Game Developer in the World of Anime

While Utaha was changing clothes, Ichin quickly filled his mom in on his relationship with Utaha.

He had planned to find an opportunity to tell his parents about it before, but with finals and the studio keeping him busy, he had completely forgotten.

His mother glanced at him, her expression not one of anger but rather of quiet understanding, as if she'd already expected it.

"From the way things look, is she living here with you? Her family should live next door, right?"

Ichin nodded. "Yeah, Utaha comes over sometimes. She's a light novel author. This morning, she was busy writing for hours, so she took a nap after lunch. Then you showed up."

His mother nodded knowingly, then paused before looking at her son and asking, "You two are taking... proper precautions, right?"

The question nearly made Ichin choke.

Scratching his cheek awkwardly, he muttered, "Y-Yeah, we are."

"Good."

His mom nodded with satisfaction. "You're still young, so it's important to be careful. A few years from now, I won't need to remind you anymore. Ichin, are you certain about this girl?"

Seeing the seriousness in her expression, Ichin's demeanor also turned solemn. He nodded firmly. "Yes, I'm sure."

"I see."

She reached out and patted her son's head with a smile. "Since you've decided, then you need to take responsibility. Don't make her sad."

Just as she finished speaking, the bedroom door creaked open. Utaha stepped out, now dressed in a modest and elegant dress.

However, her body language gave her away—she was clearly very nervous.

This was unusual for Utaha, who was typically fearless and composed. But in front of Ichin's mother, she seemed like a completely different person.

Stopping in front of her, Utaha's cheeks flushed as she spoke in halting Chinese, "Auntie, hello, I..."

Before she could finish, Ichin's mother interrupted in perfect Japanese, much to the shock of both Utaha and Ichin.

"Alright, come sit down. Let's chat while sitting," she said, taking Utaha's hand and guiding her to sit beside her.

"???"

Ichin's eyes widened as he stared at his mom. "Mom, since when did you learn Japanese?"

"Just these past few months."

She smiled and explained, "I'd already planned to visit you during summer vacation, so I signed up for an intensive Japanese course. I was the only older lady in the whole class, and at first, I felt a bit nervous—like I was back in school. But thankfully, my learning skills haven't rusted too much. While I can't handle anything too complicated, I can manage basic conversations and listening just fine."

Listening to her speak in Japanese, albeit not entirely fluent but very clear, Ichin couldn't help but smirk.

So that's where my talent for languages comes from... Definitely inherited from her.

After explaining, his mother turned to Utaha with a kind smile. "You're Utaha, right? Ichin told me about you earlier. No need to be nervous. I'm his mom, Jasmin, but you can just call me Auntie."

Utaha blushed and nodded. "Auntie, hello. I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha. I'm dating Ichin right now."

Holding Utaha's hand, Ichin's mother studied her closely, growing more and more pleased as she did.

She had already seen Utaha's photos from Ichin's phone and knew she was beautiful. But seeing her in person, she realized Utaha was even more stunning than she had imagined.

Because Utaha had just woken up from a nap, she wasn't wearing any makeup—completely bare-faced. Even so, her flawless, radiant skin brought a bright smile to Ichin's mother's face.

"What a beautiful child. While dating Ichin, he hasn't done anything to upset you, has he?"

Thanks to Ichin's mother's warm demeanor, Utaha gradually relaxed and smiled. "Not at all. Ichin is very kind to me, and we're very happy together."

What followed was an extended conversation, with Ichin's mom asking questions and Utaha answering them. Occasionally, when a word was unclear, Ichin would step in to translate.

The deeper the conversation went, the more satisfied Ichin's mother became with Utaha—so much so that she couldn't help but beam.

Beautiful, well-mannered, academically accomplished, with a flourishing career as a light novel author—Utaha ticked all the boxes for a perfect daughter-in-law. Although she was from another country, the fact that she was actively learning Chinese showed her sincerity, which erased any concerns.

If they were older, Ichin's mother would've already suggested they get their marriage certificate!

Seeing how well his mom got along with Utaha, Ichin was completely at ease. His mom was clearly very happy with her.

After some time, Ichin's mom turned to Utaha and said, "Utaha, are your parents home today? If they are, I'd like to visit them. How about we have dinner together this evening?"

"Huh? Dinner?"

Utaha, who had just started to calm down, immediately tensed up again and instinctively glanced at Ichin for support.

Ichin, however, was calm. After all, he'd already had meals with Utaha's parents multiple times.

"Her parents should be home, but I think they went out during the day. Utaha, why don't you give them a call and let them know my mom's here? We can find a restaurant and have dinner together tonight."

Realizing there was no way to avoid this, Utaha nodded, picked up her phone, and said, "I'll go make the call."

She headed to the bedroom to make the call, leaving Ichin and his mother to talk.

"How long are you planning to stay, Mom?" Ichin asked.

"What's the matter? I just arrived, and you're already hoping I'll leave?"

"Of course not!" Ichin quickly clarified. "I was just thinking, with Dad home alone, who's going to cook for him?"

"Don't worry. He won't starve," his mom said nonchalantly. "He can eat at the company cafeteria or go out for meals. If not for work being so busy, your dad would've come with me. As for me, I'm not staying too long—three or four days, just enough to check how you're living here."

"Alright, then I'll take you out to explore a bit while you're here. The weather's still pleasant, so it's a good time to go out."

"If you're taking me around, what about the studio? Who's going to handle things there?"

His mom paused, then added, "Oh, that reminds me—I'd love to see your studio. It's just downstairs, right?"

Ichin nodded. "Yeah, it's downstairs. How about we go take a look once Utaha finishes her call?"

Ichin then remembered something. Yagami Kō was planning to move into the studio. He mentioned this to his mom, briefly updating her on everyone's situations at the studio.

"She often pulls all-nighters at work?" his mom asked, surprised upon hearing about Yagami Kō's past dedication. "Is she really that driven? Not even your father was that intense when he started his own business."

"It's mostly because she loves what she does. But since coming to work with me, I've told her no more constant overtime," Ichin said with a smile.

"They'll be here soon, so you'll get to meet them."

...