Tokyo: Oreimo

When Ryosuke saw Ling Nai take out a disc and was about to put it directly into the CD-ROM, he quickly stopped her.

"Wait a moment, we need to install the external optical drive first."

"Huh?"

"Because the game content is too large, the CD cannot hold it. Anyway, installing this will solve the problem."

Ryosuke connected the external CD drive, and Ayano inserted the CD into it.

The game content was quickly loaded by the computer, and the blonde girl eagerly clicked on the icon representing FSN.

.....

A ticking sound came from the room, like the striking of an old-fashioned clock.

"It's me. You should know, tomorrow's the deadline, Rin."

...

If we don't hurry, we won't be able to become a Master.

"Master, that's a new term."

"A rather brilliant concept: summoning ancient heroes to battle in the modern world?"

A murmur came from the room, coming from the mouth of 'Yusuke Takeuchi'.

He was an intern at Toei Animation, Tokyo's largest animation company. In this era of economic recession, being able to join such a large company that was still growing was something that his peers could envy.

But only he knows the kind of pressure this job entails.

The workplace is hierarchical, and as an intern, he was unable to encounter a kind leader.

They enter the workforce full of enthusiasm from university, but end up doing mundane and trivial tasks.

If I had to pick a hobby that helps relieve this kind of stress, it would probably be reading.

Today, as usual, he bought a Kadokawa regular magazine at the convenience store. The price of 600 yen was still within his budget.

His main interest lies in following the novel that fascinates him, "Kino's Journey" by new author Keiichi Sigsawa.

He had already read the first three volumes completely, and also bought a set of the individual volumes to keep at home.

After reading the contents of the issue, Yusuke Takeuchi found a bonus CD at the end of the magazine.

He hadn't paid much attention to it at first, but then he noticed a line of small print below.

—Recommended by Shigaze Keiichi.

It was a work promoted by a favorite author, and out of curiosity, Yusuke Takeuchi put the disc into his computer's CD drive.

Before I knew it, I'd been playing for almost half an hour.

"It's more like a wonderful light novel than an 18+ game."

Yusuke Takeuchi sighed with emotion, realizing that he still liked the things recommended by his favorite authors.

He then clicked the mouse, his eyes fixed on the screen, browsing through the lines of text.

[...If only Father could leave behind something that connects him to Saber.]

The voice of Rin Tohsaka came through the headphones, prompting Yusuke Takeuchi to exclaim in admiration.

"This is a really high-quality production; they even have voice actors?"

Although I only did odd jobs at the company, being at Toei, I had heard my seniors talk about voice acting, and this expense was not small in any project.

"By the way, according to the setting, is Saber the strongest Heroic Spirit? Then, in that scene mentioned at the beginning, does that mean she will be summoned by the protagonist?"

He had some guesses.

Yusuke Takeuchi continues to advance the plot.

The image on the computer screen darkened, and the scene shifted to a gloomy basement.

He knew this was the prelude to Rin Tohsaka summoning a Heroic Spirit.

[—Dispersing in the process of fading away, inscribing a four-way dispersal array, forming a summoning array....]

[Plain silver and iron. The foundation is stone and the great duke of covenants, the ancestor being my teacher, Xiubaiyinaogu...]

...

The surging winds, blocked by four walls and shutting down the four gates, emerge from within the crown and circulate at the three-way intersection leading to the kingdom.

...

Is it coming?

As mysterious music played in Yusuke Takeuchi's headphones, he found himself involuntarily drawn into it.

In the image, Rin Tohsaka has her eyes closed, her twin tails seem to float up for some reason, and her right fist is clenched tightly.

[Announcement!]

"Your body is placed beneath me, and I command you to give the sword, to obey the call of the Holy Grail. If you wish to follow this will and this principle, then answer."

I hereby swear that I will bring about all good in the world, and I will eradicate all evil. You are bound by the three great incantations for seven days...

[Cross the Wheel of Restraint, descend upon this place! Guardian of Libra—]

A blinding white light flashed on the computer screen, and Yusuke Takeuchi's anticipation reached its peak.

Chapter 58 The Tower Opens!

Two hours later.

Yusuke Takeuchi sat in front of his computer, looking at the acknowledgments that popped up on the screen, as well as the announcement of the official release, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

A truly excellent work; even the free parts alone are captivating on several occasions.

Is the expected release date in August? Will it be a limited-edition sale at the CM exhibition?

Yusuke Takeuchi could understand the reason for the limited edition because he saw the TYPEMOON logo that appeared at the beginning of the game.

An obscure title.

Is this a newly established group? Is the quality of their first game already this high?

"It has the potential to be adapted into an anime; if we could launch a project..."

As someone from Toei, he keenly sensed the enormous commercial value of this work, which is rare in a market currently dominated by works aimed at young children.

"However, even if I submit it, I might not receive any feedback, right?"

As an intern, Takeuchi Yusuke had little influence, and even if he did submit a proposal, it probably wouldn't even pass the approval of his superiors.

Currently, in the perception of most practitioners in the animation market, the main audience is still young children.

As the credits began to roll on the computer screen, he keenly spotted a familiar name.

"...Rumiko Takagi?"

Yusuke Takeuchi was stunned for a moment, never expecting to see this name on the list of participants of such a small club.

A bestselling manga artist from a Kadokawa-owned magazine? He's actually doing concept art for this kind of 18+ doujin game?

.....

As Yusuke Takeuchi discovered, the first batch of Fate/stay night demo discs, which were released as freebies, featured artwork by the author of Moon Witch Transformation and Cardcaptor Sakura, and the news spread like wildfire.

The audience for light novels is mostly young people who have been influenced by older generations of anime and are just entering society.

Rina Inoue is also one of them. As a student in the Department of Animation at the Faculty of Arts of Tokyo Polytechnic University, researching the market and studying drawing techniques are among her key topics.

Because of the explosive popularity of magical girl themes in the past two years, this student with formal training has become extremely interested in the manga artist 'Rumiko Takashiro'.

"Rumiko Takashiro has released a new work."

The news was spread by her college classmates, and Inoue Rina's first reaction upon hearing it was disbelief.

After all, she always paid attention to the works of various well-known cartoonists, but her classmate's serious demeanor made her decide to take a look and borrowed the magazine as a freebie from her.

Rina Inoue had not paid much attention to the visual novel genre before.

Although she had heard many stories of graduating seniors who chose to enter the erotic illustration industry after being looked down upon by companies, she believed that such a thing would never happen to her.

"Shouldn't Mr. Takashiro be collaborating on a game filled with so much vulgarity and clichés?"

After all, in her opinion, Rumiko Takashiro, a bestselling manga artist, shouldn't be so short of money.

But when she actually started playing the game, she became completely absorbed in it very quickly.

"It's completely different from what I imagined."

After more than two hours of sightseeing, Rina Inoue changed her initial opinion.

"It's not one of those vulgar fantasy stories, but a legitimate and novel novel that's quite interesting. The demo mainly focuses on establishing the world-building, but it stops at the point where the main story begins?"

Looking at the list of participants on the rotating screen, she indeed saw the name 'Rumiko Takashiro' among them.

"The art style has changed again. As expected of Takashiro-sensei, this highly recognizable and masculine art style must have been a change made specifically for this work."

Looking at the release date clearly displayed on the screen.

—Looking forward to meeting you in August.

Location: Tokyo Big Sight (available at Comic Market for all three days)

"Should we go? Perhaps Rumiko Takashiro, one of the main creators, will also be there."

Rina Inoue hesitated for only a moment before making up her mind.

.....

"I have to go! If it's a limited release on the first day, it's definitely worth getting up early to queue up and grab a pair!"

In the dimly lit room, a disheveled young man was lying on the bed, clutching his head, contorted like a fish out of water.

"But are you kidding me? Why would the demo stop the story here? That's just too much!"

Hiroki Suzuki was so angry that he was trembling all over.

"I was about to become a Master and meet that dashing female knight, but it all had to end here. I really want to send the producer a knife!"

He is a seasoned otaku, or you could say a freeloader.