Alaric stopped.
"Chiisana… Imi. Small Meaning."
"Yes, that's the one I was thinking of—just say it in Japanese!"
Hiroshi smiled.
"Because we don't need grand reasons tow remember someone. Just a small meaning that stays."
There was a moment of silence between them, but not an empty one. It felt like something was being acknowledged quietly, something that didn't need to be spoken.
That's when Alaric realized: his brand wasn't just a business. It was the continuation of a soul-level feeling his way of archiving emotions into objects.
And that's how the brand was born.
Not with fireworks, but with a quiet name whispered into the world.
Chiisana Imi. Tagline: Hang your story.
The system confirmed:
[Brand Registered: Chiisana Imi]
[Access to Branding and Global Marketplace Features]
Alaric began learning how to make short videos. He filmed the crafting process, interviewed Ayu and Daichi, and even recorded his own narration for each design.
"This isn't just a keychain. It's a tiny door to memories we've never spoken out loud."
His social media account exploded.
Each post wasn't just promotion. It was poetry, stories, and emotion. He wasn't selling keychains. He was offering a chance to feel less alone.
The numbers kept rising, but what stayed with him was the messages. Strangers writing things like, "I cried reading the meaning. Thank you for putting it into words."
For the first time, Alaric wasn't chasing validation. He was offering resonance
And that night, as he watched his sales dashboard climb, the comments pile up, and an email from an overseas gallery appear, Alaric looked at his own hands.
Not the hands of a businessman.
But the hands of someone who had finally found his path.
The campus hadn't changed much since the last time Alaric set foot there. His steps slowed as he passed through the long corridor that used to be part of his daily routine.
But this time, he wasn't Alaric the stiff, awkward heir to a wealthy family. He was someone carrying a vision from a system only he could see.
In his hand was a canvas tote bag filled with boxes of handmade keychains from a small home production he had just launched. He now had 20 models, ready to be shown to his friends.
He might've been embarrassed to carry that bag in the past. But now, his eyes saw them as artifacts filled with meaning. Objects that could change someone's life.
Some students greeted him, others just nodded politely, and a few turned for a second glance. Maybe it was the way Alaric dressed now — casual, clean, and confident. His gaze was calmer. He wasn't the same Alaric anymore.
That afternoon, Alaric set up a simple booth by the campus garden. A dark cloth served as a table cover. Some products were displayed on a small wooden rack he built himself. A tablet was placed for QR code payments.
"Handmade keychains, custom designs. Each one has a story behind it," he said as three girls walked by and glanced at the setup.
"This is cute. Isn't this the one that went viral on Japanese TikTok?" one of them asked.
Alaric smiled. "That was the Japanese version. But this is a local collection, Indonesian style. Just launched."
They giggled and bought two. Not a lot, but enough for a good start.
His first sale day in Indonesia went pretty well. He sold 25 keychains in a flash, taking advantage of the time between class shifts. But something across the garden made his steps falter.
He had just finished arranging his display when he noticed a familiar silhouette — his ex, walking on the far side of the garden. And she wasn't alone. A long-haired guy in an oversized jacket walked beside her, chatting and laughing.
Alaric quickly looked away, pretending to clean his table. But just a moment later, he glanced again and saw her looking directly at him.
It wasn't a shocked or embarrassed stare. It was awkward. The kind of look someone gives when they're about to walk away but still want to check if they're being seen.
The guy said something. Then, without a word, she turned her head and pulled her new partner away.
Alaric frowned. Not out of heartbreak, but confusion.
"What? She dumped me. But now she's the one walking off after seeing me."
The system spoke quietly:
[Emotion detected: Confusion & Ambiguous Nostalgia.]
Alaric chuckled. "So you can detect my emotions too, huh."
He sat down. This time, there was no anger. Just a quiet memory.
Back then, in his past life and now in this new one, he hadn't been dumped for being poor. He was dumped for being too soft. Too kind.
She once said dating someone like Alaric made her feel like she was settling beneath her social circle. And Alaric knew he had nothing to prove.
Still, her reaction earlier felt a little awkward. Maybe he really was lame. Not the gentleman type. Maybe he couldn't compare to Clarissa's new boyfriend. But it didn't matter much now.
-
On the second day, Alaric started shifting part of his business online. The marketplace had been set up a week ago, but sales were slow. His early designs had only sold a few.
He moved faster than expected. Selling offline while promoting to his college friends helped clear some stock.
But that night, a new idea came to him.
"In Japan, people love keychains because of their subtle meanings. But in Indonesia, fashion plays a bigger role. People want lifestyle items they can flex."
He picked up a keychain and attached it to his own phone case.
"Phone charms. That's it."
He immediately redesigned his first five products into phone charms instead of keychains. Cleaner, brighter visuals with modern hook-style clips that could attach to trendy phone cases.
The next day, he made a casual video — asking random students on campus to pick a charm blindly, then reading its meaning aloud. Their reactions were recorded. If they guessed right, they got one for free.
"This is so me. I picked it totally at random."
The video went viral among campus TikTok users. Within 12 hours, his store was flooded with orders.
Orders skyrocketed from 500 to over 3,000.
And three days later...
Alaric sat staring at his store's dashboard:
• Total orders: 3,524
• Stock remaining: 518
"This is insane," he muttered. "I never thought it would blow up like this."
Some of the orders were pre-orders. But even the designs he hadn't posted yet were selling out. His shops on TikTok Shop, Shopee, and Tokopedia were all trending.
Glowing reviews flooded in, even before the products had been delivered:
"I can't wait for my order. It already feels so meaningful!"
"I picked randomly and somehow it fits exactly how I feel?"
"Feels like it was made by someone who understands us."
That afternoon, in the campus canteen, Alaric just wanted to buy a cold tea and relax.
But a conversation a few tables behind him made him freeze.
"Did you get that viral phone charm yet? It's so cute."
"You mean the one from Shopee? 'Unexpected Steps' and 'I'm Not Home Yet'? I already ordered two. So cute, and meaningful too!"
Alaric looked over quietly.
The two students were unboxing products from his online store. Still in their packaging. And they didn't realize the creator was sitting just a few steps away.
He stood and casually walked up to them.
"Hey, mind if I sit here? Looks like you're holding something I made."
"Wait...?"
"I'm Alaric. I made the charms you're unboxing. My shop's called AlaricCraft."
Their jaws dropped. "WHAT? YOU'RE THE GUY FROM THE ONLINE STORE?!"
A small crowd began to gather. What started as casual chat turned into live testimonials. Some asked for autographs. Others scanned the QR code to buy more.
-
Alaric walked by the edge of his home pool under the soft moonlight.
The system's voice returned, calm and warm.
[Business Progress +22%]
[Social Bonding Score +14]
[New Crafting Slot Unlocked]
[Skill "Retail Instinct in Development" +16%]
Alaric exhaled, looking up at the sky.
The moon looked softer tonight. Maybe it was just reflection. Or maybe, when someone stops being afraid of their smallness, the world stops towering over them.
He wasn't climbing anymore. He was growing.
"I used to think things had to be huge right away. But actually... the best way to grow fast is to start small, and be known by the people around you."
He chuckled to himself.
"So this soft-hearted guy you once hated... ended up building a business too," he whispered, not to the system, but to a memory.
And that night, orders just kept coming.
Alaric knew this was only the beginning. He Could Grow This Even Bigger.
He didn't have a blueprint. Just instincts, stories, and his own two hands. But maybe that was enough. Maybe beginnings were never about having it all... just daring to offer something honest and special. Again and again.
And if the world listened, that was already a kind of miracle.