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

"Midari, what is courage?"

As the trigger clicked, the crisp sound echoed through the classroom.

"It's maintaining grace under pressure."

Just as Haruto said, his actions were as fluid as playing a violin. In comparison, Midari's earlier performance was utterly disgraceful.

Four trigger pulls in total.

Adding in Midari's first one, the revolver's chamber was now almost fully cycled. Only one chamber remained unfired—the sixth one.

And now, it was clear as day that the bullet was in the sixth chamber.

Everyone stared at Haruto, not making a sound for a long while.

A dead silence filled the room.

Standing opposite Haruto, Midari's eyes were wide, her body trembling slightly.

She had considered the possibility of dying in this gamble. But she had never expected death to come so swiftly, so inevitably, and in such a deliberate manner.

Her hand stretched out, fingers trembling as she reached for the revolver to finish the gamble.

Even though it was obvious that the next pull of the trigger would fire the bullet without question.

Watching her shaking fingers, Haruto let out a scoff.

He slapped away her hand and aimed the revolver at her forehead.

"Now, are you ready to die?"

The black barrel loomed in front of her.

Midari's body trembled slightly, her face twisting into an expression of pure madness.

"I never thought... I never thought someone like you would truly exist! I've been searching for the perfect man! A man like the president! Dominate me! I want to be killed by a man like you! Pull the trigger! Do it!"

Her voice rose from a hushed whisper to an intense shriek.

By the end, she sounded completely deranged.

"Boring. Dull. Disgusting."

Watching this scene, Yumeko spoke in clear disdain.

Meanwhile, all eyes were on Haruto.

At this moment, no one doubted whether he would actually pull the trigger. After that elegant yet chilling performance, everyone had come to a single realization.

The boy holding the silver revolver right now was on an entirely different level from them.

To them, this gamble was unfathomable.

But to Haruto, it was nothing more than child's play.

He even had the leisure to make it graceful, turning the gamble into a grand spectacle.

Bang!

The sound of a bullet firing was completely different from the crisp click of the trigger. The gunshot was so loud that everyone experienced ringing in their ears.

Maybe it wasn't that the sound was too loud, but rather that the act itself was deafening in everyone's hearts.

Instinctively, everyone turned their heads away, unwilling to witness such a cruel scene.

Seeing a classmate get shot in the head right in front of them would surely become a lifelong nightmare.

As the buzzing sound faded, the only thing that resonated in the classroom was the sound of heavy breathing.

—Breathing?

Doubt crept into everyone's minds.

After all, that person, Haruto, did not seem like someone who would breathe so heavily. That didn't seem very elegant.

Cautiously, someone shifted their gaze back, wanting to see what had happened yet fearing the terrifying scene they might witness.

But when they looked back, the gruesome scene they had imagined had not occurred.

Midari was still standing in place, with no gaping wound on her forehead, no splattered brain matter.

Confused, the students looked toward the back of the classroom and saw a noticeable hole in the blackboard.

The bullet had deviated, passing right by Ikishima Midari's ear.

"The gamble is over. Without a doubt, I am the winner. Ikishima Midari, transfer the two hundred million as soon as possible, I have to meet the President."

Haruto casually tossed the silver revolver onto the desk and spoke indifferently before turning to leave.

"Wait! No! It can't just end like this!"

Midari reached out unwillingly, trying to make Haruto stay.

How could this gamble end just like that? She couldn't accept this outcome.

However, the moment she stretched out her hand, Haruto's gaze fell upon her, and she immediately froze.

That gaze, colder than death itself, landed on her once again.

Midari collapsed to the floor.

The sensation of brushing past death just now, coupled with this gaze that felt even colder than death, made her entire body go limp.

A wet stain began to spread beneath her.

Seeing this, Haruto rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

His sister really played in a messed-up way.

"The gamble is over. Do you not understand? Have you forgotten the additional rule I mentioned? This gamble didn't have to continue until someone got shot."

After saying that, Haruto turned and walked straight out of the classroom. Even though Midari hadn't transferred the money yet, it didn't really matter.

The gamble was valid, and whether she transferred the money or not was irrelevant. Surely, the President would acknowledge his victory.

Haruto still had to go and subdue the President.

It was only when the sound of the door closing echoed through the room that the students snapped back to reality, as if waking from a dream.

Initially, just like Midari, they had thought Haruto's act of intentionally missing the shot went against the rules of Russian roulette.

But after hearing Haruto's explanation, they suddenly understood.

Right, the condition for victory in this gamble was the number of empty shots. Even if a bullet wasn't fired, as long as one side reached three empty shots, they had already won.

Whether the other party fired or not no longer mattered.

In fact, this was obvious—anyone who thought about it for a moment should have realized it.

Yet, not only the students but even Midari herself had failed to grasp it in the moment.

Because this was a life-or-death gamble.

Their nerves had been overwhelmed by the fear of death.

It was only when Haruto reminded them, when the dust had settled, that they finally understood.

And upon realizing the true victory condition of the gamble, everyone felt a sense of disbelief.

This victory condition, this pre-established rule…

Could it be that Haruto had already prepared himself to pull the trigger at least three times from the very beginning?

"Haruto! Even at the risk of being killed, you insisted on ending the gamble this way!!"

Midari stared blankly at the ceiling.

There, the bullet holes from her earlier shots remained.

"He has far surpassed my ideals. Haruto, you're practically a god! My god! Even just a single bullet please, give me pain! No one but you can do it!"

Tears streamed down Midari's face.

Meanwhile, after leaving the classroom, Haruto looked slightly annoyed.

"What an absolutely perfect gamble! Even with such a despicable victory condition, Master still won in the most dazzling way!"

Yumeko was thrilled, her crimson eyes sparkling with excitement.

Midari's victory condition wasn't as simple as winning the gamble, getting killed would have satisfied her as well.

As Yumeko had said, winning under such an unfair condition was no easy feat.

Yet, Haruto had won effortlessly.

Hearing this, Haruto reached out and ruffled Yumeko's long hair.

"Yumeko, don't leave after school."

Yumeko was momentarily stunned before she smiled and nodded.

Seeing her reaction, Haruto sighed again.

There was absolutely no joy in bullying her. Maybe he would seek Eriri. Shaking his head, Haruto dismissed such dangerous thoughts.

"Master, are you going to gamble against the President next?"

Momobami Kirari.

The President of Hyakkaou Academy's Student Council.

And without a doubt, aside from Haruto, she was the strongest in this academy.

She was an immensely powerful ruler who enjoyed expanding her experiences.

For instance, the reason she once made someone gouge out their own eyeball in a gamble was simple, she wanted to see what the back of an eyeball looked like.

After all, seeing it in pictures wasn't the same as witnessing it in reality, it wouldn't count as an experience.

If not for Haruto's existence, Yumeko's ultimate goal upon transferring to this academy would have been to challenge Kirari.

Haruto nodded, then shook his head.

"Yes and no. The gamble is just a means, not the end goal. The goal is simply domination."

Upon hearing this, Yumeko's enthusiasm did not diminish in the slightest.

"That's fine! If it's Master, then even the process itself is mesmerizing! Please take me with you!"

Haruto indifferently nodded.

The two of them walked all the way to the Student Council room.

The door, which was usually tightly shut, was wide open at this moment.

The long tables meant for Student Council members had been moved to the walls.

The grand council chamber had been cleared, leaving a vast open space in the center.

Only Momobami Kirari remained seated at the center, her gaze fixed on the doorway, clearly waiting for Haruto's arrival.

The moment he saw her, Haruto raised his hand and flicked his fingers.

A tiny drop of blood landed on Kirari's forehead.

The Blacklight Virus instantly invaded and infected her.

Haruto did not immediately assimilate Kirari, instead allowing the virus to lie dormant.

After all, the game had been played properly up until the final boss, there was no reason to skip ahead and ignore the story.

To Haruto's surprise, however, Kirari smiled, as if in gratitude. Apparently, her intuition was so keen that she vaguely understood Haruto's decision.

"Wow, he really came. Haruto moves at an astonishing speed."

Runa with a lollipop in her mouth, played the role of the commentator, for once not absorbed in her video games.

Haruto glanced at the adorable girl.

"I know what you're implying, but the way you say it sounds weird. And I have a feeling you're doing it on purpose."

Runa gave an innocent smile, feigning ignorance.

At that moment, Kirari stood up and walked toward Haruto.

"Haruto, as per our agreement, you have completed the gamble from one million to one billion. To be honest, no one has ever accomplished this before. Thank you for giving me a new experience."

"So, as promised, you may now set the rules and terms of our gamble."

"Anything is fair game—the position of Student Council President, the control of 'Momobami Kirari' as an individual…"

"Or even the entire Momobami family. Whatever you wish to wager, I will gladly accept."

Kirari maintained her elegant smile.

And yet, the words she spoke were enough to leave any knowledgeable person utterly speechless and dumbfounded.

However, she had the ability to handle numerous trivial matters in an orderly manner.

When Momobami Kirari stated that she could use the entire Momobami Clan as a wager, the masked girl behind her instinctively raised her hand but ultimately put it down.

Haruto glanced at the girl.

She had the same long white hair as Kirari, but instead of being styled up, it cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Upon closer observation, one could also notice that this masked girl had a figure strikingly similar to Kirari's.

Haruto was familiar with her.

Momobami Ririka.

Sharing the same surname as the student council president, she was actually Kirari's twin sister, though their personalities were entirely different.

Momobami Kirari was a dominant force, a ruler, an overwhelming lion.

On the other hand, Momobami Ririka, though strong in her own right, had a timid personality, more like a gentle lamb.

Of course, none of this truly mattered.

The reason Haruto was paying attention to Momobami Ririka was that—

This girl was a carefully cultivated all-rounder by the Momobami Clan. She usually stayed by Kirari's side, managing countless affairs within Hyakkaou Academy.