Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

Page 53

The number of groups participating in anime conventions has been increasing every year, and any booth is extremely valuable. Even Akane Kousaka's rouge-en-rouge group only has a booth that is slightly larger than others.

Facing the not-so-large booth, Baili Xiao lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds before making a decision: "Shiyu! Put 'Your Name' here, and this table is yours alone! Fairy, this middle table is yours, and put the first volume of 'The Monkey King' in the most conspicuous place!"

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the studio sprang into action. Eriri and Izumi Hashima carried cardboard boxes to the table and helped Utaha Kasumigaoka take out the deluxe edition of "Your Name" and arrange them neatly. Meanwhile, Megumi Kato stood next to Fairy Yamada, and the two of them worked together to set up the "Monkey King" booth.

"Clap clap!" Akane Akasaka clapped her hands lightly, and several staff members behind her carefully placed the huge vertical display screen between the booths of "Your Name" and "The Monkey King"—it was a TV screen borrowed from Chishima Publishing House specifically for playing PV animations (similar to the kind of TV in a movie theater that plays movie clips).

After quickly getting everything sorted out, Baili Xiao took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with Akane Kousaka. The latter smiled slightly, took out two huge posters rolled into paper tubes from a rectangular cardboard box beside her, and patted them with her fair and slender hands: "Next, it's time for this thing to make its appearance, isn't it?"

"Yes, I wonder if everyone will be satisfied?" Although he said this, there was no trace of worry in Baili Xiao's smile. In his heart, these two posters were "something that would definitely satisfy everyone!"

"Let's begin!" Baili Xiao took one of them and nodded slightly to Akane Akasaka. Although the two had not rehearsed, their movements were perfectly synchronized as they untied the threads on the paper tube.

"Whoosh!" The not-so-loud sound attracted everyone's attention. No, to be precise, everyone's eyes were already on Baili Xiao's booth as soon as it was set up!

Even the constant buzzing sound inside the venue gradually subsided!

"I bet! It's definitely a poster drawn by Teacher Baili himself! Only someone like him could draw such an exquisite and delicate poster that even a computer couldn't create!"

"【Your Name】? Judging from the poster, it seems to be a romance film, like 【5 Centimeters Per Second】?"

"Hey? Why does that woman holding the 'Your Name' poster look so familiar?"

"Idiot! That's the president of the rouge-en-rouge circle! The real big shot in the doujinshi world, Ms. Akasaka! Her circle has a cooperative relationship with the teacher's studio!"

"...Even if it's a cooperative relationship, to get the president of the strongest doujin circle to help me out, I'm afraid only Mr. Baili could do that, right?"

The first thing that appeared before everyone's eyes was the poster of "Your Name" that Akane Akasaka was holding—a poster that was more than a person tall, depicting a man and a woman facing opposite directions, turning their heads to look at each other at the same time.

The two were dressed in clothing similar to high school uniforms, and in the center of them was the dazzling sunlight that radiated eight rays of light at sunset.

The beautiful yet realistic art style makes the two characters, the forked comet above their heads, and the clouds of various shapes behind them look just like real people.

Anyone who sees the poster for "Your Name" will have their eyes light up with a mesmerizing light. Baili Xiao's paintings are like telling a story, drawing their entire hearts into the artwork.

However... while admiring the exquisite and beautiful posters, many astute people also noticed something different.

The background behind the boy in the painting is a bustling urban landscape, while behind the girl is a lush green lawn and towering trees...

(What kind of story is "Your Name"?)

Upon seeing the poster, everyone in 343 couldn't help but have this thought pop into their minds—although they were a little embarrassed, there was no doubt that their curiosity had been completely piqued by the poster!

"Wow, just one poster has piqued my curiosity. Teacher Baili is truly amazing!"

Unconsciously, many people uttered such sentiments, and just as they were expressing their feelings, the huge display screen slowly lit up.

Countless shooting stars streaked across the azure sky, and one of them plummeted straight down into the thick clouds below—at the edge of the clouds, the sun could be seen scattering a cross-shaped beam of light.

The meteor pierced through the clouds, seemingly slow but actually extremely fast as it hurtled towards the ground. Below it, one could see twinkling lights and a huge lake formed by converging water in the center.

The sound of wind whistling past seemed to reach their ears, and everyone held their breath, staring intently at the falling meteor, as if they could see it crashing to the ground with a loud "boom," creating a huge mushroom cloud.

However, the next second, the sound of the wind disappeared, and the screen went dark.

In the darkness, a girl's voice slowly rang out.

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't know why I was crying..."

Chapter 0145 Please give me a copy of "Your Name"! (1/5 Please subscribe)

"When I woke up this morning, I didn't know why I was crying..."

The woman's voice that reached everyone's ears was very comforting; it was the kind of voice that could put your mind at ease even if you were in a bad mood.

However, the words spoken in that voice unconsciously tightened one's heart and mind, and even made one feel an unprecedented sense of suffocation.

"Such things happen from time to time."

The dark screen lit up, revealing a densely packed city.

Immediately afterwards, the girl's voice disappeared, and a boy sat on the bed, slowly raising his right hand and looking at his palm.

Man: "I can't remember the dreams I've had, but..."

Woman: "I just feel like something has disappeared, and this feeling lingers for a long time even after I wake up..."

The scene changes, with crowds of people coming and going, and trains passing by. The boy and girl stand on their respective trains, leaning against the doors, looking out at the scene through the windows.

Man: "I've been searching for something, searching for someone..."

Woman: "I started to be troubled by this feeling, probably from that day..."

In the night sky, a meteor streaked across the heavens, leaving a long trail of blue mixed with purple, appearing so magnificent and mysterious.

The boy stood on the balcony, looking up at the shooting star streaking across the sky: "That day, the day the shooting star fell, the scene was like..."

The girl, dressed in a gorgeous kimono, stood on the ankle-deep grass, a summer breeze ruffling her hair: "It's like a scene from a dream, it's just that..."

Together: "This scenery is absolutely gorgeous!"

The final chord appeared on the screen along with the words "Your Name," and the display went dark again.

One second, two seconds... Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the screen, as if that would make it light up. However, all they got in return was disappointment!

"That's...it's over~?" A girl with glasses hesitated for a moment, asking her clubmate next to her with some uncertainty.

Her best friend hesitated for a moment, then nodded somewhat uncertainly: "It seems so."

"He...cough cough!" Just as she was about to swear, she realized she wasn't in her club, forcibly swallowing the words that were on the tip of her tongue. The bespectacled girl coughed twice, pushed up her glasses, and stared resentfully at the huge poster of "Your Name": "Teacher Baili is so mean! Is it over here? I really want to know what happened next!"

Her best friend looked around and shrugged helplessly: "Do you think you're the only one who thinks this way? Look at the others..."

Just as she said, most people at the exhibition had a "hunger" in their eyes, and some had even left their own booths and were gradually walking towards the booths of Baili Xiao and others.

Their intentions are self-evident—there are still half an hour before the official start of the anime convention, and during this time, as "exhibitors," they need to enter their booths in advance to set up their things in order to welcome the flood of anime fans who will rush into the venue later.

Of course, none of that matters. The most important thing is that after setting up their booths, they can move around the venue freely!

This means they can buy light novels or doujinshi from other groups ahead of tens of thousands of people queuing outside!

"Um... Ms. Kasumi Shiko! I really love your book, '5 Centimeters Per Second'! Of course, I also love the illustrations by other artists!" A young man in his early twenties walked up to the booth—he seemed very nervous, his cheeks flushed—and stammered, "Ms. Kasumi Shiko! Is 'Your Name' also written by you?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled slightly: "Yes, I wrote the light novel 'Your Name,' and the illustrations are still handled by Eri Kashiwagi and a few other teachers. In other words, it uses the same team as '5 Centimeters Per Second.'"

"Please...please tell me, is this a work as moving as [5 Centimeters Per Second]?" It was clear that the boy was very excited, and his whole body began to tremble slightly.

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded slightly, picked up a hardcover copy of "Your Name" from beside her, and gestured to the boy: "I'm not sure if it can surpass '5 Centimeters Per Second,' but in my opinion, it's a work on the same level as '5 Centimeters Per Second'... Would you like to buy a copy and take a look?"

"Of course! Please give me a copy! If possible, I hope Ms. Kasumigaoka Shiho can sign your name! Thank you so much!" The boy bowed deeply to Kasumigaoka Shiho. Although the action looked exaggerated and even a bit like a show, it seemed perfectly normal to the others.

Why is this normal? Because everyone at the anime convention has read the light novel of "5 Centimeters Per Second" and also seen the movie. They know how much emotion "5 Centimeters Per Second" brought them. To be honest, it is indeed a very lucky thing to encounter a work of the same level as "5 Centimeters Per Second".

In a lifetime of several decades, how many works of art can one encounter that truly move one's heart? The answer is, not many.

Isn't it lucky to encounter two works like this in less than half a year?

"~Me too! Please give me one too!"

"Ms. Kasumi Shiko! Please!"

"Eri Kashiwagi-sensei! I'm really looking forward to all the teachers' paintings this time!"

Kasumigaoka Utaha signed her name on the autograph page and handed the "Your Name" to the boy. This action was like a switch, making everyone's eyes light up, and they rushed towards the booth quickly, even frantically!

Feeling the enthusiasm of everyone at the exhibition, Baili Xiao grinned – this was exactly the effect he wanted. Whether it was the illustrations he drew by hand or the promotional PV for "Your Name" that he created, it was all for this moment.

"Now it's your turn. I wonder how many people will love you?" Baili Xiao looked at the poster in his hand, which was still unfurled, with a loving glimmer in his eyes. The poster in his hand was also drawn by him, but compared to "Your Name," he had obviously put more effort into this painting.

Taking a deep breath, Baili Xiao firmly unfolded the poster with both hands and hung it on the poster stand in front of him.

Whether it was his imagination or not, he seemed to feel...

The whole world is quiet!

P.S.: I'm having some relationship problems and won't have time to update tonight. I'll try to do a big update tomorrow. I'm really sorry.

Chapter 0146 [The Monkey King], I bought it! (2/5, please subscribe)

(What is that...?)

When they saw the Monkey King depicted in the style of traditional Chinese painting on the poster, the same thought involuntarily popped into everyone's mind.

On a towering cliff, a monkey clad in armor stands looking up at the sky, its staff pointing towards the heavens, its expression seemingly mocking.

Following his gaze, above the layers of clouds, there seemed to be all sorts of people hidden among them. These people were extraordinary, wearing magnificent armor and holding various weapons. Upon closer inspection, it was impossible to tell how many there were.

However, what was surprising was the obvious fear on their faces; some even hid behind others, peeking out only half their heads or one eye...

Although there are many objects in the painting, it does not feel cluttered. The moment people see the poster, they are completely captivated.

It seemed as if a voice came from the painting, a roar full of vicissitudes, rising from the depths of their hearts, controlling their heartbeats, and with each beat, the roar became even brighter in their minds.

Many people can't resist the feeling in their hearts, and their bodies instinctively look away, but after a few seconds, they will turn their gaze back, and then look away again... 343...

The black and white style, unlike the usual illustrations, deeply attracted them. The towering figure on the poster aroused their strong curiosity. To be honest, it was a curiosity even stronger than "wanting to see what happens after [Your Name]"!

The darkened display screen lit up again, and the music playing was the background music from "Ninety-Nine Eighty-One". As the picture appeared, Yue Zhengling's powerful singing voice rang out, reaching everyone's ears and invigorating them, making their eyes shine even brighter.

After the song ended, the last lingering notes remained in the hall before it fell into a deathly silence.

"Phew." Someone let out a satisfied sigh first, and the black and white world gradually came into color.

"Teacher Baili! May I ask what this is?" The person closest to Baili Xiao had a complicated expression. After opening his mouth several times, he finally couldn't resist the urge and asked, "A novel? Or a comic? Or... just an illustration?"

"Our studio has one of only two novels on display at the convention, 【(aeej) The Monkey King】! If you're interested, you can check it out." Baili Xiao smiled and introduced to the crowd, "It's a hot-blooded battle novel written by Yamada Elf, and I did all the illustrations!"

"The art style used in the illustrations is the same as the posters you see. You may not like it at first, but after staring at it for a few seconds, you might think, 'Hey? This art style is not bad either.'"

Bai Lixiao's words carried a hint of jest, but no one smiled upon hearing them—in fact, everyone was indeed somewhat taken aback when they first saw the illustrated poster...

(Huh? Black and white? Wouldn't that be just like a comic book? Without the vibrancy of color, it's bound to look bad no matter what, right?)

(This art style...I've never seen it before. Was it drawn with a graphics tablet? No, let alone a graphics tablet, even whether it was drawn with a paintbrush is questionable...)

This was everyone's initial thought.

It's important to know that the vast majority of people who attend CM Comic Con are not ordinary people. There are many light novelists and manga artists among them. Many people could immediately see that the illustration poster was different from the others. Compared with the illustration poster of "Your Name" next to it, this one could be called "alternative"!

But this "unconventional" existence, after watching for a few seconds, makes people feel inexplicably excited and their blood boils!

(This art style seems pretty good, doesn't it?)

Just as Baili Xiao jokingly said, many people actually had such thoughts in their minds!

"Yamada Elf-sensei! Could I have one... no! Three copies of 'The Monkey King'?"

"Although I don't like action-packed novels, just for the illustrations drawn by Teacher Baili himself, I have to buy a copy of this novel, 'The Monkey King'!"