Mash-Up Anime World: Anything for Money

Toyosaki Academy—a prestigious institution in Japan, known for its high university acceptance rate. 

But honestly, the reason working life was so grueling here was that school life was way too relaxed.

Standing before the school gates, Hakuto took a deep breath before stepping inside. It was then that he spotted a familiar figure walking not too far ahead—Eriri Spencer Sawamura.

Maybe it was due to two years of working under contract, but even now, Hakuto could pick Eriri out from a crowd in an instant.

Sensing his gaze, Eriri instinctively turned her head, and their eyes met.

Hakuto responded with a faint smile—after all, her mother had given him a rather generous financial backing.

Even though their contract had ended, Hakuto still felt a deep sense of gratitude toward the Sawamura matriarch.

As for Eriri's two years of cold treatment, Hakuto wasn't even slightly surprised. 

He had received so much money—what did a bit of indifference matter? The customer is always right, after all.

Seeing the gentle smile on Hakuto's face, Eriri politely nodded in return, though her movements carried a distinct sense of distance.

Hakuto wasn't surprised at all. Eriri had always been like this toward him.

Besides, now that the contract was over, they had no relationship whatsoever. Why shouldn't she be cold? 

Why shouldn't she be distant? Wasn't that exactly how things should be?

Thinking about how he had only worked for two years yet managed to extract so much money from a wealthy patron like the Sawamuras, Hakuto couldn't help but feel an urge to burst into laughter.

Arriving at his classroom, Hakuto quietly sat in his seat and began reading. But this unusual silence made his deskmate, Hikigaya Hachiman, frown slightly.

At this time of day… shouldn't Hakuto have already gone to deliver Eriri's breakfast?

Hachiman glanced at Hakuto, who remained focused on his book, before subtly turning his head away.

He considered waking up the slumped-over energy-saving creature at the next desk but hesitated for a moment and decided against it.

Maybe Hakuto had already run into Eriri on the way here and delivered it early. There hadn't been a precedent for that before, but that didn't mean there couldn't be one now.

Having reasoned it out, Hachiman simply dropped the matter and continued staring dead-eyed at his desk.

Not long after, Rikka strode into the classroom. She had been Hakuto's classmate from the start, though she always cut it close when it came to arriving on time.

But today, for the sake of breakfast, she had actually put aside many of her usual activities to come early.

Standing before Hakuto's desk with her hands on her hips, Rikka looked down at him, who was still immersed in his book, and declared,

"Hmph! Brave warrior, the wielder of the Wicked Eye has forsaken many important matters just to accept your energy replenishment!"

The moment these words left Rikka's mouth, the previously noisy classroom fell into complete silence—so much so that if Hiratsuka Shizuka had walked in right now, even she would've doubted whether she was in the right place.

The reason for this immediate hush wasn't just Rikka's cringeworthy declaration.

It was more so because of the person sitting opposite her—Shiratori Hakuto.

Despite being only a month into their first year, many students at Toyosaki Academy had attended middle school with Hakuto.

Thanks to these old classmates spreading rumors—and Hakuto's own unabashed behavior over the past month—he had long since gained a reputation as Eriri's die-hard simp.

To put it nicely, he was a passionate admirer.

To put it bluntly, he was a full-on simp.

For the entire past month, no one had ever seen Hakuto interact with any girl besides Eriri, let alone over something academic.

Even when he received love letters in the first few weeks due to his looks, he neither accepted nor outright discarded them.

He had tossed that love letter straight into the chapel director's suggestion box.

That move made Hakuto an instant sensation throughout the academy!

And ever since then, he had never received another love letter.

But no one was more shocked than Hachiman. Unlike Houtarou, who was still asleep behind him, Hachiman's dead fish eyes had widened—really widened.

(●—●)

Because he had just witnessed Hakuto, after hearing Rikka's words, casually pull two bento boxes out of his backpack and hand them over to her… as if it were nothing.

What the hell? 

What was this guy up to now? 

Was Rikka acting as his hired middleman?

As someone who had known Hakuto since middle school, Hachiman found it hard to believe that someone who had persisted for two years would just give up overnight. 

His first instinct was that Rikka was just a delivery girl in this scenario.

The moment she got the bento boxes, Rikka impatiently opened one of them. It had been two whole years since she last felt this kind of excitement.

Sure, her sister, Takanashi Touka, often prepared meals for her, but Rikka always knew exactly what was inside before even opening them.

"Wow! There's dessert!"

"Ahem… I mean, the brave warrior's energy replenishment—my Wicked Eye accepts it!"

Returning to her seat, Rikka didn't open the lunch bento just yet. Partly because she didn't want the food to get cold, and partly because she wanted to savor the anticipation.

Hakuto's breakfast was simple—two fried eggs, a grilled fish, two rice balls, and a serving of almond tofu.

Breakfast in Japan was usually just those standard dishes, but with enough money, Hakuto could elevate them to an art form.

And if she couldn't finish it all? No problem. 

Didn't she see how many people were already gathering around her desk?

Hakuto hadn't even realized that his actions were drawing so much attention—he thought people were just captivated by the aroma of his food.

Meanwhile, their interaction sent shockwaves through the classroom.

"Huh? Did Sawamura change her hair color?"

"Change your damn head!"

"Didn't you guys say that in middle school, Shiratori chased after Sawamura for two years?"

"Maybe a new environment changed his heart…?"

"'Changed' your damn head! I literally saw Hakuto delivering Eriri's lunch just yesterday."

"So… is he finally letting go? Deciding not to hang himself on a single tree anymore?"

"Does that mean I have a chance?"

"Wait, you actually like Hakuto?"

"Good-looking, top-ranked in academics, excels in sports—if it weren't for Sawamura overshadowing him, do you even have a single thing that could compare to him?"

Hakuto, holding his math book in both hands, overheard this comment from a girl nearby—and nearly burst out laughing on the spot.

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