Among the departments Morishita Aoi mentioned for expansion, there was no Sound Department. This was not her oversight, but because they already had a more suitable choice.
They planned to acquire Shindō Tsukasa's music studio and merge it into 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio. Not only would this save them a great deal of trouble, but the music studio's extensive experience and Shindō Tsukasa's industry connections were both extremely necessary for the studio's early development.
It was still the same old office building without any signage.
When Kamiyā Yuu walked inside, he noticed that most of the staff had already become busy. It was now mid-May, the critical period when seasonal anime productions in Japan were wrapping up. Quite a few of the music studio employees recognized Kamiyā Yuu as he passed by. Unlike before, they now greeted him respectfully instead of casually.
"Mr. Kamiyā, are you here to see Mr. Shindō again?"
"Mr. Kamiyā, I watched the work you released on the 'Fakebook' website. I still can't believe I participated in the music production for that project."
"Mr. Kamiyā, congratulations on your work becoming such a huge success!"
Kamiyā Yuu responded to each of them with a smile.
He had commissioned Shindō Tsukasa's music studio to produce much of the background music for the 'RWBY' animated film, so nearly everyone here knew that this ordinary-looking young man was actually the producer behind the 'RWBY' animated film that had caused such a sensation overseas.
Many employees still found it hard to believe. Company gossip had already informed them how highly 'RWBY' was praised by mainstream Western media. As the chief director, Kamiyā Yuu was practically an industry legend.
For such an important figure to greet and respond to them kindly both before and now left them feeling deeply flattered.
And that feeling was not exaggerated. Influenced heavily by Japanese culture, Japanese society instinctively respected capable and successful people.
"Miss Seiko, is Mr. Shindō inside?"
Kamiyā Yuu skillfully greeted the receptionist with a smile. Although he had not visited many times, he still remembered the important faces.
The receptionist, Miss Seiko, had been processing documents and had not noticed Kamiyā Yuu's arrival. Upon hearing his voice, she hurriedly stood up from her chair and bowed.
"Yes! Mr. Shindō is still here."
Kamiyā Yuu waved helplessly with a laugh.
"Miss Seiko, I'm not some idol. You can treat me the same way as before, I'll start feeling awkward too."
She carefully glanced at Kamiyā Yuu's expression before finally relaxing. Thinking back to how casually she used to treat him, her cheeks immediately flushed hot.
After calming herself down, she forced out a shy smile and said, "Please wait a moment, Mr. Kamiyā. Mr. Shindō is currently in a meeting room. I'll notify him right away."
After bowing again, she walked toward the studio's conference room.
Not long afterward, the receptionist jogged back and respectfully said, "Mr. Kamiyā, Mr. Shindō asked me to bring you to the meeting room."
After thanking her, Kamiyā Yuu followed her to a nearby small conference room. However, the moment he opened the door and saw the people inside, he froze slightly.
Besides Shindō Tsukasa, the room also contained his old friend Fujiwara Tora and an unfamiliar businesswoman. They sat around the conference table, where two or three stacks of white documents had been placed.
"Kamiyā, your serious and capable assistant, isn't the one visiting this time?"
Shindō Tsukasa, looking like a worn-out middle-aged man, sat in the center of the room and waved toward Kamiyā Yuu with a grin.
The muscular and sharp-eyed Fujiwara Tora wore a black suit, looking exactly like a professional bodyguard. As always, he greeted Kamiyā Yuu enthusiastically.
"Yo, long time no see."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and nodded in greeting. Since they were all familiar faces, he casually pulled out a chair and sat down without restraint.
"This time, I have something important to discuss with Shindō. I felt like I had to come personally. Speaking of which, Fujiwara, don't tell me this lady beside you is your girlfriend?"
Fujiwara Tora burst into laughter.
"That would be quite disrespectful to her, although I'd certainly love to have an outstanding woman like Miss Miyamori as my girlfriend."
The career woman named Miyamori glared dissatisfiedly at Fujiwara Tora before standing up and bowing solemnly toward Kamiyā Yuu in self-introduction.
"My name is Miyamori Aoi. I currently serve as Assistant Production Manager at Sunrise Company and am presently studying under Mr. Fujiwara."
Fujiwara Tora praised her as well.
"Miss Miyamori is an exceptionally capable newcomer. She managed to secure this position less than a year after joining Sunrise Company."
"That's only because Mr. Fujiwara practically forced the role onto me!" Miyamori Aoi muttered unhappily.
Her neat, shoulder-length hair, combined with her attractive appearance, gave her a heroic and competent air. Although she could not compare to Kamiyā Sora's dreamlike beauty, she possessed the kind of qualities that inspired trust and encouragement in others.
Kamiyā Yuu chuckled and shook his head before casually asking about Fujiwara Tora's usual lackey.
"Where's Kimura, anyway?"
The moment Kimura was mentioned, Fujiwara Tora sighed in disappointment.
"That guy's still working as a production assistant. To think he got surpassed by a newcomer who joined the company less than a year ago... seriously..."
"Alright, alright, enough catching up."
Feeling that the conversation would otherwise continue endlessly, Shindō Tsukasa raised his hand to interrupt.
"So, Kamiyā, what did you come to see me about?"
Kamiyā Yuu glanced thoughtfully at the white documents on the table before Shindō Tsukasa and Fujiwara Tora.
"I'm not in a hurry. Compared to that, I'm more curious about why Fujiwara came to see you."
"What else could it be besides work?"
Fujiwara Tora raised the document in his hand and smiled.
"It's about the voice acting arrangements for the anime 'Magical Girl MeowMeow Lu,' which Sunrise Company plans to release in July. Nothing major."
Magical girl?
A strange smile appeared on Kamiyā Yuu's face.
"A magical girl theme, huh. Speaking of which, I'm also planning to release a work with a similar theme in July."
Both Shindō Tsukasa and Fujiwara Tora were stunned.
After realizing Kamiyā Yuu was not joking, Fujiwara Tora frowned in astonishment.
"Kamiyā... are you serious?"
Kamiyā Yuu nodded.
"The overseas market ultimately isn't the field I want to focus on developing."
Shindō Tsukasa lit a cigarette and tried to persuade him with a troubled tone.
"You're not someone on the same level as us anymore. With your abilities, if you focused on developing the 3D animation industry, forget Japan—your name would probably be remembered worldwide. So why come back to this tiny pond that is Japan?"
He took a drag before continuing.
"Japanese animation no longer has the same momentum it once did. For someone like you, achieving success here would actually be far harder than overseas. The rewards you could gain here can't even compare to what's available abroad. Even so, you still intend to develop within Japan's animation industry?"
Miyamori Aoi sat there with a completely confused expression, unable to understand what Fujiwara Tora and the others were talking about.
Kamiyā Yuu smiled faintly.
"This industry still has a lot of room for growth. And those so-called industry rules aren't a problem for me. If something doesn't exist, I'll simply create it myself."
"As for why I want to return to Japan's animation industry..."
He looked toward Fujiwara Tora.
"Fujiwara, you should understand better than anyone. My reason is pretty much the same as why you joined Sunrise Company."
Kamiyā Yuu's almost arrogant declaration caused Fujiwara Tora to freeze for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
"Haha~ I get it! I get it! That really sounds like you, Kamiyā!"
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Morishita Aoi - Kamiyā Yuu's trusted assistant and one of the company's core staff
Miyamori Aoi - Assistant Production Manager at Sunrise Company