My youth story cannot be a knight war

Seeing Kotobuki again at this moment, he surprisingly didn't feel any of the usual awkwardness, only a warm feeling that seeped into his heart. Kousaka suddenly understood why the ancients said women are a man's spiritual haven after battle. The ancients were truly true.

[“Huh? Really?”]

Hearing Kousaka say this, Kotobuki's tearful eyes suddenly turned into small dots. She tilted her head and spoke, her blank expression so adorable it was enough to make even a geek with no romantic experience bleed from the nose.

【"Don't worry, I didn't lie to you, and..."】

[At this point, Kousaka's eyes suddenly began to wander, and his voice became hesitant.]

"Um, Xiao-Xiao?, aren't you feeling a little cold? It's already autumn, and it's nighttime, so maybe you should go to bed early? You still have school tomorrow, right?"

【"?"】

Listening to Kousaka's words, Kotobuki looked around in confusion, then said:

"Mr. Kosaka, Kitauji is on holiday right now, so I don't have to go to class. Also, I have the heater on at home, so I don't feel...anything..."

As she spoke, Kotobuki happened to notice her current attire. Her voice gradually softened, and she lowered her head. Then, looking at the screen on Kousaka's side, she saw the girl's ears peeking out from her long hair. Her white earlobes were rapidly turning a crimson as lustrous as pigeon-blood gemstones.

[“Ahem… Do you understand now?”]

Kosaka coughed heavily a few times, his eyes wandering as he spoke, trying hard not to look at the girl on the other side of the phone, who was too close to the screen and whose body was showing due to the angle.

[“——Ugh!”]

After a short whine, Kousaka's phone screen went black, and Kotobuki on the other end immediately hung up. Kousaka couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief; he had finally dealt with this young lady.

"When Zaimokuza-san told me that you, Kousaka-san, were being taken care of by a little girl, I didn't quite believe it. I never expected it to be so..."

After hearing this, Kousaka's eyes twitched a few times, and he turned to look at the other side of the ward. Yukinoshita Yukino, who was sitting in a chair next to the other bed, was looking at him with a half-smile, her eyes full of teasing.

“There are many reasons for this. I think we may need to have a serious discussion about honor, Ms. Yukinoshita…”

[Kousaka said this with a dry expression, and when Yukinoshita heard it, a gentle smile broke out on her usually expressionless face.]

"Okay, I was just teasing you, Mr. Kousaka... Thank you for your hard work today."

Looking at the other person lying on the bed covered in bandages, Yukinoshita's smile faded slightly and she spoke softly.

She turned her gaze to the side, looking at Zaimokuza lying on the bed in front of her. A rare gloomy emotion flashed across her eyes, and her hands, resting on her knees, could not help but clench the hem of her skirt.

[“…Likewise, thank you for your hard work.”]

【“Zaimokuza-san.”】

If the bandaged Kousaka Kyosuke was a mummy, then Zaimokuza, lying on the hospital bed, was a freshly made teaching model. Every part of his body, even his face, was covered in bandages. His limbs were heavily plastered and suspended from ropes hanging from the ceiling. Only his eyes were exposed, and his entire body was otherwise airtight.

[His chest was rising and falling slightly, proving that Zaimokuza was still alive.]

Although his appearance was extremely terrifying, being able to survive an attack comparable to a meteorite impact was already incredible. When Zaimokuza was undergoing emergency testing, the doctor almost instinctively shouted, "Remove his oxygen tube!" upon seeing the results—because the data on the report no longer resembled a human being, but rather a pile of rotten flesh.

According to the report, Zaimokuza's entire body, including all breakable parts, was completely shattered. His blood vessels, muscles, nerves, bones, and even his internal organs were no longer human-like... Apart from his head, which showed signs of a severe concussion, no other part of his body could even be considered survivable by human standards.

Originally, all medical staff had considered adhering to international humanitarian principles and opting for euthanasia to alleviate his suffering. Fortunately, Kosaka, who was conscious at the time, intervened. Zaimokuza was not sent directly to the morgue, but instead, after undergoing gruesome treatment, was admitted to the same hospital room as Zaimokuza.

This injury was unlike any other he had suffered before, as even Zaimokuza's internal nerves had been nearly completely shattered by the impact, significantly slowing his recovery. According to the doctor, terrified by his condition, he wouldn't be able to leave his bed for at least a week.

Perhaps it was because of the excessive pain, but even though Zaimokuza had fallen into a deep coma, his brows were still furrowed tightly, showing no sign of relaxation. Yukinoshita looked at him like this, and after a long silence, she extended her hand.

Her palm gently grasped Zaimokuza's suspended right arm, their palms touching through the gauze and plaster, and she spoke softly.

"You did a great job. Totsuka-san and I are here. We're all here... You've made it this time and you're not late."

"So, get some rest, Zaimokuza-san."

As if hearing the words that came to his ear, Zaimokuza's frown gradually relaxed, his eyelashes that had been trembling from time to time slowly calmed down, and his expression became peaceful.

【He finally fell asleep, not only physically but also mentally. 】

Kosaka watched this scene silently and sighed silently. Yukinoshita hadn't lied to Zaimokuza. She and Totsuka Ayaka, her two old friends, were indeed still alive, but the others weren't so lucky.

Almost all the members of the investigation team, along with the villagers of Gaiba Village, perished in the massacre caused by Number Three. Aside from the assistant, Kamijou, who survived thanks to timely rescue efforts, all the others were killed. In other words, including Yukinoshita, only three people from the entire investigation team survived.

[And in this investigation team, many of them are even students of Yukinoshita and Totsuka... Looking at this woman's thin but determined back, Kousaka couldn't help but feel a little admiration.]

Last time, she lost her teachers and colleagues at Jiulangyue; this time, she lost the students she had personally nurtured, yet she didn't suffer a mental breakdown and was even able to offer comfort. These actions clearly demonstrate her inner strength, and she's definitely not just a pretty face.

"What are you going to do, Ms. Yukinoshita?"

After confirming that Zaimokuza was alright, Yukinoshita stood up, and Kousaka, who had been silently watching him, began to ask.

"The second investigation team is almost wiped out now. We may have to wait until we gather enough scientific researchers before continuing the investigation. However, after two consecutive incidents like this, it's unlikely anyone will be willing to continue investigating the ancient times."

"...But isn't there another one here, Mr. Kousaka?"

Yukinoshita turned and looked at him, her tone calm, but her eyes burned with a cold fire.

"My teachers and friends are gone, but I'm still alive. My fellow students and students are gone, but I'm still alive... They're all gone, leaving only me and Totsuka-san and the others."

“So no matter how difficult this becomes, I must continue until I uncover all the truth left over from the ancient times, including how it all began and why it has developed to this point… I must give them an answer. This is the only thing I can do for them.”

"Besides, the police really need me right now, right?"

Kosaka remained silent at this, while Yukinoshita walked to the window of the hospital room and opened the curtains. The dazzling golden light was still dazzling even though it was separated by several mountains. Her dark blue eyes reflected the brilliance, and her eyelids narrowed.

"It's not just you. I also want to know what mysteries the ancient Lindo has left us. If possible, I want to lift the fog of all this mystery and let the souls sealed in the tomb of time find the rest they deserve, instead of the current situation where the dead who should have died still linger in the world, causing trouble and harming the world... Besides, I don't have many friends left."

She lowered the curtains and looked at the unconscious Zaimokuza. A hint of softening appeared in the depths of her icy eyes.

"He shouldn't get involved any further. I had this feeling from the first day he got the belt... but I can't persuade him. Really..."

[With a pair of eyes that flickered faintly, Yukinoshita looked up at the ceiling of the ward and said with a faint smile.]

"I just don't want the same thing to happen again, but... seriously, you two truly are best friends. Even your personalities are so similar. You refuse to listen to anyone's advice. You know the consequences, yet you still insist on doing what you want... I'm truly defeated by you."

"But if you were in my place, you would do the same, right?"

["...Hikigaya-san."]

……

Yukinoshita left. Kousaka couldn't quite remember how she left, but he remembered the loud sound of something falling to the floor, like a broken pearl falling onto a copper plate.

He looked at the sleeping Zaimokuza, thinking of the dreams and future he had told him, and closed his eyes tiredly.

"Continue your adventure? Then I might not be able to receive the novel you sent me."

He peeled off the bandages on his chest with one hand and looked at the mark branded on it. Compared to its previous blurriness, the totem was now much clearer. The four pointed horns were like the thorns of a demon, and the sight of them gave him an inexplicable chill.

【Looking at this totem, Kousaka's eyes dropped.】

"But at least I can still see you off... Tsk, it sounds like something you should say at a funeral."

He shook his head and reached out to press the button beside the bed. The wall lamp and the light strip went out, and a silent darkness rolled in.

"Good night, Zaimokuza."

1. Secret Talk in the Dark (4K)

In the basement of an abandoned factory in Katsushika Ward, Tokyo.

01:35 AM

A black figure with disheveled hair stood in the center of the basement, a corner of his cloak fluttering gently in the windless air, sweeping across the mess below.

Although dimly lit, the basement was a scene of horrific horror. Centered on the figure's station, the ground was a rich, bloody mess, faintly interspersed with white debris. These were bone fragments crushed into powder by the immense force.

This was the horrific sight of a human body torn to pieces, clearly torn evenly and deliberately. The evidence was the head, lying flat on a long black cloth, beside a pair of folded, blood-stained sunglasses. This gave the scene the appearance of a cult ritual, eerie yet carrying a touch of religious solemnity.

Aside from a head, there was practically nothing left of the victim's body, completely absorbed into the carpet of flesh and blood beneath the towering black figure's feet. "Practically" because a severed hand still clung to a nearby piece of barbed wire, dangling in mid-air.

The shabby ceiling light in the basement flickered in the wind, passing over the shadow, then illuminating the wire mesh held by the severed hand and swinging back. In that brief moment, the light illuminated the palm of the severed hand, and a dark totem reflected in the light with an eerie, almost jade-like luster.

The totem is pitch black in color, and its image is a salamander similar to that represented by hieroglyphs. One can even see the fine carving of the sticky skin of a real salamander on this totem, which is extremely lifelike.

The dazzling golden light illuminated the entire basement for a moment under the light, and also obscured the luster of the salamander totem. The source of the reflection was a golden waist badge held in the hand of the black shadow.

The front of this waist badge is carved with an extremely ferocious relief. It depicts a green-faced, fang-toothed evil spirit with its mouth tightly closed. Its sharp teeth crisscross and its horns point upwards. The sharp tips of the horns are as sharp as the tip of a dagger, flashing a chilling cold light.

"~"

The shadowy figure holding the badge exhaled thick white mist from both sides of his mouth. He grasped the badge with both hands and placed it in the center of the vine-like belt wrapped around his waist. The buckle of the badge and the belt fit together perfectly, seamlessly connected as one. Or perhaps they were originally the same object, separated for too long.

And now, when the two, which had been separated for a long time, were reunited, the true power that had been hidden for a long time was also revealed.

A golden light shone forth, and the shadow, at least two meters tall, twisted violently within the light. Golden lines spread from its belt throughout its body. Its long, tangled black hair ignited in the light, and its tattered cloak gradually reshaped from the ends, spreading out like long ribbons of golden chain swords...

As the light gradually dimmed, the black figure disappeared, but what appeared was not his true form after regaining his power. Instead, a young man in white appeared. A gentle smile graced his youthful face, and the white four-cornered totem on his forehead shone brightly in the darkness.

And unlike in the past, the other person's body was now shrouded in a strange atmosphere and light and shadow in the darkness. It seemed incompatible not only with the dirty environment of this basement, but also with the entire world. He looked around at the tragic scene around him, chuckled, and spoke.

"Thank you for your hard work, good night~"

……

The cold moonlight shone down, covering the entire factory abandoned in the wasteland with a layer of cold silver-white film. The shrill chirping of insects could be heard from time to time in the air, preventing the place from being completely surrounded by silence.

On the factory's rooftop, a chair and a table stood. Baruba, wearing a long white dress, sat on the chair, flipping through a book. A glass of champagne and a newspaper lay on the table. Her model-like beauty and neatly arranged chair were completely at odds with the chaotic, chaotic atmosphere surrounding the rooftop. The scene looked like the set of a magazine cover or music video.

"It seems you've already dealt with Zajio."

The sound of brisk footsteps reached her ears from behind. Baruba silently raised her eyes from the pages of her book and spoke softly to the cool full moon above her head. She closed the heavy book in her hands and gently placed it on the table beside her.

The moonlight illuminated the cover of the book. The gold-plated Japanese characters of "20 Cases Related to Reincarnation" gleamed faintly. The signature in the lower right corner was "Ian Stevenson". This name represents one of the world's highest scientific authorities on the phenomenon of human reincarnation.

"Well, because it's no longer useful~"

The current king of the Gurongi clan, N-Daguba-Zeba, walked over to her side. His relaxed tone seemed as if he was not talking about the evil deeds of slaughtering his own people, but rather talking about the interesting things in his daily life that day.

"……also."

Baruba was silent for a moment at His answer, then spoke without turning his head.

"Nu wasn't eligible to participate anyway. Now that it's done its job, let Zajio rest in eternal rest, clinging to this fantasy. It's a reward for fulfilling its duties all along."

"Now, you have regained all your original strength, right?"

"Yes, I've retrieved it~"

Daguba nodded with a smile, patted his abdomen with his hand, and a smile of joy on his face that was not false at all.

"That ultimate power is within my grasp~ I'll soon be able to meet my old friend on the battlefield... No."

At this point, Daguba's tone suddenly changed. Although his tone was still gentle, deep in his laughter was hidden boundless resentment, like a black poisonous swamp surging.

"The current KUUGA is no longer Him. He is dead. I remember his name was...?"

"Rick."

"Oh, yes~ That's indeed the name. Although the current KUUGA looks quite similar to Him, it's no longer Him."

Baruba added indifferently, and Daguba put his hands together after hearing it, his eyes sparkling like a child, with a thousand twinkling curiosity hidden in his eyes.

"But, the current KUUGA has the same power as Him back then, so I really want to see him in the game soon~"

"At that time, I will be able to repay KUUGA for the pain and humiliation He once inflicted."

"As you wish."

Daguba smiled, arms outstretched, and hopped across the rooftop with the brisk steps of a rabbit. Baruba, however, made no comment. The atmosphere between the two was strange. Rather than a king and his subordinates, it felt more like a mature sister and her immature brother. It seemed somewhat similar to the relationship between Zaimokuza Yoshiki and Yukinoshita Yukino.

"correct!"

Daguba's jumping steps suddenly stopped, and he turned to face Baruba who was sitting behind him. The smile on his face was mixed with excitement and impatience, and his hands were rubbing each other eagerly.

"Which player has reached the current stage of 'Kikiru'? How long is my game left?"

Baruba reached out and took the newspaper on the table. He opened the folded cover towards Daguba. There was a huge news section in the middle of the front of the newspaper. The headline was written in large black font:

"No. 4とG 1の彩彩, Uncertain Life No. 35がににったったったったったで海校票物彩票物彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩彩� ! 》

The large picture shows Kuuga in purple form and G1 holding a long stick rushing towards the Gurongi holding a ferocious sword on the opposite side. The small picture is a photo taken from above, showing a white cruise ship with flames burning on it stopped on the sea, surrounded by more than a dozen Japanese Coast Guard patrol boats that are slowly sinking around the cruise ship.

"Just yesterday, Jaaza was defeated by KUUGA and Daguber."

Baruba closed the newspaper and threw it back on the table, speaking calmly.

"Huh? The game of 'GO' isn't over yet?"

After hearing this, Daguba's mouth drooped, and his eyes showed visible disappointment. He squatted down with his hands on his knees, poked the ants crawling around on the rooftop with his fingers, and muttered to himself from time to time. He looked like a child.

"It'll be soon. There are only two players left in the GO group. We just need to go through Baberu and Gadoru's game phase before it's your turn."