Crossover Anime: How a Shameless Person Lives

At the concert of the handsome young man in black, an invisible pressure enveloped the surroundings, and the air seemed to become thick and sticky.

The noise gradually subsided, and everyone, whether they knew Mercury or not, subconsciously quieted down.

"Are you guys very free?"

Mercury's gaze swept over them, not sharp, but even languid.

Anyone who was swept by that gaze—whether it was Marude Sai from the CCG, "The Wanderer" Furuta Nimura, spies from other factions, or ordinary people attracted by a poster—all lowered their heads in unison.

Akira Mado stood in the corner, her eyes wide, her mind instantly thrown into a state of logical confusion.

"What... what's going on with this feeling!?" Akira Mado couldn't help but tremble, secretly glancing at Saito Marude beside her.

It was just a glance, but it made my heart skip a beat.

It's like facing an unspeakable, enormous monster all by yourself.

Marude Sai quietly put away the light stick in his hand, looking at the handsome young man in black on the stage with a serious expression: "This guy actually came in person. Could it be that there's something special about this young man?"

……

The concert started on time as scheduled.

The handsome young man in black was quite shrewd; he used his unique abilities to make ordinary fans' eyes light up with love.

This even attracted some passersby to join in, and the square gradually began to gather "fans".

"That's so cool! I definitely want to be a star someday!"

Seeing so many people "loving" the handsome young man in black on stage, Hoshino Ai's eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but shout loudly.

The next second, just as she was getting into the zone, she was suppressed by a large hand.

"Where's the old man? Didn't he come with you?" Mercury asked.

Hoshino Ai blinked her starry eyes and puffed out her cheeks. "I snuck out! She's the second star the Beast Group has launched! Maybe she can even be ranked alongside Nutcracker-senpai!"

Envy was evident in her eyes.

As we all know, although Beast Group only launched one star, its influence is no less than that of a top-tier star.

That feeling of being liked by everyone is exactly what Ai Hoshino is looking for.

Mercury was taken aback by this question and quietly asked Tomie beside him, "Does the group also have an entertainment division?"

He really didn't know anything about this.

So, the idea of ​​forming a group and debuting wasn't something you came up with on a whim?

Tomie glanced casually at the black-clad vengeful spirit singing energetically on stage, who seemed to be feeling resentful throughout, and said indifferently, "How would I know?"

"Tell me the truth, how much money do I have in my account right now?" Mercury pressed.

He didn't believe a single word Tomie said.

"I don't know." Tomie turned her head away, avoiding his eyes.

Should she tell Mercury that she secretly bought two detached villas specifically to store countless luxury goods, jewelry and haute couture gowns?

Just kidding, if she dared to say that, this guy would definitely explode.

Hoshino Ai didn't hear the conversation between the two, but she delivered a precise blow from the side.

"Mercury, the stars of the Beast Group make a lot of money. According to fan statistics, the Nutcracker made a whopping 5 million Japanese yen in less than two months after its debut."

"Only 5 million? That's not much."

He is no longer the poor man who would get angry over 600 million.

Mercury was more interested in the Nutcracker than the mere 500 million Japanese yen.

I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before.

"This is it, the Nutcracker, whose fan base rivals that of top-tier celebrities."

As Mercury looked at the poster that Hoshino Ai handed him, he felt it looked familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he was looking.

"The revealing clothes and huge breasts make her look more like a prostitute than a celebrity. She's probably a nobody who became famous by selling her body."

After observing for a while, he quickly assigned a label to this "thing".

……

On the other side of the concert stage.

An elderly man smiled with satisfaction as he watched the three of them getting along harmoniously.

It seems I don't need to worry about it anymore.

The old man turned and left, intending to stop by the shopping street to buy some gifts for the children at the orphanage.

Mercury glanced in that direction, and after confirming that the old headmaster had left, casually asked Hoshino Ai, "How old are you now?"

"15 years old, first year of junior high school." Hoshino Ai obediently replied, her eyes still reflecting the flashing stage lights, full of her burning longing for the idol stage.

"15 years old?" Mercury looked at her thoughtfully.

If it weren't for the old director, this little thing would have gotten pregnant soon.

He looked up at the handsome young man in black who was still singing his heart out on stage, forced to perform the whole time, his frustration almost overflowing the screen.

He then looked down at the girl who was determined to debut and pursue her dream.

"Want to be a star?" Mercury asked.

"Yes! I really want to!" Hoshino Ai nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with sincerity. "I want to stand on the biggest stage and be loved by people all over the world! I want to become the most dazzling idol!"

The girl's voice was clear and passionate.

Tomie, who was holding up her phone and selecting wine, intending to coax Mercury, also looked over.

This little gadget has quite the ambition.

However, given her naive personality, she'll probably be completely fooled within a month.

Looking at her adoring expression, Mercury felt a surge of evil within him. "Sure~ Just let me know if you want to debut."

Upon hearing this, Hoshino Ai instantly perked up, almost jumping up and down, her starry eyes darting around.

"Really?!"

Before she could even cheer, Mercury casually added, "However, let me make this clear first: as everyone knows, celebrities don't get paid."

Hoshino Ai's action of jumping up and cheering came to an abrupt halt. The excitement on her face was instantly extinguished, leaving only a bewildered look of astonishment.

"……ha?"

She blinked her starry eyes, which had just been sparkling with endless longing, as her gaze darted back and forth across Mercury's serious face, trying to make sure he wasn't joking.

"No salary?" she repeated, enunciating each word clearly, her voice filled with disbelief. "Then how are we supposed to eat? Are we supposed to generate electricity with love?"

"Of course," Mercury corrected seriously, his tone self-assured. "You just need to focus on shining and generating heat; the Beast Group will have to worry about much more."

Then, with a tone that sounded like he was coaxing a child, he said, "Look at this person on stage, he doesn't get a salary either. This is called working together. Don't always think about personal gains and losses, but strive for the collective."

Hoshino Ai subconsciously turned her head to look at the stage.

……

The handsome young man in black on stage had extremely sharp ears and accurately caught the conversation between the two despite the noisy singing.

His singing suddenly stopped, and he almost cracked.

An overwhelming sense of grievance and frustration welled up inside me.

He is a vengeful spirit born at a foggy crossroads, a half-step into the realm of urban legend.

Now that they've lowered themselves to become idols, it's one thing to work for free.

Now it's being used as a negative example. What does "selfless dedication and collective struggle" even mean?

The handsome young man in black suddenly tightened his grip on the microphone, the resentment in his eyes almost solidifying.

But when she met Mercury's gaze, her eyes cleared again.

……

Beast Group.

Kasumigaoka Utaha came after school specifically to gather material for her new novel, and upon entering, she heard the news that the group had added a new idol.

She strode into her office in the main building. In the large room, only Duoduo Liang was sitting in front of the computer, engrossed in her work.

"Where is Ms. Takatsuki Sen?"

Duoduo looked up and saw that it was her, then turned her gaze back to the computer.

"He should use the excuse of recruiting people to relax."

Kasumigaoka Utaha walked over, frowning, and asked, "Aren't we the kind of organization that doesn't see the light of day? Is launching idols really a good idea?"

The Nutcracker, that exhibitionist, is one thing, but her debut was purely accidental.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox Squad has suffered a series of mission failures, their attempts to capture strange creatures have all backfired, and their performance has been abysmal."

Duoduo Liang's fingers flew across the keyboard, and the screen displayed a dense array of the group's income and expenditure reports, all filled with glaring deficits.

His expression was numb and exhausted, as if he had been tormented by poor performance for a long time.

"The success rate of the entire Nine-Tailed Fox mission is the lowest. Not only do we not earn any resources, but each mission also consumes a lot of manpower and money. If this continues, the group will not even be able to raise enough funds for basic operations and maintenance."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was slightly taken aback, looking down at the shocking loss data on the computer screen, speechless for a moment.

indeed.

The Beast Group, renowned in the underground world, seems ridiculously powerful.

Only those on the inside know that they are fucking ridiculously poor!

The top boss, Mercury, is incompetent, doesn't manage affairs, doesn't plan revenue, and still expects money to be sent to him every month.

The research of two PhDs is extremely expensive, and you can't refuse to give them money.

The Nine-Tailed Fox Squad, the only team that went out to do fieldwork, suffered ridiculously high casualties and also had to occasionally serve as test subjects.

Coco, an ally, can provide intelligence and funding, but Mercury needs to coordinate with her throughout the process.

The same applies to the Vatican, not to mention the Beast Group, which still owes them money.

As for Mercury, he knows what it's all about and he only sells, not touches, these troublesome things.

Throughout the entire massive Beast Group, those "holy salts" held on by sheer willpower.

As for where the salt came from, Kasumigaoka Utaha didn't know either.

"This is really... outrageous." Kasumigaoka Utaha exclaimed, putting down the documents without hesitation and turning to leave.

Hearing the door close, Tatara sighed wearily, "That's really energetic."

Speaking of which, when did he become familiar with this human girl?

It seems that she has a pretty good relationship with all the S-rank and above "high-ranking" ghouls in the entire Beast Group.