Game Developer in the World of Anime

Despite the emotional turmoil he felt, Ichin maintained his usual calm expression. Looking at Utaha, he greeted her, "Good morning. Are you ready?"

Utaha nodded and stepped out, joining Ichin. "Let's go."

As Utaha closed her door, Ichin happened to catch sight of Mrs. Kasumigaoka inside, who gave him a knowing wave with a mischievous smile on her face. Ichin's mouth twitched slightly, and he nodded back at her before walking alongside Utaha towards the apartment elevator.

Once inside, Ichin pressed the button for the first floor and asked, "So, have you decided where to go first?"

Utaha smiled softly. "Yes, let's go to Shibuya. I was thinking of Shinjuku, but we've been to the shopping district there a few times recently. It's been a while since I've been to Shibuya."

"Alright, Shibuya it is. I'm fine with that."

Shibuya, huh? I guess it's going to be a shopping trip… Ichin thought. Even Kasumigaoka can't resist the temptation of shopping? Girls, huh.

Noticing Ichin's indifferent demeanor, Utaha asked, "Ichin-kun, is there anywhere you want to go? We have plenty of time today. After we're done in the morning, you can suggest somewhere for the afternoon."

"I haven't really given it much thought," Ichin shrugged. "Since you're here for research, it's better to follow the storyline of your novel. I went straight to bed after finishing my work last night and didn't have time to plan anything. Besides, I'm just a foreigner, so it's better for you, the local, to choose the places."

Utaha narrowed her eyes at him, saying, "Ichin-kun, that won't do. When you're out with a girl, you can't leave all the planning to her."

"But isn't this for research?" Ichin retorted. "If this were a real date, I'd definitely plan something fun. But since it's for your novel, you, the author, should take the lead, right?"

Utaha felt a pang of frustration. Why did I have to call this a "research trip" in the first place?

While gathering material was indeed important and one of the objectives today, it wasn't something that had to be done urgently. What she truly wanted was to experience a typical boy-girl date. But now that she had said it, and Ichin had taken it seriously, Utaha knew she had to stick with the excuse for now.

There's still a way to handle this.

"Fine, let's focus on research first," Utaha sighed as the elevator doors opened. As they walked out, she continued, "But Ichin-kun, in my story, the main characters meet by chance and then spend time together. So, I hope you won't approach this purely from a research standpoint—just treat it like a normal outing, alright?"

"Got it. Today, you call the shots."

Ichin agreed, and the two of them left the apartment building, heading towards the bus stop. The train station was a bit farther away, but the bus would get them there just as easily.

While waiting for the bus, Ichin asked, "In your next storyline, what's the relationship status between the main characters?"

"Relationship status, huh…" Utaha pondered for a moment. "Well, they're good friends who have mutual feelings but haven't realized it yet. Then, due to the appearance of the second male lead, the female lead mistakenly believes that he has feelings for her, causing her to be conflicted. Ah, Ichin-kun, should I treat you as the main character or the second lead today? I could tweak the story so that the female lead runs into the second lead by chance outside. Since I based the second lead on you, maybe that would be easier to write!"

"Please, spare me from these conversations," Ichin responded with a look of utter despair. After all, because of him, Utaha had turned the second male lead in her story into a closeted guy, and unfortunately, she modeled that character after him.

It was impossible to say he wasn't feeling down.

However, Utaha seemed quite amused, gently nudging Ichin's arm with her shoulder. She looked at his profile and said, "Don't be so concerned, Ichin-kun. It's all a necessary sacrifice for the sake of my writing."

"Then, can I ask you to use someone else as a reference?" Ichin replied, slightly exasperated.

"Nope, not happening," Utaha countered cheerfully. "You're the only guy around my age that I'm this close with. Who else would I use?"

"A sacrifice for your writing, huh? Fine, do whatever you want, but just promise me you won't tell anyone you based it on me. I really don't want people getting the wrong idea."

Utaha readily agreed, clearly finding his concern amusing. "Don't worry, Ichin-kun. I won't let anyone misunderstand you."

While they chatted, the bus arrived, and the two of them boarded.

The bus wasn't crowded, with only a few scattered passengers. After purchasing their tickets, Ichin and Utaha headed to the back of the bus and found two seats. Utaha sat by the window, and Ichin took the seat to her left.

Since they had been at the bus stop, Ichin had caught a faint, pleasant fragrance coming from Utaha. It wasn't the scent of shampoo or body wash—probably perfume.

He glanced over at her and noticed the light makeup she had put on. Clearly, she had taken quite some time to prepare before leaving the house, unlike him. For a guy, it was enough to just clean up, fix his hair, and wear something presentable.

This was the first time Ichin had gone out like this with a girl, and once they sat down, he found himself unsure of what to do next. With no better option, he pulled out his phone and logged into Steam to check the game's sales numbers.

But Ichin wasn't the only one feeling tense; Utaha herself was just as nervous. She had felt confident while planning the outing alone last night, but once they were actually out together, her confidence faltered.

Seeing Ichin fiddling with his phone, Utaha leaned in a little closer, her curiosity piqued. "Checking the sales?" she asked.

A few strands of her hair brushed against Ichin's shoulder, occasionally tickling his cheek, causing his heart to beat a little faster.

"Yeah," Ichin replied. "I hadn't checked this morning yet. The numbers are looking good—it's almost at 150,000 copies."

A smile spread across Ichin's face, unable to contain his excitement.

His good mood seemed to be contagious, as Utaha smiled back and said, "That's wonderful! I'm sure the sales will keep going up. Let's have a nice meal at lunch to celebrate."

"Yeah, we definitely should."

Soon enough, they reached Shibuya, got off the bus, and began their day of "research."

…