Four months had passed in the blink of an eye since I arrived in the United States. Last month, after a conversation with our boss, all the leftover merchandise in the warehouse was shipped back to Japan. This morning, a brand-new creation called N.H.E.S had arrived.
Unlike the previous family of gaming consoles, which had the image of inserting cartridges vertically to enjoy games, the newly designed one had a wide cartridge slot on the front, just like a computer floppy disk. It catered to the Western taste for spacious living rooms, featuring longer controller cords and a larger size.
"It's been completely redesigned. But will people believe this change?"
"Since barely anyone looked at the previous model, it should be fine."
Arakawa-san changed his branch name and quit drinking alcohol and smoking at the same time. After clearing out the family units that had been gathering dust in the warehouse, Arakawa-san finally felt a bit relieved. It seemed that carrying the unsellable inventory had been a significant source of stress for him.
"Now, shall we go and conquer the market with this new one?"
I smiled at Arakawa-san, holding the sample N.H.E.S machine.
A little later, we stood in front of Toy World, the largest toy store in New York.
"I hope we won't get dragged out of here with our collars pulled this time."
Arakawa-san seemed to be tense already, loosening his tie and sighing deeply. Having experienced a rough encounter before, I awkwardly smiled while swallowing my dry saliva.
"Surely... it will work out this time."
With a light push, we entered the store, and the store clerks welcomed us with smiles. However, their attire clearly had the look of salespeople. Soon, a person who appeared to be the store manager approached us.
"What brings you here?"
"Hello. We're from N.H.E.S, a company that has developed new toys, and we'd like to discuss with the owner."
"N.H.E.S? I've never heard of it."
"We're a Japanese company that recently registered in the United States. We've developed moving robots and electronic toy guns."
At the mention of electronic toy guns, the manager showed a slightly sensitive reaction.
"Electronic guns? We handle toys for children to play with. We can't sell toys that could harm people."
So, without waiting for the manager to finish, I quickly took out the electronic gun and displayed it. The gray, rugged pistol didn't look threatening at all.
"Don't worry. The guns we've brought don't fire bullets."
"Hmm... well, I'll take you to the owner's office first."
The somewhat hesitant manager led us to the inner office of the store. Alright, this is where the real challenge begins. In the office, there was a typical American-looking, overweight man shuffling through a pile of papers. Even though it was spring after a cold winter, he was dressed as if it were the middle of summer.
"Smith? Who are these people?"
"These are the representatives from N.H.E.S, the company that claims to have developed new toys."
"New toys? Toys are pretty much the same everywhere. What's new about them?"
The owner responded with a very dismissive tone. Arakawa-san and I tried our best to put on a smile.
"Is he Japanese? Interesting. Nevertheless, those yellow monkeys sure know how to make a good toy. How about taking a look?"
As confident as he sounded, we were in a vulnerable position. Nevertheless, we placed the new toy on the table.
"Robots? And guns? What's so new about these toys?"
"These are electronic toys that connect to the machines here."
"Machines? What's all this? Is it a gaming console by any chance?"
"No, this is a home entertainment computer."
"A computer?"
"Yes, with this, you can control the robot and fire the gun. Shall we give it a try?"
"Hmm... go ahead."
The boss seemed ready to throw me out the moment something went wrong. Arakawa-san, too, was tense, standing with his knees stiff and a worried expression on his face.
First, I connected the robot to the external port and turned on the power switch. Since the family package included a robot that could be operated without a separate cartridge, I immediately took the controller and tried operating the robot. Fortunately, thanks to Mr. Yamauchi, who added the feature of making the robot's arms hold objects, I picked up the electronic gun on the table.
As the robot's arms closed like a pair of pliers and lifted the electronic gun, a sound of amazement escaped the boss's mouth.
"Wow... fascinating. But what's with this gun?"
"Oh, this gun needs to be used with a TV."
"TV!? Why use a TV for a toy-related subject? Is this a gaming console?"
"No, it's an entertainment program designed for families to enjoy shooting practice."
Even I didn't quite understand what I was saying. It's a game, but it's not a game, so I ended up sounding confused. The boss seemed highly skeptical and I discreetly glanced at him. I connected the cable to the TV in the corner of the office.
To avoid drawing attention to the act of inserting a cartridge into the gaming console, I had already inserted the cartridge into the console in advance.
After removing the robot from the external port and switching to the electronic gun, I turned on the power switch. As a result, the TV displayed "Duck Hunt," and at the same time, the expressions on the boss and the manager's faces became uncomfortable.
Feeling anxious, I clicked the trigger of the electronic gun's hammer, hoping to quickly transition to the main screen. Shortly after, a green field appeared on the screen, and the boss's forehead became visibly sweaty.
"Isn't this a gaming console!!"
Bang! At that moment, I pulled the trigger towards the TV screen, and a duck that was flying within the game went "quack" and fell.
"Huh? What just happened?"
Phewww! Bang! Booom! Phewwww! Bang! Booom! Ducks within the game were falling one after another due to my electronic gun.
"What's going on? How can I knock down the TV ducks with that gun?"