Izumi Chihiro believed he had done a good deed, comforting the lonely heart of a young girl.
Ozaki Mako achieved her wish and was very happy.
Nishikino Maki inexplicably gained a friend who could truly treat her well.
Everyone had a bright future.
After resolving this matter, life at school returned to an uneventful state.
Listening to the joyful laughter of his classmates, watching the clouds roll across the sky.
Suddenly, the weekend was approaching.
"Tomorrow I'm going to Sawamura to test play a game, so I won't be back for lunch…"
Izumi Chihiro brought this up at the dinner table on Friday evening.
His parents didn't say much after hearing about it.
After all, he had visited many times, so there was no need to worry about etiquette.
"Will it take that long?"
Sagiri frowned.
"That's right, I wrote a script for Eriri's club before, and the production is almost complete recently, so I wanted to try it out first to see the quality."
He explained in detail.
"It's a gal game."
Sagiri understood.
She still knew the scope of that club's industry.
For this kind of game, if you want to play through multiple routes without fast-forwarding, it's entirely possible to spend dozens of hours.
So, it was understandable that he wouldn't be back for lunch.
"What kind of… is it, exactly?"
She couldn't help but become curious.
"It's a youth romance daily life style."
Izumi Chihiro said without hesitation.
"Eh? Can Ni-san handle this style of work? This… it's not that I don't believe in Ni-san, it just feels a bit incongruous."
Sagiri carefully chose her words, afraid of hurting her brother's self-esteem.
"Speaking of which, Sagiri, you probably don't know, do you? My first submitted work was in that style, but because Sonoko judged that I couldn't write the essence of a romance novel at the time… that's why demon slayer came later."
Izumi Chihiro recalled.
"It seems there was such a thing… I thought Ni-san's submission was successful directly, so there was this layer of connection?"
Reminded by him, Sagiri immediately remembered.
"That's right, I actually had the script perfected at the time, but I wasn't able to portray the characters' emotions very well. However, if it's now, it should be no problem…"
Izumi Chihiro's answer was slightly modest.
The fact that he received recognition from Eriri's team and they decided to produce the game based on his script indicates that after a year of intensive study, besides improving his writing skills, he truly paid attention to the characteristics of this type of work, and the script he wrote was satisfactory enough.
"I see, it seems my worries were unnecessary. Ni-san's abilities are definitely reliable."
Sagiri suddenly realized and said.
Given Sister Eriri's serious approach to work, since they decided to collaborate, she definitely wouldn't be perfunctory or just accommodate her brother. It must have been after receiving recognition from a professional team that this galgame was produced.
Otherwise, it would have died in its infancy.
Of course, being able to do it is one thing; how well it's done is another.
Although he believed his script was quite good and the romantic plotline was handled well, the elements of a successful game are by no means limited to just these.
Light novels, as a text-only medium, have the simplest requirements and can be completed by just one person, so their sensory stimulation is naturally the weakest.
Next are Manga, where the depiction of expressions and vivid descriptions of action scenes elevate the viewing experience.
Then come games and animations, whose production requirements are significantly higher.
Voice actors, music, and rich color schemes—each aspect adds a lot to the work itself, providing multiple audio-visual impacts.
Of course, bad works with poor animation, messy camera work, and mysterious BGM are exceptions.
…
Saturday, early in the morning, after breakfast.
Izumi Chihiro changed into a simple outfit of a white long-sleeved shirt and a black jacket and arrived at Sawamura.
Today, Eriri's style was quite different. She wore a light blue hooded sweatshirt on top and baggy, comfortable pajama bottoms. Her golden long hair was not tied into twin tails but draped over her shoulders. The white scarf was still there, giving him a feeling of 'the girl next door growing up.'
If she didn't speak…
"Upstairs."
Eriri urged him directly.
After greeting Aunt Sayuri, he went upstairs.
Eriri turned back to lock the room door, muttering, "Now Kasan can't eavesdrop."
She then went to her desk and opened her laptop.
"What are you standing around for?"
The girl looked over, puzzled.
"Is there only one seat?"
Izumi Chihiro looked left and right, asking.
"Uh."
Eriri's expression was awkward.
Since it was a personal bedroom, there was only one wooden stool in the room. If they needed another stool, they would have to go downstairs.
"Then I'll bring a stool up."
Izumi Chihiro thought for a moment and said.
"No need!"
Unexpectedly, Eriri stopped him.
"Why bother with all that trouble! This stool is quite big, I can't even sit on it by myself… Chihiro, sit on one side."
She shifted her position to the left and patted the right side of the stool.
He took a look.
It was indeed true.
Moreover, when they used to play games together, they never worried about such details. This time, he was the one who seemed a bit sensitive.
However, when he sat down, their bodies still inevitably pressed close together.
After all, they weren't children anymore.
Both of their bodies had truly grown.
"Cough, cough… Let's play the game."
The girl's cheeks were a little flushed, and she coughed a few times, using it to divert her gaze.
Since it was already decided, it was too late to change course now.
He also wisely said nothing more, watching her start the game.
Immediately, a BGM started playing, though it wasn't the two he had prepared. It sounded quite cheerful and suited a school atmosphere.
Before clicking to load a new game, Eriri suddenly paused her mouse.
"Speaking of which, we still have a crucial stance issue that hasn't been decided."
Her gaze instantly sharpened, and her tone was grave.
"What issue?"
He asked.
"Chihiro, do you think Ogiso is better? Or Touma?"
Eriri posed a question about the soul to him.
Izumi Chihiro suddenly felt an inexplicable spiritual pressure.
His intuition told him that this question required a cautious answer.