Game Developer in the World of Anime

After learning that the advertisement for her novel had been launched in Akihabara, Ichin and Utaha decided to visit the area after school on Thursday to check it out.

Joining them were Eriri and Yukino.

Yukino, who occasionally read light novels, had picked up the first volume of The Metronome in Love after discovering Utaha's identity as a light novel author. It had taken her two evenings to finish it.

After reading, Yukino had to admit that Utaha's talent extended far beyond her enviable figure. Her writing was leagues ahead of Yukino's own.

So, when Eriri suggested accompanying them to see the advertisements for the second volume's release, Yukino readily agreed. After all, the Service Club didn't have any active requests at the moment. Since Eriri had joined, the club had essentially become a place to drink tea and study.

Thankfully, Eriri wasn't too bold yet. Otherwise, she might have brought a game console to the club by now.

Taking the train, the four made their way to Akihabara.

Walking beside Yukino, Eriri curiously asked, "Yukino, have you been here before?"

"No," Yukino replied with a shake of her head. "I'm from Chiba. Even when I came to Tokyo before, I went to other places and didn't have much opportunity to visit Akihabara."

Just as she finished speaking, they passed two girls in maid costumes holding up signs, promoting their maid café.

Yukino's lips twitched slightly at the sight. "I think I regret this already."

Not long after, the group bought milk tea and strolled through Akihabara. They soon spotted the giant screen on a department store ahead, displaying an advertisement for the second volume of The Metronome in Love.

"Hmm..." Eriri commented after looking at it. "Not bad."

Utaha glanced at Eriri and said, "It was done by a well-known illustrator in the industry. They're very professional."

Eriri immediately caught the subtext—Utaha was subtly jabbing at her. Although Eriri occasionally worked as an illustrator, most of her time was spent drawing doujinshi.

Feeling helpless, Eriri sighed. She wanted to take on more professional work, but she couldn't resist the itch to draw doujinshi. After taking breaks, she always found herself picking up her pen again, creating works to sell at doujin conventions.

Yukino, unaware of Eriri's identity as Eri Kashiwagi, noticed her expression change but chose not to pry.

The The Metronome in Love advertisement wasn't limited to the large electronic billboard. There were also posters, street signs, and in-store displays, making the promotion highly eye-catching.

The four of them wandered around Akihabara, drawing attention as they walked—one boy accompanied by three beautiful girls was certainly a sight to behold.

By 4:30 PM, Ichin was carrying a bag containing two brand-new SHF figures he had just found: one of Zett's Alpha Edge form and another of Old Senpai.

Eriri, on the other hand, had bought a new Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, as the buttons on her current one were getting unresponsive. Since they were already in Akihabara, she decided to pick up a replacement.

After parting ways with Eriri and Yukino, Ichin and Utaha returned home.

Dinner that evening, as usual, was at the studio. However, Ichin didn't have to cook this time—Rin Toyama and Yun Iijima were in charge of the kitchen.

Having experienced the camaraderie of shared meals at the studio, everyone had grown to enjoy the tradition. Cooking and eating together had become something they all looked forward to.

---

As dinner was still being prepared, Ichin barely had time to settle into his seat before Umiko and Shinoda pulled him over and handed him a controller.

Looking at the screen, Ichin's eyes lit up. "The test scene is ready?"

"Exactly!" Shinoda beamed. "I can finally see my action designs come to life in combat! We finished it this afternoon and had a go at testing it ourselves. Now it's your turn, Ichin!"

The current test scene included the protagonist as the only playable character. At Umiko's keystroke, two starter-area monsters appeared.

"We've set up three scenarios: one with ground-based enemies, one with flying enemies, and the last featuring an elite monster. Shinoda's animations are solid, so feel free to dive in."

Ichin nodded, gripping the controller as he began the trial.

Though it was just a simple test environment, the character's movement and attack animations were already polished and fluid.

After swiftly clearing the ground and flying enemy scenarios, Ichin smiled in satisfaction. "This works. The basic animations are solid. I don't think there will be major issues when we add the other skills. Now, let me try the elite monster."

The elite monster in question was the "Husk Guard," nicknamed Dragon Fang by Ichin because its weapon resembled the Dragon Tooth from Dark Souls. Of course, in this world, Dark Souls didn't exist, so only Ichin referred to it that way.

The monster's attack patterns were simple: a ground slam and shockwaves that extended outward on both sides. The strategy was straightforward—don't get greedy with attacks.

After easily defeating the elite monster, Ichin put down the controller and evaluated it. "Not bad. The Husk Guard looks great, but the slam animation could be a bit faster. It feels slightly sluggish. Since its moveset is limited, we should increase the difficulty within its existing attacks. Don't let players think they can sneak in extra hits."

"Wow, Ichin! You're such a sadist!" Shinoda teased, though her expression showed she fully agreed. She was already brainstorming ways to make some of the other boss designs even more challenging.

---

Although this game wasn't intended to be as punishing as Dark Souls, Ichin had plans to slightly raise the difficulty. Not by simply inflating enemy stats but by improving enemy AI and adding subtle, player-unfriendly elements to map designs.

Of course, compared to Dark Souls, the difficulty adjustments in Hollow Knight would be relatively mild. Players familiar with action-platformers wouldn't find it overly challenging.

---

After testing the scene, Ichin moved on to review the map designs created by the team.

As a Metroidvania-style side-scrolling action game, map design was a critical element. While the maps didn't need to be overly convoluted, they should be engaging enough to prevent players from feeling bored during the long journey.

Compared to Hifumi, who had a knack for map design, Aoba appeared less experienced in this area. After reviewing her work, Ichin quickly pointed out several areas for improvement.

"Here—add two more steps to this staircase. In this area, it's spacious enough for two flying enemies, so the stairs are necessary. And here—this transition to the next zone can be simplified to keep the flow smooth."

After Ichin highlighted a series of adjustments, Aoba groaned. "Ugh, I've always worked on character models. Designing maps feels like a completely different challenge!"

Smiling, Ichin patted her on the head before heading over to check on Yun Iijima's progress.

...