Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Hachiman Hikigaya could only take advantage of the moment when everyone was focused on Shaula, bend down and pat Anastasia on the shoulder, and extend his hand to her without saying a word."

"He did consider hinting to Julius or Crusch to have them help Anastasia, but the two of them were both suitable and unsuitable... Anastasia would probably be quite embarrassed if her subordinates saw her cowardice and her competitors saw through her poor performance."

"In that case, even though it might seem like I'm taking advantage of him, and it certainly won't be well-liked, I guess I'll have to do it myself."

"...In other words, if you hadn't become my prime minister sooner, it would have been a loss for both of us."

"Huh?"

Contrary to expectations, Anastasia naturally took his outstretched hand, whispering excitedly as she stood up, "So capable and so gentle, I've been waiting for a prime minister like that! He'd definitely take the initiative to handle most of the government affairs for me!"

"Please allow me to refuse; my life goal is to be a stay-at-home dad who just loafs around and does nothing."

"Infected by the unscrupulous merchant's natural attitude, Hachiman Hikigaya breathed a sigh of relief and immediately and decisively refused."

"Ugh!" Anastasia puffed out her cheeks angrily. Compared to her mature and composed nature, her appearance was still childlike, making her very cute. This action only increased her cuteness factor tenfold.

"Hachiman Hikigaya quickly looked away after the first glance. For Anastasia's reputation, he let go of her hand and placed his right hand on Anastasia's back to support her balance."

"From other people's perspective, he and Anastasia did not have any physical contact; they were just standing close together discussing matters, so it was nothing to worry about."

"Along with Beatrice, who was shouting 'Master' and trying to come over but was taken away from the third floor by Hachiman's orders, Emilia and the others also walked in front, while Hachiman Hikigaya and Anastasia were at the very back."

"The reason why it did not arouse any suspicion is that the two of them are the most intelligent among the four candidates. As strategists, they were the ones who made all the decisions in Watergate City."

"So now that these two are together, even Ram doesn't see anything wrong with it... They're definitely plotting something."

Anastasia could have just said it directly: she doesn't care if others see her timid side, after all, nobody's perfect, and there's no need to go to such lengths—but she simply doesn't want to say it!

"The Prime Minister willingly forced himself to touch her for the sake of her reputation; it felt absolutely amazing!"

"If it weren't for her prime minister being so clever and perceptive, Anastasia would have liked to trip and fall into Hachiman Hikigaya's arms, so that the inevitable physical intimacy could happen a little earlier."

"So, good acting really does make a difference. Being able to act weak can increase your likability and even arouse men's protective instincts. Tsk tsk, it's really great—but it's a pity for the girls, this is my specialty, you can't learn it."

At the Nakano residence, Nakano Ichika proudly held her head high, looking down on everyone around her, completely disregarding her three younger sisters who were rivals for her affections.

Anastasia's move is something only she could learn; she's an active actress, so those other girls can just stay out of the way. That's what you call a professional advantage.

Nino, who already knew her sister was an actress, was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred at this moment.

The one thing they never considered, and that was the truth—

In fact, Anastasia was genuinely scared this time, so the increased goodwill she received was a completely unexpected bonus.

371. Genuine items cannot be turned into fakes, absolutely not.

"Curly cooked dinner; everyone else, including Hachiman Hikigaya, just assisted and did some supporting work. In this Tower of Sages, only Curly's cooking skills are above average after she lost her memory."

"Julius wanted to take on this job, but his cooking skills are only about the same as Hachiman Hikigaya's, which is really not good enough."

"The dinner that Crusch made completely won over Shaula, who probably hadn't eaten anything different in the past four hundred years. Shaula was so moved that she used all the words of praise she had ever learned, which made Crusch a little embarrassed."

Because of these praises, Crusch brushed the green hair that was hanging down by her ear, lowered her head shyly, and her gentle and virtuous wife and mother demeanor suddenly increased a lot.

She stole a glance at Lord Hachiman—Hachiman Hikigaya was eager to praise Crusch's cooking skills, just like he had praised Yuki's cooking in the Service Club, but because of his previous agreement with Ram, he could only remain silent to avoid being misunderstood.

To this, Crusch of the Karlsten mansion, aside from feeling even colder, having a more distorted expression, and being even more determined to snatch the person away, showed little reaction.

When Hachiman made his promise at the sand cave, she had already anticipated this situation. More than this expected defeat, Crusch was now curious about how Hachiman would solve that inexplicable trial.

Roswaal, Elsa, and the others were also very curious about this, and they racked their brains but couldn't figure out how to solve this inexplicable trial.

"boring."

In Class D of Advanced Nurturing High School, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji yawned boredly, just like Echidna in another world's graveyard.

In terms of knowledge of miscellaneous subjects, he had learned far more than Hachiman Hikigaya, and he immediately realized that the trials of the Tower of Sages were actually a metaphor for a star.

Having realized this, his interest in the Tower of Sages plummeted.

For every Earthling who has studied astronomy, this is an extremely simple test.

"Xia Wula is still eating heartily and doesn't want to leave the table."

"The others have returned to the green room and are having a meeting there. Hachiman Hikigaya raised a point that everyone should keep some distance from Shaula, even though she is currently friendly, it's hard to say whether she might suddenly become hostile for some reason."

"Merry also raised her hand and chimed in with an opinion: 'Hey big brother, doesn't that exhibitionist freak sister consider you her mentor? If you ordered her not to hurt us, that should be okay, right?'"

Hachiman Hikigaya paused for a moment upon hearing this, then gave a wry smile. "Perhaps it's possible... but, I'm sorry, I don't want to do that."

"Why?" Mary asked, puzzled. Before she could finish, Emilia gently stroked her hair, speaking like a mother disciplining a child: "Everyone has things they don't want to do, Hachiman too... So, don't take it that far, or you'll be a bad child. Mary, you can't be a bad child."

"Is Lord Hachiman worried that after issuing the order, he will actually replace Shaula as his master?"

"Kursh put it more bluntly, 'Being called that even though you're not their master is already torturous enough. To issue orders like that would be exploiting Shaula's misconceptions for your own benefit.'"

"Given Hachiman-sama's gentle nature, he certainly wouldn't want to do such a thing."

"Her analysis was thorough, and after she finished speaking, she puffed out her chest and looked proudly at Hachiman Hikigaya, as if she wanted to get a 'perfect score in Hachiman-sama's research."

"Her response was an expression of utter embarrassment that made Hachiman Hikigaya wish he could disappear into the ground."

"Although Crusch is right... it is precisely because she is right, and because she is analyzed so thoroughly in front of so many people, that he feels as if he is naked in front of Crusch, and that she has seen everything."

"Merry blinked innocently. "But when Big Brother asked that exhibitionist sister so many questions, she must have already assumed he was in her shoes, right? Why can't he give orders? Isn't that just deceiving himself?"

"If you can't speak properly, then speak less!"

Beatrice slammed her hand on the floor in anger and glared fiercely at Mary.

"Let her speak, Beatrice. What she said is true." Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head slightly. "Maybe I really am deceiving myself, being sentimental... but I really can't bring myself to give orders to Shaula. I'm sorry."

The meeting ended in discord.

"Merry successfully used one sentence to earn the unfriendly looks from almost everyone except Hachiman Hikigaya, especially Beatrice, who practically told her with her eyes, 'You better watch out.'"

Even though she was very naive, Emilia could tell that... that she stayed with Mary the whole night, both to protect her and to teach her not to force others to do things they didn't want to do.

"Hachiman Hikigaya successively rejected the comforting words from Ram, Crusch, and Julius, whether they were subtle or explicit. What Merry said was true; he wasn't that petty or fragile."

"To reject these words of comfort, he wandered alone in the lobby and corridors of the fourth floor."

"Hey, Master."

"He encountered Xia Wula, who had come specifically to find him."

"The girl, who claimed to have lived for over four hundred years, looked at him sincerely, her smile shy, but her expression was by no means fake, giving one a genuine sense of joy."

"I have something to tell you before bed tonight, otherwise I won't be able to sleep—welcome back, Master! I, Shaula, have long awaited the return of the sage Friguel."

"Her smile was radiant, like a dazzling gem, making one want to cherish and protect it."

"Unfortunately, Hachiman Hikigaya is just an ordinary man. He will shatter this gem with his own hands. Staring intently at Shaula, Hachiman Hikigaya said, enunciating each word clearly: 'My name is Hachiman Hikigaya, simply Hachiman Hikigaya, not some Flugeler, nor your master—that's all. Listen carefully, Shaula.'"

"Oh, come on, Master is still talking nonsense even now? Hmm, it's alright. Once we pass the trial and find a way in the library, Master will definitely regain his memories and remember his prized student, Xia Wula, hehe!"

Xia Wula flashed a peace sign, her enthusiasm undiminished, as she backed away. "Anyway, I'm just happy to see Master again after so long. Hearing Master's voice and thinking of Master's face, I'm sure I'll sleep well tonight!"

"The passion remains."

"But no matter how you look at it, there was a subtle hint of loneliness and panic in the back of that figure as it turned away."

"Shawula..."

"Since it's the real thing, Hachiman Hikigaya absolutely refuses to let this person become a fake, absolutely not!"

372. Anastasia and the Chancellor (Part 1)

"It's not just four hundred years of loneliness, but even when facing Hachiman, I'm in the same situation as Betty."

On the rooftop of Roswaal's mansion, Beatrice murmured to herself. She had stubbornly insisted on recognizing Hachiman as "that person," while Shaula had stubbornly insisted on recognizing Hachiman as "Master." In reality, they were both trying to comfort and satisfy themselves, neglecting Hachiman's feelings in the process.

Although as long as Hachiman takes on the roles of "that person" and "master," the two of them will wholeheartedly give everything for him. One side receives emotional comfort, and the other receives substantial help, making it a win-win situation for both.

But if he were to take on this position for the sake of these benefits, he wouldn't be Hachiman.

You won't find another idiot like that anywhere in the world.

Perhaps others would have initially refused, but under Shaula's relentless pressure, the only one who could persist in his rejection was Hachiman, who valued the object more than life itself.

"But Betty is lucky."

“Yes, you are lucky.” Roswaal sighed, agreeing with Beatrice’s whisper. “The assimilation of the Witch of Jealousy Satella made him understand your four hundred years of loneliness, which is why he was so confident and forceful in dragging you out of the Forbidden Library.”

"But now that he has lost his memory, he can't understand what it's like to guard the Tower of Sages for four hundred years, so he would never try to comfort Xia Wula—to try to comfort Xia Wula when he can't understand her would be hypocritical, easy for him to say without understanding her pain, and a complete fraud."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, that's definitely what he'll think."

“…Master…you senile idiot!”

Echoing this sentiment, at the same time Beatrice lamented her fortune and misfortune, Shaula, gazing at the sky from the Tower of the Sages, raised her hand, attempting to grasp her future master, a gesture akin to trying to catch the moon's reflection in water.

The master has his own stubbornness, and she has hers too.

"Master is still Master! There's no way I'm not Master! No matter what my appearance, name, or personality changes, I'll always be Shaula's Master! If you don't like the old name, then this is it—Welcome back, Master! I, Shaula, have been waiting for the return of the real Hachiman Hikigaya for so long, Master!"

"Only if Master says it's not Master, will the rebellious and proud disciple Xia Wula refuse to admit it, even if it means death!"

Despite sharing the same predicament as Beatrice, she walks a completely different path. The stubborn Shaura inherits the same stubbornness and obstinacy as her master, Hachiman Hikigaya.

In the distance, in a sun-drenched mansion in the capital.

"Hmm... this kind of obsession is commendable, I suppose."

Wills clash, each hoping for the other's compromise. The way Shaula and Hachiman interact reminds Priscilla of the fierce battle she fought with that fool in her own timeline, until finally, both sides compromised.

"Of course—I have no doubt that I have not compromised or backed down; that was merely a reward for the fool!"

Priscilla was stubborn and refused to admit it, but Al took it all seriously, just agreeing with her and saying "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes"—otherwise, he might get killed.

However, Priscilla knew that Shaula and Hachiman Hikigaya could not replicate her situation.

Either Shaula gives up, or Hachiman Hikigaya gives up. There's not much room for retreat in this confrontation. Either become a master, or don't.

Priscilla watched with bated breath, curious to see who would ultimately concede defeat.

But this curiosity was quickly dispelled, and a look of displeasure and terror became the main theme on Priscilla's face. The reason was simple—the scheming Anastasia, that treacherous woman who was good at stealing men, had appeared again!

"His expression looks a bit off... Could it be that I arrived at the wrong time?"

Hachiman Hikigaya tapped his head, dispelling the gloom that had settled on his expression because of Shaula. He turned around and looked at Anastasia, whose skin was glowing after her bath. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"That's a really accurate calculation, but you clearly have amnesia, right?"