December 24, 1990.
Monday.
In the morning, Ayase Akane, the HR representative, knocked on the President's office door.
The door was slightly ajar, so she only knocked twice as a courtesy.
Aoki Haruhi looked up.
"Mr. President," Ayase Akane said, a slight smile playing on her lips, "I've found the musical talent you were looking for."
"Hmm? So quickly?" Aoki Haruhi thought, This HR girl is too capable! How is she so efficient? I only asked her last week, and she's already found someone?
"I have time now. Give me the resume, and then arrange for the candidate to come in for an interview," Aoki Haruhi said, standing up.
"Oh, no need for that," Ayase Akane replied with a smile. "Just tell me the salary range you can offer, and I'll handle the negotiations."
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi frowned. This HR girl is really pushing her luck.
Did I spoil her too much recently?
Pokeni was still a relatively small company. Compared to giants like Nintendo, if they were a blue whale, Pokeni was at best a salmon.
As President, Aoki Haruhi had to handle everything himself.
Let alone something as crucial as hiring.
If you hire the wrong employee, firing them becomes a real headache. Even with a probationary period, it's essentially a waste of both sides' time.
You, an HR person who knows nothing about game development, just casually decided to hire someone?
Damn it! You don't even respect me as the President.
Still, Aoki Haruhi suppressed the anger rising in his chest.
"Has Ozawa interviewed them yet?" he asked, looking up.
Ozawa Shinji was currently the sole employee in the company's sound department. While not particularly talented, he could handle basic soundtrack work, making him a perfectly average choice.
"Not yet," Ayase Akane replied. "But this new hire has your approval, Mr. President—you've already interviewed them, so I didn't think another interview was necessary."
"Huh?" Aoki Haruhi was momentarily bewildered.
The young HR woman covered her mouth and chuckled. "Mr. President! Have you forgotten? The young man named Shirakawa Atsushi."
Shirakawa Atsushi?
Aoki Haruhi froze, his pupils suddenly widening.
"Nani?! Shirakawa Atsushi is back?!"
"Yes!" Ayase Akane laughed heartily at the President's astonished reaction.
As expected, Aoki Haruhi met with Shirakawa Atsushi, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, that afternoon.
Seeing him again, Aoki Haruhi couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
"Shirakawa, thanks to your music," Aoki Haruhi said with a smile, "the Onmyoji series has become a huge success."
The President personally promised that Shirakawa's compensation at Pokeni would be even better than what Pharaoh Kong offered, never worse. Moreover, they planned to entrust him with the soundtracks for many of their major upcoming games.
Shirakawa was also visibly moved.
Though shy, he struggled to contain his emotions, his body trembling slightly.
His eyes reddened.
"Not at all, President. It's all thanks to your excellent games. I..."
He opened his mouth, but a lump formed in his throat. After a two-second pause, he continued, "I was too foolish to accept your offer back then. I truly regret my ignorance. Please forgive me for that foolishness."
Aoki Haruhi smiled warmly and extended his right hand.
"Shirakawa-san, welcome to Pokeni!"
Lost and found again—from this day forward, you'll be my Zhao Yun!
"Yes!"
Shirakawa Atsushi smiled brightly, shaking Aoki Haruhi's hand firmly.
After meeting with Shirakawa Atsushi, the remaining matters were left to HR to handle. Ayase Akane was responsible for everything from salary and benefits to future development plans and explaining the onboarding process.
Aoki Haruhi paced excitedly around his office.
After a while, he settled back into his boss's chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the desk.
To say he wasn't excited would be a lie.
He was practically dying of excitement.
Wow, now that Heaven's Gate is back, Aoki Haruhi suddenly felt a surge of confidence.
It really felt like Liu Bei starting his venture back in the day.
Slowly, the military commanders started gathering.
On the civil side, there were Ishino Mika and Gen Urobuchi.
In music, there was Shirakawa Atsushi.
Programmer Akanishi Ken, plus the exceptionally skilled hardware engineer Senkawa Hiroichi.
And he himself possessed art and programming skills that crushed the entire era.
Aoki Haruhi even felt an urge to march straight for Shu River.
Why worry about failure?
Why worry about failure?!
But...
Aoki Haruhi's only real concern was that Pokeni still hadn't found a producer to share his workload.
Yes.
A producer.
This role is absolutely crucial for any game, and even Gen Urobuchi would struggle to fill it.
Although Old Xu is renowned for his "Warrior of Love" title, his expertise is limited to scripting.
Undeniably, he possesses world-class talent in scriptwriting.
His imagination is astonishing.
But he falls short in other areas.
A qualified producer must not only oversee the plot but also demonstrate exceptional control over every detail of the game—gameplay, visuals, music, and the overall player experience.
In essence, a producer is like the general director of a film. The director bears 99% of the responsibility for a film's success or failure.
Even when forced to undertake impossible tasks by investors, they must still strive for the best.
Pokeni desperately needed a producer, or rather, many producers, if it wanted to expand its gaming empire. Aoki Haruhi knew he couldn't simultaneously manage multiple projects.
Should he hire one?
Aoki Haruhi folded his arms and pondered.
But nurturing a producer takes a long time. Many companies invest considerable time, effort, and money to cultivate a talented one.
Moreover, Japan is a nation that highly values corporate culture. Once employees become permanent, they enter lifetime employment contracts, essentially joining a family.
Leaving their first company is almost unthinkable unless absolutely necessary.
Poaching a skilled producer seemed unlikely.
Who else might remain undiscovered in this era?
Hidetaka Miyazaki?
Aoki Haruhi racked his brain. That kid seemed to be only fifteen this year.
Yuji Horii? No, no, Dragon Quest had been a hit for years.
He also had to rule out gold-standard producers like Hideo Kojima and Hironobu Sakaguchi—they were simply untouchable.
Or should I cultivate someone within the company?
Aoki Haruhi frowned.
Let's see if Ishino Mika has the potential.
As he was lost in thought, Ayase Akane returned to the office.
She knocked and smiled. "President, the contract is signed. However, since the New Year is approaching, would it be alright to set Shirakawa's start date for after the holidays?"
"Yes, that's fine," Aoki Haruhi replied.
Just then, Aoki Haruhi noticed a young man walking past the door. He had a middle part, a broad forehead, and was hunched over as if deeply dejected, heading toward the main entrance.
A quick glance made Aoki Haruhi feel the man looked familiar. "Um, Akane-chan, who was that? I've never seen him before."
"Hmm?" Ayase Akane glanced back.
"Oh, he was just an applicant. He said he's a huge fan of our games and hoped we'd give him a chance to join."
"Huh?" Aoki Haruhi exclaimed. "It seems we've been getting more applicants who came here by reputation lately."
Since the release of Onmyoji 2 and the subsequent rise in popularity of the series, many candidates had been visiting the company.
Unfortunately, none had been satisfactory so far.
Aoki Haruhi had very high standards.
The bubble era was long gone, and talent selection had to be more rigorous—better to have no one than the wrong person.
"He looks pretty dejected. Didn't get hired? What position was he interviewing for?" Aoki Haruhi asked casually.
"Hmm, he was interviewing for a game designer position," Ayase Akane replied, flipping through his resume and the written test he'd just taken. "His test was a complete disaster. So we sent him home."
The written test was the company's initial screening process, designed to weed out pure hobbyists.
Many players with boundless enthusiasm for games lacked the deep understanding required for game development.
To put it plainly, while many thought game design was easy, the barrier to entry was actually terrifyingly high.
For instance, numerical designers needed to design combat formulas and optimize the game's economic system...
"I see," Aoki Haruhi said, unconcerned that the candidate had failed the test. "What was his name?"
"Let me check..." Ayase Akane lowered her head and flipped through the resume.
"Mikami Shinji."
"Huh?!" Aoki Haruhi jolted, whipping around with wide eyes. "Mikami Shinji?!"
TN: Zhao Yun, courtesy name Zilong, was a military general who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China.
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