Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

Zaboru greeted Akechi at the entrance of ZAGE. It seemed Akechi had come alone this time—neither Ayumi nor Asumi was with him. As always, Akechi maintained his stoic demeanor, giving Zaboru a simple nod before speaking.

"So, did you make another game for me, or not this time, Zaboru?"

Zaboru nodded. "I did make one for you, Akechi-san, but let me tell you—this will be the last time I give you early access. Starting next week, I need to focus entirely on hiring employees and reaching out to local stores to help distribute ZEPS when it's ready."

Akechi considered this before nodding again. "So, ZEPS is ready for mass production, huh? Are they coming straight from the manufacturers, or do you need to assemble them manually again?"

Zaboru groaned. "I still have to assemble them myself. The first batch is three hundred ZEPS units and eight hundred cartridges. That's why I really need to find employees to speed up the process. If I do it alone, it'll take months. Even with new hires, training them will take time, but it'll still be faster in the long run."

Akechi folded his arms. "So, your goal is to officially release ZEPS to the public next month at the latest?"

Zaboru nodded. "Yeah, with assembly, negotiations with local stores, advertising, and waiting for my patents to finalize, it'll probably be next month or slightly later. But definitely not two months from now."

"Alright. I'll look forward to it," Akechi replied. "Anyway, let me play the new game you made."

Zaboru grinned and slotted Metal Gear into the ZEPS. As Akechi picked up the controller, Zaboru explained, "This game is called Metal Gear. The main objective is to sneak past enemies to progress through the stages. You can either avoid detection or take down enemies silently—it's up to you."

Akechi nodded and began playing. Within minutes, he was fully immersed. As he maneuvered Snake through the base, he was impressed by the level of strategy required. Every time Zaboru made a game, it felt like he introduced something fresh and innovative.

After playing for over an hour, Akechi finally noticed the time and sighed. "The game is impressive as always, Zaboru."

He then reached into his jacket and handed Zaboru a thick stack of cash—300,000 yen. "Here's the payment. Might be the last one. Are you sure you don't want to keep doing this?"

Zaboru nodded. "Yeah, Akechi-san. Thanks for everything—it's been a huge help."

Akechi shook his head. "Don't mention it. It's equivalent exchange, Zaboru."

Zaboru walked Akechi to the door, watching as he headed for his car. "Say hello to Ayumi and Asumi-san for me, okay, Akechi-san?"

Akechi gave a small nod before driving off.

Zaboru stood at the doorway, watching the car disappear into the distance. He let out a sigh and stretched. "Finally done…" He smirked and counted the money. "One-point-eight million yen total… not bad, not bad. This'll help cover company expenses, employee wages, marketing… and everything else."

He cracked open a can of soda and took a long sip. "I just hope ZEPS and ZAGE progress smoothly."

Just as he was about to relax, the sound of a car pulling up in front of his office made him pause. A familiar voice rang out.

"Nii-san! I'm here!"

Zaboru chuckled as he walked to the door and saw his little sister, Sanika, standing outside, waving excitedly. Behind her, his parents stepped out of the car, smiling.

"Sani-chan! Welcome! And hi, Mom! Dad!"

His mother smiled warmly, reaching out to pat his head. His father grinned. "Well, hello, son. We decided to drop by and spend some time here. We're not bothering you, are we?"

Zaboru shook his head. "Of course not! You're always welcome here. Though, I should warn you, the place is a bit messy."

His mother, Keiko, sighed, crossing her arms. "You should take better care of your workplace, young man."

She scanned the cluttered office and shook her head. "Alright, I'll help clean later."

Zaboru's face lit up. "Really, Mom? Thanks a lot!"

Meanwhile, Sanika had already run inside and was looking around excitedly. "Nii-san! I wanna play video games! Dad said you have new bunch of games you made!"

Zaboru raised an eyebrow at his father, who suddenly looked away, whistling innocently. Damn, you snitch.

"Umm, I do, Sanika, but… it's kind of a surprise for later. Can you wait a bit?" he tried.

Sanika pouted. "No! I want to play now! Dad promised me too!"

Zaboru sighed in defeat, his eyebrow twitching. "Fine, fine. But it's a secret, okay?"

Sanika's pout instantly vanished, replaced by a big smile. "Okay!"

Zaboru plays his new games—he always made two copies of each game, one for himself and one for Akechi. As Sanika eagerly began playing, his parents settled in, watching her reaction with amusement.

Despite his exhaustion, Zaboru couldn't help but feel genuinely happy. Spending time with his family in his own office, seeing his little sister enjoy his work—it was a rare moment of peace amidst the chaos of building his company.

As Sanika continued playing, she's currently playing Excitebike after trying a couple of games earlier she gasped excitedly. "Nii-san! This is so cool! I want to make games like you someday!"

Zaboru chuckled, ruffling her hair. "You sure? It's really hard, you know? but well you've got plenty of time to learn, Sani-chan. Who knows, maybe one day we'll make a game together."

His father patted his back. "Heh? So my two children are game developers now?." Zanichi grin

His mother nodded in agreement. "Just don't overwork yourself. We want you to enjoy this journey, not burn yourself out."

Zaboru smiled warmly. "Yeah… I'll do my best."

For now, he would enjoy this moment.

To be continued…