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[Game] Chapter 213: A Proposal for Merger
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 08:34:06 +0000 UTCAfter lunch and a short break, Ichin, Hazuki, and Yagami Kō set off for Lily.
Sitting in the backseat beside Yagami Kō, Ichin asked,
“Kō, haven’t you thought about getting a driver’s license? With your income, buying a car should be pretty easy, right?”
“Ah, yeah... I haven’t gotten around to it,” Kō said awkwardly, scratching her cheek.
“I think I mentioned this before, but back when I was at Eagle Jump, I often just slept at the office. And even now, commuting from my rental to the studio is easy—just hop on a train. So I never really needed to drive, and getting a license wasn’t something I thought about.”
“You should still consider getting one,” Hazuki said while driving.
“I’m the only one in the studio with a license. If we all need to go somewhere, it’s kind of a hassle. Kō, you should take some time and go for it. And we should get Umiko to apply too. Ichin, you're planning on getting yours after your birthday, right?”
Ichin nodded. “Yeah, once my birthday’s over, I’ll go take the test and buy a car too. If three or four of us have cars in the studio, it’ll make everything a lot more convenient.”
Their words got Kō thinking seriously.
It was true—a license would be useful.
Now that she was living at the studio, rent was no longer a concern. Aside from the monthly allowance she sent home, she was still saving a good amount. As long as she didn’t go for some luxury car, she could definitely afford one.
Alright, decision made. Time to get a license—and I’ll drag Rin along with me!
Before long, the three arrived at Lily. Sawamura Sayuri and Eriri were already there.
The members of Lily were taking this collaboration very seriously. After only three days off for New Year’s, they had all returned to work of their own accord and gotten straight to it. Today, Sayuri had invited Ichin to review some of their progress.
“You’ve finished the first three layers of the Cognitive Space? And the Shinjuku and Shibuya maps are done too? That’s... surprisingly fast.”
Ichin had expected a progress check, but not for them to have come this far already.
Inside Sayuri’s office, Ichin opened the project files on the computer, reviewing them with Hazuki and Yagami Kō.
Seeing the 3D models, Kō looked genuinely impressed.
“Wow~~ this is way better than I expected.”
She took the mouse from Ichin and examined the models carefully.
“Yeah, this is solid. Still, this area could use some polish, and this spot here isn’t quite finished. Needs a bit more work.”
As someone who regularly reviewed everyone’s work, Kō gave praise where due but also pointed out a few flaws.
But those were all minor issues. Given Lily’s work speed, they could be patched up in less than half a day.
Taking a sip of coffee and leaving Kō to continue the inspection, Ichin turned to Sayuri and said,
“Aunt Sayuri, your club members are way more skilled than I expected. Honestly, I’m kind of tempted to poach a few of them.”
Ichin’s comment didn’t surprise Sawamura Sayuri at all. Smiling, she replied,
“Of course, as the manager of this circle, I’m well aware of everyone’s capabilities. As for poaching... I actually don’t see that as a problem. You see, I know your studio is bound to expand sooner or later. So, Ichin-kun, would you be open to bringing some Lily members into your team?”
“Huh?”
Ichin blinked in surprise. Even Kō and Hazuki turned to look at Sayuri.
“Aunt Sayuri, are you thinking of stepping down from running the circle?” he asked.
“It’s not that I don’t want to,” Sayuri said, crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch with a sigh.
“It’s just that the family business needs more of my attention these days. My energy is being stretched thinner and thinner. Besides, the profits from a doujin circle aren't always stable. I want to find a better development path for everyone. After some thought, merging with your studio really does seem like the best option—of course, only if you’re open to it.”
“I’m definitely open to expanding,” Ichin said without hesitation.
He hadn’t expected Sayuri to bring this up on her own, but now that she had, he was more than happy to continue the conversation.
“But... you haven’t told the rest of the circle about this yet, have you?”
“Of course not,” Sayuri said, narrowing her eyes with a grin.
“I had to check with you first. But from the looks of it, you’re more than willing to take them in, right?”
“Absolutely. But there’s no rush, is there?”
Ichin waved his hand casually. “Let me take a short trip back to my home country after the New Year, and we’ll talk more after that. Plus, I haven’t even started looking for a new office space yet. Speaking of which, Aunt Sayuri, do you have any leads on that front? Preferably somewhere near our current studio. I’m planning to convert our current office into employee housing—for Kō and the others.”
“Office space? No problem.”
Sayuri nodded decisively. “I’ll ask around—shouldn’t be hard to find something. Do you have size requirements? It’s just a pity this current space of ours is a bit far; otherwise, it’d be a great fit.”
Indeed, Lily’s current location was decent, but it was quite a distance from Ichin’s studio—not just geographically, but also from where most people lived. If they were going to move, proximity would be key. Besides, this space wouldn’t accommodate further expansion.
“As for size, definitely bigger than this one,” Ichin said.
“I won’t be stopping at just this team; we’ll continue growing. Ideally, something like a full floor in a standard office building.”
“Got it. Once I find a place, I’ll have Eriri let you know.”
Sayuri gave him an “OK” sign with her hand, already making mental notes.
As for informing the rest of the club, Sayuri wasn’t worried. She knew Ichin’s studio inside and out—after all, her own daughter worked there. It would be easy for her members to adapt. It was time to sit down and talk it through with everyone.
Meanwhile, Kō finished checking over the outsourced content thoroughly. Aside from a few minor issues, the overall quality met expectations, and there was no need for a full redo.
After copying all the necessary files, Ichin and the others—now joined by Eriri—headed back to the studio.
With Eriri now with them, Ichin took the passenger seat, leaving the backseat to Yagami Kō and Eriri.
As they drove, Kō asked curiously,
“Eriri, what made Aunt Sayuri bring up the idea of a merger all of a sudden?”
Eriri shook her head. “I’m not sure either. But ever since November, Mom’s been getting busier and busier. I’ve told her she doesn’t need to push herself so hard. If she brought it up today, she must’ve really thought it through. And if we do merge with the studio, I don’t think most of the club will resist it. In fact, I’d say the majority will be happy about it.”
Of course, this wasn’t something that would be settled overnight. It would take time—and that was fine.
...
