chsdbacks Page 98
Page 98
Her already expressionless, fair face grew even colder at that moment. Just as she took out her phone to hang up, her icy blue eyes caught sight of the caller ID—[Coco Hekmedia].
He is the head of HCLI, a large arms organization that monopolizes one-third of the world's arms trade and is also... the original owner of the sniper rifle in the girl's hand!
"What is it?" The girl answered the phone with a completely emotionless voice.
"Hello! Sinon-chan, how have you been lately?"
"...If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!"
"Hey, hey, hey? Don't be so heartless. We've been trading partners for a long time, no matter what. You're doing this..."
"I am hunting dangerous species."
"Ah? Oh, oh, oh! Well, I was a bit rash, sorry, sorry... I didn't expect you to be so eager to try out the new weapon as soon as you got it... Sinon-chan, that Hecate II sniper rifle you're holding is our latest achievement, it's incredibly powerful! Please be sure to take precautions for your safety! Well then! Good luck!"
"Dududu..."
The phone call came without permission, and then it was hung up without permission—Asada Shino's delicate eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and she took several deep breaths to calm the anger rising in her heart.
After putting her phone aside, Asada Shino hesitated for a few seconds before picking it up again and turning it off. Only then did she seem satisfied, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
Ten seconds later.
"boom!"
With a sound like thunderbolts striking and rocks shattering, the specially made bullet flashed with a pale blue light, drawing an extremely thin line in the air, and arrived in front of the head of the sub-dragon type dangerous species!
If slowed down countless times, one can clearly see that when the bullet touched the hardest part of the dangerous creature's skull, numerous, crisscrossing, mysterious patterns appeared on the small bullet—with the help of an unknown force, the bullet easily pierced the dragon skin covered in scales, creating a small hole in the skull, and then...
A muffled boom echoed from inside the enormous head!
The next moment, the movements of the sub-dragon type dangerous species came to an abrupt halt, and the half-eaten carcass fell from between its sharp teeth... Its originally strong and powerful hind limbs could no longer support its massive body, and it instantly collapsed to the ground, accompanied by a continuous "crackling" sound of trees being crushed, raising a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky!
Asada Shino breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this scene through the scope, and looked away from her slightly sore eyes—her own strength was not strong enough to ignore the "~the sub-dragon type dangerous species that was not killed in one hit but was instead provoked." If she really "missed" the target, she would have to leave immediately and find another opportunity to kill this dangerous species.
Fortunately, she has never made a mistake in the past...
“This bounty should be enough for me for a long time…” Asada Shino looked at the all-black “Hecate II” with a complicated expression. Others only knew her as the “Ice Sniper,” but they didn’t know… she actually suffered from a rare gun phobia. She chose this path to confront and overcome her fear…
Lying on her back on the rock, Shino Asada gazed at the azure sky, gradually relaxing her tense mind and body. Powerful Dangerous Species would divide up their own "territory," and no other Dangerous Species would appear in this "territory" except for their "master." Therefore, the situation of "resting for a while before retrieving the corpse of a Dangerous Specie" was within the "permissible" range.
Reaching for her phone, Asada Shino opened it, scrolled through the music list, and clicked on a song. She nodded gently and hummed along to the rhythm.
"How I wish our cries could echo to the ends of the earth forever, and never disappear."
"If we could, what would we say?"
"Why don't we all count 'one, two' and make a promise that will never end..."
This is the theme song for the animated film "Your Name," and Baili Xiao wrote, composed, and sang it all by himself.
Like a soft whisper in her ear, or a deeply affectionate confession, Asada Shino listened to the song and silently felt the power and emotions conveyed in it.
After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a sigh of near satisfaction, Asada Shino opened her eyes. Her unwavering gaze lingered for a second on her phone screen—where the scrolling text displayed the opening theme of the animated film "Your Name".
"【Your Name】? Let's go see it in the theater after we get back..."
P.S.: Starting in September, I'll focus solely on updating and stay out of the world (lol).
Chapter 0278 Misunderstandings can't be resolved with just a few words!
"Well then, Mr. Baili, there are some news from the group about various aspects of the 'Your Name' animated film after its release. I will keep an eye on it and let you know as soon as possible."
Akane Akasaka tidied her briefcase, gave a mature and charming smile, and stood up to walk towards the entrance.
"Then, I'll leave everything to Ms. Kousaka." Baili Xiao said this, and saw Kousaka Akane to the entrance with a slight apology. Neither he nor the others in the studio knew anything about "business" matters. From the beginning, they had troubled Kousaka Akane and Machida Sonoko with any of these things, and perhaps... it would still be like this in the future?
"It's always you asking me to do this, and although I've never complained, but..." Akane Akasaka chuckled and lowered her voice, "Sometimes, though, I do want some specific reward, like... a massage or something?"
"A massage?" Baili Xiao was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded, "Sure, Miss Hongsaka is so busy, it's only right that I give you a massage. How about next time?"
"It's settled then, don't renege on your promise later." Akane Kousaka waved her hand, her eyes glancing out of the corner of her eye at Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was watching them from the living room—the latter, only 420cm tall, was sitting with her legs crossed and arms clasped in front of her chest, quietly watching them, which inexplicably made Akane Kousaka feel a strange pressure...
(She was just a slightly cunning little girl before, but has she grown into a strong woman who's no less capable than me? I have to say, the power of love is truly amazing...)
As she felt a surge of emotion, she couldn't help but sigh—only Akane Kousaka knew that the "reward" she had just proposed was something like, "How about we go on a date just the two of us?" But the words that came out of her mouth involuntarily changed...
Because... if he actually made the request as he imagined, Baili Xiao would definitely think it was a "joke"...
Rather than being misunderstood as a joke, it's better to be realistic and ask for some achievable reward...right?
"Tap, tap..." The high heels clicked crisply on the ground as Akane Akasaka walked through the parking lot, looking up with a wry smile... There, a crescent moon cast a cool, clear light.
"For the first time, I felt that the word 'yes' was so painful..."
...
"Brother, what are you discussing with Miss Kurosaka?" Seeing Baili Xiao take a deep breath and sit down next to her, Kasumigaoka Utaha's toes twitched slightly, shaking off her slippers. Her legs, tightly wrapped in black pantyhose and outlining an almost perfect curve, were gently lifted up, and then she knelt on the sofa—she was like this, sideways, with her hands on the former's shoulders, gently massaging them.
"It's about some things related to 'Your Name'... For this animated film, everyone who watched it received a free gift, and both the second volume of the light novel and various merchandise were sold at zero profit, or even at a loss, to supporters... So far, this action hasn't generated much of a response, and sometimes I even doubt whether my previous decision was really wrong..."
At this point, Baili Xiao fell silent—the so-called "decision" naturally referred to his decision to defy all opposition and act unilaterally: "It doesn't matter if we don't make money or even lose money, as long as we can expand the influence of anime and manga and let more people know about it."
Akane Akasaka had just told him about the reactions that had taken place in the three days since the film's release, both online and in real life—almost everyone was questioning his motives, with some even saying things like, "Hey! Could these things be counterfeit?"
After all... even the dumbest person can see that this is a losing proposition. Considering that "no one would let themselves suffer a loss," many people have expressed their incomprehension and even dissatisfaction (scalpers reselling peripheral products at high prices)!
Somewhat weary, Bai Lixiao leaned against Kasumigaoka Utaha's chest, sighed, and closed his eyes. His profile was perfectly nestled in the hollow of her breasts—a position that left Kasumigaoka's hands, which had been about to massage him, somewhat at a loss. She gave him a reproachful look, chuckled, and pulled Bai Lixiao's upper body into her arms.
"Brother, don't worry so much. Everyone will understand you eventually. Because... don't you always say something like, 'People who truly love anime and manga are an incredibly cute bunch!'"
Her fair cheek brushed against Baili Xiao's hair as Kasumigaoka Utaha gently stroked it, continuing softly, "Those who question you must not understand the world of anime, or even hate it. Our initial idea was to let them know what 'anime' truly represents, right? So, whether it's questioning or insulting, in the end, things will change..."
"Ha! Ha! Shi, Shi Yu, you almost suffocated me..." Baili Xiao sighed with a wry smile as he tried to catch his breath. Then, his vision blurred and a black figure pressed down on him.
Long, flowing black hair fell down, obscuring Kasumigaoka Utaha's face, making it impossible for Hyakuli Xiao to see her expression—Hyakuli Xiao's eyebrows twitched upwards, and the smile on his lips froze in place.
You see, his wrists are currently being firmly pinned to the sofa by Kasumigaoka Utaha, his entire body in a supine position being controlled by Utaha...emmm, if their roles were reversed, this position would be perfectly normal, but now... (huh?)
"Shi, Shiyu, what's wrong with you...?"
"Brother, you've misunderstood me. It's not something that can be resolved with just a simple 'I can't breathe'!"
"Huh? A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? Um...! Shiyu, wait a minute, let's go back to the room, okay? Let's go back to the room..."
Ah, what a beautiful night! Don't you all agree?
Chapter 0279 Ram and Rem watching a movie!
At the same time, our gaze shifts to the icy, snowy lands of the far north.
"Rem, what did you think of the movie?" Stepping out of the city's largest movie theater, her pink hair swaying slightly in the cold wind, Ram turned to her younger sister, Rem, and asked, "Even though you tried to hold it in, Rem still cried, didn't she?"
“Yes, sister, it’s really touching.” Rem walked up slightly as she walked, revealing the white knee-high stockings that were originally hidden. She walked to Ram’s side, gently pressed down on the hem of her skirt with her free left hand, and then smiled again, saying, “I thought it would be a boring movie, but I didn’t expect it to be so excellent in every aspect... I guess I’ll have to thank Beatrice properly when I get back.”
"Isn't this what she wants?" Hearing Rem's words, Ram raised her hands helplessly—her small, fair hands were carrying all sorts of bags, big and small.
Inside those bags were wall lamps, posters, jackets, autographed books, keychains, figurines... In addition, there were also the highest quality DVD collector's edition and the collector's edition of the second (final) volume of the "Your Name" light novel!
It could be said that Ram and Rem's bags were filled with almost all the gifts they could get from this movie screening—except for two of them which were given away as movie tickets, the rest were all purchased with Beatrice's personal savings!
"I hadn't noticed before, Beatrice actually saved up so much money?" Opening the shopping list, and seeing the five-figure balance still hanging at the bottom of the slip of paper, Ram nodded thoughtfully—Logically speaking, Beatrice was always responsible for guarding the forbidden library and couldn't go out, and she had never shown any desire for money before...
(But now, unexpectedly, a large sum of money has been produced...) Ram stopped walking after tilting her head and thinking for two seconds as if she was thinking about something.
"Sister?" Rem noticed her twin sister's actions immediately and looked at Ram in confusion. What met her eyes was a faint smile on her sister's lips—a smile that, in Rem's hazy memory, had appeared many times when her sister took her out to cause trouble when they were little... Because they always got scolded by the adults, it remained a vivid memory to this day...
"Sister, sister, what do you want to do?" The black Lolita shoes took a half step back, stepping on the thin layer of snow—in mid-October, the snowy kingdom had already surpassed any other region to welcome the first snowfall—Rem's ice-blue eyes shone with a faint light as she timidly looked at her older sister.
"Rem, isn't it a bit early to go back like this? Haven't you been wanting to try the Western food at that British restaurant in the shopping center? How about we go try it today?"
Ram grinned, carrying far more things than Rem. But as Rem took a half-step back, Ram swiftly moved to block her path, stopping her retreat: "Rem, Rem, really don't you want to go? You can eat the most authentic foie gras, steak, and roast turkey there..."
Every word, every pause, was like a devil's whisper reaching Rem's ears. Her petite body trembled violently; she knew what her sister was about to do: "Sister, do you... do you want to use Beatrice's savings? She'll definitely be angry, she'll definitely..."
“Even if that little one gets angry, she can’t run out of the palace, right? Besides, Lady Emilia and Lord Roswaal won’t allow her to throw a tantrum in the palace.” Ram said as she walked towards the “storage area” not far away—the Oni race’s powerful physique made her feel almost weightless, but she was going to take her sister to her favorite restaurant later, and she couldn’t let others point and whisper about these things: “Let’s go, what are you waiting for?”
After hesitating for a moment, Rem stood there pacing back and forth, biting her lip inwardly. She caught up with Ram's retreating figure: "Sister, how about... we use Rem's savings? After all these years, it should be enough for a meal there..."
(The two maids who serve Emilia personally have never had a proper concept of money. They just sometimes save the change they get from shopping, and over time, it becomes what is known as their "secret stash.")
"Don't worry, Rem. As far as I know, all the 'Your Name' merchandise we bought this time was sold at zero profit—meaning Beatrice would have had to pay much more for these things! Shouldn't the savings be our reward for our hard work?"
(Huh? It seems like what my sister said isn't entirely unreasonable?) Rem stared blankly at Ram, who maintained a smile throughout, then let out a soft sigh and shook her head helplessly: "Alright, alright, Rem will just go with my sister... Honestly, I've never been able to win an argument with my sister since we were little, looks like there's no hope for me in the future..."
0 ····Requesting flowers···· ·········
"After all, she's my lovely little sister!"
"Sis, sister, stop fooling around. It would be so embarrassing if someone saw us..."
As the twin sisters chatted and laughed as they walked toward a British restaurant in the business center, the clear, crisp sound of footsteps never ceased inside the brightly lit Royal Library.
The red coat, which almost covered her entire body, was decorated with layers of pink ruffles, revealing a touch of cuteness. Her hair was permed into exaggerated twin ponytails that looked like "inverted bull horns" (can they really be called twin ponytails?), which attracted attention. She wore cute pink and purple striped stockings on her legs. Anyone who saw this girl named "Beatrice" would probably have their "girlish heart" surge and want to come up and pat her head.
.... .. 0
But... despite having a cute little face and the height of a loli or little girl, she... has a pair of dead fish eyes!
"Those two, Ram and Rem... they could have gone to see the movie premiere, but they insisted on using the excuse that 'Lady Emilia gave me a lot of work to do and I have to finish it first' to drag it out for three whole days! Hmm... it seems like I'm out of luck getting those gifts that are only given out on the premiere day..."
Despite her complaints, everyone could see the anticipation and excitement she was overflowing with—pacing back and forth in the room, sometimes even leaping onto the bed, ignoring the wrinkles in her clothes as she rolled around—she fantasized about the blissful scene of "receiving merchandise from Ram and Rem," letting out low, smug laughs...
"The movie should be over by now, Ram and Rem must be on their way back! Hehehe, let me think... I'll put the lamp here, and the posters will fill the whole room, as for..."
Muttering to herself incessantly, occasionally letting out a hentai laugh like "Kuroko," Beatrice's gaze swept across her room, her mind constantly making plans for the future...
Well! It's fortunate she didn't know what Ram and Rem were doing, otherwise... the palace wouldn't be peaceful tonight... (referring to a previous statement).
Chapter 0280 Izumi Sagiri's Strangeness!
"Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!"
Early in the morning, the electronic alarm clock suddenly rang in the room. Baili Xiao opened his eyes and saw Kasumigaoka Utaha curled up like a cat, sleeping in a position that was very cute. She was so strong and scheming in front of Eriri, but she only showed this side of herself at times like this.
A smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, but it quickly turned into a wry smile—no matter what he tried, it seemed impossible to get up without waking Shiyu...
"Hmm..." Seemingly noticing Baili Xiao's slight movement, Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a lazy soft sound from her nose, her long eyelashes fluttering as she opened her eyes, her hazy gaze falling on the former's cheek. "420": "Is it already, morning?"
"Yes, if you're sleepy, you can sleep a little longer." Leaning forward, Baili Xiao gently kissed Shi Yu's forehead with her lips, then smiled and got out of bed. Just as she was about to put on her clothes, Shi Yu sighed inexplicably behind her: "What's wrong?"
Shiyu adjusted to a more comfortable sleeping position in bed—she clearly had no intention of "getting up"—her red eyes gazed at Baili Xiao's profile, and she said with a light laugh, "Brother, if you can, I think you should take some time to go see Sagiri."
"Sagiri?" The image of Izumi Sagiri holding up her graphics tablet, waiting for his praise, flashed through his mind. Bai Lixiao frowned slightly. "What's wrong with her?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but ever since you and Eriri came back from Great Britain, Sagiri has changed... Now, she prefers to lock herself in her room every day, and sometimes she doesn't even want to come down to eat..."
Her languid and carefree expression gradually turned serious. Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed again and offered a suggestion to Hyakuri Akira: "I wanted to tell you this before, but you needed to go to Amagi to prepare for the premiere celebration, so I kept it to myself so you wouldn't worry. However... in the two days since you came back, Sagiri's behavior has become even more obvious..."