With the Fall Guys proposal in hand, Hazuki left to get busy.
From here, Ichin didn't need to worry too much. Developing Fall Guys wasn't particularly difficult—just like BattleBlock Theater, the key lay in stage design.
And in that department, the company had plenty of talent. Among the incoming interviewees, one was even a specialist in stage design, making it all the easier.
"Still, whether it's Fall Guys, BattleBlock Theater, Dark Souls, Titanfall, or the later Apex, they all have online multiplayer components. Looks like we'll need to get server infrastructure running soon. That's one thing we can't take lightly."
Server architecture wasn't Ichin's strong suit, so he left it to his team. Fortunately, the programming department had capable people who knew their way around it.
Soon, the new recruits officially joined the company. Some went into the Dark Souls team, while others—along with a few transferred from Dark Souls—were assigned to Hazuki's Fall Guys development group. Work on the new project began.
Compared to Dark Souls, modeling for Fall Guys was far simpler, so progress was quick.
Meanwhile, the Dark Souls team continued tirelessly creating monsters, bosses, animations, and regional maps, constantly refining them.
And just like that, time moved on to April.
As second-year students, Ichin and Utaha no longer had to go through enrollment procedures like before. They simply picked up textbooks and schedules for the semester.
But today wasn't about that—the main purpose was to accompany Yukino for her freshman enrollment.
Originally, Haruno was supposed to come herself. But with two urgent company meetings, she couldn't get away and asked Ichin and Utaha instead.
Driving to Yukino's apartment, Ichin picked her up, and the three headed for Tokyo University.
Sitting beside Yukino in the backseat, Utaha smiled,
"Today you officially become a college student. How do you feel?"
Yukino thought for a moment.
"Not much, honestly. It doesn't feel very different—just studying in another place. If I had to say something, it's that not wearing a uniform feels strange."
Gone was the familiar uniform of Toyogasaki High. Today Yukino wore a youthful spring outfit—though since the weather wasn't fully warm yet, she paired it with jeans.
But with her tall, slender figure, the jeans only accentuated her long legs.
Driving, Ichin glanced at her in the rearview mirror with a smile.
"You're right, not much will change. But Yukino, once you start, you might relive your first year of high school all over again."
Utaha caught on immediately, looking at Yukino's delicate face.
"With how pretty Yukino is, you'll definitely be chased by boys."
"…"
Yukino's expression stiffened.
Back in her first year of high school, she'd been confessed to constantly. At first, she politely turned people down, but it got overwhelming. In the end, she had to unleash her trademark sharp tongue, and only then did her school life finally quiet down.
Of course, that gave her a slightly odd reputation for a while, but she hadn't cared.
Now, three years later, stepping into university—an environment far more open than high school—she realized things might become even more troublesome if she didn't find a way to deal with it.
Glancing at Ichin and Utaha, she asked with some unease,
"What should I do? I just want to study in peace."
Her expression made Utaha stifle a laugh.
"There's no avoiding it. You are single, after all. Why not bring back your deadly sharp tongue?"
"I'd rather not."
Yukino shook her head immediately.
"And senpai, you haven't used yours in ages either."
"Who says I haven't? I've still used it—on Eriri."
No, that's just bickering, Yukino thought inwardly. Not quite the same.
She turned toward the front.
"Senpai?"
"You're asking me?"
At a red light, Ichin eased the car to a stop and thought aloud.
"There's really no surefire method. Like you said, you're single. People are free to pursue you. The only real way is to make it clear, when someone confesses, that you're not dating during college."
If she didn't want to resort to her sharp tongue, that was the only option.
As the light turned green and the car rolled forward, Ichin added,
"But honestly, I don't think you'll need to worry too much. Don't forget—you're in the law department. The workload there is tough. If anyone keeps bothering you, talk to your professors. As a good student, they won't want your studies disrupted. And make a few friends in your department. Having people to walk with will make it easier to deal with things than being alone."
Utaha agreed.
"Exactly. You don't need a crowd, but you'll definitely meet a few you click with. Worst case, like I said before, we can go to the library together. I'm already a bit known around campus. With me there, if trouble comes, I can help."
They were still on their way to enrollment, but everything they said was likely to happen.
After all, Yukino really was beautiful.
At last, with their chatter filling the car, the three arrived at Tokyo University.
Parking, Ichin and Utaha led Yukino toward the freshman registration area.
It was bustling with new students and upperclassmen helping them move in or collect textbooks.
Walking through campus, as expected, Yukino drew many stares.
Her long, straight black hair, delicate features, tall figure, and slightly cool expression gave her the perfect aura of an ice-cold beauty.
Within minutes, the university forum had posts about her—complete with a distant photo.
And since Ichin and Utaha were already well-known on campus, discussions immediately turned to Yukino's relationship with them.
Even at Tokyo University, gossip was inescapable.
*