Inside the office, Kamiyā Yuu and Gogyo Ruri were both focused on reviewing the completed animation drafts in their hands.
After a long while, Gogyo Ruri set down the completed drafts she was holding. Her red eyes looked at Kamiyā Yuu with slight confusion as she asked, "Teacher, I feel like the background color treatment for cuts 54 to 72 in Episode 10's storyboard is a little blurry. It leans toward a darker palette, but the layering transitions are too obvious. Looking closely, it feels rough and careless. If we revise it, the workload will be quite large, and it will further squeeze the overall animation production schedule."
Kamiyā Yuu continued flipping through the completed drafts page by page without raising his head and said calmly, "Ah~ there are indeed problems with the color layers in those cuts. Don't worry about the production schedule. Now that we've passed the critical point, the overall production time is much more flexible."
After a pause, he finally looked up at Gogyo Ruri and smiled.
"Kuroneko, I'll leave the reset process for those cuts to you."
Gogyo Ruri frowned. Her small hands rested on her knees, twisting uneasily as she hesitated and said, "Teacher, as an animation director, I'm still immature. Is it really all right to leave such an important revision process to me?"
"Have more confidence. Your progress in key animation during this period has even surprised me. Since you can see the problem now, that proves you already have the corresponding ability. Consider this an assignment from me. Just go ahead and do it."
Kamiyā Yuu smiled and encouraged her.
During this period, his personal instruction had played a major role, fundamentally shaping Gogyo Ruri's abilities as a key animator.
Although Kamiyā Yuu rarely participated directly in key animation now, he had never stopped practicing the basics in his consciousness space. In fact, as the abilities of the consciousness space changed, his training had only intensified. He had absorbed all the exquisite key animation techniques and theories from his previous world.
As long as Kamiyā Yuu wished, he could easily draw gothic-style key animation surpassing Uehara Etsuki. He could also switch at any time to key animation for a science fiction world completely different from classical Western aesthetics.
As an all-around top-level key animation master, he spent more than an hour every day reviewing the key animation assignments Gogyo Ruri submitted and pointing out the flaws in her techniques.
A good teacher paired with a good student produced a chemical reaction. Gogyo Ruri's key animation skills improved by leaps and bounds. She inherited Kamiyā Yuu's eye for detail, which surpassed most key animators, while also developing her own unique style.
The key animation Gogyo Ruri drew purely according to her own interests was usually extremely detailed, and within that detail, there was an indescribable madness. A bright and beautiful landscape, one second could turn into a dark and oppressive hell the next.
This strange art style seemed practically born for drawing corrupted characters, berserkers, and similar roles.
For example, Kamiyā Yuu felt that Gogyo Ruri would definitely be good at drawing key animation for something like 'Hellsing'. The witches in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' would be easy for her, and her style was also suited to most villains.
Gogyo Ruri bit her cherry lips tightly. The wavering in her gaze quickly turned into determination. She stood up and bowed deeply to Kamiyā Yuu.
"I understand. I definitely won't disappoint you, Teacher."
Kamiyā Yuu stroked his chin as he looked at Gogyo Ruri, seeming somewhat troubled in thought. His strange, assessing gaze made Gogyo Ruri feel uncomfortable all over.
"Teacher?"
"Say, Kuroneko, aren't you a little too respectful toward me?" Kamiyā Yuu suddenly said something startling, his half-joking tone making Gogyo Ruri freeze.
Gogyo Ruri nodded seriously.
"Of course. The teacher is not only my teacher, but also the president and chief director of Yosuganosora Animation Studio. At the same time, you are the creator of my favorite anime. I respect you very much, Teacher."
Her words made Kamiyā Yuu rub his own face in embarrassment.
Since when had he become such an exalted figure?
Kamiyā Yuu quickly spread his hands and deliberately coughed.
"Ahem~ on the contrary, I don't really like people close to me treating me with that kind of attitude. Be more casual. Just be more casual."
"I don't really understand," Gogyo Ruri said in confusion.
"For example, like that guy Yūki Chinatsu, who always argues with me."
Gogyo Ruri's expression turned odd. After hesitating for a while, she said to Kamiyā Yuu, "Teacher, are you a masochist?"
Kamiyā Yuu: "..."
After saying that, Gogyo Ruri's cheeks reddened. Her delicate hand covered her small mouth as she said with a hint of playfulness, "Is that the feeling Chinatsu gives? But I still feel very unused to it."
"If you could be like that, I might actually accept it gladly," Kamiyā Yuu said, looking at Gogyo Ruri with an ambiguous smile that made it impossible to tell whether he was joking or serious.
Nonsense. Of course, he was serious! Was Kuroneko still Kuroneko without her sharp tongue?
Unexpectedly, Gogyo Ruri seriously shook her head and rejected the suggestion.
"That would be too imprudent. I won't treat someone I respect with that kind of attitude."
That was true. In 'My Little Sister Can't Be This Cute', Gogyo Ruri was a completely different kind of girl at home and outside. From that alone, one could see the traditional side rooted in her nature.
Kamiyā Yuu recalled how Gogyo Ruri addressed Kōsaka Kyōsuke and suggested again, "Ruri, you're very close with Sora too, right? Then how about calling me big brother?"
Calling a friend's older brother "big brother" would be very awkward in China, but in Japan, it was a relatively ordinary form of address, similar to calling someone's parents uncle and auntie when visiting a friend's house.
"Big brother?" Gogyo Ruri looked at Kamiyā Yuu in confusion and embarrassment.
At least it reduced the sense of distance between them considerably.
Kamiyā Yuu did not mind and smiled.
"From now on, call me that when no one else is around."
"Then... Big Brother can also call me Ruri."
As proof of the change in their relationship, Gogyo Ruri also proposed that Kamiyā Yuu call her directly by her name.
Although he felt that calling her Kuroneko rolled off the tongue better, Kamiyā Yuu did not refuse the suggestion and smiled.
"Then let's do that."
"Ruri, actually, there's another task I want to entrust to you."
"Is it an assignment?"
"No, it's a task. A very important task."
Kamiyā Yuu asked solemnly, "You know there will be a new character appearing in Episode 12."
"I know. Her name is Sakura Kyōko, a magical girl who came from another city," Gogyo Ruri answered without hesitation.
"And her character positioning?"
"Cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Essentially very gentle, awkward yet also very straightforward."
Kamiyā Yuu chuckled.
"Then I'll leave this character's design to you."
This was not a joke.
Kamiyā Yuu was entrusting Sakura Kyōko's character design to Gogyo Ruri partly out of personal motives, of course, but even more because he believed Gogyo Ruri's ability as a key animator was very suited to drawing this type of character.
Although it would make things a little more troublesome, it was very worthwhile both privately and publicly.
"Whoa!"
Gogyo Ruri stood up from her chair in surprise.
Important work like character design was generally handled directly by the chief director or the key animation director. Moreover, Gogyo Ruri knew that Uehara Etsuki had already completed the original character design draft for Sakura Kyōko.
Kamiyā Yuu placed both hands on the desk and explained calmly, "I know what you're thinking, so I'll add one condition. Before we begin producing Episode 12, you need to submit a complete Sakura Kyōko character design sheet. At that time, Uehara-sensei and I will personally review it. If we determine that your character design draft is more suitable than Uehara-sensei's, then we'll adopt your design. Otherwise, we'll pretend nothing ever happened."
"But the storyboard drafts..."
"Don't worry. Revisions at that level can be completed with a few days of work."
Gogyo Ruri stood where she was, her complicated thoughts making her hesitate.
This proposal made her both happy and moved. Without a doubt, it was a great opportunity Kamiyā Yuu had created for her.
Being directly responsible for character design during anime production was something countless key animators yearned for but could never obtain.
Correspondingly, Gogyo Ruri also knew how much pressure Kamiyā Yuu would bear by creating this opportunity for her.
"Teacher, thank you very much."
Gogyo Ruri bowed solemnly.