Game Developer in the World of Anime

Before heading back home, Utaha tugged on Ichin's arm. "Ichin-kun, let's keep our relationship a secret from my parents for now. If they find out, they'll definitely nag me with endless questions."

Ichin had no objections and nodded in agreement. "Sure, whatever you say."

He hadn't planned to tell his own parents just yet either. It could wait a while longer.

Utaha beamed brightly and added, "You're heading to the studio later, right? I'll come find you after I change into something more comfortable."

"Alright, see you there."

Returning to his apartment, Ichin quickly stashed the groceries in the fridge, changed into some casual clothes, and took the elevator to the third floor where the studio was located.

Unlocking the door, he stepped inside and was greeted by a calm, focused atmosphere.

Switching to indoor slippers, he entered the living room to find everyone engrossed in their work. The sight made Ichin nod in satisfaction.

"How's the progress today, everyone?"

Hearing his voice, Aoba Suzukaze looked up with a cheerful smile. "Ichin-kun, you're back! Everyone's been making great progress today!"

Umiko Ahagon removed her headphones and glanced at him. "The programming is coming along smoothly. In a few more days, we'll be ready to test the new character."

Beyond the duo working on Slay the Spire, the Hollow Knight team, led by Kō Yagami, was also making steady headway. Ichin moved around the room, checking on everyone. All the members were diligently working on their assigned tasks.

Even Yun Iijima, who looked quite young—probably the second youngest after Aoba—was exceptionally talented. Her designs for the monsters perfectly matched Ichin's expectations.

After reviewing everyone's progress, Ichin offered a few minor adjustments, none of which were significant.

Finally, he made his way to Hifumi Takimoto's desk.

Just like when they first met, Hifumi tensed up the moment Ichin approached.

Seeing her frozen like a statue, Ichin sighed. "Hifumi, are you okay?"

"Y-y-y-yes, I'm fine!"

She didn't look fine at all.

Out of options, Ichin turned to the others for help.

Noticing the situation, Aoba got up from her seat and walked over to Hifumi. Gently placing a small hand on her shoulder, Aoba reassured her, "No need to be so nervous, Hifumi-senpai. We're all pretty familiar with each other by now, aren't we? You were even saying earlier how Ichin-kun isn't like what you initially thought and is actually easy to get along with!"

At Aoba's words, Hifumi's face turned beet red. Waving her hands frantically, she stammered, "W-what?! Don't just blurt things out like that, Aoba!"

At that moment, Rin Toyama joined in, grinning playfully. "Hifumi, you really haven't changed a bit. Back at Eagle Jump, it was all girls, so you were fine. But now that there's a guy here, you seem even shyer than usual."

"Rin!!!"

Hifumi looked like she was about to explode. Being teased by one person was bad enough, but now two of them were ganging up on her.

Ichin, curious, asked, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask—why was your previous team made up entirely of girls?"

"Oh, that," Rin Toyama replied with a laugh. "It's mainly because of Hazuki. She loves cute girls, so she adjusted the team to be all-female. Honestly, it was a blessing. Otherwise, it would've been hard to get work done. Especially with someone as beautiful as Hifumi here—she'd be constantly harassed by guys."

Ichin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I can see that."

Though Hifumi Takimoto was shy and introverted, her appearance was stunning. Her figure was also impressive. Among the girls Ichin knew of a similar age, only Utaha, Eriri, and Yukino could compare.

Of course, in Ichin's eyes, Kasumigaoka Utaha always scored the highest.

Faced with everyone's chatter, Hifumi had already lowered her head, her face flushed red, with the blush spreading to her ears and neck.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, she suddenly lifted her head and shouted, "I—!"

Everyone jumped in surprise and turned to look at her.

"Ugh!"

Shrinking back, Hifumi hesitated for several seconds before stammering, "I-I'm fine! Weren't you going to check my progress?"

"Wow! Big progress there!" Kō Yagami exclaimed, standing up and looking at Hifumi in astonishment. "Try to communicate more with Ichin from now on. If you keep acting like this, you'll never get a boyfriend!"

"A b-b-boyfriend? I don't need one! I have Sojiro, and that's enough!"

Sojiro was Hifumi's pet hedgehog. Ichin had seen a photo of it once—it was indeed an adorable little creature.

Still, he hadn't expected Hifumi to be a self-declared singleton.

Wait... maybe she simply didn't like men?

Ichin glanced around at the team in the studio. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that without him around, there might be some rather yuri-esque moments happening here.

Everyone returned to their work, while Ichin checked Hifumi's designs for monsters and environments.

Hifumi was tasked with designing flying creatures, focusing on softer and more graceful styles. The few she had finished so far were excellent.

As for environments, Kō had assigned her to work on the Greenpath area, which was plant-focused. Though she'd only just begun, the initial results were promising.

Nodding in approval, Ichin pointed at the screen. "Here, these background plants could be a bit rounder. They don't need to be too sharp. And here as well..."

Even with Ichin so close, Hifumi forced herself to stay calm. She diligently noted down every adjustment he suggested in her notebook.

After reviewing Hifumi's work, Ichin returned to his desk, opened his laptop, and began working on the foundational framework for Hollow Knight.

Just then, the studio doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Aoba Suzukaze called out, immediately standing up.

"Thanks," Ichin replied with a smile. "It's probably Utaha."

Aoba went to open the door and, sure enough, found Kasumigaoka Utaha, now wearing a fresh outfit.

"Good afternoon, Utaha!"

"Good afternoon, Aoba," Utaha replied with a warm smile as she stepped inside. "You've all been working hard today."

"Not at all!" Aoba shook her head, grinning. "Developing fun games is the most enjoyable thing for me!"

Hearing Aoba's enthusiasm, Utaha couldn't help but admire her. She really was someone who loved games as much as Ichin did.

...

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