PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
It all started in the autumn of my third year in middle school. My life had become so busy that I’d begun to lose sight of my future—
“Hey, Ren. Made up your mind on high school yet?”
The chat window on my computer displayed those words. The sender was a bulky beastman-like avatar who went by the name of Akira. An online friend of mine, he joined this MMORPG, Eternal Fantasy (EF), with me—as was tradition with any other game.
“Meh. I guess I’d go with whatever’s close,” I responded.
My avatar, Ren (taken from my full name, Ren Takashiro), sat atop the summit of a mountain, taking in the spectacular views around him.
You wouldn’t expect it from his avatar, but Akira happened to love beautiful vistas like this. He’d bring me here every day so we could chew the fat about nothing in particular. I wasn’t much for sightseeing, myself, so I’d sit around, synthesizing items to raise my skill level instead.
Even in that moment, I was toiling away at item synthesis.
“Seriously, man? How boring can you get?”
“What? I’m just trying to forge this level 99 Crimson Hammer. If I mess this up, my wallet’s gonna cry.”
“Screw the forging, man! This is your future we’re talking about here!” Akira was a third-year middle schooler, just like me.
“What’s wrong with going to an ordinary, nearby high school?”
“Ordinary is boring! It doesn’t get much worse than ordinary.”
“Really? I think it’s good enough for me.”
“You know what they say—don’t just be another robot! Live a little!”
“I guess I have heard that. In TV commercials.” Not that those ads seem terribly unbiased. “So why’d you ask about my plans?”
“Oh, well, I was thinking about going to Yosei Academy. Wanna come with?”
“Yosei? Oh, was that the Gaming Academy?”
“Yeah! That’s the one.”
I was familiar with the name. Apparently, it’s an academy that incorporates gaming into all of their lessons. They’ve advanced past mere MMOs—they’re even using VRMMO technology now, with lessons all taking place in that VRMMO. They really embody the “study hard, play hard“ school of thought, so to speak. I could hardly imagine a better school.
“But tuition is really expensive, right?”
“Not like we have to worry about that. Plus, get this—they say your grades will go up even when you’re gaming all day! Sounds fun as heck, yeah? Come on!”
“Well, I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea.” I just didn’t think VRMMOs were in my budget. On the other hand, this was undeniably an exciting prospect for a gamer like me. To be honest, I was starting to seriously envision myself there.
“Besides, we’re pretty heavy gamers.”
“True.”
“Basically, we’re like addicts. Straight up otaku!”
“I guess the rest of the world would see us in that light.”
“So in an ordinary school, people would think we’re weird. We’d live lonely high school lives.”
“I guess, but that doesn’t bother me much. What about you?” I get that from my parents. They’d always tell me to “find your own interests“ and “forget what anyone else says,” so when I started playing video games all day, they were actually supportive of me. Though I suppose my dad working in game development might play a part in that.
“A normal person would think we’re freaks. But at the Gaming Academy, we’d be surrounded by comrades!”
“Hmm.”
“Gamers in all directions! And we could be kings among gamers. Even you could be popular, buddy! Man, what a turn of events that would be.”
“Even me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Was this guy actually Mr. Popular Pretty Boy? Heck if I know. We’ve been friends for years, but we’ve never met offline. “Well? How popular are you?”
“Hah! Not even a little.”
There’s one thing I could say with certainty: if things kept going as they were, we’d be virgins for life. Did I honestly care, though? I’m sure there are plenty of guys like us out there. If you’re happy with your life, what’s the problem? That’s not to say I don’t care about girls, mind you, but games before dames is my motto.
“All right, that settles it. Gaming Academy, here we come!”
“Whoa, whoa. This seems like way too big of a plot development.”
“Who cares?! We can keep hanging out and playing games together! C’mon, maaaan!” Contrary to his bulky, gruff avatar, this guy seemed to be either childish or hyperactive. Honestly, I wasn’t sure which. Nonetheless, he’s a good guy, and I do enjoy playing games with him.
Besides, what’s wrong with two guys making a big decision for their future together?! It’s not like I gave it any thought before, anyway; I was just planning to go to any run-of-the-mill nearby school.
“...Yeah, I’m in! I’ll go ask my parents.”
“Woo! You get me, Ren!”
With that, my future was set. I took the entrance exam for Yosei, the Gaming Academy, and passed, as did Akira. I was so pumped to play more games with my bud starting in the spring. But...
Akira, the boy who swore we’d do this together, never came to me.
It all started in the autumn of my third year in middle school. My life had become so busy that I’d begun to lose sight of my future—
“Hey, Ren. Made up your mind on high school yet?”
The chat window on my computer displayed those words. The sender was a bulky beastman-like avatar who went by the name of Akira. An online friend of mine, he joined this MMORPG, Eternal Fantasy (EF), with me—as was tradition with any other game.
“Meh. I guess I’d go with whatever’s close,” I responded.
My avatar, Ren (taken from my full name, Ren Takashiro), sat atop the summit of a mountain, taking in the spectacular views around him.
You wouldn’t expect it from his avatar, but Akira happened to love beautiful vistas like this. He’d bring me here every day so we could chew the fat about nothing in particular. I wasn’t much for sightseeing, myself, so I’d sit around, synthesizing items to raise my skill level instead.
Even in that moment, I was toiling away at item synthesis.
“Seriously, man? How boring can you get?”
“What? I’m just trying to forge this level 99 Crimson Hammer. If I mess this up, my wallet’s gonna cry.”
“Screw the forging, man! This is your future we’re talking about here!” Akira was a third-year middle schooler, just like me.
“What’s wrong with going to an ordinary, nearby high school?”
“Ordinary is boring! It doesn’t get much worse than ordinary.”
“Really? I think it’s good enough for me.”
“You know what they say—don’t just be another robot! Live a little!”
“I guess I have heard that. In TV commercials.” Not that those ads seem terribly unbiased. “So why’d you ask about my plans?”
“Oh, well, I was thinking about going to Yosei Academy. Wanna come with?”
“Yosei? Oh, was that the Gaming Academy?”
“Yeah! That’s the one.”
I was familiar with the name. Apparently, it’s an academy that incorporates gaming into all of their lessons. They’ve advanced past mere MMOs—they’re even using VRMMO technology now, with lessons all taking place in that VRMMO. They really embody the “study hard, play hard“ school of thought, so to speak. I could hardly imagine a better school.
“But tuition is really expensive, right?”
“Not like we have to worry about that. Plus, get this—they say your grades will go up even when you’re gaming all day! Sounds fun as heck, yeah? Come on!”
“Well, I can’t say I’m opposed to the idea.” I just didn’t think VRMMOs were in my budget. On the other hand, this was undeniably an exciting prospect for a gamer like me. To be honest, I was starting to seriously envision myself there.
“Besides, we’re pretty heavy gamers.”
“True.”
“Basically, we’re like addicts. Straight up otaku!”
“I guess the rest of the world would see us in that light.”
“So in an ordinary school, people would think we’re weird. We’d live lonely high school lives.”
“I guess, but that doesn’t bother me much. What about you?” I get that from my parents. They’d always tell me to “find your own interests“ and “forget what anyone else says,” so when I started playing video games all day, they were actually supportive of me. Though I suppose my dad working in game development might play a part in that.
“A normal person would think we’re freaks. But at the Gaming Academy, we’d be surrounded by comrades!”
“Hmm.”
“Gamers in all directions! And we could be kings among gamers. Even you could be popular, buddy! Man, what a turn of events that would be.”
“Even me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Was this guy actually Mr. Popular Pretty Boy? Heck if I know. We’ve been friends for years, but we’ve never met offline. “Well? How popular are you?”
“Hah! Not even a little.”
There’s one thing I could say with certainty: if things kept going as they were, we’d be virgins for life. Did I honestly care, though? I’m sure there are plenty of guys like us out there. If you’re happy with your life, what’s the problem? That’s not to say I don’t care about girls, mind you, but games before dames is my motto.
“All right, that settles it. Gaming Academy, here we come!”
“Whoa, whoa. This seems like way too big of a plot development.”
“Who cares?! We can keep hanging out and playing games together! C’mon, maaaan!” Contrary to his bulky, gruff avatar, this guy seemed to be either childish or hyperactive. Honestly, I wasn’t sure which. Nonetheless, he’s a good guy, and I do enjoy playing games with him.
Besides, what’s wrong with two guys making a big decision for their future together?! It’s not like I gave it any thought before, anyway; I was just planning to go to any run-of-the-mill nearby school.
“...Yeah, I’m in! I’ll go ask my parents.”
“Woo! You get me, Ren!”
With that, my future was set. I took the entrance exam for Yosei, the Gaming Academy, and passed, as did Akira. I was so pumped to play more games with my bud starting in the spring. But...
Akira, the boy who swore we’d do this together, never came to me.
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