Tokyo: Oreimo

Ling Nai slightly widened her eyes.

"why?"

“The initial setup is quite lengthy, and a demo version might not have a positive promotional effect,” Ryosuke explained. “It’s better to release the complete game all at once.”

This was a decision he made after discussing it with Saori Hououin.

The early chapters of Steins;Gate contain a lot of foreshadowing, and taking them out in isolation would make the game feel slow-paced and confusing. Rather than taking that risk, it would be better to release the full version directly.

"Humph--"

Ling Nai drew out the word, her face clearly saying "not very satisfied".

When will it be released?

"Expected in mid-April."

"There's still more than two weeks left."

"You'll be the first to play it when the time comes."

Ling Nai's lips twitched, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just turned her head away and muttered something under her breath.

"Who cares?"

But the faint blush at the base of her ears was clearly visible in the morning light.

When the brother and sister arrived at Aniplex, Hououin Saori was already there.

She sat in the office area on the third floor, with two monitors in front of her. The left screen was filled with dense code, and the right screen had a system architecture diagram.

Her long black hair wasn't loose today; instead, it was casually tied back with a plain-colored hair tie, revealing her smooth profile.

"morning."

Ryosuke walked over and sat down at the workstation next to her.

"Good morning." Saori didn't even look up, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "Did you bring the final draft of the script?"

"Ah."

Ryosuke took a CD out of his backpack and handed it to him.

Saori took it, opened the folder, and quickly browsed through the file structure.

"The divergence conditions in Chapters 4 through 6 are significantly more numerous than before."

She spotted the changes immediately.

"The main plot climax begins in the middle section, and the logic of choosing limbs needs to be more precise."

“No problem.” Saori nodded, her dark eyes reflecting the light from the screen. “I’ve already reserved the interface for the programming, and the system integration can be completed within three days.”

Ryosuke never doubted her efficiency.

Ling Nai stood behind the two, listening to their discussion of programming logic and system architecture, only to find that she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

I understand each of the terms "event trigger," "variable pool," and "cumulative judgment of branching conditions," but when put together, I have no idea what they mean.

She turned around and went to her own private space, turned on her computer, and thought about checking out the feedback on the forum.

Future Dimension Forum.

After several months of stable operation, the number of users has exceeded 100,000, and the activity level is quite impressive.

The forum has expanded from a few initial sections to dozens of sub-sections, including discussion areas for other visual novels and anime, in addition to Aniplex's own works.

Although the game "Steins;Gate" hasn't been released yet, it's already generating a lot of buzz.

The pinned post contains official character introductions and promotional images, and there are already thousands of replies below it.

Ling Nai scrolled down to read the comments.

"Has anyone seen those promotional images that Aniplex updated on their official website? Phoenix Institute Kyouma? Seriously?"

"After reading the character introduction, the male lead claims to be a mad scientist who spends all day on his phone talking to non-existent 'mechanisms.' Isn't this supposed to be a comedic character?"

Ling Naishen nodded in agreement.

She kept thinking about this question when she was drawing the character illustrations—making that embarrassing action, shouting "I am member number 001 of the research institute, the arrogant scientist Phoenix Institute Kyouma," and also having to do it with a serious expression.

That's so embarrassing.

She couldn't help but stop drawing several times, feeling her shame screaming in alarm.

"But to be fair, it's really well drawn. It captures that 'I'm super serious but it just looks ridiculous' vibe so perfectly."

"The supporting cast is also quite impressive. The female lead, Makise Kurisu, is supposed to be an 18-year-old genius scientist? The combination of a white lab coat and long straight hair is exactly my type."

"Shiina Mayuri, a cosplay enthusiast, whose catchphrase is 'Duduru,' is a cute character."

"Hashida Itaru, a super hacker, but a dead fat otaku, is this describing me?"

"Don't make assumptions about this upstairs."

"But honestly, the subject matter is way too different this time, isn't it? Jumping from campus romance to time travel all at once, can they handle it?"

"Just trust Aniplex, and you'll see which of his works has ever flopped."

"Don't make any promises too easily; science fiction is prone to plot holes."

"I'd rather have bugs than stomach aches. I'd rather this company release sci-fi than be tortured by White Album 2 again."

"It's like you think science fiction can't cure stomach aches, that's so naive."

As I scrolled down the thread, the level of discussion was much higher than expected.

"An ensemble drama combined with time travel—just thinking about it gives me a headache."

"Have you guys noticed the setting of 'world line fluctuation rate'? It's been mentioned a lot in the promotional materials, so it feels like a core system."

"It's probably the branching system in the game. Aniplex's programming has always been very strong, and they might come up with something new this time."

"It's impressive, but is this kind of hard science fiction theme really suitable for a visual novel? What if we end up having to learn physics while playing it?"

"What's there to be afraid of? They didn't really teach you how to be a magician back in FSN."

The discussion forum was buzzing, but not everyone was buying it.

A post with an eye-catching title was featured on the forum's homepage.

"To put it bluntly, has Aniplex taken too big a step this time?"

The poster's ID is "General Player" and the avatar is the system's default gray human silhouette.

The post was quite long:

"First of all, I want to say that I'm a long-time Aniplex fan. I've completed FSN, Clannad, and White Album 2, and I even bought the DVD of Madoka Magica. It's precisely because I like it that I want to say a few less-than-pleasant things."

The range of themes in Steins;Gate is too wide. Aniplex's previous works, whether fantasy or school life, are all genres that have been proven successful in the market.

But this time it involves time travel.

The time travel theme is so sensitive that even a slight logical flaw can cause the entire story to leak out like a sieve.

Moreover, based on the information released so far, the system's complexity is unprecedented.

I hope I'm just being overly pessimistic, but if this goes wrong, it will severely damage Aniplex's reputation.

The post has already received hundreds of replies.

"That makes sense. I've never heard of anyone creating this kind of theme in a visual novel before."

"I have read similar novels, but they are full of loopholes in the later stages and cannot stand up to scrutiny."

"All that talk is just fluff. The most important thing is that there's no 18+ content. Why is that? Aniplex clearly has a top-tier manga artist like Rumiko Takagi!"

"I just want to see erotic content, why can't I have it!?"

"(laughing emoji) The lament of the otaku upstairs."

The debate in the post lasted for several pages, with neither side able to convince the other.

While some expressed concern about the shift in subject matter, there was more of a curious anticipation.

After all, Aniplex has proven its worth with a series of successful works.

Chapter 207 Junior High School Grade 8 Syndrome

After finishing his discussion with Saori, Ryosuke went to the office area on the fourth floor of Aniplex, where the newly recruited staff had arrived.

Ritsu Saito was more efficient than Ryosuke had anticipated; in two months, the production team expanded to nearly 120 people.

The number of original illustrators increased by fifteen, the number of in-between artists increased by more than twenty, and the number of background artists and photographers also increased.

Among the new hires, several are veterans who jumped ship from other animation companies, and their resumes show that they have participated in some works that Ryosuke can name.

"Xiaoyuan is highly regarded in the industry."

This is how Ritsu Saito explained it.

"In addition, the salaries we offer are much higher than the industry average, making this recruitment process much simpler than before."

Ryosuke stood in the corridor of the office area, looking through the glass at the people inside who were engrossed in their work.

New and old members sat together, occasionally someone would look up and exchange a few words with the person next to them, and then lower their head to continue working.

The production of "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" is progressing much faster than originally planned. At this rate, it might be released as early as the end of April.

"By the way, President."

Suddenly remembering something, Ritsu Saito pulled a piece of paper from his folder and handed it over.

"This is the pre-order data for the Blu-ray version of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' sent by NHK."

Ryosuke took it and glanced at it.

The number of reservations exceeded 30,000 in the first week.

This number is quite astonishing for a TV anime Blu-ray release.

"In addition, the sales figures for related merchandise have also been compiled."

Ritsu Saito handed over another piece of paper.

After reading it, Ryosuke raised his eyebrows slightly.