Tokyo: Oreimo

Ling Nai finished watching the entire plot in about two hours.

The scene lingers on Nagisa Furukawa, holding a basketball and waiting in the heavy rain.

"This kind of slice-of-life school visual novel, that guy actually released an all-ages version, it's going to fail, right?"

For otaku, the loss of 18+ CGs immediately reduces their desire to seduce female characters by more than half.

Ryoko Takashiro originally thought that this plot would be quite exciting, which would make Ryosuke make that decision, but now it seems that this is not the case.

Visual novels themselves don't have much gameplay; their selling points rely entirely on the story and CGs.

The demo content consists almost entirely of daily life, and the game is marked as suitable for all ages. After its release, it is likely to be criticized by players.

Relying on the fame of the previous work to do whatever one wants.

"In that case, might the products become unsaleable?"

The girl was somewhat worried.

"Really? I quite like this warm and cozy everyday feeling."

Ruri Aragaki isn't interested in, or rather, dislikes, that kind of CG; this level of interest is just right.

From the perspective of a light novel reader, the beginning was indeed not as captivating as Ryosuke's previous work, but it was still quite good, and she was quite curious about the subsequent development of the school story.

Will Liuli buy it?

"Yes, if there are any works like this in the future, Ling Nai can recommend more to me."

Ruri Aragaki desperately wants all visual novels to be this type; she's been driven almost crazy by the games that Ayano recommends lately.

Experiencing this new game was like watering a nearly dead tree, making the girl feel brighter.

Is that so?

Takashiro Ryou muttered something to herself and then ejected the CD from the computer and put it away.

Then he reached out to put the game he had been playing back into the CD drive.

"Then when the official version comes out, I'll ask that guy for a copy and send it to you. Let's play other games first."

Seeing her friend's action, Aragaki Ruri trembled and quickly spoke up.

"It's getting late, let's call it a day."

"Huh? Aren't you staying for dinner?"

"No, no..."

Ruri Aragaki just wanted to escape as soon as possible. She had managed to get through the afternoon thanks to Clannad, and if she stayed here, all she would have to face was torture.

......

After greeting the Takashiro family elders, Aragaki Ruri chose to flee.

After seeing her friend off, Takashiro Ryono returned to the stairwell, paused briefly, and knocked on Ryosuke's door.

"what happened?"

The door opened, and Ryosuke leaned against the door frame with some difficulty. The dull pain in his back had lessened somewhat, but it was still there.

"I've played the demo version."

"Oh."

Ryosuke responded and waited for her to continue.

"The game isn't very well made. The storyline is too bland, and there aren't any heart-pounding scenes."

Takashiro Ryouno crossed her arms, looking rather critical.

"And that Okazaki Tomoya, his way of speaking is just too depressing, isn't it?"

Ryosuke couldn't help but laugh, but the strain on his back muscles made him wince in pain.

"Isn't that normal? Being in that kind of family."

"Hmph, it's all too bland."

Ling Nai walked into the room, habitually sat down in the chair in front of the computer, swung her legs, and spoke with dissatisfaction.

"No matter what, it's too arrogant to be suitable for all ages, it will definitely not sell well."

"It's not too late to add CG now; I'll draw it myself."

To his surprise, Ryosuke rejected her suggestion almost without hesitation.

"No need, it's fine as it is."

Adding 18+ content to this work is completely unnecessary. Even if it were added, it might have some effect on initial sales, but in the long run, it would definitely have a negative impact.

Seeing Ryosuke's attitude, Ling Nai pouted.

"Hmph, whatever, I really don't know where you get your confidence from."

Ryosuke offered no explanation.

The original Clannad manga was criticized by players for its overly long daily routines and loose, limited individual character routes. Ryosuke has tried to avoid this and has made some corrections.

However, the early part of the game can still be boring for players, as this title cannot achieve the same strong development as FSN.

The experience is presented in a more relaxed manner. In order to create atmosphere, the pace of the daily life segments inevitably has to be slowed down. What truly elevates this work to legendary status is the After Story.

However, Ryosuke is not worried that this will cause sales to stagnate; he just needs some time to wait for the work to gain momentum.

The moment when the player has spent a lot of effort to reach the finish line.

The peaceful town, the tranquil campus, the beautiful life—all these warm and cozy everyday moments will turn into the sharpest dagger, piercing the player's heart.

"You'd better not play then."

Thinking this, Ryosuke suddenly said something.

"Who do you think you are? Since you've participated in the production, you should at least finish the game, no matter how boring it is, right?"

Takashiro Ryou glared at him.

This is the most basic respect for the work. No matter how bad it is, it shouldn't be unwatchable. Just treat it as a lighthearted everyday comedy.

That's enough to kill time.

"no...."

Ryosuke opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

He was just afraid that Ling Nai would strangle him.

The happy ending of this work is not so easy to achieve.

Chapter 122 If you don't like it, I'll kill you.

A week has passed since Ruri Aragaki's previous visit.

Promotional activities for Clannad are already underway, with demo versions of the game available in major game stores, and can be obtained for free with any purchase in the store.

Ryosuke also contacted the Kadokawa light novel editorial department and collaborated with the publisher to produce free gifts for this purpose, with promotional information also appearing on the company's official website.

It's worth mentioning that during his visit to the Kadokawa editorial department, Hattori Takuya also took the opportunity to have a special talk with Ryosuke.

"Mr. Shigaze, if possible, could you please introduce me to Mr. Nasu Kinoko and Mr. Urobuchi Gen?"

Initially, Hattori Takuya didn't know that these two names were related to Ryosuke, but with the explosive popularity of "FSN", he naturally paid attention as an industry insider.

Afterwards, he made a special effort to play the original game, and Ryosuke's visit this time indirectly reminded him of this.

"I would like to request manuscripts from these two teachers on behalf of Dengeki Bunko."

Editors with a keen market sense will never miss such an opportunity. Excellent authors are rare, and the quality of commissioned articles is much more stable than that of newcomers.

But Ryosuke would certainly not agree to such a request.

He has no plans to continue writing a sequel to TYPEMOON yet, and he has only just accepted a commission from Rumi Hayakawa. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has only just begun.

There's simply no extra energy left for other creative work.

The animation production for "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" is about to begin, but he won't be able to spare more time until at least Saori Hououin returns and takes over the company's affairs.

You know... he still needs to go to school.

Therefore, they could only make up a random excuse to politely decline Hattori Takuya's invitation on behalf of the two 'teachers'.

This solved the publisher's distribution and promotion channels.

Ryosuke also negotiated with some advertising companies in Akihabara in advance through the company's name and rented a giant outdoor billboard. This would be done a week before the game's release.

To be honest, of all the promotional methods, this is the most expensive.

It was just an outdoor advertisement that would last for a month, but the other party asked for five million yen. After some negotiation, the deal was finally settled on four million yen.

Looking back now, it's astonishing how a certain second-hand game company could rent so many advertising spaces in Akihabara.

Now all we need to do is wait for Saori Phoenix to complete the testing, and the game can enter the review stage. Once it passes the review and is approved by the review agency, it can begin to be sold through offline channels.

After the company is established, every step must be taken to ensure that no compliance issues arise later.

After finishing these important tasks, Ryosuke began to work hard on Madoka's script.

.....

In the room, Ryosuke closed his notebook.

Just now, he put pen to paper and brought Xiaoyuan's story to a close.

He stood up, ready to leave the room, but suddenly realized it was getting late.

The sky outside the window was pitch black, the moon hung high and began to set, and the clock had already passed 12 o'clock.

Although I had told Ling Nai in advance that the script would be finished tonight, that guy was very excited and said he wanted to be the first to see the script.

But it's already this late, that guy should be asleep, right?

I'll show it to her tomorrow.

With that thought in mind, he put the notebook on the cabinet.

"Let's go to sleep, I'm so sleepy."