Hashima Izumi: "Tomoya-senpai.... I finally found you!"
Aki Tomoya, who was pushing his bicycle, was stunned. "Eh? Who is this little kid? She looks like a middle school student."
"You're...."
Hashima Iori: "You heartless guy. You forgot my sister, but did you forget me too?"
Hashima Iori raised the corners of his mouth, revealing what he himself probably thought was a very attractive smile.
"Tomoya-kun, I didn't come looking for you to reminisce. Bring that childhood friend of yours, Eriri, and join my game circle!"
Aki Tomoya's spirits suddenly lifted. "A game circle? Yours?!"
Hashima Iori nodded. "Of course. My team is extremely professional. If it wasn't for my sister insisting on inviting you, I was only planning to ask Eriri if she wanted to join."
Aki Tomoya opened his mouth but said nothing. The man in front of him, Hashima Iori, who could be described as handsome, had an essence that was far removed from his glamorous appearance. He was a super otaku, no less so than himself.
At the same time, he was also a guy that Aki Tomoya thought was amazing from the bottom of his heart.
Because this guy's social skills couldn't be described as otaku-like at all. Rather than a pure otaku, he was more like a businessman who liked otaku culture.
After all, he knew several well-known manga artists, animators, and even big shots with titles like director or chairman in the business world. And he could win their favor just by chatting. His social skills were simply extraordinary.
Hashima Iori: "How about it? Join my game circle. You just need to contribute your knowledge of otaku culture and your ability to critique games."
Hashima Izumi: "Tomoya-senpai, I've actually been polishing my drawing skills these past few years. Although I'm still far from Eriri-senpai, I'll work hard to be the game's original artist!"
With that, Hashima Izumi handed over a doujinshi she had drawn herself.
"I've been improving myself for the past year. Please, Senpai, take a look at the doujinshi I drew!"
....
Not far away, Eriri's group, Kasumigaoka Utaha, leaned against the wall, bored.
"Wow, what's this? A girl who falls from the sky? No... they must have known each other before. A childhood friend plus a non-tsundere junior girl who falls from the sky~ Looks like there's no competition."
Eriri didn't speak. She just looked seriously at Aki Tomoya's gradually excited expression.
"Izumi... you drew this in one year? And you drew it all by yourself!!"
Hashima Izumi: "It really doesn't take a year to draw one doujinshi. About a month and a half, maybe? But this is the best I can do. What do you think, Senpai?!"
Aki Tomoya: "This is amazing! It's so moving...."
Eriri had no intention of listening anymore. But just as she was struggling with whether to walk out, the Hashima siblings had already left.
Uchiha Ryo looked at the conflicted Eriri.
"Instead of standing here thinking about whether to go over, it's better to just say everything clearly. If you keep dragging it out like this, you'll just end up with nothing."
"I...."
Eriri took a deep breath, then ran directly down the slope.
Aki Tomoya, who was standing there admiring the doujinshi, was suddenly tapped on the shoulder, and his whole body stiffened.
I'm on the street, and I got caught looking at a doujinshi. What do I do? This is so embarrassing.
But Aki Tomoya's thick skin had clearly been trained to a very high level. He naturally turned his head, but when he saw it was Eriri, he instantly relaxed.
"What a coincidence! I was just about to look for you, Eriri. We've found a solution for the biggest thing we were missing!"
Aki Tomoya then told her about the Hashima siblings' invitation. It seemed he was already tempted.
People have different views on the same thing at different times.
In the original story, Aki Tomoya had the help of the strongest combination, Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha, so he wouldn't join other game circles. He had the ambition and confidence to do it himself.
But it was different now. His game circle hadn't even taken shape, let alone gotten off the ground. Both personnel and funding were problems.
But the olive branch extended by Hashima Iori at this time undoubtedly gave Aki Tomoya many ideas.
"What do you think? Do you want to join a professional game circle with me and Katou-san, and work as main staff to create the best game ever?"
Eriri: "A professional circle...."
Aki Tomoya nodded. "You'll know just by looking at this doujinshi. Wow! Hashima Izumi is really amazing. To be able to draw a work that moves me so much in just one year."
Eriri didn't want to listen to Aki's rambling and just silently flipped open the doujinshi. The slightly immature artwork did indeed look like a newcomer's, but there were no major flaws.
As a professional and popular game, anime, and manga critic online, Aki Tomoya's evaluation was indeed very pertinent.
"You saw the new work I sent you last night, right? How does it compare?"
Aki Tomoya was stunned. He scratched his head and asked with some confusion.
"Come on, why are you comparing the work of the popular artist Kashiwagi Eri to a newcomer's?"
Eriri's expression gradually calmed. "Don't answer a question with a question. It's either 1 or 2. Can you just choose one instead of giving an ambiguous answer! You're always like this! Why can't you just give me a clear answer?"
Aki Tomoya lowered his head. "Well... Izumi-chan's debut doujinshi really moved me. She's a real genius. And you, Eriri, are the famous artist Kashiwagi Eri, who's sought after by a large number of fans online! If you sold your works together at a convention... you'd definitely sell out with ease."
Aki Tomoya thought his answer was great. He hadn't offended or discouraged Hashima Izumi, who had just debuted and might be a colleague in the future, and he had also praised Eriri's excellence.
But Eriri? She was starting to hate this guy who liked to keep things balanced. She just wanted a clear answer.
Eriri: "Tomoya, do you know why I've been polishing my art skills so much?"
Aki Tomoya gave a thumbs-up. "Eriri, you've already achieved success in your field of interest. You're a genius, unattainable for an otaku like me."
In her field of interest? She did like drawing and the 2D world, and she enjoyed herself when she drew doujinshi.
But in the beginning, why did she start training her art skills? Because a certain childhood friend had said that the two of them would make the best game in history together.
And then! Eriri began to work hard to improve herself, while Aki Tomoya, on the other hand, began to promote his 2D world and was despised by many.
[In the end, you've already forgotten the promise from back then, and you can't even give me a proper answer.]
"So? Eriri, do you want to join Hashima...."
Eriri threw the doujinshi back at Aki Tomoya. "You can go by yourself. Even if Hashima Izumi's art is a little immature now, she'll surpass me soon. Then the circle won't need me anymore."
Aki Tomoya: "Eh?"
Uchiha Ryo looked at Eriri, who was slowly walking over. "It looks like you're done talking... How about it? Still want to make a game together?"
Eriri: "What game! Let's go eat yakiniku. My treat!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha put down her pen and the small notebook she always carried with her. "Tsk tsk tsk, Eriri, your life is so full of experiences. I think I can get a lot of 'loser' plotlines just from gathering material from you."
"Get lost!!"
Uchiha Ryo smiled. "Actually, it's not impossible to continue making the game. The circle is still there, it's just that Aki Tomoya has quit, isn't that right?"
Eriri looked up at Uchiha Ryo in surprise.
"An artist, a scriptwriter, a band, and I also know a few people who are good with computers. Funding is not a problem at all. What do you think, Sawamura-san? Do you want to personally defeat that childhood friend's game circle? With a game you made yourself~"