Suzuki’s Room,

Undisclosed Location.

1:32 pm, Tuesday, 28 th April 2043.

Suzuki took a towel to his wet hair as he read an email from Genaco that ordered him to be present for some function on Sunday at 8pm. Stranger still, he was required to arrive in formal clothing.

This would have been all well and good if it was not for one slight problem. Suzuki examined the clothes in his closet, and sure enough, he did not have any formal clothing to his name. He had never bought any non-school related collar shirts, and he sure as hell never considered buying formal pants. Who needed all those when they could wear a simple T-shirt and jeans? If they were feeling fancy, they could add a jacket or hoody. It just worked.

Sighing, Suzuki closed his closet, realizing he would have to go buy something to wear. Suzuki was not averse to this change of pace. He had not left the room in over two weeks because of Kashi’s mad rush to train his crafting skills. While that was all well and good for the daeben, it had cost Suzuki a lot of time.

Suzuki hung the towel in the bathroom then exited the room. The young man paused on the hallway, shocked by the number of people walking to and fro. Ever since the first day, he had not seen anyone else except Jade and the weird guy with silver hair. He guessed he was not the only one who had gotten the strange message.

Suzuki pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, made himself as small as possible, then weaved through the boisterous crowd, careful not to bump into anybody. Once he was safely through, he rushed to the elevator and exited the building.

The midday sun shone down warmly on the facility as a gentle breeze caressed its inhabitants, the sweet smell of spring in the air. At least, that was how the couples in the streets, walking hand in hand, chatting amicably and losing themselves in passionate kisses felt.

Suzuki, on the other hand, saw something entirely different. 'I guess if you're going to be trapped in a place you don't know, you might as well suck face with the other prisoners.'

The young man cycled along the streets, ignoring the irritatingly many couples around. What the heck had happened to everybody in the last two weeks? His quest to find a shop took him to the Entertainment Sector which was even far worse than the Residential Sector. There seemed to be far more people here than he had seen in the entire auditorium. Then again, no one said the hall he crashed into was the only place the orientation was held.

There was also the possibility that more volunteers joined after Suzuki went into the game world. From the joyful expressions on the volunteers’ faces, Suzuki was now confident he was most likely the only one who had been kidnapped. ‘That damn Shouyou!’

Suzuki’s trip took him past an amusement park, where he paused in shock. The rides were not only fully functioning, but they were also fully staffed, complete with a freaking clown! Wait, this was the same facility, right? They had not transferred him in his sleep to some alternate location, right?

Suzuki shivered at the sight and continued his ride to search for somewhere he could buy some formal clothes. He stopped at a promising store with shining English letters, 'Suave.'

‘Subtle.’

Suzuki secured his bike, then walked into the store. It was quite large, serving as a shop for both guys and girls. He had never been to a clothing store this large, having bought all his clothes from local department stores. The young man questioned an attendant who directed him to the male section.

‘What in the five hells?!’ Suzuki’s eyebrows jumped in shock as he looked at the ridiculous price tags. He took a few shirts to the changing room and tried them on. Suzuki cursed as he repeatedly adjusted his collar.

These clothes were alien, suffocating and horribly expensive. He could not figure out why anyone would want to wear these, much less spend the exorbitant prices for them. But that was all secondary. First, he had to figure out what to even get. This proved to be quite a daunting task. It was impossible for a T-shirter like him to know what was stylish and what was not.

Thirty minutes later, Suzuki gave up browsing and grabbed the cheapest suit he saw: a slightly oversized, brown, double-breasted coat, and bootcut formal pants. He went to the cashier to pay for the suit, hoping he had enough money left over.

Suzuki placed the suit on the counter, but a small petite hand yanked it off before the cashier could rin. Stunned, Suzuki turned to his left to see whose hand that was.

As it turned out, the hand belonged to a tall, beautiful, blue-eyed girl, who was most likely a foreigner. Her long blonde hair was well groomed into two curling ponytails. She was dressed in a green one-piece gown that showed off her ample bosom.

"Can I have that back?" Suzuki asked, holding out his hand.

"Sorry, but I absolutely cannot give this back," The girl replied as he tossed the suit onto a rack with a disgusted expression.

"Huh?” Suzuki uttered in confusion. ‘Is this normal? Can someone really butt into another person’s business?? ’ “What do you mean you can't?"

"That suit is positively hideous," the girl exclaimed with a wave of her hand. She seemed to recall something, as she turned to the cashier and said. "No offense."

The cashier shook his head in reply.

"And why do you care?" Suzuki attempted to grab the suit, but she quickly snatched it away.

"Usually I could not care less what an obvious NEET wears. But, you looked so helpless, I could not help myself." The girl turned around and marched toward the male section. She called over her shoulder, "Come!"

'I'm going to regret this.' Suzuki tucked his hands in his hoody and followed the strange girl.

The blonde girl picked up a slim-fitted shirt from a rack and held it up against Suzuki. Her brows furrowed slightly as she couldn’t get a good read of him. She pointed at his hoody and ordered, "Take that off.”

Suzuki obeyed and took off his hoody. He hung it on a rack then turned to the girl. “Is that it?”

The girl held up the shirt next to Suzuki’s body. She fell into deep thought, as she picked up different shirts and placed them next to his chest. A hidden light shone in her eyes as she ordered, "Take off the shirt."

Suzuki’s brow shot up in question. “Is that really necessary?”

“I’m the one picking your clothes,” the girl replied. “Don’t question me.”

Suzuki sighed and relented. He took off the shirt and tossed it onto the nearby rack.

The strange girl whistled as she admired Suzuki’s finely sculpted muscles and abs. "You have quite the exquisite body. Why would you hide this under that dreadful hood?" She ran a finger down his chest, a strange look in her eyes. "My eyes never deceive me."

"Uh, is there a point to this?" Suzuki’s deadpan voice destroyed the mood.

"Hmm..." The girl looked into the empty eyes and shook her head, her enthusiasm destroyed. "Okay. Here, try this on." She said as she handed him a fitted white shirt and a black suit jacket.

Suzuki readily accepted the clothes if only so he could get away from her. A few moments later, he stepped out of the changing room.

The girl smiled brightly, hands on her hips as if proud of her creation. "You look absolutely splendid. Now, if only we need to do something about that hair of yours." She reached up to touch his rather long bangs.

“Who’s a good boy?” She said as she reached for his head. However, the young boy shivered in fear, as he couldn’t tell when that outstretched palm would ball into a fist.

A repressed memory surfaced as the girl’s hands reached for Suzuki’s head, causing the young man to sharply retreat in panic. Suzuki’s hasty retreat sent him into a rack of clothes. He tumbled over, but he was lucky that the clothes broke his fall. "Fuck," Suzuki cursed, rubbing his sore elbows as he sat up. He looked at the fallen heap in dread, hoping he did not damage any of the clothing.

The girl stood over him and reached out her hand. "You are rather clumsy," she said remarked with a chuckle.

Those mocking eyes were the last straw.

"Will you cut it out!" Suzuki yelled in rage as he slapped her hand away and rose to his feet on his own.

"You do have some spirit in you," The girl remarked, unfazed by his burst of anger.

Suzuki’s rage was like an explosion: quick, fierce, and brief. By the time he got to his feet, his tone had regained its neutrality. He looked at the girl and questioned, "Why are you doing this... um?"

"Ah, forgive my terrible manners. My name is Saeko Minako,” the girl introduced herself. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. In response to your question. I am doing this because you are irresistibly cute."

"Sure,” Suzuki snorted, showing what he thought of her compliment. “I’m Mato Suzuki. Thanks for the help Minako-san. I can take care of it from here.” He turned to leave, but Saeko blocked his path.

"Now, now, you do not need to be so guarded,” Saeko cooed in a sing-song voice as she inched toward Suzuki who reflexively retreated until he hit the wall.

With nowhere left to go, Saeko placed her hands on the wall on either side of Suzuki. "That jacket really does look good on you." Her voice was hoarse with unrestrained desire. She licked her lips and met his gaze.

*cough* *cough*

Two, loud, unapologetic coughs destroyed the atmosphere.

Suzuki turned to see Jade looking at him with an amused smile and folded arms. Suzuki realized he had heard of this. Was this the legendary angry smile?

"Two weeks you don't answer my calls,” Jade said with a bright smile that did not reach her eyes. “So this is what you were up to?"

"Nope.” Suzuki denied. He noticed Saeko's attention was on Jade and used the chance to wriggle away. Finally free, he patted the jacket and explained, “I came to buy some formal clothes, and she somehow decided to help me out.”

“Oh? What part of that involves kissing in public?” Jade teased, and thoroughly enjoyed Suzuki’s distressed silence. It was evident he was not used to arguing against others.

"Ah, the mood is completely gone,” Saeko lamented with a fake, pained expression, making it obvious she had been teasing the young man. “Mato-kun, would you kindly introduce me to your friend?"

"Yeah, sure.” Suzuki’s biting tone revealed he was not at all pleased with being used as a punchline for these two women’s jokes. “Minako-san, this is Jade Yuhi. Jade, Saeko Minako-san." He introduced them, then quietly grabbed his clothes while they gauged each other and walked to the changing room.

"Yuhi-chan was it? You two seem to be rather close. Calling each other by your first names." Saeko remarked. “When’d you guys meet?”

"Two weeks back,” Jade replied. “Haven’t seen him since.” The young woman’s locked brows betrayed the raging fire that burned within her.

"Haha, he does seem to be the inconsiderate type, doesn’t he?”

Jade shook her head and issued a light shrug. “Tragic, isn’t it?”

The young women chuckled as they joked about Suzuki’s ‘fake badassery.’ The young man happened to exit the changing room at that moment, dressed in his comfortable hoody while carrying the clothes Saeko had handed him. He noticed the chatting ladies and decided to take a long way around, across some other aisles.

Give him a bully or a giant monster, and Suzuki would face them head-on. Women, on the other hand, were creatures he could not understand.

As Suzuki walked to the counter, fate played one more trick on him. He ran into the strange, silver-haired man he had met in the park.

"Yo, Sukki-chan!" Taiga cheerfully greeted when he saw Suzuki who was in the middle of turning away. "What brings you here?"

His cover blown, Suzuki turned around. "I could ask you the same. You did not peg me as the corporate wear type."

"I'm not,” Taiga lamented. “Some hotshot came a week ago and turned this place upside down. Said I have to go for some weird event on Sunday."

"You too huh," Suzuki muttered with a sigh. "See ya around. I need to check these out before they remember me,” he said as he held up the clothes in his hands.

A strange look flashed in Syèl’s eyes. "By any chance, are the people you're talking about a blondie and a goth chick?"

"Yeah. How did—oh." Suzuki turned around and saw the very people he had been trying to give the slip. "Hi?"

Jade stormed up to Suzuki and drove a devastating punch to his gut. "That's for not calling."

"Woah." Taiga blinked as Suzuki clutched his stomach and crumpled to the floor. He beamed at the feisty lady and introduced himself. "Name's Taiga and you guys are?"

"Leaving,” Jade replied with an angry snort.

Saeko bent over Suzuki and put her number into his phone. "See you later, Mato-kun." The female duo left the young man sprawled on the floor and exited the shop.

"I like your friends," Taiga praised as he held out his hand to help Suzuki up.

"Yeah, well, I could do with less drama," Suzuki remarked as he effortlessly rose to his feet. There was no way that little girl’s punch did any damage. However, he had learned long ago that showing pain was an excellent way to get trouble off your back.

"You are the type of guy girls end up hating," Taiga remarked as he handed Suzuki the suit he had dropped.

"Well, they can get in line then," Suzuki replied as he went to pay for the suit, finishing the rest of his allowance on the expensive clothing.

'This had better be worth it.'

Inside the amusement park, Akari stood uncomfortably in a polo shirt and jeans. The reason for his odd attire was the result of the happy-go-lucky blond strolling towards him with two ice cream cones in his hand.

"Here you go. Double-decker vanilla and chocolate, with sprinkles and coating." James handed him one of the cones.

"Who would eat that?" Akari regarded the sweet poison with disdain but took it nonetheless.

"You need to loosen up Seki. You're always so uptight. I hear it's not good for the heart," James said as they walked towards one of the rides.

"This is not good for my health either. But that did not stop you from handing it to me." Akari countered, irritated by the overall mood of the compound.

Ever since James arrived roughly two weeks ago, he had proceeded to completely transform the atmosphere in the compound, claiming it would produce better results for their NS ratios. His first order of business was to fully staff all the entertainment spots, starting with the amusement park, then all the way to the cinemas.

James then hired some people to play sports like basketball and soccer, until the residents themselves started playing. It did not take long for more and more people to stop spending the entire day cooped up in their drives and start coming out more.

"I don't get your reasoning." Akari scolded. "I would have thought you would want them spending more time in the virtual world to increase their NS."

James revealed a smile. He looked at a nearby ride and asked, "Say, why do people play games?"

Akari drew a blank. He had never been the type to divulge in gaming, having spent his time buried either in books or on the baseball field. "If I had to guess, I would say to escape reality?"

James chuckled. "That's one way of looking at it. What sets a good game apart from another is how immersed a player can get in it while playing."

"What does that have to do with encouraging less playing?"

"As you said, gamers love games because it's the best way for us to escape the dregs of reality. Movies and books are good an' all, but nothing can beat questing for the perfect sword to slay that unbeatable beast and emerging victorious, the hero of the land." James' eyes looked past his surroundings to an unknown scenery, a dreamy smile on his face.

Akari frowned. "Still does not exp-"

"What do you think happens when that very game turns into a prison?” James interrupted. “What happens if someone is forced to play a game he once loved just so he can live?"

Realization dawned on Akari. "They begin to hate the game."

"Yes. No matter how long gamers stay in the game, if they do not truly enjoy it, then it is pointless,” James explained. “They will never strive to become any better, and as a result, never unlock their true potentials."

"So, you are effectively removing the last bit of hesitation from them."

James chuckled. "You make it sound bad."

"You are a truly dangerous man,” Akari remarked with a shake of his head.

"Someone has to be." James patted Akari on the shoulder. "Now, let's ride that one,” James suggested as he pointed at the largest rollercoaster ride in the park.

The signboard wrote clearly in shining neon lights: Cheating Death!

"..."