Saturday, March 28, 2002
Inside Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology offices in Tokyo, several employees were working despite it being Saturday.
The reason was simple.
Sengoku Basara.
Previously, after the chaotic ZEPS 4 launch caused workers across Japan to skip work, fake sickness, and suddenly request emergency leave, Keisuke Adachihara and his longtime assistant Denzo Gotoh had personally visited Zaboru at ZAGE Tower. They hadn't gone there to punish ZAGE, since both of them understood perfectly well that ZAGE wasn't responsible for grown adults deciding to abandon work for a game console. Instead, they wanted better coordination for future major launches and something positive they could point toward after all the ridiculous attention.
Zaboru's answer had been a promise.
Around the end of March, ZAGE would release a proper Japanese historical action game centered around the Sengoku period—samurai, warlords, famous battles and recognizable figures from Japanese history. It also naturally connected with previous conversations Keisuke and Denzo had already had with Zaboru about ZAGE representing Japanese culture more often.
Keisuke had liked the idea immediately.
Denzo had too.
What neither of them had asked was what Zaboru meant by "historical action game."
Friday's trailer answered that question.
Honda Tadakatsu was practically a giant cyborg.
Tokugawa Ieyasu fought like a boxer.
Date Masamune wielded six swords like claws.
The history was still there.
Technically.
Just interpreted through ZAGE's extremely loose understanding of historical accuracy.
Keisuke and Denzo honestly didn't think it was particularly bad. Ridiculous? Definitely. Historically accurate? Absolutely not. But nobody watching the trailer could reasonably mistake Sengoku Basara for an educational documentary.
Their colleague Yuna Kamijo, however, didn't find it nearly as funny.
And that was why Keisuke and Denzo had reluctantly sacrificed their Saturday.
Inside the office, Denzo leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Yuna-chan, you're taking this too seriously, you know that? It's not really an insult. Besides, the damn game hasn't even been released yet. We only saw the trailer."
Yuna adjusted her glasses. "The trailer was enough to show us how real Japanese historical figures are being portrayed."
Denzo raised an eyebrow. "It's an action game."
"Honda Tadakatsu is a machine."
Denzo paused for a moment then correct her. "A very impressive "Cybrog"."
Yuna stared directly at him.
Denzo cleared his throat. "Okay. Maybe that's not helping."
Keisuke sighed from nearby. He knew Yuna was an excellent worker. She was intelligent, helpful, organized, and extremely serious whenever something involved Japanese culture or history.
Unfortunately, she was also incredibly rigid about it.
If she believed something disrespected Japanese heritage, letting it go wasn't exactly one of her talents.
Her opinion of Zaboru wasn't particularly positive either.
She had never properly met him before, but from everything she had heard, he seemed far too relaxed for someone with his level of influence. It also didn't help that both Keisuke and Denzo obviously liked him and frequently tolerated behavior from Zaboru that Yuna believed they would never tolerate from an ordinary businessman.
Yuna placed her green tea down. "We need to ask why he decided to portray historical figures like this. ZAGE has enormous cultural influence. Millions of people around the world may play this game, and I don't believe turning our history into a parody is something we should simply ignore."
Denzo frowned. "Asking him is fine. Demanding he cancel the game tomorrow is another thing entirely."
"There is still time."
Denzo stared at her.
"Yuna-chan."
"What?"
"The game releases tomorrow."
"Yes."
"The discs are probably already inside stores."
Yuna remained expressionless.
Denzo slowly looked toward Keisuke.
Keisuke merely shrugged while checking a photograph of his grandchild on his BlackBerry.
Denzo sighed internally.
I'm too old for this shit.
When Yuna had demanded yesterday that Zaboru be called to the ministry, Denzo had agreed mostly because he expected the problem to solve itself.
Zaboru was busy.
He was always busy.
Calling him on Friday and asking him to visit a government office on Saturday should have produced a very predictable response.
No.
Instead, Zaboru had paused briefly before answering:
"Saturday? Sure. I actually wanted to visit you guys anyway."
Denzo had stared at his BlackBerry.
"You... accept?"
Zaboru had laughed.
"Why wouldn't I?"
That was when Denzo realized his Saturday was officially gone.
Keisuke hadn't been particularly happy about losing his weekend either.
Denzo looked toward Yuna again. "But seriously, Yuna-chan. When you meet him, please show him proper respect. You don't have to like him. I know you don't. But Zaboru is an important figure for us and for Japan."
Yuna calmly lifted her tea. "Whether I respect him personally depends on how he treats me and how he behaves during the meeting."
Denzo closed his eyes.
"That is exactly the answer I didn't want."
Keisuke finally lowered his BlackBerry. "Yuna, you're too strict."
She looked toward him. "Boss?"
"Being strict isn't always bad. It's one reason you're good at your job. But sometimes you need to loosen up. Especially in politics and business. Not every disagreement needs to become a confrontation."
Yuna remained quiet.
Keisuke continued, "And remember something. Zaboru doesn't work for us. ZAGE isn't a government company. Unless they've actually violated the law, we can't simply tell them to cancel a game because we don't like their interpretation of Tokugawa Ieyasu."
Denzo added, "Especially because we were the ones asking him to make something related to Japanese history in the first place."
Yuna looked toward him.
Denzo smiled faintly. "Technically, he delivered exactly what he promised."
Yuna sighed.
That was annoyingly difficult to argue against.
Keisuke leaned back. "Listen to him first. That's all I'm asking."
After several seconds, Yuna finally nodded. "Fine. I'll hear his explanation."
Denzo immediately relaxed. "Thank you."
"I didn't say I'll agree with him."
"I'll take what I can get."
Several other ministry employees nearby pretended not to be listening, although everyone obviously was.
Most had already watched the trailer.
Opinions were mixed.
Some thought the portrayals were too ridiculous.
Others didn't really care.
One younger employee had already admitted privately that he intended to buy the game tomorrow.
Another had pointed out that if players became interested enough in Date Masamune or Honda Tadakatsu to research the actual historical figures afterward, then perhaps the game wasn't entirely harmful to cultural education anyway.
Nobody had reached any serious conclusion.
Which was exactly why Keisuke preferred conversation over immediate condemnation.
Then an engine echoed from outside.
Denzo's head immediately turned toward the window.
"That doesn't sound like a government car."
Several employees glanced outside.
A bright yellow sports car entered the parking area before slowly pulling into one of the visitor spaces.
Denzo stood up and whistled.
"Damn."
Keisuke looked outside. "What?"
"Lamborghini Murciélago. 2001."
Yuna looked toward the car, then toward Denzo.
"It's a car."
Denzo stared at her as though she had personally insulted him.
Keisuke laughed.
"Yuna-chan, sometimes I wonder if you actually enjoy anything."
"I enjoy many things."
"Name three."
"That is irrelevant."
Denzo shook his head. "Tragic."
Outside, the yellow Lamborghini finally stopped and the engine went silent.
Zaboru Renkonan looked toward the government building and chuckled.
Honestly, he had expected something like this.
He had known perfectly well that Sengoku Basara would eventually attract attention from cultural officials. When he had promised Keisuke and Denzo a Sengoku-era historical action game, he had conveniently avoided explaining exactly how Team IZAN intended to portray those historical figures.
But Zaboru didn't particularly care.
The game was obviously fictional.
Nobody at ZAGE had advertised Honda Tadakatsu as an accurate historical reconstruction.
Besides, today's invitation was convenient for another reason.
Zaboru already had things he wanted to discuss with the government anyway, particularly several proposals involving ZAGE's operating-system development and possible cooperation with Sonaya.
So when Denzo called him?
Why not?
He could answer some questions about Basara first.
Then discuss what he actually came here for.
Efficient.
Zaboru stepped out of the car.
He wore a fitted black button-up shirt with the upper buttons open and the sleeves rolled to his forearms. The shirt was tucked into white pants with a brown belt, while Air Jordan sneakers made the entire outfit considerably more casual than what most people would wear to a government meeting. He also shaved his beard and he looks really sharp mainly because his body is extremely buff and hot.
Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, while his long brown hair moved slightly in the breeze.
Zaboru locked the Lamborghini.
"Okay then."
Inside, Denzo was already heading downstairs with Keisuke and Yuna following him.
By the time Zaboru reached the entrance, the three were waiting.
He immediately smiled when he recognized Keisuke and Denzo. "Keisuke-san, Denzo-san. Thanks for calling."
Keisuke grinned. "Honestly, Denzo called expecting you to say you were busy. We didn't actually expect you to come."
Zaboru shrugged. "Things happened. Besides, I had some stuff I wanted to discuss with you guys anyway."
Denzo immediately looked toward Keisuke.
That sounded dangerous.
Whenever Zaboru casually said he had some stuff to discuss, that could mean almost anything.
Keisuke apparently had the same thought. "We'll get to that later."
Zaboru chuckled. "Sure."
Then he noticed the woman standing beside them.
She was relatively tall for a Japanese woman, around 170 centimeters, with neatly styled brown hair, glasses and a beautiful face that currently carried almost no expression.
Denzo noticed Zaboru looking toward her and quickly made the introduction. "Ah, right. Zaboru-san, this is Yuna Kamijo. She works closely with us."
Zaboru nodded politely. "Nice to meet you, Kamijo-san."
He extended his hand.
Yuna accepted it almost immediately. "Likewise, Renkonan-san."
The handshake was quick.
Professional.
Cold.
Zaboru blinked once.
Damn.
He had met hostile executives who gave warmer greetings.
Then his Living Scan quietly confirmed what her expression barely showed.
She disliked him.
Not simply uncertainty.
Not professional skepticism.
She genuinely didn't like him.
Zaboru looked at her for half a second longer behind his sunglasses.
What the hell? I haven't even met her before.
Then his thoughts immediately moved on.
Eh. Whatever.
His smile returned naturally.
Denzo noticed the brief pause between them and sighed internally.
Hopefully meeting him actually improves this instead of making it worse.
Keisuke gestured toward the building. "Well, since everyone sacrificed their Saturday for this, we might as well get started."
Zaboru chuckled. "Sure."
Yuna adjusted her glasses. "We have several questions regarding Sengoku Basara."
Zaboru nodded casually. "I guessed."
Her eyes narrowed slightly at his relaxed answer.
Zaboru merely smiled.
Denzo immediately stepped in. "Inside first. Coffee, tea, whatever everyone wants. Then we can discuss the game like civilized adults."
Zaboru laughed. "You sound worried, Denzo-san."
"I am."
Keisuke laughed quietly.
Yuna didn't.
Denzo sighed internally.
Yeah.
This should go well.
A staff member opened the meeting-room door.
Zaboru removed his sunglasses and stepped inside with the others.
The discussion about Sengoku Basara was finally about to begin.
To be continued.
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