During her four years in university, Haruno could be said to have been a well-known figure on campus.
Her academic performance was outstanding—she always ranked near the top in every semester's exams, wrote papers with ease, and was deeply favored by her advisors and professors.
She had also participated in the student council. Even though she never ran for student council president, during the one year she served as a council member, she achieved remarkably impressive results.
Not to mention the fact that Haruno herself was a beauty and exceptionally good at dressing up.
On top of that, she was skilled at socializing. No matter how much sincerity there was behind that social finesse, it still earned her tremendous popularity among students. Both men and women were more than happy to talk to her.
But in reality, while it was easy to chat with Haruno, becoming her true friend was extremely difficult.
Even the two women Haruno had brought along today had only gradually grown close to her by their junior year—after nearly three years of interaction—and that was only because they themselves were outstanding and had pleasant personalities.
And yet now, this Haruno—who, in their memory, had never once shown this kind of expression toward any man—was actually acting spoiled?
This was definitely acting spoiled, right?
Absolutely, right?
The two of them stared in shock at Haruno… and then at Ichin sitting across from her.
Ichin noticed their reactions as well. Rolling his eyes at Haruno, he said, "Talk properly. Everyone's watching."
Even so, he still picked up some grilled meat and put it onto Haruno's plate—along with portions for her two friends.
"Thank you."
The two women thanked him and began eating. After lunch, they had gone straight to KTV for the afternoon. Although they'd had some fruit and snacks, they were already starving by now.
Haruno, meanwhile, was in an excellent mood, happily eating the beef tongue Ichin had given her.
While eating, she asked, "So how was the movie you watched this afternoon? You went shopping too, right?"
Ichin nodded. "The movie was pretty good. The plot was a bit unexpected, but it was still a solid film. As for shopping—of course we went. After all, I was the only guy there. I don't really get a say in things like that."
"Hehe, isn't that nice too?"
Haruno laughed. "Going shopping with a whole group of beauties, watching everyone change into all kinds of pretty outfits and asking for your opinion. Other people don't get that kind of treatment."
"That's true," Ichin admitted. "Even if it's a bit tiring, it does come with rewards."
Utaha listened and smiled, shooting Ichin an amused glare, but didn't say anything.
At the other table, Aoba was quite curious about Haruno's class reunion. "Haruno-san, was your reunion just eating together and then going to KTV?"
"Yep."
Haruno snatched a piece of grilled beef from Ichin's side and popped it into her mouth, chewing as she spoke. "Some people genuinely just want to see their old classmates, but there are also those who feel like they've done pretty well after graduating and want to show off a bit."
"And you?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked with a smile. "With your personality, you wouldn't just sit there watching others show off in front of you, would you?"
"Yeah, that's true. You really know me, Shizuka."
Haruno gave her a thumbs-up and continued, "I couldn't stand it, so I casually mentioned how my company's been developing. And after that… there was nothing more to say. I mean, starting a business these days isn't easy at all. Even if things go well at the beginning, actually becoming a billionaire is impossible unless you open up an entirely new, untouched market. Otherwise, there's no way to rise overnight. Ah—but that's not quite right. Ichin is an exception. I think I mentioned there were some projects we could collaborate on, but I haven't really told you what Ichin does yet, have I?"
With that, she gave her two friends a brief introduction to Ichin's company.
"That name sounds so familiar."
One of the short-haired girls tapped her chin, thought for a moment, then suddenly realized it. "Oh! I remember now—my boyfriend loves playing games from that company. So it's your company, Ichin? I never imagined the boss would be so young—and someone Haruno knows, no less!"
Ichin smiled. "I was just lucky. I found some great partners early on, and things developed smoothly after that."
After that, as everyone continued eating, Ichin chatted with Haruno's two friends about potential collaboration.
They truly had a wealth of advertising resources—ones Ichin would genuinely be able to make use of later. The two sides exchanged contact information on the spot, planning to meet formally the following week to discuss things in detail.
March was right around the corner, and the Garo game Ichin's team was developing was about to enter its promotion phase. They really did need to step up advertising in several areas.
Now that the company's strength had accumulated to a certain level, it was time to gradually increase investment in marketing and publicity.
The meal didn't wrap up until after nine o'clock. Everyone ate their fill, completely satisfied, having ordered extra meat twice during the meal.
After paying and stepping outside, Ichin looked at the group of girls walking arm in arm and leaning against each other, and shook his head helplessly.
"You all eat like monsters—so how come none of you ever grow any taller?"
Hitting a sore spot instantly filled Aoba and Nene's rage meters. The two joined forces and charged at Ichin—but unfortunately, being completely stuffed meant they could barely run. After easily dodging them twice, Ichin raised both hands in a devastatingly insulting move and pressed his palms against Aoba and Nene's foreheads.
With their short arms and legs, once their foreheads were held down, no matter how wildly they flailed, they couldn't land a single hit on Ichin.
Utaha had no intention of stopping this at all. Instead, she smiled, pulled out her phone, snapped several photos, and sent them straight into the company group chat.
When everyone in the company saw the photos, they all broke into knowing smiles.
After all—Aoba and Nene's heights were very eye-catching within the company.
After fooling around a bit outside the barbecue restaurant, Haruno turned to her two friends and Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"So, want to come over to my place for drinks next? Let's really party!"
At the mention of drinking, Shizuka lit up immediately and was the first to nod. "No problem—let's go!"
Haruno's two friends hesitated briefly, then agreed as well. They rarely got to meet Haruno, and they all enjoyed drinking, so naturally they didn't mind having a few drinks together.
Taking out her car keys, Haruno waved her hand grandly. "Alright—let's head home!"
Haruno drove her friends. Ichin took Utaha and Yukino. Shizuka drove her Aston Martin. After saying goodbye to Aoba and the others, they all drove back to the apartment building.
While heading upstairs, Yukino recalled what Utaha had mentioned earlier in the car and looked at her sister.
"Sis, I'll be staying next door tonight."
"Huh?"
Haruno froze for a moment, then quickly caught on. "Right, of course. We're going to be drinking—you shouldn't have to deal with that. You've got class tomorrow morning."
Shizuka reacted a beat late as well. "Ah, I almost forgot—it's Monday tomorrow. But it should be fine. I should be able to wake up… yeah, probably."
Not once did this woman even consider canceling the drinking plans.
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