Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

Page 73

I haven't slept all night, but why do I feel more and more energetic the more I watch?

[This is toxic! Absolutely toxic! No wonder it's called a poisonous cult! I feel restless if I don't watch it every day!]

Ahhh! The dance steps of Gokuraku Jodo are so beautiful! Are there any tutorials online? I really want to learn!

This poison is endless! I've watched it dozens of times, I just can't stop!

[I'm confessing my love for Nozomi Tojo! Look at my support color! Nozomi Tojo is mine! No arguments allowed!]

[Don't even think about it! If you want to take on Nozomi, you'll have to get past the sword in my hand first!]

The chaotic barrage of comments made Kato Megumi feel dizzy after just one glance. She looked away, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. If someone with trypophobia saw this, they might take a few steps back in fear!

"Megumi-nee, if you can't watch it, then don't. They're just saying things like 'you'll die if you don't watch it.'" Hashima Izumi got up, took a cold drink from the refrigerator, poured a glass for Kato Megumi, and placed it in front of her. He then gave Izumi Sagiri a wink—Sagiri pouted and put her phone away.

"Thank you." She picked up her cold drink and took a sip. The icy liquid flowed down her throat, easing Kato Megumi's discomfort considerably. "Why are people online reacting like this? Is the song 'Gokuraku Jodo' really that captivating?"

"Uh..." Boshima Izumi was taken aback for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "Well, I don't know the specifics, but... this song seems to have an extraordinary magic, making people want to listen to it a second time, a third time... so, it turned out like this!"

The unique charm of "Gokuraku Jodo" is something that Izumi Hashima would never know. In this world, perhaps only Xiao Baili knows the abnormality of this song. You should know that this is a "poisonous song" that swept the entire anime world in his previous life, which has been popular for a long time, constantly imitated, and never surpassed!

"Although I don't know the specific reason, I have to say that Muse has made it onto the top song chart because of this song, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it has completely dominated it!" As he spoke, Izumi Hashima turned on his computer and typed "top song chart" into the search engine, and the search results quickly appeared.

The Song Top Chart is like the "This Light Novel is Amazing!" published by Thousand Islands Publishing House. It is an authoritative chart in the music industry—updated in real time, it includes the most popular singles and music videos of the month. As long as you can make it onto the chart, even if you are the last one (number 100), it means that "the song and the artist are loved by everyone!"

Although there are no tangible rewards, every idol singer wants their songs to make it onto this chart—it's a form of recognition and encouragement for them!

伴随着鼠标的点击，分门别类又一目了然的榜单出现在加藤惠的视野中——【极乐净土】No.1！【恋爱循环】No.4！【禁绝边境线】No.7！【樱花樱花，想见你】No.16！【尽管我们一无所有】No.18！【使用说明书】No.19！【我们身处当下】No.37！

Apart from the song "We Are Here" which ranked 20th due to its long run (and slightly reduced popularity), all the other songs performed at the concert were marked in red in a prominent position on the list!

Just as Bo Island Sailing said, it truly and mercilessly swept the top song charts!

"Wow, amazing!" Kato Megumi exclaimed sincerely. As a girl who is still in the three-dimensional world (with a half-step into the two-dimensional world), Kato Megumi is no stranger to this list. Not only her, but many of her classmates at school also use it to learn about the latest singles in the world.

After all, students don't have that much time to check music news and updates. The only way they can really show off their trendiness is probably by constantly checking the charts—like, "Hey? You guys have heard of [XXX]? Huh? You haven't? You're so out of touch! That's currently number one on the music charts!" Such boasting...

“This way, more people will know about Muse, and she’ll have better prospects in the future, right?” Kato Megumi smiled slightly, feeling happy for Muse. At the same time, she remembered the purpose of her visit to the studio today—Bai Lixiao had texted her to let her know that she was about to land. As a member of the studio’s “Kitchen Focus” team, Kato Megumi felt that she should prepare a sumptuous dinner to welcome Bai Lixiao and the others!

"Let's go out to sea and buy some things. Hyakuri-kun and the others will be back soon, and I'm going to make dinner a bit more elaborate..." Kato Megumi gently patted Hashima Uehi's shoulder, stood up, and walked towards the door. However, just as her right foot stepped out, Izumi Sagiri's sharp cry rang out: "Megumi-neechan! What did you just say? The teachers are coming back?!"

Kato Megumi stiffened slightly, turning to look at the two people from Hashima Island with a puzzled expression. After confirming several times that the "surprised" expressions on their faces did not seem fake, she frowned: "What? Didn't Hyakuri-kun tell you?"

In fact, Eriri did send messages to the two of them, but given their "obsession with [Paradise]" at the time...emmm, they selectively forgot about the "I'm back!" message!

(That darn Eriri! Why send such an easily misunderstood message like "I'm back"!... If I had known the teacher was coming back with her, I...) The resentment towards Eriri in her heart showed on her cheeks; Izumi Sagiri's round face puffed up slightly, a blush appearing (from anger): "Once Eriri gets back, I definitely need to have a good 'talk' with her! Right now, the most important thing is..."

Muttering softly to herself, a glint of light flashed in her blue eyes. Izumi Sagiri, dressed in pink pajamas, jumped up from the sofa and ran upstairs with a series of crisp "thump thump thump" sounds from her little feet.

As she watched the long, flowing silver hair disappear around the corner of the stairs, Kato Megumi tilted her head in confusion and asked Izumi, "What... happened to Sagiri?"

"No, it's nothing." Hashima Izumi chuckled dryly, the scene inside Izumi Sagiri's room involuntarily flashing through his mind—as Eromanga's teacher, Izumi Sagiri's room was full of treasures!

If someone were to venture into her room to search for treasure, they would surely find R18 doujinshi under the bed, in the closets, and even on the bookshelves! (Some of them are even shamelessly disguised with covers that read "One of the World's Top Ten Unsolved Mysteries"!)

When Baili Xiao was around, Sagiri always hid these "treasures" very well. However, during the two weeks that Baili Xiao was away, Sagiri let her guard down, and what happened in the room... is easy to imagine!

(Hopefully Sagiri can get ready before Hyakuri-kun returns, and this is what I can do for her now...) After thinking to herself for a moment, Hashima Izumi affectionately took Kato Megumi's arm, her face beaming with the brightest smile.

"Sister Hui! Weren't we going out to buy something? Let's go!"

P.S.: Oh dear, all sorts of things happened today, so I couldn't post a big update. I'll save it for tomorrow...

Chapter 0208 [Your Name] Production Project!

"Megumi, what do you need to buy?" In the convenience store not far away—though it was more like a large supermarket in terms of size!—Hashima Ikkai followed behind Kato Megumi, constantly glancing at the shelves on both sides: "What are you planning to have for dinner? Hot pot?"

Gently shaking her head, Kato Megumi recalled Baili Xiao's image in her mind, a faint smile playing on her lips: "No, let's have curry instead, how about chicken?"

"I knew Megumi would choose curry! I was right!" Upon hearing Megumi's answer, Izumi showed an expression of "as expected," stood next to her with her hands behind her back, and a mischievous smile on her face: "Ever since Hyakuri praised Megumi once, saying, 'Megumi's curry is so delicious, I never get tired of eating it,' Megumi has been making curry much more often!"

"Really?" Her body stiffened slightly, and she brushed a strand of hair behind "Sanqi San's" ear with her right hand, turning her gaze towards the higher shelf—a completely subconscious action, because Izumi was half a head shorter than her, so Izumi couldn't see her evasive gaze. "It must be your imagination, right? I'm just better at making curry..."

"Well, who knows?" With no attempt to hide her "I know, I know" attitude, Bodao Chuhai chuckled and ran ahead: "Sister Hui, I'll go buy the necessary seasonings first, the main ingredients are yours!"

Watching the figure disappear into the sea, Kato Megumi shook her head with a wry smile.

Her gaze was somewhat lost in thought as she stared blankly at the empty handcart beneath her, muttering to herself in a voice only she could hear.

"Did they notice you were going out to sea? You can't do that again, or you'll cause trouble for Baili-kun..."

Meanwhile, in the main building of the studio's premises.

"Ah! I'm finally home! It's so comfortable at home!"

Eriri's unpretentious moans came from downstairs. Izumi Sagiri, who was packing her things with the door open, suddenly stopped, then turned around silently, closed the door, and quickly covered an erotic manga in her hand with a dictionary cover and stuffed it into the bookshelf!

After doing all this, Izumi Sagiri examined the room for a long time, and finally, after confirming that there were no flaws, she took a deep breath, opened the door, and walked down to the living room.

"Yo, Sagiri!" Seeing the petite figure appear on the stairs, Eriri waved and greeted her, then unscrewed the cap of her drink bottle and gulped down the cold beverage in a few mouthfuls, licking her lips with her bright red tongue... but this was followed by a painful groan.

With bright eyes, Izumi Sagiri looked at Eriri, who was lying on the sofa with her hands covering her head, and a very pleased smile appeared on her face—(Is this what they call karma? It came really fast!)

"Sagiri, are you alone?" Baili Xiao put down her travel bag and looked around the large living room, but didn't see anyone else. "Where is she at sea? Shouldn't she be with you?"

"I went out to sea with Hui-nee to buy things, and I just left not long ago." As Izumi Sagiri responded, her eyes also turned to Muse and the others behind Shiina Mashiro: "Everyone worked hard, the concert was a great success! Videos of the concert are going viral online, and the number of views has even exceeded 100 million! The songs performed have also swept the entire music charts!"

Before she could finish speaking, a small, fair hand produced an autograph book from somewhere. Izumi Sagiri stared at Honoka and the others with shining eyes, as if she were someone who hadn't eaten for three days and three nights seeing the most delicious food: "Please sign my autograph!"

"Really?" Before Honoka and the others could react to the meaning behind Sagiri's words, Yazawa Nico jumped up excitedly, saying, "Wow, I didn't expect you to be so famous already?" as she took the autograph book, without a trace of "humility" on her face.

"Alright, stop fooling around." Seeing the two of them acting silly, Baili Xiao smiled and waved her hand: "You two go pack your things first, and meet me here for dinner. Ms. Kurosaka, Ms. Sonoko, let's discuss the matters related to the film adaptation of 'Your Name'."

Waving to Akane Akasaka and Sonoko Machida, gesturing for them to sit, Hyakuri Akira sat down first, while Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her laptop and turned the screen towards everyone.

"The second volume of the light novel 'Your Name' is complete. However, unlike '5 Centimeters Per Second,' the second volume is not suitable for direct release. My idea is to release it simultaneously with the anime film. I wonder if you have any opinions on this?"

The second (final) volume of "Your Name" tells the story of Taki Tachibana forgetting the existence of Mitsuha Miyamizu. After searching extensively, he finally learns that Mitsuha was a member of Itomori Town, which was destroyed by a meteorite three years ago. Through the various foreshadowings, he saves Itomori Town...

The second volume's story is tightly woven, unfolding one plot point after another, and resolving all the foreshadowing from the first volume, such as "chewing sake" and "seeing non-human things at dusk." It is precisely because of this that readers, upon reading the second volume, experience an "Ah, so that's how it is" moment, and are moved by the scene where "Taki Tachibana, even after forgetting Mitsuha's existence, never gave up on pursuing her..."

Unlike "5 Centimeters Per Second," the impact and emotional effect of such a story would be greatly diminished if readers read the light novel before the animated film. This is why Bai Lixiao had the idea of ​​releasing the animated film and the light novel simultaneously.

Upon hearing Baili Xiao's question, Akane Kousaka and Sonoko Machida exchanged a glance and smiled simultaneously: "As the people who know 'Your Name' best, Baili-kun must have his own reasons for doing this, so of course we have no objections!"

"However, Mr. Baili, the production of this animated film, 'Your Name,' might take a rather long time—not because of the studio staff, but because I have some unavoidable matters to attend to..."

(Something that had to be dealt with?) Baili Xiao frowned slightly—he hadn't heard Hongsaka Zhu mention it—and looked at the latter, waiting for her explanation.

Noticing the doubt in Bai Lixiao's eyes, Akane Kousaka's smile widened, and she shrugged helplessly: "The success of '5 Centimeters Per Second' has attracted the attention of many large film companies and theater chains. If they knew that another animated film, 'Your Name,' was about to be released, they would definitely flock to discuss cooperation... Even with Iori Hashima helping me handle it, it will probably take quite a while..."

She paused slightly, a chilling light flashing in Akane's eyes: "However, the benefits are also obvious! 'Your Name' won't be limited to small and medium-sized theaters in a dozen or so cities like '5 Centimeters Per Second.' This time... the scale of its release will likely be enormous!"

Chapter 0209 Yue Zhengling and Yue Zhenglongya!

"This... in a sense, is it a good thing?" Baili Xiao shook his head with a wry smile—when he saw Akane Kousaka's serious expression before, he thought there was something similar to "Gan Hui" that needed to be dealt with, but now it seems... he was just teased by Akane Kousaka unintentionally?

“A longer time is fine. After all, only a limited number of us know about the production of the animated film. We can wait until the film is finished and negotiations with the theaters are completed before releasing the news.” Baili Xiao said, turning his gaze to Yamada Fairy: “Fairy, you and Shiyu co-wrote the script for ‘Your Name’ this time. Although you’re not the author of this light novel like Shiyu, I’m sure you’ve read it quite a few times, right? I believe that the two of you working together can create a story that is even more perfect and moving than ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’!”

"As for the original artwork, I'll leave it to Eriri and the others. I'll keep an eye on their progress... Ms. Kousaka, if possible, please give it to the artists in the club again!"

The number of key drawings and in-between frames required for a movie-quality animation is extremely large. Last time, with the help of the artists from the Akane 04 Sound Club, they were barely able to complete the drawing. This time, if it's just Eriri and her three friends... even with the addition of Hyakuri Akira, it would probably be very difficult to complete!

Moreover, for some personal reasons, Baili Xiao didn't want Eriri and the others to be overworked...

“No problem.” Akane Kousaka nodded gently, her eyes slightly lost in thought. “If those little ones knew they could participate in the production of a new animated film, they’d probably be overjoyed, wouldn’t they? After all, their drawing skills have improved significantly since the last collaboration, and many of their comics are now very popular in the doujinshi community… Just use them, as long as they’re still alive, it’s fine!”

Bai Lixiao raised an eyebrow, his expression extremely interesting—this kind of talk... no matter how you look at it, only an unscrupulous boss who "withholds wages and exploits labor" could say it, right?

"Ugh~ Ugh~ Time to get back to work..." Eriri complained, stretching with her arms raised—to be honest, her movements were completely unappealing, mainly due to her "double A" size: "Have you set the deadline? I really don't want to hear the specific date, but having a deadline makes drawing more motivating, right, Mashiro?"

Sitting to the side, Shiina Mashiro glanced at Eriri with a puzzled look, not understanding why the latter was asking for her opinion. However, despite her confusion, she directly gave her answer—slowly shaking her head: "I will finish all the drawings before then..."

"Ugh!" Eriri's breath hitched, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes. Unlike Eriri, Izumi, and Sagiri, Shiina Mashiro spent almost all her time drawing, except for things like "eating Baumkuchen and pineapple buns". So the "deadline" was dispensable to Mashiro, because she would definitely finish her work before then!

"Okay, okay, I got it." Eriri puffed out her cheeks in a huff—you could even see her cute little fangs peeking out from the corners of her mouth—and stared at Baili Xiao through her glasses with resentful eyes: "Anyway, let's set a date!"

(Not only does a cunning person counter a tsundere, but even a natural person counters a tsundere? This is amazing!) A strange feeling welled up in his heart, but Baili Xiao's face remained expressionless as he pondered for a moment: "Twenty days! To complete all the drawing work. During these twenty days, I would also appreciate it if Ms. Kurosaka could work hard to negotiate contracts with all the theater chains that are interested in cooperating... As for the release date, I hope it will be in early October, but of course, this will depend on the specific progress..."

"However, I hope everyone will work towards this goal! Let's present 'Your Name' to the audience as soon as possible!"

...

Even at six o'clock in the evening, the summer sky is not dark.

At the airport exit in the city, Yue Zhengling, looking sullen, took the lead, carrying a small, exquisite suitcase. She walked forward with light and quick steps, her black ponytail bouncing behind her, never still for a moment.

Upon learning from Minami Kotori that Baili Xiao and the others had returned to the city, Yue Zhengling couldn't contain her excitement and flew over from the idol city—this should have been a "happy" thing, but Yue Zhengling was not happy at all. In fact, she kept complaining in her heart, which made her cute little face unconsciously gloomy.

The reason for this was the person following behind her, the one named "Le Zheng Longya," whom she called "brother"!

"...Aya, are you being so reckless in front of Teacher Baili?" Wearing tight casual clothes, with a striking hair color—half black and half white—his handsome and fair face was covered by black sunglasses that concealed his eyes and his furrowed brows.

Le Zheng Longya watched the figure walking faster and faster in the distance, sighed inwardly, and continued in a serious tone: "It's good to have your own personality, but in some situations, you also need to learn to be steady! Aya, you know I hate troublesome things. If you get scolded by Teacher Baili for something, don't come crying to me!"

As the "older brother," Yue Zheng Longya's words naturally carried a hint of "education." Yue Zheng Ling's steps suddenly stopped, and she turned around to look directly at the former, taking a deep breath: "I won't look for you! If you hadn't insisted that I go back, I would definitely have attended Muse's concert in Amagi this time!"

When Baili Xiao asked, "Is there anyone willing to go to Gancheng together?" Yue Zhengling refused with a complicated expression, saying that she had "something she had to deal with"—this so-called thing was Yue Zhenglongya!

It was because Yue Zheng Longya said "You must come back!" in a very serious tone the night before that Yue Zheng Ling missed Bai Li Xiao and the others' trip to Amagi, and even missed Muse's first concert!

"I only knew you were going to sing for Teacher Baili, but I didn't expect you to stay for half a month. As your guardian, how could I let a girl like you live alone in another place for so long?" Le Zheng Longya's face turned cold. To him, Le Zheng Ling's words at this moment could no longer be called "coquettishness"; they were completely unreasonable!

"I only asked you to come back to check on you and to remind you of a few things... You missed the Muse concert because you were angry, how can you blame me?!"

Chapter 0210 Siblings Who Can't Stand Each Other!

"Ah, well, that... Anyway, it's all because of you, brother, that things have turned out like this!" The girl's unique skill, "No matter what, it's not my fault," was activated. Yue Zhengling turned around with a "humph," her cheeks puffed up even more noticeably than before.

Le Zheng Longya shook his head helplessly—he wanted to discipline his younger sister for various reasons, and in fact, he usually did. However, she was currently going through a rebellious phase, and too much discipline would likely backfire...

(Girls are such a hassle... I just hope she can behave well in Teacher Baili's eyes...) With this thought in mind, Le Zheng Longya looked through the crowd at the waiting car outside: "Let's go!"

(Transfer Group 37.17)

"Ah Hui, your cooking skills are getting better and better." After tasting a bite of the curry chicken made by Kato Hui, Baili Xiao gave a thumbs up and praised it before even swallowing. Kato Hui smiled slightly, turned around and scooped another bowl of rice from the rice cooker next to her and placed it in front of her: "If you like it, have some more."

"Megumi-nee carefully selected these for a long time," Hajima Izumi said quietly. Kato Megumi picked up a rather large piece of chicken from her plate and placed it on Hajima Izumi's plate: "Don't talk, just eat!"

"Um..." Faced with Kato Megumi's "kind" smile, Hashima Izumi opened her mouth but ultimately couldn't say what she was going to say—even so, most of the people present knew what she wanted to say.

At the dining table opposite Baili Xiao, Minami Kotori's bowl and chopsticks remained untouched; she was simply engrossed in playing with her phone under the table. Honoka, sitting next to her, glanced at her curiously, then stuffed a large piece of chicken into her mouth, a blissful expression on her face. She gently nudged Kotori with her elbow and mumbled, "Hey, Kotori, aren't you hungry?"

"Don't use your phone while eating." Baili Xiao noticed Nan Xiao Niao's unusual behavior and tapped her chopsticks heavily on the edge of her bowl, making a crisp "clink!" sound. The latter looked up in a fluster, her flaxen hair swaying back and forth with her movement: "Teacher, no, Aya just texted saying she's coming over, I'm asking her where she is now...~"

Before the word "inside" could be uttered as the final word, a clear "ding-dong" sound rang out from the entrance hall. Everyone paused slightly, their eyes following Sonoda Umi as she stood up and turned towards the door.

As the door opened, Baili Xiao's eyebrows involuntarily rose—not because of Yue Zhengling, who was "excitedly greeting everyone in the studio." In fact, the moment Yue Zhenglongya came into view, he had captured all his attention...