Zaboru ate another dumpling before looking at Hikaru and asking, "Your son...? Higashi? What about him?" He still remembered Hikaru's son quite clearly. Higashi had always given off the impression of a quiet but observant boy, the kind who paid attention to more things than adults usually realized.
Hikaru Kurata let out a tired sigh before chuckling lightly. "I'm surprised you still remember his name, but yeah... it's about him." He leaned back in his seat, picked up another dumpling, and took a bite before washing it down with a sip of his lime drink. Only after that did he continue speaking. "He's already seventeen now. He's basically at the end of high school already, and lately..." Hikaru paused for a moment, as if the next words were slightly difficult for him to say. Then he frowned and muttered, "Well, the damn kid has a dream."
Zaboru grinned the moment he heard that. He knew Higashi was a gamer, and more importantly, the boy loved ZAGE Zaboru knew it, so the answer came to him immediately. "Let me guess," Zaboru said, looking far too amused already. "He wants to work at ZAGE?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hikaru Kurata let out the kind of long, defeated sigh that only a tired father could produce. He nodded while chewing his dumpling, then swallowed and said, "Yeah... that's right. Unfortunately, he's your fan. And I don't mean a normal fan. I mean he's completely fanatic about it." Hikaru rubbed his forehead in annoyance before continuing, "His room is decorated with ZAGE merchandise everywhere. Posters, game boxes, magazines, promotional items, limited-edition junk... there are even way too many pictures of you in there. The boy practically worships you at this point. It's irritating."
He paused, then frowned even more deeply as if the memory itself was offensive. "You know how bad it is? I walked into his room one day and for half a second I genuinely felt like I had entered a miniature ZAGE museum. There were boxes stacked neatly in the corner, ALL ZAGE games catalogs arranged on shelves, and your face showed up often enough that I started feeling like a guest in my own house."
Hikaru clicked his tongue and took another bite before muttering, "Seriously, damn it." Then, because apparently he had not suffered enough, he kept going. "The kid even talks about ZAGE like it's some kind of holy land for game creators. Every time he discusses video games, he brings up one of your teams. Every time he talks about ambition, he brings up your company. I'm his father, and somehow I still have to sit there listening to him describe your corporate structure with sparkling eyes."
Zaboru, naturally, looked even more pleased with himself after hearing that. Hikaru noticed it immediately and narrowed his eyes. "Don't smile like that," he said flatly. "You are way too happy about this."
Zaboru grinned even wider and said, "Hey, your son praises me, he's my fan, so why wouldn't I be happy? And why do I hear jealousy in there, Hikaru? Don't tell me Sonaya's great president is losing to me inside his own house." He leaned back with a shameless smile before adding, "That's rough. Truly tragic. Your son worships ZAGE, and meanwhile you still have to pay the bills. I almost feel sorry for you. Almost."
He was clearly enjoying himself far too much now. "Actually, no, let me say it properly," Zaboru continued, sounding like a man delivering a heartfelt business summary. "The market is mine, your son admires me, your house is full of ZAGE merchandise, and somewhere in your own home there is probably a shelf proving my victory. Hikaru, this is beyond competition. This is spiritual defeat."
Hikaru Kurata let out a long sigh and glared at him. "Damn right I'm jealous. You know I was a shitty father once. But lately I've been sober, thinking more about my family, spending more time with them, and actually trying to open up to my son and daughter." He paused, then clicked his tongue in irritation. "And guess what I found? The moment they started opening up, they kept talking about you, damn it. My son looks at ZAGE like it's some promised land, and even my daughter, who is only fifteen right now, is also completely mesmerized by you, you bastard. That's why this whole thing is so unfortunate. I can't even get properly angry over something that trivial."
He frowned more deeply before continuing, his frustration now sounding more tired than hostile. "Do you understand how ridiculous that feels? I'm trying to rebuild my relationship with my own children, and somehow your name keeps showing up in those conversations like you're some kind of family member I never invited. My son talks about your company with sparkling eyes, my daughter talks about you like some unbelievable prince charming, and I have to sit there pretending not to be offended in my own house."
Zaboru looked deeply moved for a second, then slowly placed one hand on his chest as if Hikaru had just delivered the most touching confession of the century. "So what you're telling me," he said with a solemn expression that did not fool anyone, "is that I've already conquered both the market and your bloodline?"
Hikaru Kurata glared at him so hard it felt like he was considering whether it was legally acceptable to strangle someone with a napkin inside a dumpling restaurant. Meanwhile, Zaboru only laughed like he had just received the greatest compliment of his life. "Well, that's not my fault," Zaboru said shamelessly. "I'm just that charming. Honestly, Hikaru, at this point you should be proud. Your family clearly has excellent taste."
"Say one more stupid thing," Hikaru muttered, "and I'll make sure your excellent taste is buried under this table."
Zaboru only grinned wider. "See? That's exactly the kind of passion your son should inherit. Strong genes. Strong emotions. Tragic weakness for ZAGE."
Hikaru clicked his tongue in annoyance, while Zaboru continued enjoying himself far too much. Then, little by little, the teasing in his expression softened. He leaned back slightly and added in a more serious tone, "Still, jokes aside, I don't think your son working at my company would really end well, right? I mean, he's supposed to succeed you someday, isn't he? If Higashi really has that much talent, then letting him disappear into ZAGE would be a pretty ridiculous loss for Sonaya."
Hikaru let out a long sigh and nodded. "Yeah... that's exactly the problem." He looked down at his plate for a moment before continuing. "My son really looks up to you, and he's not just some random fanboy either. He's actually a real gamer. He understands flow, design, and player experience better than most kids his age. He's even working on his first game right now. He's trying really hard, and honestly..." Hikaru paused, then clicked his tongue softly. "Sonaya really needs him right now. If we want to face ZAGE in the future, talent like Higashi is absolutely necessary."
He took another bite of his dumpling, though this time it felt more like he was chewing to calm himself down than because he was hungry. "But at the same time, it's still his dream to work at ZAGE. That's why I don't know what to do about this. I didn't come here to talk as Sonaya's president. I came here as his father. I wanted to ask whether you had any solution."
Zaboru chuckled and said, "Hey, you know what? My son is only four years old, and you're asking me for parenting advice?" He looked far too amused by the situation, as if Hikaru coming to him for something this personal was the funniest part of the entire morning.
Hikaru let out a long sigh before replying, "Hey, I've only been a decent father for less than four years, okay? I know I was a bastard before that, but at least I'm trying now." He said it with frustration, but there was something honest beneath it too, enough to make it clear that this was not just self-pity. Hikaru genuinely meant it.
Zaboru's grin softened a little after hearing that, though the teasing spark in his eyes did not disappear completely. "Well," he said, "when you put it like that, I guess you're technically still in the tutorial stage."
Zaboru looked amused for a moment, then ate another dumpling before speaking more seriously. "Well, first, you need to give him a reality check, Hikaru... but not the stupid kind. Don't crush his dream by saying something like, 'How dare you want to work at ZAGE!?' That would only push him further away." He took another bite, chewed for a moment, then continued in a calmer tone. "What if you just tell him exactly what you told me? Tell him that Sonaya genuinely needs help, especially from talented people like him. Sometimes a kid just needs to feel validated. He needs to know that he's wanted, that he matters, and that his effort actually means something.
"If all he hears is, 'Don't do this,' then in his head you'll just become the father trying to block his dream. But if he hears, 'I need you,' that's different. That hits differently. Especially for a son. A lot of kids act stubborn, but deep down they still want to know whether their father truly sees them, truly believes in them, and truly thinks they're worth relying on.
"You don't have to lie to him, either. Don't turn it into some dramatic manipulation. Just be honest. Tell him that Sonaya isn't some abstract company to you. It's something you want to leave behind to your family. Tell him that if he's serious about games, then maybe the place that needs his passion most is his own house. Not because he has no choice, but because he actually has the ability to make a difference there.
"And who knows?" Zaboru added with a small grin. "Maybe the more seriously you speak to him, the more seriously he'll start looking at Sonaya too. Right now, ZAGE probably feels like a dream because it's shiny from the outside. But Sonaya? That's personal. That's real. If he realizes that Sonaya truly needs him, he might start seeing things differently. He might even feel honored by it."
Hikaru Kurata's eyes widened for a moment, but then he slowly started to frown. "I didn't think of that..." he admitted, sounding genuinely caught off guard by the advice. He looked down at the table for a second before continuing more quietly, "But my relationship with him... it only just started improving. It's still not great. We're talking more than before, sure, but it's not like we suddenly became some perfect father-and-son pair overnight." He let out a tired breath and rubbed his forehead. "What if he refuses? What if I finally open up properly, say all of that, and he still chooses ZAGE anyway?"
Zaboru chuckled, though not cruelly this time. "Well, that's your problem," he said first, just to annoy Hikaru a little more. Then he shrugged and added in a calmer tone, "But seriously, you need to know your son better first, I guess. You're asking me for a guaranteed answer when this isn't some business negotiation. He's your son, not a shareholder. There's always a chance he refuses, and if that happens, then you deal with it. You can't control his heart that neatly." He picked up another dumpling and continued, "That's why you need to prepare for the worst as well, Hikaru. Talk to him honestly, but don't do it expecting some perfect ending. Do it because you actually mean it."
Hikaru Kurata let out a long sigh before saying, "Fine then... thanks for the advice, even if you're as irritating as ever, bastard." There was still annoyance in his voice, but it was softer now, no longer carrying the same tension as before. Zaboru only grinned at him in response, clearly taking the insult as a sign that the conversation had gone better than either of them wanted to admit.
After that, the atmosphere gradually relaxed again. The heavy subject of Higashi remained between them, but it no longer pressed down on the table quite as hard as before. They continued eating their dumplings, and the conversation slowly drifted back toward lighter things. They talked casually for a while longer, throwing the occasional jab at each other the way they always did, until eventually the meeting came to an end.
Later, after returning home, Zaboru found himself thinking about the conversation again.
'Hikaru Kurata's son wants to work at ZAGE?' Zaboru thought with amusement as he walked back home. The idea was almost absurd enough to make him laugh. 'Wouldn't that make him the perfect spy for them? Like hell I'm that naive. Even if the kid really is talented, maybe even a genius, I still can't take that kind of risk.'
It was not that Zaboru disliked Higashi. If anything, from everything he had heard, the boy seemed earnest, passionate, and genuinely gifted. Under different circumstances, Zaboru might even have appreciated that kind of talent. But ZAGE was not just another company to him. ZAGE was everything. It was his life's work, his battlefield, his dream made real, and the center of everything he had built with his own hands.
Sonaya, especially in the early days, had already shown enough nerve to plant spies around ZAGE and poach employees whenever they saw an opening. Zaboru was not particularly bitter about that anymore. In his eyes, that was simply how brutal the business world could be, especially when companies were desperate to survive. But understanding it did not mean he would stay careless.
He was far less naive than before. Back then, he might have laughed and accepted someone like Higashi just because of talent and passion alone. Now, however, he knew better. Trust inside ZAGE was not something he could hand out carelessly, no matter how promising someone looked on the surface.
Zaboru chuckled to himself and shook his head. 'No... I'm not letting Hikaru Kurata's son stroll into ZAGE that easily.'
With that thought in mind, he let the matter drift to the back of his mind for now and continued spending time with his family.
To be continue
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