Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna

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Thank you for your support Saylesma

Chapter 2 | Combo | Remake our Life! 


——— First Half ———

Part 1

"Kyoya-kun, Kyoya-kun."

I hear someone's voice. My body is being rocked. The voice is very gentle and the hand that is rocking me is warm.

So I thought for a moment in my sleep that it might be okay to stay like this forever.

"...Hah!"

As I wake up, all the memories from before I went to sleep come flooding back.

Yesterday, I came home late and had been working on a report assignment for a long time. As a result, I couldn't sleep much, and as the time for my part-time job approached, I lay down in the living room to get some rest, and it seemed that I fell into a sound sleep as it was.

"The alarm kept going on, so I came downstairs to see what was going on. Then I saw that Kyoya-kun was sleeping, so I wondered when he would wake up."

I looked at my cell phone and found traces of an alarm that had been ringing continuously. If it had not been for Shinoaki's thoughtfulness, I would have continued to sleep.

"Thank goodness, if you hadn't woken me up, it would have been over... Wait, what time is it?"

Hurriedly, I looked at my cell phone again. It was past the time of the bus that I usually take, but I was sure that I could catch the next bus if I hurried out now.

I was sure I would be late, but I could still get there as soon as possible.

"Sorry, but I need to hurry up or else it'll be dangerous, so I'll be leaving now!"

I stood up, stretched my body, picked up my bag that was lying next to me, and ran to the front door.

"Be careful on the way there~."

Behind me was a soothing, gentle voice. Waving me off, I ran out of the house.

I ran breathlessly the distance from my house to the bus stop. It seemed that I would be able to catch the bus to the station.

"L-Looks like I'll make it in time!"

Being late would obviously be worse, so I'm only half happy, but this would save me a little time. After all, the road to the station is too far to walk, and the buses don't run very often. I rarely take them, but this is such a rural area that you don't even see taxis in front of the station.

I made it in time to get on the bus and sat in the very back seat. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sent Shinoaki an email to thank her.

"I managed to make it to the bus in time, thank you."

"I'm glad~. You must be tired. Be careful~"

An email that sounded like it would be played back on audio came back almost immediately. I sent another thank you email, then took another breath.

"If Shinoaki hadn't wake me up, I would have slept until the evening."

Thanks to that, I was only about 30 minutes later than my usual departure time. However, it was still tardy. Next time, I will avoid napping recklessly so that I can wake up more reliably. 

Relieved, I look out the window. It was finally the second half of April, which was still chilly, and the weather was gradually getting warmer. The green seems to be increasing in proportion to the amount of light in the sky. 

"It's been two weeks...... It's gone by so quickly."

I count on my fingers to count the number of days since I started working part-time.

I'm still not used to it, of course, but I've somehow managed to get the number of days I've worked into double digits. Now I just need to work hard to get used to the work and be truly useful. 

"It starts from here on, right."

Of course, it is not enough to just do a part-time job. Once you learn the mechanics of the job, you must act on your own initiative, and eventually connect this to your skills as a producer.

If I just want to do the job I'm given, I can get an easier part-time job.

"...Let's do my best."

I knew I couldn't afford to be late, so I slapped myself on the cheek to get myself pumped.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 2

As soon as I arrived at the office, I headed straight for Horii-san's desk.

"I'm sorry, I'm late. I deeply apologize"

After that, I managed to make a smooth transfer to the next train, which helped to reduce the initial 30-minute lateness. 

However, I still ended up being 10 minutes late. 

"Thank you for your hard work. You got home late yesterday too. Tell Matsuhira-kun as well." 

"Okay."

Perhaps because it was my first time being late, I was not particularly scolded.

(But this doesn't make me feel at ease.)

I may have given the impression that I am loose with time. In addition, I know from experience that people who don't scold you in an easy-to-understand manner are the scarier in this kind of situation.

I headed for Matsuhira-san's desk, vowing to be more careful next time.

"Haha, did you stay up all night doing assignments after you got home yesterday? That happens."

Matsuhira-san also laughed it off with a nonchalant look on his face.

"Did that happen to you, too, Matsuhira-san?"

"No, I was the type of person who started working on a project on the day it was given to me, so I didn't stay up all night to put it together. Some of my friends did that, though."

That was the kind of response I got.

"More importantly, how are you feeling? If you haven't slept much, don't push yourself."

"I'm fine, I slept on the train, so I'm not sleepy."

"I see. But if you let your guard down, your health will deteriorate. If you feel like it's too hard, please contact me as soon as possible."

I thought it was a very considerate gesture towards a junior, especially someone who was late. I thought that someone as reliable as him would get annoyed at someone who couldn't do things, but I didn't get that feeling at all.

"Yes, thank you."

I bow my head honestly and wonder.

"Oh, right. I wonder if Takenaka-san is here yet?"

"Now that I think of it, she hasn't arrived yet either. She didn't say she was going to be late..."

Just at the moment I was about to say it,

"G-Good morning! Ah, no, I'm sorry! I was not early at all, I'm sorry!"

The person in question came running into the development department with messy hair and gasping for breath. The entire development department burst into laughter at the sight of her panicked appearance.

"Eh, uhm, uhm! I'm really sorry!!"

Takenaka-san was still flustered by the suddenness of the situation.

Seeing this, Matsuhira-san and I laughed and breathed softly.

"Well then, shall we start today's work."

"Yes."

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 3

"Uwh~~~~~ Takenaka really messed up. Listen, Paisen, I spilled contact cleaner all over my face this morning, I used the wrong amount of water when cooking rice and got it all soggy, the right side of my PS controller went crazy, and I just had a really bad day. I wonder if it's a matter of karma or retribution. I donate quite a lot though."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Ah, aren't you off by one when checking from number 2 onwards?"

"Eh, wah! You're right! As expected of Paisen, thank you!!"

She stared at a spreadsheet file and fixed it by quickly typing keys. Her attention span was a bit scattered, but she was very adept at handling a computer. 

"I always thought your keystrokes were fast and sure-footed."

"It's obvious, I used to play online games for a long time, do you know the PCO, Paisen?"

"Mm, of course."

It's a pretty well-known MMORPG on a domestic and even global level. 

"Takenaka was the leader of a guild with about 100 people."

"Eh, t-that was when you were in high school, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I was chatting and e-mailing a lot there, and my keyboard typing was getting really fast!"

While giggling, Takenaka-san typed out the text of the bug report without looking at her hands. Her speed while looking away was clearly fast.

"Oh, so Paisen, shall we move on to the next bug?"

"M-Mm, wait a minute."

While looking at the documents at hand, I operate the cell phone in my hand with a flick of my fingers.

"Next. When playing 7-in-a-row, if you repeatedly select and unselect cards in your hand, it freezes, let's check it."

"Ye~s."

This is what we have been working on for the past two weeks. It was, to put it plainly, debugging work. 

At Succeed, we had just finished producing games for consumer consoles, and our main business was the development of cell phone applications, which we had been working on in between.

At first, they felt that they could make a little profit by filling a hole in the market, but more people than expected were looking for a way to pass the time on their cell phones, and it quickly became a highly profitable business.

Companies naturally focus on low-cost, high-profit businesses. Succeed was also immediately ordered to strengthen its cell phone application business.

Our job was to recheck the bug that had appeared in the latest version of "50 Card Games," one of the game's biggest money-makers, and then to fix the bug. 

"Ah, this looks fine. Let's mark it as OK for now."

"Okay."

Takenaka gives a big nod and puts a light blue check mark, which means tentatively OK. If this is verified again and there are no problems, it turns blue. 

After going through the whole process and completing two rounds of testing, the sheet is returned to the debugging team. If the sheet is checked again and there are no problems, it will be released as a new version. 

"It was a little different from what I expected."

Takenaka-san purses her lips in dissatisfaction.

"That talk again?"

I respond with a wry smile.

"Because! Even though I joined a cutting-edge game development company, but all I've seen for a while now are playing cards! I thought I would be able to touch more RPGs or action games or something like that!"

"Even the card games are cutting edge. Especially this one, the UI is solid and the quality is high."

"That's... understandable."

As expected, Takenaka-san still didn't seem completely convinced.

If I had been in Takenaka-san's shoes, I would have been disappointed, too. I thought that working at Succeed would have meant that I would have been in contact with large RPGs, action games, simulations that have recently become a hit, and other consumer games of that genre. 

However, as I grew up and entered the workforce, my way of using my time changed dramatically, and my opinion of this simple card game changed dramatically. I realized that entertainment like this, something you can casually pick up and enjoy for a short amount of time on your way home from work or in your free time, can be a perfectly viable product.

(It's really fun when values change.)

I was impressed by what Horii-san, the department head, said to me when I was helping him with this game.

『Hashiba-kun, have you ever typed [killing time] on a search site?』

When I was a student, it never happened once.

『Well, keep this in mind: there are a lot of people in the world who search for the word [killing time].』

When you are in a creative field, like us, as a student or as a job, it is difficult to find time to do anything. Even if we do, we can find something to do by ourselves, such as reading books or playing games. This is because we are always interested in these areas, so we don't have to do any special research to find information.

But for the majority of people who are usually doing something else, what they do to kill time will be information that they will not know without looking it up again. That is why the search term [killing time] comes in at the top of the list.

Moreover, these people more often than not do not spend a large amount of time on games. As a result, they seek games that they can play quickly and quit quickly.

The answer to that demand was "50 Card Games". And as intended, the game continues to bring in significant revenue, even while being largely ignored by gamers. 

"It's important to have a different perspective. If you're planning a project in the future, it won't hurt to have that perspective."

"Hmm, I guess that's how it is..."

While I play the card game on the cell phone in my hand, Takenaka is tilting her head. Well, maybe things will change by the time her generation becomes the core of society.

"Somehow, but even though we're both part-timers, what we do is totally different from what the leader does."

"Do you mean Matsuhira-san?"

Takenaka-san nodded vigorously.

"I mean, isn't it amazing? While we were busy tapping away, he was on the phone with people in various countries, including the U.S. and Russia, and even the other day, the director of “Exodus Frontier” came to him directly for ideas. That's really amazing."

"Exodus Frontier” was a fantasy-based simulation released on the PS2 and was one of a series of consumer console software titles awaiting a sequel. 

Being the director of a company is, of course, a very prestigious position. It was unusual for such a person, who should have a solid career, to ask a part-time student for advice.

I looked at Matsuhira-san, who was sitting a little far away.

As usual, he is on the phone with a cool expression on his face. While speaking fluent English with the other party, he is tapping on the keyboard all the time at hand. His back is always straight and straight, setting him apart from the other hunched-over employees.

Matsuhira-san was the leader of the student part-timers, including us, and we would talk to him about all the problems and seek his advice.

There were many times when I was inconvenienced by unfamiliar work that took time or I had trouble remembering things, but he handled them smartly, and frankly speaking, he was cool.

Horii-san, the department head, seems to have full confidence in Matsuhira-san, and has already treated him as more than an employee, buying his language and interpersonal skills, selecting him to serve as a liaison with the overseas development studio, and having him actively participate in planning meetings.

Even though I have 10 years of experience and knowledge, I couldn't help but feel that he was on a different level. 

"Do you admire him too, Paisen?"

When Takenaka-san, who had been watching him work, asked me,

"Mm, I want to be like that."

I nodded honestly.

——— read on seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 4

"I've been doing it for a long time, because it's not like that at all."

During the break, Takenaka-san praised Matsuhira-san in her usual manner, saying "You're amazing!", but Matsuhira-san himself denied it with a wry smile. 

"Eh, but you're doing really important work even though you're just a part-timer! That's because you're just really good."

"Hmm, but depending on how you look at it, wouldn't it be more dangerous to work for a long time and not be entrusted with important work."

"Gueh..."

Takenaka-san groaned as if got hit with a perfectly reasonable punch.

"Haha, sorry, I said too much. But if you can feel that you are learning every day, I think you will gradually be able to do more advanced work."

"Is that how it is...?"

Takenaka-san looked at Matsuhira-san with an upward glance and sipped from a plastic tea bottle. If this made her feel like she had to study, that would be a good thing.

(I mean, this person)

I'm going to say what I was thinking a little before.

"Matsuhira-san, you know"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"Which university are you attending?"

From the way he worked and thought, it was hard to believe that he was at least in the arts field.

So I was just bracing myself for what is probably one of the best universities in Kansai.

"Ah, I'm from Kyokokudai (Kyoto National University). Faculty of Economics."

Of all things, the name of the strongest university in Kansai came up.

"Y-Y-You are a Kyoto University student?!"

Before I could say anything, Takenaka-san cried out in surprise.

"Mm. But my grades are about average, so it's nothing special."

No no no no. It's pretty impressive, more than enough.

Just like in the Kanto region, there is naturally a hierarchy of universities in Kansai as well.

In the case of private universities, there is the unshakable brand of KanKanDoRitsu, and in the case of public universities, there are universities in Osaka and Kyoto that are descended from the former imperial universities. 

(Note: KanKanDoRitsu is the common name for four private universities in the Kinki region that are considered difficult private universities. The name is a combination of the initial letters of each school's name Kansai University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University)

Kyoto National University, commonly known as Kyokokudai, had the highest deviation score in the Kansai region among the former imperial universities, and was said to be second only to Tokyo National University in Tokyo in Japan as a whole.

(That makes one a high-spec person who speaks in more than one language.)

It is wrong to make judgments based solely on the name of the university, but even so, when we are shown examples like this, we are reminded that there is still a connection.

"Indeed, it is a well-known university, but that doesn't mean you will learn anything just by going there. The important thing is what you do there."

There is a lot of meaning in every word he says.

If someone could say this to me before I became a member of society, and also tell me that they are putting it into practice, I would be blown away, even though I am practically in my twenties.

"No, but I still think Matsuhira-san is amazing."

I realized that when respect really reaches an extreme, one's vocabulary becomes limited. How should I put it, when faced with someone who is flawless, all one can say are such trite words.

"I've said it before."

Matsuhira-san looked at us alternately,

"I'm not originally from a creative field, so I envy you guys who can study those things so thoroughly."

"You mean the environment at the University of the Arts (Geidai)?"

"Mm. Because the classes there would be completely different from those at Kyoto National University."

Well, of course that would be the case, but... 

"Well, I guess this is just wishful thinking. In the end, I think we should respect each other and work hard to make up for our shortcomings."

"Yes, I'll do my best."

Both I and Takenaka-san could only nod like children.

"Alright, then the break is over, let's go back."

Matsuhira-san left the break room first with a fresh smile as usual. We hurriedly followed him.

(That's right, you have to do... what you can)

As I talked to him, I was reminded of everyone in the share house. 

Before envying others, you should first think about what you can do yourself.

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 5

The work of checking bugs for the day was completed once in the evening. There were no fatal omissions, and there was no additional work to be done.

The head of the department told me that I could go home, and as I was getting ready to leave,

"Hey, Paisen. Do you have time today?"

"Mm, I don't have anything urgent to do, do you need something?"

When I replied, Takenaka-san smiled and said,

"Then, why don't we go for a walk around Namba? I don't know that area very well, so I was wondering if you could show me around."

"Areh? Isn't Takenaka-san the local kid?"

It was surprising, if I may say so.

"Well, of course, it's obvious from the natural standard accent that I am not from Kansai."

No, I thought her accent was completely Kansai.

"Fine, let's go then."

"Yay! A little date with Paisen! I wonder where I should take him~"

"I-I'm just going to show you around!"

The staffs around us giggle.

With everyone's eyes on me, I handed the work report to Matsuhira-san. The fact that this kind of report is written on paper and not in data makes me realize that this is the world of 10 years ago. 

"Well then, thank you for your hard work. See you tomorrow."

"Matsuhira-san, are you working overtime again today?"

When I asked him for confirmation, he smiled wryly, as usual,

"Yes, it seems that the localized translation text is not of very good quality. So it will take me until this morning to check it all."

"T-That's tough..."

This is an indirect method of requesting and receiving translated text from an agent in the country where the translation is to be done, and sometimes these accidents occur. I guess it may be a matter of nationality, but more often than not, they do not handle the finer nuances of the translation.

"There really is a lot of waste in development..."

For a moment, it seemed as if Matsuhira-san's expression clouded over.

"Haha, I guess I'm tired enough to start complaining. Well then, thank you for your good work."

"Y-Yes."

As he himself said, it probably only seemed that way because he was tired.

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Part 6

Three stops on the Midosuji Line from Higashi Umeda. The area between Shinsaibashi and Namba is one of the busiest shopping areas in Osaka. If you live in Osaka or are familiar with the Kansai area, you know this area well,

"I've been in Kanagawa for a long time, so I don't really know about it~."

For Takenaka-san, who has almost never left the Kanto region, the only thing he seemed to recognize about the area was the Glico sign.

"If you're from Kanagawa, you've been to Tokyo, right?"

"Yes, my parents live in Azamino, so I often go to Shibuya."

Ah, that area. I think that's where the Denentoshi Line runs through.

I experienced this before, living in Noborito. While I used Odakyu to commute to work, sometimes I had to make a transfer in case of accidents.

"The train was really crowded."

"Yes! It was so crowded I thought I was going to die. But how do you know that, paisen?"

Oh, shoot. I just let my guard down ... I told her my experience that happened 10 years later. 

"A friend of mine lives there. I've heard a lot of crazy stories about it."

"Ah, is that so! It's really not funny, especially in Mizonokuchi and that area, where station staff push customers in and out of the station..."

I was relieved that the conversation had somehow changed.

I've never had a chance to talk to anyone other than the share house members in such a friendly manner recently, so I'll have to be careful.

"If you know Shibuya, Namba is like Shibuya, so you might be able to fit in quickly."

There are various theories on this, so it's not definitive, but it shouldn't be too far off the mark.

"He~, so that's what Namba is like. What about Shinsaibashi?"

"Hmm, I wonder if it would be something like Ginza, based on all the stores lined up."

There are various theories on this as well, so it's hard to say.

"Ginza?! Then it's too early for a kid like Takenaka."

"Ah, but I think you'll fit in around the Ame-mura area."

"Ame-mura?"

"Yes, it's an area called Americamura, somewhere between Harajuku and Shibuya... but it's really hard to describe."

Since the character of large cities is relatively clear from district to district, it is possible to roughly categorize them into similar cities, but it is difficult to go into detail.

Osaka in particular has many neighbouring towns with completely different characteristics. Even in the case of Shinsaibashi, which I just mentioned, the customer base can change dramatically if one street is different. 

"Look, we've arrived.'"

As soon as we get off at Namba Station, the view opens up wide as we reach the ground level.

To the left is the New Kabukiza Theater, and directly in front is a large, newly opened department store and movie theater.

"Wow, there are a ton of people here!"

Indeed, the place was much more crowded than I had expected.

To put it simply, Osaka's downtown area is concentrated along the Midosuji Line from Umeda to Tennoji, and the rest of the city is like a branch line of that line.

So, if you want to know what's new, all you have to do is look around the area from Umeda to Namba, and since the entire length is only about several kilometers, it is just right for a leisurely walk.

"So, if I walk to Shinsaibashi, there's something...Areh?"

Ebisubashi Street is located next to the movie theater and is in the center of pedestrian traffic.

I noticed that some kind of event was taking place nearby.

"What's the matter, Paisen?"

"Well, I was just curious about that area."

As I mentioned earlier, new products are always being introduced in this area, so there is often a lot of new product introductions and research going on.

So normally I wouldn't pay much attention if there was some kind of event going on, but perhaps it was a hunch, but that moment I found myself strangely curious.

"Oh, is it this place?"

A large panel hanging on the wall had the names of several schools listed along with words such as "Sponsored by Osaka Prefecture Private University XX". 

In front of it, girls dressed in red, blue, green, yellow, and other primary colors were handing out pamphlets and snacks.

"An introduction... to the university?"

When I looked at the pamphlet, I found that it contained information about open campus schedules, entrance exam information, and an explanation of the university's classes.

"Heh~, so they're doing things like this now. I wonder if it's the effect of the declining birthrate."

"I guess that's how it is. If you just leave materials in the guidance counselor's office at the high school, no one will come."

Although it wasn't as severe as it was in the old days, the decline in student numbers is still a concern at any university.

In an effort to secure new students by any means possible, events like this began to be held in downtown areas around each city, in an attempt to somehow get students interested in university.

"Ah, it seems that this is also sponsored by Daigeidai (the University of the Arts)."

Takenaka-san, who had been following the words on the panel with her eyes, said as if she had noticed. 

"Heh~, it means..."

At this point, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

It was a university event, sponsored by Daigeidai (the University of the Arts). If there was an event like that, and someone was there handing out pamphlets with a smile... who could it be. 

"Ha~i, would you like this?"

As I was thinking absentmindedly, a lady in the circle tried to hand me a paper bag filled with pamphlets and snacks.

"Ah, well, I'm a current student..."

I said, and tried to refuse but her face,

"Ah, is that so... Eh?"

I saw it.

Then the lady and I all froze together,

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHH!!"

Almost at the same time, we shouted.


The sudden shouts caused all the people in the area to look in our direction. We came to our senses, shrank back, and moved to the side of the venue.

"Paisen, uhm, what's the matter, suddenly!"

Not understanding what was going on, Takenaka-san followed behind.

After making sure we had moved to a place where we could avoid being seen, the lady raised her head and looked sharply.

"Unbelievable..."

The cheerful voice that I had heard a moment ago was replaced by a low voice that sounded like a curse. She was wearing a red hat, a red jacket, and a tight white skirt. Combined with her light make-up, she looked different and more mature than usual, but there was no way to mistake her for that,

It was Kawasegawa Eiko.

"...Why did you come here?"

In a terrifying voice, the lady... No, Kawasegawa Eiko spat out curse words. 

"It was just a coincidence. I finished work early today, so I thought I'd show this, uh, Takenaka-san, who became my colleague at my part-time job, around town, and here we are."

As expected, Takenaka-san bowed her head, as if she thought it was a bad idea to greet her with her usual tension.

Kawasegawa glanced over at her and let out a sigh as if the world was ending, "Haa~~~~~~~". 

"It was my blunder. If something like this could happen even for a millimeter, I should have given them the schedule of events ahead of time and told them never to come out of town on these days, and if they did, I would execute them. I made the mistake of being vague because I didn't want to be found out. A real mistake. Ah, this is worst"

"I'm sorry, uhm, I really did not do it on pur"

Just as I was about to make another excuse,

"Kawasegawa-san, have you finished your talk? I want you to go back soon~"

Kawasegawa's name was called out by someone in charge, someone from the university's public relations department, or whatever.

"Y-Yes! Sorry, I'll be right back!"

Kawasegawa replied, and started to go back.

But she immediately turned her head in my direction.

"...You have time, don't you?"

Although she asked questions, she put pressure on me so that I wouldn't say NO,

"I'll be done in 30 minutes, so please wait. I have something to tell you."

Kawasegawa forced me to make an appointment with her with a level of seriousness that I had never heard even in our previous video productions.

After she left, I was so stunned that I couldn't respond well,

"Is that pretty person Paisen's girlfriend?"

I was unable to react properly to Takenaka-san's sudden dangerous words.