New Game! Episode 8

"It's Summer Break!!" (夏休みだああ!!) is the eighth episode of the New Game! anime.

Synopsis
With her college on summer break, Nene takes up a part-time job at Eagle Jump as a debugger in Umiko's department. On her first day on the job, Nene tries to surprise Aoba only to get scolded by Umiko. Later, Nene becomes anxious when she inadvertently eats Ko's pudding, becoming more nervous when Rin sends a company e-mail about the theft. The next day, Nene anonymously buys a replacement pudding while Rin, sensing Nene was responsible, resolves the situation without ratting her out. After work, Nene receives praise from Umiko for her debugging work.

Plot
Nene's exams have finished, and she calls Aoba to celebrate the summer vacation. Unfortunately, Aoba does not have a summer vacation. She states that they are in the final stages of development and are very busy, but they will receive a vacation once the game is finished. She asks Nene to buy the game once it releases, and hangs up as her lunch break ends. Nene wonders if Aoba will be alright, and spots a recruitment poster from Eagle Jump.

At Eagle Jump, Umiko introduces herself to the part-time workers, but notices that a person is missing. She plans to fire her until Nene, the late person, shows up. Umiko says she will overlook it this time, but warns her to be more careful. As Umiko shows the part-timers around Eagle Jump, she questions Nene's abnormal behavior. Nene decides to take a bathroom break, but is spotted by Hajime and turns back. As Hajime leaves, Nene wanders into the character team booth.

While Ko scrutinizes Aoba's work, Aoba spots Nene walking around, and hides. She asks if the company has hired new employees. Ko and Rin state that debuggers are starting today, with Umiko in charge. After concluding that Nene plans to surprise her, she speaks loudly so Nene can hear her. Nene finds Aoba, and assumes that she has not noticed yet. She tries to approach her, but is captured by Umiko, who believes she is a corporate spy from another company. Nene calls Aoba for help, and they explain the situation.

After hearing the full story, Aoba and Nene apologize. Ko remarks that nobody would spy on them, though Umiko jokingly claims that she originally joined Eagle Jump as a spy. Aoba then introduces her superiors, Rin and Ko. With the situation settled, Nene continues her job debugging, but is annoyed by the game's constant freezing. Aoba states that it is her job to report that, and invites her for lunch with her coworkers. They are surprised at how timid Nene is, ask if she is Aoba's junior. Aoba teases Nene, despite looking childish herself.

At the cafeteria, Nene finishes her meal but wishes there was dessert. Hajime heads off somewhere, while Shizuku meets the corporate "spy". She takes a group photo with Aoba and Nene, claiming it is for their employee IDs. Nene is surprised that everyone acts like this is normal. Hajime returns and brings dessert with her. Shizuku states they were a gift from a client, and she's sharing them with everyone. Hajime points out the refrigerator, where they can take whatever they like.

As the days pass, Nene becomes tired of doing the same tasks everyday, but continues her job when Umiko arrives. She spots Nene's detailed reports, prompting Nene to ask if there is a problem. Umiko states that she should report and submit anything that bothers her, no matter how small it is. As Umiko leaves, Nene's stomach grumbles, so she takes a pudding from the fridge.

Later, Nene discovers a situation where Sophia, a character Aoba made, survives, and shows it to her. Aoba shows her findings to Rin, who asks that Nene should report this as a bug. She asks Aoba to not leave her seat often, as she is still clocked in. She also asks Nene to not encourage her. Umiko arrives and informs Rin that the director is looking for her. Ko also arrives with a problem: her pudding is missing. Nene suspects that she may have eaten her pudding by accident, but stays silent. Rin and Umiko leave to meet the director.

Ko states that the beta version is due tomorrow, hence why Rin appears to be busy. She also notes that the game will not be sold if it is not approved, and advises Aoba to work on her late assignments. With Ko and Aoba gone, Nene examines the pudding package, and confirms that she ate Ko's pudding. She attempted to apologise, but cannot leave with Umiko in charge.

Meanwhile, Ko has little progress finding out the fate of her pudding. Rin decides to take drastic actions and sends a company-wide email to everyone regarding the pudding. Aoba approaches Ko and asks if the pudding was important. Kou denies this, and remarks that Rin made the pudding situation a big deal. Nene only overhears the 'big deal' part and assumes she is in trouble. She envisions that Aoba may get into trouble as well, when Rin shows up. Not knowing what to do, Nene flees from the booth.

The next day, Rin and Kou look heavy-eyed after spending the entire night fixing an undiscovered bug, but notes that the game will probably pass inspection. Aoba gives Kou a pudding to thank her for covering some of her overdue work. She asks if they ever caught the pudding thief; they have not, but Kou does not care. Rin discovers a pudding with an apology note in the fridge, and shows it to Kou. Since she already has Aoba's pudding, Kou gives the new pudding to Rin as thanks. Aoba believes the culprit should apologize in person; Rin states that they already did, hinting that she knows who it was. She advises Aoba and Nene not to be too hard on the culprit.

After another day at work, Nene shares an elevator with Umiko. Umiko thanks Nene for working late again, and states that her knowledge on previous games and reports on things other than bugs were helpful for the people in the planning department.

Adaptation Notes

 * This episode adapts chapters 17 and 18 from volume 2.
 * Anime original scenes:
 * Nene discovering the recruitment poster.
 * The cafeteria scene with Shizuku taking their picture and Hajime showing the refrigerator.
 * Umiko noticing Nene's detailed reports.
 * The scene with Umiko and Nene in the elevator.
 * In the manga, Nene did not suspect she ate Ko's pudding until she inspected the packaging.