Kyosuke Kousaka clutched the collar on his left chest, feeling the beating of his heart beneath his chest. His eyes became rarely confused because this time he couldn’t find the answer as usual.

A white figure appeared in his mind, and Kyosuke Kousaka pursed his dry lips and thought involuntarily.

If it were you, facing such a future…what would you choose?

——Zaimokuza Yoshiteru.

“Mr. Kosaka…”

Zaimokuza, who was far away at Sobu High School, was also watching everything on the screen in silence, and the confused whispers of a friend he had never met flashed in his ears.

If it were me –

“…”

He looked at his open palm in front of him. Every finger and fingerprint on his chubby palm was extremely white, unlike the “Yoshiki Zaimokuza” who would travel around the world in the future and become rough and weathered.

Thinking back to the video and the self on the screen raising his fists to fight those Gurongi in order to protect everyone’s smiles, thinking back to the scene of those fists hitting the opponent’s body again and again, the palm in front of his eyes seemed to feel the touch of that fist hitting the other’s flesh at this moment.

A trace of genuine disgust appeared in Zaimokuza’s eyes. He put down his hands and chose to remain silent.

Because he couldn’t find the answer now.

Kyosuke Kousaka is not yet “Kousuke Kousaka”, and similarly, the current Zaimokuza Yoshiki is not “Zaimokuza Yoshiki”. They have not yet embarked on their respective journeys that will transform themselves into their future selves, and people in different situations will have different answers to the same question.

Therefore, the answer can only be given by the two people who started this story.

[Time passed quickly without anyone noticing, and soon it was the weekend. ]

【Kyoto Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Private Sakuragaoka Girls’ High School. 】

【 11:54 AM 】

[“Hey~ Is this Xiao Wei and her friends’ school? It’s so lively!”]

[Zaimokuza hopped into the nearly 100-year-old campus like a rabbit, looking around curiously.]

[“It feels so classical, and the atmosphere is much better than Sobu High School, where I attended high school. There’s a cheerful atmosphere everywhere. We used to feel so depressed when we held similar events.”]

[“You are disqualified as a graduate for speaking ill of your alma mater in front of another school.”]

[Take off the usual suit and windbreaker, put on casual clothes and dressed like a college student on vacation. Wearing a mask and sunglasses, Kousaka Kyousuke walked into the school gate one step behind him, straightened the shoulder bag on his back, looked at Zaimokuza who was still dressed in a windbreaker and casual clothes with a slightly speechless look and said.]

[“I’ve always been curious about one thing… that is, how long will you wear this tattered windbreaker? You’ve been wearing it since we first met, from spring to autumn, and now you haven’t changed it once. Do you really plan to wear this windbreaker for the rest of your life?”]

[“This is my soul mate! Mr. Kosaka, will you separate from your soul mate!?”]

【Zaimokuza clutched his windbreaker with both hands and spoke to Kousaka Kyousuke righteously.】

[“…So, you used your soul friend to bet with someone else, and in the end you lost to him, right?”]

【”Well–“】

[Zaimokuza’s entire body suddenly sagged at this sentence. He grabbed his windbreaker and spoke weakly.]

[“This, this actually has a very deep reason behind it… Woohoo~ I’m so sorry! My soulmate, it’s all my fault that I didn’t fulfill my dream, and ended up having to mortgage you!”]

[…In a way, I think it might be a good thing for humanity that you didn’t fulfill your dream.]

[Thinking of the ‘masterpiece’ that someone had given him, which caused him to be hospitalized due to mental breakdown after reading it, Kousaka Kyousuke’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch a few times, and he spoke with such certainty for the first time. ]

[“This is too much! Mr. Kosaka, you actually mocked someone who was working hard to achieve his dream. Are you still human? You must apologize to him!”]

[“Why are you using feminine terms? Are you a teenage high school girl from somewhere? And I’m just speaking the truth… Forget it, stop being weird.”]

[After hearing this, Kousaka Kyosuke’s expression froze slightly, but returned to normal the next moment, and he said helplessly. ]

[“Didn’t you say that those little girls told you to go to the club room to find them when you come? Then you should know where the light music club’s address is. Hurry and lead the way.”]

[“(Stare)～”]

[“…This is so disgusting! Can you please stop looking at me like a woman abandoned by a jerk? I was wrong. I’ll buy you a barbecue as an apology when I get home!”]

[“OK~! Come, sir, this way please~”]

[Zaimokuza stared at him with resentment, and after apologizing so much that it made Kousaka Kyousuke feel nauseous, his expression immediately changed like a woman turning the pages of a book, and he said with a smile in a seductive tone, then turned around and led the way, striding towards the teaching building in front.]

[“It’s not an illusion. After dealing with No. 25, I feel like this guy is getting more and more out of control… Is this a good thing?”]

[Kousaka Kyosuke’s eyes twitched, he shook his head speechlessly and followed, and a little girl who was holding her mother’s hand to visit the teaching building blinked after watching the interaction between the two, licked the ice cream in her hand, raised her head and asked her mother curiously. ]

[“Mom, those two older brothers give me such a weird feeling! Are they the ones in the TV series you often watch, called g——woooooo!”]

[“Shh! Kid, don’t talk nonsense. You can’t tell anyone what you just said outside. Do you understand!?”]

[When her daughter was about to say the forbidden word, the mother’s face turned pale and she quickly reached out to cover her mouth. She whispered to the little girl as she whimpered in resistance, while staring at the two people walking away with a look of curiosity and fanaticism.]

[The mother and daughter’s voices were carried by the wind into Kousaka Kyosuke’s ears. He struggled for a moment, but finally gave up the idea of ​​going back to argue with them. His back, however, became inexplicably more desolate as he walked.]

[Isn’t it just that others look at him with strange tinted glasses? It’s okay, he has already gotten used to it——]

【“——”】

[The hairs on the body surface quietly stand up at this moment, and a current generated by the organism itself flows through the spine, bringing a tingling sensation to the brain.]

[The sixth sense of danger that is rooted in human genes frantically alerts Kousaka Kyosuke at this time, reminding him that a fatal threat has arrived.]

[It was like a pair of huge eyes opened behind me, carrying curiosity, intimacy, and fun, like a child discovering a brand new toy.]

【“!!!”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke’s expression changed drastically as he suddenly turned around. He quickly swung the shoulder bag he was carrying in front of him, unzipped it, inserted it into his pocket, and pulled out a black belt that reflected the light of a display screen.]

【“——That, that.”】

[But what caught his eye was a short-haired girl wearing a school uniform and glasses. She looked at the series of sudden actions of the man in front of her wearing a mask in astonishment, and asked anxiously. ]

[“Um… Sir, may I ask what can I do for you? I am the management committee member of this school festival. Do you need my help?”]

【“…”】

[Kousaka Kyosuke stared at the girl without blinking, his eyes were so sharp that it made her scalp tingle. Just when she couldn’t help but want to take a few steps back again, he spoke.]

[“…No, I don’t need any help. I’m sorry to trouble you, classmate.”]

[He stuffed the half-pulled G1 belt back into his shoulder bag, zipped it up, and spoke vaguely.]

[Since the last time he fought against No. 1 and completed the feat of expelling the opponent alone, after a meeting with the police’s top brass, the G belt has now been approved for Kyosuke Kosaka to carry with him and is allowed to be used depending on the situation.]

[“Eh? But you just—”]

[“——Mr. Kosaka, why are you still standing there? Hurry up! Otherwise, Xiaowei and the others will blame you for being late.”]

[“…I understand, Zaimokuza.”]

[Before Kousaka Kyousuke could say anything, Zaimokuza, who had poked his head out of the entrance of the teaching building behind him, waved and shouted, and Kousaka Kyousuke, who was obviously a little absent-minded, spoke without turning his head.]

[“Hmm? Mr. Kousaka? Zaimokuza? Yui???”]

[But the short-haired girl standing in front of her was suddenly stunned after hearing these names in their conversation, and couldn’t help but slightly widen her eyes. ]

[“I’m sorry, may I ask, are you the——”]

【”Um?”】

[Manabe pushed up his red-framed glasses and asked curiously.]

[“You guys——Are you the ones Yui and the others have been talking about, Mr. Kousaka and Mr. Zaimokuza?”]

……

[“I was really shocked. I have heard of your great names for a long time.”]

【Manabe Kazuichi walked ahead of the stairs, smiling and talking to the two people following behind him.】

[“Since they came back from Tokyo last time, Wei and the others have been telling me about you. They said that it was with your help that they were able to escape safely from the incidents involving those unidentified life forms. They kept talking about it.”]

[“Especially you, Mr. Zaimokuza. Xiao Yui really admires you. She always said that as long as you are here, all the unconfirmed life forms will be defeated sooner or later, and Tokyo will return to its former peace sooner or later. As her friend, I have to thank you for saving Yui.”]

「Ah, I’m not that great, really. The fact that No. 24 was defeated wasn’t just my credit, I also used G──」

【”?”】

【Manabe looked at Kousaka Kyosuke strangely, who suddenly covered Zaimokuza’s mouth with his hand. He originally looked troubled, but now he looked at the white-haired rabbit with a puzzled look in silence and whispered in his ear.】

[“Have you forgotten that your identity and mine are still kept secret? Telling this to others casually, do you hope that the headline of tomorrow’s newspaper will be something like “The true identity of the unconfirmed life form No. 4 is actually???”?”]

[“Wuwuwu——”]

【Zaimokuza suddenly realized what was going on and nodded with a sullen expression.】

[“Puchi~ Just like what Yui and the others said, you two have a really good relationship.”]

【Manabe Kazu smiled while covering his mouth as he watched the friendly interaction between the two, while Kousaka Kyosuke immediately made a sharp comment.】

[“No, the relationship between this guy and me is just that of a lost child and his caretaker. Apart from that, we have no relationship at all. Please don’t misunderstand this point, classmate.”]

[“Mr. Kosaka! You’re going too far!”]

“This is my line.”

[“It really looks like…”]

[Manabe Kazu’s mouth curled up into a gentle smile, and watching this scene he couldn’t help but think of his childhood sweetheart, but then the corners of his mouth drooped slightly, looking a little troubled. ]

[“I don’t know how Wei is doing, and whether he can make it in time.”]

[With the two people behind them arguing and Manabe leading the way, the three of them had unknowingly arrived in front of a classroom on the top floor of the teaching building, and there was a faint rustling sound coming from inside. ]

【“Everyone, material——”】

[“Shh——”]

[Just when Manabe was about to knock on the door, Zaimokuza suddenly became playful and raised a finger in front of his lips to make a gesture to silence her.]

【“???”】

[Under the confused gazes of Kousaka Kyousuke and Manabe Kazu, Zaimokuza sneaked up to the front door with a sly smile, grasped the door handle with both hands, and took a deep breath.]

[The next moment, he suddenly opened the door of the classroom and said loudly with a smile.]

[“Suiprise! Long time no see everyone! Mr. Kosaka and I came to watch your performance…”]

[Zaimokuza’s voice gradually became dull and slow as he spoke. He looked at the scene in front of him, his eyes turned into (?▽?), and his expression was dull.]

【”……Why?”】

[Right in front of him, Akiyama Mio, who was bending over, also turned around and looked at Zaimokuza, with the same dull expression.]

[Around Akiyama Mio, the other girls wearing kimonos of various colors also looked at Zaimokuza who suddenly opened the door and shouted in surprise. Nakano Azusa blushed; Tianzhong Ritsu raised his eyebrows, then smiled slyly and gave him a thumbs up; and Kotobuki covered her mouth with both hands in surprise, but when she saw Kousaka Kyosuke covering his face and turning his head behind Zaimokuza, her eyes suddenly became shiny…]

【All kinds of life are in sight. 】

[But it doesn’t matter anymore. Zaimokuza just stared blankly at the girl with long black hair who was looking at him. His sight shifted downward uncontrollably and he saw her black school skirt that had been taken off to her knees… and a triangular piece of fabric on top.]

[The slightly raised graceful curve, the vertical stripes, and the blue and white colors are very similar to the special porcelain bowl he used when eating in the restaurant.]

【Watching this scene, Zaimokuza suddenly remembered a poem he had learned while reading a book:】

[The graceful jade body reflects the shadow of flowers, and the slender waist is as delicate as a willow branch. ]

[The figure is as graceful as a pear blossom, and the curves are as exquisite as a painter. 】

[She has a slender figure like a swimming dragon, and her tenderness is like water and her beauty is like a lotus. 】

[She is as light as a swallow, and her skin is smoother than snow. 】

[She has a slim waist and nice curves, and her skin is as white as a lotus. ]

[At that time, he was amazed at the author’s literary talent, who could actually write such a beautiful poem to describe the beauty of a woman’s body. It was so touching that his brain followed his imagination and a beautiful scene of elegance and temptation appeared in his mind. It was really hard to control himself.]

[But now——]

[“Gudong~”]

[His throat moved with difficulty, and the smile on his face began to become stiff.]

【“——!!!”】

[After a brief moment of stagnation, Akiyama Mio also came back to her senses, her lips trembling and opening and closing meaninglessly, her fair cheeks gradually becoming red with bloodshot, her eyes filled with water, and her bent body gradually began to tremble violently.]

[“Well, that…”]

[Zaimokuza raised one of his hands, and spoke softly as sweat poured down his forehead.]

[“I can explain it. I just want to give you a——”]