Game Developer in the World of Anime

On video platforms, more and more content about Persona was popping up. Half a month after release, player-made walkthroughs were finally becoming complete.

Although Ichin had made some changes to the game, trying to raise the protagonist into a "perfect five-star warrior" without guides was still rather difficult.

As the developer, Ichin naturally couldn't publish walkthroughs himself. Now that guide creators had released theirs, players who wanted to aim for a perfect first run finally had a way forward.

Browsing through them online, Ichin saw that indeed, these guides could achieve a flawless first playthrough. Clearly, the creators had put in a lot of work—grinding out all the details that required heavy testing.

Meanwhile, as more streamers and players cleared the game, the positive reviews remained sky-high. On Steam, the approval rating held steady at 96%, Overwhelmingly Positive.

One especially talked-about feature was the ability to pursue multiple female characters at once. On Valentine's Day, if a player had romanced more than one, the truth would come out in a special scene.

While it didn't lead to further drama and definitely avoided a "Makoto Itou" situation, the reveal itself was amusing enough. The meme of "the protagonist being shameless" began spreading after players tried conquering all the heroines.

At the office, Utaha was reading forum posts on her computer. With a smile, she looked over at Ichin.

"Players are all saying you're really bold, Ichin. To actually dare put in a system for romancing multiple characters in this day and age."

Of course, her words were a jab at the obvious trends in the wider industry. Even big Western studios were no longer designing attractive heroines—character models were often distorted or unappealing.

Ichin only chuckled and replied calmly, "I'm just a game developer. I don't have the time to worry about their protests. Aesthetics aren't for them to dictate—they're for the players. Any halfway normal player knows what kind of character design is better."

Take Tifa, for example. Why did people jokingly call her the "Jerusalem of the 3D section"? Simply because her appearance was top-tier. If you swapped her for Abby, do you think anyone would still stay in that section? They'd all have left long ago.

On this point, Ichin would never compromise. If a character design needed to be done well, he would make sure it was the best it could be.

As they were talking, someone knocked on the office door.

"Come in."

With Ichin's permission, the door opened and Sakura Nene walked in.

Seeing who it was, Ichin blinked in surprise, then pointed to the chair across his desk. "Nene? What brings you here?"

After sitting down, Sakura Nene looked a little nervous. "Um… I have a request. It's a bit early to bring up now, but I wanted to say it in advance."

"A request?" Ichin raised an eyebrow, unsure of what she meant.

Nene nodded. "Yes. Actually, I've already applied for early graduation. I finished my thesis during the holidays."

"Early graduation?" Ichin looked at her in surprise. "You're planning to graduate already? But taking it early… wouldn't that be exhausting?"

"Hehe, actually it wasn't too bad. I've already finished all my coursework, it's just that the thesis took me a bit more time."

Sakura Nene looked a little smug, then smiled and continued, "Now that I'm on the BattleBlock Theater project, and Hazuki-senpai has already picked her team, I want to devote myself fully to development. That's why I decided to graduate early. Once I graduate, I can officially join the company full-time!"

That was right—since Nene was still a university student, she was technically only a part-timer at the company. Of course, Ichin hadn't been stingy with her pay—it was only slightly lower than that of a full employee.

"So, you're saying you want to start full-time right after you graduate? That's easy—we already agreed to that."

"No, no, not that!"

Nene shook her head quickly. "I've never been worried about that. What I mean is… what happens after we finish developing BattleBlock Theater."

Her cheeks flushed even redder as she spoke, making Ichin and Utaha even more curious.

Under their gazes, Nene hunched her shoulders shyly and whispered, "I'll tell you, but you can't breathe a word to anyone. Promise me—you can't tell anyone."

Oh? She even wanted it kept a secret.

Ichin chuckled and nodded. "Alright. Utaha and I won't tell a soul. Go on."

"Well… once BattleBlock Theater is finished, can I apply to transfer to the Shanghai studio?"

"Hm?"

Ichin and Utaha froze for a second, then instantly understood what she meant.

The two exchanged a glance. Ichin gave her a sly smile and asked, "Does Umiko know about this little decision of yours?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Nene pretended not to understand. "I just want to be part of the Titanfall development team, that's all. What's it got to do with anyone else? Just tell me if you'll approve it or not!"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I approve?"

Ichin waved his hand generously. "I'll give you the green light now. But if you change your mind later, you can always come talk to me again. Of course, first you'll need to actually get your diploma."

"Don't worry! I'll have it before the end of the month!"

With that, Nene jumped up and hurried out of the office. She felt that if she stayed any longer, her whole face would turn scarlet.

Bang—the office door closed behind her. Ichin stood up and sat down next to Utaha.

Utaha tilted her head curiously. "Ichin, is Nene planning to drop the act?"

"Not quite yet."

Ichin stretched lazily. "But once she really heads to Shanghai, that'll be when she stops pretending. I just wonder how Umiko will react then—it should be pretty entertaining."

Utaha nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Umiko looks cold on the surface but she's warm inside, and she gets along well with everyone. Especially with Nene—she practically raised her from the start. When Nene suddenly shows up in Shanghai, Umiko's probably going to be stunned. Ichin, let's go together when that happens, okay?"

Ichin calculated the timeline in his head. It was May now, and BattleBlock Theater was projected to take about five to six months. That meant it would definitely be finished by November.

"Alright, let's go together then."

*

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