Ren Matsumoto (Takumi)

Title: Art Beyond the Game

Characters:

· Ren Matsumoto (28) — founder of "Dragon Forge," a genius whose game wins everything except the "Best Art" award.
· Aki Hoshino (25) — a brilliant but modest artist from "Kitsune Soft," whose work has blocked Ren's victory for years. Everyone thinks she is an elderly veteran.

Story:
At a conference, they spot each other's accessories (a "Dragon Forge" keychain and a "Kitsune Soft" pen) and, to avoid tension, introduce themselves using fake names:

· He is Takumi ("master").
· She is Nao.

They talk. Takumi is amazed by how much Nao's thoughts on the importance of detail and "soul" in art align with the ideals of his elusive rival, Aki Hoshino. Nao finds in Takumi, an "ordinary game designer," a rare connoisseur of aesthetics in a studio she thought was purely technical.

Both leave thinking that their competitors turned out to be pleasant people. A mutual attraction grows between the fictional personas of Takumi and Nao, while their true selves — Ren and Aki — remain sworn rivals in the professional sphere.