Chapter 140 The Meeting.
Enoshima Shield.
The face of the person in front of him was already quite familiar to Hajime Hinata.
Of course, this was mainly thanks to those memories from the future. And now... although it wasn't the first time he had met this girl who was currently a third-year junior high school student, Hinata Hajime still couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality when he saw her.
After all... future memories are not personal experiences, and it's normal that those images forcibly implanted into the mind won't feel real to people who haven't actually experienced them.
However, Hajime Hinata felt that the fact that he sometimes felt a sense of unreality was not a bad thing.
Dwelling on memories you didn't truly experience is not a good thing. Once you lose your way... perhaps Hyuga Hajime will no longer be Hyuga Hajime, but...
Moreover, just because it doesn't feel very realistic, does that mean he'll ignore the possible developments in his memory?
After returning to reality and easily dodging the attack from Junko Enoshima, Hajime Hinata ignored the girl's affected sigh and quickly glanced at Nagito Komaeda, who had accompanied him on this trip.
The white-haired boy noticed Hinata Hajime's gaze and returned it with a seemingly innocent look, appearing not for a second whatsoever to worry about Hinata Hajime's safety after Enoshima Junko's attack.
...Hmm, I see.
Having just escaped that unreal world, Hyuga Hajime quickly grasped the current situation in those few seconds.
Although after meeting Junko Enoshima, he was suddenly and inexplicably drawn into that unreal world along with Kazuha Tsukino and Ohma, who were quite far away from him, and lived in that unreal world for almost a week, in reality, it was only a blink of an eye.
That's fine too.
Hinata Hajime's thoughts.
At least there's no need to explain anything further... Although he knows that even in the real world, the fact that things happened so quickly doesn't mean that Komaeda Nagito and Enoshima Junko didn't notice anything amiss.
As she pondered, Enoshima Junko's expression shifted from a deep sigh to something else. She was now wiping away a few tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief she had pulled out from somewhere, her voice filled with sorrow: "...Alas, what a heartless man. I no longer want to talk to such a cold-hearted man."
"In that case, let's skip the incredibly boring, utterly boring, and hopelessly tedious small talk—let's just go in!"
The next second, the girl, who had been sobbing sadly, suddenly threw away the handkerchief she had been holding to her eye and, with astonishing speed, transformed into a lively and cheerful persona. Her lips curled into a wide, uncanny smile, and she slightly turned to the side, pointing to the door that had been behind her.
"This is the place, please come in~ Oh dear, at a time like this, I really want to say something like, 'This is the first time I've ever invited a strange man into my home,' but unfortunately you are not strange men, and this is not my home."
What is this guy talking about?
Hajime Hinata selectively ignored Junko Enoshima's pointless and useless remarks.
At this moment, the three of them—Hyuga Hajime, Komaeda Nagito, and Enoshima Junko—were standing in front of a house. This house did not belong to Enoshima Junko, but it was indeed the residence of one of her followers.
Believers… that’s a fitting term, isn’t it? Hyuga Hajime was well aware of Enoshima Junko’s terrifying nature. In that future memory, Mitarai, as the Ultimate Animator, accelerated the process of despair, but even without him, Enoshima Junko’s control over people’s hearts remained unparalleled.
Such a dangerous individual…did he reach a consensus with the Puppet Anomalies? Are Puppet Anomalies beings that can be easily communicated with? Hyuga Hajime hadn't personally witnessed any Puppet Anomalies other than Aurora, but the information Tsukino and Chiya had provided was enough for him to analyze what kind of beings those Puppet Anomalies truly were. Could beings that, in theory, only harbor pure malice towards humans, also reach a consensus with them?
However, if it were Enoshima Junko, it probably wouldn't be impossible.
"Alright, alright, you two—if I'm not mistaken, you'll be my seniors at the same school in the future. Please come in."
As Junko Enoshima finished speaking, the previously closed door suddenly opened. Immediately afterward, Hajime Hinata saw another "familiar face," another member of the "Ultimate Despair" sisters from his memories.
Hajime Hyuga is ultimately human, not a god. He can't fully know whether Junko Enoshima made any arrangements within the house, but there's nothing to fear. Man-made dangers are nothing to Izuru Kamukura and the Ultimate Luck. But if it's a supernatural danger…
To be honest, the possibility is not high. Even if it were true, there's nothing to fear. After all, having determined that Enoshima Junko was connected to the doll-like monster Aurora, he had already prepared for the worst... However, given that Aurora is already "dead," the already low probability becomes even lower.
Moreover, this meeting will definitely end before Aurora is "resurrected".
Nagito Komaeda's voice came from beside Hajime Hyuga: "Seriously, don't talk to me like we're old friends."
Ah, this kind of attitude feels like something I haven't seen in a long time.
"Hey—please don't be prejudiced against me, senior. I haven't even had time to do anything yet!"
"Little Shield, now..."
"Wait a minute! Sister, don't interrupt at this time! That means children shouldn't interrupt when adults are talking!"
"Okay, okay. But according to age..."
If a passerby were to see them, they might simply assume they were friends who had arranged to hang out after school, laughing and joking around without any politeness.
But the parties involved were well aware of what their meeting meant.
Quickly eliminating the effects of the extra week's worth of memories, Hajime Hinata seamlessly recalled what he was doing in the real world and entered the house with Nagito Komaeda without showing any unusual behavior.
This time, it seems that many hidden truths will soon come to light.
*******
I'm back.
In an instant, both the head that had been picked up and held in the hand, and Aurora who had fallen to the ground with a knife in her chest, seemed to have been abandoned in that unreal world.
Tsukino and Chiya clearly felt the weight that had been in their palms disappear.
Immediately afterwards, he returned to where he originally was—in the secret passage behind the wall of the old Hope Peak school building.
"You're back." Then, the ears were the first to pick up that sound.
Tsukino and Chiya's first reaction was to look at Ohma Kokichi beside them. Hmm... okay, it's clear he's also returned from that unreal world.
He breathed a sigh of relief without showing any emotion, then thought of Hyuga Hajime, who was not in the same place as the two of them. He should have returned successfully as well.
"Have we been gone for a long time?" After confirming Ouma Kokichi's condition, Tsukino and Chiya looked at the person who had spoken first. As expected... even if the appearance is the same, the person is still the person. It's not something that a monster that's too far removed from "human" can easily imitate.
“No, not really.” Higashigo Mimi, who was completely unaware that her account had been hacked, said, “It was only for a moment. But I sensed the interference of two very similar auras, so I made some judgment… So, in your memory, how long were you gone?”
"Well, it's a long story~ I lived in that world for ninety years, and was almost at the end of my life when I suddenly came back!"
Before Tsukino and Chiya could answer, Ohma Kokichi spoke first. The purple-haired boy curiously looked up at the secret passage they were in.
"Where am I? I have absolutely no recollection of this place. Waaah... Who made this huge hole in the wall behind us?! They have no sense of public responsibility at all!"
Tsukino and Chiya, who lacked any sense of public morality: "..."
Miya Higashigo: "Oh, really? Then let me help you remember. Don't worry, it'll only take a little blood."
Wang Ma Xiaoji: "Hehe, Teacher Dong Hu is really kind-hearted. But don't bother, because I was just kidding~ Actually, Xiao Yueye and I only spent a week in another world."
Miya Higashigo: "A week... isn't too long. But it will probably take some more time for you to finish telling the whole story."
Tsukino and Chiya: "Let's talk as we walk."
There is one path leading through this secret passage, and at the end of the path...
The black-haired boy raised his head and looked at the enormous doorway that could not be ignored at the end of the road.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com