While Cyberpunk 2077 was enjoying overwhelming popularity, the man who had created this mesmerizing world wasn't paying much attention to the game's influence at all.
Because he had something far more important to deal with.
At least for now, this was the most important thing of all—Takayuki's child had been born.
It was a girl, with bright, lively eyes.
The moment she was born, she cried fiercely. Even the doctors were amazed by how strong and energetic she was.
But crying nonstop wasn't exactly ideal. No matter how the doctors and nurses tried to soothe her, the little one refused to calm down.
In the end, Ayu stepped in personally and took out something unexpected.
A Switch game console.
She didn't even know why she had brought something like that with her to give birth. But thinking about it, the thing she loved most in her life really was video games.
And at this moment, it had an unexpected effect.
She turned on the console and held it in front of the baby, at a distance the newborn could barely see.
Gradually, the crying stopped.
The little one stared intently at the screen, and before long, she quieted down completely.
The doctors and nurses were all stunned.
They had seen plenty of strange situations in their careers—newborns who didn't cry at all, newborns who screamed nonstop until they were finally calmed down.
But calming a newborn with a game console?
That was a first.
Could this child be a gamer from birth?
Would she grow up addicted to games?
Then again… why worry about that? She wasn't their child. And Takayuki was one of the most powerful figures in Japan. Even if his child grew up lazy and spoiled, she'd still live a life without worries.
Today, just to welcome this new life, the hospital's best doctors and nurses had all been mobilized.
After all, Takayuki was a major figure—and this hospital itself had ties to a media group, in which Takayuki also held shares. A person like that was someone you wanted to curry favor with, not offend.
"Hey, have you heard? Takayuki's latest game has caused another huge social reaction. Looks like Gamestar Electronic Entertainment is going to make a fortune again."
"That little one is really lucky," a nurse said enviously, looking at the baby who had already fallen asleep.
"Mr. Takayuki, mother and child are both safe. Congratulations—you have a daughter."
As soon as the baby settled down, the doctor came out with a smile to congratulate him.
Takayuki had been waiting outside for a long time.
To be honest, he had been nervous—truly nervous.
That anxiety felt similar to the first time he created video games in this world.
Back then, he had worried whether this world would accept video games at all.
Now, he was worried about Ayu's health—and about his child.
When he heard that everything was safe, he finally let out a long breath. A massive weight lifted from his heart.
"I have a granddaughter! That's wonderful!"
Takayuki's mother, Yuko, was already in her sixties, yet she still looked radiant and full of life.
At this point, she wanted nothing more from life.
She had created many outstanding works of art over the years. When Ayu became pregnant, she immediately returned from abroad, dragging along her husband—who had absolutely no desire to come back—to Japan to stay by Ayu's side.
Takayuki was busy with work, and Yuko felt it was her responsibility to take care of Ayu.
Of course, with Takayuki's status, there was no shortage of professional caregivers. But Yuko insisted on doing it herself—only then did it feel truly meaningful to her.
Hearing that mother and child were safe filled her with joy far beyond what Takayuki himself felt.
Takayuki felt relieved and happy.
Yuko was simply ecstatic.
"A girl, huh? That's good. Not a smelly brat. Son, at least you won't get driven crazy by your own kid in the future."
Takayuki's father patted him on the shoulder, pretending to sound wise and experienced.
Even though he was also in his sixties, his mindset was still as youthful as ever.
To this day, he loved writing more than anything else—even though he'd never had much success with it.
Later, a major financial newspaper had tried to recruit him as an investment consultant, but he turned them down without hesitation.
His real talent lay in investing. Even the occasional investments he made while writing novels brought back several times the return.
It drove other people crazy.
A man with such talent who refused to use it, wasting his time writing goddamn novels—was he even cut out for that?
Just look at his son Takayuki. He knew exactly how to make use of his strengths. Father and son were worlds apart.
"From now on, you carry a new responsibility," Takayuki's father said seriously. "You should be prepared."
"I understand," Takayuki replied softly, nodding.
"Oh, right," his father added. "Have you thought about a name for the child?"
"Yes, the name!" Yuko snapped back to attention and hurried over. "Have you decided yet? This is one of the most important things. Don't tell me you haven't prepared anything."
"Mom, I'm not that irresponsible," Takayuki said helplessly. "I already decided long ago. Whether it was a boy or a girl, I wanted to use this name."
"What name?"
"Yume Takayuki—it represents the Dream of Games."
The Dream of Games.
It was Takayuki's lifelong pursuit.
The name didn't carry any strict meaning, and he wasn't trying to force his child to chase some dream about games.
It simply represented his own attitude toward life.
A name was a gift from parents to their child.
If she didn't like it in the future, she could always change it herself. Takayuki didn't mind.
At least for now, she embodied his dream of games.
In his previous life, he had also carried a dream of games.
Grinding through brutal work schedules, he still found time after work to make games he loved.
He loved games—always had.
Coming to this world, nothing had changed.
Fulfilling his dream of games was his ultimate goal.
And now, he felt that he had, in a sense, achieved it.
A complete version of Cyberpunk 2077, exactly as he had envisioned it, had been born through his hands.
He felt like he had no major regrets left.
But that didn't mean the end of his journey.
There were still many games he wanted to bring into this world.
Letting this world experience the great games from his previous life—that was another dream of games.
"Yume Takayuki… that really does suit my son's style," his father chuckled. "But you said you'd use this name even for a boy—doesn't it sound a bit feminine?"
"A name is just a meaning," Takayuki replied calmly. "She can always change it later. For now, she is Yume Takayuki."
The Dream of Games.