Tokyo: Oreimo

"Leave me alone?"

"You! Humph!"

Ryosuke returned the favor verbatim, infuriating Takagi Ryouno, who immediately kicked him out of the room.

"Fine, I won't go then! Who cares!"

Ling Nai closed the door, a defiant expression on her face.

I'm an illustrator myself, so what's wrong with me participating in game development discussions? Do you think I'm a child?

That's really annoying.

After the person she disliked left the room, Ling Nai sat back down at her desk and turned on the power switch for her computer.

A CD was inserted into the CD-ROM.

The nighttime belongs to her alone.

Tonight she will indulge in a new game called "TailingX".

"What? This art style is so low quality, it's far inferior to my original artwork."

Despite saying that, she patiently entered the game.

"Tsk, a tracking game?"

She has a high tolerance for games, but this kind of subject matter still left her speechless for the first time in a long time.

This is a game whose selling point is that the male protagonist tracks down and catches his wife cheating.

After a brief attempt, Ling Nai easily passed the level. By tracking his girlfriend and catching her in the act of cheating, he could unlock the corresponding short story.

"It's so simple it's almost boring."

Ling Nai looked at the CG that popped up on the computer screen and showed an expression of "it's nothing special."

"The developers are really awful! The gameplay is somewhat fun, but the storyline is absolutely terrible!"

She casually closed the game.

Takashiro Ryouno has a preference for sensual art styles, and she'll try any work with a provocative art style, but the storyline in tonight's game is something she really doesn't want to touch.

Ling Nai ejected the disc, broke it in half, and stuffed it into the card case.

"This kind of game isn't worth playing a second time."

After doing all this, the alarm clock on the table vibrated, and the hands pointed to 11 o'clock.

For Ling Nai in the past, this was the beginning of her nightlife.

But ever since Ryosuke said that staying up late would make you age faster, she set a time when she absolutely had to go to bed.

To some extent, Ryosuke's words make sense.

The girl lay down on the bed, but still couldn't fall asleep.

Staring at the pristine white ceiling, my mind was filled with images of the game I had just played.

"Stalking... huh?"

Ling Nai suddenly sat up in bed, her eyes blinking, and grinned.

"They won't let me come along, but I'm going to go and see anyway!"

"Tsk." After the idea came to her, she was excited at first, but quickly realized something was wrong.

Ling Nai looked a little embarrassed, feeling that what she was doing was not quite right.

If my dad finds out I'm stalking him, I'll probably get a severe scolding, right?

"Never mind, it's all that guy's fault. I want to see what he's planning to do behind my back!"

Ling Nai covered her head with the blanket and silently planned her outfit and route for tomorrow.

......

The next morning, Ryosuke said goodbye to his mother, Mieko, and headed out to Chiba Station.

His schedule wasn't too tight today, and he wasn't in a hurry, so he slowed down a bit.

Shizuka Hayakawa has already sent back news that the music production is complete, and she let him listen to it briefly through the phone's speakerphone; it's at a level where it can be delivered.

Go there first to keep the appointment, then find Phoenix Courtyard.

I only have 100,000 yen left. As for digitizing the drafts, based on the current delivery volume, it will cost around 200,000 yen.

"The royalties and fees from 'Kino's Journey' should still be enough to cover several hundred thousand yen by the end of the month. Including the fees from 'Cardcaptor Sakura', it should be over a million yen."

Ryosuke has already communicated with Phoenix Institute, and they are willing to advance some funds to complete the demo production. He can repay her when he receives the next cash payment.

"We're short of money. If we calculate it this way, the production cost of the entire game will probably exceed ten million yen."

After all, there was still a considerable amount of cost involved in digitizing the music and manuscripts. Fortunately, Phoenix Institute and Ling Nai were involved in the production; otherwise, the overall expenditure would have been beyond his current means.

"But there's always a way out. Let's get past the demo first."

Ryosuke breathed a sigh of relief and walked to Chiba Station.

"Speaking of which, ever since the beginning, I've felt like there are footsteps behind me."

He suddenly turned around, but didn't see anything.

"Is it an illusion?"

Without giving it much thought, Ryosuke walked into the station.

.....

"That was close, he almost found out."

The blonde girl wore a black hat and a mask, and sunglasses covered her eyes.

This outfit is exactly the same as the one she wore when she went to the CM exhibition some time ago.

At this moment, Takashiro Ryouno was hiding in the corner. After turning her head slightly to confirm that Ryosuke had entered the station, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She then quickened her pace and caught up.

Chapter 44 The Stalker

The meeting place between Shizuka Hayakawa and Ryosuke was in a building in Shinjuku.

It is said to be the location of a small video store.

When Ryosuke arrived downstairs, Shizuka Hayakawa was already waiting there for a while.

Good morning, Takashiro-kun.

Today, the idol girl was dressed up carefully. Her blue-black JK skirt fluttered slightly in the winter wind. She brushed a stray hair from her forehead and greeted Takashiro Ryosuke with a smile.

"Good morning," Ryosuke greeted politely.

Meanwhile, behind a telephone pole not far away, Takashiro Ryou watched helplessly as her older brother walked into the building.

"Oh, so you really do have another date."

The blonde girl puffed out her cheeks, her expression slightly displeased.

"They said they were here to discuss a new game, but that girl doesn't look like someone who can write computer programs at all, does she?"

"fraud!"

After the two entered the building, Takashiro Ryouno tried to follow, but was blocked by the access control. Helpless, she could only find a nearby coffee shop with a view of the exit.

"When he comes out, we must catch him red-handed!"

......

Ryosuke Takagi followed Shizuka Hayakawa into the video store, where they were greeted by a young man with dyed white hair.

Judging from his appearance, he was probably around thirty years old and quite handsome, but his demeanor revealed a hint of effeminacy.

"It's rare to see Shizuka-chan bring a man here. He's quite handsome."

Upon meeting, the white-haired youth leaned on the counter with great interest, scrutinizing Ryosuke.

The words that came out made Shizuka Hayakawa blush.

"Don't talk nonsense, Mr. Kudo. We're just friends. Those songs were commissioned by him to be produced by me."

She hurriedly explained, while secretly glancing at Ryosuke. After finding that he had no reaction, she felt a little disappointed for some reason.

This gesture only made Kudo laugh, but he didn't continue to tease the girl. Instead, he came out from behind the counter.

"Is that so? So you're a guest. Those pieces are finished. Would you like to listen to them?"

"grateful."

Ryosuke kept his distance; he could tell that the boss, known as 'Kudo,' was probably gay.

While I don't rule out being friends, it's best to keep your distance when you first meet someone to avoid being targeted.

The back room of the video store is where the audio processing is done. The space is quite small, with only a computer, CD burner, and audio equipment, and it can just accommodate 3-5 people.

Kudo sat in front of the computer and inserted the already produced CD.

As the mouse was clicked, sound came from the speakers.

Ryosuke rediscovered the familiar feeling from his memories. After listening to the three songs, although there were some flaws due to technical reasons, they were more than enough for use in the game.

"It's usable now, thank you both very much."

Ryosuke took the boxed CD from Mr. Kudo and breathed a sigh of relief.

The demo's production cycle couldn't be delayed any longer, or it would really be too late. Fortunately, the music production went quite smoothly.

"No need to thank me, you should thank Shizuka-chan. She's been here for five days straight, practically living in the recording studio. I've never seen her so attentive to any other man before."

Mr. Kudo covered his mouth and laughed.

"By the way, Shizuka really cherishes the song you wrote for her. She practiced it for a long time in the recording studio. You're quite capable, aren't you?"

"Kudo-senpai, don't joke around like that!"

Hayakawa Shizuka was extremely embarrassed. This Mr. Kudo was introduced by a senior colleague in the company with whom she had a good relationship. He said that Mr. Kudo's fees were cheap and that he was a very kind person.