L.I.E.S Online

01 "Tryout"

     A figure starts walking through the crowded streets of Kyoto in casual clothes,having long,blonde and few slights of pastel pink dye from the bottom of her hair swaying at her waist.Her bangs almost cover her twinkle violet eyes that watching her steps carefully as she's hugging a plastic bag full with new collection of role-playing games in VRMMO version.Being excited to try the games,she almost bump into someone on the street.

"Ah! Gomenasai!"

She bows to show her apology.

There she arrives at a huge apartment that looks affordable yet comfy.She walks to the elevator and pushes the 'up' button.Wearing a big smile on her face,she takes out her apartment keys and get in.

"Okairi! Iora! I've bought new games!"

Shino quickly check on her brother as she locks the front door.

"Oh,Shino...let me guess...you forgot our groceries again...?" The blonde-haired boy tapping his feet as his right eyebrows goes upwards.

"Ack...I'm sorry! I got carried away with this new game release!" Shino shows Iora the plastic bag she's holding.

"Looks like we're gonna order ourselves fast-foods for tonight...how about your work interview?" asked Iora as he sits down on the sofa.

Shino shrugged and tilt her head,"I don't...think I made it..."

"Figured.You should start on as a youtuber if you love playing games so much..." Iora suggested as he dials the food delivery service.

Shino walks away towards her room ignoring what Iora told her as she set up her new games beside her VR console.She bought 5 role-playing games but she somehow caught interest with only one,"L.I.E.S Online? Life...In..Empty.....Souls.Why I have a feeling that this game quiet similar to SAO?" Shino takes out the disk and insert it into her PS5,as she starting to wear her VR consoles,"Shino! Eat first then you can play! Come on...I'm still worried you would end up stuck in one of those games like you did when you played SAO...you should be concern about yourself too at times,you just got out of the game like only 5 months,take a break sis..." Iora called out to her.

"Why are you so sure about me getting suck into a game again?" She puts away her gaming consoles and walks out to the kitchen.

"Well...it happened before didn't they? Game developers nowadays are really smart to create a virtual world where people can really die and the production of these kind of games keeps on increasing...you should be careful when buying new games..." Iora unboxing the foods and separate them into two portions.

Shino sighs as she take a sit in front of Iora.She feels like her hobby have become her new habit where she become her true self in game while in real life,it's pretty boring to live on.Nothing to show to impress anyone,skills and strategies that she have which hardly being used in real life somehow triggered something in her on not accepting reality.Having a supportive twin brother watching over her is quiet comforting while her mind is elsewhere in the virtual world making her personality developed new traits.

"Shino?"

"Oh! Sorry...I'm just...hey Iora?"

"Hm?"

Shino starts to play with her food,"Promise me...that you will come for me if I ever got sucked into a game again...?"

"You know I would do that even though you didn't ask for it.Plus,I'm a gamer myself...I'll help you in anyway."

***************************

     At night,Shino still in her room staring at the front cover of L.I.E.S Online game." 'Soul Trigger On'? This is getting fishy.It's like...'Link Start'.The game developer...Hanzo Kamui?" Suddenly,her door opens revealing Iora's head peeking inside.