Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 840: Peers in the Industry

Kazumi glanced around while casually asking, "On-chan, Aiko, by the way—have you two decided which games you're going to buy?"

On-chan answered crisply, "Isn't it obvious? I've already made my decision—of course I'm getting all of them."

"Huh? All of them? But will you really have time to play them all?"

On-chan shrugged. "I'll just take my time."

Kazumi muttered, "Then I guess the game we're making is gonna get delayed too."

On-chan replied, "No big deal. Our game still needs more polishing anyway. Besides, I'm in charge of this project, remember? We agreed I'd get to decide the development pace."

Kazumi nodded, then turned to Aiko. "What about you, Aiko? Are you buying everything too?"

Aiko didn't hesitate. "Of course. I'm not just buying them to play—I want to learn from them. I want to absorb everything great about the games Takayuki-sensei has created, so I can use that knowledge in the games I'll make in the future."

...

...

"Oh wow, Aiko, you're as pragmatic as ever. As for me, I'm thinking of just picking up that Civilization game—it looks really fun. The rest? I'll decide later. I feel like just that one game could keep me busy for a long time."

The three girls were chatting energetically in the line, and their conversation caught the attention of the people standing ahead of and behind them.

"Wait a second... aren't you three... the founders of Triangle Game Studio?"

The person standing right in front of them in line asked, voice tinged with uncertainty and excitement.

The girls immediately paused their conversation.

Kazumi looked rather pleased—seemed like her fame had really spread if people were recognizing her on the spot.

Aiko and On-chan were more composed. Aiko nodded and said, "Yes, that's us."

"Oh, sorry for being so sudden! Actually, I'm an indie game developer too. You three are my idols—I've loved every game you've made. That's why I recognized you immediately."

"You're an indie developer too?"

This time, all three girls were genuinely surprised.

Didn't expect to run into a fellow game dev just standing in line.

Then again, it kind of made sense here.

People who came to line up at a place like this were either hardcore game fans—or fellow devs like them.

In fact, they weren't the only developers in line.

After all, this was the largest Gamestar Electronic Entertainment retail store in all of Japan. Everyone had gravitated here almost instinctively—hoping to find others who shared their passion.

And many were also game developers, hoping to pick up inspiration from the die-hard fans around them.

Some of the more chatty devs had already started casually talking with others, gathering useful tidbits—like which games were the most fun, or what mechanics people liked best.

Everyone waiting here clearly loved games—no one who didn't would have the patience to stand in a line like this. That made it a perfect place for research and gathering insights.

Kazumi looked delighted. "Wow, another dev! That's pretty rare these days. What kind of game do you make?"

"Oh me? Well, it's a little embarrassing... nothing too famous," the person said sheepishly. "I made a sokoban-style puzzle game. Pretty basic, really—I'm just starting out."

"That's still great! Tell me the name—I'll check it out when I get home!"

Kazumi was naturally outgoing—and even more enthusiastic after discovering the person was also a developer.

Then the person asked, curiously, "Earlier, it sounded like you don't often meet other game developers?"

Kazumi nodded. "Yeah, even though we're constantly interacting with devs and players online, we rarely run into them in daily life."

"But aren't there game developer meetups and salons all the time in Tokyo? Don't you attend those?"

"Huh? There are events like that?" Kazumi asked, wide-eyed in surprise.

On-chan chimed in, "Of course there are, dummy. But you're always either eating or sleeping—or going to class and working on your game. What else do you even do?"

Kazumi blushed. "I—I'm not that hopeless! I do go out and exercise!"

"Sure you do. That 100-meter sprint you do to grab your food deliveries totally counts as a workout."

On-chan said it flatly, though a flicker of jealousy and envy shone in her eyes.

Seriously, what kind of genes did Kazumi have? She ate so much but still had a perfect figure—it was unreal.

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If On-chan let herself go even a little, her body would start to show it. Her body never lied.

Kazumi shot her a glare, but wisely chose to drop the subject.

If she kept arguing, On-chan might bring up even more embarrassing stories—and that was not something she wanted.

"Um, about that meetup—do you have any contact info? I might want to check it out."

The person smiled brightly. "Absolutely! This meetup welcomes all developers—especially amazing ones like you three!"

He began rummaging in his pocket and quickly pulled out something like a business card.

"Actually, the organizer is someone pretty famous—a rising star lately."

"Who is it?" Kazumi asked curiously.

"A young guy named Tanaka Shō. He's about your age, but he's already leading a dev team at Surei Electronics. The sandbox game they just announced? That's his team's work. Have you seen the trailer? It looks amazing."

Tanaka?

The girls froze again.

Could it really be that Tanaka?

None of them had expected to hear that name.

Aiko quickly grabbed the card and looked at the organizer's name.

It really was the Tanaka she knew.

She was shocked—he'd come this far already?

They hadn't been in contact with Tanaka for a long time. Ever since they had thrown themselves into game development, their communication had faded. Tanaka hadn't reached out either.

Aiko had almost completely forgotten about their childhood friend.