At a certain pub.
Genma Wasabi raised his glass, took a long swig of alcohol, and then spoke with a thoroughly displeased expression. "That president over at Starfall has no idea what's good for him. I was kind enough to suggest he revise the scripts, and he actually had the nerve to argue with me. He doesn't even seem to realize who the director is, or who actually understands anime better."
Sitting across from him was his close friend, anime screenwriter Yuma Amagi.
Yuma Amagi was thin in build and appeared to be somewhere between thirty and forty years old.
He had stubble on his chin, wore a pair of black-framed glasses, and carried a distinctive air about him.
By comparison, Genma Wasabi's presence was far less striking. His first impression on most people was simply that of a heavyset middle-aged man.
Whenever Genma directed a project in the past, he would always have Yuma write the scripts.
This time, since Yuta had taken on both the character designs and scripts by himself, there was naturally no role for Yuma.
Yuma spoke up. "Starfall is the studio that made Heartbeat House, right? What were you thinking, accepting an invitation from them? With your skills and experience, there should be no shortage of studios wanting you to direct."
"If it had been an invitation from Starfall, I definitely would have turned it down."
Genma said, "This time the one who invited me was Miss Fuji, the new president of Arcane. She also promised me that if Starfall's anime turns out to be a success, Arcane would give me first consideration whenever they have a good project in the future."
"Ah, that makes sense." Yuma nodded in understanding.
"Starfall only has about twenty people on staff. When production starts, they will obviously need to outsource left and right. But they have only ever worked as outsourcers, never hired any themselves, so they will probably need me to use my connections to find reliable outsource partners for them. And now look at what happens. Their president won't even agree to a simple script revision. Without me, how do they expect to get their anime made?" Genma continued.
Yuma pushed his glasses up his nose and asked, "So what's the situation now? How are you planning to handle this?"
"I told him he has three days to rewrite the scripts. If he doesn't, then I'm done being their director."
"Done being their director? Are you serious?"
"Of course not! It's just a threat. If I don't push him, how is he ever going to back down?"
"And what if he genuinely refuses to back down?"
"Then I go to Miss Fuji and have her replace the scriptwriter."
Genma glanced at Yuma, then added, "When that happens, I'll try to recommend you. Given how many times we've worked together, I'm sure she'll agree."
Yuma's face lit up with delight. "Then I'll be counting on you."
Genma let out a hearty laugh, as though all his earlier frustrations had evaporated.
The two clinked glasses and drained them in one go.
Afterward, Yuma asked, "What day is it now?"
"The third day."
Genma pulled out his phone. "It should be about time. Let me give him a call and see whether he's willing to cooperate."
Yuma nodded without comment.
Genma found Yuta's number and dialed.
After a short wait, the call connected.
"President Shido, three days are up. Have you rewritten the scripts?" Genma got straight to the point.
"No." Yuta's reply was equally blunt.
Genma frowned, though he was not entirely surprised. He let out a cold snort. "So you really didn't take what I said seriously."
This time, Yuta did not even bother responding.
"President Shido, you have one more night. I suggest you think it over carefully and stop being so ungrateful." Genma pressed on.
"The only ungrateful one here is you!" Yuta snapped.
"Hm?" Genma's frown deepened.
"Forget three days. Even if you gave me three months, or three years, I would not change a single word of these scripts." Yuta's voice was unwavering.
"You won't change them? Fine. That's just fine!" Genma laughed coldly. "In that case, don't come crying to me later."
"Crying? What is there to cry about? You don't want to be the director anymore, right? Fine by me. Starting tomorrow, don't bother showing up. Even if you do, you won't be welcome." Yuta sounded completely indifferent.
"???"
Genma suddenly went blank.
'What is happening? This is not how it was supposed to go!'
When he said he was done being the director, it was only a threat. It was a tactic to force Yuta into submission. How had Yuta actually taken it at face value?
And if he was taking it seriously, should he not be groveling and apologizing, promising to rewrite the scripts exactly as instructed? Why was he telling him not to come to Starfall anymore?
What in the world was going on?
"President Shido, do you even realize what you are saying?" Genma's voice jumped up several notches.
"Perfectly. I'm telling you not to come to Starfall tomorrow, and that you are no longer the director of Clannad." Yuta sounded utterly calm.
"Hold on..."
Genma struggled to process this.
"You are removing me from the production team? President Shido, we signed a contract!"
"Were you not the one who said you didn't want to be the director anymore?" Yuta genuinely sounded bewildered.
"I was just saying that!"
"Well, I took you seriously."
"I..." Genma was about to unleash a torrent of profanity.
But Yuta did not give him the chance. He hung up the call.
Genma stood there in disbelief, phone in hand, and immediately tried calling back.
This time, Yuta did not even pick up.
"Son of a..."
"That bastard!"
"That absolute bastard!"
The cursing went on for some time.
Over at Starfall, in the president's office.
It was a little past nine at night.
Normally this would have been well past closing time, but since the schedule had been changed a few days ago, the staff were all still at their desks.
Yuta stepped out of his office. Seeing everyone hard at work, he clapped his hands to get their attention.
Once all eyes were on him, he spoke. "I have an announcement. Starting tomorrow, Starfall is going back to the original schedule: ten in the morning to eight at night. There is no need to stay until ten-thirty tonight. Everyone is free to head home early."
"Hm?" The staff looked confused.
"President, we don't need to match the director's schedule anymore?" Rika asked.
"Director? You mean Genma Wasabi?"
Yuta scoffed. "As of this moment, he is no longer the director of Clannad. If any of you see him in the future, do not address him as director."
"What?" Everyone looked stunned.
"Todo." Yuta called out a name.
There was only one Todo at Starfall, and that was the production manager Raiga Todo, a man who weighed over two hundred pounds.
When Todo looked over, Yuta gave him his instructions. "If Genma shows up at Starfall tomorrow demanding an explanation, your job is to escort him out. He is not welcome here."
Todo blinked in surprise but nodded.
Rika could not help speaking up. "President, is this really going to be alright? After all, we signed a contract with him, and Arcane is going to need an explanation too."
This was no small matter, and Yuta was fully aware of that. But Genma had been the one to start trouble in the first place, and Yuta had no intention of being a pushover.
If he did not stand his ground now, people might actually start thinking he was easy to walk all over.
He took a deep breath and replied, "I will find the right moment to explain things to Miss Fuji. The rest of you just focus on your work and don't worry about anything else."
_______________________
Support me at patreon.com/CulturedOne and read 30 Advanced Chapters