La Folia's expression turned a little complicated when she saw Kuroba Ayako simply pull out a checkbook, then use the opportunity to move closer to Hachiman.
As the people each major faction had sent to approach Hachiman, most of those present had the authority to act on their own.
But when it came to spending money, probably only Kuroba Ayako, who had become a Yotsuba family representative at such a young age, could casually spend tens of millions of yen to make a game.
La Folia could easily come up with the same amount of money herself, but this wasn't her own country. Not only would moving the funds be troublesome, but managing everything afterward would be as well.
Forget it. She didn't know much about GAL games anyway. There was no need to compete with everyone else over everything. It would be better for them to focus on the noble girls back in their own country.
La Folia and Charlotte exchanged a glance before quickly following after Hachiman, Kuroba Ayako, Lala, and the others.
They couldn't underestimate conglomerates like the Yotsuba family. Even after reinforcements arrived later, they couldn't let their guard down.
"They're just leaving... without even signing a contract..."
Watching Hachiman's group leave without hesitation, Sonono Nene only accepted the fact that Hachiman had invested in them after they had completely disappeared from sight. She lowered her head and counted the digits on the check over and over again.
To be honest, she'd thought she was finished just moments ago.
Even if she wanted to turn things around by betting everything on their next game becoming a hit, with the company's current finances, there was a good chance they wouldn't even be able to pay the employees halfway through development.
Not to mention that the next game might fail too. The most likely outcome was bankruptcy and dissolution, leaving her, the company president, working to pay off the debts.
She never expected, that the company would be bought before it went bankrupt.
No, not bought.
Kept!
'This has to be being kept, right?'
'Who buys a game circle like this just to make games for them?'
Thirty million yen alone might not be enough to buy all of them, but that thirty million was only the advance payment. There would be more funding afterward whenever it was needed.
Still feeling as if she were dreaming, Sonono Nene swallowed hard and turned toward the three girls standing behind her, each wearing a different expression. Awkwardly raising the check, she asked,
"Y-You all heard that... right? Are we... getting a new president?"
"Of course!"
The blonde girl with narrowed eyes, the black-haired long-haired girl with a look of disdain, and the expressionless twin-tailed girl all answered in unison without hesitation.
How could they possibly refuse now?
If they didn't accept the acquisition, the company might not even be able to pay salaries anymore.
———
"Excuse me, are you Rurika-sensei? These doujinshi are all really good."
"Y-Yes! Five hundred yen each! Feel free to take a look first, and if you buy more than two, I can even give you a discount!"
At a booth tucked away in one corner of the convention selling male-oriented adult doujin manga, a black-haired girl with long straight hair had been sitting behind the table sketching. When she unexpectedly saw a group of girls approaching, she hurriedly put down her sketchbook, stood up, and introduced the books on display.
"What do you think? I think this one's pretty good."
"Yeah! The art style's nice, and I like the theme! Oh! There's even Tifa fan art!"
"Then let's buy everything. Um... Rurika-sensei, you don't have a purchase limit here, do you?"
Marin nodded as she looked through the books together with Lumilia, fellow fans Hitomi Meda, Tsukishima Karen, and Marianna. Finding the quality of the booth's doujinshi quite good, they quickly decided to buy them all.
"No purchase limit... Wait, all of them? Um... no matter how much you like my books, wouldn't one or two each be enough?"
Hearing them, the black-haired artist Izumi Waka looked at the blonde gyaru standing in front, Marin, in disbelief. While wondering if they were joking, she couldn't help quietly reminding them.
Could these girls actually be her devoted fans?
But she'd never seen any of them before. She had no impression of them whatsoever.
If they were boys, she might suspect they were attracted by her looks.
But these customers were all girls, and every one of them was pretty and cute. There was no way they were buying her books just because she looked decent.
"Rurika-sensei, you've misunderstood. We're holding a private convention tomorrow. Right now, though, there aren't enough things being sold there, so we'd like to buy your works to help attract visitors. We'd also like your permission to display them."
Seeing that Izumi Waka looked nervous, Marin casually patted her shoulder and explained with a grin.
"Of course, if you're interested and have time, you're welcome to join us at the private convention too."
"Huh? A private convention?"
Izumi Waka stared blankly at Marin, who had casually wrapped an arm around her shoulders while smiling brightly, becoming even more confused.
She wasn't some famous artist.
She was just a small doujin... adult manga artist. Setting up a booth here wasn't so much about making money as creating for the love of it.
After all, each book sold for only five hundred yen. She couldn't carry too much with her, so she'd only brought one hundred copies.
Buying out the entire booth only cost fifty thousand yen.
That sounded cheap, but in reality, she wasn't even sure she'd be able to sell them all.
Having someone buy everything, then resell them elsewhere, she had never even imagined something like that.
She wasn't some popular manga artist whose works would appreciate in value.
"Rurika-sensei, you can think about whether you'd like to attend in person. But whether you come or not, we'll still buy all your books and pay you a licensing fee."
Seeing that Izumi Waka still seemed doubtful, Marin didn't press her further and simply continued smiling as they discussed it.
It was a little unfortunate that the creator herself might not attend, meaning they wouldn't be able to hear her thoughts while buying her works.
Still, like Hachiman, Marin never forced people.
Unlike the other small groups, she had no family members or sisters to rely on, and nearly all her close friends had already joined.
She preferred making friends with fellow fans so they could all enjoy their hobbies together with Hachiman's support in the future.
"N-No, you don't need to pay me a licensing fee. I'm already happy enough that you like my work! I may not be able to attend your private convention, but... if possible, could we exchange contact information? I'd love to hear what you think."
Izumi Waka was still a little dazed. Hearing Marin mention a licensing fee, she hurriedly waved her hands, her face reddening as she took out her phone to ask for Marin's contact information.
She had unrealistic dreams of becoming famous herself.
But if making money had really been her goal, she wouldn't have been drawing adult doujinshi in the first place.
Compared to earning money from doujin books, she'd much rather have readers genuinely appreciate her work.
Besides, these readers were all girls.
She could finally see how female readers differed from male ones.
"Rurika-sensei, there's no need to be so polite. We have plenty of funding for the convention, so paying you a licensing fee is only proper. Still, we really hope you'll come in person. We have quite a few adult manga artists like you, so you might enjoy exchanging ideas with them."
Hearing Izumi Waka refuse the money, the equally cheerful blonde beauty Hitomi Meda blinked, then immediately pulled over her childhood friend Tsukishima Karen, signaling her to show her own work and get acquainted with the doujin artist known as Rurika.
"U-Um... Rurika-sensei... I'm... interested in this kind of thing too. This is an unfinished draft. I hope you can give me some advice..."
Timid and slightly hunched over, Tsukishima Karen had no choice but to slowly take out the doujin she had drawn under Hitomi's urging and nervously hand it to Izumi Waka.
"I see... I wouldn't dare call it advice, but we can exchange contact information and learn from each other together."
Izumi Waka had originally been worried that there might be something suspicious about this private convention.
But seeing Karen timidly avoid her gaze as she offered the manuscript with both hands, looking even more uncomfortable than herself, she flipped through the unfinished adult doujin and found that Karen's anatomy and coloring were both quite good.
She immediately relaxed.
She even found herself envying Karen.
Having a gyaru friend bring an introverted, socially awkward girl like herself to conventions.
That was so nice.
Back in high school, she hadn't even dared tell anyone about her hobbies, much less admit she drew adult manga.
If she could become friends with these girls, maybe she could learn how they got along with each other and find like-minded friends at university.
Not far from Izumi Waka's booth.
Watching Marin and the others recruit people into the private convention with her own eyes, Nijika helplessly covered her face.
Marin had gone bad too.
Not only did she want to play that gyaru bullying game with Yuina and the others, she was dragging fellow fans into it as well.
Was this Hachiman's fault, or theirs?
Then again...
Ryou was always tempting her to drag her own older sister into things. "Good sisters stay together forever."
Even though she rejected the idea on the surface, part of her had already shamefully started considering it.
Maybe she wasn't really in any position to criticize.
Should she try inviting her sister to the convention this time?
There would be so many people there, and with cosplay too, Hachiman probably wouldn't notice her sister.
She'd let her sister see Hachiman's true nature first, then decide what to do based on her reaction.
"President, you came specifically to accompany Princess Lumilia and the others around the convention today, and tomorrow you'll be spending the whole day at the private convention as well, right? It's a shame there's not enough time. Otherwise, we could have invited even more enthusiasts in advance."
Kuroba Ayako glanced at Marin and the others fooling around. As she chatted with Hachiman, she scooped up some ice cream with a small spoon and held it to his lips.
If looks and figures were the only consideration, she'd definitely want to get involved herself and recruit even more beautiful girls.
She might even represent the Yotsuba family in competing privately with the Onigami Group over the location of the private hot spring convention.
Unfortunately, Marin and the others recruited people entirely by chance.
It depended on fate.
And Hachiman, the president of the Service Club, wasn't the type to force people.
Of course, Ayako thought that was actually a good thing.
With Hachiman's power, coveted by countless people, and the Service Club's current status and influence, no matter what evil deeds he wanted to commit, countless factions would line up to help him.
Even though he could easily carve out an enormous territory for himself and act however he pleased without anyone daring to provoke him, he still spent his time playing these make-believe private convention games with Marin and Lumilia.
Most days he simply went to school, only occasionally going out, while spending almost every day and night training magical girls and developing their abilities.
Perhaps Iris, the Elf Princess, being the first to meet Hachiman had something to do with it.
If the demons had reached him first instead of if Hachiman had become the Demon King's ruler, commanding countless fallen magical girls... She didn't even dare imagine the consequences.
"It wasn't just to accompany Marin and Lumilia. I'm pretty interested in conventions myself. But you don't need to worry so much, Ayako. Lumilia and I are just treating this as a hobby."
Hachiman smiled and shook his head, correcting Ayako before opening his mouth to eat the cool, refreshing ice cream she fed him.
He gently pinched Lala's cheek as she held onto his arm, then looked around at the magical barrier moving with him and couldn't help feeling emotional.
Whether in this life or his previous one, he'd never attended a convention on this scale.
He had gone to one ordinary convention in his previous life, but the experience hadn't been very good.
Most of the things sold there had simply been bought wholesale online, the same mass-produced trendy trinkets everywhere.
This convention was different.
Many circles created and sold their own original works and fan books.
Not only manga, but even time-consuming GAL games.
Although what truly made the experience wonderful for him were the beautiful girls around him, the convention Marin and the others wanted to hold was also meant to be a place where fans and creators could interact.
Otherwise, if it were only about showing up in cosplay, there'd be no point in holding a private convention.
"President, this private convention has been organized rather hastily. If you don't object, I'd like the Yotsuba family to acquire several circles and have them work for the Service Club in the future. That way, if we ever want to hold another convention like this, everything will already be in place instead of recruiting people at the last minute."
Looking at Hachiman's profile, Ayako saw that he wasn't rejecting her attention. She scooped up another spoonful of ice cream and quietly waited for another chance to feed him.
She knew Hachiman wouldn't devote much thought to this.
The Service Club had all kinds of activities, and conventions certainly wouldn't become a regular event.
Still, the Yotsuba family had more than enough money.
As long as spending it could make Hachiman happy, even for a little while, it was money well spent.
"If we buy all of them, they probably won't stay very motivated. It's better to let them develop on their own."
Hachiman shook his head, his gaze falling onto the system quest panel that only he could see.
[Character Quest Triggered, Development Frenzy]
[Flower's first adult game was a complete flop, and the company is on the verge of bankruptcy. People who don't understand eorticism can't create erotic works.]
[Let every member of Flower gain genuine firsthand experience and save the Flower circle, which cannot create good bishoujo games.]
[Quest Reward, Games Can Solve Any Problem]
Leaving aside how the strange reward title reminded him of another anime about making games...
If the quest had only required solving Flower's financial crisis or helping them make games, he wouldn't have needed to worry about it at all.
Ayako and the others could easily handle everything.
But the quest specifically required every member of Sonono Nene's circle to gain "real experience."
That meant he had to get personally involved.
"President, we don't actually need to buy the circles. We could simply bring the managers of certain circles into the club. For example, Kosaka Akane, the founder of the extremely popular doujin circle Rouge En Rouge."
Seeing that Hachiman wasn't particularly in favor of Ayako's proposal, Sawamura Sayuri smiled and offered her own suggestion.
"Kosaka Akane is very capable. Not only does she create works herself, but she's also constantly looking for talented people."
"If she's in charge, we won't have to worry much in the future whenever we want to hold another private convention."
As an ACG fan herself who often helped Eriri sell doujinshi, she knew a fair amount about the industry.
Rather than recruiting people one by one, it was better to find someone who could handle everything.
She had considered doing it herself or letting Eriri take charge.
But Hachiman clearly wasn't seriously trying to build a game company.
He was simply following a passing interest.
There was no need to focus so much on a single game circle.
As long as Eriri could participate and have some shared interests with the other Service Club members, that would be enough.
"Kosaka Akane... If Auntie Sayuri thinks she's suitable, then let's give it a try."
Hachiman hadn't expected Sawamura Sayuri to know Kosaka Akane, who had recruited Eriri in the original story.
Then again, it made perfect sense.
Compared to hobbyists like them, Kosaka Akane was unquestionably far more professional.
"President, besides games, have you ever thought about making anime?"
Kuroba Ayako glanced at Sayuri, who seemed determined to compete with her, and immediately followed up.
The Sawamura family?
The Spencer family?
It didn't matter.
There was no way Sawamura Sayuri could compete with the head of the Yotsuba family.
And Sayuri's daughter, Sawamura Eriri, was no match for Miyuki either.
Not to mention that she and the other Yotsuba branch families would all be helping.
"Anime? Ayako, don't tell me you're thinking about buying an animation studio too... We don't even know how long Marin and Lumilia's enthusiasm will last. You don't need to put so much effort into this."
Seeing Ayako's intentions couldn't have been more obvious, Hachiman smiled helplessly.
He reached out and played with one of her spiral twin-tails before resting his hand on her head and gently patting it.
"Let's not worry about that for now. We'll look around a little longer, then head back to prepare for tomorrow's convention."
Although he wouldn't abandon the Flower circle after finishing the quest, he certainly wasn't going to keep focusing on the game studio forever just because of this Development Frenzy quest.
The ones who really mattered were Marin and Lumilia.
If they lost interest, Ayako probably would too.
So he had no intention of making a huge fuss and leaving a pile of unfinished problems behind afterward.
"I'll do as you say, President. But if you ever decide to make anime or anything else, please let me help shoulder the burden."
Ayako obediently accepted it.
While taking small bites of her ice cream, she quietly pressed her small, soft body even closer against Hachiman, leaning comfortably into him to enjoy the little reward she had earned for herself.
Even so, the thoughts running through her mind never stopped.
She continued thinking about more ways to make Hachiman happy.
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