My youth story cannot be a knight war

In Hayato Hayama's life, which had just turned twenty-two, there was a name that possessed such power.

The name in his memory echoed in his ears at this moment, overlapping with the name spoken by the girl named Hikigaya Komachi in front of him.

I don't know how many years ago it started, but some curious students at Sobu High School in Chiba Prefecture circulated a book called "Sobu High School: Strange People and Tales". As the name suggests, this book records the strange people and stories that happened at Sobu High School over the years, which are enough to be recorded in the campus history.

There is a chapter in this book titled "Grade General List", the meaning of which is very clear. Where there are people, there is the martial arts world, and the martial arts world obviously also has the curiosity to determine those who are the best in their grade and can be called "generals". On this list, no matter their grades, appearance, or skills, they can all become added points.

Ye Shan once occupied the title of "First-year General" on this list for a whole year due to his comprehensive abilities, but since he entered the second grade, he has never held a title that matches his grade.

All this is because of the appearance of one person.

The opponent's dazzling deeds and abilities were like a meteor passing through the sky, illuminating the Sobu High School at that time!

Genius, freak, monster, this person has all kinds of nicknames, but no matter which nickname, it represents an ability deviation value far beyond that of ordinary people.

As the high school with the highest deviation value in Chiba Prefecture, the admission threshold of Sobu High School can be imagined. The academic performance of every student there is at the level of a golden cudgel that can stabilize the waves in any ordinary high school classroom outside. A school composed of such a group of excellent students, the pride held by the students can be said to be the best in Chiba Prefecture. Basically, everyone feels that they will become the pillars of the country and society in the future.

But after that person appeared, the pride that all the students of Sobu High School had held in their hearts suffered a devastating blow. Before they entered the society, they realized in advance an extremely cruel fact - for geniuses who are truly beyond common sense, the so-called "academic masters" and "academic losers" are just "mortals" belonging to the same category, and do not belong to the same species at all.

And this person's name is——Hikigaya Hachiman.】

This name seems familiar.

The moment they heard this name, the eyes of many people in front of the curtain became dazed for a moment, as if they were lost in some long-forgotten memories. Some people came back to their senses, and then their eyes were illuminated by surprise.

They remembered, and then more people remembered that they had indeed heard of this name!

But it is not in the story that is unfolding now, but in the past, in the previous story.

In that story, there was a name that was always mentioned by the white-haired hero, although his personal image only appeared in the latter's memories and words, and the real person had never actually appeared in the video even once.

But no one will forget this name. He did not exist in that story, but his traces are everywhere, telling people that there was such a person who came before the story began, and left before the story began.

This is a very mysterious name, just as mysterious as its owner, but this mystery should have been taken into the darkness and sealed by the man who walked towards the light when the story came to an end, and it should have been completely concluded as a tragedy that happened before the story began. The impression of the other party is indeed gradually fading from the memories of those who witnessed the story.

But at this moment, when "Hikigaya Komachi" said this name, the ashes burned by the previous story were ignited again from the depths of people's hearts, and the burning flames illuminated the memories that were about to disappear into darkness.

That person was Zaimokuza Yoshiteru's only true friend before he met Kousaka Kyosuke. He was the one who had always guided the former's spiritual progress in the dark Shura field of that year. He was the legendary phantom fourth person of the Sobu High School Servant Club, who had never been seen by anyone except Yukino Yukinoshita, Yuigahama Yui, and Zaimokuza Yoshiteru...

That person's name is Hikigaya Hachiman.

"How is it possible that this Miss Hikigaya's brother... is that Hikigaya Hachiman!???"

With her hands tightly grasping her trouser legs at her knees, Akane Kurokawa opened her moist eyes wide, and a look of disbelief flowed from her cyan irises.

"Hey, hey, hey... And she seems to be a student of Sobu High School, just like Mr. Hayato Hayama. This..."

"...That school, wasn't it once the site of a famous shrine? The temple and the deity it worshipped were submerged when the shrine collapsed, and the resulting power of faith was instead channeled into the enrollment of the school that was later rebuilt on the site?"

This time, the sunglasses on Raita Sumiya's face slipped off completely, revealing stunned eyes, while Kaneda Toshiichiro next to him crossed his arms and complained indifferently.

"No, no, no, that's not the point...but based on what we remember, shouldn't Hikigaya Hachiman be dead?"

Arima Kana put her hand to cover her forehead. At this moment, she felt that her brain was squeezed by excessive information flow and she was dizzy. Her thoughts were dizzy from too much "drunkenness" and she didn't know how to function.

"I remember it very clearly. That... didn't Zaimokuza-san mention it in his memories around the second chapter of that light curtain? He died a long time ago! Zaimokuza-san even attended the funeral? But why..."

"...Could it be that the specific time displayed by the curtain this time is before that video and the light curtain?"

Kurokawa took over Arima's words. Her expression was also very strange at this time. She put her fingertips on her pointed chin and thought for a while before speaking.

"Yes! That should be it!"

Arima nodded sharply, agreeing with Kurokawa.

"...No, you are all wrong."

At this time, Aqua, who had been silent beside him, spoke. His eyes were obscure and his brows were furrowed into the shape of the Chinese character "川".

"The current situation can no longer be explained by any specific timeframe."

"Huh??? Aqua, since you think I and Kurokawa are wrong, how about you tell me your opinion? I'm all ears!"

Hearing that his idea was rejected, coupled with the pain of having his skull cracked with his bare hands just now, Arima's face puffed up like a smoking pufferfish, and he glared at Aqua and spoke angrily.

"If your argument is too childish, don't blame me for laughing at you! No, I must laugh at you!"

"Where on earth did you come from? You're a brat who loves to fight with others in a childish way after losing a fight..."

"Hmm!? You—wuwuwu~!"

He glanced at Arima speechlessly, and the deep contempt in his eyes immediately caused her to react violently. Her cheeks flushed with anger and she was about to start a verbal fight, but the sneering Kurokawa covered her mouth from behind and hugged her tightly, suppressing her words and actions with his broad heart.

"Aqua, did you notice something inconsistent?"

Feeling Arima's fierce struggle in his arms, Kurokawa couldn't help but sweat profusely and asked Aqua with a wry smile.

"...That Hikigaya Komachi, she's still alive."

His eyelids slightly drew back to cover half of his eyes, and Aqua's voice suddenly became a little low.

"Hmm? What's so strange about this? Isn't it just—Hmm!?"

He stopped talking halfway through, and then the expression on Kurokawa's face gradually changed, from stunned to astonished, and finally his eyes opened wide with disbelief.

"It seems you've noticed it too, Xiao Qian."

Nodding, Aqua said softly:

"If the scene playing out within this curtain is the true future, as before, then—Hikigaya Komachi would have died long ago."

"And not in the distant future, but soon after now."

A gray color flashed in his blue eyes, and even the star-shaped pupils no longer emitted light, but were shrouded in a strange darkness.

"In my spare time, I've been organizing a timeline of all the events in the previous future. I discovered that the key to the heroic character of Zaimokuza Yoshiteru was the loss of his parents in a car accident during the Sobu High School Cultural Festival... Just like Kousaka Kyousuke, who lost his father to a robbery, the initial pain of losing those close to him became the foundation for their future."

"In the car accident at the cultural festival, not only Zaimokuza Yoshiteru's parents died... but also Hikigaya Komachi. It was this incident that nearly tore the original Service Club apart."

After clenching his palms, Aqua's voice became low again.

"And the cultural festival was actually held in the last few days... However, to avoid a future tragedy, the Service Club proposed to Sobu High School that the festival be postponed for a month. This incident was even reported in the news, so I remember it clearly."

"But if the flow of time had remained unchanged... then Hikigaya Komachi would have been dead by now."

"So, what does this mean..."

Understanding the meaning of Aqua's words, Kurokawa spoke stutteringly, and his hands unconsciously loosened the restraint on the horse in his arms. However, the latter was now also listening attentively, and stared at the blond man with everyone else, expecting to get an answer from him.

"I do not know either."

Aqua said calmly.

"ha!???"

"After all, my major isn't police science or science, so how am I supposed to know what's going on? But..."

With his eyes rolling, Aqua looked casually towards the window where he could see outside.

"Someone should have found the answer already, right?"

"—Have you ever heard of the theory of parallel universes?"

In the service club's office, Yukinoshita Yukino, who had rushed back from the health room, placed the box full of medicine on the table and spoke to the other three people.

"Uh...Xiaoxue, what is that?"

Yuigahama Yui, whose breasts absorbed all the nutrients, tilted her empty brain and raised her hand to ask with an embarrassed expression.

"I read this theory in a book when I was reading extracurricular books to kill time."

Ye Shan helped her out and spoke thoughtfully while sitting on the chair.

"This theory means that there is not just one world we live in right now, but countless possible worlds coexisting. If I'm a student at Sobu High School in this world, I might be a student at a different school in another world."

"The two different worlds are caused by a single experience. For example, on the day of the Sobu High School entrance exam, I might have been in a car accident and ended up in the hospital, which resulted in me not being able to get into that school and having to go to another one... and so on."

Yeshan understood what Yukinoshita meant. He raised his head and looked at her with surprise.

"Yukinoshita-san, what do you mean..."

"That's right, just like what you said, Hayama-san."

After glancing at Hayama indifferently, Yukinoshita turned her gaze and explained to Yuigahama and Hikigaya who were looking over.

"Perhaps our proposal to postpone the cultural festival for a month, in order to avoid the tragedy that had occurred in the future, which had claimed the lives of Hikigaya and Zaimokuza's families, led to a completely new future, one completely different from the one we knew."

"In that future, Hikigaya's sister is still alive and well. The curtain before us... perhaps it is that brand new future world, a parallel world created by us."

"……probably."

Glancing imperceptibly at Hikigaya, who was frowning in thought, Yukinoshita's last words were barely audible.

[For the three classes of students at Sobu High School where Ye Shan is located, "Hikigaya Hachiman" is no longer a name, but an abstract representative symbol that is always far away.

The students had heard his name and seen him, but they could not remember what he looked like because no one had the opportunity to get close to him. However, his presence was like the sun floating above Sobu High School, and everyone in Sobu High School could clearly feel his presence.

Because every time the exam results were announced, his name was always at the top of the major lists, whether it was the overall ranking or the ranking of individual subjects, the name "Hikigaya Hachiman" was like welded to the highest position, and no one could shake it. This situation had not changed since he appeared in Sobu High School, even though his total attendance at school was estimated to be less than one-fifth of a semester.

But even so, it cannot change the fact that his deviation value ranks first in Sobu High School, because Hikigaya Hachiman's contribution to Sobu High School has transcended the constraints of school rules. The trophies and cups he won from the outside world filled up half of the classroom, and the number of awards and certificates could be spread out to replace the stairs in front of the auditorium.

If the other students of Sobu High School are students with "Sobu High School level", but still need to use the name of Sobu High School to prove their excellence, then Hikigaya Hachiman is completely the opposite. It is not that he needs Sobu High School to prove himself, but that Sobu High School needs him to prove its teaching ceiling.

To Sobu High School, he is the most talented student in the history of Sobu High School; to the top students of Sobu High School, he is an unshakable towering mountain in their high school career; to the ordinary students of Sobu High School, he is a cheater who exploited the biggest bug in Earth Online.

For Ye Shan, this was the first time that he felt what it felt like to be completely defeated.

When he was growing up, he had never met any boys of the same age who could rival him. Over time, even Ye Shan himself got used to this situation and even made this thought a subconscious one.

It was not until he met Hikigaya Hachiman, who had overwhelming talents in all aspects, that he personally shattered Yeshan's subconscious mind with his actual performance, making him truly realize from the inside out for the first time that there is always someone better than you.

The more outstanding a person is, the more unforgettable the first failure in his life will be. Hayama is no exception. The name "Hikigaya Hachiman" has thus become an indelible mark in his student life.

The moment she heard this name spoken by Hikigaya Komachi again, all the memories related to it were revived at the same time.

At this moment, the face of the girl in front of him merged into the face in his memory. Every inch of her eyebrows was filled with the familiar sense of déjà vu, which made Ye Shan couldn't help but open his eyes wide.

"You are...Hikigaya-san's sister?"

"Yes! Yes, my brother is Hikigaya Hachiman."

Hearing her brother's name from the senior whom she hadn't seen for a long time, Hikigaya Komachi clearly felt her heart beating uncontrollably faster in her chest, but she still suppressed her excitement and spoke in a calm tone.

"..."

The blue pupils reflected the profile of the person beside him, which was filled with hidden excitement and joy. Hoshino Aikuai lowered her gaze and turned away silently.

Hikigaya Komachi did not notice the slightly strange behavior of the people around her. All her attention was now focused on Hayama, and her clear and bright eyes were flashing with a bright light.

"Senior Yeshan, have you... seen my brother recently?"

Through the eye contact, Ye Shan could clearly see that there was irrepressible joy, nervousness, excitement, and anxiety in the depths of the girl's eyes.

If possible, he wouldn't mind fulfilling the expectation and joy in Hikigaya Komachi's eyes, but Hayama didn't have a habit of lying.

“…I’m sorry.”

After a long silence, Ye Shan shook his head slightly and spoke, and his answer made the emotions in Hikigaya Komachi's eyes freeze.

"I haven't seen Hikigaya since I graduated from high school, and our relationship can only be described as that of ordinary classmates, not even acquaintances."

"But I heard that he was accepted into MIT after graduation... That's all I know about Hikigaya-san."

Hikigaya Komachi could hear that Hayama was indeed not lying, and the relationship between him and his brother was indeed so cold that it could be explained in just these two short sentences.

"……Yeah?"

The joy in her heart was quickly dissipated. She withdrew her hands from Hayama's shoulders in disappointment. Hikigaya Komachi clenched her fists on her knees, lowered her head and bit her lips, her eyes becoming a little dim.

Brother, where are you...

"I'm sorry, I don't know where your brother went."

Ye Shan could feel the sense of loss emanating from Hikigaya Komachi, but even though he was quite concerned about it, there was something else that attracted his attention more at the moment.

"Now, can you tell me what's going on?"

Holding the card box in his hand and raising it, Ye Shan looked at the card box with an extremely complicated look.

"Regarding this card box I have, those monsters that devour humans, and...what exactly is the so-called 'Mirror World'?"

"Wow~? You actually know this term? It seems your ex did tell you something."

Turning around again, Hoshino raised his eyebrows and looked at Ye Shan with interest.

"But it seems that I haven't told you any of the most important information. I'm really a mean-spirited senior, letting you get involved in this without knowing what's going on."

"..."