Game Developer in the World of Anime

After a long night of busyness, once they had confirmed in the second half of the night that all the kittens were fine, Yukino prepared a bit of nutritious food for Sesame and fed her. Only then did everyone finally return to their rooms to rest.

Of course, since both Yukino and Eriri still had classes to attend during the day, they were destined to have a hard time getting through today. Ichin, on the other hand, didn't have much of a problem—he could sleep a bit longer. Utaha was the same; though still a first-year, with her level, slacking off once in a while wasn't a big deal.

They hadn't slept long when, early in the morning, the alarm clock's merciless ringing dragged those with classes out of bed. With pained expressions, they shuffled out of their rooms.

Opening her door, Eriri glanced at Utaha, who happened to be coming out of the next room.

"Where's Ichin?" she asked.

"Still in bed." Utaha yawned before continuing, "Don't worry, he already woke up just now, he's just trying to sneak in a bit more lazing around. He'll get up in time to send us to school."

Eriri twitched her lips helplessly. "That guy's life is rough—he can't even sleep peacefully."

Yukino added softly, "Senpai, it's fine, we can just take the bus. Let him rest a little longer."

"It's fine, really." Utaha waved her hand nonchalantly. "Relax. His sleep quality is way better than you think. It's only seven-thirty now. He'll get up at eight, wash his face, and take you guys to school—plenty of time. He doesn't have classes this morning anyway, doesn't even need to change clothes or fix his hair. It won't take him any time at all."

She was right—that was exactly what Ichin himself had said while still buried in bed. Driving the three girls to school wouldn't take long, and after coming back, he could still catch up on sleep before waking up around noon to grab lunch at Todai and start his afternoon classes.

Since Utaha had said that much, Yukino naturally didn't insist further.

The three of them headed to the living room first to check on the cats.

Peppa and Mochi were already awake but hadn't entered Sesame's nesting box. Instead, they guarded outside, occasionally peeking inside.

Yukino unzipped the entrance and peeked in.

The kittens were awake too, huddled against Sesame's belly, eagerly nursing one after another. They looked lively and full of energy.

Eriri leaned closer, whispering, "Looks like all four little ones are healthy."

Utaha nodded. "Yeah, pretty lucky actually. Sesame's a first-time mother, and to give birth to four at once—with all of them this healthy—that's really fortunate. Come on, let's go wash up and leave the little ones to their breakfast."

After washing up and eating breakfast themselves, Yukino also prepared food for the three adult cats.

While the cats were eating, Ichin came out of the bathroom, yawning, his hair a complete mess.

"Alright, you're all ready? Then let's go."

Seeing his state, Eriri frowned in suspicion. "You're not planning on driving while half-asleep, are you?"

"Relax. I'm fully awake now—no way I'd drive drowsy." He rolled his eyes at her and added, "No matter what, I'd never joke around with my Utaha's or my junior Yukino's safety."

"So my safety doesn't count?! You laughed just now, didn't you?! You totally laughed!!!"

Amidst their bickering, the four of them left under the watchful eyes of the cats.

Even though Ichin hadn't slept much, his energy wasn't bad. He drove smoothly without issue and safely dropped all three of them off at school.

The car stopped at the gate of Todai. Utaha unfastened her seatbelt, leaned over, and gave Ichin a light kiss.

"Ichin, want to have lunch together later?"

Ichin nodded. "Mm, let's eat together. I'll catch up on some sleep first, then head over before your class ends."

Watching Utaha walk through the gates, Ichin turned the car around and drove back to Yukino's apartment.

Inside, the kittens had already finished nursing. Each of them lay in different sleeping positions, nestled against Sesame, sound asleep.

When Ichin approached, Sesame showed no sign of anxiety. Calmly, she watched as he gently lifted one of her babies into his hands.

It was the first time Ichin had ever seen newborn kittens—especially ones only a night old—so every movement he made was careful to the extreme.

He checked them one by one, confirming their breathing was steady. Their umbilical cords hadn't fallen off yet, which would take a few more days, but there was no rush; they were fine just as they were.

After placing the kittens back into Sesame's arms, Ichin took out his phone, snapped a picture, and sent it to Yagami Kō.

Kō had already asked Yukino to reserve one of the kittens for her, since she'd be one of their future "cat slaves." Naturally, he had to send her a photo.

Sure enough, not even two minutes later, Kō called.

"Ichin, four kittens? That's a lot!"

"Yeah, quite a number."

Lying back on the guest bed, Ichin chuckled. "I was busy until the middle of the night, so I didn't get the chance to message you right away. I just got back after dropping Utaha off at collage. There's one white, one orange, and two mostly white with orange and black patches. They'll all be adorable when they grow up. Kō, have you thought about which one you want to raise?"

"That's such a tough choice." Kō, who had just woken up and was eating breakfast in her dorm with Rin Toyama and Umiko, laughed. "Is Eriri coming to the office this afternoon? If she is, I'll talk it over with her—since we're both taking one."

"Sure, you two can decide for yourselves."

After hanging up, Ichin set his alarm and went back to sleep for a while.

That afternoon, after finishing class, he and Utaha picked up Yukino and Eriri from Toyogasaki. They dropped Yukino off at home, then headed with Eriri to the company.

Though it was their first working day back from vacation, the news of the kittens' birth had already spread. As soon as they arrived, coworkers swarmed them, clamoring to see pictures.

Since Hazuki often brought Mozuku to the office, and Ichin frequently brought Peppa as well, there wasn't a single cat-hater among them.

So, Ichin had Utaha transfer the videos from last night onto the office computer and let everyone watch.

"Whoa!!! You even recorded it!"

Staring at the screen, where the newborn kittens squirmed and mewed, Kō's eyes sparkled. "They look so full of energy! Eriri, which one do you want?"

"Me?" Eriri thought for a moment, then said, "I want the orange one!"

Although everyone always joked about "the mighty chubby orange," Eriri personally loved the goofy look of orange cats. From the start, she had wanted one.

Luckily, her choice didn't clash with Kō's. Kō grinned. "Then I'll take one of the calicos—the little one with the three-colored tail."

And so, on the very day after they were born, two of the kittens already had owners waiting for them.

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