135. The Promise

Observing the expression on Kyoko Kato’s face, Jiang Yu instantly understood that she intended to continue the topic they had left unfinished. Feeling a subtle sense of foreboding, he prepared himself to make a quick escape at any moment.

As expected, Kyoko Kato’s eyes lit up with keen interest as she said, "You and Megumi..."

"We're just friends!"

Jiang Yu interrupted hastily, displaying the same reflexive urgency one might see on the internet when someone asks, "Can I ask one last question?" and receives a preemptive, frantic "I loved her, I'm not interested, please save my mother" in return.

He was terrified that something truly earth-shattering might spill from Kyoko Kato’s lips. Among his peers, only Utaha Kasumigaoka caused him such trepidation, and among the elders, it was certainly Kyoko Kato.

"...Actually, I was just going to ask if you two were friends."

Kyoko Kato showed no sign of embarrassment; if anything, she was shamelessly casual about it.

"Nice try, who would believe that? Besides, I already answered that question for you earlier, didn't I? Even if you're looking for an excuse, don't just parrot my words back to me, Kato-san!"

Jiang Yu wore a look that said, "Don't pretend, I don't believe you," and took a few wary steps back, clearly ready to treat flight as the best course of action should she say anything else outrageous.

This was the only strategy he could devise to deal with someone who possessed such a silver tongue. Since he couldn't win an argument against her, he reasoned, he might as well leave. That, in essence, was Jiang Yu’s inner monologue.

Seeing his defensive posture, Kyoko Kato chuckled and said, "Oh my, oh my! I’m not going to do anything to you, is it really necessary to act like this? Fine... let’s be serious. Megumi’s subtle presence is a bit of a headache for us as well; sometimes she even gives us a fright just by appearing. It’s a great relief to me that she’s been able to make more friends. So..."

Pausing there, she met Jiang Yu’s questioning gaze and continued, "Could I ask you a favor, Jiang-kun? Please look after that child a bit more."

Seeing Kyoko Kato acting uncharacteristically sincere, Jiang Yu fell silent, his mind racing with a flurry of thoughts.

As expected, even if she seemed unreliable at times, Kato-san really was a responsible elder.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, she shifted her tone and added with a smile, "Of course, if you and Megumi want to date or something, I have absolutely no objections! In fact, I might even be able to offer some help!"

Jiang Yu: "..."

Give me back the emotion I just felt, you jerk!

"...That won't be necessary. In any case, I’ll keep an eye on how she interacts with others in the club, but as for her situation in class, there’s nothing I can do. Kato-san, please don't overestimate my social skills. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave now."

Suppressing the urge to retort, Jiang Yu spoke with earnest gravity.

"Wait, wait—what do you mean by 'club'? Are you and Megumi in the same club, Jiang-kun?" Kyoko Kato caught onto the new term and asked with surprise.

Jiang Yu slapped his forehead, realization dawning on him. "Didn't I mention to you that Megumi and I are in the same game development club?"

"Pfft... Game development? You two?" Kyoko Kato asked, looking slightly amused. Although she had studied music in university—or rather, precisely because she had—she had once been invited to participate in a doujin game development group during her college years.

Back then, a gathering of talented individuals with genuine skills had come together to make a game, only for it to end in a dismal failure.

This was another reason, beyond her general awareness of the industry, why she had opposed Jiang Yu’s desire to become a game developer. Her own experience taught her that making games was no easy path. Rather than letting Jiang Yu, who had already shown such talent in music, walk an unpredictable road, she would rather he remain in his current world and eventually become a world-renowned master.

Seeing her dismissive look, as if he were a child spouting nonsense, Jiang Yu frowned with dissatisfaction and said earnestly, "We—my club partners and I—are very serious about making games!"

"Yes, yes—come to think of it, you did mention joining a game development club back then, didn't you?" She waved her hand dismissively, seemingly recalling the fact, and sought confirmation.

Though still feeling helpless, Jiang Yu nodded, signaling that her memory was correct.

Realizing that her attitude wouldn't change anytime soon, he sighed inwardly, thinking that he would just have to wait for the day he released a hit work to prove her wrong.

Still, this was the standard first impression most people would have of a group of high schoolers playing around in a club, so he couldn't exactly blame her.

Was he supposed to tell every skeptic that he possessed countless brilliant concepts, and that his club included an artist who had made it to the CM wall and a bestselling author?

"Though I don't know why Megumi would be interested in game development, let's make a deal, Jiang-kun!" After a moment of thought, her tone turned solemn.

"Uh... please, go ahead." Caught off guard by her sudden intensity, Jiang Yu spoke tentatively.

"Alright, first of all, what genre of game are you making?" She shifted to a question that seemed entirely unrelated to the previous statement.

Confused, Jiang Yu answered seriously, "A Science-Adventure visual novel."

"...Sorry, could you use a term that’s easier to understand?"

"...It’s a galgame with science-adventure elements..."

The air grew subtly awkward. After listening for a long while, Kyoko Kato continued as if nothing had happened. "Fine. If your galgame doesn't become a massive hit, how about you stop these meaningless pursuits and study music with Chinatsu and Professor Kushi?"

This is exactly why you shouldn't ask if you don't understand the genre terminology, Kato-san!

Watching her force a calm expression, Jiang Yu felt a strange sensation. After a long pause, he replied, "What exactly is the standard for judging whether a game is a hit or not? Not to mention, this is a doujin project; it’s not even being commercialized."

At least, not for now, he added to himself.

Kyoko Kato cleared her throat, realizing she had painted herself into a corner, and forced the conversation forward. "In any case, if the work doesn't succeed, you come back and study music properly; if it does well, I won't bring this up again. As for the criteria, I’ll find professionals to evaluate your game when the time comes. Is that acceptable?"