Green plums cannot become lovers.

"..."

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha exchanged a glance, both seeing a similar sense of bewilderment in each other's eyes. For them, who were used to clear goals and efficient progress, this "aimless leisure" had become an unfamiliar challenge.

In the brief silence, Marina suddenly raised her hand high, her eyes sparkling, as if she had thought of a brilliant idea: "Since we don't know what to do, let's talk about happy memories! I'll go first!"

Before anyone else could respond, she was already sitting cross-legged on the carpet, her hands supporting her chin, her eyes becoming distant and gentle: "My happiest memory... is the summer of my sixth grade. It was a particularly hot day, the cicadas were chirping so loudly it was annoying, and the four of us lay on the corridor of the old house of the Asuka family, like four salted fish that were about to be dried out."

Her vivid description made Shizuka chuckle, and Ai covered her mouth and laughed as well.

As one person's memory ends, the next person's memory, filled with longing, leaps vividly before our eyes once more.

And then it's the next one.

Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha listened quietly. They didn't speak, but somewhere in their chests, a gentle, continuous warmth emanated from these simple and comforting narrations.

One story after another, like pearls scattered in time, are gently picked up and strung together. Eriri and Kasumigaoka Utaha listen quietly, and they discover that in almost all of the three girls' "happy memories," there is the figure of a boy.

Sometimes he is the leader, sometimes a quiet companion, and sometimes just a timely background melody.

Those images are so concrete, so vivid. Under the corridor in summer, inside the kotatsu in winter, on the way to school in spring, in the small park in autumn.

At this moment, Eriri understood for the first time, so directly and deeply, what "childhood sweethearts, innocent and carefree" meant.

It's not just about the accumulated time of "growing up together since childhood," but also about the intricate intertwining of life trajectories over the long years. It's about witnessing each other's growth, relying on each other in times of sorrow, sharing in times of joy, and a bond that has long become as natural as breathing.

Outside, the heavy rain had turned into a light drizzle, tapping softly on the glass. The sound was gentle and rhythmic, as if keeping time for the memories unfolding inside.

Rain streaks meandered down the windowpane, leaving transparent watermarks, while the city lights outside were blurred into hazy patches of light, warm and dreamlike.

Inside, the air was filled with the faint aroma of black tea and the fresh, damp scent of rain. The carpet was soft, the lighting warm, and the girls sat or leaned against each other, sharing fragments of time.

The words flowed gently, without exaggerated embellishment or deliberate sentimentality, only genuine, warm memories.

Eriri hugged her knees, resting her chin on them, her long golden hair cascading down her shoulders. She didn't participate in the storytelling; she felt her childhood wasn't very pleasant.

But as she listened to these stories, she seemed to touch upon those simple yet fulfilling times that she had never experienced, through some kind of wonderful resonance.

She glanced at An and Feibiao again, quietly. He had already sat back down in a corner of the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea, the rising steam blurring his features.

He didn't interrupt, just listened quietly, occasionally showing a helpless smile when Marina exaggerated her descriptions, his eyes softening when Shizuka mentioned a certain past event, and nodding gently when Ai talked about red bean buns.

His very existence is like a steady, continuous bass line, supporting the melody of all these memories.

After some time, the rain outside the window gradually stopped.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was the first to stand up gracefully, smoothing her slightly wrinkled skirt: "It's getting late, I should go back."

Eriri also snapped out of her daze and stood up. The party naturally came to an end, and everyone helped clear away the teacups and snack plates.

"Be careful on the road." An and Asuka escorted Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri to the entrance, handing them two umbrellas and saying with concern, "Although the rain has stopped, there may still be a few drizzles."

Kasumigaoka Utaha took the umbrella, her wine-red eyes gazing intently at him in the warm light of the entryway: "Thank you."

There was a rare, genuine gentleness in her tone.

Eriri took the umbrella, and as her fingers touched the handle, they inadvertently brushed against his fingertips. The warm touch sent a shiver through her, and her heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.

"Then...see you tomorrow?" she whispered.

"See you tomorrow." An and Asuka smiled and nodded.

The door closed softly behind them, and the apartment corridor was silent. The motion-sensor lights turned on one by one with each step they took. The elevator slowly descended, its metal casing casting the hazy silhouettes of two girls.

They walked in silence, but the atmosphere wasn't awkward. A shared, warm feeling enveloped them.

Eriri's lips were turned up in a smile until she got home.

"Eri," the girl's mother said gently, teasingly, "you seem to be in a good mood. Did something particularly happy happen at your friend's house today?"

Upon hearing this, Eriri subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth—it really had been curved upwards the whole time. She hadn't even realized it herself.

She remembered the rain today, the guitar by the window, the flowing melody, those warm stories about summer corridors, the first snow of winter, and spring train stations, and that boy.

All the shock, disorientation, and shyness have settled and transformed in that rain filled with memories. What remains in my heart is a broad, gentle peace, and a clear sense of joy.

She raised her head, looking into her mother's smiling eyes. This time, there was no pretense, no arrogance, but rather a light and cheerful tone that she herself hadn't even realized she was using, as she answered frankly:

"Yes, Mom."

"I met a... incredibly powerful guy."

"Huh?" Sawamura Sayuri blinked upon hearing this, keenly sensing that her daughter was acting differently than usual today.

Shouldn't she deny it with a panicked expression after hearing her own words?

Before she could observe closely, the girl had already gone upstairs and returned to her room, collapsing onto her bed.

The "bird" she longed for, cherished, and who accompanied her with music on countless lonely nights, had long since transcended the boundaries between virtual and reality, bringing real warmth into her life.

They had already met, under the eaves on a rainy day, in the corridors of the campus, and in the activity room bathed in the setting sun.

At this moment, she finally saw the true appearance of that star—it was not out of reach; it had always shone gently in the night sky within her reach.

Volume 1: Chapter 177 I've Submitted to This Project

This summer, for the six young people gathered in this apartment, was a summer filled with sweat, inspiration, creation, and the sound of keyboards.

But spiritually, it was more abundant than ever before.

A peculiar centripetal force, a shared drive toward a clear goal, keeps their days taut and full.

Debates, revisions, starting over, bursts of inspiration, breakthroughs in creative blocks... these inevitable ups and downs in the creative process no longer seem so insurmountable because they are shared among six people.

More importantly, watching their games grow from simple text outlines and rough sketches to flesh and blood, gradually revealing a clear and captivating outline—the sense of accomplishment and joy brought by witnessing the birth of life firsthand is enough to offset all physical fatigue.

Some were even happy.

A pure, creative joy hangs heavy in my heart like a ripe fruit at the end of this summer.

On the last weekend of August, the setting sun slanted into the living room, casting long, warm dappled patterns of light on the wooden floor. Tiny dust particles floated in the air, dancing slowly in the golden beams of light.

An and Asuka pressed the last shortcut key: save, compile, and run. The computer screen went black briefly, and then the familiar game logo slowly appeared, accompanied by a clear, spring-like piano prelude. The title, in handwritten font, was embedded in a deep starry background, with a line of small text in the lower right corner—"A work by the Private Toyonosaki Game Development Department."

He moved the mouse and clicked "Start Game".

The opening animation plays smoothly—Marina's meticulously drawn rotating shots of the starry sky, Shizuka's poetic introduction with polished by Kasumigaoka Utaha, and An and Asuka's specially composed theme melody for this scene, filled with a sense of exploration and hope.

Next, the scene shifts to a quiet town street, where the female protagonist makes her first appearance, standing in front of an old observatory, gazing up at the azure summer sky.

All preset options were clickable, all scene transitions were smooth and natural, and all background music and sound effects perfectly enhanced the mood. They tested every branch, checked the trigger conditions of every CG, and listened to the actual effect of each piece of music in the game.

When the last hidden ending was successfully triggered, and the ending credits slowly rolled along with the credits, the living room fell into a brief, almost breathtaking silence.

Only the melody of the game's ending theme, "Beyond Memory," flowed gently in the air of late summer dusk.

Then--

"That's...that's great!!!!"

Marina was the first to jump up, her chestnut ponytail tracing a joyful arc in the air. She spread her arms, twirled in place, and her smile was brighter than the last rays of the setting sun outside the window. Her shoulders had been aching from long hours of desk work, but at this moment, that aches were completely washed away by her immense joy.

Shizuka let out a soft sigh, a long and gentle breath, as if slowly releasing all the tension and anticipation accumulated throughout the summer.

She raised her hand to tidy the slightly messy strands of hair behind her ear, her eyes sparkling with a moist light, and the corners of her lips curving up gently and contentedly: "It's really... finished."

Hoshino Ai didn't speak, but clapped her hands vigorously, again and again, her purple eyes curving into crescents, her cheeks flushed slightly with excitement. She looked at her name scrolling on the screen—"Special thanks: Hoshino Ai".

An indescribable surge of emotion, a mixture of pride and gratitude, welled up inside me.

Kasumigaoka Utaha and Eriri exchanged a glance across the long table. The usual aloofness and sharpness faded from Kasumigaoka Utaha's wine-red eyes, replaced by a gentle, genuine warmth. She nodded slightly, as if acknowledging the value of this journey.

Eriri raised her chin, her azure eyes shining with pride, relief, and a deep longing for the time they had spent fighting together, a longing she herself might not have fully realized. They smiled at each other, a smile that contained a tacit understanding that needed no words.

From initial unfamiliarity and tentative exploration, to later adjustments and debates, and now to the silent joy of witnessing the birth of the work together.

An and Asuka leaned back in their chairs, gazing up at the ceiling. The long hours of programming and sound effects tuning had left their eyes sore and their necks stiff, but their chests were filled with an almost light sense of satisfaction. They closed their eyes, still faintly hearing the lingering notes of "Beyond Memory" and the suppressed, small cheers of their companions.

The cicadas outside the window chirped tirelessly, and the summer breeze, passing through the half-open window, brought a touch of the city's smog.

This summer, it finally bore fruit.

On Monday morning, An and Asuka arrived at Rouge En Rouge's office with a USB drive containing the final version of the game.

Akane Akasaka was working on a contract when she heard the knock on the door. Without even looking up, she said, "Come in."

"Sister Zhu Yin".

Hearing the voice, Akane Akasaka finally looked up from her documents. Seeing that it was An and Asuka, she raised an eyebrow and put down her pen: "A rare guest, summer vacation is almost over and you only just remembered to come over? I heard that your game development department is in full swing, even Marina and the others are nowhere to be seen all day."

An and Asuka smiled, walked to her desk, and gently placed the black USB drive on the smooth surface.

"What is this?" Akane Kousaka glanced at the USB drive, somewhat puzzled. The USB drive was ordinary, with no label on it.

“It’s a game we made,” An and Asuka said calmly, but their eyes were bright.

Akane Kousaka was stunned: "A game?"

When did you do this?

"From the beginning of June when the club was officially established, to the beginning of full-scale production in early July, it's been about two and a half months," An and Asuka said simply.

"Two and a half months?" Akane Akasaka's voice unconsciously rose a little.

Her gaze fell on the small USB drive again, as if she were seeing it for the first time. "You're saying that you and a few others created a complete game in less than three months?"

She's an industry insider and knows all too well the typical development cycle for indie games. Even for small-scale projects, it's common for it to take six months to a year from planning to completion. Two and a half months? That sounds like a fantasy.

“Yes.” Anhe Asuka nodded, her expression calm. “Everyone is working very hard, so we would like to ask Sister Zhu Yin… this professional, to try it out and give us some direct feedback and suggestions.”

He paused for a moment, then began to introduce the basic information about the game, speaking as if he were stating something perfectly ordinary, but what he said made Akane Akane's expression increasingly surprised.

The game is tentatively titled "Where the Stars Lead," a visual novel with approximately 550,000 words of text. It includes three romanceable heroines, six main ending routes, and several hidden endings.

The entire series features over sixty event CGs and background concept art drawn by Marina and Sawamura, along with twenty original background music tracks and a theme song, as well as complete scene sound effects and character voice acting.

500,000 words of text? Sixty CG images? More than twenty original music tracks? And voice acting?

Akane Kousaka was momentarily speechless. This scale far exceeded that of typical doujin games or student works, and was even comparable to the output of some small commercial studios. Many commercial visual novels she knew had initial versions of similar size.

"How many of you are doing this?" she couldn't help but ask again, needing to confirm.

“There are six core production staff.” An and Asuka listed them one by one. “I am responsible for the game engine setup, program implementation, all music composition and arrangement, and sound effects design. The script was mainly handled by Shizuka and Kasumigaoka, a second-year student. They jointly completed the writing and polishing of all the text.”

The original artwork and all visual materials were completed by Marina and first-year student Eriri Sawamura, who handled character design, CG drawing, UI, and backgrounds. Ai was responsible for logistical support, testing, and some auxiliary tasks.

Six people, two and a half months, completed a work of this scale.

Akane Akasaka leaned back in her chair, her hands clasped on the table, remaining silent for a long time. Outside, the bright August sunlight streamed through the window, and the office air conditioner hummed softly.

She looked at An and Asuka, at the boy's calm and earnest face, and suddenly recalled the scene two years ago when she first saw him playing drums at her junior high school anniversary celebration. At that time, he had a calmness in his eyes that was beyond his years, but he was just "a musical boy with potential".

However, in the past two years, he has grown like a tree constantly stretching its branches, at an astonishing rate, and each time we meet, he seems to reach new heights. Music, academics, interpersonal relationships, and now... he has even led a team to complete a project of such a scale?

“Today is August 20th,” she said softly, as if talking to herself, “From the beginning of June until now… less than eighty days.”

“Hmm.” Anhe Asuka nodded again, a smile appearing on her face. “So, the quality may still be quite rough, and there are many areas that need polishing. Sister Zhu Yin is a professional with a sharp eye, so please feel free to criticize without holding back. Whether it’s good or bad, we need the most honest evaluation.”

He pushed the USB drive forward a little further: "The game is inside. It tells a story about a small town, the starry sky, growth, and bonds. Sister Zhu Yin can try it out when she has time. There's no rush."

After saying that, he politely bowed and said, "I won't disturb Sister Zhu Yin's work any longer. I'll wait for your feedback."

The office door was gently closed.

Akane Akasaka sat alone behind her large desk, her gaze fixed on the black USB drive, remaining motionless for a long time. After a while, she finally reached out and picked up the small storage device.

She is not a die-hard fan of Galgames. As a producer, she has been involved in the field and even invested in related projects for commercial reasons, but personally, she has limited interest in this interactive narrative form that is mainly based on text and images.

She's played some well-known titles, but mostly only scratched the surface, rarely truly immersing herself in them. The pacing is too slow, there are too many choices, and the plots are sometimes too unrealistic—this is her consistent opinion.

But this time

She inserted the USB drive into the computer's port, the system recognized it, found the executable file, and double-clicked it.

The screen went dark, and then the title screen slowly appeared accompanied by clear piano music.

The deep blue starry sky background is profound and mysterious, with the twinkling stars seemingly rotating slowly.

The three handwritten characters “Where the Stars Lead” are elegant yet tinged with melancholy. Below them are options such as “Start Game,” “Load Save,” and “Settings.” The UI design is simple and elegant, with a comfortable color scheme, and the overall atmosphere is very well done.

Akane Akane checked the time; it was 9:30 AM. She planned to spend half an hour quickly reviewing it and offering some preliminary opinions on technical or business aspects.

She moved the mouse and clicked "Start Game".

The style of the opening animation surprised her somewhat—it wasn't the usual cute or flashy style, but rather a delicate and soothing narrative with a nostalgic film-like feel.

The camera follows a boy riding a bicycle through the quiet streets of a small town on a summer's day. The colors are bright and soft, with the background featuring Marina's signature street scenes, full of detail and everyday life. The narration is simple and beautiful, accompanied by background music composed by An and Asuka, carrying a touch of nostalgia and a sense of exploration, instantly drawing the viewer into that lazy, sunny summer atmosphere filled with the chirping of cicadas.

“Interesting…” Akane Akasaka raised an eyebrow slightly and unconsciously sat up a little straighter.