Saekano Volume 12: Twist and Conclusion

Probably won’t be able to do a quick review on Saekano volume 12 since I’ve been occupied with work and lots of night shifts in these past few months, but here is a longer teaser. Hopefully you guys don’t mind.

Another important thing to note is that the series will be concluded in the next two volumes: Girls Side 3 and volume 13, just like what I’ve mentioned previously in the page. Get your hands on the light novel here!

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Illustrations

Synopsis

After worrying so much over the main scenario, Meguri route, and finding a way to resolve it, I made a promise to go on a birthday with main heroine Katou Megumi, the one who’s worked the hardest at blessing software.
“Sorry, I can’t go there right now.”
“…….”
“You can hear me, right? You understand what I just said, right?”
I cancelled the date due to a certain event and headed to a hospital room.
There, I heard the details from someone and made a big decision.
The result – “As I thought, I can’t become your main heroine.”
The difficulty of getting the main heroine rises in one go!

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Updated Summary (credit to a 4chan anon for taking their time to write this):

Prologue

>Tomoya calls Megumi

>turns out she was so excited she went an hour early and was wandering the mall

>he tells her he can’t go to the date

>long silence

>she asks why

>he says something happened and tells her it’s not a blood relative, only someone she knows in passing

>Megumi says that since it can’t be helped, he can go

>Tomoya takes a ride to the hospital

>Akane had collapsed

>company executives called Tomoya over because she was last heard muttering Tomoya’s name

>Eriri and Utaha soon show up too

>usual jealousy hijinks

>Machida shows up, Tomoya expects her to stop but she just tries to take a picture of them instead

>they later learn Akane had a stroke; she can’t move her right arm and has trouble seeing and moving

>Machida tells them to leave for now and not to tell anyone about the incident, though after begging Tomoya gets permission to tell Megumi

>Megumi is a bit upset after hearing why Tomoya couldn’t go on a date, but she forgives him saying it was something serious

>he asks what he can do to make up for not going on the date

>she tells him that they can’t do anything expensive because she spent all her money that day

>he moves the subject to asking when she can get back to script reading

>Megumi points out she said she wanted to rest for a while, but Tomoya keeps pressuring

>she says that he’s gotten cocky lately, and he retorts that her personality’s gotten darker

>Megumi is a bit miffed, but he says that he actually likes her darker personality

>Megumi wonders if they should add a new character trait

>Tomoya suggests being an angelic type of character, one who forgives the MC no matter how many promises he breaks

>Megumi says that’s too stressful for the heroine and too convenient for the guy

>they chat about random things for hours until it’s midnight

>at the end, Megumi has him promise to focus completely on the game until it’s done

>Tomoya visits Eriri to see how she’s doing since she’s been absent for days working and pretended to have the flu to get the school to excuse her

>Eriri complains that she has a huge amount of work and that since Akane’s collapsed she’s gotten no direction from anyone in the company

>he tells her to be careful or she might not even graduate

>he notices that Eriri hasn’t started drawing since he came, remembering that Eriri can’t draw with him around

>he leaves, promising to come back eventually

>Tomoya is on a hospital visit to Akane

>she’s been trying to sneak out of the hospital but Tomoya is in the way

>she’s desperate to get back to work, but Tomoya tells her to leave it to the rest of the company

>she continues to insist on leaving, so he asks her what exactly is going on with the game

>she decides to tell Machida instead and tells him to go back to school, but he insists on staying and they wind up waiting for Machida to show up

>Akane reveals how bad the game’s situation is, she’s fought with company executives on how the game should turn out

>at this point, her version would take too long and the company is considering going with their version so they can go on sale on time

>she insists she just needs to push the deadline back three weeks to get it done, but the company is unwilling to do so

>Machida berates her and calls her crazy, saying there is no way anyone can currently get that deadline pushed

>defeated, Akane laments on her misfortune, saying she’s let Eriri and Utaha, whose talents she claims to have discovered, down

>this sets Tomoya off, and he yells at Akane that he was the one who found them and that he cares for the two of them way more

>Akane says she’s the one who really made their talents grow

>he responds with how Eriri was the only one who grew and Utaha was always a genius

>he says she can’t control them, so she overworked herself, and that as she is now, he can’t leave the two of them to her so he’ll do something about it

>Machida butts in to stop the argument and takes the opportunity to let Tomoya know that she was the one who found Utaha first

>Tomoya is on the phone with Megumi and tells her he’ll be working with the Fields Chronicle company

>she asks who requested this, and he reveals he personally asked for the job

>she tries to stop him saying it’s unreasonable and that he’s not suited for the job

>he tells her that he knows it’s wrong but that it’s something he has to do

>she points out that even though a year ago he promised to first consult, report and communicate before doing anything rash, all he’s done this time is report and communicate, not consult

>she tells him to give her some time to think

>thirty seconds later, she calls him back asking him how long he’ll be gone

>he says three weeks, and she says it’s not enough time to finish the game

>he responds with how he’ll work on both games at once and that he’ll leave things to Iori

>he apologizes for what he’s going to do

>Megumi asks him for some time to think

>she hangs up and calls back thirty seconds later asking what will happen to the company’s game if he doesn’t help

>he tells her that it’ll still release on time and be a good game

>she points out there should be no problem, which he denies

>he says that wouldn’t be the game Akane truly wanted to create and that it’s supposed to be a kamige

>he goes on to state that a kamige will never be created if not everyone gives their 100%

>Megumi is asking if he’s throwing away the chance for their own circle’s game to be a kamige

>she points out he’s not giving his best

>Tomaya says that Fields Chronicle is Eriri and Utaha’s big chance and moment

>she responds with how the circle’s game is their own big chance that they’ve worked a year for

>she laments that she doesn’t understand this at all and wonders if Tomoya treasures other people’s big games over their own doujin game

>Tomoya can only say that both are important to him

>Megumi asks him what she should do, get unreasonably angry and yell at him, cry, and bother him or to go as she normally does, acting like she understands and send him off with a smile

>she starts sobbing and apologizing

>Tomoya tells her that he’s in the wrong, to which she agrees, but she apologizes anyway

>she tells him she can’t become his main heroine

>Tomoya convinces the executives with his plan (this is mostly offscreen)

>he meets Eriri and Utaha

>they’re against him helping

>Utaha says she’ll do the negotiating to the company

>he counters with how she doesn’t have the time to do that, revealing his plan for how to finish the game

>the plan compromises where it can, such as reusing locations to cut time needed to draw

>he asks Utaha if she has any problems with the plan

>aside from the volume of stuff to correct, she doesn’t

>he moves on to Eriri, to which he says that the only thing she has to do is finish her work one week earlier

>Eriri is shocked at the work she has to do, but Utaha steps in and says Eriri might not even graduate with this workload

>Eriri snaps back saying she’ll definitely graduate; pleased with that answer, Tomoya moves back to Utaha and says she has even more stuff to do since she has to direct the seiyuu along with other miscellaneous stuff

>Machida remarks that the reason only Tomoya can do this job is that only he can make them work so hard

>Tomoya gets down on his knees and begs them to work, asking them to “make him a man.”

>some time passes, both girls still undecided

>Utaha and Tomoya are talking; she asks if he’s really willing to do this and risk repeating last year’s mistake

>he says that they’ve changed since last year and that his mind’s made up

>Utaha decides to get on board with his plan and tells him she’ll get Eriri to agree

(Maruto says he’ll explore this stuff in more detail in GS3)

>Megumi has cut all contact with Tomoya; when he sends her text messages, she doesn’t even read them

>Tomoya goes home and finds Eriri there drawing

>Utaha shows up, and the three start working on the game

>the work is tough, but Tomoya manages to find some time to write an e-mail to Megumi (translation at the end) that tell her how much he wants to meet and flirt with her

>Eriri and Utaha have managed to sneak in without him noticing and read his email

>they find the email’s contents very embarrassing but are also miffed at how Tomoya has never said anything like this to them

>they think Tomoya is sending this to Megumi, but he manages to fool them by using a command to switch all mentions of Megumi to Meguri

>however, his plan fails when they reread the email and find that Tomoya used the kanji for Megumi to refer to being blessed and that kanji had been switched to Meguri so what should have been “megumareteru” becomes “megurimareteru”

>Tomoya sends another email to Megumi, usual stuff (translation at end)

>he plans to use these emails as part of his game’s scenario

>Eriri reads this email, but Tomoya doesn’t particularly care about them being read anymore

>she tells him for some reason, she’s able to draw even when he’s nearby, and asks if she can come back to the circle

>Tomoya staunchly refuses, saying she has her own path to stardom to take

>he tells her not to worry since he’ll catch up to her someday

>Tomoya goes for a hospital visit to Akane

>she’s undergoing rehabilitation and drawing with plans to leave the hospital the next Monday

>he tells her that the game is going well

>Akane promises to give him some kind of reward for his efforts

>she recalls meeting Tomoya once before when Iori brought him to a circle in middle school

>she gets mad at the memory because she remembers that Tomoya was the first person to praise her first anime adaptation, which turned out really badly since she wasn’t heavily involved

>he returns home and writes a third email, usual stuff (translation at end)

>near the end, he panics at edits the email to something else

>he falls to the ground in exhaustion, but then eventually notices something wrong

>the same moment he pressed “send,” he heard a sound that indicated someone receiving it

>he finds the door slightly open, opens it wider and sees Megumi waiting for him in the corridor

>he asks why she’s here, and she retorts that since he didn’t consult her before leaving, she didn’t have to answer

>she tells him she didn’t come to make him happy in particular and that she hasn’t forgiven him at all since she’s still furious

>she says that the letters irritated her since they talked about how happy he was working with Eriri and Utaha and he was the only one being happy

>as another point, she talks about how irritated she was that he talked about how much it hurt not being with her and asks who’s the one who was really hurt

>she’s near tears at this point

>Megumi explains that she came because last year she left before the circle had its event celebrating the game’s completion, so she wanted to participate in this game’s event this time

>he tells her that’s why he sent the letters since he wanted her to be with him

>she says that as a member of the circle, she can’t do that, though Tomoya says that he’s one too

>she says that she can make things but shouldn’t; Tomoya says he’s like that too, and Megumi says that’s because he can’t make things alone

>Tomoya lowers himself and looks Megumi in the eye and is about to say something, but Eriri interrupts

>Megumi finally cries after seeing Eriri, and they cry together

>Eriri says she shares some of the blame for what happened and felt bad about it

>Megumi asks Eriri if she was actually in the wrong for not going with Tomoya to help, to which Eriri denies and says it’s all his fault

>Eriri says that she and Utaha are going to help the circle with their game to make up for the trouble they caused with stuff like test playing

>some time passes

>Utaha tries to rape Tomoya, but Michiru interrupts

>turns out the rest of the circle has showed up

>usual hijinks

>From: Aki Tomoya

>To: Katou Megumi

>Subject: Things up until Yesterday

>Good evening…well, it’s dawn here, so good morning.

>Umm, you don’t read my LINE messages, so I was worried and decided to use email, like we used to.

>Well, even so, I’m not telling you that you have to read it.

>It’s just that if it’s email, I don’t have to worry if it got through and I can write what I want.

>If you don’t want to read this, you don’t have to.

>…though you might be thinking that if I have the time to write this much, I should be writing scenarios, if you feel like saying that, please reply.-

>Rght now, I’m in my room.

>Eriri and Utaha-senpai came, and they’re working on Fields Chronicle XIII.

>Of course, I plan to go to school and will stop Sunday night, but Eriri will probably continue working at her own house.

>Utaha-senpai will probably join her there.

>I will probably help with them on weekday nights, in fact I’ll be doing progress checks at Eriri’s house.

>With this, I’m sorry.

>Like I said before, I’ll be supervising here for a while.

>As for the time, we’ve shortened the October three week deadline to two.

>It’s the second week of October, so basically two more weeks.

>I don’t think just because what I’m doing has been shortened that I’m any less wrong though.

>Anyway, I’m going to make a new schedule report.

>But, sorry to say this to you, but right now, I’m having a great experience.

>Like, it’s Fields Chronicle, you know?

>You might not get it, but even when we first got into this kind of stuff, Fields Chronicle was already a big title, you know?

>There aren’t any hardware that can play the first generation anymore, and they even make remakes of it.

>I can understand how Eriri and Utaha-senpai were shaken up.

>In fact, I was a bit aware of it up until now, but to have wound up in it like this just feels out of this world, like I’m the MC of a story.

>…I just hope we don’t wind up working those in black businesses that seem popular nowadays.

>So, in the middle of this great experience, I feel something even better inside me.

>After all, I’m making a game with Eriri and Utaha-senpai again.

>I thought this would never happen, or at least take years, but I can do this right now.

>Of course, making games with Izumi-chan, Michiru, and Iori is the best.

>We’ll definitely make the best galge ever and put it on winter Comiket.

>But, making games with Eriri and Utaha-senpai…even though I’m not in the circle now, I can’t deny this feeling that this is fun. I just can’t.

>Like, they’re top creators. It’s an actual game being made in the industry.

>Kashiwagi Eri. Kasumi Utako.

>Even though this is a coincidence, a miracle, I can’t say I’m not happy.

>Right now, I am blessed…sorry, Megumi.

>In truth, it’s nostalgic and fun, as great as it was last year.

>I’m working while trying to stop myself from crying.

>Even so, it’s not the same as last year.

>There’s one thing missing.

>In truth, in a totally opposite way,  that was all that stayed with me.

>But now, that’s the one thing I don’t have.

>Eriri and Utaha-senpai quibble over stupid things they can’t concede.

>And there’s me, giving useless advice and meaningless quips.

>But the person who’s in the corner of the room, just existing and letting things slide flatly, isn’t here.

>The more fun this is…the more the fact that you’re not here hurts me. It’s too painful.

>Also, can I complain about one more thing.

>I’m not the scenario writer since there’s already a super genius.

>I just do schedule stuff and negotiations with the company.

>…I’m way more like a producer compared to last year, right?

>I’m talking to veteransI had seen countless times in game magazine interviews.

>I’m doing these unreasonable negotiations with them. Sometimes I even yell.

>They definitely think I’m stuck-up. In fact, even I do too.

>I know this is me saying it, but I want a break.

>Why do I, a high-schooler, have to do this nerve-wracking power play?

>Ah, I want to play galge!

>I want to flirt with heroines!

>…I want to see you soon.

>From: Aki Tomoya

>To: Katou Megumi

>Subject: The usual

>Today, I’m working in Eriri’s room.

>Utaha-senpai will be working on the final recordings, so she’s at the studio.

>Progress is surprisingly good.

>…well, for a schedule that got extended, I guess.

>It might not be something worth bragging about.

>Utaha-senpai’s scenarios, fixes included, are all done.

>Even the stuff I wanted to get passed got the OK.

>With this, writing that is purely Kasumi Utako’s will explode for the five hundred thousand Fields fans.

>I look forward to the screams of the users on release day…though we might get flamed.

>Eriri has been keeping a pace of two drawings per day, but yesterday, she finished three drawings in a day.

>As I thought, right before a deadline she shows unbelievable power.

>…if she didn’t destroy her body doing it she’d be perfect.

>In the previous mail, I talked about having a great experience.

>In fact, I’m starting to think seriously about my future.

>Up until now, I wanted to make things with the circle as a hobby, and though I’ve actually done it, as I thought, I want to make games at a business as a job like Eriri and Utaha-senpai.

>I’ve found myself wanting to be a creator.

>Writing, directing, stuff like that, I don’t really know what I want to do.

>But really, I want to feel more of this fun and passion, pain and suffering.

>…well, it’s weird for a senior high schooler who, even though it’s fall, hasn’t studied for entrance exams yet and has spent his time making games (two titles, in fact) to talk about his future.

>By the way, I promised to report everything, so here I go.

>Sorry, Eriri and Utaha-senpai saw the previous email.

>I tried to play it off as a game scenario, but I botched it. I want to die.

>I’ll accept any criticism or blame for this, so I’ll wait for you to respond.

>Also, that time I came up with something and tried it out.

>I’m going to use this email for the climax of the Meguri route.

>I fixed up the parts with private details and other parts that didnn’t match the scenarios up until now, but it’s basically the same.

>The MC gets in a fight with Meguri, and she breaks contact with him.

>It’s after the “twist” part.

>This will be used for the scene where the MC expresses his feelings towards Meguri.

>I’ve sent several emails to Iori.

>Eventually I’ll send them to you, Izumi and Michiru…in fact, they might already be there.

>Anyway, this might feel a bit late, but with this the Meguri route is eighty percent done.

>All that’s left is the MC’s confession, Meguri’s reply, and the ending.

>…I don’t know whether it will be a happy end or a bad end though.

>Anyhow, I’ll finish the Meguri route once I’m done with this and come back.

>So please, make a game with me again.

>Please assist me, like you’ve done up until now.

>I’ll come back to the circle, so please come back too.

>From: Aki Tomoya

>To: Katou Megumi

>Subject: Only a little left!

>So, I’m sorry I made you wait so long.

>But, things are finally ending here.

>I’ll come back at the end of the week.

>…come to think of it, I’ve hurt everyone in various ways.

>I’m scared about whether or not anyone will be left when I come back.

>I wonder if everyone will come back if I ask them to.

>I wonder if I’ll just be left alone.

>Well, you reap what you sow.

>I know what I did wasn’t right, and I did it anyway.

>I know I can’t be discouraged, no matter what choice you and everyone else makes.

>After all, I disappointed you and everyone else even more.

>Even so, I’m still dreaming and looking forward to everyone coming back to my room and making a game.

>I’m looking forward to you, like you always do, say, “I don’t know,” and come back to my side.

>So I’ll keep looking forward and calling out to everyone in the circle until you guys tell me not to. At least give me the chance to struggle.

>But, if I really was told that…no, even so, I’ll still make games.

>I’ll work alone while I wait for everyone.

>I’ll work on the best, most disgusting galge ever, with the best, most alluring main heroine.

>The heroine that I can become the friendliest with, the one that can become the happiest.

>The best game like that…

>Anyway, this is the last excuse…no, report mail.

>In short, this is the end of the integration with the Kanou Meguri scenario.

>After this, I’ll truly go back to gamemaking.

>I’ll make the story go from “twist” to “conclusion.”

>I wonder if Meguri and the MC will make up after breaking off the relationship.

>What will be the conclusion of their story?

>And what will be their conclusion?

>Well, I’ll give a little spoiler.

>After the MC’s raging opportunism finally explodes, Meguri comes back to the MC.

>They make the story that was stopped move again.

>And like how the word “conclusion” implies, they end up together.

>A flawless happy end is waiting for them.

>…it’s a galge after all.

>Since the one writing is me, who loves happy ends, if you think about it, it’s an obvious development.

>Even so, I’m really looking forward to it and want to write it so badly.

>What risque words will Meguri throw at the MC?

>What cute reactions will she give?

>What’s she going to do?

>And finally…well, this might be the main part though, what words will you give, what reaction will you have, just what are you going to do?

>I want to know so badly.

>I beg of you, please look forward to it.

(in the third letter, he found parts that were a confession and edited them out)

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[SPOILER ALERT]

I just feel like I have to translate this final bit of the volume now.

—

“It’s over, isn’t it~?”

“Everything.”

“Yeah~”

“Our game is not done in the slightest, though.”

“Please just forget about it for today…”

“Even though you forgot about it more than twice already…”

“Uh…”

“I really want to show you right now, Tomoya-kun… How much Izumi-chan and Hyoudou-san have worked really hard…”

“Iori too, right?”

“Me too.”

“That’s dodging the subject.”

“Mmm…”

—

“Just to be clear, I haven’t forgiven you, you know.”

“I don’t really think I’ve been forgiven too.”

“If so, shouldn’t you show a bit more remorse?”

“I’m really sorry… I will do anything from now on.”

“It’s obvious that you have to do anything, we’re two months away from the deadline, after all.”

“No, really, if I don’t do anything it just won’t feel right.”

“I won’t buy into your cliche of pretending to apologize and running away later, though.”

“….Sorry.”

“Also, I’m not okay with you grinning like that while apologizing, you know.”

“Well, that’s… I’m just very happy, so please let it slide.”

“Even though I’m still angry~”

“Right, you’re already angry… Even though you didn’t get mad at me two months ago (furigana: V7).”

“…I’m glad you came back.”

“I think I’ve learned a lesson or two from that time… Look, this time I contacted you before, right?”

“You didn’t ask for permission, though.”

“But Megumi, you said it, right? ‘Maybe what Tomoya-kun’s doing is the right thing after all…'”

“Stealing someone else’s words without consideration, you truly have no delicacy, Tomoya-kun.”

“Right, sorry, I’m in the wrong.”

—

“So, this time, I’m going to say it… Please hear me out.”

“Yes, this time for sure. With all your heart, okay?”

“….I swear to squeeze out all of the truth, without hiding a single thing.”

“Seems you have pushed yourself to the corner, huh.”

“Well, this time, I definitely won’t be able to get away with a single lie.”

“Eh…”

“See, I… I…”

“…”

From the “twist” that Megumi didn’t want, to the place that extends to the “conclusion”that I desire right now.

When i first met Megumi… Wait, that’s not right, we actually have been acquaintances for a year before. Anyway, within the first one month of being together with her, I thought that as long as I try hard, it can work out or so.

But, after a year, there is nothing. Maybe for a guy, I’m taking it too long.

But, after all the times we spent together in a year, I started thinking.

That all those times, all those words, and all those feelings are necessary for us.

Simple, cliche, troublesome, annoying.

Sometimes I don’t really get what she’s thinking.

Or maybe, she’s not really thinking all that deeply.

But even so, no, exactly because of that…

Her actions and words are somehow deep, and complicated.

—

If this was a year ago, I wouldn’t need this much courage.

If this was a year ago, I probably would just go away with the flow.

But this time, I’m scared, I’m nervous, and my hands are trembling.

And now, holding on to this powerful feeling, I’m gathering all my determination…

“I.. I love you, Megumi! I love the 3D (furigana: real) you!”

“That ‘real’ part is kinda unnecessary, no?”

“……………..oi.”

No, well, I guess it’s partly my fault of saying it that way.

But, you don’t really have to give such a flat response to my once-in-a-lifetime confession, man…