Chapter 16: Envious, Aren't You? Jealous?

You Were Told to Lose Money By Making Games, and You Actually Did It? 

Chapter 16: Envious, Aren't You? Jealous?

“Sorry to have kept you waiting, President Chen.”

“Shall we head to the office and discuss the details?”

With a smile on his face, Kamiyama Atsushi came over to Chen Xu and his group.

“Sure.” Chen Xu nodded with a smile.

At the same time, he had Xiu Fu and Gong Qi lead the others to continue touring the studio with Omori.

He himself, accompanied by the two translator girls, as well as Attorney Komon and Department Manager Hanzawa, headed to Kamiyama office.

The general terms had already been discussed online before the trip. What remained now was simply reviewing the specific clauses of the contract.

“There don’t appear to be any loopholes. However, your company will need to transfer the funds in advance to an account at Osaka Bank. The bank will then review the project’s progress and release payments in stages. Once the project is completed and verified, the final balance will be paid,” After carefully examining the contract for nearly an hour, Attorney Komon spoke in a low voice.

Hearing the translator relay the message, Chen Xu nodded in satisfaction.

“No problem.”

He signed the contract and stamped it with the company seal.

Seeing Chen Xu sign and seal the agreement, both Attorney Komon and Department Manager Hanzawa smiled.

After all, it meant their work was finished.

There had been no troublesome complications, and they had successfully completed a business deal that would bring in a considerable amount of income.

How could they not be pleased?

As for Kamiyama Atsushi, he wasn’t sure whether he should feel happy or depressed.

Earlier, during the less-than-twenty-minute discussion in the office, he and his trusted subordinate had deliberated extensively.

They had spent a long time thinking about whether they could set a trap or take advantage of the situation.

In the end, they arrived at a conclusion:

Don’t try anything. Just do things properly.

There was no choice.

One was Komon Law Firm. The other was Osaka Bank.

If they dared to pull any tricks, the party they would offend wouldn’t be the mysterious “Morning Star Games.”

Given the size of Hyakukin Studio, if they truly angered Komon Law Firm and Osaka Bank, they’d be lucky if they only lost a layer of skin.

So, in the end, they decided to honestly carry out the outsourcing work.

After all, the outsourcing fee being offered was quite generous.

As for the idea of secretly learning from the collaboration and stealing some techniques...

At most, they could subtly hint to their employees when the time came.

Under those circumstances, however much the other side managed to learn, they would simply let them learn.

After all, the client had money and was willing to hire these two powerful institutions as safeguards.

Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Kamiyama Atsushi forced a smile and shook hands with Chen Xu in a friendly manner.

. . .

Meanwhile, completely unaware of his president’s frustration, Omori Tsune was feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Now that the company president was personally handling the outsourcing contract, there was no longer any chance of him becoming the scapegoat.

The mountain that had been weighing on his shoulders instantly disappeared.

Leading Xiu Fu, Gong Qi, and the others, he brought them to the lounge area for a tour.

For the first time since arriving, the previously expressionless visitors finally showed some curiosity.

That immediately energized Omori.

As a member of a famous game studio—and one of its managers, no less—the sense of superiority surged within him.

Normally, he dealt with major international companies.

As an executive director responsible for external business affairs, he was usually the one bowing and scraping.

There was practically never an opportunity for him to show off.

But now?

Now the chance had finally arrived.

Seeing the curiosity on everyone’s faces made him feel as sweet as if he had eaten honey.

Exactly!

This was how employees from a small company should react!

Faced with the excellent working environment of a huge company like the Hyakukin Studio—

You’re envious, aren’t you?

Jealous, perhaps?

Even if Hyakukin Studio wasn’t particularly profitable, when it came to employee benefits and workplace conditions, they were rated quite high.

Omori straightened his back.

The stooped posture caused by stress vanished instantly.

This was his pride as a member of Hyakukin Studio.

Omori suppressed his pride and desire to show off.

“This is the lounge area of Hyakukin. What do you all think?” Trying his best to appear casual and indifferent, he asked the question.

“It's quite spacious. Honestly, it does seem pretty nice,” As someone who understood a bit of Japanese, Gong Qi answered on his own while looking around, without needing a translator.

It wasn't just polite talk—it was what he genuinely thought.

At first glance, Hyakukin’s lounge area really did look impressive.

The room was about seventy to eighty square meters in size, furnished with sofas, massage chairs, game consoles, televisions, and even a pool table.

At the very least, it looked quite impressive.

After all, Morning Star Games was still in its infancy.

In terms of the size of the lounge area alone, Morning Star Games was indeed a little inferior.

“Feel free to use anything. The refrigerator is stocked with drinks and snacks as well,” Omori said with a smile.

He wanted to give these people a taste of the shock that came from visiting a famous game studio.

Hearing that, the group—already somewhat curious about Hyakukin Studio's lounge area—began exploring it.

Omori Tsune stood off to the side with a faint smile, watching them expectantly.

Amazement.

Envy.

Maybe even jealousy.

He was already imagining their reactions.

But in the very next moment, his smile froze once again.

Because he noticed that, just like when they had toured the work area earlier, the group began whispering among themselves.

And as they talked, their expressions changed from anticipation and curiosity back to calm indifference.

“This sofa isn't nearly as comfortable as the ones back at our company.”

“Neither is the massage chair. It's not even in the same league.”

“The TV is the same brand as ours, but it's a lower-end model. It only supports up to 4K resolution.”

“I thought the snack area might have fresh sushi. There is sushi, but it's vacuum-packed. The rest is just a pile of crackers and cookies.”

“The ice cream is just a big commercial tub. I only just realized they don't even have an ice cream machine.”

“Alright, alright, let's not be too harsh. To be fair, Hyakukin’s employee benefits are actually pretty good. It's just that our boss happens to be someone like President Chen.”

“Exactly. What other boss treats his employees as well as President Chen does?”

“Besides, we're on their turf, and we'll be working together on development from now on. Watch your expressions and don't make it too obvious. We need to focus on making a good game and learn as much of Hyakukin’s technology and expertise as we can while we're here.”

As they chatted, they all smiled at Omori Tsune.

Faced with those smiles, Omori was completely bewildered.

What on earth were they talking about!?

Why had they suddenly started smiling at him again?

And why did those smiles seem so strange?

Utterly confused, Omori could only respond with a polite smile of his own.

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

Tn: I updated the story once a day, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.

Latest Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 70: A Pledge of Loyalty!

Link to the Latest Chapter: https://www.patreon.com/HannibalNotBarca/posts/you-were-told-to-165271947?collection=2202558