"Tch, arrogant guy," Miyano Mitei muttered under her breath.
[I don't want to hand them over to anyone else.] Hearing those words, a flash of shy annoyance crossed Miyano Mitei's eyes, but she didn't say anything more. She just quietly focused on eating her hotpot.
Fuyukawa Tetsu was no different, silently eating as well. But every time Izumi Himawari finished a song on stage, he'd turn around with a cheerful grin and clap. It was clear, though, that Izumi was still in a huff, responding to him with little more than an eye roll.
"That girl," Fuyukawa chuckled to himself.
He wasn't too surprised by Izumi Himawari's reaction. Ever since that intimate moment in the car the other day, their relationship had gotten a bit awkward. Normal conversations were fine, but it was obvious she was keeping her distance, resisting any closer contact.
Fuyukawa knew why. The complicated dynamic between Izumi Himawari and Sayoko wasn't lost on him. Still, he hadn't expected her to get so riled up again after Miyano Mitei's teasing.
"Found an outsourcing team and got that girl to act normal again. This meal was worth it," Fuyukawa said with a smirk, raising an eyebrow as he continued eating his hotpot. He chatted with Miyano Mitei and Futaba Koyama, the petite MIT grad from Team F, about work.
Say what you will, but Futaba Koyama, despite being a total gaming nerd, was undeniably skilled. Her MIT background shone through, and she had solid answers for every question or request Fuyukawa threw her way. It put him at ease.
The hotpot and work talk made time fly by.
Lunch break was over in a flash. As Fuyukawa paid the bill, Izumi Himawari returned to the booth with her guitar slung over her shoulder. She shot Miyano Mitei a hostile glare, then gave Fuyukawa a quick eye roll before crossing her arms and tilting her chin up. "Sayoko made a big dinner tonight, so you better come home on time!"
"That girl's got a sharp tongue," Fuyukawa teased, ruffling her sleek black hair. He glanced at his watch and smiled. "It's getting late. You heading to another gig this afternoon?"
"You actually care, huh?" Izumi pouted, clearly annoyed. "No need. I've got to head back for class soon."
It was the final semester of her third year of high school in Japan, and Izumi was aiming for Tokyo University of the Arts. The academic pressure was intense, especially since her short-term contract with Sistar meant she had to squeeze in performances during her free time.
Noticing the exhaustion she tried to hide under her light makeup, Fuyukawa's lips twitched as if to say something, but he settled for a smile. "Alright, then. If anything comes up at school, just give me a call."
"I don't need you to worry about me!"
"Such a temper."
"Hmph!"
They chatted a bit more before leaving the restaurant. As Izumi stormed off with her bandmates toward the subway station without looking back, Fuyukawa made his way to the Porsche.
Miyano Mitei, who'd just seen Futaba Koyama off, caught the expression on his face and smirked. "Were you about to pull some strings with an entertainment company for her?"
"Yeah," Fuyukawa nodded. "She looked exhausted, so I thought about reaching out. But then I figured I'd hold off."
Miyano grinned. "What, think she won't make it if she can't handle the pressure? You've got high hopes for her, don't you?"
"Enough chit-chat. Let's go—there's a ton to do this afternoon."
"Your attitude toward me is completely different," Miyano teased.
"…"
---
Running into Izumi Himawari at lunch was a pleasant little surprise. Riding in Miyano Mitei's Porsche, they quickly returned to the company. As they stepped into the office building, they were greeted warmly by employees in the lobby.
Fuyukawa responded with his usual friendly smile, while Miyano Mitei, after stepping into the elevator, let out a slight scoff.
Yes, a scoff.
Normally, most employees—those without any grudges—would greet Fuyukawa warmly. But Miyano was different. Her position was higher than Fuyukawa's, so you'd expect more people to try to curry favor with her. However, her strict and commanding demeanor at work made most regular employees too intimidated to approach her casually. They'd avoid her if they could.
But today was different. Sekiro had officially been greenlit, and the studio wasn't fully staffed yet. The lure of opportunity outweighed their fear.
Still, it didn't matter much.
For Miyano Mitei, ability was the top priority when hiring. The same went for Fuyukawa Tetsu—he wanted people who could get things done. Flatterers could take a backseat.
They quietly discussed work as the elevator reached the fourth floor. Parting ways with Miyano, Fuyukawa returned to his office and dove back into selecting the core team.
To be honest, the task wasn't hard—just time-consuming. He had to pick candidates from a list and conduct one-on-one interviews. Unsurprisingly, as soon as Fuyukawa started interviewing for the production team, the entire NTsoft office buzzed with excitement. More precisely, it was the newer employees—those with about five years of experience—and the veterans who'd been stuck in unfulfilling roles for over a decade who were the most thrilled.
Though Sekiro had the backing of President Asai, most senior employees and managers were too tied to their current departments, where they had access to substantial resources. Even with Sekiro being a big project, they weren't willing to risk abandoning their established networks to join a new venture.
But for the newbies and those overlooked by the company's cliques, the Sekiro project at Light Bird Studio was a golden opportunity.
Don't underestimate these folks. NTsoft's new hires were all top-tier talents with strong professional skills. They might lack experience, but their drive far surpassed that of the jaded veterans. The same went for the older employees who'd been sidelined for years. Some were average in ability, but the pressure of family responsibilities fueled their motivation. Show them a tangible goal—a "big pie" to chase—and they'd work like beasts. Others were pure technical wizards, marginalized because they didn't play the social game.
These were exactly the kind of people Fuyukawa needed.
He had the Sekiro blueprint in his head and would personally handle key aspects like narrative planning, combat design, numerical balance, boss fight design, and technical development. With him steering the ship, the project wouldn't veer off course. Plus, these were the kinds of people he could easily take with him if he ever left NTsoft.
It was a win-win. Conversations with them were straightforward, and as employees left his office beaming, the buzz within the company grew louder.
None of this fazed Fuyukawa. He kept to his own pace, interviewing one candidate at a time.
Time flies when you're working hard. A week passed in the blink of an eye.
"Good morning, Team Leader Fuyukawa! Good morning, Director Kawaii!"
"Miss Hatano's back, huh?"
At 9 a.m., a spirited Fuyukawa Tetsu strode into the NTsoft building with Kawaii Sayoko by his side. As usual, the receptionist greeted them warmly. But this time, she didn't just acknowledge Fuyukawa, the team leader—she also greeted Sayoko.
"Director, huh? How's that title treating you?" Fuyukawa teased, flashing a grin as he nodded to a few employees greeting him. He glanced at Sayoko, who was clutching her briefcase near her waist, her face flushed red.
"It's… it's pretty nice," she mumbled.
Feeling the envious glances from nearby employees, Sayoko hurried into the elevator, her cheeks glowing. Her eyes, fixed on Fuyukawa, were filled with affection.
"Just 'pretty nice'?" Fuyukawa chuckled, winking at her.
With Light Bird Studio's break over, he didn't waste time. He'd already submitted director promotion requests for Sayoko, Mrs. Nogi, and that kid Kawaguchi. In Japan, "director" was mostly an honorary title for veteran employees, offering a slight pay bump but no real authority.
That said, NTsoft was strict about controlling costs. Even if Sayoko and the others had the seniority, their director applications would typically be rejected without someone vouching for them.
But Fuyukawa was no ordinary employee. He was NTsoft's rising star. Promoting someone to team leader might be a stretch, but getting a few director titles approved? The higher-ups would give him that much face.
Seeing the playful grin on his face, Sayoko's blush deepened. She pouted, swaying slightly. "Didn't I already… reward you last night?"
Recalling the "handcart" moment from the night before, Fuyukawa's eyes lit up, but he kept teasing. "Just once? That's not enough, you know."
Leaning close to her neck, he took a light sniff. "When it's quieter later, come to my cubicle."
Sayoko shivered as his warm breath grazed her neck, her eyes shy. "B-but there are so many people in the studio right now…"
"Just wait for my signal."
"…Hmph, fine, I got it."
"That's my girl."
Fuyukawa playfully pinched her cheek just as the elevator reached their floor. Seeing the bustling employees outside, his expression turned serious, and he led Sayoko toward the new studio with purpose.
Yes, the new studio.
Before, Light Bird was just Fuyukawa and three others, crammed into a tiny corner office. But now, the team had grown—exploded, really—to 87 people. Naturally, they couldn't all fit in one office. They were split across five, occupying the entire southwest corner of NTsoft's sixth floor.
As Fuyukawa stepped into the area, employees rushing about paused to bow respectfully. Watching him stride ahead, nodding and smiling at the team, Sayoko's eyes sparkled with even more admiration, her cheeks still flushed.
Lord Tetsu's starting to feel like a big shot, she thought.
Fuyukawa didn't notice her adoration. In fact, the moment he arrived at the studio, he'd already forgotten their "elevator promise," diving headfirst into work.
There was no helping it—issues had cropped up, just as he'd expected. Sekiro was an ARPG, but it was completely different from traditional ones.
The difference was conceptual.
In typical ARPGs, the protagonist was the dominant force. Whether it was God of War or Devil May Cry, the hero rarely felt weak against bosses. In Devil May Cry, the protagonist's skills were often flashier than the bosses', with combos stacking high for explosive damage. Those games emphasized flashy skills, high-frequency attacks, intense combat feedback, and the thrill of overpowering bosses and mowing down enemies without needing to deeply understand their mechanics.
That approach worked fine, but Sekiro—and Soulslike games in general—took a different path. The protagonist was the underdog. Even basic enemies could kill you if you didn't understand their attack patterns. A few hits, and you were done.
This involved a lot: character stats, enemy stats, hidden poise bars, invincibility frames during rolls, combat design, level design—all fundamentally different from games where the protagonist was dominant.
These were two distinct paths. Neither was inherently better; they just had different audiences. But since Light Bird's team had never made a game like this before, even with Fuyukawa providing precise stats, it was tricky. It was like a math problem: if you know 1 + Y = 2, solving for Y isn't hard, but the process—writing the code, designing the systems—was the challenge.
With the answer provided, NTsoft's bright minds could reverse-engineer it, but shifting their mindset from "dominant protagonist" to "underdog protagonist" took time.
It was a minor issue, one Fuyukawa was confident he could handle. It just required patience. As he shuttled between departments, solving problems, the studio's chatter about him grew—more specifically, the admiration.
"The team leader's unreal. Is he really only 25?!"
"That bug had me stuck all night, and he fixed it in two minutes!"
"His number-crunching is so precise. I couldn't balance the boss and protagonist stats no matter what, but he nailed it instantly. Insane!"
"That's not even the craziest part! Have you noticed? Since we started, our progress hasn't stalled once. Even when issues pop up, he resolves them by the next morning. And so far, no plans have been scrapped and redone—everything slots together perfectly. I've been at NTsoft for years, and I've never seen a new project's early development go this smoothly. Is this really his first ARPG?!"
"It's not just his skills. His stamina's insane too. I stayed late till 1 a.m. the other day, and his office light was still on. Then he's back the next day, full of energy. Director Kawaguchi, was he always like this?"
As Fuyukawa left the room, his figure briefly passing by the window, the combat design department buzzed with excitement. A chubby middle-aged employee by the window, eyes full of awe and envy, turned to Kawaguchi, now a director overseeing combat design thanks to Fuyukawa's appointment.
"Haha, of course!" Kawaguchi beamed, puffed up by being called "Director." Sensing the curiosity of a few female colleagues, he grinned proudly. "That's nothing. You know, when we were pitching Sekiro, Fuyukawa and I stayed up five days and nights straight in a tiny room, hammering out the proposal to convince President Asai. And you know what happened! Even someone as big as Asai couldn't stop praising him. Stick with the team leader, and you can't go wrong!"
Kawaguchi was exaggerating—no one could stay up five days straight—but no one called him out on it. Instead, the room erupted into chatter about Fuyukawa's recent feats.
NTsoft was a veteran Japanese game company with high hiring standards. Everyone there was either highly skilled or highly educated—experts in their own right. As the saying goes, outsiders watch the show, but insiders see the craft. Though Sekiro was still in early development, Fuyukawa's expertise was undeniable to these professionals.
When an expert makes a move, you know it. Fuyukawa's moves left the entire Light Bird team stunned.
New hires and seasoned employees alike were floored. Beyond shock and admiration, there was excitement. Sekiro was a life-changing opportunity for them. They'd fought tooth and nail to join Light Bird, but before development started, most hadn't had much faith in Fuyukawa.
His only prior work was Surrounded by Beauties, which, to industry insiders, barely qualified as a game—more like a short TV drama with some choices. Whether Fuyukawa could pull off an ARPG was a big question mark. Aside from Sayoko, even Mrs. Nogi and Kawaguchi probably didn't have full confidence in him at the start.
But in just two weeks, Fuyukawa had won everyone over with his jaw-dropping performance. Though Sekiro was technically his debut major project, it just might… have a real shot. It might even make big money.
That realization sent Light Bird into a frenzy. Without Fuyukawa needing to push, the entire studio started voluntarily working overtime, determined to polish the game to perfection.
Fuyukawa wasn't surprised by the shift in atmosphere. People said Japan's economy had stagnated for 30 years, that its youth had given up. But humans are humans—desire never fades, no matter how suppressed. If it did, humanity would've gone extinct back in the days of slavery.
The so-called "lying flat" or "slacking off" was just some people temporarily "hibernating" after weighing their options in a tough environment. Sekiro's greenlight and Fuyukawa's demonstrated ability showed Light Bird's team that "spring" had arrived.
With a clear production plan, a strong leader, and the fuel of ambition, the giant ship of Light Bird was picking up speed.
Beyond Fuyukawa's skills and the impressive Sekiro pitch, another key factor in the team's enthusiasm was that Light Bird was a new studio. Fuyukawa was the only team leader, with just a few directors beneath him. The room for growth was huge, and with minimal management layers, Fuyukawa rarely lost his temper, creating a relaxed, open environment for communication.
Light Bird speed!
To the shock of everyone at NTsoft, Light Bird Studio's production pace was breakneck. Long after the rest of the NTsoft building went dark, the southwest corner of the sixth floor was still buzzing with activity.
"My god, Light Bird's gone crazy! I heard from the cleaning lady that their tech dev team often stays until 2 or 3 a.m.!"
"It's not just tech dev. My friend Saki got transferred to Light Bird, and she says the 3D modeling team is pulling all-nighters too!"
"Is Team Leader Fuyukawa that strict? Isn't he worried about lawsuits?"
"Lawsuits? You're overthinking it. They're all working overtime voluntarily! Fuyukawa's got a bet with President Asai—the faster Sekiro is made and the better it sells, the bigger Light Bird's bonuses. And get this—Fuyukawa's so generous, Light Bird's final employee bonus share is almost double what other studios get!"
"Double?! Is he footing that from his own share?"
"Yup, talk about big-hearted. If I were in that environment, I'd probably work like crazy too. If this game blows up, the bonuses could match a year or two of salary. Too bad Sekiro's on track now and not hiring anymore—oh! Good afternoon, Director Miyano!"
In the break room, a few women were gossiping when the sharp click of high heels echoed down the hall.
They knew that sound.
Without hesitation, they stood and bowed.
"Mhm," Miyano Mitei nodded, striding toward her director's office in her sharp OL uniform. But after a couple of steps, she turned back. "Miyako, go get Team Leader Fuyukawa. Tell him I'm waiting in my office."
Miyako, who'd just relaxed thinking Miyano was leaving, tensed up again. Avoiding Miyano's piercing gaze, she bowed quickly. "Yes, Director! I'll go now!"
"Mhm, tell him to hurry."
The sound of heels faded. Only when it was gone did the women in the break room exhale.
"Director Miyano's aura is getting stronger," one whispered.
"No kidding. With Fuyukawa running Light Bird so well, it reflects on her too. But is she meeting him now about Aotake Studio's issue?"
"Huh? You mean the fifth department's roguelike game studio? What's up with them?"
"You haven't heard? Your news is so behind! Director Miyano's not just overseeing the fourth department anymore. Word is, after she went toe-to-toe with Chairman Tsuru at the last shareholder meeting, President Asai handed her Aotake Studio from the fifth department too. They want her to try her hand at a roguelike game. But their team leader got caught in Kabukicho with an underage girl posing as an adult, and now he's been arrested!"
"What?! That's wild!"
"Men, you know. They make money, and it's always the same stuff. Now Aotake's without a team leader, and Miyano's short on reliable people. She's probably pulling Fuyukawa in to talk it over."