Dave the Diver!
No surprise there—when Tetsu Fuyukawa's latest project proposal was revealed, the entire company erupted into a frenzy of discussion!
"2D pixel art? Is it another roguelike?"
"Nope, they say it's a simulation farming game."
"What?! Switching genres again?! Is this for real?!"
"That's wild! Three games already, plus Sekiro in development—four games, four different styles?! Is he actually a genius?!"
"That's not even the point! The real question is, which studio is he teaming up with?!"
Another new genre!
To be honest, after parts of Tetsu's promotion contract leaked, most NTsoft employees had already guessed that, given his workaholic nature, a new project was bound to be announced soon. But no one expected him to switch genres again!
They were floored!
The entire NTsoft staff was floored!
Sure, whether it's interactive live-action games, action RPGs, roguelikes, or simulation games, they're all "games." But the differences between genres are massive—target audiences, core mechanics, game flow, and design priorities all vary wildly. Few game developers can juggle multiple genres at once!
And yet, Tetsu was tackling four distinct games in a single year!
It was outrageous!
Still, after witnessing his meteoric rise—NTsoft's youngest team leader, the pioneer of the bishoujo dating sim, the fastest to hit ten million sales, the "God of Roguelikes," and now NTsoft's youngest deputy director—the employees had developed a certain "shock immunity" to his antics.
The whole company was buzzing with anticipation, but Tetsu wasn't paying attention to the chatter. He was busy with other matters.
"This game's in a 2D pixel style, something you've worked on before. I want to put you in charge of the art department. What do you think?"
At Hikari Studio, in the deputy director's office.
Sitting on the sofa, Tetsu sipped oolong tea, facing Sayoko, who looked conflicted and a bit nervous.
Hearing his words, Sayoko's hands twisted together on her pale knees, her head lowered, voice laced with self-doubt. "N-no way, I can't! This game's got a decent budget, and you need it to sell well for your bonus. What if I mess it up?"
"What's there to be scared of?"
Seeing her lack of confidence, Tetsu shook his head with a helpless smile and patted the empty spot beside him. "Come here."
"Ugh…"
Obediently, Sayoko's cheeks flushed as she shuffled over, her peach-shaped figure accentuated by her tight skirt. She sat next to Tetsu, expecting his warm embrace—but it didn't come.
Under her puzzled gaze, Tetsu took a sip of tea and smiled. "I know you're not super ambitious, and I know you're not great at socializing. I could keep you in my arms forever, but that might not be good for either of us in the long run."
"W-what do you mean?" Sayoko's expression turned anxious. "Did I do something wrong, Tetsu-kun?! I can fix it, I—ah!"
Before she could spiral, Tetsu leaned in, giving her soft lips a quick peck before pulling her into his arms.
Ignoring her shy gaze, he nuzzled her fragrant neck, chuckling. "I'm not unhappy with you. I love our life together and enjoy every moment we spend. But love and passion? Those don't last forever."
He met Sayoko's shy, sideways glance and sighed with a smile. "If you pour all your energy into me, you might end up like those housewives on TV dramas, constantly worrying and overthinking, which could strain our family harmony.
"I don't want that for you, Sayoko. You don't need to force yourself to be some ultra-independent woman. You can keep relying on me—I love it when you do—but don't give up on what you love. I want you to pursue your passions in a field you enjoy."
Tetsu gently pinched Sayoko's cheek, his eyes full of affection. He wasn't a kid; he knew that love, while sweet and thrilling at the start, often faded over time. Problems arose when the initial excitement wore off, especially if one partner focused too much on the other.
That combination could be disastrous. For someone pessimistic, fixating on one thing often led to intense anxiety—worrying about the present, the future, whether the love was still there.
Anxiety bred stress, stress bred withdrawal or arguments, and Sayoko, to Tetsu, had a pessimistic streak.
To keep her from spiraling into anxiety, to avoid future conflicts or withdrawal, and to maintain their sweet life together, the best solution was to help her find confidence and joy in a field she loved. That would ease her stress.
Tetsu understood this, and so did Sayoko.
Meeting his gaze, Sayoko's smile grew sweeter.
She squirmed in his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck and planting a soft kiss on the corner of his lips. "I can feel how much you care, Tetsu-kun. This time, I'll muster up the courage."
"That's my girl."
"Hehe, but…" Sayoko's curves pressed closer as she looked up at him, her eyes mischievous. "You'll have to give me a little advance reward."
"You little vixen! Get those off yourself!"
"Hmph~"
---
As the old saying goes, "At thirty, she's a wolf."
And it was true. As their relationship deepened, Sayoko had grown bolder. But the office wasn't home, and dirty clothes were a hassle to change. Luckily, this wasn't their first rodeo. After a while, Sayoko skillfully pulled two clean pairs of underwear—one men's, one women's—from her bag.
A woman's purse holding lipstick, keys, and two pairs of underwear.
The visual was striking, sending another wave of heat through Tetsu. He was ready for round two when Mitei Miyano knocked on the office door.
No surprise there. As soon as she entered and caught a whiff of the odd air, she wrinkled her nose. But she was here for business. Glancing at Sayoko, who was blushing and staring intently at her tablet as if working, Mitei threw a few sarcastic jabs at Tetsu before steering the conversation to Dave the Diver.
Though Dave the Diver was an indie game and didn't need a massive team, Tetsu wanted to speed up production. With Hikari Studio fully tied up on Sekiro, they were short on manpower, so Tetsu proposed taking over an established team.
"Simulation games are mostly handled by Division Six's studios. Minister Serizawa from Division Six is part of Asai's faction, so borrowing staff from him shouldn't be an issue. But we'll need to give them a few slots on the credits. No need—I'll handle the tea."
Mitei sat across from Sayoko, legs crossed.
Sayoko started to get up to pour tea, but under Tetsu's amused gaze—perhaps because the recent gathering had brought them closer, or because Sayoko, with her similar yet contrasting life story, stirred something in her—Mitei, usually so commanding, grabbed Tetsu's used teacup, poured herself a hot tea, and even poured one for Sayoko.
The two women got along harmoniously, which made Tetsu happy. Spinning his pen, he nodded. "If we're using their talent, it's only fair they get some credit. Fine, reserve a 'Special Producer' slot for them in the credits."
Regular employees were already listed in the credits, but Mitei's point was that borrowing a studio without letting their leader take the helm meant compensating them with some recognition.
Tetsu and Mitei didn't care much about credits. The discussion wrapped up quickly, and they settled on collaborating with Division Six's Vanilla Studio and Chocolate Studio.
Yes, two studios. Tetsu's main goal was to churn out Dave the Diver quickly. His contract's 30% net profit bonus for two games was a big incentive, and he wanted to cash in before any complications arose.
As for whether merging two studios would cause issues, Tetsu was confident.
Dave the Diver had sold over a million copies in its first month in its previous life, reaching over three million total—a hit for an indie game. But it was a 2D pixel-style simulation game.
In simple terms, a farming game.
Farming games, like Stardew Valley, Cities: Skylines, Frostpunk, Anno 1800, or even Civilization VI (the "start at 9, quit at 8" game), were built on modular systems. For example, in Civilization VI, the tech tree, building upgrades, and military units were all separate modules.
As long as the design aligned these modules properly, splitting development across multiple teams wasn't too challenging.
But…
"Even though this game was a small hit in its previous life, it's still nowhere near a beast like Civilization VI. Tsk, gotta make money faster."
Chatting with Mitei, Tetsu's mind wandered.
He'd played Dave the Diver in his past life, but compared to Civilization VI, it paled. Not to diss one or hype the other, but thinking about it made him crave Civ VI—which didn't exist in this world.
"If it doesn't exist, I'll make it! Then I'll take a month off, hole up in a room playing games, cuddle with Sayoko when I'm tired, and keep playing!"
Fantasizing happily while discussing work with Mitei, lunch break soon arrived.
"Whew, time flies. Asai got back to me. He's already coordinated with the two studio leads—no issues. The company should send out the approval doc this afternoon."
Noon sunlight streamed through the office's floor-to-ceiling windows. Mitei, working at one side of the boss's desk, stretched, her white blouse lifting to reveal her curvy figure dramatically outlined in the light.
From the front of the desk, Tetsu took off his clear-framed glasses, glanced at her midriff, rubbed his nose, and nodded. "Got it. Sayoko, you can start adding those studio members on Line. We might kick things off this afternoon."
"S-so soon?!" Sayoko, sitting across from Mitei at the other end of the desk, sounded nervous.
Tetsu stood, ignoring Mitei's presence, and walked behind Sayoko, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her cheek. "No need to stress. You're leading the art team—they're the ones who should be nervous."
"B-but I've got no management experience…"
"If you're unsure about anything, just come to me."
Halfway through Sayoko's anxious words, Mitei, lounging with her legs crossed under the sunlight, cut in.
Caught off guard by Mitei's offer, Sayoko froze. So did Tetsu, but soon a smile tugged at his lips.
He walked behind Mitei, pinched her cheeks to lift her face, and, under her stunned gaze, leaned down for a kiss. "Now that's a department head vibe—ow!"
Before he could finish, Mitei bit his lower lip hard.
Her face flushed, she shot up, glancing at the equally red-faced Sayoko before glaring at Tetsu. "You've got some nerve!"
She couldn't believe Tetsu kissed her in front of Sayoko. Sayoko, meanwhile, gave Tetsu a resentful look, though it soon softened into resignation.
Standing, Sayoko bowed slightly to Mitei. "Please guide me going forward, Miyano-san."
"Guide you?" A double entendre. Mitei froze, glaring at Tetsu again, but he swiftly pulled her into his arms and brought her to Sayoko.
Boldly, Tetsu wrapped his right arm around Mitei and his left around Sayoko, grinning. "We're all family—don't be so formal."
"Tetsu-kun, you're such a pervert!"
"You're way too bold!"
"Hey, easy, you two!"
With one woman in each arm, Tetsu felt on top of the world—until his left arm was bitten and his right foot was stomped.
As he sat in the boss's chair, rubbing his arm and shoe, the two blushing women burst into giggles. When their eyes met, realizing they'd both laughed, their gazes held complex emotions. But Sayoko spoke first. "Let's look out for each other."
"Likewise."
---
Mitei had planned to go out for lunch, but Sayoko had packed bentos.
No debate—they split two bentos three ways. But when Mitei noticed some dishes were leftovers from the day before, she couldn't hold back a chuckle.
Sayoko's cheeks reddened. She wasn't poor anymore, but having grown up frugal, she always bought quality ingredients and followed a "clean plate" policy. She hadn't expected Mitei to join them today, so it was a bit embarrassing.
To her surprise, though, Mitei paused only briefly before digging into the bento.
Feeling the warmth of this family-like lunch, watching the two women chat, Tetsu smiled. He'd always thought Sayoko and Mitei wouldn't clash too much—not just because of Sayoko's gentle nature, but because, in some ways, they were alike.
Family harmony made Tetsu happy. Meanwhile, Asai's team worked fast, sending out the Dave the Diver project approval doc at noon.
Tetsu would lead the merged Vanilla and Chocolate Studios.
Seeing the news, many employees sighed in disappointment.
No mystery why—Tetsu had produced two smash hits!
Hits meant huge bonuses and resume-boosting credits, valid both at NTsoft and beyond.
Fame and fortune!
Every employee without a big background wanted to work on his projects!
But the merger announcement dashed many hopes.
However!
Another announcement soon reignited their excitement!
The doc confirmed the studio merger but also stated that Tetsu was recruiting additional staff for the Dave the Diver team!
Two studios, and still not enough people?!
It was just a mid-sized simulation game!
Many were puzzled.
Naturally—they'd never guess that Tetsu, NTsoft's youngest deputy director and elite behind Sekiro, was a rebel at heart!
Vanilla and Chocolate Studios were Asai's loyal teams, trained to stay with him. But new hires? They were Tetsu's chance.
Stockpile resources, bide time, then strike!
For Tetsu, "resources" meant capital and talent.
More talent for his future company meant faster game production and lower costs!
But for many employees, that wasn't the point—they just saw a chance to cash in and boost their careers!
No surprise, as soon as Tetsu announced the openings, the line to register with HR's Nogiki-obaasan was packed!
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