Upon receiving Kaede's call, Rin Ito immediately led the three back to the music room.
"Heh..."
Kaede's gaze swept over Utaha. Earlier, only the crotch of Utaha's tights had been torn, but now there were several more holes, and they looked quite sticky.
It wasn't just Utaha; Eriri's thigh-highs and Megumi's knee-socks were in a similar state. Other than not having holes torn into them, they looked just as disheveled.
"Looks like you guys had a lot of fun," Kaede said sarcastically.
She was just putting on a show. Facing a cheating boyfriend and the three girls he had been playing with, a girlfriend couldn't exactly be all smiles.
"What took so long?" Rin Ito walked over to Kaede and ruffled her and Suzu's hair.
"We finished a long time ago," Suzu said flatly. "Kaede just... Mmmph!!!"
Before Suzu could finish, Kaede covered her mouth.
"I just wanted Nanami to test her voice a bit longer to ensure the recording was perfect!"
"Ah, so that's why." Rin Ito nodded, suppressing a smile. "Kaede is so reliable."
"Of course!" Kaede let go of Suzu and cast a smug look at Utaha and the others... You guys are in for it later!
Kaede shifted her gaze to Nanami and gave her a signal. Nanami put down the microphone and stepped forward.
"It's like this: I think our first work should be fully completed, so I will also record the voice acting for the 18+ scenes." Noticing their surprised looks, Nanami quickly added, "I'm not saying we should add it to the DLC. I mean, it'll just be for our own personal collection."
As creators, Eriri and Utaha could understand Nanami's mindset, but they both had a question.
Eriri: "Then you should just record it. What are we here for? Just to have a party?"
Utaha: "Exactly. Both my script and Eriri's illustrations are complete. Only Megumi will have some extra work. Why did you specifically call us here?"
"Uh..." Nanami hesitated. Actually, she wanted to know too!
Faced with the girls' questioning gazes, Kaede tilted her head up slightly and spoke with a hint of pride.
"You are all the main creators of this work. To you, this work is like a child. As mothers, don't you want to give your child a voice?"
[Host has completed a hidden quest. Reward: 1000 Nurture Points.]
???
The sudden system reward left Kaede slightly bewildered. What hidden quest?
Well, since it's already completed, I'll check it out later when I have time.
Kaede returned her focus to the girls in front of her.
"You call adding a voice 'giving it a soul'? Then what is the script I wrote? The script I wrote is the soul!"
Utaha remained unmoved by Kaede's words. Even though it was an 18+ game, Utaha had poured her heart into it. She was confident that even if the 18+ scenes were removed, it would still stand as an excellent visual novel.
The sharp-tongued Utaha was the hardest to deal with among them, and also the one with the highest NTR stat.
Eriri was currently at 5 points, which was a normal level.
Megumi was at 23 points, meaning she had some desire to 'cuckold' others.
But Utaha... was at 73 points!
However, Kaede was already prepared for Utaha's response.
"The script you wrote is the soul? Then what are Eriri's CGs? What is Nanami's voice acting?" Kaede glanced at Eriri, deliberately trying to drive a wedge between them.
"Only detailed, nuanced descriptions constitute a soul. CGs and voice acting are merely the superficial shell."
Utaha retorted without hesitation, and Eriri immediately took the bait.
"Hah!? What nonsense is this weakling spouting!? Without CGs, are people supposed to jerk off to a bunch of dry text?"
Utaha looked back with disdain. "I don't need shallow readers who only look at the 'shell'."
The two, who already didn't get along, immediately started arguing over whether CGs or the script was more important... Just according to plan.
Kaede gave Rin Ito a look, signaling him to step in and mediate.
For a moment, Rin Ito didn't know what expression to make... You start a fire, and then you expect me to put it out?
Although he didn't know what Kaede was planning, Rin Ito placed a hand on each of their... rear ends.
With a slight squeeze, he brought their foreheads together with a soft thud... If he had pushed any harder, they would have kissed.
The two rubbed their foreheads, drawing in sharp breaths, which stopped their argument. Then, Rin Ito spoke with a somewhat helpless tone.
"Whether it's CGs, the script, or voice acting, none can be missing. Only when all of them are combined does it create a complete character."
Rin Ito's response was also within Kaede's calculations... Unless he decided to 'sleep-convince' them right then and there, any mediation would require him to remain neutral and not favor either side.
Now it was time for her to make her move!
"Exactly. The script, CGs, and voice acting are all indispensable," Kaede nodded in agreement. But the next second, she changed her tune. "However, Utaha, you can't draw, and Eriri, you can't write scripts. But both of you can do voice acting. If one of you has two out of the three, wouldn't that mean you're superior to the other?"
" "...." "
Utaha and Eriri exchanged a knowing glance... They realized what Kaede was up to. Kaede wanted them to record those 18+ voices, and Nanami had obviously been persuaded by her.
At this moment, the two shared the exact same thought.
Kaede definitely plans to have us get fucked while recording!
They saw through Kaede's trap. This wasn't the first time Kaede had tried to drive a wedge between them, but they fell for it every time.
It wasn't a secret scheme; it was an open provocation.
For them, falling into Kaede's trap was better than showing weakness in front of their rival.
Although it was very embarrassing... it's just getting fucked while voice acting, right!?
We'll just do it!
Eriri & Utaha: " "Okay!" "
Watching the two agree simultaneously, Nanami looked helpless... What about me, who can neither draw nor write scripts?
However, at this moment, the three of them had no idea that while they were playing checkers, Kaede was playing 4D chess.
...
"You aren't like Nanami. You haven't received systematic, professional training in voice acting, but that's fine."
"Your voice acting isn't for commercial purposes; it's to create a work that is entirely your own. So you don't need a lot of professional techniques. Just convey your love for the characters."
Seeing the three of them fall into the pit, Kaede was incredibly delighted. Rin Ito smiled helplessly... As long as she's happy.
"Um... what about me?" Megumi cautiously raised her hand. "I shouldn't have to do voice acting, right?"
Megumi was even worse off than Nanami. At least Nanami knew how to voice act, whereas Megumi knew nothing. But she didn't care about that.
Although Megumi was only responsible for inserting the various assets they created according to tutorials, she was the main heroine.
The status of the main heroine was unshakable!
So... I shouldn't need to join in, right?
Megumi enjoyed doing erotic things with Rin Ito, but providing erotic voice acting was completely unappealing to her.
"Since they're all doing it, you should join in too. Aren't you comrades? How can you abandon your comrades?"
"Well... alright." Left with no choice, Megumi had to agree. She couldn't very well claim she wasn't their comrade, could she?