Chapter 198

Fortunately, at the last moment, she still managed to tap the table with her fist, squeeze her plump legs together, tense her whole body, and barely restrained the impulse.

She secretly spied on the others; the feeling of doing it in front of them was just... so exciting!

This feeling was both comfortable and uncomfortable, like ants crawling on her heart, leaving her unsure of what expression to wear. The most vivid description was that it was torture.

A full minute later, the agonizing moment finally ended. The sudden cool relief on her delicate earlobes brought her a sense of both relief and a feeling of loss.

Before she could even catch her breath, she heard a voice from the other side. "Switch to the other side."

The familiar sensation returned, and she immediately abandoned all thought, closing her eyes and ignoring her surroundings. The dual sensations of electric shock and being warmed by the fire became even more pronounced...

Another minute later, the "torture" came to an end.

Sakurakoji Talent pulled up another chair that was already placed to the side and sat down calmly next to her, as if nothing had happened and it was just her imagination.

"Come on, tell me, where have the final chapter and the last chapter been moved to?" He deliberately raised his voice slightly, as if to tell others that they were doing serious business here.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stared at him in disbelief, shocked by his shamelessness.

You just did that kind of thing, how can you act like nothing happened and boss her around like that?

She was about to make a sound to protest when she felt something was wrong with her lower limbs and looked down.

A slender hand, with skin as white as snow and long, delicate fingers, was slowly tracing the silky texture of her glossy black pantyhose. It was as if declaring to her that the punishment was not over...

"..."

"Senpai Utaha?"

She felt a gentle squeeze on the wonderfully elastic muscles of his legs, and his eyes, the same color as her own, blinked rapidly twice, as if urging her to hurry up.

In this situation, should we let her continue? Isn't that incredibly inhumane?

But faced with his handsome (or beautiful) face, Little Devil that it made her heart flutter, she simply couldn't muster the courage to refuse him, and she couldn't even maintain eye contact with him.

So, junior, this is what kind of creature you are?

She recalled their previous interactions feeding each other; this time, it seemed even more intense than before...

"Change it, change it to..." She forced herself to delete the blank space she had left in her excitement.

She tried her best to ignore the heat that wasn't hers, breathing softly and exhaling a fragrant breeze, her eyes darting around as she reported her progress to him, though she herself didn't know what she was saying.

"I see, I see, I see." Sakurakoji Talent nodded repeatedly, seemingly genuinely admiring her clever and insightful thoughts.

He would occasionally offer a few words of praise in response, and sometimes give some concise and to-the-point suggestions, leaving Kasumigaoka Utaha wondering if he was really serious.

"That's all for today, I'll check again next time."

He finally raised his hand, causing Kasumigaoka Utaha to breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"Look how nervous you are, Senpai Utaha, you're even sweating," he teased, taking a small coconut milk jelly from the plate beside him. "Here, have a snack to calm down."

Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at him suspiciously, and after confirming that he probably didn't have any bad intentions, she slightly opened her cherry-like lips.

Sakurakoji Talent took the opportunity to stuff it in, and because the milk jelly was so small, some inevitably got on his fingers.

After feeding him, he got up to leave, and just as he was about to turn around, he casually licked the coconut flakes off his fingertips.

"..."

"!!!"

She knew it! She knew it! Kasumigaoka Utaha pounded her fist on the solid tabletop, letting out a strange roar like that of a wild beast.

You're having fun messing with me, aren't you? You must be having a blast, right? Talent-kun!!!

You White Hair, sadistic male protagonist who thinks you can do whatever you want just because you're good-looking, one day I will definitely take you down with my own hands...!

The commotion attracted the attention of the other four, but they assumed she was simply going through her usual crazy phase or that her self-esteem had been hurt by criticism.

Next,

Sakurakoji Talent hasn't yet been directed towards Eriri and Shiina Mashiro, because their abilities are simply too overwhelming for him to worry about.

Eriri, who might have been in a bad state, was forced to exert herself to the utmost by having Shiina Mashiro, a natural monster, by her side, all for the sake of her pride.

Actually, he didn't have to go to Kasumigaoka Utaha's place.

Since she had already completed the prologue for the first project, it wouldn't matter if she didn't do the rest now.

What? Why? Who knows?

He returned to the sofa and the television, and asked Kato Megumi, who was intently watching the chat box, "How have you been these past two days, Megumi?"

"How does it feel?" Kato Megumi put down the controller, looked over, and tilted her head.

"How's it going after playing games for two days? Have you become even slightly interested in this industry?"

"Ah~ that~" Kato Megumi suddenly realized, then nodded frankly, saying in a tone as calm as plain water, "Yeah, although at first I thought it was just a game for otaku, after actually playing it, I found out it's not like that at all."

"Senior Aoyama recommended some highly-rated classic works to me, urging me to finish them as soon as possible, so I've been staying up all night these past two nights... Ah, but I've been catching up on sleep during class during the day, so don't worry."

"Well, the plot is really interesting, and the characters are adorable. Once you really get into it, you'll be amazed by some of the foreshadowing, and you'll even shed tears at the touching parts."

"Furthermore, based on my observations of Kasumigaoka-senpai, I've come to realize that this is not just a superficial or simple industry."

Sakurakoji Talent nodded in agreement. For someone who wasn't particularly interested in anything, it was quite an achievement to have gained these insights in just two days.

"Would you like to join us and play games with us in the future?"

"Huh?" Kato Megumi's eyes widened in surprise, and she frowned as she asked, "But I can't do anything, you know?"

"I can't draw like Sawamura-kun, nor can I write scripts like Kasumigaoka-senpai, and I can't do the voice acting work that Aoyama -senpai can do..."

"You can learn even if you don't know how," he encouraged, "For example, learn to write post-production programs. Right now, we don't have any programmers, so we have to outsource this kind of work."

"Or you could do logistical support, progress monitoring, proofreading of text, images, and music—these are all indispensable parts of a team, and you're already doing that."

Chapter 252 The two people in the drawing team and their work

"Hmm... I understand. I'll go find some books to read, but please don't have too high hopes for me."

"That's fine." He didn't ask for much more, after all, it was just the beginning.

He simply guided her to the most suitable path, but even if she ultimately lost interest, it wouldn't matter; in his eyes, his goal had already been achieved.

As for whether I'll get bored and leave halfway through... impossible, absolutely impossible!

He was confident in this, both in his relationship with her and in his own.

"If you have any questions about work after this, just ask Nanami, whether it's about the maid job or the game." He then handed this matter over to Aoyama Nanami.

"I understand." Kato Megumi nodded.

"By the way, Nanami, how's your voice acting work going lately?" He looked at the maid who had always been someone he could trust.

"Eh!" Aoyama Nanami was startled and stammered, "Um, I'm sorry, Young Master, I..."

Seeing her embarrassed and awkward appearance, Sakurakoji Talent stroked his delicate chin and looked her over.

It seems things aren't going too smoothly, but it's probably not because she's lazy. She should be able to prioritize her work and manage her time effectively.

Moreover, this was not only the work he requested, but there was also compensation to be received, leaving her no reason to slack off...

He tentatively guessed, "Is it because you're afraid you won't be a good match, and therefore dare not try?"

With her slender fingers intertwined, Aoyama Nanami nodded shyly, "Yes, this is my first job offer, I'm afraid I won't do a good job."

"Besides, this is the culmination of everyone's hard work, Young Master. Everyone did an excellent job in every aspect. If I'm the only one who drags everyone down, then..."

She pursed her red lips, lowered her gaze for a moment, then looked up to meet his eyes, her gaze resolute. "Young Master, if possible, I would like to ask you to give me some more time!"

"Before I actually start recording, I want to do my best to improve my skills, even if it's just a little bit!"

"I will work even harder! I promise I won't delay the overall schedule until all the work is finished!"

Her inexplicably serious gaze and resolute, hardworking demeanor made it impossible for him to refuse.

To be honest, among the girls around him, she wasn't particularly outstanding in terms of looks. Although she was indeed a beauty, everyone around him was beautiful, just to varying degrees.

But her earnest, lovely, hardworking, virtuous, meticulous, and independent personality is very charming, shining with an inexplicable brilliance, sometimes even attracting him.

"I understand. Just do things your own way," he agreed to her request after considering the follow-up arrangements. "However, I think it's necessary to let you know in advance."

"Things are never perfect. Just do your best and don't try to achieve results beyond your limits."

"This is both a game and a game between us. Playing it day and night until you collapse is putting the cart before the horse, understand?"

Well!

Aoyama Nanami's delicate body, hidden beneath her full Maid Outfit, trembled again. A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, a guilty conscience that had been exposed.

She was indeed planning to cut back on her sleep and stay up all night practicing and training...

After all, for someone like her who lacks natural talent, this is the only way to catch up with the geniuses around her in her beloved field.

Sakurakoji Talent had discerned her thoughts, sighed speechlessly. He had only guessed, but he hadn't expected the child to actually think that way.

What's the difference between you doing this and going back to the way you were before, working yourself to the bone regardless of your health?

He knew with a grain of salt that she wouldn't be as lazy as him, but would force herself to stay home during her limited alone time while managing to balance work and school.

"You should leave the work here to Hui, let her take your place. Just focus on practicing for now. Also..." He stared into her eyes with a gaze that was hard to decipher—a gaze that was either gentle or serious, a warning:

"No matter how excited you are when you get a job for the first time, you still have to remember that you are only playing a supporting role. Even if the final result is not good, it is the responsibility of the lead actor."

"Don't take on extra responsibilities or add unnecessary burdens for yourself, understand?"

Staring at him with such a strange and complex gaze, anyone else might have felt fear or apprehension, but Aoyama Nanami only felt a warmth in her heart, and even wanted to get closer, so she lowered her head and hummed, "Mmm."

"That's good. That's all for today. You can go home with them after this is over. You don't need to come to my place."

After finishing his business here, he walked towards the last spot in the room—wow, why does this feel like I'm doing a level-based challenge?

Task 1, Task 2, Task 3?

Suppressing this strange thought, he walked up to Eriri and Shiina Mashiro.

Without speaking directly and disturbing the two who were engrossed in their painting and whose brushes moved swiftly, he first picked up the work tablet next to him and opened the shared folder.

The folders don't contain direct images, but rather several subfolders named bg (background CGs, only backgrounds), ev (scene CGs, with both backgrounds and characters), ch (character portraits, only characters), face (different facial expressions of characters)...

The most stunning and captivating image is ev. Because it doesn't use layers or simply add character illustrations to the background, but rather draws a new image as needed, giving the whole picture a unified and harmonious feel.

Once the character's outfit is designed, you can simply overlay different faces with different expressions to express the character's emotions in different contexts.

By combining different combinations, there is no need to painstakingly draw out every single case, which can greatly reduce the workload.

BG and FA are sufficient; EV is the most important, followed by CH.

Ah, but if we need to consider the animation effects of some scenes in the later stages, we still need to... Thinking of this, he had a bit of a headache. Making games is not a simple matter. Even if a few people are very talented, it is difficult to create an excellent work.

Supervising this seemingly insignificant but actually crucial job of controlling the overall situation is not something a normal person can handle.

This shows just how naive and childish the protagonist is who thinks he can make a game based on a few lines of his thoughts; it's truly laughable.

Being able to produce a second- or third-rate static artwork is already quite good; it shows that the members of the production team are exceptionally skilled.

In short, fortunately, he is quite wealthy and has strong connections, so he can resolve issues related to his network and other talent from external sources.

Otherwise, he would have to spend more time unlocking more skill points and learning how to make it himself.

But he doesn't intend to make this his lifelong career, so what's the point of learning it specifically?

The industry is in a slump right now. Those game companies are lucky if they don't go bankrupt. Even the top ones don't earn as much in a year as the monthly interest on their assets. What's the point of playing games?

He created word games to deepen his relationship with girls, not because he actually wanted to make a living from them...

Having grown accustomed to seeing his own and Touma Kazusa's faces, he felt something was off looking at the modified, not randomly created, character illustrations on the tablet, and could only quickly skip over them.

The scene CG is also excellent, easily comparable to high-budget, high-quality productions, and even slightly surpasses them. There's no way around it, the production quality here is just too outstanding...

He glanced at the two of them, especially Shiina Mashiro, whose eyes were vacant and seemingly lost in thought, but whose expression was actually many times more serious than her usual Shiina Mashiro look.

If you asked Shiina Mashiro to design the characters and storyline, she might perform worse than the most inexperienced beginner.

But if you ask her to draw based on existing character designs, or simply draw backgrounds—I can only say that even the industry's top experts might not be able to match her.

Even if she's not always familiar with computer drawing, she can easily create digital copies of her paper drawings—how much would one of those paintings cost? A few of those could easily bankrupt an average art studio, right?