Story
A world far into the future.
Midorijima is an island located southwest of Japan's mainland.
It was once a prosperous island where people and nature lived in harmony.
However, the island was bought by Toue Corporation, one of Japan's wealthiest conglomerates, and a whole third of the island was transformed into an exclusive luxury resort known as Platinum Jail.
While attention was focused on the resort, the islanders fell victim to coercion and intimidation behind the scenes. They were aggregated into the Old Residential District, where they are forced to live in poverty.
The younger generation of the Old Residential District choose to either join a Ribsteez gang and fight in daily brawls over territory, or play in a virtual world via Rhyme, a popular online game.
Rumors spread among them:
Gank incidents
Disappearances
Morphine
Aoba, our protagonist, lives with his grandmother, Tae, while working part-time at Hum-Drum Junk in the Old Residential District.
All he ever wanted was to live a peaceful life.
However, strange events have begun transpiring in places beyond his fathoming—events that will inevitably shatter his tranquil days.
Keyword
Midorijima
An island located southwest of Japan's mainland.
It was once a happy island, lush with vibrant greenery, but with Toue Corporation buying out and developing upon most of its land, there is now extraordinary inequality between the rich and poor.
Old Residential District
In view of their development projects on Midorijima, Toue Corporation proposed to the island's residents that they move to Japan's mainland.
Most of them accepted this proposal, as it came with promises of money and property as compensation.
However, a few stubborn islanders refused Toue Corporation's offer to the end.
The Old Residential District is where such islanders were aggregated, almost by force.
The most basic lifelines, such as water and gas, are functional, but everything else is neglected. Here, the yakuza and a crooked police force operate with impunity.
Platinum Jail
A members-exclusive, prestigious luxury resort constructed on Midorijima by the Toue Corporation.
A large wall stands between the resort and the Old Residential District, barring view of what goes on inside.
Allmate
An artificial lifeform with artificial intelligence.
They are commonly employed for network tool assistance by the general public.
With a large variety of models and the capacity to communicate via speech, Allmates are often adored by their owners as pets.
They can also be useful partners when fighting in Rhyme, a game played in a virtual world.
Capable of identifying their owners through the owner's Coil.
Rhyme
A virtual game, immensely popular among the younger generation.
Anybody with an Allmate can join the game.
When two players start a match, one or the other's mind is reflected in a virtual space, forming the battlefield.
The fast-paced, acrobatic battles only possible in virtual spaces are the game's main draw.
According to the official rules, a referee known as Usui must be present.
Ribsteez
Gangs formed within the Old Residential District who get into frequent scuffles with each other—territorial disputes, as they call them.
They claim their territories by tagging the walls in alleys with their gang's symbol.
Members of each gang, excluding the gang's leader, represent their affiliation by tattooing their gang's symbol somewhere on their body.
Most of the younger generation in the Old Residential District are affiliated with a Ribsteez gang, leaving those without tattoos, known as unmarked, to be discriminated against.
Most members of Ribsteez gangs scoff at the idea of fighting in a virtual world through Rhyme, preferring to fight physically.
Hum-Drum Junk
A junk shop where Aoba works part-time.
It offers everything from general consumables to specialized metal parts at bargain prices.
The shop is held in high regard and boasts a deeply loyal customer base for its array of items appraised and collected by the owner, which include treasures sought after by enthusiasts of all kinds.
Coil
A very popular and common, wearable computing device.
The one Aoba owns is a wristwatch model.
Calls, email, TV, paying utility bills, even providing ID—Coils can do it all.
