship in just fifteen years. The speed of cherry blossoms falling reduces it to the point where only regrets are left but no pain. It can also slowly bury a close friend from the depths of the soul, leaving only memories but no sadness.]

[“After his sister’s death, perhaps Hikigaya-san has lost something he had always insisted on, so he finally chose to quit the Service Club.”]

[She gently opened her eyes, her dark blue eyes sparkling like the snowy fields, her thoughts spreading and dissipating like ripples on the water.]

[“…But, for so many years I have always thought that there might be another reason why he did this.”]

[“The reason why he chose to quit the Service Club—”]

[Speaking of this, Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes were filled with fatigue and pain that could not be concealed. ]

[“It’s probably because the Ministry can no longer provide him with what he seeks…”]

[“That’s why Hikigaya-san chose to leave so abruptly, without even saying goodbye.”]

[“Maybe… But the answer to this question can only be asked from Hikigaya himself.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka sighed helplessly and stuffed the cigarette in her hand into the disposable cup filled with water on the table. The still burning cigarette butt made a slight popping sound when it touched the water, and then went out.]

[“Speaking of which, have you guys kept in touch over the years since Hikigaya was admitted to MIT?”]

【“…”】

[After hearing her question, Yukinoshita Yukino fell silent and did not answer Hiratsuka Shizuka's words. ]

["What's wrong? Is it...Hikigaya hasn't contacted you guys since then?"]

[The passage of time became clearly perceptible at this moment. Looking at the silent Yukinoshita Yukino, Hiratsuka Shizuka felt a sense of foreboding and asked again tentatively.]

["...Hikigaya-san."]

[In Hiratsuka Shizuka's perception, an unknown amount of time passed before Yukinoshita Yukino's voice sounded again. ]

[She opened her lips slightly, and the words she spoke were calm, indifferent and composed.]

[——But Hiratsuka Shizuka's mind went blank in an instant.]

[“He… has passed away.”]

【Ding------】

[At this moment, the melodious bell sounded throughout the entire Sobu High School campus, and the minute and hour hands of the old clock hanging on the wall of the Service Department also came to the interval between 3 and ? and stopped moving. Only the second hand continued to jump without stopping, constantly showing the speed of the passage of time with the same jumping distance.]

【03:00 p.m】

[The entire originally silent school seemed to "come alive" at this moment, and the bustling voices of students filled every corner of this huge complex building. The quiet campus was ignited by the enthusiasm and youth of the students, and gradually became hot. ]

[Students from the Homecoming Department went home, students from cram schools went to cram schools, and students from clubs started to run to participate in their own club activities. They walked in groups outside the corridor, leaving every moment of their youth on every inch of the school.]

[In the service department, which was only separated from the students in the corridor by a wall, it was as quiet as the abyss under a cliff, and all the breath of life disappeared from here. ]

[Patter. 】

[The unlit cigarette fell to the floor, and Hiratsuka Shizuka's lips trembled slightly. She took a deep breath and then calmed down the shock and disbelief that the news brought to her.]

【"……what is going on?"】

[Even so, Hiratsuka Shizuka's voice still carried an uncontrollable tremor and sadness.]

【"……have no idea."】

[Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head, her clear eyes carrying an unconcealed sadness, as if the pure white snow was stained with a touch of gray.]

[“This is what the MIT staff told us when we received the news…through the phone contacts left on Hikigaya’s phone.”]

[“Didn’t they tell you how Hikigaya died? Why did they just tell you that he was gone? Without even giving a reason!?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka could not help but ask in a louder voice, mixed with anger and dissatisfaction that could not be concealed.]

[“…After that, Zaimokuza-san and I questioned them for a long time before they were willing to reveal some information about Hikigaya-san’s death to us.”]

[“It seems to be related to a scientific experiment that Hikigaya applied to organize on campus. And the death is not only Hikigaya, many professors working at MIT seem to have died because of this experiment. It is said that the entire school’s teaching staff has suffered heavy losses because of this incident. The content of the experiment is a confidential project... They only revealed this information to us, and refused to tell us anything else no matter how much we asked.”]

[“How long?”]

【"?"】

[“I’m asking, how long has Hikigaya been dead?”]

[“…It’s been many years.”]

[“Why didn’t you tell me at the beginning!?”]

【Snapped! 】

[Hiratsuka Shizuka angrily slapped the table, and the crisp sound spread throughout the old classroom of the Service Club, even attracting the attention of some students who were walking outside the corridor at that time.]

[“Why didn’t you and Zaimokuza call me when something like this happened? Even a text message would have been fine!”]

[“…Is it useful?”]

[“Wha, what!?”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Yukinoshita Yukino in disbelief, as if she suspected that she had heard it wrongly.]

[“Would it be helpful if I told you about this at the time?”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino clutched her skirt tightly, her body trembling as her words trembled. ]

[“How long have you been away from us? And if I tell the teacher, will Hikigaya-san come back to life? Will nothing happen again? Can we even go back to the Service Club where everyone was before his sister died?”]