My youth story cannot be a knight war

"It doesn't matter...just keep watching."

Hikigaya shook his head, drove away unnecessary thoughts, and whispered in a deep voice to Zaimokuza who was looking at him.

"If the current situation continues, we should soon be able to know the truth of the incident we have always wanted to know... How did Zaimokuza's family and I die in the future?"

"Collecting all the intelligence on this matter to prevent the same tragedy from happening in the future in our time period is the top priority."

Although he said so, the doubts that had been piling up in his heart increased again, squeezing in his heart like a lingering ghost that couldn't be dispelled.

"Oh - right! I almost forgot about this!"

After Hikigaya's reminder, Zaimokuza suddenly came to his senses and stopped caring about the matter. Instead, he turned back and continued to look at the light curtain in front of him.

"?"

But after turning around and casually glancing at Hikigaya's profile, Zaimokuza suddenly stopped what he was doing and looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Hachiman, you just..."

"what happened?"

Hikigaya turned his head to look at Zaimokuza, his dark eyes reflecting his hesitant expression, and asked curiously.

"...No, it's nothing."

Zaimokuza opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't know what to say, so he just touched his hair and spoke awkwardly, turning his face away.

That must be an illusion, right?

Thinking of the scene he had just seen, Zaimokuza couldn't help but rub his temples with his fingers in surprise.

He felt that he had become mentally weak because of the light curtain incident, which caused him to start hallucinating what he saw.

Otherwise, how could he have seen two Hikigaya Hachimans just now? One of them was even standing behind the other and looking at him?

"..."

Behind the two of them, Hayato Hayama, who was standing with Yukinoshita Yukino, remained silent.

But his eyes were very strange. Without being noticed, he kept looking at the back of Hikigaya Hachiman's head who was watching the light curtain, hesitating whether to speak.

Unlike the others who covered their ears because of the pain from the noise, Hayato Hayama also heard the sound but did not feel any discomfort.

Therefore, he heard everything that Hikigaya Hachiman said afterwards clearly, without missing a single word.

Hayato Hayama originally wanted to talk about this matter with the person involved, but after discovering that other people around him had different and intense reactions to the noise, he realized something was wrong and decisively suppressed the idea and stopped talking.

26. The Door of Memory: Bloodstained Memory (11.k)

[While Zaimokuza was still in a daze because of this strange change, a new change had already occurred in the darkness.]

[I don't know where it started, but the cold wind and icy rain came from the darkness created by the broken mirror in front of me.]

[The rain with heavy moisture splashed on Zaimokuza's face, instantly clearing his consciousness which was a little hazy due to his weakness.]

[At the same time, the surrounding darkness was like an ink painting with the ink washed away. Under the erosion of Feng Shui, it gradually turned into a pitch-black liquid, falling from all directions, revealing the scene behind the ink.]

【“…”】

[The surrounding darkness turned into melted water flowing on the ground, rushing towards Zai Mu Zuo, flowing between his knees. Sitting in the middle of the black tide, he was like a stubborn stone standing in a turbulent river, standing firm no matter how the tide washed him, and dispersing the endless darkness to both sides.]

【Zaimokuza, kneeling in the black water, stared blankly at the scene in front of him that was exposed after the darkness was washed away. He allowed the rushing wind and rain to wet his clothes without any defense. His clothes were completely soaked by the cold water droplets and stuck to his skin, sending a chill that penetrated his bones.】

[After the wind and rain washed away all the darkness, what appeared ahead was... a funeral. ]

[Several figures in black suits surrounded a pitch-black coffin, surrounded by white roses that spread out in a circle. The endless sea of ​​flowers formed another, even larger flower. The coffin in the center and the people around it were the stamens of the white rose.]

[The scene in front of Zaimokuza has become blurred due to weakness and the rain in his eyes, but he knows clearly what is happening there.]

[——The pink-haired woman was hugging the black-haired woman's slender waist, burying her head in her warm and flat chest and crying loudly, while the black-haired woman also hugged her tightly and buried her face in the pink woman's hair to prevent others from seeing her expression.]

[But from the slightly twitching shoulders of the black-haired woman, it can also be seen that her inner emotions are on the verge of breaking out, but in order to comfort her friend, she still gritted her teeth and suppressed it. ]

[Then… Zaimokuza’s bloodless lips trembled slightly, and he subconsciously stood up from the black tide, then staggered towards that side.]

[The white sneakers stepped over the blooming white roses. With each step, Zaimokuza's breathing became heavier. The scene in front of him kept shaking, and his body was so weak that it seemed that he would lose all his strength and fall down at any time.]

[And Zaimokuza's intuition also made him vaguely realize that if he fell this time, he would fall into eternal sleep.]

[Even in a dream, he will never have the chance to wake up again. ]

[But he still stubbornly took his unsteady steps, relying on his determination to support himself as he walked between the two women who were hugging and crying, and walked towards the other two people.]

【Zaimokuza walked towards the white-haired man lying in front of the coffin, and the short-haired woman in a black suit and long skirt squatting beside him.】

【"Why……"】

[A slightly fat, white-haired man in a black suit kneeled down in front of the coffin and spoke in a voice that sounded almost like crying.]

【“Yihui.”】

[The short-haired woman silently stood by his side, stretching out her hands as if wanting to hug him, but after hesitating for a moment, she gently placed one palm on the trembling shoulder of the white-haired man.]

[“Why did it turn out like this…”]

[The man raised his head, revealing a face full of tears—it was none other than the former Zaimokuza Yoshiki.]

[He looked at the open coffin in front of him, and the body inside with a white scarf covering its face. He lost all strength to stand up again, and could only kneel down in the sea of ​​flowers as if his spinal cord had been pulled out.]

【“——Obviously, we made an appointment!”】

[A choking roar echoed here, and the surrounding scene instantly expanded in the sound of his weeping voice. A sea of ​​white flowers and coffins emerged one after another like mushrooms after rain.]

[This place is not their home ground or that coffin’s, nor is it just their sorrow, but the painful memories of countless people.]

[Many people in suits also gathered in the sea of ​​flowers, waiting in front of the coffins of their loved ones. Crying, roaring, and great sadness filled the world.]

[It seemed that even the heavens felt pity for the people’s grief. The sky was filled with a thick, heavy, leaden atmosphere, as if it would collapse at any moment. The roaring thunder was like a funeral march.]

[This is what happened on the seventh day after the accident—a grand funeral held by countless people.]

[After many years, Zaimokuza once again came to this sad place that he was most reluctant to recall, but he could only stand like an outsider, watching this tragedy that had already happened in the past and was powerless to do anything. ]

[“Why did you make me break my promise again…”]

[With a crying voice, the past Zaimokuza reached into his arms and unsteadily took out something wrapped in white cotton cloth.]

【“……!”】

【Zaimokuza was standing behind his past self, looking at the package that his past self took out. He seemed to realize something, and his body trembled slightly.】

【At this moment, Zaimokuza suddenly wanted to escape, wanted to escape far away, escape into the darkness of memory, and never come back.】

[But his legs, which were so fragile that they would sway at the slightest breeze, were now rooted to the spot, completely ignoring Zaimokuza's will, leaving him no way to escape.]

[The cold wind and rain suddenly became stronger, blowing countless rose petals in the white sea of ​​flowers, and they fell from the sky one after another, like the curtain falling at the end of a tragedy.]

[Two pieces of white cloth were also blown away.]

[In the coffin with white petals on the base, the familiar person was wearing a black suit, lying quietly on his back, his eyes closed as if he was sleeping soundly.]

[He looked just like when he was in Sobu High School. Whenever he felt tired, he would avoid everyone, find a backlit spot on the rooftop, lean against the wall, close his eyes, and fall asleep in the breeze, wasting the entire afternoon.]

[Several times when Zaimokuza found him on the rooftop, he was always deep in sleep. At that time, Zaimokuza, who was full of mischief, would always approach him silently, then lean over and whisper in his ear:]

[“——Hachiman, Komachi is here to see you!”]

[Then, the sleeping Hikigaya Hachiman would suddenly wake up, and in order to avoid being discovered by his sister, he would hurriedly tidy up his clothes and stand up. Zaimokuza, who had successfully pulled off the prank, would laugh loudly beside him, accepting his resentful and speechless gaze after he discovered the truth.]

[Therefore, many times, Zaimokuza always wondered, if he tried to call his best friend like this again at that time, would he immediately stand up from the coffin filled with white roses like before? ]

[Perhaps he would even lean against the edge of the coffin and admire his own stunned expression of surprise, and say with a hint of smugness hidden in his expressionless face:]

[“I finally fooled you once. Yes, I was pretending.”]

【But that is impossible.】

[No matter how much he begged, the cruel reality forced Zaimokuza to admit this matter, to admit the fact that he would never want to face.]

[His best friend, the first close friend in his life...]

【Hikigaya Hachiman is dead.】

What is death?

[It is the words "best friend" that I can no longer say, the shoulders that I can no longer hold, the sideways walks that person with, the face that I can no longer see in my life, and... the promise that I can no longer fulfill.]

[Zaimokuza's eyes reflected the sleeping face, and his pupils trembled violently.]

[“Obviously… I’ve already written it.”]

[His neck froze like a rusty machine as he turned his head to look at the book that his past self was holding tightly in his hands.]

[That book with a brown cover.]

【“——”】

【Zaimokuza's mouth opened at this moment, but his voice seemed to be taken away, and the vocal cords in his throat could only resonate in vain, making a faint and meaningless hum in the air.】

[His palm trembled for a moment, then he slowly raised it stiffly, inserted it into the bosom of his windbreaker, and grasped something.]

[The tattered book that Zaimokuza found when he first woke up from Sobu High School.]

【Zaimokuza took the book out of his arms and placed it in front of his eyes, staring blankly at the cover of the tattered book.】

[The cover of this book clearly had nothing written on it at first, but now a few words have appeared prominently on it.]

[——"Smiling Man". 】

【Crash! 】

[The book fell into the sea of ​​white flowers, and Zaimokuza stumbled back a few steps. Finally, he fell to the ground because of his unstable steps, and he hugged his shoulders and shook. ]

[His eyes were fixed on the book, and his pupils shrank to the size of a needle tip as he trembled.]

[——Hey! Wake up, Zaimokuza! You can’t just die like this!]

[——You are the only friend that Kosaka-kun can confide in! If even you are gone, who will comfort him in the future! Who will help him! ]

[——Please, hold on! ]

[Someone seemed to hear someone's hallucination in his ears. The voice was so familiar, so familiar that Zaimokuza could imagine that anxious face in his mind after hearing the voice.]

【But he couldn't listen anymore.】

[Zaimokuza is now like a lost child, curled up and shivering in the sea of ​​flowers, looking at the novel that fell to the ground, his eyes empty and blank like a mirror.]

【He remembered.】

[I remember why I came here, the promise I forgot... and the real reason why I hate violence so much.]

【He finally remembered everything.】

【Zaimokuza finally remembered the real reason why he chose to embark on a journey and become a traveler.】

[The agreement with Mr. Hiratsuka was only one of the reasons, but it was also a cover-up to cover up the core reason, allowing Zaimokuza to escape the truth that he was most unwilling to face.]

[The real reason he embarked on this long journey was... regret. ]

……

【The origin of all this is just an unfortunate accident. 】

[But this seemingly ordinary accident changed everyone's fate overnight, sliding into a track that no one could have predicted.]

[At the time when the members of the Servant Club returned from the confession incident during the school trip, Sobu High School held its annual cultural festival.]

[At that time, the atmosphere of Sobu High School was very lively. All the clubs in the school were actively preparing for their respective activities at the school festival. Even the Service Club, which had always been unique among all the clubs, was no exception and racked their brains to plan an activity that could show the characteristics of their club.]

[In the end, with the help of the headmaster Yukinoshita Yukino's sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, and the instructor Hiratsuka Shizuka, the Service Club became the most dazzling star at the cultural festival with an open-air concert that attracted everyone's attention, stealing all the limelight, and bringing the cultural festival, which was in danger of stagnation due to the escape of a certain executive chairman, to the most successful end in recent years.]

[If it had ended like this, the story of the Service Club would not have ended like this. ]

[But after the concert, the members of the Service Club who were originally planning to go back together received two phone calls, one from Hikigaya Hachiman's sister and the other from Zaimokuza Yoshiki's mother.]

[This relieved the two who were a little worried because their family members had made an appointment with them to attend the Sobu High School Cultural Festival, but they were not there at all. They thought that they must have been delayed by something and could not come, so they called to let them know.]

[But after answering these two calls, Zaimokuza Yoshiki and Hikigaya Hachiman seemed to have fallen from heaven to hell in an instant. ]

[The voice coming from the other end of the phone was not the familiar voice of their family, but a female voice they had never heard before. She spoke the most cruel and sad news in the world for Hikigaya and Zaimokuza in the most calm and confident voice.]

[——Their family members died in the hospital after a car accident.]

[Zaimokuza doesn’t remember clearly what happened in the middle.]