Game Developer in the World of Anime

Unlike his own situation, Utaha wasn't the first to go in for her interview, so after Ichin came upstairs, he had to wait about fifteen more minutes before she came out.

The classroom door opened, and Utaha stepped out alongside a short-haired middle-aged female professor.

The moment she exited, Utaha spotted Ichin and, smiling brightly, ran straight into his arms.

"Did your interview finish too, Ichin?"

Holding her, Ichin smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I finished a little earlier, so I came up."

The professor looked at the two with mild surprise but quickly turned to chat briefly with Ms. Hiratsuka and then exchanged a few words with Utaha's parents.

After learning that Ichin also received a recommendation slot and that his academic record was even better than Utaha's, the professor couldn't help but comment, "Young people these days are really impressive. Kasumigaoka-san, you can relax and just wait for the notification."

"Understood. Thank you, Sensei."

After the professor returned inside, the group made their way downstairs and left the building.

Since the grade head still had unfinished business, Ms. Hiratsuka checked in with him and then turned to the group. "Shall we head back? Or would you all like to walk around Todai for a bit? Ichin and Utaha will be attending here next year—it wouldn't hurt to get familiar. Yukino too, you're planning to come here after graduation, right? We can grab lunch here as well."

Since they were already here, returning right after the interview felt a bit bland, so everyone agreed to take a walk around Todai and have lunch before heading back.

As Japan's top comprehensive university, the University of Tokyo had an impeccable environment. While Ichin and Utaha had only interacted with a few professors during the interview, their impressions were all very positive.

Walking past students on campus, Ms. Hiratsuka suddenly sighed emotionally. "Back then, if I had worked a little harder, I probably could've gotten into Todai too. But I ended up going to Kyoto University and became a teacher after graduation."

Ichin replied, "Kyoto University is great too. It's not much different from Todai."

"You're right."

Ms. Hiratsuka smiled and nodded. "It's just that I suddenly felt something—coming to the university I didn't get into back then, this time as a teacher, and soon my students will be studying here. Maybe this is what a teacher's sense of accomplishment feels like."

At lunchtime, they had a great meal in the university cafeteria before finally leaving Todai.

After Ichin dropped off Eriri and Yukino at his place, Ms. Hiratsuka drove back to Todai to pick up the grade head and return to school to report on the day's work.

Utaha's parents went home to rest, while Ichin and the others headed to Yagami Kō's dorm.

That morning, the group had already been asking about the interview in the group chat, so now they were eagerly waiting for updates. Afternoon tea was already prepared.

As soon as they entered, Ichin noticed that quite a few people were present—besides Kō, Toyama Rin, and Umiko, there were also Hazuki, Hifumi, Aoba, and Nene.

"You guys didn't have anything to do at home this weekend? How come you all gathered here?"

Sipping a drink, Nene cheerfully raised her hand. "We said in the group chat we were coming! It's you, Ichin-kun, who didn't check the messages!"

"Did I?"

Ichin checked his phone and saw that they had indeed mentioned it while he was having lunch at Todai.

"Right, we were eating in Todai's cafeteria at the time, so I didn't notice."

Hazuki chuckled and asked Ichin and Utaha, "So, the interviews went well, right?"

"Of course."

Sitting down on a floor cushion, Ichin took the tea Rin poured and said, "The interview wasn't really difficult for us. It was mainly for the professors to get to know us."

Utaha leaned on Ichin's shoulder and smiled, "During the interview, I heard one of the professors say that as long as you're a recommended student and don't mess up badly, you're basically guaranteed to pass. As for the interview itself, Hazuki-san, you know that's nothing Ichin and I can't handle."

"That's great to hear."

Hazuki was genuinely happy for them. Getting into Todai would not only improve their professional skills, but also expand their networks.

As for their post-graduation paths, both had long since set their goals, so there was no need to worry.

In fact, Hazuki was confident that after four years of university, both Ichin and Utaha would achieve financial freedom. Honestly, by then, their kids could probably start calling people "uncle" and "auntie" already.

As everyone listened to Ichin and Utaha talk about the interview and looked at the photos they took on campus, Aoba showed a hint of envy.

"University, huh... If I had done better in school, I probably would've wanted to aim for a good college too."

After graduating high school, Aoba had taken a different path from Nene—she went straight into the workforce and managed to join Eagle Jump with Kō and the others.

In Japan, going straight into work after high school wasn't unusual, but getting a good job that way wasn't easy.

People like Aoba had solid skills, which allowed them to join a game development company.

Of course, had she gone to an art university or a vocational school, she might've started out at an even better company.

But in the end, it all came down to personal choice, and Ichin didn't judge.

Looking at the group, Ichin smiled and said, "School is, at the core, just a place to deepen your learning. If you really want to study, even while working, you can. You just don't have a university professor guiding you, that's all."

"Classes, huh…"

Hearing that, Kō collapsed onto the coffee table.

"You're making me think about yesterday's Chinese class again… pure suffering…"

Ichin had arranged for all the mid- and high-level staff in the company to enroll in Chinese language classes. After all, the studios he planned to open in China were only going to expand, and work exchanges between both regions would become more frequent. Not knowing Chinese simply wouldn't do.

Of course, they didn't have to learn. But their future development within the company… well, Ichin wasn't going to offer much room for growth without that skill.

He never explicitly said it—but everyone who understood the direction the company was going knew the reality. Even if it was exhausting, they still actively joined the language courses.

*

Author's Note:

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