RNP Page 42
Page 42
Minami Kotori was the first of the trio to come to her senses. She heard light footsteps behind her, turned around, and said, "Good morning, Maki."
"Good morning." Maki Nishikino fiddled with her hair behind her ear, first standing on tiptoe to look at Nico Yazawa's figure in the distance, then turning her gaze away and sighing: "Nicole-senpai, she really likes to show her face. Wherever there are cameras, she rushes over with full energy."
Recalling Yazawa Nico's speed just now, even Sonoda Umi, who was the most physically fit among the four, couldn't help but smile wryly—they all knew about Yazawa Nico's problem, after all, the latter greatly admired "idols" and fantasized about what she would be like if she became an "idol" every day, so of course she would not give up any opportunity to be "interviewed on March 27".
"Then...should we go too?" Honoka asked tentatively, but Nishikino Maki rejected her suggestion without even thinking: "You guys go! I'm definitely not going!"
"That's true, reporters are already coming to interview us before we've even debuted... No matter how you look at it, it's all thanks to Hyakusei-sensei [Love Live!], right?" Although it was a question, Minami Kotori said it with certainty: "So, what should we do now? The reporters are blocking the door, I don't have the confidence to slip past them..."
Honoka's eyes lit up, and she gave a rather mysterious smile: "Come with me, I have a good idea!"
...
"Hello! Are you here to interview Muse? I'm Nico Yazawa, a member of Muse!"
Nico Yazawa tried to calm her breathing and make her expression appear less excited—for idols, interviews are perfectly normal, and they absolutely cannot act over the top like, "Oh, finally I get an interview!" or "I must do my best," otherwise people will think, "Is this person a country bumpkin? Why is she so excited about a simple interview?"
However... Nico Yazawa was completely unaware that in the eyes of the reporters, she had already become the very image she had been worried about!
Who are these reporters? It's no exaggeration to say they have "sharp eyes"!
Nico Yazawa was breathing rapidly, her eyes were shining, and her whole body was trembling slightly—every single one of these things showed that she was extremely excited. It was such a simple thing, which of the reporters present could not see it?
The man carrying the camera hesitated for a moment, then moved slightly closer to the person in charge: "Boss, this person is indeed Nico Yazawa from Muse, but... should we interview her?"
"..." The person in charge pondered for a moment and then nodded: "There's no other way! We've only encountered one member of Muse so far, so let's do a short interview!"
After speaking, the person in charge showed an extremely bright, formulaic smile and approached Yazawa Nico: "So it's Nico, a member of Muse! It's so great to meet you! Yesterday, Hyakusei-sensei's manga [Love Live!] was released and caused a great sensation. As one of the idol singers depicted in [Love Live!], is there anything you would like to say to the viewers who support Muse?"
Nico Yazawa fiddled with her hair to make herself look more sunny (in her opinion), and then made Nico's classic pose in front of the camera.
"Nico Nico Nico! Let your heart smile too! Yazawa Nico spreads smiles! If you love Nico, remember little Nico!"
For a moment, everyone fell silent, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward. Although Bai Lixiao drew "Nico Nico Nico" in the comic, due to the nature of comics, the action appeared disjointed and lacked the strong impact of Yazawa Nico's own performance.
Yes! It was shocking! So shocking that everyone present was practically dying of embarrassment!
"Well, it really is a unique and iconic move..." The person in charge chuckled twice, sorted out his thoughts that had been interrupted by "Nico Nico Nico," and continued to ask, "Miss Nico, all the members of Muse are students of Otonokizaka Academy. As one of them, you should know where the others are, right?"
“Of course!” Nico Yazawa slightly raised her chin: “We Muse are a whole, whether it’s during recess or after-school training, we’re always together… Why are you asking this?”
"Uh... I just wanted to meet the other members of Muse. After all, the interviewee is the 'upcoming idol group Muse,' and it would be a bit awkward if it were just Ms. Yazawa Nico." The person in charge said, while subtly winking at the cameraman.
The cameraman nodded slightly; having worked with the person in charge for many years, he easily understood the meaning in her eyes—"Find the other members of Muse as soon as possible! Any one of them will do!"
“Hmm, you’re right…” Yazawa Nico nodded, pretending to close her eyes, but her right eye wasn’t completely closed, leaving a small slit to peek at the person in charge: “I don’t know where they went either, maybe they’ve already entered the academy? Oh well…”
The unspoken message behind "There's nothing I can do" is clear: "I'll just stand here, you can interview me!"
"Is that so? It's a real shame. I was hoping to interview the entire Muse team!"
"There's nothing I can do..."
"Perhaps I should go see the chairperson of Otonokizaka Academy? I think she would agree!"
"There's nothing I can do..."
"In that case, we shouldn't keep Miss Nicole any longer. Please return to the academy for your classes as soon as possible!"
Whether they genuinely couldn't understand the unspoken message from Yazawa Nico or were deliberately avoiding it, the person in charge showed absolutely no intention of "Well then, let's interview Ms. Nico today!"
Nico Yazawa, unable to bear it any longer, looked around and her eyes lit up—in the corner of the van next to her, there was a megaphone!
Snatching the megaphone, Yazawa Nico held it to her mouth, took a deep breath, and exclaimed, "There's no way!"
"..." The person in charge maintained a smile, but anyone could see that it was in danger of crumbling at any moment: "Yes! There's really no other way! Well, we'll do the interview another time! Goodbye, Ms. Nicole!"
Before the words were even finished, both the cameraman and the person in charge darted into the van with lightning speed, slammed the door shut with a "bang!", and disappeared around the corner in an instant, accompanied by the roar of the engine! — And, before leaving, they didn't forget to snatch the megaphone back from Yazawa Nico!
Nico Yazawa stared blankly at the exhaust fumes drifting in the wind, her fists clenched and her lips twitching uncontrollably—Is it really that hard to interview me?! I'm a member of Muse, after all! Although I don't have Nozomi's figure, nor am I as tall as Eli, but... but I'm cute! And my smile is beautiful too! Right?
As if in response to the complaints in her mind, Honoka Kousaka's voice came from not far away...
"See! I told you, if we interviewed Nicole-senpai, we'd leave quickly! That way we wouldn't have to hide anymore!"
Chapter 0115 Too Much Free Time, Let's Find Something to Do! (2/3, Please Subscribe)
"Nicole? What's wrong?" Nozomi Tojo walked into the Idol Research Club (given that Hyakuri Akira had become the teacher of Muse, Kotori Minami's mother had prepared a large activity room for Muse) and immediately sensed the unusual atmosphere.
She looked at the others sitting together with some surprise, then at Yazawa Nico sitting alone in the corner, her face full of doubt: "What's wrong? Nico?"
"Hmph!" Yazawa Nico snorted and turned her face away, not intending to answer her.
"In that case..." Tojo Nozomi's lips curled into a pleased smile, her hands forming claws in mid-air, her ten fingers twitching nimbly: "If you don't tell me, I won't be polite!"
As those nimble hands kept getting closer, Nicole could no longer maintain her indifference and unconsciously took a half step back, causing the chair to creak loudly with her movement.
Not only her, but all the Muse members who saw those "devil hands" showed quite horrified expressions - each of them had been attacked from behind by Tojo Nozomi's "Devil Hand 04", and the location of the attack... was, of course, the kind of place that could fill both hands!
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"Although Nicole doesn't feel great, I still quite like the feeling of her small size..." Nozomi Tojo approached step by step, while Nicole's lips twitched uncontrollably as she retreated to the corner of the wall: "No, don't come any closer! What, what do you want to do!"
"What am I doing? Of course, I'm helping you develop! After all, you're already a third-year mother, and even the first-year mothers like Maki are more womanly than you!"
As the "devil's hand" drew ever closer, Nico Yazawa, covering her chest, finally gave up on her plan to "hold out to the end": "I'll talk! I'll talk, okay?!"
"It's all because of those damn reporters! They can interview the 71st Muse, but why not me?! I was standing right in front of them, and they still... It must be on purpose! It must be!" Yazawa Nico said bitterly, her eyes suddenly catching Honoka and the others suppressing their laughter out of the corner of her eye: "Fine! You can laugh at me all you want! By then, I'll have way more fans than you guys!"
"Yes, yes, Nicole has the most fans, okay?" Nozomi Tojo shook her head with a wry smile—in her opinion, interviews and fans were completely "unimportant" things to them right now!
Most importantly, they must perform the songs and dances that Baili Xiao arranged for them flawlessly!
"Alright! Enough with the jokes! It's training time now, everyone, get your spirits up!" Ayase Eli clapped her hands, stood up, took out a printed A4 sheet of paper from her bag, and distributed it to everyone: "【We Are in the Present Moment】, this song needs to be performed at the start of the comic convention, and it also signifies Muse's official debut! There can be absolutely no mistakes!"
"In addition to that, Teacher Baili also produced several other songs for us. Our task for this month is to practice them until we can do them perfectly!"
(Another song?) A sense of curiosity arose in Minami Kotori's heart, and her gaze fell on the A4 paper.
Below the sheet music for "We Are Here," you can vaguely see the names "Gokuraku Jodo" and "Renai Circulation."
...
The Kasumigaoka family is currently holding an emergency meeting—though it looks more like a family meeting than a studio meeting...
"Ms. Kousaka was in charge of the post-production of the animated film '5 Centimeters Per Second,' and the theme song was also recorded... In other words, '5 Centimeters Per Second' had nothing to do with us until the day it was released!"
Baili Xiao pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to Yamada Elf: "The first volume of [The Monkey King] that Elf is in charge of is also nearing completion, and I will be in charge of the illustrations."
Since finding her footing in writing, Yamada Fairy's novel "The Monkey King" has become an unstoppable force, and in just one month, it is nearing completion!
For his own reasons, Baili Xiao decided to personally draw the illustrations for "The Monkey King," a task he couldn't possibly delegate to anyone else.
And so...this is what happened—the service was interrupted!
With the novel and the animated film script completed, Kasumigaoka Utaha is now in a state of having nothing to do!
The illustrations for 【5 Centimeters Per Second】are complete, and the original drawings and in-between frames needed for the animated film are also complete. Eriri, Izumi Hashima, Sagiri Izumi, and Mashiro Shiina have all been transformed into this state!
For them, who have experienced long hours and high-intensity work and love their jobs, taking a day or two off is fine, but not writing novels or drawing illustrations for ten days or half a month... emmm, that would be really killing them!
So, after Shiina Mashiro asked Hyakuri Akira with a serious expression for the thirteenth time, "Is there anything else I can draw?" Hyakuri Akira felt that it was necessary to hold this meeting!
"Have you all rested enough? Actually, resting a little longer wouldn't hurt." Baili Xiao's gaze swept over everyone, and he deliberately sighed, "This is the first time I've seen people who could have rested on March 327th but instead actively seek out something to do..."
“!” Eriri widened her eyes and glared at him fiercely: “Rest is fine, but it can’t be for too long, otherwise not only will your skills deteriorate, but your touch will also become rusty.”
“Brother.” Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled slightly, her red eyes fixed on Hyakuri Xiao: “Before, you were busy training Muse, so I didn’t want to bother you. Now that you’re free, I hope you can tell me a story that’s even more touching than 5 Centimeters Per Second.”
At this point, Kasumigaoka Utaha paused, then continued with a half-smile, "I remember my brother telling me at the beginning, 'I have many stories in my mind that are even more touching than 5 Centimeters Per Second'... right?"
"Of course!" Baili Xiao shrugged with a confident smile and spread his hands. "If you've rested enough, then let's move on to the next stage!"
"I'm not sure if this story will be more touching than '5 Centimeters Per Second,' because everyone has their own opinion on it, but in my opinion, it is just as good as any other tearjerker."
Its name is, "Your Name!"
Chapter 0116 [Your Name] Production Confirmed! (3/3 Please Subscribe)
"【Your Name】?" Upon hearing Baili Xiao's words, Kasumigaoka Utaha clearly perked up—just from the title of the work, she could guess that it must be a "romance" light novel!
In other words... it's her area of expertise!
If another light novel similar to "The Monkey King" were to be created, she could only watch helplessly. After all, it's very difficult to change a person's writing style. If she were forced to write a "hot-blooded battle" genre, it might end up being a "hot-blooded romance" genre...
“Well, the story tells of…” Baili Xiao softly recounted the contents of “Your Name,” mentioning many points that the animated film hoped the audience would discover—such as “twilight” and “chewed sake.”
Half an hour later, Baili Xiao picked up the tea and took a sip. The tea, which had been steaming hot, was now ice cold. "How do you feel?"
"Hmm...it's hard to say. Just from what you've said, I can only say it's a tightly plotted and very touching story. As for whether it will be more touching than '5 Centimeters Per Second,' I have reservations." Kasumigaoka Utaha's fingers were pressed against her chin, her brows slightly furrowed—she was pondering the plot that Hyakuri Xiao had just described.
"Of course, just hearing me speak isn't enough to express many things clearly, because this is a story that needs to be presented by your hands!" Baili Xiao smiled slightly: "If you are moved to tears just by listening to me, I'm afraid I have a talent for being a storyteller!"
"However, it is undeniable that although 'Your Name' and '5 Centimeters Per Second' present their stories in different ways, they are both excellent stories!"
As Baili Xiao said, "5 Centimeters Per Second" focuses on "people who once loved each other, but were forced to separate due to various realities, and both of them still cherish memories of the past," while "Your Name" emphasizes "I love you, even if I lose my memories, even if there's a three-year time difference between you and me, I will still do everything I can to find you and save you! And even after completely forgetting you, I will keep telling myself, 'I'm going to find someone...'"
The story of "5 Centimeters Per Second" uses the harshness of reality to remind everyone to cherish the present, while "Your Name" wants to tell everyone that if you like something, then give it your all, use every last bit of your energy, to strive for it and fight for it!
The atmosphere of the stories is so heavy and oppressive that it drives people crazy, while "Your Name" only has two words.
That is—"hope"!
“I actually quite like the story of ‘Your Name.’ After all, ‘5 Centimeters Per Second’ is too dark. Once I’ve seen it, I don’t want to watch it a second time. Although I like it, a happy ending always makes people happier, right?” Eriri said, expressing her opinion and turning her gaze to Izumi Hashima.
Bo Island was taken aback at first, then scratched her fair, smooth cheek with her finger, looking embarrassed. "Um, well... I just heard Bai Li-kun talk about 'Your Name,' and I thought the story was so beautiful! So... so I accidentally spaced out..."
"..." Baili Xiao glanced at Chu Hai with a helpless expression. The latter, his cheeks flushed, lowered his head: "...I didn't mean to be distracted, the scene was just too beautiful, I couldn't help it..."
Indeed, just listening to Bai Lixiao narrate "Your Name" conjured up vivid images in Hashima's mind—the town of Itomori surrounded by mountains, a priestess in her shrine maiden attire, a comet streaking across the night sky, the edge of a crater at dusk, two people passing each other and turning back on the stairs...
Even if the male and female leads weren't already in mind, these scenes were already beautiful enough to make one unable to look away.
"Teacher! Please let me draw 'Your Name' this time!" Izumi Sagiri's expression was serious, but combined with her duck-like sitting posture and pink pajamas, she only looked cute no matter how you looked at her.
Shiina Mashiro raised her right hand, a faint light flickering in her eyes—even without speaking, everyone understood her meaning.
"Don't worry, the illustrations for 'Your Name' will still be handled by the four of you. As for the novel..." Baili Xiao looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha: "How about it? Want to write it?"
"Of course! I didn't say anything about 'Your Name' being bad' or anything like that!" Kasumigaoka Utaha's smile grew wider and wider as she couldn't help but start moving her hands: "It's been so long since I've written anything, I've almost forgotten what a keyboard feels like. This time, let me make another wave of tears from my readers!"
"Clap!" Baili Xiao stood up, clasping his hands together. "Alright! Starting tomorrow, you'll be in charge of producing the light novel and illustrations for 'Your Name.' There's still a month until the August comic convention. If possible, I hope to see the first volume of 'Your Name' at the convention!"
"Of course, the four of us working on the artwork will definitely be much faster than Shi Yu's novel, but don't you guys slack off, because..." Bai Li Xiao grinned, "~ In my plan, 'Your Name' will definitely become an animated film in the end, so work hard on your artwork! Let's try to finish the key animation and in-between animation for the film when the novel is completely finished!"
"I knew you'd plan like this! We'll just draw the original artwork to the level of an animated film, and then select a few for the novel illustrations!" Eriri waved her hand, not surprised at all—she had already figured out Baili Xiao's methods, after all, she was one of the earliest illustrators to follow Baili Xiao!
"Don't worry, Hyakuri-kun! Sagiri and I will do our best too!" Hashima Izumi and Izumi Sagiri exchanged a glance—both saw excitement in each other's eyes—and nodded heavily.