Crossover anime, starting with Hachiman Hikigaya replacing Subaru Natsuki!

Grabbing Misaki Ueiso's hand and calming down a bit, Jin Mitaka explained to them, "Since Hachiman has already died once at the hands of Toto, this unknown has been revealed, so Echidna will spare no effort to help him and give him information about Toto."

"But she didn't give Regulus and Pandora any information because she wanted Hachiman to die at their hands!"

“After they die, Hachiman will come back, and she will read his memories and enjoy that unknown. Only then will she give Hachiman all the information about these two people.”

Simply put…

Gurgle.

Mitaka Jin swallowed hard, trembling. "Equivalent exchange is just an excuse. Even if Hachiman is willing to pay the price, Echidna will definitely give him a price he can't afford, or simply give him ambiguous or even misleading information!"

"Those lines she used as material for her stories—she was always serious! They were real material, not the kind of ambiguous lines you hear in light novels and anime! She was deliberately trying to kill Hachiman!"

Inside Sakura-sou, everyone stared in disbelief, exchanging bewildered glances.

Aoyama Nanami found herself trembling uncontrollably, and it wasn't just her trembling.

Her teeth chattered. "So, that means... if Hachiman hasn't been eaten to death by the Rabbits yet, then if he were to ask Echidna now what Roswaal's backup plan is in the Sanctuary..."

“That’s right.” Mitaka Jin nodded emphatically and said in a deep voice, “Then Echidna definitely won’t say anything.”

On a clear day as spring transitions into summer, while basking in the bright sunshine outside the window, a blizzard suddenly swept through Sakura-sou, colder than being in Antarctica.

“I was deceived by her appearance…” Misaki Kamiigusa was speechless for a long time.

"I used to think Echidna was a really nice person, so much better than Hikiya..."

Looking back at Echidna, who had seemed so deceptive and endearing before, Kanda Sorata and Akasaka Ryunosuke suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.

"Any man who dares to think he can win over Echidna is simply insane," Mitaka Jin muttered to himself.

"—"

Echidna's already wicked nature was further exposed to everyone after she refused to reveal Regulus and Pandora's powers.

"However, even so, Lord Hachiman could only remain silent."

At the Karlsten mansion, Crusch ran her right hand across her chest, feeling a pang of heartache.

"I can only watch now, there's nothing I can do... I can only watch Lord Hachiman be humiliated!"

On the streets of the royal capital, most people were ordinary citizens, but there were also some clever ones. Their discussions about the meaning behind Echidna's actions all reached Emilia's ears.

“Parker…”

"Yes, I'll help you, Leah."

Needless to say, Echidna must die!

"...Ahhh."

In the Sanctuary, Echidna, knowing that she was now the target of many people's attention, sighed.

She didn't really care about the safety of her soul; even if Pandora herself came, there were plenty of people here to back her up. But just thinking about it was so boring.

"I'm curious to see how he'll react after learning about these futures... But Emilia, being such a nuisance, will definitely stop him from getting close to the Sanctuary, since we already have all the information."

"Ugh... So boring! It's so boring not being able to observe such a unique and excellent subject up close!"

Echidna sighed and lamented, while the other witches beside her gleefully added insult to injury.

"It's all Donna's fault for being so wicked. She was so heartless, of course she would scare people away, hehe."

"This is outrageous! So many wounds! So much blood! So many dead! I'm furious! If I can get out of here, I'll heal them all! I'm so angry! I'm really furious!"

In a secluded corner, Pandora, dressed in a tattered white rag, smiled, showing no anger at the utter criticism of her beliefs.

“Authentic things… As long as we can communicate, as long as we can share our desire for authentic things and talk all night long, perhaps you, who also seeks authentic things, will be able to understand.”

Roswaal's mansion.

On the rooftop, Roswaal looked meaningfully at the evasive Betty.

Although Betty has been a child for four hundred years and cannot understand the true nature behind Echidna's actions, she can now clearly see how different Echidna is from her mother with her memories.

However, she refused to admit it.

"That's Mother, that's Mother... Mother is still alive!"

Roswaal shook his head. "How long can this self-comfort last?"

"Echidna was like a kind-hearted person who wholeheartedly offered help. She seemed especially kind and gentle. She told Hachiman Hikigaya that the specific information about Toto should be asked about Toto's creator, the Gluttony Witch Daphne."

"She said that only one witch can appear at the tea party at a time, so she won't be there when Daphne comes. Hachiman Hikigaya must be prepared not to touch Daphne, not to remove Daphne's restraints, and not to look directly at Daphne."

"Her description paints a picture of something more terrifying than hell... but Hachiman Hikigaya doesn't think Daphne is more terrifying than Echidna, who kills people and destroys their spirits."

""So…""

"Echidna has disappeared. The girl who appeared after her was clearly not Daphne; her appearance was completely different from Echidna's description."

"She was a petite girl with green hair."

166. The real thing is not meant for the witch.

"Ah, I'm so glad to finally see you, hehe."

"A seemingly harmless little girl approached with a cheerful smile, bouncing and skipping around. For every step she took closer, Hachiman Hikigaya would take two steps back. He was never one to judge a book by its cover; a girl who appeared at the Witch's Tea Ceremony couldn't possibly be simple."

"Who are you? Where is Daphne?"

"Daphne? Ah, that kind of thing is irrelevant. I've been thinking about you for a long time. Now that you're with me, you should keep a close eye on Typhon. Come on, let's shake hands."

"Hachiman Hikigaya felt completely unsafe. Even though he had deliberately kept a distance of nearly ten meters from the girl who called herself Typhon, the moment he refused to cooperate, Typhon had already silently moved in front of him and took his left hand before he could even react."

Typhon tilted his head. "Hmm...doesn't it hurt? Looks like he's not a sinner. To think he's guilty when he's clearly not, what a kind person, Typhon."

""…pain? ""

"Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes widened in horror as he saw that his arm had completely disappeared, leaving not even a sleeve, just an empty space. Yet, he felt no pain... He could roughly understand what was going on from Typhon's words."

"Are you a witch too?"

Typhon, clapping and praising, smiled and spun around Hachiman Hikigaya as if looking at a particularly interesting toy. "Huh? Hachiman, aren't you scared? Oh, right, right, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. Typhon is Typhon~ The Arrogant Witch, you could say that too."

"Afraid?"

"Heh—Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but chuckle."

"If fear, if dread, if weeping could prevent injury, bring joy and happiness, and change the pain of reality, then I would cry day and night. But that's impossible."

"And I've been scared enough already... All my fear, along with those two bawling cries, has already been expressed to Rem and Emilia."

"His weakness only needs to be known by those two people."

"so."

"Typhon, the Arrogant Witch, you truly live up to your name, you are truly arrogant." Hachiman Hikigaya straightened his back, his eyes extremely sharp. "Using your own authority to decide whether others are guilty or not, arbitrarily judging them... But no. I am not a sinner, I should not consider myself a sinner, your judgment is absolutely wrong!"

"I will feel guilty, ashamed, and remorseful, but I will never consider myself a sinner—how could someone protected by Rem, someone who protects Emilia, be a sinner?! How could I possibly be a sinner?!"

"At least for them... Yes, just like Yukino's last words to herself, you can't consider yourself a sinner!!"

"—?!"

Typhon was stunned.

She stared intently at the man who had been harshly reprimanding her. His arm hadn't fully recovered, but he would never lose his other arm again.

“Go back. I’m looking for Daphne, not you. I have no interest in seeing you.”

"Hachiman Hikigaya drove him away without any politeness. He didn't expect Typhon to heal his arm, nor was he grateful to Typhon for correcting some of his inner thoughts. He wasn't afraid that the seemingly powerful Typhon might kill him in a fit of anger."

"Echidna is watching that woman, who yearns for a vibrant and diverse future. Therefore, she will absolutely not allow herself to die here permanently, unable to be resurrected, nor will she allow herself to be imprisoned here."

""you--""

Before Typhon could utter a word in astonishment, she vanished, replaced by a burst of brilliant light and a beautiful, well-built mature woman who fell from the sky and punched Hachiman Hikigaya.

"This punch didn't injure him; instead, it brought his arm back to normal."

"I am Minerva, the Wrathful Witch! My name is insignificant, so I won't tell you!"

With one hand on her hip and the other pointing at someone, Minerva looked indignant. Her words, though seemingly kind, were delivered with a tone of rage, as if she were cursing: "Don't think you'll leave me unscathed!"

"I'm numb to it all."

Anastasia stroked the fox Dona, which served as her scarf. From the various secrets that Echidna had sprung from her mouth, to the fact that a bunch of witches were actually hiding in the tea party place, and that every witch was so mentally polluting and had such distorted values, she didn't want to say anything more.

"But... witches are witches, and Hachiman is Hachiman. I have no interest in witches or anything like that, but Hachiman... sigh."

It's getting more and more distorted.

From the moment he forcibly kissed Echidna until now, Hachiman Hikigaya's mindset has become increasingly skewed.

The idea that he couldn't admit guilt because of Rem and Emilia's reputation was completely putting himself down, and it was much worse than before, almost to the point of caring about his own will.

He has changed a lot, but his core essence remains the same. Sacrificing himself to save others—this heartfelt gentleness and selflessness has always been his own choice.

Therefore…we cannot condemn her. We cannot condemn Emilia.

Even without Emilia, given Hachiman Hikigaya's personality, he might very well have become like this in order to save others.

“But… if it were me, I would be more proactive than Rem and treat you better than Emilia. As a merchant, I would also selfishly protect myself and wouldn’t let you have to sacrifice yourself.”

Yes, Lady Anastasia is right.

Stroking the sword hilt, Julius's eyes were filled with complex emotions... Choose Lady Anastasia, Hachiman. For you, for Lady Anastasia, and for me.

"Lady Emilia... I'm sorry."

A sigh.

In the convenience store, Yukino sighed, "You're still using 'me' as an excuse to justify your wanton self-destruction... I clearly meant more than that. You're really good at taking things out of context and deceiving yourself, Hikigaya-kun."

"If 'I' knew that my words led you to do all this, I'd probably faint from anger."

“…I’m sorry.” Hachiman Hikigaya murmured softly, his attitude sincere, but Yukinoshita was even more annoyed.

I'm sorry, but that won't change, and I don't think I did anything wrong.

In fact, he still doesn't think he did anything wrong by confessing to Ebina, and he's actually quite satisfied with the outcome.

Because Hikigaya Hachiman is Hikigaya Hachiman.