The festival was a huge success! I sold my D&D books and started meeting some new people. There was a situation with Nanako, who performed in her maid uniform on the last day, but Kyoya made sure to alleviate any pressure she felt. Speaking of Kyoya, he's not your typical anime protagonist. After all, he kissed Shinoaki right after Nanako's concert. In what anime does a character get a kiss from a love interest 'intentionally' rather than due to a lucky pervert moment?
I also had to cover for Kyoya's relationship with Nanako, as she saw them together while she was with me. And just to clarify, I wasn't trying to seduce her; we were good bros, and a bro doesn't hit on another bro's love interest... Probably.
It seems that Eastern and Western cultures don't mix well, and there's no manual for friendship that condones such behavior. So, I treated Nanako as Kyoya's ex-girlfriend and helped them mend their relationship. However, Nanako is still trying to win Kyoya over.
That guy embodies too many different tropes. He's a time traveler from the future, has earned the respect of multiple talented individuals, caught the interest of three gifted girls, and even received a kiss from one of them. What an atypical anime protagonist!
Now, a few weeks after the festival, something significant happened. We discovered that Tsurayuki comes from a wealthy family but has been struggling financially since he chose to pursue his goals against his family's wishes. He was overworking himself to cover his college expenses. True to the spirit of an anime protagonist, Kyoya found a solution to help Tsurayuki with his college fees: they decided to create a visual novel in about four months, a challenging task.
They also asked for my assistance, but I explained that I couldn't help because I already had other commitments. I advised them to be prepared for a surprise at Comiket. As they poured all their efforts into this project, they began to fall asleep in class, leading to a decline in their grades. To help, I offered them extra lessons; after all, I wanted to support Tsurayuki and ensure they maintained their above-average scores.
During this time, we welcomed a new guest: Tsurayuki's fiancée, Sayuri. She's a cute, dark-haired woman two years older than Tsurayuki and has been his childhood friend. It was clear she was in love with him, but Tsurayuki didn't reciprocate those romantic feelings; there was affection, but it wasn't quite romantic.
Sayuri was a wonderful addition to our household, as she came from a well-off family and always brought high-quality ingredients for our meals together. Everything seemed to be progressing well — Tsurayuki's screenplay, Nanako's songs, Shinoaki's illustrations, Kyoya's direction, and my contributions. However, I noticed a growing problem that I didn't want to let fester.
So, I decided to call for a stop to our work for the evening. We all gathered around the table, with Sayuri sitting next to her beloved Tsurayuki.
"Thanks for listening to me. Before I begin, let me ask you all: what are you trying to accomplish with this project?"
Kyoya was the first to respond: "We want to help Tsurayuki with his bills!"
Nanako chimed in, "Yes, we want to help him!"
Shinoaki added, "We're working on our first project together; it's going to be spectacular!"
Tsurayuki was the last to speak. "We are all here to create our first work."
"Yes, and now, in the reverse order you answered, please tell me how it's going."
"...Honestly, I'm not sure about my scenes. I keep making and reworking them again and again, and I'm a bit worried about our results..."
"The style is not what I prefer, and I'm still trying to find the best poses I can draw."
"...Working on the music behind the computer screen is harder than I thought."
"We're all doing our best; we will succeed!"
I nodded, completely understanding their answers. "I'm glad to hear that, but right now I feel you're all blindly following Kyoya."
"I... I trust Kyoya," Nanako said.
"Me too," Shinoaki added.
"If Kyoya thinks it's better to make a change, I'm okay with it; after all, time and again, he has delivered results," Tsurayuki chimed in.
"Guys..." Kyoya started.
"I'm happy to hear that, but there's something I want to discuss. Yes, Kyoya has proven himself to be a great director and producer, but you all are just as gifted, if not more so."
They all turned slightly red, some thanking me for the compliment, but that wasn't the end.
"However, working on this game is 'drowning' your talent."
"...What do you mean?" Kyoya asked, looking worried. After all, he was a good guy, and this wasn't the result he wanted to achieve.
"It's not anything bad, but it needed to be addressed before more issues arose. Tsurayuki, do you think some changes would improve the story?"
He exchanged a glance with Kyoya before answering truthfully, "I don't like the reworks I've made; the pace is too fast, and some decisions are completely illogical."
"Do you know why you think that?"
"No..."
"Because you are a great storyteller, and you instinctively recognize the errors in this script."
"If my ideas are better, why don't we implement them?"
I took a sip of water, feeling the atmosphere tense as they all leaned in closer for my answer.
"Because you're looking at two different things. Tsurayuki, your focus is on the story, the relationships between the characters, and their development. But Kyoya is looking at the overall product, the complete narrative, and how it will resonate with audiences and generate sales. Tsurayuki, don't ever doubt for a moment that this is not your vocation or that you're here by fluke. Believe me, your talent surpasses that of many, and thinking otherwise would be a disservice to everyone."
Tsurayuki fell silent, as did the rest of the table. His fiancé hugged him from behind, her arms gently comforting him.
I let them digest my words; they could likely see that this applied to more than just Tsurayuki.
"So, the reason you mentioned 'drowning' is because..." Nanako started.
"Because having someone you trust repeatedly tell you that your work isn't good enough and that you need to make adjustments can make you feel inferior to others."
"Then it's my fault for this situation," Kyoya said.
"Nope, it's not your fault; it's no one's fault, to be honest. No issue has arisen; I simply wanted to clarify before problems develop. I need to emphasize this: all of you are extraordinarily talented, and no one can take that away from you. The reason you feel insecure right now isn't that you aren't good enough, but because you can't follow your instincts. Kyoya is trying to help Tsurayuki by getting this game made. To ensure the game is ready for launch on schedule, some adjustments need to be made. The story can't include every element, there can't be too many illustrations, and the music has to be just right. Currently, Kyoya has achieved a balance among these three elements, but if that balance is disrupted, this game won't fulfill your goals."
I paused for a few seconds before continuing.
"But those words alone aren't enough to alleviate the frustration that's already there, so I have just the right response for you. Think this: 'Today, I'm creating this complete game, but someday, I promise we will work on the greatest masterpiece we can create,' and tomorrow you'll feel better than before."
My speech was exactly what they needed to hear, and the rest of the day was spent discussing hypothetical changes for their next project.
"You're also making a doujin. Everyone else has an excuse, but Tsurayuki, you've got your fiancée here. Either you lose your virginity, or you'll be called 'Eternal Virgin Tsurayuki' for the rest of college."
The round of shouts that followed was the perfect ending I hoped for.