This Is the Last Time, Emilia
「To his surprise, Hikigaya Hachiman found that the time he spent persuading Ram was even shorter than the time he spent on Garfiel.」
「This was all thanks to the memories from the final timeline of the Second Trial in the tomb. They made it clear to him that as long as Roswaal's life wasn't in danger, Ram could actually be brought to his side; she also had the latent desire to burn the Gospel.」
「The four of them huddled together to discuss the plan to counter Roswaal and save the manor, dividing roles for each person. Upon parting, Ram scrutinized Hikigaya Hachiman, looking thoughtful. "How strange. Are you afraid of me?"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman violently shook off the image of the Ram in his mind who had screamed "I'll kill you." He nodded: "Yeah, I'm afraid. I'm afraid of your body or soul suffering severe trauma. If that happened, I wouldn't be fit to face Rem."」
「"Rem? ...The so-called younger sister of whom I have no memory at all." Ram fell silent for a moment. "It seems she liked Ram very much, and was a good child."」
「However, no matter how she tried to reminisce, she could not remember.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman wasn't disappointed; he was long used to it, numb even. But he would not yield. One day, he would seize the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony and force that bastard to spit out Rem's existence, Crusch's memories, and everyone else he had devoured.」
「To achieve that goal, he absolutely could not stumble here in the Sanctuary.」
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"Phew..."
Ram patted her sister's shoulder and pointed at the sky, the corners of her mouth curling up in a proud, happy smile. "Look, Rem. This time I didn't drag him down or get into a conflict with him. You don't have to worry; from now on, I'll treat him like this."
"Mm! Rem knows, Sister is the best!"
Rem nodded heavily. The gloom of the future where everyone was wiped out—where her sister roared about killing Hachiman—was swept away. Possibilities are just possibilities; when different emotions conflict, the official history is naturally more trustworthy.
"Speaking of which, Rem-senpai is so gentle and cute, how does she have such a bigoted and excessive sister like Ram?"
At the Kousaka house, Kousaka Kirino scratched her head and grumbled.
However, Kousaka Kyousuke rejected her view: "You're wrong. These sisters are actually exactly the same."
"Eh?"
Because of this remark, Kirino looked over in surprise. Kyousuke spread his hands and reminded her: "Don't forget, back at the Roswaal manor, Rem once killed Hachiman because of the Witch's scent on him.
Later, she fell in love with Hachiman and became completely obedient, prioritizing his safety and happiness above all else. Think about it—isn't Ram's way of shielding Roswaal exactly the same as Rem's way of shielding Hachiman?
The person loved by these sisters is undoubtedly the luckiest in the world, but once you stand on the opposite side of their beloved, the suffocating pressure and unreasonable excessiveness they bring are just as massive.
It's just that Hachiman has always been very reasonable, so Rem is reasonable. If Hachiman were as wicked and twisted as Roswaal, Rem would become very wicked just to side with him."
Looking at his speechless sister, Kyousuke continued to explain: "And Ram won't kill someone just because of the Witch's scent, while Rem would act. In a sense, Ram is actually gentler than Rem.
Of course, no matter how gentle Ram is, once she stands on the wrong side, she should be condemned."
Finally, he spoke earnestly, guiding his sister toward the right path through education. ...Though he said all that, Kyousuke still sighed.
He was so jealous.
It was true that Rem would unreasonably favor her sweetheart; from an objective standpoint, this favoritism would make one very uncomfortable. But if you were the one she favored, just thinking about it was enough to make you die of happiness.
He also wanted to meet a Rem-type girl who loved him, but that was just a dream.
How could such a "Genuine Thing" be found everywhere? Even in another world, there were only a precious few.
Kirino nodded half-comprehendingly. She didn't understand all of it... compared to her brother's nagging, her attention was more on the video, waiting with bated breath.
Next should be the highlight for her favorite, Big Sister Emilia.
"Good luck, don't be afraid! Pass the trial, Big Sister Emilia, you can do it!"
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"Hmph..."
At the Hoshin Trading Company, Anastasia pouted with a sense of grievance, her hands propping up her chin, looking lost.
"Breaking the contract with Puck... given Emilia's mental state, she'll definitely cry and make a scene. It's definitely going to waste a lot of my Prime Minister's energy and heart."
She wasn't happy, 'kay? She didn't want to see her Prime Minister comforting another girl!
However, the Prime Minister would definitely be very dashing while dealing with a crying and fussing Emilia—even more dashing than when he dealt with Garfiel. No matter how she thought about it, it was a sight that couldn't be missed.
"By the way, why must Emilia-sama pass the trial so quickly? Ferr-chan doesn't see the importance of this, nya. Even if Emilia-sama passes the trial within two days, it won't be in time to evacuate all the demi-human residents before the Great Rabbit arrives, nya."
In the Karsten estate, facing Ferris's question, Crusch shook her head. "The time for passing the trial could certainly be pushed back. But Ferris, have you considered—if they miss this moment, given Sir Hachiman's tenderness, would he ever force Emilia to challenge the trial again?
Without the pressure of death, how could Sir Hachiman bear to force Emilia to face the risk of crying or even breaking down just to pass the trial?
Without Sir Hachiman's stern prodding, would Emilia be willing to break the contract with Puck? Would she be able to face the trial with a spirit that exceeds her usual self?
So it must all be resolved now. Otherwise, if Sir Hachiman handles Roswaal, the manor, and the Great Rabbit but doesn't take the chance to handle the trial, it might become a hurdle Emilia can never overcome."
Crusch looked up at the future. Having finished her explanation, the gaze she directed at the Hachiman she admired was extremely complex.
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「Using a sword as a crutch, limping, Hikigaya Hachiman headed toward Emilia's bedroom alone. During this walk, he thought a lot, but every mental draft he made was discarded as
soon as it was finished. He couldn't prepare a script for persuasion in advance like he did with Garfiel.
「Compared to Garfiel, his feelings for Emilia were far more complicated. Having supported each other this far, the thoughts he held for this girl—the first one he had feelings for in this other world—had become an account that could no longer be calculated.」
「But no matter what, he had to persuade her, had to face her.」
「"...I hope this is the last time, Emilia!"」
」