When the Black Berry announcement hit the market, it was not only Steve Jobs and Bill Gates who reacted.
The entire world reacted.
The AKAI Black Berry Z01, created by AKAI and announced directly by Zaboru Renkonan, took the technology and entertainment industries by storm. It was not just another mobile phone. It looked different, felt different, and introduced a completely new way for ordinary people to imagine what a phone could be. A full QWERTY keyboard. A large color screen. A good camera. Short video recording. Music playback. Wi-Fi. Bluetooth. Mobile browsing. BBM. Little Steam. ZGB Classics. Selected ZEPS 1 games.
For most companies, any one of those features would have been impressive.
AKAI put them all into one device.
That was why the announcement felt less like a normal product reveal and more like someone had opened a door to the future, then casually told everyone the future would cost 799 dollars.
In offices across Japan, workers were already talking about it during lunch breaks, cigarette breaks, elevator rides, and moments when they were supposed to be working but clearly were not.
Inside one ordinary office in Tokyo, three salarymen stood near the vending machine while replaying clips from the AKAI Showcase on a small computer screen. One of them, a tired-looking man named Mori, stared at the Black Berry Z01 footage with his arms crossed. "So let me get this straight," he said. "This thing can send messages, receive emails, browse ZAGE Forum, play music, take pictures, record videos, and play old ZEPS games?"
His coworker, Sato, nodded seriously while holding a canned coffee. "Yes."
"And it has a full keyboard?"
"Yes."
"And it costs 79,900 yen?"
"Yes."
Mori looked at the screen again, then sighed. "My wallet is already hiding from me."
The third worker, Tanaka, leaned closer to the monitor with shining eyes. "Forget the wallet. Think about BBM. If everyone in the office has this thing, we can send messages instantly without running around the floor."
Mori glanced at him. "You mean we can work more efficiently?"
Tanaka paused. "I was thinking we can gossip more efficiently imagine having group chat without our boss in it." he grinned
Sato eyes widnened . "That is insane innovation."
Mori gave them both a tired look. "This is why Japan cannot rest."
At another company building, several young female office workers were gathered around a magazine article showing the Black Berry Z01. One of them pointed at the keyboard with genuine excitement. "This is perfect for typing messages. I hate pressing number buttons five times just to get one letter."
Her friend nodded. "And BBM can send pictures, right? Imagine taking a photo at lunch and sending it directly."
Another coworker looked at the price and winced. "It is expensive though."
The first woman sighed, then looked at the article again. "It is expensive, but it feels like one of those things where if one friend buys it, everyone else slowly gets pressured."
Her friend smiled awkwardly. "So basically, social warfare."
"Exactly."
A male coworker passing by overheard them and muttered, "If my girlfriend buys this, I will have no excuse not to reply quickly anymore."
The women looked at him.
He froze.
Then one of them said calmly, "Good."
The man quietly walked away.
Even in government offices, the reaction was impossible to ignore.
Inside a small government cafeteria, two Japanese government agents sat at a corner table, eating ramen while watching the AKAI Showcase replay on a nearby television. The first agent, an older man with tired eyes, slurped his noodles, stared at the screen, and sighed.
"ZAGE does it again, doesn't it?"
His younger colleague nodded while holding his chopsticks midair. "Yes. They revolutionized something again. This time, it is mobile phones."
The older agent leaned back slightly. "I thought the Z2-FLIP was already enough. Color screen, camera, MP3, stylish design… that was already a big move. But this Black Berry thing feels different."
"It feels like a pocket computer," the younger agent said. "Communication, entertainment, internet, games. If this spreads, mobile culture may change very quickly."
The older agent looked at him with a faint grin. "You sound happy."
"I am happy," the younger agent admitted. "A Japanese company did this. AKAI is under ZAGE, and ZAGE keeps making products that make foreign companies panic. From an economic standpoint, this is excellent."
The older agent chuckled. "The ministry people are probably grinning ear to ear right now."
"They are," the younger agent said. "Exports, patents, manufacturing, brand power, foreign media attention, domestic technology prestige… this strengthens Japan's position. But…"
The older agent's smile faded slightly. "But?"
The younger agent looked toward the television, where Zaboru was holding the Black Berry Z01 with that confident grin of his. "When a company becomes this influential, it does not only attract customers. It attracts enemies."
The older agent quietly placed his chopsticks down.
That was true.
ZAGE's success was good for Japan, but success at this scale was never clean. It created envy, fear, political pressure, foreign attention, shadow interests, and people who wanted to control what they could not build themselves.
And behind the normal world, where companies fought with advertisements, products, lawsuits, and stock prices, there was another world.
A darker one.
Thursday, 15 August 2001.
Arachne Base. Somewhere unknown.
Alissa Clyne, the leader of Arachne, sat inside her office while reading the latest report from her assistant, Sebas. Unlike the sleek and colorful world of ZAGE, Arachne's base had a colder atmosphere. The room was clean, dark, and almost old-fashioned, with heavy wooden furniture, secure communication devices, encrypted computer terminals, and walls decorated with maps, old documents, and several symbols that ordinary people would never recognize.
Alissa was calm, but her eyes were sharp.
She turned one page of the report, then looked up at Sebas.
"So," she said quietly, "they have started making their move?"
Sebas stood straight beside her desk, his expression as composed as ever. "Apparently, yes. The Black Berry Z01 announcement has accelerated their interest. They were already watching Zaboru Renkonan because of ZAGE's expansion, but this phone changed the situation. Communication infrastructure, mobile internet, messaging, gaming distribution, social identity through ZAGE ID… they see it as a cake they were not invited to eat."
Alissa's gaze darkened. "Of course they do."
Sebas continued, "Based on intercepted movement, we expect their representatives may attempt to approach Zaboru directly or indirectly. The first approach may not be hostile. Most likely, they will test him through business offers, political influence, or partnership proposals."
Alissa leaned back in her chair. "And if he refuses?"
Sebas paused for a moment. "Then they may move to pressure."
Alissa clicked her tongue softly. "Idiots. They tend to underestimate people too easily."
She turned her chair slightly and looked toward the computer screen beside her. On it was a sealed digital file with one word displayed clearly.
ILLUMINATI.
Alissa stared at the logo with cold disgust.
"Do they not understand?" she asked. "Zaboru is backed by Walt Disney."
Sebas nodded. "They understand that. But Walt Disney is already in his nineties. Although he still appears in public and maintains influence, they believe his remaining time is limited. They also know that Walt has effectively chosen Zaboru as his successor in spirit, and perhaps even in structure. Publicly, people already suspect it because Walt allowed Zaboru to buy fifty percent of Disney years ago."
Alissa's eyes narrowed. "So they are waiting for Walt to die."
"Yes," Sebas said. "And when that happens, they may attempt to test whether Zaboru can truly inherit Walt's protection network, influence, and symbolic authority."
Alissa's fingers tapped once against the desk. Her expression remained calm, but the atmosphere around her became colder.
"Damn bastards."
Illuminati.
The organization opposite of Arachne.
If Arachne's goal was to guide the world toward a better place from the shadows, Illuminati stood on the other side. They did not want balance. They did not want protection. They wanted control. Political control, economic control, cultural control, technological control. They did not care if the world improved. They only cared if the world bent.
For decades, the hidden war between Arachne and Illuminati had continued beneath normal history. Governments changed. Companies rose and fell. Wars began and ended. New technologies appeared. Famous people became legends. Ordinary people lived their lives without ever knowing that invisible hands had often fought over the direction of the world.
There was a time when Illuminati had been far stronger.
But in recent decades, especially during Arachne's peak era, Illuminati had been pushed back heavily. With the help of several key allies, including Nikola Tesla's child, Walt Disney, and other hidden supporters across science, entertainment, finance, and politics, Arachne had weakened Illuminati's reach. Many of their networks were broken. Many of their financial channels were disrupted. Several of their old families lost influence. For a while, it seemed as if Illuminati had become a relic of the past.
Apparently, that was not true.
They had been gathering themselves again.
Quietly.
Patiently.
And now, ZAGE's rise had given them a new reason to move.
Alissa closed the report and looked at Sebas. "They want the Black Berry."
Sebas nodded. "Not only the device. The structure behind it. BBM, Little Steam, ZAGE ID, mobile distribution, ZAGE Forum access, communication habits, youth culture, office culture, future wireless networks. If ZAGE controls the social layer of mobile communication before any Western power does, Illuminati will see it as unacceptable."
Alissa gave a cold smile. "Because they cannot control what people use voluntarily."
"Exactly," Sebas said. "ZAGE's strength is trust. People like Zaboru. They trust ZAGE because the company keeps giving them products that feel fun, useful, and surprisingly fair. That makes direct control difficult."
Alissa looked down at the report again. "And Zaboru himself?"
Sebas answered carefully, "A problem for them."
Alissa's smile faded.
Sebas continued, "He is too influential to ignore, too independent to control, too popular to attack directly without risk, and too protected to remove easily. He also has relationships with Disney, Aoshidan, several Japanese political groups, technology companies, sports organizations, and entertainment networks. If Illuminati wants to move against him, they need preparation."
Alissa stood from her chair and walked toward the large map on the wall. Several pins were placed across Japan, America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Some were marked with Arachne symbols. Others were black.
"They may already be reaching public figures," Alissa said. "Media owners, politicians, jealous executives, foreign agencies, investors, perhaps even people close to Apple, Microsoft, or ZUSUGA."
Sebas lowered his head slightly. "That is possible."
"Then Zaboru's reputation may become the battlefield."
"Yes."
Alissa sighed quietly. "How troublesome."
Her voice was calm, but Sebas knew her well enough to understand the weight behind it. Alissa was not afraid easily. She had inherited Arachne's leadership during a difficult era and had survived enough shadow conflicts to know that panic was useless. But Zaboru was not a normal variable. He was not an Arachne agent. He was not fully inside their world. He was a public figure, a businessman, a creator, a husband, a father, and a man whose influence spread through ordinary people's daily lives.
That made protecting him complicated.
If an Arachne agent was attacked, Arachne could respond in the shadows.
If Zaboru was attacked, the entire world might watch.
Alissa turned back toward Sebas. "We need to prepare for the worst. We heard rumors that they have recruited armed groups again. If they target Zaboru directly, it will become a hassle. But if they target him publicly, politically, or socially, it may become even worse."
Sebas nodded. "A physical attack can be stopped. A reputation attack spreads."
"Exactly," Alissa said. "And ZAGE is too visible. Too loved. Too connected to ordinary life. If Illuminati successfully makes Zaboru and ZAGE public targets, the damage will not stop at one man or one company. It could affect technology adoption, culture, Japan's economy, and even Arachne's own long-term plans."
Sebas looked at her carefully. "Then we protect him?"
Alissa did not answer immediately.
She walked back to her desk and looked at another image on the screen. It was a press photo from the AKAI Showcase: Zaboru smiling while holding the Black Berry Z01. He looked relaxed, playful, almost careless. But Alissa's eyes did not see only the smile. She saw the influence behind it. The future behind it. The danger behind it.
And perhaps, something else.
"He keeps improving the world," Alissa said quietly. "Games, entertainment, communication, sports, technology… even his business decisions create movement. Some of it is reckless, yes. Some of it is loud. Some of it is ridiculous. But the result is clear."
Sebas waited.
Alissa continued, "ZAGE makes people dream forward. Illuminati hates that because dreams are harder to chain than fear."
Sebas's expression softened slightly. "Then Arachne's position is clear."
Alissa nodded. "Yes. We help him. Carefully. Quietly. Without making him dependent on us, and without revealing too much like usual."
Sebas bowed. "Understood."
Alissa sat back down and opened the Illuminati file again
"And Sebas."
"Yes?"
"If Illuminati tries to reach Zaboru before us…"
Her voice became colder.
"Make sure we know first."
Sebas bowed deeper. "As you command."
Alissa looked once more at the Black Berry Z01 image on the screen.
A phone.
To ordinary people, it was just a revolutionary product.
To Apple and Microsoft, it was a competitive threat.
To the Japanese government, it was an economic victory.
To office workers, it was a new toy, a new tool, and possibly a new reason their bosses would expect faster replies.
But to Arachne and Illuminati, it was something far more dangerous.
It was a communication gate.
And whoever controlled the gates of communication could influence the direction of the century.
Alissa closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.
"Zaboru Renkonan," she muttered, almost with annoyance, "you keep making the world harder to manage."
Then, after a small pause, she smiled faintly.
"But perhaps that is exactly why you are necessary."
To be continued.
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