For the next two nights, Ichin went live as promised, streaming his Dark Souls playthrough from the very beginning.
Starting as a "Deprived," armed with nothing but a wooden club, Ichin dove right in.
Of course, as the game's producer, he knew every hidden ambush and trap location by heart—there was no way he'd suffer as badly as the average player.
His purpose in streaming wasn't to show off anyway, but to teach players the fundamentals—basic mechanics, practical combat strategies, and weapon performance tips.
He had packed Dark Souls full of content. Even after three full days since release, no one had yet discovered which build was the "strongest," and new playstyles were constantly emerging.
Ichin, having started as the "Deprived," decided to go for a dual club build—two small clubs at first, which he planned to later upgrade into dual great clubs in mid-to-late game for maximum chaos.
During his weekend streams, he didn't play aggressively. His approach was calm and deliberate—advancing step by step while explaining mechanics and strategies. He later uploaded the stream recordings so players could use them as references.
Many viewers, after learning from his explanations, realized that Dark Souls wasn't actually as impossibly hard as its reputation suggested—it was all about mindset and pacing.
Charging ahead recklessly only drew multiple enemies at once, and if even two of them had shields, you were doomed.
After three days of live teaching, Ichin stopped streaming the later content, leaving the rest of the game for players to explore and experience on their own.
After Sunday's victory banquet, he stayed overnight at the hotel, then returned home the next morning. After a shower and a change of clothes, he walked next door.
Haruno and Yukino had both attended the banquet the previous night. Yukino hadn't drunk, but Haruno had indulged quite a bit—so much that she still hadn't completely sobered up even now.
Ichin played with Yukino's cats in the living room for a while until Haruno finally emerged from the bathroom, wearing pajamas and towel-dried hair.
"Ugh, my head still hurts," Haruno groaned, pressing her temples. "I really shouldn't have drunk that much last night…"
Ichin smiled. "Haruno, Utaha's brewing you some hangover tea in the kitchen. Come sit down and rest for a bit."
"Mm, thanks." Haruno nodded, sitting down on the couch and immediately leaning her head against Yukino's shoulder.
Yukino instinctively wanted to move away, but seeing her sister in that pitiful state, she hesitated—then quietly let her stay.
Resting comfortably on her sister's shoulder, Haruno murmured, "So, Ichin—we're going to check out the new company building this afternoon, right?"
"Yeah," Ichin nodded. "Didn't you say the renovation was finished a few days ago? Now that Dark Souls has launched smoothly, it's the perfect time to visit. I've barely been there since construction began—I've only seen the photos you sent. Honestly, I'm really looking forward to it."
Haruno chuckled proudly. "Hehe, don't worry—you won't be disappointed. All the office furniture has already been arranged. As for the technical stuff like the projection system and server room equipment, I left those for your team—you know I'm not that technical."
"No problem," Ichin said. "That's easy enough for us to handle."
Just then, Utaha came out of the kitchen carrying a tray—she handed Haruno a cup of hangover tea and gave all three of them coffee as well.
After sitting down, Utaha said, "Haruno, you're out of groceries here. So for lunch, you and Yukino can eat at my parents' place. I already talked to them."
Haruno smiled weakly while sipping her tea. "Ah, thank you, Utaha! But since I overdid it with the drinks last night… could you tell your mom to make it a bit lighter today?"
"Already did," Utaha replied with a smile.
It was already past ten. After a short rest, they'd be ready to head out.
Cradling her senior cat, Mochi, Yukino asked, "So, after visiting the new building this afternoon, when do we officially move in? Since this whole week is a holiday—maybe the last two days?"
Ichin nodded. "Yeah, let's let everyone rest first. Then on Friday and Saturday, we'll organize the move—bring over all the equipment, set up the power and network systems, test everything, and take Sunday off. By Monday, we'll start working in the new office."
Utaha asked curiously, "And the cafeteria chefs? Didn't you say you were hiring some really good ones?"
"Already handled," Ichin grinned. "There are plenty of skilled chefs working here in Japan. Through Haruno's contacts—and Aunt Sayuri's connections too—we've found several promising candidates. We'll meet with them over the next few days, and if they're good, we'll sign contracts right away."
As a self-proclaimed foodie, Ichin would never allow the company cafeteria to be subpar—especially since he often stayed late at the office himself.
If the chefs cooked well, everyone would eat happily, and a satisfied team worked better.
Haruno added with a laugh, "While I was helping Ichin find chefs, I also swapped out the ones at my own company cafeteria—got a few new, higher-level ones. I was getting sick of takeout. Having our own cafeteria food that actually tastes good is so much better. Though, to be fair, my company has more people, so our kitchen staff is a lot larger too."
At the end of the day, her "culinary improvements" were clearly for her own enjoyment—but her employees certainly benefited from them as well.
After lunch at Utaha's parents' house, the group drove over to the new company building. Joining them were Yagami Kou, Toyama Rin, Narumi, and Momiji—all of whom lived in the same apartment complex.
After parking in the underground garage, they stood before the building's facade.
Mochizuki tilted her head back, looking up. "It's only six stories, but standing here, it feels huge!"
Narumi nodded repeatedly, her eyes shining. "So this is where we'll be working from now on… It's amazing!"
"Come on," Haruno waved, smiling. "Let's go inside."
The entry security system had already been installed, and employee access cards would be distributed once the official move-in started later that week.
As they entered, everyone began exploring the first floor.
Besides the spacious front lobby, there was also a comfortable visitor lounge and a company fitness area.
The second floor was dedicated to the cafeteria and recreation zone, which would include gaming stations and a large projection screen for movie nights and events.
Above that were the office floors, with plenty of room to spare even after moving the entire current staff over.
Their next mission after the move was clear—
Recruit more people!
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