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[Game] Chapter 235: Third Year of High School
🕑 Added 2025-05-25 19:15:13 +0000 UTCOn Sunday morning, Ichin called a moving company to the studio. All the computer equipment was disassembled, labeled, packed into boxes, and loaded onto the truck.
Hazuki also came by, so Ichin and Kō Yagami rode in Hazuki’s car together, heading toward the new location of their studio.
Once the car started, Hazuki turned to Ichin, who was in the passenger seat, and asked, “Is Utaha not coming with us?”
“She’s working on a part of the game’s script that requires some deep thinking,” Ichin replied. “Besides, we’re just going to set up the computers. Nothing major.”
Kō, sitting in the back, leaned forward between the front seats and chimed in, “Once we finish setting everything up, let’s go out for lunch, yeah? I’m craving barbecue!”
Ichin turned his head and looked at her. “Kō, we just had a dinner gathering last night. You want another one already?”
“This is different!” Kō said cheerfully. “Yesterday was for celebration. Today, I just really want some meat! It’s still winter, you know? It’s the perfect time for barbecue! Or hot pot would be good too—I’m flexible.”
Ichin smiled. “Let’s ask everyone once we get there.”
Today, only the original studio members were scheduled to be at the company, making it a perfect opportunity for one last team meal before the new members joined.
“Even though it’s been less than a year,” Hazuki said sentimentally, “this little place has given us so many memories.” Then she suddenly remembered something. “Kō, since the studio space is being turned into an employee dorm, has anyone said they’d be moving in?”
“Yep!” Kō said enthusiastically, counting on her fingers. “Rin already agreed. Her current lease ends at the end of the month, so she’s packing up now. Then there’s Umiko—her lease ends next month, and she’ll move in too. Next are Tsubame and Momo. They’re still students renting places, so saving on rent would be a big help. As for the others, Shinoda’s lease still has over three months left, so she doesn’t need to move yet. For now, that’s everyone. The girls on the -lily team are all Tokyo locals, so they won’t need to move.”
Ichin nodded. “Including Shinoda, that makes six people. Sounds about right. By the way, Hazuki, are you thinking about moving in with everyone too?”
“No need for me,” Hazuki replied with a smile. “My apartment lease is ending soon as well, but I’ve managed to save up over the past few years. I’m planning to buy a place instead. Once I get the new house set up, I’ll definitely invite you all over!”
“Whoa, you’re buying a house?” Kō exclaimed in surprise. “Have you started looking? Where at?”
“In Shinjuku,” Hazuki answered. “It’s not a fancy high-rise or anything. Just a regular two-bedroom apartment. I’ve checked it out already. It’s nice, but I want to keep looking. Maybe I’ll find something I like even more.”
Ichin agreed. “Totally. When it comes to buying a place, it’s best to take your time. You want something that checks all the boxes. If you ever feel stuck, my dad has a friend in Tokyo who works in real estate. He helped me pick out my places. You could talk to him.”
Hazuki smiled brightly. “Sounds great. If I need help, I’ll definitely reach out.”
Soon, the three of them arrived at the office building along with the moving truck. The others had already arrived as well.
Once the movers had carried all the boxes upstairs, everyone began assembling their computer setups and connecting to the local network already installed at the company.
After getting everything up and running, Kō stretched in her chair and looked around. “It’s about lunchtime. So, barbecue or hot pot?”
“Barbecue!”
“Hot pot!”
After a round of democratic voting, lunch was decided: hot pot it is.
After sending a message to Utaha on his phone, Ichin turned to Hazuki and said, “Hazuki, could you go pick up Utaha? Let’s all head to the hot pot place together. It’s not exactly close from here.”
“Sure, I’ll head out now,” Hazuki replied.
About half an hour later, Hazuki and Utaha arrived at the hot pot restaurant and joined the group.
Ichin poured a drink for Utaha and placed some freshly cooked beef and lamb into her bowl. Smiling, he said, “Perfect timing. We can start eating now.”
“Thank you, Ichin,” Utaha said sweetly.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek, casually showering the group with PDA, then happily dug into her food.
By now, everyone was used to their little public displays of affection. At most, they'd just throw a few disdainful glances at the two before continuing to eat without much reaction.
While they were eating, Ichin began discussing upcoming work with Rin Toyama.
“Rin, starting tomorrow, could you handle posting some recruitment ads? We still need a few more people. Let’s start by hiring someone for finance and HR.”
Rin nodded. “No problem. I’ll take care of it first thing tomorrow.”
“Me too, me too!” said Hajime Shinoda, raising her hand eagerly. “With just me and that new girl in the animation team, it’s really not enough. Can we bring in two more people?”
Hearing Shinoda’s request, Rin glanced at Ichin to see what he thought.
Ichin, already aware of the understaffing issue in the animation team, replied, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it in mind. Rin will include your department’s needs in the listings. If you have any specific requirements, just tell her tomorrow. Also—Umiko, Kō—if either of you want to expand your teams, feel free to bring it up. We can finalize the number of hires later.”
“Yay!” Shinoda cheered, throwing her arms up in excitement. She had been fighting a lonely battle for a while now. While Yun and Ichin had occasionally helped out, most of the animation work still fell on her shoulders alone.
Just thinking about having a few more team members made Shinoda so happy that her appetite doubled.
Once the job listings were published online, the full development team, now gathered under one roof, threw themselves back into game production.
At the same time, Ichin and Utaha began their third and final year of high school.
“So we’re in our final year already,” Ichin remarked with a hint of nostalgia. “Starting last semester, a bunch of our classmates started signing up for cram schools. Looks like everyone’s really serious about getting into college.”
“Of course they are,” Utaha replied matter-of-factly. “Most of our class is ranked pretty high in the year, so naturally, college is their first priority. But Ichin, now that we’re in our senior year, schoolwork is going to be more intense. Will you be okay juggling both that and game development?”
Ichin shrugged nonchalantly. “Why not? It’s not like I ever studied during the holidays anyway—you know that. As long as I set aside some time each night to review, I’ll be fine.”
School was certainly important, but Ichin had confidence in his academic ability. He didn’t seem worried in the slightest.
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