Tokyo: Oreimo

Problems such as the original artwork being out of style began to emerge one after another. The artwork was returned by the supervisor as soon as it was submitted, without even the need for minor adjustments, and had to be redrawn directly.

Ritsu Saito: "The team is still too immature..."

"It's okay, starting two months in advance is good training."

While original artwork does require a certain level of talent, these members are mostly formally trained and don't lack that skill; all they need is practice.

Two weeks later, the situation within the company began to stabilize, and the number of rejected drafts began to decrease dramatically.

After confirming the situation, Ryosuke immediately handed it over to Ritsu Saito, only concerned with the outcome.

By this point, a full month had passed since Saori Hououin left the company, and Ryosuke received her message.

"The testing is complete, and the master disk will be mailed to the company as soon as possible."

It was just a short message.

Ryosuke replied, wanting to inquire about the other person's recent situation, but his message seemed to sink without a trace, receiving no response at all.

Are you that busy?

Considering that the other party might be dealing with family matters, he did not continue to disturb them.

A few days later, Ryosuke received the official master copy of the game, submitted it for review immediately, and received approval a week later.

Clannad is now available for purchase.

Ryosuke immediately contacted Uncle Yamazaki, and all burning equipment was turned on at full power.

......

"Shota, you bought one too, right?"

In the online chat room, Hiroki Suzuki typed a message and sent it.

"Yeah, it's a game from the same company as FSN, so I definitely won't miss it."

He quickly received a reply from his friend.

Just last week, Aniplex released its new game, Clannad, a piece of news that had been posted on the developer's website for a long time.

Those who have played FSN know the company's level of expertise, and die-hard fans bought the game as soon as it was released.

Due to its geographical location, Hiroki Suzuki was able to purchase the second batch of reprints.

However, Shota Kikuchi, having prepared in advance, managed to snag the first release of the DVD.

"I saw a lot of negative reviews of the demo on the forum before, saying that it was far inferior to the previous work and was just an ordinary school harem visual novel. The main point is that there was no 18+ content."

"Besides the outstanding music, the game is said to also contain many trivial daily scenes."

"..."

Kikuchi Shota fell silent for a moment in the chat room, then a message popped up.

"Don't worry about those things, Hiroki, just have fun."

"What are you talking about? Didn't you get to play it a week in advance? If it's not fun, I can get a refund."

This game isn't cheap; it's still priced at 8000 yen, just like its predecessor.

If it's not a high-quality product, then it's a huge loss.

Because Hiroki Suzuki was a freeloader, he had very limited money, meaning he had no money left for his parents.

If this isn't fun, I'll definitely return it and buy another game.

Shota Kikuchi did not reply.

The online chat room fell silent.

What is this guy doing?

"Check out the Lost Land/H-game forum. I remember there's a Clannad promotional section there; there should be plenty of reviews from people who've played it, right?"

Hiroki Suzuki pursed his lips, then turned to check the posts on the website forum, waiting for his friends' replies.

After clicking in, all I saw were a barrage of insults.

"Isn't this just a typical school romance harem visual novel? There's no 18+ content at all!"

"A bunch of everyday things, selling for 8000 yen? With the reputation of the previous work, aren't you ashamed to make something like this?"

"Actually, it's alright. The characters are quite interesting. Kotomi and Fuuko are super cute, aren't they?"

"That's true. Although the subject matter itself isn't as amazing as FSN, with Rumiko Takashiro doing the original artwork, it's still a work that surpasses the industry standard."

"Of course not! It's not 18+, selling it at this price is just too unethical!"

"Exactly. I only bought it because of the quality of the previous game. Now that I've played it, there's no comparison at all."

"The production team was too perfunctory. I will never buy their visual novels again!"

The posts almost flooded the screen, and while some were speaking up for Clannad, most were expressing resentment.

In short, regardless of the circumstances, a visual novel with a school romance theme that sells for this price without any 18+ content does indeed raise suspicions of profiteering.

So, should we dismantle it or not?

Hiroki Suzuki was a little conflicted.

If I open it, 8000 yen will be gone. If I don't open it, what if it suits my taste?

Just looking at the various characters on the CD packaging is quite appealing, especially the loli character.

She looks a bit like Ilya.

Hiroki Suzuki switched back to the online chat room interface and found that Shota Kikuchi still hadn't replied.

He couldn't resist any longer, so he used his home landline to dial the number and called the other party's home directly.

beep-

The call connected, and since it was a weekday and only the other person was home, Hiroki Suzuki launched into a tirade without a second thought.

"Why aren't you replying to my messages? I'm not asking you to spoil the plot, I just wanted to ask if you're having fun!"

"Is your silence a form of retaliation for not lending you the FSN demo before? That's incredibly stingy!"

"If you keep doing that, I'm going to get angry."

Regardless of the situation on the other end of the phone, after giving the other person a piece of his mind, Hiroki Suzuki felt much better.

But then he heard soft sobbing coming from the other end of the phone.

and many more!

Did I say anything really nasty?

Did I make Shota cry?

This friend is indeed the more fragile type, but this is the first time I've ever heard her cry.

"Hey! Don't act like a girl. I was just saying a few words to you, is it really necessary?"

Hiroki Suzuki panicked a little; the crying coming from the phone receiver was getting louder and louder.

"Say something! What's with all this crying on the other end of the phone?"

"no...."

"What is it? Tell me."

Hiroki Suzuki was an impatient person, but realizing the mood of the person opposite him, he had no choice but to slow down his speech.

"Calm down first, I'll call you back later?"

"Need not!"

On the other end of the phone, Shota Kikuchi's voice sounded like he was trying hard to control his emotions.

"I'm not crying because of Hiroki."

"Did something happen at your family? Are your aunt and uncle alright?"

"Don't talk nonsense! You're crying because of the game."

Shota Kikuchi suddenly became excited.

"What? You're making such a fuss over a game?"

Hiroki Suzuki breathed a sigh of relief, even though he had seen some players spouting nonsense in those posts.

They said the plot of Clannad was very touching, but I didn't take it seriously at all.

At most, this type of visual novel, which focuses on youthful campus romance, will only explore the characters' backgrounds and backstories.

"You're so weak, Shota. You actually cried because of a game. That's so unlike you. Even something as intense as Heaven's Feel wouldn't make me shed a single tear."

Shota Suzuki laughed into the phone.

The fact that she was crying like this for such a reason made him laugh.

On the other end of the phone, Shota Kikuchi was silent for a while before suddenly speaking again.

He ignored his friend's taunts and instead said to himself, "Hey, Hiroki, I'm planning to go out and work."

"Huh?"

"Because I can't keep going like this, if I don't pull myself together..."

"Hey, what are you saying?"

Hiroki Suzuki was a little confused. Why was this being brought up all of a sudden?

"I've made up my mind. As for Hiroki, I'll go play that visual novel too."

"What does this have to do with games?"

He has made up his mind to stay at home for the rest of his life, even if he grows old alone.

"You'll understand once you play it. Don't rush, this visual novel is quite long..."

Shota Kikuchi hung up the phone and looked at the family photo next to it.

"It's like seeing my future life..."