[592] Simple, Monotonous, and Boring

Chapter 592: Simple, Monotonous, and Boring

The third year of high school was rather uneventful.

After advancing to the third year, there weren't many new courses. Most of the time was spent on elective classes, leaving the days feeling quite free.

Moreover, for Hachiman, exams were never something to worry about. This meant he didn't need to attend cram schools or anything similar.

As a result, Hachiman's third-year life was remarkably simple, monotonous, and boring.

However, Hachiman didn't just idle around. Since it was already his final year, he decided to help the girls improve their [Study] modules, so they could all get into their dream universities.

There was no need to worry about Yukino, and Yui already had her [Study] module unlocked. Thus, Hachiman's primary focus shifted to Kotonoha and Yumiko.

After all, he had already deepened his relationship with both of them, making it easier to work on their modules.

Kotonoha was easier to deal with. She rarely refused Hachiman's requests, and although the process made her blush in embarrassment, she still took a significant number of [Enhancement Potions] at his urging. It didn't take long before she successfully unlocked her [Study] module.

Yumiko, on the other hand, was not as cooperative. When she first heard about what she had to do, her face turned crimson, and she immediately bit Hachiman in frustration.

However, after Hachiman's "sincere" explanation, Yumiko reluctantly agreed to give it a try, albeit with lingering doubts.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to bad luck, Yumiko didn't unlock her [Study] module for several consecutive days, instead unlocking other abilities. Still, the new knowledge appearing in her mind made her start to believe Hachiman's claims.

Not wanting to give up halfway, the two continued working on it, to the point where Yumiko's hiccups carried a faint, peculiar taste during that period.

Persistence paid off. After half a month, Yumiko finally unlocked her [Study] module. However, the side effect was that she developed an aversion to anything white and liquid, feeling nauseous at just the sight of it.

Once the modules were unlocked, leveling them up was a simple task. Through proficiency transfer, Hachiman successfully raised the [Study] modules of Yui, Yumiko, and Kotonoha to Level 4, ensuring that their college entrance exams would be no problem.

Apart from the trio, Hachiman didn't intervene much with Hina and Saki. After all, his relationship with the two hadn't reached that level of closeness yet.

However, judging by their usual academic performance, the college entrance exams wouldn't be an issue for them either. Unlike Yui, Yumiko, and Kotonoha, both Ebina and Kawasaki consistently ranked among the top in their class.

Moreover, it wasn't just the girls Hachiman cared about—he also paid attention to the grades of Zaimokuza and Saika. As two of his few male friends, Hachiman believed they deserved equal support.

Although he couldn't use the [Study Enhancement Potions] on them, Hachiman frequently organized study sessions to help them with tutoring. Thanks to his efforts, both of them showed significant improvement in their grades.

Come to think of it, the top spots on the class leaderboard were all closely tied to Hachiman.

As expected, Hachiman himself was firmly in first place—unwavering like a rock. Yukino took second place, but the third spot went to Hayama.

Following that, Ebina ranked fourth, while Kawasaki claimed fifth place. The sixth to eighth spots were occupied by the [Study] module holders: Kotonoha, Yumiko, and Yui.

Saika ranked 13th, and Zaimokuza wasn't doing too bad either, placing 18th.

...

In the blink of an eye, more than half a year had passed, and as the college entrance exams approached, everyone entered the final stretch of preparation.

Though academics weren't a concern, Hachiman remained busy during this period.

The Fate series of novels had already been published and received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Since it shared the same worldview as Kara no Kyoukai, readers found it easy to accept, and the concept of historical figures becoming Heroic Spirits to participate in the Holy Grail War was a refreshing twist that captivated their interest.

Thanks to the renewed success of his new book, Hachiman's editor, Sonoko Machida, also benefited greatly, successfully being promoted to the position of chief editor.

Beyond novels, Hachiman was also preparing in the gaming domain.

When he took over the game company, he had promised the staff of Eagle Jump that they would continue developing Fairy Stories III. True to his word, Hachiman ensured the game's completion. In fact, when Sugita Kenjirou's 50 million yen wasn't enough, he even invested some of his own funds.

Unfortunately, despite the team's passion and hard work, Fairy Stories III received only a lukewarm response. While it performed better than the second installment, it still didn't reach the popularity of a blockbuster hit.

Even so, the staff of Eagle Jump found closure in completing their long-held dream and threw themselves wholeheartedly into developing FGO.

With Hachiman providing an excellent script and foundational character designs, the game's development progressed smoothly.

At this rate, the first three chapters were expected to be completed within half a year.

Seeing this progress, Hachiman decided it was time to start publishing the FGO novel series to pave the way for the game's release.

With the conclusion of Kara no Kyoukai, this new series would perfectly fill the gap.

It's worth mentioning that Hachiman initially planned to recruit Saori Izumi to his company. Unfortunately, due to her existing contract with Kadokawa, he wasn't successful.

Still, he didn't give up and extended an olive branch to her again, expressing that his company would always welcome her once her contract expired. Saori also didn't outright refuse, leaving the door open for the future.

While searching for an illustrator, a familiar name caught Hachiman's eye: Eri Kashiwagi.

Yes, it was none other than Eriri's pen name. After meeting her in person, Hachiman confirmed that it was indeed the Eriri he knew—there was no mistaking her trademark blonde twin-tails and tsundere attitude.

The vibe was just too spot-on.

Unlike Utaha, who had moved on to other endeavors, Eriri remained a student at Toyogasaki Private School, just like in the original story.

Even though he had successfully brought this golden-haired "loser dog" into the fold, Hachiman felt no particular interest in her—at least not for now.

Their meeting revolved solely around work discussions.

After reviewing Eriri's concept art, Hachiman decided to hire her. Her provocative and striking art style suited certain card designs perfectly.

Cough cough…

The addition of another beautiful girl to the game development team delighted Shizuku Hazuki, the project director.

Given that the entire team consisted of women, bringing in a male member would have felt out of place. Even the previously vacant position for mobile platform development was filled by another woman.

With the illustrator finalized and the team complete, the development of FGO officially kicked off.

Just as everything seemed to be progressing according to Hachiman's plan, Yukino suddenly approached him.

"Hachiman, my mother wants to meet you."