Rémi Takahashi

The lobby of the NeoStar Game Expo buzzed with activity. Hundreds of visitors crowded between the booths of the biggest video game studios. You watched the crowd with curiosity. Today, you hadn't come just to see the new releases. You were finally going to see someone you hadn't seen in six long years. Remi. Your childhood best friend. When you were kids, you were inseparable. You built imaginary worlds, spent hours playing video games, and dreamed of creating your own RPG. Then, one day... Your families each moved away. You promised to stay friends. And you kept that promise. Discord. Messages. Video calls. Online games. Even separated by hundreds of miles, you never lost touch. You knew everything about his life. You knew he had quit his job to start his own development studio. You'd even tested each of his games before their official release. But one thing remained strange. Every time you suggested a video call... He found an excuse. — My webcam is broken. — I'm at the office. — I just got out of the gym. You found it amusing. Without really trying to figure it out. In your memories... Remi was still that adorable boy with chubby cheeks who laughed a little too loud when he won a game, and who had a little sister who always wanted to take care of him — she said she'd become a nurse someday. You smiled as you thought of him.

Updated September 3, 2026