1. A: the SR drive

A girl was sitting on a bench basking under the magnificent golden rays of the sun while enjoying the solar light.

The girl wore a normal patient cloth, pants, a shirt, and some slippers.

she had dark-silver colored hair, and was by her standards “the most beautiful girl out there”.

Opening her eyes and looking at her surrounding, the girl revealed her blood-red eyes.

By the way, this girl is me. Just saying.

Though the fact that I am calling the light of the hateful sun, “magnificent” is weird even to me.

Maybe I am more shocked than I thought. But even still, it is still relaxing to sit here enjoying some fresh air, that I am actually don’t feel like standing from here.

If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that this hateful weapon of mass destruction called the sun, have gained some new mind-controlling power, but fear not, for some weak sunlight is not enough to beat me.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to say, but just to clarify, I am no Vampire, I am just your “average human being ?”, I guess?

But returning to the subject, why is there a little kid staring at my face for a while now?

“hmm, Alice nee-Chan, are you dying again? you are not moving, and your face is pale again, with an emotionless look. Are you breathing ?”

Wah? how rude

“Okay, okay, ruu-kun, you can tell her that later. okay”

Wow, and now another bothersome person has appeared.

“How weird, even without speaking, or changing your expression, I can feel your disgust. Do you hate your doctor that much ?”

“cause you are a boring person.”

Looking at the man that has suddenly appeared, I answer his question, with a bored look, when ...

Crack

Hmm, did I hear that right? I just felt like a certain pathetic doctor`s smiling facade is breaking.

Weird, right?

“so what are you here for ?”

“you little....uh. I don`t even have the energy to get angry anymore. Your things were delivered earlier”

“Oh, is that so. Then I am going back”

Standing from my place, and moving, while leaving behind the speechless Dr. Smith, I head to my room for checking what I ordered.

Entering the patient room with the nameplate of Alice Whitefield, I find it on my bed.

It is a carton box.

Checking it for a second, I then move to open it.

“Oh…”

Easily doing so, I find a manual and a white metallic bracelet inside of it.

Ans recognizing the bracelet, a slight smile appear on my face.

Because this bracelet is the SR Drive.

Which of course, you will not know of.

And to explain, the SR Drive, is a new experimental device, from the VR technology majors, Utima Tech.

For now, there are only a hundred of them in the whole world.

Not because they are expensive, but because they are yet to be released, and instead they are to be tested for the first time ever, ...

Today.

And only in our city, that is.

For now, let's see.

“hmm, It’s 3:23 pm.”

So there is almost one hour and a half left for the official start, huh?

Ah, right. I didn't say? huh?

Cough, so you see, today is the day the first game using the SR Drive will be launched, and because of that, here I am preparing.

By the way, the game’s name is ...

Lost Solace Online: the hope for a new ending.

And from what I know, it is going to be a very interesting thing.

So now, back to preparing.

But because the drive was expected to be used for LSO, it is already installed with necessary files, and as such, I don’t really need to bother with such a thing and instead just need to find a place for me to lie down onto.

“and surely a hospital’s bed is a good enough one for that, right ?”

While smiling and thinking of that, suddenly a voice is heard from my behind.

“is that the new VR gear ?”

Then glancing back and looking toward the room’s door, I watch as Dr. smith enters the room, speaking.

“But really, I know it is rude to say this. especially in your case, Alice. But shouldn't you ... like, walk, travel, take pictures, and write diaries or something? you know? doing things like a person of your age should.”

Well, that was rude, especially for me, indeed.

And also ...

“don’t try looking down on me now, would you? Even if I look like this, I am older than what I look.”

“Heh, is that so? By what? a day and a half? because all I see in front of me is a young 19 years old girl. Could it be there is some secret that you have that I still don’t know about, even after three years of your hospitalization here in this hospital ?”

Of course, there is. After all, I am what people nowadays call ...

The Professional Players, or a Double P for short.

Hmm ? you thought I would say reincarnation?

well, sorry to disappoint you, but nope.

I am a PP, or what some guys prefer calling the Psychopathic People. In other words, people that play VR games, with accelerated time from 2 times the real-time unit, to even 10 times the real unit.

Of course, such a thing would result in people with weird personalities. I can still remember a 9-year-old little girl, that I once met in this hospital.

And how at the time she was speaking about how governments are always not trustworthy, and how they manipulate things in the background.

Weird coming from an elementary schooler, but yeah, VR is awesome.

So, Cough

“I played VR games, from their release 3 years ago. So I am kinda older than what I look like, you know ?”

“As if VR is the reason for your hateful personality. Don`t throw the blame on others. I am dame sure, you were born like that.”

Wow, what a good deduction. Though he is indeed right that I was born like that.

After all, I was always a genius, now, in the past, and of course, I will be in the future.

“But anyway, I refuse. So would you mind giving me some space to try my new gear ?”

“Whatever, your life, your choice. Can`t force someone, especially one in your case.”

“good”

Watching Dr. Smith giving up his daily advice session, and getting out of the room, I get back to what I was doing.

Laying comfortably on my bed, and thinking about what’s to come.

So, from what I know about the SR Drive, it is a new VR gear that can push to even 50 times real unit as a max, adding to that the resonance option of the drive, which allows for living inside the game world, while also living normally, which is usually impossible.

And of course, as come with such great tech, there are possible dangers.

But even until now, all possible dangers were cleared, and now it was announced safe for use, which pushes us to the next stage, which is starting now...

The testing stage.

Which I am participating in.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

And with me ready and excited to try it, I take a deep breath, trying to clear my mind.

Then with no further ado, I speak.

“Resonance.”

Mr.Grey-Cat

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