I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Oh...?

...Hm?

F-four of them?

Shu-chan fell into deep thought.

Section 2: Special Ability Wave

Shuya decided not to dwell on the troublesome question of whether he had four parents or two.

His focus returned to the words of Inoue Hikoo.

Shuya supported his little head: "So, Dad, you spent all the money I earned from filming that commercial?"

"No! Impossible! Don't talk nonsense! I only used half!"

Inoue Hikoo shouted with a huge reaction because he noticed the disdainful gazes of the people around him.

Hearing this, Shuya waved his hand and said: "Then go ahead and use the other half, I don't mind... well, just remember to leave enough for food."

The Staff Members knew it was in the bag and gave him a thumbs up one after another:

"Shu-chan is generous!"

"Shu-chan is so cool!"

"Shu-chan, I love you!"

The voice actress ladies also chimed in unison:

"So cute!"

"So cute!"

"So cute!"

Enough! You uncultured Sakura-girls! If you don't have anything else to say, just keep quiet!

Shuya only complained in his heart; he didn't have the heart to say it out loud and hurt them.

Just as the world treats good-looking people with kindness, normal people don't demand too much from idiots.

Besides, these voice actress ladies were all quite cute. (Emphasis added)

For the sake of their looks, Shuya naturally chose to forgive them.

However, everyone's voices gradually died down.

Because they noticed something.

Inoue Hikoo's face was full of difficulty.

"...Dad?"

"Son, let Daddy tell you."

Inoue Hikoo said with a sigh: "The other half... was taken by your Mommy."

"Gulp."

Shuya swallowed his saliva.

"You mean..."

His little face turned solemn.

"That's right. She used it all to run her ancestral voice acting agency, so..."

Inoue Hikoo revealed a weary smile: "If this animation fails, we won't have any money for food."

Inoue Shuya: "..."

You're sabotaging your own son, you two spendthrifts.

Fortunately, he was already used to it, otherwise, he would have been angered to death.

Inoue Shuya could only sigh: "I understand the situation, I'll help you out. Also... the box of lollipops you promised me yesterday will have to wait for later."

"Lollipops...?"

Inoue Hikoo wore a stupid expression that said, "What are you talking about?"

"Eh? Does a prodigy like Shu-chan-senpai actually eat lollipops?"

Shuya looked up and saw it was a cute voice actress lady asking, so he decided to answer.

He nodded his head and said profoundly: "Yes. As everyone knows, I am a prodigy, and my brain is much better than other children my age."

Nonsense, otherwise I might as well commit suicide; why bother transmigrating or being reborn?

"However, is it a good thing to be too far ahead? I don't think so. Only by experiencing the scenery of every stage of life can one be complete and have no regrets."

He smiled slightly, his clear eyes curving into beautiful contours: "Although my way of thinking is not like a child's, I don't dislike the time I spend as a child. On the contrary, I cherish these days that will eventually fade away. But my intelligence doesn't allow me to act spoiled like other children, so I found a point of intersection that matches my age."

"Yes, that is---the lollipop."

With a sense of ritual, Shuya said solemnly: "That's right, every time I hold a lollipop in my mouth, I can feel a sense of reality---ah, I am enjoying my one-and-only precious childhood!"

"When I think of this, I can't help but feel the beauty of life, and I tremble all over because of it!"

He curled the corners of his mouth into a toothy grin, his entire being radiating a sunny atmosphere.

Shuya was currently showcasing the invincible smile he had honed through years of filming commercials.

The young ladies exclaimed, "Even though I don't understand what he's saying, Shu-chan-senpai is so cute!"

"Shu-chan-senpai is so cute!"

"Shu-chan-senpai is so cute!"

Shuya slowly retracted his smile; this kind of repetition really couldn't make him happy.

Inoue Hikoo let out a yawn, casually ruffled Shuya's little head, and buttered him up: "Well said! That's my boy!"

"Thanks, but I'd be happier if you hid your yawn, Dad."

Shuya said politely.

"Hahaha! Don't worry about such trifles! Come, come, take a look at the script first!"

Inoue Hikoo laughed heartily and handed the script to Shuya.

Shuya didn't refuse and took it.

Although he could still make a living on his looks even if the family went bankrupt, he couldn't just ignore his parents.

He had a great relationship with his family; aside from their daily habit of trolling their son, these spendthrift parents were otherwise impeccable, giving him whatever he wanted within their means.

He still liked them very much.

To have encountered such goofy and open-minded parents twice was truly a blessing and a stroke of fate; it was incredibly joyful.

Besides.

Shuya was very grateful that after changing worlds, he had bumped into the same model of parents; he poured all the guilt he felt toward his parents from his previous life onto his current ones.

That was why he was so indulgent toward these spendthrift parents.

If they spent all his advertising fees, so be it; money wasn't important. After all, the most important thing in life is to be happy.

Anyway, he was so famous that filming a few more commercials would make him a hero again... well, a good kid.

Damn, that phrasing is really awkward!

Shuya patted Inoue Hikoo's thigh and sighed: "You're my real dad after all; if I don't look after you, who will?"

Inoue Hikoo: "..."

Hmm? This statement...

Why do I feel like you're the one who's my dad?

But after thinking for a second, Inoue Hikoo decisively laughed:

"...Forget it, it's a small matter! Come, Shu-sama, let me explain the script to you... Oh, you guys go ahead and record, Shu-sama will record in a bit."

"Understood, Director."

"Got it, Boss."

The Staff Members replied one after another.

The voice actress ladies also returned to the recording studio.

Inoue Hikoo then said to Shuya: "Shu-chan, take a look at the script. Are there any words you don't understand?"

"No, I understand them all."

Shuya flipped through the script; there were no difficult words.

Since his rebirth, his brain had upgraded significantly, to the point where he could barely claim to have a photographic memory, and his body was also in great shape.

Over these past five years, his Japanese had long since become no worse than that of a normal adult.

"That's my boy!"

Inoue Hikoo praised him.

"This script... hmm, Alien Baby Hikari-chan (Tentative)?"

This name was a bit of a bandwagon jump.

Last year, a movie called E.T. came out in the American Administrative District, and for a time, the entire Earth Federation was swept up in a UFO craze and an alien craze, with various alien-themed works appearing constantly, and the public was tireless in their enthusiasm.

"Let me see..."

Shuya read at a glance, quickly finishing the synopsis and outline.

"This script actually has some substance."

Shuya looked at his dad with admiration: "You, you're capable of doing things well when you want to, aren't you?"

"Ehehe."

The twenty-three-year-old Inoue Hikoo gave a shy smile.

"Ugh."

Shuya couldn't help but make an expression that didn't fit his cute child persona.

Shuya had always known that his old man was talented.

He just had one flaw.

He was incredibly reckless.

Whenever he had money, he wanted to stir up trouble; in his own words, he was chasing his dreams and doing the stories he loved.

As long as there was no pressure, Inoue Hikoo would happily produce bizarre animations, and the result, naturally, was a complete flop.

But miraculously, whenever he flopped so hard he was on the verge of bankruptcy, Inoue Hikoo would always manage to come up with something good to save the day.

The current script was exactly like that.

Although this story was just riding on a trend, the plot, Shuya had to admit, was excellent.

As for exactly how good it was, please stay tuned for the next installment.

Because two thousand characters have passed.

Section 3: Voice Actor Selection

The script that Inoue Hikoo had whipped up, tentatively titled Alien Baby Hikari-chan, hadn't been officially decided yet.