The class bell rang, the professor entered, and Ichin stopped paying attention to the girls' novels, focusing on the lecture instead.
Utaha was reading with great interest, but Yukino… after about ten minutes, she suddenly snapped the novel shut and picked up her criminal case reference book.
Hearing the sound, Ichin turned his head—only to see Yukino's cheeks flushed bright red.
Mm. As expected—she got embarrassed.
But seriously… is the book that bold? It's already like this in the early part of volume one?
He couldn't help but feel a bit curious about Yamada Elf's writing. Yukino's reaction alone made him want to check it out later.
Yukino's heart was pounding. The novel Utaha gave her to read really did have some overly exposed descriptions.
If Yukino knew the author was Yamada Elf… a fourteen-year-old girl… she would absolutely be even more mentally shattered.
Fortunately, Yukino's emotional self-control was excellent. Within minutes, she calmed down, put on her headphones, and quietly resumed reading her professional reference book.
However… the way she read for a moment and then subtly peeked to the side made it obvious she wasn't fully concentrating.
As for Ichin, of course he didn't notice any of this. He was fully focused on the lecture, taking notes seriously.
He usually understood things across many fields, but theoretical concepts weren't something he used often. To avoid failing in exams later, he still had to write proper notes.
After the second class ended, Ichin headed toward his next classroom, while Utaha and Yukino packed up to go shopping.
Before leaving, Utaha looked back and asked, "Ichin, you're heading to the company after class, right?"
Ichin checked the time.
"Yeah. After next period, it'll be just before 4 PM. I definitely need to drop by the company to check the current development progress. Don't worry—I'll meet you on time for dinner."
"OK. Once we find a restaurant, we'll text you. We're off~~"
With that, she linked arms with Yukino and left.
Just then, two male classmates walked over. One of them patted Ichin on the shoulder and asked, "Ichin, does Yukinoshita still not have a boyfriend?"
Ichin gave him a look. "Why? Planning to confess? Don't bother—you've got no chance."
"Heh, don't worry, not me. I already have a target. I just heard something—there's a guy in third year from the economics department, same club as me. Apparently he's planning to confess to Yukinoshita. Don't know if he's pretending not to know, or really doesn't know she's already said she won't accept anyone's confession."
Ichin shrugged. "Whatever. If someone wants to experience rejection, let them. Some things you can't talk people out of. Come on, let's head to the next classroom. Want a Coke? My treat."
"Let's go!"
"I want zero sugar!"
"You're drinking Coke anyway, why bother with zero sugar?"
"I need to lose weight!"
Ichin could only shake his head with a laugh. He definitely wasn't choosing zero sugar—drinking regular cola didn't affect him at all, given how much he exercised.
After the third class ended, he said goodbye to his classmates and drove to the company.
Just as luck would have it, when Ichin drove into the underground parking lot, he spotted Sawamura Sayuri stepping out after just parking her car.
"Aunt Sayuri?"
"Oh my, Ichin-kun! Long time no see!"
Sayuri greeted him happily. "I heard from Eriri, you know—congratulations on your marriage with Utaha."
"Thank you," Ichin replied with a smile. "Aunt Sayuri, what brings you here today?"
"I happened to have some errands nearby. After finishing them, I thought I'd drop by for a look. Then once Eriri gets off work, we'll go out for dinner together. Her father has a late meeting tonight, so she doesn't need to eat at home."
"I see."
Ichin nodded and chatted with Sayuri as they entered the company building together.
Once inside, Sayuri looked around at the bustling activity and couldn't help but admire, "This new building is wonderful. It feels like there are even more people here than before you moved."
Ichin replied, "Yeah. The company has been hiring to expand, but we're not doing reckless growth. Each project's dev team is kept at an appropriate size. Aside from development teams, most of the new hires are business and negotiation staff. After all, we're producing more and more games, and many IPs have long-term value—merch, brand collaborations, licensing… all of that needs professionals. I can make games just fine, but business negotiations? I'd rather not."
Sayuri laughed and nodded.
Seeing Ichin's company develop so well genuinely made her happy. After all, her own daughter had no talent in business or politics—if not for her artistic ability, she would have no path forward besides living off the family's wealth.
But now that Eriri worked at Ichin's company, her future prospects would definitely not be low.
When they reached the fourth floor—where the Tales of Berseria project's team was located—both Ichin and Sayuri spotted Eriri discussing something with Yagami Kou.
"Eriri, look who's here?"
Hearing Ichin's voice, Eriri looked up in surprise. "Mom? Why are you here?"
Sayuri walked over with a smile. "I had some errands nearby, so I came to see you. After you finish work, I'll take you out for dinner. Your dad has to work overtime tonight."
"So that's why."
Eriri nodded in understanding—clearly used to it. "Then, Mom, feel free to wander around on your own first. After I finish discussing this with Kou-senpai, I'll show you around the company properly!"
"Mm, go do your work."
With Eriri returning to her tasks, Ichin personally went to the break room to make tea for Sayuri, then headed to the Berseria team's programming area to begin checking progress one group at a time.
Sayuri took a sip of black tea, glanced at her daughter working seriously, then leisurely wandered around the company.
Twenty minutes later, after finishing her last task, Eriri went to find her mother.
"Mom, let's go! I'll show you around the company!"
Seeing her daughter jog over, Sayuri smiled and asked, "Done with work?"
Eriri lifted her chin proudly. "Of course. My efficiency is top-tier!"
Then she enthusiastically guided Sayuri through each floor.
"This is the Berseria development team!"
"This is the GARO development team!"
"This is the Fall Guys development team!"
"This is the rest area—they've got fitness equipment and entertainment stuff too!"
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