Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

After saying this, he exclaimed "Oh dear!" with a look of sudden realization, his eyes slightly narrowed and a teasing smile curving his lips.

"I see. Shinomiya, you love me so much that you can't extricate yourself and you're afraid of losing me. I see. Then I can forgive your anxiety, Shinomiya."

"Varied--"

Kaguya Shinomiya, like a steam engine, was so shy that she completely shut down.

Although the president is right, and her feelings are known to the whole world, if she admits that she loves the president to this extent, wouldn't she be doomed to lose?

Absolutely not!

While racking her brains trying to figure out how to refute him... during this time, Kaguya Shinomiya was completely outmaneuvered and was utterly outmatched by Miyuki Shirogane.

"Waaah..." Although Iino Miko, trembling, couldn't grasp the essence of the story, she knew from the ending that the student council president was on a killing spree.

Yu Ishigami scratched his head, puzzled. The president's level of romantic counseling hadn't been high before, so how could he have suddenly improved so much?

With his head held high and chest puffed out, Shirogane Miyuki took in all the members of the student council.

That's right, he used to be at the level of someone who could only go toe-to-toe with Kaguya Shinomiya, but he didn't watch Hachiman Hikigaya's Love Journey for nothing.

Although he could never reach that advanced level, he could already feel his own leap forward after learning just a part of it.

In particular, the video directly pointed out his feelings, leaving him with no way out. Thanks to this, he barely reached the level of Hachiman Hikigaya.

In other words, they won't be shy about making mistakes because they love someone; they're brave enough to be direct, and they're also brave enough to accept directness from the person they love.

In contrast, Kaguya Shinomiya completely wasted her time; she didn't improve at all. Even now, she still gets confused by directness and being directed.

The difference between the two is obvious.

Today, with his Silver Might, crushing the mere Kaguya Shinomiya is no problem!

Kaguya Shinomiya's campaign ended in failure, but outside the student council, people had a variety of opinions.

Most of the students at Shuchiin Academy are fans of Kaguya Shinomiya and the Shirogane x Shinomiya pairing, so they are currently chanting the fervent slogan of "Expel Shirogane and restore Shirogane and Kaguya."

Although the so-called Silver x Kikyo pairing hasn't even materialized yet, they've already started taking precautions.

As for places outside Shuchiin, no one views this other world with the premise that "Shirogane Miyuki and Kikyo will have a romantic entanglement."

After all, that really didn't respect Kikyo's reputation and innocence.

"And it's also too unfriendly to that Kaguya Shinomiya, just like Yukinoshita... Oh no, why am I getting excited when I think about this reason?"

Kyosuke Kosaka was surprised; he never expected that he would develop such a strange hobby without even realizing it.

Just as he was at a loss, his younger sister, Kirino Kousaka, patted him on the shoulder. With a profound and philosophical look in her eyes, she said:

"That day, I saw Yukinoshita being abandoned, sitting in the Service Club and sobbing uncontrollably. At that moment, I thought... Emilia and Rem are the best, Yukinoshita's crying is so good, hahaha!"

The brother and sister were both caught up in the perverse pleasure of watching the real thing persecute the original spouse!

As Kirino Kousaka recounted the story, Kyosuke Kousaka had already pictured in his mind the scene of Kikyo brutally killing the weeping Kaguya Shinomiya.

"Hell lies ahead."

He tried his best to suppress this imagination, but one foot still stepped in.

So Kyosuke Kousaka could only concentrate on watching the video, hoping that Kikyo and Miyuki Shirogane wouldn't develop any further feelings, otherwise he was afraid he would really fall for them.

Meanwhile, in the distant Four Mansions, there lives a listless, pitiful child who remains immersed in despair.

That was the genius, Shijou Tei, who secretly loved Kaguya Shinomiya.

498. Beginning

"Having thought he had done a good deed, Shirogane Miyuki, with a clear mind, successfully arrived at the nearest village before nightfall."

"Small wooden houses, small-scale farming, and thin villagers wearing the cheapest old clothes—this is a true depiction of the lives of farmers at the bottom of society in ancient times."

"Shirogane Yuuki sighed softly. He remembered that there used to be a lot of talk on the internet saying how great ancient times were, that men who traveled to ancient times could directly rebel and become kings, and women who traveled to ancient times could directly become queens."

"That's incredibly anti-intellectual."

"If we assume that there are no cheats or hacks."

"Without the martial prowess of Kiyotaka Ayanokoji, even someone with high intelligence and emotional intelligence like Hachiman Hikigaya would have a tough time in the early stages if they didn't encounter the real thing at the beginning, and would need time to develop."

"Not to mention ordinary people, they'll probably be destitute for life, or they'll just get slaughtered early on."

"So Miyuki Shirogane was actually prepared to be turned away when he asked for help."

"The villagers did treat him very indifferently at first... However, to his surprise, after seeing Kikyo, the villagers who had been lukewarm towards him immediately smiled broadly."

"Not only did they readily agree to ask if there was any spare warehouse we could stay in overnight, but they also automatically upgraded the warehouse into a nice house belonging to the village chief and claimed that they would provide three meals a day for free."

"The stark contrast made Miyuki Shirogane realize that in this world, a shrine maiden might be an extremely noble being."

"...On the way to the village chief's house while helping Kikyo, Shirogane Miyuki talked with the villagers and gathered information."

He was vague about his origins, and the villagers didn't press him for details. But he did get the important information that "this is Japan during the Warring States period."

"Unlike the worlds of Emilia and Kyal, the other world he traveled to was a Japanese-style rather than a Western fantasy worldview."

"...And frankly speaking, because historical figures like Oda Nobunaga are all here, he was a little dazed for a moment."

"Maybe I didn't travel to another world, but rather back to the past?"

"This idea was quickly pushed into the back of Shirogane Miyuki's mind, and the probability of it dropping sharply to about one percent."

That evening, as he watched the villagers bring him dinner with such respectful expressions, he couldn't help but ask Kikyo, "Why does everyone respect the shrine maiden so much?"

Kikyo succinctly stated: "The shrine maiden possesses the ability to exorcise demons."

""monster? ""

"Shirogane Miyuki was speechless for a moment. "You mean, there are monsters around here, and they attack humans?"

"No," Kikyo's clear, melodious voice conveyed a message that made Shirogane Miyuki gasp, "It's the whole world."

"He had completely lost his appetite and felt a chill creep up his spine."

"Shirogane Miyuki is self-aware; he is by no means a brave or fearless person. Otherwise, when he first entered Shuchiin Academy, he wouldn't have just watched a female classmate fall into the water without trying to save her."

"Because he was very scared at the time, afraid that it would be dangerous for him to go into the water to save people."

"Although he has grown a lot since then, it is still difficult for him to be fearless of death... This is one of the reasons why he respects Hachiman Hikigaya and Kiyotaka Ayanokoji so much."

"Those two are modern high school students, but they have a level of awareness that far surpasses his."

"He's quite scared right now, so scared that he immediately wants to ask about monsters."

"Miss Kikyo, please guide me!"

"In order to prevent any potential problems, I secretly practiced the kneeling posture of Japanese nobles, thinking that this might improve my reputation in the eyes of the Shinomiya family and make it easier for me to marry Shinomiya Kaguya."

"Now, Miyuki Shirogane uses this kneeling position very seriously, showing his seriousness and respect for Kikyo."

Kikyo didn't care whether Shirogane Miyuki respected her or not. Since he was human and needed her help, she would naturally answer his questions regardless of his attitude: "What do you want to know?"

"...Through questioning and answering, Miyuki Shirogane gradually came to understand the pattern of this world."

"This world is divided into the mortal realm and the underworld."

"The world is inhabited by humans and yokai. There are many kinds of yokai, including animals, skeletons, plants, and even a piece of clothing. These can all become yokai."

"Most monsters are keen on eating humans. Although a small number of monsters are benevolent, they basically just don't hunt humans and won't help humans fight against those evil monsters."

"Under these circumstances, the reason why humans can still reproduce and thrive is because of the existence of various priestesses, monks, sorcerers, and exorcists."

"Some people are born with great spiritual power, while others cultivate their spiritual power through decades of hard work. The greater the spiritual power, the stronger one is, and the more powerful one can defeat monsters."

"A few of these people established a base in a certain place and stayed there, while most of them traveled all over the world, eliminating monsters along the way and protecting the human race."

"However, their numbers are far fewer than those of the monsters, so there are many times when villages without sorcerers are slaughtered by monsters, and even cities or countries are devoured by monsters."

"I see. So, the villagers feel much more at ease knowing that the shrine maiden has come to stay in this village?"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Shirogane Miyuki paused, then suddenly realized, "There are so many monsters in this world, yet I didn't encounter any during my long journey through the forest. Could it be—"

Regarding this sentence, Kikyo remained calm, showing no sign of pride or self-importance, and had no intention of considering herself a benefactor.

"But the fact that she didn't deny it already tells Shirogane Miyuki that his guess was correct."

"At that moment, a wave of fear washed over him. Shirogane Miyuki took two deep breaths, and when he looked at Kikyo again, he felt as if he saw holy light behind the priestess."

"She's simply an angel!"

"Shirogane Miyuki suddenly understands a bit about how Hikigaya Hachiman felt when Emilia saved him... Ah, no, no, it was pure gratitude, he shouldn't be using that as a metaphor."

"Hoo... Miss Kikyo, please allow me to express my sincere gratitude to you."

"Regardless of Shirogane Miyuki's attitude, Kikyo has always maintained the same calm expression that has remained basically unchanged since her appearance."

"She treated everyone with respect, equality, and compassion, and never had a condescending attitude for even a second."

"Like an angel fallen to earth."

499. The Tragic Half-Demon

"I have learned a great deal from Kikyo, and I am extremely grateful to her."

"But when he asked Kikyo why she was so weak today, what kind of injury she had suffered, and whether he could help her."

Kikyo hesitated, as if she had something difficult to say. And since she didn't want to lie, she ultimately didn't answer the question.

That night, after the two went to sleep in separate rooms, Shirogane Miyuki tossed and turned, unable to sleep, his mind filled with thoughts of repaying his debt of gratitude.

"The next day, he privately spoke to the village chief, hinting that there might be some wild herbs nearby that could be picked."

"Wild ones? No, but Di Nian'er's family does have a large medicinal herb field; you can go there to pick them."

Faced with the village chief's answer, Shirogane Miyuki hesitated, "But... village chief, I don't have any money right now, um..."

"He was thinking of discussing with the village chief whether he could act as an intermediary to sell the contents of his bag to the nobles, with the village receiving three-tenths of the proceeds in return."

"Unexpectedly, before he could even voice his thoughts, the village chief smiled and enchanted his beard, saying, 'Don't worry, Di Nian'er's herbs are free.'"

"Free!?" Shirogane Miyuki was taken aback and asked doubtfully, "Does that mean the Di Nian'er family isn't short of money?"

"How could that be? If they weren't short of money, why would they live in such a small village? It's much more comfortable in the city." The village chief waved his hand. "Anyway, just go and pick them without worry."

"Shirogane Miyuki wanted to ask more, but the village chief didn't seem to want to talk about it. He gave him directions and then left."