Meguro Ward, Tokyo. The air in an apartment located here carried the faint aroma of bitter coffee.
Being located nearby both the Nakayama family mansion and the headquarter of SEGA. It has been rented since the college day of the previous Takuya to gain some independent space.
In it, he oversaw a desk, containing a widespread notebook with one hand-drawn circle divided into 5 parts. With words that goes "Contra," "Snow Bros," "Street Fighter," "River City Ransom," and "Shadow of the Ninja" each inside their respective segment.
He spun a pencil deep in thought as he did.
...
~Ring, Ring~
~Ring, Ring~
Abruptly shattered the silence of the room.
Takuya frowned, having his concentration broken. As he picked up the telephone.
"Hello?"
"Yo Takuya, it's me." came from the other end, with a tone slightly of fatigue.
"Senpai! Have you found any lead?" His eyes lit instantly, the previous displeasure all gone.
"No, no lead.....because I have the product with me" Ryoji said gleefully.
Takuya chuckled "Thank you senpai, you almost got me there. I'm curious, how did you get it."
"Well, it wasn't an easy task finding an obscure item, especially when it's from there. I even thought you'd heard the name wrong at one point, but that's what helped me in the end along with my contact from Moscow."
Indeed, even in Soviet Russia, the name has always been Tetris.
"That's incredible senpai, thanks a lot once again! How about we get sushi in Ginza? I heard they have great sake too."
"Sounds about right Takuya, let me know when you'll be free. And you can pick up the item at my apartment right away."
"Alright, I'll be right there!"
~Toot Toooot~
Takuya felt his heart pounding. The crucial evidence was finally within his grasp.
Inside the notebook, he drew another circle near the previous one then wrote some more. Right after, he changed into a presentable jacket and hurried out of his apartment.
***
Takuya rang the bell of a studio apartment, located within the same ward as his own but strikingly different. With its minimalist and spotless design, exuding a sense of class often associated with high level executives and the likes.
Inside is Ito Ryoji, now wearing a comfortable loungewear greeting him as he pushed a heavy cardboard box in thick layers of tape and tightly bounded with packing straps, free of any trademarks, creating sense of mystery.
"Here, this is it," Ryoji patted the box, "authentic Soviet-made. But you'll have to find out if it can work or not."
"Thanks, senpai. I owe you a big one."
Takuya accepted the box; with a little difficulty carrying it.
"I'll make sure you won't be disappointed with the meals."
"Hmm, then go on, make sure to achieve your plans quickly. I'll be devising ways to make the most out of it until then. "
Ryoji said with a hearty laugh.
***
Back in his apartment
Inside the cardboard box, a rather rugged, beige-gray machine was revealed, its edges and corners giving it an industrial feel. On its body were stamped string of Cyrillic letters which he couldn't understand at all: Elektronika 60. Beside it lay several thin 5.25-inch floppy disks, labelled also in Cyrillic script, these ones clearly handwritten.
The machines in front of him were the birthplace of the legendary Tetris.
Takuya moved them to the table and encountered the first problem, the 220V50Hz power connecter was not compatible with Japan's 100V50Hz. So, he rummaged all the junk the previous Takuya had left behind, trying to double check for any useful solution but bore no fruit.
Grabbing his wallet, Takuya headed straight towards the Electric Town.
Akihabara in the evening was brightly lit, with the streets lining up with shops selling all kinds of electronic components and accessories. The sound of various devices intertwining with the various genre of experimental music. All of these were paradise for the enthusiasts from this industry and the best place to find any rare or unusual electronic parts.
After he visited several large stores, meeting dead ends one after another. He came across a small shabby shop, tucked away in an alley filled with piles of used goods. The owner had gray hairs with his sharp eyes. He chatted with Takuya for a while, then pulled out an old transformer from an equally old and dusty drawer matching the descriptions of his potential customer. Having confirmed the voltage was correct with a multimeter, a gesture from the owner, he paid the bill and left hurriedly.
Back in his apartment, Takuya took a deep breath and pressed the rigid power button of the Electronika 60. A fan began emitting a soft hum with screens flickering for a moment, then lines of green Cyrillic script began to scroll across the black background.
Relieved, he inserted the floppy disk from nearby. Then tried typing a few loading commands the same ones used for the PDP-11 trying his luck, since it was an open secret that the Soviet computer was merely a clone of said models.
~Clack~Clack~ came from the floppy drive. Seconds later, the screen refreshed, presenting the familiar blocks as they fell slowly from the top screen. However, its interface contained no background nor sound, only the monochrome blocks themselves but most importantly, there was nothing anywhere near resembling the 'Versus' mode aside from the basic mechanics.
Seeing the programs being just as he remembered from the descriptions of Tetris' origin! Takuya moved his tightly clenched fist surging with excitement
This game, birthed from the other side of an Iron Curtain, is about to sweep the globe. History sometimes is simply that wonderful.
With all these in hand, the foundations for his upcoming plans are solid.
All he need now is for SEGA to obtain the license legally, rather than 'borrowing it' to avoid disputes like the various companies from the future, including Nintendo.
Watching the movements on the screen, Takuya imagined what it could achieved when combined with the competitive 'Versus' mode. His gaze became sharp and incredibly determined. In the next moment, the highly treasured Soviet machine found itself back in the box it came from.
Then Takuya walked to his MS-DOS operated computer, revising and polishing the development plan of 'Tetris: SEGA Battle Edition'. Then he arranged it neatly along with the floppy disk which contained the demo.
...
Confirmed that everything was ready, Takuya picked up the phone receiver on his desk. On the dial pad, his finger paused, then without hesitation dialed directly to the line connecting Hayao Nakayama's office.