Chapter 353. Doubts, The Dropping Crusch
「Although Emilia and the others did their best to prove to Hikigaya Hachiman that the "him" before and after memory loss were the same person—that he had never undergone any major change and thus didn't need to be afraid because the Hachiman they valued was the person standing right there—their efforts were for the sake of calming his mind.」
「So far, only Beatrice would say that no matter what Hikigaya Hachiman became, she would always stand by his side forever.」
「The feelings of both parties might be equal in value, but for the suspicious Hikigaya Hachiman, Beatrice's approach undoubtedly put his mind at ease more effectively.」
「...Because of this, Beatrice quickly replaced Crusch's status to become the "Number One in the Other World" currently in Hikigaya Hachiman's heart.」
「This was partly due to Beatrice's unique rhetoric, but even more so because Beatrice was a young girl; interacting with her brought Hikigaya Hachiman no pressure.」
「Crusch's beauty and figure were undoubtedly the most eye-catching to a man, but the "reverted to initial state" Hikigaya Hachiman ultimately still couldn't stay with such a beautiful woman for long without feeling pressured.」
「For this reason, Crusch actually wasn't even in second place... Second place was Julius. Interacting with the same sex was very relaxing for Hikigaya Hachiman, and certain "Genuine" qualities in Julius that were similar to Hayama also made him feel at ease.」
「Were it not for the fact that Julius was Anastasia's subordinate—creating a divide between camps—Hikigaya Hachiman would actually have been very happy to promote him to the number one spot.」
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At the Karsten mansion, Crusch waved her hand dismissively. Having experienced so many ups and downs (mostly downs), she was now able to accept another drop in status quite calmly.
At least she didn't lose to Anastasia; that was fine.
"Losing to the contracted Beatrice isn't a loss; anyway, she and I aren't seeking the same 'status.' As for Julius..."
Crusch raised her head and puffed out her modestly sized chest, finding humor in the hardship. "At least it's not Anastasia. If it's just Julius, let's just count our blessings in secret."
Beside her, Ferris had a strange expression. He had personally witnessed Lady Crusch go from having grand ambitions to having lower and lower requirements, becoming increasingly humble, until she reached the pitiful state of being able to rejoice for half a day just by nibbling on someone else's leftovers.
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「On the way back to the Roswaal mansion by dragon carriage, Hikigaya Hachiman basically took turns staying with Beatrice, Julius, and Emilia.」
「From the mouths of these three, he heard descriptions of Hikigaya Hachiman as known through their respective perspectives, gaining a general idea of his actions since arriving in this world.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman felt the biggest waste of time was listening to Julius speak. He heard almost no objective evaluation from Julius; from beginning to end, Julius was simply praising him unilaterally.」
「First, he would mention one of Hachiman's actions, and immediately after, Julius would elaborate on the benefits of that action from every angle—such as how it represented his noble character, etc.—leaving Hikigaya Hachiman numb. He felt this guy might have a lot in common with Hayama.」
「Back when the Service Club received Tobe's request for a confession, Hayama had also asked for his help both openly and covertly. While asking, he would also drop awkward, subtle praise, making various hints like 'Hayama is inferior to Hikigaya' and 'I'm simply no good, you can do things I can't.'」
「That sickeningly sweet feeling inevitably resurfaced now because of Julius's flattery.」
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"Heh..."
Inside the KTV and the Hoshin Trading Company, Hayama Hayato and Julius simultaneously showed expressions of pride. Those were their heartfelt words; in the whole world, only Hikigaya Hachiman would think they were over-the-top.
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「The most "useless" one was Beatrice. Because she only joined in the "late game," there were many events she hadn't participated in at all, only hearing about them after the fact.」
「All Beatrice could talk about were the bits and pieces of her time with Hikigaya Hachiman over the past year—those habits and details... which were somewhat useful. These incredibly familiar habits and details made Hikigaya Hachiman even more certain that the pre-amnesia version of himself was indeed himself.」
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"Hmph..."
Beatrice puffed out her cheeks irritably. Since she only got involved in the late stages, she was also very regretful now. Therefore, she wouldn't make that mistake this time.
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「Emilia also really wanted to praise her knight, but to satisfy Hachiman's urgent desire to know the past, she suppressed the urge and recounted everything from the moment she met Hachiman, including every event and how Hachiman had handled them.」
「She barely added any personal bias throughout the process... because doing so would have taken too much time.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman thought through each point as it corresponded to him. As he listened, he couldn't help but nod instinctively.」
「Up until the actions taken before entering the Sanctuary, those were indeed measures he would have taken. Even the current him would have done the same; it was impossible to just watch people die... but there were still many doubts.」
「Standing from a post-event "God's perspective," how on earth could the Hikigaya Hachiman of that time predict locations to intercept Emilia for a deal? How did he know specific information about the White Whale? How did he know the Authority effects of the Sloth Bishop, Petelgeuse?」
「Where did this information come from? This was a massive mystery.」
「Regarding these questions raised by Hikigaya Hachiman, Emilia said matter-of-factly: "I don't know."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman felt a headache coming on. "You never asked?"」
「"No, because Hachiman is so amazing, it's only natural for you to know, right?" Emilia answered with an innocent tilt of her head. "Wait... I remember now. Otto did ask once later on."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman's eyes lit up. He had gained a preliminary understanding of this civil official Emilia had mentioned; it seemed the Emilia camp did have someone with a brain. "So, did 'I' answer?"」
「"Hachiman said it was a secret at the time. Garfiel's eyes went wide—he was ve~ry excited and thought it was really cool."」
「Emilia gestured as she spoke, but the answer was unsatisfactory. It was very obvious to Hikigaya Hachiman that the pre-amnesia him definitely had secrets hidden from Emilia and the others.」
「But that secret had vanished along with his memories, leaving it beyond investigation—just like that person named Rem.」
「...Yes, Rem.」
「According to the account provided by Emilia, the pre-amnesia Hachiman was actually very self-deprecating at the start. His confidence only appeared after the White Whale subjugation battle.」
「Combined with Hachiman's state after learning of the unconscious Rem following the defeat of the Sloth Bishop, it was easy to analyze: Rem must have confessed to him either before or during the hunt for the White Whale.」
「Only a woman's heartfelt encouragement, love, and sincere confession could cause Hikigaya Hachiman to undergo such a massive change so suddenly.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman understood this.」
「Because for someone like him, whose confidence was crushed by a failed confession in middle school, that self-deprecation could naturally only be swept away by receiving a sincere confession. If he didn't stand up in the place where he fell, he would never be confident no matter what.」
「Hikigaya Hachiman was just that kind of person!」
Announcement
Hello everyone!
As always Thank you for your support!
I'm happy to announce a new Fanfiction! There are already 40 chapters!
You can find it in my secondary account: VarieTL02
COTE: I've become a substitute
Mikage Touji transmigrated in the world of Classroom of the Elite with no explanation and entered the class 1-A, well at least he as a cool power even if a bit weak for now.
Until Ayanokouji Atsuomi asked him: "Is this you?" referring to a photo of Kyotaka.
"How could I possibly be that gloomy guy in there?!"
"Drop these useless excuses, Kiyotaka. Did you think that by changing your name and getting plastic surgery, you could escape my control?
Your enrollment materials are completely fabricated; not a single person can prove you ever existed. Furthermore, the timing of your appearance completely coincides with the time and place of Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's disappearance. And you're still saying you aren't Ayanokouji Kiyotaka?"
"Pfft..." It turns out that when people are truly speechless, they really do laugh.
"If you're looking to cause trouble, take a left out the door and find a police station. And another thing..." Mikage Toji helplessly spread his hands. "The one you are looking for is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. What does that have to do with me, Mikage Toji?"
[Harem - No Ayanokouji - Sakayanagi Arisu in class D.
I really recommend it even if it doesn't have Hikigaya XD it's very funny and the first girls are not the usual ones (Spoiler: Morishita Ai, Yamamura Miki and Shiraishi Asuka)
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting