"What's that...? What is it?"
The figure swaying from side to side with a rope around its neck did not look like a normal character by any means.
"When passing that thing, you have to hold your breath and sneak by. If it catches you, it's going to be a pain..."
Upon my advice, Miyazaki checked her breath gauge and slowly approached the figure.
Fortunately, the figure with a noose around its neck had its back turned, oblivious to the approaching protagonist.
Kheeek... Kheeek...
Accompanied by an eerie sound, the figure swaying in the hallway made the girl playing the game halt her breath.
In that moment,
"Where are you going...?"
"Scream!!!"
Startled by the chilling voice coming from the TV, Miyazaki let out a scream. Simultaneously, her hand slipped from the Y button, which controlled the protagonist's breathing.
"Run!"
Even if she stopped breathing after being detected by the ghost, it would be of no use.
In response to my shout, Miyazaki pressed the B button to make the protagonist quickly move to the end of the corridor.
At that moment, the lifeless body hanging by the neck dropped to the ground with a thud, flipping backward like a scene from the movie "The Exorcist," and started crawling on all fours.
At an incredibly fast pace...
"Scream!!!"
Terrified by the fast-approaching figure with a grotesque movement, Miyazaki continued to scream and run.
"There are stairs over there! Quickly, go to the second floor!"
While screaming, Miyazaki managed to understand my instructions and manipulated the protagonist to climb the stairs.
The screen changed, revealing a dimly lit second-floor corridor.
However, the sound of footsteps pursuing the protagonist was still audible.
"What do we do now?"
"Go into the classroom and hide."
She opened the door to the classroom in front of her and entered. This time, the location changed, and they were inside a classroom with desks lined up in rows.
"For now, use the directional keys to hide. Press up to hide above the desk, and press down to hide under the desk."
And at that moment, she decided to hide under the desk. Hmm? Isn't that a not-so-good idea?
But it was already too late.
Drrrrum...
As the classroom door opened, Miyazaki automatically held her breath, even without my instructions.
Thud... Thud... Thud... The ghost, which was now close to the desk where the protagonist was hiding, started to wander in front of it.
"Huff... Huff..."
Like the protagonist in the game, she held her breath, her shoulders trembling. After a while, as the ghost left the classroom, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, when she let go of the Y button...
Tatatatatatatatatatatata!!!! With a frenzied sound effect, the figure re-entered the classroom.
And the moment the protagonist, hidden under the desk, made eye contact with it.
"Found you..."
The face of a woman, upside-down, tears streaming down her face as she laughed, zoomed in on the screen, turning it red.
-GAME OVER.-
"How was it, Miyazaki?"
But she remained silent, gripping the controller tightly with both hands.
"Miyazaki?"
I called out to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. Her body slumped to the side like a limp doll.
Ugh!! She fainted!?
"Miyazaki!? Miyazaki!!"
"Manager... Ugh... What... What just happened..."
"What's the matter?"
"I thought I was going to die of fright!!"
"Well, it's fun because of that..."
Ding~ Ding ding ding~ Ding ding ding~ Ding ding ding~ As the theme music of the prologue played and the screen returned to the start, Miyazaki switched off all the buttons of the Super Family.
It seemed like she was quite shocked.
"Are you okay?"
"Manager, what about Uchimura-san?"
"Maybe... with a few more tries, she'll build up some immunity."
"She seems a bit timid to me..."
"Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that."
"Yes? What is it?"
"You shouldn't leave this cartridge in the Super Family for too long."
"Why?"
"Because it has a device for electroshock therapy... Leaving it in for a long time can lead to some interesting results."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... let's just say that the Super Family, even with the power off, turns itself on automatically."
"Eek..."
"It's a feature I was considering for the official release, but for now, it's included in the trial version. Uchimura-kun, do you think she'll be okay?"
That night, I ended up driving Miyazaki home, and only then was I able to return home.
&
The uncanny illustrations of Valentine's Day were heavily influenced by the Tamago Monster Contest. (I entrusted Morita with the illustrations, but his rendition of a very bizarre yokai, with a look that could devour a man's virility, made me give up on the idea.) Besides the cute monster designs needed for the Tamago Awards, I had separately compiled illustrations of creepy monsters, and after the contest ended, I decided to pay a visit to some of the artists.
Among them, there was a student who displayed exceptional talent...
His work, titled 'The Reversed Woman,' featured a single illustration that shattered the festive atmosphere. It served as the inspiration for the ghost that had rendered Miyazaki unconscious.
He blended various ghost stories with the backdrop of a familiar school setting, creating an illustration that was nothing short of shocking. The sound in this artwork was particularly well-crafted. Although we managed to extract some sounds from the meager Super Family sound chip, maintaining sound quality was a challenge. Therefore, I deliberately introduced noise in the 'Valentine's Day' soundtrack, creating a more eerie atmosphere with intermittent crackling sounds.
'Kind of like stepping on mouse traps. Well...'
The next day, I arrived at the offices of Pentagon Soft while puffing on a cigarette. Looking at the tall building, I realized that Pentagon Soft had recently moved to a new building. They had relocated from the old, run-down four-story building they occupied last summer. The decision to move was largely due to the addition of the Tamago Monster designers, which tripled the number of employees.
I wanted to provide a more comfortable working environment for our employees, considering that we had increased the workforce. Perhaps this was the first thought I should have as the owner of a company.
Consequently, Pentagon Soft was ranked in the top 10 companies that students from specialized academies and universities wanted to work for. Pentagon Soft did not enforce strict attendance policies; employees had the flexibility to choose when they would arrive at the office. The workday started at 11 AM, avoiding the rush hour, and lunch breaks were from 1 PM to 2:30 PM, giving employees ample time to enjoy their meals. Additionally, the company provided a meal card for designated restaurants near the office, covering the cost of lunch.
Employees left work at 5:30 PM, and unless there were exceptional circumstances, they were not allowed to stay in the office beyond that time. Everyone had to leave after their shift, and staying late required a formal request with the possibility of extra pay for overtime. Some employees opted to work late to avoid rush hour traffic and earn extra money, but those with families typically left on time.
After 8 PM, employees could have dinner in a designated restaurant near the office. This option allowed employees to avoid preparing dinner at home, and as long as they could submit a receipt, the company covered the cost of their meals.
Perhaps implementing this policy made Kawaguchi, the CEO, concerned about whether it was too much of a burden on the company, but when considering the overall revenue generated by Pentagon Soft and the number of employees, each employee brought in more than ten million yen in revenue. So, I had no qualms about the money spent on this welfare.
Min-Tendo, or rather, 1983, had always been the place I wanted to make it happen if I were to lead a company.
Forcing employees to work does not yield the best results; it hampers their creative thinking. This way, the output is inflexible. So, isn't it the role of the company owner to provide a comfortable working environment for the employees?
Is this why Pentagon Soft, a company that values a very formal corporate atmosphere, was so popular with young employees?
I greeted the receptionist, who checked my ID card, and the automatic door opened to the office.
"Good morning."
"Ah, Mr. Kang!"
As soon as I entered the development room, Morita and Hayashi ran toward me.
"Mr. Kang, do you know who's in the CEO's office?"
"Yes, I heard. Gunpei is here, right?"
I had already known as Sayuri had told me on the way in.
"But you were aware?"
"Yeah, Sayuri informed me on my way in."
"Right... But, someone like Gunpei coming here in person, what could be the matter?"
"Probably nothing serious. President Kawaguchi must have asked him to discuss something."
From Min-Tendo's perspective, Pentagon Soft was like a golden goose. They might be negotiating a deal. In any case, I suspected that they wouldn't be making a decision during the meeting with Kawaguchi.
"I'm going to pop into the CEO's office for a moment."
I patted Hayashi, who was still in a daze, on the shoulder and headed towards the CEO's office.
The second development team and the CEO's office were separated by a single corridor, so I didn't have far to go. I cleared my throat as I approached, intending to knock on the door.
At that moment, a scream erupted from inside the room.
"Squeeee!!!"
...Is it usual to scream like "squeeee"? I've never heard a scream like that in my life.
Just by hearing Gunpei's scream, I could vaguely guess what was happening inside, so I chuckled softly.
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