Chapter 19: Toki's Offer

After wrapping up his day with Ayumi, Zaboru decided to visit Bakudan Arcade to check on his machines and collect the day's earnings. Cycling through the streets, he felt a mix of pride and anticipation. His bike, which had been left at school, was now back home, thanks to Ayumi's team, who had kindly delivered it earlier.

When he arrived at the arcade, the atmosphere was lively, with groups of players gathered around the machines. Spotting Toki behind the counter, Zaboru greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Toki-san," he said, walking over to the ZAS machines.

"Hey, Zaboru! Perfect timing!" Toki called out, waving enthusiastically.

Zaboru started inspecting the machines, checking their condition and the earnings for the day. His eyes widened as he saw the numbers. Each machine had earned 2,000 yen, and with five machines, the total was an impressive 10,000 yen for the day.

'This much?! It's almost double what they made yesterday!' Zaboru thought, stunned by the rapid increase in revenue.

Toki approached him, a wide grin on his face. "Your ZAS machines are a hit, Zaboru! So many people came in just to play them today. Honestly, I don't think five machines are enough anymore. What do you think? Can you make me more?"

Zaboru hesitated, frowning slightly. "Mmm, I don't think I can, Toki-san. I've got too much on my plate right now."

Toki sighed, nodding in understanding. While he had expected this response, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The ZAS machines had transformed his arcade, drawing in crowds and boosting food and drink sales. However, the success of ZAS also highlighted a problem—his other arcade machines were being neglected. Most players either played casually or waited their turn for ZAS, leaving the other games idle.

Though ZAS was raking in money, Toki only received 25% of the earnings, as per their agreement. While this was fair, given their arrangement, the growing success of ZAS made Toki realize its untapped potential. In just three days, the machines had generated nearly 20,000 yen, but Toki's share felt insignificant compared to the overall earnings.

Finally, Toki made up his mind. He leaned closer to Zaboru, his expression serious but hopeful.

"Hey, Zaboru, how about this: I'll buy all five of your machines for 1 million yen—200,000 yen each."

Zaboru's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Why the sudden offer, Toki-san?"

Toki folded his arms and explained, "Look, ZAS has incredible potential. But it's frustrating to only get 25% of the profits. Don't get me wrong—I respect our agreement, which is why I'm not asking to renegotiate. Instead, I'd like to buy the machines outright. That way, I can fully own them, and you'll get a clean profit. So, what do you think?"

The offer was tempting. Toki was offering 200,000 yen per machine, three times the production cost. Zaboru knew that each machine cost him around 50,000 yen to build—40,000 yen for materials and 10,000 yen for labor.

'It's a good deal,' Zaboru thought. 'But if I keep them, I could earn that much in less than a year. Then again, if I sell them, I wouldn't have to worry about maintenance, and I could focus on launching my console.'

After a moment of thought, Zaboru replied, "Let me discuss it with my dad first, Toki-san."

Toki nodded, handing Zaboru his share of the day's earnings. "Got it, Zaboru. Let me know what you decide."

Back Home

When Zaboru returned home, he found his dad relaxing in the living room, sipping tea while playing ZEPS. As he stepped inside, he called out, "I'm home."

"Welcome home, son," his dad replied without looking away from the screen.

"So, how were the sales today?" Zanichi asked casually, pausing the game and putting the controller aside when he noticed Zaboru's serious expression.

"I need to talk to you about something," Zaboru began, sitting down across from his dad.

"What's on your mind?" Zanichi asked, his tone turning serious as well.

Zaboru explained Toki's offer—200,000 yen for each of the five machines, totaling 1 million yen. He also mentioned that with the 400,000 yen his dad had initially invested, he had built the first ten ZAS machines. Five were already at Bakudan Arcade, and the other five were nearing completion. Zaboru planned to offer the new machines to Dream Catcher Arcade, run by Satonaka.

Zanichi listened intently, nodding as Zaboru laid out the details. "It's up to you, son," Zanichi finally said. "If I'm not mistaken, you made these machines to fund your first company, right? Selling them to Toki could give you the capital you need right now. Sure, you'd earn more in the long run if you held onto them, but this way, you get a guaranteed 1 million yen upfront. If you sell the other five machines to Satonaka for the same price, you'd have 2 million yen—enough to start a small company and hire a couple of employees."

Zaboru hesitated. "But don't I still owe you the 400,000 yen you invested?"

Zanichi waved his hand dismissively. "You don't need to pay me back, son. The fact that you've turned my investment into something worth more than 2 million yen speaks volumes about your skills. You can pay me back whenever you want—there's no rush. For now, focus on starting your company after you graduate in a few months."

Touched by his dad's support, Zaboru smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I won't let you down."

Zanichi nodded and picked up his controller again. "I know you won't."

Later that night, as Zaboru lay in bed, he reflected on the day.

'Yeah, maybe selling the ZAS machines to Toki and Satonaka is the right move. It'll let me focus on ZEPS and give me the capital I need to start ZAGE—Zaboru Actual Game Enterprise.'

Grinning to himself, he grabbed a notebook and began sketching out new ideas. After a bit of drawing and some music practice, he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the future.

To be continued…