Chapter 97: Asking Zanichi

After the meeting ended, Kudou remained seated in Zaboru's office, sighing.

"This is exactly why we should have included a non-compete clause in ZAGE's employee contracts, Boss."

Zaboru smiled. "It's fine. Even if we had included one, Sonaya could have found a way around it. Technically, they aren't our competitors yet since their video game division isn't even up and running."

Kudou frowned, letting out another sigh. "That might be true for now, but once their division launches, we could still sue them for poaching our employees." He shook his head. "Boss, you're too kind. Sometimes, that's not a good thing."

Zaboru gave a helpless smile. In the corporate world, kindness and understanding were often seen as weaknesses.

He exhaled. "I tell myself this all the time: I may be a company owner and a businessman, but before that, I'm a game developer. And before that—I'm a gamer. Sometimes, I wonder if I'll ever be a good leader."

Kudou smirked. "Heh, don't worry, Boss. You're doing great—just a bit too kind, that's all."

Zaboru chuckled. "You're just saying that so I'll raise your salary, aren't you?"

Kudou grinned. "Well, that's part of it."

Both of them laughed before Kudou finally left the office.

As Zaboru leaned back in his chair, he thought to himself, I need to ask Dad about this.

That evening, after finishing work, Zaboru returned home. However, as soon as he walked in, he noticed his father, Zanichi, frowning—something quite unusual.

"Dad, something wrong?" he asked.

Zanichi sighed, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, son. Looks like I might be one of your competitors now. They transferred me from Head of the PC Division to Director of the Video Game Console Division."

Zaboru's eyes widened. "Really? Do they know I'm your son? Are they pressuring you?"

Zanichi smirked. "They asked me to gather intel on your successful console, but I obviously refused. Not that they seemed to care much."

Zaboru leaned back in his chair, contemplating. "I know this is a bit forward, but… Dad, do you want to work with me at ZAGE?"

Zanichi looked at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Hah! That's a nice offer, Zaboru, but not yet. Besides, I think I can still do something interesting in the video game sector. I mean, you're my son—so I should have some talent in it too, right?"

Zanichi's grin widened. "And honestly? Being your rival sounds pretty fun."

Zaboru sighed dramatically. "Great. Guess I'll have to start being careful about bringing work home now."

Zanichi chuckled. "Same here, son. Same here."

After sharing a laugh, Zaboru's expression turned serious. "By the way, Dad—Sonaya's been trying to poach my employees. And a lot of them are considering the offer."

Zanichi's eyebrows shot up. "What? Don't tell me you didn't include a non-compete clause in their contracts?"

Zaboru scratched the back of his head. "Kudou My Company Official Lawyer kept insisting on it, but I didn't think it was necessary. I honestly didn't expect much competition in the gaming industry right now. Plus… it felt too harsh to include that kind of restriction on my employees."

Zanichi let out a long sigh. "Zaboru, you're too kind. And in the business world, being too kind is practically a sin. If you give people too much leeway, some of them will take advantage of it."

Zaboru smiled slightly. "Maybe… but the ones who don't might turn out to be hidden gems. I already found one—his name's Yugo."

Zanichi studied him for a moment before nodding. "Well, if you believe that, then so be it. It's a good skill to tell the good from the bad. But my advice? Don't be too kind or too honest in business. If you want to last, you'll need to be ruthless when necessary."

Zaboru nodded. "Yeah… I get it, Dad. Maybe it's time I toughened up a bit." He smirked. "Might even be more cruel than usual."

Zanichi smirked back. "Good. Now, how about you teach your old man a thing or two about making video games?"

Zaboru chuckled. "I could… but what's in it for me?"

Zanichi grinned. "Two extra servings of your mom's cooking whenever you request it."

Zaboru's eyes lit up. "Deal."

Both of them laughed, sealing the agreement in the way only a father and son could.

To be continued…

*Author note : Another one Boom!, Gimme gimme, power stone*