When stepping out of S.A. CIRCUIT, it was already close to noon.
The glass door slowly closed behind them, blocking out the soft music inside the store.
Satsuki walked forward along the street, her mind still filled with the games, animations, and records that had just been placed on the same shelf.
In the era she once lived in, these few things had long since intertwined.
A work could go from manga to television, and then into game consoles and movie theatres; a remembered character was enough to support records, toys, and countless merchandise.
But right now it was still 1991.
Some names that would later resound throughout the world had not yet appeared on any company rosters; some people were crowding in cramped studios, worrying about their next production fee; others might have already been influenced by Saionji over the years, embarking on a path different from their original one.
Satsuki raised her head, her gaze moving forward along the street-side shop windows.
Several college students who had just been flipping through game magazines on the second floor of S.A. CIRCUIT hurried past them and turned into a shop across the street.
After the door curtain was lifted, the dense sound of buttons, electronic music, and the cheers of the crowd poured out together.
A huge "Street Fighter II" poster was pasted at the entrance of the shop.
Quite a few people had already gathered in front of the poster.
Some looked through the glass at the battles inside, while others had just come out of the shop, still arguing about a certain character's moves.
Satsuki's pace slowed down.
Emi had originally walked ahead, but upon noticing her stop, she quickly stepped back.
"Does Satsuki-chan want to go inside and take a look too?"
Although she used a question, her gaze had already crossed Satsuki's shoulder and landed inside the arcade.
Satsuki glanced at her.
"Since when did you become so enthusiastic about market research?"
"Did not you just say you wanted to see where people are willing to spend their money?"
Emi moved half a step closer to the opposite side of the street, trying hard to make her reason sound more sufficient.
"Magazines and shelves can only show what they bought, but in the arcade, you can directly see why they are willing to spend money."
"Well said."
Satsuki nodded thoughtfully.
Emi's eyes lit up.
"Then we—"
"When finding excuses to play games for yourself, your brain turns fast indeed."
The anticipation on Emi's face froze for a moment.
Watching her unwilling to look away even after being exposed, Satsuki finally laughed out loud.
"However, today was meant to accompany you out to play anyway."
She took the lead and walked towards the other side of the street.
"Let us go in."
Emi immediately followed, her steps so fast as if she was afraid Satsuki would change her mind the next second.
The arcade was much stuffier than outside.
Rows of screens flashed with different coloured lights, the sound of coin insertion, button clicks, and electronic music from the speakers overlapping together.
The few "Street Fighter II" machines against the wall were the most crowded, with battling people sitting on both sides of the machines, and several onlookers standing behind each of them.
Emi had obviously been here before.
She first glanced at the number of people waiting in line, then pulled Satsuki around to the other side, quickly finding a set of machines about to finish.
Satsuki let herself be pulled a few steps before asking leisurely:
"Did not you only play a few times?"
Emi's action of holding her wrist paused for a split second.
"I am a genius, you know, so I can remember the locations even after a few times."
She let go of her hand and stood aside nonchalantly, though the tips of her ears were slightly red.
The previous group of players quickly finished their battle.
Waiting for them to get up, Emi immediately sat in the empty seat and fished out two coins.
She placed one of them in front of Satsuki, while the other had already been expertly pushed into the coin slot by her.
"Satsuki-chan, sit on the opposite side."
Satsuki did not sit down immediately, only lowering her head to look at her, and then at the character selection screen that had already appeared on the monitor.
"So the reason you insisted on keeping me today was actually because you lacked a newbie to bully?"
"No way."
Emi denied it verbally, but her fingers had already quickly selected Chun-Li.
"I just think playing together is more interesting. Besides, I can teach Satsuki-chan too."
When she said the word "teach," her voice could no longer hide that eagerness to try.
Satsuki sat down opposite her, tested the buttons a few times, and finally selected Ryu.
After the first round started, she was still confirming which buttons corresponded to punches and kicks, while Emi had already controlled Chun-Li to jump right in front of her.
Ryu on the screen was forced into a corner by several consecutive attacks.
Satsuki barely managed to block one, then pressed the wrong button, throwing a punch into empty space, and her remaining stamina was quickly cleared out by Emi.
When the victory-defeat screen appeared, the two onlookers behind them even chuckled softly.
Emi sat on the other side, the corners of her mouth already curved up, yet she tried hard to make her voice sound considerate enough.
"Everyone's first time playing is like this. Satsuki-chan, do you want me to tell you how to execute moves first?"
Satsuki glanced at her across the machine.
Emi immediately reined in her smile a little.
"I am not gloating."
"Is that so?"
Satsuki inserted another coin, lowering her head to adjust the position of her fingers.
"Then accompany me for another round, Teacher Emi."
After the second round started, Emi soon found that the movements on the opposite side had changed.
Satsuki no longer chased her pressing buttons randomly.
When Chun-Li jumped over, Ryu would first step back a bit, throwing a punch only after she landed; consecutive attacks also began to be blocked, and occasionally she could seize the gap of her pause to return a strike.
Although Emi still won, the stamina on the screen was left with only a tiny sliver at the end.
She looked at the victory-defeat screen and poked her head out from beside the machine again.
"Has Satsuki-chan really never played before?"
"Never."
Satsuki exercised her fingers, the expression on her face already much more serious than when she first sat down.
"However, the moves you used just now, I have pretty much seen them clearly."
Emi was stunned for a moment, then poked her head out from the other side of the machine, her eyes noticeably brightening a lot.
"Really?"
When she won the second round just now, she was still trying to rein in her smile, but now she was instead happier than if she had won herself.
"Then let us go again."
Satsuki had already taken a coin out of her wallet.
"There are still people waiting behind."
"Just one last round will do."
Emi quickly sat up straight, even her tone turning serious.
"This time I will not use those moves from just now anymore, Satsuki-chan, be careful."
"Teacher Emi just said she wanted to teach me, and now she is planning to hide them?"
"I am not hiding anything."
Emi immediately retorted.
"I just want to see if Satsuki-chan can learn so quickly again."
After the third round started, Satsuki was more patient than in the previous round.
She rarely took the initiative to get close, guarding one side of the screen and waiting for Emi to move first.
Chun-Li moved forward several times, only to be blocked in advance by Ryu.
When Emi habitually jumped up again, Satsuki suddenly controlled her character to approach and slammed her to the ground.
Emi was taken aback for a moment.
After Chun-Li stood back up, she did not immediately attack, instead looking at Satsuki across the machine.
"Satsuki-chan, were you waiting for me to jump over just now all along?"
"Mhm."
Satsuki's gaze remained on the screen.
"Whenever you are a bit further away, you like to come from above."
Upon hearing this, far from being annoyed, Emi showed an even more obvious smile.
"You even remembered this."
She gripped the joystick tightly again and deliberately changed the way she approached.
But after trying several times in a row, Satsuki still seized one of the pauses and slammed Chun-Li to the ground once more.
"Here it comes again."
Emi let out a soft cry, yet not a shred of anger could be heard in her tone.
Her body had unconsciously moved closer to the screen, and her fingers moved swiftly between the buttons, as if eager to see how Satsuki would respond next time.
"If Satsuki-chan keeps this up, I will not go over anymore."
"Then I will go over."
Ryu suddenly took two steps forward.
Emi instinctively prepared to step back, but Satsuki only feinted for a moment and quickly stopped back in her original position.
"Satsuki-chan is a liar."
"Can not even in a game?"
Emi was asked into laughter.
This laugh slowed her down for a split second.
Ryu seized the opening, approached again, and cleared out Chun-Li's last bit of stamina.
The victory-defeat screen appeared on the monitor.
Satsuki released the buttons, the smile on her lips finally fully revealing itself.
Emi remained sitting on the other side, looking at the fallen Chun-Li, and then at Satsuki opposite her.
After a few seconds, she suddenly started laughing along as well, as if the person who had just won was actually herself.
"Satsuki-chan has only played three rounds."
She stood up from her seat, walked around to Satsuki's side, her eyes still carrying unscattered excitement.
"In the first round you did not even know the buttons, in the second round you could block me, and by the third round you were already waiting for me to go over myself."
"Because your habits are very obvious."
Satsuki casually straightened her sleeves.
Emi immediately shook her head.
"Not at all."
She spoke very earnestly.
"If it were anyone else, playing thirty rounds might not even make them notice. Satsuki-chan is truly amazing at even games."
The players waiting behind had already walked forward.
Satsuki tapped her lightly on the shoulder.
"Alright, stop standing here praising me."
"Then let us play again in a little while."
While giving up the spot, Emi looked back at the screen.
"I will switch to a character Satsuki-chan has not seen before. If we played a few more rounds, you might even memorise everyone's moves."
"There are other places to see today."
"We can go at night too."
Satsuki did not answer, simply leading her back outside the crowd of onlookers.
New players quickly sat down, and the sound of coins dropping into the machines rang out one after another.
The person who had just lost did not leave either, instead standing behind their companion, watching the screen while softly explaining why they had lost earlier.
A bit further away, several young people were arguing over whether Chun-Li or Ryu was stronger.
Some could accurately name the characters, while others imitated the movements on screen, constantly making their companions burst into laughter.
Satsuki watched for a moment before her gaze fell upon the coin slot.
Emi noticed immediately.
"Is Satsuki-chan looking at how many coins they inserted again?"
"I am looking at you too."
Satsuki turned her face slightly.
"After losing, your very first thought is to play another round. The person behind you is the same."
Emi looked at the player who had just rejoined the end of the line, then looked down at her own hands.
"Because I want to see how Satsuki-chan will fight in the next round."
Saying this, her eyes curved into crescents again.
"The last three rounds were completely different. If we keep playing, Satsuki-chan will definitely come up with new methods."
"The reason does not matter."
Satsuki looked back at the crowd gathered around the screen.
"As long as someone who loses is still willing to drop in another coin, someone will always be sitting in front of this machine."
Emi followed her gaze for a moment and gradually understood what she was observing.
"And they all seem to really like these characters."
"That is right, and that is enough."
The match just now had only lasted a few minutes, yet the onlookers talked about the machine itself less and less.
They remembered every character's name, moves, and outcomes, and would get angry on behalf of the images on the screen whenever their favourite character was defeated.
The machine was simply the place where these characters appeared.
Once players left the arcade, as long as they still wanted to see them, game cartridges, music, video tapes, and other merchandise would all have a reason to be bought.
"Do those shelves in the store look clearer to you now?"
Satsuki asked.
Emi followed her gaze toward the adjacent game shop and audiovisual store outside the arcade, and slowly nodded.
"A character can be put into many things."
She quickly thought of a new direction.
"It can also be made into an anime. If it is very popular, we can make toys and clothes too."
"That is why just buying a video game manufacturing company is not enough."
Satsuki turned and walked outward.
"Machines will always be replaced. What truly leaves this place with the players are the stories and characters they remember."
Emi hurried after her.
"Is Uncle Itakura looking for people who can create characters like this?"
"First, find people who can truly finish their work."
Satsuki lifted the curtain, and the June sunlight fell upon her once more.
"As for whether they can make so many people line up, we will have to wait until they bring their work out to know."
At two-thirty in the afternoon, the group finally returned to S.A. CIRCUIT.
Emi's hands now held three game boxes, a game music CD, and a cassette of an anime video tape that she had looked over repeatedly on the second floor before ultimately failing to put back on the shelf.
When the store manager saw her place the items on the counter, he hesitated for a moment before reaching out to push the topmost game box back.
"Let the store gift these to you."
"Why?"
Emi had already opened her cloth bag and was lowering her head to search for her wallet, only raising her head with a puzzled look upon hearing those words.
The manager glanced not far away.
Satsuki was standing by the magazine rack, leafing through a newly published game industry magazine.
She seemed completely unaware of the commotion at the counter, only lifting her gaze from the page when she heard her own name.
"It is rare for Miss Suzuki to visit, and given that you and the young lady..."
The manager did not finish his sentence.
In his view, S.A. CIRCUIT was already a store under Saionji.
Emi was participating in the group's most important technical project, not to mention that even the young lady had come this time, so he naturally had to be tactful...
But Emi beside him did not understand the manager's progressive thinking, and had already taken out several banknotes.
"These are things I wanted to buy for myself, not things needed by the laboratory."
She placed the money on the counter and rearranged the game box that had just been pushed back.
"Please check out at the normal price."
The manager looked at the banknotes on the table and did not reach out for a moment.
Emi waited a moment, and seeing that he still made no move, she had no choice but to turn and look at Satsuki.
"Satsuki-chan, tell him."
Satsuki turned a page of the magazine and looked up at the counter.
"Since she picked them herself, ring them up according to the store's rules."
With the big boss speaking, the manager no longer declined and entered the items into the cash register one by one.
Emi quickly noticed.
"It is short."
She picked up the receipt and checked it item by item against the price tags on the merchandise.
"This is the affiliate discount stipulated by the store."
The manager explained very cautiously.
"Miss Suzuki has long participated in the group's projects, so she naturally qualifies for this tier."
Emi still wanted to make up the undercharged portion, but Satsuki reached out and snatched the receipt from her hand.
"A discount provided by the rules is not considered taking something for free."
She folded the receipt and tucked it back into Emi's paper bag containing the games.
"If you keep arguing with her, the people behind you will all have to wait for you to check out."
Emi glanced back.
There were indeed two more customers holding game cartridges standing by the counter.
She finally gave up on making up the money, quickly put her wallet back into her cloth bag, and proactively hugged the fully loaded paper bag.
"Then I will buy a bit more next time."
The manager was slightly stunned, then smiled and bowed to her.
"You are welcome anytime."
Satsuki looked at the boxes of games in Emi's arms and lightly raised an eyebrow.
"Have not you bought enough today?"
"These will be finished playing very soon."
Emi answered as a matter of course, hugging the paper bag tightly as she followed her out of the store door.
Chizuru was about to open the car door for Satsuki when a security staff member hurried over from the other side of the street and whispered a few words in her ear.
Chizuru's expression did not change noticeably; she simply turned to look at Satsuki.
"Young lady, a letter was just delivered from the main residence."
"Whose?"
"The Kujo Family."
Satsuki's footsteps paused for a moment.
The security personnel handed a narrow Paulownia wood letter box to Chizuru, with the Kujo Family crest printed only in the bottom right corner of the box lid.
After everyone got into the car, Chizuru opened the letter box and handed the folded piece of Washi paper inside to Satsuki with both hands.
The letter was not long.
The person writing the letter was the current head of the Kujo Family.
He had arrived in Tokyo yesterday and invited Satsuki to visit the Kujo Family's Tokyo detached residence tomorrow afternoon for a chat.
The letter did not explain the specific reason, only adding two more lines at the end.
[Lately, exchanges among various houses have been frequent, and Saionji has been repeatedly discussed at gatherings.]
[It is not appropriate for this matter to reach your honourable family through the mouths of outsiders first.]
Satsuki reread those two lines.
The Kujo Family was Satsuki's mother's maiden family.
Although exchanges between the two families had not been frequent over the years, whenever Saionji truly encountered trouble in Kansai, the Kujo Family never treated themselves as outsiders.
Hakusuikai attempted to suppress Saionji by leveraging Kyoto's old nobility, and Lady Kujo sent the Kitayama old calligraphy invitation; now that someone was discussing Saionji among the various houses, this current family head likewise did not let the news reach Tokyo through the mouths of outsiders.
Being able to make him personally come to Tokyo and deliberately send this letter before anyone else spoke, the matter clearly would not just be a few idle words.
Emi sat beside her, still holding the newly bought paper bag in her arms.
"What is the Kujo Family looking for Satsuki-chan for?"
"I do not know yet."
Satsuki folded the letter back to its original state and put it into the letter box.
"Can I go together?"
"You are going to Odaiba tomorrow."
The anticipation on Emi's face vanished instantly.
"You are not taking me again..."
"You have already taken up half my day today."
Satsuki raised her hand and gently patted the paper bag she was holding.
"You bought games and played arcade games. Tomorrow it is time to work."
Emi opened her mouth, but ultimately hugged the paper bag tighter and leaned back into her seat.
She would have to dilute and reminisce about these days accompanied by Satsuki-chan for quite a long time again.
Satsuki turned to look at Chizuru.
"Reply to the letter for me."
"Yes."
"Tomorrow afternoon, I will pay a visit punctually."
Chizuru put away the letter box.
The sedan slowly drove away from the roadside.
The signs outside the window reading computers, games, and audio gradually receded, and the music coming from the arcade was quickly blocked out by the car windows.
Satsuki leaned against the seat back, her fingertips tapping lightly on the Kujo Family's letter box.
"Someone wants to discuss Saionji in the name of the various houses..."
She placed the letter box beside her, a hint of a smile slowly appearing at the corners of her lips.
"It seems tomorrow's cup of tea should be quite interesting."