Anime Crossover: The Small Workshop System's Aggressive Feeding

Page 3

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Zhou Ye would take the initiative to speak to her. She put down her book, turned slightly towards Zhou Ye, and a playful smile appeared on her lips:

"Oh? Mr. Zhou is quite interested in such unfounded rumors? I wonder who said they didn't believe in superstition?"

"I don't believe in superstition, but I do have reverence for the mysterious," Zhou Ye said.

"After all, it's been widely circulated."

"Curiosity is the source of creativity, but it can also lead to unnecessary trouble."

Kasumigaoka Utaha said meaningfully, her gaze lingering for a moment on the band-aid on Zhou Ye's forehead.

"Especially for some people who don't even look where they're going when they walk."

Zhou Ye: “…”

He felt a throbbing pain in his forehead again. Talking to Kasumigaoka Utaha definitely required a strong mental fortitude.

"but,"

Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice carried a subtle hint of amusement, as if she were watching an interesting drama.

"This kind of collective irrational fanaticism could be a good source of new material. Writers need inspiration most of all. There have been some strange tales lately, and I'd like to capitalize on that to generate some traffic and earn some extra money to buy what I need."

Her gaze swept over the students in the classroom who were still whispering among themselves, some of whom had even already mentally prepared the three golden chapters of the script.

Zhou Ye's lips curled slightly, understanding dawning on her. Sure enough, that was the kind of thing she would say; she always stood from an observer's perspective, calmly dissecting the myriad aspects of life, as if everything were merely material for her writing.

"It seems that everything is writing material in Kasumigaoka's eyes."

Kasumigaoka Utaha slightly raised her chin, a hint of challenge flashing in her eyes:

"Isn't that right? There's a saying that goes, 'Reality is more absurd than fiction. Fiction needs logic, but reality doesn't,' and it's also more... boring."

She spoke the last two words lightly, yet with a knowing mockery of the world.

Zhou Ye didn't reply, but simply stared at her calmly for a moment.

Just then, the shrill school bell rang throughout the campus, interrupting the noise in the classroom and cutting off the silent eye contact between the two.

A middle-aged male teacher wearing glasses and looking somewhat serious walked into the classroom with his lesson plan.

"Alright, students, quiet down! Class is starting."

Kasumigaoka Utaha withdrew her gaze and refocused her attention on the book in front of her, but the slight pursing of her lips showed that her thoughts were not entirely back to the lesson. Zhou Ye also turned around to face the podium, but his mind had already wandered elsewhere.

Zhou Ye was somewhat distracted throughout the morning's classes. The teacher lectured on dry mathematical formulas at the podium, the sun shone brightly outside the window, and the faint chirping of cicadas drifted in—everything seemed so peaceful and ordinary. However, Zhou Ye's mind kept replaying his conversation with Zhu Nai and Shi Yu, analyzing every word they said and every subtle expression.

He knew he could no longer view everything around him with the same old perspective. His gentle childhood sweetheart might be a powerful demon, his sharp-tongued classmate might possess information he didn't know, and this seemingly ordinary school was a den of hidden talents, rife with undercurrents.

His gaze inadvertently swept across the back corner of the classroom. There sat a petite girl with long black hair, who always kept her head down, appearing somewhat timid and inconspicuous.

Yotsuya Miko. Zhou Ye's memories tell him that she is a girl who can see "things" that ordinary people cannot see, a classmate who silently endures immense fear and pressure.

At this moment, Miko Yotsuya sat upright, but her body was slightly tense. Her eyes kept drifting to the empty seat next to her or a corner of the classroom, her face showing undisguised paleness and fear. She seemed to be trying her best to restrain something, her fingers tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, as if seeking a tiny bit of comfort.

Zhou Ye's gaze lingered on her for a few seconds. Was this the girl who could see "ghosts"? In his previous life, he had read the manga "The Girl Who Can See," and was deeply impressed by Yotsuya Miko's experiences. The fear she endured was unimaginable for ordinary people. Living every day in a world filled with twisted, terrifying monsters, she still had to pretend to be calm and act as if she couldn't see anything, lest she be targeted by those "things."

Looking at her suppressed fear, Zhou Ye couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. In this seemingly glamorous world of crossover anime, not everyone possesses power like Himejima Akeno, with powerful backers and close friends. There are also people like Yotsuya Miko, who are passively drawn into supernatural phenomena and silently endure their suffering.

What exactly did she see? Zhou Ye looked in the direction she had glanced in terror, but there were only empty walls and a corner of the ceiling, nothing unusual. It seemed that only she could see those "things".

Zhou Ye withdrew his gaze and did not approach her. He was currently in a precarious situation, and rashly contacting Yotsuya Miko might not only be of no help but could also invite unnecessary trouble. Moreover, based on his understanding of the original work, Yotsuya Miko had always tried her best to avoid letting others know about her abilities, and he did not want to disrupt her carefully maintained daily life.

However, the existence of Yotsuya Miko also indirectly confirms the complexity of this world. Demons, fallen angels, a girl who can see ghosts... the waters of this world run deeper than he imagined.

The grueling morning classes finally ended, and the lunch break bell rang. The classroom immediately came alive again, with students leaving in twos and threes, or taking out their lunchboxes to eat.

"Zhou Ye, wanna go to the cafeteria together?" Tanaka Kenta ran over with an empty lunchbox and asked.

"No, I brought a lunchbox today." Zhou Ye pointed to his backpack. To be precise, it was given to him by Zhu Nai that morning.

"Oh, another bento from Himejima-senpai? I'm so envious!" Tanaka Kenta gave a knowing look and winked, "Then I won't disturb your time together!" With that, he dashed away.

Zhou Ye shook his head helplessly. He took out the lunchbox that Zhu Nai had prepared, which contained exquisitely prepared food with a balanced nutritional composition that looked very appetizing.

Just as he was about to open his lunchbox, a figure stopped in front of his table.

It was Kasumigaoka Utaha. She was also holding a bento box, which looked like she had made it herself.

"Does Mr. Zhou mind if I sit here?" Without waiting for Zhou Ye's reply, she pulled out the chair in front of him (Kenta Tanaka) and sat down gracefully, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Zhou Ye raised an eyebrow. What's wrong with this young lady today? She usually prefers to read or eat quietly by herself and rarely takes the initiative to get together with others, let alone with him, her "ordinary" classmate.

"Please make yourself at home, Kasumigaoka-kun." Zhou Ye opened the bento box and picked up his chopsticks.

Kasumigaoka Utaha also opened her bento box, the dishes inside equally exquisite, with a distinctly Japanese style, clearly meticulously prepared. "Zhou-kun's bento box looks quite lavish," she said casually, glancing at Zhou Ye's bento box.

"Yes, it's my childhood sweetheart's cooking skills," Zhou Ye readily admitted.

“Oh? Himejima-san?” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s lips curled into a meaningful smile. “What an enviable ‘childhood friend’ relationship.” She deliberately emphasized the words “childhood friend” with a hint of sarcasm.

Zhou Ye knew what she was implying. His relationship with Zhu Nai had always been somewhat ambiguous at school. Although they both referred to themselves as childhood friends, their overly intimate actions and Zhu Nai's occasional displays of possessiveness led many to speculate that their relationship was not so simple. Kasumigaoka Utaha was clearly one of them, and with her keen insight, she had probably already seen through Zhu Nai's true thoughts beneath her gentle smile.

"We're just ordinary neighbors," Zhou Ye mumbled, picking up a piece of tamagoyaki and putting it in his mouth. He didn't want to get too entangled with Kasumigaoka Utaha on this topic.

"Is that so?" Kasumigaoka Utaha smiled noncommittally, lowered her head to eat, and stopped talking.

For a moment, a subtle silence fell between the two. The only sound was the soft clinking of chopsticks against the lunchbox.

As Zhou Ye ate, he pondered Kasumigaoka Utaha's unusual behavior. Had she come to eat with him simply to probe his relationship with Akeno? Or had she noticed a change in him? After all, yesterday he had seemed somewhat disheveled after bumping into a wall, yet today he could calmly exchange words with her—this transformation might have caught her attention.

“Speaking of which,” Kasumigaoka Utaha suddenly spoke, breaking the silence, “Zhou-kun’s ‘abnormal’ behavior toward the old school building seems to be more than just curiosity.” She raised her head, her dark eyes staring directly at Zhou Ye, as if trying to see through him.

Zhou Ye's heart tightened, and his chopsticks paused. She was indeed testing him!

"What makes you say that, Kasumigaoka-kun?" Zhou Ye put down his chopsticks and asked calmly, "I just think it's normal for an ordinary student to be curious about strange things happening at school, isn't it?"

“An ordinary student?” Kasumigaoka Utaha repeated softly, a mocking smile playing on her lips. “A boy who can make a beautiful girl like Himejima Akeno willingly take care of his daily life and accept my ‘concern’ without batting an eye, would he be an ‘ordinary’ student?”

Her observation skills were indeed frighteningly sharp. Zhou Ye felt that his disguise was somewhat inadequate in front of her. He took a deep breath and decided to change his strategy slightly. Simply denying and hiding would only arouse more suspicion.

"Looks like I'm quite well-regarded by Kasumigaoka-kun." Zhou Ye smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in his expression. "But even if I'm not exactly 'ordinary,' my curiosity about the old school building is genuine. After all, who doesn't enjoy a little excitement and mystery?"

“Excitement and mystery are often accompanied by danger.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes sharpened. “Shu-kun, you seem to have an unusual interest in certain ‘dangerous’ things.”

Zhou Ye met her gaze without flinching: "Perhaps. After all, while a mundane life is peaceful, it's also incredibly boring, isn't it?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him for a few seconds, as if reassessing the person before her. After a moment, she suddenly chuckled, her sharpness and scrutiny vanishing, replaced by her usual languid and playful demeanor: "That's true. Mediocrity is indeed the greatest enemy of creation."

She lowered her head and continued to eat her bento slowly, as if the confrontational probing had never happened.

"However, I still want to advise Mr. Zhou that being too curious can sometimes backfire, especially in areas you don't understand."

Is this a warning, or a well-intentioned reminder?

"Thank you for reminding me, Kasumigaoka. I'll be careful." Zhou Ye picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.

Chapter 4 Personal Panel, System 10-Pull

Kasumigaoka Utaha was silent for a moment, then lowered her head and said:

“I used to be skeptical and encountered evil spirits, but I managed to escape by sheer luck. So I don’t want Zhou Jun to follow in my footsteps; without that kind of luck, it’s a dead end.”

Zhou Ye looked up at Kasumigaoka Utaha, not expecting to encounter a ghost in this crossover anime world. Hmm~ on second thought, there's nothing wrong with that.

A barely perceptible fear flickered in Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes. She pressed her lips tightly together, as if that painful memory was resurfacing. "It was a stormy night. I was walking home alone when I suddenly felt a chill behind me. When I turned around, I saw a semi-transparent figure slowly drifting towards me. Its face was distorted, and its eyes were empty, like an evil spirit that had escaped from hell."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice trembled slightly, but she still tried her best to remain calm.

“I ran with all my might until I was completely exhausted, and only then did I manage to shake it off. From then on, I became a firm believer in the supernatural.”

A ripple of emotion stirred within Zhou Ye, a feeling of sympathy for Kasumigaoka Utaha's plight, while also a sense of unease about the challenges that lay ahead.

“Zhou Jun, I know you don’t believe in these things, but in this world, nothing is impossible.”

Kasumigaoka Utaha raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Zhou Ye.

"I don't want to see you repeat my mistakes, so don't try to test your luck with any weird stories or campus legends. We're just ordinary people, not people with superpowers."

The afternoon classes proceeded uneventfully. Zhou Ye tried his best to concentrate on the lesson while secretly observing his classmates, especially Miko Yotsuya. He noticed that Miko seemed restless all afternoon, her complexion was getting worse, and she almost cried out several times, but she managed to suppress it.

It seems that she is seeing more and more "things," or rather, those "things" are becoming more and more active.

The school bell finally rang. The students, as if liberated, packed their bags and poured out of the classroom.

"Zhou Ye, shall we go together?"

Zhu Nai appeared at the entrance of Class B at some point, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Okay." Zhou Ye nodded, packed his things, and walked out of the classroom with Zhu Nai.

"How are you feeling today? Does your forehead still hurt?" Zhu Nai asked with concern as they walked up the stairs.

"Much better, I don't feel anything anymore," Zhou Ye replied.

"That's good." Zhu Nai breathed a sigh of relief, then, as if remembering something, leaned closer to Zhou Ye and whispered, "By the way, regarding the old school building, it seems the student council has decided to send people to patrol it tonight."

"Oh? So fast?"

Zhou Ye was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I heard it was Vice President Jinra who proposed it, and President Xidi agreed."

Zhu Nai said,

"After all, the rumors are getting more and more intense, and if no action is taken, it may cause unnecessary panic."

The student council is going on patrol tonight? Zhou Ye wondered if he should secretly follow them.

"When are they going?" Zhou Ye asked casually.

"It was around 8 p.m., I think."

Zhu Nai replied, "But Zhou Ye, don't do anything reckless. It's dangerous at night in the old school building. Stay home and behave yourself." She reached out and gently tapped Zhou Ye's forehead with her finger, her tone carrying a hint of warning and affection.

"I know, I'm not a child anymore, we're all the same age." Zhou Ye repeated this sentence helplessly again.

The two walked out of the school gate and parted ways at the crossroads.

"See you tomorrow." Zhu Nai waved.