All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends-Chapter 224: Let’s Talk About Anime!

On the sofa—

Eriri lazily pressed the TV remote.

(* ´ ﹃｀*)

The TV screen kept switching channels.

The evening time slot was mostly filled with animes for children.

A few other programs were entertainment shows aimed at high school students.

At this moment, Kasou Taishou was extremely popular.

Many TV stations even chose to re-air a random season, broadcasting it in full during the monthly evening slots.

The viewership ratings weren't low at all.

But Eriri didn't stop at those programs.

This blonde twin-tailed girl probably didn't even know what she wanted to watch herself.

She just didn't want to go to bed early.

Even though she was an otaku, Eriri didn't suffer from social anxiety or enjoy being alone.

This tsundere girl actually loved lively atmospheres.

"If you're that free, just go to your room and play games."

(¬_¬)

Annoyed by the noise from the TV, Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke up irritably.

For a while now, there hadn't been a single complete sentence from the TV.

At the moment, Utaha was also sitting beside the sofa.

She had a laptop on her lap, writing drafts for White Album 2, stopping and starting as she went.

"Hmph." Eriri pouted but knew she was in the wrong.

(¬⤙¬ )

She didn't argue back against Kasumigaoka Utaha.

After snorting lightly, she stopped switching channels.

At that exact moment, the TV landed on a familiar program.

Super Horror.

The host was still that middle-aged man who always set up the atmosphere.

And a young girl who always played the role of the frightened, adorable one.

The moment Eriri saw this program, she immediately recalled some unpleasant memories.

( //>///<//)

She thought about changing the channel.

But she had just set the remote down.

If she switched now, wouldn't it be obvious that she was scared?

Kasumigaoka Utaha noticed the horror program on TV and chuckled softly.

"Heh, Sawamura-san, if you're scared, just change it. I understand."

(≖⩊≖)

Eriri was already feeling awkward.

Hearing that, she immediately lifted her chin.

"Who's scared? I think you're the one looking for an excuse to back out!"

(˶˃⤙˂˶)

"I never expected this—Kasumigaoka Utaha, older than me, but with such a cowardly heart."

Watching the two bicker, Kato Megumi nudged Yukima Azuma's arm.

"Sawamura-san will be okay, right?"

With her keen sense, Megumi naturally noticed that Eriri was just putting on a strong front.

Yukima Azuma helplessly shrugged.

"She should be fine. She's always terrible but enjoys playing around. You know that already."

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Hearing that, Kato Megumi couldn't hold back a small laugh.

Then, she shot a sideways glance at Yukima Azuma.

"Since you know that, why don't you stop her?"

"Well, Eriri's staying over tonight, so nothing bad will happen."

"Azuma-san, you're really mean. If Sawamura-san starts crying, you better be the one to console her."

"Your tone right now sounds like a true first wife, Megumi."

(˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Yukima Azuma couldn't resist making a jab.

At this moment, Kato Megumi truly exuded the aura of a harem's first wife.

Hearing that, Kato Megumi immediately poked Yukima Azuma's waist as a warning.

This guy was shameless—getting the benefits and still pretending otherwise.

Kato Megumi felt like she had been too soft-hearted.

Maybe she should cause a little trouble now and then, just to give this boy some headaches.

But even thinking that, when the time actually came, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

The person who always cared about him just couldn't bring herself to make things difficult for him.

(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ*.ﾟ

...

Tonight's episode of Super Horror was about the legend of Hanako in the Toilet.

Follow curr𝒆nt nov𝒆ls on fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com.

Like Sadako, this story was already well-known in Japan.

Similar to Bloody Mary in the West.

It was incredibly famous, retold multiple times, with various embellishments added.

By all logic, it shouldn't have been scary at all.

But as she watched, Eriri's expression remained somewhat unnatural.

Seeing this, Yukima Azuma picked up the remote and smiled.

"Let's check out the new anime for October instead. This horror story is getting boring."

Hearing that, Eriri immediately nodded.

But right after, she let out a soft Hmph.

With an air of arrogance, she said, "Well, since Azuma wants to watch the new anime, I guess I have no choice."

( ｰ̀εｰ́ )

Kasumigaoka Utaha glanced at Eriri with an amused expression.

But she didn't say anything more.

She did enjoy teasing Eriri.

But she always knew her limits.

She never truly bullied Eriri.

Utaha of course, wouldn't stab Eriri in the back at a time like this either.

The TV switched channels.

The new anime for October wasn't all that new.

Right now, the fantasy battle school genre was dominating.

Once this genre became popular, it would take a long time for trends to shift.

Because its formula was far too easy to copy.

Just change the name of the school and the name of the fictional power system, and voilà—a brand-new anime.

Just spend a bit of money on making the female characters look beautiful, throw in some budget for flashy battle scenes.

There would always be people who clicked in with the mindset of "as long as it looks good, it's fine."

At this point, people started calling them "toilet paper anime".

"Now that I think about it, Azuma's light novel is getting an anime adaptation soon, right?"

Watching the new anime on TV, Eriri suddenly brought it up.

Since they were all just toilet paper anime anyway, Eriri was completely sick of them.

She would occasionally go online and mock the industry, saying, "this industry is doomed."

She really wanted Yukima Azuma to step in and save the anime world.

"It's in the preparation stage. Probably airing next April or July."

"The production studio is KyoAni, so it should be worth looking forward to."

Yukima Azuma replied.

The Light Novel Youth series.

Volume 2 was already getting a full theatrical movie adaptation.

And Volume 1, which was actually more like the main story, of course had to get an anime adaptation as well.

Not that Yukima Azuma had any worries.

Plenty of anime studios, after seeing the success of Bunny Girl Senpai, were eager to take on the Saekano adaptation.

In the end, Yukima Azuma chose to collaborate with KyoAni.

KyoAni was particularly skilled at making anime with a slice-of-life style.

(Note: Dragon Maid's fight scenes are better than most other fighting anime)

Moreover, at this point in time, KyoAni was still in its golden age.

It hadn't yet suffered that heartbreaking fire incident.

After this collaboration, Yukima Azuma also wanted to invest and buy a share of KyoAni.

Not because he wanted to make money from an anime studio.

But to see if he could prevent that tragedy from happening.

Partly to rewrite the regrets of this timeline.

And partly because that fire could also serve as a stepping stone for the future.

Next year, Laplace Corporation was certain to get its first member elected to parliament.

After that, internal political struggles in Japan would begin.

This was a chess game that would have to be played sooner or later.

Yukima Azuma needed to strengthen Laplace Corporation's political capital.

Parliamentary seats were won through elections.

And right now, Japan had only two main demographics.

The elderly and the youth.

The elderly were difficult for Laplace Corporation to compete for.

Traditional industries had their limits.

But the youth were different—this was a demographic that most current politicians had already given up on.

Because they couldn't win them over.

The anime/manga industry was one of Japan's pillars, yet otaku were discriminated against everywhere.

This divide was proof of the outdated mentality of the current political class.

If they couldn't control the youth, then they would just dismiss them as insignificant.

Make them lose interest in voting, let the blank vote rate skyrocket.

Let everything rot away in the shadows.

(Note: I'm not a politician, and the author definitely isn't either.)

But Laplace Corporation could seize this entire piece of the pie.

Because Laplace Corporation was still young.

It didn't carry outdated prejudices and was easier to accept.

And the KyoAni fire—

That was a banner Laplace Corporation could raise high.

As long as that fire happened, the conflict between otaku and non-otaku would undoubtedly erupt.

When that time came, Laplace Corporation would step forward.

Prevent a renowned anime studio from perishing.

Apprehend the arsonist and deliver justice.

Win the support of the otaku community while not losing favor with non-otaku.

Because arson was something no normal person could ever tolerate.

At that moment, whether one was otaku or not would no longer matter.

Yukima Azuma's thoughts drifted far, but he quickly reined them in.

As Laplace Corporation steadily rose from nothing.

The higher he stood, the more there was to consider.

Honestly, Yukima Azuma didn't particularly enjoy this feeling.

Conversations about anime with the girls were still much more fun.

"Eh, KyoAni, huh? Feels like the king of this season has already been decided!"

ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Eriri said excitedly.

"Azuma-san, there seem to be quite a few cases of galgames getting anime adaptations, right?"

Kato Megumi wasn't too focused on the anime adaptation of Love Letter her own.

Instead, she was more interested in the game their club was developing.

The love letter Yukima Azuma had given her—

She loved it so much that she had no words left to express it.

If the anime adaptation turned into a massive success, it would merely be the perfect finishing touch.

But the project that the entire club had poured their hearts into—

If it could take another step forward, Kato Megumi would feel incredibly happy.

After all, it was the result of everyone's hard work together.

"Umu, White Album is also in the process of choosing a studio for its anime adaptation."

Yukima Azuma replied with a smile.

He was really looking forward to seeing White Album explode across forums once its anime aired.

Even though they didn't watch much of the new season's anime—

Just chatting like this was enough to make the whole group happy.

Before they knew it, time had slipped into the late night.

Although the girls were somewhat night owls—

Everyone was starting to feel a little sleepy.

The most obvious one was Kato Megumi.

She wasn't used to staying up late, and now, her small head was already resting against Yukima Azuma's shoulder.

(っ˕ -｡)ᶻ 𝗓

"Go wash up and get to bed."

Yukima Azuma said with a chuckle as he lightly pinched Kato Megumi's cheek.

Kato Megumi let out a soft Mmm in response, but she didn't seem eager to move.

In the end, it was still Yukima Azuma who helped this tuberose-scented girl to her feet.

The group headed downstairs together, making their way to the shared bathroom.

In front of the mirror, a row of cups and toothbrushes was neatly arranged.

The girls each took their own.

Eriri and Utaha were already fighting over who got to use the sink first.

( ◞•̀д•́)◞◟(•̀д•́◟ )