Two Worlds, Starting with Kaguya of Penglai Mountain

She launched into a tirade in a very loud voice.

Chapter Twenty: The First Trans-World Collective Conference

At midday, the curtains of the wooden house were drawn.

Under the manipulation of Banami's "Imagination Manifestation" ability, the camera and computer gradually took shape in a golden light.

Kurokawa and Mi supplied enough bandwidth to the computer, thus establishing communication between the two worlds.

"Moshi Moshi~ Moshi Moshi~ Can you hear me?"

On the computer screen appeared a petite girl wearing a sailor uniform, with a yellow headband on her head, and a very cute face.

Yoshiki Kurokawa, Kazuya Kurokawa's younger sister.

Sitting at her computer desk, with a notebook in front of her and a pencil in her hand, Yoshiki exudes a peculiar aura of maturity mixed with childishness.

"I can hear you, I can hear you!"

On the other side of the screen, Anna Hanami waved happily to Yoshiki Kurokawa, who was also on the other side of the screen.

"It's been a long time, Yoshiki. I'm Hachimi."

The blue-haired beauty waves to Yoshiki Kurokawa, whom she hasn't seen in a long time.

"Hello, Banami-neechan, may I ask you a few questions?"

Adopting a well-behaved and serious expression, Yoshiki looked at Anna Hanami in front of him and spoke.

Anna Hanami: "Of course, no problem."

The blue-haired boy was in a good mood and waved generously.

Then she saw Yoshiki Kurokawa on the other side of the screen, casually clicked on the computer's voice recording function, opened the notebook on the table, and picked up a pen and paper.

Yoshiki Kurokawa: "First, what's the current living situation between you and your older brother? Then, what's your diet for the past few days? Also, I wonder if you've made any female friends in that world?"

With paper and pen in hand, Yoshiki began to write rapidly.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "There's no need to rush, Yoshiki. You'll have plenty of time to spend alone with Hachimi later, and you can also keep in touch with your friends privately."

On the other side of the screen, Kurokawa Kazuya adopted the demeanor of an elder, comforting the serious and earnest Kurokawa Yoshiki.

"But...but hey~Brother, this is a rare opportunity for Yoshiki to launch a surprise attack and learn more about you. If you and Hachimi-nee match up later, then my question will have been for nothing."

The girl spoke urgently, her words sounding rather unpleasant.

So Yoshiki just used the strange term "exchanging confessions," right?

Anna Hanami casually conjured up a pencil identical to Yoshiki's, tapped it on her head, and seemed to be thinking.

Then, after thinking for half a second, she began to look at Kurokawa Kazuya with a mocking gaze.

"Kurokawa, Yoshiki should be starting high school soon, yet you still have your sister call you 'elder brother'."

Anna Hanami started complaining.

Well, instead of guessing for herself, she chose to put pressure on Kurokawa and Miyako.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "..."

Kurokawa Kazuya turned his head away without saying a word.

He had actually considered correcting Yoshiki's way of addressing him, but he had absolutely no idea how to bring it up.

Logically speaking, as siblings reach a certain age, the way they address each other will naturally change to calling each other by their given names.

In Kurokawa Kazuya's vision, Yoshiki would call him "elder brother" when he first started elementary school, and "older brother" when he was about to graduate. In junior high school, he should call him by his name, Kazuya.

This isn't about feelings; it's just that the way siblings address each other—older sister and older brother—naturally carries a sense of respect for elders.

If the siblings are close in age, they will generally start calling each other by their first names when they reach adolescence, when they start to care about their image.

This is the experience and advice that Kurokawa Kazuya, a time traveler, gained from his previous life.

However, when applied to Yoshiki, it seems to be a bit out of place. Yoshiki's way of addressing him has remained basically unchanged since childhood, and the two siblings have always had a very good relationship.

And so everything has continued naturally to this day. Perhaps because they've gotten used to it, Kurokawa Kazuya doesn't think there's anything wrong with it.

Isn't a good relationship always better than a bad one?

Yoshiki Kurokawa: "My older brother is my older brother."

Putting down the pen and paper, Yoshiki, sitting on the other side of the screen, spoke with a serious expression.

Hanami Anna glanced at Kurokawa Kazuya, then at Kurokawa Yoshiki.

Although it felt a little strange, the carefree girl simply made a casual remark and didn't care much about it.

Anna Hanami: "I remember, Kurokawa, didn't you say that besides you and Yoshiki, there was another member in your game studio?"

The blue-haired girl clicked the mouse to switch screens and looked around.

In addition to Yoshiki Kurokawa, Kazuya Kurokawa, and Anzu Hachimi, there is indeed an account with the username "Guitar Hero" in the voice chat channel.

Compared to them who started video chatting directly, "Guitar Hero" only used voice chat.

"Yes, I'm here."

As Yanami Anna spoke, the "Guitar Hero," who had been keeping to himself as a nobody and making himself seem completely nonexistent, finally spoke up.

Her timid tone made it clear that she was the type who was easy to bully.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Alright, Hanami, don't make things difficult for her. 'Guitar Hero' is probably a bit socially awkward, but her composing and guitar skills are both extremely high."

After offering the praise, Kurokawa Kazuya continued, "This voice communication is mainly to bring everyone in the game studio together and plan for the future of the game. 'Guitar Hero,' if you don't want to talk, you can type and communicate with us from here on out."

【OK】

Almost the instant he finished speaking, the chat window displayed the words "Guitar Hero".

Anna Hanami: "I always feel that the people around Kurokawa are all strange."

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Hanami, are you talking about yourself?"

To be honest, it's no ordinary person that Hanami Anna was able to adapt so quickly after transmigrating and sleep so soundly at night that she didn't get up until late morning.

After he and Banai finished their interaction, he turned his gaze forward.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Now that everyone is here, let's get down to business. I hereby declare the first online meeting of 'Refresh Co., Ltd.' officially open."

After a light cough, Kurokawa and Miya adopted a serious and ceremonial demeanor as they delivered their speeches.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Next is the production plan for the new game, but given our current financial situation, Yoshiki, could you tell us about the current sales of Tsukihime?"

Yoshiki Kurokawa: "Leave it to me, brother."

A pleasant, gentle voice came from the other side of the screen.

From the moment Kurokawa and Mi began speaking, Yoshiki's eyes were fixed on his older brother with sparkling eyes.

Looking at her brother, who had regained his spirits, the girl felt the world brighten up, but...

As Yoshiki organized the documents in his hands, his gaze once again involuntarily drifted towards Kurokawa Kazuya's slightly upturned ahoge (cowlick).

With Yoshiki not around, there's no one to help tidy up the occasional stray hairs that stick up on his older brother's head.

P.S.: Yoshiki is so cute, so cute it's unreal, like she's from a fantasy.

Chapter Twenty-One: Future Plans

After Kurokawa Kazuya completed one of the endings of the game "Tsukihime", "Tsukihime" was officially released in Early Access on online platforms.

Yoshiki Kurokawa: "According to the reply from the publisher that my brother contacted earlier, as long as the quality of our game doesn't drop, selling 40,000 to 50,000 copies shouldn't be a problem. They are also prepared to increase their investment in the promotion of 'Tsukihime'."

Yoshiki, being earnest, moved the mouse to bring up a data table and spoke to Kurokawa Kazuya in front of him.

After finishing "Tsukihime", Kurokawa Kazuya also contacted the publisher he had been in contact with before and released the game.

The growing faith that continues to grow today is likely the result of the combined effects of the game's initial marketing and release.

Anna Hanami: "Forty or fifty thousand servings? That sounds like a bit few."

The blue-haired girl commented on this.

Banami originally thought that Kaguya Houraisan's extensive talk of faith must mean that the game was attracting a lot of attention.

She also has a little bit of knowledge about video games.

Those well-known video games often sell hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies in their first week, so Kurokawa Kazuya's sales figure really sounds a bit low.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "That's already way too much, you know. Don't you even look at how little our costs are? Besides, galgames aren't like other big-budget games."

18+ visual novel games have a guaranteed minimum sales volume, but the upper limit is also difficult to break.

In short, according to industry evaluations, a game can break even with sales of about 5,000 copies, while 10,000 copies is considered a hit. When a game's sales exceed 100,000 copies in its first year, it signifies that it has entered the realm of phenomenal success.

An industry joke goes: "A product that sells 20,000 units has become a meme for 2 million people."

Kazuya Kurokawa's previous life was a huge success with the classic game "Fate/stay night," which sold just over 13 copies, and the famous "White Flower" series, which sold just over 10 copies.

This level of popularity and sales is completely disproportionate compared to other types of games that easily generate millions of sales.

There's no way around it; that's just how bishoujo games, especially 18+ bishoujo games, are.

Low costs mean low potential profits, and there will always be more people playing pirated versions than legitimate ones.

Of course, Kurokawa Kazuya is referring to normal visual novels here.

His Tsukihime remake, a remake of the game from before his time travel, sold 23 copies in its first month, but that was due to the popularity of the mobile game FGO, and it cannot be considered a normal visual novel.

At the point in time before Kurokawa and Mi traveled through time, Type-Moon could hardly be considered a visual novel company anymore; they had already released several ARPG single-player games.

In conclusion, the estimated sales of 40,000 to 50,000 for "Tsukihime" is already quite optimistic.

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Once we have the projected income, we can go to the bank for a mortgage loan. In this way, our startup can naturally begin to operate formally."

Anna Hanami: "That sounds complicated. Can Yoshiki do this?"

Kazuya Kurokawa: "You can rest assured about that. Yoshiki's abilities in this area are beyond your imagination."

Kurokawa Kazuya confidently introduced his younger sister, whom he was so proud of, to Hanami Anna on the other side of the screen.

Anna Hanami: "But Kurokawa, it's not appropriate for you to leave all the work to Yoshiki."

Glancing at the petite Yoshiki, the blue-haired girl gave Kurokawa Kazuya a sharp look and then began to tease him.

Kurokawa Kazuya naturally shook his head:

"That's definitely not the case. Yoshiki is mainly responsible for personnel selection and supervision. After the company is operational, we will definitely find professionals to help. You don't think that modern company management is done by individuals, do you?"

With his chest out and head held high, Kurokawa Kazuya spoke with the confidence of a professional when discussing his long-planned field with Hanami.

Anna Hanami: "So there will be recruitment later?"

Kazuya Kurokawa: "Of course, it's not just about the various operations and management of a new company. To make games with a wider impact, we definitely don't have enough manpower right now. In addition, our purpose in making products is fundamentally different from other companies. We value reach and influence more than making money."

Hanami Anana: "Emmmm..."

The blue-haired girl gave Kurokawa Kazuya a strange look.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Kurokawa Kazuya's abilities, but rather that his rapid expansion from the very beginning felt like overreaching and absurd.

Because of her father's past experiences, Hanami Anzu has some understanding of how difficult it is to make money in society.

If running a company were that easy and making money that easy, there would be no poor people in the world.

A company that prioritizes brand awareness over profitability?

It sounds wonderful, but in modern society, money is the most important thing. Without money, they can't make the next game.

They have no way of bringing the gold or anything from this world into the real world.

The only things the two worlds can exchange now are intangible things like information and faith.

Anna Hanami: "Kurokawa, you can't get too excited and accelerate the expansion, which will leave us with a mountain of debt in the real world. That would destroy even the real world."

At this point, she instead tried to persuade Kurokawa Kazuya.

Having finally found a direction, Banami felt that taking things slowly might not be a bad idea.

Kurokawa Kazuya, however, accepted the girl's advice and instead straightened his back and showed a confident smile: "You don't need to worry about that, Hachinai. You have no idea what the confidence of a transmigrator who has seen through the world is."