Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"You know this all too well, don't you?"

She scurried about with her legs in dissatisfaction, slumped onto the table, and stared at her aggrieved face, her gaze following the footsteps of her prime minister.

This deliberately feigned cuteness did not soften Hachiman Hikigaya's heart. He walked to the window and looked out, feeling that Anastasia was like a spider weaving a trap, gradually cornering him.

"Yes, I know... but I'd rather you were a bit more ruthless now."

He not only knew what Priscilla would do, but also how Anastasia would choose to respond.

"Send Mimi, Julius, and Ricardo to take good care of Yukino. Have the Iron Fang Mercenary Group stationed outside Priscilla's mansion to help inform Yukino and me. You may even personally approach Yukino and stand in front of Priscilla."

"Whether I accept this situation or not, you will not change this approach, and I cannot oppose your actions that are beneficial to Yuki."

"I know everything, but I can only watch helplessly as things develop like this."

Therefore, he had no choice but to accept the favor from this unscrupulous merchant with unease.

Most importantly, he knew that Anastasia did this not only out of a cunning desire to do someone a favor, but also because she genuinely didn't want her sweetheart to be frowning all the time.

Yukinoshita was bullied by Priscilla, and Hachiman Hikigaya certainly wouldn't be happy about that; she didn't want to see the prime minister like that.

…That’s why it’s even harder for Hachiman Hikigaya to distance himself from this guy, and he might end up rekindling their ties.

Anastasia certainly wouldn't make any requests of him, but could he really enjoy the girl's sacrifices while feeling at ease not seeing her?

Looking out the window at the sun, Hachiman Hikigaya murmured, "I can't do anything, I have no solution. Since when have I become so useless?"

"Because the Prime Minister has always been so useless."

As the girl got up, her pleasant voice, devoid of any sarcasm, drifted over.

pat pat pat.

"I gave Yukinoshita the cold shoulder, avoided Rem's confession, delayed giving Emilia's final answer, and changed my mind about Beatrice and Chaura several times along the way."

"In different timelines, she couldn't even handle her relationship with Julius properly. Even when faced with the advances of the Lun family, she hesitated again and again before reluctantly agreeing."

Anastasia's light steps drew closer, her intimate knowledge of her prime minister's romantic history demonstrating how much she valued and deeply loved him.

“The only time you were truly decisive was when you directly rejected Miss Crusch after losing your memory.” She smiled and reprimanded her in an incredibly gentle tone, “Apart from the Prime Minister, I have never seen anyone in my life who is so indecisive, hesitant, and retreating when it comes to matters of the heart.”

"Yes."

Hachiman Hikigaya chuckled self-deprecatingly.

His outward domineering nature could never mask his timidity when it came to emotions; otherwise, he wouldn't have had a cold war with Yukinoshita before he transmigrated, since he was quite resourceful in dealing with outsiders back then.

No matter how much he grows up, he will always be the same.

"But I like it very much."

"—Let go, let go."

A slender little hand suddenly grabbed the hem of his clothes, and Hachiman Hikigaya's heart skipped a beat. His rebuke was not intimidating at all, because not only was the volume of the rebuke not loud, but the tone was not a harsh demand, but rather had a hint of pleading.

Instead of listening, the slender Anastasia became even more audacious, gently resting her head against her prime minister's back, her face flushed as she felt his breath.

"Like ambushing the Gut Hunter, like sniping the Archbishop of Sin, like dealing with Roswaal... if the Chancellor were willing, Miss Priscilla and the rest of the family could be easily dealt with."

Yes, if he wanted to, he could come up with several solutions... as long as he was ruthless enough.

Hachiman Hikigaya's throat involuntarily twitched, his heart pounded, and a nameless fear gripped him, urging him to deny it: "...I'm not that smart."

"Self-deception is not for you, my Prime Minister."

Anastasia's voice was beautiful and melodious, but at this moment, when it reached his ears, Hachiman Hikigaya felt as if a knife was cutting into him. "Saying that you don't want us and only want to marry Yukinoshita-san—does the Prime Minister even believe that kind of lie?"

"I love Yukinoshita." With his eyes closed, Hachiman Hikigaya's teeth chattered, as if his whole body was drenched in cold rain.

"But you like us more, don't you? Maybe I'm not that valuable on my own, but what about if we add Miss Emilia and Miss Rem?"

Hachiman Hikigaya gritted his teeth, trying to raise his arm to cover his ears, but ultimately lacked the strength to do so—he wanted to pretend he hadn't heard Anastasia's voice, but couldn't, and could only remain silent.

He remained silent, but Anastasia, who saw right through him, would not stop:

"I love you, I love Miss Emilia, I love Miss Rem, and perhaps I also have different feelings for Miss Crusch and Miss Priscilla... What should I do? Loving so many people at the same time is simply wrong, isn't it?"

"To give a genuine gift, one must reciprocate with an equal genuine gift, otherwise it is not worthy of the recipient's trust. But no matter how much effort one puts in, if there are too many people to love, the affection will inevitably become scattered... Is that what my prime minister thinks?"

"Even if I were bound by Miss Yukinoshita's promise, I, the indecisive prime minister, could not make such a decisive decision about who to marry."

Her keen understanding and insight into her prime minister, along with her keen observation and intelligence, led her to grasp the reason long ago.

"—If I'm not mistaken, it's for our sake, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Anastasia could feel her prime minister's body stiffen instantly. Although it was fleeting, she had obtained all the answers she wanted and was certain of her conjecture.

"As expected... It wasn't anyone else but us who forced you to give up your feelings for us and make the cold decision to love only Yukinoshita!"

431. Anastasia, with her exceptional eloquence

"The opportunity arose from our fierce competition to recruit talent... Although we both exercised restraint, that was only the beginning."

"As long as the Prime Minister has not decided on whom to marry, we will continue to fight openly and secretly. The more we fight, the more serious we will become, and naturally, we will accumulate more and more anger and resentment."

"By then, the grudges will have been brewing for a long time, and I can't guarantee that I won't kill Miss Emilia and the others."

However, it's impossible for Hachiman Hikigaya to quickly decide which one he wants to marry when he can only marry one.

After all, he was a very timid man when it came to relationships.

Naturally, under these circumstances, Yukino Yukinoshita surpassed everyone else and became the best candidate.

On one hand, he and Yukinoshita already had a promise and agreement.

On the other hand, Yukinoshita is not in this world, so it doesn't matter how unwilling Emilia and the others are. Instead, it can unite the girls here in their hatred of the enemy, bridge the gap caused by their rivalry, and dispel the possibility of them becoming enemies and fighting to the death.

Moreover, if he had to choose between Rem, Emilia, and Anastasia, it would be too painful for Hachiman Hikigaya to make a decision.

Since that's the case, why not avoid making such a painful choice and simply use fulfilling the agreement as an excuse to tie yourself to the snow-covered side?

Anastasia is now bringing all his hidden considerations into the open.

His lips moved, and Hachiman Hikigaya was about to deny it outright, but the intelligence of the girl behind him loomed over him like a dark cloud, constantly reminding him that lying to this girl was useless.

"Our Prime Minister is really a fool."

“Yes, I’m an idiot, so there should be better people for you to choose, Anna.”

"But I like it."

Instead of just clutching his clothes, Anastasia pressed herself tightly against him from behind, hugging him tightly—a very unwise move, something no competent businessman should make.

His breath hitched for a moment, and Hachiman Hikigaya gritted his teeth, trying to pry open the soft girl's skin. "I've already decided to be with Yukinoshita. Even if I change my mind, I still have Emilia and Rem. Loving me is a high-risk, low-return mistake!"

"But I like it."

Anastasia stubbornly clung to him, "It's true that I'm a famous merchant in Kararachi... but what merchant hasn't made a losing deal? I'm willing, I'm happy to do it. Anastasia just wants to use all her assets to make a deal with Hachiman Hikigaya, is that not allowed?"

“Someone as fickle as me isn’t worth you doing this for. This time is different from last time!” Putting himself in her shoes, Hachiman Hikigaya laid out the facts. “In the ‘if’ route, there was no one else, but this time—”

"But this time, it's not just a complete loss or a small loss, it's a potential bankruptcy, is that what you're trying to say?"

Interrupting him abruptly, Anastasia gently bumped her head against her prime minister's back, her voice tinged with displeasure. "I know this better than anyone else."

Then, in a soft yet firm voice, she said:

"But I like it."

"I know it's too much to ask you to fall in love with someone else, and it's hard to accept... But I don't want you to waste your time on someone as indecisive and fickle as me, or squander the most brilliant time of your life."

Hachiman Hikigaya sighed heavily, "The current me, the me in this state, is simply not worthy of you, not worthy of you all."

Opening his eyes and gazing wistfully out the window, Hachiman Hikigaya felt that he was far worse than his original future self and all the "what if" scenarios... He was currently in love with more girls than any of his future selves, making this his most shameless and promiscuous moment.

"I'm... really a terrible person right now."

"But I like it."

His response was met with Anastasia's unwavering stubbornness. This adorable, cunning merchant with a charming accent, speaking in her endearing voice, repeatedly washed over her prime minister's heart:

"I love the Prime Minister's soul, his body, his personality, and everything about him!"

"I like your indecisive personality, I like the way you argue with me for my sake, and I like your fickle and promiscuous nature—if the Prime Minister weren't so promiscuous, wouldn't I really have no chance at all?"

"So we should be grateful for the Prime Minister's promiscuity... and what kind of promiscuity is that? With this experience and these girls, not to mention the Prime Minister, I actually have a lot of good feelings for Miss Crusch and the others now."

Hachiman Hikigaya didn't turn around; he didn't look at Anastasia's expression.

But listening to that voice, he thought, this adorable shrewd merchant must be wearing a fox-like cunning smile, his face slightly flushed, and his eyes, just like his, would inadvertently reveal a certain emotion.

A feeling of security and contentment born from being so close to each other, from truly feeling the other person, and a desire to confess one's love to the other person immediately.

"I want to marry my prime minister, I want to be able to hug my prime minister anytime, anywhere, and I hope to be hugged by my prime minister forever."

"Whether it's my mind or my body, I want to fill the Prime Minister's heart, and I want the Prime Minister to fill me."

"—My love for you is an unchangeable fact. Even if it's the Prime Minister's order for me to fall in love with someone else, all I can do is apologize."

The urge to respond was almost irresistible, and the thought of turning around and hugging this adorable shrewd businessman was becoming instinctive. It took a lot of effort for Hachiman Hikigaya to say the words that were already on the tip of his tongue: "Emilia and the others really dare to let you come."

"Because apart from us, no one else can convince the Prime Minister. Even if we are not at ease, we have no choice but to say so."

"...You really believe you can change my mind?"

Seeing that her prime minister was changing the subject, Anastasia, displaying her old indecisiveness and not daring to immediately respond to his advances, went along with it:

"I can't change the Prime Minister's mind that he has already made up his mind, but the fact that he is distancing himself from us and only loves Miss Yukinoshita is already causing him a lot of pain, to the point that he can hardly be called determined."

Thanks to the integration of the world and Priscilla, these two assists came at just the right time and complemented each other. Without either of them, she wouldn't have been confident of persuading her prime minister.

Anastasia was in a good mood, her eyes crinkling with joy. She had made up her mind to prepare a generous gift for Priscilla when she got back.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have listened to you,” Hachiman Hikigaya exhaled, finally turning around with a relieved expression on his face, and reached out to roughly ruffle Anastasia’s pale purple hair.

"You swindler!"

432. The Busyness After Global Integration

When Anastasia left the Sword Saint's residence with a beaming smile and returned to the Hexin Merchant Guild's residence, the people who had been waiting there immediately knew that the plan had succeeded.

For a moment, they were so happy and excited that they temporarily put aside their rivalry.

After that, Garfield also noticed the change in his general. When he learned that it was Anastasia's doing, he was shocked and muttered to himself, somewhat unwilling to believe it, but in the end he accepted the reality.