"Are you Iwasaki Isao? Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. I'm a staff member from Atlus Studio, Nakayuji."
Wearing a baseball cap pulled low, Kobayashi Tetsu shook hands with the boy in the family restaurant—brazenly using Nakayuji's name without shame.
He sized up the teenager who had found the cartridge. The boy still had a childlike look to him, the soft immaturity of a high schooler. And when he saw "Nakayuji," his eyes were shining with something close to worship.
Kobayashi said, "Thank you for returning the cartridge. Do you mind having your name printed in the newspaper?"
Iwasaki jumped. "In the newspaper? I don't mind, but… is that really necessary?"
Kobayashi nodded. "Of course. Honesty like yours is precious. Naturally, to protect your privacy, we won't reveal your contact information or address, and we'll obscure your family name."
In Japan, if you know a person's surname and approximate location, you can often track them down—every detached house displays the family name at the door. So only giving a first name avoids a lot of trouble.
Iwasaki smoothed down his hair, trying to push the messy bangs back and force it into something like a slick, voluminous pompadour.
"I only did something trivial. It really doesn't deserve being in the paper. There's nothing to interview me about!"
"No photo," Kobayashi added.
"Oh…" Iwasaki visibly deflated.
"But," Kobayashi continued, "when the game releases, Atlus will give you a special cartridge signed by the company president. A token of gratitude for your honesty."
For a moment, Iwasaki swayed as if struck by a bullet.
"I—I'm sorry! Really, I'm so sorry! How can I accept something like that? I… I'm not that good of a person. When I found the cartridge, I played it for a while before thinking to return it. Someone like me—am I really worthy?"
Kobayashi smiled, patting his shoulder solemnly.
"Iwasaki-kun, you've heard the phrase, right? 'Cast down your sword and become a Buddha.' Realizing your mistake and correcting it is the greatest virtue. You're already a hero for choosing to return it."
Kobayashi said it casually, but before him stood a boy now burning with righteous fervor.
…
…
May.
On the eve of the game's release, a small article appeared in the newspaper.
"We thank the anonymous 'Isao-kun' who returned a lost cartridge. This act was of great importance to Atlus. As a gesture of gratitude, Atlus will present him with a special edition cartridge upon release. We hope Japan will have more kind and upright players like Isao-kun."
Along with the article was a black-and-white photograph—his face concealed by thick black bars, making it look suspiciously like something out of a certain type of manga.
Kobayashi had initially said no to photos, but eventually took one to satisfy Iwasaki. A simple newspaper photo with no headline status wasn't that expensive, and in matters like these, Kobayashi never hesitated to spend.
The gesture had the teenage Iwasaki on the verge of tears. Within days, he had become an utterly devoted Atlus fan.
After all—how could an ordinary high schooler end up in the paper?! But Nakayuji-san had said so, so it must be him.
---
May 5th, the day of release.
Iwasaki rounded up some classmates and marched confidently toward the store on Shibuya Central Street—Shimaori Game Shop.
"I swear I'm not lying. 'Isao-kun' is me! I only hid my surname because I was afraid someone would come to my house and rob me of the cartridge. Nakayuji said that if I go to Shimaori Game Shop and say I'm Iwasaki Isao, they'll give me a special cartridge. For free!"
He said it with conviction, but his classmates all snickered.
"There must be a ton of people named Isao. What makes you so special?"
"Why don't you say the guy you met was actually the president of Atlus?"
Iwasaki's face reddened. His fists clenched.
"…It's true," he muttered.
There was no easy way to prove it, so he pedaled faster, wishing his bicycle would sprout an engine so he could rocket to the shop instantly.
They reached Shibuya Central Street, locked all their bicycles together—three or four chained as one to deter theft unless the thief had the strength of a folk hero—and looked toward the shop.
"Shimaori Game Shop is—whoa!!"
Even from afar, Iwasaki sucked in a sharp breath of "Atlus-president-signed-cartridge" air.
There were so many people.
Never in his life had he seen a game store with a line like this.
From the tiny side street all the way out to the main road—thirty to forty people queued.
"…That's too many," Iwasaki wavered instinctively.
With this many people watching, he suddenly wanted to turn around and go home.
But behind him, his classmates immediately jeered.
"I knew it. He made the whole thing up."
"C'mon, as if Atlus would give him something special."
"You should play games, not daydream."
Iwasaki clenched his hands.
"I'm not lying! It's real!"
He bit down hard, then stepped into the line.
His friends—though teasing—stayed with him. Even if it was a lie, at least they'd get a good laugh.
The line crept forward. Iwasaki's stomach churned.
What if he had been tricked?
What if Shimaori Game Shop denied everything?
What if he was given a normal cartridge?
"No, no, don't think like that. Atlus wouldn't lie. They even put me in the newspaper! Sure, my eyes were censored like an adult film actor, but still…"
Finally, the line moved up to him.
Iwasaki looked up.
Behind the counter stood a middle-aged man with chin-length hair and glasses, smiling in a way that made him look vaguely goblin-like.
"Here for Jormungandr?"
Iwasaki nodded hard. "Yes! Are you Mr. Shimaori? I'm… I'm Iwasaki Isao."
Shimaori Yōsuke paused—then brightened.
"Oh! So you're Iwasaki-kun. Yes, I was told. If someone named 'Iwasaki Isao' comes, give him this special cartridge."
He solemnly handed over a boxed cartridge. Unlike the others, this one had a noticeably larger, beautifully illustrated package.
Across the top, handwritten:
"To my friend Iwasaki Isao — Honest and Upright, A Model of Virtue.
— 5.5.1984, Kobayashi"
Shimaori couldn't help feeling a bit envious.
He'd sold thousands of Atlus cartridges, yet had never once met this elusive President Kobayashi.
Iwasaki knew none of that.
He clutched the cartridge as if he might faint.
This was—
A game cartridge personally signed and gifted by the president of Atlus.
He raised it high and turned to his stunned classmates.
"See?! I told you! Atlus really gave me a cartridge! Atlus is the greatest in the world!"
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