Saturday 8 April 1997.
After the final day of the Counter-Strike tournant at both the Japan and USA offices of ZAGE, Zaboru remains at the main ZAGE headquarters — the ZAGE Tower in Japan. He now resides in his personal suite on the 51st floor, with floors 50 and 52 also designated as his private space. His wife, Ayumi, is there with him. She loves watching him work; seeing her husband focused on sothing he's passionate about brings her joy. More than anything, she simply enjoys being with him. Her belly has already begun to show — she's over two months pregnant with Zaboru's child.
But now Ayumi is playing Reborn 16, a handheld console from ZUSUGA — one of ZAGE's main competitors. Zaboru doesn't mind at all; he's always supported her playing whatever she enjoys, even if it's a rival product. She's sitting on the nearby couch, completely focused on the ga, occasionally smiling or letting out a soft chuckle. anwhile, Zaboru is at his desk, browsing the ZAGE forums on his chunky 90s CRT monitor, flipping between forum posts, the latest issue of Famitsu magazine, and today's newspaper.
As his eyes scan across the headlines and threads, his expression changes. His brow furrows hard, his jaw tightens, and he leans closer to the screen. Ayumi notices the shift instantly. She knows her husband better than anyone — and she knows that Zaboru almost never frowns from anger. He's chill , collected, rarely rattled. But this… this is different. She pauses her ga, sets the console down, and quietly walks up behind him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.
What she sees on the screen only adds to her concern. Zaboru looks like he's on the edge of losing his patience, and that's sothing she's seen maybe once or twice in their entire relationship. It wasn't just frustration — it was personal. Whatever he was reading had struck a nerve deep enough to push him past his usual cool composure.
"Zabo... what's wrong? You seem angry," Ayumi asked softly.
Zaboru sighed and gave her a faint smile. "It's Sonaya. Their provocations and insults toward ZAGE are getting out of hand — all because we haven't released our next-gen console to counter their new 32-bit machine, the Ga Station."
He sighed again, rubbing his temples. "ZEPS 3, our next-gen console, is already in critical developnt. All that's left is so tweaking and final testing. We're almost there. But this constant noise from Sonaya… it's not just marketing anymore. It becos very annoying." ZEPS 3 is now in its final developnt phase, and Zaboru has secured promotional deals with one carbonated drink brand for his ga.
Ayumi looked surprised and asked, "What are they saying?"
Zaboru showed her one of the forum threads. "Look at this — there are tons of spamrs posting things like 'The ZAGE era is over,' and just throwing around general insults. It's getting out of hand. Even though our moderators keep banning fake accounts like these, they just co back again and again. It's exhausting. And to top it off, in the latest issue of Famitsu by ZEMITSU, they interviewed a few gars, and most of them said, 'ZAGE's days are over. It's ti for Sonaya to rise.'"
Zaboru sighed. Ayumi simply nodded and listened, concerned, flickering in her eyes.
"And what really pisses off," Zaboru said, "is this recent interview with Hikaru Kurata — Sonaya's CEO and major shareholder. He clearly insulted . Look at this."
Zaboru showed her the newspaper and pointed at the quote. Hikaru Kurata had said, "Unlike certain companies, we're not running on luck. We work hard to break through. And we definitely don't praise our competition — that would be foolish."
Then Zaboru pointed out another line: "Zaboru Renkonan? Video ga savior? Don't be ridiculous. There's no such thing. He's just a normal man. He can be beaten. Just look at us now — I'm confident 1997 still belongs to the Ga Station."
Zaboru sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as frustration built up inside him. "This isn't the first ti sothing like this has happened. Ever since the Ga Station launched three months ago, we've been hit with a constant wave of jabs, trash talk, and direct insults. At first, it was just irritating. But now? It's getting old. And I'm seriously pissed. Do they really want to make an enemy out of ?" He looked over at Ayumi, eyes sharp with intent. "If that's the case, then fine. So be it. I'll show them what happens when you push too far."
Ayumi smirked, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. "Go for it then, tiger."
That made Zaboru grin — not just from her words, but because his mind was already racing with ideas. He wasn't going to let this slide. And with late April fast approaching, he had the perfect opportunity in sight: the upcoming Technology Showcase, an annual industry event typically sponsored by Sonaya themselves. It drew every major player in the tech and gaming world. And the timing? Perfect.
There were already rumors swirling that Sonaya would be announcing a major new title for the Ga Station at the event. For Zaboru, that only made it more tempting. He needed to do sothing bold — sothing unforgettable.
"There ain't stuff money can't buy," he muttered to himself.
Even though Sonaya was the main sponsor of the showcase, Zaboru was confident. With the right money, the right people, and the right timing, he could buy his way in, hijack attention, and turn Sonaya's spotlight into their own nightmare.
But first, he had sothing to take care of. Zaboru logged into the ZAGE forums using his real account — "Zaboru Renkonan," the ultimate verified profile that everyone in the community recognized. Without hesitation, he typed out a post: "Okay, now you've pissed off. Just wait."
Within minutes, the post exploded with replies, shares, and reactions. The ZAGE forums lit up like wildfire. Everyone knew sothing big was coming. This wasn't just a statent — it was a warning.
With that done, Zaboru stood up from his desk, his eyes sharp with determination. It was ti to prepare for what would beco Sonaya's worst nightmare.
anwhile, at Sonaya HQ, they remained completely unaware of what was brewing. Junpei Hoshida, Head of the Gaming Division, sat alongside Hikaru Kurata and Ken Kutaragi, who led Gaming Division 2. The three of them were gathered in one of the sleek executive eting rooms, glasses in hand, celebrating their recent success.
Hikaru Kurata couldn't have been in a better mood. Sonaya was finally ahead of ZAGE in the console wars, and he was reveling in the mont. In his mind, the Ga Station had already secured its place at the top, leaving ZAGE scrambling to catch up.
But Junpei Hoshida said, "Boss, I think we need to stop attacking ZAGE — especially on their forums or in the newspapers."
Ken Kutaragi laughed. "Hahaha, no way! We have to keep it up so the rumors start to feel real!"
Hikaru Kurata took a sip of his wine and said, "Relax, Junpei. We all know how this will play out. Besides, we're not doing anything dirty. It's not like we're insulting Zaboru's personal life. We're just criticizing how he runs his company — based on facts, right?"
Junpei sighed, rubbing his temples with growing unease. "I'm just afraid Zaboru's really angry, boss. You know how chill he usually is, right? He's not the kind of guy to blow up over nothing. I an, yeah, it might sound stupid, but he's even praised so of our gas in interviews. He's complinted our consoles too. And the weird thing is... he actually sounded sincere. Not fake. Not mocking. And you know what? That kind of unexpected praise? It helped our image. Boosted our sales a little, even."
He leaned forward slightly, voice lower now. "But you've heard that old saying, haven't you? The calm, kind ones — when they finally snap — they don't just get mad. They go cold. Precise. Cruel, even. That's what worries . If we've really pissed him off, he's not gonna throw a tantrum. He'll calculate. He'll wait. And then he'll strike where it hurts most."
Hikaru Kurata's eyes widened slightly, but he eased back into his seat, exhaling slowly to stay composed. "Relax, Junpei. What exactly can he do? Is he going to attack us openly? Embarrass us on a public stage? How? We're not so fragile company on the edge of collapse. We've got montum, numbers, and dia on our side. There's nothing to worry about."
Ken Kutaragi chuckled and nodded, clearly unconcerned. "Yeah, like I said — that Zaboru guy is totally overrated. Just because he's had a few hits doesn't an he's unstoppable. He's not so mythical genius. He's just another developer who got lucky a few tis."
Junpei frowned, gripping his glass a little tighter. He let out a slow sigh. "Yeah... I hope everything goes well, though." His tone lacked confidence, and deep down, a voice whispered that maybe — just maybe — they were underestimating soone who wasn't just playing gas anymore.
Little did Sonaya know, their biggest nightmare was already in motion — and it would haunt them for a very, very long ti.
To be continue
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