Chapter 147: Counterattack of NEGA
December 13, 1991. Friday.
The day before meeting Yuki's parents...
I was on the phone with Yuki, discussing tomorrow's schedule, confirming the appointment once more.
"Then it's 1 PM tomorrow, right?"
"Yes, my mom said she'd prepare lunch, so don't be too late."
"Uh, okay."
"Junhyuk, are you nervous?"
"Of course. It's the first formal visit..."
Though I'd greeted Yuki's house a few times while dropping her off, doing so officially felt unexpectedly burdensome.
"It'll be fine. I've been explaining everything about you to my parents. They're really looking forward to meeting you."
"Is that so? I wish I had greeted them in advance..."
"I told them how busy you've been, so it'll be okay. My parents aren't that strict. I'm actually worried you might be surprised to see our family."
"Hmm... What does that mean?"
Her calm words somewhat eased my nervousness.
The next day, I picked up my suit from the laundry in the morning, quickly dressed, left my coat on the passenger seat due to the mild December weather, and after a final check of my hair in the rearview mirror, I headed towards Yuki's house.
As I approached Yuki's neighborhood in Kijyoji, I parked my car at a nearby public parking lot near the station's shopping district.
"But it's an official visit; I can't go empty-handed."
While browsing the shops, I purchased a lovely bouquet from a flower shop and some gift-worthy pastries from a nearby pastry store, then hurried to Yuki's place.
Ten minutes before the appointed time, I stood in front of Yuki's house, holding the bouquet, and as I pressed the doorbell, I heard chaotic noises from inside.
"You're here!!! What do we do? What if...!?"
"First, open the door!!"
"Honey, could you go instead? I'm so nervous meeting a potential son-in-law!!"
"I'm cooking!! And it's my first time meeting a potential son-in-law too!"
"Oh no~! Yoko, it's all because of you. If you got married before Yuki, we wouldn't be this nervous!!"
"Dad!! What kind of reasoning is that!?"
"...?"
Wait, this is different from what I imagined.
As I hesitated to ring the bell again, holding the bouquet, the door clicked open.
Eventually, it was Yuki who greeted me first.
"Junhyuk, come in quickly!"
"Ah, yeah. Thank you."
Passing through the white front door into the living room, Yuki's parents and her sister greeted me, bowing.
"Please take care of our daughter."
'Phew... Hurry...'
"Dad, is this how you say your first hello?"
"Isn't it?"
Yuki's father, Mr. Ishikawa, looked surprisingly young. Considering Yuki's age, he might be in his late forties, but he appeared to be in his mid-thirties, owning an incredible youthfulness.
"Ahaha~ He's just nervous."
"I'll greet you. This way is our dad, and mom. And this is our sister, Yoko."
"Hello. I apologize for not greeting you earlier. I brought some pastries since I came empty-handed..."
"Hahaha~ A polite young man~ I like him. You passed!! Marry him, our second daughter!!"
'Second daughter...?'
At this point, my mind was getting a bit fuzzy.
Yuki's father had a very cheerful personality. Until meeting him, I had imagined typical scenes like, 'Please give your daughter to me; I love Yuki,' or 'Ahem... Want to play chess?' but...
"You make games, right? Then how about a game? Super SP2!?"
Conversations like this were going back and forth.
"So, Yuki's love for games was because of this..."
After dinner, we talked about games the entire evening until it got late.
Huh? Wasn't I supposed to talk about marriage today?
That night, walking towards the parking lot where my car was parked, Yuki, who was accompanying me, spoke up.
"I'm sorry. It was hectic, wasn't it?"
"No, it was surprisingly enjoyable instead of the expected formal atmosphere."
"Last night, even my dad couldn't sleep well, he was so nervous."
"Really? He didn't seem like it at all..."
"He probably pretended. Since today was just a dinner invitation. I hope you didn't feel too pressured."
"Yeah... It'd be good to visit more often."
"Exactly. That's the best way."
Seeing Yuki's bright smile, I found myself smiling, too, without realizing it.
After meeting Yuki's parents a few days later...
I was at Tamago Shop flipping through the gaming magazine released this month.
The remastered version of "Dragon Emblem" was listed as the best-selling game title for a week in the Famicom communication rankings immediately upon its release.
It was all thanks to the role of the download-sharing devices installed at specialized game shops representing each city.
New gamers who encountered flash memory cartridges at first hesitated to purchase them.
Unlike the conventional way of buying cartridges at game shops for a set amount, downloading from the game-sharing devices in front of the store felt like it devalued the ownership of the game, almost like using a vending machine.
That's why I decided to take advantage of the special gaming essence in Dragon Emblem, where allied characters actually die in the game.
Surprisingly, even the low-capacity version of the Dragon Emblem cartridge had some space left, which led those who purchased the game to gradually start using the sharing devices out of curiosity.
Soon enough, fueled by word-of-mouth among users, the sales of flash memory cartridges began to skyrocket.
Why? It's because flash cartridges weren't just used for storing games; they had more functions.
Once you inserted a flash cartridge into the device for the first time, it would read the data, allowing you to input your ID and password.
Your registered information remained in the device and the cartridge, making it convenient to later browse through the list of game titles you purchased by simply inputting your password.
And one more thing—Pentagon Soft occasionally offered discounts on specific game software or free mini-games to users who bought flash memory cartridges. As a celebration of Dragon Emblem's release, they distributed free trailers for Dragon Emblem II for a limited time.
Thus, the flash memory cartridge didn't just allow you to buy game software inexpensively; it became an essential item for experiencing Pentagon Soft's titles or getting a taste of certain games in their "demo" version.
Just like now...
"Wow! They're releasing the Dragon Emblem II demo on January 1st on the sharing devices!"
"Really? Oh man, I might need to get a Flash Cart..."
"Just get one. I wasn't thrilled about it at first, but I had no idea it would be used like this. During the Slam Dunk event in two weeks, they're discounting a 4,300 yen download title to 3,500 yen."
"Seriously? Almost half-price?"
"I'm regretting not investing a bit more for the higher capacity. Hey, do you want mine? I want to get the larger one now, so I'll give you a good deal."
"I'll think about it."
I chuckled at the conversation between the two high schoolers, taking a sip of coffee from my paper cup.
Since the recent Psych Battle showcase, where a proposal incident had somewhat boosted my visibility, I occasionally had gamers asking for my autograph.
"I wish I could just listen to gamers' reactions like in the old days, but it's getting harder now. My face is too well known."
Despite that, I enjoyed being at Tamago Shop. It allowed me to stay updated on recent gaming trends and listening to users' conversations hinted at the direction Pentagon Soft might take.
Next to Tamago Shop, construction was underway for a specialized game center exclusively for Psych Battle. Many users were eagerly anticipating its opening as soon as the arcade center's boards were completed next month.
The building, situated right next to the iconic 'Radio Kaikan' in Akihabara, was expanding, centered around Tamago Shop on the first floor. It was becoming a kind of pilgrimage site for Pentagon fans.
"Damn, maybe I should have just bought the entire building when I first opened Tamago Shop. I didn't think it through..."
I sighed, looking at the increasing rent bills every month.
With this amount, I could at least afford the salaries of five employees...
But no matter how much money I threw at the building owner in this prime location, they wouldn't sell it easily. Maybe I should try negotiating. We've already done enough promotion for Pentagon, so maybe it'll be fine to move a little further away...
Japan's current economic situation was quite a mess. What was once anticipated as the bursting of the bubble economy in the late '80s started to collapse rapidly as the '90s approached.
Just five years ago, fresh graduates dreaming of a bright future were struggling to navigate the narrowed job market.
The news kept reassuring the public that it was just a temporary economic slump and things would soon recover. However, this period marked the first year of what the Japanese commonly referred to as the 'Lost Decade.'
Compared to last year, Japan's economic growth rate was at 0%.
However, people believed the government's announcements, thinking it was just a temporary economic downturn...
But if you observed closely, strange things were happening in many places.
Massive construction in deserted areas.
Skyrocketing real estate prices as if gone crazy.
From the late '80s, when banks widely dispersed low-interest loans, people were practically mocked if they didn't take loans from banks.
Starting from when corporations excessively drew colossal sums from banks under the pretext of company operations, I knew this disaster would come.
Following the Plaza Accord, the phenomenon of yen appreciation led to an economic recession. Banks found it difficult to recover their bonds, leading not only small but also large corporations, including banks, to declare bankruptcy last year.
Amidst all this, Pentagon Soft, which hadn't borrowed a penny from banks, was ranked 9th among Japan's top 10 companies, hailed as the No. 1 company where young Japanese wanted to work.
Now that I think about it, I was the top choice in a recent popularity poll at work for both 'the boss I'd like to work with' and 'the boss I'd like to avoid.'
Anyway, being recognized as a company graduates hope to get into is great, but interviewing so many people won't be easy. Somehow, I feel like there'll be even more job hopefuls next year than this year...
Despite the severe unemployment and economic downturn, the gaming industry's market share was steadily increasing.
Mintendo, currently leading the industry, held the fourth position among Japan's top 10 companies. Thanks to its established family-based foundation, it didn't seem like they would easily step down from their throne.
However, recently, an interesting incident occurred.
After the release of NEGA Drive, which didn't receive much attention due to the absence of any significant hits, NEGA began making a comeback against Mintendo.
"Finally, NEGA has taken up arms to seize the North American market from Mintendo."
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