A super great writer in the second dimension

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled as she looked at the woman. She was incredibly wild at night, but in the studio, she was elegant and appeared pure and refined.

　The more she acted this way, the more impatient Sanzenin Arashi became.

　The contrast between her daytime and nighttime appearance is so striking; no man could possibly dislike a woman like that.

　"Don't think too much about this. I guess I'll never get married in my life." Yukinoshita waved her hand. "Let's talk about serious matters. I have no idea how much this visual novel will sell for. Boss, you've invested all your money in it, haven't you?"

　“That’s right.” Sanzenin Arashi shrugged nonchalantly. “I bought a set of voice-over equipment and various electronic products, and then made seven or eight recommendation blocks in Akihabara. My assets have shrunk by more than half. If AngelBetas!! dies, I will be penniless in another year, and the studio will have to close down.”

　Yukino wiped the mysterious substance left at the corner of her mouth with a piece of paper. "Don't worry, Boss, I'll take care of you after you go bankrupt."

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

　He wasn't sure what to expect, because he had completely changed the original AngelBeats!! story except for the background.

　In Japan, many anime scriptwriters do this: because the barrier to entry for light novel authors is low, they actually look down on these authors and their works. They have no talent, but they want to show off, so they change the original plot of the work beyond recognition.

　For example, JCStaff often does this.

　Then the original fans of the work simply didn't buy it, causing the work to ultimately fail miserably.

　Although Sanzenin Arashi is talented, he had no idea what to expect from this kind of thing, after all, this was his first time writing a script.

　He changed Hideki Hinata and Yui's relationship to that of siblings. He wrote their story as a great tragedy; if it were adapted for the screen, it would definitely be a heart-wrenching tragedy.

　Before arriving in the afterlife, Hideki Hinata was a baseball player, but he broke his leg.

　Before joining the Afterlife Front, Yui was a severely paralyzed, semi-vegetative person.

　Sanzenin Arashi changed their relationship to that of siblings.

　The older brother loved his younger sister very much. Even though she became a vegetable, he didn't mind her at all. He would follow her to the ward every day, giving her the best smile and telling her stories every night before bed.

　But behind that smile, the brother actually works five or six part-time jobs every day to finally cover his sister's medical expenses and allow her to receive the best treatment.

　However, the good times didn’t last long…

　..

143. The brother who loves his sister the most in the world.

　Sanzenin Arashi borrowed the setting from the original work and rewrote the background story in an original way.

　Hideki Hinata, without hesitation, gave up his own dreams and stopped pursuing Koshien (the national championships in Taiwan) to pay for his sister's medical expenses. He vowed to take good care of his sister and give her the best treatment, even if it meant working himself to death.

　He showed his best smile to his sister, becoming her beacon and illuminating her entire being.

　"Yui, I will definitely help you stand up!" He encouraged himself like this every day. No matter how hard or tiring the work was, he persevered. As long as he could see his sister's smile at night, he felt invincible.

　Then, six months later, his younger sister finally had the opportunity to have surgery. Looking at the high cost of the surgery, Hideki Hinata silently dropped out of school and took on several part-time jobs, determined to help his beloved younger sister stand up again and experience the world with her own feet.

　One day, Yui somehow found out that her brother was working outside, and she even dropped out of school, preferring to go without food in order to save money for her medical treatment.

　She also discovered that her brother was vomiting blood every day due to overwork.

　Then Yui broke down.

　She came out of the ward with crutches, fell halfway there, and struggled to get out and onto the elevator. After she got down to the first floor, Hideki Hinata happened to be standing at the elevator door.

　The elevator doors opened, and Hideki Hinata stared in disbelief at his younger sister.

　Even though he loved his sister very much, he couldn't help but say a few harsh words. However, the siblings understood each other perfectly, and in the end, they came to understand each other. Hideki Hinata believed that things would definitely get better from then on.

　Once her sister undergoes surgery, she can stand up again, and her life will just begin.

　Despite the excruciating pain in her heart, the younger sister decided to undergo the surgery.

　The day of the surgery finally arrived.

　The two siblings never expected what would happen.

　The surgeon was actually a pervert. He came to the ward in the middle of the night and dismembered Yui into eight pieces with a scalpel. This incident eventually made headlines in Hong Kong.

　The murderer was eventually brought to justice; he was a repeat offender who had already taken seven or eight lives.

　Hideki Hinata lost everything. He received a compensation payment and, looking at his medical report atop the Tokyo Skytree, roared at the sky, "What do I have left besides Yui in this shattered body?!"

　He questioned the air, asking why the world was treating him so cruelly.

　On the night the prisoner was locked up, this brother who loved his sister more than anyone else in the world jumped off the Tokyo Skytree.

　Then he went to the afterlife.

　He found himself transformed into a high school freshman.

　He also discovered that his younger sister, Yui, was still alive, and the overjoyed brother was filled with anticipation for the world once again.

　However, he discovered that Yui had lost all her memories and didn't even recognize him, her older brother.

　Hideki Hinata finally realized that this was the afterlife, his sister was dead, and he himself was already dead.

　Yui's brain was shredded by the murderer, so she lost her memory.

　Hideki Hinata hadn't forgotten anything; he silently watched over Yui from behind, offering his blessings.

　Even if Yui doesn't remember anything, she won't express any gratitude for what he did.

　The older brother remained silent and continued to support his younger sister.

　He smiled as he watched her speak. Just seeing Yui standing on her own two feet was enough for him; he would die without regrets.

　Hideki Hinata sees that Yui is in a relationship with someone named Yuzuru Otonashi.

　"Yui, as long as you're happy, that's enough for your brother." In the end, Hideki Hinata disappeared in a burst of light. Before he vanished, he still hoped that Yui could continue on her path.

　Sanzenin Arashi believes that AngelBeats!! is a story of redemption.

　Indeed, every character found redemption, a redemption that the audience could accept.

　They all ascended to heaven with satisfied smiles, and the audience also agreed with these wishes, finding redemption in their own hearts as they watched them ascend.

　However, this clearly does not align with Sanzenin Arashi's principles. As a warrior of love, he declares: Redemption is not something so superficial!

　Then he changed one of the storylines in AngelBeats!!, connecting the past lives of the two characters to create a complex and intertwined ending.

　Some people may think this ending is a tragedy, but others may think that Hideki Hinata has found his own redemption. He only thinks about his sister, and it doesn't matter if others don't understand. He just wants his sister to be happy.

　After reading the plot outline, Yukino couldn't help but ask, "Why would a romance visual novel, something meant for young people, have such a heavy plot?"

　“Because redemption is an illusion, my dear General Manager.” Sanzenin Arashi pointed to the manuscript: “Redemption absolutely does not exist in reality, which is why it is redemption. Young people tend to be materialistic and cannot understand this Platonic concept. It is because they cannot understand it that they repeatedly ponder it.”

　"Oh, so you want to create buzz with a small visual novel..." Yukino Yukinoshita looked puzzled but impressed. "As expected of the boss, your ideas are unconventional, but they go against the mainstream thinking."

　Sanzenin Arashi laughed, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. If the players can't accept it, my Twitter account will probably be in big trouble."

　"Then why do you write it like this..." Yukinoshita Haruno looked at Sanzenin Arashi with a strange expression: "Ordinary people pursue reality in the virtual world because they want to do meaningful things. You're not an ordinary person... You're writing about redemption in reality in a game?"

　“I have to do my best with the script I wrote, even if I have to do it on my knees.” Sanzenin Arashi shrugged. “Besides, I still have the trump card of having a second protagonist. Why do you think I voiced Hyuga Hideki? Because after you finish the game, you can choose Hyuga Hideki to play the game, and then you can train your sister to be a woman who only listens to her brother, and then give birth to her brother’s daughter with love.”

　"Don't bring your sister complex into your work!" Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly. "I hope this time it will be successful, otherwise we'll both be in big trouble with Mr. Sebastian."

　“Yeah, yeah,” Sanzenin Arashi agreed. “Sebastian can’t tolerate losers, but I won’t fail. My true fans all have a copy of AngelBeats!! My game will definitely be number one in sales, okay?”

　Sanzenin Arashi thought to herself: Sebastian would love for me to fail so that he could come and berate me in a dignified manner.

　Unfortunately, Yukino Yukinoshita, you are still too naive.

　..

144. Sanzenin Arashi's Explanation

　A week has passed.

　AngelBeats!! The game is nearing completion. Shizuka Ito has finished organizing all the scripts and writing the program. All that's left is to import it.

　Taking advantage of this opportunity, Sanzenin Arashi convened the first staff meeting to announce some upcoming matters, such as the production of another game and the production of a side story, all of which would be discussed at the meeting.

　The meeting was held in his office. Everyone brought out chairs and sat in a row in front of Sanzenin Arashi's desk.

　“AngelBeats!! I’ve cut it up a bit. Actually, the most interesting part of this story is the prequel, but explaining each prequel one by one would be a lot of rambling, so I cut the game.” After Sanzenin Arashi and the others arrived, he got straight to the point: “I’ve been thinking about this move for a long time, and I’m only telling you now. Actually, I plan to use the behind-the-scenes story of AngelBeats!! to make one last profit.”

　Aki Tomoya pushed up his glasses: "AngelBeats!! This game's storyline is undoubtedly top-notch in the current industry, and the CG production level is incomparable to other GAL games. President, when are you going to release the side story script?"

　"We're not in a hurry. Now, Ms. Yukinoshita will explain to everyone that our release date has been set, and the outcome depends on this battle." Sanzenin Arashi gave Yukinoshita Haruno a wink.

　Yukino Yukinoshita explained in detail: "We don't plan to release a deluxe limited edition. According to the boss, we are selling the novel, a romance novel priced at 8800 yen per copy. Amazon started accepting orders half a month ago. Now, thanks to the promotion of the boss, Ms. Shiina, and Ms. Sawamura, we have received 36000 orders for our game. These are all from the three authors' die-hard fans. This is our basic sales volume."

　Aki Tomoya gasped.

　Its basic sales figures alone are already twice that of the top-selling title of the year.

　Even with author Aoyama-sensei, who broke the rules, supporting this work, the results are still astonishing.

　Furthermore, there's still a week until the actual release, and the game can be imported today; all that's left is physical production!

　Sanzenin Arashi could only chuckle.

　Take the "Past Life Story" series, for example. It has 15,000 die-hard fans who buy everything, whether it's Blu-rays or anything else, without even blinking an eye.

　Sanzenin Arashi put a lot of effort into this, and to be honest, 36000 copies is already below expectations.

　Many novel readers are hesitant, since 8800 yen is enough for them to buy more than ten paperback volumes.

　Many people feel it's unreliable to make an initial investment in a game now, and are waiting for game reviews.

　They will wait for news in the Niconico review section.

　Yukino Yukinoshita paused for a moment, then continued, "The problem now is that many retailers are unwilling to accept our game for sale. This is obviously due to someone interfering. Our network data has startled them, so now, sales almost entirely rely on the internet."

　Arashi Sanzenin waved his hand, signaling Yukino Yukinoshita to stop, and then said, "From now on, physical stores will only be a secondary channel for our sales. I plan to open a sales point on Nico Nico Douga and gradually turn Nico Nico Douga into a multi-channel platform for anime and manga. So after you go back this time, please write an explanation on your blog."

　"After the release of AngelBeats!! this time, we will take a roundabout approach and make several prequel mini-games for AngelBeats!!. We will adopt a low-cost production model and make pure electronic novels. We will make one called 'Tachibana Kanade After' to describe the married life of Otonashi Yuzuru and Tachibana Kanade, using the characters' marriage as a selling point. Then we will make another game called 'AngelBeatsAgin' to describe the stories of each character before they come to the afterlife."

　Sanzenin Arashi paused for a moment, then said, "I've already prepared the script. I'll hand it over to Aki Tomoya to script it out as dialogue. Yukinoshita will oversee this. The two of you will work together to create it."

　After saying these words, Sanzenin Arashi dismissed the meeting.

　Yukinoshita Haruno, however, began to discuss some rather dark things with him.

　"Boss, aren't you going to do something to those bastards?" Yukinoshita Haruno narrowed her eyes. "It's really annoying that they've reached out to us, that alliance of weak GAL companies."

　Sanzenin Arashi smiled. "Weak company? We are one of the weak companies now. In this industry, strength speaks louder than words. No matter how eloquent you are, when your sales volume is several times greater, retailers will continue to refuse to sell our products unless they have lost their minds."

　Sanzenin Arashi paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, do you think I'll let them get away with this? Let them run wild until after the New Year, then I'll crush them and bring some of their employees to work for me. After all, we're short-handed right now and need some assistants."

　"What's the plan?" Yukinoshita Haruno narrowed her eyes. "Most visual novel companies are closely linked to distributors. Big brands like SEGA and SONY provide financial and distribution support, and then extract profits from their games. In this situation, what does the boss plan to do?"

　"Moreover, our profits have indeed been affected. 60% of retailers are not prepared to stock AneglBeats!! It seems that the boss has been ignoring their requests for meetings, which has thoroughly angered them."

　Yang Nai is right. The Japanese are very united within a framework. They prefer collective responsibility to individual responsibility. They share profits and losses, forming a honeycomb-like unit. Offending one of them is like stirring up a hornet's nest, and a whole string of people will be offended.

　However, Arashi Sanzenin was confident. "Of course I know about these things. After all, legitimate companies aren't like bloggers or big influencers who can be easily crushed by a hacker. But these issues will be resolved once our sales capital increases to a certain level after the New Year. Whether it's SEGA or Sony, they'll all bow down to profit."

　Arashi Sanzenin paused for a moment: "The more commercialized something is, the more obvious its weaknesses become. Profit, that's right, it's all about profit. Profit is an invincible spear in the face of commerce. Everything is fake in the face of profit."

　Sanzenin Arashi tore open a piece of A4 paper, "just as fragile as this piece of paper."

　..

145. Gal's profits are not limited to game software sales.

　Originally, when a visual novel game was released, all that was needed was to entrust it to a distributor for sale. For each copy sold, a commission of 10% to 15% would be paid to the distributor, and the revenue would be returned to the studio.

　Selling 8000 copies of a visual novel would be considered a good result.

　In the visual novel community, the full-price version is priced at 8800 yen.

　By the way, "full-price GAL" refers to GAL games with illustrations, voice acting, and other COSTs that meet the standard, such as AngelBeats!!. If the game only has rudimentary voice acting and not a very substantial script, it will be sold in the budget category.

　The budget section ranges from 500 yen to 5000 yen; detailed prices are subject to official verification.

　Pricing is not something you can decide yourself. There is a legal procedure for pricing visual novels. They must be submitted to official supervision for evaluation before they can be put on the market for sale.

　Based on the standard of 8800 yen, a fairly popular work, which sells about 8000 copies, would generate a total sales revenue of around 70 million yen. Of this, about 10 million yen would be taken by distributors, and the remaining 60 million yen would be taken by sponsors and partners, with 60% to 70% going to them.

　After excluding all sorts of expenses, it's normal to have 10 million in revenue out of 70 million.

　This ten million is the studio's money, pure profit after deducting costs and other expenses.

　The sponsors are the key point.

　Several visual novel companies have joined forces to block Sanzenin Arashi's NNV studio. Their method is to cut off the NNV studio's sales channels through distributors.