Inside Lucas's small rental apartment, he was eating a bowl of instant noodles he had just made—he even added an egg to it.
That was basically all he could afford to eat lately. He was completely broke.
He had credit card debt, outstanding loans on online paylater.
Not only that, but Rachel hadn't paid him yet for his illustration work. On top of that, she borrowed another 100 dollar from him. Most of his money had been poured into the game project.
He couldn't even afford proper meals anymore.
Of course, that's also because he had specifically set aside 2000 dollar.
That 2000 dollar was the key to getting Mirror off the ground.
Lucas had full confidence in the quality of Mirror.
Especially after he really got into the world of adult games, and, yeah, even those infamous doujinshi.
To Lucas, most of them were just crap.
Why should adult games not be treated like real games?
It was ridiculous.
But like the old saying goes—even the best wine needs good marketing or no one will know it exists.
If you think just putting an adult game on a platform is enough to make it go viral, you're dreaming.
Even masterpieces like Minecraft or The Binding of Isaac, if dumped on a platform without a plan, could easily go unnoticed at first.
So if you want a game to succeed, marketing is a must.
Even if it's just an adult game.
And the way you do that… well, it has to be a little out of the ordinary.
.........
Inside a university dorm room.
Jason climbed down the ladder from his top bunk, yawning, and turned on the laptop sitting on his desk.
"Nothing new to read lately," he mumbled.
As he spoke, he opened a well-known overseas forum.
Of course, by "books," he didn't just mean erotic material—he also meant doujinshi (fan-made comics).
For example, in some stories, the plot can be frustrating: maybe a popular side female character dies, or the female lead in a shounen manga is killed off to trigger the male lead's transformation.
Stuff like that just makes you feel like crap, but if the art and story are really good, it makes it even more annoying.
That's where doujinshi comes in. And yeah, sometimes people read the more explicit ones with a critical eye too—that's pretty common.
But usually these doujinshi are made just for fun, especially with all the copyright stuff involved.
There are also original works, but those tend to be the more adult kinds.
Jason had just logged into one of the more popular overseas forums to see if there was anything new.
After all, a lot of artists who make this kind of content are doing it just for fun.
It's normal for them to be inconsistent—three days of effort, two days off. Forget full volumes; sometimes you're lucky to get one chapter a week.
Even the paid adult original works don't always update regularly.
But today, something seemed off when Jiang Ping opened the forum.
Right on the homepage were a bunch of strange-looking posts.
"Roommate's bed shaking like crazy in the middle of the night—twisted human nature, or moral collapse?"
"This is hands down the most fun match-3 game I've ever played!"
"A match-3 game that seems simple on the surface, but hides a surprisingly heartwarming story."
"What kind of game is this?! My little brother's completely drained after playing it. I just wanted to buy him a harmless match-3 game!"
"Go brave cow! Don't fear the struggle, bros let's gooo!"
??????
What the hell?
Jason stared at the list of post titles in total confusion.
He clicked into one of the threads and spent a while reading before he finally figured it out.
So the "heartwarming story" and the "bed shaking" stuff—they were all code. These guys were actually talking about their favorite adult games.
Fine, call it what it is: a gentleman's game. But what the hell were those comments?
"After playing for half an hour, I felt just like the title said—we're all people behind the mirror. Once the mirror is gone, all that's left is the pain and suffering of reality. The more beauty you see, the more hope you feel for life. When you're covered in scars, maybe it's okay to take a break and quietly remember that simple, pure, slightly sad feeling again."
"The way it reveals the dark side of human nature is way beyond what I expected. It's about redemption and falling into darkness. The questions it raises about morality hit deep. Even after closing the game, my mind stayed in that world. Strongly recommended!"
"A deeply emotional game. Beneath its shameless surface lies a haunting sense of sadness. It may seem like random chatter among common folks, but what it says is more meaningful than half the scriptures in a temple. Each story in the game has its own color, but together they shine like a tiny version of the real world. Of course, the game has its flaws—but the story is top-tier: simple, powerful, and unforgettable."
"'Mirror' reminded me of Dream of the Red Chamber. Through the mirror, you see the fate of different women. Each of them lives under different circumstances, ruled by things like desire, love, or fear... What players feel in their hearts after watching—maybe just a sigh after closing the game, or maybe nothing at all."
"A great writer once said: some people go for smut where they shouldn't, but others look for meaning where smut is expected. Talking about life, morality—'Magic Mirror' is exactly that kind of game: covered in sleaze, but actually thoughtful."
"When an adult game manages to move me, I realize whether I 'go for it' or not doesn't even matter anymore."
"The moment I launched this game, in just ten minutes, I was hit by something I can't put into words. It was like a guiding light in the dark. I have a feeling this game is going to bring change to the whole gentleman game world!"
What the hell is this!?
What the heck are you guys even talking about?
After reading the whole thread, Jason felt completely stunned—and at the same time, extremely curious.
Looking through all the posts and comments in the forum, once he confirmed that the game was called Mirror, he opened the official game platform and searched for it.
Right on the game's cover was a very eye-catching elf, along with a big red 18+ label.
Yup.
This was clearly a game for adults—no doubt about it.
But judging by those comments… were people even talking about the right game?
Jason had already been pretty interested in adult games to begin with, and now this one had really caught his eye.
What kind of game was this exactly?
The price was only 10 bucks—not expensive at all.
About the same as breakfast.
Without thinking much, Jason added the game to his cart and paid for it with a quick scan.
Now he really wanted to see what made this cute anime-style match-3 game so special.
(End of chapter)