Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

After waiting for about twenty-five minutes, Junjou finally arrived at Zaboru's office. Zaboru had already expected him.

"Oh, hello, Junjou-san. Long time no see," Zaboru greeted with a smile.

Junjou returned the gesture, bowing slightly. "Hello, Zaboru. Let's go. Ayumi-sama has been eagerly waiting for your arrival." He grinned knowingly.

Zaboru nodded and stepped into the passenger seat of the car. As they drove, Junjou couldn't help but tease him.

"So, Zaboru, how far have you gotten with Ayumi-sama? Have you confessed yet?"

Zaboru groaned. "Mmm, Junjou-san, I'm just Ayumi's friend. We share the same hobbies; there's nothing romantic between us."

Junjou laughed. "Hohoho, that's what teenagers always say at first."

Zaboru scratched his head awkwardly, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. But Junjou's tone became a little more serious.

"Thanks to you, Zaboru, Ayumi-sama has been much happier these days. This project of hers, making a new game, has definitely helped distract her from her troubles. She's really changed. As her driver, I sincerely thank you."

Zaboru felt a little uneasy being thanked like that but smiled nonetheless. "Well, you're welcome, I guess? I really do think Ayumi has the potential to be a great game developer one day."

Not wanting to pry into what those "troubles" might be, Zaboru let the conversation rest. Being the daughter of a yakuza family, she probably had more problems than he could even imagine. It wasn't his place to dig into them.

Before long, they arrived at the Hamazou family headquarters. Junjou led Zaboru to Ayumi's workshop, and once they stepped inside, Zaboru was taken aback. The place was incredibly well-equipped. High-end PCs, scattered components, and even a ZEPS console hooked up to a large television for testing. It was a full-fledged development studio.

Noticing them enter, Ayumi smiled and set down what she was working on. "Thank you, Junjou-san. And welcome, Zaboru! What do you think? Not too shabby, right?"

Zaboru scanned the room, barely believing what he was seeing. "'Not too shabby' is an understatement. This place is decked out. It makes my office look like a garage by comparison."

Ayumi chuckled, clearly pleased with his reaction. Junjou excused himself, leaving the two alone. Ayumi quickly grabbed Zaboru's arm and pulled him toward her workstation.

"Come here, Zaboru! The game is almost done—about 70% complete! The soundtrack, sound effects, and mechanics are in place. The only major thing left is the ricochet system I mentioned, and then it's just about building the stages!"

Zaboru looked at the screen as the game loaded. The title appeared: Karate Bunny, with a cartoonish bunny wearing a karate gi front and center.

Zaboru barely held back a laugh. "Pfft—'Karate Bunny'? It has a certain Funny but Cool charm, but don't you think the title could use some work?"

Ayumi pouted. "What?! Karate Bunny is a great name! It perfectly describes the character!"

Zaboru smirked. "Fair point. What's the bunny's name?"

Ayumi perked up. "His name is Buntei! I combined 'Bunny,' 'Karate,' and added an 'i' at the end."

Zaboru burst into laughter. "Hahaha! Okay, okay, Buntei is actually pretty good. You're more creative than I thought!"

Ayumi blushed at the compliment.

Zaboru then picked up the controller and began testing the game. It played as a 2D platformer where Buntei could jump, punch, and use a charge attack. The charge attack was supposed to make enemies ricochet off walls, but that hadn't been implemented yet. The health system was carrot-based—Buntei lost carrots when hit and could collect golden carrots to temporarily power up.

Enemies included:

Poison Turtles: Slow-moving but dangerous, as they released a toxic cloud when they bit BunteiFrogs: Positioned between platforms, they shot straight projectiles at Buntei.Minotaurs (Bull-Men): Large enemies that couldn't be attacked from the front and required Buntei to jump behind them.Wolves: Agile foes with long reach and the ability to jump.

After playing for a while, Zaboru put the controller down and cracked his knuckles. "Okay, Ayumi, this is pretty solid, but I have some ideas."

Ayumi immediately leaned in, eager to listen. "Go on!"

"First, the Frog enemy—right now, it can only shoot straight. Why not make it shoot diagonally as well? That way, it's more of a threat so when the frogs is on the floating platform it can still attack Buntei."

Ayumi nodded, writing that down. "Hmmm Good idea , it adds more difficulty!"

"Next, the Minotaur. Right now, you have to get behind it to attack, which is great. But what if you could also push it back if you hit it correctly from the front? It wouldn't take damage, but it would stumble backward, letting players decide whether to fight or flee."

Ayumi's eyes widened. "Oh! That's actually brilliant! It adds more strategy!"

"And about the Poison Turtle—you've made it slow, but what if, instead of just doing normal damage, its bite poisoned Buntei? Instead of losing health immediately, it would drain over time unless he grabbed a bunch of carrots."

Ayumi gasped. "That's… actually a really cool mechanic! It adds more tension and forces the player to be cautious."

Zaboru then helped Ayumi implement the ricochet mechanics, allowing enemies to bounce off walls when hit by Buntei's charge attack. He also assisted with programming the Frog's new projectile behavior , the poison turtle new hit type and refining the Minotaur's pushback mechanic. And Together, they designed the first few stages, making the game feel more polished and engaging.

By nightfall, the game was nearly 90% complete.

Ayumi leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen in awe. "Wow, Zaboru… I can't believe how much better it looks now. Your coding skills are seriously something else. It's like you already know what to do before you even start typing. It's amazing."

Zaboru grinned smugly. "What can I say? I'm built different."

Then he glanced at the clock. "Anyway, Ayumi, I should head back now. Your game is practically finished—just needs some polish. Also, when ZEPS launches, I'll introduce a verification system that only allows official games to run on it. I'll let you know what you need to do so Karate Bunny passes."

Ayumi nodded. "Got it! Thanks, Zaboru. And… really, thanks for everything today."

"No problem! Helping make games is always fun."

Junjou returned to drive Zaboru back. Once home, Zaboru cleaned his office, locked up, and went back home with his bike. Another day is over