With the arrival of the 16-bit era, the price of cartridges naturally rose accordingly. In Japan, the average price per cartridge reached 6,500 yen.
After factoring in Atlas's distribution commissions and other costs, the net profit per cartridge amounted to 1,700 yen.
Based on this figure, Kobayashi Tetsu had earned over five billion yen in the United States.
Of course, the actual amount wouldn't be quite that high due to exchange rates and various fluctuations, and the revenue from North American cartridges wasn't calculated that simply.
But that didn't stop Kobayashi Tetsu from taking a break.
He'd earned billions of yen—wasn't he allowed some rest!
Early the next morning, Kobayashi Tetsu woke up and shuffled into the bathroom in his slippers to wash up.
The previous afternoon, Kobayashi Tetsu had gone to see Kobayakawa Rinko and then refused to leave her apartment, insisting he wouldn't go. Kobayakawa had tried repeatedly to force him out, but all her efforts were in vain.
By evening, Kobayashi Tetsu tried to leave but couldn't. Kobayakawa Rinko had simply grabbed him, tackled him to the ground, and pinned him down with overwhelming force.
However, two hours later, the tables had turned.
Kobayashi Tetsu's regular workouts over the past six months hadn't been in vain!
Every arch of his back was the result of Takamine Aika's rigorous physical training!
"Being young is the best," Kobayashi Tetsu sighed. He casually wrung out the towel and pressed it to his face.
Washing his face was actually kind of a novelty for him. He'd heard that people from Northern and Southern China did it differently—Northerners just splashed water on their faces, while Southerners would wet a towel and wipe themselves clean.
The sound of bare feet padding across the floor came from behind him. Without even turning, Tetsu knew exactly who it was.
There was no one else in the room but Koyakawa.
"Mmm-hmm..."
She approached him from behind, her messy hair brushing against the small of his back. After leaning against him for a moment, she looked up and met his gaze.
"Tetsu-kun, you're really not Japanese, are you? So many of your habits are different."
Tetsu nodded. "Like what?"
"You wear slippers inside. A lot of people don't, and even if they do, they don't wear the kind you have. Oh, and the towel! The way you wring it out is different too."
Tetsu let out a soft "Huh?"
How could wringing a towel possibly be different?
"Do Americans do it with their hands and Japanese people do it with their feet?"
"No."
Koyakawa took the towel from him and demonstrated.
She didn't wring it horizontally; she held it vertically.
The difference in their technique was that Tetsu held the towel horizontally and twisted his hands in opposite directions. Koyakawa, however, held the towel vertically and twisted both hands inward, in the same direction.
Kobayashi Tetsu kept wiping his face, his mind racing with shock.
He'd never paid attention to these kinds of trivial life details before, but now he realized just how important they were. It was a good thing his cover story was that of a returnee from abroad; otherwise, people would have immediately noticed he wasn't a local.
After Kobayashi Tetsu and Koyakawa finished eating the special chazuke rice prepared by Old Man Hu, he tidied up and got ready to head out.
"If you're not busy today, do you want to come with me to meet someone?" Kobayashi Tetsu said deliberately. "It's a woman, by the way."
Sure enough, Koyakawa's eyes widened instantly, and she glided over to him.
Kobayashi Tetsu continued, "She's almost forty."
Koyakawa's tension visibly eased.
Nobody likes a woman in her late thirties!
Well, maybe some people did, but Kobayashi Tetsu definitely wasn't one of them.
"I guess I could," she said, feigning a bit of reserve and even trying to resist. But Kobayashi Tetsu was already by the door, changing into his shoes.
"If you're not coming, I'm leaving."
"Wait, wait, wait! I'm coming!" Koyakawa hurriedly changed her shoes and pressed him, "So, who is she exactly?"
"The proprietress of Koei—or rather, the actual president, Keiko Koei," Kobayashi Tetsu replied.
Keiko Koei, the wife of Koei's president and the company's uncrowned queen.
Though she kept a low profile and remained virtually unknown to outsiders, Keiko Koei had played a pivotal role in Koei's development.
Today, Kobayashi Tetsu had taken a day off specifically to meet with her. He held a genuine respect for this woman.
This is true female empowerment! he thought. Koei could replace its president with someone else, but without Keiko Koei, it would never have become the company it was today.
The three of them now sat facing each other at the Old Dixie Restaurant. Keiko sat on one side, while Kobayashi and Koyakawa sat opposite her.
Anegasaki Nene, stationed by the kitchen counter, had a clear view of the entire scene.
Koyakawa, meanwhile, was studying the woman before her with keen curiosity. As a new editor at the game magazine, Koei was obviously a prime target for an interview.
After a few brief pleasantries, Kobayashi and Keiko quickly got down to business.
"So, Koei's intention is to develop a game for the Mega Drive and have Atlus act as the publisher."
Keiko nodded. "Precisely. In keeping with Koei's tradition, this will be a historical strategy game. Have you heard of the Age of Discovery?"
Kobayashi's head snapped up, his expression instantly turning to one of profound respect.
So, it must be Uncharted Waters.
Uncharted Waters was a game Koei had developed for both the PC and the Super Famicom.
Of course, for various reasons, no sequels were released afterward. Yet, Uncharted Waters 3 and 4 still held a significant place in the hearts of players.
The series also represented the pinnacle of Japanese art of the era, creating stunningly beautiful visuals with the limited color palette of the time.
It could be said that the 3D era belonged to American companies, but in the 2D era, Japan was the undisputed peak.
Kobayashi Tetsu took a sip of his drink and said, "The Age of Discovery was indeed a magnificent era. But what I'm more curious about is, will Japanese players even like this kind of theme?"
Keiko Koei tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on her lips.
"We have no choice. Yoichi likes it."
Kobayashi Tetsu instantly leaned back.
So they're negotiating the distribution just because Yoichi Koei likes it?!
This mouthful of "dog food" nearly choked him.
"Rationally, I can't get behind a game like this," Kobayashi Tetsu said, catching his breath. "However, since we've already established this partnership with Koei, Atlas is willing to distribute the game. As for the distribution split..."
Kobayashi Tetsu chuckled vaguely.
This is going to be an interesting negotiation.
Keiko Koei knew the market inside out; trying to push the price down was almost impossible. But Kobayashi Tetsu couldn't resist a challenge like this.
After a fierce round of bargaining, they finally settled on a net profit split of 37%.
Koei would take 37%, and Atlas would take 63%.
Koei's cartridges had always been expensive. Back in the day, a few of their games ported to the FC were already priced at 10,000 yen.
The entire FC console only cost 15,000 yen!
Therefore, the price for the upcoming Mega Drive release would be no exception. The future Uncharted Waters cartridge would reach a staggering 11,800 yen.
Based on the overall profit margin, after Atlas covered the cost of manufacturing the cartridges, the net profit per unit would be an incredible 5,000 yen.
This meant Koei would earn about 1,850 yen, while Atlas would take 3,350 yen.
If Koei's games didn't typically sell well—with 100,000 copies being considered a hit—Kobayashi Tetsu would have been completely stunned by this pricing.
With the deal finalized, the two of them felt a great sense of relief.
Koyakawa didn't understand the details, but she was utterly shocked.
"What kind of game sells for this much?!"
"Who actually sells a game for over ten thousand yen?!"
Kobayashi Tetsu nodded solemnly. "I do!"
After a few moments of small talk, Kobayashi Tetsu learned that Koyakawa wanted to interview Keiko Koei. He deliberately gave the two of them some private space.
Then, he slipped behind the counter to sneak off for a secret rendezvous with Anegasaki Nene.
Kobayakawa Rinko opened her notebook and looked at Keiko Koei, ready to ask her questions. But Keiko Koei simply smiled.
"Kobayakawa Rinko, right? Do you like President Kobayashi?"
"Eh?" Koyakawa's expression turned serious. "Um, that's unrelated to the interview."
"True. I was just speaking casually; don't take it to heart. However, if you really want someone to like you, don't just be their shadow. Build a career of your own. Be gentle when you need to be, but most of the time, you must be strong."
Keiko Koei took a sip of her drink. "Of course, I was just speaking casually. Please, begin the interview."
Koyakawa nodded blankly, still not quite understanding what Keiko Koei was trying to say.
Keiko Koei then proceeded with the interview, casually recounting the story of her life.
She met Yoichi Koei during their university years. Later, when he clashed with his family, she resolutely chose to leave Tokyo and follow him back to his hometown.
They supported each other through the early days of starting their business. She took on countless responsibilities, playing a crucial role in bringing Koei to its current success.
Yet, no matter the circumstances, she always ensured Yoichi kept his place and his dignity.
"A samurai's wife," she explained, resting her chin on her hands, "must be able to manage the household and grace the court. Yoichi is a man of great vision, and Koei's fans adore him for it. But even he needs my support. You understand what I mean, don't you?"
She stopped there, believing she had given the young man all the guidance she could.
If he still can't grasp it after being shown the way so clearly, then it's simply a matter of talent, she thought. He's just not destined for the lead role!