Chapter 352. A Little Sister's Heart, The World's Number One Beatrice
「—Hikigaya Hachiman was woken up by noise.」
「Having fallen asleep very late last night, he hadn't been in a deep slumber for long before he vaguely heard a burst of clamor. It was the voice of a cute, childish girl cursing something, mixed with sobs and the intermittent voices of others.」
「With a headache, Hikigaya Hachiman followed the source of the sound. He got out of bed to investigate what was happening, and when he reached the location, he found it was the hotel lobby, where many people had already gathered.」
「Emilia, Crusch, Reinhard, Julius, and others were all there. Standing opposite them, a little girl with golden hair and a hairstyle very similar to Miura Yumiko's was acting highly emotional, unilaterally and fiercely scolding everyone.」
「Most of those being scolded remained silent, their faces full of shame. However, Ferris, Anastasia, and Ricardo were all trying to offer comfort, attempting to explain that it was an unavoidable situation and that others shouldn't be blamed too much.」
「Yet even someone as formidable as Anastasia ultimately lost ground amidst the golden-haired girl's thunderous fury and tearful accusations... because she clearly realized that regardless of where the responsibility lay, what Beatrice needed right now was an outlet for her emotions.」
「...Hikigaya Hachiman hesitated outside the lobby. Just as he was about to turn and leave, the induction between contractors allowed Beatrice to discover him in an instant.」
「Accompanied by a tearful cry of "Hachiman," Beatrice suddenly lunged into his arms, wailing loudly as tears flowed in torrents.」
「Beatrice's face was very cute, her voice was pleasant to listen to, and her skin was very fine. Hikigaya Hachiman was at a loss, but his confusion had absolutely nothing to do with Beatrice's physical charms.」
「"Be... atrice?"」
「Calling out the name he had learned from Emilia, the various unfamiliar emotions contained in that shout caused Beatrice's body to freeze. Her face turned pale, and her arms fell powerlessly to her sides.」
「Startled by Beatrice's reaction, Hikigaya Hachiman scanned the lobby with a pleading gaze, but everyone who had just been rebuked by Beatrice avoided his eyes, unable to help. Right now, the only one qualified to speak to Beatrice was him.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman deliberated, saying tentatively: "I'm sorry...?"」
「"It's not, it's not like this—idiot, big idiot, you big idiot!" Beatrice choked on her words, and it was only with intermittent breaths that she managed to voice this condemnation. "Why, why did you have to be alone? With the magic crystal stones there, you clearly could have woken Betty up immediately."」
「"Betty is, Betty is your... I couldn't even protect my own contractor... Hachiman, you dummy, you untrustworthy liar! Do you think if you lose your memories, Betty can actually be happy? Can Betty still run toward happiness? —Liar, big liar!"」
「"Doing such a stupid thing for Betty's safety, Betty absolutely—"」
「Crying and sobbing, she spoke of a promise that only the two of them could understand. But suddenly, Beatrice realized that now, she was the only one left who could understand that promise.」
「She raised her head, looking at her contractor with sorrow.」
「This liar, who had once promised to run toward happiness with her—at this very moment, his face showed obvious confusion and helplessness. He stammered, seemingly thinking about how to respond, how to comfort her.」
「"—Like this, like this... Betty, Betty... ah, ugh, aaaaaah......"」
「Beatrice was first dumbfounded, and then she began to tremble. Her body felt cold, as if a knife were carving into her heart. She grit her teeth and lowered her head; she had countless things to say, but nothing would come out.」
「Only trembling tears kept dripping down.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman then knew what he had to do... He sighed softly, took Beatrice in his arms, and gently patted her back, letting the girl lean against his chest. "Cry, cry it all out, Beatrice. But don't be afraid, don't worry... the Hikigaya Hachiman you know will definitely come back. Those memories will definitely return one day."」
「If it were Emilia or Crusch, Hikigaya Hachiman felt he wouldn't do this.」
「But Beatrice was just a child... he wouldn't feel any desire, he wouldn't feel any inferiority, and he wouldn't feel the need to keep his distance. He simply... purely treated Beatrice like a younger sister, comforting her as best he could.」
「Just as he had treated Tsurumi Rumi.」
「"—That's not it!"」
「The sobbing Beatrice raised her head again, refuting him with red-rimmed eyes: "The promise made with Betty and the days spent together are important, that's true... but as for whether the memories can return, Betty doesn't care about that as much as you do... It's you,
it's you, you idiot! Hachiman, you idiot! Because you lost your memories, you're definitely going to overthink things!"
「"You'll overthink, you'll be suspicious, you'll distrust others, you'll be secretly heartbroken... Betty doesn't want to see Hachiman become like that!"」
「She shook her head, clenching her teeth while sobbing. "Saying that the Hachiman Betty knows will definitely come back—Betty knew it, Hachiman would definitely think that way. If it's Hachiman, he definitely won't accept these feelings."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman froze. He stared blankly at Beatrice, and he finally understood the profound meaning behind what Miss Emilia had said before—that Beatrice was the one who spent the most time with him and understood him most deeply.」
「The person in this other world who understood Hikigaya Hachiman best wasn't Julius, wasn't Emilia, and wasn't Crusch... it was Beatrice!」
「"But Hachiman is Hachiman. Hachiman is right here. You are the Hachiman Betty knows, you are the Hachiman Betty contracted with. No matter what kind of Hachiman you are, Hachiman is Hachiman. It has nothing to do with whether you are the 'pre-amnesia you.' You are the Hachiman Betty likes!"」
「Crying still, Beatrice lifted Hikigaya Hachiman's right hand, cupping his palm with both of her hands to transmit warmth.」
「"You must accept it, you cannot run away—trying to abandon Betty, trying to abandon Betty's feelings for you, it's too late, idiot! You, who have already contracted with Betty, no matter how much you overthink, don't even dream of leaving Betty behind. You aren't capable of such a thing, you dummy Hachiman!"」
「Beatrice's tantrum and her anger toward Emilia and the others was never because she was afraid the promise would be forgotten or unfulfilled.」
「What she worried about, from beginning to end, was that Hachiman's own "sentimental" thoughts would make him psychologically conflicted and distressed, even causing him to hurt himself. If it were Hachiman, he would definitely do that—Beatrice knew it.」
「Because she was Hachiman's contracted spirit, the Beatrice who stayed with him day and night!」
「...He could feel it: the contract with Beatrice, the link between their two souls.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman knew then that the situation had reversed. It wasn't him comforting Beatrice; it was Beatrice who was guiding him."」
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