Tokyo, Sony Headquarters.
Ken Kutaragi had just stepped out of a technical meeting, his expression anything but pleasant.
PlayStation's independent 3D graphics chip was swallowing R&D funds at an alarming pace; he could already feel the pressure radiating from the finance department.
But this was Sony's breakthrough into the electronic entertainment industry. He had no choice but to keep pouring money in.
Just then, an engineer who had returned from helping Sega with their CD-ROM add-on hurriedly knocked on his door and handed him an encrypted report.
"Kutaragi-san, Sega's CD-ROM module is finished."
"Mm." Kutaragi accepted the report without surprise.
With Sony's complete, unconditional technical support behind them—if Sega still couldn't make this work, they might as well close shop.
He skimmed through the document swiftly, confirming that all technical indicators for the MD-CD module had been finalized and that it had officially moved into the final mass-production phase.
Everything was proceeding according to plan.
Still, he had to admit—Sega had optimized the single-speed CD-ROM's read/write behavior to a degree that exceeded his expectations.
"These optimizations and software guidelines… PlayStation is going to use them as well. Our load times cannot fall behind Sega's," he thought.
The engineer hesitated, then added, "There's… one more thing. Only a rumor, but our people think it's highly credible."
"Speak."
"Sega… in order to support the Sega-CD launch… seems to have drawn Square over to their side."
Kutaragi's hand froze mid-page.
He lifted his head, eyes sharp.
"Which Square?"
"The Square that develops Final Fantasy." The engineer swallowed, as though the room temperature had dropped.
"Rumor has it Sega's Golden Sun development team will co-develop a brand-new RPG with Square's people."
Silence fell—so heavy that only the hum of server fans filled the air.
Kutaragi's original plan had been to unleash Sega like a starving wolf into Nintendo's sheep pen, forcing Yamauchi to run for his life.
But he never expected this: Takuya Nakayama wasn't just a wolf—he had recruited a tyrannosaurus as an ally.
The Golden Sun team… working with the creators of Final Fantasy?
What kind of divine combination was that?
This wasn't just lighting a fire under Nintendo—this was preparing to sweep the entire industry.
After nearly thirty seconds, Kutaragi's lips curved upward against his will.
"Interesting. That Nakayama… truly interesting!" He slapped the report onto the desk, electricity surfacing in his gaze.
"I gave him a whip; he forged himself a cannon!"
He waved the engineer out, then immediately picked up the phone and dialed Norio Ohga.
"Ohga-san, good news."
"Oh?" Ohga sounded in a fine mood. "What happened?"
"Sega's CD-ROM module is complete. They're calling it the Sega-CD." Kutaragi leaned back, unable to hide the laughter in his voice.
"The fire we lit… it's burning far hotter than expected. Sega has pulled Square aboard."
A pause. Then—
"Square?!" Ohga's voice shot up. "You mean that Square? The one behind Final Fantasy?!"
"Exactly. They're teaming up with Sega's Golden Sun group to create a major RPG as the Sega-CD's flagship title."
"Hahahaha!" Ohga burst into jubilant laughter.
"That Nakayama! I take back everything I said—he's not an ambitious man, he's a lunatic! A pure gambler!"
"A gambler who pushes all his chips onto the table… is the one who overturns the game."
Kutaragi's eyes drifted to the PlayStation design sketches pinned against the wall.
"Now let's see whether the Kyoto president decides to follow."
---
Kyoto, Nintendo Headquarters.
The air was thick with unease.
The Super Famicom had been on the market four months. Aside from Super Mario World dominating everything, the new game lineup was painfully sparse.
Layla Strikes Back received only lukewarm reviews, and Ozaki Golf barely caused a ripple.
SFC dev kits were selling well—third-party studios had bought them and had begun developing or porting games—but those projects had only just begun. Far too late to solve Nintendo's immediate crisis.
Masayuki Uemura sighed over the weekly sales report, feeling a few more hairs loosen from his scalp.
A secretary knocked, wearing a strange expression.
"Director, Sony's Ken Kutaragi is here. He says he has something very important that must be discussed face-to-face."
"Sony?" Uemura frowned. That smiling face of Kutaragi—the one whose eyes disappeared whenever he grinned—floated into his mind.
"What does he want now? Isn't someone already handling the SFC-CD project?"
He currently cared only about urging third-party studios to deliver more games. He had no time for Sony's half-formed CD project.
"Let him in," Uemura said impatiently.
Kutaragi walked in briskly, almost vibrating with excitement.
He sat down and immediately slid a document across the desk.
"Uemura-san, you may not have heard yet." His tone suggested he was revealing a world-shaking secret.
"Sega's CD-ROM module is complete. Its official name: Sega-CD."
Uemura didn't lift an eyelid.
"Mm."
His eyes stayed glued to his sales report.
Just a peripheral add-on. If Sega wanted to amuse themselves, let them.
Kutaragi felt irritation bubbling, but he believed what he said next would force this old Kyoto fossil out of his chair.
He leaned forward, lowering his voice.
"The key issue is… to support the Sega-CD's launch, Nakayama pulled Square onto their ship."
"Square?" Uemura finally reacted—raising his head, though his gaze held more confusion than worry.
"Yes. The very Square that makes Final Fantasy," Kutaragi said, stressing each word.
"Rumor has it they're forming a 'dream team' with Sega's Golden Sun developers to craft a major new RPG for the Sega-CD."
He waited for shock. Panic. At least concern.
But Uemura merely froze for a heartbeat, then snorted—not with fear, but contempt.
"Dream team? Sounds like a daydream team to me!" Uemura slammed his report onto the desk.
"Kutaragi-kun, are you misunderstanding something? Our problem right now is that the SFC doesn't have enough games! Players have nothing to play besides Mario!"
He jabbed a finger toward the bustling office outside.
"I need games we can put on shelves now. Games to satisfy SFC owners today. Not your CD thing. And certainly not whatever fantasy Sega and Square are cooking up!"
Kutaragi was stunned.
It felt like he had thrown a powerful punch with all his might—only to hit a cloud of cotton.
"But… Uemura-san, this is CD technology. This is the future. Sega has already—"
"The future? Can the future give players new games today?" Uemura cut him off, looking at him like he was some door-to-door scammer.
Then he suddenly called out:
"Hey! You two over there—the new hires—come here!"
Two fresh-faced young men hurried over, straightening their posture nervously.
Uemura pointed at the bewildered Kutaragi.
"This is Sony's Mr. Kutaragi. He is very enthusiastic about our SFC-CD project. Starting today, you two will follow him and 'learn.'"
He stressed the word heavily.
"Whatever Mr. Kutaragi needs, you will 'cooperate fully.' Make sure our partner feels Nintendo's sincerity."
The two newcomers, not understanding the mockery at all, grew thrilled—convinced they had been entrusted with a major responsibility.
They bowed ninety degrees.
"Mr. Kutaragi! Please guide us!"
Kutaragi opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Even as the pair earnestly escorted him out of Nintendo headquarters, he still felt dazed.
The afternoon sunlight fell warmly across his face, but he felt no warmth—only absurdity.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Kutaragi! We'll do our best to learn from you!"
They bowed again, brimming with naïve enthusiasm—as if they were about to help shape the future of the world.
Kutaragi stopped, glanced back at them.
These… were the "project leads" Nintendo assigned to SFC-CD?
He almost burst out laughing.
Swallowing the urge, he nodded stiffly and climbed into his car.
In the rear-view mirror, the two young men were still waving vigorously.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Uemura's condescending, dismissive face replayed over and over.
The look that said: "Are you teaching me how to run my business?"
The arrogant disdain of a console maker toward a mere supplier.
He, Ken Kutaragi—representing Sony—had brought news capable of shaking the industry, had brought cooperation and sincerity… only to be treated like a salesman peddling cheap junk, brushed aside with two interns.
A surge of heat flared in his chest.
He stomped the accelerator—the engine roared in anger.
But soon that anger was overtaken by something stranger.
A laugh stirred in him.
His original plan had been to use Sega's fire to burn Nintendo's tail, forcing them to leap onto Sony's ship.
And what happened?
Nintendo didn't even feel the heat.
They thought he was the nuisance.
And yet… that careless swat of theirs had opened up the sky for him.
He pulled over, laughter spilling out—deep, uncontrollable, shaking his shoulders until he collapsed against the steering wheel.
He had been wrong.
Utterly wrong.
He had thought he was dealing with an alert lion that required tactics and bait.
But the lion hadn't even opened its eyes.
It merely waved a paw to swat at an annoying fly.
And that single swat… cleared his last obstacle.
He straightened abruptly, grabbed the car phone, and dialed Ohga again.
"Well?" Ohga asked eagerly. "Are they panicking yet?"
"No," Kutaragi said, still laughing, electric excitement in his voice.
"It's ten thousand times better."
He recounted the story—especially the part about the two rookie "project managers."
"They assigned me two fresh graduates."
Ohga fell silent.
Then exploded into thunderous laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Heaven itself is helping us!"
"They're not confused—they're arrogant," Kutaragi said, laughter fading into icy clarity.
"To Uemura, Sony is just a vendor making a useless accessory. They don't care. Their entire focus is on getting more games onto SFC shelves. After four months, they still only have a handful of titles, and only Super Mario World is truly selling."
"Excellent! Excellent!" Ohga slapped his thigh.
"That means the SFC-CD contract is our best shield! If they're not paying attention, then once we finish our part… they won't even know where to cry!"
"Exactly. A gift from heaven. We'll charge straight ahead with PlayStation. Once the SFC-CD releases, PlayStation will be ready to appear immediately after."
After hanging up, Kutaragi restarted the engine.
All his irritation evaporated—replaced by exhilaration.
He no longer needed to push.
No longer needed to manipulate.
No longer needed to look at Nintendo's attitude.
Nintendo's arrogance had cleared Sony's final barrier.
They themselves had dragged Sony's Trojan Horse into their city… and then removed all the guards.
That agreement, sitting quietly in the vault, was no longer a symbol of cooperation.
It was Sony's license to exploit the SFC-CD framework to build an empire of its own—
The key that would unlock the Trojan Horse.
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