[Game] Chapter 429-430

Chapter 429: Monday

The TV played in the background, but Ichin’s attention was fixed on his tablet, where GARO was streaming.

A moment later, Utaha came out of the room, now changed into a loose set of loungewear for home.

She sat down beside him, glanced at his tablet, and asked:

“Ichin, what should we do about dinner?”

“Dinner, huh?”

Ichin swiped at his tablet to check the time.

“It’s already two in the afternoon. Do you have anything in particular you want tonight? I’ll run to the supermarket later.”

“Nothing in particular.” Resting against his shoulder, Utaha said, “We’ve had so much good food these past two days—especially meat. I need to slow down a little. I was planning to start working out with the fitness ring.”

“I see. Then let’s keep it simple. How about pasta? I’ll go buy some, along with mushrooms and pork, and make pasta with mushroom meat sauce.”

“Pasta sounds good.”

“Alright, it’s settled. I’ll head out and buy the stuff later.”

Since he only needed to prepare pasta, Ichin didn’t have to rush to the supermarket. He could watch a few more episodes of GARO before going.

He continued watching while Utaha pulled out her laptop and started typing away.

By half past three, Ichin finally set down the tablet, told Utaha he’d head out, grabbed his wallet and car keys, and left.

Pasta was easy enough to find anywhere, but when it came to pork and mushrooms for the sauce, he wanted to pick high-quality ingredients.

As soon as he got downstairs, he saw Rin heading out as well.

He quickened his pace to catch up.

“Rin, you’re heading out too?”

Hearing his voice, Rin smiled.

“Yeah, I’m going to buy ingredients for dinner. We’re out of food at home. Ichin-kun, do you want to come eat with us tonight?”

“No need.”

Ichin shook his head.

“Any other day, maybe. But tonight, better to leave the time for you and Kou’s little world. By the way, how did things go last night?”

At that, Rin’s cheeks flushed red as they walked toward the parking lot. She whispered:

“Kou was pretty startled, but in the end… it turned out well.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Ichin didn’t press for details. His relationship with them was close, and he genuinely hoped their bond would only grow stronger.

Since they were heading to different places, they each got into their own cars and drove off.

---

On Monday, after class, Ichin went straight to the Fall Guys dev team at the company.

Walking over to the programmers, he asked:

“How’s the NS optimization coming along?”

“Boss,” one of them answered immediately, “we’re making steady progress. Most maps already run at a stable 30 FPS on NS, but the larger ones still need work. Don’t worry, we’ll have it finished before the June test.”

Ichin nodded.

“Good. No need to rush, there’s plenty of time. Keep it steady.”

He patted the man’s shoulder, then moved on to Hazuki’s desk.

Glancing at her screen, he asked:

“Hazuki, still working on new levels? Don’t we already have quite a lot?”

“There are,” Hazuki said, pushing up her glasses. “But the June test lasts ten days. We’ll need plenty of levels to keep players engaged throughout. Otherwise, we won’t get enough useful data.”

Ichin picked up a nearby tablet and skimmed through the list of completed stages. Satisfied, he said:

“At this pace, we’re fine. There are still plenty of designs we haven’t built yet anyway. Oh right—how many skins for the beans are finished?”

Hazuki handed him a stack of sketches.

“Besides the two starter sets, we’ve designed fifteen additional outfits. The ones with checkmarks are done. Five will be added for the second test, and the rest will wait until the official release.”

Flipping through them, Ichin saw all kinds of designs. They would definitely make the game’s visuals livelier.

“Good. Keep pushing forward, Hazuki, but remember—optimization comes first.”

After that reminder, he asked another question.

“When are we heading to New Northeastern Pictures?”

Hazuki tapped her fingers lightly on the desk.

“I’ll call again later, but most likely Thursday. Once it’s confirmed, I’ll let you know. That timing work for you?”

Ichin flashed an OK sign.

“Of course. Getting leave from collage is no problem.”

His grades had stayed at his high school standard—last term’s finals had earned him first place in the department. Professors valued his ability highly, and when it came to requesting time off for work, approval was easy.

Before the workday ended, the plan with New Northeastern Pictures was confirmed—Thursday afternoon.

“Thursday it is. Just don’t forget to file for leave on Wednesday.”

After reading Hazuki’s message, Ichin glanced over at Utaha, who was busy typing in the office.

“Utaha, want to come with me to New Northeastern Pictures on Thursday?”

“Where’s their company?”

“They’ve got several branches, but the headquarters is in Tokyo, Minato Ward.”

“Oh, so it’s nearby.”

Utaha mused, then shook her head.

“Still, I’m not that interested. You and Hazuki-nee go. After class, I’ll probably hang out with Yukino. If you finish before dinner, come join us.”

“We’ll see.”

Ichin rubbed his chin.

“If the meeting goes well, they might invite us to dinner. Let’s decide Thursday.”

With the schedule set, Ichin used the last bit of the day to wrap up his tasks, then got ready to leave with Utaha.

But just as he stepped out of the office, Hajime Shinoda blocked his way.

The expectant look in her eyes made it clear what she was after.

Ichin flicked her forehead with his finger.

“Not this time. We haven’t even confirmed the partnership yet. Once the deal is done and we start discussing the game details, you’ll definitely come along.”

“…Fine.”

Hajime sighed, but didn’t push. She knew negotiation wasn’t her strong suit and didn’t want to cause trouble for Ichin and Hazuki.

***

Chapter 430: A Chance Encounter and a Free Meal

On the way home from work, Utaha mused aloud:

“Ichin, I have a question.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Her slender finger tapped against her chin.

“Don’t you think Kou and Rin act a little too normal around each other at the office? It feels different from when we first started dating.”

“That’s perfectly normal.”

Hands on the steering wheel, Ichin chuckled.

“Everyone has their own way of being in a relationship. Kou may seem carefree most of the time, but she embarrasses easily. Expecting her to show affection openly in front of others? No way. Honestly, even at the company’s year-end party, asking her to say two words on stage makes her squirm.”

“That’s true…”

Utaha nodded in agreement, though her tone carried a hint of regret.

“Sigh, I was hoping to collect some material from them. Looks like that’s not going to happen.”

“No rush. Give it time—you’ll see it eventually.”

Instead of heading straight home, the two drove to the supermarket. Yesterday Ichin had only picked up ingredients for pasta, and now they were low on snacks and milk, so they needed to restock properly.

As they pushed their cart into the meat section, they spotted Haruno and Yukino doing the same.

“Haruno-nee, Yukino.”

Hearing the voice behind them, the sisters turned. Haruno smiled brightly.

“Oh! You’re here too—just got off work?”

“Yeah, just got off.”

Ichin pushed the cart closer, lifted a steak for inspection, and asked,

“Haruno-nee, you also just finished work?”

“That’s right.” Haruno nodded.

“My car’s in for maintenance, so Yukino came to pick me up after class. We’re having dinner at her place tonight. Oh, Ichin, Utaha—why don’t you two come eat with us?”

Ever since Haruno and Yukino had accepted Ichin’s mother as their godmother, their relationship had grown even closer. Sharing meals at each other’s homes had become normal.

Since they’d run into each other today, there was no reason for Ichin and Utaha to refuse.

Yukino had already chosen enough groceries for the four of them, but Ichin still picked out a few more items to drop off at home first. He also bought snacks and drinks with Utaha, something to enjoy while chatting after dinner.

After shopping, Ichin asked Utaha to head over with the Yukinos while he drove home to put the food in the fridge and bring along their cats.

When Yukino saw Peppa and George arrive, she happily hurried over, opening the carriers herself to let the big cats out.

By now, both cats had grown so much—no longer tiny kittens, but plump, round adults.

Still, even bigger, they were just as adorable.

Once Peppa spotted Yukino’s familiar cat tower, he happily ran over—his mate, Sesame, and their two kittens were waiting there.

Though they lived apart and had been neutered after the litter, Peppa and Sesame were still affectionate. The moment they reunited, they cuddled close and started grooming each other.

Meanwhile, Mochi, the senior of the household, lounged lazily at the very top of the tower, eyes half-closed, clearly just waiting for dinner.

After playing with the cats a while, Yukino went back to cooking, and Utaha joined her to help. They didn’t let Ichin into the kitchen, so he stayed in the living room, chatting with Haruno instead.

With George sprawled on his lap, Ichin stroked his fur and asked:

“Haruno-nee, you look pretty tired. Lots going on at work?”

“Of course.”

Haruno leaned back against the sofa, took a sip of the yogurt drink Ichin had bought, and explained:

“I might be the heir to a family business, but you know how those companies are—plenty of older staff who lean on their age and seniority, resisting proper management. When my mother was still fully involved, it wasn’t a problem. But now she’s gradually stepping back, leaving things to me unless it’s something big. Taking full control of the company requires a lot of energy. It’s not the same as starting a company from scratch.”

Ichin nodded in agreement. He knew that his own good fortune had been meeting Hazuki and the others just after they’d left their old employer, instantly gaining a highly skilled team.

If he had started completely from zero, it would’ve been far more difficult. There’s no way Hollow Knight would have been completed within half a year of founding the studio.

“Even if it’s tough, I don’t think it’s beyond you, Haruno-nee. It’ll just take time.”

Everyone knew how capable Haruno was.

Her mother stepping back was also proof of trust—that she believed her daughter could manage the company well.

Haruno bit at the straw, sipping her yogurt.

“Exactly. It’s just a matter of time. Besides, I’ve already found a few veteran employees with some… irregularities in their accounts. I’ll need to deal with that properly.”

Family businesses always had such headaches.

In that moment, Ichin couldn’t help but feel his own company had it easier. No shareholders, no external meddling—just him, Haruno, and Yukino. Everything was in his control.

After talking about Haruno’s challenges, the conversation turned to Ichin’s current projects. Hearing about his plan to secure GARO’s adaptation rights from New Northeastern Pictures and develop it into a game, Haruno looked surprised but didn’t oppose.

When it came to management, Haruno might be more confident than him. But in game development? Even if you added her and Yukino together, they couldn’t compare to Ichin.

If he wanted to take on a project, it was because he knew he could handle it. Her role was simply to support him and wait to see the results.

About an hour later, the kitchen began to fill with delicious aromas.

Ichin sniffed the air and smiled.

“Mmm, something fried—tempura?”

Haruno grinned and nodded.

“Yukino’s great at making tempura. And today we found some really fresh shrimp.”

A few minutes later, the kitchen door opened. Yukino walked out with a bowl, heading straight to the cats. She filled their dishes with kibble, then added chopped shrimp and fish, mixing it all together.

The moment the smell hit, all the cats rushed over—including George, leaping off Ichin’s lap.

Once she finished feeding them, Yukino turned to Haruno and Ichin.

“Dinner will be ready in just a little bit.”

***