Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
——— Latter Half ———
Part 6
"Eeh! So, Kano-sensei didn't say anything to Hashiba-sensei!?"
"M-Mm. And what about this Hashiba-sensei?"
"That's because you are my respected teacher, so it's Hashiba-sensei!"
After exchanging greetings and introductions, we decided to grab something to eat and headed to a cafe just outside the office.
While Matsuhira-san and I simply ordered a burger and a drink, Takenaka-san took us by surprise by ordering two additional burgers to her Burger LL set, making her look like a sports student.
Takenaka... Takenaka-san said her name is Takenaka Rio.
However, since people can't read her name as Takenaka Rio properly at first glance, she uses katakana in all her emails, memos, etc.
She is a first-year student who just entered the Department of Film and New Media this year. Since she had just started taking lectures, she seemed to be in the same mood and manner as a high school student.
"But Takenaka-san is very energetic~. I thought she was in junior high school."
Matsuhira-san said happily,
"No way! Takenaka is still a proud 18-year-old! You might be surprised, but I'm actually quite a proper girl!"
Taking a bite of the hamburger in her hand, Takenaka replied dissatisfiedly.
"Okay, so, back to the point."
"Ah, I'm sorry! I have a habit of skipping things and busying myself. So what is it?"
It seems like she is using the words slightly incorrectly, but well, fine.
"Uhm, it looks like you knew me earlier, but how did you know about me?"
I finally got to the point where I could ask her about something I had been really curious about. Up until this point, she had been controlling the pace of the conversation, so it had been difficult for me to get to that point.
In general, when a girl you have never met before knows your name and face, there is no other way to think of it except a dubious solicitation. I was getting nervous, wondering what I would do if it was that kind of talk.
She brightened up at my question.
"That's right! I should have said that first~!"
She suddenly stood up and grabbed my hand again with both of hers.
"Eh, wait, um!"
"I really respect Hashiba-sensei! That's why I'm so excited to meet you here!"
Eh?
What do you mean by respect?
"Uhm, have I... ever met Takenaka-san?"
"No! We met for the first time just a while ago! But Takenaka probably knows you about 30 times better than anyone else in the world!"
Subtle modesty aside, what does that mean?
"Sensei, you made a doujin game, didn't you?"
"M-Mm, I did......"
"Then last year, you uploaded a crazy video to Nico Nico!"
"M-Mm, I did... Wait, how did you know it was me!?"
It should be under a separate name, so why......?
"I heard rumors on the message boards or something that they were the same! When I heard that, I did a lot of research myself!"
"I see........"
Well, to begin with, there were points that could have been explored if one had wanted to, like Nanako's song or Shinoaki's pictures, but I still think it was well put together.
"Then, I heard that there was a person who had put this together at Daigeidai, so I decided on my career path, took the entrance exam, and came to the Department of Film and New Media in April! I immediately asked Kano-sensei about it, and she introduced me to a part-time job at Succeed!"
And today, she was so nervous about finally meeting me that she couldn't sleep and was late.
"It is a dream come true for me to be able to work with Hashiba-sensei at the same part-time job. So, once again, I look forward to working with you~."
—I thought that was an amazing story.
I understand her sentiments very much emotionally, because I, too, am here in search of the platinum generation creators that I have admired.
It is a longing for something that is clearly creative, be it painting, writing, or music, and it is easy to connect routes.
But she came straight to me, the “organizer,” from the very beginning, even though I didn't do any social networking and didn't put myself in the public eye.
(What a strange girl)
It may seem like a car that's forgotten to brake, but I don't mind being admired in this way.
"But, you know, I don't think you should call me sensei anyway."
"Eeh? Why? I want to continue to call you “Sensei” because you are definitely a teacher to Takenaka."
(Ah, she's one of those who either doesn't want to listen, or is stubbornly steeling her will.)
As I have said many times before, Geidai is a place where eccentric people gather. Not only are the eccentric ones strange, but many of them are also very stubborn.
She is probably one of them. If this is the case, it would be futile to oppose her, or perhaps I need to prepare more solid materials for her.
It seems to me that this will be a rather unpredictable start.
"I'm kind of envious when I see you guys. I think it's great to be a college student."
Watching our comedy act, or rather farce, Matsuhira-san was smiling with amusement.
"I-I'm sorry! Takenaka got a bit carried away! I'm sorry for talking nonstop and leaving Matsuhira-san alone!"
Takenaka-san let go of my hand quickly and bowed deeply like a replay of earlier.
"Well, now that we're both working part-time, we should talk about it so that we can both be satisfied with our work together from now on."
"Hyuh! That's great advice, thank you!"
Matsuhira-san said this considerately, but her response left me somewhat wondering whether she had any intention of discussing the matter.
"I'm sorry, we both got excited all of a sudden."
I was completely caught up in the moment, but I apologized.
"It's fine, it's nice to meet someone you admire."
Just as she said, Matsuhira-san didn't seem particularly bothered by the situation.
(Even though he's only one year older than me, he seems so mature.)
A certain research student in the Department of Photography must be sneezing loudly by now. Well, he's also very mature in some situations.
"Well, it's about time we went back and gave you a tour of the development department and explained the work. Horii-san is probably preparing for that as well."
"Y-Yes."
We immediately stood up and followed Matsuhira-san.
When we got back to the development department, we were immediately given our own desks.
However, as expected, we were not given the same space as regular employees, but rather a general-purpose space with a small shelf and a notebook PC.
Still, I am thrilled to have my own space at the gaming company I have always longed to work for. I had space at my previous company, but there was a world of difference in the equipment they gave me.
(It seems like a lie that I used to fix a broken chair with duct tape.)
Of course, the chairs were sturdy and made by a well-known foreign manufacturer.
I was told that I was not allowed to enter any floors other than the development department, but on the contrary, I was allowed to move around freely within the development department. Of course, it was absolutely strictly forbidden to take confidential data out of the company, but this had been clearly mentioned when I was hired as a part-timer, so it was nothing to be puzzled about.
My shift starts tomorrow. I'll probably be mostly debugging and doing odd jobs, but I'm looking forward to the opportunity to help out with development in the future.
On this day, work ended with just an introduction to the development staff and some tidying up around my desk. As I was about to leave after pressing my time card, I suddenly noticed Matsuhira-san was still working and approached him.
"Matsuhira-san, are you still here?"
He gave a wry smile and said,
"Yup, there are still things I need to do. I might have to work overtime today."
"Hee......"
Even though we are the same part-timers, we already seem to be in different areas of what we are working on.
"Well then, excuse me."
"Thank you for your hard work!!"
Takenaka-san and I bowed our heads and finished our first day of part-time work in a state of nervousness.
——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 7
I thought I would get caught up in the rush hour, but since I left work a little early, I was able to sit next to Takenaka-san on my way home. She also rents an apartment near the university, so I think I'll be seeing her more often on my commute.
It takes 10 minutes to sit down and then 30 minutes from Abenobashi to the nearest station. I always think that it is really far from the university to the center of the city. Maybe I will eventually start thinking about moving.
"Fuwa~~~ah...... Well~, I'm so sleepy~."
Takenaka-san, who had been dozing off next to me, said something like that with a big yawn.
"You look sleepy. If you want, I'll wake you up when we get to the station, so you can sleep."
Takenaka-san replied cheerfully, “Thank you very much~!”,
"Sensei, aren't you sleepy?"
On the contrary, I have heard that.
"I... not really. If anything, I was more nervous."
"Nervous?"
"Mm. I had always wanted to work for this company, or rather, in this industry."
A game company. Not the kind of company that is just a patchwork of old games, but the kind of company that is the culmination of all the things I have always wanted to do. And the people there are excellent, and it is the kind of place where you can truly feel like you want to make things with them.
Even though it was a part-time job, I got to the point where I was allowed to go in there. Naturally, it was very nerve-wracking, and all day today, I felt tense.
"So I didn't feel tired, or sleepy. Well, maybe the tiredness will kick in all at once when I get home."
Takenaka-san nodded in response to what I said, "Is that so?"
"For me, I knew the name well and thought it was a great company, but I wasn't that nervous."
"That's... impressive. It means you weren't intimidated."
I feel like it's better to be able to keep a level head like that than to be so nervous that you can't do anything.
"I don't know much about the society. And more importantly, about that."
"That?"
"You see, Takenaka was much more excited about meeting you, sensei, than she was to see Succeed!"
She looked at me with her eyes sparkling with sincerity.
"Listen, Takenaka-san."
"Yes, what is it, sensei?"
"Anyway, you suggested that we continue the discussion, so let’s stop calling me sensei for now......wait, eeh!"
Even though I simply asked her to stop calling me this embarrassing name, Takenaka's eyes suddenly became teary and her face looked sad.
"No way~, is that no good? I never thought to call you anything other than “Sensei”."
......I really wish she had considered other options.
"No, you can usually call me Hashiba-san or senpai or something."
"Eh... but isn't that kind of a very regular way to call you?"
"I think normal is fine......"
"Okay, then at least I'll come up with another name. I'll decide in 30 seconds, can you wait a minute?"
"M-Mm."
I don't know what special thing she wanted, but I agreed, as long as she would stop calling me “sensei”.
Takenaka-san grunted frantically for 30 seconds, folded her arms, thought about it, and then,
"Okay, I've got it! It's Paisen!!"
"H-Haaa?"
"Isn't it good, it feels a little closer than senpai, but it also feels special, so I'd like this, Paisen!"
"Paisen, huh......Hmmm."
Not Sensei, but Paisen. I remember that Paisen was a joke of a comedian in the past. I also remember that it was a nickname used by voice actors.
"O-Okay, that's fine."
"Hooray! Then I'll call you Paisen from now on! I'm going to ask you a lot of questions from now on, so please be prepared for that, Paisen!"
"Well, as long as I can answer that, mm."
When I nodded as if I was being forced to, Takenaka-san pumped her fist in joy and exclaimed "Yoshaa!".
(Things like this happen......But)
Until now, it was only my friends who appreciated what I did. That is how production and behind-the-scenes work is supposed to be.
Recently, there has been a lot of content that spotlights such occupations, but it is still a place that does not get sunlight in the first place, and it was impossible for me to go out on the front stage and be cheered.
But there are even kids like this who have actually followed the finished product and finally got to the point where they can track it down. That can be a confidence booster, and to be honest, I am happy about it.
(Or rather)
I glanced at her face with a sideways glance.
I was so overwhelmed by my first impression of her that I put off looking at her appearance again, but she was so cute that I felt bad about that.
Unlike Saikawa, who was also a junior, she was cheerful and sophisticated, which made her straightforwardly attractive, the kind of girl who would be popular with the guys.
There was no way I wouldn't be happy when a girl like that told me she admired me and was happy to meet me. Because, on the inside, I was a worn-out guy in my early 30s......
(No, no, I need to keep my cool, mm)
I look straight ahead and calm myself down. After all, she admires my work, not me.
Besides, I still have a ways to go. Just the other day, I vowed to myself that I would aim to become a producer and get closer to everyone, but it's so pathetic that I've started grinning so quickly.
I have to be careful here and deal with this properly......
"E-Eeh?"
I noticed something warm touching me on my shoulder. The moment I turned my head in that direction to see what it was, I realized what it was and was puzzled.
"Fuwaah, Paisen, I'm sorry...... I'm just too sleepy, so could you lend me your shoulder until we get to the station......"
Saying that, with a defenseless look on her face, she leaned her body onto my shoulder and began to sleep soundly.
(K-K-K-Keep calm, keep calm......!!)
Dizzy from the warmth and the breath on my shoulders, I continued to stare out the darkened windows with the mind of a monk.
——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 8
Thus ended my first night as a part-time worker.
The next morning, I was planning to tell everyone in the share house about my part-time job, but the first topic that came up at the breakfast table was,
"Hey~, listen to me, Kyoya!"
Tsurayuki's whining.
"I thought I had confidence in my writing. It's moderately easy to read, has parts that are worth reading, and yet has a good tempo. I was thinking, “Well, it's not going to get 100 points out of the blue, but it's going to be okay", you know what I mean, right?"
"M-Mm, of course I know."
"Thank you! Well, I think Kyoya would understand, yeah, that's right, I want to create something with someone who understands me like this......"
"But you ran away once, didn't you?"
"Shut up! I came back safely, so that's fine okay! But more importantly, there's something I want you to see, you know!"
"What is it?"
While immediately responding to Nanako's retort, Nukiyuki took a bundle of manuscripts out of the envelope.
"These are the red marks that my editor made on the first draft I submitted, that is, the very first manuscript."
Is this what they call a "return".
Naturally, not all light novel manuscripts are completed in the first draft. Of course, there are some authors who boast of an extraordinary degree of perfection at the first draft stage, but most of them continue to make changes in the second and third drafts and make numerous revisions before completion.
So, it is not uncommon for a first draft to undergo a major revision. I've heard that many works are underway on that basis,
"Does that mean they put a lot of red ink on it?"
Tsurayuki nodded silently and scratched his head.
"Ah~, that's right!! Almost everything, from the writing style, to the dialogue, to the location of the scene, to the content, came back to me in red! That's not going to make you feel any less confident, is it!"
"Ah~......"
Well, I guess that's what it was all about.
"No, I'm not saying I don't want to fix things. I'll fix what I need to fix, and if it's not up to professional standards, I'll do it right. But, you know, it's just......It's hard, the way they write."
Nanako picked up a stack of manuscripts, flipped through them, and exclaimed, "Hih!"
"Eh, the writing here is scary."
"What does it say?"
Nanako pointed to the relevant part with her hand,
"There's a big cross mark across the page and it just says, "Please read it again carefully"......"
"Wah, that's scary."
If there were specific instructions for correction, that would be fine, but if they told me to reread the whole section because it was all wrong, my pride would probably be shredded.
"Yeah, that was tough too, but in the last chapter, it said they wouldn't read that part yet, so please do something about the first half."
"Uwh...... Somehow, my stomach is starting to hurt."
Tsurayuki's shoulders slumped.
I can see that he is so depressed that I almost feel sorry for him.
While everyone was gloomy, Shinoaki looked at Tsurayuki with a worried expression.
"Shinoaki, what's wrong, you didn't say anything."
"Ah, mm...... I just thought that even though we're both working on light novels area, it's completely different."
Shinoaki answered with a smile, just like always.
"Eh, I thought this is how it was at Shinoaki's work, correcting things that have red ink?"
"Yeah, sometimes they ask me to fix things, but it's just small things. Generally, they praise me and say it's good~"
"I-Is that so?..... That's nice, Shinoaki."
Tsurayuki held his head in despair.
"Hey Kyoya, I might not be able to make it. I've done my best up to this point, but I..."
"Come on, pull yourself together. He must be an incredibly dedicated editor to have read through everything so thoroughly. You are actually quite blessed."
I once spoke with a scenario writer at a previous job who had experience writing light novels.
According to the author, there are some editors who just give gentle praise and don't give any instructions for corrections, and if you get such a person, it can be extremely difficult because all the responsibility falls on you.
Indeed, at first glance, an editor who gives you a lot of red ink appears to be a difficult person to deal with. However, by improving quality in this way, your reputation as a writer will surely increase. In the long run, unless you are a genius, it should be better for you.
"So, even if it's hard, you should do your best. I'm sure they are also looking to see if you are a writer who can improve the quality of your work."
"I-Is that so...?"
Tsurayuki also seemed to have finally changed his mind.
"A-Alright, I'll try my best. Kyoya's right. If I think of it as a way to cheer myself up after winning the Rookie of the Year award, I'll be more motivated."
"Yes, yes, I'm sure you'll be fine as long as you keep the mindset that you're not going to lose."
"Okay, I'll do it... I'll definitely win, I'll make something good and convince them!"
Finally, the light returned to Tsurayuki's eyes.
Well, if he is at the stage of complaining to everyone like this, it would still be considered a minor injury at all. If this is the case and he hoarded it without telling anyone, it would lead to an accident like the previous one.
(I don't want another one like that.)
Look beyond myself, and everyone else, so that we are not dependent on each other. If we could do that, then sad things like that would never happen again.
"Ah, that reminds me, Kyoya."
Nanako spoke up, as if to change the subject.
"I'd like to discuss something with you about the collaboration."
"Eh? But I thought you already gave your answer."
Since around this spring, Nanako has received a series of inquiries about collaboration on Nico Nico Douga. Just the other day, she asked me about it, and I had just given her my own thoughts and advice on how to reply.
So, I thought it was about that, but,
"No, that's not it. I've got another offer coming up."
"The next offer has already come up, isn't that amazing?"
Nanako seems to have become a completely popular singer. I was thinking that if she was getting so many offers without a pause, maybe it was time for her to be more selective about who she worked with.
"He is called Gaziberi P."
"Right, Gazibe......"
I was pondering the name Nanako had mentioned to me, and immediately afterwards, I was shouting with all my might.
"Eeeeh, from Gaziberia!?"
"Eh, w-what? Yes, so what......?"
Nanako, and the other two, are surprised to hear my shout.
(No, because that person... 10 years from now, it's going to be outrageous.)
He originally uploaded Vocaloid songs on NicoNico, but a label became interested and asked him to produce an idol, and from there his songs quickly began to attract attention.
In the future where I was, there was already talk of him appearing in a year-end singing contest, I think.
N@NA is a big star, but Gaziberia was just as charismatic, if not more so, in the category of Nico Nico origin.
(Ah, but I guess he's not so great now.)
I believe it was around the end of 2008 that his Vocaloid songs began to receive more than 1 million views in a row. Until then, I remember that he had not been doing anything noteworthy.
That's why it's not surprising that people aren't as surprised as I am.
"No, I mean - Gaziberi P., he writes good songs. So I remember his name."
"Eh, really? I don't know much about him, so I was wondering who he was."
......I knew he still didn't become that well-known.
"But if it's not too hard for Nanako, I think you should take the collaboration. I'm sure it will be a good connection later on."
"Hmm, I see."
Nanako still tilted her head, but eventually,
"It's what Kyoya recommended, so I guess I'll give it a try."
It seemed like she had decided to think positively.
"But you have to think about it yourself in the end. It's no good just because I said so."
"Ye~s, I'll do it after listening to his song properly."
Right, if they depend too much on me, things could get weird in the future. I need to just give them advice, or else I will be depriving them of their independence.
"I guess everyone is doing their best."
Shinoaki smiles and says so.
"Mm, I think the things we've done are starting to pay off."
Now it's my turn to get stronger so I can lead everyone.
(Easy to say, but it's whether I can do it or not.)
Whether my experience at Succeed will come in handy will depend on how hard I work.
——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———
Part 9
After finishing breakfast, everyone went back to their work as usual.
I had a part-time job starting at noon, so I decided to get ready a little early and leave home.
As I walked along the road from the riverbed to the station, I received a phone call.
"It's Kawasegawa."
Wondering if there was something she needed, I pressed the answer button.
"Hello, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Then, a voice came back from the other end, in a strangely low voice.
"Am I not allowed to call you unless I have some business with you?"
I couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey! What's so funny?"
"Sorry, sorry, so?"
Kawasegawa, who had always struggled with machines, called me almost exclusively when she had some business.
However, for the time being, we stopped making works together, and just as we were starting our respective activities, I suddenly received a phone call from her.
At the time, I naturally told her,
『Hello, Kawasegawa, what's wrong? Did something happen?』
Then, with a loud sigh,
『Am I not allowed to call you unless I have some business with you?』
was the reply. Since then, Kawasegawa has started calling me like this from time to time, even for trivial matters.
"You're a nice person, but you say mean things like that."
"M-Mm, I can't... deny it."
Well, I think to myself that I don't have a very good personality because I enjoy seeing Kawasegawa's reaction like this.
"So, here's the story."
Kawasegawa's business was consulting about a part-time job she was working on.
As she had mentioned before, she was working part-time as an assistant director for a film production company. She said that there had been something that surprised her about the job.
"It doesn't work. There is nothing that a student has studied can do."
Even though she learned some of the terminology and usage when she went out into the field, the application of these terms and how to use them at the field level was never an advantage, as the specifications differed from place to place.
"I thought I'd be able to help out smoothly because I learned it in class, but... I was wrong. I'll have to start studying again from the beginning."
"I see, that's tough."
"Well, studying is fun, so that's fine. What's more serious is the atmosphere at the workplace."
"The atmosphere? Is it bad?"
When I asked, Kawasegawa sighed heavily,
"Mm. Well, I guess that's what would happen given the current situation."
The film production company she was with had the potential to produce films that were originally at the level of theatrical releases.
However, with the Japanese film industry in the midst of a recession, they were not in a position to produce only such a level of work. So they began to work on commercials, which were still in demand, but the staff who originally wanted to do films and were at the company began to publicly express their dissatisfaction.
"I understand how you feel, but it's a problem if you show it."
"That's right, and that makes the lower-level staff feel more and more depressed."
Of the three staff members who joined the company at the same time as Kawasegawa, two apparently have quit.
"So, is Kawasegawa also depressed a little?"
I thought that this might be the case,
"Me? No way. I actually wanted to say it's better to quit sooner rather than later. Don't lumped me together with them."
There didn't seem to be any concern about that at all.
"Well, that's why I've been telling them directly lately. If you have a directing job that no one else wants to do, please give it to me. As you can imagine, I haven't gotten any work yet, but if I keep saying it, maybe I will, and I don't want to lose the chance."
On the contrary, it seemed to be just as we expected from Kawasegawa.
"So? How did you do, are you doing well at the game company?"
For the time being, I told her that my first impression was good.
"That's nice. It's a great company that might have opportunities for part-timers as well. If my current company goes out of business, I'll ask you to introduce me."
"Kawasegawa in a game company, huh?"
"It's not that unusual. I've heard that more and more games are being produced with an emphasis on visual performance."
I thought that it was this broad perspective that allowed me to meet the Kawasegawa I met in the future. Perhaps in the distant future, I might be able to see her working at a game company.
"So it looks like things are going well for you, too, for now. That's good."
"So you're worried about me."
"Of course. I'm not going to forget when you asked for my help."
To be honest, those words touched my heart a little.
"......Thank you."
"It's fine. Let's not hold anything back for each other. Well then."
The phone hung up quickly. I started walking down the road to the station again.
She was an outstanding student in the department, but she is now being shown the harsh reality of the field of video production, which is supposed to be an elite course. It is a sad story in that it is not something that can be managed by her own efforts.
"But Kawasegawa is doing her best."
Whereas most people would be pessimistic, she is thinking about doing something in her own way. That undoubtedly gives me courage.
To be honest, I felt lonely when I saw everyone grasping the clues to success and happily talking about the future.
But when I talked to each of them, it turned out that they all had their own thoughts and struggles, and were just trying to move forward somehow.
I felt very embarrassed about myself, being stuck in such a tiny place.
"I'll do my best, but I still have a long way to go."
Now that I have an environment where I can acquire skills, I will make efforts to advance as quickly and surely as possible.
I sincerely wanted to quickly become something real like the one Takenaka-san longed for.
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