Game Developer in the World of Anime

Pulling the somewhat reluctant Eriri to sit down, Sayuri Sawamura ordered the same roast duck as Ichin, along with a few side dishes and two cans of drinks.

After ordering, Sayuri curiously looked at Ichin and asked, "Ichin-kun, are you Chinese?"

"Yes, I just came to study abroad this semester."

"You're attending Toyogasaki as well? Did you come alone?"

Ichin nodded.

"Wow, really?" Sayuri was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected someone so young to study abroad by himself. After all, adapting to a foreign language and environment at such a young age is a huge challenge.

Turning to her daughter, Sayuri asked, "Eriri, how about studying abroad for university?"

"What? No way!" Eriri immediately rejected the idea, shaking her head furiously. "You want me to study abroad? Are you trying to kill me?!"

Already feeling down from being dragged to this table and now hearing her mother's teasing, Eriri was on the verge of giving up.

Seeing Eriri's reaction, Ichin couldn't help but laugh. "Sawamura-san's behavior is completely different from what I've heard about her at school."

"Oh? Is that so?" Sayuri asked curiously, "And what did you hear?"

Recalling what he'd been told, Ichin replied, "Well, a good girl, the perfect young lady, very polite, and someone who gets along well with her classmates. In the teachers' eyes, she's an ideal student—something like that."

These descriptions were what Ichin had picked up from his male classmates. They might be a bit exaggerated, but they were likely close to Eriri's actual behavior at school.

Utaha, who was listening on the side, also nodded. "Yeah, I've heard similar things, though not in detail. Still, I wonder… If the boys at school saw this side of her, wouldn't their illusions be shattered?"

Eriri, unfazed, pouted. "What does their shattered illusion have to do with me? But what about you? I heard you earned the nickname 'Venomous-Tongued Beauty' at Toyogasaki over the past year, with a reputation of being unapproachable. But now here you are, having dinner with a boy. If this gets out, it would cause an even bigger scandal, wouldn't it?"

"Would it?" Utaha calmly ate her duck wrap and took a sip of her drink before smiling. "I'm just having dinner on the weekend with a neighbor I happened to run into. And I'm quite open about my actions; the worst I do is write novels. Unlike a certain someone who struggles to 'make it' and constantly worries about dying of embarrassment—must be a lot of pressure, huh?"

"Hey!" Eriri slammed her hand on the table, glaring at Utaha. "We agreed not to bring that up, you jerk!"

"Oh dear, did I say something?" Utaha chuckled softly, covering her mouth, then turned to Ichin with a slight tilt of her head. "Ichin-kun, did you catch what I meant earlier?"

I did, but I won't dare say it out loud.

Ichin shrugged and used the communal chopsticks to serve Utaha a piece of roast duck skin. "Stop speaking in riddles. We're at a restaurant, so let's not draw unnecessary attention."

"You're treating me, so it's your call."

Utaha was too lazy to bicker with Eriri further. As a upperclassman, she was, after all, magnanimous.

Yes, very magnanimous.

Soon after, the food that Sayuri and Eriri had ordered was brought to the table, and Eriri finally quieted down and focused on her meal.

Sayuri Sawamura was quite curious about Ichin, especially since Eriri had mentioned things about Utaha Kasumigaoka. This beautiful girl, whose figure was significantly more impressive than her daughter's, was known for never interacting with boys in the past.

So, after ruling out the possibility that Ichin was Utaha's relative, Sayuri figured the reason must have something to do with this boy himself.

"Ichin-kun, since coming to Japan, have you felt lonely being by yourself? Besides studying and attending classes, do you have any other hobbies?"

"I wouldn't say I feel lonely," Ichin replied with a smile. "I was mentally prepared for this when I decided to study abroad. And there's no time difference, so it's easy to call my family without any issues. As for hobbies, I'm currently developing a game."

"Oh my, developing a game? That's quite surprising! Are you working on it all by yourself?" Sayuri didn't expect this response from Ichin. After all, developing an indie game these days isn't an easy task—it requires a tremendous amount of time and effort, not to mention doing it all alone.

Ichin nodded. "Yeah, I'm handling everything from planning to art and all the development and programming. The main framework is almost done, so the demo should be ready soon."

Ichin's words piqued Eriri's interest. She was a hardcore otaku, with interests spanning manga, anime, light novels, and games, though she rarely played indie games and mostly focused on mainstream titles. But out of pride, she refrained from asking questions and quietly continued eating.

Sayuri, however, had no such reservations and asked Ichin more about his game, to which he briefly explained the game's concept.

Utaha, who was sitting nearby, chimed in after Ichin finished, "I played a little bit of his game before. It's genuinely interesting. When he completes it, it's likely to be a great title."

Sayuri, pleasantly surprised by this unexpected and fascinating conversation during an outing with her daughter, smiled and said, "I'm also quite interested in games. When your game is released, Ichin-kun, be sure to let me know. I'll definitely give it a try!"

Ichin nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your support."

After about half an hour, Ichin and Utaha, having finished their meal, paid the bill and left first.

Watching them leave, Sayuri muttered to herself, "What a compatible pair. Don't you think so, Eriri?"

Eriri took a sip of her cola and huffed, "Tch, isn't she just attracted by that girl's curves? Nothing special."

"Oh, is that so?" Sayuri teased, "I wonder who it was that stood in front of the mirror after a bath, looking at herself and—"

"Mom! Don't say it!!!" Eriri frantically tried to stop her.

Laughing as she held her daughter, who nearly lunged at her, Sayuri chuckled, "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. Is there anywhere else you want to go this afternoon?"

After thinking for a moment, Eriri replied, "Let's head to the nearby bookstore. I want to see how that girl's writing actually is. She's always flaunting her debut as a light novelist in front of me!"

...