My face feels itchy...
Opening his eyes, a pure and beautiful face filled most of his vision. The maid had lowered her head, leaving only about ten centimeters between them.
—For a moment, their eyes met.
After a brief one-second pause, the girl naturally and lightly reached out, moving past Ryu's line of sight to place her hand on the small server at the head of the bed.
Her expression was focused, her brow furrowing slightly from time to time as if she were adjusting something. After about ten seconds, her features relaxed, and she straightened up with a smile.
"My apologies, Lord Ryu."
"It's fine." Ryu sat up nonchalantly, leaning against the headboard. "How long was I asleep?"
"Three hours. Your biological clock is as regular as ever."
The maid's eyes flickered. "If only you could have slept a little longer..."
"What?"
"It's rare to see you enjoy a game so much. I was hoping you could enjoy it a while longer."
"That won't do. Today is a big day. We have to prepare early."
Ryu rubbed his temples, quietly waiting for the soreness in his body to fade before giving a big stretch.
"Have you taken care of the things I asked you to do?"
"A small matter like that is easily handled with the prestige of the Kuse family, but... why?"
Ruri had already regained her composure, revealing the professionalism of an elite corporate slave.
"This seems like it will create potential problems for the new project. The operation of SAO is a secondary concern, but if Rect's reputation is affected..."
The maid wasn't worried about the post-launch operations of SAO, or "Sword Art Online." Even if it bombed on day one, it wouldn't matter in her eyes.
The project's focus was the revolutionary "full-dive technology," specifically the debut of the "NERvGear" gaming helmet. Like the personal computer that emerged in the late twentieth century, it was an invention that would change the entire world.
Whether the software running on it was Tetris or Sword Art Online (SAO) made little difference. The Kuse Group never intended to profit from a single "hit online game," but rather from "the right to define cutting-edge technology."
—Just think about how insanely profitable a certain graphics card company is, and you'll get it!
Basically, as soon as Sword Art Online goes live, once players experience that immersive thrill, they'll be like otaku tamed by an impish succubus, never again to be satisfied with their 2D waifu body pillows~
The Kuse Group didn't even want a dominant, long-lasting game; it was enough for SAO to generate an unparalleled wave of hype in a short time. Strictly speaking, letting the industry "blossom with a hundred flowers" was more in their interest!
As for the gameplay quality or the success of its long-term operation, those were not issues they needed to consider at all!
But that was precisely why Ruri was confused:
The gaming helmet was clearly the important part. They should have been strictly controlling its quality to create a classic, history-making product, yet Kuse's orders were...
"Could it be... to keep Akihiko Kayaba?"
"...Huh?"
"So that's it," Ruri said thoughtfully, then had a moment of enlightenment. "This way, no other corporation will dare to make a move. As expected of you, Lord Ryu, to think so far ahead!"
"Hmm?!"
Akihiko Kayaba was undeniably a genius. Although Ruri wasn't an expert, she could see that his technology crushed that of his peers. What was even more remarkable was that, as a researcher in "quantum physics," he could actually implement theoretical technology in a practical application... That was truly amazing.
Therefore, even if the man was a bit obsessive, everyone still chose to accommodate him (SAO was supposed to be a fantasy world, yet it had almost no magic, a fatal flaw in terms of gameplay).
To put it bluntly, even if SAO bombed, Akihiko Kayaba would still be an honored guest of the Kuse Group—the man himself was worth that level of investment.
So, letting SAO become mired in controversy right from launch would undoubtedly lower Akihiko Kayaba's value as a "game producer." They could even proactively use the media to let the world know that Kayaba was a "difficult person to work with."
If even the young master of the Kuse family couldn't control Akihiko Kayaba, how much confidence could the other major families have?
To be frank, Ryu dared to take such a risk with this project because his position within the family was already unshakably stable. Others didn't have such a strong foundation.
And then, at the peak of the public outcry, as long as Ryu stepped in to save the game's operations and restore Kayaba's reputation, the great scientist would surely be eternally grateful to the Kuse Group, tying him to their chariot for good, right?
—That was what Ruri thought.
"I understand now! What a brilliant strategy, scaring off outsiders while also indebting Akihiko Kayaba to you. As I thought, I always learn something new when I'm with you!"
"...Oh."
What exactly did she understand?
Ryu was a bit baffled, but seeing how excited Ruri was, he played along and nodded.
"It's getting late. Let's go out."
"Yes."
Ruri knew today was the official launch day. Ryu must want to witness this moment at the company, so she had arranged the schedule early on.
"What time will you be giving your speech? I'll notify them to prepare."
"No, the speech is off."
Ryu smiled faintly. "Cancel all of today's appointments, and don't inform anyone of my movements."
"Eh?" Ruri looked up in surprise. "But today is..."
"Don't ask any questions today. Just be good and listen."
"...Yes."
Meeting Ryu's profound gaze, Ruri's heart skipped a beat, and she obediently lowered her head.
Without any other attendants, Ryu and Ruri took a car to the SAO operations building.
It was a joint development between the Kuse Group and Rect. Because it also functioned as the server center, its internal structure was very different from a normal office building.
Ryu didn't alert too many people. He went directly from the underground parking garage up to a certain floor. The staff on duty saw it was him and let him pass immediately. After that, he went through fingerprint and iris scans before finally reaching his destination.
"This place is..."
She looked at the rows of long, rectangular black cabinets, arranged neatly like tombstones of data. The air was filled with an irritating hum. On top of that, the constantly low temperature made the environment hard to bear.
"Isn't this the main server room?"
Ruri was puzzled. "Why did we come here?"
"Let's wait a bit."
Ryu glanced down at his digital watch. "It's not time yet."
"Time? Are you waiting for something?"
"They aren't having enough fun yet."
Ryu tested Ruri. "Did you know that in RPGs like this, players spend the beginning just figuring out the system and gameplay? They don't experience much joy until they're two or three hours in."
"Oh~" Ruri nodded, only half-understanding.
"But what does that have to do with us?"
"Getting too addicted to a game is a bad thing."
Ryu led Ruri out of the server room. The environment wasn't very comfortable, and he worried the girl wouldn't be able to stand it for two or three hours.
As he walked, he said with great seriousness, "Video games encourage violent tendencies in young people."
What on earth is my master talking about? —Ruri blinked.
Are you one to talk? Who's the one who spends seven or eight hours a day gaming?
"You don't believe me?"
Ryu found the main switch for the power supply system in the central control room and immediately broke into a smile, like a bright and cheerful young man.
"Let's put it to the test today!"
________________________________________
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