Chapter 24 - 22: The Completion of the Five ZAS Machines and a Visit from Satonaka
The morning sunlight filtered into Zaboru's room as he woke up feeling refreshed and determined. It was Saturday—no school, and the perfect day to finalize his latest masterpiece. After a hearty breakfast with his family—Zanichi, Keiko, and Sanika—Zaboru quickly made his way to the garage.
At 8 a.m., he began calibrating the ZAS machines. The process required precision, and Zaboru dove into the work with full focus. By 9 a.m., Ayumi arrived, as punctual as always, ready to assist.
"Good morning, Zaboru!" Ayumi greeted with a bright smile, tying her hair back into a ponytail, a sure sign she was ready to get to work.
"Morning, Ayumi! Let's finish these machines today!" Zaboru replied, already engrossed in the fine-tuning.
The hours flew by as the two worked side by side, their movements synchronized from the days they had spent perfecting the machines together. By 1 p.m., the last calibration was complete.
"We did it!" Zaboru exclaimed, a wide grin on his face. He raised his hand for a high-five, which Ayumi returned with a soft chuckle.
"Finally! Now we can take these to Satonaka," she said, visibly excited.
But just as they were celebrating, a white van pulled up outside the house. A middle-aged man stepped out, and Zaboru immediately recognized him—it was Satonaka, the owner of Dream Catcher Arcade.
Zanichi, who had been tending to his plants, greeted the visitor. "Oh, Satonaka, how do you do?"
"Zanichi, my old friend!" Satonaka replied with a grin. "I heard from some very reliable sources that your son has been making arcade machines. Is it true?"
Zanichi nodded, gesturing toward the garage. "It's true. He's finished five of them."