At first, Ichin had no intention of paying attention to Eriri. But her fidgeting grew increasingly exaggerated until even Akane Kosaka, sitting across from them, took notice.
Eriri—or rather, Eiri Kashiwagi, the well-known doujin illustrator in the industry—was someone Akane had been keeping tabs on for a long time. After discovering her true identity, Akane had tried multiple times to recruit her into her own circle, but had always been turned down.
What Akane hadn't expected was that Eiri would eventually choose to leave the doujin world altogether and transition into the gaming industry.
After using a few connections to investigate which studio Eriri had joined, Akane had to admit—this was actually a great move for her.
A young, vibrant game development studio like this one was indeed a place where a naturally talented doujin artist like Eriri could grow and evolve even further.
After all, there's a limit to drawing H-books.
And considering how young Eriri still was, even though Akane herself didn't see an issue with it, public perception could be very different. If word got out, it might spark controversy, and things could get messy.
Seeing how comfortable and at ease Eriri was in this environment, it was clear she had adapted well. This alone made Akane give up—for now—on the idea of trying to poach her again.
However...
As she turned her thoughts elsewhere, Akane looked at Utaha.
"Kasumi Utako-sensei, your editor is Sonoko Machida, correct?"
"Hm?" Utaha was briefly taken aback but nodded. "Yes, do you know her?"
"Of course I do! Sonoko and I were college classmates! We're actually really close!"
"College classmates?"
Now that surprised Utaha. She'd never imagined her somewhat aging, perpetually single editor would have had a college friend like this.
But this kind of small talk...
Looking at Akane's bright, beaming smile, Utaha raised a brow and asked directly,
"Miss Kosaka, don't tell me—you're trying to recruit me for a collaboration?"
"Bingo! That's exactly why I wanted to talk with you, Kasumi Utako-sensei!"
Akane responded cheerfully. "Our circle is planning to produce an original large-scale galgame, and we're looking for a capable scenario writer to handle the script."
"Your circle should already have a few writers, right?" Utaha asked skeptically. "And not to mention—Miss Kosaka, you yourself are a successful light novel author. Writing a galgame scenario shouldn't be that difficult for you."
Akane shrugged. "That's true, but all of our current writers are tied up working on another project right now. So, for this new one, we genuinely need a new writer. As for myself, well—I haven't written a proper novel or script in nearly three years. If I were to take the lead, the result probably wouldn't meet the standard we're aiming for."
She leaned forward slightly, eyes sparkling.
"I've read your Love Metronome, and I really feel that your style would be a perfect fit for the tone we're going for in this new project. Honestly, aside from coming here to meet Ichin-kun, my main goal today was to talk to you. So? Will you consider it? I can promise you full creative freedom in writing the script."
So this really was about collaboration.
It was clear that Akane Kosaka was sincere. Utaha figured she could always confirm the relationship part with Machida Sonoko later. And if it turned out they really were close college friends, then this connection might actually be worth leveraging.
Not a bad offer at all.
However, seeing how Eriri had reacted emotionally ever since Akane Kosaka showed up still left Utaha a bit puzzled.
Not to mention the whole "creative freedom" offer—Utaha wasn't some clueless little girl. She knew how these things worked.
So she said politely, "Thank you very much for your interest, Miss Kosaka. But unfortunately, I'm currently collaborating with Ichin on the script for our studio's new game. I don't have time to take on any other projects right now."
She's working on the new game's script?
Now that was something Akane hadn't heard before. And judging from Utaha's words, it was a joint project with Ichin?
Akane turned to him with pleasant surprise. "Ichin-kun, you write scripts too?"
Ichin shrugged casually and didn't deny it.
"A little. Mostly I handle world-building and the overall plot structure. The actual content is mostly filled in by Utaha. I just help guide the direction of the story. After all, I'm the producer—I can't devote all my energy to scriptwriting. There are a lot of other things I have to oversee."
"That's impressive in itself," Akane replied with genuine admiration. "Looks like we may have plenty of opportunities to collaborate in the future."
Although this visit hadn't led to any concrete results, Akane was never one to rush things. She had already looked into the sales of this studio's first two games. Based on their current profits, they wouldn't be facing any financial issues for at least another two to three years.
Even if she couldn't recruit Kasumi Utako as a scriptwriter for her circle's next game project, building a good relationship now could pave the way for all kinds of future collaborations.
After chatting a little more, Akane finally prepared to leave.
Ichin and Utaha walked her to the elevator. Akane turned to them with a friendly smile and said, "It was a pleasure meeting you both today. Let's keep in touch—if you ever need anything, feel free to reach out. I do have some decent industry connections. Well then, goodbye for now. See you next time~~~"
As the elevator doors slid shut, Ichin and Utaha exchanged a glance before heading back into the studio.
"Ichin-kun, are you really considering working with her?" Utaha asked.
"No rush," Ichin replied with a light chuckle. "She's definitely talented. Talking to her gave me the same vibe as dealing with Haruno, though Akane is even more polished—there's really nothing to criticize about her, in any aspect."
When they returned to the work area, Eriri was already back at her desk. But as soon as she saw them enter, she jumped up and ran over to them.
"Ichin! You cannot work with that woman!"
"Hm?"
Ichin blinked at her, amused. "Relax. I never said I was going to. Today was the first time I even met Akane Kosaka—do you think I'd decide on something so important that quickly? Even if Shigeru Miyamoto were standing in front of me, I wouldn't rush into a collaboration without serious thought, let alone someone like Akane Kosaka. Sure, her circle might have some name recognition in the doujin world, but I've been making my way in the professional game industry since the beginning. Based on industry reputation and capability, I'm not the one who needs to be in a hurry. If anyone's going to seek a partnership, it'll be her coming to me—not the other way around."
As for Akane Kosaka's so-called "connections"?
Ichin had plenty of his own—maybe even better ones. After all, he'd already established contact with Nintendo. If he wanted to, he could leverage that relationship to get in touch with major studios or well-known producers across the industry.
Listening to Ichin, Eriri paused in thought before her eyes lit up. "That's true! Just don't go agreeing to anything she says too easily, okay? That woman always smiles sweetly while guiding people right into a trap she's laid out, only to have them work like slaves for her!"
Oh? That was a strangely specific warning.
Before Ichin could say anything, Utaha raised an eyebrow and asked with interest,
"Wait… don't tell me—you've been tricked by her before?"
...
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