23 March 1994 Sunday Night
Zaboru is still in his office, the day slowly shifting into night. After the whirlwind of excitement surrounding the ZEPS 2 ad campaign that launched earlier in the morning, a quiet finally settled in. Zaboru had assumed this would be a peaceful day to work alone, especially since Ayumi had informed him she wouldn't be coming in. She claimed to be struck with a wave of creative inspiration for a new game idea and had decided to stay home to fully immerse herself in the concept.
He leaned back in his chair, savoring the rare silence—until the unexpected happened. The door to his office opened, and in walked Akechi.
Akechi Hamazou, the older brother of Zaboru's girlfriend Ayumi Hamazou, was not a man you forgot. Known in the Underworld Yakuza by the infamous nickname "Rashomon," Akechi was a man who exuded menace and calculation. But underneath that cold, strategic exterior was a genuine passion for games. He was also the formidable owner of the gaming studio "Akaishidan," which had delivered some of ZAGE's most successful collaborations. The studio had built a sterling reputation among gamers, and Ayumi herself contributed to its creative force as one of their key team members.
Seeing Akechi show up unannounced at night was anything but normal. Zaboru's pulse quickened, but he masked it with a calm expression. He stood to greet the unexpected visitor, wondering what could possibly bring Rashomon here at such an hour.
Zaboru then opened the door for Akechi. "Come in, Akechi-san. It's unusual for you to come at night. Do you need something in particular?"
Akechi kept staring at Zaboru, his expression unreadable as always. "Regarding that, yes and no, Zaboru."
Zaboru chuckled and stepped aside. "Anyway, come to my private workshop. I do have some cold soda. Do you want one?"
Akechi nodded. "Sure thing."
The two men walked into the workshop, dimly lit and cluttered with prototypes, tools, and half-assembled consoles. The air smelled faintly of solder and paper. Zaboru handed Akechi a cold can of soda, and they took seats amid the organized chaos.
They chatted for a bit, conversation meandering casually until Akechi gave a rare, slight smile. "I can't believe it, Zabo. In just three years, you've managed to grow ZAGE into something this massive. I still remember back in 1991, when you were just getting started, making little demo games just for me to try out and pay you in advance."
Zaboru laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, Akechi-san. Without your help, I wouldn't even have had an office, let alone the budget to turn ZAGE into something real."
He looked at Akechi, his voice more sincere. "You were incredibly generous back then. I owe a lot of this to you."
Akechi chuckled and drank his soda. "Don't be. Everything is your hard work, Zabo. Oh, my developers at Akaishidan seem to already understand plenty regarding the ZEPS 2 devkit that you introduced to us, and for that, I thank you."
Zaboru smiled. "Hahaha, well, I expect good from Akaishidan as always, Akechi-san."
Akechi then sighed, his shoulders slightly slumping under the weight of what he was about to say. "It's like this, Zabo… it's regarding my family."
Zaboru immediately turned serious, the easy mood vanishing. He gave a sharp nod, signaling his full attention.
"You know that I want my family to put the Yakuza life behind us, right? That's why I created Akaishidan in the first place. It wasn't just to pursue my love for games but to offer a legal, honorable path forward for my people. I've also been planting seeds—giving out investments, creating opportunities here and there."
He paused again, then took a deeper breath. "My father, Akira, surprisingly enough, is starting to agree with me. He changed because of your conflict with him back then. You showed him something that I couldn't. But the problem is, Zabo, a lot of the guys in the Hamazou family—our extended circle—they don't know anything else but how to fight. That's the only life they've ever known. If I don't give them another role, they'll go back to what they know."
He leaned in, lowering his voice with conviction. "That's why I need to fix this. My plan is to create a security company—a legitimate, fully registered security company that gives them a new purpose. It gives us credibility. It gives them structure. It helps everyone transition away from our violent past."
He met Zaboru's eyes. "Don't worry about logistics—I can handle that. But I have one question: would ZAGE be willing to participate in this new venture? I've already chosen a name. It's going to be called Aoshidan Security."
Zaboru chuckled. "Of course I'm willing, Akechi-san. After all, we're already using the Hamazou name for ZAGE safety, and I don't mind paying more to give Aoshidan work. It feels right to support something that aligns with our values."
Akechi smiled and nodded. "Thanks for that, Zabo. With ZAGE as our client, we might gain another one very quickly. Your name carries weight."
Zaboru nodded, interest sharpening in his eyes. "Anyway, Akechi-san, do you know any phone manufacturers I could reach out to? I've got some ideas brewing on how to integrate mobile tech with our platform."
Akechi's brow rose. "Phone manufacturer? I do have one in mind. But what's driving this sudden interest?"
Zaboru's eyes lit up. "So you do? That's perfect."
Akechi nodded slowly, a tinge of regret in his voice. "But the phone market is absolutely dominated by Nokia right now. It's hard to crack. Back in the day, I bought 40% of the shares in a phone company because I personally knew the owner. He was a friend, a visionary, but also a stubborn one. Unfortunately, the company is nearly bankrupt now, bleeding money by the month. Even when I tried to offload my shares, no one was remotely interested—same story for the other shareholders. The market just doesn't see hope in them. The owner, though... he refuses to give up. He keeps trying to build new phones to compete with Nokia, pouring what little resources remain into development, but every attempt ends in failure, technical or commercial. It's tragic, really—a mixture of ambition and blind faith."
Zaboru nodded. "I see. What's the company's name?"
Akechi replied, "It's Akai. You know them, right? They're a secondary electronics company, mostly known for audio equipment and budget tech. They couldn't keep up with Sonaya in terms of product quality, branding, or distribution. And now, they've taken a gamble—trying, and failing—to carve out a place in the mobile phone market, which, as you know, is utterly dominated by Nokia at the moment. They've launched a few devices, but none gained traction. Every release has been met with technical hiccups, poor sales, and scathing reviews."
Zaboru nodded again. Akai existed in his past life too, and if he remembered correctly, they went bankrupt in the early 2000s.
"Akechi-san, I want to meet the owner of Akai," Zaboru said, his voice steady but charged. "And I want to buy shares in the company."
Akechi tilted his head, a flicker of surprise crossing his normally unreadable face. "You want in on Akai? That struggling relic?" His tone was curious, not dismissive. "You're planning something, aren't you, Zaboru?"
Zaboru didn't flinch. Instead, a sly grin crept across his face. "I am."
Akechi chuckled lightly. "Figures. You always did see potential in the places everyone else ignores. So—what's the play?"
Zaboru leaned forward. "You can keep your 40%, or pass me 10%—I'll handle the rest. I want control. Is that acceptable?"
Akechi took a long sip of soda, then gave a short nod. "More than acceptable. If you're this serious, I won't stand in your way. I'll reach out to the owner and let you know what he says. Just don't take too long to tell me what you're really after."
Zaboru stood and offered a small bow. "Thanks, Akechi-san. You'll know soon enough."
As Akechi walked toward the door, he glanced over his shoulder. "You always did make boring business sound like the start of a war."
Zaboru smirked. "Sometimes it is."
He walked Akechi out, watching as the man slid into his sleek, low-slung car and disappeared into the Tokyo night.
Zaboru leaned back in his chair, a sly grin spreading across his face. "Heh... this is too perfect. Is it luck? Or is heaven actually giving me a hand with ZAGE?"
He let the thought fade, letting himself enjoy the moment—the thrill of possibly acquiring a phone manufacturer. It was the kind of strategic leap he'd always dreamed of.
His mind, always racing, jumped to the next frontier. "I need to look into China and South Korea," he muttered. "If it's China, there's probably already counterfeit ZEPS and ZGB consoles floating around. Hah... typical. Nothing I can do about that yet—but I do need to explore the market."
He paused, tapping his fingers on the desk. "And Korea... I wonder if Samsung has gained traction already. I'll need to dig into that."
Zaboru sighed, not from frustration but from the weight of ambition. ZAGE's expansion couldn't wait, but he lacked solid entry points into Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Still, that didn't mean it couldn't be done.
"Step by step," he murmured. "We'll get there."
To be continued
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