"Alright. Let's start the initial asset development according to the specs we discussed," Aoyama said, checking the latest build of the CyberEngine. "We'll use this phase to benchmark the performance and see how it handles under load."
Even with his master-level ability [Game Creator], Aoyama wasn't arrogant enough to assume everything would be perfect. The hardware in this world was different, and software was a living, breathing creature of logic. Bugs were inevitable.
There was a saying among programmers: "Fix one bug, spawn a dozen more." It was the inevitable tax of the digital world.
But Aoyama was determined to make this engine as efficient as possible. [Game Creator] gave him a level of intuition that bordered on precognition; he could see the bottlenecks before they even ran the code.
"Understood, Sensei," Yuto nodded.
He and Aoyama moved into the main dev floor. The room was filled with the soft hum of high-end workstations and the rhythmic clacking of keyboards.
Aoyama's role had shifted. He was no longer the one doing the heavy lifting; he was the technical consultant, the architect who oversaw the construction. He was there to provide guidance, to troubleshoot the impossible, and to ensure the vision remained pure.
The dev team appreciated his presence. Having Aoyama in the room felt like having a safety net. As the saying went: "It's like seeing a pig wearing a bra, at least you know someone's got it covered."
---
Meanwhile, the academic world was buzzing.
September had arrived, and with it, the relentless heat of late summer. The university campuses were flooded with students returning from their break. Some were excited to be back with friends, while others already mourned the loss of their free time and their parents' cooking.
The Metropolis Institute of Technology (MIT) was no exception. The older students were already out in force, watching the fresh-faced freshmen arrive for their mandatory military training with a mixture of nostalgia and sadistic delight.
Groups of upperclassmen sat in the shade, clutching iced drinks and cold fruit, performing a modern-day reenactment of "gazing at plums to quench thirst" for the exhausted freshmen marching in the sun. They took a strange pride in their "traditional Federation virtue" of making sure the new students knew exactly what they were missing out on.
Akane wasn't interested in such games. Now in her junior year, her schedule was packed with advanced workshops and independent research. She was working toward a master's degree, while also laying the groundwork for her own future business ventures.
Her life was a disciplined cycle of lectures, study sessions, and precious time spent either with her roommates or with Aoyama.
However, a certain "handsome young man" who had been sidelined for too long finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Akane!"
Akane had just finished a lecture and was heading to her next class with her roommates when a familiar figure appeared in her path.
It was Hayashi Yusuke.
His appearance immediately drew attention from the surrounding students. Yusuke was a well-known figure at MIT: the captain of the Management School's basketball team, from a wealthy and influential family, and undeniably attractive.
Akane, of course, was the legendary "Campus Queen" of the Computer Science School. Seeing the two of them together was always a source of gossip.
But Yusuke didn't care about the whispers. He looked at the girl in front of him with a mixture of respect and apprehension.
'This woman... might actually become my sister-in-law one day,' he thought. 'How am I supposed to talk to her?!'
Competition was out of the question. He had grown up worshipping his older cousin, Kento. Kento was the genius of their generation,brilliant, charismatic, and seemingly perfect. Yusuke knew he couldn't compete in terms of academics, ability, or looks.
Besides, it was obvious that Akane had eyes only for Kento.
He'd come to follow up on a promise Akane had made weeks ago: to ask for Kento's opinion on their family situation.
Why hadn't she replied? His father was breathing down his neck, demanding news about Kento. Yusuke had been waiting for a message that never came.
"Akane-san, I really need a moment of your time," Yusuke said, stepping forward.
Akane's expression remained frostily neutral. "I don't have time right now. I have another class to get to."
"Wait! Please!"
Yusuke tried to block her path, giving a meaningful look to Akane's roommate, Momo.
"Is everything okay, Akane? You should probably just hear him out," Momo suggested, trying to play peacemaker.
Akane ignored them, reaching for her bag as she prepared to walk past.
But Yusuke, desperate, took a gamble. He shouted a word that silenced the entire hallway.
"SISTER-IN-LAW! Sister-in-law, please! I'm begging you!"
The sound of "Sister-in-law" caused every head to turn. The gossiping students froze in their tracks. Even Momo looked stunned. She'd thought Yusuke was pursuing Akane; she hadn't expected him to call her a family member.
The directness of the hit worked. Akane's face immediately flushed a vibrant crimson, her pale cheeks glowing as if she'd applied an excess of rouge.
"You... you... don't say that!"
She looked at Yusuke with a mixture of embarrassment and genuine fury.
Yusuke, sensing an opening, stepped closer. "Sister-in-law... really. My father and I just want to see Kento-oniisan. Just once. Could you just... let us meet with him?"
"We're family. Blood is thicker than water," Yusuke pleaded, his eyes filled with sincerity. "My father misses him terribly. He's given me a final ultimatum..."
He leaned in slightly. "Think about it. Maybe Kento misses us too?"
Akane took a deep breath, her eyes hardening. "He doesn't know you. He's forgotten everything from before. Why are you trying to force this?"
Yusuke's hand trembled. His heart sank. "Did... did he tell you that himself?"
"No." Akane shook her head. "But he really doesn't remember. I saw his CT scans last week. He had a severe head injury in the past, likely the result of a fall. It caused a massive loss of long-term memory and had a significant impact on his emotional processing."
"Fortunately, his other functions are fine. Aside from the memory loss and some lingering psychological issues, he's perfectly healthy."
Aoyama's medical report had arrived last week. He hadn't kept it a secret from Akane; he'd let her read the whole thing.
Aoyama himself didn't believe the memory loss was due to a fall. He knew he was an interloper in another man's body. The memories hadn't been "lost"; the original soul had simply vanished, taking its life history with it.
But for Akane, the "fall" was the perfect explanation for the man Aoyama had become.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]