The Island and the Fox

Needless to say, Hanazawa Sakura's looks are top-tier in the industry, no less than an idol. Her skills are also very strong, after all, she has been in the industry since childhood and has a wealth of experience.

As for good roles... she's never lacked them. Hanazawa Sakura has played many leading roles, but those were mainly before she turned sixteen.

She went to have a baby a few years ago and also focused on running her company, thus reducing her workload significantly.

Her popularity has been severely depleted by her silence over the past few years.

Otherwise, her achievements would be much greater.

The fact that Hanazawa Sakura has become popular again cannot be attributed to luck. She started working as an extra in the industry when she was five or six years old, under the guidance of her father.

She gradually reached her peak at the age of twelve, then went into a period of silence for a few years after having a baby. It wasn't until Shuya grew up that she started taking on some roles, but her popularity had already declined significantly.

In the first few years after giving birth, she hardly took on any roles.

But her husband, Inoue Hikoo, is, after all, the owner of an animation company. Whether for love or for salary, his female lead in his animations is basically Hanazawa Sakura.

Logically, her popularity should have been able to be maintained... Unfortunately, Inoue Hikoo's animations are truly indescribable.

Hanazawa Sakura's popularity has fluctuated, but she has finally ushered in another glorious moment.

Whether it's Yuzuki Sasaki or now Nakamura Cho, they've become incredibly popular across Asia.

Few people would speak ill of a female voice actress who has experienced ups and downs in the industry.

Even if they were jealous inside, they wouldn't dare to show it outwardly.

However, Hanazawa Sakura's position in the martial arts world is not yet secure.

She was still a little short of her target grade.

Also, the industry is actually waiting for the release of Alien Baby Hikari-chan's new song to see how well it sells.

If it's not good, then of course we shouldn't mention anything else.

If it sells well, then the voice acting industry and even the entire ACG industry structure will benefit.

Many things will change...

P. S. 1: It should be available for purchase this Friday. Whether you're a regular reader or not, remember to subscribe and support it! (I'll repeat this to myself every day before it's available for purchase to reinforce my belief.)

Ps2: Nothing much to say.

Section 94, Chapter 82: The Small Island and the Fox

All the outside noise and disturbances actually have nothing to do with Shuya.

He has done his duty.

What interviews Inoue Hikoo and Hanazawa Sakura do, or what shows they appear on for promotion, is none of his business.

As for the song's immense popularity, Shuya simply invited his Little Senior Sister out to celebrate, and also called Mai- chan over to join in the fun.

Shuya took the opportunity to give them a chance to develop a relationship.

The gathering was a success and ended smoothly; there's nothing particularly noteworthy about it.

We just talked about the Alien Baby Hikari-chan.

Mai- chan also thought it was great and praised the new song highly.

Shuya knows that many people are eagerly awaiting the release of the new song.

However, Inoue Hikoo's plan is to release an album directly after all the songs are released, so fans will have to wait a while longer.

During this time, they could only focus their enthusiasm on discussing the plot.

During their discussions, they would usually hurl a few curses like "That old bastard Inoue is torturing my Yuzuki again," and then exchange a knowing smile.

Their eyes met, and their gazes seemed to say, "Your wife is amazing."

Of all the topics discussed, Nakamura Cho was the one that garnered the most attention.

Since people already knew from the previous plot points that she was dead, there was no factional strife.

There is one point that everyone agrees on.

The next few episodes of Alien Baby Hikari-chan... are likely to be heart-wrenching.

Okay, those are all too far away.

Shuya is now concerned with something else.

Rena and the Quintuplets will go back to their hometown during the Bon Festival.

Rena had previously invited Shuya to go out with her, and he had agreed to go.

Then...

Shuya set off on the Wednesday of the week the anime aired.

"Going back to my hometown!"

"Time to go home!"

"Let's go back!"

The Quintuplets cheered on the train.

Shh, don't disturb others.

Rena is educating her daughters.

Shuya looked around; there weren't many people around.

However, Japan has many rules. If your phone rings while you're on a train, you'll get glares if you make or receive a call. Passengers are also required to silence or turn off their phones on trains.

So even though there weren't many people, Rena still gave the Quintuplets a meal.

The Quintuplets could only look out the window.

Of course, you must take off your shoes before kneeling on the seat.

Shuya wasn't really interested in looking at the scenery, but Ichika and Nino, who had taken the spot next to him, insisted on watching it together, so he could only give them half-hearted replies.

Their hometown hot spring hotel is built on a Small Island.

Shuya bother to find out the Small Island's exact name; he just went with the flow. (Because the original work didn't mention it, the author couldn't do anything about it.)

This island isn't a famous tourist destination, it just seems to have some local popularity.

After a one- or two-hour car ride, followed by a short boat transfer, the group finally arrived at their destination.

"Hmm, the scenery is quite nice."

After disembarking, Shuya looked around and found that the water around the Small Island was very clear and it looked very beautiful.

Shuya looked into the island and discovered that there were still large areas of undeveloped forests.

This Small Island has a wonderful natural feel, and the air is exceptionally fresh.

City dwellers might enjoy vacationing here, but they'd probably get tired of it after a few days, and judging by the looks of it, there aren't many entertainment facilities.

"We've finally arrived..."

"Heh... uh, umm."

The Quintuplets had just woken up and were still wobbling.

"Rena- neechan, which way do we go next?"

Shuya asked, adjusting his luggage as he did so.

He and Rena didn't bring much stuff.

Since we're staying at a hotel, the facilities are sufficient. We can just bring a few changes of clothes. Besides, the hotel rooms definitely provide yukatas (light robes), which we can wear for casual outings.

"Hmm, let me see... There's a bus over there. Take it to the vicinity of the city center, and then it's a short walk from there."

Rena pointed in a certain direction, where there was a lonely bus stop.

The Small Island only has one sightseeing bus route, which runs about every fifteen to twenty minutes, so it's not really that rural.

In some truly rural areas of Japan, trains run only once an hour (or even just a few times a day), stations are often deserted, and bus services are infrequent.

This is acceptable.

Since there are hot spring inns and hotels, it must be quite a prosperous area... right?

Shuya thought to himself.

Rena dragged a small suitcase to the station, Shuya followed her.

Shuya walked casually to the station and put his backpack on a chair.

Just then...

A gust of wind suddenly blew by, seemingly circling around Rena by chance, before dissipating.

He narrowed his eyes and felt a sense of unease.

... that feeling.

Shuya subconsciously dispersed his Power of Will, but didn't sense anything unusual.

However, he seemed to have a vague feeling that there was a special atmosphere on this Small Island.

Moreover, it seems that an aura similar to Rena's permeates the air everywhere.

... Is it because this is Rena's hometown?

This was the first time Shuya had encountered such a situation, and he was completely baffled.

Seeking reassurance, he weighed the knife pouch in his hand to make sure he had his weapons safely with him.

Yes, Shuya brought the First Snow with her on this trip.

This suggestion came from Li Shuhong.

Knowing that Shuya going on a long trip, he told him to take all the weapons and equipment with him.

Li Shuhong said this is a basic quality of a mature martial artist.

Because you never know when an accident might happen.

You should be especially cautious in unfamiliar places.

Otherwise, if something really happens, it would be truly unfair to be killed because you didn't have a weapon at hand.

Shuya naturally listened to his elders.

He recalled the common knowledge that Li Shuhong had explained to him.

These Small Island haven't been developed much, so there's a high chance they've preserved some strange and unusual things.

Ordinary people might not necessarily encounter problems, but people Shuya who have cultivated themselves might attract mysterious things, which is something to be careful about.

Moreover, according to him, Japan is a rather eerie place.

The local traditional religious culture has a saying that there are "Eight Million Gods".

Throughout history, the beliefs in this area have been incredibly diverse, and you never know which corner might give rise to some kind of demon or monster that people worship.

Even a few thousand believers can generate immense power.

Of course, Li Shuhong also comforted Xiu Shuya, saying that modern people don't wholeheartedly believe in gods or ghosts, and it's not some rural area.

He said that a god who has lost faith is nothing but a weakling.

emmmm...

Shuya looked around at the rural area and fell into deep thought.

It seems like people in places like this are quite... superstitious, right?

Rustle...

The bushes behind Shuya suddenly rustled.

"?"

Encountering the enemy?