After the meeting with the Hamazou family on January 1st, Zaboru decided to spend the next few days—January 2nd, 3rd, and 4th—relaxing with Ayumi and his family. Work would resume on Monday, January 5th, and on the 6th, he was scheduled to fly to the USA to meet with Emerald Wings and oversee the launch of ZAGE's U.S. branch. Accompanying him would be his legal team, led by Kudou.
During the holiday break, Ayumi was unusually clingy. It was clear she didn't want to be apart from him—perhaps because they were now engaged, and Zaboru had expressed his desire to marry her in the future without a hint of hesitation. One afternoon, she invited Zaboru to visit the Hamazou HQ and spend time at her "Rabbit House"—a dedicated area for her beloved rabbits. Zaboru genuinely enjoyed the experience, especially when he met a newborn white rabbit. Ayumi had already named him "Zaboy," inspired by Zaboru's name.
"Zabo! Look at Zaboy! He's so cute — he even looks like you!" Ayumi giggled, her eyes sparkling with joy.
Zaboru smiled softly and knelt down to get a closer look at the tiny white rabbit gazing up at him with wide, innocent eyes. He gently patted its head and said warmly, "Hello, smoll guy."
Zaboru then spent time playing with the rabbits, even helping to clean their enclosures and groom them. To his surprise, he found the experience quite enjoyable — these cute creatures had a calming effect on him. Ayumi, thrilled to see his enthusiasm, excitedly introduced each of her rabbits. There was a large black one named Kurogi, a big white one she called Uzu, and many more, each with its own charm. Seeing Ayumi so animated and joyful made Zaboru genuinely happy; her happiness was infectious.
After that, he spent a lot of time with Ayumi and his family, visiting various places, sharing meals, and simply enjoying each other's company. They laughed, explored, and made new memories together — and for Zaboru, it was the kind of holiday he hadn't realized he needed. He felt genuinely happy, fulfilled by the warmth and closeness he rarely allowed himself to pause and enjoy.
When work resumed on January 5th, the ZAGE offices buzzed with energy. The team returned with high spirits, fueled by the generous year-end bonuses Zaboru had given out and thanks to Zaboru's unique ability, the "Aura of Influence," the employees returned to work with contagious enthusiasm. Inspired by Zaboru's relentless drive, his workaholic energy seemed to ripple through the office, lifting everyone's motivation and morale.
Later that day, Zaboru visited Kudou's office with his father, Zanichi Renkonan, ZAGE's CTO.
"Kudou," Zaboru began, "We're heading to the States to finalize the U.S. branch. You'll come with me, alright? We might need to stay a while. There's going to be a lot to deal with — official paperwork, contracts, negotiations. Do you think you can handle it?"
Kudou nodded. "Don't worry about it, boss. I'll do my best to handle everything — I'm ready."
Zaboru grinned. "Great as expected, Kudou. I know I can count on you." Zaboru then turned to his father. "Dad, I'm leaving ZAGE in your hands while I'm away. Sound good?"
Zanichi smiled confidently. "No problem at all Boss. Besides, this month's release schedule is light for both ZEPS and ZGB. Just the Yugo and Kojima titles, right? I'll take care of everything."
Reassured, Zaboru smiled. His father's leadership experience made him the perfect person to keep things running smoothly.
As Zanichi mentioned, January's game lineup was relatively sparse, with both titles dropping at the end of the month.
Hideo Kojima's project, Zone EX: Interceptor Protocol, had been in the works since October. Kojima had poured his heart into the game, and Zaboru had supported him every step of the way.
Yugo's game, on the other hand, was a spiritual successor to Koro-Cool. Titled Chainsaw Man—a name suggested by Zaboru—it shifted the tone dramatically. Instead of fighting aliens, the protagonist Koro would now face off against demons, wielding a prosthetic chainsaw as his only weapon, Zaboru gave Kudou full creative freedom on this one, trusting his instincts. As for Yugo, Zaboru simply offered a few core ideas and let his imagination run wild.
Zaboru himself opted not to release any new titles for ZEPS or ZGB this month. Instead, he would concentrate on developing two arcade titles: 1942 and Captain Commando which were already in development by ZAGE's internal teams. The arcade cabinets themselves were being manufactured by Nanco, ZAGE's trusted partner in arcade machine production. Additionally, he planned to begin work on a new PC real-time strategy game, Age of Empires, under ZAGE's banner. For Zaboru, developing Age of Empires would be an ambitious step for the studio's first original RTS. However, given that ZAGE had already successfully released Warcraft: Orcs vs. Humans, he was confident they could handle it.
With his priorities set, Zaboru prepared to depart for the USA that evening alongside Kudou, both of them ready to tackle the next chapter of ZAGE's expansion. Once they arrived in the States, they would be faced with a long list of responsibilities from legal procedures to corporate negotiations , logistical groundwork for the new branch and many more.
To be continued...
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 10 advance chapter for 3 bucks considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc