Chapter 26: Every Child Once Dreamed of Being a Hero

"I have bad news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?"

"Aren't they both bad news?"

Yukinoshita Yukino looked coldly at the mouth on the back of her hand that couldn't say anything good, waiting for the other party's argument.

"The first bad news is that over time, I will gradually become the new owner of your body, and you will become like I am now, a spirit that can't take control of the body at will."

She expected to hear Hayashizaki's argument, but instead, she got a bombshell.

Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes slowly widened, because the news Hayashizaki revealed was too shocking, even her breathing became lighter.

Her voice was hoarse and ethereal, trembling slightly:

"...What did you say?"

A dark look flashed in Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes, as if she had been betrayed by someone close to her, a complex mix of emotions surged in her heart, and her heart ached slightly, a sense of powerlessness spread through her limbs.

Is he lying to me? Or has he finally given up his pretense and revealed his evil fangs?

"Although it's not my intention, it's the truth."

Hayashizaki's voice carried a sense of helplessness. The system that was supposed to be his cheat after crossing over had been causing him trouble.

Hayashizaki's helpless tone made Yukinoshita Yukino feel a bit relieved, her rationality slowly returned. Since Hayashizaki said it wasn't his intention, at least it meant he hadn't betrayed her.

Although it could also be a lie, Yukinoshita Yukino chose to believe what he said.

Or rather, she didn't want to continue thinking from the perspective that Hayashizaki was lying.

"So, what's the other bad news?"

Yukinoshita Yukino forced herself to calm down and asked.

"You have to kill a special-grade cursed spirit."

Hayashizaki said.

A special-grade cursed spirit?

Remember that bug-like curse spirit from yesterday was a grade 3, right? Just facing a grade 3 curse spirit that Hayashizaki called weak made her and Hikigaya Hachiman sweat a lot. In the end, it was Hayashizaki who had to step in to deal with it. How are they supposed to defeat a special grade curse spirit?

Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't even imagine the power of a special grade curse spirit, let alone defeating it.

"Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Hayashizaki laughed loudly, almost gasping for breath.

"So your job is to wander around, find the special grade curse spirit, and then leave it to me. Once we deal with the special grade curse spirit, the first bad news will be solved too."

"Really?"

Yukinoshita Yukino looked up, her dark blue eyes suddenly brightening.

"What good would it do me to lie to you? You don't need to worry too much, just live your life as usual."

Hayashizaki said with a smile, glancing at the time,

"For now, you should go to bed."

Yukinoshita Yukino was stunned for a moment, then found her legs moving on their own towards the bedroom:

"Wait, you...! I can walk by myself!"

...

...

In the end, Yukinoshita Yukino still didn't finish reading Zaimokuza's novel.

When she was at the Yukinoshita family home, her mother never urged her to go to bed like yesterday. Being pushed to bed by Hayashizaki like a nagging mom was a new experience for her.

Mainly, when she was at the Yukinoshita family home, she didn't dare to stay up late like she did in her current apartment.

She could only read during breaks and after lunch. Fortunately, there wasn't much left to read from last night, so she finished it before the club activities after school.

Not long after she put down the manuscript, Hikigaya Hachiman came to the Service Club, followed by a orange-haired girl with a bun.

"Good afternoon."

"Yukinon, hello~"

While Hayashizaki was away, Yuigahama Yui seemed to have joined the Service Club as a member. Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't refuse her enthusiasm.

With Yuigahama's addition, the Service Club was no longer so quiet and dull, becoming a bit livelier.

Just as Yuigahama was chatting with Yukinoshita about interesting things happening in their class, the door of the Service Club room suddenly opened.

"Admiral Yoshiteru, grand entrance!"

With a loud voice, Hayashizaki finally saw the aspiring novelist Zaimokuza Yoshiteru that Yukinoshita Yukino had mentioned.

A chubby white-haired guy wearing a thick brown coat over his school uniform walked in like a victorious general, then immediately changed his expression to that of a defeated man, rubbing his hands nervously in front of everyone.

His appearance matched Hayashizaki's imagination perfectly.

"Have you all finished reading?"

Zaimokuza asked cautiously.

"Finally finished, it was quite a struggle."

"Well, I skimmed through it."

"Ahem! I think I finished it?"

After getting affirmative responses from the three, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru suddenly became confident again, his facial features becoming more determined. He waved his hand, and a white light flashed on his glasses:

"Speak freely, everyone. Whether it's good or bad, I'll take it all!"

[Chuunibyou?]

Hayashizaki asked in the encrypted channel in his mind.

[You know about this illness too?]

Yukinoshita Yukino was a bit surprised. A person who lived a thousand years ago, like an old relic, actually knew modern terms.

[Everyone knows about it, don't you?]

Hayashizaki said casually.

After all, everyone has had Chuunibyou at some point. When he was in elementary school, he even learned the hand signs from Naruto and shouted

[Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique"]

while spitting water at others.

[I only found out about it yesterday,]

Yukinoshita Yukino replied.

When she came back from the bathroom, she found an unknown person in the Service Club room. The person had even pulled open the curtains and stood by the window. Fortunately, the person didn't look closely, so the broken window wasn't exposed. 

Thanks to Hikigaya Hachiman arriving in time, otherwise Yukinoshita Yukino would have had to use Aikido to subdue the person.

"Come on! Don't worry about it! Don't mind me!"

Zaimokuza spread his arms, revealing his plump chest, with an air of embracing the world.

"What you said is really reckless."

Hikigaya Hachiman sighed lightly. He had advised him from the start that compared to Yukinoshita Yukino's sharp tongue, the harsh words from editors and online readers might actually be kinder.

You can only say, good advice is hard to take.

Rest in peace, Zaimokuza.

"Then I'll say it."

Yukinoshita Yukino picked up the stack of manuscripts in front of her, which had many marked bookmarks. "It's boring, so boring that it exceeded my expectations. Honestly, even reading it felt like torture."

"Ugh!"

Before he could even speak freely, Yukinoshita Yukino's first sentence was like a sharp sword piercing his chest. Zaimokuza clutched his chest and leaned back, almost falling off his chair. Not to mention the specific critiques on certain plot points and grammar issues that followed, which were brutally honest.

They say lies don't hurt, but the truth is a sharp knife. The blade in Yukinoshita Yukino's hand had already left Zaimokuza's young heart full of wounds.

By the time everyone present had finished their critiques, the self-proclaimed Admiral Zaimokuza was lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, with his soul appearing to float out of his mouth.

...

...

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