At the same time, sales were in full swing all across the country.
Hanamachi, Chiba City.
Across from the Melu Maid Café in Hanamachi was a secondhand game store specializing in game discs.
The store not only bought and sold various games that were no longer in circulation, but also carried new releases, including galgames.
A high school student working part-time was responsible for taking care of the store, while the owner, Inoue, sat at the register with great interest, watching the game on the screen. An opened game box sat on the counter.
Naturally, it was the all-ages version.
After all, there was no way he would dare openly play the eighteen-and-over version in a place like this. Getting socially annihilated was one thing, but more importantly, the police might start keeping an eye on him!
"A game supervised by Miyabi-sensei..."
The owner glanced at the game box on the counter. He not only owned this secondhand game store, but also the light novel shop next door, so he naturally knew what this name represented in the light novel industry.
He was an unquestionable heavyweight!
But this heavyweight had actually made a galgame?
He could not help voicing the same complaint as those readers who had been frequenting the bookstore lately.
"Miyabi-sensei is really getting more and more off track."
But when he saw the string of names listed below, he could not help being moved. He secretly marveled at just how terrifying the game's production lineup was.
Aside from Miyabi-sensei, the overlord of the light novel world, none of the others were ordinary figures either.
The rising star of youth romance light novels, Kasumigaoka Utaha.
The renowned Eri Kashiwagi of the eighteen-and-over doujin scene.
The famous Eromanga-sensei of the doujin world.
Every one of these people was a highly renowned figure in their respective fields.
Moreover, the game's developer was none other than the former doujin circle's Rouge en Rouge. The circle could be considered an evergreen name in the galgame industry, and the works it had released had all sold quite well.
It happened to be Golden Week, so there were plenty of customers in the store.
Whether students enjoying their free time or office workers on holiday, everyone was immersing themselves in this ocean of games.
"Store manager, this game seems pretty popular."
The female high school student sitting beside him at the register looked somewhat surprised at the crowd gathered around one particular area of the store.
Store manager Inoue chuckled. "Keiko, you're not very familiar with the ACGN world, so naturally you don't know how impressive the people who made this game are."
The high school girl glanced at the screen in front of the store manager and asked with some confusion, "How impressive? Those games from the major companies you mentioned before didn't attract this much attention."
"How impressive?"
The store manager thought for a moment before pointing at a certain name on the game box cover.
"Do you know how impressive this person is?"
Miyabi?
The high school girl glanced at it and muttered the name before looking at the store manager.
"Uncle Inoue, you know I don't pay attention to this stuff. I only read manga occasionally."
"This person is known as the strongest middle school light novel author in history. I heard he was still a middle school student when he debuted. Apparently, he's in high school now."
"So that means he's the same age as me?"
The high school girl blinked curiously, suddenly taking an interest.
"Yep!"
The store manager nodded, then said with envy in his eyes, "Do you know how much he earned in the year after debuting while he was still in middle school?"
"How much?"
"According to outside estimates, at least this much."
The store manager raised his right hand and held up three fingers in an OK gesture.
"Three million?!"
Keiko's eyes widened, and she stared at the store manager in disbelief.
The store manager's mouth twitched involuntarily.
"Only three million? Keiko, who are you looking down on?"
"Several middle school students have debuted and achieved that level of income every year in recent years."
"Then could it be... thirty million?!"
Keiko's voice had already begun to tremble, and her head felt as though it were spinning.
Unexpectedly, the owner sighed and shook his head.
"Thirty million is already a lot, but you still have to add another zero to the end."
"Three hundred million!!!"
The girl could not help crying out in shock, her face filled with disbelief.
The customers in the game store were startled and all turned to look in their direction. Keiko hurriedly bowed to apologize to them.
The store manager sighed beside her.
"Now you know how impressive he is, right?"
"You're both the same age, yet you're still working part-time here while he's already achieved financial freedom through his own efforts."
Keiko stood there dazed for a long time before finally calming down.
She took a deep breath, then looked at the game box the owner had placed on the counter.
"Then why did he make a game? And it's..."
Her face flushed slightly.
An eighteen-and-over game, no less.
"Who knows? Maybe he just likes it."
The store manager shrugged, then casually started the game.
The first thing that appeared was a train that seemed to be heading toward the countryside.
A boy and a girl sat facing each other.
The train's steel wheels clattered along the tracks. The boy and girl gazed at the scenery constantly passing outside the window. The golden sun hung high in the azure sky, while blooming sunflowers swept past their field of vision...
"The artwork is amazing!"
The store manager could not help exclaiming.
Based on his many years of experience, he had never seen a game whose visuals could surpass this one.
Keiko also blinked as she watched from the side, amazement filling her eyes.
As the dialogue gradually unfolded, the store manager discovered that this was actually a little-sister-type galgame. Judging by their hair colors, were they biological siblings?!
How thrilling!
The store manager felt himself getting excited.
As the opening sequence passed, an enchanting melody suddenly began playing over the scene of the train heading into the countryside.
The production quality... is incredible!
The store manager stared at the game on the screen in shock. He vaguely felt that this game would very likely become a classic, perhaps even this year's breakout hit!
Just then, several people were already walking toward the register with games in their hands.
The store manager quickly glanced at them and discovered that every game they were carrying was "Yosuga no Sora."
Suppressing his excitement, he said to Keiko, "Keiko, watch the store for a moment."
With that, the store manager quickly picked up the phone and called Gensokyo Corporation.
"Hello! I'd like another hundred... No, two hundred copies of the game!"