Tuesday 8 Nov 1997 ZAGE Tower Japan.
Around 2 PM, Zaboru was deep in work on his PC, seated in his private office on the 51st floor of ZAGE Tower. He remained fully focused, typing and reviewing documents, while Ayumi was nearby. She had brought little Zenshin along, who was fast asleep on the couch. Ayumi, on the other hand, was completely relaxed, casually playing ZAGE's latest video game, Silent Hill, on the ZEPS 3. Despite its terrifying atmosphere, she played without a hint of fear—Ayumi was incredibly brave, especially when it came to horror games.
Zaboru sighed, paused his work, and grabbed a gyoza that Ayumi had made. As he chewed, he glanced at her, curious. "Why aren't you scared playing Silent Hill or watching horror movies? But when someone brings up ghosts in real life, you freak out?"
Zaboru looked genuinely puzzled. Ayumi, without missing a beat, replied, "Because games and movies aren't real. But if something actually happened in real life? Yeah, that's terrifying!"
Zaboru squinted. "So you believe ghosts are real?"
Ayumi turned pale and stared at him. "You better shut up, Zabo! I saw one when I was a kid!"
His eyes widened. "Heheh, interesting. I hope I meet one too. Would be nice if it's a lady ghost."
Ayumi slowly turned to him with a poker face, her silence heavy. Zaboru winced and quickly added, "I'm just joking, Ayumi! Come on."
Ayumi casually replied, "Yeah, well, tomorrow I won't bring any food. You can buy your own."
"Sigh… fine," Zaboru said with an exaggerated groan. Then he added with a grin, "But you're still cute, though."
He leaned over, poking her side to bother her. She couldn't help but laugh and smacked him in the face with a pillow.
Just then, the office door burst open. In walked Zanichi Renkonan—Zaboru's father and ZAGE's CTO—looking flustered, and right behind him was Keiko, Zaboru's mother, who had calm face.
"Zaboru! There's an urgent situation!" Zanichi said in a tense voice.
Zaboru blinked, startled. "What's wrong, Dad?"
Zanichi looked tense as he entered, while Keiko casually walked over to check on Zenshin, completely unfazed. Zanichi gripped Zaboru's shoulder firmly, his expression serious.
"It's Sanika… she—she has a boyfriend!" he blurted.
Zaboru's eyes went wide. "What!?" he shouted, stunned. "Who is it!?"
Ayumi raised an eyebrow, looking between the two men with mild confusion. "Um… is that really a problem? Sanika's sixteen, right? She's not a little kid anymore. And besides, she's smart. She knows when a guy's only after her money or reputation."
Keiko sighed as she gently adjusted Zenshin's blanket. "That's exactly what I told him. But this fool's been in full panic mode ever since he found out," she said, shooting a sideways glance at Zanichi.
Zanichi, still gripping Zaboru like it was the end of the world, shook his head. "It's not just that! What if he's pretending to be nice? What if he's hiding his real intentions? What if he breaks her heart?"
Ayumi shrugged. "Well… that's part of life, isn't it? She's going to have relationships and figure things out." Keiko nod casually.
Zaboru, meanwhile, was frozen in thought. The idea of Sanika having a boyfriend was enough of a shock, but judging by his father's intensity, this wasn't going to be a normal high school drama.
Meanwhile, Zanichi said, "They don't understand, Zaboru. But you do, right?"
Zaboru glanced at his father, meeting his eyes with a sharp nod. "Yeah, Dad, I understand. Let's tail her. I need to see for myself what that bastard is doing with my little sister."
Zanichi's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "That's the spirit! Let's go—work can wait. This is top priority."
Without missing a beat, the two men grabbed their coats and headed straight for the elevator like it was a mission briefing. They didn't even bother to make excuses.
Ayumi and Keiko, standing in the office, exchanged knowing glances.
"Like father, like son," Ayumi muttered.
Keiko shook her head with a soft sigh. "Honestly. They're both hopeless."
Ayumi added, "It's like watching a pair of middle schoolers form a spy club."
Keiko laughed under her breath as the elevator doors closed behind the two overly serious men. "Let them have their little operation. They'll wear themselves out before dinner."
Meanwhile, on Sanika's side, she was walking through the sunny streets of downtown Tokyo, holding hands with her new boyfriend—Hidetaka Miyazaki. Unlike the many other boys who had tried to get close to her with hidden agendas and selfish motives, Hidetaka was different. He didn't try to impress her with flashy gestures or empty compliments. In fact, they'd been classmates for over a year, but Sanika had only recently started noticing how genuine he was.
Every morning, Sanika would see Hidetaka arriving early, sometimes even before the school gates opened. He always looked tired, but focused, as if he had just wrapped up something important. It wasn't long before she discovered that he worked part-time at a nearby arcade and other nearby stores to help support his family. That impressed her. But what caught her attention even more was his intelligence. Hidetaka was one of the sharpest students in their class, often solving problems others couldn't even approach.
Sanika had a strange ability—an intuition. She could feel people's intentions when they were near. It was as if their thoughts became whispers in her head. Most of the boys who approached her thought things like: "If I date her, I'll get rich," or "Maybe I can use her to get close to her brother," or even worse, "If I can make her my girlfriend, I'll become famous."
It was exhausting. Trying to find someone who saw her as a person, and not as a prize or connection to power, had been a nightmare. But Hidetaka was different. Around him, her head was quiet. There were no greedy thoughts, no ulterior motives—just a calm, focused presence. That alone made him stand out in a world full of noise.
For the first time in a long while, Sanika didn't feel guarded. With Hidetaka, she felt seen for who she really was, not who others wanted her to be.
During lunch breaks, Sanika often saw Hidetaka sitting quietly by himself, immersed in study. But it wasn't the usual school subjects—he was always focused on art sketches or pages of code. That instantly caught Sanika's attention because it lined up with her own interests in digital design and programming. She had always found it hard to meet someone her age who was genuinely into the same things—not just casually, but deeply passionate.
Her curiosity eventually got the better of her. One afternoon, she approached him, asking what he was reading. To her surprise and delight, Hidetaka said he wanted to become a game developer. It made her heart skip—finally, someone who wasn't just ambitious, but walking a similar path. That moment sparked something in her.
Even funnier was what she sensed from him. When she got close, his thoughts betrayed no flattery or ego—instead, she picked up a stray internal grumble: "Ugh, she's probably going to distract me. I really need to get back to my notes." It made her laugh internally. Here she was, one of the most popular and rich girls in school, and he was annoyed she might interrupt his study session. He wasn't putting on a show. He was just focused. That sincerity made him stand out in a way no one else did.
The more she got to know him, the more inspired she became. Hidetaka's dedication, his honesty, his sense of responsibility—it was all so raw and real. He worked multiple part-time jobs to support his family, yet never let it show at school. He wasn't rich, he wasn't flashy, and he didn't chase attention. He chased purpose.
A few days later, Sanika made a bold decision. Instead of waiting around or dropping hints, she straight up asked Hidetaka to be her boyfriend. He was stunned. A girl like her? Asking him? He could hardly believe it. But when she added that she also wanted to be a game developer, his guard cracked. His eyes lit up, the corners of his mouth twitched into a small, genuine smile—and he said yes.
Since then, the two had become nearly inseparable, even if their dynamic was a little unconventional. Hidetaka, naturally introverted, wasn't very expressive in public. But Sanika? She was energetic, bold, and completely unashamed about doting on him. She dragged him to lunch spots, challenged him at arcade games, and proudly introduced him as her boyfriend. And even if Hidetaka seemed overwhelmed at times, he never pulled away. Their bond had become something real—two people with the same dream, walking side by side in their own way.
"Hide-chan, so what are you gonna do after this?" Sanika asked with a cheerful smile as she stretched in her seat. They had just finished lunch at one of ZAGE's stylish cafes. The place had a warm, ZAGE vibe, popular among young creatives and game enthusiasts. Hidetaka looked a little nervous as he held his drink with both hands.
"Um… you're sure I don't need to pay?" he asked, hesitating.
Sanika laughed and waved him off. "Don't worry! It's my treat. You already work hard enough. Besides, I'm the one who dragged you out!"
She leaned forward, her eyes lighting up. "Hey, let's go to the arcade next! Can you beat me in Street Fighter II? I'm not gonna go easy—I'm actually pretty good!" Sanika grinned "You might beat me on Tekken and Soulcalibur! but not on street fighter 2!"
Hidetaka adjusted his glasses and gave a small but confident grin. "Obviously, I can."
He stood up, and Sanika grinned back. "Alright then, let's go!" The two walked out, laughing and nudging each other like they'd known each other for years.
What they didn't know, however, was that they had two very determined shadows following from a distance: none other than Zanichi and Zaboru, Sanika's father and older brother. The two moved stealthily—at least in their own minds—keeping a safe distance as they observed the couple.
Zanichi narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "What kind of bastard lets a girl pay for him?"
But before his judgment could go any further, a sudden realization hit him like a nostalgic punch to the gut. He blinked and chuckled awkwardly.
"…Wait. Didn't Keiko pay for me too when we first started dating?" he mumbled to himself, scratching the back of his head even worse Keiko are paying everything! because he is homeless back then.
Zaboru glanced sideways at his dad, suppressing a smirk.
"Well, maybe he has his reasons… right, Zaboru?" Zanichi asked, trying to save face. "Hey, why are you so quiet? What's up?"
Zaboru, meanwhile, felt like his brain was on fire. The moment he saw the boy walking beside Sanika, something clicked. He squinted, replaying the boy's face, his posture, his name—and then it hit him like a lightning bolt. That wasn't just some random high school student. It was him. The GOAT himself. The legendary Hidetaka Miyazaki.
Though he was noticeably younger than the man Zaboru knew from his past life, there was no mistaking it. The features were softer, his frame slimmer, but it was undeniably the same person. The realization hit hard. "I don't believe it," Zaboru muttered under his breath, stunned.
Yes—this was the Hidetaka Miyazaki. The creative genius behind Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring. In Zaboru's past life, he had idolized the man. Studied his design philosophy, collected every interview, and poured hundreds of hours into his games. And now… now, the very same legend was casually walking beside his younger sister, smiling, relaxed, and apparently dating her.
"And he's… sixteen , seventeen?" Zaboru whispered to himself, doing the math. "That would put his birth year around 1981. That's seven years off from the original timeline… but still him. No doubt."
Zaboru clenched his jaw, both thrilled and completely overwhelmed. "If this were my old world, I could brag about this to everyone. I could post this on forums. But here? Now? It's way more complicated." He looked at the two ahead with a conflicted expression.
Then he said out loud, "That guy seems like a good dude, though. But let's see what he's really about."
Zanichi scoffed next to him. "Rookie mistake, Zaboru. He could be acting. Always assume the worst until proven otherwise."
Zaboru nodded slowly, still deep in thought.
"Come on. We're losing them," Zanichi said, picking up the pace.
Without another word, both men continued their awkward, covert pursuit of Sanika and her unexpected, history-altering boyfriend.
To be continue
LoL this what i planned al along Hidetaka Miyazaki are my favorite game dev so… hahaha.
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