"Next applicant, Miss Gogyo Ruri."
A clear male voice came from the interview room, startling the restless Gogyo Ruri.
Production Director Morishita Aoi was actually a man?
Gogyo Ruri's mind was in chaos. Because of her nervousness, the blush on her small face simply would not fade. Only after confirming one last time that there was nothing wrong with her clothing did she push open the door and enter the interview room of 'Yosuganosora' Animation Studio.
Inside the simply furnished interview room sat one man and one woman.
The woman possessed the mature aura Gogyo Ruri yearned for, as well as the serious presence of a professional career woman that made her even more uneasy. The moment Gogyo Ruri saw her, she immediately understood that Production Director Morishita Aoi was this outstanding career woman before her.
As for the man?
He seemed completely different from the career woman beside him. There was not much sternness to be seen from him. Although he looked as young as she was, he carried a composed air that suggested long experience in the workplace.
"Please take care of me."
Gogyo Ruri bowed to the two of them before sitting down. The moment she sat, her delicate body could not help stiffening, because Kamiyā Yuu, one of the interviewers, was observing her with an extremely subtle gaze.
She was certain it was not the lecherous gaze of a man, but rather excitement and curiosity upon seeing something novel.
—What is going on?
—Is he treating me like a panda in a zoo? Or does he know me? No, I have absolutely no memory of him. Then why is he looking at me like that? I'll curse you to death!
"Miss Gogyo Ruri, do you have any previous work experience in animation production?" Morishita Aoi asked, ignoring her stiff expression.
Gogyo Ruri placed her small hands on her knees and clenched them tightly, not daring to face Kamiyā Yuu's strange gaze. She kept reminding herself inwardly that Morishita Aoi was the main interviewer this time, and that this man was at most just an accompanying employee.
—Why are you still looking at me like that!? I'll curse you to death! After I get home, I'll definitely set up a magic circle and curse you!
Gogyo Ruri forced out a shy smile and said, "Yes. I once worked as a rookie animator at Yumeari Animation Studio for three months."
"Why did you choose our company?"
Faced with this almost standardized interview question, Gogyo Ruri had already prepared her answer in her mind.
Just as she was about to explain how much she liked 'RWBY,' she heard a voice that nearly made her think she was hallucinating.
"The Fallen Saint Black Cat of Chiba?"
Kamiyā Yuu muttered in a low voice, his tone carrying disbelief.
Clatter!
"Wha...!"
Gogyo Ruri was so shocked that she shot up from her chair. She stared at Kamiyā Yuu in shame, anger, and disbelief.
The mention of that username caused her thoughts to go blank, and she forgot every prepared answer.
Who was this person?
Why did he know her old username?
Did he know about her past?
Had she run into someone who knew her in this big city of Tokyo?
Was he a classmate from high school?
No, they knew she was a chuunibyou, but they absolutely would not know her username so clearly!
Having a sealed memory suddenly exposed left Gogyo Ruri feeling unprecedentedly stunned and lost.
She was still a chuunibyou now and had a clear understanding of herself, but that absolutely did not mean she could still ignore outsiders' reactions and behave like one openly.
She had already graduated from high school and officially entered society.
Chuunibyou could be a hobby, but it absolutely could not be an attitude toward life.
Morishita Aoi gave Kamiyā Yuu a strange glance, then frowned and said to Gogyo Ruri, "Is something wrong, Miss Gogyo Ruri?"
"N-No, nothing."
Gogyo Ruri suppressed the confusion in her heart. With her mind blank, she answered mechanically.
After that, Gogyo Ruri felt as though she had lost all memory of the interview.
The chaotic feeling disrupted every bit of preparation she had made.
She mechanically answered Morishita Aoi's interview questions.
Mechanically endured Kamiyā Yuu's gaze.
And mechanically returned to the waiting area for applicants.
—Everything is over.
...
After finishing Gogyo Ruri's interview, Kamiyā Yuu thought for a while before saying to Morishita Aoi, "Aoi, I need to go back and look up some information."
Seeing that Kamiyā Yuu seemed to be considering something important, Morishita Aoi nodded slightly.
"Mm. Does Yuu know the woman who was just interviewed?"
"Probably. It's something like being online friends, I guess."
Kamiyā Yuu thought for a moment and found a similar relationship to explain with.
Gogyo Ruri.
A genuine, real-life Gogyo Ruri.
Leaving aside her aura, even the black tear mole beside her eye was exactly the same. Even though she was wearing a formal women's suit, Kamiyā Yuu knew that this Gogyo Ruri's character design had to come from 'Oreimo.'
Then, judging by the timeline, was this world the later timeline of 'Oreimo'?
Feeling it necessary to clarify this point, Kamiyā Yuu wanted to return and use a computer to search for keywords. Whether it was Kōsaka Kirino or Aragaki Ayase, he should be able to easily find related terms online, since they were professional print models in 'Oreimo.'
Not long after Kamiyā Yuu left the interview room, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Then his suit was firmly grabbed by a small hand.
"Is something wrong, Miss Gogyo Ruri?"
Gogyo Ruri lowered her head without speaking. After biting her lower lip, she said in a faint voice, "Come with me."
—She was waiting here for me all along? Speaking of which, that voice really is Hyōgo North, Kana Hanazawa.
A strange thought surfaced in Kamiyā Yuu's mind. Following her words, he went with her to a secluded corner of the stairwell.
After confirming no one else was around, Gogyo Ruri raised her delicate face and looked up at Kamiyā Yuu with slight wariness and suspicion.
"Who are you? Why do you know that username of mine?"
—I can't exactly say I've seen your doujins, can I?
"We met before," Kamiyā Yuu answered with a smile.
"Where?"
Gogyo Ruri's brows rose as she stared at Kamiyā Yuu with extreme suspicion.
She had come to Tokyo to join an animation production company, only to encounter an unfamiliar "friend" who happened to be part of its upper management.
What kind of shoujo manga development was this?
Gogyo Ruri's reaction to the name "Fallen Saint Black Cat of Chiba" made Kamiyā Yuu certain of one thing. He immediately said meaningfully,
"At an offline gathering for online friends. Your black gothic outfit left quite a deep impression on me, so I remembered your name."
In the original work, the offline gatherings Gogyo Ruri attended only allowed female members to participate. Kamiyā Yuu's answer was a kind of probe in a certain sense. Even if she refuted that flaw, he could still explain that he had noticed her while accompanying a female friend he was protecting.
An offline gathering for online friends?
Gogyo Ruri thought for a while, but still could not find any memory of Kamiyā Yuu.
However, she had participated in many offline gatherings before. With Kamiyā Yuu's ordinary face, it was only natural that she had not remembered him. After thinking it over, this seemed to be the only reasonable explanation for why Kamiyā Yuu knew her username.
Seeing the answer from Gogyo Ruri's expression, Kamiyā Yuu waved his hand.
"There's no special connection. That's basically all there is to it. I still have things to handle, so I'll get going first. As for the interview result, you'll be notified by website message within ten days."
Kamiyā Yuu's indifferent attitude left Gogyo Ruri at a loss. She lowered her head and replied, "Uh... yes."
The moment he saw her character design, Kamiyā Yuu had already decided to hire her. There was no need to rush.
He returned to the office and used Google to search for character names related to 'Oreimo,' but found no relevant information. Even when names overlapped, the character designs were clearly different at a glance.
In other words, this world merely had Gogyo Ruri's existence, and was not the world of 'Oreimo.'
"Ahh~ what a messy world. Since Sora and Black Cat both exist, there should be real people with character designs similar to other anime characters, too. Rather, even if Saber suddenly appeared, I probably wouldn't be surprised. Would that lead to supernatural developments?"
Inside the office, Kamiyā Yuu felt relieved yet inexplicably disappointed as he muttered inwardly.