Mash-Up Anime World: Anything for Money

"Look, it's Shiratori Hakuto..."

"What's there to see? He's probably bringing lunch to Sawamura again..."

"I mean, sure, Sawamura is really pretty, her family is rich, and she's an elegant young lady..."

"You know, back in middle school, I was in the same school as both Sawamura and Shiratori."

"Shiratori has been chasing after Sawamura since our first year of middle school. It's been almost two years now."

"Who knows? Let's just enjoy the show."

"So, what do you guys think? Will Shiratori ever get the girl?"

"I doubt it. If he could, he wouldn't have been chasing her for two years with no results."

Amid the murmuring crowd, a young man with a mullet-like wolf-cut hairstyle quietly carried a pink lunchbox and walked up to a blonde girl with twin tails.

"Here, this is your lunch, Eriri."

"Mm... Just leave it there."

Eriri was completely absorbed in her drawing, lost in her own world, not even sparing the boy a glance.

However, Hakuto didn't seem to mind at all. He simply placed the lunchbox on the desk and then stood silently beside Eriri, watching her work.

More than ten minutes passed. Finally, as if unable to withstand Hakuto's intense gaze any longer, Eriri put down her pen, turned slightly, and looked at him.

"Is there something else?"

"No, I just wanted to see what you were working on."

"There's nothing worth looking at. Hurry back to your own classroom."

Hakuto smiled and nodded. Then, as if following a command, he turned and left without hesitation.

The moment he stepped out, the hushed classroom erupted in chatter once again.

"I've heard about this before, but seeing it firsthand is unbelievable..."

"He's just way too obedient. This level of simping is beyond us."

"But what if, by some miracle, he actually succeeds?"

"Still the same answer—no way!"

Eriri glanced at the lunchbox Hakuto had left behind. After a brief pause, she slowly opened it.

Tomatoes, ribbonfish, sausages... All of her favorite foods.

Even in a small compartment of the lunchbox, there was a delicate chocolate cream cake prepared as dessert.

"Sawamura, your lunch is always so fancy!"

"Ugh, I'm so jealous! If only I had someone like Hakuto pursuing me!"

"Honestly, Hakuto is good-looking, a top student, and a decent guy. He treats you so well, too."

"Why don't you just say yes to him?"

Hearing the questions from the people around her, Eriri merely shook her head lightly without answering.

If there had to be a reason, it would be that Hakuto was simply too much of a simp... and he seemed to be doing it just for the sake of simping.

He obeyed her every word, always came running whenever she called, and even when people ridiculed him, he would only smile and tell her not to be upset.

Eriri shook her head again. How could she ever fall for someone like that?

She looked at the lunchbox filled with delicious food, scooped up a bite with a spoon, and placed it in her mouth.

The food was both delicious and perfectly suited to Eriri's tastes—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a specially crafted meal prepared by a high-end chef just for her.

However, for some reason—perhaps because she had grown too used to it—Eriri only took a couple of bites before putting down her spoon.

Noticing the eager gazes around her, she pushed the lunchbox forward and asked,

"Do you guys... want some?"

Meanwhile, on Hakuto's side, instead of returning to his own classroom after leaving Eriri's, he first made a stop at the convenience store, buying three yakisoba bread rolls before heading back.

Once he reached his seat, he casually tossed one of the bread rolls to the guy sleeping on his desk behind him and another to the one sitting beside him.

The bread roll landing on his desk jolted the boy from his slumber. He glanced at Hakuto, then wordlessly unwrapped the bread and took a bite.

The boy beside Hakuto, with his trademark dead-fish eyes, looked up from the novel he was reading and asked,

"Back from Class F again?"

Hakuto nodded. The one sitting next to him was none other than the ever-cynical "Great Teacher" himself—Hikigaya Hachiman. And the "Class F" he was referring to was, of course, Eriri's class.

"I really don't get what you're doing there every day."

"You wouldn't understand, being the efficiency-maximizing type that you are."

The guy sitting behind Hakuto, a former member of the so-called "Four Kings of the School" in their past life, was none other than Houtarou Oreki—master of conserving energy, rarely motivated by anything, but undeniably brilliant.

Hachiman glanced at his friend but said nothing. Whatever he wanted to say had already been said long ago—saying it again now wouldn't change anything.

Sometimes, he really couldn't figure Hakuto out. Was he, like Hachiman, someone who saw through the world's illusions, or was he just another hopeless "normie" who wanted to fit in?

He had an incredibly handsome face, was among the top students in the school, and was even decent at sports.

Yet somehow, he had completely squandered that god-tier hand. 

After spending two years in middle school as a hopeless simp, it had taken only a month of high school for his reputation to hit rock bottom.

"For someone who hates trouble so much, you sure have stuck with this for two years."

"Has it been two years already? Feels too short..."

"Can't you just... pick a different target?"

"Sure, Komachi's pretty nice—"

"Shut up!"

Hakuto was always like this. Every time Hachiman tried to talk some sense into him, Hakuto would bring up his little sister as a joke. 

But even as a joke, that was an absolute no-go for Hachiman.

Time passed quickly, and before they knew it, the school day was over. In Japan, school usually ended quite early, often before 4 PM.

The three of them were all members of the unofficial "Go-Home Club," meaning they hadn't joined any after-school activities. 

But while the other two would head straight home, Hakuto usually lingered around school—

To do what? Of course, to shamelessly chase after Eriri.

But today was different. Hakuto broke his usual routine and left as soon as the final bell rang.

Now that Hachiman thought about it, he did this about once a month.

It was springtime, and the weather was pleasant. 

As Hakuto walked alone down the street, the sunlight cast a glow on his face, making him look like the very picture of a youthful, energetic boy.

Yet, it was hard to believe that this same boy was infamous at school for being an absolute simp—one who just wouldn't quit, no matter what.

As he strolled through the streets, he eventually stopped in front of a large villa. 

Taking a deep breath, he patted his cheeks, put on a smile, and leisurely stepped forward to knock on the door.

After a few seconds, a beautiful woman with long black hair opened the door. When she saw Hakuto, she smiled and stepped aside to let him in.

"Long time no see, Sayuri-neesan."

"It really has been a while. Come on in."

Hakuto flashed a gentle smile and stepped inside.

Inside the villa, he sat on the couch, smiling as he looked at the woman beside him—Sawamura Sayuri.

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Heh, taking his efforts as a given will bite you back in the future, Eriri..

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Advanced Chapters will be available on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

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