Chapter 386. Cruel Remarks
「The hand-holding lasted only until they reached the bottom of the stairs. Afterward, a flash of disappointment flickered across Emilia's face, but it was immediately replaced by a surge of spirit.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman made a trip to the Green Room to explain his actions and achievements to Anastasia and Ram, drawing a dissatisfied, glaring gaze from Beatrice.」
「"Why didn't you take Betty with you!?" she demanded. Facing her accusations, it was Emilia who stepped forward to soothe her.」
「It certainly wasn't because they doubted Beatrice's publicly recognized power; rather, she had already expended a great deal of mana and physical strength that afternoon and needed proper rest.」
「Anastasia also reported on the status within the Green Room. The treatment progress for Crusch and Julius was going well. Just a moment ago, Julius had been struggling to get up, wanting to go alone to engage in a fierce battle with the legendary First Sword Saint to wash away his shame, but he had been stopped by her orders.」
「Having caught up on these matters, Hachiman left the Green Room, preparing to try his luck at the library on the third floor. He wanted to see if he could stumble upon the Books of the Dead for Reid or Flugel, hoping to find a way to deal with the trial or bypass it entirely.」
「After all, Reid had already made one concession; he might not be so willing to yield during the next negotiation. One shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket.」
「Walking out of the Green Room with him was Ram.」
「Her expression was somewhat grim. Ram, desperate to save her sister, wished she could simply smash through all the trials blocking their path. "That legendary Sword Saint... how much confidence do you have?"」
「"How much confidence I have depends on how much I can convince him to use less power later."」
「After a moment of silence, Hachiman's tactful "currently zero percent win rate" answer made Ram's mood even darker. This gloom wasn't directed at Hachiman; on the contrary, after wavering in thought for a while, she showed a hint of retreat for the first time.」
「"Try for a few more days. If it really doesn't work... retreat for now and go back to contact the current Sword Saint."」
「Hachiman looked at her in stunned surprise.」
「Ram's gaze held a hint of sorrow—sorrow for her poor sister, and sorrow for Hachiman. "That look... did you think Ram would say something nonsensical like 'it must work even if it can't, and if you're a useless thing who can't pass the trial, then just die in battle'?"」
「"...I didn't think it was quite that severe."」
「"Heh." Ram let out a small laugh. "Don't be too arrogant, Hikigaya Hachiman. Forget the current you—even the you before your memory loss wasn't omnipotent. There are things you cannot do."」
「"If you've done your best and still can't achieve it, then there's simply no helping it... Besides, Ram has had a realization."」
「"A realization?" Just as Hachiman asked, Ram took a step back and bowed sincerely.」
「"Forgetting Rem—Ram committed that mistake far earlier than you did. Yet you never took your anger out on Ram and have always thought of taking revenge on the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony... For the past month, Ram refused to accept the fact that you forgotten Rem and made many mistakes. I am sorry."」
「Hachiman opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond. To say he had no grievances would be a lie; it wasn't as if he wanted to lose his memories, yet he had been treated that way by Ram all along.」
「"Let it be—say nothing, this is fine." Straightening up, Ram said, "If you have grievances against Ram, wait until after you recover your memories to voice them... otherwise you might feel regret, and Ram does not wish for that."」
「"Furthermore."」
「She paused. "There are two things I must tell you."」
「Hachiman nodded slightly, indicating he was listening intently.」
「"Before you recover your memories, please do not rashly choose Lady Emilia or enter a physical relationship with her. Otherwise, you will absolutely regret it."」
「Ram hesitated, raising her right hand to brush her pink hair to hide her emotions. "Additionally... when a task becomes impossible, you must prioritize protecting yourself."」
「"What about Rem?" Hachiman's face was full of disbelief this time. Based on Ram's behavior up to now, shouldn't she be telling him to protect Rem even if he had to die?」
「"Ram's sister—Ram would give her own life to protect her. But if Rem were awake, she would surely give her life to protect you."」
「Exposing her gentle nature—a gentleness different from Emilia's or Beatrice's—Ram continued: "One day, Ram's sister will surely wake up. Ram does not wish for her to wake up and cry because you suffered some kind of damage."」
「Having said this, Ram turned abruptly and walked back to the Green Room with long, quick strides.」
「"...Is she... shy?"」
「While his mood improved, the heavy pressure on his shoulders felt increasingly real. Gazing at his friend Ram's retreating back, Hachiman murmured softly: "Thanks... but, I might not be able to fulfill either of those two things, Ram."」
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Ram finally stopped her misplaced anger and impatience. Those who breathed a sigh of relief weren't just the "Rem-Ram" fans and the kind-hearted Emilia, but also the vast number of Rem supporters. Seeing that the older sister had finally stopped dragging the team down, many people were shouting "Thank goodness."
However, some had no interest in Ram's change in attitude.
In Class D of Advanced Nurturing High School, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka sat with his arms crossed, anticipating what his rival would find in the library. He had a lot of thoughts regarding a place that accumulated four hundred years of knowledge from all races across the world.
"Hikigaya Hachiman certainly has thoughts as well, but out of respect for the dead, he wouldn't easily flip through these books just for the sake of it."
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「Wishing to flip through books and think in peace, Hachiman had declined the company of Emilia and the others. But upon arriving at the library, he found:」
「Meili was already there.」
「"That expression—eeeh, did I get in Big Brother's way?"」
「Meili closed a Book of the Dead she had picked up at random and shoved it back with a 'thud,' showing no respect for the deceased. "It's fine, it's fine. In that case, I'll leave right away. If I don't, I'll surely be killed by that big sister Crusch. How scary."」
「Hearing her slander Crusch's reputation, Hachiman casually defended Crusch: "Compared to Crusch, the possibility of me doing such a thing is probably higher."」
「"Oh my, but I've never seen Big Brother kill anyone."」
「Meili approached. Hachiman rubbed the corners of his eyes. "Didn't you say before that you were afraid I'd hang you?"」
「"Yeah, mm-hmm." Meili's eyes darted around. She looked at the room full of Books of the Dead and changed the subject. "By the way, Big Brother must really want to recover his memories quickly, right?"」
「Hachiman glanced at her. "Get to the point."」
「"What I'm trying to say is, Big Brother."」
「The pretty-faced Meili held up a finger. "I mean—at this point, the method to recover Big Brother's memories isn't limited to just one anymore, right?"」
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