15. AT PIOTR AND YUKI’S PLACE

Let’s drop by Piotr and Yuki’s place for a bit—things have changed there recently.

Piotr: Another day without electricity.

Yuki: That can’t be another excuse not to tell your family about Izabela.

Piotr: But... the phone’s not working.

Yuki: You’ll have to tell them someday that we’ve adopted a daughter.

Life in an apartment block has its upsides... and downsides.

Yuki: What do you think you’re doing? It’s quiet hours! My daughter’s trying to sleep!

Neighbor: Sounds like you have a boring sex life.

Yuki: Quite the opposite! But at least not everyone in the building hears it!

Neighbor: Oh, so maybe we could try a threesome sometime?

Yuki: WHAT???

Neighbor: Come back when you’re ready to decide.

Since Piotr and Yuki work alternating schedules, they also alternate taking care of Izi. The little girl has discovered she loves sounds—maybe she’ll pursue a stage career like her dad!

Yuki: Almost right! You clearly got my knack for numbers, ha!

City life moves fast, so Piotr and Yuki usually order food (which explains why their kitchen looks so pristine).

Or they grab food from street vendors.

Piotr: I brought Vietnamese cuisine today.

Yuki: I can’t right now—I need to level up in this plumbob game!

Piotr: I love when you're so focused.

Artists sometimes face creative blocks, but Piotr knows how to overcome them to succeed on stage. Though for now, the audience isn’t very big.

Meanwhile, the neighbors next door are noisy again—this time, they’re clearly having a party.

Neighbor: Oh, it’s you again.

Yuki: Seriously, if you don’t stop this noise, I’ll hack your computer and make your life a nightmare. I’m perfectly capable of it!

Neighbor: Alright, alright, calm down. The music’s off, okay?

That night, strange things happened...

Piotr: What’s going on? Yuki, where are you? YUKI?! Plasma sucker, I’ll get you!

Vampire: Oopsie... hehe...

Piotr: Aaaaa!!! YUKI! YUKI, WHERE ARE YOU??!!

Yuki: Relax, it was just a dream.

Piotr: But it felt so real! Like it actually happened, and then the Watcher didn’t save the game. I need to stay on guard—my dad defeated the Original Vampire, but there are others out there. I need to wear the ring and always have a weapon on hand, and you and Izi need garlic.

The time came for a family gathering.

Klara: I always forget there’s such a beautiful big city park in San Myshuno.

Anna: I like it too.

Akito: Too bad it’s raining though...

Piotr: Mom, Dad, I’d like to introduce Izabela—we call her Izi.

Klara: You have a child, and you didn’t tell us??!!

Akito: This is a bit awkward... Hello, flower.

Klara: Come here, sweetheart, to grandma. I’m your grandma, you know?

Klara: And you—I’ll be having a word with you. Keeping this from us like that.

Piotr: Well, I’m telling you now!

Klara: ...

Piotr: Oh, come on!

Maja: I’m Maja. You?

Izi: Izi. Sisters?

Maja: OK!

Yuki: How was the vacation? Is Tartosa really as beautiful as the blogs say?

Filip: The world is beautiful! But they have some issues with the local business scene.

Anna: Specifically one family that’s a bit shady, but that’s a longer story.

Piotr: Looks like the girls have already hit it off.

Yuki: Too bad my sister didn’t come. She made up some excuse about performing at a club again.

Akito: She’s a DJ, right? I remember correctly?

Yuki: Yes, she’s even somewhat famous, but that’s no excuse to miss another family gathering.

Yuki: See? That went well.

Piotr: Yeah, but I don’t know when Mom will stop being mad. She didn’t say another word to me afterward...

Yuki: It’ll be fine. Come here.

Piotr got an amazing opportunity! The president of Plumbob Pictures Studio noticed his talent and offered him a live TV performance!

And with just one click, Piotr climbed straight to the top of the career ladder and became a Satirist with his own TV show. He’s now a 1-star celebrity (and that’s just the beginning), has completed his aspiration, and finally performs in front of an audience worthy of him—the elite of the Sim world. Rumor has it he’s even been invited to host the next gala in Del Sol Valley!

Meanwhile, Yuki also has a busy period. She’s practising her programming and gaming skills intensely, as the GeekCon is approaching, and this time, she’s determined to win every competition. Of course, not a day goes by without loud neighbors making their presence known, but that’s more or less the norm now.

The long-awaited day of the GeekCon finally arrived. Yuki feels alive and thrilled.

Yuki has already aced the Ultimate Gaming Test. The Hackathon results are in, and Yuki took first place! Piotr cheers on his fiancée while also exploring the festival a bit himself.

Piotr: These burgers are normal, right? You’re not adding anything weird for the festival, are you?

...Aren’t you hot in those costumes?

There’s one last tournament. Even spectators have come to cheer Yuki on in her final challenge. And YES! She’s done it! First place in the professional video game tournament!

Piotr and Izi often fool around together, which has given their family a “Jokesters” dynamic (probably thanks to Piotr’s personality). Meanwhile, Yuki came up with an idea to resolve all the producer’s smaller crises and can’t wait to implement it.

It took some time and putting other duties aside, but Yuki finally delivered a mobile app to the producer that addressed all previous issues. Thanks to this, she earned a promotion to Project Manager, which also means she’s completed her aspiration!

But not all problems are so easy to solve...

Yuki: I warned you.

That night, Yuki spent hours at the computer. And in the morning...

Yuki: Honey, I sent the National Sim Security Agency after our neighbors. I think I covered my tracks well, but I still think we should move to a different district—just to be safe.

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