Game Developer in the World of Anime

As they walked, they were soon approaching the school gates.

Utaha, still holding onto Ichin's arm, glanced around before asking, "Ichin-kun, should I let go?"

Ichin thought for a moment, then chuckled softly. "If you don't mind, you can keep holding on. After all, we've started dating, and people are bound to notice eventually, right?"

"Oh my, have you come around to the idea?"

"It's more like I've gotten used to it," Ichin replied with a shrug. "Even though I'm inexperienced, I've adjusted to everything over the past few days. Besides, the stares from people around us were never a big deal to me in the first place."

"That's quite a bit of progress."

Hearing his response, Utaha was delighted. In full view of several students who were subtly watching them, she leaned over and gave Ichin a kiss on the cheek.

That action sealed the deal, making their relationship unmistakably clear to everyone.

Feeling the warmth lingering on his cheek, Ichin looked at Utaha helplessly. "You do realize how many people are watching us, don't you?"

Utaha shook her head lightly and teased, "Oh my, wasn't it you who said you didn't care about other people's stares?"

"That doesn't mean you should do something like that."

Still, since Utaha had already done it, Ichin decided not to press further.

"Let's go. If we delay any longer, we'll be late."

Hand in hand, they walked through the school gates, ignoring the curious and gossiping looks from their fellow students, and made their way to the classroom building.

Once inside the school, however, they toned down their display of affection. While the school didn't have rules prohibiting relationships, the two were ranked first and second in their grade, so it wouldn't do for them to be too showy about it.

But by the time they reached their classroom, the news of their relationship had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire school.

In a school of this size, everyone knew at least a few students from other classes. Word-of-mouth worked quickly, and before long, the whole school was abuzz.

When they walked into their classroom, they were greeted by the inquisitive stares of their classmates, particularly the girls, whose gossip-filled gazes sent a chill down both Ichin and Utaha's spines.

Although they said they didn't mind, being under such close scrutiny from so many people was bound to make anyone feel a bit uncomfortable.

As soon as Utaha sat down, a group of girls quickly gathered around her.

Since starting her relationship with Ichin, Utaha had been in an exceptionally good mood every day. Gradually, she found herself enjoying casual conversations with the girls in her class.

Of course, this newfound sociability extended only to the girls.

Because of their curiosity, the girls boldly gathered around once they caught wind of the gossip.

"Kasumigaoka-san, are you really dating Ichin?"

"I heard from a friend in the next class that you two looked really close on the way to school. You must be dating, right?"

Faced with their eager stares, Utaha glanced at Ichin, who maintained his calm expression, then smiled and nodded. "Yes, we're dating. But it's really not a big deal, so there's no need to make such a fuss."

"Whaaaat?!"

"You're really dating him!"

Their exclamations of surprise were loud enough for the entire class to hear.

Ichin and Utaha could only sigh helplessly. Though expected, their classmates' excited reactions were still somewhat overwhelming.

For the entirety of her first year, Utaha Kasumigaoka had rarely spoken to boys. Now, with Ichin's recent transfer and their quick transition into dating, it was no surprise that this news had shocked everyone.

However, only the two of them knew the truth: their relationship had developed naturally, without any dramatic twists or turns.

After answering this one question, Utaha stopped responding to the girls' other nosy inquiries. As for the boys, none dared approach Ichin to risk asking questions that might challenge their blood pressure. Instead, they could only cast envious glances his way.

---

Lunch Break – Club Room

At lunch, Yukino was absent, but Eriri arrived and joined Ichin and Utaha. The three of them ate lunch together.

Taking a bite of rice, Eriri looked curiously at Utaha and said, "I didn't expect you two to start dating so quickly."

Over the weekend at the studio, Eriri had missed the announcement because Yukino had pulled her away for tutoring. She only found out about their relationship that morning.

Sitting beside Ichin, Utaha sipped from the thermos of hot soup Ichin had brought and smiled. "What's wrong? Are you worried it'll upset you? That's normal, I suppose. After all, you're single, Eriri, and you lack experience in this area. It's natural to feel envious."

"Pfft, what's there to be envious about?" Eriri shot Utaha a sharp glare, pouting as she retorted, "Aren't you afraid the teachers will call you in for a talk? Sure, the school doesn't ban relationships, but flaunting it so openly isn't exactly a great idea."

"Relax. We're ranked first and second in the grade. As long as our academics are fine, the teachers won't bother us." Utaha smirked and glanced at Ichin. "Isn't that right, Ichin-kun?"

"Pretty much," Ichin replied, unfazed after the morning's events. He calmly ate his bento as he added, "Students might be curious for the first few days, but they'll get used to it soon enough. Besides, we're not the only ones dating. It's just that our grades make us stand out more."

"That's true," Eriri agreed. In her own class, some students had already found boyfriends or girlfriends, even though the school year had only just started. The attention on Ichin and Utaha was mainly due to their popularity.

"Well, it's not like it has anything to do with me."

With a flick of her twin tails, Eriri brushed off the topic. She wasn't inclined to dwell on it, though she had to admit that observing them up close, even if it meant occasionally being "fed dog food," gave her ideas for her own creative work.

Turning to Ichin, Eriri brought up the topic of game development at his studio.

Though primarily a doujin artist, Eriri had aspirations to go beyond that. While she occasionally worked on light novel illustrations, she was eager to explore other opportunities, like animation or game art.

However, she didn't know how to broach the subject.

After all, she was Eriri Spencer Sawamura, a well-known doujin artist with a reputation for her, let's say, "unconventional" works.

Moreover, Ichin's studio was staffed with former professionals from Eagle Jump. Among them was Kō Yagami, one of her favorite art experts. If her identity as Kashiwagi Eri was exposed, it would be a social disaster of epic proportions.

...