In the middle of a dense, vegetated area stood a dark blue container. Inside, the place was a mess, cluttered with various pieces of boxing equipment—gloves, pads, and more. A TV was on, broadcasting a boxing match between a humanoid robot and a human. Sitting in front of the TV, watching with enthusiasm, was Detective Sakamoto. He mimicked every punch thrown by the human boxer, Myke Typon, who was currently struggling against the robot.

  "Come on, get up! Ahhh, get up already! Damn it!" Sakamoto shouted as he watched Myke take a cross from the robot and fall.

  The TV announcer began the countdown.

  "8… 9… 10! It’s over! Nothing can beat the Boxer 2543—the latest undefeated robot boxing champion! Not even the world champion could handle it!"

  Sakamoto grumbled and switched off the TV.

  "Undefeated, my ass! Better get ready for work before I’m late."

  He hurriedly finished getting dressed, but his mind lingered on the events of the previous day.

  Yesterday was strange. I hope that kid doesn’t get himself into something dangerous. Maybe I’ll have to investigate this case on the down-low, he thought as he left his place and headed to the station.

  When he arrived, his assistant, Airi Yoshida, was nowhere to be seen.

  "Late again. What a surprise," Sakamoto muttered, sitting at his desk.

  He began searching through the files from the case that happened a year ago, trying to refresh his memory. But to his shock, he found that many of the records had been deleted.

  The door to his office suddenly opened, and Sakamoto quickly hid everything, only to see that it was Airi.

  "Ahh! By any chance...?" Airi started, but Sakamoto interrupted her thoughts.

  Did she notice? She’s not dumb—she probably figured out I’m investigating on my own, he worried.

  Airi gave him a knowing look.

  "Remembering your little ‘phase,’ huh?"

  "What phase?" Sakamoto asked, confused.

  "You know, some people say it’s wrong to do it, but sometimes we just can’t help it..." Airi trailed off, her expression serious.

  Damn it! She knows, Sakamoto thought, his heart sinking.

  "But it’s still a little wrong to be watching porn at work, boss," Airi added with a smirk.

  Sakamoto’s expression turned dark.

  "I didn’t know you were so eager to do overtime," he retorted with a sinister grin.

  Airi instantly dropped to the floor in a Japanese-style bow, apologizing profusely.

  "I’m so sorry, boss!"

  Sakamoto noticed she was holding two shopping bags.

  "What’s in those?" he asked.

  "Rumm rumm, these are for our investigation," Airi said, walking over to his desk and pulling out two virtual reality headsets and two copies of the game Virtual World Awakening (VWA).

  "You’re out of your mind," Sakamoto said, shaking his head. "We don’t have authorization to investigate. The case was archived. You saw what happened yesterday."

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  "As if that would stop you," Airi replied with a sly smile. "I knew you wouldn’t let this go, and your reaction when I walked in confirmed it."

  The room fell silent for a moment before Airi asked, "So, when do we start?"

  Cut to the two of them driving in Sakamoto’s car.

  "I did a quick investigation and found out that the team that won the first championship in the game has become a mega e-sports company," Airi explained. "They have professional teams in all kinds of games, making millions. And they’re based right here in this city, with a huge building shaped like a ‘T’—for Tempest, their team name. Maybe we should pay them a visit."

  "We don’t have a warrant. That could get us into trouble," Sakamoto warned.

  "We can just say we received an anonymous tip and are there to investigate," Airi suggested.

  "But we don’t have any—"

  Airi interrupted him, her voice trembling in mock panic.

  "Hello, police? Ahhh, what are you doing with that knife? You won’t get away with threatening someone from Tempest! Stay away from me—ahhh!"

  She hung up the phone and turned to Sakamoto.

  "There, now we have a tip."

  Sakamoto gave her a look of mild disappointment.

  "What are you waiting for? It sounds like a damsel is in distress at the Tempest building. Let’s go save her!" Airi urged.

  When they arrived at the massive Tempest building, it was an impressive sight. As they made their way to the reception, Sakamoto felt a bit uneasy about talking to the receptionist, knowing their tip was fake. But Airi took charge.

  "Good afternoon. We received a tip and are here to investigate," Airi said confidently.

  While she handled the conversation, Sakamoto noticed several combat robots around the lobby—robots typically reserved for police use only.

  The receptionist called for a supervisor, who soon appeared: a medium-built, bald man named Tanaka.

  "Good afternoon, officers. I’m sure there’s been some misunderstanding. This building has top-notch security, and we haven’t received any reports of incidents. It’s likely just a prank or a mistake," Tanaka said smoothly.

  "That may be the case… but could you explain the large number of combat robots you have here? Do you have authorization for that?" Sakamoto asked.

  "Of course. Everything here is within the law, and most of these models are outdated. They’re just here to complement our security," Tanaka replied confidently.

  "You still need authorization. Could I see it?" Sakamoto pressed.

  "Certainly, just a moment," Tanaka said, pulling out his phone and making a call. He handed the phone to Sakamoto. "Here you go."

  It was Chief Matsumoto on the other end, explaining that everything was in order and that Sakamoto and Airi should leave. He didn’t want to hear any of Sakamoto’s objections.

  "Sorry for the inconvenience. We’ll be on our way," Sakamoto said, handing back the phone and quickly leading Airi out of the building.

  Tanaka watched them go with a fake smile plastered on his face.

  Airi, confused by the sudden exit, asked what had happened.

  Sakamoto explained that it was Chief Matsumoto on the phone. His suspicions about his boss deepened.

  "This isn’t over yet. We can still investigate through the game," Airi suggested.

  After work, Sakamoto returned home and accidentally dropped the bag containing the VR headset and game.

  "Damn it! I hope it still works," he muttered, struggling to set up the equipment.

  It took him some time—he wasn’t exactly tech-savvy—but he finally managed to log into the game. Feeling a bit lost, he ended up choosing the Fighter class. As he fumbled around, trying to figure out the game mechanics, a female Assassin character appeared next to him.

  "Boss, you could’ve picked a better name. And you’re old, aren’t you?" the Assassin teased.

  "Huh? Who are you? Show some respect," Sakamoto snapped.

  "I’m your assistant. You were easy to find—you made your character look just like you," Airi explained, trying to hold back laughter. "You could have used the scan feature to copy your real appearance, but no. And what’s with the name ‘MykeTyphoon2032’? Seriously, who still likes that guy?"

  "He’s a legend! And I had to add the year because ‘MykeTyphoon’ was taken," Sakamoto retorted. "It’s better if I’m not recognized by anyone. And ‘PrincessCuteness’? That’s nothing like you!"

  "Aww, how rude, boss. You hurt my maidenly feelings," Airi pouted. "But unlike your name, mine will get results. And besides, no one who knows you is playing this game… except maybe that MykeTyphoon name might get mistaken for a bot."

  "Huh?" Sakamoto was confused by her remark.

  "Anyway, we need to investigate. It might be easier if we join that organization—let’s find someone and ask them to recruit us," Sakamoto suggested.

  "Boss, look at the level above your name. It says level 1. We need to level up, improve our skills, get better gear—nobody’s going to recruit us like this. We’re two noobs. And what do you mean by ‘organization’? This isn’t some criminal syndicate we’re after—it’s a guild," Airi explained.

  Sakamoto looked unsatisfied but determined.

  "How hard can it be? I’m pretty athletic," he said confidently.

  Cut to Sakamoto getting defeated by a level 1 slime.

  "Boss, you’re terrible at this," Airi sighed.

  "Shut up! This game is rigged. How did I not kill that tiny creature with a few punches?" Sakamoto fumed.

  "Boss, see that blue bar under your health? It’s your skill meter. You need to use skills to win in this game," Airi explained, exasperated. "Teaming up with you was my worst decision ever."