Suzuki Press Conference

[KiShin Headquarters]

Takuza gazed at Shin, his expression filled with confusion. "He didn't hear?" he wondered aloud.

Observing the furrowed brows on Shin's face, Takuza repeated, "My company specializes in toys and cards..."

Shin shook his head, prompting him to ask, "No, before that."

Sharing a meaningful glance with Erica, Takuza responded, "I'm the COO of Nintengu Koppai..."

Shin looked at them, a hint of surprise crossing his face as he thought, "Nin-tengu? Perhaps they're the Nintendo of this world?"

Takuza met Shin's gaze and quipped, "What? Are you so taken aback that I hold a high position in a company?"

Shin shook his head and quickly added, "Haha, of course not."

Takuza chuckled lightly before remarking, "You little brat, that's rather insulting."

Shin merely chuckled in response as he sipped his coffee.

Takuza continued, "As you know, my company has been thriving in the manufacturing of toys and cards, but lately, your subsidiary company has been causing us quite a bit of trouble..." He said this with a sly smile.

Shin returned the smile and commented, "So, you're referring to KiShin Merchandise, right?"

Takuza nodded and remarked, "You're already reaping substantial profits from video games alone. However, your acquisition of a struggling toy company, which was once our competitor and is now KiShin Merchandise, has led to a decline in our sales..." Takuza's tone remained composed as he conveyed this.

In truth, Shin hadn't paid much attention to the toy and card companies. The reason behind establishing KiShin Merchandise through the acquisition of a struggling toy company was his awareness of the immense profitability of his company's intellectual properties, such as Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong, and their upcoming product: Pokémon.

What he hadn't anticipated was the existence of a parallel world's Nintendo in this realm. There were numerous toy companies throughout Japan, and when Shin decided to acquire one, he didn't delve deeply into the details. He simply sold their toys, action figures, and video game cartridges through toy store channels. This dual strategy, capitalizing on popular video game character merchandise and acquiring toy store distribution, proved to be highly lucrative for the company.

"So... Are you suggesting that I should halt KiShin Merchandise?" Shin inquired with a chuckle.

Takuza quickly shook his head, his smile intact. "Of course not," he replied, then added, "I simply have a favor to ask of you..."

Shin smiled and responded, "Certainly, go ahead."

This was precisely what Shin had been anticipating. He had pledged to repay their favor from earlier, after all.

Takuza and Erica exchanged glances before Takuza spoke up, saying, "I wish to propose a collaboration with your KiShin Merchandise."

Shin was somewhat taken aback by this unexpected request. He had anticipated that Takuza might seek certain rights to his subsidiary, like popular video game characters such as Mario or Zelda, or perhaps even the highly sought-after Lego brand.

"You're suggesting a collaboration?" Shin inquired, his gaze fixed seriously on Takuza.

Takuza nodded, explaining, "I'll be straightforward with you; our company is currently facing financial constraints. By collaborating with you, aside from mutual product promotion, we can pool our resources to reduce costs..." He elaborated on the rationale behind his collaboration proposal.

"What are your thoughts?" Takuza asked, sporting a hopeful smile.

Shin simply smiled as he took a sip of his coffee. He then replied, "I believe it's a good idea. Alright, I'll authorize my subsidiary to collaborate with your company." He was extending this favor willingly, and what Takuza had proposed seemed quite reasonable to him.

Expressing their gratitude, Takuza and Erica shook hands with Shin.

Shin informed them that they could meet with KiShin Merchandise at the adjacent small building near the KiShin headquarters.

---

A few days later, at Keidanren Kaikan...

A sizable crowd had already assembled at the building, including journalists, reporters, and numerous figures from the business world, all gathered for the press conference initiated by Suzuki Group's Electronics company.

At the forefront of the stage stood the president of Suzuki Group, Kiro Kurosawa.

The CEOs of various Suzuki companies took turns presenting their new products and services, with the CEO of Suzuki Electronics showcasing their latest innovations. After introducing their new rice cooker, Walkman, and handheld video camera, the CEO of Suzuki Electronics approached the conclusion of his speech, unveiling their newest creation, "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Suzuki Entertainment System, 16-bit."

The product, sleek and black in design, was positioned prominently, with Nikko Tabata, the CEO of Suzuki Electronics, standing beside it.

He proceeded to elaborate on how the SES 16-bit clearly outperformed the Tora 16-bit in terms of sound quality and performance.

"It's just another video game console..." one person in the audience commented with a hint of disappointment, expecting something more groundbreaking from the Suzuki Group.

However, just as assumptions began to form, the CEO of Suzuki Electronics interjected within his speech, "Our console is set apart from the others. Our console comes with two distinct controllers."

A stage assistant brought an item to the stage, and Nikko proceeded to unveil the two controllers, saying, "One of the controllers is a comfortable and standard gaming controller, while the second controller is..."

The projected image behind Nikko switched to that of a computer keyboard.

"That's right. Our second controller for the console is a functional computer keyboard," Nikko explained with a smile. "But that's not all; our console isn't limited to gaming alone; it can also be used for educational purposes."

"We've included cartridges for learning, and with the keyboard, you'll have a computer experience right on our console," Nikko continued. The projected video behind him showcased the details and demonstrated a child playing on the SES 16-bit, seamlessly transitioning to the child using the console for educational purposes, learning the alphabet and even English.

Nikko added, "It has been observed that the rise of new video games has led many young people to neglect their studies, focusing solely on gaming. This has had a detrimental effect on their learning and education, causing concern among parents..." He paused, then smiled and said, "But with our console, your child won't just have fun playing video games; they can also learn!"

The audience at the press conference, initially skeptical, now understood the distinctive feature of SES compared to Tora or KiShin: it offered something that parents had been longing for - a tool for their children's education.

With these points, even if Suzuki Video Games might be inferior in gaming terms, they were ahead in terms of winning the hearts of parents by promoting learning alongside entertainment!