Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

Page 15

Hearing Duanmu Yizi's almost self-talk, Baili Xiao's eyes showed surprise, and he couldn't help but nod slightly.

As the former said, a novel... can only be truly understood when you read it carefully. Even with illustrations, it's difficult to imagine every scene in your mind. Only after reading it several times, or even a dozen times, can you truly immerse yourself in the story.

Animation is different from movies; it's a revolutionary change!

The heartfelt performances of every voice actor, the beautiful transitions in every scene, and the perfect interpretation of every background music piece—all of these can become tear-jerking climaxes!

This also allows readers (viewers) to more truly feel what [5 Seconds] wants to express...

"So, on a personal level, I'd like to ask you, Mr. Baili, do you... have any ideas about 'taking [5 Centimeters Per Second] a step further'?" Duanmu Yizi took a deep breath and looked at Baili Xiao with some trepidation.

Bai Lixiao first looked at the others, especially lingering on Akane Kousaka's face for a moment—the latter maintained a smile and mouthed "You decide for yourself" at him—then turned to Duanmu Yizi, helplessly pursing her lips and shrugging: "Miss Duanmu, I must say your intuition is very sharp."

"The '5 Centimeters Per Second' light novel is just the first step in introducing it to readers. Once the third volume is officially released, the decision on the animated film will be put on the agenda." Bai Lixiao grinned: "It's not a secret, and there's nothing wrong with reporting it. Consider it giving everyone something to look forward to in advance."

"At that time, Shinazugawa Bunko and the 'rouge-en-rouge' circle will work together to produce the '5 Centimeters Per Second' animated film!"

"Bai! Mr. Baili! Please, please make sure our publishing house gets involved! I'm begging you!"

Chapter 0044 We can't work forever! (First update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)

"Kick!"

With a loud, muffled sound, Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her eyebrows, biting her lip to keep herself from crying out, her hands, which were wrapped around her chest, trembled as she reached out to her right foot.

Upon seeing Duanmu Yizi tightly gripping Baili Xiao's hands, she became so emotional that she misjudged the distance between her toes and the coffee table, and bumped into it squarely...

"Yoko! Yoko! Control yourself!" As Kasumigaoka Utaha's long-time editor, Machida Sonoko naturally understood the feelings the former had for Hyakuri Akira: "Utaha-chan! Don't misunderstand! Please don't misunderstand! Yoko is the kind of person who can't control herself once she encounters something that interests her."

Looking at Duanmu Yizi's flushed cheeks, Kasumigaoka Utaha gasped: "This is no longer just about 'not being able to control oneself,' is it?"

"Ahem, sorry, I got a little too excited." Seemingly realizing that her performance was too alarming, Duanmu Yizi coughed lightly, withdrew her hands, and sat up straight on the sofa again: "Baili-kun, since you have the idea of ​​making '5 Centimeters Per Second' into an animated film, I hope you can consider adding our publishing house as one of the investors to the plan."

"As we all know, the quality of an animated film is directly proportional to the amount of money it has invested. With sufficient funding, the animated film will be more exquisitely produced, while with insufficient funding, it will become what people call a 'bad movie'."

"The Shinazugawa Bunko and Ms. Akasaka's clubs are indeed powerful, but if we only consider available funds, neither of them can afford to allocate enough money for the production of the '5 Centimeters Per Second' animated film."

"And my publishing house, Thousand Islands Publishing House, ranks among the top three in the industry in terms of both scale and reputation, possessing substantial funds to support the production of the animated film '5 Centimeters Per Second'!"

At this point, Duanmu Yizi stood up and walked to a spot a short distance in front of Baili Xiao, bowing deeply to him at a ninety-degree angle: "Baili-kun, I hope you can consider allowing our publishing house to join the production team of [5 Centimeters Per Second] as one of the investors!"

"Don't worry, we'll only provide funding and won't interfere with the production of '5 Centimeters Per Second'! Because I know that only you and the other teachers can bring the most authentic '5 Centimeters Per Second' to the audience!"

As soon as Duanmu Yizi finished speaking, she showed no intention of raising her head, remaining in a bowed position as she awaited Baili Xiao's reply.

All eyes were on Baili Xiao. They knew that only he could make the final decision!

“Yes, funding is indeed a problem.” Baili Xiao stroked his chin and smiled. “Miss Duanmu, I’m very pleased that you sincerely hope that ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’ will be made into a movie.”

"If you can maintain this original aspiration, I would be very happy for you to join us."

Duanmu Yizi's eyes lit up, and she excitedly sat up to look at Baili Xiao: "Does Baili-kun agree to my proposal?"

"You could say you agree, or you could say you disagree," Baili Xiao said, waving a finger in front of Duanmu Yizi, who looked puzzled.

"I agree to Chishima Publishing's involvement. I hope you can collaborate with Ms. Sonoko's Shinazugawa Bunko to further promote and market [5 Centimeters Per Second], so that more people will know about, buy, and read this light novel!"

"As for my disagreement... Miss Duanmu, you seem to be underestimating the influence of '5 Centimeters Per Second'. I'm confident that I can earn enough money for the animated film with just three volumes of light novels! Just wait and see!"

...

After dinner, Kato Megumi was cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen, while Baili Xiao was sitting on the sofa browsing information online.

Half an hour ago, Shinazugawa Bunko, the "rouge-en-rouge" circle, and Chishima Publishing jointly released a message: "The production schedule for the [5 Centimeters Per Second] anime film has been confirmed! It will officially begin after the release of the third volume of the novel! Please look forward to it!"

As soon as the news was released, it was artificially pushed to the top ten of the trending topics. Everyone familiar with the fanfiction field was amazed, saying that "5 Centimeters Per Second" had completely overturned their worldview!

A romance light novel has been granted a film adaptation even before the story is finished... Honestly, this is the only time this has ever happened since the light novel genre was created!

In no time, topics like "Does '5 Centimeters Per Second' deserve a movie adaptation?", "The release of '5 Centimeters Per Second' volume 2 is tomorrow!", and "What are people's opinions on '5 Centimeters Per Second'?" sprang up like mushrooms after rain. Discussion threads about '5 Centimeters Per Second' on Baidu Tieba were piled up with thousands of replies in just half a minute!

Meanwhile, on the official website of Qiandao Publishing House, the slightly modified interview video was uploaded by Duanmu Yizi to the most prominent position on the homepage. Anyone who clicked to watch it, regardless of gender, was deeply attracted by "the temperament of Ms. Xia Shizi, the tsundere of Ms. Kashiwagi Eri, and the cuteness of Ms. Hashima Izumi", gaining countless fans once again!

Seeing that everything in "5 Centimeters Per Second" was developing in a positive direction, Baili Xiao smiled, closed his laptop, and glanced around the living room.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was staring intently at the computer screen, her right leg trembling involuntarily, and her slightly furrowed brows showed that she was racking her brains over the plot.

Eriri's twin tails fell beside the graphics tablet, some of her scattered golden hair even blocking the screen, but she was so focused that she obviously didn't notice, and the pressure-sensitive pen continued to draw a beautiful illustration bit by bit.

Like Eriri, Izumi Hashima was also bending over to draw illustrations, but... although she was only a middle school student, the development of her breasts could make many adults feel inferior. For this reason, she would occasionally get up and rub them to relieve the pressure on her breasts.

A sudden surge of immense satisfaction welled up within Baili Xiao. Only then did he realize that he had been overlooking something.

"Clap clap clap!" The clear sound of clapping interrupted everyone's actions. Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others looked up at Hyakuri Xiao in confusion.

"Tomorrow is the release event for Volume Two. After it's over..." Baili Xiao grinned, "Let's go to the beach to relax! Being constantly working will wear you out!"

At this point, he turned and called out to the kitchen, "Ah Hui! You come along too!"

The sound of dishes being washed in the kitchen stopped abruptly, but soon resumed.

Bai Lixiao's smile widened; he knew that Kato Megumi had agreed.

"Then, let's look forward to our vacation!"

Chapter 0045 Volume 2 Launch Event Begins! (Two chapters, please add to your favorites and give flowers)

The following day, the exhibition hall outside the "5 Centimeters Per Second" Volume 2 launch event was packed with people, a truly spectacular sight as far as the eye could see.

Akane Akasaka walked into the exhibition hall through the staff entrance and greeted Iori Hashima, who was busy directing the setup, asking, "How's the setup going?"

"Everything is ready!" Iori Hashima wiped the sweat from his forehead, listened to the incessant buzzing sound outside, and gave a wry smile: "Today's launch event is almost as big as a summer anime convention, isn't it?"

No wonder Iori Hashima was so surprised. You have to understand that CM Comic Con has developed to this level over many years.

From the release of the first volume to today's second volume, "5 Centimeters Per Second" has only taken about a month to reach a scale approaching that of a comic convention, which would surprise anyone who knew! (This is just a visual effect based on the number of people; it does not actually reach the scale of a summer or winter comic convention.)

"Yeah, this is only the second volume. I can't even imagine what it will be like when the third volume is released, or even when the anime movie is released..." Akane Akasaka sighed, feeling glad she had made that gamble earlier. "Alright, stop slacking off. I think you know how heavy today's task is. Everyone in the club, go and help me!"

"The release of Volume 2 is sure to be a huge success. Those of you in charge of transporting and distributing the light novels must not make any mistakes! The rest of you, go and maintain order at the scene! If we don't have enough manpower... even if we have to force ourselves, we must persevere!" Akane Akasaka burst out with enthusiasm, seemingly finding the feeling she had when she led the circle to fight in the doujinshi world a few years ago, and her smile became even brighter.

"After the launch event, we'll have a celebration party for everyone! Don't let me refuse with excuses like 'I'm too tired'!"

As soon as Akane Akasaka finished speaking, a "wolf howl" echoed from within the "rouge-en-rouge" club.

"Hehe! Don't worry, big sister! How could I possibly miss the victory celebration banquet!"

"Sister Zhu Yin! It's been so long since I've seen you smile like that!"

"I'd never get tired! I'll never get tired in my life! I can't maintain order, so I can only make my presence felt by moving light novels around. Everyone in the club is so talented and speaks so nicely. I love it here!"

The roar of the "rouge-en-rouge" group echoed across half of the exhibition hall, while Machida Sonoko on the other side was clearly not to be outdone, holding a "stick" made of rolled-up A4 paper and constantly cheering on the people sent by Shinazugawa Bunko.

“Our library used to be only mid-tier; even if we wanted to compete with large libraries, we were not competitive at all!”

Machida Sonoko clenched her left hand tightly and waved a white paper stick in her right: "But! Things are different now! [1 Centimeters Per Second] has shown us the possibility of becoming a major paperback, or even the number one paperback!"

"Do you know what it means once our Shinazugawa Bunko becomes a large-scale paperback?"

The employees of Shinazugawa exchanged puzzled glances, and one of them timidly raised his hand: "Fame? Reputation? As soon as they hear that we are employees of Shinazugawa Bunko, they all look at us with envy?"

"...Smack!" Machida Sonoko, unable to bear it any longer, swung a paper stick that flashed past as it struck the person who answered on the head: "Idiot! It's about wages! The paperback is getting stronger, so the wages will naturally be higher! Don't you want a raise? Don't you want a promotion?"

"Yes!" The moment "salary increase" and "promotion" were mentioned, all the employees' eyes turned green.

"Then perform well! Whoever is most active at today's launch event will have a greater chance of promotion in the future! Those who slack off, don't let me see them, or else... Hmph!" Machida Sonoko crossed her arms and looked at the crowd in front of her with a cold smile.

"Miss Yuanzi, please rest assured. With a promotion and raise opportunity right in front of us, how could we possibly slack off!"

"That's right! I can tell from their eyes, what Sister Yuanzi just said is true!"

"Guys! Show some 'action movie' enthusiasm! If anyone doesn't last long, don't blame us for laughing at them!"

Machida Sonoko nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze to the "rouge-en-rouge" club, where she met Akane Akasaka's eyes.

"What? You lost to me once back in college, are you trying to win this time?" Akane Akasaka chuckled as she slowly walked to Sonoko Machida's side. The latter looked away, fiddling with her short, ear-length hair, and deliberately said, "Well, who knows?"

This tone and attitude, needless to say, definitely indicate a desire to "compete with each other"!

"Alright, you're almost thirty and still acting like a child." Akane Akasaka patted Sonoko Machida on the shoulder and walked ahead in a certain direction—there, Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others were sitting at an elegant long table, with Hyakuri Akira comforting them.

"Let's go! The launch event is about to begin!"

Chapter 0046 Hey bro! Want a disc? (Third update, please add to your favorites and give flowers)

"The upcoming event is the launch of Volume 2 of '5 Centimeters Per Second.' Please maintain order and refrain from making noise or horseplay!"

"Information desks are set up in many places at the exhibition. If you encounter anything you don't understand or can't solve, you can ask the staff at the information desk for help!"

"Due to the large number of attendees, only 500 autographed copies are available on-site. Lucky readers who win a spot, please line up at the sales booths of Ms. Kasumi Utako, Ms. Kashiwagi Eri, and Ms. Hashima Izumi!"

"Readers who were not selected in the lottery should not be discouraged. In addition to the illustration book, we will give you a 'sale event exclusive poster' as compensation! This poster will only be distributed at the sale event and will not be reprinted afterwards!"

"Anyone who disrupts the event will be blacklisted by Shinazugawa Bunko, 'rouge-en-rouge', and Chishima Publishing once verified! Please be mindful of your words and actions. Thank you for your cooperation!"

"Then, the launch event for Volume 2 of '5 Centimeters Per Second' shall officially begin!"

A muffled rumble echoed from the earth. Baili Xiao's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "They're here!"

"This is... this is the first time I've ever encountered a scene like this." Izumi Hashima tried to calm her breathing. Eriri, sitting next to her, raised her chin smugly and said in a "been there, done that" tone, "Well, as a newcomer, to witness such a scene, I don't know whether to say you're lucky or unlucky."

"Keep smiling. If you're nervous, try to distract yourself by thinking about other things. Just don't make a mistake in front of so many readers!" Baili Xiao walked over and patted Chuhai on the shoulder, then waved to the three people sitting upright by the sales counter: "The rest is up to you!"

The upcoming autograph session will be a stage for Kasumigaoka Utaha and her two friends, and as an "observer," it is not appropriate for him to stay by their side.

"I didn't have the energy or money to participate in this kind of event in my previous life, so today I'll experience the charm of the book launch as an ordinary reader!" Baili Xiao chuckled softly as she walked backstage, putting on the mask, sunglasses, and baseball cap that she had prepared in her pocket. The moment she stepped out the door, she seemed to have become a different person.

Among the vast readership, the chances of anyone knowing Bai Lixiao are almost zero. However, within the Shinazugawa Bunko, the "rouge-en-rouge" circle, and the Chishima Publishing House, which was responsible for the interview and filming, Bai Lixiao's fame and recognition are higher than those of Kasumigaoka Utaha and others, and even his own boss!

"Hyakuri Akane, the one who taught Kasumi Utako to write the plot of '5 Centimeters Per Second,' and also taught Kashiwagi Eri and Hashima Izumi to draw exquisite illustrations, is also the key figure who brought the three companies together for cooperation! You must remember what he looks like. You can offend anyone else, but you can't offend him!" — This... is what Akane and the other two told their employees (subordinates)!

"I don't want to be stared at like I'm a rare animal. It makes me feel so ashamed!" Baili Xiao adjusted her black sunglasses, sighed heavily, and slowly made her way from the back door employee entrance to the front, joining the last person in the crowd.

As soon as he stood still, before he could even take in his surroundings, Baili Xiao's attention was completely drawn to the two girls in front of him.

There was no way around it... Even though the girls wore monster masks to conceal their faces, making it impossible for others to see their features, Baili Xiao could guess their identities with just a little thought!

Wearing a pink and white dress, with white stockings covering her slender legs, and bright red Lolita shoes on her small feet, she looks like a beautiful anime girl who jumped out of an illustration!

The oversized, dark green coat reached halfway up her thighs, revealing her smooth legs without any stockings or leggings. Under the sunlight, her legs reflected a dazzling color.

Baili Xiao looked at the two of them through his sunglasses, and couldn't help but smile.

Yamada Fairy and Eromanga Sensei? They're actually here! Does that mean... [5 Centimeters Per Second] is so famous that other anime characters know about it? Congratulations!

Thinking of this, Baili Xiao touched his chin awkwardly, wondering how to strike up a conversation with the two of them without seeming abrupt.

Yamada Elf is here for the plot of the second volume of "5 Centimeters Per Second," and shouldn't care about anything else. Besides, she has a spoiled princess temperament and is really hard to get along with... Unlike Izumi Sagiri, who is unwilling to interact with outsiders because of her autism, her true nature is not bad or malicious. Moreover... there is one thing that can definitely attract her!