My youth story cannot be a knight war

【Looking at Hirasawa Yui making this gesture, the other girls vaguely saw Zaimokuza's figure in her at this moment, and before they could react, they heard her continue to speak.】

[“Isn’t that what he always said? When encountering such a thing, just trust him. Brother Yihui will definitely protect our smiles.”]

[“Because he’s a great hero who has always protected everyone!”]

[“You… stop imitating others. These words really don’t suit you at all.”]

[Zaimokuza's words seemed to ring in her ears. Akiyama Mio was stunned for a moment, then spoke without words.]

[But even Akiyama Mio herself didn't notice that the corners of her mouth had already curled up slightly. ]

[It's incredible. Even though we are thousands of miles away, after hearing what he said, I feel a familiar sense of security in my heart.]

[This is probably a trait that belongs to that person. No one can imitate this.]

【“Everyone, I’m sorry! I’m late!”】

[“Xiao Zuohe? You are finally here!”]

[A shout came from behind. When Tianzhong Ritsu heard the voice, he immediately raised his eyebrows and turned around to complain. ]

[A pretty woman wearing a summer dress and glasses is running over with a suitcase, holding her visor with one hand.]

[This young woman is the instructor of the light music club, Yamanaka Sawako. She felt the resentment in the eyes of the girls and suddenly shouted with her hands clasped together.]

[“I’m sorry! I was originally planning to take a bus here, but there was a traffic jam on the way, so I had to run here by myself.”]

[“So please forgive me, Xiaolu!”]

[“Don’t, don’t hug me so suddenly, I——Ah!!!”]

[As a mean lady, she could tell which one of them was the most difficult to deal with at a glance. Knowing the principle of "if you can't solve the problem, solve the person who raised the problem", Yamanaka Sawako cried and hugged Tianzhong Ritsu before she could even open her mouth to speak, burying her face in her broad bosom that was actually invisible when she was dressed.]

[Taizhong Ritsu struggled hard with his ability to speak blocked, but still couldn't resist the terrifying force of the other party holding his head. The strength of his struggle gradually weakened, and finally his hands and feet drooped and swayed weakly. ]

[“Hey, everyone, can you forgive the teacher for being late? Hey!”]

[Holding the head of the light music club who was killed by her breasts in her arms, Yamanaka Sawako looked at the other girls with tears in her eyes, with an expression that said, "If you don't forgive me, I will cry for you to see." ]

[Light music section except the head teacher: """...""]

[Woo——]

[At this moment, the unique whistle of the Shinkansen came from afar, and the streamlined white front of the Tokaido Shinkansen gradually approached with the sound. ]

[“Well, the Shinkansen just arrived. I’ll forgive you this time, Mr. Sawako, but don’t be late again next time~”]

[In the end, it was Kotobuki who came out to mediate. The girl's gentle voice made Yamanaka Sawako feel as if she had been pardoned. She threw Tiananaka Ritsu, who was already foaming at the mouth, into Akiyama Mio's arms and hugged her with tears streaming down her face.]

[“?! You are so kind. I really wish I had a sister like you. Why don’t I just talk to your father and let me adopt you!”]

[“Hahahaha, this…”]

[“Hey, let’s take a photo together~”]

[Just as Kotobuki refused the proposal with a wry smile, Hirasawa Yui interrupted their conversation again, holding up her phone connected to a selfie stick with a lively expression and said.]

[“It’s so hard to get everyone in the light music club together. Let’s take a picture to commemorate it.”]

“Good idea.”

[Before anyone could say anything, Yamanaka Sawako stretched out her hand, hugged the other three girls, and smiled brightly at the phone. She was very confident about her makeup today.]

[“Come on, let’s create an unforgettable memory together. High school photos are the most precious treasures in your life!”]

【“OK~ Then one, two, three.”】

[“Wait! Senior Wei, I’m not ready yet—”]

【“Eggplant!”】

[Click——]

[In the photo, Hirasawa Yui is making a "Yeah" sign in the photo ╰(￣▽￣)╭, and behind her is Yamanaka Sawako, who is holding several girls and smiling with her teeth showing, Nakano Azusa, who is in her arms and looks flustered, Akiyama Mio, who is holding her unconscious best friend and looks helpless, and Kotobuki, who is looking at the camera with a smile. ]

【“Mio.”】

[At the moment when the camera of the mobile phone lit up, Kotobuki spoke softly to Akiyama Mio who was standing next to her, drawing her attention to her beautiful half-smiling face.]

[“Trust Zaimokuza-senpai and Officer Kousaka. The only thing we can do is trust them.”]

……

[“Wei! Hurry up and get in the car. Everyone is waiting for you.”]

[After entering the Shinkansen, Akiyama Mio turned around and found that Hirasawa Yui was still standing there without moving, so she waved her hands and shouted at her back. ]

[“Wait a minute! I’ll send you a message first, and I’ll be right there—Hey~whoosh!”]

[After looking at the message she had edited, Hirasawa Yui nodded her head with satisfaction and pressed the send button with her finger.]

[“Huh? Why did I click on delayed sending? Never mind~”]

[She scratched her hair, then turned around and trotted towards Akiyama Mio who was standing at the entrance of the Shinkansen carriage.]

[The message she sent showed the following content:]

[——Yoshiki-nii, we are going to take the Shinkansen to the villa of the Xiao family on the beach in Niigata City for a joint training camp. We will do our best, and you should do your best tooφ(゜▽゜*)?～”]

【——Leave a message at Maibara Station Tokaido Main Line (～￣(OO)￣)ブ. 】

……

【Tokyo. 】

【More than an hour ago. 】

[“It seems that the Lindos have figured out the rules of your game.”]

[Baruba stood on a tall building, from where he could overlook the discontinued Sobu Line from a distance, and turned to Garima who was standing behind him and said.]

[“It doesn’t matter. It’s just the place I used last time. Now I can change to another toy.”]

[Garima ignored her words and played with his phone. ]

[Although it has only been about half a year since they woke up from the seal, if ordinary humans had experienced this, they might not even have mastered the language used in this era, but these Gurongi not only mastered it perfectly, but they are even better than today's young people in adapting to some trendy styles.]

[For example, Garima is now wearing a very fashionable hot pants and short-sleeved T-shirt, and a baseball cap. He is looking down at his phone, just like the young people today. No one could have guessed that he is actually the unconfirmed life form No. 26 that is killing people in the news. Even the news about him is being continuously broadcast on the horizontal screen of the building opposite this building.]

【“——Got it.”】

[The finger sliding on the touch screen suddenly stopped, and Garima looked at the map displayed on the phone, his eyes shining. ]

[“I found my new gaming goal~”]

[It drew a red line on the map it found, and then raised it towards Baruba, who narrowed his eyes and said with interest.]

[“Wow? This is a really long route. Are you sure you want to use this as your game goal?”]

[As he spoke, Baruba raised his hand with the ring on it, and the golden striker shone coldly in the sunlight.]

[“Of course, I want to test my current strength, so of course I have to find a more suitable target.”]

[Garima turned over the phone and looked at the red line drawn by the oil on it, with a cold arc at the corner of his mouth.]

[“The Tokaido Main Line… This route that separates the east and west of the Rindo country is the best prey for experimenting with abilities, isn’t it?”]

4. Hunter's Mark (K)

【One day later.】

【Tokyo, Jonan University, Research Laboratory. 】

【 09:34 AM 】

[“That’s how it is…”]

[Zaimokuza, who was sitting on a chair, took a sip of coffee while staring at the woman typing on the keyboard with his eyes that had dark circles under them.]

【"I see."】

[Yukinoshita Yukino replied calmly while typing away on the keyboard.]

[“Anyway, after you two spent a day at the Sobu Line and still didn’t find any trace of the 26th, you thought it must have gone into hiding, so you came to me this morning to ask if I had any clues about the recent changes in Zaimokuza-san, right?”]

[“Uh… yes.”]

【Zaimokuza was keenly aware of the undercurrent of anger hidden beneath Yukinoshita Yukino's calm tone, and spoke awkwardly after swallowing his saliva.】

[“When did the mutation begin?”]

【“Since, since the last time I was hospitalized.”】

[The white fingers tapping the keyboard stopped, Yukinoshita Yukino slowly turned her head and looked at him, and spoke in a calmer voice than before, like ice and snow hitting Zaimokuza's face. ]

[“…Why are you telling me now?”]

【"……sorry."】

【Based on Zaimokuza's understanding of Yukinoshita Yukino over the years, he knew that she was really angry this time, so he gave in without hesitation and said in a low voice.】

[“What’s the point of saying sorry now? If this situation wasn’t urgent, would you have kept it a secret from me forever?”]

[Yukinoshita's eyes were very cold at this moment, and Zaimokuza felt as if he was stabbed by a long knife. He subconsciously dodged and lowered his head in silence.]

[“Um, I…”]

[“Let me guess what you want to say next. I think you must want to say - 'I chose to do this because I don’t want you, the minister, to worry about me', right?”]

【“…”】

【Zaimokuza showed an embarrassed expression as if his heart was touched, and just repeated the same sentence.】

[“Please, help me…Bullmaster.”]

【“——”】

[Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath, used the large amount of oxygen that poured into her chest to suppress the anger in her heart, and said in a cold voice.]

[“…Just this once. Next time, if you dare to hide something like this from me, don’t come here to find me again.”]

[“Now, tell me exactly what happened before the mutation occurred in you. Don’t lie to me again.”]

【"no problem!"】

【Zaimokuza nodded quickly, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that the matter was over.】

[Next, he told Yukinoshita Yukino about the time he was poisoned in the battle with No. 25 and was sent to the hospital, the mysterious voice he heard when he was unconscious, and the strange dream he fell into afterwards. After listening to his retelling, the other party frowned deeply.]

[“You mean, that mysterious voice also appeared in the previous battle with No. 23, and then appeared again when you were poisoned and dying last time, telling you that if you want to survive, you must find your true self in your dreams, and then embark on the road to the ultimate?”]

[Zaimokuza nodded, and Yukinoshita Yukino sighed helplessly, rubbing her aching temple with her fingers and said.]

[“There are more and more mysteries about the belt you are wearing, the mysterious voice, and the so-called ‘ultimate’… Zaimokuza-san, are you sure she really speaks our language——hmm?”]

[When she looked up and was about to ask some questions, she suddenly found that Zaimokuza's eyes were evasive, and this discovery immediately made Yukinoshita Yukino narrow her eyes. ]

[“Zaimokuza-san, are you hiding something from me?”]

[Hearing Yukinoshita's sudden words, Zaimokuza shuddered reflexively, and quickly forced a smile on his face and spoke.]

[“What are you talking about? Minister, I have told you everything I should tell you. How could I possibly be hiding something?”]

[…Has anyone ever told you that you’ve been like this since high school? Whenever you’re having fun or hiding something from others, your eyes will subconsciously turn in another direction when you’re talking to someone.”]

【"Well……"】

【“——Zaimokuza-san.”】

[She slowly turned her chair and looked up at Zaimokuza who was standing in front of her. Although she was looking up at him, Zaimokuza felt that he was the one being looked down upon. The majestic look in her eyes reminded him of the time when he was a child and was caught by his mother after being naughty. His whole body seemed to shrink under the gaze.]

[“You don’t look like someone who would suffer from amnesia or other old age diseases so early, so you should still remember what I just said to you, right?”]

【"……yes."】

[Faced with this ultimatum, Zaimokuza could no longer pretend and could only nod. ]

[“Then tell me, what else are you hiding from me?”]

[“Actually, I…”]

【Zaimokuza glanced at Yukinoshita's expressionless face from the corner of his eye, while twirling his index fingers, carefully brewing his words.】