Crossover Anime: I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha's Brother

Page 24

...

"This area should be drawn like this."

From the kitchen came the sound of a knife blade hitting a cutting board, while in the living room, Bai Lixiao was giving serious instructions to Izumi Sagiri.

He picked up the graphics tablet, and the pressure-sensitive pen seemed to move on its own in his hand, drawing lines that were so natural and seamless that they didn't feel like they were drawn by a human.

"Look, this part should be a little softer—pay attention to your technique, and here too, to express your inner thoughts, your facial expression should be like this..."

As Baili Xiao explained and demonstrated, when he asked, "Did you understand?" and turned to look at Izumi Sagiri sitting next to him, he found that the latter was staring at his profile, completely oblivious to what he was hearing!

This kind of thing has happened to Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri, Hashima Izumi, and others, and Hyakuri Akira is getting used to it!

"Thump." The pressure-sensitive pen gently tapped Izumi Sagiri's forehead, pulling her back from her reverie: "Pay attention in class!"

"Huh? Oh... um!" A blush crept up Izumi Sagiri's cheeks at an astonishing speed. She looked down at the image on the graphics tablet, her mind completely elsewhere from the drawing.

“Sagiri, your mission is very important. Well, let me tell you in advance.” Baili Xiao coughed lightly and continued, “After the completion of Volume 3 of [5 Centimeters Per Second], we will be producing an animated film.”

"The entire novel was written by Shiyu, so there's no problem handing the script over to her. For animated films, the most important thing is the visuals, which means a lot of original drawings are needed! At that time, even if Eriri and Hashima were able to complete all the original drawings with their limited abilities, it would probably take them quite a while."

"If your drawing skills can approach those of the two of them at that time, the production time will be reduced significantly. So, I hope you can use this time to shorten the gap between you and them as much as possible. You only have half a month, is that okay?"

The doubt in her eyes, "Can I do it?" diminished, and Izumi Sagiri nodded vigorously: "Don't worry! I will definitely catch up with the two seniors in half a month!"

"Yes, I believe you." Baili Xiao smiled and patted Izumi Sagiri's head, handed her the graphics tablet, and then got up and walked towards Yamada Elf on the other side.

A brand-new notebook sat in front of Yamada Fairy, its screen displaying a text document with several hundred words already written on it.

Upon looking behind him, Baili Xiao couldn't help but sigh.

The writing style remains the same as the original light novel, with dialogue always accompanied by words like "de la" or "um ah," and the entire text consists of dialogue, with very little description of scenery, psychology, or even actions.

If it were a regular light novel, this would be perfectly acceptable, but Baili Xiao hoped to use Yamada Elf's hand to recreate the majestic and unparalleled style of the Monkey King from his previous life!

If someone were to say, "Brother Dragon King, can I borrow your Sea-Stabilizing Needle for a moment?", Baili Xiao would probably strangle himself if he saw it!

"Fairy, the protagonist of the book I want you to write is a peerless hero who reigns supreme in heaven and earth, not someone who comes here to act cute!" Baili Xiao said with exasperation, "You keep using the writing style and techniques unique to light novels, which completely fails to create his character! No, it needs to be revised! Both the writing style and the writing ability must be revised until I am satisfied!"

Seeing Baili Xiao's furrowed brows, Yamada Elf couldn't help but feel wronged.

She knew, of course, that her writing was wrong, and she really wanted to write it the way Baili Xiao hoped, but... how could she possibly develop a character based on just being told that the protagonist was "Sun Wukong, the Monkey King"?!

"Um, Mr. Baili," Yamada Elf raised her hand and tentatively asked, "Could you draw the character design for the Monkey King? That way I'll have an image to use as a template, and it'll make writing much faster..."

Baili Xiao paused for a moment, then nodded, a storm seemingly gathering in his dark eyes: "Okay, then watch carefully!"

Chapter 0069 [The Great Sage Equaling Heaven - Earth Traveler]! (3/5, please subscribe)

Slowly closing his eyes, a monkey gradually emerges in the darkness, bursting forth from the rock to become the King of Flower Fruit Mountain. He seeks immortality, seizes the divine needle, and beats down heavenly soldiers and generals with his staff, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens...

The image that needed to be drawn was gradually taking shape in Baili Xiao's mind. He opened his eyes, looked at the digital tablet in his hand, and on the blank page, only he could see the completed drawing.

Lift the pressure-sensitive pen slightly, and the tip touches the screen. From that moment on, it never stops!

Kato Megumi carried several exquisite dishes out of the kitchen, about to say something like "Dinner's ready," but the strange atmosphere in the living room affected her, causing her to shut her mouth.

Everyone, whether they were responsible for drawing or writing novels, gathered around Baili Xiao, their eyes fixed on the graphics tablet in his hands.

Unconsciously slowing her breathing, Kato Megumi first placed the bowls and plates aside, then tiptoed over and stood behind Hashima Uekai, standing on tiptoe to look at the place where everyone's eyes were focused.

(What is that...?)

He was dressed in a suit of golden chainmail, with a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown on his head and lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes on his feet.

Its body hair stood on end, its face was ferocious with a hint of malevolence, and its golden pupils seemed to burn with flames of "anger".

His clenched teeth were exposed, and everyone seemed to hear a terrifying "crackling" sound.

He gripped a golden and red Ruyi Jingu Bang (a magical staff) tightly with both hands, raised it above his head, and then smashed it down without hesitation in the next second!

As the image gradually took shape, everyone held their breath, afraid that even the slightest sound would attract the attention of the monkey on the screen.

Although the image was still, it appeared to everyone as if it were moving, with relentless, violent rage erupting from the screen and impacting everyone's hearts wave after wave.

"That's good!" Baili Xiao stopped writing. The moment the lines closed, the fear that had been weighing on everyone's hearts vanished without a trace, as if it were an illusion.

However, the fine beads of sweat on his forehead and the dampness in his palms reminded everyone present what was real.

The writers, including Kasumigaoka Utaha, were fine. Faced with this scene, they were just ordinary people, only feeling amazement, admiration, and a deep stirring in their hearts.

Eriri, Hashima Izumi, and even Izumi Sagiri were stunned by the scene and sat on the sofa for a long time before they could recover. Only those who study painting can feel the immense impact of this painting and feel a deep sense of powerlessness deep in their hearts.

That was the feeling of helplessness when facing Baili Xiao, that "I could never catch up with him in my entire life!"

"Is this... the protagonist of the next light novel?" Kasumigaoka Utaha asked softly. It has to be said that even she, who specializes in romance light novels, was deeply attracted by this figure at first glance.

"Hmm." Baili Xiao put down the graphics tablet and stretched his slightly sore fingers: "It's a fantasy battle novel. The protagonist is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King of the Water Curtain Cave in Flower Fruit Mountain!"

Before he could finish speaking, Baili Xiao turned to Yamada Elf: "Now do you know what the character is like?"

Yamada Elf nodded with a complicated expression. She truly felt the "grand and majestic, domineering" aura brought by the picture. If she were to look at the manuscript she had written before, she would probably feel as disappointed as Baili Xiao.

"Teacher Baili! Don't worry! I will definitely not let down the title of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven!"

(Not bad, at least they put their heart into it, regardless of whether they succeed or not.) Baili Xiao felt a sense of relief and turned her gaze to the trio sitting on the sofa with their heads down—the deathly aura surrounding them was palpable even to the slowest person: "What's wrong?"

“I knew before that there was a big gap between Baili-kun and us, but after seeing your painting today…” Eriri gave a bitter smile, even her usually bright twin tails looked a little dull: “I didn’t realize… that the gap could be this big? There’s no hope of comparison at all.”

“Yes, compared to Professor Hyakuri, our illustrations are like children playing house.” Hashima Izumi unconsciously clasped her hands together. “Sometimes I even have thoughts like, ‘Have I gotten closer to Professor Hyakuri?’ But it seems… that’s impossible.”

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"Hmm." Izumi Sagiri lowered her head even further. Having just arrived, she didn't even have the right to speak (in her opinion).

"Hey! I didn't paint this to hurt your pride! You need to understand that!" Baili Xiao rubbed his temples with a wry smile—he was having a bit of a headache: "You can absolutely set this painting as your goal. If you can reach this level, it means you can graduate from my tutelage!"

"I don't think you can't reach that level... Before I taught you drawing techniques, could you have imagined that you would become the number one or two doujinshi artists in such a short time?"

.. ...... ....

Eriri and Hashima Izumi were taken aback upon hearing Baili Xiao's words.

Indeed, without Bai Lixiao's guidance, in just over a month... Eriri would still be Kashiwagi Eri from a certain club, and Hashima Ikari would remain sidelined within the rogue-en-rouge club...

The transformation to this state is inseparable from Baili Xiao's teaching and guidance—in other words, with Baili Xiao's help, perhaps, maybe, should be able to overcome what seemed like an insurmountable barrier.

"Yeah, there's no use in being discouraged here. As long as we keep studying hard, we'll catch up with Hyakusato-kun someday!" Eriri and Izumi Hashima exchanged a glance and smiled at the same time. "Then, Hyakusato-sensei, don't cry when we graduate!"

"Let's finish our apprenticeship first!" Baili Xiao rolled his eyes in annoyance, then looked at Izumi Sagiri, who seemed hesitant to speak, and grinned: "Just say what you want to say, there are no outsiders here."

"Hyakuri-kun, does this painting... have a name?" Izumi Sagiri stared at the graphics tablet. Although the painting hadn't been retouched or colored, just looking at the lines made one think of the word "perfect."

"Hmm..." Baili Xiao stroked his chin, thinking for a moment, "Let's call it, 'The Great Sage Equal to Heaven - Earth Walker'!"

Chapter 0070, Volume 3, is complete! (4/5, please subscribe)

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, a traveler on earth.

Apart from Baili Xiao, no one knew the exact meaning of this sentence—before the novel "Journey to the West" was published.

But upon seeing the character illustration of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, everyone realized that this was definitely not a simple story.

Even Kasumigaoka Utaha had the thought of "why not try writing it?" Of course, she quickly dismissed the idea.

Since her debut, she has focused on romance novels, which are not easily changed.

"Alright, everyone, stop lamenting. If we don't eat soon, it'll get cold!" Kato Megumi's clapping of her hands together with a crisp "snap" drew everyone's attention: "As someone who puts in the effort to cook, I don't want the food I make to go to waste like this."

"Let's eat! We still have work to do this afternoon! Whether it's the novel or the illustrations for '5 Centimeters Per Second,' let's work hard together!"

...

A week later, the production of Volume 3 was almost complete!

This speed is remarkably fast compared to the previous two volumes.

First of all, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Eriri, and Hashima Izumi, after the experience and practice of the first two volumes, have been able to grasp the rhythm very well, to the point that "even without Hyakuri Akira's supervision, they can complete the production of the third volume on their own".

Furthermore, by continuously learning from Baili Xiao, the three of them improved their skills once again, and their speed in both writing novels and drawing illustrations increased significantly.

So, one afternoon close to June, Machida Sonoko and Akasaka Akane went to the Kasumigaoka house because... half an hour earlier, they had received a call from Hyakuri Akatsuki saying that "Volume 3 is finished!"

"The production speed is getting faster and faster. I don't know whether to be happy or worried." Machida Sonoko smiled bitterly, looking at the scattered drawings in the living room, and shook her head to advise, "You teachers are young, but you still need to take good care of your health. You can do the novel illustrations later. If your health is ruined, you will have nothing!"

Even Akane Akasaka stared at Xiao Baili with slightly cold eyes: "Xiao Baili, should I suspect you of abusing your employees?"

"You're overthinking it. In fact, they only work four hours a day." Baili Xiao tilted his head and argued. Of course, he knew the importance of rest. The children were still young and growing. How could he possibly be so cruel as to exploit them as child laborers?

Bai Lixiao decided to have everyone work four hours a day. The rest of the time, he would provide one-on-one guidance to everyone, pointing out the flaws in their work or areas for improvement, making up for their shortcomings and promoting their strengths.

“I think you should be more concerned about me.” Baili Xiao shrugged, which elicited a faint smile from Machida Sonoko.

"If I cared about you even a little bit, Shi-chan would probably be calling me for ages tonight!" Machida Sonoko laughed as she took the newly printed novel from Kasumigaoka Shi-ha's hand, who gave her a barely perceptible glare.

Sitting next to Sonoko, Akane Akasaka picked up the original illustration drawn by Izumi Hashima and couldn't help but exclaim after looking at it for a while: "Izumi, letting you follow Hyakusato-kun is probably the best decision I've ever made in my life! Few people can match your drawing skills now!"

"No, no..." Hashima Izumi lowered his head slightly, a little shyly: "Compared to Teacher Baili, I'm still far behind!"

Akane Kousaka and Sonoko Machida exchanged a smile, assuming she was being modest—they certainly couldn't say they'd improved a lot in front of Hyakuri Akira! But then, Hashima turned around and became excited, like a child eager to show off something, asking in a light, quick voice, "Ms. Kousaka, Ms. Sonoko, you haven't seen Hyakuri-sensei draw before, have you?"

“Hmm? No, but we can imagine that his painting skills are superb.” Machida Sonoko thought about it carefully and then realized that since she first met Hyakuri Akira, she had never seen him paint a complete picture. At most, he would paint parts like “a cherry blossom” or “eyes, nose, mouth”. “What? Hyakuri-kun painted in front of you?”

"It wasn't just drawing; it almost discouraged us so much that we never picked up a paintbrush again..." Eriri joked, and it was a joke that almost came true.

"Is it that amazing? What exactly did he draw?" Akane Akasaka became interested, glancing at Hyakuri Akira with a smile on her lips: "I wonder if you could show it to me and Sonoko, Hyakuri-kun?"

"...Fine, you'll all see it sooner or later anyway, it's all the same." Baili Xiao curled his lips indifferently, and before he could make a move, Izumi Sagiri had already walked towards Kasumigaoka Utaha's room on the second floor—which was also Baili Xiao's room.

Baili Xiao personally drew a simple sketch of "The Monkey King: Earth Walker" and then modified and perfected it on the computer, creating the only poster to date.

His idea was to hang the poster in the living room so that Yamada Elf could be inspired to write, and Eriri and the others could "refuse to be lazy and work hard"!

However... the poster was only hanging in the living room for less than a morning before Baili Xiao took it inside with a dark face and ordered that no one was allowed to take it out without his permission!

Why? It's very simple...

Eriri, Hashima Izumi, and Izumi Sagiri are so engrossed in watching the poster that they completely forget about their work, and no matter how much Baili Xiao reminds or warns them, it's all useless!

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Yamada Elf were alright, but the posters severely hampered their writing speed and performance.

Even... even the rice that Kato Megumi made had a problem that should never have happened before—when Baili Xiao picked up the bowl and looked at the "rice" inside—which had no stickiness, extremely small grains, emitted no heat, and made a "clattering" sound when the bowl was shaken—he finally realized...

If this poster keeps hanging, my life is completely ruined!

That's why Baili Xiao "sealed" it in his room, and today it seems the time has come to "unseal" it.

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