Chapter 31

**POV Third-Person**

The game design competition was going increasingly viral on the Internet. Initially, those interested in this competition were businesspeople, investors, designers, and players. Although this was a significant number of people, it didn't reach everyone. However, this changed with a supportive note issued by the Council for the Protection of Android Rights.

**[We, the Council, have always worked to ensure that all androids can live dignified lives. For a long time, we have tried to preserve history, raising awareness among new generations of both androids and humans that life is important, whether biological or synthetic.**

**We were ecstatic to learn that this work is bearing fruit. A newly released game called *Detroit: Become Human* by an aspiring designer surprised all the Council members. This game has a completely fictional story, but it manages to address several delicate issues related to the history of androids masterfully.**

**In playing, you will make many decisions that challenge your moral ethics and make you reflect on the past and present. We, the Council, believe this is an experience everyone should have, and we hope that more works like this will emerge in the future.]**

This note, although brief, caught the attention of the entire android community. The Council has always been well-regarded by androids for its excellent work in improving their living conditions, so this recommendation was enough for androids from all over the universe to seek out the game.

*Detroit*, which was already among the thousand most played games in the competition, quickly jumped into the top 10. Not only that, but it was rapidly approaching first place. This caught the attention of many designers. After all, those in the top 10 had spent a staggering amount of credits promoting their games.

Seeing a game they had never heard of quickly approaching first place left everyone surprised. But that was just the beginning. With so many androids playing the same game, many people became curious and decided to try it as well. In just one week, a huge number of memes began to appear all over the Internet.

Images of Markus rising from the android 'graveyard,' covered in blood and wounds, appeared with captions like, *"When I end up in a team of newbies and have to kill everyone alone because my entire team died."*

Memes from various moments in the game started appearing everywhere, and more and more people became interested in *Detroit*. Many streamers started playing it, content creators from various places realized that this game was trending, and began playing it too. *Detroit* quickly reached first place and opened a large gap from the second place.

But memes weren't the only thing that became popular. The streamers' reactions to the consequences of their choices were especially amusing for viewers. One of the most shared reactions was from a girl playing in the early chapters with Kara.

When Todd orders Kara not to move and climbs the stairs holding a belt, the girl became anxious, knowing that Todd would beat Alice. When Kara finally breaks free from the command, no options appear, leaving her to choose what to do.

At that moment, someone in the chat sent a message asking her to open the door and leave to see if she could escape alone. What she didn't expect was that when she left through the door, everything would go dark, and a message would appear on the screen.

**[6 months later]**

Kara appeared working at a fast-food restaurant. While she worked, the scene showed a device broadcasting a report about a murder. The reporter spoke about a man who brutally murdered his own daughter during a drug-fueled rage.

A video of Todd resisting arrest appeared. He was handcuffed, and several police officers were holding him as he screamed and cursed while being dragged to the patrol car. Then, a picture of Alice appeared.

*"It's really sad to see such a young child suffer such a tragic fate."*

The scene then shifted to show a guilty and sad expression on Kara's face before everything went dark, and a new chapter began. After that, the streamer could no longer play as Kara.

The reaction the streamer had upon seeing this scene and realizing she could no longer play as Kara was so good that it was shared almost everywhere. This kind of thing was happening with several streamers; some even proposed finding all the game's endings, while others sought to see all the different ways the characters could die.

At this point, *Detroit* truly went viral. This success even surprised Alex. He had expected the game to be successful but not to this extent. No matter where he went on the Internet, there was always a meme or mention of the game. Seeing this was truly impressive. In the past, there were few games that could achieve this.

What surprised Alex the most was the note from the Android Rights Council. When he chose to create this game, he obviously had some knowledge about androids, but he didn't expect it to have such a significant impact. However, since this was helping, he wasn't going to complain.

**...**

After *Detroit*'s massive success, Alex found himself surrounded by his friends, Ed and Fred.

"Traitor, how could you leave us behind like this?"

"Exactly, we're friends. If you had a good idea, you should've told us."

"Hahaha, in your dreams! This is a competition—may the best win, which is me, hahaha."

"Tsk, you jerk... Did you at least play our game? Tell us what you thought."

"… Alright… the game is garbage."

"Jerk, you didn't have to put it like that! I bet you liked something about it."

"No, I didn't like anything."

"…"

"…"

Ed was the more expressive of the two. He immediately looked disappointed and sat on a bench, letting out a sigh. Fred frowned and crossed his arms but also showed a bit of disappointment. They had known Alex since they were ten when they started taking classes together.

Even though they always joked around, they really took Alex's opinion seriously when it came to games. Many times over the years, Alex had shown incredible knowledge and passion for games, which made the two of them also want to follow this path.

**Maybe game design is my area... I'm thinking about changing majors.**

Hearing Ed say this, Fred sighed lightly and sat down beside him in silence. Alex, seeing this, rolled his eyes and said with disdain.

"What were you expecting to hear? You knew about the competition three years before it started, but you only decided to team up and make the game a year before it began. Did you really think rushing it would work?"

The two felt a little embarrassed hearing this. Alex looked at them and smiled slightly. When he first entered the school, he noticed that these two boys had good art skills, so he gave them several tips, but he didn't expect them to actually follow him into the game design courses.

*(Maybe if I train them properly, I could have two good employees in the future.)*

With the friendliest smile he could muster, Alex placed his hands on the boys' shoulders.

"Hehehe, don't worry, I'm here. Even though your game is garbage, there are still some good points... I'm working on a new project; what do you think about helping me? I can give you some tips."

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"Stop it; you're giving me chills."

**...**

**POV Alexandre Lockhart**

**...**

I decided to let Ed and Fred help me with *Undertale*. I want to see if they have the talent to assist me in future projects. I have plans to start doing big things, and I'll need help, but I must ensure that the people with me understand what I'm doing.

Even though they still have a lot to improve, they have talent to explore, and I'm going to make sure to develop these talents. After all, to create the impact I want in the entertainment market, they are very important.

"Alex, it's already late; let's finish this tomorrow."

"Stop complaining, or no salary."

"Salary? What are you talking about?"

"Hm?! Nothing, I just got carried away. Anyway, keep working."

"Why do I feel like you're planning something bad?"

"Nonsense, I'm just helping you improve. Now keep drawing."

"Why are we doing this? Just buy an AI for this."

"I don't have the money. Besides, if an AI does this, what will you do? Look at Ed; he's not complaining."

"Tsk, okay, okay."

"Hehehe, you need to get used to this level of work, or you won't handle it in the future."

"What are you mumbling about over there?"

"Eh?! Nothing, just keep working."

"Tsk."

**...**

Over time, the boys have improved. Ed has a great talent for creating characters, while Fred is really good with settings. Having them around is speeding up the process of building the game's structure. In a few months, I should have a demo ready for testing.

Since it's the first time anyone is making a game for holographic wristbands, many adjustments need to be made, but nothing too complicated. I must say, it's fun teaching the boys. I can't wait to see how much they'll improve.

Besides teaching the boys, I've also been visiting Albert and Grandma Maria. At first, the choir and orchestra were completely disorganized, but now it's hard to say how much they've improved. But I think it would be impossible not to improve with those two elders pushing you.

Grandma Maria, who is so calm and polite, completely changes when it comes to music. She's so harsh with her critiques that when I attended one of the rehearsals, one of the singers left crying. It was really strange to see a man over 300 years old run away in tears.

When I asked about it, she just smiled and said it was fine, that after crying, he would come back more determined. I could only smile a little before leaving, wishing those poor souls good luck.

**...**

**Note:** Sorry, this chapter should have come out yesterday, but it was Father's Day, and I spent the day at my mom's house. 

What to say about this chapter? I simply don't know. I wrote it twice and still don't like it. I wanted to work on the protagonist's friends, but I couldn't. 

I'm going to write the next chapter and will only post it when I'm happy with it. I hope I don't delay, hahaha.