Aharen-san wa Hakarenai (阿波連さんははかれない)

Okay, I got a joke for you folks as hot as a grill!

Hamburger

You start with 100 grams...

Chips

Salted

Just so you know, I went to see the cherry blossoms

with Mr. Beef, Mr. Pork, and Mr. Poultry.

Grainy Crossing

S W E E T H O R I Z O N

And man, let me tell you, I got totally hammered!

Grainy Crossing?

Have we always had this?

Nii-chan, if you're interested in that one, you can play it.

What? Are you sure? You're not going to?

Yeah. I have to study for exams anyway, so I won't get to it anytime soon.

I see. Okay, then I'll give it a go.

Grainy Crossing

S W E E T H O R I Z O N

Just like on the grill! Well done!

Grainy Crossing: Sweet Horizon!

Gr

Grainy

Grainy Cross

Grainy Crossing

S W E E T H O R I Z O N

Welcome to Grainy Crossing!

Here you can create your own town full of lots of animals!

I see.

Episode Two Kinda Grainy, Huh?

So you gather materials to make houses and such in order to build a town.

Sounds like fun.

Confirm

Character creation, huh?

There's all kinds of hairstyles and faces...

All right, let's try to make him look like me.

Does everything look okay?

Okay

Retake

The spitting image.

The important thing with games like this is to totally immerse yourself in the world...

Good! Full dive complete.

Now, into the woods!

So this is Grainy Crossing...

Is this where I sleep?

That's one heck of a house.

I hope I get to live somewhere like that one day.

That's my house!

Nice to meet you. I live in this here forest.

You can call me Tom Grainook.

I'm Raido. It's a pleasure.

You're gonna need 30 million pells to build a house.

Is that so?

Well, how do I go about earning money?

I can show you how to do just that!

First, I need you to gather some branches for me.

Next, fruit.

I'll also need some veggies.

Wow, that's a ton! You did a great job!

Thanks.

I really appreciate it! This is just what I needed!

These cabbages look so good. Just check out that sheen!

I'll buy them off you for 100 pells apiece.

Pells

That's what their worth, huh?

I'd love to pay you more, but in this economy...

There's a whole economy?

Look at this haul you brought me!

Including the table, 5,000 pells ought to cover it!

Pells

Earning a living's that rough, huh?

This is quite the cabbage field I've got.

Now, step right up and have a look!

Produce from the heart

Tom Grainook Products

Raised by Tom Grainook, this miraculous produce contains no agriculture chemicals. Eat them if you want to be gorgeous!

We've got a new product for sale! All organic produce, raised by yours truly!

Didn't I grow those?

Try 'em if you're looking to be a hit with the ladies,

Raised by Tom Grainook, this miraculous produce contains no agriculture chemicals. Eat them if you want to be gorgeous!

'cause they'll make you irresistible!

All for the great price of 2,000 pells a pop!

I need some!

Right here!

Me first!

Talk about a massive ripoff.

S O L D O U T

Grainook-san.

I brought more cabbage.

Good job. I'll take 'em for 100 pells apiece.

Weren't you just selling them for 2,000 apiece?

Listen, just because we're so close,

I'll throw in a little extra just for you!

Pells

Hey, I've got 30 million pells.

Finally, the cozy home of my dreams!

This feeling of accomplishment... is just the best, isn't it?

And that's how it went.

Grainy Crossing really is fun.

You've played it before, Aharen-san?

Yeah. You should come to my town next time.

Sure. Once I've got my own town how I like it.

To get the most out of living in town...

Buy turnips now!

I continued to work diligently.

And eventually...

Dendo-cho Ichiban-doori

I had it all.

Cheers!

Man, I appreciate you throwing this fancy birthday party

all for little old me!

You've done so much for me.

I wanted to pay you back somehow.

Raido-aniki...

Raido-san.

The girls are here.

Right.

I'm Hippomi.

I'm Nooko!

Thanks for having us!

Excuse me...

Pardon me.

What's your name?

I-It's Tom Grainook!

Y-You can just call me Tom-tan, though!

It's your birthday today, right, Tom-tan-san?

How old are you turning?

F-Fort—

I'm 25!

Oh, wow, so am I! What a coincidence!

Th-That's right! Total coincidence, right?!

Well, let's have some cake to celebrate.

Say, "Ah"!

Ah...

So good!

I don't know if I've ever had a cake that tasted as good!

You've got some whipped cream on your face...

Ah!

Squee!

Wait for me, Nooko!

I-I promise I'll make you happy!

Look how far we've come.

I'm so glad I decided to follow you, Raido-aniki.

I appreciate everything, Tom Grainook.

Right back at you!

This might be the happiest I've ever been!

You're overreacting.

Aniki!

Damn it!

Grainook!

Say something!

A-Aniki...

I wish... Nooko and I could've...

Tom Grainook!

I can't help but wonder...

What was it all for?

I'll be joining you someday. This is only a temporary parting.

Until then, Tom Grainook.

Oh, I should visit Aharen-san's town next.

What in the world...?

It's hard to believe this is the same game.

My own selfish pursuits just can't compare to this level of prosperity.

Isn't this too cool?

It's such an accurate recreation of reality...

No! It's even more sophisticated!

Safety First

This level of detail, the overwhelming load of information...

Could her ultimate goal be...

a full recreation of Earth?!

Maybe Aharen-san's grown tired of reality and decided to move into a virtual world.

I know what I said about immersion, but...

This level of complexity, and in so much detail...

It could break the world. No.

It could break the universe itself!

Reality

Virtual Reality

We're at risk...

Reality

Virtual Reality

of the real and the virtual swapping places!

There's a theory that if a virtual space

contains more info than the real world,

then, at that point, it takes precedence and becomes reality!

Supposedly the likelihood of that is pretty low with modern technology.

But there's one possibility that could make it happen...

A quantum computer.

With a quantum computer's specs,

someone could create a virtual world that's more real than reality.

And to create a space like this with a level of detail so close to reality...

The risk of the real and the virtual inverting is serious!

Aharen-san, you can't take this any further!

If your virtual world outpaces reality, there's no coming back!

Aharen-san... I knew it!

She's uploaded her entire being to the other side

and become a inorganic lifeform.

There's no sense in getting sad.

She chose this. I need to accept it.

Just wait for me. I'll be joining you soon!

Good morning.

Oh, good morning.

I overslept a bit.