My youth story cannot be a knight war

"No, you're lying to me, aren't you? Say something... He He."

"Open your eyes! This is too much! Hey—woo—"

【"------don't want!!!!!!"】

[Finally, the girl's cries echoed in the ward, through the door, and throughout the corridor on the top floor of the hospital.]

……

[His running steps stopped at this cry, and Zaimokuza stood in the corridor some distance away from the ward, his pupils trembling slightly.]

Several doctors and nurses in white coats walked past him, who stood there in shock. One comforted Yamanaka Sawako, who was sitting on a bench outside the ward, weeping and covering her face. The others opened the door and walked in, followed by even more intense cries and attempts at dissuasion.

【“…”】

Kousaka Kyousuke walked silently to the side of Zaimokuza, who stood there in a daze. He lowered his head slightly, his bangs draped over his eyes, making it impossible to see what he was thinking at the moment.

[Soon after, several medical staff carried a stretcher covered with a white sheet and slowly walked out of the ward and towards them.]

Because of the hasty movement, a pale arm dangled from the white cloth during transport. Blood flowed from the wound on the arm, sliding down the arm, and finally dripped from the fingertips to the ground, leaving clear drops of blood on the polished floor.

Kousaka Kyousuke pulled Zaimokuza, who was as still as a clay sculpture, aside and silently watched as the medical staff carried the stretcher past him. A drop of blood even landed on his leather shoe, making a crisp sound.

Zaimokuza felt as if he were under a spell. He could only watch helplessly as the medical staff carried the stretcher away, not even having the courage to reach out and remove the white cloth.

"Let me go! He He is not dead! I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

【"only!?"】

[The ward erupted in furious noises once again. A tearful Hirasawa Yui broke free from her friends' attempts to stop her, stumbling out of the ward door and chasing after the stretcher being carried away.]

[At this moment, she could no longer see anything except the stretcher, including Zaimokuza and Kousaka Kyosuke beside her. They ran, reaching out their hands, as if trying to snatch their departed friend back from the clutches of death, crying out continuously.]

"Don't go, He He!"

When she reached Zaimokuza, he suddenly dodged silently and embraced Hirasawa Yui with his arms. The girl immediately began to struggle violently, looking past Zaimokuza's body at the stretcher that had been carried to the corner of the corridor. Her eyes were red as she cried at the top of her lungs.

"Let me go! Let me go! He He is not dead! This is all fake! This is not true!"

【“…”】

The emotionally agitated Yui Hirasawa hadn't noticed who was holding her, and Zaimokuza didn't offer any explanation. He silently let the girl in his arms continue crying, hitting and biting him, standing there like a dumb punching bag, taking on the role of being the target of her anger.

["...Mr. Zaimokuza, Mr. Kousaka!?"]

[At this time, a group of people just happened to chase out of the ward. They were all surprised when they saw the two people standing in the corridor. Kousaka Kyosuke glanced at them and shook his head silently.]

[But the next moment, another figure also threw himself into his arms, holding him tightly with both hands.]

"Mr. Kousaka—why?"

Kotobuki, with tears in her eyes, raised her head and looked at Kousaka Kyosuke's silent face with tears in her eyes, and said with tears in her eyes.

"Why did it turn out like this! What on earth happened?! Why are we the only ones who are fine?! Why is everyone—everyone dead?"

【"……sorry."】

[Faced with her tearful questioning, Kousaka Kyosuke raised his palm and gently pressed the girl's head into his arms.]

“It’s our fault, it’s my fault, it’s all my fault, it’s all my fault…”

"We should have stayed..."

“Ua ...

He spoke irrelevantly, but Kotobuki, already emotionally devastated by the death of someone she knew, could no longer hear him. She buried her head in Kousaka Kyousuke's arms and sobbed like Hirasawa Yui beside her.

It wasn't just her. Upon noticing their arrival, the other girls rushed over one after another, hugging them. It was as if they had given Zaimokuza and Kousaka Kyousuke a safe haven, letting out their repressed emotions. Their combined cries echoed far down the corridor.

"Why did you come just now? You two fools! You fools!"

Tainaka Ritsu cries and pounds his fists against Zaimokuza's chest, while he remains motionless, hugging the now-unresponsive Hirasawa Yui, silently enduring this "attack" that is nothing more than scratching an itch. His gaze towards the girls is filled with guilt.

He looked at Akiyama Mio, who was holding back tears as she walked over to Tianzhong Ritsu. He reached out his other hand and hugged them both, lowering his head and whispering softly to the three little heads in his arms.

"It's okay, cry if you want... We're here, you're safe."

[“——Ua ...

[This sentence completely broke down their defenses. The girls, unable to endure any longer, hugged him and cried out their inner pain and grievances.]

Their cries were like a switch being turned on. Gradually, cries began to rise from all over the hospital. Soon, the entire hospital was filled with the sound of weeping, leaving no place for peace.

[And each of these crying wards contained a student and their respective families. Their identities were different, but the only thing they had in common was that they all belonged to Sakuragaoka Girls' High School.]

[The cries heard in those wards can only prove one thing—that all those students are dead.]

[And just like Manabe, they all died in extreme pain, and this is the real reason why Zaimokuza and Kousaka Kyosuke came here.]

The cries of the people echoed throughout the building, leaving no trace of peace. Sadness and despair became the dominant themes here. The half of joy and happiness that once existed was completely swallowed up by the darkness, leaving it a dark place without any light.

[This place is no longer a place of life that saves people from disease, but rather—]

[It is truly a hell without any light or beauty.]

"No! Yuko! I don't believe it!"

"Xiaohui, please open your eyes and look at your mother again!"

"Who did it? Who did it?!"

【“…”】

Zaimokuza, hugging the three girls, listened to their cries, feeling the pain and despair hidden within them, and even the madness that came from losing everything. He lowered his head and pursed his lips tightly.

He turned to look at Yamanaka Sawako, who was covering her mouth with her hands and crying, then looked at Kousaka Kyosuke, who was holding the other three girls. He saw him nod his chin slightly, confirming his inner suspicion.

【“——”】

Zaimokuza's eyes suddenly closed, and he clenched his teeth tightly, making a creaking sound. He clenched his teeth so hard that one wondered if he would bite his molars directly.

[“——Hehehe~”]

In this world shrouded in crying, a laugh suddenly mixed in, like a discordant chorus.

A ghostly black figure slowly walked out from the corner of the corridor. He looked at Kousaka Kyousuke and Zaimokuza Yoshiki, who were hugging the girls with their backs to him, and licked his lips, which were painted with purple lipstick.

Its gaze was playful, cruel, and cold, like a hunter watching its prey as it entered its field of vision. There was not a trace of human emotion in it.

A cold and sinister atmosphere suddenly filled this small corner. The devil came uninvited to visit, admiring the hell he had created.

【“——!”】

[He sensed a strange presence behind him, and Zaimokuza instinctively turned around, his gaze fixed on the corner of the corridor behind him.]

【But there was no one there.】

[——Unconfirmed life form number 33 has been confirmed to have appeared.]

[——Case of crime: Sakuragaoka Girls' High School, Shiga Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture.]

[——Case of crime: The school festival held four days ago.]

[——Number of victims: All third-year female students, totaling 182, have been confirmed dead. Of all second-year students, only two survived, excluding those in the light music section. The remaining 134 female students have also been confirmed dead.]

6. Reflection of Two People (6K)

Dead silence.

Almost all the people watching the light screen have now become dead silent. It seems that their vocal cords have lost the ability to resonate and can no longer vibrate to produce even a single syllable. At this moment, countless cities in the world are so quiet that you can hear a pin drop.

Unconfirmed Life Form No. 33, its killing method is not only pitifully small in scope compared to its fellow species who would destroy an entire city block, but its method is not even bloody.

Being cut into pieces may sound scary, but this scene is actually often seen in gang fights in various countries today. Even the level of cruelty is far less than the various car accident scenes that are disgusting enough to make people vomit.

But the shock it brought to people's spirits far exceeded any previous one. The only difference was that No. 33 was beyond the reach of those unconfirmed life forms that had appeared before.

——That is cruel.

In fact, the impression of many viewers is still stuck on the previous school festival which was full of joy. The light music club played with the sweat of their youth, and the cheering group in the audience cheered and laughed enthusiastically. In reality, many people have even been really infected by their performance and become loyal fans of this club which has not yet appeared. They are looking forward to witnessing the performance of this club in person in the future, rather than having such indirect contact through the form of screen broadcast.

During this process, the person "Manabe Kazu" who appeared in front of the audience also won the favor of many people. Who doesn't want to have a friend like this who is reliable and cares about them? It is normal for her to be loved by people.

But such a girl eventually died in her friend's arms in such a cruel way. The contrast between the beauty and warmth and the cruelty and bloodiness before and after was too great. Therefore, the impact of "Manabe Kazu"'s death on people was greater than any human being killed by unidentified life forms before. For a while, many people felt so uncomfortable that they felt their chests began to feel heavy and they couldn't breathe.

Even those spectators outside the scene suffered such a severe shock, it is hard to imagine what the protagonists felt.

Kyoto Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Hirasawa family.

"Xiao Wei! Don't run so fast, be careful not to fall!"

"Sister, wait for me!"

"——Mom, You, I'm sorry!"

The door of this house suddenly opened, and a little girl with short brown hair in school uniform and pigtails rushed out of the house with tears on her face. She ran towards another house next door with her short legs in panic and fear.

"I'm going to He He's place! She'll be fine! She'll be fine!"

Akiyama family.

"how come……"

This cruel and bloody scene also completely brought Akiyama Mio back to her senses from the image of her future self showing off. The little girl tightly grasped the sleeve of her childhood sweetheart with one hand, covered her mouth with one hand in horror, and her big eyes gradually became misty with tears.

The childish voice that had not yet entered the transformation period trembled uncontrollably. Akiyama Mio, who was about to cry, buried her head in Tianzhong Ritsu's arms and cried.

"I clearly made an appointment with my friend to be bridesmaids at both of our weddings, so why—"

“—That’s too much…”

Similar words echoed in the health room, which had become as quiet as a mass grave.

Yuigahama Yui covered her mouth with one hand and spoke with trembling eyes.

Apart from her, the expressions of everyone else were as solemn as water. Even Ebina Hime, who usually had an unpredictable smile on her face, restrained her smile at this moment. She stood behind Zaimokuza with an expressionless face, looking at the light screen. The reflection from her glasses blocked her eyes behind the lenses.

She stretched out her hands and gently placed them on the shoulders of Zaimokuza, who was sitting in a chair with a slight tremor in his body, as if trying to calm his surging emotions.

With slightly trembling fingers, Shizuka Hiratsuka took the burning cigarette from her lips and squeezed it tightly between her palms. White smoke floated out from the gaps in her palms, where veins were bulging, along with the sound of the cigarette going out.

“As an educator, this is the first time I’ve been able to express my opinion with such conviction…”

Shizuka Hiratsuka gritted her teeth and uttered words filled with hatred word by word.

"—These damn monsters all deserve to go to hell and be boiled in oil!"

"As a human being, I agree with you, Hiratsuka-sensei."

Hayato Hayama's eyes also became dim, and his hands slowly clenched, while Yukinoshita Yukino, who was not far away, whispered in agreement.

"Just this time, I choose to support you, Hayama-san."

"Hmm... there's one thing I don't understand."

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yumiko Miura spoke, but the fear that was hard to conceal in her voice formed a sharp contrast with her usual strong expression, which indirectly indicated that she had not yet recovered from the intense mental shock.

"Why did No. 33 use hypnosis to make those students forget what happened? But everyone was able to remember it in the end? Isn't this a contradiction? If everyone would remember it, why did they make the victims forget it?"

“Because it was intentional.”

"Alas!?"

A familiar cold voice suddenly sounded, and Yumiko Miura shuddered subconsciously, turning her head to look behind her almost reflexively.

At this time, Hikigaya Hachiman was sitting on a hospital bed not far from the door, half of his body was illuminated by the sun and the other half was covered by shadows. He raised his face, which was divided by light and darkness, and looked here expressionlessly.

"I think... I understand why No. 33 did this seemingly meaningless thing."

"...Well, Hikigaya-san, please tell me what you think."

Ebina said this without turning his head, his eyes fixed on Zaimokuza in front of him, his amber eyes lowered, looking inexplicably obscure from this angle.

Because she had already guessed the reason why No. 33 did this, but she just didn't want to say it out loud.

"It's simple... because the emotion of fear has a concept of 'freshness'."

"Freshness? What do you mean, Hikigaya-san?"

Yukinoshita frowned and turned to look at Hikigaya in confusion, and the other party was silent for a while and continued to explain.

"When people are in fear, the change in their emotions is the most intense of all emotions. The more afraid they are, the more completely their emotions disappear. The strongest fear does not come slowly but suddenly. It is not static but dynamic. It occurs at the moment when hope turns to despair."

"At that time, the intensity of the fear and despair people felt far surpassed anything they could experience in any other situation, and was even enough to completely destroy the foundation of a human spirit."