Chapter 17 - 16: Meeting with Ayumi Hamazou
Zaboru barely kept his eyes open as he dozed off in class, his cheek resting against his palm. The exhaustion was inevitable. After the intense Sunday spent installing the ZAS machines at Bakudan Arcade, he'd spent the night strumming his newly bought second-hand guitar. Though he was still a novice in his past life, this world seemed to grant him an innate dexterity that allowed him to improve rapidly.
In just a few hours, his skills had surpassed his previous lifetime's casual proficiency. He marveled at his progress. If I want to make great games, I need to master visuals and music. Both are essential to creating something extraordinary, he thought. The ambitious multitasking had come at a cost—his energy.
Yumi-sensei, standing at the front of the classroom, glanced at the sleeping Zaboru and sighed. She knew about his "project," as the students called it. While sleeping in class would normally earn her ire, Zaboru's consistent top-tier grades gave him a bit more leeway. Let him rest, she thought.
As the final bell rang, Zaboru woke with a start. Stretching and rubbing his eyes, he gathered his things and made his way out. Once outside, his thoughts shifted gears. His father's old truck was parked in the school lot, and he drove straight to the electronics store to buy components for five more ZAS machines. Though he hadn't sealed the deal with Dream Catcher Arcade's owner, Satonaka, Zaboru preferred to stay ahead of the game.
He wasn't the only student with big plans, though.
---
Back at Bakudan Arcade, Ayumi Hamazou surveyed the bustling scene with curiosity. Though she was no stranger to attention—being the daughter of the influential Hamazou Yakuza family and one of the most talked-about students at their school—she preferred to blend into the background when she wasn't dealing with family affairs. Today however, she couldn't resist checking out the arcade machine everyone had been whispering about.
Ayumi's piercing gaze landed on the five ZAS machines, each surrounded by players and onlookers.
"Toki-san," she called, her voice cool and authoritative.