After finishing the graduation project, college seniors usually had just one thing left—a thesis defense three months later. Everything before that was considered the freest period in a student's life. Some people traveled. Some grabbed internships to get used to office life.
Evan Carter went home.
His mom had called the night before. His father—Frank Carter—had been hospitalized. She didn't explain why, only told him to come back as soon as he could if he wasn't tied up with school.
She didn't need to say more. Evan booked an Amtrak ticket for the next morning.
He could guess why his father had ended up in the hospital.
Because of the whole reincarnation situation, Evan still found it hard to treat himself as a child in this world. Emotionally, he'd always felt slightly detached. His dad was busy with work all the time, which made Evan's distance less obvious. His mom, Linda Carter, doted on him with the same warmth every day.
Frank Carter himself was a gamer. He ran a tiny local game studio—small narrative titles, dating-sim style projects, casual visual novels. The family wasn't rich, but they lived comfortably. Until early last year. Evan's mom had casually mentioned Frank was "working on something big." Combine that with his dad's chronic high blood pressure…
Evan had a sinking feeling something had gone wrong.
Trying to keep the worry down, he splashed cold water on his face in the narrow train-car restroom. The chill snapped him awake, pushing the anxiety back for now.
Harborview City to his hometown, Northdale City, wasn't close. The long-distance train took nearly six hours. Evan had boarded early; off-season meant a half-empty car with only a handful of scattered passengers.
When he returned to his seat, someone was now sitting in the previously empty spot across from him.
Short shoulder-length hair. A stylish felt hat. She was absorbed in a magazine—Evan only saw her fair chin at first. She wore a black knit top and easygoing travel pants.
The magazine title made him smile.
GameSphere Magazine.One of the most respected gaming magazines out there—reviews, previews, retrospectives, industry features. He'd grabbed the same issue at the station.
He sat down quietly, pulled out a small notepad and pen, and began jotting game ideas. Recording inspiration anywhere, anytime was a survival skill for a game designer.
After a few minutes, the girl lowered her magazine, noticed him, and smiled. She had warm eyes and natural dimples that appeared when she smiled. Then she reached out her hand.
"I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Carter."
Evan froze mid-scribble.
He slowly looked up.
And the first thing he noticed was—She was beautiful.Like the sort of beauty that made you blink twice.
He immediately shoved that thought aside and smiled politely.
"Uh… 'Mr. Carter'? Me?"
"Yes," she said lightly. "Let me introduce myself. Emily Warren. I'm in game development too… kind of. And, fun fact, I'm also from Northdale."
Evan shook her hand, still confused.
"My last name is Carter, yeah, but I'm not exactly 'Mr. Carter.' I'm just a college senior."
"You don't read the news?" Emily teased.
Before he could answer, she continued enthusiastically:
"Your university's graduation competition? GameSphere did a full special feature on it last week. You didn't subscribe to this magazine?"
Evan's ears turned a little red.He definitely didn't want to admit he thought the magazine's writing felt primitive compared to the gaming culture in his former world.
Emily continued with a bright smile:
"Your winning project was incredible. Compressing a game that much without hurting content? When it hit the internet, people argued about it nonstop. A lot of folks thought you were faking it."
She laughed softly, dimples appearing again.
"But when Silver Ridge Games announced they were publishing it, and more players actually tried it, everyone started praising you. You're being called one of the most promising game designers in years."
She reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook.
"I bought a legit copy of Killing Planet to support you. I'm officially a fan. Can I get an autograph?"
Evan scratched his cheek, embarrassed.
"Hearing all that, I guess I gained a little fame… Thank you."
He took the notebook and wrote "Evan Carter" in perfect, clean handwriting.
Emily let out a tiny laugh.
"Most people's signatures are messy and dramatic—yours looks like it was printed by a laser printer. No one will believe it's real."
Evan shrugged.
"It's my first autograph. Figured I should make it formal. Don't worry—when I'm famous, I'll tell people my first autograph was perfectly neat. Just keep it safe and wait for it to multiply in value."
Emily smiled, amused."Alright then, I'll take your word for it. Mr. Carter, hurry up and release your next game."
After that playful exchange, they settled into comfortable conversation.
Evan learned that Emily had been working in Harborview as a numerical designer—one of the people responsible for game balance and stat systems.
They were the same age, but Emily was more aggressive about her career. She started interning during junior year, worked for a little over a year, then recently resigned. She planned to go back home to rest and reset her direction.
Hearing this, Evan joked:
"Well, since fate keeps throwing us together… Ms. Warren, want to work for me? Good numerical designers are rare these days."
Emily puffed her cheeks dramatically, pretending to be pitiful.
"Sure—once your company actually exists. I just hope you won't forget an unemployed soul like me."
Evan laughed. "Deal. No problem."
But the joke held truth.
In this world, the game industry had developed in strange ways. Planners here tended to be judged mostly on their ability to write scripts and narrative beats. System and numerical design—crucial positions in Evan's original world—were strangely undervalued.
Yet Evan knew from experience that numerical designers were essential. Many brilliant indie games collapsed because their balance spiraled into chaos. He'd seen it countless times in his past life.
If he wanted to recreate or surpass the classics he remembered, a reliable numerical designer wasn't optional.It was one of the most important hires he'd ever need.
And the girl across the table?
She might be exactly the kind of person he'd been missing.