My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“Not to mention that No. 4 is already… In this situation, other than reporting to the superiors and requesting heavy firepower to cover the strike, what other methods are there to deal with No. 25?”]

[“You are right. According to the current situation, the best way to deal with No. 25 is to use large-scale weapons to cover the firepower.”]

【Kousaka Kyosuke nodded, agreeing with him. Officer Sakurai suddenly became more energetic and spoke.】

[“Then there is no time to lose! We will immediately apply to our superiors——]

【“——But, this method no longer works.”】

[Kousaka Kyousuke used only a short and calm sentence to make the atmosphere in the meeting room, which had been somewhat relaxed, freeze again. Someone couldn't help but ask directly.]

[“Why? Please explain the reason!”]

【“…Five.”】

【"yes!"】

[Kousaka Kyosuke remained silent for a while in response to the question, then turned around and gave instructions to Gokuri Ruri. The policewoman immediately picked up a large stack of documents on the table on the other side and distributed them to the people participating in the meeting one by one.]

【Everyone couldn't wait to open the information after receiving it and read it carefully.】

[But the more they watched, the darker their faces became. By the end, many people's faces were as dark as ink.]

[“Just as you can see, this is why we cannot launch a fire attack on the 25th, at least... not in Tokyo.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke reached out and knocked on the table in front of him, drawing everyone's attention and speaking calmly.]

[“The giant plant transformed by No. 25 stores a huge amount of poisonous gas in its body. Once it dies or the plant body disintegrates under the bombardment of firepower, the poisonous gas stored inside will be released all at once, and the range is estimated to be…”]

[He fell silent at this point, and someone under the conference table stretched out his hand timidly and asked in a trembling voice.]

[“…What will happen? What is the range?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke silently stared at the person who asked the question. His expressionless face and deep eyes like a mask made his scalp tingle.]

[And the next second, what Kousaka Kyosuke said made everyone's scalp explode. ]

[“According to the computer calculations of the research institute, the coverage area of ​​the poison gas... is at least half of Tokyo, and at most it may spread to the entire Tokyo.”]

[After these words were spoken, there was dead silence, and no one could speak anymore.]

【“All of Tokyo…”】

[As Officer Sugita muttered these words, he felt a piercing chill creeping up his spine, his entire body as if it were immersed in ice water.]

[He only briefly imagined the scene, but the incomparable horror and shock made him completely unable to continue thinking about it... and it was because he could not imagine that kind of hellish scene at all.]

[“And the poisonous gas of No. 25 is extremely strong. Since its collapse, the number of victims affected by the poisonous gas has reached... 13,456 people.”]

[“Among them, 482 people died, and 3,243 people were in a coma and were being treated in hospitals.”]

[“This data comes from the intelligence department’s statistics from five hours ago. The number of people is still increasing. The surrounding hospitals are already completely full. Some hospitals have even used the beds in their warehouses for emergency use, but overall the supply still exceeds the demand.”]

[“In terms of the number of victims alone, the damage caused by Case 25 has completely surpassed the total of all previous unconfirmed life events, both in terms of the economy and the safety of citizens’ lives.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke's voice remained calm, but everyone below had turned pale. Some were so shocked by the staggering number of victims that they dropped the documents from their hands to the floor.]

[Kousaka Kyosuke did not exaggerate the severity of the situation. In fact, he had already downplayed it.]

[Because if you turn on the TV right now, every station is reporting on the battle that took place today in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Whether it's the first crushing defeat of the GO, which was highly anticipated by the police and the public, or the citizens who were hospitalized due to the poison gas, everything is on the front page of all TV stations and online news.]

[The evidence is that even the usually unwavering Tokyo TV broke new ground by fully reporting on this incident. You know, they're known for being tough and unconventional.]

[However, even a TV station that broadcast how to make miso Abe soup on the day of its own prime minister's funeral got involved. This also reflects from the side how serious the impact of this incident is, which has reached a level that is enough to cause panic among the whole nation. ]

[The Metropolitan Police Department is now surrounded by reporters, and the police station is blocked by vehicles. A group of bigwigs are holding a press conference downstairs, struggling to deal with all kinds of tricky questions. All the spare police forces are deployed to prevent these reporters from rushing into the upper floors.]

[The reason they did this was to buy time for Kousaka Kyosuke and others upstairs to hold a combat meeting, in order to come up with a feasible combat plan as soon as possible.]

[“There is no doubt that even without considering the combat power, the ability possessed by No. 25 has made it the greatest crisis since the establishment of the Unconfirmed Lifeform Countermeasures Headquarters!”]

【boom!!!】

[Kousaka Kyosuke slapped the conference table with his palm, and the loud noise made everyone tremble.]

[“Even though we must expel them, we must not do so in Tokyo. Otherwise, if a poison gas leak occurs, no one will be able to bear the consequences.”]

[“If something like that really happens, depending on the severity of the situation…everyone present, including me, may have to go to a military court.”]

[“Then… what should we do? If we can’t launch the operation in Tokyo, then we can only do it outside the city? But is there any way we can lure No. 25 out of the city?”]

[Officer Sugita frowned and asked tentatively, looking at Kousaka Kyousuke with hope.]

[He hoped that this man who had been leading everyone in the Countermeasures Headquarters could come up with a workable plan, just like he had led them through difficulties every time in the past.]

[Not only him, but everyone present was like this, looking at Kousaka Kyosuke with hope in their eyes. No one wanted No. 25 to release that terrible poison in Tokyo.]

[It’s not that they are afraid of death, but their relatives and friends who are more important than their own lives also live in this city, so no one can bear the worst outcome.]

【And Kousaka Kyosuke did not disappoint them. 】

[Patter. 】

[He placed a white box on the table. Kousaka Kyosuke opened the box, revealing a row of sharp purple bullets inside.]

[“Neurotherm bomb type 2.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke spoke in a calm tone, and the force in his voice infected everyone present, calming their fluctuating hearts a little.]

[“This is a new version of the nerve-breaking bullet developed by Miss Ebina. These bullets not only have stronger penetration and blasting capabilities than the first version of the bullets, but also focus on strengthening its destructive power against the enhanced nerves of unconfirmed life forms.”]

[“Although it has not been tested in actual combat, according to the computer’s calculations, if all of them hit, even if they cannot be expelled, they should be able to destroy a large number of the enhanced nerves in the body, thereby causing No. 25 to fall into a state similar to paralysis, thereby repairing the damaged enhanced nerves in the body.”]

[“We can use this time to transport it outside Tokyo and drive it out of the wild and sparsely populated areas, and try to minimize the scope of damage caused by the spread of the poison gas.”]

[“This… is an untested weapon. Can it guarantee that it can paralyze No. 25?”]

[Another police officer raised his hand hesitantly and asked, obviously having some doubts about this.]

【"cannot."】

【Kousaka Kyosuke simply killed the discussion with one sentence. He raised his head and looked around at everyone in the conference room with deep eyes.】

[“…But we have no choice.”]

[“Although there is no eyewitness intelligence of No. 25 continuing to commit crimes, according to the crime patterns of the unidentified life forms in the past, it will definitely commit crimes again by tomorrow at the latest... We are running out of time, and this is the only feasible plan at hand.”]

[“Or do you have other feasible strategies? I’d like to learn from you.”]

【“…”】

[Everyone was silent as if they had all become mute, expressing their thoughts by default.]

[“——Then, prepare as soon as possible.”]

[“No matter how much it costs, when the next No. 25 appears, we must completely solve this major problem that is plaguing all the citizens of Tokyo!”]

【"""--yes!!!"""】

[This time, the response was unanimous, and the powerful shouts expressed their determination.]

[“Then Wu Geng…distribute the suicide note.”]

[“I wish you all…good luck in martial arts.”]

【"……yes."】

[Ruri Gogen, who remained silent, picked up another box on the table, took out a blank envelope containing a letter and handed it down.]

【Everyone who took the envelope had a heavy expression on their faces. They knew that this time was different from the past. The chance of dying in battle was so high that they had to be prepared to die on the battlefield.】

[Amid the sound of the letter being unsealed and the tip of the book touching the paper, Kousaka Kyousuke took the suicide note handed to him by Gokou Ruri, his eyes were heavy with worry and uneasiness that could not be concealed.]

【Zaimokuza...】

【sough--】

【Thinking of Zaimokuza Yoshiki who is still in a coma in the hospital, Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't help but clench his own suicide note, wrinkling the white envelope.】

[Regarding Zaimokuza's serious injuries and hospitalization, he should have gotten used to it. After all, since he got the belt, the hospital has basically become his second home. It's not an exaggeration to say that the intensive care unit was booked by him and me.]

[And every time Zaimokuza was hospitalized, no matter how badly he was injured, he would basically appear alive and kicking in my eyes the next day after waking up, so there was no need to worry about him.]

【——But this time is different. 】

[Kousaka Kyosuke himself couldn't explain what was going on, but he had an extremely uneasy feeling in his heart. ]

[He felt that Zaimokuza might really die this time.]

【“——!?”】

[He came to his senses with a start and shook his head vigorously, forcing the thought out of his mind.]

[“What am I thinking… That idiot, how could he die unless the world ends?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke smiled self-deprecatingly, opened the envelope and took out the paper inside, and at the same time took a pencil from the pen holder on the table and prepared to write.]

[Now he already knows what he wants to write. ]

[But the person who made him realize this is now seriously injured and his life or death is unknown. ]

【Thinking of this, Kousaka Kyosuke couldn't help but feel a little anxious, and even wrote with a little more force. 】

[Snap——]

【Kousaka Kyosuke suddenly stopped writing and stared at his pencil in a daze.】

[The tip of the pen broke because he used too much force and couldn't bear the pressure.]

[The broken part of the pen tip rotates along the arc of the table corner and eventually falls under the table.]

[Patter. 】

[The sound was faint, but it was like thunder exploding in Kousaka Kyousuke's ears.]

18. The Door of Memory: The Origin of the Story (8K)

[Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, Service Club.]

[Patter! 】

[Driven by his survival instinct, Hikigaya Hachiman closed the manuscript in front of him with all his strength just before he completely lost consciousness, and then took a deep breath.]

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

[He opened his eyes and looked at the fat white-haired man in front of him who was looking at him expectantly. His eyes twitched slightly and his voice was distorted in an uncontrollable way.]

[“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!?”]

【Zaimokuza patted his chest with pride and said complacently, and at the end he winked at Hikigaya, which made him feel cold all over.】

[“Ah… it’s really amazing. It’s really amazing. But I have a question for you.”]

【Hikigaya resisted the urge to slap the manuscript directly into Zaimokuza's face, and tried his best to force a smile on his face and asked.】

[“You said this is the 24th edition, so I would like to ask, where did the previous 23 editions go? Why did you revise so many versions?”]

[“I showed the version I wrote at the beginning to the director, and then she asked me to revise it for fifteen consecutive times. However, she suddenly stopped reading it after the fifteenth version, and asked me to show it to Yuigahama and ask her to give me some advice. Then the director said that she was not feeling well and ran to the health room.”]

【"……Then what?"】

【Hikigaya observed a three-second silence for Yukinoshita Yukino. 】

[“I showed Yuigahama the sixteenth version, and then revised it three more times based on her suggestions. But for some reason, after seeing the nineteenth version, Yuigahama said she was not feeling well and ran to the infirmary. It’s really strange. Why did both of them look so uncomfortable after reading the novel I wrote yesterday? Hmm… Could it be that they just happened to have relatives coming over?”]

【“…”】

[No wonder both of them asked for leave and didn't come to school today, Hikigaya complained in his heart, bowing his head and praying sincerely to the two girls who were lying on the bed at home with hot towels on their foreheads and groaning in pain.]

[“At that time, I couldn’t find you, Hachiman, so I was worried about who to ask for advice. I happened to run into Hayama-san when I was going up the stairs, so I asked him to help me.”]

[“He was such a nice guy! He gave me a lot of helpful suggestions after reading my manuscript. But after he read the previous version of the manuscript, he seemed to be in great pain. I had to help him go to the infirmary.”]

[Ye Shan, although I don't like you, I will mourn for you because of our friendship as classmates.]

[Hikigaya made the sign of the cross on his chest with a heavy expression, his eyes showing compassion and gloating for the victims.]

[“I’m very curious, in what mental state did you come up with this idea? What strange accident scene did you witness this time? An office worker who was drunk and laughed crazily in a pub after his wife cheated on him? Or a clown performing face-changing performances on the street?”]

[He shook the manuscript in his hand. The title of the story was written in the blank space on the first page.]

["Smiling Man". 】

[“Why do you say that my inspiration must be based on the suffering of others! Am I that kind of person!?”]