Game Developer in the World of Anime

Ten minutes later, Ichin finished freshening up and walked into the living room.

Sitting on the sofa, he glanced at Utaha, who was seated beside him. With a light chuckle, he asked, "Miss Kasumigaoka, is there anything you'd like to explain?"

Even though she had already left the bedroom, Utaha's face still carried a faint blush whenever she looked at Ichin.

Although her complexion hadn't completely returned to normal, she stubbornly replied, "It's not like I didn't try to wake you up. I did! But you were sleeping so soundly, like a rock. I had no choice but to wait for you, and then, inevitably, I dozed off."

"Really now?"

Ichin narrowed his eyes as he leaned closer, scrutinizing her.

"I'm well aware of my own sleeping habits. While I do sleep deeply, I always wake up immediately if there's any loud noise, like an alarm or a phone call. You said you tried waking me up? Why do I find that hard to believe?"

Taking a deep breath, Utaha met his gaze head-on and declared firmly, "Ichin! How could you distrust your girlfriend like this? I honestly came to wake you up for a morning jog. What ulterior motives could I possibly have?"

"Alright, alright. Let's go with that," Ichin said with a wry smile, reaching out to pinch her cheek gently. "I just realized something—I didn't know you could be this adorable. Let's go. It's time for our jog."

As Ichin stood up and headed toward the door, Utaha quickly followed.

"Ichin, describing me as 'adorable' feels a bit off, don't you think? Hurry up and pick a better word!"

"Not adorable?"

While putting on his shoes, Ichin glanced at her and said, "It's a shame I forgot to take a picture earlier. If I had, you'd definitely agree with me."

Remembering how flustered and shy she'd been just moments ago, Ichin thought it was an exceptionally rare and endearing sight.

As he brought it up, Utaha couldn't help but recall the scene from a few minutes ago.

Just as she was about to grab Ichin, he had already finished putting on his shoes and opened the door.

"Alright, put your shoes on. Let's finish the jog early and come back for breakfast," he said.

"Hmph, so you were doing it on purpose," Utaha muttered under her breath.

Although she wanted him to use a different description, being called "adorable" by her boyfriend wasn't the worst thing in the world. Begrudgingly, she decided to accept it.

After putting on her shoes, the two of them headed downstairs to the apartment complex entrance to start their morning jog.

Glancing at Utaha, Ichin said, "Before we start jogging, let's do some warm-up exercises first. Otherwise, with your lack of regular exercise, you might pull a muscle."

He then guided Utaha through a series of stretches and warm-ups.

When it came to these things, Utaha was quite obedient, following Ichin's instructions. Only after completing a set of warm-up exercises did they begin their jog.

"Since this is your first day running, let's keep it short to start with," Ichin said, pointing at the road ahead. "From here to the intersection up ahead, it's about a hundred meters. Turn right at the corner, run to the next intersection, then turn back. A round trip will be around five hundred meters. That should be manageable. Any issues?"

After considering it briefly, Utaha confidently declared, "Let's do it!"

The jog began, with Ichin deliberately slowing his pace to guide Utaha, running even slower than he usually did when jogging alone.

The 500-meter distance was indeed challenging for Utaha. Even though it was a light jog, the last 100 meters left her sweating and thoroughly exhausted.

With Ichin's encouragement, she finally made it back to the apartment building.

"I... I can't anymore," she panted, looking like she was about to squat down.

Ichin quickly grabbed her arm and said, "Don't sit down yet. Your muscles are still in an active state from the workout. Squatting now will affect your blood circulation. Here, hold my hand and walk slowly for a bit to let your body cool down gradually."

Though she was utterly drained, with Ichin holding her hand, Utaha had no choice but to comply. They walked slowly forward, giving her body time to recover.

A few minutes later, her breathing finally steadied, and the exhaustion wasn't as overwhelming as before.

"Ahh..."

Exhaling deeply, Utaha wiped the sweat from her forehead and said, "Five hundred meters is still too much for me. Ichin, can we do even less tomorrow?"

Ichin didn't argue and nodded. "Alright, we'll shorten it further. But if you feel like you can't continue, make sure to tell me. Don't push yourself too hard, okay? Let's head back. When we get home, take a break before you shower."

Holding her hand, Ichin led her back into the apartment building. They took the elevator up to their respective floors.

After parting ways with Ichin, Utaha returned to her own apartment.

The moment she stepped inside, she noticed her mother sitting in the living room, looking at her curiously.

"Mom, you're up already?"

"I always wake up around this time," Mrs. Kasumigaoka replied, eyeing her daughter suspiciously. "Did you just go out to exercise?"

"Yeah," Utaha replied, heading to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. "I've been eating a bit too much lately, so I need to work out more. I don't want to gain weight." She gulped the water down in big swigs.

"Huh, well, that's a surprise," her mother said, walking over to her. "You actually decided to start exercising? You didn't go alone, did you? Ichin joined you, didn't he?"

Utaha froze mid-sip and turned to look at her mother. "Why can't I want to exercise on my own?"

"You think I'd believe that?"

Mrs. Kasumigaoka, brimming with confidence, said, "I've watched you grow up. I know your personality better than anyone. If you truly wanted to exercise, you'd have started ages ago. It wouldn't have been as abrupt as this."

Noticing her daughter's faint blush—which clearly wasn't just from exercise—and her evasive gaze, Mrs. Kasumigaoka knew she had guessed correctly.

Using a tissue, she gently wiped the sweat from Utaha's forehead and said with a chuckle, "Well, regular exercise is a good thing. But don't let it turn into a fleeting whim. Stick with it, okay? I'll go make breakfast. Has Ichin eaten yet? If not, ask him to come over and eat with us."

Without waiting for her daughter's response, Mrs. Kasumigaoka headed into the kitchen.

Watching her mother's retreating figure, Utaha felt utterly defeated. It was as if every move she made was seen through completely. There was no hiding anything from her mother, who had her perfectly figured out.

Resigned, Utaha left her apartment once more and went to Ichin's.

The moment she stepped into his living room, she froze in place.

Ichin was there, casually removing his shirt, revealing his well-toned muscles.

The atmosphere instantly turned awkward and tense.

...