After announcing the new project and posting a teaser image of a mask on Bilibili, Ichin went silent for the rest of the week—no updates, no livestreams.
The only things he worked on were a few optimization tweaks for _Slay the Spire_, and pushing version 1.03 for _Hollow Knight_, which introduced a new feature—the battle with your own shade after dying.
There were definitely more updates planned. Ichin had said so before the game's release, but there was no rush to get them out immediately.
---
It was Saturday.
Inside the studio, Ichin sat at his desk, carefully reviewing the latest character models submitted by the team.
The first set he opened was from Yagami Kō, who had been assigned the main protagonist, Futaba Sakura, and Ann Takamaki.
Although Kō didn't have much experience with creature modeling, she was more than capable when it came to human characters—especially attractive ones. This kind of work was totally in her comfort zone.
As Ichin inspected her models, Kō, sitting just next to him, seemed totally relaxed and confident.
She had been deeply invested in the Persona project from the very beginning. During the modeling phase, she had been meticulous, checking every little detail to ensure each model came out perfect the first time.
After a few minutes of checking, Ichin looked over at her with a satisfied smile.
"As expected of you, Kō-senpai. The school uniform models for all three characters are perfect—no need for any changes. Let's move on to the Phantom Thief outfits based on this style."
Even though she was already confident, Kō couldn't help but smile at the praise.
"Mm, leave it to me."
With her work reviewed, Ichin moved on to the second batch, this time from Hifumi.
She was responsible for Makoto Niijima, Ann Takamaki, and Yusuke Kitagawa.
Ichin already had high expectations for Hifumi—she had shown excellent taste in fashion design during earlier outfit drafts. And this time, in addition to the standard models for the three characters, she'd also submitted casual outfits for Makoto and Ann.
That fast?
Ichin blinked in surprise. It seemed when Hifumi got excited about something she liked, her efficiency skyrocketed. Not a bad trait at all.
Nodding approvingly, Ichin carefully inspected the work. Her models were clean, well-rendered, and faithfully translated the concept art into 3D. Especially the model for Makoto Niijima—it was spot-on.
He opened their work chat and sent her a message:
> Ichin:
> I checked the models you submitted—they look great. Excellent work. Go ahead and start the next batch, but don't push yourself too hard.
> I only asked for three characters this round, but you gave me five. Did you secretly work overtime?
A reply popped up quickly.
> Hifumi:
> Not really overtime. I was just idle at home and had the urge to work on it, so I did a bit more. It didn't take that long~ (_^^_)
Emoticons.
Ichin raised an eyebrow. He already knew that Hifumi got unusually expressive during text chats compared to face-to-face conversations, but he wasn't expecting her to use cute kaomoji so casually.
Well… that's not a bad thing. At least it showed she was comfortable and open to communication.
He sent her an encouraging "Keep up the good work!" and turned his attention back to the rest of the character models.
As time ticked by, the clock eventually struck 3 p.m. when the door to the studio burst open, accompanied by a very familiar voice.
"Hahaha! I'm finally back!!!"
Even with headphones on, everyone in the room could hear that voice.
Taking off his headphones, Ichin looked up and saw Eriri and Yukino walking in with bubble tea in their hands. He smiled.
"Back from a study session?"
Placing the drinks down on the table, Eriri pulled out a chair and sat down. "Yup! I've been studying at the library since this morning. Just got back, so I came straight here. I haven't been around for the past two weeks, so I figured I should drop by. Is there any work I can help with?"
"Don't push yourself," said Yagami Kō, walking over. She picked her favorite flavor of bubble tea, pierced it with a straw, and took a sip. "Ichin already told us to make sure you focus on your grades first. Get your academics stabilized, and then you can come back to the studio regularly. Right now, we're just in the early stages anyway—there'll be plenty of work for you later."
"Grades, huh... it's so exhausting."
Slumping onto the desk with her bubble tea in hand, Eriri let out a sigh. "Studying really isn't for me. I worked my butt off the whole day and still messed up the test. Yukino taught everything really well, and I swear I understood it at the time… Yukino? Yukino??"
Turning her head, Eriri realized Yukino wasn't at her seat anymore. Instead, she was over by the cat tower, feeding snacks to Mozuku.
"Ugh, I knew it. The moment she steps into the studio, all her attention goes straight to Mozuku. She's not even trying to hide it anymore."
"Isn't that a good thing?" said Hajime, walking over and playfully twirling one of Eriri's twin tails. "She just likes cats. It's not the same as your, _ahem_, passion for drawing certain kinds of... doujinshi. There's no shame in showing your interests!"
"Shut up! That's _Kashiwagi Eri_ you're talking about, not _me_, Sawamura Spencer Eriri! Don't slander my good name!"
Everyone in the studio knew she had a knack for dodging the topic, but still, she had to keep up the act.
Even though she wasn't currently involved in studio work, letting Eriri check out the team's recent progress was no big deal.
Ichin opened the character models one by one and showed her what the team had accomplished so far. As expected, her eyes lit up with excitement.
"These look great! And this is just their school uniform versions? You haven't started on their Phantom Thief outfits yet?"
"Not yet," Ichin shook his head. "We're just getting started. Besides, we haven't even done the protagonists' Personas, let alone the countless other ones in the game. It's going to take a lot of time. I'm actually thinking about outsourcing some of the less complicated ones."
"That's totally normal," Eriri nodded. Then after a brief pause, she hesitantly offered,
"If you're considering outsourcing… how about working with my mom's doujin circle?"
"Your mom's?" Ichin raised an eyebrow. "You mean that -lily circle run by Aunt Sayuri?"
"Yup," Eriri nodded. "Aside from making doujin books, the circle also does doujin games. They sell them at conventions and online. Even though I've left the circle now, it's still running strong with a full team—enough to make games from scratch. I helped out with the character designs for two games before, but most of my time was spent drawing doujin books."
"So you're finally admitting you're a doujin artist?" said Shinoda Hajime, sliding up beside her.
Rolling her eyes at him, Eriri went on, "There are 18 members in the circle, including both artists and programmers. They even take on outsourcing projects from time to time. If you're interested in a collaboration, I can have my mom get in touch with you."
That actually hadn't crossed Ichin's mind before, but now that she brought it up, he realized—working with Eriri's circle might actually be a great idea.
...
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