Chapter 1411 1329 — Talk with Akechi

Saturday, 4 January 2002 — Renkonan Household

The Christmas and New Year holiday period was finally reaching its end, and for once Zaboru had no intention of doing anything particularly dramatic.

More specifically, he wanted to stay close to Ayumi.

At seven months pregnant, Ayumi's belly had become very large now, especially with twins. According to the doctors, if everything continued progressing normally, both babies would likely arrive sometime in early March. That knowledge alone had changed the atmosphere inside the Renkonan household. Zaboru had become noticeably more attentive around her, even if Ayumi occasionally complained that he was treating her as though she might suddenly explode if she stood up too quickly.

Zaboru did not care.

If anything, he had become worse.

Whenever Ayumi stood up, Zaboru looked.

Whenever she walked toward the kitchen, Zaboru asked if she needed something.

Whenever she sighed, Zaboru immediately turned his head.

At one point that morning, Ayumi had simply adjusted herself on the sofa and Zaboru had asked, "Are you okay?" so quickly that she stared at him for several seconds before replying, "Zabo… I'm just sitting differently."

He had nodded seriously. "Good."

Ayumi had sighed.

Still, she secretly appreciated it.

She had already taken time away from work at Akaishidan, although not entirely by choice. Ayumi herself had stubbornly wanted to continue working on Mysteries: Animax, the detective-oriented visual novel hybrid project she cared deeply about. Even late into pregnancy, she had insisted she could still handle planning documents, scenario work, system notes, and development discussions from home.

Akechi refused.

Completely.

There had barely even been an argument.

Ayumi had tried to explain that she was not planning to do anything physically demanding. Akechi had stared at her with his usual expressionless face and simply said, "No."

Ayumi argued again.

"No."

She attempted to negotiate reduced hours.

"No."

Finally, she reminded him that she was the project's central creative lead.

Akechi had paused and replied, "Then the project waits."

That had been the end of the discussion.

Ayumi had not been happy about it, but Akechi had at least promised that Mysteries: Animax would not progress beyond her approved planning without her. The rest of the Akaishidan developers had temporarily shifted more attention toward other projects while preparing only the systems, documentation, prototypes, and groundwork Ayumi had already outlined. Nothing major would advance without her direct involvement.

That concession had been enough for Ayumi to reluctantly accept her leave.

Zaboru, meanwhile, had privately considered Akechi's decision completely correct.

He simply had enough survival instinct not to say that too enthusiastically in front of his pregnant wife.

That afternoon, Akechi arrived at the Renkonan household. Officially, he was visiting his nephew and niece, something that had become increasingly common. The usually stoic, intimidating man somehow transformed whenever Zenshin and Arumi were nearby. His voice became slightly softer, he spoke more, and Arumi in particular had discovered that Uncle Akechi possessed almost no resistance against her asking for things with sufficiently large eyes.

But today, Akechi had another reason for visiting.

He wanted to speak privately with Zaboru.

Not about family.

About ZEPS 4.

More specifically, about what might happen when ZEPS 4 entered the market.

The two eventually moved into Zaboru's private workshop inside the house, a room filled with development hardware, electronics, unfinished prototypes, tools, books, several monitors, and enough strange objects that Akechi had long since stopped asking what half of them were.

The moment the door closed behind him, Akechi reached into his coat, pulled out a cigar, and lit it.

Zaboru stared.

Then sighed.

"Akechi-san."

Akechi took a slow inhale before looking at him. "Sorry, Zabo. Can't help it."

Zaboru shook his head with a chuckle. "It's fine. This room has good ventilation anyway."

Akechi nodded and sat down in one of the chairs near the workbench. Zaboru took the chair opposite him, leaning back comfortably.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then Akechi began.

"So. I heard ZEPS 4 might release next month at the latest?"

Zaboru's eyebrows rose slightly before he smiled.

"Probably."

Akechi stared at him.

Zaboru laughed. "Don't look at me like that. The hardware is basically there. Once the holiday is completely over, ZAGE is going to start pushing marketing much harder. Hype, reveals, launch information, games, probably some surprises."

His grin widened.

"You know me."

Akechi nodded slowly. "Unfortunately."

Zaboru laughed.

Then Akechi leaned back and took another draw from his cigar.

"Before we talk about anything else, I want to ask something about ZEPS 3."

Zaboru tilted his head.

"You're not abandoning it completely, right?"

"No."

Akechi continued, "Ayumi's project, Mysteries: Animax, is planned for ZEPS 3. She was worried the transition might affect it."

Zaboru immediately shook his head. "Nah, don't worry about that. ZEPS 4 can run ZEPS 3 games anyway. And we definitely aren't killing ZEPS 3 overnight just because the new machine exists."

Akechi's eyes narrowed slightly. "You have another plan."

Zaboru grinned.

Akechi sighed.

"You always grinned like that when you're hiding something annoying."

Zaboru leaned forward slightly. "We do have plans for ZEPS 3, but that part is secret for now."

Akechi nodded once. "Fine. As long as Ayumi's project isn't getting thrown away."

"Never."

Zaboru's expression softened slightly.

"She cares too much about that game."

Akechi gave a small nod. "I know."

There was a brief silence.

Then Akechi's expression changed.

The relaxed family conversation disappeared.

Zaboru noticed immediately.

Akechi lowered the cigar slightly and spoke in a calm voice.

"Now for the real reason I wanted to talk."

Zaboru became more attentive as Akechi's expression hardened. Neither of them needed to explain why Microsoft and Apple mattered here. That possibility was already understood between them. The question now was what to do about Ayumi before anyone decided to drag her into it. Akechi lowered the cigar slightly and said, "The part that worries me most isn't ZAGE. It's Ayumi."

Zaboru's smile faded immediately. "The Hamazou connection."

Akechi nodded. "Exactly. Once ZEPS 4 becomes the center of attention, somebody is eventually going to bring it up. They won't even need to invent the foundation of the story. Ayumi really is from the Hamazou family. That part is true. They only need to attach enough bullshit around it."

Zaboru leaned back and rubbed the side of his face. "Yeah. I know." He had never cared about Ayumi coming from a Yakuza family. He loved her, and nothing about that history changed who she was to him. If the public discovered it tomorrow, Zaboru himself would not suddenly look at his wife differently. "Honestly, Ayumi probably wouldn't care much either. She knows exactly who she is. She's never been ashamed of being your sister."

Akechi slowly exhaled smoke and stared at him. "Zabo."

Zaboru glanced toward him. "Hm?"

"You're sometimes unbelievably smart."

Zaboru smiled faintly. "Thank you."

"And sometimes you're an idiot."

The smile disappeared. "Damn."

Akechi leaned slightly forward. "You're thinking about Ayumi under normal circumstances. That's the problem. Maybe she normally laughs at it. Maybe she tells some reporter to fuck off and goes back to making her game. I can imagine that too. But she's seven months pregnant with twins right now."

That sentence immediately changed Zaboru's expression. Akechi continued in the same calm tone, "If this becomes ugly, it won't just be some people arguing online. Imagine newspapers dragging her family name everywhere. Reporters following her. People photographing her when she leaves the house. Old Hamazou history suddenly becoming entertainment. Accusations that ZAGE is secretly connected to organized crime. People taking real information, mixing it with fake information, and repeating it until nobody knows where one ends and the other begins. Then somebody starts bringing the children into it."

Zaboru's fingers tightened slightly against the armrest. "They better not."

Akechi noticed the change immediately. "That reaction is exactly why we need to think about this now instead of after it happens."

Zaboru looked down for a moment. His first instinct whenever his family was threatened had never been particularly gentle, and Akechi knew that perfectly well. But anger would not stop headlines. It would not stop rumors from spreading once they escaped into the public. More importantly, it would not protect Ayumi from having to see any of it.

Akechi continued more quietly, "Maybe she still laughs. Maybe none of it affects her. Good. I hope that's what happens. But what if she gets angry? What if she starts blaming herself because her family history is being used against you? What if she gets stressed every time she sees another story about herself? Right now, even a small amount of emotional turmoil is something I would rather avoid."

Zaboru leaned forward and covered part of his face with one hand. "Sigh… yeah. You're right."

"Thinking about the best outcome keeps you calm," Akechi said. "Thinking about the worst one keeps you prepared."

Zaboru lowered his hand and looked toward him. "So we get ahead of it."

Akechi gave a small nod. "That's what I think."

There was no surprise on Zaboru's face now. The basic direction was already familiar to him. What mattered was how far Akechi intended to take it. "You still want the information circulating before anyone else gets the chance to weaponize it?"

"Yes."

Zaboru frowned slightly. "Controlled leak?"

"More like controlled exposure." Akechi tapped ash from the cigar. "Not some ridiculous confession. Not a press conference where Ayumi stands beside us while we announce every crime the Hamazou family ever committed. That would be stupid. We only need enough truth in public circulation that the connection itself stops being a bomb."

Zaboru slowly nodded. "Destroy the surprise."

"Exactly."

Akechi continued, "If the first time people hear that Ayumi comes from the Hamazou family is suddenly during ZEPS 4's launch, then whoever pushes the story gets to define it. They decide the headline. They decide the context. They decide which old photographs appear beside her name. They decide which accusations get repeated first."

"But if people already know some version of it…" Zaboru said.

"Then the second story becomes a second story." Akechi's eyes narrowed slightly. "That matters. Instead of 'Zaboru's wife exposed as Yakuza heiress,' it becomes 'people are talking about the Hamazou connection again.' Much weaker."

Zaboru leaned back and thought about it. "And if the timing is too obvious, people start asking why it suddenly became a scandal exactly when ZEPS 4 launches."

"Right."

Akechi continued. "The important part is that we don't overplay it. If we suddenly push too hard to make the Hamazou family look clean, people become suspicious. Nobody believes a Yakuza family suddenly spent Christmas feeding puppies and helping old women cross the road."

Akechi took another slow inhale. "We let people know the truth that helps us. The Hamazou family exists. We have a criminal history. We're moving heavily into legitimate business. Ayumi is part of the family but has her own life, career, husband, and children. She isn't secretly running anything. She isn't involved with our old operations. That's enough."

Zaboru's expression became thoughtful. "You're basically making the boring truth available before somebody gets the chance to make the exciting lie."

Akechi nodded once. "Exactly."

"That works."

"But there's a cost."

Zaboru already knew what he meant. "The Hamazou name takes the hit."

"Yes."

Akechi did not hesitate. There was no prideful discomfort in his voice, no instinct to defend the family reputation simply because it belonged to him. "The old Hamazou Yakuza is already disappearing. We're moving toward legitimate businesses anyway—security, logistics, construction, property, transportation, entertainment, investments. Most of the family understands where we're going."

"Most."

Akechi's eyes hardened slightly. "There are still idiots who think legitimacy means weakness."

Zaboru smiled faintly. "Every organization has dinosaurs."

"Some of ours carry knives."

"Fair point."

Akechi continued, "But the reputation of the old family doesn't matter to me more than Ayumi does. If we have to let people criticize us for what we actually were, fine. Let them. Better they talk about me, Father, Grandfather, or the old organization than turn Ayumi into the face of it."

Zaboru became quiet.

That was Akechi. He almost never delivered long emotional speeches. He did not say I love my sister every five minutes. He simply positioned himself between danger and Ayumi and treated the decision as obvious.

Zaboru exhaled slowly. "Akira-san and Azai-san still agree with this?"

Akechi nodded. "Completely."

For several moments, only the quiet hum of Zaboru's equipment filled the workshop. Then Zaboru looked back toward him. "So what exactly do you want circulating?"

Akechi picked up the cigar again and rolled it slowly between his fingers. "Nothing dramatic. Background first. Business transition. Old family history becoming less hidden. Connections people can discover without feeling like somebody handed them a prepared scandal package. After that, if Ayumi's name appears naturally, it won't feel like an explosion."

"And you don't want us publicly responding unless necessary."

"Correct. ZAGE aggressively defending her before anyone even attacks would make it look like we're afraid of something."

Zaboru nodded. "So we don't panic, don't overexplain, don't lie."

"Exactly."

"And if somebody eventually goes too far?"

Akechi's expression became colder.

"Then we deal with that separately."

Then Akechi's expression softened by the smallest amount. "I'm not going to do anything that puts Ayumi at risk. That's the whole point."

Zaboru nodded. "I know."

"She's my sister."

Zaboru smile "Thank you, Akechi-san."

Akechi looked away slightly. "Don't thank me for protecting my sister."

"I'm thanking you for thinking about things I sometimes don't."

That made Akechi glance back toward him.

Zaboru continued, "I'm good at dealing with problems once I see them. Sometimes too good, maybe. But because of that, I get confident. I think, 'If something happens, I'll solve it.' That works for games. Business. Technology. Even most enemies." His gaze lowered slightly. "But when Ayumi is involved, especially right now, waiting until something happens is stupid."

Akechi gave a small nod. "That's all I wanted you to understand."

Outside, the house remained peaceful. Zenshin and Arumi were somewhere downstairs, and Ayumi was supposedly resting comfortably in the living room. Neither man had any reason to suspect otherwise.

In reality, Ayumi sat quietly on the sofa wearing a pair of earphones connected to a strange little device Zenshin had made. One hand rested over her large belly while she listened to the final pieces of the conversation in silence. Her expression was difficult to read—not angry, not frightened, but deeply thoughtful.

And she had heard almost everything.

To be continued.

AN : One last Drama before ZEPS 4 era guys.

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