Chapter 452: The Final Deadline

Chapter 452: Chapter 452: The Final Deadline

Chapter 452: The Final Deadline

"Twenty days to make an entire game?"

The moment Eriri heard the deadline Asagiri had given them, her first reaction was to shake her head.

"Forget the fact that we still have school. Even if we devoted all our time to development, twenty days is way too short."

"I’m responsible for the original artwork, so my side isn’t necessarily impossible. An ADV style visual novel doesn’t require that many CGs."

"But if you want Utaha to handle all the writing, there’s no way she can finish hundreds of thousands of words in twenty days."

Although Eriri had never personally developed a game before, she was deeply familiar with otaku culture and understood the basic production process.

First came the script.

Narration, internal monologue, character dialogue, branching routes.

For an ADV style game, the writing was incredibly important.

Since this was intended to be a proper romance game rather than an eroge, the script could arguably be considered even more important than the artwork.

Even for a professional light novel author, producing hundreds of thousands of polished words within twenty days would already be difficult.

And game scripts were not something that could simply be written from beginning to end without interruption.

There were branching routes to consider, consistency to maintain, and revisions afterward.

Impossible.

There was no way.

Hearing Eriri’s objections, Asagiri merely asked,

"What if there are two writers?"

"Two?"

Eriri first looked at Asagiri.

Then at Kasumigaoka Utaha beside her.

Only then did she understand.

"You mean you and Utaha will write the script together?"

"But there are still the gameplay systems and music."

"Even if an ADV doesn’t focus heavily on gameplay, it can’t be completely terrible..."

"Leave everything else to me."

Asagiri interrupted her.

Then he looked toward Kasumigaoka Utaha.

"If I give you the outline and finalized character designs, can you handle it?"

"I don’t know."

Kasumigaoka Utaha was normally extremely confident, but this time she could not give him a definite answer.

"I’ve written novels before, and I’ve also worked on scripts for the drama club."

"But I’ve never created anything under such severe time pressure."

"I can guarantee the quality."

"The quantity, however, is another matter."

"I see..."

Asagiri nodded thoughtfully.

Seeing his reaction, Eriri coughed twice.

She desperately wanted to cooperate with Asagiri on a game, but she absolutely refused to show too much enthusiasm in front of that evil black haired woman beside her.

Otherwise, Kasumigaoka Utaha would never let her hear the end of it.

So Eriri tried to sound casual.

"By the way..."

"How many heroines are there?"

"Nine."

"How many!?"

Eriri’s eyes widened.

She hurriedly clarified,

"I’m talking about girls with actual romance routes. Side characters don’t count."

"Yes."

Asagiri nodded.

"Nine."

"Uh..."

Were nine romanceable heroines unusually high for a romance game?

Yes.

But not absurdly so.

However, when combined with a twenty day deadline...

It was completely absurd!

Eriri had assumed Asagiri wanted to make a relatively small indie title.

Three or four heroines would have been reasonable.

But nine?

Nine heroines meant nine full character designs.

Romantic scenes would need additional illustrations.

Their standing portraits would require multiple expressions to match the dialogue.

There would also need to be special cute illustrations and event CGs to increase the player’s attachment to each heroine.

She had initially thought her workload would be manageable.

Now...

Not even close.

And then Asagiri delivered the final blow.

"Oh, and I want animated character portraits too."

Eriri’s fists slowly clenched.

"O... O..."

Only because the request came from Asagiri did she manage to restrain herself.

If any other developer had asked their artist to produce original artwork for nine main heroines, one male protagonist, numerous supporting characters, and animated portraits within twenty days...

She would already have exploded.

Where were those animated illustrations supposed to come from!?

"I’ll also handle part of the artwork."

Asagiri paused.

"Actually, saying I’ll help isn’t accurate."

"The main reason I called both of you here is because I want you to act as my assistants."

Seeing the complicated expressions on Eriri’s and Kasumigaoka Utaha’s faces, he smiled.

"I’m just not completely confident that I can finish everything by myself within twenty days."

"I’m asking for your help because I want the completion rate to be one hundred percent."

"I see..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded.

Then she glanced toward Eriri beside her.

Eriri was desperately trying to conceal her excitement.

Unfortunately for her, Kasumigaoka Utaha knew her far too well.

One glance was enough to tell that the blonde girl was already dying to accept.

"Fine."

Kasumigaoka Utaha sighed.

"You saved our lives anyway."

"Helping with something like this is the least we can do to repay you."

"Mm. That’s enough."

Hearing that, Eriri finally could not suppress the question that had been bothering her.

"Um... Utsunomiya-san?"

"Can I ask something?"

"Why exactly do we only have twenty days?"

Although Eriri, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and Shijo Maki had learned about Nyx from Miwa Ashikaga, they did not know that Nyx would completely invade their world in a little over twenty days.

After all, none of them had participated in the battle against Nyx.

Nor were they Players who had transcended their fear of death.

"Yeah..."

Asagiri shrugged.

A carefree smile appeared on his face.

"Why?"

"I don’t know."

...

A little later, at a training facility on the outskirts of Tokyo.

"Hoo..."

Kato Megumi removed the NERvGear from her head.

Fatigue was clearly visible in her eyes.

"Asuna, how about we take a break?"

"My mental energy has already reached its limit..."

Before Kato Megumi could finish, Yuuki Asuna had already changed into the equipment she normally wore inside Dungeons.

Shining Starlight flashed through the air as she performed a beautiful sword flourish without hesitation.

"If your mental energy is exhausted, then we’ll continue training in reality."

"Asuna..."

Kato Megumi was gentle by nature.

But she was certainly not weak willed.

Among Asagiri’s four teammates, she might even be the one with the strongest sense of her own boundaries.

"Let’s stop here for today."

Yuuki Asuna frowned.

Her five fingers tightened unconsciously around the sword hilt.

"How can we stop now?"

"It’s not enough."

"Not even close."

"I need to become stronger..."

"This is enough, Asuna."

Kato Megumi gently placed a hand on Yuuki Asuna’s shoulder.

Seeing the frustration in her eyes, Megumi did not become angry at her unusually harsh tone.

Instead, she comforted her gently.

"I understand how you feel."

"But if you keep pushing yourself like this, your body won’t be able to endure it."

"Sorry..."

Once she calmed down, Yuuki Asuna realized that her tone had been unfair.

She lowered her voice.

"I’m sorry, Megumi."

Then she looked directly at the girl standing before her.

"You feel the same way I do."

"I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that."

"It’s alright."

Kato Megumi smiled and shook her head.

There was no trace of anger in her expression.

At that moment, footsteps came from the entrance of the training hall.

"What are you two doing?"

Asagiri walked inside and looked at Yuuki Asuna and Kato Megumi.

He chuckled.

"Finished training?"

"If you’re done, let’s go home and eat."

"Physical training twice a week and regular NERvGear simulations are enough."

"Why are you still training for several hours every single day?"

"Are you trying to turn me into a widower?"

"What are you talking about?"

Kato Megumi lightly patted his shoulder.

"We’re not dead."

Hearing Asagiri’s ridiculous remark, Yuuki Asuna, whose mood had been heavy only moments earlier, could not stop herself from laughing.

The familiar gentle smile finally returned to her face.

"You two over there."

After easing Yuuki Asuna’s mood, Asagiri turned toward Iwanaga Kotoko and Yamauchi Sakura.

The two mage type Players were sitting near the edge of the training field.

Asagiri spoke in the tone of an adult calling children home.

"It’s already past seven."

"Time to go back and eat."

"Woohoo!"

"Food! Food!"

Iwanaga Kotoko immediately jumped to her feet and cheered.

Seeing her reaction, Yuuki Asuna smiled with the gentle indulgence of an older sister.

"Alright."

"I’ll cook tonight."

"Do you even need to specify that?"

Asagiri walked out of the training hall alongside the others.

His voice carried a smile.

"Haven’t you always been the one cooking?"

"Among the five of us, you’re the only one qualified to be head chef."

"Megumi cooks well, but preparing enough food for five people takes her forever."

"Sakura’s cooking repertoire basically begins and ends with barbecue."

"And as for Kotoko..."

"No one would dare eat anything she makes."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Iwanaga Kotoko immediately protested.

"Don’t insult my passion for cooking!"

"You crack eggs into the bowl with the shells still attached."

"I have a responsibility to crush that passion before someone dies."

Iwanaga Kotoko froze.

Then she muttered unwillingly,

"Well..."

"Who would’ve guessed eggshells don’t melt when heated?"

The moment those words left her mouth, Yamauchi Sakura, Kato Megumi, and Yuuki Asuna all burst into laughter.

Iwanaga Kotoko’s face turned bright red.

She waved her little fists indignantly, looking fierce despite having absolutely no counterargument.

...

A little later, at Asagiri’s home.

"Woohoo! I’m full!"

Iwanaga Kotoko lay lazily across Yamauchi Sakura’s lap, looking completely satisfied.

Kato Megumi sat alone on a nearby sofa, quietly scrolling through her phone.

Meanwhile, Asagiri and Yuuki Asuna stood together in the kitchen washing dishes.

"I’m really happy right now."

Yuuki Asuna placed another clean plate aside.

Then she gently rested her head against Asagiri’s shoulder.

A sweet, peaceful smile appeared on her lips.

"Having you here..."

"Having Kotoko, Megumi, Sakura, and everyone else beside me..."

"Every day feels so full."

She paused.

"I just never expected I’d end up with so many ’family members.’"

"Why are you suddenly getting sentimental?"

Asagiri turned his head and lightly kissed Yuuki Asuna on the cheek.

Then he teased her with a smile.

"This isn’t the grand finale."

"So why are you already giving your main heroine victory speech?"

....

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