Roswaal Must Die
"Alright, alright, I get it. The Prime Minister knows how to act cool, and he really is handsome—but why isn't he acting cool for me? At the very least, he could try being a bit of a rogue with me. It's truly a headache."
Anastasia, who had just been full of ambition while pinky-swearing with Mimi, was now sighing and acting aggrieved. She wanted to look away but couldn't bear to, her heart overflowing with an envy that felt like it could kill her.
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia's eyes were sparkling. She was moved to the point of feeling lightheaded, her heart full of joy as she branded every bit of her knight's most heroic moment into the depths of her eyes.
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「On the way to the Sanctuary, Hikigaya Hachiman had already explained the nature of their opponent to Beatrice. They reached a conclusion: use high-level Yin magic, Al Shamak, to pack up all the Great Rabbits, isolate them, and send them to a different dimension.」
「"You really are incredible, Beatrice."」
「"It's nothing... hmph... Betty doesn't want to be a scoundrel who finds her own happiness but doesn't give any to her contractor. Even if I can't do everything now, Betty will learn. Should I say I'm happy? It's lucky the enemy is one Betty can handle... Hmph!"」
「Despite the danger of the battle against the Great Rabbit, Hikigaya Hachiman found himself drifting into unrelated thoughts.」
「In terms of raw strength, Wilhelm, Julius, and Garfiel were each formidable. But if any of them faced the Great Rabbit, their end probably wouldn't be much better than that of an ordinary person. Strength in this world couldn't be evaluated simply by high or low stats; compatibility played a massive role.」
「Of course, that conclusion excluded the anomaly that was Reinhard.」
「Beatrice focused her mind, channeling mana to prepare the Yin magic. When it was finished, she slapped Hikigaya Hachiman irritably. "It's a miracle you can be such a good decoy while daydreaming... Aren't you afraid of death?"」
「"Because I have the confidence to stay alive. I have the Bowel Hunter and Crusch to thank for that... though one is in a negative sense and the other is positive." Looking back at the Great Rabbits trapped by Emilia, Hachiman smiled and stroked Beatrice's hair. "You really care about me, Beatrice."」
「"If Betty didn't care about you, there would be no meaning to being alive. This is one of Betty's great pleasures now—Al Shamak!"」
「Dismissing any trace of tsundere behavior, the straightforward and cute Beatrice watched as the Great Rabbits were sent to a dimension of terror. She couldn't help but put her hands on her hips with pride, then tugged on Hachiman's clothes, looking up at him.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman said nothing. He simply bent down and hugged the lovely girl.」
「"This is..."」
「The happiness you gave me, and the happiness I give back to you.」
「She felt it tangibly—the taste of living happily, so different from the dull, flavorless past four hundred years.」
「Betty's murmur dissipated in the wind. She closed her eyes, greedily breathing in Hikigaya Hachiman's scent. "This is... happiness!"」
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In the convenience store, Yukinoshita took a deep breath and turned her head away. She was experienced by now; in moments like this, she just pretended to be blind and deaf.
But, it still tasted so sour!
"He's clearly mine, my Hikigaya-kun, my boyfriend." The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She let out a soft "Hmph," wrapped her arms around the waist of the helpless Hikigaya Hachiman, and, with a mix of defiance and shyness, stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.
In the store, the faces of several people changed instantly.
They endured, then thought about it, hesitated, and ultimately held back... these were respectively members of the Anastasia faction, the Crusch faction, the Emilia faction, the Rem faction, and surprisingly, the Priscilla faction.
As for a Beatrice faction, there wasn't one at all. After all, anyone could see that the future Hikigaya Hachiman treated her more like a younger sister he was raising.
In short, their previous pity for Yukinoshita Yukino had completely transformed into hostility.
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「The swirling heavy snow stopped.」
「Leaving behind a vast amount of blood and tears, the Sanctuary—which had given Hikigaya Hachiman far too many complex emotions—finally became a safe world. Through exhaustion and overcoming every obstacle, it was done.」
「The Great Rabbits that once devoured him and Otto were banished. Elsa, who once killed him and Emilia, was destroyed. Garfiel, who once suspected him, had become his most capable subordinate. Beatrice, who once left him to die, was now deeply in love with him.」
「Emilia, who once sobbed in terror, had been reborn from the flames. Though she still relied on others, that reliance actually made her stronger and more mature than ever before.」
「Meili was imprisoned. The masterminds, the teacher-student duo of Roswaal and Echidna, had suffered an utter defeat. Their iconic Gospel of Wisdom was reduced to ashes, and they achieved not a single goal.」
「"...And that covers Roswaal's crimes."」
「The core members of the Emilia camp—Emilia, Beatrice, Ram, Frederica, Garfiel, and Otto—were informed of everything Roswaal had planned and done.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman watched coldly as the others beat Roswaal black and blue. He looked at the recovered Ram and finally let out a sigh of lament, abandoning the idea of killing Roswaal right then and there.」
「He made Roswaal sign a covenant stating he would never again harm anyone in the Emilia camp. On that condition, he spared the bastard for the time being.」
「But this was only temporary. On one hand, Emilia needed Roswaal's support to win the Royal Selection; on the other, Hachiman did not want to become enemies with Ram. Sparing Roswaal for now didn't mean he had given up his intent to kill.」
「In terms of craftiness, a serious Hikigaya Hachiman was by no means inferior to a certain merchant.」
「"You've seen Rem, right?" That night, in a bedroom away from the others.」
「Ram nodded slightly. "Yes. As you said, that is indeed Ram's sister... I can feel it."」
「She understood the moment she saw her. That was her sister. Though there was almost no connection at first, the longer she looked, the more the feeling grew—a reviving familial bond, developing from a faint trace into something heavy.」
「"Your love for Roswaal is your love for Rem," Hikigaya Hachiman said bluntly. "I suggest you think carefully. Don't be deluded, and don't continue to immerse yourself in Roswaal... When Rem wakes up, she definitely won't want you to love him."」
「"That is my advice. I've said my piece, Ram."」
「He turned to leave.」
「This was enough... Hachiman couldn't convince Ram, but Rem could. Perhaps the current Rem couldn't, but Rem was sleeping right here. As long as Ram visited her frequently, that familial bond thicker than blood would gradually recover. Maybe in a year, maybe two, but it would recover.」
「By then, Roswaal's usefulness would likely be exhausted. On the day he loses his dual protection, it will be the time of his death.」
「"If you spend the rest of your life whole-heartedly loving Ram and aiding Emilia, I could indeed let you go. But if you still dream of reviving that loathsome fake, Echidna..."」
「"Then you won't be able to blame me, Roswaal!"」
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