Is this false paradise the sin left behind for the next generation by a humanity that broke its promises again and again?
Are we meant only to be swallowed whole by paradise?
Or...
* * *
In Century Era 20XX, a new examination was created for the high schoolers who would carry the next age on their shoulders: the virtual space program known as the EDEN Program.
And I—a second-year at Kyoto Seishin High School, Kagehara... no, wait, Rei Ichijou—was one of the students taking part in it.
— Century Era 20X0, April 10th, 12:00 PM: EDEN Program Commences —
"Is this... Shibuya?"
I looked around. The cityscape stretching out before me was one I knew all too well.
(Huh. Why does this feel kind of... nostalgic?)
(Actually, wait—why Shibuya? I logged into the program from a server at the Kyoto prefectural office.)
"Wait, isn't this Shibuya? Let's go hang out!"
"Hey, maybe we can actually get home from here!"
"If you wanna go home, why not just log out?"
Voices like that drifted from all around me.
What we were currently taking part in was the EDEN Program.
It was a nationwide aptitude exam that applied VRMMO (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online) technology to the field of education.
Its official name was the Enlightenment & Development for a New Era program.
Judging by the name alone, you'd think it was some high-minded educational institution, but at the end of the day, it was just a standardized nationwide aptitude test.
Something close to what used to be called the National Center Test or the Common Test for University Admissions.
That said, it wasn't only for students hoping to go on to college.
For those planning to enter the workforce, the results served as evaluation material that companies would reference; for those hoping to study abroad, they doubled as letters of recommendation.
In other words, it was an exam no one could avoid if they wanted to decide their path after high school.
Every second-year high school student in the country was eligible to take it.
Participation, of course, was voluntary.
Voluntary... but—
—hardly anyone chose to skip a test that expanded your future options just by taking it.
At least, I'd never heard of anyone around me who had.
I happened to catch my own reflection in a shop window.
I was a hair under five foot seven, with a slender build that didn't look like it belonged to someone who'd once played basketball in middle school.
The only thing that stood out was maybe my eyes—a faint, olive-tinged color.
My face still had a somewhat childish look to it, nothing you'd call the face of a story's protagonist, even if you were being generous.
...Well. That's me.
I opened the menu window and scrolled all the way to the bottom. Sure enough, there was a logout button. I tapped it, just to see what would happen. A pop-up appeared.
Are you sure you want to log out? Selecting 'Yes' will be treated as forfeiting the exam.
I hurriedly hit "No."
(Yeah... probably best not to go poking buttons like that out of curiosity.)
While I was thinking that and idly skimming the menu, my vision suddenly went black. The next instant, a huge window unfolded in front of me. Startled voices rose up all around me at the same moment—apparently this was a broadcast sent to every player at once.
— WELCOME TO EDEN — Enlightenment & Development for a New Era program
Welcome to the EDEN Program.
All examinees will now begin the virtual education exam.
Current Location: Floor 1
Target: Floor 12
Final Objective: Defeat the boss enemy waiting at the depths of Floor 12.
Exam Clearance Conditions: – Clear each floor – Complete the designated tasks – Defeat the final boss
Good luck.
Along the bottom of the screen were three tabs: [RULE], [STATUS], and [WORLD GUIDE].
"...This is literally just a game."
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
I'd heard the words "college entrance exam" and "aptitude test" tossed around, and I'd pictured something a lot stiffer and more formal. But what had actually started up was an RPG world complete with weapons and monsters.
Looking around, plenty of students seemed to be buzzing with excitement. If anything, most of them looked like they were having fun.
And honestly? My own heart was beating just a little faster too.
I looked away from the pop-up and scanned the crowd. Here and there I spotted faces I recognized. It seemed the avatars in this virtual space were just... us, unchanged.
(Well, there hadn't been any avatar customization screen to begin with...)
As I talked myself into accepting that, I noticed something: every player around me, myself included, was decked out in weapons and armor.
"Wait, I'm holding a sword or something, lol."
"Oh my god, don't we look like we're totally cosplaying right now?"
"Seriously, Hayato, this look is so you—you're basically a hero straight out of a legend!"
(Who was that loud, long-haired guy who'd been grating on my nerves this whole time? Same class as me, I think... Oka—Oka something. Okada, maybe?)
"Come on, Okabe, quit teasing me," Hayato Hagiwara, the class's resident clean-cut heartthrob, said in reply.
(Ah, Okabe, right. Not that I had much interest in remembering his name anyway. Still, the guy had energy to spare—even in a whole new world, he was just as annoy—er, I mean, wonderfully lively as ever. Yeah. Wonderful.)
And with that small, backhanded compliment out of the way, I told myself I was different from the rest of them—every bit the brooding, jaded protagonist of some light novel—and kept listening in on their conversation.
"Apparently we've gotta beat some boss."
"Maybe we should start by upgrading our gear?"
"Nah, nah, it's still early—starting gear'll be plenty! I've played a ton of RPGs, you know!"
"Wait, GDP?"
(That stands for Gross Domestic Product.)
"That's Gross Domestic Product."
Hagiwara answered without missing a beat.
"Okay, then IOC?"
(International Olympic Committee.)
"IOC is the International Olympic Committee."
"CCD?"
(That one... I have no idea.)
My thoughts blanked for a second.
But Hagiwara answered without so much as blinking.
"Charge-coupled device."
(You actually know that? ...Wow. Duly educated.)
He was surprisingly well-read.
"Okay, so then what's an RPG?"
"THAT'S where we're starting!?"
Hagiwara let out a wry laugh and started to explain.
"Put simply, it's a game where you go on adventures while growing your character."
"I see. No idea what that means."
"You didn't get any of that?"
I stood there listening to Hayato Hagiwara's patient, almost AI-assistant-level explanations paired with his perfectly timed comebacks, drinking it all in like I was actually part of their group... (sniff...)
And while nursing a petty, completely unearned grudge against Hagiwara for being both good-looking and more knowledgeable than me—hoping something mildly unpleasant might happen to him later—I pulled up the menu to check my own equipment.
I only had the one weapon. I drew the blade sheathed at my hip and checked its stats.
[ Fast Blade ] Weapon Type: Short Sword Rarity: Common
ATK: 5 STR: 10
Description: A lightweight one-handed sword. Suited for quick, successive strikes.
(A short sword, huh. Can't really compare it to anything else since it's the only weapon I've got, but it's starting equipment, so it's probably weak... Still, like Okada said, starting gear should be fine for now.)
After checking my weapon's stats, I pulled up my skill list.
(Oh, there's something called Skill Attack. Let's give it a try.)
I stepped a short distance away from the plaza where everyone was gathered and tried activating it. The moment I did, the blade flared with a pale blue light, and my arm swung into a stance all on its own.
(Whoa!)
A sword technique called Slash, tracing an arc from upper right to lower left. It had the look of a starter skill—simple, clean, and easy to get a feel for.
(I wonder how much damage it actually does. Actually, how strong are the monsters even supposed to be?)
As I idly browsed the menu afterward, my eyes landed on the status field.
Lv. 1 HP 98 / 100
(Huh...?)
I found myself looking again, twice.
(My HP's already down from the start?)
That didn't make sense—I'd only just logged in.
(One of those classic launch-day glitches? This... this calls for a compensation package from the operators.) I thought, grinning to myself.
Having (unilaterally) decided the exam's organizers now owed me one, I went on fiddling with the screen, meaning to look further into the EDEN Program's details, when—
"AAAAH!"
"Whoa, what IS that thing!?"
"Wait, a rat? Gross!"
About thirty feet ahead of me, a cluster of players had suddenly erupted into chaos.