The Hated Anastasia (Part 1)
"—YEAH!"
Suzune Horikita let out a strange cry, her eyes burning with a sudden, uncontrollable ecstasy. She wanted to laugh—to laugh like a madwoman.
Though it didn't fit her personality or temperament, a feverish excitement swept through her, leaving her panting. She stood up abruptly, her lips curling into a crooked, mocking smirk.
With a "you finally got what was coming to you" look in her eyes, as if a great grudge had been avenged, she suppressed her fear of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka for a moment and said with a cold sneer:
"This is the rival you valued so highly. This is the man you felt could stand on equal ground with you. How pathetic, having his memories devoured."
"The Gluttony Archbishop's behavior makes it obvious that he learned about 'Return by Death' through Hachiman's memories. His greatest secret has been cracked, his memories are gone—it's a total defeat."
"If the Gluttony Archbishop spreads the secret of 'Return by Death,' haha... your beloved rival will be left in a state where he can neither live nor die. Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, this is the fruit of your judgment."
The more Horikita spoke, the more refreshed she felt. She stood tall with her chest out, spreading her arms wide and laughing. "Your rival has suffered a tragic final defeat in another world. It seems you are only mediocre after all, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka!"
It had been too long. Far too long.
From the very first second Hikigaya Hachiman appeared, Horikita Suzune had been suppressed, looked down upon, and crushed by his intellect.
She admitted the fact that even if Ayanokouji didn't mock her, her own wisdom and caution couldn't even "touch the porcelain" of Hikigaya Hachiman's level.
But that didn't stop her from feeling the weight of being suppressed for so long—so long that she had developed a twisted complex toward both Ayanokouji and Hachiman. She wanted to overshadow them; she wanted to hold the upper hand!
Seeing Hikigaya Hachiman on the verge of his most perilous state, and even being treated roughly by the once-sympatico Priscilla, Horikita couldn't help but feel an exceptionally vivid sense of victory. It was exhilarating.
However, when she looked at Kiyotaka Ayanokouji in her "winner's stance," all she received was his usual look of utter contempt and disdain.
"No one can win forever."
Ayanokouji spoke in a flat, monotone voice. "No matter who it is, the more danger they encounter and the more they do, the more likely they are to lose. That applies to him, and it applies to me."
"A temporary setback means nothing. All that matters is that you counterattack later and secure the final victory. Furthermore, in order to enjoy the 'feast' for himself, Batenkaitos would never dream of spreading the information regarding Return by Death."
The corners of his mouth curled into a mocking arc. "To be so blinded by excitement that you couldn't even realize that... as I thought, choosing an idiot like you was my greatest mistake, my greatest shame."
Horikita trembled, countered by those few sentences, experiencing the shame of losing face once again.
She racked her brains, still trying to say something. "But... but..."
"Finally, let me reiterate."
Ayanokouji never spared any praise for Hikigaya Hachiman; on this subject, he spoke far more than even Priscilla. "Having Return by Death known is fundamentally no big deal. Hachiman's greatest secret, his strongest trump card, has never been Return by Death—it has always been his wisdom and his character."
"Only an idiot like you would think that it's all over just because Return by Death was discovered!"
"—Gah!"
Admonished into letting out a strange squawk, Horikita's face turned pale. Her legs gave way, and she slumped back into her chair.
For the time being, she lacked all courage—the courage to oppose Hikigaya Hachiman or Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Unless one of them made a flaw so massive it was beyond salvation, only then would she have the chance to jump up and mock them again.
...The smarter people, such as Anastasia and others, had long ago thought of these points. Thus, they did not worry about Hachiman being hunted or imprisoned by the whole world due to the leak of Return by Death.
What they worried about was only that "wretched fake," the Gluttony Archbishop, who had set his sights on Hachiman. They feared he might find a gap and kidnap him one day.
However, currently, all the experts were gathered in the Water Gate City and were focusing on Hachiman, so at least until they left the city, that danger was minimal.
-
-
-
「Priscilla entered the broadcast room and announced to the entire Water Gate City that two of the four invading Sin Archbishops were dead.」
「Although people were confused as to why Hikigaya Hachiman wasn't the one announcing it, because Priscilla's disdainful, high-and-mighty tone was identical to Hachiman's, the sense of security brought by that arrogance turned into trust. Everyone quickly believed the news.」
「Tens of thousands of citizens erupted in cheers.」
「At the same time, in the Counter-Witch Cult Disaster Headquarters, Anastasia stared blankly at the amnesiac Hikigaya Hachiman, who had been brought back by Julius.」
「"How can this be?"」
「Anastasia originally had an expression of good news. The moment she saw Hachiman, she grabbed his hand without a word and led him outside the room where Regulus's wives were being kept.」
「Just as she was about to report the good news, she felt Hachiman's wary struggle, and a hurried Julius caught up to explain the situation.」
「Furrowing her beautiful brows, Anastasia shook her head gently, casting off her various emotions to prioritize business: "Since this has happened... then please, Lord Prime Minister, just listen in for a bit. After all, this is a task we both presided over; I don't want to swallow your credit whole."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman opened his eyes in surprise. "Are you talking to me?"」
「"That's right, you're the designated Prime Minister. Don't think about backing out."」
「A bewildered Hachiman did not refuse. He followed behind the purple-haired girl into a room containing dozens of women dressed in wedding gowns.」
「"The physician has finished examining your bodies and has given the answer... an answer that is very bad for you," Anastasia said.」
「"One of you has two hearts in her body; it is essentially certain that it is Regulus's heart. He used some method to lodge his own heart onto yours, achieving his invincibility."」
「"During the first examination, the woman found to have two hearts committed suicide out of her hatred for Regulus, yet Regulus remains at full strength."」
「"In the second round of examinations, I found that Regulus's heart had transferred to another living person. In other words, as long as you aren't all dead, Regulus will remain invincible—therefore."」
「Anastasia, with her pitiable and beautiful face, presented her most heartless request to these dozens of women:」
「"Please, give up your lives?"」
Read ahead (160 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting