Thank you for all the patrons Ilmi Sumitro, eduardo diaz, Erik Hartleben and Andres Ulloa.
Chapter 4 | Swayed Uncontrollably | Remake our Life! ◄◄
Part 1
The basement rooms are hot in summer and cold in winter. Although the room has air conditioning, there is a huge difference compared to the comfort of the ground floor.
Today, the air was too uncomfortable for more than the difference in its effectiveness. Needless to say, the decision that had just been made was the reason for it.
"As such, everything that has been reported is true. I believe that MysClo will be frozen in development, and possibly the second development department will be reorganized as well..."
Both Kojima-san and Sakurai-san had somber expressions on their faces. And Miyamoto-san remained hanging his head the whole time.
"I'm sorry, Miyamoto-san. This happened before I came up with a plan."
I rejected Miyamoto-san's idea and stalled for time, and this is the result. Normally, he should have blamed me more.
"I am...I am..."
But,
Miyamoto-san kept mumbling, but did not try to speak.
It was really hard to see him hurt so much.
"Hashiba-san, is this what the executive director did?"
Sakurai-san murmurs in a quiet voice.
"Considering the current situation, I can only assume so."
"It's just too awful... This is just too much."
Perhaps it was too painful, Sakurai-san slumped down and burst into tears.
Hayakawa said, the executive director's idea. Eliminate game development from Succeedsoft and replace it with another business. In view of that ultimate goal, this time it makes sense.
(But why did he use this kind of move?)
Using the media to leak was different from what the Executive Director had done so far. There was a great sense of discomfort.
I wonder if there is some connection somewhere that I don't know about.
"There's no point in talking about what has already happened. Instead, we need to think about what we are going to do."
At this point, Kojima-san's calm opinion really helped me.
"Well, right now it's just me and Hashiba-kun, so we need to gather as much information as possible and plan how to deal with the situation."
Saying that, Kojima-san looks around at the members of the 13th department.
Miyamoto-san remained deeply depressed, and Sakurai-san was also in a state of low spirits.
This decision may have come as too much of a shock to her, as she had just managed to get used to her new department and the work she was working on.
"Then let's get in touch--"
As if in anticipation of pulling out my smartphone, I heard a call. It was a number I did not recognize.
"Hello...?"
When I press the call button and speak, from the other side of my ear,
"You are Hashiba-san, right? I'm the secretary in charge of Executive Director Matsuhira."
The name I didn't want to hear the most right now came from there.
Part 2
I hadn't been here since that bitter promotion appointment. I didn't want to come to this place for no reason, though.
"Oh, you came. Sit down, sit down."
When the executive director saw my face, he greeted me with a look as if an old friend had just arrived.
"Thank you, but I don't need to sit down. What is it that you want to talk about?"
"What is it? There is only one thing to talk about. It's about how you tried to move the media with your scheming and got screwed back. It sounds like you've been working behind the scenes."
...... Move the media? What is he talking about?
As for the Grape leak operation, they should have put a stop to it in the early stages. Moreover, that had nothing to do with MysClo. At least, from the outside perspective, it had nothing to do with it at all.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"He~e, you're going to keep your mouth shut at this point?"
"I say that because I really don't know what it is."
The executive director let out 'kuku', an evil laughter.
"Then let me tell you something. You know Miyamoto-kun from your old department, right?"
"What is it?"
"He was going to leak your project to the media. Take advantage of the entertainment platform."
"Eh...!"
The moment I heard the executive director's words, my eyes went dark for a moment and a spark flew. It was such a shock, as if I had been hit on the head as hard as I could.
"It said "The new top-secret project, Project Grape, is coming!". I heard that he wanted to get the leak out ahead of time without telling the company, so that he could make a fuss and then make it easier to get the project through, is this something you knew about?"
I grit my teeth.
"...... I knew of it."
"Ah, that's so. It's sloppy though, isn't it? There's no way I haven't checked the major media. On the night of the day that Miyamoto-kun released the information, we received a report from the person in charge. What are you going to do to deal with this kind of insolent people, is what I thought?"
It was hard to breathe. I could feel my heart beating louder than usual.
After all, it was a deadly poison. I should never have touched it.
(Why, Miyamoto-san...!!)
The fist in my hand tightened. But it was not due to anger.
It was my own fault for not being able to control him or persuade him. If I had been able to come up with some alternative plan at that time, this might not have happened.
"B-But that would only mention the Grape. Why would that lead to a freeze on the development of MysClo?"
Right, there is no direct relationship between the two projects. They were only connected by human relations, so there should be very few links between them.
"It's obvious, isn't it?"
"Eh?"
The executive director went all the way up to my side, tapped me on the shoulder, and said.
"It's an example, an example."
"No way..."
It was as if my whole body was drained of power.
How could a project that some people are putting their whole heart and soul into, be so brutally destroyed for such a reason? My common sense could never measure up to that.
From the very beginning, I could never have dealt with him.
I thought I knew the power of the executive director and his methods. However, this was only on the surface, and I did not understand the true nature of what he was really doing. I did not understand the cruelty of the executive director, who would go to any lengths to achieve his goals.
"Well, I had originally planned to destroy the project, but when I was wondering how to bring it out into the open, I found someone sneaking around behind my back, and I thought that if I used him as he was, he would be very angry. In fact, that's what happened, didn't it? Right? You got angry, didn't you?"
It was not anger. Rather, it was a sense of hopelessness and emptiness that was spreading through me.
"I don't know if it was just for the sake of example, but I don't see how it would lead to the freezing of a project that is so important to the company. There must be some other reason why you said that you were going to destroy the project in the first place, right? I just don't understand it."
It was the last remaining question. I wanted to know why he was acting this way.
Without breaking his usual grin, the executive director listens to me without saying a word.
"It is management, so I agree with putting in stable operations to balance the revenue. But why is this so extreme? If it is cut in such a way, all creators will be horrified..."
The executive director's expression changed.
From the previous grinning flippantly, to an icy cold face.
For a moment, I trembled, and I couldn't see any emotion.
"The heart ..."
When I was unable to connect the words together properly, the executive director unexpectedly opened his mouth.
"Hey, what are games in this world for?"
"What, you said... It can be entertainment, it can move people's hearts as a work of art, and I think it is something that cannot be explained in one word."
The executive director's face contorted greatly.
"You are exaggerating! It's not that big of a deal. It's ridiculous to think that something so irksome, so inefficient to make, and so out of control is a major industry in this world!"
His tone was hateful from the bottom of his heart, as if he was about to vomit.
"So I wanted to change the way the company made games. I wanted to cut costs and make things like a factory, not like a creator."
He stirs the bottle at once and thrusts the empty bottle at me as if it were a sword.
"And yet, Kawasegawa, in the end, was unable to break free from her creator-driven thinking. We talked a lot about creating something new, but instead, she just suffered on her own. Even with MysClo, she continued to oppose the idea even after I repeatedly asked her to change the direction of the project, so I took this as an opportunity to give her the final say."
"Is that what you say to her... with whom you have worked together?"
"Yeah, she didn't move the way I wanted her to. No wonder."
Until now, I had always assumed that game creators were basically game lovers. However, the person in front of me now had the exact opposite attitude toward games. It was more than fear or threat, I was surprised.
This person is not just against the game.
He is hostile to all those who love the game, those who love it, and those who are thinking of making it. And he intends to crush what he sees as the enemy once and for all.
(There's nothing I can do ... about this)
There was no way we could have understood each other. Because there was no common language between him and me. Even if we talked about love to someone who does not know love, it would not move his heart even a millimeter.
Even though I had been told to do whatever I wanted, I had no words to say back. I should have been frustrated, I should have been angry, but I was so completely crushed, and in the face of someone who was beyond my comprehension, I couldn't even feel like fighting back anymore.
My heart was broken, that was the honest truth.
"Oh yeah, I just wanted to ask you something."
As I remained silent, the executive director opened his mouth as if he had just remembered.
"You haven't given up on that project yet?"
I think he is referring to Project Grape.
"I am..."
I tried to answer.
How cool would it have been to be able to say with dignity, "I haven't given up yet".
But I couldn't continue with the rest of my words.
Without answering, I just looked at him. The best I could do was not to look away.
"Well, good luck with that. I hope you make it."
At this moment, any shred of hope that remained, just a millimeter or so, crumbled away in a flash.
I am sure that the executive director will come back to crush that project in every way possible, no matter what form it takes. In a way that I, or we, cannot overturn.
He was smiling. It was a smile that was both challenging and confident.
Part 3
I don't quite remember how I ended the conversation. The next thing I knew, I was leaving the executive director's office, riding the elevator downstairs, and staring down at my feet.
Tired. I was really tired.
I've been hearing a constant ringing of e-mails since a while ago. It was probably a confirmation from the relevant parties or a call from an upset staff member. But I didn't have the strength left to respond to them.
It was a complete defeat. Never before had I been hurt so much by something. I could have thought that I had more measures when I was suffering in a black company.
"Haha... It's impossible, like this."
On the way home, I even started to laugh at last. I was so overwhelmed by the difference in power and the helplessness of the situation that I had to get over it from the bottom of my heart.
In a state of raggedness, I take the train and head for home. The white light of the street lamps burns my eyes to an intense degree. Everything seems to be hostile toward me.
I wonder if Kawasegawa had been experiencing this kind of hell for a long time. If so, she must have felt such a heavy pressure that it was no wonder she broke down at any moment.
"Kawasegawa..."
I thought about contacting her, and I was about to make a call, but then I thought twice. She probably doesn't want to talk to anyone right now. That's exactly what happened to me.
I manage to make it home and lie on my bed without changing. I wondered if tomorrow I would be in a different world. My mind was exhausted to the limit, to the point that I even had such fantasies.
When I woke up, I was already on the verge of being late. I rushed to get ready and left the house to go to the office. I looked around and saw Ichikawa-san.
(Today... She is not here.)
On a day like this, it was not the only day when people wanted to be shown a smiling, everyday life. I boarded the train and entered a building that was already completely familiar to me.
There was a commotion in the 2nd Development Department. While everyone was busy dealing with the aftermath, I continued to reply to e-mails and answer phone calls.
Kawasegawa was not there. The only thing written on her schedule of activities was "Go directly to the office". She was probably at a destination explaining the situation. Sakurai-san had taken the day off due to illness, and Kuroda had not arrived at the office, having been informed that he was on his way.
Feeling lonely, I also had to deal with that first. I was concerned about her and everyone else, but right now I was busy dealing with what was in front of me.
I received a mountain of emails to myself inquiring about it. All of them had been sent after reading the leaked article. With this volume of business-related inquiries alone, the number of inquiries from users was sure to be even larger. The way the executive director was able to take such a big deal on his own insistence made me tremble once again.
After all, I am a person with no power. In the face of someone with real power, I found myself so powerless and helpless.
'I think he's going to do something'. The words that Kawasegawa had taken the trouble to say to me were just hard to take now.
The work continued until the evening. Everyone left the company one by one, each with an exhausted look on their face.
Strangely enough, the company became quiet. With no end in sight, I decided to switch to voice guidance in the middle of answering phone calls and sending a fixed text for e-mail.
There must be a lot of fuss going on online, I don't even want to look at social networking sites. Perhaps the speculation is based on crude and dubious sources. I couldn't care less about everything going on in the world right now.
Soon, the sun went down and night came.
"Hn..."
I was tired of answering the phone and had fallen asleep at my desk. I stretched out and looked around. There was no one in the department anymore, and I seemed to be the only one left.
I look at the scenery outside through the monitor. The moon is floating in the large window, and the cityscape of Tokyo is colored with light. The scenery from the high floor is somewhat cold and inorganic, as if the images were plastered on the wall, but I thought it was very suitable for how I was feeling at the moment.
"Areh?"
As if floating in the light, there was a figure.
She was just there, sitting at her desk, without turning on monitor or anything, not even leaning forward.
I knew immediately who was sitting there.
"Kawasegawa...... you're back?"
I approached and called out to her.
"Just now. Sorry I'm late. Is everything okay over here?"
"Yeah, well, ...... there were some things that were largely predictable."
After a brief contact, she breathed softly.
"Thanks. I didn't feel like coming back sooner. I had dinner outside and just rested."
She looked up slowly, then smiled tiredly.
Faintly, I noticed a reddish tinge to her face. It seemed that she had been drinking. She was supposed to never drink alcohol when she returned to the office, but she had broken even the ban.
I guess she was at her limit. I know that painfully.
"Ano, Kawasegawa. There's something I have to apologize for."
"About the leak? Miyamoto-san tried to do it, but the executive director took advantage of it..."
Did she already know all that?
"Who told you that?"
"It's the executive director. He called so politely. You're lucky to have such good friends, he said."
A groan almost escaped my throat. Did that person go to such lengths to corner the other person? Does he want to see her suffer so much?
"I'm really sorry. We were the ones who caused the mess in the first place."
When I apologized honestly, Kawasegawa slowly shook her head.
"Nope, that's not the reason for the freeze on MysClo. I don't know what the Executive Director said, but I think it was just a trigger."
Quiet, emotionless words, as if giving up on anything.
"MysClo has been screwed up for a long time now. I've told you before, right. I told you that the upper management was constantly trying to get me to do things differently, and each time I tried to make adjustments."
Morale was down, the envisioned specifications had changed, and MysClo was turning into a different piece of work more and more.
"If you join us and change the direction of the wind, it might turn out to be a different flow. I sometimes had such naive expectations. But nothing changed."
Kawasegawa stood up soundlessly.
Without her usual dignified presence, she appeared somewhat weak and fragile, almost as if she might be easily swept away by the wind.
"I've always dreamed of it."
With a small sigh, a self-mocking smile appeared.
"To create a work together with everyone. I thought, 'If this is such a big company, I'm sure we can make it good', I had to establish a track record to do so, and then I was assigned to a department, and now I finally had an environment in which I could do it, I was happy."
Kawasegawa took another step closer to me.
"But... I couldn't do anything. While I had gathered everyone together, all I could do was to make a temporary stopgap measure, and I could not do anything that would make a big difference in the situation... I couldn't hit anything."
Moonlight illuminates her face.
"Kawasegawa..."
Dumbly, I finally noticed something. I noticed something shiny on her cheek.
"I thought I was doing my best. However ... They told me I was good at my job, and I got so carried away, the only thing I was able to do was survive in internal politics, protect the people that was involved with, fighting, that's not true... I couldn't...!"
Unconsciously, I was holding her close.
"Uuwh... Hi... I'm sorry... Sorry..."
Kawasegawa's body was thin, slender, and filled with a strong passion. Until now, she must have fought with that passion for a long time. But she was helpless in the face of power, and her passion was gradually fading away.
I was surprisingly calm in front of her as she was crushed. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say that everything had been taken away from me and I had gone completely blank.
We lost the battle. The difference in power was too great. Fighting any longer would only cause more wounds.
Right now, I want to give her this exhausted mind some rest. If she continues like this, it will be a problem before she can work or anything.
(Maybe it's a good idea ... to take some time away from work to reset)
It was not a positive suggestion, either. Anyway, we both wished to get away from this current heavy reality.
"Nee, Kawasegawa."
Her eyes, wet with tears, stared into my face.
"Let's skip work"
"Eh?"
Kawasegawa's eyes change to surprise at the sudden suggestion. I didn't mind, I just,
"I'm tired from everything that's happened, and even if I work in this state... you know?"
I smiled as if to say that I've had enough.
"That sort of..."
Kawasegawa looked puzzled for a moment.
She hadn't had a day off like a vacation, as unusual as the Saturday and Sunday just the other day were. It was no surprise that even though the department was in such a mess, he was not tempted to take a break right away.
But the shocking incident of the freeze on the development of MysClo must have shaken even her feelings to such a level.
"......... No, yes. I get it."
She agreed to my suggestion relatively easily.
"Yeah, then it's a deal."
While I was relieved that she agreed to take a break, I was also sad that Kawasegawa had gotten so brokenhearted.
But right now, there's nowhere to express that feeling.
Part 4
Kawasegawa and I took a vacation. It was a perfect weekday, a time when it would normally be difficult to get paid, but not a single voice of opposition or concern arose.
This was because around the same time we took our vacation, most of the members of the 2nd Development Department also applied for a leave of absence. Since we had already contacted all the parties, they probably thought it would be better to have a cooling-off period rather than being bombarded with noise.
"Everyone was tired, right? Obviously..."
Kawasegawa sighed as she said so.
"Yeah, but I'm glad you took the day off. I think it means that as a result of our action, it's easier for everyone else to take a break too."
Kawasegawa nodded silently at my words. As usual, her expression remained somber.
She and I had gone out that day. I thought it would be stressful to just sit at home, so I invited her out to play.
"That's why, let's really forget about work today. Let's just make sure we have a good distraction, and then we'll figure out what to do next."
"Right..."
Kawasegawa nodded, but her tone was still heavy. Well, it would have been impossible for her to be in good spirits under the circumstances.
But right now, it's better to do something else even if it's impossible. That way I'm still distracted and don't have my head in my hands with regret.
--It's all over.
Part 5
There is a large amusement park just off Suidobashi Station. Together with the dome stadium next to it, it is a well-known facility in the city center.
Aside from the roller coasters and other playground equipment, I wanted to come here because of the attractions using the latest VR equipment.
The Haunted House the other day was an elaborate real event, but this time it is a type of attraction with technology.
"Look at this, it looks like they're using Vire's system. It looks like one that hasn't gone down to individual use yet."
Underneath the familiar logo of the VR equipment was a code name indicating that it was a special specification. The ability to experience a state-of-the-art system on a global scale in an attraction like this has apparently made it popular to the point where numbered tickets are required on weekends and holidays.
But on weekdays, it was indeed easier to get in. Today, too, I was easily able to use the facility without waiting in line,
"Hmm... So."
Kawasegawa's response was still not good.
"Well, let's give it a try anyway. After all, it's an opportunity."
Purchase a ticket and move into the facility as guided by the staff.
Inside, the room was about the size of a small classroom. It was so empty that it could be described as empty, with only what appeared to be a control device in the corner.
Kawasegawa murmured as she looked around the room.
"It looks like a motion capture room."
Indeed, it looked very much like the equipment that I had seen in my work.
I was a little worried that I might have reminded her of the job, but it seemed to be just an impression.
As we both looked around the room, the lady who was guiding us came up to us and handed us the body parts for tracking with a greeting.
"The two of you will now put these on and wear goggles. The room is spacious, so you can move around as much as you like, but we will measure the approximate distance first, so please get a feel for it there."
As we are told, we attach supporters and belts to our arms and legs.
When we finished attaching the equipment, the guide lady began to explain the precautions.
"Yes, then put on your goggles. After the count, the world will open up before your eyes~."
We nodded and put on our goggles. In front of us was white text indicating that the system was being activated, and a real space that seemed to be a camera showing the outside space.
"Okay, here we go~, 3, 2, 1... Yes!"
At the lady's signal, the space of reality projected in front of me distorted gnarly and sucked deep into the space.
"Wa, wawa!"
Kawasegawa shouted out in a startled voice. It was such an understandable feeling that it seemed as if the real world had really become like that.
Then the light slowly spread out before my eyes. The light was divided into the sky and the ground, and the trees and rocks, which had been drawn with wire frames, were gradually textured and became more and more realistic.
"Eh, amazing..."
I was raising my voice too. I had already played a few VR games for home use, but this sense of immersion and performance was astounding.
And, furthermore,
"Kawasegawa, that outfit..."
In front of me was Kawasegawa, dressed in the robes of a sage.
"Eh... Ah, amazing, this is what I look like..."
The parts of the face are scanned well, making it look as if the person is wearing a costume.
She had seemed somewhat absent-minded earlier, but now she seemed a little more interested, admiring her outfit and the scenery around her.
"Nice, it looks good on you."
It was a flattering words. She had a really good-looking sage figure, probably because it was tailored to her originally good style.
I've never heard of Kawasegawa cosplaying, but I thought that if she had, she might have been into it.
"Hashiba, you too."
I thought she would tell me that it looks good,
"No, I feel like ... you're kind of forced to wear it."
"... Yeah, I think so too."
I was looking weak and out of character in my warrior outfit. Let's start by going to the gym and building up my body...
However, it was surprisingly realistic. The rods and swords in their hands, the wind blowing from somewhere, the chirping of birds, even the smallest detail was that of a fantasy world, and you could sense the creator's dedication.
"You both look great! Now, let me explain the rules~!"
The lady began to explain the rules of the game.
The game was played in stages, with each stage requiring a specified amount of monsters to be defeated in order to clear the stage and advance to the next stage.
The final stage was 5, and if the participants successfully completed it, they would be awarded with original goods.
"Yes, monsters will be attacking from the front one after another, so please cooperate with each other and fight them off~."
Immediately after the announcement by the guide lady, an alert rang out, and from there the monsters came rushing in all at once.
"Whoa! H-Hey, Hashiba! A lot of them came here!"
Kawasegawa is surrounded by the surging slime in no time.
"I'll cut from one end to the other, so Kawasegawa, keep applying your recovery magic!"
"Eh! I don't know that, kyaa! E~i!!"
In a cute voice out of character for her, Kawasegawa waves her staff in the air.
"Alright, that's good, now we have our HP back!"
After five or six swings, the mountain of slime finally disappeared, and Kawasegawa breathed a sigh of relief.
The sign "Stage 2" appeared in the foreground, and the next monster immediately attacked.
"Now a mountain of goblins, huh!"
Unlike the slime, this time it was not possible to defeat it in one go. If you don't buff and attack at the right time, you won't be able to clear it.
"Hashiba! Pull back! I'll cast a spell to boost the attack power!"
"Got it!"
"Yatta!"
I backed up a little and Kawasegawa swung the rod twice over her head and said 'ei', stuck it out.
"Okay, it worked!"
The sword I was holding shimmered in an easily recognizable way, and its attack power increased.
"Oriyaa!"
After waiting firmly for the goblin to rush in, I knocked the sword away in a big swipe. With a white light indicating a critical hit, the goblin fell down with great force.
Kawasegawa cheered when she saw it. Before long, the energy had completely returned to her voice.
A new group of enemies was approaching from her side.
"Kawasegawa, look right, look right!"
"Eh? Kya, kyaaa!"
Caught off guard by her accomplishment, she swung the rod as hard as she could. However, it counted as a normal attack, not a magic one, and it did not go the way she wanted it to.
The red light flashes blinking, and the HP of the sage Kawasegawa goes down.
"Da*mn it, aim this way, this way!"
I swung my sword threateningly and lured the goblin horde away.
Although I managed to pull the goblin away from her, we were on the back foot as the monsters swarmed in like a wave, and without warning, the game was over.
"Too bad! This time you ended up in the middle of Stage 2! Please try again next time~!"
The lady gave a brief commentary, the scene changed instantly, and the original inorganic room opened up before us. Other than the sound of the wind from the air conditioning, there was no other sound than the breathing sounds of the two of us, who were moving around and breathing hard.
"Da*mn, it's frustrating ... It's been so hard from the beginning."
I had thought that the difficulty would gradually increase in stages 2 and 3, but it seemed that the difficulty level would increase from stage 2 all at once, perhaps in an attempt to shorten the playing time. If I had known that, I would have been more prepared to tackle the game, it's a shame.
(I'd like to do it one more time, though)
Gently, I looked at her,
"... Hashiba"
Out of breath, Kawasegawa looked at me,
"Can we do ...... one more time?"
I, of course, nodded my head heavily,
"Of course!"
Immediately, I headed to reissue the ticket. I glanced at Kawasegawa's face, which was as excited as a child's.
Part 6
"Good job!"
Kawasegawa and I toasted together with a plastic bottle of sports drink.
"Haa, we made it to the end after all..."
After taking several sips down her throat, Kawasegawa looked back on the game with a look of satisfaction on her face. In the end, we repeated the game until we had completed it all and received our prizes.
"But it was interesting. It was well made."
In fact, that immersive experience was amazing; it was the future of VR gaming, and it was no exaggeration to say that it revolutionized the way it was presented.
......or so I thought.
"I'm not satisfied."
She should have been overflowing with joy at having cleared the game, but suddenly she started to pout her lips.
"Eh? You looked like you were having fun earlier"
"Yes, but that's only possible with that worldview and interface. I understand that the game has to be played for a short period of time since it is placed in an amusement facility, but it's not something you can play for 2,000 yen per person. If that's the case, you need to make the playing experience a little more in-depth."
Finally, Kawasegawa began to explain with gestures.
"Since they could make such good effects for attacks and magic, I would have liked to see an element of exploration or foot movement instead of just standing still and waiting for the enemy to come. And for battles, just buffing the sword and recovering HP is boring. You need to create a kind of barrier magic that makes you invincible for a certain amount of time, or create some kind of hit-and-away action, or else you won't feel like you're conquering stages after stages. Don't you think so?"
"Y-Yeah, I guess so."
"You probably thought you had it won the first time you put in the world-show staging. But that's not enough. If you don't bring in more of the common sense of normal games, you won't reach the users who are used to it, and the people who see the future in VR won't think it's amazing. In fact, I didn't get enough of it myself, so I..."
After talking all the way through, Kawasegawa finally realized something and closed her mouth. I stared at her, dumbfounded.
Kawasegawa looked away for a moment and whispered,
"I'm sorry, I kind of got carried away."
"It's okay, I thought, as expected of Kawasegawa."
Even though she was so depressed, she still had a certain eye for the game. I was glad to see a glimpse of her passion or pride for the game.
"As expected, you said... That's not true, I am"
Kawasegawa mumbled something like that and suddenly gazed into the distance.
Around the exit of the VR game booth, along with a rest area, there was a game corner lined with old-fashioned casinos. The lineup was obviously old, and the games were sparsely played by old men much older than us and enthusiasts who seemed to love retro games.
"Hey, can I take a look?"
Kawasegawa said, pointing to the corner.
"Yeah, of course."
I stood up, thinking that we are going to an unexpected place.
She headed for a corner lined with table-style unit. Among the old-fashioned lineup, only the older games were placed there, making it a space where no one would stop by.
"Nostalgic...... It was still around."
Kawasegawa patted one unit affectionately.
The title appears as "Pop-up Bubbles". A game of minor falling puzzles, it was favored by some enthusiasts, but there were only a few calls for its reissue during the revival boom.
She sat down in front of the device, quietly put in a 100-yen coin, and squeezed the lever. With a familiar hand, she selected a game mode and pressed a button.
"I am, you know..."
Kawasegawa was a little embarrassed and put the lever left and right.
"I used to never touch games at all."
Slowly, she began to talk about what had happened.
She was always mechanically clumsy until she was a college student. Originally, she went to a large art college to make films, and there she continued to study mainly about film.
"Sometimes when people talked about games, I looked down on them, thinking that there was nothing that could compete with visual art."
She graduated from college and went into the film industry without ever playing the game. However, film had long since become a declining industry, and there were no lively production sites anywhere, and what awaited her at a subcontracted production company was work that was far from creative.
"I was tired all day, every day. My superiors were always arguing with each other, and the only thing that came down to me was a lot of chores. I was exhausted and took the last train home."
The nearest station to where she lived at the time. On the way home, there was a small bar. Before long, it became a habit for her to stop by there on her way home from work, as she could drink alone in peace and quiet without being accosted by the regulars.
"As I drank there every day, I began to observe the interior of the restaurant. Then I saw a video game machine being used in place of a table."
That was "Pop-up Bubbles."
"I was kind of curious when I was drinking. I asked the waitress about it and she told me that I could play normally. That's when I started playing on a whim."
At first, of course, play was over in a flash, seeing the 100-yen coins being sucked in, one after another, ignited a sense of competitive spirit within Kawasegawa.
"I'd like to see a table of falling bubble tendencies, and optimize the controls so that the bubble can be erased with as few moves as possible ...And before I knew it, it was like this."
Kawasegawa's hands move quickly like those of a skilled gamer.
As if mocking her opponent's character, who was moving faster and faster, she cleared one stage after another.
"Awesome..."
"It's only this game. My play on other games are so bad it's not even worth showing."
Finally, she reached the final stage, cleared that one without difficulty, displayed the end roll, and took a breath.
"When I first saw the clear screen, I was very moved. Of course I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I was also very moved by the obvious fact that so many people were involved in the creation of the game."
Planning, programming, character design. In the end roll, many names of people were listed one after another. Kawasegawa gazed lovingly at each one.
"I realized that it is really stupid to criticize or stay away from something in the world that you don't know about without knowing about it. I also learned that there are people in this world who are doing their best, and that they are very passionate about what they do. I wanted to do my best there, so I studied planning and applied for a mid-career job."
Then she joined Succeedsoft.
"My passion for the game was getting stronger and stronger. But the company's circumstances did not allow it. I was driven by the executive director, and I began to care only about internal politics. I began to think only about the balance of how to survive, and the important thing, game production, became more and more neglected."
Kawasegawa gulped down the entire contents of the plastic bottle and stared at the empty bottle.
"--Before I knew it, there was nothing inside."
To create what you want to create. To create the environment. To endure until then. As she told herself and repeated what she didn't want to do, she forgot her original purpose.
It wasn't just her. It was a story heard in various industries. And those warriors who forgot their original purpose were left with no choice but to either become cripples or mad warriors.
Successfully create a utopia and rise in the ranks of the hero. That was the fantasy.
"But I remember now."
With a faint glint gathering in the corner of her eye.
Kawasegawa gave me a sparkling, fresh smile, as if she had just been born,
"I loved the game."
Saying that, she held up the empty plastic bottle with both hands.
I was reminded again of what she told me when I joined Succeed.
I joined this company because I love games, she said. She told me not to forget that feeling.
Let's work together someday~. I was excited when I heard those words.
It started with chores, then planning the Grape. I helped MysClo, and now I'm back to being moved by her thoughts.
"I still want to create it... I still want to create a game. They let me do whatever I wanted like that, and then do nothing, it's frustrating, frustrating...!"
Kawasegawa said, her voice sounding as if she were trying to squeeze out.
Then she squeezed the plastic bottle vigorously and held it aloft like a rod. The light from the window reflected off it, making it sparkle.
Then she turned around and looked back at me.
"Hashiba, can you ... help me?"
Finally, I thought, I had that opportunity.
The opportunity to work with Kawasegawa.
I had nothing. The position I was fortunate to have, it was given to me by this well behaved girl in front of me.
When Kawasegawa showed me this kind of passion, it was impossible not to feel something. My mind, which had been completely blanked out, was suddenly lit on fire.
I used to think that I wanted to make games, too. I want to make games. I wanted to be a creator of something that I was passionate about.
"Of course. I won't let it end like this."
I mumbled again with determination.
"...... Thank you."
The light had returned to Kawasegawa's eyes as well.
"Wait for me, Executive Director! I'll definitely repay you!!"
It was a shout from the heart. The people in the game corner looked at me in surprise. I stood up with vigor, not caring about such things.
"Watch me! I'll definitely figure something out!"
As evening approached, we walked slowly, with our backs to the window with the western sun coming in. Unlike when we first came here, it was majestic, making the light an aura of its own.
I don't have any power. That will never change, but I am sure that the passion will be a great help.
I will fight as hard as I can for Kawasegawa and for the game.
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