"Gonna need more money."
Facing Director Koharu, Fuyukawa Tetsu didn't mince words about his goal.
Truth be told, he wasn't exactly thrilled about making another Surrounded by Beauties. Filming meant dealing with budgets, auditioning actors, and running around theaters—time he didn't have while working on Sekiro. But if he could just write a script and still get a cut of the profits, that was a deal he could work with.
Straight-up asking for cash!
Though Koharu had expected Fuyukawa to consider the project for Izumi Himawari's sake, his bluntness caught her off guard. She picked up her reading glasses, wiped them with a cloth, and smiled. "Looks like Team Leader Fuyukawa's pretty confident. Even with your success in this genre, you're not personally leading this project, so the profit share won't be as high as Surrounded by Beauties."
Sipping her oolong tea, a thoughtful glint crossed her eyes. "You seem to thrive on high-risk, high-reward work. How about this: we stick with a tiered profit-sharing model for this game? Of course, since this isn't a priority for our second department, we can't offer as generous a starting share as President Asai did."
"No problem," Fuyukawa nodded.
President Asai's deal for the roguelike game was a whopping 10% of net profits at 200,000 units sold—an insane cut. That was partly because roguelikes are low-cost to produce, but mostly because Asai needed someone to take on the risk to avoid a flop. The second department's sequel to Surrounded by Beauties—or rather, a similar live-action interactive game—was more of a test run, not a must-have.
Different needs, different prices. Fuyukawa got that, and so did Koharu.
Seeing he wasn't pushing for an unreasonable share, Koharu nodded with a smile. "Alright, then. I'll have Team Leader Hase arrange for Sistar's people to coordinate with you directly. Once the proposal and your script are ready, we'll talk about the tiered profit share."
"Sounds good. Thanks, Director Koharu."
Standing to adjust his suit, Fuyukawa turned to leave. But as he reached the door, Koharu's voice called out.
"The game's launching tonight, right? Wishing you a big success."
"Haha, thanks for the good vibes."
---
The Binding of Isaac was set to launch tonight.
The NTsoft team was buzzing with anticipation, and Fuyukawa was quietly excited too.
In his previous life, The Binding of Isaac didn't exactly light up the charts at launch. For the first two weeks, it sold just over a hundred copies a day. That was because its creator, E-Fat, hadn't made it with sales in mind. The game was a deeply personal project tied to E-Fat's childhood, almost self-indulgent. If his girlfriend hadn't warned him his savings were running dry, he might've released it for free.
With no marketing push and built on a Flash framework—think those tiny 4399 games like Beat Up the Kids—the early version of Isaac was small-scale, riddled with bugs, and lagged on everything from a 750 to a 3080TI. Instead of soaring sales, it got roasted by the "paid beta testers" who bought it.
But Isaac's quality was undeniable. While most games peak in sales within the first month and then taper off, Isaac was a slow burn. A late bloomer.
Two weeks post-launch, word-of-mouth kicked in, and sales skyrocketed. Without any marketing budget, purely through industry buzz and player recommendations, daily sales jumped from a hundred to thousands.
"NTsoft's poured an A-tier marketing budget into this game. My starting point's way higher than E-Fat's. Plus, I'm launching with The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, which is a huge step up in quality from E-Fat's original. Still, the roguelike market's niche. Tonight's probably just the starting line."
Isaac was undeniably a breakout hit. Anyone who played single-player games had likely seen or heard of that bald little guy and Isaac's distinct art style. But breaking out of its niche didn't just take an A-tier marketing push—not even an S-tier one could do it instantly. It needed time to ferment in the player community, sparking organic discussion to break through the roguelike ceiling. An A-tier budget would just speed up that process.
---
Lost in thought, Fuyukawa stepped out of the elevator onto the sixth floor and immediately froze.
"Good afternoon, Team Leader Fuyukawa!"
A middle-aged man in a suit strode out of the general office at the end of the hall. With slicked-back hair straight out of a classic film, he flashed a thrilled smile, hurrying over to bow deeply. "I hope you'll forgive my sudden visit, Team Leader Fuyukawa! But it'd be rude to come to NTsoft and not pay my respects!"
"…"
Glancing at the man, then at Izumi Himawari, who'd followed him out of the office with wide, surprised eyes, Fuyukawa felt a headache coming on. Still, he kept his composure and returned a slight bow. "No need to be so formal, Deputy Director Tanaka."
Tanaka was a deputy director at Sistar, a decently high rank for an idol agency. But Sistar was leagues below NTsoft, and Fuyukawa wasn't in the mood to chat with this guy.
Under Izumi's stunned and curious gaze, he exchanged a few pleasantries, ready to head back to his office. But then—
"Team Leader Fuyukawa! Deputy Director Tanaka! Perfect timing!"
"…"
Fuyukawa sighed as the elevator doors opened behind him. Team Leader Hase from Kuroki Studio stepped out, clutching a stack of documents, her stern face lit up with an unusually sunny smile as she hurried toward him.
No joke—though she and Fuyukawa were both team leaders, her Kuroki Studio was barely bigger than Light Bird used to be, and her influence in the company paled in comparison to his. Most importantly, she wanted to leverage Fuyukawa's reputation. Having his name on the script was a natural draw, pulling in Surrounded by Beauties fans.
When you want something, you get a bit… obsequious.
Hase's smile didn't falter as she launched into subtle flattery. Seeing her reaction, Tanaka, a seasoned corporate player, caught on quick. Was Fuyukawa considering the project because of Izumi Himawari?
Double-team flattery!
The hallway filled with the polished, not-too-obvious compliments of two corporate veterans.
Fuyukawa was over it. He couldn't just shoo them away, though. Shooting a glance at a bewildered Izumi, he turned to Mrs. Nogi. "Nogi, clear out the small meeting room and take these two there. I'll be right over."
"Got it, Team Leader! Deputy Director Tanaka, Team Leader Hase, this way, please."
"Thank you, Director Nogi! Oh, Team Leader Fuyukawa, the girls are downstairs. Should I call—"
Tanaka started to ask as he followed Nogi, but Fuyukawa cut in with a nod. "Sure. And if you're only pushing your agency's talent, bring everyone who's free. I'll take a look to help with the script."
"Hai! Hai! Team Leader Fuyukawa, you don't mess around!"
Things were moving this smoothly? And Fuyukawa was writing the script himself?
Tanaka's heart leapt as he nodded eagerly. But Fuyukawa was already done with him, giving a quick nod to Hase before letting Nogi escort them to the meeting room. He then led a sheepish Izumi Himawari—bold at home but shy in public—back to his office amid employee greetings.
---
After Light Bird's expansion, Fuyukawa's office had gotten an upgrade too.
"Make yourself at home."
Hanging his black suit on the rack, Fuyukawa rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, grabbed two colas, popped one open for himself, and handed the other to Izumi.
Seeing her still-dazed expression, he plopped onto the sofa with a grin. "Yo, what's on your mind? Did that scene back there spook you?"
"No way! Don't underestimate me, you old perv!"
Back in their private bubble, Izumi snapped to life, her clear eyes rolling as she grabbed the cola and took a sip.
Her face screamed I don't care about anyone, but seeing Fuyukawa in work mode—watching higher-ups who usually strutted around the company bow and smile to him—had shaken her. The Fuyukawa who lounged in sweats watching TV at home and the elite professional before her felt like two different people, clashing in her mind.
Fuyukawa didn't quite pick up on her thoughts. Taking a swig of cola, he recalled her deferential attitude toward Tanaka and slid closer on the sofa. "You've gotta be bolder out there, kid. Don't let people take advantage of you and thank them for it."
"What do you mean, 'taken advantage of'?! Let go of me, you perv! Hey, what are you—"
Izumi tried to stay tough, but mid-sentence, Fuyukawa pinched her cheeks.
Normally, she'd have kicked him with her black-stockinged feet, but they were in the office, surrounded by "grown-ups." As Fuyukawa's face got closer, her eyes filled with panic and deepening shyness.
Feeling his warm breath on her nose, she squeezed her eyes shut. But a second later, her lips were only lightly pinched. Opening her eyes, she met Fuyukawa's teasing gaze.
"What a perv, always ready to get in the mood."
"You jerk! You're gonna pay for that!"
Blushing furiously, Izumi pounced, her petite frame pressing against his chest as she tried to pinch his face. But at 5'2", she was no match for him. He grabbed her wrists, and she was stuck.
After a playful struggle, she collapsed onto his chest, panting, her face flushed with shyness. "You big jerk, you never let me win~"
Before she could finish, Fuyukawa scooped her up like a kitten. In her shy and startled gaze, he sat up, placing her face-to-face on his lap. Then—smack!
"Eek!"
Her pleated skirt swayed as a sharp but not-too-painful sting hit. Clinging to Fuyukawa's neck, Izumi let out a whimper, her flushed face brimming with springtime charm. "Why'd you hit me?!"
"Because you're a dummy. You think Tanaka brought you to NTsoft today out of the goodness of his heart? He's using you to gauge my reaction, hoping to score some benefits."
Looking at Izumi perched on his lap, her face red as a peach, Fuyukawa's tone was stern, but his eyes held no real blame. His hand delivered another smack, lingering this time.
"Ugh—"
Feeling the firm grip, Izumi's eyes grew hazy. Clinging to his neck, she mumbled, shy and aggrieved, "I didn't know, okay? I won't come next time—"
Smack!
"Hiss—"
Another hit, the sharp sensation surging from her peach-like curves to her heart. Unable to stay put, she collapsed into his arms, hands still around his neck, her gaze dazed. "I said I'm sorr—ugh, go easy~"
Feeling the grip tighten, she let out another whimper.
Looking down at her dazed eyes, past her head to the perky peach he was kneading, Fuyukawa shook his head helplessly. "You still don't get it. It's fine for you to come—when Tanaka asks, you should come. But you need to understand the full picture, the why and how. Only then can you weigh the pros and cons. The entertainment world's a messy place. If you don't even know what someone wants, you'll get eaten alive, bones and all. Got it?"
"Mmm…"
It was the first time Fuyukawa had spoken to her like this. Izumi's hazy eyes began to clear.
The old perv really cares about me, huh?
Her clear, autumn-water eyes shifted from confusion to something softer, dreamier.
Looking up at Fuyukawa, her lips parted slightly. "Little Fluff knows she messed up, okay? You… you can ask for compensation, mmm~"
Their lips met.
Kneeling on his lap, arms around his neck, head tilted up, Izumi felt his warm breath, the humiliating yet thrilling position, the grip on her skirt. She was completely lost in the moment.
As their emotions heated up and Fuyukawa's hand started to wander inward—knock, knock, knock!
"Team Leader, everyone's in the meeting room."
Mrs. Nogi's voice snapped them back to reality.
"Eek! This is all your fault, making me lose track of time!"
Sitting up, her face flushed, Izumi hurriedly wiped her chin, her wide eyes nervously glancing at the door. But a second later, they widened further.
"What're you scared of? You're too shy out there, and that's why you struggle to think clearly."
Kissing her neck, Fuyukawa stood, straightening his shirt. But before leaving, he pinched her cheek again. "And no more avoiding me at home."
"B-but—"
"Hm?"
"…Fine, got it!"
Watching him grab files from his desk, Izumi, still on the sofa, gazed at him with a dreamy look. But then, Sayoko's gentle face flashed in her mind.
Her expression froze, only for a cold, vixen-like smile to join Sayoko's image in her head.
"No way, no way I'm letting that vixen win!"