Standing in the doorway, Utaha saw Ichin and instinctively turned her gaze away, though he didn't seem particularly flustered. For a brief mont, Ichin considered covering himself, but then rembered that he was a guy—there wasn't much to be shy about. His expression quickly turned calm and composed.
"So, uh, what's up?" he asked.
Utaha quickly scanned his bare upper body and said, "Ichin, my mom asked to invite you over for breakfast."
"Does she know we went jogging together?"
"Yeah, she already knows."
Ichin nodded in understanding, grabbing the shirt he had just taken off. "Alright then, I'll take a quick shower and co over."
Watching him head toward the bathroom, Utaha didn't linger. She hurried back to her own apartnt and took a shower herself.
When she finished, dressed and refreshed, and walked out of the bathroom, Ichin was already there, sitting in the living room, chatting with her father. The two were discussing Ichin's ga studio.
"The studio is still in its early stages, so it's more of a small workshop for now," Ichin explained. "After releasing one or two more gas and improving our capabilities, I plan to expand. Even though I prefer a more streamlined, elite approach, I'll need at least 20 or so people to make it a proper operation."
Mr. Kasumigaoka nodded in agreent. "I don't know much about the gaming industry, but small companies often face a tough road ahead. No matter the field, top talent tends to be monopolized by large corporations. Your approach of steady and incrental progress is wise. There's no need to rush—after all, you're still young and have plenty of ti to build both experience and expertise."
Listening to their conversation, Utaha walked over and sat down beside Ichin.
"Isn't it a bit early for such serious topics?" she teased.
Her father chuckled. "Haha, I'm just curious about how Ichin is doing with his work. Starting your own business is admirable, but it's also easy to make missteps. A single wrong turn can be costly."
Just then, Mrs. Kasumigaoka erged from the kitchen and called out, "Alright, enough chatting. Breakfast is ready!"
Breakfast at the Kasumigaoka household was a simple yet hearty Japanese spread: rice, miso soup, and a couple of side dishes. However, Mrs. Kasumigaoka's cooking was excellent, and Ichin enjoyed every bite, finishing everything on his plate.
While clearing the dishes, Mrs. Kasumigaoka smiled and asked, "Did you have enough, Ichin? I made so snacks too—want to bring you so?"
Ichin quickly waved his hands. "No, no, I'm already full. I don't usually eat much in the morning, so this was more than enough."
Utaha chuckled softly from the side. "You call that not eating much? Mom gave you larger portions than usual."
Her mother gave Utaha a playful glare before carrying the dishes back to the kitchen.
With her mother montarily out of sight, Utaha leaned closer to Ichin and whispered, "Want to co to my room?"
This… doesn't seem appropriate.
Glancing at Mr. Kasumigaoka, who was sitting on the couch watching TV, Ichin shook his head. "I should head back in a bit. The midterms are coming up soon, and even though I don't study much usually, I thought I'd spend this morning reviewing."
He gently squeezed Utaha's hand and added, "We're just next door. We can see each other anyti. Besides, you wouldn't want to bomb your exams, right? Use your free ti to study a little too. We've already planned everything for the novel, so there's no rush."
Ichin's words were so logical and reasonable that Utaha found herself unable to argue.
She sighed softly and thought to herself, He's right. There's no need to rush. I can always visit him later this afternoon.
After enjoying a cup of tea and taking a short break, Ichin excused himself and returned to his apartnt. True to his advice, Utaha stayed in her room and obediently began reviewing her studies.
For top students like Ichin and Utaha, regular daily revision wasn't necessary. Spending just a bit of ti in the morning was more than sufficient for them.
anwhile, back at his place, Ichin didn't start studying right away. Instead, he booted up his computer, logged into his Bilibili account, and checked the video he had uploaded the previous night.
As expected, while there were so discussions about the updates to his ga, the majority of the comnts and bullet chats focused on the second segnt of the video—specifically, the part featuring Aoba Suzukaze's voice acting. Even the most-liked comnts in the comnt section revolved around her performance.
Since Ichin had previously shared updates about his studio's formation in his video descriptions and social dia posts, many fans were now urging him to feature real-life appearances of the studio team mbers.
But for a small indie ga developnt studio like his, this level of publicity felt unnecessary.
It's not like he was so "celebrity producer" akin to certain well-known figures in the industry.
Oh, wait.
Ichin suddenly realized that the particular "celebrity producer" he was thinking of didn't exist in this world. However, other famous figures, like the eccentric first-party developer with a dog paw logo, certainly did. Of course, that individual hadn't yet earned the nickna for his eccentricities at this point.
Although showcasing Aoba Suzukaze or other studio mbers could undoubtedly attract significant attention, Ichin wasn't inclined to take that route just yet.
If he ever did, it would be for sothing major, like the full release of Slay the Spire or the upcoming launch of Hollow Knight. For now, he was content to let the comnters speculate and stir things up in the comnt section.
One successful title like Slay the Spire wasn't enough for Ichin. Even adding Hollow Knight to the portfolio might not suffice. Ideally, he aid to reach milestones like showcasing at Gascom or even E3.
As for the Tokyo Ga Show? It wasn't out of the question, but the event was practically Sony's backyard—a response to Nintendo in its inception. Given Sony's current managent changes, Ichin wasn't eager to involve himself with them.
For now, Slay the Spire and Hollow Knight could be ported to the Nintendo Switch. But for future larger-scale projects, he considered focusing on PC gaming. Alternatively, he might wait for Nintendo to release a truly next-gen console with enhanced performance, though he wasn't holding his breath.
Ichin had a deep appreciation for console gaming. His earliest gaming experiences revolved around Nintendo's FC (Famicom) and Ga Boy handhelds. Online gaming had a far smaller impact on his formative years—barely 10%, if that. Only titles like League of Legends and World of Warcraft left a mark.
Oh, and there was the "three-billion-mouse-clicks" dream ga Diablo), which he played briefly. Beyond that, he hadn't dabbled much in online gaming.
"Sigh, Nintendo will always be Nintendo. Can't they speed things up a little?" Ichin muttered, half-jokingly.
As he grumbled, he posted a giveaway announcent—a spur-of-the-mont decision to distribute 20 ga activation codes.
After posting, Ichin finally started his revision. Thirty minutes later, he logged back in to check the giveaway responses.
Sure enough, the comnts were filled with fans claiming they didn't want gas and only cared about the "cute girls." Yet, they were still enthusiastically sharing the post.
"Hypocrites," Ichin chuckled, shaking his head.
...
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