Tokyo Video Game Tycoon.

"Okay, Daddy." Yue Ohno was unusually well-behaved today.

His parents were both a little surprised; he looked much better than before, which suggested that something must have really happened today.

Ono Tomoe's mother asked cautiously, "Tomoe, did something good happen to you today? You seem to be in a good mood."

Yue Ohno couldn't help but want to answer, but he stopped himself when he got to the point.

This is an opportunity to prove himself through video games, but he can't really guarantee that he can actually win first place. If he gives his family hope and the final result is not good, he will feel even more guilty towards his parents.

So he could only say, "It's nothing serious."

Ono Tomoe tentatively asked, "Tomoe, how are you feeling right now?"

"Now? I feel alright."

"Well, my construction team is a bit short-handed, so why don't you..."

“No, Father, I have no interest in this. I’ve said that before.”

"Okay, let's not talk about it anymore, we'll talk about it later."

Tomoe Ohno's father did not insist.

As for Tomoe Ohno, she decided to wait until she actually achieved a ranking before making any decisions.

The entire competition process takes half a month; we just need to wait patiently for the rankings to be announced after half a month.

Moreover, each game offers three challenge opportunities, which is quite ample. Tomorrow, he plans to first check out the actual challenge situation and then visit several authorized stores in Tokyo to see how skilled the players are there.

He wasn't familiar with the Chinese proverb "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," but he knew to observe first before making a decision.

After dinner, he locked himself in his room and didn't come out until the next day. He emerged from his bedroom with dark circles under his eyes, quickly dressed, and left home, leaving Ono Tomoe's mother somewhat puzzled.

But now it seems that the child has indeed changed a bit, which is a good thing.

Chapter 181 Research Activities

There weren't many people on the first day of the Speed ​​Challenge.

Most people were just curious to see what it was, or simply joining in the fun.

Because of the generous prize money and overseas travel rewards, even people who have little interest in video games come to see what it is all about.

Yue Ohno was just an insignificant person among them.

Each of the directly operated authorized stores is now filled with game consoles, more than a hundred in total, enough for challengers to come and try it out.

Since registration is free, even people who don't play the game will choose to register and receive a number. When their number is called, they can then take on the challenge.

For this challenge, all the game machines have been specially made, with built-in timing programs so that the staff can make unified statistics when the store closes at night.

More than a hundred game machines were already occupied early in the morning.

Some challengers are just passing by, and each person only has one chance to complete the challenge, with a time limit set for completion.

Games like Metrorod, which take a long time to complete, are set to be completed within three hours.

Games like Mario and Contra are set to have an hour to complete, while Tetris doesn't need a specific time limit; as long as you finish the game, you've completed a challenge.

"Hello, sir, please press your stamp here."

When Ono Tomoe arrived at the registration area, a clerk was explaining the basic rules for registering for the game and the specific content of the challenge game to everyone.

In Japan, a seal sometimes carries more legal weight than a signature; affixing a seal signifies one's acceptance of an agreement.

The agreement contains restrictions to prevent repeated challenges and prohibit the use of methods outside the rules.

One by one, the registered players stamped their names and received a number, waiting for their turn to be called.

Ono Tomoe wasn't in a hurry to sign up. After all, the challenge lasted for half a month, so she could wait and see.

The large hall was somewhat noisy at the moment, but fortunately, there were specially hired security guards to maintain order, so no serious incidents occurred.

Meanwhile, the challengers already seated in front of the game consoles were intently watching the screen.

The players seemed a bit cautious, wiping away sweat and letting out a sigh of relief after each successful run.

Yue Ohno watched the players' challenge process intently.

After all, these players will be his competitors for the prize, so let's see how strong they are generally first.

It's a little disappointing that the rankings aren't updated in real time right now; we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the specific results.

However, Tomoe Ohno did not come away empty-handed.

Of the many challengers, 90 percent are actually just there to try their luck.

Some of them had never even played games before. When they first started playing, they seemed a bit clumsy and then quickly finished the game.

Games like Contra, Super Mario Bros., and Metroid will end the game prematurely once you run out of lives; challenges do not offer multiple respawns within a single challenge.

So at the beginning, most of these challengers couldn't last even ten minutes before giving up, and they weren't even considered competitors.

This boosted Ohno Tomoe's confidence slightly, making her feel that she was at least somewhat capable among these people, and not a complete noob.

However, there are also some quite formidable individuals among these people.

They are generally able to complete the challenge before their lives run out and before the time limit expires.

However, none of these people can compare to him. Yesterday, he did a test and found that under his extreme conditions, he could complete his Super Mario game in nearly twelve minutes.

Contra can complete the challenge in 27 minutes, while Metroid can complete it in under two hours.

However, these people almost all completed the game within the time limit, which is quite extreme.

Most people give up before reaching level 12 in Tetris, but Yue Ohno manages to stay at level 14.

That immediately made it clear who was better.

After observing the shop until around noon and confirming that there were almost no people there who could compare to him, he immediately ran to the next shop to check things out.

Today's main purpose is to scout out the location. Now that he's decided to get the reward, he needs to do a thorough investigation.

He believed he was better prepared than anyone else and that he should at least be able to win first place in one of the games.

He was most confident in Mario and Tetris, but he saw several players who had completed the other two games at similar times, so they still posed a certain threat.

He soon arrived at the second shop. Even though it was close to noon, it was still crowded. Many people even brought their own bento boxes and ate while watching others take on the challenge. The aroma of food filled the shop, making Ono Tomoe very hungry. He had left in such a hurry that morning that he had forgotten to bring his own bento box.

I must make sure I'm well-prepared for this tomorrow.

He stayed in the shop until after 4 p.m.

Similar to the previous shop, most of the items here are just there to fill space. There are very few that can even be completed normally, let alone speedrunned.

His confidence soared, and he stayed at the next shop until eight or nine o'clock in the evening before returning home with a hungry stomach.

"Xiao Jiang, why are you back so late today?"

Because Ohno Tomoe hadn't returned all day, his mother was a little worried, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief when Ohno Tomoe came back.

"I went to the store that sells games."

"You stayed all day? Did you buy anything?"

"No... I'm starving, Mom, is there anything to eat?"

"Yes, yes, yes, dinner is still warm." Ohno Tomoe's mother said with some concern.

Yue Ohno immediately ran to the kitchen, and without even taking the food out of the kitchen, she began to eat heartily.

"Mom, can you prepare a lunchbox for me tomorrow?"

"Of course you can, but are you planning to go out again tomorrow? What are you going to do there?"

Yue Ohno thought for a moment, then said seriously, "Mom, if I said that I might have found my direction for the future, and that I might be able to have my own career, would you believe me?"

Ohno Tomoe's mother stared wide-eyed, and after a few seconds, a few tears welled up in her eyes.

"Mom...Mom, why are you crying?" Ohno Yue immediately stopped eating, looking flustered.

Chapter 182 Decent Profits

"Mom is very happy."

Yue Ohno had been depressed for too long and was quite rebellious.

Although Ono Tomoe felt ashamed of his parents, he was unwilling to express it.

It's a good thing that Ohno Tomoe is now willing to take the initiative to say that she wants to pursue certain careers. It seems that she is emerging from her past psychological shadows!

"Mom, I will try my best to find a way to improve things, but it may be difficult and challenging."

"It's okay, as long as you're happy. Are you still going to your therapist appointment tomorrow?"

After thinking for a moment, Ohno Tomoe said, "No, I won't go for the next two weeks. I think I'm still quite happy right now, is that okay?"

"Of course, as long as you're happy. But Mom has a few questions: what kind of career do you want to pursue?"

"This...can I keep it a secret for now? I'd like to wait half a month and then see how things go before telling you. We should have a result in half a month."

Tomoe Ohno didn't want to say it directly.

He was afraid.

The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

So he wanted to wait until the results of the actual challenge were out before he could properly talk to his parents.

Even now, he is not sure if his choice was the right one.

But he was certain it was something that made him happy, so he felt he should persevere.

"Okay, I'll wait for your good news." Ohno Tomoe's mother looked at her child tenderly.

Family is the pillar of support for Tomoe Ohno's mother. As long as the family is happy and harmonious, nothing is better than that.

As for Ohno Tomoe's father, he has temporarily gone out to work on a project and will not be back for at least one or two months.

That's perfect, since Ono Tomoe didn't know how to talk to her father about this either.

Just then, an advertisement was playing on the TV, and the melody of the advertisement was very familiar. It was a mashup of music from Super Mario, Metroid, Contra, and Tetris, and it was quite catchy.

"The Speed ​​Challenge has officially begun! The winner will receive a prize of ten million yen, plus a seven-day trip to Hawaii for the whole family. Sign up now!"