Art Preview - Classroom Scenes!

Cakiieees!

After the flood of CGs we've had, we're taking things a little slower this time~ So the next artwork I have planned is a big detailed thing intended to replace several classroom scenes set at the start of lunch period.

This might be the most detailed CG yet, as not only do we have our main girls all shown with a range of different expressions (and in Nozomi's case, a second pose) to fit whatever interactions they're having, we also have a bunch of extras milling about behind them. Including Kyou. Just sat there. Staring.

Yeah, so about Kyou. Well, about all of these characters really. Penlight's story as currently written has Kyou sat somewhere at the back of class, while the girls are seated at the front. Turns out there isn't a great way to illustrate the main characters sat at opposite ends of a classroom in a way that involves them all in the scene. Also, illustrating the scene as described made it harder to suspend disbelief over Kyou's phenomenal hearing ability. Can he really hear Nozomi and friends so clearly from the back of a packed room, at the start of lunch where everyone's getting up and making noise? It was easy to ignore when we just saw the regular sprites talking to each other, but with a CG it becomes rather glaring. It did feel like a change was needed.

Relocating everyone to a more central location in the classroom might also help get across the point that Kyou makes the girls uncomfortable with his unwanted attention. Most of what he does to upset them happens before the start of the story and it gets talked about at certain points, but having a visual indicator of how his presence might be suffocating for them (and without him technically doing anything wrong) could be useful in getting that across for some readers.

So yes, I'm very happy about this one! I've always wanted to get a regular classroom CG into the game, and it's something that's really been missing for a visual novel set in a school that's otherwise so lavishly illustrated. It may introduce a continuity goof or two as I tweak the current script to fit, but I think the payoff will be well worth it~

Looking forward to showing off the finished CG, and the amended script, to you folks in the next early access coming near the start of April!