I love Japan.

　I don't remember when and why I became interested in Japan, but I can say this with certainty. I've been in love with Japan for as long as I can remember.

　I was always researching Japan and making my classmates wonder about Japan, while ignoring my schoolwork. This was an everyday occurrence, Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan, Japan, and I didn't care if they called me "Weeb" or "Otaku". And finally, I started to study Japanese.

　That's how I got through my school years, and even though my grades were terrible, I was able to get a job as a translator after graduation.

　I loved it. Translating requires you to interpret every word of the Japanese people. What a wonderful thing. I would pay to be in contact with the Japanese language. The fact that I could get paid for it made it a true calling.


　Looking back, I may have been too straightforward about what I loved to do.

　The only clothing I wore was always from Uniglo.
　I never drank a drop of alcohol except for Hinode beer.
　The car was always a Tomida.

　The reason for all of them is that I like them.

　As for me, I don't intend to be thorough in this way. I think that because I like it, I should be able to use what I like. However, to others, my taste seems to be different, and I have often been pointed out to them. You're too straightforward" - I've often been told.


　Maybe so.

　It's only recently that I've become aware of this.


　On the cusp of turning 30, I came across a game called Mövius Online.

　It was a game that changed my life forever.

　It was the world's largest VR MMORPG created by a brilliant Japanese team, and it had all the elements I liked, but when I finally got around to playing it ...... it was, as a translator, no longer interesting enough to be described in words, as it should be. I would say it was the biggest shock of my life.


　I immediately cut back on my work to the bare minimum.

　The reason was to play Mövius.

　I fell in love with Möbius more than my increasingly dead-end job.


　Then my Mövius life began.

　Specifically, when I wasn't under pressure to work, I would play Möbius from after breakfast until after dinner, and sometimes after dinner. And sometimes, even after dinner.

　The character's name is 0k4NN (Reikan). I've heard that many Japanese FPS players in the past preferred to use Leet to give their names to their characters. It is said that in team battles, giving a name that the opposing team can't read instantly gives a time advantage to their team.
　Therefore, I took my favorite number and expressed it in my own way in Japanese, following the Japanese naming convention, and named my alter ego. The ring of zero, which means the coexistence of nothingness and existence, in other words, the truth of the world. Reincarnation, expressing the endless repetition of finite events that continue forever.

　The growth type is sorcerer. I was personally fond of the Japanese view of magic. Magic, especially the manipulation of some attributes, played a large role in the Japanese creations, which was reason enough for me to admire it after reading many Japanese novels.

　For these and other reasons, I became more and more immersed in the world of Mövius day by day.

　I was immersed in it. I was devoted to the [Magic] of Mövius. Although it had the simplicity of four attributes and five skills, it was unique in that it was easier to raise INTs and produce firepower because it had more skills than other skills, and on top of that, there was a strong element of bargaining due to the affinity of the attributes, and there was no end to the appeal of it.


　The fact that I loved magic so much that I was able to acquire the first Eishou was not inevitable ......, it was the result of a number of coincidences.

　In a game that has just begun, there is no doubt that the players are not playing well in every corner of the game in terms of time. I was able to exploit that hole with flying colors.

　At the time when all players participated in the title game for the first time, and even the rules of participation were vague, I used "magic tricks" (・・・・・・) to prepare for disqualification.

　I used this skill, which was called "Magic ride" at that time, and I put it on my own magic.

　All the contestants seemed to think that I would be disqualified. However, the referee's answer was "Ali". As a result, I was not disqualified and I won alone.

　...... No, there was a misnomer. It was not a one-man win, if that is correct. I'm not going to be the only one to win the final, and that's where I came up just short, right?


　I still remember that. The guy who was facing me in the final.

　Afterwards, the man who was undisputedly the best in the world - 'seven'.


　He was outstanding. To use a cliché, he was a genius. He had the qualities of a champion, the dignity of a champion, the dignity of a winner, and the silvery glamour that poured from his body.

　The game was won. But the game was lost. He charmed me. He even brought it to a good match with mere magic against me, a despicable person who uses witchcraft.

　After the match, he said to me, "It was interesting.


It was interesting. I think it was a good idea. It made me laugh.


　You can find out after ....... He's more "competitive" than any other player. Perhaps even at this time, he must have been staring at me with blood and tears in the form of a demon underneath his smile. But he is someone who can take in all those emotions and truly admire others.

　His respect, so sweet and precious, like the nectar of the golden fruit of a heavenly god, was directed at me, no one else - it was a shuddering pleasure.


　How could I not be a fan? Wouldn't you agree?

　I've grown to love SEVEN.

　I always cheered for him at his games.
　When I had a match with him, I challenged him with everything I had.
　If he was beaten, I defended him with anger, and if he was praised, I agreed with him with joy.

　That alone made me happy.

　Every day I played my favorite Mövius and cheered for the SEVEN I loved. It's truly a dream come true.



　But the reality is not so simple.

　After three years of working, my life is getting harder and harder because I'm working less.

　I'm stressed out by the uncertainty of the future.

　My ranking in the world rankings has dropped from around 38th place to just outside the 100th place.


　And most stressful of all, ...... he, SEVEN was going to lose.

　He's human, too. Even though he is far less than others, he can still lose. I know that.

　But I couldn't help but hate to see the perfect world number one lose.

　Every time he lost, he grew. And it's amazing. Every time he was beaten, he would come up with a new, innovative tactic that would surprise everyone. He single-handedly rewrote the "conventional wisdom" of Mövius, over and over again. It was no mean feat for an ordinary man. He must have been so frustrated and frustrated that he couldn't help it. He must have studied it day and night, desperate to find out what he could do.
　Hence, some people argued that losing made him stronger. I agree with them. For his sake, he should lose in moderation. But still, I absolutely hate to see him lose.


　At this time, I was addicted to alcohol.

　When I drink enough to lose consciousness, I can forget about the struggles of life, the uncertainty of the future, the world rankings, the defeat of SEVEN, and everything else.

　If there is something that makes me feel even a little bit stressed, I drink copious amounts of alcohol. Knowing that this was a betrayal of my "liking", I continued to drink excessively in the evening, making the excuse that I didn't hate drinking either.

　This foolishness soon became a nightly occurrence.

　My liver was screaming silently.
　But I didn't want to go to the hospital.

　I even wanted to die rather than stop drinking, rather than being able to do Mövius, and I wanted to die like this.

　And then--




........................


　--He's... dead. Probably.


　The next thing I knew, I was rocking a small boat.

　The sea as far as the eye can see. A dream that showed no signs of waking up. A sub-character I couldn't remember logging into. A game world with no open admin screen.

　The afterlife was an unmistakable Mövius Online.


　Just before nightfall, I arrived at Hinode Island, which had just recently been implemented in a major update.

　The 【Battoujutsu】 that I was most looking forward to, its home base.

　Even though I myself am not a Catholic, my parents were devout Catholics. Hence, I was somewhat influenced by them. Is that why? This was the only time I gave thanks to God. In the end, I thanked him for the wonderful dream: ...... and for the wonderful dream.


　I quit drinking.

　Start over. Looking back, I hadn't been able to accomplish anything in my previous life.

　At least, at least, I wanted to leave something, even if it was tiny, for something I loved. I wanted to leave something behind, even if it was just a little something.

　I didn't know when this "bonus stage" was going to end. Well, then, let's be proud of it. Let's live in style. Let's live in style, if and when we die. Let's live a life where everyone can say that he died with honor. And I want to leave a testimony of my life to the people I love.

　I want to be a person who is foolishly honest about my "likes". This is my flaw, and at the same time, the only belief that I am proud of.


　Now, let the battoujutsu begin.

　The days of my passionate youth are in my heart.