Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Do you think Shiratori Hakuto's top-ranking grades are thanks to knowledge accumulated in his past life? 

Do you think he never studied properly? 

Do you think talent alone can determine everything?

Well, Hakuto can tell you this—you're absolutely right!

Perhaps because he was a transmigrator, Hakuto's learning ability was terrifyingly strong. The current high school curriculum posed absolutely no challenge to him.

What? You want to know what book he's reading right now?

Of course, it's The Guide to Becoming an Adorable Puppy—wait... 

Adorable Puppy? Hakuto glanced at the book cover and instantly got goosebumps, letting the book slip straight out of his hands.

"What the hell… Adorable Puppy? No wonder the content felt weird."

"Wait a minute, I'm sure I picked up 100 Wealthy Women in Tokyo and How to Contact Them..."

Picking up The Guide to Becoming an Adorable Puppy from the floor, Hakuto grimaced at the title but still decided to put it back on the shelf where it belonged.

Just as he bent down to pick up the book, a faint scent of perfume filled his nostrils.

"This scent…"

It was incredibly familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall where he had smelled it before.

Straightening up and dusting off the book, he subconsciously turned his head—only to see the silhouette of a long-haired girl with jet-black hair standing before him.

The moment he saw that figure, Hakuto immediately remembered who the perfume belonged to.

Kasumigaoka Utaha—one of the people he found the hardest to deal with.

For some reason, Utaha and Eriri had been at odds since birth, like a cat and a dog forced into the same room.

But after years of sparring, it was clear that Utaha was the stronger of the two.

This had nothing to do with Hakuto, of course. But unfortunately, back then, he had been Eriri Sawamura's pursuer.

And Eriri, that hopeless amateur, not only lacked skill but also had a tendency to crumble under pressure. 

Every time Utaha got under her skin, it was Hakuto who had to coax her back to normal.

Didn't that just add unnecessary workload for him?

At one point, Hakuto even privately approached Utaha, hoping she would show some mercy—for his own convenience, of course.

But Utaha had a very different interpretation of his request. The smugness in her voice had left him utterly speechless.

But that was all in the past. Now, whatever happened between Utaha and Eriri was none of his business. 

He no longer had to be the one to console Eriri afterward.

Even so, deep down, he still held some resentment toward Utaha.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because Utaha suddenly turned her head and looked straight at him.

Hakuto immediately averted his gaze, pretending to browse the bookshelf.

There wasn't much interaction between him and Utaha—not enough to warrant a casual greeting, at least. Pretending not to know her was the best course of action.

But it seemed Utaha had different plans. 

She briskly walked over, a subtle smile on her lips. She examined Hakuto's face closely, as if trying to discover something unusual about it.

Hakuto really wanted to pretend he didn't know her, but he couldn't exactly ignore her when she was standing right in front of him.

With gritted teeth, he forced a smile.

"Kasumigaoka-senpai, is there something you need?"

"Oh? So you are that devoted lapdog kouhai. For a second, I thought I had the wrong person."

A devoted lapdog?!

Hakuto really wanted to retort, but he held back.

"Does my face really lack that much recognition?"

Utaha shook her head innocently.

"Not at all. That's not the issue."

"Mainly because, Kouhai-kun, you were clearly looking at me just now, but the moment you turned away, you acted like you didn't even know me."

"I had to confirm, right? Even I would feel awkward if I mistook someone for the wrong person."

Awkward, my ass! (ﾉಥ益ಥ) 

That look of yours was practically stripping me down to my underwear. You might as well have carved 'Shiratori Hakuto' onto my forehead!

Hakuto had no desire to continue this topic, so he quickly changed the subject.

"Senpai, you didn't come to the library just to chat with me, did you?"

"Kouhai-kun, you're really no fun. But still…"

Utaha waved her hand dismissively and shifted her gaze to the book in Hakuto's hands.

"That blonde tsundere into this kind of stuff now?"

She pointed at the book The Loyal Puppy's Guide to Love in his hands, looking absolutely incredulous.

Realizing this, Hakuto immediately shoved the book back onto the shelf. He had been so distracted by Kasumigaoka that he had forgotten he was still holding it.

"I picked up the wrong book, Senpai. Don't overthink it."

But Utaha clearly didn't take his explanation seriously. She continued on as if she hadn't heard him.

"It's only been a few months, and Sawamura's taste has already become this refined?"

"But I must say, I didn't expect Kouhai-kun to be willing to change for love. How touching."

As she spoke, she even wiped the corner of her eye in mock sentimentality, as if everything she said was the absolute truth.

Hakuto didn't bother refuting her. If he did, it wasn't a question of whether she'd believe him or not—she'd just use his rebuttal as fuel to imagine even more ridiculous scenarios.

He and Utaha had gone to the same middle school—she was just a year above him.

Now, they are both attending Toyosaki Academy.

"Kouhai-kun is actually silent… Could it be that I was right?"

"Whatever makes you happy, Senpai."

Hakuto had assumed that if he just went along with her nonsense, she would drop the act.

But clearly, he had underestimated Utaha.

"Mmm~ Willing to change for someone, unfazed by the doubts of others…"

"I've found inspiration for a new plot."

"I'm glad I could help Senpai with her ideas, but isn't your novel a love triangle?"

"That's fine. Art imitates life. A few tweaks and it'll work."

"Ever since we started high school and I stopped seeing Kouhai-kun's devoted lapdog behavior, the quality of my novel has suffered, you know?"

Damn it! 

Hakuto knew Kasumigaoka had been using him as inspiration, but hearing it again still pissed him off.

But since he couldn't talk about the contract, he had no choice but to swallow his frustration.

Though he outwardly held his tongue, inwardly, he had already decided to go and tank Love Metronome's ratings.

If he couldn't retaliate in the open, he could still strike in the shadows.

"Even though we haven't seen each other for months, I still hear about Kouhai-kun's legendary feats around school all the time."

"In fact, every day after lunch, the girls in my class can't stop talking about you."

"Senpai, do you actually participate in those conversations?"

"No. Their voices were just too loud and interrupted my nap."

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