6:00 PM, at the Kasumigaoka residence.
After finishing dinner, Utaha returned to her bedroom, opened her laptop, and began working on the second volu of her novel. She had barely written a few lines when a knock ca at the door.
"Utaha, co out for a mont. Ichin-kun is here!" her mother called out.
"Huh?" Utaha paused, turning around in curiosity. Why would Ichin visit at this hour?
Leaving her room, she followed her mother to the living room. As expected, she found Ichin sitting on the sofa with her father. Her father was holding a canister, which looked like a container for tea leaves.
When Utaha appeared, Ichin greeted her with a smile, "Good evening. Sorry to bother you."
"Good evening," Utaha replied, taking a seat on a nearby single-seater. "What brings you here?" she asked.
Ichin gestured to the canister in her father's hand and explained, "My family sent a package, and these are for your father."
During a phone call with his parents, Ichin had ntioned that the couple next door had been quite kind to him. So, when his parents sent him a package, they also included so additional gifts for the neighbors.
Utaha's father, Mr. Kasumigaoka, took a whiff from the open canister, looking delighted. "You didn't have to, Ichin-kun. This Da Hong Pao tea is a real treasure. It's hard to find good quality ones in Japan, and they're quite expensive," he said.
"It's nothing, really. My dad has friends who specialize in the tea business, so we can get these at near cost. If you like it, Uncle, I can ask my dad to send more varieties next ti," Ichin replied with a smile.
High-quality Chinese teas were always imported to Japan, but they were sold at a premium. Even with Mr. Kasumigaoka's decent inco, he wouldn't often indulge in such luxuries. But with Ichin around, he could finally enjoy so fine tea without the hefty price tag.
Utaha glanced at her father, who was cradling the tea canister, then at her mother, who was inspecting the new robot vacuum cleaner. After surveying her surroundings, she turned to Ichin and asked, "So, nothing for ?"
"Nope, nothing," Ichin replied with a nod. "I forgot to tell my parents that I had a classmate living next door."
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Utaha grumbled. Though she didn't really care about receiving a gift, his straightforward response left her feeling a bit peeved.
Ichin raised his hands in mock surrender. "Not intentionally. It's just that if I ntioned you, my mom would definitely start asking all sorts of questions. So, to avoid any unnecessary gossip, I didn't say anything. If it really bothers you, how about I treat you to dinner next ti?"
"Forget it, I was just saying," Utaha dismissed the idea. She couldn't bring herself to outright ask for a gift.
Ichin didn't stay at the Kasumigaoka household for long. After delivering the items, he soon made his way back ho.
Once Ichin left, Mr. Kasumigaoka eagerly cradled a cup of freshly brewed Da Hong Pao, retreating to the dining table to sip his tea and play on his phone.
Mrs. Kasumigaoka pulled Utaha onto the sofa, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "So, how are things progressing between you and Ichin-kun?"
"What do you an, progressing?" Utaha asked, looking genuinely confused. "You're not suggesting that I'm dating him, are you?"
"What else could it be?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka replied with a raised eyebrow. "If you're not dating, does that an he has feelings for you? Otherwise, why would he send gifts through his family? Although it's a bit early to be in a relationship at your age, I think Ichin is a good boy. If it's him, I wouldn't mind."
"Please stop. There's nothing like that going on," Utaha said, exasperated. "He's definitely a good guy, but he doesn't seem to have any interest in girls. Whether it's or the other girls in our class, we're all the sa to him."
"Is that true?"
"I've known him for over a month. I think I'd be able to tell," Utaha sighed.
anwhile, in the room next door, Ichin sneezed just as he was about to get back to work. "Did I catch a cold?"
Another week passed, bringing them to the end of April.
It was a Saturday afternoon. Ichin had been busy in his room ever since he woke up, taking only a short break for a simple burger delivery for lunch. He continued working until 4 PM, finally leaning back and letting out a huge sigh of relief as he stared at the ga screen in front of him.
"At last, the ga version is complete and playable," he said.
After two months of developnt, Ichin had finally created a preliminary version of Slay the Spire. Although only two of the four playable characters were fully implented, and so relics weren't yet in the ga, the core gaplay was now complete.
"Man, I'm exhausted…" Ichin muttered. He shut down the ga program on his computer, stood up to stretch, and grabbed a change of clothes. He decided to take a quick shower.
After his shower, with his hair dry and the ti approaching dinner, Ichin planned to go out for a al and pick up so snacks to restock at ho.
As he stepped outside, his phone began ringing in his pocket.
"Kasumigaoka Utaha?" He glanced at the caller ID and turned to look at the closed door of the Kasumigaoka household next door before answering, "Hello? Kasumigaoka?"
"Ichin-kun, can I ask you sothing?" Utaha's voice ca through.
"Huh? What's up?" Ichin replied, locking his door. "Are you outside right now?"
"Yeah, I just left the publishing house," Utaha said, her voice sounding sowhat downcast. "Do you think I'm not suited to writing novels?"
Ichin was caught off guard by the question. He hadn't expected her to call about sothing like this. Had she just t with her editor and faced criticism?
Judging from the timing, it seed like she had finished writing the second volu within a week. Given that speed, it was likely that she hadn't been able to properly consider all the details. Unlike Ichin, who could develop gas with almost cheat-like efficiency, she didn't have that advantage.
After so thought, Ichin replied, "It's not up to to say whether you're suited for it or not. How about this: I'm heading out anyway, so let's et up and I can give you so advice."
Utaha agreed and told him her current location.
After hanging up, Ichin scratched his head with a sigh, "Seriously, the younger generation can't handle even the slightest setbacks. They really need more resilience."
Half an hour later, Ichin t up with Utaha, who was waiting by the roadside. He took her to a yakiniku restaurant he had found on the way and booked a private room.
After ordering a large variety of dishes, Ichin looked across at the visibly troubled girl and asked, "So, what did the editor say to upset you so much? Co on, tell so I can have a good laugh."
Utaha shot him a glare but eventually recounted what had happened at the publishing house.
…
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