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[Game] Chapter 165: Saturday’s Work
🕑 Added 2025-03-09 08:55:23 +0000 UTCAfter successfully completing the Service Club’s request, the school week came to an end, ushering in the weekend.
On Saturday, despite it being a break, everyone still arrived at the studio on time.
However, today's task wasn’t about development—it was about recording videos.
After a series of negotiations with Ichin, Kō Yagami was finally excused from participating in live broadcasts. In exchange, she had to record several promotional videos for the game, which would be uploaded to various video-sharing and social media platforms.
The morning was spent preparing, and by the afternoon, it was time to start filming.
The shoot was set up in the lounge area, as sitting on a couch would help Kō Yagami, who tended to get nervous in front of the camera, feel more at ease.
Setting up the camera, Hazuki smiled at Kō, who, for once, had dressed in a skirt. "You look really pretty today, Kō!"
Her usually slightly messy blonde hair had been neatly combed, and her face had been touched up with light makeup by Toyama Rin. With her slightly flushed cheeks, it was almost impossible to associate her with the late-night grinding warrior she usually was.
Kō, too focused on reviewing the script Ichin had prepared, had no energy to banter with Hazuki.
Although Aoba would be using a monitor as a teleprompter, Ichin had still insisted that she familiarize herself with the script as much as possible to avoid stumbling over her words.
Meanwhile, holding a bag of potato chips, Shinoda looked at Umiko, who was also reading through a script. "Umiko, are we filming more than one video?"
Umiko nodded as she skimmed through the pages. "Yeah. The first video we’re shooting will cover the game's world, its protagonist, monsters, and boss designs. I’ll be in the second one, which will focus on the game’s mechanics. Later, Hazuki will also join in to explain the game's maps and other features. We’re planning three videos for now, but if they perform well, Ichin mentioned he might pull in a couple more people who haven’t been on camera yet to participate."
Hearing that others might get a chance to join, Shinoda’s eyes lit up. "Is there overtime pay?"
Umiko, as if she had expected that exact question, nodded. "Of course. You know Ichin—he’s a generous boss. There will be bonuses, which will be included in your next paycheck. If you want to participate, since you’re the action designer, we could do a live gameplay demo featuring you. Or better yet, maybe you'd be perfect for a live broadcast."
As she spoke, Umiko completely ignored Hazuki and made her way to the kitchen, where Ichin was brewing coffee.
"Ichin-kun."
"Hmm? What’s up, Umiko?" Ichin glanced at her as she entered. "Do you want some coffee?"
"I have an idea," Umiko got straight to the point. "Since we’re recording videos now, are we still going to do live streams for promotion?"
"Of course. The live streams will mainly be gameplay demonstrations, featuring battles against elite monsters and bosses with real-time commentary."
"Then we’re on the same page." Umiko smiled. "Do you have someone in mind to handle it?"
"Hmm… candidates, huh?"
Ichin thought for a moment. "I was considering you, Momiji, Tsubame, and Shinoda. But since you’re already in the video shoot today, I think this is a good chance to let someone else take the spotlight. What do you think?"
"I think Shinoda would be a great fit," Umiko suggested. "As the action designer, she’s naturally very familiar with the gameplay mechanics. Plus, she’s got a lively personality and won’t get nervous on a live stream. The only issue would be language—if we stream on Chinese platforms, you’d need to help translate."
"Got it. I also think Shinoda is a solid choice, but there’s no rush for the live stream."
Ichin nodded. "I’m planning to start the streams around mid-October, maybe two or three sessions. No need to announce it yet—I still need to organize everything. Aside from Bilibili, I also need to prep for a YouTube stream."
At first, Ichin didn’t have much of a presence on overseas platforms, but with Slay the Spire launching on the Nintendo Switch and Hollow Knight making an appearance at Gamescom, he began considering opening a YouTube channel to promote their games.
Just as the coffee finished brewing, Ichin poured several cups, placed them on a tray, and walked over to the lounge area with Umiko.
"Everyone, take a coffee break. Then we can get started."
"Give me a cup, quick!"
The moment Kō Yagami saw drinks were available, she immediately got up, walked over to Ichin, grabbed a cup, blew on it a little, and took a sip.
"Alright, let’s get this over with quickly."
Ichin had no objections. He had already memorized the script and could perform without even looking at the teleprompter.
Rin, watching Ichin sit down on the couch next to Kō, playfully held up her makeup kit. "Ichin-kun, need a touch-up?"
"No need. I’m naturally good-looking."
Signaling to Hazuki, Ichin turned to Kō, who was starting to look nervous again. "Relax, Kō. This is a recording. If anything goes wrong, we can just edit it out. Just make sure your delivery is smooth and your expressions don’t look stiff."
"I-I got it… I’ll try."
Hazuki adjusted the camera angle to focus on the two of them, then raised her left hand and said, "Alright, I’m starting the countdown. 3... 2... 1... Action!"
Aoba, standing to the side, also turned on the teleprompter at the perfect moment.
Ichin didn’t even glance at it and spoke directly into the camera. "Hello everyone, I’m Ichin, founder of Y.C. and producer of Hollow Knight."
Kō quickly followed up. "Hello everyone, I’m Kō Yagami, art director of Hollow Knight."
But as soon as she finished speaking, Hazuki called for a stop.
"Kō, your expression is too stiff! You need to relax—softer, more natural!"
"Ugh, this is so hard…"
Kō groaned, rubbing her cheeks vigorously before taking several deep breaths. "Alright, let’s go again!"
They restarted the recording. Though her expressions were still a bit rigid, they were much better than before, so Hazuki didn’t stop the shoot this time.
The session continued smoothly.
However, when they reached the art design segment, Kō froze again.
Thankfully, since this wasn’t a live stream, they didn’t have to start over from the beginning. Compared to the pressure of being live, this was much more forgiving. After two retakes, Kō finally got into the flow.
Aoba, who was monitoring both the teleprompter and the two speakers, couldn’t help but recall her own experience doing voiceover recordings for promotional videos.
Back then, she had struggled too, surrounded by her colleagues while recording. It had taken her a long time to get used to it. Now, it was Kō’s turn.
Watching her respected senior go through the same thing was… honestly kind of amusing.
Before she realized it, Aoba had a mischievous smirk on her face.
Unfortunately, Kō noticed.
"Kō, you messed up again! Retake this part!"
"Wait, what?!!!"
...
