Chapter 25 Team Meeting

No one's POV

Currently, during class, Nhazul was in the middle of reading through the script he had made while in High School on his laptop. "The Ultramarine Constellation", looking over the revisions that were made.

Nhazul's thoughts: Yep, this is perfect.

Later in the day, after class, Nhazul would meet Chizuru back at the apartment, handing her the script.

Nhazul: Here's the script.

Chizuru: Oh? So this is the one?

Nhazul: Yeah. I wanted you to read through it and start getting lines down.

Chizuru: Alright. I'll read it. I'll contact you when I'm done.

Nhazul: Right.

Chizuru: Later.

After leaving Chizuru the script, Nhazul would return to his apartment and sit down on his bed. As he went to pull out his laptop, Nhazul's mind would wander back to what Mini told him about Chizuru she must like him.

Nhazul's thoughts: Why do I keep thinking about this? Chizuru liking me? That'll never happen.

Elsewhere, a few hours later within Chizuru's apartment, she had just finished reading through Nhazul's script and was amazed.

Chizuru: Yep, this is good! Better than good. To think he wrote this in high school.

(Timeskip)

It's currently the next day and while working, Nhazul had saw they had gotten over half of the money they needed, however there there were no backers in the last 24 hours, along views are starting to go down as well.

Nhazul's thoughts: We haven't had any backers within the last day and our views are going down drastically too... There's only 2 weeks left for the crowdfunding. Even if we count on a busier final week... That still wouldn't put close to our goal.

Nhazul: Hmm...

While in his thoughts, suddenly, his door bell rings and he is surprised to see Mini.

Nhazul: Mini?

Mini: Morning, Master!

Nhazul: ...-_-... Are you really going to keep calling me that...?

Mini: Of course, Master! Anyway, have you made any progress with Chizuru? Anything happen? You're not giving me any updates! I'm so curious, I can't sleep at night!

Mini said getting in Nhazul's face, as he merely pushed her back.

Nhazul: Are you still on this?

Mini: Of course I am! My mind's constantly spinning like a "Now Loading" Icon! Don't worry! "Stay calm" is my motto in life! You spent time together in your apartment! That's gotta be something!

Nhazul: No, it isn't.

Mini: Gotta strike when the iron is hot!

Nhazul's thoughts: ...-_-... She's just completely ignoring everything I say, isn't she...? She's convinced we have feelings for each other...

Mini: Huh? Isn't that Chizuru?!

Nhazul: Huh?

Nhazul looked at Mini and saw she was looking at his laptop that was on his desk, before quickly making her way in his apartment.

Mini: Crowdfunding? A Movie?! What's this about, Master?!

Looking at Mini, Nhazul just sighed and walked inside and explained everything to her, telling her about the movie.

Mini: Oh, the tears! Chizuru is a really great person! Lemme take a selfie cause I cried.

Mini said pulling out a selfie stick, taking a picture of herself.

Nhazul: Really...? Anyway. As you can see, we aren't really-

Mini: What are you saying?! The fact that she's entrusting you with her dream, a client, is proof that you have her trust!

Nhazul's thoughts: She just won't quit...

Nhazul: Regardless of that, we won't have a movie if I don't find a solution to this. This is my first time doing something like this, so-

Mini: Maybe I can help.

Nhazul: Huh?

Mini: I have experience running a crowdfunding project.

Hearing this, Nhazul looked at Mini surprised.

Nhazul: Wait, you do?

Mini: In my last summer of high school, me and my cosplay pals crowdfunded an IRL event.

Nhazul: That so, huh? Then do you mind taking a look?

Looking at the project, she explains it won't be easy, but wants the page analytics so that she can look into it and make a plan.

Later when Mini returns , she tells him that if he wants to make the project success, there is something she needs from him. Nhazul then calls Chizuru and Ruka and ehen Ruka arrives, she sees Mini and starts questioning Nhazul about who is she.

Ruka: Nhazul? Explain this! What's going on here?! Did something happen behind my back again?! Who is she?!

Nhazul just looked at Ruka annoyed, before grinding his knuckles on her head.

Ruka: Ow! That hurts, Nhazul!

Nhazul: ...-_-... I don't want to hear anything from you...! It's your fault that this even happened...!

Mini: Relax, Miss Girlfriend. There's nothing between me and Master.

Ruka: Master?!

Chizuru: Nhazul, why is she even here?

Nhazul: Well, she's here because she heard everything that happened the other night.

Hearing this, both Chizuru and Ruka would look at him surprised.

Chizuru: Huh?!

Ruka: Y-You mean...

Nhazul: ...-_-... Yep...

Soon, Ruka would just look down apologetic.

Ruka: S-Sorry...

Nhazul: Luckily, despite this "Master" BS, she seems to be chill about it. And she's here to help given how the crowdfunding hit a slump.

Mini: That's right. I know you want to get the facts straight. So there's no time for arguing! Everyone here has the same goal to make this movie a success. Am I wrong?

Hearing this, both Ruka and Chizuru would become quiet, surprisingly listening to Mini.

Nhazul's thoughts: Surprising how calm and composed coming from her.

Mini: First odd, the project page Master designed. It's extremely well made. It's very clear that you worked hard on it. But there's a serious lack of progress reports and updates after launch. To be honest, Master, this is on you. You got carried away after the first wave. Since this is your first time, you made a very rookie mistake by letting up after the first week's support. It shows in the analytics your daily view counts, and backer cancellation graphs.

Nhazul: I see.

Nhazul's thoughts: This girl's amazing...

Mini: Another issue is your rewards.

Chizuru: The rewards?

Mini: Currently, you offer things like tickets and passes to enter the Film Festival, along with names in the credits and thank you messages. All very nice and classy. However, classy means nothing if you don't get your funding.

Nhazul, Ruka and Chizuru: ...

Mini: This campaign is all or nothing. If you're even a single yen below your goal, you won't get a single yen from it. We can't be concerned with appearances here.

Nhazul: ...

Nhazul's thoughts: She's right. My thoughts process for this has been way too professional... We're not going to get anywhere like this.

Mini: We need more tiers and offer other rewards to backers.

Chizuru: Such as?

Mini: Personal possessions of yours.

Hearing this, both Ruka and Chizuru looked surprised, however Nhazul didn't, understanding her thought processes.

Nhazul: I see that makes senses.

Ruka: It does?

Nhazul: More often than not, after filming, movie props tend to be sold at auctions, sent to a warehouse owned by the studio, or housed by the production designer.

Ruka: But why does that make sense to you?

Nhazul: It's because people collect movie props they have a profound connection to. Be it their favorite films, scenes, or actors. Owning a physical piece of movie history transforms collectors into both participants and custodians of cinematic magic.

Ruka: I see... I didn't know that...

Mini: That's exactly right, Master. Clothing and shoes she wears in the movie, signed copies of the script and other everyday stuff she could do without. Like Master said, lots of film related projects do this stuff. And I mean, Chizuru is a beautiful woman. A lot of the backers will be fans of Chizuru Ichinose the Actress. I think we can even expect some of them to double or even triple dip.

Nhazul's thoughts: ...-_-... Ah, having Simps help pay for our film. What a cruel twist of fate this is....

Nhazu would then look back towards Chizuru.

Nhazul: Be that as it may, these aren't simple movie props. They're personal belongings. This can only work if she's-

Chizuru: Alright. I'll see what I can offer.

Hearing this, the three would look at Chizuru surprised.

Mini: Wow, respect... Lastly, grassroots promotion is super important, too. Getting on the site's recommended page will have a huge effect. Chizuru, I bet you know a lot of actors, so ask them to spread the word on social media.

Chizuru: Right.

Mini: We should also start passing out fliers around train stations as soon as tomorrow.

Ruka: Fliers....

Mini: That's it for our strategy meeting! I'll write a progress update post and put it on the project's page. Master, you convince the Agent Rep to have our project listed in the recommendations.

Chizuru, you look for belongs you can give away and get help from your friends.

Girlfriend, I'd like you to design the fliers we'll pass out. We need to spread the word to our friends and pass out fliers when we're free. We don't have a single moment to waste if we want to hit our goal. This is the time for us to come together so we can get this movie made!

After speaking, Ruka would look towards Nhazul, before looking back at Mini.

Ruka: I don't like being ordered around by "a neighbor", but I'll cooperate for Nhazul's sake.

Mini: And Chizuru?

Chizuru: Of course I'm in. I appreciate this.

Mini: Then I trust we're in agreement. From here on out, this plan will be referred to as "Operation 203"!

Nhazul: ...-_-... Do we really need it to have a code name...?

(Timeskip)

It's currently later in the night after having their team meeting and currently Nhazul was in the middle of messaging the Agent when suddenly his phone began to ring, seeing it was Leo.

Nhazul's thoughts: Leo? Why is he calling so late?

Nhazul: Hello?

Leo: Hey! Big bro!

Nhazul: What are you doing up this late?

Leo: I don't have any school this week, can you come over to play video games after class?

Nhazul: Oh, sorry. I'm going to be busy for awhile?

Leo: Huhhhhh? Do you have midterms you need to study for?

Nhazul's thoughts: ...-_-... I swear, he talks like he knows the struggles of mid terms...

Nhazul: No, at least not now. I'm going to be getting things ready for a project.

Upon hearing this, Leo gasped surprised.

Leo: Project?! Are you entering the Film Festival this year?!

Nhazul just looked his phone annoyed.

Nhazul: How did you even guess that...?

Leo: Because I've been waiting for this!

Nhazul: Waiting?

Leo: Yeah! You promised if you ever made another movie you said I'd could help!

Hearing this, Nhazul quickly remembering making Leo that promise last time he asked him during the last time he entered.

Leo: I can help, right?! You said I can!

Nhazul: ...-_-...Alright, alright.

Nhazul's thoughts: ...-_-... Sigh...

(Timeskip)

It's now been two days after the Team Meeting and currently, Nhazul is in the middle of handing out the fliers, however it's going very slowly. He recalls that the previous day was much easier when Ruka was with him and handing them out.

Nhazul's thoughts: ...-_-... It's going a lot slower than yesterday without guys Simping over Ruka...

Leo: Please take a flier and support my big brother's project!

Nhazul looked over and saw Leo handing out fliers, with plenty of people taking them from him, before smiling at him.

Nhazul's thoughts: Well, can't say it's all bad.

???: Ah...!

Nhazul: Hmm?

Looking over, Nhazul ends up seeing Sumi.

Nhazul: Sumi? What are you doing here?

Sumi would quickly begin typing on her phone, showing Nhazul.

Sumi: "I'm meeting my dad for dinner".

Nhazul: Oh, your dad.

Leo: Big bro?

The two would look down and see Leo had walked up to them out of fliers, as well as noticing Sumi.

Leo: Who's she?

Nhazul: Oh, this is Sumi. She's a friend from college.

Hearing this, Leo looked surprised, before smiling.

Leo: Really? She's your friend? I'm glad you're making more girl friends and not being mean to them!

Nhazul just looked at Leo annoyed.

Nhazul: ...-_-... Will you-

Soon, Nhazul noticed Sumi looking at Leo, with a wide eyed expression, with "So cute" written on her face, making Nhazul sigh. However, soon after, she sees the fliers, as Nhazul ends up revealing the movie project.

Sumi: "Sounds rough. Are you doing okay?"

Seeing this, Nhazul would just chuckle.

Nhazul's thoughts: Always the worry wort.

Nhazul: Thanks, I'm fine. This isn't anything new for me.

Leo: Hey, hey, Miss Sumi?

Nhazul and Sumi both looked at Leo, who tilted his head confused.

Leo: Why are you only talking by phone?

Hearing this, Sumi would simply blush embarrassed, before Nhazul chopped his head.

Leo: Ow!

Nhazul: It's not nice to pry into other people's business.

Leo: It was just a question...!

Leo said pouting at Nhazul, as he looked at him annoyed. Seeing this, Sumi would simply smile at them. Once Sumi had left, and the two had finished bickering, the two would continue to hand out the fliers, when Leo began coughing.

Nhazul: You alright?

Leo: Yeah, my throat is just getting dry. Being the one handing out the most fliers is making me thirsty.

Hearing this, Nhazul's eye would twitch, annoyed.

Nhazul: You little...!

With Sumi, as she would make her way to meet her dad, she soon would text him, telling him to start without her and decides to join Nhazul and Leo and help them with the fliers, surprising him.

Nhazul: Sumi...?

Despite how embarrassed she feels,

she still gathers enough courage to start asking people to take fliers and support their project, making Nhazul smile.

Nhazul's thoughts: Thanks, Sumi.