"It's really rare for my child to call at a ti like this."
"Mom, I need to ask you for a favor."
"...Go ahead. What kind of favor?"
Takayuki didn't bother with pleasantries with his mother in this world.
Since arriving here, Masako Takayuki had beco one of the people he trusted most—family, soone he could count on completely.
And right now, he needed help. Naturally, turning to Masako was the best choice.
"I need an artist who understands the female body well. Preferably a woman. So in the end, I thought of you. If you're involved, I know you'll be able to draw the most seductive, attractive female figures."
Masako wasn't specialized in figure drawing, but that was part of her foundational skill set. Shifting to a new style wasn't a big challenge for her.
...
...
So Takayuki's flattery wasn't misplaced.
Hearing her son's praise, the fifty-sothing Masako couldn't help but smile warmly.
"Hmm? Why the specific request? What exactly are you trying to draw?"
"I'm planning character design sheets for a few of my upcoming gas. Everything would follow the general appearance outlines I provide, so there's not much room for artistic improvisation."
"Hmm, and you want your mom to do this?"
"Would that be okay?" Takayuki asked, testing the waters.
"It's not impossible..." Masako replied, drawing out her words aningfully.
"Mom, if it's about paynt, don't worry, I—"
"Speaking of which... Takayuki, you're not that young anymore. Have you considered having children?"
Takayuki: "...Bye, Mom."
He seriously considered hanging up right then.
He hadn't expected to be pressured about marriage and kids even in this world. Then again, it made sense—Masako was his mother, after all.
Aya Tsukino, listening nearby, also blushed deeply when she heard the ntion of children.
Given their age, it was true that they should probably start thinking about it.
Sensing Takayuki's finger hovering over the end-call button, Masako quickly said, "Hey hey, Takayuki, don't hang up! You still need sothing, don't you?"
"As long as you stop nagging about that, everything can happen naturally."
Masako sighed quietly, then said, "Alright, I won't pressure you two. Do as you like. As for helping with character design, I don't think I'd be the best fit. I probably don't understand all your new industry tools and thods. You'd need soone familiar with current ga developnt."
Takayuki nodded. "Yeah, that's true. If the designer isn't familiar with these aspects, I can arrange support from our modeling team. But it'd be best if the artist already had that experience."
It was like ga music in the early days: only musicians who understood the hardware could properly code music that fit a ga's limitations and tone.
Art was a bit different, but the principle was similar.
The earlier Final Fantasy titles didn't require much technical modeling—they just needed solid illustrations based on Takayuki's concepts.
This ti, Bayonetta and NieR: Automata could've been designed by his internal team.
But Takayuki felt they were missing sothing—his characters lacked that spark, that sensual charisma.
That's when he rembered the original Bayonetta's concept artist had been a woman, chosen specifically for her ability to portray feminine allure. As they said back then, "Only won truly understand won."
n could only grasp the surface.
Masako said, "Then I'm probably not the right person for this, but if you need cover art or promotional materials, I can handle those. For character design, I'll recomnd soone else."
"That's fine. As long as she ets the requirents. I believe only won can fully bring out a woman's elegance and sensuality in art. That's the kind of talent we need right now."
Masako nodded. "Got it. Give two days. I'll find soone who fits the bill and have her contact you directly. Sound good?"
"Of course!"
Takayuki was impressed—his mom always ca through. In fact, when he'd first needed an illustrator, she'd been the one to introduce him to Mitsuke Tsuchitani.
Later, Tsuchitani beca the lead artist for Dragon Quest for life.
He didn't have the sa raw talent or luck as Akira Toriyama—who created Dragon Ball, a titan of the ani world—but Dragon Quest's success made him a well-known figure in the industry.
Now that Takayuki had a skilled artist lined up, he could confidently move the developnt process forward.
"So your mom said yes?"
After the call ended, Aya asked with a smile.
Takayuki, in good spirits, nodded. "Yep. She's just as reliable as ever."
Aya nodded along in agreent. This part seed settled.
"By the way... about that other thing your mom ntioned..."
"The other thing? You an—oh~"
Aya's eyes darted to the side, as if she hadn't just brought it up herself.
"Well... maybe it is ti to start thinking about it."
So things didn't need to be said out loud.
...
Two mornings later, not long after Takayuki arrived at the Gastar headquarters, his assistant ca to find him.
"President, there's soone here to see you. She says she was recomnded by Ms. Masako Takayuki."
Takayuki had been planning to slack off and play gas in his office before getting to work, but hearing that, he instantly perked up. "Perfect! Let her in right away! I can't believe she actually found soone in just two days!"
"Yes, sir."
The assistant left, and about ten minutes later, a young woman—probably in her early twenties—stepped cautiously into Takayuki's office.
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