The interior design draft for the new office space was completed in less than a week.
When Ichin went to Haruno's company to review it, he was very satisfied. As expected from the top designers Haruno had personally called in — their work was impeccable.
With the design plan confirmed, all that was left was some preliminary preparation before construction would officially begin after the New Year holidays.
After reviewing the blueprints, Ichin returned to his company — just in time for afternoon tea.
Grabbing his cup of hot milk tea, he happily made his way back to his office.
Seeing him in such a good mood, Hajime leaned over to Yagami Kō and whispered,
"Kō-senpai, did Ichin go see the new building's renovation design today?"
"Yeah," Kō replied. "Haruno's handling it. She brought in her company's best designers."
"Ohhh!"
Shinoda Hajime shook Kō's shoulder excitedly. "Then go ask him! If the design's done already, when can we move in?"
"What's the rush?" Kō laughed. "It's almost the end of the year — construction won't start until after New Year.
Even after that, we'll need to air the place out after renovations, so at least three months from now."
Since this was going to be the company's main base for the next few years, there was no way they'd do a rushed job.
Besides, with Haruno having a stake in the project, she'd never allow the construction team to cut corners. Every aspect would be handled with care, which naturally meant it would take time.
Still, since Hajime was curious, Kō decided to stop by Ichin's office to check.
A few minutes later, she came back out with her own milk tea, looking cheerful.
"Well?" Hajime asked eagerly. "What did he say?"
Not only her — everyone else enjoying their afternoon tea turned their attention toward Kō, curious for any news about the new office.
Kō made an OK gesture and grinned.
"No worries. Ichin already confirmed the construction schedule. Haruno's assigning plenty of manpower — they'll make sure it's both fast and high-quality. We'll definitely be able to move in before the end of March."
That news sent a wave of excitement through the group.
The end of March! It was already late December, and with New Year just around the corner, that meant in just three months they'd be moving into their own brand-new office building.
Sure, it wasn't as massive as those towering corporate headquarters, but for them, it was more than enough.
After all, it had only been four years since they started as a tiny studio.
Everyone in the company firmly believed that, at their current growth rate, the future held limitless potential.
From the day the company began hiring until now, no one had ever quit or switched jobs — everyone genuinely enjoyed working there, developing games, and contributing their part.
That strong sense of belonging was something Ichin had cultivated perfectly.
A young and vibrant team, fixed working hours, no mandatory overtime, and excellent benefits — in such an environment, it was hard not to enjoy your job.
Inside the office, after explaining the details to Kō and asking her to share the update with everyone, Ichin turned toward Utaha and Yukino, who were sitting on the sofa playing games.
That week after Ichin's cold had fully healed, Yukino had moved out of her old apartment and into Haruno's building — right next door to them.
Her reasoning was simple: she wanted to help prepare breakfast and dinner for her sister, to make sure Haruno didn't skip meals and harm her health due to overwork.
It was a valid concern — skipping breakfast for too long can really hurt the stomach.
Naturally, Ichin, Utaha, and even their downstairs neighbors — Yagami Kō, Rin Toyama, and the newly moved-in Narumi and Momiji — were all happy about Yukino's arrival.
She'd even brought along her four cats, which meant more furry company during weekends and evenings, making their shared downtime even livelier.
After Utaha and Yukino finished their round of Mario Kart, Ichin asked,
"So, if we're not eating at home tonight, what do you girls want for dinner? Yukino, have you asked Haruno yet?"
Utaha set down her Switch.
"It's cold these days — hotpot sounds great. Though yakiniku would also be fine. What do you think, Yukino?"
Yukino thought for a moment.
"Hotpot, I think. There's more variety that way. As for my sister, no need to ask — just call her after work. She's not picky."
Indeed, Haruno would eat practically anything — from fine cuisine from any country to McDonald's and KFC, which she enjoyed just as much.
Of course, if given a choice, she'd always go for the better food.
Snapping his fingers, Ichin grinned.
"Alright, hotpot it is. There are a few authentic places in Tokyo — I'll just pick one and book a table."
After browsing on his phone for a bit, he reserved a nearby restaurant and sent the address to Haruno so they could meet there after work.
"But with just the four of us, isn't that a bit small a group? Should we invite a few more?"
"I'll go ask Kō and the others," Utaha said, walking out.
Two minutes later, she returned.
"Kō and her group aren't coming — they're doing yakiniku at home. But Eriri and Hazuki-san said they'll join us."
"Six people then," Ichin nodded. "Perfect."
Everyone had their own car — except Eriri, who'd just get a ride home with Hazuki afterward. No one planned to drink tonight anyway.
Just as they were wrapping up that topic, Hazuki herself walked in.
"Before we head out for hotpot, Ichin, I've got some news for you."
"Oh?" Ichin raised an eyebrow — then smiled knowingly. "Collaboration skins?"
"Bingo!" Hazuki clapped her hands, smiling brightly.
"The Capcom collaboration skins are confirmed! And it's a two-way collab — Fall Beans will get Hunter-style outfits, while Monster Hunter will feature costumes modeled after our bean characters!
"Oh, and before the end of the year, we'll head to Capcom's office. Remember, we were supposed to discuss the action system collaboration too? I'll bring it up while we're there."
"Sounds good. I was planning to check in with them before year's end anyway."
It looked like there were still quite a few tasks left to tackle before New Year — but they were all fun ones.
If everything went smoothly, next year was going to be a truly exciting one.
---
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