Tuesday 15 June 1996. ZAGE USA.
After spending last Saturday enjoying The Little Mermaid with his family in Japan, Zaboru quickly returned to the United States. There were pressing matters awaiting him—specifically, a report from Liam Wallson, the head of marketing for ZAGE USA. Liam had recently been exploring and analyzing the LATAM market and brought exciting news: a potential distributor for ZAGE's expansion into Latin America.
Eager to assess the opportunity himself, Zaboru wasted no time. He was already back at ZAGE USA headquarters, preparing to meet with the prospective partner. In the meantime, he had begun learning Portuguese using his Deep Memory Dive ability. Thanks to this power, language acquisition came effortlessly to him; he could absorb vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation with near-perfect recall. For Zaboru, mastering a new language was less of a challenge and more of a precise mental exercise—one he could complete in a matter of days.
Before long, the meeting room door opened, and Liam entered alongside another man. The newcomer had darker skin and distinctively Japanese facial features, a combination that immediately caught Zaboru by surprise. He hadn't expected this.
"Boss, let me introduce you—this is Carlos Busujima," Liam said with a grin.
Zaboru stood and extended his hand. "Mr. Busujima."
Carlos, clearly overwhelmed by the moment, grinned like a starstruck fan and quickly grabbed Zaboru's hand with both of his. "Zaboru-san, it's such an honor! I'm your big fan!" he said in broken English, his voice brimming with admiration and excitement.
He looked like a kid meeting his hero, unable to contain his joy. Zaboru couldn't help but chuckle at the sincerity of it all. Liam, slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat.
Carlos immediately realized how forward he'd been and let go, bowing apologetically. "S-sorry about that!" he stammered.
Zaboru smiled kindly and responded in fluent Portuguese, "Está tudo bem, Sr. Busujima. E você pode falar em português também." (It's okay, Mr. Busujima. And you can speak in Portuguese too)
Carlos's eyes widened in shock, and Liam looked just as surprised. "You speak Portuguese?" Carlos asked in disbelief, then smiled brightly. "Please, call me Carlos!"
Zaboru nodded, still smiling. "Alright, Carlos."
The ice was broken, and just like that, the meeting was off to a warm and friendly start.
The three of them sat down, and Zaboru was the first to speak. He addressed Liam in English—although Liam could understand Portuguese, it wasn't his native language, and Zaboru wanted the conversation to be clear.
"First, I'm interested in the story of how you met Carlos," Zaboru said, leaning forward with curiosity.
Liam laughed and nodded. "Boss, you'll see—it's actually kind of funny. I have a wife, and she's Brazilian. When she found out I was heading to LATAM countries to scout for potential ZAGE distributors, she recommended someone from her own family. Turns out, she had a long-lost cousin. Her aunt had married a Japanese man, and from that union came Carlos Busujima—so Carlos is technically my wife's cousin. And guess what? He owns a company that specializes in electronic distribution across Latin America."
Liam smiled and gestured toward Carlos. "From here, I'll let him explain the rest."
Carlos eagerly nodded. "Hello, Zaboru-san! I'm Carlos, 28 years old. I inherited our distribution company from my father. The company is called BEAK, which stands for Busujima Eletrônica, Armazenagem e Kargo—that means Busujima Electronics, Warehousing, and Cargo."
He smiled with pride before continuing. "We may not be that famous, but we've gained solid experience delivering electronics through cargo across all of LATAM. We've built strong logistics from the ground up. We don't have a cargo plane yet, but we do have a ship! Well... just one for now, hahaha!"
Zaboru nodded thoughtfully, then leaned forward with interest. "So, I see BEAK has experience delivering electronics across LATAM countries. Since when has BEAK been established?"
Carlos nodded proudly and began explaining. "My father, Kyoshi Busujima, was of Japanese descent and lived in Brazil. That's actually pretty common there—there's a sizable Japanese-Brazilian community. About twenty years ago, he founded BEAK—short for Busujima Eletrônica, Armazenagem e Kargo. So yes, BEAK has been operating for nearly two decades now."
He continued, his tone firm yet passionate. "At BEAK, we prioritize our clients' trust over profit. That means sometimes we decline large shipment requests if it would mean overloading our cargo vehicles or risking damage to the goods. We've always believed in maintaining integrity and ensuring that every product we deliver arrives safely and in perfect condition. That's the foundation my father built, and it's what I've continued."
Zaboru nodded again, clearly impressed. "Which means BEAK must already have plenty of distribution channels in place?"
Carlos's face lit up. "Yes, we do! We've built reliable logistics connections across the LATAM region over the years. If you'd like, I can provide a full list of our current channels and partners—we've got them documented and ready to go."
Zaboru raised a hand. "Hold that thought for now. I want to ask something more important. If BEAK is already stable and has a good client base, why are you so eager to become ZAGE's official distributor for LATAM?" He looked Carlos in the eye. "You do know that ZAGE doesn't take this kind of partnership lightly. If BEAK becomes an official distributor, your company will have to focus entirely on ZAGE products. That's not a small ask. Are you prepared for that level of commitment?"
Carlos grinned and nodded. "I'm fully aware, Zaboru-san! Liam already explained everything to me in detail. Honestly, ever since 1992, it's been a dream of mine for BEAK to become ZAGE's official distributor in LATAM. But back then, I had no way of reaching you directly, so all I could do was wait and hope."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes full of excitement. "Then last month, everything changed. My cousin Cindy—Liam's wife—called me out of the blue and said her husband was working at ZAGE USA and they were planning to expand into Latin America. I couldn't believe it! I jumped at the chance. Since that call, I've been fully prepared to committed to transforming BEAK into a dedicated ZAGE distributor."
He smiled wide. "And as for why I'm such a big fan of yours, Zaboru-san—it's because I'm a huge gamer! I've followed your work for years. Having BEAK represent ZAGE in LATAM would be more than just a business move for me—it would be a dream come true. I truly believe this partnership can bring major success and profits for both sides. But for me, it's also about passion."
Zaboru raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, you're prepared for that?" He smiled slightly, then added, "Well then, since you currently own 100% of BEAK, I'd like to acquire 50% of it. Would you be open to that?"
Carlos grinned confidently and shook his head. "Not a problem at all! ZAGE has a great reputation when it comes to acquisitions—structured, fair, and beneficial. I'd be more than happy to give up 50% of my shares for the right price, especially if it means BEAK can officially become ZAGE's distributor across LATAM."
He leaned in with enthusiasm. "And if you're interested, I have more good news. There's also an electronics manufacturing company that wants to collaborate with ZAGE. It's run by a close friend of mine. They're well-established and eager to handle the production side of ZAGE products locally, right here in LATAM. That way, ZAGE won't just distribute here—we can also manufacture directly on the continent."
Zaboru smiled. "Interesting—so far everything sounds promising. But I'd like to see BEAK for myself. Can we arrange a visit? I'm also genuinely curious to experience a LATAM country firsthand."
Liam and Carlos both nodded in agreement. Liam replied enthusiastically, "Absolutely, boss! We can make it happen. Let me book the flight and I'll keep you and Carlos updated. Let's make this trip happen."
Carlos nodded, but before leaving, he pulled out a copy of ZAGE POWER Magazine from his bag. "Zaboru-san, could you sign this?" he asked eagerly, his eyes shining with childlike excitement.
Zaboru smiled and gladly signed the magazine. Carlos beamed as he accepted it back, holding it like a prized possession. "Thank you, Zaboru-san! Heheheh!"
Liam sighed with a half-smile. "Let's go, Carlos. Stop fanboying already."
With that, the two men left the office, heading off to prepare for their flight.
Zaboru chuckled. "Half Japanese and half Brazilian, huh? I've heard there are plenty of them in Brazil, but this is my first time meeting one in person. Well then, let's go to Brazil."
He smiled to himself, then began preparing his belongings. The idea of seeing BEAK's operations up close intrigued him, and he was eager to experience the culture and energy of a country he had only known through reports and secondhand stories—until now.
To be continue
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