Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"He could no longer refuse, no longer argue, he could only look at Emilia and then extend a man's invitation."

""Um!""

The silver-haired girl nodded emphatically, revealing the most beautiful smile she had seen since Hachiman woke up.

85. Successful yet unsuccessful negotiations

"So that's why he's basically stopped communicating with you ever since he regained consciousness and started in Watergate City. Oh, I see."

Julius, Crusch, Anastasia, Beatrice.

From the time Hachiman Hikigaya was in Minato City, these four people spent a considerable amount of time alone with him, offering him comfort and guidance. Later, when they returned to the mansion, Merry and Lum joined them.

In any case, among the people traveling together, everyone spent far more time with Hachiman Hikigaya and chatted with him far more often than Emilia.

This was originally impossible.

No one loves Hachiman Hikigaya more than Emilia, that's for sure.

"But it was intentional... a deliberate tacit agreement... sacrificing yourself, you're so foolish, Leah."

On the main street of the capital, Parker was heartbroken, but when he looked at his daughter with a look of sudden realization, he saw Emilia's innocent expression that said, "So Parker didn't know before?"

…Not only the future Emilia, but even the present Emilia already knows her knight, the one she loves, more deeply than almost anyone else.

Heartfelt, crisp applause rang out in different places.

The message was sent by Crusch at the Karsten Mansion, by Anastasia of the Hessin Merchant Guild, by Rem who had entered the capital, and by Beatrice and Roswaal, who were far away on the roof of the Roswaal Mansion.

Despite being rivals, even they couldn't help but give Emilia the highest praise and admiration when they saw her sincere and inspiring confession.

Compared to her confession in the Sanctuary, a year later, Emilia is now better able to express her feelings. Following her instincts, every word is heartfelt, her voice filled with unparalleled love, which is truly moving.

The snow in the convenience store paled in comparison. Although she was a literary type, she could never make an unparalleled confession like Emilia's, such a heart-stirring request.

Perhaps the only characters who can rival the brilliance of Emilia are Rem from the main storyline, or Anastasia from the alternate timelines, but definitely...

There will be no Yukinoshita.

Just like Crusch and Anastasia, who will never have an official history.

“If I remember correctly, back in Watergate City, Crusch also said something like ‘Look at me, gaze at me.’”

Hori Kyoko sighed. In comparison, even as a Crusch supporter, she had to admit that Emilia was the clear winner—the difference wasn't in what they said, but in the difference in their feelings for each other.

Crusch's love for Hachiman Hikigaya is a true love that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.

However, if Crusch is 90 out of 100, then Emilia has already surpassed the limit, creating a score of 120 that was originally impossible.

Emilia is just Emilia, she is the real deal.

and so…

"Please keep a close eye on her, brother."

No longer feeling indignant because her brother had suffered so much pain and died so many times for Emilia, and endured all sorts of heartbreak and sorrow.

All those grudges vanished from that moment on, because Komachi knew it was worth it. For something so unique, this genuine treasure, her brother would absolutely be happy to accept it.

Komachi knew that this was no longer her choosing a sister-in-law.

Whether she agrees or not, it's bound to happen—the scene of her brother being captured by Emilia will happen no matter what!

"Food, water, wine, and a beautiful woman—you only brought me the first two? How stingy!"

"On the second floor, Reid was feasting. He was a somewhat despicable and lecherous man, but also very generous. However, whenever Hachiman Hikigaya tried to show him some respect, Reid's attempts to spy on Emilia would make Hachiman Hikigaya give up on that idea."

Hikigaya Hachiman, sitting cross-legged on the ground, shielded Emilia behind him, preventing Reid from seeing anything. He scoffed, "Nobody drinks here, so how could we possibly have something like that? Give up."

"Then send some real beauties! Hey, are you sure it's just the same few from this afternoon? You're really smitten with just a few? Are you too weak? Although they're all good women, hmm."

"Reid's mouth is always full of lewd talk. Julius would definitely find it hard to accept, but Hachiman Hikigaya just shook his head. 'They have nothing to do with me. If you keep saying things like that, it only proves you're blind, and you won't get any food tomorrow.'"

"If I hadn't given in tonight and made some concessions for you, given your stinginess, this would definitely have been your last meal together. What excuses are you making?" Reyd scoffed. He seemed carefree, but his observation skills were actually quite good.

"He knew what was going on, so Hachiman Hikigaya didn't say much more, just watched him eat while drinking his own water."

"...Finally, Reid himself suggested that they could gang up on him as long as they could defeat him, which would be equivalent to everyone passing the trial."

"It was only then that Hachiman Hikigaya realized that Reid's initial standard was that whoever defeated him would pass the test, one by one."

"Hachiman Hikigaya originally wanted to ask Ray to go easy on him, but Ray has already backed down today, so he has no choice but to stop here for now. The proposal to go easy on him will be put on hold for now, and we'll talk about it again in a couple of days."

On the eve of his departure, Reyd asked, "Which good woman cooked dinner?"

"This was made by my husband, a stay-at-home dad. Thank you for your patronage."

Looking at the virtuous Hachiman Hikigaya, Reid clicked his tongue in regret, slapped his thigh, and said with a regretful expression and tone, "You were born the wrong gender."

"No way! Hachiman is best as a man!"

"In her haste to refute, Emilia's opinion of this first sword saint plummeted. Even she knew that girls couldn't have romantic feelings for each other; it could only be friendship."

"He glanced at the silver-haired girl beside him, not feeling insulted. Hachiman Hikigaya, who hadn't planned to reply, turned around without hesitation, spread his hands, and stared at Reid with a smile."

"As you can see, I have no interest in, and certainly no possibility of, gender-swapping. Living in this world as a man is my greatest asset—that someone wants me as I am."

He then took a deep breath and, slightly nervously, extended his hand: "Let's go, Emilia."

Emilia paused for a moment, then, as if afraid he would change his mind, she immediately took his outstretched hand firmly.

""Hey!""

"The lonely Reyd chuckled and never again leered at his woman."

386. Cruel Remarks

"Holding hands only lasted until they reached the bottom of the stairs. After that, Emilia felt a fleeting sense of loss, but it quickly turned into excitement."

"Hachiman Hikigaya went to the Green Room and explained his actions and results to Anastasia and Ram, which drew a disgruntled glare from Beatrice."

"Why didn't you bring Betty?!" That's what she said. Faced with her accusation, Emilia went to calm her down.

"Of course, it's not because I don't believe in Beatrice's undeniable strength, it's just that she's already used up a lot of mana and energy this afternoon, so she needs to rest."

"Anastasia also reported on the situation in the green room. Crusch and Julius are both recovering well. Just now, Julius struggled to get up and go to fight the legendary first Sword Saint alone to avenge his defeat, but she ordered him to stop."

Having learned all this, Hachiman Hikigaya left the green room, preparing to try his luck in the library on the third floor, hoping to find either Reid's or Frugal's Book of the Dead and come up with a way to deal with the trial, or to bypass it.

"After all, Reyd has already made concessions once, and he may not be willing to compromise in the next round of negotiations. We can't put all our eggs in one basket."

"The one who came out of the green room together was Ram."

"Looking rather grim, Ram, desperate to save her sister, wanted nothing more than to smash all the trials blocking her path. 'That legendary swordsman, how confident are you?'"

"How confident I am depends on how much less force I can persuade him to use."

After a moment of contemplation, Hachiman Hikigaya's tactful answer of "currently zero chance of winning" made Ram even more gloomy. This gloom was not directed at Hachiman Hikigaya; on the contrary, after considering the matter with uncertain feelings for a while, she showed signs of backing down for the first time.

"Try again in the next few days. If it really doesn't work... then retreat and go back to contact that current Sword Saint."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stared at her in astonishment, quite surprised."

"Rum's eyes held a hint of sorrow, sorrow for her poor sister, and sorrow for Hachiman Hikigaya. 'That expression... do you think Ram would utter nonsense like, "Even if you can't do it, you have to. Useless things who can't pass the trial might as well die in battle?"'"

"...I didn't think it was that serious."

"Heh." Ram chuckled. "Don't be so arrogant, Hachiman Hikigaya. Even before you lost your memory, you weren't omnipotent; there are things you can't do."

"If you've tried your best but still can't do it, then there's nothing you can do... Besides, Ram has come to terms with it."

"You've figured it out?" Hachiman Hikigaya's question had barely left his lips when Ram took a step back and bowed deeply in sincere respect.

"You forgot Rem, a mistake Ram made long before you did, but you never held a grudge against Ram, always thinking of taking revenge on the Bishop of Gluttony... For the past month, Ram refused to accept the fact that you had forgotten Rem, and made many mistakes. I'm sorry."

Hachiman Hikigaya opened his mouth, unsure how to respond. To say he harbored no resentment would be a lie; he hadn't wanted to lose his memory, yet Lum had consistently treated him this way.

"That's fine—don't say anything, that's all." Straightening up, Ram said, "If you have any complaints about Ram, wait until you regain your memories... otherwise you might regret it, and Ram doesn't want that."

""Then.""

She paused, then said, "There are two things I need to tell you."

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded slightly, indicating that he was listening attentively.

"Before regaining your memories, please do not hastily choose Lady Emilia and have a physical relationship with her, or you will definitely regret it."

Ram hesitated for a moment, then raised her right hand to stroke her pink hair, concealing her emotions. "Also... when things are hopeless, you must prioritize protecting yourself."

"Where's Rem?" Hachiman Hikigaya was utterly astonished, his face filled with disbelief. Given Ram's past actions, shouldn't he have been telling him to protect Rem at all costs, even at the cost of his life?

"Ram's sister, Ram would protect her even at the cost of her own life. But if Rem were awake, she would definitely protect you at the cost of her own life."

"Revealing her gentle nature, unlike the gentleness of Emilia and Beatrice," Ram continued, "One day, Ram's sister will awaken, and Ram doesn't want her to cry because of any damage you've suffered."

After saying this, Ram turned around abruptly and hurried back to the green room.

"...Is she...shy?"

As his mood improved, the heavy pressure on his shoulders became increasingly real. Gazing at his friend Lum's retreating figure, Hachiman Hikigaya murmured softly, "Thank you... but, Lum, I'm not sure I can fulfill either of these requests."

Ram finally stopped being angry and impatient, which relieved not only Rem and Ram, but also the kind-hearted Emilia, and a large number of Rem fans.

Seeing that their older sister, Ram, was finally no longer a burden, many people were overjoyed.

However, some people are not interested in Ram's change of attitude.

In Class D of Advanced Nurturing High School, Kiyotaka Ayanokouji crossed his arms, eagerly anticipating what his nemesis would find in the library, where he had his eye on the four hundred years of knowledge accumulated from all races and races of the world.

"Hachiman Hikigaya certainly has his own ideas, but out of respect for the deceased, he won't casually flip through these books."

"He wanted to be alone and quietly read and think, so he refused Emilia and the others' invitation to come along. But after arriving at the library, Hachiman Hikigaya discovered..."

"Merry will stay here."

"That expression...wait, am I bothering my older brother?"

"Merry snapped the Book of the Dead she'd grabbed shut and shoved it back in disrespect, saying, 'It's alright, it's alright. I'll leave right away then. If I don't, that Crusch-sama will definitely kill me. How terrifying.'"

Hearing her slanderous words against Crusch, Hachiman Hikigaya casually defended Crusch, saying, "I'm probably more likely to have done something like that than Crusch."

"Oh dear, but I've never seen my older brother kill anyone before."

"Merry leaned closer, and Hachiman Hikigaya rubbed his eyes. "Didn't you say before that you were afraid I'd hang you?"