AN : Sanika 1999
Sunday 7 September 1999 Renkonan Household.
Zaboru is back at the main house with his whole family gathered around, and today even Sanika's boyfriend, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is here too. The living room feels warmer than usual—Keiko moving around as if everyone is still a child, Ayumi keeping an eye on Zenshin while Arumi is sleeping on her crib, and Zanichi sitting with that fatherly posture that can switch from relaxed to intimidating in a second.
Zaboru sighed, watching Sanika carefully. "Sani-chan… you really want to join under a new identity?"
Sanika and Hidetaka have already passed the process and been accepted as ZAGE interns. Their new career is about to begin—just a few months after graduating high school. They did it through proper testing, and they absolutely nailed it without any internal help. The results weren't just "good enough"—they were clean, confident, and consistent, the kind of performance that quietly proves capability even before someone speaks.
It should feel exciting, like a door opening to the future. And in a way, it does. But excitement isn't the only thing in Sanika's chest.
Sanika has one condition.
She doesn't want to enter as "Renkonan." She doesn't want that name hanging over her like a label, making coworkers treat her like a "golden child" before she even proves anything. After all, her father is ZAGE's CTO… and her brother is literally the owner and CEO. If she walks in with the family name, people will either fear her, flatter her, or whisper behind her back.
And none of that is what she wants.
She wants her first day to be normal. She wants to earn respect the hard way—through late nights, messy drafts, mistakes she fixes herself, and small victories that belong to her alone. If someone praises her, she wants it to be for her work. If someone criticizes her, she wants it to be honest. No shortcuts. No special treatment. No invisible crown she never asked for.
Sanika nodded eagerly. "Yes! I'll be Sanika Ran," she said, almost too excited to stay still. "I want to experience a proper work environment at ZAGE—not as your little sister, not as someone people tiptoe around, but as a normal intern who has to learn everything from the ground up."
She pressed a fist lightly to her chest, like she was making a promise to herself. "And I want to learn it with my own hands—how real game development works—so my skills can actually grow. I want to struggle, I want to improve, and I want to earn it. I don't want to become 'special' just because I'm a Renkonan, hehehe."
Hidetaka Miyazaki smiled beside her, proud and a little too happy—like he couldn't help it. He looked at Sanika the way someone looks at a person they genuinely admire, and the softness in his face was obvious.
Zanichi immediately frowned. "What is it, Hidetaka? Why are you grinning like an idiot?" His eyes narrowed, the way they did when he was about to dissect someone. "Don't tell me you're thinking, 'Well… Sani-chan will definitely use the Miyazaki name someday, because she'll be my wife,' right?"
Hidetaka's eyes widened. A cold sweat broke across his forehead so fast it looked like he'd just been caught stealing from the kitchen. His smile froze in place, and for a second he couldn't even find words—only a stiff, panicked gulp.
"H-huh!? N-no!" he blurted out, hands lifting defensively. "I-I wasn't thinking that at all!" His voice cracked just enough to betray him, not because he was guilty, but because Zanichi's stare felt like a weapon. "I was just… I was just happy she got accepted on her own! That's all, Zanichi-san! I swear!"
Sanika's cheeks warmed immediately, half embarrassed and half annoyed at the spotlight suddenly turning toward them.
Zaboru laughed. "Hahahaha! Dad, you're really delusional!" He waved a hand like he was dismissing a ridiculous rumor. "Besides, like I said—it's fine if it's Hide-chan! I allow it."
Sanika's face instantly turned red. "Shut up!" she snapped, throwing a cushion at him without any real force. Her eyes were half embarrassed, half furious, the exact expression of someone who hates being teased because the teasing is too close to the truth.
Zanichi didn't even flinch. He leaned back with the confidence of a man who believed he'd seen every pattern in the universe. "Sani-chan," he said sternly, "you should know this: all men are beasts."
Hidetaka made a strangled noise, like his soul briefly left his body. "Z-Zanichi-san…!" he tried, but the words died under Zanichi's stare.
Keiko chuckled warmly at the chaos, her hands busy as she soothed Arumi—who had just woken up and was blinking sleepily, tiny fingers curling around Keiko's sleeve. Keiko's laughter wasn't mocking; it was the comfortable kind, like she'd watched this family argue and tease each other for years and still found it cute.
Ayumi giggled as well, sitting beside Zenshin while he drew on a sheet of paper with intense concentration. Zenshin didn't fully understand the conversation, but he understood the mood—so he kept drawing proudly, occasionally lifting the page like it was a masterpiece, happy just to be included in the room's warmth.
Sanika crossed her arms, pouting like she was trying to look mature but still couldn't hide how fired up she felt. "The point is, I want to work as a proper game developer! I want to learn for real—tools, teamwork, deadlines, everything." She jutted her chin up. "And one day, I'm going to make a game on my own… along with Hide-chan!"
Hidetaka's ears turned red immediately. He tried to look calm, but his posture straightened like he'd just been promoted to a hero role.
Zaboru smiled at their ambition—then his expression shifted into that familiar "I'm about to ruin the mood" look. He raised a hand as if to soften the blow.
"Uhh… bad news, Sani-chan. You and Hidetaka won't be on the same team."
Sanika's eyes widened so hard it looked like her soul tried to escape. "Huh!? But you said I'd be on one team with him!"
Zaboru scratched his cheek, half apologetic, half amused. "Yeah, well… you better ask Dad why it is."
Zanichi didn't even hesitate. He shook his head once—firm, final—like a judge slamming a gavel. "Ain't no way I'm letting you two join one team."
Hidetaka swallowed.
Zanichi pointed at him with the calm confidence of a man who believed he could read people like circuit boards. "I know this guy's techniques. Put you two on the same team and he'll definitely 'approach' you after work is done—using 'team bonding' as an excuse."
"Z-Zanichi-san!" Hidetaka squeaked, horrified.
Zanichi ignored him completely. "So here's the decision." He leaned back. "Sanika will join Team NOVA. This guy will join Team NIWA."
Sanika stared, stunned—half angry, half betrayed—while Zaboru watched with a grin that said he'd seen this outcome coming from the start.
Sanika looked at Zaboru, clearly not accepting this so easily. "But, Nii-san! You're the boss!"
Zaboru chuckled, raising both hands like he was surrendering. "Well… he's my dad," he said, pointing his thumb toward Zanichi. "So even if I'm the CEO, he still gets to act like a strict father in this house."
He leaned forward a little, tone turning more sincere. "But jokes aside, I actually think it's good you're separated. If you're on the same team, you'll end up orbiting each other instead of growing."
Zaboru looked at Sanika first. "Team NOVA is one of the best places to learn development in ZAGE. They're top tier—strong planners, strong programmers, strong artists, strong teamwork. You'll see how real pipelines work, how prototypes become systems, and how systems become a finished game. If you want to learn making games in general, NOVA will sharpen you fast."
Then he turned to Hidetaka. "And Team NIWA focuses on JRPG. World-building, story structure, dialogue flow, combat balance, and all the messy details that make a long game feel alive. Hide-chan, you said you want to learn more about JRPG design, right? Then NIWA is the correct place for you. You'll be surrounded by people who obsess over pacing and emotion like it's a science."
He tapped the table lightly, emphasizing the point. "Different teams doesn't mean you're being punished. It means you'll grow in different directions—then later, when you both understand your craft, working together will actually be stronger."
Hidetaka nodded quickly. "Y-yes… that makes sense," he said, still a bit stiff under Zanichi's gaze.
Sanika sighed, shoulders dropping. She still looked annoyed, but the stubbornness softened. "Fine… I get it," she muttered, even if she clearly didn't like it yet.
Keiko smiled, watching the scene like she'd just realized something funny. "Heh… all of the original Renkonan family is working at ZAGE now. Should I work there as well?"
Zanichi's eyes lit up immediately. He grinned at Keiko with the confidence of a man who thought he was being charming. "Of course," he said, leaning in just a little. "You can be my secretary, Keiko. And then… we can do many things, hehehe."
Keiko's cheeks turned pink in an instant. She didn't even hesitate—smack!—she hit Zanichi's shoulder hard enough to make the sound echo in the living room.
"Y-you pervert!" she snapped, trying to look angry, but the embarrassment in her voice betrayed her.
Sanika burst into laughter, pointing like she'd just found proof for her argument. "I knew it! I guess it's true—all men are beasts! Even an old fart like you, Dad!"
Zanichi's face twitched. For a second he looked genuinely offended… then he raised his voice in a way that was obviously dramatic on purpose. "Who are you calling an old fart!?"
Hidetaka flinched out of pure reflex, Zenshin giggled at the shouting like it was a comedy show, and even Zaboru couldn't hold back he laugh really loud.
The whole room erupted into laughter—Keiko shaking her head with a smile, Ayumi covering her mouth as she giggled, and Zanichi pretending to glare while clearly enjoying the fact that the house still felt alive.
Zaboru leaned back, letting the laughter settle. "Anyway, I'll let you become Sanika Ran in the ZAGE offices," he said, voice softer now. "But if you ever need anything—anything at all—just call me, okay? Before I'm your boss… I'm your brother too."
Sanika smiled and nodded, the stubbornness in her eyes easing for a moment. Then, like she'd been holding it in the back of her throat the whole time, she leaned forward.
"By the way, Nii-san… when are you going to release that Fate Stay Night game you promised?" Her tone instantly turned into an accusation wrapped in excitement. "I'm actually looking forward to it! You said you'd release it early this year. Did you forget!?"
Zaboru chuckled. Of course he didn't forget—Sanika's voice alone could keep a promise alive like a ticking alarm. But there were reasons. Real reasons. The kind that didn't sound fun when explained at a dinner table.
"Well… it's definitely releasing this year. Just wait, okay?" he said, trying to keep it casual.
Sanika sighed dramatically, like the world was ending. "You always say that."
But the truth was, she really couldn't wait. She had played the prototype last year—just a small slice, and it still shocked her. The writing, the choices, the tension of simply reading yet feeling like you were playing something. It was a whole new genre her brother called a "Visual Novel," and it felt different from everything she'd ever touched on ZEPS or PC.
Even now she could remember the feeling: the moment the music faded in, the text appeared, and her own decision changed the flow. It wasn't about reflex or combos. It was about atmosphere, words, and consequences. And ever since that day, she'd been waiting like a kid waiting for a festival—counting months, imagining scenes, craving the full release.
Zaboru chuckled at first, still riding the warmth of the family teasing. But then his expression slowly shifted—his smile fading into something calmer and more serious, the same look he wore during meetings on the 50th floor.
"Sani-chan… Hide-chan," he said carefully. "I know how hard you worked to get accepted as interns. You did it properly, you did it clean, and you proved you belong."
He let that praise land before continuing.
"But let me be honest with you—working isn't easy. Not in ZAGE." Zaboru leaned forward slightly, voice steady. "You need dedication. You need discipline. And you need to build bonds with your team so you can understand them, and they can understand you. Because game development isn't one person being talented. It's a group of people moving in the same direction, even when everyone's tired and the deadline is getting close."
His eyes flicked from Sanika to Hidetaka. "You'll have days where you feel proud… and days where you feel stupid. Days where your idea gets rejected. Days where your test fails. Days where you have to redo something you thought was finished."
He paused for a beat.
"And despite we're family," Zaboru continued, tone firm but not cold, "I want professionalism from both of you and I give you what you want, No special treatment. No shortcuts. No using my name or Dad's name to smooth things over. If you make a mistake, you own it. If you do well, you earn it."
He nodded once, like he was sealing a promise. "Understand?"
Hidetaka Miyazaki nodded quickly, posture straight. Sanika nodded too, expression serious now.
"Understood, Nii-san," they said almost at the same time.
Zanichi, as always, kept his eyes on Hidetaka—silent, sharp, and watchful like a guard dog that didn't care how polite someone sounded.
And so, starting tomorrow—Monday—Sanika and Hidetaka Miyazaki will officially become ZAGE employees as interns.
To be continue
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 35+ advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 4$ considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Or buymecoffee https://buymeacoffee.com/Zaborn_1997 which same with patreon
current Patreon/buymecoffe chap 1039
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc