Inside the convention hall, at a certain booth, Takeuchi Takashi excitedly turned to Nasu Kinoko beside him. "We did it! We did it, man!"
"It's only the first day. Stay calm," Nasu Kinoko said, adjusting his glasses with an air of composure.
In reality, his heart was far from calm.
He and Takeuchi Takashi had been best friends since middle school, sitting at adjacent desks.
It was Takeuchi Takashi who had first started writing novels. But after realizing his own work paled in comparison to his friend's, he abandoned the idea of writing and, influenced by the Yu Yu Hakusho manga, turned to creating manga instead.
In 1996, the pen name "Takeuchi Takashi" was born. The manga he created under this name won an honorable mention at the third 21st Century Manga Awards sponsored byENIX. The following year, a short story was published in a monthly shonen manga magazine.
Though he didn't gain much fame, Takeuchi Takashi had truly achieved his dream of becoming a manga artist.
Nasu Kinoko was different. His former dream had been to become a proper novelist. But the path of a novelist was no less challenging than that of a manga artist. Most novel awards had strict word count limits for submissions.
Nasu Kinoko had faced countless setbacks on his path to becoming a writer.
In '98, Takeuchi Takashi invited him to form the doujin circle "Bamboo Broom." Though reluctant at first, Nasu Kinoko eventually agreed.
Of course, it was no longer "Bamboo Broom" but the doujin circle "Type-Moon," also known as Type-Moon.
Tsukihime, the first game developed by Type-Moon, had been nearly completed the previous year. However, the game engine was terrible, and after several failed attempts, they finally had a working version.
The two decided to bring the full version of Tsukihime to this year's Comic Market, and to their surprise, it became a hit.
Even if it wasn't exactly the dream he'd once had, the success of Tsukihime was undeniable. Nasu Kinoko merely put on a good show; in reality, he was even more thrilled than Takeuchi Takashi.
As the two basked in the joy of their game's success, a tall, slender young man wearing glasses, a mask, and a black baseball cap approached their booth. "Um... could I try playing it?" he asked.
As he spoke, he pointed to the laptop on the table.
The two had brought the computer themselves, primarily to let visitors try out the game. Otherwise, with neither of them being well-known, the game's cover alone wouldn't have attracted many buyers.
It was perfectly natural for people to want to try a game before buying it.
Takeuchi Takashi gestured for him to sit, smiling as he said, "Please."
The young man was, of course, Lin Zhiyan.
After seeing the game's cover, he had already recognized the two men as Takeuchi Takashi and Nasu Kinoko. Even so, he still needed to go through the motions of trying out the game.
He played for a few minutes, then picked up a game disc, examined it front and back, and turned to the two men. "Just to confirm, you're a doujin circle, right?"
"Uh..."
The two were slightly taken aback.
Quickly recovering, Takeuchi Takashi put on a professional smile and nodded. "Hello, yes, our doujin circle is called Type-Moon. Is there something we can help you with?"
Lin Zhiyan paused to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Although I've only played the game for a few minutes, I was impressed. Plus, your game seems quite popular. I was wondering if you'd be interested in commercializing it."
Takeuchi Takashi and Nasu Kinoko were both taken aback.
Many people had come to buy their game today, but this was the first time anyone had approached them about commercialization.
Before they could react, Lin Zhiyan continued, "If you're open to it, I'd consider investing. Of course, I'd need to play the game thoroughly to make sure your doujin circle is worth my investment."
"Oh, and here's my business card. Take a look."
He handed his card to Takeuchi Takashi.
Takeuchi Takashi had initially assumed Lin Zhiyan was some rich second-generation heir. But when he glanced at the card, he was stunned. "Lin..."
Before Takeuchi Takashi could exclaim, Lin Zhiyan put a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet.
Takeuchi Takashi quickly covered his mouth, and when he looked at Lin Zhiyan again, his eyes were filled with admiration.
He had, of course, seen the massively popular anime Death Note. The fact that Lin Zhiyan had been involved in multiple roles in its production made him feel genuine respect.
He never expected to run into Lin Zhiyan in a place like this, let alone hear him say he wanted to invest in their doujin circle. It felt like a top-tier celebrity approaching an obscure, low-tier streamer and saying, "I see great potential in you and want to invest in you. Are you interested?"
It felt dreamlike, almost unreal.
Meanwhile, Nasu Kinoko, noticing Takeuchi Takashi's strange reaction, couldn't resist glancing at the business card. He was equally stunned.
It's really him!
He quickly regained his composure and asked Lin Zhiyan, "Um... Could I ask, when you mentioned considering investing in our circle, are you planning to adapt it into a galgame-based anime next?"
"No."
Lin Zhiyan shook his head. "Our company only produces original animations. We won't consider adapting anything for at least five years. However, galgames have been quite popular recently, so I've been thinking about investing in a galgame company. Instead of investing in an established company, I'd rather invest in a doujin circle like yours. Of course, this is just an idea for now."
He paused before continuing, "If you're willing to accept investment and operate commercially, please give me your contact information. I'll play your game, and if I decide to invest, I'll contact you. If not, don't feel pressured; just pretend I never said anything."
Nasu Kinoko nodded, accepting Lin Zhiyan's explanation.
As for whether to commercialize or accept investment, he wasn't sure. He'd need to consult Takeuchi Takashi's opinion.
By now, Takeuchi Takashi had calmed down.
After a few seconds of consideration, he picked up a pen, wrote down his contact information on a slip of paper, tore it off, and handed it to Lin Zhiyan with both hands.
Whether or not to commercialize aside, giving out contact info was the safe move.
After all, what if Lin Zhiyan played their game and lost interest?
Even if they're willing to invest after playing, we'd still need to negotiate the terms carefully. There's no guarantee we'd accept.
If we do end up declining, it would likely be a polite refusal over the phone or by email, which is far better than turning them down on the spot in a place like this.
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