Chapter 1462 1380 — Hikaru Kurata’s Proposal

Downstairs in the hospital cafeteria, Zaboru had somehow turned what was supposed to be a short coffee break into a small feast. While Hikaru Kurata and Zanichi occupied the smoking section, Zaboru returned from the nearby counter carrying milk, biscuits, a wrapped sandwich, crackers, and several other snacks he had apparently purchased simply because they were within reach. He dropped everything onto the table, opened the milk first, and started eating. Zanichi sat quietly beside them with his cigar, content to simply observe whatever conversation was about to happen. He had known both men long enough to understand that he probably would not need to contribute anything.

Hikaru watched Zaboru tear open a packet of biscuits. His usual expression remained calm and difficult to read, but his eyes briefly drifted toward the elevator that led back to Ayumi's floor before returning to Zaboru. "Before we talk about anything else, take better care of your wife," he said plainly. "I know you have ZAGE, ZEPS 4, and probably twenty other things occupying your head, but Ayumi-san is close to giving birth. Business will survive without you for a day."

Zaboru stopped chewing and stared at him for a second. Then he snorted. "You're the one who talks."

Hikaru went quiet.

Zaboru's eyes narrowed knowingly. "Seriously, Hikaru-san? You're giving me advice about paying attention to my family?"

Zanichi remained silent, but his eyes shifted toward Hikaru, clearly understanding exactly what his son meant. Hikaru had spent enough years allowing Sonaya, competition, and his own obsession to damage his relationship with his family that the irony was impossible to miss.

Rather than becoming defensive, Hikaru merely exhaled through his nose and looked down at the cigarette between his fingers. "Yes," he said after a moment. "I suppose that makes me unusually qualified to recognize stupidity when I see it."

That answer made Zaboru pause.

Hikaru took another drag before continuing in the same restrained tone. "I realized it recently. Much later than I should have." He glanced toward the ceiling as though imagining Ikuyo, Higashi, and Inari upstairs. "There are things you can rebuild in business. Market share. Hardware. Reputation. Money. Even an entire company, sometimes. There are other things where waiting too long can cost you years you cannot get back."

Zaboru's expression softened slightly. The remark was much more serious than he expected from Hikaru. He looked down at the biscuit in his hand before murmuring, "Yeah. I know."

"Then remember it," Hikaru replied simply. There was no lecture in his voice and no attempt to sound wiser than he was. If anything, he sounded like a man passing along something he had learned the hard way. "Ayumi-san looked fine upstairs, thankfully. So stop making that face as though she is going to disappear while you are downstairs."

Zaboru immediately frowned. "What face?"

Hikaru stared at him.

Zaboru stared back.

After several seconds Hikaru sighed. "That one."

Zaboru clicked his tongue and reached for his milk. "You've become annoying lately."

Hikaru took another drag from his cigarette. "I learned from you."

Zaboru almost laughed, but only shook his head and continued eating. Zanichi remained beside them, saying nothing, though the slightest movement at the corner of his mouth suggested that he was enjoying the exchange.

For another minute the three sat quietly. The hospital cafeteria beyond the glass remained moderately busy, but inside the designated smoking area the sound was muted. Hikaru seemed perfectly comfortable allowing silence to remain, unlike Zaboru, who eventually looked toward him while opening the sandwich. "Alright. You didn't come all the way here just to tell me to stop being a bad husband."

Hikaru gave him a flat look. "I came because your wife was hospitalized."

"And?"

"And I happened to have something worth discussing while I was here."

"There it is."

Hikaru's expression remained stoic. "You are exhausting."

Zaboru grinned slightly. "Heheheh. So what do you want?"

Hikaru ignored the grin and rested one arm against the table. "Let me ask you something. Does it ever bother you that the most widespread consumer PC operating system in the world belongs to Microsoft?"

Zaboru's eyebrow rose slightly. That was not where he had expected the conversation to go. Hikaru continued without waiting for a response, explaining that Windows existed practically everywhere—homes, corporations, schools, developers—and was becoming increasingly relevant to gaming as well. Linux existed as an alternative but remained a very different ecosystem, while Apple controlled Mac OS. More importantly, two of the strongest commercial desktop operating-system companies were now also connected directly to gaming competition through X-Box and iPlay.

Zaboru dipped another biscuit into his milk. "Okay. I'm aware of all that."

"I would hope so."

"And?"

Hikaru stared at him for a moment before asking simply, "Don't you want your own?"

Zaboru's chewing slowed.

Hikaru continued in the same measured tone. He was not suggesting a small gaming launcher or some customized interface layered over Windows. He meant a proper consumer operating system—something that could handle normal desktop computing while being designed from the beginning with modern gaming, multimedia, and development in mind. More importantly, he did not see a reason for Sonaya, AKAI, and ZAGE to separately throw resources into solving the same enormous problem.

"Instead of all of us building pieces independently," Hikaru said, "why not cooperate?"

Zaboru slowly grinned. "So you came to my wife's hospital room with a fruit basket and an operating-system alliance hidden behind your back?"

Hikaru's eyes narrowed. "I did not hide an operating system inside the fruit basket, Zaboru."

Zaboru laughed quietly. "Would've been impressive."

"I regret coming downstairs."

That only amused Zaboru more, although he noticed Hikaru was already reaching the limit of his tolerance and let the teasing stop there. He leaned back and considered the proposal seriously. Zanichi continued smoking silently beside them, now paying closer attention.

Hikaru explained that he had heard AKAI was already expanding its desktop-software work, which made him suspect that an operating system had at least been discussed internally. Zaboru did not answer immediately, but his silence told Hikaru enough. "So it has."

"For a while," Zaboru admitted. He set the biscuit down and became more serious. "But talking about making an OS and actually making one are completely different things. Drivers, security, networking, file systems, hardware support, development APIs, backwards compatibility, interface design, software distribution, updates, developer tools… you don't just assign three teams and release it next year."

Hikaru nodded. "Exactly why I'm proposing cooperation."

He then laid out Sonaya's strengths without exaggerating them: experienced hardware engineers, consumer electronics, displays, audio, peripherals, manufacturing relationships, and increasingly serious PC ambitions. ZAGE and AKAI, meanwhile, already had enormous advantages in gaming software, engines, digital distribution, online infrastructure, and developer relationships. Combining those capabilities would make the project far more realistic than any of them attempting it alone.

Zaboru looked at him thoughtfully. Annoyingly enough, it was a very good proposal. "Why now?"

Hikaru briefly glanced at the smoke curling upward from his cigarette before answering. "Because Sonaya needs a direction while we prepare what comes next."

He did not try to hide the reality of their current position. GameStation 32 was aging. X-Box had already overtaken it in several technical areas, while ZEPS 4 had pushed the gap even further. Sonaya was developing another console, but Hikaru had no intention of rushing hardware simply because ZAGE had released something stronger. He had already learned what happened when he allowed Zaboru to dictate his company's pace through rivalry.

Zaboru's grin returned.

Hikaru caught it immediately. "Do not."

"I didn't say anything."

"Your face did."

That made Zaboru chuckle. Hikaru simply ignored him and continued, explaining that Sonaya would increasingly focus on PC gaming while its next hardware generation was being prepared. Several strong Sonaya games were already in development, and PC gave those teams somewhere to release ambitious software without forcing everything onto older console hardware.

Zaboru nodded. "That's actually a good move."

Hikaru looked at him with mild irritation. "You sound surprised."

"I'm proud of you."

Hikaru stared blankly at him.

Zaboru smiled.

After two seconds Hikaru simply said, "Continue eating."

Zanichi silently lowered his cigar to hide what was very nearly a smile.

Zaboru laughed and took another sip of milk. "Fine. But yes, PC makes sense. ZAGE has always taken it seriously anyway."

Steam alone had already made PC impossible for ZAGE to treat as a secondary market. Zaboru had still not decided how aggressively ZEPS 4 first-party software would eventually move between console and PC, but that question was separate from what Hikaru was proposing.

After another moment, Zaboru looked across the table. "Still… you asking me for cooperation is funny."

Hikaru visibly exhaled.

Zaboru continued anyway. "You used to hate me."

"I remember."

"Really hated me."

"I remember."

"Like, wake-up-in-the-morning-and-think-about-Zaboru levels of—"

"I remember, Zaboru."

The flatness of Hikaru's reply finally made Zaboru laugh. Hikaru waited for him to finish before saying, "I don't hate you anymore. I still find you irritating with extraordinary frequency, but hatred requires significantly more energy than I am willing to spend on you."

Zaboru placed a hand dramatically over his chest. "That hurts."

"No, it doesn't."

"No, it doesn't."

Hikaru rubbed one temple. "This is what I mean."

Despite himself, he let out a short chuckle. The relationship between them had changed considerably over the years. Hikaru had not become cheerful or openly affectionate toward Zaboru; that simply was not his personality. But the old hostility had been replaced by something closer to restrained respect, mixed with the permanent exhaustion of dealing with a man who seemed to enjoy irritating him specifically.

Once Zaboru finally stopped smiling, Hikaru returned to the proposal. "This is only an early discussion. Nothing official. I did not bring contracts into a hospital."

"Good. I was about to say that would be extremely Sonaya."

Hikaru closed his eyes briefly.

Zaboru raised both hands. "Okay, okay. Last one."

"I do not believe you."

Zaboru laughed softly before becoming serious again. "Honestly, I'm not against it."

That immediately sharpened Hikaru's attention.

Zaboru explained that AKAI already had preliminary operating-system concepts, but no massive resources had been committed yet. There were too many fundamental choices still unresolved: architecture, user-interface philosophy, software compatibility, development APIs, security, updates, networking, and how deeply gaming should be integrated into the platform.

"But I already have a vision," Zaboru admitted.

Hikaru watched him for a moment. "That sentence usually means trouble."

Zaboru's grin returned. "If I actually build an operating system, I don't want to make something that politely sits beside Windows and Mac asking people to please consider using it."

Hikaru remained silent.

Zaboru leaned slightly forward. "I want to make them obsolete."

For several seconds, Hikaru simply stared at him. Zanichi remained silent beside them, although even he slowly shifted his eyes toward his son.

Eventually Hikaru exhaled smoke and muttered, "Of course you do."

Zaboru laughed. "You don't even sound surprised."

"I have known you long enough that 'reasonable market entry' would surprise me more."

That answer made Zaboru laugh harder.

Hikaru, however, immediately grounded the conversation again. Windows dominated personal computing, had enormous application compatibility, established enterprise use, and years of developer familiarity. Apple controlled a powerful hardware-and-software ecosystem of its own. Convincing consumers to leave either platform would require far more than excellent game performance.

Zaboru agreed completely. That was precisely why he did not envision a simple "gaming OS." It needed to function as a complete consumer operating system first: fast, stable, approachable for ordinary users, secure without becoming irritating, strong in multimedia, networking, productivity, driver installation, software development, and everyday work. Gaming would then become one of its most dramatic advantages rather than its only purpose.

Hikaru listened closely as Zaboru described the possibility of deep Unreal integration, Steam and Z-Store support, AKAI multimedia software, and a standardized high-performance gaming API intended to simplify PC development across compatible hardware. The more Zaboru explained, the more obvious it became that he had already thought about this long before Hikaru walked into the hospital.

"You already had half this conversation in your own head," Hikaru observed.

"Maybe."

"That is why I approached you."

Zaboru smiled. "Aww. Hikaru-san believes in me."

Hikaru stared at him with a completely blank expression.

Zaboru managed to hold his smile for perhaps three seconds before Hikaru finally said, "Your wife is upstairs. Do not make me send you back early."

Zaboru immediately snorted with laughter. "Alright, alright."

Hikaru took another drag and calmly continued. Sonaya would not enter such a project merely to attach its name to the side. If cooperation happened, its engineering and consumer-hardware divisions would contribute seriously. Zaboru, in turn, acknowledged that point without teasing him. Sonaya still possessed excellent engineers, global manufacturing experience, strong electronics expertise, and resources that even ZAGE and AKAI could benefit from.

"But I'm not saying yes today," Zaboru said. "I need to think about ownership, branding, control, AKAI's role, compatibility with existing Windows software, office tools, Steam integration, licensing… a lot."

Hikaru nodded. "I expected that."

Zaboru finished the last of his milk and leaned back. "But I'm interested."

That was enough.

Hikaru gave a small nod. "Then we continue talking later."

They did not need a dramatic handshake or declaration. This was not an agreement yet, merely the beginning of one. Zanichi, who had remained silent throughout nearly the entire exchange, finally extinguished his cigar and stood. His expression gave away little, but he had clearly been listening carefully to every technical and business detail.

Zaboru looked toward him. "Going back upstairs?"

Zanichi nodded.

That reminder immediately pulled Zaboru's thoughts back toward Ayumi. He glanced toward the elevator and the lingering concern returned to his face.

Hikaru noticed and stood as well. "Go."

Zaboru looked at him. "What?"

"You have already heard the proposal. Your wife is upstairs."

For once, Zaboru did not tease him.

He simply nodded. "Yeah."

The three men left the smoking area together and returned upstairs. When Zaboru stepped back into Ayumi's hospital room and saw her still resting comfortably while speaking with Ikuyo and Keiko, the tension inside his chest eased again.

Hikaru said nothing about the operating-system proposal in front of the others. Neither did Zaboru. For now, it remained exactly what it was meant to be—an early conversation between two companies that had spent years competing and had now discovered there might be something valuable enough to build together.

Not long afterward, the Kurata family prepared to leave. Hikaru wished Ayumi well once more, though this time his words were characteristically simple. "Rest properly, Ayumi-san."

Ayumi smiled. "I will. Thank you for visiting."

As Hikaru turned to leave, his eyes briefly met Zaboru's. "And you."

Zaboru frowned. "What?"

"Remember what I said."

Zaboru stared at him, then snorted again. "Still funny coming from you."

Hikaru gave the faintest chuckle. "Yes. I know."

Then he left with his family.

Zaboru watched the door close behind them before turning back toward Ayumi. The operating-system proposal was already taking root in his mind—ZAGE, AKAI, Sonaya, one entirely new platform—but he deliberately pushed it aside for now and returned to the chair beside his wife.

There would be time for Windows, Mac, software ecosystems, APIs, and plans for the future later.

Right now, Ayumi mattered more.

And for once, even Zaboru knew exactly where his attention needed to remain.

To be continued.