As soon as the workday ended, Ichin and the others left the company together and headed to a newly opened izakaya nearby.
After entering the private room they had reserved, Ichin looked around with satisfaction.
"This place is really nice. Kō, you're always so well informed. Who told you about it?"
Yagami Kō smiled.
"Umiko and Nene. They came here shortly after it opened, so I made a note of it."
Umiko and Nene weren't joining them tonight. The two of them had already made plans to watch a movie together, and they'd reserved dinner at a restaurant near the theater.
After everyone settled in and ordered a mountain of food and drinks, the beer and sake had only been on the table for a few minutes when Haruno finally arrived.
"I'm here! Wow! It smells amazing!"
The moment she entered the room and saw the feast spread across the table, Haruno happily squeezed herself between Ichin and Yukino before planting a kiss on Ichin's cheek.
"Hehe, Yukino, let me sit here tonight. I haven't seen Ichin all day."
Yukino rolled her eyes at her sister before taking a sip of fruit juice.
"I never expected you to be this clingy, Sis."
Haruno stuck out her tongue playfully, poured herself a glass of beer, and promptly gulped down half of it.
"Ahhh... that's refreshing! Yukino, why are you drinking juice?"
Picking up a grilled skewer, Yukino took a bite before replying,
"Someone has to drive us home, don't they? Besides, I'm not really that fond of alcohol."
"That's true. I almost forgot."
After looking over the dishes on the table, Haruno grabbed a grilled chicken skewer and happily started eating.
While chewing, she looked across the table at Hazuki.
"Utaha contacted me this afternoon and told me about it. Was she serious?"
Hazuki nodded.
"Of course she was. It's not exactly something I'd joke about."
"True." Haruno sighed softly. "Still, it's pretty surprising when you think about it."
She clinked her glass against Hazuki's.
"But I guess you were lucky. At least you found out before moving in together. By the way, how's the kitten doing?"
Haruno had never cared much for animals in the past. Unlike Yukino, who had loved them since childhood, Haruno had only gradually grown fond of pets after being influenced by Yukino and Ichin over the past few years.
So she was genuinely concerned about the abused kitten.
Smiling, Hazuki took out her phone and opened a photo.
"It's doing really well. Fortunately, I found it in time, so it only suffered some minor external injuries. None of its bones were broken. It's staying at the animal hospital for recovery while they take care of deworming and everything else. I'll bring it home the day after tomorrow, and I'll get its vaccinations done as well. That way, Mizukumo won't be lonely whenever she stays home instead of coming to the office."
The photo showed a small black-and-white tuxedo cat with big, adorable eyes.
Just looking at the picture made Yukino fall in love with the little cat.
"Hazuki-san, can I come with you when you pick it up the day after tomorrow?"
"Of course! Then after work that day, we'll go together."
Seeing Hazuki agree so readily, Yukino beamed with happiness, and her appetite noticeably improved.
By eight o'clock that evening, the dinner gathering finally came to an end. Quite a few people had become pleasantly tipsy.
Kō and several others were no longer in any condition to drive, so Ichin escorted them to a nearby hotel and booked several rooms for them to stay the night.
As for the four members of their household, Yukino drove everyone home.
"Ahhh... I'm so sleepy..."
The moment they entered the house, Haruno flopped face-first onto the sofa. She had drunk quite a bit during dinner, and her cheeks were still flushed.
Ichin was in much better shape. He headed straight into the kitchen and prepared some sobering tea for Haruno and Utaha.
After drinking it and resting for a while, everyone took showers before heading to bed early.
Tuesday had arrived.
It was time to deal with the interviews.
Not long after Ichin arrived at the office, before he had even turned on his computer, Hazuki walked over.
"Ichin, be ready. The first interview starts at ten. One interview this morning and two this afternoon. You've memorized all the expected questions, right?"
Ichin waved his hand casually.
"Don't worry. Everything's prepared. It'll be fine."
At ten o'clock sharp, an editor from a gaming website arrived, and the interview began directly in Ichin's office.
The website had come thoroughly prepared. Not only had they compiled questions covering a wide range of topics, but they had also brought a professional video camera, planning to record the entire session and release it as an interview video later.
Ichin had no objections whatsoever. He didn't mind showing his face online, and he had already participated in plenty of livestream events before.
After the interview started, Utaha and Yukino came over to the development department.
Kō looked over curiously.
"Has the interview started?"
Utaha smiled and nodded.
"Yep, it just started. Kō, are you thinking about joining in?"
Kō immediately shook her head repeatedly.
"No, no, no! I don't want to! Not at all!"
She was genuinely terrified of interviews. Every single time, she became incredibly nervous.
Nearby, Rin Toyama chuckled.
"Kō, after all these years, you're still just as afraid of interviews. If you ask me, Ichin should do more interviews in the future, and we should make you participate so you can get used to it."
Kō immediately collapsed onto her desk dramatically.
"If you make me do interviews, I'd rather stay at the office working overtime every night. I wouldn't even ask for overtime pay. Just don't make me do interviews."
"Oh? I heard that."
Hazuki walked over with a grin.
"Then from now on, you can work lots of overtime. And since you're volunteering to do it without overtime pay, Ichin will be absolutely delighted. Shareholders like you are truly a rare treasure."
"Hehe, I was just joking! If I'm really working overtime, I'm definitely getting paid!"
Looking at Kō's sheepish grin, Hazuki shook her head before pulling over a chair and sitting down.
"Utaha, have you already arranged things with Akane Kousaka?"
Utaha nodded.
"Yep, it's all set. We're having dinner together tonight. Hazuki-san, you should come too. We can discuss the outsourcing plans together."
"Huh? Outsourcing?"
It was the first time everyone else had heard about it, and they all looked intrigued.
Since Ichin wasn't there, Hazuki didn't hide anything. Instead, she explained on his behalf that the company was planning to outsource part of its future projects, giving the department heads present an overview of the plan.
After hearing the explanation, Rin nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I think that's a great idea. The company has plenty of funds now. Some of the simpler, repetitive tasks can definitely be outsourced. Besides, their capabilities are quite strong. As an outsourcing partner, they're absolutely reliable."
The others felt much the same.
As long as the core development remained in-house, they had no objections at all.
...
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