I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

"Alright, actually, I don't know who your teacher is either."

Shuya and Mai shared an awkward laugh.

This little interlude didn't dampen their spirits in the slightest.

The two exchanged notes on their acting class before drifting into aimless, lighthearted chatter.

Shuya didn't notice, but Mai's affection for him was growing with each passing day.

He treated the girl with complete normalcy, pouring all his extra energy into planning how to win over Rena.

After his workout, Hanazawa Sakura came to pick him up personally to take him to his music lesson.

Before long, they arrived at the home of Ayako Ishikawa.

Hanazawa Sakura was noticeably less nervous facing Ayako Ishikawa than she had been that morning.

Ayako Ishikawa was nearing fifty, but she was well-preserved and didn't look her age.

Her temperament was gentle and graceful.

The only problem was... she was far too busy.

She exchanged a few pleasantries with Hanazawa Sakura before telling her she could head back.

Then, after chatting with Shuya for about ten minutes, Ayako Ishikawa hurried off to teach her university classes.

However, Shuya didn't see an issue with this, as the teacher had assigned a student to guide him.

A youthful, beautiful, and captivating twelve-year-old loli senior.

Her name was Sakai Seisen.

Even Shuya, who was accustomed to seeing beauties, couldn't help but be stunned when he first saw her.

She was a quintessential, traditional Japanese beauty; her ink-black hair swayed in the breeze, her features were exquisite, her skin was fair and delicate, and her temperament was gentle and elegant.

Shuya felt that Seisen was even two parts more beautiful than Mai, though that might change once Mai grew up a bit more.

"Senior Seisen, you are so beautiful."

Shuya began to showcase the results of his training from that morning, his smile appearing even more innocent and adorable.

"Th-thank you."

Seisen seemed to be the shy type, and she did her best to avoid meeting Shuya's eyes.

She tilted her head, but immediately realizing that was impolite, she forced herself to face him, though her gaze darted around nervously.

Seisen spoke up: "Inoue-kun, um..."

Her voice was just like her name, as pleasant as a clear, flowing stream, and it felt like taking a sip of sweet, cold spring water in the middle of summer, leaving Shuya feeling refreshed all over.

Shuya smiled and said, "Senior Seisen, just call me by my name."

Seisen was silent for a moment, then nodded and said gently, "Mm... okay. Then, is it alright if I call you Shuya-kun?"

"That's fine, Senior Seisen."

Shuya smiled.

Seisen seemed quite happy to be addressed as a senior: "Then... Shuya-kun. Shall we begin the lesson?"

"Sure."

Having a beautiful senior tutor him, Shuya was practically in heaven.

This little senior was no simple girl; even a big shot like teacher Ayako Ishikawa had called her a musical genius.

Having a talented, beautiful senior provide one-on-one instruction was double the joy.

Come to think of it, Senior Seisen's appearance looked a bit familiar—could she be an anime character too?

And... why do I keep wanting to call her 'big sister'?

Shuya felt a flicker of doubt, but he didn't pay it much mind.

He began his first lesson with his little senior...

The days that followed were very fulfilling for Shuya.

In terms of scheduling, acting class wasn't a daily occurrence; Kato Nobunaga was a very busy man and could only guarantee two days a week for Shuya, with adjustments made if he had free time.

Ayako Ishikawa guaranteed one day a week to teach Shuya, and with her prize pupil Seisen there, teaching Shuya the basics was effortless.

With his little senior's guidance, Shuya had music lessons every afternoon from Monday to Friday, with Friday being the time for Ayako Ishikawa's instruction.

Aside from acting and music classes, Shuya continued his fitness training, and with the adorable Mai by his side, working out was far from dull.

As for the free mornings without acting class, Hanazawa Sakura would provide Shuya with voice acting training and occasionally take him to play bit parts to gain experience.

Given his current schedule, it was impossible for Shuya to take on a lead role, so he could only settle for supporting roles—the kind where you say a few lines and then vanish.

Hikari-chan in Alien Baby Hikari-chan was Shuya's only lead role.

Section 27: The Anime Begins

Shuya's daily life continued on, calm and undisturbed.

After burying himself in his studies for several days, Inoue Hikoo finally finished the storyboards for the sixth episode of Alien Baby Hikari-chan on Monday, and Shuya went to the company to record his lines.

This episode served as a major turning point in the plot of Alien Baby Hikari-chan.

Yuzuki Sasaki finally discovers the extraordinary abilities of Hikari-chan, forcing Uesugi Yuichi to come clean.

In the first part of episode six, Yuzuki Sasaki grows increasingly suspicious of Hikari-chan's nature; she has witnessed inexplicable phenomena caused by the baby multiple times, only to be brushed off by Uesugi Yuichi's forced excuses.

However, Yuzuki Sasaki can no longer hold back, and she decides to uncover the truth.

On Sunday, she finds out Uesugi Yuichi's schedule and dons a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. Despite the sweltering heat, she wears a high-collared trench coat, looking every bit like a suspicious stalker as she follows Uesugi Yuichi and Hikari-chan.

She is, of course, discovered immediately.

Yuzuki has no choice but to change her strategy, turning her tailing into an overt pursuit.

Her heart is filled with the delusion that she is on a date with Uesugi Yuichi, and she forgets the original purpose of her mission entirely, only caring about stealing glances at his profile and giggling, her heart racing whenever their hands accidentally brush.

A girl in love has completely lost her wits.

But then, a sudden crisis erupts.

Uesugi Yuichi is so preoccupied with guarding against Yuzuki Sasaki (who, in truth, has completely forgotten her objective) that he fails to notice Hikari-chan crawling out onto the road.

Coincidentally, a truck comes barreling down the street, the driver completely unable to see the tiny baby on the ground.

Hanazawa Sakura lets out a piercing scream: "Ah!"

Yuzuki Sasaki witnesses a scene that freezes her soul.

"What?... Watch out!"

Uesugi Yuichi looks over and immediately shouts at the top of his lungs.

Yuzuki Sasaki does not realize that the warning was directed at the driver.

He knows how powerful Hikari-chan's psychic abilities are, but Yuzuki Sasaki does not.

Driven by a kind instinct, she rushes into the road, clutching Hikari-chan tightly to her chest and trembling with her back turned toward the truck.

"Sasaki!"

Inoue Hikoo lets out an incredulous cry as he watches the monitor, instinctively lunging forward.

The driver, seeing someone suddenly dash out, slams on the brakes in a panic, but at this distance, there is no way to stop in time.

Amidst the screeching of tires, a burst of light erupts from the Hikari-chan in Yuzuki Sasaki's arms.

"Da!"

A miracle occurs.

The truck is blocked by the light.

"...Eh?"

Yuzuki Sasaki, waiting for an impact that never comes, carefully opens her eyes and stares blankly at the truck held back by the light.

"Ex-excuse me!"

Uesugi Yuichi, well-trained by his experiences with Hikari-chan, snaps back to reality, rushes over to scoop up Hikari-chan with one arm, and grabs Yuzuki Sasaki's hand with the other, fleeing the scene and leaving the truck driver and a few pedestrians in a state of utter confusion.

Yuzuki Sasaki's mind goes blank.

Not because she is terrified.

But because she feels shy and happy about having her hand held.

What a troublesome romantic brain she has.

But it must be said, this version of Yuzuki Sasaki is full of charm.

Episode six ends.

Shuya checks the time; it is two in the afternoon, which counts as finishing relatively early.

Because of the recording session today, he doesn't need to attend his afternoon classes or go to the gym.

With rare free time, he wants to go back and build up his favorability with the Quintuplets, but he is snatched away by Hanazawa Sakura to play an extra on another set. As a result, he doesn't return home until night, only having enough time to chat with his neighbors for a few minutes before heading to bed.

Shuya feels he is bearing burdens that no five-year-old should have to carry.

Life has finally laid its hands on this little boy.

...This is, of course, a joke; Shuya isn't that fragile.

With the recording of the sixth episode finished, it is almost April.

The first three episodes of Alien Baby Hikari-chan have been completed, and Inoue Hikoo has finalized broadcasting arrangements with several television stations.

In particular, the famous BTS TV Station has agreed to air Alien Baby Hikari-chan during prime time, thanks to some unknown shady dealings by Inoue Hikoo.

The promotional PV is already airing on television.

Top-tier production quality paired with the trending topic of an alien baby, along with Inoue Hikoo's own voice acting and the family collaboration involving Shuya, has sparked quite a bit of discussion in the outside world.

The line "Maidanshi koise yo otome" that Shuya recalled earlier was also inserted into the PV by Inoue Hikoo. This lyric from the Taisho era has become a hit, and with it, Alien Baby Hikari-chan has been etched into people's memories.

Inoue Hikoo is truly a genius of promotion; he is shameless enough.

The only problem was that Inoue Hikoo could pull his hair out and still not come up with a better name than Alien Baby Hikari-chan, so he had no choice but to go with it.

Shuya's various "mom," "older sister," "aunt," and "grandma" fans had already secured control of their televisions for the day, bringing in a massive influx of viewers out of thin air.

In the blink of an eye, the first Monday of April arrived.

At seven in the evening, Shuya arrived at the home of the Quintuplets with snacks to watch the premiere.

Shuya and the Quintuplets sat in a row facing the television; he had already seen the finished product a few times, so watching the premiere was more of a ritual than anything he particularly cared about.

What Shuya cared about more was the reaction of the Quintuplets.

Inoue Hikoo had positioned Alien Baby Hikari-chan as a heartwarming work aimed at families, specifically targeting women.

The delicate, character-driven drama should be right up their alley.

There was another selling point to the character design of Uesugi Yuichi that Shuya had only figured out later.

He was devoted.

This was a quality many men in the Earth Federation lacked; due to the prevalence of polygamy, men's hearts tended to wander, even if most of them didn't have the capital to actually take a second wife.

But that didn't stop them from talking big.

The setup of Uesugi Yuichi being unable to forget his late wife really stood out.

Once Shuya realized this, he understood just how much Inoue Hikoo was pandering to the audience to ensure the anime's success.

Times were changing, and with many women entering the workforce recently, their economic power was growing; Inoue Hikoo had spotted this and was eyeing the money in their pockets like a tiger.

The upbeat opening theme for Alien Baby Hikari-chan began to play; to save money, Inoue Hikoo had Hanazawa Sakura sing both the opening and ending themes, and he'd asked Ayako Ishikawa to handle the composition and lyrics, effectively getting a half-price deal.

Following the opening, the exquisite visuals began to unfold.