Mari-chan...?

　Mari looks at Yuto with tears streaming down her face. Yuto stands there, unable to speak. Yuto didn't know what words to say to Mari right now.

''Yuto........is what you said earlier true?　No, it's true, isn't it?

'Yeah...'

　Yuto could only nod. He didn't feel like fooling around now.
　What would he think?　He had kept quiet until now. It's not that he was deceitful, as far as Yuto is concerned. But it's what they think.
　Mari could well be called a childhood friend of this friend, and she's been with Yuto the longest. There were many opportunities to say it. But it wasn't something that could be easily said just because they were close.

''Hey, Yuto..... Sorry, I.........

　As if he was sorry, Ichigo put his hand on Masato's shoulder. Seeing that uncharacteristic expression on Ichigo's face, Yuto felt that he had seen a part of Ichigo's heart.
　It must have been hard for Ichigo to believe, but despite his surprise, he immediately accepted what Yuto had to say. It was probably because of the fact that Ichigo himself had been facing his doubts about Yuto on a regular basis. It was also something that Yuto was grateful for.

　But Mari was different. No, Mari might have had her own thoughts, but Mari had never once forgotten about Yuto's existence.
　So can she accept this unbelievable fact of Yuto's existence like a single realization?　Also, even if she believed it, what would Mari think of Yuto?
　Most of all, being Mari, who had known Yuto for a long time and was supposed to know him the best, made Yuto rather uneasy here.
　Yuto nodded to Ichigo and showed him. Seeing this, Ichigo also removed his hand from Yuto's shoulder.

　Yuto made up his mind.
　He would accept whatever conclusion Mari came to........
　Yuto turned to face Mari.
　Mari was still staring at Yuto, wondering if she was choosing her words or if she hadn't collected her thoughts.
　And then........Mari opened her mouth.
　Yuto also waited for it.

''Yuto I didn't know........''

'Yeah...'

　Mari wiped her tears away once. Then, she looked at Yuto with the most serious face in the world.

''Yuto........so much!　I can't believe I've developed an inexplicable secondary disease!

"............... ........Heh?

　I guess this is what they say about time stopping.


You neglected it, so you made it so much more complicated...

　Sweat slowly trickled down from Yuto's forehead. Then, as if to confirm, Yuto turned back to Ichigo.
　Ichigo buzzes and shakes his face as he makes eye contact with Yuto with startled eyes. Apparently, Ichigo doesn't misunderstand, he's accepting of Yuto.
　Then, with this supremely bent body and trembling all over, Shizuka, who was behind Mari, comes forward with an unreliable gait.
　And then.........Shizuka turned her face to the heavens.

''Buhiahahahahahahaha!　Hee-hee!　Mr. Du Du!　This is terrible!　Hahahahahaha!　My stomach!　My stomach!　Mr. Du Du!　Me!　You're going to kill me!　Hey!　You're killing me!　Oh, God, help me!　Help me!　Hee.

　There was no more to be done. Yuto made a once-in-a-lifetime confession. And that includes the secrets of a thousand years of Dou Dou Dou........
　So why is that?　Yuto was feeling embarrassed and dying right now.

''Ah, um. Mari?　Mr. Mito?　Well I wasn't listening to me...

'I heard that!　I heard you correctly!　Yeah, yeah, I heard you have a gift.　Hahahahahahaha, that's enough!　Du Du-kun, stop it!

　Yuto's face twitches. Because it's embarrassing to death.

''Yuto.''

　Mari speaks to Yuto with a full max of disappointment, sadness, and a certain determination, with a mixed expression of them.

'Wha, what?　Mari.

Have you told anyone else what you just said?

　There is no such thing. The entire Du Du family has been trying to keep this place a secret.

What? There is no such thing!

Well.......... That's the only thing that helps........

　Yuto's chest hurt. It made his chest ache in a way that was 180 degrees different from what he meant earlier.
　Yuto was starting to get teary-eyed. Painful, too painful!　You can't treat me like this!
　Yes.........right now, Yuto was just being treated like the most painful person in town who had extremely strained his chuunineriosis.

(If this is the case, I'd rather have my secret exposed and have them believe me!

'Mari!　You know what?　This is my house!　Actually!

Yuto!

Yes!

It's okay. I understand now. I'll rehabilitate you from now on. I know it's not going to be easy with such a severe case. But I'm going to do my best to be a student of yours!　Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to face my teacher!

Ahhhh.

　Yuto loses strength from all over his body. When this happens, Mari knows that Mari is relentless. It's always been that way. Once she decides, Mari is strong-willed and doesn't cut corners at all.
　Ichigo, who was watching this scene in a daze, speaks in a whisper to Shizuka, who is still shaking her body breathlessly beside her.

''Wait, hey, Mito-san?''

What?　Hakamada-kun. Hi!　Pupup!　You were awesome earlier, Ichigo!　It's really bad!　Hakamada!　But good job!　To draw out so much information on Dou Dou Dou-kun's confirmed black history to that extent!

　Shizuka gives Ichigo a thumbs up.

''Oh, oh........ Eh?　Can I ask you something?　Hey, calm down a bit, Mito-san.

'Pup-pup!　Hahaha. Whew, haha, I laughed. So, what?

Wasn't she there earlier, before you started talking?

There he is?

'What?　So you didn't see that?

What's that?

No, so...

'Oh, did you do anything interesting?　Oh, my God!　I didn't see it. At that time, Berry Berry's car passed by the park, and my attention was drawn to Mari. Mari and I were talking about going later because she might be in front of the station.

　Berry Berry is a crepe shop that has become very popular in this area, selling fruit-filled crepes. They drove in front of the station and shopping malls on an irregular basis and were immensely popular with the female students.
　Ichigo thought with his eyes half open. I didn't think they hadn't seen that....
　Indeed, what would happen if he listened to Yuto's story without seeing that awesome, inhuman skill of Yuto's?　The answer to that question would be Mari and Shizuka's current situation.

(Lucky or not...)

　In exchange for being able to keep the secret, Yuto is treated as just a junior high emergency patient.
　However, Ichigo has no means to save Yuto.
　He thinks he has no choice now, and looks powerfully at Yuto, who is currently being told by Mari with or without a schedule for his upcoming chuunibia rehabilitation.
　Yuto noticed the way Ichigo was looking at her, and because they were the two of them, Yuto was able to understand what Ichigo was trying to say.
　It's........

　Get into this situation at all costs!　

　That was what it was.

　Yuto opened his eyes wide at that command from Ichigo in the middle of Mari's explanation. Then, he glares back at Ichigo.

(I, I don't want to!　I can't go on like this!　(I am!)

f*ck you!　That would have saved us from finding out a huge secret!　(It's a price to pay!)

Put yourself in my shoes!　As for Mari, I'm sure she'll come and teach you without even seeing the surroundings... and the whole class will know!　(Oh my God, I'm the one in pain...)

(That's it!　Right now, protecting our secrets should be a top priority!　Don't take this the wrong way. I'm the only one because I'm the only one who understands you!　(Is that not enough for you?)

Ichigo.....

(Yuto......... I'm the only one on your side........ No matter what kind of person you are, you are my precious best friend.......)

(.................. Yeah I get it.)

(Yuto. I'll follow you to make your wounds as light as possible...

(Uh ........... Ichigo, thanks .............please.

Okay I'll take care of it.

　Ichigo stopped Mari, who was still talking.

'Shirasawa-san. That's enough, right?

Hakamada-kun!　Still!

No, Masato already understands that.

..........

　Mari was also cooled by that serious attitude of Ichigo. Yuto was also impressed by that attitude of Ichigo.
　Ichigo stood beside Yuto as he looked at the park, which was turning reddish-brown as the sun was getting darker.

''Even if this guy is an inexplicable, severe chuunineriac who can't even recognize the difference between reality and fantasy, if we work together... we'll figure it out. I'm sure it's going to be quite difficult.

(What?　(What did you just say?)

　Did you mishear me, Yuto?　I looked at Ichigo, but he didn't look at me.

'There are only a few painful chuuninerias in Japan who can say things like that in high school, aren't there?　But we're his ... aren't we friends with this crappy chuunibunny? Shirasawa-san, Mito-san.

　A vein swells up in Yuto's forehead.
　Mari receives Ichigo's words and lightly meditates on them.

''Well........ At this rate, it won't be of any use to Yuto in society, right?''

'I'll help you!　Hakamada-kun. I also feel sorry for my friend that Dou Dou Dou-kun is still in heavy nursing care and is a chuuninibibai patient!

'Oh!　We'll make it work!　For the sake of this crappy middle-aged man!

'Hey!　I am!

　Unable to stop himself from raising his voice, Ichigo stops him with his hand and motions for him to let me take care of things here.
　Yuto grits his teeth and clenches his fists.

(Yes, that's right. (For the protection of secrets, for the protection of secrets, for the protection of secrets)

　So Mari made a rare anxious face.

''But ... I wonder if Yuuto can come back ... to this side.

''That's right. I've never seen a middle-aged critical patient like you, Du Du....

Hey!　Both of you!　How are you treating me?　I am!

'Well then I'll get the whole class to help me. No, we'll have the help of the whole school.

'Huh?　You!　Ichigo!

Nuh-uh!

　Yuto raised his voice at Ichigo's suggestion and grabbed Ichigo's chest.

(You said earlier that you'd follow up with him so that his school life would be less wounded!

Idiot!　Between you and me!　You can't be serious!　(You just have to keep up with the conversation!)

(Ho-ho-ho, it's true, isn't it?　(It sounds like something deliberately more demeaning to me.

Totally. Think about it. Your story is so much better to a stranger. "I'm gifted, and my family's been like that for a thousand years, Tehe! You know what?

(Ugh!　(I didn't say that!)

(I'd rather have said it this way!　(Try to get this talked about seriously, you're more of a donkey than I am!

'Hey, Eugene!　What are you doing?　Hakamada-kun is speaking for you!

"Because!

'Cause I'm not!　Hakamada-kun, let go!

　Reluctantly, Masato lets go of Ichigo's hand when Mari tells him so.

''No, Shirasawa-san, I'm fine. If this guy is going to get better, this much........

Hakamada-kun....

Haha, Hakamada-kun, you really are Dou Dou Dou-kun's best friend~

　Yuto doesn't understand what Ichigo said earlier, but for some reason, he can't understand why Ichigo's favoritism is increasing with a bang. And in proportion to that, it seems like Yuto is becoming a painful person.

''Alright!　Yuto!　We start rehab tomorrow!　You should be grateful for my kindness, right?

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, take care of that for me.

(I'm not convinced!)

Yeah. I'll have to be hard on him.

Me too, me too!

(Isn't it just a matter of having fun already, Mito-san?　(This...)

　Yuto is bummed that he's given up.
　Then, with a look of accomplishment, Ichigo calls out to Mari and Shizuka.

'Hey, you know what?　It's called an orphan drug for a small number of patients with incurable diseases.

Yeah, I know.

Oh, I didn't know that.

For the sake of a few incurable chuunibia patients like you in Japan, we're going to be like that orphan drug!

　Mari and Shizuka both nodded widely at Ichigo's suggestion.

''Then. Let's name the three of us Team Orphan Drug!

Okay.

'Haha!　Nice!

'There's no way!　One-word!　I'll kill you!

　From the next day, the team orphan drug of Mari, Ichigo and Shizuka was flamboyantly active in the school, and in one day, Yuto had established himself as a painful chuuninja patient throughout the school.
　The price of secrecy..........
　Then, Masato made a vow in his heart.
　He vowed to leave Japan for the time being.
　He made a firm decision to go to Miremar, which was requested by the World Ability Agency.

　I don't care if I get scolded anymore!　And.