After the eting with Zaboru, Hikaru Kurata and Junpei Hoshida returned to the Sonaya corporate offices. Hikaru walked into his executive suite, set down his briefcase, and sipped from the steaming cup of coffee his secretary had just brought him.
He leaned back in his leather chair, staring out over the Tokyo skyline, and muttered, "Zaboru... is he naive, or just a fool? He has that kind of foresight about video gas becoming scapegoats for societal problems, and instead of keeping it to himself, he chooses to share it with us. If it were , I would've hoarded the insight and used it to knock my rivals out of the ga."
Hikaru Kurata then sipped his coffee and added, "And even if I ever shared information with a rival, you can bet I'd make sure to extract as much value from them as possible. Better yet, I'd design it so they grow dependent on —so when trouble hits, they co running back, needing my help."
Junpei, sitting across from him, gave a small chuckle. "That's exactly what makes Zaboru different, Boss. He doesn't just think about ZAGE's success. He genuinely wants the gaming industry to evolve and thrive. He's not playing the short ga."
Hikaru sighed and swirled his coffee. "Yeah... I guess you're right."
After a long pause, Hikaru changed the topic with a slight grin. "Anyway, how's the progress on our secret 16-bit ho console project?"
Junpei's face lit up. "On track. We're progressing steadily. If everything stays on schedule and no major issues arise, we should be ready to launch by late 1993 or early 1994."
Hikaru nodded approvingly. "Good. This ti, it's ZAGE that's going to take the heavy blow, not the other way around. We've been playing catch-up for too long."
Junpei said, "Don't worry about that, Boss. I'm confident this project will catch ZAGE off guard. From what I've gathered through my network—so casual chats and offhand remarks from ZAGE employees—it looks like Zaboru and his team haven't even started planning their next ho console yet. We have a clear window to get ahead of them."
Hikaru Kurata nodded. "Good, then keep at it." Junpei gave a crisp nod in return and quietly excused himself, heading straight to the developnt wing to oversee the next batch of hardware prototypes for the new consoles.
This secret console project was Sonaya's most ambitious move yet. Hikaru had personally allocated a substantial budget and a specialized team to oversee the R&D. At first, Sonaya had scrambled to develop a handheld console in response to the wildly successful ZGB. But it quickly beca clear that trying to compete with ZGB directly was futile—its dominance in the handheld market was unshakable, at least for now.
Junpei had been the first to suggest a pivot. "If we can't catch them in the handheld market, let's beat them on power."
Hikaru took that advice to heart. He pulled resources from their handheld team and redirected everything toward building a next-generation ho console—sothing more advanced than their current Mugen Ga Box (MGB), and hopefully, more capable than ZAGE's ZEPS console. A 16-bit powerhouse that could render better graphics, support bigger gas, and attract top-tier third-party developers.
The project was still under wraps. Very few people outside Sonaya's inner circle even knew it existed. Codena: "Project Kagutsuchi," nad after the Japanese god of fire—symbolizing the blazing heat Sonaya hoped to bring to the console war.
Hikaru imagined the unveiling. He saw press events, flashing caras, gasps from reporters as specs were revealed, and a slow, smug grin spreading across his face as the industry realized that ZAGE was no longer the only ga in town.
"Just you wait, Zaboru," Hikaru muttered to himself as he leaned forward over his desk. "This ti, I'll be the one catching you off guard. Let's see how many sleepless nights and lost hairs you rack up when we turn the heat up."
Little did Sonaya know, Zaboru and the ZAGE team had already developed a powerful 16-bit system—though it was currently being utilized exclusively in their arcade machines. While Sonaya thought they held a technological edge, ZAGE had already begun laying the groundwork for what could easily transition into the next generation of ho consoles but Hikaru Doesn't know that.
Feeling energized, Hikaru turned on his ZEPS and settled in front of a massive CRT TV. Despite his rivalry with Zaboru, he couldn't deny the quality of ZAGE gas. In fact, he found himself repeatedly drawn to one in particular—a title that had beco his unexpected escape from the stresses of corporate warfare.
This ga even made him daydream about the future—when he was old and retired, he imagined himself living a quiet life on a countryside farm, far away from corporate chaos and modern distractions.
With a sheepish grin, he booted up Harvest Moon. The pixelated world of crops and animals filled the TV screen, and he selected his save file: "Hikaru Farm."
"Ti to water the tomatoes..."
To be continued...
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