After the barbecue, Vivian Frost drove Ethan Reed and his little sister back to the old, worn-down building where Ethan rented his tiny single room. The night air was cold, and the streetlights gave everything a dusty, yellow glow. The car slowed near the entrance, but Vivian didn't immediately drive off.
She hesitated.
She knew they were biological siblings, of course. That part wasn't the problem. The problem was… it still felt weird.
Sienna Reed was seventeen now—basically an adult. Pretty, tall, confident, and honestly the kind of girl who stood out anywhere. Even Rachel Quinn would look twice at her long legs and sharp, heroic face. She had that rare beauty that could make both men and women stare—cool, bold, and strangely captivating.
But none of that was the main point.
The main point was: the world wasn't kind, and people loved to gossip. Even if they were siblings, sharing a tiny one-room space could easily look suspicious to strangers. And in a city like Lumen City, suspicion always grew fangs.
Vivian's fingers stayed on the steering wheel while she weighed whether to say something.
Before she could speak, Sienna stood on the roadside, still holding a skewer of grilled kidneys like it was a trophy. She waved at Vivian with a bright smile.
"Sis-in-law! Bye-bye~! See you tomorrow~!"
Her voice was sweet. Too sweet. The kind of sweet that could make a person's brain melt.
Vivian's face warmed instantly.
"See you tomorrow!" she replied too quickly.
Then she stepped on the accelerator and shot off like the car was escaping a crime scene.
Inside her head, Vivian groaned. If she spent one more minute with that girl, she might stop calling Ethan "Ethan" in her mind and start calling him "husband" without even realizing it.
That was the danger of constant "sis-in-law" chanting.
All night, her thoughts felt dizzy.
Upstairs, Ethan carried the suitcase while Sienna walked beside him, happily chewing the last bite of her kidney skewer.
"Brother, how was it?" she asked with a grin. "I was super helpful, right?"
Ethan gave her a thumbs-up, half amused and half helpless. "Yeah. You're… terrifyingly helpful."
Sienna puffed up proudly. "I knew it the moment I saw you two at the station."
Ethan glanced at her. "How?"
Sienna spoke like she was quoting a book. "Positions. Body language. There's a psychology book I read in the school library. It said when a woman has a good impression of a man, she'll subtly lean toward him. She'll want physical closeness. At the station, Vivian was basically glued to you. She was practically leaning into your arm."
Ethan froze.
Sienna continued cheerfully, "And you? Men usually accept physical contact from women they like. But when it's someone they really like, they become careful. They don't act rash. They watch her face first. You were calling my name, but your eyes were on her the whole time."
She trotted up two steps, then turned back with a laugh. "Trust me, brother. I'm going to help you win her over during this visit."
Ethan stared at her like she'd grown a halo.
At school, Sienna wasn't just a top student. She was a walking disaster with genius-level observation skills. The "Little Cupid Angel" nickname suddenly didn't feel like a joke.
"Awesome," Ethan muttered, honestly impressed. "You're like a study-abroad matchmaker."
Sienna giggled and stepped into his room.
The place was small, but Ethan had already laid out a futon on the floor. It was his best attempt at making things less awkward.
Sienna's eyes softened for a second. "Brother… are you sleeping on the floor?"
Ethan pointed at the futon. "No. You are."
Sienna immediately flopped onto the bed like a cat claiming territory. She kicked off her sneakers, rolled around in white socks, and sniffed the blanket like she was judging a hotel.
"The quilt smells like sun," she declared with satisfaction. "I thought it would smell sour."
Ethan poked her forehead. "Do I look like a slob?"
"When we had bunk beds, your socks and underwear were scattered everywhere," she said, grinning.
Ethan's ears went red. "Get lost."
Sienna laughed so hard she almost fell off the bed.
Later, Ethan just washed his face while Sienna took a proper shower. When she came out, she wore a Squirtle-print pajama set and sat cross-legged on the bed, staring down at him like a curious detective.
"Brother," she said softly, "why didn't I realize you were this outstanding before? When you first graduated, you were always asking the family for money."
Ethan lay back on the floor, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "Internships don't give you chances. Society is harsh. Having ability doesn't mean anything if your superior only makes you pour tea and do errands. You need opportunity. You need timing."
"But your grades weren't great in school," Sienna insisted. "And your drawings… weren't you just drawing stick figures?"
Ethan sighed. "Only you're allowed to improve? I'm not allowed to level up too?"
That made Sienna grin. The awkwardness Ethan had expected—after three years apart—was completely gone. Sienna had a gift for reading the room and cutting tension with jokes. It wasn't just intelligence. It was emotional awareness.
Then she remembered the real reason she came.
"So, what job are you finding for me?" she asked, eyes bright.
Ethan didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he thought about the idea that had been forming in his mind since dinner.
Then he said, "Voice acting. Singing. Maybe instruments."
Sienna blinked. "Singing?"
"Yes. The next animation project needs a lot of songs. We need voice actors who can sing. You're perfect."
Sienna's eyes widened. "Wait—singing songs you wrote?"
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Who else's songs would it be?"
Sienna laughed and pulled the blanket up. "Okay, okay. Sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
She closed her eyes quickly—like she could switch off instantly.
But Ethan couldn't sleep.
He stayed awake, scrolling through a mental library of music ideas, thinking about a project that could change Northstar Games' future.
The plan was simple.
Make something cute. Something warm. Something that felt like comfort food for the brain.
A slice-of-life animation about a girl band.
No villains. No heavy plot. Just friendship, music, and daily chaos.
K-ON!—but rebuilt to fit his world.
And then he smiled in the dark.
Because the real goal wasn't only the anime.
The real goal was what would come after it.
A rhythm game.
Northstar hadn't touched that genre yet. But if the show became popular, the game would have a built-in fanbase. Music sells. Cute characters sell. Concert scenes sell. Merch sells.
And a rhythm game?
That could print money.
Ethan finally sat up and opened his laptop.
In the quiet half of the night, he started writing.
By morning, the script would be ready.
---
The next day, on the third floor of Northstar Games, Rachel Quinn walked into the office and stopped mid-step.
She looked at the tall girl eating steamed buns and fried dough sticks like she owned the place.
Then she looked at Ethan drinking soy milk.
"Your sister?" Rachel asked.
Ethan nodded. "My sister."
Rachel studied Sienna carefully, then pointed at Ethan like a judge delivering a verdict. "She doesn't look like you. She's way prettier."
Ethan's face stayed calm, but his soul took damage.
He wasn't ugly—just the "clean, delicate" type. Not flashy. Not heroic.
Sienna, on the other hand, looked like she could cut her hair short and instantly pass as a handsome guy. But with long hair, she had that cool onee-san charm people loved in modern ACG culture.
Sienna smiled sweetly at Rachel. "Thank you, big sister~"
That cute voice with that cool face made Rachel's cheeks turn red. She rubbed her nose and puffed her chest like she was proud of herself.
"Leave it to me!" Rachel declared. "Voice acting can start with Pokémon—"
Then she turned to Ethan, eyes sharp. "But the new anime. Decided?"
"It's decided," Ethan said. "And I want to talk about it."
Rachel instantly got excited. "Edgerunners Season 2?!"
"How many times do I have to tell you?" Ethan pushed her forehead away before she could pounce. "There's no Season 2."
Rachel pouted.
Ethan continued, "It's slice-of-life. Music. Cute girls. That's the selling point."
Rachel froze. "You… wrote that?"
"The script is already in your email."
Rachel pulled it up immediately and skimmed fast. The more she read, the stranger her gaze became.
"I didn't expect you to understand this," she said slowly, with a very suspicious tone.
Ethan stared. "Take back that look."
Rachel grinned. "It's good. It won't be an annual monster hit like Edgerunners and Pokémon. But it can definitely be a seasonal hit."
Then she frowned at one part. "But why is the main character so… useless?"
Ethan sighed. "Not useless. It's 'moe uselessness.' The charm is watching girls bond. There are no villains. No big plot twists. It's comfort."
Rachel nodded, half convinced. "What about the songs? There are a lot."
Ethan smiled. "I've got plenty."
And then he revealed the twist.
He wanted to make it an international version. Not locked into one rigid setting. Characters with different backgrounds. Different languages. Different styles.
That way, the music could blend influences. Pop. Soft rock. Acoustic. Even multilingual moments.
Rachel's eyes lit up. "That's actually smart."
Ethan nodded. "Start recruiting voice actors this afternoon. People who can sing get priority."
Rachel saluted dramatically. "Understood. We already have Luna Ash. Now Sienna. That's two."
Then she leaned closer. "Should we bring in actual Japanese voice talent for the Sakura roles? Since we're doing global vibes anyway."
Ethan shrugged. "Sure. Watch the budget. Don't lose money. Do what you want."
Rachel laughed. "Boss energy."
Ethan's mind was already racing ahead.
If Northstar wanted to truly go international—if their future flagship projects were going to become global phenomena—they couldn't keep working in a closed bubble. They needed connections, partners, and overseas talent pipelines.
Which meant one thing.
Daniel Reed would probably have to take another business trip.
---
Far away on another floor, Daniel suddenly sneezed hard.
"Achoo!"
Evan Cross, who had just returned from Pokémon-related work, glanced over. "Cold?"
Daniel rubbed his nose and shivered. "No. But I keep feeling like someone is plotting against me."
Evan stared at him for a second.
Then sighed. "Yeah. That sounds about right."
And somewhere upstairs, Ethan Reed smiled—because the next big plan had already started moving.
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