Ueno Park is one of Japan's top cherry blossom viewing spots.
Spanning 530,000 square meters, it was already packed shoulder to shoulder at this moment.
In an average year, the crowds wouldn't be quite this large.
But not long ago, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment held a grand carnival event.
For Takayuki, once the carnival ended, that was it.
However, many players and tourists who participated became more curious about Japan, and the number of visitors started rising steadily. Tokyo as a whole felt much livelier than before, with many shops now enjoying booming business.
A culturally unique event like hanami certainly wouldn't be missed by these curious tourists.
Fortunately, the employees at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had foresight. They'd reserved a spacious picnic area in advance—and in a prime location.
One car after another pulled into the park's parking lot, and the company's employees stepped out, chatting and laughing.
…
…
Some brought carefully prepared food, while others brought entertainment gear.
And naturally, entertainment meant video game consoles.
Only employees of a game company like Gamestar could think of gaming while enjoying cherry blossoms.
Hauling all that gear into the park quickly drew the attention of surrounding tourists.
What's going on?
Who's moving house here?
Why do they even have big TVs?
People were stunned and confused by the sight.
Before long, the group reached their reserved area and started setting up a makeshift platform.
TVs were placed on the platform, and game consoles were connected next to them.
This unusual scene caused quite a stir, with many nearby tourists gathering to whisper and comment.
Among the crowd was another group that also appeared to be a company outing for cherry blossom viewing.
A man in his sixties, clearly their boss, frowned as he watched and shook his head. "What a bunch of people with no appreciation for beauty, coming all this way just to watch TV."
His words immediately drew support from nearby employees.
"Exactly! And they took up so much space too. What a waste!"
"That company must be some no-name startup. Probably only a few years old, and the CEO's likely just some young upstart."
The sixty-year-old nodded. "Yes, that seems likely. A company like that is bound to have cultural problems."
"Founded by young people—those kinds of companies never last. I feel bad for those employees, probably losing their jobs after a short while. Not like our company—we've been going strong for over five years, which is no small feat. And that's all thanks to you, sir!"
The older president didn't react outwardly to the flattery, but inwardly, he was very pleased.
And truthfully, those young people did look unusually energetic. For a company event, this kind of liveliness was rare.
In Japan, where overwork is the norm, most employees look exhausted at the end of the day. Even young people lose their spark over time.
But these kids? They were full of energy—obviously not being pushed hard enough.
He inwardly scoffed. A boss who didn't squeeze every ounce out of his workers? What kind of CEO was that?
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that this kind of company wouldn't last long. No one achieves success without struggle.
He figured these people must have easy jobs and low pay.
In that case, if he offered higher salaries, it should be easy to poach them—after all, who could turn down better pay?
Hearing the president's orders, a few employees immediately volunteered.
A perfect chance to impress the boss.
Meanwhile, over at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, the staff was still busily setting things up.
The TV positions had all been arranged. Some people were debugging consoles, while others were already sneaking in a few rounds of Mario Kart—everyone was buzzing with excitement.
Children, naturally drawn to video games, were already wandering over. No hanami is complete without children running about.
Seeing the commotion, a bunch of curious kids had gathered with wide eyes sparkling with anticipation, eager to join in.
They immediately recognized the devices as game consoles. With everything being set up out in the open, it was obvious that they were going to be played—and the kids really wanted in.
"Big bro, are you setting up a game?"
One brave little kid asked a busy young employee.
"Yep, we're almost done. Want to play later?"
The child nodded enthusiastically.
Most kids had little resistance to video games.
The young man smiled. "Alright then. Once we're done setting everything up, you can have a turn."
"Really?!"
"Of course. Just give us a few minutes."
He continued connecting the video cables from the game console to the TV.
At that moment, a group of people in matching uniforms approached.
Their clothes bore a distinct logo—clearly from an advertising company.
"Excuse me, are you here for a company hanami event?"
The young man glanced up and nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Why?"
"Oh, nothing really. Just saying hi. We're from New Century Advertising, and we're also having a hanami event nearby. If you're interested, feel free to stop by—we've got tons of great food to try."
The young man looked a little tempted but replied politely, "Sorry, I've still got some setup to finish. Maybe later?"
"No worries! Drop by whenever. But I'm curious—are you guys working or doing hanami? You seem pretty busy."
"We're not working. Just having fun. We're actually a game company, so we figured, why not enjoy the cherry blossoms while gaming?"
"Huh, that's… a strange company culture. Don't you think it's a bit, I don't know, unorthodox?"
"Unorthodox?" The young man tilted his head, then shook it. "Not really. This is just how we usually do things."
The advertising employee quietly made a mental note—this kind of laid-back environment? Definitely unsustainable.
If this is how they operated regularly, with no pressure, no competition, how could they survive?
"And your salary's probably not that high, right? I think young people should work hard and chase success early—otherwise, they'll regret it when they're older."
The young man looked a bit confused but answered honestly, "My salary's fine. I'm actually pretty satisfied."
"That's just because you haven't seen what real money looks like. Take me, for example—my annual income is around 5 million yen."
The young man blinked. "Only 5 million?"
Advertising employee: "???"