Chapter 103 - Chapter 103: Film Project
The emerald dragon that had been sitting in my Item Box finally sold.
The buyer was――surprisingly, the Yaegashi Group.
Kaoru, the Princess's older sister, had come to the demolition site.
That price――surprisingly, 50 billion yen.
Half for me and half for Sana, 25 billion yen each.
Since this is income as an adventurer, 20% is withheld at source, so the money coming in is 20 billion yen.
Money is just coming in, but is there any good way to use it?
I considered buying shares of the Yaegashi Group――but that would be too boring.
While waiting for the dragon's demolition, I ate at a restaurant.
During the meal conversation, I came up with the idea of making a movie with Iroha as the heroine.
It would be a movie of real combat by high-level adventurers in a dungeon, exactly as it happens.
No special effects could possibly rival this impact.
Besides, inside the dungeon's otherworldly space, magic can be used.
Whether it's truly possible or not, you won't know until you try.
Just days of killing in the dungeon are too grim.
Life needs some moisture, some vitality.
In my case, I already have money.
I'm currently accompanying the Princess who seeks to conquer the deep layers of the dungeon.
When I returned to the hotel, I took out my PC from the Item Box and wrote a proposal.
Writing a proposal was something I hadn't done in over ten years.
As I clacked away at the keyboard, Kaorulko ordered coffee for me.
After placing the coffee she brought, she peered over at my laptop screen.
"I heard from Sakurako-sama, is it a movie?"
"Yes, the Princess will play the Demon King. Will you appear too, Kaorulko? You'll play the Demon King's right-hand man, the Great General of Demons."
"Is that cool?"
"Of course."
Hearing that, she stood up and extended her right arm.
"Hero! You have made it this far! But your fate ends here! Hahahaha!"
"Huh?! Kaorulko, you're amazing."
Now that I think about it, she was a collector of many doujinshi, a pervert.
――That means she probably likes manga and anime too.
"Hehe~"
Rarely, she is blushing.
This is definitely a go.
I'll contact Sana to see if she will cooperate.
She heard the story for now, but...
[Skill: 『Sure』]
"It's fun."
"I changed the story quite a bit because Sana said so."
[Skill: 『Looking forward to it~』]
She doesn't have a role, but I intend to have her cooperate with magic.
That handsome boy who would be Iroha's partner seemed to have a low level.
I need to make him look like a great mage.
Sana and Kaorulko will use magic to substitute for that handsome boy.
It seems that with AI, such special effects can be done easily now.
If I buy video editing software, I might be able to edit movies myself, but this is a matter of taste.
If you ask whether a normal old man has such talent――it's questionable.
I suppose I should leave it to the professionals after all.
"By the way."
I hadn't contacted that handsome boy yet, the crucial one.
What would I do if he didn't appear?
I could choose a girl from Iroha's guild, make her up to look like a boy, and have her appear.
Sana would do, but――she has those huge things she can't hide, so claiming to be a boy might be a bit difficult, wouldn't it?
Well, for now, I'll try contacting that guy.
What was his name again?
I received occasional messages from him... and we exchanged contacts.
"Um, was it Sakomura Eito《Eito》?"
I try to contact him, but he might be inside the dungeon.
――Just as I thought, it connected.
"Free? Attacking?"
[Skill: 『What is it? I'm fine right now...』]
"I have a good deal involving Oga-san of Goriki, want to hear it?"
[Skill: 『I'll listen! I'll listen!』]
"Then let's meet in the lobby of the hotel where I am."
[Skill: 『Niwa-san, are you at the hotel?』]
"Yes, the headquarters of the Cherry Princess's guild is the hotel."
[Skill: 『He~, top rankers are different after all~』]
Anyway, it seems he will come.
"Princess, I'm going to the lobby for a bit."
"...A woman?"
"A man."
"Rare..."
"I have male acquaintances too."
"... "
It seems she doesn't trust me.
Sent off by the Princess's white eyes, I left the room and went down to the first floor.
Sitting on a chair in the lobby, I waited for him to arrive.
After waiting a while, a handsome boy with swaying blonde hair arrived.
Since his hair color is that, I can tell immediately.
"Haa haa... I'm here!"
"What, did you run here?"
High-level adventurers don't get out of breath, so it's a bit fresh.
"Y-yes! Of course."
"Let's move a bit."
I headed to the hotel cafe with him.
Sitting together, I ordered a parfait.
"Um."
He held the menu and froze.
"Anything is fine. It's on me."
"Thank you!"
He also placed his order.
"How have you been lately? Did your level go up?"
"Um, not so well..."
He lowered his gaze, and the shadow of his long eyelashes fell softly on his cheek.
His blonde hair, shining under the spotlight of the lighting, swayed smoothly like delicate silk threads, emitting a beauty like a fairy in a dream.
The contrast of glittering golden hair and white smooth skin created a fragile and lovely atmosphere just like a girl.
"Um, you really look like an elf..."
Your name is Eito, which sounds foreign too.
"What is it?"
"No, it's about me... If you're interested, will you join our Attack?"
"Is, isn't that dangerous?"
"Seriously dangerous. I thought I was going to die several times."
"Th-that's impossible~ I'll decline..."
This is the difference from Sana, who has completed her resolve.
She rushes into the depths without fearing danger and eventually surpassed the Princess in level.
"You're not that hardcore, are you?"
"Eh? Um, I'm bad at scary things..."
"What's that?"
"Ahaha..."
"Will you attack Iroha――no, Oga-san with that?"
"No! That's impossible! I just admire her..."
Well, the other party might be a top ranker, someone above the clouds.
I became high-level from the start by sheer luck, so I don't quite understand that feeling.
"I have good news for you."
"Eh? W-what is it?"
"Actually――I'm making a film project with Oga-san as the main character."
"Eh~? Is it true?"
"Um, won't you try appearing as the other party?"
"...Huh?"
Not understanding my words, he froze.
"To explain――Oga-san is the hero, and you are the heroine."
"Eeeee~?!"
"How about it? Your dream might come true?"
"Th-th-th-that's impossible, impossible, impossible, snail!"
Is this popular now?
"Is it okay? It's a rare chance. You might get hugged by her big body and have such things and those things done to you."
"Th-those things, I don't desire them~"
――Even so, his face turned red.
He might think I'm teasing him.
"Well, it's still in the planning stage, so if you're interested, contact me."
"Y-yes..."
The ordered food was brought.
I scooped the arriving parfait and put it in my mouth, but...
"Darling?"
The voice I heard was the Princess's.
Turning around, I saw her with arms crossed, wearing a scowl.
"Oh, Princess. Want to eat a parfait too?"
"I said it wasn't a woman!"
It seems she mistook the blonde handsome boy before her eyes for a girl.
"Eh?! He's a man!"
"...Stare."
The Princess is peering into Eito's face.
"I am a man..."
"... "
She silently pushed me aside with her butt and sat next to me.
The Princess seems to be eating something too.
"Have you started going for boys too?"
"Don't say such rude things. He's a fan of Iroha, you know?"
"Oga's?"
"Yes, that's right."
He answered.
"Hmph... Your taste is too bad."
I don't think so...
If you compete with her, she's an ordinary and cute girl inside.
Did the Princess accept it or not?
No matter how handsome a boy looks like a girl, she won't touch men.
"I'm sure you know this――Cherry Princess-san."
I introduce the Princess to him.
"Y-yes! Of course I know! It's a great honor to talk with a top ranker!"
"I was talking to him about Iroha's movie."
"That movie?"
"He looks like this, right? I thought if we lengthened his ears with special makeup, he could appear as an elf."
"Elf... Stare."
"He's a super handsome boy, isn't he? Blonde hair, blue eyes, I think he'll really look like an elf with makeup."
"Indeed... Is he foreign?"
"He's Japanese. A quarter."
"I see, sorry."
"No."
He is quite flustered in front of the Princess.
To me, not at all.
Well, I'm not even on the ranks as a high-level adventurer.
They might not think I'm that high-level just because I'm an old man with an Item Box.
"She will appear in the movie too."
"Eh?! Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously."
"Um..."
"Empress will appear too."
"Eh?! Empress-san too?!"
He is groaning, but he might be imagining Kaorulko's huge breasts.
She has a face like a girl, but he is a man too.
He must like breasts.
Breasts are the wisdom of humanity, after all.
Well, I'm a butt fan.
"What, Eito-kun――you like muscles, but you like breasts too?"
"Eh, eh~"
He glances at the Princess.
It must be hard to give such an answer in front of an admired top ranker.
"In that regard, Iroha has amazing pectoral muscles too. Her bust is probably around 150cm."
"Yours is all muscle, isn't it?"
The conversation has drifted.
Let's get back to the main point.
"Even though it's called a movie, it's still in the planning stage, so I don't know if it will be realized. Take your time to think about it."
"Y-yes."
"But, pairing up with your admired Oga and appearing in a movie, this is a chance you won't get twice."
"Th-that's true..."
I don't know for sure what will happen with an amateur's idea, but I've at least talked things through.
Next is contact with the film industry.
After eating the parfait, I parted with Eito.
Returning to the room with the Princess, I contacted Quadrifoglio-san, who usually handles videos.
I spoke lightly with her――.
[Skill: 『What is that! It sounds very fun!』]
She is very enthusiastic.
"Can we talk lightly when you have time?"
[Skill: 『I will visit immediately!』]
"Eh?! Right now? It's fine――then, in the hotel lobby as usual."
[Skill: 『Understood』]
Phew, busy.
"Princess, I'm going down. This time, it's a woman."
"Okay, I understand."
She lay on the sofa without moving.
Maybe she thought worrying about me was foolish.
Well, I don't feel like competing with work partners either.
Going to the first floor again, I wait for Quadrifoglio-san.
Sitting on the lobby sofa, she arrived.
Since she is dressed flamboyantly as always, I can tell immediately.
"Quadrifoglio-san, over here."
"Oh! Hello~!"
"Hello."
A faint sweat is seeping from her forehead.
She doesn't need to rush so much.
With Quadrifoglio-san, we go to the cafe again.
Even if I like parfaits, I just ate one, so I ordered regular coffee.
"Please have whatever you like. It's on me."
"Um..."
"Please, please."
She hesitantly ordered a cake.
She must have wanted to eat it.
The cake here is quite high-class since it's only at the hotel cafe.
Well, the price is high-class too.
"Shall we start right away?"
"Y-yes! You want to make a movie with Niwa-san's funding, right?"
"That's right. I made a proposal, so I'll send it."
I send the proposal to her smartphone.
"Should I print it on paper?"
"No, these days everything is digital."
"Even the script?"
"We use wide electronic paper for scripts~. It's very light."
"He~"
Well, paper is expensive these days.
"... "
She reads the proposal fluently.
"Um, um..."
When she raises her face, she has a suspicious look.
"What is it?"
"It says here, the first video adaptation by high-level adventurers..."
"Right, that's the biggest selling point~"
"I hear high-level adventurers are mostly difficult people, is that true?"
"Yes, I have obtained consent from almost everyone."
"R-really?"
"Yes."
She reads the proposal again.
"What about this elf?"
"That person is not a high-level adventurer, but a quarter with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a super handsome boy."
"Handsome boy?!"
Her glasses glint.
"If we lengthen his ears with special makeup, he fits the elf role perfectly――so we are currently negotiating his appearance."
"He~"
"We plan to use actual footage from inside the dungeon for the battle scenes, but as a video expert, do you think my videos can be used directly in the movie? I think the early ones are no good, but recently the camera has been upgraded."
"I think it's fine. Technology to increase resolution with AI has developed now."
"For now, since I was worried about that, it feels like clearing the first hurdle."
"If it's such an interesting project, there are many directors who want to shoot it!"
"That's grateful."
"Moreover! There's no need to worry about sponsors!"
"Yes, I will pay all the costs."
"So, how much is the budget?"
She asked timidly.
She must be curious.
I don't intend to make a plan like "shoot for 1 million yen as an amateur movie."
"Well~ if we have about 1 billion yen, is that enough?"
Well, a big production would cost more, but it's also an independent film.
Before the world stopped, Hollywood movies were 10 billion each.
"Eh?! Th-that much?!"
It seems she didn't think an amateur like me would offer that much.
"If we gather high-level adventurers to make a movie, I want to make something good..."
"I-it's enough as a budget..."
She fell into thought.
"What's wrong?"
"In the film industry, the hierarchy is fixed, and young people can't become directors immediately..."
"Well, every industry is like that, isn't it? Young guys, just stay at the bottom! Something like that~"
"That's right. You have to work as an assistant director for a while before you can finally..."
"So, you can't do anything unless the top people don't disappear?"
"That's right."
Does she know a young person she wants to entrust with directing?
"My movie has no sponsors, no advertising agencies, and will be made as an independent film~ How about pushing through with 'It's an independent film!' if anyone says anything?"
"Is that okay?"
"If Quadrifoglio-san has a director she wants to entrust."
"Please take care of it!"
――Even so, I don't trust them 100%.
"Let's see. Since I'm providing the budget, have that director make a short video of about 10 minutes. Can we judge based on that?"
"Yes! I'll tell her that too!"
"Eh? By 'her', you mean a woman?"
"Yes."
Well, since there are many female cast members, a female director might fit well.
Before that, the question is whether she has the ability to direct a normally large work.
"In editing, Quadrifoglio-san will naturally be involved, right?"
"Of course! Such work doesn't usually come around!"
"Please take care of it."
"Likewise, please take care of it!"
It seems she is full of energy, but it depends on the young director's ability.
The talk was settled, so I parted with Quadrifoglio-san.
If everything goes well.
Thinking about the movie, I return to the room.
"How was it?"
It was Kaorulko who greeted me.
"It seems they will gather staff centered around young people."
"Is it okay?"
"I don't know. Creations are such that just because they are veterans doesn't mean they can make good things."
Whoever makes it, interesting things are justice.
Put it on the market, if it sells, it's justice.
Well, I don't intend to make a profit from this.
Without contracts with advertising agencies or theaters, it can't be screened, but it's the age of the internet.
Just streaming my monster combat videos on the channel gets 100 million views.
If I put a movie starring Iroha with the Princess as the Demon King there, I think it will be far more than 100 million views.
――The reply from a woman wanting to be the director came quickly.
If I miss this chance, it might never come again.
A few days later, I meet that woman with Quadrifoglio-san.
Arriving was a tall woman dressed entirely in black.
She is thorough with a black short bob, black gloves, and a black mask.
"Nice to meet you, I am Flaminia."
"I am Niwa. Nice to meet you."
"Please take care of me."
The tall woman bowed politely.
She is normally polite.
Since I'm always with adventurers, when I hear such a normal greeting, I think "this is normal"――and so on.
"Um, I cannot remove the mask and gloves due to allergies, I'm sorry."
"Oh, I see, understood. It's fine."
"Thank you."
Her hands seem rough due to allergies.
"Allergies seem like a status abnormality, won't they heal if you use a potion in the dungeon?"
"I have tried that too..."
It heals on the spot, but it seems to recur immediately.
Potions are not cheap to buy either.
If it's the root of the disease――an Elixir.
Ordinarily, one can't touch it.
It's something the Yaegashi Group would buy even at a super high price.
"When you say allergies――are there still people like old men and grandfathers who say 'you can cure it with spirit', 'it's weakness', 'eat and it will cure'?"
"There are, there are!"
"Trying to trick and feed you?"
"Really, I'm so fed up."
"Maybe because the earth stopped and they survived the subsequent shortage of supplies, some people say such things."
"This can be life-threatening..."
"That's right~"
Because of that, there seems to be resistance from old-timers in the film industry.
Having a rebellious spirit is good, but it's a problem if the ability doesn't match.
"Shall we talk about the sample video?"
"Yes, please take care of it."
We ask them to make a sample video to see their ability.
Time is 10 minutes, the topic is free.
I will pay the production costs for that――the budget they showed was 5 million.
Is that a bit much for a video budget? I don't know.
There are cases where just filming with friends' video cameras somehow hits, but in the end, it's a battle of content.
Well, it's fine.
If they can't make a video that satisfies me even with the budget provided, the talk ends here――.
Using connections from the Yaegashi Group to introduce an advertising agency is the standard way, but I don't want to go that route.
If there are many participants, it will drift further and further from what I desired.
Various pushy things will come in too.
I won't allow that.
I transferred the money to their account, and the meeting ended.
Well, what will happen?
Maybe they will run away with the money.
Well, that would be interesting too.
I returned to the room.
"Princess, the director was also a tall woman in all-black fashion."
"I see."
"Ugh――have you given up on doing it?"
"No matter how many I chase away, women gather at Daisuke-san's place, so I gave up."
Kaorulko explained the Princess's situation.
As expected, they have been together for a long time.
"No matter what kind of woman comes, the Princess is the best."
"I think you should show it more with your attitude."
It's Kaorulko's advice, but is that how it is?
Men and women feel differently.
I went to the Princess and lifted her up.
"Princess."
"W-what."
"I love you."
"Heh!"
"I love you, I love you, I love you."
"Nyaahhh!"
She suddenly pushed me away.
"What's wrong?"
The Princess is sitting on the floor.
Peering in, her face was bright red and trembling.
"Hehehe... Kuku..."
Kaorulko is holding her stomach at the Princess's state.
"Kaorulko!"
"Ahahaha!"
Anyway, what kind of sample video will be made?
At MangaBoxhttps://www.mangabox.me/The comic adaptation of "Aloha Middle-Aged Man's Reiwa Dungeon Life," retitled "Aloha Middle-Aged Man's Tokyo Dungeon Life," is now serializing.It seems only the smartphone site is being updated.Please take care of us~.