Game Market 1983
Chapter 212: D-125

The cheering song for you, obscured in silhouette once again, unveiled the protagonist of "Vol.2." Unlike the gentle melodies of Erica, this band music, resonating with electric guitars right from the start, was vibrant enough to mimic a concert venue.

Though concealed by silhouette, the second protagonist, revealing a sensual physique, distinctly contrasted with Erica's character.

"Gravitating against gravity, my heart beats for you. Do you know, my beating heart inside? In the galaxy of fantasies, sliding moments into a poison sea. Yet, I won't stop. Boldly crossing even time, I'll approach you with a daring kiss."

The lyrics might seem cheesy, but the second Virtual Idol, Cheryll, pierced hearts with her singing prowess. While Erica's songs warmed with gentle lyrics and soothing vocals, Cheryll's style was as refreshing as an empty highway.

"Wow... those high notes gave me chills!"

"Introducing a new character right after revealing Erica's face... what a move!"

"Ah, I liked Erica when she debuted, but this character feels so much sexier?"

"Sister... or maybe a queen...? Either way, I'm sold. Totally my type!"

The screen highlighted her sleek waistline and long hair, completely diverting the students' attention away from Erica.

"Whoa!!! So sexy!!"

"If only the silhouette would disappear... I want to see her face. Why keep us in suspense since the divine reveal...?"

"She's bound to be beautiful if Morita-san from Pentagon's involved! Just his participation gets us this hyped!"

The mere association with Morita had stirred such anticipation. Morita's artistic talent was an icon of trust among gamers.

As I watched the video with the students, I couldn't help but smile at Cheryll's sensual allure, radiating in iridescent colors.

Soon after Cheryll's second video ended, amidst the students' excitement, I addressed them with a slight smile.

"That concludes Cheryll's 'Beating Heart' from Virtual Idol. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes!!"

Their thunderous response made verbal replies unnecessary.

"From Tokyo this time!? Nice!!"

"Last time it was Osaka, right? Why this pattern?"

Pattern? Of course, there was one. Each song's release location related to the singers' birthplaces. If this trend continued, the third song might premiere in Hokkaido.

Among various speculative conversations, I silently held the mic, continuing the seminar.

"Moving on to Complete Laon's launch, we've unveiled two new works. Hope you enjoyed them."

The students' applause, akin to wildfire, answered my query.

"Now, finally, let's reveal information about Pentagon's latest handheld console, Complete Laon."

"Wow!!!"

Just then, as the enthusiastic students cheered, nearing the end of Seminar 1, the teacher signaled the seminar's imminent closure to me.

Did I take too long discussing Sensony before this Part 2? About 10 minutes remained for the seminar. 'Phew... this might get hectic.'

---

"Next-Gen Console Complete Laon: Shock Announcement in Unexpected Location."

Last week, at a gaming industry seminar in Tokyo, Pentagon unexpectedly announced details about their next-gen model, Complete Laon.

Junhyuk Kang, the speaker, aimed to showcase the next-gen model to budding talents leading the gaming industry. He graciously requested fans' understanding while unveiling Laon's details.

Not just the next-gen model, but Fox Soft's new release "Full Metal Gear Solid" and the highly anticipated "Cheering Song" for you by Virtual Idol's first character, Erika Katagiri, and the entrance of the second character, Cheryll, boosted expectations for "Virtual Idol."

According to attendees, the 3-hour talk was engrossing, filled with anecdotes about the gaming industry and exciting new game reveals.

"Phew... it's hot. Last year was scorching, but this year feels even hotter, doesn't it?"

I closed the magazine I was reading, observing Junpei constantly fanning himself, and spoke up.

"You... aren't you way different from when we drank together?"

"Haha... really? Thought I was maintaining some consistency. Does it show so much compared to back then?"

"Back then, you guzzled alcohol like the world was ending, then started crying and all..."

"Hey, hey... cut it out. Embarrassing."

"Embarrassing? Well said. You have no idea how embarrassed I was because of you! Remember when you kicked the vending machine for not dispensing your drink and then ignored me?"

"Stop it..."

"Claiming to be the T-1000 from Terminator, he slipped his hand into the side of a passing couple, forcibly parting them."

"Please... stop..."

"Moreover, at the subway station, he poured out an overbite, almost achieving the miracle of Moses at the end of the century."

"Enough!! Please... I admit I was wrong. Man..."

"What? Man? Let's see, Misato's contact info..."

"Alright, alright. I'll do everything you say, so stop it."

Perhaps fearing someone might see, Junpei, with his hat pulled down, hastily interrupted my attempt to pick up the phone.

Chuckling, he let go of the phone and sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair.

"Yeah, if only Misato would give me a call before going overseas for coverage."

"It's been a few days since we last spoke, and you caused such a fuss. You should be thankful you didn't end up at the police station that day."

The day after drowning ourselves in drinks at the izakaya.

With a single phone call from Misato, who had been dispatched overseas, Junpei's mood in the depths of hell turned into heaven.

With just that one phone call, experiencing both heaven and hell, Junpei returned to his normal self from that day on.

I glanced at the guy sipping coffee through a straw, wondering if he had really returned to normal, and asked subtly,

"By the way, it's okay if you don't receive that figure we promised before?"

"Yeah, it's fine."

"If it's a game figure, you wake up instantly even if you're sleeping. What's the deal?"

"Well, Misato said male figures are okay, but not female ones..."

"Huh? Wait, did Misato come to your place?"

"Yeah, she came once last month."

"Wow~ Things seem to be going well? Did you guys have instant noodles together by any chance?"

"Noodles...? Why eat instant noodles at home when you can have them outside?"

"······. Nah, it's just something like that."

What am I even saying to this guy? Anyway, it's good that things are going well. I took a sip of coffee from the mug and unfolded the magazine again.

While skimming through several columns, an interesting interview article caught my eye. It was an interview with the president of Nintendo, Kamauuchi, about the current gaming market.

With Sony and NEGA, and even Pentagon, entering the next-generation console market, President Kamauuchi expressed confidence in Project 64.

"Users will eagerly await the return of Nintendo. Until then, we won't pay attention to who dominates the market. Project 64... no, it's now officially called Nintendo 64. Our flagship director, Shigeru Kumamoto, will showcase a 3D world that surpasses all existing games, including the Mario series."

"Once again, the next-generation console will be accompanied by a new Super Mario."

"Of course. Super Mario is the iconic character of Nintendo. Also, the newly produced ROM cartridge has increased its memory capacity by about ten times compared to the previous ones. As users utilize cartridges, we promise a smooth gaming experience without loading times."

Looking at the interview article and the photo of President Kamauuchi, his hair had turned completely white.

'Ha... a lot of time has passed. His hair is completely white now...'

But judging by his words in the interview, his tough and stubborn personality seemed unchanged. If anything, the deep-set wrinkles made him look even more determined. Maybe it's due to the wrinkles that he appears more stubborn than before?

After parting ways with Sony, Nintendo 64, completely abandoning the previous project, was a manifestation of President Kamauuchi's desire to proceed according to his stubbornness.

Especially considering the license cost of the high-capacity cartridge newly installed this time was enough to make third-party developers hesitate to sign contracts with Nintendo.

Although they increased the capacity by ten times compared to before, putting in the popular voice system these days is still challenging due to the significantly limited space compared to CDs.

"Phew... President Kamauuchi is getting old, but he's still sharp. His voice is hoarse... I thought my ears were going to itch to death during the interview."

"Well, that stubborn personality. Where would he go?"

"That's true."

But, there wasn't much time left.

The console shouldn't be too ahead or too behind in this era.

If NEGA's console failed because it was too ahead of its time...

Nintendo 64 failed because it was too behind the times...

D-80 days left.

Can Pentagon's Complete Laon catch up with the flow of the times?

Whether one likes it or not, that day was gradually approaching.

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