The heater in Ethan's room rattled softly, struggling against the chill that seeped through the windows. Outside, the snow had turned to slush, but inside, the air was thick with focus. Ethan sat cross-legged on the floor, his laptop balanced on a stack of textbooks, Isabelle beside him with her sketchbook open and a pencil tucked behind her ear.
The room was cluttered — manga volumes, retro cartridges, half-drunk cups of tea — but the chaos felt alive. Productive. Like something was being built from the ground up.
Ethan tapped the keyboard, lines of code scrolling across the screen. "Okay, timer module is functional. It tracks focus sessions and logs them locally. We'll need a server later, but for now, this works."
Isabelle leaned over, her hair brushing his shoulder. "Can we add a visual cue? Like a ring that fills as time passes?"
"Already on it," Ethan said, pulling up a mock interface. "I'm thinking soft gradients. Something calming."
She nodded. "No red. Red feels like punishment."
Ethan smiled. "Agreed."
They'd been working for hours, refining the MVP for StudySync. The System tracked their progress silently, updating modules and offering subtle nudges. But Ethan had learned to tune it out when Isabelle was around. He didn't want her to feel like a variable. She was a collaborator. A spark.
[System Update: Venture Progress 24%]
Milestone: MVP Core Functionality Achieved
Suggested Next Step: User Testing
Ethan dismissed the prompt. They weren't ready for testing. Not yet. The app still felt fragile, like a paper crane balanced on a breeze.
Isabelle flipped to a new page in her sketchbook. "What about rewards? Something small, like unlocking themes or earning badges."
Ethan hesitated. "I don't want it to feel like a game."
"But games motivate people," she said. "If we do it right, it won't feel childish. It'll feel earned."
He nodded slowly. "Okay. Let's design a reward system. But it has to be subtle. No fireworks."
She grinned. "Minimalist fireworks."
They worked in silence for a while, the only sounds the clack of keys and the scratch of pencil on paper. Ethan felt the rhythm settle into something comfortable. Familiar. He'd built apps before — in his first life — but never like this. Never with someone who understood both the logic and the emotion behind the interface.
Isabelle paused, tapping her pencil against her sketchbook. "Can I ask you something?"
Ethan looked up. "Sure."
"You always seem like you know what's coming. Like you've already lived through this."
He froze. The question wasn't accusatory. Just curious. But it cut deeper than he expected.
"I've... studied a lot," he said carefully. "Patterns. Trends. I guess I just see things early."
She nodded, but her eyes lingered on him a moment longer. "You don't talk like a high schooler."
"I don't feel like one."
There was a pause. Not awkward — just heavy with something unspoken.
Isabelle turned back to her sketchbook. "Well, whatever you are, I'm glad you're here."
Ethan felt the System pulse.
[Emotional Bond Strengthening]
Risk Level: Elevated
Synergy: High
Suggested Action: Maintain Focus
He ignored it. He wasn't going to treat her like a risk. She was the reason this project felt real.
They continued working, refining the interface, debating color palettes, and sketching onboarding flows. Isabelle's designs were clean, intuitive, and quietly beautiful. Ethan translated them into code, building the skeleton of an app that could change how students worked — how they felt about work.
By evening, the MVP was functional. A timer, a task tracker, a reward system, and a basic dashboard. It wasn't perfect, but it was alive.
Ethan leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "We did it."
Isabelle smiled, tired but proud. "It's not bad for two kids in a freezing room."
He laughed. "Speak for yourself. I feel ancient."
She tilted her head. "You really do, sometimes."
He met her gaze. "Is that a bad thing?"
"No," she said softly. "It's just... different."
They packed up their things, the room dimming as the sun dipped below the rooftops. Isabelle pulled on her coat, her sketchbook tucked under her arm.
"Same time tomorrow?" she asked.
Ethan nodded. "Definitely."
She paused at the door. "Thanks for letting me build this with you."
"Thanks for making it worth building."
She smiled, then stepped into the cold.
Ethan sat alone for a moment, the System glowing faintly in the corner of his vision.
[Venture Status: Active]
StudySync MVP Complete
Next Phase: User Testing
Suggested Action: Recruit Testers
He closed the interface and looked at the screen — their app, their design, their future.
And for the first time, he didn't feel like he was chasing a billion yen.
He felt like he was building something that mattered.