novellhall 35. Where's your bass?
35. Where's your bass?
The tram rattled and swayed along the Marunouchi Line, carrying Genji Aoyama towards Ogikubo Station.
This time, he didn't take a taxi but chose to take the tram.
It wasn't to save on taxi fare; with his current wealth, he didn't need to worry about such small amounts of money.
However, traffic in Tokyo on weekends is so congested that it is far less efficient than the train.
For Genji Aoyama, today is a day of tight schedules and heavy tasks.
The other passengers in the carriage were discussing how to enjoy the weekend.
After getting off the train, you can see groups of men and women everywhere.
Or perhaps it's young people dressed in cosplay outfits sightseeing and taking photos at a certain holy site, or subculture trendsetters chatting about the latest interesting things.
Genji Aoyama envied this sense of relaxation.
Of course, there are also people like him who can't relax on weekends, such as the employees of Jinghua Studio.
Upon arriving at the fine art studio, Odakura was as enthusiastic as before, shaking hands with him warmly.
After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down in the president's office.
"President Oda, how is the company doing lately?"
Aoyama Genji took a sip of tea. He hadn't had a drop of water since his morning run, and rushed to the Fine Art Society.
"Thanks to Mr. Aoyama's investment, the company has successfully weathered the crisis. The situation has improved recently, and we have received orders from several major companies. Once these projects are completed, we should be able to catch our breath. All of this is thanks to Mr. Aoyama."
As he said this, Odakuraji was also observing Aoyama Genji's expression.
He wasn't fabricating anything; the orders he mentioned genuinely existed.
Moreover, it was a major company they had never worked with before. Oda Kurashi even wondered if this mysterious shareholder was the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.
"President Oda, you're too kind. What I offered was just a small amount of help," Genji Aoyama replied politely.
"That's already a huge help!"
Oda Kuraji's face was full of smiles.
"What are President Oda's plans for the future? Is he planning to continue his foray into the animation industry, or is he considering a career change?"
"I almost ruined the company last time. With my abilities and vision, I'm afraid this is the best I can do. I can only take it one step at a time." Oda Kuraji shook his head with a sheepish smile.
pity.
Genji Aoyama sighed inwardly.
If you just rely on outsourcing to get by, it will probably be hard to go far.
After all, he still owns 10% of the shares in Jinghua Studio. If the company thrives, he will receive more money at the end of the year.
In the past few days, he has also gained a general understanding of the animation industry in the island nation, which is similar to that in his previous life.
During the bubble economy period, the animation industry experienced its first peak due to excess capital and technological innovation.
In the following decade, with the rise of TV animation and the globalization of information, the industry ushered in its second peak.
We are currently at the cusp of the third peak period, with an unprecedentedly large market size.
But that's just the surface, or rather, just the effect of the top players. Below the top, especially the small businesses at the bottom, simply cannot cover the skyrocketing labor and costs by taking on outsourcing orders.
Losses are the norm, and dissolution is perfectly normal; there is absolutely no room for survival.
For example, the Seigasha before Aoyama Genji's arrival.
Having suffered losses last year, and facing a financial crisis at the start of this year, it will be very difficult for them to survive.
If we don't seek change, continuing down this path will only lead to a miserable existence.
Genji Aoyama remained silent.
Odakuraji then cautiously asked, "Does Mr. Aoyama have any good suggestions? If so, please let me know as soon as possible, and I will consider them carefully."
?
Aoyama Genji looked at Odakuraji's face, which looked at least forty years old, more than twice his age.
Why did you suddenly start using honorifics all of a sudden?
"I'm just an amateur myself," Genji Aoyama said, ignoring the honorific he had just used. "President Oda can do more research and observation, and then make his own judgment after gaining a deeper understanding."
Interfering from a layman's perspective without understanding the essence of the problem is an act of arrogance.
This is a lesson that Genji Aoyama just learned today.
Odakura nodded as if he understood but not quite.
Feeling that further conversation wouldn't yield any meaningful results, Genji Aoyama decided to get straight to the point.
He stated his commission, which included concept art, live 2D character models, and music videos.
Odakuraji patted his chest again, assuring everyone that there would be no problem.
"Before we begin work, I'd like to sign some contracts first," said Genji Aoyama, looking at Kuraji Odakura.
"Is it the copyright ownership agreement that Mr. Aoyama mentioned before?"
"Yes, but that's not all."
Genji Aoyama picked up his teacup and took another sip of tea. "We still need to sign a confidentiality agreement and an agreement guaranteeing originality."
Although AI technology is developing rapidly, it has not yet matured, and the products it produces are somewhat flawed.
He'd rather look at things privately than display them publicly; he absolutely refuses to be fooled by AI.
Although he was blunt, this kind of business practice is understandable; everyone knows where the traps are.
"no problem."
Odakura presented the corresponding agreement and contract.
After signing the contract, Genji Aoyama was taken to a separate room.
Before his arrival, Odakura had made ample preparations, even specifically selecting several key personnel from within the company.
We formed a small, dedicated project team.
Genji Aoyama was completely unceremonious, treating himself as the client and starting to communicate with these people.
"Character design is of utmost importance. The age should be around that of a high school student, with a slender figure and a small bust, but not to the point of being completely flat. Please refer to the photo I provided for the appearance."
The female artist pushed up her glasses, gave Aoyama Genji a knowing look, and then continued to record Aoyama Genji's requests.
"The clothing style should incorporate some futuristic and sci-fi elements, with subtle musical touches. Oh, and the hair should be in pigtails, a light green color, and..."
"Does Mr. Aoyama have any other requests?" Miyano asked, looking at Aoyama Genji.
"That's all for now. If there are any other issues later, we can discuss and revise them. Ms. Miyano, could you please provide a rough sketch first?"
The female artist gave a rather bitter smile.
The problem was that she had no choice. The president had repeatedly told her beforehand that she must serve this shareholder well.
After finishing his instructions to Miyano, Genji Aoyama walked over to the producers in charge of other content and began to talk at length.
"Stage effects..."
……
After leaving the Fine Art Society, it was almost two o'clock. According to the original plan, we should have had plenty of time today.
Genji Aoyama brought up the control panel and checked the system tasks again.
[Izumo Saki knows that the relationship between the host and his girlfriend is only superficial. Given this premise, she chooses to engage in an ambiguous relationship with the host. At 7:52 AM on April 19th, after realizing that the host is unwilling to give up his girlfriend, Izumo Saki struggles internally, contemplating whether to sever her ambiguous connection with him.]
[Triggering a correction task: Please invite Izumo Saki to the Love Hotel and do some necessary things.]
[Quest Reward: 1 Random Proficient Skill]
【任务时间：4月19日23：59：59之前】
[Note: A special check-in function will be unlocked after the target and host establish a certain relationship.]
This time, he clarified on behalf of the system that this is not a dating system at all.
The dating system isn't that frivolous.
Fortunately, Genji Aoyama is a decent person—he's a musician.
Half an hour later, in Shinjuku Ward.
He arrived at the agreed location, where a vibrant young girl stood, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes glancing left and right from time to time.
Saki Izumo, dressed in her everyday clothes, looks even cuter than usual—
She wore a black dress with lace trim, and her princess-cut hairline made her already delicate face look even smaller. Her medium-length hair was tied into pigtails at the back of her head, and she wore black over-the-knee socks with bows. She looked incredibly sweet.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Genji Aoyama said, walking up to Saki Izumo and asking the question he'd wanted to ask since they first met, "Izumo-senpai, where's your bass?"
"Oh no!"
Saki Izumo blinked her beautiful big eyes.
"Also, just call me Saki."
"Why didn't you praise me at the end!" The sweet and lovely girl puffed out her cheeks.