Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

Page 25

As Izumi Sagiri slowly unfolded the poster she was holding.

The first thing that catches the eye is the magnificent, classically styled palace at the top.

Akane Akasaka frowned slightly. The architectural style of the building was very similar to some places in the Celestial Empire in her memory. In her early years, she had stayed in various parts of the world in order to find a genius illustrator and novelist who could lead the doujinshi world.

At that time, she seemed to have seen a building with a similar style to the one in the poster—of course, after so many years, her memory was long gone, and she might have been mistaken.

The poster continued to unfold, revealing a monkey with a hairy face and a thunderous mouth. The golden light emanating from the chainmail armor was mixed with a blood-red glow, the source of which was unknown.

Her expression was incredibly ferocious due to her "rage," and even from the side, it made Akane Akane and Sonoko Machida hold their breath.

His golden-red eyes shone brightly against the dark whites of his eyes.

The feathers on the phoenix-winged purple-gold crown fluttered in the wind, as did the leather armor inside the chainmail!

With a powerful leap, the rather thin body bent over, holding the Ruyi Jingu Bang in both hands. An aura full of ancient vicissitudes swept over everyone, as if they could really see the magnificent palace. A monkey, defined as "04 Mischievous", faced a large number of enemies and fearlessly raised its weapon.

“The World Honored One, the Tathagata Buddha, questioned my attachments. Back then, when I carved in the Jade Pool, I was having a good time and didn’t think too much about it.”

"You have accused me of crimes and seized upon my karmic consequences. Yet you remain stubborn, unwilling to admit your mistakes, and unwilling to reflect on your wrongdoings. You are the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, the Earth Pilgrim."

A soft humming began, and Baili Xiao looked at the poster, her eyes losing their luster, clearly recalling the song "Ninety-Nine Eighty-One" that she had heard before.

The humming wasn't very pleasant to listen to; most of the people present could sing much better than Baili Xiao. But... for some reason, hearing his humming made everyone's noses sting with tears.

Feeling everyone's attention on her, Baili Xiao snapped out of her reverie and waved her hand sheepishly, "Ah, I was thinking about some things from the past. Don't worry about it, don't worry about it."

"No, no, no, you can't pretend you didn't hear that!" Akane Akasaka frowned, took out her pen from her bag, and casually picked up a piece of paper to write down the lyrics that Baili Xiao was humming on the back.

Her handwriting is beautiful, and the characteristics of a fountain pen make every stroke look extremely powerful.

As she finished writing the last stroke, Akane Akasaka's gaze darted back and forth between the poster and the lyrics, her expression becoming extremely complicated: "Hyakuri-kun, this poster... is it some kind of secret that needs to be hidden?"

"Hmm?" Baili Xiao didn't understand what Hongsaka Akane meant: "It's not a secret. This should be considered... one of the illustrations for a novel that will be published in the future."

"A novel?" His answer stunned Akane Akasaka, and not only her, but also Sonoko Machida: "Well, I really have high expectations for this novel, and I hope to see it released soon..."

As she spoke, Akane Akasaka took out her phone, snapped a picture of the poster, and jokingly continued, "Hyakuri-kun, I'm giving this poster a heads-up, you don't mind, do you?"

“Of course I don’t mind. In fact, please do this... It would be interesting to make more people eagerly anticipate the release of the novel before it’s even published, wouldn’t it?” Baili Xiao grinned, revealing a row of bright, even teeth. Everyone shuddered and looked at him with strange eyes.

Only now have they discovered that Baili Xiao also possesses a "scheming" side?

...

Night falls, the rouge-en-rouge club.

Akane Akasaka took off her anti-radiation glasses and rubbed her slightly sore eyes.

To her left lay the text of the third volume of the novel, half-open. Half an hour earlier, she had carefully read half of the third volume of *5 Centimeters Per Second*, inwardly praising, "Kasumigaoka Utaha's writing has gotten even stronger," before putting the manuscript down.

If it were the old her, she probably would have stayed up all night reading every single word, or even read it again if she felt it wasn't enough after reading it once!

This is the final volume of her long-awaited novel, and no amount of passion is too much for her.

But... she has more important things to do today.

On the computer screen, a picture quietly appeared in the dedicated editor; it was a poster of "The Monkey King: Earth Walker" that she had taken with her mobile phone.

It took her a full half hour to edit the image, not only to trim the edges but also to add the lyrics to the poster—something a professional retoucher could probably do in minutes.

I can only say that she's not professional enough.

"Let's see how everyone reacts!" As if she had thought of something amusing, Akane Akasaka raised the corners of her mouth and posted a status update on the official Weibo account of the rouge-en-rouge circle in her own words.

"In the afternoon, I went to the [Huaxia] studio with Machida Sonoko, the editor of Shinazugawa Bunko, to get the novel text of the third (final) volume of [5 Centimeters Per Second]. Once it passes the review in the next few days, we will do our best to print and produce it! The sales event is scheduled for the weekend four days from now. I'm really sorry to disturb your sleeping time (smug)."

"In the studio, I was surprised to find this poster. According to Teacher Baili, it's an illustration from one of the upcoming novels. I wonder what you readers will think after seeing it? Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing this novel released soon!"

"Oh, right! The original artwork for the poster was done by Mr. Baili himself. Can those readers who questioned Mr. Baili's abilities finally shut up? Also, the lyrics on the poster were just something Mr. Baili hummed on the spot, and the way he sang it... well, you know."

Below the dynamic image, the prepared picture was uploaded.

With a soft chuckle, Akane Akasaka shut down her laptop, took the coffee that had been brewing long ago and was almost cold, and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window to admire the city's night view from above.

"This is really something to look forward to..."

P.S.: It seems many people dislike the studio's name and the Journey to the West storyline. Let me clarify here that naming it Huaxia does not mean "Aiguo" (will I get invited for tea?). It simply means five thousand years of history, nothing more.

Not only Journey to the West, but also Romance of the Three Kingdoms will be written later. But please do not apply modern versions of Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms. You should know that in the story, they are writing light novels, not the kind of old-fashioned classics with difficult and obscure words.

Well, to describe it more vividly, it's like "nine times nine equals eighty-one" and "ruling the world with power," which are equivalent to Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the fan fiction world (am I giving away spoilers QAQ).

Chapter 0072 The Fanfiction Community is So Loving! (6/5 Please Subscribe)

The rouge-en-rouge circle's updates are posted around 8 PM. Most people in the doujinshi community follow its official Weibo account, partly because of its former reputation as the "strongest doujinshi circle," and partly because it now has cooperative relationships with various artists. Whenever these artists have news, they release updates through this circle, or through one of the other doujinshi publishers, such as Shinazugawa Bunko or Chishima Publishing.

Many people's first reaction upon seeing the official Weibo account of the rouge-en-rouge community is to cheer and shout the names of the teachers, yelling "Long live!"

They've had enough of light novel authors who release a volume every six months, plus those famous light novel authors who always split the story into volumes before reaching certain exciting parts, leaving readers unsure whether to read it or not, like, "I've already taken my pants off and this is what you're showing me?"

Compared to those light novel authors who "keep readers in suspense," the studio's authors are truly "conscientious in the industry"! In less than two months, "5 Centimeters Per Second" went from the first volume to the final volume of the third volume, giving readers a satisfying read.

Of course... there were also some people complaining, "Why did they have to release it on the weekend?! My precious time to sleep in is gone!" But they were just complaining; their actions spoke louder than words.

After the initial excitement of the "release of Volume 3," everyone noticed the subsequent updates, clicking on the images while wondering "what exactly did Baili-sensei draw?"

The moment the image was opened, countless people threw away their phones because they couldn't withstand the sudden visual impact. Only computer users were spared (the image would take up the entire screen on a phone, but not on a computer).

Just like a prank GIF that hides a scary ghost face, when a scary ghost face suddenly appears without the viewer's awareness, many people will be so frightened that they will throw their phones away.

Is Baili Xiao's "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven - Earth Walker" comparable to a terrifying ghost face? Although it is not terrifying, its visual impact of furious killing is far greater!

Within minutes, the comments section of the official Weibo post was flooded with criticism, with many condemning the rogue-en-rouge group's "inhumane" behavior and demanding that the group cover their phone repair costs!

However, after thousands of comments appeared in a short time, the tone shifted dramatically, with comments like, "Wow! This painting is so beautiful! I see love in it!" "Yes, yes, Teacher Baili is so amazing! It's much more wonderful than other teachers' paintings! I highly recommend watching it on your phone! You can't see the same effect on a computer!" "Exactly! Don't watch it on a computer, you must use your best and most expensive phone. Oh, and by the way, a friendly reminder, please take off your phone case before watching!"

Those who have seen the pictures are doing their "best" work for the good of others! It's truly a "harmonious and happy" fanfiction community.

Many more people, full of "love," downloaded the picture and sent it to all their friends...

While ordinary people are amazed by "Wow, Hyakuri-sensei's drawing skills are amazing! No wonder he can be a technical advisor for other teachers," they also have high expectations for the light novel that corresponds to this illustration—both the art style and the details clearly indicate a hot-blooded battle light novel! Compared to the romance in "5 Centimeters Per Second," this type of novel is more likely to be popular with a wider audience!

Please note that this reaction is limited to ordinary people—excluding any fan artists, no, to be precise, it should be "anyone who knows how to draw"!

If someone who knows how to draw saw this illustration, their most immediate reaction would be—"Men are speechless and women are moved to tears!"

While it may be an exaggeration, this illustration really shocked them.

They saw a gap as vast as an insurmountable chasm, a legendary realm that could never be reached in a lifetime. They even wondered what method could possibly be used to create such a painting.

They believed that the painting must have been created by "Teacher Baili" because, in their knowledge, no one had ever reached such a level!

In a dormitory called Sakura-sou in a nearby city, a girl with long, golden hair reaching her waist sat in a computer chair, her arms wrapped around her legs, her bright eyes reflecting the light from the computer screen.

"Nanami, Nanami." She called out a name softly. The sound of footsteps came from the corridor, and a lively girl with chestnut hair tied in a ponytail pushed open the door and walked in.

Her name is Aoyama Nanami, and she is in charge of the daily life of Shiina Mashiro—the blonde girl.

"Hey, my dear lady, what's wrong now?" Nanami looked at Mashiro with a helpless smile, both amused and annoyed.

This was the first time she had ever seen a girl who was almost an adult and couldn't even dress herself, let alone do anything else...

"Young lady, you can't wear your clothes like that. What if someone sees you if you don't button them up?" Nanami rubbed her aching temples as she buttoned up Mashiro's clothes, reminding her, "...There aren't only girls like us at Sakura-sou! Always be wary of the men!"

Mashiro tilted her head and watched Nanami's actions, wondering why she was buttoning her clothes. However, she didn't care about such questions and explained why she had called Nanami over: "Nanami, I want to make a phone call."

"Hmm? Who are you calling?" Nanami nodded and took out her phone from her pocket—Mashiro, who couldn't take care of herself, naturally wouldn't use such a high-tech thing as a cell phone.

"elder sister."

“Sengoku-sensei?” Nanami’s forehead creased with black lines. The “older sister” Mashiro was referring to was the art teacher, Sengoku Chihiro, who was also the manager of Sakura Dormitory. “If it’s Sengoku-sensei, there’s no need to call. She doesn’t happen to have a social party today.”

After saying that, Nanami ran downstairs and soon came back upstairs with a woman who reeked of alcohol.

"Teacher Sengoku! How many times have I told you not to drink like this! You've already gone through three..."

"Shut up! I'm only twenty-nine years and fifteen months old! I'm forever twenty-nine! Heh~!" Chihiro Chigoro struggled to open her eyes and saw Shiina Mashiro in front of her: "Oh, it's Mashiro. You, you wanted to see me? Heh!"

"Here, I'm going." Mashiro said expressionlessly, his fingertip pointing towards the words "[Huaxia] Studio".

"Huh?" Chihiro Chigoro forced herself to stay upright, her cheek almost pressed against the computer screen. She looked at it again and again, then let out a hiccup. "This is... another... city... you... you just transferred here, only two days ago... why... why did you leave?"

“I want to learn to paint, from him.” Her fingertip then moved to the four characters “Teacher Baili”.

"Baili...Teacher?"

Mashiro nodded.

"Do you know the slave?"

Shake his head.

How do I get there?

Shake his head.

"Where do you live?"

Shake his head.

Who will take care of you?

Shake his head.

"Okay, you can stay here!"

Chapter 0073 Division of Labor in Animated Films! (1/5, Please Subscribe)

"Baili-kun, your painting seems to have caused a sensation."

During lunch break, Kato Megumi arrived at Kasumigaoka's house. As she was changing her shoes in the entryway, she spoke to Hyakuri Akira in the living room, saying, "Your classmates at school are all asking about you. They're saying things like, 'I never expected Kasumigaoka-senpai's brother to be so talented. It's not surprising that she has a light novel writer sister,' right?"

Bai Lixiao looked up from Kasumigaoka Utaha's hair—don't overthink it, he was just looking at the computer screen in her hand—and smiled slightly: "It seems that Ms. Kurosaka's publicity has been very effective. How are the online comments? Are many people looking forward to it?"

“Yes, Miss Duanmu started a poll, and since last night, more than 10,000 people have cast their ‘expectation’ votes.” Kato Megumi said as she carried the groceries she had bought into the kitchen.

"Ah Hui, it seems you've been keeping up with this news all along?" Bai Li Xiao's smile widened. This was a good sign, proving that Kato Hui had already considered him a member of the studio.

"Even if I don't check, my classmates will update me with the latest information. There's nothing I can do about it." Kato Megumi shook her head with a wry smile. In fact, all the information she mentioned before was forced upon her by others!

Kato Megumi is a good child, and her parents and classmates can attest to that. Although she brings her phone to class every day, she doesn't use it to browse the web, watch videos, or chat.

However, her best friend and deskmate at school, Sanaeko, is a gossip queen who knows almost all the latest news about things that interest her.

"Hyakuri-kun, Volume 3 is finished. Are Kasumigaoka-senpai and the others busy with the animated film?" Kato Megumi took out eggs from the refrigerator—she was going to make omelet rice—and saw Kasumigaoka Utaha wearing anti-radiation glasses, staring intently at the computer screen, while Eriri and the other two were drawing keyframes with their brows furrowed. She couldn't help but tilt her head and ask.

"Is the animated film more difficult to produce than [5 Centimeters Per Second]?"