3 Mira

Shin had braced himself for the worst but wasn't prepared for the man's unexpected response.

"You want to... buy my car?" Shin turned his gaze toward the man.

Takuza wore a warm smile as he extended his hand for a handshake. "I'm Takuza Sato. Nice to meet you."

Shin snapped out of his daze and accepted the handshake while asking, "Why?"

Takuza didn't immediately respond, and Erica, his fiancée, also introduced herself, saying, "I'm Erika Tachibana. Nice to meet you."

Shin shook hands with Erica after Takuza.

Confused, Shin looked at them and asked, "I almost deceived you, yet you're still willing to let me go?"

Takuza chuckled and replied, "You 'almost' deceived us? Don't make me laugh. We knew from the beginning you were a con artist."

Erica nudged Takuza playfully and added, "Don't be too harsh. He tried."

Suddenly, Shin couldn't contain his frustration and roared, "Then why? Why are you still buying my car at my initial price!?" He slammed his hand on the car's door in frustration.

"Oi, oi. Don't damage the car!" Takuza shook his head, then he looked directly into Shin's eyes. "To be honest, if you were selling this car just to buy a new one or material things, which are liabilities that keep people poor, I would have taken you to the police myself."

Erica smiled as she held Takuza's hand, glancing at Shin with a compassionate look.

Takuza continued, addressing Shin's confused expression, "But when I heard that you wanted to sell this car, even if it meant deceiving us, so you could have assets to build a company's funds, I understood your situation. That's why I'm buying the car."

Seeing Shin's surprise, Takuza explained, "I'm not doing this out of pity. I'm investing in you. By purchasing this car and not reporting you to the police, I'm doing you a favor. So, my investment goes beyond this money alone." Takuza smiled as he elaborated, "I'm investing in favors."

"You see this as a favor?" Shin smiled, feeling a sense of relief inside.

Erica chimed in, saying, "Exactly. That's why we're buying it. Just remember this favor. We'll call on it someday."

Takuza nodded in agreement.

"I understand," Shin replied with a smile, and after completing the necessary paperwork, the car's ownership was transferred to Takuza.

...

Shin left the bank after transferring the money to his bank account.

"Now that the funds are resolved by selling my car, I just need to find at least one person with electronics knowledge to help me build my prototype game console and program the Mario game," Shin thought.

He needed to find someone affordable, of course. Shin knew he had the knowledge to program a Mario game that could surpass the original. He could divide sprites into multiple parts and use all those segments for graphics simultaneously, making it more efficient and manageable for his prototype game console. Additionally, he could break down each metatile's smaller pixel graphics into sections, all usable at once. This would not only improve graphics efficiency but also reduce the game's size while enhancing pixel quality.

With his knowledge as his advantage, he was even more motivated to create his prototype game console and Mario game.

"Now, I guess I'll have to look for someone interested in a part-time job at some university," Shin chuckled, realizing he still thought he had a car but had already sold it. An unfortunate memory lapse.

He continued on his way with renewed determination.

...

A young woman was on the hunt for a part-time job. The allowance she received from her parents back in the province simply couldn't cover her college expenses. Determined to find employment, she set her sights on a newly established fast-food restaurant called 'McDo' in the distance.

Entering the restaurant with hopes of securing a part-time position, she was met with disappointment as the manager regretfully shook his head, explaining that all the spots were already filled.

Feeling disheartened, Mira took a seat at a nearby table. She clutched the paper with job listings in her area, her eyes fixed on a particular offer that required electronic and programming skills, promising a pay of 5,000 yen. However, being only a first-year student in her computer engineering course, she felt hesitant about applying.

A young man passing by noticed her and decided to strike up a conversation. He asked, "Can I sit here?"

Mira glanced at him briefly and, without much enthusiasm, gave a slight nod.

He inquired further, "I heard you earlier. Are you searching for jobs?"

Mira turned to him, her irritation evident. "What? Is there something wrong with that?"

The young man chuckled and shook his head. "Haha, of course not. There's nothing wrong with that."

Mira snorted dismissively and replied, "Just mind your own business."

Undeterred, the young man continued, "Actually... I'm hiring people."

Mira was taken aback and turned her head to him, skeptical. "What?" She studied him closely, noting that he didn't even appear to be in college yet. She snorted, "Quit joking. I'm older than you."

She refused to believe that someone so young could be hiring. She suspected, 'This has to be a con, an attempt to lure me into something shady.'

"I'm serious," the young man insisted, and, seeing that Mira was ignoring him, he produced a piece of paper and slid it in front of her.

"What's this?" Mira asked, glancing at the company's name on the paper, which appeared to be an electronics company.

"I'm Shinro Suzuki," the young man introduced himself.

Mira remained wary and muttered, "Seems sketchy." She tossed the paper back at Shinro and accused him, "You're pretending to be someone you're not to try and deceive me. Is this some kind of ploy to hit on me?"

Preparing to leave, she grabbed her bag.

"Would you pass up an opportunity to earn 5,000 yen for just 5 hours of work a day?" Shinro smiled, attempting to entice her.

Mira halted in her tracks, her gaze locked on Shinro. "5,000 yen for 5 hours?"

Shinro nodded, taking a sip of the coke he had bought.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking directly into Mira's eyes.

Flustered for a moment, Mira finally questioned, "Is this for real?"

"Yes. If you meet the requirements listed on the paper, you're in," Shinro confirmed, retrieving the paper Mira had discarded earlier.

Mira held the paper, scanning its contents. It specified that candidates should possess knowledge in electronics and programming languages.

Her excitement grew, and she exclaimed, "This is exactly what I'm interested in!" She held up the paper she had held before, which clearly indicated the job opening for someone with electronic and programming skills.

Shinro smiled, thinking to himself, "Just as I expected."

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