I Thought This Was a Slice of Life

The script for this season had been written long ago, so there was no need to worry about him getting carried away.

Following the plan step-by-step was enough.

The only thing that didn't go according to schedule was Inoue Hikoo deciding to release the OP and ED early.

Originally, the opening and ending themes for Alien Baby Hikari-chan weren't supposed to hit shelves for another few days, but it was clear that plans couldn't keep up with the rapid changes.

Right now, Alien Baby Hikari-chan was at the peak of its popularity and buzz, so it was the perfect time to go all out.

And so, on the sixth day after the eleventh episode aired (which was a Sunday).

Inoue Hikoo waved his hand, and the OP and ED were released ahead of schedule!

The records had already been prepared; they just needed to be shipped to the stores.

Releasing them in a few days was just to align with the promotional plan, but that plan was no longer necessary.

Inoue Hikoo immediately shipped the records, sending the majority to major stores across the Japan Administrative District, with a few sent to Great Hua as well.

Akihabara, in particular, saw all the major stores fully prepared.

Since both the OP and ED for Alien Baby Hikari-chan were sung by Hanazawa Sakura, they weren't released separately but were combined into a single record.

Because there were only two songs, no new tracks were prepared.

Just these two.

The OP for Alien Baby Hikari-chan was titled "Light of Hope," and the ED was "Walking With You."

Both were composed by industry legend Ayako Ishikawa and sung by the lead actress and famous voice actor Hanazawa Sakura, providing more than enough appeal.

Not to mention that the anime was a massive topic of conversation, having conquered numerous administrative districts across Asia.

High hopes were pinned on this record.

Before it was even released, media outlets were already "poison-milking" it, claiming it had the potential to hit a million copies in sales.

"One million? That sounds more like a setup to tear us down."

Shuya secretly spat in disgust; these media outlets were truly wicked.

They would first set a goal that sounded somewhat hopeful but was actually extremely difficult to reach just to stir up hype, and then, once it failed, they would likely write articles about how "xxx has fallen from grace" to milk even more traffic!

They had an answer for everything.

Either way, they never lost!

What was the concept of an ACG record selling a million copies?

Shuya remembered looking at the ACG song sales charts from the 90s in his past life; selling over one hundred thousand copies was enough to break into the top 110.

It seemed only eleven records had ever sold over a million copies, and only one had surpassed two million.

So, these bragging media outlets were definitely up to no good.

They were probably just waiting to watch the show.

But in response, Inoue Hikoo just waved his hand dismissively: "It's fine! Let them talk. Someone is helping us promote for free, which is a good thing! Whether it succeeds or not doesn't matter; we'll just strive for it with the momentum of hitting a million sales!"

"Besides... it's not like I don't have a countermeasure..."

Shuya had to admit, Inoue Hikoo's smile at that moment was incredibly devious.

Inoue Hikoo whispered his secret plan to Shuya: he had leaked fake news through his journalist contacts, telling the public that if the record didn't sell well, the company might go bankrupt and Alien Baby Hikari-chan would be canceled...

A marketing genius!

"Isn't this just lying?"

Shuya shot him a sidelong glance.

Inoue Hikoo opened his eyes wide and said, "How can you slander an innocent person like this..."

His face flushed red, the veins on his forehead bulging as he argued, "How can you call marketing a lie! This is a legitimate strategy!"

Then came a string of incomprehensible words, like "it's just a slight exaggeration" and "it's all the world's fault," which made everyone laugh, filling the company with a cheerful atmosphere.

Section 49 43 If Only They Had Realized

Reality proved that ideals are, after all, just ideals.

The OP and ED for Alien Baby Hikari-chan definitely wouldn't sell a million copies, at least not yet.

Its initial sales were two hundred thousand; even though that was an excellent result, it still fell short of the million-copy milestone the media had hyped up.

But everyone in the company couldn't have been more satisfied.

To be fair, Ayako Ishikawa had only charged a friendly rate for the two songs, Hanazawa Sakura hadn't charged a cent, and even the promotion was handled by organic word-of-mouth; it was essentially a free ride.

As for why Inoue Hikoo and the others knew the record had sold two hundred thousand copies before the charts were even out, it was because that was all they had produced.

Everything was sold out, so they knew the initial sales figures.

Inoue Hikoo had only planned to print one hundred thousand copies initially, which was already quite bold.

It wasn't until the anime exploded in popularity a few days ago that Inoue Hikoo scrambled to find people to help with production, using all his connections to secure another one hundred thousand copies, but those had also sold out in a single day.

Many people were buying more than one copy.

This record release is divided into a standard edition and a limited edition.

The limited edition comes with a mini photo book of Hanazawa Sakura and a short commentary by Ayako Ishikawa.

This is a very common practice, but it is definitely an effective way to stimulate sales.

Furthermore, each store offers exclusive store-specific bonus photos.

Many die-hard fans will buy one copy at each store to collect the full set of photos.

This contributes significantly to the sales figures.

There is one more point that cannot be ignored: quite a few people who didn't know the truth were tricked by Inoue Hikoo, believing that his company's situation was truly dire, and specifically bought a record to show their support.

In just half a day, the stock at all major stores was sold out, and the phones at Inoue Hikoo's company were ringing off the hook again, but this time he really had no choice but to repeatedly urge the production line to speed up.

When they went on sale today, the grand spectacle of the long queues even made it onto television, which in turn led to another wave of clueless trend-chasers wanting to get their hands on a copy to show off.

Even the neighboring Great Hua Administrative District called in, saying that the one thousand or so records allocated to them had already completely sold out.

Inoue Hikoo was truly shocked this time.

The Great Hua Administrative District has always been a death zone for animation; parents there have never liked their children watching anime, let alone buying records.

They don't even bother to buy the animation itself.

Inoue Hikoo had originally thought his income from the Great Hua Administrative District would be limited to the portion from selling the broadcast rights.

It wasn't that he lacked confidence in himself, but the miserable track records of many predecessors had long since made him stop expecting anything.

Inoue Hikoo did not expect that the momentum stirred up by Global Daily would be so fierce.

He had collected a batch of newspapers earlier, but hadn't paid much attention to that side since.

He never imagined that experts in the Great Hua education sector would jump on the bandwagon and farm experience points for Alien Baby Hikari-chan.

The result was that it became a massive hit across all of Great Hua.

The parents there trust these experts.

Quite a few people went to watch Alien Baby Hikari-chan and were moved to tears.

Consequently, even more people started singing its praises.

Inoue Hikoo happened to leak the lie that his company couldn't hold on much longer at just the right time, so many clueless Great Hua citizens spontaneously went to buy a record, and some of the wealthier ones even pre-ordered the DVD to show their support.

The records were wiped out within five minutes of going on sale, and the stores in Great Hua were all suffering from headaches due to insufficient stock, leaving them no choice but to call and urge for more shipments frequently.

Inoue Hikoo was in pain, yet happy.

The pain came from the lack of stock, which meant missing out on a lot of money, while the happiness naturally stemmed from the popularity of Alien Baby Hikari-chan.

While the CDs were selling like hotcakes, time flew by until the following Monday.

Alien Baby Hikari-chan episode twelve aired.

The plot of the twelfth episode lacked the heaviness of the eleventh, with the atmosphere shifting back to being lighthearted and comedic.

In part A, Uesugi Yuichi spends his time stalking Yuzuki's father, pestering him with pleas, and even bringing Hikari-chan along to act cute.

Hikari-chan is now on very good terms with Yuzuki's family.

Ever since the day Uesugi Yuichi was taken away by the young patrol officer to eat pork cutlet bowls, Yuzuki had taken on the responsibility of looking after Hikari-chan.

Yuzuki's parents were captured by Hikari-chan right then and there.

Once Uesugi Yuichi found out, he shamelessly took advantage of this fact.

After enduring all sorts of hardships—stalking, pleading, trying to persuade, being chased away, and being dragged off by the young patrol officer—he finally succeeded.

Yuzuki's father was finally annoyed enough to relent.

He stated that as long as Yuzuki could achieve a top-tier result in the upcoming National High School Painting Competition, he would allow her to continue studying art and support her in embarking on a path as a painter.

Upon hearing this, Yuzuki couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Yuzuki, what... what are you laughing at?"

Yuzuki's father asked, feeling uncomfortable.

Yuzuki smiled and said, "It's nothing, I was just thinking that even a father who has always been indifferent actually knows about such professional competitions?"

Yuzuki's father's face turned beet red: "You... you brat! This is common knowledge, common knowledge!"

"Hehehe."

Yuzuki just teased her father with her gaze.

Yuzuki's father, embarrassed and angry from being watched, snapped: "I don't care about you anymore! Suit yourself!"

"Understood~"

Yuzuki replied in a great mood.

"Hmph!"

Yuzuki's father didn't even look at her or Uesugi Yuichi as he walked back into the house.

Yuzuki's mother shook her head helplessly, bowed to Uesugi Yuichi, and went back inside.

Once she knew that Yuzuki hadn't actually started dating, she no longer had any objections toward him.

Yuzuki's father had set such a requirement because he wanted to take this opportunity to make Yuzuki decide on her future.

She had to choose between pursuing a standard academic path or continuing down the road of painting.

Yuzuki had reached the age where she needed to make a decision.

Uesugi Yuichi also understood this, and in his heart, he approved of the man's approach.

This competition would be a gamble on her future.

However, Uesugi Yuichi had full confidence in Yuzuki.

He encouraged Yuzuki, saying, "Sasaki, do your best! If you have any problems, come find me anytime. Oh, and remember to come to class next time."

"I know."

Yuzuki nodded obediently.

After she finished speaking, she suddenly gave a cute smile.

"By the way, Teacher Uesugi, you aren't lying to me, are you?"

She leaned in toward Uesugi Yuichi, her bright, watery eyes filled with mischief: "About the competition... you said you would help me, right?"

"?"

Uesugi Yuichi was stunned: "Of course."

"Heh heh, is that so, is that so... then, Teacher Uesugi, see you tomorrow!"