The lady of the house loves me!
No.
The lady of the house is trying to get me killed!!
Sato jerked his hand back as if he had been electrocuted. With a stiff expression and resentful eyes, he looked toward Mrs. Izumi.
Izumi Chiyo covered her mouth and laughed, looking thoroughly amused.
Sato couldn't help letting out a long sigh.
He had been wrong, truly wrong.
He had originally thought Izumi Chiyo was a gentle and graceful woman.
Who would have thought that she was black-hearted underneath too?
"Ara~ what's wrong?"
Mrs. Izumi wore a surprised expression, as though she had only just noticed that something was amiss.
Yet the smile in her curved eyes was impossible to hide.
"Okaa-san!!"
Izumi Sagiri glared at her mother with a bright red face.
What is wrong with you?!
How can you actively encourage someone to take advantage of your daughter?!
Just thinking about what had happened made Sagiri blush furiously again. Her body felt hot, and an overwhelming sense of embarrassment surged through her.
That was way too embarrassing!
Damn it!!
"Sorry, sorry. I just think you and little Nohara make a good match!"
Izumi Chiyo looked completely innocent, as though she truly had her daughter's best interests at heart.
She even continued,
"Just look. You're an illustrator, and little Nohara writes light novels. Isn't that a match made in heaven?"
"Ahem, Aunt Izumi."
Sato was starting to feel uncomfortable too.
Young lolis were protected by law. He had no intention of ending up in a police station.
And besides...
What kind of logic was "a light novel writer and an illustrator are destined for each other"?
"I'll be heading back now. As for Izumi... um..."
"Just call her Sagiri. It'll feel friendlier that way."
Sato didn't think about it for long before agreeing.
After all, he still wasn't sure what else to call her.
"Alright. Then I'll leave Sagiri in your care for now. You can help guide her through the sample manuscript first. If there's any problem, you can always come downstairs and find me."
"By the way, do you know anything about manga?"
Sato suddenly asked.
The expressions of both Izumi Chiyo and Izumi Sagiri instantly became a little strange.
The mother and daughter exchanged looks.
In the end, Mrs. Izumi replied awkwardly,
"Well... I suppose you could say I know a bit."
After all, eighteen-plus manga counted as manga too, right?
The mother and daughter silently exchanged another glance.
Sato raised an eyebrow curiously.
"So the reason you refused is because you're already working in that field?"
"Huh? Ah, yes! That's right!"
Sato immediately became interested.
So she had experience working in manga.
No wonder the art style had felt somewhat familiar. There was even a chance he had read one of Izumi Chiyo's manga before.
"May I know your pen name?"
Oh no, the thing I was most worried about has arrived!
Izumi Chiyo's heart skipped a beat.
Maintaining a calm facade, she replied,
"That... let's not talk about it. The sales were terrible."
Poor sales?
Sato was surprised.
With skills this good?
Still, since Izumi Chiyo didn't want to discuss it, he couldn't very well keep pressing.
"Having experience is the best possible outcome!"
"Thank you very much for your help!"
Sato stood and gave her a slight bow.
"Then I'll be on my way."
"I'll see you out."
"No need. If you keep escorting me, you'll end up at my house."
He couldn't help joking.
Then again, their homes really were close. They only lived on different floors of the same building.
"Haha, little Nohara is quite funny."
After seeing Sato off, Izumi Chiyo returned to the room.
Looking at the somewhat absent-minded Sagiri, she shrugged.
"See, little Sagiri? Drawing that kind of manga with Mommy is so embarrassing that we can barely even say it out loud."
Sitting down on the sofa, Izumi Chiyo sighed.
"But I like it."
Curled up on the sofa and hugging a cushion, Izumi Sagiri muttered sulkily.
Izumi Chiyo fell silent.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Sagiri was only in her first year of middle school.
Was it really okay for her to be involved in that kind of work when she didn't understand anything yet?
Something had to change.
Izumi Chiyo was firm in her resolve.
...
The website's expansion never stopped.
Although Touhou Gensokyo Company had already become something of a giant within the current ACGN circle, it was still far from the broader ACGN empire Sato envisioned.
Room 2, Third Floor, Aoyama Apartments.
Standing in front of a whiteboard, Sato wrote three terms:
- Light Novels
- Manga
- Forum
These were the website's three current business sectors.
Then, beside them, he wrote:
Illustrations
Music
Danmaku Video
Animation
Live Streaming
Games
Instant Messaging
And a whole series of other terms.
Covering every aspect.
That was the ACGN empire he dreamed of.
"The light novel and forum sections are already mature. The manga section is gradually getting on track as well. The next step can be illustrations, music, and danmaku videos!"
These three sectors required the lowest investment and produced results the fastest.
Illustrations already had a foundation. People had long been sharing and discussing artwork on the Gensokyo forums.
All he needed to do was create a dedicated section and separate that content into its own category.
Music would provide a larger platform for people who enjoyed singing or performing to share and communicate.
There were already some music-sharing sites on the internet, but the market was fragmented and lacked a dominant leader.
The website could focus specifically on ACGN music and instrumental music.
That would allow it to establish a clear identity quickly, gather its target audience, and gradually expand into other areas later.
Danmaku video was even simpler.
The videos themselves would be supplied by users.
All he needed to provide was the danmaku system.
In this world, danmaku systems had not yet appeared at all. If Gensokyo launched one first, it would become the pioneer.
All three sectors relied on user-generated content while the company provided the platform.
They were by far the easiest sections to develop.
As for areas like gaming and animation, those required significant resources and capital.
Beyond that, the relatively accessible sectors were live streaming and instant messaging.
Instant messaging in particular.
Japan's market was still in a growth phase and had not yet produced a monopolistic leader.
If they could seize the opportunity and claim a share of the market, that would be ideal.
The website's massive fan base could provide a strong foundation, and its user base wouldn't be limited to the ACGN community.
Sato knew exactly how terrifying the traffic generated by an instant messaging platform could be.
Once a social giant achieved monopoly status, it could easily become one of the most powerful companies in an entire country.
For example, certain penguins and certain facebooks.
Thinking of this, he took out his phone and called Kosaka Akane.