Midnight release time was drawing closer, but no one felt the slightest bit sleepy. On Yagami Kō's insistence, Toyama Rin had even brewed coffee for everyone—so drowsiness was impossible anyway.
After a round of fighting games with Umiko, Ichin sat down beside Utaha. Glancing at her phone, he asked,
"Chatting with classmates?"
"Mhm. Found some pretty interesting things."
Utaha smiled, then suddenly looked at him.
"Ichin, I just realized… we've never actually had a fight, have we?"
"Huh?"
Ichin blinked. Thinking back over the past two years with Utaha… yeah, they really hadn't fought once.
The others overheard and crowded over curiously.
Eriri stared in surprise.
"Unbelievable. With your personality, I'd have thought you'd argue all the time."
Utaha gave her an exasperated glare.
"What do you take me for? Someone who picks fights over nothing? I'm not like you, flaring up at every little thing."
"Urusee! You're the one who flares up!"
"See? Case in point."
"Ughhh!!"
Taking a sip of coffee, Hazuki chuckled.
"Sorry, Eriri, but she's right. You're honestly a lot like a little puppy—quick to bark, but cute."
"Not you too, Hazuki-san!"
Eriri collapsed on the table in defeat, refusing to engage further.
Umiko tilted her head, still curious.
"But really? Not even once? I know couples who are super close, and even they argue sometimes."
Arms crossed, Ichin nodded.
"Yeah, we've had debates over things. But nothing that ever escalated into a fight."
"What kind of things?" Yagami Kō asked.
Ichin snapped his fingers.
"Stuff like plot points in Utaha's novels, or character and system design in my games. Even daily stuff—like whether to have beef or chicken for dinner. Things like that."
"That's not fighting, that's just talking," Sakura Nene chimed in, putting down her controller to join the circle.
"No emotional fights at all?"
"None," Utaha answered plainly.
"You know my novels are all romance. Whether it's the first or this current one, the characters always argue at some point. To write it properly, I've read a lot of books, watched dramas, even lurked on relationship forums. Couples quarrel for all sorts of reasons, but real blow-ups usually boil down to money, outside interference, incompatible personalities, or conflicting values. Now tell me—do any of those apply to me and Ichin?"
Aoba began ticking off on her fingers.
"Not really. Both of you earn plenty, so money's no issue. Outside interference? You've met each other's parents, and you literally live next door to Utaha's family. Personality and values? Maybe not 100% clear to us, but after two years, it's obvious you're fine."
"Geez…" Sakura Nene whistled.
"Talk about enviable."
Utaha smiled serenely, showing not the slightest embarrassment.
"Thank you. I really am happy."
Yagami Kō folded her arms, sighing in admiration.
"It's rare these days. So many couples rush into marriage, then split the next day. I even read a story where the bride got caught cheating the night before the wedding. The world's full of demons and clowns."
"Ohhh, that's insane!"
From there, the girls slipped into gossip mode.
Ichin left them to it, instead pulling out his laptop and browsing idly.
Time ticked by, until finally the clock struck midnight.
"It's time! The game's officially out!"
Though brick-and-mortar stores wouldn't open until morning, photos were already popping up online of fans camping in line overnight.
Meanwhile, on streaming platforms, countless streamers launched Persona streams the instant the game unlocked.
Ichin hopped through a few familiar channels, dropping gifts here and there, before checking the Steam backend.
Sales hadn't spiked massively yet—naturally, it was only just unlocked—but they were climbing. What mattered most now was the concurrent player count.
Normally, Steam's top three were untouchable: CS:GO, Dota 2, and PUBG. No single-player game could hope to compete.
But Persona, fresh out of the gate, was already shocking everyone—30,000 concurrent players at launch, climbing higher every refresh.
"Forty thousand… forty-five… fifty!"
Barely ten minutes after release, the number had shot past fifty thousand, and it kept climbing.
By 12:30, Ichin checked again—the count had broken 80,000, surpassing the highest concurrent record of all their previous games.
Letting out a long breath, Ichin broke into a grin.
"Looks like we don't need to worry anymore. Sales are locked in."
Opening Bilibili, he saw the front-page stream event. Every featured channel was broadcasting Persona, each with over a million viewers. Bullet comments flooded the screens. Both the platform and the streamers were raking in benefits.
Closing his laptop, Ichin stood from the sofa.
"Alright, it's the middle of the night, but no one's tired, right? How about a late-night snack? My treat."
"Midnight snack!"
"Let's go!!!"
"GOGOGO!!"
With Ichin, Yagami Kō, Umiko, and Hazuki all having cars, seating wasn't an issue. They piled out and headed to an izakaya still open at this late hour, celebrating the launch with a proper feast.
Of course, this was just for the core team. The real company-wide celebration would come tomorrow—no, later today—after work.
*
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