Day after day passed. After the character design, the important drawings in standing pose, cards, and line drawing were moving along smoothly, whereas the scenario was taking more and more form. Naturally, at the best possible quality.
Especially because I’ve continuously worked on [Black Goat] I knew better than anybody else. I knew that, under Kanaria’s supervision, the illustrations and scenario would be the best possible product. Without needing to see it, I can already see the users calling it a masterpiece.
Together with Ozu’s created AI, which keeps the current progress of users, as well as huge amounts of data (Chance of obtaining a new character, perusal ratio of the story, ratio of those having arrived at the epilogue, withdrawal ratio, and so on) to calculate an adequate game balance, making it a paper-thin battle if you want to beat it or not. With the resources left, Ozu could implement a temporary script, Kanaria checking the quality, applying adjustment.
Looking from an outsider’s perspective, you could only compare this work to a pro. Seriously, these guys from the [5th Floor Alliance] are all crazy folks. And that’s why I can’t help but ask myself.
—Are you good enough to become their guiding light?
—Wouldn’t a professional editor or producer, such as Kanaria, be more proficient to have their talents bloom?
—Rather than doing the work in the [5th Floor Alliance], rather than working on [Black Goat], aren’t there even more worthwhile jobs for them?
—What can you do? Something only you can do? Who are you? What can you grant them?
You. You. You. If I can’t answer these questions, there won’t be a place for me to belong. Of course, if me being left out of the [5th Floor Alliance] will give the greater good to the members, then that would be the best, of course.
“Senpaaai! Look over here, it’s got a weird shape to it!”
“Yeah.”
“Woah, there’s even a giant crab. And it’s pitch black! Eh, aren’t crabs normally red?”
“Yeah.”
“Ahahaha! This starfish is so disgusting it’s almost cute! She’s like a drunken Sumire lying sideways on the sofa!”
“Yeah.”
“…Senpai, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah.”
“…………”
“Yeah.”
“Were you looking forward to Iroha-chan’s cutesy-cute swimsuit appearance so much that you’re just spacing out? Really, Senpai is such a pervert~”
“Yeah……”
“…………”
“Yeah.”
…………
“Yea—”
“Will—you—give—it—a—rest—already!!!”
“Woah?! What are you doing!”
I suddenly felt something hit me in the head. On top of that, I heard Iroha’s delayed voice. Pulling off what was clinging to my face, I was greeted by the belly of the starfish Iroha just talked about. Disgusting.
“Why are you just above the clouds! Did you forget what we were supposed to do!”
“Um…what was it?”
“Shore fishing.”
“Hold on, what?”
I finally realized. I was standing at the beach’s shore, and a harpoon-like object in my right hand. Inside the basket at my feet, I had already gathered a lot of shells and crabs.
“Weren’t you the one who brought this up? ‘We’ll do whatever we can’, right?”
“But, why shore fishing?”
“With some fresh seafood, we’ll show appreciation to the others! That was the slogan we had. For the last three days.”
“Did we talk about that…And also, they might be fresh, but can you really eat them…?”
“…I can’t say for sure.”
Gazing down at the basket, they looked awfully different from the ones sold in the supermarket or at street vendors. They might just be poisonous, so we’re probably better off not to eat them. Arguing with that, Iroha just honestly nodded along, lifted up the basket, and threw the contents back into the water with an ‘Off you go!’.
Thinking about that, we never really did this fishing as a serious plan, it was just to ease our minds. Everyone else is currently working hard to finish the new character implementation in a week, so it felt odd that Iroha and I were just normally enjoying our summer…Well, that is unrelated to Mashiro’s battlefield, but she is fighting in her own way.
Iroha and I decided to [Do whatever we can], and while gathering ideas for an insurance, we thought it might be a good idea to give everyone some small happiness by bringing them fresh food. And with that, cut to the fishing…But, if what Iroha pointed out was true, then I seem to have been spacing out quite a bit.
A day, and another passed.
Throughout the many times where our comrades of the [5th Floor Alliance] showed even more excellent work, my tension and motivation dropped further and further. It’s a pathetic story. Getting jealous towards good progress on [Black Goat], where I’m not even involved. This isn’t just about me. They’re contents created by everyone in the [5th Floor Alliance], and not my belonging to begin with, so I can’t even be depressed about having it taken away.
“Haaa…”
“What kind of face is that, Senpai! Here!”
“Guh?! Hey, you moron.”
Standing in the water, Iroha kicked her leg to splash water in my face. After living in the private residence for a few days, her wound had healed perfectly, leaving Iroha with her usual leg strength. Tasting the salt in the water, I strained my expression. Seeing this, Iroha showed me a full-faced grin.
“That’s what you get~”
“You…”
“You’re the one at fault, Senpai. You’re alone together with the super beauty Iroha-chan, and yet you’re spacing out like always.”
“Sorry that you felt like I was ignoring you…But, I can’t help it, I have a lot of stuff to think about.”
“You’re talking about the implementation of the new character?”
“Yeah…”
“Grrrr……Senpai, do you have a moment?”
“?”
Looking at her surroundings, Iroha lowered her voice. Since we’re on a private beach, there’s no chance of other people watching us anyway, but she just pulled my arm in an insecure manner.
Just what’s going on with her? I was wondering about her motive, as I just followed her silently. The place we arrived at was a rocky wall, at a dead angle from the private residence, where nobody could see us.
“H-Hey, Iroha, what are you doing?”
“Just sit down right there, Senpai.”
“O-Okay.”
Feeling an odd pressure from Iroha, I sat on a nearby rocky area. Because of the bumpiness, I had to carefully keep my balance. That was unexpectedly difficult, needing all of my consciousness. And just when I had finally made it, Iroha’s face was right in front of mine.
“?! W-What is it?”
Even I could tell that my voice was shaking in surprise. Having Iroha’s face this close to me, at a distance where I could feel her breath, had been a normal daily occurrence for me just a while ago, but now it completely threw me off balance.
But, this time around, I can’t let this stand. I have to stay calm, even if she approaches me like that. Almost as if she were to pull a wall-slam on me, she brought her body closer. And then, she spoke up like a certain immortal beauty who is being feared by her surroundings for being too strong.
“To mine brethren. Lay bare thy darkness, and intermingle with mine jet black flames.”
“Huh…?”
“In other words, ‘If you have anything that gives you trouble, then talk to me, and I can try to help you’.”
“Why is there a translation needed from English to English…No, wait.”
Huh? What is this sense of deja-vu? Like I had already seen and heard the scene happening in front of me…a certain character saying that…
“It’s Kokuryuuinkugetsu. You told me didn’t you? To practice.”
“Ah…I see. That was Kokuryuuinkugetsu.”
“Exactly. Since the main script wasn’t done yet, you just gave me your assumption of what she would sound like.”
While everyone was working hard, this was the only thing we could do. Since the scenario was completed, the recordings would start as soon, so Iroha had to get in character as preparation. Though our recording specialist, Otoi-san, will probably complain about being summoned out here in the summer heat, I’ll just have to do whatever effort possible to convince her. Imagining that this might happen, I already found a new method to bribe her anyway.
“…But, why are you acting out Kokuryuuinkugetsu like that? Ánd, you tell me that I can consult you if I have any worries, but there’s nothing to name there.”
“Foolish nonsense!”
Slap!
“Ouch…wait, it didn’t hurt?”
I wasn’t hit with a slap in the face, but rather another starfish. The damp feeling on my face was already ticking me off.
“Thou hast not mastered the darkness. Thou sayest that thoust ignore this master’s helping hand and kindness? (Don’t swallow it down. Just tell me anything).”
“…How long is this roleplay going to continue.”
“Until you drop all the pretending~”
Some new technique to annoy me? Well, if she gets even better at acting out a character, that means that the final product will be of better quality, so that’s fine.
“You say that, but there’s really nothing.”
Everyone—the raw genius and talent gathered in the [5th Floor Alliance] are far above my league, so I have to put in even more effort. Yet here I am, wondering if the direction of this effort is correct, and if I can’t do more, if I’m still not lacking something—thoughts like that are filling my head.
“I’ve continued to think about that for a while now.”
Just, this time around, a lot of it stapled on top of each other. Iroha was listening diligently to my muttering. And then, she flashed an immortal smile.
“Thou, who reigns over the blooming flowers. Has thy hand touched the poisonous thorns? (So induced panic through being surrounded by genius, is it?).”
“…Panic… I guess. I was planning to come up with a clear solution, but I wasn’t able to do so at all.”
“There is no need to envy the flowers. Thine body possesses divine beauty blooming inside of it (I’m pretty sure that Senpai is plenty extraordinary already though).”
“In what way. I’m nothing special at all, ready to be exchanged whenever. Once my need in the [5th Floor Alliance] vanishes, so will I, probably. If that is the most efficient choice to make, I will take that without hesitation.”
No, if that time comes, then I will have to take that choice no matter what. In reality, us humans are fragile and ugly. Even the people acting only for the utmost sublime reasoning have a high risk of scooping as low as to conduct evil for their own convictions and justice. Even the management under a dictatorial company president will have to adapt to the malice, as they cannot change the company themselves.
Even the most noble of people would immediately take the chance to skip ahead in creating a place to belong to, gaining any sort of insurance. That is why I always warned myself every day, if I were to tread down that path, I would become a good-for-nothing. If I were to stay focussed on finding a place to belong to, I would eventually choose the wrong path. That I would end up next with these shitty people who live inefficiently. So I thought.
“…That’s how it should have been…”
It’s breaking. This philosophy of mine. Is this one part of Kanaria’s operation as well? A trap to have me fall into the abyss of sloth? All my weak parts, the dirty shards of my soul that nobody should ever see, they all start flowing out of my mouth.
“After showing as much skill as I had, it’s still kind of frustrating.” I scratched my cheek, as I muttered.
“Senpai…”
“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t going to whine.”
The circumstances are changing from a year ago. Ozu’s communication reformation is taking great progress, so much that he can openly show his emotions, and Murasaki Shikibu-sensei’s problem has been taken care of as well. The reception of [The Night The Black Goat Screamed] has been rising as well, equally to the evaluation of other creators. In order words, their genius has been accepted in the world of professionals. That being said—
“Seeing Kanaria-san’s work, I was just thinking that there might not have been any need for me in the first place.”
Trying to sound it out, the words came out more smoothly than expected.
“I mean, Kanaria-san is a world-class editor, and this might not be something anybody can pull off. But, if it’s just any producer on a somewhat similar level to hers, they could easily take my place. For the current [5th Floor Alliance].”
Now that I’ve started the words, they came out gushing like a river. And since I’ve been stagnating them, they came out dirtier and faster as ever before.
“But, these thoughts just keep passing by in my head. Since I brought them this far, other producers have caught on to these geniuses.”
Even though I knew that I must sound like the worst kind of human, I was left unable to stop myself.
“Really, what a fragile and dirty way of thinking. It has absolutely no benefit for the [5th Floor Alliance]. It’s just inefficient selfishness. Or in other words…jealousy, haha.”
In the end, I let out everything. Then again, just talking about it made things easier. Even though it won’t change anything about the situation.
“Senpai…”
See, even Iroha doesn’t know how to react.
“Just forget about it. I wasn’t saying anything.”
I wanted to get out of this awkward situation, but—
“…… (Shake shake).” Iroha just quietly shook her head.
She mercilessly denied my words, tightly forming a fist in front of the zipper of her rash vest. And then—
“Thine body has slipped out of the cocoon, and the great me feel blessed to have seen this happen, mine brethren (Thank you very much for telling me).”
Flashing a kind smile, Iroha spoke up.
“My retainer who lives in darkness, thine body has shown radiating light countless times (To me, Senpai is an existence I admire!).”
“…Then, it’s a miscalculation. Look at me, all weak and filthy.”
“…………”
Even though Iroha showed her admiration towards me, I mercilessly continued with my self-loathing. To that, Iroha narrowed her eyes in sadness. She seems to have realized that, no matter what kinds of words she might choose, I would not accept them.
As a matter of fact, I felt like, no matter what one told me right now, I probably wouldn’t stop this self-hate from overflowing.
“I see…However, I have prepared a countermeasure myself,” said Iroha, as she grabbed the zipper of her rash vest with her fingers. “Feast your eyes upon this!”
Making it sound like a forbidden seal was broken, she took it off in one breath.
“Wha………eh?”
For a second, I was wondering what kind of reaction would have been the correct one. Unable to grasp the intent of Iroha’s action, I just had my mouth open in a daze. What first caught my eyes was the expression ‘dazzling white’. The sunlight was disrupted by the rocks around us, and although there was a slight shadow, I could perfectly see how white Iroha’s skin was. I could tell before when she sold me that ridiculous LIME message, but Iroha was once again wearing a bright, lemon-colored bikini, and with her, as strong as the radiant sun, it was a perfect fit.
With a perfect balance of body fat, her legs were slender, a well-built waist, and slim stomach, possessing looks even certain magazine gravure models would be envious of. The area around her chest was as much as I had envisioned…I could imagine their scale from the times she was pressing them against my back or arms…Of course, don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t imagining how they looked and felt like on a daily basis or anything, it’s just how the normal thought process of an adolescent boy like me works—To cut it short, they had an overwhelming volume to them. Ah, well, not like my personal thoughts about it matter too much right now, so let me put it in one simple sentence for the rest of you.
There was a big-breasted JK in her bikini figure, right there. Over.
“S-Senpai…if you keep quiet like that, even I’ll get embarrassed…”
“Eh? A-Ah, sorry. But, I don’t know what to say in a situation like this…”
She did graciously appear in front of me with her swimsuit attire, but I didn’t even know why now of all times. She had the rash vest she just took off as a sort-of cape, as she bashfully averted her slightly-flushed face. If you show me a reaction like, a pure-blooded virgin like me will die from a heart attack. Does she even understand that?
“At school, I’m being evaluated at being very cute, you know.”
“…I know that?”
Also, since when did her Kokuryuuinkugetsu tongue disappear? Now, right in front of me was but the normal Kohinata Iroha.
“The boys in class are all giving me lovestruck gazes, saying I’m the cutest in the entire world.”
“Quite the large scale alright.”
“On a side note, swimming classes are split between boys and girls, so no boy has ever seen me wearing a school swimsuit.”
“I see…Though I don’t get how this connects to anything.”
“By the way, Onii-chan hasn’t seen it either.”
“And what exactly are you trying to say!”
“R-Really…I can’t believe it. You won’t get it even after all what I said?!”
“As if I would! If you want me to understand it, just tell me straight away!”
“Alright then! I’ve only shown this to Senpai so far…! My… swimsuit…appearance…!!” Iroha screamed at me, her eyes tightly shut.
Her face was flushed red, with her lips shaking, and yet had her arms lifted up with a ‘Look at me!’ pose.
“Now you’re not average anymore!”
“Eh?”
“You are looking at something no boy at school has ever seen. While everyone is fantasizing about Iroha-chan’s cute swimsuit appearance, Senpai has seen it live in action, which means that you’re number on the [Having seen Iroha-chan in her swimsuit] ranking, and that cannot be disregarded!!”
The sophistry was over the topic, the logic one of the worst I’ve heard for a while. That being said, judging from her actions and words, I felt that Iroha was trying her hardest to cheer me up. Taking out possible affection and romantic feelings, it was a basic show of her caring for me. Seriously, having a Kouhai act this considerate of me, what a good-for-nothing Senpai I am.
“…Thank you.” I scratched my cheek as I averted my eyes, honestly thanking her.
Though it was horribly awkward, I didn’t want to hold back my words of gratitude because of that.
“Seems like watching the pathetic me was too much, that even you had to cheer me up.”
“What are you talking about? It felt good for me to let it out as well.”
“…Was I really not listening at all?”
“Not at all, I tell you. Just, not asking for any reward, or everything you do. Thinking about it normally, you’d break down immediately, and now, it wasn’t even complaining, and I honestly didn’t know if you were just an actual superhuman or if you were bottling these feelings inside you, until now. Why did you never come ask for advice, or just find someone to talk to?”
“Giving my comrades unnecessary emotional ballast is inefficient.”
Any mental circumstances weigh down heavily on the project. Throwing out unreasonable complaining and whining is easy to do, but there’s no benefit to it if the productivity of the people in the [5th Floor Alliance] drops as a result.
“Um, about that…I’ve wanted to say this the whole time, so can I maybe do it now?”
“Hm? Y-Yeah, sure?”
I feel like there was some odd color of disbelief hidden in Iroha’s gaze?
“…?! W-What are you doing?!”
Iroha set foot on the rocky place, and brought her body closer to mine. Seeing her body barely covered by the swimsuit up close was enough stimulation already, but with her face in front of my eyes, I could feel the blood rushing to my head. However, Iroha wasn’t done, as she poked at my chest with her finger tips.
“The [5th Floor Alliance].”
“…Eh?”
“The efficiency you speak of means to get the members of the [5th Floor Alliance] to happiness in the quickest and most secure way possible, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing.”
“Then, you clearly disqualify as an efficiency freak.”
“…I see. And, what is it that I’m lacking?”
“For starters, the fact that you say you’re lacking something is a big no-no.”
“What kind of dialogue is this again?”
“I’m saying that you should treasure yourself a bit more! After all—” Iroha kept her fingers on my chest, not averting her stern gaze. “The [5th Floor Alliance] includes you as well, Senpai.”
“……!”
“If you can’t arrive at your own happiness, then your entire plan will end up in failure.”
The area her fingertips covered was miniscule. But, the warmth originating from them slowly started to spread.
“…Even if you tell me that. Can’t help it, it’s in my nature.”
“I know that~” Iroha grinned with a teasing smile. “By the way, Senpai, you just reached up to the world’s top spot of the [Having your raw skin touched by Iroha-chan] ranking, so could I get your impressions?”
“Another of those shady rankings…Are there other people participating?”
“Of course not! And just so you know, you’re also on the world’s top spot of the [Having your private room invaded by Iroha], and the [Having Iroha-chan snuggle up to you] ranking, so how does it feel to be a man at the top of the world~?”
“If you give out weird rankings like that, everyone can be the world’s number one in something.”
“Ehehehe. It seems that Senpai really hates being praised. And of course, since it is my creed to do whatever you hate, I will just have to lift you up to be the greatest man in this world!” Iroha showed her usual annoying smile.
—Really, what a ridiculous fellow. But, I wonder why. Maybe because I didn’t bother to think about it until now, or possibly with the Ceremony of Marriage as a trigger, but I feel like my way of seeing her has changed. Logic and rationality are out of the window, and now with Iroha calling me the man at the top of the world, with her grinning smile.
That alone was enough to grab hold of my heart. The identity of this emotion plaguing me recently. I still don’t know if this is romantic affection towards Iroha. But, there is one thing I can say for certain.
As of right now, I think of Iroha as [Cute]. Of course, implementing normal common sense, I always thought she was cute before, as long as she didn’t open her mouth to annoy me, that is. That being said, I’m not talking about that kind of [Cute] right now.
The annoying Iroha is also cute.
Strategically, and efficiently thinking, you would not try to induce any negative impression towards you in the person you like. Those who poke fun at the person they like to get their attention, going out of their way to annoy them, they only exist in light novels and anime, and in reality, the girls would always greet the boys they like with a radiating smile, having their affection peek through to give them hints.
However, inside me, this logic was starting to break, shatter like a broken mirror. And I started thinking. What if annoying and yet also cute girls actually existed. If this was an action to have the other person think of them as cute. If so, then, both strategically and efficiently speaking, it would not go against my own idea of how one would fight this war called love.
I don’t know how Iroha feels about me. Just because she’s being kind towards me doesn’t automatically mean that she has romantic feelings for me, and it might just be because she’s a good person in general. There is only one thing I can say for certain. I have become aware of Iroha as an annoying and cute girl. And, talking about my feelings towards her, it’s probably safe to assume that, from the point where I can’t properly tell if this is love or not, it might just not be anything special at all.
That being said, just as my heart was shaken by Mashiro’s attempts to make me fall for her, just as much as your heart would beat towards a cute girl, I’m feeling the exact same towards Iroha. Not in a sexual sense, but her annoying acting, her annoying laugh, the annoying little sister of my friend, decorated with annoying traits all over, I still think of her as cute.
“…!!”
The second I became aware of that, when I realized I fell into a grin, I quickly covered my mouth, and averted my face. Naturally, Iroha didn’t miss out on this.
“Ahhh, Senpai is flustered!”
“I-I’m not flustered at all.”
“Stop lying~ Your face is beet red. I see, I see, Senpai is a boy after all, so no wonder you’re unable to handle Iroha-chan’s swimsuit~”
“S-Shut it. Don’t get cocky n—Oah?!”
“Ahahah, ‘Oah’, he said! Senpai, is your skin that sensitive?!”
Iroha started drawing circles with her fingertips on my skin. This tickling feeling sent a shiver down my spine, as I writhed in agony.
“S-Stop…I’m…weak with…”
“Poke poke. Poke poke. Poke poooke!”
“Stop it already!”
“Ahaha, teasing Senpai really is fun~ Don’t think I can stop myself!”
There was Kohinata Iroha, loudly laughing at my suffering. But, then again, she clearly showed what she wanted to do, openly revealed what desires she had, and enjoyed herself.
Kanaria has given me the first push. Making me wonder if it wouldn’t be fine to openly show my desires a bit more. Not just everything for the [5th Floor Alliance]. Not excluding myself from them. I have such enjoyable days with an annoyingly cute Kouhai like Iroha. Wanting these days to continue if only for one more second, isn’t that an honest desire of mine?
“…Thank you, Iroha. I feel like I started to see it.”
“Ehehe, seems like the usual Senpai is back.”
“That so? I don’t feel like I’ve changed much from before.”
“You look like the Senpai back then, who decided to walk down the path of efficiency.”
“Ahh…that, might be true.”
In a certain sense, I found my ground again, to give the [5th Floor Alliance] the greatest happiness, with the greatest efficiency. Compared to before, I’ve probably started to face my own feelings more assertively. In that sense, I’m more [like] me, unlike these past few days, where I had lost my way. I’ve reassured the way on how to face the [5th Floor Alliance]. Seriously, I have to give my thanks to Iroha, who has helped in clearing my doubts, and Kanaria, who pushed me onto the right path.
…But, leaving that aside for now.
“—By the way, you’ve been annoying me for quite some time now. You better be prepared to fall over from being tickled too much, alright?”
“Ah, I’ll wholeheartedly decline. That would just be normal sexual harassment otherwise~”
“Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
“Naturally, if you were that desperate to touch Iroha-chan’s soft skin, then I might be willing to let that slip? Go down on your knees with all sincerity you can offer, and beg Iroha-chan that you can tickle her—”
“Now you said it.”
“Eh.”
“If I have to throw away my pride to give you a lesson, then I’ll gladly take that equivalent exchange.”
“Wah, you’re joking right, Senpai?”
“Of course not. Now, are you ready?”
“Wait wait wait, stop! Don’t get any clos—Funyaaaa?!”
Beneath the summer sky, a laugh filled with agony resounded. Even though she acted all tough while tickling me, this annoying girl was just as sensitive, and after failing to escape my grasp, she just dropped on the rocks, her body convulsing.
—Why set it up if you’re that weak against it?
After having played our hearts out, and I had found back my determination, Iroha and I returned to the residence, when it happened.
“A-Aki-kun…Iroha-chan…”
Not even inside yet, Kanaria approached us with a detached face, unsure footing.
“W-What happened?”
“Sorry…but help Kanaria-chan. She has no how to deal with this…”
“Um…What exactly is going on?”
“To keep it short…”
She seemed mentally strained, with a worn out expression.
“Murasaki Shikibu-sensei and Makigai Namako-sensei have fallen into a slump.”
“Ah.”
With just these words, everything connected.
*
「Now, it’s time for trouble shooter Aki’s appearance!」
「Don’t just talk like you’re not involved in this…seriously…」
5th Floor Alliance (4)
AKI
Let’s start the emergency MTG
OZ
Magic The G*thering?
AKI
Meeting, okay, meeting
AKI
How the hell would we have time to play a card game when important staff are fighting a battle against a slump
OZ
Makes sense~
AKI
And, what happened?
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
I did finish coating the illustrations, but somehow I feel like it’s lacking something
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Though it’s not connected to reason
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
I just don’t think people would be happy if we released it as-is
Makigai Namako
Agreed
Makigai Namako
I’m also kinda stuck on Kokuryuuinkugetsu’s phrases
Makigai Namako
It should be a character resonating well with me, but something is lacking…
AKI
Can you put it into words?
Makigai Namako
Hmmm…
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Like the dick of your heart isn’t getting hard, I guess
AKI
Can you not blurt out vulgar nonsense like that?
OZ
That sure is a Murasaki Shikibu-sensei-like phrase
Makigai Namako
In my case, the phrases of the character just fall flat. They lack charm
AKI
What if we use your writing ability to forcefully raise the quality of the script?
Makigai Namako
If this was a novel, I could use the writing to heighten that charm
Makigai Namako
But with a limited length that the game has, that won’t do
Makigai Namako
Have to raise the impact on every single sentence here
OZ
Yeah. That way, the users would be more hooked
Makigai Namako
Looking at the setting, I thought I could do it
Makigai Namako
But, Kokuryuuinkugetsu is lacking something. Though idk what that is
AKI
There’s two days left until the deadline Kanaria-san set up, right
OZ
I mean, it’s her own deadline, so there’s not really a reason to keep it, right?
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
God!
Makigai Namako
That’s OZ for you
AKI
No, let’s try to make it in time. If we finish it here, it’ll be easier later
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Devil!
Makigai Namako
That’s AKI for you
AKI
Don’t be like that
AKI
I have an alternate plan ready
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Ohhh
Makigai Namako
Fill us in?
AKI
For now, gather up in the living room
AKI
Makigai-sensei, you just stay on with a LIME call
Makigai Namako
Gotcha
OZ
What is about to begin now…
AKI
For starters…
AKI
Let’s watch some anime
Day after day passed. After the character design, the important drawings in standing pose, cards, and line drawing were moving along smoothly, whereas the scenario was taking more and more form. Naturally, at the best possible quality.
Especially because I’ve continuously worked on [Black Goat] I knew better than anybody else. I knew that, under Kanaria’s supervision, the illustrations and scenario would be the best possible product. Without needing to see it, I can already see the users calling it a masterpiece.
Together with Ozu’s created AI, which keeps the current progress of users, as well as huge amounts of data (Chance of obtaining a new character, perusal ratio of the story, ratio of those having arrived at the epilogue, withdrawal ratio, and so on) to calculate an adequate game balance, making it a paper-thin battle if you want to beat it or not. With the resources left, Ozu could implement a temporary script, Kanaria checking the quality, applying adjustment.
Looking from an outsider’s perspective, you could only compare this work to a pro. Seriously, these guys from the [5th Floor Alliance] are all crazy folks. And that’s why I can’t help but ask myself.
—Are you good enough to become their guiding light?
—Wouldn’t a professional editor or producer, such as Kanaria, be more proficient to have their talents bloom?
—Rather than doing the work in the [5th Floor Alliance], rather than working on [Black Goat], aren’t there even more worthwhile jobs for them?
—What can you do? Something only you can do? Who are you? What can you grant them?
You. You. You. If I can’t answer these questions, there won’t be a place for me to belong. Of course, if me being left out of the [5th Floor Alliance] will give the greater good to the members, then that would be the best, of course.
“Senpaaai! Look over here, it’s got a weird shape to it!”
“Yeah.”
“Woah, there’s even a giant crab. And it’s pitch black! Eh, aren’t crabs normally red?”
“Yeah.”
“Ahahaha! This starfish is so disgusting it’s almost cute! She’s like a drunken Sumire lying sideways on the sofa!”
“Yeah.”
“…Senpai, are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah.”
“…………”
“Yeah.”
“Were you looking forward to Iroha-chan’s cutesy-cute swimsuit appearance so much that you’re just spacing out? Really, Senpai is such a pervert~”
“Yeah……”
“…………”
“Yeah.”
…………
“Yea—”
“Will—you—give—it—a—rest—already!!!”
“Woah?! What are you doing!”
I suddenly felt something hit me in the head. On top of that, I heard Iroha’s delayed voice. Pulling off what was clinging to my face, I was greeted by the belly of the starfish Iroha just talked about. Disgusting.
“Why are you just above the clouds! Did you forget what we were supposed to do!”
“Um…what was it?”
“Shore fishing.”
“Hold on, what?”
I finally realized. I was standing at the beach’s shore, and a harpoon-like object in my right hand. Inside the basket at my feet, I had already gathered a lot of shells and crabs.
“Weren’t you the one who brought this up? ‘We’ll do whatever we can’, right?”
“But, why shore fishing?”
“With some fresh seafood, we’ll show appreciation to the others! That was the slogan we had. For the last three days.”
“Did we talk about that…And also, they might be fresh, but can you really eat them…?”
“…I can’t say for sure.”
Gazing down at the basket, they looked awfully different from the ones sold in the supermarket or at street vendors. They might just be poisonous, so we’re probably better off not to eat them. Arguing with that, Iroha just honestly nodded along, lifted up the basket, and threw the contents back into the water with an ‘Off you go!’.
Thinking about that, we never really did this fishing as a serious plan, it was just to ease our minds. Everyone else is currently working hard to finish the new character implementation in a week, so it felt odd that Iroha and I were just normally enjoying our summer…Well, that is unrelated to Mashiro’s battlefield, but she is fighting in her own way.
Iroha and I decided to [Do whatever we can], and while gathering ideas for an insurance, we thought it might be a good idea to give everyone some small happiness by bringing them fresh food. And with that, cut to the fishing…But, if what Iroha pointed out was true, then I seem to have been spacing out quite a bit.
A day, and another passed.
Throughout the many times where our comrades of the [5th Floor Alliance] showed even more excellent work, my tension and motivation dropped further and further. It’s a pathetic story. Getting jealous towards good progress on [Black Goat], where I’m not even involved. This isn’t just about me. They’re contents created by everyone in the [5th Floor Alliance], and not my belonging to begin with, so I can’t even be depressed about having it taken away.
“Haaa…”
“What kind of face is that, Senpai! Here!”
“Guh?! Hey, you moron.”
Standing in the water, Iroha kicked her leg to splash water in my face. After living in the private residence for a few days, her wound had healed perfectly, leaving Iroha with her usual leg strength. Tasting the salt in the water, I strained my expression. Seeing this, Iroha showed me a full-faced grin.
“That’s what you get~”
“You…”
“You’re the one at fault, Senpai. You’re alone together with the super beauty Iroha-chan, and yet you’re spacing out like always.”
“Sorry that you felt like I was ignoring you…But, I can’t help it, I have a lot of stuff to think about.”
“You’re talking about the implementation of the new character?”
“Yeah…”
“Grrrr……Senpai, do you have a moment?”
“?”
Looking at her surroundings, Iroha lowered her voice. Since we’re on a private beach, there’s no chance of other people watching us anyway, but she just pulled my arm in an insecure manner.
Just what’s going on with her? I was wondering about her motive, as I just followed her silently. The place we arrived at was a rocky wall, at a dead angle from the private residence, where nobody could see us.
“H-Hey, Iroha, what are you doing?”
“Just sit down right there, Senpai.”
“O-Okay.”
Feeling an odd pressure from Iroha, I sat on a nearby rocky area. Because of the bumpiness, I had to carefully keep my balance. That was unexpectedly difficult, needing all of my consciousness. And just when I had finally made it, Iroha’s face was right in front of mine.
“?! W-What is it?”
Even I could tell that my voice was shaking in surprise. Having Iroha’s face this close to me, at a distance where I could feel her breath, had been a normal daily occurrence for me just a while ago, but now it completely threw me off balance.
But, this time around, I can’t let this stand. I have to stay calm, even if she approaches me like that. Almost as if she were to pull a wall-slam on me, she brought her body closer. And then, she spoke up like a certain immortal beauty who is being feared by her surroundings for being too strong.
“To mine brethren. Lay bare thy darkness, and intermingle with mine jet black flames.”
“Huh…?”
“In other words, ‘If you have anything that gives you trouble, then talk to me, and I can try to help you’.”
“Why is there a translation needed from English to English…No, wait.”
Huh? What is this sense of deja-vu? Like I had already seen and heard the scene happening in front of me…a certain character saying that…
“It’s Kokuryuuinkugetsu. You told me didn’t you? To practice.”
“Ah…I see. That was Kokuryuuinkugetsu.”
“Exactly. Since the main script wasn’t done yet, you just gave me your assumption of what she would sound like.”
While everyone was working hard, this was the only thing we could do. Since the scenario was completed, the recordings would start as soon, so Iroha had to get in character as preparation. Though our recording specialist, Otoi-san, will probably complain about being summoned out here in the summer heat, I’ll just have to do whatever effort possible to convince her. Imagining that this might happen, I already found a new method to bribe her anyway.
“…But, why are you acting out Kokuryuuinkugetsu like that? Ánd, you tell me that I can consult you if I have any worries, but there’s nothing to name there.”
“Foolish nonsense!”
Slap!
“Ouch…wait, it didn’t hurt?”
I wasn’t hit with a slap in the face, but rather another starfish. The damp feeling on my face was already ticking me off.
“Thou hast not mastered the darkness. Thou sayest that thoust ignore this master’s helping hand and kindness? (Don’t swallow it down. Just tell me anything).”
“…How long is this roleplay going to continue.”
“Until you drop all the pretending~”
Some new technique to annoy me? Well, if she gets even better at acting out a character, that means that the final product will be of better quality, so that’s fine.
“You say that, but there’s really nothing.”
Everyone—the raw genius and talent gathered in the [5th Floor Alliance] are far above my league, so I have to put in even more effort. Yet here I am, wondering if the direction of this effort is correct, and if I can’t do more, if I’m still not lacking something—thoughts like that are filling my head.
“I’ve continued to think about that for a while now.”
Just, this time around, a lot of it stapled on top of each other. Iroha was listening diligently to my muttering. And then, she flashed an immortal smile.
“Thou, who reigns over the blooming flowers. Has thy hand touched the poisonous thorns? (So induced panic through being surrounded by genius, is it?).”
“…Panic… I guess. I was planning to come up with a clear solution, but I wasn’t able to do so at all.”
“There is no need to envy the flowers. Thine body possesses divine beauty blooming inside of it (I’m pretty sure that Senpai is plenty extraordinary already though).”
“In what way. I’m nothing special at all, ready to be exchanged whenever. Once my need in the [5th Floor Alliance] vanishes, so will I, probably. If that is the most efficient choice to make, I will take that without hesitation.”
No, if that time comes, then I will have to take that choice no matter what. In reality, us humans are fragile and ugly. Even the people acting only for the utmost sublime reasoning have a high risk of scooping as low as to conduct evil for their own convictions and justice. Even the management under a dictatorial company president will have to adapt to the malice, as they cannot change the company themselves.
Even the most noble of people would immediately take the chance to skip ahead in creating a place to belong to, gaining any sort of insurance. That is why I always warned myself every day, if I were to tread down that path, I would become a good-for-nothing. If I were to stay focussed on finding a place to belong to, I would eventually choose the wrong path. That I would end up next with these shitty people who live inefficiently. So I thought.
“…That’s how it should have been…”
It’s breaking. This philosophy of mine. Is this one part of Kanaria’s operation as well? A trap to have me fall into the abyss of sloth? All my weak parts, the dirty shards of my soul that nobody should ever see, they all start flowing out of my mouth.
“After showing as much skill as I had, it’s still kind of frustrating.” I scratched my cheek, as I muttered.
“Senpai…”
“Ah, sorry. I wasn’t going to whine.”
The circumstances are changing from a year ago. Ozu’s communication reformation is taking great progress, so much that he can openly show his emotions, and Murasaki Shikibu-sensei’s problem has been taken care of as well. The reception of [The Night The Black Goat Screamed] has been rising as well, equally to the evaluation of other creators. In order words, their genius has been accepted in the world of professionals. That being said—
“Seeing Kanaria-san’s work, I was just thinking that there might not have been any need for me in the first place.”
Trying to sound it out, the words came out more smoothly than expected.
“I mean, Kanaria-san is a world-class editor, and this might not be something anybody can pull off. But, if it’s just any producer on a somewhat similar level to hers, they could easily take my place. For the current [5th Floor Alliance].”
Now that I’ve started the words, they came out gushing like a river. And since I’ve been stagnating them, they came out dirtier and faster as ever before.
“But, these thoughts just keep passing by in my head. Since I brought them this far, other producers have caught on to these geniuses.”
Even though I knew that I must sound like the worst kind of human, I was left unable to stop myself.
“Really, what a fragile and dirty way of thinking. It has absolutely no benefit for the [5th Floor Alliance]. It’s just inefficient selfishness. Or in other words…jealousy, haha.”
In the end, I let out everything. Then again, just talking about it made things easier. Even though it won’t change anything about the situation.
“Senpai…”
See, even Iroha doesn’t know how to react.
“Just forget about it. I wasn’t saying anything.”
I wanted to get out of this awkward situation, but—
“…… (Shake shake).” Iroha just quietly shook her head.
She mercilessly denied my words, tightly forming a fist in front of the zipper of her rash vest. And then—
“Thine body has slipped out of the cocoon, and the great me feel blessed to have seen this happen, mine brethren (Thank you very much for telling me).”
Flashing a kind smile, Iroha spoke up.
“My retainer who lives in darkness, thine body has shown radiating light countless times (To me, Senpai is an existence I admire!).”
“…Then, it’s a miscalculation. Look at me, all weak and filthy.”
“…………”
Even though Iroha showed her admiration towards me, I mercilessly continued with my self-loathing. To that, Iroha narrowed her eyes in sadness. She seems to have realized that, no matter what kinds of words she might choose, I would not accept them.
As a matter of fact, I felt like, no matter what one told me right now, I probably wouldn’t stop this self-hate from overflowing.
“I see…However, I have prepared a countermeasure myself,” said Iroha, as she grabbed the zipper of her rash vest with her fingers. “Feast your eyes upon this!”
Making it sound like a forbidden seal was broken, she took it off in one breath.
“Wha………eh?”
For a second, I was wondering what kind of reaction would have been the correct one. Unable to grasp the intent of Iroha’s action, I just had my mouth open in a daze. What first caught my eyes was the expression ‘dazzling white’. The sunlight was disrupted by the rocks around us, and although there was a slight shadow, I could perfectly see how white Iroha’s skin was. I could tell before when she sold me that ridiculous LIME message, but Iroha was once again wearing a bright, lemon-colored bikini, and with her, as strong as the radiant sun, it was a perfect fit.
With a perfect balance of body fat, her legs were slender, a well-built waist, and slim stomach, possessing looks even certain magazine gravure models would be envious of. The area around her chest was as much as I had envisioned…I could imagine their scale from the times she was pressing them against my back or arms…Of course, don’t get the wrong idea. I wasn’t imagining how they looked and felt like on a daily basis or anything, it’s just how the normal thought process of an adolescent boy like me works—To cut it short, they had an overwhelming volume to them. Ah, well, not like my personal thoughts about it matter too much right now, so let me put it in one simple sentence for the rest of you.
There was a big-breasted JK in her bikini figure, right there. Over.
“S-Senpai…if you keep quiet like that, even I’ll get embarrassed…”
“Eh? A-Ah, sorry. But, I don’t know what to say in a situation like this…”
She did graciously appear in front of me with her swimsuit attire, but I didn’t even know why now of all times. She had the rash vest she just took off as a sort-of cape, as she bashfully averted her slightly-flushed face. If you show me a reaction like, a pure-blooded virgin like me will die from a heart attack. Does she even understand that?
“At school, I’m being evaluated at being very cute, you know.”
“…I know that?”
Also, since when did her Kokuryuuinkugetsu tongue disappear? Now, right in front of me was but the normal Kohinata Iroha.
“The boys in class are all giving me lovestruck gazes, saying I’m the cutest in the entire world.”
“Quite the large scale alright.”
“On a side note, swimming classes are split between boys and girls, so no boy has ever seen me wearing a school swimsuit.”
“I see…Though I don’t get how this connects to anything.”
“By the way, Onii-chan hasn’t seen it either.”
“And what exactly are you trying to say!”
“R-Really…I can’t believe it. You won’t get it even after all what I said?!”
“As if I would! If you want me to understand it, just tell me straight away!”
“Alright then! I’ve only shown this to Senpai so far…! My… swimsuit…appearance…!!” Iroha screamed at me, her eyes tightly shut.
Her face was flushed red, with her lips shaking, and yet had her arms lifted up with a ‘Look at me!’ pose.
“Now you’re not average anymore!”
“Eh?”
“You are looking at something no boy at school has ever seen. While everyone is fantasizing about Iroha-chan’s cute swimsuit appearance, Senpai has seen it live in action, which means that you’re number on the [Having seen Iroha-chan in her swimsuit] ranking, and that cannot be disregarded!!”
The sophistry was over the topic, the logic one of the worst I’ve heard for a while. That being said, judging from her actions and words, I felt that Iroha was trying her hardest to cheer me up. Taking out possible affection and romantic feelings, it was a basic show of her caring for me. Seriously, having a Kouhai act this considerate of me, what a good-for-nothing Senpai I am.
“…Thank you.” I scratched my cheek as I averted my eyes, honestly thanking her.
Though it was horribly awkward, I didn’t want to hold back my words of gratitude because of that.
“Seems like watching the pathetic me was too much, that even you had to cheer me up.”
“What are you talking about? It felt good for me to let it out as well.”
“…Was I really not listening at all?”
“Not at all, I tell you. Just, not asking for any reward, or everything you do. Thinking about it normally, you’d break down immediately, and now, it wasn’t even complaining, and I honestly didn’t know if you were just an actual superhuman or if you were bottling these feelings inside you, until now. Why did you never come ask for advice, or just find someone to talk to?”
“Giving my comrades unnecessary emotional ballast is inefficient.”
Any mental circumstances weigh down heavily on the project. Throwing out unreasonable complaining and whining is easy to do, but there’s no benefit to it if the productivity of the people in the [5th Floor Alliance] drops as a result.
“Um, about that…I’ve wanted to say this the whole time, so can I maybe do it now?”
“Hm? Y-Yeah, sure?”
I feel like there was some odd color of disbelief hidden in Iroha’s gaze?
“…?! W-What are you doing?!”
Iroha set foot on the rocky place, and brought her body closer to mine. Seeing her body barely covered by the swimsuit up close was enough stimulation already, but with her face in front of my eyes, I could feel the blood rushing to my head. However, Iroha wasn’t done, as she poked at my chest with her finger tips.
“The [5th Floor Alliance].”
“…Eh?”
“The efficiency you speak of means to get the members of the [5th Floor Alliance] to happiness in the quickest and most secure way possible, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m doing.”
“Then, you clearly disqualify as an efficiency freak.”
“…I see. And, what is it that I’m lacking?”
“For starters, the fact that you say you’re lacking something is a big no-no.”
“What kind of dialogue is this again?”
“I’m saying that you should treasure yourself a bit more! After all—” Iroha kept her fingers on my chest, not averting her stern gaze. “The [5th Floor Alliance] includes you as well, Senpai.”
“……!”
“If you can’t arrive at your own happiness, then your entire plan will end up in failure.”
The area her fingertips covered was miniscule. But, the warmth originating from them slowly started to spread.
“…Even if you tell me that. Can’t help it, it’s in my nature.”
“I know that~” Iroha grinned with a teasing smile. “By the way, Senpai, you just reached up to the world’s top spot of the [Having your raw skin touched by Iroha-chan] ranking, so could I get your impressions?”
“Another of those shady rankings…Are there other people participating?”
“Of course not! And just so you know, you’re also on the world’s top spot of the [Having your private room invaded by Iroha], and the [Having Iroha-chan snuggle up to you] ranking, so how does it feel to be a man at the top of the world~?”
“If you give out weird rankings like that, everyone can be the world’s number one in something.”
“Ehehehe. It seems that Senpai really hates being praised. And of course, since it is my creed to do whatever you hate, I will just have to lift you up to be the greatest man in this world!” Iroha showed her usual annoying smile.
—Really, what a ridiculous fellow. But, I wonder why. Maybe because I didn’t bother to think about it until now, or possibly with the Ceremony of Marriage as a trigger, but I feel like my way of seeing her has changed. Logic and rationality are out of the window, and now with Iroha calling me the man at the top of the world, with her grinning smile.
That alone was enough to grab hold of my heart. The identity of this emotion plaguing me recently. I still don’t know if this is romantic affection towards Iroha. But, there is one thing I can say for certain.
As of right now, I think of Iroha as [Cute]. Of course, implementing normal common sense, I always thought she was cute before, as long as she didn’t open her mouth to annoy me, that is. That being said, I’m not talking about that kind of [Cute] right now.
The annoying Iroha is also cute.
Strategically, and efficiently thinking, you would not try to induce any negative impression towards you in the person you like. Those who poke fun at the person they like to get their attention, going out of their way to annoy them, they only exist in light novels and anime, and in reality, the girls would always greet the boys they like with a radiating smile, having their affection peek through to give them hints.
However, inside me, this logic was starting to break, shatter like a broken mirror. And I started thinking. What if annoying and yet also cute girls actually existed. If this was an action to have the other person think of them as cute. If so, then, both strategically and efficiently speaking, it would not go against my own idea of how one would fight this war called love.
I don’t know how Iroha feels about me. Just because she’s being kind towards me doesn’t automatically mean that she has romantic feelings for me, and it might just be because she’s a good person in general. There is only one thing I can say for certain. I have become aware of Iroha as an annoying and cute girl. And, talking about my feelings towards her, it’s probably safe to assume that, from the point where I can’t properly tell if this is love or not, it might just not be anything special at all.
That being said, just as my heart was shaken by Mashiro’s attempts to make me fall for her, just as much as your heart would beat towards a cute girl, I’m feeling the exact same towards Iroha. Not in a sexual sense, but her annoying acting, her annoying laugh, the annoying little sister of my friend, decorated with annoying traits all over, I still think of her as cute.
“…!!”
The second I became aware of that, when I realized I fell into a grin, I quickly covered my mouth, and averted my face. Naturally, Iroha didn’t miss out on this.
“Ahhh, Senpai is flustered!”
“I-I’m not flustered at all.”
“Stop lying~ Your face is beet red. I see, I see, Senpai is a boy after all, so no wonder you’re unable to handle Iroha-chan’s swimsuit~”
“S-Shut it. Don’t get cocky n—Oah?!”
“Ahahah, ‘Oah’, he said! Senpai, is your skin that sensitive?!”
Iroha started drawing circles with her fingertips on my skin. This tickling feeling sent a shiver down my spine, as I writhed in agony.
“S-Stop…I’m…weak with…”
“Poke poke. Poke poke. Poke poooke!”
“Stop it already!”
“Ahaha, teasing Senpai really is fun~ Don’t think I can stop myself!”
There was Kohinata Iroha, loudly laughing at my suffering. But, then again, she clearly showed what she wanted to do, openly revealed what desires she had, and enjoyed herself.
Kanaria has given me the first push. Making me wonder if it wouldn’t be fine to openly show my desires a bit more. Not just everything for the [5th Floor Alliance]. Not excluding myself from them. I have such enjoyable days with an annoyingly cute Kouhai like Iroha. Wanting these days to continue if only for one more second, isn’t that an honest desire of mine?
“…Thank you, Iroha. I feel like I started to see it.”
“Ehehe, seems like the usual Senpai is back.”
“That so? I don’t feel like I’ve changed much from before.”
“You look like the Senpai back then, who decided to walk down the path of efficiency.”
“Ahh…that, might be true.”
In a certain sense, I found my ground again, to give the [5th Floor Alliance] the greatest happiness, with the greatest efficiency. Compared to before, I’ve probably started to face my own feelings more assertively. In that sense, I’m more [like] me, unlike these past few days, where I had lost my way. I’ve reassured the way on how to face the [5th Floor Alliance]. Seriously, I have to give my thanks to Iroha, who has helped in clearing my doubts, and Kanaria, who pushed me onto the right path.
…But, leaving that aside for now.
“—By the way, you’ve been annoying me for quite some time now. You better be prepared to fall over from being tickled too much, alright?”
“Ah, I’ll wholeheartedly decline. That would just be normal sexual harassment otherwise~”
“Isn’t that a bit unfair?”
“Naturally, if you were that desperate to touch Iroha-chan’s soft skin, then I might be willing to let that slip? Go down on your knees with all sincerity you can offer, and beg Iroha-chan that you can tickle her—”
“Now you said it.”
“Eh.”
“If I have to throw away my pride to give you a lesson, then I’ll gladly take that equivalent exchange.”
“Wah, you’re joking right, Senpai?”
“Of course not. Now, are you ready?”
“Wait wait wait, stop! Don’t get any clos—Funyaaaa?!”
Beneath the summer sky, a laugh filled with agony resounded. Even though she acted all tough while tickling me, this annoying girl was just as sensitive, and after failing to escape my grasp, she just dropped on the rocks, her body convulsing.
—Why set it up if you’re that weak against it?
After having played our hearts out, and I had found back my determination, Iroha and I returned to the residence, when it happened.
“A-Aki-kun…Iroha-chan…”
Not even inside yet, Kanaria approached us with a detached face, unsure footing.
“W-What happened?”
“Sorry…but help Kanaria-chan. She has no how to deal with this…”
“Um…What exactly is going on?”
“To keep it short…”
She seemed mentally strained, with a worn out expression.
“Murasaki Shikibu-sensei and Makigai Namako-sensei have fallen into a slump.”
“Ah.”
With just these words, everything connected.
*
「Now, it’s time for trouble shooter Aki’s appearance!」
「Don’t just talk like you’re not involved in this…seriously…」
5th Floor Alliance (4)
AKI
Let’s start the emergency MTG
OZ
Magic The G*thering?
AKI
Meeting, okay, meeting
AKI
How the hell would we have time to play a card game when important staff are fighting a battle against a slump
OZ
Makes sense~
AKI
And, what happened?
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
I did finish coating the illustrations, but somehow I feel like it’s lacking something
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Though it’s not connected to reason
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
I just don’t think people would be happy if we released it as-is
Makigai Namako
Agreed
Makigai Namako
I’m also kinda stuck on Kokuryuuinkugetsu’s phrases
Makigai Namako
It should be a character resonating well with me, but something is lacking…
AKI
Can you put it into words?
Makigai Namako
Hmmm…
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Like the dick of your heart isn’t getting hard, I guess
AKI
Can you not blurt out vulgar nonsense like that?
OZ
That sure is a Murasaki Shikibu-sensei-like phrase
Makigai Namako
In my case, the phrases of the character just fall flat. They lack charm
AKI
What if we use your writing ability to forcefully raise the quality of the script?
Makigai Namako
If this was a novel, I could use the writing to heighten that charm
Makigai Namako
But with a limited length that the game has, that won’t do
Makigai Namako
Have to raise the impact on every single sentence here
OZ
Yeah. That way, the users would be more hooked
Makigai Namako
Looking at the setting, I thought I could do it
Makigai Namako
But, Kokuryuuinkugetsu is lacking something. Though idk what that is
AKI
There’s two days left until the deadline Kanaria-san set up, right
OZ
I mean, it’s her own deadline, so there’s not really a reason to keep it, right?
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
God!
Makigai Namako
That’s OZ for you
AKI
No, let’s try to make it in time. If we finish it here, it’ll be easier later
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Devil!
Makigai Namako
That’s AKI for you
AKI
Don’t be like that
AKI
I have an alternate plan ready
Murasaki Shikibu-sensei
Ohhh
Makigai Namako
Fill us in?
AKI
For now, gather up in the living room
AKI
Makigai-sensei, you just stay on with a LIME call
Makigai Namako
Gotcha
OZ
What is about to begin now…
AKI
For starters…
AKI
Let’s watch some anime
