The Princess and the Knight, Shattered Feelings
「In the dark bedroom, the curtains were drawn tight, and a lonely figure hid by the bedside. Emilia lowered her gaze, her hand incessantly stroking the already shattered crystal. There, Puck no longer existed.」
「Sitting there for hours, she had realized this fact over and over again. Her body heat was stolen by the realization, leaving her shivering. By the time she came to her senses, many tears had already fallen, soaking her cheeks until she was utterly exhausted.」
「"You look quite lonely, Emilia."」
「Accompanied by the creak of the door opening, Hikigaya Hachiman stepped inside. The moment he saw this scene of a desolate princess, a heavy stone seemed to drop from his heart; he felt a strange sense of peace.」
「He did not pull Emilia up, but instead sat on the floor himself, leaning against the bed, sitting tightly beside the girl.」
「"Puck has already broken his contract with you," he said.」
「Emilia froze instantly. She, who had felt warmth and reliance upon her knight's arrival, became suddenly lost. The special meaning she heard in those words made her breath hitch.」
「Yet, in the next second, her cold fingers still firmly grasped her knight's sleeve, as if she had heard nothing at all.」
「"Mm…" She wanted to lean her head on Hikigaya Hachiman's shoulder, but a well-understood fear blocked her. She could only plead, trembling, her voice low and faint: "Sorry, I think... I shouldn't go to challenge the trial today... Hachiman, today... stay by my side. Here, stay with me the whole time, okay?"」
「If he agreed, if he were willing, then surely, they could act as if they knew nothing, as if they had discovered nothing. Then there would surely be no problem.」
「"…Please."」
「The girl, playing the ostrich, felt a thick palm gently stroke her silver hair. Her heart throbbed; this discovery brought her a sense of relief. But in the next second, before she could even let her heart settle, her entire body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, freezing completely.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head gently. The gaze he used to look at Emilia was so tender, yet the words he spoke were heartlessly appalling: "For today and today alone, I will not grant a single one of your requests, Emilia."」
「"—"」
「Emilia's eyes widened. She stared blankly at Hikigaya Hachiman, who was clearly within reach yet felt as if he were at the edge of the world. Her consternation was written all over her face.」
「"Or, let me put it another way."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's calm face served only to highlight his malice. "The culprit who persuaded Puck to break the contract with you—are you willing to stay with this person all day today, to confide in him, to seek warmth from him, and to show him your fragility, Emilia?"」
「"Don't…"」
「Emilia bit her lower lip hard. "Don't make that kind of joke!"」
「"This isn't a joke."」
「She attempted to flee, attempted to replace the truth with lies, but every effort she made was rejected one by one by Hikigaya Hachiman. Emilia frantically tried to compensate, imagining another possibility.」
「"Then surely, Hachiman must have a way for me to sign a contract with Puck again, right? Because Puck couldn't come out in the Sanctuary, we have to re-sign the contract using this method—"」
「"Stop deceiving yourself, Emilia." Hikigaya Hachiman's voice was incomparably firm, incomparably clear—so clear that Emilia could not even manage to mishear him if she tried. "There is no such way. I simply had the contract between you and Puck broken."」
「"Then why—"」
「"I want you to pass the trial, Emilia."」
「Looking at the girl who wore an expression of absurdity, Hikigaya Hachiman laid everything bare. "Puck's contract suppressed your past memories. Only by breaking the contract and restoring those memories can you pass the trial quickly."」
「Her face full of disbelief, Emilia's lips moved as she felt the situation was utterly ridiculous. "…Just, just for that kind of reason?"」
「"Yes, just for that kind of reason."」
「The moment the words fell, a crisp sound echoed in the bedroom. Hikigaya Hachiman took a heavy slap to the face. His cheek turned bright red, and a stinging pain immediately spread.」
「"—Are you kidding me?!"」
「Incredible, betrayal-fueled anger caused Emilia to scream at her knight for the first time. She grabbed Hikigaya Hachiman's collar and scolded him loudly, her amethyst eyes brimming with tears.」
「"Because of that... just because of that, you took Puck... you snatched Puck away from my side. Are you kidding me?!"」
「"What is the trial even? Why is the trial so difficult? I'm so scared—but I've already given it my all! I haven't been slacking off at all! Even if I fail, even if I'm scared, I'll go challenge it again! To decide after one failure that I must break the contract and leave Puck to succeed—where is the sense in that? This is too much! All this time—"」
「"All this time, this is how you've looked at me. You never believed in me! You never thought I could succeed! You never believed I could actually do anything! You never thought I could be of any help! You never had any expectations for me at all!"」
「"All those compliments before, all those kind words—were they all just to fool me, to deceive me? You don't believe in me at all? Do you not have a single shred of trust or hope for me? —This kind of thing... these things... don't make this kind of joke!!"」
「Condemnations mixed with fury and fear came wave after wave. In the next second, the shouting turned into sobbing. Emilia collapsed weakly to her knees, tears falling uncontrollably.」
「"I would have done it. If it was Hachiman's request, I would have worked hard... If I failed once, then three times, five times, ten times. If Hachiman said he wanted me to pass the trial, I would have tried as many times as it took. So there would have been a time when I succeeded…"」
「"But... but, you were so impatient, you looked down on me so much that you snatched Puck away to make me pass the trial so quickly. To take matters into your own hands to this extent just for that reason... then why, since you have so little faith in me, why did you even become my knight?!"」
「"For Hachiman's sake, I would do anything. But why, why did you have to make Puck disappear? Why? If it were anything else, I would forgive it all. Why Puck? He was... he was the first one I knew, the one I relied on most, he was my father…"」
「"In your eyes, Hachiman, just what kind of person am I?!!"」