"Everyone, I'm truly pleased to welcome you all here."
The nearly seventy-year-old Lorenzo stood on a raised platform specially set up inside the department store.
He was personally promoting his company's newest VR product.
This had been Takayuki's suggestion.
Lorenzo was a symbolic figure—rather than spending a fortune hiring celebrities for endorsements, having Lorenzo do the promotion was far more effective at drawing attention.
And it didn't cost much.
In fact, if someone from within Morgan Group had made the suggestion, Lorenzo probably wouldn't have agreed to come out of retirement. After all, he was well into his seventies and had little desire to be in the spotlight anymore.
…
…
But Takayuki had once helped him significantly, and they had formed a close cross-generational friendship.
So coming from Takayuki, the suggestion was actually more persuasive than any internal pitch. Plus, Lorenzo was genuinely intrigued by the new tech—and by the fact that Takayuki himself had developed the game—so he willingly took on the role of brand ambassador.
At that very moment, Takayuki stood silently among the crowd, carefully hiding his identity to avoid being recognized.
These days, he was well-known enough that being spotted could cause a stir, which he didn't want right now.
Standing in the crowd, Takayuki nodded to himself. Having someone like Lorenzo promote the product was far more effective than using some random celebrity.
How many real tech enthusiasts would buy a product just because a celebrity endorsed it?
Most of them were chasing technology and trends—not star power.
By now, hundreds of people had gathered below the platform.
Even more were trying to get in, but they were firmly turned away.
The department store didn't want to risk an incident happening to someone like Lorenzo due to overcrowding. Managing too many people was a headache in itself.
Of course, if someone showed up waving cash and saying they wanted to buy the VR device, staff were more than happy to let them in—with a big smile to boot.
Would others complain about it? Who cared?
This was a market driven by capital. Those willing to spend were treated like royalty; those who weren't were just spectators. Sure, they might be treated nicely when needed, but now? With demand far exceeding supply, they were just unnecessary baggage.
"I'm very pleased to personally demonstrate this VR product for everyone," Lorenzo began. "To be honest, I only recently learned how to use it myself. I had just memorized some operating instructions backstage. But my team told me the device is incredibly easy to use—even kids who don't read manuals can figure it out quickly. So here I am, giving it a go."
The crowd looked up, eyes fixed eagerly on Lorenzo.
Some stared at him in admiration—he was, after all, a cultural icon for many Americans.
Others were genuinely curious about the VR product itself.
If it really was as easy to use as Lorenzo said, their social class likely meant they could afford it. And even if it just collected dust later, that was no big deal.
Getting to see Lorenzo in person was already a satisfying experience.
Next, Lorenzo picked up the VR headset beside him.
It resembled the bulky design of the original VIVE headset from the real world.
However, thanks to more rapid technological development in this world, they had already moved past early four-corner camera tracking. The headset could define a playable area with internal sensors alone.
The moment Lorenzo put on the headset, a giant screen behind him lit up, showing everyone what he was seeing inside the VR world.
It was a circular hall, roughly 300 to 400 square meters in size, with floating interactive blocks suspended in the air.
On screen, instructional prompts began to appear, guiding Lorenzo through how to use the device.
In addition to the headset, the VR system also came with a pair of uniquely designed motion controllers.
The idea for these detachable controllers had originally come from Takayuki.
While they were first meant to accommodate Takayuki's rhythm game, Beat Saber, they turned out to be perfect for general VR interaction—essentially simulating the user's two hands in the virtual space.
"Looks like my team was right. This thing really is easy to use."
It didn't take Lorenzo long to get the hang of it.
"As you can see, I can watch videos with this device. I can even log into websites and browse content directly."
"This big virtual screen feels almost like a movie theater. Aside from being a bit unclear visually, everything else is great. But hey, it's the first generation—this is already impressive."
In the crowd below, Takayuki's expression twitched slightly.
Lorenzo casually commenting on the pros and cons of the product—how was Morgan Group feeling right now?
Could they even dare to send their former CEO a cease-and-desist letter for saying too much?
Probably not.
But Lorenzo himself didn't seem to care anyway. He was genuinely putting himself in the shoes of a consumer, openly and honestly sharing both the strengths and shortcomings of the product.
Ironically, this honesty won over the crowd even more.
Of course—a brand-new product based on new technology couldn't possibly be perfect from the start.
The visuals weren't the sharpest, but it was acceptable.
"I think I'd enjoy watching a movie with this—it's like your own private cinema. I've also heard this device can connect online and let multiple people watch a movie together, just like being in a real theater. Unfortunately, no one's joining me today. But maybe in the future, when you get your hands on one, you can try that out."
As Lorenzo continued, the crowd below grew visibly more excited.
Sensing the moment, Lorenzo smiled and said, "I think you've all been waiting for the real highlight of today's showcase—the first VR game personally overseen by Takayuki: Beat Saber."
The crowd immediately became electrified—it was obvious his words struck a chord.
They had been waiting a long time for this.
"Alright then, let me show you how it works. Honestly, I've always wanted to try swinging lightsabers in a virtual world."
With that, he tapped into a new interface—the VR system's game library.
Everyone perked up.
This was one of the main reasons they came.
At this point, the device felt more like a massive, high-tech toy.
And the main reason anyone would willingly buy this very expensive toy—aside from Lorenzo's charismatic pitch—was this game.