In early July, Marx emails that he is returning from London and asks to crash at the apartment. Sadie bristles, fearing he’ll disrupt their workflow, but Sam insists Marx can help. Meanwhile, Sam and Sadie refine the child character’s design—jersey dress, geta-like flip-flops, bowl haircut—and Sadie perfects a buoyant, slightly sideways gait that Sam recognizes as resembling his own. Fireworks outside remind them it’s the Fourth of July.

When Marx arrives, he tests the rough first level—an unforgiving swim-to-shore sequence—jokingly dubbing the character “Little Sam.” Noting the number 14 on the jersey, he proposes Japanese-inspired names, landing on “Ichigo,” which also means strawberry. Though reluctant to cede such credit, Sadie accepts the name.

Marx rapidly proves vital. He manages logistics and money (gear runs, a new bank account, an LLC, and taxes), keeps the team fed and rested, organizes workflow, and rigorously tests levels. His quiet problem-solving frees Sam and Sadie to build.

Creatively, Marx suggests the “underworld” sequence, introduces artists and music, and assigns reading that reframes the game as both homecoming and language story—rooted partly in his mother’s struggles with Japanese. He also begins to articulate how to sell Ichigo to others.

By mid-August, they have six of fifteen levels in rough form. On a sweltering night, Marx asks if Sam and Sadie are romantic; Sam says their bond is deeper than romance and asks Marx not to date her to protect the project. Marx agrees, even as he feels drawn to Sadie, and the trio’s boundaries are set.