Tuesday Night eting
On Tuesday night, Haruki followed the location pin and made his way to the spot Kazuya had ntioned.
Kazuya had said it was just an average yakiniku place, but the mont Haruki stepped in, he couldn't help but feel it was already quite upscale.
Clearly, Kazuya's definition of "ordinary" was a little different from his.
"Welco. Do you have a reservation?" the hostess at the entrance greeted him politely.
"Uh, yeah… my friend should already be inside."
After giving the na Kazuya had ntioned, a staff mber led Haruki upstairs. They passed through a narrow corridor before arriving at a private room. The staff mber gestured for Haruki to remove his shoes before sliding the door open
A burst of lively voices poured out imdiately.
Inside, nearly twenty people were seated. Most looked to be in their thirties, a few won among them. They all seed quite familiar with Kazuya, and the atmosphere was cheerful and relaxed, with chatter filling the air.
Though Haruki had opened the door quietly, all eyes turned to him.
And just as he was sizing them up they were doing the sa to him.
He's young.
Is that the Mizushiro everyone's been talking about lately?
He looks younger than my daughter…
Each person had their own reaction, but the general sentint was surprise.
Kazuya stood up at once, stepping over to Haruki's side.
"Let introduce everyone," Kazuya said, patting Haruki lightly on the shoulder. "This is Mizushiro, the manga artist whose work has been making waves lately and more importantly, he's the main investor in the ani project we're about to launch. He's also the scriptwriter for it."
He grinned.
"So… where's the applause?"
The room broke into claps and cheers.
"Hey, boss!"
"Boss, you're the man!"
"I'm a huge fan of your manga!"
So of the comnts were half-joking, but the mood was undeniably welcoming.
Haruki scratched his cheek, a bit embarrassed not because of stage fright, but because he wasn't used to being the center of attention like this.
"I'm Haruki Yuuki. I think I'm probably the youngest one here, so just call Haruki," he said calmly.
"Well, there you go!" Kazuya laughed. "He said it himself. No need to be formal."
"Haruki, you got here at the perfect ti. Everyone's been waiting on you." Kazuya led him to the middle of the long table, where they sat down on the floor together.
The table was loaded with dishes assorted ats, seafood, vegetables, and ingredients Haruki didn't even recognize. The charcoal grill in the center was already glowing red.
But it was clear everyone had been waiting. No one had touched the food.
Kazuya gave him a subtle nudge with his elbow.
Haruki didn't catch on at first, but then he realized.
"A-Ah… sorry to keep everyone waiting! Let's dig in!"
With that, the room ca alive again. Conversations picked up, hands reached out for at, and the grilling began in earnest.
Though Haruki didn't know them yet, it was clear everyone here was already familiar with each other and this dinner was ant to change that for him too.
"Here, Haruki—try this," Kazuya said, placing a sliced, unidentifiable at on the grill.
"What is it?" Haruki asked, intrigued.
"Cow testicles."
Haruki froze, unsure how to respond.
"It's supposed to be… energizing," Kazuya added with a grin.
Before Haruki could respond, soone raised their glass across the table.
"Haruki-san, I'm Sawatari Kōzuki. A toast to you!"
"Oh, sure—thanks." Haruki quickly poured the sake into his glass.
The drink had a soft, rice-like fragrance and didn't seem particularly strong.
"What kind of sake is this?" he asked Mori.
"Well, we're in a proper Japanese-style place, so of course I ordered real sake," Kazuya said. "I figured it'd match the atmosphere better than beer."
"Fair enough," Haruki nodded.
His alcohol tolerance was average, but this didn't seem too bad. As long as he paced himself, he thought he'd be fine.
…Or so he thought.
Twenty minutes in, after toasts from one person after another, the low-alcohol sake began to add up. Despite its mild taste, the buildup hit him fast his face flushed, heart raced, and he was definitely getting tipsy.
Throughout the dinner, people introduced themselves, but no one went into details about their specific roles in the ani project. That part could co later this evening was all about building connections.
"Hey, Kazuya… they're all pretty lively, huh?" Haruki asked, watching so people eat, others playing cards, and a couple of clearly drunk folks singing karaoke off to the side.
"They're all passionate about animation," Kazuya explained, tone softening slightly. "So got fed up with office politics, others weren't good with the social side of things. So quit because they didn't get along with their bosses, or were too good at their jobs and ended up being sidelined…"
He poured himself another drink.
"Most of them are freelancers now. A few were between jobs. But regardless of their flaws, I chose them for two reasons."
"First solid character."
"Second exceptional talent."
"You'll see for yourself, the more ti you spend with them."
Haruki nodded, picking up a random piece of grilled at with his chopsticks and popping it into his mouth.
"So, what do you think? Tastes good, right?" Kazuya grinned.
"Yeah, not bad…" Haruki answered on reflex.
Then, catching the look in Kazuya's eyes, he blinked. A beat later, realization hit him.
He glanced at the grill.
Sure enough he'd just eaten that piece. The one Kazuya had started grilling earlier…
Haruki paused, silent.
Kazuya didn't tease him further.
Fortunately, Haruki had good self-control. He quickly shifted gears in his mind and refocused.
"By the way, Kazuya… do we have enough people to actually make an ani?"
Kazuya's smile returned.
"Of course not," he said, matter-of-factly. "These are just the core team mbers. Equipnt, software, gear we'll rent what we need. The routine, less technical work can be outsourced. There are also roles I haven't filled yet. If I can't find the right people, I'll reach out to my contacts at Kazanami Studio. They'll help out after hours do a favor and make so side inco too."
"So don't worry about the staffing. What matters is the budget."
"I want to start as soon as possible. First, we need to sort out a workspace."
Kazuya looked over at Haruki.
"I ntioned this before you don't know the ins and outs of animation production yet, but your background as a manga artist is a huge plus, especially for original storyboarding and character design. So I thought we should rent a place near your apartnt. That way, once you're done with your manga work for the day, you can drop by the studio and give the team your creative input directly."
"As long as the project kicks off, the funds will be allocated promptly. See that woman over there? That's Mizunashi Renge. She's handling color work, but she also has a background in accounting. Her skills are sharp, so I'll have her manage the project finances."
"Of course, it'd be even better if you could send soone from your side to work with her."
Haruki nodded thoughtfully.
It wasn't a massive production by industry standards, but a multi-million yen ani project still wasn't a small undertaking. For financial oversight, he'd probably have to speak with Haruka again.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon/Alioth23 for 50 advanced chapters)
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