Kamiyā Yuu had never felt time to be so insufficient. Twenty-four hours in a day seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, and before he knew it, it was already time to sleep. At home, he busied himself with daily chores like cooking, doing laundry, and cleaning. Occasionally, when he had free time, being alone with Kamiyā Sora made the hours quietly slip away.
Kamiyā Sora was like a cold yet clingy kitten—hard to read, yet possessing a strange charm that drew people in. Even if the two of them simply idled in the same house, Kamiyā Yuu would feel at ease. Not to mention the work on the MAYA 3D modeling software and the 'Red' chapter, which left him with almost no spare time at all.
What used to feel like dull subway rides were now spent editing software code. Once he arrived at the company, he could hardly stop working. His sense that time wasn't enough didn't come from being overwhelmed, but from the fulfillment he felt as he continuously enriched himself through his work.
Creating key animation for 'Mr. Onigiri Man' allowed him to accumulate ample experience. Whenever he thought about the bonus he could earn—and the desktop computer he could upgrade to—he became even more motivated.
The development of the MAYA 3D modeling software and the increasingly detailed setup of the 'Red' chapter were progressing steadily. This filled him with excitement, giving him the same sense of accomplishment as drawing key animation. Soon, his own 'RWBY' would officially be presented to the people of this world. He believed this 3D short animation would undoubtedly stir up quite a wave in the ACG scene here.
Especially the 'Red' chapter—its visuals had reached a level even Kamiyā Yuu himself found hard to criticize. The level of detail far surpassed that of ordinary 3D animation in this world. At this point, only one final element remained for the short animation: music.
Kamiyā Yuu didn't intend to change the melancholic music used in the promotional video. However, with the revised plot, the appearance of the giant wolf Sif would definitely require more intense music that better matched the theme of the animation to elevate the atmosphere. In his view, the three core elements of animation were visuals, story, and music. A fitting BGM could push both emotional impact and narrative to their peak. Examples included 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis' from 'EVA', the ED 'secret base -Kimi ga Kureta Mono' from 'Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day', and 'Ichiban no Takaramono' from Key's 'Angel Beats!'.
Because of this, he had recently been cramming music knowledge into his mental space. There, his creative drive was incredibly strong, and composing suitable background music turned out to be much easier than he had expected.
For the current Kamiyā Yuu, visuals and story were no problem—he could handle those alone. The real difficulty lay in the music. While he could create visuals and a story by himself, he couldn't materialize music into this world alone. For that, he would need to commission a professional music studio to record the tracks, and the cost would be astronomical for him right now.
…
"Morishita-senpai, these are today's storyboard key frames. Please review them again," Kamiyā Yuu said as he approached Morishita Aoi's desk after work, as usual, submitting the results of his day's work. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes—he was curious to see how her usually serious expression would change upon seeing the quantity he had completed.
In just one afternoon, he had finished a little over three cuts' worth of key animation. That was three times his output from the previous day and enough to complete the remaining work within a week. In other words, he had done the equivalent of two days' work for a typical key animator in a single afternoon.
Just as he expected, Morishita Aoi, who had been focused on her own drawing, glanced at him. The moment she saw the thick stack of key frames in his hands, she froze in surprise, even before finishing her own work. Her slender brows lifted, and disbelief appeared on her usually serious face.
"Kamiyā-kun, how did you complete so many key frames today? Did you continue working after going home? No—even then, this amount shouldn't be possible…"
Kamiyā Yuu smiled slightly. Her astonishment was the best affirmation of his ability. "Mm, I'm the same as you, Morishita-senpai—I don't believe in overtime. It's all thanks to your guidance yesterday. I got familiar with the process of creating key animation, so my speed improved today."
Morishita Aoi removed her arm sleeves and took the stack from him, shaking her head. "This isn't something that can be explained by 'a bit of improvement.' You still have second key animation work as well, don't you?" She flipped through the pages carefully. Compared to yesterday, there was clear progress. Especially after she had pointed out areas for correction that morning, none of the same mistakes appeared in the afternoon's submission.
—This learning ability… It's honestly discouraging.
She looked at Kamiyā Yuu with a strange expression and sighed. "Birds of a feather, I suppose. When it comes to being astonishing, Kamiyā-kun is no less impressive than Etsuki."
"Well, this saves me quite a bit of trouble." She set the key frames aside, then, after a moment's thought, opened her drawer and took out a strawberry milk–flavored lollipop, handing it to him. With a rare mischievous smile on her cool, serious face, she said, "Etsuki gave this to me, but I don't really eat these. You like this flavor, right? Consider it an apology for troubling you this week."
"Compared to that concentrated black coffee last time, I definitely prefer lollipops," Kamiyā Yuu replied with a smile as he accepted it. He wasn't particularly fond of lollipops, but strawberry milk was indeed his favorite flavor. He wasn't sure how Morishita Aoi knew that.
Hearing this, Morishita Aoi swiveled around in her chair. Beneath her suit skirt, her long legs clad in sheer black stockings crossed elegantly. Resting her chin lightly on her hand atop the desk, her serious face curved into a delicate, almost enchanting smile, softened by the fiery glow of the setting sun.
"I'd actually like to treat you to a meal," she said, "but unfortunately, I can't find the time lately—unless you're willing to wait here at the company until eight in the evening."
That smile made Kamiyā Yuu momentarily lose focus, a sense of indescribable amazement rising within him. Everything seemed ordinary, yet carried a kind of fatal beauty. He couldn't understand how a woman who usually appeared so cool and serious could suddenly seem so… alluring.
"Then I'll just wait for that meal in November. When the time comes, I won't hold back—I'll eat for two," Kamiyā Yuu said with a grin, lightly shaking the lollipop. Uehara Etsuki had already told him about the bet and the plan to go to an izakaya in November.
"It's not even October yet, and you're already thinking about November?" Morishita Aoi replied helplessly. "Alright then—when the time comes, Etsuki and I will cover your share together."
After more than a month of working together, her attitude toward Kamiyā Yuu had clearly softened, the earlier sense of distance and strictness gradually fading away.