The story we started

[“It doesn’t make any sense… Hiratsuka-sensei, telling you at that time would only make one more person sad. Other than that, reality won’t change at all.”]

[“We didn’t even want to tell Yuigahama-san at the time. We wanted to wait for the right time to tell her, but—”]

[Thinking of what happened after that, Yukinoshita Yukino was even a little reluctant to recall it, and the conversation stopped there. 】

【“——”】

[After hearing what Yukinoshita Yukino said, Shizuka Hiratsuka's mind went blank. She opened and closed her mouth several times but couldn't say anything.]

[Is what Yukino Yukinoshita said wrong? 】

[No, that's right. There is really no point in telling her because the dead can't come back to life because of this.]

[Is he angry that they didn't tell him about his teacher? That's even more hypocritical, because they were already adults at that time. Every adult has reasons for doing things and making choices. He has reasons to be angry, and they also have reasons for not telling him. There is no so-called standard of right or wrong in such matters.]

【So, everything is correct.】

[——I can’t do anything myself. ]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka's waist was hunched, and she looked as if she had aged more than ten years in an instant.]

[She sat back in her chair weakly, looking up in silence, while Yukinoshita Yukino also lowered her head and remained silent.]

[The scene of the teacher and student chatting happily not long ago seemed like a beautiful illusion, but after the illusion was broken, what came was the cold and ruthless reality.]

[“…Hey, Yukinoshita.”]

[After an unknown amount of time, Hiratsuka Shizuka spoke softly, and Yukinoshita Yukino gently raised her head and looked at her. ]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka leaned back and looked up, gazing at the old ceiling of the Service Club with a hazy look in her eyes.]

[“Actually, I had already made up my mind before coming to this appointment.]

[“…If I don’t get to meet Zaimokuza this time, I’ll resign when I return.”]

……

【Snapped! 】

[The warrior in white armor fell to his knees helplessly, and with the buzzing sound from his waist and the distortion, he turned back into the white-haired young man in a windbreaker.]

[“Finally, it worked… hmmm!”]

[Zaimokuza supported himself on the ground with both hands, panting with sweat all over his forehead, and the sweat dripped down his fair face onto the gray ground.]

[Although he was extremely tired, his eyes were filled with joy and a happy smile appeared on his face.]

[“Right away, I’ll be there right away.”]

【"teacher!"】

[He raised his head and looked towards Sobu High School with a determined look.]

【At this moment, this clearing in the forest has long lost its original appearance. 】

[——With Zaimokuza as the center, the area with a radius of about 100 meters has completely turned gray, and there are still small flames burning on the ground.]

[Within this 100-meter range, all the grass and trees turned grayish white, and there was a faint red line of scorching fire spreading under the skin of each tree, and all the weeds on the ground turned white.]

[It was as if an endless fire had spread across the prairie, burning and devouring everything here, leaving only ashes after everything was burned out. A reflective crystal could even be seen in the land near the wood seat.]

[That is a piece of glass formed by the soil being burned by high temperature.]

75. Sudden Encounter

【Chiba Prefecture, suburbs of Togane City. 】

【boom--】

[Kousaka Kyosuke drove a large truck all the way from the city at lightning speed, making a loud noise that echoed throughout the city and carrying away countless insults. He stopped the car in this deserted wilderness and took the communication device on the passenger seat and dialed the frequency of the Triangle Tracker 2000. ]

[Beep, beep, beep——]

[“Hmm? Mr. Kosaka.”]

[As soon as he walked near his beloved car, the Triangle Tracker 2000 parked at the edge of the forest path received a communication, and the voice of Kyosuke Kosaka came from it. Zaimokuza, who had been walking slowly to recover his strength due to the huge physical consumption, hurriedly trotted to the side of his beloved car. ]

[“Zaimokuza, how are things going over there now?”]

[While talking on the intercom, Kousaka Kyosuke carefully scanned the surrounding wilderness, looking for terrain that could be used if a battle broke out later.]

[“This has been resolved. I have now successfully awakened the red element! Thanks to Mr. Kosaka for your - cough cough cough! Your help!”]

【Zaimokuza started talking excitedly, but suddenly realized something was wrong halfway through, and immediately changed his words. Even though Kousaka Kyousuke, who was far away on the other side, couldn't see him, he looked around guiltily.】

【"?"】

[Kousaka Kyousuke listened to Zaimokuza's tone, which had inexplicably become somewhat guilty and respectful, on the communicator, and suddenly felt a sense of foreboding surge in his heart.]

[But I feel more happy and relieved. Zaimokuza's successful awakening of the almighty form of the element not only means that their power has been enhanced, but also means that the chances of defeating No. 22 have increased a lot. ]

[“That’s good. Listen, I’m driving a big truck right now to act as bait to lure No. 22 to the outskirts of Togane City. If you’re still okay, come right away—Uwaa!???”]

【boom!!!】

[Kousaka Kyousuke had just said half of his words when a violent impact came from the front of the truck, and the entire truck involuntarily backed up a distance.]

[He was caught off guard and suddenly leaned forward, and the intercom on the passenger seat fell to the ground. If he hadn't been wearing a seat belt, Kousaka Kyosuke would have hit the car window in front of him under the impact, causing his head to bleed.]

[“Mr. Kosaka! What happened!?”]

[Listening to the crashing sound and Kousaka Kyousuke's muffled groan coming from the motorcycle's built-in communicator, Zaimokuza, feeling something was wrong, lowered his head and raised his voice to ask.]

【"Well……"】

[Kousaka Kyosuke raised his head while holding his seat belt, looking at the figure that appeared not far in front of the truck. A drop of sweat flowed down his face along his brow bone to his chin, and then dripped to the ground.]

[In the wilderness in front of the car, Zu-Zain-Da, the leader of the Zu Group's Gurongi, a rhinoceros Gurongi whose combat power is comparable to that of the elite members of the Me Group, stood on the ground and stretched out his right hand.]

[Looking through the car window at Kousaka Kyosuke in the driver's seat, his fierce face was filled with obvious displeasure, and the whites of his eyes were covered with red bloodshot, densely packed like a blood-red spider web.]

[The strange creature looked like a rhino and had similar habits to a rhino. It was obviously irritated by Kousaka Kyosuke, who was driving a heavy truck through the city. He didn't hold back when he slapped him, leaving a clear, thick palm print on the hood of the truck, with five distinct fingers.]

[“You, deserve to die!”]

[Zain, who was shaken by the noise of the trucks that spread throughout the city, felt like a student who was bombarded by the square dance aunties playing the Great Compassion Mantra and dancing on the loud speakers downstairs before the college entrance examination. His forehead twitched, and his face was ferocious, like a ferocious tiger that was ready to bite its prey, and he growled.]

[“Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!”]

[Amidst the majestic roar, Zain's angry face twisted and reorganized, turning into a stiff mask-like face again. His orange eyes reflected Kousaka Kyousuke's changed expression as he strode towards the truck he was driving.]

[“Tsk! Speak of the devil and he’ll appear!”]

【Watching Zain walking quickly towards him, Kousaka Kyosuke, who knew the gap between his mortal body and his opponent's strength, reached out with an ugly expression to pick up the walkie-talkie that fell on the truck blanket, and shouted at Zaimokuza who was still anxiously asking questions on the other side.】

[“Number 22 has appeared! It and I are now in the wilderness outside of Dongjin City! Immediately follow the display screen on the motorcycle to chase the frequency signal of the intercom here! Quickly!”]

[After saying this, Kousaka Kyousuke threw down the intercom without waiting for Zaimokuza to reply, reached out to take the sniper rifle that was also placed on the passenger seat, pulled the bolt to load the bullet, and immediately wanted to turn around and aim at Zain outside the window to shoot.]

【boom! 】

[“Hmm!”]

[As a result, just as Kousaka Kyosuke turned around, the glass of the car window suddenly shattered due to the heavy impact. Kousaka Kyosuke reflexively raised his hand in front of his face to block the flying glass fragments.]

[A sturdy arm reaches in from the broken car window, grabs the collar of Kousaka Kyosuke's windbreaker and pulls him out of the window, causing him to stagger and the sniper rifle in his hand falls onto the intercom.]

[“Puff!”]

[His forehead hit the car door hard, and Kousaka Kyosuke let out a cry of pain. Then the hand that was holding his collar increased the force of the drag again, trying to drag him out of the broken car window.]

[Kousaka Kyousuke quickly put his hands on the car frame to prevent himself from being dragged out by the muscular arm. His black eyes and Zain's orange eyes stared at each other at a very close distance, both of them carrying strong hostility.]

[“Gu——!”]

【boom--】

[Blood flowed through his eyes along the gap in his forehead, soaking his left eye's vision in red. As he and Zain, who wanted to drag him out of the car, clenched his teeth and slammed the accelerator of the truck to the bottom.]

[The truck engine suddenly emits a low roar as the accelerator is stepped on to the bottom. The truck body that was parked in place moves forward. Zain, who is standing outside, also drives forward into the vast wasteland ahead under this industrial machine running at full power. Its legs and wheels leave several conspicuous ruts on the yellow earth...]

……

[“Hello? Hello! Mr. Kosaka!”]

[Zaimokuza shouted into the communication device with an anxious expression. The roar and familiar roar from the other side, as well as the groan of pain from Kousaka Kyousuke, gave him a very bad premonition.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke has already encountered number 22! ]

[Realizing this, Zaimokuza ignored the fact that he had not yet recovered the huge amount of energy he had consumed in the previous experiment, gritted his teeth and straddled the Triangle Chaser 2000, quickly took the helmet and put it on, then entered the password to start the motorcycle.]

【boom--】

[As the motorcycle handlebars were turned to the bottom, the engine of the Triangle Chaser 2000 emitted a high-pitched and pleasant roar, and the body of the motorcycle rushed out like a cheetah that had been released from the brakes, carrying the wood seat away while leaving a trail of dust in its place.]

[I'll be right there! Mr. Kosaka, hold on! ]

[Looking at the two signal sources displayed on the eyeball electronic screen, the blue signal source representing the Triangle Tracker 2000 is rapidly moving towards another green signal source moving in the distance. Zaimokuza silently prays for Kousaka Kyousuke's safety in his heart. ]

76. The smile in memory in

[Chiba Prefecture, Sobu Prefectural High School, former site of the Service Club. www.ykrsoft.com]

[Yukinoshita Yukino looked up at Hiratsuka Shizuka who was looking up at the ceiling in astonishment, and couldn't help but ask.]

【"Why?"】

[There was still some disbelief in her tone, because she knew how much the woman in front of her loved this teaching job, and she even broke up with her family for it, and had a cold war for nearly fifteen years. Basically, she would only return to the Hiratsuka family's main home in Kyoto City during the New Year. ]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka has spent a long time proving her commitment to education. Many elders in the Hiratsuka family are angry about this but can do nothing about it. Some of them have gone from being firmly opposed at the beginning to choosing to acquiesce in silence now, which basically means they have approved of her choice.]

[Why would a person who is more persistent in something than 99% of the world choose to give up his long-standing career now? ]

【“Because… I’m already tired.”】

[Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at the ceiling of the Service Club wearily, her tone also carrying a tiredness beyond her age, even oldness.]

[“Yukinoshita, do you still remember what your classmates were passionate about when you were studying at Sobu High School?”]

[“Well…making friends, traveling, socializing, playing games, singing in KTV, or watching TV series.”]

[Although she didn't understand why Hiratsuka Shizuka asked such a question, Yukinoshita Yukino followed her words and recalled the various things that were popular among students when she was studying at Sobu High School, and then answered.]

[“You remember it very clearly… but our generation was not like that.”]

[Hiratsuka Shizuka took another cigarette from the cigarette box and put it in her mouth, then stood up and walked towards the window of the service department.]

[“Our generation is different from yours. When I was in high school, the bubble economy had burst a long time ago, and we had just gotten rid of pagers and started using mobile phones. The country was still in ruins, but our generation was full of energy and liked things that were completely different from yours.”]

[“Back then, entertainment was not as abundant as it is today. Our favorite entertainment was to read Jump’s youth magazine, chat and discuss our dreams, or strive to get into our ideal university… Although it seems childish and ignorant now, at that time, all of us had sincere enthusiasm in our hearts, and we would never give up. We believed that we could change the country’s declining trend through our own efforts.”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino listened quietly to Hiratsuka Shizuka's words without responding. ]

[The words she spoke brought Yukinoshita Yukino back to an era that she had experienced before, but was not familiar with. ]

[Perhaps it was just like what Shizuka Hiratsuka said, that era, all the young people in this country were full of ardent dreams, and they were so ignorant that they thought they could change this unfair world with their own hands, and they moved forward in the direction they had chosen, and they never turned back even if they hit a wall.]

[——But she knew without a doubt what the fate of those who held this dream in their generation was like.]

【Because the current situation of this country is the best proof. 】

[And Yukinoshita Yukino was also such a person, holding a dream that was basically impossible to achieve and stubbornly facing this world that was neither gentle nor correct, arrogantly believing that she could definitely change the world through hard work. ]

[It was not until she grew up that Yukinoshita Yukino realized how naive she was. 】

【Anyone who holds a dream will inevitably be tested by the high wall called reality. 】

[But this wall is so high that 99.9% of the people who have dreams in this world cannot cross it. Only the remaining 0.01% can cross it with extraordinary perseverance and hard work.]

[Not to mention the arrogant dream of wanting to change the world, Yukinoshita Yukino admits that there are indeed such people in this world, but they are all the children of destiny who have gathered thousands of fortunes in each era, and these people definitely do not include a stubborn girl named Yukinoshita Yukino. ]

[Only when a person wants to change the world with his own hands, he will know how insignificant he is. ]

[“…But the young people of your generation are different.”]

[As Yukino Yukinoshita came back from her own memories and feelings, Hiratsuka Shizuka's words continued to ring out. ]

[“Your generation of young people still have traces of our generation, but they have turned to seeking a better life in a more practical way. Only a few people talk about their dreams, and the things they like are no longer the things we liked back then. The changing times have made you like the things you mentioned before more, such as making friends, traveling, socializing, playing games, singing in KTV, and watching TV dramas.”]

[“In order to better understand your generation, to better educate students and to have a heart-to-heart with them, I forced myself to learn the things you like, learn the way your generation talks, and understand what “stalks” are… To be honest, when I first heard this word, I thought it was you students who liked to chew tea stems while drinking tea.”]

【“～”】

[Although she knew she shouldn't laugh now, when she heard Shizuka Hiratsuka talking about her first impression of "stalks", Yukinoshita Yukino's mouth curled up slightly, but it was fleeting.]