Tuesday 2 March 2001.
Zaboru leaned back in his seat early in the morning, casually eating gyoza while drinking coffee as he scrolled through the newest threads on the ZAGE Forums. The morning on the 51st floor of ZAGE Tower was quiet compared to the rest of the company, where people were already beginning their usual work. For Zaboru, this was one of those rare moments where he could relax a little before the day became noisy again. He chewed slowly, took a sip of coffee, and chuckled as his eyes stopped on one particular thread that kept appearing no matter how many times he refreshed the page.
The thread was quite unique, not because the topic was new, but because the person posting it had been extremely persistent. This same user had made similar requests multiple times before, always asking in slightly different words but with the same energy. At first, Zaboru had ignored it, thinking it was just another fan being curious, but after seeing the same kind of thread appear again and again, he couldn't help but become amused. It was almost impressive how committed this person was.
The username was "Kuro_jii," and the thread title was once again the same: "Zaboru, please show us your workshop." The title alone was straightforward, but the desperation behind it made Zaboru laugh under his breath. Apparently, Kuro_jii was deeply convinced that Zaboru's workshop was some kind of legendary secret space filled with impossible machines, strange prototypes, hidden art, and maybe even forbidden technology.
As the title suggested, the thread was filled with Kuro_jii pleading for Zaboru to showcase his workshop. The tone was half serious, half ridiculous, but the enthusiasm was undeniable. What made it even funnier was that other forum users had started joining in too, turning the request into a small running joke across the forum. Some people genuinely wanted to see the workshop, while others simply wanted to watch Zaboru react to the increasingly dramatic requests. This time, the post read like this.
"Hi! This is me again, and just like I said in my previous posts, please, Zaboru-san, showcase your workshop! I know I keep asking this, but I really can't stop thinking about it. Every time I see your games, your hardware ideas, your weird ads, and all those insane concepts ZAGE keeps releasing, I keep wondering what kind of place could create all of that. I always feel like there must be something absolutely insane hidden inside your workshop, something no normal person would ever imagine.
I have a friend who works in ZAGE Tower, and even he said the 51st floor is super mysterious. He told me that most employees can't casually go there, and people treat it like some kind of forbidden floor or sacred temple. And that makes me even more curious, because that place is your workshop, right? The place where Zaboru Renkonan thinks, creates, draws, builds, plans, and probably summons impossible ideas from another dimension!
Please, I'm dying to know! I'm also an artist who has my own small workshop, so I'm really curious about how someone like you arranges your creative space. Do you have concept art everywhere? Prototype machines? Strange tools? Secret game documents? Weird action figures? Half-finished inventions? Please, Zaboru! Show us your temple! I'm begging you! It's definitely filled with insane stuff, and I need to see even a little bit of it before my curiosity destroys me!"
Zaboru looked at the thread and scratched his head, unable to stop a small laugh from escaping. "Huh… this guy really is something…" he muttered. Then his gaze slowly moved across the 51st floor, the very place Kuro_jii kept calling a "temple." In a way, the fan was not completely wrong. The floor was a beautiful mess, filled with half-finished prototypes, strange tools, design notes, piles of paper, hardware parts, and concept sketches scattered everywhere. Some areas looked like a game development office, others looked like an engineer's workshop, and some corners looked like the room of a man who had too many hobbies and too much money to restrain himself.
There were concept artworks pinned and framed across the walls, showing characters in countless different art styles—some cute, some realistic, some dark, some absurdly dramatic. There were unfinished designs for games that had not even been announced yet, so Zaboru knew he could not simply show everything freely. His main desk alone looked insane: multiple super high-end PCs, several monitors, prototype controllers, stacks of documents, sketchbooks, and enough cables to make an ordinary person feel dizzy. Beyond that, there was also his private secret room, where he kept the "super version" of action figures he had made for himself as part of his hobby. As the owner of ZAGE, if Zaboru wanted premium figures, custom statues, or ridiculous collector items based on his own ideas, he could simply approve them and make them real.
Zaboru leaned back in his chair, thinking more seriously. "Hmmm… a workshop tour, huh? It's technically secret, but I can reveal some of it. Not the confidential content itself, of course… but the atmosphere, the tools, and some harmless corners should be fine." He tapped his finger against the desk, amused by the idea. "A real live stream might be difficult right now, though. The quality won't be stable enough if I walk around the entire floor. Maybe recording it first and posting it later is better?"
The more he thought about it, the more useful the idea became. It would be fun for fans, it would satisfy Kuro_jii's endless pleading, and it would also work as a clever distraction from Microsoft's console reveal. Zaboru's personal popularity was absurd, and content like this—something casual, strange, intimate, and almost forbidden—would definitely attract massive attention. People loved seeing behind-the-scenes material, and Zaboru knew his workshop was exactly the kind of chaotic place fans would overanalyze frame by frame.
He chuckled and finally nodded to himself. "Okay, let's do it tonight."
Then, without making any grand announcement, Zaboru casually replied using his official super account on the ZAGE Forum: "Sure, I'll do it."
That simple comment immediately set the forum on fire. Within minutes, the thread exploded with replies, quotes, screenshots, and people screaming in disbelief. Some users thought Zaboru was joking, some believed Kuro_jii had achieved enlightenment through persistence, and others began preparing snacks as if a national event had just been announced. The phrase "Zaboru Workshop Tour" quickly started spreading across the forum and ZAGE YouTube comments.
Unfortunately, with the current technology of the era, a true walking live stream with stable quality was still difficult. So instead, Zaboru decided to record the tour in advance with Ayumi's help. She would hold the handycam from the afternoon onward, while Zaboru guided the viewers through the safer parts of the 51st floor. After that, the edited video would be uploaded to the official ZAGE YouTube channel at night, framed like a special showcase rather than a true live broadcast.
By night, ZAGE YouTube is already crowded with viewers waiting for the special workshop video to begin. Even though Zaboru had clarified that it would be a recorded showcase rather than a true live stream, that did not stop people from treating it like a major live event. The waiting room is packed, the view count keeps climbing, and the chat moves quickly as fans argue, joke, speculate, and slowly lose their sanity from anticipation. For many of them, the 51st floor of ZAGE Tower has become a myth, a place they imagine as half office, half laboratory, and half secret base, even though that makes no mathematical sense at all.
"I bet there are a lot of girls in his office."
"No way, bro. Zaboru is a family man!"
"I mean, even if I'm a guy and Zaboru wants me… I won't refuse!"
"OH MY GOD HELP!"
"Probably it's just an alien spaceship. Zaboru is an alien after all."
"51st floor? More like final dungeon."
"Kuro_jii really did it. He begged so hard he unlocked hidden content."
The conversation continues to spiral into chaos, with some viewers making theories, others pretending to be jealous of Ayumi, and a few claiming they have already prepared notebooks to analyze every object in the background. Then, not long after, the screen finally changes. The video begins, and Zaboru appears on camera wearing a black shirt with a blazer over it. He looks sharp, relaxed, and effortlessly stylish, the kind of appearance that immediately makes the chat erupt again before he even says a word.
"Hey, everyone!" Zaboru says brightly, raising one hand toward the camera. "Unfortunately, this is not a live stream. I recorded this earlier because walking around this floor while streaming would probably make the video quality explode. But! I'll still show you what the office inside looks like, at least the parts I'm allowed to show." He smiles, then gestures slightly toward the camera. "And right now, the one recording this is my wife, Ayumi. But don't worry, her face will be omitted, okay?"
Zaboru winks, and even though the video is prerecorded, the live chat erupts as if he has just dropped a bomb. "ZABORU'S WIFE!? THE LEGENDARY AYUMI!" "It's been a while since we saw her! She rarely appears on camera!" "DIE AYUMI DIE! HOW CAN YOU BE THE WIFE OF MY ZABORU!" "Protect Ayumi-sama from that crazy person above!" "Wait, Ayumi is the camerawoman? This video instantly became sacred." The chat turns into complete chaos, half jealous, half excited, and completely unable to behave normally.
In the video, Zaboru only chuckles as if he already expected that kind of reaction. From behind the camera, Ayumi lets out a small amused sigh, and the faint sound alone makes the comments move even faster. Zaboru then turns toward the large door leading into the 51st floor, placing his hand on the handle with a grin. "Alright, enough teasing. Welcome to the 51st floor of ZAGE Tower." He opens the door, and the camera follows him inside, revealing a wide, spacious floor filled with desks, tools, artwork, machines, cables, shelves, prototypes, and countless strange objects arranged in a messy but strangely organized way. It is huge, far bigger than many viewers expected, and even through the camera, the place feels less like a normal office and more like the private base of someone whose mind never stops working. Zaboru steps forward confidently and begins to explain.
"First, this section is where I usually work," Zaboru says, walking toward the largest desk on the floor. "Planning games, writing stories, brainstorming ideas, checking documents, testing builds, making strange notes that only I can understand… this is what I call the Z-Main Desk." The camera slowly pans across the desk, revealing a ridiculous setup filled with keyboards, several high-end PCs, multiple monitors, prototype controllers, notebooks, planning documents, reference books, design sketches, and stacks of paper covered in scribbles. Some notes look carefully organized, while others look like they were written during a sudden burst of madness at three in the morning.
At first glance, it looks chaotic, but the more Ayumi moves the camera around, the more viewers realize that there is a strange logic to it. One monitor shows a game build paused on a debug screen, another has a long document filled with story outlines, while another displays what looks like a hardware performance chart. There are also sticky notes everywhere, some containing serious reminders like "check combat pacing" or "review animation timing," while others are completely absurd, such as "do not forget rabbit boss idea" and "what if vending machine can betray player?" Zaboru points at a few harmless papers and chuckles. "Of course, I can't show the confidential ones, but this is basically where many ZAGE ideas are born before they are passed to the teams."
The desk itself feels less like a normal workstation and more like the command center of someone who thinks in too many directions at once. There are books about programming, film direction, music theory, architecture, mythology, sports, horror, and even cooking, all piled together as if Zaboru believes every subject can somehow become useful for game development. The chat immediately starts reacting to every tiny detail on screen, trying to zoom in mentally and guess what project each note might belong to. Zaboru only laughs and waves his hand casually. "Don't overanalyze too much. Half of this is genius, and the other half is probably nonsense. The problem is, even I don't always know which one is which until later."
Then Zaboru continues with a smile, guiding the camera toward another side of the floor. "Next, this is my workshop for creating artwork," he says proudly. The area looks completely different from the main desk. It is filled with pencils, papers, ink bottles, paint, marker sets, sketchbooks, rulers, tablets, and reference books stacked in places where they probably should not be stacked. Some tools are arranged neatly, while others are scattered around as if Zaboru had just finished an intense battle against creativity itself. Ayumi moves the camera slowly across the space, and the viewers can immediately see dozens of framed artworks hanging on the walls. At first, the audience expects concept art for famous ZAGE games, but then they actually look closer—and the chat instantly loses its mind.
"Holy moly! Is that Mario but as mafia!?"
"Wait! Is that RoboCop doing a slam dunk!?"
"WHY IS THERE A DRAGON WEARING A BUSINESS SUIT!?"
"Is that Kirby as a final boss in a dark fantasy RPG!?"
"The art style is so unhinged! I love this! Zaboru needs to release this!"
The framed artwork is completely absurd, yet somehow it looks genuinely amazing. One piece shows a plumber-like hero sitting in a smoky underground office like a crime boss, surrounded by mushroom-shaped gangsters. Another depicts a cybernetic police officer launching himself toward a basketball hoop while explosions happen behind him for no logical reason. There is also a painting of a knight fighting a vending machine dragon, a dramatic portrait of a rabbit wearing a crown and holding a laser sword, and what appears to be a detective penguin standing in the rain beneath neon lights. None of it should make sense, yet each artwork is drawn with such confidence, detail, and absurd charm that it becomes impossible to dismiss.
Zaboru scratches his cheek and laughs awkwardly as if he has just realized how strange his own hobby looks from the outside. "Ah, yeah… sometimes I draw random things just to reset my brain," he explains casually. "When I think too seriously about games, business, hardware, or story structure, my head gets too stiff. So I make things like this. It helps." His explanation only makes the chat even more chaotic, because apparently Zaboru's idea of "resetting his brain" is drawing a mafia Mario, a basketball RoboCop, and a corporate dragon who looks like he owns several banks. Ayumi, behind the camera, lets out a quiet laugh, and Zaboru immediately points at one of the paintings. "That one was Ayumi's favorite, by the way." Its show Rabbits fighting against Black tiger in Boxing match , The chat explodes again, now trying to guess which cursed masterpiece Ayumi personally approved.
After that, Zaboru moves on and showcases his "Engineer Workshop." This section looks even more dramatic. It is packed with mechanical parts, prototype boards, soldering stations, custom controller shells, dismantled consoles, small motors, screws, wires, and strange unfinished devices that look like they might either become future gaming accessories or accidentally open a portal to another dimension. Zaboru speaks smoothly as he walks, explaining which areas are safe to show and which must remain hidden because they contain unreleased technology. The audience becomes fascinated by how casually he discusses hardware concepts while stepping around tools and cables like he has memorized the entire chaos.
Not far from the engineering area is a small gym, which surprises the viewers even more. It has dumbbells, a bench, resistance bands, a pull-up bar, and a few compact machines arranged neatly in one corner. Zaboru chuckles and says he uses it for light exercise whenever he has been sitting too long, though the chat immediately refuses to believe anything involving his body can be called "light." Someone asks if he builds consoles with one hand while doing push-ups with the other, and another viewer claims the gym is probably where Zaboru trains to fight Microsoft personally. The 51st floor looks messy, strange, and almost impossible to categorize, but the more the audience sees, the more they understand why Zaboru is Zaboru. It is not just an office. It is a chaotic creative ecosystem, and somehow, he explains everything so naturally that the viewers cannot stop watching.
Then, finally, Zaboru arrives at the last door on the 51st floor. Unlike the other areas, this door looks strangely plain at first glance—too plain, almost suspiciously normal. There are no flashy warning signs, no giant locks, no dramatic symbols, nothing that openly screams "secret room." And yet, somehow, that only makes it feel even more suspicious. Zaboru stops in front of it, turns toward the camera, and grins like a man who has been waiting the entire tour for this exact moment. "Hehehe… this is the secret room," he says, lowering his voice slightly for dramatic effect. "What's inside here will blow your mind away… probably. Maybe. Hehehe."
Even Ayumi, who has been quietly recording this entire time, cannot hide her curiosity anymore. From behind the camera, her voice slips out softly. "Hmm, Zabo… what is this room actually? I don't know this one." The moment she says that, Zaboru freezes for half a second, then slowly turns his head toward the camera with an expression that is half serious, half mischievous. "Ayumi…" he says with a long sigh, as if scolding her gently. "You're not supposed to talk, you know." Then his grin returns instantly. "But don't worry. I'll show you too. Heheh."
Ayumi gasps quietly, clearly surprised that even she is about to see something new, before quickly falling silent again. That tiny reaction alone makes the atmosphere feel even more mysterious. If Ayumi, his own wife, doesn't know what is inside, then what kind of ridiculous thing has Zaboru been hiding there? The audience immediately begins to lose their minds, and the chat turns into a chaotic storm of suspicion, excitement, jealousy, and complete nonsense.
"SECRET ROOM!?"
"AYUMI DOESN'T KNOW EITHER!? THIS IS ILLEGAL!"
"I'M NOT JEALOUS AT ALL! I'M VERY NORMAL RIGHT NOW!"
"DAMN, LOOK AT THIS LAYOUT. THIS IS NOT AN OFFICE, IT'S A SECRET BASE!"
"BRO IS ABOUT TO REVEAL THE FINAL BOSS ROOM."
"WHAT IF IT'S JUST A ROOM FULL OF GYOZA?"
"NO, IT'S DEFINITELY WHERE HE STORES HIS ALIEN TECHNOLOGY."
"DEFINETLY MARIO INSIDE!"
Zaboru places his hand on the door handle but does not open it immediately. Instead, he pauses, enjoying the suspense far too much. He glances back at the camera and says, "Before I open this, I want everyone to understand something. Inside this room is not classified company technology. If it were, I obviously wouldn't show it." He nods seriously for one full second, then ruins the seriousness by adding, "But it is classified in a different way. Classified by my dignity."
Ayumi lets out another small laugh behind the camera, clearly failing to stay quiet. Zaboru points at the lens dramatically. "See? Even my wife is laughing. That means this room is dangerous." The chat explodes again, now convinced that whatever is behind the door must be either legendary, embarrassing, or both. Zaboru takes a deep breath, straightens his blazer, and finally prepares to open the secret door of the 51st floor, his grin widening like a magician about to reveal a trick that should never have been allowed to exist.
To be continue
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