Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"General, Mother...can you see? Sister...ah..."

Completely unaware that someone was fantasizing about the pure friendship between her and the general, Jiafeier, who was in the Holy Land, kept wiping away tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed. Finally, she squatted on the ground and cried softly with joy.

The general's care for him moved Jiafeier to tears, and he cursed himself for being such a bastard.

"Not bad, Jiafei."

On the main road leading to the capital, Ram smiled. Although she had no romantic feelings for Garfiel, she would be happy if Garfiel could be happy.

On the main street of the royal capital, Emilia clapped her hands, happy for the friendly relationship between her knight and Garfield and for the bright future she had hoped for.

"After Garfield, Hachiman Hikigaya approached the dejected Wilhelm and told him that he would have Rigador and Mimi help him subdue the zombie soldier Theresia and capture her alive to see if anyone in the kingdom could remove her zombie status so that his wife could be laid to rest."

"...Wilheim was taken aback and wanted to refuse, but Hachiman Hikigaya told him that Garfield needed to focus on his fight against the Eight Arms, and that the Mimi siblings would only harm Garfield if they stayed there and couldn't cooperate. Moving them over here would be just right for him."

"After much deliberation, Wilhelm, who could never bring himself to kill his wife, could not resist the temptation to capture her alive. He bowed down with tears streaming down his face."

Anyone who isn't blind can see that Hachiman Hikigaya is taking care of Wilhelm; otherwise, he could have let Wilhelm fight Theresa to the death like Garfiel did, freeing up manpower to fight Badenkathos together.

At the Carlsten mansion, Wilhelm sighed deeply, "Lord Hachiman..."

"Then came Rius."

"After significantly reducing Julius's vigilance and unease, the small and adorable Mimi revealed his identity and his condition."

"Even so, Julius, whose mind is blank after losing his memory, finds it hard to accept this reality all at once... Hachiman Hikigaya wanted to go in and talk to him, to act as a psychologist again and comfort Julius."

"But standing outside the door, Hachiman Hikigaya was breathing heavily, feeling ashamed to face Julius."

"It was Mimi who noticed the commotion outside the door, and she skipped over to open it and pushed him in."

"Sorry, I don't remember anything. Um, may I ask who you are...?"

Even with amnesia, Julius still possesses an elegant demeanor and impeccable manners. However, these impeccable manners reveal his estrangement from Hachiman Hikigaya.

"These estrangements struck Hachiman Hikigaya's heart like a hammer."

"Don't blame yourself. If you cry, the young lady will be sad too. Neither the young lady nor Julius will blame you, General."

"When Mimi saw the kimono that belonged to her young lady, which was tied around Hachiman Hikigaya's upper body, she immediately understood what was going on and jumped around to comfort him."

Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head slightly. He hesitated before approaching Julius, reaching out to take the bewildered Julius's hand. His voice was low and deep. "I won't tell you my name, I'm sorry... Wait for me, Julius. When I regain your memories, I'll tell you everything... I'm sorry, Julius."

""Whoa whoa.""

Julius was at a loss, and then he saw the strange man who had made the vow turn away without saying another word.

"Hachiman Hikigaya, having left, leaned against a wall, took a deep breath, and quietly cleared his mind, gazing at the sky to calm himself down. He couldn't let his various emotions towards Julius affect him; these had to be sealed and suppressed until after the battle."

"Normally, this rational monster could do it easily. But right now, Liliana is adjusting her voice, preparing for a continuous singing session that could last for an unknown amount of time, and hasn't started dispelling Syrus's influence yet."

"With his emotions amplified by Syrus's power, Hachiman Hikigaya found it difficult to remain calm."

"Lord Hachiman?"

"A soft, handsome voice rang out. Crusch, who was passing by, was, at this moment, more than Liliana, a heavenly sound to him."

"Miss Liliana said she's made the necessary adjustments and is almost ready—hmm!?"

"Halfway through her sentence, Crusch's body stiffened as if she had been electrocuted. She didn't know what to do with her hands, slowed her breathing, and widened her panicked eyes slightly."

"Can I lean on you..., Crusch?"

Before asking for his opinion, Hachiman Hikigaya had already closed his eyes and leaned closer. He placed his hands on Crusch's shoulders, lowered his head and rested on Crusch's body, feeling the shape of her collarbone through her clothes and just touching her chest.

"Julius's amnesia reminded him of the heart-wrenching pain he felt when he saw Rem unconscious. This pain, amplified by Syrus's power, was difficult to alleviate and could only be numbed by Crusch, who had once brought him comfort."

"...If it were Lord Hachiman..."

"The stiff Crusch did not resist at all. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hands and gently hugged Hachiman Hikigaya, who looked relieved."

"The two bodies pressed slightly together. It was the first time that Crusch had been in close contact with a man, and her body was burning hot, her face flushed... But she could sense the pain in Hachiman Hikigaya's heart. More than the physical sensations, she felt a pang of heartache, as well as a sense of dazedness and peace."

"So it turns out that Lord Hachiman also has moments of vulnerability, that Lord Hachiman also needs comfort from others, and that Lord Hachiman also needs himself, his Crusch."

"...That's wonderful."

"Whispering almost imperceptibly, Crusch couldn't help but feel a secret joy, which she kept hidden deep in her heart."

328. Crusch's failed confession (Part 2)

"Hey~ Can you hear me? But it's okay if you can't. It's your own loss if you're deaf and can't appreciate my heavenly voice, hehe~ Such scraps of flesh have no reason to live~"

"What interrupted Crusch's shy, budding romantic feelings was the sudden broadcast, Capella's voice echoing throughout the city. This broadcast made Hachiman Hikigaya instantly suppress his weakness, his eyes sharpening as he regained his wartime posture."

"He no longer nestled warmly in Crusch's arms."

"I, this young lady, clearly gave you disgusting, repulsive lumps of flesh a chance to live, but alas, there are still some stupid and foolish male and female flesh who dare to attack me and the Witch Cult, mistaking suicide for courage—oh dear, that little flood just now was hardly retaliation, merely a small return gift."

"You scraps of flesh have really angered me, so, so, so, so~ In addition to the witch's remains, I have two more conditions~"

"It's normal that Capella can still broadcast. There were originally two broadcast systems in the city hall, but now there's only one left. The spare one was obviously taken by her."

"First, hand over the artificial spirit."

"Second, cut off Hachiman Hikigaya's tongue, break his limbs, and obediently present him to me. That way, I can let bygones be bygones. Hmm, if he doesn't do that, I'll think about it... Next time I open the sluice gate, I'll just sabotage the sluice gate mechanism, hehe~"

"It's quite amusing to watch you, male and female meat, sink into the water along with this poor city~"

"With a casual remark, she threatened the lives of tens of thousands of people. Capela's broadcast came suddenly and went quickly. In fact, she knew that the candidates were not the kind of people who would surrender their comrades."

"From the beginning, her broadcasts were not really hoping that the candidates would obediently hand over the artificial spirits and Hachiman Hikigaya. Her goal was to frame Hachiman Hikigaya for the flood."

"The ignorant masses influenced by Sylures' power might come to the city hall to hurl insults and storm Hachiman Hikigaya. Capella would feel good just thinking about being criticized by the people he has worked so hard to protect."

"Hachiman Hikigaya and Crusch could obviously see through her scheme."

"I'm fine." Meeting Crusch's concerned expression, Hachiman Hikigaya scoffed at the self-important Archbishop of Sin. "If she had broadcast this before Liliana appeared, I would have had a real headache."

"But since she's wasted so much time investigating my identity by naming me, her plan is now completely useless."

Letting out a satisfied sigh, Hachiman Hikigaya, his face still contorted with murderous intent, strode towards the city hall's broadcasting room. "Before Liliana makes a move, I'll give Capella a little taste of her own medicine."

"His murderous intent masked his hidden vulnerability and pain, but it could not conceal his exhaustion."

Watching Hachiman Hikigaya's retreating figure, Crusch, who was a few steps behind, couldn't help but call out, "Lord Hachiman."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stopped and turned around."

"She pursed her lips, hesitated, and felt that her face must have turned very red. Nevertheless, she still insisted on expressing her feelings in a soft voice."

"...If...there is any need in the future, I am always ready to be your support, Lord Hachiman."

"Crouch lowered her head, not daring to look at the man who would make her blush, feel shy, and have a burning hot body."

"She couldn't see Hachiman Hikigaya's expression, and she didn't know what Hachiman Hikigaya was thinking. She only heard a response filled with all sorts of complex emotions after a brief silence."

Hachiman Hikigaya politely replied, "Thank you."

"In that complex and polite refusal, he seemed to understand something, and let out a soft sigh."

"With that sigh, Crusch's body rapidly cooled down, her beating heart stopped abruptly, and the tingling sensation in her chest was frozen."

"—Pfft, cough cough cough!"

At the Carlsten mansion, Crusch, who had just drunk water, choked on it in excitement. Her face turned bright red, not with the shy blush of a young girl, but with the shame and resentment of failing again and being rejected by Lord Hachiman once more.

Although she hoped that her amnesiac self wouldn't steal the spotlight and that Hachiman-sama wouldn't fall for her weaker self or her more handsome self, she also didn't want her amnesiac self to fail in her attempt to seduce him.

Regardless of which version of yourself you are, you are still yourself in the end, and success is definitely better than failure.

"Time and time again, all of them are failures... What am I supposed to do to finally win over Lord Hachiman's body and soul!"

Crusch glared fiercely at her future, distraught self, "It's all your fault!"

If it were me, I wouldn't have let myself get carried away and confronted Hachiman-sama without any preparation. It's all my fault for being so pathetic after losing my memory.

“I knew it, meow.” Phyllis shook her head speechlessly. She knew that no matter what Hachiman Hikigaya did to her, her Lord Crusch would never blame her, and would even take out his anger on her.

"Lady Crusch has already transformed into Hachiman's form, meow."

Outside the capital, Ram snorted coldly, hands on his hips, satisfied that his brother-in-law had stayed true to himself, and forgiving him for his earlier offense of leaning on Crusch. "Hmph, at least you did a good job, you didn't let Rem down."

Rem smiled sweetly, her pupils reflecting only the image of her beloved Hachiman.

"Miss Crusch is really unlucky, but... well, this should be considered a good thing, right? If she confesses early on, she won't get more and more confused and entangled."

On the main street of the royal capital, Emilia, who did not dislike Crusch, mourned for her for a while.

Just as Parker was about to lecture her, saying there was no need to pity her rival, he heard the once innocent Emilia continue to sigh, "If only Miss Anastasia could be this unlucky, otherwise what would she do if she became so deeply involved that she couldn't extricate herself—hey? Parker, what's wrong? You look so pleased?"

"It's okay, it's okay, I just... I just... boohoo."

Parker smacked his paw on the cat's face, looking somewhat relieved, with an expression that said, "My daughter has finally learned to be ambitious."

"After teaching for so long, finally, finally—that's it, that's good, Leah!"

She gripped the cat's paw, swung her fist at the air, and spoke with boundless pride and self-satisfaction.

329. Hachiman Hikigaya's cool-looking radio broadcast

Afterwards, Crusch felt increasingly heartbroken... Why was it that her confession was allowed to be made while Anastasia's confession was stopped and she successfully escaped a crisis?

This stark contrast, coupled with the previous hijacking, made Crusch, unwilling to accept defeat, unable to help but suspect that she might be destined to be cursed by Anastasia.

But if we're talking about feeling heartbroken, the few Crusch supporters in both worlds are actually even more heartbroken than she is, and it's especially painful to watch.

They almost suspected that the whole world was targeting Crusch, causing him to suffer various setbacks, as he was destined to be the best match for Hachiman Hikigaya and never abandon him.

"If this continues, even the remaining strength to support Crusch will be..."

If things continue like this, with no sign of victory in sight, they'll have no choice but to switch to other parties! For example... Anastasia?

As for Capela's open schemes and threats, few people cared. Just as Hachiman Hikigaya said, now that Liliana was here, everything was ready, and they were about to lure him into the trap and launch a brilliant comeback.

What can a mere Capela use to threaten Hachiman Hikigaya?

Compared to Capella, who can already be considered a skeleton in a tomb, Shirogane Miyuki, Kousaka Kyosuke, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Roswaal, and others who are bidding for the top prize are all looking forward to Hikigaya Hachiman's counterattack.

"Upon hearing Capella's announcement, everyone in the city hall gathered in the broadcasting room, including Julius, who had lost his memory."

"Even with amnesia, he remains the best knight. Though still confused, Julius, out of his loathing for Capella, also declares his intention to participate in the battle against the Witch Cult."

"Garfield and the others were filled with righteous indignation and suggested that Hachiman Hikigaya should broadcast a scathing rebuke of Capella on the radio."