Chapter 327. Crusch's Failed Confession (Part 1)
"It's so nice."
In the KTV, Hayama Hayato 's eyes glowed with heat.
Rather than being Emilia's knight, it would be better to say that the Hikigaya Hachiman who crossed over has most frequently triggered his role as a psychiatrist, providing counseling and guinyance to countless people.
Garfiel, the Shield of the Sanctuary whom Hachiman cares for like a blood brother, has received his guinyance time and time again.
Hayato is truly envious; he too wants to be guided so intimately by Hachiman-kun.
"Hmph!"
Yumiko Miura took advantage of the gap while Hayama was immersed in envy to press herself tightly against him. She was truly envious of Hikigaya Hachiman; her own charm toward Hayama was actually being outperformed by a man who wasn't even here.
"Hikigaya Hachiman... what a vixen! Just like Anastasia, a pair of vixens!"
In the same booth, but with a focus worlds apart, Ebina was so excited she wasn't just having a nosebleed—she was practically ready to raise a banner of feminine obsession.
"General, Mother... did you see? Sister... ahh..."
Totally unaware that someone was fantasizing about the pure friendship between him and the General, Garfiel, in the Sanctuary, kept wiping away tears. But the more he wiped, the more they fell; finally, he squatted on the ground, weeping quietly with joy.
The General's care for him moved Garfiel so much that he choked up, cursing himself for being such a bastard.
"Not bad, Gar-boy."
On the great road to the Royal Capital, Ram let out a small smile. Though she felt no romantic love for Garfiel, she was happy to see him find happiness.
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia clapped her hands, feeling happy for the friendly bond and beautiful hopes between her knight and Garfiel.
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「After Garfiel, Hikigaya Hachiman sought out the lonely Wilhelm. He informed him that he would have Ricardo and the three Mimi siblings help him subdue the corpse-soldier Theresia
and capture her alive, to see if anyone in the Kingdom could lift the undead state so his wife could finally rest in peace.
「...Stunned, Wilhelm wanted to refuse, but Hachiman told him that Garfiel needed to focus solely on his deathmatch with Kurgan. If the Mimi siblings stayed there, they would only hinder Garfiel as they couldn't coordinate; moving them over to help Wilhelm was a perfect fit.」
「After weighing it several times—and being funnyamentally unable to bring himself to strike his wife down, let alone refuse the temptation of capturing her alive—Wilhelm bowed in tearful gratitude.」
Anyone who wasn't blind could see that Hikigaya Hachiman was looking out for Wilhelm. Otherwise, he could have let Wilhelm fight Theresia to the death just as Garfiel was doing with Kurgan, while pulling manpower together to fight Batenkaitos.
At the Karsten estate, Wilhelm let out a long sigh. "Lord Hachiman..."
「Then, it was Julius.」
「The tiny and adorable Mimi, having significantly lowered Julius's guard and unease, informed him of his identity and his current situation.」
「Despite this, the amnesiac Julius, whose mind was a blank slate, found it difficult to accept this reality all at once... Hikigaya Hachiman originally wanted to go in and talk to him, to play the psychiatrist once more and comfort him.」
「But standing outside the door, Hachiman's breathing was heavy; he felt he lacked the courage to meet Julius.」
「It was Mimi who noticed the movement outside. She hopped over and opened the door, pushing him inside.」
「"I'm sorry, I don't remember anything. Um, may I ask who you are...?"」
「Even with his memories gone, Julius still possessed an elegant air and impeccable manners. But those polite manners only served to highlight his distance from Hikigaya Hachiman.」
「This distance was like a hammer, striking Hachiman's heart.」
「"Don't blame yourself, nya! If you cry, the Young Miss will be sad, nya. Neither the Young Miss nor Julius will blame you, nya, General!"」
「Seeing the kimono belonging to her own Young Miss tied around Hachiman's upper body, Mimi understood everything in an instant and skipped over to soothe him.」
「Hachiman shook his head slightly. He hesitated but approached Julius, reaching out to grasp the hand of the bewildered knight. His voice was a bit low. "I won't tell you my name. I'm
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sorry... wait for me, Julius. Wait for me to snatch back your memories. At that time, I'll tell you everything... I'm sorry, Julius."
「"O-Oh."」
「Julius was at a loss. Immediately after, he saw this strange man who had sworn an oath say nothing more, turning and leaving.」
「Leaving the room, Hachiman leaned against a wall and took a deep breath, quietly emptying his thoughts to watch the sky and calm down. He couldn't let his various emotions regarding Julius affect him; they had to be sealed and suppressed until the battle was over.」
「Normally, as a monster of logic, he could do this easily. But right now, Liliana was tuning her voice in preparation for the continuous singing that would follow for an unknown duration, and she hadn't yet begun to dispel Sirius's influence.」
「With his emotions amplified by Sirius's Authority, Hachiman found it difficult to maintain his composure.」
「"Sir Hachiman?"」
「A soft, handsome voice rang out. It was Crusch passing by. At this moment, more so than Liliana's, Crusch's voice was, to him, the definition of a heavenly sound.」
「"Miss Liliana says she has finished her adjustments and is just about ready—ungh!?"」
「Mid-sentence, Crusch's body stiffened as if struck by lightning. She didn't know where to put her hands; her breathing slowed, and her panicked eyes widened slightly.」
「"Let me lean on you... is that okay, Crusch?"」
「Before the permission was even granted, Hikigaya Hachiman had already closed his eyes and leaned over. His hands rested on Crusch's shoulders, and his lowered head leaned against her body, feeling the shape of her collarbone through her clothes, just barely brushing against her chest.」
「Julius's amnesia reminded him of the heart-wrenching pain he felt when he first saw Rem comatose. This pain, amplified by Sirius's Authority, was hard to alleviate; it could only be numbed through the Crusch who had once brought him solace.」
「"...If it is Sir Hachiman..."」
「The stiffened Crusch didn't offer the slightest resistance. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hands to gently embrace the Hachiman who now wore an expression of relief.」
「Their two bodies were pressed slightly together. Having no prior experience with such close contact with a man, Crusch's body felt scorching and her face was burning... but she could
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sense the pain in Hachiman's soul. Rather than being swept away by physical ripples, she felt a wave of heartache, along with a sense of trance-like peace.
「So, Sir Hachiman also has moments of vulnerability. So, Sir Hachiman also has times when he needs the comfort of others. So, Sir Hachiman also has moments when he needs her, Crusch.」
「"...It's so nice."」
「Whispering almost imperceptibly, Crusch couldn't help but hide a secret joy deep in her heart.」
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