Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

Aren't all the witches dead? They should all be dead!

Everyone was very excited. In this world, there are few people who are not afraid of or disgusted by witches these days—but their fear and disgust combined cannot suppress Roswaal's surprise and emotion!

Cheers, jubilation, kneeling on the ground gazing at the light screen, tears streaming down their faces, Roswaal made a complete fool of himself, his soul trembling. A supreme longing, worship, and love compelled him to experience that kind of ecstatic response, something he hadn't felt in four hundred years.

"Ho ho ho ho..."

At the same time, Betty's breathing quickened. She saw it, she saw it, "So many years, so many years—Mother!"

Her emotions, her complex feelings, were no less intense than Roswaal's!

Betty and Roswaal were incredibly grateful at this moment for the broadcast of the future, and for Hachiman Hikigaya, who seemed like a savior.

Roswaal at least had some mental preparation; he knew his own plan, but Betty had genuinely received a wonderful surprise from heaven! An overwhelming surprise!

Compared to the fear and madness of the people of this world, and the joy of a very few like Betty and Roswaal.

On the other side of Earth, Kyosuke Kousaka twitched the corner of his mouth; he truly mourned for Hachiman Hikigaya.

"What's going on here? I remember witches are among the top beings in this other world, right? They should be even more terrifying than Archbishops of Sin, right? At least they shouldn't be any worse... Why does Hachiman always encounter such powerful enemies? This is too difficult!"

102. Counterfeits, I refuse!

"Did I really scare you? But it's not my fault, you could say you barged in yourself. Don't worry, it's just a soul that came in. Since you're already here, why not just relax and enjoy my tea party?"

"Hmm? Why are you looking so disgusted?"

"Is there something about me that you're unhappy about? This is our first meeting, right? And let's be honest, I'm a beautiful young woman. That look on your face is so strange. Your body doesn't react with dizziness, pain, or vomiting like other people who have met me, does it?"

"Like an innocent and pitiful ordinary person who has been slandered, Echidna put on a wronged look."

"Discomfort, aversion, disgust, nausea, vomiting, intense aversion—not physical, but psychological."

She gets jealous of the cheerful and kind Hayama, dislikes Yuihama who pretends to be someone she's not, directly scolds Sagami for his mistakes, and even forgets about her classmate Kawasaki Saki, whom she doesn't value.

"Hachiman Hikigaya knows that his selflessness is a bottom line, and it will change depending on the specific situation. He is not like Emilia or Reinhard, who are selfless and unconditionally kind to everyone. He has done quite a few things that are not kind or gentle."

"Even so, until now, even towards Sagami, who caused Yukinoshita to fall ill from overwork, he has never felt such genuine disgust, aversion, or disdain."

"—A counterfeit. This Witch of Greed, Echidna, before him is the most indescribable counterfeit he has ever seen in his life!"

"It's an intuition, and also the result of his years of observation."

"Although we cannot see through Echidna, she is similar to Petritchus, very unpredictable... However, the difference is that the aura of counterfeit on Echidna is so strong that it fills the entire vast world, that much is certain."

"Since crossing over into this world, although I have experienced all sorts of hardships and death, everyone I have known around me has been a shining and genuine being. Suddenly encountering such an unprecedented fake, Hachiman Hikigaya, who was burdened with Rem's secret, was slightly unable to control his disgust."

"A tea party...?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya took a deep breath and slowly stepped forward, where he saw Echidna smiling and making a 'please sit down' gesture."

"If you can suppress that inexplicable dislike you have for me, well, good boy, how about you drink the tea too?"

"If I drink tea, will you let me go back?"

"I'm not worried about whether there's poison in the tea. With the ability to pull apart souls in an instant, if Echidna really wanted to kill him, it would probably only take a snap of her fingers."

"If you wish," Echidna said, before Hachiman Hikigaya downed his teacup in one gulp. Like a cunning fox, she asked with amusement, "How does it taste? This is tea born from this realm, from this grave…you could say it's the fluids of a witch."

"As expected..." Hachiman Hikigaya immediately understood that he hadn't wronged anyone. One of Echidna's most basic traits was that she was definitely a troublemaker. "She's a truly awful person... But I'm sorry, I didn't savor it properly, I drank it all in one gulp, so I can't answer you. I've finished my tea, let me go back now."

Echidna's wicked teasing stopped as her smile froze. She quickly composed herself and said calmly, "Wicked? Is it really okay to make such a hasty decision? Well, of course, you can go back anytime—but, having attended the Witch of Greed's tea party, don't you have anything you'd like to ask?"

""ask……""

"Hachiman Hikigaya was stunned."

"Echidna, I just heard that name. In contrast, the title of Witch of Greed is very famous. She was one of the witches from four hundred years ago, representing wisdom and intelligence, and can be said to be 'omniscient'."

"According to information I heard from Frederica, the Sanctuary was actually created by the Witch of Greed, or you could say it's the Witch of Greed's grave. Of course, now that Echidna's soul seems perfectly healthy, it's hard to call her dead; it's more reasonable to describe her as asleep or sealed away."

"My aversion to counterfeits is involuntarily driven away... There's a problem I can't help but want to express, I need to plead."

"No matter what kind of expression Hachiman Hikigaya gave her, Echidna's grievances, displeasure, amusement and other emotions seemed to be superficial. The only thing that could be perceived was her curiosity."

Seeing that he was clearly interested, Echidna's eyes sparkled with curiosity, but beneath that curiosity, she already had a pretty sure answer.

"Come on, ask away—what questions do you seek answers to? Is it information about the Seven Great Witches four hundred years ago, or even the Witch of Envy? Is it the motive behind Roswaal's intriguing actions? Is it the past behind the construction of this Sanctuary? Is it that annoying Emilia or the brooding Betty? Come on, come on, whatever you want to know, I might—tell you everything!"

After her rapid speech, Echidna's voice softened and slowed, yet it struck Hachiman Hikigaya like a thunderclap: "Hmm~ Or perhaps, regarding the oni girl named Rem, how do you retrieve the memories and existence that were taken from her by the Archbishop of Gluttony?"

""you--""

"Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't hide his surprise and astonishment. He looked at Echidna with heavy breathing, while she smiled back at him."

"Is it mind reading? Or memory reading? It doesn't matter to Echidna whether she knows the underlying principles behind his thoughts, but..."

"Echidna's question, though seemingly deliberate, is actually a firm statement: 'The way to save that oni girl, you ask?'"

"..."

"The extent to which Hachiman Hikigaya's emotions fluctuate is unimaginable to outsiders. It is precisely because of this that Echidna, having witnessed firsthand his emphasis on Rem, does not believe he will give up this opportunity to ask a question."

"However--"

"I refuse."

"What?" Echidna patted her ears, seemingly doubting that she had misheard the unexpected answer.

Hachiman Hikigaya ignored Echidna's deliberate attempt to give him a way out, and said each word slowly and deliberately, his heart bleeding, but his resolve unwavering: "I said, I don't intend to ask you any questions right now."

"No, this is too strange!" Echidna put her finger to her lips, unable to understand. "Why? Why is this happening? That girl is your pillar of support, isn't she? I can feel your desire to save her, you know? In that case—"

103. Counterfeits, I refuse! (Next)

"Because I value Rem so much, I refuse to ask you for the answer to save Rem. Are you satisfied with my answer?"

"Faced with Echidna, who seemed to be able to read minds, Hachiman Hikigaya abandoned all pretense and maneuvering. His words were very direct and sharp."

"I don't trust you, Echidna. I don't believe in such easy luck. For the past ten years or so, up until these last two months, aside from having a wonderful sister, a great teacher, and a good club president, my luck has never been good... I don't believe my fortunes will change so easily, Echidna."

"Being rejected like this, Echidna initially feigned distress, but then she stopped caring. Satisfied curiosity made her beautiful eyes almost sparkle, her face flushed, and her expression alluring. 'Hmm, I see, I see. Are you afraid I'll give you the wrong method? Ah~ This is also a choice, an answer I didn't expect—indeed, you are quite remarkable.'"

She blinked. "But is it really a good idea to just give up on a possibility so easily? It might be the only lifeline you can hold onto."

"Of course not. If the only way I can find to save Rem is through you, then my refusal now will be something I'll regret for the rest of my life."

"Hachiman Hikigaya stood up, staring intently down at Echidna. He knew this couldn't possibly intimidate a witch who had lived for four hundred years, but it boosted his confidence and created the illusion that he was the stronger party, which was important."

“Echidna, even if you say I trespassed on your grave, I simply don’t believe someone like you would patiently talk to someone for so long and offer such favorable terms for no reason.”

“I may know what you want, or I may not… but I know you must be coveting me, or something related to me, something that I doubt you can take by force.”

He paused, and Echidna remained silent. "You didn't deny it, so it seems my assumption was correct."

"Since that's the case, as long as I can stay in the Sanctuary, I believe we'll have a chance to meet again—if one day I'm certain that I can't save Rem through any other means, then I'll return here."

"Hachiman Hikigaya was actually a little nervous when he revealed all his confidence in refusing... but when he saw Echidna applauding him without reservation, the cold sweat on his back finally stopped."

Echidna didn't offer a pointless denial; her actions did reveal a great deal of information—this man's vigilance and meticulousness were truly remarkable. She simply smiled, feigning nonchalance: "Regardless, calling a beautiful young girl 'someone like you' is a bit much, isn't it?"

"If he's lived for four hundred years, he could be considered a handsome young man—"

He swallowed back what he was about to say, as Echidna's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"The next second, Hachiman Hikigaya's heart suddenly pounded violently, sweat beaded on his forehead, and his whole body ached."

"Ha...it seems I was right not to trust you."

"Say something like that? My tea is harmless to you. Hmm, you have a lot of prejudice against me. That won't do. I really like you~ If you hate me too much and resist me too much, then I'll have a headache~"

"False, counterfeit. From our interactions until now, the only things that have given him a sense of reality about Echidna are her moments of curiosity and when she talks about age and beautiful girls."

"As for expressions of grievance, praise, or pitifulness, they are like the moon's reflection in the water—they seem to exist, but Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't sense anything at all."

However, that was Hachiman Hikigaya, who was obsessed with the real thing and had experienced many real things such as Komachi, Yukinoshita, Emilia, Rem, Reinhard, and Julius.

There are many intelligent people, but only he, who is obsessed with the genuine article, could perceive the abnormality of Echidna's fake.

For the vast majority, almost everyone, it was difficult to understand why Hachiman Hikigaya harbored such hostility and vigilance towards Echidna.

"That's strange. Isn't taking shortcuts comfortable? Hachiman is exhausted, both physically and mentally, and there are many mysteries surrounding him. He's not someone who hates taking shortcuts, so why is he so averse to Echidna?"

Uesugi Fuutarou scratched his head. He wasn't criticizing Hikigaya Hachiman, after all, so many previous situations had already demonstrated Hikigaya Hachiman's strength. He just really couldn't understand, "Why bother?"

"Could it be that he's still somewhat mentally unstable because of Rem's death?"

Ichika Nakano suggested a possibility, and the others immediately nodded: "Very likely!"

The Shirogane family, the Izumi family, the Kousaka family, the Musashino Company, the apple stand owner, the Knights of the Order of Chance, the villagers of the territory... countless people who previously supported Hachiman Hikigaya are now confused, and some even feel that he made a mistake this time.

"Couldn't he have asked first? It's not like anything will happen. Echidna, that great beauty, practically threw herself at him and treated him so well from beginning to end. What is he afraid of?"

Kaguya Shinomiya frowned, and Ai Hayasaka, standing beside her, shared the same opinion.

"Although the name of the Witch of Greed is frightening, and it's uncomfortable to see her at first glance, upon closer inspection, Echidna is actually quite nice to Hitchcock, and there's no sign that she wants to harm anyone."

"You abandoned the way to save Rem based on your own unfounded speculation, Hachiman Hikigaya! What do you take Ram's sister for? Do you even love Rem? Damn it!"

In the courtyard of Roswaal's mansion, an enraged Ram, if not for Rem's anxious attempts to calm her down, would probably have crippled Hachiman Hikigaya the moment she saw him again.

"Rem believes in Hachiman! Rem can feel his desire to save her... He must have his own reasons, sister."

Ram was still furious, but she just couldn't bring herself to vent her anger on her younger sister. In the end, she sighed, temporarily setting aside her grievances against Hachiman Hikigaya, and muttered, "It's because you're too good to him that he's become so reckless! He's risked his life for you!"

Even with God's perspective, even knowing Hachiman Hikigaya's sacrifices, one might not necessarily understand Hachiman Hikigaya's thoughts and feelings; people are all different.

Yet, even under these circumstances, he can still support Hachiman Hikigaya... This is the true thing he longs for!

104. The Man Who Gave Up the Witch of Greed

"Hmph...this big idiot, so disrespectful to his mother, really, what a fool!"

Little Betty was frantic, pacing back and forth. "How could Mother possibly be bad to him? Mother is such a wonderful person. She's already said so. He should just obediently ask the questions! Why think so much? This big idiot, doesn't he know how to lighten his burden?"

Betty was unhappy.

But she didn't question Hachiman Hikigaya; she was indignant, indignant that this big idiot didn't know how to take shortcuts, didn't know how to free himself from so much trouble, and didn't know how to make things easier for himself.

However, compared to this dissatisfaction, at this moment, Betty's mind and body were more vibrant than ever in the past four hundred years.

"He was received by his mother... his mother was very interested in him... he had something his mother was curious about and needed... this, this guy..."