Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 789: A Bet

"Aren't you saying that if someone like Cloud were standing in front of you, you wouldn't want him as your boyfriend, Oto-chan?"

"That's impossible. I'm not a hopeless romantic like you."

"You little—!"

Aiko, still focused on the screen, chimed in, "But I really like Angeal. His story is so rich and layered. As expected of a work personally overseen by Takayuki-sensei—the storytelling quality is just flawless."

Oto-chan and Kazumi both turned to look at Aiko with strange expressions.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that? Keep playing," Aiko asked, a bit confused.

"So... you like older guys?"

Aiko froze, then quickly denied it. "No way! I have no interest in older men. I'm just fascinated by Angeal's character design. And if I had to choose an older man, I'd pick someone like Takayuki-sensei—he's genuinely talented."

...

...

Oto-chan looked at Aiko dead-on. "Be honest—do you want to study under Takayuki-sensei because you admire him... or because you want to get close and become his mistress? Aiko, you can't think like that! That's taboo!"

Aiko responded calmly, "Having admiration for someone is natural, right? That doesn't mean I'd actually do something like that."

She had always been a rational person. Though she'd grown a little more emotional since getting to know Takayuki, it hadn't changed her core.

The more she interacted with him, the more her feelings evolved from a bashful crush into a composed, clear-headed respect.

She thought, Becoming a student of Takayuki-sensei would be pretty great. And who knows what the future might hold?

Kazumi smirked mischievously. "One day, I'm definitely telling Takayuki-sensei everything you just said. I wonder what he'll think?"

"Don't you dare!" Aiko's face turned bright red—clearly, her rational side had its limits.

Oto-chan shifted her attention back to the game. "But seriously, if we were to make a game, could we create characters as compelling as these?"

Aiko calmed down and began thinking. "If we put everything into it, creating a charismatic character shouldn't be out of reach."

"But Crisis Core is full of charismatic characters," Oto-chan replied.

Kazumi agreed. "Yeah, that's the brilliance of Takayuki-sensei. So many compelling characters in one game, and none of them feel forced or out of place. I almost cried during Angeal's death scene, but then I was laughing at Zack and Aerith's adorable flirting."

"You're just hopelessly romantic," Oto-chan said.

Kazumi snapped, her eyes blazing. "Say that again, I dare you! I'll wrestle you right now!"

Aiko quickly intervened. "Focus. Let's keep playing. We need to study how Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core is made. Even if we only absorb a small part of it, it's worth it."

Kazumi pouted. "I don't believe for a second that you won't cry because of this game, Oto-chan. Let's make a bet. Loser has to grant the winner one wish."

"How do we bet?"

"Let's see who cries first!"

"Heh, that's going to be you."

Oto-chan grinned confidently. She didn't think she'd be the first to shed tears.

The three continued playing.

By the end of the first day, they'd already made it over halfway through the game—up to the part where Zack, Sephiroth, and Cloud travel to Cloud's hometown, Nibelheim, and defeat a Sephiroth who has already succumbed to darkness.

But people do eventually need rest—not everyone can stay up all night for a game.

Of course, some people can.

Like Kazuo Murakami.

A veteran gamer and professional game reviewer, there was no way he'd miss out on such a brilliant title—whether for passion or work.

From the moment he started playing, he knew this was easily a 4.5-star game.

There was little to nitpick in the gameplay—it was a fresh take on turn-based mechanics, a genre that had seen few real innovations in recent years.

Takayuki-sensei was incredible. Even now, he dared to experiment with new systems. Just for that, Murakami would've given it 3.5 stars minimum.

Then came the storytelling—solid pacing and excellent narrative structure. That easily bumped it up to 4.5 stars.

The final half-star? He hesitated to commit too early.

He didn't think his opinion would change much, but he wanted to wait and see the full experience first.

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And as expected—the ending moved him deeply.

After over 20 hours of nonstop playing, he gave Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core a perfect 5-star rating.

He wrote his review just before the game's official release.

For most games, a glowing review like his would spark a surge in sales.

But for Crisis Core, his five stars were more of a cherry on top.

Even players who hadn't played it yet were already treating it as a Game of the Year contender.

A five-star rating felt practically required.

This was, after all, a title personally supervised by Takayuki—the "God of Games." How could it not be a five-star game?

This was the power of myth.

Even if a title was only a four-star or 4.5-star game by normal standards, Takayuki's name alone would push it to five.

That was a privilege no other developer had.

Still, while Crisis Core was undeniably excellent as a game, Kazuo Murakami couldn't help but feel emotionally unsettled.

The ending was, as expected, a tragedy.

Zack Fair's fate was already sealed within Final Fantasy VII's canon.

But even knowing that... when the final scene came, he still wished—so badly—for a happy ending.