The promotional PV to be used at TGA naturally couldn't showcase every single boss from the games Ichin's company was developing—only a select few would be revealed.
So, after finalizing the PV's contents, Ichin adjusted the production order of the bosses, moving a few forward to ensure they'd be ready first.
As everyone stayed completely focused, December quietly arrived.
This time, since they had received an official invitation, they would be attending the TGA awards ceremony in person.
Although the holidays hadn't started yet, Ichin's leave request was approved without any issue—he took an entire week off. Not only him, but Utaha's leave was also approved, so the two of them could go together to Los Angeles.
Alongside them, Hazuki, Kō Yagami, and Rin Toyama would also be going.
There had originally been one more spot available, but after hours of discussion, no one could agree on who should take it. In the end, they simply left it unused. So, the group totaled five people.
As for Los Angeles itself, Ichin wasn't particularly interested. If not for the TGA, he might never have considered visiting the U.S. in his life.
The reason was simple—it wasn't safe.
After all, the so-called "freedom country" had daily shootouts; that wasn't an exaggeration. Ichin wasn't about to gamble with his own life, even if the odds of something happening were slim.
On December 9th, at 8:30 in the morning, everyone gathered early at the company.
Yawning, Eriri sipped from a milk bottle in her hand, glancing at Aoba who was adjusting the projector.
"Isn't it still more than half an hour before it starts? Why so early?"
"This is the TGA! Of course we have to take it seriously!"
Turning after aligning the projection, Aoba looked at Eriri and said, "I even told you yesterday—you only needed to be here five minutes before it starts. But didn't you still come this early?"
"…Fair point. I guess I'm a little excited too."
Draining the last of her milk, Eriri stretched and muttered, "Good thing it's Saturday and there's no school today, otherwise I wouldn't even be able to watch the livestream."
Others arrived around the same time, all carrying simple breakfasts like bread and biscuits—clearly they had skipped making food at home just so they could come early to the office.
Sitting beside Eriri, Sakura Nene typed a message on her phone to Kō Yagami in Los Angeles. The reply came quickly.
"They're already at the venue," Nene announced happily. "She says there are tons of famous game developers there!"
"Hey, did you ask if they saw Gabe Newell?"
"Probably not. He hasn't shown up in person for the past few years."
"What a shame. Isn't he working on the Steam handheld? If we met him, maybe we'd even have a chance to get our hands on a prototype."
The Steam handheld had already been announced, though its release was set for next year.
Compared to the Nintendo Switch, it was bulkier and heavier, but the specs were far stronger. Unlike other so-called Windows handhelds, it was a dedicated Steam machine designed to run nearly the entire Steam library smoothly.
Sure, some brand-new AAA titles might struggle to maintain 60 FPS, but 30 FPS was realistic enough. And with only a 1280x800 display, combined with the CPU and GPU performance revealed so far, the system seemed perfectly capable.
As for whether it would threaten the Switch, Ichin and the rest of the company didn't think so.
Despite the Steam handheld entering the market, the Switch still had a dominant share, a competitive price, and Nintendo's unbeatable first-party lineup.
It was more of an alternative option rather than a replacement or rival on equal footing.
Listening to the discussion, Hajime chimed in, "It's not without merit though. If we could apply for a dev kit, that'd be worth it. Ichin, Hazuki—maybe you should reach out. Our games sell pretty well on Steam; getting in contact shouldn't be hard."
With that, she lost interest in the topic and wandered off toward the nearby cat tower.
Because of the Los Angeles trip, Ichin's two cats, Hazuki's Mozuku, and one of Kō's cats had all been left with Eriri for pet-sitting. Naturally, when she came today, she brought all four to the company. Combined with Yukino's cats, the office was currently hosting nine cats in total.
Even if there wasn't a TGA livestream to watch, just playing with cats in the office was enough to keep everyone entertained.
Time ticked by, and at 9:00 a.m., the official TGA streaming channel went live with its countdown.
With countless players worldwide waiting in excitement, at 9:30, the countdown ended—the TGA had officially begun.
As the livestream switched to the grand theater hosting the ceremony, everyone immediately began searching the crowd for Ichin and his team.
Not only those in the company but also thousands of Chinese players watching from home were eagerly awaiting this TGA.
Aside from giants like Tencent and NetEase, Ichin's company had quickly become one of the most impressive Chinese developers in recent years.
Of course, the fact that one of their studios was based in Tokyo was undeniable, and Ichin had never tried to hide it. But as long as he was the boss and the lead on the projects, that was enough.
Soon after the opening performances, the host appeared, and the annual TGA Game Awards officially kicked off.
With over twenty categories, mid-show entertainment, and new game trailers sprinkled throughout, every segment was designed to captivate.
At the venue, Ichin sat calmly with Utaha beside him, her arm linked through his.
In the past two days, even though he hadn't spent much time sightseeing, Ichin had met several well-known developers at the hotel. They had long discussions about game design philosophies, and Ichin felt he'd gained a lot from those exchanges.
Leaning gently against his shoulder, Utaha whispered, "It's starting, Ichin."
"Yeah, it's starting. But don't worry—the first few awards probably don't involve us."
No sooner had he said that than the nominations for Best Game Soundtrack flashed onscreen. Among them was Persona.
"And the award for Best Game Soundtrack goes to… Persona!"
"…???"
Ichin froze. This one too?
He had no choice—amidst congratulations from the new friends he'd made in the industry and under their encouragement, Ichin embraced Utaha and Hazuki beside him, then rose from his seat and headed toward the stage.
*