Crossover anime, Hachiman's childhood friend's growth diary

Honami Ichinose nodded thoughtfully. She felt that the other person was particularly experienced and skilled in handling this matter, as if she had experienced similar things before.

"Hehe, that little brother Hachiman is really amazing, especially brave! I'll do my best too!"

Honami Ichinose perked up again, and then, as if petting a pet, reached out and stroked Hachiman's head.

Please, this is so embarrassing, please don't do it... What's going on? Why do I feel a little relieved?

By the time Hachiman reacted and brushed the hand off his head, Honami Ichinose seemed to be full of energy, and a smile full of maternal radiance appeared on her face.

"hey-hey."

Hachiman felt like he had lost something, but he didn't want to delve into what it was.

After that, he changed the subject to business. The two confirmed the details of the plan in the car, and after about an hour, they finally arrived at the station near the Strawberry Agency.

"Are you okay?"

After getting off the bus, noticing Ichinose Honami's unusual behavior, Hikigaya asked her with concern.

"Ah, what does 'Hachiman's younger brother' refer to?"

Honami Ichinose tensed up, her eyes darting around as she spoke.

"...Do you get carsick or anything?"

"Hey, I don't think I'll get carsick on the tram, right? Haha."

"Well, it's okay."

Hikigaya put his hands in his pockets and continued walking towards the Strawberry Agency, but as he walked, he felt more and more that something seemed off about the girl beside him.

Hachiman stopped once again and spoke up:

"If you're not feeling well, let's go rest on the chairs over there."

"N-It's alright! I'm fine, Hachiman-kun, don't worry. Even if I die, I'll complete the mission!"

"No, I don't need to die."

Hikigaya's lips twitched slightly.

About ten minutes later, the two arrived at a coffee shop not far from the Strawberry Agency. Hachiman had already done his research beforehand and knew that the agency would close around six o'clock, and the members inside would leave the company before that.

Through the glass windows, they can clearly see the entry and exit of people inside and outside the company.

They waited until around 5:50 PM when their prey finally came into view.

137 Stupid Idol Trainees

A familiar figure emerged from the office building down the dark staircase. Upon closer inspection, the young woman lacked the vitality expected of her age. She kept her head down, listless, and her face, devoid of makeup, was etched with deep fatigue.

This is understandable. After all, he was determined to drop out of school and enter society early, but he ended up with an extremely unreliable agency. Not only was he cheated out of money, but he was also forced to work for very low wages. If it were Hachiman, he probably would have given up long ago.

Feeling a pang of sympathy for the other's plight, Hikigaya sighed and then gave a wink in the direction of Ichinose Honami.

It's that girl...

The latter understood immediately, tidied his appearance slightly, took a deep breath while pressing his chest, and then left his seat and walked straight out of the coffee shop.

The two "bumped into each other" thirty seconds later. The other person's personality was even more introverted than expected, and even Ichinose Honami had difficulty getting close to him.

Through the glass window, Hikigaya could feel the overwhelming awkwardness that Ichinose Honami exuded when she tried to chat up the other person. So, good luck, Honami-san!

Fortunately, Honami Ichinose's bright smile and friendly attitude eventually made her lower her guard, and their conversation slowly began to get back on track.

Another minute later, the two walked into the café where Hachiman was.

but.

Hachiman did not expect that his otherwise flawless plan would make a fatal mistake at this moment.

Upon noticing the presence of another person in the seat, the girl was initially puzzled, but when she clearly saw Hachiman's features, she frowned deeply.

Oh dear, this is getting a bit troublesome...

"This is my younger brother, Hachiman, and this is Hana-senpai."

Ichinose Honami was completely oblivious to the serious expression on Hana's face. She cheerfully introduced herself until she noticed Hachiman's frozen smile and realized something was wrong.

"Oh, is there a problem?"

"So this is your younger brother. We met once before at the company."

"That's it..."

Honami Ichinose cast a concerned glance in his direction.

No, it was just an accident, so don't look at me like that!

Since it had already happened, there was no point in complaining anymore. Hachiman suppressed his terrible feelings and nodded to the other person.

"I'm so sorry about what happened last time, I caused you trouble."

"Ah, it's actually us who's causing trouble. The president is a rather cautious person, so I hope you won't mind, kid."

Haha, being cautious probably means being worried about having the company's weaknesses discovered...

Hikigaya muttered a silent complaint, and in order not to disturb Ichinose Honami's next move, he wisely disappeared from their sight.

"Miss Fanbo, you two chat first, I need to go to the restroom."

When he returned to his seat, Xiaohua seemed to be emotionally distraught. She was covering her face with a handkerchief, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she had just been crying.

You actually made her cry? You're something else.

With this in mind, Hikigaya glanced in the direction of Ichinose Honami, who immediately gave him an innocent look.

So that's how it is. It seems that the grievances in one's heart, after being suppressed for a long time, finally burst out.

Hikigaya lowered his footsteps and sat silently opposite him. It took a long time for the other person to finally return to normal.

"I'm sorry, you must have found this amusing."

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Xiaohua's voice still trembled with sobs.

"Miss Xiaohua, could you tell us what you know about the agency?"

Taking over the role from Honami Ichinose, Hikigaya patiently began to question her about evidence of the Strawberry Agency's violations, and Hana did not hide anything from him.

Just as Hachiman had predicted, the amount of information the insiders possessed was terrifying. Once they integrated this information, they would probably be able to find a way to defeat the enemy very quickly.

Hachiman bluntly placed the voice recorder on the table, recorded all the evidence without any concealment, and concluded at the end:

"Miss Hana, we plan to call out Mr. Koenji... uh, I mean, the other Mr. Koenji, for a negotiation tomorrow. Could you please repeat this information to us then?"

I'm not sure if I'm using the word "negotiation" correctly, but Hachiman is just trying to teach the other party a lesson. As for whether to notify the police, we'll see.

Upon hearing this, Honami Ichinose also excitedly offered her advice:

"Yes, yes, as long as Senior Hana comes, that club president will definitely be defeated by us!"

Yes, according to his estimate, the chances of defeating the opponent are about 70%... But then again, Ms. Honami, this isn't some kind of shonen manga, isn't using the word "defeat" a bit inappropriate?

however.

Xiaohua's next reply surprised the two of them.

"I...I feel like I might not be able to do it!"

Xiaohua lowered her head, her tone somewhat humble.

"That was the only company that invited me, and it was also my first job. I wanted it to have a satisfying ending."

Hey, at a time like this, are you still clinging to such unrealistic fantasies?

Hikigaya's lips twitched slightly.

He could understand the other party's feelings. Agreeing to testify meant completely breaking ties with the firm, which would render almost all the efforts of the past six months futile.

Conversely, if we don't make a decision soon, the losses will only increase.

Being an idol is a short-lived career. With Xiaohua's looks, even though she's a bit introverted, she might still encounter suitable opportunities in the future.

But if you don't leave that company now, future opportunities will only become fewer and fewer.

No matter how he and Ichinose Honami explained, Hana was as stubborn as a mule and had no intention of giving in.

This gave Hachiman the feeling of a love-struck girl being played and discarded by a scumbag, but still trying to defend him when asked about it.

No, to be precise, it's even worse than a scumbag. After all, a scumbag at least provides emotional value to a love-struck girl. What does the Strawberry Agency provide to the other party?

Is it your dream to debut?

Haha, I really can't figure out what this woman is thinking.

Hikigaya squinted his eyes in frustration, couldn't help but sigh, and then forced himself to calm down.

To put it another way, perhaps it is precisely because she sees no hope that Xiaohua, who has given up on herself, chooses to obey the orders of the fake agency?

As long as you follow their plan step by step, you can deceive yourself and tell yourself that although the steps are small, you are working hard for your debut.

138 The Anger of the Working Class

after all.

Reality is cruel, but lies are gentle. So as long as the truth about Strawberry Agency is not exposed, the other party can continue to indulge in the fantasy that "I am training hard for my debut".

However, this kind of approach is simply a complete fake.

Thinking of this, Hachiman gazed at the ceiling, sighed deeply, and then looked directly into the other person's eyes again.

"...Miss Xiaohua, you've made a mistake."

"Ugh?"

The cold tone and the imposing aura emanating from Hachiman made Hana feel somewhat at a loss.

What's wrong with this child?

Before she could properly consider the question, Hachiman spoke again:

"Even if you follow the agency's plan honestly, you will never debut. The proof is that the other two girls in the dance studio last time have been with the company for three years now."

Hachiman didn't come empty-handed; before finalizing the selection, he researched Strawberry Agency on various websites and forums.

Furthermore, he also found the private accounts of Strawberry Entertainment trainees on social media platforms.

Because of the trust involved, the other party couldn't reveal too much online, but Hachiman still learned that, apart from Xiaohua, the rest of these trainees had been wasting more than three years in the company.

Without exception, none of these trainees got the chance to debut, and they even filmed many commercials and promotional materials for Strawberry Entertainment for extremely low wages.

Honestly, Hachiman Hikigaya really can't understand how anyone would want to stay at a company that's so openly and blatantly deceiving people.

"Well..."

Why do I say that...?

Upon hearing Luo's words, Xiaohua looked away, hurt. Seeing this, Ichinose Honami, who was standing nearby, said with some pity:

"As for this, I think Senior Xiaohua is so outstanding, perhaps in a while she'll..."

"No, that organization was set up just to collect training fees from trainees. There was no plan for you to debut in their original plans."

Hikigaya coldly interrupted Ichinose Honami's attempt to comfort him. Perhaps not expecting him to be so obvious, Ichinose Honami looked surprised.

"If you want to stay there, we won't stop you. But we hope you understand that the company is still using the same excuse to swindle money. They will become your juniors and join the company in the future. You, Miss Xiaohua, will maintain your own training while taking care of them and encouraging them to have a chance to debut in the future."

After speaking at length, Hachiman felt his throat dry and a bitter taste rise in his stomach, but he knew that since things had come to this point, he had to finish saying everything he had to say right there.

"Wait a moment!"

Finally realizing what was happening, Ichinose Honami immediately showed a panicked expression, but it was too late. The next moment, Hikigaya finally uttered those heavy words.

"So in a sense, you are just like those people, a fraudster who deceives others."

These words struck Xiaohua like a bomb, deeply affecting her. She had always seen herself as a pitiful victim, but when a child revealed the truth to her, her already weary heart could no longer accept such a cruel reality.

First came faint breathing, then uncontrollable sobbing echoed through the coffee shop.

The front desk staff looked embarrassed and at a loss when they saw this, while Ichinose Honami gave Hikigaya a complicated look before going to the front desk to ask for the store's understanding.

"I understand, I'll help you."

After what seemed like an eternity, the coffee shop finally quieted down. Xiaohua spoke in a low voice: