Chapter 414. World Fusion (Part 2)
"Honestly, the moment her memories returned, Lady Crusch went right back to being that 'Steel Straight Girl' who isn't sensitive to romance at all!"
In the Karsten estate, Ferris's cat ears and tail were twitching. He felt incredibly anxious for Crusch, frustrated by her lack of progress, and the term "Steel Straight Girl" (clueless/unromantic)—which he had subconsciously picked up from future Hikigaya Hachiman's vocabulary—slipped out of his mouth.
Crusch turned her face away in embarrassment, only to see Wilhelm looking at her with an expression much like Ferris's.
At this point, Crusch felt she had completely lost face and found it hard to argue back.
Although she had previously complained about how "useless" her amnesiac self was—always falling into traps, being cornered, and making blunders—no matter how bad her amnesiac self had been, it was only "bad" in comparison to cunning foxes like Anastasia and Ram.
Now that she had a direct comparison, her amnesiac self was actually quite formidable... well, compared to her current, memory-restored self.
At the very least, her amnesiac self knew how to make a move. Now that her memories were back, she couldn't even bring herself to look, let alone make a move.
"Volcanica is, after all, the target I intend to expel. It is only logical to pay attention... and I am different now! I am not that much of a Steel Straight Girl anymore!" Crusch said dryly, trying to salvage her dignity with these weak justifications.
But speaking of being pitiful, Anastasia truly felt that her current self was even more pitiful than Crusch.
"A self-indulgent loser dog, huh?"
With a self-deprecating smile, Anastasia hugged the comforting Mimi, sweeping away the bitterness and loss in her heart. She smiled and said softly, "I won't fail again... The Prime Minister is definitely mine. Definitely!"
At the same time, on the streets of the Royal Capital, Ram was about to celebrate with her sister. However, in the next second, both her and Rem's pupils involuntarily and violently constricted. The sisters looked at each other, seeing a storm of shock in each other's eyes.
Their muscles tensed instantly, and they drew their weapons like leopards ready to spring. They were far from the only ones reacting this way.
"Is it time?"
In the convenience store, watching the video on the screen freeze, with the broadcasted future gradually blurring and fading as if the show had ended, Hikigaya Hachiman felt a mix of emotions.
Although a significant amount of time had passed since the broadcast began, everyone had felt that while time was moving, it also wasn't—it had been in an extremely special state.
That was why he had felt safe enough to stay in the convenience store and watch the video to the end.
Now it was different. He could feel that the world and time had returned to normal.
Under these circumstances, if he stayed in the convenience store any longer and arrived late, he might cross over to the other world only to find Emilia's cold corpse with her stomach sliced open.
He sent emails to Komachi and Hayama, containing everything he wanted to say. Hachiman stood up. On the eve of his departure, he took one last look at Yukinoshita.
Yukinoshita let out a heavy breath. She wanted to reach out and grab her boyfriend's sleeve to make him stay, but lives were at stake... in the end, she didn't do it.
Thinking "this is the last time," she took the initiative to hug Hachiman and kiss him, savoring her boyfriend's presence.
"I won't forget you. I will remember you forever... so for Komachi's sake, and for mine, please find a way to come back, Hikigaya-kun."
"I will find a way. Just wait for me, Yukinoshita," Hachiman made a solemn vow.
Before the Pleiades Watchtower incident, he had despairingly accepted the premise that he could never return once he crossed over. But the Witch Factor and the Authority of Lust that appeared at the end of the tower incident gave him a flash of hope, showing him another possibility.
The one who sent him across was Satella.
Satella, as the Witch of Envy, was powerful because she used her Witch Factor to develop her own unique, powerful Authority.
In that case, couldn't he, Hikigaya Hachiman, start with the Factor of Greed or Gluttony and develop a unique Authority that allowed him to travel freely between the two worlds?
Theoretically, it was entirely possible.
"Good luck, Hikigaya!"
"Don't die so miserably again!"
"When you get over there, don't forget there are people here supporting you!"
"Yeah, yeah, so remember to marry Emilia!"
"Are you stupid? He's obviously going to marry Anastasia!"
"You two, shut up! You can only say that when Miss Yukinoshita isn't here!"
In the convenience store, the customers and the cashier, who all harbored great goodwill toward him, realized what the standing Hachiman was about to do. They couldn't help but shout, cheering him on one after another.
Hachiman felt his eyes grow moist. He faced everyone, bowed slightly, and silently accepted their kindness.
Then, without hesitation, Hachiman turned and walked out of the convenience store.
Watching this development through the store's surveillance link, a general of the Japanese military ground his teeth and slammed his fist onto the console. His eyes were red with rage, looking at Hachiman as if he were an enemy.
In his view, a few lives were insignificant. Hikigaya Hachiman shouldn't cross over at all; instead, he should have cooperated with the military for various inhumane examinations and surgeries to research the principles of Return by Death and replicate them.
If that happened, Japan would dominate the world, doing whatever it pleased, and he, the general, would hold absolute power, killing and enjoying himself at will.
To contribute to Japan and to him, the general, was Hikigaya Hachiman's honor.
"If I weren't afraid that forcibly controlling Hachiman would cause that Witch of Envy to appear, I would have sent men into that store to—Pfft!"
The head of the snarling general suddenly exploded. Around him, a group of fascist-minded officers also died one by one in rapid succession.
In a pocket dimension above Earth, the indifferent-looking Kawata Osamu, after making his move, commented plainly: "Senseless trash."
Anything that interfered with world peace would be shot down by him. After all, a peaceful and unified world was the prerequisite for fighting the Abyss; internal strife could not be permitted.
As for people like Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who were privately guessing why the future broadcast stopped here and making various deductions, Kawata Osamu simply gave a knowing smile.
There was no complex reason.
There was only one reason, a very simple one: the power of desire from the two worlds was finally enough!
There was no longer any need to broadcast the future. He would prepare, and soon, he could begin the true unification of the worlds!
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