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Chapter 1 | In Front of Us | Remake our Life!
Part 1
B-Craft Creative. This is the new company I'm going to work for.
Since the company name is long, everyone, including employees and business partners, use the abbreviation "BCC".
At BCC, a morning meeting with the participation of the entire company is held immediately after the start of the work week on the first Monday of the month. However, it was not a meeting like ...... where everyone gathered in a large conference room to listen to the president's speech, but rather a one-way web conference using groupware via a webcam installed on the president's desk.
So I was now sitting at my desk, in a position to listen to the talk. The staff around me were also waiting in front of the screen in the same way, in front of their own seats and their friends' seats.
A short time later, at exactly 9:00, the "Please wait until we begin" screen disappeared and an elegantly smiling woman appeared. It was the president of BCC.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen"
The president first bowed politely.
"Finally, the software development has started on a full scale, and although I will not be involved in the content, I trust you all with all my heart for the high quality of development. Please produce great software that will build our company's brand image."
The president's words were not hesitant at all, and there was no intimidating air or catchy expressions. At the same time, the greeting was not too graceful or boring, but rather, it had a softness that could be felt at every corner, giving the greeting a truly "good" feel.
"Well, she's really proper. She's the daughter of a big company president and a second-generation woman, so she's quite a feat."
Right beside me, Kuroda Takayoshi murmurs in admiration.
"Usually they get conceited or sweet, or they try to do it properly and get all stiff, but so far she's really getting a perfect score."
"Right, I think she's done a great job of creating an image for herself, and I think she's very thorough."
The president talked about major goals for the future and the business plans that would accompany them, while displaying on the screen the panels and other materials that had been prepared. Since BCC was a privately held company, there was no need to appeal specifically to shareholders. Hence, the plan was a decent one, and as far as I could see, there seemed to be no other problem.
"In addition to that, if she is this beautiful, I don't know about others, but I guess she is popular among the upper class old men."
I nodded in agreement with Kuroda's words. I'm sure she has her struggles because of her talent and beauty.
Seeing my reaction, Kuroda suddenly 'Hihi' gave a nasty smile and said,
"But I never would have guessed that such a talented person was Hashiba's personal acquaintance."
"...Well, right"
As I looked slightly bitter, Kuroda laughed even more amusedly.
"Don't make that face, as it turns out, that good fortune saved us."
Well, indeed, Kuroda was right.
Our president continues to talk on the screen in front of us, as if she lives in a slightly distant world.
Ichikawa Mika. As well as being the president, she was also a relevant person in my very private life.
"Hey, how did it go? Did I speak well today?"
A small conference room at BCC. In that room, which I had purposely taken for chatting, I was being talked to by the president in a very friendly manner.
"Yes, of course. You were like an impeccable and competent president."
When I answered, the president said, "Ehehe~, right?" and sipped the iced coffee in her hand, sipping it in a good mood. It was hard to believe that she was the same person who had just a few minutes ago been talking to me with a straight face.
In addition to being the president of BCC and a director of her parent company, B-Craft, Ichikawa Mika was also a caretaker of her father's real estate properties for personal enjoyment.
That was the apartment complex in Yurigaoka where I live, and we happened to know each other by chance.
Such a convenient setting that you don't see even in online novels......I'd like to say so myself. The beautiful and slightly seductive caretaker is actually the president of the company where you work! If I were to show this story to Miyamoto-san, he would immediately reject it and tell me to go study.
But it can't be helped because that's the reality. When Ichikawa-san suddenly came out saying "Jaja~n!" at a meeting that took place soon after BCC was established, I was so surprised that I thought my heart would stop.
A month has passed since then, and I have finally gotten used to the situation.
"But can we stop talking like this in the office now?"
"Eh? Why~?"
The president responds with a fluffy after "why" as if a tiny "y" is about to appear.
"Well, that's exactly what the president said, right? The distinction between public and private life is important."
"Of course! That's why I'm talking with Kyoya-san, after creating a place where other people can't come in like this."
"Uhm, President, in the company, call me Hashiba..."
"Ah, you're right! It's no good, it's no good."
Tehe, the president stuck out her tongue. I let out a big sigh.
"Well, as long as the president takes the conference room in the name of a meeting, I doubt anything strange will be said, but if we continue to meet individually, there might be a rumor or two."
"Isn't it fine? Such a silly rumor, you can make it up all you want."
I sighed again.
The president -- Ichikawa-san, appeared to have a soft and gentle demeanor, but in fact she was a very strong-willed person who would not budge once she had made up her mind.
I am sure that this person is not interested in how she is viewed from the outside, unless it is directly connected to the company's performance or image. I think that is why she is able to call me, a mere employee, and talk to me in such a friendly manner.
In the end, I probably care too much.
"I talk with Hashiba-san because I have an interest in your work, ... but even more than that, I am interested in you."
I decided not to think about the "interested" part for a moment.
"Interested? I'm just an employee who joined the company mid-career after being laid off."
When I said it, Ichikawa-san shook her head vigorously,
"That's how you easily degrade yourself~". If Hashiba-san were really such an ordinary person, you would never have caused such a commotion or sold the project to other companies in the same industry in the first place."
"That was... just because I was really desperate."
There was no other answer.
What everyone was desperately making was drowned out by unreasonable reasons. My respected colleagues around me are crying tears of frustration. I just wondered if I could manage to break through that.
I was originally the one who was restructured. I didn't care if I was fired again. Such an act of desperation turned out to be a good thing. That's all there is to it.
Above all, if it had not been for the good fortune of having Ichikawa-san as the representative of the company to which we were selling to, everything would have ended there.
"And I guess I was lucky."
I laughed wryly when I said that.
After seeing the expression on my face, Ichikawa-san suddenly turned serious and said,
"If that's what you really think, then I have to conclude that you are not able to look at things calmly."
"Eh...?"
Suddenly, she said so, I was surprised to hear her say it so coldly,
"The project that Hashiba-san and your team brought to us had solid merit in multiple factors, including topicality and staffing. If it is something that shows through the depths of the company, that you simply relied on another company because you were in trouble, we would not have accepted it in the first place."
Before I knew it, the person in front of me had changed from Ichikawa-san to the "president".
"I-I beg your pardon. That's right."
Ichikawa-san is a proper businessman. No matter how well acquainted we are, there is no way that she would take on something that could only be a risk.
It was indeed too rude to say it was luck. I reflect on that.
"Well, of course, there was an added point because it was Hashiba-san, but ~"
"That's the only point I'm really lucky about."
"Right. I feel like something big might be manipulating the placement of this place to make it look good."
That may be so. Ichikawa-san denied it, but I wonder if that kind of thing is called fate.
"Well, now that you've established a relationship like this, please make sure you work hard and create good content. Something that Kou-kun will be extremely regretful of, you know."
"Kou-kun…?"
I asked back, as the unfamiliar name came up.
"Ah, I see, with a name like that it's not familiar. It's Succeed's Executive Director Matsuhira. His full name is Matsuhira Kou."
"Ah, it's Executive Director's name... or rather, you knew each other.”
Ichikawa-san nodded her head,
"Our fathers knew each other and we were the same age, so we have been together since we were students. It's been about 10 years now."
Is it so-called "upper class" socializing? However, given Ichikawa-san's frankness, it does not seem to be the reason for it.
"Was the executive director always like that?"
I was a little curious and asked.
I genuinely wanted to know if he had such a cold and dangerous personality since he was young.
"No, not at all. In fact, he used to be a kind person. Whenever we would work together as a team to do something, he would voluntarily do the hard things, and he seemed like a good leader who was attentive."
It was unexpected. I had thought he had always been like that.
"However, after he graduated from university and officially became a Succeed employee, even his face started to change. He used to be easy to talk to, but suddenly he was unapproachable."
"Heh... did something happen?"
"Maybe. I don't know anything about it, though, because I felt like I shouldn't step in."
Indeed, I think it's something you can't touch unless you're very close. When it comes to the personality-changing level, it's too excessive.
"I think you know this because you have been through a lot, but Kou-kun is smart and will attack you mercilessly if he thinks he can take advantage of you. The company will protect Hashiba-kun and the others, but you must also be careful to protect yourselves."
I nodded my head and said, "I understand," in response to Ichikawa-san's words.
He's an executive director who has done so many things without hesitation, so there's no way he's just going to sit back and do nothing and watch us do our thing. I am sure he is up to something again.
(But that said, he hasn't set anything in motion yet.)
Until the staff transfer and the announcement of the project, I think our side was more prepared than his side. In fact, I was told that although the employees in the legal department reported that there had been some communication with a hint of a lawsuit, they had repelled all of it with all the measures they could muster.
Of course, I will not let my guard down, but now we can finally resume development under the new structure. I am rather happy about it now.
(Watch me, I'm sure we'll make something amazing)
I decided to do my best to live up to Ichikawa-san's expectations.
Part 2
The building where BCC was located was just a short distance from Tamachi, where B-Craft was located. Compared to Succeed, which was located in Gotanda, it is a bit further away, but that only made me talk to Kawasegawa more often on our way to and from there.
Today, too, Kawasegawa and I were riding the night train side by side, though we had no particular intention of matching time.
"I still can't calm down. I've gotten used to it, but sometimes I get off the train at Gotanda if I'm not careful."
"Such things happen to Kawasegawa, too."
I thought she wouldn't take the wrong train because she's a very disciplined person.
"I've already revealed my true character, so don't look at me like that. I make careless mistakes and I get depressed more than most people do."
Kawasegawa said with a wry smile.
Thinking back to when I first met her, I think Kawasegawa has become surprisingly expressive. She laughed at the jokes that Kuroda and I made, and she even started telling her own small mistakes like this.
Kawasegawa who was trying to create perfection, was no longer there.
Now that she has become extremely close to her original state, she is once again working on game creation.
"I thought it was impossible, but you never know."
Kawasegawa took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling.
"The terrible company was getting worse, and I couldn't find a place to go. But by chance I encounter you, and I never thought that I would come all this way"
"... Well, it was not a good encounter by any means."
"Right, suddenly someone jumped at me is something I don't think I'll ever have to experience again in my life."
We laugh wryly together. We met in Shinjuku, an encounter that I can only assume was brought about by fate. From there, so many things really, really happened, and here we are.
But that's just because we wanted a place. I was able to do it because I was determined to stand on the minimum starting line.
"This is not the end. It's just the beginning."
"Right, we finally have a place where we can fight back, and the important thing is how we build from here on out."
I nodded heavily at her words.
BCC is a company that I would say is an ideal environment. However, not everything is solved in game production as long as there is a place to work.
Currently, the new work faces many problems. What approach will we take to make it different from the previous work MysClo? How do we make the best use of the creators of the platinum generation?
What only they can do and what only we can do. How do we strike a balance between the two and proceed with the production? It's not like there's a textbook to follow. Think and act with our own passion, using our past experience as a guide.
It is a difficult but rewarding job.
"I'll do it"
To myself and to Kawasegawa, I murmured as if to motivate.
Kawasegawa nodded lightly at my murmur.
"I wonder how I can thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"It's obvious, right, you've even set things up for me to this extent, and no matter how "bad" the situation was "already no good", you were able to recover it. If this world were an MMORPG, what kind of princess play would it be?"
I'm sure Kawasegawa would be able to play a tremendous princess play.
"To begin with, I should be the one to thank you for picking me up. But so far I haven't been able to repay you for anything yet."
"No, but"
"If we both feel the same way, let's make something together. The finished project will be our mutual reward."
When I smiled at her, Kawasegawa looked stunned for a moment, then suddenly turned red and looked down.
"Eh, I'm sorry, did I say something bad?"
"You did. You're, that ... sometimes airhead, and can say something like that."
Kawasegawa mumbles in a whisper, and I felt sorry for her, but I had to think long and hard about what exactly had happened.
"Speaking of which, it's about the president."
"President? Ah, you mean Ichikawa-san?"
Kawasegawa had been acquainted with Ichikawa-san before. It was when the three of us, including myself, went out together. That is why she was even more surprised than I was when she appeared in front of us and said, "I am the president of the company."
"Is that person really the caretaker?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard."
Well, I can understand why you might have doubts.
B-Craft, for which Ichikawa-san is a board director, is both a long-established toy manufacturer and a comprehensive entertainment company that, although privately held, is very influential in the industry.
As a member of the president's family, she must have been trained and educated in imperialism, so why was she working as a caretaker of a real estate property owned by her family as a "hobby"? Unless there was some reason, it would be more normal for it not to make sense.
(But I was told that 'It's really nothing but a hobby~'.)
As long as the person says so, we can only speculate. But in the end, it never escapes the point of being either amusing, creepy, or vague.
"It was too much of a coincidence, wasn't it? The very important person in the company Hashiba negotiated with was, of all people, the caretaker of the house where you lived."
I think so too. If a scenario writer wrote a setting like this, I'm sure the director would respond by saying it's too opportunistic.
But, to my surprise, this is an unshakable fact. It may be possible that I fell for her grand scheme and was taken advantage of, but that seems far less plausible.
It is probably correct to say that this was a coincidence of coincidences, and that Ichikawa-san made good use of it. Perhaps.
"Well, but it's really just a coincidence. I mean, there's really nothing to it, except that she was a caretaker."
When I responded, Kawasegawa looked strangely irritated,
"Really? Nothing else?"
"Y-Yeah, ah, come to think of it, I once helped her to replace a fluorescent light bulb, and I went to her house and she thanked me for the help, and then"
"Eh! To that person's house? And then?"
Kawasegawa is strangely really into it. Kawasegawa is strangely attracted to me. I wonder what she suspects, or rather, she wonders if there is a so-called relationship between me and that person, but of course, there is no such thing.
(Maybe she wanted to confirm whether there was such a secret agreement behind the scenes.)
More or less, I can see that she is friendly to me, even if not to the extent that she favors ... me, so maybe she was worried that I was involved in some kind of scheme.
"It's okay, don't worry. I really just got the vegetables and went home."
"T-That's so, fine then."
Kawasegawa finally seemed convinced when I told her that much.
(Let's keep quiet about Lucky Sukebe event when she got drunk) (Note: lucky act of lechery)
There is nothing to be guilty of, but I feel like I'm going to be questioned very hard.
Part 3
The development of the new work has begun, and several things have occurred that will be revised from what has been used in the past. One of them is the title.
The title Mystic Clockwork is, of course, copyrighted by Succeedsoft. I asked BCC's legal department if it would be possible to purchase the entire title, but they decided that it probably would not be possible.
Even if we were to comply, we decided to give up and give it another title, as we were sure we would be ripped off for a huge amount of money.
"Clockwork Destiny? Is it really okay with this?"
I expressed some concern when I saw the titles chosen from among the entries submitted, both internal and external.
"I'm sure it'll work. I've already gone through a trademark attorney to make sure, but he said it's a common combination of words and phrases, so it should be fine."
Indeed, if this were a coined word or something, it would have been absolutely impossible to use it as it is.
"Was it next month that Succeed's legal will be coming?"
"Yeah. I had to make sure I foresaw that, too"
It was only a week ago that Succeedsoft contacted me.
They knew that we were working on a new work, and they wanted to make sure that it would not infringe on their company's copyright.
"Well, it's a hassle, but I'd rather it be a hassle than a fuss after we make it."
I nodded my head. It would indeed affect the image if they were to remain silent until the product is completed and released, and then sue over similarities after we can no longer turn back.
In that respect, it would have been much easier for me to come and say this first.
"I'll have to check things out."
Probably, there is a possibility that they will ask us to fix it because of the similarity of some parts, or some other such difficulty. It needs to be well documented with a firm reminder so that it is not pried into later.
"Right, I'll leave that part to Hashiba. Well then, let's go."
Kuroda said that and got up from his desk. I followed him.
The BCC Development Department had decided to hold regular meetings on the last Friday of each month.
About 20 staff members, including us, were gathered in the conference room. Eighty percent of them had migrated directly from Succeed, and I had a pretty good idea of their characteristics and thinking, including who had what skills.
Not necessarily because of that, but we decided to use what was done at Succeed in the end-of-month meetings as well.
"Let's leave the good things instead of changing everything the way it was before."
Everyone agreed with producer Kawasegawa's words.
"All right, then I want each group to give me a progress report in turn."
When group leader Kuroda said that, the leader in charge of UI (user interface) stood up and began to report on progress.
"For now, we are testing a temporary UI based on the current illustration. We have decided not to use fonts that were previously used in order to avoid similarities, and have picked up fonts that will not spoil the image as much as possible. Please refer to this document—"
Open the material data distributed in advance and review the relevant pages.
As the leader in charge said, ideas were used that were different from the UI of MysClo, but with concern for not destroying the atmosphere.
(Everyone's making proper moves, respectively...)
Reports continued to come in from the graphics and systems groups, all of which were favorable, and yet there was a clear improvement in quality compared to before.
"So far, it's going well."
While the reports were still coming in, I spoke softly to Kuroda.
"Yeah, in any case, there's no more meaningless mix-ups. It's not like they're just making it up as they go along, giving up on the idea that it's going to be overturned anyway."
Kuroda grinned.
At Succeed, the staff, who had always feared meaningless changes from the higher-ups, finally found a place where they could work to their heart's content. Once again, it was a moment when I realized that the major reform of the entire company had meaning, and not just for us.
"Now all we need is for those guys to make it solid, and that's OK."
"Yeah, I guess so."
Needless to say, those guys were three people from Platinum.
I had already given a detailed explanation of this case. Kawagoe...... No, no, Tsurayuki has already had a new scenario worked out, and both Akishima Shino and N@NA are in the process of preparing for the new project.
"...I would appreciate it if there was a little more progress."
When I said that in a somewhat complaint manner, Kuroda laughed 'hihi'.
"I've already considered the speed at which those guys are going to increase their speed. It's nothing to be nervous about. Besides, they are not the kind of people who are looking for volume and speed."
"Quality and brand, right?"
"Yes," Kuroda nodded.
"Of course there are certain degrees, but that's what we expect. Well, I trust you on how to come to terms with it."
Kuroda let out a soft smile and patted me on the shoulder.
For this production, Kuroda was in charge of directing the specific parts of the project, while I was in charge of setting the direction and communicating with the three platinum members, including the branding. My position title was also changed to "Chief Director" instead of "Assistant Manager" or something similar in name only.
This happened because of the way things turned out in the final stages of development, but I never thought that I, who just a year ago was dying at a small bishojo game maker, would be taking on such a heavy responsibility.
(It's a big responsibility)
In the past, I might have let the pressure get to me, but now I'm ready.
"...I have to do it"
Now, I have friends with reliable skills and creators I can trust.
I don't want to think that I have wasted my time by putting a piece of myself into the puzzle.
We're going to make something that I can say, 'This is what happened because I was here'.
"Okay, that concludes today's meeting. Production will finally get underway in earnest next month, but if you have any questions, please report them to me right away."
The staff members all answered "yes" to Kuroda's words, and the meeting was dismissed.
Although it was a clichéd greeting, there is actually a great deal of meaning hidden in it. If I find something of interest, I will report it. This was not only within our own development, but also the trends of other companies.
"Sorry to say, but it's like spying. Anyway, the more eyes and ears, the better."
These were the words of Miyamoto-san at a meeting to decide on the future course of action after a series of transfers.
In this series of disturbances, yes, the Executive Director lost. But, as I have said repeatedly, I didn't think it was over.
That's why I wanted to crush any doubts I had in advance. That's why it was Kusuda's words earlier that confirmed the report for that purpose.
Thus, the new work, "CloDes," began in earnest. This time, we want to make it right. The members were united in one thought.
Part 4
“So there are no reports of anything so far?”
Sakurai-san said anxiously.
"Of course. I'm just saying, let's be careful."
I smiled and replied, trying to reassure her.
After the general meeting, Sakurai-san and I moved directly to another project meeting. Needless to say, we talked about the future of Project Grape.
Fortunately, Grape was not a very large project, and the BCC was readily approved to continue the project.
However, the original budget itself was estimated to be small, and it was not possible to devote many resources to the development department.
That's why,
"For the time being, it will be a two-person project for me and Hashiba-san, right."
This is how it came to be.
"Right now, we have to work in parallel with CloDes. Once the other side gets back on track, we'll have the manpower to work on this side as well."
Now, Sakurai-san was a fine asset. She had the confidence from Kuroda and was to coordinate the mini-events at the new CloDes.
But of course, Grape is also an important project. I want to bring the system that Sakurai-san and I have created together to its launch.
"Where is there a list of teams that have finished picking up?"
"Ah, yes, I have them. I've separated them by tabs, so I'll send you the links."
Sakurai-san sent me a link to the document in a chat. When I opened it, it seemed that about 20 production teams had already given positive responses to participate.
"It's amazing, we haven't publicly announced the project yet, but we've gotten so many responses."
When I voiced my surprise, Sakurai-san looked happy,
"I think it was because of the strong names of Miyamoto-san and Kojima-san, as well as their support for the project itself. The two of them gave us a firm voice."
In relation to this transfer, Miyamoto-san did not join BCC, as he had said earlier, but joined a company that deals with e-books in online media. Kojima-san had originally planned to return to freelance work, and is apparently involved in building websites for large corporations, taking advantage of her connections.
But even these two were not reluctant to help us with Project Grape. Thanks to their individual explanations to the production teams that we had initially approached and their continued personal push, many of the teams responded favorably.
"Really, we can't even pay them enough..."
Although I thanked him personally, it is not enough to cover what I originally did. I would like to repay the favor properly at some point.
Sakurai-san nodded, and then spoke in a somber tone,
"As expected, I'm a little lonely."
"Yes..."
The room used for meetings is now much cleaner and has natural light coming in through the windows. The days of working in that dimly lit basement seem a lie.
However, the enthusiasm when we were first thinking about the project, the tension of the backwater meetings, and the atmosphere when we were working hard were very pleasant, even though we were not in a privileged environment.
The five members were reduced to two. But we are still connected to each other in the depths of our hearts like this. That is why I absolutely wanted to make the project a success.
"Speaking of which"
Sakurai-san raised her head and gave me a concerned look.
"I wonder if Horii-san is doing well..."
When I heard that name, I slowly lowered my eyes.
"I know, I wonder how he's doing?"
Horii-san was the head of the 13th Development Department. After the disbandment of the department, he began to distance himself from us and we naturally lost contact with each other.
Kojima-san later told me that, in order to make our position a little better, Horii-san had started another project within the company and was heading it.
Although it did not pay off in the end, the story reminded me once again that our leader was that person.
But now that the members of the 13th department are separated like this, how does he remain in the company by himself.
(Not a very nice environment, I guess)
Just the fact that he reports directly to that executive director is a clear hint of it.
"I would like to report back to Horii-san once Grape is firmly up and running."
Sakurai-san blinked her eyes and said.
"After joining Succeed, I was a total failure, but he was always there to support me."
"Right, I have a lot to report to Horii-san as well."
As well as the work I was currently doing, I had other questions I wanted to ask Horii-san. Some things he probably knew about Executive Director Matsuhira, and what kind of company Succeedsoft was in the first place.
Not many companies remain distorted from the start. Every company should start out with high ideals and have a respectable period of time.
But those things, along with many other reasons, are slowly shifting. What was it for Succeed?
I wanted to know, if I could.
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