"Money and power really are the root of all evil."
Fuyukawa Tetsu sat with his legs crossed, unfazed as the other person leaned in a bit too close. His gaze briefly swept over the woman in front of him, exuding the aura of a mature beauty, complete with a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth.
Sayoko Kawai, their team's character artist, was thirty years old and just over 165 cm tall. Her curvy figure was accentuated by a neatly tied low ponytail, but beneath that gentle hairstyle was the face of a captivating, mature woman. Her full lips, lightly glossed, complemented the elegant curve of her collarbone visible beneath her fair neck. Further down, her crisp white blouse hugged her frame, emphasizing her ample curves—likely a 36D, he estimated—her presence commanding attention. Her legs, wrapped in a tight skirt and sheer black stockings, carried a subtle tension as they brushed lightly against each other.
Normally, a veteran employee like her, even with a modest position, wouldn't need to curry favor with someone like him, especially in status-conscious Tokyo. But...
Tetsu's eyes narrowed slightly, focusing on the center of Sayoko's forehead. A moment later, an icy blue panel popped up in his vision.
Name: Sayoko Kawai
Age: 30
Measurements: 91, 63, 92
Skills: Intermediate Character Design Lv9 (currently unavailable for transfer), Intermediate Scene Design Lv5 (currently unavailable for transfer), Advanced Cooking Lv1 (currently unavailable for transfer)
Relationship: Neutral (Scale: Hostility, Dislike, Contempt, Neutral, Admiration/Friendliness/Fear, Affection/Respect/Awe, Devotion/Worship/Terror, Soulmate/Reverence/Life's Light)
Current Status: A struggling widow facing financial hardship. Caught in the wave of artist unemployment due to AI illustration advancements, she's desperate for a shoulder to lean on.
"She's strapped for cash, huh? That makes things easier," Tetsu mused.
His current spending limit was 500,000 yen, but to raise that cap and unlock access to higher-tier games, he needed to boost his favorability with others. His eyes lingered on Sayoko's curvaceous figure, his thoughts drifting.
After a few seconds of silence, Sayoko, hands clasped behind her back, stole a cautious glance at him. She noticed his gaze lingering on her, almost absentmindedly.
Does the team leader have a thing for me?
His sharp features and the cool, confident air that came with his position as team leader made her breath catch. Yet, her eyes betrayed a flicker of hesitation. After an agonizing two seconds, she leaned forward slightly, hands still behind her, and said shyly, "Tetsu-kun, is there something on me? Something... dirty?"
Her posture and the way she addressed him were clear hints, steeped in the subtle art of Japanese indirectness. But Tetsu, lost in thoughts about the system, didn't catch on. "Sorry, I zoned out. I called you here to ask if you're free after work. I'd like to discuss something with you."
He's asking me out?!
The thought hit her like a bolt of lightning, sending a shiver down her spine. After a brief pause, she replied, "Of course... I'm free."
"Great." Tetsu glanced at his watch, stood, and grabbed his suit jacket from the rack, flashing a warm smile. "Get ready, then. I'll be waiting downstairs."
"Take care, Team Leader," Sayoko said with a polite bow, watching him leave the office. Only then did she straighten up, leaning against the wall with a long sigh. Her shadow stretched across the floor, cast by the setting sun streaming through the window.
At the entrance of NTsoft's game company building, a black Volkswagen idled by the curb.
"Intermediate artist... she fits the bill," Tetsu murmured to himself.
In the driver's seat, he took a drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling out the window as his left hand rested on the frame. His right hand flipped through a document on the steering wheel, its cover emblazoned with the words Fate/stay night.
Fate/stay night.
Yes, LoveTrap: Surrounded by Beauties was the next dataset he planned to unlock, but the Fate document in his hands was a starter gift from the system—a game he intended to develop himself.
"In front of my subordinates, I'm the boss with a decent salary. But to the company, I'm just another employee. The games I make only earn me a tiny bonus, and I don't even own the rights."
"That's not good enough."
Tetsu took another drag, squinting at the dataset. His current life was comfortable, but he wasn't content being a glorified salaryman forever. He wanted to break out and do his own thing.
LoveTrap was a solid game with viral potential, but in this parallel world, he wasn't sure it would have the same breakout success as in his previous life. It lacked the long-term IP potential.
Fate, though, was different.
It was a massive IP. The game had sold 170,000 copies—a modest number in the grand scheme of the gaming world, especially for a niche visual novel like a galgame. But even so, it had netted the company 60-70 million yen after taxes. The real money, though, wasn't in the game itself but in its spinoffs: anime, mobile games, and merchandise. The mobile game's Black Jeanne card pool alone had raked in over 200 million RMB back in the day.
Two hundred million in the bank, just collecting interest forever.
Tetsu had no intention of handing the rights to such a colossal IP over to NTsoft. Beyond its potential, Fate was a galgame—a visual novel with static images and heavy text. These games weren't hard to make; they just needed stellar writing, compelling character designs, and strong artwork. That's where Sayoko came in.
With her as the artist, combined with the plot from the dataset and his own programming skills, they could form the core of a production team. It'd take longer with just the two of them, but it was doable.
"Intermediate artist, Lv9 according to the system. Not the best, but that makes her easier to manage."
A senior artist would have stronger skills, but they'd likely scoff at a small project like this. Plus, without the financial pressure Sayoko was under, a senior artist might spill the beans about his side project. NTsoft strictly forbade employees from taking on freelance work.
As Tetsu mulled this over, watching cars zip by outside, a knock came at the passenger window. He rolled it down to see Sayoko standing there, shyly clutching her hair against the breeze. She wore a pale yellow sundress, her makeup lightly touched up with a brighter shade of lipstick. Her fair skin glowed, her collarbone subtly defined, and the dress hugged her curves tightly, exuding a mix of refined elegance and mature allure.
"Tetsu-kun, sorry to keep you waiting," she said softly.
Feeling her slightly bold gaze, Tetsu smiled. "Hop in. Let's grab something to eat first."
"Okay," she replied, her cheeks faintly flushed.