"Eh? You're kidding, right? How could something like this be in the President's office?"
When the little HR was sorting through gifts for the President's upcoming client visit, she inadvertently discovered that large gift box containing Mikihouse baby clothes.
This set of clothes was a bit pricey, costing around 50,000 yen, which is roughly 2,500 RMB.
However, compared to the gifts Aogi Haruhi had previously given to Hattori Yuji, this was nothing.
"That's right, why would there be something like this in the President's office?" Ishino Mika, who had wandered into the President's office by chance, opened her eyes wide as saucers.
"This can't be, right?" Ayase Akane picked up the large gift box and examined it carefully.
Truth be told, the material of this outfit was quite exquisite, and the style was very lively; it was the ideal design in Ayase Akane's mind.
The two looked at each other, both wearing expressions of disbelief.
"Does the President have a child?"
"No way, right?"
Ayase Akane and Ishino Mika looked dejected, gritting their teeth.
When did the President get a girlfriend, anyway?
If he wasn't married yet, everyone still had a chance.
But if there was a child involved, that was a different story.
"But... these are clothes for a little girl, right? So pink and cute." Ayase Akane imagined the President's child in her mind, feeling inexplicably happy.
"That's true. If it were the President's daughter, she'd surely be adorable, right?" Ishino Mika agreed.
For some reason, once they thought about how cute the child would be, whether the President was single or had a wife no longer mattered.
"Oh my~"
Just then.
Aoki Haruhi appeared from behind them and gave each of them a chop to the head.
Ishino Mika and Ayase Akane clutched their heads and both crouched down.
"That hurts, President!"
Ayase Akane stood up, clutching her head, and looked at Aoki Haruhi with a resentful expression.
"Who told you two to gossip blindly?" Aoki Haruhi glared at them fiercely, then scanned the room.
"Right, where is the gift box I told you to prepare?"
"It's right here, President!" Ayase Akane quickly pulled the gift box out from under the table and placed it on top.
It was the same as the gift for the previous client, containing a copy of the Patema Inverted game cartridge, along with a bottle of red wine and a handwritten card from Aoki Haruhi.
Aoki confirmed the content on the card, verifying it was indeed addressed to Hattori Yuji, before packing everything back up.
"Yes, this should be our last game cartridge."
"Hmm?" Ishino Mika let out a puzzled sound.
"In the future, we will fully adopt CDs for production," Aoki said. "And we'll likely focus on the PS platform; Sony's new game console has far superior performance."
Ishino Mika was slightly stunned, suddenly recalling that the company had been collaborating quite a bit with Sony recently. According to the President, it seemed they might be shifting entirely towards Sony in the future.
At the beginning, Pokeni's games were mainly released on the Nintendo platform, then they shifted to Sega, and now, not even two years later, it had become Sony.
The President really changes his mind fast.
In a way, the President is practically a scumbag.
Aoki glanced at Ishino Mika, wondering why she was looking at him with such disdain. What was wrong with making CDs?
Whether it's Sega or Sony in the future, aren't they both going down the CD route? It's mainly because CDs have a much larger capacity than cartridges.
"Oh, right, that baby clothes gift set from earlier is a present for President Hattori. His daughter was just born this month." Aoki packed up the large baby clothes gift box next to him as well.
This couldn't be mixed up; it would be terrible if he sent President Hattori's gift to President Mori instead.
"Eh?"
Ayase Akane and Ishino Mika were stunned.
So that was it?
However, the very next second, expressions of disappointment appeared on both of their faces.
Ah~ they had really hoped they would be able to see the President's adorable little daughter!
"Hm? What's with those expressions?"
***
A week later, Aoki Haruhi invited Hattori Yuji out. He had originally intended to find a Western-style restaurant for a meal, but Hattori Yuji strongly insisted on going to a nightclub in Roppongi to sit for a while.
Sitting in a luxurious booth, surrounded by familiar hostesses, Hattori Yuji puffed on a cigarette, visibly relaxing.
"I can't smoke at home; it was driving me crazy."
Right...
Aoki Haruhi thought to himself, yes, indeed, the fact that you were completely driven crazy by it is plain to see.
"But is this really okay? Hiring hostesses at a nightclub, won't your wife be angry, President Hattori?"
"Impossible!"
Hattori Yuji waved his hand dismissively. "Don't you know? At home, I have the final say on everything. If I tell her to go east, she doesn't dare to go west; if I tell her to cook, she doesn't dare go do the laundry!"
Aoki Haruhi clicked his tongue—you really are something, aren't you.
The man's face was flushed; it was clear he had drunk too much.
You certainly didn't have this kind of arrogant attitude on the phone earlier.
"Later, you should come to my house too, Aoki-san. I'll have my wife host you properly," Hattori Yuji laughed heartily, and the hostesses on both sides laughed along with him.
Having successfully concluded their business, Aoki Haruhi saw Hattori Yuji out to the shop entrance, and they parted ways there.
Aoki Haruhi watched as Hattori Yuji got into his car and sped away, shaking his head involuntarily.
***
The car traveled for a while before the driver pulled it over.
Hattori Yuji opened the window with practiced ease and tossed the Patema Inverted game cartridge into a trash can by the side of the road.
Very good.
"Aoki-san, you really have to thank me. If I had been stuck at home the whole time, this part wouldn't have happened."
I'm praying with all my heart to the God of Trash Cans, hoping that your game sells well.
Seeing the president finish his "blessing ritual," the driver silently drove on.
After a while, the driver spoke up: "By the way, President."
"Hmm?"
"You have a faint scent of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke on you. If your wife asks about it later..."
Ah, yabai!
Hattori Yuji practically sprang from his seat, sitting bolt upright. His expression turned tense, and even the effects of the alcohol seemed to wear off quite a bit.
However, he glanced at the rearview mirror and quickly composed himself.
"Hmm... find a sauna nearby first. I need to wash this scent off properly."
"Understood, President."
***
After all matters regarding distribution had been settled, the release date for "Patema Inverted" was finalized, and what followed was the promotional work.
Now, Pokeni's operations department had gained experience and had a fixed set of promotional methods, much like they had for "Blanket Man". First, they would run commercials on TV, then post posters in retail stores and on bus stop billboards, while simultaneously inviting some players to help spread the word.
News media also reported on this new game from P-Corp one after another.
In short, all promotional efforts were set in motion, all for the sake of making the game a big hit.
***
Keisuke Mita is a branch manager at a Golden Finger game store under the Dongrun Group. He was delayed by something that morning, and by the time he arrived at the store entrance, he happened to see the staff putting up posters for Pokeni's new game.
He tilted his head and looked at them. He had to admit that Pokeni's game posters were truly exquisitely made; the posters alone were in a different league compared to other games.
This sense of exquisite quality was reflected in every aspect, not just in the beautiful character designs and stunning scenes, but even the use of lighting set it apart from other games.
Take this poster for "Patema Inverted," for example. The male and female protagonists are in the center of the image, with brilliant sunlight behind them, emanating from a single point and suffusing the entire world. Yet, at the point where the light meets the two characters, it is perfectly split by the horizon into two parts: ground and sky.
The transition of the light—warm colors spreading upward from the ground, while cool colors spread downward from the horizon—made one marvel at the greatness of their artists, who could make such a game look like an animated film.
If you didn't know better, you'd really want to go to the cinema to watch it.
However...
As he kept looking, Keisuke Mita noticed something wasn't right.
He thought for a moment, then turned around, bent over, and looked backward through his legs.
"I knew it!"
"It's pasted upside down!"
Keisuke Mita quickly walked over and said to the shop staff.
"Eh? Is it upside down?" The staff member was stunned and quickly took a few steps back.
A few of them examined it for a couple of seconds. "It shouldn't be wrong. The sky is at the top, and the male protagonist is standing on the ground grabbing the heroine."
Although the heroine's posture was strange—she was completely straight and upside down, with one arm tightly gripped by the male protagonist, and under the rendering of the sunlight, the two of them were almost just a large backlit silhouette—one could still see from their movements just how much effort was being put in.
"No, no. It's wrong."
Keisuke Mita walked forward, tore the poster down, and then flipped it over and pressed it against the glass window.
"The staff at Pokeni gave instructions, you know. For this game, you have to put the sky at the bottom. Look at the text at the top."
"Ah~ indeed!"
Everyone tilted their heads to look, and only then did they notice that there was indeed a small line of text at the bottom, which read: [Patema Inverted]
Following closely after are the names of the producer [Shinji Mikami] and the scriptwriter [Gen Urobuchi].
"Oh, indeed, only with this font is it correct."
"Wow. Looking at it this way..."
The group stepped back to re-examine the poster.
With the sky now at the bottom, staring at the scene in the image made everyone's heart skip a beat.
It felt as if they were hanging on the edge of a cliff, and if they let go, they would fall and be smashed to pieces.
Except this image was even scarier—
The heroine's feet were pointing toward the infinite sky.
No one knew where they would end up if they "fell."
"It's so scary, my acrophobia is kicking in."
"Indeed. I have goosebumps all over."
"I have to say, Pokeni's original artist is truly amazing. Once you flip the poster upside down, it gives off a completely different vibe; that feeling of fear from deep within instantly surges up."
Like countless little snakes, it gnawed at everyone's nerves.
This was the fear of heights ingrained in human DNA.
What's most terrifying is that when the sky is at the bottom, that sense of fear is amplified infinitely.
"However, there's a line of small text here that's upside down," another staff member said, pointing to the [ground] area.
"Oh, you're right."
This was Aoki Haruhi's special intention. To embody the different perspectives of the male and female protagonists, he specifically incorporated two inverted elements when designing the poster.
The poster for Patema Inverted was crafted quite exquisitely, going far beyond their usual understanding of what a poster could be.
"Is this the comeback work of Kogahara Tsubakiaki?" one of the employees asked, puzzled.
"Doesn't look like it. Looking at the poster and related news, it seems to be produced by Mikami Shinji. Kogahara Tsubakiaki just returned to Pokeni, so it's impossible for anything to be ready this quickly."
"Yeah, it's normal for games to take a year or eighteen months to develop, and it's not unheard of for some to take several years."
"Ah... damn it, I really want to play the new game made by the Old Thief Kohara sooner!"
"Alright, enough talking." Keisuke Mita felt an ache in his arm. "Come and help me stick this up. Are you all just standing there in a daze?!"
"Oh, right, Store Manager."
The group finally snapped out of it and hurried over to help hold down the corners.
***
April 26, 1994.
Tokyo.
Nintendo Co., Ltd.
4:55 PM.
Shigeru Miyamoto raised his hand, checked his watch, and seeing that it was almost time, set down his work and walked into the conference room.
Several colleagues were already seated inside, waiting.
Seeing Miyamoto enter the room, a young, short man said earnestly, "Miyamoto-san, it's about to start."
Miyamoto nodded slightly and pulled up a chair to sit down.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the large color TV in the conference room.
Tonight, the PV for Pokeni's new work, "Patema Inverted," would be broadcast on television.
Shigeru Miyamoto was usually busy to the point of exhaustion; logically, he shouldn't have had the leisure to watch such a thing, much less attach such importance to it.
However, after seeing news related to this game a few days ago, his curiosity had been piqued.
Moreover, having just been scolded by Hiroshi Yamauchi, he felt that regardless of anything else, even a small company like Pokeni that could earn the favor of Hayao Miyazaki had to be re-evaluated. He needed to see what they were doing that made them so excellent.
And so, this gathering came to be.
***
A few people sat up straight, and after a few minutes, the PV for "Patema Inverted" began playing on the TV right on time.
On the screen appeared a short-haired girl with a backpack, jumping through underground facilities; these massive, metallic-colored underground structures were like a labyrinth.
Majestic, epic-sounding music started to play.
Shigeru Miyamoto's eyes lit up.
This style felt a bit like cyberpunk.
[Two worlds extending in opposite directions]
[They explore each other, time and time again]
[Time and time again, drifting further apart]
The scene switched to the surface.
The male and female protagonists held onto each other's arms, with the heroine, Patema, hanging straight upside down against the sky, as if she were about to be sucked into the air currents above.
Just then, as the music continued to build, the entire TV screen began to rotate.
The light in the center pierced through the screen, forming a dividing line between the ground and the sky, following the camera's rotation like a sword piercing the heavens.
The entire image flipped, turning so that the sky was below.
Below lay layers upon layers of a sea of clouds, extending to the endless horizon.
"Wow~"
Just from seeing the trailer, Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto from Nintendo couldn't help but clap in admiration.
"Ah~ such powerful creative ability!"
"This method of combining gravity reversal with the flipping of the sky and ground is just so interesting!"
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