...
Kamiyā Yuu stared blankly up at the ceiling.
He could no longer remember the contents of the dream clearly. Only the image that had been troubling him all this time remained vividly present in his mind.
"The smile... so that's what it was like."
Kamiyā Yuu laughed in relief.
That image was naturally the same as what he had imagined, yet even more ordinary than he had expected.
Kamiyā Yuu had long possessed the ability to draw that smile. However, his excessive obsession and the influence of the consciousness space had instead prevented him from finding the true feeling.
The dream just now was not some exaggerated supernatural event. It was simply the result of his subconscious relaxing without conscious effort.
The integration of his thoughts had finally allowed him to find the answer he had been searching for all along.
He climbed up from the floor and returned to his workstation, drawing out stroke by stroke the image deeply engraved in his mind.
...
The city lights had just begun to glow.
Outside the office window, the world was filled with bright lights and nightlife. The soft glow of neon spilled across the streets, dyeing them in a tipsy wine-red hue.
Inside the office, the incandescent lights illuminated everything clearly.
In the quiet room, the only sound was the faint rustling of the key animation pencil rubbing against the animation paper.
With his thoughts suddenly cleared, Kamiyā Yuu felt his pen move more smoothly than ever before.
Every stroke was under his control.
This feeling was like creating inside the consciousness space.
With each portion he completed, the satisfaction in his heart grew.
Only now did he finally feel the long-lost passion for creation.
"Sakura Kyōko's eyes here should be more confused, with a hint of relief as well. Looks like I'll need more frames to express the subtle changes in her gaze. Although it'll increase the workload, the current progress is fine."
Kamiyā Yuu glanced at the already completed key art beside him.
The overall progress was much faster than he had expected. As long as he reduced his sleep time this week, he could still complete the goal he had anticipated.
...
"Lines... lines. Modify them a little... Mm..."
After finishing part of the key art, Kamiyā Yuu stopped drawing and began thinking about the dialogue.
One or two lines could have an enormous impact on an entire storyboard.
For example, accompanying [Rei Ayanami's Smile] was an extremely famous line—
Rei Ayanami: "I'm sorry. At a time like this, I don't know what kind of expression I should make."
Ikari Shinji: "You just have to smile."
...
After finishing all the work he had planned, Kamiyā Yuu began reviewing the completed material.
"Sakura Kyōko's smile feels very similar to the male lead's relieved smile at the end of '5 Centimeters per Second.'"
As he flipped through the semi-finished material in his hands, he recalled the excellent work '5 Centimeters per Second' by the famous animation director Makoto Shinkai from his previous world.
The male lead's final smile in that work also carried relief and a kind of lightness after having experienced everything.
...
After reviewing the key art, Kamiyā Yuu found the character song Shindō Tsukasa had composed for Sakura Kyōko according to his requirements on the computer.
He combined the image and the song in his mind. The degree of fit was extremely high, enough to raise the overall emotional impact of the scene to another level.
"Character theme song... As expected of Shindō. The level of completion is very good. The sorrow in the melody is controlled very well."
...
"I overcompleted today's share. I can finally get some proper rest."
Kamiyā Yuu stood from his seat, stretched, and muttered emotionally to himself.
After coming back to his senses from a state where he simply could not stop, he took out his flip phone and discovered it was already past ten at night, far beyond his normal leaving time.
Once his mind relaxed, he felt fatigue arrive along with waves of hunger. For a moment, he even felt slightly dizzy.
"Good thing I have the lunchbox Sora brought me."
Kamiyā Yuu opened the lunchbox placed on his desk.
Without bothering to take it to the break room and heat it in the microwave, he began wolfing it down in large mouthfuls.
To be honest, cold assembly-line food did not taste particularly good.
After finishing the lunchbox, he went to an office on another floor and knocked on the door.
Judging by the light shining through the gap under the door and the faint sounds coming from inside, someone was there.
Click!
The door opened.
Yūki Chinatsu, wearing cute sky-blue pajamas, casually opened the wooden office door.
Her soft blonde hair was not fluffed up like usual, giving her a somewhat quiet air.
Seeing that it was Kamiyā Yuu, she turned back and said to the people inside with a grin,
"Sora, your brother is here to pick you up."
"Kukuku~~ Give up. You cannot defeat me, who possesses the power of the Fallen Saint."
"A mere black cat..."
"Shoryuken~ Shoryuken~ Shoryuken!"
"That combo is so cheap."
With the wooden door open, Kamiyā Yuu could see Kamiyā Sora in a black business suit and Gogyo Ruri in a black Gothic dress inside the office, each holding a game controller and staring fixedly at the image on the LCD screen.
Looking at the office environment, Kamiyā Yuu did not know whether to laugh or cry.
"Chinatsu, has this office gotten even more lived-in since I last came here?"
The television, storage cabinet, neatly folded bedding, and everything else were all present.
Yūki Chinatsu proudly lifted her chin and snorted.
"Of course. This is my office."
Kamiyā Yuu laughed helplessly.
There were so many things to retort about in that answer that he didn't even know where to begin.
Kamiyā Sora and Gogyo Ruri were both frequent visitors to this office.
Especially this past month, Kamiyā Yuu had often been busy late into the night. Since Kamiyā Sora was already working at Yosuganosora Animation Studio, she would come to Yūki Chinatsu's office to pass the time.
Kamiyā Sora had severe internet dependency and also liked eating snacks, so she had plenty of common topics with a "homebody girl" like Yūki Chinatsu.
As their relationship warmed, Kamiyā Sora's attitude toward Yūki Chinatsu and Gogyo Ruri became more like an ordinary friendship.
Gogyo Ruri would also reveal the chūnibyō side of her personality in front of the two of them.
It was past ten at night, and Gogyo Ruri was still at the company. It seemed she was probably staying overnight in Yūki Chinatsu's office.
Kamiyā Yuu's new apartment was only about ten minutes away from the company, so he and Kamiyā Sora could easily travel between the company and the apartment.
There was no need for them to squeeze together inside this office filled with signs of daily life.
After the two left the company, Kamiyā Sora noticed that Kamiyā Yuu's expression looked much more relaxed than before.
A faint but unmistakable joy appeared on her flawless little face.
"Yuu, the key art problem is solved."
This month, Kamiyā Sora had also sensed Kamiyā Yuu's anxious mood.
She did not know how to express her concern. All she could do was pour all of her gentleness into him at night, accommodating him as he vented the emotions in his heart and comforting him.
"Mm."
Kamiyā Yuu felt warmth in his heart.
No matter what, he could still sense Kamiyā Sora's clumsy intentions.
The lunchbox placed on his desk had also been specially bought from outside by Kamiyā Sora.
Kamiyā Yuu held her small hand and smiled.
"Sora, you've worked hard during this period. I've already got a clear idea for Episode Seventeen's key art. I expect it can be finished within a week."
Kamiyā Sora quickly stepped in front of Kamiyā Yuu.
With her small hands behind her back, she leaned forward and looked up at him from an extremely cute angle, smiling playfully.
"Hmph, as long as you know. Then how does Yuu plan to compensate me?"