Ascentech

That night, after returning home with Hina-nee, I decided to do some research on Ascension: Online and AR technology as a whole. Reason being that I wanted to find out if this new ARMMORPG could truly do what I hoped it could - create a new world.

My goal is to escape from my past, the vicious bullying, and all the pain I endured. But unfortunately, the entity watching over all known as fate just seems to not want me to. So, in order to accomplish my goal, I would have to do something far greater - I would have to escape to a new world. A new reality.

I logged in to my computer and opened the browser. Typing in 'AR technology' in the search bar, I hit Enter on my keyboard and waited anxiously as the page loaded. Once it did, I clicked on the first result, an article from a popular web-based free encyclopedia site. It read:

'AR (Alternate Reality) is a simulated experience that can be either similar or completely different to the real world, depending on the application. Uses of AR include entertainment (video games), training (e.g. military drills), and utility (e.g. virtual meetings for businesses). A few distinct AR-style technologies include VR (virtual reality), AUR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality). These are sometimes collectively referred to as XR (extended reality).'

These were all just the very basics I already knew. I scrolled down a bit, to a section called 'Technology'. But...there was nothing there. The only thing that was written in this section was:

'Unknown.'

And below it, a text box that read:

'This section is a stub. You can help by expanding it.'

"... Really?"

I scrolled down a bit more and arrived at the 'History' section of the article. Apparently, AR technology was invented by a company called Ascentech, and released to the public on January 1st, 2050 - nearly two years ago, since today was September 7th, 2051.

However, that was the only thing known about it. The development process, big breakthroughs - nothing was shown here. All we knew was that AR technology was created by Ascentech, and released on January 1st, 2050.

I frowned as I reached the end of the page. Quickly opening a new tab, I typed in 'Ascentech' this time in the search bar. Only one website came up. I quickly clicked on it and was redirected to the homepage of Ascentech Limited. I browsed through the website, but couldn't find any useful information. I found it odd, to be honest.

AR technology was extremely popular. Nearly everyone in the world had a set since no one was really in poverty in the year 2051. That meant Ascentech should've received trillions of income, making them a huge company. And yet...why is their website so simplistic? There was practically no information to be found anywhere. It had a nice template and minimalist design, but it didn't tell anything to viewers.

Really, there was just one page on the site. A title that read 'Ascentech Ltd.', with their logo beneath it. Below that, there was a short paragraph of text that basically explained information I already knew - an explanation of AR, and when they released it to the public. However, then-

"Hm? What's this?"

-Something caught my eye. I accidentally hovered my cursor over the top of the page, but that unexpectedly brought up a navigation bar. I got excited at first, thinking this would bring me to more pages filled with information, but there was only one header on it, labeled 'Products'.

I sighed. Better than nothing, I suppose.

Clicking on the Products header, the screen before me flashed white and the text on it changed. The first thing I saw was a large header that read 'AR Technology'. Below it was a paragraph explaining what AR was once again, but nothing about how it really worked, or the science behind it. I tried clicking on the header itself, but it was unclickable.

Scrolling down a bit, I saw something else. Now this, was a discovery.

Right below the paragraph describing AR, there was another large header. But this one read the following words:

'Ascension: Online.'

What this meant was that Ascentech had not only created AR technology - they had also created the first ARMMORPG that you could technically stay inside forever. Human necessities such as food and water weren't necessary, as explained by the clerk. In addition, all AR sets came built-in with WiFi, and relied on electricity to operate. In conclusion, as long as the player had constant access to electricity, and no unforeseen disasters occurred, they could stay inside the game forever.

So... both the technology itself and the top game using this technology were invented by this company called Ascentech Limited, huh? They must be raking in profits by the trillions, at the rate things were going. However, one thing still bugged me. And that was the fact that for some reason, to me, it felt like this company wasn't just doing this for money.

Naturally, the main purpose of starting a business, inventing a new technology, and even going so far as to create a game for it as well, would be to earn profits. But something about this company, Ascentech, bugged me. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but there was something off about their motive.

Call it simple instinct, but it is what it is.

However, before I could think about this deeper, the door to my room was swung open in one swift motion, and in a panic, I closed the tab I was on.

"Heya, Kaze-kun!" the intruder called out happily, running over and wrapping her arms around me.

"Hina-nee...have I not told you to knock?" I muttered exasperatedly.

"Well well, it's fine, isn't it? It's not like you have anything to hide from me," she giggled. "So? What were you doing in here?"

"Just... researching some stuff," I replied truthfully. I purposely didn't get into any specifics, since that would only lead to her raising more questions.

"Heh... researching, huh? I see," she said, sneaking a glance at my now-empty screen as she smirked deviously. "Well, in any case, dinner is ready. C'mon. Let's go."

I nodded and stood up from the chair once Hina-nee let go of me. We headed downstairs, and as I ate, I thought about Ascentech and their motives.

*****

The next day. September 8th, 2051.

My alarm clock went off at 6 AM, signaling me to get up and prepare for school, which started at 8. Two hours may seem like a lot at first glance, but I needed every minute, especially considering this house was pretty far from Fujimura High. It was a lot closer to Kawasaki High though - the high school Hina-nee went to.

I turned off my alarm clock and groggily sat up.

What would I do today?

Today would be the second day of high school. I doubted Ichigo and Horiya have already stabilized their positions and formed their own, solid, friend circle. That meant I should still be safe - for today, at least. But this 'grace period' of sorts was running out.

As I walked out of my room, preparing to go to the bathroom, Hina-nee just happened to walk out of hers as well, which was right beside mine. Whether it was a planned meeting on her part or simply just a coincidence, I didn't know.

"Oh! Good morning, Kaze-kun!" she exclaimed, running over and giving me a big hug.

"Shh...auntie and uncle are still sleeping," I muttered quietly. "Also, you don't have to hug me every time you see me."

"Ah, yes, that's a bad habit of mine," she admitted, sniffing her nose.

I sighed in relief. So she knew it was a proble-

"But I have no intention of changing it, hehe~"

Saying that, she hugged me even tighter, to the point I could barely breathe.

"H-Hina-nee... can't... breathe..."

"Oh, sorry," she said, letting go of me at last. I coughed a couple of times and struggled to get my breath back. Nearly getting strangled first thing in the morning was certainly not a good way to start the day.

After that, we each got ready for school by ourselves. There were two separate bathrooms, so we took advantage of that fact to speed the process up. Hina-nee ended up being done before me. When I finally got downstairs, she had just put on an apron and was starting to heat up the pan.

"Looking sharp, Kaze-kun! What do you want to have for breakfast today?"

"Hina-nee, I can cook today," I replied.

"Eh? Why? I've already start-"

"Just think of it as part of my repayment to you for yesterday," I interrupted.

She flashed a beautiful smile. "Right, right...I get it. But remember? There's no such thing as repayment between family members, heehee!"

"Please, Hina-nee. Let me do it," I insisted.

She looked at me for a couple of seconds, before finally sighing. "Fine then, if you really want to. Actually, this is a good opportunity to teach you how to cook, so I'll allow it, just this once!"

I smiled in return. "Thank you, Hina-nee."

She blushed slightly. "Mou~what's with all the politeness? We're family - no need to be so formal. Now, come. Nee-san here will help you put on the apron..."

*****

"Woah, you look so cute!" Hina-nee exclaimed from behind me as she finished helping me tie up the apron around my body.

I sighed. "Uh... Hina-nee? Are we actually going to do some cooking, or are you just going to stand there and keep taking pictures?"

"Both!" she replied enthusiastically, before putting her phone away and walking over closer. "Okay, so - today, I'll be teaching you how to make a classic, unhealthy breakfast!"

"Wait, unhealthy?"

"Yep!"

"... Isn't it usually 'healthy' with you though?"

"Well, I'll allow it this time, since it's very easy to cook - perfect for beginners like you," she said after some careful thought. "Okay, first step - pour some oil into the pan!"

Just like that, she taught me some basic cooking skills. They weren't anything too complex, but by the end of her crash course, I could cook basic food such as sunny-side-up eggs and also fried bacon. It's not like I was a chef or anything now, but at least I wouldn't starve to death, given the right ingredients.

After that, we each left for our own school.