AN : Sorry for 2 days break guys.
Sanika, using her stream name Sani-Ran, quickly started her live stream while launching Cave Story. She adjusted her posture slightly in front of the camera, her energy already visible as she greeted her viewers. At the same time, Zaboru received a notification on his system indicating that Sanika had gone live. Seeing the alert, Zaboru couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Sani-chan really loves streaming…" he said quietly to himself with a small smile. He then grabbed his other laptop, opened YouTube, and pulled up her live stream while continuing his work at the same time. As the video loaded and he saw what she was playing, his expression shifted slightly in surprise.
"Ho? Is she playing Cave Story?" Zaboru leaned a bit closer to the screen, clearly interested now. "That's fast… it was just released and she's already playing it." He tapped his finger lightly on the desk as he continued watching. "Well, Steam still doesn't have that many games right now, so newly released titles are pretty easy to find."
Zaboru smiled faintly as he watched his sister begin her playthrough, curious to see her reaction to the game he had quietly released.
Then he looked at Sanika's chat and sighed. It was obvious—full of simps. Messages kept flying across the screen at a fast pace.
"Sani-Ran did you eat yet!? I'm eating ramen right now!"
"Sani-Ran your smile just brightened my day!"
"Sani-Ran please notice me!"
"Marry me Sani-Ran!!"
"Your voice is so cute today!"
"Guys stop talking, let her focus!"
"No, keep talking! She might read my message!"
"Don't forget to drink water Sani-Ran!"
And many more similar messages kept appearing, overlapping each other as the viewer count slowly increased.
Zaboru rubbed his forehead lightly. "Sigh… even in this early era of YouTube, simps already exist…" he muttered. He glanced at the chat again with a slightly amused but tired expression. "I wonder what Hide-chan would think about this will he be jealous?"
He leaned back in his chair for a moment, watching the stream while thinking more seriously.
"Still… streamers like Sanika are definitely rising," he continued quietly. "I already proved the potential of YouTube, but this is just the beginning."
His eyes narrowed slightly as new ideas formed in his mind.
"In the next update, I need to give streamers proper rewards… something that makes streaming more sustainable." He tapped his desk lightly. "And I should start introducing ads as well… but not the annoying kind. Something clean, something people won't hate. If done properly, it can generate revenue for both the platform and the streamers."
Zaboru chuckled softly as he returned his focus to work, occasionally glancing at the screen where his sister continued streaming with a lively chat flooding beside her.
Meanwhile Sanika already start playing Cave Story and only few minutes in her expression already change, she lean closer to the screen clearly surprised by how good the gameplay feel, the movement is tight and responsive, the atmosphere also hit really well despite the simple graphics and the soundtrack quietly carry the mood "Wait… hold on guys… this game is actually really good" she said while focusing more on the screen, her tone already different than before
Chat instantly moving fast
"Whoa it actually looks interesting" "Its only 100 yen for real??" "Hidden gem??" "Sani-Ran found something again??" "Try the story pls"
Sanika laughed "Yes! I didn't expect this at all, I thought it's some random game"
She continue playing, guiding the small robot through the cave, jumping and shooting while slowly getting used to the rhythm "The movement is really smooth… simple but feels really good, like really polished" she nod a little, then the music continue in the background "And the music… it's actually really nice… it fits the cave feeling"
She start testing the gameplay more, shooting enemies and noticing how the weapon behave "Oh wait… the gun feels different… like it has timing… and range…" she try spamming then stop "Ahh okay… you can't just spam mindlessly… you need to aim properly"
Then she pick up small triangles from defeated enemies "What is this? exp?" she continue collecting them then suddenly her weapon change "Oh wait! It upgraded??" her eyes widen "So the more you fight the stronger your weapon become… okay this is actually really good hehehe"
She keeps fighting and getting used to the weapon, collecting the small triangles again, but then she gets hit by an enemy
"Ah— wait—"
She looks at the weapon and pause
"…huh?"
She shoots again and notice the difference
"Wait… it got weaker?"
She blink a bit then immediately understand
"…ohhh… you lose power when you get hit…"
She lean forward slightly, now more focused
"Okay… this is actually really good… so you can't just tank damage… you need to play carefully…"
She continue moving more cautiously now, aiming properly and avoiding enemies instead of rushing
"…this is kinda stressful but in good way…" she smiled a little "I like this system"
Then the story slowly start, she read more carefully now "Hmm… no memory… robot… cave…" she pause for a bit then continue "Okay so we are like… someone with no memory inside this place…" her eyes narrow slightly as she read more dialogue "And these characters… Mimiga… they look cute but…" she stop for a second "I feel like something bad already happened here"
She walk around more slowly now, observing the environment "Why everything feels… abandoned…" she look at background detail "And they talk like they are scared of something…"
She continue reading dialogue, her tone getting quieter
"…there's like… pressure in this story…"
She look at one of the Mimiga again
"…they look harmless but… something is off… like they are being controlled or hunted…"
Chat react
"IT GETS DARK" "PROTECT THEM" "STORY IS GOOD TRUST"
Sanika nod slowly "Yeah… I can feel it already… this is not just action game… the story is important here…" she keep playing but now more focused on dialogue and environment, looking at background and small details, sometimes she even slow down her movement just to read every line and look at every corner of the cave
She continued deeper into the game, meeting more characters and seeing more of the world. Her expression slowly shifted from excited to fully immersed. "…the more I play… the more I feel like this place has history…" she murmured while controlling the character carefully, avoiding enemies while still exploring. "It's not just random stages… everything feels connected…"
At one point, she stopped just to read the dialogue again.
"…they're scared… like something is controlling them…"
She didn't joke this time. She quietly continued playing, her tone softer than before.
Sanika kept playing while her viewers enjoyed the stream, but she barely looked at the chat now. She was fully focused on the game, reacting naturally to what happened on screen—sometimes surprised, sometimes quiet, sometimes smiling when she understood something.
"…this game is really different…" she said slowly. "It's simple… but it pulls you in…"
After hours of gameplay, she finally leaned back and took a breath, clearly tired but satisfied.
"Whoa… okay… I think that's it for today, guys…" she smiled, still thinking about the game. "But honestly… this 'Isekai' developer… they're really something unexpected…"
She glanced at the game icon again.
"…now I'm really curious about their other game… 'Another World'…"
She chuckled softly.
"I might play it next stream…"
Then she looked at the chat again as it became lively.
"I will buy it!" "Same here" "This dev is insane" "Wait, only 3 people??" "No way just 3 people made this" "I need to recharge my Steam wallet first"
Sanika smiled at the reaction.
"Hehehe… looks like you guys like it too" Sanika smiled then closed her stream, stretching her arms a little before letting out a small yawn. "Ahh… I'm tired… but that was really fun…" she muttered, then quickly stood up "Okay food first!"
After eating, her energy came back again and she suddenly remembered something
"I want to tell Zaboru Nii-san about this game! …oh wait he's probably working right now…" she paused for a second then grinned "But who cares, I'll bother him anyway hehehe."
Without wasting time, Sanika headed straight to ZAGE Tower. She moved through the building with familiarity, heading toward the 51st floor where Zaboru usually worked. Even though she was his sister, she was currently working as an intern, so she kept a slightly low profile. Most people in the company had no idea about their relationship.
Sanika adjusted her appearance a bit, making sure she didn't stand out too much as she entered the elevator. "Hehehe… time to disturb him…" she whispered to herself.
Soon she arrived at the 51st floor. This floor was different from the others. The moment the elevator door opened, the atmosphere changed completely. It was quiet, almost too quiet, with a sense of isolation that made it feel like a completely separate part of the building. Only a few trusted people were allowed access here, and even among ZAGE employees, this floor was almost like a restricted zone.
Zaboru's main workshop was located on this floor, but that was only the surface. Behind the walls and hidden passages were multiple secret rooms where he worked on various projects. Some were related to future game engines, some to hardware development, and some were things no one else in the company even knew existed yet.
Sanika didn't know about any of those hidden areas, and honestly, it was better that way. Many of Zaboru's projects were far too advanced. If someone saw them too early, it could easily spoil future releases or even create unnecessary confusion. Zaboru always kept those things carefully hidden until the right time.
She walked through the hallway casually, her footsteps echoing lightly in the quiet space. Occasionally she glanced around, feeling that the floor was a bit different, but she didn't think too deeply about it. To her, this was just the place where her brother worked.
Completely unaware of how many secrets were hidden just behind the walls around her, Sanika continued forward toward Zaboru's workspace.
"Nii-San! I'm coming to bother you!" Sanika called out as she stepped into the room with a bright grin. Zaboru glanced up from his desk, casually taking a bite of his apple, clearly not surprised at all.
"Sani-chan… I'm working right now," he said calmly, though there was a faint smile on his face. "So what do you want?"
Sanika walked closer, leaning slightly over his desk with excitement. "Nii-san! There's a really good new game! Like… really really good!" she said quickly, her eyes shining.
Zaboru raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh? What game?"
"It's called Cave Story!" she said immediately. "Do you know it?"
Zaboru shrugged lightly, pretending to think. "Cave Story…? I don't think I've heard of it. Is it on Steam?"
Sanika nodded quickly. "Yes! It just released! And it's super cheap too!" she said, still full of energy. "At first I thought it's just random game, but when I played it… it's actually amazing!"
Zaboru took another bite of his apple, watching her reaction more than listening to the words. "Hmm… amazing, huh?" he said casually. "That's rare for a new release."
Sanika nodded quickly, still excited. "Yes! It's a game made by just three people, and their developer name is 'Isekai.' Honestly, it's really good. You should try it! And remember what you said before? That someday small teams could make amazing games? Back then I didn't really believe it… but now this is proof. Just three people made something like this… it's crazy, hehehe." She crossed her arms proudly, as if she had discovered it herself. Even though she was already grown up and beautiful, whenever she talked with her brother, that childish and playful side of her always came out naturally.
She leaned closer, still talking nonstop. "And it's not just the gameplay, you know. The story is really good too… it feels like the world is actually alive… like something already happened there before the player even arrived… and the characters… they're cute but also feel… sad somehow…" She paused for a second, trying to find the right word. "It's like… there's weight in the story. Not just a random fun game."
Zaboru smiled calmly, clearly enjoying her reaction. "It's completely possible, Sani-chan. When hardware and software stop limiting developers, the only real limit becomes their dedication and creativity. If someone is willing to spend enough time and effort, even a small team can create something incredible." He took another bite of his apple, his tone relaxed but confident.
He glanced at her slightly. "What you're seeing right now is just the beginning. In the future, there will be more developers like that. Small teams, even individuals, creating games that can rival big companies. Not because they have more resources, but because they have strong ideas and strong execution."
Sanika blinked for a moment, then smiled again. "Hehehe… then I'm kinda lucky I get to see it first, right?" she said proudly.
Zaboru chuckled lightly. "Yeah… you are."
Sanika smiled then looked at what Zaboru was doing. Right now he was designing a character, his hand moving smoothly as he drew something really impressive. On the paper was a badass woman wielding a sword, wearing glasses, her body covered in scars, cutting down enemies around her who seemed to be using magic. The aura of the drawing felt intense, like a warrior who had gone through countless battles. Yes, Zaboru was drawing "Maki" from Jujutsu Kaisen from his previous life, and in his mind he had already turned her into a main character for a future game… but of course, Sanika didn't know any of that.
She leaned closer, eyes shining. "Whoa! Who is she!? She looks so badass with those scars! Is she your new character, Nii-san!?" her voice full of excitement as she tried to peek more at the screen.
Zaboru sighed and lightly smacked Sanika on the head. "Sani-chan… it's bad enough you're bothering me while I'm working, but asking for spoilers too? That's even worse. No talking about spoilers, okay?" he said while still holding his stylus, not even stopping his drawing completely.
Sanika pouted immediately, rubbing her head a little. "Stingy! You never tell me anything…" she complained, but her tone wasn't really angry, more like playful annoyance.
She glanced again at the screen, still curious. "But seriously… she looks really cool… those scars… it feels like she went through a lot…" she muttered, almost talking to herself.
Zaboru chuckled softly. "That's the point," he said briefly, not explaining further.
Sanika crossed her arms. "Hmph… fine… keep your secrets." A second later her mood flipped again. "Anyway! I want to play games here," she said, as if nothing had happened.
Zaboru chuckled. "Hey, I'm your boss too, Sani-chan. Want me to deduct your salary?"
Sanika grinned immediately. "No, boss! Please don't do that! Oh, and I want to play your ZEPS 3 first. I want to try 'Lost Hunter' from Giriko. You have it here, right?"
Zaboru shook his head with a small smile. "That new game? Yeah, I have it. Go ahead and play. Just make sure you use your own memory card if you're on my ZEPS 3, okay? I don't want you messing up my data again."
Lost Hunter is a new game from Giriko on ZEPS 3. Its gameplay focuses on hunting in a dense jungle environment, but instead of normal animals, the creatures are alien-like mutated beasts. The main character uses ancient hunting weapons, giving the game a unique and primal feel. Overall, it is a very solid and enjoyable game.
Sanika grinned. "Hehehe… okay okay~ I won't this time," she said quickly, clearly not very convincing.
She walked toward the gaming setup nearby, still occasionally glancing back at the drawing on Zaboru's screen, clearly still curious about the mysterious character.
Zaboru noticed it but didn't say anything, just continued drawing quietly while Sanika happily prepared to play.
to be continue
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