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[Game] Chapter 124: A Smooth First Meeting
🕑 Added 2025-01-26 08:44:38 +0000 UTCAs they chatted and toured the studio, Ichin's mom took a moment to stop by the kitchen before heading to the adjacent room.
Looking at the kitchen appliances and the neatly arranged shelves of condiments, she nodded in satisfaction. "It seems like this kitchen does get some proper use."
Ichin, standing nearby, explained, "There aren’t many delivery options around here. If we want more variety, we either have to drive to a busier commercial district or take the bus. So, once the studio was set up, people started bringing their own meals or cooking here regularly to save money. Some of the team members are pretty good at cooking. For example, Rin Toyama, who you just met, is an excellent cook."
After the kitchen, the three moved to the adjacent lounge area.
"This is the lounge," Ichin said, gesturing around. "Everyone comes here to relax, chat, play games, or even hold meetings."
He tapped the treadmill placed nearby. "This treadmill was a later addition. We got it to encourage everyone to stay healthy. Everyone here has a set workout schedule."
Taking a seat on the couch, Ichin's mom looked around and commented, "This is all very well done. Both the work area and the lounge show a lot of thought and care. You all have a day off today, but you’ll be back to work tomorrow, right? I’ll make sure to meet everyone at the studio then."
A short while later, Kō Yagami finished organizing her belongings and joined them in the lounge, where she sat down with Ichin’s mom for some casual conversation.
After some chatting, Hazuki turned to Ichin and asked, "Ichin, how are you planning to handle dinner? Should we all go out to eat? It could also be a good way to welcome your mom."
"No need," Ichin replied with a smile. "We already arranged to have dinner with Utaha’s parents tonight. Both families are meeting for the first time."
"Ah, I see," Kō said, rubbing her chin with a teasing smile. "Could this be a discussion about your engagement?"
Ichin rolled his eyes. "What are you even thinking? It's just an initial meeting. If there were an engagement discussion, my dad would have to be here for it to be official."
He didn’t feel any resistance to the idea of engagement. In his view, it was something that would naturally happen eventually. However, there was no need to rush at his current age.
His statement left Utaha blushing beside him, her cheeks tinged with a rosy hue.
She didn’t say anything like, "We could get engaged now," because she wasn’t in a hurry either. They had only been dating for a short time, and there was still a long road ahead.
The way both Ichin and Utaha handled the topic made Ichin's mom smile. Seeing her son and his girlfriend so in sync, she felt reassured about their relationship.
The only downside, she thought with a small sigh, was that the two were still quite young. Her chances of becoming a grandmother would have to wait a bit longer.
As evening approached, Ichin, Utaha, and his mom left the studio, while Kō and the others headed to a nearby supermarket to buy ingredients for a homemade dinner.
The meeting between Ichin’s mom and Utaha’s parents went very smoothly. The two families had an enjoyable and pleasant conversation. Ichin's mom also expressed her gratitude to Utaha’s parents for looking after her son.
It was impossible for Ichin’s mom not to worry, given that her son was studying abroad alone.
Utaha’s parents, for their part, were relieved to see how fond Ichin’s mom was of their daughter. Although they knew about Ichin’s good family background, there had always been the slight concern that his parents might not approve of Utaha.
Fortunately, all those worries turned out to be unnecessary.
After a lively and joyful dinner, the families returned to their respective homes, with Utaha heading back with her parents.
When Ichin opened the door to his home, his mom smiled at him and teased, "What’s wrong? Feeling a bit down because Utaha went home?"
"Of course not," Ichin replied, shaking his head. "Utaha doesn’t always stay here; she spends most of her time at her own home. Anyway, Mom, you’ve had a long day flying. Go take a bath and rest early. I’ll show you around in the coming days."
"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you," she said with a chuckle before heading to take a bath.
While his mom was in the bathroom, Ichin settled in the living room and called his dad, who was still back home, to share the day’s events.
---
The next morning, after breakfast, Ichin brought his mom downstairs to the studio during work hours to introduce her to the rest of the team.
Seeing the group, which consisted entirely of young women, Ichin’s mom couldn’t help but think for a fleeting moment, Even if Ichin weren’t dating Utaha, any of these girls could easily be my future daughter-in-law. They’re all wonderful.
Among them, she took a particular liking to Hafumi. With her exceptional beauty and great figure, the only thing holding her back was her slightly shy demeanor.
After meeting everyone, Ichin turned to his mom. "Mom, how about I take you on a tour of Tokyo next?"
"There’s no need," she replied with a smile, waving her hand dismissively. Then she looked at Utaha. "I’ll go out with Utaha and her mom. The three of us will have a great time. You can focus on your work."
Utaha nodded in agreement. "Yes, leave it to me, Ichin. My mom and I will take great care of her."
"Alright, that works," Ichin said, accepting the plan. Compared to himself, Utaha undoubtedly knew Tokyo better, and with her mom accompanying them, there was no reason for him to tag along.
After Ichin’s mom and Utaha left, the rest of the studio team turned to Ichin.
Aoba spoke up curiously, "Ichin, your mom looks so young!"
"Does she? I guess I’ve gotten used to it," Ichin said with a laugh. "It’s probably because of our family situation. My mom doesn’t have much to worry about, so she has time to take care of herself. Anyway, enough about my mom. Let’s get back to work!"
At Ichin’s urging, everyone refocused on their tasks.
---
Around 10:30 in the morning, a knock came at the studio’s door.
Ichin went to open it and found Eriri standing outside. She was dressed in a t-shirt and a short skirt, carrying a small bag and wearing sunglasses.
"Good morning, Ichin-kun!" she greeted with a cheeky grin.
"Eriri? Good morning. What brings you here today? You didn’t mention you were coming," Ichin said, stepping aside to let her in.
Removing her sunglasses, Eriri smiled. "My drawing tablet pen broke, so I went out to get a new one. Since I was already out, I decided to drop by for a bit."
After entering and exchanging greetings with the rest of the team, Eriri looked around and noticed that Utaha wasn’t there. Curiously, she asked, "Where’s Utaha?"
"Oh, my mom arrived yesterday, so they went out together. She’s not here today," Ichin explained.
"Your mom’s here?" Eriri’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
...
