I was told that the festival would have the image of a game center, but
neither the Central Tower nor the Central Plaza didn't look so cluttered.
Rather, it looked like a row of orthodox festival stalls.
As I stepped forward, looking around for a bit, Alice looked up at me
and spoke with a bright smile on her face.
[Kaito-san, I might be the kind of person who hides a lot of things, but
that doesn't mean I would hold my cards back! Why don't we just go to
the centerpiece (medama)?]
[Eh? No, I don't like going to a grotesque attraction…]
[I'm not talking about an eye (medama) attraction, okay!? I'm talking
about the festival's main attraction, got that!?]
Yeah, this feeling whenever she retorts, as expected of Alice. I really like
the atmosphere where we can joke around like this.
[Hahaha, I'm just kidding… So, what's the festival's centerpiece?]
[Fufufu, listen and be astonished. What a surprise! It's an attraction that
uses a new technology developed by Alice-chan in collaboration with
Kuro-san!]
[…Mumu, that certainly sounds amazing…]
[Yes, to be honest, the more time passes, the more crowded that place
will be, so it would be better if I go there as early as possible. Well, of
course, we could just directly use the attraction with a face pass, but I
think I'd rather play with Kaito-san alone at that time rather than
having a bunch of people milling around the area.]
Chuckling, Alice grasped my hand tighter and led the way.
Walking for a while, we arrived in a large building that kind of looks like
a theater. However, it didn't have an eccentric exterior, nor do I see
anything that makes it look like a huge playground.
…New technology huh. If it was developed jointly by the Underworld
King Kuro and the Phantasmal King Alice, I'm sure it would be
something innovative, but I can't imagine what it's like from its outward
appearance.
[Now, now, let's go in.]
[U- Unnn… Rather, no one's even here.]
[Well, I used my influence for a bit… I've made it off-limits until we're
done playing.]
She's making a really evil face for some reason, but well, it's Alice after
all… Let's not worry about that.
Entering the building with Alice, what I saw was a surprising sight.
[…Why the heck is this place filled with stuffed costumes!!!? The heck is
this? A horror house?]
[Whoa there, Kaito-san, please don't belittle them. They may look like
stuffed costumes, but it's one of the best items in the whole world,
made with the most advanced technology and magic techniques! Ah, it
also comes in a variety of sizes.]
[...…]
[For Kaito-san, I've prepared this special "behemoth stuffed costume".
Now, please immediately we——- Migyaaahhhh!?]
[Like hell I will!]
What the heck is this person thinking!? I knew she was always doing
stupid things, but I didn't expect that she would create a joke of an
attraction all for her hobby.
An area where they could wear stuffed costumes to play around, I
wonder who her target audience are… Children? Is this an attraction
made for children?
[Ouch… Please wait, Kaito-san. I haven't explained the most important
feature of these stuffed costumes yet. Kaito-san will definitely change
your mind when you hear about this!]
[…You stink like bullsh*t.]
[You're mean! A- Anyway, please listen. They may look like stuffed
costumes, but they're state-of-the art magic tools with a special
function built in it.]
As I looked at her in dismay, Alice appealed to me in a somewhat
desperate manner. Looking at them, they just look like stuffed costumes
though… Well, she made them together with Kuro, so I don't think it's a
lie to say that they had some great features.
But well, if it's really as she says…
[By wearing these, you can "automatically create a mental clone" and
"enter a pre-made virtual world to play in"!!!]
[…Eh?]
I had thought that the function would be something trivial, but Alice's
words completely made me stiffen.
Eh? Wait a moment? What does that mean? Mental clone, if I think of it
as something like a thought entity, does that mean we can use that to
enter a virtual world and play in it?]
D- Doesn't that mean that these stuffed costumes are that… That one
thing in the future that many game lovers dream of…
[Yes, this attraction is, based on what they're called in Kaito-san's
world, a "Dive-type VR game"!!!]
[…What… did you say…]
[Fufufu, you seem to be so surprised that you became speechless, eh?
Yes, by wearing these stuffed costumes, you can go to a virtual world!
Moreover, these stuffed costumes have a number of supportive features,
such as ensured protection for your real body and automatic return of
the mental body after a long dive!]
[…S- Seriously?]
[Seriosly serious.]
T- The VR that lets you go in the game world I've always yearned for…
Amazing… This is seriously amazing. For such a thing to be made in a
place like this… Alice is definitely someone who lived in the future…
My interest, which was almost zero before I listened to her, was
immediately piqued with just a few explanations. Now, I can't bear the
urge to play it already.
[…Well, with the explanation done, please try it on. When you put it on,
you will automatically dive in. I'll explain what happens next as we play
in the virtual world.]
[A- Alright. M- My bad, Alice. I jumped to a conclusion and made fun of
you. You really are amazing.]
[Fufufu, you can always praise me more!]
[…By the way, why did you make it in the form of stuffed costumes?]
[Obviously because it's cool!]
[…Eh?]
[Eh?]
W- Well, putting Alice's strange hobby aside, thinking about VR is
making me excited.
Virtual world huh… I- I wonder what it's like? I guess it should be
something like Fantasy-type MMOs? No, there's a chance that it's the
SciFi-type.
With great excitement, I put on the Behemoth stuffed costume that
Alice had given me. Putting on the body part first, after I finally wore
the head part… I felt my consciousness fading, as if I were asleep, and
left for the virtual world.
Dear Mom, Dad——— For once in my life, I really admired Alice. For
her to create the VR that I yearn for… There are magic boxes and magic
related to different dimensions, so I guess something like this isn't
impossible. Anyway, as I was feeling extremely excited——– I dived into
the world I'm yearning for.