—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Even though my name wasn’t mentioned in the news…
Just from hearing the report, “A sudden lightning strike penetrated the city’s protective barrier and destroyed an overpass,” quite a few people realized I was the one responsible.
The sheer number of messages I received was proof enough.
Sender: ‘Natasha Petrova’
Heard the news, saw it too.
(NetSpace News link address)
Seems you’re famous online.
I told you to stay the night. (Angry emoticon)
I’ll look into the Smile John information separately.
And I’ll give Smith a proper scolding.
Next time, make sure you go back with one of our employees.
See you later.
Sender: ‘Andrea Rose, Red Horn’
Hey! Hey! Hey!
The news, what’s going on?!
Did you get caught up in another incident?
Reply before I come find you!
Absolutely!
Sender: ‘Friendly Cyberware Specialist, 24-Hour Consultation’
You got involved in another incident, didn’t you?
Hey, Shiun, we’re friends, right?
Make sure to contact me if you need anything.
Or I’ll have to come pick you up like last time.
I have to repay my debt to you.
Send a reply.
Sender: ‘White Rabbit’
The news…Shiun, was that you?
Did something happen?
I may not be of much help, but…
Please let me know if anything comes up…
Oh, and about what you mentioned last time—.
And that wasn’t all. Several other acquaintances had also sent messages.
I sent brief replies to all the messages. Ignoring them completely would have brought about a scary aftermath.
Incidentally, there was no message from Catherine. She came directly to my place, practically ready to break down the door, so I explained the situation to her.
So many people worried about me.
Yet here I was…
“Ugh…seriously. This game sucks.”
…taking a break.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Of course, under normal circumstances…
I hadn’t planned on playing games for a while.
Really.
It was an urgent situation, with Smile John potentially targeting Eve again at any moment.
And thinking about Smith, who was probably getting chewed out by Natasha for letting me go home drunk, made it even more so.
Since I’d cleaned up the mess…
I couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
Being human, I felt a bit of remorse.
But there was a legitimate reason why I had to play games.
The trigger was a message from Julia.
Oh, and about what you mentioned last time…
About playing a different game together…
If you have the chance, could we do it now?
I definitely made that promise.
But that was before I knew who Julia really was.
If I’d known earlier that Julia was a wanted criminal listed in the NCPD database…
I probably wouldn’t have suggested it.
Well, there was nothing I could do now that the promise had been made.
A promise is a promise.
And playing a game together wasn’t a difficult promise to keep.
It absolutely wasn’t because she was a knife-wielding wanted criminal (important).
I simply wanted to keep my promise.
Thus justifying myself, I called Julia.
The default ringtone played. After a short while, Julia’s hologram appeared.
“Hello?”
[Ah, hello…Shiun.]
Her innocent-looking appearance materialized through the hologram.
I shouldn’t be fooled by her innocent looks…
With a face that could be mistaken for a child’s, it was hard to be wary of her.
Julia appeared to be inside a room.
The interior design looked strangely familiar. It resembled the layout of my own apartment.
Without dwelling on it, I got straight to the point.
“Have you played any other games?”
If she had a game she was playing, I could join her.
That was my intention behind the question.
[Um, the games I’ve played…the one I played with Shiun last time is the only one…]
“Oh.”
An exclamation slipped out unconsciously.
Hmm, this fresh newbie scent.
Irresistible.
Good.
From now on, our relationship wasn’t that of a wanted criminal and a mage, but a newbie and a pro.
I licked my lips and thought.
What game would be best?
What kind of game would Julia like?
A game that suited her preference for hitting people (probably), while also being enjoyable for me.
My brief contemplation ended.
“I’ll send you a net link via message, so purchase and download the game, then…no, I’ll just gift it to you. Do you have a VR dive goggle?”
[…Yes.]
Augmented reality games could be played with just the neural computer chip implanted in the body, but…
Even so, running virtual reality games with just a neural chip was difficult. A separate goggle-shaped device was required to enjoy VR games.
Hmm, a little disappointing.
If she didn’t have one, I could have used that as an excuse to postpone playing together.
She was more prepared than I thought.
“Then I’ll give you the code. Send me a friend request when you log in.”
[…Okay!]
I gave Julia the identification code for the game and ended the call.
Heehee, I could finally enjoy myself after a long time.
[…Why are you laughing so sinisterly, I inquire.]
“Sinister? What are you talking about? This is the laughter of a pro looking out for a newbie.”
[‘You lie through your teeth,’ I declare.]
“…”
I put on the goggles resting on my desk.
Connecting the signal and powering on. With a familiar beep, a white world unfolded.
A virtual reality with an endless horizon materialized before my eyes.
This was the virtual reality game I would enjoy with the newbie, Julia.
『IRON FIST – XII』
A fighting game.
Many people might think that fighting games in VR are only for those who are good with their bodies…
But surprisingly, due to the strong assist features, even beginners could enjoy the game smoothly.
Even someone like me, with a weak body and poor coordination…
Could climb to high tiers with excellent technique and strategy.
It should suit Julia’s tastes.
From what I saw last time, she seemed to enjoy moving her body.
I had no ulterior motives.
Julia’s voice came through.
【I’m logged in.】
【Confirmed, want an invite?】
I naturally skipped her tutorial.
Games are learned by getting hit.
Julia’s avatar appeared.
Above her head was the name ‘BunnyPrincess.’
For the record, my avatar would have ‘RealMage’ displayed above it.
This wasn’t revenge for my warrior character.
Absolutely not because I still held a grudge for being PKed when I first encountered her character in that classic game.
It’s just…
This was the only game that suited her taste and we could enjoy together.
That’s how I rationalized it.
【Heehee.】
A chuckle escaped my lips.
Alright, let’s take it easy, shall we?
I lost.
【This is what the game is like…! It’s really fun!】
I wasn’t having fun.
We must have played ten rounds.
I hadn’t won a single one.
Far from winning, the difference in our HP grew wider with each round.
In the end, I couldn’t even land a single hit.
【This is…unbelievable!】
I shouted.
My virtual avatar perfectly reflected my anger and actions.
【…Yeah, it’s because my dive goggles are outdated. The response time is quite slow.】
Eve, who had been observing my performance, calmly offered her assessment.
[This is the emotion called ‘pathetic,’ I learn.]
Ugh.
That stung.
But I wasn’t wrong.
Things would have been different if I had a newer device with faster response time.
I firmly resolved to buy the latest device as soon as I logged off.
I couldn’t end things after losing to a newbie.
As I was wallowing in my confusion, Julia spoke.
【Do you…need the latest device?】
【…I’ll order one. Let’s have a rematch when it arrives.】
【Ah…】
Julia’s avatar tilted its head with a blank expression.
【Then, could you log out of the game for a moment?】
【Huh?】
Why suddenly log out?
Well, I was planning to log off anyway.
After confirming that Julia had logged out, I also exited the game and took off my goggles.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang.
Who is it?
Did Bill come by again?
Or could it be a Smile John attack?
I cautiously checked the intercom.
Julia’s face appeared on the screen.
“?”
I opened the door.
Julia smiled and handed me something.
It was the latest VR goggle device.
The box was unopened, clearly a brand new product.
“…Um, I also, quite by chance, moved to this floor…I was going to say hello, but I missed the opportunity…”
“…Where do you live?”
“Here.”
Julia pointed to another apartment door at the end of the hallway, on the same floor.
“…”
If I remembered correctly…
That was where the noise-sensitive neighbor lived.
How did she know my apartment number?
And where did the person who lived there go?
Before I could ask, Julia spoke.
“…Then let’s play the game again.”
“…”
Right.
It wasn’t really important what happened to the person who lived there.
Surely, she didn’t kill them, right?
And how she knew my address wasn’t that important either.
Only one thing mattered right now.
“Yeah, log back in.”
“…Okay!”
Black and white.
Light and darkness.
Victor and loser.
Determining that was what mattered.
I had no more excuses left.
I resolved to show her my true skills. I went easy on her because she was a newbie, but she seemed to think my performance was genuine.
If I showed my true power…
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I decided to quit fighting games.
No, maybe trash like me should just quit VR games altogether.
A loser’s mentality consumed me.
With listless movements, I turned off the power to my old monitor.
It wasn’t because I was running back to my old classic game after getting beaten up by Julia.
While getting beaten up, I realized…
There was a way I could get information about Smile John myself.
If Smile John was a terrorist…
He was definitely a figure of the underworld.
Then, within this classic game…
I could find some information.
With familiar movements, I repeatedly pressed the jump key.
My character jumped several times in place.
This feeling, different from virtual reality…
This cool, weighty sensation…
I missed it more than I thought.
I needed to find another classic game to play soon, but the problem was finding one.
Just then…
A character ran towards my character’s location from the corner of the screen.
[ P2034871140(Warrior): Hey! You’re that guy from before, right? ]
…
Who was that again?
The ID was so strange, I couldn’t remember.
I hadn’t talked to many people while playing this game.
But it was definitely one of them.
Hmm…
I checked the person’s ID again.
Checked their class.
(Warrior).
“Ah.”
I remembered.
I contemplated exiting the game right then and there.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Another one of his neighbors mysteriously disappeared. I wonder who the next one will be.
Per tradition, the ones that bother him the most will last the longest~