Game Developer in the World of Anime

On the way to the bus stop, Utaha made a quick stop at a dessert shop and bought two boxes of snacks to bring to the studio.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the apartment complex.

Looking up at the tall building, Eriri asked curiously, "Is this the place? Your home is here too?"

"Yep, didn't I mention that earlier? If you're not in a rush, I could even treat you to dinner," Utaha replied.

Keeping up with Utaha, Eriri declined, "No need for dinner. I didn't let my mom know in advance, so I need to be home before dinner."

They took the elevator to the third floor, and under Utaha's guidance, Eriri stood excitedly in front of the studio's door. If it weren't for Utaha bringing her here, she would never have guessed that this regular apartment with no signboard housed a newly established game development studio.

As Eriri's excitement grew, Utaha pressed the doorbell.

Soon, a girl's voice came from inside, "Coming~~~"

The door opened, revealing Aoba Suzukaze.

Seeing Utaha and an unfamiliar Eriri at the door, Aoba greeted them with a smile, "Oh, it's Utaha! Come on in, and your guest too."

"Sorry to intrude," they both said in unison.

Changing into indoor slippers, Utaha smiled and asked, "Aoba, how's the first day of work been so far?"

"It's going great!" Aoba replied cheerfully as she led them inside. "At my previous company, the workspace had cubicles, but here, since everyone's together, the atmosphere feels more relaxed and motivating!"

Turning to Eriri, Aoba realized she hadn't introduced herself yet.

"Hello, I'm Aoba Suzukaze, one of the studio's artists. Nice to meet you!"

"Hello, I'm Eriri Spencer Sawamura," Eriri introduced herself and then, noticing Aoba's twin-tails, remarked curiously, "So you work here too? I thought you were a kid from someone's family at first."

"Ahaha, sorry about that," Aoba chuckled awkwardly. "I've been working in the game industry for a year now. I joined right after graduating from high school."

The three of them made their way to the living room, where Ichin greeted Eriri with a smile, "Welcome to the studio, Sawamura-san."

"Hello, Ichin-kun," Eriri replied.

Utaha raised the snack boxes in her hand and said, "Ichin-kun, I bought some treats. Let's take a break and have some snacks."

"Oh! Snacks!" Kō Yagami and Hajime Shinoda immediately stopped what they were doing and rushed over upon hearing about food.

Seeing Kō Yagami, Eriri froze for a moment. Her eyes widened in shock as she pointed at her, exclaiming, "Y-You… are you Yagami Kō-sensei, the character designer for Fairies Story?!"

"Uh…" Kō, who was about to dig into the snacks, turned red at being recognized. "Hello, yes, I'm Kō Yagami. But I've left Eagle Jump and joined Ichin's studio now."

Eriri exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Why did you leave? I bought Fairies Story 3 earlier this year, and it was so much fun!"

"Well… it's a long story," Kō Yagami replied awkwardly.

At that moment, Umiko stepped over, taking a bite of a snack as she chimed in, "It's quite simple. The head office faced financial difficulties, and Eagle Jump's profits weren't doing great, so the company disbanded. That's when we all came here."

Eriri understood and looked around at everyone, asking curiously, "So, all of you are originally from Eagle Jump?"

"That's right," Rin Tōyama replied with a smile. "We all left Eagle Jump and were lucky enough to end up at Ichin's studio together."

"That's amazing!" Eriri said in admiration. She was then led by a very enthusiastic Hajime Shinoda to tour the studio.

With Eriri occupied, Utaha finally had a chance to approach Ichin and quietly ask, "How's the first day at the studio going?"

"It's been great," Ichin nodded. "Everyone's really motivated, and the work efficiency is way better than when I was developing on my own. The first major update for Slay the Spire should be ready in about half a month."

Seeing the smile on Ichin's face, Utaha felt a little relieved.

Before long, Eriri returned from her tour and eagerly joined Kō Yagami. In the game development industry, Kō Yagami was one of Eriri's favorite character designers. She never got tired of the characters designed by Kō in Fairies Story, and she had been striving to improve her own art to one day reach a similar level. As the well-known doujinshi artist Eri Kashiwagi, Eriri was even nicknamed the "Detail Freak" in the industry, partly inspired by Kō's meticulous designs.

Now, meeting her idol in person, Eriri couldn't contain her excitement. She hovered around Kō, peppering her with question after question like a curious child.

Although Kō was usually laid-back and easygoing in the studio, facing such an enthusiastic fan for the first time was a bit overwhelming.

Fortunately, Aoba Suzukaze, who understood Kō's personality well, stepped in. "Eriri, Kō-senpai seems a bit troubled. She's quite shy, you know."

"Huh? Is that so?" Eriri, noticing Kō's flushed cheeks, felt immensely embarrassed and quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry for causing you any trouble!"

Kō sent Aoba a grateful look and smiled at Eriri, "It's alright. I'm really grateful for your love of Fairies Story."

"Alright, Sawamura-san," Utaha walked over, placing a hand on Eriri's head, "This is still work hours for the studio, so don't cause any more interruptions. Come to my place and relax for a bit."

Without giving Eriri a chance to argue, Utaha led her away.

Once the door closed behind them, Kō let out a deep sigh of relief and slumped over the table. "Finally, she's gone. I really can't handle fans this enthusiastic…"

Ichin couldn't help but laugh. "You've been in the industry for a few years now. How come you haven't grown out of this?"

Rin nodded in agreement. "Exactly! While Kō is great at her job, she hasn't really improved in other areas over the years."

"Even you, Rin?" Kō puffed up her cheeks in frustration, grumbling as she tried to ignore them.

After some playful banter, everyone got back to work.

Around six o'clock, Ichin, who had to return to school tomorrow, called it a day. He decided to have a brief meeting to discuss the work plans for the next few days.

…