RedX43
patreon
[Game] Chapter 29: Golden Week, Kasumigaoka Utaha's Invitation
🕑 Added 2024-11-20 17:28:50 +0000 UTCEriri’s embarrassing incident wasn’t something she could talk about, so as soon as classes ended that afternoon, she rushed out of the school, her face flushed with shame, desperately avoiding any encounter with Kasumigaoka Utaha.
So, even though Utaha knew what happened to Eriri, she didn't get the chance to tease her in person.
The last two days of April passed by uneventfully. With his game released, Ichin’s school life became less hectic, allowing him to step back from fully immersing himself in game development.
However, he didn’t come to a complete halt. During his free time at noon, Ichin would be in the clubroom, reading advanced programming books to further hone his skills.
Although he had successfully developed a game on his own and was seeing promising results, Ichin knew that if he wanted to create different types of games in the future, he needed to continue improving his abilities.
### The First Day of Golden Week ###
Ichin indulged in a rare late start, waking up at nine in the morning. After a workout and his morning routine, he ate some bread and returned to his room, habitually turning on his computer.
“Hmm, the progress on Defect is looking good. I have these few days off, and Utaha mentioned needing my help with something, but that’s only for one day. So, that leaves me with six more days for development. At this pace, I should be able to finish the content for Defect by the end of the month and roll out an update.”
With that plan in mind, Ichin opened his video editing software to create a video update on the game’s development progress.
Having changed his account name, it was time to make use of it.
Ichin spent most of his day editing the video and finally finished it around four in the afternoon. He uploaded it to the website and while waiting for the video to be reviewed, he headed to the kitchen to whip up a quick dinner.
After eating and returning to his room, he was pleased to find that the review process had gone smoothly, and the video was already approved. Ichin then proceeded to contact several Bilibili creators and streamers, asking them to help share his video.
Just as he finished reaching out to the last person, the doorbell rang.
There weren’t many people who knew his home address, so if it wasn’t a delivery or takeout, it was likely the neighbor.
When he opened the door, it was indeed Kasumigaoka Utaha.
Standing at the doorway, Utaha took one look at Ichin’s greasy face and could immediately tell he’d barely moved all day.
“Were you working the whole day?” she asked.
“Yeah, pretty much. Come in,” Ichin replied.
After letting Utaha inside, Ichin poured her a glass of juice before heading to the bathroom to wash his face.
“I was making a video update on the game’s progress today,” Ichin explained when he returned. “I plan to maintain my account properly so that it’ll be useful when developing future games as well.”
“You can make videos?” Utaha asked, sounding surprised.
“It’s not that hard, really,” Ichin chuckled. “It’s not like I’m making anything super professional. I just showcase some development progress, like character artwork and new cards, give a bit of commentary, and outline the future development plans. The video’s already done and uploaded, so I can focus on game development tonight. Anyway, you’re here to discuss that matter you mentioned before, right?”
“That’s right,”
Nodding, Utaha looked at Ichin and said, "You should be free the day after tomorrow, right? I checked the weather forecast, and it looks nice, so I was hoping you could come out with me."
“Sure, where to?” Ichin asked.
“There’s no specific destination.” Utaha felt her cheeks flush slightly as she continued, but she decided to just say it directly. “When I was talking to my editor earlier, she suggested that to make my novel more engaging and immersive, I should experience certain situations myself. So, I want you to help me get a sense of what a date feels like, so I can better write those scenes.”
“Huh?”
Ichin was taken aback for a moment and pointed to himself, “You want me?”
“Who else?” Utaha retorted. “You know I hardly interact with other guys. You’re pretty much the only person my age that I talk to. Do you expect me to ask the head editor of the publishing house? That guy’s older than my dad!”
“So, you’re gathering material?”
“Yes, gathering material.” Utaha confirmed. “I’m not writing an isekai novel, nor one of those fake harem dramas. My story needs to be more grounded in real life. But since I’ve never been on a date before, the editor suggested I experience it firsthand before writing about it. I thought she had a good point, so I came to ask for your help.”
As for whether she had other motives, only Utaha herself knew.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Ichin understood Utaha’s reasoning.
Seeing him deep in thought, Utaha continued, “Besides, if I hadn’t come to find you, you’d probably be cooped up at home all these days, wouldn’t you?”
“Yeah, with the game just launched, I need to make the most of this time,” Ichin replied.
“That won’t do,” Utaha interrupted. “Staying at home like that all the time will make you moldy!”
“You don’t really have the right to lecture me on this,” Ichin said, looking at her with exasperation. “I heard from your mom that you once holed up in your room for three straight days writing, only coming out to eat and use the bathroom, and not even taking a shower. If anyone’s going moldy, it’s you.”
“???”
Utaha was baffled. “Wait, how does my mom even tell you things like that?”
Ichin shrugged and laughed. “I guess she sees me as a good kid. She enjoys chatting with me, so she just shared a bit more.”
Utaha’s cheeks gradually turned red, and she forced herself to take a few deep breaths before saying, “So, are you agreeing or not?”
“I never said I wasn’t,” Ichin replied with a smile. “Going out for a bit doesn’t sound too bad. When should we meet?”
“Nine-thirty in the morning the day after tomorrow. I’ll come by to get you. That’s settled.”
With that, Utaha quickly stood up and left Ichin’s place, determined to have a good talk with her mother about why she’d been sharing such embarrassing details.
As he watched Utaha make her hurried exit, Ichin closed the door and couldn’t help but laugh.
“What a funny family. Well then, time to get back to work. Since I promised to help Utaha with gathering material, I need to work extra hard today and tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, as Ichin returned to his work, the video he had just uploaded was slowly gaining traction, and his subscriber count was gradually increasing as well.
…
