Chapter 1408 1326 — “Meet the Government”

Thursday, 2 January 2002

Zaboru sighed as he sat inside one of Tokyo's most expensive hotels, staring at the steak in front of him while wondering why his first proper government-related meeting of the year had somehow happened during what was still supposed to be his holiday.

Across the private dining room sat Keisuke Adachihara, Japan's Minister of Culture, Sports and Science, alongside his trusted right-hand man, Denzo Goto. The room itself was absurdly elegant, with polished wooden walls, thick carpet, a wide window overlooking the city, and enough unnecessary decoration to make Zaboru wonder how much of the bill was going toward the actual steak and how much was paying for the privilege of sitting near an expensive vase.

He cut another piece of meat and glanced at the two officials. "So, Keisuke-san, Denzo-san… what exactly is this about?"

Keisuke raised his cup slightly.

Zaboru narrowed his eyes. "Wait. Don't tell me you're asking me for some kind of 'reward' because the government helped shut down those ridiculous accusations about ZAGE being involved with the World Trade Center incident."

Denzo immediately snorted.

Zaboru continued, completely serious. "Because if that's what this is, I brought no envelope."

Keisuke burst out laughing. "You say things like that far too casually for someone sitting with government officials."

"Hey, I'm just making sure," Zaboru replied before taking another bite. "You guys suddenly ask me to meet in a fancy hotel during my holiday. Very suspicious."

Denzo grinned. "And yet you still came."

"Because you said it was urgent and i respect you both..."

"It is."

Zaboru's expression became slightly more serious.

Keisuke placed his cup down. "The situation surrounding the World Trade Center accusations is part of why we wanted to speak with you, yes, but there is nothing for you to repay. The claims against ZAGE were nonsense. We simply stated what the evidence already showed."

Zaboru nodded.

That was true. In the weeks following the disaster, conspiracy theories had spread everywhere, and because ZAGE was enormous, internationally influential, technologically advanced, and Zaboru himself had somehow become directly involved in rescue efforts, people naturally created absurd theories around him. Some accused ZAGE of knowing about the attack in advance. Others claimed it was part of some corporate operation. A few theories were so stupid Zaboru had wondered whether the people writing them were intentionally competing to see who could invent the most ridiculous story.

Fortunately, the Japanese government had publicly pushed back against several of the more dangerous accusations, especially once misinformation began affecting Japanese citizens and ZAGE employees.

Zaboru waved his fork slightly. "Well, we all know there's no way ZAGE had anything to do with it. I'm crazy, but not that crazy."

Denzo chuckled.

Keisuke nodded. "Exactly. But that isn't the main reason we asked to meet you. There is another issue we started receiving complaints about several months ago. Unfortunately, it has only become worse."

Zaboru paused with his fork halfway toward his mouth.

Keisuke continued, "And I'm almost certain you're already aware of it."

Zaboru frowned. "Something I'm already aware of…?"

He thought for several seconds.

Then his eyes widened slightly.

"Oh."

Denzo immediately grinned.

Zaboru slowly lowered his fork. "Is this about the AKAI Black Berry addiction?"

"Bingo," Denzo replied.

Zaboru stared at him.

Denzo chuckled. "See? Easy to talk to a smart man."

"Or maybe the problem is painfully obvious."

"That too."

Keisuke sighed. "The AKAI Black Berry Z01 has become… extremely popular."

Zaboru smiled awkwardly. "That sounds like a compliment."

"It would be if people occasionally put the damn thing down."

Zaboru almost laughed.

Denzo leaned forward slightly. "We've received complaints from parents, teachers, spouses, employers, even some local officials. Children are messaging friends during class. Office workers are checking BBM every few minutes. Husbands are using the thing during dinner. Wives are watching YouTube in bed instead of sleeping. People are checking ZAGE Forum while walking. Some families are complaining they can sit in the same room together for an hour without actually speaking because everyone is staring at their own phone."

Zaboru slowly chewed his steak.

Ah.

That sounded familiar.

Very familiar.

Much more familiar than he wanted it to.

The funny part was that the Black Berry Z01 was not even cheap. It was a premium device containing technology far beyond what most people in 2002 should realistically expect from a phone. Full QWERTY keyboard, BBM messaging, ZAGE ID integration, internet access, email, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a surprisingly capable camera, music playback, video functions, downloadable applications, simple games and access to increasingly popular internet services.

Yet somehow, huge numbers of people owned one.

Part of that came from the unusual prosperity of this world. Japan's middle class was generally wealthier and technologically more comfortable than what Zaboru remembered from the equivalent period of his previous life. ZAGE's growth, AKAI, the broader technology sector, online commerce, entertainment, and several other industries had helped accelerate the economy considerably.

That was good.

The downside was apparently that Zaboru had accidentally given 2002 Japan an early taste of the smartphone addiction problems his previous world would suffer much later.

Well… shit.

He leaned back slightly.

I basically introduced people to smartphone addiction years ahead of schedule.

Zaboru nearly laughed at the absurdity.

Keisuke noticed the expression. "What?"

"Nothing."

"That looked like something."

"I was just realizing I might have accidentally speedrun a social problem."

Denzo stared at him.

Keisuke sighed. "I don't know what that means."

"Don't worry about it."

Zaboru rested his elbow against the table and thought carefully. "I understand the concern. It's definitely not a good problem to have."

Keisuke nodded.

"But," Zaboru continued, "I also don't think the solution is to start treating technology itself like some kind of villain. Japanese citizens being comfortable with new technology is actually a good thing. People are learning faster. Communication is easier. Businesses move faster. Families separated by distance can talk constantly. Students can access information almost anywhere. Technology is moving forward, Keisuke-san. Denzo-san. We can't just tell everyone to stop because some people are using it too much."

Keisuke sighed. "I know that. The government knows that."

He rubbed his temple.

"The problem is that telling people to 'use responsibly' has done almost nothing."

Zaboru chuckled. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

"We already issued public recommendations," Keisuke continued. "Schools have started restricting phone use in classrooms. Some companies are creating internal rules. Parent groups have released warnings. But the complaints keep increasing."

Denzo added, "And people listen to yout more than they listen to us."

Zaboru raised an eyebrow.

"That's not exactly something a government official should admit."

Denzo shrugged. "It's true."

Keisuke gave him a tired look before turning back toward Zaboru. "ZAGE and AKAI have enormous cultural influence. Especially you. If you say something, people pay attention. Not everyone listens, obviously, but your fans do. Parents have specifically asked why AKAI itself isn't addressing the issue."

Zaboru stopped smiling quite as much.

That part was fair.

He looked down at his plate and thought.

In his previous life, technology companies often ended up trapped in an uncomfortable contradiction. Their products were designed to keep people engaged because engagement made money, yet excessive engagement eventually created social consequences. Notifications. Endless scrolling. Social pressure. Fear of missing out. Messages demanding immediate replies. Platforms competing for attention every waking hour.

And the Black Berry Z01, despite being technologically much earlier, had accidentally introduced several pieces of that culture at once.

BBM alone was probably enough.

People now expected instant replies.

A message arrived.

A little notification appeared.

Someone ignored it.

The sender wondered why.

Another message came.

Then another.

Then suddenly society had invented anxiety through tiny digital text bubbles.

Zaboru sighed.

Yeah… maybe we should do something before this becomes worse.

He looked toward Keisuke and Denzo. "Okay."

Both men became attentive.

"I'll address it before the end of the month."

Keisuke blinked. "That quickly?"

"Probably."

Denzo grinned. "Knew it."

Zaboru pointed his fork at him. "I said I'll address it. I didn't say I'm going to magically solve human behavior."

"That's close enough."

"No, it really isn't."

Keisuke chuckled.

Zaboru continued, "I'll speak with AKAI. We can look into some software-side solutions too. Maybe better notification controls. A proper silent mode people can schedule. Something for parents. Maybe schools can disable certain functions during class hours if the owner enables it."

Denzo raised an eyebrow. "The phone can do that?"

"Not yet."

Zaboru smiled.

"That sounded dangerous," Keisuke muttered.

"It's fine it's for future solutions hehehe."

Whenever Zaboru said it's fine while discussing technology, people around him had slowly learned that it usually meant somebody inside ZAGE or AKAI was about to receive a very strange development request.

He continued thinking aloud. "Maybe usage reminders too. Nothing annoying. Just something that tells people, 'Hey, bro, you've been staring at this screen for three hours. Your family still exists.'"

Denzo laughed.

Keisuke shook his head. "Please don't write it exactly like that."

"No promises."

"Zaboru."

"Hehehe."

Keisuke sighed, but the tension around the table had relaxed considerably.

Zaboru eventually nodded. "Seriously, though. I'll talk about it publicly too. I can explain that technology should improve your life, not consume the entire thing. But don't expect miracles. If people enjoy something, some of them are always going to overdo it."

"We understand," Keisuke replied. "We mainly wanted AKAI to acknowledge that the problem exists."

"That's fair."

Zaboru took another bite of steak.

For a while, the conversation moved toward less serious matters. Government technology programs, education, Japanese software development, cultural exports, even ZAGE's growing influence on younger developers. Keisuke asked several questions about whether ZAGE planned to increase educational cooperation with universities, and Zaboru explained that ZAGE Insight was already expanding its developer-training programs.

Then, almost suspiciously casually, Keisuke cleared his throat.

"So…"

Zaboru looked up.

"When is ZEPS 4 coming out?"

Silence.

Denzo slowly turned toward Keisuke.

Zaboru stared at the minister for several seconds.

Then his eyes narrowed.

"Keisuke-san."

"Yes?"

"That was not a government question."

Keisuke maintained a perfectly serious expression. "I don't know what you mean."

"That was absolutely not a government question."

Denzo began laughing.

Zaboru pointed his knife toward Keisuke. "Your grandson asked you, didn't he?"

Keisuke's expression finally cracked.

"No."

"Liar."

"No."

"He asked you."

Keisuke started laughing. "Fine! Fine. He asked me."

Zaboru leaned back triumphantly. "I knew it."

"He hasn't stopped talking about it since your announcement."

"Good."

"That isn't good. He asks me every few days whether I know something because I'm a minister."

Zaboru immediately laughed.

"Oh, that poor kid thinks government clearance unlocks ZAGE release dates."

Denzo nearly choked on his drink.

Keisuke shook his head helplessly. "I told him I don't know."

"And now you're trying to abuse your position to obtain classified gaming information."

"Classified?"

"Extremely."

Keisuke grinned. "So when does it release?"

Zaboru smiled pleasantly.

"Soon."

Keisuke stared at him.

"That's all?"

"Yep."

"How soon?"

"Not that long."

"That means nothing."

"Exactly."

Denzo laughed loudly.

Zaboru continued eating as though the conversation had ended.

Keisuke sighed. "At least tell me whether my grandson should keep saving his allowance."

"Oh, definitely."

Keisuke narrowed his eyes.

Zaboru grinned.

"Just Buy It, Okay."

"You bastard."

The three men burst out laughing.

By the time the meeting finally ended, Zaboru had agreed to speak with AKAI about the growing Black Berry problem, consider several software tools that might help users control their habits, and publicly address responsible phone use before the month ended.

It was not exactly how he expected to spend one of the first days of 2002.

Still, it was useful.

Technology created opportunities.

Sometimes it created problems too.

If Zaboru wanted ZAGE and AKAI to push society forward, then pretending the negative effects did not exist would be cowardly.

A little later, Zaboru left the hotel alone.

He had changed into far more casual clothing before heading outside, wearing a dark jacket, simple trousers, a cap pulled low over his hair and plain glasses that made him considerably less recognizable from a distance. It was not a perfect disguise—at his height and build, Zaboru was hardly invisible—but it was usually enough to let him walk around without immediately attracting crowds.

Instead of returning directly home, he decided to take a short walk through a nearby park.

The January air was cold.

Zaboru pushed both hands into his jacket pockets and exhaled slowly, watching the faint mist of his breath disappear.

"Black Berry addiction…"

He chuckled.

"2002 really started fast."

A couple walked past him.

The woman was holding a Black Berry Z01.

Zaboru stared at it.

"…Of course."

Several meters farther ahead, a teenager was also using one.

Zaboru looked toward the sky.

"You guys are proving the government's point way too quickly."

He was amused then suddenly his eyes widened because he didn't expect to meet that guy in here.

To be continued.

Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 50+ advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 4$ considering subscribe to my patreon /Zaborn_1997

Or buymecoffee https://buymeacoffee.com/Zaborn_1997 which same with patreon

current Patreon/buymecoffe chap 1387