The hall was silent. Kiyono didn't care about these things, but he didn't stop them either. Only after all sounds had faded did he speak:
"Miss Kousaka, please show me all your past works and game-outline proposals."
"Hm?" Kousaka Akane raised her eyebrows. "Why?"
"This is the fastest way to understand your ideas," Kiyono said. "Although I've finished reading the game proposal, if I write directly, it would become a script entirely in my personal style. Don't you want the best script? In that case, the producer's ideas should also be considered."
"I don't object to you doing this; in fact, I'm looking forward to it. But won't there be enough time?"
Kousaka Akane looked at him and suddenly said, "Didn't our agreement only involve a simple outline direction and guidance? This will waste a lot of your time today, and you won't get an extra penny."
"No, Miss Kousaka, you're wrong."
Kousaka Akane was suddenly stunned.
"An author's calling is creation, not just getting work done. A producer's calling is to guide creators to fall in love with creation, not to teach them how to just get a script done."
Kiyono said seriously, "Even if it's just an outline, if you're saving time just to fulfill an agreement, that is the true dereliction of duty for an author."
Kousaka Akane let out a soft breath, feeling an intense warmth and passion inside her. This was what she truly yearned for, but why didn't this person belong to her…?
"Furthermore, I don't consider this a waste of time." Kiyono's smile was bright. "Miss Kousaka and Kasumigaoka Utaha are both excellent creators. Reading your works is a pleasure."
The two mature women stared blankly at Kiyono, their cheeks gradually turning crimson.
As a result, Kiyono spent the entire morning engrossed in reading books and playing games. The producer lady beside him explained things while offering various snacks, making him somewhat reluctant to leave.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri, however, didn't enjoy it as much. They felt a heavy pressure, and when they left the company, they experienced the feeling of being corporate slaves for the first time.
But… it didn't feel bad.
Eriri truly felt that she could improve.
The girl looked at the warm yellow summer sunset, narrowing her eyes.
But what she didn't expect was that the storm that would change her entire life was quietly sweeping in.
?
An "outsourced" outline was not a problem for Kiyono; it barely affected his life. He only went for a period after school. While Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha transformed into high-level corporate slaves, he was still living his relaxed school life—Tokyo High School's summer vacation didn't start until mid-July, and Chiba was the same.
Those two creators had temporarily abandoned school, but as a member of the Yukinoshita family, he was strictly forbidden from being idle!
During lunch break, Kiyono pushed open the door of the Service Club with his tools.
Cicadas paced back and forth in the light spots cast through the curtain gaps, the old-fashioned ceiling fan slowly rotated, and tiny beads of sweat appeared on the girl's fair neck, making her uniform appear somewhat transparent.
The world's pointer for the "mob character" heroine was rapidly advancing, and the Service Club also welcomed new developments.
The third member of the club, nicknamed "Dumpling," whose real name was Yuigahama Yui, appeared.
Her pink hair reached her shoulders, with slight perming marks, tied into a bun with a black hairband. Her whole demeanor was bright and cute, like a puppy.
"Ya-hallo!"
Hearing the movement, the girl instantly stood up, waving at him with a clear voice, exuding an overwhelming sunny aura.
Kiyono smiled and said,
"Good afternoon, Yuigahama."
This cute-looking girl had excellent social skills—one could say she was extremely versatile. In a very short time, she advanced Yukino's friendship progress bar and also intended to build a good relationship with him, Yukino's childhood friend. He would call her Yanami Version Two.
Speaking of which, why do the "loser heroines" seem to share certain traits?
Kiyono stopped thinking and sat down, spreading out his drawing paper—he used to copy light novels in his free time at school, but now that the light novel was finished, he had switched to drawing. The second literary book still needed to be contemplated in a quiet setting.
Moreover, he had recently grown fond of drawing. The effect of this skill was different from light novels; it was genuine progress through effort. This feeling of constantly increasing experience points was addictive.
"Kiyono, what are you drawing today?"
Yuigahama, who had grown quite familiar with the boy, turned to look at him, her pink bun bobbing, and asked curiously.
"Practicing anatomy, I guess," Kiyono said casually.
"Ah…"
Yuigahama placed a finger on her cheek, her voice wavering:
"Although I don't quite understand… but this kind of practice needs a model, right?"
—Her words carried a touch of a young girl's innocence, as if she wouldn't mind being the subject.
Before Kiyono could react, Yukino frowned and suddenly spoke in a detached tone:
"Yuigahama, kindness is good, but let me warn you beforehand, this man's gaze can be quite lewd. Can you tolerate it?"
"Eh, eh, is that so!" The pink-haired girl's eyes widened, and she moved a distance away from Kiyono.
"Don't just casually ruin my good impression in others' minds!" Kiyono's mouth twitched.
"I'm merely stating facts." Yukino lightly brushed her long hair. "As someone who has personally experienced it, I should have the right to speak, shouldn't I?"
Personally experienced?
Yuigahama let out a small "wow," her sparkling gaze flitting between the two of them, her dark eyes flowing like water, filled with countless thoughts.
The girl stared at them, as if she had thought of something, and excitedly held her phone between them. The screen displayed a LINE group chat exploding with pink heart emojis.
"I heard—the success rate of confessions skyrockets by 28% before summer vacation!"
"The statistical sample has severe bias."
Yukino showed no typical girlish emotions when discussing romance; her tone carried a hint of sarcasm:
"Your so-called survey was probably only sent to those with 'love-struck' brains."
"Miss Yukino, this is the law of universal gravitation."
Kiyono, who hadn't intended to interject, heard this and deliberately talked back to her: "Carbonated bubbles rise faster in midsummer, and teenage hormones are the same principle!"
Yukino glared at him, just about to speak, when at that moment, the three suddenly paused. The Service Club door was knocked on.
"Please come in."
The next moment, the door was pulled open, and a stunningly beautiful female teacher entered with a short-haired male student.
That's right, it all makes sense. Yuigahama, the Service Club, and I, the "indomitable Hiratsuka Shizuka," are in every scene. This is everyday youth!
"Baseball Club?" Yukino recognized the characteristic.
Under Kiyono's gaze, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat down casually, crossing her round and long legs. Judging from Yukino's suddenly sharp gaze, the teacher had a rather good figure.
"That's right, the previous coach of the baseball club resigned, so I can only temporarily fill in. But my knowledge of baseball is limited to hot-blooded manga, and these guys have been practicing without a plan recently…"
She scratched her temple, and the baseball club student beside her also stepped forward.
"So, you want me to help create a training plan, right?" Yukino hit the nail on the head.
"That's about it," Teacher Hiratsuka continued. "Don't worry, I'll be with you all. After all, I'm currently the baseball club's advisor."
"Please, the tournament is coming soon. Whether we win or lose, we… don't want a year of effort to go to waste."
The short-haired student bowed deeply. Only then did Kiyono notice that he was the senior who had practiced ball with him before.
"I don't understand baseball."
Yukino pursed her lips. She glanced at Kiyono, paused for two or three seconds, then said, "However, I understand the essence of sports competition. If you don't mind, I can try with Teacher Hiratsuka."
"Me too!"
Yuigahama also energetically raised her hand, and then, the two girls' gazes simultaneously fell on Kiyono.
"I don't have that much time to practice," Kiyono rolled his eyes.
"Ah, ah."
Yuigahama smiled gently, her thick eyelashes fluttering, her big eyes looking at the boy with longing.
"I just have a feeling Kiyono would look really cool in a baseball cap!"
"A boring provocation," Kiyono imitated the second young lady's indifferent tone.
"Please don't have unrealistic fantasies about sports, Yuigahama. What do you think it looks like to wear sportswear and a hat under a thirty-four-degree sun?" Yukino once again shattered her fantasy.
"Whoa, please don't come near me, Kiyono." The pink-haired girl moved her chair away at light speed.
Kiyono lowered his head and continued to act as an emotionless drawing machine.
But… baseball, huh.
That night, Kiyono, having finished his drawing practice, took a shower and lay in bed, focused on his phone.
First, there was a message from Yukino. She said she had done a simple investigation and gathered some data, reporting her progress to him.
Eriri also sent a rare message.
"Hey, why are you drawing?"
This was a topic with a bit of hidden meaning. At least call me by my name.
"Why… didn't I tell you the reason at the beginning? Sorry, I'm a person without dreams or depth," Kiyono replied.
"I see. Then, do you find drawing fun?"
The message was instantly replied to. Kiyono could understand Eriri's feelings. It was normal for her to overthink things after suddenly moving from a relaxed doujin club to a top-tier game project.
Even now, she might be saying these words at her work desk, not lying in bed.
Her diligent posture made him think of his own talent. He was silent for a while, then sent a message:
"It's quite interesting. What do you think?"
"It used to be quite happy."
Used to be…
Kiyono frowned. He sent a few more messages, but the girl didn't reply, seemingly engrossed in work. He shook his head and closed his eyes.
He thought of Eriri, her past, her present, and then talent—these were things he hadn't thought about before. To a pragmatist who couldn't afford to live otherwise, he would desperately seize any opportunity.
In this deep, silent night, he thought of all sorts of things, gradually falling into a dream.
A hundred people have a thousand dreams.
Though dreams differ, what they yearn for always shines brightly, burning like a flame.
Eriri had a dream.
The dream began in elementary school.
She was sitting in front of the TV with her childhood friend, playing a game. She still remembered the game's name very clearly; it was a very classic fantasy GALGAME, with a moving and sad story.
The two of them cried their hearts out after reaching the ending together, and it was at that moment that Eriri officially conceived the idea of drawing doujin.
At that time, she was still very innocent. Drawing her favorite characters made her happy, being praised made her happy, and improving also made her happy… everything about drawing was full of joy.
Not only was drawing fun, but she also had talent for it, feeling herself getting better and better, which made her even happier. Even when her mother asked her what she wanted to do in the future, she would say, "I want to draw doujin!"
Then, she saw herself in middle school.
She started to formally engage with the doujin community and joined the art club at school. Whether in the community or at school, she was the best among her peers, occasionally being called a "genius."
One day, she received her first official commercial commission. When she realized she could earn money, she began drawing and selling doujin.
Then, drawing no longer seemed so joyful; it gradually became a tedious torment.
The pain of staying up all night near the deadline, the frustration of not progressing, the expectations of others… and most importantly, the unwillingness to prove something, she wanted to silence those who mocked her. She sacrificed her youth for drawing. While other girls went shopping, she buried herself in drawing at home. While other girls enjoyed gourmet food and travel, she was also drawing, and this continued until high school.
By high school, her drawing skills were already nearing maturity, and she had made a name for herself in the industry. At the same time, her skill also plateaued at this point.
But she seemed to have received fate's favor, granting her a few more years of practice time.