Chapter 398. The "Genuine" That Defeats All
「The seed planted will one day grow into a towering tree that, in turn, shields the one who sowed it.」
「Time after time, day after day, glance after glance, voice after voice—when hands are joined to cross countless hardships named "pain," upon this distant, boundless sea of suffering, looking back suddenly, the tattered little wooden skiff beneath their feet has, before they knew it...」
「Transformed into a new continent named Hikigaya Hachiman and Emilia, standing tall and unafraid of wind and rain, remaining serene even in the face of a monstrous tsunami.」
「From a skiff to a boat, to a sailing ship, to an ark, to an island, and finally to a continent that gradually fills the sea of suffering, equally thick, broad, and boundless.」
「The Council of Sages cannot interrupt it; Petelgeuse cannot plunder it; Roswaal cannot obstruct it; Echidna cannot terminate it; Regulus cannot seize it.」
「Everything, every bit of it, all along the way, every single piece—even if memories are lost, even if all is forgotten, it will still throb, it will still flicker, it will still manifest.」
「That is Emilia.」
「That is Emilia's feelings for her Head Knight, named Hikigaya Hachiman.」
「"—"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman stood like a stone. He stared blankly at Emilia, his throat bobbing involuntarily. He was in fear; he was trembling.」
「"How... is this possible..."」
「Deep within Emilia's eyes, within the gaze of this silver-haired girl—unbeknownst even to herself—leaped a spark of affection, a shred of feeling that existed before her amnesia, a feeling always reserved as a gift for him, Hikigaya Hachiman.」
「"Hey, Betty is here too! Betty's meaning is the same as hers! Why are you only looking at her? If you really are Betty's person, then show Betty some proper concern too!"」
「Beatrice's clamor was like the final straw that broke the camel's back. The trembling Hachiman felt all the strength drained from his body. He leaned sideways against the corridor wall for support, his legs buckling as he nearly collapsed to the floor.」
「It was a pair of kind hands that replaced the wall, reaching out proactively to catch and support him.」
「"Emilia..."」
「He murmured as he raised his head. Entering his vision was that flawlessly beautiful face, filled with concern for him. Just last night, this same face had smiled and argued logically, saying she would protect him well forever.」
「"...I'm sorry."」
「"Eh?"」
「Reflected in the panicked Emilia's eyes were teardrops accompanied by a sob.」
「"I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, I'm sorry, Emilia, I'm sorry..."」
「He hadn't cried when he realized he had amnesia; he hadn't cried when he inexplicably received a one-sided love he didn't even want; he hadn't cried when he was killed by Ram; he hadn't cried when he lost his existence; he hadn't cried when he faced Anastasia's suspicion.」
「But he knew better than anyone else: Hikigaya Hachiman was actually a person who could cry.」
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Inside the convenience store, Hachiman knew—he absolutely knew better than anyone else—what kind of thoughts were contained within those repeated apologies.
I'm sorry, for betraying the wordless tacit understanding built over so much time in the Service Club with Yukinoshita, that gradually born affection they both clearly understood.
I'm sorry, for not trusting the pre-amnesia self's obsession and eye for the "Genuine," for not trusting his own pursuit of the "Genuine."
I'm sorry, that in a mere twenty-odd days he had already hurt Emilia far too much, and owed her so much—so much that he couldn't pay it back in a lifetime, so much that he fell in love with this "Genuine of Genuines," so much that he had no right to love this silver-haired girl.
I'm sorry, that the amnesiac Emilia could still have remnants of her feelings, yet he did not; perhaps the love his pre-amnesia self had for her wasn't sincere or deep enough, that it wasn't equal at all—he had deceived Emilia.
I'm sorry, that his pre-amnesia self could be so promiscuous as to fall in love with a girl named Rem while already having Emilia—he was truly the scum of scums. Truly, he was a massive bastard.
"Contrasted against Emilia, I appear so despicable and lowly... From beginning to end, there hasn't been a single moment where I loved only Emilia alone."
But every minute, every second, every moment, Emilia had never loved anyone but him, Hikigaya Hachiman.
'So, I'm sorry.'
"I'm truly sorry... Emilia."
The person who needed to apologize wasn't just the amnesiac Hachiman or the pre-amnesia Hachiman, but also the present him—this equally despicable and lowly Hikigaya Hachiman.
And the object of Hachiman's apology wasn't just Emilia.
"Don't apologize to me, Hikigaya-kun." A finger pressed against his lips. Yukinoshita's eyelashes fluttered gently as she gazed absent-mindedly at Emilia.
"I... cannot compare to Emilia."
Hachiman gently moved her finger away and whispered with a sigh, "Even so, I still have to say it. I'm sorry, Yukinoshita."
He, this despicable bastard who liked Yukinoshita while simultaneously being drawn to "Genuines" like Emilia and Rem.
"Hikigaya Hachiman, you... truly deserve to die!"
Murmuring words that only Hikigaya Hachiman would agree with, they emerged from Hikigaya Hachiman's own mouth.
"...There's already nothing left to compare."
Inside the Hoshin Trading Company, Anastasia gave a bitter smile. She didn't want to lose, but she never had a chance of winning.
The moment she saw that Emilia could still retain a sense of closeness to Hachiman even after losing her memories, she knew: if they could overcome the obstacle of the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, the future Prime Minister would definitely take Emilia as his wife.
Even if all memories were reclaimed, even if Rem woke up.
Anastasia didn't want to accept it, but she knew she had to. Even Beatrice at least had the "outside move" of a contract to secretly strengthen the pull.
"Even someone like Ram, who would destroy the world for her sister, became like a stranger with no feelings for Rem after her sister's existence was eaten... Just what kind of person are you, Emilia?"
Anastasia let out a breath, both willingly and unwillingly.
"The future me has already exited the stage... but I suppose this counts as a good thing. This way, I can focus more on whether the Prime Minister is safe or not."
And yet.
"The future me might have no chance, but for the present me, things have only just begun—I can't bring myself to surrender just yet!"
Her declaration rang out powerfully. At the same time, Crusch and Rem (from afar) issued the exact same proclamation as Anastasia.
"I admit that I might not be able to do what Emilia did—but I will absolutely never back down when it comes to my feelings for the Prime Minister!"
With sharp gazes, these were the "Genuines" who would never retreat!
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