== Chapter two ==
It has been a week since the announcement of my anime “The Cutest Little Sister in the World.”
How is an anime made? What about the voice actors? When will it be aired during the day?
What about other factors?
It’s my first time, so I have no idea. At best, all I have is advice from my next-door neighbor. I think that some hardcore fans might even know more about it than me.
And the person who asked me those questions is the producer, Akasaka-san
“Next month, we will personally select the four main voice actors. Izumi-sensei, please make sure to join us.”
“Okay!”
Picking a voice actor! Here I come!
“I will definitely go.” I replied, fully motivated.
To tell the truth, when I heard about picking a voice actor personally, I felt both happy and terrified. But since it’s something I have to do for my anime, it can’t be helped.
There is no way I can NOT go.
Sagiri wanted to come with me too, but since she couldn"t leave the house, she looked frustrated. Haha.
“For sub-character’s voice actors, I will select some candidates myself and send you recordings of their voices. Please take your pick from those.”
“I see….”
So it’s unlikely that I will personally pick all of the voice actors.
“About the main voice actor, do you have any request?”
“I have to ask beforehand: if I say I do, will my request be followed?”
“Maybe. Or maybe not.”
Producer Akasaka coldly answered.
“I can’t totally ignore the opinion of the original author, but if I can"t follow your request, I will tell you the reason.”
She wears the same clothes as Kagurazaka-san, but she is way more mature.
“I understand! Well, it’s not like I understand much about voice actors anyway, so I hope that you can follow Eromanga-sensei’s requests as much as possible.”
As the original author, I have only one request: They have to do sound better than how most readers would imagine the character sounds. As long as they can do that, anyone is fine.
“This character’s voice should be like this!” — It’s not like some amateur like me could pick a perfect voice actor on his first try.
Not only me; I think all of the readers hope for the best.
“In the next meeting, I will give you the list of voice actors that you will personally select from.”
“A list…huh?”
“Yes. Next to each of their names will be important factors that you have to rate — please select only from voice actors that have good results.”
…..I see.
So those important factors are probably things like “radio”, “stage” or “singing” experience. But do I have to select someone with all of those factors?
“Are all of those factors important?”
“Not absolutely, but most of the time, people select their voice actors from ones who possessed all of them.”
“Got it.”
…….I should bring that list to Sagiri and listen to her opinions too.
“We plan to start airing it in the spring, next year.”
“What exactly do I need to do?”
“I plan to hold a meeting once every week to hear your opinion about the current anime situation. After we begin making the anime, I will send a copy of every episode to you before we allow it to air every week. All of them need to be checked — sometimes based on the viewers" reactions to previous episodes. It will be your problem.”
“So what will I do?”
“One of the most important factors is checking through the ma.n.u.script, the background settings and other details in the anime’s drawing. Izumi-sensei will focus on checking character’s lines to make sure it goes according to your plan.”
I see….well, I can’t do much about the anime’s drawing anyway.
Of course, I planned to learn about it — but I don"t think I could tell good or bad from reading an anime’s production plan.
On the other hand, checking character’s lines is my specialty. I have to give it my all.
“I understand” I nodded.
That conversation happened in the highest meeting room at the publis.h.i.+ng company.
We are at the second meeting. The partic.i.p.ants were the same as before, with me, Kagurazaka-san, director Amamiya-san, producer Akasaka-san and scenario writer Aoi Makina-san and some other members of the anime production team.
We have decided to hold a meeting like this at 18:00 every Friday.
“So, what will we discuss today?”
I asked everyone, since I have no idea what the purpose of this meeting is.
On my right, producer Akasaka answered:
“In this meeting, we planned to talk about other factors of series composition.”
“Izumi-sensei, do you know what series composition is?”
The one who just asked me in a tone suggesting “You definitely do not know” was the woman who sat next to me, Kagurazaka-san.
“I have prepared a bit.”
Series composition, in layman’s term, is about how much of the novel will be made into anime, how many episodes a certain climax will last, how much it will follow the original novel —
That was what we will discuss. Sometimes, the scenario writer will take care of this part too.
“It’s like that, right?”
Hearing me say that, Kagurazaka-san pouted.
My preparation paid off!
By the way, our Sekaimo anime’s series composition will be taken care of by scenario writer Aoi Makina-san. You can say she is the second most important person in here. Also, Makina-san —
“Zzzzzzz”
She was sleeping soundly in front of me.
“Zzzzzzz”
She almost put her entire body on the chair, and her mouth was wide open. I could see a hint of saliva coming out of her lips.
Her gla.s.ses were turned aside, and looked like they could fall off at any moment.
She looked so careless…but her well-endowed b.r.e.a.s.t.s made the scene interesting.
“………………..”
“………………”
Everyone’s eyes focused on the “sleeping beauty”.
Of course, I myself noticed it right away, but I didn"t say anything.
“……………”
Because producer Akasaka looked at Makina-san like she was trash, I didn"t dare ask “why does she sleep here?”
A moment of silence. The producer Akasaka sighed, and then….
*Whack!* she chopped on Makina-san’s head.
“Ouch ~~~~~~~~~ that hurt! What are you doing?”
Makina-san shook her head, her eyes watery. Producer Akasaka coldly said:
“Aoi-sensei, the meeting is about to begin. Please wake up.”
“You can just wake me up normally ~~! Wait, I’m not sleeping! So…what are we talking about?”
Seeing the scenario writer still acting without a care in the world, producer Akasaka glared fiercely.
Noticing that, Makina-san rubbed her eyes and put a hand on her bag.
“Alright alright, I know already ~~ series composition, right? It’s the plan.”
She grinned and put some A4 papers on the table.
The cover said “The Cutest Little Sister in the World” series composition (temporary)
And after that, there was a very big word —
UNDECIDED
Producer Akasaka’s eyes narrowed.
“….Aoi-sensei, what is this?”
“The plan for the series composition — everyone can understand it.”
Nope, I don"t.
Makina-san made something that anyone can write in ten seconds, yet she was laughing with confidence. Facing this, producer Akasaka —
“Are you making fun of me?”
She growled with a terrifying tone.
Scary.
I’m so scared that I can"t move at all, but Makina-san still didn"t get it.
“I’m not making fun of you, I’m serious ~~”
“I was busy every day, while you spent an entire week and came up with this? I see, very interesting.”
“Ahaha, Producer-san ~ don"t get mad ~ I had a reason.”
Makina-san laughed and stopped producer Akasaka from exploding.
“Just listen to me for a sec.
Before the previous meeting, you told me to finish my plan for series composition, right? So I was thinking how to write it ~~”
“…And?”
Makina-san showed a serious expression:
“From the result, it wasn"t the right time for me to write this plan.”
“For the sake of argument, don"t use that as an excuse for not writing! So — what happened next?”
“Ehehe”
I hope she didn"t plan to laugh this matter off. I doubted it would work anyway.
She returned to the topic at hand:
“And so ~ the reason it wasn"t the right time was because I hadn"t talked with the original author before I wrote the series composition ~~”
“Eh, me?”
I couldn"t keep up with how the story suddenly switched to me. Makina-san said:
“Yes, you! So in order to write the series composition — let’s have a nice chat today! Alright, let’s do it!”
“…So, about the part of this meeting regarding series composition, what are you going to do about it?”
Makina-san answered without a care in the world, but producer Akasaka didn"t let her off the hook.
“Like I said ~ we can have a meeting next week ~~”
“It will cause us to be delayed by a week, so it wouldn"t be good. Also…Aoi-sensei, after you have a chat with Izumi-sensei, will you be able to write a plan?”
“Of course! Not only a plan; I will make a perfect plan.”
Producer Akasaka said “I understand”, and nodded.
Then Makina-san turned to me.
“I’m very sorry, Izumi-sensei, can I trouble you?”
“Of course, I don"t mind…but what do you want to talk about?”
“Well, there is something I wanted to ask.”
Makina-san grinned and pointed at my face:
“The female protagonist of Sekaimo — the little sister — she must have someone she likes, right?”
“Huh? Who told you that?”
It’s something related to the real ident.i.ty of Eromanga-sensei, so only a few people knew.
“I didn"t hear from anyone. I just got that feeling after reading your novel.”
…So sharp.
She is clearly not just a lazy woman.
I answered “Yes, the female protagonist has someone she likes.”
“I knew it! Can I ask something about that?”
“Well…”
I hesitated before I replied:
“Because of a few reasons, the person she likes can’t be made public right now. So I can…only answer in a way that could be made public.”
I was wondering if that was alright, but it seemed that she became interested instead.
Makina-san “huh” then grinned:
“Tell me the truth; did you use the girl you like as a reference?”
“How…”
How could she know that?
“Ara, I could easily see through it. I think the deciding factor of this anime is how much of the original author’s feelings will be shown on the screen.”
“…………….”
In our first meeting, I created a misunderstanding and she thought I was proposing to her.
Now, she revealed my true feelings in my novel for everyone to see.
…Every time we meet, I am put in a difficult position.
I could feel my face getting hotter and hotter. I must be blus.h.i.+ng right now.
“Ehehe, what nice reaction ♡. If you have a reason, then I won’t ask about the real ident.i.ty anymore — but about the girl you like — or rather, about your love story, about the moment when your heart raced — tell me every detail of it.”
“Is it really necessary?”
“Of course! Cough, cough. Listen, Izumi-sensei, since this is your first time making an anime –”
Scenario writer Aoi Makina thrust a finger at my face:
“This is what an anime meeting is like!”
“—-!”
I never knew that! To think an anime meeting will force me to do something so embarra.s.sing!
“…Cough, could it be….all authors who have an anime have to experience this too?”
“Yes, that’s right. All novel authors whose book was made into anime have to do this.”
“How…could it be? Why does no one tell me that?”
“Hm hm…then I will ask you another question, let’s say you meet a junior who is about to have an anime, would you tell him that? Would you tell him you did something so embarra.s.sing?”
“Of course not.”
“See?”
I….I see… so that’s why…
“Then let’s have a talk about Izumi-sensei’s love life~! Please begin!”
“Eh eh — ! Well, you can call it love at first sight….”
And so —
The second meeting turned in an unexpected way.
We talked about my embarra.s.sing love life.
After the very tiring meeting, I dragged my body back home in the late evening. As soon as I came back, the ceiling shook again. Just like usual, I went to the locked room and knocked on the door. It immediately opened.
Sagiri looked at me in her pajamas; then she said with embarra.s.sment.
“…Welcome back.”
“I’m home.”
Maybe I shouldn"t call this place the locked room anymore.
I, Sagiri and our relations.h.i.+p — are slowly changing.
I asked, feeling a warmth in my heart:
“What’s up, Sagiri?”
“Um…about…how, how did it go?” She asked, her voice full of excitement.
“Do you mean the meeting?”
“Yes! It’s the first meeting that you actually worked on something! Did you work with director Amamiya or Aoi-sensei — the ones who made Meruru?”
“Yup.”
“Amazing!” She said, her eyes beginning to s.h.i.+ne.
I felt a bit of embarra.s.sment about this, so I smiled wryly:
“Ahaha, is that so?”
Well, they are the amazing ones, not me. I just work together with some amazing people.
“Tell me everything.”
“Sure.”
My little sister pulled me inside her room.
I sat down in front of her and told Sagiri that we planned to talk about “series composition”.
“Oh ~~ an anime’s series composition — I have heard about it before.”
“But we had to postpone it till next week.”
“Why?”
“….A lot happened.”
The scenario writer hasn’t written anything, and I had to talk about my love life — I couldn"t say that now.
“I planned to use this time to practice writing scenarios or something.”
I took some heavy-looking books out of my bag. I had asked the bookstore mistress Tomoe to order them.
“Nii-san, what are those?”
“"Guide to Writing a Scenario"…and "Anime Industry’s Technical Dictionary"….They arrived at the bookstore today, and I just bought them.”
“Eh? Izumi-sensei, are you going to write the scenario yourself?”
“Nah, of course not. But I think I should at least have a basic understanding of that work.”
“Well….adults will sometime use hard words in their conversations after all…”
That’s right.
It’s one thing if they used words like “dubbing”, “gross” or “rush”, which were already heavily used by everyone. It’s another matter if they used words like “IP”, “proper” or “fix” in a normal conversation. Especially when some words have more than one meaning.
Of course, I acknowledged that using them sounds cool. It made me feel like a pro.
“Well, I don"t mind if these books end up not helping much. As long as I can gain some insight, it is enough.”
“…Haha.”
“Heh, what’s with you?”
Why did you laugh?
“…Because Nii-san is trying his best.”
Hearing my little sister say that made me blush. I turned my head away.
“After the scenario is done, I will let you see it too, Eromanga-sensei.”
“I don"t know anyone with that name!”
Sagiri said that line again; then she added:
“Alright, I leave it to you, Izumi-sensei!”
” — Got it.”
What a heavy responsibility.
“Also…between you and Aoi-sensei…and the other anime making team members….how is it going? Did you get along?”
The scenario writer spent most of her time sleeping, the director rarely said anything and the scary producer —
I can’t tell her that! I made a promise with Army!
“Well ~ somewhat.”
“I see–”
Sagiri looked troubled. Looks like I caused her to be worried.
“….In that case, here…Nii-san.”
She took a Blu-ray disk from the bookshelves and gave it to me.
“Let’s watch it together now.”
“Stardust ☆Witch Meruru? .. We made a promise, didn"t we?”
“Yes…let’s watch it together then try to get along with everyone!”
Is that how Sagiri tried to show her concern for me? I could feel my worry slowly melt away.
“Alright then — let’s do it!”
Next, we sat side by side, with our backs to the wall and our legs straightened, watching the anime together.
Seems like this is a kid-friendly magical girl anime.
A pink haired, quiet girl showed an unusually high amount of action. She was flying in the sky, then shooting colourful magic blasts, and making new friends while fighting.
“….What an unreal anime.”
At first, I was worried that I might not understand the plot. But after watching it, that didn"t become a problem.
Honestly, Stardust ☆Witch Meruru is an interesting anime.
Of course there are many unclear details, and the plot was simple —
But the most important climax was sufficiently developed; I could also see the intention of the anime production team from other sub-plots.
The anime showed complex but interesting scenes when it was necessary. Then, it turned into something even a child can understand.
That’s the scenario.
Also, the villain"s costume is very eye-catching too. I can understand why this anime has so many fans, and why Eromanga-sensei likes this anime so much.
[TL Note: I do agree that Tanatos Eros is eye-catching…]
“By the way, Sagiri — this anime, does it have an original author?”
“…Un….if I remember correctly…the original author’s name is Kitsunega Sakinaru, but it seemed like that person only owned the copyright. So this anime doesn"t actually have an original author — the Internet said that Meruru was created by the scenario writer Aoi-sensei by herself…”
“Oh —”
Part of that explanation was “might be”, another was “rumor said”, so none of it can be counted on.
Still, outsiders hardly know anything about the internal workings of any industry, including anime. This can’t be helped.
So…the famous anime Meruru was …probably made by Aoi Makina.
Could it be that…Makina-san is a very good scenario writer?
She looked like a lazy b.u.m to me, just like Elf…but what is the real Aoi like?
Although she hasn’t shown any results for Sekaimo that I could think of —
— I just got that feeling after reading your novel.
She should think that my novel is “good”, right? In her own words, that should be “I think it’s good”
Producer Akasaka looked very talented, so she probably only picked talented people.
Also, even Kagurazaka-san, who is good at reading people, picked her.
And the most important thing is; Sagiri is her fan.
I have to trust Makina-san; I have to work together with her.
However…how should I put it…I got the feeling that she is “still not starting.”
In other words, that meant I couldn"t feel her motivation.
“Nii-san, Nii-san.”
Hearing Sagiri call me, I turned my head aside. My excited little sister’s face appeared in front of me.
“Look, look, just now the scene when they are fighting and flying in the air at the same time is super cute, right?”
“Of course.”
A girl who was excitedly watching anime is so cute.
I wanted to say that, but I managed to hold back.
This is such a happy time.
We kept watching until Sagiri wanted to go to sleep.
“Phew…”
“How about we leave the rest for tomorrow?”
“…Sure.”
Sagiri looked tired, but she was very happy. She raised her little finger
“…Promise.”
“It"s a promise.”
We made a pinky promise.
“Is it interesting?”
“Yep, a very interesting anime.”
“Director Amamiya and Aoi-sensei are amazing, right?”
“Yes they are.”
I answered, but the truth is I couldn"t tell just from watching an anime.
But there was something I knew for sure now.
The team that is making The Cutest Little Sister in the World anime — is a team can make my little sister laugh.
Next week, the third meeting.
It was 17:50 in the meeting room — I entered 10 minutes before the meeting began.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I entered and saw that producer Akasaka, Kagurazaka-san and director Amamiya and most other members were present.
But I couldn"t see Makina-san and another female member.
” — Excuse me…. Andou-san didn"t come today?”
I asked in the most nonchalant voice I could.
About “I don"t see Makina-san today” — I don"t even have the b.a.l.l.s to ask that question.
Today, we planned to talk about the previous topic, series composition.
None of us have read the series composition plan.
…If Makina-san didn"t have a plan ready today, then the meeting can be adjourned immediately. This is not a good thing to me.
That’s why I avoided this dangerous topic and asked something with less risk.
“Andou-san is sick.”
“Huh?”
My question was rebuked by producer Akasaka immediately.
Of course, that only made me worried.
“Oh…sick…is she okay?”
“We will have a replacement by the end of next week, don"t worry.”
“No, that’s not what I asked.”
I was asking…if Andou-san is okay…
“?”
Looked like producer Akasaka still did not understand me: she t.i.tled her head in confusion. Director Amamiya noticed and came to the rescue
“…This is…something usual.”
“….Is that…so?”
Usual? Something like this can be called usual? It looked like a horrible thing to me.
Eh….
I slowly sat back down, my body seemed weak…
“So, Aoi-sensei…?”
“Well…”
Before producer Akasaka could answer, the door behind me opened.
“Thank you all ~~ for your hard work!!!”
Makina-san has arrived.
Her voice was calm and bright, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relieve
— Look like I don"t have to worry about “what if the series composition is still not done”.
Makina-san sat down in front of me. Producer Akasaka called to her in an emotionless tone.
“Aoi-sensei, please give us your series composition plan.”
“Producer-san, please wait a moment.”
“…………”
Producer Akasaka narrowed her eyes. Makina-san said in a serious tone:
“Today I have something very important to tell you all.”
…Eh? Something important? What is could be?
Is it related to the fact the she arrived late and possibly didn"t bring the series composition plan with her?
I straightened myself up.
“On the way here, on the subway, I got a character pack in a mobile game ~~ I never expected to get a 6 star character! The drop rate for such characters is only 0.007%! Ehehehe! I was so surprised that I got here late ♪”
“Aoi-sensei, your series composition plan, please!”
Producer Akasaka said in a murderous tone, like she was saying “Or I will kill you, b.i.t.c.h!”
Makina-san still didn"t notice and continued to chat with the same carefree att.i.tude from last week
“Recently, some people wanted to increase the drop rates, but I think that would be a wrong move! If drop rates were increased then that means people won’t be able feel the same fulfillment when they get an ultra rare character anymore! After collecting a character, you have to show it to everyone! — Then you can quietly ask them Anyone here without a 6 star Meruru?! It’d be awesome to boast and then no one could challenge you, that’s what makes it worthwhile!”
“Aoi-sensei, your series composition plan. PLEASE!”
“That feeling when you get a rare character, I could only describe the happiness as just like a love story in middle school. I think everyone is joking around is the best line to coax other people in j.a.panese. Maybe that’s why this kind of game – which many people called not a game — could have such huge fan base, because mobile games touch our deepest instincts.”
Yeah, I think something is wrong here.
Makina-san had completely digressed from the original topic. She just kept chatting about nonsense.
When she was going to talk about the season’s anime — Producer Akasaka raised a hand and cut her off. Then, she said with a sharp tone.
“Aoi-sensei. Please. Give us. Your plan. NOW!”
“Well actually, what I wanted to say happened yesterday. During lunch, I called a pizza —”
“Aoi-sensei. Your plan!”
“I haven’t written it!”
Makina-san answered. And she seemed so embarra.s.sed that she turned it into anger.
“… … … … … … … … … …”
“… … … … … … … … … …”
The world instantly became quiet.
Eh….?
I swallowed, and tried to ask:
“Then….what will we talk about today?”
Makina-san put a hand over her stomach.
“…Well….Yesterday I had my first pizza after a long time, so I think it gave me a stomach ache — and that made me unable to work. I barely managed to avoid making a mess of myself.”
Can you please write your plan before eating that d.a.m.n pizza?
Is that normal for an adult?
“……………”
Everyone became quiet again.
During this time, producer Akasaka kept tapping on the table with her finger. It sounded very scary.
Then, she finally pointed at Makina-san:
“Do you have any way to finish the series composition plan right now?”
“Impossible ~ ehehe ♥”
“How much have you finished? Tell me?”
“I have ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ not written anything!”
Are you…for real?
I was so shocked that I simply stared at her. Makina-san was still raising her chest in pride. How shameless
Producer Akasaka continued:
“If you have a writer"s block, we can have a discussion right now about it.”
“No no no! It’s not that! There is no problem!”
“So, can you finish it before next week?”
“Yes yes, I will.”
Makina-san bowed and promised.
“…………”
“…………”
I don"t think she will, though. That was what everyone thought.
After the meeting finished (early), producer Akasaka called me.
“Izumi-sensei, can I trouble you for a moment?”
“Er…yes, what’s wrong?”
“First, allow me to apologize for the meeting.”
Producer Akasaka bowed. That was so sudden that I froze on the spot.
Makina-san, director Amamiya and the other team members had left, so there was only me, producer Akasaka and Kagurazaka-san.
“I have an emergency plan that I wanted to tell you just in case.” She looked up, and continued: “If next week, Aoi-sensei still hasn"t finished the series composition plan…then we will change the scenario writer.”
“Eh?”
“I have spoken with some other writers; your anime will not be delayed any longer. Please don"t worry.”
“Wait wait wait…wait a sec! What’s going on?”
What did she just say? It sounded simple, but I don"t think I get it.
“I meant that we will get another scenario writer.”
“…That I understood. But what I don"t get is how could you decide that so fast? Have you already selected another writer before hand?”
“— Well…”
She noticed what I meant and slowly nodded.
“Actually — Aoi-sensei— how should I put it…she is a unique scenario writer.”
“Huh…”
Well, I already knew that she is unique. Of course I don"t think that all of the scenario writers in the world are like her.
“Other…anime that Aoi Makina-sensei worked on till the end all debuted as a bestselling anime. She is young, but she has talent and understands how to make a good show. Since she is good at making comedy anime, we thought that she would be a suitable choice for The Cutest Little Sister in the World. That’s why we picked her.”
“Okay.”
That I already knew. Sagiri told me that.
But there was something else I picked up earlier – she said “worked on till the end” just now.
Producer Akasaka calmly said:
“At the same time, Aoi-sensei is also known as The scenario writer who doesn"t do her job in this industry.”
“………………”
“She is not someone who works very slowly – she is someone who doesn"t work instead — sometimes after she took a job, she ended up not doing anything and was replaced.”
That’s why they got a replacement so fast.
I myself also had my suspicions before…but the truth still shocked me to the core.
Kagurazaka-san shamelessly said:
“Ah ~ now I think of it, I should have told Izumi-sensei this in the beginning ~~”
Yeah, that’s right.
“That’s why — ” Producer Akasaka concluded “Please prepare to work with another scenario writer instead next week.”
“……………..”
I thought about everything I just heard and answered:
“Eromanga-sensei is a diehard fan of Aoi-sensei…I also like anime of both Aoi-sensei and director Amamiya…not just one of them.”
I looked at producer Akasaka:
“If possible, I want The Cutest Little Sister in the World — to be made by Aoi-sensei.”
To make our dream come true, I will make sacrifices.
Hearing me say that, producer Akasaka nodded once, and then it looked like she was thinking about how to respond.
Finally, she said:
“Yes, I feel the same as Izumi-sensei. If Aoi-sensei can do her job, that’d be the best. Of course I will press her to do that too.”
“What exactly …do you have in mind?”
“Tomorrow, I planned to bring some convincing references to Aoi-sensei, hoping to make her feel motivated.”
“Convincing references…?
“Do you want to come with me, Izumi-sensei?”
“…Eh?”
“If that’s okay with you.”
Just now, what she said contained lots of hints.
What is she planning, asking me to come with her? So if her way of convincing doesn"t work, just my appearance can change the outcome?
….No
It’s useless to think too much about it.
In the end, my answer has already been decided.
“Please take me with you.”
I bowed. My hand clenched into a fist.
To motivate Aoi Makina, so she could do her job properly. If I want our dream to come true, this is something I have to do.
The next day, producer Akasaka took me to Aoi Makina-sensei’s house.
“Eromanga-sensei is Aoi-sensei’s diehard fan, so it’s okay if you want to bring her with us.”
“Well…there are some reasons….”
Producer Akasaka didn"t know about us siblings. She still thought that Eromanga-sensei is my aunt, Kyouka-san
“What do you mean; reasons?”
“…Well, for Eromanga-sensei, Aoi-sensei is….how should I put it….her dream, I guess…so I don"t think it’s a good idea to let them meet.”
“Is that so? I understand.”
Producer Akasaka nodded, her expression remaining unchanged. She was as scary as Kyouka-san, but in a different way.
Kyouka-san looked like she could release an ice storm around her at any moment.
Producer Akasaka — I couldn"t tell what she was thinking at all. She…is so cold, just like a machine.
— Protect the girl who held her dream in her heart.
I made that promise with Army, but maybe not only should I not let my little sister meet Makina-san…..but also producer Akasaka too. In the end, she is a part of this terrifying industry.
We took the route toward the mountain, to the high-cla.s.s house area.
On the way, we held some small conversation:
“Izumi-sensei, I think you have already noticed…”
Still looking forward, producer Akasaka said:
“Aoi Makina-sensei —- she is trash.”
“……………….”
How should I reply ….
“What I hate most in the world is trash who does not meet the deadline.”
Still not changing her expression, she continued:
“Let me explain: It"s fine as long as I say this to you….the one who said that it is trash that doesn"t respect her coworker. It’s true that many people fail to meet the deadline, but comparing yourself to them means that you acknowledge your own uselessness.”
She sounds….angry.
I don"t know anyone like that. Even Elf still meets her deadline.
“Of course, no matter how good you are, not keeping your promises means that you are not trust worthy. I will never count on that person again, nor will I treat them as human. But when she can still be used as a p.a.w.n, I will pretend to trust her.”
She looked at me — at the writer Izumi Masamune. She was looking at my eyes.
“Everything I just said is my own opinion, Izumi-sensei. Please don"t make the a.s.sumption that the anime industry can easily allow someone like her to exist. To think that she still dared to laugh it off after delaying our work that much!”
“….I understand.”
That was advice from the bottom of her heart – that I knew.
“That child…Aoi Makina….”
From her slip of the tongue, I understood how producer Akasaka saw Makina-san.
“Cough, cough, about Aoi Makina…”
“Yes.”
“She is useful.” Producer Akasaka bluntly said “As long as she works.”
“As long as she works…does that mean everything will turn out okay as long as she decides to work?”
“Yes. If I have to use a manga-like example, then that girl is the legendary blacksmith.”
She had the skill to make the best weapon, but she didn"t actually do it.
Producer Akasaka meant to say that’s how Aoi Makina is.
“Using that example with this girl might be a bit off, but that couldn"t be helped. I thought I’m good at handling a child, but the fact that she dropped a lot of works is the evidence.”
She slowly stopped caring about showing me what she truly thinks about Makina-san. But, still —
Despite everything she just said, producer Akasaka still considered her to be the best choice.
That meant Makina-san might be even better than I expected.
“Izumi-sensei, what can I do to make the legendary blacksmith do her job?”
“If this was a manga or light novel — it would be something along the lines of pa.s.sing a test and receive her acknowledgement, or some major plot development….”
“You mean making her like the main character?”
“Well…yeah, something like that might work. Some readers do seem to like adding more and more harem members.”
“I see. Then it’s not something I could do — thankfully I have you.”
“Eh?”
Before I could ask, she lightly patted my shoulder:
“I’m counting on you, original author.”
I could hear her smirk in that line.
And then —
” — Alright.”
Producer Akasaka calmly turned around and looked at the apartment in front of us.
“We have arrived at the trash’s home.”
The apartment is a tall building. I couldn"t see exactly how many floors it has from the ground.
How much would it take to rent a room here?
In the end, this is a center area.
Saying this might be rude…but I don"t think that a normal salary is enough to rent a room here.
“…Is Aoi-sensei rich?”
“Frankly speaking, she is a director’s daughter — a high cla.s.s lady. She is used to being spoiled and had an easy life in her youth, that’s why she turned out this way.”
Interesting! Producer Akasaka said something interesting!
“Those kinds of people exist…who use their parent’s influence to further their career. Aoi Makina is one of them…but I don"t know if it was luck or misfortune: her skills are real.”
We took the elevator to the 41st floor and walked to the eastern side.
Producer Akasaka took out a key, the same one she used earlier at the first floor.
“This…Andou-san gave her life to bring it back for us.”
“Andou-san is still alive!!!”
“It was a joke. Alright, I’m opening it.”
Producer Akasaka said in an emotionless tone and put the key in. She turned the handle and opened the door.
” — Oh”
There was something that totally blindsided us when we entered
That “something” was a lot of cardboard boxes arranged like a wall in the hallway. Since they were put together without a care, the ones at the bottom were already crushed.
“…What the heck…”
I could catch a glimpse of other things in the hallway too, which included paper bags, empty cans, food wrappings, manga, light novels, Blu-ray disks…all of them were scattered everywhere and covered in dust.
…In short, it was exactly like producer Akasaka said. This room; and this room’s owner are trash.
“Cough cough cough.”
This is not a room for human to live in, much less a room for a director’s daughter.
“Izumi-sensei, can you please step aside?”
“Huh?”
“*Thud*”
Producer Akasaka kicked everything in our way aside.
“Wait…that…that was too much….ugh…the books inside were scattered…”
“Pay it no mind — the floor is dirty, please put this on.”
She gave me a school’s shoes and put some on herself. Then she continued forward, kicking everything she met aside.
Among the things that she kicked out of the way, the most valuable one that I saw was a character figure. Of course, she didn"t show it any special treatment.
I hastily followed her:
“Is, is it okay for us to come in without asking?”
“She is still sleeping anyway. If we want to convince her, first we need to wake her up.”
“….Is this the same for all anime making personnel?”
She heard me and turned around:
“This originally was the team’s effort, but since Andou-san isn"t with us anymore…”
Making an anime sure is hard….
“This is a special case — hey ya!”
Producer Akasaka finally made it to the living room, and she kicked the door open.
It was a large loom, so it’s a bit cleaner than the hallway. Of course, a bit only meant that there are spots for us to walk around.
The furniture was placed very strangely: there was a television in the middle of the room, a low table nearby and a computer.
By the way, next to the television was a mat, and there was a blanket curled up on it.
“Wow…..”
It looked so familiar!
I myself don"t want to make the connection…but this situation…was almost the same as a hikikomori girl.
But of course, my Sagiri is super clean.
“So…..”
Producer Akasaka stopped and looked at Makina who was sleeping under her blanket.
“Please wait a moment!”
Sensing an abnormal aura from her, I immediately interrupted:
“I have lived for a long time with a hikikomori girl who made the same kind of defense. In my experience, forcing her up now is not the right choice.”
She would get mad and our conversation will become very difficult.
“Today we came to convince Aoi-sensei…and it’s our fault for coming in without asking…so we should calmly and peacefully wake her up…”
“…Hum…fine, let’s give it a try.”
Producer Akasaka nodded and slowly took her smartphone out.
“Izumi-sensei, please take Aoi-sensei’s smartphone over there and put in under the blanket.”
“Is that okay?”
“Yes. Then let’s peacefully wake her up. I remembered that as long as I send her a message….”
She did something on her phone —
Makina-san’s phone rang.
Spiral! ♪
“Wow!”
Suddenly the blanket moved a little. Just like a slime who was. .h.i.t by a lighting magic attack
“Producer, what is this sound?”
“This is the sound that signals a legendary item drop. Anyone who played a lot of hack and slash will immediately wake up upon hearing it.”
“…………..”
While I stood there dumbfound, producer Akasaka continued using her “alarm”.
Spiral! Biku ~ tsu! Spiral! Biku ~ tsu!
Spiral! Biku ~ tsu! Spiral! Biku ~ tsu!
The blanket was moving a lot now. I could hear a voice “Umm…guh….ughhh…..” like she was having a nightmare.
Wow, looks like it worked.
But I don"t like this method at all….
“She is not waking up.”
“She isn"t. Then let’s try something else.”
Producer Akasaka did something else on her phone and put it under the blanket.
“What are you doing?”
“I made a copy of a voice clip in a mobile game that Aoi-sensei played a lot. Anyone who played this game will wake up as soon as they hear that sound.”
A sweet girl’s voice came from the blanket:
Stardust ☆ Witch Meruru Grand War ♪ Stamina fully restored ~~~☆
“Wow wah!!!”
*Thum thum thum* The blanket shook a lot.
This looks very effective!
“Wah…stamina…I have to spend my stamina….!”
A delicate hand came from the blanket, it moved around, trying to find the mobile phone.
This looked gross enough, but when that hand actually touched the phone —
“Hey.”
Producer Akasaka kicked the phone away.
It was too much!
“Aww ~~ Stamina ….Spend…I have to spend….exceed….would be a waste….”
“Izumi-sensei, please take a good look, this is a diehard fan of mobile games.”
Is it a zombie? (TL Note: A shoutout for the anime Kore wa zombie no desuka – I think)
“If someone reaches this stage, there is no cure for them.”
“I think I told you to use a gentle and peaceful way to wake her up.”
All I saw just now was demon-like way.
“What I just did was the gentlest way I could…so, what now? She is still not up.”
“…..”
I glanced at the blanket. The hand was still moving, and the sleeping beauty was muttering “Stamina ~ stamina ~”
“…It did work, though.”
I think all we need was another small push.
Producer Akasaka’s smartphone kept broadcasting a girl’s sweet tone.
Today is Makina-chan’s birthday ♪ You have a present of 5000 magic stones, and 100 days – special right to freely draw ♪
Besides, during these 100 days, it’s ~ guaranteed that you will at least get a 4 ☆character!
This is a chance that only happens once a year! Let’s play!
To think that she made a fake announcement. Even someone who doesn"t play mobile games like me found it interesting. An offer specifically made for this girl.
I was waiting for a reaction, while producer Akasaka began to walk toward the front door.
“Producer? What are you going to do?”
“I think I’m going to wake her up normally.”
What does that mean —
Before I could ask, she had already gotten a distance away from Makina-san inside the blanket.
Then she took a running start — and kicked her away.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”
It looked like the Neo Tiger shoot (TL Note: From the famous forward Kojiro Hyuga in the manga series Captain Tsubasa ). No way it could be a normal way to wake someone up.
With a *phew*, both Makina-san and the blanket were sent flying.
“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh”
Makina-san made a sound like a frog that was stepped on.
And for a specific reason, I immediately averted my eyes away from her body.
Producer Akasaka said:
“Aoi-sensei, are you up yet?”
“Wh…what do you mean, are you up yet?! Why do you always wake me up this way!”
Two girls began to argue behind my back.
“I’m gonna tell Papa that you did something horrible to me!”
“Please do. It’s useless anyway.”
“Eh?”
“Your father told me that 『 you have the right to do everything to my daughter 』.”
“L..Liar! Producer, you used your parent’s connections, didn"t you!?”
“So what if I did? You are the one who used your father’s name first; of course I have the right to do the same.”
“Guhhhhhhh ~~”
Makina-san made a groaning noise in frustration.
Suddenly, she seemed to have noticed me, and asked:
“Ah, Izumi-sensei, you are here too. Hey, say something to this horrible producer ~~”
“Now is not the time, please put some clothes on!”
I yelled, still keeping my back turned to them.
Under the blanket, Makina-san had nothing but her panties.
“Ah ~ I went to bed right after taking a bath, looks like I fell asleep.”
I heard Makina-san say that before seeing her walking to my front.
Still half-naked, she said in a teasing tone:
“…Did you see?”
“I didn"t.”
“Really ~~?”
“I really didn"t see anything! Please put some clothes on! I will close my eyes!”
“…c.r.a.p, now seeing how embarra.s.sed you are made me embarra.s.sed too.”
Next, I heard the sound of clothes being put on…then Makina-san told me “You can open your eyes now.”
I opened my eyes and saw that she has changed into light sport clothes.
….The more I look, the less I’m sure that she is older than me. Just how old is she?
Makina-san put her gla.s.ses on, and said:
“So, what are you doing in my house?”
“Before that, I have something to ask you.”
“Hmm ~ what is it?”
I bowed my head down:
“Allow me to clean up this room!”
This is not a place for a human to live.
Before we talk about the scenario, I have to clean up this mess.
In my head, I am already thinking what if this is Sagiri’s room. It’s fine if she hid inside the room, but…
“A dirty room is unacceptable! What if you got sick?”
“E…eh?”
Makina-san made the same reaction at our meeting. She was shocked by my motivation.
“C…clean up? Sure….”
“Thank you very much! I’m going to buy some cleaning supplies.”
When I turned around and ran to the door…
“…You are really strange.”
Makina-san said with a hint of laughter.
Half an hour later —
“It ~ is clean!”
Long story short, I turned this messed up room into something that could allow human life.
Trash was gathered in a corner. The floor was cleaned up nicely; discarded clothes were put into the was.h.i.+ng machine or in the laundry.
Books, games and character figures would take a long time to separate, so I put them all in another room. For now, just the living room is fine.
“I just cleaned it up a bit. Frankly speaking, it would take a full day to clean up this house.”
In any case, finis.h.i.+ng cleaning up a messed up room in half an hour is impossible. What I did was just a temporary cleaning.
We sat down around a round table in the living room. I made tea and brought the snack I bought out.
“Izumi-sensei, you are really good at doing housework.”
Producer Akasaka said from behind her gauze mask. Since she didn"t want me to clean up everything by myself, she offered to help.
“I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
Maybe what I did cost us precious time which we could be using to convince Makina-san
“No no, it’s okay — Izumi-sensei, do you often help with housework at home?”
“Not help, but rather I do all the housework by myself.”
I don"t think that answer should be said so casually, but there is no other way to phrase it.
We have touched this topic, after all.
“What about your parents?”
“They are not with me anymore.”
I tried to say it as clear as I could since past experience told me this is the best way. As long as the speaker understood the atmosphere and said an apology, we could quickly move to another topic.
However …
“I see. That’s how you are so mature despite your age. I understand.”
Producer Akasaka calmly continued the conversation. She didn"t show any reaction upon hearing that my parents weren’t among the living anymore.
….Could it be that she already knew, but asked anyway? What is she trying to do?
“So do you live alone?”
There is no way…wait…I see
Producer Akasaka was leading my answers.
“I’m living together with my little sister. There is a guardian, but she doesn"t live with us.”
“I see. Thank you for answering. Living together with your little sister — take care of her daily needs … I see.”
She gave Makina-san a meaningful look.
“….Aoi-sensei, looks like this is how it is.”
“Yup, I heard. But why are you pointing it out to me?”
“It’s nothing; I just say what is on my mind. I have never thought it was so similar to a certain pair of sisters…well, what good tea.”
She took a slip of tea, trying to hide something. Makina-san clearly became displeased.
“Ah ~ it’s annoying. Don"t talk about it anymore…Tell me, why did you come here.”
” — Then let’s get to the point.” Producer Akasaka said with a sharp tone “Aoi-sensei, what have you done since our meeting yesterday?”
“I played mobile games non-stop.”
Please write a scenario for me.
“I see. That means like usual, you don"t plan to work, right?”
“Ahahaha ~~ it’s alright it’s alright, I still have time ~~ six more days to go, right ~~”
“In the past, after you said that, is there a single time that you finished your work?”
“…N..none? ….There should be at least one….”
“Never.”
A terrifying conversation was happening right in front of me.
It was very similar to a conversation between Elf-sensei and Chris-aniki, but the truth is completely different.
How different? In the end, Makina-san will not do her job.
“………….”
I looked down and clenched my fist.
“This time I will do it! Absolutely!”
“…I already heard that the last time”
Producer Akasaka sighed. Looked like she was at the verge of giving up.
…Is it truly impossible?
Is it so hard to get Sagiri’s favorite, Makina-san to write a scenario?
No —!
“Aoi-sensei!”
No! What did I come here for?
“Yes? What’s wrong?”
“I…! I want to work with Aoi-sensei! I came here today to convince you!”
I showed her my conviction.
” ———”
Hearing my words, Makina-san kept blinking.
“Oh…this…such hot-blooded.”
“I and Eromanga-sensei have watched Meruru! It’s amazing! The one who made the scenario is you, Aoi-sensei; there is no doubt about it, right!? If that’s the case, we could leave our novel to you! If it’s the same team, then our dream can be reached —”
I don"t know if I said it clearly enough. I don"t even know what I was talking about.
But I told her what was in my heart.
Because unless I said it out, then she couldn"t know.
Makina-san bit her lips…
“What is your dream?”
That was what she asked. That wasn’t a joke.
And the most important thing is, I was asking her to help, so I couldn"t lie.
“My little sister is Eromanga-sensei.
After our parents pa.s.sed away, she was hiding in her room, and refused to come out.
I want to make my little sister laugh! Bad memories, sadness, worries — I wanted to get rid of them for her! That’s why!
Eromanga-sensei and I made a very interesting light novel! It will be made into anime! I will bring my little sister out of her room! We will watch it in the living room together! We promised each other!
That is — our dream.”
“…With your little sister….a brother and sister…made a novel together.”
“Yes.”
“That’s your dream.”
“Correct.”
“….I see ~”
Makina-san kept her head low. I also bowed to her.
“In order to make our dream come true, we need your help! Please lend us a hand.”
“………………..”
She kept silent without saying anything.
Then she looked up, scratching her cheek, seeming troubled.
” — Even if you say that…It’s not like I don"t want to give it my best….But…but….!”
Producer Akasaka chose this moment to raise a hand and stopped me from talking
“Okay okay, please calm down.”
Somehow — her voice sounded like she was in a good mood. She said quietly, allowing no one but me to hear:
“It’s thanks to you. Leave the rest to me.”
“…Sure.”
I hesitated a bit before following her words. Her voice was full of confidence.
Besides —
— Tomorrow I plan to bring “a convincing reference” that could raise Aoi-sensei"s motivation.
I remembered she said that.
“Aoi-sensei, actually, I have a present for you.”
“Eh? What is this? I"ve got a bad feeling.”
Makina-san’s expression became stiff. Producer Akasaka showed her the smartphone:
“This came from Aoi-sensei’s arch nemesis.”
“Arch nemesis? I have one?”
Due to the angle, I couldn"t see the screen. All I heard was a girl’s voice.
Ahaha, lazy scenario writer. Long time no see, are you well?
I’m in a very good mood!
Actually, in the spring next year, my manga series will be made into anime!
Hey hey ~~ Clap clap clap clap!
I heard that you are working as a scenario writer for some light novel that’s gonna be made into anime ♪ ah ~~~ oh, it’s so nostalgic, don"t you think?
It made me remember the time when Meruru was airing. My anime was broadcasting during the same time slot! We tried to steal viewers from each other every week ♪
But my anime was cut off in the middle without a reason!
And then someone came and boasted with such a cute voice! Aghh ~~ just thinking about it made me mad ~~~!! That person was totally laughing at me.
But well, that was all in the past. I’m very generous, so I will forgive you.
This time, I will win! I have very high confidence! I have an amazing team!
Ah ~ well, this can’t be helped.
I heard that recently, you have a nose-ache and were about to be kicked out of your position as scenario writer!
Looks like we can’t have another fight again, what a ~ pity ☆
Ah ~~ in the end, you are just someone who used the luck of Meruru. Without your big sis, you can’t do anything. Your only merits are your big b.r.e.a.s.t.s and your parent’s favor.
To think that I used to think of you as my nemesis, I’m so ashamed of my short-sightedness ~~ that’s all; make sure to watch for my new anime!
Love you ~~♡
*Beep beep*
The screened turned black and no more sound came out of it.
I noticed several keywords, but…
“…………………….”
Makina-san was staring at the screen.
“That —-”
Suddenly, she showed an honest expression
“That ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~”
….Scary
“That one didn"t change at all ~~~~~ ahahaha !!!”
Nope, her eyes weren’t smiling. Not one bit.
“Ara ara ~~ just a few ~~ advantages and she is starting to boast even before anything actually begins, how cute ~~ I really want to beat her up and watch her get frustrated so that I can laugh at her ~~ Ahaha.”
That was an evil smile. Totally something an antagonist would say.
Producer Akasaka said:
“How is that, Aoi-sensei? Did you find your motivation now?”
“Yeah, somewhat.”
Makina-san corrected her gla.s.ses. Her sleepy expression was completely gone.
“What a nice present. Anyway — at least I found my motivation now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Producer Akasaka nodded in satisfaction, then whispered to me “See, she is such trash, right?”
“……………..”
What is this feeling?
I…in order to reach “our dream”…
Did I become a partner with a very terrifying evil person?
Before I could said anything, Makina-san glared at me:
“I have to say it out now: this isn’t related to what you said one bit.”
“Eh?”
“Your dream, or a novel made by you siblings…yes, it’s heartwarming, but that didn"t give me any motivation. All I want to do is to show a stupid, oat girl know how outcla.s.sed she is — that’s all. 100% it is just that. Don"t be mistaken ~~”
“So…”
“Got it?”
“…I do.”
“Good.”
Makina-san nodded. Producer Akasaka told me:
“Izumi-sensei, I leave Aoi-sensei in your care.”
“Eh? What do you mean by that?”
Before I could hear her response, Makina-san told me, clenching her fist.
“Izumi-sensei, I will make a bang!
Alright — I will give it my all, starting from tomorrow!”
Please give it your all starting from now!
The next day.
With a face full of motivation, screaming “I’m giving it my all”, the scenario writer Aoi Makina began to work.
The first thing she did was —
“What? Ma, Makina-san? Why did you come to my home?”
“Until the anime is done, make sure to take care of me ♡ ”