Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 705: No title

In the commercial, Aika Kamimura is dressed in comfortable loungewear, sitting on a sofa. The whole scene is calm and serene.

Her trademark pure and innocent image instantly draws attention.

Aika sits cross-legged on the sofa, staring at the TV. After a while, as if her eyes start feeling a bit strained, she picks up the remote and switches to another channel.

At that moment, the camera shifts to show the television screen.

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A cartoon-style interface appears, with the title Ring Fit Adventure clearly displayed in one corner.

Then the camera returns to Aika.

She picks up a strange-looking black ring and then straps what looks like a leg band to one of her thighs. She inserts a controller into the slot on the leg strap, then places another controller into the round black ring.

"What... is she doing?"

...

...

The office worker watching the ad is puzzled.

He's just a regular white-collar worker, someone who rarely plays video games. He's usually so busy he barely has any free time, let alone for gaming.

Plus, always feeling like he's on the edge of burnout, he tries to maintain his health. After work, he often goes to the gym to make sure he stays in decent shape.

He's never really had any interest in video games. He's always thought they were just for kids.

Back when video games were rising in popularity, he was in junior high, about to enter university. Being a bit of a loner, he couldn't really connect with classmates who loved gaming. He quickly became isolated.

Listening to others rave about how fun video games were always made him feel bored.

Fun? So what? If it doesn't bring any real benefit, what's the point?

Relaxation? He had plenty of other ways to relax. Video games were meaningless to him.

But today, for the first time, he found himself intrigued by a video game.

Because the star of the commercial was none other than Aika Kamimura, his favorite actress.

He'd followed every drama she'd ever acted in.

Everyone has their own interests. Not everyone likes video games. For him, watching TV shows was his favorite pastime.

Back to the ad—Aika Kamimura gets up from the sofa and stands in a slightly open area. She assumes a proper posture.

Holding the black ring with both hands, her feet firmly planted, she stares intently ahead, not blinking.

Soon, the office worker's confusion is resolved.

Aika begins performing exercises like squats, jogging in place, and planks—all guided by the game.

The office worker's eyes widen slightly.

Wait... this is a video game?

He had guessed it might be a game when he saw Aika holding what looked like a controller.

Normally, he would've never paid any attention, but since it was Aika Kamimura starring, he watched.

Now, something about this product was really grabbing his attention.

His brain kicked into gear, trying to figure out what exactly this thing was.

Soon enough, Aika Kamimura began to sweat.

And it looked absolutely real—clearly not staged. Her gradually soaked clothing made that obvious.

Under the camera's gaze, Aika's light sheen of sweat even added a bit of allure to her pure image. There was something new and captivating about it.

The office worker was now completely absorbed by the ad, standing there in the street, staring blankly at the giant screen.

And it wasn't just him. In the light rain, more and more people were stopping to watch.

There was nothing particularly dramatic about the ad.

But it felt pleasant.

Most game ads try to overwhelm with flashy visuals and special effects.

The flashier, the better—that's how it usually went. But this ad was fresh, calm, and different.

"Ring Fit Adventure – launching in three months. A product that lets everyone enjoy fitness. Come work out with Aika Kamimura! Stay tuned."

As Aika finishes her workout, flushed and glowing, the release date of the game is announced.

Three months from now...

The office worker stares at the screen, almost without thinking—he wants to buy it.

He's not short on money. And when it comes to supporting his favorite star, he's always willing.

Besides... it does look pretty interesting.

Of course, this doesn't change his general opinion on video games. He still thinks they're boring.

Even those so-called masterpieces like Titanfall or Final Fantasy—so many people raved about how emotional and moving they were—but to him, they just seemed childish. He never understood how grown adults could get hooked on something so immature.

Grown-ups shouldn't be swayed by such things.

Ah well, it's not something worth dwelling on. Time to get home.

Just as he's about to leave, another commercial starts playing.

This time, it doesn't feature someone famous like Aika Kamimura, but a group of unfamiliar, likely background-level actors.

They're portraying a family, and the ad shares the same warm, peaceful tone.

The father is watching TV on the sofa. The child is bouncing around with joy. The mother is cooking in the open kitchen, glancing lovingly at her husband and child.

When dinner is ready, the family gathers around to eat. Afterward, the child suddenly looks up with excitement and asks,

"Mom, can we play together today?"

The mother smiles warmly.

"Of course. What do you want to play?"

"Umm... I want to play Mario Kart!"

The father looks up at them and adds,

"Count me in."

"Dad, I'm gonna totally beat you!"

"Haha! Don't underestimate your old man! I'll show you what a real racer looks like!"

The mother continues to smile at her husband and son, her eyes full of happiness.

Once again, the office worker stops and stares at the screen.

That feeling of family...

It had been so long since he felt that.

He has a wife. He has a child too.

But these days, he's always so busy—he barely has time to talk to either of them.

Watching the warm scene on the screen, a powerful longing suddenly wells up in him.

He wants to have moments like that with his family again.

In the commercial, the child happily helps clean up the table, then runs over to the couch and quickly sets up Mario Kart.

"Come on, Mom, Dad! I'm going to win today!"

The parents walk over with indulgent smiles, each grabbing a controller and sitting beside their child. Together, they select their characters in Mario Kart.

The child chooses Mario, the mother picks Princess Peach, and the father confidently selects Bowser.

Once everyone's ready, they all focus on the screen.

A thrilling soundtrack kicks in.

"I'm taking first place today!"

With the child's enthusiastic declaration, the race begins—and the commercial fades out.

"Video games—bringing people closer together."

A quiet slogan appears on screen.

And just like that, the commercial lands like a punch to the chest.

The office worker can't stop thinking about it.