"In this day and age, all kinds of superheroes and supervillains keep appearing, but they're still a minority compared to the vast number of ordinary people. For an ordinary person, experiencing what it feels like to be superhuman is basically impossible. But..."
Standing onstage, Kraft spread his arms. The large screen behind him displayed a device that looked like a racing helmet.
"With our newly developed NERvGear full-dive device, none of that will be a problem anymore! In this fully virtual world, you can build machines like Iron Man's, awaken all kinds of superpowers, and even learn abilities that only exist in legends, such as magic and alchemy!"
Kraft introduced the Dream Company's upcoming product to the reporters below the stage.
He wasn't releasing NERvGear to make money or build his reputation. As far as Kraft was concerned, how the Dream Company was doing no longer really mattered. His main reason for doing this was...
To find people to play with Arale...
Things had been fine out in space, where a little destruction didn't matter. But after returning to Earth, he had spent every day on edge, terrified that Arale might accidentally destroy the planet while playing.
But leaving Arale in space all the time would be too cruel. Although she was a bizarre little troublemaker who could happily entertain herself all day with a stick, Kraft didn't want to treat her that way.
So Kraft spent some time studying NERvGear's technology over and over, even using the powers of the Infinity Stones. At last, he managed to keep Arale's strength from becoming so outrageous in the online world.
Then Kraft wasted no time launching the NERvGear helmet. Compared to relatively rigid AI, living, breathing people were naturally better suited to playing with Arale.
The game's content was simple enough,