Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

325. The Tsundere Priscilla

"Huh?"

Liliana, who had just been stunned by a kiss on the lips from Kiritaka not long ago, was now even more shocked than when she realized she had been kissed. She pointed at herself, utterly shocked, and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Was it me? My singing could actually dispel Sylures' influence? No, no, no, it can't be, it's impossible, there's no way I could have that kind of ability!"

“Don’t underestimate yourself, my Liliana,” Chilitaka sang to her. “Your voice possesses a captivating charm that can move people to empathy; it is absolutely no less powerful than that of some ignorant Archbishop of Sin!”

Even if you say that…

Liliana was still flattered; she had never imagined that she would be of any use.

But unlike Liliana herself, who was confused and skeptical, none of the others questioned that she possessed this ability.

The reason is simple: Liliana has been double-certified by Priscilla and Hachiman Hikigaya. People don't just trust Liliana; they're confident in the judgment of these two individuals.

"Priscilla... sigh."

Crusch shook her head wearily. So far, in this crisis in Watergate City, only she and Felt have contributed the least, which is truly frustrating.

"It's Priscilla... Oh well, it was expected."

In the convenience store, Yukinoshita curled her lip. With Priscilla's incredible luck, if she disliked the Archbishop of Sin, she would definitely be able to find a way to solve the case. However, no one expected that the key to breaking the deadlock would be the inconspicuous Liliana. That was the surprising part.

It's good to have a new piece to break the deadlock, but Yukinoshita is a little upset... No matter what Priscilla is like, she was once the one who beat and insulted Hikigaya.

Seeing Priscilla being treated well by her own Hikigaya-kun because of her merits, Yukinoshita frowned no matter how she looked at it.

"Although I also hate that vixen... if it's Priscilla, I'd rather Anastasia find Liliana instead."

Hachiman Hikigaya did not agree with Yukinoshita's reluctance, pretending not to hear... His grudges were basically only shown to the Archbishops of Sin and Roswaal.

Hachiman Hikigaya could forgive Garfield and Priscilla, who had hurt him in the past but were not inherently bad.

"Now, Priscilla's contribution has taken off. She's second only to Hachiman, Reinhard, and Anastasia, surpassing everyone else."

Kyosuke Kosaka counted them, then slumped his head in frustration. Many Emilia and Crusch supporters shared this sentiment.

"Even if Priscilla has no feelings for Hachiman at all, the more she contributes, the more Hachiman likes her, which is not a good thing."

Being suppressed by Anastasia was bad enough, but now they're even worse off than Priscilla. It's really pathetic... Although the turn of events in the battle and the saving of Watergate City did increase their goodwill towards Priscilla a lot.

At the same time, at the Hexin Merchant Guild, Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief, "That was close... so close! The Prime Minister almost ruined the balance. I really have to thank Miss Priscilla this time!"

If Priscilla hadn't interfered, her own prime minister would have immediately shattered her self-conquest, preventing her from ever winning over Hachiman Hikigaya again.

"Hmph—when I get serious, I am so magnificent and unparalleled that no one can compare. Even the cunning fox will be surpassed by my casual thought."

Inside the mansion, Priscilla was obsessed with praising herself. Her only complaint was that she had arrived too early, otherwise she could have witnessed the collapse of the fox-like tower.

"How dare you provoke me, hmph, you mere rutting vixen. I am not as forgiving as you are, you fool—although you escaped once thanks to my appearance, you will not be so lucky afterward."

In a stronghold of the Witch Cult, Syrus had no energy left to pay attention to the impending breaking of her powers. She banged her head against the wall, the pain in her mind intensifying, her former personality and memories returning, as she struggled against Pandora's distortion.

As he crashed into the wall, the bandages broke, revealing Syluès's face.

Her appearance was strikingly similar to Emilia's adoptive mother, Fortuna!

"...That's it. Liliana's singing can dispel the influence of Syrus's power, so I plan to use the radio to broadcast her song throughout the entire Watergate City, so that the agitated people can return to normal."

"Inside the city hall, once everyone was gathered, Hachiman Hikigaya began the meeting and explained his plan."

"But if we do that, won't those three Archbishops of the Dead attack again?"

"Ligado raised his hand. "I heard that the young lady has made progress on Regulus, right? Why don't we hold off on this for a bit, and once we've dealt with Regulus, with Reinhard's help, and then use Miss Liliana's singing to lure the three Archbishops of Sin over, then we'll have victory in the bag."

"I've considered your approach to sorting, but unfortunately, we can't afford to wait any longer."

"Hachiman Hikigaya regretfully rejected the idea, saying, 'According to the information Crusch brought back, the tens of thousands of people in all the shelters have become sitting ducks.'"

"Due to the anger and fear aroused by Syluès's power, disputes and fights among the people continued to occur, even affecting the participation of the soldiers, resulting in deaths, and their anger continued to intensify."

"If we continue to wait, during the time it takes for Anastasia to find the key to help Reinhard defeat Regulus, it wouldn't be surprising at all if brawls involving thousands or even tens of thousands of people broke out."

"And if we don't attract the Archbishops of Sin quickly, they might attack the sluice gates, and the resulting casualties... we can't afford that, Ricardo."

"Ligado withdrew his hand and sighed helplessly. Everyone looked at each other. Everyone knew that it would be best to wait for Reinhard to free his hand, but since the situation had already deteriorated to this point, there was no time to waste."

Hachiman Hikigaya tapped the table to attract everyone's attention and encouraged them, "It's alright, we have Priscilla's help this time, so our chances of winning are very high."

“Foolish! I have no reason to aid you defeated fighting cocks. To equate me with you losers is utterly ridiculous.”

Priscilla snapped her fan shut, gave an arrogant sneer, scanned everyone present, and finally looked at Hachiman Hikigaya with disdain.

"I only took action because those disgusting insects were an eyesore and ruined my good mood—remember this with gratitude, you arrogant fool!"

326. A promise that is difficult to keep.

"Although Priscilla started the mockery, Garfield, who had the most volatile temper, was sickly and didn't retaliate... He did feel ashamed of the defeat."

"The main reason for the defeat was my poor command. Stop spouting nonsense and insulting these heroes, Priscilla."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stopped the arrogant woman from speaking, and his act of taking responsibility made Garfiel, Wilhelm, and the others even more ashamed. 'General! It was clearly me—'"

"If you feel guilty, then rest well for a while, recharge your energy, and then avenge your defeat in the next battle, Garfiel." Hachiman Hikigaya interrupted Garfiel's grief and indignation, looking around. "Avenge your defeat, shoulder the weight of the word 'great,' shoulder the glory of being the hero who saved Minato City. Me, and all of you, are all of that."

"His voice was very steady, yet it was more inspiring than any loud or roaring voice. Even after the meeting ended, Crusch still felt that it was deafening, and his mind was filled with the handsome figure of Hachiman Hikigaya."

"How wonderful, how wonderful, ah... Lord Hachiman."

After the meeting, Priscilla sat near Hachiman Hikigaya with her arms crossed, giving him a mocking sidelong glance. "You used me to help the warriors who had fallen to the bottom rise again. Aren't you going to say anything, you cunning fool?"

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded without any change in expression. "Yes, thanks. You've been a great help, Priscilla."

"——"

Priscilla was visibly stunned, her mouth slightly agape, clearly losing her composure... She hadn't expected that this fool who had been so confrontational with her before would be so flexible and yielding without hesitation.

"What's with that expression?" Hachiman Hikigaya chuckled at her embarrassment. "I'll scold you if you do something wrong, and of course I'll praise and thank you if you do something good. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Arrogant! In this world, only I am worthy of praise; no one can bestow honors upon me, not even a responsible fool!"

Priscilla's face turned terrifying, and she slapped at Hachiman Hikigaya with her fan. But Hachiman Hikigaya, as if he had a premonition, easily dodged her attack and waved his hand as he left.

"Leaving Priscilla alone in the hall, staring blankly at her fair arms and fan, constantly recalling the moment when Hachiman Hikigaya dodged the attack."

In the past, many people would have applauded Priscilla's setback. But now, given her significant contributions, few people are mocking her.

The tens of thousands of people in Watergate City, in particular, were grateful to everyone in the five candidate camps, and Priscilla was no exception.

"Before starting the broadcast, Hachiman Hikigaya had some things to do. He wanted to ensure that everyone facing him was in the highest spirits and able to unleash their full potential."

"General, I want to... break the agreement."

"Garfield, who had approached me proactively, said with a resolute expression, 'The matter I wanted to tell the General before, I want to say it now.'"

"...After the battle, to survive, and then to confide in him—that was the promise Garfield made to him. Now, wanting to confide in him ahead of time means that Garfield is mentally prepared to risk his life to win."

"It's better to die gloriously than to live in humiliation. That's Garfield, a man among men. Since Liliana's song can cancel out Syrus's influence, and his death won't cause others to die, he's absolutely willing to go all out and fight the legendary god of war with all his might, rather than being restrained and full of worries."

"Hachiman Hikigaya cannot stop a man's ambition; he can only listen."

"While strolling with Mimi, I saved two children who were about to fall into the water. When I took them home, I saw... their mother, who looked exactly like my mother, and even her voice was the same."

"Garfield's mother was caught in a mudslide on her way out of the Sanctuary and disappeared without a trace. Everyone thought she was dead."

"That woman has amnesia... The time she lost her memory is not far from when my mother went missing in the mudslide, and she was found drifting on the river around the same time."

"Giafier choked up. With so much evidence, it was practically certain that she was her mother. "But after losing her memory, she married an ordinary man in Watergate City, had three children, and was very happy."

With tears welling in his eyes, like a helpless child, he threw himself into Hachiman Hikigaya's arms, choking back sobs, "What should I do... Admiral?"

Like a bolt from the blue, it struck Garfield and Frederica in an instant.

The siblings, separated by distance, trembled as they stared in disbelief at the future, a myriad of complex emotions welling up within them.

…Compared to the trembling siblings, in the Water Gate City, the mother who had seen Garfield's memories back in the Sanctuary era had already been stimulated to regain her memories and was now surrounded by her husband and three children, moved to tears of gratitude.

"Giafier, my child, my child!"

"Is her husband kind? Do the younger siblings you saved like you? What's her opinion of you?" After asking a few questions and receiving Garfield's nods, Hachiman Hikigaya gently patted his back and smiled.

"Jiafei's mother's new husband must have known that his wife was not a virgin, but he still accepted her and made her happy."

"That means your appearance won't destroy this family at all, Jiafeier, you overthinking idiot."

"Really, General!?"

"Yes, believe me, Garfiel." Hachiman Hikigaya, sensing Garfiel's eyes welling with tears as she struggled to hold them back, said resolutely, "Breaking the promise is alright, but I want to make another promise with you."

"I want you to defeat the Eight Arms, I want you to avenge your defeat, I want you to fulfill your ambitions, and then I will take you to meet your family, take you to see your mother, and tell her everything—with me here, can you feel at ease, Garfield?"

"Jiafeier was already sobbing uncontrollably, unable to speak, and just nodding frantically."

"Hachiman Hikigaya said solemnly, "Very well, it's a deal then. This is a promise, a request I, as a general, make to a man among men. Can you complete the mission, Garfiel?"

"I... Waaah... I will definitely keep my promise, I will definitely complete the mission... Because I said that having my general would be like a fish in water—how can I lose again!"

"Two men, repeatedly battered yet still resolute, in the disaster-stricken city of Watergate, at this moment when the floodwaters recede, the clouds disperse, and the sun shines down."

"A promise that is difficult to fulfill has been made."

327. Crusch's failed confession (Part 1)

"so good."

In the karaoke bar, Hayato Hayama was extremely envious.

Rather than being Emilia's knight, it's more accurate to say that Hachiman Hikigaya, who traveled back in time, has been most frequently assigned the role of a psychologist, helping and guiding countless people.

Garfiel, the Shield of the Sanctuary who was treated like a younger brother by Hachiman Hikigaya, received guidance from him repeatedly.

Hayama was really envious; he also wanted to be comforted and guided by Hikigaya-kun in such a close manner.

"Humph!"

Taking advantage of the moment when Hayama Hayato was lost in his envy, Miura Yumiko pressed herself tightly against him. She was so envious of Hikigaya Hachiman; how could her charm towards Hayama Hayato be outshone by a man who wasn't even there?

"Hachiman Hikigaya... what a vixen! Just like Anastasia, a pair of vixens!"

In the same private room, their focus was completely different. Ebina was so excited that she not only had a nosebleed, but was also about to start waving her feminine genitals.