Zaboru stood at the front of the meeting room with a confident smile. Behind him, the presentation screen displayed the title of his newest proposal.
ZAGE WEB NOVEL PLATFORM
He looked across the table before saying, "Hello, everyone. As you can see, I have another major proposal today. And yes, this one is directly related to ZAGE's future expansion."
The room became quiet almost immediately.
Everyone present was personally familiar with Zaboru. They had worked beside him for years, argued with him, laughed with him, and survived more than a few of his reckless ideas. But their casual relationship never diminished their respect for him. Whenever Zaboru stood before them with a serious proposal, nobody needed to pretend to listen.
They genuinely wanted to hear what he had planned.
Sayuri adjusted her glasses and opened the financial folder in front of her. Shinsuke leaned back comfortably, already wearing the amused expression of someone who suspected where the story would begin. Yuna sat with her usual calm posture, while Kudou and Shiki Spencer prepared to take notes. Zanichi, meanwhile, remained near the end of the table with a cup of coffee in his hand, looking as though he had been invited mainly because Zaboru refused to let him escape.
Zaboru pressed the remote, changing the presentation to an image of ZAGE's original headquarters.
"Well, this idea began at the ZAGE Museum a couple of weeks ago," Zaboru explained. "I'm sure Shinsuke-san knows exactly what I'm talking about. The old ZAGE office has been undergoing renovation since last year, and now it has been transformed into a museum preserving our company's history."
Shinsuke chuckled and nodded. "I know. You spent most of the tour laughing at old photographs and denying historically verified stories about yourself."
Zaboru narrowed his eyes slightly. "Some of those descriptions were unnecessarily cruel."
Shinsuke smiled. "Accurate, not cruel."
Several people laughed, and Zaboru shook his head before continuing.
"One of Shinsuke-san's subordinates, Yuuki Kato, supervised much of the museum's written presentation. Apparently, he also has a strong talent for writing stories. The problem is that he doesn't have enough time to create long novels, so most of his works are short stories or small collections. Because of that, he believes they are too short to be published as proper books."
Zaboru paused for a moment, then pressed the remote again.
The words A PLACE FOR EVERY STORY appeared across the screen.
"That made me think," Zaboru continued. "Why should the length of a story decide whether people are allowed to read it? A short story can still be meaningful. A writer can have talent without possessing the time, money, confidence, or industry connections needed to publish through the traditional route."
His grin returned.
"So what if ZAGE created a platform for people like Yuuki Kato?"
The next slide displayed a diagram of the proposed website. It showed author profiles, chapter pages, reader libraries, donation systems, subscriptions, rankings, genre categories, translation sections, and comment features.
Zaboru gestured toward the screen. "Writers could publish their work chapter by chapter. Readers could follow stories, bookmark them, comment, leave ratings, and directly support their favorite authors. Free stories would remain accessible to everyone, while authors could place advanced chapters behind a paid system if they chose to do so."
He clicked again, revealing a separate section labeled WRITING COMPETITIONS.
"We could also host competitions for short stories, serialized novels, new writers, and specific genres. Winners could receive prize money, special profile badges, promotional placement, publishing opportunities, or even adaptation discussions if their work becomes popular enough."
Several people around the table immediately began taking notes.
Zaboru then moved to another part of the diagram. "There would also be a dedicated Fan Fiction section. Writers could create stories inspired by existing works, but those stories could not lock chapters behind direct payment because they would be using intellectual property that does not belong to them. Readers could still donate voluntarily to support the writer's effort, but the rules would need to remain clear."
Kudou's expression sharpened slightly at that point, though he allowed Zaboru to continue.
Zaboru briefly paced beside the presentation screen before saying, "I understand that this is a serious expansion for ZAGE. Until now, whenever we entered an entertainment field outside video games, we usually acquired or partnered with companies that already had experience in that industry. YaDo handles animation. Hakushensha and Shonen Jump handle manga and publishing. Marvel handles comics. Disney and Pixar handle films. HanDai handles toys, and we have many other subsidiaries covering different areas."
He stopped and looked across the table.
"But this time, I want ZAGE to build something new ourselves. The concept is still young, and the market barely exists in this form. That means we have a chance to shape it before anyone else decides what it should become."
Zaboru pressed the remote once more.
The final project title appeared in large letters.
ZAGE WEB NOVEL
"I'm calling it Web Novel, or ZAGE Web Novel," Zaboru announced. "It will operate as its own dedicated website rather than being forced into the normal ZAGE Forum structure. Before I continue into the deeper details, does anyone have questions about the basic concept?"
Sayuri raised her hand first.
Zaboru smiled knowingly. "Yes, Sayuri-san?"
Sayuri sighed lightly and adjusted her glasses. "Boss, a platform like this will require a large amount of manpower. It isn't merely a new page on the forum. You're proposing an entirely new system involving accounts, payments, moderation, author contracts, content management, reader libraries, and perhaps international support."
Zaboru nodded. "Correct."
Sayuri's gaze sharpened. "Not long ago, you approved major funding for AKAI's software expansion and the early development of its sneaker division. Now, before those investments have even produced results, you want to fund another new field."
She placed both hands over the financial report and continued more firmly. "ZAGE's finances are extremely healthy. I am not denying that. But healthy finances can still be destroyed if the company becomes careless and repeatedly invests in every exciting idea without proper limits. Expansion is useful, but uncontrolled expansion can eventually become the reason a strong company collapses."
Zaboru did not argue immediately.
Instead, he nodded with genuine understanding. "You're right, Sayuri-san. This is another long-term investment, and I don't expect it to become profitable immediately. But I also believe the timing is important. This kind of publishing platform is new enough that readers and writers will find it genuinely novel. More importantly, it can integrate naturally with the ZAGE Network, ZAGE ID, our payment infrastructure, and our existing entertainment ecosystem."
He pointed toward the diagram again. "We already lot of users, mature digital-payment systems through Steam Wallet and Z-Store, global web infrastructure, and several publishing subsidiaries. We are not building this from absolute zero."
Sayuri remained quiet for several seconds before giving a small smile.
"It isn't that I underestimate your ideas, Boss," she replied. "Unfortunately, your strangest ideas have succeeded often enough that doing so would be irresponsible. But someone still needs to remind you that money is not an infinite resource."
Zaboru chuckled. "That's why you're here."
Sayuri nodded. "For the finance department, I can approve the initial development budget. ZAGE is healthy enough to support the project. However, I want clear development phases, spending limits, and regular financial reports before you begin expanding it internationally."
Zaboru grinned. "Agreed."
Yuna raised her hand next, and Zaboru turned toward her. "Yes, Yuna-san?"
Yuna spoke in her usual restrained tone. "This project will require a completely new department, correct? Where do you intend to place the Web Novel team? The required staff will be very different from our normal game-development workforce. We cannot simply assign programmers and artists from existing teams without disrupting current projects."
Zaboru nodded approvingly. "That's a good question. I'm already developing most of the website's early foundation myself, and it's nearly ready for internal testing. As I mentioned, our payment and account systems already exist, so I reused parts of the infrastructure behind Steam Wallet, ZAGE ID, and Z-Store."
He changed the slide to show a proposed departmental structure. "But you're right. We will still need additional staff for moderation, customer support, server maintenance, author relations, editorial work, translation coordination, payment disputes, community management, and content review."
Zaboru pointed toward an empty space marked inside ZAGE Tower. "There are still several unused floors in the tower. For now, one or two of them can become the Web Novel division. If the platform grows beyond our expectations, we can later establish a separate office or even turn it into a dedicated subsidiary."
Yuna considered the answer before nodding. "That should be manageable, as long as the division has its own leadership and does not continuously borrow staff from other departments."
"I agree," Zaboru replied. "I'll select the initial leadership carefully."
Kudou, representing ZAGE's legal department, spoke next. "Boss, you mentioned protecting authors. What exactly do you expect the legal team to handle?"
Zaboru rested one hand against the table. "Plagiarism will probably become one of the biggest problems. Imagine an unknown writer publishes a genuinely interesting story on our platform. Later, a famous author finds it, steals the central idea or even entire sections, then publishes the work elsewhere under a larger name or worse publish it at the same platforms."
Kudou's expression immediately became colder.
Zaboru continued, "The original writer might accuse the famous author, but because the other person is already respected, the public may assume the unknown writer is lying. The famous author could even reverse the accusation and claim that the smaller creator copied them."
Kudou nodded slowly. "Disgusting."
"Exactly," Zaboru replied. "Our system must preserve upload dates, original drafts, edit histories, and clear ownership records. If someone publishes through us, we should be able to prove when the material first appeared and how it developed. We also need reporting systems, investigation procedures, author contracts, and legal support for serious cases."
Kudou began writing quickly. "We will also need policies covering fan fiction, copyrighted characters, adaptations, translations, and stories produced collaboratively by several authors."
Zaboru nodded. "Yes. Fan fiction should remain clearly separated from commercial original work. We can allow it, but we cannot pretend the writer owns the original setting or characters."
Shiki Spencer spoke after Kudou finished. "Boss, what about physical publication? If a series becomes long and popular, will it remain digital, or can we help the author publish actual books?"
Zaboru smiled. "Physical publication is absolutely possible. If a series becomes popular enough, we can approach the author with a proper publishing offer. Hakushensha can handle editing, printing, distribution, and bookstore placement. Successful works could receive light-novel editions, illustrations, manga adaptations, animation proposals, or even game discussions later."
Shiki nodded while writing down several notes. "Then the platform could also become a talent-discovery system for the entire ZAGE entertainment network."
"That's one of the biggest reasons I'm excited about it," Zaboru replied. "There are probably thousands of writers carrying great stories that traditional publishing will never notice. This platform can give them a door."
Throughout the discussion, Zanichi remained mostly silent. He sat near the end of the table, drinking his coffee while showing almost no interest in publishing systems, author contracts, or chapter-payment structures.
Zaboru glanced toward him and chuckled. "Dad, do you have any questions?"
Zanichi took another sip before replying, "No."
"That fast?"
Zanichi nodded. "It does not involve hardware."
Several people laughed.
Zaboru grinned. "It might need stronger servers."
Zanichi paused with the cup halfway to his lips.
Then he sighed. "Send me the requirements later."
Shinsuke, meanwhile, had remained mostly quiet because he already understood where the idea had come from. He smiled faintly as he listened, clearly amused that one shy subordinate's short stories had somehow inspired Zaboru to create an entirely new publishing platform.
After answering several smaller questions about moderation, international languages, reader age ratings, and writer compensation, Zaboru finally returned to the front of the room.
"I don't plan to rush this project," he said. "The website may launch near the end of this year, or perhaps sometime next year if development and legal preparation take longer. I would rather delay it than release a platform that cannot protect its writers or handle its users properly."
His expression became more determined.
"But one way or another, ZAGE Web Novel will become part of ZAGE's future."
Everyone around the table nodded.
The proposal had not been approved blindly. Concerns had been raised, limits had been established, and several departments had already gained a frightening amount of additional work.
But the direction had been accepted.
The meeting ended not long afterward. Most of the executives returned to their departments, while Zaboru remained inside ZAGE Tower and continued working late into the evening.
By the time the tower had grown quieter, Zaboru kept typing on his computers.
Then his private AKAI Z-2 Flip phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and immediately noticed the caller's name.
Akechi Hamazou.
Zaboru answered with mild surprise. Akechi rarely called without a clear reason, and he almost never requested a meeting late at night unless something important had happened.
"Akechi-san?" Zaboru asked. "Is something wrong?"
Akechi's voice remained as calm and unreadable as ever. "We need to meet there are things you need to know."
Zaboru's smile slowly faded. "When?"
"Now."
There was no unnecessary explanation.
That alone told Zaboru the matter was serious.
"Where?" he asked.
"Aoshidan Headquarters Tokyo."
Zaboru frowned. Akechi is not someone who bullshiting around so this might be that important so Zaboru stops working a bit and puts his PC to sleep then Zaboru stands and reaches for his coat.
"Understood," he replied. "I'm coming."
The call ended immediately.
Within minutes, Zaboru left ZAGE Tower and headed toward Aoshidan Headquarters, unaware of what Akechi intended to show him.
To be continued.
Please give me your power stone and if you want to support me and get minimum 50+ advance chapter and additional 1 chapter a week for 4$ considering subscribe to my patreon patreon.com/Zaborn_1997
Or buymecoffee https://buymeacoffee.com/Zaborn_1997 which same with patreon
current Patreon/buymecoffe chap 1265
Also Join my discord if you want https://discord.gg/jB8x6TUByc