Monday 3 August 1995.

Zaboru and the ZAGE higher-ups held a morning meeting to discuss the situation with Yoshi Motohira. In the end, Yoshi was punished by being immediately terminated from ZAGE and officially blacklisted. This action severely damaged his CV and reputation, as he had violated company policy by stealing sensitive data and handing it to a rival corporation. Despite Yoshi's desperate pleas for forgiveness, Zaboru remained firm and unmoved. He believed a clear example had to be set—ZAGE, while fostering a warm and collaborative environment, was still a major company with strict rules. Zaboru was determined not to be seen as a pushover by his employees.

Zanichi Renkonan, Zaboru's father and the CTO of ZAGE Japan, sighed. "That's really unfortunate. The guy was actually quite talented."

Zaboru sighed and nodded. "True… but I had to set an example, Dad. He broke company policy by leaking classified data—and worse, he shared our project details with the competition. Thankfully, Akechi-san spotted him. I think I need to be more vigilant from now on."

Zanichi placed a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself, Zaboru. You're only human. Leave these kinds of matters to Akechi's team—that's why you hired them. Don't carry it all on your shoulders."

Zaboru smiled faintly and nodded. "That's true. Thanks, Dad."

Then he paused before asking, "What do you think about going public with this? Should we announce that Sonaya planted a spy inside ZAGE?"

Zanichi shook his head. "Don't, Zaboru. Honestly, there are more disadvantages than advantages. Sonaya has significant media influence, and if we make this public, it could spiral into complications we're not prepared for. It's better to keep this to ourselves, at least for now."

Zanichi then continued, "True, we are a strong company too—but we're still not on Sonaya's level across all sectors. They're a massive corporation, and unfortunately, we don't yet have a dedicated team capable of matching theirs, even if we wanted to take legal action."

Zaboru nodded. It was true—Sonaya was a much older and larger company than ZAGE. He knew well that Sonaya could sway the media through favors or other means that ZAGE simply couldn't match.

Meanwhile, at Yoshi Motohira's house, he paced in frustration. "Damn it! I never should've taken that damn offer from Sonaya!" The regret was starting to settle in. Sure, the money had been tempting—but now he was jobless and disgraced.

"Well," he muttered to himself, trying to shake off the despair, "I'll go to the Sonaya offices tomorrow. They'll definitely accept me. They promised."

With that, Yoshi collapsed onto his couch, convincing himself everything would work out—while the weight of his decisions quietly pressed down on him.

Next day

Tuesday 4 August 1995.

With the betrayal behind him, Zaboru returned to work, ready to refocus on ZAGE's progress. Today, he would lead a new round of meetings—ones that could shape the very future of the company.

Now, Zaboru, along with the ZAGE higher-ups and developers, gathered at the ZAGE Tokyo headquarters. "Good morning, everyone," he began. "These meetings were originally scheduled for yesterday, but due to some unpleasant matters that had to be resolved, we're starting today instead."

Everyone in the room nodded, and Zaboru continued, "Okay, the purpose of today's meeting is to discuss one of the most important initiatives for ZAGE's future: the next-generation home console, which we'll call ZEPS 3."

Eyes widened across the room, but Zaboru pressed on. "I know ZEPS 2 was only released a little over a year ago, but the next-gen console requires early planning and deep consideration. We're aiming for the prototype to be ready by late 1996. I've got big plans for this project—plans that could redefine the video game industry."

Zaboru then explained his idea. "For now, let's consider these meetings as the foundation—the very starting point—of ZEPS 3's development. There's a long road ahead, but today marks the first real step."

Zaboru then said, "As for the design, I've already drawn it up. It's included in the documents Yumi-san handed out, so please take a look now."

The team opened their folders, and the rest of the attendees followed suit, all eyes turning to the blueprint inside. A murmur of surprise spread through the room. The console design featured a sleek gray finish, shaped as a full square with clean, sharp edges. The top could be opened, revealing an optical disc reader hidden beneath the lid. Behind that, there were small, dedicated slots for game cartridges—an unexpected but impressive hybrid design. Everyone seemed genuinely impressed by the concept.

Zanichi raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What's the component that opens in the middle if the cartridges are located behind it?"

Zaboru smiled confidently. "We're implementing two types of input for games. First, we'll support cartridges—for backward compatibility. But the main format will be CDs—more precisely, an advanced type of CD."

He grinned, and the room fell silent for a moment before erupting with murmurs of surprise. CD-based? That was nearly unheard of in their current market and advance CD what are those?.

Yuna then asked, "But Boss, we don't really have much experience working with CD-based games. Is that alright?"

Zaboru nodded reassuringly. "It's fine, Yuna. It's not that hard, and I'll be here to guide you through everything."

Zanichi then asked, "But what about the advanced type of CD you mentioned earlier?

Zaboru grinned. "Let's just say I've been working closely with Philips on some advanced projects. The technology should be ready by the end of this year. Be patient—I'll explain everything in detail during our upcoming meetings dad."

The design of the ZEPS 3 resembled the PS1 from Zaboru's previous life, but it was noticeably longer. This extended size accommodated a dedicated section behind the CD lid for cartridge slots, enabling backward compatibility—a feature Zaboru was deeply committed to. He firmly believed that players should be able to enjoy games from earlier generations, and he intended to make backward compatibility a standard across all future ZAGE consoles.

Zaboru then continued, "That's the console design. Now, here's the controller design." He grinned as everyone turned their attention to the new layout.

The controller looked strikingly similar to the PS1 controller from his previous life, complete with dual analog sticks. "Since we're aiming to dive into the 3D era with this console," Zaboru explained, "I've added analog sticks to enhance precision and control."

The room buzzed with interest, impressed by the forward-thinking inclusion of analog sticks—something never been seen in most controllers current market.

Everyone looked confused. "But Boss, what's the purpose of the right analog stick? If the left one is for movement, is the right just for symmetry in the design?"

Zaboru grinned and said, "Simple—for rotating the camera. In future 3D games, players will have much more freedom to control the camera view themselves. As for how this camera rotation works, I'll go into more detail separately." Everyone was stunned. "Rotating the camera? That's practically unheard of!"

Zaboru then said, "For the bits of this console, well—we will go further and beyond! We will release a 64-bit console!" Everyone gasped. "Not 32?" Zanichi asked, and Zaboru grinned. "Not 32 because I have an idea that can make 64-bit consoles work."

Zaboru then explained, "That's exactly why this project will take time—more time than any console we've developed so far. I'll be leading it personally, ensuring every part lives up to our vision. And as for 64-bit games? Don't worry about that—we can absolutely make it happen. It's not a fantasy anymore. Trust me, we have the talent and resources to pull this off."

The meetings continued, with many participants asking Zaboru detailed questions about the design. However, since this was only the initial stage of discussions, Zaboru kept his responses limited. He assured everyone that more would be revealed in due time. By the end of the session, it was officially concluded that ZAGE would begin preparing and initiating development for ZEPS 3, their ambitious 64-bit console.

To be continue

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