After interviewing Sayuri on Wednesday, August 19, 1991, Zaboru continued teaching Yuna and Yugo how to assemble NES consoles. Their proficiency was steadily improving, and he could see the efficiency in their work increasing. As the day came to an end, the twins finished their tasks and left the office. Zaboru, feeling accomplished, hopped onto his bike and rode home.
When he arrived, he noticed that his father had come home earlier than usual. His mother was sitting beside him, and his younger sister, Sanika, was completely engrossed in a game of Hang-On on the ZEPS console, playing on the main TV in the living room.
"I'm home," Zaboru announced as he entered.
His mother looked up and smiled warmly. "Welcome back, son. How was your day?"
Zaboru returned the smile. "As usual, Mom—busy and full of hope."
His father, Zanichi, grinned. "Did you meet Sayuri today?"
Zaboru sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, but she was really strict. It felt like she was the one interviewing me instead of the other way around."
Zanichi chuckled knowingly. "Don't take it personally. Experienced professionals like her want to test you before committing to a new company, especially one that hasn't officially launched yet. And let's be honest, a 17-year-old as the owner of a tech company isn't exactly convincing on paper. You need to prove your competence."
Hearing that, Zaboru sighed again and nodded. It was a harsh truth, but a necessary one.
"By the way," Zanichi continued, "there's a chance that Sayuri's husband will come by tomorrow to try out your games."
Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why is her husband coming? And why does he want to play my games? I haven't even released them yet."
Zanichi leaned back in his chair. "Remember when I told you I found someone suitable for your sales manager position? That's him. His name is Shinsuke Yamaguchi. He was a highly regarded marketing expert at Sonaya, but due to certain circumstances, he lost his job. I already offered him a position, but he refused because he believes the video game industry is dying. Your job is to convince him otherwise. If he plays your games and sees their potential, he might change his mind."
Zaboru thought for a moment. "I see. But even if he's good, I won't just hire him outright. If he wants this job, he needs to approach me as a potential employee and not act like he's doing me a favor. I won't let him disrespect me, Dad. That would set a bad precedent."
Zanichi's grin widened. "Good mindset, son. As a company owner, you can be humble, but you need to set boundaries so your employees respect you as their boss."
Zaboru hummed in agreement. With that, he ate dinner and went to bed, preparing himself for the meeting the next day.
The next morning, Thursday, August 20, 1991, Zaboru arrived at the ZAGE office early. He finalized the employment contract for Sayuri, ensuring that everything was in place. Shortly after, Sayuri arrived at the office and smiled at him.
"Renkonan-san, may my husband join us to try out your games? I'm sure your father already mentioned him to you."
Before Zaboru could answer, a man stepped forward and greeted him with a confident but respectful tone. "Good morning, Renkonan-san. I'm Shinsuke Yamaguchi. I appreciate if you allowing me to test your games."
Zaboru eyed him carefully and thought, 'At least he didn't call me 'kid' or something disrespectful.'
"Alright," Zaboru replied, "but let me make this clear—this is a private company, and not just anyone can play my games. We have strict policies to protect our intellectual property. And even if you're impressed, what makes you think I'd hire you just like that?"
Shinsuke smiled slightly, seemingly approving of Zaboru's firm stance. "I understand, and I apologize if my request seemed too forward. However, as a marketer, I need to know the product I'll be selling. I need to see firsthand how good your games are. If I'm impressed, I'll formally apply, and you're free to test my skills however you see fit. I'm willing to go through the standard hiring process like any other candidate." The source of thɪs content is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩•𝗳𝗂𝗋𝖾•𝕟𝕖𝕥
Zaboru nodded. "Fair enough. I'll let you try out one of my earlier game builds. Come inside, both of you."
Sayuri and Shinsuke exchanged glances before following Zaboru into the office, ready to see if the games he had developed could truly convince Shinsuke to take the job.