Inside the spacious office sat a long table. Seated before it were Morishita Aoi and Kamiyā Yuu, reviewing the resumes in their hands. Not far from the table was an ordinary chair.
This was a room specially set aside by 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio for conducting final interviews with applicants.
At present, the studio already had plenty of manpower, but the distribution was uneven, so additional staff still needed to be recruited to fill in missing departments. For example, Kamiyā Yuu had previously neglected the Production Department, resulting in the situation where Morishita Aoi was still technically the department's only Production Director.
"There are still thirty-six applicants left. Looks like we'll need the entire afternoon after all."
Kamiyā Yuu lay sprawled across the table and complained in boredom, though the interview process itself was fairly interesting.
Morishita Aoi, seriously reviewing the resume before her, brushed aside her short black hair by her ear. Her cool and focused eyes glanced toward the lazy Kamiyā Yuu beside her as she said calmly:
"So, Yuu, are you saying you want to push all this work onto me? Or are you dissatisfied with conducting interviews together with me?"
During this period, the busiest person in 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio had undoubtedly been her. She handled every matter, large and small, throughout the company. Despite being someone who normally rejected overtime work, Kamiyā Yuu's requests had forced her to work late into the night regularly.
Sometimes, when she became too tired and missed the last train home, she would simply sleep beneath the office desk together with Yūki Chinatsu. Thanks to that, Kamiyā Yuu once returned to the company earlier than usual and was treated to quite the sight after entering the office.
At present, there were two people in 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio whom Kamiyā Yuu absolutely dared neither command recklessly nor offend.
One was his key animation teacher, Uehara Etsuki.
The other was Morishita Aoi, the Production Director, who understood the company's operations even better than he did.
To a certain extent, the contributions both women made to the studio exceeded even Kamiyā Yuu's own.
Though her words sounded calm and serious, they carried an icy pressure that made Kamiyā Yuu feel a chill run through his body. He immediately straightened his posture and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry~ I was just complaining a little. I'll obediently continue the interviews to the end."
"As the company president, how about working just a little harder?"
Watching Kamiyā Yuu panic, a faint and almost imperceptible smile appeared on Morishita Aoi's beautiful face as she spoke gently.
She could have handled the interviews alone, but after noticing Kamiyā Yuu happened to be free, she asked him to accompany her instead.
There was no special reason.
She simply felt more relaxed whenever she worked together with Kamiyā Yuu.
"Next applicant, Mr. Satō Ginga."
*Click~!*
The door opened.
A young man in a formal suit hurried inside, sat down nervously, and greeted them.
"Please take care of me."
"Mr. Satō, you're an outstanding graduate from the University of Tokyo. Why did you choose our company?"
Morishita Aoi fixed the interviewee with a sharp gaze and questioned him sternly. The overwhelming aura of a professional career woman completely suppressed this fresh graduate.
Under that pressure, the young man did not even dare meet her eyes.
"Uh... I really like your company's work, 'Ruby.'"
"'Ruby'? That animated film was produced by Asano Animation Studio in 2014. The only animation our company has produced is 'RWBY.'"
Morishita Aoi frowned, her tone growing even harsher.
In her opinion, someone careless enough to neglect even basic interview preparation was not worth retaining.
"Y-Yes!"
The suited young man unconsciously snapped upright and shouted his response. Judging by the sweat pouring down his face, he had already been thoroughly eliminated from consideration.
Kamiyā Yuu timely stepped in to play the good cop and asked kindly,
"Then what exactly did you like about 'Ruby'?"
"Yes! I especially loved the protagonist Yuna's strong personality! Even after her mother died, she still managed to raise her younger sister independently! And also the final scene where Yuna stands on the street corner watching her sister get married!"
PASS
Morishita Aoi disliked people with careless work attitudes.
...
"Mr. Yamamoto Wada, why did you choose our company?"
This applicant was a young man from society who did not even bother to button his suit properly. He slouched lazily in the chair and answered without even looking at Kamiyā Yuu.
"No special reason. The salary looked pretty good, so I came."
PASS
The company was hiring employees, not recruiting spoiled masters.
...
Sitting before the two of them now was Busujima Murasaki, dressed in a woman's business suit.
Her long, dark-purple hair flowed neatly down along her upright posture, while her mature and voluptuous figure was displayed to the fullest.
She calmly looked at the two interviewers.
Her elegant blue eyes were even colder than Morishita Aoi's.
If Morishita Aoi merely gave off an icy seriousness, then Busujima Murasaki's eyes resembled sharp blades gleaming with cold light, making people afraid to meet her gaze.
At this moment, she looked like a Japanese swordswoman with her edge fully unsheathed.
Busujima Murasaki's piercing gaze startled Kamiyā Yuu slightly inwardly.
Honestly, under those eyes, ordinary people would not merely avoid eye contact—they would likely feel fear as though facing a terrifying assassin.
Looking directly into her beautiful yet chilling eyes without concern, Kamiyā Yuu gently reminded her,
"Miss Busujima, perhaps you could relax a little."
Having some understanding of her personality, he noticed that even Morishita Aoi beside him had gone pale beneath Busujima Murasaki's sharp stare.
Busujima Murasaki froze for a moment. As though realizing something, her eyes softened, returning to the gentle demeanor of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko.
"Sorry. I was a little nervous."
Kamiyā Yuu continued,
"Miss Busujima, why did you choose our company?"
"My roommate works here, and I want to remain by her side."
After thinking for a moment, Busujima Murasaki answered honestly.
—At least come up with a proper excuse, seriously.
"What skills are you proficient in?"
"Cooking, flower arrangement, and swordsmanship."
—What does any of that have to do with making animation?
"What position are you hoping to apply for?"
"Ideally, something like security personnel."
—Sorry, but I'm recruiting animators.
"Do you like anime?"
"No. I have absolutely no interest in it."
—Even if you're lying, at least pretend to know a little about it.
Kamiyā Yuu's mouth twitched slightly. After glancing at Morishita Aoi beside him, he sighed.
"Alright. From now on, Miss Busujima will become a member of the Production Department. If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Aoi."
"Yes."
Busujima Murasaki bowed obediently.
At this point, Morishita Aoi finally recovered and forced out a smile.
"No matter when it is, I still can't get used to your eyes, Murasaki."
A blush appeared on Busujima Murasaki's elegant face as she bowed apologetically once more.
"Aoi, I'm sorry. I really was a little nervous."
PASSED
There was no particularly special reason.
Production assistants at animation studios were among the most exhausting and thankless positions, so recruitment requirements were often far more lenient.
The fact that Kyoni Animation Co., Ltd. had hired someone like Kimura Jirō was proof enough of that.
...
"Next applicant... Gogyo... Ruri?"
Kamiyā Yuu froze while reviewing the applicant's resume, seemingly discovering something rather extraordinary.