Halfway through the meal, Ichin's phone rang. It was a video call from his mother.
He had told his family earlier that they would be holding a Christmas party today, and his mom had said she would call.
After picking up, Ichin's mother happily chatted with everyone for a while, and then naturally brought up the topic of Ichin returning home for the Spring Festival.
"Ichin, when you come back this time, we need to start preparing for the wedding. I've already been asking around about wedding planning companies. Once you're back, we'll finalize everything properly."
Ichin nodded. "Yeah, got it. We were just talking about that earlier. It really needs to be settled soon."
"Alright, just make sure you remember. When you come back for the Spring Festival, have Utaha's parents come over too. We'll all sit down and discuss it properly." Then Ichin's mother glanced at Yukino and said with a smile, "Yukino, you should come as well, and Haruno too."
"Got it!"
After chatting a bit more, they hung up.
Rin Toyama clapped her hands and said, "At this rate, can we expect your wedding next year?"
"Hmm… probably?"
Ichin thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "If things go like this, I'll have to adjust my work schedule next year."
The party feast continued, and everyone kept going until past eight in the evening.
After eating, they brewed some tea. A few people who had drunk a bit too much sprawled on the sofa to catch their breath. Meanwhile, Ichin went to the storage room and brought out more than a dozen neatly wrapped gifts.
As the company boss, besides the people present, he had also prepared Christmas gifts for all the other staff. He had already distributed those during the day.
Each person received a shopping voucher worth 50,000 yen. And that wasn't even including the year-end bonus. It was an incredibly generous gesture. After all, the company had quite a lot of employees, and even the Shanghai studio received the same.
It was only because Tales of Berseria had sold so well this year that Ichin had the confidence to spend so much on gifts.
With the addition of the year-end bonuses, Ichin was certain that the company's benefits this year would soon become widely known in the industry, and envious voices would inevitably follow.
But he didn't mind. That just meant the company was doing well.
As long as revenue stayed this strong, Ichin would gladly continue giving such benefits every year, or even better ones.
Of course, Yagami Kou and the others also received shopping vouchers. This was just an extra gift, Ichin's way of rewarding old colleagues for their hard work over the past year.
Gokou Ruri and Kousaka Kirino received them as well. These two were talents Ichin had been focusing on training, and they were already capable of handling things on their own.
As for the gifts he prepared for everyone present, each one was carefully chosen based on personal preferences, ensuring everyone would be satisfied.
Looking at the gift in her hands, Shizuka Hiratsuka said in surprise, "Even I get one?"
"You're a teacher I've always respected, of course you do," Ichin said with a smile. "Hiratsuka-sensei, go ahead and open it."
Shizuka nodded with a smile. "Alright, then I'll accept it."
Inside was a fountain pen.
She recognized the brand. It was expensive. She hadn't expected such a gift.
Still, she wasn't short on money herself, and she knew Ichin was well-off, so while the gift was costly, she happily accepted it.
"Thank you. I really like it."
Utaha, Yukino, and Haruno also received gifts from Ichin. Utaha and Yukino each got a necklace, while Haruno received a fountain pen similar to Hiratsuka's, but with a different design.
Looking at her pen, then at the necklaces Yukino and Utaha were wearing, Haruno pouted slightly. "Couldn't you have given me a necklace too?"
Ichin smiled. "I know you don't usually wear necklaces, Haruno-nee. Unless it's for formal events, you never wear them. So I didn't pick one."
"Fine, fine, I really don't wear them much anyway."
After a small complaint, Haruno happily put the pen away. "Perfect timing, actually. The one I've been using recently isn't great anymore. Time to replace it."
Meanwhile, Hiratsuka glanced at the necklace Yukino had just put on, identical to Utaha's, and showed a hint of confusion, but didn't ask anything.
As for everyone giving gifts to Ichin, he had firmly refused.
Last year, instead of choosing a single gift together, they had each brought something, filling an entire room. This time, Ichin absolutely wouldn't allow that again.
So in the end, they only gave him a symbolic gift together: a brand-new set of Pokémon game cartridges, complete with the producer's signature.
This gift genuinely surprised Ichin, and he happily accepted it.
He did have old Pokémon cartridges, but a brand-new set, even with a fresh box, was a first for him.
Hazuki smiled and said, "We discussed it for a long time before settling on this gift. And it took quite a bit of effort and connections to get it!"
Hearing that, Ichin felt deeply moved.
"Thank you, everyone. I'll treasure this."
Next were the gifts from Utaha, Yukino, and Haruno.
Given their relationship, overly expensive gifts weren't necessary. So Utaha knitted a scarf, Yukino made a pair of gloves, and Haruno knitted a hat. Together, they gave Ichin a complete set.
"Wow, a full set?"
Ichin looked at the three items in surprise. "When did you even prepare these? I had no idea."
Utaha said proudly, "Of course we did it when you couldn't see us. Didn't we try learning before? Back then we never finished anything. This time, after discussing it, we spent some time and finally made them. Make sure you use them when you go out!"
"Yeah, I will."
Without hesitation, Ichin immediately put them on. The fit was perfect, and they were very comfortable.
After the gift exchange, everyone continued having fun in the living room.
Some played video games, others played cards. The liveliest group, of course, was the mahjong table. Not only were four people playing, but several others gathered around to offer advice.
Since most of them had drunk a bit, their play wasn't as strict as usual. It was all about fun. Sometimes someone would feed a good hand, other times someone would deal into another's win. Laughter and screams filled the room nonstop.
Taking a sip of beer, Hiratsuka gently nudged Haruno's shoulder and whispered, "What's going on with Yukino?"
"Hm?"
Haruno turned her head, then suddenly understood. "Oh, that. Their relationship is… pretty complicated. But the family already knows, so we're just letting them be."
After hearing Haruno's brief explanation, Hiratsuka was stunned, then shook her head with a wry smile.
"That's really unexpected."
But looking at Yukino sitting beside Ichin, her face constantly carrying a gentle smile, Hiratsuka didn't say anything more.
...
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