3 Explosive News

It was supposed to be just a normal day. Well, if you can excuse the typhoon drenching the world. Richard Simmons had been living in Japan for at least 5 years and still couldn't bring himself to use an umbrella. To him, it was just too troublesome. Yet when it pours like it did on this Thursday afternoon, Richard really might as well have been swimming around town instead of walking if he's going to continuously refuse using an umbrella. Let's be honest, he probably would have been warmer that way at least. Would have saved him the looks from the Japanese people walking past too, he just knew they were looking and thinking that he was crazy.

Let's be honest here, it's hard enough for westerners to walk around a far eastern town, especially when one has bright blonde hair. Yet, when you refuse to use an umbrella even in a typhoon, you really do stand out completely.

Unfortunately for those like Richard who refused to use an umbrella, this Thursday afternoon really was the worst time to be walking around town.

As Richard was walking along the road trying to dodge the splashing from cars, he couldn't help but think how he wished he was tucked up in bed playing SWTOR. As luck would have it, he was stuck outside, not only having to worry about the weather but also his company's areas manager words. Today was an important meeting for Richards's sake of mind; unfortunately it just didn't go the way Richard had hoped.

Walking along the road, he just couldn't get his managers words or face out of his mind.

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{2 hours earlier}

"Richard, I would like to able to promise you things will get better. I'm just not able to. Sure I'll talk to the higher ups about your concerns and I promise you that I'll look into them. But that's all I can do." Dean said with as much empathy as you could expect to find in a dead cat.

Richard was just utterly gob smacked. He had just spent an hour talking with his manager about the various issues and stresses he was facing. Yet, in the end it all boils down to nothing. Just a promise to look into things, a promise Richard knows is worth nothing at the end of the day. How many times has he heard his company's announcements in meetings about how they wanted to make things better for their employees? Only for their actions to always fall short of their sweet words.

"But I've been working here for 5 years. Nothing's changed or improved. Can't you at least offer a raise? I'm still earning the same amount I did when I first got off the plane." Richard replied trying to hide the anger building up inside of him.

Unfortunately it was all for naught. Dean just shrugged, gave more empty promises to look further into things and sent Richard on his way home.

Things seemed so hopeless to Richard. As he was walking out the door he just felt his chest tighten. He loved his job. He loved teaching his students. But his finances were stretched thin. There seemed to be no light at the end of the tunnel. Richard just couldn't see a way to keep on living and working in Japan. While his classmates from university were all moving on with their lives, getting jobs, moving into houses of their own, finding life even getting promotions; Richard's live seemed to be in the same spiral going nowhere. He just felt that 5 year's effort, 5 years of giving his all to improve himself was worthless in the eyes of his company.

He had no idea how long he could continue to work like that, yet couldn't figure a way out. How could he move on from here? He had no idea.

It was at that point he noticed the typhoon and thought to himself "Oh, shit! I'm going to get wet." What a great day for Richard it was turning out to be.

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Finally reaching the train station, Richard was utterly drenched. Even the little old ladies were staring now. He couldn't help but moan and grumble at the way things were going in his life even more. As he walked through the ticket gate, he decided to check his phone, remembering that he promised to tell his friend Leon how the meeting went. Of course the following conversation via messages didn't exactly provide any relief. Leon after all was one of those lucky workers in Richards's book. Happily married to a Japanese wife that had a paycheck higher than the one they were getting.

The amount of times Richard heard Leon saying "Luckily I haven't touched my paycheck yet, all the bills and things have come out of my wife's paycheck. We're saving my paycheck for a holiday". It drove Richard insane! He couldn't help but feel jealous. Sadly for Richard himself, he could never seem to manage to keep a romance going longer than a couple of months, let alone marriage.

Leon was a nice guy, in fact he was one of Richards's best and closest friends in Japan. Yet, Richard couldn't but help his carefree attitude. Nothing seem to bother Leon at all, he never seemed to bother trying to improve things with the company, no matter how much his wife tried persuading him to do so.

Every time Richard tried talking to Leon about making a stand, Leon would always come back with the same response "Mate, no matter how much you complain nothing's going to change to change. Haven't I told you before? We're just a commodity to them. Why should they care as long as there are plenty of other people willing to replace us?" Accompanied with the same old shrug and smirk everyone was used to. If only stares could kill, Richard would have killed Leon at least 1000 times by now at least. Luckily at this point Leon wasn't around so Richard was spared the waste in time of trying.

Richard really wanted to and needed to find a way out of his current situation. His finances were stretched so thin, and his student debt? Thinking about that just wanted to make him find a hole to crawl into a die. Things just seemed so utterly bleak and impossible.

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When the train arrived, it was time for Richard and everyone else at the station to become a sardine in a tin can. Sadly, for a country that is known for the punctuality of its trains, Richard seemed to live in that one area that went against that view. There was always this one line that would always find a way to cancel or be delayed. Especially in a typhoon. So unfortunately for Richard and everyone else at the station, today's train was going to be oh so busy.

In fact as he was walking on, Richard had to try oh so very hard to not knock over the little old ladies or whack a kid in the face. Not the least stressful thing in the world.

As the train leaves, Richard pulls out his phone again. Why not check out some videos and the news while stuck like a sardine? As he browses the web however he soon notices an announcement a new game. It seems to be the most popular video out right now, so he decides to check out.

How little did he know that his world was about to be blown away.

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{News Headline}

[Mia] "To everyone watching, Hi! It's Mia Hitomi here to bring you the most explosive story you have ever heard. I'm standing here today with Asahi Takamura, the lead designer and CEO of Ouranos. Asahi why is today's announcement so explosive?

[Asahi] "Thank you Mia. To everyone listening today, I'll keep it brief but be prepared to be blown away. Our company has just finished testing our very first game. Now, this isn't your ordinary run of mill game. Instead I am 100% confident in saying that it is a world first. This is because, and I'm extremely pleased to be telling you this, the world's first full immersion virtual reality game."

[Mia] " Really?!!! I'm sure everyone watching this must all be dying to hear more information about this. I myself am dying to know more, so what can you tell us about this game?"

[Asahi] "Well, I'm sorry everyone. At this stage as a company we won't be giving any details away. All I will tell you is this. The game is called Altera Vita. Which if you look up on any translation software is Latin for (Second Life). And that's we aim for in this game. For it to become the second life of everyone that plays it."

[Mia] "Can it really become a second life? Sounds ambitious! Please give us more information!"

[Ashai] "I'm sorry. But for now, the name is all you're getting. Closer to the release date we will be releasing more information. But only a tiny amount, anything of importance is up to the players themselves to discover in the game itself. After all, life doesn't come with a handbook does it? So why should your second life?"

[Mia] "Well, you've got me intrigued. I'm sure everyone watching is too. Can you at least tell us the release date? What about the hardware involved, will it be expensive?"

[Asahi] "I can tell you the release date at least. It will be released January 1st 2021. Just under 2 months away. As for the cost of the game and hardware, that will be unveiled a little latter. We are currently working out the best way to cost such hardware. After all, we want the game to have much an open and balanced community as possible. Thank you so much for your interview today. However, I'm sorry. This is it for all we as a company are willing to disclose at this point in time. Goodbye."

[Mia] "Well, there you have it folks. I will certainly not be dropping this subject anytime soon. So I will be seeing again with more information as soon as I get some! Thank you so much Mr. Asahi. See you again soon everyone!"

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Richard just stood and stared at his phone. He must have looked like an idiot to anyone looking at him. After all, who just stares at their phone with their mouth hanging open? Richard could have sworn he heard some kids snickering. Yet at that point he just didn't care about being the crazy foreigner. His mind just couldn't process the video he had just watched.

How could such a thing exist? Virtual reality? Full immersion?! He couldn't stop from pinching himself.

"How can this possible? It's gotta be a lie right?" Richard couldn't help but ask himself. Scrolling through the videos comments it seemed everyone was having the same reaction.

This really was explosive news. Richard had thought much like everyone else, he thought he would be dead before such a game was released. Yet here it was.

Altera Vita. He just had to have it.