Chapter 110 Zaboru Flabbergasted 

Zaboru's mouth hung open after Ayumi's confession. He simply couldn't fathom it. He turned to look at Ayumi, who was blushing furiously, her gaze fixed on him with expectation and nervousness.

"I... uhh..." Zaboru struggled to find words. There was no doubt that Ayumi was a beautiful person, but that was it! Even though they were technically the same age now, in his mind, she was still just a teenager, while he carried the wisdom and experiences of his past life. By all accounts, he could be her father—or even grandfather! Ayumi was around eighteen, yet to him, she still seemed so young.

Taking a deep breath, Zaboru calmed himself. Thanks to his enlightenment abilities, he could regain composure quickly. He began to think deeply. 'She's sincere... In my previous life, I had relationships, but none lasted. My love for gaming always got in the way. My partners hated it, but Ayumi? She loves games too. Maybe, just maybe, this could actually work. Besides, starting young isn't so bad... And it's not about anything physical—Ayumi has always been kind and supportive. I owe Akechi-san her brother a lot, too.'

Zaboru sighed before finally smiling at her. "Are you sure you won't regret this, Ayumi? I should warn you—I love gaming. I love making games. I love working on them. I might not have much time for you."

Ayumi giggled, her eyes shining with determination. "I know, Zaboru, and I don't care. I love gaming too."

Hearing her say that, Zaboru finally smiled and exhaled in defeat. "Fine then, Ayumi... I... like you too."

Ayumi's eyes lit up with joy. Overcome with emotion, she teared up slightly before throwing herself into Zaboru's arms. He chuckled softly and hugged her in return.

"Well, hello there, girlfriend. And I can hug you now, right?"

Ayumi pressed her face against his chest, muttering a quiet, "Unn." She held him tightly, unwilling to let go.

"I thought you were going to reject me, Zaboru," she admitted in a soft voice.

Zaboru released the hug and scratched his head. "Well, if I didn't know you well enough, I probably would've. I'm seriously busy, so relationships aren't exactly my priority. But with you... you understand me. You love what I love, so it's fine. Besides, you've always been helpful to me, Ayumi."

Ayumi grinned happily. "Hehehe." Then she asked, "So, what should we do now?"

Zaboru glanced at the clock. "Well, I was planning to start brainstorming a new game tonight..."

Ayumi giggled again. "I figured you'd say that. Can I watch?"

Zaboru raised an eyebrow. "You want to watch me work?"

Ayumi nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! I might learn something new by watching you. Besides... do you know how cool you look when you're focused on your work, Zaboru?"

Zaboru blushed slightly at the compliment but quickly cleared his throat. "Really? Well, alright then, come on."

He led Ayumi to his personal workshop in the office. As soon as she stepped inside, she looked around in awe. Scattered across Zaboru's desk were various character sketches, some half-finished, others fully detailed.

"Wow! Are these characters that haven't been released yet?" Ayumi asked, picking up a few sheets of artwork.

Zaboru shrugged. "Yeah, some of them. They'll probably appear in my future games."

Ayumi continued flipping through the sketches until she gasped in delight. "Oh my gosh, these two are adorable!" She held up a drawing of two bunnies, one blue and one pink, both striking playful poses while eating carrots. "Who are they?"

Zaboru smiled, amused by her reaction. He had modified the designs of Buster and Babs Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures to fit his own artistic style. To avoid Warnerbros might sued ZAGE in future , because LoonyToons already exist at this time "That's Buster and Babs Bunny. They're siblings. I'm planning to make a game featuring them in the future."

Ayumi's face lit up even more. "They look kinda like Bugs Bunny, but different!"

"Yeah, Bugs was the inspiration," Zaboru admitted.

Ayumi admiring the artwork said "I always loved that rabbit. He's funny and charming."

Zaboru chuckled. "You really love bunnies, don't you?"

"Yep!" Ayumi beamed. "They're fluffy, small, and super fast! I have a lot of bunnies at home. They're well taken care of."

Zaboru suddenly grinned. "Hey, stand still for a moment."

"Huh? What for?" Ayumi asked, tilting her head.

"I'm going to draw you."

Ayumi's cheeks turned red. "W-What?" But when Zaboru didn't budge, she swallowed her embarrassment and nodded. "O-Okay..."

She sat down, trying to keep still while Zaboru grabbed his drawing materials. With impressive speed, his hand moved fluidly across the paper, capturing Ayumi's likeness with precision. Ayumi, watching him work, was fascinated. 'Wow, his hands are so fast... I bet they'd feel goo—' Her thoughts suddenly derailed, and she quickly shook her head, blushing furiously. 'What am I even thinking?!'

After about twenty minutes, Zaboru finished and handed her the sketch. It was a beautiful portrait of her, sitting and smiling softly. Though it was only a black-and-white sketch, the elegance of the drawing was undeniable.

Ayumi's eyes widened in amazement. "Zaboru, this is beautiful! Can I keep it? I'll treasure it forever."

Zaboru smirked. "Yeah, go ahead."

Zaboru and Ayumi spend time together, they talked about games, character designs, and Zaboru's creative process. Time passed quickly, and soon, it was 21:00.

Junjou was already waiting outside the ZAGE office to pick up Ayumi. As they walked out, Ayumi turned to Zaboru with a hopeful look. "Zaboru... are you free tomorrow?"

Zaboru sighed. He had planned to work on Sunday, but considering how busy he would be in the coming weeks, and Ayumi will leave to Sendai at monday. maybe he could spare some time for her. "No? Wanna go on a date?" he asked casually.

Ayumi's face turned bright red. "U-Um, I want to."

Zaboru nodded. "Okay. See you tomorrow. And nice seeing you, Junjou-san."

Ayumi quickly climbed into the car, still flustered. Junjou, however, chuckled heartily. "Hohoho, Zaboru-sama, I'm glad things worked out with Ayumi-sama."

Zaboru scratched his head awkwardly as the car drove off. Then, he turned to his trusted steed—his old silver bicycle, which he affectionately called "Silver Wrecker." Even after becoming rich, he still used it to get around.

With a sigh, he hopped onto Silver Wrecker and pedaled toward home, a small smile playing on his lips.

To be continued...

*author note : So its official now!, and power stones guys!*

If you want to support me : https://www.patre*n.com/zaborn_1997