Jealous Betty
"..."
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Emilia stared upward blankly. Her deep purple eyes were fixed intensely on the daydreaming Anastasia, and the hand she used to hold Puck's paw unconsciously loosened.
No one knew what she was thinking, but they could see that her gaze toward Anastasia was gradually becoming sharper!
"It was one thing during the trials, but to intrude like this in the main history... this woman..."
On the main road to the Capital, Ram furrowed her brows. She re-evaluated the priority of all of Rem's love rivals. Previously, she had always placed Emilia as the top priority, but this time, she wavered.
To be so happy upon reuniting with Anastasia that he lost his usual caution, inadvertently revealing messages that proved he knew her intimately—this slip-up by Hikigaya Hachiman was enough to prove just how close he was to her. His intimacy and trust with Anastasia were absolutely not inferior to what he shared with Emilia.
Although she had tried her best to overestimate the impact of marriage, for someone like Hikigaya Hachiman—who valued the "Genuine Thing" enough to give everything in its pursuit—she had clearly still underestimated it.
"To think Anastasia is actually seriously considering whether to accept this 'request' and compensate Hachiman with herself."
In a room used for a study session, Nariyuki Yuiga dazed for a moment and scratched his head. "Is she being a bit... uh, inappropriate?"
"It's not like that." Unlike the dense Nariyuki, the emotionally sensitive Fumino Furuhashi shook her head, defending Anastasia.
"Anastasia is considering it seriously not because she's bound by the value of those favors. What kept her from refusing immediately was the correspondence with Hachiman over this past year.
Even though she hasn't completely understood and fallen for him through three years of living together like in the IF line, through all those letters, she has more or less come to know various sides of Hachiman. She already has some feelings for him. Which means—"
Fumino's eyes sparkled as she said delightedly, "Anastasia is actually trending toward becoming her IF-line self!"
An encouraged Fumino stood with hands on hips, chest puffed out proudly. She was a pure Anastasia fan; seeing a chance for Anastasia to take the lead in the main history made her incredibly excited.
As for Emilia and Rem... well, if worst comes to worst, there's always the harem route, right? Having Anastasia included is better than not.
"Hmph..."
Back at the mansion, Priscilla gave a contemptuous snort. She had to admit, her appetite had indeed been whetted. The scene of Hikigaya Hachiman reuniting with Anastasia was so amusing that she was now curious.
If Hikigaya Hachiman were to encounter her, Priscilla, again in this main history, how would he respond? His expression and emotions would likely be quite worth savoring.
.
.
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「It was supposed to be Anastasia's turn to explain, but she had suddenly spaced out with a troubled expression, seemingly lost in thought. Since she wasn't in the right state to handle the task, Julius took over on her behalf.」
「When Hikigaya Hachiman left the reception room, he and Anastasia, who remained inside, both let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief at the exact same time.」
「Stepping away from that cute purple-haired profiteer meant he was no longer flooded with happy memories. Hachiman's intellect finally reclaimed the high ground. Reviewing the situation, he realized his various abnormal behaviors just now and glanced guiltily at Emilia beside him.」
「"Hmm...?"」
「Emilia tilted her head in confusion, not understanding the look.」
「"Well then, allow me to explain in detail. Lady Emilia, Great Spirit, and..."」
「Julius paused. He looked straight at Hikigaya Hachiman, said nothing, stepped forward, and pulled him into a tight embrace. Though it wasn't particularly "elegant," he did it anyway.」
「"My dearest friend."」
「Beatrice, who had been holding Hachiman's hand, was squeezed aside. Whatever slight fondness she had for Julius due to his Divine Protection that naturally attracted spirits vanished instantly. Watching this man move in to "snatch her man," she glared at him, consumed by jealousy.」
「Emilia took the stray Beatrice's hand, as if soothing a willful younger sister, and said in her melodious, clear voice with great pride: "Hachiman and Julius have a ve~ry good relationship. Isn't it impressive, Beatrice?"」
「"Betty has no idea why you're so happy about this." Beatrice huffed, feeling nothing but irritation.」
「The four of them strolled through the Water Gate City while listening to Julius's briefing.」
「Information regarding the Archbishop of Gluttony was on its way. Helping Hachiman enter the Pleiades Watchtower would be discussed later when both parties were free. As for the magic crystal that could help Puck wake up, it was in the hands of Kiritaka, the master of another major trading company.」
「"Kiritaka?" Hearing the name, Hachiman interrupted Julius to confirm.」
「Because he also knew a Kiritaka. During the period between the Mabeast incident and the start of the Royal Selection, a bard named Liliana had come to Roswaal's territory.」
「Liliana was a petite girl who dressed rather provocatively. Her appearance was far from as beautiful as Emilia or Anastasia, and her personality was loud and boisterous, but she sang exceptionally well.」
「At the time, Rem and Ram had gone to the village for shopping and happened to encounter Liliana. Stunned by her voice, Rem immediately introduced her to him upon returning to the manor.」
「"Such a beautiful voice—Rem wants Hachiman to hear it too!"」
「Hearing Rem say that, Hachiman hadn't hesitated for a second. He immediately asked Emilia and, after receiving her consent, invited Liliana to the Roswaal manor to sing.」
「Liliana's singing was indeed intoxicating, comparable to the top singers on Earth. Her voice also contained a special quality; in short, it was wonderful to hear.」
「Back then, a man named Kiritaka had been tailing Liliana. He was a fanatical pursuer of hers. While he couldn't quite be called a stalker, his obsession with Liliana was enough to make anyone who saw him feel disgusted.」
「"So, is there a girl named Liliana in that trading company, or here in the Water Gate City?"」
「"I'm not entirely sure about that, but Liliana, hmm..."」
「Julius frowned as he thought, then realized. "You mean the 'Songstress,' right? Indeed, her name is Liliana. Lady Anastasia mentioned it."」
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