Chapter 420. Hiss, Can We Reconcile?
"I'm already someone who is of no use, yet I can still receive their attention and even their affection. I'm truly flattered... but I can't. I simply can't. Yukinoshita has completely entrusted her future to me; I can't let her down again, ah…"
Pouring out his grievances like a bitter flood, Hikigaya Hachiman tugged at his hair, recounting his internal struggle to Reinhard with a wry smile.
He could do it. As long as he was willing to exercise restraint, he could stay true... but God only knows why the future was broadcasted on this side as well?
If it were just his own one-sided feelings, Hachiman could likely suppress them no matter what, ensuring he wouldn't betray Yukinoshita.
But good girls like Emilia also harbored feelings for him... what was he supposed to do about that?
Even with a girl like Yuigahama Yui, who didn't quite qualify as "the genuine thing," he clearly felt nothing for her, yet he was still rendered hesitant and hamstrung just because she liked him.
He couldn't even bring himself to say a single sentence like: "I don't like you, stop liking me, there's no chance for us."
So how could he handle people like Emilia and the others?
Faced with the raw, genuine emotions of these girls, what could he, Hikigaya Hachiman, actually do? Reject them bluntly? ...Absolutely not. It was fundamentally impossible!
Therefore, he could only run. He could only escape, feeling immensely grateful that he had Reinhard as both his vessel and his shield.
"Once the Witch Factors hatch and grow, producing an Authority that allows me to travel back to Earth, I'm fleeing back immediately... I'm not a cowardly person, but to fulfill my promise to Yukinoshita, for her sake, I can only choose to be a cowardly man."
However, before fleeing back to Earth, it was inevitable that he would have to meet with Emilia, Rem, Crusch, and Anastasia individually, condensing a lifetime's worth of sentiment into one final meeting in this world.
He fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Will you look down on me, Reinhard?"
"Your actions are those of a man who keeps his word and stands by his promises with integrity. What right would I have to look down on you, Hachiman?"
Reinhard sighed, shaking his head with regret. "What a pity. I truly wished to spend more time and converse more with you, my dear friend."
Hearing this, Hachiman couldn't help but chuckle.
If a girl had said those words, he would have pulled away instantly. But Reinhard was a man, and the mutual respect between men instead made him feel cheerful, giving him a sense of happiness from being recognized.
"I'm truly honored by your high regard... though, it really feels like a dream. No, I should say the feeling of being in a dream has finally vanished."
Interacting and chatting with Reinhard, being embraced by him to enjoy the sensation of flying through the sky—this made Hachiman feel like a mirror that had been covered in steam. Now, the steam on the mirror had been wiped clean, leaving behind a sense of reality.
It was no longer just watching a video, and no longer just memories inserted into his mind; it was the real deal. He, Hikigaya Hachiman, was in this different world, and he had established a link with the "genuine thing" here.
"However, while I have neither the right nor the intention to interfere with your decision to stay away from Lady Crusch and the others, what are your plans regarding Lady Beatrice, Hachiman?"
"Yeah, that's also something I wanted to ask of you," Hachiman nodded. "Take me to the Roswaal mansion and the Pleiades Watchtower later. I want to find Beatrice and Shaula and follow their own wishes."
Those two girls who had been lonely for four hundred years, whom he viewed as sisters—Hachiman would not run away from them.
If they were willing to be with him, he would take them back to Earth, treating them with the same devotion he gave to Komachi.
And before that...
"...Am I some kind of giant panda? Have I turned into Mr. Pan? If so, wouldn't Yukinoshita be so happy she'd literally die laughing?"
The two flew over the sky of Watergate City. Even from a height of over a hundred meters, Hachiman could still hear the boiling cheers below—wave after wave of "Hikigaya Hachiman! Hikigaya Hachiman! Reinhard! Reinhard!" Hearing it gave him goosebumps.
The entire population of Watergate City was shouting the names of Hikigaya Hachiman and Reinhard.
That fanatical reaction was something the residents of the Royal Capital couldn't match. After all, the duo—one representing the ultimate mind and the other the ultimate blade—had truly saved the entire city from the brink of destruction.
This scorching attitude made both Hachiman and Reinhard extremely uncomfortable; thus, they fled quickly after retrieving the Witch Factors.
In all fairness, they didn't feel their achievements were so great that they deserved to be treated like deities.
...Following this, while collecting the Factors of Greed and Gluttony, they coincidentally encountered Roy, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, who had slipped through the net.
Reinhard immediately obtained a Divine Protection that allowed entry into the Corridor of Memories. Using Roy as a relay station, he slipped into Louis's home base. He then instantly killed Louis with a soul-strike, followed by a physical strike that killed Roy.
Thus, the Gluttony Factor naturally fell completely into Hachiman's body.
Clearly, anyone with a brain knew such a coincidence couldn't exist.
Hachiman's expression was complex.
Without even thinking, he knew: it was the tsundere Priscilla in the Royal Capital using her "Great Fortune" to assist them from afar, forcibly creating this so-called coincidence.
"What a person to both love and hate... but I have no choice but to accept this favor, Priscilla."
The Witch Factor was secondary; the primary thing was the removal of a bastard "fake" who plagued the world. This was something both he and Reinhard valued deeply.
At the same time, witnessing Reinhard's one-hit kill of a Sin Archbishop in the flesh made Hachiman even more reflective.
If not for the lack of information, the Sin Archbishops were really just a bunch of clowns; what right did they have to prance before Reinhard? And even without information, the only one who could even put up a fight was Regulus.
Having gathered all the scattered Witch Factors into his possession, the next destination was the mansion in Roswaal's domain.
From a distance, they could see Roswaal and Beatrice standing on the roof of the mansion, gazing at their approach. Seeing Roswaal dressed normally, having discarded his clown persona, both were somewhat surprised.
"Don't attack yet! ...Can we reconcile, Hikigaya Hachiman?"
Seeming afraid of being killed instantly without a word, Roswaal spoke up impatiently the moment Reinhard landed.
What he received in return was a cold scrutiny.
Roswaal's mental instability and his crimes had made it so that neither of the two had previously considered the idea of reconciliation.
"Do you think that's possible?" Hachiman shook his head.
"I think it's possible."
Roswaal tore open his shirt, exposing his chest, and said solemnly: "Let us sign a contract, Hikigaya Hachiman!"
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