" I'm doing all this... I hope one day you'll see it."
I wake up to the sound of running water in the bathroom, a sign that Laika is showering. On the desk, I find a small breakfast of fruits and nuts, with a glass of milk beside it. There's also a note with my name on it.
I decide to enjoy everything Laika has prepared. I eat with gusto, but I can't help but crave a nice, succulent lasagna. Miah!
"Lasagna" I drool at the thought.
"Hurry up, get dressed, we have a lot to do!!" I hear Laika call from another room.
I quickly get dressed, but I can't help asking her the question that has been burning in my mind since last night: "But why the mask?"
"Shh, curious cat. Quiet, get dressed and let's go, the Mask Maker isn't just around the corner!" Laika replies hurriedly.
I move quickly, filled with curiosity. Laika leads me out of the building and gives me a gentle push. I realize we're not exiting from the same entrance as yesterday...
"Wait for me here while I close up and we'll go, okay?" she says before disappearing behind the door.
I wait eagerly, wondering what this new day in NET has in store for me.
Laika jumps onto a small crate and starts typing a code composed of many numbers.
Now she descends and takes my arm, holding it tightly against herself as she whispers, "I know it's your first time, but don't let go of me, okay?"
"W-what...?" I manage to stammer before everything around me turns black. I can still feel the warmth of her grasp as my stomach churns and my head spins. What's happening? Am I about to vomit...
"Come on, it's almost over, hang in there," I barely hear a faint, distant female voice.
Suddenly, the whirlpool of sensations disappears, and a path unfolds before me. The dull colors gradually return to their natural vibrancy, and my vision clears as the headache fades away.
I find myself taking deep breaths, trying to understand what just happened and where I am now.
Laika exclaims, "Your first Data-Transfer!!!!! Yeeeeeeeahhhhhhh!"
I'm compelled to ask everything since I know nothing about this world. Seeing my confusion, Laika drags me into a corner of the street and tries to explain, "Come on, wake up! We're in a video game!! If you have Credits, you can teleport. Didn't you think of that?"
It's true. I still haven't gotten used to the reality I'm living in now... it's all new, fascinating, and, well, a bit scary.
"SO YOU BLASTED ME WITH A LASER-THING-TRANSFERER WITHOUT TELLING ME, HUH?!!" I exclaim, feeling overwhelmed.
Laika looks at me innocently and replies, "Yes" with those eyes that are impossible to ignore.
"Alright" I add, crestfallen, "but let me know next time."
"Oh come on, you wouldn't have done it" Laika retorts.
I smile, acknowledging the truth in what she says.
"But does the graphics look different here?"
"Oh yeah, right, I didn't tell you. In Okuyama, they use a different graphic render for the population, considering we're 280 network nodes away from Shinjuku!" Laika explains.
"And how far is that?" I ask, still a bit bewildered.
"Quite a bit. You could say, in terrestrial terms, it's like the distance between your planet and the star that warms it" Laika replies naturally.
"W-what? And we covered that in so little time?" I stammer incredulously.
"Yes! Always remember where we are, even in the most difficult situations. It's just a video game!" Laika encourages me, taking my wrist.
"Let's go!" she urges, and I follow her as we walk along a crowded street full of people. In the distance, I catch sight of an airship with a very peculiar figure, holding their head with two straps.
"Laika, what's that?" I ask, indicating the airship with curiosity.
Laika exclaims, "Guess who? That's the person we're looking for... quite famous, you know... does a lot of advertising, hehe."
"Is that M-Ajira?" I ask, intrigued.
"Yes, just like I told you. Only a few have the prestige I mentioned yesterday. He's from a very unique race, the Holos. They're super rare humanoid beings, made of their own light and have a variable structure," Laika explains enthusiastically.
"Fantastic... and what can you tell me about this server?" I inquire, eager to learn more.
As we stroll through the bustling streets of Okuyama, Laika tells me all about it. She's quite the chatterbox and seems to know a lot of details. I understand that here you can find services of all kinds...
"Come on, let's go to Proxy Plaza! They take beautiful photos there, and then we'll be out on the street. I want you to have a memory of how you arrived here and how everything started" Laika suggests with enthusiasm.
I nod in agreement, and we hurry towards a bustling area full of little shops.
She points out a spot and asks me to pose.
"Go for it! This is your first photo in Okuyama" she encourages.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I strike a confident pose sideways. Laika takes out a small object from her pocket and aims it at me.
Then she approaches with a smile and shows me the photo appearing as a hologram from the device she used to take it.
"Are you happy?"
"Oh wow, thank you Neko! Come on, the shop is just around the corner. I'll print the photo soon."
We head towards the corner and are met with an imposing, decadent structure.
We step inside. I try to make sense of what I'm seeing, but it's hard to describe the room... is it really a room? It feels like we've passed through a door into another world, a microcosm of its own.
In front of me, on a table, I find a bell with the word "Ring" on it.
Laika presses it immediately, and from a door at the end of the hallway that disappeared into darkness, we hear noises.
Not footsteps, but rather a sound cutting through the air. After a few moments, the figure of M-Ajira appears before us, wearing a multicolor mask with iridescent reflections.
"Hello, customers, appointment number 134-AB-123-XY" they greet us with a deep voice.
"Greetings, mask-maker" Laika responds
"We're here today because he needs a mask. As you can see, he belongs to the 'Manifest' class" she adds, gesturing towards me.
The large, luminous multicolor mask scrutinizes me closely. "A human has made it this far?"
"Yes, it's a very rare birth class. The GM sent him into my server to complete his Quest" explains Laika.
"I see" says the non-human figure dubiously, examining me carefully. "Without the mask, he would die within a few days. You did well to come here."
"To die? What do you mean?" I asked, terrified, interrupting the conversation between Laika and M-Ajira.
"A Human Breed with your class is destined for great things" M-Ajira replied seriously
"The mask is necessary for you to stay here. Once attached to your face, you won't be able to remove it. Without it, you risk dissolving into the data-bytes of the NET. The mask will help define your identity. I didn't want to tell you earlier, but now you have no face."
I touched my face, feeling something different, not my own skin. It was true, I hadn't noticed that my face was disappearing... but how could that be possible?
M-Ajira noticed my confusion and tried to reassure me: "What do you do best, Human Breed?"
What did I do best? I could barely figure out who I was. I thought long and hard, but couldn't find an answer.
"He's an ARTIST" Laika intervened.
Then, with an admiring tone, M-Ajira looked at me and chuckled: "Oh, an ARTIST? It's been ages since I've seen one here in the NET... tough life, but great responsibilities. If you succeed in your endeavor, it won't be so bad! What kind of ARTIST are you?"
The answer was clear, and I stopped Laika to answer myself: "Music. I make... Music."
It was an answer I knew well, and it came naturally to say it.
M-Ajira spun around and then approached, speaking softly: "Excellent, then you'll honor your starting Server by creating a song that will captivate the local people! With the earnings you'll make, you can repay me for the mask!"
We agreed to the deal, which seemed very promising. A song to save my data?
"But... I don't have a place to make music" I objected uncertainly.
"Actually, everything is already set up. We were waiting for you" Laika said.
We thanked the maker as he gave us final instructions and assured us that my mask would soon be sent home.
We left, aware of the task that awaited us: making music
We bid farewell to M-Ajira as he slowly dissolved into the darkness.
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