Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 790: Throwing Knives

The morning after the release of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Kazumi was up early—for once, earlier than the other two.

Still in her pajamas, she ran to Oto-chan's door and banged on it while yelling loudly, "Hey, hey! Get up already! We've got a mission to finish today! Let's beat the game today and see who cries first! Don't even think about backing out!"

After the loud knocking, Oto-chan opened the door with a groggy, annoyed look—she was still half asleep.

But she, too, was eager to finish Crisis Core and find out what happened in the latter part of the story.

So she didn't argue with Kazumi. Instead, she went back inside, got dressed, and did a quick cleanup.

Aiko had already gotten out of bed during Kazumi's wake-up call and was now in the bathroom washing up.

Half an hour later, all three girls were dressed and seated on the sofa in front of the TV, simple breakfasts laid out in front of them. They devoured their food and immediately dove back into the game.

Yesterday, they had watched Zack's journey from a low-level recruit to one of Shinra's elite SOLDIERs.

...

...

Along the way, his mentor and idol both betrayed him, and he eventually witnessed his mentor Angeal's death with his own eyes.

This was a heavy blow for Zack—but it also pushed his growth forward.

Zack also met Aerith, one of the heroines of Final Fantasy VII, and the two began developing feelings for each other. On the romance front, Zack seemed to be doing pretty well—definitely better than Cloud.

Later, Zack met Cloud, the protagonist of the original Final Fantasy VII, and the two quickly became close friends. Eventually, they fought side by side, with Cloud dealing the final blow to Sephiroth.

Today, the girls were determined to finish the rest of the game in one sitting.

They'd left the console running overnight just so they could pick up right where they left off.

Kazumi took the first turn at the controller.

As she played, she couldn't resist teasing Oto-chan about their bet: "Don't forget our wager! If you cry first, you have to call me 'Lady Kazumi' right in front of me!"

Oto-chan scoffed. "That's so childish. What a lame bet. But if it makes you happy, whatever. I'll go easy on you—if you cry first, you have to bark like a puppy."

"Deal! It's on!"

Aiko ignored their banter, her eyes glued to the screen.

Today, she'd brought along a small notebook, where she was carefully jotting down every detail of the playthrough.

She was planning to use this for research—her next game project was coming up, and she wanted to be prepared.

After an entire day of gameplay yesterday, she already had a rough concept in mind.

The last game she helped lead was Dead Cells, developed in collaboration with Takayuki-sensei.

Its overwhelming success gave her a real sense of accomplishment. Still, she hoped to one day develop a wildly successful title completely on her own.

Last time, Kazumi led development—unsurprisingly, it was another farming sim.

Thanks to a solid foundation from their earlier titles and an existing fanbase, sales were strong, finishing around 300,000 units. For a three-person team, that was already a major win.

According to their rotation, this time it was Oto-chan's turn to lead, and Aiko's would come next.

So Aiko was already laying the groundwork.

Ever rational, she always approached things with a practical mindset.

Back in the game, the story had progressed to the part where Zack and Cloud—after defeating Sephiroth—were secretly captured by Shinra and subjected to experimentation.

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Zack eventually awakened first and began his escape while carrying an unconscious Cloud.

On one hand, he was being relentlessly pursued by Shinra soldiers. On the other, he had to protect Cloud, who was completely out of it.

Zack was clearly overwhelmed, but his positive attitude was almost infectious—even for the players.

Kazumi sighed with admiration, "Zack is amazing... like a big brother protecting his little brother."

This time, Oto-chan didn't mock her. She nodded in agreement. "Well, Zack has grown a lot. He was just a rookie once too. The trauma of losing his mentor changed him—it's no surprise he became so dependable."

"That's true. But it's not really that emotional yet. What if neither of us cries by the end? Who wins then?"

"That's a tie, obviously. You're not trying to sneak a win, are you?"

At that point, Aiko finally chimed in. "I think the calmer it is now, the more devastating it'll be later. Haven't you noticed how everything is just building up to make you love Zack more and more? And once you're totally attached, they'll crush you."

Kazumi froze and quickly covered her ears. "Stop! Don't say that! I don't want to hear it!"

Aiko ignored her and continued speaking to Oto-chan. "Knowing Takayuki-sensei, there's no way he'd settle for a soft, uneventful ending."

Oto-chan fell silent.

In truth, she agreed.

And now... she wasn't sure she wanted to see the ending anymore.

But a good game is a good game. No matter how tragic, it's still worth playing.

Sure enough, the story began turning darker.

Zack encountered a member of the Turks, the covert ops unit. Though they'd only met briefly before, the Turk clearly had a soft spot for Zack. In a crucial moment, the agent chose to help Zack escape.

Still, the air was thick with tragedy.

Soon after, Zack also encountered a cloned version of Angeal, his late mentor.

Even in this deteriorated state, Angeal was still gentle—but it was obvious the clone was breaking down.

Kazumi's eyes were already turning red, though she was doing everything she could to hold back the tears.

I can't lose. I absolutely can't lose!

Oto-chan sat silently, facing the TV with her back to Kazumi. Kazumi had no idea what state Oto-chan was in, only that she hadn't said a word in a while.

Even Aiko had put down her pen and notebook.

All three were now completely immersed in the story.