Mash-Up Anime World: Anything for Money

There was no denying it—Shiratori Hakuto's looks were nothing short of breathtaking. 

His semi-long hair should have given off a somewhat delicate impression, yet he carried himself in a way that never seemed effeminate. 

His plain black hair and black eyes, so ordinary in description, held an inexplicably stunning allure.

His appearance alone had already exceeded the average standard of the readers behind the screen.

Perhaps, when it came to making a living in this field, his face alone played a significant role.

"For you..."

"Yeah... for Ginko."

Hakuto's face still carried that ever-gentle smile, like a cool breeze on a summer day, refreshing and calming.

Ginko forced herself to stay composed, picking up the fallen shogi piece and folding fan, deliberately avoiding Hakuto's face and shifting all her focus onto the board.

"You've said that so many times already."

"But it's the truth..."

At this moment, Ginko's mind was tangled in a web of chaotic thoughts.

Hakuto had started this conversation by telling her about his purpose for living, but after saying so much... she still hadn't heard anything that truly defined "survival."

Yet as she replayed his words in her mind over and over, savoring them carefully, that gentle, breeze-like tone gradually pieced together a single sentence in her head.

"Playing shogi with Ginko—this is my purpose for living."

The familiar voice echoed within her, making Ginko snap her head up to look at Hakuto across the board. 

But he hadn't spoken a word. He was just sitting there, smiling faintly at her.

"D-Don't look at me like that..."

"Hmm? Ginko, are you getting shy?"

"B-Baka..."

Hearing Hakuto's words, Ginko lowered her gaze, refusing to meet his eyes.

For some reason, once that thought had taken root in her mind, she couldn't shake it off no matter how hard she tried.

And so, with her head practically overheating, she somehow managed to finish the game. But because she was so distracted, the match didn't even last sixty moves.

"A-Again..."

She called for a rematch, her voice filled with unwillingness, as if she had already forgotten everything that had just happened. 

But the lingering blush on her face betrayed her completely.

"Let's call it a night, Ginko. It's already pretty late..."

"Besides, you're not really in the right state of mind to play right now."

For once, Hakuto refused her request, his tone gentle but firm as he smiled and quietly packed up the shogi board.

Ginko watched his movements, her hand hovering in midair for a brief moment before she slowly let it drop. 

In the end, she didn't say anything to stop him.

"By the way, Ginko, when are you heading back?"

Hakuto asked the question casually while tidying up, acting as if it was nothing important.

After all, as someone in this profession, he had to protect his customers. Any misfortune or inconvenience would be borne by him alone.

To those customers, in their eyes, there was no one else in the world quite like Hakuto.

Of course, Eriri was an exception. She herself didn't even know about the arrangement between her mother and Hakuto.

That's why Hakuto needed to confirm exactly how much Ginko had seen. If she had caught anything troublesome, he would need to come up with some excuse to brush it off.

"Hmph..."

"What? Did I disturb your little secret rendezvous by watching from the sidelines?"

Ginko originally planned to unleash her sharp tongue, but recalling Hakuto's earlier heartfelt words, her tone softened without realizing it.

"When that elementary school kid climbed up the rope..."

Hearing that, Hakuto quietly sighed in relief. However, he couldn't help but feel a strong urge to complain.

Elementary school kid? If Rikka ever found out someone referred to her that way, she'd probably think they'd cast some kind of shrinking spell on her.

No doubt she'd dramatically cover her eye and declare, "Hmph! You think such petty tricks could ever defeat the wielder of the Wicked Eye?"

No, no, stop thinking about that—Hakuto could already feel his toes curling from secondhand embarrassment.

He glanced at Ginko, who genuinely lacked the self-awareness that a 14-year-old girl should have. 

How would you even describe this? Pot calling the kettle black?

Loli calling another girl a loli?

Though, to be fair... Rikka didn't exactly qualify as a loli. 

As for Ginko...

Hakuto's gaze flicked toward Ginko again—the sailor uniform, the black stockings...

Not a loli. Definitely not.

Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!

Shaking his head furiously, Hakuto banished the three-years-or-more-worthy thoughts from his mind.

Why am I even thinking about lolis?!

Blaming his offbeat mental state on Ginko, Hakuto convinced himself that her earlier comments must have planted the idea in his head.

A vivid imagination... truly a double-edged sword.

Still, his years of professional experience allowed him to maintain a perfectly calm expression as he gently reminded her,

"Alright, Ginko, it's time for bed. I'll try to come watch your match next week, so make sure you give it your best."

Hakuto had just activated his twelfth customer care principle—Sweet Relief After Long Droughts.

Every customer had something they desperately wanted him to do, but Hakuto would always find a reason to avoid it—unless, of course, they paid extra.

With Ginko, it was watching her matches.

With Rikka, it was participating in her public chuunibyou performances.

This kind of "just out of reach" approach made the customers crave his attention even more.

Without fail, whenever Hakuto dangled this bait, Ginko would agree to whatever he asked.

Rikka was no different—Hakuto still remembered the time she dragged him to perform at Tokyo Plaza...

Best not to dwell on that.

However, there was one exception among his clients—Sawamura Eriri.

Both Ginko and Rikka exhibited attachment and affection toward him. But Eriri? Hakuto had never sensed anything like that from her—at least, not anymore.

This little trick only worked if the customer actually liked him.

And Eriri... clearly did not.

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