AKIBA LOST (アキバロスト)

It's just a game.

It's just choosing left or right.

It's just a single moment.

If this tiny choice...

...could affect an entire lifetime, or someone's very life.

Shinjo, it's almost time to go.

Next up is the launch of the new game from Shirosawa Games.

I know people are saying our games have only been average lately.

Or that we're only temporarily successful thanks to *WhiteCrash*.

I also know there's all kinds of chatter from the outside.

In short, this game will shut them all up.

Mr. Tomioka.

Big talk from Shirosawa Games.

The next game we're making is...

A work featuring the six girls who went missing in Akihabara as the main characters.

You're turning that case into a game?

How could we?

A maid, a gamer streamer, a food writer, an MC, a witch, a cosplayer.

We selected real women active in Akihabara.

We're making a realistic game with an authentic worldview.

A realistic game?

It's a game of choices.

Players will role-play as the six girls, making choices and taking actions.

To find a way to escape their confinement.

The name of this game is...

*AKIBA LOST*.

Summer, 13 years ago.

In Akihabara, a series of young women went missing.

A total of six girls vanished.

The media called this string of disappearances...

The Akihabara Mysterious Disappearances.

The case stirred public opinion for days.

The police also conducted a large-scale investigation.

But it was all in vain.

To this day, none of the girls have been found.

Good morning.

Hello.

Shirosawa Games is trending.

Well, it's more like being boycotted.

Making a game out of that case is unbelievable.

- Are they insane? - Absolutely won't buy it.

Shirosawa Games has fallen.

You don't need to read it out loud.

I wonder what Shinjo is thinking.

Even I'm kept in the dark, it's so unfair.

He probably thought there'd be opposition, so he went ahead on his own.

That's just his style.

No, even for him...

...this is way too unusual.

Speaking of unusual, hiring amateurs for a realistic game is also rare.

Yeah.

He said you're going to be in it too.

Oh.

- Huh? - He said there's a role for a gamer streamer.

- Me? - Yeah.

Sorry, we haven't opened yet.

- Why are you here? - Hey.

How did you find this place?

I saw it online before.

So creepy.

Don't say that, I am your big brother after all.

What do you want? I'm busy.

I'm about to make a game, and I want you to be in it.

What?

I need a maid for the role, so Aoi, you...

Stop joking. A game? You're using Ruri's case as material for a game?

It's sure to sell, right?

Turning a case that shook society into a game.

And the one making it is family of the victim.

Found some good material, congratulations.

Aoi.

You've completely forgotten about Ruri, haven't you.

See? You go quiet the moment it's disadvantageous for you.

Just like back then.

We had a little sister named Ruri.

Ruri was a girl who loved playing games.

- Oh, you're so good. - Amazing.

You're going to be a pro player soon.

Ah, one minute.

Minute.

It's a work call, I can call them back later.

But...

- Sorry, Ruri, wait a moment. - Why?

- Just a little bit. - Don't go.

Big brother.

Big brother.

At that time, my debut game with Takazawa, *WhiteCrash*, was a huge hit.

It was a critical moment.

I had to take that call.

Ruri.

Ruri.

And just like that...

...my little sister Ruri vanished.

Big brother.

Looking back, it started with that choice.

My life fell apart.

I blamed myself for what happened to Ruri.

I left home like I was running away.

And that's how I drifted apart from my parents and Aoi.

After that...

I threw myself into making games.

But...

...no work ever became as big a success as *WhiteCrash*.

My mind was only on work.

Even my family's business, which they'd worked hard to build, turned its back on me.

I became lonely again.

And then...

...Game Over for my life.

Came suddenly.

Do you feel any discomfort?

Not at all.

I have about ten years left to live.

Maybe... a few years.

It's really hard to say, actually.

Have you told your family?

Family... I haven't told anyone.

Next, your condition will worsen.

You might need someone to take care of you.

If possible...

...it would be best to tell someone you trust.

Thank you, doctor.

Takazawa.

How did you find this place?

You're carrying your company phone.

I'm the director.

I know where all the employees are.

That's an abuse of power.

Feeling unwell?

You went to the university hospital.

That's private.