Chapter 240: A Long Time Has Passed
Sigh...
I opened my eyes a moment later, stirred by the sound of the wind rustling the leaves by the lakeside. Startled, I jumped up from my seat as the fishing line plunged into the water with a splash.
"It's here!! It's here!!!"
Judging by the sensation in my fingertips, it was undoubtedly a sizable catch.
"Argh!!!"
The fishing chair tumbled backward, making a raucous noise, but I focused, exerting force on my legs as I quickly began reeling in the tightly stretched fishing line.
"Anyone seeing this would think I'm catching tuna by the seaside, not some lake fish! Why are they so strong!?"
Tug-tug-splash!!
Apparently, this one didn't want to be caught by me. To resist this much...
Well, I've been here for two hours. Even you must be caught to save face!
Splash!!
With an ominous sensation in my hands, the creature at the other end of the line was pulled up and, with a twist, plunged back into the lakeside.
"Ha... this is insane..."
"Dad, did you miss the fish?"
I nodded with a reddened face in response to Seolhyun's voice from behind.
"Should I just give up? I might not catch a single one until Grandpa arrives."
"Ugh... probably. I might hear about this from the expert adults."
Sighing, I pulled up the fishing line, and Seolhyun approached, sitting down beside me.
"When are you going to catch a fish? Mom asked me to inquire. She said Grandpa is almost here."
"Oh... really?"
Oh no, this is bad. I boasted about making spicy Korean stew, but I haven't caught a single fish yet. When Grandpa arrives, I need to have something to show!
Splash~!!
With the sound of the splash, a creature emerged from the water. I smiled triumphantly and set up the fallen chair for Seolhyun.
"Let's see, where were we in our conversation?"
"We were talking about the PVP system!!"
"Oh, right. That's it. Seolhyun has a good memory, doesn't she?"
With my praise, Seolhyun stuck out her tongue playfully and looked at me with a mischievous expression.
"So, what happened then?"
"Well? It was chaos. Right after the Pentagon Conference ended, almost half the people, instead of looking back, rushed to Akihabara during our camping trip."
"Wow... that must have been fun."
"After the Pentagon Conference, there was a scheduled conference for NEGA. Nagata-san, who was the promotion model for Saturn, was desperate to grab any users leaving the venue."
Even now, thinking about that time makes me chuckle involuntarily.
&
"Hey, you there!! Play Saturn~!!"
"You too, play it a lot~!!"
"What!?"
Nagata Sanshiro, who moved around shouting orders to users with a tough concept, frowned at the young user's response.
After about a quarter of the audience left following the Pentagon conference, the venue was thrown into chaos.
"What's going on? Why are those people acting like that?"
"Pentagon announced the release of Dragon Emblem!!"
"What did they say? When is it going to be released?"
"Today!! I'm going to buy it first~!!"
"Wa-wait. I'm coming too!!"
I had some expectations, but seeing the entire audience rapidly decreasing from the stage, I had no choice but to descend from the stage with nothing to say.
&
"Hahaha. Dad, you're in trouble. You've caused trouble for other creators who have been waiting for the Tokyo Game Show that day."
"Right. But the Tokyo Game Show isn't just held for a day. Although some people left, there were still many visitors coming back the next day."
"I see..."
At that moment, Yuki's voice came from the camping site near the lakeside.
"Seolhyun, can you help Mom for a bit?"
"Sure. I'll be right there~ Mom, Dad hasn't caught a single fish. What should we do?"
"It's okay. Grandpa will come later and pull up all the fish here at the lakeside."
"..."
"You should come over here and take a break too."
"Hmm... maybe..."
At Yuki's suggestion, I fixed the fishing rod and headed towards the camping site.
"Dad, will you buy me a phone when the exams are over next week?"
"A phone? Why does an elementary school student need a phone?"
"All my friends in the class almost have one! You promised to buy me one if I did well on the last exam! Besides, I'm already 10 years old!"
As I returned to the camping site, Seolhyun kept holding my arm and pestering me. Eventually, she let go after receiving a scolding from Yuki.
"Seolhyun, did you ask Dad for a phone again?"
"Pfft~ Mom heard what Dad promised last time."
...So, I got a good scolding in the bedroom. What kind of phone does a child need...
While I was chopping vegetables on the cutting board, I avoided Yuki's sharp gaze by turning my head.
"Uh, where's the radio? Did I leave it in the car?"
Certainly, this is why parenting requires ample discussion with one's spouse.
Of course, a phone is a common essential item these days, but Yuki opposed it due to educational reasons, making it difficult to persuade her.
To change the subject, I rummaged through the recently purchased camper and took out a portable radio, hanging it on the camper's awning.
Squeak~!! Click!!
Raising the antenna and adjusting the dial to tune in the frequency, a familiar song played on the radio after a while.
If, by chance,
I could throw everything away,
Would living with a smile become a bit easier?
Because my heart hurts again.
Now, please don't say anything.
"Ah..."
Yuki, who was chopping vegetables, paused and looked at the radio, captivated by her song.
At that moment, Seolhyun, who was transferring ingredients to a plate next to Yuki, grinned and spoke up, "Hey? Wasn't this Kanna unnie's song? But unnie's voice is completely different..."
"Tsukaki's voice... it's been a long time, Junhyuk."
"Yeah, it has..."
I sat down on a nearby table chair, hanging the radio on the eaves, and whispered softly, "Really long time, Tsukaki..."
Even now, occasionally, when I close my eyes, memories of that day come back. The clean hospital corridor, bathed in sunlight, and her smile leaning against the window...
We stayed silent, reminiscing about Tsukaki until her song ended.
"Um, I'll be right back, need to use the restroom..."
Unable to hold back her tears any longer, Yuki hurriedly left her seat, and Seolhyun, grinning, asked me, "Mom... did she cry just now? Oh, and did Dad cry too?"
"No, didn't cry."
I forced a smile, wiping away tears with my fingertips, at Seolhyun's voice.
"Today marks the 10th anniversary of the song 'If' by Sawano Tsukaki, who left this world. The song debuted more than a decade ago in the virtual idol game Venture Idol. If there's anyone listening who enjoyed Venture Idol back then, you might be shedding tears secretly right now. Time really flies... 10 years... I loved that game so much back then..."
"Oh, Sakai-san, have you ever tried Venture Idol?"
"Of course. Who do you think I am? I went all the way to Akihabara to buy Street Fire 2 after punking the broadcast. Ah, right. I heard the president of the agency scolded you a lot back then."
"Well, that's true. I was really on the verge of getting fired. Because of the busy broadcast schedule, I couldn't even make it to their live performance. Anyway, ten years ago, Venture Idol was truly amazing. They even performed at the Tokyo Dome the fall after their debut."
"I remember, just a month before that performance, Tsukaki passed away, right?"
"I didn't see it in person, but they say the performance that day was a sea of tears. Especially, after Kanna took over for Tsukaki and sang 'If' as the last song, she collapsed from exhaustion. There were even attempts of suicide from fans who wanted to follow her."
"Among them, five actually died. Thanks to the massive influx of visitors mourning her from all over Japan, the funeral was delayed for a week. Pentacon had to hold an official press conference, urging users to refrain from extreme actions..."
While listening to the radio broadcast, I swallowed a forced laughter.
"It was really overwhelming..."
Sawano Tsukaki. Even now, thinking about her name makes my heart heavy.
She left behind five songs, including 'Hold Me Tight' and 'If.' Among them, 'If,' co-created with Kanna, was the most highly praised.
Her death was one of the most difficult events for gamers to accept at that time. Due to the mourning visitors from all over Japan, the funeral was delayed for a week, and there were several suicide attempts to follow her. Among them, five actually died.
Because of this, it became a significant social issue, and even Pentacon had to hold an official press conference urging users to refrain from extreme actions...
It was around the time I resigned from Pentacon, just after the Tokyo Dome event of Venture Idol.
After Tsukaki's funeral and spending some time in a daze, I officially stepped down from my position at Pentacon.
Despite the efforts of many employees, including Mr. Kawaguchi and Mr. Morita, to persuade me otherwise, I couldn't turn back.
Since then, for a few years, Mr. Kamauichi, the president of Mintendo, tried relentlessly to bring me back, but every time, I shook my head.
Mintendo was going through a tough time in 2005.
Despite Mr. Kamauichi's final offer to step down from his position, I didn't want to return to Mintendo without Mr. Kawaguchi.
Eight years ago, in the summer of 1997, I resigned from Mintendo due to the failure of the virtual reality game console 'Venture Boy.'
Mr. Gunpei, who knew about the future, could have avoided the traffic accident that led to his death, but it seemed he had a pre-existing illness.
At that time, while listening to the radio together, Seolhyun's voice rang out, "Oh! Grandpa~!!!"
"Oh, our granddaughter, have you been well?"
As I stood up from the table, the master craftsman's voice reached my ears. Holding a plate full of food with both hands, he grinned and said to me, "You. Still haven't caught a single fish, huh?"
"Fishing is harder than it looks."
"Gamers have been catching them quite well lately. Tsk tsk..."
Author's Note:
I had a lot of thoughts while writing this part.
Honestly, it's been a concern for a few days now.
I mentioned earlier that I would conclude the story of the game market in about 10 volumes...
Writing one more volume seemed like it would end up being a repetitive episode.
I also felt this during the recent episodes, and it's a part I've been thinking about.
It's difficult to say exactly how many episodes will be the end, but I plan to conclude the story of Game Market 1983 by reminiscing about the past little by little.
Farewells will be saved for later as the story is not over yet.
Thank you for reading today... ^^
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