As soon as Imada returned to his apartment, he sat in front of the widescreen monitor and opened the game window. He had been provided with high-performance equipment to play VR10 Beta by Overthrow Corporation. When the game loaded, he immediately checked Yoko''s profile. Observing Yoko''s points, categorized and displayed, he noticed that Yoko’s ‘vitality’ barometer had risen to standard level, indicating her suicidal tendencies had disappeared. Imada''s direct intervention had saved Yoko''s life. Once his overall game points increased by another 100, the lock would be released, allowing him to level up to the next stage. At this rate, waiting for four more days would easily earn him the needed 100 points.


    The unique aspect of this game was that it allowed players to perceive the computer-generated virtual world''s graphics as if they were real. Microchips stimulated the brain accurately, enabling them to experience the five senses of taste, hearing, smell, sight, and touch. For instance, let''s say they were drinking wine in the game. Unlike in traditional games, they could not only taste and smell the wine but also feel its coolness on their tongue. In other words, everything that happened in the game didn''t physically exist, yet they could sense it all. There was no need to spend a lot of money to buy high-quality wine; they could enjoy its taste simply by transferring the wine data from a remote database on the network into the game. If the senses were perceptible in the game, how much value did the real world truly hold? The real world came with the burdensome responsibility of consequences stemming from actions. In the virtual world, if they failed, they could just restart the game. Wouldn''t people become obsessed with a game devoid of responsibility, fleeing from the unrelenting judgment of the real world? Yoko was too good for the likes of Imada. Whether in the real world or the virtual world, being able to interact with her through the senses had undoubtedly become Imada''s greatest pleasure in life. This game had irresistible temptations that exploited human weaknesses, leaving no room for resistance.


    Four days after her last meeting with Imada, Yoko called him again.


    "Imada-san."


    "Yes."


    "Do you remember?"


    "Of course. It''s Yoko-san, right?"


    "Yeah... not that. Our promise for dinner..."


    "That too, of course."


    "Is today good?"


    "Well, let me see."


    "It''s okay if you''re busy."


    "It''s not that, please wait a moment." Imada quickly opened Yoko''s profile. With just 10 more points, he would unlock the option to go on a date with Yoko.


    "It’s really okay."


    "No, it’s not. Are you free tomorrow evening?"


    "Yes, I am!" Yoko couldn''t help but let out a delighted voice.


    "I can earn 10 points by tomorrow, so it''s okay."


    "10 points?"Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    "I''m sorry. I''m testing a virtual reality game for its development."


    "Is that so? Well, I hope you can earn more points then."


    "Yes," Imada chuckled.


    The next day, Imada earned enough points to unlock the option to go on a date. He couldn''t stop grinning as he imagined having a meal with Yoko. Frankly, he had never been on a dinner date with a beautiful woman before. When he checked his game account profile, he found a sufficient balance displayed, thanks to leveling up, to dine at a high-end restaurant. According to Yoko''s profile, she loved meat, so he chose a Kobe beef steakhouse.


    Yoko spent half a day choosing her outfit and shoes for the date. After taking a shower and applying makeup, she waited outside her apartment. As promised, Imada appeared in a dark blue Bentley at the designated time. When Imada opened the passenger door, Yoko excitedly climbed into the luxurious car. Imada was momentarily captivated by her shapely legs in her knee-length skirt.


    "Yoko-san, I was thinking of going to a Kobe beef steakhouse."


    "Really? I absolutely love meat. I''m thrilled!"


    "Well, that''s good to know," he replied, feigning ignorance about Yoko''s favorite food.


    Upon arriving at the restaurant, they handed the car over to the valet parking service and entered the restaurant.


    "I''m Imada," Imada told a beautiful woman at the front desk.


    "Yes, Mr. Imada. Right this way," she said, leading them to their reserved table. Yoko''s heart raced as she sat down in her luxurious seat.


    "Would you like some wine, Yoko-san?"


    "Yes," she answered with a smile. Without looking at the menu, Imada informed the waiter of the name of the high-end red wine he had researched the day before. In the game, any wine could be accurately perceived by the brain as long as the data was available. Game players could access the information from a shared database when they needed it. While getting intoxicated from alcohol was possible, in reality, the physical body wouldn''t gain weight from drinking. It was all about sensations.  However, these sensations were real, and the happiness they generated was real as well.


    "Do you come here often? It''s a lovely place."


    "This is my first time here," Imada replied as he looked at the menu.


    "Isn''t it quite expensive?"


    "Feel free to order anything from the menu."


    "I''ll leave it to you, Imada-san."


    "Then, let''s go with the most expensive cut of meat."


    "That sounds wonderful," Yoko answered with a smile.


    They had finished their meal and were now drinking wine.


    "It was incredibly delicious. I''ve never had meat that melts in my mouth like this before."


    "I''m glad you liked it."


    "You''ve really never brought a girlfriend here?" Yoko asked, her face flushed from the wine.


    "Unfortunately, I''ve never had much luck with women."


    "I can''t believe that. But in a way, I feel relieved."


    "Relieved?"


    "Yeah, I mean, I won''t have to compete with other women."


    "Why would you want to compete?"


    "So that I can have dinner with you again."


    "There''s no woman who could compete with you, Yoko-san."


    "Can I take that seriously?"


    "I swear to God, it''s true."


    "So, I can have dinner with you again?"


    "Of course," Imada replied with a beaming smile.


    Imada had always dreamed of having a conversation like this with a woman. He had encountered kind women before, enjoying pleasant conversations with them, but the atmosphere would always change when he invited them to a meal. If he confessed his feelings, he would never hear from them again. Once, following a friend''s advice, he tried to give a bouquet of roses to a woman, only to be turned away at her doorstep. Since then, he had come to see women as unattainable flowers on a high peak, the idea of mutual love entirely absent from his life. But this game was giving him a chance to experience the romance he had never known before.