Volume 1

This is the first volume of the New Game! manga.

Synopsis

 * A GAMER GIRL’S DREAM JOB!


 * Aoba Suzukaze may look like a middle schooler, but she’s actually fresh out of high school and starting a new job on the character team of a game company. Not only is she working for the company that put out one of her favorite games, she also gets to spend her days modeling and creating characters. Follow her adorable shenanigans in this 4-panel slice of life as she learns the ropes of the industry and gets to know her co-workers.

Plot
The story starts with Aoba Suzukaze doing final preparations before heading off to work. After a cramped train ride, she reaches her new workplace, Eagle Jump.

Chapter 1
She hesitantly tries to walk into the building but is stopped by Rin Toyama, who mistakes her as a child and prohibits her from entering. Aoba quickly refutes and explains that she is a new employee. Rin apologizes and introduces herself as an AD. Aoba assumes she is a busy Assistant Director, until Rin clarifies that she is an Art Director, prompting Aoba to bow down and apologize.

Rin shows the office and offers a drink. Aoba orders for black coffee and settles down, but is startled to see legs on floor. Thinking it may be a ghost, she takes a keyboard, but finds a woman sleeping with exposed panties. The woman wakes up asks why there is a child in the office. Rin comes with two cups of drinks and introduces Aoba as the new hire. She gives a drink to her friend, who complains of its taste. Later she swaps her drink with Aoba’s and asks her if she can drink black. Aoba claims she can handle it and tries to drink, and fails.

The woman asks Aoba's age, who replies she is 18. She is impressed that she is a high school graduate, but pokes fun at her childish appearance. The woman then asks Aoba to guess her age. She struggles, until she spots a poster for Fairies Story. The woman noted that it's the first game she worked on, and Aoba concludes she is around 30. The woman corrects her and states she is 25, who also joined after high school. Rin asks Aoba to guess her age, who responds with 23. Irritated, the woman rectifies that they are the same age.

Aoba is moved that the people responsible for her favorite game are with her, and shares her passion for the game. Rin finally introduces the woman as Ko Yagami, the character designer for Fairies Story, leaving Aoba astonished. Rin states that Kou will be Aoba's boss, inspiring her to do her best.

Chapter 2
After introducing herself to the rest of the staff, Aoba is given a reference book to practice 3D modelling. She tries to get along with her team but is bewildered when one of them starts swinging a sword. She notices an empty booth and wonders if the person is present; that person enters not long after and introduces herself as Hifumi Takimoto. She later explains in a messaging client that she is not good at talking. Aoba tries to ask her a question, but struggles due to her timid nature. Kou, who saw the events unfolding before her, sends a message to Aoba to try asking Hifumi questions via message.

After successfully answering Aoba's question, Hifumi explains that the team is laid back and encourages her to loosen up when using the messaging client. Influenced by this, Aoba completes her assigned tasks and sends a rather unprofessional message to Kou. Kou calls Aoba to her desk to teach her how to write a proper message.

Chapter 3
Kou enters the bathroom and is stunned to see Aoba crying on the floor. She explains that she does not have an employee ID and was unable to leave. Kou heads off to the office to complain to management but is stopped by Rin, who asks if she has taken a photo of Aoba for her ID. She forgot, grabs a camera and prepares to take photo of Aoba. She asks her why she wears a school uniform for work. Aoba claims it is a suit but fails to convince Kou. She tells her to wear it properly and unbuttons her collars, but she sees that Aoba appears too childish and scraps her idea. Kou turns on her camera but notes that the room is too dark. She asks Hajime Shinoda to use her light-saber to provide lighting.

Satisfied with the photos, Kou leaves to prepare Aoba's employee ID. Hajime introduces herself, but gets flustered as it is her first time having a junior. They soon agree to address each other by their given names. Another employee invites the two for tea and prepares a table, while Hajime introduces her as Yun Iijima. Aoba invites Hifumi, who brought some snacks. They share their first experiences working at Eagle Jump, and eventually talk about Kou. Hajime says she is a good leader for her team but has bad habits.

Kou hears this and hits Hajime, and hands Aoba her employee ID. She reminds her team to resume working after their break. She asks Aoba's progress on the reference book, and is impressed on her quick advancement. Kou has high hopes for Aoba and will give her some work soon. Aoba prepares to continue her work but heads to the bathroom first. She forgot to bring her ID and Kou is later greeted with a familiar scene.

Chapter 4
Aoba has finished working on a villager NPC but is criticized by Kou, who suggests she redo her work. She was tasked to create villagers a week ago, but is struggling to meet expectations. Yun states that Kou is very strict and tries to cheer up Aoba. After some time, night falls and Rin inspects Aoba's work. Though still unsatisfied with her work, Aoba accepts Rin's advice and goes home together. In the train, Rin asks if her parent ever worry about her when she is out late. Aoba replies that her mother is worried her skin will get worse if she stays up late.

Eventually, Rin says her art work is good enough as-is. Aoba does not understand and asks why Kou still criticizes her work if it’s good enough. Rin believes that she doesn’t want her to be satisfied with just being 'good enough' and expects more from her. She departs and leaves Aoba. After reconsidering, Aoba encourages herself not to give up and keep trying until she meets Kou's standards.

The following day, Aoba shows her model again and manages to gain Kou's approval. Kou notes that she needs to finish her next task in three days, as she will eventually do one character per day. Aoba is daunted by the thought of becoming Kou, i.e sleeping in the office in her underwear.

Chapter 5
The character team invites Aoba for a welcoming party as a new employee of Eagle Jump. Kou states that the company is paying all the expenses, and they can eat and drink as much as they want. Shen then teases her by giving her a spicy takoyaki. Aoba sees Hifumi enjoying her alcohol and Yun mocks her because she is still under-aged to drink them.

A drunken Kou asks if Aoba has boyfriend, who quickly denies it. Rin says Kou has drunk too much, but she ends up drunk anyway. Rin requests Aoba to pour beer, but is unsatisfied with her style and asks Kou to demonstrate. Later, Hifumi asks Aoba to place an order for her. She noted how expensive alcohol is. Hifumi receives her drink and Aoba speculates its taste. Hifumi nervously offers a sip but stops when the waitress arrives. The waitress informs her that it is last call and asks if they have any more orders. While the others place their orders, Hifumi texts Aoba and advises her to not drink as she is underage.

With the party over, Hajime helps send Yun home while Hifumi has already gone home. Aoba, Kou, and Rin visit a bar together. Aoba doesn’t want to drink alcohol and orders “Orange Blossom”, thinking it is a juice; Kou clarifies that it is alcoholic.

Chapter 6
Hajime is adding animations to Aoba's model and discusses possible animations with Yun. This grabs Aoba's attention, and Yun takes advantage and teases her for a reaction. Aoba asked Hajime if she can see the animation, though the latter says it's nothing special. Aoba denies this and praises Hajime's work, making her feel sheepish. Rin's tablet pen start to malfunction so Kou sends Hajime and Aoba to buy a replacement.

Arriving at the store, Hajime tries to act as a good senpai. After choosing a tablet pen, Aoba realized she forgot her wallet. Hajime remarks her clumsiness, but then notices she does not have her wallet too. Thinking she may have lost it, they search the store, but to no avail. Hajime suggests Aoba return to the office and pick up her wallet while Hajime heads to the customer service counter, calling herself a useless senpai.

Aoba returns after a while, with Hajime's wallet in tow. It turns out Hajime forgot her wallet as well, and states that they are both scatter-brained. While walking back, Hajime mentions Aoba's cuteness; Aoba states Hajime is cute too, causing Hajime to act cute. After returning, they gave the pen to Kou, who notices something off with Hajime. Yun butted in laughing at Hajime's force cuteness and the latter ran away.

Chapter 7
Aoba gets out of her bathroom and receives a call from someone. The caller is Aoba's childhood friend, Nene Sakura. Nene complains that her classmates treat her like a middle-school student. Aoba says it would happen because her appearance and attitude. Nene asks what she has been doing since she joined Eagle Jump. She explains that she has been learning what adults do, such as ordering alcohol; she later explains her work at the company. They continued to talk though the night, resulting in Aoba oversleeping.

On the train, Aoba ponders what punishment she will receive for being late. She meets Yun, who also happened to be late. Aoba suggests they run from the station, though Yun recalls that she is bad at running. Aoba also admits that she physically unfit during her days on school. They eventually decide to run to their work place.

Meanwhile, Kou notices the lack of employees and plans to scold them for being late. Soon after, Aoba, Yun, and Hifumi arrive, followed by Kou's scolding. They explain that Aoba tripped and fell in front of the office, and the others were helping her pick up her stuff. Kou apologizes for scolding them, but notes that they still have to submit tardy forms. However, she disapproves their reasons for being late.

Bonus: On Their Days Off?

Aoba asks the character team what their activities are on their days off. Yun quickly replies it is a secret. Hajime also refuses to tell. It is revealed that Yun has younger siblings, and takes care of them on her days off. As for Hajime, she is seen attending a Moon Rangers event.

Chapter 8
Aoba has received her first paycheck statement as she has worked for one month. Aoba gets flustered, although she expected to get real money. Hajime explains to her that she can get a raise on her salary if she performs well at work. She reveals that she received a small raise on her salary, though Yun remarks that she will spend it on toys again. Hajime justifies they are useful reference material, and showcases her collection.

Rin states that wage evaluations happen anually and hopes Aoba will receive a raise too. She also explains that she and Kou handle evaluations for the character team. Hajime comments that the character team has it rough as Yagami is strict about work. Aoba asks why Hajime is in their booth when she is a member of the animation team. Rin explains that the animation team's booth is full, so Hajime was placed next door, i.e the character team's booth.

Rin then asks how Aoba will spend her paycheck. The rest of the team already decided what to spend it on. Aoba goes for a safe choice and keeps in it a bank. She asks Rin how she spent her paycheck, which piqued Kou's curiosity. She replies that she spent it on a hot spring trip with Kou, and is upset that she forgot about it.

Yun asks is Aoba feels lonely, as no one started at the same time as her. She replies that it is not bothering her, as it does not feel like her seniors are older than her. Yun and Hajime claim that they act childish so Aoba can interact easily with them, though Rin is unconvinced. Aoba asks Hifumi if she started working with someone. She replies that there was someone from another team, but it did not bother her as they do not talk often. Kou asks what she spent her first paycheck with. Hifumi revealed she spent it on a cosplay outfit, but refuses to share a picture.

Rin states that while keeping their paycheck in the bank is a valid option, she thinks it would be nice to use it on something they will remember. While settling on what to do with her paycheck, she remembers that her parent bought her suit, which was rather expensive. She decides to buy a cake and shares it with her parents to celebrate her first paycheck.

Chapter 9
Kou scrutinizes Aoba's models and reports her errors, but suggests she continues tomorrow as it is getting late. Rin remarks on her imporvement, but Aoba believes she still has a long way to go and heads home. After a while, Kou is alone in the office and takes off her pants, but is discovered by RIn. She explains that she missed the last train, and advises Kou to be more careful. Kou justifies that it feels refreshing, and suggest Rin to strip as well. Rin refuses.

The two talk about Kou's habit of sleeping at the office. They later mention the approaching deadline and expect lively nights soon, and wonder if the game will sell. Rin states that Kou is strong, making the latter ask if being AD is affecting her. She states that Kou is much better off as the AD; Kou refutes and states that it's because of the former that Kou can concentrate on her work. Rin then listens to Kou complains about herself. They eventually share their opinions of the team. Kou starts working on 3D modelling but stops immediately when the computer froze. She decides to work on character designs instead and bids Rin goodnight.

Rin wakes up the next mornig and is greeted with Kou in her underwear. After putting a blanket over Kou, she tries if being in just underwear real is refreshing. Kou wakes up and teases Rin without her pants. The two hide when Aoba comes in and Rin stops Kou from laughing when says something the latter deems funny. Aoba discovers the two in an awkward position and apologizes.

Chapter 10
Yun and Hajime go out to lunch and ask Aoba to join them. She refuses as she intends to finish her job, then Yun gives her some snacks to eat. Aoba asks Hifumi if she is hungry, but she replies that she had eaten her breakfast with her friend, Sojiro. She wonders about it and Hifumi shows the photo. Aoba is surprised that Soujiro is hedgehog and praises Hifumi’s smile on photo. She gets shocked and tells her to forget it by offering money.

Aoba comments that Hifumi has a wonderful smile, and encourages her to do so. She tries to smile but is embarrassed. Aoba helps and tells her to smile in front of Soujiro’s photo. Yagami finds them strange and gives Aoba a rice ball. Hifumi pats Aoba’s head as her way of eating is similar to Sojiro. At home, Hifumi tries to smile at Soujiro, but it hides to its cage. Next morning, Hifumi eats at the cafeteria and remarks that Soujiro dislikes her smile.

Bonus

The chapter ends and it reveals Hifumi, Kou, and Rin's activity on their days-off. Hifumi is seen on her computer. Kou sleeps all day and forgets to eat. Rin wakes her up and cooks dinner for her.

Chapter 11
After a brief scene of a younger Aoba praising Faries Story, Kou approves the last of Aoba's assigned villagers, and allocates her to design a character. Yun praises her work and Hajime says that she broke down at her first attempt at character designing. She comments that making character movement is easier for her. They ask Aoba to describe her assigned character, and note how it is similar to Aoba. She is disheartened when she found that her character will be killed off in-game.

Kou checks in on Aoba's progress, who replies unfavorably. She asks if Kou entered a competition at first. Kou then shares her experiences as the lead character designer. Rin arrives and adds that Kou was often bullied at the time. Kou asks Aoba if she enjoys creating her villagers, and shows her characters in action on a server. Rin notes that many people were involved to create the scene shown.

After a while, Aoba finished her design and names the character Sophia-chan. She then realizes that the character resembles her, prompting Kou to tease her.

Chapter 12
Satisfied with the design, Aoba is tasked with creating a 3D model for Sophia-chan. Rin reminds Kou of a meeting, and they both depart. Aoba wonders what happens during meetings. Yun and Hajime state that leaders and directors discuss any problems during their game development. Aoba asks what would happen if they failed in making game. They reply that the game may be cancelled.

The character team gives their status reports, and Hifumi remarks on their odd schedule. Kou and Rin return from the meeting and informs the team that they will have to come at weekend or stay overnight due to a miscalculated schedule. Aoba decides to stay overnight to finish her 3D design. At night, she comes with extra clothes and a sleeping bag. Kou turns off the lamps and surprises her from behind. She grumbles about while changing her clothes in toilet. Kou sees her and comments on her look.

Aoba returns to her station and works for two hours before feeling tired. Aoba prepares her bear sleeping bag and tries to sleep but is unable to. Kou tells Aoba to sleep with her or sleep in meeting room. She heads to meeting room and sleeps. The next morning, Rin asks where Aoba is and Kou remembers that she is still sleeping in meeting room. She tries to wake her up but receives no response.

Extra chapter
Aoba is waiting at outside a cinema, waiting for Nene. While waiting for her, she wonders if Nene is all right and deduces that she is being bullied by her classmates due to her childish persona. Nene arrives refutes her theory. They buy tickets but argue about the price. After that, they buy popcorn and soft drinks. Aoba chooses salted popcorn and soda drink, Nene decides to choose another flavor but she complains that is too sweet. In the theater, a woman mistakes them as children and gives them glow sticks for under-aged kids. After watching the movie, they get out and Aoba admits that the film is good. Both of them play the pose on film and a kid laughs at them. Nene wants to buy few souvenirs, but doesn’t have enough money. Aoba offer to lend her money but Nene declines for fear it may destory their friendship.

Bonus

On Aoba's day off, she lazes around at home, but is shocked when remarked that she is turning into her father.

Job Interview

These are short comics depicting Aoba during her interview.

Trivia

 * The English release spelled the author's name incorrectly on the spine. The front cover retains the correct spelling.