My youth story cannot be a knight war

Zaimokuza himself was also shocked. He looked at the "himself" in the light curtain who was so weak that he couldn't even utter a word. He couldn't imagine that this was the smiling superman who always stood up in the end even when he was dying several times.

He had never seen himself in such pain. He couldn't even utter the smile that was always on his face, nor the word "real man", which showed that his injury was so serious that he couldn't even move his vocal cords, and the pain completely crushed his firm will.

Looking at him like this, Zaimokuza felt that the belief that "Zaimokuza Yoshiki will never fall" that had unconsciously taken root in his heart began to waver and was about to collapse.

Zaimokuza suddenly realized at this moment that his future "self" was actually also a human being. He had never been an omnipotent god, but a human being. This remained the case even after he put on the magical belt and had the ability to transform into Kuuga.

And just like what "Kousuke Kosaka" once said, as long as one is a human being, he will feel pain and will eventually fall down.

When did I...subconsciously differentiate the future "Zaimokuza Yoshiki" from humans?

"Look, there are words appearing!"

Just when Zaimokuza began to doubt himself, Yuigahama Yui's exclamation drew his attention back to the light curtain.

【——】

On the screen of light, a blurry and distorted image like a mosaic flashed across the scene of "Yoshiki Zaimokuza" lying on the operating table, and then the entire picture gradually became dim and finally disappeared completely.

In the center of the light curtain with a pitch-black background, a line of pale fonts slowly emerged.

[Destiny is unstoppable, and someone will eventually have to face it. As long as you have the qualifications, anyone can do it.]

[But before the monster called "Destiny" came, the world had changed, even if it was insignificant. ]

[Someone has been here before, and left behind their own "story", but in the end, they just disappeared with the destined "tragedy", and the story was also sealed before the silent night that no one knew. ]

【But it is by no means meaningless. 】

【Some people took that story to heart, used it as a belief, and paved their own way. 】

[And at the end of the story, people who once walked on the same road will meet again. ]

[Here, the third chapter of the story begins, named——]

【--"origin".】

"Tsk! It's another mysterious and incomprehensible nonsense. How annoying!"

Yumiko Miura smacked her lips in dissatisfaction. She was a straightforward person and she hated this kind of quack preface that sounded like classical Chinese the most.

"Origin, what does that mean?"

Rather than simply being dissatisfied with the fact that the text did not reveal any useful information, Hayato Hayama thought of more things and stroked his chin as he thought.

"The origin... refers to the content of the previous video that was played at the beginning? Or... refers to the source of this entire 'story'?"

“I tend to lean towards the latter.”

While everyone was thinking, the line of text slowly faded away, which immediately made them all pay attention and look at the light screen.

Everyone knows that here comes the point.

[“…In this way, the wicked stepmother and sisters were punished, Cinderella and the prince finally recognized each other, and with everyone’s blessings, they had a happy ending. ”]

But what was beyond everyone's expectations was that the screen remained dark, and no new images appeared. Instead, a kind female voice appeared. Just by listening to that voice, one could picture the image of a kind-looking old man in one's mind.

"Whose voice is this? Has it appeared before?"

"!?"

Just when everyone was secretly puzzled, Zaimokuza, who heard the voice, felt as if he was struck by lightning, and his brain went blank in an instant.

No way……

He stared at the still dark light curtain, his lips trembling slightly, but he could not utter a single word.

Hikigaya, who was standing next to him, noticed something was wrong with Zaimokuza and narrowed his eyes, becoming concerned.

[Sha——]

And at this moment, the dark picture suddenly became clear, as if someone had pulled open the curtains in a dim room, and the sunlight illuminated the dark world.

An old man sits quietly at a desk facing the open window, closing an English book with "Cinderella" written on the cover. He turns his head to look at the center of the scene.

[The sun shines on her face, making her old features obscured by light and shadow, but it is still possible to tell that she is an old lady with wrinkles all over her face.]

The moment he saw this person, Zaimokuza outside the light curtain finally had no doubts anymore, and spoke the other person's name in a trembling voice.

"grandmother?"

"Eh? Grandma? Is this person your grandma, Zaimokuza-san?"

Yuigahama Yui's curious question came from behind, but Zaimokuza didn't react at all. He stared at the old man who appeared in the light curtain, and his eyes gradually became moist.

"..."

Seeing his expression, Yukinoshita Yukino realized something and silently closed her lips, and reached out to hold Yuigahama Yui's right hand. When she looked at her confusedly, she shook her head gently and put a delicate finger in front of her mouth.

At the same time, another voice sounded in the light curtain, but the picture still did not move, and was frozen on the old man's face.

Seeing this, everyone understood that the angle of the light curtain was now someone’s first-person perspective.

[“Grandma! Grandma! I want to hear the story of The Three Little Pigs next!”]

Amidst the childish, excited voice of a man, a hand handed the old man a book with the words "Three Brothers" on the cover and three cute pigs and a big bad wolf printed underneath.

[“Mo? Please spare me. I have told three stories in a row. Let me take a break.”]

[“Next, you can take a look for yourself.”]

[Faced with the storybook handed over, the old woman took it with a wry smile, then reached out to the picture, and could vaguely see a few strands of white hair looming around the edge as she rubbed it.]

[“But, grandma, I can’t understand English! And you speak it better, much better than the kindergarten teacher!”]

[A young male voice said in dissatisfaction, and two thin arms wrapped in clothes stretched out from both sides of the screen and grabbed the old man's arms.]

[“Then Yihui, you need to study hard. In the future, you will be able to understand storybooks by yourself, and you won’t need grandma to read to you.”]

[“No! I want you to tell me the stories, grandma. Only your stories are the best! They are much better than the stories I read myself!”]

[Faced with his grandson's willful request, the old man still had a kind smile on his face and spoke softly. ]

And the fact that she called her grandson "Yihui" confirmed the people who had made some guesses when they saw those white hairs.

This perspective of the light curtain is exactly the perspective of "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru".

Or rather, his memory.

【“Yihui.”】

【"What's wrong, grandma?"】

[Feeling that the old hand rubbing his head seemed to increase the force of the touch, the childish voice asked curiously. ]

[“Yihui, do you know? There is a kind of story in the world that can make people feel proud and happy that no other story can.”]

[“Hey? Is there such a story? I want to hear it! Grandma, please tell it to me!”]

[Faced with his grandson's excited and coquettish behavior, the old man smiled and shook his head, speaking softly. ]

[“Grandma can’t tell this story, because this story…”]

【“You wrote it.”】

[“I…I’ll write it? I’ll write the story?”]

[“That’s right? I have always believed that the stories written by you, Yihui, are the most beautiful and the best stories in the world.”]

[Feeling the boy's hesitation, the old man held out his hands, held his right hand in front of his eyes, and spoke gently.]

[“Grandma told you a lot of stories that she knew and wrote, but Yihui, you never told grandma your story. This is very unfair. You can’t be so cunning.”]

[“I want to hear your story, can I? Yihui.”]

[“But I’m not good at studying, and the stories I write are terrible. People in kindergarten who read the stories I wrote before said that my writing was terrible and asked me to stop writing…”]

【"Ha ha ha ha?"】

【Listening to the boy's frustrated mumbling, the old man laughed for the first time, stretched out his hands and hugged him. 】

The scene on the light screen became dark again, and only some patterns on the clothes could be vaguely seen, because the owner of the perspective had buried his face completely in the old man's arms.

[“That’s because you, Yihui, have just started to learn how to tell stories. Everything is hardest at the beginning, so it’s normal.”]

[“What I believe in is the story you will write in the future. I believe that story will be the best and will move people who read it to tears like a kitten or sob with snot hanging down their noses!”]

[“Can I really…write a story like that?”]

[As the boy spoke in confusion, the view turned to the old man's face again.]

[What comes into view is a sincere smiling face. ]

[“Of course you can. You have to believe in yourself. After all, you are grandma’s proudest grandson. I believe you can become a great storyteller.”]

[The old man said softly, and then stretched out his right little finger towards the screen.]

[“Let’s make a pinky promise now. I will wait for you forever. I will wait for you until you can write a story that touches my heart or makes me smile.”]

"..."

Zaimokuza bowed his head deeply, his whole body shaking from time to time, and his hands on the seat were clenched into fists.

Snapped--

The touch on his shoulder startled him for a moment, and he turned his head to look to the side.

Hikigaya Hachiman was looking at him. Although he was silent, the weight on his shoulders was real.

Zaimokuza moved his mouth, lowered his head without saying anything, and no longer looked at the old man on the screen, not even willing to glance at him.

【"--Um!"】

[Faced with the little finger extended by his grandmother with an encouraging smile, the boy hesitated for a moment, and then his perspective shook a few times as he nodded firmly.]

[He stretched out his right pinky finger and hooked it with the old man's pinky finger. The two fingers, with huge differences in skin color and age, were tightly hooked together in the sun, making the first oath in his life.]

[“Make pinky promise, grandma! You must keep your promise, or I will hate you forever!”]

[“Okay? I’ll do as Yoshiki says. A promise cannot be broken, so grandma will definitely wait for you to write the story for me.”]

[Finally, the picture freezes on the old woman's smile with her back to the sun. The light coats her cheek contours with a layer of platinum. Every wrinkle at the corner of her eye is clearly visible, which is the mark left by the years.]

[The only thing that remains unchanged is the emotion behind those eyes, which have changed from gentleness to kindness, and are still so gentle and warm. ]

【Then, the picture gradually turned dark, completely covering the old man's smile.】

[“Yes, a promise cannot be broken… You actually taught me that.”]

A voice sounded, mature and firm, but with an indelible sadness.

And this voice is very familiar to everyone in front of the light curtain.

That was the voice of the "protagonist" of the "story", "Yoshiki Zaimokuza", the smiling man of the future who would always have a smile on his face.

[“…But why, grandma who taught me this, you——”]

【“But you broke your promise?”】

[Thunder roared across the sky, illuminating the dark rainy day for a moment, and then heavy rain poured down.]

[In a world with heavy rain, a thin boy holds a book, trembling all over and lowering his head.]

[In front of him, there is a black coffin.]

[Patter. 】

[The pile of books slipped out of the boy's arms and fell to the ground, and a page of paper slipped out from one of the books.]

[The page reads:]

【——Test number: █▌█▌█▌】

[——Admitted candidate: Zaimokuza Yoshiki.]

[——The above is the certificate that you passed the entrance examination of our school in 2010.]

[——Your smile at the entrance ceremony will be forever preserved in the hearts of all the faculty and staff of this school. ]

【——March 2010, 3. 】

【——Chiba City Sobu High School. 】

[——Principal: █▌█▌█▌. ]