Chapter 34 (229): Kissing Leads to Babies (End of Volume Two)
[Sakura: "It's over. Everything is finally over..."]
[Karuizawa: "It really wasn't easy. From barely being able to maintain daily life at the start, to now... it's honestly astonishing. But then again, it really is him. Perhaps only he could have done something like this."]
[Kamuro: "But the life we once had can't be brought back, right? If possible, this kind of life is just too painful. I really can't bring myself to just watch him like this..."]
[Kushida: "Maybe. But one day, we'll meet again."]
[Horikita: "I hope that day comes soon."]
[If everything before her felt like a dream, then Emilia wanted nothing more than to sink into it and never wake up. Death after death, rebirth after rebirth, all of his fighting spirit had been given to her, all the meaning behind his actions had been entrusted to her. These feelings, impossible to ignore, were unmistakably conveyed to her.]
[Priscilla: "This guy really went and killed the White Whale and three Witch Cult Sin Archbishops in one go. That's already absurd enough... but I'm still not going to praise him."]
[Crusch: "If I could be reborn as well, I would make him join our camp no matter the cost. Unfortunately, that's the one thing that can no longer be changed. Still, I'm grateful to Sir Hikigaya for saving my life and allowing my existence to be acknowledged."]
[Wilhelm: "This old man will remember this great young man. He traded his life for information on the White Whale, allowing me to finally slay it and avenge my wife..."]
[Julius: "Hikigaya is indeed a knight worthy of respect."]
Loss after loss, lives, relationships, emotions, each shattered repeatedly, only to be reforged like a phoenix reborn from flames. Flesh remade, soul reforged, spirit tempered, until finally reaching this point.
The subjugation force wept with joy. If Hikigaya hadn't personally witnessed their embraces, he might not have recovered from the intensity of the battle. But seeing the soldiers' tears fall uncontrollably, seeing their relief at surviving such hardship, all of it confirmed one thing for him.
This was the future he had to reach.
A world without lies. A world without falsehood.
Here, and only here, he finally felt it.
Rem followed behind him and glanced back, seeing a calm smile already on his face. Emilia tightly held his hand, her cheeks flushed red, yet she refused to let go.
Priscilla: "I invite you, you foolish mortal, to join my faction. What do you say?"
Hikigaya: "Uh... I don't think I have the ability to assist Lady Priscilla."
Priscilla: "That's your own choice. Don't regret it later, alright?!"
Hikigaya: "I won't regret it."
Priscilla: "You really won't?"
Hikigaya: "I really won't."
Priscilla: "You will regret it!"
Hikigaya: "I won't."
Priscilla: "Fine, fine... then what about what you promised me? There's still that bet, isn't there?"
Hikigaya: "Of course I'll follow your arrangements. But a bet is a bet. Don't even think about making me betray Emilia."
Priscilla sneered coldly, clearly not listening to a word of that. A strange idea suddenly crossed her mind.
Who knew what she was thinking? Not even Al could tell.
She stepped away lightly and left the area. Al quietly whispered to Hikigaya:
"Brother, when the Princess wants something, she'll get it no matter what."
"I'm not some kind of thing."
"That's not what I meant. What I'm saying is you should, "
Priscilla turned back with an annoyed expression. "Al?"
Al: "Ah, coming!"
"Anyway, be careful."
Leaving behind those ambiguous words, Al followed her. Priscilla maintained her lofty demeanor, full of confidence.
At that moment, Crusch slowly approached as well. After watching Priscilla leave, she came before Hikigaya with Felix and Wilhelm.
"Sir Hikigaya, your strength has once again impressed me. Your wisdom has saved us from dire situations many times over. After this battle, I hope we can continue our alliance and support each other in future conflicts."
"Of course, Sir Hikigaya, Lady Emilia, this isn't an attempt to bind you to us. It's simply my way of giving something back. If it weren't for Sir Hikigaya, I might have already died on this battlefield. No... not just me, but all of us."
Hikigaya: "There's really no need for that. I never expected any reward."
"After all, I was the one who brought everyone here. Since that's the case, guiding you with my life was my responsibility."
A gentle breeze passed through. That resolute determination was clear even without any blessing upon him. It wasn't a lie. It was something decided long ago.
Hikigaya merely spoke it aloud.
Crusch: "No matter what happens in the future, I will give the Emilia Camp my fullest support."
Wilhelm: "As long as Hikigaya-dono needs me, this old man will also give his all. This is my personal wish."
Felix: "Of course Felix will too, nya!"
Julius also walked over at this moment and performed a standard knight's salute toward Hikigaya and Emilia. At the same time, Mimi, Hetaro, Ricardo, and the others behind him slowly stepped forward as well.
Their eyes were all filled with emotion. This was respect for life, and gratitude toward the person who had saved them.
Julius: "The Knights' Order will forever maintain its respect for Knight Hikigaya."
Mimi: "And Mimi too, Mimi too!"
Ricardo: "Kid, you really make people see you in a new light. Taking out three Witch Cultists in one go isn't something just anyone can pull off."
Hetaro: "That's seriously an insanely difficult thing to do!"
Being surrounded like this made Hikigaya feel a little uncomfortable, but the gratitude they carried was something he could genuinely feel.
...
Because of the losses suffered by the ground dragons, escorting the White Whale back to the Royal Capital was no easy task. As such, Julius had to be sent ahead first to inform Anastasia to dispatch additional ground dragon units.
Of course, Julius seemed to have conveniently grabbed a guy named Otto along the way, which was how he managed to rush back ahead of everyone else.
As for the rest, they stayed behind to regroup and recover.
Beneath Flugel's Great Tree, Hikigaya completely relaxed both body and mind. He lay on the grass with both hands cradling the back of his head.
'It really doesn't feel real...'
'Maybe this is a sight I'll only ever see once in my lifetime.'
From a long time ago up until now, he had been fighting nonstop, so Hikigaya had never paid attention to such a beautiful scene. But in this brief moment, he truly couldn't ignore it.
As he lay there, faint footsteps slowly approached from behind.
"Honestly, why are you still lying here? You'll catch a cold."
Hearing the scolding tone, Hikigaya replied a couple of times and was about to sit up, but before he could fully rise, Emilia pressed him back down again.
She leaned over and looked straight at Hikigaya. At such close range, the direct eye contact left him no choice but to keep averting his gaze.
Emilia gently embraced Hikigaya, then rested his head on her thighs, covering his body with her cloak.
"This should be fine now..."
"O... okay."
"You worked hard, Hachiman."
"No, this was something I was supposed to do."
"I know. You're tired. Very, very tired."
'Am I? Should I be tired? Maybe...'
Seeing that Hikigaya wasn't responding, Emilia stared at him even more intently.
"Hikigaya once said that words can lie, but expressions never do. Hachiman, your face already has four big words written all over it."
"What four words?"
"I want to sleep."
"Well, that really is..."
The two of them shared a knowing smile. After a brief exchange of glances, as if feeling the heat rising in their faces, they both turned their eyes away at the same time.
At that moment, as the crimson sunset descended, the sun at the edge of the horizon illuminated the land with its final rays. Everything was dyed in the glow of its last fiery light.
No one knew how much time passed. Perhaps the sun vanished, or perhaps the moon rose. Only when all the surrounding sounds faded away, and when the darkness made it impossible for them to clearly see each other's faces, did a voice finally reach his ears.
"Hachiman... thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
"I knew you'd say that, Hachiman. No matter what I say, you'd never accept my gratitude, right? But... that's just too unfair. Hachiman, you're really too unfair. Helping again and again without reason, risking your life to save others over and over. I can't possibly repay any of it."
"I know you'll say I don't need to repay you, but do you know how it feels? It's like my heart is constantly being scorched by flames. I can't calm down. I feel restless, yet overwhelmingly excited. Everything, all of it, comes from you. So... you're really too unfair."
As she spoke, Emilia gazed straight at Hikigaya. Within her clear eyes was an affection she had never shown before. Lying on her thighs, observing her from such a close distance, he once again felt the beauty of the girl before him.
It was a beauty unlike that of ordinary people, pure and untouchable like the moon.
Yet this pristine crescent moon gently bent toward him at this very moment, like a fairy descending to the mortal world. Only when warmth reached his lips did Hikigaya realize he had already fallen deeply into it, unable to pull himself free.
The girl melted completely into his embrace. Like entwined mermaids, the two tried to pull away, only to realize they could no longer leave this beautiful haven of tenderness.
Familiar yet unfamiliar, dreamlike yet real, hazy and intoxicating. Beneath the moonlight, the delicate kiss was reflected with perfect clarity.
Only when time passed and a dull, physiological ache rose in their heads did the two reluctantly separate. A thin string of saliva mixed with love stretched between them, finally forming a heart shape in midair. At that point... neither of them could pretend not to see it.
After the passionate kiss ended, the girl could no longer maintain her composure. Her face was completely flushed, as if boiled, and she murmured repeatedly:
"A child... we're going to have a child?"
Hikigaya wasn't exactly clear-headed either, but the moment he heard the word 'child', he snapped back to his senses.
'I didn't do anything wrong yet, right... this is bad, bad, bad...'
Emilia turned around, stammering as she spoke:
"Hachiman, our child's name will be..."
"Wait, where did 'our child' come from? I mean, that's not what I mean. I'm not saying I won't take responsibility, but we only did that... not that yet. Even if that happened, there's still that, but wait, my brain can't keep up."
Emilia immediately got flustered, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her cheeks.
"Hachiman, are you saying you don't want to take responsibility?"
Hikigaya was completely confused. "That's not what I mean. My brain just overheated..."
Emilia: "We kissed, you know!"
Hikigaya: "That much I know."
"After kissing... that happens."
"Wait, isn't this too fast? I mean that. You might not have adjusted to it yet."
"If you keep saying things like that, I'll get angry. Even I've already made up my mind to become a mother!" Emilia crossed her arms again, clearly upset.
Hikigaya: "....."
Emilia: "Don't you know? After kissing, you get a child."
Hikigaya: "Isn't there a step missing? No... a lot of steps missing."
Emilia: "But that's what Puck said."
"Damn it, Puck!"
Looking at Emilia, who was completely clueless like a blank sheet of paper, Hikigaya finally understood where the problem lay.
But... maybe this is my story.
My name is Hikigaya.
An ending might also be a beginning.
[Accompanied by a strange sensation, Hikigaya felt his head spin. Everything before his eyes seemed to have changed, yet also seemed unchanged... except… ]
"Hach....iman...?"
"Hachiman!"
(End of this chapter)