Chapter 4 (199): If There's Another Chance to Start Over!
[Inside the chat room, everyone sucked in a sharp breath. At this moment, all eyes were fixed on the blade pressed against Hikigaya's neck.]
[With even the slightest slip, Hikigaya would lose his life. For most of the viewers here, people who had never witnessed such a scene, when it truly came down to a matter of life and death, their breathing grew rapidly.]
[Sakura: "No… absolutely not!"]
[Karuizawa clenched her fists. The near-collapse of her heart was written plainly on her face, until she couldn't even speak anymore.]
[Kushida was the same. A long-unseen anger surfaced on her face. If earlier everyone had only felt sympathy for that little girl and pitied her background, now what they felt was genuine fury.]
[Kamuro: "That bitch, she actually dared to do something like that to Hikigaya!"]
[Ryuen: "A knife to the throat, huh. I do feel a bit sorry for Hikigaya, but I never expected he'd end up like this one day."]
[Hirata: "The level of danger in that other world is far beyond what we imagined. Can Hikigaya really survive there?"]
[Horikita Manabu: "Don't doubt him. Even now, he definitely still has a backup plan."]
[Yukinoshita: "Even if that's true, he's still just an ordinary person with no abilities. In a situation like this, shouldn't he be feeling fear?"]
[Hayama: "If it were me being restrained like that, even if my expression didn't change much, my fear wouldn't go away. My heart rate would definitely skyrocket."]
[Hikigaya: "Don't overanalyze me. I have the same emotions as all of you. At least right now, I do feel fear."]
[Sakayanagi: "Little Hiki, even so, Horikita-senpai isn't wrong. You still have a hidden card, that's your true trump card, isn't it?"]
[Inside the chat room, silence…]
---
Felt shouted, "Stop attacking Old Man Rom right now! Otherwise, I'll kill him!"
Emilia frowned deeply, but she still followed Felt's demand. All the ice spears she had been firing shattered at once.
"Let him go, and give the insignia back to me!"
Felt sneered: "You think you're qualified to negotiate with me right now? Don't forget, your little lover is in my hands."
Emilia's face was instantly engulfed in heat. A blush spread as if it were invading her body, quickly covering her cheeks. In the end, she could only stammer in rebuttal,"We're not like that!"
Felt sneered again: "Even if you aren't, so what? The fact that you're willing to stop proves he's pretty important to you, doesn't it?"
Listening to their exchange, Hikigaya gradually forced himself to calm down. Emilia's actions, however, surprised him.
At first, he had thought their relationship was purely transactional. After finding Felt, Emilia had no reason to care about his life, if anything, his death might even benefit her. Yet she didn't do that. She upheld the promise she had made to him to the very end. If that was the case…
"Felt," Hikigaya said coldly, "have you prepared yourself to kill someone?"
Hearing his icy words, Felt's hand trembled violently. The next moment, she tightened her grip on the dagger.
"Cut the crap! Your life is in my hands right now. If you want to live, do exactly what I say."
"It looks like you've already imagined what it'll be like when your hands are stained with blood. In the end, my head will remain in your hands, becoming a nightmare you'll never be able to escape. Every night, you'll dream of my soul whispering in your ear. From then on, your life will be spent drowning in blood."
Feeling her hands shaking, Hikigaya continued, "You had no choice being born here. You had no choice when you couldn't even fill your stomach. You had no choice when you became a thief. So then… have you decided to become a killer? If that's your decision, then be prepared to be killed. Because one day, your head will be taken from your neck just like this."
Hikigaya's words clung to her ears like a nightmare. They also reached Old Man Rom, who had finally managed to stand back up.
"You bastard! How dare you say something like that to Felt!"
Hikigaya had already discarded his fear completely. Though the trembling of his body was unavoidable, he still replied firmly to Old Man Rom, "I already made this clear just now, didn't I? Are you really sure you want a kid who's barely in her teens to walk down a road of no return? If you truly care about her, you shouldn't let her go astray like this, Old Man Rom!"
A roar, one born from the depths of his heart. It even made the heart of the giant Old Man Rom tremble.
At the same time, the dagger in Felt's hand slipped free, hitting the ground with a clear clang.
She clutched her head with both hands and broke down crying.
"I don't want to… I don't want to become a murderer… I don't want to turn into something like that."
Seeing Felt like this, perhaps Old Man Rom finally realized the mistake he had been making all along.
[Watching himself in the video, Old Man Rom was overcome by a sense of helplessness. He knew all too well that he could give the girl nothing. In the end, all he had done was let her stray down the wrong path. If it hadn't been for this guy named Hikigaya snapping him awake today, he might have continued living like this forever.]
[Felt: "Old Man Rom… do you think what he said was right?"]
[Old Man Rom looked at Felt with pity and gently patted her head: "You're still very young. The road ahead is long. Your future shouldn't be ruled by bloodlust and slaughter. He's right. Your future should be bright and full of hope, not filled with countless lives. You should know… once killing begins, it never stops."]
[Felt nodded in understanding, silently staring at the video without saying a word.]
Looking at Felt now, Old Man Rom finally understood why Hikigaya had said those things back then. He had always treated Felt like his own daughter, how could he bear to let her continue suffering like this?
Emilia didn't continue her attack. She watched as Old Man Rom put down his spiked club and walked over to Felt.
"There, there… You've done well. Your life shouldn't be tangled up in these disputes. From now on, you'll have a much better life."
Hearing Old Man Rom's words, Felt buried herself in his chest. Though they weren't truly father and daughter, the scene they formed at that moment left an unforgettable image in both Hikigaya's and Emilia's minds.
Old Man Rom said, "We're done with this job. When that client comes, we will tell her we've washed our hands of this business. As for whatever Felt stole from you, we will give it back."
Felt finally stood up again, nodding through tears. She glanced at Hikigaya once more, then reached into her pocket and took out the insignia, intending to hand it to him.
Because the building had already collapsed, even the slightest movement of wind now felt alarmingly conspicuous. Hikigaya's gaze sharpened, sensing something strange amid it all.
'Is there… someone else?'
In the next instant, blood splattered across Hikigaya's face. Still-beating organs were suddenly exposed before his eyes. The girl who had been so full of life just moments ago now had completely lifeless eyes, leaving behind only faint murmurs.
She collapsed toward Hikigaya, and his mind went completely blank. Acting purely on instinct, he caught the girl, already beyond saving.
"I… I don't want to die yet…"
"I want to… to see this world…"
"I want… I want… money…"
"Felt… isn't… a bad kid…"
"I don't want to die…"
Tears slid down the girl's cheeks, finally dripping into Hikigaya's hands. Crimson blood mixed with regretful tears. In that moment, Hikigaya forgot where he was. Only the nausea rising from his body reminded him of reality.
Felt died.
At this moment, not only Hikigaya, but also Old Man Rom and Emilia stood frozen, staring at the scantily clad woman before them.
She held a small sickle, drenched in blood. Short black hair. A face so beautiful, yet so cruel and cold. To her, life seemed utterly worthless.
Old Man Rom flew into a rage, losing all reason. He even forgot to grab his weapon and charged straight at the woman.
But faced with the giant's fist, she effortlessly dodged with her nimble body. With a light swing of her sickle, a head fell from the air.
No time to shout. No time to feel fear. Another living life vanished, leaving only the giant's body, half-kneeling before her.
Old Man Rom died.
The woman licked the blood from her sickle again with an expression of amusement on her face. To her, all slaughter was nothing more than a game.
Hikigaya still held Felt's now-cold body tightly. The fear coursing through him stiffened his body, stripping away the rationality he had always relied on. With a trembling voice, he asked, "Why… did you kill them?"
The woman smiled playfully, her gaze filled with mockery.
"As their employer, I never intended to let a single one of them live from the start."
Hikigaya was wrong… wrong all along.
He had brought the mercy of his former world into this one.
This world was different. It was cruel. Life itself was something that could vanish at any moment.
He hated himself, hated his own self-righteousness. He hated that, even though he had the chance to let them live, he arrogantly treated them as friends.
Step by step, the woman approached Hikigaya. The crisp sound of her high heels echoed like the quiet advance of death itself. Then she raised her sickle high.
'If I could start over again, I would become my own weapon.'
Bang!
Just as the sickle came down, Emilia's ice spear finally blocked the attack. She grabbed Hikigaya's blood-soaked hand tightly.
"Are you okay…? You can't be hurt… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, this is all my fault. You shouldn't have been dragged into this. I'm so sorry…"
Hikigaya didn't know whether to shake his head or nod. He only stared blankly at Felt's lifeless body.
The dead do not return.
---
[The chat group once again fell into silence.]
[Old Man Rom: "How… could this happen…"]
[Felt: "Am I dead? Is this how I die? I didn't do anything… There was still so much I wanted to do…"]
[Puck: "Lia, it looks like this incident was definitely no accident."]
[Emilia wasn't foolish either: "Someone wants me to withdraw from this Royal Selection."]
[Shiina Hiyori: "Hikigaya… he's in danger. What do we do… what do we do?!"]
[Horikita Manabu: "If he were an ordinary person, he would've already lost all reason to act by now…"]
[Even the usually sharp-tongued Ryuen fell silent: "Death, huh…"]
[Koenji: "How very… interesting this world is."]
[Kamuro: "How can it be this cruel? Why does Hikigaya have to go through all this? No matter how capable he is, he's still just a student our age! Why?!"]
[Kushida: "After taking such a blow, what will he become? My heart really aches for him…"]
[Yuigahama Yui: "Right now, what we should be worried about is whether Hikki can survive this. The danger isn't over yet!"]
[After hearing Yuigahama's words, everyone's attention once again focused on the video.]
---
Because the powerful enemy was still present, Emilia stopped holding back. She stepped forward, spreading her arms to block the woman's path. At that moment, Puck jumped out as well.
"You made Lia cry. You've made me angry, woman."
"A spirit? How interesting."
Without further words, Puck transformed into a massive beast glowing with golden light (simply growing larger), as if commanding a blizzard itself. In an instant, Hikigaya felt as though he'd been thrown into a frozen wasteland.
With a body that size, a single swipe of his paw would be enough to kill that woman outright.
Under normal circumstances, Hikigaya would've made a snide comment or two upon seeing such a creature. But now, he couldn't bring himself to do so.
He merely stared blankly at the giant beast, letting out a weak, self-mocking chuckle.
The battle between the woman and Puck continued. What was expected to be one-sided instead turned into a tug-of-war, as she relied on her agility to keep fighting.
Puck said, "You don't seriously think you can beat me, do you?"
"Oh? You seem awfully confident."
Puck didn't bother wasting words. With a casual swipe of his paw, a raging blizzard blasted the woman far away.
"You dared to hurt Lia's heart. Your death is already decided."
He stretched out a massive paw, slamming it down on the immobilized woman who had been blown away. There was no need to imagine the outcome, anyone crushed by that would be reduced to a pile of flesh.
The battle was over. From the beginning, it had been completely one-sided. If not for the woman's sudden appearance, no one would have needed to die.
A few seconds later, Puck lifted his massive hand, yet there was no body beneath it.
"…?"
In the next instant, the woman appeared before Hikigaya, licking the blood from her sickle.
"I'll savor your blood next!"
Slash!
A massive wound tore through flesh. Even without feeling pain, it was clear, this was a fatal situation.
No, something was wrong!
Emilia stepped in front of him at the last second. The one who was struck wasn't him, but the silver-haired girl before his eyes.
She had no obligation to protect him, yet she did so without hesitation, taking a blow that should have been fatal.
The woman smiled: "Oh? An unexpected gain."
"Emilia… Emilia…"
Hikigaya set Felt down and rushed to Emilia. A huge gash had been carved across her chest, her clothes shredded completely. Her exquisitely beautiful body was exposed, yet no indecent thoughts arose. She was beautiful, yes, but now completely stained in crimson blood.
He held Emilia in his arms. She seemed to find comfort there, curling into his embrace like a small cat.
"You're… not hurt… that's good…"
"I…"
She gently placed her hand on Hikigaya's face. Her eyes grew incredibly soft. What was shining within them? Hikigaya didn't know.
But one thing was clear, He had made far too many mistakes in this world.
All because of his pride.
That worthless, meaningless pride.
"Live… on…"
Having exhausted her final strength, Emilia's hand fell limply onto Hikigaya's thigh. At that moment, it felt as though something inside Hikigaya collapsed with a deafening crash. His entire body lost its last support and strength.
Puck, who had only moments ago transformed into a gigantic beast, now revealed genuine emotion on his face. In the end, however, he too dissolved into countless blue particles and vanished from this place.
Emilia died.
---
[Inside the chat room, Emilia was not trapped by fear of death. Instead, she let out a gentle sigh of relief: "I… protected him properly."]
[Puck didn't know what to say. He was only thankful that he could still be by the girl's side at this moment: "You really are kind, Lia."]
[At the same time, those still inside the Advanced Nurturing High School were at a complete loss for words. Emilia's self-sacrifice was etched deeply into their memories. For Sakura and the others, they were truly grateful that there had been someone in another world who could protect Hikigaya. But… at this point, the situation had not changed in the slightest. Facing that woman, Hikigaya had no chance to resist at all.]
[Yuigahama stood up anxiously, her eyes already brimming with tears: "Yukinon, what do we do? I don't want… I don't want Hikki to die."]
[The atmosphere in the Service Club sank to an extreme low. Miura and the others didn't know what to say either. This sudden turn of events was something utterly unbearable for a group of students who had lived only within the walls of a school.]
[Yukinoshita tightly gripped Hikigaya's hand. Though tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, her gaze was resolute: "No matter what the future holds, I want to walk forward together with you."]
[...]
---
The woman slowly walked up to Hikigaya. She wasn't in a hurry to take his life, because in her eyes, he no longer had the ability to resist.
Hikigaya gently covered Emilia's eyes with his hand, then laid her body down on the ground.
"May I ask… why did you kill us?"
The woman looked slightly surprised that the man before her could still speak so calmly. It was as if all the fear he had shown earlier had vanished completely with the girl's death.
"In truth, I was merely hired. The order from my employer was exactly this."
"Your name?"
The woman chuckled softly. But after seeing Hikigaya's face, so calm, so rational, completely devoid of emotion, she fell silent for a moment before speaking plainly: "To be honest, someone who can remain unshaken by emotion in a situation like this… you're not an ordinary man. Unfortunately, miracles don't happen here. Since you're already a dead man, I'll tell you."
"My name is Elsa the Bowel Hunter."
Hikigaya nodded lightly and looked into the distance.
"My name is Hikigaya Hachiman."
"I have to admit, you're frighteningly calm. So calm that it scares me. I can't feel any emotion coming from you at all."
Hikigaya mirrored her faint smile and finally looked back at her.
"If there's another chance, let me hire you. I'll make you the greatest assassin in this world."
"If there's a next life."
Slash!
Blood sprayed through the air. His vision blurred. Sounds around him seemed distant and hollow, while the sensation of his body collapsing was painfully clear.
As his eyes closed, he saw Elsa let out a quiet, self-mocking laugh, followed by her voice: "If there is a next life, I hope I can meet you earlier. Maybe then… everything could still be changed."
As bodily functions shut down and consciousness dissolved completely, everything pointed to one undeniable fact.
Hikigaya Hachiman died.
(End of this chapter)