In truth, the sales of Ice Block Smash were slightly worse than Motocross, and far inferior to Jörmungandr.
But Kobayashi Tetsu wasn't surprised.
This had been a project meant to let the Second Development Division break in and build chemistry. There had been no large-scale promotion, and the quality wasn't perfect either. Achieving this result—sixty thousand units sold in the first week—was already something other companies could only look up to in envy.
Over its full product life cycle, it was a title fully capable of reaching a million in sales.
"About time, I suppose." Kobayashi Tetsu glanced at his wristwatch.
It was already getting late, yet he hadn't left. He had deliberately waited outside the rented apartment building of the Second Development Division. Yuji Naka had already departed earlier—Kobayashi Tetsu had an important task for him.
That AE86 had only been driven once by Kobayashi Tetsu himself—a practically new car—and he had now given it straight to the Second Development Division.
Today, Kobayashi Tetsu was riding in Kentaro's car, with Koizumi naturally still acting as the driver.
The moment Satoru Iwata appeared downstairs, Kobayashi Tetsu stood up at once.
"Let's go. Follow the guy ahead. Stop beside him after two streets."
Koizumi acknowledged calmly and drove off.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up next to Iwata, honked lightly, and stopped in front of him.
Iwata looked up in confusion at the black luxury sedan before him.
Kobayashi Tetsu leaned out the window.
"Iwata, why are you out here alone?"
"President!" Iwata snapped to attention. "Work's finished, so I came out for a walk. I'll head straight home in a bit."
The trophy had been kept by Masahito Tanimura, but that didn't matter. The bonus was real, the salary in his account was real—he could still go home and give an explanation.
Kobayashi Tetsu casually opened the rear door.
"Get in. I'll take you back."
"Yes."
Iwata didn't refuse and got into the back seat.
Kobayashi Tetsu said, "Iwata, you look like you've got something on your mind. Care to talk about it?"
"Yes—"
Iwata hesitated, choosing his words carefully, then spoke only of what he could say.
"I met Tanimura back when I was in university. By chance, we were playing games in the same computer room. We had similar interests, so we became friends. He said he and a few like-minded partners had founded HAL Laboratory—what's now Atlus's Second Development Division—and asked if I wanted to join. Of course, I said yes."
Kobayashi Tetsu interrupted, "Which university did you attend, Iwata?"
Iwata replied, "Tokyo Institute of Technology. I majored in information engineering."
Kobayashi Tetsu fell silent.
Tokyo Institute of Technology carried immense prestige. Its research strength was top-tier—not only in Japan, but internationally as well.
This was what it meant to be a graduate of a truly elite university.
Iwata continued, "After that, I joined HAL and stayed until now. Since HAL was an unknown small studio for a long time, my parents weren't very happy about it. But I felt… I felt—"
He fell silent as well, sensing that what came next wasn't appropriate to say to Kobayashi Tetsu.
After joining HAL, Iwata had contributed to many projects: early MSX titles, the editor mode of Motocross, and now Ice Block Smash.
As a graduate of Tokyo Institute of Technology, in the 1980s, Satoru Iwata could proudly say he was one of society's chosen few.
Out of friendship and loyalty, he had turned down offers from major companies and chosen instead to start a venture with Masahito Tanimura.
But now, he felt that the bond between friends was slowly drifting apart.
He still regarded Tanimura as a friend—but Tanimura no longer seemed to feel the same.
Kobayashi Tetsu didn't ask further. Iwata also remained silent, only occasionally giving Koizumi directions, until the car reached its destination.
"That's my home," Iwata said, pointing roughly. "After graduating, I talked it over with my family and settled here."
Many parts of Tokyo were still underdeveloped, and the area before them was a typical development zone, with relatively low housing costs.
Kobayashi Tetsu took a brief look, then said, "Iwata, would you mind inviting me up for a bit?"
Iwata froze slightly, and Kobayashi Tetsu added, "Some things are troublesome to explain without proof. If I go up in Sega's name to say hello, it'll be easier to handle."
For the older generation, the name Atlus might not carry much weight—they didn't necessarily play games. But Sega's banner was more than enough to serve as a standard.
Iwata quickly came back to himself and bowed deeply to Kobayashi Tetsu.
"I'm deeply grateful for your kindness!"
He got out of the car and hurried around to open the door for Kobayashi Tetsu.
Kobayashi Tetsu, meanwhile, urged Koizumi a few times.
"Park the car somewhere obvious, where they can see it. Lean there and smoke."
Koizumi didn't speak, only nodded cooperatively.
Truth be told, he really wanted to ask Kobayashi Tetsu—
Is this really necessary?
He couldn't see anything particularly special about this round-faced young man named Satoru Iwata that would warrant such an elaborate effort.
But Koizumi wouldn't ask, and didn't want to ask.
His job was to drive. As long as he drove well, nothing else was his concern.
Kobayashi Tetsu followed Iwata into the apartment building.
Iwata had been born in Hokkaido. Although his years of study had made his standard Japanese quite fluent, his parents were typical Hokkaido locals, with very strong accents.
Upon first meeting them, Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't understand much of what they were saying.
From their attitude alone, however, it was clear that the couple held quite a bit of dissatisfaction toward Iwata.
Kobayashi Tetsu wasn't surprised at all.
If it were him—if a son who had graduated from top universities suddenly went to work at some unknown startup founded by a few people—he wouldn't be happy either.
Despite the cold looks, he was still their son. Observing carefully, Kobayashi Tetsu could tell that Mrs. Iwata cared more about her son. After taking Iwata's coat, she looked at Kobayashi Tetsu, bowed to him, and then left.
As for Mr. Iwata, he said something in a thick accent that Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't understand.
Iwata took a deep breath, steeled himself, and spoke quickly.
"Father, this gentleman isn't my colleague—he's my superior. He's the president of Atlus Studio. I'm currently working in Atlus Studio's Second Development Division."
Mr. Iwata's expression changed instantly.
Kobayashi Tetsu tried his best to pick out a few recognizable words.
"You should've done this earlier! That fellow 'Tanimura'—just hearing the name, he doesn't sound reliable."
Iwata smiled apologetically and said nothing.
Kobayashi Tetsu inclined his head slightly.
"I'm sorry to intrude so suddenly without bringing any gifts," he said. "Is there a place here where I can see the street outside?"
"This way," Iwata said, hurrying ahead.
Kobayashi Tetsu opened the window and, sure enough, could see Koizumi standing by the car on the street.
At this distance, there was no need to raise his voice.
"Koizumi, go buy a gift."
Koizumi bowed in that direction, answered loudly with a "Yes," and jogged off to a nearby shop.
Mr. Iwata blinked. In that instant, the Hokkaido civil servant deduced something important.
That car didn't look cheap at all.
Given Kobayashi Tetsu's age, it all seemed a little strange.
But the car couldn't be faked. And he had also noticed the bulge at Kobayashi Tetsu's waist.
In later years, that would simply mean a phone with a large screen.
But right now, it meant only one thing.
Kobayashi Tetsu actually had a pager.
Just the monthly fee alone cost tens of thousands of yen. Something that expensive wasn't even easily lent to others—if it broke, the pain would be unbearable.
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