I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Although he was on the verge of bankruptcy, Inoue Hikoo was still willing to spend money where it counted, and the animation quality was absolutely top-tier in the industry.

A gentle background track began to play as a group of young girls chatted and joked in the art classroom.

On screen, a beautiful girl with long, straight black hair responded absentmindedly, her gaze frequently drifting toward the door.

This was the heroine, Yuzuki Sasaki.

It hadn't been very apparent in the storyboards, but Yuzuki Sasaki possessed goddess-level beauty that instantly captured the hearts of otaku, who excitedly decided she would be their "waifu" for the season.

After a brief moment of noise, it was time for class.

A man slid the door open.

Uesugi Yuichi, a handsome middle-aged man with a decadent air, had melancholic eyes, and his magnetic voice drifted out: "Good morning..."

He let out a yawn, as if he hadn't slept enough.

The Quintuplets, who had been talking, suddenly went quiet, involuntarily drawn to him.

The exquisite character design made this older hunk, Uesugi Yuichi, the "husband" of the season.

Many housewives and young girls froze at their dinner tables.

Sensitive women, upon seeing Uesugi Yuichi and the delicate, melancholic look in his eyes, immediately sensed the hidden sorrow and faint sadness within him.

They were very curious about this man's story.

And this feeling was the precursor to falling for him.

The animation continued to play.

Uesugi Yuichi taught with focus, exuding the charm of an artistic man, and Yuzuki Sasaki's flustered little gestures brought a knowing smile to the viewers, making them nostalgic for their own green student days.

Section 28: This is in the bag!

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

From Yuzuki Sasaki's secret crush to Uesugi Yuichi's storied past, and finally the appearance of Alien Baby Hikari-chan, the entire episode was engaging and flowed seamlessly.

To be honest, the first episode couldn't cover much, but it had succeeded by generating anticipation.

The animation Alien Baby Hikari-chan had sparked many discussions thanks to its outstanding character designs and plot. Many women who had tuned in for the sake of Shuya found themselves curious about the story behind Uesugi Yuichi, developing a desire to keep watching.

The final appearance of Hikari-chan was also drawn very cutely, though the plot hadn't unfolded yet, so the buzz wasn't too high just yet.

For now, the start was good; women were attracted to Uesugi Yuichi, and men were very fond of Yuzuki Sasaki.

The trope of the girl chasing the guy always felt satisfying.

The opening and ending themes were also sufficiently brilliant, and the talent of Ayako Ishikawa lived up to her reputation.

It seemed Alien Baby Hikari-chan was a sure bet.

Inoue Hikoo had given his all to this animation, polishing every aspect to perfection.

As for the most highly-rated scene in the first episode, it had to be the moment Uesugi Yuichi fell and locked eyes with Hikari-chan in the rain.

The housewives all expressed that this scene was heart-melting, turning casual viewers into fans.

With conscientious production and a solid script, Alien Baby Hikari-chan showed signs of becoming the dominant hit of the season.

We shall see how it develops.

Shuya didn't have the ability to worry about what everyone thought; in this day and age, people didn't like posting comments online, and things like Twitter or Facebook didn't even exist yet.

However, there were still plenty of ACG magazines in the Japan Administrative District.

After the first episode of Alien Baby Hikari-chan aired, Inoue Hikoo received many interview requests from magazines.

Among them were the famous Newtype, Animage, and Animedia.

Inoue Hikoo had sought them out for advertising during the promotion phase and had even brought Hanazawa Sakura and Shuya in to take promotional photos.

Hanazawa Sakura's photo was even made into a poster to be sold as a bonus item.

It had to be said that in the voice acting industry, a beauty like Hanazawa Sakura, who possessed both talent and looks, was highly sought after, and her popularity in the industry was much higher than Shuya's.

Even though the voice acting industry had begun to see a trend of idolization, with newcomers becoming increasingly attractive, Hanazawa Sakura's beauty remained top-tier.

Others in the industry felt it was a pity, believing that if Hanazawa Sakura hadn't married so early, her popularity would be even higher than it was now.

But then, thinking of her son's popularity, which was enough to make up for any lost ground, they couldn't really say anything.

Shuya accompanied the Quintuplets as they watched the animation, and seeing them sit quietly and focus on the show, he knew the first episode was a success.

After the animation finished, Shuya started to get up to pour a glass of water, but an advertisement on the TV caught his eye.

The commercial he had filmed with Mai-chan was playing right as the animation ended.

"Oh? It's Shu-chan!"

"Shu-chan is on TV again!"

Ichika and Yotsuba kicked their little legs and shouted.

On the screen, Shuya appeared first, wearing a small suit; he reached out his hand to the side, and Mai-chan, dressed in a gorgeous evening gown, reached out to take his hand, the two of them smiling at each other.

If one were to describe it in the Great Hua Language, they were truly a perfect pair of golden boy and jade girl.

Nino widened her eyes: "Shu-chan, who is she?!"

Itsuki also wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, she decided to sneak a few more bites of snacks while her sisters weren't paying attention.

Miku stared at the television and said unhappily: "Shu-chan, an affair?"

Where did you learn that phrase, Miku-chan?

Shuya coughed.

"An affair... we aren't even dating, are we?"

Shuya retorted helplessly.

"W-what? You heartless jerk, Shu-chan!"

Nino scolded him, fuming.

"Exactly, exactly. Isn't having me enough for you, Shu-chan?"

Ichika nodded and said.

Nino retorted: "Shu-chan doesn't want you, he's mine!"

"He's mine, actually!"

"No, he's mine!"

"Mmph mmph mmph!"

Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki spoke up one after another.

The Quintuplets argued for a while, but when they realized Shuya hadn't said anything for a long time, they turned around and realized he had already slipped away.

No kidding! Why would I stay and wait to be "quintupled" at a time like this?

Shuya scrambled all the way home, his heart finally settling down. Hanazawa Sakura looked at him in confusion: "Son, back so early today?"

"Yeah, if I didn't come back, things would've gotten serious." Shuya shivered: "Tell me, why do these young girls love to overthink things so much?"

"Oh, I was wondering what all that noise next door was about. So it was a Asura Field."

Hanazawa Sakura realized with a start.

Inoue Hikoo glanced at Shuya and advised: "Son, you'd better take it easy. Don't play with fire."

"Play with what fire? I look at them like my own daughters."

Shuya said irritably.

He didn't want to continue the topic, so he asked: "Don't just talk about me. How is the animation going?"

"The situation is looking great... well, that's only natural given my abilities."

Inoue Hikoo boasted shamelessly: "A lot of magazines have contacted us just now. This is going to be a hit for sure, it's in the bag!"

"That's good."

Shuya nodded, thinking to himself that if things kept going like this, bankruptcy should be avoidable, right?

After chatting with his parents for a while, his phone suddenly rang.

Shuya checked it and saw it was Mai-chan calling. He told his parents that Mai-chan was looking for him and went into his room to answer the call.

As Inoue Hikoo and Hanazawa Sakura watched Shuya enter his room, Inoue Hikoo stroked his chin and said: "Sakura-chan, I'm thinking, should we buy Shu-chan some insurance, just in case he needs money to save his life when he gets slashed?"

Hanazawa Sakura nodded silently: "It's a must. I have a feeling Shu-chan is going to be in a lot of trouble in the future."

Inoue Hikoo blurted out honestly: "Yeah, it's honestly so enviable!"

"...Hmm?"

Hanazawa Sakura's gaze turned sharp.

Shuya returned to his room and seemed to hear a heavy thud coming from the living room.

"?"

He glanced at the door in confusion before answering the phone.

"Hello? Mai-chan?"

"Yeah, it's me. Are you free right now?"

At this moment, just like Shuya, Mai-chan was in her own room talking to him on the phone.

"I'm free. What's up? Is something wrong?"

Shuya lay down on his bed, talking to Mai-chan comfortably.

Coincidentally, Mai was also lying on her bed in the exact same position as him.

"Hmph, can't I call you if there's nothing wrong?"

Mai pretended to be dissatisfied.

"Oh, that's not what I meant."

"Just kidding. Anyway, I just watched the animation your father made."

"Alien Baby Hikari-chan? You watch anime too?"

Shuya was a little surprised; he had assumed Mai was the type of popular girl who wouldn't touch anime or games.

Mai laughed, "What are you thinking? I'm only six years old, it's perfectly normal to watch some anime. Though, the only reason I watched it just now was simply because you were in it, Shuya."

"Well, thanks for that. So, what did you think?"

Shuya smiled slightly and began to probe.

This kind of conversation between friends was a first for Shuya since his rebirth.

Mai was also in high spirits, "It was great! The art was beautiful, and the protagonist was very charming. I noticed that even my mom was watching it intently."

"That really makes me happy."

"Of course it does. This is my mom we're talking about; I can't believe she actually finished watching an entire episode of anime..."

The two chatted about the anime for a while, and the topic gradually drifted.

"By the way, your recent acting lessons..."

"Hahaha, that was really interesting..."

The night grew deeper.

Shuya and Mai talked about everything under the sun, their topics seemingly endless.

To Shuya, Mai was a rare friend with whom he could speak his mind freely, and Mai felt the same way.

As they talked, their eyelids couldn't help but droop, and they became so sleepy they didn't even know what they were saying.

They could only make vague, muddled sounds.

zzzzzzzz...