anwhile, at the Renkonan household, the weekend remained calm and comfortable. Zaboru was spending ti with his family in the living room, sitting lazily on the sofa while the television continued showing Bill Gates's presentation of the X-BOX. Even though he was technically relaxing, his attention stayed fixed on the broadcast—not because he felt threatened, but because the whole situation amused him greatly. Watching Microsoft confidently step into the console market, complete with bold claims and indirect attacks toward ZAGE, felt almost entertaining to him. Ayumi, sitting beside him, noticed the strange smile on his face and finally asked, "So, Zabo… what do you think?"
Zaboru smiled, still looking at the screen. "Well, nothing I didn't expect. Of course they're trying to copy the features we already implented on PC—digital stores, forums, online services, community functions, and all that stuff. ZAGE already did most of it first." He leaned back slightly, his tone relaxed rather than offended. "It's just that those things couldn't really be brought properly to ZEPS 3 because ZEPS 3 was released way before all of that beca mature enough. The timing didn't match. Still…"
His smile turned into a chuckle as Bill Gates continued speaking confidently on TV. "I do wonder why they decided to insult ZAGE openly like that. That part is funny." Zaboru shook his head lightly, more amused than angry. "We used to collaborate, especially when new Windows versions were coming out. So seeing him act like this now… hahaha, it feels like watching an old business partner suddenly try to punch in public."
Ayumi chuckled softly, imdiately understanding what he ant. "Oh, the Diablo gas, huh? When Windows 94 and Windows XP were released, you helped Microsoft by creating gas specifically to support both of them—Diablo and Diablo 2, right?" Her tone carried a faint teasing warmth, as if she was rembering how casually Zaboru had once treated sothing that beca a major turning point for PC gaming.
Zaboru chuckled and nodded. "Exactly. Back then, it was useful for both sides. Microsoft wanted strong software to show what their operating systems could do, and ZAGE wanted to expand deeper into PC gaming. Diablo and Diablo 2 helped both of us." He leaned back slightly, still amused by the television broadcast. "So yeah… maybe Bill Gates is pissed with sohow. Hahaha."
Before Ayumi could respond, small footsteps approached from the hallway. Arumi appeared while rubbing her eyes, still looking sleepy, and behind her ca several rabbits hopping along as if they were her loyal followers. She walked straight toward Zaboru without hesitation, raising her little arms because she wanted to sit on his lap. Zaboru's expression imdiately softened. He chuckled, reached down, and lifted her up with practiced ease, settling her comfortably against him.
The rabbits, as if refusing to be left behind, jumped onto the sofa and climbed around him. One casually settled near his shoulder, another rested against his side, and one even sprawled across his hair as if it had claid him as its rightful resting place. Zaboru, already used to this strange household routine, simply let them be. He gently caressed Arumi's head, his attention shifting naturally from corporate rivalry on TV to the tiny daughter now resting in his arms. The contrast was almost absurd, but for Ayumi, it was also very Zaboru.
"But still… that ga, HORI, looks really cool, hehehe. I honestly can't wait for it to release. I want to play it," Zaboru said with genuine excitent, his eyes still fixed on the TV like a child watching a new toy being revealed. There was no bitterness in his voice, no irritation, and not even the slightest hint of fear. If anything, he looked more entertained than anyone else in the room, as if Microsoft's challenge had only made the industry more interesting for him.
Ayumi sighed, then smiled warmly while watching him. "You really should be worried, you know. This might beco one of your biggest competitors, but instead you're excited because so of their gas look fun. You even want to play their gas." She shook her head softly, amused by how strange he was. "You're really weird, Zabo… but that's what makes you you, I think. Hehehe."
Then Ayumi's gaze softened even more. She bit her lip slightly, watching the way Zaboru remained so calm and nonchalant even when a rival company openly challenged him on stage. To her, that confidence was strangely attractive. "And you're so hot for that…" she murmured, her voice turning a little sweeter. "Being this relaxed when your rivals release sothing that might compete with you… that kind of confidence is unfair, you know." Ayumi lightly licked her bottom lip, unable to hide the fondness and attraction in her expression.
Zaboru gulped slightly, glancing down at Arumi on his lap and then at the rabbits casually resting on him as if he were part sofa, part mountain. "Ayumi… the children are here," he said, lowering his voice with a faintly embarrassed expression. Then he cleared his throat and looked back at the television, his tone returning to its usual confidence. "And don't worry. ZAGE has never been afraid of competition. If anything, competition is what keeps this industry alive. But Bill Gates actually has the guts to say we monopolize things? That's rude. We never monopolize anything. We're just that good, that fast, and that efficient."
Ayumi chuckled, amused by the way he defended ZAGE so casually while still letting a rabbit sit near his shoulder. "Yeah… ZAGE really is scary," she said with a small smile. Then her gaze drifted to the rabbits, who were enjoying themselves so naturally around him that the whole scene looked almost absurd. After a brief pause, her expression beca more thoughtful. "Still, I wonder, Zabo… would ZAGE still be ZAGE without you? I an… you're the mind and muscle of ZAGE, right? You create the ideas, push everyone forward, and sohow still make impossible things happen. I wonder how they would fare without you…"
Zaboru chuckled and turned toward her with a teasing grin. "Heh, so you want to quit?"
Ayumi imdiately reached out and smacked his nose lightly with her finger. "I don't an that, Zabo!" she said, half pouting and half laughing.
Zaboru laughed as well, enjoying her reaction. "Of course I know." His smile remained, but after a mont, his eyes softened slightly. "But as for your question… honestly, I don't know. ZAGE has many amazing people now—Father, the team leaders, the developers, the artists, everyone. I trust them. But whether ZAGE would still feel the sa without …" He paused, looking back at the television where Microsoft's presentation continued. "That's harder to answer."
For once, his tone beca quieter. Not worried, exactly, but reflective. "Maybe one day ZAGE has to beco strong enough that it doesn't need standing at the center all the ti. That's probably what a real company should beco. But until then…" He gently patted Arumi's head as she leaned against him sleepily. "Let's hope it never cos to that, okay?"
Ayumi looked at him for a mont, her smile softening. She could tell he was joking earlier, but there was sothing honest hidden beneath his words. ZAGE might be a company to the world, an empire to competitors, and a dream factory to fans, but to Zaboru, it was also sothing he had built with his own life. Letting go of that—even imagining it—was not simple.
After that, Zaboru spent more ti with his family until the day slowly ca to an end. Once the house grew quieter and the children settled down, he returned to the workshop inside his ho. The calm expression he had worn in the living room remained, but his mind was now focused on the X-BOX. Microsoft's presentation had been amusing, but it was still a serious move. A new player had entered the console market, and Zaboru wanted to understand exactly what they had brought to the table.
Zaboru opened Microsoft's website and looked through the detailed specifications that had just been released.
Component
X-BOX
Release Year
2001
CPU
Intel Pentium IV-CX custom
CPU Clock
1.4 GHz
CPU Cores
1 core / 2 threads
Architecture
32-bit x86
GPU
Intel Arcadia X1
GPU Clock
300 MHz
GPU Class
DirectX 8.5-style programmable shader GPU
Pixel Pipelines
4
Vertex Units
2
RAM
128 MB unified DDR
mory Bandwidth
Around 6.4 GB/s
Storage
20 GB internal HDD
Disc
DVD-ROM
Audio
64-channel 3D audio, Dolby Digital 5.1
Network
Built-in Ethernet
Resolution
480p standard, 720p supported
Controller Ports
4
Zaboru smiled faintly as he read the numbers, his eyes moving slowly across each specification while his mind compared them to the machine he rembered from his previous life. 'This is stronger than the original X-Box from my previous life, but it still isn't as strong as the XBOX 360,' he thought. The CPU, the mory, the HDD, the online focus, and the DirectX-style graphics pipeline all made the console feel like a much more aggressive version of Microsoft's original entry into gaming. It was clearly designed with ambition, almost like Microsoft wanted to skip several cautious steps and enter the market with sothing that loudly announced its presence. Still, the existence of the machine amused him more than it worried him. This was the first console that existed both in his previous life and in this world, even if the specifications, timing, and circumstances were different. It felt like one of those strange points where both histories briefly touched, as if fate itself had decided to keep at least one familiar landmark in the middle of all the changes Zaboru had caused.
'I thought Microsoft would make HALO, but it turned out to be HORI instead,' Zaboru thought with a quiet chuckle. He actually loved the HALO series in his previous life, not only because of its gunplay and sci-fi setting, but because it beca one of the clearest examples of how a single strong launch title could define an entire console identity. HALO had made the original Xbox feel necessary. It gave players a reason to care about Microsoft's machine beyond raw specifications. Part of him had expected sothing similar here, a futuristic military shooter with iconic armor, aliens, vehicles, and grand space-opera scale. Instead, this world's Microsoft had revealed HORI, an apocalyptic FPS that looked impressive but carried a different identity. That difference interested him. It ant Microsoft had changed, either because of ZAGE's influence, the altered market, or simply because history had taken another route.
Even so, Zaboru did not feel disappointed. If anything, he felt a strange relief. Part of him wanted to create y HALO soday, but he had always believed that a HALO ga would fit ZEPS 4 far better than ZEPS 3. ZEPS 3 could handle ambitious gas, but the kind of vast battlefield, vehicle combat, cinematic sci-fi presentation, and online multiplayer scale he imagined needed stronger hardware and a more mature network ecosystem. It needed the right mont, not just the right idea. Because Microsoft had not created HALO in this world, that space remained open for him in the future.
'But still, they really are taking a lot of ZAGE's PC features, especially from ZAGE Steam, huh? Hahaha. Well, it's not like I'm mad or anything. If anything, imitation ans those features were valuable enough to chase. I just wonder how many gas they'll actually release, how many studios they'll gather, and whether they can sustain that kind of ecosystem after launch. Honestly, I can't wait.' Zaboru was genuinely excited about this, not as a worried businessman guarding his territory, but as a gar who wanted more interesting things to exist in the world. A stronger competitor ant more experints, more pressure, and more reasons for ZAGE to keep evolving. As for the Microsoft console itself, he was not worried at all.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping lightly against the desk as the thought of ZEPS 4 crossed his mind again. The current generation still had life left in it, but Zaboru could already see the future forming in pieces: stronger hardware, better networking, larger worlds, cleaner 3D, better animation, and gas that could finally carry the scale he had been holding back for years. His smile slowly twisted into sothing far more mischievous. "Just wait until ZEPS 4 cos out, Bill Gates… then you will taste despair. Hehehe." Zaboru laughed like a villain in the quiet workshop, clearly enjoying his own exaggerated drama more than any normal person should.
At that exact mont, the workshop door opened. Zenshin and Arumi, who had wanted to visit their father late at night, peeked inside—only to freeze when they saw him laughing like an evil mastermind under the pale glow of computer monitors. Both children looked startled, and for a second, even a little scared. Zenshin blinked several tis, trying to understand whether his father was joking or truly plotting world domination, while Arumi clutched the edge of the door and stared with wide eyes. Ayumi, who had followed them, imdiately chuckled at the sight. "Zabo…" she said with amused exasperation, already used to this kind of thing.
Zaboru imdiately cleared his throat and sat up straighter, pretending nothing strange had happened. "Ah, you saw nothing. Papa is simply doing important business analysis," he said with a serious face that fooled absolutely no one. Zenshin stared at him for a mont before slowly saying, "Papa… that sounded like a villain laugh." But Zenshin chuckle "But its sound cool!" Arumi nodded seriously from beside him. "Papa scary but still cool!…" she said cheerfully, though she still walked toward him anyway because scary or not, he was still her father. Zaboru's dramatic expression broke instantly, and he laughed awkwardly while opening his arms to welco them.
The children quickly recovered and entered the workshop, turning the supposedly serious night into another family mont. Zenshin wanted to talk about coding, proudly showing interest in what he had already begun learning, asking why computers needed instructions so precise and whether gas were basically "moving toys controlled by math.", Arumi, anwhile, climbed onto his lap and demanded a story from his seemingly endless collection, insisting that it had to include rabbits, princesses, robots, and at least one giant cake. Zaboru chuckled, his villainous mood vanishing completely as he shifted from industry strategist to father without hesitation.
Soon, the family gathered around him again, with Ayumi sitting nearby, half-sleeping as she watched her beloved husband answer Zenshin's coding questions and create another bedti story for Arumi at the sa ti. It was absurd how naturally he did both—one mont explaining logic loops and input commands, the next narrating a tale about a rabbit princess piloting a cake-shaped robot to save a moon kingdom. Zenshin listened seriously, occasionally asking questions that were far too sharp for his age, while Arumi giggled every ti the story beca sillier. Ayumi watched them with tired but gentle eyes, feeling that familiar warmth in her chest. Monts like this were ordinary for their family, yet also impossible to call normal.
Ayumi still didn't know whether it was because of Zaboru's strange effect, his unusual body, or sothing inherited from him, but she knew her husband hardly needed sleep most of the ti. She usually saw him sleep only two or three hours a day, and sotis he could go a full day without sleeping while still looking completely fine. He would work, play with the children, hold etings, exercise, eat strange insane amounts of food, and then casually return to the workshop as if ti itself had decided to cooperate with him. Now, his two children seed similar in their own way. Even though they were still young, they only needed around four or five hours of sleep and were always full of energy, which made Ayumi incredibly tired at tis. Thankfully, the children were smart and surprisingly independent. They often didn't need much help with things like going to the bathroom, cleaning up small sses, or choosing what they wanted to play, and they rarely cried without reason.
Still, being their mother was exhausting in a way only Ayumi could truly understand. Zenshin's is really smart and his curiosity seed endless, and if no one stopped him, he would ask questions until sunrise. Arumi had inherited Zaboru's strange charm and sohow commanded rabbits, adults, and even household staff with innocent confidence. They were wonderful children, but they were also very clearly Zaboru's children, which ant peace was never guaranteed for long. Even so, Ayumi would never trade it for anything. Watching Zaboru hold them, teach them, and laugh with them made every tiring day feel worth it.
As for Zaboru, he didn't worry too much about any of that. He loved his children regardless, whether they were strange, energetic, brilliant, or all of those things at once. To him, their oddities were not problems; they were simply parts of who they were. If Zenshin wanted to learn sothing advance for his age?, he would teach him. If Arumi wanted a story about rabbit princesses and cake robots, he would create one on the spot or want to control Zoo for world Domination? he will support her. For now, he simply enjoyed the warmth of his family, even while part of his mind quietly waited for X-BOX to release into this world. Microsoft might be preparing for war in the console market, but inside this workshop, surrounded by his wife and children, Zaboru felt no fear at all—only excitent for the future and gratitude for the present.
To be continued
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