RNP Page 63
Page 63
...
The following day, at Otonokizaka Academy, in the chairman's office.
"Clap clap clap!" The crisp sound of clapping echoed as Minami Kotori's mother looked at the nine people in front of her with satisfaction: "In fact, I really never thought you would get to where you are today... All of this is thanks to Teacher Baili. If it weren't for him, the academy would probably still be in the midst of the fear of being closed down, right?"
The success of the Muse not only caused a huge stir on the internet, but their influence was also quickly reflected in reality—whether it was children who had just entered junior high school or students who were about to graduate, they all regarded "Otonokizaka Academy" as their first choice!
Otonokizaka has not only escaped the crisis of closing down, but has even become one of the top five high schools in the idol city (in terms of the number of applicants)!
Everyone looks up to the muses and hopes to become an idol singer like them!
The members of Muse exchanged glances and laughed somewhat sheepishly—the past few days had felt like a dream: receiving Baili Xiao's favor and guidance, officially debuting with songs, and gaining recognition and love from a huge number of fans...
"However..." The chairman's smile faded, and he looked at everyone with a serious expression: "You can't let this make you complacent, especially... Teacher Baili has actually prepared a special concert for you. Even some idols who have been in the industry for a long time haven't received this kind of treatment!"
Eli Ayase stepped forward: "Chairwoman, please rest assured, we will definitely put in our best efforts for this concert!"
"Hmm, Mom has been talking about this since last night..." Minami Kotori muttered softly from behind Honoka, while secretly glancing at her mother.
Seemingly sensing her thoughts, the chairman shook his head with a wry smile, lightly tapped his hands on the table, and stood up: "Then, I won't say anything more. No matter what, please remember one thing: the juniors of Otonokizaka Academy are always cheering you on!"
Chapter 0173 Update! (Two chapters, please subscribe)
Leaving aside Muse and the others, let's turn our attention to Akane Kousaka, who is currently in a state of utter distress.
Staring blankly at the neatly stacked "Letters of Intent for Cooperation" on the table, she hesitated before glancing at Iori Hashima standing not far away: "You mean, I've only been gone for a day and a half, and so many video websites have already sent me cooperation requests regarding [5 Centimeters Per Second]?!"
"Perhaps Ms. Kousaka doesn't want to admit it, but it's true." Iori Hashima's lips curled into a satisfied smile, feigning to shield her face with her hand. "While I'd love to help Ms. Kousaka and Mr. Hyakusato, such an important matter is best handled personally, so..."
Iori Hashima extended his right hand, pointing rather gentlemanly to the thick document: "Please! Ms. Akane Akasaka, the head of the club!"
Although his words were polite, it wasn't hard to hear the resentment hidden within—before the anime convention even started, Akane Kousaka had handed over all the club's affairs, big and small, to him under the pretext of "training." After the convention, she went even further, leaving the city without a word with Hyakuri Akira and the others! 9
Heaven knows how frantic Iori Hashima was when he received these "letters of intent for cooperation"—he knew his place and would never cross the line in such matters.
As the club's nominal "acting head," Iori Hashima was intimately familiar with all aspects of the club's affairs. Therefore, when Akane Kousaka handed over the entire club to him, he had no choice but to accept it, despite his resentment.
However, these "letters of intent for cooperation" were directly related to Baili Xiao's vital interests, and he would never harbor the thought of "Oh, maybe I should just handle them all at once!" Lu
"Hmm..." Akane's brows furrowed deeper with worry. She rested her chin on her hands, staring intently at the documents for three long seconds. "The release date for '5 Centimeters Per Second' is far from over. Isn't it a bit premature to discuss broadcasting rights now? Besides... the most pressing matters are the book launch and the Muse concert. These documents... Iori, you've always been a promising junior of mine, and your sister's relationship with Hyakusato is quite special, so I think... you can definitely handle this well!"
(What a load of rubbish! You think I haven't slept five hours a night for days on end? Even if I'm a man, I need at least a minimum amount of sleep to work better, right?!) 4
While inwardly seething with rage, Iori Hashima's face remained impassive—he noticed something more pressing in Akane Kousaka's words: "Ms. Kousaka, you just mentioned...the Muse concert?"
"Yes, last night Hyakuri-kun officially confirmed the date for the concert (sales event)—August 0st. This news hasn't been officially announced yet, but I imagine... it'll cause a huge sensation, right?" Akane Kousaka nodded slightly, her words carrying a strong implication: "Concerts are something our club has never done before, so I have to focus all my attention on this. Iori, you understand?"
"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll handle this..." With a heavy sigh, Iori Hashima picked up the documents on the table, his face ashen. He had thought he could finally get a good night's sleep after Akane Akasaka returned, but now it seemed that was just wishful thinking...
Watching Iori Hashima disappear, Akane Akasaka smiled slightly—she had already told the former about Baili Xiao's "selection criteria" and believed that the former would be able to handle this matter well—controlling the mouse to open the webpage, Akane Akasaka's eyes reflected the silver light of the screen.
"Now, let's see how everyone reacts to the concert!"
...
In an ordinary fast food restaurant in a mecca of anime and manga, two blonde women are having a heated discussion—they have naturally blonde hair and high-bridged noses, typical features of the British Empire or the Sumerian Empire.
Not long after the three-day CM Comic Con ended, people from all over the country could be seen everywhere in the city, but no one paid attention or was surprised. To be precise, what really attracted the attention of those around them was what two women were arguing about.
"Hehehe, did you see that doujinshi?" The woman near the window was named Alessa, and she looked to be only eighteen or nineteen years old. She had a knowing smile on her face, and her amber eyes were fixed on her best friend: "It's that 'Black Butler' doujinshi!"
Upon hearing the name "Black Butler," her best friend, Schut, instantly lit up with excitement: "Of course! It's one of the most anticipated doujinshi at this year's Comic Con! Wow! Sebastian in it is so handsome! A perfect and powerful man, he's just as good as the Knights of the Round Table!"
Their words revealed that they were "citizens of the Kingdom of Great Britain," but the doujinshi they just mentioned, "Black Butler," caused the other people in the fast food restaurant to change their expressions slightly. At last year's winter CM comic convention, the first volume of "Black Butler" was released, causing a huge stir among female doujinshi fans. This summer comic convention continued the previous work and released the second volume!
Why did it cause such a sensation only among women?
That's right, just as you thought, Black Butler is undoubtedly a BL masterpiece. The butler Sebastian is powerful and handsome, always displaying gentlemanly manners, while his master Ciel is a perfect combination of youth, fragility, and good looks, completely touching the G-spot of many female fans of BL!
"Yeah, yeah! Just thinking about Sebastian (the seme) x Ciel (the uke) scene makes me... hehehe!" Aleza let out a knowing laugh, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, glanced at the bulging shopping bag beside her, and her eyes became complicated: "But... I originally thought that Black Butler would be the star of this year's Comic Con, but I didn't expect... the most popular items are still [Your Name] and [Monkey King] released by Hyakusei-sensei's studio..."
0 ····Requesting flowers···· ·········
"Isn't that obvious? What's the status of Hyakuri-sensei's studio in the doujinshi world? Even the second volume of 'Black Butler,' meticulously planned by the rogue-en-rouge circle, can hardly compare to the master, right?" Shute rolled her eyes at Alessa—while denying the latter's illusions, she couldn't help but sigh, "I have to say, the artists in the studio still maintain the highest level that no one in the doujinshi world can match—take 'Your Name' for example, Kasumi Utako-sensei's delicate writing, tight plot, every detail is described in detail, I can't wait to read the second volume! I really want to know what happened to Tachibana Taki and Miyamizu Mitsuha afterward, why they suddenly forgot each other's existence!"
... ... 0
"You bet I am! I've been suffering too, ahhh! During this time of waiting for the release of the second volume, I feel like I have no motivation at all!" Alessa groaned exaggeratedly, "Not only is Kasumi Utako-sensei amazing... Kashiwagi Eri-sensei and others' illustrations are also so beautiful. No matter what's going on in my mind, just taking a look at the illustrations and posters of 'Your Name' inexplicably makes me feel happy... It's so amazing!"
"The only downside is... the city where the teachers live is just too far from our Great Britain. Aside from the money spent on travel, the time commitment is the biggest problem!" Schutt sighed and shrugged. "It seems we'll have to buy the teachers' works online from now on..."
Before she could finish speaking, the screens of their phones, which were placed next to each other, lit up almost simultaneously, displaying a notification: [The Weibo account you follow has posted a new update!]
"Weibo?" A question rang out in confusion. The two exchanged a glance, and an exciting thought involuntarily popped into their minds: "Could it be..."
At 10:00 AM, the rouge-en-rouge community, Chishima Publishing House, Fushigawa Bunko, and Baili Xiao's [Huaxia] Studio simultaneously updated their Weibo posts!
"The date is confirmed! The official release of 'Your Name' and 'The Monkey King' will be held on August 31st at 8:00 AM at Radiant Park in Amagi, Great Britain! The release will take place simultaneously online and in physical stores! (Readers who purchase the light novels in Amagi will receive a carefully crafted little gift!)"
"In addition, starting at 8 PM that evening, Muse's first exclusive concert will be held at the [Radiant Convention Center]! Online ticket sales officially begin at noon today! Seats are limited, first come, first served! (Nicole Nicole~)" Fan.
Chapter 0174 The Website Crashed! (First Update, Please Subscribe)
"On August 31st, the light novels 'Your Name' and 'The Monkey King' will be officially released, and the first exclusive concert by Muse will be held at 8 PM!"
The newly updated Weibo post quickly climbed to the top of the trending search list. Although it didn't rank in the top three, it still attracted the attention of the vast majority of people.
In fact, almost every otaku and fujoshi who frequently engages with the world of anime and manga fanfiction follows the official Weibo account of [Huaxia] Studio. Even those who collaborate with them, such as Akane Kousaka, have joined the ranks of those following the account—they learned about the news as soon as it was posted.
The "vast majority of people" mentioned earlier refers to those who don't care much about or even don't care about anime and manga at all—they learned about the studio's name for the first time, and also learned that a new idol group was called "Muse"!
"Hey, wanna come with me to Amagi at the end of the month for the book launch and Muse concert?"—This question has become the most frequently asked question on forums, chat groups, and even among otaku and fujoshi. And the answer, except for some people who simply can't find the time (due to practical reasons), is always "Yes! Of course I'll go!"
As a specific group of people waited anxiously, the time finally quietly arrived at midnight!
"Shute! Hurry! Haven't you logged into the Shinazugawa Bunko website yet?" Alessa urged her best friend anxiously while frantically refreshing the webpage on her phone—just like Shute, she couldn't get into the Shinazugawa Bunko website either... Normally it wouldn't be a problem, but it would be midnight in half a minute!
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why did the website have to crash now of all times? No, it's because too many people are logging in that the website crashed, right?" Shute's face turned red and then paled as the second hand moved closer to the "12" mark. Not only her, but also Alessa next to her, and even most of the people in the fast food restaurant, had the same reaction!
At this moment, Shinazugawa Bunko received the highest number of visits since its inception. People all over the world—whether it was Great Britain, Sumerian Empire, or China—were logging onto its official website every moment using their mobile phones and computers, just to try and snag tickets to the Muse's first concert!
...
"Ms. Sonoko! The website is down! It's down!" In such a panic that she forgot even the proper etiquette of knocking, the website maintenance staff rushed into Machida Sonoko's office, wailing in an extremely loud voice: "At this rate, forget about selling concert tickets! Even reading novels and comics is a problem!"
Machida Sonoko put down the documents in her hand, adjusted her anti-radiation glasses, and nodded slightly: "Yes, I understand."
Her answer was casual, even showing a hint of indifference—her tone startled the staff, who all stood at the door staring at her blankly.
Seemingly sensing everyone's confusion, Machida Sonoko shrugged: "What could I do? The website crashing was within my expectations... What's funny is that Hyakusato-kun was worried about 'what if we don't sell all the tickets'..."
At this point, she couldn't help but smile, looked at the crowd at the door, and waved her hand: "Alright, everyone go back to your posts. 'Website crashes' might become the norm in the future. Well, you'll get used to it..."
Watching everyone leave, Machida Sonoko got up and locked the door. After confirming several times that she was alone in the room, she took out her phone and dialed Hyakuri Xiao's number: "Hyakuri-kun, you miscalculated this time!"
Far away in Gancheng, Baili Xiao put down his pressure-sensitive pen—on the screen of his graphics tablet was the prototype of the promotional poster he had drawn for this concert: the Muse members, dressed in brightly colored clothes, stood or squatted with their arms outstretched, their faces bearing smiles that could melt hearts. Behind them was the gate of "Ganhui" amusement park, and in the distance, one could even vaguely see buildings such as Red Maple City and a giant Ferris wheel—his brow furrowed slightly: "Miscalculation? What happened?"
He doesn't remember "what things he had calculated" because there were just too many things happening during this period—but everything was going well, so it shouldn't be a case of "miscalculation," right?
"Weren't you worried about not being able to sell concert tickets? Afraid that the 10,000-seat venue wouldn't be full?" Machida Sonoko chuckled, sat back down in her seat, and opened the backend of the Shinazugawa Bunko website: "It's just been 30 seconds since midnight. Let me see how many tickets have been sold... 1237? Hmm, not bad."
"In just thirty seconds, we sold over a thousand copies, and that's only because our website nearly crashed due to the massive traffic. Tell me, didn't we 'miscalculate' this time?" Machida Sonoko's smile widened as she awaited Baili Xiao's reply with great interest.
"Yes, it was indeed a 'miscalculation'." Baili Xiao smiled, frankly admitting that her previous worries were unnecessary. "But it doesn't matter if these kinds of miscalculations happen a few more times... Miss Yuanzi, have things been resolved on your end?"
"Soon, at the latest tomorrow morning, Akane, Yoko, and I will take a plane to Amagi. The collector's editions of both light novels have been printed, as have the related merchandise, which will be shipped to Amagi Amusement Park in the next couple of days." After a pause, Machida Sonoko thought for a moment and continued, "As for the staff for the book launch and concert... all three companies will send some people to help, but it's still a bit too few to handle both the book launch and the concert."
"Don't worry about that, Yamada Fairy's brother, Chris, has already taken care of it..." Baili Xiao smiled wryly as he looked down through the dormitory window—in the clean, tidy, and brand-new amusement park, he could see groups of strong, muscular men in black suits and sunglasses passing by from time to time.
Most of them were carrying huge cardboard boxes, silently following the instructions of the "Gan Hui" mascots without ever complaining. But to be honest, the 4.9s, who looked like gangsters, standing next to the cute mascots, created a strong sense of incongruity...emmm, it was too strong.
(Shouldn't we dress them in cuter outfits?) The thought suddenly popped into his mind, and Baili Xiao shook his head vigorously—he really didn't want to imagine such a "beautiful" scene as "a bunch of muscular men dressed in magical girl-style outfits greeting guests at the door!"
"So, everything is ready, the only thing we need to wait for is... the arrival of August 31st!"
P.S.: The stitches from my surgery have been removed. I stayed in the hospital for two days for a follow-up check-up and was just discharged this morning.
It's impossible for me to become a eunuch. I already promised the group members that if I became a eunuch, I would make them "cross-dressing sex slaves." How could I possibly become a eunuch?
Chapter 0175 Gancheng! We're here! (First update, please subscribe)
"Slurp slurp~ Slurp slurp~" Yazawa Nico sat in first class, sucking hard on her juice through the straw. Her red eyes darted around through her sunglasses. Sitting next to her, Tojo Nozomi smiled slightly, her eyes, which seemed to see right through people, fixed on her profile: "Nicole, there are only nine of us in first class. You don't need to worry about others discovering your identity. Besides... our Muse's influence shouldn't be so great that we'd have fans on every plane we board, right?"
"Uh... um!" Yazawa Nico froze, initially wanting to retort, "I'm not what you think at all," but when she saw Tojo Nozomi's eyes, the thought instinctively arose: "Even if I argued, it wouldn't make a difference, would it?" "Okay, I guess I was overthinking it..."
Ayase Eli glanced at Nico with amusement—ever since "Nico Nico Nico" swept the internet, Yazawa Nico has been terrified of being recognized by fans. The Nico who used to be eager to appear in front of fans every day has long since disappeared. What is presented to the public now is a Nico suffering from "fan phobia"!
"Nicole04-senpai, this is different from the you we know, meow. Shouldn't you be super..." Hoshizora Rin made a big heart: "...happy meow?"
“…” Nicole glared at him fiercely, her eyes conveying a very clear meaning—no one will think you're mute if you don't speak!
"Alright!" Sonoda Umi clapped her hands lightly. "Everyone, stop teasing Nico-senpai. Instead of wasting your energy, you should rest up. After all, when we get to Amagi, we'll be facing Hyakuri-sensei's hellish training!"
"Hellish training"—hearing this, everyone couldn't help but shudder. They vividly remembered Baili Xiao's strictness in teaching songs and dance steps...and even their bodies felt the same way!
However, the benefits of strict teaching are also obvious, as evidenced by the ever-increasing number of fans.
"Ugh... Just thinking about being tortured by Hyakusou-sensei again makes me feel awful..." Honoka leaned her head weakly against the seat in front of her, letting out a painful groan. Minami Kotori, sitting to her right, patted her shoulder with a wry smile: "Yeah, Honoka's going to get scolded by the teacher again, hmm, probably..."
"Hmm! Little bird, you've changed! You used to comfort me at this time!"
"Huh? Have I changed? No! I just think the teacher did the right thing."
"...In your eyes, everything Teacher Baili does is right!"
"Awooo!" A mournful cry echoed through the sky, and soon Gan City would appear faintly in everyone's sight—a city they would never forget!
...
"Teacher, it's finished!" Shiina Mashiro presented her drawing to Baili Xiao, who examined it for half a minute before smiling and reaching out to touch Mashiro's blond hair: "It's perfect, thank you for your hard work."
Because of Izumi Sagiri's "fear of going out," she had to stay at the studio to look after the house, and as the person chosen to take care of her, Hashima Izumi also stayed behind.
That's why the task of "drawing a large poster for the Muse concert" fell to Baili Xiao, Eriri, and Shiina Mashiro. Mashiro had barely slept a wink since arriving with Akane Kousaka and the others yesterday, and managed to finish the work assigned by Baili Xiao before Eriri could, which made Eriri pout.
"You're being unfair! I've been helping you draw posters since the first day I arrived here, and I haven't heard you say 'thank you for your hard work'!" Eriri stared intently at Baili Xiao's large hand resting on Zhenbai's head, a look of envy welling up in her eyes.
Before Baili Xiao could answer, Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was leisurely flipping through a magazine, put down what she was holding and looked at Eriri with great interest: "So this is your reason for 'not being able to draw as fast as Mashiro in one night since day one, and still wanting comfort'?"
"...Hmph!" Eriri snorted and glared at Kasumigaoka Utaha—of course, it was useless in the face of the latter's "calmness"—before lowering her head and continuing to draw.
Just as Shiyu said, she and Mashiro had the same workload, but several days had passed and she still hadn't finished!
(Can you blame me? Gan Hui's mascots' abilities are just too interesting! I can't concentrate on drawing at all! Besides... the deadline hasn't arrived yet...)
With that thought in mind, Eriri stubbornly replied, "I will definitely finish making all the posters by this afternoon!"
Hearing her words, Machida Sonoko and Akasaka Akane exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time: "Then we really have to trouble you. After all, this poster is really big, and the production time will have to be brought forward a lot. Most importantly, there are ten different posters... The deadline is this afternoon, so give it your all!"