Aoba Suzukaze and Yun Iijima were looking forward to the cooking competition the next day. Aoba excimed excitedly, "I've already talked to Nene! She'll come with me tomorrow!"

  Ichin nodded. "Got it. Oh, Kō, why don't you give Hazuki-san a call tonight? See if she has time to join us. Two of my cssmates will also be coming tomorrow, so they can all help judge."

  "Sure, I can do that," Kō Yagami replied, albeit a bit reluctantly. After some hesitation, she pulled out her phone and stepped aside to make the call.

  Shizuku Hazuki, who was once the lead director of the Eagle Jump game development team, had exceptional management and game design skills. Ichin wasn't about to let someone so talented slip away easily.

  Kō soon returned. "I've spoken to her, and she agreed to come tomorrow."

  "Great! It's going to be lively," Ichin said with a smile.

  After finishing their bubble tea, Ichin started working on the teaser video for the upcoming update of Sy the Spire. Meanwhile, Utaha left the studio to head home.

  Ichin's account on Bilibili had amassed nearly 70,000 followers—a remarkable growth rate considering how infrequently he updated. Many comments on his previous video had been asking about the game's future updates.

  Though Ichin had briefly mentioned some pns in the past, he decided that this upcoming video should go into more detail, covering both the Defect update schedule and the roadmap for subsequent expansions.

  As Ichin worked, Aoba Suzukaze, having just finished two illustrations, walked over curiously. "Ichin-kun, what are you working on?"

  "A video," Ichin replied while selecting in-game footage to include. "I have an account on Bilibili that I pn to use as our studio's official channel. I'll post updates about our games and promotional content there. Right now, I'm working on a teaser for this month's Sy the Spire update, showcasing the Defect's unique mechanics. Part of this video will also go on Steam's store page and our newly-created YouTube channel."

  "Wow, a video!" Aoba's curiosity deepened. "Does that mean you'll be recording voiceovers too?"

  "Yep, I'll need to record some narration," Ichin replied. "But the microphone's at home, so I'll handle it tonight."

  After a brief pause, he gnced at Aoba, scanning her thoughtfully. Before she could react, he said, "Aoba, how about lending your voice for the video?"

  "Me?!" Aoba pointed at herself in shock.

  "Yeah, I think it'd be fun," Ichin said with a grin.

  Their conversation drew the attention of the others. Hajime, intrigued, asked, "Ichin-kun, isn't this video for a Chinese ptform, though?"

  "That doesn't matter," Ichin said, holding up two fingers. "I can make two versions—one with my voice and another with Aoba's. I'll add subtitles to both. And if Aoba's interested, she could create an anime-style avatar based on herself to feature in the video. It might even boost views!"

  "Wait, what?!" Aoba's face turned bright red at the thought.

  Kō Yagami chuckled. "That's a great idea. Since Sy the Spire's updates are mainly handled by you, Aoba, and Umiko, it makes sense for Aoba to be involved in the promotional side as well."

  "Yagami-senpai!" Aoba protested, shocked that even her respected senior was teasing her.

  Ichin, grinning from ear to ear, patted Aoba's head. "So, Aoba, just accept it. Once I finish the video, you can do the voiceover after tomorrow's competition!"

  "You're serious?!"

  Laughter filled the studio as time flew by, and soon it was time to clock out for the day.

  After everyone left, Ichin saved the video files onto a USB drive, pnning to continue working on it at home that night.

  Back home, his routine unfolded as usual—cooking, eating, and then taking a shower.

  By the time everything was done, it was nearly 8 PM.

  "Time flies; another day gone just like that," Ichin muttered as he dried his hair. Heading into the living room, he checked the time, turned off the TV with the remote, and returned to his room to continue editing the video.

  He worked on cutting footage, recording scenes of the Defect in combat, introducing some card decks, and adding voiceover to expin the updates. After covering the pnned evolution of future updates, he finally finished the video around 10 PM.

  Since it was Friday, Ichin didn't have to worry about school or other responsibilities. Once the video was exported, he opened Steam, picked a game he had purchased but hadn't yet pyed, and enjoyed a quiet gaming session.

  ---

  The next morning, Saturday.

  At 9 AM, Utaha Kasumigaoka was already awake as usual. After breakfast, she carefully chose an outfit and got herself ready. Once dressed and tidied up, she informed her parents before heading out.

  Of course, she only went next door.

  She pressed Ichin's doorbell and waited for a while before the apartment door finally opened.

  Ichin stood there in his pajamas, his hair a messy tangle. He yawned as he looked at Utaha. "Why so early? Isn't our studio meetup at 10?"

  "It's already 9, Ichin-kun!" Utaha replied, stepping inside. "Why are you sleeping in today? Were you up te st night?"

  "Yeah, after finishing the video, I stayed up pying a game I'd bought but hadn't touched yet."

  Yawning again, Ichin waved his hand dismissively. "I'm going to take a quick shower. Make yourself comfortable."

  He grabbed a change of clothes from his room and headed to the bathroom.

  Watching him disappear into the bathroom, Utaha blinked a few times. Instead of sitting quietly in the living room, she made her way into Ichin's bedroom.

  On the bed, Ichin's thin bnket y crumpled in a heap, left unmade.

  Seeing the scene, Utaha's heart raced.

  She gnced around, then with a sudden leap, she jumped onto the bed. Grabbing Ichin's bnket, she rolled around with it.

  Hugging the bnket tightly, Utaha took a deep breath. Her face flushed as she murmured, "Ichin-kun's scent… It's making me lose control."

  ...