Chapter 98. Theresa?
"Already got a finished product?"
He leaned in, full of surprise, and immediately got bonked on the head by Dr. Tesla at the side.
"How could it be that fast? It's only a half-finished prototype."
Swatting away Xander's wandering hands, Dr. Tesla started operating the computer on the side table, while Dr. Einstein stood in front of them.
With messy green curls and sleepy eyes, she explained, "A mature product is estimated to be fully launched in four to five years."
"Right now we're still testing each new technology item by item."
"Of course, the most important safety issues are already guaranteed."
"We're currently verifying virtual somatosensory feedback and cross-platform online connectivity."
"When we looked for test personnel, Welt Yang recommended you."
"He said letting you get a head start would help port Pokémon into the world of virtual reality later."
"So, I can experience actual virtual reality now?"
Ignoring Dr. Einstein's whole long explanation, Xander selectively heard that one thing.
"If you want to think of it that way, sure."
She yawned, her eyes drooping even more, her voice turning even more languid.
"Dr. Tesla has finished most of the basic setup."
"You can lie in now."
She pointed at the big metal box in the center of the room and spoke slowly.
"Then…"
Xander didn't walk forward.
He turned back instead, looking at the three equally expectant figures, then searched Dr. Einstein's face with an inquiring gaze.
The meaning was obvious, but the doctor shook her head.
"Sorry, we only have this one usable test unit."
"I see…"
He patted their little heads as they immediately drooped in disappointment.
He tried to keep a straight face, but the grin he couldn't suppress still showed as he said, "In that case, I'll try it out for you first."
"Tsk, get moving."
Not wanting to see that smug look on his face, Bronya gave him a push.
He went over to the big metal box and, following Dr. Einstein's instructions, slowly climbed in.
Inside the box was a hollowed-out metal recess.
Aside from the ring-shaped restraints around the sides, there was only a coarse helmet to put on, crisscrossed with a dense bundle of data cables—a rather peculiar aesthetic.
Following the prompts, he lay down at the bottom of the recess, then picked up the helmet and put it on.
Thanks to the ergonomic design underneath, lying down didn't feel uncomfortable at all—actually as comfy as a soft bed.
It was just that the helmet pressed awkwardly on his head.
After adjusting the angle until the back of his head felt better, Xander signaled that he was ready.
"Mm."
Click.
With Dr. Einstein's quiet press of some button, the restraints snapped shut and clamped tight on his limbs.
Before Xander could get nervous, she spoke slowly, "Don't worry."
"These are only for accurate life-sign monitoring to prevent overstimulation from spiking your heart rate and causing a chain of incidents."
"They act as a safety measure."
"That so."
He tried to nod, but realized even his head was held in place and couldn't move at all.
"Is this thing dangerous?"
Seele's worried voice came through, and Dr. Tesla quickly reassured her.
"Relax."
"This guy's strong as an ox—he'll be fine."
"This is mostly for people who are physically weak or have cardiovascular issues."
"On him, it's just insurance."
"The safety has been rigorously tested—otherwise that woman Cocolia wouldn't have signed off, would she?"
After comforting Seele, Dr. Tesla's head popped into view from outside the box.
"How does it feel?"
"Not bad."
"The helmet's comfort could use work, though."
"Oh, previous testers said the same."
"We'll get the design majors to optimize it later."
Not caring much about that, Dr. Tesla glanced at the monitor, confirmed Xander's vitals were fine, and finally said, "All right, I'm going to start it up."
"Relax your body."
Relax?
Without giving him time to think, a tingle ran across the back of his head, and the real world went dark before his eyes.
He didn't pass out.
Instead there was an indescribable sensation—as if his consciousness were being dragged by something, floating in one direction, rising, rising, rising.
He had no idea how long it took—maybe an hour, maybe a second—when he felt like a drowning survivor who'd just broken the surface.
He lay prone on the ground, gasping for air.
Wait.
Prone?
Realizing something was off, Xander jerked his head up.
His sight had no lag at all.
Just like reality, he saw a scene indistinguishable from the real thing.
It was a small room of about twenty square meters.
No bed.
No window.
Just a full-length mirror in front of him and a door.
"Th-this…"
Eyes wide in shock, he stared at the face in the mirror that was exactly the same as his own.
He leaned in—each strand of hair was distinct.
He raised a hand and touched it.
The smooth tactile sensation made him wonder if he was actually in reality.
"This is ridiculous."
He muttered to himself, simultaneously patting himself down all over.
Then he remembered something and quickly lowered his head to look at the white shorts that had automatically appeared on him.
He reached for them.
Figures, they won't come off!
It was as if the thing was glued to his body.
He could feel he was wearing something, but he just couldn't take it off, no matter how he tugged.
"Hey, hey, hey—can you hear me?"
Just as he was experimenting with ways to get the shorts off, Dr. Tesla's voice came through his ear.
"Loud and clear."
"Good."
"I'll keep it short."
"Slide a finger downward to summon the virtual menu."
"Check the contents yourself."
"In about two minutes we'll transfer you to the cross-device cloud we're running jointly with Schicksal."
"All you have to do is stay in there and we'll test stability."
"Got it."
"Anything else?"
"No… Right."
"The underwear can't be taken off, so don't bother trying."
"…You can see what I'm doing right now?"
"Nope."
"But every tester before you asked the exact same question."
"You tried too?"
"…I did not!"
"Mm."
"Do your best."
"The first test is expected to end in two hours."
Dr. Tesla's voice faded.
Following her instructions, Xander reached out and slid downward.
A bar-style virtual menu—just like in SAO—appeared before his eyes.
"Profile, Outfit, Items, Settings, Log Out."
Only five simple options.
Profile needs no explanation—it listed his personal info.
The Items tab was empty.
Settings let him tweak things—visual effects, pain feedback, and so on.
Pain was at a default 10%, up to a max of 50%.
Finally, he looked at Outfit.
He'd thought it would be as empty as Items, but the dazzling array of "gear" nearly blinded him.
Great, the product's not done but the skins are already here.
So you're the Goose Factory too, huh?
He snarked inwardly and started scrolling one by one.
Homu, Homu-Mei, Homu-La, Homu…
A full round—everything was Homu series.
Tsk.
A hardcore Homu fan must've infiltrated the R&D team.
He tapped the most basic Homu King set at random, and instantly felt something slip onto his body.
"No dressing animation?"
He muttered and looked back at the mirror.
In it stood a big yellow figure with upright ears, a big head, blank eyes, and a wide, foolish grin from ear to ear.
Honestly, Xander never really understood the appeal.
How did Homu take the world by storm?
He tried moving a bit.
Surprisingly nimble.
He hopped, bounced, planted his hands on the ground, and did a Thomas flair.
It was like he'd really become a mascot suit—no lag whatsoever.
"Hmph."
"Just you wait."
"In four or five years, this place won't be stuffed with Homus anymore."
"It'll be my Pokémon!"
A wave of weightlessness hit just as he was about to take the costume off.
He suddenly remembered what Dr. Tesla said—was it transfer time already?
"Hey, hey, hey—wait, I haven't changed yet!!!"
Too bad Dr. Tesla at the console couldn't hear him.
Even if she did, she probably wouldn't care, right?
His feet found ground again.
A blinding light made it hard to keep his eyes open at first.
Then an excited voice sounded right by his ear.
"Wow, it really is Mr. Homu!"
"Grandpa didn't lie to me!!"
"Hm?"
As his eyes adapted to the light and he opened them, he saw a white-haired little girl barreling toward him.
She barely reached his chest, and she leapt straight into his arms, nuzzling him happily.
He lowered his head at the bobbing little head.
His two thick arms didn't even know where to go.
What's going on?
I just got here and a little girl's already throwing herself into my arms?
Did Tesla arrange perks like this?
Am I that kind of person?
Though his body stayed still, Xander was already conducting stern self-criticism in his heart.
Just then, the little girl looked up at him.
Her red eyes were as beautiful as gemstones, and a genuine smile bloomed on her adorable face.
"Hiss~"
This is kind of cheating.
He raised an arm and carefully rested his handless limb on the girl's head.
She squinted contentedly and rubbed into it.
Her long white hair, done up in low twin tails, swayed with her movements.
Going by Dr. Tesla, this was the cross-platform cloud jointly run by Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.
So was this little girl someone from Schicksal's side testing with him?
It's just… this face looks more and more familiar…
Schicksal, plus this cute face—no way…
His patting arm froze.
Meeting the girl's slightly puzzled gaze, Xander braced himself and asked, "Are you Theresa?"
"Eh?"
The girl blinked, then curved her lips into a smile.
"Mr. Homu, you know me?"
So it really is!
Gwa! Why is the old crone affecting the airs of a bashful maiden!
He opened his mouth and, after a moment of hesitation, grumbled in frustration, "I grew up listening to Teriri's songs."
"...Pfft—hahahahaha~"
He'd expected an awkward look from Theresa, but she kept clinging to him and, inexplicably, laughed nonstop.
Wait, he just roasted her age—why is she so happy?
"Um…"
"Aiya, don't worry about that."
"Let's go play!"
She suddenly grabbed his arm and tugged him forward.
"Play?"
Only then did Xander take in their surroundings.
Unlike the closed room from before, they were standing on an open plain under the sun, and the direction Theresa was pulling him toward was a huge gate with five big words printed on it: "Homu Amusement Park."
Even from afar, he could see the abundance of attractions inside—this would be an ocean of fun in reality.
In the virtual world, tickets weren't needed.
They just dashed straight in.
Instantly, a cacophony of sound, a boisterous atmosphere, and lively music washed over them.
The moment they crossed the gate, it was like stepping into another world.
Only, as he looked at all the little Homus acting as visitors and staff, Xander couldn't shake a weird feeling.
Theresa, on the other hand, was practically sparkling.
She let go of his arm and ran ahead, giddy, her black-and-red dress fluttering, revealing her slender, fair calves.
She made a small loop, peeking left and poking right.
Then she turned, backlit by the sun, and waved to him happily.
"Mr. Homu, let's play together!"
That adorable, wiggly beckoning made Xander smile in spite of himself.
Forty-something is forty-something.
But such a cute Theresa is really hard to refuse.
He waved back.
In his big Homu suit, he lumbered over goofily, making her laugh nonstop.
Then, hand in hand, the two of them went wild through attraction after attraction.
…
Schicksal Headquarters.
A man with golden hair, dressed in the Bishop's attire of Schicksal, stepped into the innermost laboratory.
After sending away the medical staff, he looked at the glowing nutrient pod, and unhidden warmth softened his otherwise calm expression.
This was one of the incomparable treasures in his heart.
Even his footsteps grew gentle as he walked to the side of the pod.
Inside, a frail, adorable little girl opened her big red eyes.
Seeing him, she smiled with delight.
"Grandpa~"
Her voice came thin and distorted through the speakers.
Otto bent down and placed his hand on the glass of the pod, smiling warmly as he asked, "Theresa, did you have fun today?"
"I did!"
At that, it was as if limitless energy surged into that fragile little body.
She gushed to her grandpa, "Today I ate cake with Mr. Homu, played bumper cars with him, rode the carousel with him, and…"
She listed each thing she'd done.
In the end, Theresa added, "Of course, the happiest thing was meeting Mr. Homu, who stayed with me the whole time!"
"Mm."
"As long as you're happy, Theresa."
Otto didn't find anything off.
A Homu theme park—just like his older granddaughter—of course Theresa would love Homu.
"Grandpa, when's the next time we can go?"
"In a week."
"That long…"
The visible disappointment in his granddaughter's eyes pained Otto.
Gently he said, "Just a little longer, Theresa."
"Just a little longer."
"The genetic adjustment and treatment will soon be complete."
"Then you'll be able to stand in the sunlight, carefree, just like your sister."
"Mm!!"
The future her grandpa painted filled Theresa with longing.
Then she asked, hopeful, "Then, when I'm better, can I go find Mr. Homu to play?"
Otto paused for a moment, then smiled gently.
"Of course."
It's just a Homu.
If Theresa likes it, buying a whole building full of Homus is no problem at all!
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