"I am about to hang up, twenty more people just signed up to download the game again. Talk to you later and keep those your codes hands safez they are our precious gem!" I heard Okada laugh, faint mutters and shuffling in the background as he was about to end the call.
"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" I said.
"Anything for that dollar bill, isn't that right?" He replied with a chuckle before finally hanging up on me. I smiled, slipping my phone into my pocket, and walked a few footstones down to a nearby cyber café. The sun had started to dip low and soon the sky began to darken.
The door creaked as I entered, and the faint smell of fried snacks and spoilt cheese hit me. I looked round the shop to see the owner slouched in his chair, one leg hung on the chair rest, headphones over his ears, nodding and shaking his head to the rhythm of whatever music had his attention.
I tapped him lightly on the shoulder and he jerked upright, almost toppling the chair, and yelped, "Not cool, man! Maybe a knock or something!"
"I did knock—but you were completely lost in whatever game you were playing."He waved me off, pulling off his headphones, eyes wide open with a bit of saggy eyebags under. Exactly the same appearance Okada wore in the morning.
"It's not just a game!" He shouted, pointing to his phone. "Everyone is literally playing it! On the street, on the road, everywhere! I haven't slept since 6am." He held the phone out to my face. I looked down at the screen, and of course, it was my game.
He snatched the phone back from my hands when he didn't get the percent reaction from me and shook his head in awe. "Man! I could literally worship the floor this game creator walks on. He is such a genius. The game is so smooth, so easy to navigate, and the UI? Exceptional! I can't even imagine myself coding at his level."
I chuckled, leaning against the counter. "Glad it's getting some love. This is only the beginning." The man squinted at me, still holding his phone, and gave a wry laugh.
"Glad it's getting some love, huh? You talking like you made the game. Are you here for something, or what? Just leave—I'm busy." He wiggled his phone in the air, stuck out his tongue playfully, and was about to dive back into the game when I stopped him.
"If I showed you proof that I made this game," I said, voice calm, "Would you help me scan this document and send it to me as a PDF and Word file so I can upload it to my cloud?"
"No way, there are many reasons you can't be the one. You look to morally upright to be coding full hentai porn. No man in a suit will be this sick to make such a sick game like this." It clicked in my mind that I was still wearing the high-profile suit. I hissed, leaning slightly closer.
"How about I give you some cheat codes?"
The man raised an eyebrow, suspicious but curious. "Cheat codes? Only the person who has passed level 13 can give me cheat codes. What do you mean?"
I smirked. "Let's just say I can make your life easier in the game. Cheat codes are just something to help you navigate easily. " He tapped his phone, murmuring like he didn't trust me so much.
"Level 13… I haven't been able to get past the 'Shadow Forge.' Every time I think I've beaten the guardian, it regenerates all its minions faster than I can react. The traps are insane, the floor tiles shift, and don't get me started on the fire bombs. it's a fucking nightmare!"
I chuckled softly, "Nothing is too hard for me. Hand me your phone."
He hesitated, one hand hovering over the screen, then shrugged. "Fine, but don't crash my progress." I took it from his hands, tapping my fingers across the menus and control bar icons. Slowly, I dearmed the guardian, stealing his weapons and just like that, the shadow forge collapsed releasing the pass key.
I could feel the stare and silent worship in his eyes while I handed him back his phone. The man's jaw dropped. "No… no way! How—how are you doing this?!" He collected his phone, gawking intensely into it with total disbelief. "I have spent two hours trying to pass this level and a guy comes and wins it for me."
"Do you now believe I made this game?" His eyes went wide, almost like he'd seen a ghost, and then a spark of exhilaration lit up his face. Without a word, he sprang from his chair, kicking it away and falling face flat on the ground next to my feet.
"Teach me, Sensei! Your ways!" He shouted, his face to the ground and both his arms wrapped over his head as if he was pledging total fealty to me. "I am… Takumi," he added, still flat on the floor. "I am ready to serve you! Name it—anything you want, I will do it!"
'People would literally worship me because of a game?' Surprise filled my heart, I kept blinking to make sure it was really real. He lifted his face upwards, crawling closer an holding my pants. "If only you can take me as your minion, I will forever be grateful."
"Get up Takumi, you are making me feel like a gay. First rule, don't bow for your fellow man and second rule, how good are you in coding? I have something I am literally cooking and we are two and I need more hands so I am wondering if you are good enough." Takumi scrambled upright, brushing off imaginary dust. He gave a salut, his eyes sparkling with determination.
"I—I'm not just good, Sensei, I'm a coding beast! Python, C++, Java, even backend and API integration—I can do it all. Frontend? UI/UX? I breathe that stuff!" He paused for a deep breath, chest heaving, then grinned. "If you're cooking something big, I'm ready to chop, stir, and serve whatever you want, boss. Just point me, and I'll make it happen!"
His energy was infectious, and I could tell he was exactly the kind of hands-on, obsessed coder I needed. I raised an eyebrow, leaning back slightly as I folded my arms. "Alright, Takumi, let's see what you're really made of. First question—how do you optimize a real-time multiplayer server to handle thousands of concurrent connections without lag spikes?"
He didn't hesitate. "Load balancing with horizontal scaling, stateless servers, caching key data in Redis, and using message queues for asynchronous operations. Plus, careful profiling of bottlenecks in code paths."
I nodded, satisfied. "Good. Second—how do you secure in-game transactions and prevent exploits in virtual economies?"
"End-to-end encryption, token-based authentication, server-side validation, monitoring anomalies in transaction patterns, and immediate rollback protocols," he replied confidently.
"Third, explain how you'd design a UI for a game that is both intuitive and visually appealing for hardcore gamers," I asked.
"Consistent color coding for feedback, minimizing clutter, using progressive disclosure, smooth animations for transitions, and accessibility options for different player types," he said without missing a beat.
"Fourth, how would you handle a live patch deployment with zero downtime for millions of players?"
"Blue-green deployment with canary releases. Roll out incrementally, monitor server logs and client feedback, and have rollback ready," he replied, his voice growing more animated.
"Fifth—how comfortable are you with… 100% hentai?" I asked, watching his expression carefully.
His grin widened, almost manic. "I can die for anything hentai! Bring it on, Sensei—I live for this stuff!" I couldn't help but smirk. This kid wasn't just talented, he was dangerously enthusiastic with the energy I needed.
Perfect. Just the guy I needed.
"Congratulations, Takumi. You're hired."
"Thank you, my lord! What should I call you?" He murmured under his breath, almost like a prayer, "Lord Kaito…" Then, snapping back to reality, he asked eagerly, "When do I resume work? How much am I going to be paid? I've been trying to get into Kenshao for years, but they kept rejecting me!"
I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "That's exactly what makes you perfect. Kenshao doesn't know talent from normal. You'll do just fine under my company. It's new, and… hell, I just thought about it today, but if I ever need any third wheeler, it would be you."
"I won't disappoint you, Lord Kaito. I'll give it everything I've got!"
I nodded, satisfied. "Good. That's the energy I want. We'll start building from scratch, but with your skills, you'll be the engine that keeps us running."