The morning after the release of Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, Kazumi was up early—for once, earlier than the other two.
Still in her pajamas, she ran to Oto-chan's door and banged on it while yelling loudly, "Hey, hey! Get up already! We've got a mission to finish today! Let's beat the ga today and see who cries first! Don't even think about backing out!"
After the loud knocking, Oto-chan opened the door with a groggy, annoyed look—she was still half asleep.
But she, too, was eager to finish Crisis Core and find out what happened in the latter part of the story.
So she didn't argue with Kazumi. Instead, she went back inside, got dressed, and did a quick cleanup.
Aiko had already gotten out of bed during Kazumi's wake-up call and was now in the bathroom washing up.
Half an hour later, all three girls were dressed and seated on the sofa in front of the TV, simple breakfasts laid out in front of them. They devoured their food and imdiately dove back into the ga.
Yesterday, they had watched Zack's journey from a low-level recruit to one of Shinra's elite SOLDIERs.
...
...
Along the way, his ntor and idol both betrayed him, and he eventually witnessed his ntor Angeal's death with his own eyes.
This was a heavy blow for Zack—but it also pushed his growth forward.
Zack also t Aerith, one of the heroines of Final Fantasy VII, and the two began developing feelings for each other. On the romance front, Zack seed to be doing pretty well—definitely better than Cloud.
Later, Zack t Cloud, the protagonist of the original Final Fantasy VII, and the two quickly beca close friends. Eventually, they fought side by side, with Cloud dealing the final blow to Sephiroth.
Today, the girls were determined to finish the rest of the ga in one sitting.
They'd left the console running overnight just so they could pick up right where they left off.
Kazumi took the first turn at the controller.
As she played, she couldn't resist teasing Oto-chan about their bet: "Don't forget our wager! If you cry first, you have to call 'Lady Kazumi' right in front of !"
Oto-chan scoffed. "That's so childish. What a la bet. But if it makes you happy, whatever. I'll go easy on you—if you cry first, you have to bark like a puppy."
"Deal! It's on!"
Aiko ignored their banter, her eyes glued to the screen.
Today, she'd brought along a small notebook, where she was carefully jotting down every detail of the playthrough.
She was planning to use this for research—her next ga project was coming up, and she wanted to be prepared.
After an entire day of gaplay yesterday, she already had a rough concept in mind.
The last ga she helped lead was Dead Cells, developed in collaboration with Takayuki-sensei.
Its overwhelming success gave her a real sense of accomplishnt. Still, she hoped to one day develop a wildly successful title completely on her own.
Last ti, Kazumi led developnt—unsurprisingly, it was another farming sim.
Thanks to a solid foundation from their earlier titles and an existing fanbase, sales were strong, finishing around 300,000 units. For a three-person team, that was already a major win.
According to their rotation, this ti it was Oto-chan's turn to lead, and Aiko's would co next.
So Aiko was already laying the groundwork.
Ever rational, she always approached things with a practical mindset.
Back in the ga, the story had progressed to the part where Zack and Cloud—after defeating Sephiroth—were secretly captured by Shinra and subjected to experintation.
Zack eventually awakened first and began his escape while carrying an unconscious Cloud.
On one hand, he was being relentlessly pursued by Shinra soldiers. On the other, he had to protect Cloud, who was completely out of it.
Zack was clearly overwheld, but his positive attitude was almost infectious—even for the players.
Kazumi sighed with admiration, "Zack is amazing... like a big brother protecting his little brother."
This ti, Oto-chan didn't mock her. She nodded in agreent. "Well, Zack has grown a lot. He was just a rookie once too. The trauma of losing his ntor changed him—it's no surprise he beca so dependable."
"That's true. But it's not really that emotional yet. What if neither of us cries by the end? Who wins then?"
"That's a tie, obviously. You're not trying to sneak a win, are you?"
At that point, Aiko finally chid in. "I think the calr it is now, the more devastating it'll be later. Haven't you noticed how everything is just building up to make you love Zack more and more? And once you're totally attached, they'll crush you."
Kazumi froze and quickly covered her ears. "Stop! Don't say that! I don't want to hear it!"
Aiko ignored her and continued speaking to Oto-chan. "Knowing Takayuki-sensei, there's no way he'd settle for a soft, uneventful ending."
Oto-chan fell silent.
In truth, she agreed.
And now... she wasn't sure she wanted to see the ending anymore.
But a good ga is a good ga. No matter how tragic, it's still worth playing.
Sure enough, the story began turning darker.
Zack encountered a mber of the Turks, the covert ops unit. Though they'd only t briefly before, the Turk clearly had a soft spot for Zack. In a crucial mont, the agent chose to help Zack escape.
Still, the air was thick with tragedy.
Soon after, Zack also encountered a cloned version of Angeal, his late ntor.
Even in this deteriorated state, Angeal was still gentle—but it was obvious the clone was breaking down.
Kazumi's eyes were already turning red, though she was doing everything she could to hold back the tears.
I can't lose. I absolutely can't lose!
Oto-chan sat silently, facing the TV with her back to Kazumi. Kazumi had no idea what state Oto-chan was in, only that she hadn't said a word in a while.
Even Aiko had put down her pen and notebook.
All three were now completely imrsed in the story.
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