"Here we are." Kirisaki announced as he half-pulled, half-dragged Yuuta inside her house. "It's just a small apartment but it has a living room and a bedroom at such a cheap price so I can't really complain. You can relax on the sofa and make yourself at home."
Yuuta mindlessly looked around as he admired the interior of the room. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into but he was certainly not complaining about anything. First off, he was probably going to get some dinner in-game, and second, this event might be connected to the second test he was going through.
"I already have some hot water ready. Do you want to take a bath first? Or do you want to get some dinner first?" Kirisaki asked. "Oh no! I don't have enough groceries. I'll just stop by the nearby convenience store real quick!"
"I'm coming with you." Yuuta offered.
The night was still young and cold when Yuuta and Kirisaki walked out of the apartment. The convenience store was just a few meters away from their house so it wasn't that much of a hassle. Yuuta glanced around, admiring the appearance of the cityside in the middle of the night. 'If I were in the real world, then it must've looked the same as this one, right? I really forget myself every time I play this game. Everything's just so real.'
"What are you thinking about?" Kirisaki asked as she got out of the convenience store. Yuuta didn't want to disturb her in choosing what to buy so he just waited outside.
"Nothing, I was just thinking about something weird like, what you were like as a kid... " Yuuta trailed off. He wanted to sound as innocent as ever so Kirisaki would entertain her in his questions.
"Oh that, I had a regular childhood. I grew up in a nearby school and that's where I studied from elementary to high school. And then I got a part-time job. See? It's pretty normal."
'Yeah, it's so normal it's scary. Is this really a simulation? Or rather, a lucid dream? It's too real to be one.' Yuuta said to himself as he forced a chuckle out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, it was a really weird thing to think about, after all." Yuuta continued, scratching his head.
"No, it wasn't that weird." Kirisaki responded, shaking her head. "It's normal to be interested in someone else. When you told me about your story, I wondered about what happened when you were a kid as well.... but that doesn't mean I like to find out about it! I was just curious!"
"It's fine," Yuuta said, feeling a pang on his heart. His story was just a lie he made up on the spot after all.
"You know what, as your senpai at work. I'll help you." Kirisaki continued. "My apartment can fit at least two to three people but I'm the only one living there. Say, do you want to live with me? You don't have to pay for anything and since we get free food in DcMonalds, you don't have to worry about food costs as well."
"Um, Kirisaki-senpai... um, how should I put it." Yuuta dragged on as he stole glances towards Kirisaki. "Why are you going so far to help a stranger like me? My sister said that someone would just help a person if they want something in return. I don't have anything with me aside from my spare clothes... so um, what do you want from me, senpai?"
Kirisaki was taken aback but she somehow understood what Yuuta meant by what he said. Of course, someone who grew up in hardship would have a hard time trusting another person, much less if it were a stranger that one just met a few days ago.
"I don't need anything... well, maybe, I might need a little company?" Kirisaki chuckled nervously as she hung her head down and stared at the pavement. "You know, you're just like me. I moved from the countryside but I didn't do so to survive, I did it to pursue my dream. I want to graduate from architecture and get a full-time paying job in the city. But the tuition is high and so I started working part-time jobs. I don't want to burden my parents since we don't make that much money."
"I'm sorry... I didn't know." Yuuta said.
"It's fine, you have it worse than I do, you know. You don't have to feel sorry for me. Just continue taking care of yourself." Kirisaki said with a smile on her face. "And I'll try to help you in any way I can, as your senpai." She continued, ruffling Yuuta's hair.
.....
Meanwhile, inside a building in a middle of a certain city.
An eccentric man with white hair and white beard casually strolled through a pair of automatic sliding doors, briefly admiring the Silverwing logo on the side of the wall. Unlike before, his attire wasn't that of pure white. In fact, he was just wearing a casual white t-shirt and a pair of slacks.
"Takai Tsutomo-san, you're back early. How was your reconnaissance?" A man on a pair of dark suit called out, bowing down as he greeted the eccentric man.
"It was worse than I thought, Gerald," Tsutomu responded as he removed his white pair of glasses and sat down on a couch in the middle of the room. Sweat was trickling down in his brows but he didn't seem to be tired. It was obvious that he was thinking of a lot of things.
"How many does that make?" Gerald asked, going through the stack of paperwork on his desk.
"That makes three here, and at least ten over there. I've already updated the terms of conditions and also, I've already told everyone involved about it. But it seems they're not stopping." Tsutomu heaved another sigh of disappointment as he pressed his palms on his face. Exhaustion was written all over his face and he was at his wit's end.
Who would've thought that just a few days ago, he was celebrating his success with his employees at a certain sushi bar?
"Figures, we've implemented everything that needs to be done. Do we have to cancel the project?" Gerald asked. "If things take a turn for the worse, we'd have to do something about it. Otherwise we'll bring unnecessary attention towards our company."
"No, we're not stopping now. Proceed with the next plan. And then if that doesn't work, then we'd have to step in and do what we can for it. Once we move to phase two, then it will all be too late. Make sure they know of the consequences."
"But this is... this is uncharted land in terms of gaming companies and lucid dreams. Are we sure about this?" Gerald confirmed.
"There's no way we're stopping now. Either way, it'll all be over for us. Whatever we do, the results would probably be the same. That's why we have to go through with a plan that would increase our chances of succeeding. That's all there is to it."
"And... if that were to fail, Tsutomu-san?"
"Then all we can do is pray. Enough about that, how is Lucid Dreams Server coming along?" Tsutomu changed the topic since he didn't want to think about the previous one anymore.
"It's going pretty well. The top player is that top swimmer. His name was hard to pronounce so I didn't bother checking it." Gerald answered.
"He's a noob all right. He's rushing too much into the game without gathering information. That's something you do when playing a kids' game. Lucid Dream Server? It's not a kid's game. That person is bound to hit a threshold soon and he won't be able to overcome it. Getting to level 30 in just a few days is an incredible feat, all right. However, it's as foolish as it is incredible."
"That's surprising. I never thought you paid attention to the status of Dreamers. Why? Is there anyone that caught your attention? All the beta players are amazing people, but there must be someone that caught your eye, am I right, Tsutomu-san?"
Tsutomu-san's lips parted into a smile as he twirled his thumbs in the air. "Yes, if you checked the records, he's the only one who managed to overcome the first test. Out of the million beta testers we chose, only one managed to finish the first test."
"Oh, I've heard of him. He's that kid from Chuunibyou anime, right? The Dark Flame Master?" Gerald pointed out. "Yeah, if I remember correctly, he's Sakurai Yuuta, right? His name is rather easy to remember compared to that swimmer. I still can't remember his name."
"Yeah, that kid. Did you know he was blind?"
"WHAT?! He's blind?! Didn't we make it a policy not to pick anyone with disabilities? Wouldn't that tarnish the beta test for Lucid Dream Server?"
"Well, did you see how he moves in-game and in real life? He doesn't seem like he's someone with a disability." Tsutomu-san continued, unwrapping a lollipop from his pockets and licking on it. "I've seen how the kid fight. Do you know that unofficial underground fight that recently aired on sports tv? The one against two of our beta testers?"
"Wait, you mean... No, that can't be. That kid is really blind? The cover on his eyes wasn't a joke?!" Gerald exclaimed.
"Well, do you still see him as someone with a disability? I wouldn't be surprised if he's the real-life DareDevil himself." Tsutomu-san exclaimed.
"Now, let's see how well you'll do in the second test. I hope you pass it with flying colors just like the first test." Tsutomu said to himself as he relaxed on the couch. But at the back of his mind, he still couldn't help but worry about the other thing.