Chapter 1 (230): This Shura Field Feels Strangely Familiar
Gradually regaining consciousness, Hikigaya slowly opened his eyes. Everything before him felt like a dream, utterly unbelievable.
Even in dreams, it had never felt this real. In this overwhelmingly real scene, the girl before him was still as familiar as ever. Without her glasses, her pink twin-tails and flushed cheeks stood out clearly.
The same disbelief. The same inability to accept what he was seeing.
"Airi?"
It wasn't rejection, but emotion that instantly took over. He slowly stood up. Under everyone's gaze, the two approached each other, and finally, gently held hands.
"Too real... and yet too unreal."
Emilia watched the scene unfold, still unable to process what had happened. The surrounding buildings had completely changed. Just moments ago, they had been beneath Flugel's Great Tree, yet now they were crowded inside a room decorated in a style she had never seen before.
Without any hesitation, Sakura instantly hugged Hikigaya. The two stood like statues, unmoving, leaving the others, who hadn't yet caught up, to stare in disbelief.
Priscilla bit her lip. This wasn't part of her plan. No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, the sight before her only made her more irritated.
Crusch was equally confused, while Wilhelm quickly returned from investigating the surroundings. But... he found nothing unusual at all.
Hikigaya simply felt the warmth of the girl's embrace. Their sudden separation in the past had left him unable to let go. Now, seeing Sakura again, he found himself sinking into it.
But he was Hikigaya. Even if emotion dominated his mind, his rationality would never stop. At that moment, he gently pulled away and looked at her glasses.
There was no doubt in her eyes. Facing someone who knew him so well, she understood exactly what he wanted to confirm. And she was certain of one thing. She was herself, no matter how closely examined.
Hikigaya: "Beatrice, is this an illusion?"
Beatrice shook her head. "I don't know either. Since just now, my abilities seem to have completely disappeared. I think this might be some kind of strange space. Or perhaps... we've entered another world."
Hikigaya: "Another world? But..." He had imagined this scenario countless times, but without certainty, he couldn't explain things to the people behind him.
So, even though he didn't want to, he had no choice but to call her out.
"Pandora, I need your help."
"Oh my, what a historic moment."
Watching Pandora emerge from his body, everyone was confused, but there were already too many things they didn't understand. No one interrupted as Hikigaya asked:
"What's going on? Is this an illusion?"
Pandora shook her head. "Isn't this the scene you've long been hoping for? The one before you is the real Sakura Airi."
"I don't know what happened either, but it seems a mysterious power has tightly linked our two worlds together."
"And the catalyst for that is you. As long as you wish, you can bring others with you as you travel between three worlds."
'That's even possible?!'
If what Pandora said was true, then the person before him really was Sakura. And perhaps, before long, others would appear as well. But that wasn't the main issue.
A third world?
Just as he was thinking, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. Wilhelm was about to draw his sword when he realized the one rushing in was a blonde girl.
Without a word, she leapt straight into Hikigaya's arms. Caught completely off guard, he fell backward, startling Sakura beside him.
Tears fell one after another. Even with her vision blurred, once she saw his face, she couldn't suppress her worry. Clenching her fists, she struck his chest again and again, her voice trembling.
"Hikigaya! Hikigaya... it really is you..."
"You worked so hard... this whole journey... you really worked so hard..."
"I saw everything, but I couldn't do anything... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
The girl's emotional outburst affected everyone present. Hikigaya deeply felt her overwhelming guilt, even though she had done nothing wrong.
He took Karuizawa's hand and simply smiled gently.
"It's okay... it's fine now."
"Waaah!"
Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, the girl collapsed fully onto him and cried bitterly. Hikigaya, as if understanding everything, gently stroked her head.
Now that things had come this far, everything would be okay.
On the other side, Sakura smiled in satisfaction at the sight. Unknowingly, tears slid down her face as well. Because she empathized so deeply with what was happening, the expression she had been holding onto finally crumbled.
"As long as you're back... as long as you're back..."
With Hikigaya completely occupied, he had no chance to explain the situation to the others. However, Sakura, who had been following everything through videos, patiently explained things in his place. Though no one understood at first, and many didn't grasp what she was saying, her gentle persistence gradually led more people to accept it.
Ichinose, Kushida, Kamuro, Ryuen, and the others soon arrived as well. Without exception, the moment they saw Hikigaya, they excitedly jumped forward to hug him, then started pounding on him like a punching bag, venting all their pent-up emotions.
At this point, the room could no longer accommodate so many people. After a brief change of location, Hikigaya finally managed to escape from being pinned down, while a thought slowly surfaced in his mind.
Since Pandora mentioned three worlds just now, then there should still be the most important one, right? Only by returning there, and at the moment he sees Komachi again, could it truly be called home.
But just as he was thinking that, familiar faces appeared once more…
"Yukinoshita?!"
"Yuigahama!"
"And Hayama…"
Felix: "Wait, isn't Hayama an earth dragon?"
Miura: "How are we even supposed to explain this right now…"
The three met again, just like in the past. Their relationships seemed to have changed, yet when the three simply stood facing each other like this, it felt as if nothing had changed at all.
At this moment, the memories from the video finally flooded back into everyone's minds. Only now did they truly understand everything before their eyes.
All memories had returned, and those who had once merely been viewers of the video were now finally standing face to face with one another.
Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun… welcome back."
Yuigahama: "Hikki, don't disappear all of a sudden again, okay? When you suddenly vanished just now, you really scared me and Yukinon. Yukinon was completely frozen!"
Yukinoshita: "It wasn't quite as exaggerated as Yuigahama says, but Hikigaya-kun, please don't disappear without warning again."
Miura said with a mischievous grin: "But Yukinoshita-san really was super nervous just now. That panicked look in her eyes was a first even for me."
Hikigaya didn't know what kind of expression he should wear when facing the two of them. Still, everything finally reached a point where it could be talked about.
Hayama patted him on the shoulder. "Welcome back. As for mistaking me for an earth dragon… let's talk about that later."
Kushida: "Even though everyone comes from different places, since we're all here, I'm sure it's because of him, right? But now… just staying like this is hard to settle. How about… we decide with rock-paper-scissors?"
Ichinose: "I agree!"
Kamuro: "Hikigaya-kun, you know how it is. If you don't come find me, you're dead."
Karuizawa: "No way, you're all too sneaky. We'll let him choose for himself."
Sakura Airi: "Hachiman just got back, and you're all bullying him like this. That's too much for him."
Yukinoshita: "I have a lot I want to say to you, but right now it really does seem troublesome."
Yuigahama: "Ahahaha, everyone… let's all get along."
Priscilla: "How interesting. In that case, I'll join in too. When it comes to luck, I've never lost."
Crusch: "If this allows Sir Hikigaya to join us… then I will not hesitate either."
Rem: "Rem wants to join too, and Sister as well!"
Ram: "Wait, Rem. Joining a battle among women so casually like this…"
Al: "Princess, maybe you shouldn't mess around right now."
Priscilla: "Hmph, I've never lost."
Al: "That's not what I meant."
Sudou: "Bro, we'll come back later. You deal with your battlefield first."
Indeed, when alone, women are the cutest creatures in the world. But when standing opposite them, women are like spices mixed with chili sauce—troublesome to no end. At this very moment, Hikigaya had a splitting headache.
Although this was something he would have to face sooner or later… having it happen so suddenly was really unexpected.
And now, it seemed he didn't even need to explain anything anymore.
Just as everyone was arguing nonstop, Emilia stepped forward once again. Clearly, she still didn't fully understand the situation. Seeing Hikigaya being fought over like this, she couldn't hold back anymore and immediately spoke up: "I… I and Hachiman… Hachiman and I… have a child!"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent. Everyone's gaze first fixed on Emilia, then quickly shifted back to Hikigaya.
Because at the very end of the video, the structure of everyone's worlds had changed, no one had seen what happened under the tree. Thus, the most dramatic scene in the world appeared right now.
Yukinoshita: "Hikigaya-kun?"
Yuigahama: "Hikki really is… getting more and more irresponsible. Doing something like that could maybe be forgiven, but having a child… that's really a headache."
Sakura: "Hachiman, this isn't an excuse for messing around."
Karuizawa's heart felt as if it shattered instantly. She stood there blankly, unable to say a word.
Kushida: "Hikigaya, you even got a child already? That's something even we haven't tried. Have you really become this bold?"
Kamuro: "Alright, you're done for."
Ichinose: "How… How could this be? That's impossible. Hikigaya-kun, you're such a cautious person. How could you not take precautions?"
Hikigaya: "Wait, this needs some explaining."
Rem: "Rem thinks there's nothing left to explain."
Beatrice: "Betty thinks so too, I suppose."
Pandora just stood to the side, snickering, with no intention of helping Hikigaya explain anything.
Priscilla: "Wow, a child… you've even gone that far already? Looks like your progress is fast. But… even using a child as an excuse, you won't be able to beat me."
Crusch: "I'm sorry, but bullying a man with a wife goes against my principles."
Kiryuin: "Yo yo ho, junior, you're really something now."
Asahina: "Junior, you're playing at such extreme levels already?"
Horikita Shizune: "Hmph, as expected of Hikigaya-kun."
Horikita Manabu: "Little sister, see that? That's other people's speed."
For the first time, Hikigaya truly experienced what it meant to be completely unable to defend himself. For a moment, he didn't even know how to refute anything.
Meanwhile, Emilia blushed deeply and said: "At that time, the two of us were under the tree, and then… we did that."
Sudo: "Whoa, outdoor battle. Impressive!"
Ike: "Wait, I can't accept this…"
The crowd erupted into noise again. Hikigaya just held his head, completely at a loss for words.
"Even though it sounds strange to say this, we only kissed…"
Emilia seemed to recall something: "Yes… and then we couldn't stop ourselves. I was completely swept up in it too."
Hikigaya: "I'm done for."
Yukinoshita: "At times like this, it's better to keep your mouth shut. But if it's Hikigaya-kun, doing something like this wouldn't be that un…"
Halfway through her sentence, Yukinoshita seemed to realize something. She suddenly blushed, closed her mouth, and turned away, no longer looking at Hikigaya.
Amid the noise, Beatrice walked up in front of her and gently placed a hand on her.
"Your virginity is still intact, I suppose."
"What is virginity…?"
Everyone was dumbfounded, and Hikigaya quickly delivered the finishing blow.
Hikigaya: "I already said, we only kissed…"
Emilia: "Puck said that if you kiss, you'll have a child."
Everyone was once again left speechless.
After the misunderstanding finally cleared up, everyone gradually dispersed. Emilia's purity and ignorance gave everyone quite a scare, but after Yuigahama explained things to her, Emilia finally understood that kissing doesn't result in having a child.
However, if kissing can't produce a child, then how exactly does one have a child? That, she had no idea at all.
Emilia was very curious about this, but it was clearly not something that could be said out loud.
Horikita: "That makes sense. If you've never received any sex education, it's normal to be unclear about these things."
Now, with Hikigaya as the medium, everyone looked at this unknown world with curiosity. But for Hikigaya himself, the first thing he needed to do was go back and see his little sister. After all, for a sister complex like him, not seeing his sister for so long was sheer agony.
So, after settling everyone down, Hikigaya and Yukinoshita's group decided to return to their own world first, at the very least, they needed to let their families know they were safe.
Walking down this street again, Hikigaya felt that everything seemed unreal, yet this particular feeling was irreplaceable.
Yuigahama: "Hikki, how do you feel right now?"
Hikigaya: "If I had to put it into words, it feels like I just woke up from a long dream. But that dream was real, because they were all waiting for me."
Yukinoshita looked at Hikigaya with a hint of resentment, making him feel an intense pressure.
"It wasn't only them who were waiting for you."
Iroha: "Senpai, putting everyone else aside, don't you have anything to say to us?"
Hikigaya: "Actually, all my memories just came flooding back too. For me, I was never really separated from you."
Miura: "That's true when you put it that way. Since you were always watching yourself. Huh? That sounds kind of weird."
Hikigaya: "It really does sound weird…"
Ebina: "But at times like this, Hikigaya-kun, you should really think carefully about what to do. Even if each world is disconnected… the relationships you're carrying are way too troublesome."
Hikigaya: "About that…"
Iroha: "Senpai, after flirting with so many girls, you know you're wrong now, right? You were completely different back at school, but outside you're living it up."
Hikigaya felt awkward. At this point, shirking responsibility was impossible. But what to do next was indeed a headache.
At times like this, Hikigaya really didn't want to think too deeply. After all, when the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten itself out. Maybe things that seem unsolvable now would find solutions elsewhere in the end.
Before they realized it, everyone had arrived at Hikigaya's front door. Komachi must be inside, just like always, having prepared a meal and waiting for him to come home.
With everyone nodding at him, Hikigaya took a deep breath. After going through so much, returning here again made him feel inexplicably emotional.
He stepped forward and gently pushed the door open. The familiar hallway came into view. How long has it been since he last returned here?
Although time flowed differently across the three worlds, for Hikigaya, it was truly more than a year he had experienced. For someone who had never traveled far from home since childhood, jumping straight into other worlds this time was, in itself, rather amusing.
"Onii-chan?"
"Komachi…"
That familiar ahoge came into view, along with the prominent fang that left Hikigaya staring in a daze. The moment Komachi saw Hachiman, she froze completely. The distance between them slowly closed until they stopped, staring at each other in disbelief, just a fist's length apart.
The next moment, as if by mutual understanding, they tightly embraced each other. No longer able to hide their excitement, the warmth of their bodies comforted one another, warming themselves as well.
"Yuigahama-oneechan said you were taken by Hiratsuka-sensei on a study trip. Seriously, you were gone for so long and didn't even send a message home."
"Ah… yeah… it was too sudden, so I didn't have time to tell you. And overseas really is troublesome. Without a new international SIM, I couldn't even send messages."
"Anyway… it's good that you're back…"
"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time too."
If this was the meaning of lying, then Hikigaya was willing to tell Komachi this colossal lie. Even if one day in the future she would learn the truth, today was absolutely not that day.
As he thought this, a tear unknowingly slipped down Hikigaya's cheek and fell into his hand.
"Onii-chan, you're crying… Looks like Komachi is pretty charming, huh? To think I could draw out my brother's emotions. Not many people can do that."
"Yeah…"
Hearing how earnest Hikigaya's reply was, Komachi immediately put on a faint smile and looked at him.
"So that means Komachi has a really high score in Onii-chan's heart, right?"
"It's always a perfect score…"
"You suddenly got so sentimental, Komachi's not really used to it…" Saying that, Komachi lowered her head as if gathering strength, then looked up at Hikigaya again, "But… for Komachi, even though Onii-chan has a terrible personality, always says hurtful things, and strange things keep happening, even so, in Komachi's heart, Onii-chan is also a perfect score."
They hugged each other once more. Strangely enough, despite being siblings who hadn't hugged many times growing up, in this short span they embraced twice. All the pain Hikigaya once felt vanished in an instant, leaving only relief.
Perhaps family—perhaps Komachi—really is the most wonderful existence in this world.
...
After a brief month, Hikigaya finally got used to this kind of life. With Hikigaya acting as the medium, Komachi also met more and more of her brother's friends. Some dressed strangely, some had bizarre personalities, but without exception, from their actions and gazes, she could see the deep affection they held for Hikigaya Hachiman. Seeing her brother like this put Komachi at ease.
"But… the friends my brother made overseas are really strange…"
At the same time, Hikigaya had succeeded as the Student Council President within ANHS. He finally had a room of his own in this school, and with Sakayanagi's help, it was upgraded into a presidential suite. It was the most luxurious residence in the entire school; even a teacher like Chabashira didn't receive such treatment.
He no longer cared about the school's curriculum. As for the so-called Private Points, even if he skipped classes indefinitely, he could never spend them all. And that wasn't all...
In Roswaal's territory, Hikigaya was cultivating his own domain. After obtaining two powerful armies, he integrated Elsa, Meili, Rem, Ram, Beatrice, Otto, and others. If that wasn't enough, there were also Crusch, who came to help frequently, and Priscilla and her group, who came for the sake of gambling.
Due to the difference in the flow of time between worlds, even though he was busy every day, he always made it back in time to have a bowl of Komachi's soup at home.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of life Hikigaya had hoped for?
Of course, minor incidents outside of his daily routine occurred frequently. Hikigaya had long since grown used to them...
"Ichinose, why are you here?!"
"Hikigaya-kun, what's yours is mine, and what's mine is yours. Hasn't it been that way for a long time? So, it's only natural for me to be here."
As she spoke, she gently leaned over Hikigaya and slowly began to undo his tie. That familiar sensation made Hikigaya feel as though he had returned to those sinful times.
Hikigaya didn't consciously resist. After all, once he had accepted them, he no longer had the right to back away; this was a responsibility he had to shoulder. He just hadn't expected that Ichinose, who usually seemed the least hurried, would be the first to arrive this time.
The two embraced tightly, like being entwined by a luscious serpent. Feeling the wonderful touch of her skin and her warm body temperature, they were swept away by the atmosphere. Driven by instinct, they rolled and kissed continuously across the soft tatami mats.
Her long hair draped over her body, sliding down her cheeks and finally scattering across Hikigaya's face. This gentle spring-like warmth felt like the heat brought by an autumn wind, gradually making his heart surge with excitement.
Their bodies moved rhythmically of their own accord, while a hazy, spring-like passion quietly surfaced on their faces. After an unknown amount of time, Ichinose lay quietly against his chest again, but tears began to slide down uncontrollably.
"Did I hurt you? Sorry..."
"No... no... that's not it... It's just, seeing how much you've suffered, I couldn't help myself..."
"It's okay."
"It's so good to see you like this."
"Me too..."
As they held each other, a golden light suddenly flashed, and the entire room felt as if it were being invaded. Hikigaya held her tightly, trying his best to keep her from being frightened.
A few minutes later, the golden light vanished, and Priscilla and Emilia instantly appeared before them.
Hikigaya: "What are you two doing here?"
Emilia: "Beatrice learned a new magic. She said that as long as she uses your hair or something else as a medium, she can teleport to your side. Hachiman, why are you two completely naked? What are you doing?"
Although she couldn't understand their behavior, seeing the two of them stark naked caused a blush to instinctively bloom on her face.
Ichinose immediately covered herself with the quilt. Even though everyone present besides Hikigaya was a woman, and even though she had already experienced 'that' kind of thing, it was still more or less embarrassing to be watched like this.
Priscilla, seeing this scene, looked as though she had found some entertainment. Although a faint blush appeared on her face as well, she immediately waved her fan to hide her bashfulness and said: "Oh my, Emilia, you wouldn't know. This is the correct way to make a baby. They were about to have a child behind your back."
Hikigaya: "Hey, don't corrupt the child."
Emilia pouted, looking defiant: "I'm not a child!"
Priscilla slowly walked over to him and elegantly sat at the edge of his bed: "This sort of thing requires a bit of instruction, otherwise it would be bad if someone else snatched you away later. Don't you agree, Hikigaya?"
Hikigaya: "I told you, don't corrupt others."
Priscilla: "In that case, let me teach you as well, Emilia."
"Hikigaya, you wouldn't want news of this to spread throughout the entire Kingdom, would you?"
In the blink of an eye, Priscilla was sitting on top of Hikigaya. She didn't take off any of her clothes, but beneath her skirt, she moved rhythmically.
Although he had known for a long time that she was well-developed, seeing her at such close range was still deeply shocking.
Priscilla placed her hands on Hikigaya's shoulders and looked at him with a mischievous smirk: "As repayment for my past humiliation, I shall give it back to you here today."
As she spoke, she simply continued to move her body. Her series of movements was like a dance, leaving Ichinose on the side dumbfounded.
The warmth still lingering in his body was reignited at this moment. With every one of Priscilla's movements, her proud peaks looked as if they were about to leap out, yet they remained perilously in place, making one salivate.
This unique "play" was very much in Priscilla's style, but it was precisely this semi-veiled state that Hikigaya found completely impossible to withstand. Perhaps because the beast in his heart had already been provoked, he was now unable to resist.
"More, more, be more intense!"
"Even if you beg for mercy, I won't let you off easy!"
Soon, cries of pleasure rang out in the room, and Ichinose quickly joined back in. Regarding such matters, the two women simply pressed against each other. With their naturally lush figures, they ensured this touch of spring lasted much longer.
Emilia: "You... What are you doing? It's so embarrassing."
Priscilla: "You just stay there and watch, if you're willing."
Emilia: "How can you do this..."
The battle only finally ceased when every inch of their bodies was stained and their clothes emitted a distinct scent.
However...
Emilia was never one to fall behind.
If this was the way to obtain Hikigaya, then she would join this battle without hesitation—until that crimson blood flowed slowly, and until that pure white bellflower finally grew into a great tree.
(End of this chapter)