My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“…That child really loves curry bread, because the first bread he ate after he was born was the one I made for him.”]

[“It was Kyosuke who kept praising me for the delicious bread after he ate it, and he hoped to open a shop specializing in curry bread, so that he and his father would have endless curry bread to eat in the future.”]

[“So… why did you open that bakery, Mom?”]

[“Yes, it’s for Kyousuke.”]

【Kousaka Yoshino nodded, confirming Kousaka Kirino's question. 】

[“I have always hoped that Kyosuke could return to the way he used to be, the boy who worshipped his father and loved eating curry bread, instead of being devastated after being denied by his father and becoming indifferent to everything in the past.”]

[“…But in the end, Kyosuke still became like Daisuke, but this change was not what I expected.”]

[“Although Kyousuke is still Kyousuke and has never changed, and he no longer has any obsession with curry bread...but he is no longer the child who truly loves to eat curry bread.”]

[“In the end, my wish still didn’t come true… Daisuke.”]

【“…”】

【Seeing her mother's eyes sadly express her long-buried wish, Kousaka Kirino's eyes also became lonely, and they were speechless for a while. 】

[What kind of person was the brother in my memory? 】

[Kousaka Kirino felt that she had almost forgotten everything, because since her father passed away, Kousaka Kyosuke had lived as his shadow and had never walked out of it. ]

[And the boy was buried in time, leaving only a few words in the depths of memory, and gradually forgotten by everyone as time passed. ]

[If it were that boy...what would he say now? ]

[I think I would say this:]

[“It’s not that I don’t like curry bread.”]

[Yes, and the next sentence should be——! ? ]

[“The reason why I don’t eat the curry bread you made, mom… is because the one you made back then tasted so bad.”]

【“!?”】

[Listening to the familiar voice ringing in my ears, and then seeing my mother looking behind me with wide eyes, I confirmed that I was not hallucinating. Kousaka Kirino realized something and suddenly turned around to look behind me. ]

["——Kyo...suke?"]

[A tall figure stood at the door of the ward, quietly looking at the mother and daughter in the ward.]

[His face was so familiar, his stern face also showed the stubbornness that he had seen since childhood, and the depths of his upright and sharp eyes also showed the vicissitudes that were not easy to detect.]

[Looking at him, Kousaka Kirino was stunned, her lips trembling slightly, as if that name would rush out of her mouth in the next second. ]

[——Dad? ]

[Patter. 】

[When that figure walked into the ward, the familiar illusion collapsed in an instant and turned into another familiar figure.]

【“——Brother!?”】

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke used his left hand to support his body against the wall, and looked at his surprised mother and sister quietly without saying a word.]

[But Kousaka Kirino was not as calm as him. She quickly walked to him and stood still, staring at her brother in disbelief.]

【“Kyosuke! Didn’t Miss Gokoro say you couldn’t come? Why are you here? And…what are you wearing? There’s blood on your body! Are you injured?!”】

[Looking at her brother standing in front of her wearing a set of armor she had never seen before, Kousaka Kirino felt as if she was still in a dream. She couldn't help but stretch out her hands and touch his face with trembling hands, as if she wanted to confirm whether the person in front of her was her illusion. ]

[But when the tips of her fingers touching Kousaka Kyousuke's face felt wet, Kousaka Kirino immediately withdrew her hands as if she had received an electric shock, and screamed as she looked at the blackened, coagulated blood on her fingertips.]

[“I’m fine. This isn’t my blood.”]

[“You’re lying! There’s a wound on your forehead, wait—”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke shook his head and stopped talking to his sister. He supported his battered body with his left hand and walked to the cabinet where the bread was placed. He gently opened the lid of the box with his armored gloves.]

[A familiar fragrance filled his nose, and he couldn't help but look a little dazed, as if he saw the river of time flowing before his eyes, and a forgotten memory was riding a boat from the distant past to the present.]

【“——”】

[The armored fingers picked up a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. Kousaka Kyosuke chewed quietly, and his eyes suddenly paused in reminiscence.]

[It's really familiar. Although the ingredients and proportions are much better than before, the taste still makes Kousaka Kyosuke see a scene from that distant time in an instant.]

[——The boy curiously took the bread wrapped in oilcloth from his mother, sniffed it a few times, and then bit it, leaving a clear tooth mark on the bread.]

[He thought he had long forgotten that smell and would never be able to find it again.]

【But Kousaka Kyosuke forgot the most important thing. 】

[——In fact, this smell has never disappeared, it has just been kept by my mother. ]

[“…But for now, this taste can be given a passing grade.”]

[He gently put the bread back into the box, closed the lid, and turned to face Kousaka Yoshino who was staring at him blankly.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke put down his hand that was supporting the wall, limped over, walked to the bedside and reached out to sign his mother's hand.]

[Except for the helmet that disappeared after waking up, he was still wearing the GO armor. Kousaka Yoshino's hand in his armor-covered palm was like the contrast between a child and an adult.]

[But the fact is, Kousaka Yoshino is the adult, and Kousaka Kyosuke is the child. ]

[“It may be a little late to say it now, but…”]

[“I’m back, Mom.”]

【Kousaka Yoshino felt the hard touch and cold temperature of her palm, looked up at the smile on her son's face which had been cold for many years, and her eyes became dazed in an instant.】

[The appearance of Kousaka Kyosuke in front of her overlapped with that of another person, and that person was also one of the people she loved most in her life. 】

[The hand with faintly visible wrinkles was pulled out from the broad palm and gently touched the face in front of him. ]

【“…Welcome back.”】

[Feeling the weathered toughness and softness on that face with her fingers, Kousaka Yoshino's lips moved, and a gentle smile slowly appeared on her face.]

【"child.】

[Kousaka Kyosuke smiled, and suddenly he felt a sense of being embraced from behind, a pair of white and slender arms wrapped around his waist, and crossed over the armor on his chest to hug him.]

[“——Stupid brother, you’re too late!”]

[With her face against the back of her brother's neck, Kousaka Kirino held back the tears that were about to burst out of her eyes and spoke with a choked voice. ]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke remained silent, but held his mother's hand with his other hand, and after shaking his severely injured right hand for a few times, he tried to raise it and hold her hand around his chest.]

[He still said nothing.]

【But it’s enough.】

……

[Outside the ward, just separated by a wall.]

【Zaimokuza, who was sitting on the floor leaning against the wall, listened attentively to the noise in the ward and put on a smile.】

[At this moment, his eyes, which had been forced open, could no longer hold on and slowly closed. The incomparable sense of emptiness in his body burst out in one breath after Zaimokuza stopped forcibly suppressing it, surging and completely engulfing him.]

[In fact, he had already lost all his strength. He was able to bring Kousaka Kyousuke here only by relying on his last breath and tenacious determination.]

[When Zaimokuza's eyes completely closed, an overwhelming darkness swept over him, carrying his thoughts into the deepest part of his consciousness.]

[I hope I can have a good dream this time...]

【“…”】

[Patter. 】

[His left hand, which was placed flat on his knee, fell weakly to the ground, and his head, which was leaning back against the wall, also drooped forward slightly.]

【Zaimokuza fell asleep, sleeping peacefully and calmly.】

[After he lost consciousness, the only white shirt he was wearing began to be stained with blood, and soon the white clothes were dyed red everywhere.]

[After losing the suppression, what erupted was not only the fatigue of the body, but also the pain and injuries that had been held back. ]

[In this battle, Zaimokuza was injured more severely than anyone else. He had three elemental awakenings that exceeded his limit, and the last fire element overload drive, as well as the trauma he suffered in the battle... With the combination of various reasons, his body had long been overwhelmed.]

[Even when he was joking with Kousaka Kyousuke, he was smiling all the time while enduring the pain and torture of his body that was about to collapse, trying his best to avoid letting the other party notice his abnormality.]

[Also separated by a wall, Kousaka Kyosuke accompanied the two most important relatives in his life; while Zaimokuza sat alone in the corridor outside and fell asleep, with no one paying attention to him. ]

【But no one has ever regretted their choice. 】

33. Unspoken Heart Knot (Two in One)

【Kanto Medical University Hospital, Tokyo, consultation room.】

[“Is this how it all happened?”]

【"……Yeah?"】

[Makishima Saori, who had already prepared the ward, listened to the words on the other end of the phone, and after a long silence, she sighed. ]

[“You don’t sound that surprised, Saori-chan?”]

[Hina Ebina on the other end of the line said this in a relaxed tone, her legs crossed in black stockings and high heels, the lines of her legs extending from under her hip skirt were elegant and straight.]

[“While this is indeed a very absurd move, it’s not that surprising when I think about the fact that it was Mr. Zaimokuza who did it.”]

[Makishima Saori also relaxed her body and leaned on the sofa, and replied helplessly. ]

[“After all, he is the one who can open the heart of Kousaka-kun, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he did something incredible.”]

[“Oh my? I didn’t expect that you would have such great confidence in Yihui after only knowing him for a few months? Do you really believe that he can help your beloved to return to the right path?”]

[“If we talk about this, aren’t you the same, Hime?”]

【Makishima Saori mercilessly counterattacked Ebina Hime. 】

[“Didn’t you also hand over that dangerous weapon to Kousaka-kun without any safety tests or trials? This shows that you trust him, doesn’t it? This shows that we know each other’s loved ones well enough, Hime-chan.”]

[“Well? What you said does make sense. Those two people do have something in common. They both have the qualities that make people trust them for no reason.”]

[“But it’s precisely because I know them well that I’m worried, Saori-chan?”]

【"Why?"】

[Makishima Saori raised her eyebrows and asked curiously.]

[“After all——”]

[Hina Ebina deliberately dragged out her tone and said it in a teasing tone. ]

[“Our Yoshiteru is so outstanding. I’m worried that when he spends time with your Kosaka-kun, he might turn him into a lesbian without realizing it. Then, Saori-chan, you’ll have to stay alone in your empty room, biting your pillow like a resentful woman and regretting that your trust in Yoshiteru had led to such a bitter outcome, right?”]

【"Well!?"】

[After hearing this, Makishima Saori's fair face inexplicably turned red, and then darkened. ]

[——It’s not impossible. It’s precisely because she knows the character of Zaimokuza Yoshiki that she knows that this is very likely.]

[If I hadn't already had someone in my heart, I'm sure even she would have fallen for me after spending so much time with me.]

[Some taboo image about Kousaka Kyousuke and Zaimokuza Yoshiki popped up in her mind, and Makishima Saori's eyes twitched suddenly, and her scalp felt numb. ]

[“Thank you so much for your concern, Hime-chan!”]

[Makishima Saori said this with a fake smile, and her fierce voice sounded like she was gritting her teeth.]

[“Then you have to keep an eye on your Yoshiteru, right? After all, since he is so charming, he will definitely attract many women. Don’t let Zaimokuza be snatched away by other women because you fail to take good care of him.”]

"Then you won't even have anything to cry about, Jicai. You might end up being the one biting your pillow and venting your frustrations in your empty room!"

【"Don't worry, Yihui won't do that."】

[In response to her friend's counterattack, Ebina Hime seemed calm and her eyes did not even change. 】

[“Do you have so much confidence in him?”]

[“It’s not that I have confidence in Yoshiki. I just know him well.”]