Huh...?
...Hmm?
F-four?
Shu-chan fell into deep thought.
Section 2: Such a Risk-Taker
Shuya decided not to think about the troublesome question of whether his parents numbered two or four.
His attention returned to what Inoue Hikoo had said.
Shuya held his little head. "So, Dad, you spent all the money I earned from those commercials?"
"No! Impossible! Don't make things up! I only spent half!"
Inoue Hikoo shouted in protest, noticing the disdainful looks from the people around him.
Hearing that, Shuya waved a hand. "Then go ahead and spend the other half too. I don't mind... Just remember to leave enough for food."
The staff knew they were in the clear and gave him thumbs-up one after another.
"Shu-chan, you're so generous!"
"Shu-chan, you're so cool!"
"Shu-chan, I love you!"
The voice actresses chimed in, too.
"So cute!"
"So cute!"
"So cute!"
That's enough! You uneducated sakura girls! If you've got nothing else to say, then say less!
Shuya only grumbled to himself. He couldn't bring himself to say it aloud and hurt their feelings.
Just as people tended to treat good-looking people kindly, no one expected much from an idiot.
Besides, all these voice actresses were pretty cute. (Take note.)
Given how they looked, of course Shuya chose to forgive them.
However, the chatter gradually died down.
Because they noticed.
Inoue Hikoo wore a troubled expression.
"...Dad?"
"Son, let your old man tell you something."
Inoue Hikoo sighed. "Your mommy took the other half."
"Gulp."
Shuya swallowed.
"You mean..."
His little face turned grave.
"Yep. She spent it all running her family's voice-acting agency, so..."
Inoue Hikoo gave a weathered smile. "If this anime fails, we won't have money for food."
Inoue Shuya: "..."
What a way to screw over your kid, you two irresponsible spendthrifts.
Good thing he was used to it. Otherwise, he'd have been furious.
Inoue Shuya could only sigh. "I understand. I'll help you out. And... let's talk about that box of lollipops you promised me yesterday some other time."
"Lollipops...?"
Inoue Hikoo looked at him with a stupid expression that said, "What are you talking about?"
"Eh? Even a child prodigy like Shu-chan senpai eats lollipops?"
Shuya looked up. Seeing that a cute voice actress had asked, he decided to answer.
He nodded solemnly. "Yes. As everyone knows, I'm a child prodigy, and my mind is far more developed than other kids my age."
Obviously. Otherwise, why would I have killed myself, crossed into another world, and been reborn?
"But is it really a good thing to be so far ahead? I don't think so. Everyone needs to experience each stage of life to feel whole and have no regrets."
He smiled faintly, his clear eyes framing his handsome features. "Although I don't think like a child, I don't dislike being a child. In fact, I treasure this time, even though it will eventually pass. But my intelligence won't let me act just like other children and throw tantrums, so I found a way to bridge the gap between my age and my nature."
"Yes, that's right—lollipops."
With a solemn air, Shuya declared, "That's right. Whenever I suck on a lollipop, I can feel it—ah, I'm enjoying the precious childhood I'll only have once in my life!"
"When I think about that, I can't help feeling how beautiful life is, and my whole body trembles with emotion!"
The corners of his mouth lifted into a toothy grin, and his whole body seemed to radiate sunshine.
Shuya was showing off the unbeatable smile he'd honed over years of appearing in commercials.
The young actresses gasped. "I don't understand a word, but Shu-chan senpai is so cute!"
"Shu-chan senpai is so cute!"
"Shu-chan senpai is so cute!"
Shuya slowly let his smile fade. Having them repeat themselves like that really wasn't making him happy.
Inoue Hikoo yawned and casually ruffled Shuya's little head, flattering him. "Well said! You're definitely my son!"
"Thanks, but I'd be happier if you covered your mouth when you yawned, Dad," Shuya said politely.
"Hahaha! Don't sweat the small stuff! Come on, let's take a look at the script first!"
Inoue Hikoo laughed heartily and handed the script to Shuya.
Shuya accepted it without hesitation.
Even if his family went bankrupt, he could still live off his good looks, but he couldn't just ignore his parents.
He was very close to his family. Aside from constantly getting him into trouble, his spendthrift parents were always good to him, giving him whatever he wanted as far as they were able.
He really liked them.
Getting to meet such goofy, open-minded parents twice in one lifetime was a blessing and a stroke of good fortune. It was a lot of fun.
Besides.
Shuya was grateful that even in another world, he'd ended up with parents just like the ones he'd had before. He poured all his guilt over his previous life's parents into the ones he had now.
So he indulged these two spendthrifts.
They could spend all his commercial earnings if they wanted. Money wasn't important. The most important thing in life was being happy.
Besides, he was so famous. He could shoot a few more commercials and be back on his feet... well, back to being a good kid.
Damn, that saying sounded weird!
Shuya patted Inoue Hikoo's thigh and sighed. "You're my real dad, after all. Who else am I supposed to look out for?"
Inoue Hikoo: "..."
Huh? What's with that line?
Why do I feel like you're my dad?
But after thinking for a second, Inoue Hikoo burst out laughing.
"...Forget it, it's nothing! Come on, Shuya, let me tell you about the script... Oh, you guys can keep recording. Shuya can record later."
"Got it, Director."
"Understood, boss."
The staff replied one after another.
The voice actresses headed back to the recording room, too.
Then Inoue Hikoo 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 weren't any difficult words.
Ever since he'd been reborn, his brain had improved a lot. He could almost claim to have a photographic memory, and his body was in great shape, too.
After five years, his Japanese was already as good as an ordinary adult's.
"Just what I'd expect from my son!"
Inoue Hikoo praised him.
"This script... Hmm, Alien Baby Hikari-chan (working title)?"
That name was riding the trend a bit.
Last year, a movie called E.T. had come out in the American Administrative District. It had sparked a UFO and alien craze across the Earth Federation, with all kinds of alien-themed stories appearing. The public couldn't get enough.
"Let me see..."
Shuya skimmed the synopsis and outline, quickly finishing them.
"This script's got something."
Shuya glanced at his father in admiration. "You know, if you try, you can do a good job."
"Ehehe."
The twenty-three-year-old Inoue Hikoo gave a coy smile.
"Ugh."
Shuya couldn't help making an expression completely at odds with his adorable little-kid image.
Shuya had always known his dad was talented.
He just had one flaw.
He was a real risk-taker.
Whenever he had money, he wanted to stir up trouble. As he put it, he was pursuing his dreams and making the stories he loved.
Whenever there was no pressure, Inoue Hikoo would happily make some weird anime, and naturally, it would flop spectacularly.
But the strange thing was, whenever he was on the brink of bankruptcy after a string of flops, Inoue Hikoo would always come up with something good enough to save the day.
This script was one of those.
The story was riding a trend, but Shuya had to admit the plot was excellent.
How exactly was it so good? Find out next time.
Because this had gone over two thousand words.
Section 3: The Voice Cast
The script Inoue Hikoo had put together was tentatively titled Alien Baby Hikari-chan. It hadn't been finalized yet.
Before you continue