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

(T/N:.... only three chaps today as I am binge reading the marinated fics I've stack up XD.

Xiaoo~)

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When the topic of the agent was brought up, the living room fell into a long silence. Even the densest person could tell that the atmosphere had grown heavy.

It was obvious that this was a sore spot for Mai Sakurajima.

Regarding her agent who was also her mother, Mai had complicated feelings.

Although her mother took job offers like reality dating shows without considering her feelings, treating her somewhat like a money-making machine...

There was also the fact that she had nurtured her since childhood, always by her side.

Was that really not motherly love?

Was she truly just raising a tool for making money?

These were questions that weren't easy to answer.

That's why Mai was caught in such deep conflict.

Seeing her silence, Haruto simply waved his hand in front of her eyes.

"Snap out of it. Listen to my plan first, then you can think about other things."

Mai looked up at his words, though her expression remained downcast.

Haruto continued,

"I understand a little about your dilemma. Normally, this would indeed be a tough problem to solve."

Mother or agent, family or tool, this was undoubtedly a difficult dilemma.

But—

"I actually have a simple and straightforward solution."

Haruto snapped his fingers.

Hearing this, Mai's mood lifted slightly, her curiosity piqued.

"As long as you transfer from your current agency to 'Umbrella,' the problem will be solved. 'Umbrella' will pay a huge sum to your agency as a buyout fee. After joining 'Umbrella,' you'll be able to pursue your acting career freely. 'Umbrella' will never force you to accept projects you dislike or trade resources. This way, you and your agent will have no financial ties anymore. Doesn't that solve the problem?"

Haruto spoke with a smile.

Mai listened quietly, then fixed her gaze on him.

"Haruto, this sounds like a creepy old man luring a little girl with candy, saying he'll take her to see goldfish."

Haruto: "?"

Her analogy was so spot-on that he almost lost his composure.

"That comparison is way too weird! You're making it sound like I'm after your body or something!"

Haruto said helplessly.

Mai folded her arms and puffed out her chest.

She was still dressed in her bunny girl outfit, just without the headpiece.

With that movement, Haruto's jacket, draped over her shoulders, barely covered anything.

What met his eyes was pure white skin, stirring his blood.

"Isn't that exactly the case? If not, then what does 'Umbrella' gain from this?"

The plan Haruto proposed sounded like a win-win.

But the only problem was that 'Umbrella' was essentially throwing money away.

Buying out Mai would cost a fortune.

And after acquiring her, they wouldn't force her to take commercial projects.

That meant her "monetary value" would be greatly reduced, making the price they paid totally unreasonable.

'Umbrella' was taking a huge loss.

Haruto simply shrugged.

"You've probably heard what people in the industry call 'Umbrella,' right?"

Hearing this, Mai's expression turned strange as she nodded.

"The 'crazy company,' 'insane company,' and 'money-burning lunatics.'"

Haruto: "?!?"

What kind of nicknames were these?

Even being called a "rich fool" sounded better!

Still, these nicknames did highlight 'Umbrella's' defining trait.

"Just like the rumors say, 'Umbrella' doesn't care about money. And they don't just say that, they prove it with actions."

Mai didn't doubt this.

Because 'Umbrella's' poster girl, super idol Hoshino Ai, was a prime example.

As their star, the money spent on her vastly outweighed her actual revenue. She never participated in high-profit activities like photo books, fake relationship scandals, or handshake events.

The amount 'Umbrella' poured into her had reached astronomical levels.

A normal idol career could never recoup such an investment in a lifetime. The entire entertainment industry was baffled by their finances. And this applied to every artist under 'Umbrella.'

So, spending a fortune to sign Mai and letting her act as she pleased was entirely plausible.

Then, she suddenly realized the key point.

"Is 'Umbrella' just a front for the Foundation? Is that why they don't care about money?"

Haruto clapped in appreciation of her sharp thinking.

"Your brain works fast. Yes, 'Umbrella' is a public-facing branch of the SCP Foundation. As a front, its job is to spread information, not to exploit beautiful girls for money.

"This is the key to Plan Three, you're not just switching agencies; you're taking on a new role."

"By joining 'Umbrella,' you're also joining the SCP Foundation. Through experiments, you'll try to control anomalies."

"Your Adolescence Syndrome is triggered by emotions, and many cases have shown that people can perfectly control their own anomalies."

"Perhaps, if you continue your acting career, you'll gradually become visible to the public again. Maybe, over time, you'll even gain control over your ability to disappear. For that possibility, money is a small price to pay for the Foundation."

Haruto revealed the true motive.

Her "disappearance" was essentially an anti-meme.

And controllable memes and anti-memes were incredibly valuable.

Right now, the entire Meme Division only had Megumi Kato.

If Mai could control her anomaly, her value would be astronomical.

Mai was stunned for a moment.

Then, when she came back to her senses, the first thing she said was...

"So you are just after my body, huh?"

Haruto couldn't help but chuckle and nodded.

"Yes, I'm totally after your body. This bunny girl outfit is just too seductive, absolutely unforgettable."

Mai Sakurajima: !

Haruto: o.O

After a brief squabble, Mai signed her name on the Absolute Contract Codex.

"By the way, given my current situation, how do you plan to negotiate with my mom about poaching me?"

After signing, she asked with a skeptical look.

Haruto snapped his fingers and retrieved two capsules from Kamui Space—one blue, one red.

"The blue one is a W-Class Memory Enhancer. It strengthens memory to resist meme and anti-meme effects."

This was a specialized memory drug developed after the outbreak of the "Lament of the Overflowing King" anomaly.

It was one of the Foundation's achievements in meme research.

For thirty minutes, the user would be immune to medium and lower-level meme and anti-meme effects.

Its pros: minimal side effects, safe for long-term use. (Though it's expensive...)

Its cons: effects wear off completely after thirty minutes unless taken regularly.

There was also a stronger Z-Class Memory Enhancer.

Z-Class permanently destroyed the user's ability to forget.

As a result, it granted flawless memory and perfect immunity to all meme and anti-meme effects.

The downside? Users only lived for a few hours after taking it.

Both drugs were expensive and only available to Meme Division members and Level 4 Foundation personnel.

Seeing the W-Class Memory Enhancer in Haruto's hand, Mai was shocked.

"The Foundation can even create something like this!?"

But...

"If the blue one is W-Class, what's the red one?"

"Oh, same thing, but strawberry-flavored."

Haruto answered casually.

Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Half an hour is enough for negotiations, but how do I restart my acting career? We can't just give everyone the drug, and its effects only last half an hour."

Haruto pondered for a moment, then smiled meaningfully.

Mai didn't understand but had a bad feeling.

Then, they set off to meet her mother.

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She was a capable woman, dressed maturely, with noticeable crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. According to what Mai had said, this woman wasn't actually that old; at least, not as old as her appearance suggested.

It seemed that immense pressure had taken its toll.

Mai's family was far from harmonious.

This agent, who was also her mother, would rather take on commercial deals Mai didn't want without even discussing it with her.

At its core, it was due to the immense pressure on her.

Perhaps there was also some consideration for Mai's future development.

"Excuse me, who are you? And how do you know my phone number?"

The woman looked at Haruto warily.

Haruto, in turn, gave Mai a meaningful glance.

Without hesitation, Mai pried open the woman's mouth and tossed in a W-Class Memory Aid.

After waiting for the drug to take effect, the woman regained her memories of Mai and also became aware of her daughter's presence.

Just as the woman was still confused, Haruto placed a contract in front of her.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm from 'Umbrella' Agency. The reason I invited you here today is to formally request your company to release Mai Sakurajima from her contract."

The woman had just taken the contract when she heard these words and immediately threw it onto the table.

"Impossible!"

She declared resolutely.

This reaction left Mai stunned.

She had assumed that, at the very least, her mother and agent would read the contract before making a decision.

Haruto turned his head to look at Mai and smiled.

Then, he picked up the contract again, flipped to the last page, and pointed to an extravagant sum.

Handing it back to the woman, she took a glance, her expression instantly turning to shock.

The sheer amount of money was overwhelming.

But after the initial shock, she gripped the contract tightly, then slowly placed it back onto the table.

"This is also Mai Sakurajima's own wish."

Haruto added.

This made the woman pause. In the end, she let out a deep sigh.