3-Prologue 3




'Would you like to be a professional gamer?'

'...... yes?'

 I couldn't help but let out a squeak of amusement at Rin's outlandish suggestion.
 Perhaps she was amused by my reaction, but she laughed and continued with her story.

'The team I belong to, HEROES, was originally run with three types of games: FPS, TPS, and gaming. I originally joined the team as a player in the TPS division. As for the VR games, we initially pulled people from those teams and went through trial and error.

 According to Lin.
 Early VR games were critically insufficient for eSports, and the market was too small to create a specialized team.

In recent years, the level of perfection has improved to a certain extent. This is especially true for gaming, which now boasts the largest prize money among e-sports. We hadn't been involved in the VR division until now, but after the announcement of "WorldLive-ONLINE", we finally decided to establish a new VR division. This was about three months ago.

'So, you're asking me if I want to join this new VR division?

'Well, to put it simply, yes.

 The reason I say that is not because of the live streaming, but because the quality of this game is too high.
 According to him, the level of the technology underlying VR games has changed from the Stone Age to the Edo Period.
 As there is a possibility that more high quality games will be released in the future and the market is expected to expand further, they couldn't help but create a VR division.

But don't they put more emphasis on achievements and such in such cases? Is it okay for a random person to join the team with connections?

'It's basically scouting, so achievements are certainly taken into account. But I've been slow to get involved in VR. The most promising ones have already been taken. ......'

'Oh ......'

 It's true, it's been a long time since VR games came out.
 I don't know when it started to be established as an e-sport, but just like the baseball draft, the earlier you start, the sooner the better players will be taken.
 But that's not the only reason,' Rin said, adding, 'Besides,' she said.

'Nana, in the world of WorldLive-ONLINE, you can truly be free. You don't have to live in this cramped, real-world world while holding back.

 Rin-chan said this, with just a hint of sadness in her eyes.



 In conclusion, I decided to accept Rin's offer.
 This was because the payoff for joining Rin's team was much better than I had expected.

 First of all, the salary is about the same as when I was working part-time.
 My job is to broadcast "WorldLive-ONLINE". This is about five days a week, for at least two hours each.
 Of course, Rin said, you need to play other games to become a top player.
 She had two days off a week, so she could do whatever she wanted with that time, but it was obvious that she would be immersed in the game for a while.

 Then, at Rin's request, she offered me a room in her ...... high-rise apartment.
 Surely, it would be useless to Rin-chan, who owns all 40 floors.

 But no matter how much she wanted to give me a room in her apartment, I couldn't help but give her a tight smile.
 Even though she is my best friend, I can't ask her to do that much for me.


 I tried to refuse with a firm attitude, but he held me tightly and kept asking me in my ear, "Hey, no? In contrast to me, who had given up and signed the contract, he had fallen within an hour.

 In contrast to me, who gave up and signed the contract, I couldn't help but wonder how it happened when I saw Rin-chan's face full of joy.
 She had taken such good care of me, even though I had neglected my friendships due to my part-time job.
 There was no way I was going to trample on that kindness.

 Incidentally, Rin-chan gave me a room next door, an empty room at most, which was cleaned to prevent dust from accumulating.
 That day, we ended up sleeping together in her bed.
 Well, this is always the case.


The next day.


 The next day.
 The next day, Rin-chan showed me the latest full-dive VR machine.
 Full-dive VR machines used to be so huge that they could only be placed in game arcades, but with the advancement of technological innovation, they have been reduced to the size of ordinary headgear.
 However, people are always in pursuit of performance, and the latest machine sitting in front of me now is wider than an ordinary bed.
 The bigger the machine, the better the performance. Dumbfounded by its resilience reminiscent of a large ship, I pointed to the two machines and asked Rin-chan.

'Is one of them mine, by any chance?

'Of course not.

'Why is it being brought into Rin-chan's room?

'Why do they need to be brought into Nana's room?

'Hey, we're not having a conversation.

 If it was in the shabby apartment I was living in, why didn't they just take it into the next room?
 It seems that my question didn't reach Rin, who was looking at me strangely.

'We're going to play games together, so it's better to be in the same room. Besides, Nana is going to live in this room anyway.

'What, why?

'Wouldn't it be better if we ate together? It's lonely when you sleep alone.'

'Well, that's true.

 Although she is often misunderstood because of her mature appearance, Rin is basically a spoiled child.
 As the youngest child, she has been spoiled and has been with me since she was a child.
 As she grew older, she became more mature and had a very strong side, but she was always like this in front of me.

'What was the point of getting a room at ......?

'What did you say?'

'Nothing, nothing at all. Anyway, when should I start 《WorldLive-ONLINE》?

'Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. It'll start the day after tomorrow.''

 Ten thousand people, including Lin. That's the number of people who will be the first group to join WorldLive-ONLINE.
 The day after tomorrow, two days after two weeks have passed, the second group will be able to join.
 In order to limit the number of people who can join the server, you must purchase the software to participate in this game.
 Naturally, Rin-chan had secured one for me.



'So, Nana, you don't have much experience with these games, do you? I'm going to spend the next two days helping her learn some knowledge and manners.

'I see, that's important.

'I can't be there with you because I have to deliver, but if you have any questions, I'll answer them.

'Okay. I think I'll do a full dive for now. It's been years since I've done that.'

'Then I'll show you how to do it.

 And so, with Rin teaching me what I didn't know, I began the preliminary preparations for my first steps as a gamer.