Tonight is very clear, and the full moon is visible.
The trees on both sides of the road are shadowed and indistinct.
But Hikigaya Hachiman is in no mood to admire such beautiful scenery.
The punch he swung recklessly just now completely missed its mark.
He had intentionally slowed his pace to let her leave this place first.
Regardless, he had managed to keep the losses to a minimum.
Now, it is time to think about his own situation.
The punch he had just thrown seemed to have enraged the monster, which became visibly distorted.
Under the moonlight, Hikigaya Hachiman was finally able to see the monster’s details clearly.
It looked as if it had crawled out of the abyss of hell; its body was withered and massive.
Its face was, literally speaking, hideous and terrifying, enough to instill fear in anyone.
The hair covering its head was as hard and sharp as thorns, whipping through the air as it moved; just getting close to it was difficult.
The claws on its arms were glinting with a cold light, wanting to tear Hikigaya Hachiman to pieces.
“I see you, I see you, you see me,” the monster whispered, trembling as it bared its teeth, revealing its murderous intent.
“Well, of course I see you.
You really are an ugly guy.
To use her words, Monster-kun, you’re scaring people…
You have well-developed limbs, yet you move slowly; you have a terrifying face, yet you stay hidden.
If you care so much about human eyes, why not just find a place to hide away?
Looking at it that way, not only are you ugly as hell, but you’re also stupid as dirt.”
Hikigaya Hachiman, who had missed another punch, attacked with words.
Under the cruel law of “survival of the fittest,” animals often use sound to intimidate and attack.
Humans alone use sound to interact and communicate.
In this mode of information exchange, language is unexpectedly powerful.
Clearly, even this monster in front of him became even more enraged after fully understanding Hikigaya Hachiman’s words.
“Damn it!
Damn it—damn—it!”
It shouted this, waved its arms, and lunged forward.
Hikigaya Hachiman hurriedly dodged backward, but he was still hit in the left shoulder, and his figure was sent flying.
Aside from a small verbal attack, he had no means of inflicting any real damage on the monster, while the monster’s attacks could affect him in a very real way.
This type of confrontation, which completely transcended dimensions, was despairing.
What was the principle behind this?
His mind was filled with such questions, and compounded by the constant threat of death, Hikigaya Hachiman felt terror.
This fear, born from facing the unknown, increased gradually as his brain continued to think.
The monster before him seemed able to absorb these emotions; its form became more solid, and its aura grew increasingly powerful.
How can one fight this?
Befriending, showing weakness, begging for mercy, submission.
These are the actions humans take when facing the strong.
But none of these were options for Hikigaya Hachiman.
In the cruel natural world, animals that show weakness only receive death.
Therefore, if he wants to survive, he must defeat the monster in front of him.
Unlike the wolf he encountered in his youth, the monster before him would not be scared away by Hikigaya Hachiman’s bluffing; it would only become more insane.
The more he thought, the more afraid he became; the more he pondered counter-measures, the more he wanted to run away.
‘So, stop thinking, Hachiman!’
Just like the protagonist of a hot-blooded anime, just shout about friends, dreams, or whatever, and charge in.
After getting up from the ground, Hikigaya Hachiman charged at the monster.
And then he was sent flying again.
How could he not think?
It was impossible to empty his brain.
The matter of saving Yotsuya Miko had been decided from the very beginning, and after careful consideration, he felt no regret.
It was just death, that’s all.
‘Stop thinking, Hikigaya!’
But how could he stop thinking?
Hikigaya Hachiman, lying on the ground once more, looked at the monster looking down at him, and the thought of giving up resistance suddenly arose in his mind.
Anyway, he couldn’t beat the monster in front of him, so he might as well just wait for death.
It would simply be the end of connections.
Komachi, his parents, and that bunch of people at school.
Just a bunch of idiots singing praises to youth, irresponsible parents, and Komachi…
and Komachi…
as for Komachi, as for Komachi…
His vision was blurred by tears; all he could see was a pale whiteness.
It felt like he was just going to fade away like this.
Amidst the infinite fear born of his thoughts, resentment was born, and old memories broke free from the constraints of time, rushing toward him.
Hikigaya Hachiman was angry.
He had been hated without doing anything.
Playing baseball by himself, the “test of courage” where he was treated like a ghost, the endless hateful nicknames centered on his name, being hated by all the girls in school after confessing, becoming a background character that no one cared about…
His high school life, which had finally begun to brighten, was about to end.
Flashes of figures appeared in his mind.
The cold and aloof Yukinoshita Yukino, the enthusiastic and radiant Yuigahama Yui…
even Tobe Kakeru.
He had only just found companions who could bring comfort to his heart, and now he was expected to just die quietly.
Why!
No matter what method he had to use, he only wanted to tear the monster in front of him to shreds right now.
The trees on both sides of the road stopped swaying, the moon in the sky was deathly still, and even the air seemed to stop flowing.
A monster even more terrifying than the one before him was born in this space.
“Damn you, you son of a bitch!”
Black flames, as if from the underworld, enveloped Hikigaya Hachiman, crackling as they burned.
The situation had reversed.
Every punch Hikigaya Hachiman threw carried black flames.
This hellfire radiated the scent of death.
The monster retaliated fiercely, but it achieved no significant effect.
Every one of its attacks hit empty air, each strike skillfully dodged by Hikigaya Hachiman, while the response it received was more punches infused with black flames.
Then, the monster seemed to see something terrifying and stood frozen in place, unable to move.
Those black eyes, without a doubt…
“Attacks are weak, defense is slow; you don’t retreat when the wind is favorable, and you don’t run when the wind is against you—you are simply stupid to the extreme.
You actually thought you could kill me?
Keep dreaming!”
The dense barrage of punches connected into a piece of darkness.
These black flames, darker than the night, slowly encroached upon every part of the monster.
Its massive body was melting, and even its soul was being seared.
Before it could even manage to run, it dissipated into the air.
“Is this…”
In the pitch-black night sky, a full moon hung suspended.
A gentle breeze brushed his face; he hadn’t felt this refreshed in a long time.
Hikigaya Hachiman merely looked up, staring blankly into the distance.
The tears that could finally no longer be suppressed stained the entire night sky.
Tonight, the moonlight is beautiful.