My youth story cannot be a knight war

【02:25 PM 】

[“Yo-yo! I’m back!”]

[Zaimokuza raised his hand awkwardly and forced a smile, but his face twitched because the movement affected the wound on his body.]

【“…”】

[Yuigahama Yui sat on the chair with an expressionless face, her eyes slightly red as she looked at Zaimokuza, whose body, including his face, was covered in bandages, and she stared at him without saying a word.]

[“Don’t look at me like that…”]

[Zaimokuza's smile froze as he felt a little scared by her gaze, and he coughed a few times pretending to be serious before continuing.]

[“Yuigahama, you know me well. I am a man of my words! Since I promised you that I will not do anything dangerous, I will never go against my words.”]

【“…”】

[Yuigahama remained silent, stretched out her right hand to take the remote control on the desk and turned on the TV on the TV table in the distance. The voice of the host of the news channel sounded in this small office.]

[“The above are the details of this battle. After killing more than a dozen police officers, the unidentified life form No. 21 had a fierce battle with No. 4 at the quarry downstream of the Sumida River. According to exclusive news reports, No. 21 showed an ability similar to No. 4's ability to change form in the battle with No. 4. Its combat ability is overwhelmingly stronger than No. 4, and its destructive power is far beyond the unidentified life forms that appeared before. The quarry was completely destroyed in the aftermath of the battle between the two. The above is the video of the battle between No. 21 and No. 4 recorded by the reporter——”]

[As Zaimokuza's expression froze, the host on TV began to play a video clip. Both he and No. 21 were clearly visible in the video. It was obviously filmed from a very close distance. And judging from the clarity without any blur, the person who filmed it probably used a high-end brand HD camera.]

[That video was the beginning of his battle with No. 21 in Blue Dragon form. After the opponent changed his form to suppress him, Zaimokuza also transformed into Titan form to fight back, but was still defeated and was beaten back to the full-powered form. Finally, the enemy used that terrifying fireball to attack Zaimokuza who had transformed into the elemental awakening mode.]

[After capturing this scene, the originally motionless video camera suddenly shook, and a sandy corridor flashed continuously. A clear, rapid gasp could be heard from the TV speakers, and then a wave of air and a red light flashed on the edge of the video camera screen, which was visible even when the camera angle changed. Then, with a "sizzle" sound, the screen turned black.]

[“The above is the footage that our reporter took at the risk of his life in an abandoned delivery room close to the quarry. For this short footage of less than 20 minutes, he was hit by the aftermath of the battle and is now being treated in the hospital for minor burns. Please applaud his bravery. He heroically fulfilled his mission as a brave man to uncover the truth for the public!”]

[“This video, recorded by a brave man at the risk of his life, clearly shows how Number Four fought Number Twenty-One during the battle—”]

【Beep.】

[Yuigahama Yui turned off the TV and put down the remote control. She turned her head and looked at Zaimokuza expressionlessly, and spoke softly. ]

[“Is this what you said, that you won’t do anything dangerous?”]

[The voice is gentle and calm, but it carries a sense of majesty that is like the undercurrent surging beneath the sea. ]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza's face was filled with confusion at this moment, and his brain almost stopped working.】

[He had never imagined that someone had actually recorded the entire process of his battle with a camera just a few feet away. It was not until the blue fireball appeared that the person who filmed it realized something was wrong and fled in an emergency. In the end, he only suffered minor injuries from the aftermath of the terrifying attack?]

[What kind of super Hong Kong reporter is this! Is it necessary to work so hard! ? ]

[Zaimokuza was holding back his complaints but couldn't say anything. He could only be thankful that the scene of him turning back into a human after No. 21 left was not filmed by the other party, otherwise the headlines of tomorrow's news would probably be "No. 4's true identity is actually an ordinary human! ? A super warrior with the power of transformation! What is his true identity! ? " Such news headlines are exclusive to the shock department. 】

[Thinking about the endless pursuit of reporters and paparazzi that he might face in the future, and the unscrupulous nature of those guys for hot news, it is estimated that even his ancestors and all his dark history will be dug out and exposed to the sun for everyone to appreciate, forcing everyone to enter the unknown heart of the unconfirmed life form No. 4——]

[When Zaimokuza thought of that scene, his scalp went numb and he broke out in cold sweats. By that time, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru II would probably really say goodbye to this world and human society, and then spend the rest of his life hiding in some uninhabited, isolated place.]

[But the most important thing now is to think about how to fool Yuigahama Yui in front of me. ]

[“Well, this, this, this, there is an irresistible reason. I didn’t mean to lie to you! It’s just that I don’t know how to say it. After all, you, Yuigahama, you also know me. I can’t——”]

[Just when Zaimokuza was babbling nonsense and didn't know what to say, Yuigahama Yui gently reached out her hand and touched his bandaged forehead. ]

【"Well!"】

[Zaimokuza couldn't help but scream out in pain at the slight pain on his forehead, and he was speechless all of a sudden.]

[“…Does it hurt?”]

[A white and tender hand pushed aside the bangs in front of the bandage on Zaimokuza's forehead, and looking at the bloody white bandage, Yuigahama Yui's pink eyes were as tranquil as a lake, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.]

[“Uh, I, I’m fine. This injury will heal in no time.”]

[The reaction of the woman in front of him was completely different from what Zaimokuza had expected. He had been prepared to endure the scolding from her like a storm, but Yuigahama's move broke his expectations, causing Zaimokuza to become stunned and speak hesitantly.]

【“…”】

[Yuigahama Yui put down her hands, closed her eyes and thought for a while, then stood up, walked to the table not far away, took a cup and poured a glass of water from the kettle, opened the drawer, took out a box of painkillers for external injuries, and walked back. ]

[“Take a pill. Although your body is probably different from that of a human now, Zaimokuza, the painkiller should still have some pain-relieving effect.”]

【“…Oh! Okay.”】

【Zaimokuza stared at Yuigahama Yui in a daze. It took him a while to react to her gentle gaze. He reached out to take the water cup and painkillers from her in a panic, took out a pill and swallowed it with water.】

[“Um… Yuigahama, aren’t you going to scold me?”]

[Faced with the white and tender hand stretched out before him, Zaimokuza drank the entire glass of water but did not hand the glass back. Instead, he remained silent for a while and then spoke in a low voice.]

[“Why would I scold you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”]

[Yuigahama Yui shook her head, reached out to take the cup he was holding in both hands and walked back to the table to put it down.]

[“It’s just… I lied to you, aren’t you angry?”]

【Crash.】

[Yuigahama Yui paused as she was pouring water from the kettle, and the water from the kettle spilled directly onto the table.]

[“…If I tell you that I’m actually very angry, Zaimokuza, will you promise me that you won’t fight those unidentified life forms again?”]

[She gently put down the kettle and spoke softly without turning her head.]

【“…”】

【This sentence left Zaimokuza speechless.】

[Yuigahama Yui was right, except that he couldn't give any guarantees on this matter, or even if he did, he would definitely break them. She saw through him completely on this point.]

[“I want to protect everyone’s smiles”… that sounds really impressive, Zaimokuza.”]

[Yuigahama Yui leaned on the table with both hands and whispered this sentence. After listening to her mumbling, Zaimokuza looked at her slender back in astonishment.]

[“Why would you——”]

[Zaimokuza stopped talking halfway through his words, for obvious reasons.]

[“Just like what Zaimokuza thought, Koyuki told me.”]

[Yuigahama Yui turned around and smiled helplessly.]

[“I just called Xiaoxue and asked her why you had to do such a dangerous thing, and she said that this was the reason why you chose to fight.”]

[“You really haven’t changed at all. You’re still the same as you were in high school. You’re always so brave and determined about what you choose to do, and you’re also reckless, and you don’t consider the consequences.”]

[“Uh, Ms. Yuigahama, are you praising me or scolding me?”]

[Zaimokuza pointed at himself with an awkward expression, and Yuigahama Yui laughed and said.]

[“What are you thinking about? Of course I am praising you.”]

[“Really? But why do I feel something is wrong?”]

Zaimokuza scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat bewildered.

[Yuigahama Yui saw this and thought of something. The smile on her face faded a little bit, and her eyes lowered to the ground. After a long silence, she spoke.]

[“Zaimokuza, you know what? When I heard Koyuki tell me the reason why you chose to fight, for a moment, I suddenly felt——”]

[“…Now you are very similar to Xiaoqi.”]

[Hearing this nickname from Yuigahama Yui's mouth, Zaimokuza's eyes gradually widened and he stared at her blankly. ]

[Because he never thought that one day he would be able to hear this familiar name from this woman again.]

[Zaimokuza would only occasionally mention this name when he was alone with Yukinoshita Yukino. At other times, especially in front of Yuigahama Yui, the two of them would tacitly never say this name, as if the person represented by this name had never appeared in their lives.]

[Because when the news came that year, the ones who were most hurt were never him and Yukinoshita Yukino, but the woman in front of him who was still a girl at that time. It was not until that time that Zaimokuza discovered something. ]

[That is, he greatly underestimated her feelings for Hikigaya Hachiman and did not realize how deeply Yuigahama Yui loved Hikigaya Hachiman. ]

Chiba Prefecture, Sobu High School, health room.

"..."

The place became silent again, and everyone's eyes turned to two people here, who were also the male and female protagonists of the leaked content in this video.

Yuigahama Yui, Hikigaya Hachiman.

"Ah? Ah? Ah ah ah ah ah!???????"

Yuigahama Yui blinked her big eyes blankly, a little unable to recover from the shock. When she came to her senses, she let out a very loud scream.

Her fair cheeks turned red, her eyes turned into mosquito coils, the seductive blush spread from her neck to her entire face, and there was a faint sense of heat rising from the two balls on top of her head.

"I- ...

Yuigahama Yui waved her hands and spoke incoherently. The gazes from everyone around her made her so ashamed that she almost fainted.

"Oh~ I didn't expect that Yui would——"

Ebina Hina approached her with a mischievous smile, stretched out her hands and pressed on Yuigahama Yui's shoulders. When she was touched, the girl trembled all over, like a lamb entangled by a poisonous snake.

“Wow, wow, I was wondering why you were always going to Yukishita’s Service Club, Yui. I see~”

Miura Yumiko also smiled very slyly, lowered her head and looked at Yuigahama Yui, looking at the pair of panicked eyes with a playful look.

"Hey~ Hikigaya, what do you think about this?"

Shizuya Hiratsuka rubbed his chin and smiled like an uncle who was enjoying a show, then turned to look at Hikigaya who was standing next to him and asked.

"..."

How can I watch it? Can I not watch it?

Hikigaya just felt very embarrassed, so embarrassed that he wanted to use his feet to dig out a three-bedroom apartment here, and then live in it forever and never come out.

He, who was usually calm, blushed rarely. He turned his gaze away and didn't dare look at Yuigahama Yui who was being harassed by two female hooligans, to avoid making both parties more embarrassed at this moment.

At this moment, he somewhat understood what Zaimokuza was thinking when he knew that he and Ebina would become boyfriend and girlfriend in the future, and he couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic in his heart -

Wait! Isn't it my future self who is the culprit for my embarrassment? Why am I so touched!

Hikigaya Hachiman reacted and immediately turned his head to give Zaimokuza, who was still unconscious on the bed, a death stare. However, Zaimokuza, who was in a coma, naturally could not feel the malicious gaze from his best friend. In his coma, he frowned, as if he had dreamed about something bad.

[“I look like… Hachiman now?”]

【"Um."】

【Zaimokuza pointed at himself, his face full of uncertainty, and Yuigahama Yui nodded slightly in response to his question.】

[“When I say you and Xiaoqi are very similar, I’m not referring to your personalities or work styles, but that you two are the same people deep down.”]

[“Perhaps you won’t believe this, Zaimokuza, but actually when we were in high school, I felt that you two were very similar in some ways, such as—”]

[“You two are actually people who will lend a helping hand and wipe away other people’s tears without hesitation when they are in trouble.”]

[“Hey, hey? Yuigahama, you suddenly praised me like this. I feel a little embarrassed…”]

[Zaimokuza, who is always fearless and has a thick skin that can go to Kousaka Kyosuke for a meal with a smile on his face, blushed because of Yuigahama Yui's praise, and rubbed his head with an embarrassed and shy look. ]

[“I’m not praising you. I’m just stating the truth.”]

[Yuigahama Yui smiled and shook her head, speaking softly, but she didn't know what she was thinking about, her clear eyes became a little dim.]

[“…But that’s why I’m worried.”]

【"?"】

[The hand that was rubbing his hair stopped, Zaimokuza's lips opened and closed, looking at Yuigahama Yui in confusion. ]

【"Why……?"】

[“…Because Xiao Qi would never stand by and watch people in trouble die. He would always try to save them in his own way, and he would always succeed.”]

[“But many times, small businesses are too stubborn. Not only are they stubborn, but the methods they use are also extreme, which is often unacceptable to others.”]

[“When he did those things, he not only hurt others, but also hurt himself and those who cared about him.”]

[“…You should be very clear about this, right? Zaimokuza.”]

[When Zaimokuza heard her say this, some scenes from the distant past immediately emerged in his mind.]

[The dark night, the woods, the children who were surrounded, the adults who forced them to make their own choices, the panicked eyes of all the children, and the expressions of disbelief and anger of the chosen children...]

[Even though many years have passed, Zaimokuza still can't forget what happened that day. It was the first time that he and his best friend had a disagreement on something. ]

【“…”】

[His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.]

[“It seems you’ve remembered it too… and that’s why I’m worried.”]