Inside one of the larger ZAGE Stores, Zaboru walked quietly between the shelves while wearing a simple wig, plain glasses, and clothes so ordinary that no one would ever imagine the founder of ZAGE was standing right beside them. There was no expensive suit, no bodyguard, no aura of a corporate emperor today. He looked like just another adult browsing games after work.
That was exactly what he wanted.
Zaboru wanted to see the store not as the person who owned it, not as the man whose name was written behind every major decision, but as a normal customer. He wanted to see how the daily life of a ZAGE Store truly looked when no one knew he was watching.
The branch itself was not enormous. It was not one of those flagship stores placed in the heart of Tokyo with massive signs, multiple floors, and event stages. This one was more of a normal-sized neighborhood branch, called the Manabu Branch. Still, despite its size, it had a warmth that immediately caught Zaboru's attention.
There were five employees working there. One stood behind the cashier, greeting customers with practiced politeness. Another watched over the trial booth area, where children and teenagers could test games before deciding to buy them. The remaining three moved around the store, sometimes helping customers choose a game, sometimes explaining the differences between titles, and sometimes simply cleaning the shelves or fixing the placement of merchandise boxes.
Zaboru looked around and quietly chuckled.
"So this is what it became…" he thought.
The Manabu Branch was surprisingly crowded. There were excited children pointing at game boxes, middle school students arguing over which game deserved their limited pocket money, adults carefully reading the back covers, and even parents trying to understand what their children were so excited about. The store was filled with the sound of chatter, controller buttons clicking from the trial area, soft background music, and the occasional cheerful voice of an employee explaining a game mechanic.
And it was not only ZAGE games being sold here. The shelves were filled with ZEPS 3 titles from ZAGE itself, but also third-party games from other companies that had chosen ZAGE as their platform. There were strategy games, racing games, RPGs, fighting games, action titles, licensed character games, and even shelves full of merchandise: posters, figures, plush toys, guidebooks, soundtracks, ZAGE Steam Wallet, and small accessories for the ZEPS 3.
To most people, this was just a store.
To Zaboru, it almost felt like watching one of his dreams become physical, especially since this store is not too big. It reminds him of his previous life..
As he walked into one of the game sections, his attention was caught by three middle school boys standing in front of the action game shelf. They looked very serious, almost as if they were deciding the fate of the world.
One of them pointed aggressively at a newly released box and said, "We should definitely buy Thunder Dragon Fist! It's the Bruce Lee game!"
His friend scratched his head, staring at the cover. "Who is this Bruce Lee anyway?"
The first boy's eyes widened in absolute horror. "You don't know Bruce Lee!?"
The third boy, who seemed calmer than the other two, folded his arms and said, "Guys, we need to gather our money properly first. Then after we buy one game, we take turns playing it, right? Honestly, I want to buy Karate Bunny 3. I'm a huge fan of the series."
The Bruce Lee fan immediately groaned as if he had just heard the worst opinion in human history. "Why would you buy damn Karate Bunny when you can get a Bruce Lee game?"
The Karate Bunny fan snapped back, "Shut up! You casual freak! You only want to buy it because it's a new ZAGE game, right?"
"Ain't no way! I love Bruce Lee!"
"Then tell me two Bruce Lee movies."
The boy froze.
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
The calm boy slowly turned toward him. "You don't know any, do you?"
The Bruce Lee fan looked away with the confidence of a man who had been completely exposed. "That's not the point."
Zaboru covered his mouth and quietly chuckled. It was nostalgic somehow. The way children fought over games, defended their favorites like sacred treasures, and accused each other of being fake fans felt strangely familiar. Even in this world, even after everything had changed, kids were still kids.
Then his eyes drifted toward the entrance.
A father, a mother, and their young son stepped inside the store. The boy looked around nine years old. Their clothes were clean, but simple and worn in a way that told Zaboru enough. They were not poor to the point of desperation, but they were clearly a family that had to think carefully before spending even a little extra money.
The moment the boy entered, his eyes lit up.
He stared at the rows of ZEPS 3 boxes stacked neatly near the display area. Then his gaze moved to the shelves filled with game cases, colorful covers, character posters, and demo screens showing gameplay. His mouth slowly opened in awe.
"Whoa… that is Bruce Lee : Thunder Dragon Fist… and that is Resident Evil 2 ohh! And that is Yu-Gi-Oh GX! I play that in my friend house!" he quickly ran around excitedly.
The father smiled faintly at his son's reaction, but then he looked at the price tag on the ZEPS 3 box.
27,000 yen.
For what Zaboru had tried to create, it was already cheap. He had pushed the price down as much as he realistically could without destroying the business, without sacrificing quality, and without turning the console into a loss so deep that it would hurt future development.
But cheap for a company and cheap for a family were not always the same thing.
The father's smile weakened. His shoulders dropped slightly.
He leaned closer to his wife and whispered, "I feel like a failure…" Zaboru heat that.
His wife looked at him with soft concern. "Dear…"
"I should be able to make Yuta happy," the father continued in a low voice. "I should be able to buy him a console. Not just bring him here every week so he can stare at one."
The wife placed her hand gently on his shoulder. "I know how hard you try. Money is tight right now, but one day we'll buy our son one, okay?"
The father looked at his son, and the guilt in his eyes became even heavier.
Yuta, meanwhile, was grinning brightly at the boxes. He looked like he wanted to touch one, but held himself back. Then, as if he noticed his parents' mood, he quickly turned around with a cheerful smile that was almost too mature for his age.
"Mom! Dad! It's so cool here!" Yuta said brightly. "But I don't want to buy it! Really! I can play at my friend's house!"
The father clenched his fist.
His son was trying to protect him.
That hurt more than any complaint.
Zaboru stood still.
For a moment, his chest tightened.
Even after he had done everything he could to make the ZEPS 3 affordable, there were still families who could not reach it. There were still children who had to pretend they did not want something because they understood their parents were struggling. There were still fathers who felt like failures simply because they could not buy their child a box filled with plastic, chips, and dreams.
Zaboru lowered his eyes.
"Even after all that…" he thought quietly. "There are still families who can't afford it."
He exhaled.
There were limits to what he could do. He could not simply give away every console to every family. A company had to survive. Developers had to be paid. Factories had to run. Employees had families too. Dreams were beautiful, but dreams still needed money to keep breathing.
And yet, watching this one family in front of him made logic feel painfully cold.
"Well," Zaboru thought, looking at the family again, "at least I can buy this household one."
Before he could step forward, however, a loud cheerful voice suddenly rang through the store.
"CONGRATULATIONS!"
Everyone nearby turned their heads.
The store manager had suddenly appeared beside the family with a bright smile, clapping his hands as if an event had just begun.
Yuta flinched in surprise. His father and mother also froze, completely confused.
The manager smiled wider and announced, "You have won our special store lottery! This week, the one-thousandth person to enter the Manabu Branch receives one free ZEPS 3 and ten games of their choice!"
The father's eyes widened.
The mother covered her mouth.
Yuta stood still for one second, as if his brain could not process the words.
Then he jumped.
"Eh!? Really!? Really, really!?"
The manager laughed warmly. "Yes. Really, really."
The father looked completely lost. "Wait, sir, there must be some mistake. We didn't enter any lottery…"
"No mistake," the manager said smoothly. "Every customer who enters is automatically counted. Congratulations. Your family is the lucky winner."
Zaboru stared at the scene.
Lottery?
He blinked.
There was no lottery today.
At least, not one approved by headquarters.
Occasionally, ZAGE Stores did hold events like this. Sometimes a store would give away a console, sometimes free games, sometimes merchandise or discount cards. That system had actually been Zaboru's idea. He wanted ZAGE Stores to feel alive, like places where lucky memories could happen.
But today was not one of those days.
Zaboru narrowed his eyes slightly, then glanced at the manager.
The manager did not look nervous. He did not look like someone trying to show off. He looked calm, sincere, and strangely relieved.
Yuta's mother bowed deeply, tears already forming in her eyes. "Thank you so much… thank you so much…"
The father also bowed, lower than his wife. His voice trembled when he spoke. "Sir… I don't know what to say. My son has wanted this for so long, but we…"
His words stopped there.
He swallowed hard, embarrassed by his own emotion.
The manager's smile softened. "Please don't worry about it. Today, your family simply got lucky."
Yuta hugged the ZEPS 3 box after the employee brought it over, but then he quickly looked at his father. "Dad… is it really okay?"
The father stared at his son, then forced a smile that looked like it was about to break into tears. "Yeah. It's okay."
Yuta's face bloomed with happiness.
"Thank you, mister!" Yuta shouted, bowing again and again. "Thank you! I'll take care of it! I promise!"
The manager crouched slightly so his eyes were closer to Yuta's height. "Then play it well. And don't forget to share with your friends too."
"I will!"
The family spent several minutes choosing the ten games. Yuta tried to act mature at first, carefully asking his parents what they thought, but soon his excitement broke through and he began pointing at titles with sparkling eyes. In the end he choose what he know He then chooses 10 games that he knows Bruce Lee Thunder Dragon Fist , Yu-Gi-Oh GX , Digimon World , Final Fantasy 7 , Final Fantasy 8 , ZAGE Smash Bros , Resident Evil 1, Resident Evil 2, Tony Hawk Pro-Skater 2, Gran Turismo. The father and mother watched him with quiet happiness, and every now and then, the father wiped his eyes while pretending to adjust his face.
When the family finally left the store, Yuta held the bag as if it contained treasure. His parents bowed once more to the manager before stepping outside together. Even after they disappeared beyond the glass door, their happiness seemed to remain in the air for a little while.
The store slowly returned to normal.
Children kept arguing.
Customers kept browsing.
The cashier continued working.
But Zaboru did not move immediately.
He simply stared at the manager.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"So that's how it is," he thought.
Zaboru had become curious now. Very curious.
Because he knew who this man was.
The manager returned to arranging the counter area as if nothing special had happened, wearing the calm expression of someone who had just done his normal job. But to Zaboru, it was no longer possible to ignore him.
After a moment, Zaboru quietly stepped forward.
He wanted to talk to him.
To be continued.
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