The story takes place in 2061,
50 years after humanity developed the "Net society" that
depended on information networks despite their security
issues. To improve security, a new network called Meta Real
Network — or "Metal" for short — was developed. People's
personal memories are reduced to information and placed
within "protected virtual stand-alone organic cyber enclaves
called bubble shells online. The result was a virtual
"explosion" of creative freedom as people felt safe enough
to explore instincts and desires on Metal that they would
not otherwise explore in real life. This "friction" between
the Metal's alluring lack of restrictions and rules-bound
reality led to trouble and incidents that investigators
known as "cyber divers" must handle. Masamichi Haru is one
such cyber diver.