Chapter 17. Even Fine Wine Fears a Deep Alley
"Sons, I'm back~"
Because it was still early after dinner, Xander took another stroll around St. Freya, and only when the sky was completely dark did he return to the hotel.
He opened the door to their assigned suite, and upon seeing his three "sons," he immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Scram~" ×3
The three of them were lying in a row on the sofa, looking limp all over.
Even cursing him seemed to take effort.
"What's this about?
Why are you all lying down?"
At that, Kirito and Ken Sugisaki turned their heads without a word.
Only Iori Kitahara showed a moved expression; looking at Xander, he sighed, "I feel no regrets in this life."
...
Alright then.
Looks like he's very satisfied with the services arranged for tonight.
"Okay, fun's fun, but don't forget to clear my game tonight.
Otherwise, as staff tomorrow, wouldn't it be too embarrassing if you don't even know the game you're in charge of?"
"Indeed."
Xander's reminder made the three slowly sit up.
They nodded in agreement.
They took out the computer slated for tomorrow's demo, hooked it up to the living room projector, then had Kirito—the acknowledged gaming ace—take the controls, with the other two flanking him on the left and right to watch.
"Relax.
Even if your game is boring as heck, we'll grit our teeth and clear it!"
Iori Kitahara patted his chest and promised.
"Mm, but I still have faith in my game's quality."
Smiling, Xander placed a box of tissues on the table and told them, "You might need these in a moment."
"Hm?
Don't tell me you made one of those lewd games?"
The three were puzzled.
"No, I'm worried you'll be crying with nothing to wipe with."
"'Cry?'"
Xander's words made all three scoff, especially Iori Kitahara, who swore, "Cry?
Come on, Xander, don't be ridiculous.
If this game can make me cry, I'll wash my hair while doing a handstand."
"Alright, noted."
"Heh~ Kazuto, start it already.
I'm curious what kind of game could make this guy Xander talk so big."
"Mm."
Kirito nodded and opened the only game icon on the desktop.
The window popped up.
On the screen, an icon flashed first—the logo reading "Gensokyo" against a background of red-and-white Yin-Yang Orbs—then a flowing BGM slowly began to play.
Hearing that, Xander smiled, opened the door, and went back to his room to sleep and rest.
Once tomorrow starts, it'll be busy!
...
The next day, Xander got up early.
After washing up, he went out to buy breakfast for the three "sons."
When he set the breakfasts on the table, he immediately noticed the box of tissues had clearly been used up by half compared to yesterday, and he couldn't help but laugh.
After a bit, the three, their eyes still a little red, slowly came out of their rooms.
They looked at each other, then at the grinning Xander, and instantly wore awkward expressions.
"Get me a basin of hot water."
Iori Kitahara suddenly said to Ken Sugisaki.
"What for?"
Casting a slightly irritable glance at Xander, Iori Kitahara snapped, "To wash my hair, what else!"
"Pfft~ alright, alright, I'll get it!"
"Tsk."
Turning back, Iori Kitahara looked at Xander and said, "This time, you win."
"I'm looking forward to your performance."
...
Then, under Kirito's astonished gaze, Iori Kitahara performed a bona fide handstand hair-wash.
It had to be said—his physical ability was absurd.
After breakfast, the group thundered off to the venue.
Compared to yesterday, when only staff were around, today's venue was far livelier.
Many players who had come for the reputation stood outside with expectation, huddled in little circles, chattering excitedly.
"So many people~"
On tiptoe, taking in the line stretching out of sight, Iori Kitahara spoke with some emotion.
"This is the world's most famous small-games festival.
Even if the games are small in scope, lots of interesting ideas pop up, so it's very popular among players."
As a seasoned gamer, Kirito was no stranger to this.
They didn't look for long, and soon got inside via the staff passage with their badges.
Just then, Kirito leaned toward Xander, frowned slightly, and whispered, "Xander, I've got a bad feeling about what's coming."
"I know."
"Your game is indeed great, but for a story-driven title, the disadvantage at an offline exhibition is just too big... Wait, you know?"
"Yeah."
As the developer, how could he not be aware of Kazuto's concerns?
Without name recognition, isn't it all about drawing people in with a hook?
Others might rely on gorgeous CG, flashy combat, or unique level designs to grab attention in a short time.
But him?
On those decades-old pixel graphics?
He'd planned to let word of mouth ferment and supplement it with some paid copy for publicity—the game really was good, not bragging—but before doing any of that, he'd already drawn a trump card that simply couldn't lose.
"If you'd been paying close attention yesterday, you wouldn't be asking me this today."
"?"
Patting Kirito on the shoulder, Xander smiled and said, "Relax.
Even if my game had only a single blank CG, it would still blow up."
"?"
Kirito didn't understand why Xander was so confident, but since he said so, Kirito could only nod lightly.
Soon, it was time for the exhibition to start.
Iori Kitahara and the others were all on high alert, seated at their stations awaiting players.
However, Kirito's concerns were justified.
Over the course of the entire day, their booth was less "a few visitors" and more "utterly deserted."
Curious passersby took one look at the pixel art and immediately lost interest.
The few who did try it put down the mouse within two minutes to look at other games.
The only person who stayed long didn't even touch the game—just sat with headphones on, listening to music for ages.
In circumstances like this, narrative-driven games were at a crushing disadvantage.
"Hey, you okay?"
Ken Sugisaki asked Xander with some concern.
"Relax, I'm fine.
This situation was within expectations."
"Mmph.
In this day and age, even fine wine fears a deep alley.
Why not buy some promotion?
For such a great game, it'd be a shame if it got buried."
"Who said I don't have any promotion?"
The sudden retort made Ken Sugisaki freeze.
"Huh?
But today's visitors..."
"Don't worry, the timing's about right.
Give it two more days and you'll see.
Oh, and these next few days, turn in early and conserve your energy~"
"?"
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