Friday, September 26, 1991 - Night
After a long day at the office, Zaboru made his way home, carrying gifts for his family. He had picked up a small box of cupcakes for his sister Sanika, a latte for his mother, and two bags of freshly roasted coffee beans from Doutor—one for himself and one for his father. As he stepped inside, he called out, "I'm home!"
Keiko, his mother, smiled warmly as she greeted him. "Ah, welcome home, honey. Have you eaten yet? I made Kung Pao Chicken. Go ahead and have some."
Zaboru's face lit up. "Thanks, Mom! I'll never say no to your cooking." He quickly sat down and enjoyed the meal with a side of rice, savoring the familiar flavors of home. Meanwhile, his father, Zanichi, sat on the couch sipping his evening tea, while Sanika was fully engrossed in playing on the ZEPS, her fingers deftly maneuvering the controller.
After finishing his meal, Zaboru gift her mom Latte and then he walked over to his father and handed him the bag of Doutor coffee. "Here, Dad. I asked Sayuri-san for a good coffee recommendation, and she mentioned this brand. It's supposed to be pretty popular. Hope you like it."
Zanichi raised an eyebrow as he examined the bag. "Doutor, huh? Not bad," he said with an approving nod. "Thanks, son. I appreciate it." He set the coffee aside, took another sip of his tea, then looked at his son with curiosity. "So, how's the company doing?"
Zaboru sat down across from him and smiled. "It's doing really well, Dad. We didn't expect the first batch of ZEPS to sell out in just a week. We thought it would take at least two or three weeks to move all 300 units."
Zanichi nodded knowingly. "That's great news. But take this as a lesson—always be prepared for higher demand if you believe in your product."
Zaboru scratched his head. "Yeah, you're right. That's why I'm thinking about expanding the company. I want to hire more employees and take out a loan so I can increase production with Saiko Machine."
Zanichi leaned back and took a thoughtful sip of tea. "Be cautious about hiring too many people at once. Your office space is decent, but you can't afford an oversized workforce yet. Also, you'll need more PCs for additional employees since the ones I gave you won't be enough, you also need to discuss the loan with your Finance."
Zaboru nodded. "That makes sense. As for the loan, I already spoke with Sayuri-san. She's going to give me a detailed breakdown on Monday."
"Good," Zanichi said approvingly. "Always consult your finance manager before making big financial decisions. Just because you're the boss doesn't mean you have to know everything on your own."
Zaboru grinned. "I hear you, Dad." He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Speaking of business, Tetsuo-san contacted me. He mentioned that Saiko Machine wants to become the sole manufacturer for ZAGE. Do you think that's a good idea, or should I consider starting my own manufacturing company in the future?"
Zanichi chuckled. "For now, stick with Saiko Machine. Did you know that Tetsuo-san plans to retire soon?"
Zaboru blinked in surprise. "Retire? Really?"
"Yeah," Zanichi said with a nod. "His son is about ten years older than you, and he's doing well running a bakery. Turns out, Tetsuo always loved baking, but life pushed him in another direction. Now that his son's business is booming, he wants to help him expand. He may sell Saiko Machine in the future to focus entirely on the bakery."
Zaboru leaned back, processing the information. "Huh. I had no idea he was passionate about baking. Well, if he does decide to sell, I might buy Saiko Machine from him."
Zanichi smirked. "He might not sell 100% of it. He'll probably keep a small percentage since Saiko Machine is still his pride and joy."
Zaboru nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. I'll keep that in mind. By the way, which departments should I focus on when hiring new employees?"
Zanichi finished his tea before answering. "First, you need workers to handle packaging and logistics. For programming, hire only if you truly need extra hands. You should also bring in another marketer to support Shinsuke. He's a strong leader, because when he was managing a whole team at Sonaya, so he's used to having help and he`s good at commanding people. Sayuri will also need support in the finance department soon. Besides that, you should consider hiring a dedicated legal expert to handle patents and contracts. And finally, you might want to hire a secretary to manage your schedule and administrative work."
Zaboru absorbed his father's advice, realizing how much there was still to do.
After the discussion, he walked over to Sanika, who was intensely focused on playing Excitebike . She handled the jumps and turns with ease, showing impressive skill.
"Wow, Sani-chan, you're really good at this!" he then give cupcake to her
Sanika giggled proudly. "Hehe! I'm the best among my friends who own ZEPS, Nii-san!" then she`s look at cupcake that Zaboru give to her , her eyes litup "Ohh! , a Cupcake! , thanks nii-san!" But she`s continue playing.
Zaboru sighed, amused by her confidence. "Just make sure you don't accidentally leak my unreleased games to anyone, okay? Promise? and go eat your cake okay?"
Sanika pouted playfully but nodded. "I know, Nii-sama! Don't worry about it!"
Zaboru chuckled and patted her head before heading to his bedroom. Tomorrow was Saturday, but he planned to go to the office to brainstorm new game ideas. With thoughts of future projects swirling in his mind, he soon drifted off to sleep.
To be continued.