Chapter 413. World Fusion (Part 1)
「Facing the Satella who was on the brink of fading away, Hikigaya Hachiman gave a slight nod. His face held no joy; instead, he let out a sigh of mental exhaustion.」
「He actually felt somewhat grateful to Satella. Although she had thrown him here without seeking his consent—to the point where he was separated from Komachi by the veil between life and death—to be frank, by now, the regret and dissatisfaction in Hachiman's heart had been smoothed over.」
「His arrival had indeed served a purpose; he had saved people who were originally destined to die. With that, he was satisfied. If given another chance to start from the beginning, he would still cross over to this world without hesitation.」
「Though, he certainly would have liked to say goodbye to Komachi and the others before leaving.」
「"Thank you, Satella... but please, rest in peace. I, who love so many people and am loved by so many in return, have absolutely no intention of being buried alongside you."」
「Murmuring this, Hachiman suddenly understood why Yukinoshita had once engaged in a "cold war" with him after he confessed to Ebina.」
「"Yeah, protecting yourself and caring about yourself is also very important... I am no longer just myself. I absolutely cannot indiscriminately sacrifice myself just because of others' demands or requests, or because of my own kindness or selfishness."」
「If he did that, the girls who had entrusted their "Genuine" feelings to him would never be happy.」
「"And thank you, too, Yukinoshita."」
「Carrying the realization Yukinoshita had taught him, he intended to continue moving forward in this different world... no, in this world, together with Emilia and everyone else.」
「"Yay~ What are you whispering about, Master?" A sudden cheer interrupted his monologue. An overexcited Shaula, acting like a hyperactive husky, nimbly climbed onto his back, pointing one finger to the sky while hugging his neck tight with the other.」
「"The tower is gone, Master is back, the big guy is still alive, and Shaula is free! I'm free—Master, Master, Master! I can follow you now! I'll go with you to the ends of the earth! You can never abandon me again, okay Master? I never want to leave your side again!"」
「The crisis having vanished, a relaxed Shaula entered celebration mode faster than anyone.」
「"Wha—!?" Beatrice's fingers turned white from clenching. She watched this brazen, shameless woman with trembling rage. Taking three steps in two, she rushed over to grab Shaula, trying to yank her off her contractor's back.」
「Previously, her ample sympathy for Shaula was partly due to shared experience, but mainly because the previous Hachiman had zero intention of accepting Shaula, so she let it slide.」
「But now, it was absolutely unacceptable!」
「This shameless woman's "role" overlapped with Betty's! Both were compensations for four hundred years, both liked to boisterously monopolize Hachiman, and most importantly, Hachiman viewed both Betty and Shaula as younger sisters. How could two sisters compare to the favoritism shown to just one?」
「The idea of Shaula stealing Betty's exclusive time with Hachiman... she didn't want something like that to happen!」
「"Get off him, Betty says! Right now!"」
「"No way! I finally got a perfect Happy End with Master, I won't let anyone spoil it! Master, Master, waaah, my Master!"」
「Rem watched with a dazed expression. Her "time" had been delayed for too long; she couldn't understand the situation at all. Regardless, following the successful precedents from the Royal Capital: when in doubt, just charge.」
「Without a word, Rem threw herself into his arms. Avoiding the back where Shaula and Beatrice were bickering, she embraced her beloved from the front, continuing the reunion that had been interrupted moments ago.」
「Beatrice's face grew increasingly livid. Shaula, on the other hand, didn't mind at all, nuzzling her Master with a grin—heartless and carefree, looking utterly satisfied.」
「"Ugh—!?"」
「Emilia was greatly shocked. She stood there, staring blankly at the chaotic scene, wanting to pull them apart but not knowing where to start. She bit her lip and stood in place, looking dejected with her head down, not moving forward to compete.」
「Julius's gaze had never left the distant Reid, and Crusch's eyes remained focused on Volcanica; thus, neither noticed the farce unfolding here.」
「Anastasia stroked her pale purple hair—the hair Hachiman had once caressed—standing alone with a sorrowful, sighing expression. With Rem's existence returned to memory, she naturally remembered the flirting between Hachiman and Rem before and after the White Whale subjugation.」
「Naturally, she realized... in Watergate City, when Hachiman said he "hadn't decided who to marry yet," he was referring to Emilia and Rem. It had nothing to do with her, Anastasia.」
「It was all her own unrequited passion.」
「Even if Hikigaya Hachiman did feel some affection for her, it seemed she hadn't even entered the "candidate for wife" list.」
「"That's really cruel, Mr. Prime Minister. Why did you wait until after I fell for you to let me realize the truth, hm?"」
「Meili observed everyone's expressions. Precocious as she was, she gave Emilia's backside a little shove. "Hey, hey, Big Sis, is it really okay not to go up there? Even I know that the crying child gets the most attention!"」
「Biting her lower lip, Emilia shook her head gently. She wouldn't give up on competing with Rem, but not right now... The person she loved had only just woken up; for now, she would let her knight enjoy himself without worries.」
「Hachiman's happiness was what mattered most.」
「"Hmph, boring!" Priscilla, never one to pass up a chance to stir trouble, snorted and criticized Emilia's cowardice. She had originally hoped to see that arrogant dunderhead backed into a corner, stuttering between several women.」
「If that happened, she could laugh to her heart's content.」
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More than the celebratory conclusion, certain viewers were addicted to the display of sheer combat power. It wasn't just the future Julius who was mesmerized by Reid; the current Julius, Blue Lightning, and Garfiel were all staring at Reid without blinking.
To them, the First Sword Saint performing swordsmanship was more alluring than the power of a billion emperors or a billion world-class beauties. They looked at Reid the way a lecher looks at a half-naked, provocatively dressed maiden.
People like Shirogane Miyuki and Kousaka Kyousuke let out sighs of relief, sincerely applauding the end of another threat.
Only Hikigaya Hachiman in the convenience store and Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in Class D had widened their vision, no longer paying attention to the future broadcast. The former let out a slight sigh, while the latter looked intrigued.
They had both discovered something far more worthy of attention.
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