Mash-Up Anime World: Anything for Money

"You... "What do you feel about Hakuto-kun?"

Sayuri gazed into Eriri's eyes, searching for any trace of emotion. But reality rarely aligns with expectations.

Eriri's response was calm and indifferent.

"Shiratori Hakuto? He's alright, I guess. I see him as a friend."

"But... can't you see how he feels about you?"

"How could I not?" Eriri sighed. 

"I've told him to stop, that I don't like him."

"But he still comes to find me every day. What can I do about it…?"

There was a hint of helplessness in Eriri's voice, but also a touch of pride. Though she didn't like Hakuto, she had to admit—he was excellent in every aspect.

Being pursued by a guy like him for two whole years… it was a little flattering.

Sayuri looked at her daughter's expression, resisting the urge to roll her eyes so hard they might get stuck in the back of her head. 

Taking a deep breath, she pressed on.

"Two years, Eriri… After all this time, do you still not feel anything for Hakuto-kun?"

Hearing this, Eriri instinctively gripped her cake fork a little tighter.

"Feelings, huh… Maybe a little…"

To be honest, Eriri had heard Hakuto's name since her first year of middle school. Whether it was classmates or teachers, she would always hear his name being mentioned.

Back then, she couldn't say she had any feelings for him—just curiosity.

Actually, during her second year, when Hakuto began treating her with such care, she did feel a little moved. 

She even started looking forward to what kind of meals he would make for her every morning and afternoon.

But now…?

Eriri pictured Hakuto's face in her mind, then shook her head.

"Alright, Mom, I know Hakuto treats me well. But I just don't like him."

"That's enough. I'm going to my room to work on my manuscript."

With that, Eriri put down her cake, took a few quick steps, and headed upstairs.

Sayuri watched her daughter's retreating figure and let out a deep sigh.

"Well… at least all that money wasn't entirely wasted…"

"At the very least, Eriri was well taken care of… At least, she won't have any regrets about her youth…"

As for the contract… Sayuri planned to keep that a secret from Eriri for the rest of her life.

In Eriri's mind, Hakuto would forever be just a passerby in her life—someone who left only the faintest mark on her story.

…

"Thirty-five million, huh…"

Hakuto looked at his bank account, where more than 35 million yen sat comfortably. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Though he was a little disappointed that he hadn't signed a fifth contract with Sayuri, this was more than enough. 

He was genuinely grateful to his generous benefactor.

"So… what should I eat tonight?"

Now that the two-year act had come to an end, Hakuto couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

He scanned through the ingredients in his fridge and decided to make something nice for dinner.

"Mapo tofu sounds good…"

Even though he had been living in Japan, Hakuto was still Chinese at heart. Japanese food just didn't quite suit his tastes.

He reached into the fridge and grabbed a block of tofu. But just as he placed it on the cutting board—

Ding-dong!

A crisp doorbell sound echoed through his apartment.

Hakuto instinctively turned toward the door, wondering who would be visiting at this hour.

"Who is it?"

"It's me…"

A pleasant yet chilly voice came from the other side.

"Hm?"

"…Ginko?"

The moment Hakuto heard that voice, his expression relaxed. After all, at this hour, the only person who would show up at his place was none other than—Sora Ginko.

Hakuto walked forward and slowly opened the door.

Standing outside was a middle school-aged girl dressed in a sailor uniform, her long blue hair flowing down her back.

She held a white folding fan, with the words "Unyielding Spirit" boldly inscribed on the front and "Victory" written on the back.

She was none other than the queen of the shogi world—Naniwa's Snow White, Sora Ginko.

"Long time no see, Ginko. Coming over this late… Did something happen?"

As he spoke, Hakuto instinctively stepped aside, signaling that she was welcome to enter.

Ginko didn't answer Hakuto's question. She simply walked into the house without a word.

Upon entering the living room, she glanced toward the kitchen, spotting the tofu on the counter.

Then, shifting her gaze to Hakuto, she asked,

"Are you cooking?"

Hakuto smiled. "Yeah, I'm making mapo tofu. If you haven't had dinner yet, I can make an extra portion for you."

Ginko nodded, folding her fan and putting it away without any hesitation.

Seeing this, Hakuto chuckled and headed back into the kitchen, grabbing a few more ingredients from the fridge.

After a while, he brought out the meal—mapo tofu, two bowls of rice, a bowl of tomato and egg soup, and a serving of almond tofu for dessert.

If it were just him, he wouldn't have bothered making so much. But since Ginko was here, that changed things—after all, she was his patron.

Ginko sat at the dining table in silence. Just like the title she held in the shogi world, she carried herself with the grace of a queen.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Hakuto said.

"Do you need any sauce?"

"If it's your cooking, then it's unnecessary," Ginko replied.

She had an obsession with sauces, using them in almost every meal—often in amounts that could be measured by the bottle. 

But when it came to Hakuto's cooking, she didn't have this habit.

According to her, the original flavor was already good enough.

Looking at the food before her, Ginko let out a quiet sigh.

"Still the same, huh…"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Nothing…"

Without answering further, Ginko picked up her chopsticks, performed a simple pre-meal gesture, and started eating.

Roughly ten minutes later, Hakuto took the empty dishes into the kitchen. 

By the time he finished washing up and returned to the living room, he noticed something—Ginko had already set up a shogi board and was seated on one side, waiting.

She tapped the closed fan against the opposite seat, a silent but unmistakable demand.

"You didn't come all this way just to play shogi with me, did you?" Hakuto sighed.

"I thought you had a match at the association today," he added, glancing at the board.

"That kind of match doesn't take long."

"True… After all, you are the Osaka's Snow White."

In shogi match records, victories were marked in white, while defeats were marked in black.

Ginko had earned the title Osaka's Snow White with an astounding record of 47 wins and 0 losses—fitting in every sense of the name.

As Hakuto hesitated, Ginko impatiently snapped open her fan and added,

"Don't worry. I'll pay you for the overtime."

At the mention of extra pay, Hakuto sat down without a second thought.

"Please go easy on me."

In truth, even if she hadn't brought up the overtime pay, he would've played with her anyway.

She was his patron, after all. Giving up a little bit of his free time wasn't a big deal.

But since she did offer to pay, he figured he might as well put in his best effort.

Their usual arrangement was to play on Saturdays, sometimes extending into Sundays. But today was Thursday—definitely an overtime session.

Seeing Hakuto obediently take his seat, Ginko's lips curled into a faint smile. This was exactly why she had come all the way here.

"You take the first move," she said.

"That wouldn't be fair. Let's decide randomly."

With that, Hakuto picked up the Ōshō (King) piece, tossing it into the air in a perfect arc before catching it again.

"It landed face-up… Looks like I will go first after all."

In official matches, turn order was usually decided this way—unless there were special conditions, such as a handicap, in which case the player giving the handicap would take the first move.

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Damn, thats a lot of money for highschoolers.

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

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