The kitchen on the second floor cafeteria was now fully equipped—everything from cooking stations to dessert-making tools was in place. The space was huge, more than enough for both cooking and baking.
The dining area, too, followed the standard company cafeteria layout—long tables with chairs neatly arranged in rows, giving each person plenty of room.
From the third floor upward were the office areas, kept simple and minimalist without any flashy decorations. Still, once everyone moved in and started decorating their own desks, the atmosphere would naturally change.
After all, everyone in game development had their own quirks and hobbies.
Take Shinoda Hajime, for example—she loved collecting tokusatsu merchandise and replica weapons from anime and games. Almost every desk had at least a few figurines on display.
At Ichin's request, Haruno had also installed several large transparent display cases throughout the building. They would later be filled with the company's game discs, cartridges, and all kinds of related merchandise—a full showcase of their creations and achievements.
Inside the building, the smell of fresh paint had already faded, but to be safe, they decided to let it air out a few more days before moving in that weekend.
Stepping outside, Ichin turned to look up at the soon-to-be headquarters of their company and mused aloud, "What do you think—should I film a video of the move? You know, record the whole process?"
"That sounds great," Haruno said immediately. "You can even make it a vlog—record the moving process, the unpacking, all of it. I'll come over that day too! I'll put on some makeup and make sure I look good on camera!"
Ichin sighed internally. He knew this would happen. Ever since that one livestream they'd done together, Haruno had clearly gotten a taste for being on camera—chatting nonstop, commenting on gameplay, teasing other streamers' bad plays... she really enjoyed the spotlight.
"Alright then," he said with a small grin. "When we head out for the move, I'll let you know."
Not that he even needed to—after all, she lived next door. As long as Haruno didn't sleep in, she'd definitely notice when he left.
Hearing Ichin's agreement, Haruno cheered and turned to Yukino. "Yukino, you're coming too next week, right?"
Yukino nodded. "Sure, I'll come help with the cleaning too."
As for Utaha—there was no need to ask; of course she'd come.
After checking the new building, the group didn't head home right away but instead stopped by a nearby supermarket to buy ingredients for dinner. They had already decided to have a big barbecue that night at home with Yagami Kō and the others—eight people in total.
Once they grabbed a shopping cart, Ichin went straight for the meat section.
Selecting some quality beef steaks, he asked Yukino beside him, "Classes start again in a few days. How's your prep going?"
Yukino nodded. "I'm all set. I've already gone through the schedule for sophomore year—the course load looks lighter than I expected, about the same as last year. But, big brother, you and Utaha-senpai are entering your third year. You'll both be busy with work. Will that be okay?"
Ichin smiled. "Don't worry about that. I've already got a solid foundation in computer science. Just paying a bit of attention in class is enough. I'm not aiming for scholarships anymore—I already got one once. Now I just need to stay near the top of the class. Same for Utaha. We've got it under control."
By third year, Ichin knew his focus would gradually shift from collage to the company. Once he finished the core courses, he could start preparing for his graduation thesis in the latter half of the year.
And by senior year, when the classes were few and far between, he could wrap up his thesis early and spend more time developing games.
Utaha was in a similar position. In fact, as a literature major, she'd already started studying third-year material ahead of time. She'd read most of the classics the professors had mentioned and even written analytical essays on them.
Utaha smiled and said, "Exactly. Compared to us, Yukino, your law major is way tougher. You'd better keep it up! When you graduate and get your license, we'll leave all the company's legal work to you."
"I—me too!" Haruno chimed in, carrying two packs of ribs. "Right! All of the company's legal affairs will be in your hands, Yukino. Mom even said the same thing!"
Faced with the trio's encouragement, Yukino's lips curved into a small smile. "I'll do my best."
Being trusted and relied upon by everyone filled her with quiet joy.
Meanwhile, the other four who had gone to pick out vegetables returned, their cart piled high with produce.
"Hey everyone, are you done with the meat?"
"Almost."
Ichin tossed the selected steaks into the cart, grabbed a few boxes of chicken wings and some beef tongue as well.
And of course, they couldn't forget the crowd favorite—pork belly.
"Hmm, but the pork belly here doesn't look great. The fat ratio's off. Let's buy it somewhere else," Ichin said.
Toyama Rin leaned over for a look and nodded. "Yeah, not ideal. The butcher shop near our apartment complex always has great pork belly. Want me to call and check?"
"I've got their number. I'll call."
Ichin set down the poor-quality pack, pulled out his phone, and called the butcher he knew well.
Since it was a neighborhood shop they often bought from—especially for family barbecues—the owner and Ichin were already on friendly terms.
A quick call later, he confirmed that the shop still had two good slabs of pork belly in stock. Ichin asked the owner to hold them for him until they dropped by.
"Alright, that's all the meat settled. Do we want seafood too?"
"Yes!" Yagami Kō was the first to raise her hand. "Squid! And saury!"
"I want saury too now that you mention it," said Narumi, raising her hand as well.
"Alright, let's check out the seafood section."
After browsing for a while, they bought fresh squid, saury, and even some king crab legs. Tonight's barbecue feast was looking perfect.
As for drinks, they still had plenty at home, so no need to buy more.
After the Sunday night barbecue, everyone officially entered their vacation period. Still, just in case Dark Souls developed any unexpected bugs, the programming team stayed on standby, ready to jump back to work if needed.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly over the next few days—just a few minor online connectivity issues, which the team quickly fixed with a small patch.
And as everyone enjoyed their brief break, Ichin and the others returned to school. Ichin and Utaha began their third year, while Yukino and Eriri entered their second.
After a few days of classes, the weekend finally arrived—
The company was moving into its brand-new office building!
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