After completing the purification ceremony, Nakayama Takuya threw himself back into work.
Returning to Sega headquarters, he immediately thought of the arcade board currently under development and went straight to the hardware division.
The moment he pushed open the R&D lab door, he was greeted by the sight of dozens of engineers absorbed in their stations. Oscilloscopes flickered with restless green waves. The entire department looked like a massive brain running at full speed—tense, orderly, and brimming with energy.
He had barely stepped inside when Takahashi, the board director who normally looked like he carried the weight of the company on his back, strode over with a flushed, rejuvenated face. Compared to how haggard he'd looked in the last meeting, he seemed five years younger.
"Executive Nakayama! So, is the wedding date set yet?"
Takahashi punched him on the shoulder—hard—speaking with a seasoned man's joking tone. "Don't forget to send us an invitation!"
Takuya massaged his shoulder, smiling.
"How could I forget pillars of the company like you? Besides, I have to keep working hard to earn money for baby formula, right?"
The joke made the hardware division's chief, Nakamura, laugh as well.
Clearly satisfied, Takahashi waved grandly and led Takuya toward a fully assembled machine that was in the middle of its final performance test.
"Take a look, Executive! We did everything you asked for!"
On the monitor, a custom demo program was running.
Countless colorful sprite modules zipped across a complex background at high speed without a hint of slowdown. The richness of the colors and the depth of layers were visibly beyond any 2D game currently on the market.
Nakamura adjusted his glasses, barely suppressing the excitement and pride of a true engineer.
"Executive, the System32 board has passed all tests. We can enter mass production at any time."
"The hardware specs are exactly as you envisioned—dual Motorola 68000 CPUs at 16 MHz and 12 MHz. We simulated it against Capcom's CPS1, SNK's new NeoGeo board, and Namco's System21. Whether it's simultaneous colors, scroll layers, or sprite handling capacity, System32 leaves them all in the dust."
"And more importantly," Nakamura added,
"we optimized the low-level function library and development kit based on your 'easy-to-develop' principle. Third-party developers will be able to shorten their development cycles by at least twenty percent."
"Good! Excellent!" Takahashi slapped his thigh in excitement.
He admired Takuya so much now he practically worshipped him. That early promise of "making every other arcade manufacturer eat our dust" had sounded like boasting—but here it was, complete and undeniable.
It meant that for the next year or two, the highest-end 2D arcade games would come from only one place:
Sega.
Then Takahashi suddenly remembered something.
"Oh—Executive. That NeoGeo AES of SNK's went on sale in Akihabara recently. I took a look. It really does bring arcade-quality games home. Caused quite the commotion."
There was a hint of probing in his voice, but none of the earlier anxiety.
Takuya glanced again at the powerful System32 unit and smiled dismissively.
"Takahashi, how many people do you think, in today's declining economy, are willing to pay fifty-eight thousand yen for a console that only plays arcade games?"
"SNK rushed this out of desperation. They're just trying to fill the massive hole they dug losing money in real estate. They had no choice but to launch it. We don't need to worry about them. Who knows when they'll manage to sink themselves entirely."
He turned to Nakamura.
"How's the cost control on the System32?"
"Very good!" Nakamura answered immediately. "Since it's an upgraded design built on mature components, the chip costs are stable, and the R&D amortization is low. For arcade operators, just a few hit games will easily cover the cost."
"That's fine, then," Takuya nodded.
Takahashi looked at Nakamura, who was completing the final test forms, unable to hide his excitement. He rubbed his hands together and shifted the topic back to Takuya.
"Executive, with such a powerful new board, we'll need a great first title to kick things off, right?"
"Of course," Takuya said with a grin. "Why else would I rush back? It can't really be just for baby formula money."
Takahashi's eyes lit up instantly—like a starving wolf catching the scent of meat.
"Executive—you already have something in mind?"
"Of course," Takuya replied confidently. "Pick a development team for me—one with strong technical skills and a distinctive art style. I'll give them a project they can feed their families on for half a lifetime."
"Half… a lifetime?"
Takahashi sucked in a breath. His heart nearly skipped.
He understood the weight of those words.
This wasn't just a game.
This was a potential mega-franchise—a super IP on the level of Pokémon.
Names of various teams flashed through Takahashi's mind until he finally clapped his hands.
"I've got it! How about Arcade Team Five?"
"Their projects have never taken off, but their artistic skills and technical foundations are top tier. What they lack is a chance to soar. Their team leader, Minoru Uchida, is talented—but a bit stubborn and obsessive."
"Being stubborn is good," Takuya said immediately. "Only craftsmen with standards make masterpieces. Let's go with them."
Takahashi's face flushed with excitement. He rubbed his hands again, practically bouncing in place.
"Then—Executive—what's the project?"
Takuya's gaze returned to the powerful System32 board. His lips curved upward.
"A side-scrolling run-and-gun shooter."
"A shooter?"
Takahashi blinked. The genre was classic and crowded; standing out wouldn't be easy.
Sensing his doubt, Takuya explained calmly:
"But different from every shooter on the market."
"Our System32 board is so powerful, we can afford to be extravagant. So the art style shouldn't be realistic. It should be packed with detail—humorous, exaggerated. Like a Q-version military comic."
"And the core mechanic—vehicles."
Takuya raised a finger.
"Besides running, jumping, and shooting, the player can pilot a tiny all-purpose tank. It can jump. Fire shells. Even crouch to dodge bullets. And the player can hop in and out at will. Instantly adding layers to the gameplay."
"Drive… a tank…"
Takahashi murmured, eyes growing brighter by the second.
"Exactly," Takuya snapped his fingers.
"And destruction! With this board's horsepower, everything on-screen—enemies, structures, bridges, signs—everything can be blown to pieces! The whole game should be a nonstop fireworks show of explosions. We want players' palms sweating, adrenaline surging, desperate to drop another coin."
Takahashi drew in a sharp breath. He could already imagine arcades packed shoulder to shoulder, players shouting and cheering, coins clinking endlessly.
Gorgeous visuals. Distinctive style. Innovative mechanics. Spectacle on a grand scale.
This wasn't a cannon.
This was a nuke.
"I get it! I get it!" Takahashi slapped his thigh again, face flushed.
"This project absolutely belongs with Team Five! They love large-scale chaos! I'll go tell them! Once they hear something this big is coming, they'll probably camp at the office tonight!"
He spun around and dashed out—so fast he forgot to say goodbye—afraid that if he delayed even a second, this half-a-lifetime project might vanish.
Watching Takahashi flee like a man on fire, Takuya helplessly shook his head.
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