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[Game] Chapter 57: The New Club Next Door
🕑 Added 2024-12-17 18:50:04 +0000 UTCIchin’s lunch consisted of two pieces of bread, a rice ball, and a bottle of juice. While it wasn’t as extravagant as a bento, it was enough to fill his stomach.
Utaha opened her bento, glanced at Ichin’s meal, and smiled. “Ichin-kun, would you like me to share some of my lunch with you?”
“Huh?”
Biting into his bread, Ichin shook his head. “No need, this is enough for me.”
Picking up a small piece of rice with her chopsticks, Utaha urged, “But you should really prepare a bento for tomorrow. You won’t get enough nutrients if you keep eating like this.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll go grocery shopping after school today. Tomorrow, I’ll bring a bento that will definitely impress you. Is that good enough?”
Satisfied, Utaha nodded and began eating her lunch.
Although she wanted to try feeding Ichin, she figured he would likely refuse. She also felt a bit shy and wasn’t bold enough to just go for it.
After finishing his lunch, Ichin threw away his trash and immediately took out his laptop.
Seeing this, Utaha chuckled. “Even at school, you’re still thinking about work?”
“It’s not exactly work,” Ichin replied. “Right now, Hollow Knight is still in its early development phase. As long as we stick to the plan, we’ll be fine. My main focus is planning the future direction of our studio.”
He opened a document that displayed all eight members of the studio, including himself.
“With our current team, developing Hollow Knight is manageable. Although I designed the game’s map to be extensive, each region has its own unique style. With Yagami Ko leading the team, I don’t need to worry about the map and monster designs—she’ll handle it well. My role, along with Umiko, is to manage the programming, and I’ll also help with animation design alongside Hajime.”
“I estimate that it will take about six months to complete the game’s development and then move towards its release. After that, I need to decide whether to work on Dead Cells or some other game. I’ll consider expanding the studio only after completing one more game.”
Utaha was a bit surprised. “Are you thinking of expanding after just two games? Isn’t that a bit too fast?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t expand blindly.”
Ichin opened another document containing the names of three games: Slay the Spire, Hollow Knight, and Dead Cells.
“Although my plan is to expand after developing two games, if we can’t find the right talent, I’ll maintain our current team. Even if we don’t proceed with Dead Cells after Hollow Knight, I’ve got other small-scale projects that are ideal for a smaller studio. We won’t face any development bottlenecks.”
In his plans, he also considered The Binding of Isaac and Hades. These two games were equally suitable for their studio to develop. The development cycles wouldn’t be too long, and the quality would be guaranteed. As long as Hollow Knight performs well in sales and reviews after its release, the subsequent games would naturally attract attention.
Looking at the current studio roster, Ichin wore an expression of confidence and anticipation.
“Utaha, don’t worry. I’m not someone who chases unrealistic goals. I’m just making long-term plans, and of course, I’ll adjust the details as needed. The most important thing right now is to focus on the current game’s development.”
Utaha smiled at this. “That’s good. I have a lot of confidence in you, Ichin-kun. Keep up the good work!”
As Ichin prepared to rest for the remainder of the lunch break, there was a commotion outside, and the door to the clubroom swung open.
Standing at the doorway was Hiratsuka Shizuka, who glanced at the two inside. “Oh, you’re both here. Perfect. Come on out for a moment; I want to introduce you to your new neighbors.”
“New neighbors?”
Ichin and Utaha exchanged curious glances and stood up to follow her outside.
At the door, Ichin casually remarked, “Hiratsuka-sensei, a word of advice: in the future, could you knock before entering?”
“Eh, don’t sweat the small stuff,” Hiratsuka waved her hand dismissively, then pointed to the empty classroom next door. “You’ve got new neighbors. She’s one of your juniors, a first-year. When you have the time, help me look after her a bit. She’s quite a handful.”
“Hiratsuka-sensei, if you’re going to make negative comments, could you avoid doing so right in front of the person? I can hear you, you know.”
A slightly cold voice spoke up as a girl in a school uniform stepped out. She was tall, slender, and had a beautiful but expressionless face framed by long black hair. She wore over-the-knee socks—a textbook example of a beautiful girl.
Yukinoshita Yukino.
The name popped into Ichin’s mind instantly.
“What, are you upset?” Hiratsuka smiled without a hint of remorse. “But you really are a handful. Who starts a club without gathering enough members first? You’re lucky I’m so soft-hearted.”
Yukino’s face showed a fleeting hint of embarrassment at Hiratsuka’s words.
Hiratsuka began the introductions, “This girl here is Yukinoshita Yukino from Class 1-A. She came to me all of a sudden, wanting to start a club on her own. I couldn’t refuse, so I found her an empty classroom for now to see how she does. Yukinoshita, these two are your seniors, the top two students in their grade: Ichin and Kasumigaoka Utaha.”
“I know. The names of you two seniors are quite well-known among the first-years.”
Yukino politely bowed slightly towards Ichin and Utaha. “Hello, I’m Yukinoshita Yukino. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
After sizing Yukino up, Utaha smirked and nudged Ichin’s shoulder. “Oh my, Ichin-kun, she’s your type—long black hair, isn’t she?”
Ichin rolled his eyes at Utaha. “Why don’t you mention that Hiratsuka-sensei also has long black hair? Are you saying you don’t find her attractive?”
“Of course, I think Hiratsuka-sensei is beautiful, but isn’t she still single?”
“Eh?”
Caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation, Hiratsuka sighed in exasperation. “Why are you dragging me into this? What’s wrong with being single? I’m not bothering anyone! Anyway, Yukinoshita here will be establishing a new club next door. She’s the only member for now, so please help keep an eye on her. The club’s name is the Service Club, and its purpose is to help others. That’s all from me—I’m off to grab lunch.”
With that, Hiratsuka hurriedly left after finishing her explanation.
Watching Hiratsuka’s retreating figure, Ichin asked curiously, “Do you know how old Hiratsuka-sensei is? Is she in her thirties?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure…” Utaha responded, equally uncertain.
…
