"Looks like that guy really couldn't stop it."

"Huh? What are you talking about, Jing? ”

"No ......"

Abruptly, Hiratsuka was unusually silent for a long time before speaking softly.

"It's just something inconsequential, that's amazing, Yono."

"Huh? What do you mean? ”

"Literally."

Hiratsuka spread her hands a little helplessly.

"It's like that little imp really broke through the gatekeeper."

"Oh-oh - can Jing predict the future? Obviously nothing is certain, can you be so sure that Luo Jun has succeeded? ”

"My instincts have always been accurate."

"Really?"

Yono glanced at the expression on Hiratsuka's face a few more times, but unfortunately he didn't see anything special.

"In that case, it's our victory, right?"

"Victory?"

As if he had heard some big joke, Hiratsuka lowered his head and covered his face, and let out an exaggerated muffled laugh, which made Yono's brows frown imperceptibly.

"What's wrong? Xiaojing, did I say anything funny? ”

"Haha, yes, it's funny."

"Huh?"

"Now, Yono, let me ask you."

The laughter stopped abruptly, and a gaze full of mockery emerged from Hiratsuka's fingertips.

"When did you get the illusion that the imp could easily outsmart your own father?"

“...... Huh? ”

"I admit it."

Under Yono's stunned expression, Hiratsuka Shizune began to explain little by little.

"If you talk about the level of danger and difficulty, that gatekeeper is hundreds of times stronger than that little ghost's father, but this doesn't mean that you can succeed by breaking through the gatekeeper."

“......”

"You seem to have misunderstood."

Presumably because he felt that the overall situation had been decided, Hiratsuka Jing very patiently began to solve Yangno's doubts.

"At the beginning, you, or you, your guess was not wrong, that little ghost transferred to the class I taught, and went to work in the café opened by that guy with a fake identity, these are all deliberately prepared, not a coincidence."

Looking at Yang Nai's eyes, the corners of Yang Nai's mouth turned up slightly.

"But, have you ever wondered why we do this? If this is a game, who are the players? And what exactly do you get as the winner of the game? ”

“......”

Yono was silent, and as for the reason, Hiratsuka Jing had already helped her say it-

"You didn't think about it, because even if you did, there was no point in thinking about it, you couldn't have thought of it, so in order to get more information, or to see how the game was going, you and that little ghost prepared today's farce, right?"

“...... Yes. ”

"Indeed, in this regard, I would like to admit that you are not wrong."

Nodding slightly, Hiratsuka continued:

"It's most effective if it's a normal situation, but there's one particular situation that you don't seem to be taking into account."

“...... What is it? ”

"That's what the game is really about."

Suddenly, Yono had a very bad feeling, and at this moment, as if to confirm her conjecture, Hiratsuka's eyes suddenly flashed with a playful light.

"Your guess has always been that we made so many preparations in order to stop that little ghost's growth, in order to stop that little ghost's investigation of his own mother, but what if the truth is not so?"

The corners of his mouth were full of pleasant smiles, and looking at Yono's gradually changing gaze, Hiratsuka finally couldn't help it.

"What if the truth of everything is the exact opposite of what you have in mind? What if we didn't exist to stop his investigation, but to guide his investigation? ”

"What are you talking about......

"Haha, Yono, haven't you thought about it? Is there such a possibility? ”

Hiratsuka picked up a new cigarette and lit it.

"If our purpose is not to stop, but to guide, so that he can walk in front of that person on his own, if so, what do you think your approach represents?"

“......”

Yono didn't speak, because she felt as if she had nothing to say, and if the truth was indeed as Hiratsuka said, then they ——!

"Yangnai, I can tell you clearly, if the difficulty of the seven truths as the gatekeeper is 100, then the difficulty of the person behind the door is 0."

Taking a deep breath and slowly rescuing the gushing pleasure, Hiratsuka said lightly:

"He's having zero difficulty, there's no difficulty, because he's not on the board of this game at all, he's a player, and you think you're sending that imp to victory? No, it's wrong, it's completely wrong, you made him the 'victory' itself, and then sent it to that person. ”

“......”

"So, Yono, that sentence should be up to me."

A thick cloud of smoke was spit out, and now Hiratsuka has completely regained her original indifference.

"Now, we're winning, aren't we?"

“......”

Despair.

Probably Yang Nai's mood is so bad now.

The initial consideration was to go down the wrong path, no, maybe from the beginning, they never escaped the fate of being manipulated, maybe from the beginning, they never went their own way, they were always induced by these people.

Fear.

This is the only thing she can feel now, like a marionette, all her actions are expected by others, and all her actions follow the wishes of others.

They have a self, but they are meaningless, because even if they have a self, they still can't get rid of the result of being manipulated as a puppet.

Step by step, towards the abyss called victory.

They can't even regret it, they can't cry and start over, because all of this is the result of their own choices.

No matter how many times they try again, I'm afraid they will still follow the same path.

The path to the abyss.

But! Can't give up here yet! Now that I know the truth, as long as I ——!

"I advise you to give up, Yono."

As if reading the other party's thoughts, Hiratsuka Jing glanced at Yono, who was about to stand up, intentionally or unintentionally:

"Now you have no means to stop him, why do you think I'm here to chat with you today?"

“......”

"Yangnai, you are the last hope of that little ghost, as long as your light has not disappeared, we can never rest assured, but now it is no problem, because your light has been completely blocked by me."

Snuffing out the cigarette butt in his hand little by little, Hiratsuka said lightly:

"You always thought that in this game, you stopped me, on the contrary, Yangnai, it should be me who stopped you."