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

"President Haruto, do you really have to… observe?"

Haibara Ai asked in a somewhat exasperated tone.

Haruto nodded matter-of-factly.

"This is a valuable interaction experiment between the new drug APTX-4869 and the Panacea (SCP-500). Such highly significant research material cannot be wasted. A single Panacea pill is quite precious."

Haibara Ai's eyes welled up with tears. Although what Haruto said made some sense… It was just too embarrassing! Completely unacceptable!

Right now, Haibara Ai was dressed in child-sized clothing.

After taking the Panacea, she would most likely return to her adult form.

If she wore her current small-sized clothes during that process, the best case was that they'd tear apart; the worst case was that she'd be hurt by the fabric.

So…

After a long internal struggle, Haibara Ai ultimately upheld the spirit of scientific dedication and proceeded with the interaction experiment.

She took the Panacea while… in a state without clothing.

Thirty seconds after ingesting the Panacea, her body began to grow at a visible rate.

The process lasted for five minutes and seventeen seconds.

The experiment confirmed that the abnormality caused by APTX-4869 could indeed be cured by SCP-500.

Once the experiment was complete, Haruto handed a white lab coat into the containment chamber.

Haibara Ai: !?

"You had something like this all along?! You should have given it to me sooner!"

Haibara Ai gritted her teeth and glared at Haruto.

"For the sake of scientific rigor."

Haruto averted his gaze guiltily.

Haibara Ai snatched the lab coat, put it on, and buttoned it up.

The two then fell into a silent standoff.

Eventually, Haibara Ai was the first to back down.

"…Can you save my sister?"

When she first attempted to defect from the Black Organization, she was imprisoned. Meanwhile, her sister, Akemi Miyano, a field agent and assassin for the Black Organization, had also been put under tight restrictions.

She was assigned increasingly dangerous missions.

Given the Black Organization's modus operandi, defectors were never forgiven.

Akemi Miyano was likely being used as a disposable pawn. Once she had exhausted her usefulness, she would undoubtedly be eliminated.

Now that Haibara Ai had escaped, she naturally worried about her sister's safety.

If saving her sister meant serving the Foundation for life, she was willing. However, to Haibara Ai's surprise, Haruto agreed immediately.

He didn't even ask her to join the Foundation in exchange.

"Sure. I'll have someone keep an eye on it."

A cleanup operation against the Black Organization was inevitable.

At the very least, the Foundation would infiltrate the Organization's headquarters to examine their database.

If they found information above Level 0 clearance, they would act accordingly.

If not, they would still make their presence known.

After going through the necessary procedures, the Black Organization would be left in shambles.

Saving a person, especially someone with potential as an agent, was an easy favor to grant. On top of that, wiping out the Black Organization would provide additional researchers and operatives.

Seeing Haruto agree so readily, Haibara Ai was momentarily stunned.

"Um… can I join the Foundation?"

She was starting to doubt herself.

Did she really have no value at all?

Haruto smiled and nodded.

"If you're willing, the Foundation welcomes you. Talented researchers are hard to come by."

Even though Haruto said that, Haibara Ai still had doubts about her worth.

She signed her name in the Absolute Contract Codex, officially completing her induction into the Foundation.

With his goal achieved, Haruto smiled in satisfaction.

"Let's go. I'll introduce you to your new colleagues. Later, a specialist will discuss your salary and benefits. The SCP Foundation isn't an evil organization, so we don't restrict personal freedom, but there are confidentiality rules. You specialize in organic chemistry, right? Mihari has some expertise in that field too. She'll guide you."

Haruto's smooth handling of the situation left Haibara Ai deep in thought.

Just how many people had this guy recruited into the Foundation?

And so, Haibara Ai was successfully swayed into joining the Foundation's research department. As for Haruto, after finishing his recruitment, he returned straight to his apartment.

On the way, he was even humming a cheerful tune.

------------

The next morning, Haruto, as usual, headed to Hyakkaou Private Academy.

After his gamble with Yumeko, his funds had risen to 16 million yen.

Though still far from the 1 billion target, in reality, it would only take a few more rounds of exponential growth to reach 1 billion easily.

After all, Chen Daozai once turned 20 dollars into 37 million.

For Haruto, turning 1 million into 1 billion wouldn't be a problem!

"Good morning, Master!"

Upon entering the classroom, he was greeted by Yumeko's energetic voice.

That title... felt a little awkward.

"Good morning, Yumeko."

Haruto responded with a smile.

Then, he found himself lost in thought. Speaking of which, where was his seat?

After reporting in yesterday, he played a gambling match and then skipped class with Yumeko...

Up until now, Haruto still didn't know where his seat was.

Seeing his confusion, the other students in the class immediately started trying to ingratiate themselves with him.

"Haruto, do you need any help?"

"Haruto, you can choose any seat you like. There's an empty one right next to me."

"Haruto, just say where you want to sit, and we'll make space for you."

Faced with such enthusiasm, Haruto felt a bit overwhelmed. Fortunately, the seat next to Yumeko was still empty.

So, Haruto sat down beside her.

Seeing this, many of the girls in the class secretly bit their fingers in frustration.

They wanted to get close to Haruto too.

Even if it was just to learn a little bit of his gambling skills or receive a small reward from him.

Even the crumbs that fell through his fingers would be enough for them to show off and indulge.

However, they were also self-aware.

Whether it was in terms of looks, intelligence, or gambling skills, they simply weren't on the same level as Yumeko.

"Master, someone asked me to pass this to you."

Yumeko seemed to suddenly remember something and took out an envelope from her bag.

The envelope had luxurious gold patterns, and the seal was an elegant wax stamp. Just from its appearance, it was clear that this letter was expensive.

Haruto took the letter with some confusion.

Who in this academy would send him a letter?

A love letter?

As he pondered, he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

Hmm, not a love letter.

Haruto skimmed through it.

Removing all the polite and refined language, the message boiled down to:

"I hear you're pretty awesome? Wanna test that in real life?! I'm waiting for you at—uh, not in Shenyang Street, but in the activity room! You're in for a bad time if you don't show up!"

It was signed by Itsuki Sumeragi.

Haruto was a bit lost...

"Who's Itsuki Sumeragi?"

He asked Yumeko.

Was there really someone in Hyakkaou Private Academy daring enough to challenge him? Even the student council president had to act all sweet and obedient toward him!

Yumeko shook her head.

"I don't know either."

At that moment, a voice from behind chimed in:

"Itsuki Sumeragi is a first year student, a member of the student council."

Haruto turned to see that the one speaking was none other than the not-so-bright Saotome.

"Good morning, Saotome. Speaking of which... that's quite a miserable sight."

Halfway through his sentence, Haruto noticed Saotome's desk.

It was covered in insulting graffiti from permanent markers and filled with scratches from sharp objects.

Saotome sighed.

Yesterday, she might have gritted her teeth and retorted: You think this isn't your fault?!

But after a day had passed, she had come to terms with reality.

Haruto and Yumeko were monsters who lived in a completely different world from hers. She was just unlucky to get caught up in their affairs.

They had never even deliberately targeted her.

"This is too much! This is outright bullying! I'm going to deal with them!"

Yumeko, upon seeing the mess, was outraged and wanted to stand up for Saotome.

That was just her nature.

Normally, she was a kind and adorable girl with long black hair, only turning into a crazed thrill-seeker when it came to gambling.

Saotome quickly grabbed Yumeko's hand and let out a long sigh.

"No need. This is just how things work in this academy. I'm a livestock now."

She showed the tag hanging around her neck.

In the original story, Saotome couldn't accept the humiliation of being treated as livestock.

So she ended up challenging the student council to a gambling match.

And then…

Predictably, she lost even more miserably.

Her debt skyrocketed beyond anything she could ever repay, and even her future was decided for her. It was only after that crushing defeat that Saotome truly woke up and recognized the harsh reality.

Later on, she teamed up with Yumeko and managed to turn things around in one of the student council's gambling events.

But looking at her now, it seemed she had realized the truth much earlier than in the original timeline.

With that in mind, her current debt, which wasn't too heavy, should be something she could reverse fairly quickly.

After all, Saotome wasn't really stupid, she just couldn't beat Yumeko or the student council.

"That Itsuki Sumeragi has never lost a game of cards since enrolling a year ago. Her family runs the most famous toy manufacturing company in Japan, with absurdly deep financial backing. And personally… there are rumors that she enjoys collecting other people's fingernails."

For some reason, Saotome shared everything she knew about Itsuki Sumeragi.

After listening, Haruto finally remembered who she was.

Oh, wasn't she the weakest member of the student council?

The one who bought her way into the student council, only to get kicked out later?

Looking at the challenge letter again, Haruto raised an eyebrow. He had thought she was some hidden gambling master in Hyakkaou Academy.

But it turned out…

"Where's the activity room?"

Haruto asked.

"Wait, I just told you she's never lost a card game, and she likes pulling out people's fingernails! You're still going?"

Saotome looked at him in disbelief.

Haruto nodded as if it was obvious.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I go when there's free money on the line?"

He was planning to win that ten-billion-yen limit today and take the student council president home already.