Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

Ye Shan shook his head, his face beaming with confidence. He held his head high, displaying immense trust in his friend.

"Hachiman is no longer the penguin that people look down on, who is outwardly at the lowest level of Soubu High society..."

"At this moment, he makes no attempt to conceal his abilities and brilliance. He is the chosen one at the very top of the Kingdom of Lugnica, Emilia's most capable assistant, and Hachiman Hikigaya, who has repeatedly distinguished himself!"

Even Hayama showed a slight disdain for the ugly politician.

“There are only five in the whole country, and each of them has the opportunity to become His Majesty the Emperor of the Kingdom. How could such a chosen one be of lower status than a member of the Council of Wise Men? He just saw that Emilia was weak and easy to bully, so he deliberately showed off his superiority and took advantage of her.”

"Now, if any of the members of parliament had any sense, they wouldn't take action."

"Why?" Isshiki Iroha was still puzzled.

Yumiko Miura's expression revealed a knowing look. She racked her brains, trying to come up with a way to appear as a couple with Hayama, and finally quickly understood Hayama's unspoken meaning. She immediately replied:

"Because now, Emilia is no longer a pushover who doesn't know how to use her status and power. She has a backer, and this backer will use all its strength to fight against everything for her—Hachiman Hikigaya himself is the strongest deterrent!!!"

"The ceremony announcing the start of the Royal Selection successfully concluded at dusk."

"However, the candidates, who should have parted ways here and fought each other like running earth dragons, had their followers gathered together."

Julius slowly walked up to Hachiman Hikigaya, extended his hand, and the two shook hands in silence.

Julius was in a very good mood, so much so that everyone could see it. He said softly, "It is an honor to compete with a man like you... Even so, I will still do my utmost to bring victory to Lady Anastasia."

"Likewise." Hachiman Hikigaya, if he had to describe his body and soul, it was as if he had fallen into a pool of honey, surrounded by shimmering, real things.

"Julius proudly declared, 'My friend, Hachiman Hikigaya.'"

"A friend...?" Hachiman Hikigaya lowered his head, paused for two seconds, then let out a firm sigh. "Ha."

The group eventually parted ways.

"After getting on the dragon stand, the once dashing Hachiman Hikigaya, in this small space with only him and Emilia, lost all his previous heroic demeanor and felt nervous and uncomfortable."

Emilia's fair face was filled with complex emotions. She hesitated, sitting next to Hachiman Hikigaya, and several times seemed about to say something.

"Hachiman Hikigaya would suddenly make a strange onomatopoeic sound, loudly drowning it out and interrupting the dangerously ambiguous atmosphere."

"Using this method, he delayed his return to the mansion, and then rushed out of the scaffolding to get back to his bedroom."

Emilia blinked in surprise from behind.

"She has so much to say."

"But as she watched the man's back, which clearly indicated his rejection and seemed to be silently saying 'I won't listen, I won't listen, I just won't listen,' she suddenly covered her mouth, bent over with uncontrollable laughter."

"While laughing, two lines of tears appeared. These two lines were not tears of sadness, but rather tears of joy and relief."

"Emilia faced that gentle figure from behind, and using her elven powers, she smiled and spoke."

"Goodnight... Have a good night's sleep, Hachiman."

54. Strategy Recovery

"On this day, the streets and alleys of the capital became solemnly lively, filled with heated debates."

"There are those who support Crusch, those who support Anastasia, those who support Priscilla, and even those who support Felt, but no one supports Emilia."

"A half-demon? Tch, what are those big shots thinking? How can even such a forbidden being be a candidate? What if she accidentally seizes power?!"

"Hey, are you kidding me? What kind of joke is this? How could a half-fairy possibly defeat Lady Crusch?"

"Ah, yeah, hahaha."

"Ridiculous remarks, mockery, and contempt followed one after another, but Hachiman Hikigaya remained expressionless, mingling in the noisy crowd, raising his head, extremely calm."

"This isn't the first time."

"In Soubu High School, there were a lot of girls who used to mock Yukino Yukinoshita for being arrogant, but Hachiman Hikigaya didn't have the passion to confront them or settle scores with them."

"It's coming," he muttered to himself.

"The words had barely left his lips when a loud voice suddenly boomed from the crowd looking at the Wang Xuan notice: 'Oh my, so it's this half-demon!'"

"Huh?"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice. One of them, recognizing the man, explained to the strangers, "This is a trustworthy merchant who has done business with the Hexin Chamber of Commerce. I've bought things from him before, and the owner is a very nice person."

"But doesn't what he said imply something to do with half-demons?"

"Some impulsive people were ready to beat him into a half-demon, but the tall, burly boss frowned. His booming voice was very useful in this situation: 'What nonsense are you talking about? When you open a business, of course I have to serve customers.'"

"A half-elf wants to buy something from you?" They were taken aback. "But boss...aren't you selling men's clothing? Even if that half-elf is something else, why would they want to buy clothes from you?"

"You idiots, of course she didn't buy them for herself." The shopkeeper scoffed. "I heard she paid to send them out for free to the people under her rule, and each garment was custom-made to fit the villagers' measurements."

Some scoffed, "A half-demon being this kind?"

"Heh, you know nothing!" The boss wouldn't back down. He pointed to Emilia's portrait. "You know, the hero who recently captured the serial killer Bowel Hunter, that Hachiman Hikigaya, has now joined the ranks of the half-elf and is working for her."

""What?!""

"Shock, stunned, disbelief, and resentment that turned into anticipation."

"'How could he? How dare he? Does he even deserve to be called a hero who protected everyone?'"

"A dramatic shift in thinking is about to be completed, however..."

"From the crowd, several men and women who had come prepared suddenly spoke up: 'Oh my, no wonder the half-demon is so kind. It turns out he has such an adult assisting him. Even though they are half-demon, if they have the help of a hero who protects the capital, they will surely be influenced by Lord Hachiman and become an adult worth following.'"

"After all, that's Lord Hachiman, whom even the Sword Saint Reinhard highly praised! It's not surprising that he has such abilities!"

""this……""

"The raging torrent of condemnation against Hachiman Hikigaya, which was about to be exported, was strangled in its throat before it even appeared. Many people looked at each other, and like ducks quacking, they fell into confusion."

"It seems, uh... not impossible?" Their thinking was swayed, and they began to seriously study the possibility of Hachiman Hikigaya guiding the unfortunate half-demon back to the right path.

"Speaking of which, the fact that you're willing to listen to Lord Hachiman's advice suggests that his influence has already begun to show results. And it seems we haven't heard of that half-demon Emilia causing any serious trouble."

"Hey," someone shouted, "think about it carefully. If that Emilia really did something terrible and brought misfortune in the past, wouldn't everyone remember that name? That can't be right!"

"Perhaps she wasn't a bad person by nature."

Many people thought back carefully and found that these words actually made a lot of sense, but they quickly gave up thinking and returned to the most basic point: "But, that's a half-demon."

"So what if he's a half-demon? I still believe in Lord Hachiman. Oh, and did you know? Apparently, Lord Hachiman won the approval of the entire Knights at the Royal Selection Tournament yesterday! Even the best knight, Julius, took the initiative to befriend him!"

"When it comes to marketing, Hachiman Hikigaya really has it all figured out."

Anastasia sighed helplessly, stroking her chin with a defeated air, then narrowed her eyes slyly. "Well then, thank you for the hospitality, Hachiman-kun. You've taught me quite a few new business tactics, so I won't pursue your underhanded trick of using my family's knightly reputation without permission~"

Julius bowed slightly and said, “Lady Anastasia, to be honest, I would be happy to lend my reputation to my dear friend.”

"The following text is this."

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji nodded, quite satisfied. "Shopping at higher prices serves two purposes: first, to improve the villagers' lives and their ability to protect themselves; second, to cultivate good relationships with merchants and expand our network; and third, to get a feel for the Hexin Merchant Guild. Finally, it's an opportunity to promote Emilia's reputation as a good person."

Crusch saw through it all, and she shared her conclusion with her knight Felix: "He really went to great lengths. Ever since he decided to help Emilia achieve her goal and help Emilia win the royal election, every thought and action of Lord Hachiman has had a fundamental central idea."

"That is to reverse Emilia's appalling reputation and standing!"

"Without reputation and prestige, whatever ideas Hachiman-sama has will be limited and unable to be implemented. Hmm, a very good solution, reasonable and logical."

She pursed her lips, then burst into laughter: "He truly is the man I've set my sights on!"

Felix tilted his head, unsure whether he should say something.

He's someone that Lady Crusch has taken a liking to, but he belongs to Lady Emilia.

"With the help of the navy hired by Hachiman Hikigaya, the voices to clear Emilia's name, though still faint, have gradually spread from the capital to the entire Kingdom of Lugnica."

"Hikigaya Hachiman's strategy: taking a risky approach and betting his own reputation..."

"Mission accomplished!!!"

55. Complementary

Hachiman Hikigaya's brilliant whitewashing plan was meticulously crafted, manipulating the people of Lugnica. Surprisingly, in reality, almost no one watching the screen showed any rebellious sentiment.

"Well, if this guy is talking nonsense, I'll have to beat him up."

But—as everyone knows, that's Emilia.

"Hachiman Hikigaya was just clarifying the facts and dispelling the ignorant prejudices that shrouded us. In fact, we should thank him. I can't stand being that kind of person to wrong a kind little girl like that."

The apple stall owner pursed his lips, picked up an apple, and took a bite. His calm and objective attitude was not common among the crowd, but it wasn't rare either.

Having watched so much of the future before, everyone can clearly see what kind of personality Emilia has.

"Emilia is gone."

"She and Roswaal are going back to their territory to handle some social matters. She wanted Hachiman Hikigaya and Rem to go back with them, but they refused."

“Let’s split up,” Hachiman Hikigaya said, though he suppressed his reluctance. “The capital is the place for me. Staying at the Roswaal mansion… I don’t want to be too impolite, but that would reduce my usefulness by at least half.”

"We've angered the council members of the Wise Men's Society, and there might be danger in the capital. Rem needs to stay and protect Hachiman; I need to take good care of him."

"Rem said that."

"For some reason, Emilia subconsciously asked a few more times, and after receiving a definite answer from Rem, she finally left, looking slightly hesitant."

"She herself didn't know why she had this strange, inexplicable emotion."

"What Emilia subconsciously feared did not happen. In the following ten days, without Emilia's gentle yet stubborn care, Hachiman Hikigaya immediately transformed into a wild horse, once again disregarding his health and rest, busy with everything, treating the entire capital as his stage."

"Rem was also heartbroken, but she respected Hachiman Hikigaya more than her own thoughts."

"Only when he really stayed up too late, or showed signs of exhaustion and dejection, would I half-push and half-persuade Hachiman Hikigaya onto the bed, sit on the edge of the bed, watch him fall asleep, and then tiptoe out of the room."

"Day after day, Hachiman Hikigaya and Rem never crossed the line, and they also tacitly avoided talking about love. Just as Rem promised Emilia, she would take good care of Hachiman Hikigaya. She was already very satisfied with that."

"Even though there's absolutely no romantic interaction, I feel like the air inside and out is filled with the warmth of being in love. How is that possible?" Shijou Maki, who has never been in a relationship, couldn't describe this atmosphere.

Her best friend Kashiwagi put his arm around her shoulder and patiently shared his knowledge and experience: "Because this is actually life after marriage, Rem sees herself as a wife."

Kashiwagi paused for a moment, "No, it's serving Hikigaya-kun with even more dedication than a wife. Emotionally, it's an equal love, but in terms of actions, it's voluntary and slightly less proactive."

"On the other hand, although Hikigaya is of a higher status than Rem in terms of actions, he is willingly and proactively slightly inferior to Rem in terms of feelings, enjoying Rem's help."

"In the end, for love to last, both parties need to compromise. The way Hachiman and Rem get along... well, you could say they're the perfect example of a married couple!"

Tanuma Tsubasa was out shopping with his girlfriend when he accidentally ran into her best friend, and his girlfriend was subsequently stolen away, leaving him all alone.