Mash-Up Anime World: Adopted by the Sawamura Family

"But I've been calling you that since childhood. I'm already used to it. Can't you just forgive me this one time, Secretary-chan?"

Rather than admitting his mistake, Akira Sawamura shamelessly asked Shinodo Hisako to forgive him, which only made her even more furious.

"You actually know you've been calling me that since childhood?!" Hisako was fuming, her frustration evident.

"Akira is bullying Erina's honest and soft-spoken assistant again. Such a terrible personality!"

"Poor Hisako, having such a childhood friend!"

"You're all mistaken! I am not his childhood friend!"

Among all of Akira's childhood friends, Hisako was the only one he had called by a nickname since they were kids. And frankly, she wished he wouldn't.

"Arisu, do you still think my assessment of the jungle law competition at Advanced Nurturing High School is nothing more than child's play?"

After teasing Secretary-chan, Akira turned to Sakayanagi Arisu, pinching her adorable cheeks with a playful smile.

"So infuriating!"

Arisu pouted, angrily swatting his hand away. Such blatant mockery was simply too much.

"When you walk by the river often, your shoes will get wet. When you walk the night roads too long, you'll eventually meet a ghost."

"Using underhanded schemes too often will one day backfire."

"If you have a clear conscience, you won't be afraid of shadows."

"Uncle Daichi, if Grandfather Fujiwara successfully rises to power, when we divide the spoils, I have only one request. If Arisu is unable to obtain recognition from the Arlan Institute, I want you to use Japan's national power to negotiate for an artificial heart from them."

"Every year, a few powerful figures manage to trade at an astronomical price for an artificial heart from the Arlan Institute. That's also one of their main funding sources."

"I'll use my share of the credit to cover the cost."

As soon as Akira finished speaking, Arisu burst into tears and shouted:

"Akira, you idiot!"

"Why go to such lengths to save me?"

"I'm not worth it."

"I'm just a petty, short-tempered, and broken cripple."

"With or without me, it wouldn't make much of a difference. You already have so many childhood friends, living your life as a winner."

She couldn't accept that he was going to such great lengths for her. She couldn't accept his selfless dedication when she couldn't even do something as simple as being intimate with him.

"Arisu, we've known each other for years. Even if it were just a cat I raised, I'd have deep feelings for it."

"Bastard! Did you just compare me to a pet?!"

"Do I need a reason to save my childhood friend? If you really want a reason—then it's because I don't want to see you die."

"I don't want to lose you all."

"Idiot! That 'all' was unnecessary!"

"Look at their eyes; they're about ready to eat you alive."

Akira wiped Arisu's tears, shrugged, and sighed helplessly.

"Coward!"

"So corrupt! Already dividing up the spoils before even coming to power."

For the first time that evening, Yukinoshita Yukino couldn't help but speak her mind.

"This is how politics work across all nations."

"Why would anyone risk supporting Fujiwara if there was nothing in it for them?"

"The same way that if I didn't show you all the hope of success, none of your families would have backed Fujiwara in the first place."

"Yukino-chan, I thought you'd remain silent until the banquet ended. Finally, you couldn't hold back anymore?"

"So, you're still the Yukino-chan I've always known."

Akira gave her a thumbs-up, clearly enjoying himself.

Yukino raised an eyebrow, retorting, "Are you saying I'm naive?"

"Idealist is a better word."

"I once heard a theory called The Dining Table Menu. If you're not at the table, you're on the menu."

"This applies whether it's domestic affairs, international relations, business, or politics."

Akira smirked and pointed at the nearly finished buffet table.

"Do you want your family to end up on someone else's menu?"

The girls frantically shook their heads. As much as they disliked certain aspects of their families, they didn't want them to collapse either.

"So, Yukino-chan, how will you counter my argument?"

"Your entire life, everything you have, was given to you by your family."

"But the Yukinoshita family is, at best, a local powerhouse in Chiba. Even Arisu's family was nearly swallowed by the Shimazu clan. What do you think would happen to yours?"

"You believe in giving excess to the poor—that's your guiding principle."

"But to do so, you need power. You need to stand at the very top before you can bestow charity upon the lower class."

"If Fujiwara takes power, and we collectively ensure policies that benefit the lower classes, isn't that walking the very path you idealize?"

"Haven't I already surpassed that little Service Club of yours?"

"You can help a single school, but I can help the entire nation's impoverished."

Exposed.

Completely, utterly exposed.

Yukino was utterly crushed.

Tears streamed silently down her pale, stunned face. She stood there, speechless.

The other girls glared daggers at Akira.

"Look what you've done to Yukino-chan!"

"Akira, how could you say that to your childhood friend?"

Her older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, immediately pulled her into a hug, shielding her from Akira's words.

"I did it because she's my childhood friend."

"Lying to others is one thing, but lying to yourself is dangerous."

"Moving out and pretending you've escaped your family's shadow is nothing but self-deception."

"Even the rent for your luxury apartment was paid for by your mother."

"If not for the Yukinoshita name, how would you even get approval to start a school club?"

Akira continued his verbal barrage mercilessly.

Yukino finally broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Akira, that's enough! Give her some dignity!"

"Shizuka-sensei, don't pretend you don't see Yukino's flaws."

"Ugh, you always call me 'Shizuka.' Can't you ever just say 'Shizuka-senpai' even once?!"

"Shizuka, are you trying to match Yasha-neesan's generation? She's 34 this year."

"She already has a child, and yet you… you're still a…"

"Shizuka, sometimes even I feel sorry for you."

Shizuka's expression darkened instantly.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, AKIRA!"

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