Chapter 377. The Shimmering Essence of Ram
「"Promises are very important, so it's safe to say the Prime Minister didn't break any, right? Don't look like you're ready to murder someone, Miss Ram. I wasn't exactly hoping to see this kind of accident occur either."」
「As Anastasia spoke, she smoothed out her long, pale-purple hair—which had been slightly mussed by her Prime Minister's touch—and let out a sigh. "I'm quite timid and very selfish. I have no intention of paying for this accident with my life to Miss Rem, nor will I demand that the Prime Minister take responsibility for me. Please rest easy."」
「Crusch, relying on her Divine Protection of the Wind, could actually discern that there were lies within those words, but this too was part of Anastasia's plan.」
「Crusch couldn't distinguish which specific sentence in a whole paragraph was a lie. Anastasia had deliberately planted two obvious falsehoods in her speech: one was having "no energy to return to the fourth floor," and the other was her self-deprecating claim of being "timid and very selfish."」
「In reality, it wasn't that she and her Prime Minister lacked the energy; they were simply so tired they didn't want to waste time walking back, so they laid down right there.」
「And while she might tremble in a white space due to a loss of balance, she was someone who could command from the front lines during a war like the one in Watergate City without changing her expression.」
「Everyone has something they fear, but that isn't the same as being cowardly. Understanding this truth, Anastasia knew she certainly couldn't be described as "timid."」
「Crusch, with her high intelligence, would surely detect those two obvious lies. Therefore, it was unlikely she would suspect that other parts of the statement had also triggered the Divine Protection.」
「—This tactic for dealing with Crusch's protection was something Anastasia had "plagiarized" from her own Prime Minister, back when they were discussing the subjugation of the White Whale in the Royal Capital.」
「"Don't be like this, Ram. This isn't Miss Anastasia's fault."」
「Under Anastasia's explanation, despite being very frustrated, the empathetic Emilia held back the murderous Ram. She felt somewhat at a loss because the pressure had now shifted to her own knight's side.」
「If Anastasia wanted to pursue the matter, it wasn't hard to imagine how Julius would act, even if Hachiman was his best friend.」
「"Don't worry so much. I won't do anything bad to the Prime Minister I've set my sights on. This just happens to be a good way to earn a favor. Maybe the Prime Minister will come help me with government affairs a bit sooner?"」
「The smiling Anastasia was incredibly magnanimous, allowing Emilia to breathe a sigh of relief. However, when it came to Hachiman's "ownership," she immediately countered: "Thank you for your understanding, but Hachiman is my knight! I will win! I want to win!"」
「"Right, right, that's the spirit. But I recommend you first persuade Miss Ram over there. She looks like she might snap and kill me or the Prime Minister at any second."」
「Motioning Julius to walk a bit further away to give him a "pep talk," a flicker of regret passed through Anastasia's eyes.」
「She hadn't calculated that Ram's reaction would be so off the charts; it made her start to worry if this person would actually hurt her Prime Minister. If it weren't for the fact that she couldn't get away with killing Ram unnoticed, she might have had some darker intentions.」
「"Being irritable to keep the man her sister loves... I don't hate it; in fact, I quite admire it—provided she doesn't hurt the Prime Minister. Can she manage that?"」
「The stiff-faced Emilia was trying her hardest to play peacemaker, holding onto Ram and reasoning with her.」
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"From an outsider's perspective, Ram might not have as good a personality as some of the other candidates. But from Rem's perspective, Ram is the number one sister in the world."
Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head slightly. From the whispers and attitudes of others in the convenience store, he had already deduced that Ram's reputation across the entire Earth currently wasn't very good.
But Hachiman remembered. He remembered all of Ram's performance during the month surrounding the Demon Beast incident, which proved she was a very good person.
She could give everything for her sister, to the point of appearing detestable to outsiders. Hachiman could fully empathize with Ram's feelings and situation.
"In the future, before my amnesia, I manifested my love for Rem all day long; Ram saw and heard it all. But after the amnesia, I suddenly treat Rem like a stranger. How is she supposed to accept such a contrast?"
"Ram's current irritability and pressure—while for Rem's sake—is actually also following the orders I gave before the memory loss. When the future 'me' recovers my memories and realizes I was indifferent to Rem for so long, the guilt will be immense."
"Ram... she just wants to help me reduce that pain in advance. By forcing the amnesiac 'me' to care more about Rem and stay away from other women, I won't blame myself too much once I remember everything."
Hidden beneath the surface of so-called irritability and detestability was a gentleness unique to Ram—a gentleness different from Rem's.
Anyone else has the right to complain about Ram, but he, Hikigaya Hachiman, does not.
"After the future broadcast ends and I leave, could you help me find some media outlets to clarify Ram's true intentions, Yukinoshita?"
"Sigh..." Hearing her boyfriend's difficult request, Yukinoshita let out a soft sigh. Even knowing Ram's gentleness, she didn't approve of Ram treating her Hikigaya-kun that way. Moreover, no matter how gentle Ram's essence was, she was providing support for Rem.
That made her an enemy.
"However, since you've made a rare request, how could I have the heart to refuse, Hikigaya-kun? I understand. I'll do it."
Yukinoshita pouted but agreed reluctantly. Hachiman grasped her cold yet warm hands, deeply moved.
Yukinoshita was quite disappointed when she didn't get a kiss from her moved boyfriend.
Aside from Ram, her other main focus of observation was Anastasia. She had to admit: although she had become more proactive under the stimulation of various rivals from the other world, doing something like Anastasia...
That kind of thing was simply impossible; she couldn't even learn it if she tried!
Truly too despicable. The greatest rival, Anastasia—that bastard merchant is even worse than letting the simple Emilia snatch Hikigaya-kun!
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「When Beatrice and Crusch approached, they found that Shaula had long since woken up. She just refused to let go, wanting to keep taking advantage of her Master. Asking her to stop hugging him was like asking for her life.」
「"No way~!"」
「The wailing, like a stuck pig, woke Hikigaya Hachiman up.」
「With just a single look, Hachiman scared Shaula into a sheepish grin, and she reluctantly—but necessarily—released her hold.」
「Beatrice briefly summarized what had just happened. Aside from Meili, she was the one with the calmest emotions right now.」
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