On the stage, Kobayashi Tetsu wheeled the display stand forward, presenting the Golden Sonic statue to Tajiri Satoshi.
After three rounds of competition, Tajiri Satoshi had indisputably taken first place. He had already proven his exceptional talent, rendering Kobayashi Tetsu's formal acknowledgment unnecessary.
"Tajiri-kun, congratulations! As the only participant to find the golden coin, you've won the grand prize of this competition."
"The Golden Sonic statue!"
Tajiri Satoshi remained silent, his gaze fixed on the resin display case, his eyes distant.
He wasn't particularly interested in material rewards, but the moment he saw the statue, Tajiri Satoshi felt an unprecedented sense of honor—a feeling he had never experienced before.
A microphone was held before him. Tajiri Satoshi hesitated, then spoke, his voice trembling:
"I'm very happy."
After a long pause, encouraged by Kobayashi Tetsu's supportive gaze, he continued:
"The last time I was this happy was when I was playing Space Invaders at the arcade. The boss told me, 'Satoshi, you don't need to come back anymore.' He gave me a Space Invaders arcade machine. I sold it and bought a computer, then made a computer version of Space Invaders. But they said I couldn't sell it because it would violate copyright."
"Later, when I went to Tokyo for school, I really loved Iron Plate Formation. It was so much fun! I wrote a strategy guide to teach my friends how to get the highest score in the game."
"Namco's legal team said I leaked their confidential information—they threatened to sue me—and everyone stopped talking to me."
Tajiri Satoshi looked like he was about to cry.
It was a truly miserable time, forcing him to hole up in Shinjuku arcades. That's when he first really got to know Atlas.
Fortunately, Kobayashi Tetsu didn't sue him.
Kobayashi Tetsu didn't interrupt. He simply listened quietly as this unusual young man recounted his painful life over the past twenty years.
Tajiri Satoshi choked back tears, wiped his eyes, and finally bowed deeply to everyone present.
After a moment, he belatedly remembered something, turned to Kobayashi Tetsu, and bowed again.
He leaned close to the transparent resin, his face pressed against the case, meeting the gaze of Sonic inside.
Kobayashi Tetsu finally spoke.
"Satoshi, what would you like me to write?"
Tajiri Satoshi thought for a moment. "Today is the happiest day of my life," he said.
Kobayashi Tetsu pulled out a signing pen and inscribed the words in the reserved space.
"Today is the happiest day of my life. April 21, 1986. Kobayashi Tetsu."
After the event concluded, Kobayashi Tetsu might need to arrange protection for Tajiri Satoshi. After all, "a man is innocent until he possesses something valuable," and Tajiri Satoshi wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Kobayashi Tetsu feared someone might knock him unconscious with a brick the moment he stepped outside.
After all, Tajiri Satoshi was walking out with sixty million yen!
"Tajiri-kun."
Kobayashi Tetsu leaned in close, lowering his voice.
"If you're interested in the game industry, feel free to contact me anytime. Atlas welcomes you to join our studio and create whatever games you want."
Tajiri Satoshi remained silent, his eyes wide open, seemingly brimming with anger, ready to punch or be punched at any moment.
It was hard to tell if he'd even heard a word.
As Tajiri Satoshi returned to his seat, the main event of the banquet finally concluded.
All eyes were fixed on Tajiri Satoshi and the Sonic Statue cradled in his arms, the spotlight following him wherever he moved.
Kobayashi Tetsu invited Masanobu Endo onto the stage to give a brief presentation about Demon Tower, then asked Higashino Miki to discuss the game's soundtrack.
The words that followed were prompted by Kobayashi Tetsu; Higashino Miki merely voiced them casually.
"I'm honored to have composed the soundtrack for Demon Tower. And I'm delighted to see some new faces at this competition."
Swish!
The spotlight illuminated a corner of the banquet hall.
Everyone turned to see several young girls sitting there.
Anegasaki Nene bowed gracefully toward the camera.
In truth, her contribution had been minimal—she had simply provided some film references to aid in solving puzzles.
Koyakawa, however, was visibly excited, standing up and waving enthusiastically.
Only Takamine Aika seemed uneasy—she had secretly come to play without her parents' knowledge, never expecting to be thrust into the spotlight. She tilted her head, avoiding direct eye contact.
An Asahi TV reporter snapped a photo, but the shot only captured a blurry image of Koyakawa, Anegasaki Nene with her head bowed, and Takamine Aika turned away, leaving only a white hair ribbon fluttering in the air.
Oh no...
The reporter sighed inwardly. By the time she tried to take another shot, the three girls had already risen to take the stage.
Though they hadn't been formally notified, past experience had prepared them for this moment.
"I'm surprised to see girls participating in this puzzle game—and not only that, but also achieving such commendable results."
Not bad. Combined, the three hadn't managed to place in the top hundred, but they could at least consider themselves to have finished the game.
This didn't hinder Higashino Miki's smile. "So, these are special prizes for special players."
The three wristbands were simple in design, their value not immediately apparent, yet their craftsmanship was exquisite—though in truth, they weren't particularly expensive. Compared to the sixty-million-yen Sonic statue, the cost of the three wristbands was negligible.
Higashino Miki, also a woman, personally placed the wristbands on each of the three players.
"Your prizes—"
Koyakawa looked down at the wristband, then glanced toward the side of the stage where Kobayashi Tetsu stood, arms crossed, a warm smile directed toward the stage.
Koyakawa couldn't help but think, Ah, Tetsu-kun is smiling at me!
Anegasaki Nene pursed her lips, thinking, Ah, I hope Koyakawa doesn't notice.
Takamine Aika met the gaze briefly before lowering her head to examine the wristband. I hope my parents don't find out I was here. But if she wasn't worried about that, she'd have to admit it had been a truly wonderful spring break.
And he brought home a souvenir.
Wonderful!
The four-month competition had drawn in three million game coins from overseas players and countless sleepless nights from domestic gamers.
Setting aside the puzzle competition, the game itself was also of outstanding quality, a true pioneer in its field.
What his competitors thought was no longer Kobayashi Tetsu's concern.
Today, the Atlas office stood empty. Kobayashi Tetsu had dismissed everyone, granting them a two-week vacation.
On the whiteboard, he scribbled down his post-vacation action plan: three items.
First, continue expanding the team, aiming for around fifty members.
Second, Street Fighter!
Third, JRPGs!
Hironobu Sakaguchi had already established Square, and Dragon Quest I was on the horizon, its release imminent.
Fortunately, Sakaguchi hadn't yet had the chance to develop another major work—
"Forget it! It's vacation time! I'm going out to have fun!"
Kobayashi Tetsu casually wiped the whiteboard clean and left the Atlas office, the last one to depart.
Destination: Daitokuji Temple. Time to enjoy the cherry blossoms!
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