Clang! Clang!
Two large bowls of pork cutlet rice, drenched in sauce, were set on the table.
Kobayashi Tetsu had to admit—the character "排" in "pork cutlet rice" was really used well. Very obviously written by someone who learned from a Japanese teacher back home.
"So it's almost New Year already. What about you, Nakayu-kun? Any plans? Going home?"
Nakayuji was shoveling rice when he heard this. He lifted his head.
"No. When I left home, I swore that unless I could return in glory, I wouldn't go back. Things are going pretty well now, but not well enough. I really don't want to return just to hear them say how making games is worse than going to university. On New Year's Eve, I'll probably just watch the Red and White Song Festival until I pass out, then go out and eat and wander around the next day. Something like that."
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded. "More or less the same for me."
He didn't have much to do either. Although Sega would be on break, Kentarō wasn't going home. The SG-2000 would hit shelves right after New Year, and the SG-3000 was just around the corner. Hardware development couldn't stop, and as department head, Kentarō needed to set an example—no time to return home.
Tetsu originally wanted to tell Nakayuji that if he had nothing to do, he could come over for New Year.
But in the end, he didn't say it.
—He absolutely did not want to spend his first New Year in Japan with this burly dude.
He would feel like he had no prospects for finding a girlfriend.
Lonely Tetsu sprawled across the table, cheek flattened, and casually called out to the shop owner.
"Boss, will you be open on New Year's? If so, could you deliver something to me? I really don't want to be eating instant noodles alone at home on New Year."
The Old Dixie owner smiled, dragging out his words in his usual cheerful tone.
"Normally we wouldn't be, but since Tetsu-kun comes so often… If you don't mind the food cooling down, before closing—sometime in the afternoon—I'll prepare something in advance and arrange for someone to deliver it."
Tetsu let out a sigh of relief.
At least he wouldn't have to worry about eating instant noodles on New Year.
…
December 30th. One day until Japan's New Year.
Japan counted New Year as the last day of the year through the first day of the new year—different from back home, where the lunar calendar set the date, making it less fixed.
Most people would spend the night watching the Red and White Song Festival.
The show was Japan's equivalent of the Spring Festival Gala—high ratings, incredibly popular.
But Tetsu had absolutely no interest.
—Not just disinterested. His understanding of the show hovered near zero.
Watching it, he thought, wasn't half as fun as playing Tank Battle until he passed out.
Tetsu headed to Shimayori Game Shop.
Tokyo didn't get much snow, but winter still wasn't the season to display consoles outside. Through the glass window, Tetsu saw that Shimayori Yōsuke had already moved many items into storage, and what remained was piled into the store, making the cramped shop even narrower.
Tetsu glanced across the street. Ever since Super Mario Bros., the poster across the way hadn't been changed for a month.
And since the FC had been fully recalled and not yet re-released, they had nothing more to do this year.
Shopkeeper Chiyama was slumped at his counter, bored, dozing.
Seeing Tetsu, he raised a hand lazily in greeting.
"See? He ought to be thanking me," Tetsu muttered, returning the gesture before heading straight into Shimayori's shop.
Chiyama lay back down immediately and resumed his nap.
Inside, space was so tight he barely had room to step. The shop had never been big, and now with outdoor items pulled in, it was downright claustrophobic.
Yōsuke was facing away from him, gesturing animatedly at an arcade machine. Beside the TV in the corner, a very familiar girl was crouched silently.
Tetsu exaggerated a cough.
He could literally see the girl's slender neck jolt ever so slightly—she clearly recognized his voice, yet didn't turn around.
Instead, Yōsuke looked up from the arcade machine.
"Oh! Tetsu-kun, it's been a while!"
He greeted him enthusiastically. "Look! New poster—been up for a week! On January 1st, new hardware and new games will launch. Want to come here and try them out? If you show off your skills, everyone will gather!"
Then Yōsuke leaned in, lowering his voice.
"I know your uncle also works at Sega, but I bet you haven't seen this poster!"
Tetsu didn't have the heart to tell him.
Of course he'd seen the poster—he commissioned it from Kitagawa Takashi.
The ink-wash style illustration showed a young hunter in a bucket hat aiming a shotgun at the screen. Behind him snarled a vicious hunting dog, and across the bottom fled panicked ducks.
—In twenty years, he'd definitely get lectured by animal-rights groups, but Tetsu swore even twenty years later he wouldn't care about any nonsense animal-rights or feminist policing.
He made games—games needed to look cool! Who didn't like attractive characters? Why make everything look like it crawled out of Attack on Titan?
Even this poster used him as the model—under that bucket hat was an undeniably handsome young face.
Leaving Yōsuke to fuss over the arcade machine, Tetsu walked toward the girl in the corner.
"Oh, playing Tank Battle again? You're pretty good at it now."
Kozakawa finally hit pause and turned to him.
"I thought you got dragged back to elementary school to be remade."
Otherwise, why hadn't he shown up for so long?
Tetsu said, "What can I do? I spent the past few days studying that 'elementary school workbook.' Too hard. I can't do any of it. If I can't even do elementary problems, how could I dare show my face?"
Kozakawa stared at him, clearly irritated.
She didn't know why, but every time she spoke with him, she felt angry!
She turned away, gaze brushing him for just a heartbeat before retreating.
"New hardware and games drop on New Year's Day," Tetsu said casually. "I'll be here helping the shop show off the game. You should come too."
Kozakawa gave a dull little "mm," and said nothing more.
Tetsu didn't mind. He grabbed a small stool, sat beside her, picked up the joystick, and played along for a bit. When he felt it was getting late, he left.
Not long after he departed, Kozakawa suddenly put down the joystick and stood.
"Shopkeeper, I'm going too."
"So early?" Yōsuke folded his arms. "It's snowing and no one's coming. You can play a bit longer, you know."
She shook her head.
It was time to go.
Under the thin snow on the Tokyo streets, she walked toward home alone. Her steps slowed… and slowed… until she stopped in front of a shop window.
Inside were knitted gloves. Brown. A style that would look good on a boy.
"Hmm…"
Whatever she was imagining, she suddenly spun on her heel and hurried away.
"Honestly… why am I even thinking about that kind of thing!?"
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