Chapter 2 scene one

"I'm creating a parallel world" Regarding my explanation, Xia Jiang stopped the hand that was constantly stirring the fruit jelly with a spoon, tilted his head, and his long dark brown hair also flowed freely. "It's a hypothetical world, have you heard of 'reality simulation'?" I added. This is it, Xia Jiang showed a disdainful expression, and stuck out his tongue to lick the cream. "I know this. It is to use a computer to make a picture of a human being to show to the experimenter, and then make him think that he is that person. Is this what you are talking about?"

“Not only does it show people the appearance, but it also gives them a sense of touch and sounds. In short, it makes people mistakenly believe that the artificial world is the reality. The simulation device for robot training is one of them.” "I saw it on TV a long time ago, let the experimenter wear a very exaggerated goggles and gloves, present a faucet in front of the person, and then let him turn off the faucet, and he will make a desperate rotation. And feel like you're actually holding the faucet" "That's also a kind of 'virtual reality'. It's just the beginning stage." I drank my coffee and looked at the street through the glass window.

The two of us were sitting in a coffee shop a little further down Shinjuku Street, and the hands of our watches had just passed five o'clock in the afternoon. Because it was Friday, the road was full of young people who looked like white-collar workers and students. "Are you saying that what you are researching now is more advanced?" Xia Jiang asked while eating the seemingly unappetizing watermelon with a spoon. "That's right, and it's not a little more advanced, it's a lot more advanced." I crossed my arms, "The thing you just said is in the end just a system that imparts a sense of reality through human tactile organs, and that's all." What we're doing now is differently, and it's directly controlling the nerves to create a sense of reality."

"What's the meaning?" "For example," I said, stretched out my right hand, and gently held her wrist, which was a soft little hand. "I am like this, you will have a feeling that your left hand is being held, but in fact, it is not your left hand that makes the decision, but the brain that receives the signal from the left hand. So, even if the hand is not held Hold on, just send this signal to your brain and you feel like your left hand is being held" "Can this kind of thing be done?" Xia Jiang asked, still holding my hand. "It can be done, theoretically"

"Does that mean it can't be done?" "If the brain was exposed" "Nude?" "Cut the brain open, then press electrodes on the exposed brain, and turn on the pulse power through the program" Xia Jiang made a disgusted expression, and his mouth was crooked. "What, it's disgusting" "So, we're developing ways to transmit signals to the brain without doing that." "Oh." Her expression was still displeased, she was messing up the remaining cold cakes, and suddenly she seemed to think of something, and looked at me, "By the way, the world created by this is exactly the same as the reality?"

"It depends on the producer's interest. As long as he wants to make it the same as real life, he can do it. But what's the point of making a world completely parallel to reality?" "In the end, everyone can't tell which one is the real world." Xia Jiang shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous expression on his face. "In Kobo Abe's 'Complete Movie', a system that is very close to our idea was used. In the end, people who confuse reality and virtual reality appear, and the end result is also because of using this. However, in fact, we don't It is possible to make a system of this magnitude”

"What, it's really boring." Xia Jiang immediately showed a disappointed expression, and pouted. "If this possibility is to be realized, a computer with super-capacity and computing power must be used, which will not be developed in this century. Although William Kipson described in the 'Mona Lisa' that can convert all the information in the real world A bio-integrated piece with unlimited memory capacity, but at this stage this is just a fantasy. The human beings that appear in the parallel world are like models, and the details of this background are still very rough.”

"Well, then it's impossible to mess with reality? But it doesn't matter, I really want to see this kind of parallel world." "Although I really want to say that I am waiting for you to visit at any time, in fact, it is difficult to meet your requirements at this point in time. The method we have developed to transmit signals to the brain is just to make the test subjects understand the super simple things as much as possible. What about the geometry phase?" "Hey, I'm so disappointed." Xia Jiang started to stir the cream with a spoon again, and then stopped quickly, "Is the person who is going to come here today to study this?"

"Well, although the methods adopted are different, the general goal is the same." "You said it was your high school classmate?" "It's junior high school, from junior high school to graduate school has been a class" "To a graduate student? Hey, you two smell really similar." "It's a best friend." I said, Xia Jiang opened his eyes wide, like an owl in a cartoon, probably because he thought this saying was old-fashioned.But I really can't think of other words to describe the relationship between me and him. "I want to remind you first." I raised my index finger and looked at Xia Jiang's face. "You might notice when you see him that the guy walks with a little limp on his right leg, because it's a little awkward. It's a hangover from polio."

"Oh, how pitiful." Xia Jiang clapped his hands after finishing speaking, "I see, you want me to be careful not to mention his legs when I speak?" I shake my head. "That's not necessary, that guy hates people's constant attention to this problem. What I want you to understand is that the right leg lame is the way he walks, not a pain. So don't worry too much, and certainly don't need sympathy ,Now you know?" After listening to my words, Xia Jiang began to nod continuously, and after a while, he speeded up and said, "Just think of it as one of the characteristics of that person"

"Exactly." I nodded contentedly, and glanced at my watch, it was five past five. "Ah, are those two people?" Xia Jiang looked behind me, and I turned my head.Miwa Tomohiko was wearing a gray jacket and carrying a shoulder bag, and was looking at the door of the store.Standing next to her was a short-haired woman in sportswear, whose face was not clearly visible. I raised my hand, and he seemed to notice it too, and smiled innocently at me. The two walked towards this side, Zhiyan's right leg was still limping, "I'd better sit here," Xia Jiang said, walked to the seat next to me and sat down. Tomohiko and the short-haired woman came to our table. "Sorry for being late, I got lost just now," Chihiko said standing up. "Don't worry, just sit down" "okay" Zhiyan let the short-haired woman sit down first, and then sat down by himself.In my memory, there seems to be no scene where he let anyone sit first. Then the four of us sat facing each other, and a short-haired woman sat in front of me. I wandered my eyes nonchalantly and met her eyes. For a moment, I shouted in my heart, how is it possible! Tomohiko said to her, "He is Takashi Tsuruga, and I have been close friends with me since junior high school." Then he looked at me and said with some embarrassment, "Takashi, this is Mayuko Tsuno" how is this possible?I muttered again in my heart. A few days ago, Zhiyan told me that he wanted to introduce his girlfriend to me.We were having lunch in the school cafeteria when he faltered. At that time, I just took a sip of tea and almost choked after listening to it. "Hey, is this true?" "Can't it be true?" Zhiyan adjusted the position of his glasses and blinked.This is his consistent action when his heart is ups and downs. "Of course, what kind of girl is it?" What Tomohiko said was not the university that the two of us graduated from.The girl majored in information science, and she just graduated in March this year. "When and where did you meet?" "Well, it should be last September, in the computer mall" According to him, the girl was asking the clerk, but the clerk was unable to answer the question because it was too professional.At that time, Zhiyan gave her some advice from the side, and the two of them got acquainted with each other, and then they started dating. "You're so mean." After hearing him finish, I deliberately raised my voice, "We've known each other for so long, and you haven't mentioned a word to me, don't you think I'm an outsider?" Of course I wasn't really angry, I just wanted to tease him, but he quickly explained: "The reason why I didn't tell you is because I didn't know whether she liked me or not. I've had this kind of thing before, right? I unilaterally regarded her as a lover and introduced her to Chongshi. I don’t want to lose face like this again.” After hearing this, I fell silent for a while.In fact, Zhiyan's past events, I know best. "So that means" I put my hand on his shoulder, "You mean, this time your girlfriend really likes you, right?" "Well, maybe, of course I don't have a lot of confidence." Even though he said that, he didn't look unconfident at all. I patted him on the back this time, "Isn't this just right? Huh?" Chihiko smiled shyly, "To be honest, actually, for some reason, I had to introduce you." "what reason?" "Well, that's what happened." Zhiyan straightened his glasses again, "She's going to enter the MAC." I couldn't help being surprised, "Join MAC? Is it possible to join Vitec?" "Yeah, I received a call from her yesterday, saying that she was officially hired by MAC..." "Hey, is there such a good thing?" I supported my head, "This is a rare thing, you still keep it from me until now" "As I said, it was officially decided yesterday." "You bastard" I poked him in the chest, and the guy scratched his head with a happy and somewhat sorry expression. MAC is the abbreviation of the school we are attending now - MAC Technical Academy.But in essence, it is not a simple technical school, but a company built for the purpose of cultivating cutting-edge technology research and implementing elite education for employees. That company is a Vitec company headquartered in the United States. In terms of hardware, it produces everything from supercomputers to home computers. It is also in the leading position in the world in terms of software. In short, it is a comprehensive computer manufacturer. Zhiyan and I are both employees of this company. We joined the company a year ago after graduating from the engineering department of a private university. Fortunately, our strength and future were recognized, so we were sent to MAC Learn.Students like us who have just graduated from university usually spend two years at MAC. While working on research topics assigned by the company, it also improves our knowledge and technology.For us researchers who want to get ahead, it is a great job to get a salary while receiving an education.It's just that the school often has to check the progress of the research, so its severity is unmatched by universities. And now, Chihiko's girlfriend is also entering this school. "In this way, maybe we ran into each other in school that day, and it's only a matter of time before I find out, right? Rather than defending helplessly at that time, it's better to be honest now, isn't it?" When I said this, Chihiko scratched his forehead and smiled shyly, as if I had hit the nail on the head. "Your acting skills are really top-notch, you actually lied to me for half a year" "Sorry" "It's no wonder." I patted Zhiyan's shoulder again, and then pushed harder with my fingers, and the guy's thin shoulders shook back and forth. “But it was really nice” "I don't know how long this will last" "It has to be maintained, she is a good girl, isn't she?" "Hmm... Maybe others will think it's a waste to follow me" "It's over, it's over." I made a gesture of surrender. Although I said that, I was actually happy for him from the bottom of my heart, and even thought that he could finally obtain real happiness.I think so, because I consider myself the one who knows him best. Tomohiko and I have developed a very deep friendship since the first grade of junior high school. During the lunch break, I first talked to Tomohiko who was reading a science magazine. "Is there really such a thing as 'Monopole'?" was the memorable first sentence. He immediately replied, "Is there no contradiction in assuming its existence in quantum physics?" It was a moment of mutual recognition, and the two of us have been in a heated argument ever since.Students in the first grade of junior high school certainly don't understand the theory of elementary particles, and they just enjoy exchanging some half-understood knowledge.However, during that time, I tasted an unprecedented sense of excitement full of freshness.We became instant friends. He has some inconvenience in one foot, which does not hinder our friendship in any way.He has a lot of qualities that I don't have, smart intellect, keen intuition.The opinions he put forward often inspire me deeply and avoid many detours.And I will also let Zhiyan, who is somewhat autistic, fully see the colorful world outside.In short, the two of us can be regarded as learning from each other. However, while we both maintained this friendship, there was an insurmountable gap.We both noticed it, but neither touched it. That is the relationship problem. I joined a lot of clubs, so I broadened my scope of communication, and I have many partners who can be called girlfriends.Several of them really developed towards lovers with me.However, I almost never mentioned them in front of Tomohiko.I once thought that there was no need to deliberately avoid it and tried to mention it in front of him, but it ended in creating an embarrassing atmosphere, which made us all choose to avoid it in the future. Originally thought that as long as Zhiyan got a girlfriend, this problem would be solved satisfactorily, but in fact it did not go well.It is undeniable that his figure is very thin, coupled with deep myopia, it will indeed give people an impression of frailty and sickness.But among the people I know, there are many boys who are less eye-catching than him but still embrace the beauty.The reason why the young girl kept her at a respectful distance was undoubtedly his flaws.I heard rumors about him from girls in high school, and sometimes I was really angry for him. Was it just because of the inconvenience of one leg that the image was greatly compromised? When I was in college, I dragged Tomohiko to a women's college for a fellowship.Because I heard that the other party is some simple female students who are not interested in fashion, I also expected Chihiko to get along well with them, but this expectation was shattered after 30 minutes.The topics that the female students care about are generally what level the boys are in skiing and tennis, what brand of car they drive, and so on.During the period, Zhiyan asked them about their majors, but they were ignored without even getting a decent answer.Then, a boy mentioned Chihiko's leg to the girls because he was worried, and everyone fell into a terrifying and embarrassing atmosphere.Zhiyan couldn't bear it anymore, got up and left, and I chased after him. "In the future, you can go to Chongshi alone." Zhiyan turned to me and said, I didn't know how to respond. Since then, there has never been any talk about romance between Tomohiko and me.Not long after the two of us entered graduate school, an incident happened between him and a third-year girl from the same school.In fact, the other party just admired his learning ability, and Zhiyan, who mistook it for love, introduced the girl to me, but she made it clear on the spot that she did not intend to date Zhiyan.The embarrassment of a moment makes people shiver in retrospect. Because of this background, after Zhiyan showed me his cards this time, I was very happy.In a way, even happier than himself. I heard Chihiko say her name is Tsuno Mayuko, even though I can't imagine her appearance and personality at all, I pray in my heart that she is a touching woman who will love Chihiko forever and marry him. Unexpectedly, the moment he saw Mayuko Tsuno, this kind of thought disappeared. The girl sitting in front of her was the girl on the Keihin Tohoku Line.Although her hair was cut short, it was indeed her.I gazed into her face every week for about a year, and after that I would often have her in my mind. She also seemed taken aback when she saw me.Our eyes crossed, this is the first time since looking at each other through the door glass. But she immediately recovered her smiling face and said "Take care of me", her voice was neither high nor low, and she was approachable. "Each each other" I replied. Unfortunately, I can't tell if it remembers me, the change in her expression may just be my illusion.After all, I wasn't even sure if she saw it at that time. "I heard that Tsuruga is also doing research on the sub-real space," Mayuko Tsuno asked me after exchanging pleasantries. "Ah, yes... just now I was talking about this topic with her." I said, and glanced at Xia Jiang. "He said he wanted to create a parallel world, but I don't quite understand it." Xia Jiang glanced at Zhiyan and his wife, and stuck out his tongue.Maybe there was a contrast with Mayuko, and I suddenly felt that a woman like Xia Jiang was too frivolous, and I began to regret bringing her here.Originally, I thought that two men and one woman were a little out of balance, so I called out my former tennis club partner Xia Jiang, but now I see that it doesn't matter what the imbalance is. "We must explain to her the signaling system of the brain, right?" Mayuko said. "Yeah, that's what's causing my headache, isn't it?" Chihiko and I looked at each other and said with a smile. Displaying computer-drawn pictures and playing sounds, this kind of imaginary real world created by actually stimulating the human sensory system is called "virtual reality"; The imaginary world created in the brain is called "secondary reality space" by Vitec. The development of sub-real space is the ultimate research topic of Vitec.The knowledge requirements for this are not limited to computer technology. MAC opened a new 'brain function research group' a few years ago, and Zhiyan and I both assisted in the research in that group. "Actually, she was also assigned to the real science room," Chihiko said a little embarrassedly.Tomohiko and I are currently attached to the Reality Science Laboratory. "Oh? Then maybe we can cooperate with each other." "Well, I don't know if it will be as I wish." After that, Mayuko took a peek at Tomohiko. "If it's all together, I'd really like to ask you a lot. We're still worrying about not having enough manpower." "The audio-visual group seems to have made great achievements." Zhi Yan's words were mixed with sighs. The 'audio-visual cognitive system research group' he mentioned was my group, and Zhi Yan belonged to the 'memory processing research group'.It is true that his group has never heard of any outstanding results. "I've been hearing him say that Tsuruga is amazing," Mayuko said, staring straight at me.The light in her pupils immediately attracted me. "Nothing," I said, looking away. Walking out of the coffee shop, we are going to eat Italian food.Xia Jiang and I walked in front, followed by Chihiko and Mayuko.I walked slowly, counting Zhiyan's pace silently, and looked back from time to time.Chihiko was concentrating on talking to Mayuko, and Mayuko was looking at his face and listening, as if she didn't want to miss a word he said. "She's so beautiful," Xia Jiang said next to me. "Oh, yes" "To be honest, I don't think the two are a good match, don't you think?" Xia Jiang whispered to me. "Don't talk stupid" Just because I have the same idea and I don't want to be seen through by others, I can't help but emphasize my tone.Xia Jiang, who wanted to make a light joke, suddenly straightened his face. In the restaurant, we kept chatting about our respective interests.It is said that Mayuko will go to the concert every month, and it is because of this that she and Tomohiko should be very speculative, I nodded secretly.Zhiyan learned the violin as a child, and is now an expert in classical music. And after he talked about this topic, Xia Jiang suddenly became interested. It seemed that she had also learned the violin, and the two began to chat.So I chatted with Mayuko. I inadvertently glanced at Mayuko Tsuno, and she was even more attractive than when she was facing me across the window.It is true that she has a curvaceous figure and looks that belong to the standard Japanese beauty, but the real charm does not lie in this.Her lips conjure unparalleled tenderness and maternal tolerance, and her eyes sparkle with wisdom.The inner beauty will be inadvertently revealed from the expression, it is this kind of woman.At this moment, I immediately understood that a woman who can feel Zhiyan's excellence and falls in love with him should have a shining inner. However, I have to admit that I still have another diametrically opposite emotion, as if my heart is covered with a gray veil.That is—why did this woman choose Chihiko? Surprised even to myself, the idea of ​​immediately dispelling this evil thought predominated in my mind. "What kind of music do you like to listen to, Tsuruga?" Mayuko asked me. "I don't have any hobbies in this area. Not only music, I have almost no relationship with art. I sigh that I don't have the talent in this area." "Huh? But Chihiko showed me the CG (Computer Graphic) you made. It's really great. There's no such thing as artistic talent." When I was a student, I used a computer to make a computer drawing called 'Alien Planet Plants', and that's what she seemed to be referring to. "I'm glad you can say that, but anyone can make things like CG, and they're all beautiful." Mayuko shook her head. "It's not just beautiful, I have a feeling of being shocked. When I saw that work, I felt that the producer Tsuruga must be able to see the universe." Unknowingly, she clenched her hands on her chest, It is probably the habit of emphasizing the tone.After she found me staring, she immediately reacted and hid her hands under the table.Then, with a shy smile, "Isn't that so?" asked me. "It's a great honor for me to receive such praise, but I don't really know it myself." "Anyway, I think it's very powerful." Mayuko decided immediately, and gave me a dizzy look again.I was a little embarrassed, folded and spread the napkin on my lap, but of course, I was not in a bad mood. Should I mention seeing her on the Yamanote Line, I wondered.Maybe she also wanted to confirm it in her heart, and it was a good time.But the moment I was about to speak, I still hesitated.On the one hand, I considered Tomohiko's mood, and on the other hand, I expected the miserable situation I would fall into if she didn't remember. "Do you have any plans for the future?" When serving dessert, Xia Jiang looked at Mayuko and Chihiko respectively, and asked. Zhiyan was almost stuffed in his throat by the cake, so he drank quickly. "No, we haven't..." "Huh? You have been dating for half a year?" Xia Jiang asked closely. "The future is hard to predict," Chihiko said, looking at Mayuko from time to time.She lowered her gaze first, and then looked at Chihiko too, with a hint of a smile on her charming lips.The moment I saw this expression, there was an indescribable anxiety in my heart. "Cheers to the future of the two of you." I held out the cup with coffee. Xia Jiang's eyes widened in surprise, "What nonsense are you talking about, toast with coffee?" "I forgot to do something while drinking beer just now, come on, Chihiko" "Well, then..." Zhiyan also picked up the cup. "It always feels a little weird. Well, forget it" As he said that, Xia Jiang also raised it up, and finally Mayuko.At this time, I lightly knocked down her fingertips, and couldn't help but glance at her, but she acted like she didn't notice. After walking out of the restaurant, Tomohiko said that he would send Mayuko home.And Xia Jiang invited me to have a drink, but I was not in the mood and went home alone at Shinjuku Station. Looking up at the gray sky from the tram, I tried to recall Mayuko's face.However, the face that has been portrayed in my mind countless times before, but I can't remember it today.Then I tried to recall the middle-aged couple sitting next to us in the restaurant. The woman looked at our dishes several times, and I deliberately gave her a few glances.I remembered her face easily, and it was no problem to draw it. I challenged Mayuko's face again, but it still didn't work. The short hair, the gentle corners of the mouth, and the charming pupils were so impressive, but they couldn't be drawn into a complete image anyway. At about ten o'clock in the evening, I returned to Waseda's apartment. As soon as I turned on the light in the room, the phone rang as if I had been waiting for a long time.It was Chihiko calling, he seemed to have just parted with Mayuko. "How do you feel?" Chihiro asked. "what?" "It's a girlfriend" "Ah..." I swallowed, "What a good girl, virtuous and beautiful" "Let me tell you. Do you feel the same way?" Zhiyan was a little smug, and continued, "Do you think it's a pity to follow me?" I was speechless, but he didn't seem to realize what the silence meant, and continued: "She also seems to have a good impression of Chongshi, saying that you're such a nice person" "that would be great" "I'm relieved, and I can proceed to the next step smoothly." "Yeah—have you considered getting married?" I asked sharply, it would be better if I let myself give up earlier. "I've thought about it, but haven't mentioned it to her" "That's it" "But" Tomohiko continued solemnly, "I want to bring it up to her, I won't think about other women besides her" "that's true" "Will you support me?" "Of course" I replied reflexively. After hanging up the phone, I sat on the ground. Although I couldn't think of the whole appearance, all I could think of was Mayuko. At this time, the other self said, you are such a fool, what are you thinking about?You and Mayuko Tsuno met for the first time tonight, she doesn't have you in her mind at all, and she's Tomohiko's lover, my best friend Tomohiko— Inadvertently, I glanced at the window, the glass reflected my own appearance, my face was ugly and distorted, as if the surface was deformed. It was the face of a jealous man.