On the first morning of the new year—still within the long holiday—the streets finally began to fill with people.
Tokyo's rare flutter of heavy snow had already melted into a thin, muddy layer beneath pedestrians' feet. Only the narrow alleys, where footsteps seldom fell, still kept a little untouched white.
Kobayashi Tetsu had intended to park outside the shop, but—
There was nowhere to park.
The area was packed tight with bicycles.
"So many people?"
He forced his bike into a tiny gap and walked the rest of the way. Sure enough, both sides of the game shop were crowded. Those who couldn't enter squeezed against the glass window to look inside.
Oddly, the Nintendo specialty store opposite had far fewer people.
For a simple reason:
—The Famicom was still under recall. It wouldn't be back on shelves until mid-January.
Even if players went in, what could they buy?
No console!
No games!
Nintendo's 1983 production capacity had been low. First-party plus third-party combined had released only six games during launch. They were fun, yes—but half a year had passed, and everyone had already played them to exhaustion.
Players were now in a drought. Under normal circumstances, a restock of the Famicom would've drawn new customers—but too bad. With the recall, no Famicom could be bought anywhere.
Kobayashi gave a silent shake of the head, offering a moment of sympathy for Store Manager Chizan before joining the larger crowd at Shimayori's shop.
More people, more heat, more excitement.
Kobayashi instantly felt… he wasn't alone today.
He hadn't even stepped inside when someone spotted him.
"Tetsu-kun is here."
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon-kun!"
"Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"
"Awooo!"
Kobayashi glanced toward the howl.
Black Flame Dragon—clutching a small notebook—was scribbling furiously. Tetsu peeked at it and realized he was… taking field notes.
"…Wait, your family is this strict? You have to write a three-hundred-word reflection just for visiting a game store?"
Kobayashi gave him a big thumbs-up.
How hardcore.
Black Flame Dragon lifted his eyes slightly, and Kobayashi could clearly see the boy's barely-suppressed pride.
"Hmph! Know this—I'm now a special contributor for Kadokawa Game Journal!"
Kobayashi: ?!!
…What?!
Black Flame Dragon puffed his chest.
"Kadokawa sought me out personally. They revered my wisdom, treasured my insight, admired my genius. They practically begged me. So, in my boundless magnanimity, I agreed to help as an editor for one issue! It's not an official post, but I can freely enter the editorial office, play games, and provide impressions."
Tetsu finally understood.
Kadokawa Game Journal didn't originally exist—Kadokawa had scrambled to create it after Famimaga launched. To meet the deadline, they must have hired temporary helpers, including game-obsessed kids like Black Flame Dragon.
So Tetsu nodded.
"Ah… a temp assistant editor. They hired you because they were desperate."
Black Flame Dragon clenched his fist, face burning red.
"A-an assistant… is still an editor!"
The crowd burst into laughter.
"But new hardware and new game review articles still need to be written!"
He shouted proudly, "You'll see my writing in the next issue of Kadokawa Game Journal!"
"I'll buy a copy then," Tetsu replied casually.
Finally, he walked into the store. Though it was crowded, people opened a path for him.
"Oho! Tetsu-kun finally made it!"
Shimayori Youkei, grinning mysteriously, gestured at the machine on display.
"This is the new SG-2000 revision, together with the launch titles. Quite impressive—there are some changes. Guess what."
"Oh? A surprise?" Tetsu said lightly. "I thought it would be something like: 'The controller has been redesigned into a handheld gamepad with blue-white stripes, similar to the Famicom but arranged differently. The launch title Duck Hunt uses a light gun, and there's even a bundled gun. Suggested retail price: 1,980 yen.'"
Shimayori leaned backward.
You didn't know?
Why do you know more than the people who know?!
He opened the box and shoved the brand-new light gun into Tetsu's hands.
"You definitely haven't seen this kind of gun before. I've never seen anything like it—no sensor bar needed! It's practically futuristic!"
Tetsu examined it. The exterior was Sega's design, but the internal tech? Licensed from him. Each gun sold earned him 15 yen.
"Rather than high-tech," he said, "I'd call it… 'black-tech.' Like something stolen from a near-future sci-fi world rather than developed today."
Shimayori blinked.
Black-tech.
Not a bad term at all.
Black Flame Dragon scribbled at top speed.
January 1st, 1984!
A player shouted in awe—'This is black-tech!'
Suddenly there was a polite whisper behind him: "Excuse me… may I pass?"
Black Flame Dragon turned—
Saw nothing.
Looked down.
Oh. It was Koizumi.
…
…
Meanwhile, Tetsu spun the light gun stylishly, striking a few cool poses before pointing it at the console.
"Truth is, I'm not really some expert gamer. I've only made a tiny contribution—hardly worth mentioning. I actually didn't want to stand here today, but Store Owner Shimayori said, 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon-kun, I choose you!'"
"So I could only recite a poem. I said…"
"Let us begin."
He started the game.
The title screen appeared: the hunter holding a shotgun, ducks flying above, and the exaggeratedly stupid dog popping up at the bottom—its pose so ridiculous it almost looked like it wanted to jump out of the screen.
Tetsu pulled the trigger. The game began.
The previously loud store instantly fell silent.
A light-gun game—without a sensor bar. Everyone wanted to know how it worked.
A huge grassland appeared onscreen, with a lone tree.
The hunter's jeep skidded into view, he grabbed his gun, and hunting began.
Tetsu fired casually at empty air. Birds burst out in a chaotic flurry.
The dumb dog turned toward him, face animated and ridiculously smug.
Tetsu shot again—this time hitting the target.
Gunfire rang out, then an excited bark. The dog leaped into the bushes and brought back the duck.
Score +1.
Behind him, the murmurs rose.
"You can really play a light-gun game on a home console!"
"The animation is lively."
"The color palette is great—almost like a painting!"
"Kinda boring, though…"
Tetsu sneered internally.
Boring?
You haven't even seen the fun part yet.
Without turning around, he suddenly fired into empty space.
The dog jerked its head toward the player, then leapt up to the screen, filling half of it with its stupid, punchable face.
A line of tiny text appeared at the bottom:
"What are you doing?! Take this seriously!"
Behind him, the crowd exploded into perfect, synchronized laughter.
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