Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 781: Totally Fell Apart

The next morning, even on his way to work, Davidson couldn't stop thinking about how to beat the next level.

After a night of intense playing, he had already made it past level 100.

The whole experience had gone relatively smoothly, with no major obstacles.

There were indeed a few challenging stages along the way, but as long as he used items, he could easily score high and clear them.

However, by this morning, he had used up nearly all of the free items that came with the game.

From now on, if he wanted to keep using items to get high scores, he would have to start buying them.

He glanced at the item shop out of curiosity, and to his relief, the items weren't expensive at all.

Most of them were around 30 to 40 cents each—about the same price as a cheap malt beer at the bar.

...

...

But a cheap beer couldn't give him the kind of fun this game did.

Video games could.

When he arrived at the warehouse that morning, his coworker immediately came over to greet him.

"Morning, Davidson! How's your mood today?"

Davidson was a bit taken aback. Normally, they didn't talk much—just the bare minimum. But today, his coworker seemed... warmer, friendlier.

Maybe it's because of the game? Davidson wondered.

Out of courtesy, he replied, "Morning."

"Hey Davidson, did you keep playing that game from yesterday?"

Davidson nodded. "Yeah, a little."

"What level did you get to?"

"Over a hundred, I think."

His coworker stared at him. "That's not 'a little'—you basically played all night!"

"Uh... yeah, I guess. You interested in the game too? Want me to lend you my phone to try it out?"

Earlier that morning, Davidson had been thinking about playing a few more levels during work breaks.

But when his coworker mentioned the game again, Davidson suddenly remembered his offer to lend him a console.

For some reason, asking to borrow the console now felt a little awkward.

But offering his phone first? That seemed more natural.

His coworker shook his head and grinned. "Nah, that's okay. Check this out."

He pulled something out of his pocket.

Davidson took a closer look—wasn't that a Facebook smartphone?

"You...?"

"Yup! My wife let me buy it. I told her it would help me connect better with my coworkers—like you! Since you have this phone too, I said it's bringing us closer, and she was actually really happy to hear that. She cares a lot about my workplace relationships, so if it helps me bond with colleagues, she's totally fine with it—even if it costs a bit of money."

Davidson was speechless.

That's... a bit intense.

Then again, he recalled how things used to be when he was still married.

His wife back then had also been strict.

They'd fought often over his book purchases. In the U.S., books weren't cheap, and Davidson had a habit of buying too many and never selling any. Soon, the house was overflowing with them—and they were expensive.

The arguments over that had driven their relationship to a breaking point.

Now, Davidson found himself feeling a bit envious of his coworker.

"Your wife... seems pretty strict."

"Huh? Strict? Not really. I mean, yeah, a little, but I think it's a good thing. Guys need some hobbies, sure, but it's also good to have someone keeping you from going overboard. Besides, I know her well—I know what she wants to hear, so I say the right things. That's what I call the art of negotiation. By the way, Davidson, what about your wife? I don't think I've ever heard you mention her. I haven't seen anything personal on your desk either."

"I've been divorced for years."

The art of negotiation, huh...

Davidson thought back to his own marriage. All they ever did was argue. Neither of them ever backed down. There was no compromise, no understanding.

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His coworker, on the other hand, seemed to have figured things out.

Maybe Davidson should've tried that strategy too...

But it was too late now. That ship had long since sailed.

"Ah, I'm sorry—I didn't mean to bring that up..."

"It's fine. It's been years. Nothing to apologize for."

His coworker seemed eager to change the subject, so he raised his new phone and said, "Anyway, how about we add each other as friends in Candy Fun Match? You get bonus items for doing that. I just found out you can get rainbow star ratings if you score high enough."

Huh?

Rainbow star rating?

What was that?

Davidson felt like he had just stumbled upon some vital piece of information.

He had never heard of this before.

"What do you mean by rainbow star rating?" Davidson couldn't help but ask.

"It's a rating above the usual three stars. I played a bit last night after finally getting my phone, and I discovered that if you score really high—way higher than the three-star threshold—you get a special rainbow-colored rating. But it's super hard to get without using power-ups."

Davidson's eyes widened.

So... three stars wasn't the highest rating after all?

Suddenly, he felt terrible.

But it's definitely not obsessive behavior. No way.

"You okay?" his coworker asked, noticing Davidson spacing out again—just like yesterday.

"No, I'm fine," Davidson replied, trying to hide his disappointment. Then he asked, "You mentioned we get bonus items for adding friends?"

"Yeah! The same ones from the shop—the paid ones. Just for adding friends. That's why I'm here to ask—wanna add me? We'll both get free items. Pretty sweet, huh?"

"I didn't even know you could add friends in this game," Davidson admitted, a little embarrassed.

He'd been the first one to start playing, but clearly his coworker had picked up on way more features.

"Oh, I found it just by clicking around. Last night I called up some of my other friends who also have Facebook phones and added them all. But I didn't have your number, so I had to wait until this morning to ask. So hey—what's your number?"