Wednesday, January 13, 1993
After returning from America, Zaboru headed straight home, while Kudou went back to his own place. When Zaboru stepped inside his house, a large unopened package sat in the hallway—a delivery from Emerald Wings packed with music albums, movies, and comic books he had brought back from the USA. Keiko, his mother, and Sanika, his little sister, had been dying to see what was inside but held back out of respect. Zanichi, Zaboru's father, had already guessed the contents and didn't pay it much mind.
Now that Zaboru was back, Keiko greeted him with warm hugs. His father was already at the ZAGE office, deep in work.
"I'm home!" Zaboru called as he stepped in. Keiko rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"Welcome back, Zaboru! How was your trip?" she said, gently caressing his cheek.
"Just the usual, Mom," he replied with a smile. "Oh, and I brought you both some souvenirs."
He handed Keiko a bottle of perfume, and for Sanika, a pair of pink shoes wrapped with a silver ribbon. Just then, Sanika came running down the hallway, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw him.
"Nii-san! You're back! What's in the big box?" she asked excitedly, then caught sight of the shoes. Her eyes widened. "Whoa! These are so cute! Are they really for me?"
Zaboru laughed. "Yes, they're for you, Sani-chan! And as for the box—why don't we find out together?"
He opened the box to reveal stacks of movies, music albums, and comic books. Sanika squealed with excitement and immediately started flipping through a comic. Her English wasn't perfect, but she was eager to learn and Zaboru guided her.
After a hearty meal his mother's cooking, which he considered the best in the world—Zaboru rested for an hour. But then he stood up and prepared to leave for the office.
Keiko frowned. "Zaboru, you just got back from America! Can't you rest today?"
He gave her a gentle smile. "But Mom, going to the ZAGE office is how I rest."
She sighed, then handed him a homemade bento. "At least eat properly." Keiko had long since accepted her son's workaholic nature. As long as he was happy, she didn't mind—she would always support him.
Zaboru smiled. "Thanks a lot, Mom!" He then hopped onto his prized bicycle, the Silver Wrecker, and pedaled off toward the ZAGE offices, the late morning air crisp and energizing as he rode through the quiet streets.
Back at the ZAGE office, employees greeted Zaboru warmly. He nodded and smiled in return. Zanichi soon approached him.
"Back already, boss?"
"Yeah, Dad," Zaboru replied.
"You could've taken a break today, you just came back from a long business trip."
"I am—just heading to my workshop," Zaboru said with a grin.
Zanichi shook his head, smiling. "Suit yourself. Everything at ZAGE is running smoothly. We held the line while you were gone."
"Thanks, Dad. I knew I could count on you."
"Oh, before I forget," Zanichi added, "about the Osaka branch—you're still hunting for office space, right? I reached out to an old friend. He's got a five-story building up for sale. Used to belong to another company. Interested?"
Zaboru's eyes lit up. "Definitely. Let's check it out."
Zanichi nodded. "Alright, let's plan for this weekend. I'll make the arrangements and send you the details."
With that, Zaboru made his way to his private workshop. He unlocked the door and smiled—it was exactly as he'd left it. No one had touched a thing. The room was filled with notebooks, drawings, prototypes, and more his personal sanctuary although he often let people in but he needed to be present for it to happen.
There's no better seat than this one, Zaboru thought, settling into his chair.
Moments later, a knock at the door interrupted him. It was Yumi, his secretary.
"Boss, your coffee. Mr. Zanichi asked me to bring it to you."
Zaboru took the cup gratefully. "Thanks, Yumi-san. Much appreciated."
Yumi smiled and bowed slightly before leaving. Outside, she let out a small sigh and smiled to herself.
How does someone relax while working so hard? she wondered. That's just how he is, I guess. I really admire that about him. I hope I can work with him for a long time. He's kind, professional, and never sexually harassed me or his employee plus the bonuses aren't bad either!
She chuckled quietly and returned to her duties.
Back in his workshop, Zaboru sipped his coffee and stared at the ceiling, his mind already shifting gears as he began thinking about the next big step.
He was in his habitat and it felt good.
"Hmm... let's think about Age of Empires first. It originally launched in 1997 in my past life, but we're only in 1993 now. I don't think I can recreate it with the exact same quality—at least not yet. But I can adapt to it. Maybe aim for a style similar to Warcraft's visuals, with some upgrades here and there. That said, this won't be something I can finish in a month. Too many variables. Let's set a goal to release it by March. That gives me time to refine the core mechanics, scale the graphics properly, and run enough tests to ensure it holds up."
Zaboru had already begun working on Age of Empires back in late December. Bringing a 1997 game into 1993 hardware was a monumental challenge—but one he was determined to overcome. Could he do it?
"While I'm at it, let's create a smaller game for PC that I can release in January. I already know what I want to make," Zaboru said to himself as he opened a folder on his PC labeled "Solitaire." He had been planning this project since December—a simple, classic card game with a modern touch.
He started coding the foundational mechanics, then expanded the game to include variations like Klondike, Spider, and FreeCell. To make it visually appealing, he commissioned a series of themed artworks for the card designs and backgrounds, adding polish to elevate the overall experience.
"Let's aim to release this in January," he muttered, reviewing the progress. "And keep the price reasonable—this should be accessible to everyone."
Zaboru leaned back in his chair and took a slow sip of his coffee. "I wonder how Kojima's and Yugo's games are holding up? And what's the latest on the arcade projects—1942 and Captain Commando?" he mused aloud. "I should check in with Nando Michio soon… but for now, all of that can wait. Today's for fun."
He set the cup down, cracked his knuckles, and launched the ZEPS console. His screen lit up with the logo of a 3rd-party game developer, "Kingo," and the title of their latest release: "Kuwagamecha!" It was a stylish side-scrolling action game featuring a stag beetle-themed mecha protagonist.
Zaboru's eyes sparkled with genuine excitement. The nice animations, punchy sound effects, and tight gameplay loop pulled him in immediately. "This is solid," he said to himself, navigating the first level with laser focus.
As he played, waves of energy and joy swept over him. This was why he loved games. The rush of discovery, the satisfaction of intuitive controls, the thrill of battling pixelated enemies.
He chuckled. "Alright, work resumes tomorrow. But today? Today, Zaboru the gamer is back."
to be continue
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