"Yuu! Chinatsu loves you to death!"
While Kamiyā Yuu was leisurely drinking tea with Uehara Etsuki in the break room, the energetic little girl Yūki Chinatsu suddenly shoved open the door, bounced behind him, hugged his face, and planted a fierce kiss on him.
Then, eyes sparkling, she raised a white slip of paper in her hand and muttered dreamily, "This year I can finally enjoy New Year's properly. As long as I have this— as long as I have money, even without a boyfriend, Mom won't nag me anymore!"
After saying that, she rubbed the slip against her cheek with a blissful expression, like a miser clutching a gold ingot.
"That's right, this society only cares about money. As long as you have money, you can do anything! Yukichi, Chinatsu loves you too!"
—Calm down, that's not Yukichi.
Kamiyā Yuu's mouth twitched, unsure what expression he should make.
The so-called "Yukichi" referred to the portrait printed on the 10,000 yen note—Fukuzawa Yukichi, the educator and thinker who founded Japan's first university. Chinatsu calling money "Yukichi" was basically equivalent to people in China calling RMB "Chairman Mao" or "waifubux."
That white slip should have been the monthly salary statement Morishita Aoi had settled for her.
When it came to salaries, Kamiyā Yuu had no intention of cutting corners. He believed the 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio would inevitably become a titan of the anime industry. The projects he intended to produce in the early stages would all be popular hits, so there was no need to worry about funding issues. For example, 'RWBY' itself was a money-printing machine.
Not long after 'Yellow—Ashen Paradise' was released, the company "Fake Book" transferred a licensing fee of 300,000 US dollars. They also promised to purchase the next character promotional animation Kamiyā Yuu released for 600,000 US dollars.
Worth mentioning was that during this period, "Fake Book" had more than once attempted to buy out all rights to 'RWBY' rather than just the licensing rights. They even offered the sky-high price of 5 million US dollars and promised full support for Kamiyā Yuu's future productions.
Naturally, Kamiyā Yuu could never agree.
If he did, he would essentially become nothing more than a high-level hired worker. It was the same principle as Kyoni Animation Company producing anime—no matter how profitable the work became later, none of it would have anything to do with him.
Since funds were not tight, employees like Yūki Chinatsu deserved rewards proportional to the effort they put in.
This month, Uehara Etsuki's salary plus bonus totaled 700,000 yen—200,000 yen more than when she worked at Kyoni Animation Company.
Morishita Aoi and Yūki Chinatsu both received 600,000 yen, a huge increase compared to their previous jobs at Kyoni Animation Company. On top of that, the company also covered various social insurance payments.
This month's expenditures for the 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio were above 10 million yen. That was even after prepaying a full year's office rent and covering all expenses related to producing 'Yellow—Ashen Paradise.' Next month, those expenses would probably be cut in half.
However, this month alone, 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio earned a massive licensing fee of 300,000 US dollars through 'Yellow—Ashen Paradise,' not to mention the immeasurable potential economic benefits it created.
Kamiyā Yuu was still producing promotional animations for the 'RWBY' characters. Once he began work on the theatrical animation, the returns would far exceed what they were earning now.
The economic value generated by a short 3D animation and a full animated film was not something that could be calculated with simple addition and subtraction.
"Chinatsu, would you like some tea?" Uehara Etsuki asked with a gentle smile as she placed a cup of freshly prepared hot matcha beside her.
Dressed in an elegant pale-white kimono, she matched perfectly with the tranquil atmosphere of the Japanese tea ceremony.
Yūki Chinatsu tucked away her payslip and giggled. "Wait, I'll go get snacks and my computer. Ah~ Yuu, what do you want to eat? Since you're being so generous, I'll even let you pick the potato chips."
It was obvious she intended to pair the carefully prepared traditional tea with modern junk food, which in itself was disrespectful to the spirit of the Japanese tea ceremony.
"No thanks."
Kamiyā Yuu waved helplessly. After she left, he looked at Uehara Etsuki and sighed.
"Sensei, is it really okay for you to spoil her this much?"
"Isn't it quite enjoyable?" Uehara Etsuki replied with a smiling expression.
The way she treated Yūki Chinatsu was completely like treating a child. That was probably why Chinatsu initially claimed to dislike Uehara Etsuki.
But after spending time at the 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio, the pitiful Chinatsu had long forgotten her original resolve, completely conquered by Uehara Etsuki's lollipops and various gentle tactics.
Knock knock.
The wooden door to the break room was tapped several times before Morishita Aoi entered and handed a document to Kamiyā Yuu.
"This is the company's cash flow report for this month. Please review it."
Kamiyā Yuu flipped through it briefly before setting it aside with a smile.
"Come have some tea too. You've worked hard lately, Aoi."
Morishita Aoi nodded and sat beside him. After accepting the hot tea Uehara Etsuki handed her, she didn't drink it immediately. Instead, she asked Kamiyā Yuu in a contemplative tone:
"Yuu, have you been treating me like some kind of assistant lately?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Haven't I been handling these kinds of matters the whole time recently?"
Morishita Aoi habitually brushed aside the short hair near her ear. Her beautiful pale profile lacked its usual sternness.
Covering her mouth with her sleeve, Uehara Etsuki chuckled softly.
"Among us, only Aoi can handle this sort of work. Actually, I think compared to being a key animator, Aoi is indeed more suited to a role like an assistant."
Morishita Aoi crossed her smooth legs wrapped in sheer black stockings and shook her head.
"That's not exactly something that makes me happy to hear."
Kamiyā Yuu explained as well:
"Actually, I think the same as Sensei, but I also want to hear your opinion. If you don't want to keep handling this sort of work, I'll arrange tasks for you similar to Sensei's."
Morishita Aoi turned her head and sized Kamiyā Yuu up from top to bottom. After a long while, she suddenly burst into charming laughter.
"If I don't take over, nobody else here can handle these things. You two are equally sly."
She sighed helplessly.
"Forget it. It's not like I dislike dealing with this kind of work anyway."
How could Kamiyā Yuu's little schemes escape a seasoned workplace veteran like Morishita Aoi? He was simply following along with Uehara Etsuki's words and advancing by retreating.
"I'm back! What are you all talking about?"
Yūki Chinatsu walked in carrying a huge pile of snacks and asked curiously.
"We were talking about Aoi's work responsibilities. Can you even finish all those snacks?" Kamiyā Yuu asked speechlessly as he looked at the mountain of snacks covering Chinatsu's face.
The snack pile formed a striking contrast with her petite body.
Yūki Chinatsu shot him a disdainful glare and snorted.
"Yuu, haven't you heard? Snacks go into a woman's second stomach."
—I've heard people say that about desserts, but snacks? What kind of nonsense is that?
"Sure, sure. As long as you like it. But just so we're clear, you know what happens if you open snacks and don't finish them."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled pleasantly, though his expression looked anything but friendly.
"Ugh..."
Yūki Chinatsu instantly lost confidence.
She quickly ran to Uehara Etsuki's side, piled the snacks, and giggled.
"Hehe, when that happens, Etsuki will help me deal with them."
—This girl... when did she learn to use Sensei as a shield?
Kamiyā Yuu was momentarily stunned inside.
The scene caused a gentle smile to rise on Morishita Aoi's lips.
The biggest reason she didn't dislike handling those affairs was because of this place. Staying at the [Yosuganosora] Animation Studio gave her a sense of ease she had never experienced before.