"Eiri, what do you think of this project proposal?"
After school.
Tomoya Aki once again handed a small stack of proposals, revised an unknown number of times, to Eiri. Eiri was already feeling annoyed looking at the proposal Tomoya Aki handed over.
It had been days. Tomoya Aki submitted a proposal to them every day, but to Eiri and Utaha Kasumigaoka, who were commercial creators, his proposals were too naive. They completely lacked feasibility, let alone profitability.
If it had been before, and Tomoya Aki genuinely wanted to try, both of them would have agreed to play the GALGAME-making game with him out of guilt and to repay a favor. But now... Mashiro's unexpected appearance changed things: he had to produce a proposal that genuinely attracted them.
This significantly raised the difficulty. They might not even consider a proposal from a professional publisher, let alone one from a mere student. Although his proposals were improving, he didn't have the skill level yet.
Eiri didn't look at the proposal Tomoya Aki handed her. Annoyed, Eiri showed Tomoya Aki her phone screen, which displayed a number.
"I've already joined [Baumkuchen]. Go discuss it with the club president. If he likes your proposal, I have no problem joining."
Since he had dealt with Akane Kosaka for Mashiro before, getting rid of Tomoya Aki should also be simple.
"Okay, no problem."
Having obtained Rin Ito's contact information, Tomoya Aki immediately ran to the multimedia room, took out his phone, and dialed Rin Ito's number.
"Hello, are you the president of Baumkuchen, sir?"
On the other end of the phone, Rin Ito was slightly bewildered... Did Akane Kosaka leak my phone number?
"Mhm, that's me. What can I do for you?"
"Hello, Mr. President, my name is Tomoya Aki. I'm Eiri's classmate. I have a project I'd like to invite Eiri to participate in, but she said the proposal needs your approval."
"Ah, ahem... Oh, Tomoya Aki-kun." Hearing the name, Rin Ito nearly choked on his saliva. He had asked Eiri about this person just before, and now he was calling directly. Rin Ito had a vague impression of Tomoya Aki as the protagonist of the main anime storyline. Of course, Rin Ito's deepest impression was Utaha Kasumigaoka's black-stockinged long legs.
In Rin Ito's memory, Tomoya Aki was just a social butterfly (Jyuujitsu) with otaku interests, and Rin Ito didn't feel much beyond that. Now, Rin Ito simply treated him like a regular person.
"Would it be convenient for you to add me as a contact? I'll send you my project proposal."
"Sure, no problem, go ahead."
After adding Tomoya Aki as a contact, Rin Ito glanced at the proposal he sent... Frankly, it was incomparably worse than Akane Kosaka's. Although it was perhaps too harsh to compare him to Akane Kosaka, his proposal was currently far from acceptable.
This kind of thing largely depended on Eiri's attitude. In Rin Ito's memory, in the previous life's anime, neither Eiri nor Utaha was impressed by his proposal. They joined because he had helped them before. And now he was revising the proposal over and over... Perhaps his life trajectory is different from my memory.
Judging by the fact that Eiri had passed him off to Rin Ito, Eiri was already somewhat annoyed with him; not tsundere annoyed, but genuinely bothered. Rin Ito then opened Eiri's contact and asked her in detail about the sequence of events. After listening, Rin Ito, sitting in front of his computer, burst out laughing. Tomoya Aki's life trajectory had been disrupted by Mashiro.
Eiri: [I wanted to help him because I felt guilty for abandoning him when he was bullied in elementary school.] Eiri: [And that Utaha Kasumigaoka, she was a failing light novelist before and was almost canceled. He helped promote her, and that's how she recovered. She probably wants to repay him too.] Eiri: [Helping him fulfill his dream would settle our debts.] Eiri: [But now he gives us a proposal every day.]
Hearing Eiri's words, Rin Ito vaguely recalled the plot. In the anime, it started like this, but later they gradually became more serious about making the game. The result now... regardless of whether he initially wanted to use their guilt or favors to get them to join, or simply to find two acquaintances, he had been cornered by Mashiro. He had to present an acceptable proposal for them to join.
Rin Ito: [Okay, leave it to me.]
After a brief consideration, Rin Ito called Tomoya Aki.
"Mr. President, about my project proposal..."
"Tomoya Aki-kun, I can sense your passion from your proposal, but Tomoya Aki-kun, passion alone isn't enough for Eiri, who is a commercial creator."
"I... I understand." Tomoya Aki's voice carried clear disappointment, but Rin Ito's tone suddenly shifted.
"A commercial work indeed can't rely solely on passion." Rin Ito smiled faintly. "But it's more than enough to fulfill your personal dream."
"What do you mean, Mr. President?"
"I heard you run a website and have accumulated quite a few fans. You also post GALGAME reviews. Among your fans, there should be many who are passionate about GALGAMEs. Perhaps there, Tomoya Aki-kun, you can find companions who want to create a GALGAME for the sake of their dream."
On the other end of the phone, Tomoya Aki's eyes lit up at Rin Ito's words.
Oh, right! Many initial manga and animation clubs started by recruiting people with the same hobby, working for love of the craft, before gradually becoming established. His club surely started as a small circle before developing to the point where it could attract Eiri.
"Thank you very much for your advice!"
Listening to Tomoya Aki's slightly excited voice on the phone, Rin Ito smiled.
"I'll tell you a secret: I heard from Eiri that both she and Utaha Kasumigaoka were actually planning to join."
"Huh?"
"Eiri has always felt sorry for you about what happened when she was a child. And Utaha Kasumigaoka... you helped her out before, right?" Rin Ito deliberately told Tomoya Aki their true intentions.
This was a test. Had Tomoya Aki been looking for Eiri and Utaha to use their fame to pave the way for himself? If he was calculating, he would immediately go back to them after hearing this news. If not... Tomoya Aki, as a man, had his pride. He certainly wouldn't accept Eiri and Utaha's participation as charity or a favor.
"Keep up the good work. Brave boy, go forth and create a miracle!" If they were face-to-face, Rin Ito would definitely have patted his shoulder.
"Yes!"
Rin Ito hung up the phone. If Tomoya Aki was going to pursue his dream and create a miracle, well, then... Hehehe, Rin Ito wouldn't hold back.