The Sparkling Hero Woven by Them
"Mine... he used mine—"
Anastasia's astonishment was so intense that her emotions fluctuated violently, not losing out to Beatrice in the slightest. She saw it; she saw it all, and she saw it clearly.
"My Prime Minister... he misappropriated my confession?"
"It wasn't just Anastasia's; mine was there too. The words I used to demand Sir Hachiman swing his sword for me were used here."
In the Karsten estate, Crusch murmured in a low voice, "Besides the parts from me and Anastasia, there's the 'qualification' granted by Emilia. This act of willfully and forcefully imposing his own will upon Beatrice, the arrogance of believing only he can make her happy—that is clearly Priscilla's influence."
"The proactive desire to make Beatrice happy, to protect her, to dispel her loneliness... it's a desire to emulate his hero, Rem, based on his inherent gentleness. He wants to be a hero too, using this method to pay tribute to Rem. This is..."
She suddenly realized.
"This is what Sir Hachiman holds close to his heart; it's what Sir Hachiman believes he must remember for a lifetime; it's what Sir Hachiman deems truly valuable."
Crusch's eyes lit up, filled with an incredible sense of elation. Although her specific part was a bit unique, knowing that her time with him left such a deep impression—to the point where he remembered her specific words and deeds enough to borrow them—sent a warm current through her entire body.
Priscilla snapped her fan shut, a pleasing smile gracing her beautiful features. "Emulating the pride of This One, are you? Hmph... finally stopped being a blind man? You have good taste; I should commend you."
Far away on the streets of the Royal Capital, outside Priscilla's estate, Emilia's joy and emotion were beyond words. "Qualification... the qualification I gave... Is it because of the qualification I gave that Hachiman can so forcefully and confidently take Beatrice away? Is it because of me?"
Puck clenched his tiny fists and punched the air fiercely. Letting out a breath, he was overjoyed and nodded heavily. "While it's not everything, you are the final, most crucial piece of the puzzle, Lia."
"It's me... in the very end, did I finally help Hachiman?"
Placing her hands over her heart, a deliriously happy Emilia felt her heart beating heatedly. Unlike the subjective comfort of the past, this time she had tangibly provided help.
If she hadn't given him that 'qualification,' Hachiman might not have resolved to be so forceful. In that case, trying to persuade Beatrice with gentle methods might have taken much longer, and missing the timing of the battles elsewhere would have been disastrous.
"I... I—sob, Puck, this is great. It's really great."
Tears of joy fell as Emilia held Puck, sobbing slightly while smiling happily. The gloom of feeling like she was always a burden vanished into thin air.
"Hmph—"
On the road to the Royal Capital, Ram let out a cold snort, about to say a few words to express her dissatisfaction with Hachiman Hikigaya.
He had so many girls in his heart. Even if they weren't all romantic feelings, every additional person took away a portion of his attention and reduced what he could give to Rem, which was very unpleasant.
But before she could speak, she saw Rem looking up at the sky, gazing at the forceful posture of her future beloved with a face full of support, encouragement, and deep emotion. "Hachiman is the best" was written all over her face.
Thus, Ram could say nothing and could only sigh quietly to herself.
"It's truly an eye-opener... I never would have imagined Hikigaya-kun's solution would be so forceful. That's the twisted, 'literary youth,' introverted Hikigaya-kun we're talking about!"
In the KTV, Hayama Hayato's eyes were wide. It took him a good while of processing to snap out of his surprise.
"Crusch, Anastasia, Priscilla, Emilia... the influence these candidates have on him is just too great."
Shirogane Miyuki sighed with deep emotion. "Back when we were in the Royal Selection hall, I thought none of the candidates besides Crusch were worth much. It wasn't until later that I realized those preconceived negative judgments were utter fallacies."
"Setting aside their individual strategies for governing, in terms of personal charisma alone, every single one of them is stunningly pure—the 'Genuine Thing' among 'Genuine Things.' They are incredibly impressive; they can even influence Hachiman's personality..."
Shirogane Kei's eyes sparkled. This time, she didn't need her brother's explanation to see that the influence of those candidates on Hikigaya-senpai was glaringly obvious.
Except for Priscilla, she had become a fan of almost all the candidates, with their priority only slightly lower than Hikigaya-senpai himself.
"Crusch dispelled his self-doubt; Anastasia taught him to bravely pursue his goals by any means necessary; Priscilla added to his forcefulness; Emilia finally established his self-
confidence; and then there was Rem's confession from long ago, which allowed him to dare to love and be loved."
At the Kousaka residence, Kousaka Kyousuke was filled with shock. His analysis left his sister equally stunned.
"What was created in the end is a strong person who is still gentle and kind, but increasingly brave and confident—a hero who is nearly flawless!"
Kousaka Kyousuke, moved by a thousand emotions, apologized for his previous preconceived notions and low opinions of these candidates. Every one of them was a unique, "Genuine Thing."
Kousaka Kirino was beyond shocked. Holding deep respect for the candidate "Big Sisters," she tilted her head, pulled her brother's sleeve, and asked expectantly: "But what about Felt?"
"Felt?" Kyousuke Kousaka frowned and thought hard for a long while.
"Hmm... I suppose she increased Hachiman's experience in raising a younger sister. Hachiman is clearly planning to raise Beatrice as a little sister."
"So why is that the case!"
At the Sword Saint's estate, Felt was scowling and rolling around on the floor in a tantrum, wailing loudly. "Why is it that only I didn't have a positive effect! Even Emilia and Ram have made a comeback and helped out—why is it that I'm the only one who didn't change that guy's personality?"
"At this rate, won't I be the most embarrassing one!"
Reinhard stood quietly to the side, eyes downcast, pretending to hear nothing. He truly couldn't answer this question, nor could he comfort her against his conscience... After all, compared to Lady Emilia and the others, Lady Felt truly didn't have many redeeming qualities in this regard, and he couldn't bring himself to say such a blunt truth.
"Hikigaya-kun." In the convenience store, Yukinoshita tugged at her boyfriend's hem. Seeing her various love rivals showing off their brilliance, she pouted with jealousy.
After getting his attention, she pointed to herself. "Hikigaya-kun, even though the 'them' of the future made you progress, the 'me' of the present has made you progress too, right? I've made you more straightforward, haven't I, Hikigaya-kun?"
"Yeah, that's right. You're a 'Genuine Thing' too; you aren't inferior to the others, Yukinoshita... I like you."
He was telling the truth. But... it was also an inescapable fact that Crusch, Anastasia, and Emilia—these "Genuine Things"—were making him fall for them more and more despite himself.
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