Chapter 397. Emilia's Climax
"Hmph!"
With a sharp snap, Priscilla folded her fan, her displeasure reaching new heights. As of now, regarding the absolute mess her "dimwit" had encountered in this wretched tower...
Excluding the "must-kill" Gluttony trio, the person she hated most was none other than Shaula.
Although the conflict wasn't as intense as her own clash with the dimwit, Shaula's stubborn insistence on viewing Hikigaya Hachiman as her Master—and the resulting master-disciple relationship—shared an uncanny similarity to her own dynamic with the dimwit in the IF-line.
"A single piece is a rare treasure; two pieces cause the value to plummet. No matter how much I dislike the dimwit's arrogant defiance of me, those days belong exclusively to him and me. A mere exhibitionist nymphomaniac actually has the gall to try and force a connection!"
It was decided. Once Echidna and the Gluttony siblings were dead, her next target would be this exhibitionist nymphomaniac, followed by that shameless fox-spirit.
"You're actually more concerned about that, Princess? I thought you'd be more regretful that you didn't go to the Sage's Tower yourself, so you could give Brother a loving hug at a time like this."
Al shrugged. The next moment, as the price for his big mouth, he was swatted away by Priscilla's fan. He spun violently through the air several times before crashing heavily onto the floor, his whole body aching.
"I have not granted you the authority to amuse me with such jokes. If I were there, I would find it so troublesome that I might simply execute the dimwit with one stroke of my sword. That is not something I wish to see; it would drain far too much of the fun."
"Ugh..."
Al remained silent as he struggled to stand. He knew perfectly well... all that talk about "draining the fun" was just a cover for the fact that she didn't want to hurt her dimwit at all. This Princess was a deeply hidden, grade-A tsundere.
Then again, Hikigaya Hachiman was also a massive tsundere, always using duplicity to mask his acts of helping others.
Tsundere paired with tsundere—truly a sight to behold.
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「The result of Hikigaya Hachiman's negotiation with Reid was not ideal.」
「Lacking the performance that had initially caught Reid's eye and earned his secret approval during their first meeting, even though the person was the same, he failed to win Reid's recognition this time. Instead, he was met with mockery.」
「How two people meet and the first impression they establish are vital. Now that he had lost the upper hand, Hachiman knew that, having lost his "existence," he could not obtain Reid's help.」
「The plan to lure Gluttony to the second floor and request Reid's assistance had gone bankrupt before it even saw the light of day.」
「"That's why I said it, Master! That demon, that devil, that guy who's more hellish than hell itself—it's impossible!"」
「Discovering that her Master had returned from the second floor after failing his talk, and relieved that she didn't have to face that monster herself, Shaula was full of energy: "Just rely on me, Master!"」
「"Right, right. I'll rely on you... But I'm sorry, could you step away for a moment, Shaula?"」
「"Eh!?"」
「Making a sour face, Shaula saw Emilia and Beatrice approaching together. She grabbed her Master's sleeve imploringly but was ultimately ruthlessly expelled, unable to stay and compete for favor.」
「They had spent a considerable amount of time preparing, but when they finally stood before Hikigaya Hachiman, both Emilia and Beatrice became hesitant. They glanced at each other, each hoping the other would speak first.」
「"Um... excuse me, but are you really...?"」
「Emilia, considering herself the older sister, couldn't withstand the pleading gaze of her "younger sister" Beatrice. She clenched her fists, cheered herself on, and then cautiously asked that silly question.」
「She then received an unexpected reply—"I don't think so."」
「"At least not right now," he added.」
「Emilia was stunned. She stumbled over her words, instinctively countering: "B-but, when I look at you, I have this feeling of closeness?"」
「Looking at this self-destructing silver-haired girl, Hachiman was silent for a moment before raising his right index finger. "Things that have been done cannot be changed; those are objectively existing past events. But memory is what shapes a person."」
「"What do you mean?"」
「"Back then, I accepted the identity of 'Hikigaya Hachiman' that you gave me because you all still remembered the 'Hikigaya Hachiman' who was active after coming to this world."」
「"But think carefully. Now, you don't remember that 'Hikigaya Hachiman' either, and I have no memory of those eighteen months. Neither side has those impressions. So, why should you still view me that way?"」
「Hachiman's wording was very blunt. He felt that if he got too convoluted or dove too deep into philosophical thinking, a simple girl like Emilia likely wouldn't understand.」
「"With neither side having those memories, if you were to still treat me as someone you've known for a year and a half through life and death... that might actually be... the ultimate hypocrisy."」
「In fact, even though he had been very direct, Emilia was still a bit dazed. However, she ultimately understood the most important part.」
「"If that's really the case, then why," she asked sadly, "why did you look like you wanted to cry back then?"」
「"—"」
「What Emilia referred to was his state when he left the Green Room.」
「"Even without the memories of a year and a half, being forgotten by close people you've known for over twenty days... it must be very sad, right?"」
「Emilia's voice made Hachiman's heart tremble. Immediately after, Beatrice, who had been silent for a long time, also spoke: "Betty doesn't remember. She remembers nothing... but, I don't reject you. Not at all... Betty wants to try to believe in you. Betty wants to believe that maybe you are 'that person' who pulled Betty out of Mother's curse."」
「No matter what, she felt no rejection, only a faint, inexplicable desire to be close to the man before her.」
「It transcended memory, transcended contracts, transcended mind and body—it was a feeling that defied all logic.」
「It was the same for Emilia, and the same for Beatrice.」
「"That little girl [Anastasia] was right; we must be cautious to avoid a 'cuckoo' in the nest... but Betty has her own thoughts as well."」
「The two girls looked at each other again. They reached a consensus, wanting to trust that feeling coming from the depths of their souls.」
「"I understand Miss Anastasia's concerns, and she persuaded me well. But I think..."」
「Emilia bit her lip. Regarding this unknown man, this man she didn't know whether to trust or not, she still harbored many doubts and hesitations.」
「Doubts and hesitations—even so.」
「"But I think... if a year and a half won't work, and if the memories of both sides have vanished... then, let's just decide that you, Hachiman, are a friend we've known for over twenty days!"」
「—Emilia, nevertheless, bravely took her most trustworthy step forward.」
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