"Manager, I—I'm volunteering to work overtime!"
That evening, Noriyoshi Ohba made his request to Iwata Satoru.
Iwata Satoru glanced at Ohba, his gaze sweeping over him, before shaking his head in refusal. "What are you thinking? Atlas doesn't have a tradition of overtime. Even if you volunteer, it still depends on the work schedule."
Ohba was driven to despair.
But I want to work overtime! How else am I supposed to complete the mission?
Nakayama Hayao had already given him his orders: obtain the source code for this screen-splitting technology. It seemed simple enough—all he needed was a floppy disk. But he had no chance to use one. Aside from Kobayashi Tetsu's locked office, his only option was to use the computers in the Third Division's Megami Group.
Working overtime was the only way. Otherwise, once the power was cut at night, no one would be able to turn on the computers.
Ohba racked his brain, desperately trying to convince Iwata Satoru.
"Please, Manager! I'm just so eager to improve! I want to achieve something that will get the President's attention. I want to become a game producer!"
Iwata Satoru looked down at Noriyoshi Ohba, who was bowing deeply, and seemed convinced.
"Alright, just this once. Take some time to study the level design for Project MG."
Metal Gear. That's why it's Project MG.
As if granted a royal pardon, Noriyoshi Ohba nodded frantically and bowed again.
Yes!
He knew Iwata Satoru was easy to manipulate!
After everyone else had left, Noriyoshi Ohba deliberately pretended to work at his computer. He was relieved that the surveillance system wasn't fully operational yet—cameras were only in the hallways, not inside the offices. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known what to do.
He waited until nightfall before finally grabbing a floppy disk and tiptoeing over to Kobayashi Tetsu's office.
The door was locked, as expected. Noriyoshi Ohba wasn't surprised at all; Kobayashi Tetsu had never given him a key, always opening the door himself.
That's fine, there's still the Megami Group's computers!
Noriyoshi Ohba went straight to Koji Okada's computer, opened the language compiler, and scanned the screen with his eyes, searching for the code that implemented the special technique.
"Can't find it... Whatever, I'll just copy everything!"
He transferred all the data he could see onto the floppy disk in one go. The transfer speed was slow, but Noriyoshi Ohba wasn't in a hurry. After all, no one knew what he was doing.
Only after the data transfer was complete and Noriyoshi Ohba had shut down the computer and ejected the floppy disk did a smile finally spread across his face.
Perfect!
Now I can finally get that special bonus Hayao Nakayama announced.
One million yen!
"But wait—"
A thought suddenly struck Noriyoshi Ohba's otherwise muddled mind.
Atlas always gave bonuses after completing a project, and Tetsu Kobayashi always paid them in US dollars.
Last time, after Development Division 2 finished Red Fortress, Tetsu Kobayashi had given each member of the Second Division ten thousand dollars.
At the current exchange rate, that was roughly between 1.2 million and 1.5 million yen.
Noriyoshi Ohba took a sharp breath.
Damn it!
Hayao Nakayama is a cheapskate!
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a flash went off, blinding him for a moment.
Immediately after, a voice he'd heard a thousand times rang out.
"Ohba, what do you think you're doing?!"
Noriyoshi Ohba looked up in shock to find Satoru Iwata standing there, with Kunio Taki beside him, fiddling with a camera.
Kunio Taki looked up at Satoru Iwata.
"Iwata-kun, this is how you use a camera, right? Oh, this is my first time using one. I should have gotten everything on film, right?"
Photos!
Noriyoshi Ohba's blood ran cold. The October air suddenly felt colder than December.
I'm screwed!
"Manager, I—I—" Noriyoshi Ohba stammered, struggling to find the words.
But Iwata Satoru simply waved him off. "These photos will be published in the news and sent to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Get ready to rot in jail!"
A fresh wave of dread washed over Noriyoshi Ohba.
However, as he stared at Iwata Satoru, a bold idea suddenly struck him.
Iwata Satoru looks like a pushover! If I can just grab him hostage, I might be able to turn the tables!
Noriyoshi Ohba feigned a few tentative steps, then suddenly roared and lunged at Iwata Satoru.
Iwata Satoru had developed games at Atlas and was the manager of Development Division 2. If he were to get hurt, the consequences would be catastrophic!
Yet, Iwata Satoru merely watched with cold indifference, not moving an inch.
At the critical moment, Kunio Taki stepped forward and delivered a brutal kick to Noriyoshi Ohba's knee, taking him down instantly.
"What a joke! You think I'm not a Bōsōzoku just because I'm old? When I was young, I could've taken down ten of you!" Kunio Taki casually smoothed his hair.
Back in the day, my hair was permed just like a steak!
At Sega Corporation.
Kobayashi Tetsu walked and ate, holding a box of battleship rolls.
"Yo! Manager Tanaka, long time no see. Is Old Man Nakayama around?"
Tanaka Minoru gasped. "Call him President!"
Kobayashi Tetsu said, "He's a president, and I'm a president. Why doesn't he respect me?"
Tanaka Minoru sighed in resignation. He was used to Kobayashi Tetsu's personality by now, so he simply told him where Nakayama Hayao was.
Nakayama Hayao was indeed at the company at that time, so Kobayashi Tetsu had arrived at the perfect moment.
In the office, Kobayashi Tetsu pushed the door open and strode in. Nakayama Hayao was reviewing documents. When he saw Kobayashi Tetsu, he was initially stunned, then broke into a smile. "Tetsu, no, President Kobayashi, it's been a long time. What brings you here? I heard Atlas is developing a new game for the MD. Keep it up! Sega will give Atlas its full support."
"Not so fast," Kobayashi Tetsu said, casually handing him the box. "Want something to eat?"
Nakayama Hayao looked completely bewildered.
Why would I want to eat something now?!
Seeing him shake his head, Kobayashi Tetsu sighed. "I can still eat, so how come you can't? Could there be some special reason?"
With a thud, Kobayashi Tetsu tossed an envelope onto the desk.
The manila envelope was thin, and its contents were clearly not money.
Nakayama Hayao looked down, only to see Kobayashi Tetsu making a gesture of invitation.
"What's with all the secrecy—Hiss!"
Nakayama Hayao fell silent instantly.
This was the exact same scene where Noriyoshi Ohba had been caught red-handed.
Nakayama Hayao couldn't help but curse in his mind.
That bastard Noriyoshi Ohba!
From the look of it, there was no doubt: Noriyoshi Ohba had already thrown him under the bus.
"Damn it! I treated you well! I was going to give you a million-yen bonus if you pulled this off! Couldn't you at least take the rap for me at the critical moment?!"
Nakayama Hayao quickly slid the photos back into the envelope, his expression returning to its usual calm.
But his eyes betrayed the turmoil raging within.
"Xiao Che, tell me your terms. But don't forget, you're practically half-Sega yourself."
Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't help but laugh.
"Wake up! Why didn't you say that when Atlas was developing so many games for Sega? You can save that line for when you're trying to kidnap my dad."
Kobayashi Tetsu tapped the photos casually. "This story will be in the papers soon. If you don't want the word 'Sega' mentioned in it, you'll give me your media resources. Until the game's release next month, I want to see a full press blitz praising the Megami Group, Megami Tensei, and this new technology. And of course, you'll be footing the bill—after all, you're the one who sent the people out in the first place."
Seeing Nakayama Hayao's expression as he struggled to find words, Kobayashi Tetsu pushed the box forward again.
"Want some?"
As if giving up in despair, Nakayama Hayao took the box and started stuffing gunkan-maki into his mouth.
I'm about to blow millions of yen on this; the least I can do is eat some gunkan-maki Kobayashi Tetsu brought me personally!
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