Tokyo: Oreimo

And this kind of direct, undisguised confession, even though it wasn't the first time he'd encountered it, still left him somewhat speechless.

Besides, his own sister was right there.

"Pfft." Phoenix Inu Saori was amused by the two's reactions.

"You guys are really funny."

Ryosuke gave a helpless smile.

This friend of mine has a habit of joking about these kinds of things, which is really hard to deal with.

"Let's get down to business. I've finished the draft and the music, so I'm handing them over to you."

As he spoke, Ryosuke took out the things he had brought from his backpack and handed them to Hououin.

"You're quite capable. I underestimated you."

Phoenix Institute flipped through the manuscript pages one by one, revealing a look of considerable interest.

“I have read your script carefully, and it is very interesting. These paintings are also quite fitting for your story, and they are equally exquisite. Where did you find the artists?”

Hearing the praise, Takashiro Ryouno, who had been cowering like a quail, finally straightened her chest and gave a soft hum.

"Did my sister draw this?" Phoenix Inu noticed her expression and asked with a grin.

"Yes, she will be in charge of creating the original artwork for this work."

Ryosuke nodded.

After hearing the answer, Hououin Saori tilted her head. "My sister is still in school, right? Asking her to do something like this might affect her studies, won't it?"

"Hmph, that's right, did you hear that? You have to take responsibility for my studies."

Ling Nai seemed to have found a kindred spirit and started a conversation.

Ryosuke, on the other hand, seemed to have lost all will to live.

What's going on? It was Ling Nai who asked to be the original illustrator, not him who asked for it.

I just want to make this visual novel a good game.

"But being able to develop a relationship with my sister to the point where we can get rid of this kind of thing, that's setting a key flag, right?"

Phoenix Institute suddenly spoke.

"What? That's disgusting! I'm not that close to this guy. I just like drawing."

Ling scoffed at Phoenix Institute's statement and glared at Ryosuke as well.

"Really? Then I'm relieved."

Phoenix Inu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Shi Yuze is too outstanding. If my sister, whom I spend every day with, were to try and take him away, I wouldn't be confident that I could win."

"Huh? What is it about this guy that makes you like him so much?"

Takashiro Ryouno wore an expression of incomprehension.

"Stop joking about this kind of thing, Phoenix Institute."

Ryosuke sighed; he felt it was necessary to end the conversation.

"Are you angry? Well, let's talk about it next time we're alone together."

Phoenix Inu Saori smiled as she carefully put away the file bag containing the manuscript and CD.

"My lunch break is almost over, so let's meet up again after the demo is finished?"

"You haven't told me how much it costs to digitize the manuscript."

Ryosuke quickly spoke up.

“Character illustrations cost 3000 yen each, and CG illustrations cost 5000 yen each. Including background illustrations, the total cost will be around 20 yen. Don’t worry about the money; I can pay for it in advance.”

Phoenix Courtyard waved her hand and turned to wink at him.

Thank you.

"You don't need to be so polite with me, after all, we'll be family from now on."

"You jerk, stop joking around. I have no intention of selling myself!"

"Heh, come see me again next week, and I'll give you the demo then."

After exchanging a few brief words, Phoenix Institute pushed open the restaurant door and left.

......

On the way home, Takashiro Ryono seemed to be in a bad mood, following behind Ryosuke and looking him over from behind.

"what happened?"

Ryosuke turned around and glanced at her.

At this moment, Ling Nai had already dropped her disguise, and she kicked a pebble on the roadside with considerable dissatisfaction.

"Was that guy just talking?"

What do you mean?

Ryosuke didn't understand the meaning behind Ayano's words.

"He wants to marry you! That guy said he wants to marry you!"

"Of course I was joking. We've only met two or three times in person."

"What's with the attitude? You seem so frivolous. Are you happy to be told that?"

Takashiro Ryou looked at him with a hint of suspicion.

Well, not really.

To be honest, if any man were treated like that by Phoenix Courtyard's constant declarations of love, he might involuntarily start having all sorts of fantasies.

After all, she was such a tall and beautiful woman.

But for Ryosuke, the death of his company was more of a concern.

After all, he had been chatting with her online for three years and had always treated her as a man.

"Hmph, I don't believe it!"

Upon hearing Ryosuke's reply, Takagi Ryono gave a soft hum, but her steps became lighter than before.

"It'll be early when we get home tonight. Should we do some academic tutoring?"

"It's rare to see someone actively request to learn."

"I want you to take care of it!"

Chapter 46 Interest

After bidding farewell to the Takashiro siblings, Phoenix Inu Saori returned to the LTC-PC specialty store.

But instead of staying in the lobby on the first floor, she took the elevator straight to the third floor.

This floor is not open to tourists; it is a private area for the shops.

The elevator doors opened, revealing a floor filled with a considerable number of electronic devices.

"Miss?"

A middle-aged man dressed like a butler was cleaning the dust off the ornaments when he saw Phoenix Inu Saori arrive and quickly came to greet her.

"Do you find participating in store operations boring?"

"No, it's just that there are some things I need to do here."

Phoenix Inu Saori put away her playful demeanor in front of the Takagi siblings; at this moment, she was as cold and indifferent as an iceberg.

Ignoring the housekeeper, she strode over to a scanner and expertly turned it on.

"Are you going to do something unproductive again?"

The housekeeper saw her placing the drafts inside and sighed.

"If the master finds out, he'll criticize you again, won't he?"

Phoenix Courtyard didn't even look up. "If you're dissatisfied, you can complain to the old man."

“I will not do such a thing. In accordance with Madam’s wishes, I will help Miss inherit the family business.”

"Then stop rambling," Saori Hououin interrupted her.

It was nothing more than urging her to quickly familiarize herself with the basic operations and to hurry up and find a marriage partner.

"How long until the latest DVD technology is available online?"

That's what she cares about most.

With current technology, CD-ROMs have limited capacity and cannot hold too much game content, especially visual novels (galgames) with numerous beautiful CGs.

Ryosuke Takagi failed to consider this point, and instead produced it according to later standards.

But Phoenix Institute understands that, given the quality of the demo and music provided by the other party, a CD alone cannot fully represent the finished product.

"We have expedited the process as you requested, and it is expected to be launched next month. DVD drives will also be included in the latest products, including imaging devices and computers."

"If we speed up the marketing and distribution process, we can sell it to Sony if they want it, provided that they help promote the technology."

Phoenix Inu Saori said casually.

"This..." The butler was taken aback. "To sell this technology, I'm afraid the master himself would have to give his approval."

“I will persuade him; you just need to carry it out.”

Phoenix Institute casually picked up a blank CD from the side and put it into the scanner's optical drive, waiting for the draft to be digitized. Compared to manual drawing, this method was much less labor-intensive in this era.

"If there's nothing else, you can leave now. I won't be coming to the store next week; I have more important things to do."

"Making games? Haven't you learned your lesson from the losses last time?"

"Money may not be important to you, but time and energy..."

Phoenix Institute frowned, glancing with slight impatience at the middle-aged butler who was chattering incessantly beside him.

"Are you going to lecture me in place of the old man? Don't make me angry, Iwata."