[Game] Chapter 361-365

### Chapter 361: First Week Sales!

In the morning, even though everyone had gone out for a late-night snack, the alarm still dragged them out of bed.

Ichin glanced at Utaha, who was still struggling in the blankets, and pinched her cheek with a smile.

“You don’t have class this morning, so just sleep a little longer. I’ll go check out the sales at the physical stores and be back before noon to cook.”

Hearing that, Utaha didn’t argue. She pulled the blanket over herself, closed her eyes, and mumbled,

“Mm, then I’ll sleep a little more… so tired.”

Watching her fall asleep at lightning speed, Ichin chuckled, grabbed his clothes, and went out to wash up.

After freshening up, stretching a bit, and eating something simple, Ichin headed to the dorm downstairs.

Rin, Yagami, and Umiko were already up, though except for Umiko, the other two still looked sleepy.

“Are we really going?”

“Of course!” the two said in unison, nodding firmly.

“But I don’t feel like driving this morning,” Yagami added, glancing at Ichin. “I’ll just sit in your car. Anyway, we only have to go to the company this afternoon.”

“Sure. Umiko, why don’t you come in my car too? Utaha’s still sleeping, so with the four of us, it’ll fit perfectly.”

But Umiko shook her head.

“No need. Don’t forget, others don’t have cars. Relying only on you and Hazuki isn’t enough to carry everyone. We need more than two cars.”

Ichin thought for a moment and realized she was right. Shinoda Hajime, Iijima Yun, Aoba, Nene, Hifumi, Tsubame, and Momoko—none of them had cars. And they weren’t just visiting Akihabara today.

Once Yagami and the others finished breakfast, the four of them drove to Akihabara.

After parking, they waited a few minutes before the others arrived one after another.

“Good morning!!”

Shinoda waved energetically, then looked around curiously.

“Eh? Utaha didn’t come?”

Ichin replied, “She’s still sleeping. No classes today, so I let her rest.”

Just then, the Sawamura family’s car pulled up. Behind the wheel was Sayuri Sawamura, while Eriri sat in the passenger seat.

“Eriri came too? But today’s Monday.”

As a company member, she didn’t need to line up for the game they had developed. Ichin thought she’d obediently attend class, but here she was.

Getting out of the car in her school uniform, Eriri faced everyone’s puzzled looks, put her hands on her hips, and declared confidently,

“What? I can’t come see the release of a game I helped develop? Besides, my grades aren’t bad! I told Mom, and she let me take half a day off.”

Sayuri got out as well, smiling.

“Eriri’s grades are good enough that I don’t need to worry. Letting her indulge just this once is fine. But Ichin-kun, I’ll trouble you to send her to school at noon. I’m too busy to take her.”

“No problem. Leave it to me,” Ichin assured her.

Sayuri then drove away, while the group headed toward Akihabara.

Outside the big game stores, despite being a Monday, long lines stretched far down the street. Seeing the staff holding signs at the front of the queue, it was obvious—this was the Persona purchase line.

Aoba stood on tiptoes, peering toward the distant front of the line.

“This many people… over a hundred, right?”

Ichin glanced at the number tags in people’s hands and nodded.

“Mm. The line is already past number 400. Which means plenty of people had already bought the game right when the store opened and left. These folks aren’t even the first batch.”

“Didn’t we see posts online last night?” Yagami added. “Some people queued overnight. It’s May, not cold, but still, that’s crazy.”

Hazuki clapped her hands to gather everyone.

“Alright, no need for us to queue too. Let’s head to the next place.”

They checked every store in Akihabara before moving on to other big game shops across Tokyo.

Everywhere they went, sales were booming. The hype was undeniable. Even casual players who hadn’t known about Persona got hooked after seeing the promo videos playing on the in-store TVs.

They couldn’t check sales outside Tokyo directly, but they could call later in the afternoon. No rush.

After making the rounds, Ichin drove Eriri home, bought ingredients on the way, and went back. He cooked lunch, ate with Utaha and Eriri, then drove Eriri to Toyogosaki before heading with Utaha to their own classes.

The first week after Persona’s release flew by.

Every day, Ichin checked sales numbers across platforms, active player counts, and watched the explosion of streams and discussions on various platforms.

On YouTube and Bilibili, Persona videos popped up like mushrooms after the rain. Strict anti-leak policies plus the game’s long playtime meant that by the weekend, no one had posted a complete first-run guide. Some systems hadn’t even been fully figured out yet.

Still, a handful of hardcore streamers and uploaders managed to beat the game’s first run within a week, grinding day and night, streaming almost every waking hour.

On Sunday, Ichin went to the company instead of staying home. Everyone else also showed up in the morning.

Because today—they were announcing the first week sales.

After half an hour in the office, Ichin came out with a small notebook. Everyone was already waiting in the art department. The moment they saw him, all eyes turned.

Shinoda was the first to burst out, waving his hand.

“Ichin-kun, how were the first week sales? Tell us already!”

Ichin looked around at everyone. His calm expression finally broke into a smile—and that smile kept growing wider.

“Everyone… in the first week, Persona’s worldwide total sales on PC and console combined, including pre-orders, has reached 6.58 million copies! Which means this week’s actual sales alone surpassed 3 million!”

“Six million… three million…”

Yagami Ko repeated blankly, then broke into a laugh, grabbing Rin in a tight hug.

“This is amazing!!!”

Cheers erupted across the office, excitement and joy surging through everyone’s hearts.

These sales meant the company’s success had reached an entirely new level.

***

### Chapter 362: The Banquet

With the first week’s results in, a proper celebration was in order. Ichin directly booked a hotel banquet hall and even covered the costs for the Shanghai studio members to come join in, so everyone could celebrate together.

The Shanghai team, just like the Tokyo side, had been taking language classes, so casual communication wasn’t a problem.

On Wednesday, the celebration banquet kicked off. Over a hundred people gathered in the hall, the atmosphere lively and festive.

At Hazuki’s invitation as host, and urged on by the loud cheers of the crowd, Ichin helplessly walked up to the stage and took the microphone.

Glancing around at the members below, he thought for a moment before speaking:

“Originally, I hadn’t prepared a speech, but since Hazuki made me come up, I’ll just say a few words. Our studio has been around for two years now. It’s not that long, really. In the first half year, we were just ten people. We finished polishing Slay the Spire, then developed Hollow Knight, which was our first step forward.

“After that, we gradually expanded our team and began development on Persona. Thanks to everyone’s efforts, the project went smoothly. In just a year and a half, the game released successfully, sales far exceeded expectations, and both players and media alike gave it unanimous praise. For that, I want to thank all of you for the hard work you put in during development. Without you, our company wouldn’t be where it is today.”

At that, Ichin bowed deeply from the heart.

Thunderous applause followed. For everyone here, being part of the company and making games together was something to be proud of.

When the clapping died down, Ichin continued:

“Now that Persona has been released, that doesn’t mean our company will stop moving forward. It’s May now. After this, everyone will have a week-long vacation. Once that’s over, we’ll continue expanding our staff, and we’ll be developing at least two new projects.

“One of them I can tell you about now—it’s a high-quality indie-scale 2D platformer, supporting both online and local two-player co-op. Hazuki will be the producer for that one, picking the team members to develop it. After the break, we’ll have a meeting. Anyone interested can volunteer.

“As for the other one or two projects, those will be large-scale, at least a year of development, with higher technical and financial demands.”

His words instantly filled everyone with excitement.

Except for veterans like Yagami and the others, most didn’t know what plans were coming. They had only been guessing. But now, hearing there were already several well-prepared projects lined up, the anticipation skyrocketed.

Their boss might be young, but his strength was undeniable. Even the newest hires admired him greatly. Whether it was planning, programming, art, or even music—Ichin had outstanding skills. Truly, an all-around talent.

Seeing everyone’s excited expressions, Ichin smiled.

“In short, you don’t need to worry about the company’s future. As long as you’re willing to dive deep into game development and keep improving yourselves, I can guarantee that everyone here will have the chance to show their strengths and find the role that suits them best. That’s all from me. Now, let’s officially begin the banquet—eat well, drink well, and enjoy!”

Handing the microphone back to Hazuki, Ichin stepped down and returned to Utaha’s side.

With Utaha and Eriri present, the Yukinoshita sisters—Haruno and Yukino—were also naturally in attendance as shareholders.

All the girls had dressed in beautiful gowns tonight, dazzling and radiant, turning heads everywhere.

As Ichin sat down, Haruno raised her champagne glass with a smile.

“So, Ichin-kun, what are your plans for the one-week break? With the game selling like crazy, are you going to strike while the iron is hot and keep pushing promotions?”

“The previous promotions were already enough. Plus, the ads are still running,” Ichin shrugged. “As for what I’m going to do… what else? Classes, of course. I’m still a student.”

His answer left Haruno speechless.

True enough—after watching Ichin’s speech earlier, she had almost forgotten he was just a first-year college student.

Shaking her head, she sighed sincerely.

“What a pity. Why did little Utaha get to you first? A guy like you would’ve been the perfect son-in-law for the Yukinoshita family. But I can only imagine it… because asking Yukino to actively chase a boy is impossible.”

Yukino’s cheeks flared red at her sister’s words. She glared at Haruno.

“Stop talking nonsense, and don’t drag me into this. Our family doesn’t just have me—we have you too.”

“Eh~~ me?” Haruno laughed.

“Ahaha, no way. The age gap’s not much, but with my personality? Ichin-kun’s too sharp. He’d see through me instantly. Impossible.”

So you actually thought about it, huh.

Utaha, listening, didn’t get upset. Just as Haruno said, whether it was Yukino or Haruno, being friends was fine, but anything beyond that was close to impossible—even if Utaha weren’t in the picture.

Well, maybe Yukino had some chance. Despite her stubborn streak, she was still a pure-hearted girl. If they truly spent more time together, anything could happen.

But reality was clear: Ichin was already taken. Utaha had no intention of doing anything to jeopardize their relationship.

After chatting a bit, Ichin picked up his wine and called Umiko over to greet the Shanghai studio members.

“You should all know her already—Ahagon Umiko, head of the Tokyo programming team,” Ichin introduced. “Moving forward, the Shanghai side will also continue recruiting. If we can bring in F—”

The words cut off, but the implication was enough to make the Shanghai members exchange looks of surprise.

It seemed their boss’s ambitions weren’t small. The three games already developed were all different genres, and even the upcoming projects were set to diversify further.

Umiko, who had expected this, just smiled. She too was full of anticipation.

***

### Chapter 363: Expansion Begins

After the lively celebration banquet, it was exactly as Ichin had promised—the company went on a full week of vacation.

And not just any vacation, but paid leave.

With Persona selling so well, Ichin wasn’t going to be stingy. Along with the paid holiday, he also planned to hand out bonuses with mid-month salaries. Of course, he didn’t announce that part yet—better to save the surprise for payday so everyone could be even happier.

While the employees enjoyed their break, Ichin headed back to the office building. He met with the building managers to rent out the empty space right next to their current office.

Compared to searching for a new place elsewhere in Tokyo, this was perfect.

The rental went smoothly—he signed the contract the very same day, locking it in for two years along with their current lease.

With the space secured, equipment wasn’t immediately urgent. Ichin contacted a PC supplier he’d worked with before and reserved a batch of gear in advance.

---

At home, Ichin sat in front of his computer, resting his chin on one hand as he looked at the recruitment posts on the screen.

“Hiring, huh. Both Tokyo and Shanghai need more people.”

Utaha, sitting beside him while nibbling on a crepe she had just bought, tilted her head.

“Do you really need to hire so many, Ichin? Between both sides, that’s close to a hundred people.”

“Mm, about that many.” Ichin nodded.

“Shanghai’s studio is still too small—they need more staff. I’ve emphasized they should prioritize candidates with design experience. Hopefully, our company’s recent success will attract some seasoned developers. Hazuki’s team, which will handle Battle Block Theater, doesn’t need too many—around twenty will be enough. The rest have to be committed to developing Dark Souls. As for Shanghai, their focus will be Titanfall and Apex.”

“Shanghai is handling those?” Utaha asked in surprise, pointing to a group photo from the banquet on the table.

“But didn’t Umiko say she wanted to be part of that project?”

“Exactly. Which means when the project starts, Umiko will probably be traveling there.”

“Traveling? Seriously? She agreed?”

Ichin nodded.

“Yeah, I spoke to her. She agreed readily. And don’t worry—since the studio’s in Shanghai, my mom already knows Umiko. If she does move there, I’ll arrange an apartment close to our family home for her. Her Chinese is improving fast too. She’s still a bit rough, but once she’s living in that environment, she’ll pick it up quickly.”

“I see. If that’s what Umiko wants herself, then it’s fine.”

Utaha understood. It was the best arrangement, after all. Ichin planned to personally lead Dark Souls, which meant someone else had to head Titanfall. Letting the Shanghai team handle it was the smartest option—they were more than capable.

Stretching, Ichin leaned over to steal a bite of her crepe.

“Don’t worry. It’s just a temporary relocation. It’s not like she’ll be stuck there forever. If anyone wants to visit, it’s just a quick trip. A two-hour flight, tops.”

He wasn’t wrong. The distance wasn’t far—visits would be easy.

---

Near evening, Ichin was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen when Yagami, Rin, and Umiko arrived at the dorm.

After spending two days at Yagami’s place, Rin had returned over the weekend, and today they’d decided to drop by for food.

Utaha stopped Rin from sneaking into the kitchen to help and instead pulled her, Yagami, and Umiko into the living room for girl talk.

Pouring tea for them, Utaha turned to Umiko.

“Umiko-san, I heard from Ichin earlier—you really agreed to take the assignment in Shanghai?”

“Huh?”

“Assignment?”

Yagami and Rin were hearing this for the first time. Both stared at Umiko in surprise.

Umiko, calm as always, nodded.

“Of course. You know I’ve always wanted to work on a great FPS. Now that Ichin’s developing Titanfall, of course I want to be involved. And it’s just Shanghai, not some far-off country. If I want, I can come back once a month—or even every two weeks.”

Her words left Yagami and Rondo with nothing to say.

It was true. This had always been her dream. A short-term relocation wasn’t unreasonable. They’d visited Shanghai before too—the environment was good, and Umiko’s Chinese was solid enough that adapting wouldn’t be a problem.

Rin tapped her chin thoughtfully.

“But… you’re going alone?”

“Yeah. Just me. The team there is expanding too. Ichin said if I go, I can lead the programming group. Honestly, it won’t be much different from what I do here.”

Unlike Hifumi or Aoba, Umiko didn’t get nervous around unfamiliar colleagues. If she went, she’d adapt quickly and dive right into work.

At that moment, the kitchen door opened. Ichin stuck his head out.

“Dinner’s ready! Wash up. Utaha, come help me carry the dishes.”

“Coming!”

Utaha stood, smiling at the others.

“Alright, let’s eat. Tonight it’s cola chicken wings!”

“Ohhh, chicken wings! My favorite!” Yagami jumped up excitedly and dashed off to wash her hands.

---

The week-long vacation soon came to an end.

But on the very last day, Ichin and Utaha received a message from Yukino:

Yukino: Senpai, Utaha-senpai, it looks like Sesame’s about to give birth!

Reading the message in the campus library, Ichin and Utaha exchanged glances, then quickly packed their things and drove straight to Yukino’s apartment.

They had already moved into the guest room there yesterday. With the kittens due any moment, Yukino had read plenty of books and consulted vets, but she still didn’t feel confident handling it alone. So she had asked Ichin and Utaha to stay over.

As soon as they entered, they saw Yukino crouched carefully by the big nesting box, holding Peppa in her arms, keeping watch over Sesame.

***

### Chapter 364: Staying Over

Seeing the scene, Ichin and Utaha hurried inside.

Coming to Yukino’s side, Utaha asked nervously,

“Yukino, how is she now?”

Shaking her head, Yukino glanced at Sesame lying in the nesting box and whispered,

“It seems okay for now. But after eating at noon, she just lay there and didn’t move anymore. Even when I came back, she stayed still, only meowed at me a little. I called the vet, and they said it should be today. They told me to keep a close watch.”

“I see.”

Ichin leaned closer, reaching into the box to gently stroke Sesame’s head, then lightly touched her belly.

“For now, things look fine… but tonight, I doubt any of us will get much rest.”

As soon as he said that, the doorbell rang.

Yukino glanced at the entrance.

“That must be Eriri.”

“I’ll get it.”

Ichin walked to the entryway and opened the apartment door. Sure enough, Eriri was standing there, out of breath in her casual clothes.

“How’s the cat?!”

Letting her inside, Ichin said,

“Don’t worry, she hasn’t started yet. Everything looks alright. It should be later this afternoon or evening. Did you come straight from home?”

“Yeah, I asked Mom to drop me off.”

Eriri slipped on indoor slippers and carried her schoolbag plus a bag of clothes into the living room.

“I had just gotten home when Yukino sent me the message. I changed clothes and rushed right over. I’m staying here tonight too!”

With the kittens about to arrive, Eriri was eager to help, insisting on staying over without hesitation.

Yukino didn’t object. With Ichin and Utaha already here, having Eriri join wasn’t an issue.

Checking the time, Ichin said to the three girls,

“It’s not early anymore. I’ll go buy ingredients for dinner and also swing by to pick up Mochi. You three watch over things here. Oh, and if Sesame doesn’t give birth until tonight, we’ll be busy then. To avoid chaos later, Eriri, you’d better finish your homework now.”

“Got it, got it!” Eriri waved him off.

“I brought my bag, of course I’ll do my homework!”

But the moment she said that, Utaha reached over, unzipped Eriri’s bag, and pulled out a Nintendo Switch, two cartridge cases, a gaming laptop, and even an Xbox controller!

“Are you sure you came here to study?”

“Waaah! No, put that back!!”

The living room filled with noise, and Ichin could only shake his head helplessly, hoping Yukino could keep things under control.

---

Leaving the apartment, Ichin drove to the supermarket, stocking up on food, including fish and chicken to supplement Sesame’s nutrition.

Afterward, he headed back to his own place to pick up Mochi from Yagami and the others.

Carrying the cat carrier to the door, Rin asked worriedly,

“Ichin-kun, everything’s okay at Yukino’s place, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. It’s nothing serious. We’ll keep an eye on her.”

Yagami quickly added,

“That’s right! Actually, maybe I should come too?”

Ichin shook his head firmly.

“No need, Ko. Yukino’s apartment only has two bedrooms and a living room. With four people already, there’s no space for you. Leave it to us. I don’t have class tomorrow morning, so I can stay up late. But you, remember—you have work tomorrow. Don’t forget.”

“Ah… right.”

Being reminded by her own boss made Yagami scratch her cheek awkwardly. She sighed regretfully.

“Too bad. I really wanted to see the kittens being born.”

“We’ll record it for you when it happens. You can watch the video later.”

“Okay! You’d better keep that promise!!”

After saying goodbye to them, Ichin drove back to Yukino’s apartment.

The moment he stepped in, he saw an extra person there.

“Haruno-san, you came too?”

“Good afternoon, Ichin-kun~~~~”

Haruno greeted him with a grin.

“I was originally planning to take Yukino out for dinner, but looks like that’s impossible now.”

Ichin nodded, setting down Mochi’s carrier so she could go check on her daughter.

“Mm, looks like it’ll happen tonight. As for dinner, Haruno-san, eat here with us. I’ll cook. The supermarket had lots of good ingredients today—I bought plenty.”

“Oh! Ichin-kun cooking? Then I’ll look forward to freeloading!”

Dinner was prepared by Ichin and Utaha. Yukino had wanted to help, but with her sister present, she had to stay in the living room to keep Haruno from messing with Sesame’s rest.

After more than half an hour, the kitchen began to fill the air with fragrance.

Eriri, bent over her homework at the coffee table, twitched her nose and glanced toward the kitchen—then at the two sisters staring each other down in silence.

Scratching her head, she decided not to say anything. Better to finish her homework now. Otherwise, once night came, between looking after the cat and playing games, there’d be no time left.

Dinner was, of course, lavish. Since they were staying over at Yukino’s, Ichin and Utaha made sure to show some sincerity.

Taking a bite of braised chicken, Haruno smiled in satisfaction.

“Delicious! Ichin-kun, your cooking’s gotten even better. You’re practically on par with restaurant chefs now!”

Ichin chuckled and shook his head.

“Not as exaggerated as you say. Just homestyle cooking. As long as you like it, that’s enough.”

“Of course I like it. Homestyle food is way better than fancy dishes. Right, Yukino?”

Quietly eating, Yukino gave a small nod.

“Mm. So-called fine dining is more about appearance and gimmicks. I’ve never been fond of it. These days, if you want premium ingredients, you can just buy them yourself. Cooking them at home makes for the best flavor.”

“Exactly,” Utaha agreed.

“Ichin and I have been to plenty of high-end Tokyo restaurants these past two years—even tried multiple kaiseki places. But honestly, some of those dishes don’t taste half as good as what we make ourselves.”

Eriri stayed silent, just quietly picking more chicken into her bowl before ladling herself a full bowl of fish soup.

That guy Ichin… his cooking really had leveled up again. Better eat more now—tonight might be a long night.

***

Chapter 365: The Kittens Are Born

After dinner, Haruno didn’t stay long—she drove back to campus.

The moment she left, Yukino let out a sigh of relief.

Sitting beside her, Utaha chuckled.

“What’s this? Worried your sister would stir up trouble?”

Yukino nodded without hesitation.

“Exactly. You know my sister’s personality too, senpai. If I’m not careful, I might walk right into one of her traps. Normally it doesn’t matter, but tonight is too important. I can’t let her cause a mess.”

Haruno’s personality, huh…

On the side, Ichin—typing away at his laptop while working on a project plan—thought Yukino was worrying too much. Haruno wasn’t the same as before. She wouldn’t do something to genuinely upset Yukino, especially not at a time like this.

By nine o’clock, Sesame still showed no signs of giving birth. But Ichin could tell the little cat was uneasy—likely, it wouldn’t be much longer.

Since everyone had already bathed, he looked at them and said,

“Let’s not keep crowding around her. We might just be making Sesame nervous. We’ve got the camera anyway—let’s go back to the bedrooms and watch from there.”

Yukino nodded.

“You’re right. Come on, Eriri, let’s go to the bedroom. You can play games there too.”

“No problem.” Eriri packed up her Switch and followed Yukino. Ichin and Utaha dimmed the living room lights, then headed to the guest room.

In the guest room, Ichin set his laptop on the desk to keep working, while Utaha connected her tablet to Yukino’s security cameras. She sat on the bed, the tablet beside her, idly scrolling her phone.

“Ichin-kun, when do you think Sesame will give birth?”

“Probably soon. If it didn’t happen during the day, it’ll usually be at night.” Ichin kept typing as he spoke. “If you get sleepy, just go to bed. I don’t have class tomorrow morning, so I can stay up.”

“Mm, I know.” Utaha nodded, then pulled up a comedy video with her headphones. “But if I fall asleep and Sesame starts, you’d better wake me up!”

Ichin gave her an OK gesture and returned to his work.

The room gradually grew quiet.

By past eleven, sleepiness overtook Utaha. She washed up, slipped into bed, and soon drifted off.

Ichin, still full of energy, pulled the tablet closer and kept writing.

The Dark Souls project plan was no small task—worldbuilding, combat system, map design, plus his own ideas—all needed to be laid out.

Since Dark Souls had three main entries, Ichin planned to start by remaking the third. The DLCs, Painted World and Ringed City, he would still release as expansions.

If sales went well, he’d continue with Dark Souls I next—though adjusted for modern standards, fixing design flaws like those absurdly long run-backs. Dying once shouldn’t mean running “three thousand six hundred li.”

Eventually, he turned off the ceiling light, leaving only the desk lamp on, working until past 1 a.m.

Finishing part of the system design, he finally leaned back, massaging his temples. His eyes drifted toward the tablet—

And froze.

They were here.

Even though the lighting was dim, he could clearly see—inside the big nesting box, along with Sesame, were several tiny squirming shapes.

Without hesitation, Ichin grabbed his phone and called Yukino’s room, flicking on the light to wake Utaha.

The call connected instantly. Yukino’s anxious voice came through:

“Senpai, I saw it—she’s giving birth!”

“Mm, stay calm.” Ichin soothed her quickly.

“Everything looks stable so far. Don’t rush in and scare her. Is Eriri still awake?”

“I’m awake!” Eriri’s voice chimed in. “I never even slept—I’ve been gaming. But Yukino fell asleep, and your call woke her up.”

By then, Utaha had sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“Ichin… gave birth?”

“Yeah, the cat gave birth—not me. You’re still half-asleep.”

He pinched her cheek lightly with a grin.

“Come on, let’s go check.”

Utaha blinked, finally fully awake, and hurried after him as they left the guest room.

Opening the door, they met Yukino and Eriri coming out of the master bedroom at the same time.

Ichin motioned for silence, then whispered to Yukino,

“Get the iodine I told you to prepare earlier. And towels and cotton swabs.”

She nodded, heading to the storage room to fetch a small bottle of iodine, then the bathroom for a clean towel, cotton swabs, and a pack of medical gloves.

The four of them quietly moved to the living room.

Peppa and Mochi were both awake now. Seeing their humans, they leapt down from the cat tree, meowing loudly—not in protest, but almost as if urging them to help.

Ichin handed the two cats to Eriri, then switched on the living room light and told Utaha to start recording with her phone.

“Let’s go.”

He drew back the curtain on the nesting box. Inside, nestled against Sesame’s belly, were four tiny kittens wriggling restlessly.

Four little ones—one snow-white like their mother, one orange like their father, and two mostly white but marked with orange and black on their heads and tails.

“Mm, good mix of colors.”

Nodding, Ichin pulled on gloves, then guided Yukino in drying the kittens. He gently stroked Sesame’s head, confirming the new mother was calm, then pressed lightly on her belly to make sure no more kittens remained inside. Only then did he help Yukino cut and clean the umbilical cords.

After ten minutes of careful work, the four kittens were cleaned and returned to their mother’s belly.

They were newborns—far too fragile to be held or played with.

Holding Peppa and Mochi in her arms, Eriri’s eyes went wide with excitement as she stared at the tiny creatures.

“So these are newborn kittens… they’re adorable!”

Utaha smiled as she filmed, capturing the precious moment.

***