Game Developer in the World of Anime

This development genuinely surprised Ichin, though upon further thought, it seemed quite logical.

Toyogasaki Academy, having been established for just over a decade, had already become one of the top schools in Tokyo for university entrance rates. Achieving this level of success proved the school's ambition to produce tangible results. The idea of organizing an academic exchange with another school, even when Ichin had only transferred in half a semester ago, was just another example of their drive.

However, for Ichin, this had little to do with him directly. The real impact would fall on the students of Toyogasaki if the exchange ended up teaching their teachers some new tricks.

More work, everyone!

"So, that's the plan," Shizuka Hiratsuka concluded with a smile. "We're finalizing the details, and the teachers are selecting candidates to participate in the exchange."

"Will you be going, Hiratsuka-sensei?"

"Yes, I'm confirmed to go," she replied. Then, looking at Ichin, she asked, "What about you? Are you planning to return during the summer break? If so, you could join us. Since you've been a student at both schools, you could share your thoughts or experiences."

"I probably won't have the time," Ichin said, spreading his hands. "Work at the studio is ramping up. We're in the middle of hiring new people; if everything goes smoothly this week, three more will join us. There's one game that's already launched and another still in development. On top of that, we're working on both PC and NS versions for both games. I've already decided not to go back during the summer break."

"That makes sense. Game development is exhausting work," Hiratsuka acknowledged with a nod. "Alright then, I've asked everything I needed. Go ahead and take a break before afternoon classes start."

"Okay, I'll head back now," Ichin said, getting up to leave.

---

As he exited the office and reached the stairs, he found his path blocked by a girl.

"Ichin-senpai!"

He didn't recognize her; she was likely a first-year student.

Ichin offered a polite smile and asked, "Hello. Can I help you with something?"

The girl was quite cute—petite, with a single ponytail—and her face was flushed as she stretched out her hands to offer him a small package.

"Um, these are cookies I just made. Please accept them!"

"Uh..."

Ichin hadn't expected something like this to happen to him. Only in Japan could someone have the courage to do something like this, especially near the teachers' office.

After a brief pause, Ichin replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this. Thank you for your kind gesture."

"Huh? But they're just cookies!"

The girl's eyes welled up with tears, as though she were about to cry.

Ichin smiled wryly and said, "I'm really sorry, but I truly can't accept them. You probably know this, but I already have a girlfriend. So, as a rule, I don't accept gifts from other girls. Thank you again, but that's how it is."

With that, he stepped past her and walked down the stairs.

---

Behind him, the door to the teachers' office was slightly ajar. Hiratsuka Shizuka and another female teacher were quietly observing the scene.

"Shizuka-sensei, isn't it a bit inappropriate for us to spy like this?" the other teacher whispered.

"It's fine. This is just us being concerned about our students. As long as you don't tell and I don't tell, no one will ever know," Hiratsuka replied nonchalantly.

She watched as the girl, visibly disheartened, walked away. Ichin's behavior didn't surprise her much. He was unexpectedly mature, and his polite yet firm rejection left no room for criticism.

Ichin didn't give much thought to the earlier incident and quickly returned to his classroom. With the remaining time before class resumed, he focused on reviewing materials for the development kit.

Beside him, Utaha didn't disturb him, quietly engrossed in her own book.

Two minutes later, Utaha's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen to see a message from Eriri, and the contents were related to Ichin.

Eriri: "I just heard from one of my classmates that a first-year girl went to give Ichin-kun cookies. I think he'd probably reject it, but I felt it was better to let you know about this."

Utaha paused, turning her head slightly to look at Ichin. He was still deeply focused on the materials in front of him, completely unaffected by anything else.

After a moment of thought, Utaha quickly replied, "Got it," and didn't dwell further on the matter.

She wasn't the type to overreact just because some random girl appeared. Unless it was someone like Eriri or Yukino—beauties of that caliber—then perhaps she might feel a twinge of anxiety. But among the first-years, there probably weren't many girls who could reach that level.

---

The afternoon classes passed without any drama. After packing up their things, Ichin and Utaha left school together.

As they walked out of the school gates, hand in hand, Ichin thought for a moment before speaking.

"During lunch, when I was leaving Hiratsuka-sensei's office, a first-year girl stopped me and tried to give me cookies she made herself. I declined, of course. Since there were a lot of people around at school, I decided to tell you about it after class."

"Oh?" Utaha turned to Ichin, smiling. "Why are you telling me this? Didn't you already reject her?"

"I did, but since we're dating, I felt it was important to let you know. If there's any misunderstanding later, it could cause unnecessary trouble, don't you think?"

"Is that so, Ichin?"

Utaha suddenly stopped walking and gently pulled Ichin to a halt as well.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Before Ichin could fully process the situation, Utaha stepped forward and hugged him tightly and kissed him, standing on her tiptoes.

Ichin was startled by her bold move. After all, they were still near the school gates, with plenty of students around.

Sure enough, their little display caught the attention of several other students heading home. Curious and gossip-filled gazes immediately turned toward them.

After a long moment, Utaha finally released him, her face slightly flushed.

"This is your reward," she said with a soft smile.

Ichin scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Couldn't you have waited until we weren't surrounded by so many people?" he asked.

"I'm just kissing my boyfriend. Why should I care about others?"

Grabbing his arm, Utaha chuckled. "Let's go. Time to head home."

The two walked closely together toward the station, unaware that their little interaction had already caused an uproar on the school forum.

---

Back home, Ichin changed out of his uniform and grabbed some ingredients he had prepared earlier from the fridge. He then headed downstairs.

Since he had promised Utaha a proper dinner, he was determined to cook something good. However, he didn't want to fall behind on his work either, so he decided to handle dinner at the studio.

As he arrived with his supplies, Shinoda—who had been pondering movement designs while fiddling with a replica lightsaber—spotted him and ran over, curiosity piqued.

"Ichin-kun, are you making dinner?"

"Yeah," Ichin replied, taking out a large piece of marinated pork belly from one of the bags. "I'm planning to make extra. Want some?"

...

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