A newbie's anime life diary

Then, he turned to look at Shiyu, who was still clinging to him: "I said, it's been a long time since you came back, and I still have things to do."

"Huh? Oh, I see." After the earlier banter, Shi Yu finally realized what had happened and reluctantly let go of his hand.

Then, seeing Yukihiro get up and walk upstairs, Shiho blinked and immediately stood up as well, following him with light steps. Shizuka and Yukino in the living room both silently shook their heads.

Halfway up the stairs, Xuehui stopped, turned around and looked at Shiyu following behind him, asking with a hint of helplessness, "Why are you following me?"

Shiyu glanced at Xuehui twice, then said innocently, "I was just going upstairs too, I wasn't following you."

"..."

Xuehui didn't believe him. Reaching the second floor, he opened his room door, and sure enough, Shiyu was still following behind him.

"Weren't you going upstairs too? What are you doing in my room?"

Before he could even finish asking, Shi Yu pouted and looked at him with a wronged expression, asking, "Can't I come to your room?"

"Um... okay, sure, but I have work to do, so please don't bother me for a while."

Shiyu immediately nodded, and Xuehui had no choice but to let her in.

Upon entering the room and turning on his computer, Xuehui began to look at the emails in his work inbox. These were all compiled daily, containing collaboration requests from peers or other industries, or projects planned by his company's project team. Although they were not complicated, there were still quite a few.

It has to be said that Yang Nai's mind is wicked. She works during the day, and when she gets off work in the evening, she dumps all the remaining work on Yang Nai, so that Yang Nai can rest peacefully without having to stay up all night.

"Ha... I should have known better than to say something like 'Don't stay up late and work overtime,' now I'm the one who has to do it all."

That's what he said, but Xuehui still obediently started reading. After all, it was his company, and Yang Nai... well, not half yet, but it was only a matter of time, so he decided to work overtime himself.

And so, Xuehui continued reading the emails one by one. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he looked up from the computer and turned his head.

Shi Yu was sitting on her bed, hugging a pillow, her face flushed as she stared intently at her.

"Why...are you staring at me like that?"

"It depends on your work. People always say that men are most handsome when they are serious, and I think that's really true."

"Is that what you call flattery? Besides, am I not handsome normally?"

Tilting her head, Shiyu thought for a few seconds before replying, "It seems a little off, hehehe."

Hearing Shiyu's "hehehe", Xuehui couldn't help but shudder. Why was this woman acting so strangely tonight? Had she gone mad?

Somewhat worried, he got up from his chair, came to Shiyu, raised his hand and placed it on her forehead to check her temperature.

"Strange, it's not hot."

"Slap!" Shi Yu slapped Xue Hui's hand away and glared at him. "Is it really necessary to be like this? I rarely want to spend more time with you, and I want to behave well, do you find that so strange?"

"You call this being obedient? I feel like you've been brainwashed." Xuehui looked at Shiyu with exaggerated expression and tapped her forehead. "Be a little more normal. The proud yet charming Shiyu I'm used to is the one you're like now. This is too strange and doesn't suit you."

"It's rare for me to want to be a good girl, but you call it weird. It seems I don't have Eriri's loyal dog talent." With a pout, Shiyu lifted her leg and pushed Yukiteru back to the computer. She then lay on her side on the bed, her thighs, which were not covered by stockings, were exposed, and her nightgown barely covered the top of her thighs.

She struck a seductive pose, but her eyes remained fixed on Xuehui, her gaze almost overflowing with emotion.

Okay, it's normal now, but it's even more eye-catching.

Shaking his head, Xuehui had no choice but to focus his attention back on the computer and deal with her later.

Chapter 304 People Moving Forward on the Road to Their Dreams

Although Shiyu experienced a dreamlike marriage proposal in the afternoon, she still slipped away when it was time to go to sleep.

There was nothing she could do. Although she knew Xuehui wouldn't act like she did last night, she was still a little shaken.

However, despite this, he remained outwardly calm when he left.

"I need to get some rest tonight, you go and keep Jing company."

She straightened her nightgown and, with graceful steps, left the bedroom under Xuehui's gaze.

Emmmm~ What was that saying again?

Showing off and then running away, that's damn exciting. But seducing someone and then leaving them alone is the most dangerous thing to do.

Xuehui simply laughed off Shiyu's behavior, figuring she'd be back to normal by tomorrow. He didn't go looking for Shiyu again; after washing up, he went to Xiaojing's room and kept her company for a good night's rest.

The next day, Saturday.

After breakfast, Xuehui took out his phone and called Eriri.

The call was answered almost half a minute later, and then he heard Eriri's groggy voice: "Hello... Yukiteru-kun?"

"Eri, are you still sleeping?"

"I spent a bit more time drawing last night, and since it's Saturday, I'll sleep in a little longer." As she spoke, Eriri yawned, rolled over in bed, and wrapped herself up even tighter. "Is there something you need? I was planning to sleep until noon."

Aren't you afraid of turning into a pig?

"I won't turn into a pig! Although I don't exercise much, I'm the type of person who won't get fat!" Eriri immediately bristled when she heard the words "turn into a pig."

It seems that no girl wants her figure to be associated with a pig, not even in the slightest.

"I know I won't, but I can't just live such a lazy life." Xuehui glanced at his watch and said to her, "I was planning to come over today, since I haven't been here even once since the New Year. Is Aunt Xiaobaihe home?"

"Oh, you're coming over?" Upon hearing this, Eriri snapped out of her daze, slowly sat up, and scratched her hair, saying, "Mom should have just finished breakfast by now, and she'll probably be here to urge me to come over soon. Are you planning to come over at noon?"

"Hmm... This afternoon, I have some things to take care of. There's a game studio I'm planning to acquire to strengthen my own capabilities. After we finish discussing these matters and have lunch, I'll come to your house."

Eriri nodded; she was aware that Yukiteru wanted to speed up the game's development.

"By the way, where are you going to talk business?" Suddenly, Eriri seemed to remember something and immediately asked Yukiteru.

"Tokyo. Um...do you want me to bring something?"

"Hehehe, a new visual novel recently came out, but I'm too lazy to go out, so I haven't bought it yet. Since you're going to Tokyo, could you go to Akihabara for me? If they have the deluxe edition, I'd like to buy it!"

As expected, Eriri was talking about the game.

Xuehui had no objection to this and readily agreed: "A game? No problem. What's the name?"

Memories Off 8!

"Emmmm~ Wow, this series is still alive?" Yukiteru didn't expect Eriri to mention the name of this game. He had also played Memories Off, but it was a long time ago, and he hadn't been paying much attention to the visual novel community lately. He didn't expect that the 8th installment had been released.

"Okay, I got it. I'll buy it for you when the time comes. If the store doesn't have it, I'll buy you the regular version first. I'll find someone to get you a deluxe version later."

"Hehehe, then I'll leave it to you! We'll play together after you buy it. I'm getting up now~"

The long-awaited game was almost here, and with Yukiteru also coming over, Eriri had no desire to stay in bed any longer and started getting dressed and washing up.

After hanging up the phone, Xuehui said goodbye to his family members and then drove to Tokyo.

The game studio we're going to acquire today isn't very well-known, but the two indie games they've made in the last two years are of pretty good quality. After screening them, we found that the staff are quite professional, and given that they've been having some operational difficulties lately, the acquisition shouldn't be too difficult.

As expected, when Xuehui arrived, he was warmly welcomed. It seemed that he was not disappointed at all about the studio being acquired. On the contrary, he was very excited after learning about what was to be done.

Although it will take some time to familiarize themselves with the game, being able to develop a fully immersive game as a first-party developer is a rare opportunity, a chance that game enthusiasts like them could only dream of.

The acquisition was successfully negotiated. After signing the agreement and having them pack their things in the next few days while awaiting further arrangements, Xuehui left for his next destination, Akihabara.

The last time I came to Akihabara was in November, when it was just the beginning of autumn. Although it's already winter now, there are still plenty of people on the streets. In Akihabara, the seasons don't seem to be a barrier.

Arriving at the game store with practiced ease, Xuehui was lucky enough to buy the deluxe edition of the game. Although the price of deluxe editions of visual novels is frighteningly high these days, it doesn't matter to people like Xuehui who have a certain level of financial means.

Xuehui paid by card in a straightforward manner and left the store carrying a paper bag.

After finding a place to have a simple lunch, Xuehui prepared to set off back home.

Just then, he met someone he hadn't seen in a long time, even though they were from the same school: Aki Tomoya.

Beside him were Megumi Kato, and the siblings Iori and Izumi Hashima.

When they saw them, they also saw Yukiteru standing not far away. Aki Tomoya's eyes were stunned for a moment, but he quickly recovered.

Xuehui understood the change in his eyes, but it was impossible to say who was right and who was wrong in this matter, so this was probably the best outcome.

Now that they had met, it was impossible for Xuehui to remain silent, so he went up to greet them.

"It's been a long time, Aki-kun, and Kato-san. And over here, Iori Hashima-san, right? I met Akane Kousaka before, and she spoke very highly of you."

"Hello, Hiratsuka-kun, or perhaps it would be better to call you Sora-sensei?" Hashima Iori was a very eloquent person, always wearing a smile, and with her naturally good looks, she was quite likable.

"Your form of address doesn't matter, I'm fine with anything." Nodding to Aki Tomoya, Yukiteru asked, "Are you guys out having fun today?"

At this moment, Aki Tomoya seemed to have figured something out, and once again put on the same fighting spirit as before, and said to Yukiteru: "I'm here today to talk to Hashima. I plan to join their doujin circle and continue to hone my skills as a game director."

Iori Hashima nodded in agreement: "That's right, Aki and I have basically reached an agreement. He has learned a lot during this time, and our club is also expanding its membership, which will help us strengthen our team."

So you actually joined a business group you used to disapprove of? Looks like you're really preparing to take this step into a professional field. It seems you're truly turning your initial interest into your dream.

Chapter 305 Reality or Anime, Which Do You Prefer?

In the corner café, Xuehui sat with the group for a while.

Because the car was parked in an outdoor parking lot, Yukiteru still had the game he bought with him, so Aki Tomoya and the others saw it one by one.

"Huh? The deluxe edition of Memories Off 8, I think there aren't many left in Akihabara. I didn't expect you to buy this, Hiratsuka-kun. I rarely see you interested in visual novels." Aki Tomoya looked at the box cover peeking out of the bag, quickly recognized it, and seemed very surprised.

Kato Megumi maintained her usual calm demeanor, munching on the cake in small bites. Meanwhile, the Hashima siblings were quite curious about what Yukiteru had bought.

Iori Hashima asked with some surprise, "Could it be that Soraka-sensei is preparing a new work? A romance-themed one? So you need to gather material?"

As expected of a manager of a business guild, Iori Hashima considered Yukiteru's actions from both a work and business perspective.

"Well, if I had brought a different type of game, that might be possible, but visual novels are a bit different from what I'm currently planning to pursue." Shaking his head, Yukiteru explained with a smile, "This is what Eriri wanted, and I bought it for her while I was in Tokyo today. Hmm, you should know who Eriri is, right?"

Nodding, Iori Hashima replied, "Of course I know. After all, Kashiwagi Eri-sensei's real name isn't a secret anymore. Considering Aki-kun's relationship with her and our previous collaboration, it's normal for her to know. But hearing what Sorata-sensei said, I'm still a little disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing what kind of romance game script Sorata-sensei would come up with."

“I can’t do things the way I used to. After all, I have companies to manage, and I have to look at things from a broader perspective. I think Mr. Hashima, as the manager, understands that.”

Seeing the somewhat dejected Iori Hashima in front of him, Yukiteru offered an explanation. At the same time, he also subtly glanced at Tomoya Aki beside him.

He realized he'd said too much when he mentioned Eriri, but it seemed Aki Tomoya's emotions were really stable.

It wasn't some kind of guilt about poaching someone else's partner; it was just that I didn't want the atmosphere to be awkward.

After chatting for a while, the conversation naturally turned to the fully submersible equipment launched by Xuehui Company.

When this was mentioned, Iori Hashima's expression turned somewhat bitter: "While such a groundbreaking invention is truly amazing, I'm worried that when it hits the market, the existing game market will be squeezed out or even shattered. Our commercial doujin circle, despite having a number of members, still can't compete with the big companies in terms of the quality of our games; we're limited in many ways. Steins;Gate, with character designs by Eri Kashiwagi, is probably the best work we can produce at this stage. By the end of the year or next year, it will likely be even more difficult for doujin circles like ours to operate."

Yukiteru understood Iori Hashima's concerns. After all, it wasn't just them; many large corporations and major game developers had already contacted their company. After experiencing the equipment, they all expressed their desire to develop fully immersive games and hoped to obtain the development kit.

If big companies are like this, it's natural for smaller players to worry.