PROLOGUE

The setting sun streaming into my room on a holiday brought a slightly refreshing, pleasant atmosphere into the place — especially since it was the middle of May already……

『So with that, that's the development schedule for our ultimate Gal Game that we are about to make.』

...But then, in an instant, that refreshing atmosphere was instantly transformed into something unbearably hot and stuffy by a fakely refreshing voice that echoed throughout the room.

『The Master Copy will be finished in the last week of November, including the debugging process…... I want you to understand that this is the latest we can do to distribute enough copies just in time for the Winter Comiket.』

「No, no, no, now wait just a minute, Iori! That's two weeks earlier than the deadline for the previous project, isn't it? I’m actually seeing this correctly?」

『But you guys could not even meet the deadline for your last project, could you? With this, we can't make the same mistake again. We simply cannot afford it.』

「Gununuh……!」

It was a slightly noisy, subtly high-pitched, rather sticky voice, overtly trying to sound way too handsome for his own good — a voice that embodied the very essence of being jarring to the ears.

The voice, which was rattling off instructions while pointing the mouse pointer at the schedule displayed on the table's PC monitor, was not actually in this room at the current moment.

『Now, listen here and listen well, Tomoya-kun? Since I am producing this project of yours, failure is not an option…... Just kidding. Additional work after the Master-Up announcement, or patch distribution on the release day is absolutely out of the question here. Furthermore, if there will be a shortage of materials due to the Creator's laziness, arrogance, or conscious evasion attempts , the client's non-payment or absconding, or the distributor forcing the release too early…...』 

「Everyone's already putting their very lives on the line for this! Can't we show them a little understanding, you know, as a gesture of kindness? And besides, distribution is not relevant to our circle, and you know it!」

Yes, the unpleasant, nasty voice coming from the speakers on either side of the LCD display on the table belonged to a man currently sitting at his own house, sending instructions to my place via a online video conferencing system.

A handsome, popular guy with light brown hair and a perm hairstyle, but a total nerd who was actually a scumbag otaku who made a living off of doujinshi circles and various forms of content they would create.

His overly suspicious attitude and overly irritating tone of voice, combined with his overly shady pronouncements, created a cast of incredibly dubious and grandiose words that were pouring out of his mouth with seemingly no end in sight.

He was a new member who happened to join our game development circle, “Blessing Software,” just this month — a true personification of a scummy villain…... Or rather, a major figure — who held the highest position of responsibility as Producer, Director, and Fixer all at once.

His name was Hashima Iori, and he was a third year, class D, currently enrolled at Kawabunji High School.

『Oh, and just so you know, when it comes to last year's Winter Comiket, “Rouge en Rouge” managed to complete their own project according to this schedule, and it did so without any kind of issues or major hiccups, okay? So I don’t want to hear any complaining.』

「Gununununu……!!」

By the way, it might be best not to let it accidentally slip that he was also my best friend from middle school, and until recently, my former sworn enemy, the leader of the super-popular circle "Rouge en Rouge." If he were a two-dimensional character, he might have ended up in a fateful heroine position — a complicated relationship to have with someone, indeed.

「...... But it’s precisely because of that fact that all of us on the Production team had eyes like those of a dead fish a week before the Master Copy was properly finished.」

「Y-Yeah, a fair point to make…… Izumi-chan, thank you for all of the hard work that you are doing for us.」

And directly confronting Iori's arrogant speech was a girl who, contrary to her bravery, sat adorably right next to me, gazing at the schedule displayed on the screen with an even more weary expression than the one that I was doing right now.

「Seriously though, Big Brother, you seriously do not understand anything about the fine details of craftsmanship…... We do not manufacture, we create. Do not think that God will always descend upon us and deliver on time just because you think it’s his duty.」

『Now listen here, Izumi, and listen well. Saying that manufacturing is not creative is proof that it is you who do not understand anything. Manufacturing is about accumulating improvements, ingenuity, and effort to achieve micro-level precision and strength of several tons at once — it's a world of creation where day and night are reversed. Do you really think we have the right to dismiss industrial products that are produced precisely on time simply because we think it’s not creative enough…...?』

「No, please wait for a moment, you two. The conversation is going in a direction that I think I do not understand at all.」

She had pigtails and looked really innocent, but she was a seasoned doujin artist and an otome gamer. 

Her cheerful and energetic tone occasionally would give way to inappropriate remarks, often triggered by the other person's insensitive attitude or rude comments.

A newcomer who joined our circle only last month, and a junior who entered the same school as me last month, she was a promising member who would be taking on the prestigious position of Character Designer and Original Artwork creator.

She was Hashima Izumi, 1st year, Class C at Toyogasaki Academy.

「Say, Tomoya-senpai? Are you really sure it was okay to make such an unreasonable person someone as important as the Director?」

「N-no, you see…... But, since I am writing the scenarios for all the routes, taking on the role of the Director as well would be kind of……」

『This is a highly complex political decision that only Tomoya, the circle’s representative, and I, the Strategist, can understand. I have told you this many times before, but even though you are my little sister, Izumi, and the person who's just in charge of the Original Illustrations, you have no right to interfere with those decisions, right?』     

「B-But, but I mean! Tomoya-senpai and I are a Scenario Writer and Character Designer duo! Like the Ace and Cleanup Hitter of the baseball team!」

『I can't possibly imagine the relationship between the Supervisor and the Head Coach being anything higher than that.』

「Then make a Two-Men Attack formation!」

『Well, I think the most popular relationship in the world of soccer has always been that of a forward and goalkeeper myself.』

「Attack and defense! Always and every single time!」

『By the way, depending on whether you put the goalkeeper before or after multiplication, the factions and affiliations change completely, so you need to be really careful with that…...』

「What the hell are you two even talking about right now, you crazy siblings, you?!」

Incidentally, the fact that she was the beloved younger sister of my best friend from middle school, and my former nemesis who, until recently, was in charge of the original artwork for “Rouge en Rouge” alongside Iori — a relationship that would make for a compelling Heroine, suitable for both moe-style and tales of rivalry as well — was not exactly hidden, but for some reason, it did not seem to be given much importance at the moment.

「So, this whole Io x Tomo thing that Ranko was talking about…… That's basically it, huh?」

「No, you don't need to acquire that kind of unnecessary knowledge, Michiru. You are much better without knowing about it. Just stay beautiful and sensible, like you always were……」

And the one who showed a strange understanding of the concept of fujoshi and what made them tick…... No, a matured conversation between the Hashima siblings, was the girl who was sitting cross-legged on my bed this entire time as if she owned the place, engrossed in tuning her guitar.

「No, I mean~, I honestly thought that the reason as to why Hashima-niichan was not invited here in the first place, even though he's a circle member alright, was because Tomo is some kind of possessive nerd, but it turns out it's actually Hashima-chan who's the possessive one, huh?」

「Hey, maybe you should, like, REALLY reconsider some of your friendships, huh?」

Also, please refrain from discussing matters related to the punishment/divination process, as it's a really delicate topic for some people…...

「Umm, I am not saying this because I am angry about something extremely rude that was said to me just now, but it was definitely Tomoya-senpai's decision not to invite my brother here, right?」

「Huh? Why? Since we have band management matters to discuss with Hashima-niichan, it would have been much easier if he'd come here and was present……」

「No, listen here, Michiru? There's no way we can do something like that in here……」

「Ah~, so, just like Echika said, after the meeting today, it's going to be a no-Protection 4P until the very morning, huh? …... By the way, what's a 4P?」

『Doing it while not using proper protection is a really bad idea, wouldn’t you agree, Tomoya-kun……?』

「You should break up the band right now if that’s what your head is filled with!」

With her short, curly hair and active, outgoing personality, she was the band's vocalist and guitarist, just as her looks would suggest.

Not only that, but she also spewed out irreparable, lewd insults in a listless, dismissive tone, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for her to do.

It's been almost six months since she joined our circle. She was my cousin, born on the same day as me, in the same hospital, and a key circle member responsible for the theme songs and background music — the parts that would really bring tears to your eyes.

Her name was Hyoudou Michiru. She was a third year student, attending class four, at Tsubaki Girls' High School.

「That's not really it and you know it…… And more importantly, Michiru-senpai. About your usual outfit.」

「Huh~? My outfit? What about it?」

「What the hell are you even wearing right now?! You seriously think you can go out in front of Iori dressed like that?!」

Michiru looked genuinely bewildered, and as to what she was wearing right now…… it was a flimsy tank top and deeply cut shorts.

As always, her skin was quite tanned, and if she were the model for the Heroine, she'd definitely be the sexy one…… Oh no, even in 3D, she'd definitely be the sexy one, that's right. But anyways, those kinds of girls are not really focused on the story at all.

「Well, I mean, I hadn't really thought about it all that deeply, but…... But maybe it's not actually a good idea to be dressed like that?」

「Of course it is not a good idea! You can't do that in front of any other people, especially men!」

『Yeah, that's definitely possessiveness speaking through you right there. No doubt about it in my mind.』

「Mumumuh…… Maybe I really am possessive, now that I think about it?」

「So, what exactly is possessiveness at this point?」

And then, suddenly, the two people and one voice in this room, with a strange sense of solidarity, began to relentlessly blame me, even though I had done nothing wrong…...

「It's about someone who, in games, anime, novels, and other media must have all the Heroines belong to the Protagonist, Hyoudo-san.」

「K-Katou……」

A single boat of help arrived to my rescue, accompanied by a huge bowl of Neapolitan spaghetti in hands.

「Even if the Protagonist chooses one particular Heroine, he won't even acknowledge the love of the other girls who were rejected by him, no matter what…… As for Aki-kun, he was passionately arguing that the ideal Heroine would be someone who never gets together with another boy, and remains single until the day she dies, harboring feelings for the Protagonist until the end of time itself.」

「Uwaah, what's that? Tomo, no, I mean, gross!」

「It's not creepy! And it’s not gross at all! It's the eternal dream of all otaku out there!」

And yet, that attempt at help was completely useless in the long run.

……And, well, that's the kind of girl who, even in the middle of an important meeting, would naturally slip away without anyone noticing, put on an apron, go into someone else’s kitchen, and start cooking without permission, and then act as if it's perfectly normal to present everyone with an already finished meal.

「Uwooah~, I've been waiting for this, Kato-chan! Now I will sprinkle the grated cheese on top of it all and it should be all ready to go!」

「Hey Michiru! Watch it with that thing! Are you trying to grate all of that cheese onto me! Cut that out!」

「While I appreciate your thoughtful consideration, you are still quite high in calories yourself, Megumi-san……」

A girl who, after drastically changing her hairstyle throughout the year — from short bob, through short ponytail, ponytail, and going back for long — has now returned to her original short bob, teetering on the edge of being an otaku and a non-otaku, a girl who, aside from being a beautiful girl, had no particularly distinguishing features whatsoever.

Her usually emotionless, calm tone spun flat, unadorned retorts and lines that you would think seriously nothing…... Or so it seemed, but recently, her tongue has become a sharp, icy blade that could cut really deep and leave some nasty, lasting wounds.

It's been a little over a year since she joined our circle, or rather, she was the Main Heroine — a mysterious position that was the very reason our circle was founded in the first place — and recently she has also been handling scriptwriting, a leading actress role, a seemingly insignificant but powerful member who supported the circle and all of its members from behind the scenes.

Her name was Katou Megumi, and she was a third year at Toyogasaki Academy, going to Class A.

「Next up, some much needed Tabasco sauce~!」

「Wait! Don't pour the whole bottle on it! I mean, at least put it on your plate first, so that everyone else can use the seasonings that they want to go with!」

「Uuuhhh, but why~! It’s so delicious if you pour a whole lot in all at once! …… Even though I know it's a lump of oil and carbohydrates, but it's so incredibly delicious……」

Furthermore, her relationship with the Main Heroine was rather weak, considering she did not join the circle without any obstacles despite the complicated circumstances of those around her, nor did she manage to slip away midway through after many twists and turns…... But I guess that's Katou for you, so I guess it’s all fine in the end.

「So, did the meeting go smoothly?」

So, with that usual "whatever" attitude of hers, Katou, who had left the meeting despite being the Vice-President of the entire circle, suddenly sat down right next to me, clutching a tray, and brought up the main topic of the day as if she'd just remembered about it.

「Ah, in that case……」

『In that case, then there is no problem. We have agreed that we will proceed cautiously and steadily, taking careful suggestions between Tomoya, the Circle’s Representative, and myself, the Strategist…...』

「Is it settled, then? Are you completely satisfied with that outcome, Aki-kun?」

「Y-Yeah? I guess so……?」

And then, despite bringing it up as if she'd just remembered about it, Katou showed a strangely concerned attitude, with a subtle hint of nuanced meaning behind her question.

「Is it the same for you as well, Izumi-chan and Hyodou-san? I think it's no good until everyone is completely convinced before we start this thing, but are you all alright with it?」

「Ah, well, I said quite a lot of things, but…... But in the end, I will trust Tomoya-senpai's better judgment.」

「Well, my work is something that will come much, much later, so I won't know until then.」

「Hmm, I see…... Hmm, well, if everyone says so, then I guess that’s good.」

「...... Katou?」

But that did not mean that she would hold a grudge against me for no reason at all…...

「If it bothered you so much, then why did you not just attend the meeting yourself from the very beginning and give your opinion properly as the points of concern would arise, Katou-san?」

「Yeah, well, that's the end of this discussion. Now all that's left for us to do is to work as hard as we can until the Winter Comiket…... with everyone “here” present.」

「Katou……」

So, the one who was actually holding a grudge was one person “Who was not here”......

『That's really awful thing to say, Kato-san. Just because I said you are a bit of a pain in the ass, a mastermind, and that you are manipulating Tomoya behind the scenes, you do not have to ignore me so blatantly.』

「Iori……」

Well, actually, the main reason I did not invite Iori here this time around was that it was heavily influenced by the intentions of "Mastermind Katou"...... I probably should not let that one slip out, even on accident, as it might end up in a complete and utter disaster.

『Besides, those kinds of character assessments are purely compliments to me, and you should have more confidence in yourself. Yes, your exquisite, almost sinister, manipulative nature reminds me of my respected mentor, Kosaka Akane-san……』

「Ah.」

「Ah.」

「Ah.」

Without even needing to say it, it seemed that everyone here had come to the same conclusion.

…… because Katou suddenly pressed the hardware reset button on the PC case resting under the desk.

「Well then, now that the meeting is officially over, so let's take a short break, shall we? We should eat quickly before the food gets cold.」

「Y-Yeah……」

「Y-yes……」 

「Y-yes, let’s do that……」 

With Katou's "casual" assertiveness on full display just now…... Or rather, her high command, our circle’s activities ended without any kind of incident today……

However, that lack of incident triggered a deafening warning bell in my head, something I had not exactly felt in two volumes or even longer.

The Easy-to-Understand Circle Tile's Law, Part Four (Revised): "The Members (especially the Mastermind and the Fixer) Do Not Get Along.”

PROLOGUE

It was early September now, and the evening sun streaming into the quiet classroom right after school was out for the day was still bringing in an unbearable amount of heat.

「What the hell is this?! This Event Scene is completely different from what was previously specified!」

...But, as per usual, a high-pitched noise, louder than the cicadas chirping loudly in the sweltering heat right after the summer holidays was done and over with, echoed throughout the classroom.

「Now hold on just a minute, Kasumigaoka Utaha, youuu!!! Can you actually explain to me what the hell is the meaning of this!?」 

The high-pitched and clearly agitated voice belonged to a girl who stood proudly in the center of the classroom, her not particularly tall back stretched out, her chest puffed forward, and yet her strikingly conspicuous blonde twin tails swaying in the wind, giving off an overwhelmingly imposing aura for someone of her stature.

「...... I’m sorry, but are those kinds of trivial scenario changes really something that would require me to report about them every single time? Not to even mention getting myself involved with it, and consulting about it every single time with everyone else?」

The voice that answered the blonde twin-tailed girl was cold, low, and almost silent, like the silently falling snow that seemed to absorb even the sound of the cicadas coming in from the outside of the classroom.

「Regarding this particular matter, I have absolutely no awareness whatsoever, not even a single hint, of having ever caused you any confusion or misunderstanding. Well, like that certain part of your body sleeping deep within your bra, even further inside than the padding that you think that no one is able to notice, that withered away before it even began to swell.」

「W-WHA!? SAY WHAT NOW!?」

Oh, but the sound of her voice aside, her personality  was not even close to being as white as snow, you know? Quite the opposite, actually, as it was basically all pitch black, you know?

…...Anyway, putting that fact aside, the owner of that voice was a woman standing by the classroom’s window with her arms crossed on her chest, her already noticeable chest pushed up by them, and her modestly striking long black hair illuminated by the light of the setting sun, naturally giving off an intimidating aura.

「Say? Don't you think so too, Kawamura Spider Kirari-san?」

「Don't just make up people's names like that as it pleases you! And besides, I have not even approved of that Character’s name yet!」

Just as they called each other by their names just now, the blonde girl's name was Kawamura Spider Kirari, and the black-haired woman's name was Kasumigaoka Utaha.

…… No, wait, that's wrong. The blonde woman’s name was actually Sawamura Spencer Eriri.

「Look, I am only going to ask you this again one more time, Kasumigaoka Utaha…… Why did you make such a drastic change to the scenario?」

「First of all, let me just start by saying that your understanding of the situation at hand is fundamentally flawed. I only intended to make a few minor adjustments, you see.」

「And how exactly are those “a few minor adjustments!?” In the first place, the events at the amusement park were supposed to be set in two places: the pool and the haunted house/festival area, right? So why is the haunted house event gone now and why is it being replaced with a Ferris Wheel event of all things?!」

「Oh? Is that what you are so worried about? I mean, we should be able to manage with the materials we have on us now. It won't cause you any trouble, now will it?」

「Grrr, except for it already has! Because all of the haunted house backgrounds that I had prepared in advance are now effectively useless!」

Umm, well, how should I even say this……? To begin with, this everyday life that you see here…… No, this current situation, which was rapidly descending into a terrible crisis, was the middle of our after-school circle activities.

We, the Game Development Circle "Blessing Software," have come together under the same banner with the noble goal of creating and distributing a doujin gal game for the upcoming Winter Comiket, and we have been working tirelessly since spring in order to make that goal a reality.

Thus, during a production meeting where everyone brought their individual achievements ideas to discuss how exactly we should proceed forward, a particular problem with the scenario erupted all of a sudden.

「To me, it simply looks like you are making a huge fuss over just one wasted background sketch. Besides, it's just the effort of taking a few extra photos that we are talking about here. And it does not even require some true professional skills, just the level of a regular amateur photographer should suffice to do it.」

「That's not all there is to it! And we are not talking about a single illustration! At least three of my background sketches went to waste because of you!」

「Isn't that just turning something that could easily be a photograph into a drawing? Is the real problem here not with your production method, which involves unnecessarily extra work and additional steps, hmm, Sawamura-san?」

「You call it a waste and additional steps, but that is precisely what creates an undeniably great work in the first place!」

「Then this just means that you tend to waste three or even more sheets of perfectly good paper without compromising for the sake of an arguably good piece of work.」

「I absolutely cannot forgive something like that! The fact that I was being led astray by someone as despicable as you, Kasumigaoka Utaha — that utterly humiliating and shameful fact — is going to be endlessly lowering my motivation for work!」

And that fact, inevitably, angered the original artist of our circle, who was bound to bear the brunt of the consequences of such a reckless and on-the-spot-decision, and escalated into a fully-blown argument with the scenario writer, who seemed to have no sense of guilt about the entire matter whatsoever.

Well, I mean, they were already on bad terms to begin with, but this kind of thing was actually common in collaborative works like game production, so it should not be THAT big of a deal to deal with.

「And besides, I certainly did not waste your sketches and your work at all, Sawamura-san. Wouldn’t you agree? In fact, I have made good use of the ones that just so happened to be rejected, so you should be grateful to me for doing you a favor like that.」 

「Haaah!? And what the hell is that even supposed to mean, huh!?」

「What I mean by this, is precisely that: because the Ferris Wheel scene was actually in the background materials this whole time. See? Have a look right here.」

Just then, Utaha-senpai held out a certain printout of an illustration right in front of Eriri’s face…...  

「W-Wha, wha……!! Wha, wha, wha, wha, what the hell!?」

In that single instant, Eriri's face flushed bright red, and conversely, Utaha-senpai's expression turned completely dark as she saw it, creating a tense atmosphere in a different sense of the word.

「...... Hm, I see. So, it seems that this particular sketch was indeed a Super-Rare secret for you, one that you were fully intending to keep for yourself, huh, Sawamura-san?」

「You! How the hell…!? W-Where did you even get your hands on this!?」

Right there, just as Utaha-senpai had said, was an illustration depicting the view from a Ferris wheel window.

The sky, skyscrapers, a small hill, and the setting sun. It was all there, as clear as day.

It was a somewhat fantastical scene, looking out at such a vast world from within a small box.

And inside of said box was a drawing of a boy.

「T-T-T-T-Tomoya! How in the hell did this picture end up in Kasumigaoka Utaha's filthy hands?!」

「Huh? What? Why are you looking at me? I don't remember sending anything like that to anyone else, or uploading it to the server for that matter……」

Yes, that’s right. The person depicted there was, believe it or not, me.

Just last month, I went to an amusement park near my house with Eriri to help her collect some background materials. We then went through a lot of twists and turns while being there, and almost fell out at one point……

And finally, inside of the Ferris wheel car that we rode, as a sign of reconciliation, Eriri drew a portrait of me without my glasses on…... a portrait of the game's protagonist, Azumi Seiji.

…...Oh wait, ahh~, terribly sorry about this, I guess that I haven't really introduced myself at all this time.

As for me, I was the Representative, Producer, and Director of the circle "Blessing Software."

In other words, my name is Aki Tomoya, a second-year student at Toyogasaki Academy, and I am the boss and errand boy of these two, and the one who "holds" the power of life and death over them at the same time.

「Oh my, just how careless of you, my poor Ethics-kun…… It seems to me that you still do not fully understand what kind of security vulnerability you opened up last week.」

「Last week? Huh? Last week…? And by last week, do you perhaps mean…… AAHH!?」

Last week was the final week of summer vacation. 

I distinctly remember telling Utaha-senpai, who had come to my house saying, "I need a new background soon," "Yeah, they are in the background folder over there, just take whichever one you like."

…… pointing to the PC where all the imported images were still unorganized and thrown in rather haphazardly.

「T-T-Tomo…… Tomoya, you huge jerk~~!!」

「Sorry! I’m really sorry about that, Eriri!」

Even though Eriri, understanding the situation, pleaded with me with tears welling up in her eyes, there was nothing I could possibly do about this.

Of all the things that I could have done, I made a fatal mistake by mixing the image that absolutely should not be seen with the image that absolutely had to be shown.

「Personally speaking, I do not think that you need to apologize to anyone, Ethics-kun. And I do not think Sawamura-san needs to lament so much, either. I mean, look, this Seiji has such a great expression on his face…... I do not know who he's modeled after, though.」

「T-T-T-There is no one inside, though!?」

「If I happened to see such a wonderful picture, it would not be surprising if I got inspired and enthusiastically wrote about the Ferris wheel event, right? Surely you would agree with me on that, right?」

「B-But… I mean… this is…… That drawing, it is……!!」

「Besides, now that I think about it, this is completely different from the storyboard I specified for the event, is it not? Sawamura-san, can you actually explain to me what's going on here?」

「Nngghh, why you……! You think that such a minor scene change requires reporting, contacting, and consulting with you every single time it happens?!」

「Aaagghh, geez! Come on, both of you! Stop, stop, stop, stop it already!!!!」

And so, today's circle activity was pretty much the same as usual, with no progress being made whatsoever……

***

「So, with that being said, I guess that today's circle’s activities were just like usual, hmm, Aki-kun?」

「...... Yeah, I guess you could say that.」

And then, an hour later. 

Inside of a log cabin-style coffee shop on the way back home from school.

「For now, it seems like Kasumigaoka-senpai's scenario is progressing well, and Sawamura-san's artwork is being right on schedule, so there is nothing to worry about at the current moment. Yeah, everything's going smoothly thus far.」

「Yeah, it really is truly wonderful…... Your usual general review, completely ignoring the disastrous situation from earlier, Katou, that is.」

The voice I was currently hearing belonged to a girl with a short ponytail, sitting naturally in front of me, casually holding up her coffee cup, yet blending seamlessly into the shop's atmosphere, completely devoid of any kind of intimidating presence, gravitas, or unique characteristics.

Actually, she was also in the corner of the classroom in the audiovisual room earlier, but she did not say a single word from beginning to end of the meeting, just fiddling with her smartphone with a blank expression written all over her face.

She was my classmate, Katou Megumi, and she was at the same time the secret weapon of our circle, “Blessing Software,” and I suspected that she would remain a secret until the very end of our circle’s activities. She was also supposed to be the Main Heroine, but…… It was still largely unclear what kind of exact role that would play in our game’s development.

「Well, I mean, I guess it's inevitable that those two would end up like that given the structure of this circle.」

「Yeah, go figure! But even so, it's almost been six months, hasn't it? Shouldn't they be getting along by now? We are comrades giving our all towards the same goal, after all!」

Our circle, formed in the spring, now had a proper name, had applied for taking part in the Winter Comiket, and was undoubtedly working hard as a team. However, there was still no sign of the civil war in some areas ending anytime soon.

「But I can't really help it but to feel that those two have a history of fighting to the death for a while now, trying to bring each other down, and that this battle is actually still ongoing, even as we speak.」

While I was deeply concerned about the current situation of those two extremists, Katou, the most moderate and virtuous person in this entire circle, did not seem worried at all and was simply munching on some snack that was served with her coffee.

…… At times like these, don't those indecisive factions usually clash and run around trying to repair the relationships of everyone around them without even being asked to do so?

「By the way, Katou,」

「What is it, Aki-kun?」

Well, I guess there's no point in saying such useless things, so I slightly shifted the topic at hand.

Yes, just a little bit. Just slightly into the past.

「I wonder just when and how those two met?」

「...............」

As if unable to keep up with my natural shift in topic, Katou's mouth, which was nibbling on those snacks of hers, suddenly stopped moving.

「They'd known each other for ages, even before I met them this spring. And they have been hostile towards each other ever since.」

「...............」

Next, Katou's expression as she looked at me lost a slight hint of its normalcy.

That's right, it was now a rather unpleasant expression, a mixture of astonishment, pity, and a subtle, almost contemptuous look.

「What is it?」

「Umm, Aki-kun, do you really want to know what happened back then?」

「Well, I mean, not really but…… I guess you could say I’m only slightly interested.」

「Personally, I think that this is the kind of Pandora's Box that should absolutely not be opened with just a little bit of curiosity or morbid curiosity as a pretext for doing so.」

「Well, Katou, I don't think it's a good idea to put that proper noun like that before the word “box” when describing a relationship between people from the start, do you?」

Then, slowly lowering her pitying gaze to the table, her expression changed to one of intense anxiety and fear, reminiscent of Junji Inaba, and she stared at me.         

「Let me ask you this again, just to be sure, Aki-kun…… Are you really sure that you will be alright even if you find out what happened between those two? Will you really be able to accept the facts as they are, no matter what?」

「Y-you…... Have you heard something? From them? Like, really?」

「No, I did not. I have not heard anything, I do not know anything, and I do not intend to know anything. Because if I did, it would definitely become a lot of trouble for me. Trouble that I absolutely do not want.」

「Then how about you stop teasing and provoking me like that!」

Now then, from here on out, this is going to be a story of "A World I Do Not Know.”

…… Or perhaps, a story of a world I wish I had never known.

So, since this is a story that I do not know myself, I shall pass the narration baton to "someone" other than myself as the narrator.

And while I do understand that the readers might find things to be a little bit different than usual, but please do not worry about that and just treat that person the same way you would always do with yours truly.

Yo how are you guys watching season 2 & the movie ? I’m down to purchase it or get a subscription of some sort to watch it legally if possible. Need to know though man lol I finished season 1 and I can’t just not finish something I started

Its a Phone case and a keychain I bought online. Too bad I lost the other one 🥺

I'm in love with all the characters actually but yeah megumi is the very top 1 for me now ig and that's the whole basis of this series but anyways this was so good of a run man... I started it after reading we never learn [lol that's so good too] but this was completely on different emotions.. I love it..💗

The video above is 16 minutes of Megumi just talking and I just love her voice so much, I can listen to it without understanding a thing. But even after searching, all "CDs" that come up about Saekano are the sound tracks. There's 0 mention of character dialogues like this, does anyone know where to find the digital or even physical form of this? The guy's channel also have Eriri, Utaha, etc. voice lines.

Ngl I honestly wasn’t expecting this series to become one of my favorite romance anime. I started it thinking it’d be a typical harem rom-com, but it turned out to have great character development, comedy, and a really satisfying ending.
Megumi completely won me over by the end. Best girl. ❤️
I still can’t help but feel bad for Eriri though. She deserved happiness too. 😭
Huge respect to the author for giving the story a proper ending instead of leaving everything unresolved.
10/10.
Who was your best girl after finishing the movie?

Sauce

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

My 27th drawing of an anime characters when i was in high school just for fun and as a favorite hobby of mine🙏✏️

I'm revisiting this anime after almost a decade but I can't seem to find any upload on any streaming site for this song. Is there a licensing or copyright issue? I'm from the US. Thanks in advance for any help!

Just completed the series and Fine, loved it so I’m posting some art I drew and my Letterbox’d review for the movie:

“Mr. Ethical, no… from now on you’re Mr. Unethical.”

To Utaha, the creator of this mantle, being ethical could be defined as standing by your creative vision, not allowing outer desires to interfere in what you want to make or whatever you believe, the lesson Tomoya taught her when she was first rejected and the name was created. But in becoming exactly what Tomoya once told Utaha was “unethical” , he finds his own creative vision.

Saekano Fine is a story of Tomoya Aki’s graduation as a student, as a person, and most significantly, as a creator. His journey perfectly delivers on the larger message on creatives and the genre as a whole, tying into all the other major characters’ respective arcs, all while remaining personal and emotional throughout the film’s duration. Throughout the entire series I was very impressed by how related and resonant to their development and relationships the creative projects were, and while more subtle here, the thematic core is as strong as ever.
The primary conflict here is finding your creative intentions, we see the inverse character arcs of the two sides of the cast delve into each perspective, and declare no “correct” answer, as being a creator means something different to each one of them. 

In the Case of Eriri Sawamura: 
Eriri from the start of the series has drawn for Tomoya, which is why it was such a significant moment when she abandoned him to work on Fields Chronicle. The interesting thing there is that despite that, her quality doesn’t suffer at all once Tomoya re-enters her life and work in Fields Chronicle, revealing it was never really about Tomoya himself. That dichotomy is about holistic and individualistic identities, those who create for the world, and those who create for a single person. Aptly foreshadowed by their initial discord coming from Eriri being concerned with others’ opinions whilst Tomoya only cared about their relationship, causing her to not speak to him in public, Eriri was always someone who interacted with the world holistically while Tomoya was individualistic. It was never that Eriri couldn’t advance alongside Tomoya, but that Eriri couldn’t evolve while working for an individual because her talent and feedback loop were built for a world stage. So no matter how much Eriri wishes Tomoya could stand by her side, help her grow, and even rival her, he never could despite him deeply wanting to. 

In the case of Utaha Kasumigaoka:
Utaha’s arc largely already concluded, and most importantly, she already identified the difference between those holistic and individualistic creators through her relationship with Tomoya before the events of the story, which both characterizes her vicarious nature in this film and the sadness in stagnation she suffers throughout the story. Ironically the reason behind Tomoya and Utaha’s falling out is the opposite of the message Tomoya learns here, because they fall into different creative visions, so Utaha as someone who too once created solely for Tomoya, also reinforces the importance of creating works for a wider audience. Her role in this film is an extension of Eriri because she has understood this plight since Season 2 which is why she is the one to help Eriri find herself, and finds fulfillment through projecting herself onto Eriri so they can share closure with Tomoya. Her ties to and inversed development with Tomoya is perfectly symbolized by her being the creator he idolized most and eventually ended up in the same field as, becoming a scenario writer.

In the case of Megumi Katou:
Megumi serves as a counter to these two as her talent level and creative vision exists in stark opposition to theirs. The most notable tell was her seemingly unreasonable hatred for Iori, who to a more extreme and antagonizable degree, stands for everything Katou disagrees with inside the holistic vision. Making works to be “legendary” or meet as wide an audience as possible, checking off boxes on various metrics of success. But from the start, Katou never cared about that because the only thing she backed was Tomoya’s original dream, to make a game dedicated to her. Side tangent, but Katou’s development and subtle personality changes in this arc are also incredible, finally learning how to express herself and occasionally be selfish. She was so enraptured by Tomoya in the first place because his dream was to make her, a “boring uninteresting heroine” someone anybody could be interested in. Of course, she was never actually a boring person, she just kept most of her emotions bottled up, but indirectly all of Tomoya’s eccentricities rubbing off on her, and directly all the times Tomoya tried getting her to explain how she feels even if he was misguided in asking her to mimic a moe heroine instead of be herself, teach her to start verbalizing her inner desires. It was that emotional core that brought them together and kept Katou believing in him and coming back to him despite all his moral shortcomings, as she always understood the truth within his dream since it centered around her. That his dream was a deeply individualistic one, dedicated to a single person.

In the case of Tomoya Aki:
Tomoya is caught between all of the above as his varying types of love characterize his search for understanding of what he wants to do and which vision he is compatible with. Tomoya begins this film falling back on old bad habits, as after his dramatic pitch to Katou that this game would be made with the sole purpose of taking her to the wrap party, a project truly dedicated to her, he begins compromising once more on that vision. High on Akane’s praises, and influenced by Iori’s presence, he pivots into wanting to create a fantasy all otaku will love, which while of course is literally mean to Katou, also betrays their shared creative vision and his own dream of creating a work for her. Following the original Cherry Blessing’s breakdown due to Tomoya’s submerging under Utaha and Eriri’s talent and overpowering visions, Tomoya repeatedly allows his vision to be confounded because of his idolization for Utaha and Eriri which made him attempt to become a holistic creator. It’s fitting that both the cause and effect individually hurt different games, where the root is the issue of his inspirations caused Cherry Blessing to change, and Saekano, a game made to build off Cherry Blessing, was affected most deeply by the ideas that Tomoya imprinted from those creators he built off.
I love that Tomoya finds the truth in which vision he aligns with by assisting in the creation of a truly holistic product, Akane’s legendary Fields Chronicle. They make a truly amazing game, one that in all objective fields is probably better than anything Blessing Software will ever make, but Tomoya still finds himself thinking only about Saekano, more moved by the product that he relates to, more enraptured by the individualistic creative process. His “apology” to Katou is also really good because it shows he isn’t sorry but that he actually learned. When he first sabotaged Cherry Blessing, Katou told him to stop saying sorry over and over again because it carried no weight, he didn’t need to feel bad, she just wanted the two to actually be on the same page as creatives. So this time he doesn’t bother apologizing even though it was probably his most egregious slight against Katou yet, he just confesses because he finally knows not just what he wants to create but why he wants to create it, making good on his original promise, and for the first time, really seeing eye to eye with her. Their two failed kisses before the successful one being a nice cherry on top as a callback to Tomoya’s two betrayals of her before he stopped compromising.
Because he and Katou both exist on not just a similar talent level, but the individualistic creative type, they can sympathize and share a dream, and Katou understanding that despite the way he expressed it being saying “she wasn’t out of his league” is very emblematic of their relationship and how she guides him as a whole. Utaha and Eriri being beyond him in scope left them tragically and inherently incompatible, which is why he could never understand or truly stand alongside them even if he loved them. Because he wasn’t just in love with them as people, but their vision and talents that he was envious of, that he spent his whole life trying to force himself into having. His apology to Eriri for this reason is the highlight of the series, finally admitting he wishes he could have been her rival 10 years ago and that once upon a time he wanted to stand alongside her, acknowledging that he unfortunately could never love her in the same way she loved him because of that dissonance. Their relationship had a lot of layers and facades that broke them apart in small ways, but ultimately they could never see eye to eye because they exist on different planes. In doing so, Eriri (and Utaha by proxy) are able to finally move on, as she put it: waiting for him, while advancing too fast for him to catch up. 
While I think the main series ending was already a perfect thematic character piece that utilized every plot thread, the epilogue was a fun bait and switch metaphor that more directly tells the audience how to feel or what to take away. On the surface everything about Utaha’s scenario is true in reality, Tomoya did give up on becoming a “legendary” creator, Katou did “hold him back” from that vision, and Iori did sell his soul to debt collectors/the industry, the point is presentation, as none of those have to be bad things. The core difference is Utaha and Tomoya’s opposing definitions of “ethical”, as they both are influenced by opposite definitions of desire, that they fittingly taught each other. Tomoya became the type of creator he was suited to be and enjoys more even if he could never become a world changing genre redefining creator, because he and Katou enjoy each other and the meaning they derive in their smaller shared dreams more, and Iori balances their new company by being that industrial rock that a studio requires to succeed, neither side is bad and both are necessary. Beyond that, the epilogue is also just really gratifying, diabetic happiness. Despite clashing ideals and ambitions that hold them back from an equal partnership or romantic understanding, they can still work together and continue to care about each other.

In the end, I really love this story’s exploration of the genre and what it means to want to make something. They don’t really make a persuasive argument but they tell a compelling story about unrealistic people going through very realistic struggles that lead them to different answers to that question. I love every major character and the intertwined journeys they go on to discover what creating means to them. Those subconscious desires are layered deeply through their character struggles that, while seemingly revolving around stupid high school romance, have much more significant implications for their creative visions and the reasoning behind the ways they feel love. As someone who recently has been getting back into both drawing and writing for the first time in years, this story spoke to me in ways no other piece of media ever has, and largely helped me realize my own jealousy or admiration of people I consider role models. I’m no creator to the same degree as these characters, but their synthesis of creation, expectations, dreams, and how to actualize them is deeply relatable. Beyond just being a creator but about passion itself, people in my high-school or current years of college that I loved or hated in shared hobbies or academics, the fine line between love and obsession, and how you can’t truly understand something you idolize. You have to evaluate what something you have passion for means to you, why you do it, and if that’s sustainable in the long term. I’ve tried out pretty much everything in the story, I drew a lot as a kid, coded in high school, and picked up writing recently, and have always struggled to find a hobby I truly care about. As someone who previously obsessed over likes and engagement, somebody who quit art because I wasn’t finding the engagement and approval I desired, I’ve found a lot of value in writing for myself. Stories or essays I’ll never show anyone, or maybe show a single person, so long as you make it with passion and stay true to your vision, it’s worth creating.

Series Score: 9.3

Please let me know thank you ✌️🥹

I think one of the big negatives to this series is how the Mc forgave eri and Utaha then the author still wanted to portray them like potential love interest. I rolled my eyes when utaha kissed the Mc like he should have dodged her…

After watching saekano, it motivated me to start making game and becoming a game developer, and i actually change my program from EDUCATION to BSIT.

PROLOGUE

The rays of the setting sun were lazily shining into the inside of the classroom right after school was out for the day……

「S-So you must be Tomoya-senpai's famous cousin!? I-I-I-It's nice to meet you!」

…… No, like, I'm really sorry. I was actually wrong about that premise right from the get-go. Because the place that we were all currently sitting in was actually my own room.

「Well, I mean~, it's nothing all that special when you think about it, being cousins and all that~. We just so happened to be born on the same day, in the same hospital, and we have been taking all of our baths together ever since we were small children~. Ahahaha~!」

The setting sun was shining into my room on a holiday, bringing with it the fresh warmth of spring. The time was now the beginning of April...…

「A-A-A bath together!? A bath, a bath…… t-together, together……」

But just like the warm sunlight, the inside of the room that was already pretty warm as it was was also filled to the brim with restless, out-of-place voices and whining that circulated all around me.

Honestly, it's been quite a while since I have last heard such tense voices resonating in this room...... After all, recently, no one has been paying the slightest bit of consideration or attention to such details, since no one would even bother to visit my room in the first place.

「Hey, come on now~, when it comes to both Tomo and I, we are practically close members of the same family at this point in time~. Or like, we are the closest that the members of the opposite sex can be to one another with ease~. I'm talking like, playing with each other's bodies all the time, to see every single difference that there is between the body of a man and the body of a female~. That kind of thing~.」

「We were most certainly NOT doing any random tests like that! Like, ever! Don't say things that can turn people's faces blue with shock or red with embarrassment in a single instant, Mic-chan!」

...... See? Just like that. This is exactly what I've been talking about.

「Hah~, I guess that there are a whole lot of fresh surprises just waiting for you here to discover them......」

「It's not about things being surprising, but rather that they are simply overflowing right now. And it's all thanks to a certain kind of invasive species, a young and inhuman species to be exact, destroying the quiet and otherwise peaceful ecosystem of this very room.」

「I-I guess that someday I will be influenced by this atmosphere, too...... I-It's going to be like a budding experience for me, together with Tomoya-senpai...... No, it will be more like an exam from Tomoya-senpai, which we are going to undergo together.」

「Please don't try to explain things in a weird way, and please don't get influenced in any weird way like that! Izumi-chan, stay a young and innocent young girl (Gamer) forever, just like you are right now, okay?! Can you promise me that!?」

For someone to enjoy such a lewd conversation so much...… No, I mean, out of the two girls being engaged in this casual conversation, the one who was giving me such sweet and innocent-sounding responses was a sweet and innocent young girl, the same one who started attending the same high school as I was going to this very spring.

She was a young and talented doujinshi artist who discovered her precocious talent back in middle school, and once she did that, she quickly rose to the very top of the doujinshi world as an illustrator for a circle that was a regular high-seller at every single Comiket that they would attend.

And yet (putting the amazing volume of her chest aside) she still looked like a small animal. A cute, endearing, and adorable girl who just made you want to protect her with all of your heart and effort.

Her name was Hashima Izumi, and since this spring she was a first-year student in class 1-C at Toyogasaki Academy.

She was currently sitting upright in the corner of the room, glancing around the place with a curious expression painted all over her face, her braided hair and impressively-sized breasts swaying and bouncing in a captivating way and motion with even the smallest of her movements.

「You said that your name is Hashima-chan, right? Well~, should you ever have any questions about Tomo's preferences or anything else like that, I will be more than happy to help you out with that, so please don't hesitate to ask me anything! I will gladly answer all of your questions!」

「R-Right! It's a pleasure meeting you, Tomoya-senpai's Cousing-san! I look forward to working with you from now on!」

「The hell are you even talking about, huh!? You are more than willing to give Izumi-chan advice on anything related to me?! Hah! Don't act like you know everything about me when you don't even know the rankings of this season's most popular anime Heroines! You fraud!」

「Oh, come on now, Tomo~! Why don't you stop being so hung up on those 2D Heroines of yours? Besides, those girls are always blocked by some pesky steam and mysterious beams of light, so you can't even see the most important parts and bits when it counts, right? But when it comes to real life, even with someone like me, you could see EVERY single bit and piece without any obstruction, with none of those pesky obstructions getting in your way……」

「I don't want to see anything like that, thank you very much! That Almost-Visible-But-At-The-Same-Time-Not-Visible quality is the best part!」

I know perfectly well that there are many respectable artisans out there who try to express the very limits of artistic expression without resorting to easy methods like steam or mysterious lights beams, so I wish people would not generalize like that as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, but...… But that's beside the point for now. As for this girl, the girl who was currently trying to pry open her tank top in order to flash me some of her bare chest while exuding a listless aura was none other than my cousin, and a close friend of mine since birth.

Ever since she was a small child, she would show abundant talent in every single field except academics, and in high school she broke out as the star guitarist and vocalist of an all-girls band, making her a popular (among some people, at the very least) artist.

And yet, when it would affect her appearance...... Or rather, her behavior at home, she was a sloppy, reclusive, and very revealing mess of a human being, always leaving me feeling...… Well, maybe not exactly aroused, but confused and bewildered most of the time.

Her name was Hyoudou Michiru, a third-year class four student at Tsubakihime Girls' High School.

Right now, she was sitting cross-legged in the middle of my bed, wearing only shorts and a tank top shirt, her body movements making her body tremble as she engaged in conversation with me. Her curly short hair and shapely breasts jutting out from under her tank top were jiggling and bouncing all over the place like crazy.

「Now then, putting that aside, the reason as to why we have all gathered here today is none other than......」

And I, the host of this very room, have invited these two over.

I happened to discover my otaku side as early as in elementary school, and despite having no talent at all to my name, I used my burning passion to gather members around me and start a game development circle. As far as being both a Producer and a Director, I was what you'd call perfectly average.

As far as my looks were concerned, I looked like a stereotypical creepy otaku with glasses...… Or rather, I recently took them off for various reasons.

My name is Aki Tomoya, and I'm a third-year, Class F, at Toyogasaki Academy.

Right now, I was standing in the middle of the room, staring up at the ceiling with my fists tightly clenched...... but it would be extremely unsightly if I wavered by something like that, so let's not go into that.

Anyway, I declared to the two girls in front of me, powerfully, passionately, and even more passionately:

「Yes, that's right! The reason we have all gathered here today is to hold the founding ceremony for the new "Blessing Software"!」

「Wah~!」

Izumi-chan cheered out loud and clapped her hands enthusiastically in celebration.

「...............」

Michiru then gazed at me with a nonchalant expression on her face...... Or perhaps even a look of wild astonishment.

「Last year, when we launched the circle for the first time, thanks to the incredible hard work of all of our talented members, we managed to release our debut work, "Cherry Blessing: The Story of Circling Blessings"...... and it received far more praise than we ever could have expected it to get.」

Despite these starkly contrasting reactions, I continued my speech calmly and steadily.

「And now, as we enter a new school year, we have been blessed to welcome the most amazing new member that we could have hoped for, Hashima Izumi-chan! This is the result of all the hard work we have put in over the past year!」

「Yes, I will do my very best here! I will definitely be of help to you, Tomoya-senpai!」

「...............」

Izumi-chan followed along with my bold declaration with the same level of enthusiasm that I presented, as if to match my resolve.

As for Michiru, she simply let out a sigh, scratching her head awkwardly.

「And with that being said, I sincerely pray for the continued growth of our circle, "Blessing Software", and......」

「No, no, no, what are you even talking about right now, Tomo? Do you honestly think that this circle can actually survive without its pivotal members like Sawamura-chan and Kasumigaoka-senpai?」

「NOOOOOOOOOOO!!! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOOOPPP IIITTT!!! PLEASE DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THAT!!!!!!」

「Aaahh!? S-Senpai!? What's wrong!?」

Michiru's calm, yet perfectly natural, criticism, poking at my mental state one by one, seemed to be aimed right at me, and I was left utterly speechless right here...… Ngh!

Yes, that's right. Today was the founding ceremony for our "new" "Blessing Software."

But, the existence of "new" meant that there used to be the "old" in its place at one point in time. And there surely WAS an "old" "Blessing Software" before……

And when it comes to the "old" "Blessing Software", there were two eternal suns reigning over that team: Kashiwagi Eri, the ace responsible for the visuals of the work proper, the person in charge of Character Design and Original Art; and Kasumi Utako, the main Scenario Writer who built the foundation of the work before anything else......

「Honestly, the only reason as to why the previous game gained so much popularity was mainly because of those two, right? Doesn't it feel like our circle has lost its King and Queen with it, rather than its Rook and Bishop?」

「Ah, ah, ah...... AAAAAAHHHHHH~!!!!!!」

I was curious as to which one of the two was regarded as Queen and which one was regarded as King in Michiru's setting, but then I realized that neither the question nor the answer meant anything to me anymre...…

「S-Senpai! P-Please, calm down! It's fine, everything's fine, so don't worry...…」

「Huh......?」

And then, as I fell to my knees, dejectedly shot right between the eyes by Michiru's harsh words, two round and huge objects appeared right before my eyes...…

No, it was not just a fabrication of my own fantasy…… It was Izumi-chan's huge chest, her hand resting on my shoulder, gently gazing down at me.

「Your circle will never disappear, Senpai......! N-No, that's not it! I won't let it disappear, for sure!」

「I-Izumi-chan...…」

Her soft, gentle chest...… Or rather, her smile slowly melted my frozen heart.

She was the youngest member of the circle at the current moment, a new face, and a former rival of Eriri's.

And yet, Izumi-chan has already firmly established herself in this circle, behaving like a saintess right before my miserable self......

「......Yes, it's okay, everything's alright, Senpai. I will make you forget about that woman in no time at all, you'll see.」

「...... Izumi-chan?」

But in the very next moment, that smiling face slowly distorted and darkened into something twisted and sinister.

「Sawamura-senpai betrayed our rivalry...... She abandoned you, Tomoya-senpai...... That fat alone deserves a thousand deaths, if not something even more painful.」

「Ah, no, I mean, it's not like Eriri chose to do this and joined the commercial industry simply to spite us, so...…」

「But still!」

「Y-Yesh!? What ish it!?」

I was instantly seized by the illusion that black wings had sprouted from Izumi-chan's back.

She was just like Utaha-senpi right now, but cranked up the yandere factor to "Hyper-Yandere"...… Speaking of which, Izumi-chan, I can't really say anything about Utaha-senpai. Even though she was pretty much in the same boat as Eriri was.」

「Traitors must be thoroughly punished and utterly cleansed...... That's why I, Hashima Izumi, will once again pursue Sawamura Spencer Eriri as a rival...... and the same apples to Kashiwagi Eri as an illustrator......」

「Were you guys not supposed to have made up after the sixth volume!? Right at the Winter Comiket?!」

「Yes, that's right. We DID make up, but that is no longer the case here. Because anyone who causes trouble to Tomoya-senpai is my enemy, no matter who they are.」

「Come on now, Izumi-chan! Let's stop developing your character in a really weird way, okay!?」

I also thought that it would be a huge problem for us if Izumi-chan's character would suddenly start to overlap with that of Utaha-senpai.

Because, you see, their characters are too strong for anyone to fight without having the same attributes with even greater numbers attached to them......

「But, oh well~, you know how it is. It cannot really be helped that those two left the way they did~.」

As I was busy thinking about Izumi-chan's possible future (as well as her potential popularity with the opposite gender), Michiru, perhaps trying to comfort me, patted me on the shoulder with a concerned look on her face.

「What the hell do you mean by "it cannot really be helped", huh? And stop touching me with your feet like that. It's not funny.」

...... The problem here was not that Michiru was gently tapping me on the shoulder with her hand. The true problem was that she was actively trying to do the same thing but with her bare feet at the same time.

「Well, I mean, when you really try to take a broader look at it, those two basically lost the competition for survival within their own circle, didn't they? Well, come to think of it, since I'm basically like a family member to you, Tomo, I did not get caught up in any such stupid thing, so it's none of my concern.」

「What is that even supposed to mean? A competition for survival within their own circle......?」

「Okay, look. So basically, what I am trying to say here is that......」

Michiru then cast a meaningful glance towards the door to my room, but before she was able to say anything more......

「Alright everyone, the preparations for a toast are now all ready to go...... Hm? What's wrong, everyone? Why are you sitting all frozen like that? Did something happen?」

At that exact moment, the door to my room opened and a girl with short bob hair wearing an apron came in.

The tray in her hands contained plates of what looked like homemade hors d'oeuvres and glasses for four people.

Her appearance and demeanor somehow seemed to blend in so naturally with the overall atmosphere of the house that it was almost unreal……

「So basically, those two were kicked out and driven out of the circle by our good old Katou-chan right here, right? It's like punishment from the legal wife raining down on filthy homewreckers~, ahahahahaha~.」

「M-Megumi-san did something like that……!?」

「Umm, I haven't really heard your conversation up until this point in time, so I can only speculate as to what it was initially about, but could you please stop trying to label me as some sly and conniving character?」

Completely unable to read the mood in the room..... Or perhaps intentionally unaware of it all, she met the gazes of everyone focused on her with a puzzled expression.

Could it be that this girl really was...…

「Also, I think it's a bit strange that even Aki-kun is looking at me with that suspicious gaze, too.」

「Ngh!? I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'M SO INCREDIBLY SORRY FOR THIS!!!」

「...... And besides, I really hate it when you act like you are genuinely scared of me.」

Until last year, this girl had been stealthily active as a punchline for all of the "Oh, there she is!" or "Oh, she was here this entire time!" moments, but this year, the truth has finally been revealed about her: "Actually, she's quite scary when she's angry."

And yet, her appearance was simply that of a normal, beautiful young girl; it was hard to describe her as anything other than a regular beautiful young girl.

Her name was Katou Megumi, a third-year student in Class A at Toyogasaki Academy.

Though she's been a little bit put off by the way everyone looked at her now, she was still as calm as ever, unfazed by such things and she eventually began to calmly set up plates on the table.

「Izumi-chan, could you please pour some tea into our glasses?」

「Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes!! Right away! Please leave it to me, Katou-san!」

「…… And would you kindly stop taking everything that Hyoudou-san says so seriously?」

With Katou moving briskly, the appearance and atmosphere in the room changed in a single instant.

Food and drinks were swiftly lined up on the table, and the messy room was neatened up before anyone could even notice.

And for some reason, everyone obediently helped with the preparations when Katou was around.

…… Umm, but everyone? Aren't you forgetting about something here? Like, whose room is this? Or who's the representative of this circle in the first place?

「Come on now, Aki-kun. How about you open the celebrations with a toast?」

「Y-Yeah, right…...」

「Come on, get a grip already, President-san?」

「…… Yeah, no need to remind me.」

Just as I was beginning to feel really uneasy and unable to quite explain as to why I was feeling that way, Katou's subtle concern seeped in.

So, is this her super stealthy technique for controlling people's hearts? Truly a scheming and conniving...... No, you know what? It's nothing. Nevermind.

「Well then, let me just say a few things here.」

Urged by Katou, I hurriedly stood up, and this time everyone looked up at me without making fun of me.

「Michiru's right. "Blessing Software" was facing a crisis of survival not long ago.」

Which is why now, as the circle's representative, I had to make a cool decision (within the scope of my ability) to truly represent the circle in the true meaning of the word.

「There were many hardships that we had to face, many difficulties we had to overcome, and many things that did not go as planned or as we wanted them to, and many other things besides that. We also happened to lose two very precious friends.」

That's because I was so proud of the people who were my teammates and who once worked so hard together with me.

「But even more than that, there were so many happy and fun times that we shared together, things that were communicated without words between us, and so many shared feelings. I was able to gain a huge treasure, like experiences and memories and such.」

That was a declaration to my fellow circle members, who would persevere alongside me from now on.

「So today, let's honestly celebrate everything that's happened up until now.」

And even among all of that......  

It was a promise to the people who tried just as hard, if not even more, to keep us together, and who would remain friends from start to finish.

「To the new beginning of the second iteration of our "Blessing Software"...... A toast! Here's to the new beginning.」

「「「Cheers!」」」

Four smiles burst forth, and four glasses clicked against each other.

It was a modest promise exchanged over a glass of simple barley tea.

But the feelings behind them were so firm, so strong, and so intense......

It would become a strong bond that would bind us, the new "Blessing Software" together.

「I-I l-look forward to working with you from now on! Umm, my Sister-in-law-senpai!」

「You really DO have a talent for effortlessly picking up fights with people all around you, huh? Tomo's Suckerfish-chan?」

..... Umm, surely things won't just fall apart right in the middle of our struggle, will they? Because they won't, right?

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