Tokyo: Oreimo

"Thank you so much for your support of Cardcaptor Sakura."

"Let's end the call here. I should probably go home soon."

After finishing the last document, Ritsu Saito shut down his computer and packed his belongings.

"Wait a mininute."

"Is there anything else?"

Ritsu Saito didn't think much of it, assuming that Ryosuke wanted to ask some more questions about the anime adaptation of the work.

"If it's about the follow-up arrangements for the work, we can talk about it when we meet next week."

"No, it's not about the work itself, but about you personally, Editor Saito."

As he listened to what was being said through the phone receiver, Saito Ritsu felt a sense of unease.

What are my personal questions?

Could it be that you're trying to persuade me not to leave Kadokawa? Being trusted to this extent by the author is, in a sense, something to be very happy about.

"Please speak."

But Ritsu Saito had his own opinions, and no matter how much Ryosuke tried to persuade him, he wouldn't change his mind.

It's better to just kill him than to continue working for that old man.

"I just wanted to ask, if I were to extend an invitation to you, Editor Saito, would you consider working for my company?"

"?"

Ritsu Saito paused for a moment.

Interlude of Chapter 87

"I plan to produce an animation within the year..."

"...The theme? It's still magical girl...not a manga, but an original anime. If you'd like to consider it, could Editor Saito be the animation director?"

"Really? Can we give it a try? Does this mean Editor Saito agrees?"

“…”

"As for the script, it's not ready yet. I'll rush out a draft before we meet next week, and then we can discuss it in person, shall we?"

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Ryosuke put it down.

Although I haven't known Ritsu Saito for long, his work ability is commendable.

They are trustworthy in terms of market acumen and professional ethics, and most importantly, they have industry experience.

"After the CM exhibition, we need to register a company, but without talent, it will just be an empty shell."

Within the industry, the most direct approach is to poach talent with high salaries, attracting skilled individuals with higher pay levels.

But this often comes at a considerable cost.

Because of non-compete clauses, if you want to get the talent you want, you either have to wait for the agreement to expire or pay a hefty 'signing fee,' which is the cost of negotiating with the original company to terminate the agreement.

"Although this method is the fastest to show results, it is also the most expensive type."

Even including the royalties from the Cardcaptor Sakura anime adaptation, the remaining funds on hand amount to only about 30 million yen.

It's a lot for one person, but if it's spread out, you probably won't be able to hire many talented people before it's all gone.

Not to mention he also has to pay for the company's venue rental and various facilities.

Although once the company is established and suitable sales channels are found, the game Fate/stay night will provide a steady stream of money.

The revenue will be in the hundreds of millions of yen, but this will take time, and setting up sales channels will also incur costs.

Before that, he needs to set up the company, save as much money as possible, and invest it in new projects.

Another cost-effective approach is to train them yourself.

Universities send out talents every year.

For example, the artist, Saori Hououin, gave him a note last night, which was supposedly left by a student from Tokyo Polytechnic University.

Perhaps this can be used to establish contact.

However, roles like supervisors, who are expected to maintain product quality, are not tasks that academics can handle.

It will require at least a considerable period of industry experience.

Ritsu Saito has produced many best-selling manga works and has a lot of experience in adapting them into anime, so he's barely qualified to be a director.

Most importantly, it's cheap.

"Good luck, this is a good start. Two months should be enough time to accumulate capital and get the company running normally, right?"

Ryosuke anticipates that he will be quite busy in the coming days, not only having to finish the manuscript for "Fate/Zero" but also preparing the script for the new anime.

"You need to take a rest."

Noticing that it was almost time, Ryosuke changed into his pajamas and lay down on the bed.

"Well, in short, let's discuss it with Phoenix Institute after the CM exhibition ends and the celebration banquet tomorrow."

Privately recruiting employees is something that needs to be discussed and finalized with partners.

......

August 14, Sunday, 11:45 noon.

Today's games sold out even faster than the day before. Ryosuke was there to assist Saori Hououin, while also managing two rows of customers.

Gokou Mao also arrived today, assisting Takashiro Ryouno with the packing work.

After selling the last game, Ryosuke took out a notice he had prepared beforehand and placed it on the table at the booth.

A domain name is recorded above.

That was when Zhenxu arrived at five in the morning, and the initial version of the website was delivered, which only completed the most basic construction.

But that's enough. In the future, the game's sales channels will be updated on the website so that customers won't get lost.

"Is that all?"

Yes, that's right.

Ryosuke and Saori Hououin stayed behind to clean up the battlefield.

As for Ling Nai and Wu Geng Zhen Xu, they were left to their own devices.

"Don't forget there's a celebration banquet tonight, so arrive early."

Before the two left, Ryosuke gave Ling Nai some special instructions.

"Okay, okay! You're so long-winded!"

The blonde girl muttered something to herself, then turned and followed Gokou Mao away.

.....

Ruri Aragaki stepped out of the van arranged by SP Company. The main passageway of the exhibition hall not far away was almost packed with people.

The undisguised scrutinizing gazes of many strangers fell upon her, making her feel somewhat uneasy.

"Is that... Tomoyo Daidouji's cosplay?"

"It's so realistic! If there wasn't a queue, I would have loved to go up and take a picture with it right away!"

"Wow, she's so beautiful! If I could shake hands with this teacher, I wouldn't mind not washing my hands for a week, right?"

Hearing exclamations around her, Ruri Aragaki felt as if ants were crawling all over her body.

Although the praise was similar to what she heard at other work sites, the thought that the person making those sounds was an otaku still made her feel a little disgusted.

"Don't be nervous, Ms. Aragaki. It's just a regular runway show. There won't be any chance for close contact."

The comforting words from the staff around her had no effect on Ruri Aragaki.

The only thing that relieved her was that there were proper protective measures under her skirt, which gave her some sense of security.

The girl took a deep breath.

"It's alright. Now that I've taken on the job, I'll do my best to complete it."

"As expected of a professional model, let's go."

The staff led her to the employee entrance.

The journey was smooth and we quickly entered the exhibition hall.

Although I had prepared myself mentally, when I was actually there and saw posters filled with eroticism and nudity, I still had some difficulty breathing.

"This way."

The staff led her along the edge of the venue to the performance area in Zone B.

Ruri Aragaki followed closely behind him.

At the edge of the venue, the flow of people is relatively small, but tourists often pass by.

Two plain-looking young men with unfashionable clothes walked towards her. As they passed each other, she inevitably overheard them talking about something she couldn't understand.

"Hey? Did you manage to snag it? The one from that club."

"That's right, it's that super popular 18+ game. I heard it's really exciting, and the first half of the movie sold out the other day."

"I was lucky to have lined up at dawn this morning, otherwise I would have missed it."

"It's a pity I overslept, otherwise I might have made it in time. I really want to play."

18+ games? This place really is a haven for perverts.

Although there's nothing wrong on the surface, what they're discussing is quite dangerous.

Ruri Aragaki had heard of similar things. According to industry veterans, these games often feature naked female characters, and otaku would do disgusting things in front of those images.

She couldn't understand this behavior; anyone who would do such a thing was a dangerous individual, no matter how you looked at it.

It's better to keep your distance.