"What's that sound?"
In the underground parking lot, watching the black BMW rocking up and down beside her and hearing the faint, barely suppressed moans coming from inside, Asuka Yuzutake froze in place!
They were all adults, so getting a bit frisky in a car wasn't exactly shocking. But this voice…
"Is that Kawai-san?!"
"No doubt about it—this is the car he drove to the dojo before!"
The realization hit her, and as she stared at the increasingly vigorous rocking of the black BMW, Asuka's mind raced with wild thoughts. Her heart pounded, and a faint blush crept onto her cool, composed face.
"With that kind of rocking, isn't he worried about breaking Kawai-san?!"
Muttering under her breath and swallowing hard, Asuka prepared to slip away. But at that moment—screech—the rear window of the black BMW suddenly rolled down. In the next second, Sayoko's disheveled hair and flushed, sweaty face popped out of the window.
"Yaa, Tetsu-kun, you hit the window button—ahh!!!"
Panting heavily and feeling the cool air outside, Sayoko's pink hands gripped the window's edge, her face a mix of panic and embarrassment. She started to duck back inside, but then their eyes met.
Shock!
Both of them froze!
Staring at Asuka, who was absentmindedly blowing pink bubblegum, Sayoko's eyes widened in stunned silence. But beyond the shock, a rush of intense adrenaline surged through her!
After a long moment, the black BMW cruised through the streets of Akihabara.
"So, that girl saw everything?"
"Ugh…"
Steering with his left hand, his right elbow resting on the window, Tetsu Fuyukawa raised an eyebrow at Sayoko in the passenger seat. Seeing her flushed face, still wearing a mortified expression of social death, he switched hands on the wheel, rested his left hand on her thigh clad in black stockings, and chuckled, "Come on, we're all adults. No need to be that nervous."
"Eek! Easy for you to say, Tetsu-kun! How am I supposed to face Yuzutake-san after this?!"
Blushing furiously, Sayoko wrinkled her nose at Tetsu in embarrassed frustration, though she didn't push away his teasing hand.
Sensing her mood, Tetsu turned the wheel with one hand and grinned playfully. "Shouldn't she be the one worrying about that? We were just having fun in our own car—it's not like we broke any laws. Though… you seemed a bit more excited than usual back there."
"D-Don't say that out loud! That's so embarrassing!"
The mortifying topic made Sayoko flush even deeper. She grabbed Tetsu's hand and gave it a playful nibble, wrinkling her nose cutely again. But after her little tantrum, Tetsu's teasing brought back the thrill of being caught, and her face grew redder. Beneath the embarrassment in her eyes, a spark of excitement began to flicker.
The little parking lot incident didn't disrupt Tetsu's life—or Sayoko's, for that matter.
The next day at the office, Sayoko was a nervous wreck, dreading how she'd face Asuka. But Asuka, ever the thrill-seeker who loved "playing with eggs," didn't seem fazed. The visual shock from the night before was intense, but not enough to embarrass someone like her, who thrived on excitement and novelty.
Seeing Asuka's nonchalance, Sayoko gradually relaxed. But…
Maybe that incident had opened a new door for her, because she started seeking out Tetsu at the office more and more.
Tetsu, of course, was all in. But with Asuka joining the motion-capture team, his workload grew heavier.
While K-On! didn't need his direct supervision on set, he still had to tweak its script. The show was originally a slice-of-life anime, but turning it into a game meant adjusting the perspective and pacing.
The workload was substantial, but it was a good thing.
Even with a system in his head, most games had flaws—or at least aspects Tetsu, as a former player, thought could be improved. For example, Sekiro was too short; God of War 4 had repetitive enemies late-game; The Last of Us Part 1 was a masterpiece, but Part 2's story got torn to shreds.
These were issues he needed to address, not just by tweaking gameplay or enhancing visuals but often by refining the story.
Take Sekiro, for example. He wanted to add a new storyline, which required strong writing skills. Working on K-On!'s adjustments helped him hone his storytelling craft.
As the saying goes, sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting.
Spending time refining K-On! deepened his understanding of narrative structure. Combined with his daily study of game stories from his past life, Tetsu grew more adept at crafting Sekiro: Shiranui Mai's Arc.
Still, his main focus was on Sekiro's promotional trailer and Dave the Diver.
No particular reason—just that Dave the Diver was nearing completion.
Originally developed by Mintrocket, a small studio under Korea's gaming giant Nexon, Dave the Diver was made by a lean team. Tetsu's studio, however, was a merger of two teams, with far more staff and a clearer development path. This made Dave the Diver's production lightning-fast.
The original game was a modest 2.7 GB, but after Tetsu expanded the management and cooking mechanics and piled on new assets, the game ballooned to 4.7 GB—nearly double the size!
The content had grown massively!
But honestly, Tetsu wasn't the only one thrilled. His studio teams were over the moon.
Dave the Diver required extensive research cuisine, and the studio brought in master chefs to guide them in person.
While some poke fun at Japan's "craftsman spirit," the Japanese approach to excellence is one of genuine learning and admiration. During this process, NTsoft staff showered the chefs with praise like "Sugoi!" and "You're amazing!" Occasionally, the chefs would borrow the company cafeteria to cook.
This led to some amusing moments—particularly when the Sichuan and Hunan chefs' dishes were met with hesitation.
Sichuan food was numbingly spicy, Hunan food was fiery hot, and while Japanese media might lean into bold flavors, most Japanese palates prefer milder tastes. Some even pair ramen with rice because the broth feels too intense.
But this was a win.
Tetsu, Sayoko, and Miya Miya loved spicy food. The trio often sat at a small table, digging into dishes like boiled pork slices.
Kindred spirits in a foreign land!
Seeing others shy away from spicy dishes while they devoured them with gusto, the Sichuan and Hunan chefs got fired up. They rolled out dishes like pickled fish, spicy fish head, husband-and-wife lung slices, and mapo tofu. The downside? Tetsu had to swear off midday intimacy.
No choice—his girlfriend after eating spicy food… well, those who know, know.
Amid these busy yet fun days, time slipped by. When the cicadas' chorus filled Tokyo's clear skies, the TGS Summer Expo arrived.
---
Noon, scorching sun, cicadas chirping outside. In a female dorm at Tokyo University of the Arts, cooled by air conditioning…
"Kui, it's so hot today. You're still going to the TGS Summer Expo?"
Futaba Nakano, a tall dance major, leaned back in her chair, tilting her head to look at Sunflower Izumi, who was pulling on socks while sitting on her bed.
It was sweltering, and in the dorm, Sunflower wore only a thin nightgown.
Hearing her roommate, she slipped a boat sock onto her fair foot, wiggled her toes to ensure it fit comfortably, and was about to reply when another roommate, a glasses-wearing girl playing The Binding of Isaac, turned and grinned. "Futaba, that's a silly question. Kui's 'big brother' has a game debuting at this expo. No way she's missing it."
"Huh? Already? I heard games take years to make."
Futaba, the dance major, propped her long legs on the computer desk, tilting her chair back and letting her head dangle.
"Careful, Nakano-senpai, you might fall," Sunflower warned with a smile, nudging her senior's head forward. She slipped off her nightgown, revealing a strawberry-patterned outfit Tetsu loved.
The cool AC breeze brushed her slender frame. She tied her twin tails with a big red bow, bent to put on a pleated skirt, and said, "It's two games, actually. The big one's still in progress—they're just showing a trailer this time. The other's a smaller project, over 3 billion yen, set to release after the expo."
"Tch, 3 billion yen for a 'small' project? Stop flexing!" Futaba playfully swatted Sunflower's increasingly plump peach, laughing. "But your brother's seriously impressive. So young, already a deputy director at a big company, handling major projects. I wonder when my Asei will make it big."
Comparing yourself to others can be brutal.
Thinking of Sunflower, already signed to an entertainment agency as a freshman, and her "brother" with his vast connections, then thinking of her own boyfriend and Tokyo's sky-high housing prices, Futaba sighed helplessly.
Seeing her exasperated look, Sunflower giggled. "Don't worry, Asei's a solid guy. He'll definitely give you a happy life, Futaba-senpai."
"Solid… solid's useless! When I met him, I thought a dependable guy was great, but now? 'Solid and hardworking' just sounds like corporate PUA to control employees! Men need to be sharp and adaptable, or in this economy, you can't make it."
Futaba sounded defeated, but after venting, she thought of her boyfriend's goofy face, shook her head with a mix of frustration and amusement, and said, "Alright, alright, get going. Don't want your 'big brother' blaming us commoners if you're late."
"Hmph, you're always teasing, Futaba-senpai. I'm off!"
With a playful huff, Sunflower smoothed her white blouse and pleated skirt, slipped on white sneakers, and left. After she was gone, the gaming glasses girl turned, whispering slyly, "Kui's wearing a skirt today."
"So? What's with the skirt?" Futaba raised an eyebrow.
The glasses girl pushed up her rimless frames and smirked. "She usually wears overalls or jeans. She only wears skirts when she's meeting her 'brother.' Why do you think that is?"
"You perv!" Futaba blinked, then laughed, rolling her eyes. But her expression turned thoughtful. "Now that you mention it, her 'buns' have gotten a bit bigger since she started school. But what's that got to do with you, eternal virgin?"
"…That's too harsh, ugh!"
---
Tokyo's summer was sweltering.
"Should've brought an umbrella."
Stepping out of the dorm, Sunflower was hit by a wave of heat. The sun blazed, stinging her eyes. She squinted and hurried to the shade of a tree-lined path toward the campus gate.
The path was crowded with others dodging the sun. Nearby, she overheard a few male students in T-shirts and shorts chatting.
"The Demon King Saga sequel trailer's dropping at this expo. Man, it's been almost 20 years since the last one—my youth is back!"
"Yeah, I first played it as a kid at my uncle's place on a Famicom. Got the PC version in middle school. The third game was meh, though—I didn't even finish it."
"True. I read the third game's flop is why NTsoft shelved the IP. But this time? An $80 million blockbuster, made by NTsoft's veteran studio. It might revive action games!"
A guy in a red T-shirt spoke excitedly.
Sunflower frowned slightly. Another short-haired guy beside him chimed in, "I'm more curious about Tetsu Fuyukawa's Sekiro and Dave the Diver. The guy's been on fire since last winter, pumping out four games. That speed's insane."
"And they're all fun! I bought Surrounded by Beauties expecting a shooter, but it was surprisingly awesome."
"Right? When The Binding of Isaac dropped, I didn't leave my apartment for a week. My landlord thought I died and sent the cops to check on me. So embarrassing."
"Haha, probably 'cause you never shower!"
"Screw you, I showered two days ago!"
"You're wild. But I saw on forums that Tetsu's competing with the Demon King Saga team. Word is, this expo's results might decide which game gets more funding."
"For real? Aren't they in the same company?"
"Who knows? But big companies have internal rivalries, right? I'm curious what Tetsu means by a 'soulslike' game that'll 'make the world feel pain.'"
"Make the world feel pain? Sounds so chuunibyou. Probably just hype."
"Maybe, but whatever. I heard Sekiro's got an offline demo at the expo. They say it's super hard, real hardcore stuff."
"Hardcore? Ha! Let me, the Demon King Saga 2 no-damage master, test it out. Hope it's not too easy, or it'll be boring."