Now Zaboru was already inside his room, his stomach filled after dinner and his mood strangely peaceful. The warmth of Keiko's carbonara still lingered in his body, and the laughter from the dining room had not completely disappeared from his ears. After all the chaos from the Unlock gathering, the fake ZAGE employee, the thugs, the reveal of his CODEX Reloaded identity, and then the comfort of returning home to his family, the night felt oddly complete.
He opened the door to his private room and walked toward his desk. The desk was neat, almost suspiciously neat. His documents were arranged properly, his pencils were placed inside their holder, his sketchbooks were stacked at the side, and not even a single random cable was left tangled on the surface. Zaboru stared at it for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.
Ayumi.
It was definitely Ayumi.
She always made sure his desk never became too dirty, especially because she knew very well that once Zaboru entered his creative mode, the place could transform into a disaster zone within an hour. Papers, game sketches, business notes, random food wrappers, console components, and unfinished ideas could easily form a small civilization on his desk if nobody stopped him. Ayumi never scolded him too harshly for it, but she would quietly clean things up afterward, and somehow that gentle habit made Zaboru love her even more.
Zaboru sat down and smiled to himself. "Seriously... my wife is too good for me."
He said it quietly, but the warmth in his voice was real. No matter how large ZAGE became, no matter how much money he earned, no matter how many projects filled his mind, simple things like this still hit him the hardest. A clean desk. A warm dinner. A sleeping wife waiting for him. Children laughing nearby. His mother scolding him to wash his feet. His father casually building impossible machines as a hobby. Those were the things that made his life feel real.
Then his eyes drifted toward the notebook on the desk, and his expression slowly changed.
The warmth remained, but now excitement began creeping in.
Zaboru leaned back slightly and thought, But still... I can't believe it, Dad. You actually made something like that.
The metal Gunpla from earlier immediately returned to his mind. To Zanichi, it was probably just a hobby project, something he made because he felt like experimenting with precision cutting and metal assembly. But Zaboru knew better. His father would never create something like that without also building the machine capable of producing it. That meant somewhere, hidden among Zanichi's tools and prototypes, there was already a precision machine advanced enough to cut, shape, and prepare tiny metal parts with terrifying accuracy.
For normal people, that would have been a major industrial breakthrough.
For Zanichi, apparently, it was just something to help him build a cooler Gunpla.
Zaboru placed one hand over his face and chuckled. "Dad really is something else... hehehe."
That aside The Unlock gathering gave him other ideas.
Then those thoughts began colliding inside his head.
He remembered the X-Guns. He remembered the modified consoles, the fan tools, the cartridge adapters, the custom controllers, the strange ZGB music machine, and all those weird little projects made by people who had no official backing but somehow managed to create things that sparked curiosity. Some were stupid. Some were dangerous. Some were likely illegal. But some were also brilliant in their own messy way.
Zaboru grinned slowly. I always thought about technology that already worked in my previous life. Z-Pod, Z-Focus, and now the phones AKAI will release soon, like the Blackberry-style device. All of them are things from my old world that became successful for a reason. But after seeing what Unlock members created, especially that ridiculous X-Guns... it really broadened my horizon.
That was the strange part. In his previous life, Zaboru had often looked backward from the future. He knew which technologies succeeded, which trends became popular, which devices changed culture, and which ideas arrived too early or too late. That knowledge was powerful. Extremely powerful. But the Unlock gathering reminded him that innovation did not only come from copying successful future products.
Sometimes, it came from absurd curiosity.
Sometimes, it came from people asking questions no serious company would ever ask.
"What if we turn a console bug into a disc launcher?"
"What if a handheld becomes a music player?"
"What if old games can be loaded from a homemade device?"
"What if players can create tools by themselves?"
Those ideas were messy, but they carried energy. And Zaboru realized something important: he had money, power, connections, manufacturing capability, talent, and companies under him. He did not need to only recreate things from his previous life. He could also take inspiration from chaos, polish it, and turn it into something real or he can just make what he wants .
He owned AKAI, one of the top technology companies in the world. AKAI already made electronics, devices, phones, and other products connected to ZAGE's ecosystem. If Zaboru wanted to expand AKAI beyond its current direction, he had more than enough power to do it.
And the first strange idea that entered his head was not a phone, not a console, not a media player, and not even software.
It was sneakers.
Zaboru stared at the blank page for a few seconds, then grinned.
"Hehehe... sneakers are really underrated."
To most people in 2001, shoes were already a serious market. Running shoes, basketball shoes, football boots, casual sneakers, school shoes, fashion shoes—all of them already existed, and some brands had strong identities. But compared to the 2010s and 2020s from Zaboru's previous life, the current sneaker market still felt like an undeveloped treasure chest. It was good, yes, but it had not yet reached the insane level of hype culture, collaboration culture, limited drops, resale madness, athlete branding, gaming-inspired shoes, and lifestyle sneaker obsession that would come later.
Zaboru knew that world very well.
In his previous life, he had loved sneakers. Especially in the 2010s, when he had often bought one pair every month whenever his salary allowed it. Back then, his money mostly went toward games, shoes, gadgets, and hobbies. He did not have a girlfriend, he did not have a family of his own, and despite already being older, he often spent his salary on things that made him feel a little happier. Sometimes it was a game. Sometimes it was a pair of sneakers. Sometimes it was both, and then his wallet cried quietly in the corner.
Remembering that made him laugh.
"Damn... previous me really had no financial defense."
But that love also gave him knowledge. He knew which kinds of designs caught attention. He knew the difference between performance shoes and lifestyle shoes. He knew how basketball sneakers could become cultural icons. He knew running shoes could become casual fashion if the design looked good enough. He knew collaborations could turn normal products into emotional purchases. And most importantly, he knew fandom could sell shoes extremely well if handled properly.
Zaboru wrote the first word on the page.
Sneakers.
Then he leaned back and imagined it.
ZAGE IP sneakers.
A Megaman X-inspired running shoe with sharp futuristic lines, blue armor accents, and a sole design inspired by dash effects.
A Zero edition with red, white, and gold colors, more aggressive shape, and maybe even a premium limited release.
A Resident Evil survival boot-style sneaker, darker, heavier, and made for fans who wanted something stylish but still rugged.
A Silent Hill fog-gray sneaker with disturbing but subtle design language, something that looked normal from afar but unsettling up close.
A Beyblade kids' sneaker line with spinning-pattern soles, bright colors, and collectible charms.
A Guitar Hero casual sneaker with strap details inspired by guitar strings and stage lights.
A ZEPS-themed retro sneaker line with colorways based on ZEPS 1, ZEPS 2, and ZEPS 3.
The possibilities were ridiculous.
Zaboru grinned wider. "ZAGE IP sneakers... they will sell like crazy. Hehehe."
With ZAGE owning so many strong IPs and carrying such an insane reputation among players, sneakers designed around ZAGE properties could become more than just merchandise. If handled properly, they could become fashion products. Not cheap fan goods. Not lazy logo shoes. Real sneakers with strong design, comfort, and performance value. That was the key. Zaboru did not want to slap a character image onto a shoe and call it a product. That would be insulting.
No, if AKAI made sneakers, they needed to be good.
The running shoes needed actual cushioning.
The basketball shoes needed ankle support, traction, and durability.
The casual shoes needed style and comfort.
The kids' shoes needed safety and charm.
If the product was good first, then the ZAGE IP theme would elevate it even further.
Zaboru tapped the pencil against the page and muttered, "AKAI Sports... AKAI Footwear... Hmm. Maybe not too direct. Needs better naming later."
He wrote more notes under Sneakers.
Performance line.
Lifestyle line.
Kids line.
Limited collaboration line.
ZAGE IP designs.
Athlete partnership?
Esports lifestyle?
The last one made him pause. In 2001, esports was still early, but Zaboru already knew where things were heading. Competitive gaming would grow. Player identity would grow. Team merchandise would grow. One day, gamers would not only wear jerseys. They could wear shoes connected to their favorite games, teams, and characters. It sounded strange in 2001, but to Zaboru, it was obvious future potential.
He smiled. "AKAI KUMA sneakers... that might actually work."
Then his mind jumped to basketball. Of course, basketball. He remembered how massive athlete signature shoes became in his previous life. Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Curry, Kyrie, Harden, Derrick Rose, and many others. Shoes were not just sports equipment. They became identity. They carried stories. They made kids feel connected to greatness.
Zaboru did not know whether AKAI should immediately challenge Nike, Adidas, or other giant sports brands, but he did know one thing.
AKAI had ZAGE.
And ZAGE had worlds.
That was a weapon traditional sneaker companies did not have.
Zaboru wrote another line.
Do not compete only as shoe company. Compete as culture company.
That sentence made him nod slowly.
Then he moved to the next idea.
Software.
Zaboru wrote the word beneath Sneakers and grinned again. "Well, there are a lot of tools I can make, and they work as software, right?"
In this world, it was 2001, but the technology level in many areas was closer to around 2005. The hardware was ahead, the internet was developing quickly, and companies were starting to push digital ecosystems much earlier than in his previous life. However, PC software still felt relatively early compared to what Zaboru remembered from the 2020s.
Adobe still existed in this world, and so did Microsoft's software ecosystem. There were photo editing tools, office tools, design tools, video editing tools, compression software, development tools, and plenty of utilities. But compared to the future, many of them still felt clunky, limited, unintuitive, or too expensive for smaller creators.
Zaboru leaned forward and began thinking seriously.
The difference between early 2000s Photoshop and 2020s Photoshop was enormous. In the early era, photo editing was powerful for professionals, but many tasks required manual skill, patience, and deep knowledge. Removing objects from images was tedious. Selection tools were less intelligent. Layer management existed but was less refined. Healing tools, smart masking, non-destructive workflows, advanced brushes, RAW editing, AI-assisted enhancements, automatic background removal, content-aware fill, smart filters, and many modern quality-of-life improvements were either primitive or nonexistent.
To be fair, comparing 2001 software to 2021 software was unfair.
It was beyond unfair.
It was like comparing a wooden sword to a laser blade.
But Zaboru did not need to recreate the entire future immediately. He only needed to bring selected improvements earlier, especially the ones possible with current hardware and ZAGE-AKAI resources.
He began writing ideas.
Photo editing software with better layer workflow.
Simpler interface for beginners.
Professional mode for experts.
Better selection tools.
Brush engine.
Asset library.
Template system.
Vector tools?
Animation tools?
Video editing.
Audio editing.
He paused, then smiled.
The most important part was not merely competing with Adobe or Microsoft. It was creating a software ecosystem that supported ZAGE, AKAI, creators, and future digital culture. If ZAGE wanted more games, more mods, more indie creators, more online content, and more multimedia projects, then tools mattered. A strong tool could create an entire generation of users.
Zaboru thought about YouTube, Z-Focus, Z-Pod, future phones, and the growing internet. One day, people would need easier tools to edit videos, create thumbnails, manage music, make websites, create digital art, and maybe even build small games.
Why not prepare for that now?
He wrote another category.
Creator Software.
Under that, he added several names as placeholders.
Z-Photo.
Z-Draw.
Z-Edit.
Z-Studio.
Z-Sound.
Z-Writer.
Z-Web.
The names were simple, maybe too simple, but naming could come later. What mattered was direction.
Z-Photo could become a photo editing tool, not necessarily as deep as Photoshop at first, but easier to use and more accessible.
Z-Draw could focus on digital illustration, brushes, comic tools, and animation frames.
Z-Edit could become a video editing suite built for future online creators, allowing simple cutting, transitions, subtitles, compression, and export formats for YouTube.
Z-Sound could be an audio editor for music, podcasts, game sound effects, and voice recording.
Z-Studio could become a lightweight game creation tool for beginners, possibly connected to ZAGE's future hobbyist developer program.
Z-Web could help people build websites more easily in an era when the internet was still growing and many pages looked like someone threw HTML into a blender.
Zaboru chuckled. "If I make web tools too early, maybe I can prevent some of those cursed blinking text websites."
Then he paused.
Actually, no. Some cursed websites were part of internet history. Maybe they deserved to exist.
He wrote a note.
Do not remove internet chaos completely. Just make good tools available.
Then another thought hit him.
Software was not only for creators. It was also for offices, education, and business. Microsoft dominated many productivity areas because their tools were essential. If AKAI or ZAGE entered software too aggressively, Microsoft would not be happy. But Zaboru did not necessarily need to attack Office directly. He could build around creative fields first, where ZAGE's brand already made sense.
Design tools.
Video tools.
Music tools.
Education tools.
Children's creativity software.
That last one made him smile.
Children loved creating things if given the right tools. Drawing, music, simple animations, toy-like programming, level editors, storybooks—these could become both educational products and talent discovery systems. If a child used ZAGE tools early, they might grow up emotionally attached to ZAGE's ecosystem. That sounded slightly evil, but also genuinely useful.
Zaboru laughed quietly. "Educational world domination. Nice."
He looked at the list for a while, then smiled.
Sneakers and software. Two completely different directions, yet both made sense in his head.
Sneakers were physical culture.
Software was digital culture.
AKAI could become the bridge for both while make competitors worry.
Zaboru smile "Well if they want better then try harder" Zaboru grinned with this the competitors will try better making new stuff .
Of course, he knew this would not be easy. Making good sneakers required material science, manufacturing, design, biomechanics, athlete testing, supply chains, and branding. AKAI could not just decide to make shoes tomorrow and expect perfection. They would need to recruit experts, acquire or partner with existing footwear companies, hire designers, test cushioning systems, and build credibility.
Software had its own problems. Competing with established companies required engineers, UI designers, artists, support systems, compatibility planning, file formats, documentation, and long-term updates. Bad software could damage reputation quickly. If Zaboru entered this space, he needed patience.
But that was fine.
He did not need everything immediately.
He only needed to start.
Zaboru stretched his shoulders and looked at the page again. The list was already growing messy, despite Ayumi's effort to keep his desk clean. He imagined her walking in tomorrow, seeing new piles of notes, and sighing with that gentle but dangerous expression.
He smiled.
"Sorry, Ayumi. Your husband's brain is messy again."
He wrote in his notebook and then began to plan that he will need to talk to Hyoga AKAI Related this later as the expansion plan
AKAI was already strong, but strong companies could become stiff if they only cared about efficiency and safe products. Zaboru did not want that. He wanted AKAI to become a place where hardware, software, lifestyle, and weird creative energy could coexist. A company capable of making phones, music players, projectors, shoes, software, and maybe someday things even he had not imagined yet.
The world was changing.
The internet was growing.
Games were becoming a part of culture.
Technology was becoming personal.
And Zaboru had the absurd opportunity to shape all of it earlier than history had in his previous life.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a satisfied grin.
"Hehehe... this is going to be fun and maybe automotive in future? well thats too far hahah"
Then, after a few seconds, he remembered something else.
Tomorrow, he was supposed to fly to LA.
His grin slowly stiffened.
"Ah."
He looked at the notes, then at the clock, then back at the notes.
Zaboru sighed, but the sigh turned into a chuckle.
"Fine. New York first. AKAI madness later."
He closed the notebook carefully, though not before circling both words one more time.
Sneakers.
Software.
They looked small on the page, but inside Zaboru's mind, they were already beginning to grow into something massive.
Then he quickly opened his laptop to prepare stuff for tomorrow.
To be continued.
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