Anime rating game

"Huh...? Impossible! My brother is only two years older than me, right? How could he suddenly become an adult?"

Hayase Chinatsu stared wide-eyed, looking left and right, but couldn't find any resemblance between the person in front of her and her silly, chubby older brother.

"Hello, Chinatsu, I am Hayase Masamune from ten years in the future. I have traveled through time to the present for some reason."

"Doraemon?"

"more or less."

"Are you really my brother? You're not kidding? You don't look like it."

"I have photos and videos of my mom and me taken over the next ten years. Oh, and two years ago, I also made an animation set six years in the future. Want to see it?"

"Okay."

Hayase Chinatsu put down her schoolbag, sat down next to Masamune, and looked at the many photos on his phone, marveling at them repeatedly.

"It really is my brother! But why is your school uniform from when you were little different from my brother's?"

"Perhaps it's because of some discrepancies that we went to different schools."

"Mmm... I haven't seen my brother in so long. He ran away to Shinju crying and never came back."

After scrolling through the photos and seeing the latest one, Hayase Chinatsu suddenly spoke up:

"Wait a minute, is my relationship with my brother bad ten years from now? Why are there no pictures of me on your phone?"

"Unfortunately, in this parallel world, I am an only child..." Masamune then briefly explained the concept of parallel worlds and why his mother didn't have a second child.

"Is there no me in another world?"

"Yes, but I had a dream before that you existed. You were in an animation I made two years ago. Would you like to see what my future self looks like?"

"Okay."

"I didn't bring a charger or data cable, so the phone's battery won't last long if I watch videos. Please wait a moment while I transfer the files to my computer."

Noticing Masamune's gaze, Hayase's father nodded slightly.

"I'll use my laptop; I'm also very interested in animations that depict the future."

"Is Dad's schedule okay?"

"what you mean?"

"Ten years later, my dad counts his days down to the minute. He only comes home one day a week, and doesn't stay for long. The rest of the time he's either on business trips abroad or traveling by plane."

"I see. Ten years ago at this time, it wouldn't have been a problem. Taking a day off wouldn't have been a big deal."

……

The living room of the Hayase family in 2016.

The moment Hayase saw Chinatsu, she immediately ran back to her room, grabbed her camera, and started taking pictures.

If I had given birth to a daughter back then, this would probably be how it turned out.

Fortunately, his daughter did not inherit his height; she looks to be of normal build, just like his son.

"Chinatsu is so cute!"

"Is that a parallel world? Or a virtual illusion?" Sanzenin Nagi murmured to herself.

"What's the difference? You can't get through it anyway." Adagaki Aki snorted.

"Isn't it the same for you?"

"I'm not like you; I'm completely uninterested in time travel or anything like that."

"Then why are you here? The gate is over there, and no one is stopping you."

"What's it to you? Didn't you hear what that guy said this morning? You two aren't even close."

"...Hmph! It's better than some shameless women who still insist on clinging to someone who has already clearly stated they're not interested."

This guy!

Adagaki Aki and Sanzenin Nagi glared at each other, neither willing to back down.

I don't know why, even though we've bumped into each other a few times at gatherings before, but we weren't close, meeting again today feels like we're just not compatible.

"snort…!"

……

Ten years ago, after returning home, Masamune had been chatting with his family from ten years ago.

Although it is a parallel world, Masamune is extremely relaxed because the home environment and building layout are exactly the same.

They chatted for a long time.

She recounted her experiences from childhood to adulthood, her friendships, her daily work routine, and her future plans.

"...So, does that mean your company is going to produce four more anime series next quarter?" Hayase's father asked curiously.

"Yes, once the production team is formed, it's difficult to cut staff. Fortunately, our company has over a thousand employees, so we have enough manpower to produce five animations simultaneously without any problems."

"It seems you've really done well. Being number one in any industry is no easy feat."

Hayase's father glanced at his daughter, who was watching "Tom and Jerry" on TV in the distance, and pondered:

"I watched Masamune's Revenge this afternoon. Maybe I have a parental bias, so it's hard to give a proper evaluation."

"This Tom and Jerry series is very entertaining."

"Since it's a parallel world, can I borrow this cat and mouse pair?"

“No problem.” Masamune readily agreed.

"You produce so many animations every quarter, and you even provide the scripts yourself. Where do you get so much material?"

"To be honest, I actually saw these things in my dreams, they're kind of like superpowers."

Masamune paused for a moment, then spoke as he thought:

“Every night, I dream about interesting people and see parts of their experiences from a third-party perspective.”

It could be the past, or it could be the future.

Many dreams combined, along with some imagined interpretations, form a story.

"Is it really okay to use live-action to make animation?" Hayase's father hesitated for a moment. "For example, will the Sanzenin family agree to your anime next season?"

"If the evaluation mechanism hadn't existed, I would have buried those dreams deep in my heart and just pretended I was dreaming. But with an evaluation mechanism, it's a different story."

"Reward?"

"That's right. If it's just some personal information that isn't particularly private, and you can exchange it for superpowers, I think most people wouldn't refuse."

"That's true."

"Of the anime to be produced next quarter, the other three don't have much potential, at most 4 stars. On the other hand, Hayate the Combat Butler, with its script optimized repeatedly, already has the potential to be 5 stars. It's just a pity that there are still some issues with the voice actors."

"The character itself?"

"Yes, the best results are achieved when the person in question does the voice acting. For example, Nagi Sanzenin's voice is very unique and almost synonymous with the word 'tsundere'."

At this point, Masamune couldn't help but smile:

"Although the tsundere archetype has faded somewhat after ten years, it's only because it hasn't encountered good works or good roles."

“But Sanzenin Nagi is different. Her voice has a nasal quality, soft and bouncy like a pudding, and occasionally it has a lazy, kitten-like murmur. It is pure and has a unique penetrating power.”

"If she can perform well, the voice acting for this animation can be raised by at least half a star."

"However, she's just too lazy, which makes me really worried that she might quit."

Hayase's father glanced expressionlessly at Mashiro, who was watching anime with Chinatsu not far away, and lowered his voice to ask:

Is it okay to openly express affection for other women in front of your fiancée?

"Or are you planning to have your cake and eat it too?"

“I don’t object, but your mother will definitely not agree.”

? ?

Masamune was slightly taken aback, then shook his head repeatedly:

"How could that be? I do like Sanzenin Nagi, but it has nothing to do with romance. To be honest, it's similar to liking historical figures or TV idols."

"I can rest assured that."

Hayase's father glanced at Mashiro again, hesitated slightly, and slowly spoke:

Why do you like Shiina? Or rather, what do you like about her?

Although we haven't known each other for long, I can tell that, given your personality, romance shouldn't be that important to you.

“I guess I like her purity,” Masamune said with a smile. “People often say that you can make up for what you lack, and her pure and flawless nature is exactly what I lack.”

"Oh...? Is that so? I think you two are quite alike."

"One is influenced by one's company. Every time I'm with Mashiro, I feel like my soul is being purified, and... I feel a sense of peace and tranquility."

"I see. Let's get back to the anime. How do you plan to get the next season's anime to reach 5 stars?"

"Of the four anime series next season, only Hayate the Combat Butler has the potential to be rated 5 stars. The focus of Hayate the Combat Butler is on Nagi Sanzenin herself, but unfortunately she is too lazy, which is really worrying."

At this point, Masamune suddenly thought of the topic from that morning.

"It's a rare opportunity, I'll go visit the Sanzenin family tonight."

"If it's not too difficult, take Sanzenin Murasaki away. That way, her daughter should be able to work wholeheartedly."

"If it's too difficult, I'll just take some photos and pretend that's what I found out by hiring a detective. Every time she works hard, I'll send her a photo, like fishing."

The deeper he thought about it, the calmer Masamune became.

Whether or not we need to save someone, it's always good to meet them.

Since that's the case, let's also go and see Umaru's mother.

Speaking of which, Umaru's older brother is getting married soon, so he'll be able to attend the wedding.

Moreover, the Doma family's defenses are certainly not as tight as the Sanzenin family's, so it's a good opportunity to practice first.

"Do you need help?"