Bab 43: 43 - EPILOGUE, FINALE
As he gently rested Nazuna's head on the dust-filled concrete roof, Yuuto recalled her words about how there was no version of this ending well, and how she had never considered him a friend.
"Hmph," he grunted quietly, looking at her frozen, raging expression as she lay on the floor.
He then positioned himself next to her, looking upwards to the orange sky as a breeze brushed against them.
Tilting his head, he glanced at Akito frozen in a running position from the side towards them.
"You know, he doesn't run to save me, right? He wants to save you from doing something stupid that you'll regret," Yuuto said, looking at Nazuna's tear-soaked eyes, her expression on the verge of screaming as she lunged at him. "But I guess seeing it as an act of selflessness is too much for you right now."
"... We were never friends, according to you, right?" Yuuto said, looking at her. "You may be too hurt and sad to think straight and said something like that, but the fact you said it means it must've had some level of truth to it." He looked over to the horizon as the sun went down, feeling the breeze greet his face.
"Well, thankfully, the idiot's presence inside of me is also frozen, so I don't really care about that. I'm just saying all of this stuff to you right now so that he won't bother me about it later..." Yuuto admitted. "And maybe it's a good thing you said it, that we're not friends. It would be a bit easier to leave this world when the time comes... which will be very soon. I know it."
He then closed his eyes.
"Hiroki. I know we can't really talk. Now that you can actually shut up and not shove your damn tears down my throat, I can focus on what I want to say."
"Assuming you'll stay with my knowledge but your consciousness, you'll be fine. It is MY knowledge, after all. Even the weakest limp can become the strongest with whatever I have in my head."
"As for you," he said, opening his eyes and turning to Nazuna, "you'll be fine, too. You're strong, and while you won't admit it now, you have quite the reliable ally. You'll get through this. It might be tough, but you've proven yourself tougher."
He then saw it—her form gradually changing to a paper cutout right before his eyes.
Somehow, Yuuto wasn't surprised by it.
"Either way, I'll tie you up nice and tight while I go with Scarface here to make sure he finishes the job uninterrupted. This will be the last you'll see of me, so see ya'." He stood up, lifting the paper cutout of Nazuna into a princess carry, and walked into the building, past the paper cutout of Akito.
"Sorry, Hiroki. I guess I'll have to abuse your conscience yet again," Yuuto said. "But at least this time, we won't have to kill anyone ourselves. Just bear with it until we're done."
"Wait," Gyouma called out as he walked outside the building.
"Huh?" Yuuto raised his head to face the scientist.
"... I'm the adult among you lot. I will go," he said, wielding some sort of odd helmet on top of his head.
"Huh. How'd you know I'd use your toy to stop time?" Yuuto said, seeing the scientist's figure still phasing from a paper cutout to flesh and blood.
"Well, for one, you didn't give it back to me when you returned. And second, this girl seemed volatile," he said, pointing at Nazuna, who was resting in Yuuto's arms. "So, I could tell something similar was about to happen." He explained calmly, looking at Yuuto squarely.
"Either way, I'll go with that henchman. I've got no reason to let these scum get away," he said, his voice steady.
"Maybe," Yuuto started, "but considering what you need to do with him and his son... Will you hold out until you finish them off? I doubt you've had to kill anyone before."
"Based on what do you make this assumption?" he asked simply, his gaze blank. "Working where I used to work... I wish we were involved in just plain murder." He looked solemnly at the TimeStop™ Watch, his voice steady yet somewhat remorseful.
Yuuto nodded as he examined his gaze.
"You didn't need to tell me about your creations and how they work. Especially about the decoy. I'll take your word for it," Yuuto decided.
"... And I appreciate it," he concluded, thinking about Hiroki.
"I'll go tie her up and then bring her boyfriend into the room with her to look after her. Meanwhile, you drag Scarface away from the building's area before the timer runs out. I'll help you carry the Ugly Bastard and his son once I'm done with these two. I'll give you the Watch afterwards," Yuuto said as he walked past Gyouma, who then walked towards Scarface to carry out Yuuto's plan.
Twenty minutes later, everything was ready.
Yuuto stood before Gyouma and Scarface (John), as the two carried both Hugh and his son Gyarune, who were unconscious. Yuuto had given Gyouma the TimeStop™ Watch after the time-stop duration ended, and everything went back to normal.
"This is it, then," Gyouma said.
"Yes. Good luck," Yuuto replied, as Gyouma raised his palm for a handshake.
"I know we haven't known each other for very long, but for what this useless Mad Scientist's opinion is worth... you're a good person, Sakurai. I hope you return to your world uninterrupted... and that you won't know grief in this way," he said.
'Return to his world...? What's he talking about... and his name's obviously Hiroki Morii... Ahh, whatever. I'll just let them do their thing,' John thought.
"Yeah. Sorry about what happened to you," Yuuto replied, returning the handshake.
"Goodbye," Gyouma said, as the two entered Scarface's car with Hugh and Gyarune placed in the back seat. Yuuto watched them drive off.
Just as they vanished from view, Yuuto saw the entire evening scenery change to what appeared to be a manga panel, as if signaling that their part was over.
Soon, the entire sky lost its ephemeral glow and was replaced with a monochromatic black and white color, as if drawn by a comic artist.
He could tell.
The end was near.
'Well...' Yuuto breathed deeply, as most of his immediate environment changed to paper. He then turned around and saw that a single road remained realistic.
It was the road leading back to Hiroki's house.
[BACKGROUND MUSIC: SEE YOU TOMORROW || OMORI OST]
'... Time to go home,' he resolved, starting to march forward toward the Morii household.
As he walked, his form gradually started to change back to Hiroki's. He was slowly growing shorter, his hair changing back to blonde.
Yuuto could feel it. Hiroki was slowly coming back.
He reached Hiroki's home. Everything else was made of paper, only the house remained realistic, the sole source of light in this now-manga world.
'I should've told her she didn't kill Ryuuji,' he thought, seeing Kanoko, Kaede, and even Ayumu preparing the table for a warm meal.
'I should've told him she cares about him, and that she just says that because she's hurt and in grief,' he thought, taking another step.
'I should've been a bit more considerate to that scientist, considering what he went through,' he thought, taking a few more steps.
'The 10,000 yen bill payment, a testament that I saved Saki... I never took it from her,' he thought, the house drawing ever closer.
'... And...' he thought lastly, one final step away from the door, glancing at Hiroki's family through the window.
'Perhaps, I should've enjoyed my time with them a little more. And showed my appreciation.'
'After all... They weren't that bad a company,' he concluded, as even the window and the house all became paper. The only realistic thing remaining was the door he stood before.
'Oh well,'
'... I'm leaving them to you, freshly redeemed NTR Protagonist,' Yuuto concluded as he opened the door, half a step away from entering it.
"Wait!" Hiroki cried out from behind Yuuto.
Yuuto stopped in his tracks calmly. Without looking back, he murmured, "I have to go now."
"I... I can't do it without you!" Hiroki started, his voice cracking. "I'm not like you. I'm not strong...!" he yelled, clenching both fists in frustration. "I do everything by emotion. I don't strategize. And because of that, I lost everything once. I can't do anything if you're not there to help guide me." He collapsed to his knees, looking up at Yuuto.
"I'll admit... I hated your guts. Your methods... How you do things... But look at them! They're... They're safe...!! And it's all thanks to those things I hated about you. I realize... That I actually don't know anything."
'Haaah...' Yuuto internally sighed.
"... Here's the thing, Hiroki. You have to go on without me. And doing everything based on strategy, it doesn't always work out. If you put all your energy into your head, you forget what's in your heart," he said, recalling Kaede and Kanoko and how they stayed by his side, constantly asking about his wellbeing.
"That's a good thing that I forget what's in my heart!!" Hiroki retorted defiantly. "My heart doesn't worth squat. You've seen what my heart did..."
"... No, your heart was worth something, Hiroki. It was. But... you were just stupid. That's all. You were stupid and selfish and dishonest, but you've grown up. I can tell. You don't need me anymore. Actually, on second thought, you do need me. Who doesn't? It is ME, after all. But that's just..." He paused to gather his thoughts.
"You're going to have to deal with me being gone. I need to go back to my own thing right now, to my own world. I've got my own problems there," he added, his tone softening.
"I know you'll manage. After all, you've learned from me. That's proof enough," he explained calmly.
"What if I can't...?" Hiroki asked, his voice less trembling.
"You have to," Yuuto declared firmly. "When you think you can't, just remember that you have to, for the people you care about and for the people who love you."
"Because that's the essence... of being Anti-NTR," he concluded.
"If that's all, see ya'," he said, walking through the door.
"O-Oh! One more thing...!" Hiroki blurted out in a hurry. "I never did give you your 10,000 yen payment!" he called out, as Yuuto walked further and further away inside the door.
"... I'll put it on your tab, cuck."
He said, before a brilliant flash of light blinded him.
A few moments later, he found himself waking up on top of a table.
'Ah... Goddamnit... I feel like I slept for a year,' he thought, his grogginess gradually fading away.
'Was it really all a dream...?' he wondered as he began to move his hands, one of which was numb from sleeping on it.
He looked around. It was his room, in daylight.
Looking down, he saw a completed scenario page called,
Anti-NTR Man: Kokujin No Tenkousei NTR RU VERSUS
'Was it really all a dream...?' he thought, examining the piece.
It was then that his numb arm regained sensation, and he felt a certain object in it.
"Hm..?" he hummed as he raised his palm and examined the object.
It was a golden earring. Neither Yuuto nor any member of his family wore earrings.
'This earring...!!' he thought.
------ FLASHBACK, CHAPTER 10 ---------
"Your earring...! Where is it?" she asked, glancing briefly at him while driving.
"Oh. It was getting in the way, so I tossed it," he replied nonchalantly, resting his elbow by the window and continuing to look ahead.
Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
"In the way...?"
"It started to feel uncomfortable, so I took it out and threw it away. Why?" he asked, still not turning to face her.
-------------------------------------------------------------
"Hah. So that's my payment? Looks like a fake," he muttered as he examined the earring.
"I'll be lucky if I get 5,000 yen if I try to pawn it, you dumb cuck," he spoke to no one.
With a sigh, he placed the earring in a nearby drawer and closed it.
He then looked at the date. It was one week away from the beginning of his senior year... for the third time, as he had been held back twice.
He involuntarily recalled what he had told Hiroki.
------------
"... If you put all your energy into your head, you forget what's in your heart," *hot guy moaning noise added in by Yuuto*
".... When you think you can't, just remember that you have to, for the people you care about and for the people who love you."*hot guy moaning noise added in by Yuuto*
"Because that's the essence... of being Anti-NTR," he concluded.*hot guy moaning noise added in by Yuuto*
------------ PRESENTED BY: YUUTO SAKURAI ------------
"Heh," he let out a soft chuckle...
... before running to the toilet to puke his heart out.
'I ACTUALLY SAID THAT!!!? WHAT!?!? WHAT IS THIS CRINGEWORTHY SPECTACLE!!!! UGHHHHH!!!!!!!' he agonized, puking more as he visualized himself as a shojo-manga dreamy guy.
"AUUUUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!!!"
'Nope. Nope. Nope. I did NOT say that. AHAHAH,' Yuuto started to laugh awkwardly.
'It REALLY WAS a dream,' he chuckled more loudly as he washed his face. "Of coursssssse~! It was just a dream. After all, it didn't make sense at all. Oh no, not the time stop device, the scientist, the mind-controlling Shota, NOOOOO, that was KINDA believable. Even God descending would be more believable than me saying that pansy crap... Ughh....!!!' he agonized, trying to choke himself with a towel as he rolled on the floor in shame.
'That earring, I must've sleepwalked to some flea market and bought it. Definitely.' he reasoned in agony.
After several minutes of self-loathing and extreme floor rolling, Yuuto relaxed as he looked up.
'Well, whatever,' he thought as he got up, exiting the bathroom.
'I need to snap back to reality.'
[BACKGROUND MUSIC: Maga x JVLA x Zupay - Animality]
'I got some real work that needs to be done,' he thought as he walked to his closet, opening it.
'... And actual NTR bastards who need to be taken care of. I swear as Anti-NTR Man, I'll find you, wherever you're hiding, and...' He then took out his pristine, metal baseball bat, giving it a small twirl with a vicious smirk on his face.
'I WILL Baseball Your Ass!'
[YUUTO SAKURAI WILL RETURN IN: ANTI-NTR MAN, Chapter 1!!!!! (The Original Novel)!!!! THE FULL STORY (Ongoing) IS ON MY ACCOUNT HERE OR MY WATTPAD ACCOUNT AT: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Hazy_0832]
[DO SHARE, UPVOTE AND COMMENT IF YOU LIKED THE FANFIC!!!]
[THANKS FOR READING!!!]
[UPDATE: 29/10/2024]
[Making a Patreon! It will have spinoffs of this story, and closure for other characters, as well as more content such as character designs and early pages from my in-progress webcomic! Come to my Discord for details!]
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