NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
[LIVE] I’m a soon-to-be high school girl, but can I have some advice? (59)
Hyon’s viewers had grown significantly as she diligently hosted her streams, now consistently maintaining an audience of around fifty.
Though a second major supporter hadn’t surfaced yet, the situation called for collective intelligence rather than individual large donations.
“Now that we’ve gathered quite a number of viewers, let’s proceed with a discussion.”
-Discussion?
-What discussion?
-Are you not going to draw today?
“The things I draw on this stream aren’t ‘provocative images’ but rather ‘comical sketches.’ And starting now, all of you will be working with me on game design.”
-Designing a game?
-Will we get paid?
-No, we want provocative images.
Even as she maintained an appropriate tone, Hyon unveiled the content she had pondered over all the way home.
-Designing a game?
-What’s this about?
A thousand-won donation appeared, thanks to one viewer who often supported her by donating this amount, paving the way for the discussion.
“I’ll be making a visual novel. In the end, it seems like this is the only genre where I can fully utilize my illustration skills.”
-What’s a visual novel?
-Ah, Visual Novel (VN).
-It sounds like you’re planning a romance game at heart.
-Will there be provocative content?
“Manager, let’s temporarily block the one who’s fixated on provocative content and carry on the discussion more seriously.”
-Already blocked.
“Nice.”
Thanks to the manager, picked by a ladder game among regular donors, the noisiest troublemaker was muted, and Hyon continued her stream.
“Back to the main point. My ultimate goal is to make an R-rated game, but for now, I plan to design something around the limits of a 17+ rating.”
Click.
Hyon clicked once and opened a notepad.
“The base rating will be 17+, and I want to discuss with all of you what kind of game we should create. Personally, I’m thinking of a café as the main concept.”
-Café?
-Why a café?
Hyon typed quickly, and the words “maid café” appeared on the notepad.
“In Japan, you can often find unique places like maid cafés. I’m thinking of creating a bit of an unusual vibe, where the protagonist, a café customer, falls for one of the part-time employees in a subtle romance.”
-What? Isn’t that all pre-planned? What are we supposed to discuss then?
Despite the viewers’ protests suggesting it was all already scripted, Hyon shook her head.
“This is merely a concept, it can change through our discussions.”
-Hmm…
-Isn’t this fine as it is?
Though their responses remained lukewarm, Hyon understood that viewers often crave interaction with the streamer.
She had subtly conveyed a feeling of disappointment, a technique quite common for her, especially given her relatively small audience.
“Ah, would you help me out? I just came back from a meeting with a live2D technician, and to convince them, I need a proper proposal.”
Taking it up a notch, Hyon pressed on. After all, for someone not specializing in professional scriptwriting, the story would indeed have its limits. This wasn’t just her trying to get group input; it was a strategic move.
-Hey, you’ve already had meetings?
-Why so serious? Aren’t you just a first-year high schooler?
“In this tough world, you’ve got to start earning money from high school, no? Do you think taxes won’t rise in a low-birthrate society? We need to make more.”
[10,000 won donation]
-There you go, earn your allowance. It’ll go towards taxes.
“Aah, thank you! Ten-thousand won donation! You’re adorable!”
She didn’t forget to thank each donor, often purposefully stuttering “You’re adorablllle!” as part of her hard-earned broadcasting skills over the past few weeks.
-Oh man, what’s with that laugh?
-I’m kinda jealous now.
“How about you come up with some real ideas, you freeloaders.”
After all, consistent donations come from keeping big spenders interested and not merely appeasing the free-watchers.
-What do you mean, freeloading?
The group, now feeling challenged, began to toss out some ideas, especially those who had been waiting for an offer of free illustrations as incentives.
-But does it have to be a café?
-Honestly, it fits, but does it need to be?
-Necessary element for romance games is alcohol. Alcohol.
-That’s right. Watching heroines get tipsy and lose their composure is part of the appeal, but cafés don’t sell alcohol.
The room had its fair share of hardcore fans. Now incentivized by the offer of illustrations, they began chiming in with ideas.
“Manager, jot down the people who mentioned alcohol earlier.”
-Already noted.
“Alright, let’s exclude cafés as a background then. Alternatives? Convenience store?”
-Nahh… That might not work. If convenience store employees were the heroines, it’d be tricky for marriage plots.
“Bar?”
-Bars make heroines look cheap.
-For real, bar women don’t fit as heroines.
“So what do you suggest?”
Of course, the scenario of drunken heroines was tempting, but restrictions abounded. Hyon, needing to bring in game buyers to fulfill her mission status, was in a bind.
[10,000 won donation]
-How about going straight to it?
“A cocktail bar, perhaps?”
[10,000 won donation]
-Right. Cocktail bar, where bartender heroines serve drinks, but they strictly refuse male customers.
“Oh? Oh…”
Indeed, this donor was a big spender, showing early interest and paying right away. Clearly, they had an insider’s grasp of the field, hitting the core issues.
If the heroines are bartenders who only serve women, it could make the game both appealing and fit right into the romance genre.
“Great idea! One confirmed illustration for this suggestion. Manager, keep the record.”
-I’ve already done it. Looks good to me too.
“So, in my opinion, we should slightly tweak the maid concept…”
-How?
-Maid bartenders sound good though…
“Maybe we should go all in with the theme. The staff could change outfits regularly—maid, bunny girl, butler suits, etc., to keep things fresh while serving their customers.”
-Ooh…
-That sounds solid.
-But won’t your arm get tired? A lot of illustrations would be needed.
“My speed makes it manageable, and it’ll save future trouble for merchandise since I’ll already have the images. Drawing is my thing anyway, so my labor costs are zero.”
-Are you a genius.
-Really smart.
Between sincere compliments and jest, Hyon’s mind began piecing together an intricate plot.
“Alright, moving on to the story…”
Impressed by the collective intelligence of her audience, Hyon transitioned to fleshing out the story, already planning to recruit Arin as her animator.
#
Click.
D-D-Di-Click.
Ta-dap.
Arin Chae abruptly set down her mouse after continuously clicking while rigging her illustrations, feeling increasingly exasperated.
“This is driving me insane…”
She just couldn’t concentrate after meeting Hyon and hearing her eccentric plans earlier that day.
“What kind of nerve does that girl have…”
Arin couldn’t figure out why a soon-to-be first-year high schooler had such confidence about creating a game. She figured ignoring it and continuing her work would be the best course of action.
But…
“Ugh, really…”
Arin knew what kinds of illustrations Hyon produced—they were nearly flawless. While Arin wasn’t part of the so-called hardcore fan community, she much preferred detailed 2D illustrations over hyper-realistic art.
This was why…
“Why does she keep echoing in my mind…”
Even though she had no intention of joining Hyon’s project, she couldn’t help but think of animating Hyon’s illustrations.
There weren’t any GIFs on Pixiv, Patreon, or Fanbox, yet the thought of bringing Hyon’s art to life kept haunting her, derailing her focus.
And then there was this—
“She made it sound like she’d die if she couldn’t make a game…”
Arin was struck by Hyon’s last comment. She had never felt that kind of passion when animating.
Why would you feel like you’d die if you couldn’t make a game?
Why?
You aren’t even a game development major, right? You could work on it later when you join a company, couldn’t you?
Questions kept snowballing in her mind.
“What’s so special about that game…”
Why does she feel like she’s going to die unless she makes it?
Is someone forcing her?
“Eh, nah…”
Arin shook her head dismissively, believing her assumptions to be far-fetched, though deep down she felt her last thought might be closest to the truth.
“I’m just curious…”
While idly fidgeting with her phone, Arin was vaguely interested in why Hyon was so passionate about making this game.
Should she ask when they meet again?
Or maybe just ignore it? That was her dilemma.
But…
“Urgh…”
Her subconscious seemed to have already made up its mind, evident from how she kept checking her DMs with Hyon.