Temples, shrines, royal residences, museums, lakes, black swans, mandarin ducks, pelicans, and wild ducks.
More importantly, there are over 1,200 cherry blossom trees.
This is Ueno Park—the largest park in the Tokyo area.
During the cherry blossom season every year, countless people come to enjoy hanami.
Tree after tree bursting with soft pink blossoms paint an exquisite scene.
Children laugh and play wildly on the grass, while some adults, dressed in formal traditional Japanese kimonos, sit politely and sip tea, quietly admiring the falling cherry petals.
Among this beautiful scene, there was one particularly unique spot.
It was packed with children—practically a kid's paradise.
...
...
From time to time, you could hear bursts of cheers or disappointed sighs.
What held their attention were the more than fifty game consoles already set up.
All of them were the latest GS1 consoles by Gamestar Electronic Entertainment, loaded with the newest games—some of which hadn't even officially released yet.
Though most were just demo versions, that was more than enough to make the kids and even many young adults giddy with excitement.
A chance to play the newest games for free doesn't come around often.
"So many people, huh?"
Not far away, Takayuki raised his hand to shade his eyes as he scanned the crowd. The sheer number of children genuinely caught him by surprise.
But it was also proof of how powerful the appeal of video games was for them.
Hanami doesn't mean much to kids. They're more drawn to exciting, fun things.
The employees of Gamestar Electronic Entertainment saw the children's joy and seemed to be infected by the mood. Even though it was a bit tiring, they were thoroughly satisfied.
They still remembered what Takayuki once told them:
Their job was to bring people happiness and joy—that was a very important mission. Never underestimate what video games can do.
"Alright, stop standing around. Let's find a quieter spot," Airi Hayasawa said, gently nudging Takayuki to snap him back to focus.
Takayuki quickly responded and, carrying a basket filled with food in both hands, walked with Aya Tsukino and Airi to a relatively quiet corner within the company's designated area.
The team had already set aside a less crowded zone for Takayuki and others who preferred peaceful hanami. The rest of the area was for gaming and inviting park-goers to play.
The three of them quickly laid out a picnic mat, and Airi and Aya began carefully arranging an array of delicious-looking dishes from the basket.
They had brought a feast today, and most of the visually appealing dishes were clearly Aya's handiwork.
She had been improving steadily in cooking—aside from developing games, it had become one of her few personal hobbies.
And if she could see Takayuki enjoying her food, she'd get even more motivated.
In fact, 99% of her motivation for cooking came from Takayuki.
Unable to resist, Takayuki reached out to grab a bite.
Most dishes looked and tasted great—except for two or three that clearly looked like culinary disasters.
No need to guess—those were Airi Hayasawa's contributions.
Airi was the textbook example of "bad at it but insists on doing it anyway."
She had absolutely zero talent for cooking—especially compared to her terrifying martial arts skills.
But just like Aya, Airi also wanted to share something made by her own hands with Takayuki.
Unfortunately, her efforts never quite succeeded.
Smack!
A slender hand unceremoniously slapped away Takayuki's sneaky hand.
"Eat later. Do something else for now. Don't disturb me and Airi," Aya said coolly.
"Alright, alright." Takayuki shrugged.
Then he pulled out his GSL handheld.
Hanami is just… hanami. It's really about the atmosphere of being together.
The cherry blossoms are just an extra touch.
If life is good and free of worries, every day could feel like hanami.
Still, it was nice to take a break like this.
Things had been incredibly hectic lately.
Game development, the constant pressure from competitors—he couldn't afford to relax.
The top spot in the gaming industry wasn't something easily held onto. You had to be constantly vigilant.
Takayuki never believed that the games he remembered from his previous life were enough to guarantee long-term dominance.
People in this world learned fast.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that. It would ruin the moment. Today, he was going to let himself unwind.
Takayuki leaned back under a cherry blossom tree, petals fluttering around him, and launched Monster Hunter on his GSL handheld.
"Boss, playing Monster Hunter?"
The familiar voice belonged to Yuki Kida, head of the first development team at Gamestar Electronic Entertainment.
He had been with Takayuki for years. They were about the same age, with similar interests—a highly reliable member of Takayuki's team.
His team was responsible for developing the company's flagship Dragon Quest series.
By now, Dragon Quest IX was already out.
Every entry in the series had been solid and high-quality—classic hero-saving-the-princess-and-the-world stuff.
Sometimes, consistency is one of the most valuable things in gaming.
Some games lose their essence as the series drags on, but Dragon Quest had remained true.
If the series weren't under Gamestar, it probably would've lost its soul long ago.
Not every company has a Takayuki. Not every company is a Square Enix.
Yuki Kida had recently become obsessed with Monster Hunter.
He loved the thrill of getting crushed—one of the few in the company who was genuinely addicted to it.
Takayuki nodded. "What, wanna join me?"
"You've probably already started hunting high-rank monsters, right? I'm nowhere near that yet. But maybe you could carry me through a few quests—I'd love to feel the pain of fighting endgame monsters."
"Sure. I'll make a room. Lobby code is ******."
"Boss, me too!"
That was Fuyushiro Ariga from Development Team Six, who had also come over.
He had been involved in developing Monster Hunter from start to finish, so naturally, he loved the game deeply. Only someone who'd helped make the game could truly understand how brilliant it was.
He was also one of the people who admired Takayuki the most.
The president's creativity just never runs dry—it was amazing.
"Alright, perfect. Three of us now. One spot left—any takers?"
Playing together made the hunt more fun. Since they had three already, a fourth would be perfect.
"I'll join."
A cool, clear voice chimed in.
Yuki Kida and Ariga instinctively stepped aside, leaving a large open space next to Takayuki.
A woman in a cherry-red kimono sat down gracefully beside him.
Very few people had the kind of presence that would make the heads of dev teams make way for them—but Aya Tsukino was one of them.
Takayuki turned and smiled. "All done?"
"Mm. Food will be ready soon. Let's do a hunt first. What? Not happy I'm joining?"
"Of course not. Come on, join the room."
Beneath the cherry trees, petals dancing through the air, a group of game devs gathered to play Monster Hunter.
As the rousing in-game music began, the hunt officially started.
You could call it the prototype of modern multiplayer parties, couldn't you?
That's what Takayuki thought, at least.