[Game] Chapter 433-434

Chapter 433: Initial Cooperation Reached

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T/N: There is one Translation mistake from my side... GARO is owned by `Tōhoku Shinsha`, not `New Northeastern Pictures`. I changed it now. Sorry 😢

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On Ichin’s side, the meeting and negotiations with Hazuki at the Tōhoku Shinsha offices had taken quite a bit of time.

Thanks to Hazuki’s connections smoothing things over, plus the strong sales of their games—especially Persona, which had already sold over ten million copies—the discussions went smoothly. Although some issues still required further detail, the cooperation was basically confirmed.

After finishing business, both sides headed to an izakaya, where they shared dinner, chatted freely, and enjoyed themselves.

Coming out of the izakaya, Ichin checked the time.

“It’s already close to nine o’clock. Hazuki, let’s call a designated driver to take us back.”

Since they had come in Ichin’s car, he first needed to send Hazuki home.

Hazuki’s cheeks were slightly flushed from drinking, though she wasn’t drunk.

She nodded. “Sure, I need to get some rest early anyway. Still have work tomorrow.”

“No rush. If you’re tired, just rest more at home tomorrow morning and come to the office in the afternoon.”

As he spoke, Ichin booked a driver through his phone app, then let Hazuki rest inside the car while he leaned against the door, enjoying the night breeze to clear his head.

Ten minutes later, the driver arrived. They dropped Hazuki off at her apartment before Ichin finally returned home.

Taking the elevator upstairs, Ichin glanced at his phone—it was already past 9:30.

“Even though I called Utaha before dinner, she hasn’t sent me a single message or called. She’s that confident in me?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought.

When the elevator arrived, Ichin stepped out. Passing by the neighboring apartment, he noticed the door had been replaced—the renovations were even more thorough than he’d imagined.

At his own door, he unlocked it and stepped inside. The lights were on, and the sound of the TV floated from the living room. Looked like Utaha was already home.

In the living room, Utaha stood up from the sofa and walked toward the entrance.

“Welcome back, Ichin.”

She smiled and embraced him tightly.

Savoring the warmth of her hug, Ichin replied with a smile, “Yeah, I’m home.”

After releasing him, Utaha sniffed faintly. “You’ve been drinking?”

“Mm, just a little. Don’t worry, I’m not drunk. I called a driver to bring me back.”

Pinching her cheek playfully, Ichin changed into slippers and followed her into the living room.

“So, how long did you and Yukino stay out?”

“Earlier than you. We came back around eight.” Utaha leaned against Ichin’s arm without minding the faint smell of alcohol on him. “After class we went shopping and checked out a new pet supplies store. Haruno-nee joined us later at dinner. Look—that toy over there is what we bought this afternoon.”

Ichin looked over to see George clutching a mouse toy in his paws.

“It’s remote-controlled. We let them play with it after coming home, and they went absolutely wild.”

“Ha, that’s great.”

“And that’s not all.” Utaha shook his arm lightly. “That store also does pet bathing and grooming pretty well. So Yukino and I booked an appointment for Saturday to take the cats for a spa day. You’ll come with us, right?”

“Of course. I’ve got nothing planned this weekend anyway.”

After Utaha finished talking about her day, Ichin told her about the meeting with Tōhoku Shinsha.

“So most things are settled,” Utaha said happily. “When their team visits our company next week to finalize details, we can sign the contract?”

“Pretty much. Over the next few days, I’ll refine the game proposal further. I already have ideas for the gameplay—the main work will be on the story. Since we’re adapting it into an ARPG, the narrative will be just as important as the combat system.”

Though he’d said he had no plans for the weekend, he still needed to draft the proposal. It wouldn’t be too exhausting, though.

Since it was late and he’d had some drinks, Ichin didn’t plan to keep working. Instead, he went to shower and turned in early.

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Friday, after class, Ichin arrived at the company.

He gathered the middle and senior management into the meeting room and explained the results of the negotiations with Tōhoku Shinsha.

“That’s the situation. Next week, they’ll come here for final discussions, then we’ll sign the contract. After that, once Fall Guys development wraps up, aside from those maintaining live service, everyone else will join the new project’s early preparations. The Dark Souls team remains unchanged and continues their current work. As for HR, once the contract is signed, start recruiting according to the requirements I’ll send.”

The HR manager quickly nodded and took notes.

Looking around the room, Ichin continued:

“That’s all for now. While this project won’t be our company’s main focus compared to others, it is our very first collaboration with another company—an adaptation project in a new field—so it must be taken seriously. I’ll personally oversee it. Once Dark Souls is finished, Kou, you’ll also help me out.”

Yagami Kou nodded. “Got it. But Ichin, aren’t you stretching yourself thin? Between Dark Souls development and preparations for the new project, plus your university work… that’s a lot of pressure.”

Ichin waved it off casually. “It’s nothing. I’ll manage fine. Alright, that’s it for the meeting. Everyone back to work.”

After the others left, Hazuki, Yagami Kou, and Toyama Rin stayed behind.

Hazuki looked at Ichin seriously. “Are you sure you can handle so much? The company isn’t as small as it used to be—the workload is huge.”

“Relax, I’m not going to gamble with my health.”

Ichin stood with a grin. “Even if I wanted to overwork, Utaha wouldn’t let me. So there’s no need to worry. Come on, Kou, Rin, let’s check your progress these past two days.”

Since Ichin said so, Hazuki and the others didn’t press further. Still, they thought to remind Utaha later to keep a closer eye on him.

Ichin was the company’s leader—their core. He couldn’t afford to break down.

***

Chapter 434: Saturday, Before Setting Out

Ichin hadn’t been working in the office for long when Utaha pushed open the door and walked in.

“Ichin, I heard from Hazuki-nee that you’ve added even more work for yourself?”

Hearing this, Ichin lifted his head, smiled, and said, “Hazuki really likes to exaggerate. Relax, it’s not as much as it sounds. Most of it is just preliminary prep work.”

Even though he said that, Utaha still looked worried. She came closer, poked his cheek with her finger, and said, “You’re already the boss. Can’t you delegate some of the tasks?”

“I do, but this time it’s our very first IP adaptation project. I have to be extra cautious.”

He took her hand, pulled her onto his lap, and hugged her. “You wouldn’t want the money I put into this to go to waste, right? If it fails, it won’t just be about losing money—it’ll also hurt the reputation our company has built up. We’re not a giant studio with dozens of IPs to fall back on. In the first five years of a company, every project is crucial for its future. That’s why I can’t relax for the next few years.”

Utaha tilted her head, wrapped her arms around his neck, and said, “I don’t fully understand all of that, but Ichin, you must take care of yourself. I’ll be watching you closely.”

“Sure, no problem. You can keep me in check.”

After a bit of affectionate teasing, Ichin went back to work.

Like Utaha said, with her watching him, there was no way he could stay up late grinding away at tasks. So he made sure to finish as much as possible during office hours.

Fortunately, writing project proposals was one of his strengths, so it didn’t feel difficult or draining.

For the GARO adaptation game, Ichin had already decided to use the first TV series as the base. The story would follow that arc, with additional content added in, possibly even material from the specials that came afterward.

He wasn’t planning on making the game too large. The first one would serve more as a trial. After all, he had never worked on a tokusatsu adaptation before.

Unlike the Ultraman and Kamen Rider games published by Bandai, Ichin had no intention of making a shallow, fan-only cash grab. Every game he worked on, he wanted to treat seriously.

The tone could lean a little darker. Combat would be action-focused, with flashy skill effects, and the maps would need solid design.

As for gameplay structure, it wouldn’t be open-world or even semi-open. Instead, he envisioned a level-based format—like tokusatsu episodes unfolding one by one.

“It’s the story presentation that needs careful work. Can’t just be characters standing around and talking.”

Scratching his head, he muttered to himself, thinking about how to merge GARO’s story and the game so players could feel fully immersed.

Utaha, who was busy typing away, heard his muttering. She glanced up, smiled, shook her head, and went back to her manuscript. His seriousness always rubbed off on her.

But no matter how serious the work, weekends were for rest.

Especially this Saturday—they had already booked appointments to take the cats for baths and grooming.

That morning, around ten, Yukino and Haruno arrived at the apartment, bringing along their cats too. Lunch was planned at Ichin’s place, then afterward everyone would head out together.

Once all the cats were freed from their carriers, the living room instantly became a chaotic circus.

Normally two cats already made things lively, but now, with four more suddenly joining, the whole place was dizzying with activity.

Mochi and Sesame were used to visiting and didn’t get nervous. The two younger cats, on the other hand, jumped right into exploring without any shyness.

Since the apartment was well-kept, there was no worry about kittens getting into dirty corners.

After chatting with Haruno and Yukino for a while, Ichin went into the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Seeing this, Yukino stood up wanting to help, but Utaha quickly pulled her back onto the sofa.

“It’s fine, Yukino. Let Ichin handle it.” Utaha smiled. “Better to have him cooking than spending all his time buried in work.”

Yukino nodded. “So he’s been really busy lately?”

“For a boss like him, it’s easy to delegate if he wants to,” Utaha explained. “But you know how he is. He loves game development. Plus, since the GARO adaptation with Tōhoku Shinsha is pretty much settled, he’s been refining the proposal himself. And for the early prep and early dev phase, he insists on leading by example. That’s why I keep such a close eye on him.”

“I see.” Yukino understood well. She knew the type—people who poured themselves endlessly into what they loved. Without someone to remind them, they could easily lose themselves in it.

Looking toward the kitchen, Haruno chuckled. “If he’s that obsessed, will he even focus on going out with us this afternoon?”

“That’s nothing to worry about.”

Utaha said firmly, “If he dares to be distracted, he can sleep alone tonight.”

There was no way he’d dare to slack when spending time with his girlfriend.

Her remark made both Haruno and Yukino laugh.

Hearing their laughter, Ichin poked his head out of the kitchen. “What are you all laughing about?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Utaha waved quickly. “Ichin, what’s for lunch?”

“Sweet and sour spare ribs, shredded pork with green peppers, garlic stir-fried lettuce, and a fish soup. That should be enough, right?”

Haruno’s eyes lit up at the mention of spare ribs. She gave a thumbs up. “Nice! You’ve got my favorite. Love you, little Ichin!”

Ichin rolled his eyes at her and went back into the kitchen.

Watching the kitchen door close, Haruno rubbed her chin. “Could it be my charm has faded?”

Utaha and Yukino exchanged a glance, then quietly turned to the TV, ignoring her nonsense.

After lunch and a half-hour break, they packed all the cats back into their carriers. Finally, it was time to head out for the grooming appointments.

Ichin had originally thought about inviting Yagami Kou and Eriri along, but Yagami was out with Toyama Rin, and Eriri had already taken her own cat for a bath last week. Today, she just wanted to stay home and play games.

Since no one else could join, the group decided to head out as planned.

***