6 It seems the common route has started
After school, I headed straight for the development room in Akihabara.
I hadn't been coming here every day before, but from today on, I'd probably have perfect attendance.
Still in my uniform after school, I navigated the crowded sidewalks in front of Akihabara Station before slipping into a deserted back alley and arriving at the rundown Ota Building.
I climbed the narrow, steep stairs, opened the door, crossed the floor, and pulled back the curtain.
"Huh?"
"Good work today."
The blonde girl standing in front of the desk—Noëlle Lambert—gave a polite little bow.
She was still in her uniform, holding a cleaning cloth in her hand.
"Sorry, I was just cleaning the desk you're letting me use," Noëlle explained.
"I don't mind that at all, but..." I trailed off.
Yesterday, I had told Noëlle she could use the desk where I'd been piling up spare equipment and reference materials.
To think she's already started cleaning it...
"You got here pretty quick. I came straight to Akiba after school, save for getting caught up with Ayari for a bit."
"I-It's not like I rushed over because I wanted to start working right away or anything."
Is she a tsundere?
Regardless, Noëlle seemed incredibly motivated.
She's already proving her passion through her actions.
"And to think you were so cool and collected at school today..." I muttered.
Just like always, she had been fiddling with her phone in the corner of the classroom. Simply sweeping her hair back was enough to make not only the boys but the girls swoon over her beauty.
It seemed I wouldn't be seeing that aloof, princess-like Noëlle in this development room.
"No, wait... My vision for the new game is closer to the Noëlle I see in class."
"W-What do you mean?" she asked.
"Noëlle, I need you to act like that slightly standoffish, cold-shoulder Noëlle from class while we're here, too."
"Is that what you thought of me? That I was being standoffish?"
"Ah, no, it was just a figure of speech," I stammered.
"......"
Noëlle shot me a sharp glare.
Calling her standoffish was definitely the wrong way to phrase it.
"You're loved by the whole class, Noëlle. Everyone would probably obey your every command if you just said the word."
"Aren't they just afraid of me?"
"...Putting that aside."
I wanted to say that it was because she was just too stunningly beautiful, but I probably wouldn't be able to convey it properly.
Introverts like me don't come equipped with the function to compliment girls, after all.
"Putting that aside? Akiba-san, are you really fine with me just sitting next to you, silently sulking while I work?"
"...I guess not," I replied.
A beautiful blonde girl endlessly clacking away at her keyboard in total silence right next to me...
I'd probably feel an immense amount of pressure.
I'd probably tremble in fear and mess up my line art.
"It isn't as if I'm bad at communicating, either," Noëlle said softly. "It's just... at school, I thought it might be bad if my true nature was exposed, so I try to keep quiet."
"Well, if you started passionately talking about eroge in class, the guys who worship you like a goddess might be pretty put off."
"A-A goddess?"
That's the part she reacts to?
"You have to be at least somewhat aware of how popular you are, right?" I asked.
"...I suppose. I always figured part of it was just me standing out as a foreigner, though."
"......"
I wouldn't say that isn't a factor, but she simply has an incredible face, a great figure, and a very unique aura about her.
"Well anyway, yeah, I guess you can't talk about eroge in class."
"I know how to read the room, at least. It's just... when we talk about eroge here, I might get a little too serious about it..."
"I get it. Do whatever you like," I told her.
It would definitely be impossible for her to work on a scenario while forcing herself to stay in character.
Besides, a passionate, talkative Noëlle isn't so bad either.
"In that case, I look forward to working with you starting today," she said, bowing again.
"Yeah, same here."
She didn't need to be so formal about it, though.
"Just to confirm, I'll be working as a scenario apprentice, right?"
"Sorry, but that's how it's gonna be for now."
After reading her short scenario, I felt it was something I could be satisfied with.
However, a full-length scenario was a completely different beast.
Furthermore, even if it was a doujin game, it was still a commercial product. I needed her to write at a level that people would actually pay for.
If she couldn't do that... I'd hate to do it, but stepping down from the project would be a real possibility.
"Since it's a doujin game, your pay will come from our sales after release."
"Understood."
"So I can't pay you anything until then."
"Understood."
"And you might have to do some chores aside from just writing the scenario."
"Understood."
"...And since you're the model for an eroge, I might have to ask you to take your clothes off."
"Yes," Noëlle replied blankly.
"Don't just give me a 'yes'!" I retorted.
"Yes?" she tilted her head in confusion.
Has this French princess forgotten all her other Japanese words?
"Those are pretty—no, incredibly selfish conditions, you know," I explained, exasperated. "Stripping aside, even the rest of it. I'm essentially telling you to work for free and take on unreasonable tasks."
"Isn't that just how doujin works?" she asked evenly.
"W-Well... I can't exactly deny that," I stammered.
Indie games, doujin games... Regardless of what you call them, the essence is that they're games made as a hobby.
You could even say that doing it without seeking profit is its true form.
That being said, games cost a lot to develop, so making one while completely ignoring profitability just isn't realistic.
"We do have the five million yen prize money from the Bronze Award as an advance payment—" I started to say.
"That won't be necessary," Noëlle cut in flatly. "As students, our lack of living expenses is our biggest advantage, right?"
"...It really helps that you see it that way," I sighed in relief.
What an incredibly understanding girl...
And to think she always looks so sullen and difficult in class.
"For now, I'll put together a design document," I told her, changing the subject. "We wouldn't strictly need one for a standard doujin, but since we'll be outsourcing work, having one will make things much faster. But first, I need to draw a key visual... Noëlle, you're really willing to model for me?"
"Yes, I'll take off my clothes," she stated without a hint of hesitation.
"You don't need to strip!" I cried out in panic.
She's a little too understanding!
"But this is a key visual for an eroge, isn't it?" Noëlle asked innocently.
"More often than not, the characters aren't naked in eroge key visuals,"
"...Is that so?" she murmured, looking unconvinced.
"Just take a walk through Akihabara," I suggested with a sigh. "Even promotional visuals for adult works usually have the characters fully clothed. If it's for advertising, the places you can display overly revealing art are pretty limited."
I kept it to myself that explicitly naked visuals weren't exactly rare for doujin games.
The truth was, art with clothes on was undeniably more versatile.
"I'll draft up a uniform design and redraw it later, so you can stay in the clothes you're wearing," I assured her.
"I actually brought my jacket," Noëlle offered smoothly. "Wouldn't the winter uniform look more picturesque than the summer one?"
"Oh, seriously? You might be right about that," I agreed, pleasantly surprised.
For some reason, Noëlle had placed a large paper bag next to the desk alongside her school bag.
I wondered what it was, but it seemed she had brought her winter uniform jacket inside it.
"Our school's winter uniform is quite flashy," she noted humbly. "It might not suit me, though..."
"No, no, it'll suit you perfectly," I praised without thinking. "I'd go so far as to say it was practically designed for you."
What Noëlle pulled out of the paper bag was a bright red blazer.
While many schools in the city had fashionable uniforms, ours was apparently designed by an alumnus who went on to become a famous designer.
The winter skirt was just as flashy, making this uniform a genuinely great reference for an eroge.
It was getting quite hot out, but since she wouldn't be wearing it outside, she could manage if I just turned down the air conditioner.
"Alright, try putting that on. I'll wait outside the building," I offered awkwardly.
"Outside the curtain is fine," she replied coolly. "I'll change quickly."
"O-Okay," I mumbled.
I nodded, pulling open the development room's curtain and stepping out into the staff break area.
I could faintly hear the rustling of clothes... which was somehow incredibly erotic.
"Go ahead."
"That was fast," I remarked.
At her call from the other side of the curtain, I stepped back into the development room.
She had finished changing into the red blazer—the vibrant crimson jacket was a perfect match for her long blonde hair.
"This is great..." I breathed in admiration. "I didn't notice it as much back when we were wearing winter uniforms, but you really wear it well."
"Do you think so?" Noëlle asked modestly. "I merely put it on, though..."
Noëlle did a little twirl on the spot.
Somehow, even that simple movement looked incredibly picture-perfect.
"I actually have some experience modeling from when I lived in France," she revealed.
"N-Nude" I shrieked.
"Of course not! Why would I strip!?" she snapped back indignantly.
Hey now, weren't you just about to strip a minute ago?
"It wasn't like that," Noëlle huffed, calming down. "My best friend—a girl, mind you—was studying art, and I acted as a model for her paintings a few times. It was embarrassing, though..."
"I see. It's a huge help if you have experience," I smiled. "I'd expect nothing less from Paris, the city of art."
"Yes, Paris," she confirmed softly. "Though I don't know the first thing about paintings."
"I always thought of France as the heart of the art world," I admitted. "I'd love to visit the Louvre before I die."
"I haven't even been to the Louvre myself," Noëlle replied matter-of-factly.
"Huh, why not?" I blinked in surprise.
"Because my interests lie elsewhere," she answered simply.
"The Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe?" I guessed.
"You really only know the tourist spots, don't you," she sighed exasperatedly.
"Also, there's a famous game developer in France—Wait, we don't have time to be chatting," I muttered, shaking my head. "Noëlle, could you try sitting on that sofa?"
"Yes," she nodded obediently.
Noëlle sat down lightly on the leather sofa, and—
For some reason, she faced me and pulled both her knees up.
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, I got a clear view of her thighs and the hidden just beyond them.
"Why would you do a pose like that" I cried out, my face burning.
"Isn't this a common trope in eroge?" she asked, tilting her head innocently.
"I-It is, but still!" I stammered frantically.
Sitting with both knees drawn up to flash her panties—regardless of the genre, it was a tired trope for a mildly erotic pose.
"But you know, you're showing off your panties way too casually. I want a bit more modesty. Aren't you embarrassed to show them?"
"...I am embarrassed. If a gentleman were to see my underwear, I would send him to the guillotine," Noëlle replied.
"That's a very French method of execution," I retorted.
Knowing the bloody history behind that, I really can't laugh at that joke, Noëlle-san.
"I am a model, so I will strike any pose... but even I get shy when stared at so intensely," she admitted.
Noëlle blushed and looked down, using one hand to try to cover her panties.
She couldn't completely hide them with just one hand, and catching glimpses of the white cloth was—erotic.
"That's also a cliché, but it's erotic... It just might work," I muttered.
"Could you please stop calling me erotic?" she asked.
"I told you, I'm bad at drawing erotic art. I've barely ever drawn it to begin with."
"...I didn't ask yesterday, but why are you so bad at it? Shouldn't someone your age want to draw naughty pictures, Akiba-san?"
"My age has nothing to do with it. Even my gender is irrelevant," I argued.
As far as I knew, it wasn't rare for women to want to draw erotic pictures of girls, either.
"Let's just leave it at me simply being bad at it. However, I might... be able to draw if I have a model. If I have a model who looks naturally erotic, that is."
"Am I really that erotic?" Noëlle asked.
"You are. You're completely different from how you are in the classroom. You're insanely erotic," I stated frankly.
"Please don't say it so bluntly."
She glared at me with cold eyes.
In the classroom, she put up what Ayari called an "ice shield," but Noëlle in the Development Room was different again.
While maintaining a cool demeanor, she also somehow exuded a bewitching aura.
Was it because she was here as a model for an eroge?
"You have no restraint. You're also completely different from when you're in the classroom, Akiba-san..." she observed.
"Ah, I'd like you to change that,"
"Huh? Change what?"
"You don't have to call me Akiba. I'm calling you Noëlle, after all."
"Then... Masato-san."
"...That works for me."
I thought she might drop the honorifics entirely, but I get a -san, huh.
It felt like a fitting way for someone as elegant as Noëlle to address me, so I guessed that was fine.
"First off, this won't work out unless I can actually draw you as my model. And it needs to be erotic."
"Yes, I will do anything. Please, do as you please with my body," she offered earnestly.
"Stop saying things like that."
"Huh?"
"No, just don't worry about it. Boys are creatures driven by their delusions..."
"Huh...?"
Noëlle seemed perplexed, but it was difficult to explain any further.
Even though I knew she didn't mean it like that, hearing a beautiful girl like Noëlle say she'd "do anything" was enough to make my heart skip a beat and then some.
If I wasn't careful, my heart might actually stop.
But if she didn't make my heart pound at least that much, I wouldn't be able to draw erotic art anyway.
Noëlle is—mysteriously erotic.
For example, if Ayari or Yui had flashed their panties, I absolutely would have averted my eyes immediately.
However, I couldn't tear my eyes away from Noëlle's.
Despite retaining a childlike appearance, Noëlle exuded a sensuality that was hard to believe for a first-year high school girl.
It was as if she were truly born to be a model for an eroge.
Come to think of it, I'm going to be alone with this beautiful French girl in this cramped Development Room...
"I wonder how long it'll take me to draw," I mused. "I'd like to have the design finished in two or three days, though."
If I spent days on end using Noëlle as a model to draw, my rationality might very well crumble.
I wanted to finish the design quickly so Noëlle could start working on the scenario, too.
"That reminds me, Masato-san," she suddenly spoke up.
"Yeah?"
"Over the course of this summer—it's June now, so I want to finish the game by the end of August."
"...You want me to make an entire game in three months?" I asked incredulously.
As if making an eroge alone with a beautiful French girl wasn't an absurd enough mission as it was.
By my estimate, it would easily take double that time...
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