Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"I don't dislike it, I really like it; I'm willing to yearn for it, I'm extremely willing; I'm dissatisfied, but I hope to take steps forward and want to find happiness."

Betty glared at the man who had answered his own question after asking it, and said, "Don't answer for Betty!"

Undeterred by her reprimand, Hachiman Hikigaya looked directly at her. "But, Beatrice, will you refute these answers?"

Betty froze, her lips trembling as if she wanted to retort, but she didn't want to at all.

"My existence is insignificant compared to your mother, to 'that person,' and to four hundred years of perseverance. But now, it's not just me fighting against these things, it's you too, Beatrice."

""--What did you say?""

"Hachiman Hikigaya, who was crouching down, dropped his sword, hugged Betty's clenched fist, and gently raised it, like a cunning fox bewitching a chick."

“I said,” he said with a smile, “choose me, Beatrice.”

Betty gritted her teeth. "Beatles needs 'that person,' not you!"

"You need me more than 'that person'." Hachiman Hikigaya said firmly, leaving Betty stunned: "...Why?"

Upon hearing this, the man suddenly changed the subject, speaking about something completely unrelated.

“Emilia doesn’t actually need me… If it weren’t for me, Roswaal’s Book of Wisdom wouldn’t have instructed him to make those arrangements that would harm Emilia.”

"Rem doesn't actually need me... If she hadn't followed me to fight the White Whale, she wouldn't have encountered the Gluttony Archbishop and fallen into a coma."

"It's not just them, there are many, many, many people who don't actually need me. Even without me, someone else will eventually open Yukinoshita's heart. I'm not the only one."

"But you're different; you need me."

Betty shook her head in bewilderment. "...Why?"

"Because I am the only one for you, Beatrice," Hachiman Hikigaya said softly. "Only I in the whole world understand your loneliness, only I understand your feelings over four hundred years, only I can empathize with you, only I, only someone like me, can truly love you from the bottom of my heart, cherish you, make you happy, set you free, and know what you want most."

Betty wanted to struggle, to escape. Tears streamed down her face as she hated reality. "But...but...you're not 'that person,' you don't deserve it..."

""I have!""

"These words, spoken with such force, were spoken the instant that Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes sharpened, and many things flashed through his mind, many things up to this point."

"Faced with such stubborn resistance and so many rejections, if it were my former insecure self, I would have been completely devastated... But..."

"I have it, Beatrice," he said. "It's just a qualification; someone gave me that a long time ago, Beatrice!"

"'The best brother in the world.'"

"Well done, commendable, you deserve praise."

"You are the world's greatest strategist, so hold your head high, Lord Hachiman."

"'You greedy man, you've set your sights on the most beautiful love in the world, Your Excellency.'"

"'As long as I can become that kind of hero, Rem will be content, and Rem won't care about anything else.'"

"If being a knight for a lifetime isn't enough for you, then I will make you worthy of being relied upon by me."

"He's certain, Felt; he's certain, Priscilla; he's certain, Crusch; he's certain, Anastasia; he's certain, Rem; he's certain, Emilia."

"—If someone like me isn't qualified… then you're just being presumptuous, Beatrice. You're just a lonely elf who's needed me for four hundred years. Who do you think you are? Who do you think I am, Beatrice!"

"To bring you happiness, to bring you freedom, to free you from four hundred years of loneliness, to liberate you from your mother's bondage."

"Such trivial matters are a piece of cake for me, but for Hachiman Hikigaya, who has been recognized—"

"The cracking sound of bones breaking echoed, and Hachiman Hikigaya grabbed the dumbfounded Betty without room for argument, ignoring her protests as she seemed to struggle and kick him, and resolutely stood up."

"If you absolutely refuse, then drain all my mana and kill me instantly; but if you don't do that now, then submit to my coercion and sign a contract with me, and I'll make sure you can never go back to those four hundred years of the past."

"You have no choice anymore, Beatrice, now it's—"

"The world's number one, Hachiman Hikigaya, has chosen you! Prepare to embrace happiness, Beatrice!"

He turned sharply, strode forward, and opened the door to the forbidden library.

"Then…"

"Embrace the Future!!"

278. The glittering heroes they wove

"My, my—"

Anastasia's surprise was so intense that it caused her emotions to surge violently, no less than Beatrice's. She saw it all, she saw it clearly.

"Your Prime Minister has misappropriated my confession?"

“Not only Anastasia’s, but mine too. The words that asked Lord Hachiman to draw his sword against me were used here.”

At the Karlsten mansion, Crusch murmured, "Besides my part and Anastasia's, there's also the 'qualification' bestowed by Emilia, the willful imposition of one's own will on Beatrice, the arrogance that thinks only one can make her happy—this is clearly Priscilla's influence."

"His voluntary desire to make Beatrice happy, to protect her, and to dispel her loneliness stemmed from his inherent gentleness; he wanted to emulate Rem, the hero, and to become a hero himself, thus commemorating Rem in this way. This is..."

She suddenly realized it.

“It is something that Lord Hachiman remembers in his heart, something that Lord Hachiman believes he should remember for a lifetime, something that Lord Hachiman feels is valuable.”

Crusch's eyes lit up, filled with immense pride. Although her own part was rather special, the fact that their time together had left a deep impression on Hachiman-sensei, to the point that he remembered her specific words and actions to use in his own practice, sent a warm current through her entire body.

With a snap of her fan, a pleasing smile appeared on her beautiful face. "Learning from my arrogance, huh... Hmph, finally out of the blind spot, huh? You have excellent taste, I must praise you."

Far away on the main street of the royal capital outside Priscilla's mansion, Emilia's joy and emotion were palpable. "Qualification... the qualification I gave... Is it because of the qualification I gave that Hachiman can so confidently and forcefully take Beatrice away? Is it because of me?"

Parker clenched his fist, punched the air fiercely, exhaled, and nodded emphatically, overjoyed: "Although not all of it, you are the last and most crucial piece of the puzzle, Leah."

"So, in the very end, I was finally able to help Hachiman?"

With her hands on her chest, Emilia felt her heart pounding with immense joy. Unlike the previous, purely subjective comfort, this time she had genuinely helped.

If she hadn't granted him that 'qualification,' Hachiman wouldn't have been so determined to become so forceful. In that case, trying to persuade Beatrice with gentle methods might have taken longer, and it would have been bad if he had missed the battle in other areas.

“I…I—Waaah, waaah, Parker, that’s great, that’s really great.”

Tears of joy streamed down Amelia's face as she cradled Parker, sobbing softly but smiling happily.

The disappointment of always being a burden has vanished.

"Humph--"

On the way to the capital, Ram snorted and was about to say a few words to Hachiman Hikigaya to express his dissatisfaction.

He has so many girls on his mind. Although they are not all romantic feelings, each one takes away a portion of his attention and reduces his focus on Rem, which is very unpleasant.

But before she could even speak, she saw Rem, who was looking up at the sky with a strong expression, looking at her future sweetheart with a look of support, encouragement, and deep emotion. Her face clearly said, "Hachiman is the best."

Ramu couldn't say anything more and could only sigh quietly.

"This is truly eye-opening... I never imagined that Hachiman's solution would be so forceful. He's the twisted, artsy, and reserved Hachiman we know!"

Inside the karaoke bar, Hayato Hayama stared wide-eyed in surprise for a long while before chewing and coming back to his senses.

“Cursch, Anastasia, Priscilla, Emilia, these candidates have had a huge influence on him.”

Miyuki Shirogane sighed, "Back when I was in the Royal Selection Hall, I thought that none of these candidates, except for Crusch, were any decent. It wasn't until later that I realized that my preconceived negative opinions were a complete fallacy."

"Leaving aside their individual governing strategies, each of them is absolutely stunning in terms of personal charisma. They are the cream of the crop, incredibly powerful, and they can even influence Hachiman's personality..."

Shirogane Kei's eyes sparkled. This time, even without her brother's explanation, she could see that the influence of the candidates on Hideya-senpai was far too obvious.

Aside from Priscilla, she has now become a fan of almost all the candidates, with her priority only slightly lower than that of Hikigaya-senpai.

"Crusch dispelled his inferiority complex, Anastasia taught him to pursue his goals relentlessly, Priscilla increased his toughness, Emilia finally laid the foundation for his confidence, and Rem's confession a long time ago made him dare to love and be loved."

At the Kousaka residence, Kousaka Kyosuke was utterly shocked; his analysis also deeply impressed his sister.

"What was ultimately created was a strong person who remained gentle and kind, but became increasingly brave and confident—a near-perfect hero!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Kyosuke Kousaka apologized for his previous dismissive and prejudiced assessments of the candidates based on first impressions. Each of these candidates was a unique and genuine individual.

Overwhelmed with shock, and filled with respect for her older sisters who were also candidates, Kirino tilted her head, tugged at her brother's sleeve, and asked expectantly, "But, where is Felt?"

“Felt?” Kyosuke Kousaka frowned, pondering for a while. “Hmm… it probably increased Hachiman’s experience in raising a younger sister. Hachiman is obviously going to raise Beatrice as a younger sister.”

"So, why is that?!"

At the Sword Saint's mansion, Felt was fuming, rolling on the ground and wailing, "Why am I the only one who didn't have a positive effect! Even Emilia and Ram have turned things around and helped out, so why am I the only one who didn't change that guy's personality?"

"Wouldn't I be the most embarrassing one in that case!"

Reinhard quietly served to the side, keeping his eyes down and pretending not to hear anything. He really couldn't answer the question, nor could he offer any comfort against his conscience... After all, compared to Lady Emilia and the others, Lady Felt really didn't have anything to offer, and he couldn't bring himself to say such a blunt truth.

"Hikigaya-kun." In the convenience store, Yukinoshita tugged at her boyfriend's clothes, pouting jealously as she watched several rivals showing off their charm.

After attracting her boyfriend, she pointed to herself and said, "Hachiman-kun, although they helped you grow in the future, I also helped you grow now, didn't I? I made you more frank, right, Hikigaya-kun?"

"Yes, you are a genuine item too. You are no worse than other genuine items, Yukinoshita... I like you."

He was telling the truth. But... Crusch, Anastasia, Emilia... it was an unavoidable fact that he was becoming increasingly infatuated with these real people.

279. I like you, you idiot.

"Um... Lady Anastasia, are you alright?" In the Hexin Merchant Guild, Yulius hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously.

Anastasia turned her head, and asked in confusion, "Eh?" "What do you mean?"

Julius was stunned. "That... Hachiman-kun, you misappropriated your confession and used it on the great fairy Beatrice... Aren't you angry?"

"So that's what you meant." Anastasia shook her head indifferently. She smiled, showing no sign of jealousy whatsoever, but rather radiating a joyful excitement, a reaction that Julius had expected.

"So, Julius, you really don't understand these things."

Anastasia's head bobbed slightly with a smile, her light and cheerful voice conveying her contentment.

"I was just surprised. Everything I own has already been sold to the Prime Minister. If he wants to use it, I will of course agree with him wholeheartedly."

"Isn't Anna worried?" Mimi, who was crawling around on Anastasia's lap, asked curiously.

"You have to be selective about who you're worried about, Mimi."

Anastasia waved her hand and picked up the fluffy Mimi. "Someone like Beatrice is naturally treated like a younger sister by our Prime Minister. There's no conflict between us. You can't just rush up and snatch a man away every time you see a girl. That would be annoying."

“And…” she paused.

Mimi blinked. "And?"

"My prime minister wants to bring her happiness, and in order to bring her happiness, he has to use my words... Does that mean my confession brought him happiness?"