My youth story cannot be a knight war

[“At the end of that dream, I…saw Hachiman.”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino said nothing about this, and Zaimokuza could not see her expression at this moment. He could only see her legs crossed in black stockings from his lowered gaze, and had no way of judging what she was thinking.]

[But after he said this, the chill that had been gathering around him quickly dissipated, and the laboratory returned to its previous atmosphere.]

【Zaimokuza didn't know how much time had passed. He only knew that during this time, the sound of his heart beating in his chest seemed to be clearly audible, and the ups and downs of the pulsation seemed to ring directly beside his ears.】

【"--Yeah."】

[After a long while, Yukinoshita's words were accompanied by the sound of keyboard typing. Zaimokuza looked up after hearing her voice return to normal, and saw her turn back to the table again, typing on the computer.]

[“In that case, then what was the Hikigaya-san you met like?”]

[She continued to ask without turning her head. Although her voice was calm, the attentive Zaimokuza still heard something hidden in this sentence, and his expression became even more silent.]

[“He’s… fine, just like he was in high school, always hunched over and with those dead fish eyes.”]

[“…That does sound good.”]

[After Yukinoshita said this, she stopped talking, and Zaimokuza opened his mouth, but suddenly found that he couldn't find a topic to talk about, which caused the atmosphere between the two of them to fall silent.]

【“——Ahem.”】

[Just when the conversation was about to become stalemate again, a few coughs interrupted the conversation.]

[“It may be impolite to interrupt your conversation at this time, but I think we should pay more attention to the problem happening to Zaimokuza, Ms. Yukinoshita.”]

[After standing by the window like a wooden sculpture and watching silently for a long time, Kousaka Kyosuke finally found his chance to interrupt and walked over to speak. As a third party, he also broke the awkward atmosphere between the two. ]

[“Although there are many mysteries we are facing, I think the changes that the belt in Zaimokuza’s body has undergone now should be related to the ‘ultimate’ that the voice he heard when he was unconscious said. After all, all these changes began after he woke up from that dream.”]

[“We had gone to Makishima for a checkup before, but the results were no different from the previous times we went. I guess it would be difficult to find out anything about this change with modern medical methods, so I came to you, Ms. Yukinoshita.”]

[“I think that the inscriptions you’ve been translating, Ms. Yukinoshita, may contain the key to Zaimokuza’s current changes, just like the information we got about Kuuga’s various forms and Graham from translating those inscriptions. Now we can only rely on you.”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke nodded slightly in response to Zaimokuza's grateful gaze, and then continued to ask Yukinoshita.]

[“So, Ms. Yukinoshita, do you have any idea about this now?”]

[“Your thinking is correct, Officer Kosaka. I am thinking the same thing as you.”]

[Yukinoshita Yukino spoke softly while typing on the keyboard. At this moment, she was no longer in the strange atmosphere she had just had. She was serious and rigorous in her work mode and would not be affected by any other unnecessary emotions.]

[“Now we can only hope that there may be other clues hidden in these inscriptions, but unfortunately, the translation of these inscriptions is too difficult. Even though I have been following the progress for the past few months, the total number of inscriptions I have translated only accounts for the total number of inscriptions discovered from the Jiulangyue ruins, and new things are still being discovered there.”]

[“I can only promise that I will keep an eye on this progress, but in the meantime, please Officer Kosaka, keep an eye on Zaimokuza-kun and don’t let him do anything rash again.”]

[“Don’t worry, I will. He won’t cause any big trouble under my surveillance.”]

[“Thank you for your understanding. Zaimokuza-san’s promiscuous style has always been a headache for me. Now someone is finally willing to help me share this pressure. I am really grateful.”]

[“You’re welcome. Now I fully understand how hard Ms. Yukinoshita has worked in the past. I really admire you for taking care of this guy for so many years.”]

【"Well……"】

【Zaimokuza listened to their mutual boasting about business, and for some reason he felt like a parent asking a school teacher to keep an eye on his naughty child, and his expression became awkward.】

"Do I look so unreliable?" he muttered to himself.

【Om—】

[“Hmm? Xiao Wei?”]

[The phone in his pocket vibrated slightly at this moment, making a unique sound of receiving a message. Zaimokuza took out his phone and looked at the sender's name "Hirasawa Yui", and curiously clicked on the received message.]

[——Yoshiki-nii, yesterday we took 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. 】

[“It turned out to be the delayed information set yesterday. They went to Niigata City for a training camp? Haha~ Thank you for your concern. You should also do your best.”]

[Attached to these two messages were photos of the group of them. Zaimokuza smiled at the photos, and his depressed mood improved a lot. ]

[“Hmm? Aren’t these the girls you saved in the incident number 23?”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke's voice came from the side. He came to Zaimokuza's side and looked at the photo on the phone screen with some curiosity.]

[“Yeah, and I saved them once afterwards. Those little guys are really interesting. I feel that the atmosphere between them is very similar to that of the Minister and the Service Club we established in high school. And we met a few times and it seemed like a coincidence, so I gave them my contact information.”]

[“Huh? That’s all? I thought you finally got the hang of it and wanted to find a girlfriend. After all, they’re pretty, aren’t they?”]

[“But I must warn you first, Zaimokuza. You should know that Miss Ebina has always been in love with you. Don’t be a scumbag who gets bored easily.”]

[“Cough, cough, cough!”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke rubbed his chin with interest, and teased with a slightly mischievous expression, and these few words almost made Zaimokuza spit out saliva from his mouth, and he coughed violently a few times and choked back. ]

[“Hey, hey, hey! Mr. Kosaka, am I that kind of person in your eyes? No matter what, I can’t possibly do anything to Xiao Wei and the others. There’s such a big age gap between us, and I always treat them as my sisters!”]

[“And I’ve said it many times! Hime and I are actually… Anyway, I know myself very well. I know that I’m not the type that many girls like, so stop joking about this!”]

【Zaimokuza argued anxiously, his face flushed, and he got stuck a few times when he mentioned Ebina, but he continued to speak stubbornly.】

[“…Is your self-awareness that you never look in the mirror when you say something like this?”]

[Looking at Zaimokuza's flushed face, and thinking about the other women besides Ebina Himena who were obviously interested in him, Kousaka Kyousuke's expression was slightly speechless. ]

【Di-】

[“Hmm? Five o’clock?”]

[At this moment, the phone in Kousaka Kyosuke's pocket also rang. He took out his phone and looked at the caller on the screen, and his brows furrowed instantly.]

[“Hello, it’s me, Gogen, what’s up!!!”]

[Before he finished speaking, Kousaka Kyousuke's expression suddenly changed and he shouted, startling Zaimokuza who was standing opposite him and also attracting the attention of Yukinoshita who was typing on the keyboard, and she looked towards them.]

[“Have you found out what the victims have in common? I see…”]

[“Understood. I’ll be there right away. Notify the nearby police station immediately to provide support and evacuate the people. The rest will be decided after I arrive!”]

[Kousaka Kyousuke hung up the phone after he finished speaking. Before Zaimokuza could ask, he said with a serious look on his face.]

【“Number 26 is about to take action.”】

[“So fast!? Are you sure it’s this?”]

【Zaimokuza was greatly surprised and asked hurriedly.】

[“Confirmed. Its method is exactly the same as last time. All the bodies of the victims found were hacked to death by it with a sickle. The wounds are almost the same. And now it has been confirmed that the deceased had taken the Shinkansen before. So it must be number 26.”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke nodded and said in a deep voice.]

[“Then quickly check who has taken the Sobu Line today, send people to gather them together for protection, and we will ambush them immediately—”]

[“No, the Sobu Line was already banned yesterday, and it hasn’t been unblocked even today, so the target of the 26th’s hunt is not someone from the Sobu Line.”]

[Before Zaimokuza could finish his words, Kousaka Kyousuke interrupted him and told him information that made him confused.]

[“If it’s not the Sobu Line, then the people it killed this time all took that line?”]

“That’s the problem.”

【Kousaka Kyosuke glanced at Zaimokuza deeply, his voice filled with unprecedented solemnity.】

[“This time, its targets are all passengers who have taken the Tokaido Main Line, and the hunting range... covers the entire country!”]

[This sentence made Zaimokuza's face turn pale. What does it mean to hunt all over the country? ]

[“I know it’s hard for you to believe, but it’s true.”]

【Kousaka Kyosuke rubbed his brows when he saw him like this, and then continued.】

[“An hour ago, it killed 21 victims in Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture, and half an hour later, it appeared in Tateyama Town, Toyama Prefecture and killed 32 victims. Then, half an hour ago, on the 26th, it appeared in Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture and killed 12 people. The total straight-line distance of the crimes almost spans the east and west ends of Japan!”]

[“If the figures captured in the surveillance video had not had so many similarities, no one would have dared to believe that it was possible for it to commit the crime across a distance of hundreds of kilometers in just over an hour. It is precisely because the scope of the crime was so wide that the intelligence summary was not sent to the headquarters until just now to confirm the identity of the perpetrator.”]

[“This Frontal 26 has extremely strong mobility, and after investigation, it was found that the passengers killed by it had all taken the Tokaido Main Line from the Kyoto area yesterday. I will tell you the details on the way, but now we need to set off immediately.”]

[“Okay, no problem! Minister, let’s just wait a moment!”]

[Zaimokuza nodded, and just as he turned around to say goodbye to Yukinoshita Yukino who stood up and looked at him worriedly, his expression suddenly became dull. ]

[His neck was like a rusty machine. He slowly turned his head to look at Kousaka Kyosuke, whose eyebrows were furrowed. His voice was unusually hoarse.]

[“Mr. Kosaka… can you confirm that the victims killed by No. 26 this time were all passengers who took the Tokaido Main Line yesterday?”]

[“Yes, what’s wrong?”]

【Kousaka Kyousuke saw that Zaimokuza's expression suddenly became very ugly, and he felt something was wrong, so he answered affirmatively.】

[“——Oops!”]

[Zaimokuza's expression changed drastically after receiving the reply. He immediately took out his phone and clicked on the delayed message he had just received, staring intently at the last line of text and the date of sending below.]

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

[And the sending time displayed is exactly yesterday! ]

……

【Shiga Prefecture, Maibara Station, Tokaido Main Line. 】

【yesterday.】

[“Hey, it seems our seats are all in the last few carriages.”]

[After Hirasawa Yui came in, Akiyama Mio, who was the last to enter the carriage, took out the ticket she had kept for everyone and looked at the seat number, then raised her head, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and spoke to the people in front of her. ]

[“It’s so uncomfortable~ We have to squeeze into the carriage. Can’t we just ask the butler to drive us there directly like last time?”]

[Taizhong Ritsu turned her head to look at the crowded people walking in the carriage. She was so tired after being exposed to the sun for a while that she almost wanted to lie down on the ground. She spoke weakly.]

[“Lü, you can’t be so willful! It’s good enough that you helped us solve the accommodation problem, you can’t make so many more demands!”]

[After hearing her friend's words, Akiyama Mio raised her long and thin eyebrows, stretched out her hands to pull her soft cheeks, and said unhappily.]

[“I am Kai Wangxiao’s, please stop teasing me, Mio’s mother!”]

[Taizhong Ritsu's cheeks were stretched so long that they turned red, and she shook her hands, saying with tears in her eyes.]

[“You can’t even joke around. It’s just that people are too nice to you, which is why you’ve become this lazy and greedy person. I need to teach you a lesson. Who dared to collect the photos of me making a fool of myself in the academy? (whispering)”]

[“It’s in the dishes of Zui Hou’s game, right? Woo woo woo~”]

[“Okay, okay~”]

[Kotobuki smiled and freed Tainaka Ritsu from the punishment of rubbing her face by Akiyama Mio, and stroked her hair with a smile.]

[“I’m sorry, Xiaolu, please let me be willful for once. I have wanted to try riding the Shinkansen for a long time, but I never had the chance. So can you accept my little selfish desire?”]

【““Wipe, wipe Bushi!”】

[“This child is an angel!”]

[Hirazawa Yui, Nakano Azusa, and Yamanaka Sawako couldn't help but put their hands in front of their faces and screamed. They felt that at this moment, a radiance like that of the Virgin Mary was emanating from Kotobuki, who was stroking Tianzhong Ritsu's hair, stinging their eyes that had been tempered by the dirty school.]

[“Well, just pamper her, ?——Ah!”]

[“Mio! Are you okay?”]

[Akiyama Mio looked at her friend who was hugging Kotobuki's slender waist and hiding behind her, staring at her with tears in her eyes. Just when she was about to sigh helplessly, a force from behind pushed her a few steps. Fortunately, Kotobuki, who was standing in front of her, quickly reached out and held her, otherwise she would have hit the wall of the car.]

[A fashionable figure walked into the carriage behind her, pushed Akiyama Mio who was standing in front of the entrance aside, and walked into the carriage without looking back, holding a ticket in his hand.]

【"sorry!"】

[It was Mio Akiyama who was hit, but she hurriedly bowed and apologized to the person who was walking away, but the person continued to walk forward without even turning his head. This behavior of completely ignoring her made Tianzhong Ritsu couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and shouted at the back of the person who was walking away with a somewhat angry voice. ]

[“Hey! Why are you like this? It was you who bumped into Mio first! Why should Mio apologize to you?”]

[Although she usually teases Akiyama Mio, no one in the light music club cares about her childhood sweetheart more than the tomboy. Seeing that she is being bullied, she can't help but stand up for her. ]

[After hearing her words, the figure stopped and turned to look at Tian Jingzhong Ritsu, his eyes full of indifference.]

[“I said, you—Mmmmm!”]

[“Lu! You can’t talk to people like that. I was the one who blocked their way first. I’m the one who made the mistake.”]

【Seeing that Tianzhong Ritsu was about to say something, Akiyama Mio quickly reached out and blocked her mouth, then turned around and said to her with an apologetic smile.】

【“…”】

[In response to Akiyama Mio's apology, the other party still said nothing and turned around and walked back into the car. ]

[“——Puha! Mio, why didn’t you let me tell her? Even though you were blocking the way, that person didn’t have the right to knock you out of the way like that! What if he got hurt?”]

[After the figure walked away, Tian Zhongli, with a red face, pulled away his friend's hand that was blocking his mouth, and said with a little dissatisfaction. ]