Game Developer in the World of Anime

Entertaining himself in solitude wasn't Ichin's style.

After taking a shower, he headed straight to his bedroom to tackle his homework. Although he had taken a day off from school, his assignments still awaited him. Thankfully, Utaha had not only spent time at his place but also thoughtfully brought his homework along.

The workload wasn't particularly heavy; Ichin managed to complete everything within an hour and a half. Once he packed his finished assignments into his bag, he opened his laptop to dive into research about the NS development kit. It was completely unfamiliar territory for him, so he needed to study it from scratch thoroughly.

---

The next morning, as Ichin walked to school, Utaha glanced at the laptop bag in his hand and asked curiously, "Ichin, are you planning to work at school?"

"Not exactly work," Ichin replied with a smile. "I just want to go over the development kit's details. I read some of it last night, but it's far from enough. With so much free time at school, I can't afford to waste it."

"You're so diligent," Utaha remarked with a mix of admiration and amusement. Her eyes flicked to his schoolbag. "So, did you bring a bento today?"

"No time for that," Ichin admitted. "I'll just grab some onigiri or bread from the store."

While Ichin wasn't overly concerned about an occasional skipped bento, Utaha seemed less forgiving. She lightly smacked his arm and scolded, "Ichin, that's not good! If you don't have time to make one, just let me know in advance. I'll ask my mom to prepare an extra portion for you."

"Wouldn't that trouble your mom?"

"Not at all," Utaha assured him with a shake of her head. "Mom often asks me if you're managing to eat properly while balancing school, managing your studio, and developing games. If you overwork yourself and get sick, it'll affect a lot of people!"

Hearing the sincerity in her words, Ichin nodded in agreement. "Alright, I'll let you know if I need help."

"You'd better!" Utaha grinned, satisfied. Together, they boarded the bus to school.

---

Upon arriving at school, the atmosphere in the classroom was lively as usual. It seemed that after an entire day spent reviewing test papers, everyone's mood had recovered quickly.

As soon as Ichin sat down, Fujii, the boy seated behind him, eagerly leaned forward. "Hey, Ichin! Guess what? I passed this time! Barely, but I did it! I was so scared I wouldn't make it!"

While pulling out his homework, Ichin glanced back at him, unimpressed. "You're that excited about just passing? Aren't your standards a little too low?"

"Well, what can I do? The questions were so weird this time, especially in the science section!"

"I thought they were fine."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot! You got first place in the year again—this time in the official midterm exams, not just a mock test."

The realization hit Fujii like a truck, reminding him of the vast gap between their abilities.

"Does that mean being good at academics actually helps in finding a girlfriend?" he asked wistfully.

"Hm…" Ichin stroked his chin, pretending to ponder the question. "Not necessarily. First, you have to look good. At the very least, being presentable makes it less likely for a girl to turn you down when you talk to her."

Fujii immediately slumped onto his desk in defeat, clearly disheartened by Ichin's honest but brutal response.

His appearance wasn't unattractive, but it was far from being called handsome.

Utaha chuckled softly at Ichin's earlier comment and said, "Ichin, isn't it a bit harsh to discourage someone like that?"

"It's not that bad," Ichin shrugged. "I was just stating the truth. People may claim that having an interesting personality matters more, but let's be real—what catches someone's attention first is their looks. It's just that the importance of appearance varies from person to person."

Utaha couldn't argue with his logic. It was true; in today's world, appearances played a major role in first impressions. Even for herself, before getting to know someone, their looks were the first thing she noticed.

Their conversation didn't last long, as the class representative came by to collect homework, and the start of class was approaching.

---

Thankfully, today's lessons moved on from reviewing test papers and resumed regular teaching.

During the last period of the morning, which was Japanese literature, the dismissal bell rang, signaling the end of the class. The teacher, Shizuka Hiratsuka, put away her lecture notes and addressed the students. "Alright, that's it for now. Oh, Ichin, come to my office after lunch."

With that, she left the classroom.

Utaha glanced at Ichin and asked, "What's this about?"

"Probably about taking leave yesterday," Ichin replied calmly. "Even though Hiratsuka-sensei approved it, she likely wants to follow up on the details. Looks like we won't be eating lunch in the clubroom today. I probably won't have much time to go through my materials either."

"That's fine," Utaha said with a smile. "Go ahead and grab your food. I'll wait for you to come back so we can eat together."

Ichin returned quickly with three onigiri and a bottle of milk. He and Utaha pushed their desks together and shared lunch, much to the envy of some classmates, who couldn't help but feel as if they were being fed dog food just by watching the scene.

After finishing lunch and taking a short break, Ichin left for the teachers' office, while Utaha stayed in the classroom to read.

---

In the teachers' office, only Hiratsuka Shizuka and another female teacher were present. Ichin walked over to Hiratsuka's desk.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes, have a seat," she said, gesturing to the chair beside her. Once Ichin sat down, she set aside the document she was working on and looked at him. "How did things go yesterday? Was everything resolved?"

As he expected, she wanted to discuss his leave of absence. Ichin briefly explained what had happened the day before.

After listening, Hiratsuka remarked, "You really are something, aren't you? Seems like you have a lot of potential. But if things aren't fully settled yet, does that mean you might need to take more days off in the future?"

"It's possible," Ichin admitted with a nod. "But I'm not sure when the next meeting will be. If it happens during summer break, I won't need to take leave."

"Got it." Hiratsuka tapped her fingers on the desk thoughtfully. "By the way, did you notice the changes in this exam's papers?"

"Hm?" Ichin was caught off guard by the question. "Changes? Now that you mention it, there did seem to be something different. Did you base them on exams from China?"

"Partially, yes," Hiratsuka explained. "We focused on adapting ideas, particularly for the science sections. This was an experiment. Moving forward, Toyogasaki Academy hopes to make more adjustments and innovations to improve teaching quality. Considering your background, Ichin, I assume your previous high school back in China was a good one?"

Ichin nodded cautiously, unsure of where this was going.

"Well," Hiratsuka continued, "during the upcoming break, we're planning to arrange an academic exchange with your former high school. Surprised?"

...

❇❇❇

Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 45+ Advanced Chapters There!

patreon.com/RedX43

❇❇❇