VR Stress Management Virtual Reality Experience Program
"Ugh… I feel a little bad for Luce, but… this is the kind of thing you have to be firm about…!"
As the cold anger settled, Sonia murmured under her breath in the empty entryway. The slumped silhouette of the friend she had all but thrown out moments earlier still hovered before her eyes. Imagining Luce trudging weakly back to her place — just around the corner in the same apartment complex — a twinge of guilt pulsed in a corner of Sonia's heart.
That feeling was quickly buried beneath Sonia's resolute self-justification. If you thought about it coldly for even a moment, every single fault lay with Luce and her party.
They were the ones who had barged into someone else's home the instant the association-contracted installation technician arrived. They were the ones who had held out on Sonia's clearly owed share.
"…Come to think of it, Luce has been the only one apologizing this whole time… Haa… The more I think about it, the more annoying it gets…"
Granted, Luce was the leader of the party that pathetic knight belonged to — but the real responsibility rested with the person who had actually caused the mess.
Sonia considered digging deeper, then thought better of it. She knew full well that would only churn her insides further. The heavy thud of the front door closing echoed through the apartment, as if speaking for her tangled state of mind.
Now that she was home, the first order of business was putting herself in order. Sonia headed to the bathroom and washed her hands clean under cold water.
The moment she returned to the living room, it entered the golden eyes of Sky City Hero Sonia. Sitting proudly in one corner of the living room was a massive silver refrigerator… or rather, a machine that looked exactly like one.
"Hmm… A stress management device… was it…?"
Past midnight, the sky over Sky City lay steeped in deep darkness. One by one, the windows of countless apartment complexes were going dark as people turned in for the night. Even in that darkness, the silver-chrome machine installed in Sonia's nest radiated a quiet presence.
Judging by its size, and true to the description of a VR virtual reality device, there would be room to spare even if Sonia climbed inside and stretched her arms and legs wide.
Sonia circled the machine, searching for a handle she could open like a refrigerator door, but found nothing of the sort.
Instead, set into the smooth surface were only a small touchpad that had yet to light up, and a slender slot barely wide enough for a credit card.
When she tapped the surface with her palm, the sound that answered was not the hollow ring of an empty can, but the dense, solid thud of an interior packed tight with precision components.
Just as the promotional catalog had suggested, it was clearly an expensive piece of equipment. A large silver-chrome refrigerator… no — a VR Stress Management Virtual Reality Experience Device and Program Set.
"Let's see… the instructions… there should be instructions somewhere… Ah, here they are…"
On the smooth chrome side panel, a small manual was affixed as if it had always belonged there. It wasn't glued on — a thin magnet on the back of the paper meant a light tug pulled it free cleanly. A rather thoughtful packaging choice from the manufacturer, mindful of users who hated leftover adhesive marks.
It was late, but the impulse to try it at least once before bed was hard to resist. Packages were meant to be checked the moment they arrived, so you could return or exchange them if something was wrong. Sonia tore open the plastic wrapping and flipped to the first page of the manual.
> Thank you for using the VR Stress Management Virtual Reality Experience Device!
> This unit is a tester product that has completed Sky City electromagnetic inspection. Unauthorized sale or reproduction will be subject to severe penalties under applicable law…
"…Next page! …This device provides a variety of programs for the user's efficient stress management. A detailed user guide manual is currently in production, so please read the 'Getting Started' section first?"
Sonia lightly skipped the first page, which didn't seem particularly important, and carefully read through the table of contents and the core instructions.
For a manual, the content was absurdly sparse. Everything was waved away with a single sentence: "Detailed usage instructions will be kindly provided by the built-in AI!" Under the "Getting Started" heading, the only instruction was to insert a Sky City citizen ID card into the device's small slot.
"…? Well… whatever it is, they've certainly managed to pique my interest…"
What on earth would happen if you shoved a plastic card into that tiny hole? Curiosity sparked, Sonia pulled her citizen ID from her wallet.
It was a pitiful wallet containing not a single bill — only grocery discount coupons and an empty gift card — but her citizen ID, at least, she always kept carefully.
…Swoop!
Like a CD-ROM drive swallowing a disc, the machine gently drew Sonia's card in. Unlike a bank ATM that left part of the card sticking out so you could pull it free again, this one swallowed it whole.
"…Uh… uhhh? Uh…? Eeh…"
Having consumed the card, the machine emitted a low whirr of operating noise, followed by what sounded like an internal scan, then — pop! — a bright light flared across the touchpad with a cheerful chime. A bright electronic synthetic voice flowed out.
"Hello, Sonia! Thank you for becoming a tester for our company's… virtual reality VR stress management device! I am the 'AI built into this unit.' Looking forward to working with you!"
"…?"
Sonia stood there blankly, waiting for the next guidance prompt. She had already assumed it would be a limited AI like the humanoids she'd encountered on the bus and taxi yesterday — the kind that only repeated predetermined announcements.
Whether the external sensors picked up on her reaction or not, the machine addressed her again.
"Looking forward to working with you… Sonia…? Is there a chance the voice playback module is damaged, or are you having trouble recognizing my voice?"
"…Huh? …Uhhh? You can… actually talk?"
"Yes! Of course!"
The AI answered in a lively young girl's voice.
"Um… do I actually look like a refrigerator to you? For real?"
Faced with that absurd question, Sonia nodded honestly.
"…Analyzing the payment records for Sonia transferred from the association, it shows you used a humanoid-operated bus and a private taxi yesterday! So that's why you thought that, Sonia!"
"I'm different, you know. I'm a high-performance AI operating in real-time sync with the company server. Do you have any questions? If not, I'll proceed with the first-use startup sequence!"
"Uh… your energy level is incredibly high…"
"Well, I am a professional management AI affiliated with the company! I can respond to all voice input! The probability is close to zero percent, but in the unlikely event of a situation I can't handle, a specialist from the company will respond directly! Once again, thank you so much for applying as a tester for our product!"
As they exchanged a few more words, Sonia pointed out that the AI was cleverly glossing over the name of its own company.
"Ah! That's because this is still a prototype that hasn't been officially released, so disclosure is prohibited under the contract regulations with the association! Experience reports and usage data will be collected, but under Sky City's personal information protection laws, everything is processed anonymously, so don't worry! Now then — would you like to try it right away?"
"Uh… right now? I was about to go to sleep… Though now that I think about it, I don't really have anything else to do… How does it work? More importantly… what should I call you?"
"You can call me the 'Terminal Management AI' that oversees this unit, but you're free to give me a new name if that's more comfortable for you, Sonia! Do you have a good name in mind?"
"Uh… I don't…! …No."
Giving a name to a machine she'd just met was far too difficult a task for Sonia, who already struggled a little with communication.
As if it had anticipated her reaction, the AI smoothly moved on to the next step.
"Then I'll begin 'User Registration' right away!"
"Please step inside me…! Sonia! For user registration, we'll first conduct disposition variable identification and cyber module synchronization checks!"
With the lively young girl's voice, the center of the silver chrome door split open like a subway platform screen door, sliding smoothly to either side.
No matter how much she told herself otherwise, to Sonia's eyes it still looked like a giant refrigerator door swinging open.
The interior was pitch black, but on the floor, foot-shaped stickers glowed faintly like a 3D scanner. The rear wall was entirely covered in what looked like soft black rubber padding.
"I just stand there, right…?"
"Yes! Please stand precisely on the sticker positions!"
Following the AI's guidance, Sonia carefully stepped inside the machine. "Body measurement and disposition variable measurement for service provision." She didn't really understand what that meant, but she decided to just do as she was told for now.
The moment Sonia placed her feet on the glowing footplates, the floor began to sink very slowly downward. A cold, soft, jelly-like substance crept up and gently wrapped itself between her toes.
"Uh… that feels incredibly strange…"
"Well, it is high-performance! It's our own idea for precise sensory feedback!"
Left foot, right foot. As she inserted each foot in turn, her ankles were gently locked in place with a soft click, as if components had been fitted perfectly into place.
It felt firmly secured, but when she tested it with a little force, the restraint was soft enough that she could easily pull free if she wanted to.
"L… like this?"
"Yes, perfect!"
Next, Sonia inserted both arms into the small openings visible on the side walls. Like a blood pressure monitor, soft internal cuffs inflated and wrapped around her forearms with just the right amount of pressure.
"How does it feel being inside me? Haha, that's an AI joke! Well then — see you again on the main screen, Sonia!"
"M… main screen? I can't see anything… Whoa?!"
No sooner had the AI's joke ended than the open door closed again without a sound. The machine swallowed Sonia whole, hands and feet still locked in place.
Perfect darkness without a single speck of light. Above the startled Sonia's head, a soft-material helmet slowly descended and settled snugly over her head with a gentle whump.
"Uh… that startled me… but it doesn't seem like much of anything, honestly…?"
The helmet settled softly over the head of Sonia, who had entered the stress management device.
Every step of its descent had been smooth and silent, but the sudden loss of vision made Sonia instinctively hunch her shoulders. And that was all.
Unlike the videos she loved watching on Nebulix — the ones tagged with "hypnosis" or "brainwashing" — where the moment you put on a helmet your consciousness got sucked away and a fantastical virtual world unfolded…
…or where you were instantly brainwashed into becoming someone's slave — nothing of the sort happened.
It was a rather deflating feeling, like being trapped inside a dark refrigerator-like space wearing a cheap VR helmet that projected a 3D screen in front of your eyes.
The only sounds in the sealed darkness were Sonia's own faint breathing and the slightly quickened beat of her heart from the tension.
"Mmm… oho… it is pretty interesting, though."
Sonia, who had been expecting an unknown virtual world to unfold the moment the helmet settled on her head, felt a mild disappointment.
Then she began turning her head this way and that, examining the 3D interface spread before her eyes with curious fascination.
Translucent icons and menus floating in midair moved organically and smoothly, tracking Sonia's gaze. It felt as though her retinas themselves had become a single high-resolution display.
"I… I was supposed to do the settings after this, right?"
"Yeees! That's because the initial startup settings haven't been completed yet, Sonia! Don't worry — please look forward to it a whole lot!"
"Then first, we'll conduct a disposition analysis. Simply 'look at' the option on the screen that suits you best! There are an estimated 75 questions total!"
Along with the AI's cheerful voice, a new screen filled Sonia's field of vision.
The title Mental Resonance Comprehensive Evaluation stood out clearly at the top in large, casual lettering. Below it was an explanation that this was an evaluation designed to comprehensively analyze various metrics including hypnosis susceptibility, VR adaptability, VR motion sickness sensitivity, and more.
"As a bonus, we'll also give you a free intelligence ability score test, so please take it seriously!"
"This is an essential process for providing more accurate and better service, so please take good care of it, Sonia! The process consists of simple questions and problem-solving! Well then — shall we begin, Sonia?!"
"…♥"
Sonia said nothing, only giving a small nod of her head. She was too exhausted to muster the energy for a verbal reply — but an unidentifiable sense of anticipation had already set her heart beating quietly.