Breaking the Dimensional Wall

Midsummer in Tokyo.

Afternoon.

Yukio was at home with his family. Except for his elder sister who was out, his parents and younger sister were all present. The family of four had just finished eating and were sitting in the living room watching TV. However, there was an unusual and somber atmosphere permeating the room as they watched.

On the TV screen, a cartoon called "The Tale of a Model Student" was airing, and the source of the strange atmosphere was rooted in this animation.

"I feel so foolish, really," Yukio muttered as he watched a character on the TV, whose arms contorted strangely before freezing in place, bowing to the teacher with a peculiar expression. The protagonist of the anime fell into an awkward silence.

Why?

"Why did things turn out like this?"

...

I don't know if it was unfortunate or fortunate, but before I knew it, sixteen years had passed since I found myself in this parallel world.

The reason for my journey here was clicking on an incredibly fancy-looking game advertisement. Even after arriving here, Yukio had no idea what game it was. It seemed to be an online game, filled with characters with big personalities and colorful hair, all very two-dimensional.

However, there were some particularly eye-catching characters in the game. Yukio vaguely remembered seeing words like "Big Sister," "Beauty," "Breaking through the Dimensional Wall," and "Welcome to the Two-Spined Ape" in the game's ads.

Maybe my journey here has something to do with that game, Yukio thought. It seemed to be a strange game, much like "Invincible," but he couldn't fathom why clicking on it would lead to time travel.

All Yukio knew was that he had landed in a parallel world similar to his previous life. The name of this planet was different, though. It was called Blue Star. The level of technological development was comparable to that of his previous life, and his name here was also Yukio.

If anything, it was the absence of cultural products from his previous life that made Yukio realize he had crossed into a parallel universe.

As an ordinary time traveler, Yukio considered himself fortunate. He had been an orphan in his previous life, but here, after his journey, he had a family. His family was well-off, and he didn't need to struggle to make ends meet.

Plus, he had a kind elder sister and a lovely younger sister. It could be said that time travel had changed his life for the better.

However, things didn't go as Yukio had initially planned.

Despite wanting to pursue a career as a writer to support his family, Yukio found himself on a completely different path. He thought about the stories he had read in his previous life, where time travelers brought their previous works and achieved success.

Moreover, there were no cultural works from his previous life in this world, and the standard was lower than what he was used to. It seemed like he could make a name for himself in this field.

Since his father owned an animation company, Yukio decided to focus on the animation industry first. The animation industry here was even more sluggish than in his previous life, providing him with ample opportunities to showcase his talents.

Being able to work as an ordinary copywriter and earn money to support his family and assist his parents would suffice for now.

These were Yukio's initial thoughts.

But reality turned out to be different from what Yukio had envisioned.

He had hoped to become a successful copywriter. According to his expectations, he should have received praise and recognition from many people.

The scene on TV should have depicted the protagonist of "The Tale of a Model Student" helping his classmates clean up, followed by their teacher 'accidentally' witnessing the protagonist's act of kindness and praising him before straightening his school uniform.

This scene would have been followed by the protagonist's classmates and teachers being impressed by his hard work and dedication, earning him the title of the best student.

Judging from the synopsis, the story seemed positive, but...

Unluckily?

Yukio scanned the room. His father looked solemn, his gaze fixed on the TV screen. His mother wore a gentle smile, though it seemed to have frozen on her face for a while, making her expression appear somewhat stiff. As for his sister, she looked embarrassed, avoiding eye contact with the TV screen.

Someone had to break this awkward atmosphere, and if no one else would, Yukio would.

"Let's stop watching this. We've seen it plenty of times. How about we switch to 'The Tale of Yangcun'? I think that one's pretty good," Yukio suggested, feeling that someone needed to speak up.

"Again... Let's see," Yukio's father, Kenji, retrieved a cigarette from his case with trembling hands, intending to light it. However, he remembered they were at home and refrained from smoking in front of the children. He put the cigarette back with a helpless sigh, his hands still shaking.

Kenji continued to watch TV, and the atmosphere grew even more solemn.

Indeed, the person responsible for creating "The Tale of a Model Student," an animation that would go down in history, was none other than Yukio's father, Kenji, the head of the household.

Originally trained in directing, Kenji ended up working at Tianbai TV Station after graduation. He diligently served for over ten years until, for some inexplicable reason, he was put in charge of the station's animated productions. Having no prior experience in animation and harboring a natural disdain for it, Kenji fell into a pitfall.

He lacked understanding of animation production and viewed animation as mere child's play. Combined with factors like inadequate funding, it wasn't surprising that his lack of experience resulted in such a failure.