Competition Results & First Short Story!

Borealis here, and it's Friday - you know what that means!

This week, I ran a very special competition exclusively for members of the Music Club - the Venus: Improbable Dream mailing list - and their prize was naming Kakeru's parents!  No longer will they be simply referred to as Mr & Mrs Akane!  The winners are:

Martin Firbacher, giving Mrs Akane the name Aya

and Louise Lombard, giving Mr Akane the name Naoki!

Congratulations to you two!  Your suggestions are now official canon Venus: Improbable Dream lore, and I'm going to use them right away!  Speaking of which - a little while back, I threw around the idea of writing some short stories about various characters from the game, to show you an extra insight into their lives, and portray things that aren't shown in the game.  I've decided to make that a reality, so for today's devlog, please enjoy this short story about Mr & Mrs Akane - Naoki and Aya - which serves as a little prequel to the events of Venus: Improbable Dream!

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Naoki enters the house, smiling to himself at how the door is already unlocked as he arrives – it tells him that his lovely wife is already home.  He lets himself in, swapping his shoes for slippers, and treads into the lounge, discarding his briefcase onto the coffee table.  As he does so, a bright, familiar voice calls to him from across the house, and his smile grows bigger.

“Naoki, is that you?”

“Yup!”

Following the direction of her voice, he finds himself in the kitchen, finally able to behold the sight he’s been looking forward to all day; Aya turns around to beam at him from the cupboard, abandoning whatever she was doing to cross the room and embrace him.  As her arms circle his neck, he buries his face into her warm shoulder, breathing in her scent – a comforting mixture of the shower gel she always uses, and something resembling a subtle perfume, vaguely floral.

“Welcome home, darling.  Did you have a good day at work?”

“Same as always,” he replies nonchalantly.  “You?”

“Fine!”

The two of them pull back to gaze at each other, and as Naoki looks into Aya’s pretty pale hazel eyes, he laughs internally at how his heart still skips a beat; they may have been married for almost 20 years now, and Aya’s face might have gained a few lines here and there, but her beauty has never faded, and he feels just the same about her as he did when they first started dating.  He’s always loved that about their relationship – it never seems to get tired, no matter what happens.  Aya straightens his collar absentmindedly, and it rouses him back to the moment.

“I can’t decide what to make for dinner.  We still have that pork we bought earlier this week…  I could make tonkatsu, if you like?”

“My stomach’s growling already,” Naoki jokes, breaking into an impish grin as she nudges him playfully.  He relishes the warmth of her giggle, the tantalising kiss she presses to his cheek, the curve of her hips as he rests his hands gently on them; he never really put much thought into the phrase ‘love of my life’ until he met her, but since then, the meaning has become abundantly clear.

“Alright,” she states, slipping somewhat reluctantly out of his grasp and turning back to the cupboard.  “I’d better get started, so I can crumb the pork.  I don’t want to leave you and Kakeru starving all evening.”

Naoki chuckles again, but when Aya pipes up once more, he catches a more vulnerable tone in her voice.

“Have you talked to Kakeru yet today?”

Naoki casts his mind back to that morning, trying to recall any interactions, but it proves difficult for a moment.  Their son is so elusive in his introverted ways that sometimes, the days seem to bleed into each other, and he can’t quite remember whether he’s actually seen him recently or not.

“No,” he replies after a few seconds, “I don’t think so.”

Aya nods, busying herself with her cooking ingredients, but it’s a half-hearted attempt.  As Naoki peeks at her again, he sees something different that wasn’t there mere moments ago – a faint shadow, a look of fatigue, mixed with a tiny splash of sorrow.  It’s a look that he immediately wants to wipe away, putting back the joyful smile that’s usually there, but when it comes to the matter of their evasive son, it’s not that easy.

“I, um-”

She pauses awkwardly, apparently struggling with whatever she wants to say.  Naoki edges closer to her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the softness of her cardigan brushing against his fingers.

“-I was thinking of talking to the school.  I know it’s probably a bit futile, but that homeroom teacher he has – Matsumoto-sensei – he’s quite resourceful and proactive.  I get the feeling he might try to help us with Kakeru more, if we ask.”

There’s logic in her reasoning, but for just a moment, the conversation causes Naoki’s mood to darken; he would never trade his family for anything in the world, but at the same time, he can’t lie and pretend that things feel entirely okay.  For quite a few years now, Kakeru’s mental health has really declined, preventing him from living as he should, and it hurts.

It hurts for Naoki and Aya to watch him remove himself from all the fun things he should be experiencing, missing out on friendship and the carefree nature of youth to carry the world on his shoulders.  It hurts for them to know that his self-esteem is so incredibly low that he can’t even look his own parents in the face.  And most of all, it hurts Naoki to see his wife’s saddened expression whenever she thinks about all of this, her despair and helplessness.  It’s just so hard to know what on earth to do when the situation has gotten so desperate.

Aya grows still, letting the bottle of oil in her hand slip gently onto the counter, and swivels to face Naoki one more time.  When she gazes up at him, her eyes almost plead with his.

“What do you think, Naoki?  Is it worth a try?  I could call the school tomorrow, or first thing next week.”

Naoki gives in to the almost subconscious urge to wind a strand of Aya’s soft hair, broken free from its tie, around his finger lovingly.  Sometimes, the whole situation with Kakeru just seems too messed-up to ever be able to solve, but when she looks at him like this, he feels himself yield to her wishes.  How can he say no to such a beautiful yet troubled face?

“Alright, sure,” he replies at last.  “Do you want me to be with you?  We could talk to them together.”

Instantly, the pain in Aya’s eyes gives way to a much more vibrant look, the spark of hope igniting inside her again.

“Yes, that’d be great!  They might even want to set up a meeting, but having both of us on the phone to start with will help.  Let’s think about the best time to call after dinner.”

“Sure.”

That relaxed smile that Naoki wanted to see works its way back onto Aya’s face, and she leans in, planting a spontaneous but very welcome kiss onto his lips.  He could easily have carried on for an hour, but all too quickly, she pulls away, smiling happily.

“Thanks Naoki.  Maybe this time, we’ll get lucky.”

Content once more, she starts preparing dinner in earnest, and not wanting to get in her way, Naoki retreats back towards the lounge.  Before he turns the corner, he indulges himself in one last glance, and the sight gives him an odd combination of feelings; things with Kakeru truly are dire, and this impending appeal for help may fail, just as all of their previous ones have, but right now, the smile is back on Aya’s face…  and that’s something.

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Thanks for reading!  There'll be a new short story next week, featuring different characters and new story lore!

See you then!

Borealis