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Chapter 3 | "It Can't be Helped" | Remake our Life!

Part 1

"Hashiba-san, please check it."

A voice called out to me from a seat three seats back..

"Yeah. Is it in the chat?"

"Yes, it is. I've also uploaded a smaller png version of the

illustration."

Immediately go to the specified message from the browser and check

the attached image.

It was a rough image of a character design that came from the

illustrator. It was a fantasy world with elements of the near future, and the

costumes and parts reflected that worldview.

"What do you think?"

"I have no complaints about the body. This white cloth

extending from the armor is a bit long and might interfere with other

characters when placed side by side, so please make it shorter. Also, the blank

space on the handle of the weapon has the crest of the Knight's Order he

belongs to, so have it filled in with that. "

While saying that, I sent the psd data of the crest in reply.

"Huh? Did you order a separate design for this?"

"Yeah, it adds to the burden of the illustrator, and this is

the only place I've asked the graphics team."

"That helped a lot! Thank you so much."

I closed the chat, and then, as if waiting for me, from the other

side,

"Hashiba-san, the three backgrounds you requested have

arrived."

Another staff member asked me to check it out.

"Okay. I'll see that now."

"The size is too big to share. Please look at it directly."

Open three files, each 1.3 Giga in size, from a folder labeled

with today's date.

It was going to take some time to open all of them, even on the

fairly high-spec machine that was provided for development.

"Maybe I should respond to some e-mails from the other day..."

I opened a webmail tab in my browser and opened a dozen or so

unread messages from one end to the other and replied.

It was a simple but strenuous task that sucked more energy than I

expected.

A voice actor agency contacts me about an audition, the article

from the Public Relations Department checked, complaints and requests from

illustrators, in addition to that, new sales promotion and consultations.

At first, I wondered what would happen, but by the time a month

had passed, I was able to proceed efficiently. Ironically, my experience as a

bishojo game maker in the gray days of the past had come in handy.

When the social game took over, there was no change in what we had

to do.

"........."

While typing an email with the same text as before, I suddenly

stopped to think.

"It hasn't... changed"

The past month has been quite a learning period for me in terms of

getting my head around tasks that I don't remember. The fact that there was so

much to learn was both difficult and meaningful.

But once I learn it, the rest becomes relatively routine work.

Especially, the line we are working on now does not have that many difficult

phases as long as we keep our eyes open. It's not an easy job, but it's not a

difficult one either.

Is this really okay? The result of going back and doing this and

that a year ago was a steady job and life. Although I'm involved in the

creative world, I never get to do anything out of the box.

"No, this is... okay."

I glanced at the next department. Team A, which Kawasegawa was

checking out, seemed to be as busy as ever with their work.

However, it has nothing to do with us. Although I didn't realize

it until I became a member of society, there is as much of a barrier between

different teams and sections as there is between different companies, to put it

bluntly. This is especially true in companies where there is no horizontal

interaction.

Although Kawasegawa and I have a relationship, the other team

members don't have such a close relationship. That's why some of the team

members are worried about me getting too involved.

"Let's do... what I can"

There is no need to do anything special. If I do something special...

the gears will go wrong.

It's the people on the other side of the cog that will suffer

after it happens.

Part 2

Attraction Point Corporation has a larger conference room.

Originally, the room was designed to accommodate all the employees,

but the number of employees has increased more rapidly than expected, and now

it can only accommodate half of the employees.

As a countermeasure, the main conference room is equipped with a

well-budgeted filming facility. So, it can be shared within the company using

the intranet or distributed online.

However, even though we had the equipment, there were no technicians

among the employees who could handle the transmission, so it had become a

complete waste of money except for the occasional general meeting held by the

president on a whim.

"Eh~, therefore, it is imperative for our company to achieve

this fiscal year's target at all costs in anticipation of our planned listing

in the next fiscal year."

And today was the very day of the meeting.

The only member of the 3rd Development Division who went to the

main conference room was Kawasegawa, who was in charge. The rest of us were all

checking the meeting on our own computers or the large TV that was shared with

us.

The meetings were basically attended by everyone, and if you

couldn't get into the meeting room, you were told to watch the shared feeds on

your own, but in reality, very few people were eager to participate. The leader

or a sub-leader would usually check it out and tell the members about it later.

"That's why our employees are expected to work even harder as

a team here."

The president was dressed in a neat suit and glasses, as it was an

opportunity to speak to all the employees, even if it was within the company. But

his hair was just tied back in a messy bun.

"I think about it every time, but the suit really doesn't

look good."

Next to me, Kishida from the same team was doing a fashion check

on the president.

"Did he wear glasses?"

When I asked about an unfamiliar look,

"It seems that he has started to have presbyopia. He's hiding

it, though."

The answer came back sadder than I expected.

"For that reason, the success of Mystic Clockwork, which is

currently being produced by Team A of the 3rd Development Department, is the key!"

As soon as the president said the title with an even louder voice,

a lot of people came out from one corner of the development room with a big

sigh, turned off the video and went to work on something else, or got up to go

to the bathroom or take a cigarette break. That was the exact area where the

A-team was located.

"Poor A-team guys. Looks like they can't go home yet..."

Kishida said pityingly.

"Is the situation of Team A still bad?"

When I ask a question,

"Can you take a look at the PC for a moment?"

I did as I was told and looked at the screen and was sent a file

with a progress chart written out.

When I opened it, I couldn't help but let out a voice.

"Eh......."

In the management chart shared by the company, there is a rule

that states that items that are progressing on the schedule are marked in blue,

delayed items in yellow, and pending or stopped items in red.

However, the chart in front of me showed that there were only one

or two blues, most of them were yellow, and there were a few reds.

It's not many, but it doesn't seem like a progress chart for an

app that's set to be released next month.

"What do you think?"

"Even if they manage to get the illustrations done in time,

it's going to be tough to find the time to implement them... I think if they

increased the number of subcontractors and ran them in parallel, and it would

be just barely okay."

Kishida sighed as he answered.

"Yes, it will become like that. But they say they can't

increase outsourcing."

"Why? It's the only way, right."

"This project is based on self-developed engine, so they

can't use outsourcers because of the president's persistence and determination."

The title Mystic Clockwork was originally intended to be a title

for a major game manufacturer. This work is a social game that inherits

the world view and characters and is a completely original work.

I heard that Attraction Point was the topic of conversation at the

time of the press release because they won the development rights over the

other major companies.

"Self-developed engine, huh... I wonder why they chose this

title in the first place."

The use of subcontractors itself is now a natural part of social

game development companies. In my current company, for example, the

implementation part of team B is outsourced to a subcontractor.

Of course, a company has the human resources to create its own

products. However, there are many teams that are originally designed to be

subcontracted, and if they try to do most of the work themselves, there will

naturally be negative effects.

If it coincides with a work like this one, which requires a lot of

nerve-wracking processes such as adjustments and checks in addition to

production, it will be a great risk to take.

"Well, I wonder why. At any rate, the only thing that's

certain is that a member of the A-team is dying because of it."

Kishida was also tilting his head in wonder.

From the sub-display, the president continued to make a speech. He

talked about how wonderful it was to be listed on the stock exchange, and said

that the next company trip would be to the southern islands, Florida.

"Kishida, do you have a minute?"

I called him over to my seat and gave him a little whisper.

Part 3

The general meeting was over, and since Team B had no particular

matters to discuss, it was dismissed after a brief review.

There was no one on the A team. They were probably in the

conference room talking about something. It was probably not something

positive, and I felt sorry for them just thinking about it.

"..... Hashiba-sa~n"

Suddenly, from behind me, I heard a voice with a tone that seemed

to echo from the depths of the ground.

"Whoa! Morishita-san, what's wrong? What

happened to the meeting?"

Morishita-san, who was clearly acting unusually, kept looking up

at me.

"I had to leave first for some reason. So, Hashiba-san."

Bringing her face closer,

"……Is there something you want?"

"Ha?"

It's so sudden. I wonder what happened.

"Something you want. Something like a nice meal, a book, or a

figurine, ah, I see, Hashiba-san is married, so you wouldn't want a figurine,

would you? Well, anyway"

She breathed in and out, su-ha, trying to calm her mind,

"... It's something that makes you happy to receive."

"H-Haa..."

I had a vague idea of what the story would be.

Most of the time, when you give something to someone that is not a

birthday or anniversary, you are asking for something in exchange.

And because I knew very well that she felt indebted to me, or

rather, that she wanted to rely on me.

So I,

"If you came here to ask me for something in exchange, I

don't want anything. So what do you want from me?"

I answered in a gentle tone, trying to be as careful as possible

to calm her down.

"Ugh... Thank you very much..."

As a result, Morishita-san bowed her head, looking as if she was

about to cry.

Part 4

"Eh, Ayaka can't draw?"

On the subway train, I couldn't help but raise my voice.

"H-Hashiba-san, you can't do that. If other companies hear

about this, we'll be in big trouble."

"I-I'm sorry"

The mere mention of Ayaka's name is enough to make anyone in the

industry recognize her as an illustrator. If we talked about her too openly,

rumors would start flying.

"...I got an email just a few minutes ago. It said that if we

spend all the time on this, we probably won't make it to the launch."

Morishita-san speaks in a quiet voice with a sigh.

"Hm~m... I see"

I involuntarily looked up to the sky.

Being an illustrator is a delicate and demanding job. It is also

easily influenced by motivation.

During my visit the other day, I was able to get a glimpse of her

motivation. But that didn't mean she was ready to start drawing right away.

Therefore, I guess she must have been trying to get in touch with

Morishita-san regularly...

"It's not like she's slacking off or anything. That's why I

couldn't say anything."

Even though she made a few inquiries to the other office, they

seemed to be having trouble getting the manuscript as well. Ayaka is an indoor

person by nature, so she doesn't go out to play or go on trips, but she also

doesn't seem to be addicted to games and stuck in the house.

Even though she tries to work on her drawing every day, nothing

comes out.

The person who had the hardest time was probably the person

herself, so it was hard to say anything harsh.

"So I was hoping that talking to Hashiba-san would make a

positive difference."

It seemed like too much responsibility, but I guess she really had

no choice in the matter. I immediately decided to accept the offer.

"I think you understand, there's no guarantee it'll work."

"Yes, of course. If anything, I'm a little more worried about

sensei herself than whether or not she draws."

Morishita-san showed her sincere concern.

"She couldn't draw, and I worried if she was tormenting herself"

"Oh... Yeah"

It wasn't a good situation work-wise, but I was glad that this was

the girl in charge of Ayaka.

Part 5

"It's strange, I haven't received a reply yet."

When I got to the front of the apartment building, I checked my

email from Ayaka.

She had already given me an OK to visit her today, but I had not

yet received a reply to my email with a detailed time.

"What should I do......?"

"Just in case, I'll ask. If she's not ready, we can kill some

time."

I walked into the entrance as usual and pressed the intercom.

"Ano......"

I was just about to say my name,

"Ye~s, I'll open it now!"

I heard Ayaka's voice, and the front door opened easily.

"As expected of Hashiba-san, it opened in almost no time at

all!"

Morishita-san looked at me with respect,

"No, isn't it a little too fast...?"

It didn't take too long for the door to open, which made me

suspicious.

"It's just your imagination, I'm glad to see sensei doing

well, let's go!"

Following Morishita-san's energetic walk, I went inside with a tilt

of my head.

Pressing the doorbell, I heard footsteps and was greeted by her.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

As the door opened, she appeared.

And the next moment,

"Ueeh, Hashiba-san?! W-Why?"

"Thank you for your hard wo... Whoa!"

All three of us let out a big shout of surprise.

"Se-Sensei... that, outfit..."

Morishita-san was stunned, but spoke up.

From head to toe, the clothes were beautifully colored in black

and white.

Instead of an accessory, a chain wrapped around her neck.

The atmosphere from the last time I saw her was gone, her face was

pure white and her lipstick was bright red.

The appearance of the illustrator, Minori Ayaka, has undergone a spectacular

transformation.

"Well, that's... wonderful."

I gave my honest opinion.

"Goth... Loli..."

Morishita-san's voice was like a dying message.

"...Not the courier..."

The gothic lolita lady, Minori Ayaka, greeted us in a very unusual

outfit, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"Somehow, ano... I'm sorry."

I bowed my head for the time being, but I was also strangely

convinced that I would be flustered if I had a visitor in this state.

When she was about to reply to an email from me, she was contacted

by the courier just at the same moment. So she forgot to reply.

It was the delivery man who always came, so she thought she could just

wait in her costume. Just then the intercom rang, and she opened the door

without checking it carefully.

The result was what we had just seen.

We walked into the room in silence and sat down on the sofa facing

each other as usual. The woman in front of me looked completely different from

the last time I saw her.

"I don't do it outside, I do it only inside the house."

When I asked her about it, she told me that she had been doing

cosplay itself for a long time.

"Ha, haa..."

There's a gorgeous goth woman in front of me.

It was supposed to be the same situation as last time, but I

couldn't help but feel strange.

"No, but it looks good on you, very good."

It wasn't flattery, it was just like what I said.

She had a typical beautiful face, and her image was ideally

amplified by the tight make-up, and she was tall and had slender legs, so her

short skirt was well defined. I'm sure she's going to get a lot of flashes

when she goes outside.

"Thank you, I'm kind of embarrassed."

She let out a breath,

"Well, you see, for a change of mood... I just can't calm

down."

It's certainly more mentally healthy than just sitting around

doing nothing.

Considering the fact that she might have just kept silent with no

expression on her face, I was glad that she was fine. It was a completely

unexpected situation, though.

"It's about character design, isn't it?"

Morishita-san answers after a pause.

"......Yes, it is"

Perhaps anticipating that the topic would naturally come up, Ayaka

bowed her head in silence without any fluster.

"I'm sorry. It's as I emailed you. I'm trying to face it

properly, but so far it's... not good at all."

She must be really earnest, I thought.

In order to motivate herself, she tries new things one after

another, sometimes even cosplaying. Even if it seems strange to others, in her

mind, she is probably thinking about the process afterward.

But this time, it seemed that the stimulus she had thought of was

not enough.

"Is it something that just makes you want to draw?"

Ayaka nods,

"Yes, it is... Yeah, that's right."

She answered quietly, looking very much like she wanted it.

"You were drawing the last time I was here."

"Ah, yes......"

"What might change if you looked at the pictures... that

inspired you at that time?"

She was in the middle of drawing one the last time.

It was the touch of the drawing that inspired her to start

illustrating. Surely she thought there must be something to be found if she

went back to the beginning.

Maybe there is a solution to this problem. But as long as she

didn't show me what kind of picture it was, there was nothing I could do.

"I'm sorry, Hashiba-san "

For some reason, she apologized to me.

"Ah, and to Morishita-san too, of course. I'll do my best

somehow..."

She quickly added a follow-up, but I didn't know why she

apologized to me.

We talked about many things after that, but nothing came up that

would trigger Ayaka to get her motivation back or anything like that.

We were both silent on the train ride home.

After passing two stations, it was Morishita-san who finally

opened her mouth.

"This is what sensei used to say."

Morishita-san was put in charge of Ayaka right after she joined

the company. The first step was to get her to accept the job, so her first task

was to understand Ayaka in her own way and get her to trust her.

So she often talked with Ayaka. They gradually got to know each

other and began to talk about creation.

"She said that somewhere along the line, like a pitfall,

there will come a time when she really can't draw anything. But once he finds

the right moment, it's as if everything that has happened up to that point has

been a lie, and he's able to get on with the rest of his work. "

She was looking at some old material. At first, the work was as a guest

illustrator using existing characters. All of them were wonderful, not killing

the original's personality, but drawing it in an attractive way on top of it.

"The launch is going to be tough, but I still want sensei to

draw it."

I could see the strong admiration in the eyes of Morishita-san as

she looked at Ayaka's illustrations.

"I wish I could do something... I'm sorry."

"No! Just having Hashiba-san connect me with sensei was

enough."

Although she said so, the current situation is still extremely difficult.

If I can find something that will trigger it...