Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies Chapter 479 - 465: A Philosophical Question

After class ended, Haruto's phone buzzed several tis in his pocket.

When he checked, the caller ID flashed: Hayasaka Ai.

Haruto answered imdiately.

"Hayasaka? What's wrong?"

He didn't know why, but a sense of unease crept in — perhaps leftover instinct from the last incident at Kisaragi Station.

"President, are you… worried about ?"

Her voice ca through clear and calm — that sa cool, chanical tone she always used.

Even so, Haruto caught a playful undercurrent in it.

"Yes," he replied simply. "I am. After what happened at Kisaragi Station, I'm just relieved you're okay."

Haruto was not the kind of light novel protagonist who tried to sound cool by denying his emotions.

If he liked soone, he said so.

If he worried, he admitted it.

That honesty was the only way to truly connect — to understand and be understood.

There was a short silence. Then, Hayasaka's tone softened a little.

"…I'm happy to hear that, but this call isn't actually about . Miss Kaguya asked to—"

Before she could finish, the sound of a muffled whimper ca through the receiver.

And then, static — rustling fabric — a little chaos.

Apparently, Kaguya was trying to stop her from talking.

But she had failed spectacularly.

Hayasaka continued, unfazed:

"Miss Kaguya heard about the president's upcoming trip… and insisted on—"

A loud "Mmmph!" interrupted her.

Kaguya had clearly covered Hayasaka's mouth.

But after a short pause, Hayasaka freed herself and finished:

"…she insisted on joining the sa staycation. No matter what."

Haruto chuckled.

"It's Kanagawa."

"Understood. I'll report it to Miss Kaguya," Hayasaka replied smoothly.

Just as the line was about to disconnect, her voice ca again — soft and low.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Then the call ended.

=====

anwhile — in the Shuchiin Academy Student Council Room.

"HAYASAKA!!!"

Shinomiya Kaguya was seconds away from bursting into tears — her face red enough to fry an egg.

She stared at Hayasaka with eyes that scread, "You betrayed !"

And technically, she wasn't wrong.

Yes, it was Kaguya who had asked Hayasaka to investigate Haruto's staycation plans — but she had ant discreetly. Secretly. Subtly.

She never said "call him directly and sell out over speakerphone!"

Yet that was exactly what happened.

The mont Kaguya heard Haruto's voice on the other end, she instinctively leaned in closer.

And right then, Hayasaka casually exposed everything — from "Miss Kaguya wants to join you" to "spending a sweet youthful ti together."

If Haruto actually believed all that, Kaguya would have to bury herself alive.

"Y-you… you traitor! How could you say that out loud!?"

Her voice cracked between rage and mortification.

Hayasaka sighed, completely calm.

"Miss Kaguya, you can't afford to be sloppy in emotional matters."

"Eh—?"

"If you want to make a move, do it cleanly. Being indecisive only ruins opportunities."

Hayasaka crossed her arms, giving her young mistress a look of absolute confidence.

"You and the president have already passed the stage where you need 'chance encounters' to get closer."

Her words were blunt — a direct hit to Kaguya's pride.

But deep down, they were true.

If Kaguya kept wavering, she might really lose her chance. And Hayasaka knew it — knew Haruto too well.

Though she herself once harbored feelings for him, she was a realist. Whether convincing Kaguya to give up or tying Haruto to herself — neither was realistic now.

So she did the next best thing: she pushed Kaguya forward.

Ironically, this wasn't how things were supposed to go.

It had all started when Kaguya asked Hayasaka to investigate Haruto.

Now sohow, Hayasaka had beco the investigator… who'd fallen for the subject.

Talk about occupational hazards.

She once wanted Kaguya to stay far away from him.

Now she was practically helping her climb into his arms.

It was like losing the wife and paying for the wedding. A business deal so terrible even the Shinomiya family had never made one.

Still… eting him made it all worth it.

Hayasaka didn't dare imagine what her future would've been like otherwise — as the "fourth servant" of the Shinomiya family, the undercover agent installed by Kaguya's brother, destined one day to betray her.

Just thinking about that possible future made her chest ache.

Compared to that — the present was paradise.

She rembered a conversation from years ago, when Kaguya was still a child.

"Hayasaka, Hayasaka! Let's marry the sa person and never be apart!"

At the ti, it had been a childish joke.

Now… it felt disturbingly prophetic.

The two of them had indeed fallen for the sa man. And sohow, it didn't feel tragic — just strangely, quietly right.

Hayasaka shook her head with a helpless smile.

"Ahem. Anyway, let's plan the trip first."

Kaguya's cheeks were still bright red.

"…Fine. You handle it."

Thus, the decision was made.

Originally, Shuchiin Academy had already planned a staycation.

Now, under Kaguya's direction, the schedule was conveniently set for next Monday — and the destination, of course, was Kanagawa.

With Kaguya personally footing the bill, every expense — travel, als, lodging — was fully covered.

Not that Shuchiin's wealthy students needed the help. But when the heir of the Shinomiya family makes the call, no one objects.

Money buys convenience.

Status buys silence.

And love… buys an entire school trip to the sa prefecture as one boy.

However, while Shuchiin prepared for their elegant staycation, the Foundation had bigger problems.

Reports ca in from one of their parallel reality sites — a reality known as the Spirit World.

Massive spatial fluctuations were detected — a full-scale spacequake.

A new Spirit had appeared.

And sothing — or soone — had neutralized most of the destructive impact.

According to the readings, the unknown energy resembled that of the Little Witch — a possible reality warper.

The ruling body of that world, the Global Occult Coalition, had already mobilized large-scale search and suppression teams — deploying weapons far too heavy for a re Spirit ergence.

The scale and aggression suggested sothing more.

Haruto, who oversaw the spirit operations, imdiately decided to go in person. If a reality warper was truly involved, even an MTF might not be enough.

Before departure, he headed to the Foundation's internal labs — specifically, to et Murasa Reine.

By now, Reine had fully regained her mories.

For the Foundation, mory restoration was routine work — especially with soone as important as her.

Yet, even after regaining them, she wasn't quite the sa person anymore. The essence of who she was had changed.

She was no longer a spirit — but a human.

And when one's nature changes, even shared mories no longer feel identical.

"Dr. Murasa Reine," Haruto began. "Do you have any idea which Spirit appeared this ti?"

Reine fell silent for a mont.

Then she answered quietly,

"It should be the Ice Spirit."

Her conclusion ca from analyzing the transmission pattern of a certain Sephira Crystal.

Haruto nodded, then hesitated.

"In fact, there's sothing I've always wanted to ask you."

Reine tilted her head slightly. "Yes?"

"What do you think is the true relationship between you and those Spirits?"

The question lingered in the air.

Even though she was under observation for safety reasons, Haruto couldn't help but seek the truth — not the Foundation's truth, but hers.

What did Murasa Reine truly think of the Spirits…

Or, more precisely — what did she think of the humans those Spirits once were?