Author Note: I am trying to write so that those not in the fandom can read my stories with no (or little) confusion. If people can do this then I feel like I've succeeded as an author. Those in the fandom however, feel free to skip/skim read paragraphs two, three, four and five as they are simply explaining Nerve Gear and SAO. More A/N at the end of the chapter.
It's been almost a year since Nakamura Yuuto had left school. He had gotten decent grades but was finding out that getting a decent job was as hard as his peers had made it out to be. It was fiercely competitive. He was luckier than others, he had to admit. He had started helping his neighbour, Yamamoto Riku, in his pizza shop during his last year at school. Once Yuuto finished high school Riku asked if he would be up to delivering pizzas so the small business could expand. The answer was a resounding yes; but that didn't mean he would stop searching for more. There was always more in this world. He was after a higher wage. There was so much that he wanted. This year especially. This year was every gamers dream come true.
Nerve Gear. That's the name of the hardware created in May 2022. Unlike the older style man to machine interface hardware like 'Flat screen monitors' or controllers that you used with your hands; the Nerve Gear only had a single interface that covered the whole of your head and face. Inside there were numerous signal components and by using the numerous electronic signals these sent, the gear accessed the users brain itself. The user didn't (or rather couldn't) use their eyes or ears to see and listen, but took in the signals that were sent directly to their brain. In addition, the machine could access not only sight and sound, but also touch, taste and smell as well; that is to say, all five senses. After slipping the Nerve Gear on and locking the strap on your chin in place and saying the initiation command "Link Start", all noise fades away and you're swathed in darkness. As soon as you pass the rainbow coloured circle in the middle, you are in another world made entirely out of data.
A Virtual Reality. The electronics company which created the Nerve Gear called the actual act of linking to the virtual reality "FullDrive". It was a total seclusion from reality, fitting of the word "Full". The reason for this is that the Nerve Gear not only sent fake signals to the five senses; but also blocked the rerouted the orders that the brain sent to the body. This can be called the most basic requirement for moving freely in a virtual reality. If the body received the brain's signals when the user was in FullDrive, the moment the user decided they wanted to 'Run' their actual body would run into a wall. Thus whenever a user wanted to move, only their avatar would move. No danger.
The potential was seen and Sword Art Online, or SAO as it was more commonly known, a game that was practically designed with the Nerve Gear in mind (or the nerve gear designed for the game) was to be released beginning of November. The first of its kind, virtual reality massively multiplayer online role-playing game, or VRMMORPG. As information was steadily revealed, the gamers' enthusiasm only increased. 100 floors to concur. An entire world with forests, lakes and cities to live in. Players had to rely only on their sword and will to succeed to explore dungeons and defeat the boss' to get to the next stage. Magic, considered to be an indispensable part of fantasy MMORPGs had been boldly cut out and an almost endless number of skills were made. It was part of a plan to let players actually feel the experience of fighting with their own bodies through FullDrive as much as possible.
It wasn't just Sword Skills. Skills varied as much as real life did. Smithery, leather working, sewing, fishing, cooking, playing music and so much more. It wasn't just to be an adventure. It was to be a whole new life. If one wanted, and with enough skill and money, they could buy a house and live as a shepherd.
Whenever Yuuto was able to get together with old friends he often had stirrings of jealousy regarding the things they could (and did) buy. It was only last week that one of his friends was bragging (undeniably so) how his cousin had been a beta tester for SAO; and thus guaranteed a copy when it was released. She must have been having the time of her life those two months of being a Beta.
Only 1,000 got picked to be a Beta out of 100,000. It was like winning the lottery. Yuuto tried to look on the bright side: at least he got to hear about it (3rd hand its true) before a lot of others. But he was mostly jealous if he was honest. Your avatar could look like anything, so long it was human. All of the advise was to make the build as similar to your own as possible; makes it easier to get used to moving the avatar apparently. But really, who wouldn't want to be a few inches taller? Yuuto had put a lot of thought into his potential avatar, he might not be able to play until more copies were released but he could still dream right? He had a good level of fitness, heck he had to cycle for his job, so no need to change his build. But height, of yes! Hair colour: Why be a dull black when there are more exciting colours in a fantasy world. Purple hair, longer too, not too much though. Perhaps shoulder length. Yuuto's conservative family didn't agree with a man's hair being too long.
Speaking of the release date for SAO... it was today, November 6th, 2022. Huh...
Yuuto picked up the next order: one medium anchovy pizza and a ginger ale for Tsuboi Ryoutarou. He stored it in the square, foil lined bag which was ergonomically designed to help keep products safe and warm during the cycle. He quickly checked the address and inserted it into his SatNav (aka his phone) and set off.
Yuuto heard the classic "You have reached your destination" from his phone. He started to look around for a place to lock up his bike and of course check out the area too. It was an outdated block of apartments, the area might be clean but you could tell the plaster needed a go over. There was someone with artistic talent and a love of the latest games and anime as dotted about here and there was graffiti. Didn't look bad, but wasn't helping the general look of the place. He wondered what the rent was around this block. Probably not bad but one would almost need to win the lottery to get it with it being a low price.
A suitable fence spotted for his bike to be temporarily locked to, he now only needed to find the right door. It wasn't long before Yuuto was standing outside the door; he took a moment to check his phone for the time: 5:20pm. Slightly early but that's ok. A smile quickly plastered on his face as he rang the door bell and listened for the tell-tale sound of movement.
There was none.
He double checked the order. It was due at 5:30pm. Well there could be numerous reasons why one might not come to the door straight away. Yuuto leans against the wall and his brain helpfully listed all the many reasons. On toilet. Forgot the time. Had to dash out. Broken watch. Ordered for the wrong time. Been given the wrong apartment. The pizza is a prank (he checked around for any cameras to wave at). In shower. Couldn't hear over the TV. Playing with a pet. Talking on the phone. Fell asleep. Fell over. Fell and knocked a pile of books down on top of them. Yuuto smirked at that one, that would be in an anime, not real life. He sighed and knocked again, disputing the scenarios; he couldn't hear a TV, shower or any voices inside and pets would bark/meow, etc at him.. His mind wandered again to what time he would eventually get home. A slight worry that he will miss a show he had been watching weekly, could watch it on record but its somehow not the same as live. What does an anchovy pizza taste like anyway? If there's no customer then this will become his dinner, so long as he doesn't have to pay for it, that wouldn't be cool.
He knocked and checked the time again. 5:33pm. Five more minutes and then he would have to call his boss he decided.
Still no answer.
Call the boss it is then, Yuuto sighed. This didn't happen often thankfully.
When Riku answered the phone it was almost as if he expected this, "Oh sorry Yuuto, I forgot to tell you! Ryoutarou called us after placing his order. He said just in case he was too engrossed in his new game to let yourself in. He gave me the code for his key safe located on the left of his door. 'C8743' Just go in and take the money from the table, it'll be fine."
If this was said in person Yuuto would have raised an eyebrow at this... he then did it anyway on reflex. What a trusting person, he thought.
The buttons on the key safe were worn with a lot of use. It made it easier to open and get the key but showed just how often Ryoutarou must do this. Yuuto shook his head at the trusting stranger and entered. He would be lying if he said he didn't check out the apartment, at least a little. It was small, like a lot of apartments these days. Space was a precious commodity. It was open plan to maximise the space and he could tell Ryoutarou lived solo. The evidence was abundant. One pair of abandoned shoes by the door. One coat on the hanger. One unwashed breakfast bowl by the sink. He had long since spotted the table with the money and a small note on it thanking him. Yet he still glanced around, a lil jealous (a somewhat common emotion for him) of the solo living as he lived with his big family in a small place. Yuuto kept spotting things that he would also have if he had a place of his own. A small plant by the window. A collection of novelty magnets on the fridge. Anime figurines on the desk. A collage of pictures and clippings on a wall. On a closer look a lot of the clippings were of the Nerve Gear and SAO. It really was everywhere!
He spots a door, slightly ajar. He knew he shouldn't. He really shouldn't have. But he peeked through the ajar door.
Nerve Gear.
Ryoutarou didn't answer the door earlier because he was deeply engrossed with playing his Nearve Gear, the lucky devil.
Yuuto may have been slightly jealous earlier when he was cheekily checking the place out but now he was filled with it. He couldn't leave fast enough, he would feel better when he was back on his bike and away. Knowing that he wasn't disturbing Ryoutarou's sleep or something like that he didn't bother to be quiet on exiting and getting back to his bike.
And yet he was only a street away when his phone rang. "Was that guy on the nerve gear?!" It was his boss, Riku. He sounded almost frantic and Yuuto was instantly on edge.
"Yeah, why?"
"Go back! Right now!"
"But that's against procedure..?"
"I will take responsibility. Now go!"
"Ok Ok but explain. Please." Yuuto had already turned around and had been walking (with bike) back towards Ryoutarou's apartment.
"I..I..Er.." Riku didn't seem to know what to say, "open the link I'm going to give you," he said before hanging up.
Yuuto's phone dings with a message alert. By this point he had locked his bike back up and was back outside the clients door, a familiar spot now. Leaning against the door once more he opens the news article Riku had sent him.
And his mind filled with horror.
His hands shake as he inserts the key code in a hurry to get back inside. It took three attempts as his fingers kept hitting nearby buttons instead. Still not caring about being quiet, making even more noise than before, he slams the door wide open and rushes to the door he peeked through earlier.
Still on the Nerve Gear.
He checks what game is playing.
Sword Art Online.
Yuuto shook Ryoutarou's shoulder as if to wake him. Without the bulky Nerve Gear on he looked asleep, just like what the news article had said. He called Riku back.
"Is he...?" Riku sounded sombre, having had time to calm down a bit.
"Yeah," Yuuto took a deep breath before sealing fate, "He's playing Sword Art Online. What should I do?"
"Again I will take responsibility. We need to contact the family. Try to find his phone. While you're doing that I'll contact the police. Stay there. I'll pay you double for the time."
Author Note
So we get a lot of fic's based inside the game, but what of those outside? And thats how this started. I actually had to wiki Klein to find out what his real life name was.
So what do you think?
I know it will probably be unusual to tell a pizza company your key code to get into your place but Klein seems very trusting. I'm actually not sure if Japan has key codes, but will assume they do, or some do. I basically wanted a way for Klein to be found fast, after all he lives solo..
I have idea(s) for Kirito (Kirigaya Kazuto) based around his sister/cousin Suguha but I am a slow writer so will take a while for that to be written.