Heading over to the workspace, Ichin retrieved his bag and pulled out a box from inside.
Opening the box revealed a series of red envelopes, each neatly labeled with a na.
"Even though it's not quite New Year's yet, the year is basically over. So I thought—why not use this Christmas party as a chance to hand out the year-end bonuses? Co on, when you hear your na, co up and get yours. Hazuki, you're first."
No one had expected that, in addition to their Christmas gifts, they'd also be receiving year-end bonuses today.
Hazuki took the envelope, and the mont she held it, she could feel how thick it was. She couldn't help but grin.
"Boss, you're really generous, huh?"
"Isn't that how it should be? I've always believed that those who work hard deserve more. Everyone's put in a ton of effort this year, so this is the least I can do—reward you all with a bigger bonus. Co on, Hikari, you're next."
One by one, Ichin handed out the red envelopes and naturally received everyone's heartfelt thanks.
"Huh? I get one too?"
Eriri looked at the red envelope in her hand in surprise. "I haven't been with the team that long, though."
"True, it hasn't been long. But ever since you joined, Eriri, you've been working really hard, haven't you?" Ichin said with a smile. "Even though your bonus isn't huge, it's still a token of my appreciation. I'll be counting on you again next year!"
Hearing Ichin's words, Eriri couldn't help but feel a bit lightheaded with joy. She thumped her rather flat chest proudly and declared,
"No problem! Leave it to !"
On the other side, Aoba carefully unwrapped her envelope. Upon seeing the stack of ten-thousand yen bills inside, she gasped in excitent.
"A year-end bonus! So much money! I can even buy gifts for my parents for New Year's!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka hadn't seen how much Aoba received, but she had seen what Hazuki pulled out of her envelope.
Her eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at the bills.
"Your studio's profits are _this_ high? You're handing out bonuses this big?"
As a high school teacher, Shizuka hadn't been teaching that long, but her salary was already considered pretty decent among her peers. Plus, with her well-off family background, she'd never had to worry much about money.
Even so, she couldn't help but ask when she saw the size of the bonuses Ichin was handing out.
This bonus alone was nearly more than what so senior teachers at Toyosaki High received. And the kicker? This was only the first year since the studio was founded. Though the ga they were developing hadn't been publicly revealed, Hazuki had ntioned it would be on the scale of a major studio title.
If it perford anything like their previous two hit gas, then this studio's future was going to shock the entire industry.
Compared to indie gas, large-scale titles brought significantly more industry influence, even if both could be profitable.
Haruno also noticed the impressive bonuses and smiled.
"Ichin-kun, you really are a generous boss."
Ichin didn't bother to act humble.
"Everyone here is extrely talented. Of course I need to spend big to make sure they all stay. If even one of them got poached, I'd seriously cry."
He ant every word. These days, starting your own business and building a cohesive, competent, and friendly team was no easy feat.
The fact that they were able to get the studio up and running smoothly in just a year—and attract so many talented people—made Ichin feel incredibly lucky. That's why he was doing everything he could to make everyone feel a stronger sense of belonging.
So far, after half a year, it seed to be working quite well. This core team would beco the foundation for the company's expansion in the future, and Ichin fully intended to give each person a bigger platform to grow.
Suddenly, he felt soone poke his arm. Turning his head, he saw it was Utaha.
"What is it?" he asked.
Utaha narrowed her eyes and pouted.
"Ichin-kun, I'm part of the studio too, you know. So why didn't _I_ get a year-end bonus?"
///////////
Ichin responded with a calm smile.
"Isn't mine basically yours too? There's no need for a year-end bonus, right? And if you really want sothing, when we go back for New Year, my mom will definitely give you a red envelope. Plus, you'll et a bunch of relatives—just get ready to collect more red packets."
Suda Haji had already unboxed the MB figure and was playing with the _Justice Angel_ model. Hearing their conversation, she looked up.
"Huh? Utaha is going back to Huaxia with Ichin-kun for the New Year too?"
"Yeah. During a video call, my mom suggested I bring Utaha ho with , and she agreed."
Ichin glanced at his phone's calendar and added,
"We'll be gone for about a week. I'll leave the studio in your hands, okay? Now then, the Christmas gifts are all handed out, so let's move on to the next part of the party!"
To prepare for the Christmas party, Ichin had even bought a ho karaoke set. The apartnt had good soundproofing, so singing wouldn't be a problem.
"Alright, alright, let go first!"
As the most energetic one in the group, Suda Haji confidently stepped up, turned on the TV, and grabbed a mic.
anwhile, Ichin and Hazuki poured so red wine for everyone.
Those who could drink got about half a glass. For those who couldn't—or hadn't tried it before—they just got a small sip to go along with the festive mood.
"Go ahead, keep picking your songs—I'll get us started! **W-B-X~~!**"
Oh wow, _Kan Rider W_'s the song?
A total nightclub banger.
But honestly, as an opener, it really did fire up the mood, and it suited Suda Haji perfectly.
On the carpet, Haruno and her younger sister Yukino sat side by side, sharing a tablet.
"Yukino, what song do you want to sing? I'll pick it for you," Haruno said with a smile.
"I'll pass," Yukino declined imdiately without even thinking.
"No way!" Haruno laughed.
"This is a Christmas party! It's ant to be fun! That quiet personality of yours doesn't suit this kind of occasion. Here, how about this one?"
Yukino glanced over and her face instantly darkened.
Shiina Ringo and Utada Hikaru's duet—**"Nijiiro no Batafurai"**? Was that even singable for _either_ of them?
She snatched the tablet and swiftly removed the song, then picked the _Chibi Maruko-chan_ opening the instead.
"Let's sing this."
Now it was Haruno's turn to freeze.
She'd just wanted to tease her little sister a bit, not actually sing.
_Chibi Maruko-chan_? Sure, it was nostalgic, but she never expected _that_ to be Yukino's choice.
Still, since her sister had picked it, she had no choice but to go through with it, no matter how awkward it was.
As the karaoke atmosphere heated up, ti gradually crept toward midnight.
After thinking about it for a long while, Aoba finally picked up her glass and took a tiny sip of red wine. Imdiately, she stuck out her tongue in distaste.
"Bleh, not tasty..."
Just as she turned her head, her eyes caught sothing outside the window.
"Ah! Everyone—**it's snowing!!!**"
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