Chapter 408. The Perfect Conclusion to the Shaula Incident
"Shaula and Beatrice share a common plight, but in the end, they are two different people; the severity of their 'ailment' differs greatly. Because of this, Hachiman chose completely different ways to respond to them."
At the Shirogane household, Shirogane Miyuki let out a long sigh. No sooner had his words fallen than his sister, Shirogane Kei, tugged at his sleeve, looking at him expectantly, demanding he describe the deep psychological maneuvering and calculations involved.
Kei herself didn't understand a thing; she hadn't seen the subtext at all.
Gratitude for the broadcast of Hachiman's future welled up in Miyuki's heart for the fifth time, as it gave him a chance to improve his relationship with his rebellious sister. He pointed at the screen, unreservedly offering his insight.
"There are two points regarding Beatrice. First, over four hundred years, she met too many candidates for 'That Person,' but every single one was a mismatch. After experiencing hope and disappointment countless times, she wasn't just longing for 'That Person' to arrive—she was longing for him and hating him simultaneously."
"Second, Beatrice had the Gospel as her spiritual anchor. Tearing that book apart was essentially equivalent to severing her solid link with Echidna, giving her the push needed to deviate from her mother's contract."
"That's why Hachiman could forcefully persuade her to completely abandon 'That Person' and follow him instead—because this was a future Beatrice didn't object to; in fact, she welcomed it. Her final resistance was merely out of lingering attachment to her mother, not a desire to keep waiting for 'That Person'."
Otherwise, with four hundred years of accumulated emotion, how could she have been persuaded so easily?
In truth, it relied on a double alignment of hearts: not only was Hachiman the right person, but Beatrice was ready too.
A bewildered Shirogane Kei asked, "Does that mean the way he handled Beatrice cannot be replicated?"
"Exactly," Miyuki nodded. "Shaula waited for four hundred years, and not a single fraudulent 'Master' ever appeared. Furthermore, her 'Master' is different from Beatrice's 'That Person'."
"Beatrice's 'That Person' had never actually appeared, so Beatrice didn't really have feelings for him; she was just following her mother's orders."
"But Shaula actually lived with her Master. Her mind is filled with memories of his kindness. Four hundred years of waiting only made those beautiful memories more mellow and potent; her devotion to Flugel became even more deeply rooted."
Therefore, even if Hachiman were to say, "Forget Flugel, from now on only look at me, think of me, and follow me," Shaula wouldn't be able to do it.
Shaula would never abandon Flugel, which meant there was no way to "liberate" her from those four hundred years of waiting, because she simply couldn't be liberated.
Miyuki thought of Roswaal, the initial culprit, that hateful man... Compared to Beatrice, that clown was actually closer to Shaula's situation.
"But Beatrice's anchor for her mother's feelings was the Gospel," Kei noted. "By analogy, the Pleiades Watchtower should be the 'Gospel' where Shaula anchors her feelings for her Master. If the tower is destroyed, can't Shaula's devotion to her Master be broken?"
Miyuki shook his head, flatly denying it. "It might influence her slightly, but it would never reach the level of replicating what happened with Beatrice."
Shaula's resolve regarding Flugel was indestructible, but Hachiman's determination to save her was even more resolute. These two things didn't have to conflict.
If he couldn't replicate the method used to save Beatrice, he would find another path.
"Shaula won't stop calling him 'Master,' and he absolutely won't take on the identity of Flugel. Since neither side will back down, he built a bridge for communication."
Hachiman allowed Shaula to call him "Master" from then on, but a Master is a Master—the "New Master" and the "Old Master" are two different people and two separate matters. Hikigaya Hachiman is not Flugel.
And that was enough to satisfy Shaula.
As for Hachiman, his role under this premise was to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of a Master. Through years of future companionship, he would lead Shaula out of the shadow of Flugel's solitude and waiting, quietly and imperceptibly.
Like a gentle rain moistening the earth, he would dispel all the gloom surrounding this "accidental" disciple.
"I see!" Kei realized suddenly, clapping her hands together. "So, a world where no one gets hurt has been completed? That's amazing, as expected of Hikigaya-senpai!"
"Wrong. This isn't a world where no one gets hurt; this is a world where only Hikigaya Hachiman gets hurt."
Miyuki waved his hand and asked in return, "Why do you think I sighed just now, Kei?"
"While the idea of setting up a New and Old Master to separate the identities is good in theory, theory and reality are different."
"Shaula might agree to Hachiman's proposal with her lips, but when she calls him 'Master,' the emotion contained within is still only for the Old Master, Flugel, because she believes Hachiman is Flugel."
"Only Hachiman is unilaterally recognizing the distinction between the New and Old Master. Every time he answers to Shaula's 'Master' in the future, he is actually enduring a massive impact of 'Fake' emotions."
It seems like a win-win situation where no one had to compromise, but the reality is that Hikigaya Hachiman sacrificed himself.
Had he simply chosen not to be kind, he wouldn't have had to pay such a price.
"How..." Kei's eyes widened in shock, her hands covering her mouth. "It's actually like that!?"
"Hachiman said before that he could never be Shaula's Master... At that time, he obviously knew how to help her; he could have thought of this method then. But between himself and Shaula, he chose himself."
But now, he had chosen Shaula.
In the distant Kousaka home, Kousaka Kyousuke let out a long, emotional sigh. "That stubborn-mouthed, soft-hearted tsundere... he never thinks of himself. Hikigaya-kun hasn't changed after all this time, even though it has caused him endless suffering."
"He always says Emilia and the others are 'Genuine,' but if you think about it, isn't Hikigaya Hachiman the greatest, most eternal, and most shining 'Genuine' of them all?"
...If Priscilla were to hear this description, she would likely draw her Yang Sword and start a massacre. She utterly loathed her "dunderhead's" tendency to sacrifice himself.
Back in the mansion, Priscilla furrowed her beautiful brows and snapped her fan shut, her voice displeased. "Hmph. Stubborn, soft-hearted dunderhead. I never gave him permission to devalue himself so recklessly."
Once she got her hands on this arriving dunderhead, she was going to have a long talk about changing Hikigaya Hachiman's personality.
"—Master."
A soft murmur drifted through the uninhabited Mabeast Desert. Atop the Pleiades Watchtower stood the only living soul.
With misty eyes, slumped helplessly on the tower's balcony, Shaula stared blankly up at the sky. She looked at what she had done to her Master after turning into a scorpion, and what her Master had done for her.
Everything, within a tangle of complex tears, flowed out into a single, whispered cry.
"...Master...!"
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