My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

Section 18, Chapter 18: The Second General Assembly of the Nameless Society (Part 1)

Although the competition was named the "2018 Autumn Meme Contest," the actual deadline was March 1, 2019, which was early spring of the following year. In other words, the nameless studio actually had more than six months to produce the game. For an indie game, this is already a long production cycle, especially considering that the contest didn't require participants to release a complete version even at the deadline (although incomplete content would definitely affect the score).

According to the competition's entry criteria, all entries must release their first early version before December 1, 2018. This early version can be incomplete; for example, a novel or comic can have only one or two volumes, and an animation can have only three or four episodes. However, for game entries, the submitted early version must be a playable, semi-finished product (not just a collection of code, graphics, and sound effects). Therefore, Jiang Jinghua's current plan is to complete the basic framework design this week, create the basic architecture of the game system within the next month, and then spend another two months adding content.

"...I feel...there's nothing wrong, right?"

In the group chat window, Jiang Jinghua was assigned the identity of an ordinary high school student named "Kato Taka." Having grown up in a single-parent family, and with his father going abroad to work after he entered high school, he had always given off a cold and unapproachable impression…

“…I don’t think there’s a big problem,” Jiang Jinghua said, “but I always feel that the name ‘Kato Taka’…”

“If you don’t like it, you can choose another one. How about Kato Hayato?” Kasumigaoka asked.

"...The meaning is similar, but the strange feeling has decreased." Jiang Jinghua nodded. "I don't understand why."

Ahem, let's get back to the story of Mr. Kato Taka... no, Mr. Kato Hayato.

Kato Hayato, a solitary high school student, was at an age when he had completely lost faith in life. Having already spent a year in seclusion during his high school years, Kato Hayato had virtually no expectations for the future, until one day, by chance, he met Sato Rikka, a girl in his class who was famous for her unassuming appearance…

"Hey, Kasumigaoka-kun, do you have a grudge against the word 'vine'? Why are both the male and female protagonists related to 'vine'?"

"That's not important. More importantly, I want to apologize. Due to time constraints, I couldn't come up with a story that was particularly impactful in terms of plot structure, so this is all I could manage."

Surprisingly, a genuine expression of apology appeared on Kasumigaoka-senpai's face, which was known for its cool and aloof demeanor.

“Ah, it’s okay. As long as the story has enough interesting content, it can still be touching.” Aki Tomoya said, “Besides, it’s also because I asked you guys to do this on a whim, so I wasn’t fully prepared.”

Kato Megumi, temporarily referred to as "Sato Rikka" in the story, stared blankly at the lines of text on the chat box, lost in thought.

"There are more detailed character descriptions to come, I'll post them now..."

What Kasumigaoka is currently releasing is a detailed character personality profile. Along with a brief overview of each personality trait, it includes detailed explanations, how this personality manifests in specific events, and a simple explanation of the reasons behind these traits. In short, it appears to be a highly academic article.

"This is a character design sheet from a professional author... It's incomparable to my character introductions that only take a few sentences," Jiang Jinghua thought.

Speaking of which, since I'm busy with club activities now, it's probably better to just put the novel on hold for now...

Anyway, it doesn't seem to have much popularity, so it doesn't matter.

Eriri Sawamura, who seemed eager to speak from the beginning, slammed the drawing on the table and pulled the camera down so that the graphics on the drawing could be seen.

"Now it's my turn!" Eriri Sawamura's voice was full of pride. "Look, this is all the result of my afternoon break and the previous evening!"

Jiang Jinghua carefully examined the drawing on the paper, after all, in a sense, it depicted himself.

To Jiang Jinghua's surprise, the portrait sketches Eriri had drawn in the audiovisual classroom using a strange method did not appear in these completed drafts. Jiang Jinghua had seen the sketches Eriri had drawn in the classroom before. Although Eriri herself said they were "very vivid and without any problems," in his opinion, from any angle, those sketches looked too stiff and deliberate, and always carried a very strong sense of humor... after all, they were drawn in that kind of way.

Although that's what he was thinking, seeing how overjoyed Eriri was (and considering the pain in his thigh), Jiang Jinghua didn't say it outright.

However, those sketches were not the finished products Eriri intended to use, but merely "experimental samples" for "data collection." The portraits on the current sketches are clearly high-quality works created by Eriri Sawamura after referencing those sketches and incorporating her own usual experience.

Come to think of it, am I really as good-looking as the drawing? Jiang Jinghua had strong doubts about the handsome self depicted on the drawing paper. That was definitely just the effect of the anime style.

"Hmm...not bad. For a male lead, this level of character design is already quite good." Aki Tomoya nodded.

What do you mean by "as far as the male lead is concerned"? ...That's why I say the mainstream trend in the industry is to weaken the male lead's presence.

Eriri Sawamura flipped the paper over, and on the back was the character design of the female protagonist, Megumi Kato.

Although there is only one copy so far, just one copy is enough. One copy is enough to completely change Jiang Jinghua's original impression of Kato Megumi.

"Speaking of which, Kato-san's character design is really hard to draw," Eriri Sawamura complained. "Even though it doesn't need any anime style embellishments, no matter how I draw it, it always looks lifeless and dull... But I just can't find the problem!"

"I'm sorry, it's probably because I've always looked lifeless and dull," Kato Megumi replied apologetically.

According to Eriri Sawamura, she basically didn't use any anime-style exaggeration or embellishment when drawing the character design for Megumi Kato... How is that possible!

Who is this girl in the picture?! I absolutely refuse to believe that this is the usual Kato Megumi!

what

Section 19, Chapter 19: The Second Plenary Session of the Nameless Society (Part 2)

If Jiang Jinghua had to use one word to describe Sato Rikka in the artwork, then that word would definitely be "public domain heroine." Public domain material refers to materials on stock image websites that lack distinctiveness and therefore don't have copyright issues, making them freely available for use by anyone. Examples include city night scenes, passersby on the street, or character portraits of classmates A and B.

Such materials all share one characteristic: they are devoid of any unique features, have no highlights, and are extremely difficult to distinguish.

However, if you look at it from another angle, this kind of material is material that has absolutely no weaknesses.

All materials that qualify as public domain assets are those that have stood out from thousands of uses, possessing practical value and versatility. They may not be the best, but they are certainly not the worst.

Kato Megumi, who now exists in the form of Sato Rikka in the artwork, seems to be the ultimate embodiment of this concept.

Ordinary black eyes, an ordinary fair complexion, and an ordinary, almost imperceptible smile; an ordinary face shape, ordinary jet-black hair, and an ordinary bob—these are the essential elements that make up Megumi Kato. While none of these features might leave a lasting impression or evoke deep affection, none of them are disliked either. When these seemingly unremarkable yet flawless elements, ostensibly "ordinary" but actually "perfect," come together, the overall effect is anything but ordinary.

Just like an average student whose grades are all slightly above average, their total score will definitely be much better than that of a student who is severely unbalanced in their subjects, or even a student who fails every subject.

In conclusion, Kato Megumi in the painting is a rather cute girl.

"Hmm, it's great!" Aki Tomoya commented. "Although it does feel a bit stiff, the appearance is still quite likable. If the expressions could be drawn a bit more vividly, she could totally be a leading lady! Looks like my judgment is still correct after all!"

Ah, I remember now. When Tomoya first met Kato Megumi on the slope, he did indeed mistake her for a beautiful girl.

Kato Megumi seemed quite pleased with the compliment, blushing and smiling as she replied, "Well, thank you so much."

Yes, it's a very normal reaction: the kind of reaction a normal girl would have when someone compliments her on her looks.

Looking at the seemingly ordinary yet inexplicably male-specific EX-effect reaction he made, a strange sense of emotion took root, sprouted, and grew within him.

Compared to those outstanding women with diverse personalities, ordinary girls like Kato Megumi are definitely closer to my life...

Ah, no, I've been thinking about something again. Jiang Jinghua shook his head abruptly. He should be focused on the meeting.

"Anyway, in the next few days, Kato-san, you need to try your best to make your expressions more varied," Eriri emphasized. "Now you're the only female lead left, so you have a lot on your plate, you know?"

"Thank you everyone for thinking so highly of me. I will definitely work hard!"

"Honestly, you still have that expressionless face..." Eriri sighed helplessly. "The problem now isn't that I can't capture your essence, it's that my current drawing style is just too accurate!"

"In short, that concludes the report on the artwork." Jiang Jinghua nodded. "Lunye-kun, how far along are you in your programming work?"

“Ah, speaking of this, I have a lot of ideas.” Aki Tomoya rubbed his hands together, looking ready to go. “The game engine itself can just be the famous ‘Otachibana Hikari’. Since this is a game with multiple routes and variable dialogue styles, I think we should use a personality simulation engine in the production process.”

Orange Light is a very famous text-based game creation software in the doujinshi community, and it is quite commonly used both inside and outside the community; however, the simulated personality engine is, no matter how you look at it, a cutting-edge achievement in computer science. Apart from some super companies that make AAA games, only people in the community would try to use it.

“Currently, there are three mainstream personality simulation engines: ChatEngine 3.0 from the US, CyberSapiens from China, and LeftHand, a joint development between China and Japan,” Aki Tomoya explained. “While CE is powerful, it’s expensive and complex, and only large commercial companies would consider using it; as for CS… I’ve heard that it’s professional software used in the service industry and is not suitable for game development at all; so the only option is the free and easy-to-use public version, LeftHand. I’ve worked with that before, so writing it is going quite smoothly, and I’d say it’s a good start.”

That said, naming the software used to develop artificial intelligence "Left Hand"... seems to have some profound meaning.

"As for the specific code, I don't think any of you here can understand it, right? I'll hand it over to you for inspection after I've created a basic finished product."

"Ah, umm," Jiang Jinghua said. "Let's all discuss the details later, and then we can adjourn the meeting."

The next centralized results presentation is tentatively scheduled for one week from now.

"Oh, right, there's something I need to tell everyone," Jiang Jinghua added before logging off. "I'm going to another dimension in two weeks, and it might take a long time. I'll keep in touch with everyone then."

"Oh, I see! It's alright, Jinghua-kun, don't worry. Even if you're not here, we won't have any problems!" Aki Tomoya said confidently. "Also, I hope you meet your ideal girl in another dimension... People like you who aren't satisfied with the two-dimensional world are really troublesome."

"Ah... haha, thanks for your kind words..." Jiang Jinghua said with a wry smile.

I don't know why, but when the ACG industry mentions alternate dimensions, the first thing that comes to mind is girls. Shouldn't the first thing to think about be the huge impact and potential for change brought about by cultural exchange?

"Then I'll log off now."

With that, Jiang Jinghua left the video chat.

Phew, what should I do next... Hmm, let's go to the website and publish an announcement of my entry into the palace first.

Even if I didn't post it, probably no one would care, but it's better to say something anyway.

The data on the webpage offered Jiang Jinghua no comfort whatsoever: the number of bookmarks decreased rather than increased, and not a single person commented on the book.

This made Jiang's determination to issue a statement even stronger.

After releasing a brief statement in a single chapter, Jiang Jinghua bid farewell to his short-lived writing career.

To say I felt a mix of emotions... well, I wouldn't really say. I felt completely unmoved, and I didn't feel like laughing at all.

The sudden shout startled Jiang Jinghua.

Another text message arrived. Hopefully, this time it's not Aki Tomoya...

Jiang Jinghua picked up his phone and saw that it wasn't the correct message. The sender was someone nicknamed "First Spokesperson."

what

Section 20, Chapter Twenty: This is a Fake First Speaker

Jiang Jinghua knew very well that this so-called first spokesperson was actually Honoka Kousaka.

He wasn't quite sure why she chose that username, which came from a famous science fiction novel, since they weren't very familiar with each other. Jiang Jinghua looked at the screen; the message content was already displayed in the preview:

"Jiang Jinghua, have you been to other dimensions before? Do you know what you need to do?"

That's exactly why. If it were Jiang Jinghua himself, and he were to team up with someone he didn't know well to go to another dimension, it would be normal to communicate a little beforehand to avoid causing trouble for each other.

"I've never been there before, so I have absolutely no idea what to do."

That's the only way to answer truthfully.

"Actually, there's nothing to worry about. Just treat it as a normal trip. You should be studying at a school sponsored by the foundation, right?"

"Yes."

"I don't know the Foundation's rules, but when our students go on research trips to other dimensions, they generally prioritize writing reports. They write about what they did there, what they saw, their feelings about it, and so on. It's pretty much the same as writing a travelogue for a regular spring outing. As for what to bring, that depends on the type of other dimension they're going to; it's similar to what you'd bring for a regular trip. Ugh, look at all this rambling! Just treat it like a normal trip!"

Honoka sent several messages one after another.

"I understand. But isn't Otonokizaka Academy, the one you attend, a pretty ordinary high school?" Jiang Jinghua sent a message. "They probably don't teach magic there, right?"

"Indeed, they don't teach magic; it's just a very ordinary school."

"But you've already passed the Level 4 spellcaster certificate at only seventeen, haven't you? If you're so talented, why don't you go to a Foundation-funded institution related to consciousness mechanics?"

Honoka paused for a moment before replying: