The insider-only live show was set for the following week.
These days, Rin was busy with either drawing or setting up the studio. With Moeha acting as a bridge, Rin had rented the villa next to her house at half price.
The massive discount was thanks to Moeha.
It wasn't even that Moeha haggled; once the landlord heard Moeha's friend was renting, she cut the price by 50%.
The Fujiwara family was a famous political dynasty that had produced Prime Ministers. Forget 50%—people would give them houses for free just for a chance to know them. Selling a favor now might lead to meeting the family elders later. However, a symbolic rent was still charged to avoid looking too desperate.
Besides signing the contract, Rin had to clear the living room and buy office desks. As for computers, the girls all had laptops for now.
After two days of work, Rin sat in his ergonomic chair and looked at the furnished living room with a sigh of relief. The basic framework was finally in place.
Eventually, they could promote the studio's official account on their personal social media. They'd film short "daily life of beautiful manga artists" videos to gather traffic and followers. This would not only make it easier to promote their works but also give them more leverage when negotiating contracts with publishers.
In addition to publicity and leverage, forming a studio allowed for various tax write-offs, which benefited both Rin and the girls.
As for the studio's revenue, Rin didn't plan to take a cut from them. Correspondingly, there were no base salaries.
Currently, the studio had no major overhead beyond rent. They could cover the costs by taking ads on the studio's social media accounts. Even if they couldn't find advertisers, Rin was fine covering the difference himself.
But these were just temporary plans for the startup. Rin had never run a business before, so he was "crossing the river by feeling the stones."
As for the first "stone"...
Rin: [Feeling better?]
Akane Kosaka: [Much better. But I can't drink or pull all-nighters anymore. I have to step back from work a bit.]
Akane Kosaka: [It would be a waste to die before drawing everything in my head. Besides, I realized the company didn't fall apart while I was hospitalized.]
Akane Kosaka: [Why the sudden concern? Is Mashiro getting impatient? Or do you want to know what I think of your work?]
Rin could imagine Akane's fox-like, teasing expression on the other side of the phone.
Rin: [Mashiro isn't in a rush, but I am.]
Rin: [I just finished setting up my studio space. I have some questions for you.]
Akane had gone from a college club to a studio to a full corporation. Her experience far exceeded Rin's. Since Rin had literally saved her life, she wouldn't refuse to give him advice.
Akane agreed. She promised to meet him in a couple of days after her discharge. She'd also introduce him to a manga editor suitable for Mashiro.
As for Akane's evaluation of Rin's work... it was mediocre.
While the heroines Rin drew were incredibly cute, his works were pornographic and lacked plot, and they were far shorter than standard manga.
However, for an anime adaptation, they were fine.
Not as hentai, but as "slice of life" ecchi anime... that was the trick.
Many "moe" shows with little plot could become hits if the production was high quality. Rin could use the gimmick of the source material being 18+ to attract curious newcomers alongside existing fans. Once the studio was established, he could use it for hype.
But the production requirements would be high. The art had to be perfect; the characters could never go off-model.
That was Akane's professional advice. "Mediocre" was actually high praise from her; in her view, many manga currently getting adaptations were worse than Rin's porn.
If Rin wanted an anime, she could introduce him to industry contacts. The rest was up to him; Akane wasn't going to do all the legwork just because he saved her.
After chatting with Akane, Rin stretched deeply. He exited the chat and scrolled through his various groups.
He noticed a message from Kei Shirogane from earlier that afternoon.
Kei: [I'm streaming tonight. Are you free to watch?]
Rin checked her channel. It showed she had finished a stream two hours ago. The chat logs only had a few messages from Moeha and Chika.
The gifts were all just the free ones provided by the platform.
Rin: [Sorry, sorry.]
Rin: [I've been busy with work the past two days.]
Rin: [Is it too lonely streaming by yourself?]
Rin's reply was a bit ambiguous. On the other end, Kei didn't know how to respond.
Reply "Yes, it's lonely"? Saying that to an online stranger felt shameful.
Reply "No"? Then why did she go out of her way to tell him she was streaming?
After some hesitation, she sent a neutral reply.
Kei: [I have some questions about streaming I wanted to ask you.]
Rin: [What kind of questions?]
Kei: [Mostly about content.]
Kei didn't have any friends who streamed. And her dad... she was too embarrassed to ask him.
She and her brother had made fun of their dad's streaming at first; how could she ask him for help now? Plus, she didn't want him to know.
Rin seemed to know a lot about "anti-doxing" and streaming mechanics, so he was her only option.
Rin: [To be honest, your content is boring. I only clicked in because I was bored. No face, no voice—a normal person would leave after ten seconds.]
Rin: [Do you have any talents? Singing, drawing, chatting, gaming... or maybe you can do stunts?]
Kei: [...]
Kei's face flushed. She couldn't do any of those things.
Her only "talent" was studying. That was how she got into Shuchi'in.
Rin: [Nothing? Then you'll have to rely on your looks.]
Rin: [Do you have a photo you can send me?]
On the other side, a faint blush appeared on Kei's pale cheeks.
A photo? Send a photo to an online friend? This...
She hesitated for a long time but didn't send one.
Kei: [I don't want to rely on my looks.]
Rin: [No talent and you won't use your looks... then my advice is to find a real job.]