At 12 PM on American time, the plane landed at Las Vegas airport, and Takayuki and his team disembarked.
Toshiyuki Noro was being dragged off the plane by Yuki Uesugi with a look of clear disdain.
The guy had drunk too much again.
"I told you, look at him—two glasses of red wine, and he's out cold. This guy really can't handle his liquor. He's the perfect example of someone who's both weak and loves to have fun."
After getting off the plane, Takayuki's assistant had already arranged transportation, and the group headed straight to a hotel near the Millison Film Festival to check in.
For people in the film industry, this was a rare and special day. Many influential figures gathered here, and some familiar movie stars could be seen greeting one another.
At this moment, in the hotel, you could see famous directors and actors everywhere.
Among them, there was a small group of people who seemed particularly out of place.
...
One person was carrying another into the hotel, followed by several others.
In front of this group was a very young-looking person. He had a unique aura about him, one that made it clear that he wasn't an ordinary individual.
Beside him was a silver-haired woman with a single ponytail, her beauty turning heads. Many quickly tried to recall which movie star she was, but despite thinking for a while, no one could place her, which left them puzzled.
Such a beauty should surely be famous in the film industry.
Next to her was another woman with distinct Eastern beauty, likely in her early twenties.
After entering the hotel, they headed to the front desk, and many people in the film industry were watching these unfamiliar faces.
"Hey, do you know who these people are? Which film company do they belong to?"
The person asked shook their head, "I've never seen them before. If they were from a major film company, I'd remember. This is strange."
"Look, they're heading upstairs. Looks like they're checking in here. People staying here at this time must be attending the Millison Film Festival, but I've never seen these people before."
Curiosity was piqued as no one recognized these newcomers.
These people were Takayuki and his team.
They guessed Takayuki and his group were probably in their twenties, but in reality, Takayuki was already over thirty.
However, ten years had not left a mark on his face, and he still looked youthful.
Aya Tsukino and Airi Hayakawa were similar in appearance.
Most Easterners age very slowly, so it was not unusual to look like you were in your twenties even when you were in your thirties.
A group of unfamiliar faces in the hotel soon became the talk of the place.
Not long after, the news about Takayuki and his team was already out.
They were the main creative team behind Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, the full-CG movie.
No one expected them to be so young.
Some had heard of them before, mainly because many people in the film industry had opposed the movie.
But those who knew the inside story understood that it was simply a business rivalry. Who was behind the film didn't matter too much.
Still, it was surprising how young they were.
No wonder the special effects in the movie were so trendy and innovative—these were things only young people could pull off.
Last year, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children had been a huge topic in the film industry.
Many admired the team's creativity, how they had come up with the idea of making a full-CG movie like that.
If it were up to others, it would be hard to achieve such an effect.
This team's ability to cross into other fields was quite impressive.
However, where there's admiration, there's also criticism and disdain.
Some of the people who had publicly declared opposition to Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children were now among those who resented it.
They were forced to continue their opposition, or else their public image would collapse.
The unfortunate person whose public image had collapsed after their opposition was now virtually a pariah, and their films had few viewers.
Other people didn't want to make the same mistake.
After Takayuki entered the hotel, he didn't stay long because he had planned a trip to San Francisco to discuss upcoming game development plans with his team.
Attending the film festival was just a side trip.
There were still two days before the film festival's awards ceremony, which gave Takayuki enough time to visit his team for a quick round trip.
Before, Takayuki had mainly been in phone meetings with the U.S. team, as the development focus had mostly been in Japan.
Whether it was Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, or other major games, they had been developed domestically in Japan, and Takayuki would occasionally visit to check in.
But this time was different.
This time, Takayuki had handed over the development of multiple games to the U.S. team and was personally supervising the progress, which showed a much higher level of attention than before.
The U.S. team had often felt like they were the "stepchildren," given less important game development tasks. But this time, with Takayuki personally overseeing everything, it was obvious they were valued more.
They could see from Takayuki's serious attitude that he was committed to creating great games.
Next, Takayuki planned to shuttle back and forth between Japan and the U.S., as there was Resident Evil and other games being developed in Japan that needed attention. The U.S. had big plans to conquer Europe, and neither side could slack off.
First, Takayuki assigned development tasks to the three teams, making sure they kept on track with their development schedules.
Then, he provided the necessary funding for their game development.
Currently, Takayuki had $5 billion in his bank account, and the number was only increasing.
With such ample funds, Takayuki wasn't worried, even with multiple large projects demanding heavy investments. He could afford it without issue.
As long as there was money, everything was within his control. No one could influence his decisions.
The team members were all greatly reassured by the funds available.
Nothing was more reassuring than this statement.
They liked video games, they liked the company, but at the end of the day, they needed to eat. It was impossible to continue working selflessly just out of admiration for the company.
Next, Takayuki instructed the teams to start working.
The most important thing for the Gun, Car, Ball games was authentic data. Now was the best time to collect the relevant data.