The moment the Fire Keeper's concept art appeared on the big screen, the room erupted in gasps.
"So pretty!"
"She has such presence!"
"Even with her eyes covered, you instantly remember her!"
A tall, slender figure with a frail aura, long gray-white hair, a white crown covering her eyes, a black robe, and the half-hidden but exquisite features beneath her mask.
Even though she was designed as a blind maiden who had lost her sight, nothing stopped everyone from recognizing that this Fire Keeper was an undeniable beauty.
Hearing the praise, Momiji inevitably blushed. She whispered, "It's thanks to Ichin-kun's setting. I only drew according to the notes he gave me. This is just a character illustration… when it comes to making a 3D model, I'm still not so confident."
Yagami Kou chuckled. "Relax, relax. Momo, we all know your skill. You've grown tremendously these past two years. Dark Souls may be very different from Persona, but this task is nothing you can't handle."
Toyama Rin nodded as well. "That's right, Momo. You need more confidence—you'll definitely pull it off!"
Ichin looked at Momiji and smiled. "They're right. This concept art is excellent. Back when we developed Persona, the models you worked on were already solid and showed huge progress. Keep improving at this pace and there'll be no problem. Alright, let's move on. This next one needs revisions. This is Yun's design for the Prisoner's Cage. The limbs are too thick—make them thinner, emaciated, skeletal."
Suddenly called out, Iijima Yun scratched her head in embarrassment.
"Ahaha… yeah, now that you say it, it does look off. I'll fix it!"
The meeting stretched until nearly six. After going through all the designs and models, Ichin had given the art team a clearer direction.
When he returned to his office, Utaha was fully immersed in writing, her fingers flying across the keyboard, clearly in the middle of an inspiration burst.
Ichin didn't disturb her. He quietly slipped out, closed the door softly, and headed to Hazuki's office.
She looked up from sorting papers. "Hm? Ichin-kun, what brings you here?"
"Utaha's in the zone writing. Didn't want to interrupt her."
"Ah~~ I see."
Hazuki smiled, stood, and poured him tea from the office pot. "Perfect timing. Tell me how Umiko's been in Shanghai these days."
Ichin blinked. "You haven't asked her yourself?"
"Nope. I've been swamped starting this new project. I figured since you've been keeping tabs, I'd ask you first. I'll contact her on the weekend."
"Got it. Well, she's doing really well."
They chatted for about ten minutes before Ichin returned to his office. By then, Utaha had stopped typing.
"Ichin, you came in earlier, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but I saw you were focused, so I didn't disturb you."
Closing the door, Ichin walked over, brushed her bangs aside, and smiled. "How's the writing?"
Enjoying his gentle touch, Utaha squinted happily, then wrapped her arms around his waist. "Not bad. At this pace, I can finish Volume 4 within half a month."
"That's fast." Ichin sighed. "Don't overwork yourself. Besides writing, you've been reading those reference books from class too. If you wear yourself out, I'll feel bad."
"Don't worry. Reading isn't draining for me."
Then she pressed against him tightly. "As long as I can hug Ichin like this and recharge with some boyfriend energy, I'll be fine."
Ichin stroked her hair with a smile. "I don't mind letting you hug me here… but maybe we should save this for home. Everyone's been watching for a while."
"Huh?"
Utaha froze, then glanced at the door. Sure enough, the once-closed door was now cracked open—and Kou, Rin, Aoba, even Hifumi were all squished together, spying with gossip-hungry grins.
Even Utaha, usually calm and composed, flushed crimson. "H-how long have you been standing there?!"
Kou smirked. "Mm~ about when you hugged him. Not long."
—So they saw everything!
As Utaha's blush deepened until she looked like a steaming kettle, Ichin waved at the crowd helplessly. "Alright, enough. Shoo. Unless you want the boss lady to dock your pay!"
"Ehh~~"
Grumbling, they finally dispersed.
Ichin glanced at Utaha, still burying her face against his chest, and chuckled. "What's this? Suddenly shy? You weren't like this before."
"I've always been shy," she muttered, glaring up at him. "It just doesn't usually show. But this time they saw our private moment—it's impossible not to be embarrassed."
Her cheeks were no longer red, but her ears still glowed faintly pink. Clearly, she hadn't recovered.
Ichin only laughed softly. "Don't worry. Next time, we'll spy on their gossip."
Utaha nodded firmly, then helped him tidy up as they prepared to leave work.
---
May passed, June came, and soon it was the end of the month.
For Ichin and Utaha, collage was smooth sailing—no struggles at all.
As for sales, Persona's momentum had slowed a little, but in June alone, across all platforms, it still sold 650,000 copies.
An astounding number, especially with its price point.
And not just the game—the merchandise released alongside it, like figures and mousepads, were selling like wildfire.
So far, only three figures had been made: the protagonist, his Persona Arsène, and Ann Takamaki. Yet all three had already sold out, with the second, third, and fourth production runs snatched up the moment preorders opened.
The sales of the merchandise proved it—this IP's launch was a complete success.
*
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