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[Game] Chapter 147: Utaha’s Plan
🕑 Added 2025-02-21 20:21:56 +0000 UTCAt 7:30 in the morning, Utaha woke from her sleep and immediately saw Ichin holding her in his arms.
She gazed at Ichin’s face for a moment, then raised her hand to poke his cheek and scratch his chin playfully.
Under Utaha’s playful antics, Ichin soon woke up.
Still looking groggy, Ichin yawned as Utaha greeted him with a smile.
“Good morning, Ichin. What time did you go to bed?”
“Around 3:30.” Ichin stretched and yawned again. “After the livestream ended, the viewers asked me to play the Hollow Knight demo for a bit. I explained some of the game mechanics, and that took a while. It’s not even 8:00 yet. Can I sleep a little longer?”
“Of course.”
Utaha leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the corner of his lips before sitting up. She adjusted the fallen strap of her nightgown and asked, “Do you want me to prepare breakfast for you?”
Ichin waved his hand dismissively, already closing his eyes again. “I’ll just grab some biscuits or bread when I wake up.”
Seeing Ichin on the verge of falling asleep again, Utaha didn’t disturb him. She stretched lazily, changed out of her nightgown, and put on a set of workout clothes before heading to the living room treadmill for her morning exercise.
Whenever Ichin decided to sleep in, Utaha skipped her usual outdoor run and opted for the treadmill instead.
After finishing her run and taking a shower, Utaha went to her parents’ house next door to have breakfast with them.
Utaha’s parents were long used to her going back and forth between the two homes. Since Ichin’s mother had already acknowledged their relationship, there wasn’t much for the parents to worry about regarding their future. Naturally, they didn’t feel the need to intervene.
After breakfast, Utaha’s father went to work, and she spent some time with her mother before her mother went out to buy groceries. Utaha then returned to Ichin’s home.
She peeked into the bedroom and, seeing that Ichin wasn’t likely to wake up anytime soon, dressed up and headed downstairs to the studio.
By then, it was already 9:00 AM. Yagami Kō hadn’t woken up yet, but she should be getting up soon.
Utaha didn’t bother waking her. Instead, she went straight to her desk and turned on her computer.
“We’ll be going on vacation in a couple of days. Everything’s pretty much packed. I’ll just need to bring an extra laptop.”
Glancing at the date, she noted that the release of the third volume of her novel was just around the corner. She had only just started writing the fourth volume, so there wasn’t any rush.
“I’m working on volume four right now. Based on the current outline, the story should wrap up around volume six or seven. No need to drag it out too long. I’ll spend more time finishing Love Metronome quickly so I can help Ichin.”
There wasn’t a suitable scriptwriter in the studio. Although Ichin could handle it himself, Utaha was more experienced in that area. The two of them working together would be more efficient.
Thinking of this, Utaha calculated her writing schedule and sent a message to her editor, Miss Machida:
I’ll try to finish the fourth volume of the novel by mid-September. I plan to complete the remaining volumes before the end of the year.
Less than two minutes after she sent the message, Machida called her.
As soon as the call connected, an anxious voice came through the line. "Utaha, did something happen? Did you break up?"
Utaha closed her eyes, exhaling slowly. "Nothing like that. Ichin and I are doing just fine. Why would you ask that?"
"Then why are you being so proactive all of a sudden? You usually deliver manuscripts just in time—even for the third volume!"
"It’s not that complicated. I just want to finish Love Metronome by the end of the year. After that, I plan to help Ichin with the scriptwriting for his games."
"Games? Oh right, you mentioned that before," Machida said, understanding. Ichin’s studio had been developing well, even collaborating with Nintendo.
As Ichin’s partner, it made sense that Utaha wanted to help him.
"But if you go help with game development, will you still write novels? Love Metronome’s popularity is growing steadily. Wouldn’t it be a waste if you didn’t start a new series after it ends?"
Sensing Sonoko’s worry, Utaha chuckled. "Don’t worry. I’m not giving up on being a light novel author. I’ll deliver the remaining volumes to you by the end of the year, but publishing them will take time. I’ll have enough time to plan my next work."
"That’s a relief," Sonoko sighed, clearly reassured. She’d discovered Utaha as a promising talent and didn’t want to see that potential cut short.
Hearing the sound of the bedroom door opening, Utaha ended the call with Sonoko.
As soon as she put down her phone, Yagami Kō shuffled out of the room, rubbing her eyes. As usual, she was only wearing underwear—this time, pale pink.
Although they’d addressed this issue several times since Yagami moved in, it still happened every few days. By now, both Ichin and Utaha had gotten used to it.
After all, it was just underwear, and nothing inappropriate was showing. Technically, she revealed less than she would in a swimsuit.
Seeing Utaha at the workstation, Yagami Kō woke up a little more and waved. "Morning, Utaha."
"Good morning, Kō-senpai," Utaha replied. "You should put some clothes on. Even though it’s summer, I just turned on the air conditioning. You might catch a cold."
Hearing that, Yagami Kō glanced down at her attire, scratched her head awkwardly, and went back to her room to change.
Once she was dressed and had washed up, Kō headed to the kitchen. She toasted two slices of bread, fried an egg, and cooked two slices of bacon to make herself a sandwich. She also brewed some coffee.
Although she wasn’t much of a cook, Rin had taught her a few basics, so making simple fried eggs wasn’t a problem.
Carrying her breakfast out, Kō sat at her desk, took a sip of coffee, and felt instantly more awake.
"Why are you the only one here? Where’s Ichin?"
"He stayed up late streaming. He’s still catching up on sleep."
"Ah, a stream? I almost forgot! I fell asleep before it started last night!"
Clapping her hands, Kō quickly opened her browser and found the recording of Sony’s late-night press conference.
Since Utaha hadn’t watched it either, she moved over to Ichin’s seat at Kō’s invitation, and the two of them began watching together.
...
