Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Gathering References
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Yumi led me by the hand to the side of a building, and sure enough, there was a Girls Memorial advertisement plastered on the wall.
Probably the publishing company had rushed to put it up while the momentum was hot, hoping to capitalize on it...
Maybe because it was the outfit the president had recommended, it was surprisingly satisfying.
"The Operator illustration on that billboard—its quality must be drawing everyone in. They're all stopping to take a look."
"Yeah."
While chatting with Yerin, I turned to check on Yumi and caught her wearing a distant, wistful expression.
"What's up?"
"Seeing all these people pass by while glancing at the ad... it just hits me that I really made this game with my own hands..."
"Was this your first project, Yumi?"
"If you think about it... yeah? I did get sent out on a few support gigs with the business team before, but..."
"Makes sense if it's your first. I had that same look after wrapping my debut project."
Hearing Yerin's words, Yumi suddenly seemed like the baby of the family...
She must have caught my impure gaze because her expression soured.
"Director, don't look at me like that!"
"Uh, yeah, sorry..."
"Seriously... Anyway, what's next on the schedule?"
"Hmm."
I hadn't really planned anything out since meeting up with them, so I was pondering when Yerin raised her hand.
"If you two are free, mind helping me out a bit?"
"With what?"
In response to my question, she pulled two cameras out of her bag and handed one to each of us.
"Cameras?"
"When we open up club recruitment for the new updates, one of them's the Onmyo Bureau. They asked us to snap some shrine photos as background refs for their clubroom."
"Shrines?"
"Yeah. And while we're at it, they want some surrounding scenery shots too..."
I nodded at Yerin's request and glanced at Yumi, who was already nodding like it was a given.
"After getting the Akihabara tour guide from Yerin-unnie, we have to help out."
"Alright then. Got a starting shrine picked out?"
Yerin nodded at my question.
"They insisted we get this one for sure."
The smartphone she held out showed Asakusa.
"Sounds good. Asakusa first?"
"Sure." "Yay...!"
Thankfully, Asakusa wasn't far from our current spot in Akihabara.
About three subway stops?
We arrived at our destination in a flash.
"Whoa... so many people! Is this what a tourist spot's like?"
True to its fame as one of Tokyo's landmark shrines, it was packed to the gills.
"Coming through... Everyone keeping up back there?"
"Trying... Don't shove my shoulder!"
"Whoaaa... I've never been around this many people before..."
Glancing back midway, both of them looked like they were hitting their real-time limits.
Gotta blaze through the shopping street as fast as possible...
By forging ahead and clearing a path, we made it to Sensoji—the main Asakusa shrine—before they collapsed.
"...Everyone still alive?"
"Barely."
"...I feel half-dead..."
Yerin, tempered by Comiket crowds, looked fine enough, but Yumi—who seemed less experienced— was on the verge of shutdown.
"How about we rest up before shooting? Thirsty for anything?"
"Oh, let me grab it. You were up front taking the brunt of it..."
"Nah, just sit tight."
"...Green tea for me, then."
"Yumi?"
"Iced coffee..."
"Green tea and coffee... Be right back."
I took their orders and headed to the convenience store.
Luckily, it was off on a side street away from the shopping drag we'd come through, so no shudder-worthy crowds.
Even I couldn't punch back through that mob...
After grabbing the drinks at the store, I returned to where the two were waiting.
What greeted me was Yumi lying on the bench with her head in Yerin's lap.
"...You sure she's okay?"
"Probably."
"I'm... alive..."
"Wanna rest here a bit longer before we start?"
"Yeah, whatever."
"Thanks for worrying..."
I handed the drinks to the pair and sat on the next bench over. A cool winter breeze blew in.
"Random thought, but doesn't Yumi seem kinda different from her first impression?"
"Totally."
"Whaaat...? What's wrong with my image...?"
"Looks and vibe scream outgoing social butterfly, but once you peel back the lid, she seems like she doesn't get out much."
"Ugh, can't even argue with that... it's even more infuriating."
Yumi sat up with a pout and cracked open her coffee bottle.
"Director's right. My personality's like this because the business team's work makes pure introversion impossible—you adapt or bust."
"Uh, um..."
A thick, heavy aura leaked from Yumi in an instant.
Realizing I'd poked the wrong button, I apologized right away.
"Sorry."
"...I'll let it slide this once."
"Senior messed up this time."
Sticking around longer would just make me the bad guy, so I stood up.
"Alright, time to start shooting?"
*
The reference photography went smoother than expected.
Unlike the shopping street, the Sensoji main hall wasn't too crowded, so we wrapped up without issues.
Having shot every nook and cranny, we were heading back through the shopping street when...
"Unnie, Director. Over there."
Yumi tugged our hands and pointed somewhere.
Where her finger aimed was a cluster of foreigners.
[Kimono/Yukata Rental Shop]
"What? Wanna try one on?"
"N-No...? As if I'd come all the way to Japan on a business trip just to goof off in one of those. This is... purely for reference research..."
She totally wants to try it on.
Seeing Yumi lose her usual composure and ramble sealed it.
I glanced at Yerin just in case, and she seemed to be on the same page.
"Shall we rent some, then? Senior, you take the pics."
"Got it."
"Y-Yeah, as part of the research... Unnie, wanna go pick some out together?"
"Let's do it."
While the two headed inside to rent, I photographed the yukatas displayed on the mannequins.
I figured yukatas all had uniform designs, but there's more variety than I thought...
Snapping them all would definitely help with the Onmyo Bureau characters' outfit designs.
I was deep into shooting when...
"Director!"
"Senior."
Turning at the sound of Yumi and Yerin's voices, I saw them emerging in yukatas.
Yerin wore a cool combo of white and blue.
Yumi's was a cute pink and light purple number.
"They suit you both."
"Really...?"
"Of course."
I took them around the shopping street, snapping pics as they beamed at my compliment.
Before long, we started drawing stares—mostly aimed at Yerin and Yumi.
"Unnie... doesn't it feel like eyes are on us?"
"Probably..."
No one approached directly, so we kept shooting until...
"Excuse me."
A Western tourist-type approached us.
"May I take a picture with you?"
I was about to step in, but Yerin beat me to it.
"Sure."
She handed his camera to me, struck a pose.
I flinched a bit but got swept up in her momentum and shot the photo.
"Thank you."
Leaving his thanks behind, I ushered the two away from the spot in a hurry.
"S-Sorry. He was hovering earlier, so I figured one pic and send him off, but I didn't expect a crowd..."
"No need to apologize that much. Just... say something before acting next time. Got it?"
Yerin flushed a little and nodded.
"Yes..."
Afterward, Yumi consoled the deflated Yerin, and the commotion died down.
"We've got all the refs we can from here. On to the next spot?"
"Yeah."
"Sure...!"
"First, return the yukatas."
"Oh." "Ah..."
They really had forgotten—they trotted back to return them, and we hit the remaining shrines.
Thankfully, the later ones weren't as mobbed as Asakusa.
By the time we wrapped everything up, it was past 6 p.m.
"Good work, everyone..."
"You too, Senior..."
"G-Good... work, you twooo..."
For our final item—dinner—we hit a restaurant and promptly turned into zombies.
"Feels like I got a year's worth of exercise in..."
"Yumi, you seriously need to start working out."
"Agreed."
Yerin was tired like the rest of us but nowhere near as wrecked.
I was holding up fine too, so yeah—Yumi just needed more cardio.
"Anyway, great job powering through today. Team lead's buying, so order whatever you want."
"Woo~..."
"Thanks for the meal."
"Once we get back from this trip, it's hell until CBT wraps."
"Director, come on..."
"Senior, save that for the flight home, please..."
The mood soured at my words, but our food arrived to smooth things over.
We demolished it together, bringing the overseas trip to a close.