In the quiet room, only the tapping of a keyboard echoed softly. Kamiyā Yuu stared intently at the document on his desktop computer. After a pause, he rested his chin on his hand, thought for a moment, then switched windows to a chat program—"Distant Sky Chatroom."
Japan had many chat tools similar to QQ, but they were varied and not the primary means of communication for most people. Socially, platforms closer to Twitter were more widely used.
For convenience, Kamiyā Yuu had everyone register accounts on a relatively well-known domestic chat platform and created this "Distant Sky" group. The purpose was simple: to contact each other quickly during work.
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "Is Uehara-sensei here?"
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Not here~ ╰(*°▽°*)╯"
Despite being such a composed and capable professional in real life, Kamiyā Yuu found it hard to imagine her acting as cute as these emoticons—except when she was drunk. Online, Morishita Aoi seemed like a completely different person. Not as silly as when intoxicated, but somewhere between her usual self and that carefree state. According to Uehara Etsuki, this online persona was actually closer to her true self, as she had been when she first entered society.
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "Aoi, I wasn't calling you."
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "I'm so bored. (;′⌒`) It's all your fault for dumping all the work on Etsuki. You could share some of that enthusiasm with me."
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "Aoi, I've noticed you're completely different when drunk and when online. Besides, didn't I ask you to handle the studio setup?"
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Σ(⊙▽⊙ I've always been like this online. The paperwork's already done—now we just wait for the computers to arrive tomorrow."
Kamiyā Yuu was momentarily speechless. It had only been three days, yet she had already completed such complex procedures and preparations. Fujiwara Tora's recommendation had indeed been spot-on.
Purple Embroidery joined the chatroom.
In this software, joining the chatroom didn't mean logging in—it meant the person had seen the messages and decided to participate.
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "…Hello."
After nearly half a minute, she finally typed that short greeting.
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "Sensei, you're here. Did you receive the documents I sent? I'd like to ask you to design a city with an old American West style."
This kind of architectural design heavily tested a key animator's fundamentals, and Etsuki was the best candidate in his plan—no contest.
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "…Typing… hard… understood."
That was roughly what her fragmented wording conveyed.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Etsuki is really bad with electronic devices. At most, she can use an old landline. (proud)"
She seemed oddly pleased to have found something she was better at than Uehara Etsuki.
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "Not… essential… to life… doesn't matter. It's fine… Zi will teach me. Learning now."
The "Zi" she mentioned was likely her bodyguard and roommate—a woman who gave Kamiyā Yuu a strong sense of danger, making him instinctively want to keep his distance.
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "I can tell. This time, I want to make some adjustments to the design in the document. The overall style should stay around the American West of the 60s or 70s, but not entirely. It needs to convey danger—something that creates tension when people see it."
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "No… problem."
Yuu no Sora joined the chatroom…
Yuu no Sora (Kamiyā Sora): "Good evening."
When the chatroom was first created, Kamiyā Sora had also been added as his assistant. Both Uehara Etsuki and Morishita Aoi already knew about her, so her presence wasn't surprising. This also wasn't their first online interaction.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Oh~ good evening!"
Yuu no Sora (Kamiyā Sora): "What are you discussing? Is there anything I can help with? Modeling, character design, anything like that."
She sounded very enthusiastic.
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "You're still a beginner in those areas, right? Just focus on managing the 'Yosuganosora' account. You understand the concept design of the second part, 'Yellow—Ashen Paradise,' better than anyone except me. It's fine to tease a little information to the fans. And don't lie in bed eating chips while using your laptop."
Kamiyā Yuu glanced back, seeing her lounging comfortably, clearly caught in the act, and shook his head helplessly.
Noticing his gaze, Kamiyā Sora made a playful face at him, then set aside the chips.
Yuu no Sora (Kamiyā Sora): "Hmm… then will Yuu feed me? I'm too busy to take my hands off the keyboard."
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "You two siblings have such a good relationship. Even the chatroom name suits you."
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "Well… It's not entirely a sibling relationship."
He had no intention of hiding it. Since they weren't related by blood, concealing it would only create misunderstandings.
Yuu no Sora (Kamiyā Sora): "Mm~ we're also a couple."
She typed that with a slight smile, clearly enjoying declaring her claim over him.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "!?"
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "!?"
The chatroom fell into a subtle silence…
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "We're not related by blood. We've basically been like fiancés since childhood."
He quickly clarified to avoid unnecessary complications. In a sense, that explanation wasn't wrong—and it prevented further awkward questions.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Oh~!"
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "That's… unexpected."
En no Sora (Kamiyā Yuu): "That's about it. Sensei, I'll leave the city design to you. Aoi, let me know once the computers arrive—I need to make some adjustments to the software."
He turned to glare at Sora, only to be met with her mischievous laughter.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "It'll take about another day. I arranged five computers in total—three brand-new high-end machines and two older ones recovered from the company after discussing with the president. They're still professional-grade. I've already had them delivered to the studio location, and technicians will install the network tomorrow."
Yuu no Sora (Kamiyā Sora): "Aoi-san, that's amazing."
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): (proud)
Purple Embroidery (Uehara Etsuki): "Then… I'll… go work."
Purple Embroidery left the chatroom.
En no Sora left the chatroom
Yuu no Sora left the chatroom.
Sunflower (Morishita Aoi): "Eh… leaving so soon!?"
Sunflower left the chatroom