Outstanding writers were never limited by genre, and Kirigami Ruri was naturally no exception.
The reason Kamiyā Yuu immediately thought of working with her for the Type-Moon fan novel project was that she had once written a similar story.
Most of her novels were excellent, but difficult to adapt into films or anime. However, that did not mean she had never worked on projects outside novels.
Game scripts, film scripts, even stage plays—she had dabbled in all of them.
What had left the deepest impression on Kamiyā Yuu was the story script she had written for the game 'Armored Samurai.'
The game belonged to the Japanese AVG + RPG genre. Its setting and gameplay elements had been provided by the game company, while the background was extremely interesting: a combination of steampunk and traditional Japanese aesthetics.
In that setting, Japan had been ruled for over a century by an empire from across the sea, and armor technology was an exclusive technology of that empire.
The protagonist, Nameless, was a rōnin whose right hand had been replaced by a mechanical armored arm. He accepted a mission to protect a mysterious woman, but that same night, every other samurai who had accepted the task with him was killed by enemies who appeared suddenly. Relying on the power of his mechanical arm, he barely managed to fight back and escape with the mysterious woman.
After that, the male protagonist could choose to continue protecting the mysterious woman and enter the game's true-history route, join the resistance organization Sakura to oppose the empire, or follow the imperial princess across the sea to fight for the imperial throne.
The three routes intertwined and influenced one another. Only after playing all three could one truly understand the game's worldbuilding.
Incidentally, this game was age-restricted for adults. Even the protagonist's intimate dialogue with the female characters was personally written by Kirigami Ruri. If one had to compare it, it was somewhat similar to the game 'Utawarerumono.'
'Armored Samurai' was an alternate-history fantasy game. Under Kirigami Ruri's pen, not only did the characters' personalities stand out vividly, but her grasp of the entire fantasy worldview was also exceptionally clear.
In later interviews, the game's production staff had said that Kirigami Ruri's ability to construct a game script had exceeded their expectations. They had only come up with a rough worldview framework, yet Kirigami Ruri had completed it and written out its limited but fascinating settings. It was almost as if she herself had lived in that strange world, and the game script was a story she wrote from the perspective of an observer.
With Kirigami Ruri's fame serving as promotion, 'Armored Samurai' achieved very good sales. It dominated the sales rankings for games of the same genre and Japanese RPGs for three full years. Its story and polished production were the aspects players praised most.
Here, "story" did not refer specifically to the kind of plot found in anime works like 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica.' A game's story was tied to the game itself. Including gameplay elements, the overall factors that needed to be considered were far more complex than an ordinary anime script.
Yet Kirigami Ruri had still handled it perfectly, displaying remarkably strong game-script construction ability.
Kamiyā Yuu's evaluation of Kirigami Ruri was that she was this world's "Gen Urobuchi."
...
"We will not overly restrict Miss Kirigami's creative freedom. The characters who appear, the plot, and the theme of the novel will all be decided by Miss Kirigami herself. We at Yosuganosora Animation Studio will only provide a setting range for the novel. As much as possible, we hope you can build a complete novel plot while bringing out what makes those settings interesting."
Sitting at the center of the conference table, Kamiyā Yuu explained his thoughts, giving Kirigami Ruri the freest possible creative conditions.
Whether it was the Holy Grail War or the background of 'Tsukihime,' as long as Kirigami Ruri wanted to write it, she could use it directly.
Kirigami Ruri's expression remained cold. Her small hand quickly wrote a sentence in her notebook, then she lifted it.
"Creative direction?"
That really was concise enough.
Kamiyā Yuu couldn't help laughing inwardly. After thinking for a moment, he asked uncertainly,
"Is Miss Kirigami asking what purpose this novel is meant to serve?"
Kirigami Ruri sat upright and nodded lightly. Her eyes were so pure and untainted that Kamiyā Yuu instinctively looked away instead of meeting them.
Kamiyā Yuu shook his head.
"The novel we wish to commission from Miss Kirigami has no special direction. It is simply meant to provide information about the Type-Moon world as a novel and to supplement the worldview I established. That is the most basic requirement for creating a novel, so it can't really be called a direction. Of course, if the novel is excellent enough, we may continue deeper cooperation in the future. Perhaps we might even adapt the novel Miss Kirigami creates into an anime."
That statement was rather cheap.
To simply create one novel, they were bringing in a top-tier novelist for cooperation. The cost and return were destined not to balance out.
For a novelist of Kirigami Ruri's fame, a work of around one million characters would require at least one hundred million yen in manuscript fees.
Japanese novel writing differed from Chinese web novels. Setting aside rare exceptions like the human typing machine Kazuma Kamachi from his previous world, one million characters was already the limit of what a novelist could write in a year.
...
The meeting lasted more than an hour.
This time, the two merely discussed their basic willingness to cooperate and the simple requirements for the novel.
Kamiyā Yuu was fairly satisfied with the result. After asking many questions about the novel's creative requirements, Kirigami Ruri did not reject his proposal.
The next meeting would be held the following Monday. At that time, they would truly discuss the novel's creative requirements and specific content.
As long as nothing went wrong in the next meeting, this matter would basically be settled.
"Kaoru seems quite interested in Yuu's novel concept."
Busujima Murasaki stood behind the conference chair, her soft hand resting on Kamiyā Yuu's shoulder as she gently massaged him.
Kamiyā Yuu relaxed and smiled.
"Kaoru? Is that Miss Kirigami's real name?"
"Ikezuki Kaoru. The eldest daughter of the Ikezuki family."
"Ikezuki? Ikezuki..."
Kamiyā Yuu frowned as he repeated the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, yet he couldn't remember where he had heard it.
Busujima Murasaki gently reminded him,
"Mr. Ikezuki Daisuke is Kaoru's grandfather."
Kamiyā Yuu suddenly understood.
Ikezuki Daisuke was a famous postwar Japanese novelist in this world, holding a status comparable to Natsume Sōseki in his previous world, though his portrait had not been printed on the thousand-yen bill.
"The friendship between the Ikezuki family and the Uehara family also began with Mr. Ikezuki Daisuke. Miss Etsuki's grandfather once helped Mr. Ikezuki Daisuke when he was living in poverty. After that, the two families interacted frequently. Originally, if either Kaoru or Miss Etsuki had been male, the Ikezuki family and the Uehara family would have been joined by marriage. Before Miss Etsuki's grandfather passed away, he was still thinking about this matter."
Busujima Murasaki briefly explained the relationship between the two families.
Born into a literary family and possessing outstanding talent as a novelist. No wonder she became famous so early.
Kamiyā Yuu casually smiled.
"Oh? That really is a bit of a pity."
Busujima Murasaki covered her mouth and laughed softly. Her delicate fingers pinched Kamiyā Yuu's cheek as she said meaningfully,
"Yes. It really is a pity."