By the time Ichin left home, it was already past four in the afternoon. The weather in early March was still a bit chilly, but the sunshine was pleasant.
"Wow, 2021 in this parallel world is really something. You don't even need to wear a mask outdoors," Ichin muttered, walking through the unfamiliar streets.
According to his memories, it had only been a week since moving to Tokyo. Other than a couple of trips to Akihabara, the original Ichin had spent most of his time cooped up at home.
"Thankfully, he was a fast learner with no language barriers. Otherwise, things could've been rough," Ichin sighed in relief. He himself only knew English and picked up a bit of Japanese from anime and some "special" movies.
Following the directions in his memories, Ichin soon arrived at a convenience store. He bought two boxed meals, along with some snacks and drinks. It was already late today, so he decided to make do with these for now and buy groceries tomorrow. After years of living alone and working hard, he had developed decent cooking skills.
As he carried the bags back, Ichin began organizing his plans. "First, I need to get this body back in shape. Now that I'm 17 again, there's no way I'm going to let myself collapse from exhaustion. I should start jogging in the mornings. And I still have to attend school—starting in April, I'll be in my second year at Toyogasaki Academy."
He stopped in his tracks, looking at the buildings around him. He pulled out his phone and did a quick search, his face showing a look of disbelief.
"Fushikawa Bunko actually exists here…"
He only muttered this in passing. Right now, Ichin's mind was focused entirely on game development.
"Since I've come to this world, I can't let all those games remain just memories. I have to recreate them all!" With this determination, he returned home.
Ten minutes after Ichin came back, a tall girl with long black hair, dressed in a dress and black tights, stepped out of the elevator. She had a refined handbag slung over her shoulder and a worried expression on her face. She walked up to the apartment next to Ichin's, took out a key, and unlocked the door.
"I'm home."
"Welcome back, Utaha. How did it go with the editor?" A mature woman, who bore a strong resemblance to the girl, walked out of the kitchen holding a spatula.
Kasumigaoka Utaha shook her head. "I got picked apart for a whole hour. The entire manuscript needs to be rewritten and polished. Luckily, there's still time before publication, so I can manage."
The woman nodded reassuringly. "Don't rush. Take it slow and steady. I believe in my daughter. But remember, once your break is over and school starts again, you need to balance your studies too, alright? If your grades drop, your father will be upset, even if I don't say anything."
"Don't worry, Mom. I know," Utaha replied, ready to head back to her room.
"Wait a moment, Utaha!" her mother called, stopping her. She took a box of snacks from the kitchen and handed it to her daughter.
"The boy who moved in next door just came back from his outing. Why don't you take these over to him? Studying abroad alone must be tough, and as neighbors, it's only polite to introduce ourselves."
Staring at the box of snacks in her hands, Utaha's face stiffened. "Mom, why don't you go?"
"Well, how about this—I'll deliver the snacks, and you finish cooking?"
"Alright, alright. I'll go, okay?" Utaha sighed.
Resigned, she dropped her bag onto the couch, picked up the box of snacks, and left the house.
When she reached the door of Ichin's apartment next door, Kasumigaoka Utaha hesitated for a while in front of the door that still lacked a nameplate. After some contemplation, she finally pressed the doorbell.
"Ding-dong~~~"
Inside, Ichin was eating while typing away on his keyboard. Hearing the doorbell, he was surprised but quickly swallowed his food and rushed out of the room.
"Coming, coming!"
The moment he opened the door, he saw a girl with long, straight black hair standing at the entrance, holding a box in her hands. For a brief moment, he was left speechless.
Seeing Ichin's somewhat dazed and awkward expression, Utaha immediately felt less nervous. She smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Kasumigaoka Utaha, from the family next door. My mother asked me to bring over these snacks for you."
"Ah, ah, thank you!" Ichin, snapping back to reality, accepted the box of snacks a bit clumsily and said, "Sorry, I just moved in, and I haven't gotten everything organized yet, so I can't return the favor right now."
Utaha shook her head gently. "It's fine, don't worry about it."
Peering past Ichin, Utaha saw several open moving boxes scattered around the apartment. Glancing at Ichin, who seemed to be around her age, she recalled her mother's earlier words and asked, "My mother mentioned that you came here to study?"
Ichin, still distracted by the surname "Kasumigaoka," nodded and replied, "Yeah, I'm starting at Toyogasaki next month."
"Toyogasaki?" Utaha raised an eyebrow. "That means we'll be classmates. I didn't introduce myself properly earlier—my name is Kasumigaoka Utaha, and I'll be entering my second year."
"Hello, I'm Ichin. I'll also be starting my second year."
After introducing themselves, an awkward silence fell between them. Having focused solely on game development until now, Ichin wasn't exactly adept at holding conversations with beautiful girls.
Utaha wasn't any better. Once she knew Ichin's name, she felt her task was complete. "The snacks were freshly made, so it's best to eat them soon. I'll be heading back now."
"Ah, thank you very much."
As Utaha walked away, Ichin closed the door behind her.
"I never would've guessed… she's living right next door," Ichin muttered to himself. "But why doesn't this body's previous memories include any mention of her? It's like he only had a brief encounter with Kasumigaoka's mother and exchanged a few words."
Shaking his head, Ichin opened the box and saw the neatly arranged cookies inside. He smiled. "These look really good. I'll have to find a way to return the favor."
Next door, Utaha had just returned home when her mother, Mrs. Kasumigaoka, came out of the kitchen again. "How did it go? Did you meet him?"
"Yes, I met him and gave him the snacks."
Smiling at her daughter, Mrs. Kasumigaoka teased, "So, was the boy next door handsome?"
Utaha's expression faltered slightly at her mother's playful smile, but she still replied, "Yes, he's quite handsome. But it's got nothing to do with me. I'm going back to my room."
As Utaha retreated to her room, Mrs. Kasumigaoka sighed and shook her head. "Oh dear, what am I going to do with this girl? She's been in high school for a whole year now and hardly talks to any boys. All she does is write novels all day. But now that there's a boy her age next door, maybe she'll start interacting more. We can't let her stay like this forever. What do they call it? Social anxiety?"
...