Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 18: The Suit Makes the Man

Suzuki's Room,

Undisclosed Location.

Suzuki took a towel to his wet hair as he read an email from Genaco that ordered him to be present for some function on Sunday at 8 p.m. Stranger still, he was required to arrive in formal clothing.

This would have been all well and good if it was not for one slight problem. Suzuki examined the clothes in his closet, and sure enough, he did not have any formal clothing to his name. He had never bought any non-school-related collared shirts, and he sure as hell never considered buying formal pants. Who needed all that when they could wear a simple t-shirt and jeans? If they were feeling fancy, they could add a jacket or hoody. It just worked.

Sighing, Suzuki closed his closet, realizing he would have to go buy something to wear. Suzuki was not averse to this change of pace. He had not left the room in over two weeks because of Kashi's mad rush to raise his Crafting skills. While that was all well and good for the daeben, it had cost Suzuki a lot of time.

Suzuki hung the towel in the bathroom and then exited the room. The young man paused in the hallway, shocked by the number of people walking to and fro. Ever since the first day, he had not seen anyone else except Jade and the weird guy with silver hair. He guessed he was not the only one who had gotten the strange message.

Suzuki pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, made himself as small as possible, and then weaved through the boisterous crowd, careful not to bump into anybody. Once he was safely through, he rushed to the elevator and exited the building.

The midday sun shone down warmly on the facility as a gentle breeze caressed its inhabitants, the sweet smell of spring in the air. At least, that was how the couples in the streets — walking hand in hand, chatting amicably, and losing themselves in passionate kisses — felt.

Suzuki, on the other hand, saw something entirely different. 'I guess if you're going to be trapped in a place you don't know, you might as well suck face with the other prisoners.'

The young man cycled along the streets, ignoring the many irritating couples around. What the heck had happened to everybody in the last two weeks? His quest to find a shop took him to the Entertainment Sector which was even worse than the Residential Sector. There seemed to be far more people here than he had seen in the entire auditorium. Then again, no one said the hall he crashed into was the only place the orientation was held.

There was also the possibility that more volunteers joined after Suzuki went into the game world. From the joyful expressions on the volunteers' faces, Suzuki was now confident he was most likely the only one who had been kidnapped. 'That damn Shouyou!'

Suzuki's trip took him past an amusement park, where he paused in shock. The rides were not only fully functioning, but they were also fully staffed, complete with a freaking clown! Wait, this was the same facility, right? They had not transferred him in his sleep to some alternate location, right?

Suzuki shivered at the sight and continued his ride to search for somewhere he could buy some formal clothes. He stopped at a promising store with shining English letters reading 'Suave.'

'Subtle.'

Suzuki secured his bike, then walked into the store. It was quite large, serving as a shop for both guys and girls. He had never been to a clothing store this large, having bought all his clothes from local department stores. The young man questioned an attendant who directed him to the men's section.

'What in the five hells?!' Suzuki's eyebrows jumped in shock as he looked at the ridiculous price tags. He took a few shirts to the changing room and tried them on. Suzuki cursed as he repeatedly adjusted his collar.