Tokyo: Oreimo

"Ruri absolutely cannot find out about this. What if that guy goes to her and tells her about me?"

Takashiro Ryouno couldn't help but worry.

My brother, who's not really a brother, has Liuli's phone number saved in his phone.

If I let even a whisper out, my friend, with his keen senses, should discover my secret very quickly, right?

Should we ask him to keep it a secret?

Takashiro Ryouno was quite conflicted.

From an ethical standpoint, if an older brother knew his younger sister was playing this kind of game, he would probably tell his parents immediately.

But after a day, the other party made no move, leaving Ling Nai unable to guess his thoughts.

Frustrated, she threw the game she was playing on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

"I'm sick!"

The pillow covered her face, and the feeling of suffocation slowly seeped into her body. When she could no longer hold on, she finally exposed her face to breathe, a blush creeping onto her cheeks and her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.

This is one of the ways she relieves stress.

The girl's eyes were slightly red, and in her dizziness, she suddenly realized that she seemed to have overlooked something extremely important from the very beginning.

"and many more!"

"Speaking of which, why did that guy show up at CM Expo?"

Gao Chengling realized this belatedly, his eyes slightly brightening as he muttered to himself.

"Yes, he not only went to the exhibition, but he also set up a stall to sell games."

As if she had just thought of something, she quickly jumped out of bed.

"Could that guy have the same interests as me?"

People who go to CM conventions are mostly like-minded people; those who are prejudiced against galgames or 18+ erotic content would never appear in such a place.

She walked out of the room in a few steps, and then kicked open Ryosuke's half-closed door.

"Didn't you say you weren't going to provide academic tutoring?"

Ryosuke cast a surprised glance at him.

"Hmph, I have other things to discuss with you!"

Ling Nai closed the door, sat down on the tatami mat, crossed her legs, and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"You went to the CM exhibition on Sunday, right?"

Having figured out the problem, Ling Nai's spirits lifted, and she turned defense into offense.

I initially thought I had been caught red-handed by my family, but now that I realize they seem to be the same kind of person, that sense of social dread quickly fades away.

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow.

"Just going to the exhibition to meet a friend."

"What? You always pretend to be so serious, but I didn't expect you to be an otaku too!"

Ling Nai felt relieved after hearing the affirmative answer.

What do you mean by "meeting friends"? He's clearly setting up a stall and selling this kind of game. In the end, this guy has something shady going on too.

I was worried he'd look at me with prejudice!

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow but offered no explanation.

For him, being categorized as an otaku is not something unacceptable.

In the future, these groups who prefer 18+ content and respect doujinshi culture will be his biggest customers.

"I suppose so, but it's quite surprising that you would like this kind of game."

When Ryosuke saw Ayano at the exhibition, after his initial surprise, he probably figured something out.

So she really is a lesbian? Otherwise, there's no way to explain why she likes 'erotic' games from a male perspective.

"Who do you think you are? I also have the right to like fancy things..." Takashiro Ryouno said bluntly, then noticed Ryosuke's ambiguous gaze and immediately became wary.

"What disgusting things are you thinking? I like this kind of game purely because of my admiration for its hot art style."

"I know, I understand."

Ryosuke waved his hand dismissively.

During adolescence, both boys and girls have some embarrassing little hobbies that are hard to talk about, and he doesn't intend to elevate them to the level of personal morality.

Liking anime and manga, even if it has a touch of risqué humor, is harmless and better than the chaos in the real world.

"Tsk."

Takashiro Ryouno was somewhat displeased and quite dissatisfied with Ryosuke's flippant remarks.

'This guy is definitely thinking something bad.'

Ryosuke didn't intend to continue the topic. Since his younger sister had taken the initiative to come clean, he could take this opportunity to make some demands.

"I need your help with something."

"You're not planning to do anything to me, are you? Don't think you can threaten me just because you know my secret! You don't want Mom and Dad to know you went to an 18+ convention like CM, do you?"

Takashiro Ryou unconsciously took a step back.

This development inevitably reminded her of certain plots in 18+ games.

'Is this guy really a pervert?'

Ryosuke Takagi was taken aback by her words, then frowned sharply.

What's going on in this little girl's head?

"Put away your random thoughts. It's about a game project I'm developing," Ryosuke said bluntly. "We need an artist. Are you interested?"

Ling Nai was stunned.

"Games? What games?"

"It's the kind of game you stole from under my bed last night."

A look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on her face.

What? Did this guy not sleep last night?

So when I sneaked into his room and searched under the bed, he pretended not to know even though he was awake?

"A visual novel?"

"Yes."

Ryosuke nodded.

“I’m in charge of the script, and my friend is in charge of the programming, but we haven’t found anyone to fill the original artwork yet. I can’t find anyone to fill the gap in a short time. If you have time, you can draw some for me, and I will pay you accordingly.”

"I need to create a game demo as soon as possible."

"What's this? Are you hiring me as a temporary worker?"

Takashiro Ryouno crossed her arms and said with an unfriendly expression.

"Mm." Ryosuke nodded.

He didn't intend to give it all to Ling Naihua, since FSN was an 18+ game after all, and it contained many erotic parts that were not suitable for minors.

Creating something like this with my sister is really hard to accept.

To his surprise, Takashiro Ryouno nodded without hesitation.

"Okay, let me see the character designs."

The girl held out her hand, and Ryosuke handed her the notebook.

As a comic artist with formal serialization experience and known for her exquisite art style, although she has no experience in computer painting, drawing simple sketches is not a difficult task for her.

The notes he had were a collection of character designs related to FSN. He had made a copy for Phoenix Innocent, and this one was the original manuscript.

The notebook was filled with dense text and some unsightly sketches, but Takashiro Ryouno read it with great interest.

"Character illustration sets, each character requires at least ten images. The demo version features approximately eight characters, along with at least fifteen illustrations and a dozen or so scene images..."

According to Ryosuke's calculations, the entire FSN series has over 500 illustrations and scene images alone, not including character illustrations, which is a considerable amount of work.

The number of demos needed is already relatively small.

"Can it be finished within two weeks?"

Ryosuke asked.

Takashiro Ryouno closed her notebook and gave him a disapproving look.

"Who do you think I am? You can take it easy, but in exchange, you have to help me keep it from Dad. I'll probably have to stay at the studio this weekend."

"no problem."

This kind of thing is not difficult for Ryosuke.

"In addition, you also need to work with me. If you have any opinions on the painting, you need to make changes immediately."

"Hmm? You lack self-confidence so much?"

"Nonsense, since they commissioned me to draw this, how could I possibly do a shoddy job? Understanding the client's needs is the most basic thing, isn't it?"

Takashiro Ryou glared at him.

"By the way, regarding the payment for the original artwork, could you just get me a computer and put it in the studio? I can use that to offset the payment."

Is that all?

Ryosuke asked, puzzled.

Based on the required workload, and according to the current market price, it would cost at least 5,000 yen per piece. Therefore, a commission of this quantity would be worth at least 500,000 yen.

A brand-new mainstream PC equipped with a Pentium processor costs only 300,000 yen.

Is this a friend's price?

Compared to this, there is something even more puzzling to Ryosuke.