Game Developer in the World of Anime

Eriri ultimately couldn't summon the courage to mention her interest in joining Ichin's studio as a part-timer. After gathering some details about the studio, she quietly resumed eating her lunch.

Utaha, however, noticed Eriri's hesitation and figured she was holding something back. Glancing at Eriri, she chose not to press the matter—when Eriri was ready to share her thoughts, she would speak up.

Between the two of them, Eriri was undeniably more stubborn.

Midway through lunch, a knock came at the clubroom door.

Ichin went to open it and found Hiratsuka Shizuka standing outside.

"Hiratsuka-sensei, is there something you need?" he asked, stepping aside to let her in.

Entering the room, Hiratsuka noticed Eriri eating lunch. "Oh, Sawamura's here too."

Seeing her, Eriri quickly stood up. "Good afternoon, Hiratsuka-sensei!"

Waving a hand dismissively, Hiratsuka chuckled. "Relax, don't be so nervous. I'm not even your homeroom teacher. Just take it easy, like those two over there."

Utaha set down her chopsticks and glanced at Hiratsuka. "Hiratsuka-sensei, I think you should reflect on why even students from other classes are so tense around you. If you address that, maybe you'll have an easier time getting out of singlehood."

"..."

Hiratsuka's expression faltered, but given that Utaha was the second-ranked student in the grade and one of the school's top achievers, she could only suppress her annoyance and reply, "Don't think I don't know you're teasing me. Being single isn't just my fault; those people at mixers and matchmaking events simply lack taste! Whatever, let's not dwell on that. I'm here to talk about you two."

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Hiratsuka turned her attention to Ichin and Utaha. "You two... have officially started dating, haven't you?"

Ichin and Utaha nodded in unison, confirming her question.

Ichin asked curiously, "Even the teachers know already?"

"Of course. The whole school knows. The principal probably does too," Hiratsuka replied, throwing up her hands. "Just before lunch, the grade director came to me and asked me to have a talk with you two. Our school doesn't forbid dating, but we'd rather you not let it affect your grades. The school is counting on you both to maintain your performance and get into top universities—it'll be great PR for us."

Although Toyogasaki High School had a relatively high deviation value, the number of students who got into elite universities each year was limited.

Now, with Ichin and Utaha in their second year, the school saw a golden opportunity. Even though Ichin was an international student, he was still enrolled at Toyogasaki.

As long as the two of them continued performing at their current level, there was an 80% chance they'd secure spots at the University of Tokyo by the time they graduated.

What the teachers analyzing their potential didn't know, however, was that both Ichin and Utaha had significant extracurricular commitments—one writing novels and the other developing games—and both were excelling in their respective fields.

Even with their divided focus, Ichin and Utaha consistently held the top two positions in their grade, a testament to their academic prowess, which was even more impressive than their teachers had anticipated.

Now, the news of them dating had come as both a surprise and something entirely expected.

Both were classmates, seatmates, academically exceptional, and strikingly attractive. It was only natural that, in such a situation, they might either become rivals or end up as a couple.

However, the teachers—being experienced in these matters—understood that romantic relationships often had a significant impact on academic performance.

While the school had no explicit rule against dating, any noticeable decline in grades would prompt intervention to address and mitigate the issue. And given that these two were the top-ranked students, this matter received even more attention.

After learning about their relationship that morning, the grade director wasted no time instructing Hiratsuka Shizuka, their homeroom teacher, to have a serious talk with them.

Utaha, however, showed no trace of nervousness in response to Hiratsuka's presence. Resting her chin on her hand, she smiled and said, "Hiratsuka-sensei, judging by your expression, it doesn't look like you're here to scold us."

"Why would I scold you?" Hiratsuka shrugged. "Unlike others, I know you two well enough to understand that scolding won't work. You wouldn't take it seriously, and saying too much might even backfire. But let me ask you this—if the school decided to ban dating, what would you do?"

Utaha didn't answer right away; instead, she turned to Ichin.

After a moment of thought, Ichin replied, "If they didn't find out, we'd just continue as we are. If they did and we couldn't resolve it through communication, we'd simply transfer to another school. With our academic levels, other schools in Tokyo would be eager to have us. For us, grades and schools aren't intrinsically tied; no matter where we are, we're confident we can remain at the top."

Hiratsuka twitched slightly at his response. "You're certainly confident. What about you, Utaha? Do you feel the same way?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead," Utaha replied with a smirk, narrowing her eyes. "But if something like that happened, I'd be interested in trying it out. It could be a unique life experience—one most people wouldn't have the chance to encounter."

Eriri stayed silent, shoveling rice into her mouth as she listened to their conversation.

As a single, struggling student, such topics were utterly beyond her comprehension.

Listening to the pair's responses, Hiratsuka could only sigh in resignation, slumping her shoulders. "Fine. I'm just here to remind you to keep your grades up and tone things down at school. Don't provoke your classmates too much. Beyond that, I won't interfere. You're already more mature than your peers and understand what you're doing. That's all—carry on with your lunch. I'm heading back."

"Goodbye, sensei," the three said as Hiratsuka left.

After she was gone, Ichin turned to Utaha. "You heard her—tone it down at school. Don't provoke the others."

"I don't recall doing anything provocative," Utaha said with a sly smile as she clung to Ichin's arm. "But I do think just the two of us standing together is enough to provoke people. Don't you agree, Sawamura~~~?"

Facing Utaha's "perfect couple" gaze, Eriri set down her lunchbox and chopsticks, grabbed a napkin, and wiped her mouth.

"Burp~~~"

She was full—in every sense of the word.

This place was definitely somewhere she should avoid in the future.

But then again, the Service Club's clubroom was right next door!

...

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