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Leo and Utaha had battled on the virtual high seas until 2:00 AM.
Utaha was a natural night owl. She lived the vampire lifestyle of a creative—sleeping through lectures during the day, then coming alive at night to write and game. Her circadian rhythm was completely inverted compared to the rest of society.
Leo, on the other hand, was simply built different. Thanks to his cultivation techniques and the lingering effects of NZT-48, his body required only two or three hours of deep meditation to fully recharge. He could pull all-nighters with Utaha and still show up to school looking like he'd just returned from a spa weekend.
The next morning, Leo took the train to school as usual. Standing in the crushed humanity of a Tokyo commuter car, he sighed.
I really should just buy a car, he thought, adjusting his blazer. Driving in Tokyo traffic is a nightmare for normal people, but with my reaction times, I could weave through Shinjuku like I'm playing Grand Theft Auto. It would certainly beat smelling the salaryman next to me.
He arrived at Toyonosaki Academy early, sliding into his window seat well before the first bell. He propped his chin on his hand, turning his gaze toward the school gates below.
It was prime time for "Flower Viewing."
In the real world, finding a crowd of genuinely attractive people was rare. But this was the world of anime. The average aesthetic level was terrifyingly high. The girls walking through the gates possessed skin like porcelain, eyes that sparkled with unrealistic clarity, and hair colors that defied genetics.
It's a privilege, Leo mused, watching a group of first-year girls laugh as they changed their shoes. In the 3D world, you'd be lucky to see one girl like that in a month. Here? It's a Tuesday.
Toyonosaki wasn't an elite academic school, which meant the students spent less time studying and more time agonizing over their bangs and skirt lengths. It was a shallow, beautiful ecosystem.
Leo's eyes scanned the crowd, appreciating the view with the detached gaze of an art critic. But the scenic tranquility was broken by the arrival of a walking corpse.
Aki Tomoya shambled through the gates. He looked like he had gone twelve rounds with a necromancer and lost. His skin was pale, his hair was a bird's nest, and the dark circles under his eyes were heavy enough to carry luggage.
Leo watched him stumble up the stairs and into the classroom. When Tomoya collapsed into his seat, Leo turned around.
"Tomoya-kun," Leo said, his voice laced with mock concern. "Don't tell me you pulled an all-nighter. You look ethereal. And not in a good way."
Tomoya swayed slightly in his chair. "I... I sorted it out," he croaked, his voice raspy. "I couldn't keep you waiting any longer. I finalized the rough draft."
He was running on fumes and desperation. He felt the pressure of the ten million yen, the pressure of Eriri's scorn, and the pressure of Leo's silent expectations. He needed to prove he wasn't just a mascot.
He slid his notebook onto Leo's desk.
Leo opened it.
It wasn't blank this time. Tomoya had filled a page and a half with scribbled, frantic handwriting. Leo scanned the text, his eyes picking out the key elements highlighted in red.
[Scene: A long downhill slope lined with cherry blossoms.] [Event: A gust of wind blows.] [Action: A white beret rolls down the hill.] [Encounter: The protagonist chases the hat, picks it up, and looks up to see a mysterious, beautiful girl standing at the top of the slope.]
Leo suppressed a sigh.
It was the iconic opening scene of Saekano. It was romantic. It was atmospheric.
It was also completely useless as a game design document.
"This is..." Leo paused, searching for a diplomatic word.
"It's the opening!" Tomoya said, a manic gleam in his bloodshot eyes. "Can you see it? The wind, the petals, the fated encounter! It's the hook!"
"It's a prologue," Leo corrected gently. "And barely that. Tomoya, this is enough content for maybe... three minutes of gameplay? It's a single CG event. Where's the route structure? Where are the character archetypes? What's the conflict?"
Tomoya's face fell. He had expected praise for his "vision." Instead, he was getting a reality check.
"I... I know it's short," Tomoya stammered, rubbing his tired eyes. "But the feeling... the atmosphere..."
"Atmosphere doesn't code itself," Leo said, closing the notebook. "Here's some free advice: Don't show this to Eriri or Utaha yet."
"Eh? Why?"
" because Eriri will ask you what she's supposed to draw besides 'a hill,' and Utaha will ask you where the plot is," Leo said bluntly. "If you show them this right now, they'll tear you apart. And in your current state, you might actually cry."
Tomoya slumped onto his desk, defeated. "I... I just wanted to get us started."
"I know," Leo said, his voice softening. "Keep working on it. Flesh out the heroine. Who is she? Why is she on the hill? Give me a character, not just a mannequin in a white hat."
"I will," Tomoya mumbled into his arms. "I have the image in my head... I just need to get it out..."
Within seconds, soft snoring drifted up from the desk. Tomoya was out cold.
Leo looked at the sleeping boy with a cool, calculating gaze.
Tomoya thought he was the protagonist of this story. He thought he was the glue holding this "Dream Team" together. But the harsh truth was that nobody in the circle—except maybe Tomoya himself—cared about this dating sim.
Utaha was there because she was interested in Leo and wanted a break from her slump. Megumi was there because Leo asked her to fill a seat. Eriri was there because she didn't want to be left out of the dynamic (and to keep an eye on Tomoya).
And Leo? Leo was just farming points.
[Target: Aki Tomoya. State: Exhaustion / Creative Block. +100 Points.]
Small change, Leo thought, dismissing the notification. But it adds up.
He was about to turn back to the window when a shadow fell over his desk.
He looked up to see Kato Megumi standing there. As usual, he hadn't heard her approach. She was holding a small, box-shaped object wrapped in a delicate, floral-patterned furoshiki cloth.
She placed it gently on Leo's desk, careful not to disturb the sleeping Tomoya.
"What's this?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I made chocolate cookies last night," Megumi said, her voice soft and lacking any dramatic inflection. "Since I'm officially a member of the circle now, I thought I should contribute something. I'd appreciate your feedback on the taste, Leo-kun."
She stood there with her hands clasped behind her back, looking at him with those calm, placid eyes.
Leo felt a strange twitch in his chest. It wasn't the thumping of a heart in love, but the appreciation of a connoisseur recognizing quality.
Homemade cookies. Wrapped in a traditional cloth. Delivered without fanfare or demand for praise.
This girl, Leo thought, is terrifyingly high-tier wife material.
"Can I open it now?" Leo asked, a genuine smile breaking through his mask.
"Please," Megumi nodded. "They go well with tea, but I suppose the cafeteria coffee will have to do."