At around three-thirty in the afternoon, Utaha and Yukino finally arrived at the company.
Of course, afternoon tea time at the company was already over, but the two had bought iced milk tea on the way, so there was nothing to worry about.
Since both Utaha and Yukino were fond of Fall Guys, the first thing they did after arriving was head over to the Fall Guys development team. After checking out the new skins under development, they came to Ichin's office.
Seeing Ichin working hard in front of his computer, Utaha walked over with a smile, stood behind him, and gently kneaded his shoulders.
"Ichin, don't tell me you've been working the whole day?"
"Pretty much. I just had something to eat and rested a little."
Without stopping his hands, Ichin chuckled. "By the way, Hazuki brought me two slices of cake earlier. I already ate one, so you and Yukino should share this cheesecake. If it's not enough, I'll have someone bring in another piece."
"Cake, huh. Just perfect—we only bought milk tea and didn't grab any snacks."
Picking up the cake, Utaha said cheerfully, "But one slice between the two of us is fine. Milk tea already has plenty of calories."
She then sat down on the office sofa with Yukino, and together they polished off the cheesecake.
Watching Utaha sip her milk tea after the cake, Ichin thought for a moment and asked,
"Utaha, would you be interested in writing another script for one of our games?"
"Oh? You're calling on me again?"
Putting down her milk tea, Utaha's interest was piqued. "So, what kind of game is it this time?"
"Tales of Berseria. I mentioned it to you before."
"Oh right, the one from the heroine's perspective? A revenge-themed story?"
After recalling, Utaha reached out her hand.
"Do you have the world setting, an outline of the plot, and character drafts? Let me see them first."
"Yeah, I've already written most of that part."
Ichin printed out the document from his computer and handed it to her.
"It's not in its final form yet, but it should give you a clear idea of what the game is about."
Taking the material, Utaha began reading.
This time, the game was set in a fantasy world of swords and sorcery—completely different from the novels she usually wrote, or even the Persona story she had previously worked on.
Accepting this task would be a brand-new challenge for her.
But Utaha never feared challenges. By the time she took the documents from Ichin, she had basically already decided to accept.
Yukino, sipping her milk tea, also curiously leaned in to read along.
Although Ichin was a science student, Yukino knew he was also very talented in creative work. Whether it was building world settings for games or giving Utaha advice for her novels, he was always impressive.
She herself read plenty of novels, but all she could really do was offer critiques—pointing out strengths or weaknesses. She could probably make a good editor if she ever abandoned law in the future. But to become a creator like Utaha or Ichin? That wasn't realistic for her.
Half an hour later, both Utaha and Yukino had finished going through the documents.
Utaha set the papers down, her eyes sparkling with a creative fire.
"Ichin, I'll take this script. I'll write you a main story you'll be satisfied with!"
Seeing her willingness to take it on, Ichin felt relieved.
He could write it himself if needed, but Utaha's delicate prose was leagues ahead of his. And with the protagonist being Velvet, it was far more fitting for a female writer like Utaha to capture her perspective.
"Alright, once I refine the project proposal a bit more, we can discuss the details of the main story. But before that, make sure you handle your own novel properly. I don't want Sonoko coming after me for stealing your writing time."
Utaha smiled and nodded. "Don't worry, I'll manage."
At this point, Yukino picked up the document on the coffee table and flipped through it again before looking at Ichin.
"So, about the game's ending—you don't plan to write one?"
"I've thought about the ending," Ichin said with his arms folded. "But after weighing it all, I decided this conclusion works best. After all, this character was created solely for revenge. Nothing can stop her, and she has no room left in her heart for other emotions. For a character like that, what would count as a good ending? Meeting someone she loves, completing her revenge, and then living peacefully ever after? That wouldn't really fit, would it?"
Yukino furrowed her brows, thought for a while, then sighed and nodded.
"True. Since you've already set the tone for the character, this ending may indeed be the best. So after Tales of Berseria, do you plan to make a sequel?"
"A sequel? Not for now."
Ichin tapped his chin. "But I am considering building on this battle system to create more Tales titles in the future. The sword-and-sorcery setting is versatile, with a lot of room to expand. Even if it's not a direct sequel, I could write a prequel set hundreds or thousands of years earlier, or a story set centuries later, or even tales from another world within the same universe."
As long as the scripts were solid, the system could be reused for a long time. Making three to five games with it would be no problem at all.
Ichin had already planned the company's future teams: one focusing on small to mid-sized boutique games, one on Souls-like titles, one on the Tales series and other RPGs, and finally, the Titanfall/Apex group—which, besides developing new titles, also had to run Apex's online service.
But if the studio was to split into four groups, more recruitment would be necessary.
Hearing Ichin's vision for the Tales series gave Utaha new ideas.
"Ichin, in that case, this could totally become a full-fledged IP. Have you considered expanding into anime, light novels, or manga as well?"
"Of course."
Ichin snapped his fingers. "That's all in the plan. Since I intend to make the character designs top-tier, it'd be a shame not to expand. Anime and manga, sure. As for light novels, that'll need more thought. I won't dump that work on you, Utaha, and I don't trust just anyone else with it either."
For anime, they could continue discussions with Kyoto Animation, or if they were unavailable, ufotable and similar studios were also possible options.
For manga, there were plenty of mangaka under Fushikawa's label to choose from.
In short, there were countless possibilities to explore.
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