My youth story cannot be a knight war

Kyoto Prefecture, Kitauji, Musical Instruments Department.

"Hey hey...are you kidding me?"

The two best friends who were originally playing around stopped what they were doing at the same time. Kumiko Huangmae, with half of her face being grabbed by Reina Kousaka, stared blankly at the figure that appeared on the screen, with cold sweat flowing down her forehead.

"Why would someone like B1 come to our school?!"

The noise that exploded outside the office could not be blocked even by a door. All the students were boiling with excitement, but they were no longer surprised, but terrified.

No one has forgotten what happened to the previous school where the Gurongi appeared. As a result, the private Sakuragaoka Girls' High School, the original school, is now inundated with calls from parents seeking to transfer their children. The ringing of the phones echoes through the hallways almost constantly. This has left the school's principal in tears, and she harbors a deep hatred for the Gurongi clan, who may still be slumbering in the ruins of Kurotake in Nagano Prefecture.

If the principal had the ability to do so, he would definitely not mind filling Jiulangyue, where the ruins were located, with a few nuclear bombs, and then blowing up the entire Jiulangyue along with the ruins.

Kumiko Huangqian didn't know how the principal felt, nor did she know what others were thinking, but she at least knew what she wanted.

She silently turned her head and looked at Reina Kousaka who was also staring blankly at the light screen in front of her. Suddenly, she held her hands in front of her body and looked at her friend who was looking at her in surprise with "affectionate" eyes.

"Reina—please marry me now! We'll get married right here. If you don't mind, we can have our wedding night right here on this chair!"

"Then, we'll board a plane to the United States tonight! Settle down in your villa in the United States! Never go back—"

Snapped!

The crisp sound of slaps echoed in the office, even temporarily drowning out the hurried footsteps and noise of students outside, attracting many people's surprised and confused gazes.

【“——”】

[Looking at the finger approaching her, Akiyama Mio even stopped breathing at this moment, and infinite despair and fear surged from the depths of her soul.]

[Someone come, save me...]

Suddenly, with his fingertips only a few millimeters away from Akiyama Mio's forehead, Baruba stopped moving, and the light from his fingertips dissipated like sparks in water.

A sharp whistling wind exploded behind Akiyama Mio. A slender black shadow, with the terrifying force of a sniper rifle, approached from a distance at breakneck speed, charging directly at Baruba's face. At that speed, even a piece of paper could easily crack a person's facial bones.

But Baruba reached out and caught the shadow. The plastic bottle of milk tea tumbled in her palm, but miraculously didn't burst. A strange, gentle force emanated from her palm, absorbing all the impact and inertia of the bottle.

[At the same time, as the old windbreaker fell to the floor, Akiyama Mio, who had been sitting in the chair in front of her, disappeared. Seeing this, Baruba calmly put down the milk tea in her hand and looked behind her.]

[“Hello again, KUUGA.”]

Zaimokuza, half-crouching not far behind Baruba, gazed at her gravely. He lifted Akiyama Mio into a princess-like embrace, another cup of milk tea spilling at her feet. The girl buried her face in his embrace, clutching his collar tightly with both hands, trembling.

"What exactly is your purpose? B1."

Zaimokuza stood up, holding Akiyama Mio in his arms. His tone was as cold as his gaze. Everything that was happening now brought back memories from over a month ago. His grip on Akiyama Mio's shoulders tightened slightly under the surge of emotion.

"You don't need to be so hostile towards me. I don't harbor any ill will towards the girl in your arms."

Baruba glanced at him, then lowered his head to fiddle with the cup of milk tea in his hand and said.

"Now is not the time for 'Kikiru', and I don't have the authority to kill. You don't have to worry about what I might do here."

"My eyes are not blind!"

Zaimokuza spoke in a tone that was completely different from his usual cold tone. Recalling the scene of the other party attacking Akiyama Mio, a strong sense of fear and anger surged within him.

He hadn't imagined that in the brief moment he'd left to buy milk tea, Gurongi would appear before Akiyama Mio, even attempting to do something... This all-too-familiar scene brought back memories of the school festival Zaimokuza had attended. His intense murderous intent nearly drove him mad when he sensed his presence within the academy. The uncontrollable ferocity in his eyes had even frightened the girl selling milk tea into tears.

[“…You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”]

Baruba silently stared at Zaimokuza, whose eyes were thick with murderous intent. His eyelids narrowed slightly, and a golden glow flashed beneath his eyelashes for a moment before fading.

"But you'd better control your anger. The sacred spring in your heart is running low... And you don't want to start a fight here, do you?"

【“——”】

Her first words froze Zaimokuza's expression, but her next words hit home. He truly didn't want to start a battle with Baruba here. Facing a Gurongi of her caliber, a fight would mean the school and the surrounding area would be destroyed. And that was secondary. The main issue was that many people were still stranded here. If they started now, the aftermath alone would result in countless deaths.

[The tragedy that happened in the past is an eternal taboo and an unsolvable knot in his heart. No matter what, Zaimokuza does not want such a tragedy to happen again.]

At the same time, he felt a slight sense of relief. Zaimokuza had indeed not sensed any fighting or murderous intent from Baruba, and his movements were very casual, proving that he had no intention of attacking.

Even so, Zaimokuza had no intention of letting his guard down. After all, the positions between the two meant that it was a life-or-death struggle between them, with no third option.

He still stared at Baruba, moving his feet to distance himself, ready to take Akiyama Mio away immediately if things went wrong. He first tried to find a way to settle the girl in his arms.

["Yihui brother! Mio!"]

【“!?”】

Zaimokuza's face suddenly changed at the sound coming from the corridor. He turned around and saw Tianzhong Ritsu and his group leaning out of the window of the nearby teaching building, looking over here with anxious expressions.

"Are you all okay?! What on earth is going on?"

"Don't come over here!"

Zaimokuza's roar echoed throughout the rooftop of the school building, carried far afield by the turbulent air currents at high altitude. Many people throughout Kitauji heard his voice and immediately cast their gazes in this direction with curiosity, completely unaware that a fight could erupt on the rooftop at any moment, endangering their lives.

[Tainaka Ritsu, who was asking the question, was also stunned, but she had experienced this many times before. She scanned the atmosphere around them, realizing what was happening. Her face paled instantly, and she reached out to stop her friends who were trying to run over. She looked at Zaimokuza and Akiyama Mio in his arms with panic, unsure whether to leave or stay.]

[…meaningless behavior.]

Baruba glanced at the girls in the light music club, then turned his gaze back to Zaimokuza and spoke in a neutral voice.

"It's okay to let them stay. I'm not here to start a war. I'm just here to deliver a message."

"Announcement? Is there anything else we can discuss with you?"

【"Xiaolu!"】

【“Ritsu-chan!?”】

Zaimokuza silently carried Akiyama Mio to the rooftop, moving toward the exit of the corridor where the light music club was located. He exchanged glances while speaking, and Tainaka Ritsu noticed, biting her lip and nodding. Then, amid the exclamations of Kotobuki Tsumugi and Hirasawa Yui, he quickly ran over.

"I'll leave Mio in your care."

【"Um!"】

Zaimokuza put the still trembling Akiyama Mio down from his arms and pushed her over to Tainaka Ritsu who had come running behind him, whispering.

Tianzhong Ritsu nodded emphatically, hugged her childhood sweetheart, and ran back to the corridor. The light music club members knew they couldn't help, so after meeting the two of them, they hurried down the corridor stairs, their hurried footsteps fading away.

With his biggest obstacle gone, Zaimokuza turned his gaze back to Baruba. The Gurongi didn't react to his small gesture, still looking down at the cup of milk tea in his arms. It was unclear if he had any intention of dragging anyone else into this, but it was clear that Baruba didn't care.

"Now that those people you're close to have left, let's get down to business."

Baruba looks at Zaimokuza and speaks softly.

[“However, you’re not the only one involved in this matter. Let’s wait until the other key personnel arrive—”]

The silver laser bullet seared the air, leaving a scorching smell. It passed by Baruba's ear and Zaimokuza's side, then pierced through the wall at the rooftop exit. A dark hole appeared on the wall, its red edge and rising steam testifying to the power of the shot.

"The other key person, are you referring to me?"

Holding the folded-down pistol that Ebina had given him, Kousaka Kyousuke emerged from another entrance to the rooftop, speaking in a tone far colder than Zaimokuza's earlier.

He stared at the powerful enemy in front of him who had once severely injured him in a short time in battle. His eyes were as sharp as the tip of a dagger, making people tremble at the touch.

["Mr. Kosaka..."]

Zaimokuza glanced at Kousaka, who nodded imperceptibly, his eyes telling him that he had already taken evacuation measures. His muscles, tense as if bowed, softened slightly at this moment, and Zaimokuza took a deep breath.

“That’s how everyone is here.”

A barely perceptible curve rose at the corner of his mouth before falling. Baruba glanced behind him at Kosaka before returning to Zaimokuza. His calm voice echoed across the rooftop.

"Everyone's here. I heard you say you were just here to tell me something?"

Kosaka silently aimed the muzzle of his mobile gun at Baruba's back, but didn't pull the trigger. Having learned from his previous experience, he knew that this level of firepower wouldn't be enough to defeat the unfathomable enemy before him, even with Zaimokuza.

So, Kousaka chose to stall for time. There were still too many people here, so he definitely couldn't start a fight right now. But that didn't stop him from using his rhetoric to extract information from Baruba.

"Then, Miss, are you interested in moving to the Metropolitan Police Department? There, I promise you'll be able to speak freely—in a specially designed cell, of course."

“…I think I understand why many people in this era keep saying, ‘Police officer, trustworthy, and daimyo’.”

Baruba said calmly.

"Because the murderous intent within you is almost overflowing, the credibility of your words has plummeted, so I refuse."

"That's truly unbelievable. I admit the Metropolitan Police Department wasn't much better back then, but have you forgotten who created its current shabby reputation?"

“And compared to you, who attacked an innocent girl while no one was around, and even after being caught and stopped, you still shamelessly lied, I am still too kind.”

[Kousaka sneered and responded with words as sharp as a knife.]

"I wonder if the noble Unidentified Lifeform B1 has come to such an ordinary music academy to discuss something important with us two? But I think the only common language between us humans and you Gurongi is the drawing of swords. You taught me that."

Knowing he wasn't good at this kind of communication, Zaimokuza had remained silent since handing the task of communicating with Kousaka. Now, a strange expression crossed his face. He felt as if Kousaka's words contained not only hostility and murderous intent, but also a thick layer of resentment, like the reaction of a child who had lost a fight and was confronted by their mortal enemy, a mixture of dissatisfaction and resentment beneath the surface of honorifics.

"There's no need to continue with these cheap provocations and delays. I'm a messenger, here only to convey what's coming next. This is the rule of 'Kikiru'."

【“!”】

Baruba's tone remained calm, but at the word "Kikiru" in her words, both Zaimokuza and Kousaka's minds were instantly shaken, and they focused their attention simultaneously. Regardless of whether she was truly just delivering a message, in the face of this word that connected to the source of all the killing so far, even the greatest hostility could be temporarily put aside.

"I think you've all realized by now that you're all actually contestants of 'Kikiru'."

Zaimokuza left her words aside. Kousaka remained silent, his eyes devoid of any surprise. He had clearly already suspected the possibility of this fact, and now it had simply been confirmed by his own mouth.

"So? Are you planning to order us to go 'hunting' like your companions?"

Kosaka sneered, uttering the last few words with a measured pause. Zaimokuza's face was as gloomy as a deep pool, and the bones in his right hand cracked with a resounding sound under the increased force.

“Your characters in the game don’t belong to the same faction as previous players. You are both players and a mechanism for increasing the game’s difficulty.”

Baruba shook her head, turning her gaze toward the distant horizon beyond the rooftop. Her voice was as light as the wind blowing through the flowers. But in the next sentence, this wind turned into a fierce gale, tearing all the petals apart.

"But you are all players after all, so informing you of what will happen next is my duty as the judge of Kikiru, and it is also His will."

"He, are you referring to Number Zero?!"

Zaimokuza's eyes focused, while Kousaka furrowed his brows. He raised the muzzle of his gun again, aiming it at Baruba's forehead, and demanded. But Baruba didn't react to this obvious threat, continuing to explain himself.

"There's only one player left in the 'GO' stage, so when this player's game phase arrives, it will also be the final stage of the 'Dark Game'. After this round, it will be the 'White and Dark Game', the semi-finals of the 'Kikiru' competition."

"'Shiro-dark Game'... Semi-finals?"

Zaimokuza chewed on these words, then his expression froze for a moment before his eyes widened.

"You mean—"

"Indeed, 'Kikiru' has reached its final stage."

Baruba casually announced this earth-shattering news, as if he were discussing the weather. However, both Kousaka and Zaimokuza, having received the official confirmation, held their breath at the same moment, their hearts skipping a beat.

The two of them had long ago discussed the idea that Gurongi's killing game was carried out in stages, but due to a lack of solid evidence, the matter was left unaddressed. But now, upon hearing from the referee, Baruba, that their suspicions were correct and that the killing game had reached its final stage, they were still a little dazed.

How long has it been? How long has it been since all this started?

[Not much, just about a full year, just one-twelfth of a person's student life.]

Yet, it was this one-twelfth that made Zaimokuza and Kousaka feel as if the twenty-plus years of their previous lives combined hadn't been as long as this one year. The memories of every day of this year were heavy, as if shrouded in a bright red filter, a red woven from the blood shed. Each day brought them hope that the next day would bring an end to all this, and so they continued, day after day, their hopes and expectations worn away by the constant bloodshed.

[And now, this series of events is finally coming to its end, and the hope of liberation from battle and pain is within reach.]

[“Originally, due to player limitations, only two players could advance to the ‘Game of White and Darkness’… but that has changed.”]

Baruba seemed oblivious to their expressions. His calm voice echoed evenly through the wind on the rooftop, which had become somewhat turbulent.

"There are currently four spots available for the 'Bai's Game'. Two of them have already been chosen, leaving two spots remaining."

“Four players, two spots…”

Kosaka's brows furrowed as he analyzed Baruba's words, and his pupils and irises contracted slightly.

If one of the spots is number zero, then could the other be… His gaze cryptically turned to the back, the opposite of where Baruba was looking, and his grip on the gun handle unconsciously increased.

[And the direction he was looking at was the direction of Nagano Prefecture.]

"There are still two spots left, but including you two, there are still three players left."

[“You need to compete with that player to decide the other two players who will enter the game, and then—”]

Having said this, Baruba withdrew her gaze, scanning back and forth between Kousaka and Zaimokuza. When her eyes met Zaimokuza's, a dark hue flashed in his eyes for a moment, and he lowered his head to avoid Baruba's gaze.

"The four players of the 'Shiro-Dark Game' must also determine a winner and a loser. The two winners will advance to the true final stage of 'Kikiru'."

[“——『The Ultimate Game』]

[Crash la la la——]

The frantic howling wind blew Baruba's skirt, which was near her ankles, into a frenzy of movement. The sound of propellers cutting through the air filled the rooftop, and huge black shadows rose one after another from under the teaching building.

Those were helicopters from the Metropolitan Police Department. Unbeknownst to them, reinforcements had arrived. From above, the helicopters formed a circular formation, encircling the teaching building. This massive formation was impossible to conceal. The clamorous, boisterous voices echoed through the campus below, a voice of amazement echoing from the crowd.

Each helicopter opened its hatch, and snipers leaned out half their bodies and rifle muzzles. The dense red dots in their scopes were focused on Baruba, standing on the rooftop. Meanwhile, beneath each helicopter, a machine gun was erected, its brass bullets, gleaming coldly, chained together in chains on either side.