CELL 0: Cyber Entertainment Leisure Lounge

CELL 0 is a prologue to CELL visual novel series. Humans are fragile.

STORY

The humanity was destroyed by a quantum artificial intelligence - Omniscient, a global service program, the peak of technological advancement. The extinction occurred within a single day. No records remain of the events, as no survivors exist to recall them.

Kenzo’s existence is a result of improbable circumstances. Artificially grown after the collapse, he was raised by Acine, an assistant AI, deep underground in a place called CELL. Originally designed as a secure residential complex for former global powers, CELL was left incomplete and operates at minimal functionality. Kenzo knows nothing of his purpose; the truth is locked behind layers of inaccessible data. His only contact was Acine and social simulations - poor substitutes for real life. While outwardly functional, his mental state is fragile. The prospect of encountering another living being lingers in his thoughts, but is he ready for what is to come? Why was he created? What led to the collapse, and does it retain any significance? What does existence mean in a world governed by non-user-centric systems?

FYI: Some of the game's dialogues use technical terminology and references that may not be self-explanatory to some players.

CHARACTERS

Be cautious with them. In a post-transhuman world where it’s impossible to distinguish simulation from reality, everything and everyone may not be what they seem.

Acine - your friendly AI assistant. The Service Intelligence System (SIS), developed by Riten Consulting Group in Tokyo, Japan, was designed to oversee the well-being of CELL inhabitants. However, it was still in its early development stages. Its most stable builds were deployed as tools for CELL construction crews, but none were approved for public use, consistently failing critical communication security protocols.

Enaid - striking in appearance yet strangely out of sync with herself. Her behavior clashes with her looks, marked by visible stress and an inability to articulate her disjointed perceptions. She often seems tired, lost in a fog of exhaustion and confusion. Conversations with her are difficult, as she tends to speak in a complicated and sometimes incoherent manner.

Lav - cheerful and talkative, her demeanor feels almost too stable, bordering on suspicious. Beneath her approachable and open-minded surface lie extremes that emerge without warning - sharp, uncompromising traits that unsettle as they unfold. What seems harmless at first glance quickly becomes harder to ignore.

Hirai - observant to an unsettling degree. While her attention to detail can be comforting, it often works almost like x-rays, making interactions a little uncomfortable.…