My youth story cannot be a knight war

"who are you?"

"Mio? No..."

After gazing intently at the girl who also bears the name Mio for a while, Zaimokuza suddenly spoke.

“You, you’re not the Mio I know, but you don’t sound like you’re lying—wait, that voice…”

【"--Who are you!???"】

Zaimokuza's eyes suddenly widened. He remembered. He had heard this voice before!

He had heard this voice several times before, and each time it was when he was fighting those Gurongi.

Whether in battles with No. 23, No. 25, No. 26, or even No. 30, he had heard this voice guiding him and received its help. Thinking of this, he looked to the right and saw a fair arm. On the wrist was a bracelet made of crescent-shaped magatama beads made of obsidian-like material.

Zaimokuza immediately confirmed his suspicions. This hand was the same one that had appeared during his battle with Number 24. Even the accessories were identical.

【It was then that Zaimokuza realized that his head had been resting on the girl's lap, a position commonly known as a knee pillow.】

[“Wow!?”]

[Realizing this, he hurriedly tried to stand up, but missed his step and nearly fell. Seeing this, the other person quickly reached out and supported him.]

「Thank you——Where is this???」

There was no sense of touch beneath his feet, and Zaimokuza had to hold the girl's hands tightly to keep his balance. Just as he was about to thank her, the scene before him froze him.

Because there was nothing before him, literally nothingness. Aside from the girl before him, everything around him was a flickering, warm yellow light, enveloping everything in all directions like a circular cage.

"Don't worry, you are safe now."

The girl spoke softly. A white light flashed from the ornament on her right hand, and Zaimokuza felt his feet, which had been suspended in mid-air, return to the ground. He released the girl's hand and stepped back several steps. Only then, after some distance, could he clearly see the person before him.

The other person's appearance was identical to the Akiyama Mio he knew, but she was wearing a white dress made of a material resembling linen. Her figure was accentuated by the tight-fitting white dress, and she wore a pair of Roman-style leggings and sandals. In addition to the jewelry on her right hand, her earlobes were also inlaid with two earrings made of the same material.

Unlike the usual idol cosplay of period costumes, the clothing she wears truly has that ancient, time-tested feel. Even though they share the same appearance, this girl's aura is completely different from Akiyama Mio's.

Zaimokuza had a youthful, quiet, and innocent vibe from Akiyama Mio. While the girl before him had a girlish air about her features, her eyes, while clear, were also profound, and her aura was gentle and soft, like nature that had remained untouched by human society after thousands of years.

[That's a sense of maturity that can only be acquired after enough time, and it's a temperament that can't be imitated.]

[It was precisely because of this aura that Zaimokuza was able to distinguish the other person from Akiyama Mio at the first moment, but a new doubt also arose from this: why did the other person look exactly like the girl he knew? ]

[“Yes, it’s you… The voice I’ve been hearing all this time, it’s you, right?”]

Zaimokuza said blankly, looking at the girl before him. The girl nodded slightly, answering his question with a happy expression.

"Hmm~ I've always wanted to have a face-to-face conversation with Zaimokuza-san. I thought the chance had vanished, but I never imagined this wish would be fulfilled."

"Why? I clearly remember being killed by Number 37... but you saved me?"

Zaimokuza touched his chest. The pain he felt then, as if his soul had been pierced through, was so vivid that even now, phantom pain lingered, yet his chest was completely intact. He had already prepared himself for death. He didn't believe he could survive an attack of that magnitude. Even his usually unstoppable recovery abilities wouldn't have been able to save him.

But everything that is happening to me right now is completely inexplicable. No, everything that is happening right now is completely inexplicable. Zaimokuza looks around at the space filled with light. This scene doesn't seem like something that could happen in reality.

"This is no longer the original world. To put it in terms you can understand, Zaimokuza-san... well, you can think of this as the depths of my soul."

The girl immediately saw Zaimokuza's inner doubts. She folded her hands in front of her and said with a smile.

"And, it wasn't me who saved Zaimokuza-san. Although it was my power, if that girl hadn't helped wake me from my dormant state, you wouldn't have survived, Zaimokuza-san."

She stretched out her fingers, and a ball of white light appeared between them, rapidly expanding. A clear image then emerged from the ball of light. Zaimokuza's eyes narrowed when he saw the ball of light.

"B1!? Mio???"

The image within the ball of light was exactly the image of Baruba placing his finger on Akiyama Mio's forehead. The golden light reflected in Zaimokuza's shocked eyes, causing him to speak out.

"Well, it was Baruba who helped awaken the girl's latent spiritual power. The fluctuations of this power resonated with me, allowing me to awaken and save Zaimokuza-san."

The girl nodded, and Zaimokuza looked at the image displayed by the ball of light with a complicated expression and muttered.

"Why, B1...wait!"

Zaimokuza then realized another problem he had overlooked. He tilted his head and stared closely at the girl in front of him, who had the same appearance as Akiyama Mio. His inner doubts did not diminish in the slightest, but instead became more intense.

"If you're not Xiao Mio, then who are you???"

"Mo~ I just said that."

The girl sighed helplessly and looked at Zaimokuza with a look of reproach.

"Like I said, I'm Mio."

“You, you have the same name as Mio, you—ugh!”

Zaimokuza stared at the smiling girl in front of him, dumbfounded. Just as he was about to say something, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his brain. Caught off guard, he clutched his forehead tightly, gasping in pain.

Images like shattered glass cycled through my mind with the pain. In those fragments, the face of a girl reappeared repeatedly—it was the girl in front of me, Miou.

A feeling of longing and sadness flowed through his heart. This feeling was so deep and real that even though Zaimokuza had never experienced it before, he still felt the urge to cry.

[In those memories, the girl kept repeating her own name. Each time she repeated it, the emotion deepened and the pain in her brain intensified.]

[——"Rick~"]

【“——”】

A warm touch spread across his face, and the pain in his brain gradually subsided with the soft touch. Zaimokuza stared blankly at the face so close before him, a faint glint flickering in his right eye.

Those were tears, but they weren't Zaimokuza's tears. They belonged to someone else—tears shed by someone else who had fought with the belt within him.

Even after thousands and tens of thousands of years, this feeling has not faded at all. The once timid boy has never stopped crying in his heart, because he will never see the person he loves most in this world again.

Even after she left, this intense emotion lingered within her Yamadam, becoming a genetic memory akin to DNA. Through the spread of enhanced nerves, it gradually took root in the body and mind of another person. That person's final wish was simply to see their sister again, even if they were no longer themselves.

[And when he saw the person he once refused to forget, even in death, the emotions that had been dormant within his enhanced nerves finally awakened. The boy's sorrow revived in another person's soul, along with that memory.]

[Gazing at the girl's face before him, Zaimokuza recited the name he had repeated countless times amidst this sorrow:]

【“Miou.”】

【“——”】

The hands that were holding Zaimokuza's face stiffened at his call, and only softened again after a few seconds.

【"……It's fine."】

[Miou caressed the man's face with both hands, lowered her head slightly for a few seconds, then raised it again and said with a chuckle.]

"This is simply a phenomenon that occurs as Zaimokuza-san's assimilation with the Yamadam deepens, and his own spiritual power grows... You're simply being affected by Riku's remaining memories and power. You'll be well soon."

"Rick... Is this the name of my former self?"

Zaimokuza murmured, but even though the headache was gradually subsiding, the sadness in his heart did not subside in the slightest, but instead grew more intense. The tears in his right eye flickered and swayed, threatening to fall.

Clear water drops fell from the feet of the two people, plummeting into the light below. Zaimokuza was stunned.

Because he didn't cry, but the other person shed tears.

Clear tears streamed down Miou's face. The girl continued to smile, but within her eyes, boundless sorrow surged. The falling tears shimmered like a thousand glazed shimmers in the light. This face, smiling yet dripping with tears, was incredibly beautiful at that moment, a breathtaking work of art.

"As expected~"

The fingers of the hands that had been caressing Zaimokuza's face slowly fell, finally receiving the answer to their last wish, Miou chuckled and said.

"While their souls may seem similar, they are actually completely different—as expected, Zaimokuza-san is Zaimokuza-san, and Riku is Riku."

"You are completely different beings... Perhaps the dead can indeed continue to exist, but even so, you cannot possibly be the same person."

Watching Miou, who spoke these words with tears streaming down her face but a smile on her face, Zaimokuza felt a sudden, intense pain in his heart. The sadness within him melted away like ice in a lake before the greater sadness he felt now, leaving only a lingering throbbing sensation.

【"you--"】

A soft touch suddenly came from his arms. Seeing the black hair floating before his eyes, Zaimokuza was truly stunned. He looked down at the girl who buried her face in his arms and hugged him tightly. For the first time, he felt at a loss, and he raised his hands, not knowing where to put them.

"I know this is rude... but please forgive me for this little bit of willfulness."

A slightly muffled voice came from within his embrace. Miou wrapped her arms around Zaimokuza's waist and locked them tightly, squeezing as if to melt into his body.

"That's it, just for a moment, please..."

【“…”】

In silence, Zaimokuza wordlessly lowered his hands. After a moment's hesitation, he chose to embrace the girl's waist. His palms felt light and porcelain-like.

The two embraced, their figures illuminated by the light, making them invisible. However, at a certain moment, the flickering light seemed to reflect another pair of figures, Zaimokuza and Miou.

[It was a boy wearing white linen clothes, he hugged his little sister tightly with both hands, unwilling to let go.]

The girl's faint sobs and the man's silence spread throughout the space. No one spoke for a long time.

31. From the Beginning (7K)

[Operating room, Kanto Medical University Hospital, Tokyo.]

"Nothing happened. It was just an overcurrent that caused the lighting to overload. And there's surgery going on right now. It's inadvertent!"

"Don't come here unless it's something important before the surgery is over! If you have anything to say, knock on the door first!"

Makishima Saori, sweating profusely, clenched the operating room door as she spoke to the guards who had rushed in to inquire about the situation. Without waiting for a response, she slammed the door shut, not forgetting to lock it.

“Huh~ Finally done.”

She wiped the sweat from her forehead and leaned against the door weakly. Looking up at the room, which was now completely uninhabitable, she felt a splitting headache.

The operating table where Zaimokuza had been lying was no longer visible. Instead, a white cocoon of light enveloped the entire table. This cocoon resembled the cocoon woven by a moth as it hatched into a butterfly, emitting a faint, white glow. There was even a substance resembling silk emanating from the cocoon, emanating from every corner of the room.

This scene is more like an incubator for large insects than an operating room. This is why Makishima didn't dare open the door completely. If someone saw this scene, it would be difficult to deal with it.

Akiyama Mio, who had been holding Zaimokuza's hand, had now fallen unconscious. She collapsed to the ground after the light faded. This sight immediately touched Makishima's already sensitive nerves. If Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't intervened, she would have rushed forward and fought Baruba to the death.

Akiyama Mio, now unconscious, was laid flat on another open stretcher in the operating room, covered with Zaimokuza's windbreaker as a blanket. Yukinoshita watched over her. Baruba remained motionless, staring at the cocoon that had engulfed Zaimokuza and the operating table.

[“…Is that all right now?”]

[Reaching out to straighten the scattered strands of hair on Akiyama Mio's forehead, Yukinoshita turned to look at the silent Baruba, hesitated for a moment, and then asked.]

"Zaimokuza-san... can he be saved like this?"

As she spoke, her eyes kept glancing at the strange giant cocoon, and worry inevitably appeared in her eyes, but she chose to remain calm and communicate with Baruba.

“…Who knows?”

Baruba didn't turn around. His calm voice echoed in the operating room, as calm as ever.

Before Yukinoshita could react to this extremely vague answer, the other person exploded.

"Hey! What do you mean by that?!"

Makishima walked towards Baruba with an expression of anger that was barely concealed. The rage of being toyed with and her long-held dislike for Gurongi overcame her underlying fear of the being before her, and she did something incredibly astonishing.

[“Makishima!?”]

As Yukinoshita's face paled, Makishima unexpectedly grabbed Baruba's shoulders and turned her around, then grabbed her collar with both hands and pulled her closer. Their two beautiful faces came face to face at such close range, Makishima's gaze on Baruba was so intense it threatened to spark.

It's no wonder she's acting so aggressively. After all, most people living in Tokyo now have a deep hatred for Gurongi, even Makishima. She's already lost many acquaintances in Gurongi's killing game, including some of her friends.

She was also well aware of Baruba's status and position within the Gurongi. Therefore, facing this being, who, besides Zero, arguably caused half of the current tragedy, she considered it a minor miracle that she had been able to share a space with him for so long without bloodshed.

But patience always has its limits. After all, not everyone can face their enemies with the calmness of Yukinoshita Yukino. Baruba's nonchalant tone immediately ignited the hatred that had already built up in Makishima's heart. Unable to suppress her rage, she grabbed the man by the collar and roared in anger.

"You bastard! Are you kidding us?! You promised us that your method would cure Zaimokuza, and now that we've actually done what you said, you're reacting like this!"

"I should have never trusted you, a bunch of bloodthirsty beasts! Not only do you kill, you also enjoy toying with humans! That bastard No. 33 is the best example! You! You inhuman monsters shouldn't even exist in this world!"

[…I don’t deny this.]

【"ha?"】

Baruba, head bowed, silently listened to Makishima's furious outburst. Suddenly, without warning, he echoed her words. This frankness momentarily stunned Makishima, a heart swollen with rage and hatred. His gaze shifted from anger to confusion as he looked at the woman in the white dress, whose clothes he had grabbed, wondering what she was up to.

[“Woooooo!”]

"Makishima!"

A wave of transparent golden light suddenly emanated from Baruba's body. Makishima, who was clutching her collar, suddenly felt a numbing pain in his hands, like an electric shock, and immediately stepped back with a scream. Seeing this, Yukinoshita hurried over and supported Makishima as he retreated.

"You're right. Perhaps the very existence of our clan is a mistake."

Baruba adjusted his collar, raised his head, which had been lowered when Makishima grabbed his collar, and spoke calmly.

[“…But I didn’t lie to you about this.”]