by Shouji Gatou
“Cosmic Group is lookin’ to open a park in Tokyo! They’re schemin’ to siphon guests off from my... my very own Tokyo Digimaland! Haha!”
“I see...” Seiya frowned. It was true that AmaBri’s location was good. One could call it ideal, even; the park was less than an hour by train from Shinjuku, and only 15 minutes off the highway. It was on a large plot of land, about the same size as Mackey’s Digimaland, and surrounded by undeveloped hills, which meant no trouble from the local residents. Someone with enough funds could easily overhaul the content and produce a new theme park there— in other words, tear AmaBri down and build a Tokyo Cosmic Studios. “That would be a threat even to you, I guess?” he asked.
“Haha! Well, I wouldn’t go that far! My park’s ready to take on all comers!” Mackey laughed. Was it a real laugh or a feigned one? Seiya couldn’t tell. “It just really gets under my skin, thinkin’ they’d crush the lousy theme park that got me through my toughest times! That’s why I came here to tell you about it!”
“We appreciate it,” Seiya thanked him smoothly.
“Haha! Now, a proposal! I’m gonna solve your attendance problem!”
“...How?”
“I’m gonna let you guys join my Digima Group!”
Seiya, Moffle, and Isuzu all went silent.
“We’ll add our intellectual property to your attractions! Figure Story! Trains! Fighting Ammo!”
“......!” The others sat there in shock. Those were all world-famous animated movies, and Mackey was saying he would let AmaBri run attractions based around them.
“And I’ll license you limited-time merch exclusives! Haha! How about... a plush doll of me cosplaying Lord Moffle! Boy, do the diehards get worked up for that stuff! My fans’ll flock to AmaBri then, for sure!”
“Urgh...”
The roar of a turboshaft engine drew nearer. Mackey’s helicopter was descending on the rooftop garden.
“Of course... haha. If you join us, you’ll have to start doing things our way... In a lot of ways. Yessir, in a whole lot of ways.” Mackey’s expression was still cheerful, but his tone was far from friendly.
The downwind from the rotor blades pounded hard on the flowers that Latifah had worked so hard to raise.
“Of course, that’ll all come out in negotiations! But I’d say it’s a good deal for both of us! Haha! Get back to me when ya can! See ya later!” The hovering helicopter lowered a rope ladder. Mackey jumped onto it like it was the easiest thing in the world and flew away, waving to Seiya and the others. “G’bye for now! I gotta get to dinner with that anchor with the nice rack! Haha! Think about my offer, okay? Until then... byeeeee!”
The helicopter gained altitude and flew off to the horizon. Mackey the Rat had left the park like a character in a phantom thief anime— it was hard to argue that it wasn’t the coolest departure possible.
The second Mackey was gone, Moffle laid into Seiya. “Three million? Three million, fumo?! What in the world, fumo?!”
Seiya and Moffle hadn’t been coming to blows often lately; despite their natural enmity, they had established something of a bond of trust. Yet he still found himself grabbed by the lapels from time to time.
“I was going to tell you eventually,” Seiya said. “But I thought that if I revealed it too soon, it would tank morale. Once the three million goal was in sight, I was going to explain—”
“It’s not going to be in sight! It’s never going to be in sight!” Moffle said, his voice cracking. “It’s three million, fumo! Don’t you realize how impossible that is, fumo?!”
“I do,” Seiya said. Three million was a number achievable only by a select few amusement parks in Japan. Mackey’s Digimaland was one; Cosmic Studios, which was currently conspiring with Amagi Development, was another. Then there were two or three others— at most, five or six parks in total.
It wasn’t all about popularity, either. Most parks just couldn’t even accommodate that many people. Take, for instance, their recent problems with the wait times at Moffle’s House of Sweets the other day—Japan’s best amusement parks would have had facilities to accommodate all those people from the start. They were set up to accommodate 10,000 each day.
AmaBri wasn’t like them. They had never been expected to bring in more than one million people per year at most, and their construction had reflected that, both in terms of facilities and the employee hierarchies. They were currently on track to bring in 1.5 million, and that alone already had them straining at the hinges. Guests fainting from heat stroke in lines were just one sign of that— soon, more problems were going to start popping up. Equipment breakdowns, cast exhaustion, facility shortages... The lines at the women’s bathrooms were already getting to a point that couldn’t be ignored.
Now they needed to bring in three million people? It was unthinkable that they could get that many to come—and even if they did, they couldn’t accommodate them. Moffle’s fury was entirely natural.
“Why did you accept that condition, fumo?!” he fumed.
“We had no other choice,” Isuzu answered in Seiya’s place. “We had expected to sell the land to Malmart under the original contract. But the day of the final negotiation—the day we added Rubrum and Taramo to the team—Amagi Development suddenly changed their conditions. If we’d refused them... the deal to sell the second park would have fallen through.”
“Moffu...”
“AmaBri would have folded within the next three months. Completing the sale meant more money from Maple Bank, which allowed us to make the renovations we needed. Seiya-kun’s decision was correct, in my opinion.” It was Isuzu’s first time sharing her thoughts about the sale. Before now, even in front of Seiya, she had only expressed concern and anxiety. “Do you remember what he said at the start?” she continued. “When you’re drowning, you can’t be picky about what shore you wash up onto. Our park has managed to make landfall on an unfamiliar beach; no more.”
“...Fine, fumo.” His anger must have relented, because Moffle let Seiya go. “So, what’s the plan, fumo?”
“About what?”
“You know what— Mackey’s offer. If we join their group and get their support...”
“Right...” Seiya fell into thought. He had to admit it; Mackey’s proposal had appeal. Given the situation AmaBri had found itself in, one could even call it a godsend. After all, Digima Group had massive capital, and their IP was some of the most valuable in the world. Joining them would immediately solve their money problems, and as for attracting visitors... if things went well, they could reach the three million they needed within the next six months. The things Mackey had been talking about before—tie-ins with popular movies, the sale of rare goods—those alone would be incredibly appealing to tourists. They’d probably also have ideas about how to accommodate the increased numbers. One could even say that AmaBri’s survival depended on them accepting Mackey’s help.
“It might... be worth considering.” Seiya chose his words carefully. One of many possibilities to review— a plan he wasn’t immediately enamored with, but one worth considering.
But the other two still seemed unsettled.
“Mo—”
“Are you serious?” Moffle seemed to be about to say something, but Isuzu interrupted. “Don’t you realize what that would lead to? You’ve been acting manager for five months, so you must realize that it means that AmaBri would stop being AmaBri.”
“If you’re worried about the park name, I can’t imagine they’d care,” Seiya said.
“No, it goes beyond that,” Isuzu argued. “There’s no reason to think Lord Mackey would be lenient if we join his group. We’ll be forced to make many changes, including the park’s name— We might, perhaps, be ‘Amagi Digima Park.’ Or something even worse.”
“But why does that matter,” Seiya frowned, “if it means the park survives?”
“It depends on what you think the park is,” Isuzu’s tone was barbed. “To begin with, there is one thing I can say for sure— If we
join Digimaland, they will fire most of our cast. Tricen, Wanipii, Kodain, Mirai-kun... do you think Mackey will consider them vital personnel? Of course not. Muse and the others will be jeopardized, as well. They work hard, but there are better dancers out there. More professional ones, too.”
Digimaland’s dancers were some of the best in the world; some were even hired from Broadway. AmaBri’s girls were clumsy and made mistakes. They were as charming as could be, but only on a “local celebrity” level. There was no way they could beat Mackey’s hand-picked elites. Out of all of them, Sylphie might compete on dancing alone, but even then, there were tons of dancers on her level.
“Similarly, Macaron and Tiramii would be in trouble,” Isuzu went on. “They’re our headliner mascots, but they’d likely be expelled. Digimaland has strict standards regarding its employees’ histories.” Macaron had a history of delinquency and divorce, and Tiramii was a criminal who’d done time. None of their mortal guests knew about these things, but Digimaland would still consider them disqualifying.
“Lord Moffle would likely be allowed to stay; his history is clean. But... they would likely put severe restrictions on his behavior,” she said grimly. “He wouldn’t be able to speak as freely with the guests, and he wouldn’t be able to visit his usual bars, even with a Lalapatch Charm. He might even be forbidden to interact with the rest of the cast.”
“You’re kidding...” It did indeed feel unreasonable, and Seiya found himself grimacing. He knew they would want to run a tighter ship, but he wasn’t expecting it to be that bad.
“Isuzu’s right, fumo,” Moffle said. “Digimaland’s rules are just that strict. Of course, that’s because they’re the best in the world— Most of us wouldn’t measure up, anyway.”
“But—”
“It’s the truth, fumo.” Moffle said sternly. “Let’s be honest, fumo. They’re the major leagues, and we’re high school ball... Well maybe not quite that bad, but it’s something like that, fumo. If I tried to get hired at Digimaland tomorrow... I might not even reach the lowest rung of their ladder.”
“Hmm...” Seiya pondered this information.
“And that’s to say nothing of Macaron and the others...” Isuzu trailed off. “You can imagine what would happen to them, can’t you?”
Isuzu was right. Seiya knew that Digimaland’s cast were popular and renowned, many on the level of Hollywood celebrities. Their mascots simply couldn’t compete. Of course, they all had their regular customers, their own unique flavors of popularity— But it was all at a niche level. Popularity with enthusiasts didn’t necessarily translate to the wider world.
“And there’s more,” Isuzu went on relentlessly. “We wouldn’t be able to maintain our current management structure, either. They’ll fill our departments with their own representatives and begin dictating things— from the content of our shows to the menu in the employee cafeteria. They will even dictate with whom we can do business; we won’t be able to work with the merchants who have treated us well in the past.”
“Wait,” Seiya interjected. “You and Moffle are talking like they’d do this out of spite. Digimaland is a large corporation; of course they’re going to be a little strict.”
“Yes, and I completely respect that,” Isuzu agreed. “Those policies are what makes them the world’s leading park. But they aren’t right for AmaBri.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Seiya argued. “We can negotiate to get more things on our terms.”
“Unlikely, fumo. Their lawyers are first-rate, and they know we’re desperate. They’ll shake us down for all we’re worth, fumo.”
“I won’t let it happen!” Seiya said sharply. “And anyway... I haven’t decided to accept the offer yet. I’m just considering it.”
“Seiya-kun...”
“Are you saying there’s another way?! If I could think of one, I wouldn’t—” Seiya began to speak, then stopped himself. I wouldn’t have to torture myself like this! wasn’t the kind of thing a leader should say. It was a good thing it was just Moffle and Isuzu here; if the others happened to overhear it, it would just spread anxiety.
“No... forget it.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway... let’s leave the question for another day. We still have today’s meeting to get to...”
But Seiya couldn’t bring himself to focus on the meeting, or his office work. He was having to keep Mackey’s proposal a secret, not to mention his new discovery about his magic...
The cast were thrilled over the success of the renovated entrance, and they were apparently going to hold a drinking party that night. “Why don’t you join us for once, Kanie-san?” Muse, the Spirit of Water and leader of Aquario, asked him. It was after work, by the bicycle rack near the general affairs building, and she was dressed in plain clothes. Muse was apparently the organizer for the party tonight.
“No, I...”
“Aww. Take a little time off work with the gang, for once!” Muse coaxed. “I’d like to get to know you better, too.”
“Ah, I’m grateful for the sentiment, but... I have homework, and I need to finish it tonight.”
“I see... well, maybe next time.”
“Sorry.”
Muse gave him a bow, then took off running for the bus station.
“You’re not coming?” Isuzu asked him from behind. She must have been watching. She had changed into street clothes, too; she must be intending to join the drinking party. “You were lying about having homework. Muse didn’t believe you, either.”
Seiya hardly ever did school homework; he typically just finished it in class on the days he attended. Besides, summer vacation was coming up— There was no way he had any work he had to finish up by tomorrow.
“Probably not,” he agreed with a sigh. “...Look, I’m glad everyone else is having a good time, but they wouldn’t be able to complain about work if I were there.”
“...I suppose you’re right,” Isuzu admitted.
“I want them to be able to let off steam.” Besides, he wasn’t sure if he could face their smiling faces today.
“Then I won’t go, either.”
“Why not? I thought you always went to these things.”
“You deserve to let off steam, too. I found an excellent ramen shop the other day— Why don’t we go there together?”
Seiya was taken aback for a minute; Isuzu rarely invited him anywhere. “A ramen shop?” he ventured.
“Yes. It opened last month on Amagi Avenue. Its specialty is cucumber ramen: Thick, rich tonkotsu soup with three whole cucumbers in it.”
Seiya balked at the image of a steaming bowl of broth with three cucumbers plopped next to the char siu. “Is that... good?” he asked cautiously.
“Yes. Very good.”
“I could imagine diced cucumbers, as an extension of hiyashi chuka, but... whole?”
“Yes,” she affirmed.
“And... three of them?”
“Yes. Doesn’t it sound amazing?”
“Not a bit.”
“...I see.” The light went out in Isuzu’s eyes and she slumped over, so Seiya had no choice but to agree to go to the ramen shop with her. It was rare for her to invite him anywhere outside of work, after all...
Riding together on his bike, it took them 15 minutes to get there. When they arrived, they saw the shop was closed. The “Notice of Closure” posted outside suggested it had remained open for merely a month.
Isuzu looked shaken. “This... this can’t be...”
“Well... it stands to reason,” Seiya said. “Cucumber ramen? It’s absurd.”
“The world is absurd, if it can’t appreciate that ramen.”
“I don’t understand your taste at all.”
They ended up going to the gyudon chain across the way, and ended the day there. Isuzu spent the whole time complaining about the ramen place, so they didn’t talk about much worthwhile— not even about Mackey’s visit.
Although, given how Seiya was feeling at the moment, that was actually a load off of
his mind...
Suzuran Shopping Street, Dining Bar Gutami
“Mii! Okay so, so... I meet up with this MILF, and it’s crazy! She’s all inked up! Her back is tattoo-rama! She looks like Dominique from Cobra, mii! She could get together with her two sisters and gain the last weapon of ancient Martian culture!”
“Moffu... Not sure the youngsters’ll get that reference...”
“Who cares, mii? The point is, she’s a yakuza wife! A! Yakuza! Wife! No public baths or swimming pools for her, mii!”
“Oh-ho... that’s dedication. You don’t see much of that these days, eh, ron?”
“Hmm, Yakuza Wives, fumo... Those movies really were great. Especially... which one was it again? The one were Shima takes the submachine gun and rips through the bad yakuza? I loved seeing that beautiful woman in a kimono walking just like a member of the special forces, fumo. Her upper half didn’t move at all. It even shocked the former Hollywood Navy SEALs they had serving as advisors, fumo.”
“I’m more shocked to hear someone watched Yakuza Wives for that, ron...”
“Mii! Quit changing the subject, mii! I’m talking about this yakuza wife I met, mii!”
“...Ah, right, fumo. What then?”
“So we get to her apartment, mii... We’re about to get down to our first real puff, and just then, her husband comes home, mii.”
“Oh? That’s a death sentence for sure, ron.”
“I make it to the closet, mii, but it was a close call.”
“So what happened then, fumo?”
“So the husband starts getting hot and heavy with her, mii. And would you believe... They were doing baby play, mii! When they get to his wife changing his nappy, I can’t hold it any longer and I start to crack up. So of course he immediately realizes I’m there, mii.”