Reunion of the Four Royal Selection Camps
"I say, although I am humble and kind, arbitrarily defining my freedom of movement as simply 'doing bad things' is clearly an infringement on my personal freedom and right to reputation. To be hung up in the sky for so long without permission, appearing for so long, and being so, so, so talkative—the infringement on my rights was already serious enough, yet you don't know when to stop. Naturally, I have the right to defend my freedom and my reputation, right, Number 64?"
Inside the room, Regulus rambled on. Aside from him, all the women in the room were as silent as cicadas in winter. Only Number 64, who had been called upon, dared to speak: "Yes, these are all rights that you possess, Husband."
"Isn't it? Hahahaha." Regulus laughed heartily.
However, every woman there could see through his guilty conscience; that bravado and laughter were merely props to cover his inner unease.
Perhaps up until the First Trial, Regulus still believed it was impossible for Hikigaya Hachiman to defeat him. But after seeing the death trap meticulously laid by Roswaal get dismantled, he was clearly somewhat worried—worried that he would follow in Roswaal's footsteps.
If he truly had no weaknesses, he naturally wouldn't be afraid, but unfortunately, he did.
...Regulus would certainly never admit he was a bit scared, but his wives could all see it.
In this room, within the numb eyes of every single woman, a faint light belonging to hope began to bloom. They hoped, sincerely hoped, that Hikigaya Hachiman could find the weakness of Regulus—one that even they, his wives, did not know.
At this moment, inside the convenience store, Hikigaya Hachiman was incredibly focused. To save Emilia, Regulus and Pandora were absolutely the two biggest hurdles.
"Go do it, achieve it, let me see it—the dawn of victory, my future self!"
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「Acting as a rare bully for once, Hikigaya Hachiman entered the merchant company empty-handed and took a turn around. When he came out, not only was he carrying a bag containing the magic stones, but Kiritaka was following behind him with utmost respect, personally seeing him out.」
「Julius's eyes went wide. He simply could not imagine how this was achieved.」
「"Even Lady Anastasia, who is the most skilled in commerce, couldn't manage something like this!?"」
「"Hmph, as Betty's contractor, is there anything he can't do? You ignorant human, when it comes to understanding Hachiman, you're far from it, human!"」
「Beatrice stood with her hands on her hips, huffing proudly and feeling vindicated, looking down on Julius. Emilia also smiled, saying without a shred of doubt: "Because Hachiman is really, ve~ry amazing!"」
「Julius's lips moved, but he could say nothing. He felt a bit dejected... he thought he was already a highly capable person who trusted Hachiman, but compared to these two beside him, he was simply lacking.」
「"Well, there are some special reasons. If the opponent weren't Kiritaka, I wouldn't have been able to do it so smoothly." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head and consoled him, "In terms of business, Anastasia is indeed better than me."」
「"Mu!"」
「Seeing Hachiman about to start chatting with Julius again, Beatrice turned red with anxiety and quickly tugged at his sleeve. "Betty met that singing little girl over by the park just now. She invited us to go to that park tomorrow to hear her sing."」
「"Liliana?"」
「Emilia nodded. "That's right. Liliana's singing now is even more beautiful than it was a year ago."」
「"Understood. Then we'll keep the appointment tomorrow." Hikigaya Hachiman had his own plans. Since Kiritaka was being so cooperative, he could turn a foe into a friend and help Kiritaka test the waters with Liliana.」
「If he could play matchmaker and help Kiritaka pursue Liliana, Kiritaka would surely do his utmost for the Emilia camp to repay that debt of gratitude.」
「Kiritaka's fervor for Liliana was a sincere emotion. If Liliana didn't dislike Kiritaka now, the two of them being together would actually be quite good.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman, who was liked by the person he liked, no longer belittled his own achievements in romance. At the very least, he could manage to give a 'simp' a helping hand.」
「He handed the magic stones to Emilia to use for nourishing Puck. Although the stones were in hand, Puck wouldn't be awakened instantly; it would take time.」
「But while it required time, with the magic stones, Puck's awakening was now set in stone.」
「Having finished their primary business, the four of them returned to the inn designated by Anastasia.」
「As they approached the entrance of the inn, they saw Joshua arguing with someone. The opponent was a thuggish-looking person; although he was wearing formal attire, one could see his essence as a local ruffian at a glance.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman recognized that man. He was one of the three punks who had tried to mug him in a capital alleyway right after he had first crossed over—his name was Rachins.」
「"I told you, I'm Lady Felt's messenger, you bastard! Let me in!"」
「"He probably isn't lying. Let him in, Joshua."」
「"Ugh...?"」
「Joshua was at a loss, not understanding why his brother's most respected best friend would validate the claim that such a punk was the messenger of another candidate. Rachins was also staggered.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman realized this because, in the timeline where he assisted Felt, she had once promoted confidants from the slums and thuggish circles. At that time, there was a proposal for Rachins and his two companions, but Hachiman had directly vetoed it.」
「Without his veto, it was possible for those three to have been chosen.」
「Julius sized up Rachins. His judgment was the same as his younger brother's, but if Hachiman felt the man wasn't lying, then—」
「"Rachins, I was wondering why you took so long to return. What are you arguing about here?"」
「Before Julius could order the way cleared, a figure as brilliant as the sun suddenly descended. Reinhard's appearance was the best proof of Rachins's status as a messenger.」
「With just a glance, Reinhard assessed the situation. He apologized to those present for Rachins's rudeness. But before everyone could smile and let bygones be bygones...」
「"It's quite lively indeed."」
「A second later, Wilhelm's voice approached from afar. He came from a different path than Reinhard, and his gaze lingered on his grandson, Reinhard, for a few seconds.」
「Representatives of the Anastasia camp, representatives of the Emilia camp, representatives of the Felt camp, and representatives of the Crusch camp.」
「At the entrance of the inn in the Water Gate City, four major camps had gathered for a reunion after a year!」
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