Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies

"Everyone, the premiere of Starting Love Today will be broadcast live."

"YouTube livestreams have been trending lately, so we're using this format to build hype."

"But don't worry, only the premiere will be live. After all, it's a dating show."

"The first episode is simple—no script. Just introduce yourselves and get to know each other."

"The usual games and group activities will be filmed in later episodes, and we'll plan the script then."

"Even though it's live, just relax and treat it like a casual chat. Any questions?"

The staff explained the unique format of today's show.

The six participants—three men and three women, all attractive figures in the entertainment industry, nodded in agreement.

After all, this wasn't a last-minute decision.

When the show was first planned, YouTube livestreams were already gaining traction. So, the decision to premiere the show live had been written into the contract from the start.

Since they had agreed to participate, they had no objections.

Seeing their nods, the staff smiled and turned to Mai.

"Mai-san, as we discussed earlier, you'll do the opening monologue."

While Mai wasn't the most popular, she was the most well-known, having debuted as a child star. Her experience made her the perfect choice for the opening.

Mai nodded.

The lines were prepared, and as a former child star, she was well-versed in all kinds of promotional work.

Even a livestream was nothing to fear.

Dropping her icy expression, Mai switched into professional mode and walked to the designated spot in front of the camera, ready to deliver the opening monologue.

The staff checked the time.

The scheduled livestream was about to begin.

"All departments, prepare for the countdown. Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one!"

With the signal, the livestream began, and the camera started rolling.

Behind the camera, a large screen displayed the live feed.

Comments were already flooding in.

While the dating show wasn't a massive hit, it had a decent following, and the livestream format had drawn a lot of early viewers.

The screen showed a bright classroom, with sunlight reflecting off the desks.

The atmosphere of youth was instantly captured.

Since the participants were all of student age, the show had rented a private school building as the filming location.

The classroom setting evoked nostalgia, making it a great choice.

Mai appeared in the classroom.

The girl sat at a desk in the back, leaning on it sideways. As the camera approached, she slowly sat up.

After stretching, she turned to the camera with a natural, charming smile.

The opening was perfect.

Comments like "AWSL" (Ah, I'm dead!) flooded the screen.

"I'm Sakurajima Mai, 17 years old. I'm currently working as a model and actress. Nice to meet you."

After Mai's introduction, the other guests began entering the frame one by one, introducing themselves.

The director watched the livestream metrics and comments, smiling.

Things were going great.

The livestream was trending, and it looked like the show would attract a lot of attention. The director estimated that this episode might break records.

When Hikaru appeared on screen, the comments noticeably increased.

Clearly, he still had a lot of fans.

The guests sat down, forming a semicircle and leaving space for the camera.

The first episode was designed to feel like a casual classroom chat, with the participants getting to know each other.

The camera focused more on Hikaru.

After all, he was the biggest star here.

"Mai-san... Can I call you that?"

During the conversation, Hikaru suddenly turned to Mai, smiling. His acting made him seem harmless, like a sunny, friendly boy.

(T/N: Kimochi warui...)

Mai was momentarily stunned.

For some reason, perhaps intuition; she instinctively wanted to stay away from him. But in front of the camera, Mai put on a professional smile and agreed.

Comments like "They're so cute together!" immediately flooded the screen.

Even without a script, the show was clearly pushing the Kamiki Hikaru and Sakurajima Mai pairing.

One had deep roots in the industry, and the other was a rising star. Together, they had the highest potential to boost the show's popularity.

Isn't that what shipping is all about?

The reason Mai had looked so cold earlier was that she didn't want to fake a relationship with a stranger.

However, her mother had accepted the show without consulting her.

Meanwhile, in front of another screen, a girl was holding her phone, grinning foolishly.

"This is so great! Love and all that!"

The girl had short pink hair and a large black bow on her head. Not far from her, Shinomiya Kaguya was glaring at her coldly.

"Cancer of the Earth!"

Kaguya muttered under her breath.

This was the student council room.

Yet, Fujiwara Chika wasn't doing any work. Instead, she was lounging on the sofa, watching some livestream. Watching a livestream was bad enough, but she was also shouting things like "love" and "romance."

Kaguya, already stressed about many things, was even more annoyed now.

Especially when it came to love.

Just hearing the word made Kaguya think of Haruto, who hadn't accepted her invitation, and a strange sense of loss washed over her.

"Hayasaka, kindly put Fujiwara-san to a barrel then feed her to the fishes!"

Kaguya waved over Hayasaka Ai, then whispered into her ear.

Hayasaka was speechless.

"Miss, please don't joke like that."

The Fujiwara family was an indispensable ally to the Shinomiya family. Moreover, Hayasaka knew that Fujiwara Chika, despite being a bit of a mess, was one of the few friends her mistress had.

Kaguya sighed.

She was just venting.

Standing up, Kaguya walked over to Chika.

Since she couldn't actually "take care of" her, she might as well see what this "cancer of the Earth" was watching.

Standing behind Chika, Kaguya looked at her phone. On the screen, several men and women were chatting. There were also many comments scrolling across the screen.

Kaguya frowned.

"What is this?"

Chika was startled by the voice behind her, nearly dropping her phone.

But when she saw it was Kaguya, she quickly adjusted and smiled.

Pulling Kaguya down to sit beside her, Chika began enthusiastically explaining.

"This is a livestream of the dating show Starting Love Today! It's really interesting. Watch it with me, Kaguya!"

Kaguya tilted her head in confusion.

What was a dating show? And what was a livestream?

As the "caged bird" of the Shinomiya family, Kaguya had been isolated from the internet since childhood.

So, she really didn't understand the concept of a dating show.

"It's where celebrities date each other and show the process! It's super fun. Look, these two are so sweet together!"

Chika, noticing Kaguya's confusion, explained while pointing at the screen. The comments were also overwhelmingly positive.

Kaguya, however, frowned as she watched.

"That woman doesn't seem to want to talk to that man. It looks more like she's being forced."

Chika was stunned, then let out a confused sound.

"Huh? Is that so?"

Kaguya was confident in her judgment.

Although she didn't know much about love, she had a keen eye for reading subtle expressions. While the girl on screen was a good actress, Kaguya could still detect a hint of reluctance.

Hayasaka also walked over and stood behind the sofa, looking at the phone.

She reached the same conclusion as her mistress.

"Dating shows are about celebrities pretending to date. While some might develop real feelings, most of it is acting. What Kaguya-san is seeing as 'forced' is just the performers adhering to the show's rules and putting on an act."

Hayasaka explained to her mistress.

(A/N: When others are present, Hayasaka refers to Kaguya as "Kaguya-san" to hide their relationship.)

Hearing this, Kaguya's frown deepened.

Forced romance?

Wasn't that just like her?

Her future arranged marriage would be for the sake of benefit, not out of something as frivolous as "love."

In the past, Kaguya would have accepted this sacrifice for her family, but now, she felt nothing but disgust at the idea.

"It's all acting!? Ugh, I thought the couple I was shipping was real. I even liked some of Kamiki Hikaru's works."

Chika whined tearfully.

At that moment, someone suddenly entered the livestream. It looked like a staff member.

The comments were flooded with question marks.

'A live accident?'

'What's going on? I was just getting into it!'

'Is this the next segment? But the preview didn't mention this.'

The staff member who had entered the frame addressed the camera:

"Actually, for the premiere of Starting Love Today, we have a surprise. In addition to the six main guests, we've invited a special guest. Now, let's welcome our mystery guest!"

After the announcement, the camera cut to the door.

'Huh? A special guest?'

'Wait, isn't three guys and three girls perfect? Why add another guest and create a love triangle?'

'It was me. It was me who came first, whether it was the kiss or the hug...'

'Someone ban the White Album 2 fan above! Why are there always these stomach-churning White Album 2 fans everywhere!?'

The comments buzzed about the mystery guest.

Meanwhile, off-camera, the six guests were stunned.

What special guest?

They hadn't been told about this!

Their contracts definitely didn't mention this!

Hikaru's right eyelid twitched, and he felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. He glanced at the director.

The director was on the phone, bowing and nodding obsequiously. Seeing this, Hikaru's unease grew.

And then, his worst fears were realized.

The person he hated most appeared at the door.

(Haruto fr: Hello mf.)

On camera, Haruto, dressed in a high school uniform, stepped into the classroom and smiled at the camera.

His smile was like a gentle breeze, radiating warmth even through the screen.

Hayasaka: ?

Kaguya: !?

Chika picked up her phone, scrutinized it, then turned to Kaguya in disbelief.

"Uh, Kaguya-san, isn't that... Haruto-kun?"