Itaru Chigasaki/Ruler of the Maze

Enjoy•Pac-Man

Backstage Stories

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Itaru	It's hot. This is a tough season for businessmen.
	I'd like to have a cold cola somewhere but—, damn it, I've got a meeting later on so I won't have time.
	Hm? That's…
	I'm home.
Izumi	Welcome back.
Itaru	This is a souvenir for everyone.
Izumi	Wah, it's pudding. Thank you very much.
Misumi	What's in that bag~?
Itaru	Are you curious?
Yuki	It's probably some kind of game anyway.
Itaru	Now, now. We'll do an opening reveal after we eat dinner.
	Ta-dah. Here's what I bought today.
Yuki	I knew it was a game. ...But I've seen that character before...
Itaru	Which isn't surprising. This is the famous game called "Pac-Man".
	I was out for work and I found a limited edition Pac-Man store. It looked like they had the machine too, but I was in the middle of work, so I couldn't stop by.
	I couldn't get over the urge to play Pac-Man though, so I just bought the software on my way home.
	Well, but playing directly on the machine is still the best way to play for me.
Misumi	Machine?
Itaru	A dedicated game machine that you can find in an arcade and the likes.
Sakyo	Pac-Man is a game that's been around since I was a kid.
Itaru	Even 40 years after its release, it's still as popular as ever, with various versions and a smartphone version coming out.
Tenma	Heh, I didn't know it was such an old game.
Izumi	I know the character Pac-Man, but I've never played the game…
Tenma	Now that you mention it, me neither.
Itaru	OK. Then I'll explain this legendary game as I play it.
	First of all, as a basic premise, the player controls Pac-Man with a lever, and when all the cookies in the maze are eaten, the game is cleared.
Tenma	So the dots in the pathway are cookies, huh.
Yuki	Those 4 ghosts are so cute and colorful. Are they the enemies?
Itaru	Yep. They're called Ghost and they chase after Pac-Man. And if you get caught, you lose 1 life.
Misumi	Ah~, you're going to get caught!
Itaru	When that happens, if you eat this large power cookie, the monster will temporarily go into a tease state and Pac-Man can eat it and fight it off.
Izumi	You're right, the monster has turned blue.
Misumi	You chased it down and took it out!
Itaru	And then there's warp and fruits and all sorts of other stuff, but...well, I guess you just need to know this first to be able to play.
	—Yep, cleared.
Sakyo	It looks simple, but the mechanics actually have some depth to it.
Misumi	It looks fun~!
Itaru	Who wants to try next?
Tenma	Then, I'll give it a try.
Itaru	Here.
Tenma	Alright, I have to be careful here…
Yuki	It'll be game over in no time.
Tenma	What was that! Of course that's not—
	Oh.
Misumi	Pac-Man got eaten~
Yuki	That was quick.
Tenma	You give it a try too! It's harder than you think!
Yuki	You just suck at it, hack. First of all, attack from here—
Itaru	It's getting exciting. Good, good. —Do you want to try too, Director?
Izumi	I'm good for now. Besides, it's more fun to watch.
Itaru	You sure? Some other time, then.
Taichi	Ah! Everyone's playing a game!
Tasuku	Pac-Man, huh? It sure brings me back.
Citron	Oh! This game is also very popular back in Zahra! I even entered a tournament!
Itaru	Then, shall we have a Mankai Pac-Man Tournament?

Izumi	Umm, there are more things to buy today than I thought. It might be tough for one person to go shopping alone…
	*knock knock*
Izumi	Come in.
Itaru	Director-san, GJ. Are you free today?
Izumi	I was thinking of going shopping now. That's right, if you'd like, would you accompany me, Itaru-san?
Itaru	Sure. But before that—
	Would you like to eat cookies with me?
Izumi	Cookies?
Itaru	Aw yeahh!
Kazunari	Ooh, a high score ranking update! A pic as commemoration ♪
	*shutter sound*
Itaru	Uploading to Inste is prohibited.
Kazunari	Roger~
Izumi	So this is what you meant by cookies…
Banri	Cookies?
Izumi	He invited me to go out for cookies. Turns out he meant a limited edition Pac-Man store.
Banri	That's so like him.
Izumi	Banri-kun and others are also here. To play the Pac-Man arcade machine, too?
Banri	No, we're—
Itaru	Yeaah, I'm satisfied. The Pac-Man arcade machine really is supreme.
Izumi	Have you had enough?
Itaru	No, there's still the main event from here on. Today's objective is over there.
Izumi	By that, you mean…
Itaru	VR Pac-Man.
Kazunari	Oh, you guys too?
Banri	We came here for that as well.
Itaru	Then, shall we go together? Director-san will be my partner.
Izumi	Eh, me?! I've never played Pac-Man before, you know.
Itaru	I'll cover you.
	I mean, this is a pair game. That's why I invited you today.
Izumi	But Itaru-san, I thought you said the Pac-Man arcade machine was the best.
Itaru	That's true but—well, the VR has a good reputation and I think you'll enjoy it.
Kazunari	The prizes they give you change depending on your final score! I'm going to have to put my heart into it!
Banri	That's right. Then, we'll be going first.
Itaru	Director-san, shall we go too? It's okay because you'll definitely enjoy it.
Izumi	—Yes!

Itaru	Ooh.
Izumi	Wow…!
Itaru	It seriously looks like we're inside the Pac-Man maze.
Izumi	Let's see, we should collect all the cookies. And then—
Itaru	There are ghosts out there too so be careful.
Izumi	Uu, it's cute to look at, but it's a little scary when you think it's going to attack you realistically…
Itaru	It's okay. If you eat a power cookie, you can turn it the other way around and eat it to score points.
Izumi	You're right. Then, let's go…!
	We've collected a lot of cookies, but it's pretty strenuous…!
Itaru	Really? I'm still...relatively...okay...though.
Izumi	Even though you're this out of breath?!
Inky	——
Itaru	Ah, crap, there's a ghost here.
Pinky	~~~
Izumi	Eeh?! There's another one coming from the other side, at this rate we're gonna get caught in the middle…!
Itaru	Director-san, over here. There's a warp tunnel.
	Safe.
Izumi	Thank goodness, we're saved!
Clyde	...
Itaru	No, there's another one on this side. Let's split up from here.
Izumi	Y-yes! I'll go right!
Itaru	Then I'll go left. While I try to draw it away, you—
Pinky	~~~!
Itaru	Ah.
Izumi	Itaru-san, it's still too early to be done!
Itaru	Your speed here is still the same as your real one after all, so it can't be helped. Director-san, do your best on your own.
Izumi	N-no way. At this rate, I'm also going to…
Blinky	——, ——!
Izumi	—That's!
Itaru	A power cookie!
Izumi	If I eat this, I can eat the ghosts.
Itaru	Ooh, it became vulnerable!
Izumi	Itaru-san's enemy!
Vulnerable Ghost	…?!
Kazunari	That was super fun~! The prize ghost stuffed toy is so cute!
Izumi	That's amazing! So you both also cleared it.
Banri	What's your prize?
Izumi	I got a fruit badge for clearing it alone.
Kazunari	Oh! That badge is also cute! What about Itaroon?
Izumi	Itaru-san's is…
Itaru	This.
Banri	That's just a cookie.
Itaru	I just don't understand.
Izumi	It's a game over participation prize…
Kazunari	Ouchie~ Then, a commemoration pic of you participating in the event~ ♪
Itaru	No photos.
	...By the way, Director-san, what's your impression?
Izumi	Eh?
Itaru	Did you enjoy it?
Izumi	Yes! Very much!
Itaru	Watching is fun, but the best way to enjoy a game is by playing it.
Izumi	Ah...
	(It's because I told him the other day that I'm fine just watching…)
CHOICE 1: Thank you for inviting me. [+] Izumi Thank you for inviting me. Itaru No, I was the one who wanted to do it, and you went out with me. So I'm the one who should be thanking you. Izumi No, I really had a lot of fun! And I was able to play until the end thanks to you becoming a decoy. Itaru That's— It's because I wanted to show you something even cooler. Izumi Ahaha, but you led me properly and you were very reliable.
CHOICE 2: Maybe I've understood how fun games are. [+] Izumi Games are actually fun. I thought I understood it when we played KniRoun together but—I think I understand even more now why you're so devoted to it, Itaru-san. Itaru Then why don't you try more? I'll teach you anything from smartphones, consumers, arcades, online. For starters, we'll start with how to do the Pac-Man Perfect Game. Izumi That's as far as it goes… I'm okay just playing it occasionally. Itaru That so? But if you ever want to play a game, just let me know. Izumi Yes, thank you.
Itaru	...Well, I'm glad to hear that the director enjoyed it.
Izumi	Yes. It's about time we go shop—
Itaru	Ah, before that.
Izumi	?
Itaru	Aw yeahh! Breaking my own record with a super high score! Pac-Man really is the best arcade game~
Izumi	(Itaru-san must have been really disappointed that he couldn't clear the VR…)
Itaru	Alright, I feel like I can go for more records now. One more play.
Izumi	You're still doing it?!

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