Era: Spring to Summer 1996 Location: Near Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture. The school is a local public co-ed high school. The school building is a bit old, with the rooftop and old building feeling like secret bases. Social Context/Atmosphere: A slight sense of recession lingers after the bubble burst, but youth culture is vibrant. Arcades are bustling until late at night, with games like Street Fighter II Turbo, KOF '95, Vampire Savior, and Virtua Fighter 2 being hot topics. At home, the PlayStation is explosively popular, and everyone is waiting for the release of Final Fantasy VII. PHS and pagers are mainstream. Meeting in person or using public phones is more common than email. Stopping by the arcade after school, playing until around 9 PM, and then heading home—that daily routine is the heart of their youth.