Anastasia's Day of Captivity
「All the waves created by Hikigaya Hachiman's marriage proposal were kept hidden deep in her heart; on the surface, Anastasia acted as if everything were the same as always.」
「She explained that her reason for inviting the various candidate camps was that she wanted to have a long-overdue gathering and understand each other's current situations. To put it bluntly, she wanted to use the party to scout the condition of each camp and prepare for her next plans.」
「However, because her attitude was very good, no one disliked her for this bit of careful calculating.」
「The hospitality Anastasia prepared for Crusch and the others was very meticulous: there were hot springs, kimonos, and gourmet food with a flavor completely different from what they were used to.」
「"As expected of you—plans so thorough that one can't find a single fault."」
「The praise Hikigaya Hachiman gave out of habit fell upon Anastasia's ears with a unique, lingering flavor.」
「"I've heard that your side subjugated the Great Rabbit, and even received a very capable civil official, and added that child Garfiel to your military strength... With things developing so well, you should have the confidence to win?"」
「"That's hard to say." Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head gently.」
「If he were willing to harden his heart, winning would naturally be easy. Even without using 'Return by Death' to obtain all sorts of prophetic intelligence, it would essentially be a sure thing.」
「For example, he could have left the amnesiac Crusch to wallow in her anxiety, taken the future Anastasia's business plans for his own use, or traded the list of rebels who would overthrow Vincent to Priscilla for a king's ransom. In that case, his accumulated advantages would have skyrocketed like a rocket.」
「But he couldn't do that. Even without the experiences of the IF lines, he wouldn't do something so unscrupulous and nauseating.」
「He had comforted Crusch for an entire year, and both Vincent and the business plans were given away for free; these measures had increased the advantages of the other camps. Therefore, right now, even Hikigaya Hachiman found it hard to say which among Emilia, Anastasia, or Priscilla would ultimately claim victory in the Royal Selection.」
「"Although Emilia has my help, you yourself are no worse than I am; the outcome is hard to tell... That's why I want to make a reservation for something with you, Anastasia."」
「Anastasia propped her chin up with her small hand. "A reservation? Is it something I don't have?"」
「"Yeah. It's the Dragon's Blood."」
「The candidate who wins the Royal Selection and becomes the ruler gains the right to dispose of the Dragon's Blood, a treasure of the Kingdom of Lugunica. That bottle of Dragon's Blood possesses miraculous efficacy; it can cure various incurable diseases that even Ferris is helpless against, and even resurrect the dead.」
「Anastasia's body was actually very frail; the Gate she used to store mana was naturally broken, so she actually couldn't live very long. In the timeline where she won, she relied on drinking the Dragon's Blood to give her body health and longevity.」
「However, the amount used to treat Anastasia's body was very small, and there would be a surplus afterward.」
「"The essence of why Emilia wants to win the Royal Selection is that she needs the Dragon's Blood to unseal her hometown and save her people, who have been frozen for over a hundred years." Hikigaya Hachiman laid everything out on the table. "If you happen to be the one who wins, I hope you can sell the Dragon's Blood to Emilia."」
「As long as she had the Dragon's Blood, Emilia's obsession with being King wasn't actually that deep—however, that was before the Sanctuary. After growing through the Sanctuary, she also had a sincere desire to become King.」
「Anastasia froze in surprise for a moment. "...Is it really okay to tell these secrets to me, who is a competitor? Even if you have that idea, I haven't exactly planned on agreeing yet."」
「"Negotiations have critical moments; you're being too hasty, Hikigaya."」
「She said tentatively: "If I were to say, 'Unless you persuade Emilia to withdraw right now, I absolutely won't give you the Dragon's Blood even after I win,' what would you do, Hikigaya?"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman didn't panic at all. He slowly uttered four words: "Equivalent exchange."」
「"Mm-hm?"」
「"If you win, you sell the Dragon's Blood to Emilia. Similarly, if Emilia wins, I will have her take out a portion of the Dragon's Blood to sell to you."」
「Anastasia smiled, attempting to play dumb. "What would I buy it for? I have no place where I'd need Dragon's Blood."」
「"I've spoken with such certainty, do you still think I wouldn't know about your physical problems? It's fine to squeeze out profits, but don't gamble with your own life. You're too clever for your own good."」
「Sighing, he subconsciously reached out his hand and stroked Anastasia's pale-purple long hair. The texture was exactly like in his memories—fluffy and soft like down, with a fine quality akin to the fur of a young animal. It felt extremely comfortable, making it hard to let go.」
「"Ugh—"」
「The sudden development caused both of them to freeze.」
「Coming back to his senses, Hikigaya Hachiman pulled his hand back quickly as if he had been burned. Anastasia slightly widened her cute, light-blue eyes, freezing for a second or two, at a loss.」
「"Really so cute... n-no, it's not..."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman shook his head, trying to shake off those sweet memories that were affecting him. He stopped his perverted-sounding mumbling and stood up with a stiff face... This purple-haired merchant was over-the-top cute; he had to stay away from her.」
「Anastasia didn't know how to evaluate his behavior for the time being, so she could only immediately shift the topic back: "Hmph... It's a deal. A Dragon's Blood mutual-aid alliance with Emilia isn't a bad thing for me either."」
「"Ah, yeah... thanks." Hikigaya Hachiman nodded stiffly.」
「Having finished their business, the two looked at each other and suddenly felt quite awkward... Hikigaya Hachiman quickly made a random excuse and left.」
「Anastasia suddenly felt a bit of regret—regret over why she stayed here alone with Hikigaya Hachiman. She clearly should have been like Crusch and the others, already soaking in the hot spring.」
「It was only because Hikigaya Hachiman said he had something to discuss with her, and that it was a simple matter that wouldn't take much time, that she stayed behind to listen and planned to go later.」
「Furthermore, Julius, Reinhard, and the others had all gone to other rooms; otherwise, Hikigaya Hachiman surely would have been more restrained and wouldn't have laid hands on her so easily.」
「"This isn't good..."」
「Because they had been corresponding for a whole year, she had long since felt that he was a very good person.」
「Whether it was having her hair stroked or being called cute, she surprisingly didn't dislike it at all...」
「"He clearly humiliated me so much in the Royal Capital last year, so why did he suddenly become interested in me? ...What a weirdo"」
「The clever merchant with the pale-purple long hair wore a troubled expression.」
Important announcement
Hello everyone!
Thank you as always for your support!
There are 2 new Fanfictions!
Emiya Shirou will change the fake Holy Grail War
A false Holy Grail War was held in Snowfield City.
Consequently, the Noble Phantasms of Gilgamesh and Enkidu flew wildly like rain. The Pale Rider rapidly infected the entire city. The Avenger Heracles surged with overflowing black mud. Even the Zealot, who possessed the eighteen secret techniques of the Hassans, had to struggle just to survive in the cracks between them.
A battlefield where gods fight is exactly like this; a duel between a human and a Heroic Spirit is, after all, a distant and irrelevant myth.
That is, if the silhouette of a certain red-haired "faker" young man hadn't happened to—randomly, inadvertently, and accidentally—pass by this world's counterfeit Holy Grail War.
COTE: Katsuragi Keima's battle of wits in love
The youth, Katsuragi Keima, was holding his game console, posting walkthroughs for various galge (dating sims) across different forums.
At that very moment, Katsuragi Keima received a new message.
[To the Capturing God]
[I've heard the rumors that you can capture any girl, regardless of who she is. While I find it unlikely, if it is true, there are many girls waiting for your capture. (This will be a super-high difficulty galge unlike anything you have ever experienced.)]
"What's this? An email full of such provocative undertones... who does he think I am? The God does not run away!"
Katsuragi Keima pressed the confirmation button.
Welcome to the Classroom of the Elite!
(Katsuragi Keima is the protagonist of The World God Only Know)
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting