Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

Sunday, 1 December 2001.

Kurata Household.

Hikaru Kurata stared at the live-streaming equipment sitting in front of the television and released a long, defeated sigh.

This is definitely a terrible idea.

Normally, Hikaru was a man who could walk into a Sonaya board meeting without hesitation, argue with shareholders for hours, negotiate enormous contracts, and make decisions involving billions of yen without showing much emotion.

Yet somehow, a camera, four controllers, and his own children made him considerably more nervous.

His son Higashi had spent the last several days asking him to participate in a family livestream. The idea was simple enough: the four members of the Kurata family would play ZAGE's newest ZEPS 3 game, The Incredibles, together.

Unfortunately, there was one obvious problem.

Hikaru Kurata was the CEO and a major shareholder of Sonaya.

ZAGE was one of Sonaya's biggest rivals.

And now he was about to livestream himself playing a ZAGE game.

Hikaru rubbed his forehead. "I cannot believe I agreed to this."

Higashi, who was sitting on the floor while adjusting the capture equipment, looked back at his father and laughed. "But you promised!"

"I made that promise before thinking about the consequences."

"That sounds like a you problem."

Hikaru stared at his son.

Higashi simply smiled back.

A few years ago, talking to his father like that would have been almost impossible.

The Kurata household had once been a much colder place. Hikaru had spent too much time thinking about Sonaya, business, competition, reputation, and winning against ZAGE. His relationship with his children had gradually become distant, while Ikuyo often found herself trying to keep the family connected without him.

Then came the incident in 1998.

Hikaru had almost died because of his blood pressure thinking about ZAGE.

That experience changed him completely.

He decides to stop chasing and copying ZAGE instead of doing what Sonaya does best and even beat ZAGE at GOTY with their Sun Knight 5 in 1999.

As for his live he began spending more time at home. He listened when his children spoke. He attended school events whenever his schedule allowed it, ate dinner with them more often, and slowly learned what they actually enjoyed instead of simply buying expensive gifts whenever he felt guilty.

Higashi was now in his second year of high school and had recently aced his examinations. Hikaru had promised him that if he performed well, he could choose something for the entire family to do together.

Hikaru had expected a restaurant.

Maybe a short vacation.

Perhaps some expensive electronic device.

Instead, Higashi wanted his father to appear on his YouTube channel.

Hikaru still believed the boy had chosen this specifically to torment him.

His daughter Inari, now in her second year of middle school, was even worse. Both of his children were enormous ZAGE fans, which Hikaru considered one of the universe's cruelest jokes.

Higashi dreamed of becoming a game developer someday and had recently become fascinated with YouTube as well. Unfortunately for Hikaru's pride, YouTube itself had been created by ZAGE.

His children were apparently determined to fill their lives with Zaboru's inventions.

Hikaru looked toward the ceiling. "Where did I fail?"

Inari, sitting beside her brother with a controller already in her hands, answered immediately. "You raised children with good taste."

"That is exactly what worries me."

Ikuyo chuckled from the sofa. She had changed considerably too. In the past, gaming had mostly been something her children did while she watched from a distance. But after Hikaru began making a genuine effort to spend more time with the family, she decided she would do the same.

She learned slowly.

Very slowly.

At first, she struggled to even remember which buttons did what. Higashi and Inari patiently taught her how to use controllers, while Hikaru occasionally joined them despite pretending he was only there because he had nothing better to do.

Over time, family gaming nights became surprisingly common.

Sometimes they played party games.

Sometimes racing games.

Sometimes cooperative adventure games.

Ikuyo still was not particularly skilled, but she genuinely enjoyed herself, especially because gaming gave her another way to spend time with her children.

Tonight, she looked almost as excited as Higashi and Inari.

Hikaru pointed toward the camera and looked at his son. "Higashi, you do understand that I am the CEO of Sonaya, right? Not some random salaryman you dragged into your bedroom."

Higashi laughed comfortably. "Dad, nobody is going to care. I don't even think the stream will get that many viewers."

Hikaru narrowed his eyes. "You are putting the Sonaya CEO on YouTube playing a rival company's game."

"Exactly. That's why it's funny."

"That does not make me feel better."

Ikuyo gently tapped Hikaru's arm. "Dear, just enjoy it. Besides, I actually liked The Incredibles movie when we watched it together. Is this game based on the same story?"

Inari's eyes immediately lit up. "Yes! It's the same family, Mom. And apparently this game is really good for co-op. Four people can play together at the same time."

Ikuyo thought carefully for a second before smiling proudly. "Co-op means cooperation, right? So all four of us can play together?"

Higashi immediately gave his mother a thumbs-up. "You're very cool, Mom."

Inari grinned and joined him. "You're very cool!"

Hikaru's eyebrow twitched.

There it was again.

Zaboru's infamous phrase.

His children had somehow adopted "You Are Very Cool" into normal family conversation, and every time Hikaru heard it, he felt a small part of his competitive pride being stabbed.

He sighed. "Can we please stop repeating Zaboru's catchphrase inside my house?"

Higashi looked completely innocent. "Why? It's a good phrase."

"It is annoying."

"You're just jealous because Sonaya doesn't have an iconic catchphrase."

Hikaru stared at him.

Ikuyo immediately covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.

Even Inari began giggling.

Hikaru slowly crossed his arms. "Perhaps I should cancel this livestream."

Higashi immediately pointed toward the equipment. "Too late. You promised."

Hikaru looked toward his wife for support.

Ikuyo smiled sweetly. "A promise is a promise, dear."

Hikaru sighed again.

There was no escape.

Still, watching his wife and children smiling together made it impossible for him to remain genuinely annoyed.

Years ago, scenes like this had been rare.

Higashi would probably have stayed in his room.

Inari might have avoided talking to him entirely.

Ikuyo would have quietly accepted that Hikaru had another business meeting.

Now they were arguing about video games in the living room.

Hikaru secretly preferred this version of his life.

He would never admit that too loudly.

Higashi finally finished preparing the livestream and looked toward everyone. "Okay, we're ready."

Hikaru immediately straightened his posture.

Inari laughed. "Dad, why are you sitting like you're about to announce Sonaya's yearly earnings?"

"I am appearing publicly."

"You're playing a video game."

"I can do both professionally."

Ikuyo laughed. "Just relax."

Higashi pressed the button.

The livestream began.

At first, almost nobody was watching.

That immediately helped Hikaru relax.

"See?" Higashi said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Good."

The four of them launched The Incredibles.

The opening immediately impressed Hikaru more than he wanted to admit.

The graphics were noticeably strong for ZEPS 3. Pixar's familiar visual style translated surprisingly well into the game, with expressive character animations, detailed environments, bright effects, and smooth transitions between cinematic scenes and gameplay.

Hikaru quietly inspected everything with the eyes of a competing company executive.

Damn it.

The game looked good.

Very good.

Then came character selection.

"I'm Mr. Incredible," Hikaru declared immediately.

Higashi looked toward him. "Of course you are."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"It sounded like something."

Ikuyo selected Elastigirl. "Then I'll play the mother."

Inari immediately chose Violet while Higashi selected Dash.

The lineup somehow felt appropriate.

Once the first stage began, Hikaru quickly realised that this was not simply an ordinary action game.

Each character genuinely mattered.

Mr. Incredible possessed enormous strength. Hikaru could lift heavy objects, destroy reinforced barriers, throw enemies, move large machinery, and protect the others during certain combat sections.

Elastigirl had considerably more flexibility. Ikuyo could stretch across gaps, reach switches behind obstacles, pull distant objects, and create bridges for the other family members.

Dash could move incredibly quickly, run through timed sections, activate multiple switches before they reset, and reach areas that required speed.

Violet used invisibility to avoid security systems and could create force fields to protect the team or manipulate certain environmental puzzles.

The stages constantly encouraged cooperation.

Nobody could simply run ahead and solve everything alone.

At one point, Hikaru reached a massive blocked doorway and immediately attempted to break it.

Nothing happened.

He attacked it again.

Still nothing.

Higashi laughed. "Dad, I think you need Mom."

"I am Mr. Incredible. Why would I need help opening a door?"

"Because the game says so."

Ikuyo carefully moved Elastigirl toward a small opening beside the doorway, stretched her arm through it, and activated a switch from the other side.

The door opened immediately.

Ikuyo smiled proudly. "See? Cooperation."

Hikaru remained silent.

Inari laughed. "Mom carried Dad."

"I was testing the mechanics."

"Sure."

A few minutes later, Ikuyo accidentally stretched Elastigirl into the wrong direction and fell from a platform.

She burst out laughing immediately. "Wait! Where did I go?"

Higashi pointed toward the lower part of the screen. "Mom, you fell."

"Oh."

"You have to aim first."

"I thought I did!"

Inari giggled. "Try again!"

Ikuyo respawned and attempted the jump several more times, failing twice before finally reaching the correct platform.

When she succeeded, everyone cheered.

Even Hikaru.

"Yes!" Ikuyo raised her controller proudly. "I did it!"

Higashi grinned. "You're very cool, Mom!"

Inari immediately joined him again. "You're very cool!"

Ikuyo laughed happily.

Hikaru shook his head, but this time he was smiling too.

As the stages continued, the family slowly became more coordinated.

Hikaru handled heavy enemies.

Ikuyo manipulated the environment.

Higashi raced between switches.

Inari protected everyone with Violet's force field.

Sometimes they argued.

Sometimes somebody accidentally ruined a puzzle the others had almost solved.

At one point, Higashi rushed ahead with Dash and triggered an enemy encounter before everyone else was ready.

Hikaru immediately complained, "Why did you run ahead?"

"I'm Dash! That's literally what I'm supposed to do!"

"You are supposed to cooperate."

"Dad, five minutes ago you tried to punch a puzzle door."

"That is different."

Ikuyo laughed so hard that she almost dropped her controller.

Eventually, even Hikaru stopped analysing the game like a rival executive.

He simply started playing.

The Kurata family laughed together whenever somebody made a mistake. They celebrated whenever they solved a difficult puzzle. Ikuyo became increasingly confident with the controls, while Inari patiently explained mechanics whenever her mother became confused.

Hikaru glanced toward them occasionally.

His wife was smiling.

His daughter was laughing openly.

His son looked completely comfortable sitting beside him.

That warmth hit him unexpectedly.

Three years ago, after the incident that nearly took his life, Hikaru had promised himself that if he survived, he would stop treating his family like something that could always wait until tomorrow.

Business could wait sometimes.

Sonaya could survive one evening without him.

His children would not remain children forever.

Higashi would eventually leave home.

Inari would grow older.

There would come a time when all four of them could no longer gather around the same television so easily.

Hikaru looked at the game again.

Perhaps that was why he suddenly understood what ZAGE had done so well with The Incredibles.

It was not simply about superhero powers.

The entire game was built around family members needing one another.

Mr. Incredible might be the strongest, but strength could not solve every problem.

Dash could be the fastest, but speed alone was useless in some stages.

Violet could protect everyone, but she still needed the others.

Elastigirl's flexibility allowed her to reach places nobody else could.

Everyone had weaknesses.

Everyone had strengths.

And the game worked best when they stayed together.

Hikaru quietly smiled.

"Damn you, Zaboru."

Higashi heard him. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Are you actually enjoying the game?"

"No."

Inari looked toward him. "Dad, you've been smiling for like twenty minutes."

"I am analysing it professionally."

Ikuyo gave him a knowing look. "Of course, dear."

Hikaru sighed.

Fine.

Perhaps the game really was top-tier.

He still refused to say that publicly.

Unfortunately for him, the livestream was public.

And something else was happening.

The viewer counter, which had originally contained only a handful of people, had begun moving upward.

Twenty viewers became fifty.

Fifty became several hundred.

Then several thousand.

Comments started appearing faster and faster because of a certain person.

Higashi was too focused on playing to notice.

Inari was helping her mother with another puzzle.

Ikuyo was laughing because she accidentally trapped Hikaru behind Violet's force field.

And Hikaru himself was too busy complaining about it.

"Why am I trapped?!"

Inari laughed. "Sorry, Dad!"

"Remove it!"

"I'm trying!"

Higashi nearly dropped his controller from laughing.

None of them noticed the viewer counter exploding.

Because somewhere else on the internet, a certain someone had discovered the livestream.

And with one simple action, the quiet Kurata family gaming night was about to become much, much larger.

To be continued.

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