Mash-Up: Anything for Money

Tomori Nao was feeling troubled. If Hakuto wasn't the esper, then who else could it be?

It couldn't possibly be that Yukinoshita Yukino in second place, right…?

If someone had the unfair advantage of a super calculation ability and still wasn't the top student in school, that would just be pathetic.

Or could it be that the esper wasn't even a student at Toyosaki Academy? But where else would teenagers spend most of their time other than school?

"Is there any other information about Shiratori?"

"Hmm… Well, even though he's only been here for a month, he's already caused quite a few incidents."

"But I can't tell you about them. If you want to know, just ask anyone in the school—just not the teachers."

It couldn't be helped. Although Hiratsuka personally approved of the things Hakuto had done, they weren't exactly things she could openly discuss.

"Alright, I still have work to do. This is as far as I go."

This time, Nao didn't stop her. She had already asked everything she wanted to know.

As she watched Hiratsuka walk away, her mind was occupied with one thought—just what had Hakuto done to make a teacher unable to even talk about it?

At that moment, Takajo Jojiro came running up to her, panting.

"What's wrong? Why are you so out of breath?"

"I questioned several students who stayed on campus…" Takashiro Jojiro adjusted his glasses.

"I asked them if anything strange had happened at school recently. Their unanimous answer was no."

"Then I asked if there was anyone in school they were particularly paying attention to. And again, they all gave the same answer…"

"Who?"

"Shiratori Hakuto."

"Based on my analysis, he is most likely the one carrying the super calculation ability."

Nao nodded. The two of them had come to the same conclusion without even needing to say much.

Even though she had just heard completely contradictory information from Hiratsuka, she still decided to check it out for herself.

"Let's go. We'll visit his place."

…

"Is this… a date?"

"Wait, no! Isn't this illegal? Sora Ginko is only 14, right?"

"Huh? You know that girl?"

"She's the strongest female shogi player. She's pretty famous, you know?"

By now, Nao and Jojiro had arrived at Hakuto's residence—right when Hakuto and Ginko had gone out together.

"Hey, hey! They just got into a taxi! Quick, Takajo, get in a cab and follow them!"

"What? They switched to a train now? Hurry, stay on them!"

"What? You're saying Shiratori Hakuto played a match against Kiryuuin Yagami and actually won?"

"Why are you looking at me like that? Of course I'm surprised! Kuzuryuu Yuichi is a professional 7-dan player!"

"And from what I've seen in the records, Shiratori Hakuto is nothing more than an amateur."

Nao had no idea how long she had been tailing him. All she knew was that her camcorder's memory card was almost full.

"Well? Did you find any useful clues?"

"He's the most probable suspect. But we'll have to make contact with him directly to be sure."

At this moment, Hakuto had just finished riding a shared bike and was heading toward Utaha's place for some extra work. 

Nao, ever the dedicated investigator, had been following closely behind in a private car the entire time.

"Huh? What? He just finished one stop and is already moving on to the next?"

"Does he not take breaks?"

Nao didn't notice anything off about the apartment as she quietly tailed Hakuto and Utaha inside unit 1202.

She hadn't intended to startle Hakuto at all.

She originally thought her invisibility ability would allow her to slip by unnoticed.

But who could have predicted that Hakuto would whip out his phone, take a picture, and then start swinging two metal pipes like a berserker?

Still, Nao wasn't one to take things lying down. She had only been forced into a corner because of Hakuto's indiscriminate attacks. 

Now that his assault had ended, wasn't she the one with the upper hand?

She would definitely remember the pain from that hit on her shoulder.

Seeing Hakuto confidently turn on his flashlight, Nao knew her chance had come.

From his earlier complaints, she had already figured out that his phone's flashlight would automatically turn off when taking a picture. 

In other words, right now, Hakuto couldn't see her at all.

Without hesitation, Nao lunged forward. She aimed a high kick straight at Hakuto's chin, determined to get revenge for the hit she had taken earlier.

"Hm? Where did this gust of wind come from? No… wait…"

Having been in countless street fights since childhood, Hakuto was extremely sensitive to attacks. 

His body reacted before his brain even registered the threat—his arm shot up and blocked the kick just in time.

"Huh? He blocked it?"

Nao couldn't help but exclaim. She had never expected Hakuto to defend against her attack while being completely unable to see her.

Hearing her voice, Hakuto smirked slightly. "So there really is someone here."

With a flick of his wrist, the metal pipe in his hand clattered to the floor, replaced by Nao's small foot, clad in black stockings.

"It's warm…" Feeling the silky texture against his palm, Hakuto instinctively voiced his surprise.

And in that very moment, Nao shifted all her weight onto the leg he had grabbed.

Using it as a pivot, she swung her other leg high into the air and delivered a powerful kick to Hakuto's shoulder.

This time, Hakuto didn't react in time. After all, he wasn't some kind of superhero—managing to block one unseen attack was already impressive enough.

"You got your hit in. Now how about you show yourself, explain yourself, and let's talk?"

Nao's kick hadn't been particularly strong, only forcing Hakuto back a couple of steps. What he was more curious about now was the identity of the person standing before him.

Realizing that she had made a miscalculation, Nao sighed inwardly. Then, she deactivated her ability. 

Like a ghost appearing out of thin air, she suddenly materialized near the entrance.

"I can explain—"

"Tomori Nao?"

Just as Nao was about to clarify the situation—and subtly probe whether Hakuto was an esper—he casually called out her name.

"Huh? You know me?"

"I guess you could say that…"

"Have we… met before?"

"For certain special reasons, I happen to know the circumstances behind Hoshino Umi Academy's founding."

So I've heard a bit about the president of its student council."

There was no way Hakuto could reveal that he was a transmigrant, so he had no choice but to make up a small lie.

Since he already knew, Tomori Nao didn't bother with pleasantries. She got straight to the point.

"Since you're aware of espers, you should also understand why I'm here."

Hakuto looked puzzled. "Huh? Why? Are you here to recruit me as a haunted house actor?"

"What? Are you playing dumb?"

"Stop using your ability. Unless you want to end up as a lab rat for some scientists."

Hakuto: ??!

Super calculation? Me? Esper? Is it really me?

He didn't think she was joking—her identity alone made it impossible for her to joke about something like this.

"You should transfer to Hoshino Umi Academy. That way, we can ensure your safety to the greatest extent possible."

"You wouldn't want to end up on an operating table as an experiment, would you?"

As Nao rambled on, Hakuto suddenly interrupted her.

"Uh… when you use your abilities, do you feel anything special? Or how exactly do you activate them?"

Hakuto was finding this whole situation hard to believe. 

He had always thought his exceptional computational skills and learning ability were just natural talents. But now, it seemed there was another reason behind them.

However, something about this still felt off. After all, his computational power and learning ability were always active—he was constantly thinking and analyzing. 

He couldn't possibly be using an ability every second of every day, could he?

"What… Do you mean by that?"

"Just answer me first."

"…"

"There's nothing particularly special about it. But when I activate my ability, I just imagine it flowing through my arm, and then it works smoothly."

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

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