Chapter 222

It was at a café located in a place that could confirm the high-rise building of the state security bureau by sight. There was a girl with her blonde hair put in side-tail――Emily looking absentminded inside.

Her hand kept holding the cup of steamy coffee latte in front of her, however, she showed no sign of drinking it. She was only staring blankly at the rising steam.

Other than emotion of sadness and pain, her side profile also contained various other things. There were people who were mysteriously charmed with that. In the first place Emily was a beautiful girl, yet right now she felt like a “woman” rather than a girl of her age. Surely that was because the experience she had gone through these few days was an unusual experience.

The young men and male employees inside the café kept sending glances at the beautiful girl that was sitting alone in melancholy. That was the proof of the charm Emily was emitting.

Her long and slender legs wrapped in black stocking were crossed. Finally a young man whose gaze was attracted to that resolved himself and stood up. It appeared that he would call out to Emily.

But, right after the young man took a step forward, his foot stopped still.

That was because Emily suddenly lifted her face. It seemed that was because she noticed the young man’s secret intention. Her reaction looked as though she was called by someone. Yet, he couldn’t hear anything that called the girl’s name other than the sound of cars’ engine.

The young man tilted his head in wonder of what happened, even so he was about to step forward again――

「Ah, Kousuke! Over here!」

He saw a flower blooming proudly. The melancholy until just now disappeared like a lie, and its place was a dazzling flower that was blooming in full. Emily made a full smile and waved her hand, which caused the young man to stop walking once more. However, this time he was purely fascinated.

「……Emily, looks like you have become able to notice me normally huh.」

The one who appeared while saying that was of course Kousuke. The young man too finally noticed after he heard that voice, that there was a male that had approached this spot until nearby without anyone noticing. The male was a Japanese without any particular characteristic that stood out.

For a moment, the young man compared himself with Kousuke and he self-assessed himself that he won, but he instantly withered when he saw the trust and affection that emerged on Emily’s expression. His shoulders dropped in dejection while he returned to his seat with heavy steps. The other customers and male employees were looking at the young man with a complicated expression.

「I guess. Somehow, when Kousuke come near, the area around my forehead goes tingling.」(TN: Imagine in Gundam when the newtype sense danger or formidable enemy)

「You are awakened to a strange ability huh. Well, I’m happy though so it’s fine.」

Kousuke saying that he was happy made Emily to smile even happier instead.

「So, you are finished? Did it go all right?」

「Yeah, everything went well. With this, Berserk doesn’t exist anymore in this world. Looks like the security bureau has also work hard.」

「I see……thank you, Kousuke. Really, saying this is not enough at all but, thank you.」

Emily leaned her forehead to Kousuke’s shoulder naturally. Seeing that, several males including the young man just now clicked their tongue. Surely they wanted to say ‘damn show off’.

Kousuke reflexively smiled wryly while hearing those clicking tongues. He then gently tapped on Emily’s back while urging her to exit the café.

Kousuke started walking on the street. Emily asked him where they were going.

「H~m, there is a place I want to go for a bit. Can you come with me?」

「Yep, it’s fine. But Kousuke’s plane schedule is……it’s fine because it’s at the evening isn’t it?」

Today Endo was going back to Japan. He had finished reserving ticket for an evening flight. Naturally Emily was feeling a lot lonely, but there was no way she could neglect her parents who were piling up mental worry due to the attack against their daughter, so she was planning to spend her time in her home for a while and couldn’t go with Kousuke.

Although, there would be a clone body staying with her for a while to guard her, and Kousuke also firmly promised to her that this separation wouldn’t be forever, so she wasn’t that sad.

「Which reminds me, what about Vanessa? Midway she said that she has a business so she went somewhere but, is it about security bureau’s business?」

「No, it’s another matter. Vanessa is also going to the place we are heading to right now. There is something I want her to check a bit just in case.」

「Hm~m. You are speaking ambiguously. ……It’s just me that is out of the loop here.」

Emily’s lips pouted a bit sullenly. Kousuke reflexively almost said「How cute」, but the body blow of his heart made him shut his mouth decisively.

「That’s not it though……. Rather, this is about Emily. Well, you will understand when we go there. Depending on the situation, perhaps it will be necessary for me to go on ahead for various measures but……you know, there were things I wanted to take care first at the security bureau. Just in case.」

「I don’t really get it but……fine then. If that’s what Kousuke and Vanessa think as the best then okay.」

Emily smiled gently. The height of her trust to the two could be peeked at there.

It would take about thirty minutes of walking with the distance, so the two didn’t use taxi or anything and walked to there while strolling at the same time.

There was no word, however, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward by any means. Both of them were walking with a relaxed pace. After a while, Emily leaked out her words in a mutter.

「You see, I’m thinking of teacher even now.」

「Hm?」

Kousuke tilted his head. Emily continued while slightly looking up to the sky.

「He betrayed us, did inhuman things like that, and in the end he tried to take along a lot of people with him in death……even so, I cannot hate him. Even now, somewhere inside me, I’m thinking of that person as “our teacher”. ……Do you think it’s strange?」

「I wonder. After all I don’t know, what has been accumulated between Emily and Down.」

Emily smiled a bit happily that Kousuke didn’t make any denial.

「Yep, there are a lot, things that we had accumulated. I cannot forget them. Whether when he reached out to me, or how he saved me, or the warm place and important teaching that I received, I cannot forget them.」

「Because, those weren’t a lie, right?」

「……Yes. Those weren’t a lie.」

At that time, the young Emily who was cornered by the environment was saved, it was a fact. The fact that she was given the warmth of family, and also everything else, the important things residing in Emily’s heart, weren’t a lie.

A shadow of melancholy fell on Emily’s expression once more.

「That’s exactly why, I feel it’s scary.」

「……」

Emily kept looking down without showing any sign whether she noticed or not the gaze of Kousuke who was looking at her from the side. She continued talking in mutters.

「Surely, Berserk is inside everyone. Just a little impetus, something that is trifling for other people will become the trigger, awakening it. Surely it’s easy to occur at particular field. That’s what I think.」

Everyone had the seed of madness at the bottom of their heart. Kousuke couldn’t deny that. The face of the classmates that didn’t manage to go home together with them passed through in Kousuke’s mind. The binding of their heart slipped off under a unique situation.

Just as Emily said, even in a situation that wasn’t that unique, it was still something that could possibly occur. And then, her remark that meant that the binding of the heart was easier to come off for those who tried to walk through a path to the extreme was likely to be an accurate statement.

「Even now, I’m thinking it. If teacher didn’t meet me, perhaps teacher will be able to live normally as an excellent educator.」

It was a meaningless what-if. Emily also understood that. But, she couldn’t help but thinking it. She thought and thought, even so, she continued to wander the labyrinth of her pondering, of what she actually should do.

It was terrifying. Thinking that perhaps ahead of her path, she would once more pull the trigger of someone’s Berserk. She didn’t have any intention of giving up her dream, even so, no matter what, when she thought of the future ahead at her path of research, her hands and feet stiffened, and something cold and heavy was sinking at the bottom of her guts.

Kousuke averted his gaze from Emily and looked up to the sky. It was likely that Emily wasn’t asking for anything from Kousuke by talking about this. The proof of that, was how the light of determination could be seen inside her eyes that were tinged with melancholy, that even if that was the case she wouldn’t draw back, she couldn’t draw back. Therefore, she was making Kousuke heard her heavily agonizing thought even just for a little was merely her depending on Kousuke.

Kousuke scratched his head awkwardly at Emily who was showing such awkwardness in depending on others. And then, he started a strange talk.

「In the past, at a certain place long time ago, no wait, it wasn’t that long ago, it was something relatively recently, anyway, at a certain place there was a single hero.」

「Heh? Err, Kousuke?」

‘What’s up so suddenly?’ Emily tilted her head. Ignoring that, Kousuke continued to talk.

「The hero was super handsome, he excelled in both brain and physical aspects. He was fair and kind, overflowing with sense of justice, and a super popular male. He made others feel ‘just explode’, but anyway he was a really good guy.」

「Yo, you wanted him to explode even though he was a good guy?」

「Nn, well, just ignore that. Anyway, one day the perfect superhuman hero was summoned to another world together with his comrades. He was kidnapped along with the people around him by a damned shitty god somewhere just out of curiosity.」

Seeing Kousuke who was talking in annoyance caused Emily to go ‘hah’ in realization. The fairytale that Kousuke was suddenly talking now was surely not a fairytale. It was a part of the tale of the beginning when this profoundly mysterious hero was born.

Emily closed her mouth and concentrated to her ears. The person she loved was trying to tell her something by going as far as disclosing his secret. She focused so that she wouldn’t overhear even one word.

「Putting aside the intention of the shitty god, the people of that world said to the hero and his group. Save us they said. Defeat the enemy they said. The hero responded, that if there are people in trouble then of course they should help. The hero and his comrades who had crossed through world had managed to obtain great power, so surely it will go well he thought. But――」

It didn’t go like that.

「Bit by bit, bit by bit, something black was starting to pile up inside the hero.」

「Something, black……」

Emily could guess. That must be the seed of Berserk. Something everyone possessed, a negative emotion.

「The justice of hero that he believed, it didn’t work at anything. He lost his fairness and he became as though he was possessed by the deep-rooted delusion that he should be the correct one. His comrades and childhood friends also remonstrated him but, the hero who was instigated by the enemy――betrayed everything.」

「-」

Emily had her breath taken away. Emily didn’t know what happened with the hero. But, she could somehow see her teacher overlapping with the hero. Just what did the hero feel at that time? Just with what kind of feeling the hero betrayed his comrades? And then――how did the hero end up in the end?

Matching Emily who came to a stop, Kousuke also stopped walking and he continued while staring at Emily.

「The hero, pointed that tremendous power of his toward us. He pointed it toward his childhood friends who should be important for him. He pointed it, toward the people that he said should be protected. At the time of the decisive battle when that guy was needed the most, that guy was at the enemy side. Everything, was in order to proof that he was exactly the correct one. In order to take back the time when everything went well for him.」

「……What happened then, to the hero?」

Emily asked with by squeezing out her voice. In respond to that Kousuke,

「Yeah, he got beaten up black and blue by a girl, his childhood friend until he apologized tearfully. He came back with his face still swelling up so much it made us felt ‘seeerves you right you handsome’.」

「Eh?」

This was the aftermath of a grand betrayal. Emily thought, that surely this would be a tragic story but with a bit of salvation in it even then. But seeing Kousuke laughed casually while talking「Oh mann~, at that time that guy came back with pathetic face! He apologize while looking like he was going to cry, but his front teeth were all broken up that everyone almost broke laughing! That was seriously s serious breaker y’know!」, Emily’s face went blank in a daze.

Kousuke who noticed Emily who couldn’t follow at all then cleared his through *cough* once.

「Well, what I want to say, that……sorry. I couldn’t save your teacher.」

「Eh? E, ah, no, that’s not-. I, don’t mean something like――」

Emily tried to make excuse in panic, but Kousuke stopped her with his hand and smiled wryly. However, he then directed a strong gaze at Emily that made her heart jumped.

「I know. But, even so, I swear here, Emily. If, ahead in this path Emily is walking through someone got their madness awakened, that time I won’t let you lose them. Even if I have to sock them in the face, I will drag them back to you without fail.」

「u, a」

She was at loss for words. While Emily’s mouth was opening and closing wordlessly, Kousuke gifted her with words that illuminated her path.

「That’s why, don’t make that kind of pained face and just advance ahead through your path.」

Emily leaped. Where to? That was obvious. Toward the chest of her beloved hero. Emily leaked out sobbing ‘hics hics’ from something hot filling inside her chest while Kousuke gently caressed her hair.

It was unknown how long they were like that. Before long Emily lifted her face. Kousuke pulled her hand and began walking once more toward the destination.

Silence was descending once more, but this time it was with a really awkward atmosphere. Emily kept glancing at the side of Kousuke’s face with moist eyes, while Kousuke being Kousuke was writhing inside from his own speech.

Trying to change the atmosphere a little, Kousuke spoke a proposal that he actually had been thinking about since some time ago.

「Hey, Emily」

「Whaaat, Kousuke」

Her voice was sweet. It was dripping sweet. The sugar content in the air was increasing. Kousuke went「I, I might have really done it now……」while sweating coldly.

「About your research from here on」

「Uh huh. Continuing it in the university……will be hard I think. But, somewhere else――」

「About that, if you want, how about trying to go to another world?」

「Another world……」

Inside Emily, it already had become a fact that Kousuke was summoned to another world together with his comrades. She didn’t think that his story was a fiction. Rather, she comprehended that Kousuke’s mysterious power had its root from there.

And now, she might be able to go to the world where Kousuke obtained his power of hero. That was enough to fill Emily with happiness.

「Is it okay?」

「Yeah, you more or less need the permission from the demon king to go to the world over there but, well, surely there won’t be a problem. You see, at the other side there are a lot of mysterious plants and minerals that doesn’t exist here. There is also something like pharmacy study there more or less, and if Emily learn that and put it into use for your research, won’t that become a shortcut for breakthrough?」

「Pharmacy study of another world……certainly, that is really interesting. That healing medicine is also made from there isn’t it?」

「H~m, I guess. Though it roughly not pure chemicals but a magic medicine though……」

Emily’s eyes were sparkling bright with the idea of going to Kousuke’s world, and also that it might be useful for her lifework. Her gaze looked even far better than her enraptured gaze before this. For Kousuke it was a poison in various meaning. Though it was him reaping what he sowed.

「Also you see, because there is magic at the world there, the technology there is not that developed. Currently I’m studying medical science here, but I’m doing that with the objective of wanting to heighten the medical technology there without magic.」

「……Kousuke, by any chance, you are planning to go to that other world in the future?」

Emily looked up anxiously at Kousuke. He nodded in respond without hesitation. A shadow fell on Emily’s expression.

「Well, currently the demon king is taking measures so that it will be easier to come and go from here to there, so I’m not going to be at that side forever without coming back though……」

Hearing that, Emily began pondering something. Kousuke went「Hm?」seeing that and he tilted his head. And then Emily suddenly snapped up his head and declared to Kousuke.

「Then, at that time I will accompany Kousuke too! At that time, I’ll show you that I can develop the other world’s pharmaceutics more!」

Seeing Emily declaring ‘I absolutely will be useful to Kousuke!’, Kousuke was thinking from the start that he wished for Emily’s cooperation in improving the medical treatment without using Tortus’s magic, so he accepted immediately. However, he somewhat felt a strange weight from the word「accompany」that Emily said was……

No, let’s stop lying to himself. Kousuke was convinced. That word absolutely meant「accompany」in that meaning. Kousuke was sweating coldly. Emily’s cheeks were dyed red and her eyes were sparkling fierily perhaps from thinking of the future. There was no doubt that in her brain she was surely imagining the development where the two of them were examining patients at the clinic in another world.

Even though she would be at another world, but if there was a method to return to earth, then it would be safer to do her research at another world rather than at earth where there was a possibility she would be targeted. She would also be able to defeat Alzheimer with the result of that research.

For Emily, immigration to another world was completely a good thing.

「He, hey, Emily. There is also something that I have to tell you……」

Kousuke was opening his mouth to speak about the matter that he missed the chance to say until now because of one thing and another. Right now he was going to say it loud and clear. But it seemed that the goddess of fate was quite detestable.

A familiar ringtone interrupted Kousuke’s words. It seemed that Vanessa was the caller. Kousuke cursed「Vanessaaa」inside his heart, but thinking of the thing that he asked her to confirm, he couldn’t ignore this.

Like that, what entered the ear of Kousuke who took the call was a good news that came in with a truly miraculous timing.

AN: Continue to the second part

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