A Dream for You (Part 2)
「"When I was your age, I was still a stupid, clumsy chuunibyou who sentimentally threw away his first-ever confession of love. I was totally lame."」
「"Being the Shield of the Sanctuary and all... you really make me feel ashamed of myself. Wait, don't tell me that Julius guy was also completely outclassing me when he was fourteen? No way, right? Am I really that pathetic? How embarrassing! Ugh... although, to be fair, he outclasses me right now anyway."」
「Watching the man who defeated him mutter such incomprehensible words while moving the blade away, Garfiel frowned in a daze, struggling to sit up.」
「"Muttering all that nonsense that no one can understand... are you trying to get revenge? You want to humiliate This Great Self? Don't cross the line, you bastard!"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman tossed his sword far away. He bent down, staring at Garfiel's dirt-streaked face, and reached out his hand, gently wiping the dust from Garfiel's cheek.」
「Garfiel's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to pull away, but the look in Hachiman's eyes—full of absolute understanding, absolute admiration, and absolute tenderness—made him unable to move. He could only hold his breath and soak in this indescribable treatment.」
「"You are a resilient man. You are strong, but you can become even stronger. You shouldn't stop here. You lost this time, but from now on, you can keep winning. Come with me, Garfiel."」
「Memory fragments flashed through Hikigaya Hachiman's mind. Ignoring the pain of the injuries they both shared, he pulled Garfiel into a firm embrace. His voice carried an incomparable allure: "Leave the Sanctuary, get stronger, cast off the shackles of being the 'Shield of the Sanctuary.' Start from zero and step forward to become the strongest shield in the world, the strongest warrior."」
「"Establish this dream, let your blood boil, and lend me your strength. Walk with me, Garfiel. Go crush your nightmares and face the future."」
「"Do it with me, as one man with another—you man among men, Garfiel!"」
「Every sentence and every word of this deafening speech came from the bottom of Hikigaya Hachiman's heart; it was his most sincere emotion.」
「"I understand you. I know what you are pursuing. I approve of all your desires. So—"」
「Holding the fourteen-year-old youth tightly, Hikigaya Hachiman spoke with resounding force, "If you're willing, then hold onto me. Grip my waist, my back, my shoulders."」
「"..."」
「Garfiel was stunned. He couldn't help but tremble slightly, his mouth hanging open. At this moment, he felt as if he were about to catch fire. More than ever before, he felt the sensation of being truly alive—it was as if he had lived his whole life just for this single moment.」
「"Accordin' to the bet, This Great Self was gonna go out with ya anyway."」
「As if trying to hide something, he stuttered out these tsundere words. But immediately after, he shook his head, took a deep breath, raised his injured arms, and heavily returned the embrace of the man holding him.」
「Garfiel's eyes sparked with a sharp, fierce light.」
「"This Great Sel—No," he bared his shark teeth and laughed with a sense of immense relief.」
「"I really can't escape your trap, can I? Yeah... but I don't want to escape anymore. I'm gonna get strong, stronger than anyone, strong enough to protect everyone. I don't want to lose while covered in dirt ever again."」
「"Let's get one thing straight: I don't feel a lick of resentment about losin' to a respectable man like you. You didn't lie, and you weren't talkin' big. I misunderstood you, so—"」
「"The dream you gave me... I've definitely received it, General!"」
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"Well done! That's more like it! I knew the General would have a way!"
In the Sanctuary, Garfiel's heart was filled with hot blood. He roared toward the sky, his excitement beyond words. All the demi-human residents, as well as Ryuzu Shima, wore knowing smiles.
That one shout of "General," straight from the heart, made countless people nearly burst into tears at that moment.
"It wasn't easy. It really wasn't easy."
Shirogane Miyuki was deeply moved. "Although Otto is also reliable, his strength lies in his IQ and character. But in terms of pure strategy and caution, Hachiman is already stronger than Otto. What he lacked was usable raw power, and now he finally has it."
"And..."
Forget the actual person involved, Garfiel; even Miyuki felt his blood pumping after hearing Hikigaya Hachiman's speech!
"The reserved Hikigaya-kun... when he fully releases his emotional intelligence to the outside world, the eloquence evolved from that unparalleled EQ becomes his most powerful weapon."
Nariyuki Yuiga let out a breath. "If he had the inclination to start a religious cult or a pyramid scheme, he'd probably be incredibly successful."
"Puck! Puck!"
Emilia was almost jumping with joy, holding Puck in her palms, her face flushed with excitement.
Looking at the crowds of people on the streets of the Royal Capital who were gathered in groups—discussing, admiring, sighing, and sincerely won over by Hikigaya Hachiman—Emilia couldn't help but want to jump out and show off:
"This is Hachiman! The most amazing Hachiman! He's the most incredible, best... my Hachiman!"
She wanted to hold her head high and let the whole world know, even though they already knew. She just wanted to brag.
"This eloquence, this guts... can any of you do it? Heh."
In Advanced Nurturing High School, inside Class D, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka looked around the room with pride. He let out a disdainful cold laugh, ignoring the students in the classroom who were beneath his notice, and indulged in showing off the rival he had acknowledged.
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「"You two, don't suddenly get all close and ignore everyone else! I feel like an outsider, and it really hurts! Please don't favor the new friend over the old one, Hachiman-san!"」
「Seeing the success of the 'turning enemy into friend' plan, Otto, who was on the verge of tears, hurriedly separated the two and took out bandages he had prepared beforehand to dress their wounds. "This will only stop the bleeding temporarily. With injuries this severe, we should go find Emilia-sama for treatment immediately."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman nodded. It was precisely because he had Emilia's healing as a fallback that he had chosen the path of a head-on clash to win over Garfiel. But before letting Emilia heal them, he first had to act as a psychiatrist to remove all the hesitation and fear in her heart.」
「And before playing that psychiatrist, there was one more urgent prerequisite to handle.」
「"Come out, Ram."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's words sent Otto and Garfiel into a state of shock. The two followed his gaze to a rustling patch of green grass, where a pink-haired girl emerged.」
「Ram, who had been eavesdropping for a long time, did not look like she had come with friendly intentions.」