It is said that there is a famous line in EVA: "I have become an adult before you."
What the meaning behind this sentence actually is, many people are searching for. Some think it is psychological growth, some think it is physiological growth, and some think it is just the literal meaning.
And Kobayashi Tetsu thinks ———— it is now.
He rested his chin on his hand, looking across the dining table at the busy figure in the kitchen.
"How about I talk to the manager and move Old Dixie to the bottom of the Mitsui Building?"
Kobayashi Tetsu said: "It would be more convenient to eat like that."
The first to fifth floors of the Mitsui Building are shops, and the prices are naturally a bit expensive, not really suitable for a family restaurant, but Kobayashi Tetsu didn't care. He just wanted to be self-willed for once.
In this era of the bubble, there is such a saying about Japanese women: besides their true love, they must also have three spare tires: one for a chauffeur, one for a wallet, and one for a shop.
As the name suggests, it means that besides the person they love, Japanese women of the time would also keep three "spare tires"—men they wouldn't even let hold their hands. One was responsible for chauffeuring them around, one for spending money on them, and the other for regularly buying them gifts.
But no matter how you looked at it, men like Kobayashi Tetsu were always the top priority, the absolute "honmei" (main choice).
Kobayashi Tetsu was a man with a penchant for cleanliness, though perhaps he was also a bit of a hypocrite. He didn't care about the daily social interactions of Nene, Koyakawa, or the others, but keeping "spare tires" was something he absolutely would not tolerate. Even if he himself was fickle-minded, it simply wouldn't do; he had to keep them under his watchful eye.
He was the only one allowed to have ambiguous, flirtatious interactions with them.
In the end, Kobayashi Tetsu reached a conclusion on the matter.
"Move to the Mitsui Building. I'll make it clear to the manager."
And so, Kobayashi Tetsu moved the Old Dixie Restaurant to the ground floor of the Mitsui Building, so he could have pork cutlet rice for lunch whenever he wanted, and miso soup whenever he felt like it.
Time just like that reached October.
Returning from his vacation, Yuji Naka brought gifts for everyone he was close with, even bringing souvenirs for the staff.
"President!"
Seeing Tetsu Kobayashi, Yuji Naka immediately stood at attention and solemnly pulled a craft item out of a black bag.
Tetsu Kobayashi took it casually, not paying much mind at first, but Naka's next sentence nearly made him drop it.
"This is ivory," Naka said. "I went hunting in Africa."
Tetsu Kobayashi looked down at the ivory carving. It was engraved with sun and moon-like totem symbols, with gemstones and gold embellishments in the middle—altogether a very tacky gift.
But Tetsu Kobayashi happened to like tacky.
"Hunting is so much fun," Naka continued to exclaim. "The savannah is endless, you have to hold onto your hunting rifle tight, and—"
Tetsu Kobayashi was certainly not one to be a killjoy. Only after Yuji Naka had finished speaking with great enthusiasm did he gesture with the ivory craft in his hand.
"This is the last time; don't make things like this again. Anyway, since you're back on the job, adjust your mindset as soon as possible and get to work."
Seeing that Kobayashi Tetsu was about to give a lecture, Naka Yuji raised his hand, preparing to push the whiteboard over. Suddenly, a figure darted out from the corner—Ohba Noriyoshi had promptly pushed the whiteboard to Kobayashi Tetsu's side and handed him a marker. "Gah?!" Naka Yuji stared at Ohba Noriyoshi, feeling utterly shocked by this turn of events. Someone was actually competing with him for this kind of task! Naka Yuji instantly clenched his fists.
He hadn't expected that after returning from a one-month vacation, he would no longer be the President's favorite man! Kobayashi Tetsu picked up the marker and began to write. "To make a long story short, Sega has provided a batch of new development kits. Department 1 will use them to make a new game: Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Naka-kun, you will lead the team. Strive to build upon the foundation of the first game, maintaining Sonic's core characteristics while innovating. Don't just blindly follow my way of thinking."
Naka Yuji nodded repeatedly, suddenly feeling a great sense of responsibility. While he did have experience leading his own department, having Sonic the Hedgehog 2 handed directly to him this time still felt deeply significant.
Kobayashi Tetsu gestured again. "Department 4, come with me. I have a separate task for you. Department 2—" Kobayashi Tetsu paused for a moment and said, "I have a project proposal here that I find quite interesting. Iwata-kun, you lead the team. Kojima-kun, you will be his deputy." Kobayashi Tetsu had specifically designated Hideo Kojima to work under Satoru Iwata for a while. The Metal Gear project would be handed over to Department 2 for now.
With this, the work assignments for Atlas were complete. Department 1, led by Yuji Naka, would work on Sonic the Hedgehog 2; Department 2, with Satoru Iwata and Hideo Kojima, would work on Metal Gear; and Department 3 would continue with Megami Tensei. Department 4, which was also the newly formed department, was a new development division that Kobayashi Tetsu had established after acquiring the Nekketsu Group, by combining personnel drawn from Departments 1 and 2, along with some staff borrowed from Capcom
. The previous Street Fighter had been completed by Department 4 under the collaboration of Yuji Naka and Takashi Nishiyama. Among them, the most famous were, of course, Takashi Nishiyama and his assistant, Yuji Matsumoto. However, this time, Kobayashi Tetsu himself would be in charge.
Noriyoshi Ohba looked at Tetsu Kobayashi and suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He hadn't been given a work assignment yet! Could it be, was it possible, that he was actually going to be entrusted with an important task? This would be equivalent to getting even closer to the core of Atlas! Noriyoshi Ohba hesitated, full of anticipation.
Tetsu Kobayashi said, "Right, and Ohba-kun. You continue to work with Development Division 2." After saying this, Tetsu Kobayashi waved his hand and led the people from Department 4 into the office. Noriyoshi Ohba hesitated, wanting to say something. No way. He had been employed for several months already, why was he still in charge of buying coffee! "I'm a graduate of Waseda University, I shouldn't be doing this—" Noriyoshi Ohba muttered to himself, begrudgingly heading to the Second Division to prepare for work.
Tetsu Kobayashi couldn't be bothered with Noriyoshi Ohba; since it was determined that this person couldn't be won over, Tetsu Kobayashi had no interest in him. Sakura Wars certainly still had to be made, but this time it didn't need Ouji Hiroi, nor did it need Noriyoshi Ohba. Atlas had its own people for development. In the office, the people from Department 4 stood ready, waiting for Tetsu Kobayashi's arrangements. Tetsu Kobayashi casually wrote on the whiteboard.
"The next game Department 4 will develop is quite special. It's an action-platformer, somewhat similar to Konami's Contra, but overall, it's meant to be much more humorous."
Kobayashi Tetsu asked casually, "Do any of you usually like reading American comics or watching American movies?"
The group looked at each other. Finally, one of the shorter employees said in a low voice, "Does the kind with the 'FBI Warning' at the beginning count?"
Kobayashi Tetsu was amused.
"That counts too! Don't underestimate those kinds of films; films from different countries actually reflect a country's culture. This work will focus on the North American market, so it must fit North American characteristics. If you aren't familiar enough with them, starting today, read a few American comics as soon as possible. Learn their way of thinking, study their art styles, and learn their character designs. Of course, don't bother reading the plots."
The plots of American comics were absolute trash; they weren't worth reading.
Although Metal Slug was made by the Japanese, its style was quite typically American-exaggerated. Kobayashi Tetsu pondered that he would need to expand the art team; the current group was far from enough.
After making the arrangements, Kobayashi Tetsu waved his hand: "Go read! We'll start making the game in a week!"
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