Chapter 96: Talent Poachers

Monday, October 28, 1991 - Morning

Zaboru and the ZAGE team continued their work as usual, developing and testing games in preparation for the upcoming November release. However, that morning, Yugo requested a private meeting with Zaboru. It was rare for Yugo to ask for such a meeting, which piqued Zaboru's curiosity. Once seated in his office, Zaboru got straight to the point.

"So, Yugo, what's going on? What do you want to talk about?"

Yugo hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Boss-sama, it's like this... Have you heard that there are company are trying to poach ZAGE employees?"

Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that so?"

Yugo nodded. "Yes, Boss. Both Yuna and I were contacted by them. They offered us significant salaries and benefits to leave ZAGE and work for their company. It looks like they're planning to start their own gaming division."

Zaboru's eyes widened. "Really? Which company is behind this?"

"It's Sonaya, Boss. They're planning to launch their gaming division in five months. Their offer is huge."

Zaboru leaned forward. "How big are we talking?"

"For me, they offered three times my current salary, plus a bunch of bonuses. For the others employee i know, they're offering double what they make here. Plenty of them have accepted the offer, though they've promised to remain professional at ZAGE until they leave. Thankfully, our contracts prohibit them from leaking company secrets."

Zaboru let out a long sigh. "Damn... I can't believe Sonaya is pulling something like this. I can't stop them, but I just hope our employees remain professional until their departure."

He then looked directly at Yugo. "So, did you accept their offer?"

Yugo shook his head firmly. "No way, Boss-sama! I don't care much about money. My gut tells me that staying with you has the biggest future! Besides, I want to make my own game one day, and I need your guidance."

Zaboru smiled, genuinely touched. "I appreciate that, Yugo."

But then Yugo's expression darkened. "My sister, though... Yuna. She's seriously considering accepting the offer. She sees it as a chance to increase her salary."

Zaboru sighed. He expected this much. Yugo and Yuna worked exceptionally well together—good individually, but when combined, their efficiency skyrocketed. Yuna always the opposite of Yugo , while Yugo often trust his gut , Yuna always calculative type, even though they twins.

"Sigh... I'll discuss this with Kuodu, Sayuri-san and Shinsuke-san. I need their perspective as industry veterans. I value Yuna highly, Yugo, but I don't own her. If she truly wants to leave after I do my best to convince her otherwise, then I can't stop her. That's just how the professional world works."

Yugo nodded. "Boss-sama, I know my sister very well. She's an idealist. If she were confident in ZAGE's future, she wouldn't hesitate to stay. But Sonaya's offer is on another level."

Zaboru leaned back. "I understand, Yugo. I'll look into it, alright? Don't worry—I'll do my best to keep her here."

Yugo nodded and excused himself, returning to work.

Afternoon - Crisis Meeting

After lunch, the emergency meeting took place. Sayuri, Shinsuke, Kudou, and Zaboru gathered in the conference room.

Zaboru spoke first. "Everyone, we have a serious issue. It seems Sonaya is entering the console market. Yugo informed me that they're actively trying to poach our employees."

Shinsuke sighed. "Honestly, I expected this. Hikaru Kurata, Sonaya's CEO and majority shareholder, is a huge fan of video games. He actually tried launching a home console a few years ago, but it failed, so the idea was scrapped. Now, with ZEPS's massive success, they're determined to jump into the market."

Zaboru nodded. "I don't care if they join the industry—competition is healthy. What concerns me is how they're stealing our talent. Yugo mentioned that a significant number of our employees have already decided to leave in five months because of the better salaries. Worse, Yuna is considering leaving too."

Sayuri was visibly shocked. She was very close to Yuna, almost like a sister. "Yuna is? Hmm… I think I can talk to her, Boss. I understand how she thinks—she's an idealist. I'll see if I can make her reconsider."

Zaboru's eyes lit up. "I'll leave that to you, Sayuri-san. Thank you very much."

Meanwhile, Kudou crossed his arms. "Employees need to stay professional. If they start slacking off, just tell me—I'll remind them that breaching their contract could get them sued."

Zaboru shook his head. "That's a bad move, Kudou-san. We need to convince them that ZAGE has the potential to become even bigger than Sonaya. Those who can see that will stay. The narrow-minded ones will leave."

Shinsuke nodded in agreement. "I completely agree, Boss. I worked at Sonaya before, and while they're a massive company, they have their flaws. To be honest, I prefer working here." Sayuri nod agreed with her husband , she`s also former Sonaya Employee

Zaboru sighed. "I might need to consult my father about this later. He`s work at Sonaya after all"

Shinsuke then added, "Boss, you need to start looking for HR staff immediately. If we lose a significant number of employees in five months, ZAGE will be in trouble."

Zaboru sighed and nodded. "You're right. I need to take this issue seriously."

With that, Zaboru dismissed the meeting. His next priority: finding an HR manager and a secretary to help stabilize ZAGE's workforce before it was too late.

To be continued…

*Author note : Bit of drama here , and i need power stone. 

Also i want to hear your opinion guys, should i add more Zaboru mystical abilities like the one he have right now Deep memory dive in future? , i mean perk of reincarnation? , but i would never add system so , what do you guys think?"