Mash-Up Anime World: Anything for Money

"Alright, you may step down now."

Hakuto casually walked off the stage. At that moment, Hiratsuka, sitting below, clearly saw him waving at Eriri.

Honestly, there were some things Hiratsuka didn't want to interfere with, but this kid was just too arrogant.

Back on stage, the principal continued,

"Now, let's move on to the main purpose of this freshman assembly."

"Next, I'd like to invite the student with the highest entrance exam scores to come up and speak."

As soon as the principal finished speaking, Hakuto, who was halfway back to his seat, suddenly turned his head, then made a sharp U-turn and walked back onto the stage.

The principal shot him a look, clearly reluctant, but still stepped aside.

Seeing the principal's expression—as if he'd just swallowed something foul—along with the stunned disbelief in the audience's eyes, Hakuto could barely hold back a laugh.

Still, as a professional, he quickly adjusted his expression and began his speech.

Not that it mattered—because the audience barely processed a single word.

All they knew was that the guy who had just been delivering a self-reflection for fighting was now, in the very next moment, standing there as the top student of the entire grade.

The sheer contrast was jarring, leaving everyone in a state of disbelief.

The assembly dragged on for quite a while, only wrapping up around lunchtime.

In the Office

As soon as the assembly ended, Hiratsuka grabbed Hakuto and dragged him to her office.

Since she was still trying to leave a somewhat decent impression on him, she clenched her fist but ultimately let it go, choosing instead to speak in a serious tone.

"Why didn't you follow the speech I wrote for you?"

"Sensei, was there anything wrong with my self-reflection?"

Wrong? This was just supposed to be a formality! 

What does it matter if there's anything wrong?!

To be honest, even though they'd only known each other for two or three days, Hiratsuka had to admit—she had some grudging respect for Hakuto.

Forget about the fact that he managed to beat up five guys by himself. 

The real impressive part was his decisiveness in calling the police right afterward. That alone put him ahead of most people.

If he hadn't called the police, the whole thing would've been brushed under the rug. The school wouldn't want any bad press so early in the year.

But because Hakuto did call, it completely changed the situation.

When the police showed up, the principal of Toyosaki Academy had turned pale—probably lost his beer belly from the sheer shock.

After an investigation, the verdict was clear: Hakuto was acting in lawful self-defense, while the other five were guilty of group assault.

Illegal incidents happen all the time, but once the police get involved, it's a whole different story.

The school had no choice but to expel the five students immediately and have Hakuto go through the motions of a "formal" self-reflection speech.

Hiratsuka exhaled a deep sigh, instinctively lighting a cigarette.

"From now on, don't just call the police whenever you get into a fight. If something happens, come to me first."

"The school cares a lot about its reputation."

"Yes, yes, of course, Sensei. I'll listen to you."

Hiratsuka glanced at the bag in Hakuto's hand, flicked her cigarette ash, and casually brought it up.

Hakuto noticed and pulled out a lunchbox from his pocket.

"It's lunch for Eriri."

"Eriri? The one you waved at when you got off stage?"

"So you saw that, huh?"

"It was hard not to. Anyone with eyes could see it."

"I don't really care about your love life or whatever," Hiratsuka said bluntly. 

"But don't go calling the cops over fights again. Just come to me."

Since the school year had just begun, Hiratsuka was being unusually tolerant and gentle.

"Got it."

Hearing Hakuto's cheerful response, Hiratsuka nodded in relief—but if she hadn't personally witnessed him beating up nearly everyone in school who had provoked him, she might have actually believed him.

…

At that moment, her gaze landed on Rikka's lunchbox, and a thought suddenly struck her.

Wait… isn't that the same lunchbox Hakuto had in his pocket after the freshman assembly?

The realization made Hiratsuka pause. After all, she knew very well how utterly devoted Hakuto had been to Eriri.

She had even asked around—Hachiman and the others confirmed that Hakuto had been like this for two years straight.

But now… what was going on?

At first, Hiratsuka had considered talking to Hakuto, giving him some friendly advice about not being too stubborn in love. But now, it seems… completely unnecessary.

Since there were others around, she didn't react too obviously. Instead, she quietly kicked Hakuto's leg and gestured toward the lunchbox.

Hakuto, who was in the middle of eating bread, nearly choked from the sudden kick. If his mental fortitude wasn't strong, he might have yelped on the spot.

He turned to Hiratsuka, his expression puzzled—until he followed her gaze. The confusion on his face slowly faded.

"It's nothing, Sensei. Just a promise," Hakuto said, waving his hand nonchalantly.

But Hiratsuka frowned slightly at both his words and the casual tone in which he said them.

If it weren't for the bright, sunny smile still on his face, she might have thought he had snapped after chasing after a girl for so long without success.

"Oi, kid, are you sure you're okay right now?"

Hiratsuka slowly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, taking one out at a leisurely pace.

She was genuinely a bit concerned about Hakuto's mental state. After all, the difference between yesterday's Hakuto and today's was a bit… drastic.

Hakuto waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine, Sensei. You know me, don't you?"

But as he spoke, he suddenly reached over and plucked the cigarette from Hiratsuka's lips.

"There are other people around, Sensei. Maybe hold off for now?"

Still smiling, he tucked the cigarette behind Hiratsuka's ear, carefully brushing aside a few stray strands of her hair in the process.

"You really should cut back on these, you know…"

"You little—"

Hiratsuka felt a slight flush creep up her cheeks. She slowly took the cigarette from behind her ear and put it back in the pack.

And yet, even though Hakuto had acted so rudely, she couldn't bring herself to be angry.

Even she didn't quite understand why. They had only known each other for a month—

But to her, Hakuto didn't feel like just a student. Their interactions were starting to feel more like… friends.

Meanwhile, at the table, a certain girl with the Wicked Eye paused mid-scoop, a strange glimmer in her eyes.

"The Hero… can get along with the Iron Fist of Destruction so naturally?!"

"As expected of the Hero! He accomplished what even the Wicked Eye could not!"

"However… the Wicked Eye shall always reign supreme!"

Rikka thought to herself—but outwardly, she showed no reaction. She simply continued eating her meal, as if nothing had happened.

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