Friday, May 30, 1992. Night.
Zaboru sat alone in a quiet Tokyo café tucked away in a side alley, the kind of place where the ambient chatter mixed with the low hum of jazz from an old speaker behind the counter. The windows were fogged slightly from the warmth inside. He nursed a warm cup of black coffee as he waited for someone very specific—Nando Michio, the passionate and energetic owner of Nanco, one of ZAGE's trusted third-party game developers. But tonight wasn't about consoles or simple publishing deals. Tonight was bigger.
This meeting had the potential to Increase ZAGE's influece.
Zaboru had been thinking about Arcades lately , one of the first machines that he created was ZAS, still that far away from the actual arcade , and it sold well because the people from this world are just lacking good games in general.
While ZAGE was dominating with the ZEPS, and the Sonaya MGB still showed pretty good sales, the arcade scene had remained relatively untouched by ZAGE or Sonaya. It was untapped gold. A sleeping giant. But there was a problem—two problems, really. His trusted manufacturing partners, Mirai Manufacture and Saiko Machine, were running at full capacity. Every single production line was currently dedicated to the ZEPS consoles and their endless stream of game cartridges. Even with recent expansions and hiring waves, neither company could afford to split resources toward a whole new venture like arcade cabinets.
That's where Nanco came in.
Nanco wasn't just a game studio, it's Namco from this world, the Arcade tycoon. They had their own arcade division. Machines, cabinets, boards, tech. And Zaboru had done his homework. He'd visited several arcades quietly, anonymously, observing the kind of games Nanco had produced. The verdict? Solid. Technically proficient. But missing the magic. The spark. The kind of charm and polish that defined legendary arcade games from Zaboru's past life.
He saw potential—raw and unrefined. If he could tap into that, and lead with his vision, they could make something incredible together. Not just fun games. Not just cabinets. But the return of arcade greatness in this world.
But Zaboru's ambitions didn't end there. Not even close.
After the arcade game concept, he planned to bring HanDai into the picture—the same company currently producing ZAGE's hit merchandise. Plush dolls, toys, action figures. But what if merchandise and arcades merged?
He envisioned a machine that didn't yet exist in this world. A claw machine. A dream catcher. In his past life, they were everywhere. UFO catchers Scam machine that tempt kids and adults alike with adorable prizes dangling just out of reach and make the user love being scammed. They didn't exist yet here. But Zaboru wanted to be the one to change that. And he wanted to debut them under the ZAGE brand.
More than that—he had a mascot in mind.
Hello Kitty.
The thought had come to him out of nowhere. A flash of pink and white in his head. At first, he thought he was just misremembering. Maybe Hello Kitty wasn't supposed to exist yet. But when he looked for Hello kitty with his Deep Memory Dive changed that. In his old world, Hello Kitty had been a cultural icon for decades. By 1992, she should've been on lunchboxes, pencils, and backpacks all over Japan, even though in his previous world Hello Kitty was already popular in 1982.
But here? Nothing.
That's when he knew: he had a chance to claim her. To bring Hello Kitty to life this time—and tie her to ZAGE. She could be the heart of the dream catcher machines. A new face for a new arcade empire also ZAGE mascot alongside with others ZAGE characters Zaboru even will make specially for Hello Kitty if he had time.
With HanDai's manufacturing capabilities and Nanco's tech, ZAGE could step far beyond gaming.
A bell above the café door rang. Nando Michio entered, wearing a gray windbreaker and a wide grin.
"Zaboru!" he called out, loud enough for heads to turn. He crossed the café quickly and shook Zaboru's hand warmly.
"Nando-san," Zaboru greeted with a nod. Their partnership had grown into friendship. Nando respected Zaboru deeply—not just as a businessman, but as a visionary. And Zaboru appreciated Nando's unwavering love for games.
They sat, and Nando wasted no time.
"So, what's up? You don't call meetings unless you're cooking something wild."
Zaboru smirked. "I have a proposal. Not just a small collaboration—a full-on partnership."
Nando leaned in. "What kind?"
"I want to bring ZAGE into arcades. Cabinets, exclusive games, a full return to the golden era like it used to and supposed to but with my Touch. And I want Nanco to manufacture them."
Nando froze, then grinned. He didn't even hesitate.
"Stop right there. I'm in."
Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "That fast?"
"Are you kidding? I've wanted to go back to making arcade games that matter. But nobody had the guts or the vision to lead it. I always fight losing battles still Manufacture new arcades you know?. But you? You're Zaboru freakin' Renkonan. I don't even need to hear more. I'm already in. I bet my ass you are able to make an Insane Arcade!"
Zaboru chuckled. "Well, you're gonna want to hear more. But first…" He pulled out a leather folder. "Standard secrecy agreement. Just until the full announcement."
Nando skimmed it and signed immediately. "Now hit me with the pitch."
Zaboru reached into his satchel and placed three thick concept books on the table. Their covers were simple—just bold titles.
Street Fighter.
Streets of Rage.
Rampage.
Nando's eyes widened. He opened the first one.
Within seconds, he was flipping through at high speed. Each book was filled with pixel art sketches, control diagrams, enemy designs, attack flowcharts, and detailed mechanics. Frame data. Combo systems. Stage transitions. Voice line mockups.
His hands trembled.
"This is insane," Nando whispered. "This is… a whole new level."
Zaboru smiled, sipping his coffee, saying nothing.
Nando looked up, visibly overwhelmed. "You're not building games. You're building eras. These could be iconic. Global." He said while Shaking!.
"I know," Zaboru said. "That's why I need the right partner."
"Then let's go. Finalize the deal. I want to start on these tomorrow." Nando Shout!
Other customers in the café turned to stare. Nando had risen from his chair, practically shouting now. But he didn't care.
Zaboru laughed. "Calm down, Nando-san. We'll take the next steps tomorrow. For now—look at this page…"
The two men leaned in again. For the rest of the evening, they discussed control layouts, screen resolution standards, ventilation for the cabinets, coin mechanisms, and the 3 games in general
ZAS—ZAGE Arcade System. Will come back with a new look and new functions , ready to change the gaming world forever. But The world had no idea what was coming.
But soon, it would.And it will be spectacular
To be continued
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