Chapter 7 - Virtual View
What a coincidence…
My mind was spinning at high speed… no, it wasn’t.
No, no, ‘Mion’ might be a common name? It must be someone else, right?
“Are you finished?”
“Ah, yes. I’m fine…”
“Yes…”
President [Katori Suzuya] looked a bit puzzled, but I decided to ignore it for now.
“Alright, I’m inviting you to the online club room, so please enter.”
Along with her words, a room invitation was sent.
[You have been invited to room “Mitsumori University Affiliated High School Cybernetics Club Room” by Bell. Would you like to enter?]
Again, I pressed “Yes” without hesitation.
Since it was real view mode, there was no particular change, but in virtual view mode, I would probably see a virtual club room.
“Now, during club activities in this room, and during club activities from home, we will call each other by our [display names]. Understood?”
“Got it.”
I replied, and [Izumo-san] nodded softly.
Well, it’s the same as me always calling my mischievous friend [Kashihara Naoto] “Nat.” He calls me “Shou” too.
President [Katori Suzuya] is “Bell,” and [Izumo-san] is “Mion.”
So, is [Izumo-san] the “Mion-san” who came to watch my stream?
I felt like [Izumo-san] was a little surprised when she saw my [display name], “Shou.”
Was that because it matched the display name of the streamer she watched yesterday?
“Alright, first, let’s have a self-introduction and profile check time. Ise-kun, Shou-kun, please start.”
“Okay. Uhm, I’m [Ise Shouta] from 1-B. My favorite thing is, of course, games. Right now, I’m playing [IRO], which started the day before yesterday.”
As I said that, I glanced at [Izumo-san]… She's smiling a lot…
And President [Katori Suzuya] was nodding. She seemed to be looking at my game play history from my profile.
“Next, Mio-san, Mion-san, please.”
“I’m [Izumo Mio] from 1-B. I like watching game streams. Lately, I’ve been watching only [IRO] streams.”
SHE SPOKE! …with a chat-synthesized voice.
I see. She just has trouble speaking out loud, but she does have the intention to convey her thoughts.
Well, that “Mion-san” was able to speak normally. And her voice is very similar to Mion-san's. In fact, it's identical…
President [Katori Suzuya], meanwhile, was smirking, which gave me a bad feeling.
Besides, club activities are “virtual idol activities,” aren’t they…? Is she thinking of having [Izumo-san] debut?
Will you stream again today?
The whisper by my ear made me almost jump.
Even if it was a synthesized voice, it was the first time an unfamiliar girl had whispered (private chat) to me!
Ah, yeah, I will, but… 'again today' means you were the Mion-san who came to watch my uninhabited island life after all?
Yes! I’m looking forward to it.
Ugh, damn, I’m so embarrassed.
“It’s good that both of you are interested in [IRO]. I’ve been playing since the closed beta, and my stream has been well-received, so this will be my main focus for a while.
So, Shou-kun, where did you choose to start? What’s your character build strategy?”
Yup, that question was definitely coming, alright…
Well, I guess I have no choice but to tell the truth and hope it cancels out the secret of President [Katori Suzuya] being [Majo Bell].
As I was thinking that, the club room door quietly opened, and a woman in a suit appeared.
“Oh my, Ise-kun and Izumo-san are joining this club~”
The cheerful voice belonged to [Kumano-sensei], our homeroom teacher. A Japanese language teacher. 27 years old, single. Short bob with red-rimmed glasses. She’s a bit petite but seems popular with students.
By the way, I heard she was my older sister’s homeroom teacher when she graduated…
[Kumano-sensei] then sat in the head seat at the very back of the club room.
“Uhm… is [Kumano-sensei] perhaps the advisor?”
“That’s right~ Let’s do a friend registration right away~”
She seemed to have put on her [VR HMD] and completed authentication, as she extended her hands towards me and [Izumo-san].
[Accept friend request from nearby user “Yata”?]
Of course, I chose “Yes.”
“Yata” was added to my online friends list, following “Mion” and “Bell.”
“Alright, since the teacher is here, let’s explain the club activities. Since we’re at it, let’s go to virtual view mode. Shou-kun, would you lock the door?”
“Ah, yes. But won’t someone like me, who wanted to join, come?”
If everyone goes into virtual view mode, they won’t notice if someone comes in real life, so locking the room is standard. But the [club recruitment period] isn’t over yet…
“It’s fine~ We’ve set it up so you’ll know if someone comes and knocks~”
According to [Kumano-sensei], notifications would be sent to the [VR HMD]s, linked with the security system.
So the club room itself has been modified…
“Roger.”
After confirming I had locked the door and returned to my seat, President [Katori Suzuya] declared,
“Alright, everyone, we’re going into virtual view mode.”
When switching from real view to virtual view, it’s customary to close your eyes. It’s because the world suddenly changes, which can glitch your brain.
“Whoa…”
When I opened my eyes, I was in… a place like a common RPG tavern and dining hall, sitting in one corner in the same seating arrangement as in real life.
President [Katori Suzuya] was in the form of [Majo Bell], whom I knew. It was the usual pointy witch hat and robe, but she was already beautiful, so it suited her quite well, honestly. The anime-style avatar also softened her sharp edges!
[Kumano-sensei] was in a suit, just like in real life. In fact, she looked so much like her real self, I wondered how she found such an identical outfit.
Conversely, [Izumo-san] and I were in our default male and female outfits. Our appearance was close to our real selves, but with slight changes to hair style and color.
As I’m not the type to spend money on avatar costumes, that was natural for me, but I was surprised [Izumo-san] was in her default outfit. She could have dressed up a bit more…
“Alright, welcome to the [Cybernetics Club], both of you. First, I’ll tell you about our past club activities.”
President [Katori Suzuya], or rather, President Bell, snapped her fingers, and a window appeared above the head seat, where a video began to play.
“Yay! [Majo Bell]’s [IRO] stream is starting!”