To be fair, this game is actually pretty good—strong attack mechanics, decently designed skills. The only weird part is the art style. Like, when the villain gets hit (who is suspiciously similar to Kaito Kid), the gem he's holding suddenly starts bubbling pink like a soda fountain.
Then again, knowing Suzuki Sonoko helped design it... from that angle, the whole aesthetic starts making perfect sense.
Jiangxia Tongzhi suspected this started out as an adventure game. But the Suzuki family clearly threw too much money at it, and now it's… this. Whatever kind of strange genre fusion this is supposed to be.
He finished the tutorial level and, while waiting for the score screen, glanced over at Sonoko, who was fidgeting nervously beside him.
The moment their eyes met, there was an audible "Ziiiip"—like his gaze was a red-hot soldering iron. Under the heat of it, Sonoko practically evaporated from shame. Her expression screamed, Somebody get me an excavator, I need to dig a hole and crawl into it.
Jiangxia: "…"
He didn't really mind being used as a character model. He'd already been secretly photographed before. And it's not like black clothes and a stick are his personal trademark. Gin wears the same thing. But this wasn't about whether he minded—Sonoko, who fired the first shot, had already chickened out.
...How can someone be this thin-skinned and still function as a human being?
A new level opened. As he casually cleared mobs, Jiangxia commented, "This game…"
Sonoko panicked like she'd touched a live wire. "I-I-I'm actually—!"
"The sense of immersion is pretty strong," Jiangxia cut her off without looking up. "Nice work. Scanning player faces and generating a custom protagonist—pretty clever. Gets rid of that initial weirdness, makes it easier to get into the game."
Sonoko: "!" Her eyes lit up.
A nearby staff member nervously tried to chime in, "Actually, the protagonist model—"
Sonoko clamped a hand over his mouth with lightning reflexes.
Staff: "…Mmmmmm." Message received.
Sonoko covered it up quickly: "The protagonist models are still kinda limited right now! Only a few common outfit colors and weapon templates have been added. But we'll definitely update more in the future!"
Then, while Jiangxia was still focused on hammering the mini-boss, she shot a deadly side-eye at the staff.
The poor staffer blinked with visible question marks floating above his head. But he was an adult, a seasoned corporate tool. Even in confusion, he could read the room. He nodded quietly: lips sealed.
Sonoko exhaled. Whew. From now on, she'd watch over this project herself. And she definitely wasn't lying to Jiangxia just now. She was just… pre-announcing future features. That's all!
…
Now that the shame had subsided, Sonoko bounced back to her usual bubbly self.
As her brain rebooted, she vaguely felt like she'd forgotten something important…
KO!! A triumphant ding! came from the game console.
Everyone turned to look, just in time to see Jiangxia's character slow-motion KO the phantom thief.
The thief tumbled from the sky like a ragdoll, his gem arcing through the air with a golden trail—landing neatly in the black-clad protagonist's hands.
Then—BOOM! A flurry of petal effects exploded across the screen as the gem transformed into a schoolgirl in uniform. Brown hair, headband, sparkly aura. She wrapped her arms around the protagonist and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Jiangxia, Ran Mouri, Conan, the staff: "…"
Sonoko: "#￥%@&* AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A beat passed, then the kissing scene vanished as the game moved to the results screen.
Jiangxia, unfazed, commented, "So the companion characters are scanned too. The 'rescue the princess' trope is kind of played out, but combining it with real-world scanning adds a fun twist. When people recognize themselves in the scene, they stop being spectators and get pulled in. Gets them more engaged. Whoever thought of that is pretty creative."
Sonoko slowly de-fossilized from her petrified state.
This whole emotional rollercoaster was way too intense for a 17-year-old's heart.
Luckily, Jiangxia was laser-focused on the game, and all his thoughts were purely analytical. If anything, the fact that he said so much about it meant he really liked the scanning concept…
…which was bad.
Really bad.
He must not be allowed to keep playing!
After what just happened, Sonoko's memory came rushing back.
If she remembered right, that kiss scene was only the beginning.
As the levels got harder, there'd be more… special effects. If the phantom thief lost, if he won, if the detective died, if he barely survived… all those triggered different animations. Not to mention, each "jewel" would transform into a different themed "Suzuki Sonoko" depending on the player's score. And each one had… interactions. Different. Interactions.
How happy she'd been back then. How much she wanted to evaporate now.
Tears in her eyes, Sonoko clenched her fists. I have to get him away from that game, now!
Before Jiangxia could hit "Next Level," Sonoko grabbed the controller, threw it to the staff, and dragged him away. "The game still has a lot of bugs! You should wait until it's patched properly. Otherwise, there won't be any surprises left later!"
Jiangxia passively let himself be pulled. The strength of her grip—impressive. Very animated. Clearly, he'd succeeded in coaxing her.
Good. That meant she wouldn't avoid him out of embarrassment and stop inviting him to things…
He followed her quietly.
Even though the game was genuinely well-made, and he was intrigued by the mechanics, he didn't dare linger.
Because who knows where Suzuki Sonoko's brain hole ends? If he got too curious and triggered something dangerous… there'd be no coming back.
…
They wandered through the exhibit hall for a while, trying out other games.
Eventually, they bumped into a few familiar faces.
—The corporate drone trio who had cut the line earlier.
*Goal #1: Top 200 fanfics published within the last 30 days by POWER STONES.
Progress: 17/50(approx) for 10 BONUS CHAPTERS
Goal #2: One BONUS CHAPTER per review for the first 10 REVIEWS.
Progress:1/10*
Glossary:
brain hole – A wild or absurd idea or imagination; literally a hole in the brain from which madness leaks.