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Chapter 3 | Eventually, Beyond That Point is | Remake our Life!
Part 1
It has been two months since the development of CloDes began.
Even at BCC, which had been free of major accidents up to that point, some signs of fraying began to appear, albeit gradually.
First, the point of quality.
In the Succeed period, the common perception was to aim for an acceptable score, good or bad, and once the clear line was crossed, there was no pursuit of anything more. Therefore, there were many regrettable points in Succeed's games that could have been rated higher if they had been made one step further.
However, after moving to BCC, there was no longer any interference from upper management, so there were more staff to create in all parts of the process. That is of course a good thing, but the point is that there was a problem in the extent to which it was done.
For example, illustrations that were supposed to be delivered at the end of the month were delayed by 2 to 3 days on the creator's own initiative because he or she was not satisfied with the quality, or illustrations that were submitted by an outsourcing company were tagged as in-house revisions and kept being redrawn and reapplied with new colors and effects.
Of course, for the parts that Kuroda and I were directly touching, we would try to pull out when the time was right, but for the parts that were not, even the group leaders were spending more time on quality improvement than necessary, and the basic principle of keeping to schedule was being disregarded.
Another problem, which is related to the previous point, is that it is no longer possible to secure skilled illustrators and graphic designers.
For some time, BCC has partnered with a Chinese software development company and has relied on outsourcing for a wide range of work, from single illustrations to chip graphics. In recent years, BCC has also been able to contract with reputable companies on an individual basis.
However, in the past 2~3 weeks, more and more of those illustrators and companies have been pulled out by other companies on favorable terms, and their contracts with BCC have been broken. So, in order to keep the quality of our productions high, we had to spend more time on coordination in our internal development than ever before.
"I wonder if some company is paying for it, dam*mit."
Kuroda is annoyed and indignant at the investigation report.
"Well, it's a big industry in their countries, too. I think we have to come to terms with it somehow."
"But there is a limit to the extent it can be done. If we don't check which part of the company is pulling out by now, we may find ourselves unable to deploy personnel in important areas. If that happens, we're in trouble."
As Kuroda said this in a tone full of concern, the alarm on my phone rang. The word "Prepare for stream" was listed under the time.
"Oh, is it time for the popular streamer?"
"Stop it, I've been getting a lot of grins about that from my business partners lately."
Prepare a laptop packed around the material, a tablet, and some throat lozenges. As I found out when I started streaming, my throat would inevitably get scratchy when I was talking. Therefore, I always prepared throat lozenges and water.
"Speaking of which, are you going to touch ... on that story today?"
At Kuroda's words, I stop for a moment.
"As expected, the users are starting to start rumors. I think it's time to mention something about it, what are you going to do?"
I think about it for a moment and take a deep breath,
"I still think it's tough. If I say it at this stage, it could be misleading. If they come to me with a comment, I have no choice but to ignore it."
Kuroda nodded at my words.
"Right, well, it's not a very nice story for me personally, but I'm sure he's suffering, too. I don't want to make waves from our side right now."
"Even if I have to explain it, I'll have to get the confirmation first. Okay, I'm off."
Quickly raising my hand, I headed for the conference room space where the recording studio was located.
Part 2
The setup was completed as planned, and the stream was about to begin in 10 minutes.
Takenaka-san is preparing the streaming screen, as if she is already very familiar with it too.
"I'm sorry to come here every week."
"No~! I come here for my personal interests, and above all, I enjoy streaming with you, Hashiba-san!"
BCC pays Jiwango to perform and set up, so having Takenaka-san here is a respectable business in itself.
However, our company told her that we were only looking for online support so that she didn't have to come here in person, as she was supposed to, but,
(Really, she comes almost every week...I'm grateful.)
Since the majority of the staff in the company were often watching the stream but would not do it themselves, it was difficult for me to reach out to everyone when I recruited them to be assistants.
So I was very grateful that Takenaka-san, a professional among professionals, was willing to support me in this way. But I was also anxious because I did not know what she would be rewarded with.
"That's it, I'm just happy to be part of a fun stream!"
When I hear stories like that, I can tell that she really likes streaming.
"Thank you. I'll leave it to you today."
When I honestly bowed my head, Takenaka-san looked a bit uneasy.
"Areh, what's wrong?"
"No, well, hmm, I've seen some disturbing rumors on the Internet."
Her words took my breath away for a moment.
"By any chance, is this ...... about the progress of the scenario?"
Takenaka-san sighed heavily,
"In the last week or so, I've seen a huge increase in those kinds of rumors when I search for CloDes. Apparently, some hoax site picked up on it, saying that the writer had run away and there was no one left who could write anymore."
It was a headache. I can't believe there are any places out there that are spreading rumors like that.
"Sorry to bother you, but actually...... how is it going?"
I nodded lightly at her question,
"Indeed, the progress is not going well for a bit. But we're not talking about a writer being replaced or disappeared or anything outrageous like that."
Takenaka-san looked relieved,
"I'm glad to hear that......! So, if someone starts that kind of conversation in the comments, I'll just basically let it slide, and if someone goes too far, shall I respond to NG?"
"Yes, by all means, please do it that way."
Although the story was settled, of course, this did not solve everything.
In reality, the scenario is delayed. As one would expect, no employee would blabber about the situation, but they can speculate about new information that is not readily available. This rumor was probably born from that.
But what if it were to come out in the future in a clearer way. It could lead to a decline in trust in the brand and in Tsurayuki himself.
(I have to do something, right...)
As I watched the preparation screen before streaming, I was filled with anxiety.
"Okay, I'll start the opening at 55 minutes. Please start at 0 minutes as usual!"
I was saved by Takenaka-san's cheerful voice.
And right on time, at exactly 20:00, the streaming began.
"Hi everyone, it's been a week~! We are pleased to present to you CloDes Regular Radio~! Today, again with me, Takenaka and!"
"BCC Development Department, Hashiba, presents!"
With a completely used-to routine progression, we moved from the first greetings to the latest information.
While I was explaining the new character illustrations, I checked the status of the comments section with a sideways glance.
(I knew it, I'm starting to see comments, suspecting a delay in the scenario...)
The users also seemed to be growing impatient. Nevertheless, what should I do in this situation? Here I was faced with a difficult decision.
Part 3
After the stream, I had a meeting with Kawasegawa and others after seeing Takenaka off.
The agenda, of course, is about the future of the scenario.
"To be honest, Tsurayuki's situation is not very good."
I give my report, which I didn't really want to say. The two people in front of me also seemed to understand, of course, and looked reluctant.
Tsurayuki had been thinking of taking a different approach from MysClo and creating a story of a completely different direction on the theme of time, but due to over-enthusiasm and mistaken expectations, he was having a rather difficult time with it. We had somehow managed to create a minimum framework in the form that we strongly desired, because it was necessary for character design and background specification, but this was only a minimum as long as the main story was not visible, and could never be the basis for the construction of the scenario.
"What a mess, I had a fear that this might happen to Tsurayuki, but I never thought it would be exactly like this."
Kuroda scratches his head and folds his arms. From the early stages of development, there had been suggestions about the high quality of Nukiyuki's creations and the difficulty of getting the results in proportion to the quality of the work. But neither Kuroda nor I had expected it to be to this extent.
"It looks like the team, mainly around graphics, has requested it, and it may indeed be time to take a big swing at it."
Kawasegawa also said so, but it was clear that she wanted to avoid the situation if at all possible. As she had put Tsurayuki through a lot of hardship in the past, she wanted to wait until the last minute if at all possible.
And tomorrow, there will be a meeting with Tsurayuki.
Even if we don't reach any major decisions there, we will have to go so far as to establish a policy in private.
"I think tomorrow's meeting is the limit. Is ... that okay?"
I confirm with the two of them.
"If Hashiba decides on that, I have no objection. What about you, Kawasegawa?"
Kawasegawa also seems to have had that intention from the beginning,
"Yes. I'll move along with what you decide. I know it might be too much for Tsurayuki, though."
Saying so, she looked down and bit her lip.
Part 4
The next day, after my meeting with Tsurayuki, I returned to the Development Department with Sakurai-san, who was also present at the meeting. Our steps were heavy, and we all sighed loudly as we took our seats.
"What did you think ... Sakurai-san?"
At the meeting just now, Sakurai-san devoted herself to being a secretary. I asked her for her thoughts from an objective point of view on the matter,
"Kawagoe-sensei, he seemed to be very tired. I'm sorry to say this ... but I'm not sure if he was making honest judgments about the schedule and progress."
I nodded,
"The way he spoke and his voice was firm ... but I guess he pretended to be strong"
During the meeting with Tsurayuki, he kept talking about how close he was for getting it together.
However, the word "a little more" itself had already been used several times before, and when I asked if it was possible to actually make that "a little more" concrete, the response was "not yet to that extent".
If this was the stage where we were coming up with ideas and revising and fleshing things out, there were things we could do right away. But now we were at the stage of seeing his first move. Unless Tsurayuki came up with something, there was no way to proceed from here.
Or perhaps it was a way to walk away from the path we are on and into a completely different direction, but to take the plunge, of course, would require a response from Tsurayuki.
"It's difficult......"
The road was so blocked that I could not help but spill my thoughts.
"Hashiba-san, what should we do...?"
Sakurai-san looked at me with a dependent look.
Actually, there is an idea. However, there is a reasonable risk involved in doing it. If it was not done well, Tsurayuki might be off the board by now.
"I honestly don't know how it will turn out, but I'll give it some more thought."
This was the best I could say to Sakurai-san.
"I understand. Um, I'll do my best, too, so please use me as your arms and legs in any way you like!"
She answered me with a sniffle, but I wanted to let her focus on Grape as much as possible now. Compared to complicated CloDes, Grape was steadily growing into a good project, albeit on a smaller scale.
Returning to our seats, we decided to first once again review the situation and then discuss the counterproposal. Since it was a rather difficult proposal, preparation would naturally be necessary to do it.
(But in the first place, is it good or bad to do it.)
I fold my arms and stare at the bottom area of the monitor.
I want to let Tsurayuki work comfortably, of course. For that purpose, the current free way of doing things should be the way to go.
However, that approach itself may be holding him back. If that is the case, perhaps it is that way of doing things that needs to be reformed...
As I was thinking about it, I looked up and saw the staff sitting across from me,
"Ah..."
Like before, he looked behind me and froze.
"Eh, what's wrong?"
I wonder if it was the president again. President Ichikawa has not been here since the day I heard about the stream, but I have a feeling that it would not be surprising if she came at the right time.
That is going to require some difficult explanations ... when I thought so,
I turned to see who was standing behind me,
"Yahhoo, Hashiba-kun, how are you doing?"
It was N@NA-san.
"Ueeeeeeeeeh!!"
I sounded like a frog being stepped on.
When I was so surprised, I realized once again that I had no time to choose the kind of voice I was making.
"Thanks for your hard work! I had sent you a rough draft of the background music, but you didn't reply, so I had to come over...I mean, what's wrong? You make some kind of difficult face."
"N-No, uhm, I'm sorry, I was so surprised, I didn't know how to answer."
N@NA-san said, "Hmm," and looked around without seeming particularly concerned.
"Hey, I just heard from Kuroda that Tsurayuki's submission is late, is that true?"
"Uwh..."
Well, it's not a problem when it comes to sharing among staff, but I was a little bitter at Kuroda because I wished he had followed the procedure for sharing with Platinum member.
Of course, they may have talked about something to find a way out of the current situation.
"Yes, it is. It's a little bit late..."
When I answered, N@NA-san grinned,
"Yoo~sshi, that's nice, Tsurayuki's weakness is my strength, and now I have something to show off next time I see him... I'm sorry, Hashiba-kun, you're having a hard time with that, aren't you?"
Perhaps I looked rather delicate, or perhaps she was worried about me. But, well, they seem to be enjoying each other's presence and not fighting with each other.
"N-No, I'm fine. It's my job to wait like this......"
"But even so, it looked a bit dangerous, didn't it? Kuroda's expression was dark, and even Hashiba-kun didn't seem to have much leisure time."
She was right on the money. No matter how hard I tried to make a facial expression, I am sure that there is no leisure time expression must have shown up somewhere.
When I was at a loss to answer N@NA-san's question, she said,
"I see... So, yep!"
Suddenly, she nodded as if she was convinced of something,
"Can you spare some time today, Hashiba-kun?"
"Ah, yes, I went home on time, and well, I thought I might do something at home."
That is exactly what I was trying to figure out how to do about the Tsurayuki's situation.
N@NA-san smiled and said,
"So, why don't we go to karaoke for a bit?"
Out of the blue, she made an outrageous offer.
"K-Karaoke, is it!?"
I was so surprised that I hurriedly pressed it with my hand when it was about to be loud.
The singer in front of me is a female singer who is about to reach the level of a national singer. She is well known in the otaku community with a recognition rate of nearly 100%, and probably half of the general public knows of her as well.
A karaoke session with such a person would not have been possible without a TV program or some other such project. So, she shouldn't have said to an ordinary person like me, "Won't you go with me?". Probably.
"T-T-T-That, as expected, it's a waste on me or rather isn't it dangerous?"
"Eh, it's nothing special. I usually invite people to go there."
No, what I mean is that the other party should also be an amazing singer or voice actor or something like that.
"All right, there seems to be no reason to say no, so let's go!"
"Ye, Y-Y-Y-Yes......"
In the end, for no other reason than I was sorry or in awe, I ended up going to karaoke with the person I had always looked up to like a god.
Part 5
Q: You went to karaoke with your favorite singer. What will happen?
A: It will be the most luxurious live performance venue in the world.
The scene before my eyes is so unreal. The N@NA song I was listening to on my computer last year, when I was at rock bottom, and the song of another artist, whom N@NA usually doesn't let people see her singing, is now playing in close proximity to me.
"Phew...It felt good!"
When she finished singing, I applauded her with all my might.
"Thanks~! Aren't you going to sing, Hashiba-kun?"
"N-No, no, that’s outrageous!"
It's not that I'm auditioning, but there's no way I could sing in front of such a god-like person, as expected. Or rather, it's such a precious opportunity,
(If possible, I'd like to listen to it forever.)
On the counter of the store, N@NA-san had specified 2 hours. That means this is a two-hour show. If it were possible, I would have bought some psyllium.
"I, uhm... There was a time when I was really down, and at that time I was listening to N@NA-san's music a lot."
"That's so, thanks! So, what did you think? Did it cheer you up a little?"
"Of course! So, you know, I was listening to it a little bit at home yesterday."
It was precisely because I had been losing my energy over Tsurayuki.
"I see, that's about Tsurayuki, isn't it?"
"......Yes, it is."
Since it was in a box with no other people, I nodded my head honestly. In the crowded development room, I didn't want the other staff members to hear about Tsurayuki too much.
"It seems that he's struggling with various scenarios, so I'd like to make some suggestions, but I'm afraid he'll get very depressed. So I was thinking about how to say it, and I was wondering what I should do."
If I make a mistake in the method, what we have done so far could fall apart. That is why I wanted to be very careful.
N@NA-san laughed ahahaha when she heard my story,
"Wow! Tsurayuki, he's being taken care of like such a great sensei! He's risen to the top, isn't he great, hahaha."
She laughed for a moment, leaving me stunned.
And,
"You know, Hashiba-kun."
Suddenly she looks a little serious,
"I think it's better not to be so considerate about that kind of thing."
"Eh, what do you mean by that......"
Both Kawasegawa and Kuroda agreed that Tsurayuki was sensitive and the type of person who takes pride in being a creator. That is why, even after we became friends, I had been paying proper attention to such matters.
"As a creator, I am always concerned about the quality ... of the work."
"Yes yes, of course that is true, but there is something to be said about that. There's a difference between caring and responding firmly, and treating people like they're a tumor."
I gasped at the "a tumor" part.
"There are times when they do that to me, too, and when I want more feedback, they just give the OK based on name alone, without even checking the submitted work, or when I clearly want something inspiring, they all just shut up. That kind of thing is hard for me.
She brushes her hair back lightly and says sadly.
"He's troublesome, too, so even though Hashiba-kun and he have come to be able to speak to each other in a casual manner, if you keep your distance from him like that, he'll probably put up a wall again."
Ahaha, while N@NA-san laughed, I remained silent.
That was it.
Indeed, I had felt that he trusted me since that transfer case. But that was only on a person-to-person basis, and I wondered if things were that much the same as before when it came to work.
When he said, "We are friends," he meant it in that deepest sense.
"Yes, I may have treated him as if I were touching a tumor."
N@NA-san nodded at my words,
"Then I think you should try to tell him straight from there. 'I'm thinking like this, what about you?' Like that. I'm sure he'd be happy to answer. He may look cool like that, but inside he's a hot-blooded, adolescent old man, Tsurayuki is."
I couldn't help but burst out laughing.
But indeed, my impression of Tsurayuki has changed quite a bit from the beginning. He is honest to the point of being unrefined when it comes to creating things, and he is full of spirit, willing to bite the bullet even if it means biting down on a rock to do something about it.
I hadn't noticed such Tsurayuki, and N@NA-san's words made me realize it.
(Let's say it to Tsurayuki. I'll tell him what I'm thinking)
This by no means solves everything, but it seems to me that we can move forward rather than just waiting forever without taking action.
Once again, I am so grateful to her.
"Thank you very much. It kind of sounded more like a consultation about my problems."
"It's okay~, the three of us tend to have an image of being difficult to touch, but we really want to communicate with others more properly."
It is true that the bigger the name, the fewer the number of people in that kind of relationship. Since I am not in that position myself, I can only imagine.
"...... And I'm kind of jealous too."
N@NA-san looked a bit lonely,
"He, Tsurayuki, has always had someone he could work with, like his editor or Hashiba-kun, but I have always been on my own. When I was a student, I used to practice by myself when I was very tone-deaf."
"Eh... Did you have a time like that?"
It was quite a shock to me.
"Yes, there was! It was amazing, the pitches were all over the place, but I couldn't invite anyone to join me, so I recorded it by myself and listened to it and compared it. At that time, if there had been a person who listened to me, I would have been able to do many more things."
Obviously, all I know about her is what she has looked like since she became good at it. But of course, there is a past that leads up to that point.
I can only imagine the tremendous effort she had to make to correct her tone deafness on her own.
"I wish I could have been there for you at that time."
"Hahaha, maybe, if Hashiba-kun had heard me sing back then, I'm sure you'd have quit being a fan~! Because I was so tone-deaf!"
N@NA-san laughs happily.
But I am sure she has cried a lot to get to this point.
(I...I haven't cried at all yet.)
I decided to face the troubled Nukiyuki and move on. Without doing that, I would not get to the next step, I'm sure.
Part 6
Two days later. I took the Keio Line from Shinjuku to the west, instead of the usual Yamanote Line. After a few stops, I got off the train and walked.
It is a popular residential area for young couples. A moderately large park is located in the center of town, and the cafes and stores around it have become popular in recent years. But there was another charm to this town. On the other side of the station was the old Tokyo town. A drinking district reminiscent of the Showa period and an athletic park where elementary school children run around. I thought that if I lived alone, I might be able to live more peacefully in this city.
I met up with Rokuonji Tsurayuki at a small coffee shop in the very old part of the city. He used the store, not far from his home, as a master-approved place to write and hold meetings, and in return, he would display items that were associated with his work.
"I'm sorry you had to come all the way here."
His reserved seat was in the back of a quiet coffee shop. He looks a little embarrassed, probably feeling like his home is being peeped into.
"Not at all. I'm sorry we just had a meeting the other day."
We ordered two coffees to the waiter and sat down facing each other.
As we both took a breath, the conversation began.
"I kind of know what you're going to say. It's about the scenario from now on, right?"
Before I could, Tsurayuki opened his mouth.
"I know that I have to do something about it, as I should. I saw the streaming the other day, and the users are quite worried about it. I figured that Kyoya coming all the way here means something like that."
After all, Tsurayuki was watching that streaming. I am so glad that I did not say anything to muddy the waters there. If I had said something, he would have probably been bothered by that too.
"However, I've come this far, and I just can't bring myself to change the way things are done. So, if possible, I want to find a way to move forward without making any major changes to the way things are now. But I can't come up with a way to do that with my head right now."
He himself knew that he could not leave things as they were. However, he still didn't think it was the right thing to make a big change.
I took a deep breath. I knew it was time to speak.
"Yes, that's what I'm here to talk about today. But before we do, there's something I want you to hear."
"What is it that you want to hear?"
At Tsurayuki's words, I took out a dozen or so paperbacks from my bag. All of them were a little stiff from over-turning the pages, and when stacked on top of each other, they would naturally tilt and slide down.
"When I first bought the books, they were all nicely put together. When I inevitably read too much, that's what happens."
Tsurayuki's eyes seemed to be drawn to the title of the books, much more so than to their condition.
"Kyoya, this......"
I nodded,
"That's right. 'Bloody Sword of Sorrow (Aigyaku Bloody Sword)' is a work by Kawagoe Kyoichi, and it's my favorite light novel."
I came across this work right around the same time as the works of Akishima Shino and N@NA. It was a work that showed a new approach to so-called "isekai reincarnation," and I remember that it was a huge boom at the time it came out.
Unlike recent reincarnation stories, "AiBura," as it is commonly called, was more of a hard-mode work. The protagonist is only a normal high school student and does not have any cheat-like abilities. However, the story is that he worries, thinks, and trains himself with the sword, and then gradually rises to the top by utilizing his natural good intuition and insight.
"What I really like about this work is that the protagonist is able to 'judge'."
In this work, there are many situations in which the protagonist is forced to make a tough decision. Whether to save his friends or his people, to honor his duty or to follow orders, after such agonizing scenes, he makes a decision that seems to be exactly the only one he can make. And for ones that he did not choose that made us think he had abandoned it, he has prepared a satisfactory answer.
That is why the protagonist of this work was very popular. He is the kind of character that makes you want to be like this or that.
"Before coming here today, I kept going back to read it again. I wondered how you could write a story like this, how you could create such reality in the scenes of decision making."
At that time, Tsurayuki must have been still young. Could he have been born and raised in an ordinary way, and could he have written this book with only the knowledge he had acquired from books and creative works? I wondered, and eventually came up with an answer.
"Kawagoe Kyoichi -- Tsurayuki must have been a man who kept on judging. That's why he was able to write this kind of story, I thought."
It was simple. Those who could write serious decisions must have had the experience to do so. They must have repeatedly made decisions in their lives up to that point. That is why they have been able to compete in the very unstable and demanding world of light novelists.
"I am rather sorry that I entrusted you with the really tough part of this scenario. I had to be prepared for that, and I had to decide together with you."
Right, I said that I wanted to let him do what he wanted to do, and left the decision to him. At first glance, this may have appeared to give the creator freedom, but in fact, I felt that I had placed a heavy burden on him from the very beginning.
"So, I would like to make a new proposal. Can we rework the setting and plot that we created for MysClo, not throwing them away, but making the most of them? I'd like you to consider it."
I stood up and quietly bowed my head.
How much time passed in silence? Tsurayuki stood up and gently placed his hand on my shoulder,
"For now, sit down, it's hard to talk."
He gave me a wry smile and made me sit down.
"...... Judgment, huh? Yes, I've done a lot."
Then he looked out the window. Tsurayuki was looking back into the past.
"There were some very hard times, and there were times when I couldn't see my family. But I wanted to do what I really wanted to do. Even though I had made up my mind, there were plenty of times I wished I could start all over again. But somehow, I gritted my teeth and kept going. That's how I got to where I am today."
Fuh, he lets out a breath,
"But when I'm by myself, I sometimes lose my way. Sometimes I think I'm walking forward, but the people around me see that I'm just going around and around in circles. So it's very nice to have someone who can look at things calmly at a time like that."
Tsurayuki turned his face to me,
"Kyoya, I'm glad I trusted you. If it had been just me, I might have gone in a terrible direction."
"So, the suggestion is..."
"Yeah, let's start over, utilizing the previous settings. That way, you've got a framework, and you'll save a lot of time."
I was relieved and felt like all the strength was gone from my body.
I honestly thought that using his book to talk about it was a bit much. But without using something to put it into words, I couldn't back up my judgment on my own.
I'm glad I managed to get my thoughts across. Now we can move the conversation forward.
"But the setting and plot are Succeed's copyrighted works, aren't they? Even if we change the name, wouldn't it be a problem to use them?"
Naturally, Tsurayuki seemed concerned about that.
"I checked that just in case."
I took out a document from the file I had brought with me, a memorandum about the setting and plot, and placed it in front of him.
Tsurayuki looked through it,
"Kyoya, when did you prepare all this?"
He said so, and seemed unable to hide his surprise.
"Just in case that ever happened, I asked about it when we were meeting with Succeed."
It would be nice if I didn't have to use it, but maybe. The thing that I had said at that time and put in a document was this, which is in front of our eyes now.
The story goes back to that conference room.
I had one thing I really wanted to make sure of in front of Hachiya, the very stubborn-looking Succeed's legal department.
(If Tsurayuki decides to partially use the original setting or plot, to what extent is it allowed?)
Even if it is out of the question to use the names as they are, there are elements that can be rearranged and used, such as story elements, the composition of groups and teams that appear in the game, and the grouping of items. However, if the other party makes a claim about the use of the name, it would create a mutual disadvantage.
So, I wanted to somehow set that line. I knew it would be difficult, but I made my proposal with the enthusiasm that my best job was to make this negotiation successful.
I was expecting Hachiya to argue with me as a matter of course ......, but here he came back to me with a sort of surprising proposal.
In exchange for allowing partial use of the setting and plot, Succeedsoft's name will appear in the credits as the "original idea". As long as we accept these conditions, there will be no charge for the work.
"How about it? I don't think it's a bad deal for your company."
For a moment, I thought it was a trap, but it seemed like a good deal to me. It is true that it is not good emotionally to put the name of the party who caused so much suffering in the credits, but it is a very good condition. Besides, the name of Succeed can give an air of reconciliation to the bad image of development based on a dispute.
After consulting with Kuroda and Kawasegawa, we decided that we should take it, and I took the credit terms and proceeded to draft the guidelines.
In this way, a detailed document was prepared, with every detail confirmed.
"It really helps. The work will go a lot differently with this thing than without it."
Tsurayuki seemed to be really pleased.
"We don't actually write things, so we try to prepare as much as possible ahead of time. It's the only way we can do it."
When I said that, Tsurayuki replied softly, "Thank you."
"Actually, it was very helpful that Kyoya told me. It made me feel a little better to hear it from a guy I trust."
"I'm glad to hear that. Because it would have been hard to say from Tsurayuki's point of view."
As expected, I was able to properly follow up on this point, which was the best part.
Tsurayuki looked relaxed, as if he had just dropped a huge load. His gaze kept looking toward the ceiling and he seemed to be thinking about something.
"Hey, Kyoya. I have something I'd like to ask you again."
"Eh? Yes."
Tsurayuki's gaze turned straight to me.
"What is the most important thing to you when it comes to making things?"
It was a sudden, difficult question.
"Eh~..."
"No, it's not that difficult. I just thought Kyoya seemed to be here after looking at and thinking about a lot of things, so I was simply interested in what such a guy put at the top of his list."
I see, it was an interesting question, but it was also a question that I didn't know if I could answer honestly.
It may have seemed like a casual question to Tsurayuki, but depending on my answer, it may have an impact on the future of the production work.
But I thought it would be weird to lie, so I,
"I guess what I value most ...... is that no matter how small it is, we complete it and get it out into the world."
I answered honestly what I thought.
"Even if I am not satisfied with what I am making, I have to finish it first before I can move on to the next thing, so, once I start working on something ... I make sure to make it until it's finished."
Even the maker of a bishojo game, which was extremely black, managed to persevere until the very end and bring the game to completion. Even if the game received nothing but bad reviews, it would have been nothing if they threw it away in the middle of the game. I believe that there is a tremendous gap between having something and having nothing.
"I see. I would immediately think that it would be better not to serve it if it was not good enough, but Kyoya's way of thinking is also reasonable."
"I think I'm different from someone like Tsurayuki, who has achieved proper results. I don't have anything to be proud of yet."
I honestly thought so, but Tsurayuki shook his head,
"No, I'm a total greenhorn, too, and I was just getting ahead of myself by acting like a big shot. I'm still in dash and go of making things. Thanks for reminding me."
"No, not at all."
I think this modesty is what made him grow and grow. I was again impressed by his willingness to listen to what I had to say.
"Well, then, if we decide to do so, let's go to the company now and discuss it with Kuroda."
"Eh, now? Not tomorrow or something?"
"These things are better done while they're hot, right? Can you ask him if he's free?"
Of course, I had no reason to object, and I knew, without having to ask, that Kuroda would be happy to attend the meeting.
(Thank goodness, now we can finally move forward)
Although we had to take a lot of standstill, it seemed well worth it.
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