The Horror of My Chuunibyou Past Being Known

My teacher loved alcohol very much. Of course, whenever she got drunk, she would often say things that made no sense. Was it the influence of experiences from another world? She would rant about not being able to forgive some guy who sprinkled something called a "complete armband" from a place called Magel or Harukas, curse the gacha probability for not having a mother and punch the ceiling while swearing, or call some guy named Matthew who stole his friend's girl a son of a bitch and say that's why you shouldn't trust blondes.

Yet those drunken ramblings could be laughed off. She was always smiling even as she said them, after all.

But even my teacher had moments when she spoke in a sorrowful voice. Just like today.

"One hundred twenty-four... ninety-seven... twenty-one... three hundred twenty-nine... four hundred ninety-four... sixty-six..."

She always recited numbers from 1 to 500 like that. And at the very end, she always said the same number.

"And finally, two hundred..."

I couldn't understand what it meant. But I wanted to.

"Teacher..."

After laying her down, I could see it. Transparent tears streaming down her face.

"Teacher... my one and only teacher... why are you sad? You've finally returned to my side, haven't you? You've come to the place where you belong, so why are you grieving? I..."

I want to understand everything about you. Your joy, your anger, your desires, your happiness, your fears, and your sorrow.

"Never shed any bodily fluids for anyone other than me."

Don't bleed because of someone else. I'll protect you. Don't drool over other women. You have me. Don't cry because of someone else. I can't do anything about that.

"When you died, Teacher, many people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hated me. It's true that I caused your death, but I felt wronged..."

Your comrades, your followers, even your fiancée all poured their hatred onto me. I certainly committed an unforgivable sin against you. But I could never understand what they were saying when they spewed their hatred at me.

Do you hurt as much as I do? Do you cherish Teacher as much as I do? Are you as miserable as I am?

I thought, don't you dare insult me, you old fossils who only knew the young Teacher, you insects who only know his achievements, you whore who bothered him for fifteen years.

But I wore a false mask and atoned. I knelt and said I was sorry for causing Teacher's death. Even though I didn't feel the slightest desire to apologize to them.

The only person I needed to apologize to was Teacher.

The half-elf who claimed to cherish Teacher the most said this to me.

"...How long do you plan to live shamelessly after getting that child killed?"

Teacher's fiancée said this to me.

"How dare you come all the way to my territory after killing him? With that level of shamelessness, I suppose we could say you've reached the realm of art."

How dare those filthy things... In front of the person who was grieving the most... when I was the one who wanted to cry the most...

"You all just sit there sucking your thumbs and watch. He was mine from the very beginning."

So I won't hand him over to any of you.

I lay down beside Teacher and gazed at her face. That beloved, lovely face I had dreamed of for so long. When I touched her warm cheek, that warmth was transmitted directly to me.

"Sleep well."

It was fortunate that it was just sleeping beside me. When I saw Airi sleeping next to me, my lifespan decreased in real time.

"Don't ever sleep next to me again. A girl shouldn't do that."

"But sleeping beside such a beautiful girl... isn't this an opportunity you couldn't obtain even if you offered an entire country? Why not feel a little happy?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that Airi's mouth is an organ for speaking, not an organ for shitting?"

"But Teacher, you were crying in your sleep, weren't you? You kept reciting strange numbers... Did you dream about losing at gambling or something?"

"Airi... pretend you didn't hear that."

"What?"

"...You understand, right?"

Damn it. Old memories must have surfaced without me realizing. I thought I'd forgotten them, but it seems I can't quite let them go.

Camellia brought out a stew from the kitchen, boiled with plenty of tomatoes and vegetables.

"You should eat at least this much and clear your head, Werner."

It was edible, aside from being a bit salty.

"It's been a while since I had big sister's cooking."

"Yeah, you used to eat anything that came out."

"Well, back then I wasn't in a position to be picky about food or anything."

Werner said that since he'd lived drinking water from the gutter and eating field mice as a child, any dish felt like a feast to him. Though from personal experience, even if you grew up eating only garbage, delicious food still tastes delicious and bad food still tastes bad no matter what.

"Thinking about it now, big sister's cooking is heavenly compared to other people's. There were plenty who just threw everything in and boiled it."

"Your other comrades would get angry if they heard that."

"Let them get angry. I don't lose to the big brothers or big sisters anymore either."

"You definitely said the same thing fifteen years ago and got utterly defeated by the leader, didn't you?"

That was a dark history. Around the age of fourteen, Werner had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an early case of chuunibyou, developed all sorts of magic, and gave them all sorts of bizarre names. He would later feel extremely ashamed of that fact. Later, he even picked fights with Airi's parents who took care of him, saying that the big brothers and big sisters couldn't beat him anymore, only to get beaten to a pulp.

"Back then, the magic you developed was certainly powerful."

"Big sister, stop..."

Then Airi cut in.

"I'm curious! About Teacher's childhood!"

"Airi... there are facts in this world that you need to know, and facts that you need to not know."

"Then this is the former!"

No, it's the latter, you bastard. Why do I have to get teased over someone else's dark history when I didn't even do it?

"Well, it was fifteen years ago, and big sister probably doesn't remember it properly..."

Camellia shook her head.

"No, it was a spar with you and the leader, so I remember it clearly."

Fucking elf bastards, their intelligence needs to be fed to elves. They're smart, which is why those long-eared bastards are detestable.

"As soon as the bell signaling the start of the spar rang, you chanted this spell..."

Fuck...

Airi was desperately holding back her laughter while Camellia continued seriously imitating Werner from back then without stopping.

"Crimson flames that burn away evil! It's dinner time! Become hellfire and devour my enemies! Inferno Flame Fist!"

Fourteen-year-old Werner, you fucking bastard... why did you name your techniques like that...

Airi finally reached her limit and burst out with "Puh-puh-puh!"

That line definitely had a sticker too.

"Lightning that strikes from the sky! Become the spear of justice that destroys my enemy right now and sever the chain of evil! Lightning Lance of Justice!"

The chant being fucking long was one thing, but why attach technique names!

Airi was now trembling.

"And the last one was the highlight."

"Big sister, please..."

I think I know what it is.

"My darkness that devours evil! Manifest here right now! And guide my foolish enemy who doesn't know his place to the end of the abyss! Abyssal Guide of Darkness!"

Fuck, it finally came out. Ranked 4th in the fans' poll for Werner's famous lines.

The bastards who voted for that are fucking bastards too, and the chuunibyou version of Werner who shouted that line and brought shame to the current me is also a fucking bastard.

The community reactions were definitely...

Airi could no longer hold back and burst into proper laughter.

"Hahahaha! Teacher, you really used to be like that? Abyssal Guide of Darkness!"

Hearing those words, I shot to my feet.

"Teacher, are you sulking? Where are you going?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Grabbing the doorknob, I answered.

"Yeah, going to kill myself."

Let's add a "suicide regret" tag, you bastard.

And fourteen-year-old Werner was a son of a bitch.