Mash-Up: Anything for Money

"I just got here, and I already ran into this… Guess I have pretty good luck."

Hakuto watched as the informant walked away, muttering to himself.

To be honest, Hakuto didn't think his ability was any weaker than Otosaka Yuu's. It was just that the other guy's power was completely overpowered.

He could plunder the abilities of anyone within his line of sight. If he used a telescope, that would be absolutely broken.

T0-tier—Telescope Otosaka Yuu.

"Plunder… Does it mean he can steal other people's abilities? Or does it let him take other things too?"

As he spoke, Jojiro instinctively glanced at Hakuto beside him, hoping to get an answer.

"Hmm? Why are you looking at me? Do I look like a god to you?"

"Sure, my ability is pretty overpowered, but I'm not at the level where I can just calculate the exact circumstances of someone I've never even seen before."

And the side effects are pretty serious too…

Hakuto didn't say the last part out loud. He only thought about it in his heart because he didn't want anyone to know the drawbacks of his ability. 

That would be revealing a weakness.

"This location… A student from Hinomori Academy?"

Nao pointed at the wet spot on the map with her finger.

"Now that you mention it, that school's college acceptance rate has been tied with Toyosaki for years."

"Maybe it's another top student."

"The ability to plunder probably doesn't help improve grades, right?"

Jojiro adjusted his glasses and glanced at Hakuto, looking puzzled.

He was convinced that Hakuto must have already figured out something using his ability—he was just keeping it to himself.

Feeling Jojiro's gaze, Hakuto just shrugged indifferently.

"Who knows?"

"We'll figure it out once we investigate."

With that, Nao adjusted the camera in her hand and walked out of the office.

Since they were getting paid for this, Hakuto silently followed behind her, ready to take a look at this so-called main character.

…

Meanwhile, at Toyosaki Academy…

Just like at Hoshino Umi Academy, the second period had just ended, and the classroom was noisy as ever.

Nino glanced at Hakuto's empty seat, then unconsciously reached for her phone in her pocket.

"He might have just taken a day off, but why did he pack up all his stuff…?"

After hesitating for a while, Nino decided to ask. She pulled out her phone and searched for Hakuto's name in her contacts.

But when she tried to type a message, her fingers hovered over the screen for a long time, unsure of how to start.

"Nino! Why are you the one feeling awkward? Shouldn't he be the one feeling awkward instead?"

As Nino grumbled to herself, a surprised voice suddenly rang out from not far away. The voice wasn't loud, but in the noisy classroom, it stood out clearly.

"The hero transferred to Hoshino Umi Academy as an exchange student!?"

Unlike Nino, Takanashi Rikka had no hesitation at all. When she realized Hakuto hadn't shown up even once today, she immediately took out her phone to ask him what was going on.

She had assumed he was sick or something, but instead, he told her he had become an exchange student.

"The hero? You mean Hakuto?"

"Hakuto transferred? But we just started school!"

"I guess top students get special privileges… Wait, but which school would even want him?"

"Or rather, why would our school even let him leave in the first place?"

Nino ignored the whispers around her and quietly stepped behind Rikka, peeking at her phone screen to see her chat with Hakuto.

Rikka: Why didn't the hero inform me?

Hakuto: It was sudden. I only found out yesterday. Didn't Miss Hiratsuka tell you?

Rikka: Has the hero forgotten about the contract with the wielder of the Wicked Eye?

Hakuto: Of course not, of course not. Alright, I'm a bit busy here. We'll talk about this when I get home tonight.

At that moment, Hakuto had just arrived at Otosaka Yuu's school. He looked at Rikka's messages with a puzzled expression. 

He had assumed that something as big as him becoming an exchange student would've been announced by Hiratsuka in class.

But if the two of them actually talked on the phone, the conversation would probably go like this:

"I thought you told them."

"Whether I did or not, as a teacher, shouldn't you have made an announcement to the whole class?"

"But the first period yesterday wasn't my class!"

"Aren't you the homeroom teacher?"

"By the way, isn't it kind of weird for us to just walk into this school, wearing uniforms from a completely different one?"

"This school, like Toyosaki, values academic excellence. They welcome students from other schools to observe and learn."

"Plus, we're part of the student council. Getting in isn't difficult."

"Still, do we really have to sneak around like this?"

At that moment, Nao and Hakuto were standing at the entrance of a stairwell, half-hidden as they observed the scene outside.

"My ability only works on one person at a time. If I want to capture useful information, this is the only way."

Just as Hakuto was about to comment on how Nao was acting like a total peeping tom, he suddenly noticed her getting excited.

"Oh! Here he comes!"

Hearing this, Hakuto turned his head. Since he was the one holding the camera, he didn't need to hide. He could just watch openly.

Amidst a crowd of ordinary students, a boy with strikingly good looks stood out.

He was standing in front of the academic rankings board, looking at the name at the very top.

He ruffled his hair with one hand and flashed a proud smile.

That boy was their target—Otosaka Yuu.

Completely unaware, Otosaka Yuu was having his every move recorded by Nao's camera.

After he walked away, Hakuto instinctively scratched his head and said casually, "That was close, but I'm still better-looking."

"Do you say this in front of everyone?"

"Is there anything wrong with telling the truth?"

Watching Otosaka Yuu leave, Hakuto feigned ignorance and turned to Nao.

"So that's our guy?"

"Most likely. At the very least, he's the most suspicious one."

"Why?"

Hakuto asked instinctively. From Nao's perspective, Otosaka Yuu was just a high schooler with good grades. He hadn't done anything suspicious.

"Is it just because he has good grades?"

"As the top student, do you ever check your school ranking?"

Hakuto shook his head without hesitation. "I don't think anyone's surpassing me, so there's no need to check."

"Bingo. That's the correct answer."

___

Read 20 Advanced Chapters on p@ tr eon (.) com/HalflingFics

Also, please point out my mistakes in the comment, thank you!

Don't forget to leave a review too~ [5 bonus chapter if we reach 10 reviews]

Check out the other translations too: [Mash-Up: I'm Not A Substitute]

___