Tokyo: Oreimo

"Liuli said she was relieved because you called and explained things properly, and that's how we can continue to be friends."

Upon hearing this, Ryosuke glanced at Ling Nai with some surprise.

So that's what Ruri Aragaki said? He thought she would complain to Ayano.

He actually recommended erotic games to his sister's best friend.

"Anyway, you really helped me a lot this time!"

I'll prepare a gift for you!

Takashiro Ryouno said a few words and was about to leave the room.

"Hey, you bastard, you're not even going to say thank you before leaving?"

Ryosuke looked at her, shook his head, and chuckled.

"What? To use Ilya's words, it's the older brother protecting his younger sister, right? Isn't it only natural for you to help me?"

As soon as Ling Nai finished speaking, the door closed.

Ryosuke paused for a moment, but quickly smiled.

There's no way to refute what she says.

That's why they're called siblings; their relationship is one of mutual help without expecting anything in return.

......

The last week of August went by quickly.

Ryosuke has been leaving early and returning late for several days in a row, staying up late into the night.

The sales channels for Fate/stay night have finally been finalized.

With its proven track record of success at the Comiket expo, negotiations with the largest game retailers in Akihabara went very smoothly.

No boss would refuse such a work, and word-of-mouth about Fate/stay night began to spread online.

Seven thousand five hundred copies of the initial version of the game were sold in advance, and the feedback was quite strong.

On the company's official website, the only window where comments can be left has long been flooded with messages urging for updates.

Ryosuke allocated half of the company's funds to CD burning, and the 10,000 brand-new game discs sold well after entering the Akihabara market.

Half of them were sold out on the day they were put on the shelves, and it is estimated that they will be sold out within a week.

This speed is much faster than Ryosuke had imagined. At this rate, it is expected that selling more than 100,000 copies within a year will not be a problem.

Therefore, he had to expedite the restocking and continue printing. During this period, the burning equipment in Uncle Yamazaki's shop hardly stopped.

As a result, the company's internal funds accumulated rapidly, and after deducting income tax, the company's capital reached 71 million yen.

However, the sales of the additional printing batch should be a little slower, but breaking 100 million in sales within September should not be a problem.

We need to open up sales channels through telecommunications as soon as possible; that will allow us to generate profits much faster.

In addition, the last three volumes of "Fate/Zero" were also completed in a rush, including the illustrations, which were drawn by Ryouno.

There were only a dozen or so simple drawings, which were quite easy for her to create.

"Are you suggesting I use this size draft to illustrate a light novel?"

When she made the request, Ling Nai was quite surprised, as she had never seen any of the characters in the draft provided by Ryosuke before, except for Artoria.

"I've also created a prequel that tells the story of the Fourth Holy Grail War. If all goes well, you should be able to see the full version in late September."

"Can't I see the original manuscript first?"

With the author right beside you, wouldn't it be the most satisfying thing to read the manuscript directly? The feeling of being the first to see it before other readers is just too good to be true, right?

"no!"

Ryosuke refused his sister's request without hesitation.

"What? You're so stingy! Do you expect me to take a cut of your royalties?"

Ryosuke Takashiro protested, but Ryosuke brushed it off by saying that the original manuscript had already been handed over to the editor. In reality, he had only handed over a photocopy, and the original manuscript notes were still lying safely in his drawer.

Are you kidding me?

This guy even used his fists to force him to change the plot of the Heaven's Feel route. What would happen if Ayano saw the complete version of Fate/Zero before it was published?

Ryosuke was genuinely afraid of being pinned to the ground and forced to revise the text.

After all, his sister could have intimate contact with him without restraint, but if he seriously resisted, he might be seen as a pervert if things went wrong.

Therefore, it's best to avoid such things if possible.

Once it's officially published, even if Ling Nai sees it, it will be too late to change anything, right?

I'll give her a big surprise then.

Two days before the end of summer vacation, Ryosuke went to Tokyo and handed over the manuscript and illustration drafts to Rumi Hayakawa.

This conscientious female editor confidently stated that she would definitely be able to release the product by the end of September.

This was in line with Ryosuke's expectations, and he planned to continue printing more copies of "Fate/stay night".

They can mutually boost sales, ideally leading to a surge in sales.

With sufficient funds, you can confidently offer higher salaries when you start recruiting a large number of artists.

"After all, animation production is different from game production. There are thousands of drawings. Even if Ling Nai scribbles until the paintbrush smokes, she still can't finish it, right?"

However, before that, there is another very important thing.

Ryosuke looked at the calendar on the table.

August 30th was circled in red.

Time flies.

Today is the premiere day of the anime "Cardcaptor Sakura".

Chapter 95 Dreaming!

The Takashiro family's dinner party usually starts at six o'clock.

Because they had to wait for Takashiro Isamu to get off work, the brother and sister usually didn't come down until it was time.

But today is a bit special. It's only 5:30, and Ryosuke is already in the living room, squatting in front of the TV fiddling with a digital satellite receiver.

"Are you even capable? It's starting in thirty minutes!"

Takagi Ryouno was getting anxious. She moved closer to Ryosuke, frowning as she examined the strange box.

"Well, I didn't expect it to be this troublesome, but it should be done soon."

Ryosuke inserted a card into the box, and with a click, the television screen appeared.

In late 1990s Japan, digital satellite television was not yet widespread. In order to catch the premiere of "Cardcaptor Sakura", Ryosuke spent about 50,000 yen to buy a set of receiving equipment.

By inserting the paid decoding card, a successful connection to the satellite channel was established.

He had never seen this equipment before; it was a product of an old era, so it took some effort to install.

Mieko shook her head as she watched the brother and sister fiddling around the television.

"Go wash your hands quickly, sit down at the table and get ready to eat. Dad will be back soon, right?"

"Is it really necessary to go through a satellite channel when there are public television channels available?"

How a child uses their allowance is their own business, but Mihoko still couldn't understand why such a large sum of money would be used on television.

Ling Nai: "Because there are anime I want to watch."

"Don't we have public channels too?"

Ryosuke: "That's different."

Mieko suddenly felt something was strange; this was the first time she had ever seen the brother and sister standing on the same line.

Have their relationship gotten this good?

"I am back."

As their father opened the front door, the brother and sister returned to the dining table.

The TV channel was switched to NHK Satellite Education Channel.

The pointer points to six o'clock, and the screen glows white.

A line drawing of Sakura Kinomoto sleeping fills the television screen, and as the colors intensify, a loud female voice emanates from it.

"Dreaming! Dreaming!"

"Then the door to your dreams will open!"

Ling Nai stared intently at the television, her eyes sparkling with excitement, and she even couldn't help but hum along softly.

When the title "Cardcaptor Sakura" appeared on the old-fashioned, heavy television, Ryosuke suddenly felt like he was dreaming.

In his memory, he used to sit in front of the TV watching this cartoon, just like Ling Nai.

"I miss it so much..."

Ryosuke muttered to himself, as if he had returned to the orphanage where he used to wait every night, squatting in front of the television, just like today.

It was his childhood experiences that led him to continue paying attention to anime, even to this day.

Seeing this scene, he realized that all the hard work he had put in for the past six months had been worthwhile.

His goal in creating animation is to recreate these works from his memory, allowing people in this world to experience the same feelings he had back then.

Although he didn't personally produce this "Cardcaptor Sakura" series, the overall art style and plot are almost identical to what he remembers.

Even the theme song was composed by him privately at the request of Shizuka Hayakawa, who then authorized Kadokawa Pictures to use it. The song also introduced the DC idol group to the past, and the girls' voices were perfect for singing the song.

"A new show? Aren't you going to watch the old one anymore?"

Takashiro Isamu hadn't seen his daughter so lively in a long time; her excitement was completely undisguised.

I was more restrained when I watched "Moon Witch Transformation" before.

Oh right, I think the siblings didn't have a very good relationship back then?