-224- November 6, 2022

The atmosphere at the dining table already revealed that the Kirigaya siblings didn't have the best relationship.

Or to be more accurate, it should be said that Kirigaya Suguha, the younger sister, didn't get along well with her two older brothers.

Actually, when Rozen was first adopted and brought to this household, the feelings among Rozen, Kazuto, and Suguha were quite positive.

Even though Rozen would hide in his room all day, Kazuto and Suguha often dragged him out to play for the entire day.

During that time, the three of them truly seemed like real siblings, full of mutual affection for each other.

At least, compared to when he was in the Akabane clan, Rozen, Kazuto, and Suguha were more like siblings. They didn't have discussions about magic, nor did they have clan members around giving opinions. All they had was the interaction of ordinary siblings—no magical topics, no clan members offering advice—just normal sibling interactions.

However, a turning point in their relationship came when their grandfather, who was passionate about kendo, began to educate them and brought them to a nearby dojo to learn the ways of the sword.

Rozen, due to his continued focus on practicing magic, had always been physically weak. Coupled with his lack of interest in kendo, he didn't follow his grandfather's arrangement to diligently learn kendo.

Kazuto might have been influenced by Rozen, as after he got involved with games, he too became addicted to the internet and started messing with computers. He was completely unwilling to learn kendo.

This made their grandfather furious. He was so angry that he even prepared to give both Rozen and Kazuto a harsh lesson, which ended up making Suguha cry.

As a result, Rozen and Kazuto became immersed in the world of the internet, while Suguha dedicated herself to kendo as per their grandfather's wishes. Even after their grandfather's passing, she didn't give up on kendo.

This caused Rozen and Kazuto to develop many common interests and their relationship to grow closer. Conversely, Suguha distanced herself from the two, as she poured herself into kendo and resented her two brothers for indulging in the internet. She no longer played with them like she used to, and the gap between them grew wider. Eventually, even their everyday conversations dwindled, resulting in their current state.

Of course, there were other reasons as well.

But that's a story for another time.

Because of this, Kirigaya Midori had a lot of concerns. Yet, in the end, she felt she couldn't easily intervene and could only reluctantly give up.

Right now, Kirigaya Midori could only ask:

"Today is Sunday, so you don't have classes. Do you have any plans?"

This question was actually directed towards Kazuto and Suguha.

After all, Rozen was currently on leave from school, so he didn't have any classes to attend.

However, Kirigaya Midori treated everyone equally and posed the question to all present. As a result, the three of them looked up slightly.

"Well..." Kazuto responded with some evasive eyes. "I have some programming work to do. I'll be in my room later and won't come out."

Meaning he was planning to stay holed up in his room and play games.

"I'll be going to school later," Suguha didn't raise her head and said in an indifferent tone. "There's a club activity."

Which meant she wasn't planning to stay home and spend time with her two brothers.

Rozen, on the other hand, was more straightforward.

"Today's the highly anticipated game server opening. How can I not be the first to go online?"

There was no attempt at subtlety. Rozen directly spoke those words, causing Kazuto to nod continuously. He only buried his head when Kirigaya Midori shot him a glare and quickly resumed eating.

"Really, you..."

Kirigaya Midori was about to start lecturing Rozen.

However...

"Is the game really that much fun?"

Suguha suddenly spoke up, causing a slight shift in the atmosphere.

Of course, it wasn't a positive change.

"Even though my older brothers are very smart, Aoka nii-san can even skip grades and take a Ph.D. exam, and Kazuto nii-san can program on his own. Why do you both stay at home playing games all the time?"

Suguha didn't look at Rozen as she said this, keeping her head down.

Seeing this, Kazuto wore a somewhat lost expression, not knowing what to say.

Rozen remained silent for a while before answering.

"It's just because I really enjoy it."

This was the only reason Rozen could offer.

As for the other reason, Rozen couldn't reveal it here.

After all, even if he told Suguha that he wanted something in the upcoming game, something he needed to become stronger, she probably wouldn't understand, right?

So...

"Is that so?"

Suguha didn't say anything more, just putting down her chopsticks.

"I'm full."

Leaving behind those words, Suguha picked up her kendo practice bag from the side and headed towards the door.

"Wait, Suguha."

Kirigaya Midori hurriedly caught up and shot Rozen a glare before leaving.

Leaving only Rozen and Kazuto sitting at the dining table.

"You're causing trouble..." Kazuto sighed and said to Rozen, "Knowing that Suguha hates games so much, couldn't you have been a bit more tactful?"

"What's the use of being tactful?" Rozen's gaze shifted towards Kazuto as he spoke. "Can you honestly say in front of others, 'No, I actually hate games, I'm just playing casually'?"

"That..." Kazuto was momentarily speechless.

This earned him a look of disdain from Rozen.

"Even though you love games just as much and can't wait to play, if someone asks, you definitely won't say anything contradictory. You want me to be tactful?"

At this, Kazuto could only awkwardly turn his head away.

But...

"Today's the day 'that' server opens, right?"

Kazuto's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Yeah, it's finally launching. I've been waiting for so long."

Rozen shrugged, his words revealing considerable anticipation.

November 6, 2022.

On this day, this world would experience a different change.

Rozen and Kazuto exchanged a glance, then suddenly sped up their eating pace. Once they had finished their breakfast, they simultaneously put down their bowls.

"I'm full!"

With that statement, the two of them left their seats at the same time and headed upstairs.

But before returning to their rooms, they each left a remark for the other.

"See you at 1 PM."

"Yeah, see you at 1 PM."

With that, they both entered their rooms at the same time and closed the doors.

....

Once back in his room, Rozen first shut down the computer that had been running continuously. Then he picked up an object placed nearby on the console.

It was a streamlined helmet that covered the entire head up to the face.

The helmet was mechanical, adorned with various interfaces and indicator lights that told people it wasn't meant to protect the head.

Its interior contained numerous signal components. It could directly link the plural fields generated by these components to the user's brain, allowing the user to perceive visual and auditory information without relying on their actual eyes and ears. This provided the user with a sense of "seeing" and "hearing" through direct input to the visual and auditory cortices of the brain by the machine.

Naturally, beyond auditory and visual input, it could also read and reproduce touch, taste, and smell—what is commonly known as the five senses.

Its true form was that of a gaming console.

Its name was—〈NerveGear〉.