On this timeline, Old Xu's script, influenced by Aoki Haruhi, had undergone significant changes.
In his previous life, the Warrior of Love would never have used such a gentle narrative style. He would have tormented the male and female leads to the brink of madness, filling the story with wildly imaginative—and nightmarish—elements that could give readers nightmares.
The Mermaid's Heart was already remarkably mild by comparison.
Even the "love" between the male lead and Suzune felt more natural and pure.
Otherwise, if Gen Urobuchi had maintained his previous approach, Yokoyama would have been driven even more insane.
Aoki Haruhi decided to have a heart-to-heart with Old Xu.
"Wada-san, after giving it careful thought, I believe your script is excellent, full of creativity and originality. However, shouldn't we make some adjustments to the human aspects to avoid criticism from players in the future?"
"Hmm?" Gen Urobuchi stiffened, looking at Aoki Haruhi with confusion.
"See, while this is just one possible ending, the current direction of the script is difficult for players to accept. The male protagonist transforms into a complete monster, devoid of any humanity.
Does such a person truly deserve Suzune?"
"Ugh..." Gen Urobuchi rested his chin in his hand, carefully considering the President's words.
"My thought is, shouldn't a good work not only express the scriptwriter's creative vision but also reflect reality? If we can make it more thought-provoking, giving players something beyond just 'romance' to ponder, and make the relationship between the male and female leads more fitting..."
"Isn't this even better?" Aoki Haruhi said earnestly. "At least, I believe that Wada-san's seemingly twisted worldview in his works actually means—
What truly matters isn't appearance or what meets the eye.
What truly matters is what's inside."
"Mm-hmm," Gen Urobuchi nodded earnestly, his small eyes blinking thoughtfully.
"So now it's completely flipped around," Aoki Haruhi said.
"Huh?" Gen Urobuchi's eyes widened in surprise.
It was like a sudden epiphany.
This realization was something he hadn't anticipated. Even when creating the script, he had followed his instincts completely, never realizing it would cause so many problems for others.
Oh, so this is how this script comes across to people.
Only now did Gen Urobuchi fully understand.
"President, what do you think we should do?" Gen Urobuchi asked earnestly.
Aoki Haruhi smiled faintly and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Wada-san, do you smoke?"
After over three hours of discussion, Gen Urobuchi was thoroughly convinced by Aoki Haruhi's argument.
"Alright, I'll make the changes as you suggested, President. This approach is indeed more natural, fluid, and persuasive.
Whether it's Suzune or Yamazaki Hikaru, they are the world's only mutual bonds."
"Excellent, exactly!" Aoki Haruhi smiled.
"But... the development is already mostly complete. Is it still possible to make such script changes at this stage?" Gen Urobuchi asked.
"Don't worry," Aoki Haruhi said, his brow furrowing briefly before breaking into a smile. "The programming side shouldn't be a problem. I'll handle the communication with the art team."
"No way, President! What did you say before?"
Sakata Taiji, the head of the art department, sat in his chair with a face like he was constipated.
It would have been better for Aoki Haruhi to first clarify things with Sakata and then have him coordinate with Yokoyama.
"There won't be any more large-scale changes like last time, okay? Remember the promise we made when Onmyoji 2 was switched from an all-ages game to a galgame?"
Aoki Haruhi sighed inwardly.
Japanese artists still hadn't been properly trained.
Can you really trust planners when they say "no changes," "it definitely won't happen next time," or "this absolutely won't happen again"?
"I'm deeply sorry! I'm truly, truly sorry!" Aoki bowed deeply to Sakata, then walked over and put an arm around his shoulders. "Sakata-san, I apologize for the last-minute adjustments causing trouble for the art team.
If there were any other way, I wouldn't have asked this of you."
"We're already understaffed as it is. The Diablo project is already stretched thin, and the Mermaid's Heart script needs major revisions. The entire Suzune project team only has one artist. Even if I agreed, it wouldn't be fair to Yokoyama."
Indeed, the Mermaid's Heart project team currently only had five members in total.
One script planner, Gen Urobuchi, one system and level designer, Mikami Shinji, and one artist, Yokoyama Goro. Plus two programmers.
All the pressure was on Yokoyama, no wonder he was furious.
Partly because Diablo needed more people, and partly because The Mermaid's Heart had a smaller workload and lower development difficulty.
"Here's what we'll do," Aoki Haruhi said. "We'll transfer an artist from Diablo."
Sakata Taiji's lips twitched, a bitter taste flooding his mouth.
"Also, I'll be joining the art team myself." Aoki Haruhi stood up and bowed deeply to Sakata Taiji. "Sakata-san, please use me as much as you can—don't hold back!"
Ugh...
Sakata Taiji looked at Aoki Haruhi with a sorrowful expression.
He felt like he'd seen this scene before, as if it had happened somewhere before.
You said exactly the same thing last time!
"Ah~"
Sakata Taiji let out a heavy sigh.
"Of course. As the art director, I won't lower my standards just because you're the President. And—"
"Could you please think things through more carefully before making decisions next time?"
"Don't wait until the project is half-finished to change the script again!"
"Absolutely!" Aoki Haruhi replied with a beaming smile.
After persistent persuasion from Sakata Taiji and Aoki Haruhi, Yokoyama finally accepted the new script proposal.
If the President hadn't stepped in to help, Yokoyama would never have agreed to change the script. However, considering everyone's genuine desire to improve the project, he reluctantly acquiesced.
More importantly, after the revisions, Gen Urobuchi's script had become noticeably smoother and more natural, making it easier to stomach.
This made Yokoyama realize—
The President might have a sharp tongue, but his heart is as soft as tofu. In the end, he still took Yokoyama's feelings into account.
As a gesture of gratitude, Yokoyama decided to push himself just a little harder, even if it was a struggle.
A month had passed.
By the end of April, the main development of The Mermaid's Heart was complete, and the project had moved into its final stages.
Shirakawa Atsushi's soundtrack had been fully integrated into the game.
The only remaining task was the voice acting.
At this pace, The Mermaid's Heart was expected to be released in May.
The entire project team was filled with boundless anticipation and excitement for this day.
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