Chapter 330. Anastasia's Grievance, The Final Battle Begins
"Just as I thought, a speech with the Lord Prime Minister's unique flair, meow."
In the Hoshin Company, Anastasia looked utterly sullen, feeling aggrieved on behalf of her Prime Minister.
"Crafting the image of a domineering, majestic General and drawing all the anger of the brawling citizens onto himself—the Lord Prime Minister really loves using this trick, meow... Always sacrificing his own reputation to protect others."
While Liliana's singing could normally guide people's emotions, she was currently fighting against Sirius's Authority. After neutralizing Sirius's influence, the unique charm of her voice might be significantly diminished.
If that happened, the citizens—already in a "powder keg" state of conflict—might still break into brawls.
Hikigaya Hachiman wanted perfection. By making himself the lightning rod, he provoked Capella and lured the three Sin Archbishops to the City Hall, while simultaneously minimizing the possibility of the citizens hating one another.
Because the citizens now had a common enemy, they would direct their hatred, anger, and frustration toward Hikigaya Hachiman.
Anastasia knew. She understood all of her Prime Minister's calculations. Even so, she remained displeased.
"Compared to the possibility of hundreds or thousands of deaths in brawls, I value the Lord Prime Minister more. After all, I'm just a cold-blooded merchant."
Her Prime Minister's reputation was, of course, far more important than a group of strangers.
...Listening to Lady Anastasia's blunt remarks and worrying that she might develop a rift with the people of Pristella, Julius spoke up cautiously: "Lady Anastasia, while that is the future shown, the entire world has now witnessed that future. Surely no one will ever misunderstand Hachiman-kun's morality or character again."
"Especially the citizens of the Water Gate City; they are likely all very grateful now."
His counsel caused the aggrieved Anastasia to nod slightly, her expression softening a bit.
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"Brilliant."
In Class D of Advanced Nurturing High School, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka did not hesitate to applaud. He believed Hikigaya Hachiman's speech was masterfully inflammatory.
For the terrified people in the Water Gate City, the more powerful and domineering Hachiman appeared, the more at ease they felt. This is a fundamental human psychology.
If Hachiman had spoken gently over the broadcast, saying "Please trust us, please don't be afraid," it would have been a total disaster. Not only would it have failed to soothe the masses, but it might have even incited a riot.
People can be fickle; sometimes, looking down on them with arrogance earns more admiration than speaking to them with kindness.
"However..." But even as Ayanokouji applauded, he also frowned. He didn't want to admit it, but he had to: the reason this hate-baiting, inflammatory speech was so successful was indeed thanks to Priscilla.
If it weren't for the fact that in this "if" timeline, Hachiman had spent day and night with Priscilla and learned the essence of her arrogance to perfection, he—with his naturally gentle disposition—might not have been able to play the role of an arrogant, self-centered General so convincingly.
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"Hmph. That vixen in heat is nothing but a clown in the end."
In her mansion, Priscilla was in high spirits, feeling more refreshed than ever. A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "In the end, that foolish fool still had to obediently accept Our teachings, branding Our mannerisms into himself and carefully applying everything We have given him."
Could that lustful vixen do such a thing? Hmph!
Compared to the proud Priscilla, Emilia in the Royal Capital and Rem outside were both puffing out their cheeks in annoyance. They were thrilled that their beloved's plan succeeded, yet very unhappy.
"It's always like this. Hachiman is always like this, ignoring his own importance. It's too much!"
They didn't care what others thought; Emilia and Rem only knew that their hearts ached for him.
"This is ve~ry bad. A bad boy who doesn't cherish himself—when Hachiman comes over, I must fix his bad habits."
Emilia looked up at the sky, her heart aching as she watched her knight. "If necessary, I'll be the one to sacrifice myself instead."
Anything to stop Hachiman from carrying all the burden and getting hurt—that was truly too much to bear!
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"Ohh." In the Classics Club, having understood the necessity of Hachiman playing the villain, Chitanda Eru's large, curious purple eyes sparkled as she leaned in toward the person she liked. "But if this happens, Hachiman-kun's reputation will hit rock bottom. Won't that affect Emilia's chances in the Royal Selection?"
"It will have an impact, but it won't be too big, because Hachiman definitely has a follow-up plan to turn his reputation around."
Houtarou Oreki suppressed his feelings for Eru and analyzed seriously: "More importantly, now that the Dragon Blood issue is resolved, Hachiman no longer views Emilia's victory as the absolute top priority.
At the very least, compared to the lives of hundreds or thousands of innocent citizens, he believes those are slightly more important than winning the Selection."
"Doesn't that mean—"
Before Eru could finish, Oreki shook his head, anticipating her thought. "Winning the Selection isn't the most important thing, but Emilia herself certainly is. His love and regard for Emilia—those feelings won't diminish."
Hearing this, the "curiosity girl" patted her chest in relief. She strongly supported Emilia—and Rem, of course—occasionally offering prayers for them.
"If possible, I hope Hachiman-kun marries both of these girls!"
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「After turning off the broadcast and clearing his throat, Hikigaya Hachiman instructed Liliana to begin singing, but Liliana did not respond.」
「He turned to look at her, only to find that not just Liliana, but everyone except Priscilla was staring at him with their mouths agape, looking dazed, as if they had seen something utterly inconceivable.」
「The innocent Emilia tilted her head. She reached out to cover her knight's forehead, murmuring softly: "He doesn't have a fever... Could it be that Miss Anastasia's kimono changes one's personality when you wear it?"」
「"I don't know what happened—but you were really cool just now, General!"」
「Compared to the excited Garfiel, Wilhelm and Ricardo bowed slightly, deeply understanding the sacrifice Lord Hachiman had made. Crusch murmured something but said nothing aloud; she temporarily lacked the courage to approach Sir Hachiman.」
「"Hmph, interesting." With eyes burning bright as if looking at a magnificent, rare treasure, the disdainful Priscilla looked Hachiman up and down. This time, her gaze carried even more appreciation. "Stealing techniques from Us is a capital offense, but—treasures enjoy privileges. Cheer to your heart's content, praiseworthy fool; We do not intend to punish you. Next time you try it, the success rate will go from eighty percent to a hundred."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman stroked Emilia's silky silver hair and gave a soft laugh. He offered no explanation to the innocent Emilia or Garfiel.」
「With varying emotions, the group left the broadcast room and dispersed to guard the entrances of the City Hall, preparing to face the Sin Archbishops.」
「And then.」
「"Hello everyone, I am the songstress of the Water Gate City, Liliana!"」
「With Liliana's singing as the starting point, the third great battle between the candidate camps and the Witch Cult in the Water Gate City was declared open.」
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