There was no point in staying at the company during this idle period, so Kamiyā Yuu left Kyoni Animation together with most of the key animators. He could tell their expressions weren't great—key animators already had it tough in the industry, practically at the bottom of Japan's white-collar hierarchy. Even so, losing their company affiliation was nothing short of a nightmare.
For now, Kamiyā Yuu had no intention of inviting them into his own animation studio. First, his studio was still in its early stages, and his plan to complete the remaining three parts of 'RWBY' wouldn't require 2D key animators. Second, his remaining funds—just over $90,000—were already tight. Hiring staff with limited immediate use would severely restrict his development.
*Rumble—!*
The dull sound of the train tracks echoed faintly as Kamiyā Yuu sat in the carriage, focused on the information displayed on his laptop. It was only a little past 3 PM, and compared to the usual rush-hour crowd, the train was nearly empty. Most passengers were middle-aged or elderly people and housewives.
"'Red—Crescent Rose' has surpassed 1 million views. Total likes: 210,000. Current number of comments: 187,621."
"User approval rating: 99%."
"Total score: 567,344 points."
In just one night, 'Red—Crescent Rose' had entered the top 50 in the animation section's all-time rankings. For a 3D short film under ten minutes, this was an astonishing achievement.
On 'Fakebook,' there was a consensus regarding the rankings: works ranked around 40–50 typically held commercial value in the millions of dollars; those between 20–40 were worth tens of millions; ranks 10–20 approached the hundred-million-dollar mark. As for the top ten, they were essentially guaranteed to generate over $100 million—each one a classic in animation history.
"Looks like the final ranking might land somewhere near the lower end of the top 40. That should satisfy Mr. Robert," Kamiyā Yuu said, closing his laptop and stretching lazily.
The higher the ranking, the higher the price his future sequels could command.
Moreover, among works with over a million views, 'Red—Crescent Rose' had the highest approval rating. Historically, only 'Violet Blooming Garden' had maintained a 99% rating during its broadcast period, though it had since dropped to 97%.
…
After returning home, Kamiyā Yuu put away his briefcase and laptop, then sat in the living room feeling a bit aimless. 'Red—Crescent Rose' was finished, and with Kamiyā Sora not around, he suddenly didn't know what to do.
"Guess I'll clean up… and prepare dinner."
Patting his cheeks, he got to work. He cleaned mold from the corners of the walls, wiped away dust, and prepared ingredients for dinner.
Around 4 PM, after finishing everything, he was still idling in the living room when he heard the sound of a key unlocking the door.
His feelings were complicated—there was happiness, but also a guilty urge to avoid her.
He stepped into the hallway and smiled as he saw her enter. "Welcome back."
Kamiyā Sora looked at him with slight confusion, not understanding why he was home so early. She wore a beige sailor uniform; beneath her short skirt, her slender legs were wrapped in black tights, paired with round-toe boots that gave her a delicate, almost fragile appearance.
Her silver-white twin tails were slightly messy, and beneath her bangs, her tired eyes made Kamiyā Yuu's heart tighten. He felt an urge to pull her into his arms and comfort her.
She gave a small nod in response, casually letting her schoolbag fall at the entrance. Without properly arranging her shoes, she stepped inside.
"I'm tired," she said softly as she passed him.
Kamiyā Yuu sighed quietly, tidying her shoes before walking into the living room. Seeing her drinking barley tea, he asked gently, "Hungry? I can start making dinner now."
Sora looked at him, her calm eyes flickering slightly before she shook her head. "No. It's too early."
They interacted as they usually did, maintaining their familiar rhythm—but now, there was something extra mixed in: a trace of awkwardness and discomfort. She was no longer as clingy or affectionate as before. At the very least, when they were both in the living room, she no longer sat on his lap.
Holding her stuffed rabbit, Sora sat on the tatami watching TV. After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly, "Yuu, why did you get off work so early today?"
"Ah, the animation our company was working on, 'Mr. Onigiri Man,' is finished. Since management hasn't given new instructions, there's nothing for us key animators to do," he explained with a smile. After a pause, he added, "Also… there's news that the company might dissolve. So I'm planning to use the money from 'Red—Crescent Rose' to start my own animation studio."
Sora's brows furrowed slightly. "Was this something you already planned?"
"I only decided recently."
She lowered her face slightly, hiding her expression as she asked in a flat tone, "Why didn't you tell me about something so important? Why didn't you discuss it with me?"
Kamiyā Yuu glanced at her and smiled. "You're still a student, Sora. You don't need to worry about these things."
Her body trembled faintly. Hugging her stuffed rabbit, she stood up and said calmly, "I'm going to rest in my room. Call me when dinner's ready."
"Okay."
After she left, the quietness of the living room made Kamiyā Yuu sigh.
It was obvious something was off with her. Anyone could tell she was upset. Right now, she was simply sulking—sensitive because of what happened yesterday, overthinking everything he said.
At times like this, any shallow explanation would be useless. Until the blood test results came back, Kamiyā Yuu decided not to act rashly. He would let her be for now.
As for after the results…
If she was still acting like this, then at worst, he'd just end up completely failing.
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Author's Note: Sorry, but I don't plan to have the protagonist get together with Sora that easily. Though it's not far off, within about seven days in the story timeline. There may be a small surge of plot involving Sora then. As for the rest, I won't say more.
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T/N: I've started another translation, 'Part-Time Manga Artist' 😊 Hope it doesn't get taken down!