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Chapter 219: Gala Show
"But you have undoubtedly found an answer that will satisfy everyone."
"Hmm...?"
At my subsequent reply, some of the users in the audience tilted their heads in confusion.
Truth be told, if I wanted, like Kurakagi from Gear Station, I could've exaggerated the performance of Complete Laon to evade the immediate crisis. But I didn't want to resort to foolish lies that would be uncovered in just a month.
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I slowly spoke up.
"When developing a game, compromises must always be made between the performance of the gaming device and the desire to create the game as envisioned. In my case, I'm ambitious in development, eager to create the game as I envision it, but often, due to various factors, that's not entirely possible. The same was true for this year's Virtual Idol."
"Among those here, some might still be students hoping to join our Pentagon, or perhaps Mintendo or NEGA in the future. I myself was 21 when I joined Mintendo, precisely 12 years ago. If you recall, the most famous game at that time was, as you know, Super Marigi by Shigeru Kumamoto. If you compare that Super Marigi from then with Real Fighter released last year, you might have felt the difference. How the gaming market evolved in just 10 years..."
"Come to think of it, yeah..."
"Right now, it may seem insignificant, but back then, even the side-scrolling system in Super Marigi was groundbreaking."
"Suddenly talking about old stories makes me want to play Super Marigi... How about pulling out the Family Console and giving it a go at home?"
I looked at the hesitant users, offering them a contented smile.
"The gaming industry is currently in a transitional phase from 2D graphics to 3D. Naturally, each game developer will have new attempts, but it might not always perfectly align with everyone's preferences. We, too, are adjusting to the new realm of polygons. When I was planning Virtual Idol, I envisioned a more elaborate performance than what you just witnessed in the promotional video. However, expressing Morita's exquisite character designs with the current hardware's performance was quite challenging. The upcoming Complete Laon, scheduled for release next month, will boast the highest performance among all consoles in the market. Yet, even so, we still had to compromise some aspects of the concert performance in Virtual Idol due to the device's limitations. During this, Uchimura, our figure designer at Pentagon, proposed a new direction for Virtual Idol's concert performance."
"If it's Uchimura, does that mean he's creating the limited edition figure?"
It was none other than Morita who initially recommended Uchimura as a 3D character designer.
Around the time Real Fighter was released by NEGA and gained immense popularity at game centers, our Pentagon was also deeply researching polygon technology.
Then, one day, Morita came to me, asking if I could place Uchimura under his wing.
"Having Uchimura solely focused on figure production would be a significant loss for the company."
He spoke with an assurance unusual for his usual demeanor while I, rolling my pen on the desk, looked at him with a blank expression.
"Transferring Uchimura... to the Second Development Team?"
"Yes. That's right."
"Hmm... Why this sudden change?"
"Uchimura possesses a unique vision that differs greatly from ordinary individuals like me."
"A genius, you say...?"
Rarely did Morita praise someone to such an extent during our seven years of working together, so I lowered my pen and watched him attentively.
"Uchimura's skill in creating three-dimensional characters is exceptional. When Uchimura visited the headquarters recently, during an employee training session, with just a brief explanation, he effortlessly created a model of an airplane. He said it felt like making a promotional model within the virtual space of a monitor. He seemed open to attending future training sessions, and within just a few days, he outperformed other employees significantly. Recently, he independently completed a craft almost identical to Valkyrie from Macross."
I was surprised to hear about Uchimura's prowess through Morita.
"Is that so?"
Morita nodded in response to my question, suggesting I meet Uchimura myself.
A few days later, I met Uchimura and handed him an illustration.
As Uchimura quietly observed the illustration I gave him for a moment, he glanced up at me.
"Hasegawa Miyuki from the Streets Without Me... Are you requesting me to make Miyuki for the Streets Without Me series?"
"You and I wouldn't have met if it weren't for Miyuki, right?"
Uchimura, reminiscing for a moment, chuckled lightly as if remembering an old memory.
Meeting Uchimura and sharing a smile, I continued, "That's right. This time, the character I want to entrust to you is Hasegawa Miyuki from the Streets Without Me."
"Leave it to me. Though some time has passed, I'm confident with the heroines from the Streets Without Me series."
Assured by Uchimura's confidence, I nodded in response.
"Right. If you're unsure about anything, feel free to ask Morita. And take this opportunity to learn more about 3D modeling."
"Got it. Understood. This time, for sure... Oh...?"
Looking at the illustration, Uchimura, who was nodding, suddenly seemed puzzled by our conversation.
"Sir... Did you just say you want me to create Hasegawa Miyuki as a polygon character?"
He looked at me, questioning my request with a bewildered expression.
"Yes, exactly. Is there a problem?"
"Sir... That's... That's impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
"Why's that? You were recommended for this task."
"Even if I am recommended, this kind of high-difficulty task can only be handled by Chief Morita, nobody else. Why would anyone recommend me for something like character modeling all of a sudden?"
"It was none other than Morita who recommended you."
"Morita recommended me?"
"Yes. No one else but Morita singled you out. If you doubt it, you can go directly to Morita and ask."
"Uh... That's... Um..."
"I'm not forcing you, though. If you're satisfied with what you're doing now and have enough enthusiasm, I can pretend this personnel issue never existed. But Morita, who has worked with me for a long time, personally came to me and recommended you. There must be a reason for it, right?"
Uchimura was lost in thought, chewing on his thumbnail, a habit of his when deep in contemplation.
When he was deeply focused, Uchimura always had the habit of biting his thumbnail.
Seeing him pondering, I waited patiently, suppressing the rising irritation within me.
Eventually, after what seemed like ages...
Uchimura, who had an indecisive nature, was still biting his thumbnail and lost in thought.
'At this rate, he might just end up chewing off all his thumbnails...'
Resting my arm on the table with folded arms, I waited for his response, eventually letting out a sigh as I rubbed my slightly throbbing forehead.
However, was this the response I anticipated?
Uchimura, who still seemed to be deep in thought, suddenly raised his face, his eyes gleaming with a peculiar light.
"I'll do it!"
"Alright, then. I'm counting on you."
"Yes, sir! Please leave it to me!"
With renewed determination, Uchimura stood up from his chair.
At that moment, Morita came in, holding some documents in his hand.
"Uchimura, were you called here by Director Shimizu?"
"Y-Yes, sir! I'm going to work on the new character modeling, Hasegawa Miyuki!"
"Hmm... You're taking that on?"
Morita, who initially seemed surprised by Uchimura's response, nodded with an expression as if remembering something.
"Yes, sir! Thank you very much for recommending me!"
"I see. It's Director Shimizu's request, then. I'll inform the Second Development Team about it."
While I watched Uchimura leaving the room, Morita silently glanced at me before following Uchimura out.
As the door closed, I let out a long, deep sigh.
Once more, I fell into a daze, rolling the pen on the desk absentmindedly.
It seemed that was the start of Uchimura's association with Morita and the rest of the team. At that time, we didn't anticipate just how influential Uchimura would become in the world of character design and 3D modeling.
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