Chapter 364. Reappearance of the Powerful
"If you practice your swordsmanship properly, in a few years you won't necessarily be weaker than the 'me' from Crusch's timeline, Yukinoshita."
After saying this, Hikigaya Hachiman added: "The premise is that you have to quit your bad habit of avoiding exercise. You need to build up your physical stamina first."
He wasn't just offering comfort; he truly felt that a multi-talented girl like Yukinoshita—who had practiced Aikido before and learned it with ease—could achieve greatness. If he could train until he was skilled enough to trade blows with Wilhelm, Yukinoshita could certainly become even stronger.
"Yes!"
Yukinoshita nodded heavily.
Watching Yukinoshita regain her confidence and fighting spirit, Hachiman smiled, but then his smile vanished, and his entire body stiffened.
He thought for a moment. After this future broadcast ended, he would walk out of the convenience store and cross over to save Emilia.
If a highly trained Yukinoshita also crossed over to the other world one day, he would have been there for a long time. There was a chance he might have already been drawn to Rem, Emilia, Anastasia, or Crusch, just like in the future.
If that happened, and Yukinoshita drew her sword...
"..."
Hachiman shuddered violently, shaking his head in fear.
No way. Swordsmanship—after he crossed over, he would have to train as fiercely as he did in the Crusch timeline! At the very least, he couldn't just stand by like he did in the sand cavern, watching several "Genuine" girls slaughter each other while he was powerless to stop them.
The incident of killing over a man caused the entire Nakano household to go silent. The four Nakano sisters looked at each other, swallowed hard, and declared a temporary truce.
Before this, they hadn't imagined that fighting over a man could escalate to such a degree; they certainly had no intention of killing their own sisters.
Furuhashi Fumino, who had vaguely realized her feelings for Yuiga Nariyuki, glanced suspiciously at Ogata Rizu and the others nearby, feeling slightly on guard.
As for Hayama, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, Beatrice, and Roswaal—those who loved Hachiman single-mindedly and didn't compete for the position of wife—they began to harbor resentment and dislike toward Ram for this situation.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka was happy to see Hachiman die a few more times, but this kind of meaningless death wasn't what he wanted.
"One Yukinoshita, hum-hum~ Two Anastasias, hum-hum~ Three Rems, hum-hum~ Four Crushes, hum-hum~ Five Priscillas, hum-hum~ Six Emilias, hum-hum~"
At the top of the distant Sage's Tower, Shaula hummed a melody of her own creation, counting on her fingers. Finally, she cheered: "Yay!"
None of these women could beat her in a fight. As long as they didn't team up, Shaula was confident she could suppress them all.
"The Great War for Master—Shaula is the final winner, yay!"
"Hmph."
In another mansion, Priscilla, swaying her fan, had entirely different thoughts from everyone else. She let out an impatient, cold snort. "That slut Echidna is truly tenacious. But no matter how strong a cockroach's vitality is, it will not earn my praise. She should just hurry up and commit suicide honestly."
If Echidna died sooner, Priscilla could shift her "Strong Luck" target toward a new object of her disdain.
As for the idea that "the dunce" wouldn't want Ram to die?
"Don't be ridiculous. I am myself. Even if it is the dunce I have fallen for, he shouldn't dream of commanding me or twisting my will!"
Al glanced at the arrogant woman and whispered: "I bet if he were here right now, grabbed you, and scolded you for meddling while holding you, you'd obey him perfectly."
Though she was a sadist, she could also be a masochist.
"What are you saying, iron-helmeted clown?" She didn't hear clearly, but Priscilla keenly sensed something was off. She narrowed her eyes, imperiously demanding an explanation.
Al shuddered. "N-Nothing—I said long live Lady Priscilla! It's useless for other women to fight to the death; Hikigaya Hachiman is definitely yours alone!"
"Hmph!"
Priscilla snapped her fan shut. She needed to concentrate on watching her dunce; she would spare the iron-helmeted clown for now.
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「"I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you..."」
「A terrifying whisper appeared, and a heart was caressed. Hikigaya Hachiman woke up with a violent jolt. He could suddenly feel his limbs again, as if they were still perfectly intact.」
「He instinctively tried to stand up, but the soul-piercing agony of being cut in half still lingered, clouding his spiritual clarity.」
「The phantom pain of the aftermath sapped his strength. Hachiman stumbled, his body tilting to one side as he fell.」
「"—What's wrong? You were acting tough just now, weren't you? If you're hurt anywhere, just say so. I may look fragile, but I grew up in the slums; I know a few simple first-aid tricks using whatever is on hand."」
「Accompanying a cute exclamation, a pair of slender hands caught him just in time. Anastasia's voice was full of reproach.」
「"Ana... Anastasia... This is—I'm still alive?"」
「"Although I'm happy you finally dropped the redundant 'Miss,' to say something like that right after telling me you were fine... the joke is a bit too much."」
「Hearing this response, Hikigaya Hachiman froze, his eyes wide. He realized something. He no longer rushed to check his intact body but instead turned his head to look in one direction.」
「In that direction, a lit lantern approached from the distance. Crusch was slowly returning on Patrasche's back.」
「"—"」
「A bolt of lightning surged through his entire body; Hachiman understood everything. No wonder. No wonder his pre-amnesia self could act with such foresight, making a deal with Emilia, knowing the White Whale's whereabouts, and being intimately familiar with Petelgeuse's Authority.」
「No wonder he left that suicide note, saying he wouldn't truly die.」
「Return by Death... time rewinding after his death, or a jump to a parallel world.」
「Deducing from all the information, this power clearly has no strict limit on the number of uses, and it cannot be revealed to others. Letting others know would result in losing the power or harming those who learn the secret.」
「Otherwise, given his attitude toward the 'Genuine,' no matter how cautious he was, he wouldn't have kept the effects of this power hidden from Miss Emilia and Miss Rem.」
「Based on the emotion-filled words of his past self in that letter, if it were possible, he absolutely would have wanted to hide nothing from those two 'Genuine' girls.」
「By back-tracing from a single letter, he grasped the entire truth in the blink of an eye. The Hikigaya Hachiman who calmed down, the Hikigaya Hachiman who was no longer lost—his thinking was just that sharp, his wisdom just that comprehensive. He was just that...」
「Strong!」
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