The Cruelty

Anime Mirai, also known as the Young Animator Training Project.

It was a project the government had commissioned the Animation Producers Association to run in order to support the animation industry.

Its purpose was to revitalize the animation industry.

As for why the animation industry needed revitalizing, setting aside historical issues, it was mainly because the industry had now entered a highly commercialized stage. Projects kept pouring in, and animation studios were almost all busy with commercial productions. They had no time to train newcomers, and the workforce was seriously aging. Many major projects were unwilling to hire newcomers, either, because they wanted to maintain their animation quality. On top of that, because of the production committee system, animation studios often received only a pitifully small production fee for making an anime. Most studios simply had no money to train newcomers. Everyone was poor.

To change this situation, the government launched the Anime Mirai project. Every year, it set aside a certain amount of money and commissioned six animation studios to train a number of newcomers, injecting fresh blood into the animation production industry.

Since the project was meant to train newcomers, the government gave the studios a very generous schedule and quite a lot of money—about three times the budget of an ordinary TV anime episode, almost as much as a theatrical film's budget. The idea was to let the studios work at a leisurely pace and teach the newcomers more.

With ample budgets and long schedules, the Anime Mirai project produced quite a few excellent works. To encourage the studios to put even more effort into their productions, the government added an awards section starting with the second year, ranking that year's entries. The top three received the Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards.

The top three received plenty of benefits. The biggest temptation for the animation studios was probably the special support funding.

Everyone was poor. Everyone wanted money.

That was what Gu Xue remembered about the Anime Mirai project.

The Gold Award was hard to win.

But at that moment, none of that mattered!

The instant Mihara Chisa lowered her head, Gu Xue panicked.

Fortunately, Miss Mihara didn't keep her panicking for long. She only pressed their foreheads together.

Her forehead was burning hot, but she was probably just embarrassed... Yeah, right.

Miss Mihara was embarrassed, sure, but Gu Xue wasn't stupid.

Miss Mihara's intentions just now had been obvious, hadn't they?

Although the remnants of her past and her rational mind kept telling her that it was normal for girls to be close, wasn't there even that thing where they held hands on the way to the bathroom?

She'd never been so close to a girl before, so it had to be a misunderstanding.

But her feelings told her she should ask and make sure. No matter how close two girls were, there had to be a line, right? Even if Mihara Chisa was as awkward as ever, she wouldn't kiss Gu Xue just to show her goodwill, would she?

Anyway, Gu Xue didn't think she would do that.

Even though she had only one friend in this world.

But she'd had friends before. They'd been a different gender, but she tried to imagine how she would feel in their shoes, and decided Miss Mihara was acting a little strange.

Feeling the warmth against her forehead, Gu Xue thought it over. Maybe the heat had gone to her head. She gathered her words, intending to ask outright. She had to make sure, whether it was true or not!

Even though she was always shouting in her heart that she wanted a pretty older girl, and that she wanted to pursue Miss Mihara, when the moment actually came, she hoped she'd misunderstood. She really didn't want to lead anyone on.

She'd grown close to Mihara Chisa mostly because of the remnants of her past. She wanted to spend time with pretty girls, but as for love, she really wasn't sure how much she felt.

But just as she opened her mouth to say something, Gu Xue imagined what that would be like.

She didn't really understand where the line was for closeness between girls.

But the remnants of her past were still there, so she could try looking at it from a man's perspective.

Suppose...

Suppose she were a man and had a close male friend—the kind of friend who was comfortable swapping clothes with her. He was also very considerate of her, and would occasionally show off his pecs and act cool. Then, one day, she fell for one of life's three great misconceptions, found a secluded corner, and seriously asked him if he was gay, saying something like, "I actually like boys..."

Emmm...

If the other person felt the same way, that'd be fine. But if he didn't...

He'd just stand there, looking awkward, not knowing whether to leave or stay, forcing an embarrassed smile.

Just imagining that scene made her feel like her life would be over.

Gu Xue felt that her situation with Mihara Chisa was pretty similar. They seemed to be a little too close, but maybe she was just overthinking it. And what if she hurt Miss Mihara by asking so bluntly?

At that thought, Gu Xue swallowed the words she'd been about to say and tried to come up with a more tactful way to ask.

But before she could get her wording straight, Miss Mihara spoke first.

"If I kissed your forehead, would you think I was a pervert?" Mihara Chisa slowly lifted her head. Her face was very red, but her expression was composed. She looked Gu Xue in the eyes without looking away.

"Ah, huh?" Gu Xue froze instead.

S-she said it out loud?

"Actually, I still can't let go of what's been bothering me. I told you back then that I only wanted to stand in front of Narita Kei and say, 'You were at fault, too.' But that's not enough after all. You were right. I do want to take them down. I want to prove to them that I didn't actually do anything wrong."

"But I don't trust Misawa Hiroshi, so I came to you. I'm sorry for the trouble, but please, you have to help me."

"I know you come from a pretty well-off family. I don't have much to offer you. This is the only thing I can do."

Miss Mihara's voice was soft, and her expression earnest. Anyone who heard her would believe she meant every word.

"So you were just trying to show your gratitude...?"

For some reason, after hearing Miss Mihara's explanation, Gu Xue felt a huge weight lift off her shoulders.

"Mm."

"Who shows their gratitude like that? You nearly scared me to death."

Gu Xue laughed helplessly. She was a little suspicious, but the more she thought about it, the more normal Mihara Chisa's behavior seemed. She was awkward, after all, and had a history of doing things like this...

"I'm sorry."

"We might not win the Gold Award, you know." Now that Gu Xue knew Mihara Chisa didn't mean it that way, she relaxed completely. She adjusted her position and settled more comfortably against Mihara Chisa's soft thighs. "And asking me won't help much. At most, I can influence things a little..."

"Please." Mihara Chisa looked down at Gu Xue's face, her cheeks red and her eyes glistening, as if they were saying something.

Gu Xue's face turned red in an instant, too. She waved her arms and stammered, "H-help me up! I'm going to fight for the Gold Award!"

After flailing around for a long while, Gu Xue—whose mind had gone blank and who'd almost forgotten she had legs—finally managed to get up.

She might be incredibly dependable at crucial moments, but she was surprisingly innocent.

Gu Xue sat up and continued drawing the concept art, but her mind wasn't on it.

Mihara Chisa still felt as if her face were burning. She lay on the meeting table with half her face hidden behind her arms, watching Gu Xue's flushed profile. Her lips parted, then pressed together again.

"It's better to be direct when you're pursuing a girl. I've never dated anyone, either... but my instincts tell me that's right..."

"As for the novel, although I deliberately wrote it this way, their personalities actually mean they wouldn't say it outright."

"Also, Gu Xue is the most troublesome person in the story. She's hard to pursue."

"Sorry for making you read tens of thousands of words of romantic entanglements. You're probably tired of it by now. This chapter marks a turning point. From here on, it's time for Gu Xue to work herself to the bone and burn through her life."

"Actually, I forced myself to imagine the confession scene Gu Xue pictured, too. The person I imagined was a friend who sits beside me at work. I also felt like if I really said it out loud, my life would be over..."

"Please give me some recommendations..."