The movie was scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., so the time before that was basically spent shopping.
Even Hiratsuka Shizuka, who normally wasn't very interested in shopping, got swept up by everyone's enthusiasm. As they went from store to store, she ended up buying several new outfits herself.
When the time reached four o'clock, everyone first went downstairs to put away the clothes they had bought, then returned to the mall, queued up to buy milk tea, and finally headed to the cinema on the top floor.
"There are so many people," Aoba said in surprise, taking a sip of her milk tea as she looked at the crowded cinema lobby.
"Well, it's the new Shin Ultraman," Ichin replied. "The promotional push during this period has been pretty strong. Besides being directed by Shinji Higuchi, the cast lineup is also quite solid, and they even got Kenshi Yonezu to do the theme song. You could say they've gone all out. Now it just depends on the quality of the movie itself."
Seeing some viewers who had just come out of a screening and were discussing the film, Ichin listened in a bit. Somehow, what they were talking about felt different from the movie he had been imagining.
Don't tell me Anno's pulling off some of his own ideas again?
Ichin nodded to himself. It really did seem possible.
Suddenly thinking of something, he looked at Aoba. "Aoba, didn't Hajime go see the premiere already? She didn't tell you what she thought after watching it?"
"She didn't," Aoba shook her head. "I called her yesterday to ask. She said she went to watch it again yesterday. She didn't tell me her detailed impressions or the plot, but… I got the feeling her mood was kind of, um, subtle?"
"Subtle, huh?" Ichin said. "Then my guess is probably right—the story is going to be very different from what we expect. Come on, let's get the tickets and buy popcorn. It'll be about time to go in."
He led everyone to pick up the tickets, then they went to the counter to buy popcorn.
What Ichin didn't expect was that he'd actually get recognized by fans there.
Looking at the otaku crowding around him for autographs, Ichin didn't refuse. Smiling, he signed for them and even drew a simple little helmet sketch of Onion Bro next to each signature.
After those fans—who had already finished watching the movie—left, Ichin came to a realization. He was active in the gaming circle and also had connections to tokusatsu.
And among the ACG crowd, most people didn't just stick to a single interest. Their hobbies overlapped heavily.
Running into tokusatsu fans who liked games—and who also happened to be fans of his studio's games—at the cinema showing Anno's new Ultraman was actually quite likely.
Popping a piece of popcorn into his mouth, Ichin chewed and said, "Should I start carrying sunglasses with me everywhere?"
Umiko, standing nearby, laughed. "You're overthinking it. You're just a game developer—no need for that."
"Yeah, you're right," Ichin nodded, then looked toward the ticket checkpoint where people were lining up. "Alright, let's queue up and head in."
After scanning their tickets and entering the theater, everyone found their seats and sat down according to the arrangement they had chosen earlier.
Ichin gave the best middle seats to Aoba and the others, while he sat on the left side with Utaha and Yukino.
As for Hiratsuka Shizuka, she sat on the far right, which worked out perfectly—she could chat with Umiko, who was closest to her in age. One had trained in combat sports, the other liked firearms; in more ways than one, they got along well.
Once seated, Ichin glanced around the nearly full theater and checked the time. "Almost time—six or seven minutes left. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I watched a movie in a theater. Sitting here really does feel better."
Utaha nodded in agreement. "That's true. Even if you set up a big projector at home, the audiovisual experience just can't compare to a cinema. By the way, Ichin—have you ever thought about moving to a bigger place in the future?"
"Moving to a bigger place? That's definitely an option," Ichin said without hesitation.
For now, their current place was fine, but in the future, there would definitely be children. Once kids arrived, their current two-bedroom apartment would obviously be too small.
And as both his and Utaha's careers continued to grow, having a separate room dedicated to work would be even better.
After thinking it over, Ichin said, "We don't need it right now. After we graduate, how about we look for a villa? That way, we'll have plenty of rooms to set up however we like."
Utaha nodded happily. "No problem—let's do that!"
As for money, neither she nor Ichin worried about it. That was the one thing they were absolutely not lacking.
After finishing that conversation with Utaha, Ichin turned to Yukino on his left and leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Should I save a room for you too?"
There were still people moving around nearby. Hearing that, Yukino shot him a glare—but in the end, she nodded and accepted it.
On Utaha's other side, Aoba and Hifumi had also overheard the conversation. Aoba asked curiously, "You're moving? To a villa?"
Utaha smiled. "Yeah. In a couple of years, we'll definitely have to move. Whether it's Ichin working from home or me writing, having a study would be perfect. And later on, there'll definitely be kids—this place just won't be enough."
Even though they weren't planning to have children right after graduating and holding the wedding, Utaha liked to plan ahead.
"Oh! That's amazing!" Aoba exclaimed. She calculated the balance in her bank account and said with some distress, "I've saved up a bit now, but if I wanted to buy a place, I'd still need to save for another two years. And that's not even talking about a villa."
Hifumi smiled gently and said to Aoba, "Just keep working hard. You'll definitely save up enough—we do get profit-sharing from our shares, after all."
Ichin treated the company's early core members very well. He had given each of them a small share of equity early on.
And as the company continued to grow and its profits increased year by year, the dividends they received also rose accordingly.
When Aoba said she couldn't afford a house, she was really referring to the high-end apartments in Ichin's area. If she opted for a more ordinary apartment, she could actually afford it—it would just wipe out her savings.
But after achieving results and seeing her income steadily increase, even Aoba, who wasn't particularly demanding about lifestyle, had grown unwilling to settle for an average place. So she still lived with her family, planning to save more and then buy a larger home outright.
Utaha looked at the two of them and said, "Then you'd better work hard. Ideally, buy a place near ours in the future—then you can come over and hang out anytime."
"Heh… a villa, huh. That really does mean working extra hard," Aoba sighed.
Just then, the lights in the theater dimmed, and the massive screen at the front began playing the pre-show advertisements.
The movie was about to begin.
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