Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

46. ​​High-profile, deterrent

""purchase?""

"That's right, procurement. Go and purchase half of the supplies according to the quantities listed above. These supplies need to be transported back to the village and distributed to everyone. Also, find some dragon carriages and mercenaries with decent strength, character, and reputation to be on standby."

The villagers looked troubled. "But we don't have that much money."

"Snapped!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya nimbly stood up and opened the cabinet."

"Splash!"

"The dazzling array of gold coins, so abundant and brilliant, left the villagers speechless."

"This...this..."

They swallowed hard, trembling. Seven or eight loyal men, far from being greedy or envious, exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions even more conflicted. "You mean...you're going to pay for everyone's supplies yourself? This...how can we accept this! Please rescind your order!"

Hachiman Hikigaya remained silent for a long while, knowing that normal persuasion would be ineffective.

"For him, trying to persuade a kind person to accept goodwill through awkward methods might actually be easier than beating up the gut hunter."

On Roswaal's territory, several men were beaming with pride as they lectured their children: "See? Your father's loyalty has been verified and approved by Lord Hachiman!"

"Hachiman Hikigaya suddenly straightened his face, and the image of Shizuka Hiratsuka scolding her students flashed through his mind. That kind of attitude that made the other person feel that it was for their own good but did not allow for any argument was the legacy left to him by Hiratsuka-sensei."

"The royal selection is about to begin. You don't actually think I have the time to simply care about everyone in the village at a time like this, do you? This is all part of my strategic plan, a step-by-step process. If you refuse to participate, you'll not only suffer losses yourselves, but you'll also drag Emilia and me down. Can you bear that responsibility?"

"Like a bolt from the blue, a sharp blow, before the dazed villagers could utter a word, Hachiman Hikigaya added, 'When you buy it, remember to let them know it's for Hachiman Hikigaya. Keep that in mind.'"

"Hmm? Ah, yes!"

"Brother." Bai Yingui was bewildered again, looking at her brother with longing for an explanation.

For this, she even gave up her rebellious phase with her brother.

"Let me sort it out, hmm—"

After calmly considering the matter for a while, Shirogane Miyuki traced the source and said, "I roughly understand now. Hikigaya Hachiman was telling the truth; this is indeed his strategic plan."

"Purchasing supplies was partly to increase the village's emergency response capabilities and improve living conditions, but this was just his gentle selfishness, and it was insignificant."

"The important thing is that Hachiman Hikigaya is generous and buys and sells a lot of things. As a result, merchants in the capital will know that he is a rich man and will come to befriend him. In this way, Hachiman Hikigaya will increase his network of contacts and sources of information."

"At the same time, it also sends a message to many forces, including other candidates, that Emilia's camp is not short of money, forcing others to pay attention to and overestimate Emilia and Roswaal's resources. This is a kind of invisible deterrence."

"Hachiman Hikigaya is indeed very cautious in implementing each measure, and each action yields multiple benefits."

Miyuki Shirogane shook his head and sighed, feeling utterly inferior, and in his reflection, he learned from Hachiman Hikigaya.

"But wouldn't it be better to feign weakness? Let the other candidates look down on him, fight them to the death first, and then pick up the scraps."

Confused, Shirogane Kei asked another question in surprise, "Won't this high-profile behavior cause trouble?"

Shirogane Miyuki laughed; his younger sister was too naive and innocent.

"You need to understand the situation, Kei. Emilia's camp has no room to feign weakness right now. They really are weak. If they don't put on a show of strength, and someone actually attacks to test them, and they slip up, everything will be over. Hachiman Hikigaya has no room for error; he has no choice but to be high-profile!"

He was walking a tightrope.

Miyuki Shirogane's analysis was excellent, but someone else analyzed it even better.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka quickly calculated and understood everything within seconds, even predicting the next move.

"Once the Royal Selection begins, and merchants learn that Hachiman Hikigaya is a knight who supports the half-elf Emilia, he will definitely use this hype to somehow reverse Emilia's abyssal reputation."

As Horikita Suzune listened to his detailed analysis of the rules and regulations governing Hikigaya Hachiman's actions, she felt as ashamed as a braised swordsman, recalling her own initial arrogance and disdain for Hikigaya Hachiman.

She had never felt so ashamed in her entire life!

"Emilia's faction has limited Hachiman Hikigaya's performance!"

The same conclusion applies not only to Crusch, Anastasia, and Priscilla.

This predicament was so obvious that even Emilia could see it.

Her face was deathly pale, and she swayed precariously. "It's my fault for holding us back... If it were Crusch and the others..."

“Lia!” Puck slapped her awake with his paw. “Don’t think nonsense! Hachiman Hikigaya did it voluntarily. He’s willing to act for you. Although Crusch and his people have a lot of resources, they’re not what he wants.”

"Waaah..."

The shame of being powerless was secondary; watching helplessly as this man toiled and struggled for her, growing more and more haggard with each passing day, Emilia wished she could take her future self's place and hold Hachiman Hikigaya tightly in her arms.

Tell him not to push himself so hard. Coax him and let him get a good night's sleep.

At least, hand over some of the work to me, this useless person, so that I can share his burden.

Emilia wasn't quite sure what Hachiman Hikigaya was doing. All she knew was that after arriving in the capital, the man was always nowhere to be found, always in a hurry, constantly coming and going.

"When he came back, he sometimes had a happy look on his face, and sometimes he sighed."

"In just a few days, my mental and physical health have visibly deteriorated. I haven't had a chance to fully recover from the excessive exertion during the monster invasion, and now things are even worse."

Finally, Hachiman Hikigaya fell ill.

"In a half-asleep state, he saw Emilia go out for a while, and when she returned, she and Rem lifted him up and put him in a dragon carriage, which then drove towards a huge mansion."

"All I could hear were two girls, full of pity and anxious concern, and not a single complaint."

"Compared to how many paths he paved for the king, Emilia only cared about his health."

"The real thing."

"The real thing..."

"On his deathbed, Hachiman Hikigaya murmured to himself what he was thinking."

47.ptsd

"A warm, large bed, a room, a ceiling, and..."

"—! ! !"

"Hachiman Hikigaya was jolted awake, jolted out of his drowsiness, and jumped out of bed. He looked around and only breathed a sigh of relief after realizing that this was not a room in Roswaal's mansion."

"For a moment just now, he almost thought he had died inexplicably again, and all the things he had done had been for nothing, as time had simply reversed."

"He's awake, meow? Lord Crusch, he's awake, meow."

"Accompanied by a pleasant voice, Felix, whom I had met once before, leaned forward, his fingers secretly tracing Hachiman Hikigaya's body, finally nodding in satisfaction, 'The healing effect is quite good, meow.'"

"Hachiman Hikigaya was stunned for a moment. He remembered that this Crusch follower, whom Roswaal had praised as having superb healing magic skills, and he roughly realized what was going on, but he still couldn't help feeling very uncomfortable."

"Well... as a patient, I certainly have no right to make demands, but men and women shouldn't touch each other, shouldn't we at least..."

Felix blinked in surprise, then feigned cuteness, kneeling on the bed like a cat, raising his clasped little hands, and speaking in a charming and alluring tone: "But Phil is a boy, meow?"

click-

Not only Hachiman Hikigaya, who was blooming for the second time in Totsuka Saika, at this moment, a large number of boys were in a swaying position, hesitant to speak, and in a daze.

"Why do boys who are cuter than girls even exist? It's outrageous! My sexual orientation is being warped!"

Mochizou slapped himself twice, startling his childhood friend who, forgetting to watch the video, got up to comfort him and brought him a wet towel. Seeing the beautiful Tamako, Mochizou finally managed to shake off his sense of immorality.

"Ah, sorry!" Hachiman Hikigaya quickly recovered his composure after his initial shock. He thought that it would be much easier to get along with someone who wasn't a girl. Just then, a beautiful woman in military uniform strolled in.

"She was composed and dignified; one look at her and you knew she was definitely a qualified monarch."

"Cursh, Hachiman Hikigaya has seen her portrait. Currently, the two most prestigious and powerful factions are Crush, who controls the military, and Anastasia, who controls the finances. They are formidable opponents."

"Is Lord Hachiman's health alright now?"

"It's all right, meow. You'll be fine after a few days of rest, meow~"

"This master and servant are in perfect harmony," Hachiman Hikigaya said, twirling a strand of his hair and sighing regretfully. "Although I really want to thank you for the treatment, Miss Crusch doesn't seem like such a generous and selfless person... I owe you a favor, and this is really troublesome."

"If it were truly possible for you to owe someone a favor, that would be a good thing," Crusch said with a hint of regret. Instead of taking advantage of the situation, she stated clearly, "Your health is simply due to overwork; there's no need for Phyllis to intervene. Emilia is overly anxious."

"She stated the facts directly, without intending to make Emilia's camp owe her a favor. Crusch paused for a moment, her words containing both criticism of Emilia's immaturity and praise."

"I heard that after arriving in the capital, you overworked yourself to do many things. To be able to steal partners from the Hexin Merchant Guild with your own intelligence, even if they were just a few insignificant ones, is truly remarkable."

Hachiman Hikigaya ignored the woman's praise and instead coldly expressed his unconditional support for Emilia: "Is that so? Overworked, huh... Such a trivial matter has already drawn the attention of Phyllis, the capital's top healer."

"This may sound strange at first glance, but upon closer examination, the subtext is that this is not a sign of Emilia's immaturity or naivety, but rather a reflection of her respect for her subordinates as a monarch. It demonstrates Emilia's reliability and the trustworthiness that people should have."

"..."

"Kursh was overjoyed at the sight of the hunt, and all the arguments she had prepared in her mind to persuade this man to switch sides and follow her were suddenly smashed to pieces by the storm."

“I’m too late.” Crusch said bitterly, “Lord Hachiman and I are not meant to be. The moment Emilia saved him in that alley, the outcome was already decided.”

Felix kept encouraging him: "No one can change what has already happened except Hachiman, but this time is different, Krush-sama. Just look forward to it, the first one he'll encounter this time will definitely be us, Krush!"

On the other side, Emilia, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, shone with a soaring spirit in her beautiful eyes, her guilt finally lessening. "Puck, Puck, can you see? I'm not just a burden to Hachiman anymore, that's great, that's great... Waaah..."

"Yes, well done, Leah."

"Was it worth it for Hachiman Hikigaya to put in so much effort?" Houtarou Oreki smiled slightly. "From an action perspective, of course it wasn't worth it. Even without Emilia, Hachiman Hikigaya wouldn't have been in a life-or-death situation in that alley. In the days that followed, Emilia didn't give him any significant contributions or favors."

"But from a spiritual perspective, it was absolutely worth it—not just worth it, it was something you couldn't miss!"

"Whether viewed from the perspective of a friend or a subject-servant relationship, Emilia is very pure. What she cares about most is whether Hachiman Hikigaya is healthy and happy, whether she has let him down, and whether she can help him... Such a close friend, such a monarch, such a girlfriend... who would be willing to miss out?"

Houtarou Oreki, who is good at energy conservation, actually started rambling on about his own views, revealing his deep-seated longing and aspirations.

This feeling lingered in his heart, and he couldn't help but glance at Chitanda Eru beside him, only to find that the girl was also secretly spying on him, with the same emotion on her face.

"Well…"

The two shy people, as if on cue, turned their faces away at the same time, their minds a jumbled mess.

"Your wisdom and loyalty have impressed me, Lord Hachiman. I look forward to your performance in the royal selection."

"Don't worry, I won't hold back."

"You really dare to say that, meow~"

"Curly has one more thing she hasn't said: she's looking forward to something, but that's all she's looking forward to."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, you are quite good."