Chapter 50. What?! Turning Prestigious Academy into Galgame?
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"Tsubaki Furuhara?"
Mika Ishino and Urobuchi Gen both raised their heads at the same time, staring at Kiyoshi Yuuma.
Isn't he Tsubaki Furuhara?
Under their gaze, cold sweat began to form on him.
An interview with Tsubaki Furuhara wouldn't just raise the producer's fame and popularity, it would also give this article explosive appeal. It could even help push Onmyoji to the next level. Even if the readership were limited, having "Tsubaki Furuhara" as a headline was still a strong hook.
It might boost both parties' popularity. By all logic, this should be a win–win.
But Kiyoshi Yuuma didn't see it that way.
What was this reporter thinking?
An interview was absolutely impossible. Over his dead body!
He had no intention of letting his secret identity as Tsubaki Furuhara be exposed, nor did he want the world to know that he was the one making galgames.
He was serious about making real games—AAA titles, classics that would stand the test of time.
How could anyone know that he was Tsubaki Furuhara?!
"Mm… well, Tsubaki Furuhara is a rather introverted person. He doesn't really wish to be exposed to the public eye," Kiyoshi Yuuma said. "I'm terribly sorry."
"Eh?" Katayama frowned in disappointment. "That's really a shame."
They had mainly come for Tsubaki Furuhara. Without an interview with the producer, this report would inevitably feel incomplete.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized—Tsubaki Furuhara wasn't just introverted, he was downright mysterious.
"Well, in that case, we won't force it," Katayama said, dejected.
Still, she couldn't help but admire President Kiyoshi's sense for marketing and self-control.
After all, the more mysterious someone was, the more curious people became, and the more attention they drew.
This, too, was a very clever marketing tactic.
In a way, it was similar to the little galgames Pokeni had produced.
…
"President, now that Onmyoji 2 has been released, what will your company's next project be? Will you continue down the galgame path? Could you perhaps give us just a little hint?"
Katayama smiled, making a small "just a little" gesture with her fingers.
"Well… about that."
Kiyoshi Yuuma returned the smile politely. "For now, there are no new development plans."
In truth, while he said that, several candidate projects were already floating around in his mind—he just hadn't settled on one yet.
One thing was certain: he would never make another galgame. This time, he had to break out.
So the choice of what to develop next was critical.
He couldn't afford to repeat the same mistake he had made with Prestigious Academy.
Even now, in hindsight, he still thought Prestigious Academy had been a good project—short and sharp, with a low development cycle and cost, strong gameplay, and a pixel style perfectly suited to the Famicom era.
The only reason it had been his Waterloo was because of the burden of the "Tsubaki Furuhara" identity. Breaking out with a galgame was simply too difficult.
But he refused to resign himself to making galgames forever.
Was there a way to finally break free?
That was the question troubling him the most now.
"Let's talk about it after the New Year."
"There's no need to rush. Sometimes slowing down actually makes you faster," Kiyoshi Yuuma said.
It was true, the year was nearly over, and the company holiday would begin next week.
Whether in Japan or in China, the New Year was the biggest event.
"Hm?" Katayama blinked in surprise.
Thinking over his words, she realized they carried a trace of philosophy.
Slowing down… could actually be faster?
What an interesting president.
"All right, what the President said makes a lot of sense."
Katayama smiled faintly, then glanced at the cameraman, her eyes asking—
Did you get that just now?
The cameraman replied with an "OK" gesture.
"President, have you ever considered turning Prestigious Academy into a galgame?" Katayama Reiko pressed on.
"Huh?"
Kiyoshi Yuuma froze for a moment.
"What do you mean?"
"Well… if I'm wrong, please forgive me." Katayama gave a slight bow before continuing. "Pokeni is most famous for producing galgames, yet along the way came Prestigious Academy. That naturally sparked a lot of curiosity, since the two games are completely different in style.
I also checked—Prestigious Academy's producer was you personally.
I understand that Tsubaki Furuhara was not used because he needed to focus entirely on the sequel to Onmyoji. But you, as the company president, must have had your own reasons for making Prestigious Academy.
Since Prestigious Academy didn't sell very well, and Pokeni's real strength lies in galgames, I wondered if you might consider reworking it, remaking it into a galgame?"
Eh?
Kiyoshi Yuuma stiffened, his whole body jolting.
A spark flashed through his mind.
This girl… really has some ideas!
That's right…
If Prestigious Academy couldn't sell, what if he considered making an 18+ version?
That might actually bring the game back to life.
But then again, combining Prestigious Academy with a galgame…
Kiyoshi Yuuma couldn't quite figure out the connection just yet.
Even if he were to remake it, though, it definitely couldn't go out under his own name, "Kiyoshi Yuuma."
…
"Well, that's a secret." Kiyoshi Yuuma smiled.
At the side, Mika Ishino's pupils suddenly shrank.
No way?!
Was the president really considering turning Prestigious Academy into a galgame?
How would that even work? There is no way a management and construction simulation game could be meshed with a galgame!