Chapter 172
He usually doesn't have any particular feelings about men's or women's clothing, and sometimes he even actively admires female versions of himself.
In his eyes, outward appearance is merely a model for him to dress up as he pleases; only the emotion brought by pure beauty is genuine.
But that doesn't mean he wants to become female in spirit as well!
This concerns the very foundation of his personality across both lifetimes! It's different from a simple pursuit of beauty; it can't be changed so easily!
Therefore, that thought in that instant really hit him hard. If it weren't for Kogisora Yukina's intervention, he would have stayed in bed for a long time.
"Touma-san agreed to participate too, aren't you happy?" Kogisora Yukina said with a smile.
Even with her keen observation skills, she couldn't perceive the complex thoughts in his mind.
"Really?" Sakurakoji Talent was taken aback and turned to Touma Kazusa.
He only left the game running for a short while, why did this young lady suddenly change her mind?
Chapter 218: What to do if I can't connect with the story anymore?
He went offline; it probably wasn't his fault.
What happened during that brief moment when he was lost in thought?
It seems that only Kogisora Yukina could talk to her and have an influence on her.
He gave her a strange look. Could this girl really have some inappropriate feelings for Yukina?
On the surface, you might say you're not good at dealing with people and hate being disturbed while sleeping, but in reality, you probably still enjoy having someone you can call a friend.
"Fine," she didn't deny it, "I'm just saying beforehand that I think what Xiaomu said makes some sense, so you won't bother me again later."
"Really...? Thank you."
Based on experience, he wouldn't completely believe what this arrogant and loyal dog said, otherwise he might end up like the foolish male protagonist in some anime, making things irreversible. But he also couldn't completely disbelieve her.
It's really troublesome, people's hearts and emotions.
If there are accurate criteria for judgment, he can handle the problem with ease.
At least now we can move on to the next step.
"Let's get started then... Oh right, would you guys like to see the original character designs?" He had a good idea and took out his phone to suggest.
If I showed them the beautiful original artwork, maybe it would increase their enthusiasm for the job. I didn't bring my tablet today, so I could only show it to them on my phone.
"Ha! I want to see it, I want to see it!" Kogisora Yukina put down the script, took light and agile steps to approach him, and leaned close to his side. "Where, where?"
Touma Kazusa remained silent, but answered with her actions, standing on his other side, leaning close to his shoulder, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
The distinct fragrances of the girls on either side were initially clearly separate, but soon they merged with his unique, light scent and were drawn into his nostrils.
He remained calm and quietly opened the files on his phone, then zoomed in on the image inside.
"This is my—no, it's Sakurazono Saito's original drawing."
He almost let something slip, and quickly corrected himself. He really had almost led them astray.
"This one is by Sakamoto Junsei, and this one is by Asahina Yukiho."
"Mo~ Talent-kun, slow down! I couldn't even see it clearly." Kogisora Yukina complained, extending her soft hand to stop his fingers from turning the page.
Then she flipped the screen back to the first image, looked at the same White Hair and red eyes as the person directly in front of her, and chuckled.
"Hahaha! It really does look a bit like it!"
"Hmph, hmph..." From the other side, Touma Kazusa's suppressed voice, which she was trying so hard to hold back, also clearly reached his ears.
She covered her mouth and nose, her shoulders trembling slightly. The once aloof goddess had now become an ordinary girl secretly smiling.
"..." For some reason, Sakurakoji Talent felt a little ashamed; he seemed to understand how they had felt just now.
His skin, which was whiter than that of an ordinary beauty, almost pale, was unusually flushed with a light pink.
That's the downside of having fair skin; even a little redness is more noticeable than on people with normal skin.
"Isn't that enough? There's nothing much to see here." He forced himself to remain calm and offered his suggestion in a dry, labored manner.
"Yeah, that's true!" Kogisora Yukina wiped her eyes, recovering from her earlier state. "But, I still feel like the pictures here aren't as good-looking as Talent-kun's. Is that just my imagination?"
"Isn't it said that paintings are much more attractive than real people? Why is that?"
She looked confused, Touma Kazusa agreed, "No, it shouldn't be. I have that feeling too."
The two looked at the person in question, hoping he could provide an answer.
"Hmm... because the artist who drew this picture told me it wasn't advisable to do that." Sakurakoji Talent hesitated when the topic came up.
"Why?" Kogisora Yukina tilted her head.
"... Because she said that if the protagonist is too handsome, it will make people lose the sense of identification with the character." He silently looked away.
This was after he had restrained himself; Eriri's original words were:
'Huh? Why isn't it as good-looking as you? Are you kidding me! You're already infuriatingly ugly, and you think you can draw it better than me?'
"Besides, we're making a visual novel, right? How are players supposed to immerse themselves in it if it's drawn like this? Do you want it to be released and immediately criticized as the writer and artist's wishful thinking?"
'This is a plot-driven work, right? The protagonist can be handsome, but not ridiculously so, otherwise it will break the immersion and make people overlook the real focus!'
"And according to your script, the protagonist also has a womanizing, handsome best friend, right? The protagonist is so handsome, how am I supposed to draw the best friend?!"
(By the way, Wu Zetian is truly a national friend, I want one too 55555)
'The players will definitely be furious and complain! Absolutely not!!!'
'What? Why doesn't the female lead do that...? Are you out of your mind? Who would buy it if the female lead's drawing is ugly?!'
'...'
That's roughly the gist of it.
So, tragically, he was "optimized" (sacrificed) by the artist he had hired.
The artwork was clearly modeled after him, but the artist's looks are not even a fraction of his—although he is still somewhat handsome.
After hearing his explanation, the two stared silently into his eyes, making him feel somewhat uneasy.
A short while later,
"Well, what you said makes some sense."
"Yes, I think so too -- let's look at the next one."
To his surprise, the two did not continue to attack him, but instead quickly moved on from the topic.
"Wow~ Is that Touma-san? She doesn't look like her at all... No, I should say she looks a little bit like her? In terms of her clothes and appearance."
Looking at the second picture of Sakamoto Junsei, Kogisora Yukina carefully observed the two Black Long Straight Hair beauties on and off the screen, their eyes meeting.
The results showed that, apart from symbolic elements such as Black Long Straight Hair, clothing, and overall temperament, the original prototype was basically unrecognizable—although the female protagonist in the painting was also very beautiful.
"What's going on now?" Touma Kazusa glanced at him.
"Because I didn't have time to take photos of you, and I didn't even know if you were willing until today," Sakurakoji Talent, resting her chin on her hand, "So I let them design their own images based on the script."
"Eh~ So Yukiho is one too?" Kogisora Yukina's beautiful eyes sparkled as she turned to the last character design.
Comparing herself to the others, she realized that apart from her thick, straight hair, two small ponytails, and hair color, she basically had nothing to do with herself.
"Wow~ the difference is huge! It's really too much for me to say this is just my own opinion..."
"Because it's not really you, it's just borrowing some elements, don't overthink it... But do your voice acting well when you're doing it," Sakurakoji Talent instructed.
Seeing this picture reminded him of the clever tricks Eriri used when she drew it.
Was it as he expected? Sure enough, she initially changed her inconspicuous little ponytail into her own two-turbo weapon, and changed the color from brown to gold—she really hadn't given up!
"That's not bad either. If it were really like me, it would feel weird." Kogisora Yukina thought for a moment and accepted it.
"Alright, I've looked at the pictures, can we begin?" He turned off the screen.
"Yes! I can!" Kogisora Yukina nodded happily.
Touma Kazusa's eyes darted around, her brows furrowing slightly, and she said in a cool voice, "There are two more things."
Now, she no longer showed any of the restlessness she had shown earlier, nor did she resist playing games with him; she seemed to have returned to her usual self.
"There are more? And two at that?" Sakurakoji Talent cried out softly, covering his forehead and sighing, "Fine, just tell me."
"First," she said, extending a jade-colored finger, pausing before looking at his phone, "Now that the character designs are complete, the music should be progressing too, right? Let me hear it."
"Is there any more music?! I want to hear it too! Please, Talent-kun!"
Even though Kogisora Yukina didn't know much about games, upon hearing the new information, she clasped her hands together, hopingfully asking him for help.
Music and songs are more appealing to her than portrait paintings.
Sakurakoji Talent thoughtfully exchanged a glance with Touma Kazusa: "This request is reasonable... but your intuition is quite sharp—though only in these areas."
Towards the end, his voice carried a hint of mockery, clearly referring to her poor grades.
"Stop nagging!" Touma Kazusa blushed slightly, crossed her arms, and turned her head away.
"I understand, I'll let you hear it! But don't be too surprised!" His smile became enigmatic, brimming with confidence.
Although many tracks for the game are still unfinished, more than a dozen have been completed, and the audio files are also on his phone.
It's almost entirely instrumental background music without vocals; the vocal parts haven't been produced yet, and he has other plans.
He reopened his phone and turned on the audio source.
Suddenly, a crisp, melodious electronic sound began to fill the room...
"How about it?"
An hour later, after playing all the dozen or so songs that had been produced, Sakurakoji Talent asked the two of them a question.
"..."
"..."
The two, who had been so lively and excited in the middle, were now unusually quiet, lost in thought, occasionally glancing at each other.
"Not bad." In the end, it was Touma Kazusa who broke the silence and expressed her opinion.
Even by her standards, this music is of high quality for pop music and is more than enough to be used as background music for games.
Based on the specific content, it should create quite a lively atmosphere.
She had initially thought that if the music wasn't great, she could go and help out, but now it seems like she won't be needed.
This guy, if you don't consider the fact that he might anger her, is really something else. She blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Sakurakoji Talent.
"Although I don't know much about Gal (gal) movies, I think it's pretty good!" Kogisora Yukina nodded earnestly, her forearm hanging down in front of her, barely containing her excitement.
But soon, her eyes and expression calmed down, her slightly furrowed brows causing a pang of unease, and her voice was as soft as silk. "... But many of them are very quiet, with a touch of sadness."
Chapter 219 Blocking the Toyonosaki
"Because it's a winter story with this kind of atmosphere." Sakurakoji Talent stretched out his arms to indicate that's how it is.
Seeing her distressed and pitiful expression, he was powerless to help her.
If you're too sentimental now, you'll have a really tough time later. This is just the beginning.
If you actually read the script, won't your tears just start flowing like a river?
To be honest, given her gentle and sensitive personality, the odds should be almost 100%—it's a little exciting to think about, especially for someone like him who likes to bully honest people.
Imagining her reaction after learning the whole plot, perhaps immersing herself in it and shedding tears for a month, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
It took me quite a while to get over it myself, so it probably took her just as long, right?
As the culprit, it wouldn't be a bad idea to lend you my shoulder when the time comes.
"Did you write all of these?" Touma Kazusa asked.
"Hmm, what's wrong?" He looked directly into her eyes.
"No, it's nothing." She turned her eyes away.
So that's how it is. This guy, could he have been preparing for this for a long time?