The summer Comiket arrived on a blazing weekend in Chiba.
Yukima Azuma, Kasumigaoka Utaha, Kato Megumi, and Eriri were all involved—but only Yukima and Megumi manned the booth.
Utaha, now too famous for her own good after the signing event for The Metronome in Love Vol. 4, had to go undercover. If she showed her face, she'd be mobbed. So she kept a low profile, quietly roaming the venue.
Eriri, on the other hand, couldn't show up at all.
As the renowned R18 artist "Kashiwagi Eiri," her name was prominently listed in the game credits. She could wander around for shopping, yes—but appearing at the booth was out of the question.
At the Booth
Behind Yukima stood a mountain of boxes—1,000 game discs of White Album.
"Do you really think we can sell all of these?" Kato Megumi asked, glancing doubtfully at the stockpile.
Yukima shrugged. "We'll see."
Realistically, Comiket was more for exposure than profit. For most indie devs, selling 200–300 copies per day was a success. A thousand? That was optimistic.
But then—
A sound like a stampede echoed through the hall.
Kato blinked. "…Huh?"
A sea of people was fast-walking (since running was prohibited) straight toward them. The line formed instantly, bypassing the demo stations entirely.
"Hello! Three copies of White Album, please!" the first customer panted.
Yukima grinned at Megumi.
See?
She sighed, smiling. "Fine."
Most customers bought three copies. The rare ones who bought only one were the minority.
Collectors' logic: One to play. One to keep sealed. One to share (or sell later). It was gospel in the otaku world.
Two Hours Later
More than half the boxes were empty. By lunchtime, the final box was nearly drained.
"Sorry! Only 20 copies left!" Yukima called out. "From now on, it's limited to one copy per person!"
Even then, the last 20 sold out in seconds.
Kato stretched her wrists, sighing with fatigue. Yukima rolled his neck.
"Tomorrow, we're hiring someone," he said.
The hard part wasn't the money—it was experiencing firsthand just how much their game was loved. They had seen it now.
They packed up and left for a family restaurant.
Victory Celebration
Utaha and Eriri were already seated.
"That line! I've never seen anything like it!" Eriri exclaimed.
"Well, I suppose my script wasn't wasted after all," Utaha said, pretending to be calm—but the gleam in her eyes betrayed her excitement.
Yukima chuckled and collapsed into the seat. "Now we can finally relax."
"I was never worried!" Eriri boasted.
"Oh?" Utaha raised a brow. "Wasn't someone running around in a panic this morning?"
The usual bickering began.
Yukima raised his glass. "To our first big success—cheers!"
The glasses clinked. Laughter followed.
Then Yukima reached into his pocket and pulled out three bank cards.
"These are yours. Daily sales revenue will go directly to your accounts."
The table fell silent.
"Don't get sentimental," Yukima said with a sigh. "This isn't a farewell dinner. You earned it."
"I'm running a company now. Do I look like someone who'd ghost on payments?"
That finally broke the tension.
"You're annoying, but not a cheapskate," Utaha smirked, taking her card.
"I'm buying a new drawing tablet!" Eriri cheered.
Kato hesitated. "I didn't do much…"
"Being a tester is important. You earned it," Yukima said, pushing the card into her hand.
Kato smiled. "Then… thank you."
Yukima raised his glass again. "This is just the beginning. Let's go even further together."
Four glasses clinked once more.
The Aftermath
By the next morning, White Album's sales had exceeded 200,000 copies.
For a galgame—a niche genre with a limited market—that number was astronomical.
Each girl's card now held a sum no high schooler could even imagine. Even Kato Megumi, with the smallest revenue share, was now rich by student standards.
Projections predicted White Album would surpass a million copies.
But the real earthquake hit a week later.
IGN Japan announced its annual awards.
White Album won:
Best Story
Best Independent Game
This sent shockwaves through the community.
White Album had become a must-play masterpiece—a legend.
Meanwhile, Elsewhere…
Aki Tomoya completely lost his mind.
The fact that White Album—created without him—swept the galgame scene drove him over the edge.
He screamed. He cursed. And then, in a rage, stormed out of the house—
Right into the path of an oncoming truck.
(…Yes, that truck.)
Back at Yukima's House
Kirisu Mafuyu got a phone call. Her expression froze.
Yukima, cuddling Shiratamaru, looked up. "Kirisu-sensei? What's wrong?"
She hesitated. Then, with a sigh:
"Aki Tomoya from our class was hit by a truck. He… didn't make it."
Yukima blinked. "Wait… what?"
So he really did meet Truck-kun?
I mean, Yukima wanted to say "karma," but even the police wouldn't buy that excuse if he laughed out loud.
Thousands of cars, yet that guy had to go stand in front of one.
"…Should we go visit his family?" Yukima asked cautiously.
Mafuyu shook her head. "His parents declined. Said there's no need to tell the class. Just say he transferred schools."
She paused. "Coincidentally, a transfer student is arriving next week."
Yukima raised a brow. "This late in the term?"
"From Russia," she added.
"Oh. That explains the timing," he nodded. Different academic calendars.
"You'll help her adjust to class life, right?"
"Eh? Me? I'm swamped!"
She raised her hand threateningly.
"Alright, alright! I'll do it!"