Volume 2

* Japanese
* English

This is the second volume of the New Game! manga.

* #14 - Working Through the Weekend
* #15 - It's Umiko
* #16 - Health Check-up
* #17 - Summer Break?
* #18 - Pudding
* #19 - Gift
* #20 - Tokyo Game Exhibition
* #21 - Fight
* #22 - Last Day
* #23 - Strategy Guide
* #24 - Recon!
* #25 - Step Up

## Synopsis

*Aoba Suzukaze may look like a middle schooler, but she's actually a character designer fresh out of high school. Not only is she working for the company that put out one of her favorite games, she also gets to spend her days modeling and creating characters. Follow her adorable shenanigans in this 4-panel slice of life as she learns the ropes of the industry and gets to know her co-workers.*
## Plot

### Chapter 13

Hajime is seen cycling to work and comments on the heat. Aoba greets her with a frozen drink to her cheeks. She asks if Hajime lives nearby, seeing her cycle to work. She replies that she lives five stations away, believing it is necessary to exercise as they sit around all day. Seeing Hajime's body, Aoba notes her body is a bit pudgy. Hajime recommends she leaves one stop early to travel to work. Aoba then asks for a bike recommendation; Hajime suggests she walks instead.

Entering the office, they note how cool it is inside. Yun greets them, and Aoba notices her long sleeves. In truth, Yun has gained weight and conceals her pudgy arms with long sleevs. While she worries about it, Hajime and Aoba continue their conversation about weight loss. Hearing this, Yun asks if they are thinking about a diet. Aoba replies, thinking she may need to lose weight. She then asks if Yun is the type of person who secretly diets all the time; Yun rebuts this claim.

While they continue their work, Hajime becomes more uncomfortable with cold, and tries to increase the temperature on the thermostat. Thinking nobody will notice, she turns it up by 4 degrees. Meanwhile, Kou feels the heat and turns the temperature down by six degrees. Hajime observes the lower temperature and turns up the thermostat by eight degrees. Yun also feels the heat, but endures it as she thinks it will help her sweat, thereby losing weight. Kou notices the temperature has risen again, and turn it down eight degrees. She hides in a corner to catch the person responsible for raising the temperature.

Kou then spots Yun, who increased the temperature by eight degrees. She and asks if she was the one raising the temperature all this time. Hajime pops out and claims responsibility for the temperature. She and Kou argue about messing with the thermostat, but stop when Rin intervenes. She wants the three to compromise, lest they are banned from touching the thermostat. Seeing her actions, Aoba plans to act like Rin.

### Chapter 14

Aoba arrives at the office and notices nobody has arrived yet. She checks Kou's seat, which was also empty. She takes a seat and pretends to be a character designer, and is discovered by Hifumi, who encourages her to do her best. Aoba notes how messy Kou's desk is, and takes a peek at her drawings. She remarks that she made many revisions, although the difference is minor. Hifumi comments that Kou is often seen struggling. Aoba looks at Rin's desk and notes their contrast.

Aoba spots a picture of Rin and Kou with a copy of the first Fairies Story, and sees that she looks different than usual. Hifumi revealed that she did not talk much in the past. She made an effort to talk to Hifumi a few months later, as they were sitting next to each other. Aoba remarks that Hifumi is also talking more than when she first joined. Hifumi claims she finds it easy to talk to her.

Soon, Rin arrives and they ask what Kou was like in the past. She mentions that Kou was quite frank and a hard worker, but lacks communication and had poor relationships with her coworkers at the time. Rin states that Kou cannot lead like that so she is working hard to improve, and is glad everyone is getting along well. Hifumi also wants to change, but dreads the thought of doing so. After a while, Kou arrives with a big bag, planning to spend more nights in the office. Aoba assumes she still does not like interacting with people and roots for her.

### Chapter 15

A programmer approaches Aoba and mentions about the errors the latter's NPCs were producing. She asks Aoba if somebody warned her about the errors; the latter said none, including Kou, making the programmer curse the latter. She explains how multiple small errors can lead to massive errors, but sees that Aoba slumped. She tries to act nice and states that it is not a problem if she fixes it soon, and gives Aoba a list of all the errors.

Aoba asks for the programmers name, who replies Umiko. She asks for her surname, and Kou comes in calling Umiko by her surname, Ahagon, making the latter produce a gun and shoot Kou. Umiko tells Kou to stop calling her by surname, which the latter dismiss stating that it suits her. Umiko refutes and shoots more rounds at Kou. Thinking of her odd name, Umiko explains that she is from Okinawa, but asks that Aoba refers to her as Umiko. She asks Kou to teach her newbies properly, and leaves. Kou tells Aoba to not feel bad, as Umiko is a good person and probably thinks that she went overboard.

Umiko thinks that she went overboard and thinks of an apology gift. Umiko comes back to Aoba's booth, thanking the latter for immediately fixing the errors and apologizing for being strict. Umiko gives her a treasured shotgun shell to Aoba. Umiko discuss about the value of the shotgun shell before giving it to Aoba while stating she got carried away. Aoba thanks Umiko and asks if she is into military. Umiko invites Aoba to a game of airsoft before talking about FPS games. While Umiko enters her own world, Aoba hopes she will leave soon.

### Chapter 16

The character team is seen at the hospital for a company sponsored checkup. Aoba is excited to receive a fluoroscopy, but Yun states that they cannot do fluoroscopy if they're under 30, which disappoints Aoba. While changing, Aoba and Yun talk about their undergarments, while Hajime is uncomfortable with such conversations. She remarks that the robes are quite thin, and states that Yun and Aoba are very lucky.

At the waiting room, they see Rin and a visibly weakened Kou, who warns her of the nurse. An elderly nurse calls for Hifumi to take her blood pressure. Hifumi, who is understandably nervous, is calmed down by the nurse. A younger but more tense nurse calls for Aoba for her checkup. Seeing her highly strung behavior, she tells the nurse to take a few deep breaths to calm down. The nurse remarks that her previous patient, Kou, passed out when taking her blood sample due to her thin vessels, and had to stick her numerous times. She states that Aoba will be fine as her blood vessels are well defined.

Seeing the two nurses compared, Hajime and Yun pray that the older nurse will call them, but are distraught when the said nurse leaves. Later, the team will have their waist measured. Not wanting to appear fat, Yun holds her breath during her measurement in hopes that her waist will appear thinner. Satisfied, she heads out but stops when the nurse remarks Hajime's slender waist. Aoba inspects Hajime, followed by Yun, who is visibly jealous.

Back at the waiting room, Rin watches a romance film. A scene shows a couple with the man lying on the girl's lap. She was about to remark this to Kou, but sees that she is asleep. After the checkup, the Kou suggests that the team eat somewhere before going home. Umiko taps Aoba's shoulder and pokes her cheeks, saying that she is wide open. Afterwards, a scene is shown with Umiko and the younger nurse. Seeing her nervous behavior, Umiko decides to take her blood sample on her own and takes the needle.

### Chapter 17

Nene's exams have finished, and she calls Aoba to celebrate the summer vacation. Unfortunately, Aoba does not have a summer vacation. She states that they are in the final stages of development and are very busy, but they will receive a vacation once the game is finished. She asks Nene to buy the game once it releases, and hangs up as her lunch break ends. Nene wonders if Aoba will be alright.

At Eagle Jump, Umiko introduces herself to the part-time workers, but notices that a person is missing. She plans to fire her until Nene, the late person, shows up. Umiko says she will overlook it this time, but warns her to be more careful. As Umiko shows the part-timers around Eagle Jump, she questions Nene's abnormal behavior. Nene decides to take a bathroom break, but is spotted by Hajime.

Meanwhile at the character team, Kou scrutinizes Aoba's work. Aoba spots Nene walking around, and hides. She asks if the company has enlisted new employees. Kou and Rin state that debuggers are starting today, with Umiko in charge. After concluding that Nene plans to surprise her, she speaks loudly so Nene can hear her. Nene finds Aoba, and assumes that she has not noticed yet. She tries to approach her, but is captured by Umiko, who believes she is a corporate spy from another company. Nene calls Aoba for help, and they explain what happened.

After hearing the full story, Aoba and Nene apologize. Kou remarks that nobody would spy on them, but Umiko states she originally joined Eagle Jump as a spy, though she states that she was joking. Relieved that she will not be fired, Nene continues her job debugging, but is annoyed by the game's constant freezing. Aoba states that it is her job to report that, and invites her for lunch with her coworkers.

### Chapter 18

Nene discovers a bug where Sophia, a character Aoba made, survives, and shows it to her. Aoba shows her findings to Rin, who asks that Nene should report this. She states Aoba and Nene are still working, so they should maintain a working environment. Umiko arrives and informs Rin that the director is looking for her. Kou also arrives with a problem: her pudding is missing. Rin and Umiko leave to meet the director.

Kou states that the beta version is due tomorrow, hence why Rin appears to be busy. She also notes that the game will not be sold if it is not approved, and advises Aoba to work hard on her late work. As the two leave, Nene remembers that she ate a pudding earlier. Examining the package, she finds out that she accidentally ate Kou's pudding. Meanwhile, Kou has little progress finding out the fate of her pudding. Rin decides to take a drastic action and sends an email to everyone regarding the pudding.

Aoba approaches Kou and asks if the pudding was important. Kou denies this, and remarks that Rin made the pudding situation a big deal. Nene only overhears the 'big deal' part and assumes she is in trouble. She envisions that Aoba may get into trouble as well, when Rin shows up. Not knowing what to do, Nene flees from the booth.

The next day, Rin and Kou look heavy-eyed after spending the entire night fixing an undiscovered bug, but notes that the game will probably pass inspection. Aoba gives Kou a pudding to thank her for covering some of her overdue work. She asks if they ever caught the pudding thief; they have not, but Kou does not care. Rin discovers a pudding with an apology note in the fridge, and shows it to Kou. Since she already has Aoba's pudding, Kou gives the new pudding to Rin as thanks. Aoba believes the culprit should apologize in person; Rin states that they already did. She advises Aoba and Nene not to be too hard on the culprit.

### Chapter 19

Aoba heads to work on the weekend when she spots a family enjoying themselves. She feels conflicted until Kou appears and shields her eyes. They then hear a saleswoman selling donuts, and decide to buy a few boxes for the staff. Arriving at the office, they greet Hifumi and discover that she also bought some donuts. Kou suggests that they give a box to the programmers and planners. Aoba asks why part-timers are not allowed to work on weekends. Kou explains that they could earn more if they work through the weekends and overtime. Aoba comes up with her theories on salaries.

Aoba decides to tease Nene by sending a few pictures of the donuts to her. Kou heads to the planning team to give them a box of donuts, while Aoba will send one to Umiko's team. Aoba looks at her phone again an laughs, telling Hifumi that Nene is whining in reaction to the picture of the donuts. She wonders why she finds it funny, and Aoba says she finds it funny. This worries Hifumi, and she asks Aoba if she is the kind of person who likes to tease people close to her, Aoba is rather confused and says she does not do this, and it is just something unique to Nene.

Hifumi starts to have seconds thoughts about getting close with Aoba, thinking that she will start to be mean to her for enjoyment, imagining a devilish version of Aoba picking on her for being anxious. She snaps out of this when Aoba says that she will take the donuts to the neighbouring team, Hifumi suggests they go together, which she happily agrees to.

Arriving at the programming booth, they are briefly shocked to find most of the team except Umiko, passed out from exhaustion. Umiko welcomes them, saying that is a bad time to come given the state of the booth. Aoba comments that everyone seems worn out, whereas Hifumi stares at the sleeping team. Umiko is not bothered by this, saying that it is fun, like a battlefield to her, which gets a nervous laugh from Aoba, due to experiencing her passion for shooting.

She explains that there have been more bugs than expected, so they have to work hard to fix them, this is thanks to Nene's detailed reports, which surprised Aoba, The planning team have been praising her too due to spotting issues only long-time fans would be able to find, which has been massively beneficial. However, she is still not happy with her behaviour. Aoba says that they have donuts for her from herself, Hifumi and Kou. Umiko thanks her, saying that she will share them with the others later.

In return, she gifts Hifumi an empty 40mm grenade canister, which can also be used a pen stand. Hifumi is warm towards the gift, smiling and saying that she will treasure it. Umiko finds the smile cute, and asks if she wants to come play airsoft. Aoba quickly takes her out of the booth, making an excuse that they have work to do, not wanting Hifumi to go through the same thing. She thanks Aoba, thinking that she is a good person after all. But Aoba then says she looked cute when she was troubled, so maybe they should have stayed longer. Hifumi seemed scared, but Aoba says she is just kidding, though Hifumi does not feel like it was one at all.

They return to the booth, to find the rest of the booth with even more donuts. Hajime suggest sharing with the other groups, and Hifumi decides to herself that she will not go, though she is too embarrassed to tell due to Aoba's clueless face.

### Chapter 20

Aoba and Kou are talking about the coming Tokyo Game Exhibition. Kou says that Thursday and Friday are business days meaning only people who are a part of the industry can come, and today will be the day they announce *Fairies Story 3* to the media.

She gives Aoba a ticket to go, along with a business card. Aoba is rather happy, asking if she has finally been recognised as a member of Eaglejump. Kou says she just did not get them printed until necessary.

Hajime suggests they try changing cards, but she quickly realises she has no idea how to do this. Improvising, she introduces herself and embarrassedly hands over her card. Aoba puts her own down on the table and takes Hajime's with two hands, noting it would be rude to take the card with one hand. Yun also does not know how to exchange cards, and Kou offers to teach them all how.

To do this, they just have to hold out their card with two hands introduce themselves and the company their with. After a short practice with Aoba, she tells the three of them to head out. She is not able to go due to the final deadline. Hifumi is also on her way there. As they leave, Nene and Sakura see them. It seems that Nene is moving to Umiko's desk so she can properly keep and eye on her. Nene says she wants to go, but Umiko shuts down this idea as the company does not have tickets for part-timers, and she drags away the frustrated girl.

At the Tokyo Game Exhibition, the three explore the crowds. Yun says that there are way more people than she expected, even after already coming once. Aoba realises that is why they have business cards. Hajime recognises all the consoles, and loudly points them out, to the annoyance of Yun.

Meanwhile, Hifumi is at the festival, cosplaying a soldier character, and is surrounded by a small crowd of girls. Turning around to strike another cool pose, she spots Aoba and Yun behind a photographer. She turns away quickly, not wanting them to discover her, which charms the same photographer.

Back with the other, they finally reach the exhibit for their game. They are all impressed, seeing their own work on the big screen above, but feel a bit embarrassed too due to it being shown to show many people at once. Aoba looks to her friends, thinking that this is why Kou told them to go, but she still sees her friends still looking up with tense expressions. She realises that coming here is first for Yun and Hajime too, despite being with Eaglejump for over a year.

They finally return. Kou asks how it was, and without giving an answer, the three announce that they are getting back to work, with new motivation. Kou wonders where Hifmi is. She is revealed to be playing at a game booth, and the person managing says that she is really good at the game. Hifumi says that she is no treally, and it turns out that the booth is for *Fairies Story 3*.

### Chapter 21

It is the morning, and Aoba and Nene are travelling to work together via the train. Nene is concerned, noting that she always sleepy nowadays. But she claims she if fine. Aoba yawns, and Nene asks how long she slept last night. She says for only about four hours, as she drew after she got home and stayed up too late.
This concerns Nene even more, she thinks that Aoba will collapse. Aoba reassures her that she is fine, and she will make up for lost sleep on the days off. Nene still remains annoyed, thinking that something is wrong with her company since they are making her work so hard. Aoba is irked by her statement, saying that she would not understand since she has no goal in life, and picks on her for having it easy, with her being on summer break. Nene calls Aoba a jerk, upset with her words.

Later, Nene has explained this story to Umiko. Umiko is rather surprised at the fact that she can get angry. Nene says that she is mistaken, saying she does get angry, even if not often; for example, she was angry when she was bullied, and came to her defence. Umiko seems rather unbothered, saying that they will make up again by the end of the day. Nene rejects the possibility, denying wanting to make up. But bluntly, she tells her that if they do not make up by the time her job ends, they will drift apart, which causes her to start tearing up.

The lunch break comes, and Aoba was unable to get any work done due to being distracted. She asks what Hajime is doing for lunch, and she opts to stay and have lunch there. Yun stays too. She thinks of eating with Nene, but quickly shrugs the thought off, pretending to not care. She eats alone.

Kou approaches her, breaking Aoba out of her trance. She notes that she is by herself, and Aoba notices she is alone too, and Kou responds that Rin dumped her. However, Aoba does not realise that it was a joke until Kou embarrassedly points it out. Aoba explains the story to Kou, and Aoba thinks that she was mean since she was working so hard anyway. Kou relates to her experience too, telling her that her mother calls her often too about her health and work, Aoba thinks that she sounds nice, and Kou is thankful that she worries about her. But like Nene, she does not understand Kou.

Lunch break ends, and the two still have not made up. Nene feels regret over today's situation, since she had joined out of worry for her friend. She ultimately decides to talk to Aoba and fix their friendship. After asking at the character booth, Yun tells her that she has not come back from lunch. She looks at her desk, seeing all the characters that she made, Yun explains that they are all lined up together to check if the quality is consistent. Nene notes all of them being villagers, except for Sophia. Yun says that all the named characters have been taken care of already. But even so, Aoba has been working hard, and she will probably be able to get better jobs next time. Nene runs off to meet Aoba, but trips on a wire, hitting the floor.

Aoba picks her up, Nene apologies for insulting her for working so hard, and Aoba apologises got getting angry at her even though she was just worrying for her. Nene still does not like that she is overworking, and Aoba reassures her that she will watch her health. She is happy that Nene is worried about her, and so, they have made up.

Nene also says that she is looking forward to their upcoming game, and is rooting for her. She declared that when Aoba's dream of becoming a character designer comes true, she wants her Aoba's signature first. She is not sure if such a thing will happen, but she promises anyway, but Nene is absolutely convinced it will.

Umiko sees Nene happily humming as she debugs, concluding that they must have made up then. She guesses that her feelings must have got through to Aoba. Unaware, she is slowly pulling out the plug of Umiko's computer with her foot underneath the wire, and it unplugs, turning off her computer, losing her hard work. Umiko is seething, making Nene shout a loud stuttering apology, to the confusion of Aoba and the other character booth members.

### Chapter 22

Aoba has just completed fixing her 3D models that contained errors. Looking around she comments that things feel so quiet and normal despite tomorrow being the deadline. Kou says that it is all thanks to schedule management courtesy of Rin, which makes her blush. And in addition, it is not unusual for the graphic design to finish early. Rin laughs, saying that she feels that something could actually go wrong, but Kou thinks otherwise, telling her not to trigger things like that.

Meanwhile, in the programming booth, everyone looks completely drained from the hard work, and Nene feels the tension in the room. She consults Umiko, and Umiko predicts that is was because of another game-breaking bug, when Nene says that that was it, she suddenly bangs the table in frustration, to the frantic apologies of Nene. She says that the team will be able to fix it up, and tells her to report it to the project manager. Umiko then hands her a bill, saying that everyone will be staying behind, and they need energy drinks and snacks, and tells her to take Aoba with her.

At the drug store, Aoba sweat-drops at the heftiness of the programming booth, Nene says that everyone there looks like they are about kill someone. Aoba tells her that when you run an errand in work, you have to get a proper receipt, but she does not know if there is a different type, they assume that they are the same type, and say that it is fine since it serves as a record either way.

Looking through the shelves of energy drinks, one called *Demon Lord Kerorin* catches their eyes, but Aoba thinks that it a lot for something to buy, Nene thinks that they should get it however, because Umiko would not be able to work on cheap energy drinks. Aoba agrees, and says that they should get just one Demon Lord and then snacks and juice so they can have a sleep-over party, it turns out that Nene is also staying overnight since it is the last day for her job.

They return to the booth, and the two seem pleased that they got the right one for her. Umiko says that this is the only thing that would work on her, before turning on her words and asking if that was how they really thought it would go. Aoba says that she knew it was the wrong chance, despite going with Nene's logic. Umiko tells them to be quiet, and is quite annoyed that they did not get a legal receipt for their errand, even with Aoba with her. But she lets it off because it was her treat. Calling out Nene, she says she will try the drink, as she is quite curious about it. Opening the box, they find that there are instructions inside, and Umiko thinks it is a high class drink to have that inside. Aoba says she feels nervous, and Umiko wonders what the point was in getting worked up before drinking it.

Taking a sip, she quickly releases she has become a lot less sleepy, and asks if she wants to try it. Nene takes a sip, and coughs, saying it tastes like medicine. Aoba giggles, and calls her a child, and takes a drink too, and coughs even harder than Nene, she is even more childish than Nene, according to Umiko.
It is now 3AM in the morning, Aoba comments on how bright it is. Kou says that it seems extremely quiet, even though everyone is here, they are all probably worn out. She seems rather annoyed that she cannot strip due people staying the night lately, Aoba prefers it that way, however. She asks if Kou has finished all her work, and she says she has, she cannot do any more now.

They take the time to reminisce over how quickly half a year has went and how easily Aoba has fit in despite that time. Kou says that she is rather jealous of that, having taken a while to get used to company after she joined. Nene comes into the booth, saying that she does not feel tired at all even though it is early in the morning, and says that it is thanks to "the kerorin power!", Kou says that it is not that strong, and Aoba answers that they drank the Demon Lord.

Aoba asks if she needs something, and Nene says that she finished her job and they said she could head home once the trains start again. Kou says that Aoba will have to stay so that they can have a check of the final copy of the game before letting her go. Nene says that they will go home together then as today is the last day. Bowing down to Kou, she tells her to keep watching out for her friend, like a mother.

She says that she is relieved that everyone in her company is nice, and she will work hard in college too. Aoba says that they will both work hard, but then, her friend starts to tear up. Aoba comforts her, telling her that this is not the last time they will see each other.

### Chapter 23

Aoba's mother calls on her, telling her that she has another day of work. She wakes up, saying that her wo week vacation went extremely quickly she feels it was very short. Her mother says she has not seen her suit, and asks if she picked it up from the dry cleaners, and Aoba quickly realises she forgot to do that.
She works through her clothes to find out what the best thing to wear would be, her first was too flashy like Yun, the second was rather childish to her, and the third felt rather embarrassing, she is too used to the suit. So she ultimately asks her mother to pick out clothes for her.
Arriving at work, the she is a bit annoyed she got this worked up before coming in. Kou also does not recognise her, wondering who it was. She jokes that Aoba went a bit overboard with her appearance, and she embarrassedly tells her when left her usual suit at the cleaners. Aoba asks what she should do today, and Kou shows her a book.

It is the strategy guide for their previous game, and tells her to take not of the images of the 3D models for the monsters, she says to take screenshots of all of her 3D models. Everyone else is on vacation, so she has do it.

Kou also adds that the guides feature concept art, and she asks if she is fine with Sophia's initial art going in, as sometimes people will draw images imitating concept art or correct the old art. Aoba says that would make it more *"concept-ish"* than proper *"concept"* art, and says that hers should be put in as is, as she put a lot of work into them. She happily giggles at the thought of her work being printed in a book.

Rin then walks in, and notes how happy she is. But then she notices her different attire, asking if she is going to be having an interview. It turns out that a publisher is coming to interview them for articles to put in the strategy guide, and she had gotten the impression that Aoba would be having one too.
Since she is being interviewed, she made sure to dress nicer too, and Aoba likes it. Rin also says that she brought out clothes for Kou too. She is opposed to the idea though, even though Rin picked them out specifically for her, and asks her to act like a girl every once in a while. Aoba agrees, saying it is a lot of work picking out clothes.

They move to a different room, and Rin tells her to strip now that they are in a private room. Kou embarrassedly tells her to turn around as she does not want her staring, and Rin does so. But Kou quickly drops the façade, proceeding to sneak out the room, but when she opens the door, Aoba appears to be in front of it, Rin had told her to stand in from to the door so she would not go out. Aoba asks why she is so against changing clothes. Kou thinks that it is embarrassing to wear something that stylish, as she is not busty or sexy, so boyish clothes look better on her. Aoba thinks that is not true at all, Rin knows her so well, so whatever she picked would be sure to look nice on her. Kou gives in, deciding to trust Rin, but she says that she does not expect much.

Having changed into Rin's clothes, she says that they are pretty normal, with a blushing face. Aoba and Rin both think that she is very cute, which embarrasses her more. Rin tries to take as many pictures as she can. Aoba looks into the old strategy guide, and finds an old picture of Kou, with curlier hair this time, and comments that she did not recognise her at first from the start because of her appearance, saying that it felt like they were two different people.

It is time to take the photos now, and the photographer asks for a smile, Kou tries to give her best smile, though she barely feels comfortable in here, Rin is glad she brought clothes after all. The photographer then asks a picture of her acting like she is speaking, Kou does that too, and se things that its perfect and cute. She thinks her embarrassed fact is "super cute" too.

And so, the other employees at the character booth see her embarrassing photo, and Aoba says that her photo came out cute. Hajime says she did not know Kou had a side like this. Yun thinks that it is cute, and notes Kou has a certain shyness to her like this. Hifimu simply says *"...cute"*. To the annoyance of Kou, who feels like she will not be able to life this down.

### Chapter 24

**Fairies Story 3** has finally been released, and the character booth and their superiors are outside the shop to purchase a copy. Kou says that Hajime and and Hifumi came early so they should be here already, she looks around to fin out that the two are already in the middle of the line waiting. Aoba wonders why they are waiting since employees already get free copies of the game, and Kou answers that they want the extras for the game, since the non-leaders get the game only. That is wrong too, as Rin explains that not even they receive the same with extra content as the company want to cut costs. The thought convinces Aoba and her to get in the line after all, and the other two follow too.

Yun feels exasperated at having to wait in line for a game that they made, and Aoba says that she does not have to join the line, but Yun stays because she does not want to regret missing out later. She wonders what to with her free copy, since it will go to waste by having another one, Aoba suggests selling it, which sounds like a good idea to Yun, though Kou seems to feel differently about that.

Rin feels rather nostalgic standing in the line with Kou, remembering when they first lines up together for the first time, Kou recalls waiting with her in line because she could not get the bonus goods. Her friend seems rather surprised that she remembered at all. Looking to the other girls, she says that their lives have become a lot more lively than before, when it was just the two of them, Rin agrees with a smile.

The store finally opens, and a girl cosplaying as the heroine of FS3 announces that the game is now on sale. Kou asks if it is someone they know, and Rin thinks it is likely just someone from the store, she likes her cosplay. Yun notices that her design looks rather off if you look closer, Aoba does not really see the problem since it is a nice gesture regardless, the costumers seem to be enjoying it. She agrees with that, but the mistakes still bother her.

A voice then tells the cosplayer to pose in a certain way, and it turns out that it is Hajime taking photos of her. The cosplayer comments on her knowing so much about the game, and Hajime says that she is sort of involved with. Yun agrees with with this, they are all really happy, so it is just fine.

The group are finally much closer to getting a copy of their own, and Aoba smiles at how happy everyone is to be getting their game, Kou hopes that they will live up to their expectations. Thinking about that just gets Rin anxious, however. Being on the selling side does make you nervous, but Yun says that others look at their work in such a carefree way, it is quite strange.

They finally reach the front of the line, an Aoba gets her copy, the cashier says that she has also been looking forward to playing the same and she cannot wait to play it later. Aoba quickly thanks her for that, before realizing that nobody knows that she worked on the game, and rewords herself quickly, while Yun looks at her with an embarrassed look.

Aoba and Yun meet with Hifumi and Hajime outside, Hajime says if they were gonna buy it too, they should have gotten in the line together, Yun preferred not doing that because of Hajime telling everyone that she worked on the game, but she does not see the issue at all. Aoba sees that Hajime has two bags and she asks why, it turns out that second bag is for Nene, and just a bit later, Nene arrives, she had gotten extras from another store, and the two share their things.

The extra content in the different stores were drama CDs with different stories from the main three characters, Hajime did not want to miss out on getting any of them. Kou wonders why the bothered, since the original copy is in the main office, they think that she just has no dreams, the fact that it is limited edition is what gives it its value, they say in sync. Hajime asks why Kou went out to get the limited edition copy, and Kou hesitantly says she wanted one as a memento.

Aoba asks which character is on this stores drama CD, the one of this store is of the main hero Karen, which is likely why there is someone cosplaying her in the front of the store, she wonders which one she should get, as she likes the knight, but also likes Karen. Nene's favorite is the knight's friend, named Conner. Unbeknownst to her, she spoils the same out to the people around her, and they hear people whispering about Connor's involvement in the game.

Quickly, Kou says they should get out and it should be fine, but Rin freaks out, thinking that they might get into trouble with company for this. Hifumi worriedly shows Aoba her social media, seeing people already talking about what they heard about Connor, Rin and Kou are very shocked by this, thinking that Nene might have actually cased this to happen. Yun reassures them that it is just people who got the early copy who are saying that, Kou hurriedly agrees with that, and they get away as quickly as possible.

It all turned out fine though, but Aoba thinks their release day was ruined now.

### Chapter 25

Today is the day where the people behind *Fairies Story 3* have a wrap-up party to celebrate its completion. Aoba, who is with Yun ,noces that there are a logt of people gathered here who were involved with its development. Yun explains that tyhis is because the marketing department, external companies and anyone who was named in the credits were invited here. Nene was alkso here as a result, and since everyone involed is here, she and Hajime are going to take the chance to get an autograph of the voice actors.

Aiba spots Rin and Kou together, and it seems that it is Kou's turn to give a speech, as the character designer for the game. She introduces herself, but is rather unable to find her words due not being used to giving speeches, but with some support from Hajime, she tells everyone that the experiences that she has had the past seven years have been fun, and that she looks forward to working with everyone again.

Next, Hazuki gives a word, joking about how the past Kou would have never said thank you to people, and then thanks everyone for their work that has made the company take yet another step forward.

With the speeches out of the way, Nene and Hajime go to talkto the coive actors. Hifumi approaches Aoba, to ask if she can go with her to get an autograph too. Aoba asks in her place if she can get an autograph, and the voice actor agree. Timidly she explains that she is a big fan of her since *Moon Ranger*, and she says thanks, and does the *"Mega Particle Requiem Shoot!"* move, after a bit Aoba recognises that she saw it in the movie, whichl Hifumi is too stunned to talk. Nene says that Aoba was too slow to notice.

Nene says that she choudl get an autogrp[ah of o her, but aAonba says it is fine since there is one person who she wants to get an autograph from, but she keeps it a secret as to who that is. Kou finally approches her, saying that she has been looking for her, and takes her to meet the director, Hazuki. She introduces herself to her, saying that this is the first time they have spoken, and the first thing she does is look at her intently, before concluding that she definitly does have the same design as Sophia.

Hazuki says that she has been watching her from a distance, and she did not make Sophia similar to her on purpose, Aoba does not think much of it though, she could tell that she was an important character. She is glad to hear that from her, as Sophia has become rather popular, and wonders if that might have been the reason she gave her the job, Kou denies it however, saying it was just a coincidence.

Surprisingly, Kou will be the next art director, according to Hazuki's plans. Koy is shocked by this, and wants Rin to be kept there, but Hazuki says she plans to promote Rin as well the prodcuer role, as a co-producer, this is what she wants too - Kou has not heard about that either, she is rather pessimistic about this as she thinks the other wil not be able to keep up with her. Hazuki thinks otherse, but she wants Kou to think about it for moment.

Meanwhile, the party is running a prize raffle, and Nene happens to win. But to her dismay, she wins a an N16 Asual Rifle donated by Umiko, she did not expect her to win, but wants her to consider it a reward for her hard work at debugging. Nene is very unethusiastic since she cannot do anything with it, Umiko thinks that a BK47 would suit her better however. She does not know anything about militeary do she does not know if it is right for her to have, but Umiko simply suggests to look into the history of the production to get more interested, and she tells her she will lok into it before the next debug.

Unfortuntely, debugging will be done by an external company from now on so they will not be hiring any more playtesters, Nene wordlessly drops her gun, wondering if this will be their final goodbye since she has no aspirations. Umiko hands over her business card to Nene, telling her to get in touch if she needs something, this makes her cry.

The grand prize is about to announced, and aona looks to Kou, who is not with her, but walking away elsewhere. Hazuki asks her if she wonders why Kou is so against taking the AD position, Aoba does not know, so she explains. Previously, Kou had been the art director for *Fairies Story 2*, it had been a bitter experience for her, because she worked too hard and hence started to be strict to everyone around her, nobody aws able to keep up, there was even a new emplyee who quit the comany after half a year of being there, that had made her extremely depressed, in the end she stepped down, and declined the position for the third game. Aoba personally believed that she was still nice back then, because if she was really so intensive, the thought of someone leaving would not have affected her so much, Hazuki thinks that she may be right about that. She then asks her if she has osme busniess with her, and she remembers that she is not backk yet, Hazuki thinks she is probably outside taking a break, and tells her to go check up on Kou. She thinks that Kou has found some great subordinates.

Aoba finally finds Kou out, and she explains that she does not really like bein gin crowded places, and Aoba opts to taking a break as well, and stays despite Kou's insisting. She then asks if Kou can give her her autograph, she agrees and gives it to her, and Aoba says that one of her dreams has come true. Aoba says that she is greatful to her, for helping her to learn a lot about work etiquette, and always talking to her and watching over her, it made her very happy. She sees the Kou right now, as a boss she can respect, and supports her fully on becoming the new art director, saying she will stay with her.

The support of Aoba causes Kou to blush and start crying, she wonders if they will even be on the same team, but that is a lie, they will probably still be together, her words have given her some confidence, and thanks her. The two finally return to the party to meet their friends.

## Extras

### Extra 1

The show *Kirara Midnight Police!* is playing, and the antics of Aoba and co. are recorded. A drunk Kou is seen singing, before bumping her head into a utility pole, she apologises to it like a person. Aoba tries to stop her, saying that it is a utility pole and tells her she drank too much, Kou agrees.

Aoba asks if Rin is okay, and Rin drunkedly jokes that is was a good thing that Kou did not get into a traffic accident, like her name, and bursts into hysterical laughter. The two girls then sit together and a police woman comes out to ask if there is something wrong.

Nene then walks into frame, with the gun Umiko gave her, and asks what they are all doing, as everyone has left. The woman looks at her in shock, before the program cuts off.

### Extra 2 - Lunch Break 1

Aoba is at a store, and she decides what she should get for lunch today, she decides on riceballs, she looks through for riceballs with plum, but to no avail, and she does not want to have the tuna mayonaise either, so decided so search again from the beginning.

### Extra 3 - Lunch Break 2

She continues her search for the right riceball, she decides to start with mustard mentaiko riceballs, she stumbles upon some egg-fried rice riceball, but she finds that a bit disgusting, and decides to start from the beginning again.

## Trivia

* Sojiro makes no appearances in this volume.
* Unlike the previous volume, there is no synopsis for Volume Two. This continues for the the rest of the following volumes.
* The phrase "Nene became nervous" is a reference to Pokemon's structure of move use.

## Gallery

Front cover colors. Art by Shotaro Tokuno.Cover process, from *New Game! Art Book: Fairies Story*.Back coverFull cover