King of Games C54 Real-time connections and future trouble

Several days had passed since Shinro's peculiar encounter with the assassin named Karura. He had since resumed his normal routine as a businessman, focusing on developing his video game enterprise.

The "Nerve Gear Zero" console and the games produced by his KiShin company had been receiving an overwhelmingly positive response in Taiwan. Simultaneously, the virtual world based on the "Small World" - where Conan and his friends had been acting as testers - was showing remarkable progress. The children had been making significant strides within the virtual environment.

However, Shinro found himself compelled to temporarily halt their testing. The virtual headset was due for a crucial upgrade, necessitating a pause in the ongoing trials. This interruption, while inconvenient, was essential for the continued advancement of his groundbreaking technology.

***

Shinro leaned closer to the cube, his breath fogging the surface. Inside, the miniature "Small World" bustled with life, tiny figures moving about their daily routines. His eyes darted between the cube and the high-resolution monitor displaying the virtual world.

His brow furrowed as he noticed a bird taking flight in the cube. Seconds later, an identical bird soared across the monitor. A child in the cube stumbled, skinning their knee. On the screen, the same child winced, a red mark appearing on their leg.

Shinro's fingers flew across his keyboard, pulling up data streams and comparison charts. Numbers and graphs flashed by, all pointing to the same conclusion. His eyes widened, a sharp intake of breath breaking the silence of his office.

He pushed back from his desk. The implications of what he was seeing sent his mind reeling. This wasn't just a copy or a simulation. Somehow, impossibly, the virtual world was a real-time mirror of the "Small World" in the cube.

Shinro's gaze returned to the cube, seeing it with new eyes. What he had assumed to be a clever copy had revealed itself to be something far more complex and miraculous.

Shinro's fingers drummed against his chin, his eyes narrowing in thought. "So that means..." he murmured, trailing off as the implications sank in.

With a flick of his wrist, the view in the cube shifted. The bustling town faded away, replaced by a dense forest. Shinro leaned in, his nose nearly touching the cube.

His eyes darted back and forth, searching. Suddenly, they widened. There, in a small clearing, chaos reigned. Broken branches littered the ground. Scorch marks marred tree trunks. A crude fort, half-collapsed, stood as silent testimony to recent activity.

"This is where Conan and the detective boys were practicing!" Shinro's voice rose with excitement, his hand slapping against the desk.

He spun to face his computer screens, fingers flying across the keyboard. Data streamed by, correlating the damage in the cube with logs from the virtual world.

Shinro's breath caught in his throat. The evidence was undeniable. Every broken twig, every scorched leaf in the virtual world had its twin in the cube.

"So, the virtual world," he breathed, awe coloring his voice, "a copy of the Small World, is also connected to the Small World somehow?"

Shinro's fingers traced the outline of his jaw, his eyes unfocused as he stared into the middle distance. The soft hum of his computers filled the silence of his office.

His gaze drifted to a calendar on the wall, the date two years hence circled in red. Launch day. The corners of his mouth twitched, caught between a smile and a frown.

In his mind's eye, he saw players donning sleek headsets, their avatars materializing in the lush forests and bustling towns of the Small World.

His brow furrowed deeper. What of the cube's inhabitants? Would they see these new arrivals as gods? Invaders? How would their society change?

Shinro's hand dropped to his side, fingers curling into a loose fist. A new thought sent a shiver down his spine. He pictured a player, eyes gleaming with magic power, conjuring flames from thin air. The same player, headset removed, staring at their palm in the real world. Would the magic follow them?

He turned back to the cube, watching the tiny figures go about their day, blissfully unaware of the potential storm brewing on the horizon.

Shinro's eyes glazed over, a mixture of excitement and trepidation playing across his features. His fingers twitched at his sides, as if itching to set his plans in motion. With a sharp intake of breath, he shook his head, clearing away the fog of speculation.

"System," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

The air before him shimmered, coalescing into a translucent panel. Shinro's fingers danced through the air, tapping invisible buttons. The panel shifted, revealing a vast catalog of worlds for purchase.

Shinro intended to use his accumulated points to purchase a new world. His plan was to develop and experiment with this world, shaping it into a structure reminiscent of the "Sword Art Online tower" from his previous life. He envisioned this as a flagship game for his virtual headset technology. While there was no particular strategic reason for this choice, Shinro felt drawn to the concept, perhaps due to a sense of nostalgia or creative inspiration.

However, Shinro was adamant about one crucial difference: unlike the anime from his past life, this game would not trap players or put their real lives at risk. He was committed to creating an immersive yet safe gaming experience, where logging out would always be an option and real-world consequences would be non-existent.

***

Meanwhile, in a secluded compound hidden deep in the mountains, the Kure family gathered to address Karura's failure.

In a dimly lit room, shadows danced on the walls as figures moved about. The air was thick with tension, broken only by the occasional sharp intake of breath.

Karura knelt in the center, her head bowed. The elders of the Kure family surrounded her, their faces etched with disappointment and anger.

Erioh Kure, the patriarch, stepped forward. His weathered hand gripped his cane tightly, knuckles white. "You've failed us, Karura," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Karura's shoulders tensed, but she remained silent.

A younger man, muscles rippling beneath his shirt, cracked his knuckles. "Perhaps some physical reminders of the importance of our contracts would be in order," he suggested, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

Erioh raised a hand, silencing him. "No, Raian. We have... other methods."

He turned back to Karura. "You'll be confined to the compound. No missions, no contact with the outside world. You'll train from dawn to dusk, every day, until we deem you worthy of the Kure name again."

Karura's head snapped up, her eyes wide with dismay. For an assassin bred for action, such confinement was a fate worse than physical punishment.

"And," Erioh added, his voice dropping even lower, "you'll be subjected to additional... genetic enhancement procedures. We can't have weak links in our bloodline."

A collective murmur of approval rippled through the room.

Karura's head snapped up, her eyes blazing with defiance. "But you don't understand!" she burst out, her voice echoing through the room. "Shinro Suzuki... he's not like anyone we've ever encountered. He's worthy of being my husband!"

A collective gasp rippled through the room. Raian's face contorted with rage, his muscles tensing as he sprang to his feet. "Strong?" he spat, his laughter sharp and mocking. "Don't delude yourself! You're just weak!"

Erioh's gnarled hand shot up, silencing Raian. His weathered face creased in thought as he studied Karura. "If this Shinro is truly as formidable as you claim," he mused, his voice gravelly, "then surely he'd have no trouble defeating Raian."

Raian's head snapped towards Erioh, his mouth opening to protest. But Karura's firm nod caught everyone off guard. "Even Raian is no match for Shinro," she stated, her voice unwavering.

A vein pulsed in Raian's forehead. His laughter, sharp and bitter, cut through the silence. "You little—" he snarled, taking a step towards Karura.

"Enough!" Erioh's voice cracked like a whip. Raian froze, his fists clenched at his sides.

Erioh's eyes narrowed as he regarded Karura. "Your confidence in this Suzuki Shinro is... intriguing." A hint of a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Very well. I'll send Raian to test him." He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "If Shinro fails to live up to your claims, Karura, you'll face the punishment I've set. But if he wins..." He paused, letting the tension build. "We'll forgo your punishment entirely."

Raian's face twisted in disbelief. "You can't be serious—"

But Karura's eyes lit up, a smile spreading across her face. "I accept!" she exclaimed, cutting off Raian's protests.

Erioh nodded, his decision final. The die was cast, and the fate of Karura now rested in the hands of Shinro Suzuki.

Unbeknownst to Shinro, Karura had inadvertently set in motion a series of events that would soon present him with a formidable challenge. Raian, a man of considerable strength far surpassing Karura's own abilities, was now poised to confront him.

This impending encounter would undoubtedly prove to be a significant test for Shinro, likely causing him no small amount of concern. However, for the moment, Shinro remained blissfully unaware of the brewing storm. His attention was fully engrossed in the fascinating discovery of the real-time connection between the virtual world and the Small World, reveling in the implications and possibilities this revelation presented.