"Eww~" After seeing this comment, everyone couldn't help but shiver.
Was it really okay for Hayao Miyazaki to draw the character based on himself?
The male protagonist isn't that ugly.
Substituting Hayao Miyazaki's face into the role was truly a bit too unbearable.
In short, there was a lot of controversy and speculation on the internet regarding LL's male protagonist.
Some said that adding the black-rimmed glasses was just Miyazaki's own eccentric sense of humor.
It was also possible that after all these years, Miyazaki truly wanted to create a character who wore glasses and looked a bit more sophisticated.
Others speculated that the male protagonist's image was likely based on Furuhara Tsubaki.
But since no one had ever seen what Furuhara Tsubaki actually looked like, for all they knew, the real-life Old Thief Furuhara might be even more unsightly than Miyazaki.
Speculations continued, shrouded in a cloud of mystery.
Aoki Haruhi thought to himself: if making the male protagonist slightly mediocre is already unacceptable to you, it's only because Elf Society hasn't taken that path yet. Otherwise, in a few years when a game called 'Kusarihime' comes out, you'll know what a truly ugly male protagonist looks like.
In reality, the male protagonist image Miyazaki designed wasn't ugly at all; one could even see his charm at a glance. Once he took off his glasses, he would surely be a clear-featured young man.
It was just that the glasses partially obscured his looks, making him seem a bit weaker compared to other beautiful-style galgames.
Upon hearing this news, Miyazaki was actually the one laughing the loudest.
Facing media interviews, Miyazaki explained, "To be mistaken for myself, I can only say the players' imaginations are far too rich."
"The design of this character itself is just to give him more memorability and a sense of distinctiveness."
"Rather than saying he's like me, it's more accurate to say he's like the average player."
"At the same time, as an artist, I hope this character can appear ordinary while bringing more memory and a sense of identity to the players."
Flash, flash, flash, flash...
The scene was filled with flashbulbs.
...
As soon as Miyazaki's interview hit the papers, the players felt much more at ease.
"So that's how it is. He really put a lot of thought into it. Furuhara Tsubaki has really been feeling a bit like he's returning to basics lately. In the past, how could he have ever used a setting that lowered the protagonist's looks?"
"Actually, it's fine once you look at it for a while. Just as Miyazaki said, the glasses themselves are just to add a sense of character. This should have its own setting and role within the game, right?"
"If you take the glasses off, LL's male protagonist is actually quite handsome."
"Mm-hmm. The male protagonist is actually okay; I'm usually more picky about the heroines. After all, in galgames, the male protagonist often doesn't even show his face."
"The male protagonist's appearance only shows up in certain specific CGs for expressive effect."
"So for me, it's quite acceptable."
"The girls in LL are all so cute, especially the daughter who appears by the protagonist's side at the beginning. She's really pitiable."
"Sigh, I just hope this game has a good ending. Please don't send any more 'blades' (tragedy)."
"Especially the kind that'stabs' the daughter; I really wouldn't be able to stand that."
"Maybe we're just not used to it yet. After all, Pokeni's previous games basically'stabbed' the heroines. Stabbing the daughter is a first since CL."
"Old Thief Furuhara is truly too wicked. Who knows, the setting of'stabbing' the daughter might even be learned and imitated by other galgame companies in the future."
"Ah~ that... don't scare me. I'm timid, my heart can't take it."
...
Ginza, a certain shopping mall.
Uniqlo.
"Emmm... Your players are really interesting; they love to comment on everything."
"I feel so happy every day reading their posts on the Pokeni forum."
Nao Tsuda spoke while picking up a piece of clothing from the rack and holding it up against Aoki Haruhi.
It was a long-sleeved autumn T-shirt.
"Hmm, does it look good?" Nao Tsuda smiled.
Aoki Haruhi glanced at the mirror, feeling a bit dazed.
It felt as if the two of them had suddenly traveled to the future world.
Uniqlo—this plot felt a bit familiar.
"It's okay," Aoki Haruhi said.
"As long as the person looks good, anything they wear looks good."
"Bah, how shameless."
"Well, I should say I trust your taste," Aoki Haruhi smiled and reached out, gently putting his arm around Nao Tsuda's waist and pulling her closer to him.
The two of them were pressed together, with only that black long-sleeved T-shirt between them.
"What are you doing... in public?" Nao Tsuda rolled her eyes and said shyly.
Seeing this side of her, Aoki Haruhi felt completely satisfied.
"Uniqlo's clothes are quite nice too." Nao Tsuda put down the clothes in her hand and pulled Aoki Haruhi toward the exit.
"Sometimes there's no need to buy things that are too expensive, right?"
"Yeah," Aoki Haruhi agreed.
Uniqlo could be considered a product of the times.
After the burst of the Japanese economic bubble, everyone was afraid to spend money recklessly, and many luxury brands went bankrupt. Instead, cheap products like Uniqlo, which focused on cost-performance, became popular.
"Aoki-san, speaking of which, Pokeni hasn't earned a small amount over the past few years, right?" Nao Tsuda asked as they walked. "Why haven't I seen you spend money to expand the business or anything?"
"Aren't you going to the Chicago Electronic Consumer Exhibition this time? Many game companies are making game consoles."
"So?" Aoki Haruhi raised an eyebrow. "Do you want Pokeni to invest money into the console market?"
Nao Tsuda was stunned for a moment, then turned back to look at Aoki Haruhi with some surprise.
"I didn't say that."
The two walked for a while longer, and Nao Tsuda stopped in front of a counter.
Aoki Haruhi also lowered his head to look.
A row of leather wallets was displayed in the glass case.
Looking closely, the cheapest wallet actually cost over 200,000 yen.
So Aoki Haruhi took two steps back and looked up at the store name:
Good grief, it's Hermès, isn't it?
Who was it that just said there's no need to buy things that are too expensive?
"My point is, the Japanese market is only so big, with a population of over 100 million." Nao Tsuda lowered her head to select carefully, her long eyelashes fluttering, her eyes sparkling under the lights.
"Why not cast your gaze outward and look at other countries more?"
"Money is only money when it's spent; keeping it in your hand is just a number."
"Hmm?" Aoki Haruhi was slightly taken aback. "What gave you that illusion? We are also entering the North American market; the diablo ii we're making this time is just for that."
Moreover, Aoki Haruhi was actually already considering future business expansion.
Internet development, creating some underlying game frameworks on computers, and so on, were all preparations for the future.
However, to some extent, Nao Tsuda's thoughts really coincided with Aoki Haruhi's.
Aoki Haruhi's plan was to set up a branch in North America once the time was ripe, and then use that branch as a base to spread the business.
The money would definitely be spent; it was just a matter of how to spend it.
Also, there was another problem: who should be entrusted with this US branch.
He needed to find a local, trustworthy person and get a team assembled.
Aoki Haruhi didn't want to do everything himself; once he left Japan, he would be spending much less time with Nao Tsuda.
He was a bit reluctant.
Moreover, finding someone local in the US, like Sega did, actually had many benefits.
A US team would be smoother at producing Western cultural products, and they would find it more convenient to do things than Japanese people would. Whether it was setting up the company or subsequent operations, leaving it to locals would definitely be better than doing it himself.
But it also had to be within Aoki Haruhi's own control.
In other words, once the company was established, these Americans had to be obedient enough to follow remote instructions.
Many problems would become much more complicated once they crossed borders.
This was one of the reasons why Aoki Haruhi had not acted yet.
"Oh, oh, that's good then." Nao Tsuda didn't really mind; looking at Aoki Haruhi's expression, he seemed to have thought about it a lot.
She selected carefully for a while, then tapped the glass case with her finger. "Wrap this wallet up for me."
"Eh?"
Aoki Haruhi was slightly surprised, not for any other reason, but because Nao Tsuda had chosen a man's wallet.
It was over 400,000 yen.
How many discs would they have to sell for that?
"Aoki-san," Nao Tsuda smiled and handed him the wallet, "Happy early birthday."
Eh? My birthday is still a month away.
Although Aoki Haruhi thought this, he still took the wallet. "Thank you. You're so kind."
This was probably the first expensive gift he had received from Tsuda as her boyfriend.
Had he received gifts from Nao Tsuda before?
Yes, but they were all as business partners. Sometimes when he received her gifts and saw the exquisite cards with beautiful writing, he would be somewhat moved.
But more often, it was annoying because it showed that Nao Tsuda hadn't truly taken him to heart; he was no different from any other client.
However, after spending more time together, their relationship had also become intimate.
Instead, Tsuda stopped sending gifts.
Only after Aoki Haruhi gained a certain understanding of her did he discover that those proper, flawless, polite, and beautiful gestures were often just social niceties.
Nao Tsuda was a person who kept public and private matters very separate.
The absence of gifts precisely showed that Nao Tsuda had taken him to heart, indicating that Aoki Haruhi was a very special existence to her.
But this feeling always felt like it was missing something.
Until today, when Tsuda handed him this 400,000 yen wallet, Aoki Haruhi finally understood.
It wasn't a matter of how much money it was or how expensive it was.
It was this kind of care for the other person, this intimate yet natural way of being together, that made him feel for the first time that 【Nao Tsuda is mine】.
And 【I am also Nao Tsuda's】.
It was a relationship of mutual belonging.
This made Aoki Haruhi feel very happy.
"What's wrong?" Nao Tsuda looked at him with some amusement.
"You've never given me a gift before." Aoki Haruhi was a bit moved.
"That's because..." Tsuda opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally let out a sigh, "That's because you've never given me a gift either."
"I thought..."
Aoki Haruhi originally wanted to say, I thought DUN was so rich that giving you anything might seem a bit redundant.
And in Aoki Haruhi's view, sometimes going on trips, having dinner—these things were already done, so gifts would instead seem a bit affected.
What's more, I don't give you gifts because you haven't given me gifts either; I always felt that if I suddenly gave you a gift, what if you didn't accept it or even looked down on it?
Nao Tsuda, you project the image of a powerful, independent woman.
But the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back, bowing slightly, "I'm sorry, it's my fault for neglecting this for so long."
"Give me some time to think. When it's your birthday, I'll figure out what gift to give you."
"I don't want it," Nao Tsuda said.
"Eh?" Aoki Haruhi was stunned.
Seeing his expression, Nao Tsuda couldn't help but laugh, "Stupid. I don't want a birthday gift; it always feels like getting another year older. If you want to give a gift, any time is fine."
"Oh, okay." Aoki Haruhi smiled and reached out to hold her hand.
The two of them strolled along like this, hand in hand.
Aoki Haruhi silently tucked the wallet away, looking at the distant setting sun in a daze.
It was great to receive an early birthday gift from his girlfriend.
"When you go to Chicago this time, without me by your side, don't go running around at night," Tsuda said.
"What could I possibly do?" Aoki Haruhi raised an eyebrow.
"I'm worried about your personal safety; what else were you thinking of doing?" Tsuda gave him a look.
"I... I wasn't thinking of anything."
"Hmph."
Nao Tsuda snorted coldly, then her voice turned gentle, "I've heard that while everything is good over in the US, some neighborhoods are very messy at night."
"It's best not to go out."
"If you encounter a robbery there, don't resist at all; just give them your money and your wallet."
"Uh..."
Aoki Haruhi frowned, not knowing what to say for a moment.
"Please don't curse me, okay?"
...
October 18th.
Aoki Haruhi followed Hayao Miyazaki to Yakushima.
First, they flew from Tokyo to Kagoshima, a process that took about two hours.
Then they took a ferry from Kagoshima to Yakushima, which took another two hours or so.
On the plane, the old man Miyazaki said, "If you fly all the way from Tokyo to Yakushima, it's no fun!"
"Most tourists choose the longer boat trip for this journey. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Aoki Haruhi himself wasn't very interested in traveling with the old man.
However, out of politeness, he still played along with Miyazaki's performance.
"That's because, on the misty sea, the ship gropes its way along the channel, landing against the cold, damp sea breeze. The misty rain and the gloomy sky will be your first impression of Yakushima."
As Miyazaki said this, his eyes sparkled.
"You'll like that feeling—the vast mist on the sea, then the clouds covering the sky, a grayish-green mountain... you can't even call it a mountain because the top is covered by floating clouds."
"The solid base is revealed, like a light stroke of an ink brush on a canvas."
"You know that feeling, right?"
"Just like a Chinese ink wash painting, in the large areas of white space, such a stroke of genius appears. It's truly poetic."
Miyazaki chuckled, showing two dimples, like a child.
"You'll fall in love with Yakushima."