GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Prologue, Part I: Setup

They finished their drinks in companionable silence, both knowing something fundamental had shifted between them. The easy camaraderie of their shared dream had been replaced by the professional distance of separate careers.

As they parted ways outside the izakaya, Moriya's final words echoed in the night air: "Don't let them stress you out too much, okay? You've done more for that project than anyone else."

---

The coffee maker beeped, pulling Giri back to his apartment. He poured the fresh brew into his cup, steam rising in the quiet darkness.

Moriya's words had been reassuring, even motivational. Their game was changing lives, making an impact beyond anything they'd originally imagined. But Giri couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong within SolarTech. There had been more behind-closed-door meetings lately, discussions he hadn't been part of, whispered conversations that stopped when he walked by.

He took a sip of the hot coffee and stared at the error message still glowing on his screen. The compile would have to wait a little longer.

His phone screen flared up in the darkness, casting blue light across his cluttered desk.

A message. He grabbed the phone as he settled back into his computer chair.

Contact name: Hanna.

"Hey Giri, can't make it this month. Leading a lecture on the same day and no one to watch Tiny. I'll send money for the visit and a gift. Tell Mom I said hi. I'll try next month, promise."

Giri stared at the message, the familiar weight settling in his chest. Same excuse he couldn't blame her for. His sister struggled between her job and the newborn. Yet it always came down to him.

Another message popped up.

"I know you've been busy too, but I promise, when things settle down, I'll come with you more often."

The message came with a short video. His niece, barely a year old, sat in her high chair making babbling sounds that almost resembled "Gi-Gi"—his name. Her tiny hands reached toward the camera as Hanna's voice cooed in the background, "Say Uncle Gi-Gi!"

Despite everything, Giri smiled.

He set the phone aside and turned back to his monitor. The error message still waited, patient and accusing. Time to get back to work.

---

Golden sunlight striped his cluttered desk. Giri's head drooped, his breath shallow with fatigue. He mumbled, "Just... five more minutes," before collapsing onto the keyboard.

His phone's ring jerked him awake. Dazed, with keyboard marks on his cheek, he grabbed the phone.

He answered, his voice still thick with sleep. "Hello?"

"Giri, finally. It's Kenji." The younger programmer sounded breathless. "Did you check your email?"

Giri rubbed the marks the keyboard had left on his cheek. "No. I'm supposed to work from home today. I was going to read them when I woke up properly."

There was a pause, then Kenji lowered his voice. "Yeah, about that... someone important's coming in this morning. I think you'll need to be here for it."

"More details are in the email, but long story short—it's regarding the project and new developments. Something to do with new gen VR."

Giri sat up straight, instantly awake. "New gen? What do you mean?" A knot formed in his stomach. "Didn't they tell us we're working with the latest one?"

He'd been struggling with VR integration for weeks, thinking he was working with their latest tech. Apparently not. Or maybe they'd deliberately kept him out of the loop.

"I'll be there soon. Need to clean up first."

---

Author's Note:

I'm currently editing Volume 2 while refining Volume 1 based on reader feedback and my own review.

Chapters with proper dialogue formatting (bold & italic) represent the final version (hopefully). If you spot any rough edges, please let me know—your feedback helps me prioritize which improvements to tackle first.

Volume 2's first draft is complete. Chapters will release gradually once they're polished. I'll alternate between refining existing content and preparing new material as needed.

Thank you for your patience and for giving this story a chance!