Sunday, 4 July 2001.
Zaboru was now at Tokyo Narita International Airport, preparing to depart for Brazil using his private jet. As usual, his wife, mother, and children had accompanied him to see him off. Ayumi was now almost two months pregnant with their twins, so even though Zaboru wanted her beside him during the trip, he was also much more careful with her condition.
Before boarding, Zaboru gently kissed Ayumi. "This time, I might really have a long trip. After Brazil, I need to go to Italy to check on Inter, and after that, I have to go to the USA. It could take a month or more." He smiled softly while carrying Arumi in one arm. "Are you sure you don't want to come with me, Ayumi?"
Ayumi chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Don't worry, Zabo. Nii-sama and Akaishidan still need me, and I also want to prepare our next game properly. Karate Bunny 3 is releasing soon, and honestly, I'm excited." She placed one hand gently on her stomach and smiled. "Besides, Zen-chan and Rumi-chan are here with me, so I should be safe."
Keiko, who was standing nearby, smiled warmly. "Don't worry, son. If Ayumi misses you too much, we'll just go to wherever you are, right?"
Zaboru laughed softly and nodded. "That's right, Mom. Ayumi, don't hesitate. If you really miss me, just call me and use my private plane to come to wherever I'm staying."
Ayumi nodded with a gentle smile, though there was still a little sadness in her eyes. A month apart was not unbearable, but with her pregnancy and the twins growing inside her, she naturally wanted Zaboru close. Still, she understood that this trip was important. ZAGE's presence in Brazil, the ZAGE Foundation projects, Inter Milan, and the USA branches all needed his attention.
Zaboru then crouched slightly and looked at Zenshin. "Zen-chan, protect your mother and little sister while Papa is gone, okay?"
Zenshin gave a calm nod. "Yes, Papa."
Zaboru smiled proudly. "Good boy."
Arumi, who was still in Zaboru's arms, hugged his neck tightly. "Papa, bring gift."
Zaboru laughed. "Of course. What does Rumi-chan want?"
Arumi thought seriously for a moment, then answered, "Animal."
Ayumi immediately narrowed her eyes. "Zabo, don't bring home a wild animal from Brazil."
Zaboru froze.
Keiko covered her mouth and laughed.
Zaboru quickly said, "I wasn't going to." He actually think something like get Arumi Capybara."
Ayumi stared at him.
Zaboru looked away. "Probably."
Ayumi sighed. "Zabo."
Zaboru chuckled and gently kissed Arumi's forehead. "Papa will bring a safe gift, okay? Something cute, but not something that might destroy the house."
Arumi nodded, apparently satisfied by that promise.
After one final round of hugs, Zaboru finally said goodbye to his family and boarded his private plane. Inside the aircraft, only the usual crew accompanied him: the pilots, chefs, and two attendants who had worked on the plane for years. By now, they were already used to Zaboru's habits. They knew he disliked being disturbed unless necessary, and they also knew he often ordered large amounts of food before long flights.
However, working on Zaboru's private plane was honestly one of the best jobs they could ever imagine. Zaboru paid them extremely well, far above what normal private-aircraft staff usually received, and he never treated them like invisible servants. He remembered their names, asked about their families occasionally, gave generous bonuses after long trips, and never complained when they requested proper rest after difficult schedules. Because of that, the pilots, chefs, and attendants were insanely happy working for him. Even when the trip was long or sudden, nobody truly minded, because they knew Zaboru would compensate them properly.
One of the attendants even joked quietly that serving Zaboru was less stressful than serving ordinary rich people, despite the absurd amount of food he ate. Ordinary rich people often screamed over tiny mistakes. Zaboru, on the other hand, usually just laughed, thanked them, and asked if there was more meat. For employees who had once worked under far more arrogant clients, that alone made him feel like a blessing.
This time was no different. Before entering his private room, Zaboru asked the chef to prepare plenty of food that did not need to be served hot: sandwiches, fruit, light snacks, drinks, and several high-calorie meals that could be eaten gradually during the flight. His Enlightenment Body required far more energy than ordinary people, especially when he spent long hours working intensely. The chef accepted the order with a bright smile, already familiar with his appetite, and immediately began preparing enough food that an ordinary passenger would have assumed there were several hidden guests on board.
Once everything was prepared, Zaboru thanked the crew casually, entered his private room, leaned back against the comfortable chair, and closed his eyes.
To the attendants, it looked like he was meditating or taking a quiet rest before the long flight. None of them disturbed him. They simply continued their work quietly, feeling proud that their employer trusted them enough to relax so completely around them.
In reality, Zaboru had entered his Emulator Mind.
Inside that mental space, time moved four times slower than the outside world. One hour in reality became four hours inside. His thinking speed, dexterity, and ability to organize ideas also became sharper. More importantly, he could split his consciousness into four working versions of himself, allowing him to brainstorm, write, test ideas, and organize plans at the same time.
He could also recreate objects from his memories, including things from his previous life, though the current limit of his knowledge recreation only reached up to the year 2005. Items created inside Emulator Mind could not be brought outside physically, but that did not matter much. With Deep Memory Dive, Zaboru could perfectly remember the results and recreate the important details later in the real world.
Usually, he used this space for development folders, business planning, game systems, music ideas, and experiments.
But today, his first thought was not work.
It was Zaborn.
Zaborn was his ghost friend, partner, and in a strange way, the fragment of the original Zaboru's soul from this world. Recently, Zaborn had been thinking about whether he should completely merge with Zaboru or continue existing as he was. Zaboru was fine with either choice. He loved having Zaborn as his strange ghost partner, but if Zaborn truly wanted to merge with him, he would accept that too.
Zaboru appeared inside Emulator Mind and walked toward the section where Zaborn usually stayed. It was a strange area filled with game consoles, arcade machines, books, snacks, development notes, and countless things Zaborn had borrowed from Zaboru's memories for entertainment.
Zaboru looked around and called casually, "Yo, Zaborn. So, have you decided what you want?"
A few seconds later, Zaborn appeared. He looked almost like another version of Zaboru, but with his own slightly different expression and atmosphere. He sighed, scratched his head, then gave Zaboru an awkward smile.
"Well, Zabo..." Zaborn began. "I think I want to stay like this for now."
Zaboru smiled but said nothing, allowing him to continue.
Zaborn looked around at the games and memories surrounding them. "Honestly, I'm having a blast. I can play games from your previous world, games from this world, and even learn development little by little. And not just that..." His expression softened. "I think I'm attached to Arumi."
Zaboru's smile became warmer.
Zaborn continued, his voice quieter now. "She's so precious, dude. I mean, she's basically my daughter too, right? Because I'm part of you. Or at least, I'm her uncle or something."
Zaboru chuckled. He already knew Arumi could see Zaborn. Keiko could also see and interact with him, though not as naturally as Arumi. In the real world, the only people who could currently perceive Zaborn were Zaboru, Keiko, and Arumi. But Arumi was special. She could do something even Zaboru could not fully do.
She could touch Zaborn.
She played with him, laughed with him, and treated him like another beloved family member. Recently, she had even become sad because Zaborn rarely appeared outside. That alone had probably influenced his decision more than he wanted to admit.
Zaboru smiled and said, "Then stay, dude. You're my partner, after all. Just do what you like, bro."
Zaborn grinned, visibly relieved. "Thanks, bro. Besides, right now I'm really learning game development! I'm trying my best. I know I can't be like you, but I'll try anyway."
Zaboru shook his head lightly. "Don't think like that. You don't need to be me. You're Zaborn. If you want to make games, make them your own way."
Zaborn blinked, then laughed. "Damn. That sounded cooler than I expected."
Zaboru grinned. "Of course. I'm very cool."
Zaborn rolled his eyes. "There it is."
Zaboru laughed before adding, "But seriously, I'll help you whenever I can."
Zaborn nodded happily, then suddenly seemed to remember something important. "Oh, right! Zabo, listen to this. I can go outside Japan now!"
Zaboru's eyes widened. "Wait, what?"
Zaborn became more excited. "Yeah! I tested it recently. I can move outside Japan now, though I still need to stay somewhat close to you. If I go too far from you, I get pulled back to Japan by force. It feels really weird, like reality grabs my collar and throws me home."
Zaboru stared at him for a moment.
Then his grin slowly widened.
"So now you can go wherever I go?"
Zaborn nodded proudly. "Pretty much."
Zaboru's expression turned mischievous. "Well... you did say you would spy for me, right?"
Zaborn immediately pointed at him. "I knew it. I knew you'd say that."
Zaboru laughed. "Come on, bro. A ghost partner who can move around unseen? That's basically begging to be used for intelligence work."
Zaborn crossed his arms. "I'm not your corporate ghost drone."
"You're my corporate ghost friend."
"That sounds worse."
Zaboru chuckled. "Don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything now. But later, I might really need you to observe certain companies or dangerous people. Just light spying. Nothing too reckless."
Zaborn sighed, but he was smiling. "Fine. Just say the word when you need me, dude. But I'm not haunting bathrooms or weird private rooms, okay?"
Zaboru immediately raised both hands. "Fair. We have standards."
"Good."
For a moment, both of them simply looked at each other and laughed. Their relationship had started strangely, born from reincarnation, soul fragments, and Emulator Mind, but by now, Zaborn had become someone Zaboru genuinely trusted. He was not just a leftover soul or an imaginary companion.
He was family.
Zaboru then looked around the Emulator Mind and stretched his shoulders. "Okay then. Since you're staying, let's use this flight properly. I need to work on Brazil plans, Inter Milan notes, the Web Novel platform structure, Project Hogwarts, ZEPS 4 support documents, AKAI software expansion, and probably other things I forgot."
Zaborn stared at him. "You call that 'properly'? That sounds like abuse and there's no way you forgetting stuff dude."
Zaboru grinned. "Self-abuse is still productive and hey! I'm still human too."
"That is not a healthy motto." Zaborn groaned
Zaboru shrug "Maybe not, but it works."
Zaborn sighed dramatically, but then he smiled and walked beside him. "Fine. Let's work, partner."
Zaboru's grin softened.
"Yeah. Let's work."
With that, Zaboru divided his consciousness inside the Emulator Mind and began working rapidly. One version of him organized Brazil Foundation reports. Another reviewed Inter Milan development documents. Another continued expanding the ZAGE Web Novel system. The fourth prepared ZEPS 4 games
Meanwhile, Zaborn sat nearby with his own development notes, trying to build the foundation of his first small game.
Outside, inside the private plane, Zaboru's body remained still in the quiet room, eyes closed as though he were simply resting.
But inside his mind, hours of work had already begun.
To be continued.
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