Zaboru was already waiting inside his office on the fiftieth floor when the next meeting of the day was supposed to begin. The room was considerably calmer than the Creator Room below, although knowing Zaboru, "calm" still meant two monitors showing development reports, several handwritten notes scattered across the desk, a half-finished cup of coffee beside his keyboard, and the final ZEPS 4 launch preparation schedule open on one screen. Not far from him, his longtime secretary Yumi Ichijou was quietly sorting through several documents while checking appointments for the coming week.
Zaboru glanced toward her after finishing one message and smiled. "Yumi-san, how was your holiday? I hope you actually used it instead of secretly answering work messages every morning." Yumi looked up from her papers and laughed softly. "It was good, Boss. Very good, actually. And thank you for the generous bonus and the holiday time. ZAGE gave me enough days that I could properly relax for once. I used them well." Her smile became slightly more mischievous as she added, "I also spent quite a lot of time with my boyfriend, so I definitely can't complain."
Zaboru's eyes immediately widened. "Boyfriend!?" The sudden reaction made Yumi blink before Zaboru broke into an enormous grin. "Yumi-san! You finally have a boyfriend? Congratulations!" He leaned forward enthusiastically, completely abandoning whatever report he had been reading. "And remember, when you get married, invite me, okay? I'm serious. I'll be offended if I hear about the wedding afterward."
Yumi covered part of her face and sighed, although she was clearly amused. "Boss, we only started dating recently. Please don't skip directly to marriage." Zaboru laughed. "I'm just preparing early. Better than realizing too late that I forgot to reserve a gift." Yumi shook her head. "You're ridiculous." Then she smiled warmly. "But I'll keep it in mind."
For a moment, Yumi simply looked at him.
Sometimes the situation still felt strange.
Nearly ten years ago, Zaboru Renkonan had been one of the most unusual students she had ever known during the early days of her working life. He had already been intelligent, ambitious, and occasionally terrifyingly confident for someone so young, but there had been absolutely no way Yumi could have predicted that the teenager would eventually build ZAGE into one of the largest companies in the world. Now she worked as his personal secretary, had spent years watching him negotiate with presidents, executives, developers, celebrities, and billionaires, and occasionally had to remind herself that the man casually asking about her boyfriend was technically one of the richest and most influential people alive.
More importantly, he had never once made her uncomfortable.
Yumi had heard enough stories about powerful businessmen and their secretaries to know how ugly that relationship could become. She was conventionally beautiful, worked closely with Zaboru, frequently accompanied him to important meetings, and had been around him for years. Yet Zaboru had never treated her as anything other than a trusted employee, friend, and older acquaintance from his youth. No suggestive comments. No uncomfortable advances. No assumption that money or authority entitled him to anything from her.
If anything, Zaboru occasionally treated Yumi with too much respect.
He still called her Yumi-san despite technically being her boss.
That had always amused her.
Yumi glanced at the clock before gathering several remaining documents. "Anyway, Boss, I'm heading out for now. You apparently have a private meeting coming, right?" Zaboru nodded. "Yeah. Yugo asked for one. Apparently urgent." Yumi paused for half a second. "Yugo Kanai?" Zaboru grinned. "Exactly." Yumi slowly nodded as though that explained everything. "Then good luck."
Zaboru laughed. "Why does everyone say that when Yugo wants to talk to me?"
"Experience."
With that, Yumi left the office.
Not even five minutes later, the door opened again.
Yugo Kanai entered with the expression of a man facing an approaching natural disaster. Beside him walked his twin sister, Yuna Kanai, looking almost exactly as composed as her brother looked desperate.
The contrast between the twins had always fascinated Zaboru.
Yugo was chaotic creativity given human form. He could spend hours talking about one ridiculous game mechanic, suddenly jump into an entirely different concept halfway through the conversation, create something absurd, somehow make it work, then stay awake far longer than any sensible person because he had another idea he desperately needed to test. His mind rarely moved in straight lines.
Yuna was almost the exact opposite.
As the leader of ZAGE's Subsidiaries Management Division, Yuna handled one of the most exhausting administrative responsibilities inside the entire company. ZAGE had accumulated an enormous network of subsidiaries, media companies, technology firms, studios, manufacturing partners, distribution businesses, and investments. Yuna coordinated reporting structures, performance reviews, inter-company cooperation, leadership problems, budget issues, and enough corporate bureaucracy to make most people develop a headache merely hearing about it.
And somehow she was frighteningly efficient.
Yugo could turn a ten-minute conversation into a two-hour brainstorming session.
Yuna could turn a two-hour meeting into twenty minutes.
Zaboru had occasionally wondered how two people born at nearly the same time could develop such completely opposite operating systems.
The moment Yugo entered, he practically marched toward Zaboru's desk and shouted, "Boss-sama! Help me!"
Zaboru immediately started laughing. "There it is." He leaned back comfortably. "I was wondering how long it would take before you said that. What happened this time?"
Yuna closed the door behind them and rubbed her temple.
Yugo pointed dramatically toward his sister. "Yuna wants to force me onto a blind date! A blind date, Boss-sama! Right now! During ZEPS 4 launch preparation! Do you understand how insane that is!? We're almost releasing the biggest console ZAGE has ever made and she suddenly decides I need romance!"
Yuna stared at her brother with the exhaustion of someone who had apparently heard this argument many times already. She looked toward Zaboru and said, "Boss, sorry to bother you with this. I actually only need one thing from you. Tell this idiot to take two days of leave."
Zaboru blinked.
Yugo gasped as though she had just proposed shutting down ZAGE Tower.
"Two days!?"
"Yes."
"Two entire days!?"
"Yes, Yugo."
"During ZEPS 4!?"
Yuna's eye twitched. "The console is not going to collapse because you disappear for forty-eight hours."
"You don't know that!"
"I manage half the subsidiaries supporting its launch. I know considerably more about the schedule than you think."
Zaboru covered his mouth, already trying not to laugh.
Yuna continued, "He hasn't properly used his leave again. He worked through part of the holiday, answered internal discussions when nobody asked him to, reviewed builds while supposedly resting, and apparently spent New Year's morning writing gameplay notes."
Yugo looked offended. "Inspiration doesn't respect holidays."
Yuna turned toward him. "Neither does stupidity."
Zaboru finally laughed openly.
Yugo immediately pointed toward him. "Boss-sama, don't encourage her!"
"I'm not encouraging anyone. I'm enjoying the show."
Yuna sighed and crossed her arms. "My concern is simple. If nobody interferes, Yugo is going to remain single for the rest of his life because his idea of meeting women is accidentally standing beside one at a ZAGE event while talking about enemy AI."
Yugo frowned. "There are women who like enemy AI."
"Have you dated any of them?"
"No."
"Exactly."
Yugo's expression became defensive. "That doesn't mean anything! I love girls! Girls just haven't loved me yet!"
Yuna's patience finally cracked. "THEN GO FIND ONE, YOU BASTARD!"
Zaboru almost choked on his coffee.
Yugo stared at her. "See!? This is what I deal with! And the only reason you suddenly care this much is because you got a boyfriend recently!"
Zaboru immediately turned toward Yuna.
His eyes widened for the second time that morning.
"Wait. You too?"
Yuna's professional expression broke into a small smile.
Zaboru pointed at her with delighted disbelief. "Yuna-san got a boyfriend? Congratulations! What the hell is happening? Did everyone decide to start dating during the holiday?"
Yuna laughed softly. "Thank you, Boss. And no, unlike my brother, some people occasionally leave their workplace."
Yugo groaned. "You two are bullying me."
Zaboru stood from his chair and walked around the desk. He placed one hand firmly on Yugo's shoulder and smiled. "Relax, Yugo. You don't need to panic. One day you'll meet someone who fits you perfectly."
Yugo looked skeptical.
Zaboru continued, "Probably someone with incredible patience."
Yuna immediately nodded. "Extremely incredible."y."
Yugo looked between them. "Boss-sama…"
Zaboru laughed and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Seriously, though. If you want two days off, take them. You barely use your leave anyway. Everyone knows how hard you work."
Instead of looking relieved, Yugo looked horrified. "BOSS! ZEPS 4 IS ABOUT TO RELEASE! I don't want to miss a single second!"
Zaboru stared at him for a moment before laughing again. "Yugo, you realize the launch isn't happening while you're asleep tonight, right? Taking two days off doesn't erase you from history."
"But things are happening!"
"Things are always happening."
"Exactly!"
"That argument makes taking leave impossible forever."
Yugo opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Yuna immediately pointed at him. "See?"
Zaboru smiled. "To be fair, Yuna-san, I can't force him if he genuinely doesn't want to take a break. But if you're asking whether I approve of him taking two days? Absolutely. He's earned considerably more than that."
Yuna smiled.
Yugo immediately became suspicious of the smile.
Then Yuna said calmly, "Good. That's enough for me."
Yugo's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"
Yuna turned toward him. "It means you're coming."
Yugo stared. "I already said—"
"If you don't, I'll destroy your collection."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Zaboru slowly looked between the twins.
Yugo's face went pale.
"You wouldn't."
Yuna maintained eye contact.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"Yuna."
"Yes?"
"Do you understand how long it took me to collect some of those figurines!?"
Yuna nodded calmly. "Yes. I know exactly how long."
Yugo became even more horrified.
Yuna continued, "I handle coordination with HanDai, remember? I know which releases were limited, which versions are rare, which ones were discontinued, and approximately what most of your collection is worth."
Yugo placed both hands over his head. "THAT MAKES THIS WORSE! YOU KNOW THEIR VALUE!"
"Exactly."
"You're evil!"
"I'm efficient."
Zaboru burst out laughing so loudly he had to lean against the edge of his desk.
Yugo looked toward him desperately. "Boss-sama! Please! Stop her!"
Zaboru wiped one eye. "I'm sorry, Yugo. I think I'm staying neutral on this one."
"This isn't neutral!"
"You're still alive, so technically I haven't chosen a side."
Yuna smiled with terrifying satisfaction.
Yugo looked betrayed by the universe.
Zaboru eventually calmed down and nudged him lightly. "Come on, Yugo. Go. Seriously. Rest for two days, meet someone new, eat good food, walk around somewhere that isn't ZAGE Tower. Maybe you'll have fun."
Yugo sighed dramatically. "But Boss-sama…"
Zaboru's expression softened.
"Yugo, I'm serious about something."
That tone made Yugo stop complaining.
Zaboru continued, "Work is important. I understand that better than most people. Games are part of my life too. ZAGE is part of my life. I can spend an entire night thinking about a game mechanic and suddenly realize the sun came up."
Yugo nodded immediately.
"But work being something you love doesn't mean it should become the only thing you have."
Yugo became quiet.
Zaboru smiled. "When I go home, My wife is there. My childs are there. all of that matters just as much as games. Probably more."
Yuna glanced toward Zaboru with a small approving smile.
Zaboru continued, "I'm not saying you need to marry the first woman Yuna introduces to you. That would be insane. Maybe you meet her and nothing happens. Maybe you become friends. Maybe she hates you after ten minutes."
Yugo looked offended. "Boss-sama."
"I'm preparing realistic possibilities."
Yuna covered a laugh.
"But maybe," Zaboru continued, "you meet somebody who genuinely likes the crazy parts of you too. Someone who doesn't mind that you suddenly talk about game mechanics during dinner. Someone who reminds you to sleep. Someone you actually want to go home and see."
Yugo stared at him for several seconds.
The ridiculous panic slowly disappeared from his face.
Zaboru patted his shoulder again. "That's worth risking two days away from ZEPS 4, right?"
Yugo looked toward Yuna.
His twin sister immediately pretended she had not been emotionally affected by anything Zaboru said.
Then Yugo sighed.
"If Boss-sama says so…"
Yuna's face brightened immediately. "Good."
Yugo pointed toward her. "Only two days."
"Yes."
"And you don't touch my collection."
"If you cooperate."
"That sounds like hostage negotiation."
"It is."
Zaboru laughed.
Yuna immediately grabbed Yugo by the arm. "Then we need to get you dressed properly. The woman I'm introducing is very different from the people you normally meet, so please try not to look like you slept inside the development room."
Yugo looked down at his clothes. "What's wrong with this?"
Both Yuna and Zaboru looked at him.
Yugo sighed. "…Fine."
Yuna started pulling him toward the door while Yugo turned his head back toward Zaboru. "Boss-sama! If anything important happens with ZEPS 4, message me!"
Zaboru waved. "No."
Yugo's eyes widened. "WHAT!?"
"You're on leave."
"But—"
The door closed behind him.
Zaboru heard Yugo's muffled complaints continuing down the hallway while Yuna calmly ignored every single one.
For several seconds, Zaboru simply stared at the closed door.
Then he chuckled.
"Hehehe… everyone really is getting partners these days."
Yumi had a boyfriend.
Yuna had a boyfriend.
Sanika had Miyazaki.
His own life had become filled with marriages, couples, children, and people gradually creating futures outside ZAGE.
He smiled.
"Hopefully Yugo finds someone too."
Then Ayumi appeared in his mind.
Her smile.
Her stubbornness.
The way she argued with him.
The way she still somehow became embarrassed when he praised her too directly despite years of marriage.
Zenshin and Rumi-chan.
The twins still waiting to be born.
Zaboru leaned back against his desk and chuckled quietly.
"Hehehe… I really am lucky."
For someone who had once lived an entirely different life and never imagined any of this could happen, the thought still occasionally overwhelmed him.
He looked toward the city outside the enormous windows.
Then toward his Black Berry.
Then finally toward the elevator.
"Alright."
There was still plenty of work waiting.
ZEPS 4 was complete.
Marketing preparations were accelerating.
Launch games were entering their final stage.
And apparently Yugo Kanai was now being dragged toward a blind date under threat of having his figurine collection destroyed.
Zaboru grinned as he headed back toward his private workshop on the fifty-first floor.
"Good luck, Yugo."
Something told him his developer might need it.
To be continued.
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