My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“But don’t be too happy too soon, this is conditional.”]

[The little girl crossed her arms and turned to glance at Zaimokuza's immediately excited expression. Tsurumi Rumi pointed a finger at him expressionlessly and said.]

[“What conditions? Tell me, Rumi-chan! Even if you want me to help you finish all your summer homework, that’s fine! I graduated from Sobu High School, and the quality of my homework is guaranteed by a prestigious school!”]

[“…I finished my homework on the first day of summer vacation, so I don’t need your help.”]

[Tsurumi Rumi said this unhappily, then her expression turned serious.]

[“I want you to make a bet with me. The bet is about who can realize the dream faster, that is, who can become a famous light novel writer, illustrator or cartoonist faster.”]

[“We will determine the winner based on the order in which the dreams are completed. The loser will give a reward to the winner.”]

[“If you win… I will be your illustrator for free and draw illustrations for your works.”]

[“But, if you lose—”]

[“You, what do you want!?”]

[Zaimokuza crossed his arms over his chest, stepped back with a look of fear on his face, and looked at Tsurumi Rumi as if he was looking at some terrifying creature.]

[The little girl couldn't help but twitch her lips at his funny look, and her delicate face turned red with anger.]

[“I wouldn’t think of such a dirty thing! And with your looks, I wouldn’t want you even if you were given to me for free!”]

[“Yes, is it necessary to say it so exaggeratedly…”]

[“Anyway!”]

[Ignoring Zaimokuza, who was crouching in the corner and drawing circles with his body turned pale due to her violent words, Tsurumi Rumi pointed at him and said.]

[“Do you have any treasures that you care about or value right now?”]

[“A treasured item? Let me think about it. Hmm…”]

【Zaimokuza put his hand on his chin and thought, then his thoughts shifted to the old windbreaker he was wearing without him noticing.】

[“If I had to say… it would probably be this windbreaker, right?”]

[“That’s it.”]

[Tsurumi Rumi points at Zaimokuza's windbreaker and says with a straight face.]

[“If you lose, you have to give me the windbreaker you are wearing.”]

[“Hey? Give it to you? Give it to you? This windbreaker!?”]

[Zaimokuza subconsciously tightened his windbreaker and spoke with a hesitant look.]

[“But, this windbreaker is what I treasure most——”]

[“In one word, do you agree or not?”]

[“If you agree, then I will also agree to make a promise with you and move forward with you towards the path of your dreams.”]

[“Or is it that the dream you pursue is not even enough to buy a windbreaker?”]

[Tsurumi Rumi swayed her slender fingers and issued the final ultimatum with an expressionless face.]

【"……well?"】

[Faced with the conditions proposed by the little girl, Zaimokuza remained silent for a long time, his eyes fixed on his windbreaker, and it was unknown what he was thinking about. ]

[Just when Tsurumi Rumi thought he was going to give up, Zaimokuza sighed helplessly, stood up and walked towards her. ]

[“This windbreaker means a lot to me. Although I’m reluctant to part with it, but…”]

[The smiling face of his grandmother appeared in his mind. Zaimokuza walked in front of Tsurumi Rumi and closed his eyes, recalling what she had said before -]

[——Now let’s make a pinky promise. I will wait for you forever. I will wait for you until you can write a story that touches people’s hearts or makes them smile.]

[“…But it’s not as important as my dream. I hope someone can walk with me on the road to pursuing my dream.”]

[Zaimokuza's mouth curled up into a helpless smile, and after opening his eyes, he stretched out his right hand towards Tsurumi Rumi, with his little finger extended.]

【“——So, I agree to your request.”】

[“If I lose, I will give you this windbreaker, which is my most precious treasure!”]

[Facing Zaimokuza's outstretched finger, the little girl still had a stern face, but the corners of her mouth had already curled up into an imperceptible arc.]

[“Then, let’s make a promise and don’t regret it, okay?”]

[“Of course! Once you make a pinky promise, you can’t go back on your word. If you do, you’ll become a rabbit eating grass!”]

……

[The moonlight is desolate, with its cool and clear moonlight caressing the boundless land, covering the forest below with a hazy veil.]

[Under the witness of the eternal full moon, two fingers of different sizes hooked together, tightly entwined like two vines.]

[The young man who was once a boy and the boy who was once a girl made the first promise of their lives at that time and pursued their respective dreams. ]

17. The Door of Memory: The Situation Beyond Memory (6K)

[“Really? That’s why the kid was so angry?”]

【Zaimokuza looked at the two people who made a promise with a pinky promise, and his eyes suddenly understood.】

【Thinking of Tsurumi Rumi who had thrown the Rising Dragon Fist at him before, Zaimokuza finally understood why she was so angry and punched him, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. 】

[So the kid was so angry because I lent my windbreaker to someone else? ]

[Because in Tsurumi Rumi's opinion, this is a violation of the agreement. After all, she is the winner of this bet, so Zaimokuza's windbreaker already belongs to her.]

[She did keep the promise she made to herself, and fulfilled her dream before Zaimokuza, becoming a famous cartoonist, making Zaimokuza admit defeat with all his heart.]

[What made Zaimokuza smile was that Tsurumi Rumi clearly wanted him to keep his promise and give her the windbreaker as long as she told him, but she refused to tell him and insisted on waiting until she remembered. At the same time, she would get angry because she lent her windbreaker to others, like a little girl who refused to tell her parents when her beloved doll was taken away from her.]

[Although many years have passed, she is still the same as when they first met, still the arrogant child who likes to make trouble.]

[Perhaps she is even more angry because Zaimokuza might have forgotten the agreement between them? ]

[That’s why Tsurumi Rumi behaves so awkwardly, but it also makes her look real and cute. ]

[“I’m sorry, Rumi-chan, but I haven’t forgotten the agreement between us.”]

[“I’m just—Ugh!”]

[Plop——]

[Just as Zaimokuza was mumbling to himself, a clear heartbeat exploded in his ears, and then his brain went blank in an instant.]

[The voice beside his ear quickly faded away at this moment, and even the two people who had made the agreement in front of him were rapidly distorted in his eyes.]

【“What, what’s going on…”】

[An unprecedented feeling of weakness suddenly surged from the deepest part of the body, then flowed to every part of the body, depriving Zaimokuza of all his strength in an instant.]

[“Woo!”]

[His tall body suddenly shook, and he staggered forward a few steps, then he covered his chest with his hands in pain.]

[His legs could no longer support him, and Zaimokuza knelt forward helplessly.]

【boom--】

[He knelt on his knees on the brown floor, and the crisp sound echoed throughout the silent corridor.]

[“Where am I…?”]

【Zaimokuza forcibly resisted the curse that seemed to surge from his bones, and raised his head with sweat all over his forehead, but the scene that appeared in front of him made him stunned again.】

[I don't know when it started, but the dark and silent forest has turned back into the corridor at the beginning. ]

[The empty classroom belonging to the Service Club was right in front of him, and the sliding door was closed again, as if it had never been opened.]

[——What’s going on? Am I back? Or was everything just now just an illusion? ]

[Looking at the sliding door that appeared before his eyes, Zaimokuza had no idea what was going on, and his brain was in a mess. ]

[“Right! Eight——”]

[Zaimokuza was startled when he came to his senses, and immediately looked around, trying to find the familiar figure.]

[But at this moment, the voice coming from the classroom in front of him made his expression stiffen. He slowly turned his head back, staring intently as if he wanted to see through the sliding door to see the scene inside.]

[“…This is the ‘masterpiece’ you spent the entire night coming up with?”]

[A voice full of twisted emotions came from the classroom. Hearing this voice, Zaimokuza's eyes widened again.]

[This voice, there is no mistake——]

[“That’s right! This is the revised draft of the 24th edition of this general’s novel. Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it the best? Isn’t it genius!?”]

[His own voice followed closely from inside the door. Zaimokuza stared at the sliding door in a daze, and subconsciously wanted to reach out and grab the door handle to open it.]

[“Hachiman…”]

[A wisp of white clothing passed by his eyes, and Zaimokuza subconsciously followed the clothing and turned his eyes. A figure with flowing black hair appeared in his eyes. ]

[“…Hiratsuka-sensei?”]

……

【not long ago. 】

[Tokyo, Metropolitan Police Department, Unidentified Lifeform Investigation Headquarters.]

【 10:25 PM 】

[The projector hummed, and the images were played on the projection screen in the dim room. In the darkness, pairs of reflective eyes glowed like lit phosphorescent flames, creating an inexplicably creepy atmosphere.]

[But what occupied this room more was undoubtedly the overwhelming solemnity. The air was so heavy that it almost became solid, and it was so oppressive that people could not breathe.]

[On the screen, a pitch-black giant plant waved countless tentacles, and the phosphorus powder it scattered turned into alien shapes, rushing towards the camera. Different weapons extended from various parts of its body, and were pulled out by them along with blood——]

[As time passed, the scene on the screen changed dramatically. The raging fire enveloped the nightmare-like alien plant. The red warrior leaped into the sky and kicked the scarred monster with a blazing kick, but the purple light from the eyes of No. 25, who raised his head, pierced his neck.]

[Finally, the red warrior fell to the ground like a meteor, and then the screen turned black with a click.]

[“…The above are the abilities possessed by the unconfirmed life form No. 25 that appeared this time.”]

【Click.】

[The white interior lights came on, and the conference room suddenly went from dark to day.]

[But this still couldn't dispel the depressing atmosphere. Everyone who watched the video had a livid look on their faces, as if they were hungover.]

[Some people still looked dazed. It was obvious that the contents of the video had given them a huge mental shock, like a dreamer still immersed in a nightmare.]

Perhaps they would rather be stuck in a nightmare. For them, the worst nightmare is at most family separation or job loss, not such a completely unrealistic monster, because they simply don't have such imagination.

[Kousaka Kyosuke, with a blood-oozing bandage wrapped around his forehead, saw the reactions of everyone below, but he still silently signaled Gokuri Ruri with his eyes to put away the curtain, and the pale-faced policewoman nodded in response.]

[“We are now starting to summarize the intelligence. If you have any questions, please do so as soon as possible. We don’t have much time to discuss.”]

[“…Number Four, how’s it going?”]

[Amid the sound of the curtain rolling up, Officer Sugita, who was sitting at the front of the conference table, asked, with an indelible look of horror on his face.]

[“His injuries should be serious, right? Is he still… alive?”]

[“He was not dead, but was seriously injured. He escaped while I was fighting with No. 25.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke lied without changing his expression.]

[“I think he should still be alive, but judging by the severity of his injuries, he probably won’t be able to participate in the next crusade against No. 25, so we should rule out the possibility of him providing support.”]

[Implication: He definitely can't come. Don't ask me why. I don't know anything. Asking is just inference and guesswork.]

[No one in this conference room is a fool. At worst, they have been in the workplace for many years and immediately understood Kousaka Kyousuke's subtext.]

But they all remained silent. No one questioned why the video cut off right when Number Four was severely injured. No one asked why he was so certain Number Four wouldn't be able to participate in the next raid. And no one asked why he had previously gone to the hospital in his GO armor, only to be photographed by reporters and circulated online.

[The current severe situation requires them to work together and not allow any voices that may lead to disunity to appear. No matter how many objections there are, they must all be kept in their stomachs and not ask questions that should not be asked.]

[“Excuse me, Officer Kosaka…”]

[Officer Sakurai raised his hand, his face no longer as cold and stern as before, and he spoke palely.]

[“The unconfirmed life form that appeared this time is completely beyond our capabilities, right? With the firepower we have now, unless we deploy tanks and armed helicopters in the city, it is impossible to drive away No. 25!”]

"The abilities displayed by Number 25 far surpass those of its predecessors! Even Officer Kousaka, equipped with the most advanced GO armor, and Number 4 combined couldn't kill Number 25. So, wouldn't having more people be of any use?"