**Now**
The holographic tutorial appeared on his screen, reflecting light on his face as it explained the mechanics of Full Dive. "This isn't just another game," it hummed in a voice that seemed to vibrate with the very essence of possibility. "It's a gateway, an odyssey for the senses. You won't simply play; you will live inside the game, experiencing every sight, sound, touch, and taste as if they were real."
"Because they are real," Kitsune muttered to himself, entranced by the idea of an existence beyond the one he knew, a universe where every decision bore weight and.
"Through our proprietary nanotechnology," the tutorial continued, "your consciousness will be seamlessly integrated into the game environment. Your avatar will become you, and you will become your avatar, feel free to explore realms crafted with unparalleled detail and depth."
His imagination already donning the possibilities of the digital world, even the air felt charged with electricity, whispering promises of untold stories waiting for him on the other side of reality.
"Remember," the screen flickered as if winking at him, "in Full Dive, the only limit is your own daring." With that, the tutorial disintegrated into a shower of photons, leaving behind a silence heavy with anticipation.
"Kitsune Zenko!" The sharp call snapped Kitsune back to the dull confines of his classroom, where Mrs. Sato stood glaring at him with that all too familiar look of exasperation. "Are you with us, or are you exploring other... 'realms' again? Put your phone away before I take it from you!"
"Sorry, Mrs. Sato. Just taking a quick mental detour," Kitsune replied, barely suppressing a smirk as he locked eyes with the teacher, drawing a few stifled giggles from his classmates.
"Your test scores could use a detour toward improvement," Mrs. Sato shot back, returning to her lecture on quantum mechanics, which fell upon Kitsune's ears like the drone of a tired bee.
Kitsune let his gaze wander out the window, where the mundane sprawl of the cityscape seemed even more gray and lifeless than usual. He twirled a pen between his fingers, imagining it as a mage's wand or a gun, anything other than a simple instrument for writing notes he wouldn't even look at.
"Hey, Zenko," whispered Hiro, his desk neighbor and occasional co-schemer in classroom shenanigans. "You look so out of place. What's up? Got another trick up your sleeve?"
"More like a whole new deck of cards," Kitsune replied, his voice low but tinged with excitement. "I'm thinking about trying out Full Dive. It's supposed to be the real deal. Total immersion."
"Full Dive, huh?" Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Sounds Crazy. But can it really beat the thrill of pulling a fast one right under Mrs. Sato's nose?"
"Trust me," Kitsune sighed, resting his chin on his palm as he gazed at the uninspiring whiteboard, "it's not even in the same league. In there, I could be robbing a bank by now. Out here... I'm just waiting for the bell to ring so I can leave."
"Same old dreamer," Hiro chuckled softly. "Just don't die before Gta 7 comes out in 4 days, alright?"
"4 days?" Kitsune's eyes gleamed. "Finally, I can't wait."
His thoughts returned to the game world's promises—adventure, significance, a narrative worth being part of—and a small smile played on his lips as the seconds ticked down to freedom.
The final bell rang with a note of finality, and Kitsune Zenko got up from his seat like a coiled spring released. The classroom emptied in a rush, but not for him. With a relaxed pace belying his inner turmoil, he strolled toward the back corner of the library, where a cluster of students huddled around a worn, wooden table.
"Zenko," called out Taka, the unofficial ringleader of this gathering, "you're just in time. We need a deciding hand."
"Count me in," Kitsune said with a nonchalant shrug, pulling up a chair. His eyes flickered to the deck of cards splayed across the table, his mind already rifling through strategies.
"High stakes today," Taka warned, his grin sharp as a knife's edge. "You sure your pockets are deep enough?"
"Deeper than you think," Kitsune said, his wallet was as thick as his patience for these schoolyard games. They were mere shadows of the adventures that awaited him in Full Dive, but they'd have to do for now.
As the cards were dealt, Kitsune kept his expression carefully blank. He glanced at his hand—mediocre at best—but his heartbeat remained steady. It wasn't the cards that mattered; it was the play.
"Raise twenty," announced Yumi, her voice dripping with false confidence.
Taka matched the bet with a smirk, turning to Kitsune. "What about you, Zenko? Feeling lucky?"
"Or maybe I'm just too good," Kitsune replied, tossing in his chips with ease. He met Taka's gaze head-on, daring him to call the bluff.
"Call," Taka spat out, throwing down a pair of kings.
Kitsune revealed his hand—a measly pair of threes—with a triumphant grin. The others groaned, looking between his cards and his smug face in disbelief.
"Bluffed out by the master," Yumi sighed, pushing the pot toward him.
"Never let the odds dictate the outcome," Kitsune murmured, pocketing his winnings. But even as the coins clinked satisfyingly against one another, a hollow feeling gnawed at him. What was the point of all these small victories if each day felt like a repeating loop, lacking any real consequence or thrill?
He rose from his seat, his classmates' chatter fading into a dull hum as he walked away. Kitsune could outwit them in his sleep, but what did that win him in the grand scheme of life? Resentment simmered beneath his cool exterior; he craved a stage grander than this, a game that didn't end with the flip of a card or the toll of a bell.
"Hey, Zenko!" Taka called after him. "Where you off to in such a hurry?"
"Got places to be," Kitsune answered without turning around, his thoughts already drifting to Full Dive's sprawling universe, where every decision carried weight and the mundane became magnificent.
As he exited the library, the sunlight caught his red hair, setting it ablaze with fiery hues. Kitsune closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to imagine stepping into a world where he wasn't just another high school student killing time but a protagonist in an epic tale.