After returning to Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. in the morning, Kamiyā Yuu quickly completed his resignation procedures and received a total of 800,000 yen in wages. Of that, 500,000 yen was severance pay required by Japanese companies, equivalent to four months' salary. Even so, the remaining 300,000 yen far exceeded the normal monthly income of an in-between animator. Over 100,000 of that came from a bonus he earned last month for helping Fujiwara Tora complete additional key animation work—though the company had technically paid for it.
Uehara Etsuki, as part of the company's upper management, was still in the president's office holding a meeting with other department heads. Meanwhile, Kamiyā Yuu invited Morishita Aoi into a private office to discuss matters regarding the establishment of an animation studio.
"By the way, Aoi-senpai, do you remember what happened yesterday?" Kamiyā Yuu asked, holding back a laugh. Even now, he found it hard to believe how she had acted when drunk—her behavior rivaled that of the mischievous Ruby Rose.
Seeing his teasing expression, Morishita Aoi knew exactly what he was referring to. She brushed her short black hair behind her ear and smiled faintly. "My memory gets a bit fuzzy after we got to HANA Skewers, but I can more or less imagine. What, disappointed?"
Leaning casually against the desk, she had already returned to her capable, professional demeanor. The gesture of brushing back her hair gave her a sharp, confident charm.
Kamiyā Yuu shook his head with a strange expression. "Not at all. I just didn't expect you to have such a… cute side, Aoi-senpai."
"'Cute,' huh? People usually say that word doesn't suit me. And there's no need to call me 'senpai' anymore. The company's about to dissolve—soon enough, you'll be my boss." Morishita Aoi sighed softly. It was clear she still felt attached to Kyoni Animation. At the same time, she had no intention of lingering on the topic of her drunken behavior.
Kamiyā Yuu paused. "Then… Aoi, do you remember what you said last night at the table?"
Morishita Aoi frowned slightly and stepped away from the desk, walking up to him. "You're really not holding back, Kamiyā-kun. I thought you'd switch to addressing me by my surname." In Japan, using someone's given name usually implied a closer relationship, like friends or more.
"Then do you want me to keep calling you Aoi, or switch to your surname?" Kamiyā Yuu asked calmly, his tone unconcerned.
"…No need to change it. Aoi is fine." She rubbed her forehead helplessly, even though that had been her intention anyway.
"In that case, you can call me Yuu. I'm not particular about forms of address." After a moment's thought, Kamiyā Yuu stood up, extended his right hand, and smiled. "I'll be relying on you from now on, Aoi."
"Likewise."
Morishita Aoi shot him a sharp glance. "What you mentioned earlier—are you referring to the promise I made at HANA Skewers?"
Kamiyā Yuu nodded seriously, his tone lowering. "Yes. I'm not familiar with this area, so I hope you can handle it."
It wasn't that he couldn't manage the early stages of building an animation studio on his own, but it would take several times more time and effort compared to a professional.
"Since I made that promise, I can follow through. The question is the funding you've prepared and your specific requirements." Morishita Aoi crossed her arms, frowning slightly.
Kamiyā Yuu considered for a moment before replying, "Keep the initial budget within 7 million yen. We'll need at least three high-performance desktop computers, and the larger the office space, the better. If possible, try to recruit a few creators with solid 3D modeling experience—no need for too many. I plan to have the studio operational by next week and start producing a sequel to 'Red—Crescent Rose.' The 'Fake Book' website has already contacted me, offering $300,000 for exclusive online streaming rights and related licensing. If we can complete it, we can use that opportunity to expand the studio further."
The popularity of 'Red—Crescent Rose' had yet to fade. If anything, its groundbreaking 3D animation style had attracted increasing attention overseas. Countless animation enthusiasts had downloaded the video and shared it on websites in their own countries. Excluding the "Fake Book" platform, the total global view count had already surpassed 100 million. Even with such staggering numbers, its ratings and reviews hadn't dropped at all.
Kamiyā Yuu's "Fake Book" account had also surpassed 100,000 followers. The advertising revenue alone from the account could already bring in a considerable income, though he hadn't bothered to make use of it.
"So fast?" Morishita Aoi looked surprised. After a moment of thought, she nodded. "That's doable. One week is enough. You want someone experienced in 3D animation production… then what about Director Yūki from our company's 3D department? As far as I know, she hasn't decided where to go yet."
Director Yūki?
Kamiyā Yuu recalled the ill-tempered, petite girl he met at the gathering and subconsciously touched his face. "You mean that short one who hates our key animation department?"
His wording made a smile tug at Morishita Aoi's otherwise serious face. "You'd better not say that in front of her—she really hates people commenting on her height. Her attitude toward our department stems from issues with Etsuki. Well… there's only a thin line between dislike and liking. As a professional in 3D animation, Director Yūki has considerable experience. She could contribute more to your sequel than either Etsuki or me."
"Would someone that capable really join a small, newly established studio run by a former key animator?" Kamiyā Yuu shrugged, fully aware of his own position.
Morishita Aoi replied calmly and confidently, "If that key animator is the creator of 'Red—Crescent Rose,' then the answer is yes."
Kamiyā Yuu curled his lips into a sly grin. "Oh? Thanks for the compliment. Since you brought it up, I'll leave the invitation to you—I'm not very good at dealing with Director Yūki."
"Fine." Morishita Aoi agreed without hesitation, seeing through his intention to pass the task onto her.
Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help but admire her efficiency. After they finalized the terms, she immediately used the company's equipment to print out a contract. The contents were based on Kyoni Animation's employment agreement, with slight modifications to clarify the employment relationship and responsibilities between Kamiyā Yuu and Morishita Aoi.
After signing, Kamiyā Yuu promptly transferred 8 million yen to her as operational funds.
The money felt like it had come out of nowhere, and he didn't feel the slightest bit of heartache spending it. After all, even with limited resources before, 'Red—Crescent Rose' had still been completed. There was no way they'd fail now with better conditions.
Kamiyā Yuu also planned to install the MAYA software on other computers. In his previous world, he had learned a powerful encryption program to protect licensed software, ensuring that the MAYA 3D modeling software wouldn't leak into this world's networks.
As for software patent rights, they had already been filed before the software was even created and were quickly approved by the Japanese Patent Office.
With that, the protection of the MAYA 3D modeling software was completely airtight.