"This button... I remember it being the attack button...?" Morishita Aoi, dressed in a black women's business suit, fiddled with the game controller in utter confusion. Brushing the loose strands of hair beside her ear aside, she turned to Kamiyā Yuu for help. Her high heels, which matched her business attire, had been left outside the office door. Her exquisitely shaped feet, with their graceful curves, were covered in sheer black stockings, and a black seam could be seen extending from her ankle all the way beneath her skirt. The black seam wasn't some sort of provocative design. Rather, before stockings were invented, American textile technology had still been imperfect, and the manufacturing process inevitably left such weaving marks along the back. As textile technology modernized, the black seam along the back of stockings was retained as a traditional design feature.
At night, this office would be covered with a soft carpet and used as Yūki Chinatsu's private room. Morishita Aoi sat sideways on the carpet with her legs folded, her posture elegant and composed. Whenever Kamiyā Yuu wasn't around, Kamiyā Sora liked sitting in the seiza-like "duck sitting" posture that, according to legend, men were incapable of assuming. It certainly looked extremely cute when women did it. Out of curiosity, Kamiyā Yuu had tried the posture himself. Contrary to what was commonly claimed online, it wasn't impossible for men, but maintaining it for too long made his legs ache and was considerably more uncomfortable than squatting.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just as she turned to Kamiyā Yuu for help, an ugly zombie monster on the television screen charged forward and bit the character she controlled. Beside her, Kamiyā Sora, controlling the 1P character, deftly moved the controller's analog stick and blew the monster's head off with a single shot without even using aim assist.
"Ah..." The bloody scene made Morishita Aoi let out a small cry. Remaining calm, she moved her character into a safe corner and breathed a sigh of relief before smiling at Kamiyā Sora. "Thank you, Sora."
Kamiyā Sora nodded slightly. "Be careful. Multiple enemies will appear around the next corner."
The plea for help in Morishita Aoi's gaze grew even stronger as she looked at Kamiyā Yuu.
Kamiyā Yuu walked over and took the controller from Morishita Aoi, demonstrating the controls for her. Looking at Aoi in her business suit, he found it rather difficult to imagine her playing video games and smiled. "Aoi, haven't you played console games before?"
"No, I've played them before. I just haven't been able to find the time since I started working, and my consoles are all back at my family home." Morishita Aoi smiled sheepishly. In Japan, even if someone didn't enjoy playing games, it was still best to know a little about them. That knowledge was extremely useful for fitting into social circles at school.
Behind them, Yūki Chinatsu was curled up under the kotatsu, unwilling to come out as she tirelessly peeled a mandarin. She rolled her eyes. "Just asking, but how long ago was that?"
Morishita Aoi thought for a moment. "About seven or eight years ago."
Having expected that answer, Yūki Chinatsu sighed with an "I knew it" expression. "Good grief. That's enough time for consoles to go through several generations."
Morishita Aoi looked somewhat puzzled as she stared at the controller in Kamiyā Yuu's hands. "The controls haven't changed that much. We used controllers back then too."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll teach you how to play."
Yūki Chinatsu popped the completely peeled mandarin into her mouth in one bite, got up, walked over to Morishita Aoi, and snatched the controller from Kamiyā Yuu's hands. Like a victorious general, she began explaining the game's controls. It was rare for her to find something she could do better than Morishita Aoi, so it was hardly surprising that she looked so proud and delighted.
After finishing her explanation, she also became interested in playing. Patting the spot beside her, she urged, "Yuu, sit here as you used to."
Kamiyā Yuu was speechless. He turned to look at Kamiyā Sora's face. Though it wasn't particularly obvious, he could still sense the displeasure in her expression. The FPS game was paused, and Kamiyā Sora selected a fighting game instead before looking challengingly at Yūki Chinatsu.
Yūki Chinatsu immediately understood. Placing her hands confidently on her hips, she declared, "Then let's have a match. If I win, you two have to stay here until at least ten, and the VIP seat belongs to me for that entire time."
"No objections," Kamiyā Sora replied expressionlessly.
"Let's begin. Best of three, just like before."
They each selected their fighter, and a line of English appeared on the screen.
"Ready~Go!"
Before a winner was decided, Kamiyā Yuu, who had effectively become the prize, sat beside Morishita Aoi and shook his head with a chuckle. "Sora seems a little happy." Normally, Kamiyā Sora would simply pretend not to notice. Then, after they returned home, she would put the entire debt on his tab and collect it with interest.
Following Kamiyā Yuu's gaze, Morishita Aoi watched the two girls battling seriously and couldn't help laughing. Turning her delicate face toward Kamiyā Yuu, she teased, "Yuu really is popular. If I won, would I also get the right to use the VIP seat?"
Seeing Kamiyā Yuu's troubled expression, she covered her lips and giggled again.
In the end, unsurprisingly, Kamiyā Sora emerged victorious amid Yūki Chinatsu's disgruntled muttering. She openly exercised the right to the VIP seat she'd won and spent the entire evening sitting in Kamiyā Yuu's lap while playing games.
A little after ten that night, their small gathering came to an end. This was also around the time Yūki Chinatsu and Kamiyā Sora normally went to sleep, and since they had work the next day, they decided not to continue playing.
At the entrance to the company, Kamiyā Yuu hailed a taxi for Morishita Aoi. After getting in, she smiled at the two outside. "Well then, Yuu, Sora, good night."
Kamiyā Yuu nodded. "Have a safe trip."
"Good night."
As they watched the taxi gradually disappear into the distance, Kamiyā Sora tugged on Kamiyā Yuu's sleeve and snorted with obvious dissatisfaction. "Aoi-nee has changed quite a lot lately. Her expressions have become much more cheerful. It's all thanks to a certain someone."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled awkwardly and reached out to rub her hair. "Don't overthink things."
Kamiyā Sora wrapped her arms around his right arm and asked, "Yuu, did you eat any takoyaki?"
"Those were for you two. Besides, I already ate plenty at the sound department's celebration. If I ate any more, I'd feel stuffed." Kamiyā Yuu scratched the back of his head as he answered, unable to understand why she was asking this now.
Kamiyā Sora simply stood there, quietly staring at Kamiyā Yuu. Only when her cool, unwavering gaze began making him uneasy did she slowly say, "When I was sitting on Yuu's lap playing games earlier, I could taste takoyaki at the corner of Yuu's mouth."
"Uh..." Kamiyā Yuu was rendered speechless, unease rising inside him. At this point, even if he tried to cover it up with an excuse, there was basically no chance he could fool the exceptionally perceptive Kamiyā Sora.
"Sorry. It's exactly what Sora thinks."
Hearing Kamiyā Yuu admit it, Kamiyā Sora put her hands on her hips and looked at him helplessly. Her words were steeped in jealousy as she lectured him. "Yuu has been getting more and more careless lately. Hmm~ If I had to make a comparison, you're like a beast in heat."
She tugged his tie downward, stood on tiptoe, and complained beside his ear, "Even though you already have a little sister at home..."
Kamiyā Yuu froze and asked with a strange expression, "Sora... have you been drinking?"
"Mm. Chinatsu and I drank some of the beer Yuu brought."
Kamiyā Yuu reached out and touched her forehead. He could feel that her temperature was slightly higher than usual. This was how Kamiyā Sora behaved after drinking, which also explained why she'd acted more boldly than usual just now. Kamiyā Sora was normally quiet, but in truth, her inner thoughts were richer than anyone else's. Ordinarily, she would never voice them, and even Kamiyā Yuu had to infer what she was thinking from subtle changes in her expression.
Of course, a little beer wasn't enough to make her drunk. It merely made her somewhat more excitable.
After they returned to the apartment, Kamiyā Yuu helped her remove her low-heeled shoes. Kamiyā Sora let out a soft, alluring giggle, and her slender foot slipped free of Kamiyā Yuu's large hand and touched his cheek. Her clear, tranquil eyes had transformed into rippling pools of autumn water, so delicate that even the slightest disturbance seemed capable of stirring tender ripples across their surface. Her foot brushed across his lips, the silky texture of her stockings especially distinct. It was like a spark falling into a powder keg. Unable to resist, he cradled her small, delicate foot as though he'd found a priceless treasure. He could clearly see the dense, orderly weave of the stockings wrapped around her skin.
"Yuu..." Her limpid eyes brimmed with mist.
Kamiyā Yuu lowered his head and kissed her delicate toes. His tongue dampened the sheer fabric before his teeth tore it open, exposing the slender toes beneath.
"Mmm~"
Still dressed in her business suit, Kamiyā Sora lay in the entryway with a hazy expression. Her heightened emotions swiftly transformed into blazing flames, fueled further by the dissatisfaction she'd accumulated earlier. Over the course of the night, that scorching heat nearly melted even a piece of steel like Kamiyā Yuu into molten iron.
...
It was nearly noon by the time the two finally got up. Production of 'Fate/zero' had entered its final stage, so these few days were also days for Kamiyā Yuu to relax. There was nothing wrong with heading to Yosuganosora Animation Studio a little later.
After an entire night of exertion, Kamiyā Sora's petite body felt as though it were about to fall apart. Wearing a white house dress, she lay sprawled across the bed, lazily using her laptop. Kamiyā Yuu, meanwhile, was full of energy and had already put on his suit. After they had finally gone to sleep last night, he had completed the entire story script for 'Code Geass' within his consciousness space. The storyboards for the first five episodes had also basically been finalized. If he finished drawing them over the next few days, Yosuganosora Animation Studio would be able to produce the first four episodes of 'Code Geass' in December.
Revising the story script for 'Code Geass' was an even larger undertaking than revising the novel's plot for 'Fate/zero'. First, the two stories differed greatly in length. 'Code Geass' alone had more than fifty animated episodes, giving it twice as much plot content as 'Fate/zero'. Second, even setting the length aside, far more of its plot needed to be revised than 'Fate/zero'.
Several major plotlines in 'Fate/zero' could produce completely different effects after being revised, but the animated storyline of 'Code Geass' consisted of countless small dramatic sequences woven together, advancing layer by layer like interlocking links in a chain. Altering even one of them would affect the entire story.
As for characterization, there was hardly any need to mention it. Lelouch in the original work was essentially a Gilgamesh-style protagonist. The two were highly similar in the way their personalities were portrayed, and Lelouch even leaned toward the more idiotic, Goldie-type version of Gilgamesh. Without his protagonist's plot armor and Geass, he would have died countless times already. Yet in the original work, he had even claimed that, with or without Geass, destroying Britannia was merely a matter of time.
As for the plot, which was closely tied to the characterization, one of the most criticized aspects of the original was how Lelouch's intelligence was portrayed. It seemed that every astonishing reversal he pulled off to defeat his enemies relied on the same trick, commonly known as flipping the table—or flipping the entire floor.
Pull one thread and the whole thing unraveled. Kamiyā Yuu had no choice but to delve into every corner of 'Code Geass' and reshape the story from the ground up, retaining only the broad outline and structural backbone of the original work. It was only today that he had finally completed the story script for 'Code Geass'.
After straightening his suit, Kamiyā Yuu walked over to Kamiyā Sora. She was intermittently typing on her laptop to finish her novel, writing for a while before collapsing back onto the bed and closing her eyes to rest.
"Sora, what do you want for dinner?"
Kamiyā Sora raised her delicate face and looked at Kamiyā Yuu, thinking for a moment. "Chinese ramen. Also, there are only a few bottles of Coke left in the fridge."
"Got it. I'll stop by the supermarket on my way back tonight." Kamiyā Yuu glanced at the novel displayed on her laptop screen, paused, and asked, "By the way, have you decided on an illustrator for the novel?"
Kamiyā Sora tilted her head and looked at him. "Does Yuu want to try?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Yuu knows that Etsuki-nee is the best choice for a novel in this style."
Kamiyā Yuu leaned over and kissed her cheek with a smile. "I do want to give it a try."
By now, Kamiyā Yuu had essentially mastered the technique of drawing within his consciousness, and his overall skill at digital art had undergone a qualitative leap. His hand-drawing skills might still be unable to match Uehara Etsuki's accumulation of more than a decade of experience, but when it came to digital illustrations, he could decisively surpass her even in the Gothic style she specialized in.
"Then Yuu can do the illustrations for the novel."
A faint smile appeared on Kamiyā Sora's face as she lay on the bed. This was also something she'd secretly wanted all along, and she'd been waiting for Kamiyā Yuu to bring it up himself. The most direct reason she'd wanted to ask Uehara Etsuki to illustrate the novel wasn't that Uehara Etsuki's hand-drawing skills were better than Kamiyā Yuu's, but because she didn't want to add to Kamiyā Yuu's workload. Now that Kamiyā Yuu had brought it up himself, he must at least have made plans of his own.
Creating a work that belonged to the two of them together—this had always been one of her dreams.
"I'm heading to the company. If you get hungry, eat the leftover fried rice from yesterday that's in the fridge. Make sure you heat it in the microwave first, understand?" After confirming that he hadn't forgotten anything, Kamiyā Yuu flicked her forehead with a finger and reminded her solemnly. Although he'd gotten up relatively early, cleaning up the aftermath of last night's madness had taken quite some time. Several sets of Kamiyā Sora's clothes and stockings would have to be custom-made again.
"Mm."
...
Kamiyā Yuu drove to Yosuganosora Animation Studio. He had been in his office for less than half an hour and was preparing to start drawing the storyboards for 'Code Geass' when an unexpected visitor arrived.
It was Gogyo Ruri, the animation department's director. Due to the nature of her work, she rarely needed to contact Kamiyā Yuu directly, so her arrival at his office surprised him.
"Onii-san, are you there?"
"Come in."
The wooden door opened, and Gogyo Ruri first poked her head inside. Seeing that Kamiyā Yuu was the only person there, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What's wrong? Why are you acting so furtive?" Kamiyā Yuu asked with an amused smile, sitting in his office chair with his arms folded.
"It's nothing."
Gogyo Ruri came over and sat down in front of the desk. Seeing the animation paper and tools spread across Kamiyā Yuu's desk, she knew he was about to start working. Not wanting to disturb him for too long, she went straight to the reason for her visit. An embarrassed expression appeared on her face as she quietly asked, "'Throne of Heroes'..."