The competition wouldn't start until December 25th, Christmas Day, which was only a day or two away.
Kobayashi Tetsu glanced at Anegasaki Nene, his tone half teasing, half serious. "Sister Nene, why don't you enter the competition and give it a try? If you manage to solve the puzzles, you could win a special prize. If you don't want a game console, you can exchange it for something else—like, I could do something for you, as long as it's within my power."
Anegasaki Nene paused her table-wiping, looked up at Kobayashi Tetsu.
"For me, I think I'll pass," she said, her gaze unwavering, as if completely indifferent to the matter. "Koyakawa seems really excited about it, though."
Kobayashi Tetsu chuckled. "Rinko can play, but Sister Nene can't?"
Anegasaki Nene tilted her head slightly.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Kobayashi Tetsu was encouraging her to participate. In other words, he seemed to be hoping someone would beat Koyakawa.
This led her to further deductions about his feelings.
Anegasaki Nene lowered her head, a strange flutter rising in her heart, a mix of guilt and a thrilling excitement that made her feel almost ethereal.
Maybe this isn't right.
But doing this would definitely make me happy.
"Kobayakawa-kun..."
Anegasaki Nene silently repeated the name.
Tonight, Nene joins the hunt!
Sudoku puzzles are classic and moderately challenging games that require players to understand numerical logic. By following the rules to complete the grid, players obtain a sequence of numbers. When these numbers are mapped to the hiragana phonetic chart, they spell out "Shimayose Game Store."
At Shimayose Game Store, Shimayose Yosuke sat on a small stool, filled with resentment.
I want to compete too! Why can't I enter?
This is blatant age discrimination! Just because I know the answer to the puzzle doesn't mean I can't participate! Can I at least join the next round?!
Shimayose Yosuke couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
This Christmas was turning out to be a real bummer!
A regular customer, hunched over a Sudoku grid, asked casually, "Uncle, why don't you give it a try?"
"Me? I'll pass. I'm tired of staring at machines all day. What would I need a new game console for, even if I won?" Shimayose Yosuke said, his words ringing hollow.
Damn it, Shimayose thought. I really want to enter!
Just as his spirits were sinking, Shimayose noticed a man pacing toward him, muttering under his breath, spelling out "Shimayose Game Store."
Shimayose looked up in surprise.
"95247, 56281, 77264—"
The man continued pacing, mumbling numbers repeatedly for a long time, occasionally twitching nervously. His dark circles and erratic behavior made him look unsettling. Shimayose instinctively stepped forward, shielding his regular customers behind him, his eyes fixed on the man with the heavy dark circles.
"Game—"
The man lowered his head, glancing timidly at Shimayose. "I'm Tajiri Satoshi," he introduced himself.
Shimayose nodded.
Hmm, you're Tajiri Satoshi. So what?
Who is Tajiri Satoshi anyway?!
The dark-circled Tajiri Satoshi raised a finger at Shimayose.
"Shimayose Game Store."
Shimayose Yosuke nodded.
Why is he asking that?
"The Sudoku solution—"
Shimayose Yosuke was slightly startled.
The event just started today!
TV GG only broadcast the puzzle two hours ago!
Looking at Tajiri Satoshi before him, Shimayose Yosuke felt a sense of "don't judge a book by its cover."
He looks like a low-functioning idiot, yet he's actually this brilliant!
"Mr. Tajiri Satoshi, the next puzzle clue won't be released for another week. Until then, I can't give you the clue. Please come inside and register first."
Shimayose Yosuke took a few steps forward, then turned back to find Tajiri Satoshi still standing in place, drawing circles in the air. He returned, grabbed Tajiri's arm, and pulled him inside to register his name and contact information.
After seeing Tajiri Satoshi off, Shimayose Yosuke couldn't help but feel amazed.
Is this guy really okay? Won't he get kidnapped if he wanders around the streets alone?
He shook his head inwardly, noted Tajiri Satoshi's name, and wrote it down to submit to Atlas later.
At Atlas headquarters, Kobayashi Tetsu had already received the list of participants who solved the puzzle on the first day, though it was limited to the Tokyo area.
For regions outside Tokyo, mail delivery would take time.
"Only four people solved the puzzle on the first day? Well, it's not exactly easy. That was a high-level Sudoku!"
Kobayashi Tetsu casually glanced at the list, and the first name immediately caught his eye:
Tajiri Satoshi, nicknamed Satoshi.
The name alone revealed his identity: the creator of the Pokémon series.
As it turned out, Tajiri Satoshi had a connection to Masanobu Endo.
Tajiri Satoshi had once published a game strategy magazine featuring a perfect strategy for Iron Plate Formation, achieving the theoretical maximum score on the arcade game. Namco, furious at what they believed was cheating, threatened to sue Tajiri Satoshi and his magazine.
Masanobu Endo intervened, personally observing Tajiri Satoshi play the game. He confirmed that Tajiri Satoshi could genuinely achieve the maximum score, and the two became friends.
Later, when Tajiri Satoshi conceived the idea for Pokémon, Masanobu Endo recommended him to Nintendo, leading to his meeting with Miyamoto Shigeru.
Tajiri Satoshi was a classic case of Asperger's syndrome. If you're unfamiliar with the condition, think of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.
A genius with quirks: poor athletic skills, unconventional logic, nonexistent social skills, repetitive behaviors, and, in severe cases, even a tendency to wear the same clothes every day.
At the end of 1985, Tajiri Satoshi was just 19 years old. He hadn't gone to university, having become obsessed with arcade games during high school.
His gaming skills were so exceptional—not only was he skilled, but he also taught others while playing—that the arcade's profits plummeted. The arcade boss eventually gave Tajiri Satoshi his own arcade machine and told him to go home and never return.
True to his word, Tajiri Satoshi never went back to that arcade.
He also never finished high school, nor did he ever attend university.
Kobayashi Tetsu shook his head inwardly.
Unfortunately, the competition was now under the spotlight, making it impossible to handpick the winner. Otherwise, he would have definitely chosen Tajiri Satoshi as the Kanto Region champion for the first stage of the puzzle-solving challenge.
Aside from his mental health issues, Tajiri Satoshi's other abilities were actually quite decent. The early versions of Pokémon were genuinely fun. However, as his condition worsened in the mid-to-late stages, around the turn of the millennium, the gameplay became repetitive and stagnant. Pokémon G0 was a promising concept, but it was never released in China.
When Tajiri Satoshi initially approached Nintendo with the idea for Pokémon, the company rejected it outright.
What's so fun about a game where you just trade bugs? they argued. This doesn't align with Nintendo's definition of simple, fun, and universally appealing games.
But Miyamoto Shigeru, defying the consensus, gave Tajiri Satoshi a chance and even personally funded him to create a demo.
That's why Satoshi's best friend in Pokémon is named Shigeru—as a tribute to Miyamoto Shigeru's crucial support.
Kobayashi Tetsu flexed his wrist.
If Shigeru wants to change his name to Tetsu, that wouldn't be so bad after all!
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