In a crossover anime, do you believe that a machine spirit can defeat a fake human?

......

Upon arriving at the agreed meeting place, Chen Yi spotted Hiratsuka Shizuka in her signature white lab coat with a black undershirt from afar and waved to her.

"Good morning." Ms. Hiratsuka was smoking by the car door when she saw Chen Yi walking over and nodded in greeting.

"Bringing so much stuff?" She looked at Chen Yi's two suitcases, the belt on his waist, and the guitar bag on his back, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Prevention is better than cure." Chen Yi smiled, offered no explanation, and stuffed his own and Sakurajima Mai's suitcases into the back seat of the van.

"Have they arrived yet?" Chen Yi asked after carrying the luggage upstairs.

“Yotsuya-kun just went to buy drinks,” Hiratsuka Shizuka explained. “The others haven’t yet.”

"Chen-kun has arrived? Good morning!" Yotsuya-kun happened to return at that moment and saw Chen Yi standing outside the car chatting with Hiratsuka-sensei.

Miko Yotsuya was dressed in a beige cotton T-shirt and trousers, looking quite plain.

"Good morning, Yotsuya-kun." Chen Yi nodded.

"Chen-kun's outfit today... is so cool." Yotsuya Miko looked him over carefully and praised him.

"It's mainly about temperament. Chen Jun usually seems very reserved, but when he wears clothes suitable for outdoor sports, he actually has a sharper feel to them."

"Thank you?" Chen Yi nodded and looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka. "By the way, doesn't Hiratsuka-sensei wear a hat? Doesn't it get sunny?"

Be careful not to get a tan and become ugly. Chen Yi thought to himself.

"The weather's alright today, not too sunny," Hiratsuka Shizuka said stubbornly.

Seeing Hiratsuka-sensei's embarrassment, Chen Yi's lips curled up wildly beneath his mask, but his words remained calm.

"I have a spare one in my suitcase, do you want me to bring it over?"

"...Thank you."

The third person to arrive was Yukinoshita, who drove there.

Chen Yi watched her get out of the car, drag her suitcase over, and greet everyone.

Chen Yi felt a gaze fixed on him. He turned around and met Yukinoshita Haruno's eyes in the driver's seat.

She blinked and made a peace sign.

Chen Yi nodded to the other party as a greeting.

Next up is Yui, whose clothing is similar to Mai Sakurajima's. She's also the cheerful type, but if she doesn't take proper sun protection, she might turn into a dark-skinned stunner.

The last one to arrive was Kasumigaoka. Luckily, she wasn't late. She was wearing black stockings that highlighted her personal style, as well as a sailor uniform that exuded youthful charm.

"Where's Kato?" Chen Yi suddenly remembered that there seemed to be one person missing.

"Chen, I've been here for a while." Standing next to Chen Yi, she nudged his arm.

"Huh? Oh..."

The ability to conceal one's aura must have already reached its pinnacle.

Chen Yi thought of it.

"Now that everyone's here, let's get in the car." Hiratsuka-sensei put the unlit cigarette back into the pack, called out, and opened the car door to get in.

This van is rented and can seat twelve people, so it's practically a minibus. You don't have to worry about squeezing in with other people.

Chen Yi sat at the back of the car, propping up his guitar case on the empty seat next to him, just in case something happened. Sakurajima Mai sat on his other side by the window, watching the scenery rushing past with great interest.

"Chen-kun, would you like to try this?" Before the car had even left Chiba city, Yui-hama was already eagerly sharing the snacks she had brought with her.

"Thank you." Chen Yi took it and handed it to Sakurajima Mai.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Mai Sakurajima asked, snapping out of her daze.

"I'm not hungry yet. If you're craving something, go ahead and eat." Chen Yi shook his head. He rarely ate anything other than the three necessary meals a day, and he had no appetite for it.

Speaking of which...

Chen Yi recalled the 'international superstar' plan that had come to him earlier.

That's a bit unrealistic.

However, there is an even simpler path that can be tried: to accumulate followers as a video blogger and one day reveal Mai Sakurajima's existence all at once.

How to become a video blogger? How to make videos?

Without hesitation, Chen Yi searched for relevant tutorials on YouTube.

"Editing, creativity, and luck..." Chen Yi searched his mind, slowly setting a tone.

"What are you looking at, junior?" Kasumigaoka turned around, intending to chat with Chen Yi for a while, but seeing Chen Yi engrossed in scrolling through his phone, he couldn't help but come over and ask.

"YouTube, I'd like to try making videos," Chen Yi replied casually.

If I were to start from my strengths... a drone blogger? The things I build, people would immediately realize at a glance that they're not meant for the right purpose.

Are we going to create a special set of mechanical dogs and androids just for filming?

"Yi-kun wants to make videos? What kind of videos do you want to make?" Mai Sakurajima, who had been eavesdropping on Chen Yi's conversation, couldn't help but ask.

"As a senior in the entertainment industry, perhaps I can offer you some ideas for script design?"

"A lot of videos online are scripted, right? If you don't mind, I can help you think of one, okay?"

Mai Sakurajima and Kasumigaoka spoke almost simultaneously, with the former glaring at the oblivious latter.

If Mai Sakurajima were to be seen by Kasumigaoka, a bloodbath would probably erupt in the back row right now.

"No need." Chen Yi shook his head, a brand new but crazy idea flashing through his mind.

Become a hero who hunts down fakes in front of the camera?

Summer Vacation: Chapter Ninety-Seven: On the Road

This idea is still too crazy and unrealistic. Does he really want to fight them in the night and in the rain, on their home turf?

They're sweating buckets playing at home, so going to the other team's home ground is just feeding them easy prey.

Chen Yi rejected the idea.

Since things have come to this, let's see how other tech bloggers make videos and learn from their experience.

Just as Chen Yi was thinking this, Mai Sakurajima suddenly leaned in and pressed her head against his shoulder.

"Huh?" Chen Yi was slightly puzzled. He turned his head and found that the other person had fallen asleep at some point.

Maybe you didn't sleep well last night?

Chen Yi thought to himself.

"Junior." Kasumigaoka tried to bother him again.

How do I look in this outfit today?

"I seem to remember that Hiratsuka-sensei's schedule included hiking? Aren't you afraid of getting snagged in those black stockings?" Chen Yi retorted expressionlessly.

"Huh? Weren't we supposed to go to the beach?" Kasumigaoka was dumbfounded.

Clearly, I didn't listen carefully last time in the Service Department.

“It’s not just for a day or two, we can’t spend a whole week at the beach.” Chen Yi sent a copy of the detailed itinerary from the chat group to his senior.

"I see..."

"But it doesn't really matter, since it's not an outdoor trek and most of the scenic spots we visit have man-made roads."

Having dealt with the daily annoyances from Kasumigaoka, Chen Yi once again immersed himself in researching how to shoot videos.

“Chen-kun…” This time it was Yotsuya Miko.

"Would you like some water?" She held a bottle of purified water and walked to the back row to hand it to him.

"Thank you, Yotsuya-kun." Chen Yi took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

"It takes at least three hours to drive from Chiba to Izu. Chen-kun, you should get some sleep, or you'll get very tired," Yotsuya casually mentioned before returning to his seat.

"Yes, I will." Chen Yi casually swiped to the next video and answered casually.

A hand quietly rested on Chen Yi's thigh. He came to his senses and realized that Mai Sakurajima had somehow shifted her weight onto him.

Why aren't you wearing a seatbelt?

Chen Yi helped her sit up, reached over to the window, pulled the seatbelt over and fastened it, and stared at her intently for a while.

"Are you really not pretending to be asleep?" Chen Yi asked seriously.

...There was no reaction at all; it seems she really is asleep.

He turned his phone back on and found a message from Megumi Kato.

"Chen, who's sitting next to you?"

Lightning strikes at the opening ceremony.

Chen Yi typed two words, then felt they were inappropriate and deleted them all, finding himself in an awkward situation where he didn't know how to reply.

Wait a minute, it wouldn't hurt to let her know, so why am I feeling guilty?

Chen Yi suddenly realized.

'You can see?' So he decided to confess.

So, it really does exist.

Unexpectedly, every word Kato said was beyond Chen Yi's expectations.

Chen Yi was thus caught in a dilemma about whether Kato Megumi could see it or not.

Yes, there is. So what did you see?

'Sometimes when Chen is alone, he exhibits emotions and behaviors that he only displays when interacting with others.'

Kato Megumi sent a cryptic message.

There is indeed someone sitting there. Well, just think of them as my imaginary friend.

'So this is a superpower?'

Kato Megumi's perceptiveness far surpassed that of the other members of the Service Department; she saw through Chen Yi's deception instantly.

You can understand it as...

Chen Yi used abstract metaphors to explain the phenomena he had summarized, along with the observer theory that Futaba had mentioned, to Kato Megumi, and waited for her reaction.

"I understand, Chen," Kato Megumi replied.

'Do you need me to keep this from them?'

'Why hide it? There's nothing to hide.'

Chen Yi was puzzled.

"Oh, I thought Miss X was Chen's lover."

"That's not true," Chen Yi clarified.

After that, Kato Megumi stopped talking. Chen Yi looked over and saw that she was looking at the scenery outside the window, her beret neatly placed on her lap.

......

After a three-hour drive through bustling Tokyo, we arrived in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, located in the southwest, at noon.

The first few days of the trip were planned to be spent at the beach. Hiratsuka Shizuka had already booked a seaside hotel, and after driving into Izu City, she rushed to the hotel to check in.

The hotel suites had a wide view and were all on the same floor, so they could look out for each other. The only downside was that Chen Yi's suite was a bit far from the others and only had one bed.

You can sleep in the bed tonight.

Hiratsuka-sensei doesn't remember Sakurajima Mai's existence; he didn't consider this when booking the room, so he can only blame himself for forgetting to remind her.

"Why don't we just sleep together?"

"There's no room here. You could just roll over and fall off," Chen Yi refused.

"Commander, the pipes inside the house have been inspected. There are no obvious biological traces, nor have any miniature cameras been found."

Most of the 'fairies' flying around the room had completed their initial reconnaissance mission and automatically flew back into the box.

"No rats or cockroaches either?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow.