"Nakayama Takuya! I get it now—you came here today just to torture me!"
Sakaguchi clutched his own hair, looking like he was on the verge of losing his mind.
"My Final Fantasy IV bug list is thicker than a phone book, and you show me this? How am I supposed to go back and face Final Fantasy after this? My head is full of time-travel and triple-tech combos now!"
Even Rieko Koyama, who had been quietly listening from the side, couldn't help but smile at the scene.
"That's why I said—one bite at a time."
Nakayama finally revealed a fox-like smile, glancing at Sakaguchi and then at Rieko.
"Sakaguchi-san, finish that final feast called Final Fantasy IV first. And Miss Koyama's Golden Sun 3 still needs a few months to wrap up. During that time, the two champions on each side can warm up with some long-distance sparring."
He paused, then dropped the final bomb:
"I want Sega-CD to debut with a groundbreaking first title—one created jointly by the father of Final Fantasy and the mother of Golden Sun. A true… Dream Team."
Sakaguchi froze. He looked at Nakayama, then at the serene-looking woman beside him, finally understanding the sheer scale of Nakayama's ambition.
He let out a long breath—one that seemed to carry away all the conflict and frustration, leaving only a burning flame called "excitement."
With a bitter smile, Sakaguchi nodded and accepted Nakayama's invitation.
When the group stepped out of the meeting room, Sakaguchi was still caught in a storm of excitement and turmoil. He stared at Nakayama as though he were a demon disguised in human skin.
"I finally see through you, Nakayama-kun. You came here just to make my life harder. When I go back now, the moment I close my eyes, I won't be seeing Final Fantasy IV bug reports!"
Just as he finished speaking, a voice filled with artistic anguish drifted from the other end of the corridor.
"No, no, no—this timbre is wrong. Too thin—far too thin—"
A man with a trademark little mustache walked toward them, music sheets in hand—Uematsu Nobuo, Square's music director.
He was here today to transfer the FFIV theme, Theme of Love, onto the MD devkit and check the playback.
But the meager PCM chip's electronic tones were nothing like the grand orchestral performance he imagined.
"Oh, Uematsu, perfect timing!"
Sakaguchi grabbed him like a desperate man finding salvation. "Come meet this demon! He brought something that'll drive every game creator mad!"
Uematsu blinked in confusion, then noticed Nakayama and politely nodded.
"Nakayama-san. Hello."
"We meet again, Uematsu-san," Nakayama replied, smiling like a fox who had just stolen a chicken. "I was just telling Sakaguchi-san how many nights you've burned trying to squeeze music into cartridges. Truly hard work."
The words hit Uematsu's sore spot precisely. He sighed.
"Well, when you're forced to build a dojo in a snail shell, compromises are inevitable. It's just… a shame for the music."
"What if your next dojo," Nakayama said lightly, "isn't a snail shell… but the Tokyo Dome?"
"…What?" Uematsu blinked.
"I mean," Nakayama's gaze fell to the music sheets in his hands,
"your next soundtrack won't require compromises. What you record with a full orchestra in the studio… is exactly what players will hear at home. Every note—untouched."
Uematsu's eyes flew wide open. He instinctively looked at Sakaguchi—who was wearing an expression that clearly said: Welcome to the pit. I fell in first.
"Sakaguchi. Is he saying—"
"It's real."
Sakaguchi shoved the Chrono Trigger manuscript into his arms with a tone of "we suffer together now."
"Look at this! The script Nakayama prepared for his new stage. Look at the insane things he's planning!"
Suspicious, Uematsu took the thick stack and sat down on a bench in the corridor, flipping through it on his own.
The air around them went still.
Only the rustling of pages could be heard.
His brows shifted—from confusion, to interest, to a tightly locked frown.
His fingers tapped unconsciously on his knee. He muttered under his breath:
"Prehistoric era—"
"Medieval… knights and princesses—"
"The future… a cold mechanical city… 'The Day of Lavos'—?"
Suddenly, he snapped the manuscript shut and looked up—not excited, but tormented by a composer's awakened ambition.
"Sakaguchi! How am I supposed to compose for this?! The stylistic range is insane! From stone age to the end of the universe—this is way beyond the scope of a single game's soundtrack!"
He turned to Nakayama, almost accusing:
"Nakayama-san, are you sure you want to cram all of this into one game? This is torture for a composer!"
"I'm sure," Nakayama said with the same calm smile.
"Because I believe only the full-power Uematsu Nobuo can handle a work of this scale. I want to hear your talent, unbound by hardware, unleashed in its complete form."
"Full… power…"
Uematsu mouthed the words. The fire in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Then—like he'd been struck by lightning—he jerked upright.
"Ah! My Theme of Love! It's still waiting in the recording room!"
Only now did he remember why he came today. In a panic, he shoved the manuscript back at Sakaguchi and sprinted toward the studio.
Halfway down the corridor, he stopped abruptly, turned, and yelled:
"Sakaguchi! This project—the music must be mine! And I need to think—how to handle a soundtrack with this kind of insane range!"
Then he vanished down the hall.
Sakaguchi watched him go, then slowly turned back to Nakayama, his face twisted into a smile uglier than crying.
"See that, Nakayama-kun? Another one. You've driven two of Square's pillars insane in a single day."
"I prefer to call it 'creative inspiration,'" Nakayama said, patting his shoulder. Then he extended his hand solemnly.
"So—happy cooperation, Sakaguchi-san."
Sakaguchi shook it firmly.
"Happy suffering. Now I'm going back to chew through my mountain of FFIV bugs."
Then he turned to Rieko Koyama, his expression becoming more formal.
"Miss Koyama, it seems our future days won't be boring. I look forward to working with you."
"The feeling is mutual, Sakaguchi-san."
Rieko bowed lightly.
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