My youth story cannot be a knight war

"They just went somewhere very, very far away temporarily. It's not that they don't want Xiaoli and everyone else anymore. It's just that they're too busy with work and can't come back."

Zaimokuza reached out his hand, gathered several children who were also crying quietly around him into his arms, patted their backs with his palms, and spoke softly.

"Actually, I've already met your father and mother!"

"Huh? Really? Where are Mom and Dad!?"

The children in his arms opened their eyes wide at these words, raised their heads and looked at Zaimokuza eagerly, some even jumped for joy.

"Your father and mother are on their way to an adventure right after me. They've gone too far and can't come back, so they asked me to tell you."

Zaimokuza spoke softly, reaching out to wipe away the tears from each child's eyes one by one.

"They all said that you should listen to the adults and not be picky about food. You should eat well, sleep well, and study hard. When you finish these things, you will naturally be able to see your father and mother."

"Yihui, you lied again. Dad and Mom said the same thing before, but they still didn't come to pick me up!"

The little girl pouted, looking at Zaimokuza with eyes full of distrust.

Children are like this. They may not remember the first time they were praised by adults, but they will definitely remember clearly the first time they were deceived by adults. That memory will accompany every child throughout their life.

Lies are bad, but when adults teach children not to lie, they also teach them how to lie, so children will become less and less likely to trust adults who teach them not to lie.

Facing this distrust from the child, Zaimokuza said righteously:

"When I was little, my parents pointed at me and told me that I would never lie. My parents never lied to me, so I definitely won't lie!"

"Stare~"

"I won't lie to you. I really have met your father and mother. I have proof~"

All the children stared at Zaimokuza, and he didn't show any guilt at all. He smiled and stretched out his hand to flick a boy's forehead with his finger.

"it hurts!"

"Xiaohui, you've secretly eaten two packs of cookies again these past few days, right? Didn't your parents tell you at home that you can only eat one pack of cookies a week from now on!"

The little boy immediately covered his forehead and groaned in pain, and Zaimokuza's next words left him stunned and stammering.

"Yi-Yihui, how did you know that?!"

Zaimokuza didn't answer him immediately, but immediately stretched out two fingers to pinch the other short-haired boy's ear and pulled it up, looking at him with a displeased look as he cried out in pain.

"And you, Xiuren! Don't pick your ears with unsharpened pencils anymore when they itch! Didn't your mother teach you a lesson about that before? It's dangerous! You could get an ear infection."

"!?"

The boy's eyes immediately widened and he stared blankly at Zaimokuza, not even realizing that he had let go.

"Finally, it's you, Xiaoli~!"

The little girl looked at the expressions of several classmates and realized something in her heart. She looked nervously at Zaimokuza who was looking at her, and her two small hands were clenched into fists in front of her.

Zaimokuza stretched out his hand towards her. After seeing the "end" of the people in front of her, the little girl felt that she could not escape either, so she closed her eyes in fear and dared not continue watching.

"?"

The little girl opened her eyes after feeling a slight tickling sensation on the tip of her nose. Zaimokuza was pressing his index finger on the bridge of her nose, then lifting it and poking it lightly on her forehead, causing her little head to shake backwards.

"Finally, it's you, Xiaoli—you did a great job~"

Zaimokuza's tense face suddenly relaxed, and the smile from before reappeared on his face. He looked at the little girl who covered her forehead with her hands with a smile.

"Your father and mother are very happy that you are so obedient. They asked me to buy your favorite honey-flavored yokan as a reward. But they also told you not to eat too much at once~!"

"...!"

When the little girl heard Zaimokuza say his favorite food, which was known only to his parents and no one else, she finally had no hesitation in her heart and looked at him with her big eyes.

"Really! Yihui, you really met Dad and Mom!"

"I've already told you, I won't lie to you. If you lie to someone, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles."

Taking his hand back, Zaimokuza looked at the group of happy children with a smile.

"This is what your father and mother told me. They also told me that you must be happy and have a smile on your face every day."

"So, come~"

He held the little girl's face, pressed his thumbs on her cheeks, and pulled up a funny smile.

"Smile! Your parents are never far away from you. As long as you keep smiling, you will definitely see them again."

"……Um!"

This time, the little girl finally no longer felt that Zaimokuza was lying to her. She reached out and wiped her eyes, and her pouting mouth curved into a shy arc.

"Dad and Mom, they'll come back to pick me up later, right?"

"Yes...I promise, they will come to pick you up later."

Zaimokuza smiled and patted her head.

"I'm about to go on another adventure. If I meet your parents on the way, I'll definitely tell them about it."

“…Everyone~”

Yuigahama, who had been looking up at the ceiling, stood up from her chair, walked behind the children, and hugged them.

Looking at the smiling Zaimokuza in front of her, her eyes contained emotions that were difficult to describe, but under the gaze of the children, these emotions were finally transformed into a smile and the words that came out of her mouth.

"You guys should take good care of yourself and say goodbye to Yihui. Wish him safety on his adventures."

“Goodbye, Yoshiteru.”

The children nodded with confused eyes and spoke to Zaimokuza in unison.

This time, they all had smiles on their faces, without the gloom and sadness from before, even the little girl who cried the loudest. The children's smiles were as dazzling as a ray of sunshine in the darkness, bringing warmth to people's hearts.

"Ah~Goodbye."

Zaimokuza looked at the children and Yuigahama in front of him with a smile, and finally raised his eyes and looked behind everyone.

In his sight, the empty area at the back of the classroom was now filled with about a dozen people, both men and women.

These people looked at the smiling children with different expressions. Some had relief and sadness on their faces, some had tears streaming down their faces, and one of the women was so sad that she covered her face with her hands and buried herself in another man's arms.

The man silently held the crying and trembling woman in his arms, his eyes fixed on the little girl in front of everyone, staring at her deeply, as if he wanted to remember the appearance of this young girl forever in his heart.

Finally, he raised his eyes and met Zaimokuza's gaze.

Under Zaimokuza's gaze, the man spoke, his lips moving silently, his lips forming a sentence in the reflection of his black pupils.

--Thank you.

In the blink of an eye, those people had disappeared. There was no trace of anyone having been in the back of the empty classroom, only a blackboard covered with children's graffiti.

Zaimokuza withdrew his gaze and returned it to the children in front of him.

"..."

After finding peace of mind or getting at peace, the souls of the dead will disappear, which is what the folk saying calls "becoming a Buddha."

Recalling the speculation he had heard from Kousaka Kyosuke before, he lowered his eyes silently.

Zaimokuza has been to many places in the past few days and seen many ghosts wandering in this world, but he has not seen the ghosts he most wants to see.

And now he is very happy about this matter.

but……

Zaimokuza reached out and held the other children who were not held by Yuigahama in his arms. He felt the warmth of these small bodies in his arms and gently closed his eyes.

Sure enough, I still feel a little lonely... Have you ever thought about this?

"Hachiman."

20. The Last Gift (5k)

"I...actually--hmm???"

"...Don't talk, okay?"

The warm touch left his lips, and slightly cool hands cupped his cheeks.

Looking at the face in front of her, the one she had loved since the day they met until this moment, she smiled, but clear tears slid down her cheeks from her eyes.

"Since this is the last minute...so don't refuse, okay?"

……

Day 4, night.

Working part-time at Bellissimo Ricordo restaurant in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.

In the pitch-black sky, densely woven white snow flakes fell, covering the scarred earth and city with a layer of desolate white.

Riding on the Jump Chaser 2000, Zaimokuza quietly looked at the small three-story shop covered with snow in front of him, an unspeakable light flashing in the depths of his dark eyes.

During this year, all the memories of this store danced in his mind. Those people and those things flashed clearly and quickly, and finally froze on the scene in front of him.

How time flies, isn't it? It feels like just a moment since I first stepped into this shop, yet a whole year has already passed.

This is the first time Zaimokuza has stayed in one place for such a long time since graduating from high school. He has almost forgotten the feeling of traveling and has become completely accustomed to life here.

People generally call this place where they forget everything about the outside world "home."

"..."

He lowered his index finger from his lips, kicked off the motorcycle's stand, got off the motorcycle, and walked towards the restaurant, leaving clear footprints on the snow-covered ground, with his palm reaching out towards the closed door of the restaurant.

"Mio, please help me take this garbage to the trash can outside."

"Okay, Manager."

Just as Zaimokuza's fingers were about to touch the brass handle of the door, someone from the inside took the initiative to open the door, and voices were heard as the door opened.

Clang~

The brass bell on the door frame rang as the door opened, and the crystal bell tongue collided with the inner wall, making a crisp echo, but the doorway fell into a long silence.

"……ah."

Looking down at the girl in front of him with long black hair, wearing a black down jacket, holding the door in one hand and a black plastic bag of garbage in the other, and looking up at him blankly, Zaimokuza raised one hand with an embarrassed expression.

"—"

Attracted by the movement at the door, Saki Kawasaki looked over here and fell silent for a moment when she saw the slender figure blocking Akiyama Mio.

"Gudong~ Um, how do I put this?"

Seeing the silence of the two people, Zaimokuza's eyes kept dodging and swaying around, and finally shifted his focus to the female owner holding a frying pan behind the counter. His throat moved, and the smile on his face was uglier than crying.

"Um, I'll go back—"

The garbage bag fell to the ground, long black hair flew in front of his eyes, and as he felt the warmth coming from in front of him, the remaining words that Zaimokuza wanted to say were stuck in his throat.

"Welcome back……"

Akiyama Mio buried her head in Zaimokuza's chest, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, and spoke in an unclear voice.

"……Um."

After three seconds of silence, Zaimokuza reached out a hand and stroked her long, shiny hair, and said softly:

"I am back."

……

The unconscious girl was gently placed in the only corner of the classroom that could be described as "clean and tidy", and a black windbreaker was then draped over her.

Staring fixedly at Hikigaya Komachi's slightly furrowed brows, Hikigaya Hachiman, who was now only wearing a white slim-fitting shirt, stretched out his fingers and pressed them, kneading them gently with his thumbs to smooth out her frown and fear.

He then raised his hand and tucked the messy bangs on Hikigaya Komachi's forehead back to the sides. There was pure light in the deepest part of her deep eyes, illuminating the original darkness.

"..."

Suddenly, Hikigaya Hachiman's hand that was caressing his sister stopped, and the light in his eyes dissipated at an extremely fast speed.

zizi~

As he gazed, faint particles were emanating from the surface of his palm, which was as white and delicate as a girl's. The shape of the palm gradually blurred in the flowing particle flow, and the appearance of another palm began to appear and disappear.