Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"Because she could tell at a glance that Kikyo was beyond saving."

"Since there's absolutely no chance of saving her, she certainly won't hold back on using her abilities. At the very least, this will definitely make Shirogane Miyuki feel even more favorably toward her."

After all that painstaking effort, Miss Tsubaki raised her head, looked at the people around her who were eagerly waiting for her, and said coldly, "She's dead."

"Grief-stricken, Feng trembled as she reached her hand near her sister's nose, but felt no breath. Shaking her head, she had to declare, 'My sister... is dead.'"

"Upon hearing this, the villagers were in an uproar. Some mourned, while others worried about how difficult things would become for the village that had lost its shrine maiden."

"Shirogane Miyuki completely ignored the villagers' attitudes. He just sat down on the muddy ground without caring about the dirt, his mind was in a daze, he couldn't think of anything, and he couldn't hear anything."

"Just sit there, sit there, forgetting even to cry, like a statue."

"Miss Tsubaki seemed to whisper something in his ear, but Miyuki Shirogane didn't hear a word she said. It wasn't until the villagers finished cleaning up Kikyo's body half a day later, and were going to follow her last wishes to cremate her and the Shikon Jewel, that Miyuki Shirogane came back to life."

"He did not change the outcome of the Shikon Jewel being burned, because although he needed power, he did not want to covet something that would corrupt people's hearts. He believed that Inuyasha and Kikyo also shared this view."

"Amidst the crackling of burning firewood, Kikyo and the Shikon Jewel vanished into ashes."

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, I'm so sorry."

"Shirogane Miyuki murmured to himself, standing with his head tilted back, his face haggard."

Hachiman Hikigaya could understand Shirogane Miyuki's current state of mind.

Put yourself in his shoes: if he entrusted Otto to Julius, asking Julius to protect Otto, or if Julius entrusted his younger brother Joshua to Hachiman Hikigaya, asking him to protect Joshua.

As a result, Julius caused Otto's death, or Hachiman Hikigaya caused Joshua's death.

If such a thing were to happen, neither Hachiman Hikigaya nor Julius would be able to forgive themselves. They would feel incredibly ashamed and have no face to see each other.

This is exactly how Shirogane Miyuki feels right now.

This is a reaction that represents the person's good character. Hachiman Hikigaya thinks there is nothing wrong with it, but just because Miyuki Shirogane has no problem does not mean that Tsubaki has no problem.

At this moment, the utterly despondent Shirogane Miyuki, in Tsubaki's eyes, probably already fueled her jealousy, making her feel that Shirogane Miyuki was completely lost in despair because of Kikyo.

Hachiman Hikigaya sighed with a hint of regret, "If Miyuki Shirogane doesn't realize this bomb is about to explode soon, I'm afraid a rift will appear between him and Miss Tsubaki that will be difficult to mend."

If it weren't impossible, he would really like to lend his insightful understanding of people's hearts to Shirogane Miyuki.

Although on the surface, Miyuki Shirogane seems to have higher emotional intelligence than Hachiman Hikigaya before he was transported to another world, that's all an illusion.

There are many things that Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't understand, but rather that he understands them and is capable of doing them, but simply doesn't want to.

In terms of emotional intelligence, he was far superior to Hachiman Hikari and Miyuki Shirogane, even before he transmigrated. They were simply not on the same level.

However, Shirogane Miyuki has one advantage that he lacks.

That is hard work.

It's not hard to talk about hard work, but to be like Shirogane Miyuki, who spends every single moment of his grueling training, except for eating, sleeping, bathing, and doing housework, is something else entirely.

If this continued day after day without interruption for a full two years, it would be terrifying.

It's not a big deal to stick to it for a day, or even a week, but to stick to it for a month, a year, or even two years requires an indescribable level of self-discipline.

Not to mention, Shirogane Miyuki also voluntarily shortened his sleeping time, freeing up more time for cultivation.

In terms of hard work and diligence, Hachiman Hikigaya felt inferior and admired Miyuki Shirogane.

Unfortunately, Shirogane Miyuki's hard work and diligence could not prevent the bomb from detonating.

"The powdered remains of the cremated bellflower should be used for burial."

"After much deliberation, Miyuki Shirogane abandoned his plan to secretly destroy the corpse powder. According to Inuyasha, fifty years later, the resurrected Kikyo was determined to kill him."

"This is not a good thing, but Shirogane Miyuki saw it. Even when talking about such a sad thing, Inuyasha still had an undeniable subconscious joy when talking about Kikyo's resurrection."

"Inuyasha would be more satisfied if Kikyo were resurrected than if she weren't."

"With this in mind, Shirogane Miyuki no longer wanted to change the fact that Kikyo had been resurrected."

"After that, the dejected Shirogane Miyuki temporarily stayed in this village, helping Kaede and the villagers to fight off various demons and monsters."

"Kikyo traveled the world and killed countless demons. Now that she has died, all the demons who were related to those who died have come to seek revenge."

"If it weren't for the intervention of Miyuki Shirogane and Miss Tsubaki, even if this village could repel the attacking monsters thanks to the barrier set up by Kikyo before her death and the lingering spiritual pressure from Kikyo, it would probably have suffered a lot of casualties."

"Being able to save Kikyo's fellow villagers with his own strength, Shirogane Miyuki finally emerged slightly from his depression."

"But on the contrary, Miss Tsubaki's dissatisfaction had been building up for days, until one day she finally couldn't hold back anymore."

"The grenade has started to explode."

537. I feel guilty towards Inuyasha

"How long are you planning to keep doing this?"

"At Kikyo's grave, Tsubaki, barely suppressing her dissatisfaction, broke the silence with her questioning, shattering Shirogane Miyuki's expression of remembrance and guilt. He looked up blankly: 'What?'"

After asking the question, he lowered his head dejectedly and muttered, "But the monsters' attacks aren't over yet. I couldn't save Kikyo. I have to protect the others. I can't just leave like this... I can't go back to the shrine with you to train so soon."

"You think I'm talking to you about this?!"

"Miss Tsubaki was furious. Although she didn't consider herself a very good person, she didn't think she would just stand by and watch a monster attack the village and leave indifferently."

"She couldn't understand at all whether Shirogane Miyuki was pretending to be confused when he knew the truth, or whether he was so clueless that he couldn't even perceive such subtext."

"But in either case, Miss Tsubaki is no longer willing to tolerate it. Even if Miyuki Shirogane refuses to talk about it, she will point it out clearly."

"You like Kikyo, love Kikyo, and are so good to her. Ha, how touching. She's already dead, and you're still crying and crying all day long. Was she really that good? She's completely dead, and you still can't forget her?"

"The accusations against Shirogane Miyuki were filled with overwhelming anger. Tsubaki-san, who had been harboring resentment for a long time, was aggressive and showed no respect for Kikyo whatsoever."

Shirogane Miyuki's eyes widened as he stared at Tsubaki, a woman so different from his usual self, so unfamiliar to him, cold-blooded and inexplicably angry. He was utterly astonished: "W-what do you mean by that?!"

Miss Chun simply gave a cold laugh and did not reply.

"His mind has been in a mess for the past few days. He was so afraid of how to face Inuyasha that he almost stopped thinking. Only now did he realize that Tsubaki-san was arguing with him."

"But even if he understood that, he still couldn't be gentle. Not only was he not gentle, but his attitude was terrible: 'What nonsense! Saying I like Kikyo? Don't let me hear that a second time!'"

"Not only is Shirogane Miyuki's mind confused right now, but his mentality is also very negative."

"Although deep down he wanted to be more amiable, he couldn't be as rational as Hachiman Hikigaya when it came to emotions."

"If it were Hachiman Hikigaya, that rational monster, he would definitely calmly and patiently explain everything from beginning to end, and also calm Tsubaki down."

"But Shirogane Miyuki really can't calm down right now. There's a fire burning inside him. That fire could have cooled down over time, but Tsubaki-san's accusations have made it spread."

"It's not just Miss Tsubaki who's angry and dissatisfied; Miyuki Shirogane has also been angry and dissatisfied lately."

"Although his anger and dissatisfaction originally had nothing to do with Miss Tsubaki, at this moment, in this situation, he finally couldn't control himself and started to take his anger out on Miss Tsubaki."

"Trying to lie to me? Why don't you go look in the mirror? Still don't like it? Heh." At this point in her accusation, Miss Chun paused, slightly regretting whether she had gone too far. The next second…

"What's that any of your business!"

With a furious growl, Shirogane Miyuki stood up, his chest heaving violently. His thoughts were in turmoil, driven by his emotions. "Two years ago! That archery two years ago, it must have been Kikyo! If you hadn't taken the credit, if it weren't for you, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have—"

"Yes! I was lying, so what? Do you want to settle the score? So what if you know? Do you want to yell at me for that?!"

Overwhelmed by Shirogane Miyuki's condemnation, Tsubaki burst into a tirade: "She's been dead for so long, and you're still like this! Don't you want to look in the mirror and see how pathetic you are? Do you even resemble Shirogane Miyuki anymore? All because of her, all because of her!!"

"Miss Tsubaki, who was cursing loudly, became more and more agitated. In a moment of impulsiveness, she kicked Kikyo's tombstone."

"Smack!"

"A heavy slap landed, making half of her cheek sting. Miss Tsubaki stopped insulting Kikyo and stared blankly and incredulously at Miyuki Shirogane who had slapped her."

"In those unbelievable two seconds, what Miss Tsubaki cared about was not the pain in her cheek, but the sudden surge of grievance, a surging feeling of grievance that completely overwhelmed her."

A lump formed in her throat, but Miss Tsubaki didn't shed a tear. She simply asked hesitantly, "You hit me because of Kikyo?"

"——"

"Shirogane Miyuki was also stunned. He looked at his outstretched hand before belatedly realizing what he had done."

"With that slap, the irritability, frustration, anger, dissatisfaction and other negative emotions that had been lingering in his heart for several days were released, and Shirogane Miyuki has now returned to his usual self."

"Wait, I was wrong, but you... Tsubaki, Tsubaki!"

"Having finally regained his composure, Shirogane Miyuki knew what he had to do, but he no longer had the chance."

"At his remorseful cry, Miss Tsubaki had already turned and flown into the sky, far away from this place of sorrow, without looking back."

"Shirogane Miyuki felt a chill run through his body. Just as he was about to give chase, a commotion erupted in the village. Another monster was attacking."

"Stopping in place, looking in the direction where Miss Tsubaki had gone, and then turning his head to look at the village where the sounds of 'Seeking the Old' were rising and falling, Shirogane Miyuki gritted his teeth in resentment."

"He eventually went back and helped the villagers defeat the monster."

"Ugh!"

In the student council room, Miyuki Shirogane sighed and shook his head repeatedly.

Ultimately, this matter can be attributed to Miss Chun's fault; she had a flawed subjective understanding.

Moreover, if she hadn't deceived me back then, and my future self had known about Kikyo's existence two years earlier, I would definitely have visited her occasionally. In that case, I might not have missed discovering Onigumo.

In that case, perhaps we could defy fate and change our destiny.

Sighing deeply, Shirogane Miyuki's face was gloomy: "However, that's all I'm saying. It's all just wishful thinking, and I've done a lot wrong too. Sigh."

In the days that followed his rescue of Kikyo, the future him made far too many mistakes, mistakes that neither Hachiman Hikigaya nor Kiyotaka Ayanokoji would have made.

Yu Ishigami said honestly, "Don't say that. You've already done very well, Chairman. Those two seniors were monsters after all. You're already at the top among normal people."

Frankly speaking, no normal person would be in that mental state to pay attention to Ms. Tsubaki's dissatisfaction or calmly talk to her.

No matter how gentle a person is normally, when they have a lot of negative emotions accumulating in their heart, they will involuntarily become irritable.

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P.S.: To all those in the comments section who say "Shirogane is too extreme" and "How could he and Kikyo have such feelings?", please don't skim through the entire post.

I've been writing this all along. Shirogane's emotional reaction is because he feels guilty for not fulfilling Inuyasha's entrustment and request. Kikyo herself isn't the main factor. I've clearly explained this in writing, so please don't skip ahead.

PS2: Requesting monthly votes

538. Tsubaki and Miyuki Shirogane's eternal farewell