Chapter 149: Departure to Izu

Ichin's secrecy frustrated Aoba Suzukaze, Hajime Shinoda, and Iijima Yun. They declared they wouldn't prepare any snacks for Ichin during afternoon tea or invite him to join.

Of course, that was just venting. When the time came, they still enthusiastically dragged Ichin along for afternoon tea.

Watching Ichin sandwiched between the girls, Ko Yagami nudged Utaha with a smile. "Not worried?"

Utaha took a sip of her tea, her expression calm. "There's nothing to be concerned about. I can't forbid Ichin from talking to any girl. I know everyone in the studio well, so I don't need to worry. If I had to be cautious, it would only be with Hifumi."

"Hifumi, huh?"

Ko glanced at Hifumi, quietly drinking tea at the side, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, a girl like Hifumi… even as another girl, it's hard not to be attracted to her. Is Ichin really into long, straight black hair?"

"Not just that," Utaha revealed without hesitation, shaking her legs wrapped in black stockings. "He's also into black stockings."

"Even though Ichin is a genius at game development, he's no different from the average guy in that regard."

Ko gave Utaha a once-over.

"That's… quite a straightforward preference."

But… isn't he more of a leg guy?

Within the studio, there were tall girls like Hajime Shinoda, who was about 168 cm, and Ko herself at 165 cm. There were also girls with large busts—Hifumi, Hajime Shinoda, Hazuki~, and Toyama Rin weren't exactly small. Oh, and Nene's were surprisingly large too, despite her youthful face.

As for girls who looked great in black stockings, Hifumi and Hajime were good contenders, but none were as seductive as Utaha.

Hifumi did have long, straight black hair, but she always wore it in a ponytail, making her only half a match for Ichin's preferences.

Considering everything, the only one who could rival Utaha was Hifumi.

But Hifumi was painfully shy—talking to men was nearly impossible for her, making her no threat to Utaha.

Aoba and Yun?

Ichin clearly saw Aoba as a younger sister.

Despite working for over a year and being two years older than Ichin, Aoba still carried a student-like vibe and was petite to boot.

Yun, on the other hand, had the aura of an older sister due to having younger siblings at home. But her occasional bursts of Kansai dialect made her seem more playful than mature.

Ko rubbed her chin, glancing around at everyone in the studio. "He's the only guy here, surrounded by all these unique girls. Should we praise Ichin for staying mentally grounded and interacting with us normally?"

"No need. That's just how it is."

Utaha glanced at Ichin and whispered, "As long as you exhaust him, he won't have energy for other thoughts."

"Did I hear that wrong just now?"

Utaha met Ko's wide-eyed stare with a smile and sipped her tea. "I'm joking."

Still, if he trained and improved his stamina… it might not be impossible.

Meanwhile, Ko felt her face getting hot.

She was still a pure, innocent girl—she hadn't even read many romance novels!

During Sony's Cologne conference, Ichin's live stream had been simple. He summed it up with a short, "Another year of empty promises." Since that was the general consensus, there was no need to worry about anyone attacking him over it.

For the next two days of the Cologne online livestream, Ichin didn't continue streaming. He just posted his analysis and reviews of some new game PVs on his social media.

The rest of his time was spent collecting feedback and reviews of the demo versions online, as well as fixing a few minor bugs that didn't affect gameplay.

Finally, the day arrived for everyone to depart for their Izu vacation.

The plan was to meet at the studio entrance at 9:00 AM. Ichin had rented a minibus for the round trip, so there was no need to take the Shinkansen.

By 8:30, everyone had already started arriving, including the Yukinoshita sisters.

As soon as Haruno arrived, she happily began chatting with Hazuki and the others who had arrived a few minutes earlier.

Yukino, on the other hand, seemed a little reserved since she had little experience with group outings. However, Hazuki had brought along Mozuku, and once Yukino had Mozuku in her arms, her mood quickly stabilized.

Aoba and Hifumi soon arrived as well. Ichin checked the time—8:50.

Even though it wasn't departure time yet, the bus had already arrived, so Ichin instructed everyone to load their luggage and board the bus.

The driver for the trip was a calm, taciturn man in his forties with 20 years of driving experience. After Ichin gave the word, the driver silently nodded and started the engine.

Once the bus began moving, Ichin stood up from his seat near the front and addressed everyone:

"It's 9:00 now. The drive to Izu will take about two hours. We'll check into the hotel around 11:00, rest a bit, and have lunch. Then we can all head to the beach in the afternoon. Today's plans are for everyone to have fun together. For the next two days, you'll have free time, but please keep your phones with you so you don't get lost."

Nene Sakura, looking like an excited elementary schooler on a field trip, had already torn open a bag of chocolate sticks and was munching on one. With her mouth full, she grumbled, "We're not kids, you don't have to say that."

The moment she finished speaking, everyone's gaze turned to her.

"H-Hey, what's with those looks? I get it from everyone else, but why's Aoba looking at me like that too?"

Amid the lively atmosphere, Ichin shared a glance and a smile with Utaha before taking his seat.

"Never mind. We'll go over it again when it's time to head out."

Barely two minutes after sitting down, Ichin felt someone poke him twice on the head.

He turned around to find Haruno leaning over his seat, looking down at him.

There was no denying that both Yukinoshita sisters were stunning, with flawless skin.

"What is it, Miss Haruno?"

"Ichin-kun, I wanted to ask—how are we arranging the hotel rooms when we arrive?"

Since they were going on this trip together, Haruno had entrusted Ichin with booking the hotel and transferred the money to him.

"The rooms?" Ichin paused for a moment. "Aren't you two sisters sharing one?"

He glanced over to Yukino, who was sitting behind Utaha.

"Ah, I get it now."

He almost forgot—Yukino wasn't comfortable being around her sister. Knowing Haruno's personality, sharing a room with her would likely keep Yukino up all night, constantly on guard.

"In that case, Yukino, how about sharing a room with Eriri?"

Yukino nodded without hesitation.

"As for you, Miss Haruno…"

Ichin was about to suggest that Haruno share a room with Hazuki when Haruno's phone suddenly rang.

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