Project Approval

The heavy door of the conference room closed silently behind him, cutting off the heated discussion and faint anticipation inside that had not yet fully dispersed.

The light in the corridor held the particular softness of an office building, and even the air seemed to return instantly to its usual quiet. There was only the low hum of the air-conditioning system and the occasional clatter of keyboards from far away.

Nakayama Takuya did not walk quickly, but his steps were very steady. He could feel the gazes on his back, faint yet present, and the emotions contained in them were far more complicated than they had been at the start of the meeting.

"Deputy Team Leader Nakayama."

A slightly hurried yet still restrained voice came from behind him. Tanaka, the head of the Overseas Business Department, quickly caught up and stopped beside Takuya. On that face of his, always meticulous, as if it had been measured with a ruler, a trace of probing beyond caution was now difficult to conceal completely. The gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose reflected the corridor lights.

Tanaka inclined himself slightly. It was standard workplace etiquette, but used at this moment toward such a young "deputy team leader" who had just been appointed, especially when the other party was also the president's son, it carried a subtle nuance. His tone remained as rigorous as a textbook. "Regarding the copyright matters on the Soviet side, may I ask you to explain in more detail the information you currently have, as well as the channels of contact you recommend?"

Takuya stopped and calmly turned sideways to look at this middle-aged man who carried great weight within Sega's system. He knew that Mr. Tanaka controlled Sega's overseas lifeline and had always been known for acting steadily, even conservatively. In the meeting just now, the president had assigned such an important acquisition project to be guided by him, so Tanaka must have had many questions in his heart. It was only his professional discipline that had kept him from showing them directly in the meeting.

He took a note he had prepared long ago from the folder he carried with him. Several key names and terms were written clearly on it.

"Minister Tanaka, please take a look."

He pointed at the writing on the note, his voice even.

"The original creator of the game, according to information I 'happened' to learn, is a young man named Alexey Pajitnov."

"The institution he belongs to is the Soviet Academy of Sciences Computer Center."

"But the key point is that, under the Soviet system, intellectual property rights theoretically belong to the state. The specific body responsible for foreign technology and software licensing is this organization—the Soviet Foreign Trade Committee, abbreviated as ELORG."

He had even specially noted the original Russian name, Тетрис, as well as ELORG's full name beside it.

Tanaka's gaze fixed tightly on the note, his brows furrowing slightly, clearly digesting this information at high speed.

"Then what is your recommendation?"

"My recommendation is that speed is precious in war."

Takuya's gaze sharpened.

"Use official channels, such as making an appointment through the commercial counselor's office at the Soviet Embassy in Japan, state Sega's intention to purchase the exclusive global rights to Tetris on all platforms, and negotiate directly with ELORG."

"According to uncertain information I've obtained," he skillfully made use of the gap in information, "this game's influence is currently still mainly limited to a small academic circle in the Soviet Union, and almost no commercial institutions have contacted them. This may be our golden window to secure the complete copyright."

He paused, then added.

"The focus of the negotiation is ELORG. As for the Computer Center and Mr. Pajitnov himself, they do not have actual decision-making power over the copyright. Our strategy toward them should mainly be appeasement and praise. We can prepare some suitable gifts to express respect, especially high-end electronic products that are scarce inside the Soviet Union, to prevent them from possibly making trouble in the future."

Tanaka nodded, a trace of appreciation flashing behind his lenses.

"And in terms of negotiation strategy?"

"Cut through the tangled hemp with a sharp blade."

Takuya did not hesitate.

"Avoid getting bogged down in a quagmire of details. Soviets, especially officials in charge of foreign trade, may prefer direct and efficient methods. And as long as we can secure it before other commercial institutions join the fight for the copyright, a little premium will be far more worthwhile than the price that gets fought up by several companies competing together. We can send business personnel whose negotiation style is fairly straightforward, whose decision-making is decisive, and who..."

He paused slightly, the corner of his mouth curving into a meaningful arc.

"Preferably can hold a few drinks."

This suggestion made Tanaka freeze for a moment, then reveal a look of understanding.

"As for gifts, aside from the usual ones, I personally recommend considering some high-quality, high-proof Japanese spirits, such as Suntory's Yamazaki or Hakushu single malt whisky, or even aged awamori from Okinawa. Perhaps they can close the distance more quickly."

These words had already gone far beyond the scope of what a newly graduated university student could possibly know. They sounded more like an old hand deeply versed in international business and the ways of the world.

Takuya reined in his sharpness at just the right time and added another sentence.

"Of course, these are only some immature suggestions I'm putting forward based on limited information. The Overseas Business Department has rich international negotiation experience and its own information channels. The final strategy should still be based on your department's professional judgment. I'm only providing a possible direction here, with absolutely no intention of an outsider instructing experts."

These words both displayed his ability and expressed respect, placing his posture very low.

Tanaka completely put away the last trace of scrutiny, and true approval and surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Deputy Team Leader Nakayama has considered this very thoroughly. This information and these suggestions are extremely valuable to us. We will immediately begin preparations and produce a plan as soon as possible."

He solemnly inclined himself again.

"Thank you for sharing."

Watching Tanaka's hurried departing back, Takuya let out a soft breath.

The first hurdle could be considered preliminarily passed.

He turned and walked toward the Third Development Department's office.

When he pushed the door open, the atmosphere inside was indeed completely different from before.

The original heaviness or indifference that had filled the room had vanished, replaced by an unrest that could not be suppressed.

Almost everyone's gaze converged on him. In those eyes were curiosity, inquiry, expectation, and even a few traces of excitement that were hard to detect.

Team Leader Shimizu came forward to greet him. His attitude was much more respectful than it had been in the morning, and a professional smile was on his face.

"Deputy Team Leader Nakayama, we all heard the president's instructions just now. At present, our team mainly has some auxiliary wrap-up work for other projects on hand, and we expect to finish it within two or three days. Do you have any suggestions?"

He took the initiative to report the team's current work content and progress to Takuya, waiting for instructions from the newly appointed "leader." Although he was the team leader, he still had to watch the crown prince's expression.

"That works out perfectly."

Takuya nodded and looked around at everyone in the office.

"Team Lead Shimizu, my suggestion is that after we finish the wrap-up work at hand, we temporarily stop taking on any new support tasks."

His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears.

"We need to concentrate all our strength and prepare for the new project."

He looked at Shimizu, his tone gentle yet carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

Shimizu understood at once and made the final decision. "In that case, let's set it for the day after tomorrow, Wednesday afternoon. We'll hold the first planning discussion for the Tetris project. When the time comes, all team members must attend. We need to unify our thinking and clarify the division of labor as soon as possible."

A low murmur of discussion rose in the office, and several young programmers' faces clearly shone with excitement.

At last, the Third Development Department was going to have its own flagship project!

And what was more, it was a project personally approved by the president and personally handled by the president's son!

Takuya's gaze swept over the crowd, catching an older-looking employee in the corner, in whose eyes there seemed to flash a trace of barely perceptible doubt and reservation.

He understood perfectly well. The breaking-in of a new team had never been smooth sailing.