"Kamiyā-kun."
"Kamiyā-kun."
Lying face-down on the animation desk, fast asleep, Kamiyā Yuu faintly heard someone calling him. The remnants of his rational mind told him there was something urgent he hadn't finished. When he barely managed to open his eyes a sliver, he suddenly realized—
—What time is it now!?
His heart jolted, and his drowsiness vanished instantly as he jerked his head up and looked around.
The crimson glow of the setting sun streamed in through the wide windows. Around him, members of the key animation department were casting strange glances his way, quickly averting their eyes when they met his gaze. That scene shattered his last bit of hope—he hadn't just taken a short nap; he had slept through an entire workday.
"Awake now? This is bitter rice tea—it helps refresh the mind. I hope you don't mind the taste." Uehara Etsuki lifted her kimono sleeve slightly and placed a cup of tea on his desk. Seeing his dazed expression, she seemed faintly amused.
Now more alert, Kamiyā Yuu hurriedly stood up and accepted the tea with both hands, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Uehara-senpai." He felt like a student caught sleeping in class—nothing too serious, yet inexplicably guilt-inducing.
"I didn't want to disturb you, seeing how tired you were. But it's already your off-work time. If I didn't wake you, you might miss the evening train." Uehara Etsuki stood calmly beside him, her tone devoid of blame or anger.
Kamiyā Yuu didn't know what to say. One moment of mental slackness had led to this awkward situation. In hindsight, it would've been better to just stay home and rest.
—Why did I even drag myself here in this condition?
"I'm sorry… I practiced key animation all night yesterday." Kamiyā Yuu took a sip of the tea. It was warm, with a hint of bitterness and sweetness, and as it went down, a fragrant aroma spread through him, instantly refreshing his mind.
—Good tea.
Even as someone unfamiliar with tea culture, he could tell this bitter rice tea was different from what he usually drank. It wasn't just the tea leaves—the water temperature and brewing technique were clearly handled with skill.
"Kamiyā-kun, you're pushing your body too hard. That's careless."
Uehara Etsuki shook her head. Noticing the stack of drawings on his desk, she paused before asking, "These are from your practice last night, right? May I take a look?"
There were three stacks of drawings on the desk: one was Uehara Etsuki's own work, one was Kamiyā Yuu's discarded attempts from yesterday at work, and the top stack—naturally—was his overnight practice.
"They're just practice drafts, not corrected copies after tracing. So they don't meet your standards in accuracy and can't be used to fill in production progress," Kamiyā Yuu said honestly, handing over the thick stack with both hands.
Starting from the first sheet, Uehara Etsuki flipped through them one by one. As she went on, her movements slowed, and her scrutinizing gaze gradually revealed appreciation. A faint smile appeared on her lips.
"No—these are enough to prove your determination. With these, I have no grounds to blame you. You could say this fulfills the promise you made to me yesterday, wouldn't you?"
In truth, she was quite surprised. She hadn't expected that in just one night, Kamiyā Yuu would recover his former state—and more than that, these practice drawings clearly showed noticeable improvement in both technique and experience.
Originally, she had estimated that even with his talent, it would take him one or two years of accumulation before he truly reached the threshold of a professional key animator. That was why she had brought him from being a basic animator to serve as her second key animator—she enjoyed the process of polishing a rough stone into jade.
"Uehara-senpai, I'll give it my all over the next two days to complete all the corrected drafts." Kamiyā Yuu took a deep breath and spoke solemnly, almost as if he were about to salute.
His serious demeanor didn't earn her approval. Instead, the gentle smile on Uehara Etsuki's face cooled slightly.
"Kamiyā-kun, you seem to be celebrating too early. I have no reason to blame your work. But as your direct superior, I've reminded you several times to take care of your health. When you were hospitalized before, I was so worried I couldn't sleep for days. This isn't just about your health—it also concerns my reputation as your supervisor."
"I don't want others to think I'm harsh on my subordinates. Do you understand?"
She lifted the stack of drawings and placed them on top of Kamiyā Yuu's head. Seeing him balance them steadily, she smiled gently again.
"There are still thirty minutes before you're off work. As punishment, please try not to move during this time."
"Ah… Uehara-senpai, aren't you being harsh on your subordinate right now?" The words slipped out before he could stop himself, and he nearly felt like punching himself.
—Why is my emotional intelligence this bad!? Staying up all night really messes you up!
Uehara Etsuki smiled sweetly. "Is that so? Then you may try putting those drawings down."
Her voice was as calm and gentle as ever, yet beneath that tranquil surface lay an icy chill that instinctively made Kamiyā Yuu feel threatened.
—She's really angry!
A faint chill ran through him. This seemingly composed and elegant Yamato Nadeshiko also had another nickname within the department: the "Iron-Willed Nadeshiko." Over the years, as an animation director, she had dismissed far more animators than any other department. Once she made a decision, neither the director nor even the company president dared to oppose it easily.
Ordinarily, an animation director wouldn't hold such power. But Uehara Etsuki was the pillar of Kyoni Animation—without her, the company would have gone bankrupt seven or eight years ago. Combined with her reputation in the industry, she had effectively become the true decision-maker of the company.
Uehara Etsuki could exist without Kyoni Animation—but Kyoni Animation could not exist without her.
"This won't happen a second time." Kamiyā Yuu said solemnly—and he meant it. His poor condition this time was entirely due to overindulging in the consciousness space. The immense mental burden it imposed made him realize he needed to control its usage.
"It's good that you understand. This is a gift for you—excuse me."
Maintaining formal Japanese etiquette, Uehara Etsuki placed a lollipop atop the stack of drawings on his head, gave a graceful bow, and walked back to her private office. In a barely audible murmur, she said:
"Optimistic? No—I simply trust my own judgment."
"The changes in Kamiyā-kun are truly remarkable. Jade? Perhaps more like an uncut diamond. The dirt on the surface can no longer conceal its brilliance."
Resting her cheek lightly on her hand, she considered thoughtfully, "With proper polishing, he could become a core member of the key animation department, no less capable than Aoi. That would give us a third pillar—not a bad prospect."
Like Morishita Aoi, she disliked frivolous men. But she also didn't want to see Kamiyā Yuu collapse again from overwork. In her eyes, that was even more foolish than being irresponsible. Years ago, she had dismissed employees like that before. She didn't dislike workaholics—but driving oneself to exhaustion for the sake of work was something she least wanted to see.