I'm in a crossover anime world, and I've been transported to Hogwarts twice.

Shiina Mahiru ate in small bites, occasionally stealing a glance at the man opposite her who was eating with unwavering focus, before quickly lowering her head to hide the faint smile playing on her lips.

After finishing breakfast, Genichi Hanyu put down his chopsticks with satisfaction and looked at Mahiru Shiina, who was clearing the table.

Sunlight streamed through the window, dancing on her hair and outlining her slender, busy figure.

A warm feeling welled up in his heart, but then a practical problem surfaced in his mind.

"Mahiru."

He spoke, his voice tinged with concern: "You've been on leave for several days to take care of me, haven't you? Don't you need to go to school?"

"I have fully recovered now, my magic is overflowing, and I'm in better shape than ever before. You really don't need to worry about me, you can go to school with peace of mind."

He didn't want to disrupt her peaceful life because of himself.

Shiina Mahiru paused slightly as she cleared the dishes.

She didn't answer immediately, but instead raised her head, her clear, icy blue eyes quietly looking at Genichi Hanyu, her gaze carrying a calm scrutiny, as if silently asking: Are you trying to get rid of me? Or are you really thinking of me?

Under the calm yet penetrating gaze of Shiina Mahiru, Genichi Hanyu felt a strange sense of guilt.

He instinctively wanted to avoid her gaze, and slowly shifted his head to the street scene outside the window, as if there was something there that particularly attracted him.

He admitted that deep down, he certainly hoped she could stay here.

He didn't want this peaceful atmosphere, where it was just the two of them, to be broken.

He coughed lightly, rearranged his words, and spoke with a deeper sincerity: "While I would really like you to stay here with me, I don't want my presence to cause any unnecessary disruption to your normal life. Your studies are important to you, aren't they?"

Hearing Genichi Hanyu's words, especially the sincerity in his words that he "didn't want to burden her" and his careful desire to maintain her rhythm of life, a warm smile flashed quickly in Mahiru Shiina's eyes.

This clumsy guy seems to be genuinely trying to change, trying to think from her perspective.

She placed the last bowl in the sink, turned around, wiped her hands on her apron, and gave a faint, reassuring smile: "Don't worry, Yuzuru-kun."

Her voice was gentle: "Don't worry about my studies, because the monster attack on the city had a huge impact."

She walked to the window and stood beside Genichi Hanyu, looking out at the still somewhat empty street, and explained:

"Now, not only my school, but schools throughout Tokyo and even many parts of the country have temporarily suspended classes and gone on holiday."

"After all, no one knows when a new, terrifying monster or other disaster might suddenly appear. The government and society are on high alert. For the safety of the students and to calm their panic, we have chosen to give them a holiday to observe for a period of time."

She turned her head to look at Genichi Hanyu: "After a while, once it's confirmed that there are no other threats and social order is completely stable, classes will resume. So even if I wanted to go to school now, I have nowhere to go."

Upon hearing Shiina Mahiru's explanation, Genichi Hanyu simply said "Oh" and nodded to indicate that he understood, without seeming to have much of a reaction.

However, the perceptive Shiina Mahiru clearly noticed that Genichi Hanyu's previously slightly tense shoulder line instantly relaxed, and the corners of his mouth seemed to be unable to suppress a very subtle upward curve, and even his aura became much more relaxed and pleasant!

"You seem happy?"

Having his thoughts directly exposed, Genichi Hanyu's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

He turned his head to meet Shiina Mahiru's all-seeing gaze, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face as if he'd been caught red-handed, but his frankness quickly prevailed again.

He simply stopped hiding his feelings and openly admitted, "Of course I'm happy."

His voice carried a sense of natural pleasure as he looked intently at her, "Because you're here with me."

These words of love came out naturally, carrying his most genuine feelings at that moment.

However, Shiina Mahiru's reaction was beyond his expectations.

Instead of blushing or scolding her as before, she narrowed her eyes slightly, and her clear eyes were instantly covered with a layer of icy scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

She crossed her arms and spoke slowly in an extremely calm tone, even with a hint of "bringing up old grievances":

"Really?"

She tilted her head slightly, a cold smile curving her lips. "Yusuke-kun, your words, 'Because you're by my side,' are truly touching."

Her tone abruptly shifted, her eyes sharpening: "But if I remember correctly, you said that to that Yukinoshita student as well? And to that Miss Cassandra?"

Genichi Hanyu was struck as if by an invisible bolt of lightning!

His smile froze instantly. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but found himself unable to refute it!

Shiina Mahiru is right!

He did say these words of affection and satisfaction to Yukino, and he also expressed similar sentiments to Cassandra!

In that moment of genuine joy, he blurted out instinctively, forgetting that this genuine joy did not belong to just one person!

Seeing Yuzuru Genichi's speechless and embarrassed expression, Shiina Mahiru gave a soft snort, her face stern, and said in an almost lecturing tone, "Yuzuru-kun, being a womanizer isn't a good thing..."

Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear, like ice beads falling.

“Saying the same sweet words to every girl only makes those words seem cheap and insincere.”

This sentence was like a precise sniper shot, directly hitting Genichi Hanyu's core pain point and contradiction!

He felt an even deeper sense of helplessness and powerlessness. He couldn't refute Shiina Mahiru's accusations, because he was indeed a womanizer and had indeed invested real feelings in different girls.

This became an almost unsolvable problem for him.

"Feel sorry."

Genichi Hanyu's voice was dry and heavy. He lowered his eyes, his thick eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes.

"I know it's contradictory and awful."

He admitted his problem.

However, the next moment he suddenly raised his head, and the embarrassment and helplessness in his eyes disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented, rock-solid determination!

He looked directly into Shiina Mahiru's eyes, his gaze open and resolute, and declared clearly, word by word: "But I will not give up!"

His voice carried an undeniable determination: "Whether it's you or them, this is the one thing I will never give up on."

“I know it’s greedy, selfish, and even shameless, but that’s just who I am.”

"I cannot deceive myself, nor can I sever any feeling that moves me. I will fight for it and protect it in my own way, even if the road is full of thorns and I am condemned by everyone!"

This declaration, though domineering, greedy, and even somewhat unreasonable, is filled with naked sincerity and unquestionable resolve!

There were no false promises of loving only you; instead, I frankly admitted my greed and my determination to never give up!

Surprisingly, faced with Genichi Hanyu's firm statement that could be described as a declaration of his depravity, Mahiru Shiina did not show any of the expected anger, disappointment, or contempt.

The frost on her face melted away, and deep within her 3.7-inch eyes, a complex emotion, one that even she herself could not articulate, flickered—a mixture of helplessness, a sigh, a slight appreciation for his frankness, and even, deep within her heart, a secret joy that surprised even herself.

Yes, it is joy.

This joy did not stem from his philandering, but from feeling needed and valued.

He did not back down or make excuses because of her accusations, but chose the most difficult and real path—to admit his "greed" and declare that he would never give up!

This almost "domineering CEO" declaration, though it sounded like a jerk, strangely struck a chord with a corner of Shiina Mahiru's heart that longed to be firmly chosen and intensely possessed.

Compared to those hypocritical and fleeting promises, this unwavering commitment, imbued with strong conviction and unwavering determination, gave her a strange sense of security—a feeling of being intensely needed and cherished.

She quickly suppressed the inappropriate flutter in her heart, kept a straight face, and didn't let any joy show. She just glanced at him indifferently, her tone still calm, but less cold than before: "Suit yourself, but wash the dishes first."

She pointed to the dishes in the sink, turned and walked towards the bedroom, leaving Genichi Hanyu standing alone in the living room, savoring the fleeting, elusive glint in her eyes.

148 I don't want you to be so cautious.

The sky outside the window was so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip ink; thick, dark clouds hung low over the city, brewing a belated downpour.

In the living room of Shiina Mahiru's apartment, the lights were on, but they couldn't dispel an invisible, tense chill.

He disappeared for a full half month, like a drop of water evaporating into the air, leaving no trace.

For some, these fifteen days are a long and anxious period of testing.

"Now, someone has already made a move."

Shiina Mahiru's voice broke the silence. Her slender fingers unconsciously caressed the rim of the warm teacup, her gaze falling on Hanyu Genichi's serene profile.

He was looking out the window at the city lights below, flickering restlessly like trapped beasts under the cover of dark clouds.

Are you still planning to wait?

Her tone was tinged with confusion, and also with a hint of barely perceptible tension.

It wasn't that she didn't understand his plans; it was just that she couldn't remain as calm as he was when she saw those forces, which were thrown out as stepping stones and were already enormous in the eyes of ordinary people, begin to stir up trouble.

Genichi Hanyu slowly turned around, his eyes deep and unfathomable, like a bottomless, icy pool.

"Wait."

His voice was deep and steady, like a rock.

"We must continue to wait."

He walked to the sofa and sat down, his posture relaxed, yet exuding a sense of power poised to be unleashed.

"Those that have surfaced now are just some impatient little shrimps."

"The real big fish that are watching from behind the scenes and waiting for their chance are far more cunning and cautious than we see. They will not easily reveal their hand because of this little probing, nor will they expose themselves to risks."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping across the window like that of a hawk.

"These are just pawns they've thrown out to test whether I've really disappeared and to gauge my strength."

A faint, yet utterly cold, smile curved his lips.

"Let the bullets fly a little longer."

Shiina Mahiru looked at him, knowing full well that the "small fry" he spoke of was someone who could cause a great deal of trouble in the eyes of ordinary people. This huge gap in understanding made her realize more deeply the level that Yuzuru Genichi was at and the depth of the vortex he was facing.

She sighed softly and stopped asking about the big fish, as it was clearly beyond her current comprehension.

"Stop talking about this."

Genichi Hanyu seemed to notice her subtle change in emotion and took the initiative to change the subject.

He put down the object in his hand, picked up a seemingly ordinary but high-quality kraft paper document bag from the side, and handed it to Shiina Mahiru.

"I'm giving you a gift."

"Gift?"

Shiina Mahiru was somewhat surprised and reached out to take the file bag.

It was quite heavy, and it was clearly filled with a lot of paper.

With a puzzled look, she carefully untied the coil sealing the package and pulled out a thick stack of documents inside.

The clear title and company logo on the homepage made her pupils suddenly contract—it was the logo of her father's core enterprise.

She quickly flipped through the pages: equity transfer agreement, shareholder register change notice, detailed shareholding ratio and valuation report.

The core content of the document clearly points to one thing: Genichi Hanyu, through some unknown means, acquired a huge amount of shares in almost all the important companies under the names of her father, Kenichi Shiina, and her mother, Sayo Shiina, enough to shake their control!

Among them, her shareholding in her father's core businesses reached a terrifying critical point—51%.

Shiina Mahiru's fingers trembled slightly, and the edges of the paper made a soft rubbing sound under her fingertips.

She looked up, her face filled with undisguised astonishment, her beautiful eyes brimming with shock, confusion, and even a hint of disbelief and panic.

"This, this is..."

Her voice was a little dry.

"How...how did you do that? And why?"

Genichi Hanyu quietly observed every subtle change in her expression, his eyes deep and complex, as if trying to decipher her truest reaction.

His usual slightly playful smile seemed exceptionally gentle at this moment, even carrying a hint of cautious reassurance.

“I didn’t intend to make any decisions for you, Mahiru.”

He spoke very softly, with a deliberate caution, as if afraid of disturbing her.

"I'm just putting the choice in your hands. With these, you have absolute control. Whether you want them to pay the price for their past, or use this as leverage to gain the respect and fairness you deserve, or even to make them value you, it's all up to you. All I'm doing is clearing some obstacles for you and providing you with a possibility."

Shiina Mahiru stared blankly at him, at the almost cautious expression on his face, as if afraid she would misunderstand his intentions.

His current appearance is completely different from the Hanyu Gen she remembered—a man who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist and possessed a dangerous charm.

This excessive, almost deliberate caution, like a tiny thorn, pierced her heart.

She pursed her lips, a complex and indescribable emotion churning within her.

She could certainly sense the deep meaning and immense effort behind his gift, which was meant to give her control over those indifferent parents.

But at the same time, she also clearly felt the invisible distance between them caused by his excessive respect.