Chapter 369. The Lord of the Jealous Knight
「Before heading to the Sage's Tower, Hikigaya Hachiman asked Shaula to help find Emilia and the others. Thanks to her help, the two separated groups were quickly reunited.」
「Upon seeing Shaula and hearing her story, Beatrice felt a unique sense of pity for her. She didn't drive Shaula away for clinging to Hachiman; instead, she joined in and hugged Hachiman tightly as well. The two of them, one on the left and one on the right, firmly attached themselves to him like living accessories.」
「Emilia was quite displeased by this... but remembering that Hachiman was still suffering from amnesia, she pushed aside her jealousy. Instead, she anxiously asked Shaula if there was a way to cure the effects of the Authority of Gluttony within the Sage's Tower.」
「"I don't know!"」
「Shaula spoke with blunt honesty. "But there might be something in the Pleiades Library inside the tower. Wait—mm-hmm, there definitely will be! You said Master lost his memory? Ehehe, if the library has a solution, Master can remember me! That's great!"」
「She wasn't very interested at first, but she quickly became more fired up and eager than even Emilia, shouting "Oh yeah!" with her head held high.」
「No one knew quite how to deal with this unexpected Shaula... but they maintained a friendly attitude, probing her for information about the tower.」
「On the fourth floor of the tower, there was a "Green Room." It was inhabited by a unique spirit that, true to its name, was a room with no self-awareness that healed anyone who entered.」
「Rem and Hikigaya Hachiman's conditions were not classified as "injury" or "illness," so they couldn't be cured there, but Rem and Patrasche were left there to rest nonetheless.」
「Under further questioning, Shaula began to describe the Sage's Tower in detail.」
「The entrance to the tower was the fifth floor. Going down led to the sixth, and going up led to the fourth. The fourth floor was where Shaula had lived for four hundred years, and it was now being used as the living quarters for Hachiman's group.」
「"The fourth floor is called Alcyone, the fifth is Celaeno, and the sixth is Asterope."」
「"Then, the third floor is Taygeta. From there, it becomes the trial grounds to test if newcomers have the right to enter the archives. The second floor is Electra, and the first floor is Maia."」
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When Shaula said this, those on Earth who understood astronomy began to show surprise, because these names were clearly distributed according to the seven stars of the Pleiades cluster.
Furthermore, looking back, the naming conventions for people like Regulus Corneas, the Sin Archbishop of Greed, were also related to constellations.
Thinking of this, Shirogane Miyuki, who was well-versed in astronomy and had deep knowledge of the stars, took a deep breath in astonishment.
"Flugel... was he a traveler too?"
Between Hikigaya Hachiman, Al, and Hoshin of the Wasteland, there were already three confirmed travelers. It didn't seem so far-fetched that Flugel might be one as well.
"By the way, speaking of these seven sisters, Kei—"
"I don't want to hear it! Shut up, Brother! What girl wants to listen to boring astronomy facts?"
Once he started on astronomy, Shirogane couldn't stop. He began pouring star-related knowledge into Shirogane Kei's ears until his annoyed sister threw a cushion at him.
"If you're like this, no girl will ever like you! You stupid brother, learn a bit from Hikigaya-senpai!"
Shirogane Miyuki was forced to close his mouth. However, he felt quite good—a sense of relief, thinking: 'I'm not entirely useless; it's not like I'm inferior to Hikigaya in every single way.'
While he wasn't envious or jealous of Hachiman, the wisdom, character, and "Genuine" personality Hachiman had displayed so far were beyond him, which had made him feel disappointed in himself.
But now it seemed that, at least regarding astronomy, Hachiman hadn't delved much into it; otherwise, he would have reacted to the names of the floors. It wasn't about superiority, but rather needing to have at least something he could hold his own in, or else he would be a total failure as a person, wouldn't he?
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「Following Shaula up the stairs to the third floor.」
「The third floor was a magical, snow-white space. Except for the black staircase opening, everything in all directions was white—so white it didn't feel solid, as if one would fall through the floor if they took a step. Such a place caused one to lose their sense of balance.」
「In the exact center floated a rectangular black stone slab.」
「"As soon as you touch that slab, the trial begins," Shaula said.」
「"I'll do it."」
「As the Finest Knight, Julius stepped forward without hesitation, his expression resolute. He would protect the ladies, and he would protect his best friend.」
「The way he stood up for the group was deeply etched into the back of Hachiman's eyes... Hachiman caught a fleeting glimpse of Hayama Hayato, but Julius's "purity" was clearly superior to Hayama's.」
「Both could stand up for the group, but that didn't mean they could achieve the same results once they did.」
「Flash!」
「The moment Julius touched the stone, the black slab instantly pulsed with black light. It then multiplied rapidly, copying and splitting until a vast number of new black slabs were scattered haphazardly throughout the space, floating half a meter off the ground.」
「"Julius... careful!"」
「Seemingly shocked, Julius instinctively pulled back his hand and stumbled backward. Someone supported him from behind—a steady, strong, and warm hold. It was firm, yet the movement was gentle.」
「Having internally made a unilateral peace with the image of Hayama Hayato, Hachiman had found the right way to treat a best friend.」
「"Thank you," Julius said with a wry smile. "I wanted you to see my brilliant side... how embarrassing."」
「"For a guy who's even more handsome than Hayama, if you acted even cooler, other men wouldn't have a chance to live, would they? Being embarrassing is fine."」
「"Your looks aren't inferior to mine. —"」
「Julius replied naturally, but then he immediately froze, looking at Hachiman in disbelief. Natural. Yes, natural. But how long had it been since he had experienced such a natural interaction, such a normal exchange?」
「Hachiman, embarrassed by his gaze, looked away.」
「"..."」
「Julius's lips trembled, his eyes turning slightly moist as he gripped his friend's hand. He knew exactly what this normal exchange represented: the amnesiac Hachiman had completely accepted him.」
「Clap!」
「In this moment of profound emotion, there was a sudden "clap." The two men turned to see a smiling Anastasia clapping her hands. She tilted her head and said:」
「"Alright, Julius should have composed himself by now, right? Standing there forever is just getting in the way. Please hurry up and get to the business at hand, okay?"」
「For some reason, Julius felt a looming threat of death within her words.」
「A hint of jealousy, a hint of grievance, a hint of... the resentment of 'If only I had gone first just now'?」
「Julius shook his head to clear these illusions. Obeying Lady Anastasia's command, he began to share the requirements of the trial.」
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