RedX43
patreon
[Game] Chapter 155: Vacation Ends, Back to Work
🕑 Added 2025-03-03 02:21:44 +0000 UTCSeeing Shinoda’s puffed-up cheeks, Ichin said, “Swallow your food before you talk.”
“Mmff…”
Shinoda blinked, chewed a few more times, and finally swallowed her sushi before asking, “For the photos, do we take selfies or just scenery shots?”
“Either is fine, whatever you guys prefer,” Ichin replied with a smile. “A lot of other game companies post photos from their business trips on social media. We’re just on vacation, but we can still share some pictures.”
“Hmm… yeah, that makes sense.”
Shinoda rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Then I’ll send you the ones I took today?”
“The ones from today?”
Ichin thought for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “You’re not talking about the swimsuit pictures, are you?”
“Of course!” Shinoda grinned and gave a thumbs-up. “The ones from when we were playing beach volleyball!”
“Yeah, no. Just casual outfits will do. We’re just sharing some vacation photos.”
Ichin immediately shut that idea down. The girls in the studio were all stunning—if swimsuit photos got posted, things would spiral out of control. Best to play it safe.
Kō Yagami nodded in agreement. “Yeah, let’s skip today’s pictures. We can take some at the festival later.”
At the mention of the festival, Toyama Rin tapped her chin and looked around. “I’m guessing none of us brought yukatas? Or are we just going in our regular clothes?”
Yun, who had been scrolling on her phone, suddenly perked up. “I just found out that the town holding the festival sells and rents yukatas!”
“It’s not just the town,” Ichin added. “The hotel offers that service too. I checked with the staff earlier—there’s a whole floor dedicated to clothing, including swimwear and yukatas. If you guys want one, you can just buy it. You won’t have to pay for it yourselves—consider it a bonus for all your hard work these past months.”
After some discussion, the group decided to check out the hotel’s clothing store.
Once dinner was over, everyone followed the hotel staff to the second-floor shop, while Ichin returned to his room alone. He grabbed his Nintendo Switch, planning to relax for a bit.
A festival, huh? As a guy, he didn’t need to change—flip-flops and shorts were good enough.
At around 7 PM, there was a knock on the door.
“All set?”
Ichin put down his Switch, grabbed his phone and wallet, and opened the door.
The moment it swung open, he was met with a crowd.
Looking at the group, now all dressed in yukatas, Ichin raised an eyebrow. “Why are you all standing here?”
Haruno, dressed in a deep blue yukata, stood beside Utaha with a bright smile, linking arms with her. “As the only guy here, Ichin-kun, it’s your duty to rate our outfits. Come on, score us—who looks the best?”
Ichin rolled his eyes at her antics, then reached out and pulled Utaha, who was wearing a soft lavender yukata, closer.
“No need to judge. Utaha gets a perfect score. The rest of you? 90 points each. Satisfied?”
“Aww, how boring~” Haruno pouted before twirling around slowly. “Are you saying my yukata isn’t stunning?”
Even though he had given everyone the same score, Ichin had to admit—wearing yukatas had completely transformed the group’s atmosphere. Everyone had their own unique charm in traditional attire.
Even Kō Yagami, who usually dressed in a more androgynous style, looked noticeably more feminine in a yukata.
Ichin glanced at her twice before asking in surprise, “Kō, did you put on makeup?”
Blushing, Kō admitted, “I didn’t really want to… but Rin and Hazuki forced me into it.”
Standing beside her, Rin spoke earnestly, “It’s a rare chance to see you in a yukata, so of course, we had to make sure you looked gorgeous! What do you think, Ichin-kun?”
Ichin gave her a thumbs-up. “Rin, your makeup skills are top-notch. Alright, let’s head out. The festival has tons of events—we’ll be busy for a while.”
---
Over the next three days, the group explored various attractions in Izu, took plenty of photos, enjoyed amazing food, and even visited an open-air hot spring.
Of course, as the only guy, Ichin didn’t get the privilege of mixed bathing. Instead, he booked a private hot spring all to himself and had a relaxing soak.
On the fourth morning, they boarded the same bus back to Tokyo.
One by one, Ichin dropped everyone off at their homes before finally returning to the apartment complex with Utaha and Kō.
Back in his long-missed home, Ichin set his luggage aside and collapsed onto the couch with a satisfied sigh.
“We’re finally back. The trip was fun, but nothing beats the comfort of home.”
Utaha settled in beside him, turned on the air conditioner, and wrapped her arms around his. “It’s already noon. What are we eating? Mom didn’t prepare lunch today.”
“Let’s order takeout.”
Ichin pulled out his phone and started browsing delivery options. “Utaha, call Kō and ask her to come up. See what she wants to eat.”
After making the call, Utaha leaned against his shoulder and said, “School starts again in a couple of days, you know.”
“Yeah, back to school life.”
Ichin scrolled through different restaurants and nodded. “Development on Hollow Knight is in its final stages, so even if I go back to school, it shouldn’t be an issue. What about you, Utaha? Any plans?”
“Nope. I’ll just stay home with you for the next two days.”
Kō arrived ridiculously fast—just two minutes after the call.
As soon as she walked in, she grinned and asked, “What’s for lunch? I was about to order takeout myself.”
“Sushi? Udon? McDonald’s?” Ichin listed.
“Why is KFC not on the list?” Kō complained. “Does KFC not deserve any respect?”
Ichin shrugged. “I like McDonald’s, not KFC.”
Kō sat cross-legged on the couch and smirked. “Fine, you’re the boss. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of KFC either.”
In the end, the three of them settled on McDonald’s and had a simple meal.
---
In the afternoon, Utaha went to visit her mother while Ichin and Kō headed to the studio, wasting no time in getting back to work.
Even on their way home, they had already made up their minds—it was time to get back to business. Taking breaks just wasn’t in their nature.
As he worked on level design, Ichin asked, “Kō, I’m planning to do a livestream next month and release two new videos. Want to appear on camera? You are the studio’s lead artist, after all.”
“Huh? Me?”
Kō tilted her head, hesitating for a moment before making one last attempt to dodge. “Can I just do voice-over and not show my face?”
...
