Game Developer in the World of Anime

After buying bubble tea for everyone at the studio, Ichin handed out the drinks and settled in front of his computer to begin work. Utaha also took her seat next to Hazuki and continued studying Chinese.

Since receiving the study materials, Utaha had dived headfirst into her lessons. With Ichin by her side to guide and correct her mistakes, her progress had been smooth. She had already gotten the hang of reading pinyin and had significantly improved her pronunciation under Ichin's persistent corrections. As long as she followed the textbook and kept practicing, she would soon master the basics of daily conversation.

Glancing at Utaha's textbook, Hazuki sighed. "Ah, to be young! Learning a new language at such speed is amazing."

Shinoda Hajime, sipping her bubble tea enthusiastically, chimed in, "I know, right? Utaha's progress is incredible! I peeked at her lessons a few days ago, and just pronouncing some of the words felt impossible for me."

Sitting nearby, Yun rolled her eyes at Hajime. "You can't even get a grasp of English, so don't even think about picking up another language. Mandarin is one of the hardest languages in the world, you know?"

"Eh? Is it really that hard?" Hajime asked, puzzled.

"Why don't you look it up online? Ichin-kun, I'm right, aren't I?" Yui turned to Ichin for confirmation.

Ichin nodded. "You're correct. If I remember right, the United Nations once ranked the hardest languages to learn. Chinese was at the top, followed by Greek. Japanese was fourth, I think? Of course, for native speakers, their own language doesn't feel difficult because they've grown up immersed in it. But learning a foreign language requires stepping out of that comfort zone, and any language can be challenging."

Hearing his explanation, Hajime quickly opened her browser to verify.

"Ah! You're right. Chinese really is ranked the hardest. In that case, I'll pass. I was considering learning a bit, but this makes it clear I have no chance," she said, dejected.

Yun laughed and teased, "You could at least work on your English. Maybe fix what you didn't learn properly in high school."

"Eh, no thanks. English is even worse for me," Hajime groaned, shaking her head. She set her bubble tea aside, grabbed a replica Star Wars lightsaber hanging from her chair, and began swinging it around.

As the studio's action designer, Hajime's habit of practicing moves with props was a common sight. The team had long since gotten used to it.

Meanwhile, Kō finished designing a boss and glanced toward Ichin. "How's the PV coming along, Ichin-kun?"

"Almost done—about 70% complete," Ichin replied while sorting through materials. "The music is ready, and I just need to prepare the remaining assets. Once that's done, I can finish the final parts of the PV. Oh, And Kō, the boss you just finished will also be featured in the PV. Let Hajime handle the animations based on your design."

"No problem," Kō said with a nod.

The studio's operations continued smoothly, with everyone working efficiently.

---

To celebrate the start of summer vacation for Ichin and Utaha, the team decided to go out for dinner together. They chose a barbecue restaurant for the occasion.

Since Ichin, being from China, wasn't restricted by Japan's minimum drinking age of 20, the team encouraged him to join in for some drinks. Ichin didn't refuse; after all, he had shared sake and beer with Utaha's father on several occasions at the Kasumigaoka household.

Two hours later, Ichin remained completely sober. In contrast, Hazuki, Rin, Hajime, and Yun were all thoroughly drunk.

After leaving the barbecue restaurant and looking at the few who had gotten drunk, Ichin turned to Hazuki and said, "Hazuki, could you take these three back home?"

"Of course," Hazuki replied with a nod. She then glanced at Hifumi and asked, "You had a drink too, Hifumi. Are you sure you can get home by yourself?"

Hifumi's cheeks were slightly flushed from the alcohol, but she replied softly, "I can manage. I'm not drunk."

At that moment, Aoba raised her hand and said, "Nene and I will walk with Hifumi-senpai. Don't worry about us!"

With that settled, the three left together. Narumi and Momiji, who lived together, would head back on their own, and Yagami had called a taxi to take herself and Rin home. This left Hazuki with the task of taking care of Hajime, Umiko, and Yun.

While waiting for the taxis to arrive, Yagami turned to Ichin.

"Ichin-kun, my apartment lease ends at the end of this month. Can I move into the studio to live?"

"You still remember that?" Ichin said with a laugh, then nodded. "Sure. The rest room at the studio is basically yours already. Feel free to move in."

"Great! I'll start packing my things in the next couple of days," Yagami replied enthusiastically.

Just as she finished speaking, her taxi arrived. She helped the tipsy Rin into the car, and they left together.

Five minutes later, the taxi for Ichin and Hazuki arrived as well.

---

For most students, summer vacation is a time to relax and take it easy. But for Ichin, this upcoming August promised to be anything but restful.

The next morning, after breakfast, Ichin arrived at the studio by 9:00 a.m. to start work.

By 9:20, Aoba also arrived. Because her home was close to the studio, she usually took advantage of this proximity to sleep a little longer but still showed up relatively early.

"Oh, Ichin-kun, you're already here!" Aoba exclaimed upon seeing him working. "Today is the first official day of summer break. Aren't you going to take a bit more time to rest?"

"No need," Ichin said with a smile. "I can rest anytime, but the next month is going to be critical."

Seeing that no one else had arrived yet, Ichin continued, "Since it's just us for now, Aoba, come over for a chat."

"Hm?" Aoba was a little puzzled but still walked over and sat down in the seat next to him.

Turning his chair to face her, Ichin asked, "You've been at the studio for a few months now. How's everything feeling so far?"

"Really great!" Aoba replied with a smile. "I'm surrounded by the same people I used to work with at Eagle Jump, and we're all striving toward the same goal. Plus, we've got some new teammates, and even Nene has joined as an intern. The game we're developing is about to be showcased at Gamescom, and I've improved my skills a lot. I'm really happy with my current life!"

"That's good to hear," Ichin said with a nod. Picking up a development schedule from the table, he continued, "Since your previous work at Eagle Jump was mostly 3D modeling, I was worried it might take you some time to adjust here. But it looks like you've adapted well. In the next phase of development, I might have Rin assign you more tasks, so be ready for it!"

...

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