The day after the unforgettable events at the Tokyo Electronics Showcase, Hikaru Kurata sat inside Sonaya's headquarters in Japan, visibly tense. He placed a call to Terujin Hoshisora — a middle-aged man and the owner of Hoshivent, a company specializing in organizing large-scale events. Sonaya had been contracting Hoshivent for years, including for the Tokyo Electronics Showcase. Their professional relationship was longstanding, built on many past collaborations.
"Terujin... What was the meaning of last night's event? Why were there segments that weren't listed in the script?" Hikaru Kurata asked, his tone calm on the surface, but his eyes sharp with fury. Beneath the desk, his fingers tapped steadily against the wood — the only outward sign of the storm brewing inside him.
Terujin smiled, relaxed as ever. He leaned back in his chair, arms folded casually. "Simple, Hika-chan. That's because Zaboru Renkonan-san paid me handsomely. Hehehe."
Hikaru's frown deepened into something darker. "What the hell are you talking about?" he snapped. "This was a Sonaya event. If someone wants to participate, they need to go through the proper channels — not hijack the stage with some stunt performance."
Terujin shrugged, completely unfazed. "Come on, Hikaru. Don't act so high and mighty. You and I both know how this game works. Weren't you the one who used to say, 'Everything has a price'? That with the right amount of money, doors open faster? Well... the door opened. Zaboru just happened to knock louder than you this time."
He leaned forward now, elbows resting on the table, eyes steady and unblinking. "You always said I was a professional. And you were right. That means when someone offers the right amount, I listen. I deliver. That's my job — and you've benefited from it more than once, haven't you?"
Hikaru didn't respond right away. His jaw clenched tight, his shoulders tense. The words weren't wrong — and that was the worst part. They were a reflection of his own tactics, thrown right back in his face.
Hikaru Kurata clenched his fist but sighed, knowing deep down that Terujin was right — and that he was exactly the kind of person to pull something like this. "I shouldn't be surprised, dealing with a fox like you as the organizer," he muttered, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.
Terujin shrugged with a grin. "Heh, don't care anyway. I'm heading out — got an appointment with a rather delightful lady." His tone was light, almost mocking, as if the whole situation had barely scratched the surface of his conscience.
As Terujin turned and walked away, Hikaru watched him go with narrowed eyes. The sound of the door clicking shut seemed louder than it should have been. The silence that followed was heavy.
A part of him wanted to explode, to throw something across the room — but he didn't. He just stood there, letting the moment sink in. The sting of betrayal, the humiliation of being outmaneuvered, and the realization that Zaboru had played him like a game.
Without another word, Hikaru finally sat down, his fists still trembling slightly as Terujin disappeared from view.
"Damn Zaboru… he really had the guts. And his console is way cheaper than ours," Hikaru Kurata muttered through gritted teeth. That old, familiar frustration crept back — the feeling of thinking you had the upper hand against ZAGE, only for them to pull off something completely outrageous at the last moment. And the worst part? It was all legitimate. ZAGE had an official reservation for the Tokyo Electronics Showcase. It wasn't sabotage — it was strategy.
"I shouldn't have gone too far," Hikaru muttered to himself. If he hadn't pushed Zaboru so hard, maybe this whole thing wouldn't have happened. Maybe Zaboru wouldn't have felt the need to humiliate them on a global stage. But now, the damage was done. The words "I'M YOUR NIGHTMARE COME TO LIFE" were already echoing through the gaming community — a catchphrase that would haunt Sonaya's reputation and become a rallying cry for ZAGE fans.
It was more than a lyric. It was a message. A warning. And it stuck. Hikaru knew this wasn't just a PR blow — it was the beginning of a cultural shift in the console war.
He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. He needed to cool his head. The next move had to be smart, not emotional. Because if Zaboru could orchestrate something this disruptive once... he could do it again.
Meanwhile, the reaction to "I'M YOUR NIGHTMARE COME TO LIFE" was absolutely explosive. ZAGE forums were flooded with excitement. Although not many people had watched the live show in real time, those who had attended were spreading the story like wildfire. Others caught the moment through TV highlights, which quickly turned into the most talked-about segment of the entire event.
The phrase wasn't just a lyric anymore — it had become a defining moment. A symbol. And fans were treating it like the battle cry of a new era.
One of the users on the ZAGE forums posted, "Damn! Zaboru is savage! He actually made a song just to mess with Sonaya!"
Another replied, "No joke! 'I'M YOUR NIGHTMARE COME TO LIFE' is the perfect catchphrase — and the song slaps! Heavy metal, pure rage, total chaos. Damnnn!"
More fans piled into the thread. "There are so many new games dropping! ZAGE's about to cook hard!"
"Thirteen games on launch day? And each one only costs around 8,000 yen? That's unreal."
"And the console itself is WAY cheaper than Sonaya's. I'm sold. This is an instant buy."
"This is history. ZAGE just flipped the entire industry in one night."
The hype kept snowballing.
The ZAGE forums were bursting with activity, a frenzy of celebration, discussion, and pure hype. Meanwhile, many Sonaya fans found themselves at a loss — overwhelmed by the tidal wave of attention ZAGE was receiving. Some tried to downplay the moment, accusing ZAGE of being over-the-top or barbaric, but their efforts barely made a dent. The momentum was too strong.
Adding fuel to the fire, the media had gone absolutely wild. Headlines flooded in from all directions: "Game Station Nightmare Comes to Life," "Mystery Console ZEPS 3 Finally Revealed," and dozens of others. Even though proper specs and an official trailer for the ZEPS 3 hadn't been released yet, the hype was undeniably real. The buzz had taken on a life of its own, spreading far beyond the gaming world and into mainstream attention.
Then Zaboru dropped another bombshell on the ZAGE forums using his official account. He posted, "Next two days— a big and proper trailer will air on TV Tokyo and YaDo." The message was short but powerful, and it instantly reignited the hype across the community. Fans went wild, speculating about what the trailer would reveal — new hardware details, more games, a direct message to Sonaya? The forums lit up once again, and the buzz reached new heights overnight.
To be continue
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