Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Back then, Eriri had been irritated, angrily telling Hakuto not to call her by her name.

At the time, a hint of disappointment had flashed across Hakuto's face, though he had quickly concealed it.

The next second, he had playfully asked,

"Then what do you want me to call you, Eriri?"

Without thinking, Eriri had blurted out, "Sawamura-san." Hakuto had simply responded with a calm "Alright."

At the time, Eriri had thought he was just agreeing to her request. But looking back now, it was clear that wasn't the case at all.

She recalled the disappointment on his face back then and the reluctance in his eyes just moments ago.

Her heart clenched as if an invisible hand was gripping it tightly.

"Was I... too harsh?"

But in the next moment, she shook her head, pushing the thoughts away.

The only reason she was feeling this way was due to some sort of emotional withdrawal. It will pass in a few days.

Sighing, she grabbed her bag and left the school, riding her bicycle toward home.

However, halfway there, her stomach let out a loud growl.

After skipping both breakfast and lunch, she figured it was a miracle she was only feeling hunger and nothing worse.

Feeling her empty stomach, Eriri couldn't help but sigh. If this had been before, all she would have needed to do was take out her phone and call Hakuto.

She had rarely done that in the past, but now… she didn't even have the right to anymore.

Seeing that her destination was still quite a distance away, Eriri decided to stop, parking her bike by the roadside before stepping into a convenience store.

…

About ten minutes earlier, as soon as the school bell rang to signal the end of classes, Hakuto instinctively packed his bag and started walking toward Class F.

However, after taking just a few steps, he abruptly stopped and turned around, a slightly awkward expression on his face.

"Damn it, muscle memory. I automatically started heading toward Eriri again after school."

Checking the time, he saw it was exactly 3:30 PM. There were still a few hours before sunset.

That realization left him at a loss. He wasn't sure what to do with his time after school from now on.

"Should I get a part-time job? The school forbids it, but with my connections at Shizuka-chan's place, I could probably make it work."

He hesitated. He had considered finding a new "client," but customers like that weren't something he could just seek out—they had to come to him.

Whether it was Sayuri, Ginko, or Rikka, all of them had approached him first.

And it wasn't exactly a service he could openly advertise. It wasn't like he could stand on the street asking people if they needed a rental boyfriend.

Otherwise, how would he be any different from a host?

…Wait. 

A host?

"That's it! A host!"

In Japan, hosting was legal, and there were even dedicated host clubs.

And hosts provided emotional value—wasn't that basically what he had been doing all along?

Hakuto suddenly felt like he had found his calling.

Hakuto figured that with his looks, getting a job as a host to make money shouldn't be a problem.

He also had plenty of time—after all, he currently only had two clients: Ginko and Rikka.

The former only took up his Saturdays, and even though she occasionally required overtime, it barely used up a tenth of his total free time. 

As for the latter, she hardly counted at all.

In other words, he had more than enough time to take on work as a host.

Once he had made up his mind, Hakuto didn't hesitate. 

He tossed his school bag into the classroom, then bolted out of the school with a running start, heading straight to the nearest host club for an interview.

Following the directions on his GPS, he soon arrived in front of a host club. However, less than ten minutes later, he was promptly thrown out by the security staff.

"Get lost! We don't hire minors."

"Come on, does psychological maturity not count?"

Seeing the bouncer's unwavering expression, Hakuto let out a quiet sigh.

He hadn't expected his grand career to be cut short by something as trivial as his age. It was over before it even began.

The thought of age restrictions had crossed his mind on the way here, but he had assumed that, given how progressive Japan was in some aspects, they wouldn't be too strict about it.

But it seemed he had underestimated the country. These were legitimate, properly regulated businesses, and he had been looking at them through tinted lenses.

Now, aimlessly wandering the streets, Hakuto felt more lost than he had in years.

"If I can't be a host, then what else can I do?"

"...Am I seriously supposed to just enjoy my youth?"

He scoffed at the thought. The idea of enjoying youth had never even crossed his mind.

After all, youth was nothing but a steaming pile of crap. 

In his past life, he had tasted it—no surprises, no excitement, only endless sorrow and the bitter realization that life was a joke.

Right now, Hakuto genuinely had no idea what to do with himself. 

Rikka's occult club barely counted as a responsibility. Hachiman and Houtarou, one a complete slacker and the other obsessed with energy conservation, weren't even active members.

If he didn't take advantage of such valuable resources, what was he waiting for? The real problem was Rikka's situation.

As he strolled along the street, he figured that since hosting was out of the question, he might as well look for a day labor job.

Thanks to his connection with Sayuri, Hakuto wasn't exactly strapped for cash, but his past experiences had taught him that the money he had now wouldn't be nearly enough in the long run.

At least, not for someone like him.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, his eyes landed on a recruitment poster on a bulletin board.

"Librarian?"

To be honest, this kind of long-term job didn't really suit him, but since he had nothing better to do, he decided to check out the address listed on the ad.

Who knows? It might turn out to be a good fit.

With that in mind, Hakuto headed toward the library.

It wasn't far—he arrived within a few minutes.

Upon stepping inside, he had planned to inquire about the job at the front desk, but to his surprise, it was completely unattended.

"...No one's here?"

"Oh well, since I'm already here, I might as well make the most of it."

Learning was the ladder to human progress. And compared to elevators, Hakuto had always preferred stairs.

Before long, he was leaning against a bookshelf, completely engrossed in a book with a brown cover.

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