Before I could even warm up my seat in the library, I was already on my way to a different building... No, a different department entirely.
Walking from the Arts Department to the Engineering Department took us roughly half an hour. Fifteen minutes on top of that for climbing stairs, heading towards a specific room on the third floor of a secluded building on the premises.
"It's here!" The man, Henry, announced proudly as he stood by a certain door.
On top of it, the words "Mechatronics Club Room" were displayed boldly.
"Mechatronics...?"
The term made me recall a certain kind, silent, skinny guy somewhere, who should be taking up mechatronics too.
"Yep!" Henry nodded with a grin. "We're a mixed club of various fields, studying OSes, implants, and the NSC itself!"
"...!"
Now, their topic completely piqued my interest.
After all, I, myself, have an NSC... But I can't really say I "know" my own NSC, as of now. It's still at the level of "Ah, I have this in me, huh? Cool~!" kind of understanding.
"First, you should equip your VR visor before entering. Tap over here to register and log your visit~!" He continued, pointing at a spot on the wall where a palm scanner was present.
As if to demonstrate, he did it first, placing his palm over the scanner and allowing it to verify his identity. Then, a dark visor covered his eyes before changing to a pale blue color, the same as normal visors.
After he was done, it was my turn.
I carefully placed a hand over the scanner, allowing it to get a look at my handprint... "Huh?" But a weird sensation passed through me the next instant. Like... someone probing my entire being discreetly. The next moment, my vision turned black as the visor covered my view... and a voice echoed in my ears the next moment, while I was still stuck in darkness.
{Oh, a visitor! That's rare, right, Luna~?}
{We're inside a public space, a club room. This is as normal as can be, Sol.}
Cute, feminine voices echoed loud and clear. One energetic and one pragmatic—bordering robotic.
{But it's been like, a week since we got a new visitor here~! It's a celebration-worthy event~!}
{Stop it. Your celebration is simply too wasteful of resources, both physically and virtually.}
{Ehh~? It's boring if we don't do...}
{Hmm...?}
But as they were continuing their banter, and just as my vision returned... I saw two figures standing just ahead of me. In front of the door leading to the club room.
Both appeared to be young girls in their early teens. They both have bob cut hair and were wearing pure-white one-piece dresses. The only difference between the two of them, aside from their expressiveness, is the color of their hair.
One had golden hair, as if born from the rays of the sun itself, exuding energy with every wave. The other's hair was a pale, silvery white. Cold and metallic, but exuding an unprecedented level of mysticism and dignity.
"You girls are...?" I asked, surprised.
Of course, by then, I already realized that they weren't real "people"; after all, their bodies were slightly transparent—a typical sign that they're both holograms within the view of the visor.
However, instead of answering, the two simply stared at me as if looking at an enclosed animal in a zoo. Their eyes, which are both pale green in color, simply stared at me unblinkingly.
{Luna... Is he...}
{Yes, I think he is.}
{Then~!}
{I already checked the signature, and it matches.}
{Yay! It succeeded~! This is amazing~!}
{Not yet. We're not sure if he's one we sent, or someone else did.}
{But it's a success nonetheless!}
"Huh...?"
The two of them continued talking to each other as if I wasn't even capable of understanding their words. Are they treating me as if I'm an idiot or something?
"Sol-chan, Luna-sama~! I'm back~!"
Only for Henry to suddenly change his expression, looking as if he's fawning over the two little girls. If I didn't know the two girls were virtual, I would've probably dialed emergency services by now.
{Ugh, this pig... again?!}
{Keep your slimy hands off Sol and my body, or I'll fry your databank.}
The two quickly dodged the attempted hug, flying sideways. Although I don't think they could touch him physically either way, they still dodged him like the plague.
"Ahahah! Still acting shy, huh~?" He squirmed... disgustingly... "I wonder when we'll figure out how to make sense of your words... No, I swear on my life to achieve it in the time before I graduate!"
But suddenly, his words made me raise a brow.
"Wait, weren't the two of them speaking English the entire time...?"
"What...?"
{You... huh?}
{This is...}
Three confused gazes turned toward me instantly. Before warping into completely different expressions.
"Haha, that's a funny joke, man." Henry said, patting my shoulder hard. "The Twins use a type of coded verbal language that can't be understood by humans, at least, not until we decode it first!"
He leaned even closer, whispering into my ears as if afraid the two little girls would hear it.
"And nobody has figured out how to decode it yet... But I suspect Sol-chan and Luna-sama are always verbalizing their love towards me~!"
"..."
Well, to each man his own, I guess? Anyway, the more pressing matter was the two girls instead. They quickly slipped between me and Henry, kicking him out of the way... I don't know how they did that, though.
{Is it true that you... understand our words?!}
{I can tell if you're lying from your vitals alone, so there's no use lying to me and Sol.}
"I do understand your words... and I did hear everything you were talking about earlier."
I nodded, pushing aside my curiosity toward how they detect lies and such.
"Anyway, what was that you were talking about earlier? Something about me being... what? Checking... matching... whatever?"
{He really understands our words~!}
But as if ignoring my question entirely, Sol, the blonde one, jumped up and down in excitement. Even the stoic Luna beside her had her lips curled into a thin smile for once.
{This is great and all, but this also means that he's...}
{Ah, right...! Then, his current state is outside of our calculations...?}
{Exactly.}
{Then we can't tell him anything until we figure out the... Bummer...}
{My point exactly.}
"...?"
Even though they're speaking plain English, I couldn't help but realize they're still talking in "codes." I could only scratch my head, trying to piece together clues from their conversation... but I still lack so many details to make heads or tails of all of it.
{Anyway, you... Neil, was it? Come in~!}
Sol suddenly smiled toward me, her little hands moving to hold my right hand tight. Although they were simply holograms, I felt a jolt of electricity brush against my hand.
"..."
So this is how they interact with the real world, and also how they sent Henry flying earlier…
Electromagnetism.