Chapter 3:
No one could believe it, after all that effort finally a clue had been found, a clue that could either brighten the path ahead or even make it darker.
Itsako couldn't believe it either, the concept of a notification in reality meant a message or an announcement, of course this announcement appeared on something like a paper as a letter or a message on the phone, but this very notification in games usually meant a floating announcement that appeared in front of the gamer and gave them a message.
In this place Itsako had only one notebook and that's it, she had no internet, no phone, and not even something like a key to try it on that black metallic screen that only looked like a door, so for her the meaning of notification wasn't a text message on her phone but the meaning of notification
for her was like a message or a clue around her.
It was logical, in the situation that Itsako was in, imaginary things like a floating and magical message that would notify her and give her a mission didn't make sense.
"Hey get up girl, now's not the time to think, if I really want to play smart I have to be able to find the message."
She got out of her crawling position and took a quick glance at the floor.
"Heh heh, what was I even hoping for, the one who left this clue isn't that dumb!"
Then she went and looked under the mattress that didn't let her sleep on the cold floor. The mattress was relatively heavy and couldn't be lifted by one person only but Itsako decided to use her whole body to make it happen.
She grabbed a corner of the mattress and raised the edge as much as she could, then she put herself under the lifted part of the mattress and using her entire body, like a professional weightlifter, she started to lift her own weight.
This move of hers was successful up to a point but after lifting the mattress to a 60-degree angle suddenly Itsako's hand slipped and her 30-kilo weight fell on her head.
"Why... why is it that no matter what I do something always falls on my head in the end, ugh it's like this warehouse has a problem with me."
After a while, Itsako was finally able to struggle her way out from under the mattress.
"This damn warehouse, ever since I got stuck here it's like I entered Alice's world, all kinds of weird things happen to me, who even left this clue
this notification...."
Suddenly a sound echoed through the whole warehouse and a light lit up the entire place and then a slightly transparent floating text appeared in front of her.
Itsako brought her hand forward and tried to touch the hologram floating in front of her, but when her hand touched the hologram after feeling a piercing cold her hand passed through the hologram as if the hologram didn't like foreign objects much.
From Itsako's point of view it was a strange thing, maybe an illusion or maybe a dream, but whatever it was, for someone who was seeing it, it was real.
It was as if the universe was once again showing a kind face to this girl, but well, Itsako didn't care about that and was only looking for an answer.
"Damn it! What the hell is this thing?" Then she stepped back a bit to once again feel the pleasant and soft cold of the wall behind her.
After staring for a while and doing nothing, Itsako finally found the courage to open her mouth again but soon closed it again and let the silence still rule over the quiet and suffocating room.
Itsako didn't know what to say. She was like a child trying to find a proper word to respectfully ask something from a stranger.
After some thinking she finally found the words necessary to make a request from the notification.
"Um... excuse me but why did you trap me inside this warehouse?"
Maybe for many people this sentence didn't need much time and could be made with a few seconds of thought, but for Itsako who was usually withdrawn and had very low social skills, this sentence meant using every part of her brain related to language.
"Heh I'm such an idiot, did I really think I could talk to an illusion?"
Itsako said this and sat in a corner of the warehouse without paying attention to the floating hologram. Some time passed but nothing happened until suddenly a rough and annoying voice started talking in the warehouse, it was the voice of the same hologram. At first, the voice which was identified by her ear was very rough and unintelligible but just a few moments later suddenly a voice full of various emotions and joy opened up in her mind.
Gradually the rough and growling voice became meaningful and Itsako could understand the words the hologram was saying:
"Entrant... you have summoned me according to the protocol!"