Mash-Up: Anything for Money

At dusk, Hakuto was walking home alone.

It was strange. 

The school clearly operated under a closed-campus system, yet Hakuto was a commuting student—and apparently the only commuting student in the entire school.

Was that a privilege? Hakuto pondered. 

If it was a privilege, then could he get another one that allowed him to grow his hair long?

Wait, why did long hair suddenly come to mind... Though, maybe it didn't matter anymore. The college entrance exam was just around the corner.

Back at home, Hakuto stared at his cold and empty rented apartment and let out a sigh almost instinctively.

But the next second, he caught himself. 

Why was he sighing? Hadn't he always been alone? No parents, no relatives.

He set down his bag and walked to the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection.

Tanned skin, well-defined features, a few pimples—kind of handsome—and a head of short hair short enough to see the scalp...

He looked just like a completely normal high school student. Yet for some reason, Hakuto reached up and touched his left earlobe instinctively.

"Am I getting excited about the college entrance exams or something... thinking about getting my ears pierced already?" he muttered to himself sarcastically.

The college entrance exam might be a turning point for others, but for Hakuto, it was no different than any other test.

Not to mention his grades. 

And besides, he didn't think it was worth attaching too much importance to such a so-called "life-changing" moment. No matter how bad it got, it couldn't be worse than things already were.

That was the orphan's mindset—if you didn't love yourself, then the day you died, no one would care.

After all, there was no one in this world he truly cared about. 

He was the only one left to love himself—but clearly, Hakuto wasn't the kind of person to even love himself.

With no homework that required his attention, Hakuto collapsed onto the couch and pulled out his phone.

But then he realized he didn't really know what to do. He wasn't in the habit of playing mobile games. 

If he had time to game, he'd rather just watch some anime.

Thinking that, he opened a streaming app, randomly picked a completed anime, and cast it onto the TV screen.

After setting everything up, he didn't immediately sit on the couch to watch. Instead, he walked out to the balcony, let the night wind blow against him, and stuck out his tongue at the cold air.

So weird... I can still afford a place with a balcony?

Hakuto exhaled, patted his own face, and returned to the living room, settling into the couch.

At the same time, the anime's opening song he had cast to the TV was nearing its end.

"Hitorikiri janakatta"

(I was never truly alone)

"Kono te ni nigiru mono ga douyara shouko"

(The thing I grasp in my hand is proof enough)

"Yowasa wo kanaguri sute"

(I've thrown away all useless weakness)

"Tatoe bakemono ni naroutomo kaette yaru"

(Even if I become a monster, I'll still return to where it all began)

As he listened to the OP, Hakuto felt something in his chest tighten, like something had gripped his heart.

"Return to where it all began, huh?" Hakuto raised an eyebrow. 

He was just about to comment that the lyrics were surprisingly decent when he suddenly realized—Since when could I understand Japanese?!

He paused the anime, sitting on the couch, clutching his left eye and breathing heavily.

Without thinking, he reached for his phone—but instead, his hand landed on something square-shaped, about the size of a mahjong tile.

"A portable music player? Where did this come from?" Hakuto frowned. It even had a pair of black earbuds plugged into it.

He had no recollection of ever buying something like that.

"Where's my phone..."

Ignoring the music player, Hakuto just wanted to find his phone.

And at that moment, the ringtone of a phone started ringing. Gasping for breath, Hakuto was drawn to the sound.

He turned his head and lightly stood up from the sofa, heading in the direction of the phone's ringing sound.

In his room, Hakuto found his phone. He clearly remembered placing it on the sofa.

Hakuto froze for a moment, then slowly picked up his phone.

Looking at the note labeled "President," he raised an eyebrow. For a moment, it felt like something had been snapped in his mind.

The next second, a smile appeared on Hakuto's face.

"It seems like I just had an incredible dream..."

Hakuto closed his eyes and opened them again. The scene in front of him changed from the rundown rented apartment to a half-finished building.

Hakuto sat on the floor, leaning against the corner of the wall, looking exhausted.

At the same time, he was still holding the portable music player he had seen in the dream, and his phone kept vibrating next to his legs.

Hakuto picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Hello, this is Shiratori, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, this is Tomori!"

"President, international calls are expensive, so it's better to talk about this when you're back home..."

"Huh? Isn't that what you used to say to me?"

"Yes, yes~"

Listening to the voice of Nao on the phone, a smile spread across Hakuto's face.

It really was just a dream...

"So, President, what made you think of calling me?"

"Because Nino mentioned it to me today. I figured since you haven't called me, either you're dead or you've run out of phone credit..."

"So I topped up your number a bit, that way you won't have trouble making calls when you need to..."

"Mm, mm, you're a genius. Let me praise you, President~"

"Don't talk to me in that tone like you're trying to soothe a child..." Nao waved her hand on the other end of the phone, then hesitated before asking.

"Is everything okay over there...?"

"Everything's fine~"

"Did you just wake up?"

"Yep, I knocked out Otosaka Yuu and then slept like a log."

After Otosaka Yuu lost control and fell asleep, Hakuto didn't go easy on him. He knocked him out cold and left him in the half-finished building.

Hakuto had also slept for a while in the corner of the building, checking the time—it must have been two or three hours.

Nao didn't seem to care much about Otosaka Yuu but asked instead.

"How many times has it been since you went to sleep after leaving?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that, President?"

Could he say it was the first time...?

Just as Hakuto was about to say something else, a cloud of smoke and dust suddenly came from the room next door, followed by a violent explosion.

"Sorry, President, there's a bit of trouble over here. I'll talk to you later..."