Another world Game Developers in Japan`s 1991

By the end of November 2001, the rumors surrounding Zaboru and ZAGE had already spread across multiple countries, but the situation had not developed the way Leonard Epstein and the Illuminati had expected.

At first, the accusations had looked dangerous.

People questioned why Zaboru refused the invitation to the World Trade Center gathering. Others questioned why he investigated aviation security beforehand, why ZAGE Foundation rescue teams had mobilized unusually quickly, and why anonymous warnings had apparently reached American agencies before the attack.

The most aggressive rumors went even further, claiming that ZAGE had somehow worked with Al-Qaeda.

Yet the accusations encountered a problem almost immediately.

Zaboru and ZAGE had spent years building an unusually clean public reputation.

Millions of ZAGE fans simply refused to accept the accusations without evidence.

On ZAGE Forum, discussions became enormous. Some users admitted that the circumstances around Zaboru were strange, but many others argued that strange circumstances were not proof of terrorism.

One popular thread reached millions of views.

"YOU REALLY THINK ZABORU WORKS WITH AL-QAEDA?"

The original poster wrote that Zaboru had spent years creating games, funding hospitals, supporting athletes, helping disaster victims, building schools, donating through the ZAGE Foundation, and openly criticizing exploitation inside industries he controlled.

Another user replied that Zaboru was the same man who regularly appeared at game events eating street food with ordinary developers and fans.

Someone else wrote, "This dude spends half his life making video games and arguing about game balance. You expect me to believe he secretly runs terrorist operations too?"

The comment became one of the most shared posts on the forum.

Even people who disliked Zaboru found some accusations difficult to believe.

More importantly, the ZAGE Foundation already had an established reputation long before the World Trade Center attack.

The Foundation had not suddenly created rescue teams on November 11.

For years, ZAGE Foundation workers had occasionally assisted firefighters, hospitals, police officers, and local emergency services during accidents, fires, earthquakes, floods, and building collapses. Most incidents were small enough that they rarely received international attention, but local communities knew the Foundation well.

Whenever a large fire occurred near a ZAGE facility, Foundation crews often arrived with additional water, medical equipment, food, temporary shelters, or volunteers. During natural disasters, ZAGE warehouses frequently released emergency supplies before complicated paperwork was completed.

The World Trade Center response was simply the largest deployment the organisation had ever attempted.

American firefighters who had personally worked beside ZAGE Foundation personnel began speaking publicly as well.

Several refused to entertain accusations against the rescue workers.

One firefighter told reporters, "Those people came here, asked us where we needed help, and worked until they could barely stand. I don't know anything about billionaire politics, but I know what I saw."

A paramedic gave a similar statement. "They didn't take command. They supported us. Their doctors treated people, their equipment helped move rubble, and their volunteers handed out water and masks. Anyone trying to turn that into evidence of terrorism should come down here and say it to the people they helped."

Those statements damaged the rumor campaign more than ZAGE's legal department ever could.

Zaboru deliberately avoided making an emotional public response.

His lawyers Kurugiya "Kudou" Dousuke and Jack Kirby released verified financial documentation proving that several transactions shown in the alleged Al-Qaeda records had been manipulated. Genuine ZAGE business transactions had been mixed with accounts that had never belonged to ZAGE or its subsidiaries.

Instead of threatening every newspaper that repeated the accusation, ZAGE published the original records and allowed independent financial experts to compare them.

Within days, multiple analysts confirmed inconsistencies in the leaked documents.

That did not completely destroy the rumors.

But it weakened them.

Then Arachne quietly began moving.

The public did not know the organisation existed, and Arachne had no intention of revealing itself. Instead, Kings Johanson and the organisation's social-influence network began leaking information through journalists, economists, university researchers, and anonymous financial sources.

They did not directly defend Zaboru.

That would have been too obvious.

Instead, they introduced another question.

Who profited from the attack?

Several articles began discussing unusual financial movements before and immediately after November 11. Certain wealthy investors had sold positions before the attack, then aggressively purchased companies and public stocks after markets collapsed.

Rumors began circulating that powerful financial and political figures had expected some form of major crisis and intended to profit from the resulting panic.

Nobody could prove that those people had organised the attack.

Arachne deliberately avoided making claims it could not support.

But the information changed the public conversation.

Suddenly, Zaboru was no longer the only powerful person suspected of knowing something beforehand.

Some people began asking why the media focused so intensely on a Japanese game-company founder who had sent rescue teams while barely discussing investors who had earned enormous profits from the tragedy and the facts Zaboru not buying Any stocks proof it more.

The effect was subtle.

But effective.

Zaboru's image began recovering.

Then the Japanese government unexpectedly stepped in.

Minister Keisuke Adachihara appeared before the press after a routine government meeting and was immediately surrounded by reporters asking about Zaboru.

One journalist asked whether the Japanese government was investigating him.

Keisuke looked visibly irritated by the question.

"Investigating him for what?"

The journalist mentioned the World Trade Center gathering and asked whether the government knew why Zaboru had refused the invitation.

Keisuke sighed before answering. "Yes. Because we were already arranging discussions with him here in Japan."

That statement immediately caught everyone's attention.

Keisuke explained that the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology had been preparing to speak with Zaboru and AKAI regarding growing concerns over Black Berry Z01 addiction, particularly among students and younger users.

The ministry possessed correspondence proving that discussions with ZAGE and AKAI had already been planned.

"We wanted to discuss responsible phone usage, school policies, parental controls, and educational guidance," Keisuke explained. "Zaboru was expected to participate because AKAI belongs to his corporate group and because many services on the Black Berry use ZAGE infrastructure."

Another reporter asked whether that meant Zaboru had refused the American gathering because of government business.

Keisuke shrugged. "I cannot tell you every reason behind another man's schedule. He runs one of the largest private companies in the world. He has meetings every day. But the idea that refusing one invitation automatically proves involvement in terrorism is ridiculous."

The statement spread internationally.

More importantly, the ministry produced legitimate dated correspondence proving that conversations regarding the Black Berry issue had begun before November 11.

It was not a perfect alibi.

Zaboru could theoretically have attended the American gathering and returned later.

But it gave the public another completely ordinary explanation for why he had other priorities.

Keisuke later complained privately to Denzo, "I cannot believe I had to explain that a businessman might decline a meeting because he had another meeting."

Denzo replied, "You realise this is partially our fault now."

"How?"

"Because Black Berry addiction accidentally helped save his reputation."

Keisuke stared at him for several seconds before muttering, "Technology is becoming too complicated."

By the final week of November, public opinion had shifted considerably.

The accusations never disappeared completely.

Some people still believed Zaboru knew more than he admitted.

Others continued circulating theories about ZAGE and Al-Qaeda.

The phrase "How did Zaboru know?" remained part of internet conspiracy culture.

That seed had already been planted.

It became part of ZAGE history whether the company liked it or not.

But the Illuminati had failed to achieve its main objective.

ZAGE's reputation did not collapse.

If anything, the opposite happened.

Images of ZAGE Foundation workers assisting American firefighters remained far more powerful than anonymous documents circulating online.

Public appreciation for the Foundation increased dramatically.

Donations to ZAGE humanitarian programs rose.

More people volunteered.

Hospitals and governments began requesting cooperation agreements with the Foundation.

ZAGE's popularity grew even further.

Inside the Illuminati, the reaction was considerably less enthusiastic.

Leonard Epstein sat silently while reviewing public-opinion reports.

He had expected ZAGE's reputation to fracture.

Instead, it had bent slightly and then recovered.

A subordinate cautiously explained that ZAGE's existing reputation was unusually resilient. The company was privately owned entirely by Zaboru, meaning there were no ZAGE shareholders to panic and dump company stock. Zaboru also did not depend heavily on outside investors who could pressure him to resign.

That made traditional corporate attacks significantly less effective.

Leonard frowned.

ZAGE had become powerful without developing many of the weaknesses normally associated with enormous corporations.

Its founder still owned the entire company.

Its fans trusted the brand.

Its employees were unusually loyal.

Its charity organisation had years of visible work behind it.

Even rival governments frequently benefited economically from ZAGE operations.

Contaminating that reputation would require considerably more than one coordinated rumor campaign.

Still, Leonard smiled eventually.

The attempt had not been completely useless.

The rumor would never disappear entirely.

That was enough for now.

Meanwhile, Zaboru returned to Japan carrying a lesson far heavier than he expected.

Before November 11, he had often acted immediately whenever he believed something was right.

He possessed enormous resources, powerful abilities, Deep Memory Dive, international influence, and confidence built from years of success.

That confidence occasionally made him believe he could simply react faster than everyone else and solve the consequences later.

Now he understood the weakness in that approach.

Helping people was not wrong.

Flying to New York had not been wrong.

Preparing the Foundation had saved lives.

But his actions existed inside a world containing organisations such as Arachne and the Illuminati.

People who could manipulate information.

People who could transform kindness into suspicion.

People who could take several true facts, insert one false detail, and create an entirely different story.

Zaboru could no longer act as though every problem existed openly in front of him.

He needed to think several moves ahead.

That lesson became even more personal when he finally returned home.

Ayumi had become sick.

Nothing serious, but exhaustion, stress, pregnancy, and days of worrying about Zaboru had taken their toll. When Zaboru entered their bedroom and saw her lying beneath the blanket with a tired expression, guilt immediately struck him.

Ayumi looked toward him and quietly said, "You promised you would be careful."

"I know."

"You flew into a city that had just been attacked."

"I know."

"And then people started saying you were involved."

Zaboru sat beside her and took her hand. "I know."

Ayumi squeezed his fingers. "I understand why you went. I would never ask you to ignore people who need help. But next time… think about us too."

Zaboru lowered his head slightly.

"I will."

Ayumi stared at him. "Really?"

"Really."

He touched her stomach gently.

"I have you. Zenshin. Arumi. And these two troublemakers coming soon. I can't keep acting like I'm only responsible for myself."

Ayumi's expression softened.

Zaboru leaned closer and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

She closed her eyes and rested against him. "Just become a little less reckless."

"A little?"

"A lot."

Zaboru laughed quietly. "I'll try."

The entire month had taught him something he could never retrieve from Deep Memory Dive.

Knowledge of the future did not make him invincible.

Good intentions did not prevent consequences.

And possessing power meant learning when not to use it carelessly.

November 2001 had been one of the heaviest months of Zaboru's second life.

Yet ZAGE itself had never stopped moving.

While governments investigated terrorism, internet users argued about conspiracies, and Zaboru struggled with everything he had witnessed, his developers continued doing what ZAGE had always done.

Making games.

And somehow, despite everything happening around the world, ZAGE had prepared an unusually aggressive November release schedule.

Five games.

Two arcade titles.

Two ZEPS 3 games.

One ZGBA game.

All five were scheduled before the month ended.

And they sold incredibly well…

To be continued.

AN : I extended this too much and it was a mistake but i hope you like the conclusion… this will not mentioned for a while, i make these so Zaboru could have characters development lol

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