Game Developer in the World of Anime

Not wanting to argue with the overly enthusiastic netizens, Ichin returned to his book. However, high school-level material was far too easy for him. By 10 a.m., he had already reviewed everything he needed.

Closing his math textbook, Ichin stretched and said, "I just need to skim through this again a couple of days before the exam—that'll be more than enough."

Since he was out of ingredients at home, Ichin decided to head out for lunch and grab a bowl of ramen at a local shop.

"I still have some time. Let's play a game for a bit."

Opening Steam, Ichin browsed through his game library before launching Forza Horizon 4. He planned to spend some time racing and enjoying the scenic routes to relax.

Forza Horizon 5 should release this year too," he mused. "Racing game development really isn't my forte. Just the sheer number of car brand licenses is something I couldn't handle."

Of course, Ichin had no intention of venturing into this genre. The bar was already set incredibly high for such games, and surpassing it wasn't something just anyone could achieve.

After an enjoyable hour of driving, Ichin tidied up and left his apartment. He grabbed a satisfying bowl of ramen, then headed to the supermarket to stock up on groceries. With a leisurely pace, he returned to his apartment.

As soon as he entered, he noticed a pair of women's slippers by the entrance.

After changing his shoes, he didn't see anyone in the living room—it seemed she was in the bedroom.

He put the groceries away, storing the perishables in the fridge and the rest in the cabinets. Then, he headed toward the bedroom.

When he opened the door, he saw Utaha sitting at the desk, typing furiously on her keyboard. She had her headphones on and didn't notice his arrival.

Walking up behind her, Ichin gently placed his hands on her headphones and removed them, finally pulling her out of her writing trance.

She turned her head to find Ichin smiling at her.

"Oh, Ichin-kun, you're back!"

Setting her headphones aside, Ichin sat on the bed and looked at her. "If you were coming over, why didn't you call me? What if I wasn't home all afternoon?"

"I figured you'd gone out to shop, so I planned to call you later."

She glanced at the clock.

"It's only just past one, isn't it? I thought I'd wait until two before calling you if you hadn't returned by then."

"Yeah, I went out to restock groceries. The snacks and ingredients at home were running low, so I picked up some essentials."

Stretching lazily, Ichin lay down on the bed and glanced at her computer screen. "Is the second volume done?"

"Almost. I'm just doing the final checks and minor edits."

Utaha saved her work, stood up from her chair, and climbed onto the bed. She sat beside Ichin and playfully poked his cheek with her finger.

"Any plans for the afternoon?"

"Not really. I've already finished all my schoolwork this morning." Grabbing her mischievous hand, Ichin looked at her and said, "If I have time, I'll check out some recent industry news, see which games are set to release in the next couple of months, and work on game design documents. There's always something productive I can do."

Hearing his plans, Utaha narrowed her eyes and poked his cheek again with her free hand.

"Ichin-kun, that's a failing answer. Your girlfriend is right here, and all you're thinking about is work and games?"

"Uh…"

Caught off guard, Ichin awkwardly responded, "That was the original plan—the original plan! Now that you're here, of course, I'll adjust. Besides, you're not suggesting I do something inappropriate, are you? Let's maintain some propriety, alright?"

"Why bother holding back?"

Utaha countered bluntly, "It's just the two of us here. We're already dating—what's the point of pretending to be reserved?"

Utaha lay down beside Ichin, gazing at him up close.

"Could it be that Ichin-kun is the type who takes advantage and then pretends nothing happened? Oh no, have I walked into a wolf's den?"

"..."

Ichin sighed at her clearly fake crying and reached out to ruffle her hair. "I can't win against you—you're too good at this. But we just started dating; there's no need to rush things, right?"

"Then how about a little something to show your affection?"

Under Ichin's gaze, Utaha pointed at her lips, which were soft and glossy from lip balm. "It's always been me taking the initiative before. As my boyfriend, you need to step up!"

Faced with her expectant smile, Ichin had no choice. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before quickly getting off the bed.

"I'll go make us something to drink."

Utaha watched as he left the bedroom, her fingers lightly brushing her lips. In a soft voice, she murmured, "Just one kiss, huh? Oh well, progress is still progress."

Though Ichin's shyness caught her by surprise, the feeling of slowly nurturing this relationship wasn't bad at all.

Soon, Ichin returned with two cups of coffee and some snacks. Setting them on the table, he looked at her still lying on the bed and said, "Are you not getting up? I want to read the second volume of your novel."

"Alright, alright."

Utaha reluctantly got up, clearly wanting to lounge a bit longer.

After settling into the chair beside Ichin, she clung to his arm and said, "Let's read it together. You can help me check if there's anything I can improve."

"I'll just read it like a regular reader. Asking me to help you improve is way beyond my skill set."

Ichin was well aware of his limitations when it came to writing novels. He might have read a lot, but that didn't mean he could write well. Any suggestions he had given Utaha in the past were based on his experience watching movies and reading books. The execution, however, was all thanks to her own talent.

With their coffees in hand, the two sat in front of the computer and started reading through the second volume from the beginning.

Ichin read quickly, while Utaha, as the author, had no trouble keeping pace.

As they went through the story line by line, Ichin noticed a significant difference between the second volume and the first. The writing quality remained just as excellent, but the content had improved considerably, becoming more engaging and nuanced. The relationship progression between the main characters also didn't stagnate, striking a perfect balance between humor and the core storyline.

After half an hour of reading, even though much of the volume remained unread, Ichin was confident. As long as the publisher wasn't incompetent and put some effort into promotion, Utaha's novel sales would see a dramatic increase.

...