After resting for more than half an hour, Utaha returned to her room to write, while the others stayed in the living room, discussing the design ideas for the pre-order bonus outfits they planned to create.
Everyone had a sketchbook and pen in hand, ready to jot down or draw whatever came to mind.
Holding his pen above the blank page, Ichin looked at the group and said, "The last set of pre-order outfits had a casual fashion theme and were mainly designed by Hifumi. So, for this new set, we need to make sure it stands out as a different style from that series."
Aoba tapped her chin with the end of her pencil, thinking aloud, "Hmm~ In the game, the main characters already have several outfits like school uniforms, casual wear, swimsuits, and their Phantom Thief costumes. But those change automatically depending on the scene—they can't be manually selected. The ones we design should be usable in out-of-school areas and within the palace. How about we go with a samurai or traditional warrior style for this batch?"
"That could work," Ichin nodded, jotting down her idea.
After thinking it over for a while, Kō Yagami also offered her thoughts. "The areas where players have the most freedom to move around are the school exterior and the palace. I was originally considering another set of swimsuits, but putting that in the palace just feels... odd."
Rin Toyama chuckled and said, "Isn't that just like what Ichin always says? 'At least dress like a human during cutscenes.'"
Ichin shrugged and replied casually, "Sure, people do joke about how outfit changes can clash with the game's story scenes, but being able to switch outfits is part of the fun. A lot of players enjoy it. So yeah, we can make swimsuits again—just put them into the paid cosmetic pack."
Ichin wasn't against creating additional content like this, especially since it wouldn't affect in-game stats. Players could buy it if they wanted, and skip it if they didn't—it wouldn't impact gameplay.
At that moment, Hifumi raised her hand, indicating she had an idea.
But when everyone looked over, she shrank her neck shyly, her face turning red as her voice dropped in volume.
"U-Um... could we make something a bit more... elegant?"
"Elegant?" Ichin's interest was piqued. He looked at her and asked, "Sounds like you've already got something in mind?"
"Yeah, I do," Hifumi nodded. "When the main characters were first being designed, I thought, since the base designs are already so good, wouldn't they look great in any kind of outfit? So back home, I actually sketched out several different looks. I did quite a few roughs for formal attire."
She then pulled out her phone and opened a few of the draft sketches she had saved.
Everyone gathered around to take a look. The sketches featured the protagonist, Ann Takamaki, and Haru Okumura. The male protagonist wore a classic black tuxedo, while the two girls each had an elegant evening gown—Ann's was a fiery red, and Haru's was a gentle white. The contrast between the two gave off a striking visual impact.
While the male outfit was fairly standard, Ann and Haru's dresses were undeniably eye-catching—one full of bold passion, the other radiating soft grace. The group's attention was instantly captured.
Rubbing her chin, Kō said, "Hmm~~ I think we should go with Hifumi's idea. Her concept is already well-developed, and we could even build a whole set based on it. Plus, it would make for great promo material—like posters for the game."
Momiji Mochizuki stared wide-eyed at Hifumi's phone, captivated, but soon remembered the concepts she had brewing in her own mind. She turned to Ichin and asked, "Then, what about our other ideas?"
Ichin smiled. "What, you thought we'd only make a couple of outfits? Bring all your ideas to the table. As long as the designs are solid and the work doesn't interfere with your main tasks, you're free to create drafts in your own time. Kō and I will review them, and if they pass, we'll include them in the paid DLC lineup."
Ichin wasn't just saying that to keep the team happy—he genuinely meant it.
Aside from Umiko, who handled programming, everyone else on the team was a skilled artist. If they each spent time on individual designs, they could come up with excellent work.
Since Hifumi already had a well-developed design, it made sense to adopt hers first. The others could take their time refining their own concepts afterward.
And with Hifumi's example now out in the open, the rest of the team would naturally see it as a benchmark—setting the bar higher for themselves.
Hifumi hadn't expected her design to be accepted so quickly. She clenched her hands tightly in excitement, her eyes shimmering with joy. But true to her shy personality, she didn't express her feelings in any overly dramatic way.
After noting down the follow-up tasks for Hifumi in his notebook, Ichin turned to the others. "Alright, so what do you all want to do next? Take a break, or continue discussing what art elements in the game need improvement?"
"There's not much that needs fixing in the art department, is there? The overall style has already been finalized." Rin Toyama hugged a cushion in her arms as she spoke. "What I want to know is when exactly the game will be released. Right now it's officially set for next summer, but I feel like we might be able to finish ahead of schedule."
The others nodded in agreement.
Development at the studio had gone surprisingly smoothly from the very beginning—shockingly so, in fact. After some private discussions, they all agreed it probably came down to the clearly structured project plans. Even though the studio didn't have as many people as a major game company, everyone was talented and experienced. Because the planning had been solid from the start, there hadn't been any messy, mid-project changes.
In less than a year, they had managed to build a fully functional demo from scratch and present it at a game expo. Aside from their individual skills, the importance of thorough planning was clear as day.
Ichin tapped his chin thoughtfully and said, "When we originally laid out the development schedule, we left some buffer time in case anything unexpected came up. Looking at our current progress, if things continue this smoothly, we should be done in about another six months. The core structure is complete, and what's left is content filling, stat balancing, frame rate and visual optimization, and bug fixes. We can move the release date up—but it'll take a group effort."
Confidence was something the team definitely didn't lack. After all, they had developed Hollow Knight with just ten people in six months.
After everyone expressed their determination to work toward an earlier release date, Umiko raised her hand.
"So... can you give us an early peek at what kind of game we'll be working on next?"
...