My youth story cannot be a knight war

Zaimokuza winked at the police who had rushed over to investigate, believing something was wrong. After seeing the scene in the living room, they said nothing and returned to their posts, clutching their weapons.

Zaimokuza held the crying girl in his arms until her sobs gradually faded and his hand on her shrugging shoulders felt her body gradually stop trembling. Then he spoke softly.

"Okay, you've cried enough. Now, as agreed, you should smile—?"

Zaimokuza nudged Akiyama Mio's shoulder, who had stopped crying. Although he didn't push hard, there was no response after several attempts. The girl's hand was still tightly gripping his shirt, with no intention of letting go.

[“…Please let me stay like this for a while. I’m sorry.”]

Just as Zaimokuza was puzzled, Akiyama Mio's face, pressed against his chest, made a muffled sound. He opened his mouth after hearing it, but in the end, he could only smile helplessly and touch the back of her head, where her long black hair was.

【"OK."】

Because of the angle, Zaimokuza didn't notice that Akiyama Mio's fair cheeks, lying in his arms, had already turned red as blood, and her eyes were swirling.

After releasing her inner emotions, Akiyama Mio regained her sanity and recalled the memory of howling while hugging Zaimokuza. She wished she could just faint.

But recalling the scene she saw when she woke up after fainting in front of Zaimokuza last time, a surge of hot blood rushed from her heart and forced her to dispel the urge to faint. However, she was too flustered to dare to raise her head and look at Zaimokuza again, otherwise she couldn't guarantee that she would not faint again.

Akiyama Mio has never had confidence in anything, except for her own fear. If she looked up and saw Zaimokuza's face so close to her... she would definitely lose consciousness, her eyes rolling back and her legs kicking.

The situation seemed even worse. At this extremely close distance, a mature masculine scent continuously emanated from Zaimokuza and entered Akiyama Mio's nostrils. The unique masculine hormone scent directly penetrated her brain, stimulating her curiosity about the opposite sex. At the right age, it triggered all kinds of fantasies. Her brain gradually turned into a mess under this breath, and her ability to think slowly disappeared.

"——Zaimokuza-san! Can I ask you a question?"

In order to avoid losing consciousness, Akiyama Mio, in a moment of urgency, tried to turn her head and asked a question in a panic.

【"Um?"】

"That's right! Why are you so concerned about Yui—us?"

[Although it was a bit awkward, this was actually a problem that had been lingering in Akiyama Mio's heart for a long time.]

She could sense that, even though he kept saying that he was protecting them from various incidents involving unidentified life forms, saying it was to protect everyone's smiles, Zaimokuza clearly cared more about them than the other students targeted by No. 33 in this incident.

Although this could be explained by the familiarity between the two parties, Akiyama Mio keenly sensed that there was another reason behind Zaimokuza's concern for them. Normally, she hadn't had the chance to ask him due to various reasons, but now, unable to suppress her curiosity, she took this opportunity to ask the question that had been lingering in her heart for a long time.

"What? Is that what you want to ask?"

Zaimokuza was slightly stunned after hearing what Akiyama Mio said, then said with a smile.

"There's no reason for this kind of thing. I'm just concerned, so what's the problem?"

"But, I can sense that many times when you look at us, Mr. Zaimokuza, there seems to be a strange flicker of emotion in your eyes. One of them seems to be... sadness?"

Akiyama Mio secretly glanced upwards, only to see Zaimokuza's face suddenly stiffen at her question. She was so frightened that she immediately buried her face deeper into his arms.

Although she felt embarrassed about being caught observing the other person, Akiyama Mio still whispered, her curiosity about the answer overwhelming her timid self at that moment.

"Could you please tell me the reason? I... I'm really curious!"

[“…What? So I was so obvious about it? Hahaha…”]

Zaimokuza regained his senses and said with a forced smile, his eyes inevitably dimming slightly.

[Akiyama Mio, with her face buried in Zaimokuza's arms, clearly heard the sound of his heartbeat pause for a moment. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat. Feeling she might have said something wrong, she raised her head in a panic, not caring if Zaimokuza would see her tear-stained face.]

"Sorry! If you have any difficulties, please pretend I never said anything!"

[“No… Actually, this isn’t something you can’t talk about. There’s no need to be so flustered and blame yourself.”]

【“!”】

Zaimokuza shook his head, calmed down, and smiled as he used his palm to push aside Akiyama Mio's messy bangs, revealing the girl's flushed face.

"Actually... you're right. I care about you all, especially Xiao Wei, for another reason."

"I, from your light music club, see the shadow of my old high school club. And Xiao Wei, she is quite similar to my old self in some ways. Seeing her is like seeing my old self, so I subconsciously pay more attention to her."

"Eh? Zaimokuza-san, your old club...did you join any clubs in high school?"

Upon hearing this answer, Akiyama Mio was stunned. She had always thought that Zaimokuza's concern for them might have been more practical, like the fact that they were constantly involved in incidents involving unidentified life forms, or even that it wasn't surprising that they were all beautiful. All the members of the light music club were indeed above-average beauties, a fact recognized by them and the surrounding schools.

[For example, the most popular student, Akiyama Mio, not only has her own dedicated fan club within the school, but also receives numerous love letters every week from boys from other schools who ask girls within the school to help them stuff them into their shoe cabinets. Even more frightening is that the number of love letters from women far exceeds that from men.]

【But Akiyama Mio never expected that Zaimokuza's reason for caring so much about them was so... simple and unpretentious. 】

[For some reason, she even felt a slight sense of loss welling up in her heart.]

"...Is it weird that I joined a club in high school?! Have you always seen me as that loner VIP member of the homecoming club?"

Zaimokuza curled his fingers and flicked a bullet on Akiyama Mio's smooth forehead. As she (→_←) cried out in pain and covered her forehead with her hand, he continued speaking.

“I actually had this feeling when I first met you. The way you guys interacted with each other really resonated with me as I did with my friends in high school.”

"I joined a club in high school, but it wasn't a music club like your light music club. It was just a regular club called the Service Club."

"Serve, serve??? Mr. Zaimokuza, you——"

Upon hearing the name, Akiyama Mio was stunned. Then, as if thinking of something, her face flushed again. Her large eyes scanned Zaimokuza with a strange look, and the more she looked, the redder her face became. This reaction made Zaimokuza's eye twitch.

“Well, it’s not the first or second time that people have looked at us strangely because of our club’s name, but the Service Club is truly a normal club, a legitimate one accredited by the school! It’s definitely not the weird club you imagine!”

"Even though Hachiman and I initially reported this to the captain, he always dismissed us with the excuse, 'I'm honest and upright, and I've done nothing wrong, so why worry about the messages?'... Alas, we're helpless."

"Hachiman? Is that the name of your friend, Mr. Zaimokuza?"

Suddenly, a name different from others came out of Zaimokuza's mouth, and Akiyama Mio's eyes widened slightly.

In her memory, even for Kousaka Kyousuke, who was closest to her, Zaimokuza had always addressed him by his surname, followed by the title of "Sir," a respectful term in this country. He had never used a name that sounded like a surname, like he did now.

Thinking about it carefully, Akiyama Mio realized that since meeting Zaimokuza, he never seemed to call his peers by their names. Even when he called them by their names, it felt like he was treating them like his younger sisters.

He had never spoken a person's name in such a complicated tone before.

"...You're really sensitive, Mio-chan."

[After hearing this name from someone else, Zaimokuza paused for a moment before speaking helplessly.]

"Hachiman, his full name is Hikigatani Hachiman... He's my first true friend, and my best friend. If I had to use an analogy... it's probably similar to the relationship between me and Kousaka-san."

"Eh? Zaimokuza-san, isn't there something wrong with the example you gave? What does it mean to have a relationship like the one you have with Kousaka-san right now? Shouldn't you usually use other people as examples?"

Akiyama Mio noticed something strange in Zaimokuza's words and asked in confusion.

"Are you mistaken? Besides, can't you only have one best friend? Why did you say that Mr. Hikigaya is the same as Mr. Kousaka..."

Akiyama Mio's voice trailed off. Seeing Zaimokuza's expression darken as she spoke, she immediately guessed something and shut her mouth in regret.

"Mio, I didn't give a wrong example. Hachiman and I were just as close as Mr. Kousaka and I are now. But you're also right. You can only have one best friend... Mr. Kousaka is indeed my best friend right now."

Zaimokuza reached out and stroked the hair of the girl, who lowered her head with a guilty look, and smiled calmly.

"And Hachiman... he's been gone for a long time. Unlike Xiaowei, I didn't even get to see him one last time."

Although he was smiling when he said this, in Akiyama Mio's eyes, Zaimokuza's smile at that moment was like that of an elder who had experienced many vicissitudes of life, recalling the past, realizing that all the joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness in the past had become irreversible, and finally, with relief, he had overcome all regrets and revealed that smile.

He no longer holds onto obsessions, nor does he regret them. Although he still feels regret and grief, he has chosen to accept them and move forward into the future, no longer hampered by past pain.

[But such a warm and transparent smile made Akiyama Mio's heart clog and panic. The weight contained in this smile made it almost impossible for her to look directly at it. She couldn't help but feel heartbroken and guilty.]

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"

[“It’s okay. I don’t blame you. That’s not what I wanted to say.”]

Akiyama Mio lowered her head and stammered, unable to speak. She was feeling guilty for opening someone else's wounds when she suddenly felt a warmth on her cheek. She raised her head uncontrollably, and what she saw was Zaimokuza's warm smile.

"Because I've lost my best friend myself, I understand the pain that feels like. I also understand better than anyone what Xiaowei needs most right now—she needs the company of all of you."

"The pain of the past cannot be undone, but we can still choose to heal it. The pain of losing a close friend can only be healed with the company of a close friend... This is the lesson my best friend taught me, and I hope you, Xiao Mio, can understand this. Don't just cry on your own."

"I'm also very sorry about Xiaohe's situation, but we must move on and not dwell on the past... Helping Xiaowei overcome her pain is something only friends like you, who spend every day with her, can do."

[“Besides this, no one, including me, can replace you. Do you understand?”]

["Mr. Zaimokuza..."]

Akiyama Mio stared into Zaimokuza's eyes, feeling the warmth and encouragement within them. Her initially shy heart gradually calmed down.

[“——Yes! Thank you!”]

After a moment of silence, Akiyama Mio nodded with a determined look in her eyes, then immediately stood up and trotted out of the living room.

Akiyama Mio didn't say where she was going, but even without her saying it, Zaimokuza knew that she was going to be with the person who needed her the most.

He smiled as he watched the girl's long black hair sway as it disappeared around the corner of the living room entrance. His eyes gradually dropped to look at the shoes he was wearing.

"They are such wonderful girls, and much braver than we were at first..."

"…Am I right, Hachiman?"

Zaimokuza looked up at the ceiling and said with a lost look.

【"……really."】

[——Unexpectedly, that familiar voice sounded beside my ears.]

【“!?”】

Zaimokuza's eyes suddenly widened, and he subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound.

["Eight——Mr. Kousaka?"]

[That figure came into view, and just as that person's name was about to come out of my mouth, his figure suddenly transformed into someone else.]

"Are you surprised to see me? Or do you mistake me for someone else?"

With his arms folded across his chest, Kousaka Kyousuke leaned against a mirrored wall at the entrance to the living room. He raised an eyebrow at Zaimokuza's surprised gaze and spoke in a calm tone.

"No... Mr. Kosaka, why did you come down here? Weren't you supposed to be resting up there?"

Zaimokuza opened and closed his mouth several times, but finally suppressed the bitter feeling welling up in his heart, and spoke to Kousaka Kyousuke who was approaching with a smile.

"Now I have to ask you this: do you think I can't hear such loud crying?"

【"Well……"】

"Hmph~ But I'll give you a compliment this time. You did a great job."

Zaimokuza rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, while Kousaka Kyousuke snorted softly and sat down on the sofa across from him, a barely perceptible curve at the corner of his mouth.

"You've always been quite good at counseling others, saving me a lot of effort... After you've dealt with all the Gurongi, would you consider joining the Metropolitan Police Department as a mediator specializing in psychological counseling for criminals? You might have a talent for this field. I can write you a letter of introduction."

"Don't talk bad about me, Mr. Kosaka. I can't handle this kind of work."

【Zaimokuza smiled bitterly and quickly waved his hand to refuse.】

"You know me well. I'm more suited to continue traveling around the world and having adventures. That's what suits me best."

"I almost forgot that besides being a novelist, you're also a professional adventurer."

The curve of Kousaka Kyousuke's mouth slightly narrowed, and he changed the subject as if nothing had happened.

"Given the current situation, I think it won't be long before you can continue your journey... Have you decided where your first stop will be? Would you mind telling me?"

"Of course! My first stop is the Sky Realm!"

[As soon as this topic was brought up, Zaimokuza immediately became very interested, and Kousaka Kyosuke asked with some confusion.]

"Sky Realm? That doesn't sound like the name of a place. Where is it?"

"The Sky Realm doesn't just refer to one place; it's a common name for similar scenery in several different places. The one I want to visit most is the Salar de Uyuni, located on the western plateau of Bolivia's Potos. It's the largest salt-covered wasteland in the world and the only one of all the Sky Realms I haven't visited yet."

"Wow? Is it beautiful there? You sound so eager to go there."

"Of course! As an adventurer, if you don't visit the Sky Realm, you'd be embarrassed to call yourself a traveler! When I travel again, I'll send photos of that place and some souvenirs to you, Mr. Kousaka!"

[“Wait, excuse me, could this be the souvenir you mentioned?”]

"Of course! It's a brand new masterpiece that I, Shogun Yoshiteru Ashikaga II, painstakingly wrote! This is a one-of-a-kind treasure, and you, Mr. Kosaka, are its first reader. How are you? Are you excited and happy to hear that?!"

[…I suddenly feel like I should just block your number.]

"Eh? Why are you suddenly saying such harsh words so coldly? Kousaka-san!"

……

The two of them were sitting together, arguing and bickering. The heavy atmosphere that had been pervading them seemed to have quietly dissipated, and they returned to their normal state of being together.

Although Kousaka Kyosuke felt bored by the meaningless conversations between the two sides, he inexplicably wished that time could pass more slowly.

The atmosphere he felt when spending time with Zaimokuza gave him a strange sense of security—of course, he would never admit this, especially in front of him.

[——If I continue to play around with this guy like this, it would be pretty good, right?]

This thought suddenly popped up in his mind, and then he shook his head with a frown on his face, feeling that he had definitely been persecuted into developing Stockholm syndrome over the past year.

[It would be best if this white rabbit could just go off and ruin lawns in another country! That way I wouldn't have to clean up his mess every day like I do now. When he leaves, I'll pop some champagne and say goodbye to this mess forever!]