Vol. 1 Chapter 0 - Boring Daily Life

The sound of the smartphone alarm wakes me up.

I blink a few times in the blurry view of waking up, then stretch out on the bed.

With a slight frown from the brightness of the sunlight creeping in through the curtains, I get up from bed.

Seeing that it’s 6:00 AM on the smartphone clock, I prepare to get ready for work and get out of bed.

Suppressing a yawn, I scratch my bed-head as I head to the bathroom.

“Sigh… How boring…”

I mutter to myself while looking at my face in the mirror in the bathroom. My name is Shinonome Shino Rai, a 28-year-old man with a typical glittery name composed of kanji characters.

Shino Rai himself has no complaints about this name, and he only feels gratitude toward the parents who gave it to him in good health.

“Today’s the last day of work… Well, I’ll just do it as usual.”

While washing my face and brushing my teeth, I use wax to tidy up my hair, which is prone to sticking up. Then, I put on my glasses, which, despite being constantly reminded by my parents and a few close friends to wear, I occasionally wonder if my face can’t be seen without them.

Putting aside such idle thoughts, I head to the closet and dress in my work suit, then grab my bag.

Since I can buy breakfast at a convenience store near the office, I throw what I’m wearing into the washing machine and calculate the time for my return home as I set the timer.

“I think the package is supposed to arrive in the afternoon… Well, it should be easy with half a day’s worth of remaining paid leave.”

Checking the calendar, I feel the possibility of finishing work relatively early, but the reality is unpredictable; that’s what I’d like to say, but the company Shino Rai belongs to is the type where differences can be drastic depending on the day, especially on midweek days.

It’s even more so on Wednesdays.

Thinking about the tasks I need to finish today and what needs to be handed over, I head to the front door, put on my leather shoes, check for any forgotten items, then twist the doorknob and step outside, taking out the key from my bag.

After confirming that the locked door is securely locked, I head to the company.

There’s still a bit of a chill in the air, so when I breathe out, a bit of whiteness is visible.

“Arca will be released tomorrow, and it seems that the world is paying attention… It appears that the number of buyers for the connection terminal has exceeded 100 million…”

Approaching the station, while waiting at the traffic light, I notice a car on the road watching the news at a high volume, waiting for the signal to change just like the cars on the road.

Listening to the content coming into my ears, I realize that Arca, which I just heard about, is attracting unprecedented attention amidst the existing VRMMO market.

Its catchphrase is “To a Different World than Reality.”

It’s a company that suddenly appeared in the VRMMO market, but the game footage shot for promotional purposes had a level of realism that was incomparable to other companies.

Therefore, it’s something that instantly gathered the attention of players who are deeply into VRMMOs.

“I also bought it… What should I do from next month onwards?”

Shino Rai is also one of those who bought a terminal to play this game.

Since the system allows for the conversion of the game’s currency into real money, acquiring certain items above a certain rank and selling them in the game can actually make a living.

Considering that, one might tilt their head a bit at the catchphrase, but if you think about it as working in another world to earn, it’s not that bothersome.

Although, if that phrase turns out to be a lie, there will be tears, but the majority of those who acted on impulse thinking they’d quit their current job and play earnestly would be fine with that.

“Well, even if I’m deceived, it’s fine as long as I can live and play leisurely.”

Transferring trains and arriving at the company, I mutter to myself again before psyching myself up and heading into work.

At that time, I think Shino Rai was filled with motivation, thinking about tomorrow.

…Needless to say, there were many other employees who quit, and it goes without saying that they had to work full-time without being able to take half a day off.

It seems that the laundry drying and the receipt of the package were both completed on time.