"Shut up! Don't call me Dad!"
Yuzuki's father's face darkened.
"Oh, um..."
This wasn't right. Why was he so fierce?
Uesugi Yuichi shrank back.
"Come on, Mr. Uesugi! You can do it!"
In stark contrast, Yuzuki Sasaki's lips were curling upward like crazy. Only heaven knew how happy she'd been when she heard what Uesugi Yuichi said.
Her heart raced, and she almost couldn't stop herself from laughing out loud.
Hearing his daughter say that, Yuzuki's father stomped his feet in anger. "Yuzuki! You really..."
"Um, Yuzuki's dad! Actually, I... Huh?"
Just as Uesugi Yuichi was about to speak, someone suddenly draped an arm over his shoulder.
A familiar voice came from behind him. "Good evening, Mr. Uesugi."
Uesugi Yuichi stiffly turned around and saw the patrol officer with the very white teeth again.
"I didn't do anything!"
He cried out, and Yuzuki's family fell silent too, looking over at the two of them.
"Okay, okay. We can talk about it at the station."
"No, I'm not going!"
Uesugi Yuichi stubbornly flopped onto the ground.
The patrol officer simply grabbed Uesugi Yuichi by the back of his collar and dragged him away.
Uesugi Yuichi's face was ashen. He could only accept his fate.
He shouted, "Sasaki! I'll be right back. Keep an eye on Hikari-chan for me!"
"Okay! Take care, Mr. Uesugi!"
Yuzuki happily picked up Hikari-chan, who had been sitting obediently.
Yuzuki's parents stared at Hikari-chan. "???"
They wore blank, confused expressions.
What was up with this kid?!
Yuzuki's family stood at the door, faintly hearing Uesugi Yuichi and the patrol officer chatting.
"Mr. Uesugi, would you like a different sauce with your pork cutlet rice later?"
"Huh? Oh, sure. Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble. By the way, I just bought some fried chicken. I'll share a piece with you later."
"Thanks. Now that you mention it, I'm kind of craving some..."
Yuzuki's parents looked at each other.
ED inserted.
End of Alien Baby Hikari-chan, Episode 11.
When Inoue Hikoo wrote the script, he didn't make it a tearjerker all the way through. Instead, he ended the episode with a lighthearted, goofy scene.
After all, it was meant for prime time, so they couldn't make it too heavy.
This was just right.
The people who had been moved by the episode were all amused.
Some started laughing while they were still crying, and the scene quickly became hard to manage.
By the time everyone had calmed down and continued eating, the atmosphere at home had softened considerably.
The rebellious young people had been touched, and they were a little nicer when talking to their parents.
A truly good anime should have something to say.
At that moment, Alien Baby Hikari-chan, an anime with a rather unimpressive name, had risen to a new level.
It prompted many people to reflect.
Even if those reflections would eventually fade with time,
surely—
surely something would remain in their hearts.
That day, many families on the verge of falling apart got a chance to start over.
Alien Baby Hikari-chan had merely planted a seed in people's hearts. For it to take root and grow, in the end, would depend on humanity itself.
But at least—
it had given them hope.
That was the power of artistic works.
The power to move people.
As soon as Alien Baby Hikari-chan, Episode 11 aired, the Japan Administrative District was in an uproar.
And at the same time, an event took place in the neighboring Great Hua Administrative District—one that would soon make Alien Baby Hikari-chan a huge hit across Great Hua.
It all began in Tianjing City, the capital of the Great Hua Administrative District.
Wu Ping worked as an editor at a well-known newspaper.
The Global Daily.
That was the name of the newspaper he worked for.
That day, Wu Ping was still working overtime at the newspaper office, checking the articles his staff had submitted.
"sigh..."
He let out a sigh.
"None of these will do."
Wu Ping spent a long time revising the manuscripts with his pen before finally finishing the work in front of him.
When he checked the time, it was already ten at night.
"...Heh."
There he went, forgetting to go home again.
Wu Ping was thirty-six this year. His health had started to decline, and after writing article after article for so long, he looked haggard, with an almost ethereal air about him.
But no matter what, his complexion was far too poor.
That was because he was not only busy at work—his family life was troubled too.
Wu Ping's wife had died young, leaving him to raise his daughter, Wu Xiaoyu, alone.
In other words, he was a single parent.
He worked hard to support the family, but the price was spending less time with his daughter.
Gradually, the close relationship they'd once shared faded. Now, whenever they saw each other, she either ignored him or they argued.
The only time they spoke was when she wanted money.
He didn't scold his daughter, because he felt it was his own fault.
He had promised countless times to spend time with her, but never followed through. It was only natural she treated him this way.
To forget his troubles, this middle-aged man threw himself even harder into work. As a result, he spent even less time with his daughter, creating a vicious cycle.
Recently, he'd even forgotten his daughter's birthday, and they'd had another huge argument.
Today, Wu Ping was still living the same routine. Work, overtime, then home—those were always the main events of his day.
Honestly, he'd long since felt helpless about his daughter. He had no idea how to handle their relationship.
All he knew was how to give her money.
Whatever she wanted, he bought for her.
Sometimes he wondered if he was trying to buy her affection.
But... what else could he do?
In his heart, money had become the only connection between father and daughter.
Even though he knew money couldn't solve everything.
Wu Ping took a sip of his coffee, which had long since gone cold. Satisfied that he'd finished his work, he leaned back in his chair and let his mind go blank.
Only at times like this could he forget all his worries and briefly retreat into his own world.
He didn't want to go home too early. He was afraid his daughter might still be awake, and they'd end up arguing again if they saw each other.
I'll give her a little more pocket money tomorrow...
After all, this was the only thing he knew how to do.
And the only thing he dared to do.
Suggesting they go out together, or go out to eat—
he no longer dared to bring it up.
Part of it was pride, and part of it was fear of being rejected.
Wu Ping's parents had died young, and he didn't have many relatives. His daughter was the only family he had left.
As long as she didn't reject him to his face, he could keep pretending that everything was fine.
Wu Ping was known for his hard-nosed manner at the newspaper and throughout the industry, but who knew how badly he'd failed as a father?
Still, this was probably a common problem.
Wu Ping knew that many families had worries like his.
...Thinking of it that way made him feel a little better.
"Heh, making excuses again."
Wu Ping knew it was only an excuse.
It was only in this empty office that he could show his vulnerable side.
In traditional Great Hua culture, men were never allowed to be weak.
He had inherited that tradition completely.
He always acted strict in front of his daughter, when the truth was that he simply didn't know how to communicate with her.
In the silence, all kinds of thoughts came biting at him like venomous snakes.
Suddenly, a ringtone rang out.
His phone was ringing.
Wu Ping figured it was probably work again.
He lazily picked up his phone and glanced at the name on the screen.
Xiao Yu.