Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

"If he fell into my country..."

"Gazing at Emilia, who was encased in ice, Hachiman Hikigaya remained silent for a long time. His face was expressionless, but a complex mix of emotions was evident in his silence."

"So, what are your thoughts?"

"Ignoring his feelings whatsoever, Echidna, like a ruthless reporter only interested in breaking the news, abruptly asked Hachiman Hikigaya for his thoughts, 'Pettyius, whom you hated so much before, now Jus, what are your thoughts after seeing all this? I'm very curious.'"

"This is the major motivation that made her willing to show Hachiman Hikigaya her past, even though she clearly hated Emilia."

"She knows that Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't want to answer, so whether he will answer or not, or whether he will just slap her, is an interesting possibility."

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at Echidna. "I'm glad."

"Thankful?"

"I'm glad that the only people Juss killed in front of me were Emilia and me, and I'm glad I didn't let Emilia kill Juss."

"Well... it's not an unexpected answer, but it's interesting nonetheless."

"Echidna could understand the reasoning behind this with just a little thought. Butterflies flew from her palm, forming a passage, and the two of them returned together from the trial scene to the witch's tea party."

"Before leaving, Hachiman Hikigaya took one last look at young Emilia, a look he would never forget."

In reality, many painters from both worlds have already been observing and painting simultaneously.

At the same time, inside the mansion, Roswaal smiled nonchalantly, "The crucial part is yet to come. But it doesn't matter anymore, I have no future. Ask me anything you want, Hachiman Hikigaya."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Betty frowned. After Roswaal revealed that he was actually the Roswaal from four hundred years ago, she was already very reluctant to see him die.

Four hundred years of solitude, four hundred years of loneliness. Of all the people she knew, the people she had emotionally invested in, only one or two remained. If possible, let's not let those few dwindle further, after all, Roswaal hasn't done anything yet.

'That person' will be here soon.

Having rekindled the light in her life, how could Betty possibly stand by and watch her potentially better future slide into despair?

"There's still a way, there's still a way to salvage it..."

Betty shook her head, racking her brains for a way to keep Roswaal alive.

"You haven't done anything yet, have you? Go apologize to your brother's daughter. Apologize sincerely to her, kneel down and beg for her forgiveness. If you sincerely announce that you will wholeheartedly and earnestly assist her from now on, she and your brother will definitely forgive you!"

"When Hachiman comes, you should go and talk to him too—"

Her excited voice was interrupted, "Beatrice."

Roswaal, who had been gazing at the sky, turned around. At that moment, Betty couldn't say anything she hadn't finished saying.

Tired, disappointed, desperate, numb... Roswaal's expression reflected her feelings over the past four hundred years.

"You can understand, Beatrice... If it were you, you would definitely understand."

Betty, her mouth slightly open, decided not to try to persuade her any further.

Yes, she understands, she understands better than anyone else.

“I’m not afraid. There’s nothing in this world that I should be afraid of. With the greatest magician in human history and the guidance of the Book of Wisdom, if I focus solely on running away and hiding, neither Sword Saint Reinhard nor the Witch Cult can catch me.”

"However, it's impossible to continue my plans while we're escaping. I have no way to revive my teacher. Besides, my teacher is already... haha."

"I have no will to live anymore, Beatrice."

"I'm so tired, haha... Four hundred years of effort, all in vain. Is this what it feels like to be tired? I haven't felt this way in four hundred years."

Roswaal's hair was whipped by the wind. He had removed his clown makeup, and looking at Betty, he no longer possessed the cunning of a schemer, but simply spoke kindly:

"Bless you, Beatrice, your wish is about to be fulfilled."

But I…

"I'll just stay here quietly and wait. I'll wait for Hachiman Hikigaya to arrive. When he does, I'll die by his hand."

That's good.

Roswaal wasn't unaware of his sins, nor would he defend himself... So be it. Let the person most qualified to kill him deal with his own desire to live; that's enough.

"The remembrance and mourning for Fortuna is now complete."

"Hachiman Hikigaya looked at Echidna, who was sitting across the table from him. The main event is about to begin."

"My first question," he said, "is that you tell me about the Witch Pandora."

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164. The malicious nature of those who find pleasure in others

"Echidna seemed to reminisce about the past. She sounded somewhat displeased when she mentioned Pandora, a displeasure different from her dislike for Emilia. 'Pandora...that goes back to the origins of the Witch Cult.'"

"You mean, she founded the Witch Cult?"

"No, the Witch Cult was founded by her and me."

"A shocking secret, this kind of information hidden in the long river of history, might be commonplace information to other long-lived species, but for Hachiman Hikigaya, it was truly astonishing."

"Pandora intends to create a world without lies. But you can probably understand how bleak and boring the future of this world would be without lies, how many countless vibrant possibilities it would lose."

"Echidna grew increasingly unhappy as she spoke. She leaned forward, staring intently at Hachiman Hikigaya, as if seeking approval: 'You understand, right?'"

Her heavy chest swayed slightly from the sudden, large movement. Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at it, then looked away, his heart unmoved.

"If it were when he first transmigrated, he might have been shy and blushed, even if the other person was a fake... After all, when someone like Iroha Isshiki deliberately teased him, he couldn't remain calm."

"But things are very different now."

"Having hugged Rem, kissed Emilia, and had so much intimate contact with two girls who are the most exquisite inside and out, and who are also the cutest and most beautiful, Hachiman Hikigaya has long since made up for his weakness of being vulnerable to girls."

"Echidna's big breasts aren't anything special... Rem and Emilia aren't Yukinoshita's type. Besides, we have very important business to attend to right now."

"Hachiman Hikigaya seemed thoughtful, and he deduced: "The history books of this world say that the Witch of Greed died four hundred years ago, but a hundred years ago Pandora was still able to harm Emilia and the others... After the ideological differences, were you killed by her?"

"That's really going too far. Even a lady should have some dignity. If you continue to disrespect me like this, I won't answer your questions... Although your words are harsh, that's roughly what you're thinking."

"Since Echidna has said so, Hachiman Hikigaya simply skipped over this point and did not inquire about the details of the death."

"So, what are your thoughts?" Echidna withdrew after observing his reaction to her body, and then began to discuss Pandora's dream with great interest. "Haven't you always been pursuing so-called 'real things'? Although I don't quite understand what that strange thing is, since there's a word 'real,' I think at least 'not lying' should be in line with your wishes, right?"

"Incomprehensible."

"To Pandora's ideal, Hachiman Hikigaya only responded with these four words."

"By having Reinhard guard the Bowel Hunter 24 hours a day and forbidding her from killing, Elsa would naturally obey out of desperation... But does that make her a kind person?"

"I don't know how Pandora plans to make the world a collectively honest society, but she'll definitely use forceful methods, given her values."

"If it can improve the moral quality of all humanity and create a world where no one lies, I would certainly welcome it... but forcing it would be the most absurd thing."

"As for the real thing... Hachiman Hikigaya's displeasure has already clearly told Echidna."

"Even for Emilia's sake, he could kneel before Betty and forcibly kiss a fake. He was on the verge of depravity, and his mind was fractured."

"But if Echidna were to use something like this to try and steal the real thing, to compare it to what he has pursued all his life, he would still be disgusted."

"Hmm~"

"Upon hearing the criticisms directed at Pandora, Echidna narrowed her eyes and a pleased smile spread across her face."

"As for Hachiman Hikigaya radiating a strong aura of displeasure and sensing his malice, Echidna is quite happy. She now enjoys jumping around on the edge of a cliff, observing Hachiman Hikigaya's various emotional changes and coping strategies, which is really too interesting."

"Anyway, as long as you don't make him so angry that he just walks out of the tea party, it'll be fine."

"That bastard deserves to be torn to pieces!"

In Karara Village, Rem couldn't contain her burning hatred, and Ram, who was beside her, joined in condemning Echidna.

Ram could see his brother-in-law's personality clearly.

Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't really like to reveal his deepest feelings to others... So far, only Rem and Emilia have made him willing to do so, and want to do so.

However, Hachiman Hikigaya told Echidna all his thoughts on authenticity and not lying.

There's nothing we can do about it... It's actually a kind of equivalent exchange. Echidna answered his question, and no matter how unwilling he was, he had to answer Echidna's inquiry. Otherwise, who knows if the conversation would collapse because of it?

After all, Echidna is a pure fun-loving person; she doesn't care what others think.

If it weren't for the fact that Hachiman Hikigaya was willing to die a hundred or a thousand times, risking his life to clear the game rather than go looking for her again and deprive her of more fun, who knows how outrageous she might have gone.

"Regarding the powers of Regulus and Pandora—"

“This information comes in exchange for something in return.” Echidna gently shook her head. “I don’t really know everything either. I have some guesses about the new generation’s power of greed, but I’m still far from knowing the truth.”

"Upon the mention of a price, Hachiman Hikigaya promptly changed the subject: 'I need information on those rabbits.'"

"He might face Regulus and Pandora in the future, but that can wait... Echidna's demand for a price is not because she's angry, she's doing it on purpose. She wants to see how Hachiman Hikigaya will fight those two without knowing anything, then come back for information, and how he will deal with them afterwards."

"The difference between the two situations is exactly what Echidna wanted to see, the fresh and unknown that could satisfy her curiosity."

"As for the rabbit, Echidna was quite generous, 'That's not a rabbit... no, it should be said, its name is Dora the Rabbit. Dora the Rabbit, one of the three great magical beasts, a legacy left to the world by the Gluttonous Witch Daphne.'"

"How vicious."

In Sakura-sou, Jin Mitaka and Sorata Kanda, who were already somewhat attracted by the stunningly beautiful Echidna, suddenly snapped back to reality at this moment.

Mitaka Jin trembled all over; he had completely seen through what kind of vicious and terrifying bitch Echidna was.

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165. The vicious nature of those who find pleasure

Misaki Kamiigusa looked at him in surprise, as did Ryunosuke Akasaka and Nanami Aoyama.

Everyone who lives in Sakura-sou knows how adept Mitaka Jin is at dealing with women. This playboy is practically a woman's nemesis, as if he were born with a unique charm that makes women want to clench their legs when they see him.

However, even this same Jin Mitaka was sweating profusely, staring at the screen, filled with apprehension towards Echidna from different worlds.

"Are you alright?" Misaki Kamiigusa touched Jin Mitaka's forehead.

Jin Mitaka had previously shown his apprehension towards Echidna, but back then it was nowhere near as... close to fear as it is now.

“Before, I just couldn’t see through her, but now… I finally understand why Hachiman treated Echidna that way. It’s useless to be nice to this kind of witch. She only cares about herself and her own pleasure. She just wants to have fun.”