Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"I'll pick you up after school, Komachi. Then... I have something to tell you."

Komachi blinked, a smile playing on her lips. She put her hands behind her back, let out a satisfied "Hehe," and said, "Although I don't understand why there's such a heavy atmosphere, I'm relieved since we'll see each other again. Making a promise with your sister? Komachi gets full marks for that! Ah—oh no, is this some kind of flag?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya's throat bobbed, but he said nothing more. Although there were so many, so many things he wanted to say... he wouldn't be at ease until he resolved another matter. And if he didn't resolve that matter first, he wouldn't be worthy to openly declare what he wanted to say to Komachi."

"Hachiman Hikigaya rode his bicycle toward Sobu High School... These roads and shops were familiar, yet so strange."

"..."

Betty clutched the book's pages, looking at Hachiman Hikigaya, as if she were seeing her former self, experiencing the overwhelming grief of being suddenly separated from her closest loved ones.

"But at least Betty knew her mother was dead, Betty knew what her mother was doing, and her mother knew Betty was alive... But if you suddenly time-travel, there's no time to explain anything. Neither your brother nor your sister knows anything. All that's left is—"

Endless unknowns.

Whether it's sadness or fear... the most heartbreaking thing is not being able to confirm each other's status.

Is my brother, who suddenly disappeared, living well somewhere in the world?

What kind of helplessness, panic, and pain would the younger sister, who has become an only child, experience?

I don't know, I know nothing...

"However, Lord Hachiman, whose love for his younger sister was so deep that it was inseparable from her, endured this grief while still doing his best to support Emilia..."

Crusch murmured, speechless with overwhelming sorrow. Even witnessing the tragedy of a stranger evokes empathy and compassion in humans; how much more so when it involves someone they deeply love?

"Waaah—help me up, Mr. Rom, Phyllis can't hold it in anymore, she really wants to cry..."

“But you shouldn’t cry. Lord Hachiman wouldn’t want anyone to pity him; he is…”

It wasn't just Crusch... When they witnessed this scene firsthand, when they discovered that the complex pressure on Hachiman Hikigaya's shoulders was far greater than that of those of them who had been watching the future from beginning to end.

Even Priscilla could no longer maintain her contemptuous smile. Who could laugh at something like this, except perhaps a high-ranking archbishop or a witch?

However, neither Rem nor Emilia felt sad.

No matter what kind of pressure, no matter what kind of pain... I will definitely, absolutely must, share it with him, so I must stay strong! I can't let my sadness show, otherwise, when I see Hachiman, it will only intensify his guilt, and that's absolutely unacceptable!!

"Hachiman Hikigaya has become a brand new sight at Soubu High School."

"When he got rid of those dead fish eyes, everyone was suddenly surprised to find that Hachiman Hikigaya's appearance was perhaps no less than anyone else's, even compared to the most beautiful girls, he could be said to be on par with them."

""you--""

"Kawasaki Saki, Miura Yumiko, Hayama Hayato... no matter who it is, it's like they've seen a ghost."

"That's not just because of the change in Hachiman Hikigaya's appearance, but also because of the change in his lifestyle."

""Ayaka Totsuka, Saki Kawasaki, Hayato Hayama, Yuko Miura...""

"As Hachiman Hikigaya entered the classroom, he glanced around at the people he knew and respected, as if it had been years... He was there, looking at them intently, unconsciously calling their names softly."

Finally, his gaze settled on Hayato Hayama.

"Hayama was stunned and had no idea how he got through the day's lessons. All he knew was that his attention had been glued to Hachiman Hikigaya all day."

He had heard about the cold war in the Service Department... Could such a sudden change be due to excessive pressure? Although it seems to be changing for the better... we can't just sit idly by.

"Under the varied gazes of Ebina and the others, Hayama Hayato and Hikigaya Hachiman gradually left the classroom."

"Walking through the corridor, across the playground, into the small grove where only the two of them were."

"These two close friends, two men, looked at each other as equals."

"I'm jealous of you, Hayama."

"Hachiman Hikigaya, face the past directly."

116. Face the past, I'm jealous of you.

"Hayama Hayato was stunned. He suddenly felt thirsty, swallowed, and his heart and blood were all restless."

"Are you serious?"

Seeing his incredulous expression, Hachiman Hikigaya didn't change his mind: "From the very first day I met you, I've been jealous of you, Hayama."

"You said you...are jealous of me?"

"To Hayama's surprise, he had always thought Hayama was a calm and gentle person. Yet, at this moment, he truly clenched his teeth, like a lone, abandoned wolf: 'Do you know what you're saying?'"

He stared at Hachiman Hikigaya like a lit oil drum, utterly incredulous. This man before him—the man he admired, longed for, often felt inferior to, and was willing to concede defeat to—this Hachiman Hikigaya actually said… he was jealous of him?!

"What the hell are you doing?! What the hell?!"

Grabbing Hachiman Hikigaya by the collar, Hayama's chest heaved violently. He growled, and even in that growl, his voice remained gentle, a quality he himself was unaware of: "I'm the one... I'm jealous of you! I'm so jealous of you, Hachiman Hikigaya!!"

""I know.""

""Varied--""

"I know you've always been jealous of me, Hayama. I can tell."

A startled Hachiman couldn't stop him from continuing: "But I've always been jealous of you, Hachiman."

"Stop joking! What do I have? What do I have that you'd be jealous of? You're the one I admire, aren't you? Hachiman? You...you want to...you're prepared to destroy my new beliefs?"

"The rising momentum gradually turned into pleading. Hayama's pleading gaze was as he begged his friend to retract his previous statement. However, Hachiman Hikigaya became so cold and ruthless at this moment, shattering the man's delusion."

"It's just wishful thinking on your part, Hayama."

"I'm jealous of you, I've always been jealous of you." Hachiman Hikigaya's words fell clearly into Hayama's ears.

"You've always been the center of attention, you're a popular person, and I'm jealous of you; after the text message incident, Hobe truly became your friend, and you have friends, and I'm jealous of you; Miura has always had a crush on you, and you have girls who like you, and I'm jealous of you; you come from a good family and can be a carefree stay-at-home dad, and I'm jealous of you; you're handsome, better looking than me with my deadpan eyes, and I'm jealous of you; you've known Yukinoshita since childhood, and you know her better than I do, and I'm jealous of you."

"Then I will!!"

"A roar. If Miura Yumiko had seen Hayama at that moment, she might have wondered if she was seeing things."

Hayama slammed his forehead against Hachiman's, silencing him with each word. His deep voice overwhelmed Hachiman: "Then me too!!"

"I envy you for living freely regardless of others' opinions! I envy you for being able to resolve the loneliness that has lingered under the snow because of my mistake! I envy you for possessing wisdom far surpassing mine! I envy you for possessing gentleness far surpassing mine! I envy you for being able to hurt yourself to complete the unreasonable request I made of you!"

"I've always been jealous of you! !"

"Hayama's hands were trembling. He was far more agitated than Hachiman Hikigaya. He was panting heavily, as if he were drowning in a vast, boundless sea, and then..."

"There was a man who extended a helping hand to him, offering salvation."

"Ignore all his emotions, ignore all his feelings, ignore all his voices."

"Hachiman Hikigaya seemed not to hear his protests, and after a brief pause, he continued his own explanation."

"I'm jealous of you... so thank you, Hayama."

"——"

"Hayama's pupils reflected Hachiman Hikigaya's image, and he froze for a moment."

"I'm jealous of you, so I've come to understand what it truly means to be a successful person in a positive environment, and therefore I no longer resist becoming one myself."

"I was jealous of you, your background, your ability to be so considerate. That's why I was able to get along well with Reinhard and Julius. Having been jealous of you, I will never be jealous of the same kind of person again, and I will not distance myself from these truly worthy companions."

"I'm jealous of you, so I'm even more eager to know about Yukinoshita's past, her true feelings, her habits, and the days she reminisced about. With her involvement, the happy moments in my memories have increased a lot, and Komachi is also very happy."

"I'm jealous of you... Hayama, I'm jealous of you. That's why you're my best friend... You are my first best friend, the first real thing I ever received."

"Ugh, what...is this all about?"

Ye Shan smiled bitterly, then knelt weakly on the ground. "Although I'm confused, so am I just your tool?"

"Hachiman Hikigaya nodded slowly. "Not only that, but you're a very useful tool; you can support me in my journey forward."

"Ah...then what about all the embarrassing things I just did? What did it all mean?"

"It was my selfish reason, my selfish reason."

"..." Hayama looked up, a bitter smile on his face, "If what you said is true... if you're willing to accept a useless person like me as your best friend..."

He stretched out his hand, trembling.

"As if by telepathy, at the same time, Hachiman Hikigaya, who was standing, reached out his hand to pull him up."

"Two different but similar hands touch each other and help each other."

"Hayama, his eyes wide open, stood up again. He saw Hachiman Hikigaya wiping the dust off his knees, and he saw that Hachiman Hikigaya's attitude towards him no longer carried the regrettable distance of the past."

"This is a feeling that you can never experience with anyone else."

"So... this is what it feels like...?"

"The person I envy, the person I admire, the person I cherish, who is so close to me, is Hachiman Hikigaya."

"If I can be of use to you, then I'm just a tool—so be it! Why would I complain if you can do whatever you want with me?"

"But after you're done using him, at least say something like, 'This was a very useful and handy tool,' otherwise I won't forgive you, Hachiman."

"Then I hope you'll never forgive me, and that you'll always remember me, Hayama."

"The melancholy and regret in Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes dissipated somewhat at this moment," he said softly.

"But thank you... Hayama."

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117. The First to Arrive: Yukinoshita (Part 1)

Nobody knew Hayato Hayama.

Apart from the students and teachers of Soubu High School, no one knew Hayato Hayama.

Even those who knew Hayama, such as Miura Yumiko, were completely astonished. They had no idea when he had formed such a close friendship with Hikigaya Hachiman.

Normally, Hachiman Hikigaya clearly looks displeased with Hayama, and Hayama rarely approaches Hachiman Hikigaya unless he has a need for him.

Judging from these behaviors alone, outsiders would never be able to imagine how these two people formed such a twisted and unique close friendship.

"Hayato, you..."