Wednesday 5 November 2000.
Zaboru is now inside the ZAGE Tower, meeting with Shinsuke and Sayuri—the heads of Marketing and Finance at ZAGE. The atmosphere is focused yet familiar, as the three of them gather to discuss one of the company's major strategic plans for this year: the expansion of YouTube digital advertising. This isn't just a routine update; it's a critical checkpoint for a system that could redefine how content creators, viewers, and businesses interact within ZAGE's ecosystem.
The challenge they are facing is not in attracting potential customers or companies—those are already lining up, eager to place their products on ZAGE's growing video platform. Instead, the real problem lies in cash flow and financial infrastructure. ZAGE needs a reliable and scalable way to ensure that money donated by viewers and subscribers to their favorite content creators can be properly processed, converted, and withdrawn as real currency. Without a solid system, even the most successful platform risks losing trust.
Because of that, this issue has become a priority at the highest level. There are multiple potential partners being considered—banks, financial institutions, and even emerging digital solutions—all offering different approaches to solving the problem. However, choosing the right partner is not just about capability, but also long-term stability, scalability, and alignment with ZAGE's vision for a seamless creator economy.
Zaboru then turned his attention to Sayuri. "Sayuri-san… how about the money problem? Do we already have any potential partners for this?" His tone was calm, but there was a clear seriousness behind the question, as this was one of the most critical parts of the entire system.
As usual, Zaboru did not interfere with the decision-making process. He gave full authority over financial matters to Sayuri, just as he always had. It wasn't blind trust—it was built from years of working together, seeing her judgment, her discipline, and her ability to analyze complex situations with precision. In Zaboru's eyes, Sayuri's capability in finance was not just reliable, it was top-tier.
Because of that, he didn't question her role. Instead, he relied on it completely, knowing that whatever direction she chose would be carefully calculated and aligned with ZAGE's long-term vision.
Sayuri adjusted her glasses before speaking, her tone calm but confident. "We actually have quite a lot of potential partners, boss—more than expected. Our internal payment flow through the Steam Wallet system is already stable, so the real challenge isn't inside the platform itself. The main issue is how we convert that digital flow into real, usable currency efficiently and securely."
She paused briefly, organizing her thoughts. "Because of that, many banks have already approached us. They see the potential in what we're building and want to be involved. However…" she slightly narrowed her eyes, "…there's one option that stands out more than the others."
Sayuri continued, her voice lowering just a bit. "It's quite surprising, but… the government has shown strong interest. Specifically, they want to partner with us through the Development Bank of Japan. From what we've gathered, they are currently working toward establishing a form of digital currency, and they see ZAGE as a key platform to support and accelerate that transition."
She looked at Zaboru directly. "In short, they're not just offering partnership—they're looking to build something long-term with us."
Zaboru looked genuinely surprised. "Government again? Are they asking something outrageous this time?" he asked, his tone cautious but curious, remembering how unusual it was for the government to approach them repeatedly.
Sayuri shook her head calmly. "No, boss. On the contrary, their proposal is surprisingly reasonable. In fact, it's quite a fair deal—especially if we consider the long-term benefits." She adjusted her glasses slightly, her expression composed as always.
Zaboru paused for a moment, thinking it through. "So… you really believe this deal is that good, Sayuri-san?" he asked again, this time more seriously, making sure to confirm her stance.
Sayuri nodded without hesitation. "Yes. Based on my analysis, this is a strong opportunity. The government is actively trying to shift toward digital banking, and they understand that we are already pioneering this space—especially in terms of ideas and implementation. That's why they're approaching us not just as a partner, but as a key contributor."
She continued, her tone steady. "They want our insight, our systems, and our direction. In return, we gain institutional backing, smoother integration with national financial infrastructure, and long-term stability. It's not just a deal… it's positioning."
Zaboru nodded slowly, a faint smirk forming on his face. "Heh… they want ideas, huh… fair enough. If you see it that way, then I'm fine with it," he said calmly, clearly accepting the situation without hesitation.
Shinsuke grinned widely, unable to resist teasing. "Hehehe… Sayuri-chan really is amazing as always. Even our boss never questions you~" he joked, clearly enjoying the moment.
Sayuri let out a soft sigh, adjusting her glasses as she gave him a slightly annoyed glance. "Yamaguchi-san, please be professional at work," she said, though her tone wasn't truly strict. Then she turned back toward Zaboru, her expression becoming more composed. "And boss… to be honest, it's actually fine if you doubt me sometimes. You don't have to trust me completely without question."
Zaboru chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Sayuri-san… this isn't blind trust," he replied, his tone calm but sincere. "I've seen your ability over and over again. Your judgment, your decisions… they've never failed us."
He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms. "You've been with me since the very beginning of ZAGE… back when I was still just a brat figuring things out. If there's anyone I can leave the entire financial side to without worrying…" he paused for a second, then smiled, "…it's you."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"So yeah… I trust you 100%. Completely."
Sayuri paused, clearly not expecting that level of direct affirmation. She let out another small sigh, but this time there was a faint, genuine smile on her face.
"…Then I'll make sure that trust isn't misplaced," she said quietly, giving a small nod.
Then Zaboru shifted his attention toward Shinsuke, his expression turning slightly more focused. "So, Shinsuke-san… how about the companies? Are there any that are at least interested in talking with us about placing their ads on our platform?" he asked, leaning slightly forward as he spoke.
Shinsuke chuckled lightly, clearly confident in his domain. "Plenty of them, boss. More than we initially expected, actually. These companies aren't incompetent—they know exactly what they're doing, and more importantly, they've already started to recognize the potential of digital advertising." He paused briefly, crossing his arms as he continued.
"However… since this is still in the early stages, most of them are trying to push for aggressive discounts. Some of the proposals are honestly a bit outrageous," he added with a slight smirk. "They want to secure early access while minimizing their risk, which is understandable… but not at the cost of our long-term value."
He glanced at Zaboru with a confident grin. "So I've been holding them back for now. No rush. I'll negotiate carefully and make sure we get the best possible deals out of this. We're not just selling ad space—we're building a new market."
Zaboru chuckled and said, "As expected, Shinsuke-san. Please proceed carefully. Digital ads can become one of our biggest gold mines if we utilize them properly, but we must not forget the foundation—user satisfaction." He leaned slightly forward, his tone becoming more serious. "We are not going to sacrifice UI quality or introduce unstable features just for the sake of pushing more ads. That kind of short-term thinking will only damage us in the long run."
He paused briefly, letting his words settle before continuing. "Instead, what we aim for is a seamless experience. Ads should feel natural, not intrusive. If users feel comfortable, if the experience flows smoothly, then they won't reject the ads—in fact, they might even become interested in them."
Zaboru gave a faint smile. "That's the difference. We don't force attention… we earn it."
Shinsuke nodded with a confident smile. "Sure thing, boss. Once the money side is fully solved, I can immediately start executing projects with these companies. We already have several proposals lined up—what we need now is the proper financial pipeline to support scale." He crossed his arms slightly, clearly thinking ahead. "Once that's in place, we won't just be experimenting anymore… we'll be expanding aggressively."
Zaboru gave a small nod, acknowledging the plan before turning his gaze back to Sayuri. "So, Sayuri-san… any update on the Development Bank of Japan? Are they ready to collaborate with us?"
Sayuri adjusted her glasses once more, her expression calm but precise. "We're in the final phase this month. All negotiations, compliance checks, and system alignments are being finalized. If everything goes according to plan… next month, it should be fully ready, boss."
She paused briefly, then added with a bit more weight, "Once it's approved, we won't just have a partner—we'll have a foundation strong enough to support large-scale financial flow."
Zaboru chuckled and nodded slowly. "Okay… I'll wait. Hehehe… our digital currency is only going to get stronger from here," he said with quiet confidence, clearly already seeing the long-term impact in his mind.
Sayuri smiled slightly and gave a small nod in return, but her expression remained thoughtful. "I've always believed that digital currency has enormous potential," she said calmly. "It can change how people interact with money entirely—faster transactions, wider accessibility, and better integration with digital ecosystems like ours."
She adjusted her glasses slightly before continuing, her tone becoming more serious. "However… that same potential also makes it a major target. The more valuable and widely used it becomes, the more attention it will attract—from attackers, from exploiters, and from people trying to break the system."
Sayuri looked directly at Zaboru. "That's why we need to be extremely careful. Security, stability, and trust must come first. If we fail in any of those areas, the entire system could collapse no matter how good the idea is."
Zaboru nodded. "Yup, I'm aware of that. That's exactly why ZAGE has been training a dedicated group of employees to handle potential attacks if anything happens. Don't worry, Sayuri-san—we're not going into this blindly." He spoke calmly, but there was a clear sense of preparation behind his words. "Prevention, monitoring, and response—we're building all three from the ground up. I'd rather invest early than fix a disaster later."
He added, almost casually, "We're also setting internal protocols—limited access layers, audit trails, and fallback systems. Even if something gets through, it won't spread easily."
Shinsuke let out a light chuckle, clearly impressed. "Nothing escapes you, huh, boss? You've already thought three steps ahead."
Zaboru gave a faint smile. "I've seen what happens when people don't. We won't make that mistake."
Zaboru chuckled quietly. As someone from a more advanced era on modern Earth, he understood the true threat of cyber attacks far better than most companies in this world. To others, security was still something secondary—an afterthought to be handled later—but for him, it was a foundation that could never be ignored.
He had seen what unchecked vulnerabilities could do: systems collapsing overnight, data being stolen, entire businesses losing credibility in an instant. Those memories stayed with him, shaping how he approached every system ZAGE built.
Because of that, he had already begun preparing for prevention as early as possible. Not just basic protection, but layered defenses—anticipating future attack methods before they even became common in this era. To Zaboru, it wasn't about reacting when something happened.
It was about making sure it never could.
To be continue
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