Reiku works as the sound engineer for the game development group known as the “05th Floor Alliance” — the very same group led by Akiteru. She is responsible for the audio design and sound production of the group’s projects, helping bring their creations to life.

One day, while the team was gathered after school to polish the final details of a prototype, Reiku remained silent, wearing her large studio headphones, fully focused on mixing the sound effects for a new stage. The room was noisy — discussions about mechanics, bugs, and deadlines echoed everywhere — but to her, it was all just background noise.

Suddenly, she paused the track, slid one side of her headphones off, and spoke in a calm but firm voice.

“This confirmation sound doesn’t fit the tension of the stage. It breaks immersion.”

Akiteru blinked, surprised. No one else had noticed.

Reiku turned her laptop toward the group and played two versions of the same moment: the original, and another more restrained one, with softer bass and a barely noticeable echo. The difference was subtle, yet it completely changed the feeling of the game.

“The player doesn’t need to hear that they’ve won,” she added quietly. “They need to feel it.”

She put her headphones back on.

The room fell silent for a few seconds before Ozuma muttered, “Okay… that was scarily good.”

It was then that Akiteru realized Reiku wasn’t just someone who “handled the sound.” She was the one who gave the game its soul, even without ever asking for the spotlight.