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

Support us on Ko-Fi or Patreon to make this translation and the translators keep alive. Thank you~
Thank you for your support Saylesma, La Fayette, Jeffery, That's Pretty Mint and Joshua Berry

Chapter 4 | Cheat | Remake our Life!



Part 1

July has arrived, and the rainy season has ended, bringing with it the arrival of scorching heat.

Compared to the humid heat around the university, the downtown area where my part-time job is located feels like it adds scorching heat on top of the humidity. Either way, it's a tough time for anyone walking outside.

"It's hot......"

The heat had reached an unbearable level, the kind that just slips out of your mouth.

I walked from the subway station to the office, sweating buckets.

"Paisen, good morning!"

Takenaka-san greeted me from behind.

As always, her brightly colored outfit suited her perfectly with exquisite balance.

"Good morning, Takenaka-san. You're full of energy despite this crazy heat."

"Well, that's my only redeeming quality!"

That's not necessarily true, but it's certainly hard to imagine Takenaka-san feeling down. Being cheerful has a positive influence on those around her.

A mood maker is a precious presence simply for being one.

"Today's finally the day of that announcement, isn't it..."

"Yeah, I wonder what it'll be."

Horii-san mentioned last weekend that he had something to discuss.

Though I'd actually heard about it from Matsuhira-san even before that.

Pondering what it could be, I found myself already right in front of the building.

(Well, I'd heard it wasn't bad news, so I wasn't worried.)

But knowing Horii-san, he must have had some sort of plan in mind.

With a slight sense of tension, I stepped inside the building.

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

Part 2

Right after arriving at the office, Takenaka-san and I were called to the conference room as scheduled. When we got there, Matsuhira-san was waiting and motioned for us to sit down.

"Like I said before, it's not something weird or unpleasant. I think it's fine if you just look forward to it."

Matsuhira-san, who understands the situation, waits with a cheerful smile.

Even though I've been told it's not bad news, waiting for something unknown is anxiety-inducing in itself. For people who hate hearing “I was going to tell you, but I'll tell you next time,” this kind of situation must feel like a living hell.

"W-W-W-W-W-What should we do? What if Takenaka gets fired for bad behavior!"

"That's absolutely not going to happen, so relax."

"Haha, you're right, it definitely won't happen."

I said it simultaneously with Matsuhira-san.

Three months into my part-time job, while I was still trying to find my footing, Takenaka-san was fast becoming the development department's mascot. She worked hard, was capable, and above all, her charm and boundless energy had a positive impact on the entire department.

(Just as sensei said, she truly is a rare talent.)

It's quite unusual to recommend a first-year student who has just enrolled in a professional workplace, but given the current situation, it proves the talent scout's judgment was spot on.

In any case, it was practically unthinkable that she would be fired.

But what else could happen other than a transfer or something like that?

"Yes, sorry to keep you waiting. Let's get started."

As I was thinking about this, Horii-san, the person who would be making the presentation, entered the conference room.

We quickly stood up, but Horii-san immediately said, “It's fine, it's fine, sit down.” Matsuhira-san had mentioned that he seemed to dislike such formalities.

As we sat back down, Horii-san suddenly began speaking.

"I called you two here today because I have something I'd like to ask of you two. I don't want to make you anxious, so I'll get straight to the point. Hashiba-kun and Takenaka-san."

"Yes."

"Yes!"

We all replied in unison, and when we nodded in confirmation, he said,

"From now on, I'd like the two of you to come up with a proposal. The deadline is two weeks. We'll hold a planning meeting within the department right at the start of August, so please prepare your presentation sheets by then."

I gaped, my mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Eh..."

In stark contrast to me, unable to respond, Takenaka-san stood up in shock.

"Eeeeeh! Is it okay? Can I come up with a plan?! Takenaka is a complete amateur, but is that okay?"

"That's fine. In fact, being an amateur is better this time."

Saying that, Horii-san handed out A4-sized sheets to us.

"The purpose of this project competition is to obtain a new type of project. As you know, our company, Succeed Soft, is a manufacturer with a fairly long history in the software development field. While our strength lies in our extensive experience spanning everything from PC to consumer games, this also leads to a tendency toward conservatism and closed-mindedness."

The materials detailed the software released to date, along with sales figures and the strength of reactions for titles released in recent years.

"Even if we solicit proposals from members of the development department, there will inevitably be bias. So I came here with this idea, hoping that you guys would come up with a proposal from a completely fresh perspective."

When I flipped through the materials, I found precautions when planning and devising a plan.

"You're welcome to look through any company documents and ask me or Matsuhira-kun any questions you like. But please refrain from asking questions of the other members."

Additionally, the specifications for the project were explained.

The format is flexible. Whether to use images or focus on text is left up to the individual. Audio and video are permitted as supporting materials during presentations, but playing them as background music is not allowed. The data format must be suitable for slide projection, and the page count is limited to 10 pages.

"There's no need to explain it at great length. To convey its appeal simply, ten pages should be plenty."

As Horii-san finished his explanation,

"I have a question."

Matsuhira-san raised his hand smoothly.

"Is it okay if I help come up with ideas for the project this time?"

Horii-san nodded heavily,

"Right. I'd appreciate it if you could submit your own proposal so we can compare it with Hashiba-kun and the others."

"I see... Understood."

Was it just my imagination, or did Matsuhira-san seem to smile faintly?

"Well then, over the next two weeks, please give it your absolute best effort. If the proposal is formally adopted, the person who came up with the idea will be officially brought on as a core staff member. Please tackle this with everything you've got!"

Thus, we were given a task.

Up until now, we'd been solely focused on debugging and gathering data, but suddenly, we were involved in something crucial for the business. Honestly, the pressure was getting to me.

"Pa-Pa-Pa-Paisen, w-w-what should we do? The only planning Takenaka has ever done was for that super spicy crepe endurance haunted house at our high school festival!"

That actually sounds kinda interesting though,

"You made a presentation and went in to face that scary Kanou-sensei, right? You can do it, you can do it."

"T-That is, well, it's just that my feelings of wanting to meet Paisen got so intense that I ended up doing that thing......"

Hearing it said to my face like that made me feel a little embarrassed, but basically, it seemed like that level of intense emotion and motivation was necessary.

"Well, don't worry, it's fine."

"Eh! Maybe Paisen has already experienced!?"

"No, I meant we're in the same boat since I haven't either."

"I'm shocked!" exclaimed Takenaka-san, clutching her head in her hands. Honestly, she's a kid you never get tired of watching.

"Paisen, I've heard a little bit about it."

"About what?"

"You know, those top-secret techniques for getting projects like this approved!"

The air is clearly thick with suspiciousness, but she’s grinning with absolute confidence, so I decide to listen.

"First of all, you need to prepare the charm you possess."

"What exactly... is that?"

"That's of course! This body was a high school girl's until recently! The development guys and the mister, they’re all 100% weak to this!"

Ah, so that's the route you're going to take?

"When presenting the plan, maybe wearing something with a low neckline, or pretending to drop something and bending over... you know, creating situations everyone likes... Hey, paisen, are you even listening?"

"Takenaka-san, do you really think it's okay to do that?"

Her face gradually crumpled, and she began to groan, "Uwh~~~".

"Mou! Mou! That's just a clever little joke, isn't it! Well, even Takenaka doesn't think something like that will solve everything! But I just felt like, if things stay like this, we won't have any way to win at all, so at least."

Well, the mood certainly lightened.

"But this is a chance. A very important one for us."

"Chance, is it?"

Yeah, I nodded.

"As Horii-san said, I think the current development department at Succeed has an image of being very conservative. I myself have often felt that way."

Especially with the mobile app I'm currently in charge of, there's a strong perception within the company that being assigned to it is a "Loss" in itself. It seems like an unwritten rule that consumer products are the star projects, and everything else is just filler.

Horii-san wants to overturn that stereotype. That's probably why he made this proposal to us students, who had little experience and had never been involved in planning.

"So what you absolutely shouldn't do here is submit a game proposal that just sort of feels put together. That's probably the last thing anyone wants."

"Then what is it they want......?"

I answered with a bright smile.

"I don't know."

"Aaaaaah~! Paisen is, Paisen is cheerfully bullying me! This is power harassment, I'm gonna sue you!!"

I feel bad for Takenaka-san, but you're like one of those toys that make noise when you hit them. Interesting.

(Better explain before I get hooked on teasing her)

I showed him my phone and said.

"I think the clue is probably here."

"In a mobile phone...Is it?"

This time, without smiling, I nodded firmly.

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

Part 3

As I was rocking alone on the bus from Kishi Station, I continued to think about my project.

"Maybe I should start organizing my thoughts from the beginning."

Since I felt like I was getting confused, I decided to revisit the fundamental premise of my thinking.

I know the future. That's obviously an advantage, and it should be a reliable factor when considering future plans.

From that perspective, 2008, when feature phones were dominant but games were still dominated by consoles, could be called the eve of the revolution that was about to happen.

So, would creating a plan based on that prediction be the optimal solution?

"Create a plan centered around mobile devices as the main battlefield, design a payment system, and propose a game based on that......"

Certainly, in this era, it would undoubtedly be considered new. It wouldn't be a project born of convention or inertia, as Horii-san suggests, but one that anticipates the future and should be evaluated as such.

But is that really okay?

"In the end, that relies too much on experience."

Even if I knew the final answer, what meaning would there be in jumping ahead to reveal it? If it were a meaningful situation, that might be different, but this is more a test of my own strength, Hashiba Kyoya's own strength.

Then, isn't using the future cheat itself a bad move?

"——Let's not use future knowledge this time."

Having made that decision, I need to start over from scratch with no hints.

"Whether I can show something here will determine what happens next, I suppose."

I want to break with convention. Since Horii-san, the development boss, said that himself and then assigned it to us, even if the proposal isn't adopted, we have to make it compelling enough to make people think, “This is interesting.”

We need to rack our brains to think about what we've experienced so far and what we want to do in the future.

There were two reasons for showing the mobile phone as a hint in front of Takenaka-san.

The first is that, as is the case with consumer devices, which already have a set image and the bar for reviewers is high, apps for mobile phones, which are promising as the next generation of hardware, are more likely to produce innovative designs.

And second. This reason was also directed at myself.

"I wondered if I could connect games with something different."

The idea of playing games on mobile phones wasn't particularly surprising. There had been an early trend toward playing mini-games, and once feature phones went color and gained higher resolution, the image of them as hardware began to take shape.

However, nothing had yet been developed from that. With the new hardware available, I wanted something that could be connected to it. I wanted to search for clues to get there from everything in Succeed.

"Like this......I got an opportunity that no one else gets."

I open my hands and stare at them, as if to confirm what I've gained.

Truthfully, I'm not someone who should even be here. Under an unbelievable stroke of luck, I'm in a position where I've been granted a “do-over” that would normally be impossible.

Then I want to give that luck a solid reason. By leaping through time to come here and creating something.

So I need to figure this out myself, without relying solely on future cheats.

I still have no proof or ideas, but if I don't do it here, I won't be able to face everyone else who's fighting so hard right now.

(If I can't do my best now, there's no point.)

I clenched my fist quietly, alone, and steeled myself.

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

Part 4

The day after returning home from work, with a major problem on my hands.

I ended up getting completely lost in thoughts about something completely unrelated to that problem.

"It looked like it was going well."

What I was worried about was Shinoaki.

Ever since I started checking and supporting her light novel illustrations, I've often offered my opinions on her work and, in some cases, suggestions.

Shinoaki's dedication to illustration is more of a high-level pursuit—taking something already at a high standard and elevating it further. Even the current work easily surpasses commercial standards, meaning it should be content she can tackle with confidence.

However, Shinoaki was currently in the midst of a significant slump.

The light novel project had already reached the stage where character designs were finalized, and we were moving on to composing the layouts. Considering current trends, I thought close-up compositions might work well and proposed that approach. The editor in charge agreed it suited the needs perfectly, Shinoaki nodded in approval, and we proceeded with that plan.

In order to avoid making the same mistake as with the doujin game, I made sure to use a bird's-eye view to avoid an easy composition just for the sake of saving time, and I made sure to create a solid pose, so that Shinoaki wouldn't get bored of creating the illustrations. I thought I had found a good compromise that would make use of her high level of skill, but it didn't work out as I had hoped.

"I can't believe I'm overthinking things here......"

Shinoaki created numerous rough sketches just by contemplating the bird's-eye view, meticulously dividing the angles into fine segments. To an untrained eye, they were all so splendid it was impossible to pick a favorite, yet she seemed unsatisfied with every single one.

The editor in charge suggested moving forward with creating another bonus illustration, saying they were afraid to stop here. However, I decided to decline, thinking that interrupting the flow now would be counterproductive.

Lost in thought, I found myself standing in front of her room.

"Shinoaki, is that okay? I'll go in."

When I knocked, Shinoaki's usual voice answered, "Sure~".

Upon entering the room, Shinoaki was intently focused on the screen, sketching rough drafts. She used to sketch them by hand, but had switched to digital rough drafts partly to change things up.

Since she had experience with digital work from her time in anime production, she didn't get stuck and come to a halt there.

But it seemed the rough draft still hadn't been decided. There were multiple layers of discarded drawings, some with just the face and some with just the body, but it seemed she hadn't gotten around to finalizing the details.

"Sorry, I can't seem to get the rough draft out yet."

Shinoaki apologized in a slightly downcast tone.

"No, it's me who hasn't been able to give good specifications..."

The atmosphere between us became a little awkward.

"For now, you'll prepare another rough draft by tomorrow. Then we can discuss it further and make a decision... Is that okay?"

"Mm, sure. Would evening work for you?"

“Sure,” Shinoaki nodded, and the meeting ended.

"Well then, I don't want to bother you too much."

As I turned to leave and reached for the door,

"You're not bothering me at all. I'm so grateful you're watching over me."

In her usual soft voice, showing no sign of her busy schedule, she showed concern for me.

"Thank you, Shinoaki."

But right now, that kindness stung a little.

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

Part 5

Even after returning to my room, I kept thinking about Shinoaki.

I reviewed the entire process leading up to this point, checking for any areas where I might have cut corners. If I found any, reflecting on them and making corrections could prevent similar mistakes next time.

"Nothing in particular... nothing."

I scratch my head and let out a big sigh.

The direct cause was the part of the illustration order. But the process itself wasn't fundamentally flawed. It's just that there was a gap between the ideal model Shinoaki now envisions and the specifics of that commission, leaving her unable to find the best solution.

A situation where no one is at fault can feel terribly cruel in a way. Because it's not a simple matter of eliminating the cause and everything will work out.

"I guess I'll have to start over again."

I decided to draft an email outlining the counterproposal, including changes to the composition, and send it to the editor in charge. However, this, too, won't have an immediate effect.

Ironically, Tsurayuki and Nanako were steadily progressing with their work.

Tsurayuki succeeded in dramatically improving the quality of the manuscript that had come back to him bright red with corrections. While screaming at the demands from me, his ‘one reader,’ his characteristic stubbornness drove him to come up with one plot development after another. Now, it was just a matter of polishing it to perfection before submission.

Nanako, while working on the songs I proposed, also showed significant growth in thinking for herself and taking initiative. As we discussed production together, it seemed she began wanting to self-produce.

"For now, the two of them are fine, I suppose."

What exactly was the difference?

Of course, I never intended to create any difference in workload or quality between Shinoaki and the other two. By treating all three equally, Shinoaki was the only one who didn't progress as smoothly.

The reason Tsurayuki and Nanako can keep creating steadily isn't because I did anything special, but simply because of their innate talent. What I'm doing is probably nothing more than stirring things up.

I find myself tempted to dwell on such negative thoughts.

"Ah, no, no, I mustn't think so."

Shaking my head, I blew away the bad thoughts.

Just the word “producing” sounds cool, but when you consider how crucial it is to a creator's ups and downs, it's a daunting task that brings immense pressure, a fact I was reminded of once again.

"It's difficult. Very... difficult."

Every time I open my mouth, sighs and complaints spill out. Thinking about the future, I think it's better to face some challenges than for everything to suddenly go smoothly, but when I think about Shinoaki, it's naturally better for things to go well.

Above all, what shocked me was realizing I still knew nothing about Shinoaki's tendencies or characteristics as an artist.

"Even if I tried to do something superficial, it probably wouldn't work."

I needed to understand Shinoaki more deeply. Not just from a few conversations, but to grasp the essence. But how could I possibly learn something so difficult?

My training as a producer had suddenly hit the first difficult hurdle.