I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

Shuya and Mai drifted off into dreamland together.

Outside the window, the night was dim, and the evening breeze stirred the curtains, bringing with it a touch of chill.

Hanazawa Sakura quietly opened the door and, seeing the sleeping Shuya, a look of tender affection appeared on her face.

She carefully tucked the blanket around Shuya and then quietly turned off the lights.

"Good night."

The night passed without incident.

Section 29: Fragrant Sleeves and Added Incense

In the blink of an eye, April had already passed.

Alien Baby Hikari-chan had aired four episodes, and its popularity continued to rise.

With its high-quality production and prime-time slot, this romantic comedy-leaning anime had, without anyone noticing, become a must-watch television program during dinner.

As the anime became a massive hit, its merchandise naturally sold out.

The fervor with which women of all ages were obsessed with Uesugi Yuichi was truly difficult for Shuya to comprehend; the merchandise released by the company was bought up instantly, and the Uesugi Yuichi body pillows were snapped up the moment they hit the shelves.

It scared Shuya so much that he hugged his own Yuzuki Sasaki body pillow—which was also sold out—tightly to sleep that night.

The merchandise for Alien Baby Hikari-chan was selling like crazy, with the male lead's items selling even better than the female lead's.

The industry began to re-evaluate the purchasing power of women.

The merchandise for Hikari-chan wasn't selling poorly, either.

Perhaps due to the buff provided by Shuya, the character image of Hikari-chan even reached a collaboration with a real-world company, and many baby product companies that had previously sought Shuya for endorsements came back to seek cooperation.

Shuya could only exclaim that he was blooming on both fronts.

The entertainment industry was also stunned, exclaiming that the Great Demon King was indeed the Great Demon King; to be able to land baby advertisements when he was almost six years old, this move was just too slick.

One had to admire it.

Alien Baby Hikari-chan had only been airing for a month, yet it had already raked in a lot of money.

Even the introduction to the Great Hua Administrative District had been negotiated, with the full series set to air in May, starting with a marathon broadcast for the first week, followed by a simultaneous release.

Shuya had studied why Alien Baby Hikari-chan was so popular among women, and he felt the reason was that the anime possessed the temperament of an idol drama, and the character design of Uesugi Yuichi was too pleasing to women.

Through various hints in the first four episodes, the audience already knew that Uesugi Yuichi remained deeply attached to his late wife, showing extreme loyalty.

Moreover, he was handsome, had an air of refinement, and possessed artistic talent, so it was no surprise that he garnered great popularity among women.

The first Monday of May.

Shuya and Mai-chan finished their workout at the gym and entered their rest period.

Mai, having just showered, lay on a chair with her head resting on Shuya's lap.

Although her hair was dry, it carried the scent of shampoo, which smelled wonderful.

Her left hand rested on her waist, her right hand hung off the edge of the chair, and she was in a state of perfect relaxation.

Shuya was speechless: "Mai-chan? Aren't you being a bit too free in front of me lately?"

Mai-chan hummed: "It's not like you'll lose anything by letting me lie here, or are you saying... you're shy?"

"Not at all."

Shuya answered immediately; in fact, he felt absolutely no ripples in his heart.

After a month of spending time together and frequently talking on the phone at night, the relationship between Shuya and Mai-chan had risen rapidly, and they had recently become true best friends.

Mai presented a very mature front to the outside world, but that was merely a mask created for her career.

The real her was a much more sensitive and delicate girl.

"Mai-chan, is it really okay for you to hang out with me all day?"

Shuya was mainly referring to Mai's mother; he had noticed that her gaze toward him lately was a bit complicated, showing a mix of wariness and hesitation.

"I can't help it, I don't have any other friends to hang out with, and I can't go to school anyway."

Mai-chan began to complain.

She was already six years old and had started elementary school last month, but Mai's mother believed she was at a critical stage and often made her ask for leave to study acting and attend other training classes.

She wasn't even guaranteed to attend school two days a week, and Mai's mother was even planning to have her take a year off.

Everything was being prepared for next year's Morning Drama.

School could be postponed for a year, but the Morning Drama could only be done next year.

Comparing the two, there was no need to think about which was more important.

Shuya could understand Mai's mother's choice, and he also knew that in the Japan Administrative District, entertainers didn't place too much importance on academic qualifications; there were plenty of stars who had never attended university.

In the schools of the Japan Administrative District, the phenomenon of forming cliques was very serious, and for someone in Mai's situation, she was definitely on the path to being ostracized.

At school, she was nothing more than a transparent person.

Having been baptized by the school environment, Mai grew to like staying with Shuya even more.

Shuya couldn't help but stroke her silky hair.

Mai's face flushed red: "What are you doing... it tickles!"

Shuya tilted his head and smiled: "This is a reward from your senior Shu-chan, you've been working really hard lately."

"Dummy, I don't need that, I'm older than you anyway."

"Mai-chan, in a little while, you'll realize that's nothing to be proud of..."

Age, oh age.

It is a taboo for so many women.

Only children want to grow up quickly.

Shuya, however, wanted to stay in childhood a little longer; being a kid is truly the best.

Shuya idly toyed with Mai-chan's hair and shifted the conversation to another topic: "How have your acting classes been lately, Mai-chan?"

"Not bad, I think I've finally found my rhythm?"

Mai flashed a small, proud smile.

Shuya had always felt that a confident Mai-chan was the most beautiful.

"What about you, Shuya? How is your music study going?"

Mai-chan glanced at Shuya and swatted his hand away from her hair.

"Very smoothly. Even Senior Sister Seisen said I have a high aptitude for it."

Shuya wasn't lying; with his physical coordination and memory, which were superior to those of his peers, he had already mastered the basics of playing the guitar and piano.

Of course, learning and mastering were two different things.

"You're always bringing up Senior Sister Seisen. Is she really that pretty?"

Mai's tone sounded strange. Shuya guessed she might be jealous, but he didn't dare ask, lest he guess wrong and make things awkward.

Shuya answered her question: "Senior Sister Seisen is truly super pretty, and she sings beautifully and is incredibly talented. Even our teacher praises the songs she composes."

After a month of spending time together, Shuya had grown to really like Senior Sister Seisen.

"If you praise her so much, she must be a truly impressive person."

As she said this, Mai moved from Shuya's lap and sat up, saying: "Since you say your studies are going so well... why not show me what you've got? You happen to have your guitar with you."

"Sure."

Shuya wasn't shy. He retrieved the guitar from the storage room and sat down across from her.

Mai rested her elbows on her knees, propping her chin up with her hands, her large, round eyes fixed intently on Shuya.

Shuya tested the strings and then began to play a piece he had learned from Senior Sister Seisen.

It was a very famous guitar piece in this world.

It was impossible for Shuya to compose at his current level, but he could imitate it quite accurately.

A light and lively melody drifted through the lounge. Some people working out at the time couldn't help but pause when they faintly heard the music.

They looked toward the sound and saw a handsome young boy playing the guitar with a gentle smile and deep focus.

Across from him, a cute girl listened attentively. Her long hair swayed, and her little head bobbed along to the beat.

The music was beautiful, but the people were even more so.

As if infected by the atmosphere, their movements became a little lighter.

What a wonderful youth...

Several middle-aged people running on treadmills looked silently at the scenery outside the glass window, as if remembering their own lost youth.

Shuya played a few songs and stopped when he saw that the time was about up.

Mai glanced outside and, sure enough, saw that her mother had arrived.

She stood up with regret, still wanting more, and said: "Shuya, you have to play for me again tomorrow, it's a promise."

She turned and left with a light step.

Shuya: "?"

This... um???

You aren't my girlfriend, so why should I be your free labor?

But after thinking about it, Shuya felt that things weren't easy for Mai either.

Only when she was working out with Shuya could she truly relax a little.

Shuya didn't have the heart to refuse her.

"Forget it, I'll just go along with her wishes."

Shuya shrugged and packed away his guitar.

He also saw that someone had arrived to pick him up.

Afterward, Shuya rode in Saori's car to the home of Ayako Ishikawa.

Pushing the door open and walking into the living room, he saw Senior Sister Seisen holding a guitar and practicing.

"How truly healing~"

Shuya whispered, causing Senior Sister Seisen to stop her movements and look over.

The young senior sister was bathed in warm sunlight, her jewel-like eyes seeming to glow.

She smiled slightly:

"Good afternoon, Shuya-kun."

"Hello, Senior Sister Seisen."

Under the gaze of the young senior sister, which shifted about and resolutely avoided meeting his eyes, Shuya threw himself into his studies.

This simple life was truly as blissful as a deity's.

Section 30: Shuya, Quintuplets, Rena, Bedroom.avi

While Shuya was busy grinding skill proficiency and Rena's favorability, the recording for Alien Baby Hikari-chan was also proceeding steadily.

Inoue Hikoo kept a tight grip on the progress, and there were no dangerous situations where all options were exhausted; the production moved along quite smoothly.

The massive popularity of the anime gave Inoue Hikoo and the people at the company a great deal of motivation.