Chapter 395. Shaula's Counterattack, Following in Betty's Footsteps
「"——Yay! A dejected Master! This is the perfect chance for me, Shaula, to swoop in! Since I forgot that Master had already been back for several days, it perfectly evens out the fact that Master forgot about me!"」
「Following her Master out of the Green Room, she leaped from behind and clung to him, hugging Hikigaya Hachiman tightly. This time, Shaula refused to let go no matter what, nuzzling her head against Hachiman's back.」
「The sudden comedic antics thinned the lingering sorrow and washed away the heavy sighs of dejection, but Hachiman was unwilling to accept her kindness.」
「"Idiot, I told you I'm not your Master. Get down already! ——Have you ever thought about how your real Master would feel if he came back and saw you mistaking someone else for him?"」
「"I don't care about that! Anyway, Master is Master! Your prize pupil Shaula would never mistake her own Master!"」
「Forced to carry this cheap disciple on his back, Hachiman rubbed his forehead in exasperation. In any case, he would never admit to this master-disciple relationship even if it killed him. However, given how Shaula had cooperated earlier, he found it difficult to turn hostile and forcefully drive the girl away.」
「Shuffling step by step toward the balcony of the Sage's Tower, hoping the vast natural scenery would improve his mood, Hachiman had intended to ignore the overly familiar "fake" disciple on his back. But Shaula herself was quite lacks the tact.」
「She cried out loudly: "Wow, you're almost crying, Master!"」
「"Don't talk nonsense," Hachiman denied instantly. "I've only known them for about twenty days. How could I have feelings deep enough to make me cry? If Yukinoshita died, maybe I could squeeze out two drops, but that's about it."」
「Shaula giggled. "But I didn't say it was because of them, did I, Master?"」
「His tsundere nature being exposed, Hachiman's face turned red in an instant. He stammered and turned his head away, but whichever way he turned, Shaula's head followed right along.」
「"No matter what difficult problem you face, your prize pupil Shaula is willing to hack through thorns and move mountains for you, Master! ——Of course, any matter regarding leaving Shaula is vetoed!"」
「Shaula raised her right hand as if making a military pledge. She still lacked any sense of gravity, giving off the impression of someone just playing around, yet her words held a solemnity that only a sensitive observer of humanity like Hachiman could perceive.」
「"If Master wants, I'll go give them a beating to force them to trust you! Especially that stubborn-mouthed fox—it's fine even if I beat her half to death, right?"」
「Hachiman shook his head gently. He gazed out at the distant sky. "Do you know what I'm thinking about right now, Shaula?"」
「"Eh? You're thinking about how to punch that airy fox to death, right? Anyway, you definitely aren't thinking about your cute disciple. Master, think about me more!"」
「"I'm indeed not thinking about a disciple, because I have never had any disciples from ancient times to the present," Hachiman dropped a metaphorical nuclear bomb with a casual air. "But I am indeed thinking about you right now, Shaula."」
「He dropped a nuclear bomb specifically designed to be super-effective against Shaula.」
「"Ga—"」
「As if her throat had been seized, Shaula was momentarily speechless. Her body temperature rose, her heart skipped a beat, and her breathing hitched. She looked at her Master in pleasant shock.」
「Then, like a dam bursting, large droplets of tears suddenly began to fall, pit-a-pat.」
「Hachiman could understand her state of mind. When a person suffers hardship and grievance alone, they can actually hold it in. But if someone shows them concern at that moment, they instead vent everything uncontrollably.」
「However, he wasn't actually trying to be "kind" to Shaula.」
「"The feeling of being forgotten by others is truly unbearable... even if it's just friends of twenty days."」
「Murmuring to himself, Hachiman put himself in others' shoes. "I'm already like this, but Emilia and the others have known me for a year and a half. When they were forgotten by me, how did they feel then?"」
「Back in Watergate City, he had only thought of his own confusion and guardedness. At that time, how deeply must he have stabbed Emilia and the others? Even so, that group of people swallowed their own pain and grievances, prioritizing his comfort above all else.」
「Back then, he was exactly the same as the current Anastasia.」
「He didn't blame Anastasia, but looking back now, he felt nothing but self-reproach and a desire to curse the version of himself that woke up in Watergate City.」
「Back then, just like his confession to Ebina during the Kyoto trip, he had inadvertently deeply wounded others.」
「"Emilia and the others must have been in so much pain... Then, looking at it from your perspective, Shaula, after waiting for four hundred years, only for a Master who forgot you to arrive—how must that have felt?"」
「Hachiman's expression was somber. Having gone through a similar experience, he could perhaps understand Shaula a little bit more now.」
「"..."」
「Leaning on his back, Shaula seemed to want to argue, but she couldn't find the words. As Hachiman's voice of concern fell, the heartache Shaula had been trying her best to hide surged up uncontrollably. She was swept away and surrounded by tears, sobbing with slight tremors.」
「"You are pitiable, truly pitiable, Shaula. But I won't care about you. I am a selfish bastard, and I will tell you this clearly."」
「Hachiman reached his hand out toward the sky, his declaration of selfishness ringing out powerfully:」
「"No matter how many times you call me Master, no matter how much you try to pester me, no matter how sad, miserable, or aggrieved you are, I will never—absolutely never—admit to being your Master!"」
「Just as he would not force Emilia and the others to believe his words or recognize his identity.」
「He understood Shaula just a tiny bit... and precisely because of that, he was even more stubborn, even more heartless, and even more self-centered!」
「"...Ha... haha, Master, you're really a dummy. By acting like this, aren't you already showing concern for your prize pupil Shaula?"」
「Sobbing, Shaula wiped away her tears, not wanting to lose face in front of her Master. She forced a smile and pointed out her Master's duplicity.」
「"Besides, it's not as serious as you say—fine, okay, maybe I wanted to cry just a little bit. But Master has returned now. Master is here. Master is by Shaula's side."」
「"I'm already satisfied, Master... Receiving your recognition would obviously be the best, but my extravagant wish has already been answered, Master."」
「Shaula, the crybaby, had lived for four hundred years, but in front of her Master, she was forever a child.」
「She hugged Hachiman tightly, sobbing and giggling, sending out that long-accumulated sincerity from the bottom of her heart:」
「"Welcome back, Master—Shaula has been waiting a long, long time!"」
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