Chapter 37. [Tsubaki Furuhara] Activation
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The next afternoon, Kiyoshi Yuuma visited DUN along with Onmyoji 2's scriptwriter Urobuchi Gen and hardware engineer Asakawa Hiroki.
In the meeting room, Kiyoshi Yuuma submitted a new cooperation proposal.
When she saw the new proposal, Tsuda Nao was a little surprised.
What's with this guy? How did he change his mind overnight?
Today, Tsuda Nao was dressed in a white blazer, with a sleek medium-length haircut, looking sharp and capable.
"President Kiyoshi, you're aware of DUN's investment standards and conditions, right?" she asked, flipping through the proposal with a blank expression.
"Yes." Kiyoshi Yuuma nodded. "After careful consideration, we decided it would be best to have DUN on board. So we redrafted the proposal, which should benefit both Pokeni and DUN."
After returning last night, Kiyoshi Yuuma couldn't sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, his mind echoed with what he'd seen in a previous questionnaire:
[We need Tsubaki Furuhara-sensei!]
The name "Tsubaki Furuhara" had already become synonymous with galgames.
If Tsuda Nao hadn't "forced" that move back then, the name Tsubaki Furuhara probably wouldn't even exist now.
Currently, Prestigious Academy's sales were abysmal.
Beyond poor sales, many distributors had lost faith in Pokeni, which had already severely impacted Onmyoji 2's pre-order agreements.
If Onmyoji 2 also flopped, Kiyoshi Yuuma knew he wouldn't be able to shoulder that responsibility. The company could very well be pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.
Given that, abandoning the galgame component of Onmyoji 2 and going for independent development now seemed completely out of place. Kiyoshi Yuuma had originally believed having Urobuchi writing the script would be enough, but on deeper reflection, cold sweat ran down his back.
The risk was too high.
In this situation, bringing in an investor was a smarter move.
More importantly—
Onmyoji 2's development was currently at a bottleneck. Most of the game was already done, and switching to a galgame now would undeniably increase the costs significantly.
For one, a large number of new art assets would be needed.
Some original character designs would also have to be altered.
Most critically, following the galgame format would require major narrative changes.
The money earned from Onmyoji 1 might not be enough to cover those new costs.
So Kiyoshi Yuuma held an emergency meeting that very night with the Onmyoji 2 team and, after thorough discussion, they decided to return to the galgame route.
Though he was extremely reluctant deep down, Kiyoshi Yuuma gritted his teeth and made the hard decision. Since Onmyoji 1 had already gone down this path, they might as well let the whole Onmyoji series become galgames.
Then in the future, once they'd earned enough from galgames, they could finally get back on track.
As long as they had enough funds, Kiyoshi Yuuma believed they could pursue a milestone-level game—like Diablo! Why wouldn't they eventually return to their original vision?
If money and artistic integrity couldn't coexist… then he had no choice but to "dive into the industry" for now.
…
"So you're saying, you've agreed to make the new game a galgame?" Tsuda asked, eyes still on the proposal.
"Yes." Kiyoshi Yuuma gritted his teeth.
But this would be the last time!
As long as Onmyoji 2 could earn enough to fund the next game, Kiyoshi Yuuma vowed that next time, he would think things through and choose a project that could finally bring him back ashore.
Tsuda Nao nodded slightly and fell silent, focusing on the proposal.
After flipping a few pages, she gradually became immersed in the new story.
How should I put this?
Though the writing style was different from Onmyoji 1, the story was undeniably captivating.
If Onmyoji 1 had a delicate, sorrowful elegance, then Onmyoji 2 revealed a skeleton of steel beneath its plot structure.
It was clearly written by a man with a sensitive touch.
Yet this penmanship still managed to stir something inside Tsuda Nao.
She smiled at times, frowned at others. Even though the script only included the opening scenes and final chapter, it still gave her a strong sense of immersion and left her wanting more.
Hmm~
More than an hour had passed.
Tsuda Nao bit her lip anxiously and turned to the last page.
Ah~ so it ends like this.
It was unexpected, yet made sense.
The key question was—
She didn't know what to say.
Was this a comedy, or a tragedy?
For some reason, after finishing the proposal, she felt a lingering emptiness in her heart.
"That's wonderful."
Tsuda Nao let out a sigh of admiration. "It's like savoring a delicious literary feast. And in the end... huh?"
She was just about to close the proposal when she noticed an apology letter from Kiyoshi Yuuma on the back.
[Sorry.
I shouldn't have dragged you to see the window girls.
I don't have any feelings for her.
But… I do really want to see your body.
That's sincere.]
…
Hmm…
Tsuda Nao suddenly froze.
She hadn't expected Kiyoshi Yuuma to actually do something like this.
He was simply—
Silly.
Tsuda Nao silently chuckled, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
…
"Huh?!"
Urobuchi Gen and Asakawa Hiroki, sitting beside her, were utterly confused.
That final scene was supposed to be extremely melancholic and heartbreaking, yet Tsuda Nao was laughing?
Are all company presidents just emotionless monsters—or perhaps emotionally disordered freaks?
When President Kiyoshi Yuuma read my script, he had the same kind of expression too…
Or could it be—
Urobuchi Gen furrowed his brows. Was I really unable to grasp the tragic beauty President Kiyoshi wanted to convey, and ended up writing a subpar story? Is that why President Tsuda laughed?
Or… was she simply dissatisfied with my story and it didn't meet her expectations?
But then, what about the praise she just gave?
…
Only Kiyoshi Yuuma, sitting like a motionless Buddha beside them, took it all in—and for some reason, felt a wave of joy.
You guys didn't even see the same proposal she did. What do you know?
"Though the writing style is completely different from Onmyoji 1, I have to admit, this really is a great story." Tsuda Nao closed the proposal and looked up seriously.
"In that case, Onmyoji 2 is indeed worth our investment."
Moreover, the proposal from Pokeni was quite fair: DUN would cover half of the development budget, and post-release profits would be split 50-50.
"Alright then, let's work well together from now on." Kiyoshi Yuuma stood up and extended his right hand to Tsuda Nao.
"Yes! Let's work together."
Tsuda Nao smiled, stood up, and took his hand in hers.