Adopting their second cat went smoothly. After looking around for a while—and with Peppa helping test the compatibility between cats—they quickly found a suitable British Shorthair, gray and white in color, less than a year old.
This little one wasn't afraid of Peppa at all, nor did it hiss or fight. It also showed no fear toward Ichin and Utaha.
After learning more about it, the two decided on the spot and completed the adoption procedures.
Since the shelter staff already knew Ichin and Utaha, the paperwork was quick. In less than an hour, they had a new family mber.
Placing the carrier with the little Brit Shorthair beside Peppa's carrier in the backseat, the two prepared to head ho.
"Ichin," Utaha said as she buckled her seatbelt and looked at him, "what should we na this new family mber?"
"A na, huh?" Ichin started the car and thought for a mont. "The first one is called Peppa, so why don't we na this one George?"
"You really are going all-in with Peppa Pig, aren't you?"
Ichin laughed. "Hahaha, isn't it kind of fun? Or do you want to co up with the na, Utaha?"
"Hmm~~~" Utaha stopped talking, leaning back in the passenger seat and thinking.
The car moved forward, turned twice, and stopped at a red light. She finally frowned and said, "I can't co up with anything suitable on short notice."
Naming was always the hardest part for her when writing novels. Whether it was the protagonists of Love trono or the new book's cast, even the side characters' nas took her forever to settle on. With just the short drive ho, it was impossible for her to think of a good one.
In the end, she agreed with Ichin. Their second cat would be called George.
Sigh… hopefully that na wouldn't doom this little guy to grow as chubby as Peppa.
At ho, the newcor George curiously stepped out of the carrier to inspect his new environnt. Compared to the cages at the shelter, this place was infinitely more comfortable.
Within minutes, George had adapted and promptly left a big pile in the litter box.
Not bad—very clever. He already knew where to go, no need to be taught.
After feeding each of them half a can of cat food as an afternoon snack, Ichin let the cats play on their own, brewed so coffee, and he and Utaha went back to their work.
Utaha was busy writing Volu 4 of her novel. As the story developed, sales were climbing, and her popularity in the light novel scene continued to rise.
The only difference from veteran authors was that Utaha had never once held a signing event.
Her pen na, Kasumi Utako, obviously sounded female, and with the publisher's explanation, readers could understand why she avoided public appearances. Still, the mystery only made people more curious about what she really looked like.
Human curiosity toward the unknown was impossible to stop.
Fortunately, both Utaha and the publisher had done a good job protecting her identity. She didn't visit the publisher often either, so the dia lurking there had never caught on.
Ichin, on the other hand, was in the bedroom hamring away at code.
BattleBlock Theater and Titanfall didn't require his oversight, but for Dark Souls, he was acting as the lead programr.
The art style of Dark Souls was a massive shift from their previous three gas—dark, oppressive, filled with bizarre monsters. Ichin doubted Kou, Aoba, or Hifumi could adapt quickly.
But Iijima Yun? She'd excel. Her past monster designs were always grotesque-yet-cool—repulsive yet stylish, giving players a strong sense of presence. When combined with Shinoda's elaborate combat animations, the battles felt amazing.
So for Dark Souls, Ichin appointed Yun as the lead for monster design. As for humanoid enemies like the Lothric Knights or Black Knights, Kou and the others could handle those just fine.
On Monday, after class, Ichin and Utaha headed to the company.
The BattleBlock Theater team had moved entirely into the new office space for focused developnt. Since the art requirents weren't too demanding, Hazuki hadn't brought heavy-hitters like Kou along—instead, she used a few second-string artists, which was enough.
Walking over, Ichin lowered his voice. "How's progress?"
"Really good," Hazuki replied with a smile. "Nene's officially joined full-ti. She's doing great—currently tuning the engine to match the ga's style. The artists are designing maps according to my direction, moving along steadily. At this pace, we should have a demo build ready by the end of June. Oh, by the way, Ichin-kun—are we sticking with the sa platforms as before?"
"More or less," Ichin nodded. "Though this ti—"
"Got it. No rush. We'll prioritize PC and Switch first. Especially the Switch—this ga's scope and gaplay fit it perfectly. We need to make sure that version is polished."
Saying that, Ichin glanced at Nene. "She really is a genius, huh? Hazuki, do you think we should give her a raise?"
"A raise? That's certainly possible." Hazuki squinted happily. "Nene's salary isn't low now, but the engine she developed has huge value. With it, we could build plenty of small-scale single or multiplayer gas with little difficulty. Should we propose it now?"
Ichin thought for a mont, then shook his head. "Let's wait. Once the demo is ready and Nene has shown off more of her ability, then we'll bring it up."
"Mm, that's better."
"So, Hazuki, take care of Nene for now. With Umiko in Shanghai, we can't let her feel wronged."
"Don't worry. I won't."
Hazuki promised with a grin full of gossip, clearly in high spirits.
Just then, a shiver ran down Nene's back. She looked up and glanced around—only to find Hazuki smiling brightly at her.
"…Why do I feel like Hazuki's plotting sothing against ?"
*
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