Game Developer in the World of Anime

In the days that followed, Ichin's life maintained its usual rhythm—cycling between home, school, and the studio.

Meanwhile, the second volume of Utaha's The Metronome in Love was released. With a shift in its style and increased promotion from the publisher, her novel quickly gained traction. Among the works released in the first half of the year, The Metronome in Love might not have climbed to the very top in sales yet, but its potential was evident, showing remarkable promise.

After that night, the relationship between Ichin and Utaha became even closer. Though they were both young, Utaha's parents didn't object to their relationship. Utaha often stayed over at Ichin's place, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe their relationship as inseparable.

At the studio, the three new recruits—Narumi Tsubame, Mochizuki Momiji, and Sakura Nene—settled into their roles. Narumi and Mochizuki could apply to work at the studio five days a week, but Sakura was limited to just two days a week due to other commitments, aside from weekends.

Fortunately, Sakura was a quick learner. Though her time at the studio was limited, her self-study efforts and efficiency made up for it. Narumi and Mochizuki, on the other hand, demonstrated strong skills from the start. Narumi was outgoing, while Mochizuki was quieter, embodying a reserved personality but with a surprising trait—she was a foodie.

Thanks to Ichin's stockpile of snacks, Hazuki and Toyama Rin often indulged Mochizuki's foodie tendencies with playful "feedings."

On Friday, while Ichin was still at school, Rin, at his request, handled some financial matters, stepping out to ensure everyone's pay was processed. Hazuki drove her there and back.

When the two returned, news of salaries hitting bank accounts began trickling in.

"Oh!!! Payday!"

Although they'd already received their pay slips at noon, everyone was still ecstatic to see the funds officially credited.

Narumi and Mochizuki also saw the notifications on their phones. Curious, Narumi asked, "Rin-senpai, we haven't been here that long. Do we still get paid?"

Rin smiled and said, "Of course! You both started in May, so you're getting paid for those days. Even if it wasn't a full month, you'll still receive wages. Next month, when we pay for June, the amount will be higher. Keep up the great work!"

Even the usually expressionless Mochizuki smiled and nodded enthusiastically alongside Narumi.

An hour later, Ichin and Utaha returned from school.

After heading home to change, Utaha stayed behind, while Ichin went straight to the studio.

"Good afternoon, everyone! I assume the salaries have all come through?"

Shinoda Hajime was the first to raise her hand, grinning. "Got mine! Now I can buy more figures!"

Ichin chuckled. "Can't you consider saving up or planning for something more long-term?"

Shinoda shrugged. "What can I say? It's a habit. I already pre-ordered two figures just now—they're set to ship by the end of the year."

Nearby, Iijima Yun propped her chin on her hands. "I tried convincing her to save, but it's no use. Might as well give up."

Ichin sat at his desk, smiling. "I was just saying. I've worked with you all for over a month now, so I know how it is. Mochizuki, how's the work Rin assigned to you coming along?"

The new recruits had been at the studio for about two weeks, gradually transitioning into tasks related to actual game development. Although their workload wasn't heavy, their skill levels made the assignments manageable.

Mochizuki Momiji nodded and replied, "Yes, it's done. Both Rin-senpai and Ko-senpai have already reviewed it."

Initially, Mochizuki was reluctant to address her colleagues so casually, but since this was a small studio, the formality felt unnecessary. After repeated corrections from everyone, she finally adopted the casual form of address.

Yagami Kō paused her work and added with a smile, "Momiji's skills are excellent. Hollow Knight doesn't have very high technical demands for art as long as it fits the style, so her progress has been impressive."

At this point, Umiko looked up from her station. "Our progress has also been smooth. With the addition of two new team members, the porting project has shown significant results. Ichin, would you like to test it? Although the touchscreen functionality isn't finished yet, it's already playable."

"Oh? Really?"

Surprised, Ichin stood up and approached Umiko. "Umiko, it's ready already?"

"Yes, the initial porting is complete," Umiko confirmed, handing a Nintendo Switch to Ichin. "The test version of the game has been installed. However, optimization still needs work. Right now, the handheld mode's frame rate hasn't stabilized at 60 FPS and occasionally drops to 40-50 FPS."

"That's already great! We still have plenty of time for optimization," Ichin said, taking the Switch. He launched the game and started testing it.

Umiko had kept the progress of the porting project a secret from everyone else, so the team members gathered around in curiosity after hearing her announcement, including Narumi Tsubame and Mochizuki Momiji.

Narumi and Mochizuki had only heard of Slay the Spire before joining the studio and hadn't played it. But after learning that Ichin had developed the game on his own, they both gave it a try and were thoroughly impressed by his skills.

Aoba finally squeezed her way next to Ichin and, seeing the game running on the Switch, excitedly asked, "Umiko-senpai, are there any other devices? I want to try too!"

"Be patient," Umiko replied, arms crossed and smiling. "This is just the first version. Once the touchscreen functionality is finished, it will be much smoother to play. Right now, you can only use the controller, so the controls feel a bit clunky."

For a card-based game, the touchscreen interface on the Switch would undoubtedly provide the best experience.

After a brief test, Ichin handed the Switch to a very eager Aoba and walked over to Umiko. "The frame rate is indeed fluctuating. Have you identified the issue?"

"Don't worry, I've already pinpointed it. Give me a few days, and I'll have it resolved," Umiko said confidently. "Since the game itself doesn't demand much from the hardware, we should be able to stabilize it. The same goes for Hollow Knight. However, for larger-scale games in the future, we might need to make some compromises."

"That's a problem for future us," Ichin said with a laugh, waving it off. "Who knows, maybe Nintendo will release an updated development kit? For now, focus on optimization. I'll handle the touchscreen functionality. Narumi, you don't need her help with optimization, right? I'll have her work with me on the touchscreen features."

Narumi Tsubame enthusiastically replied, "No problem!"

With that, she followed Ichin, ready to receive her tasks for the new feature.

...

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