"New president?!"
The announcement caused a stir, sending waves of shock through the conference room.
Upon hearing Sugita Kenjirou's words, everyone present displayed expressions of astonishment.
"President, does this mean you really sold the company?"
The mature woman, previously addressed as Hazuki by the twin-tailed girl, spoke up with an inquisitive tone.
"That's correct, Miss Hazuki. I just signed the transfer agreement with Mr. Hikigaya," Sugita Kenjirou nodded before introducing the two.
"Mr. Hikigaya, this is Hazuki Shizuku, the director of the game development department. She oversees all the game developers."
Upon hearing the introduction, Hachiman offered a friendly smile.
"Hello, Miss Hazuki. My name is Hikigaya Hachiman. I look forward to working with you."
For a gaming company, the game development department is undoubtedly the core, so he wanted to ensure a smooth start with the department head.
"Hello, Mr. Hikigaya."
As the saying goes, courtesy breeds courtesy. Seeing Hikigaya's polite demeanor, Hazuki couldn't respond negatively.
She returned the greeting with a smile but quickly shifted her attention back to Sugita Kenjirou.
"President Sugita, why did you make this decision so quickly?"
As a senior member of the company, Hazuki had heard rumors that Sugita Kenjirou intended to sell the company. However, she hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
"There was still a chance. As long as we complete Fairies Story III, we could..."
Indeed, the entire company's hopes were pinned on the development of Fairies Story III. If it succeeded, Eagle Jump could make a strong comeback.
However, upon hearing Hazuki's words, Sugita Kenjirou gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Hazuki. The company's funds are no longer sufficient to keep us afloat. Even if we somehow manage to scrape by, we can't guarantee that Fairies Story III will be a success," Sugita Kenjirou said apologetically.
"If it ends up failing, the only option left for the company will be bankruptcy."
Hazuki fell silent upon hearing this.
It was true. While Fairies Story III was the company's best chance at a comeback, that hope hinged entirely on its success.
As Sugita Kenjirou had pointed out, there was no guarantee of success, and if it failed, their hope would inevitably turn into despair.
"Does this mean the Fairies Story series will end here?" Hazuki asked reluctantly, her voice filled with frustration.
She wasn't alone.
Many members of the game development department showed the same unwillingness on their faces.
After all, the Fairies Story series was their creation. It was like their child, something they had nurtured from the ground up and couldn't bear to abandon.
But now that the company had a new owner, the fate of the project was no longer in their hands.
Seeing their expressions, Sugita Kenjirou seemed to make a decision. He turned to Hachiman with a solemn expression.
"Mr. Hikigaya, do you have any game projects in mind? If there isn't anything suitable for now, could I ask you to continue the development of Fairies Story III? I am personally willing to invest 50 million yen as development funding."
It wasn't just the development team that had strong feelings about the Fairies Story series; Sugita Kenjirou himself was deeply attached to it.
After all, it was the cornerstone of the company's former glory, and it had carried them this far.
His decision caught everyone off guard. The employees of Eagle Jump were visibly moved by his words.
In their hearts, they all understood that with a new boss in charge, a money-losing project like Fairies Story would most likely be scrapped.
However, they hadn't expected Sugita Kenjirou to offer his own money to continue the development of Fairies Story III.
Even so, the decision still rested in the hands of the new boss.
With that thought in mind, everyone turned their eyes to Hachiman.
Noticing their gazes, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
While Sugita Kenjirou's gesture was indeed touching, Hachiman didn't agree right away.
Instead, he directed his question to Hazuki.
"Miss Hazuki, how much longer will it take to complete Fairies Story III?"
If it didn't take too long, Hachiman didn't mind playing the role of a good guy. But if it required a year or more, he wasn't willing to wait that long.
Hearing Hachiman's question, Hazuki's expression brightened, and she quickly responded,
"It'll take two and a half months—no, just two months to finish."
"Two months, huh?"
Hachiman stroked his clean-shaven chin, contemplating.
Although the acquisition was complete, Hachiman had no plans to launch the Fate/Grand Order (FGO) game immediately. His strategy was to use a novel to build anticipation first.
The foundation of the Type-Moon universe had already been laid with The Garden of Sinners.
Next, he intended to introduce the Holy Grail War and Servant concepts through the Fate series.
Once the concepts of the Holy Grail and Servants were established, Hachiman planned to adapt the FGO game into a novel. With his current writing skills, it would be an easy feat.
When readers become deeply engrossed in the novel's story, releasing a game adaptation of FGO at just the right moment would undoubtedly lead to massive success.
After all, no matter how captivating a novel is, readers can only imagine its world through words. A game, on the other hand, offers a tangible, visual experience.
Not to mention the appeal of... ahem, the beautifully designed character cards, which would undoubtedly draw in a significant audience.
In terms of timing, it would take at least six months to a year for the novel's popularity to fully ferment. Furthermore, as a new game, Hachiman planned to release only the first three chapters initially, so the two-month wait for Fairies Story III was manageable.
Since Sugita Kenjirou was covering the development costs, Hachiman figured he might as well go along with it. It would be a kind gesture to fulfill the wishes of these veteran employees and leave a good impression on them.
With this thought in mind, Hachiman smiled and nodded.
"No problem. If it's only two months, I can wait."
The employees of Eagle Jump erupted into cheers at his agreement, while Sugita Kenjirou and Hazuki stepped forward to express their gratitude on behalf of everyone.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Hikigaya."
"Yes, we are truly grateful. We promise to make Fairies Story III the best it can be. We won't let you down, Mr. Hikigaya."
"…"
In response to their gratitude, Hachiman gave a faint smile.
"It's nothing. After all, the game is almost complete. If we were to abandon it now, it would leave everyone feeling unsatisfied, wouldn't it?"
Hearing his words, everyone nodded instinctively.
Indeed, no one would be willing to let go of a project they had poured their hopes and efforts into, especially when it was so close to completion.
At this moment, Hachiman seemed to think of something and spoke again.
"Miss Hazuki, Fairies Story III is a PC game as well, right?"
"Yes," Hazuki nodded. "Like the previous two installments, Fairies Story III is also designed for PC."
Just as Hachiman had suspected, Eagle Jump's focus remained on PC games.
However, the FGO game he intended to develop was for mobile platforms, which didn't align with the company's current expertise.
With this in mind, Hachiman asked another question.
"Does the current development team have anyone skilled in creating mobile platform structures?"