Hah…
Our schedule was right the next day.
Wondering how to make the company people believe us, we decided to just show them our passports.
Well, it’s not like these folks could really do anything with that info. Besides, it would be known soon enough on the broadcast that we met these people.
“Just to clarify, we absolutely did not make a game based on you guys.”
We all laughed.
They understood it was a joke.
However, even if it was said as a joke, it seemed there was some line being drawn at the same time.
It could turn out to be a real problem. Imagine how tiring it would be for the company if we decided to sue them.
But we couldn’t change the names of characters we’ve used for years now.
Of course, we had no intention of doing something like that.
“The game is always fun to play.”
“It’s amazing that people with the same names as our characters enjoy our game. I often thought, ‘Is there really someone with a name like this?’ during the making process, but I never imagined I’d actually get to see it, and that people with those names would gather like this… it’s really…”
Still not believing it, the company president wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.
“Especially the name Fanggriffon. I never thought it would actually exist.”
True that.
That name sounded like it shouldn’t exist at all.
The closest mentioned name to that is ‘Pandragon.’
I don’t know the details, but I think it was more of a title than an actual surname… Well, in the game, and even in the Azernar I lived in, it’s a setting where a title turned into a surname over time, so it’s somewhat similar.
“Well, since you came all this way, let me give you a little tour of the company. At first, when I heard the story, I thought the broadcasting folks exaggerated a bit, but now seeing this in person, I just have to give you a tour.”
“Thank you very much.”
It was a bit hard to get used to this person being so nice to me.
This person only just… met me, so to speak? Anyway, this was our first human-to-human meeting, so he couldn’t know anything personal about me, and naturally, he wouldn’t have any particular feelings. But I was different.
It was the president who was one of those biting critics that had a crazed fit, mentioning my real name in some online community.
…Well, I knew he wouldn’t come all the way to Korean sites to sue every single one, so I did it anyway.
I felt a bit guilty.
Looking at him now, he just seemed like a nice guy.
“…”
Claire was giggling, looking at me, as if she had read some other post I hadn’t yet deleted.
Well, I wasn’t so sure Claire would say that to the president, but still, it felt nerve-wracking to be around someone who knew that fact.
I’m sorry! Really!
I silently apologized as I watched the back of the president walking ahead.
*
In the end, we ate some pretty decent company food, did a short interview for the broadcast, and even walked out with our character clear files signed by the voice actors.
“So, one last thing, do you have any requests from the perspective of players who enjoy our game series?”
Before leaving the company, I pondered for a moment as I watched the smiling president before finally answering with a slight grin.
“Then I hope that the next Chronicles of Aetherna game will be simultaneously released in Korea.”
I probably wouldn’t be able to play it by then since I’d be going back to my original world, but I still wished for the people who remained to enjoy it.
I may have stirred up trouble and manipulated the story to my liking, but ultimately, it was because I really liked that game series.
…Well, thinking about it now, did I really need to go that far? But anyway.
“Understood. That’s something we’ve been contemplating as well. We’ll try to ensure that the Korean version is developed alongside it from the very start.”
“Thank you.”
We bowed to each other as we exchanged goodbyes.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
The writer and cameraman from the broadcasting station who guided us to the company waved farewell to us.
“Just to check one last time, you already arranged your flight tickets and accommodation separately, right?”
“Yes. We’ve checked it several times, so you can just go back without worrying.”
“Oh, by the way, we actually plan on staying another day or two. But… you will be heading out separately, right?”
Nodding our heads, the writer smiled.
“Yes, understood. When it’s time to edit, we’ll let you know the broadcast date. It shouldn’t take too long.”
“Okay, understood. Thank you.”
“Oh, we should be the ones thanking you.”
After saying goodbye to the folks from the broadcasting station as we walked away, Claire suddenly poked my side with her finger.
“How’s it going? Still feeling sore in the heart?”
At her words, I shot a glare at Claire, and Alice reacted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Claire laughed and covered her mouth as she answered.
“You know, the post my sister wrote on the internet back then.”
“Oh.”
Alice quickly understood what Claire was getting at and forced a smile.
“There was a post cursing that president guy.”
“…You wrote a post cursing someone you didn’t even know, in such a public place?”
Charlotte’s words stung more than Claire’s poke.
“…I didn’t know I would meet him like this.”
“Just because you didn’t know, does that mean it’s okay to write such a post?”
Charlotte frowned and looked at me, making me increasingly at a loss for words.
“Um…”
Mia seemed like she had a lot to say, but she didn’t seem to want to voice that thought.
True.
Mia must know well that I have that kind of personality.
Because she remembers the times when I turned back the clock.
“…”
No matter how I tried to counter, all that came to mind were ugly ways to respond, so I kept silent and walked on.
*
As we discussed whether we should grab something more to eat between lunch and dinner, we somehow ended up ordering some tendon.
I mean, if we were thinking of grabbing another meal between lunch and dinner, wouldn’t something lighter like a snack be better?
Well, the tendon was delicious though.
“But is this how you’re supposed to eat it?”
Alice asked quietly.
True that.
It came out as a rice bowl, so I thought we should just scoop it up with rice, but trying to eat it that way felt a bit odd.
Especially since I ordered the chicken tempura tendon, which wasn’t just boneless but had the wing tempura straight on skewers.
“Well… it should probably be eaten separately, I think.”
It was my first time eating in Japan, but I had at least tried it a few times in Korea out of curiosity.
There, they said to serve the tempura on a plate first and then mix the rice well to eat.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter how you eat it?”
Charlotte, who usually paid the most attention to these things, said with a smile.
“After all, in the eyes of these people, we’re ‘foreigners.’”
That’s true.
“True enough.”
Claire added with a laugh.
But Claire herself didn’t seem to care much about such things, so she probably didn’t need to agree with that.
“When eating galbitang or gamjatang, we usually eat the meat off the bone with rice first, right?”
“That’s a very valid point, Mia.”
When I responded like that to Mia, she blushed slightly.
“Maybe there’s no specific way to eat this. Now that I think about it, this isn’t exactly a high-class restaurant.”
Hearing Mia’s words, Alice nodded in agreement.
“Right. We’re on a trip, so we should just enjoy it our way. Isn’t it fine as long as we don’t bother others?”
Claire dipped a shrimp tempura into the soy sauce and said.
“Speaking of which, where should we go next?”
“Let’s walk around the downtown area. Maybe Ginza.”
There must be a place in Japan like Myeongdong in Korea, where tourists gather like crazy, making locals tilt their heads in disbelief if you ask if that place represents their country.
But there’s a reason foreigners gather in places where tourists usually go.
“Starting from a broad area and then going into narrower spots sounds good too. Some people say it’s fun to look for places featured in movies while in Japan, you know.”
“Oh really? Then maybe we could catch a movie at night? There was a theater near the hotel, right?”
Seeing Claire immediately wanting to put my suggestion into action made us all smile.
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