Game Developer in the World of Anime

Although Ichin had made a clear declaration, Utaha still seemed a bit skeptical. She looked at his handsome face and murmured softly, "But how do you explain your deep understanding of these kinds of storylines? You wouldn't know so much about this without being in that environment, right? Plus, I heard that good-looking guys are more likely to… you know, swing that way."

"That's a total misunderstanding!" Ichin swallowed his grilled meat and exclaimed, "By that logic, wouldn't all the male celebrities in showbiz be swinging that way?"

"Then how do you explain your extensive knowledge?"

"My knowledge isn't extensive at all! It's just a suggestion, that's all! And I can actually explain this," Ichin said, resting his chin on his hand with a resigned sigh. "As a Chinese person, I can responsibly tell you that on our internet, a lot of this stuff is treated as memes and spreads widely. It's almost impossible not to know about it. Also, I did meet a guy like that once, though he wasn't interested in me—he already had a partner."

"Wow! So you really have met one!" Utaha immediately picked up her small notebook again and eagerly asked, "Can you tell me more about it? I need these real-life details to better integrate them into my story. I've never met anyone like that in real life!"

"What's there to say? And it was quite a while ago, anyway," Ichin shrugged. "But if you're writing, it's not that hard. Just describe the second male lead the same way you would write a female character, with a bit of a masculine touch, not too effeminate. Make him more of a gentle, warm-hearted type. If you can write a female character's secret feelings, you should be able to write this, right?"

"..."

"Hmm?" Ichin noticed Utaha's silence and glanced at her manuscript again, flipping through the pages. Finally, he understood.

"So that's it. One of the reasons your manuscript got rejected is that you're struggling with depicting a character's secret feelings. In the first volume, it was just the beginning of the story, and there were only subtle hints between the two main characters, so it wasn't too difficult for you. But now that the story's moving towards romance, and you have more characters involved, it's a much bigger challenge for you, isn't it? Still, shouldn't your editor be able to give you some advice on this?"

Utaha's lips twitched, and she turned her head slightly. "My editor is unreliable. She's almost thirty and has never been in a relationship, so she can't help me at all. She just tells me to read more relevant books and watch movies or dramas."

Oh, a late-blooming single woman—makes sense.

Ichin nodded sympathetically and said, "I can only apologize on that front. I can provide suggestions like these, but when it comes to writing the inner feelings of characters, I've never been in a relationship myself, so I can't give you precise advice."

"You haven't?" Utaha exclaimed in surprise. "With how you look, I would think you're quite popular with girls."

"Not at all," Ichin shook his head. "Where I'm from, early romance is strictly prohibited, and I was entirely focused on my studies. Girls would only have slowed me down from solving problems faster."

"Is that so?" Utaha said skeptically. "But if you were so dedicated to studying, how come you're spending all your time now developing games?"

"If I hadn't studied seriously before, I wouldn't have all this free time to develop games now, would I?" Ichin replied while placing more meat on the grill. "Hard work first, enjoyment later. Even though developing games is tough, I find it equally fulfilling."

"You're really something else…" Utaha murmured in admiration.

After finishing their meal, Ichin initially planned to pay for everything himself, but in the end, he agreed to split the bill at Utaha's insistence.

Since they lived in the same apartment building, the two naturally took the bus home together.

As they boarded the bus, Eriri, who was out shopping with her mother, coincidentally saw them and curiously stroked her chin.

"Could those two really be dating? That would be quite a surprise. I'll have to keep a close eye on them later."

Soon, Ichin and Utaha returned to the apartment building. While riding the elevator, Ichin spoke up, "I've finished my game. If you have some time tomorrow, would you like to try it out?"

"You've finished it?" Utaha asked in surprise. "When you said it would be done by the end of the month, I thought you were exaggerating. But it's actually complete, huh? Sure, I'll drop by tomorrow. Tonight, I need to think carefully about how to write the second volume."

"Good luck with that then. I look forward to reading your masterpiece."

The elevator arrived at their floor, and after saying goodnight to Utaha, Ichin opened his apartment door and went inside.

Utaha also took out her key to open her apartment door. As soon as she stepped in, she was met with her mother's inquisitive gaze.

"You're back, Utaha?" her mother greeted.

"Yeah, I'm back," Utaha responded, changing into her slippers. Just as she was about to head to her room under her mother's watchful eyes, she felt her arm being gently pulled.

"Wait a moment. Sit and chat with your mom for a bit."

Utaha, with a look of resignation, was dragged to the sofa. Her mother started by asking, "How did it go at the publishing house today?"

"My manuscript got rejected. I have to rewrite everything."

"Is that so?" Seeing her daughter looking a bit down, Mrs. Kasumigaoka gently patted her daughter's head. "It's okay. You're just starting out. Keep working hard."

"I'm fine now," Utaha replied. "Although the editor said I can't properly depict a character's secret feelings, it's not a big deal. I'll just watch more movies and dramas until I get it right. Also, Ichin-kun gave me some suggestions on how to structure the plot."

"Oh my, Ichin-kun?" Mrs. Kasumigaoka raised her eyebrows in surprise before giving a slightly melancholic sigh. "My little girl has grown up. She faces challenges but doesn't confide in her mother first. Instead, she turns to a boy. Should I feel happy or sad about this?"

"Mom!" Utaha blushed, realizing that her impulsive decision to call Ichin directly must have seemed intentional in her mother's eyes.

"It's not what you're thinking!" Utaha quickly explained. "Ichin-kun had reviewed my novel before, and many of his points aligned with the editor's feedback. That's why I thought of asking him for more advice!"

"Hmm~~" Mrs. Kasumigaoka gave her daughter a scrutinizing look. Seeing Utaha's uncharacteristic shy expression, she couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"Alright, alright, I understand. Go on and take care of your own work."

It seemed like there was no clear way to explain things.

But as Utaha thought back to their conversation on the way home, her heartbeat quickened just a little.

…

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