| Itaru | A'ight, since this is a two-player game, choose the character you like. My favorite character… should I let Tsuzuru play them? |
| Tsuzuru | Nah, I'd prefer watching how an expert plays as that character and taking note. I'll use Yoshitsune. |
| *game sounds* |
| Itaru | Then, let's start. Go slay the common soldiers first. |
| Tsuzuru | Heh… you can comfortably take down the enemies without pressing the buttons too hard, huh… |
| Itaru | IKR? Dash until the Taira family residence, then. It's the one with a red mark on the map. |
| Tsuzuru | … |
| Itaru | … |
| Tsuzuru | So Benkei is your favorite character, huh. |
| Itaru | His ATK is strong, but once you're into it, he's just crazy strong. |
| Tsuzuru | Heh~. |
| Itaru | He kinda looks like that Syu-san from the first-gen members, appearance-wise. |
| Tsuzuru | Ooh… |
| Itaru | If that person were a game character, I think he's gonna be like that one strong character of uncertain age. In an organization, he’d be the second-in-command. He has a somewhat peculiar sense. |
| Tsuzuru | ...I wonder what kind of story will satisfy that person. |
| Itaru | Ah, that will be the detached force... |
| Tsuzuru | Detached force? |
| Itaru | Nah, just talking to myself. |
| You know what, this game I'm into has a very high rating in general. It even received rave reviews from many critics in game magz. |
| But when I look through review sites, even such a god-tier game like this has a bad rating. |
| When I read their reviews, I noticed they have very different opinions from mine. It was unexpected. I was like, "People's tastes vary widely, huh." |
| No matter how god-tier the game is, you just can’t satisfy thousands of people. |
| ...So I think you don't need to be too pressured about satisfying Syu-san. |
| Syu-san may have a different taste from you. |
| Tsuzuru | That's indeed an opinion that only an otaku can come up with. |
| Itaru | Well, I'm just speaking from my experience. |
| Tsuzuru | Speaking of otaku, I got this feeling when he talked to me that you and him are somewhat similar. |
| Itaru | Huh? You think so? |
| Tsuzuru | He's just like you when you talk about your favorite character… |
| Itaru | At least I'm aware that wasn't a compliment. |
| Tsuzuru | I suppose Otomiya-san is a hardcore Hakkaku-san otaku. |
| Itaru | I can't believe you've been infected by otaku terms... |
| Tsuzuru | Just whose fault do you think it is? |
| I assume the reason why Otomiya-san can't accept my script is because his attachment to Hakkaku-san's scripts is especially strong. |
| But because Otomiya-san is like that, I want him to acknowledge me. |
| I know that no matter what kind of work someone puts out, there will always be people who don't like it, but… |
| I have this scriptwriter’s mentality that makes me want to be acknowledged even by these people… |
| In this case, that person is Otomiya-san. |
| I guess he kinda hit the mark when he said that my stories are facile and self-serving. |
| He was exactly right. I projected and converted my own experience and feelings onto my first script, Romijuli. |
| But there's also an aspect in which "writing for someone else" naturally turns into my motivation as I continue to write. |
| The me right now doesn't want to write a solemn tragedy like what Hakkaku-san wrote, so I'm sure I can't write it. |
| But I can't afford to lose since this is my one and only chance to compete with Hakkaku-san. |
| I'm at a loss whether I should… challenge Hakkaku-san's solemn style, which was his specialty, head on, or stick to my usual writing style. |
| Itaru | Well, I get you. There's no correct answer for this kind of thing. |
| Since this challenge will help you broaden the range of the stories you write, I think that's already good. |
| Plus, neither Director-san nor all of us want you to lose the Tsuzuru-like quality in your stories. |
| Tsuzuru | Hmm, the quality that's so me… I don't think I understand that right now. |
| (Maybe my view of the world has really gotten narrow, just like what Director-san said. Guess I'll try discussing this with them all…) |
| Itaru | But well, don't think of anything right now and just go slay these enemies. |
| Tsuzuru | Yeah, okay. |
| Itaru | Oh shit, we encountered the troublesome middle boss. I'll teach you the bow commands. You have a few seconds to remember it. Press the R1 button while riding the horse, then lock on the enemy and press the tri… |
| Tsuzuru | Nah, nah, there's no way I can do that so suddenly!! |
| |
| Syu | Take a break. |
| Actors | Yes, sir! |
| Chikage | … |
| Syu | You… If I recall, yer one of the new members--. |
| Chikage | I apologize for the sudden visit. |
| Syu | I've never let anyone know about this training room. How d'you know this? |
| Chikage | I have lots of connections. |
| Syu | Connections? |
| Chikage | ...Syu Otomiya. You were born into a family specialized in Taishu Engeki but left the house at one point, which was the same as getting disowned. For a while, you spent your life away from theater. |
| During that time, you suddenly entered MANKAI Company. |
| You played an active part as the first-gen Winter Troupe's leader and left after Yukio Tachibana, the old general director, disappeared. |
| Then, you took over the chairman position at your family's troupe and began activities… |
| Syu | ...Whaddya want? |
| Chikage | Can we talk for a little bit? |
