I'll post an extra chapter every 400 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 309/400
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And while a "war" was breaking out on the very first day Oregairu was released, a meeting had begun at Toho's headquarters, led by one of the producers. Five men were seated in the room.
Four of them were over 40 and held important positions within the company.
The fifth was Kaito Nakamura, one of the people responsible for finding a screenwriter for a film the company planned to produce in collaboration with Studio Pierrot. His hands were trembling slightly.
'I can't stay calm in front of these guys.'
"You may begin, Mr. Nakamura," said the oldest man, seated at the head of the table. He had white hair.
Kaito took a breath and continued.
"I received the script some time ago and sent it to the representatives at Studio Pierrot. They liked what they read and have already selected a director for the project. However, they need the company's approval to begin working."
After all, Toho would be providing most of the funding.
Other companies were also investing, but Toho was the main one.
This would be the company's first animated film.
"I see. Can you summarize the script for us?" the man asked, clearly impatient.
"A summary? It's not that simple—the script is over 200 pages long. It would be better if you took a few days to—"
"Summarize it, Mr. Nakamura. You should know very well we don't have time to read something like that," another man in the room said.
The others agreed.
'Idiots. They don't care about the story, do they?'
Kaito began summarizing the entire film for the men in front of him. He started from the beginning, talking about Shouya Ishida's suicide attempt and his troubled past, as well as Shouko's.
Of course, the theme was very heavy.
When they heard about the bullying—extremely harsh and uncomfortable—one of the investors said,
"We can't produce something like this. It's too heavy a subject. I don't want to take that risk."
"Mr. Aribe is right. We can't take that risk. There aren't many works that deal with this topic for a reason—it's very delicate."
They knew that the "culture of bullying" was still very strong in Japan. The rise of hikikomori and suicides was often linked to it.
Even though Kyo had never witnessed it himself, his school was an exception.
Besides, it's much more common in high school.
"Even so, it handles the subject very well. The author, Aoi Haruki, definitely didn't treat it lightly."
"Even so, I don't think this is a good idea. You said the Pierrot representatives agreed to produce it, right? Tell them not to proceed. Contact another screenwriter."
"Aoi Haruki is one of the most talked-about authors of recent years. He took the time to write this, you know? It's very good. At least let me finish summarizing the story—you'll definitely understand its appeal."
"Just do as I say and contact the studio. Discard that thing." The man pointed at the papers in Nakamura's hands.
Nakamura tried to convince them a few more times, but in the end…
"Yes, sir." He bit his lower lip and left the room.
Once outside, he looked at the script again—and smiled.
'Discard this? That would be madness.'
He took out his phone and, as he walked down the hallway, called someone.
"Are you busy right now? No? I've got something incredible for you, sis."
#####
Asuna Nakamura, an animator and director who works directly with CloverWorks, had just finished reviewing storyboards for an anime the studio was producing when she received a call.
It was her younger brother, Kaito Nakamura.
She was 32. Her younger brother, 23, had recently graduated from college.
"Are you busy right now?"
"I just finished my work for today. What happened? Are you at the company?"
"I've got something incredible for you, sis."
"At least answer my question."
"I'm at the company. I just got out of a meeting with the company's producers and directors. I'm still shaking."
"You didn't mess anything up, did you?"
"No, of course not. I was just there to present a script I have. And that's exactly what I have for you!"
Hearing that, Asuna became interested.
"A script? Did you write it?"
"Do you know the author Aoi Haruki?"
"The author of Overlord? Of course. I even worked on some episodes of the anime." The anime had been produced at CloverWorks. The next season was scheduled to air in the summer, in July.
"This script was written by him."
"What? I didn't know he wrote screenplays."
"I think it's his first one—and it's incredible. You need to read it. It's a really powerful drama."
"But why do you have it?"
"I contacted him to see if he was available to write a script for the company, and he accepted. But the company doesn't want to produce the film—they said it's too risky because it includes scenes of school bullying."
"That really is problematic."
"I'm serious, sis—it's incredible. I have the digital version, I'll send it to you by email right now. Since the company won't produce it, I want you to try to find someone to invest in it. I'm sure it'll be a success. You have a high position at the studio, right? I'm sure you can do it."
"It's not that simple."
"Just read it and tell me what you think. I'll contact Aoi Haruki and tell him about our conversation. I'm sure he won't mind negotiating the rights with another company—or maybe even directly with the studio!"
'This kid… it's not that simple,' Asuna thought.
"Alright, send it to me. I'll read it today."
"I will."
The call ended, and a few minutes later, a new email arrived for Asuna.
"Koe no Katachi…" Asuna murmured the title of the film.
After reading just a few pages, her excitement reached its peak.
"I have to work on this."
She was completely captivated.
####
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