Weekend, afternoon.
Sato sat at the desk browsing Gensokyo, thinking about the website's future development. Gensokyo had already reached a bottleneck. If it wanted to keep attracting traffic, it had to expand into new business.
At the same time, the site lacked enough ways to sustain itself. He could not rely only on acting as an intermediary to keep it running.
Leaning back in his chair, Sato closed his eyes in thought while gently stroking Chocola, who was lying on the desk. The calico cat lay there obediently, turning its head to look at him while letting out cute "Nya, Nya~" sounds.
Meanwhile, in his lap, Vanilla shifted around and found a comfortable position before falling asleep.
Japan was a country with very high population density, so its infrastructure was extremely complete. Every residential area had supporting facilities nearby. Moreover, most reading habits in this era still leaned toward physical paper or magazines.
If he used the website as a base, he would need to focus on an online model and expand online services. This world was still in the 2G era, which meant it was a rare window of opportunity.
"Expand online services. When smartphones and the 3G era arrive, quickly launch mobile operations and seize as much of the mobile market as possible."
Sato muttered to himself. Suddenly he stood up, placed Vanilla from his lap onto the bed, then picked up a whiteboard beside the computer. He began writing and drawing on it, sometimes thinking deeply, sometimes frowning.
Although there were already rumors of 3G technology appearing, many people in Japan, with their relatively traditional mindset, paid little attention to it. Even many traditional industries had not realized the opportunity and danger it represented.
What the website lacked now was content.
That was the key for the next stage.
He needed to find a way to expand the number of light novels and manga on the site. Quality could come later. For now, the quantity had to increase first.
Ding!
Suddenly, the email on the computer screen in front of him began flashing.
Ryuunosuke: The new interface you asked me to make last time is finished. Here are the related files.
Soon, several compressed folders were sent over.
Sato: Okay, received.
Ryuunosuke: Remember to send the money.
Sato: I won't forget.
After the brief conversation ended, Sato opened the compressed files Ryuunosuke had sent. Inside was the new website interface for Gensokyo, also the most important part of his plan to launch a paid online reading system.
Although Ryuunosuke did not talk much, his ability was undeniable.
The new interface for the website had become somewhat more complex. Additional sections and various functions had been added. After reviewing everything once, Sato nodded in satisfaction and downloaded it onto a USB drive, preparing to gradually implement updates after finishing the detailed proposal.
Ding dong.
Someone rang the doorbell.
"Coming."
Sato stood up and walked toward the door, a hint of confusion on his face. Who could it be at this time?
Arriving at the door, he looked outside through the peephole.
Hm?
No one?
Looking through the peephole, he could see the empty corridor outside, yet there was not a single person there.
He frowned and turned back toward the room.
But just as he had taken a few steps, the crisp sound of the doorbell rang again.
Sato turned back toward the door in surprise and looked through the peephole once more.
There was still no one outside.
Could it be... a prank?
The thought crossed Sato's mind, but he opened the door anyway.
Unexpectedly, there were not only people outside, there were quite a few of them. They were just all little kids who were not even tall enough to reach the peephole.
"Yo!"
Nohara Shinnosuke raised his seaweed-like eyebrows and waved as he greeted Sato.
"Sorry to bother you!"
The four little kids behind him bowed politely.
Sato stared blankly at the five kids in front of him, then finally looked at Nohara Shinnosuke.
"Why are you here?"
"Because Midori isn't home, we decided to develop your residence into the second base of the Kasukabe Defense Force."
"Feel honored, Sato!"
Nohara Shinnosuke crossed his arms over his chest and looked at him seriously.
Sato fell silent for a moment. Then he slowly bent down and turned to ask the other children,
"Who is Midori?"
"It's... it's Yoshinaga-sensei."
The rice-ball-headed boy called Masao hid behind Kazama Toru and looked at Sato nervously as he spoke.
"So it's your kindergarten teacher."
Sato rubbed his chin and nodded. His right hand suddenly pinched lightly.
"Wah... I, I was wrong!"
Half of Nohara Shinnosuke's cheek was caught in Sato's fingers. His entire body was practically lifted off the ground. After struggling unsuccessfully for a while, he quickly chose to beg for mercy.
"Wrong? What were you wrong about?"
"I shouldn't have told Kazama and the others that you don't have a girlfriend!"
Sato: "..."
You little brat... asking for a spanking.
Sato lowered his head and used both hands to knead Nohara Shinnosuke's cheeks. Perhaps because he was often trained by his sister-in-law Nohara Misae, the boy's cheeks were unusually smooth and soft.
"Wah, uncle, I was wrong!"
Nohara Shinnosuke's face changed shape repeatedly in Sato's hands, like dough being kneaded. Completely unable to resist, he quickly chose to beg for mercy again.
The other kids stared blankly at the scene.
There was actually someone who could subdue Shin-chan. That was really amazing.
"Do you know what you did wrong this time?"
"I know!"
"Say it."
"I shouldn't have called you directly by your name!"
"And?"
"I shouldn't have called Midori 'Midori'!"
"And?"
"I shouldn't have... hm? Is there more?"
Nohara Shinnosuke looked up at him, his small eyes full of big confusion.
"Cough, cough."
Sato coughed twice, then finally put Nohara Shinnosuke down. Looking at the five kids in front of him gave him a headache.
"Come in first."
He sighed and stepped aside.
"Excuse us!"
The group of little kids outside immediately rushed into the room excitedly, chattering things like "So this is the apartment of a single high school student," "It looks big and very clean," and "Do you think there are those dirty magazines inside?"
These brats.
Sato closed the door with black lines across his face.